Chapter 976: If You Don't Eat the Bowl of

Zhu Yijun, Zhang Juzheng, and Ling Yunyi talked in the Imperial Study of the Tonghe Palace about the Western envoys who visited this time. Since the first year of Wanli, Spain, which had never been absent, sent an envoy this time, but that noble from the Mesta Wool Association, Pedro, did not come to the Great Ming.

According to rumors from the Portuguese envoys, Pedro disappeared completely after returning to Madrid. Pedro was likely indeed executed; Felipe was never a benevolent monarch.

Moreover, Pedro failed to bring back what Felipe wanted, which was "victory."

Now Felipe needed victory too much. Even if Pedro had brought back a little news of victory, he wouldn't have died, but Pedro didn't bring back the fact of victory, nor did he bring back the narrative of victory; instead, he brought back news of a massive defeat.

The possibility of him surviving was slim.

Pedro ultimately failed and did not awaken Felipe's former wisdom.

Felipe was called a tyrant in the West. Look at the things he did in the Netherlands; it absolutely couldn't be called benevolent. Now, for the sake of his imperial hegemony, he launched an expedition against England, and for the sake of his own selfish desires, he emptied the foundation of the entire "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets," including the very precious credibility.

After the bankruptcy of the gold bonds this time, even with Felipe's prestige, he could no longer issue gold bonds; no one believed him anymore.

A war broke out between Spain and Portugal. Portugal won on the battlefield, but Felipe won outside the battlefield.

Everyone knew that Felipe was "celebrating a funeral as a happy event," winning for the sake of winning, but everyone was coaxing Felipe. "The Emperor's New Clothes" has never been entirely a fairy tale, but a silhouette of the real world.

Zhu Yijun was a bit afraid, afraid that one day he would be immersed in this false victory and unable to extricate himself.

But thinking of the upright officials like Hence Hai Rui, Xu Chengchu, and Yuan Keli, it would be quite difficult for him to fall into this false victory.

The Great Ming's system, after all, is not the immature feudal system of the West, but a highly mature county-based imperial system.

"Victory is a lie; victory is a tool to dissolve the resentment in the hearts of the masses and divert contradictions. If you can't win, you will die." Ling Yunyi was not surprised by Felipe's choice.

Ling Yunyi and Zhang Juzheng had completely experienced the barbarian troubles and Japanese pirate troubles at the end of the Jiajing era. Every time a report of defeat was presented to the Emperor, everyone was terrified, and the atmosphere was very heavy, fearing that the old dragon locked in the West Garden would descend with thunderous anger.

However, the Daoist Emperor and Felipe were different. The Daoist Emperor could accept the fact that he had lost, whether it was the failure of the operation against the Northern Barbarians, the rampant Japanese pirates, or Hence Hai Rui's "Memorial on Peace and Order."

Until his later years, the Daoist Emperor could accept the fact that he had lost, and then do his best to solve the problem on the basis of losing.

A series of famous anti-Japanese and anti-barbarian generals like Ma Fang, Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, Tan Lun, and Wang Chonggu were all born at that time.

Qi Jiguang always said, "Victory and defeat are common matters for military strategists." Only by understanding this sentence can one be a qualified general. Indeed, if one cannot even face failure, let alone true victory.

The barbarian troubles ended in the peace talks in the fourth year of Longqing, by enfeoffing Andahan as a prince and making Andahan bow his head and submit;

the Japanese pirate troubles ended after Yin Zhengmao and Zhang Yuanxun pacified the Guangdong sea pirates in the second year of Wanli.

Even if the road was so tortuous and so difficult, in the end, the two major events that endangered the country and the society, the Great Ming still won, or rather, the Daoist Emperor won.

Therefore, the Daoist Emperor was a monarch with mixed reputations, not just a simple muddled emperor.

"When Wan Wengong (Wan Shihe) was in court, he always told me that one must admit that some things in this world are incomprehensible. Today, looking at Felipe's decisions, it is truly sigh-inducing." Zhu Yijun talked about his old friend Wan Shihe with Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng and Ling Yunyi both understood what His Majesty was saying.

