Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 517 Negotiation! Old Zhu: Our Great Ming Dynasty is generous!

“When I entered the camp just now, I carefully observed your troops.”

The old man stared directly at Old Zhu, showing no fear on his face. "Excuse my bluntness, but although your firearms are indeed incredibly powerful, your forces seem far too weak."

"With your small numbers, you can only be used for surprise attacks, just like when you attacked Beshbaliq."

“Once we are prepared, your numerical disadvantage will become a fatal weakness.”

He further analyzed: "The journey from here to Barihei, the capital of our Turan Empire, is long and arduous, requiring us to cross countless towering mountains and steep ridges."

"Your ammunition and food supplies depend on long and fragile transport lines, which is undoubtedly a huge hidden danger."

"That is why, although the Ming Dynasty is vast and populous and has a strong national power, you actually cannot send too many troops. Ten or twenty thousand people is already your limit."

"Moreover, most of your soldiers come from the heart of the Central Plains, and they may suffer from acclimatization problems."

"As time goes on, the longing for home will grow stronger, and the morale of the troops will inevitably collapse, and they will lose their will to fight."

The old man continued, "Our Turan Empire has dozens of times more elite soldiers and generals than yours."

"With our million-strong army, if we simply order every soldier to throw all their whips into the river, we can stop the flow of the Oxus River."

"Let every soldier fire arrows together, and the rain of arrows will be enough to block out the sun's brilliance."

"Our soldiers are invincible on the battlefield, they are unbeatable, and no one can defeat them!"

"They are more willing to fight to the death to defend their homeland."

As the old man spoke, he suddenly raised his voice, his eyes filled with clear confusion: "I really don't understand where you got the courage to lead your troops to attack us!"

“Your Majesty, the wise and supreme emperor,” the old Chinese man earnestly advised, “don’t you know that what you are about to face is a war that is destined to fail?”

Before Old Zhu could answer, he laid his cards on the table and said, "I have come for peace on the orders of Emperor Timur."

"If you are willing to withdraw your troops now, cease stationing them near the border of the Turan Empire, and stop swaggering around with your firearms, our great emperor, for the sake of peace and to avoid the needless sacrifice of our soldiers, is willing to turn hostility into friendship and live in harmony with you for generations to come."

The old man bowed deeply again and said, "I believe that the wise and enlightened Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty will make the most sensible choice."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu suddenly looked up and burst into laughter.

After a moment, he suppressed his smile and stared at the old man, asking, "So, according to you, you have completely rejected the peace terms proposed by our Ming Dynasty delegation?"

“No!” The old man shook his head and retorted solemnly, “Our great Khan is carefully considering the conditions of the Ming Dynasty. We sincerely hope to coexist peacefully with the Ming Dynasty in order to avoid unnecessary war and the resulting bloodshed.”

He paused for a moment, then emphasized, "However, the Ming Dynasty should first demonstrate its sincerity in peace talks."

The old man stepped forward, his tone firm: "Stop the military exercises and withdraw your troops from the borders of my Turan Empire. That is the bare minimum of sincerity."

"Only in this way can we begin formal negotiations."

Old Zhu let out a disdainful snort, his tone icy and oppressive: "Didn't our Ming delegation clearly inform you that we are leading a large army on a westward expedition and that we will inevitably pass through your Turan Empire?"

He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide with anger: "You want us to withdraw our troops and then come to negotiate? This is utterly absurd!"

"If you have no intention of negotiating, then there's no need to pretend anymore!"

Old Zhu's anger seemed to have been completely ignited, and his voice rose: "Didn't you keep saying that your Turan Empire has a million mighty lions, capable of stopping rivers with a whip and covering the sky?"

He stood up abruptly, his imposing aura commanding respect: "Then let my Ming army experience your true strength!"

"Go back and tell your arrogant Khan that in a month, our iron cavalry will be at the gates of Bariki!"

"At that time, he can then carefully consider whether or not to negotiate!"

"Guards, show the guest out!" Old Zhu shouted angrily.

The guards immediately stepped forward to take the old man away.

The old man's expression changed drastically, and his previous composure vanished.

He hurriedly raised his hand and anxiously exclaimed, "Why must the Supreme Emperor of the Great Ming be angry?"

