Chapter 92: Yi Ji No
The news of the civil strife in the Oirat Mongols and Yesen's death reached the capital not long ago. Zhu Yuhuan was very surprised when he heard it at first.
Ever since the Oirat was ambushed by the Ming army, it has been devastated. Yesen and Toghtobuha separated. Toghtobuha was killed while seeking refuge with his former father-in-law, and his head was sent to the capital for identification. Yesen fled with the rest of his men. Earlier, he had sent a letter to the Ming Dynasty, hoping to exchange Zhu Qizhen for Mindashili. After Zhu Yuhuan did not respond, Yesen completely disappeared.
Zhu Yuhuan also asked the border guards and Huang Jinfeng to keep an eye on the whereabouts of Yesen and the remnants of the Oirat, but this group of people fled into the northern desert and disappeared, making it difficult to obtain relevant intelligence for a while.
I didn't expect that the next time I heard news about Yesen was his death.
The reason why Zhu Yuhuan failed to obtain intelligence was that the Oirat tribe split into two tribes, namely the Dzungar tribe led by Yesen's eldest son Boronahale and the Dzungar tribe led by his second son Astemur.
After being defeated by the Ming army in a surprise attack, Yesen no longer had any prestige in the Oirat. His subordinates took advantage of Yesen's trust to start a civil war and killed him. The Oirat, which was formed by the fusion of multiple tribes, fell apart in an instant, and Yesen's two sons each set up their own factions.
Now these two groups have separately asked Zhu Yuhuan for titles. One reason is to prove that they are the orthodox Oirat, and the other reason is to prevent the now declining Oirat from being attacked by the Ming army.
There is a reason for this. Their grandmother, Minda Shili, is in the Ming Dynasty. As Yesen's "heirs", the two virtuous grandsons always want to know about their grandmother's recent situation.
The two men were very tactful and did not mention Zhu Qizhen's recent situation. After Zhu Yuhuan received the information sent by the eunuch guarding Xuanfu, he ordered the two ministries to send delegations to Yijinai to meet with the envoys appointed by the Ming Dynasty to discuss the matters of paying tribute to the capital.
As for who this envoy is, it is naturally Zhu Qiyu, who is still waiting in the capital to be enfeoffed.
Zhu Qiyu hadn't thought much about Zhu Yuhuan's appointment when he suddenly heard about it, but after careful consideration, he realized that although Yesen was dead, the Wala had never said that Zhu Qizhen was also dead...
In the early spring of the fifth year of Yuanguang, with this entanglement and anxiety, Zhu Qiyu took officials and went to Yijinai under the escort of the army sent by Shi Heng.
The weather was quite suitable along the way. This time, Zhu Qiyu was accompanied by Wang Yue, the martial arts champion in the third year of Yuanguang. Wang Yue was quite famous for his literary talent. In addition, he was young and promising, so he was full of vigor and vitality. He had a good chat with Zhu Qiyu along the way.
Zhu Qiyu briefly checked the personnel composition. Most of the officials accompanying him were newly appointed to the Ministry of Rites, while others had recently been promoted. Most of them had never met the emperor before. As for the troops protecting Zhu Qiyu, they were all new recruits, clearly having never met the former emperor, Zhu Qizhen.
Zhu Qiyu immediately understood that both Zhu Yuhuan and Shi Heng were on guard against Zhu Qizhen appearing from some corner.
In other words, everyone has great confidence in Zhu Qizhen's vitality.
After all, things are often like this, what you fear will come true.
It was March when Zhu Qiyu arrived in Yijinai, and the climate in the wilderness was still a bit cold. Fortunately, Lin Yuanzhen helped him prepare warm clothes, and Wang Yue also made proper arrangements along the way, which made Zhu Qiyu's trip feel more like a trip.
Along the way, Zhu Qiyu not only saw the scenery of the north, but also saw the strength of Wang Yue, a rising new general. Only then did he understand why the emperor admired him so much.
Wang Yue was not only quite familiar with military affairs, but also had excellent cultural literacy. He chatted and laughed with Zhu Qiyu along the way, and was able to establish good relationships with officials. He was truly a versatile talent.
Such people will never be buried wherever they go.
"Your Highness, in the distance is the temporary camp of the Dzungar and Dzungarian tribes." Wang Yue ordered his personal guards to greet them. He then said to Zhu Qiyu, "I only have a limited understanding of the Tartar language. I brought an interpreter with me this time. Your Highness, don't be nervous."
Zhu Qiyu's thoughts drifted away, and he subconsciously said, "It would be nice if Big Sister were here."
Wang Yue was stunned at first, but soon realized who Zhu Qiyu was referring to as "big sister". He asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, do you also know the Tartar language?"
Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly and said, "I also heard it from my second sister. Your Majesty has learned it from me before, but he just doesn't speak it often. I think it's because Your Majesty once traded in Liaodong and was worried about being deceived by the Tartars. When Your Majesty set sail in the second year of the Yuanguang reign, he deliberately brought a few more translators with him to prevent being deceived by foreign countries."
Wang Yue nodded in understanding, "Your Majesty has a long-term vision. Only by knowing both ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle, whether on land or at sea."
Seeing his burning gaze, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but ask, "Captain Wang, are you also interested in going out to sea?"
Wang Yue shook his head in denial, "I know my abilities are limited. I've tried my best in land warfare, but naval warfare is not my forte..." At this point, he could no longer contain his ambitions. "My lifelong wish is to incorporate Yishibali and other places into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and to restore the prosperity of poetry and prose in the frontier regions during the Tang Dynasty!"
Zhu Qiyu fell silent upon hearing this.
This man's ambition is quite unique. Whether he is placed among scholars or military generals, he is a rare flower...
The soldier who went to the camp to report came back soon, bringing envoys from two departments to pay their respects to Zhu Qiyu.
Zhu Qiyu raised his hand to signal the other party to stand up, then asked, "Have the leaders of the two tribes arrived?"
"yes."
Wang Yue snorted coldly and asked, "If that's the case, why don't you come and greet His Royal Highness Prince Luo in person?"
Zhu Qiyu was stunned when he heard Wang Yue's address. Thinking that he was a young general promoted by the emperor himself and was quite trusted, he thought that the emperor must have made arrangements long ago, so he did not say anything.
The envoys from the two ministries looked at each other in confusion. After a moment, one of them spoke up, "If His Majesty the Emperor comes in person..."
"Your Majesty is so busy with affairs that he has no time to personally visit the grasslands. He has appointed Prince Luo to come, which represents the Ming Dynasty's sincerity." Wang Yue held his head high and said, "The current emperor has only three brothers and sisters-in-law: Prince Ji, Prince Li, and Prince Luo. They are blood relatives and are closely related. The two leaders refused to even meet Prince Luo in person, which shows that they despise the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, there is no need for a meeting."
After saying this, Wang Yue reined in his horse, obviously intending to take his men away.
The two messengers were a little flustered when they saw this, and hurriedly shouted in broken Chinese: "Wait a minute! Wait a minute!"
There were also people from various Tatar tribes who were gathering intelligence on the border of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, they were aware of the movements Zhu Yuhuan had made in Huailai. At this time, provoking the powerful Ming army with outstanding generals was not a good thing for the Oirat, which had already split into two tribes.
After the two men hurriedly left, Wang Yue and Zhu Qiyu looked at each other and nodded, obviously having expected the situation today.
The emperor today is not Zhu Qizhen, and the situation of the Ming Dynasty is not the Tumu Fortress of the past. Zhu Yuhuan will certainly not back down in this regard.
After a while, Boronahale and Ashitemur hurried over. They probably did not expect the Ming Dynasty to be so tough. They looked embarrassed and greeted Zhu Qiyu awkwardly.
Zhu Qiyu then calmly spoke, "You two have come to greet us personally, which shows your sincerity. Captain Wang, there is no need to worry about such a trivial matter. Peace is the most important thing."
Wang Yue saluted and said, "Your Highness is correct. It was I who was reckless."
How could Boronahale and Ashitemur not see that the two were singing the same tune, but the enemy was strong and they were weak, so they could only tolerate the Ming Dynasty's hypocritical posturing.
"Your Highness Prince Luo, please follow us to the main tent."
Wang Yue signaled his personal guards to follow and stand guard outside the tent. He and ten personal guards closely protected Zhu Qiyu's personal safety, while the others set up camp.
Long beforehand, Zhu Yuhuan had already informed Zhu Qiyu of his conditions, asking him to act according to circumstances as long as he did not exceed her bottom line.
In fact, the two groups have little material to exchange, and for the resource-scarce grassland nomads, their strategic significance is greater.
Previously, Zhu Yuhuan used Hami to raid Wala, but now Hami is gradually becoming stronger. Zhu Yuhuan will certainly not sit idly by and will naturally support other tribes to compete with Hami.
Zhu Yuhuan will not launch a large-scale war before the domestic situation is completely stabilized, otherwise it will only worsen the domestic environment. Using the opponent's force to fight against him is the best solution.
The meeting was quite harmonious. Both tribes were facing the risk of being targeted or annexed by other tribes and were in urgent need of finding a reliable backer. Therefore, the conditions were set very low. As a result, the negotiations went more smoothly than Zhu Yuhuan had expected.
