Chapter 775: Times Make Heroes

Shenjing City East, Yuping Street, Back Alley.

In the main room, the middle-aged man's words were cold, seemingly containing a recalled inner nostalgia, and a hint of cold chill.

Liu Xuan was also hearing about the past of Minister of War Gu Yankui for the first time, but the dignified Minister of War was an unreachable figure for him.

So hearing his master mention it, he just listened to it as news and didn't take it too seriously.

Liu Xuan said: "The master asked to inquire about the news of the imperial court and the Remnant Mongol peace talks. The Ministry of War is the main department for the court's peace talks."

"Although we don't have connections in the Ministry of War, the peace talks and consultations between the two sides are all in the Hui Tong Hall. Before the peace talk documents are summarized to the Ministry of War, they are all translated and organized by the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple."

"So through channels, we have inquired about a lot of news. I heard that the peace talks between the two states have had twists and turns in the past few days, and both sides are deadlocked."

"Four days ago, the Remnant Mongol mission suddenly raised objections, wanting to increase the amount of border trade demands originally negotiated by both sides by 40%."

The middle-aged man's gaze was fixed, his expression was somewhat surprised, he got up and left the study, and walked in the room.

When he walked to the spirit tablet covered with white satin, he stood silently, seemingly thinking about something.

After a while, he said: "The things in this world, small to business, large to national affairs, the principles are all connected."

"We merchants do business, asking for an exorbitant price and paying back the money, is a common means and routine."

"However, even if it is an exorbitant price, the price must have a limit. If it is too contrary to common sense, too absurd and out of line, it is not asking for a price, but a joke."

"We have also done tea-horse market business at the Nine Passes, and we know the roots of it."

"The Tuman tribe's Anda Khan is a hero of the grassland, who has been sharpening his soldiers and horses for many years, and has long had the heart to invade the south."

"The imperial court wants to curb Anda Khan's power from expanding south. Besides strictly guarding the Nine Passes, controlling the scale of the tea-horse market is a once-and-for-all method."

"The imperial court will never relax this opportunity to curb its throat. Although I don't know the amount of the market recognized by the imperial court."

"But this amount must be extremely low, which is just a drop in the bucket for the Remnant Mongols' three major ten-thousand-household tribes, making them linger on their last breath."

"In this situation, the imperial court will never easily increase the amount of the market, otherwise it is not lifting a stone to hit its own feet."

"If the Remnant Mongol mission wants to ask for an exorbitant price, proposing to increase the amount by 20%, perhaps the imperial court, in order to slow down the sword and soldiers, might agree to float up by 10%."

"This is what the business between the two sides should look like. How could it be that now they want to increase the amount by 40%? Do they really think the Da Zhou monarchs and ministers are all fools?"

Liu Xuan said: "Master, since this is an extremely unreasonable request, it will definitely be futile. How could the Mongols be so reckless?"

"This time the Remnant Mongol mission of thousands of people entered the capital for peace talks, and the momentum was very huge. I think the leader of the mission must not be an ordinary person."

"The truth that we outsiders can see, how could this Remnant Mongol mission leader not see it?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly and said: "You are right. The truth that we can see, how could the dignified Remnant Mongol mission leader not see it."

"As far as I know, the leader of this Remnant Mongol mission is Anda Khan's confidant and important minister, Ale Tang."

"This person has been under Anda Khan for more than 20 years and is a character famous on the grassland."

"He is even more valued by Anda Khan. I heard that this person is literate and martial, with a firm and decisive temperament, and quite a bit of wisdom and city government."

"The shallow road we can think of, this Ale Tang cannot think of it."

"Since he knows the pros and cons, he still wants to make such an arrogant appeal, which is very worth pondering."

……

Liu Xuan asked: "Could it be that Ale Tang has other plans? They entered the capital for peace talks with thousands of people, and if they return without success, wouldn't they become a joke?"

The middle-aged man said: "The Remnant Mongol mission has been in the capital for a while. At the beginning of the peace talks between the two states, they were always at a disadvantage."

"Regarding the imperial court's suppression of the market amount, they have been barely maintaining, arguing on grounds, and have not made an outrageous appeal to increase the amount by 40%."

"But a few days ago, they suddenly changed their course and went against the norm. Ale Tang is not a muddled person. He would do this, and there must be a reason."

"It's just that I can't figure out the reason for a while. It feels like they are deliberately dragging out the time……"

Liu Xuan looked confused and said: "Master, now that the outside of the pass has entered the severe winter, the Remnant Mongols' three major ten-thousand-household tribes are in urgent need of winter supplies and are struggling.

"The Remnant Mongol mission dragging out the time for peace talks, isn't this looking for trouble for themselves?"

The middle-aged man said: "Therefore, whether it is Anda Khan or Ale Tang, they are outstanding figures on the desert."

"They would make such a decision that violates common sense, absolutely not without a target, and there must be a reason we don't know."

"The more this situation is, the more dangerous and unpredictable the risks implied in this matter will be."

"However, this has nothing to do with us. Let the Emperor and the court ministers worry about it."

"Actually, no matter what the result of the peace talks is, I am afraid that war is inevitable."

Liu Xuan looked surprised and asked: "Master, what do you mean by this? If this is the result, why did Anda Khan send a mission to the capital to seek peace?"

