Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 212 I want his head! [Seeking monthly votes]

……

"General, General Zeng has arrived on horseback at top speed, saying he has urgent business to discuss with me!"

Shen Kun rode his horse to the carriage where Yan Maoqing was riding and reported to the carriage through the curtain.

Actually, "general" is just an internal military title. Yan Maoqing's official title this time should be "commander-in-chief".

The "General Commander" was the highest-ranking commander at the war zone level in the Ming Dynasty. Apart from some generals who guarded important border towns, other temporary military operations were temporary deployments, and their official rank and grade were determined by their original rank.

Zeng Xian was a "Deputy Commander-in-Chief," or "Deputy General" within the army, so it was not a problem for Shen Kun to call him a general.

As for Shen Kun and Gao Gong, this time they were appointed as "assistant generals," each leading a thousand soldiers in the Heroes' Camp.

Yan Shifan, who was forcibly placed in this position by Zhu Houcong, was given the post of "Deputy Envoy," which had nothing to do with military affairs. After all, his nominal task this time was to pacify and reassure the people, which was no different from the duties of an envoy of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He was to leave everything to Yan Maoqing's arrangements...

"He probably wants to ask me where I'm going, right?"

Yan Maoqing lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a knowing smile.

"General Zeng didn't say, and I didn't ask either."

Shen Kun took the reins and said seriously.

"Please ask him to come over."

Yan Maoqing nodded, lowered the carriage curtain, and waited for a moment.

With the sound of horses' hooves, Zeng Xian's anxious voice finally rang out from outside:

"General Yan, where are we going? Have we accidentally taken the wrong road?"

They had only just set off, and Yan Maoqing's Hero Battalion and Zeng Xian's Supply Battalion left the city almost one after the other, not too far apart.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for Zeng Xian to abandon his provisions and troops, ride a fast horse to catch up and personally inquire about the matter.

When they arrived in Shanxi, they mainly relied on messengers and beacon fires for communication.

Upon hearing this, Yan Maoqing lifted the carriage curtain again and asked with a smile:
"Why did General Zeng ask this question?"

"Aren't we going to Datong this time?"

Zeng Xian answered without hesitation.
"General Yan led his troops out of the city through Xuanwu Gate, which was already a roundabout way. Now they are taking the official road to Baoding. Isn't this the wrong direction?"

Why does General Zeng think we should go to Datong?

Yan Maoqing then asked another question.

"Huh? Not going to Datong...where are we going?"

Zeng Xian was taken aback upon hearing this.

It was only then that I suddenly realized that Yan Maoqing had never mentioned going to Datong, and even the Emperor had never mentioned that they were going to Datong on this trip.

The reason he thought he should go to Datong was because...

This is because everyone around him has been constantly reminding him that the Emperor's true intentions this time are not what they seem, and that Yan Maoqing's real mission is to resolve the issue of Datong.

His task as deputy general was to assist Yan Maoqing in completing his mission as backup, and to ensure Yan Maoqing's personal safety in case of any unforeseen circumstances, so that he could be in a position of merit without any fault.

"General Zeng, do you still remember what our mission is this time?"

Yan Maoqing continued to ask.

This series of questions made Zeng Xian increasingly unsure of himself, and he hesitated for a moment before answering:
"Is it... the extermination of the White Lotus Sect?"

"The enemy!"

Yan Maoqing grinned.
"Since the goal is to eradicate the White Lotus Sect, then we should go to wherever the White Lotus Sect is located and where it is most rampant."

"I had already done my research before setting off, and the area where the White Lotus Sect is most rampant now is the Taiyuan area."

"So my plan is to go through Baoding and Zhending, head straight for Taiyuan, and catch them off guard."

"Then, taking Taiyuan as the center, we will radiate outwards to various parts of Shanxi, gradually uprooting the White Lotus Sect. Only in this way can we silence the treacherous officials who slander me for colluding with the White Lotus Sect."

"Does General Zeng have any objections to my plan?"

"..."

Zeng Xian not only had no objections, but also felt that his brain was not quite up to par.

He had no idea what he was there to do.

Is it as Wang Tingxiang and others analyzed, using the pretext of eradicating the White Lotus Sect to help the Emperor achieve the Great Harmony?

Or is it as Yan Maoqing is saying, that the reason for mobilizing such a large army is simply to wipe out the White Lotus Sect?
Or perhaps everyone in the world has already guessed the Emperor's intentions, but Yan Maoqing alone cannot understand the Emperor's intentions and really thinks that the Emperor sent him to suppress the White Lotus Sect and clear his name.

or...

Yan Maoqing actually knew what was going on; he was just pretending to be stupid and trying to get away with it.

After all, Wang Tingxiang himself had said that the matter of Datong was extremely difficult to handle.

If you succeed, it's a mistake that could cost you your life; if you fail, it's also a mistake that could cost you your life.

Since it is so difficult and dangerous, the best option is naturally not to do it. Instead, we should go to Shanxi to destroy the White Lotus Sect's strongholds, capture a few White Lotus Sect leaders, and then return to the capital to report back to the emperor.

