Chapter 468: The Great Ming's First Proactive Move in Liaodong

The whole affair reeked of the bizarre. If he didn't get to the bottom of it, he'd have no confidence and wouldn't dare make a single move. So Hong Taiji chose active defense.

But things did not go as Hong Taiji had anticipated. The Ming army mobilized even more aggressively, putting on a display of overwhelming force bearing down like Mount Tai.

Meanwhile, at Shanhai Pass.

Zhu Youxiao was arranging his troops while waiting for people to come to him.

He was waiting for the people of Inner Khalkha and Khorchin. These two groups were to come to Shanhai Pass to discuss the next plan with him.

Many people worried—what if the Inner Khalkha people didn't come? After all, Zhu Youxiao had nothing else in his hands, only Bumbutai, a young Mongol girl, too weak and insignificant even to serve as a hostage.

But Zhu Youxiao was not anxious at all, wearing an air of calm composure.

In fact, the Mongols held no secrets from Zhu Youxiao at this point. The pressure the Jianzhou barbarians put on the Mongols was simply too great, and Ligdan Khan was lurking nearby with covetous eyes.

Whether it was Khorchin or Inner Khalkha, both were panicking inside. The Great Ming, by contrast, posed far less pressure to them.

Hadn't they been fighting each other for over two hundred years, and wasn't it still the same as ever?

Could the Great Ming march onto the grasslands? Could it occupy the grasslands?

That was simply impossible. So the Ming threat wasn't that great. Whether Ligdan Khan or the Jianzhou barbarians—those were the main threats to the Mongols. Under such circumstances, the Mongols would certainly choose to cooperate with the Great Ming. That went without saying.

In the original history, that was exactly what the Mongols did—it was just that the Great Ming was useless. The Inner Khalkha had even come to rescue the Ming once.

But by the time they arrived, the Ming had already lost Shenyang and Liaoyang, and Tieling was gone too. They even suffered a defeat on the Ming's behalf, and their tribal leader was captured.

Now the situation was far from what it had been in the original history, so the Mongols had even more confidence in cooperating with the Great Ming.

Things indeed unfolded exactly as Zhu Youxiao had predicted. Three days after Wukeshan returned, the Mongol envoys arrived at Shanhai Pass—and they really were two big names.

The leader of Khorchin, Obah Taiji, had come in person this time. Clearly, on the one hand this expressed sincerity, and on the other, it showed trust that the Great Ming would not break its promises.

Such trust was truly rare—something Zhu Youxiao had not expected. He had originally thought Wukeshan would be the one to return. At least the two sides had a cooperative relationship, and since Wukeshan was Obah Taiji's son, he could represent his father.

As for the Inner Khalkha side, the one who came was the most hardline figure among the five Inner Khalkha tribes—Ang'an Taiji of the Jarud tribe. In addition, there was also the Inner Khalkha alliance leader, Joriktu.

These three—Obah Taiji and the others—could all be called men of real power, and men whose word carried weight.

The arrival of Obah Taiji and his two companions made Zhu Youxiao feel very satisfied. His scheme had succeeded.

Obah Taiji and the others first arrived at Guangning, and from there were escorted to Shanhai Pass.

As for having Zhu Youxiao go to Shanhai Pass to meet Obah Taiji and the others—that was impossible. First, it was unrealistic given the disparity in status. Second, Zhu Youxiao would not take that risk.

Zhu Youxiao had come to Liaodong to get things done, absolutely not to take risks. If anything happened to him, the Great Ming would be finished. For Zhu Youxiao, ensuring his own safety was of paramount importance.

After arriving at Shanhai Pass, Obah Taiji and the others rested for a night. The next day, they were brought before Zhu Youxiao.

Obah Taiji and the others knew they were coming to see the Emperor of the Great Ming, so their bearing was very respectful. Upon seeing Zhu Youxiao, Obah Taiji and the others bowed directly and said: "Joriktu of Inner Khalkha, Ang'an of Jarud, and Obah of Khorchin, pay respects to Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Ming."

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Obah Taiji and the others, then said with a smile: "Rise, all of you. Attendants! Set out the wine and lay on a feast!"

When meeting, don't talk business first—drink wine and eat meat first.

The reason many people liked to discuss matters over a banquet was that people weren't familiar with each other. After drinking and eating together, the atmosphere would ease, and relations would grow considerably closer.

Zhu Youxiao built rapport the same way, especially with people like Obah Taiji and his companions.

Soon, the wine and meat were laid out.

This time, Zhu Youxiao had really spared no expense, putting out all sorts of fine wines and delicacies.

You see, in Mongolia, although Obah Taiji and the others were nobles and chieftains, even they couldn't easily enjoy such a meal.

