Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 176: The Pseudo-Emperor: This time the Emperor can’t escape
Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the memorial in his hand, glanced at Xu Youzhen and Yang Guifang, and said, "This is the memorial from Liu Dingzhi, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. You can all take a look."

Liu Dingzhi said in his memorial that the leader of Shazhou Guard, Yahansha, had been stabbed to death, and the current situation in Guanxi was even more complicated. With Yahansha's death, the strongest force in Guanxi was Hami Guard, and their leader, Bulie, was old and might not be able to control the situation in Guanxi. The memorial also mentioned a key point, that with Yahansha's death, Shazhou had no new leader, but was obeying the pseudo-emperor.

"It's just right that Guanxi is in chaos, we should send troops to Guanxi." Yang Guifang said, "Although we have an alliance in the past, we cannot interfere in their internal affairs at will, but we can send troops to Guanxi on the pretext of mediation."

Xu Youzhen also nodded in agreement: "There won't be a major war in Mobei in the short term, we should take this opportunity to resolve Guanxi."

What he wanted to say was that he should take the opportunity to get rid of the legitimate emperor. Zhu Qizhen certainly had the same idea. He couldn't find a reason before, but now God gave him one.

"Your Majesty, was the assassination of Yahansha planned by... the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Yang Guifang asked.

"Really not!" Zhu Qizhen shook his head. "Ding Xiu said in his memorial that the assassination was not planned by him. He suspected that it was planned by the fake emperor. In this way, he would have a chance to control Shazhou."

Xu Youzhen and Yang Guifang were both shocked.

The fake emperor just married the man's daughter and then killed her. How cruel.

"Who should we send to lead the troops into Guanxi?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"The current commander of Shaanxi and Gansu is Xinning Earl Tan You." Xu Youzhen said, "He..."

Zhu Qizhen interrupted with a wave of his hand: "It can't be him. Ding Xiu suspects that this Tan You is secretly communicating with the false emperor."

"Ah? Why don't you catch him?" Yang Guifang was shocked.

"There's no rush! Ding Xiu has sent people to keep an eye on him." Zhu Qizhen said, "So the person who leads the troops to mediate cannot be Tan You. I want to choose Ding Xiu, because he knows Guanxi best."

Yang Guifang nodded in agreement: "Ding Xiu can definitely do it! Although he is in the Jinyiwei, his military strategy is not inferior to mine and Zhang Lun. This is what Yu Shaobao said when he commented on us."

Zhu Qizhen chose Ding Xiu for another reason. He was one of his own and would kill the legitimate emperor. If he had chosen another general, he would have hesitated.

This time, the army entered Guanxi and could not let the emperor named Men escape.

……

After discussing the Guanxi issue, Xu Youzhen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the U-Tsang Military Commission is coming to Beijing to pay tribute. More than a thousand of them will arrive tomorrow."

The Wusi-Zang Commandery was established in the early years of the Hongwu reign, and was mainly responsible for the administration of the snowy region. Under the Commandery were the Xuanwei Commandery, the Marshal's Office, the Zhaotao Commandery, the Wanhu Commandery, and the Qianhu Commandery, which were held by local tribal leaders. Most of these positions were hereditary, but they had to be under the unified control of the imperial court.

In addition, the Ming Dynasty also implemented the "monk official system" in U-Tsang, appointing Lamaist monks as the commanders, associate governors, and judges of the garrisons. The highest monk official was the Dharma King, who served as the commander of U-Tsang and was hereditary.

From the Hongwu to Xuanzong periods, the Ming emperors conferred titles on eight kings in U-Tsang, and four of them came to the capital to pay tribute this time.

"Why are there more than a thousand people here?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"You just want a generous reward. You are greedy enough. Bring more than a thousand people." Yang Guifang spread her hands.

Xu Youzhen continued to explain: "In the Taizu era, tribute was paid every three years, and only 30 to 40 people came to the court. Later, as rewards increased, more and more people came."

Zhu Qizhen was speechless and waved his hands: "Forget it this time. In the future, there must be strict regulations for their tribute. It should be once every three years, and there must be requirements for the number of people. More than a thousand people, what the hell, are they going on vacation? They are still paying for their journey eastward, and they are eating, drinking and enjoying the scenery along the way."

"As you wish." Xu Youzhen nodded and continued, "Your Majesty, the reward for them this time..."

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and waved his hand: "It is better to give enough. The U-Tsang region must be stable. If they cause trouble, it will be even more troublesome for us."

Xu Youzhen breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss the reception process with the emperor.

……

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The orthodox emperor was sitting on a chair, and standing in front of him were Xu Bin, Yuan Bin and Tie Yan.

“Tieyan, your city patrols must do their best to hunt down the murderer.” The Zhengtong Emperor’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. “Those assassins must still be hiding in the city.”

"As you wish." Tieyan bowed.

The Zhengtong Emperor looked at him and sighed, "I am very touched that General Tie chose to support me. These are rewards for the general. I know that you are honest and you live in a small house with your old mother."

