Chapter 319: Preparation

The setting sun finally sank below the horizon.

The last streak of dark red light faded from the high windows, and the great hall fell into a dim yellow.

The candlesticks were lit one by one, the flames leaping, stretching and distorting the silhouettes of those kneeling on the floor.

Zhu Yong still sat on that throne.

He had been seated for an hour.

Since Tie Mu Er uttered the word "fu," he had not moved again.

He is waiting...

Waiting for these people to digest what happened today.

Tie Mu Er stood beside the throne, his right leg unable to bear weight, and he leaned slightly against a pillar.

Several of his sons were still kneeling below, their knees numb, yet none dared to move.

The officials of the Timur Empire had knelt for a full hour, never raising their heads.

A few of the older ones began to tremble, ready to faint at any moment.

But no one dared to speak.

The foreign envoys were allowed to stand, yet none dared to sit.

They crowded on one side of the hall, like a flock of startled sheep.

Zhu Yong's gaze slowly swept over their faces.

Ao Si Man's envoy, dressed in a dark green robe, wrapped in a white headscarf, sporting a goat beard.

His complexion was pale at this moment, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

The Portuguese envoy, the one called Pedro, stood relatively straight, but his fingers kept trembling.

A few others—from Egypt, from the Jinzhang Khanate, from the Delhi Sultanate… each more panicked than the last.

"Rise."

Zhu Yong suddenly spoke.

His voice was soft, yet unusually clear in the deathly silent hall.

The officials of the Timur Empire, as if granted a pardon, struggled to rise, yet dared not stand straight, each hunched over like a swarm of tiny shrimp.

Tie Mu Er's sons also tried to stand, but their legs were numb; they supported each other to barely steady themselves.

"Zhang Wu."

"The subordinate is here!"

"Take His Majesty Tie Mu Er and his several princes down and settle them properly."

Zhu Yong paused briefly, looking at Tie Mu Er.

"Tie Mu Er, I, the king, promised you to spare your lives, and I will keep my word."

Tie Mu Er moved his lips, as if to speak, but finally only nodded.

When he was led away, he glanced back at the throne.

It had been his seat for twenty years.

Now, the master has changed.

After Tie Mu Er and his son were taken away, Zhu Yong's gaze fell on those foreign envoys.

"Gentlemen, sorry for startling you; go rest first! Any matters can be discussed later."

The sixteenth year of Hongwu, July 11, the third ke of the hour of Xu.

Night completely enveloped Samarkand.

The daytime clamor had already subsided, replaced by an eerie silence.

Inside the palace's great hall, the lights shone brightly.

Zhu Yong still sat on Tie Mu Er's throne, relaxed, his right hand on the armrest, his left hand resting on his knee.

The hall had been cleared.

The officials of the Timur Empire were taken to a side hall, guarded by designated personnel.

The foreign envoys were also asked to rest; it was called rest, but in fact it was house arrest.

Tie Mu Er himself and several of his sons were locked in a room beside the great hall, watched day and night by soldiers of the Longxiang Army.

Zhang Wu strode into the hall, kneeling on one knee.

"Prince, the city is fully under control, the gates have been replaced with our men, the wall posts have all been taken over, Tie Mu Er's former garrison, the twelve thousand who surrendered, have been placed in three camps outside the city in batches, with five hundred Longxiang Army watching over them."

Zhu Yong nodded.

"What about the prisoners' weapons!"

"All have been confiscated and piled in the city's armory; I have assigned two hundred men to guard them."

"And the granaries?"

"Also secured; the food inside is enough to feed the whole city for three months."

Zhu Yong's mouth twitched slightly.

Three months.

That's enough.

Chen Heng also entered from outside, clasping his fists and saying, "Prince, the palace has been fully searched; we discovered several secret passages, I have already sent men to guard them, and there are some hidden Gold and Silver jewels, a considerable amount, currently being inventoried."

Zhu Yong waved his hand.

"The Gold and Silver matter is not urgent; take it slowly, seal the secret passages, don't let anyone find a loophole."

"Yes..."

Zhu Yong stood up, walked to the hall's doorway, and gazed at the night outside.

The night in Samarkand was very quiet.

It was so quiet it didn't seem like a battle had just taken place.

The townsfolk all hid in their homes, daring not to go out.

On the street only Longxiang Army soldiers were patrolling, their iron boots striking the stone slabs and producing a muffled thud.

In the distance, torches on the city walls formed a line, outlining the whole city's silhouette.

At the highest watchtower, Great Ming's banner fluttered and rustled in the night wind.

Zhu Yong took a deep breath.

Samarkand, the capital of the Timur Empire, had been taken.