The old man softened his tone, trying to calm Old Zhu's anger: "Since it's a negotiation, then naturally we can bargain and each get what we need."

He immediately seized the opportunity to raise a new issue in an attempt to salvage the situation: "Your envoy once said that the Ming Dynasty is willing to trade with the Turan Empire, and even willing to lend funds to help the Turan Empire grow stronger."

"The Ming Dynasty also promised that it would never annex the Turan Empire."

"I want to ask the Supreme Emperor in person again to confirm whether all of these things are true."

Old Zhu slowly sat down, raised his hand to signal the guards to temporarily withdraw.

He then said in a deep voice, "Since it was said by the official delegation of our Great Ming Dynasty, it naturally represents the will of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Our Great Ming is a land of propriety and righteousness, educated by the sages, and would never deceive you."

The old man, however, did not dispel his concerns. Instead, he bluntly raised his doubts: "As far as I know, your envoy made the same promise to Shamitsagan of Beshbalik."

"However, after your army entered Beshbaliq, you brazenly annexed the entire Khanate and turned it into your Western Regions province."

"How can I possibly believe your promises then?"

Old Zhu shook his head and replied firmly, "These are completely different situations and should not be confused."

"The Western Regions have been an integral part of the territory of our Central Plains dynasty since ancient times."

"As early as the Han Dynasty, our ancestors established the Protectorate of the Western Regions here to exercise jurisdiction."

"We dare not easily abandon the land left by our ancestors as their descendants."

"Our actions are nothing more than recovering our lost territory and returning it to the Chinese map."

Old Zhu changed his tone slightly and said, "But the territory of your Turan Empire is not the homeland of my Great Ming."

"This is completely different in nature."

"Secondly," Old Zhu's voice became clearer, "Chen Cheng was merely an envoy in our Ming Dynasty delegation. His handling of the Shamichagan matter was his own arbitrary decision, not an official commitment from our Ming Dynasty."

"His deal with Shamichagan was not a private transaction, but rather an official document from the Ming Dynasty's envoy." "As an imperial envoy, you should be well aware of this."

"After that, I personally led the army to Beshbaliq."

"The Black Fireman and Shamichagan at that time knew that the might and strength of our Great Ming Dynasty were immense, so they took the initiative to request that Beshbali be incorporated into the territory of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"We also sympathize with the poverty of the people of Beshbali, so after incorporating it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the court specially allocated a huge sum of money to invest in various construction projects in Beshbali."

"Now, lush trees have been planted outside Beshbali, and our Great Ming is also building a magnificent avenue to closely connect Beshbali with the interior of our Great Ming."

"Over the past year, the living standards of the people in Beshbali have indeed improved significantly, and they can be described as living in peace and contentment."

Old Zhu sighed softly, "To be honest, our Great Ming Dynasty did not gain any money from Beshbali; on the contrary, it spent a lot of resources on it."

"Not to mention your Turan Empire."

“You are thousands of miles away from the heartland of my Great Ming. Even if we transport grain from you to the Great Ming, it would not be enough to cover the transportation costs along the way.”

"Tell me, what use would my Great Ming Dynasty have for the territory of your Turan Empire?"

"Don't even mention that you're unwilling; even if you were willing to offer it up, our Great Ming Dynasty would not accept it!"

"You want to be incorporated into the territory of my Great Ming? That's a pipe dream, there's no way you'll get one."

“What Chen Cheng says in private is not valid; only formally submitted documents count.”

"But I am the supreme emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, and my word is as good as gold, and I never lie!"

The old man stood inside the tent, motionless, like a statue.

He did not respond immediately, but fell into deep thought, seemingly weighing every layer of meaning in Lao Zhu's words.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke: "If that's the case, why did your Great Ming propose to station troops in my Turan Empire?"

"You should know that my Turan Empire has a million soldiers and has no need for the garrison and protection of other countries' armies."

“If you had no intention of annexing my Turan Empire, you would not have made such an excessive demand.”

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu laughed loudly again, his laughter carrying a hint of domineering pride: "Since you are so confident that you can withstand the attack of my Great Ming army, would you really be afraid of a mere garrison with even fewer troops?"

