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

Chapter 248 Is this still the Junior Grand Secretary? [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"truth……"

This was the first time Yan Shifan had ever heard anyone refer to a musket in this way; the reasoning behind it was actually quite illogical.

However, although he was not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he was still a graduate of the Imperial Academy and was known for his cunning, wit, and extensive knowledge. It was impossible for him not to know the story of Li Ling of the Han Dynasty.

Now, listening to Yan Maoqing use Li Ling's story to compare their own situation, upon reflection, it seems to make some sense... After all, their current self-propelled arquebuses are definitely superior to the powerful crossbows of the Han Dynasty in terms of range, power, ammunition carrying capacity, and reloading speed.

The only problem was that the Heroes' Camp only had two thousand men, while Li Ling had five thousand men at the time.

However, Li Ling was isolated and helpless at that time, while the Hero Camp had the support of Ma Fang's elite cavalry and Zeng Xian's supply troops.

Furthermore, this operation was very sudden, completely catching the enemy off guard. Even Altan Khan could not possibly gather all his troops in such a short time.

and so……

The advantage lies with me?

Thinking about it this way, Yan Shifan felt much more at ease.

After all, he could tell that although Yan Maoqing occasionally did some risky things, he was also a person who valued his life very much, and he would definitely not do anything that was a matter of life and death.

This is one of the reasons why, even though he escaped by climbing over the wall, he insisted on leaving the pass with Yan Maoqing.

A bond between men that isn't forged through life-and-death experiences together isn't a true bond!

He wanted to use this opportunity to forge a real bond with Yan Maoqing.

Having spent time with Yan Maoqing these past few days, he had long since realized that trying to outsmart Yan Maoqing was utterly futile and would only lead to self-destruction.

Only sincerity can move this uncle, enter his heart, and become one of his "one of his own".

Previously, his father Yan Song had handled the Datong matter in such a terrible way, and it was unknown how the emperor viewed him. Whether he would be allowed to return to the capital and be reinstated after this incident was still uncertain.

When Yan Maoqing was about to arrive in Datong, his father Yan Song, in his own cleverness, did not act according to the extortion letter, which seemed to ruin Yan Maoqing's grand plan.

These two events combined were probably enough to sentence Yan Song's career to death.

He did this to protect his father from the wind and rain, and to strive for the future of the Yan family.

Unfortunately, his father, Yan Song, still couldn't understand and continued to act cleverly, forcibly detaining him in the county government office, which almost ruined his own life and the Yan family's future.

This good-for-nothing father of mine is really getting old and is becoming quite senile...

I thought so in my heart.

Yan Shifan's expression finally improved, and he leaned closer, shamelessly asking:
"By the way, Uncle, Shen Kun and Gao Gong are both lieutenant generals, and they are responsible for commanding and supervising the battle when it starts. I wonder what arrangements you have for me this time?"

"..."

This question stumped Yan Maoqing, and a complex look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Yan Shifan.

Honestly, given that Yan Song did not keep his extortionate promise, an honest and trustworthy young man like Yan Maoqing should have kept his word and found a way to kill Yan Shifan.

However, after spending this time together, he did indeed see changes in Yan Shifan.

Especially when he passed through Ying County before, he couldn't have failed to see that the "tattooing punishment" scheme devised by Yan Shifan in conjunction with Shen Kun and Gao Gong was indeed genuinely intended to protect him.

This made him waver slightly.

He even questions himself now, unable to recall how he initially considered the issue and why he ended up getting entangled with Yan Shifan.
Perhaps... Yan Shifan's crimes don't warrant death?
All that's needed is to ensure that he and Yan Song no longer have the opportunity to wield power in the court, nor the ability to retaliate against him.

It's unbelievable that this has become a problem that's causing him so much trouble...

After pondering this for a while, Yan Maoqing decided to return the difficult question to Yan Shifan, giving him a chance to choose for himself. So, instead of answering, he asked:
"Why don't you tell me first, what do you think you can do this time, and what should you do?" "This..."

