"Impossible!"
He Xinyin vehemently denied.
"Zi Xuan, the capital is shrouded in strangeness these days. Even the Yan family was arrested and thrown into prison. Who can guarantee their own safety? Besides, that Prince Jing is also very peculiar... Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask, though I don't know if I should. But now, I must ask you for a straightforward answer?"
This?
Seeing them all looking at him expectantly, Zhu Mo knew they were referring to his background. He could only force a smile and say,
"Don't overthink it. I don't know either... Last time I thought about inquiring, but there were too many things, and I forgot... How about this, let Ren take this to the capital and give it to Mu Chaobi... I'll also take some time to find my master and ask him if there's anything strange about my background. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the others felt relieved.
This person has always been forthright, so he probably wouldn't lie. He himself might genuinely not know, but the Yan family, Prince Yu, and the others had already heard some things... Otherwise, there was no explanation for so many plausible rumors...
The group nodded, accepting this course of action.
Later, Zhu Mo went to Guanyin Temple and had Wu Ming find someone reliable, Ge Kaopou. Together with official barges, they headed north on the canal towards the capital.
...
On this day,
The vast desert, with its withered autumn grasses stretching to the horizon, presented a daunting sight. Prince Jing, venturing beyond the frontier for the first time with over ten thousand troops, felt a bit troubled. Although it was late autumn, the climate in this desolate land was exceptionally abnormal. Under the scorching sun, it was unbearably hot.
Zhuoshan was not a large mountain but a hilly region north of Jinzhou, capable of deterring the entire Liao River plain to the east. The journey had been a thousand-mile sprint. They could only send scouts ahead, avoiding populated areas as much as possible, making the travel arduous.
Fortunately, Wu Ding, Guo Hu, and Yang Tianchen were all seasoned warriors. They skillfully navigated the various challenges of a thousand-mile raid and troop movement. Moreover, during the early Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall spanned this area. Although they were an isolated force, they were not venturing into unknown territory. As long as they could fall back, they had Daning, Huizhou, and Yizhou to rely on.
Prince Jing, despite his best efforts to appear confident, felt uneasy. After all, this was his first time undertaking such an operation. Furthermore, although he suspected the Tumen Khan had an encampment in Zhuoshan, it was not an easy task to locate it.
At this moment,
The main force rested at the foot of the mountain. Prince Jing stood on the ridge with a few companions. Below them lay a vast plain, bisected by a winding river, the Da Ling River. Opposite them stood the Zhuoshan mountain range. To the east of Zhuoshan lay Liaoyang, Shenyang, and numerous border prefectures, which were now surrounded by the Tumen, Jurchen, and Xin Ai.
Prince Jing felt a sense of urgency. He summoned Wu Ding and said,
"General Wu, you must dispatch more scouts and reconnaissance cavalry... I am certain that Tumen Khan's encampment must be somewhere within those hills..."
Wu Ding, having visited this area multiple times, replied,
"Your Highness, this is not difficult to scout. We only need to send more scouts to the north. Wherever we see cavalry and supply wagons heading, that will be the Zhuoshan encampment... I also served in Beizhen. Between the mountains and hills to the north, there are indeed vast grasslands. However, it is difficult to pinpoint Tumen Khan's exact location!"
"Mm-hmm,"
Prince Jing pondered for a moment, deciding they needed to get closer, ideally within an hour or two's travel, to facilitate a surprise attack. He then stated,
"Send more scouts, and investigate every grassland! The main force must advance further. Tonight, we will cross the Da Ling River..."
"This?"
Wu Ding expressed his concern,
"Might we be advancing too rashly?"
Prince Jing had no time to consider such things and said sternly,
"The current conflict is in Liaoyang. The Jinzhou front was merely a diversion... I believe the enemy would not expect us to come here... We will descend the mountain in the latter half of the night and leave before dawn. Who would know?"
Wu Ding had no choice but to agree. Guo Hu remained silent, his expression unreadable, thinking that he was just following along, and survival would be fortunate enough.
That night,
The march proceeded smoothly. They descended the mountain at midnight and reached the other side within two hours, unnoticed by anyone. Firstly, this area had seen frequent warfare, resulting in a sparse population. Secondly, the conflict was indeed fierce, and the enemy dared not linger in the open fields for long, often retreating after an engagement. There were no strongholds at the foot of the mountain.
Prince Jing breathed a sigh of relief. By dawn, he stood atop a high ridge, looking out at the entire Liao River plain spread before him. It was a vast and boundless expanse, comparable to the plains around the capital, truly a fertile land.
