Chapter 230: The Great Victory at Doyan

"Sister, don't stand on ceremony—treat this as your own home."

Noble Consort Yuan seemed very understanding and honest, and after entering, she didn't put on any airs. She pulled Tuoya to sit beside her, clapped her hands, and said with a smile: "Although you haven't yet received your formal title, that's only a matter of time. Since you've entered the gates of our Great Ming, there are some things your elder sister must tell you."

"Please speak, elder sister—this younger sister is all ears." Tuoya had learned quickly indeed; when she said this, she was exceptionally docile, with none of the boisterous manner she'd had on the grasslands.

Noble Consort Yuan first glanced at the two figures standing very close outside the door, then lowered her voice and said:

"The palace isn't what it used to be. Last year His Majesty was repeatedly targeted by assassins and suffered great fright—he barely held on to his life into this year. Even the Empress was reprimanded over it, and the palace was sifted through several times by the inner depot. So the rules here in the palace have only grown more numerous."

"As a woman of the grasslands, being able to enter the Great Ming's palace is a blessing. You must be careful in everything you do and say, and before you bear a dragon son, be cautious and deferential in all your dealings. While you're still uninvested, it would be best to find a wet nurse and familiarize yourself with palace regulations—you'll have need of them all."

"This younger sister is listening." Tuoya nodded seriously, and in her heart, she had already begun to feel a trace of gratitude toward Noble Consort Yuan.

Noble Consort Yuan gave an "mm" and thought to herself that the girl was teachable. Suddenly she sighed and said: "When I entered just now, that eunuch from the Directorate of the Imperial Horses outside the door must have gone to report to Fang Zhenghua. It wouldn't be good for this to reach His Majesty's ears, so I won't stay longer."

Rising, Noble Consort Yuan added one more instruction: "Remember, sister—no matter how many rules there are in this palace, or how strict the discipline, everything revolves around His Majesty. The Empress is benevolent and His Majesty is sagely. As long as you have right on your side in any matter, going to them to seek justice will never steer you wrong."

"If you have leisure on ordinary days, come to Yikun Palace to find me—we sisters can chat about household matters. You should know, in this palace, we are the ones with the most free time."

Watching Noble Consort Yuan hurry away, Tuoya let out a breath of relief, and in her heart she grew even more curious about the Chongzhen Emperor.

This Great Ming truly was no ordinary place—it exuded an air of majesty and danger everywhere, and even the harem had so many rules and regulations. It was truly stifling.

"On this journey to the Doyan lands beyond the frontier, your minister truly went through fire and water for the dynasty and rolled back from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood." Feng Quan's heart was also quite complicated—although this trip had gone fairly smoothly, it hadn't really been all that smooth.

Compared to the capital, the places he'd stayed along the way were sheer hardship upon hardship. He wasn't much of a rider, and his backside was bruised and sore—after returning home and resting several nights, it still hadn't fully recovered. Thinking back on it, he really was too loyal.

Those Donglin members who'd been taken down—could they, like him, go scurrying off to suffer beyond the frontier at a single word from the Emperor? That was utterly impossible.

"What did you see and hear out there, and what's this about a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood?" The Chongzhen Emperor was somewhat surprised. Old Feng had served through the Tianqi reign and into the present one—he was a seasoned veteran. For him to come back in such a state, could he have encountered something momentous?

"Beyond the frontier is truly a land of bitter cold. Your minister doesn't know what those barbarians have been fighting over for these past several hundred years. The Uriankhai tribes largely have Turkic blood and are also connected to the Northern Khalkha tribes. Looking at it this way, Your Majesty's decision regarding the marriage alliance was truly supremely sagely."

After going out there, although Feng Quan had looked down on them in his heart, he had genuinely witnessed Urmai's prestige among the Uriankhai tribes. By bloodline, Urmai could even claim connections to the Khalkha tribes and the Chahar of the Golden Family.

Seen this way, by using this as a pretext, in the future it might even be possible to pull the Khalkha over to the Great Ming's side.

"Enough—spare me the flattery here. Whether I'm sagely or not, I know it in my own heart. Aside from the bitter cold, was there anything else?" The Chongzhen Emperor waved his hand, his expression turning grim.