When the seas were first opened, the Ministry of Rites fell into a kind of obsession—the obsession of understanding the barbarians' thoughts, hoping that there was some kind of ultimate answer that could be proven once and for all, using this ultimate answer to explain everything and understand the thoughts of these tribal barbarians and the colonized.

But Wan Shihe failed. After failing, he put forward a violent theory: there is no need to pay attention to the thoughts of the colonized; beat them up, and they will reconcile with themselves. Those who can't think it through are already dead.

Some of Wan Shihe's words didn't seem to mean anything when heard at the time, but when something happened, it was discovered that Wan Shihe's theory had already explained this phenomenon.

Being able to explain everything, being able to explain everything with an ultimate answer—this existence is similar to a god, similar to the pile of classics held by the "cheap scholars," seemingly wanting to use the words of Confucius and Mencius from two thousand years ago to explain all the contradictions faced today, similar to the illusory "other shore" pursued by the Extreme Joy Sect believers.

Zhu Yijun called this ultimate answer that explains all things and explains everything a "Big Daddy."

Some people, if there is no "daddy" on their heads, will be anxious and unable to sleep or eat. They desperately hope that there is a "daddy" on their heads to feel at ease. They are addicted to recognizing a "daddy." Such people have a longing for all kinds of "winning," whether real or not.

Admitting that some things in the world are incomprehensible is very important. For example, Wan Shihe mentioned "If you don't know life, how can you know death?" If you haven't even figured out how to live, you go to think about things after death—there is no need at all.

Death and the world after death are experiences that human experience can never reach. Going to engage in those abstract, useless gods and ghosts is meaningless.

Wan Shihe hoped that His Majesty the Emperor could calmly face the unknown of the world, calmly face the incomprehensibility of the world, calmly face possible failure, calmly face everything, and implement this calmness to the Great Ming, forming a broad consensus.

The Great Ming can lose; losing is not terrible, but it cannot die.

"Your Majesty, the water and drought are not adjusted." Zhang Juzheng came to the Imperial Study of the Tonghe Palace, naturally to stop His Majesty from doing the loyalty test, but it had already been done, so he could only take it one step at a time. If it really didn't work, he would use the Grand Secretariat's power of remonstrance to stop this matter. Of course, he also had official business.

The celestial changes of water and drought were still continuing and becoming more intense.

But the Old Heaven seemed to be addicted to playing, and simply refused to give a clean break.

This year, it was still water and drought, but the problem was not serious. Coupled with early warnings, the damage caused was within an acceptable range. In Huguang, especially Hunan, several Tusi made trouble, but they were pacified by the archers of the police inspectorate. The scale was not large, only one or two hundred people.

Zhu Yijun had an absurd feeling that the celestial change seemed to have become a clearance game.

The big devil full of evil tastes set up various tests, each of which was just above the Great Ming's endurance but not much, making people uncomfortable but not fatal. It seemed that as long as the tasks were completed and enough foundation was accumulated, one could pass the test and enter the next game.

This is an illusion. Climate change has never been a matter of one morning or one evening, and it will slowly become more serious. In the end, there is a glimmer of life, and whether it can be grasped depends entirely on whether the Great Ming can complete the Wanli Reform and increase its ability to resist risks.

"There is a change in the Guizhou Tusi. The hereditary native official of Bozhou, the Pacification Commissioner Yang Yinglong, is lawless." Ling Yunyi spoke of the situation of the Guizhou Tusi, his face solemn: "At the beginning of this year, the Guizhou Provincial Governor Ye Mengxiong ordered the Tusi of the two provinces of Qian and Shu to meet for investigation. Yang Yinglong used illness as an excuse and did not attend this investigation."

Meeting for investigation means that every three years, the Provincial Governors of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou summon all hereditary native officials to Chengdu, Dali, and Guizhou for a meeting.