But this was only the beginning.

The Timur Empire was vast, its territory sprawling, not much smaller than Great Ming.

Although the capital was captured, there were still three hundred thousand troops outside.

One hundred thousand from Persia, eighty thousand on the Indian frontier, fifty thousand from the Jin Khanate, and another seventy thousand scattered elsewhere.

Those forces were the elite that Tie Mu Er had personally raised.

If they learned the capital had been seized, they would surely fight back.

When that time comes…

Zhu Yong squinted.

Three thousand Longxiang Army against three hundred thousand Timur troops.

This war, we will fight.

……

Later, Zhu Yong walked out of the main hall and onto the city wall.

The night wind blew in, carrying the desert's characteristic dry scent.

In the distance lay endless darkness.

Occasionally a few flickers of fire could be seen, those were the tents of nomads outside the city.

Farther away, a chain of mountains rose, vague and ghostly in the night.

Wang Gui came over and stood beside him.

"Prince, will those sons of Tie Mu Er really bring their troops back obediently?"

Zhu Yong shook his head.

"Not certain, but we have to try; if we can deceive them back it's best, if not…"

He paused, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Then we fight."

Wang Gui nodded, then added, "My troops have already spread the word that Tie Mu Er has been captured by us, the capital also taken; now the news is everywhere inside and outside the city."

Zhu Yong gave him a glance.

"How are the townsfolk reacting?"

"At first they were quite frightened, hiding in houses and not daring to come out; later, seeing that our men caused no harm, didn't loot or kill, they grew bolder—some daring ones even slipped out to watch."

Zhu Yong nodded.

"Keep spreading it, let everyone know Great Ming has arrived, Timur is finished."

"Yes."

……

At dawn the next day, Samarkand's city gates opened.

Longxiang Army soldiers stood at the gate, checking those entering and leaving.

The townsfolk and caravans that had been barred outside began to enter the city one after another.

At first they were trembling, but later realized the iron‑clad soldiers paid them no mind; as long as nothing happened, they could come and go freely.

Gradually, their courage grew.

Some set up stalls to trade, some visited relatives and friends, and some even approached the soldiers, curiously examining their iron armor and weapons.

An old man selling flatbread pushed his cart to the gate, watching the soldiers cautiously.

A young Longxiang Army soldier glanced at him without speaking.

The old man hesitated, then picked up a freshly baked flatbread and offered it.

"Sir, have a taste…"

The soldier stared briefly, waved his hand, indicating no.

The old man persisted, offering again.

"Taste it, just out of the oven, fragrant!"

The soldier, reluctantly, took the flatbread and took a bite.

The old man smiled, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Is it tasty?"

The soldier nodded, pulled out a few copper coins from his pouch, and handed them to him.

The old man waved his hand hurriedly.

"No money, no money, I'm giving it to you, Sir, as a gift."

The soldier shoved the coins into his hand, turned, and walked away.

The old man looked at the coins, then at the iron‑clad soldiers, his eyes filled with mixed feelings.

"Great Ming's men… don't seem that terrifying after all."

A young water seller nearby muttered in a low voice: "Exactly! I just saw them on patrol, passing by a vendor's stall, and they even went out of their way, afraid of bumping into anything."

"When the battle was fought yesterday, I heard many died, all of them were soldiers of Tie Mu Er, the Great Khan."

"That's their own fault; who told them to provoke the Great Ming people?"

"Speak softer, don't let anyone hear."

"..."

……

On the city wall, Zhu Yong watched the scene, a faint smile tugging at his mouth.

The people's hearts, as long as they aren't oppressed, will gradually accept.

In a few months, these common folk will get used to the Great Ming people being here.

In a few years, they will consider themselves as Great Ming people.

That is assimilation.

Zhang Wu strode over, clasped his fists, and said, "Prince, the letter to Tie Mu Er has been written, a messenger has been sent, pushing the horse hard; it should reach Persia in about a dozen days."

Zhu Yong nodded and asked, "How is the accounting of the Grain and Fodder in the city going?"

"The inventory is complete; the granary's food will feed the whole city for three months, and the armory still has plenty of Sword and Spear, bows and arrows. Our people don't need them now, but we can keep them; maybe they'll be useful later."

Zhu Yong thought for a moment and said, "Distribute those Sword and Spear, bows and arrows to the surrendered Tie Mu Er soldiers, let them carry them and help us defend the city."

Zhang Wu was stunned for a moment.

"Prince, if… they were to rebel…"

Zhu Yong waved his hand.

"Don't worry, they won't stir up trouble; just keep an eye on them. Right now the most important thing is to stabilize the situation and wait for reinforcements."

"Yes…"