Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1029 1024 [Private Letter between the Emperors of the Two Countries]

Before Lin Chong suppressed the rebellion of the barbarians in western Sichuan, a big battle was also going on in Mobei.

The Mongolian leader Kublai Khan and the Kereyid leader Beilu Khan jointly sent 70,000 troops to the north to attack the Merkit tribe.

The Mongolian and Kereyid coalition forces successfully captured the southeastern area of ​​Lake Baikal. The Merkit tribe once again fled into the dense forests to fight guerrilla warfare, and constantly launched roundabout raids or ambushes on the coalition forces.

The coalition forces suffered increasing casualties, but they could not find the main force of the Merkit tribe.

At this moment, the Balahu tribe suddenly stabbed the Merkit tribe in the back and ambushed them while they were on the move.

The Balahu tribe was a branch of the Rouran tribe, living in the western foothills of the Greater Khingan Range. In the past few decades, they have been migrating northwards and have even migrated to the northeast of Lake Baikal.

They had previously helped the Merkit tribe to plunder the Kereyids and the Mongols, but this time they were bribed by the Kereyids and the Mongols.

Kublai Khan and Beilu Khan each took out some valuables, including iron pots, salt, and cloth obtained from trade with the Ming Dynasty.

If placed in the Ming Dynasty, these treasures would only be worth one or two thousand strings of cash. But the Balahu tribe was so poor that they were easily lured by the coalition forces and stabbed their allies without any psychological burden.

The three parties joined forces to attack the Merkits!

The Merkit tribe suffered heavy losses and could only flee to more remote mountains and forests. Not only were many people and livestock taken away, but they also completely lost the territory around Lake Baikal.

As a result, the Balahu tribe's power grew dramatically, and they almost turned Lake Baikal into their own inland lake.

The southern part of Lake Baikal was divided between the Kerait and Mongolian tribes, and a small-scale conflict broke out over the spoils of war, such as territory, population, and livestock.

Although the leaders of each side were very restrained, everyone knew in their hearts: the Kerait and Mongolian tribes were going to fight again!

The common enemy has been defeated, so the former allies are enemies.

Of course, we can't fight for the time being.

After all, everyone is an ally and sent troops together. If a war breaks out before withdrawing, it will be too embarrassing if it gets out.

The leaders of the Kerait, Mongolian and Balahu tribes held an alliance meeting on the shore of Lake Baikal by killing a blue ox and a white horse. They swore to be sworn brothers and strictly defined their respective borders, agreeing that no party would cross the border, otherwise the other two parties would swear to attack them together.

The weakest Balahu tribe was actually just a supplement to the alliance.

The leader of the Balahu tribe did not even dare to call himself Khan. After the meeting, he immediately sent people to the Ming Dynasty to request for enthronement.

However, the envoys sent by the Balahu tribe were intercepted and killed in the territory of the Kerait tribe, and only one person escaped to the jurisdiction of Han Shizhong with injuries.

Han Shizhong sent people to question Beilu Khan, but Beilu Khan said that it was the work of the Mongolian tribe. The Mongolians disguised themselves and crossed the border to kill the envoy, and then took the opportunity to put the blame on the Kerey tribe, and deliberately let a survivor go!
The incident of intercepting and killing the envoy became an unsolved case, and it was impossible to tell who did it.

But since it concerns the dignity of the Ming Dynasty, it must be treated severely!

When the news reached Luoyang, Zhu Ming convened a meeting of ministers and made the following corresponding measures:
First, he conferred the title of "King of the North Sea" on the leader of the weakest Balahu tribe and rewarded him with 500 sets of armor that were eliminated by the Ming Dynasty.

Second, he gave 500 sets of armor to the Wanggu tribe south of the Kerey tribe, and 500 sets of armor to the remnants of the Tatar tribe who were driven south by the Mongols. He ordered the Wanggu tribe and the remnants of the Tatar tribe to guard against the invasion of the Kerey tribe and the Mongols from the south, respectively.

Third, he sent envoys to reprimand Beilu Khan and Kublai Khan, and ordered the Kereyid and Mongolian tribes to pay money together to compensate for the losses of the Balahu delegation that was intercepted and killed.

Fourth, let Yue Fei and Han Shizhong store up food and fodder, observe the changes in Mobei, and send troops north when the time comes.

