Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 88 Want money? Sure, trade me the heads of the Jurchens!

Three days later, when news of the right-wing army's defeat reached Ligdan Khan's ears, he was leading his elite cavalry, showing off his power at Yanmen Pass.

When the news spread through the army, morale plummeted, and leaders of all ranks and tribal chiefs who had submitted to him urged him to withdraw his troops.

"Khan, if we don't leave now, we'll be trapped inside the pass and won't be able to get out!"

Lindan Khan was also at a loss, and finally ordered the army to move to Xuanfu to join his brother, Juntu Taiji.

At this time, the Ming court was unaware of this great victory, and Kangkarbaihu, the envoy to the Ming court, was also unaware of his side's crushing defeat.

In the imperial court, Zhu Youjian met with the envoy from the Chahar tribe, who was particularly arrogant.

"Hey! You audacious barbarians! How dare you not kneel before the Emperor!" Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo shouted.

Kangkarbaihu looked up and said, "On the grassland, there has never been a rule that the victor kneels before the loser."

"Your Majesty, this scoundrel is arrogant and unruly, disregarding the majesty of Heaven. I suggest he be taken out and executed!"

"In war, envoys are not to be killed! Do you intend to make this a life-or-death struggle with my Great Mongol Empire by killing me?" Kangkarbaihu shouted sternly.

"What Great Mongol Empire? How laughable! Has the Khorchin tribe ever recognized you as their overlord? Have the Northern and Western Mongols ever acknowledged you as their common ruler? You are clearly being chased by the Jurchens like stray dogs, yet you insist on acting like big bad wolves. Aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourself?" Qin Shiwen, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, mocked.

"Our Great Khan's surname is Borjigin, and we are descendants of the Golden Family. We are the common ruler of all tribes on the Mongolian grasslands, recognized by the Eternal Heaven!"

As for the Jurchens, didn't our two countries agree to jointly attack them? Why did you, the Great Ming, break your promise and fail to provide the money and provisions you promised to give us?
Our Great Khan is magnanimous; we will withdraw our troops as long as the annual market rewards are made up and trade is reopened. Otherwise, we will march to the gates of Beijing, and then it will be too late for you to regret it!

"What a hypocrite! It was you who broke the alliance first! When we agreed to fight the Jurchens together, when did your tribe ever send troops as agreed? Instead, while our Great Ming was fighting the Jurchens, you repeatedly harassed the border and plundered the people! Now you blame our dynasty for not providing money and provisions? You shameless rats, why don't you just die?!"

Zhu Youjian, resting his chin on his hand, watched the envoy from Ligdan Khan arguing with his ministers, finding it rather amusing. In truth, the outcome of the argument was unimportant. Previously, Zhu Youjian might have been anxious, but the arrival of an envoy indicated a change in the situation. Although no good news had yet been received, why would these Mongols be in such a hurry to send envoys to the Ming Dynasty if they had no problems?

The grasslands have their own rules. When things are going well for them, they arrogantly wait for the Central Plains states to send envoys to negotiate peace, and then they demand large sums of money and goods from them.

Zhu Youjian guessed that either they couldn't stay in Shanxi any longer, or some powerful figure had suddenly appeared and overwhelmed them. It wasn't impossible for a county magistrate or military commander to suddenly erupt in power in any corner of the Ming Dynasty. Or it could be an external problem; perhaps Huang Taiji had offended Ligdan Khan again, and he couldn't tolerate it anymore.

In short, although the situation is unclear, the advantage is in my hands! Zhu Youjian smiled.

The two sides argued endlessly, and Kangkarbaihu said ruthlessly: "You Ming people are all talk and no action, but that's useless. Let's settle this on the battlefield!"

After Kangkarbaihu withdrew, the Ming officials, who had previously appeared so passionate and magnanimous, lost their pretense and became lifeless again.

