I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 241 Paper Tiger! Shen Maoxue of the Ming Dynasty vs. the Black Stone Barbarians

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, in Kaiyuan City, Liaodong, the weather was gloomy and cold, with a biting wind.

Tuman Khan's uncle, Heishitan, stood about two hundred paces from the city gate with two attendants, glancing ahead from time to time.

At this moment, nearly two hours had passed since he presented his visiting card.

He set off from the border camp at dawn, and now it was almost noon. He was cold and hungry, but since he had come to apologize, he could not go back to the carriage to rest under the watchful eyes of the Ming soldiers on the city wall, so he could only endure it.

At this time.

One of his attendants said with great dissatisfaction, "Elder, are they deliberately keeping us waiting? Should I go and urge them on?"

Black Coal shook its head slightly.

"No need! For the sake of the tribe, this little grievance is nothing to me!"

Although Black Coal said this, he was actually full of complaints, but he could only endure it because he was powerless to change the situation.

at this time.

The city gates of Kaiyuan slowly opened, and several riders rushed out.

The leader was a fair-skinned civil official wearing a blue robe with egret-patterned embroidered patches.

"Elder, that's Shen Maoxue, the trade envoy from the Northern Border!" a follower said through gritted teeth.

Ever since Shen Maoxue came to the Northern Border.

Not only did the Tatars tighten trade restrictions on the Tuman tribe, isolating them in many ways, but they also ambushed and plundered Tuman tribesmen in markets on several occasions, making their lives even worse. Many Tuman people starved to death this year during the Lunar New Year.

Shen Maoxue's portrait has been plastered all over the Tuman tribes, and some people have even offered "a thousand sheep" for his life.

Another attendant said angrily, "Elder, at least one of the Liaodong Governor Zhang Xueyan and the Liaodong General Li Chengliang is in the city. They actually sent such a lowly sixth-rank official. They are looking down on us!"

Currently, Shen Maoxue's position as the Commissioner of Commerce is a nominal post, while his actual official rank remains that of a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-rank official.

Black Coal stroked his beard, narrowed his eyes to look at Shen Maoxue and the others, and said, "For such an important matter, Zhang Xueyan and Li Chengliang would never let this old man talk to this pedantic scholar who has only been in office for a few years. He should be the one to bring us into the city. This noon, let's have a taste of the Ming Dynasty's lunch. Once this matter is settled, you two will also have made a great contribution!"

Upon hearing this, the two attendants straightened up.

Heishitan's confidence stemmed not only from being Tuman Khan's uncle, but also from his role as a tribal chief during the Jiajing and Longqing reigns, having dealt with the Ming Dynasty more than once and being a long-time rival of Li Chengliang.

He considered himself senior and of noble status, and both Li Chengliang and Zhang Xueyan addressed him as "Old Clan Chief".

If the Ming Dynasty truly has the desire to negotiate peace, it will certainly give him sufficient respect.

……

A short while later, Shen Maoxue arrived on horseback with several cavalrymen.

He looked at Black Coal, who had his hands behind his back, from his horseback riding, and asked, "Why isn't Tuman Khan here? Can an old man like you speak on behalf of Tuman Khan?"

Shen Maoxue has always been very polite.

But when facing the Tatars, he knew that the more polite he was, the more arrogant they would become, and since they needed to negotiate, he had to adopt a more respectful attitude in order to secure more benefits for the Ming Dynasty.

Hei Shitan was not angry when he heard the word "old man".

“This old man is of course able to represent the Tuman Khan. Merchant Shen, please lead the way!” Black Stone Coal said, looking up.

"Lead the way? We can discuss this here. Tell me, how do the Tu barbarians intend to apologize and compensate for the losses they have caused to my Great Ming?"

"To talk here? I am an old acquaintance of Governor Zhang and General Li, and I wish to speak with them!"

Shen Maoxue gave a disdainful smile.