The main content of the meeting usually includes the imperial court's orders, mediating contradictions between Tusi in various places, and handling illegal matters of hereditary native officials, etc., which is somewhat similar to the Council of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance established in Ryukyu.

It's just a place to argue, so that contradictions won't intensify and lead to mutual attacks.

The investigation is useful, at least they won't fight until their heads are broken because of grabbing water or a few pieces of wood. But this investigation actually doesn't have much use, because some Tusi who are hereditary enemies, even if the Provincial Governor comes forward to mediate, it won't have much use.

It is just to create a place for arguing, so that conflicts do not escalate into mutual attacks.

Every once in a while, the imperial court has to send troops to destroy a few Tusi so that the Tusi chieftains will be obedient.

Sometimes, Tusi chieftains don't understand the principles taught by the Great Ming imperial court and can only understand fists.

Yang Yinglong of Bozhou is such a hereditary Tusi chieftain who doesn't understand principles and wants to try his fists. Since being enfeoffed in the Tang Dynasty, Yang Yinglong is already the 29th generation of Bozhou Tusi chieftains and has an extremely powerful appeal in Bozhou.

"Yang Yinglong is sick, are his sons also sick?" Zhu Yijun's tone carried a bit of dissatisfaction.

Sometimes, the hereditary Tusi chieftains cannot understand the principles spoken by the Great Ming court; they can only understand fists.

It's fine if the Tusi doesn't come, as long as his son comes.

But Yang Yinglong didn't come, and his son didn't come either.

"Back then, the Duzhang barbarian incident was also because the Duzhang barbarian chieftain refused to attend the investigation and didn't even send his son, with the air of a local emperor." Ling Yunyi said, which defined Yang Yinglong.

In the Great Ming, Yang Yinglong is a local emperor. Then how should His Majesty the Emperor place himself?

The Duzhang barbarians were disobedient, which started from never attending the investigation. When a hereditary native official refuses to attend the investigation, it means he has other ideas.

"Guizhou Provincial Governor Ye Mengxiong reported Yang Yinglong's various illegal acts and requested the imperial court to send troops to arrest him and behead him in Chongqing Prefecture." Ling Yunyi took out Ye Mengxiong's memorial. According to Ye Mengxiong's memorial, Yang Yinglong had five capital crimes.

His residence is decorated with dragons and phoenixes—this is crime one;

Arbitrarily using eunuchs to set up a Sea Dragon Palace—this is crime two;

Fond of establishing prestige through killing, the five divisions and seven clans under his jurisdiction cannot bear his cruelty—this is crime three;

Favoring concubines and destroying wives, killing his wife, killing his mother-in-law, killing his brother-in-law, and exterminating his wife's family—this is crime four;

Privately hiding strong bows, crossbows, cannons, and armor, and privately setting up passes, showing signs of rebellion—this is crime five.

Yang Yinglong's wife was Zhang from Yongchuan, Chongqing. Zhang had a relative who was a county magistrate in Chongqing, named Zhang Shizhao. Zhang Shizhao feared Yang Yinglong and fled back to Chongqing, submitting a blood-written letter, telling of Yang Yinglong's atrocities. Zhang's bloodline was hunted down and almost cut off.

"Sichuan Provincial Governor Li Shangsi requested to temporarily exempt him from investigation." Zhang Juzheng took out the Sichuan Provincial Governor's memorial and reported it to the Holy One.

Yang Yinglong is guilty. These five charges are all capital crimes, and each one is supported by solid evidence. In the past few years, Yang Yinglong has repeatedly sent troops to raid Yuqing, Dahu, Duba, and other divisions, burning, killing, and looting, doing all kinds of evil.

The Sichuan Provincial Governor also knows about these things. Li Shangsi gave the opinion of "temporarily exempting from investigation." It is not that he accepted Yang Yinglong's bribes and spoke well for Yang Yinglong, but based on a basic fact: at this time, the Great Ming is fighting against Ava, and the Sichuan Han army has entered Yunnan and Burma, leaving Sichuan empty.