The middle-aged man said: "The confrontation between the two countries, peace talks are just a cover for mutual buffering, whether it is to fight for interests or to explore the truth."

"The current Emperor ascended the throne by strange and absolute means, and the block in his heart is hard to dissipate. He is determined to govern diligently, surpassing his predecessors."

"In the past few years, he met a genius like Jia Cong, took advantage of the situation to vigorously develop firearms, and used the power of firearms to cleanse military power and remove the hidden potential left by the Retired Emperor's nobles."

"Now he has completely controlled the Five Military Camps and has been collecting the border armies of the Nine Towns day by day. The year before last, he appointed Gu Yankui as the Nine Provinces Commander to patrol and suppress the Nine Passes."

"Last year, he used the Datong Salt and Iron Case to cleanse more than ten important military officials below the Datong border army total soldier, all of whom were given cleansing."

"Even the neighboring Datong Town was affected not a little, and the imperial court borrowed the situation to transfer many military officials."

"Among the important towns of the Nine Passes, the Liaodong Town has been controlled by the Emperor since he ascended the throne. The Liaodong total soldier Pingyuan Liang Chengzong was supported by him."

"The Count Weiyuan Jia Cong, who is now valued by the Emperor, also emerged from the Liaodong army and is dazzling."

"Everything here can be traced. The current Emperor is really not a simple character. His desire for merit has a strange persistence."

"Flattening the Jurchens, expanding the land by thousands of miles, the Emperor's appetite has become bigger. Anda Khan is the heart and abdomen trouble of the imperial court in the north of the desert. How can others snore beside the bed?"

"Conversely, the Tuman tribe's Anda Khan, counting the decline of the Golden Family for nearly a hundred years, is a rare hero."

"This person has always been ambitious, uniting the three major ten-thousand-household tribes, with more than 200,000 soldiers under his command, dreaming of restoring the glory of his ancestors."

"Even if the imperial court makes concessions in the peace talks, and the Remnant Mongols win a 40% market amount, will Anda Khan be satisfied with this?"

"The monarchs of the two states are both ambitious people. Two tigers fight. No matter what the result of the peace talks is, Da Zhou and the Remnant Mongols will have a battle!"

……

Liu Xuan looked surprised and said: "Master, Anda Khan has strong soldiers and horses, and the Mongol cavalry is brave and good at fighting. Once the war starts, won't Da Zhou suffer?"

The middle-aged man smiled: "Although Anda Khan is strong, once the war starts, Da Zhou might suffer a little, and the war might be deadlocked."

"But the Mongols are no longer what they used to be, and they are no longer in the trend of sweeping the north and south and being invincible in the world. Da Zhou is not as weak as the former Song."

"After a hundred years of crossing the south, the Han people were trapped in Jiangnan, learned from the pain, slept on brushwood and tasted gall, and only then did Li Tianmin restore the Central Plains and chase the dead and chase the north."

"Since then, successive monarchs have gone out of the pass several times, constantly weakening the Remnant Mongol forces, and the Mongols have suffered heavy losses, long ago not what they used to be."

"The Han people have been honed for a hundred years after crossing the south, and the idea of protecting their homes and guarding the soil and hating different races has long been deeply rooted and difficult to erase."

"What is the use of Anda Khan's strong soldiers and horses? Unless he can slaughter the Han people."

"Otherwise, if he wants to imitate his ancestors and ask for the Central Plains again, it is just a daydream."

"The Mongols have become frogs at the bottom of the well, still claiming to be heroes with curved knives and fast horses, but they don't know that the world has long been very different, and they have underestimated the heroes of the world."

"At the beginning, the Jurchen Three Guards of Liaodong were fierce and brave, not much worse than the Mongol elite."

"But Jia Cong relied on more than ten new-style cannons and meticulous and thorough arrangements to achieve the great victory at Yafu Pass and break the Jurchen Three Guards."

"At Qingyuanji, relying on more than a thousand firearm soldiers, he surrounded and annihilated the remaining leaders of the Three Guards and destroyed their blood seeds."

"Wind and clouds gather, heroes emerge, the world is no longer the original world……"

Liu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Master is right. Although Anda Khan claims to have 200,000 soldiers, his Tuman tribe's direct line only accounts for more than half."

"The remaining nearly 100,000 elite soldiers come from the two major ten-thousand-household tribes of Ordos and Yongxielun."

"Although the strong are respected on the grassland, Anda Khan has the prestige of the Golden Family's direct line, and these two major ten-thousand-household tribes all listen to his drive."

"But Anda Khan wants to drive them like an arm, as convenient as using his own direct line, it is somewhat less smooth and free."

"Conversely, Da Zhou has been established for nearly a hundred years, the north and south rivers and mountains are unified, and the Han people are like ants, no less than millions or tens of millions."

"Once the foreign barbarians are fierce, remembering the past and not forgetting the future, everyone will unite, and the sparks will burn the wilderness, and it will become a burning momentum in an instant."

"It's just that once the war starts, the sword and soldiers have no eyes, and the people in the north will suffer from charcoal." ===== CHAPTER 776 =====

"It is just that once war suddenly erupts, the sword has no eyes, and the people of the North will inevitably suffer."