Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 147 Huang Taiji: The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty Still Keeps His Word
Think of this.

Zhu Youjian began to carefully consider how to make the Later Jin dynasty temporarily serve him.

The idea was to make it work for them.

In fact, Zhu Youjian's main purpose was to prevent the Later Jin from putting too much pressure on the capital during this period.

Otherwise, if we are attacked from multiple sides, the situation will become quite passive.

To achieve this, we need to take advantage of the Later Jin's desire for "mutual trade".

Zhu Youjian wrote down the three forces—the Ming Dynasty, the aristocratic families, and the Later Jin—on a piece of paper on the table.

This is the current situation.

Later Jin: They are extremely eager to trade with the Ming Dynasty, but they are currently unaware that they actually have no intention of trading with them at all.

However, they will soon discover that the border with North Korea has changed, which will lead them to misjudge their own strength to some extent.

The aristocratic families are also unaware of the trade alliance they have reached with the Later Jin, and there is a high probability that they will provide material assistance to the Later Jin.

For example, goods that originally cost ten taels of silver are now being sold at a significantly reduced price.

Ming Dynasty: Currently, there is unrest in various places, and the number of people claiming the title of emperor is unknown.

This makes it seem like the country is on the verge of collapse.

However, this also allowed the Later Jin to completely misunderstand the true situation of the Ming Dynasty in a short period of time.

After writing these things down on paper, the situation became clearer for a while.

He could use some means to make the Later Jin mistakenly believe that he was the one who ordered the aristocratic families to provide assistance.

Although such schemes cannot last, the truth will eventually come to light.

But Zhu Youjian didn't intend to keep it a secret forever.

Let's buy some time.

It would be enough to let him take some time to resolve some of the issues in Hebei.

Having thought this through, Zhu Youjian no longer hesitated and instructed Wei Zhongxian, who was standing beside him:

"Send a team to Korea as quickly as possible to convey my imperial edict to Mao Wenlong, ordering him to immediately hold a review ceremony at the border between Korea and the Later Jin, so that the Later Jin may know the power of our Great Ming."

this way.

This could make the Later Jin even less able to see the true strength of the Ming Dynasty, thus leading them to make even more erroneous judgments about the current situation.

Wei Zhongxian immediately responded, "This servant will send some clever men over right now."

After Wei Zhongxian dispatched his troops to Korea.

Zhu Youjian continued, "I have another matter that I require you to personally travel from the capital to the Later Jin to handle."

Wei Zhongxian's expression turned solemn: "Your Majesty, please give your orders with confidence. Let alone going to the Later Jin, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, this servant will not hesitate in the slightest."

Zhu Youjian nodded and explained his arrangements to Wei Zhongxian in detail.

Wei Zhongxian listened to Zhu Youjian's instructions.

First, he frowned and became suspicious; then he held his breath and pondered carefully; finally, he suddenly realized the truth and felt refreshed.

Wei Zhongxian understood what he was about to do.

His main task in going to the Later Jin was to deceive Huang Taiji under the pretext of discussing "mutual trade".

After going to the Later Jin.

As instructed by His Majesty, he would first inform Huang Taiji of the current unrest in various parts of the Ming Dynasty.

Then the conversation shifted.

Tell them that the Ming Dynasty is in such a mess that it's impossible to hold official trade fairs.

But our Emperor has always been a man of his word!
Rest assured, His Majesty would never do anything to betray his promise. I swear on the dignity of the Ming Dynasty!

Although the official trade between the two countries could no longer continue.

But His Majesty has already made arrangements in private.

Haven't you been doing business with Shanxi merchants all along? He will ensure that the Shanxi merchants continue to provide you with assistance.

In any case, the ultimate goal of trade between our two countries is still mutually beneficial trade, isn't it?
The only difference now is that what was done in the open has been moved to the background; the essence remains the same.

But.

As you have seen, due to the unrest in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty's control over the Shanxi merchants is not actually that strong.

Therefore, when the Shanxi merchants provided support to your Later Jin dynasty.

I'm afraid quite a few people with ulterior motives will infiltrate the group.

