Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 468 Smallpox
"What did you say?"

Half a month after Tengger got married, Wang Hai rushed back from outside. As soon as he entered the palace, he went straight to the study where Zhu Shenzhui was. He didn't even bother to knock on the door and just pushed it open.

At first, Zhu Shenzui couldn't help but frown and was about to ask Wang Hai a few questions, but before he could open his mouth, Wang Hai told him a good news with an ecstatic expression. When he heard the news, Zhu Shenzui couldn't believe his ears.

"My Lord, Lin Danhan is dead!"

"Dead? Lin Danhan is dead? How did he die? When did he die? Has this news been confirmed?" After hearing Wang Hai speak again, Zhu Shenzhui could no longer sit still. He stood up and asked hurriedly.

"My Lord, the message was just passed back by the person who was sent out. After receiving the message, I came to find you without delay."

"Where is the person who brought back the news? Where is he?" Zhu Shenzhui asked anxiously.

"Master, I didn't bring the servant back. I placed him outside the city." Wang Hai replied.

"Why didn't you bring it back? Why?"

"My Lord, please listen to my explanation. According to the person who brought back the news, Lin Danhan died of smallpox last month..."

"Smallpox!?" Zhu Shenzhui was shocked and instantly understood why Wang Hai did not bring the person back but instead placed him outside the city.

Smallpox is a well-known disease. It has been a terrifying disease for thousands of years. No matter whether you are rich or poor, an emperor or a beggar, everyone is equal in front of smallpox. Once you are infected with smallpox, the chances of survival are extremely slim.

In history, many emperors and generals died of smallpox. The reason why the famous Kang Mazi in later generations was able to become emperor was because he survived smallpox and thus had the opportunity to ascend the throne.

Lin Danhan was really unlucky. He was beaten by Huang Taiji and fled from Chahar to Tumed. He originally planned to defeat Bushitu and then occupy Tumed, use Tumed as the Mongolian headquarters to regroup and gather strength to retake Chahar.

However, he did not expect that the battle with Bu Shitu would be completely different from what he expected. Because of Zhu Shenzhui, his southern army was accidentally destroyed, which directly caused his plan to encircle Bu Shitu from two directions to fail. Then, although he used his main force to force Bu Shitu to retreat, he failed to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop, which also allowed Bu Shitu to gain time to fully defend Guihua City.

By the time they attacked Guihua City, Lindan Khan had already lost the best opportunity and could only grit his teeth and fight with Bu Shitu under Guihua City. Although Lindan Khan's cavalry was fierce, they were unable to capture Guihua City due to the lack of siege equipment and firearms.

As time went by, winter came to the grassland. At this time, Zhu Shenzui emerged again and put great pressure on Ligdan Khan with guerrilla tactics near Guihua City, while also causing some casualties to his main force.

Seeing that it became a luxury to capture Guihua City in a short time, Lindan Khan had no choice but to withdraw his troops and bypass Guihua City and head towards Qinghai. As a result, Tumed was not captured. Lindan Khan's intention to make Tumed the headquarters of Mongolia was shattered, and he temporarily settled in Qinghai.

Although he fled to Qinghai, the arrogant Lindan Khan never gave up the opportunity to make a comeback. Soon after arriving in Qinghai, Lindan Khan began to prepare for the eastward advance. In his opinion, Bu Shitu was not his opponent at all. It was an unexpected accident that he failed to take Guihua City. As long as he planned properly, sent troops quickly, caught the opponent off guard, and destroyed Bu Shitu, the old enemy, it would still be easy to occupy the Tumot Grassland.

But the subsequent changes surprised Ligdan Khan. Last year, Bu Shitu was seriously ill, and then the Tenger tribe suddenly rose and directly took control of Guihua City. After Bu Shitu's death, they annexed his tribe and replaced him, becoming the nominal leader of the Tumed.

After receiving the news, Lin Dan Khan once asked the Tenger tribe to submit to the Mongolian headquarters in the name of the Great Khan, intending to return to Tumed from Qinghai without any effort. In Lin Dan Khan's view, the Tenger tribe was originally his direct subordinate. Tenger's title of Jinong and the position of Wanhu were originally conferred by Lin Dan Khan. Now that the Tenger tribe has taken Tumed, isn't it equivalent to occupying Tumed himself? As the Great Khan of Mongolia, he should naturally respectfully offer the entire Tumed to himself.

Unfortunately, Lindan Khan didn't know who the real master of the Tenger tribe was. It was Zhu Shenzhui who controlled the Tenger tribe, not the young child Tenger. In Zhu Shenzhui's mind, Lindan Khan was just wishful thinking. Could it be that he drank too much kumis and started talking nonsense? He had finally achieved this point today, so how could he give up what he had in his hands?
Furthermore, Zhu Shenzhui never took Ligdan Khan seriously. The reason why he attacked his southern army was to force Ligdan Khan and Bu Shitu to fight to the death. If not for that, the Tengger tribe would not have easily captured Guihua City, let alone the current situation of replacing the Khan.