In this way, neither the various factions are offended, nor does the emperor have an excuse to punish, and the matter is thus resolved, isn't it?
If that's the case... This Yan Maoqing is so young, yet he already has the heart of an old fox!
In any case, many old foxes in the court would do the same thing, taking Wang Tingxiang, whom he respected, as an example.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this Chief Clerk Wang always uses the word "beast" and spouts things like "all things in heaven and earth are born from one breath, originating from one primordial energy." He would probably do the same if he encountered a similar situation.

The old fox turned on him on the spot and kicked him out of the duty room simply because he commented that the man had "broad shoulders".

However, if Yan Maoqing really intends to do that...

The fighting spirit that had been burning in Zeng Xian's heart suddenly died down, and he suddenly lost all expectations for this expedition, feeling only extreme boredom and tedium.

There's absolutely no need to train troops for this kind of thing, or even send troops, okay?
Don't be fooled by the fact that those corrupt and decadent garrison troops lack the courage to fight against foreign enemies. They still have the audacity, and a great deal of audacity, to take up arms and oppress the local people, and to use the suppression of the White Lotus Sect to amass wealth.

Most of the White Lotus sect members were actually just unarmed, poor people.

Faced with Yan Maoqing's well-trained Hero Battalion, these people would be even less able to resist, so how could anything change, and how could he have the opportunity to make a name for himself?
"So it's about wiping out the White Lotus Sect. I thought it was about wiping out the White Lotus Sect. I understand now and have no objections. I wish the general a great victory."

Zeng Xian gave a disheartened but perfunctory reply, then bid farewell to Yan Maoqing and rode back to his own supply corps.

"What are you and I doing here?"

Watching Zeng Xian's sullen departure, how could Yan Maoqing not guess what he was thinking? As he lowered the carriage curtain, a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"General Zeng, General Zeng."

How could I bear to disappoint you?

"The credit you expect may be late, but it will never be absent, and it will certainly be much greater than you imagine."

"I hope you won't be too moved when the time comes..."

……

The distance from the capital to Datong is less than 700 li.

The distance from the capital to Taiyuan is about a thousand li.

The distance from Taiyuan to Datong is less than 600 li.

All things considered, Yan Maoqing's journey was more than twice as long.

In addition, Yan Maoqing, who was under constant scrutiny both inside and outside the court due to his task of eradicating the White Lotus Sect along the way, was destined to be quite late.

But this is not important.

According to Yan Maoqing's true plan, even if Guo Xun and Yan Song had completely driven the Datong matter into a dead end after he arrived in Datong, he could still continue to do so and still meet Zhu Houcong's wishes.

Because he was not there to negotiate, compromise, or reach a consensus with any party.

He's here to sabotage things... Once the plates are smashed, the obstacles will disappear, and what can't be accomplished?
However, this greatly worried Zhu Houcong, who finally realized Yan Maoqing's whereabouts.

"What's gotten into this bastard now? Why isn't he rushing to Datong to resolve the situation? What is he planning to do in Taiyuan?!"

The situation in Datong was extremely passive; Guo Xun and Yan Song were completely out of options.

That's why Zhu Houcong immediately set a date for Yan Maoqing and urged him to set off within five days, in order to reverse the situation in Datong as soon as possible.

Otherwise, once something becomes a fait accompli, even he would find it difficult to intervene.

Furthermore, the secret letter between Guo Xun and Yan Song also mentioned that Anda seemed to be getting restless as well.

They have mined a considerable amount of coal over the past six months, but the carbon tax office has yet to be put into operation, making it impossible to smoothly carry out coal trade.

This gradually made Anda begin to suspect that he was being played, and he sent messengers to urge him on multiple times, his attitude becoming increasingly impatient...

Even Zhu Houcong felt that Anda's impatience was understandable.

Being the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is difficult; is it any easier being the leader of the Tatars?

Anda bribed Yan Maoqing with 400,000 taels of silver this time, and also persuaded his chieftains to go mining and transporting ore together. He must have promised to lead his tribes to a prosperous life.

He has already invested heavily, but has yet to see any return. His tribal leaders must have already begun to put pressure on Altan Khan.

Given the tribal social structure of the Tatars, it was destined that Anda could not, like the Ming emperor, simply lie down and give up in order to live a peaceful life. Otherwise, other tribal leaders would soon challenge his authority and try to take his place.

His ultimate fate will most likely be to be beheaded.

Therefore, Anda's situation is probably quite critical at this moment, so it's no wonder he's anxious.

What can I do if I panic?

The best solution would be to immediately lead the troops south to raid the Ming Dynasty, establish authority, and at the same time, feed the tribes under their command to stabilize morale.

If Anda were forced to do this, and if someone with ulterior motives stirred up public opinion in the Ming Dynasty, the tributary relationship would definitely be completely ruined.

If this money bag is gone, how can Zhu Houcong keep it in his hands and wield power in the Ming Dynasty?

"Huang Jin, draft the imperial edict!"

"Use the strongest language to order Yan Maoqing to go to Datong immediately to handle the matter, without fail!"

"If he dares to disobey my decree this time and ruin my important plans, I will take his head!"

"You incompetent fool who can't tell what's important and what's urgent!"

(End of this chapter)