Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Chapter 191 Arrival in Oirat, Wiping Them All Out

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head and stared blankly at Tang He. His head, which had been dizzy from the alcohol, became incredibly clear and excited at this moment.

What promise did Zhu Yunwen make?

Conquer the grasslands!

Previously, although he had full confidence in Zhu Yunwen, it was more of an expectation. Now, however, there was a clear result, and things were developing step by step in the direction Zhu Yunwen had predicted.

The Tatars, commanded by Arughtai, were the largest force on the grasslands. Now, only a short time has passed, and Arughtai has been directly captured by Zhu Yunwen. Note that this is not about killing or eliminating, but about bringing them under control. These two things have completely different implications.

He had never doubted the fighting prowess of the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Tiger and Leopard Riders, but bringing Arughtai and his troops under his command together was a little more difficult.

"How exactly did Yunhu catch up with Arughtai?" Zhu Yuanzhang wondered.

The grasslands are vast, and finding their locations is more difficult than eliminating or conquering the tribes of the grasslands.

Now, finding the location of the Beiyuan tribe seems to be no problem at all for Zhu Yunwen, which is somewhat astonishing.

"Hoo," Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the pounding in his heart, and waved his hand, saying, "We haven't reached the final step yet, so let's not talk about it so soon."

The grasslands are not so easy to conquer, and although Zhu Yunwen has had a fantastic start, he is still quite far from conquering the entire grassland.

Opening champagne at halftime is a major taboo in military strategy.

He wouldn't get too excited before things were completely settled, so that there would be more room for maneuver. Otherwise, it would be too early to be happy. What if Zhu Yunwen didn't manage to conquer the grasslands in the end?
If the news has already been spread but the final result is not satisfactory, then rumors will inevitably circulate about Zhu Yunwen, which he cannot allow.

"Yes!" Tang nodded.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned to look at Jiang Huan and asked, "Have you found out how Yuntong knew about the grasslands?"

Jiang Huan shook her head: "I don't know!"

"Alright, you may leave now. If you have any news from the grasslands, inform me immediately." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

"Your subject takes his leave!" Jiang Huan cupped his hands in greeting, turned, and strode away.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched Jiang Huan leave, then looked up at the direction of the grassland, his gaze lost in thought.

Tang He raised his wine cup and said, "Your Majesty, come, let us raise our cups together. This cup of wine is to toast the grandson of the Emperor Yun Tong."

Zhu Yuanzhang snapped out of his reverie, looked at Tang He who had raised his wine cup, took a deep breath, raised his own cup, and clinked it against Tang He's: "Cheers!"

Prince Jin’s Palace!
Zhu Gang also learned that Zhu Yunwen had ventured deep into the grasslands, defeated and subdued Arughtai, and his expression was incredibly complex.

"I really didn't expect that Yunhuo could actually do this. Could he really conquer the grasslands?"

"I knew it. The fourth brother would never bow down for no reason. It seems he must have learned something from Zhu Gaoxu."

"No, I won't go outside to fight anymore. After Yunhuo comes back from the grassland, I will also go to him."

In the study, Zhu Gang's expression flickered, and one thought after another popped into his mind.

When Zhu Yunwen asked the princes to leave, he ultimately decided against it after much deliberation. The biggest factor in this decision was Zhu Di.

He had always been very wary of Zhu Di. This was actually related to Zhu Yuanzhang. When Zhu Yuanzhang was alive, he had Zhu Di keep an eye on him. After a long period of surveillance, Zhu Di proved to be a difficult character to deal with.

Subsequent events proved that he had not misjudged Zhu Di. His younger brother was very shrewd and capable. Of course, as the older brother, he was able to keep Zhu Di firmly under control. However, being able to suppress him did not mean that he could look down on Zhu Di.

On the contrary, among his brothers, he had a very high opinion of Zhu Di. In fact, if he hadn't been older than Zhu Di and hadn't had Zhu Yuanzhang's support, it would have been hard to say who was stronger between him and Zhu Di.

To his surprise, the naturally arrogant Zhu Di suddenly switched sides to Zhu Yunwen, a result that caught him completely off guard. He couldn't understand the reasons and motivations behind Zhu Di's actions.