In the imperial court, no one could agree to any demands from the Northern barbarian envoys, as it concerned the court's reputation. However, in reality, most people were inclined towards surrender. Or rather, everyone still held hope for Ligdan Khan, believing that uniting with the Southern Mongols to deal with the Jurchens was feasible. After all, the Ming Dynasty's surrendered barbarian cavalry was still very useful, just as the Han Dynasty had a tradition of employing those who had submitted to the Xiongnu, and the Ming Dynasty also liked to use the Mongols.

“Your Majesty, why don’t I speak with the Northern Barbarian envoy again?” Jiang Xikong, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, rose from his seat and bowed.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Some of the annual rewards should be allocated appropriately to appease the Mongol tribes. Haven’t we always done things this way in the past?” another minister stepped forward and said.

Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "Then let Minister Jiang lead the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial to discuss this with them. As for the annual reward, there is absolutely no room for negotiation. If they want money, they can exchange it for the heads of the Jurchens. Our Great Ming will exchange it with them according to the rules of rewarding meritorious service, including the heads they killed in the battle with the Jurchens last month."

There's no need for you all to worry too much. Haven't you noticed that the situation in Shanxi has stabilized? The fact that no bad news has come in for so long is the best news of all.

Upon hearing this, the ministers exchanged glances, finding the emperor's words to be quite reasonable. A nation relies on a wise and capable ruler, and although the current emperor had various shortcomings that infuriated them, his composure in the face of a major crisis was commendable.

"Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!" Seeing that the court was somewhat dull, Zhu Youjian had Wang Chengen shout a few words to wake everyone up.

"Your Majesty, I, Liang Yuanzhu, Imperial Censor of Fujian Circuit, respectfully report:"

The positions of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Fujian are currently vacant, and the coast has been repeatedly harassed by Japanese pirates. Those barbarian devils, seeing the weakness of our Ming Dynasty's coastal defenses, have resorted to their old tricks again, infiltrating the waters off Penghu. The garrisons and garrisons throughout Fujian are poorly equipped with troops and generals, and their ships are damaged, making it extremely difficult to resist. The coastal people have suffered greatly from being plundered!

"I humbly beseech Your Majesty to promptly dispatch capable officials to assume the positions of governor and general, to safeguard the borders and ensure the safety of the people. Moreover, the Japanese pirates are extremely powerful and their actions cannot be quelled by the forces of a single province. I earnestly request Your Majesty to appoint a military commissioner or governor-general to oversee military affairs in the southeastern provinces, specifically to suppress the Japanese pirates and restore peace and tranquility to the coastal regions of our Great Ming."

“What Liang Qing said makes sense. Let’s discuss it and recommend a few suitable candidates,” Zhu Youjian said.

The ministers thought to themselves: "If we recommend someone, you won't want to use the candidate you choose. You might as well just tell us who you want."

Then, Fang Zhuangli, the Minister of Personnel, cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is there anyone you prefer in the selection of candidates?"

Zhu Youjian replied irritably, "If I had a suitable candidate, would I need to ask you all?"

"I recommend that Grand Secretary Zhu be appointed to govern the four southeastern provinces and oversee military affairs," Fang Zhuangli said.

"How can a cabinet minister be transferred to a post outside the capital? Moreover, Minister Zhu is currently holding important responsibilities. Transferring him would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. Why don't you recommend some retired senior officials or capable ministers?"

Zhu Youjian instinctively became wary, feeling that the people in the court were deliberately trying to get rid of his close ministers. They wanted to remove Bi Ziyan from power, kill Wei Zhongxian, and get rid of people like Ma Xianglin, Qin Liangyu, and Zhu Xieyuan, leaving him, the emperor, isolated and helpless in the court.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhuangli felt somewhat helpless. He wondered what had gotten into the emperor lately, making him so suspicious. He had recommended Zhu Xieyuan precisely because he was a confidant of the emperor—a powerful regional official, far away from the capital. Which emperor didn't choose their trusted confidants for such a position? Wasn't that what happened with Sun Chengzong before?

Moreover, Zhu Xieyuan's abilities are clearly formidable, so recommending him would greatly reduce the likelihood of Fang Zhuangli being implicated due to his poor personnel choices.

(End of this chapter)