An Da paused, thinking: You still want to know how I negotiate with the Ming? But later, I'll only have Xiao Qin translate, and you still won't hear anything…
He couldn't help but laugh, "Good! Khuden Khan, bring your own personal guards and accompany me to meet that Ming Taoist, Zhu Mo."
Everyone spurred their horses, and soon they saw a fort standing not far away.
At this moment,
Zhu Mo, with Zheng Qin's hundred-man contingent and Mao Lu who had just arrived, a total of less than two hundred people, also reached the legendary Desheng Fort.
This place, called a fort, was actually abandoned. Normally, only a small banner guard garrison rotated here. Years of disrepair had left it in ruins, with many sections of the city walls already collapsed. However, it still offered some defensive capability. After all, it was the only large-scale fortification in the vast desert.
Mao Lu had met An Da and Xin Ai before, so he said,
"Young Master Zhu, An Da is exceptionally cunning. You must be extremely careful when negotiating with him… My suggestion would be to fight first, then talk. But it's too late for that now."
Zhu Mo looked back at Mao Lu's sturdy and resolute face, truly a rare and capable general. He couldn't help but laugh, "Brother Mao, it's alright. I was prepared when I left the capital. I've been waiting for this day. Let's go!"
Thump, thump, thump,
The horse teams from both sides gradually approached. When they were about forty meters apart, they all stopped in unison.
Mao Lu was startled to see over three hundred personal guards on the other side, while his own side had only a hundred guards and a hundred arquebusiers. He began to feel uneasy. That arquebusier unit was unfamiliar with field combat. If the enemy were to act aggressively, wouldn't they be at a disadvantage? If it were just him, it would be fine, but today it was about Young Master Zhu's safety. If anything happened, upon returning to the Right Guard, wouldn't those brothers hate him for the rest of their lives?
He immediately said, "Young Master Zhu, wait! I believe we should only arrange a private meeting with An Da, with the personal guards of both sides remaining in place."
Zhu Mo was also seeing Tatar cavalry for the first time. He felt a palpable killing intent amidst the solemnity, truly a formidable force. He felt a slight tremor in his heart and nodded.
As Mao Lu was about to shout, Xin Ai from the other side called out first, "Ming people, listen! Our Great Khan is willing to meet friend Zhu Mo alone! Personal guards, remain in place!"
Mao Lu also shouted, "Good! You do the same!"
Zhu Mo said nothing more. He spurred his horse forward, with only a translator following behind. On the other side, An Da also rode out, accompanied by a Han Chinese man.
Neither of them could clearly articulate their feelings. They both felt that a mentally and politically exhausting confrontation had reached its climax. For months, both sides had exerted their strength, engaging in a distant struggle. Now that the armies were truly confronting each other, they found the outcome to be far more unexpected.
An Da had thought of several ways to make Zhu Mo accept Yan Song's conditions, but he knew nothing about Zhu Mo. How could he even begin the conversation?
Zhu Mo, although he was well aware of the current state of decline on the Tatar steppes and An Da's most urgent desire to save the declining nomadic society, believed that they could find common ground. However, he feared that An Da might become overly ambitious or misunderstand his strategy, ultimately resorting to a desperate, decisive battle with the Ming.
With subtle emotions, the two drew closer.
And at this moment,
Neither of them realized that the most anxious person was not them, but rather, Tumen Khan of Chahar, Tayan.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. If the negotiations succeeded, with An Da's overbearing nature, the Chahar people would inevitably grow weaker and eventually become slaves to the Tümed.
At this moment,
He suddenly made a firm decision: Rather than die later, it was better to fight now! At least, he, Tayan, would be doing his duty to the Chahar people!
He immediately gave a signal to his personal guards and suddenly shouted,
"Great Khan, be careful!"
"Protect the Great Khan!"
Whoosh!
He and his personal guards rushed out instantly, surpassing An Da and Xiao Qin, charging towards Zhu Mo.
Tayan's original intention was to disrupt the peace talks, preferably to capture Zhu Mo and then exchange him with An Da for his grandson, Han Najin. In this way, although he disrupted the peace talks, An Da would have no reason to execute him. After all, Tayan had saved his grandson, hadn't he? All sixteen tribes were watching. The Tümed had no reason to blame him.
The Ming would see their commander captured and would immediately launch an attack. In the ensuing fierce battle between the two sides, if they were lucky and the Tümed's strength was greatly diminished, he would then take his twenty thousand Chahar warriors, under the guise of returning to defend Tümed Plain, and seize it directly, driving An Da out of the royal court.
This sudden event, coupled with the close proximity, was truly instantaneous.
Mao Lu shouted, "Zheng Qin, protect the commander!"
Whoosh! He and the guards rushed out instantly. Having experienced hundreds of battles, he knew that the more dangerous the moment, the more one had to charge forward. Otherwise, if the morale of the troops collapsed, it would be an immediate and complete defeat.
And at this moment,
Everyone heard a strange sound –
Bang bang bang bang!
Bang bang bang!
Ahhhh…
Amidst the screams and groans, thirty to forty of the two hundred charging Chahar personal guards fell in an instant!
Whoosh!
Hiss!
The over two hundred Tümed personal guards had never seen such accurate arquebus fire. They immediately retreated. Only Xin Ai charged forward, blocking his father.
Tayan, cunning as ever, in a flash of lightning, thought: The Ming arquebusiers would be useless after one shot. By the time they reloaded and ignited, they would have reached them at such a short distance.
He immediately shouted again, "Chahar people! Follow me!"
Whoosh!
The Chahar unit charged forward again.
And almost at the same time, to everyone's astonishment, they heard a crisp sound –
Bang bang bang!
Bang bang bang bang!
Ah…
Another forty to fifty Chahar people fell.
Whoosh!
This time they were terrified. Disregarding Tayan's shouts, they immediately turned and fled. This retreat immediately shook the Tümed unit.
Whoosh! The formation immediately dispersed!
Mao Lu, experienced in battle, felt a surge of joy and instinctively shouted, "Charge! Capture An Da alive!"
Whoosh!
The guards behind him surged forward.
But Zhu Mo shouted, "Stop! Brother Mao, stop! No!"
Mao Lu was startled awake from his instinctive reaction. He reined in his horse and turned back. His guards, having fought with him for many years, understood his intentions and also retreated, forming a protective circle around Zhu Mo.
…
At this time,
An Da was remarkably calm. With a clang, he raised his golden saber and shouted loudly,
"Move closer to me! Disobey and die!"
He possessed natural authority, and his personal guards were well-trained. No matter how panicked they had been earlier, they now surrounded him in three circles, hands on their curved swords.
But the Chahar people were even more terrified. Tayan, without looking back, whipped his horse a few times and galloped towards the rear. His personal guards followed, speeding towards the east of the rear formation.
Mao Lu saw his side gaining the advantage and the situation under control. His heart settled slightly, but he couldn't help but admire An Da. Having met him today, he truly understood that An Da was an out-and-out formidable leader…
…
As for Zhu Mo,
As soon as he heard the sound of the firearms, he knew he had won this time!
"Heaven is truly helping me!"
He had planned meticulously, but he never expected the internal conflict within An Da's ranks to erupt at this moment. The chieftain who had fled, shouting "Chahar people" earlier, was likely summoned by An Da.
Having read countless Ming web novels, he naturally understood the conflict between the Chahar and Tümed. They had migrated eastward shortly after An Da's tribute, which triggered the Tu Man Rebellion in Northeast Asia and contributed to the rise of Li Chengliang and the Jurchens.