Yan Shifan was surprised by Yan Maoqing's response and was now in a dilemma.

Yes, now that things have come to this point, what else can he do?
Let him join the ranks of the heroes and soldiers, pick up a self-propelled musket, and form a "three-stage attack" formation?
Although he now knows how to use this self-propelled musket, he has not been trained in the "three-stage firing" formation. Joining the formation might not only disrupt the hero camp's order, but he himself also lacks the courage to remain unmoved in the face of an enemy charge.

Who knows, in a moment of panic, he might unconsciously take a step back and die under the Heroic Camp's "joint liability" military law: "If a soldier is afraid to advance in battle, the rear guard will kill the front guard; if a general is afraid to advance, the soldiers will kill the general."

Let him stay by Yan Maoqing's side to protect Yan Maoqing's personal safety?

It seems that he is not needed at all. The dozens of personal guards around Yan Maoqing are all elites carefully selected by Shen Kun and Gao Gong from the Hero Camp.

With his skills, at best he could use his large, fat body as a human shield, and even that would probably be a hindrance.

And since this won't demonstrate anything, the trip will have been a complete waste...

At this critical moment.

Yan Shifan suddenly remembered the words that Yan Maoqing had just sent back to Anda through a Tatar spies. These words had also appeared in the extortion letter that Yan Maoqing had sent to his father, Yan Song.

He suddenly realized that these words might be Yan Maoqing's real purpose for this trip!

Yan Maoqing's father, Yan Song, has seemingly ruined his grand plan, so this is a chance to make amends and protect his father from harm!
So after careful consideration...

"Uncle-in-law!"

Yan Shifan gritted his teeth, raised his head, and met Yan Maoqing's gaze fiercely, saying...
“I can see that your goal is not to annihilate Anda’s forces. Anda’s forces consist of many tribes, and each tribe is scattered across different grasslands. It is impossible for our small force to annihilate them all.”

"Your goal should be to use war to promote talks, war to promote business, and war to promote peace!"

"Just as you said to Shen Kun and Gao Gong before you entered Taiyuan Prefecture, peace can only be achieved through struggle, and peace will only be lost through compromise. Only war can stop war."

"Therefore, I feel that as the envoy on this mission, I should arrive at the enemy camp first and meet Altan Khan alone."

"By fighting and negotiating in this way, we can ensure that Altan fully understands his uncle's intentions and maximize the interests of both his uncle and the Ming Dynasty. We can also prevent Altan from being unable to grasp the situation and causing it to develop in an unexpected direction!"

"As the saying goes, the best way to attack is to subdue the enemy without fighting; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst way is to besiege their cities."

"In my opinion, fighting while negotiating is the best strategy for this trip."

"Please give the order, Uncle. I will do my best to ensure that Anda makes the most sincere offer!"

"?"

Yan Maoqing looked surprised upon hearing this; he had indeed not expected Yan Shifan to give such an answer.

Even he had to admit that Yan Shifan's idea was completely correct.

All wars, if not for the purpose of annexing and destroying a country, are invariably for the purpose of forcing the other side to the negotiating table, holding the other side by the throat, and ensuring that one's own country gains the greatest benefit when signing an alliance.

The most common tactic is to fight while negotiating. In fact, the more intense the negotiations, the more ruthless the approach should be, letting the other party know how much they should concede.

Of course, these were not the things that surprised him.

Yan Shifan's intelligence, ability, sense of responsibility, and energy are beyond doubt; otherwise, he could not have become a junior Grand Secretary. Whenever the proposals of the Grand Secretaries Yan Song and Xu Jie on important and difficult issues failed to satisfy Zhu Houcong, he could immediately win Zhu Houcong's favor and was always rewarded.

What surprised him was the courage Yan Shifan displayed at that moment...

This guy actually dared to venture alone into the tiger's den, representing him and the Ming Dynasty to fight and negotiate with Anda!

Is this still the historical Junior Grand Secretary?
Why does it feel like it's becoming less and less consistent with historical records?

(End of this chapter)