He pointed to a small box beside him, which was full of gold, silver and jewelry. Tie Yan knelt down quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot accept such a huge reward. It is my duty to be loyal to Your Majesty."

"I know that I gave you these rewards not just for your use." The Zhengtong Emperor smiled, "It's not easy for you to lead the army. You can't let your brothers who follow you live a hard life forever, right? Who would fight you to the death then?"

Tieyan no longer hesitated and bowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

The Zhengtong Emperor raised his hand and said, "We are now on the same boat. Haha, I hope I can fight back to the capital. Then I will reward you handsomely."

"I swear to be loyal to Your Majesty until death." Tieyan bowed again.

The Zhengtong Emperor encouraged him a few more times, and Tieyan retreated. Only the Zhengtong Emperor, Xu Bin, and Yuan Bin were left in the hall. The Zhengtong Emperor's face turned cold, and he asked, "Have you dealt with everything? Tieyan won't find out anything, right?"

Yuan Bin nodded affirmatively: "He will only find out that it was the Jinyiwei who did it. Your Majesty, you have made friends with Tieyan before, which has been very useful."

The Zhengtong Emperor smiled and rubbed his eyebrows and said, "According to the calculation, the people from U-Tsang should have entered the capital, right?"

"It's time to get to the capital." Xu Bin said, "Your Majesty, you should send letters to those Dharma Kings in U-Tsang in advance. Even if they don't win over the kings, they will bring useful information to the false emperor for their own interests."

The orthodox emperor spread his hands helplessly: "There is no way. If I were a fake emperor, I would definitely take advantage of the civil unrest in Guanxi and send troops into Guanxi in the name of mediation. I can only arrange to break the situation in advance. From now on, it depends on us. We must quickly control the entire Guanxi Seven Guards."

Yuan Bin and Xu Bin looked at each other and admired the current emperor very much. Xu Bin bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Bulye of Hami Guard will arrive in Dunhuang in two days. This is an opportunity."

Zhengtong Huandi curled up his lips in a sneer, with murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

……

Beijing.

The U-Tsang envoys came to Beijing and were received by the Ministry of Rites with great ceremony. The leaders of the envoys stayed in Huitong Hall, while the monks stayed in Fahai Temple.

After settling the delegation, Xu Youzhen hurried to the palace to see the emperor. Zhu Qizhen was reviewing memorials and asked without even looking up: "Why did you come back so soon? Didn't I ask you to talk to them more? Find out about the current situation in U-Tsang."

Xu Youzhen's face was solemn: "Your Majesty, the Chanhua King invites Your Majesty to go to the Fahai Zen Temple. He has something important to report to you in secret."

"Humph!" Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly after hearing this, "I go to see him? Where does he get the courage to do that?"

Xu Youzhen quickly explained: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Chanhua received an imperial edict from Dunhuang, saying that some things are not easy to discuss in the palace."

Zhu Qizhen was shocked.

Damn, the orthodox emperor actually sent an imperial edict to the Chanhua King of U-Tsang? Did he plan for U-Tsang in advance? Who else received his imperial edict?
In U-Tsang, there are eight great kings. Among them, the Great Treasure Dharma King, the Great Vehicle Dharma King and the Great Compassion Dharma King are the three religious kings. There are also five local kings, the King of Elucidation of the Dharma, the King of Protection of the Dharma, the King of Praise of the Dharma, the King of Assisting the Dharma and the King of Elucidation of the Dharma, who are equivalent to princes.

The Ming Dynasty adopted the strategy of "many fiefs and many constructions". Each local king had his own fiefdom, and they were not subordinate to each other, but all received orders from the court. Through various official titles and the tea-horse trade, the stability of U-Tsang was basically maintained.

"Then I will go see him." Zhu Qizhen said.

Half an hour later, Zhu Qizhen, dressed in casual clothes, met the Chanhua King who had come from afar in the meditation room in the backyard of Fahai Zen Temple. The Chanhua King was very respectful on the surface: "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Stand up." Zhu Qizhen raised his hand, "Sit down and talk. Let's get straight to the point and not beat around the bush."

After Prince Chanhua sat down, he took out a golden scroll and handed it to Zhu Qizhen.

Zhu Qizhen opened it and found it was really an imperial edict. The Zhengtong Emperor revealed his identity in the edict, saying that the current emperor in the capital was a fake and asked them not to respect him.

"That fake emperor has some tricks." Zhu Qizhen snorted coldly.

"Your Majesty, I naturally don't believe it." King Chanhua frowned, "However, not only did I receive it, but other kings also received it. The other four local kings all claimed to be sick and did not come to pay tribute this time."

Zhu Qizhen's face was gloomy: "Why, they still want to rebel?"

"That's not the case." Prince Chanhua shook his head repeatedly. "They will wait and see who will win in the end. Your Majesty, I also received a piece of news. When the pseudo-emperor in the northwest got married, Chagatai sent an envoy. It is said that they had a secret conversation for an hour."

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were filled with murderous intent: "What? He still wants to bring in foreign enemies?"