The rebellions of Tusi in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Qian are all pacified by the Sichuan Han army. The last Battle of Dali proved that the so-called "ripe seedlings" cannot be trusted. It was only after the Duke of Qian's mansion invited the Sichuan Han army to support them that they got rid of the crisis.

The Sichuan Han army is all in Burma. At this time, conducting an arrest of Yang Yinglong will easily lead to trouble. Once Yang Yinglong unites with many Tusi to rebel, it will have an unknowable impact on the Ava front.

Yang Yinglong is already the 29th generation of Bozhou hereditary officials and has a deep foundation in the Bozhou area. The entire Bozhou area will move at the news. Once the trouble gets big, it will be quite dangerous.

Li Shangsi gave a few steps: let Yang Yinglong find a few scapegoats to go to Chongqing to listen to the investigation and be beheaded, mainly to give an explanation to the several Tusi who were looted. Yang Yinglong should pay silver to redeem his crimes and hand over his second son, Yang Kedong, as a hostage. The imperial court should give a warning and not make trouble.

The several places that were harassed are all Tusi. As for the chaotic wars between Tusi, as long as they don't make too much trouble, the Great Ming imperial court is too lazy to spend that effort to manage them. In the deep mountains and old forests, not many people are willing to drill into them.

What Li Shangsi said also makes sense, because Zhu Yijun thought of the Jinchuan Campaign of Qianlong.

I don't know how long this Bozhou war will be fought, and I don't know to what extent it will be fought. It is better to appease if possible.

Turn big things into small things, turn small things into nothing. Temporarily appease Yang Yinglong and continue to maintain the attack on Ava.

The attitudes of Yunnan and Sichuan are consistent: continue to fight Ava and fight out a sea outlet. In this way, Yunnan will also be a coastal province.

The cotton textile industry in the Bengal region is developed. If they can open up a sea outlet to the West, it will be a blessing for Yunnan for all eternity, and it will also be beneficial to the imperial court, because the saltpeter in Bengal has to be transported by sea, which makes people feel a little uneasy. Land is safer.

"Vice Grand Secretary Ling wants to pacify Bozhou Yang's family. Your subject thinks it is better to appease. After a while, when the imperial court can free up its hands, it will not be too late to punish severely." Zhang Juzheng expressed his views.

Ling Yunyi said helplessly: "Grand Secretary Zhang! How can I not make you understand this truth? These reasons of Li Shangsi are all correct, but will Yang Yinglong listen? Just wait and see. As long as the imperial court appeases, he will think the imperial court is weak and will take the opportunity to continue attacking."

Ling Yunyi had dealt with these Tusi in Guangdong. When the Yao people in the three counties of Luoding made trouble, at that time, Ling Yunyi's murderous nature was not so heavy, and he reasoned with the Yao people. The more he reasoned, the bigger the matter became. In the end, Ling Yunyi had to kill them all.

Now the Bozhou Yang family is in the same situation. He is restless now and can no longer suppress his ambition!

"What are these Tusi chieftains thinking? If it gets too big and provokes the imperial court's fury, how can they survive? While the imperial court is willing to talk, isn't it good to be an honest Tusi chieftain?" Zhang Juzheng was a little confused. He couldn't understand what these Tusi chieftains were thinking at all, and he was a little confused.

If they really fell out with the Great Ming imperial court, the imperial court would send troops over and they wouldn't even know what happened, because their heads would have been cut off.

Zhang Juzheng lacked local administrative experience and had never dealt with these Tusi chieftains, so he really couldn't understand.

"Wan Zongbo said: 'One must admit that some things in this world are incomprehensible.'" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said: "Teacher, don't think about it anymore. You won't be able to figure it out even if you think for ten days and ten nights. Where did he get the courage? But he just did it."

"He is just testing the imperial court, testing me, testing whether I will send troops."

"In this way, be polite first and then use force. First appease according to what Li Shangsi said. If he takes the imperial court's goodwill as weakness, then mobilize the Sichuan Han army to suppress him. Taking advantage of this effort, the Ministry of War's new-style cannons will be delivered to the Sichuan Han army first."