By surrendering to Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Di would be under Zhu Yunwen's control, and his every move would be restricted by the court. In comparison, it would be much more comfortable to go out and conquer a territory and live a carefree life as a prince. But Zhu Di just happened to surrender.

After the incident, he tried to subtly probe Zhu Di to find out why Zhu Di had sided with Zhu Yunwen, but the reason Zhu Di gave him was unbelievable. However, looking back now, the seemingly ridiculous reason Zhu Di gave him may have been the real reason.

"Yun Tong is such a mysterious guy."

Is the legend of the "true dragon" really just a rumor?

Zhu Gang was somewhat bewildered. He carefully recalled the information he had found, and no matter how he looked at it, Zhu Yunwen seemed to be shrouded in a hazy veil, making him appear so mysterious.

On the vast grasslands, the ability to pinpoint the exact location of the Northern Yuan troops is terrifying. Outsiders may find it hard to understand the reasons behind this, but he, a general who has led troops across the grasslands for many years, knows very well just how terrifying this is.

It is no exaggeration to say that with the current strength of the Northern Yuan, it would not be particularly difficult for the Ming Dynasty to destroy it. However, since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, nearly thirty years have passed, and the Ming Dynasty has launched more than a dozen large and small attacks on the grasslands, but has not yet been able to conquer the Northern Yuan.

The Northern Yuan was barely clinging to life, just one step away from its final demise, but the Ming Dynasty just couldn't take that final step, and that final step was precisely the Northern Yuan's royal court.

The royal court of the Northern Yuan is like a flag, tattered and worn, yet it stands tall on the grassland, fluttering in the wind, rallying the hearts of the people of the Northern Yuan. It remains unscathed despite the wind and rain, and even occasionally bounces back.

In hindsight, if the Northern Yuan had been destroyed by the Ming Dynasty earlier, the Ming Dynasty might not have faced so much pressure from the north. In that case, after losing the two powerful emperors Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, the subsequent successors might have been able to lead the Ming Dynasty through the transition, such as Zhu Zhanji.

Compared to Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di, Zhu Zhanji's abilities might seem mediocre, but to call him utterly incompetent would be an understatement. He was certainly capable of maintaining the status quo. If Zhu Zhanji could stabilize the situation, the future war god Zhu Qizhen could be truly nurtured, especially with the exceptionally capable Zhang Yan supporting the dynasty. After these two successfully navigated the transition, the Ming Dynasty would still have many capable emperors, and more than one.

Unfortunately, Zhu Zhanji was dragged down by the pressure from the grasslands and died. Zhu Qizhen was then misled by various forces, and the dynasty exploded again on the foundation laid by Zhu Zhanji. All of this led to a chain reaction. The Ming Dynasty, which had reached its peak at the beginning, never made any further progress and just lived off its past achievements, barely surviving.

Such a dynasty's development history is extremely explosive in history, especially since the Ming Dynasty had already used firearms on the battlefield. Everyone should know the power of firearms in the era of cold weapons, but the Ming Dynasty simply deteriorated afterward.

In fact, from God's perspective, this was a case of the Northern Yuan, barely clinging to life, dragging the Ming Dynasty down with it. The Ming Dynasty was just one step away from completely destroying the grasslands, but then it was dragged down by the Northern Yuan, who were based on the grasslands.

Some might say that the Ming Dynasty's foundation was depleted by the Oirats, and its future was buried by the coastal regions. But where did the Oirats come from? The Oirats swallowed up the Northern Yuan, making them the successors of the Northern Yuan. Even when the Oirats dominated the grasslands, the Northern Yuan did not disappear. Furthermore, the Oirats controlled the grasslands by leveraging the Northern Yuan royal family's position as Grand Tutors. This makes it clear, doesn't it?

The Northern Yuan was defeated by the Ming Dynasty many times, but the Northern Yuan's banners continued to stand on the grasslands, stubbornly dragging the Ming Dynasty along until it was dragged into the abyss.

Looking at the coast, the chaos there was because the Ming Dynasty focused too much of its energy on the grasslands. If the Ming Dynasty had been able to decisively conquer the grasslands, would the coastal issues have been a problem? You must know that at that time, the Ming Dynasty's navy was one of the best in the world. Otherwise, how could Zheng He have made so many voyages to the Western Ocean and brought back so much wealth?