Boronahale and Ashitemur submitted to Emperor Zhu Yuhuan in the tent. The emperor allowed the two tribes to pay tribute regularly and gave them official titles in the Ming Dynasty. The two tribes had to actively cooperate with the Ming Dynasty's military activities outside the border.
"Your Highness, I wonder how Mindashili Aha is doing in the capital..."
Zhu Qiyu comforted him, "Don't worry. The people who originally migrated with the Ming army are now well settled in Northern Zhili and have long since adapted to a life of farming and weaving. This is all thanks to Minda Shili. Therefore, Your Majesty has granted her the Chinese name Su Xiuzhen and the title of Lady Shunchang, granting her the treatment of a first-rank lady."
When they heard that the Ming Emperor had given their grandmother a name, their faces turned red and they said nothing.
One of the reasons for Yesen's rebellion was that he had Han Chinese ancestry, so they suspected that Yesen was colluding with the Ming Dynasty. The two of them naturally understood that their father would never do such a thing, but the fact that he was of Han Chinese descent could not be denied.
I'm afraid Su Xiuzhen is Minda Shili's original name.
After that, they chatted briefly for a few more minutes. A soldier came in and said that the Ming army had already set up camp and the King of Qingluo had returned to the camp. Zhu Qiyu then got up and left.
However, as he left the tent and before leaving the camp, he was stopped by someone.
This person was dressed just like the Oirat, except that he was a bit more sloppy. His disheveled appearance made it impossible to distinguish his features for a moment.
Wang Yue, who was following Zhu Qiyu, immediately drew his sword upon seeing this. Before he could speak, Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and said, "Since this person has taken the initiative to come forward, he must have something important to tell me. Captain Wang, there's no need to be nervous."
He was faster than Wang Yue and had already recognized who the person who rashly stepped forward was.
It was Zhu Qizhen.
Zhu Qiyu asked with a warm expression, "Do you have something important to tell me? Your Majesty is wise and treats the people of Wala as citizens of the Ming Dynasty. He will never let you suffer any injustice."
When Yesen led his troops wandering around the border, his two sons were not with him, so it was understandable that they did not recognize Zhu Qizhen. In addition, when the Oirat Mongols were in civil strife later, I am afraid that many people who knew about the situation would be familiar with the situation.
But Zhu Qiyu never thought that Zhu Qizhen would still be alive today. It shows that human potential is truly unlimited.
But looking at Zhu Qizhen's appearance, you can tell that he is not living a good life.
For five whole years, Zhu Qizhen did not speak a word in Chinese to anyone else, for fear of exposing his identity and bringing about his own death. He finally learned to speak Tatar.
Now that he finally saw his brother whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Zhu Qizhen opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to ask for help in Chinese.
Zhu Qiyu did not give him a chance to speak, but continued: "I forgot, without an interpreter, I can't understand anything you say."
When Wang Yue saw the translator next to him wanted to step out, he immediately gave him a look, signaling him not to talk nonsense.
Zhu Qiyu patted Zhu Qizhen in a comforting gesture, then leaned in close and whispered, "My sister said you were blessed since birth and will definitely still be alive. She told me to tell you to make the best of your life and not to think of going back. Your survival will be a great comfort to the spirits of your grandmother and father in heaven. From now on, the grudges between sister and brother will be settled, and she will govern the Ming Dynasty well."
Zhu Qizhen was very emotional for a moment, but fortunately Wang Yue next to him was prepared and immediately asked someone to pull Zhu Qizhen away.
Ashe Temur heard the noise outside, walked out of the tent and asked, "What happened?"
Wang Yue said with a stern face, "This man had ill intentions towards Prince Luo, and that's why he was captured by our Ming soldiers."
Now was the critical moment for the negotiation. Ashitemur glared at Zhu Qizhen fiercely, then told those around him to explain, "Prince Luo is frightened. We will teach this cunning slave a lesson. We will send his head back to the tent before nightfall."
Zhu Qizhen, who was still struggling, was startled and immediately glanced at Zhu Qiuyu next to him with panic.
Zhu Qiyu simply said calmly, "It is not convenient for me to interfere in the affairs of the Junggar tribe. Please do as you please."
He turned around and led his men away, and the sounds of Ashitemur scolding and beating and kicking could be faintly heard from behind.
Only when he returned to the Ming army camp did Zhu Qiyu breathe a sigh of relief, but his palms were sweaty.
Since he was a child, his mother had taught him to be humble and respectful when dealing with the emperor. When had he ever spoken to the emperor like that?
Now that the matter was over, Zhu Qiyu felt much more relaxed, as if all the bad air that had accumulated in his chest for many years had dissipated, and he began to look forward to the day when he could return to Beijing.
His mother, wife, and children were all waiting for him to come home.
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