It wasn't that they were unwilling to spend—it was that such things simply didn't exist.

Obah Taiji and the others didn't stand on ceremony. They sat down and began eating and drinking heartily—big mouthfuls of meat, big bowls of wine.

The Great Ming's strong liquor had always been a treasure to Obah Taiji and his kind. What's more, Zhu Youxiao's wine was something special—something ordinary people couldn't get their hands on. It was liquor brewed by the Imperial Household Department itself.

Zhu Youxiao had even had a hand in it, telling Obah Taiji and the others some things from later generations.

Although the wine culture of this era was already quite advanced and what was brewed was very good, some things still couldn't match later ages.

After three bowls of wine went down, the faces of Obah Taiji and the others relaxed. Laughter mingled with the eating and drinking, and the atmosphere grew much more harmonious.

But Zhu Youxiao still showed no intention of getting down to business. First, entertain them with a meal; only then talk matters.

If this were a later age, it would be eating, drinking, and singing in one continuous stretch, with some nightlife in the evening, and only the next day would business be discussed.

Originally, that was Zhu Youxiao's plan too—eat well, drink well, and talk tomorrow.

But clearly, Obah Taiji and the others had things weighing on their minds. Though they drank a great deal, none of them were actually drunk.

After the food and wine were cleared away, tea was brought up. From the atmosphere, it was clear that serious matters were about to be discussed.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Obah Taiji and the others and asked directly: "Regarding the alliance—do you have anything else you wish to ask?"

Obah Taiji stood up and said directly: "We wish to verify one matter concerning the alliance. Everything the Emperor of the Great Ming said—is it all true? Are you truly willing to give up the Doyan Three Guards?"

This matter, Obah Taiji and the others were deeply suspicious of. If the Emperor of the Great Ming hadn't said it in person, they wouldn't have dared believe it.

You see, the Doyan Three Guards had always been making trouble with the Great Ming. But in recent decades, the Doyan Three Guards had mostly leaned on the Great Ming, counting as the Ming's little younger brothers.

It was only after Ligdan Khan came to power that the Doyan Three Guards had swung back to Ligdan Khan's side. The relationship between the two sides was complex and tangled, so having the Great Ming support the Mongols in swallowing up the Doyan Three Guards—that hardly seemed possible.

"Of course it's true." Zhu Youxiao nodded and said: "You know what the Doyan Three Guards have done. The Great Ming does not wish to be friends with such people. People like that deserve to be wiped out."

Obah Taiji looked at Zhu Youxiao, his expression grave, and said: "And what about the other aspects?"

"As for trade, you need not worry. After the Doyan Three Guards are destroyed, I will build a new city at Daning. In that city, the three of our sides can do business together. Moreover, that city will be jointly administered by all three of our parties."

This was the benefit Zhu Youxiao was offering them.

If you don't dangle a carrot beforehand, how do you get people to take the bait?

This carrot, Obah Taiji and the others would certainly swallow. Even if they sensed danger in it, they would still choose to agree without hesitation.

Obah Taiji and Joriktu exchanged a glance. Both were somewhat hesitant.

Although Zhu Youxiao had agreed readily enough, how things would turn out afterward was really hard to say. Obah Taiji and the others fell into a brief silence.

"You can rest assured on this matter—we can write it into the treaty." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "The credibility of the Great Ming Emperor is far better than yours, wouldn't you say?"

Though somewhat embarrassed, Obah Taiji and the other man paid it no mind.

That was just how they had always operated. But Zhu Youxiao's words did strike a chord in their hearts—the Ming dynasty's credibility was certainly better than theirs.

So Oba Taiji and the others could be considered to have tacitly accepted this matter. After all, it hadn't happened yet—they couldn't very well demand that the other side produce some kind of guarantee.

"And don't worry—before this war begins, I will provide you with a batch of military equipment, both armor and weapons." Zhu Youxiao said directly: "I'll sell them to you at a very low price."

Of course, he couldn't just give them away for free—payment was certainly required. Arms trafficking was something Zhu Youxiao had never witnessed in his later life, but he'd certainly heard of it.

Even selling weapons to both sides of a conflict—people in the later age had done that, and done it with great enthusiasm.

Zhu Youxiao had even already found the batch of equipment—it was what the Liaodong army had swapped out.

Ever since the Hundred Crafts Institute had begun operations, hydraulic stamping presses ran continuously, and the steelworks kept producing steel, with large quantities of military equipment coming out of the Hundred Crafts Institute. Zhu Youxiao had already completed the re-equipment here in Liaodong—large-scale assembly-line production had made costs very low. The Liaodong army now used new-style weapons, and the old ones had all been phased out.

