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

Chapter 244 Godfather, you treacherous minister! [Seeking monthly votes]

When Zhou Shangwen left, he was still completely confused.

However, Yan Maoqing didn't seem to leave him many options.

Either stop opposing the tribute system altogether, or don't say anything that is detrimental to it.

Either order Ma Fang to lead elite cavalry to provide support, and don't ask why.

After Zhou Shangwen left, Guo Xun immediately took advantage of the "close relationship" between his adoptive father and son to sit next to Yan Maoqing and inquire about his whereabouts:
"Shouchang, are you sure you want to do this? Do you know how many problems this will cause, and how the Emperor will treat you afterwards?"

"Father, you are overthinking it. Didn't I just say that?"

Yan Maoqing chuckled and said,
"The Emperor's decree for this trip is to establish a carbon tax office at all costs and promote the coal trade between the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars."

"How could a loyal subject like me disobey the Emperor's decree and deliberately sabotage the tribute system?"

"Loyal minister?"

Guo Xun felt that either he had heard the coldest joke in the world, or his understanding of the word "loyal minister" was flawed.
"Then tell me in detail, what exactly do you hope to achieve by rashly sending troops to Fengzhou Beach?"

Yan Maoqing was still smiling:
"I wonder if my godfather has ever heard the saying: If kindness loses its edge, it becomes easy to bully."

"..."

How could Guo Xun have heard such a thing?

After hearing this, he first shook his head, then pondered it carefully, and immediately regarded the truth in the sentence as a profound truth, since such plain language is easy to understand.

Yan Maoqing, this adopted son, was quite peculiar. Despite being a scholar with exceptional literary talent, he preferred to use vernacular language to express profound truths.

In fact, he could have easily changed this sentence to "Virtue without sharpness is easily deceived," and then published it in his own collection of writings, or opened a lecture hall in the Jixia Academy. Perhaps he would have had a tiny chance of becoming a half-sage in this lifetime.

Of course, this is on the premise that he has to change his overly blatant habit of being cunning; otherwise, before he can even become half a saint, his reputation will be ruined.

"The same reason I sent troops to Fengzhou Beach."

Yan Maoqing then continued speaking.

"Whether it's the Emperor, my godfather, or even myself, we all have to admit that General Zhou's opposition is not without reason."

"This can be seen from the arrow message sent by Anda's men. In his mind, the Ming Dynasty is now 'easy to bully' rather than showing 'goodwill' towards it."

“If Anda cannot change this erroneous concept, even if the tribute is successful this time, war will be a matter of months or years in the future. By then, the coal trade will surely be ruined, and the emperor’s ambitions will surely fail.”

"And I am going to add a sharp edge to the Ming Dynasty's 'goodwill' this time."

"If someone like me isn't considered a loyal subject, then I ask you, Father, who in this world deserves the title of 'loyal subject'?"

"So, Godfather should understand now, right?"

Guo Xun continued to ponder. He felt that Yan Maoqing's idea was probably correct, but his current actions were not so wise, so he still said with some concern:

“I understand… But Shouchang, Yan Song and I have already sent the secret memorial with the silver seal to the capital. When the Emperor sees our memorial, he will surely think that the matter of the carbon tax office has been successfully resolved.”

"If you were to suddenly send troops against Anda again at this time, it would likely disrupt the tributary relationship. Have you considered how the Emperor would feel if he knew about this?"

"In my opinion, it would be better to present your idea to the Emperor first, and then put it into action after the Emperor has made a decision."

"In this way, regardless of whether this matter succeeds or fails, and whatever the final outcome, the Emperor will at least be mentally prepared, and at least won't hold a grudge against you afterward..."

Yan Maoqing shook his head again and said:
“When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor’s orders. Moreover, the emperor is currently preoccupied with gains and losses. If this matter is reported to the emperor, it may not be able to be accomplished.”

"What about yourself? Shouldn't you consider your own gains and losses first?"

Guo Xun countered with a question.

"Godfather, I am very disappointed in you. You are a treacherous minister who puts your own gains and losses above the interests of the country!"

Yan Maoqing glanced sideways.
"Throughout my life, I, Yan Maoqing, have acted based on loyalty and filial piety. Why should I need to ask the Emperor for permission beforehand?"

"If His Majesty is truly angry with me for this, I will submit a memorial requesting to resign and return to my hometown, so as not to offend His Majesty."

……

Datong Garrison.

"Have you heard? Anda shot another messenger arrow this morning."

A group of low-ranking soldiers huddled together, munching on dry biscuits with a bowl of salty soup that was practically devoid of any oil, chatting and joking as usual, completely unaware that Zhou Shangwen had quietly arrived outside the tent.

"Anda sent an ultimatum in the message arrow, saying that if the coal trade could not be carried out within three days, he would lead his army south to plunder Shanxi and march all the way to the capital."

"They're incredibly arrogant!"

"What can we do? Don't you see what has become of those border generals and garrison officers who only know how to make money, besides our General Zhou?"

"If it really were Anda who attacked, they would either turn tail and run, or they would send someone to bribe Anda, begging him not to pass through their garrison area. If I were Anda, I would be arrogant too!" "Hey! You know what, this time the people from the court dealt with most of these money-grubbing officials and border generals, which is actually something we've done to our satisfaction..."

"..."