Taking advantage of the trade between our two countries, I'll say some bad things about our Emperor to you, Great Khan.

Their true purpose is to use you to pose a threat to the capital in order to achieve their own ulterior motives.

Great Khan, if you hear these rumors, please don't believe them.

The Great Khan must have already witnessed His Majesty's strength firsthand.

If you actually believe the slander and send troops over, and then there are casualties, it might damage the harmony between the two countries!
This is something neither side wants to see.

After all, our two countries can be considered "brotherly nations"!

Upon hearing His Majesty's instructions, Wei Zhongxian was extremely excited.

in fact.

He has always had a very difficult problem in his heart.

That is, since His Majesty ascended the throne, I have not been able to do anything truly noteworthy for His Majesty.

Although His Majesty did not care about this, he even swore a blood oath together with me, a eunuch.

However, Wei Zhongxian could not help but feel that he was not a true member of the inner circle.

After all, he was different from Wang Chengen and Cao Huachun, who were former officials of the Prince's residence; he had joined the government halfway through his career.

In this way, one will have an inherent disadvantage compared to others.

But now that I have this mission to the Later Jin, things are different.

The fact that His Majesty entrusted me with such an important matter shows that His Majesty considers me a true member of his inner circle.

Therefore, I must do this job well!

Think of this.

Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but feel that youthful ambition to climb the social ladder at all costs suddenly surged from his heart throughout his body.

Although I am old, it doesn't matter at all.

In their sixties, they are at the prime of their lives, a time for striving and working hard.

Immediately.

After taking a deep breath, Wei Zhongxian knelt heavily on the ground: "Your Majesty has entrusted me with the affairs of the state, and I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

"This servant will pack now, and we will depart for the Later Jin today!"

Zhu Youjian nodded.

In fact, if conditions allowed, he should have personally arranged to meet Huang Taiji at a certain place to maximize the effect of the deception.

But given the current situation, he cannot leave the capital city at all.

Therefore, they had no choice but to settle for second best and send Wei Zhongxian instead.

Wei Zhongxian was cunning and shrewd enough, and had a wealth of life experience, so even if he went deep into the capital of the Later Jin Dynasty, he would not be easily thrown into disarray.

Moreover, he was quite famous and held considerable influence in the Later Jin regime.

Therefore, sending Wei Zhongxian to handle this matter is the most appropriate choice at present.

Even after Wei Zhongxian left, Zhu Youjian did not relax at all.

He then turned his attention to how to better handle the tough challenge of Hebei in the time to come.

As expected.

It will only take a few more days.

Those in Hebei who still retain some childlike innocence will gradually stand out because of Xiao Hongzi's proactive actions.

All he had to do was continue waiting.

The day.

After Zhu Youjian gave his instructions, Wei Zhongxian took the official letter and seal and led a group of men quietly toward the Later Jin.

It was also at this time.

Several more emperors followed in the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty.

no way.

The news of the three kings of Henan declaring themselves emperors spread far too quickly.

It spread throughout almost half of the Ming Dynasty in just one day.

Those regional princes who initially had no intention of declaring themselves emperors could no longer contain themselves after hearing about yesterday's events.

Since you've all done it, I'll do it too.

Anyway, the law doesn't punish everyone, and there's no way to punish everyone.

but.

Although many vassal kings participated in the farce of declaring themselves emperors, none of them actually went on to rebel.

They couldn't afford to offend the emperor, and they dared not offend the powerful families.

The so-called claim to the throne.

Some of the vassal kings were just talking big and having fun, indulging in a little bit of the emperor's fantasy.

Another group of people saw that their relatives were all doing it, so they thought, "If I don't do it, I'll be at a huge loss." This was the mentality of the people who went on to declare themselves emperors.

of course.

A very small number of vassal kings felt that this move was too detrimental to the Ming imperial family.

They neither joined in the nonsense nor ignored the situation.

Instead, they secretly sent a letter to the emperor, frankly stating that they knew the emperor was in trouble and had no choice but to resort to this tactic. They added that if the Ming Dynasty needed their assistance in any matter, they would cooperate as much as possible.

To tell the truth.

They would never have done this if that bastard Prince Fu, who had lost his mother, hadn't rashly declared himself emperor.

