Chapter 593: All Tribes Confess Their Crimes

"The Emperor of the Great Ming would not be so petty." Wukeshan said with some hesitation.

"Those people from Ordos only know how to say 'we'll consider it.' These past two days, no news has come out of them, and the Great Ming Emperor can't stand it anymore. I think once we make our stance clear, they'll quickly follow suit."

"Actually, my brother has already received word—Hasar of Ordos has been trying to see Sun Chengzong these past two days, and the man is nearly frantic with anxiety. But Sun Chengzong won't see him, so it can't be blamed on Hasar."

At this moment, Harjol turned her head to look at Wukeshan and said with a serious expression: "Elder Brother, what do you think the Great Ming is?"

Hearing these words, Wukeshan was startled into alertness.

To be honest, ever since watching the military drill, everyone acknowledged that the Great Ming was very powerful. Everyone was also very fearful and terrified, but their actual actions lagged half a beat behind their thoughts—their minds hadn't yet shifted, and they hadn't realized what the Great Ming truly was.

But in the eyes of the Great Ming's people, they were now strong—strong beyond measure. Toward people like you, you have no choice but to obey; refusal is simply not permitted.

For a small tribe like Ordos to dare disobey—this was something the Great Ming could not tolerate.

"But isn't this too overbearing?" Wukeshan said helplessly.

"Overbearing?" Bumbutai said expressionlessly: "Brother, if you had this much power and this much strength, you would be even more overbearing than they are. So, Brother, go in and see the Great Ming's Emperor."

"This…" Wukeshan asked hesitantly: "If I see the Great Ming's Emperor, what do I say?"

"Offer troops!" Bumbutai said as if it were only natural: "Go ask the Great Ming's Emperor—who on this grassland harbors disloyal intentions? Our Khorchin is a vassal of the Great Ming, and we absolutely will not permit such a thing to happen. If the Great Ming wants to strike someone, our Khorchin is willing to be the vanguard."

Wukeshan looked at Bumbutai, paused slightly, and said: "Isn't that inappropriate? The people back home probably won't agree. Besides, if we really do this, how will outsiders view us?"

"View us? Let them survive first, then they can view us!" Bumbutai gave a cold snort and said,

"Elder Brother, we took the territory of the Doyan Three Guards. How many of our clansmen are on that land now—you should know better than I do these past few years. Once war breaks out with the Great Ming, we'll bear the brunt of it."

"Since the Great Ming wants to pacify the grassland, then striking one is striking, and striking two is also striking. If the Inner Khalkha refuses to submit, when the Great Ming strikes the Inner Khalkha, do you think they'll spare us? Mowing the grass and flushing out the rabbits—they'll take care of us too. Elder Brother, do you understand?"

"Once the Inner Khalkha is dealt with and we are left standing, then we will be the most powerful tribe on the grassland. The Great Ming will never allow anyone to seize the grassland—that will never change."

"And if you go be the vanguard at this time, when the fighting truly starts, let the clansmen do the fighting. Some losses don't matter—we need the Great Ming to feel we pose no threat, and only then will we have a future."

Wukeshan's face darkened. After a long silence, he said: "Do you really think war will break out? Would that bunch from the Inner Khalkha be so stubborn? Knowing full well it can't be done, they'd still insist on doing it?"

"Who knows?" Bumbutai said with a bitter smile: "Prepare for a rainy day. If war truly breaks out, we need to find a favorable position. The choices left to us are few."

Hearing his sister's words, Wukeshan's expression shifted darkly, uncertain.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind—such as joining with the Inner Khalkha and Ordos and the other tribes to have a go at the Great Ming, after all, they were on the grassland.

If this battle were won, Daning would be his, and perhaps he could even cast covetous eyes on Liaodong.

But thinking of the Great Ming's cannons and muskets, Wukeshan deflated like a punctured bladder.

There was no way to fight—even out on the grassland, there was still no way to fight.

Even if the Great Ming sent out only infantry while he had cavalry at his side, there was still no way to fight.

On the grassland, his cavalry was no match for their infantry either. Having watched the Great Ming's military drill for so many days now, he had certainly pondered how to deal with such an enemy.

He thought and thought, but found no good solution. Even being mounted on horseback—what difference did it make?

His bows and arrows didn't have the range of their muskets, and their muskets were accurate to boot. Before cavalry could even get close, they'd already been shot off their horses.

If he relied on numbers to charge their formation—just thinking about that firepower made Wukeshan shudder. No amount of lives would be enough to fill that meat grinder.

The only option was to wait until the Great Ming's infantry was far from their cities, then cut off their supply lines. But would the Great Ming's supply lines really be that easy to cut?

How many troops had the Great Ming assembled in Liaodong right now?

Adding the original Liaodong forces, it was a full three hundred thousand men. And even so, that wasn't all—the troops from Denglai and Jizhou hadn't been mobilized yet.