There are many reasons for the decline of the Ming Dynasty, but the Northern Yuan was definitely the most important one. It held the Ming Dynasty back so tightly that it eventually died.

"Hoo," Zhu Gang took a deep breath, walked into the courtyard, looked up at the direction of the grassland, his eyes filled with intense curiosity. In his entire life, he had never been so curious about people.

Grassland, Oirat camp!
Mahmud convened the Oirat Congress, and ultimately, everyone voted to decide against the relocation for the time being.

Of course, the main reason for holding the conference was that Mahmud himself was very hesitant.

The current camp was one that the Oirat people had finally found, and they had been there for a long time. They had already built it up, and if they moved, they would face the unknown.

This is similar to the migration from the Central Plains. Who wouldn't feel lost when they suddenly moved from the place where they had lived their whole lives to an unfamiliar environment?

Of course, things might be slightly better in modern times, but this is ancient times.

If the Central Plains are like this, what about the grasslands?

Although the Oirat tribe was not as large as the Tatars, their population was still considerable, and their migration was undoubtedly a major achievement. They faced countless dangers along the way, the biggest of which was food.

The grasslands are not like the Central Plains; they do not have such abundant reserves. A hasty migration could result in countless deaths and could easily lead to unrest.

Although Mahmud was the leader of the Oirat, when internal problems became too serious, even he was unable to stop everything, which had nothing to do with his personal abilities.

Just like when an avalanche occurs, when an army is defeated, or when a dynasty collapses, no matter how strong an individual's abilities are, they are completely useless.

Inside the tent!
Benyasli and Dorjibo waited quietly. They both knew that the Oirat had convened a meeting to discuss whether or not to relocate.

Benyashiri was somewhat dissatisfied with this. After all, Mahmud was the leader of the Oirat, and he needed to hold a large meeting to discuss such a trivial matter? Wasn't this ridiculous?
In his view, once Mahmud, the leader of the Oirat, made a decision, the people under him would definitely carry it out obediently without giving it much thought.

Undeniably, his idea was correct. If Mahmud had given the order decisively, even if the people under the Oirat were dissatisfied, they would only have made a fuss. However, problems would definitely have arisen during the relocation process, which would have damaged the strength of the Oirat. This was an indisputable fact.

"Great Khan!" Mahmud led Toghon, Taiping, and Batu Boluo to Benyashiri.

"Prime Minister, have you made all the arrangements? When shall we set off?" Benyashiri asked.

He had already made it clear that Zhu Yunwen's goal was to conquer the grasslands, a fact that Mahmud's men had confirmed. Under these circumstances, he didn't think Mahmud would continue to stubbornly hold onto his current camp, as the risks involved were far too high.

"Great Khan, I'm very sorry, we will not leave!" Tuohuan said calmly.

"Huh?" Benyashiri was stunned upon hearing this, his face filled with disbelief. He stared wide-eyed at Mahmud: "Prime Minister, are the Oirats really going to stay here?"

“That’s right. We’ve been here for too long and don’t plan to move. Besides, we don’t know where to move to right now.” Mahmud nodded.

Benyashiri looked anxious and said, "Prime Minister, if we don't move, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty might come with his troops as soon as he smells the scent. I know that moving now will cause great losses to the Oirat, but think about it, if the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty comes with his troops, the Oirat will be completely finished."

"Great Khan, stop spreading alarmist rumors. Relocation? You make it sound so easy. Who will compensate for the losses of our Oirat? You?" Tuohuan couldn't help but ask.

Mahmud waved his hand at Toghon and said, "Toghon, you must not be disrespectful to the Great Khan!"

Benjamin's expression shifted between light and dark.

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a sharp flute sound rang out.

"Shhhhh!"

Upon hearing the flute music, Mahmud, Tuohuan, Taipo, and Batuboluo all changed their expressions.

"What's going on?" Benyashiri and Dorjibo were somewhat taken aback by what they saw.

"Prime Minister, something terrible has happened! A Ming army is charging towards us!" A guard rushed into the tent and said quickly.

"Oh no, this must be the Ming Emperor's army! He's chasing us so fast, we're doomed!" Benya's face turned pale, and a bitter smile appeared on her face.

Tuohuan stepped forward and grabbed Benyashiri, roaring angrily, "Damn it, it's all your fault for bringing the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty here!"

(End of this chapter)