Fifth, enthroning Beilu Khan's younger brother as the King of Gur (Jur Khan) might help split the Kereyid tribe - at that time, the overall strength of the Kereyid tribe was stronger than that of Mongolia.

The world line of Mobei is in chaos and has completely changed compared with the history books.

Even Zhu Ming couldn't guess how the situation would develop, but it was certain that a war would break out between the Kerait and Mongolian tribes. It could be a direct war involving tens of thousands of people, or it could be constant small-scale frictions that would provoke anger on both sides before fighting again.

……

Western Liao, Hu Sihan’s ears.

The envoys led by Ma Kuo and Xiao Zhongxuan arrived here in late autumn.

Yelu Dashi, who was seriously ill, seemed to suddenly come to life and actually rode out of the city on horseback to greet them.

The next day, a banquet was held.

Yelu Dashi said with a smile on his face: "Messenger Ma is an old friend, and Messenger Xiao is also an old acquaintance. After not seeing each other for so many years, it is really a great joy to meet two old friends again. Come, have a drink!"

Ma Kuo raised his cup but did not drink. Instead, he said, "The Chinese emperor was very worried when he heard that you were seriously ill, so he sent us here to express his condolences. Great Khan, please do not drink. Take care of yourself so that you can rule the Western Regions for a long time."

Yelu Dashi smiled and said lightly, "I was indeed ill not long ago, but I have recovered now. Your Majesty does not need to worry about me."

"Then drink less." Xiao Zhongxuan said.

Yelu Dashi said, "Well, since you two have given me advice, I will follow your advice and drink less."

He walked down the steps, fearing that he would faint from drinking. After a banquet, Yelu Dashi returned to his palace. As soon as he entered the palace, he looked painful and was helped by the guards to lie down.

Xiao Chala Abu came to see him soon, handed over a paper bag and said, "This is a gift from the Emperor of Ming. It is mixed with a paper bag with a note from His Majesty himself."

Yelu Dashi opened the paper bag, and inside was an article: "On the Systems of Western Liao and the Black Khanate" - by Zhu Yang, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Yang wrote this paper, he gave it to the cabinet ministers for discussion and revision.

After Yelu Dashi read it carefully, he suddenly broke out in a sweat and even forgot the pain in his body.

Every word and sentence points out the weakness of Western Liao. It is speculated that after Yelu Dashi's death, if Western Liao could not produce another strong ruler, it would inevitably decline rapidly.

Yelu Dashi muttered to himself, "The crown prince of Ming has such insight. The Zhu family has a successor. Even his son is familiar with the situation of the Liao Dynasty. It seems that there are many spies hidden in those Han merchant caravans."

Xiao Chala Abu asked: "Should we capture and kill the Han merchant caravan?"

"It's useless," Yelu Dashi shook his head and said, "The Han merchant caravans are so scared that they dare not come again. In the end, we will be the ones who suffer. Emperor Zhu really has the ambition of Emperor Taizong of Tang. He has already set his sights on our Liao Dynasty. He even took advantage of my serious illness to send envoys to demonstrate to me."

At this time, Ma Kuo and Xiao Zhongxuan asked for a meeting.

Yelu Dashi relaxed for a while, and when he felt a little better, he let the two messengers in.

Ma Kuo asked, "Has the Khan finished reading the article written by our prince?"

Yelu Dashi was too lazy to beat around the bush: "Just tell me, why did Emperor Zhu send you here?"

Ma Kuo said: "The Khan's son is young. If something happens to the Khan, can the crown prince stabilize the country?"

"Of course I can. You don't have to worry about it!" Yelu Dashi said firmly.

Ma Kuo asked with a smile: "Does the Khan know how the Chinese emperor predicts?"

Yelu Dashi asked, "What did he say?"

Ma Kuo said:

"The Chinese emperor said that once Yelu Dashi died, there would be no rebellion in Western Liao for the time being. However, the local nobles he appointed would take advantage of the situation when the ruler was young and the country was in doubt to gradually strengthen their separatist regimes. Then there would be foreign invasions, or local nobles would attack each other. The Western Liao court would have no choice but to send troops to intervene. If they won, they would gain nothing, but if they lost, their prestige would be greatly damaged."

"This will happen again and again, and the Western Liao emperor's prestige will be lost little by little. After 20 or 30 years, when the veteran generals are dead or old, the Western Liao will be completely finished. If you're lucky, you can become the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period. If you're unlucky, you can only become the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty during the Warring States Period. It's already God's help that the country can last for a hundred years, and the premise is that the Ming Dynasty does not send troops to the Western Regions."