The reason why Zhu Yijun did not immediately send troops to suppress him was entirely because mobilizing troops, moving military equipment, and grain and grass required time. If it weren't for Sichuan being empty, Zhu Yijun would not have given Yang Yinglong this opportunity.

If one truly falls out with the Great Ming court, the court will send troops over, and one won't even know what hit them, because their head will have already been cut off.

"If Yang Yinglong does not repent and does not know how to restrain himself, this battle will not only destroy Yang Yinglong but also destroy the disobedient hearts of all Tusi!"

"Master Wan Zongbo said: one must acknowledge that there are some things in this world that are incomprehensible," Zhu Yijun said, sitting up straight.

"Master, don't dwell on it either; you won't figure it out even if you think for ten days and ten nights. Where did he get the audacity? Yet he just did it."

Since the tenth year of Wanli, 350,000 mu of tea gardens have been opened in Yunnan and Guizhou. It was originally a good thing that the grace was widely spread, but these tea gardens were more or less encroached upon by these Tusi chieftains.

The tea farmers worked hard to grow tea but did not get the rewards they deserved, while these Tusi chieftains sold the tea leaves along the Tea-Horse Road to Sichuan and Tibet to seek huge profits.

The reason Zhu Yijun did not immediately mobilize troops to suppress him was entirely because moving troops, generals, and mobilizing military supplies and grain takes time. If it were not for the fact that Sichuan was defenseless, Zhu Yijun would not have given Yang Yinglong this opportunity.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng communicated about many official affairs of the imperial court. Busy days are always busy. On the fourth day of the seventh month, Zhu Yijun opened the Huangji Hall and held a Grand Honglu Meeting, summoning the three Eastern Pacific Viceroys.

In addition to the three Viceroys, there were a total of nine secretaries, totaling twelve city lords from the three Viceroyalties.

"Exempt from etiquette, exempt from etiquette." Zhu Yijun signaled everyone to be exempt from etiquette and smiled: "You have come from afar, all for the important affairs of the preparation of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance. I opened the Huangji Hall today to receive you, also to demonstrate the sincerity of the Great Ming."

"The Great Ming has the intention and ability to ensure the stable operation of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance. I hope that all established clauses can be thoroughly implemented."

"The Great Ming has always kept its word. What has been said and what has been signed will not be treated as waste paper. I hope you will also implement all the clauses of the regulations according to the regulations."

Zhu Yijun opened the Huangji Hall to demonstrate importance, but his words were not very polite. The consequences of violating the regulations are self-evident. The Great Ming's fury is definitely not something these Viceroyalties can bear.

Zhu Yijun talked to the three Viceroys one by one and answered some questions about the regulations. These questions were not pre-set by the Ministry of Rites, but Zhu Yijun answered them accurately based on his understanding of the trade regulations.

"Viceroy Pedro, I know you. Your three pirate fleets should not be pirates anymore. The Gold Mountain Regional Military Commissioner Luo Shangzhi reported that starting this year, the Great Ming will, according to the safety clauses of the regulations, carry out anti-piracy operations against pirates in the entire East Pacific and patrol regularly. If there is accidental injury, I am afraid it will hurt the harmony." Zhu Yijun reminded Pedro that being a pirate again would lead to a beating.

Before, when he was a wild dog, it was fine to bite people randomly. Now that he can eat a mouthful under the Great Ming, he should not do these things.

"I will follow His Majesty's decree. After returning to Mexico, I will stop these behaviors. If they don't listen to my advice and still rob, and are wiped out by the Great Ming's invincible navy, the disaster caused will be their own crime." Pedro bowed again and answered.

The Great Ming is a Celestial Empire that respects order and naturally hates pirates. Giving him a chance is entirely for the sake of Mexico's silver mines.

In fact, Pedro's positioning of himself is very clear. He has been recruited.

