Gao Hanwen saw that Yan Song had no objections and added, "Esteemed Grand Secretary, Young Grand Secretary, your subordinate believes that Lord Yan speaks the truth. Zhu Mo first held the title of the foremost Qingci poet of our dynasty, and then championed reforms in Jiangnan, winning the hearts of the people there. To eliminate him, we must tarnish his reputation, utterly destroy his image as a commoner minister, and only then will future troubles be greatly reduced..."
Mm-hmm,
Everyone agreed in unison.
Yan Shifan pondered for a moment, cleared his throat, and said, "Old Yan, Moqing, since you say so, you must have some plan..."
Yan Maoqing harbored an intense hatred for Zhu Mo, having conceived a hundred vicious schemes in his heart. At this moment, a torrent of words surged forth:
"Esteemed Grand Secretary, Young Grand Secretary, Zhu Mo’s reputation is truly significant now. Ever since he wrote that wretched Qingci, people across the land have believed the Emperor cares for his subjects, and thus they all align with him... To kill such a person, one must first assign him a crime that is universally condemned, preferably something utterly despicable to even hear of..."
Mm-hmm,
Yan Shifan found this amusing and urged him to continue.
Yan Maoqing went on, "Your subordinate, your subordinate has thought of a person. I am unsure if it is appropriate to mention, but since Young Grand Secretary wishes to hear, I shall speak frankly! That would be the Princess of Datong Prefecture! Why don't we send her a letter and ask her to devise a plan? Your subordinate believes that violating propriety and debasing the imperial family would be a fitting charge... It would surely ruin his reputation!"
Hiss!
Everyone present drew a sharp breath simultaneously.
It must be known that, although the Great Ming was already decadent at this time, it placed great emphasis on etiquette and propriety, at least in appearance. Even though everyone disregarded it in practice, once it was brought up, it became a deadly weapon. If Zhu Mo committed any act that violated the fundamental principles of human relationships in Xuanda, and then was killed amidst the chaos, the reaction from the world would not be as intense as anticipated.
Moreover,
Of everyone present, save for Gao Hanwen, all knew the background of the Princess. They were well aware that this woman was a born harlot, yet she presented herself as a saint. To deal with a hot-blooded young man like Zhu Mo with such a seasoned hand was a sure thing.
Everyone couldn't help but sigh inwardly—Yan Maoqing truly hated Zhu Mo to the very bone...
After these words were spoken,
Even Yan Shifan nodded, a subtle, unfathomable smile finally appearing at the corner of his lips.
Gao Hanwen, however, was utterly bewildered—
This?
Relying on a woman?
And a Princess at that?
Did they intend for the Princess to seduce Zhu Mo?
It couldn't be that depraved, could it?
He looked at everyone one by one, his face full of doubt. The others, knowing the truth but unable to speak of it, all looked at him and smiled.
Gao Hanwen became even more confused, mumbling, "Esteemed lords, why do you all laugh at me?"
Seeing Gao Hanwen's bewildered expression, everyone finally burst into laughter—
Hahahaha...
Hahaha...
At this moment,
Even the elder Yan Song couldn't help but curve the corner of his lips into a smile—
Indeed,
One wonders what sins the Zhu family committed? How did that foolish Prince end up with such a woman?
Those in the know throughout the land viewed it as a grand joke, a farcical spectacle. While those who were unaware still believed that woman to be a saint. The strangeness of worldly affairs, perhaps, could not be more pronounced than this...
After a round of laughter, no one explained anything to Gao Hanwen, simply finding the matter incredibly amusing—
Wasn't every man who was toyed with in precisely this bewildered state? It was just that the Prince was the most pitiful, likely never realizing that woman's true face until his death.
The atmosphere in the room instantly relaxed considerably.
Yan Shifan laughed for a while, then said,
"Maoqing, you shall handle this matter... but it must be swift. It must be settled before Zhu Mo heads to Xuanda, and his reputation must be ruined before Anda enters the passes."
"Yes."
...
The Yan family, however, was unaware that Zhu Mo at this moment had also devised a sound strategy.
He had been staying at home for the past two days, diligently planning with brush and paper. He felt that mere deterrence might not be enough to subdue Anda. After all, the grasslands were currently desolate, and the hardship of their livelihood far surpassed that of the Central Plains.
Anda at this time should have a very conflicted mindset—
On one hand, his primary feeling towards the Jiangnan reforms was fear.
