Xin Ai cleared his throat and asked in a deep voice,
"One, who wrote the secret letter you sent to my father Khan through Zhao Quan?"
Zhao Quan was about to answer when Xin Ai impatiently waved his hand, signaling him to shut up, his eyes like cold lightning fixed on the Princess of Dai.
The Princess of Dai thought of Lady Khan's decisive and ruthless style of operation, and couldn't help but feel a little scared. Seeing that Zhao Quan had already lowered his head, she could only answer softly,
"This secret letter was personally written by the Young Grand Secretary, and discussed and finalized by Mr. Luo Longwen and Mr. Yan Maoqing..."
Mm,
Xin Ai asked again, "What about Yan Song? Was Yan Song not present?"
As he asked this, his tone already carried a hint of displeasure.
The Princess of Dai replied, "Elder Yan presided over the discussion, and the Young Grand Secretary wrote it... The Prince said that if the Great Taiji asked, I should answer like this."
Mm-hmm,
Xin Ai finally nodded, but then asked coldly,
"Second, were you planning to kill Zhu Mo in Datong Prefecture?"
As soon as this was said,
The Princess of Dai and Zhao Quan immediately felt a pang in their hearts.
The Princess of Dai hesitated for a moment and replied, "This is none of your concern, but since the Great Khan has asked, I will not hide it. Yes, the Prince planned to kill Zhu Mo when you made your move."
Mm,
Xin Ai nodded and said, "Who exactly is that Zhu Mo? Is he a member of the royal family?"
The Princess of Dai said, "According to the news the Prince heard from the capital, Zhu Mo's origins are unknown."
Mm,
Xin Ai suddenly said, "Listen carefully, my father Khan said that Zhu Mo cannot be killed! He must be handed over to us!"
Ah?
The Princess of Dai was extremely surprised and asked, "Did the Great Khan really say that?"
Xin Ai did not wish to answer but reiterated, "This is what my father Khan said. Don't you listen?"
The Princess of Dai sighed and finally nodded.
Xin Ai was now quite satisfied, cleared his throat again, and said sternly,
"The third is a sentence from my father Khan, which you are to relay to Yan Song verbatim – If you do not keep your word, I will take it myself!"
The Princess of Dai nodded and said, "I have clearly understood the Great Khan's words and will convey them truthfully to the Prince... However, the Prince also had a message to convey to the Taiji and the Great Khan—"
Xin Ai nodded and said, "Speak."
"The Prince said that no matter what Yan Song considers, he will support the Great Khan's enthronement."
Hahaha,
Xin Ai couldn't help but laugh and said, "Isn't it King Rao Yang who wants to be enthroned himself? Good, good, I will inform my father Khan. Do you have anything else to say? Speak it all."
The Princess of Dai said, "The Prince is worried that delays might cause trouble, and he wants to know for sure, when exactly will you make your move?"
Xin Ai answered very directly, "At the soonest in a month, at the latest in two months."
At this point,
Both sides had finished saying what was important.
Zhao Quan then said obsequiously, "Great Taiji, the Princess has prepared some gifts, and I hope Great Taiji will not reject them. I will have them bring the carriage out of the city... No matter what happens in the future, please continue to look after the affairs of Datong Prefecture, Great Taiji. We are still our own people, aren't we?"
Mm-hmm,
Hahaha,
Xin Ai, full of pride, laughed and said, "Zhao Quan, Princess, rest assured. In the future, if there is any urgent matter, you can come to me in Tumote, are you reassured now?"
The Princess of Dai then smiled and bowed gracefully to Xin Ai again.
That night,
Xin Ai and Zhao Quan left the city in the Princess of Dai's carriage.
...
The next evening, the heavy snow continued to fall.
Zhu Mo and his entourage had arrived at Xuanfu.
Along the way, seeing the continuous military fortresses and the heavy garrisons, they found it hard to believe that Anda could break through. But upon careful reflection of the Ming Dynasty's corrupt affairs, they felt a headache coming on. The doubts that had troubled them for years were finally resolved – these defensive structures were actually built in pursuit of a sense of security.
Relying on the Great Wall, for two hundred years, they had continuously repaired and patched the exposed defensive weak points, sometimes on the inner perimeter, sometimes on the outer, adding incrementally, and only then did they form a continuous line. But this connection lacked strategic intent and was almost entirely passive...