Those troops might not be as formidable as the Son of Heaven's personal guard, but they were still the Great Ming's army. Guarding supply lines shouldn't be a problem for them, right?

This made Wukeshan feel somewhat crushed. The Great Ming's logistics had reached such a level—did their grain never run out? How had they prepared all this?

In fact, Wukeshan didn't know that Zhu Youxiao had been preparing for this day for far too long.

From the moment Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne, he had been preparing for this day.

Along the route from the capital to Liaodong, countless granaries had been built, roads had been repaired, and every grain transport had been turned into short-haul shipping. Moreover, all the grain stored over these years was packed into those granaries.

Eight years!

Zhu Youxiao had prepared for a full eight years!

Over those eight years, Zhu Youxiao had amassed enough reserves to fight a great war, even if fought somewhat lavishly.

With the Imperial Household Department established, communication and coordination across the regions had increased even more. Now, over half the merchants in the entire country were hitched to the Imperial Household Department's war chariot. At this point, no matter what business one wanted to do, one couldn't bypass that leviathan, the Imperial Household Department.

Should the war situation become urgent, Zhu Youxiao could also declare nationwide martial law and concentrate all materiel under the Imperial Household Department.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Youxiao had the confidence to fight this battle.

If this war could thoroughly settle the northern matter, then he could free his hands to do more things.

The northwest was also a worry at heart, urgently needing resolution.

For this northern campaign, Zhu Youxiao intended to strike hard and ruthless—he had to bring them all to heel.

After a long while, Wukeshan let out a sigh, glanced at his sister, stood up, waved his hand, and walked out.

This meant he was going to follow his sister's advice and seek out the Great Ming's Emperor.

Wukeshan left his encampment, not daring to tarry even a moment, and headed straight for the Great Ming Emperor's field headquarters.

But Wukeshan discovered he had still arrived late.

By the time he got there, quite a few people were already present. At the head was Hasar of Ordos.

Hasar had already brought many people and was waiting there.

Wukeshan swept his gaze over them and found they were all people from the smaller tribes.

These people were kneeling in a row at the entrance of the field headquarters, their faces ashen—clearly they had come to confess their crimes.

At this moment, they could no longer care about much else. If they didn't confess their crimes, they would be the first to be eliminated.

They needed the Great Ming's forgiveness; they needed the Great Ming Emperor's understanding.

Wukeshan looked at these people and helplessly let out a sigh.

To be honest, he still felt uncomfortable inside—after all, they all shared the same roots. Though he himself wanted to swallow them up, he still didn't want to see them humiliated like this.

But at this moment, Wukeshan could not speak up for Hasar.

Hasal's fate today is entirely his own doing.

Unable to speak with them, Wukeshan continued forward.

Before long, he saw another group of people, led by none other than Zhang Muhe.

Clearly, Zhang Muhe and his men had also come to see the Emperor of the Great Ming.

Under such circumstances, Wukeshan had no idea what they were here for. But judging by their grave expressions, they had probably come to yield as well. Perhaps.

Zhang Muhe also spotted Wukeshan, his gaze icy cold.

In Zhang Muhe's view, if not for Wukeshan's utterly shameless pandering to the Great Ming, the situation would never have become so dire.

The Great Ming needed to understand that we have our bottom line. But this Wukeshan fellow has no bottom line at all, and the Great Ming just keeps pushing further and further.

This matter must be clarified today.

Zhang Muhe and his companion exchanged a glance, and without a word, walked straight inside.

At the entrance to the inner gate, Chen Hong was waiting for the two of them.

Seeing them arrive, Chen Hong smiled and stepped forward to greet them: "Gentlemen, His Majesty is already waiting for you inside. Please follow this servant."

With that said, Chen Hong turned and walked inside.

Zhu Youxiao had originally been preparing to rest, but unexpectedly someone came to disturb him.

After changing into a fresh set of clothes with Wei Chao's assistance, Zhu Youxiao walked out from the rear.

Glancing at the several people in the great hall, Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "Making such a grand show of force — what is this all about?"

The assembled men dared not be negligent and hastily bowed to Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said: "Enough, spare me these empty formalities."

"These rites are meant to represent respect, and respect is something kept in the heart. But when there is no respect in the heart, performing these rites amounts to nothing."

The men picked themselves up from the ground, their faces expressionless.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Zhang Muhe and said: "The expression on your face is quite grave. Has something happened?"

"Tell me about it. On the soil of the Great Ming, there is nothing I cannot resolve."

Zhang Muhe stepped forward and said: "There is indeed a matter I wish to inquire about. The Great Ming has been mobilizing its troops with great frequency — some have been sent to Daning City, others to Tieling and Qinghe. I wish to ask Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this?"

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Zhang Muhe, said nothing, picked up his teacup and took a sip, wearing an expression that clearly said he had no interest in acknowledging him.

Zhu Youxiao could remain silent, but the others could not.

Wei Chao stepped forward, his face cold as he barked loudly: "How dare you! His Majesty is someone you may question? What do you think you are?"