It must be known that,
In the decade since the Gengxu Incident, the Great Ming's defensive system in Xuanda had been upgraded. Fortified settlements were distributed on both sides of the frontier, creating a mutually reinforcing network. If a battle were to break out, it would be difficult to gain an advantage. Moreover, reforms were now underway, and their remarkable success was bound to instill fear in Anda regarding the sudden increase in the Ming's strength. At that point, with a tight defensive system, sufficient troops, and logistics, the Ming army might even repeat the feat of the Prince of Yan's northern expedition?
Therefore, Anda's action of entering the passes to scout was driven by fear, an attempt to collude with Yan Song from within and without to nip the reforms in the bud.
On the other hand,
What Anda truly desired was actually quite simple, and that was—
Economy!
And within the economy, the most crucial item was—
Iron!
Without sufficient finished iron, he could not maintain a strong military force. The tribal leaders, his cousins, and uncles under his command could overthrow him in three to five days. Following that were other various commodities, used to trade with the herders for more and cheaper daily necessities. These were not things the Tatars could not produce, but the production costs were too high, making it impossible to organize.
Therefore, Anda's plan was to force the Ming dynasty to sign a treaty under duress, thereby continuously supplying his grasslands with resources. Their method, for two thousand years, had been military coercion, the most cost-effective for them.
So,
Zhu Mo sensed that if he could make Anda believe that what Yan Shifang could provide, he, Zhu Mo, could provide it as well, and even more; and what Yan Shifang could not give, he, Zhu Mo, could give... Only he, Zhu Mo, was the bigger, more reliable, and more peaceful guarantor...
As long as Anda had even a sliver of agreement in his heart, his entire plan would waver. Coupled with the deterrence of new, advanced firearms, he would feel that he could not gain an advantage. At this point, if there were still considerable benefits to be gained, he should withdraw his troops... Thus, this unprecedented risk would be calmly resolved.
Zhu Mo had meticulously reviewed the scenario many times and felt that there were no longer many issues. The time should also be sufficient. The remaining task was to accelerate preparations—
A batch of modified firearms,
And also a token of sincerity for Anda Khan.
...
The next morning,
Zhu Mo summoned Zhu Qi and Xiaoxiaosheng. He also asked Liang Menglong to gather a few subordinates, and with the entire city's forces, they rushed to arrange a major event early in the morning—
Collecting iron pots!
To collect all the iron pots in the capital, whether new or old, as many as possible.
This matter was decreed by Liang Menglong in his capacity as the Vice Minister of War. Coupled with Zhu Mo's reputation, although the Grand Secretaries Xu Jie and Gao Gong felt it was frivolous, they did not wish to interfere. Yan Shifan, unable to comprehend the situation, could only send people to observe and see what transpired.
Even Xiaoxiaosheng, who had seen much, was bewildered by the busy morning. Returning to the main hall of the Ministry of War, he grabbed a cup of tea and gulped it down, unable to refrain from asking,
"Young Master Zhu, what are these iron pots for? Look, there's a pile of hot pot bases in the corner..."
Zhu Qi was also confused. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said with some impatience, spitting, "We've been busy all morning, collecting all this scrap metal. A lot has also been transported to the granaries outside the capital... Young Master, what exactly are you up to?"
Zhu Mo estimated that with five to six hundred people collecting since early morning, and it now being noon, they had collected a sufficient amount to serve as a greeting gift for Anda Khan. He then relaxed and sat down, saying,
"Do you know what the grasslands lack the most nowadays?"
As soon as his words fell,
Many officials from the Ministry of War also became curious. They had long heard that this Zhu Mo was a genius. Immediately, they gathered around, forming two or three neat circles.
Zhu Mo pointed to a pile of iron pots stacked in the corner and continued,
"That thing!"
Everyone exclaimed, murmuring,
"Pots...?"
Zhu Mo shook his head and said, "Not pots, but iron!"
Oh~...
It's iron?
Isn't this just the lowest grade of white iron...?
Do the grasslands lack iron?
Everyone immediately began whispering in twos and threes.
Zhu Mo couldn't help but sigh. The intelligence work of the Great Ming dynasty was truly poor, lacking any think tanks, and completely ignorant of the outside world—
It must be known that,
After the collapse of the Timurid Empire, the Silk Road had declined, and trade had been interrupted. The grasslands were currently experiencing one of the most impoverished periods in history.
These discarded scraps of metal before them were precisely what Anda Khan needed most. In his eyes, these scraps were even more precious than gold and silver.