In a sense, the Tatars attacked wherever they pleased, and after the battle, they repaired wherever they were attacked, always being led by the nose, consuming countless resources in the mountains and wilderness...
Fighting the Tatars, this tactic of high walls, deep moats, and scorched earth might not necessarily be effective. Instead of spending so much money on these things, it would be better to invest in firearms.
But the problem with the Ming Dynasty was that each governor who served on the frontier did not hold power for very long, and was eager for quick success. On the other hand, the actions of the governor in the nine border regions were always influenced by the court's political climate. No one could consistently implement a single strategy.
This led to the current situation. It was a living manifestation of all the Ming Dynasty's problems.
Zhu Mo always felt that the Ming Dynasty's advantage lay not in its fortress-building capabilities, but in the overall level of its interior. However, its various developments and prosperity had never translated into an external advantage, and it was constantly being consumed, eventually running out of steam...
It was like the first person about to climb out of a quagmire, always being pulled back by those behind, again and again, until they died of exhaustion.
As for the disaster victims,
Liang Menglong had indeed done a good job. Shelters were built at the foot of the city walls and inside and outside the fortresses, providing a place for the disaster victims from the outer perimeter to settle. The relief officials had also been warned by Ge Jin: they absolutely could not give Zhu Mo any handle this time.
Thus, the situation was more or less acceptable.
What shocked Zhu Mo even more was the resolute expressions of the disaster victims.
These frontier settlers were often also military households, passed down through generations, and had long been accustomed to military disasters and natural calamities. Many disaster victims, upon seeing Zhu Mo and his entourage, showed only a slight curiosity and no other emotion, far from being as fragile and easily bullied as the people elsewhere.
Full of emotion,
The entourage entered the city under the bright moonlight.
...
At this time, the Governor-General of Xuan-Da was stationed in Xuanfu City. The then Governor-General Ge Jin had joined Yan Song when he was the Governor of Shanxi, and had been serving for seven or eight years.
Upon seeing Zhu Mo's arrival, Governor-General Ge Jin, Xuanfu's Chi Fengxiang, and others greeted him with smiles. The Commander-in-Chief Li Wenjin was naturally among them. However, he was very composed and did not look at Zhu Mo directly, lest Ge Jin and the others become suspicious.
Ge Jin strode forward, spread his arms, and laughed heartily,
"Ah, Young Master Zhu has personally arrived in Xuanfu! We below are all very pleased, and the disaster victims have also been eagerly anticipating... Well, Young Master Zhu, this subordinate knows you dislike extravagance, but you must at least wash away the dust, right? Come, come, Ge Mou comes from a military background, and I won't play any empty courtesies. Let's all go have a pot of mutton soup and down a few bowls of sorghum wine! Haha..."
Ge Jin was actually a civil official, but having spent more than thirty years in Xuan-Da, his behavior and demeanor had indeed become exactly like that of a military official. At this moment, he had already received a secret letter from Yan Shifan instructing him to keep Zhu Mo calm, and he understood human nature well. His straightforward and unpretentious manner was precisely what would gain Zhu Mo's trust.
Zhu Mo had not seen anyone from the Yan family for a long time and now wished to observe the reactions of various parties in Xuan-Da. He patted Ge Jin's arm and said,
"Old Ge, thank you, thank you. Zhu Mou also dislikes those empty formalities the most... Since I am here with you, I will trouble you to take good care of my subordinates. Tomorrow morning, we will be heading to Datong."
Oh?
Ge Jin cast a glance at Li Wenjin, then turned and smiled, "So soon? I see that the disaster situation in Xuan-Da is no longer a problem. Why doesn't Young Master Zhu stay here and conduct a thorough investigation? City defenses, local customs, public sentiment, subordinates, and the like. When Young Master Zhu enters the Grand Secretariat in the future, won't you have a better understanding? Haha..."
"Yes, yes, Young Master Zhu will enter the Grand Secretariat sooner or later!"
"At that time, he will be the youngest Grand Secretary since the founding of our Great Ming!"
"Exactly! Even the Young Grand Secretary can't compare..."
"Mm-hmm, Young Master Zhu is naturally the foremost talent of the Great Ming."
"..."
A group of Yan family cronies immediately began to egg him on. While flattering him, they were also thinking clearly in their hearts: Zhu Mo's end is near. Such a good talent, yet he insists on implementing reforms? Opposing the entire gentry class, won't he lose his life? Still dreaming of entering the Grand Secretariat? He should enter the coffin first...