Hearing the discussion inside, Zhou Shangwen was about to cough before entering the tent to find Ma Fang.

But Ma Fang's voice rang out from inside at just the right moment:

"Actually, the Tatar cavalry is not as powerful as you think. If I were to lead the troops one day, I would definitely teach Anda a lesson he could never be so arrogant again."

"Oh my, Captain Ma's tone sounds even more arrogant than Anda's."

Immediately, someone began to speak in an exaggerated, sarcastic tone.
"Why don't you tell us, Captain Ma, how you would rout the Tatars if you led the troops?"

"Fine, I'll say it."

They were all comrades who usually joked and boasted to each other, so Ma Fang didn't mind. She just said quite seriously,
"Actually, it's very simple. It can be summarized in just a few words, only three points:"

"Use cavalry to counter cavalry, speed to counter speed, and firearms to counter bows and crossbows."

"The so-called 'using cavalry to control cavalry' means that one cannot primarily defend, relying solely on building border walls to block the enemy's advance. Instead, one should leverage the mobility of cavalry, like the Tatar cavalry, to launch proactive attacks rather than passive defense, because against cavalry, the defending side will always be the one on the receiving end."

"The key to using speed to counter speed lies in anticipating the enemy's moves and striking first. Once the enemy's intentions are detected, we must immediately dispatch elite cavalry units to launch counterattacks on the Mongolian steppes, with the objectives of plundering horses and burning pastures, thus destroying the Mongols' resources to the greatest extent possible. When the Mongol army invades from the south, we must avoid passive defense and instead launch long-range raids to cut off the Mongol army's retreat and annihilate their main force."

"The so-called 'using firearms to counter bows and crossbows' means leveraging our strengths in firearms and mounted archery to defeat the enemy's bows and crossbows. Although the Ming people are not as skilled in mounted archery as the Tatars, the Tatar cavalry mostly use short bows. Firearms are superior in terms of range, power, and training difficulty. We should play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, deploy them on a large scale, and severely damage the enemy on the border. This is the way to win."

"In fact, the first two points have long been verified by the two great heroes of the Han Dynasty. The court and the officials above may not be unaware of this, but there are always people who hinder and ruin things."

"..."

Hearing Ma Fang's words, Zhou Shangwen was deeply moved and put his hand back down, which was about to lift the curtain.

At that moment, he seemed to understand why Yan Maoqing insisted on having Ma Fang provide support.

This person's ideas surprisingly shared many similarities with Yan Maoqing's.

Even the three points Ma Fang mentioned all coincided with what Yan Maoqing was about to do:
The musketeers boarded the carriage...

I will strike first if the enemy intends to make a move...

And then there's Yan Maoqing's Heroic Battalion, which is almost entirely composed of musketeers...

The only inexplicable thing is how Yan Maoqing knew that Ma Fang had similar thoughts, and with such unwavering certainty.

How could he possibly know?

Even without Yan Maoqing, Ma Fang would have become the foremost general in the later years of the Jiajing reign.

His military achievements far surpassed those of famous anti-Japanese generals such as Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou. He left behind the praise in historical records that "he captured dozens of ministers, beheaded countless people, and his fame shook the border, making him the most outstanding general of his time." Even Zhu Houcong praised him, saying that "his bravery was no greater than Ma Fang's."

And the tactics he used were exactly the same tactics mentioned earlier.

To put it simply, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were later able to successfully facilitate the "Longqing Peace Treaty".

It was also because of Ma Fang's continuous heavy blows, and even his several near captures of Anda, that Anda, who was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, was exhausted and had no choice but to accept the title of king from the Ming Dynasty as the Great Khan.

Later, Anda extorted rewards from the court and threatened to fight with his troops.

The Ming Dynasty merely ordered Ma Fang to resign his post and serve as the Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, allowing him to lead cavalry on several "hunting expeditions" outside Xuanfu.

Upon hearing the news, the various Tatar tribes were greatly alarmed and exclaimed, "Grand Tutor Ma has returned!"

Then Anda's eyes immediately cleared, and he immediately submitted a memorial to the Ming Dynasty to apologize, repent for his past mistakes, and no longer demanded rewards or threatened to fight...

However, it must be said that Ma Fang's tactics did initially face a lot of opposition and criticism from court officials.

As early as when he later served as a military commander, an imperial censor impeached him for being "arrogant and fierce, seeking credit and greedy for war," and a vice minister of the Ministry of War criticized him for "seeking fame and reputation and being ignorant of border affairs."

No wonder Ma Fang said that there were always people in the court hindering and ruining things.

It seems that even when he was just a captain, he already had some understanding of the dried insects' tendency to do more harm than good...

at last.

Zhou Shangwen hesitated for a moment, then lifted the curtain:
"Ma Fang, come out here for a moment."

"General Zhou!"

Everyone inside the tent rose and bowed. Ma Fang, however, was slightly nervous because Zhou Shangwen might have overheard her "outrageous remarks," so she quickly put down her soup bowl and carefully followed him out.

Having arrived at a secluded spot outside the tent, Zhou Shangwen turned around and looked the young man, who was about the same age as Yan Maoqing, up and down. He suddenly felt that times were changing and the younger generation was surpassing the older generation.

He swallowed hard and asked:
"Ma Fang, do you believe in the existence of naturally born confidants?"

(End of this chapter)