Because they really didn't like Zhu Youjian.

But as soon as Prince Fu showed his face, some people immediately understood the situation.

The emperor may have been cruel, but his abilities were also top-notch.

If all else fails, he should just obediently follow the emperor's arrangements. That way, he could still be a carefree prince. He didn't exterminate all the members of the imperial clan.

But if Prince Fu were to ascend the throne, the Zhu family's empire would be completely finished.

However, these are all things to be discussed later.

nowadays.

The instigator of all this, Prince Fu Zhu Changxun, and a host of aristocratic families suffered a great deal of punishment—in terms of reputation.

People from all over the country cursed him.

Whether it's eating, farming, walking, or chatting, anything related to people can be brought up in this context.

In this regard.

Zhu Changxun and the others simply remained silent.

However, the coronation ceremony that had been prepared was not delayed at all; on the contrary, the harsher the criticism, the more extravagant the ceremony would be.

no way.

Since I've already been criticized, wouldn't it be pointless to not ascend the throne if I didn't take the blame?
Moreover, in Zhu Changxun's view...

As long as I kill the emperor later, the remaining vassal kings will naturally all behave themselves.

At that time, he will still be the true and legitimate emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, he must ascend this base.

soon.

Another few days passed.

Zhu Changxun completed his enthronement ceremony amidst a chorus of curses from Nanjing.

After much maneuvering, Wei Zhongxian successfully entered the territory of the Later Jin and made contact with the Later Jin court.

Zhu Youjian's men successfully landed in Korea and delivered the imperial edict to Mao Wenlong.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Mao Wenlong immediately led a group of generals to conduct a thorough inspection of the army near the border city where it met the Later Jin.

The main theme is to show off one's power and prestige.

When Huang Taiji, who was in Shengjing, heard this news, he immediately became unsettled.

He even looked somewhat agitated.

During this period, Huang Taiji didn't get much sleep.

The main reason was that ever since he met with the Ming emperor and made a pact, he found that things had developed far beyond his expectations.

original.

Huang Taiji thought that even if the Ming emperor broke the treaty, he could still attack Korea at any time, so he wouldn't lose out no matter what.

But as time slowly passed...

The intelligence sent back by the spies to North Korea filled him with suspicion.

This is what the spy said:
A large number of soldiers suddenly poured into the border cities of North Korea in a short period of time, and their morale was extremely high.

Moreover, all kinds of defensive equipment, food supplies and baggage were readily available.

If we were to attack these cities again, we would likely have to pay several times the price we did before.

When Huang Taiji first heard this information, he was truly shocked.

At that time, he had only one question in his mind: How did the Ming emperors manage to do this in such a short time?

This is unreasonable!

If the Ming Dynasty was truly that powerful, how could Li Zong have dared to rebel?!

But then several worries began to arise in his mind.

Whether it makes sense or not, the Ming Dynasty did it anyway.

This would significantly increase the difficulty of attacking North Korea.

In this way, one's value in the united front is effectively reduced by more than half.

Without its value in uniting the people, would the Ming Dynasty still trade with it?!

Huang Taiji asked himself this question.

If he were in the position of the Ming emperor, he would absolutely not have traded with the Later Jin.

Between countries, only interests matter.

If you lose your value in united front work, then there's nothing to talk about regarding interests.

That's why Huang Taiji reacted so strongly when he heard that Mao Wenlong was reviewing troops on the border.

What does a border military parade represent?
Anyone could see that the Ming Dynasty was flexing its muscles, practically saying: Come and fight me!

This is damn bad. Not only has it completely destroyed its own value in the united front, but it's also turning it into something negative.

At this point, Huang Taiji increasingly felt that the so-called trade treaty was nothing more than a delaying tactic by the Ming emperor!
I was actually tricked by a mere kid?

Think of this.

Huang Taiji was so eager that he almost wanted to send troops directly to attack the Ming capital.

I'm always the one lying to others; how could anyone lie to me?!
And I finally trusted someone once, only to find out that this person was just trying to lie to me from beginning to end?!

Huang Taiji felt that he had suffered a great humiliation.