"To report to Your Majesty, while your minister was escorting Noble Consort Rou back to court, Jianzhou barbarian troops ambushed us." Feng Quan said this with a face full of relief.

Hearing this, the Chongzhen Emperor asked in confusion: "Did I not issue an edict for Huang Degong of the Ji Garrison to lead men in support? Surely he didn't fear the enemy and refuse to fight?"

"No, no, no." Feng Quan shook his head like a rattle-drum and said hurriedly: "Your minister never saw Regional Commander Huang. I only heard that he first went to make contact with Urmai, and by the time I next received word, it was said that the Ji Garrison had already driven off the Jianzhou troops that had come to intercept us."

"Mm, a happy outcome for all." The Chongzhen Emperor nodded and asked again: "Anything else?"

Before Feng Quan could speak further, a young eunuch from the Directorate of the Imperial Horses ran in from outside the door, his face beaming with joy as he shouted: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! A great victory!"

"A great victory?" The Chongzhen Emperor was both surprised and delighted, but also somewhat puzzled—he hadn't mobilized any major campaign, so where had a great victory come from? So he asked:

"What happened?"

"To report to Your Majesty, Regional Commander Huang of the Ji Garrison led over a thousand cavalry from his own command beyond the frontier and took out Haltai, the commander of the Jianzhou Bordered White Banner at Doyan. Those two thousand Jianzhou cavalry were routed in utter defeat—over a thousand heads taken, every single one a genuine braid!" The young eunuch grew more and more excited as he shouted, and finally began kowtowing with thud after thud.

"Your Majesty, since the Tianqi reign, our Great Ming has never had a great victory beyond the frontier—this is an auspicious omen of resurgence!" Feng Quan's eyes darted about as he quickly stepped forward to say: "With fewer than a thousand cavalry, to rout over two thousand Jianzhou horsemen in one stroke—this shows the strength of the Ji Garrison's troops and the valor of Regional Commander Huang! Moreover, those Uriankhai cavalry who defeated the intercepting Jianzhou horsemen beyond the frontier can still be put to use."

"Now that the Uriankhai and other tribes have just settled into the Six Garrisons' territory, Your Majesty could try recruiting cavalry from among them after a while, to serve the dynasty. And this great victory must be proclaimed to all under heaven—so the world can see the dynasty's finest warriors."

The young eunuch chose the right moment to continue shouting: "Your Majesty, the messenger who rode at full speed from the Ji Garrison to report the victory is currently kneeling outside the hall—shall we—?"

"Summon him into the hall."

"Your humble servant Qi Sheng, battalion commander under Regional Commander Huang of the Ji Garrison, pays respects to His Majesty—ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" This Qi Sheng was a man of iron sinews and bone; his armor was covered in the marks of all manner of blades and spears, and his face still bore traces of blood not yet wiped clean.

"Meritorious officers need not stand on ceremony—bring him a seat!" The Chongzhen Emperor was in a good mood from Huang Degong's sudden surprise, and after Qi Sheng gave thanks and took his seat, he asked:

"How many enemies did you slay on this campaign, and how many of the dynasty's soldiers were lost?"

"To report to Your Majesty, thanks to Your Majesty's boundless heavenly grace, and also thanks to Your Majesty's direction and overall command, our unit completely annihilated the Jianzhou commander Haltai's force of two thousand one hundred and eight riders, taking one thousand four hundred and thirty-two heads. In addition, we pursued and slew over eight hundred surrendered barbarians and Han traitors—these fatherless, motherless villains were not counted among the verified heads of merit!"

As he spoke, Battalion Commander Qi Sheng's expression darkened considerably, and he said hoarsely:

"Our unit lost two hundred and six dead and over six hundred wounded. The roster has been prepared and is presented to Your Majesty."

Looking at the roster respectfully presented by the ceremonial eunuch, the Chongzhen Emperor was deeply moved and said gravely: "I understand. These are loyal martyrs who fought for the nation. Have Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu personally oversee this matter—every one of the fallen on this roster must be enshrined in the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs, so that the world may know the heroes of our Great Ming."

"Your subordinate thanks Your Majesty's heavenly grace on behalf of the soldiers and the commander—long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" Qi Sheng wept with joy, and the thudding of his kowtows echoed through the great hall.