“You old bastard, you barbarians killed foreign envoys within the territory of my Great Ming, causing my dynasty to lose face. Then you killed a dog in front of the Confucian Temple to insult the orthodoxy of my dynasty’s Confucianism, and killed a eunuch and threw him into the Jade River, humiliating my Great Ming Emperor.”

"Governor Zhang and General Li have no intention of negotiating with you. If it weren't for the New Year holiday, our dynasty would have already declared war on you. It is only for the sake of border trade and the stability of the people inside and outside the pass that I have come out of the city to hear how you intend to apologize and compensate. If you do not wish to speak, I will not stop you. Go back and wait to die!"

Having said that, Shen Maoxue was about to turn his horse around and leave.

These words were like a blow to the head of Black Coal; he never expected the Ming Dynasty to be so assertive.

He quickly blocked Shen Maoxue's carriage.

"Scholar, don't be anxious! Don't be anxious! This old man is willing to talk to you, willing to talk to you!" Black Coal instantly became humble.

"Say it!"

"First of all, those barbarians were not sent to the capital by our tribe to assassinate us, but our tribe does bear the responsibility for lax discipline. To express our apologies, the barbarian Khan is willing to apologize to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming!"

"Secondly, given the significant impact of this incident and the fact that our clan has acted inappropriately, we are willing to compensate the Ming Dynasty with two thousand sheep and five hundred horses."

"However, after the compensation, I hope that the Ming Dynasty can open a market for our tribe so that the people of both sides can turn hostility into friendship. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Maoxue slightly pursed his lips.

The other party was playing a dirty trick, and ended up hitting him in the face with all the abacus beads.

A sheep is worth about two taels of silver, and a horse is worth about 24 taels of silver. The total value of two thousand sheep and five hundred horses is about 1.6 taels of silver.

"You old fool, do you think this is just two children playing house? Is this compensation enough to appease a beggar? Is the face of the Ming Dynasty's Confucian orthodoxy and the Ming Emperor so worthless?" Shen Maoxue rebuked angrily.

Black Coal looked aggrieved.

“Sir…Our tribe lives in a desolate place and relies entirely on herding for a living. After this winter, we have practically no wealth left. We simply cannot afford any more!”

Upon hearing this, Shen Maoxue grabbed the reins and immediately prepared to return to the city.

"Five thousand sheep, one thousand horses, plus a handwritten apology letter from the Tuman Khan!" Black Stone Coal said through gritted teeth.

Shen Maoxue shook his head again.

"I have no courage to report such compensation to Governor Zhang and General Li, let alone to the capital! Our Great Ming Dynasty is not short of horses and sheep. If the Anda tribe knew that our dynasty would spare you for such a small amount of money, they would probably offer double and then send troops with us!"

Black Coal suddenly panicked.

Normally, the relationship between the Anda tribe and the Tuman tribe can only be described as unfriendly. They both wished for the other's extermination, but since they shared the same roots, they almost never went to war.

But now that Anda's son-in-law has been killed, if the Ming Dynasty helps the Anda tribe, the Anda tribe will really fight to the death with the Tuman tribe.

Black Coal was on the verge of tears; the other party's tough stance left him with no room for negotiation.

Left with no other choice, he had to say, "Scholar, please...please name your price!"

Shen Maoxue paused for a moment and said, "Five thousand sheep and one thousand horses are nothing to our Great Ming. I believe that if you want the Emperor of our Great Ming to accept this apology and quell this incident, your department should at least come up with this amount!"

Shen Maoxue held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand taels?" Black Coal looked surprised.

Fifty thousand taels of silver is enough to buy more than two thousand fine horses from the grasslands or two hundred and fifty thousand sheep.

This was outrageous! Seeing Shen Maoxue pulling on the reins with an impatient look, he immediately said, "Okay... I can agree!"

"No, not fifty thousand taels, but five hundred thousand taels, plus a letter of apology. This letter of apology will be written by our dynasty. Just have the Tuman Khan copy it, affix the official seal, and submit it."