Yelu Dashi did not correct that "Western Liao" should be called "Great Liao", but instead tried to probe: "When will Emperor Zhu send troops to attack? Maybe I will counterattack and go to Luoyang to have a drink with him!"

Ma Kuo laughed and said, "Let's not talk about whether the Khan can still lead the army to fight. Just think about those soldiers in the Western Regions. Are they really willing to travel thousands of miles to fight? I'm afraid that before they even reach Luoyang, if they suffer a defeat in the Hexi Corridor, the Western Liao expeditionary army will be in internal turmoil."

Xiao Zhongxuan said: "The Jin Emperor Wuqimai died of old age in Luoyang. The Song Emperor Zhao Huan is still serving as an official in the Ming Dynasty. The Western Xia Emperor Li Renxiao settled in Kaifeng to prepare for the imperial examination. The King of Goryeo has also surrendered his country and is currently serving as the Duke of the Ming Dynasty in Luoyang."

Yelu Dashi sneered: "You want to persuade me to surrender? How can I surrender without a fight?"

Ma Kuo said: "If the Khan doesn't think about himself, he should think about his descendants."

Yelu Dashi said: "We will fight with real swords and guns, even if I die and my country is destroyed. There is no need to say more about this matter. If the Ming country wants to send troops, just come and kill us."

Ma Kuo smiled slightly and held out the letter with both hands: "This is a personal letter from the Emperor of China."

It’s really a private message, and the content sounds like it’s written to an old friend.

"Brother Dezhong, I appreciate your kindness... We have never met each other, but we have known each other for a long time. Among all the heroes in the world today, only you and Ming are the best. You led thousands of people to conquer the vast territory of the Western Regions. No one has ever surpassed you since ancient times... However, there are many religious sects in Western Liao, separatist regimes are everywhere, and foreign races are rampant. How many Han, Uighur, Khitan, and Tangut people do you have under your command, brother Dezhong?"

"You want to educate the people of the Western Regions, but don't you think about your descendants being assimilated by foreign races and religions and becoming barbarians? I want to restore the prosperity of the Han and Tang dynasties, and I must take the Western Regions. Brother Dezhong will definitely not want to surrender. This letter can be passed on to your wife and shown to the public in times of crisis. If the Ming Dynasty rules the Western Regions, the Han people, Uighurs, Khitans, and Dangxiang can all be relied upon. You should not all die in the war between the two countries..."

Yelu Dashi understood what Zhu Ming meant.

The purpose of sending the envoy this time was not to ask him to surrender immediately.

Instead, he wrote a letter first, and when the Western Liao army was repeatedly defeated by the Ming Dynasty, he asked Yelu Dashi's wife to surrender. This would reduce the death of Han, Uighur, Khitan and Dangxiang people, facilitate the Ming Dynasty's future rule in the Western Regions, and Yelu Dashi's family and generals would also be able to survive.

Yelu Dashi sent the Ming envoy away and lay in bed in a daze, enduring the pain all over his body.

Although Emperor Zhu did not write in the letter when he would send troops, he asked Yelu Dashi to give the letter to the Queen of Western Liao for safekeeping. This statement almost made it clear that as long as Yelu Dashi died, the Ming Dynasty would immediately take action.

Emperor Zhu planned to bully orphans and widows again, and sent troops while the Western Liao ruler was young and in doubt!
At some point, Queen Xiao Tabuyan was already standing in front of the bed.

Yelu Dashi handed over Zhu Ming's private letter: "After I die, the Ming army will surely invade. You should mobilize troops to resist with all your strength, but you cannot delay. Circulate this letter to all the generals. Let them... surrender."

Xiao Tabuyan read the letter carefully and wanted to say something comforting, but in the end it turned into a sigh.

Yelu Dashi said: "Emperor Zhu is a man of great talent and vision, and Emperor Taizong of Tang is not a man of ordinary character, he will not bother with you. After surrendering, you can take your children to live in Luoyang, and at least you can enjoy wealth and prosperity for two or three generations. It's a pity, if I can live another twenty years..."

(You said I was paid to promote books, so I will charge you again. I read a few chapters of From Anxi to Datang, which has a bit of the flavor of Jie and 2. If you like this style, you can go and read it.)
(End of this chapter)