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Chapter 890 Laying Two Eggs
Regardless of whether it is secular power or religious power, the core is the same thing. This is most obvious in Europe. The pope and the king have been fighting for hundreds of years, and even lost face and buttocks. In the end, it is just a matter of who has the final say.

As long as they are interested, the next step will be easy to negotiate. Most of the conditions can be agreed to, such as the succession of the Khan of Turpan, the preservation of the Yarkand Khanate, the support of the White Mountain faction to fight the Black Mountain faction, etc.

But in return, the Ming Dynasty should station troops in a few cities, protect trade routes and participate in the management of the Khanate to a limited extent. At the very least, it should control the collection of customs taxes. Isn't that too much?
Once the egg is laid, no one can expect to live in peace. Without the threat of external forces, we can still create internal conflicts.

The Khan of Turpan held secular power, and the Khoja of the White Mountain Sect held religious power. Wasn't there someone who wanted to seize both powers? Where there is desire, there must be weakness.

Even if these two leaders are demigods, have no distractions, and are satisfied with the status quo, Hong Tao has to find a way to make them have distracting thoughts and be dissatisfied. If you all lie down, how can I hatch my eggs!
In fact, there is no need to worry that they will become Buddhas immediately after getting power. Those who can use external forces to oppress their own people for their own selfish desires have already reached a negative bottom line. If they are tempted a little and see that they can get even more power, they will definitely continue to do things like stabbing their brothers in the back.

Whenever there was a dispute between the secular Khan and the religious Khoja, the Ming Empire would stand aside and act as a referee while eating melon seeds, and would play a decisive role no matter which side it leaned towards.

And then... Hong Tao will not favor either side, but will help whoever is weak and do his best to prevent either side from falling.

When both sides have crossed the bottom line, done the most immoral things, caused great dissatisfaction among the people under their rule, and their strength has been almost exhausted, then they will choose the side that is most beneficial to the Ming Dynasty to support. Through the hands of puppets, the other side will be eliminated openly.

But at this time the winning party will find that the power that they had finally obtained after spending so much effort, losing face, and exhausting their internal strength is not a coveted commodity, but instead becomes a noose around their neck.

If you follow the will of the Ming Empire, the noose will be loosened; if you don't obey, it will be tightened immediately. Don't even think about burning your boats and dying together, because the loser has not been eradicated, but has been deprived of power and kept in captivity, and can be released at any time.

By then, the Ming Empire won't have to take any action, because this mad dog, blinded by defeat, will pounce on them and start biting them. That is true hatred, and it will not stop until one dies, and there will be no way to persuade them.

"More than 1000 years ago, this was the Western Regions Protectorate of the Han Dynasty; more than 900 years ago, this was the Anxi Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty. I am not leading my army here to occupy this place, but to restore the trade route opened up by our ancestors, so that merchants from the Ming Dynasty can sell their goods further west through here.

But even with such a small request, your Khan was unwilling to give it, so I had to take it myself. However, God is merciful, and I am a very kind emperor, and I don't want to see the people displaced. So after eliminating the opposition forces, this place will still be managed by you.

You are also an emir, have you ever thought about taking advantage of this God-given opportunity to expand your family, occupy the best land in Yarkand or Kashgar, and be on an equal footing with the Khans and Khojas?"

But before he could sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, Hong Tao had to practice his skills first, and the target was the little Emir of Ruoqiang. If he got on the right track and showed a little bit of ability, he could be supported to become a pro-Ming force in the future. Anyway, the more chaotic the situation, the better it would be for the Ming Dynasty.

"Riyue Khan is the savior of the Amir family and the messenger sent by God to save all living beings. The Abash family cannot disobey the will of God!"

Even though some words and sentences may not fit the original meaning through translation, Abash still heard the main idea and gave a definite answer in a very representative way without much hesitation. It is said that it is good to have faith, which is really useful at critical moments. Listen to what others say, how open and selfless they are. The responsibility lies entirely with others. He is at most a partial listener.

"Hehehe... I have high hopes for you! Go back and settle your family first, then bring your granddaughter and go to Yarkand City with me."

Hong Tao was very satisfied that he could justify surrendering and relying on foreign tribes for development. That's right, in the face of absolute power, a common man can be brave for a while, but a leader absolutely cannot.

Because being a common man is just one person's choice, but being a leader is related to the life and death of thousands of people. If you don't have this kind of awareness and ability, then your basic skills are not up to standard, you are not worthy of being a leader, let alone cooperating with me.

"...Riyuehan, Gulandam is only 15 years old and has never traveled far. I can find tribesmen who are familiar with the route to lead the army, and we will also provide food and fodder!" But Abash seemed unwilling to accept this honor, mainly because he was not satisfied with the candidate.

"Don't think too much. I want you two to be translators and advisors. If you encounter an emir who is also oppressed by the Khan and the Black Mountain faction, persuade them in time not to become my enemy. This can save thousands of lives, and Allah will be happy!"

No matter how tactfully he said it, Hong Tao could see some hidden worry in the old man's eyes. But there was no room for negotiation. Since he was going to bring an interpreter, it would be more comfortable to bring someone who was pleasing to the eye.

Besides, it is not safe to always have an adult man whose background is unknown hanging around you. It would be much easier if you had a young girl instead.

"Pingtou, take this letter, pick a few people from the Warrior Camp, follow Abash's people to Guazhou, and personally hand it to Sun Chengzong. The sooner you go, the sooner you return. I am waiting for Sun Chengzong's reply!"

The actual situation has changed, and the battle plan must also change accordingly. This time the key point is not the surprise and rapid advance of the southern army, but the joint efforts of the north and south.

The general outline has been written clearly by myself, and the specific details and contingency plans will be worked out by Sun Chengzong and his staff. However, it is still impossible to predict whether it will succeed or not, and it must also be based on the situation faced by the Northern Army.

Moreover, they only listened to Abash's oral narration and had no idea of ​​the temperaments of the Khan of Turpan and the Khoja of the White Mountain Sect, so they were unable to make targeted plans. In this regard, the Northern Army had to provide supplementary information.

Therefore, the Southern Army still has to proceed according to the original plan. If the Northern Army succeeds, it will be icing on the cake. If it fails, it will not be a big deal. They just have to continue to execute according to the original plan. The only difference is that they cannot take shortcuts.

No matter what, this battle must be won, and the Western Regions must be taken. We cannot allow someone to occupy such a critical position and strangle the great artery of the Ming Empire.

(End of this chapter)