Wu Ding and Yang Tianchen, more familiar with the area, pointed and explained, allowing Prince Jing to grasp the overall situation. The Ming army outposts at the foot of the mountain, such as Beimen and Panshan Yi, were likely lost by now. The enemy forces were deployed in a vast formation, encircling the entire plain and turning it into a death trap. Any arriving reinforcements would be crushed to powder within a day or two. Such a deadly formation meant no one could save them. It was only at this moment that Prince Jing understood Yang Bo's feelings.
If they were to relieve the situation from Jizhou Pass, even with a hundred thousand troops, they might not be confident. This was because they could only rely on cities or retreat into the mountains. As long as they remained on the plain, the enemy's cavalry would be overwhelmingly superior, making it impossible to hold ground. They might not even last a few hours.
And at this very moment,
He became even more certain: Tumen Khan was definitely in some grassland within the mountains.
This mountain was particularly strategic. Heading south would lead directly to Jinzhou in an instant. Descending eastward would bring them to Shenyang and Liaoyang by evening. Even heading further west, they could bypass Yizhou and quickly appear at Xifengkou and Gubeikou. Such terrain naturally made it the enemy's preferred location.
The more Prince Jing considered it, the more exhilarated he became. He immediately ordered Wu Ding to send out several thousand men to search and dispatch others disguised as civilians to gather military intelligence from the lowlands.
At this time,
The progress of events was largely as predicted. A heavy stone was lifted from his heart, and he instead felt weary. Bundling himself in a quilt, he slept soundly in his main tent.
...
Meanwhile,
In the Tumed Plain,
Liang Menglong had been speaking for two days and two nights, but Anda still hesitated. Although he resided in a large tent personally granted by Anda, he felt restless. The sun was already setting, and he could only step out for a stroll.
That day, he had ridden alone from Zhuoshan to Daqing Mountain. Although he had met Anda, he had also discovered something unusual.
The Tumed people had indeed changed greatly. It had been nearly two years since they established a tributary relationship with the Great Ming. Under the peace, the two sides had quickly integrated. Many nomads had begun to settle down, entrusting their vast herds of cattle and horses to others while they engaged in some leather, ironware, and local produce businesses. Many had already become wealthy. However, at the same time, dissatisfaction was quietly brewing.
He had stayed for two or three days and clearly noticed that the Tumed people were divided into two factions: one faction was exceptionally happy to see him, while the other regarded him with furious glares. That hatred was difficult to articulate; it was a deep-seated, all-consuming animosity.
Liang Menglong, a Jinshi graduate, naturally thought of the crux of the problem, which was the tributary system.
Perhaps Xin Ai rebelled because he opposed excessive interaction with the Great Ming and a change in his traditional customs. And among the Tumed nobility, the majority probably supported Xin Ai. Anda, despite his immense prestige, appeared to have lost the support of the tribal leaders based on various signs. Otherwise, if his son rebelled, he would have pursued him all over the world.
At this moment,
Gazing at Anda's golden tent, he felt that his mission might ultimately be in vain. If the crisis in Liaodong remained unresolved, the court would likely face a major upheaval.
"I'll go see him again tonight. If it doesn't work, I'll head back first... If I stay any longer, I'll eventually be harmed by those tribal leaders..."
As he muttered, he suddenly saw a group of riders galloping towards them. Two Tumed cavalry squadrons flanked them, clearly identifying them as envoys from the Great Ming.
"Who is it?"
Fearing it might be the Yan faction, he immediately hid behind the tent. As the entourage approached, he shouted,
"Ru Guan! Ru Guan!"
The person arriving was
Wang Guoguang, accompanied by two physicians and twenty guards.
He suddenly heard someone shout. Upon seeing Liang Menglong, he immediately reined in his horse and exclaimed, "Qian Ji, how are you here?"
Both were Assistant Ministers of War. Meeting each other in the Tumed Plain felt like a dream. Liang Menglong pulled him aside and whispered a few words. Wang Guoguang had not held much hope to begin with. In fact, even Zhang Juzheng had only approached the matter with a trial-and-error mindset. Hearing Liang Menglong's words, he sighed and said,
"Brother Taiyue's prediction was not wrong... Although conditions were offered, as you say, Anda cannot possibly send troops..."
"Mm-hmm,"
"I've been here for three days, and he's been stalling. I suppose he's still worried and hesitant. Ru Guan, Zhu Zixuan's tributary relationship, although a good thing, still has many people who are not convinced... Anda is not at ease, which is why he asked me to stay in the main tent."