His tone suddenly turned serious as he explained, "The reason for requesting the stationing of troops is that we are going on a western tour, leading a large army to the Lumi Empire in the west, or even further west."

"To ensure that the rear route of the western tour is not cut off, it is necessary to station an army."

“We have heard that you and the Lumi Empire have been at war for many years, and both sides have suffered losses.”

Old Zhu paused for a moment, then offered an enticing condition: "As long as you agree to allow my Great Ming to establish a military base within the territory of the Turan Empire and grant passage for my army, we will lead the Ming army to the Rumi Empire to mediate the conflict between you."

"If the Rumi Empire remains stubborn and refuses to heed our advice, we will lead the Ming army to teach them a lesson!"

"You don't need to send out a single soldier."

"This is entirely beneficial to your Turan Empire."

"Furthermore, don't you have some concerns about the troops stationed in our Great Ming?"

Old Zhu then offered a further concession: "We can promise you that if you agree to allow the Ming army to pass through, the military base that the Ming Dynasty has established in the Turan Empire will be far away from your capital, Barihei."

"The Ming Dynasty will only send envoys to be stationed in Barihei to promote friendship between the two sides and to handle necessary bilateral affairs."

"As long as you abide by the alliance with the Ming Dynasty and protect the Ming Dynasty's trade relations, the Ming Dynasty will never interfere in any other affairs within the Turan Empire."

"The Turan Empire will remain a completely independent empire, capable of handling all its internal affairs on its own, without being constrained by the Ming Dynasty."

"Furthermore, our garrison will lend you a helping hand when your empire faces a crisis, protecting it from foreign invasion."

Finally, Old Zhu made a bombshell suggestion: "We can take another step back and set a limit of twenty years."

"Twenty years from now, if you believe you can accept the Ming Dynasty's garrison, then the Ming Dynasty's garrison can be made permanent."

"Otherwise, in twenty years, the entire Ming army will withdraw from the Turan Empire. What do you think?"

Upon hearing the conditions proposed by Old Zhu, the old man fell into deep thought once again. His eyes flickered uncertainly, as if he were rapidly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible caution: "The military base must be built at least a thousand miles away from Barihei, and if the Ming army wants to pass through, it cannot get within a thousand miles of Barihei."

"Sure!" Old Zhu's response was crisp and decisive, with almost no hesitation.

This time, it was the old man's turn to be stunned.

He clearly hadn't expected Old Zhu to agree to his conditions so easily, and his expression turned somewhat surprised.

The old man composed himself and continued to ask, "Your delegation's envoy also said that the Ming Dynasty can export ironware to the Turan Empire, including not only everyday tools such as iron pots, but also agricultural implements such as hoes, rakes, and plows, and even scimitars and bows and arrows can be exported to our Turan Empire in large quantities without any restrictions."

"Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty is willing to lend money to our Turan Empire to make up for our lack of funds."

"At the same time, they will also help us mine and build roads. Is all of this true?"

Old Zhu nodded slightly and said, "That's right! Since we need to borrow passage from your Turan Empire, our Great Ming will naturally not let you suffer any losses."

"These funds and supplies are a token of our sincerity to you from the Great Ming Dynasty."

He paused briefly, as if he had thought of something: "We've heard that although your emperor strictly forbids the use of Ming Dynasty banknotes by the common people, it's been repeatedly prohibited but not stopped, because the common people and merchants really like Ming Dynasty banknotes."

"We think it's unnecessary for your Khan to do this."

"Our Great Ming can lend you Great Ming Treasure Notes, so that your Khan can use them to purchase a large amount of goods from the people, thereby strengthening your national power."

"Besides firearms, the Ming Dynasty can also export all kinds of ironware that you currently lack, including military supplies such as broadswords, spears, and bows and arrows, without reservation."

"More importantly, the Ming Dynasty will also help you build at least one sturdy cement road to connect the Turan Empire with the Ming Dynasty's interior, greatly facilitating trade between the two sides."

"Our Great Ming will never again be like the previous Central Plains dynasties, strictly prohibiting merchants from transporting goods to the border regions."

Old Zhu's tone was full of generosity: "We are very happy to provide you with financial assistance and give you plenty of Ming Dynasty banknotes."

……

(End of this chapter)