Prince Chanhua smiled bitterly, "I don't know! The situation in Guanxi is complicated now, and we in U-Tsang have also been affected. Your Majesty, you have to think twice before you act. You can't just send troops into Guanxi now. By then, not only will the people in Guanxi think that the court is coming to deal with them, but we in U-Tsang will also doubt the court's motives and wonder if it is going to send troops to control us. One move can affect the entire body, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were as sharp as knives.

He understood what the Chanhua King meant, that is, he did not want the imperial court to send troops into Guanxi. If that happened, not only would the various tribes in Guanxi band together, but Chagatai might also be dragged in. Even U-Tsang would raise troops.

Whether it was Guanxi or U-Tsang, although they had submitted to the imperial court, they were actually autonomous. They did not want the imperial court's army to enter and be actually controlled.

"Do you really think I'm afraid of them?" Zhu Qizhen stood up and left.

King Chanhua was confused.

He came this time to explain U-Tsang's intentions to the emperor, thinking that the emperor would be lenient after hearing them. But the emperor spoke in a tough tone and left with a wave of his sleeves.

……

Qianqing Palace.

After Zhu Qizhen came back, he summoned Xu Youzhen and Yang Guifang and told them what had just happened in Fahai Temple.

"These old foxes just want to maintain the current balance." Xu Youzhen said, "This move, the fake emperor got ahead of us and took the initiative."

Yang Guifang nodded: "He has accurately used the minds of the various tribes in Guanxi and U-Tsang. Your Majesty, it is really difficult for us to send troops. If they unite to oppose, it will be the second Mobei. This is also what the false emperor wants to see. This is a vicious move. If the court sends troops, it will be his opportunity. If it does not send troops, he can take his time."

Snapped!
Zhu Qizhen slammed the table and said angrily: "Can I still be blackmailed by them?"

At this time, the chief eunuch Cao Jixiang came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Yu Shaobao wants to see you for urgent military affairs."

Zhu Qizhen took a deep breath, calmed himself, and waved his hand to summon Yu Qian. Soon, Yu Qian came to the palace with a memorial in his hand, reporting: "Your Majesty, urgent military report from the southeast, the Japanese pirates are invading in large numbers."

Cao Jixiang took the letter and handed it to Zhu Qizhen respectfully. Zhu Qizhen opened it and quickly scanned it. It was a letter from Zhang Lun, saying that Japanese pirates were gathering at sea and would launch a large-scale attack today.

"Why did so many Japanese pirates suddenly appear?" he asked coldly.

"The latest intelligence reports say that there are conflicts among the daimyo in various parts of Japan. More and more people are homeless and have become pirates." Yu Qian's eyes were filled with anger. "Those daimyo are also supporting the pirates because Japan is short of various supplies. The daimyo support the pirates to plunder from the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen spread his hands towards the three people: "What should we do? The northwest and southeast are both in trouble."

The four kings and ministers discussed for an hour and decided to deal with the Japanese pirates first and appease Guanxi. However, appeasement does not mean tolerance. Jinyiwei can send more forces to make their internal fighting more violent.

This is also a way, support a few agents, provide them with weapons and money, and let them fight.

……

dusk.

Zhu Qizhen came to Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother sat on a soft mat, leaning against a cushion, with her beautiful legs crossed, reading a book in her hands, looking cool and dignified, with beautiful features.

Shuangxi and the palace maids were busy preparing dinner. When they saw the emperor, they were about to kneel down and kowtow. Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said, "Don't kneel down. Be careful not to drop the plate."

As he spoke, he walked to the Queen Mother, lay down on the soft mat, and sighed. The Queen Mother put down the book, lowered her beautiful eyes, and asked, "Is it so tiring to receive the U-Tsang envoys?"

Zhu Qizhen grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and said, "The Japanese pirates are invading in large numbers, and there will be another war in the southeast. There will be no peace all year round."

The Queen Mother withdrew her hand, gently rubbed his brow, and said, "Now that there is no war in Mobei, it is a good opportunity to deal with the Japanese pirates."

Zhu Qizhen closed his eyes and said, "How can it be that easy? Fighting Yesen and fighting the Japanese pirates require completely different tactics. We are short of warships now, so we can't solve the problem in a short time."

"If you are short of silver, use the money from the inner treasury," the Queen Mother said softly.

"So straightforward?" Zhu Qizhen opened his eyes.

The Queen Mother glared at him and snorted in a low voice: "To the outside world, I, the evil queen, and you, the fake emperor, are in agreement. The internal struggle is our own business. We can't let the foreign enemies seize the opportunity."

The false emperor suddenly stood up and moved closer to her red lips. The demon queen was so scared that she quickly leaned back and turned to look at Shuangxi and the others. Fortunately, they had entered the kitchen.

"You want to die." The Queen Demon looked panicked and glared, "If Shuangxi and the others saw it, then...they wouldn't be able to explain it."

The fake emperor continued to lie down and smiled: "Keep rubbing for me, Shuangxi, that girl, is very smart, what can't you see?"

(End of this chapter)