The Great Ming has two ways to deal with pirates: recruitment and extermination. If you don't eat the bowl of "recruitment," you have to eat the cannonballs of the Great Ming navy's 36-pound cannons.

The Great Ming's overall strategy for opening the seas is based on "trading with a sword." Great Ming merchant ships overseas are never gentle. Behind these merchant ships stands the Great Ming navy.

If you can be a decent person, who would want to be a pirate? Even Xie Ruixiang, that desperate man, didn't want to be a pirate.

The three Viceroyalties have different situations. Peru and Chile are more inclined to be "wall-grasses." After all, Felipe did not take away all the benefits of their Viceroyalties and left them a little.

Pedro is at a dead end, and there are even rumors that Felipe intends to let Pedro return to the Spanish mainland for trial, because Pedro's pirate fleet has robbed Felipe's treasure ships.

The twelve city lords also got the opportunity to have an audience with the Emperor. They were just meeting the Emperor to confirm that this Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance had received the approval of His Majesty the Emperor.

"Farewell, Your Majesty." Pedro and the others bowed again and left the Huangji Hall.

Zhu Yijun continued to receive envoys from various countries in the Huangji Hall.

The envoy from the Mughal Empire was Shah Mamaiti. After paying a tuition fee of 200,000 silver for a new batch of about twenty international students, the Great Ming Emperor agreed and continued to maintain the cotton, cotton cloth, and saltpeter business.

Shah Mamaiti also brought a piece of news: Akbar the Great's conquest of South India was going smoothly. Except for a few city-states that resisted stubbornly, this meant that more cotton fields could be developed.

Akbar was worried that the Great Ming could not eat so much cotton and asked for the Great Ming's opinion.

Zhu Yijun asked the Ministry of Revenue and gave an answer of "the more the better."

Before the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance was launched, the Ministry of Revenue didn't have this confidence, but with the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance, the quantity of cotton cloth in the Great Ming was even a bit stretched.

Akbar was preparing to attack the south while continuing to attack the northwest to recapture his old home, Afghanistan, and find the answer to the doubt "Who am I?" back then.

Siam sent an envoy to explain why they stood by and watched when Laos was in trouble.

It wasn't that Siam didn't want to, but they didn't dare. Ava and Annam had both sent envoys, demanding that Siam not interfere.

Ava was beaten by the Great Ming until it couldn't lift its head, and Annam was trying its best to avoid being completely ruled by the Great Ming again. In the eyes of the Great Ming, both were small and weak states, but on the Indochina Peninsula, both were small hegemons who wanted to hit whoever they wanted.

Ava and Annam demanded that Siam send troops together, and Siam finally chose to help neither side.

Zhu Yijun finally understood the detailed situation. Annam kicked everyone, and no one was its opponent.

Besides, Annam also sent an envoy to the Great Ming, but he couldn't have an audience with the Great Ming Emperor.

Because since the Jiajing era, Annam has been a subordinate territory and should not send envoys, but officials to the capital to report on their duties. They should not go through the diplomatic channels of the Court of State Ceremonial. Annam sending envoys was deliberately highlighting its independent status.

But before, Annam had always sent envoys, and the Court of State Ceremonial had never refused to let the Annam envoy have an audience like this time.

The main reason was the conditions of the Annam envoy, which the Great Ming could not agree to. So they just didn't let him go to the hall.

Annam hoped that the Great Ming could prohibit Great Ming merchants from buying Annam grain, prohibit Annam people from being sold as barbarian slaves to Nanyang, and prohibit the Guangzhou Provincial Governor from blackmailing and extorting Annam in the name of debt collection.

The Great Ming could not agree to any of these conditions.

It was the merchants of Annam who sold the grain, and it was the Annam people who captured Annam people as slaves. Almost all the grain and barbarian slaves were grown in the ship's hold. How could the Great Ming restrain them?

Annam people committed their own sins, and the Great Ming was just doing business. Many Great Ming merchants didn't accept barbarian slaves because it was inconvenient to cash them in.