"Five...five hundred thousand taels of silver? Scholar, do you...do you not know the financial strength of our tribe? Even if the Tuman tribe sold all the cattle, sheep, horses, and women in the tribe, it still wouldn't be enough to raise five hundred thousand taels of silver!"

At this moment, Shen Maoxue dismounted and walked to Black Coal.

He lowered his voice and said, "Elder Chief, if I didn't have this number, I really wouldn't dare to report to the court. You have truly angered His Majesty and Grand Secretary Zhang this time. The leader of the barbarians confessed that he came to the Ming Dynasty to assassinate His Majesty and Grand Secretary Zhang. When they saw the confession, they were naturally furious and had no intention of talking to you at all."

"General Qi of Jizhou has arrived in Liaodong and is reorganizing his troops. Once the year is over, war will surely break out!"

Shen Maoxue looked sincere, while Heishitan became more and more frightened as he listened.

Shen Maoxue paused for a moment, then continued, "I have come up with a solution that satisfies both sides. I wonder if you can accept it."

After saying that, he beckoned Black Coal closer and whispered to him, "Apologize first, then repay in installments. Five hundred thousand taels of silver, to be paid off in five years. You'll also have to repay with goods worth ten thousand taels of silver each year. That shouldn't be too much of a burden!"

"Afterwards, I would like to apply to the higher authorities to open two border markets for your tribe. The commercial taxes and fees will be the same as those of the Anda tribe, and the markets will be open twice a month. However, our dynasty will not confer a title upon the Tuman Khan. We will announce to the outside world that the markets are opened for the benefit of the border people. As for what you say when you go back, that's up to you!"

"You do the math. Your tribe will definitely benefit from the trade market. You may have to tighten your belts for the first five years, but after five years, you will definitely make a profit. The trade market can guarantee that our Great Ming will not attack you, and it can also guarantee that you will not be bullied by neighboring tribes... In addition, I have another condition: the Tuman tribe must not harass the borders of our Great Ming again. If they harass us once, we will close the market for three months."

"Only by following this strategy can I dare to submit a memorial to the court. Of course, if you disagree, then we need not continue this conversation!" Shen Maoxue said sincerely.

Just then, the city gate not far away suddenly opened wide.

Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap!
Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang led a troop of cavalry out of the city gate and headed towards the military camp in the northwest.

The flags bearing the characters "Qi" and "Li" fluttered high, and Heishitan happened to catch a glimpse of Li Chengliang and Qi Jiguang's faces.

He was very familiar with these two old rivals, and his face instantly turned ashen.

With these two working together, the chances of the Tuman people defeating the Ming Dynasty are virtually zero.

Seeing that Heishitan's legs were trembling slightly, Shen Maoxue looked at the cavalry that had left him far behind and said, "It seems that General Qi and General Li are too eager for war!"

At that moment, Zhang Xueyan, the governor of Liaodong, stood on the city wall with a smile on his face.

The four of them had already discussed it.

After Shen Maoxue and Heishitan talked for about fifteen minutes, Li Chengliang and Qi Jiguang went out of the city, pretending to reorganize the army, in order to put pressure on Heishitan.

Only after the cavalry disappeared did Blackstone Charcoal speak, "This...this...I need to go back and report to the clan chief!"

Then he added, "Paying back 100,000 taels every year is too much. How about paying it back over ten years, 50,000 taels per year?"

Shen Maoxue hesitated for a moment.

"It can be paid out over ten years, but there will be an additional 10,000 taels of interest each year, so you'll have to pay 60,000 taels back each year. There's no other way!"

"Furthermore, I can only give you one day to consider. If you cannot give me news before sunset tomorrow, I will not have enough time to persuade Governor Zhang, General Li, and General Qi, and then send the message to the capital. The annual leave of our officials is about to end. Once His Majesty issues the decree to exterminate the Tuman tribes, even if you offer one million taels of silver, there will be no possibility of peace talks!"

“I understand, I understand!” Black Coal nodded.

"I'll wait for your news!" With that, Shen Maoxue mounted his horse and galloped into the city.

at this time.