Now you, Lin Dan Khan, are asking me to hand over Tumed to him? You are just dreaming. So Zhu Shenzhui directly rejected Lin Dan Khan's request, and even sent someone to deliver a message to Lin Dan Khan, which was full of sarcasm and ridicule, mocking him for not caring about his old nest Chahar and leaving it to Huang Taiji. Later, he failed to win the battle against Bu Shitu, and if he hadn't run fast, he might have been wiped out in Tumed. Now that the Mongolian Khan has gone to Qinghai to live, why are you still putting on airs? You asked me to hand over Tumed to him, isn't that nonsense?
Zhu Shenzui sent someone to tell Lin Danhan that his era had passed and that he, as the nominal Khan, had long lost his former prestige and influence. It would be fine for him to stay in Qinghai and survive now. If he dared to take things that he shouldn't take, he should not blame himself for being rude or he would regret it later.

When Ligdan Khan heard this answer, he was so angry that he was almost out of his mind and felt terrible.

He never imagined that the Tengger tribe, a mere tribe that once knelt before him and wanted to lick the soles of his boots, would have the guts to mock him, the great Khan of Mongolia.

In a rage, Lindan Khan was about to lead an army to attack the Tumed, intending to teach the Tenger tribe a severe lesson and let all Mongolians know that he was still the leader of the Mongols and the only Khan on the grassland.

However, Lin Danhan's subordinates tried their best to dissuade him, because due to the weather, it was not the season to send troops, and they had just migrated thousands of miles to Qinghai, the tribe had not yet settled down, and there had been many casualties in the previous wars. If they forcibly launched another war at this time, they would not have much hope at all.

Although he wanted to chop off Zhu Shenzui's head immediately, Lindan Khan had to swallow his anger due to the actual situation and decided to postpone the dispatch of troops. It would not be too late to teach the Tenger tribe a lesson after they had rested.

For a whole winter, because of his mood, Lindanhan numbed himself by drinking and having women to relieve himself. After a few months, Lindanhan's health became extremely bad. Although he was not very old, he had suffered from a life of indulgence after a series of blows and was already suffering from many illnesses.

Zhu Shencui never relaxed his vigilance against Ligdan Khan, and even stationed an elite cavalry unit in Tumed near Qinghai to monitor Ligdan Khan's actions at any time.

In addition, Zhu Shenzui also sent people into Qinghai to inquire about the news and collect intelligence. At the same time, he was also prepared to deal with Lindan Khan's attack. Once Lindan Khan led his troops eastward, Zhu Shenzui was not afraid to fight him head-on. If he could defeat Lindan Khan head-on, it would be extremely beneficial to the Tengger tribe's rule in Tumed. Even if it ended in a draw, with the elite troops in his hands and Guihua City, Lindan Khan would have no way to deal with him.

But what he never expected happened was that Wang Hai suddenly came to tell him that Lin Danhan was dead, and had been dead for almost a month, and he died of smallpox.

This news made Zhu Shenzui both happy and surprised. The good news was of course the news of Lindan Khan's death. With Lindan Khan's death, the threat to Tumed from the northwest no longer existed. The death of Lindan Khan, the nominal leader of the Mongols, also meant that his death resulted in the Mongols losing their leader. The crown of the Great Khan of Mongolia, which had lasted for hundreds of years on the grasslands, no longer had an heir.

As for the surprise, it was that Lin Danhan died of smallpox. This was also the reason why Wang Hai did not bring people into the city, but placed them outside the city.

Even Ligdan Khan died of smallpox, which shows how serious the smallpox epidemic is in Qinghai. Once smallpox is transmitted from Qinghai to Tumed, Tumed will inevitably suffer heavy losses. This is no trivial matter, but a matter of life and death concerning the entire tribe and even the entire grassland.

"How did you settle the people?" Zhu Shenzhui asked Wang Hai.

"My Lord, I have placed the person in an abandoned camp and assigned a few people to guard him. I have also made separate arrangements for water and food."

"Well done!" Zhu Shenzhu nodded with satisfaction. In the current situation, we must be careful no matter what and must not let smallpox spread.

He immediately ordered Wang Hai to send someone to notify the troops near Qinghai to blockade the grassland line from Qinghai to Tumed. Absolutely no one infected with smallpox could be allowed to get to Tumed. If necessary, any means could be taken.

Wang Hai responded quickly. He understood the importance of the matter, so he went out to make arrangements after receiving the order. After Wang Hai left, Zhu Shenzhui walked around the room and asked someone to call Tana. After Tana came, he closed the door and told her the matter in a low voice.

Tana was also happy to learn that Lindan Khan had died. However, when she learned that Lindan Khan had died of smallpox, Tana instantly thought of the horror of smallpox. Her face changed drastically and she was at a loss. Once smallpox came from the west, it would be no trivial matter.

"Don't panic, I have a way to solve this problem, and it's not a bad thing. Maybe it can turn into a good thing." Zhu Shenzhui said calmly to his wife. Although she didn't understand why Zhu Shenzhui was so confident, and she didn't understand what he meant by a bad thing turning into a good thing, when she saw Zhu Shenzhui's judging eyes, Tana's uneasy heart gradually calmed down, because she imagined that since her husband said so, there must be a way.

(End of this chapter)