Melting these things down on the spot would only yield pickaxes, hoes, and shovels—and even those weren't needed in places like Liaodong. Shipping them back to Beijing for remelting would cost more in freight than they were worth.

So these items were now chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard. Many were simply piled up in warehouses.

This time Zhu Youxiao planned to bring them out—on the one hand, to show sincerity in forming the alliance; on the other, to sell them for a good price and open up a market.

He might earn less in the early stage, but later on, that would no longer be the case.

The profits of the arms trade were something that could drive many people to madness.

Zhu Youxiao wore a brilliant smile on his face, looking every bit the honest dealer—but in his heart, he was already scheming about how to swindle them.

As for the concern that once they had weapons and equipment, the Great Ming would have a harder time dealing with them later?

Zhu Youxiao didn't care at all. The gap between sabers, spears, and firearms was something already proven before—no need to worry. As long as Zhu Youxiao accomplished what he wanted to do, the Mongols would become a people of song and dance, warm and hospitable.

Oba Taiji was already tempted—setting aside everything else, this batch of military equipment alone was a fine haul.

Though they had smuggled some before, the prices had been extremely high, and the quality was unreliable—much of it was privately forged by merchants themselves, never matching the quality of Great Ming's military equipment.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Oba Taiji and the others, and said with a smile: "The fact that you could come here, and that I could wait for you here, proves each other's sincerity. So now we need to set aside our suspicions and have a proper discussion."

The three of them, Oba Taiji included, exchanged glances and nodded together, acknowledging Zhu Youxiao's words.

With that main tone established, things became much simpler.

The three parties began negotiations. The first round: Zhu Youxiao would be responsible for pinning down Hong Taiji in Liaodong, buying time for the Mongol offensive; Khorchin and Inner Khalkha would seize this opportunity to launch their attack and directly destroy the Doyan Three Guards.

As for how territory would be divided and spoils shared? That was the Mongols' own business.

And after this battle, they would be responsible for containing the Jianzhou barbarians—once the Great Ming went to war with the Jianzhou barbarians, they would have to help.

In fact, on this matter, the two sides had only reached an agreement on the surface—united in appearance, divided at heart.

The Great Ming wanted to destroy the Jianzhou barbarians, and the Mongols would certainly agree. But they would absolutely never yield Liao Zhong to the Great Ming.

Once the Great Ming occupied Liaodong, it would definitely turn its guns on the Mongols. Moreover, how could the Mongols not covet Liaodong itself?

Once the Great Ming and the Jianzhou barbarians went to war, the Mongols would likely lurk nearby, watching for an opportunity. If a chance arose, they would swallow up the Great Ming and then occupy Liaodong themselves. In doing so, they would grow stronger—strong enough to face even Ligdan Khan without fear.

Zhu Youxiao harbored this same little thought—as the saying goes, how can one tolerate another sleeping soundly beside one's own bed?

How could a place like Daning be given to the Mongols?

Moreover, on the grasslands, the Great Ming had no need for a power that could threaten its borders at any moment. They only needed a few years of stability—and when the time came, they would surely turn on each other.

If they wanted to stick their noses into the Liaodong war, so much the better—it would be the perfect chance to wipe them all out. Then from Khorchin to Inner Khalkha, everything would fall under Great Ming's control. The former territory of the Doyan Three Guards would also all belong to the Great Ming, and from there they could strike west directly at Ligdan Khan.

Though both sides were prepared for a falling-out, on the surface everything remained harmonious, with both appearing quite satisfied.

The two sides quickly settled the terms.

After this negotiation, Zhu Youxiao would provide each of them with equipment for five thousand men; and each of them would supply two thousand fine horses to purchase this equipment, as payment for the goods.

And when the three returned, they would immediately muster their troops and prepare for war, attacking the Doyan Three Guards from north to south; Zhu Youxiao would provide support from Guangning.

Should the war go poorly, the Great Ming would directly send troops to take Daning, cutting off the Doyan Three Guards' retreat and helping the Mongols attack from front and rear; on the other flank, Great Ming's forces would create a massive show of force along the Tieling-Qinghe line, keeping Hong Taiji pinned down and unable to move.

In fact, as long as the Great Ming advanced, Hong Taiji wouldn't dare move. He feared his home base being raided. If he truly dispatched troops westward, Zhu Youxiao would genuinely dare to charge into his lair.

After the alliance was concluded, both sides drew up the treaty, and all matters were settled in that moment.

In only two days' time, everything was done.

After seeing the men off, Zhu Youxiao began preparing for the transaction, while simultaneously mobilizing troops and dispatching generals to prepare for this campaign.

This was the first time since Zhu Youxiao had ascended the throne that the Great Ming had taken the initiative to stir things up in Liaodong.