Seeing the Khan's distress, Fan Wencheng quickly offered words of comfort:

"Your Majesty, the agreed-upon trade period with the Ming Dynasty is still a few days away, although the Ming Dynasty has not yet sent anyone to discuss this matter."

"But I've heard that the Ming Dynasty has been quite turbulent recently, so it's possible that something has delayed things."

"If we haven't received any news from the Ming Dynasty in a few days, then we will take the initiative to send an envoy there."

"If they make excuses again at that time, then it will not be too late for Your Majesty to make a decision then."

Huang Taiji's gaze was heavy: "If the Ming emperor had dared to find any excuse to delay at that time, I would have led my troops to the capital and skinned him alive."

Fan Wencheng's expression was also extremely solemn: "If that's really the case, then we absolutely cannot give the Ming emperor any more time to accumulate strength."

"I believe that if the Ming Dynasty's trade activities are merely a delaying tactic, then Your Majesty should immediately send someone to Liaodong to discuss with Yuan Chonghuan the matter of sending troops to borrow passage."

“Yuan Chonghuan is extremely greedy. As long as Your Majesty offers him huge benefits, you will surely be able to sway him.”

"I have also heard that there are many people within the Ming Dynasty who strongly oppose the Emperor's actions. If we can successfully bring our troops to the city gates, and then use some strategies to cooperate with those people from the inside, it should not be difficult to kill the Emperor."

"The Ming emperors were too terrifying. No matter the cost, they should be eliminated as soon as possible."

Huang Taiji nodded emphatically, recalling his meeting with the Ming emperor that day.

damned!
He actually believed that the Ming emperor was a wise and capable ruler with a broad vision, which was why he referred to the country as a "brotherly nation."

Little did I know, it was all just to deceive myself!

Huang Taiji narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and banished his anger.

Anger can cloud judgment. To defeat an opponent like the Ming Dynasty emperor, one cannot think about problems while angry.

After calming down, he turned to Fan Wencheng and began to discuss sending some people to do some preparatory work before directly attacking the enemy's stronghold.

After discussing it for a long time, the two came up with an idea.

Just as Huang Taiji was about to give the order to carry it out.

But then an official rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty has sent an envoy who requests an audience, and he has been taken to the capital."

An envoy from the Ming Dynasty?!

Huang Taiji and Fan Wencheng exchanged a glance.

Both of them knew perfectly well that the Ming Dynasty sending envoys to Shengjing at this time was definitely to discuss trade matters.

But Huang Taiji's heart sank immediately after his initial joy.

He would have been overjoyed if he had received this news sooner.

But after discussing things with Fan Wencheng for so long, he couldn't help but have a preconceived suspicion:
Could this be another delaying tactic by the Ming Dynasty emperor?
Otherwise, why would such an important matter only be discussed by a mere envoy?
Who knows what kind of rotten fish and shrimp will arrive?
Huang Taiji frowned and asked, "Who is this person? Did they say what they wanted to see me for?"

The official hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the visitor is Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial of the Ming Dynasty."

"He came here today saying that he had already prepared for trade between the two countries, and he is here to discuss the details."

Both Huang Taiji and Fan Wencheng were suddenly jolted.

Wei Zhongxian?!

They were naturally familiar with the title of the "Nine Thousand Years Old of the Great Ming Dynasty".

To exaggerate a bit, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this person was the executive vice emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Why would the Ming Dynasty send such a prominent figure to the capital, Shengjing, just to discuss the details of trade?
Thinking of this, Huang Taiji could no longer suppress his excitement:
"Quickly bring Eunuch Wei into the palace!"

Upon seeing this, the reporting official hurriedly ran away.

Huang Taiji and Fan Wencheng exchanged another glance, and this time they could both see the barely suppressed joy in each other's eyes.

Trade was their dream.

Now it's almost here.

In his excitement, Huang Taiji recalled his recent suspicions about the Ming emperor.

For a moment, even someone as thick-skinned as him felt that he had been "judging others by his own petty standards."

No matter how you look at it.

Based on the current facts...

The Ming emperors were generally trustworthy; I had just wronged him.

(End of this chapter)