Black Stone Coal's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground. He had prepared many excuses before coming, such as: the Anda tribe had ulterior motives, and the Tuman tribe had always wanted to become friends of the Ming Dynasty, etc.

Unfortunately, he was suppressed by Shen Maoxue and never said it.

They were already in the wrong and lacked strength, so they had no right to negotiate. If they did not agree to the Ming Dynasty's terms, they would have no choice but to go to war with the Ming Dynasty.

……

into the night.

Inside the council hall of the Tuman tribe.

Tuman Khan, Tuman Khan's uncle Heishitan, Tuman Khan's son Buyantai Zhou, Taining tribe chief Subahai, and Duoyan Guard leader Changang, the five of them gathered together again.

Black Coal looked aggrieved.

"The Ming Dynasty simply does not accept peace talks. When I went to Kaiyuan City, I happened to run into Li Chengliang and Qi Jiguang coming out of the city to train troops. Think about it, even Qi Jiguang has been conscripted here. It's obvious that they want to wipe us out!"

"The reason Shen Maoxue was willing to talk to me was because he didn't want to lose his lucrative position as trade envoy. He initially demanded that we compensate them with one million taels of silver, or else we would go to war!"

"One million taels of silver! They must be crazy for money!" Bu Yantai Zhou said, clenching his fist.

"Let me finish!" Black Coal said, glaring.

After pausing for a moment, Heishitan continued, "After he offered one million taels of silver in compensation plus a letter of apology, I told him about the harm that Anda's dominance had done to the Ming Dynasty, as well as the damage that our 100,000 elite troops had caused to the Ming Dynasty by marching south, which softened his tone considerably."

……

"I explained the situation clearly, stating that we would apologize, but only if trade increased... In the end, we compromised and reached a preliminary agreement on a monetary apology: we would compensate the Ming Dynasty with 500,000 taels of silver, to be paid off in five years at 100,000 taels per year, and in ten years at 60,000 taels per year. In addition, they would write a letter of apology, which the clan chief would copy, acknowledging that everything was our fault..."

……

Black Coal's words transformed him into a hero who saved the Tuman tribe.

"Chieftain, you decide. Should we apologize and offer compensation, or fight? Even if we choose to apologize and offer compensation, it's hard to say whether the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty will agree!" Black Stone Coal threw the question to Tuman Khan.

After a moment's thought, Tuman Khan stood up.

“Opening two border markets is more worthwhile. I suggest that you apologize and compensate us. Paying back 100,000 taels of silver a year is too much of a burden. Let’s choose to pay back 60,000 taels of silver a year instead!”

After saying that, Heishitan looked at Subahai, the chief of the Taining tribe, and Chang'ang, the leader of the Duoyan Guard.

"The Tuman tribe will take the lion's share, producing goods worth 30,000 taels of silver per year. The other smaller tribes will share 10,000 taels. Your two tribes will each receive 10,000 taels per year. If you have any objections, you will have no part in either market!"

Chief Subahai of the Taining tribe and Chief Changang of the Duoyan Guard originally did not want to contribute money, but upon hearing the last half of the sentence, they could only nod and clasp their hands in agreement.

If they are abandoned by the Tuman tribe, they will soon become prey for other hostile tribes.

……

Noon the next day.

Heishitan sent someone to convey a message to Shen Maoxue, saying that they were willing to agree to the latter's conditions, with 500,000 taels of silver to be repaid in ten years, with 60,000 taels per year.

Upon hearing this news, Shen Maoxue was so excited he almost jumped for joy.

"A paper tiger! The Tatars are nothing but paper tigers! Through this experience, I, Shen Maoxue, will surely become a great talent, skilled in both literature and martial arts, like Master Yangming and Grand Secretary Yin!"

At this moment, Shen Maoxue especially wanted to bow to Shen Nian, who was far away in the capital.

Without Shen Nian as his mentor, this talented individual might still be buried in writing history at the Hanlin Academy!

(End of this chapter)