As for the last appeal, paying debts is justified. If they owed Great Ming merchants money, the Guangzhou Provincial Governor was acting for the people and collecting the IOUs to collect debts. Could it be that he was wrong?

The Ministry of Rites directly blocked the Annam envoy and didn't let him go to the hall to disgust His Majesty.

Zhu Yijun approved the Ministry of Rites' request. Annam people are ugly and have beautiful thoughts.

Imported grain involved the grain prices around several Shipping Commissions, especially Songjiang Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture. The farmland was decreasing rapidly, and the only farmland in Songjiang Prefecture was also used to grow cotton. Without imported grain, grain prices could not be maintained stably.

Even if Zhu Yijun agreed, officials in Huguang, Jiangxi, Jiangzuo, Jiang You, Zhejiang, and other places would not agree. They relied on

the offices in Songjiang Prefecture to buy imported grain to pay part of the imperial court's land tax.

Celestial changes are hanging high, and water and drought are not adjusted. Buying one more stone of imported grain can reduce the possibility of civil unrest.

This year, there was an extra special envoy, the Xianbei Khalkha Wanhu Wendu from the Xianbei Plain.

This Khalkha Wanhu was completely in the appearance of a Tatar, very burly, looking a bit fierce, with black straight hair, light yellow skin, and light brown eyes, no different from the Tatars Zhu Yijun had seen.

Xianbei Khalkha Wanhu Wendu came to the capital, mainly to thank the Great Ming imperial court, in addition to the fur business.

After some Japanese slaves who were repairing the road escaped from the road section, they did evil in the Xianbei grassland, gathering about a thousand Japanese slaves to loot everywhere.

The Great Ming's "Duntai Yuanhou" (Beacon Tower Expeditionary) adventure team cooperated with the warriors of the Xianbei tribes to wipe out these Japanese slaves, bringing peace to the Xianbei Plain.

Zhu Yijun learned from the envoy that every adventure team led by a "Duntai Yuanhou" now had three to five Xianbei people as servants, and these Xianbei people were quite brave.

"This time Khalkha Wanhu came to the court to have an audience, is it to request me to enfeoff the Xianbei Khan Wuerhan as the lord of the vassal state?" Zhu Yijun said with a puzzled face: "If I don't enfeoff him, is he not the lord of the state?"

"Supreme Great Ming Emperor, if there is no enfeoffment from you, we will not be able to establish our own country." Xianbei Khalkha Wanhu Wendu bowed again and said sincerely. ===== CHAPTER 977 =====

The heavens are high and distant, and the weather is unpredictable; for every extra picul of imported grain purchased, the possibility of civil unrest is reduced by a little.

This year, there is an additional special envoy: Wendu, a Khalkha Wanhu of the Xianbei from the Xianbei Plains.

This Khalkha Wanhu looks exactly like a Tatar—very burly, appearing somewhat fierce, with straight black hair, light yellow skin, and light brown eyes; he is no different from the Tatars Zhu Yijun has seen.

The Xianbei Khalkha Wanhu Wendu came to the capital, aside from the fur trade, mainly to thank the Great Ming court.

After some Japanese pirates who were building roads escaped from their work sections, they ran amok on the Xianbei Plains, gathering about a thousand Japanese pirates to plunder everywhere.

The Great Ming Duntai Yuanhou adventure teams cooperated with the warriors of the various Xianbei tribes to suppress these Japanese pirates, bringing peace to the Xianbei Plains.

Zhu Yijun learned from the envoy that every adventure team led by a Duntai Yuanhou now has three to five Xianbei people serving as servants, and these Xianbei people are quite valiant.

"This time, the Khalkha Wanhu has come to the capital to request that I enfeoff the Xianbei Khan, Wuerhan, as the ruler of a vassal state?" Zhu Yijun said with a look of doubt: "If I do not enfeoff him, will he not be a ruler?"

"Supreme Emperor of the Great Ming, if we do not have your enfeoffment, we will be unable to establish a country of our own," the Xianbei Khalkha Wanhu Wendu bowed again and said sincerely.