The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 474 Water has no fixed shape
Time is for everyone.

While Timur was recuperating and the State of Yan was unifying the subcontinent, other countries were also developing.

In the Anxi area, the changes in Qin were undoubtedly the greatest.

Although Zhu Chong liked killing people, his military and political abilities were unquestionable.

In the past two years, he has introduced a series of policies to stabilize people's hearts and develop the economy.

The unprecedentedly relaxed policies have attracted a large number of homeless people to attach themselves.

At present, the Qin State has more than 700,000 Han people and the population of other tribes is more than 4.2 million.

In terms of economy, the Sham (local name) region now occupied by the Qin State was originally one of the origins of human civilization.

With fertile land and abundant water resources, agriculture and animal husbandry are very developed.

Previously, the industry was destroyed only because of unrest.

After the establishment of the Qin State, several years of peace and light taxes and levies allowed the agriculture and animal husbandry here to develop rapidly.

Not only can we be self-sufficient in food, but we can even export it.

Not to mention the commercial economy, which is the core hub of trade between the East and the West.

Now he has the exclusive agency rights for all kinds of Ming Dynasty products.

Countless merchants gathered here, bringing gold, silver, jewelry and goods from all over the world, and also brought countless taxes to the Qin State.

With sufficient food and a wealthy treasury, the Qin State, with a population of less than five million, was able to support a standing army of up to 300,000 people.

Among them, there were 50,000 cavalry and 50,000 naval forces.

This does not include the vassal troops of the White Robe tribe and other tribes. If a real war breaks out, they can gather at least 200,000 to 300,000 people.

But beneath the prosperous appearance, there are undercurrents.

Zhu Chong looked at the information in his hand and couldn't help rubbing his temple:

"Is the news accurate?"

Liu Yunniang replied: "Our spies saw it with their own eyes. I also sent another group of spies to investigate."

"We did find traces of Lithuanians among Toghto's lost army."

Zhu Chong was quite speechless: "Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania is not a good person. Toghtomishchi is inviting a wolf into the house."

Liu Yunniang also agreed: "Vytautas is an ambitious man and a troublemaker in Lithuania and Poland."

"But Tuotuo was really helpless. No one expected Hugrut to be so tenacious."

After Timur defeated Tokhtamysh, he supported a person close to him as Khan, Timur Khugurut.

Later, Toghto Mystique took advantage of the war between Timur and Qin to successfully restore the throne and was determined to take revenge.

However, his warlike behavior caused dissatisfaction among many powerful people in the Golden Horde.

For those powerful people, honoring Timur in name wouldn't cost them anything, right?

What's more, Timur was indeed a great ruler, and it is not shameful to respect him as the lord.

If you, Tuotuo Mishi, want to fight to the death with such a hero, aren't you bringing everyone to death?
Timur was not idle while pretending to be sick. He was always supporting Khugrut and Toghramishi in their struggle for power.

Although Tuotuo Mishi had a high prestige, he was still caught in internal and external difficulties.

If he chooses to stop fighting and make peace, and then turns back to appease the people and rectify the internal situation, the problem will actually not be a big deal.

When he was Khan, his political achievements were very good and his prestige was very high.

However, he could not let go of his hatred for Timur.

So he made a choice that no one expected, but was reasonable.

Attract foreign aid.

He found Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania.

Vytautas had always coveted the land of the Golden Horde, so he must have agreed without hesitation.

Then he sent troops to help Toghtomishi suppress the opposition.

Hugrut was forced to migrate far away with his tribe.

After suppressing the internal rebellion, Tokhtamysh assembled an army of 200,000, plus 50,000 from Lithuania, and launched an attack on Timur.

Timur had no choice but to fight.

"Two hundred thousand..." Zhu Chong was speechless: "The population of the Golden Horde was not large to begin with, and some of them were taken away by Hugrut. It's already good enough to gather 100,000 people."

"He either overstated the 200,000 yuan or he exhausted the resources."

Liu Yunniang replied: "Your Majesty is wise. In order to form this great army, Tuotuo lost three of the five men."

"This has caused him to lose the support of the people in the Golden Horde. If he fails, there will be no possibility of making a comeback."

"By the way, in order to increase the chances of victory, he also sent envoys to contact various countries, hoping that everyone would join forces to defeat Timur."

"We have also sent an envoy to Qin, and he is on the way."

Zhu Chong was not surprised by this. In this kind of decisive battle, it was definitely a good thing to have one more ally:
"What about Timur? He didn't react at all?"

Liu Yunniang replied: "Yes, Timur also sent envoys to various countries to issue notes."

"Either help him or remain neutral."

"If you send troops to help him, you can get the spoils after the war."

"If he chooses to be neutral, he can promise not to attack the other party."

"If you send troops to rebel, then you will have to wait for his army's revenge."

"He also sent an envoy to Qin, most likely to stabilize us."

Zhu Chong nodded slightly and asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Liu Yunniang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are making things difficult for me. I will take the responsibility of gathering intelligence. You should discuss this military and national issue with others."

Zhu Chong laughed and said, "Haha...it's my fault now."

"You continue to pay attention to the intelligence of both sides... Well, help me contact Hugrut and establish a solid relationship with him."

Liu Yunniang asked doubtfully, "Are you trying to win him over?"

Zhu Chong said: "I am just making extra preparations."

Liu Yunniang heard that he didn't want to say more, so she didn't ask any more questions and stood up to leave.

Afterwards, Zhu Chong called Li Fang and others, explained the situation to them, and then asked:

"What do you think Qin should do?"

Tang Wei said excitedly: "Hasn't it been agreed long ago? While the two sides are fighting, we will destroy Timur from behind."

Zhu Chong paused for a moment, a kind smile appeared on his face, and he said:

"It's really a bit difficult for you to give advice, just sit down and listen."

Tang Wei sat down angrily. His IQ was looked down upon again, but this was indeed what they had agreed on before.

How can you change your orders every day?

Li Fang said seriously: "From a strategic point of view, joining forces with the weak to attack the strong is the best strategy."

“It’s just that Tokhtamysh was introduced to Lithuania, and the situation is different.”

Xu Yingxu asked doubtfully, "Lithuania only has 50,000 people, and it's a long expedition, so the impact on the situation shouldn't be that big, right?"

Li Fang said: "It's not that simple..."

"Marquis Anping has repeatedly reminded us to be careful of the Far West countries and the Basic Religion."

"Over the years, I have been collecting intelligence about that place."

"Since the founding of Christianity, the Far West countries have been caught in an endless religious war."

"It's mainly the expansion of Christianity, which is encroaching on other religions."

"Ten years ago, Lithuania announced its conversion to Christianity, which meant that the Far West had completely become the home of Christianity."

"And Lithuania has always coveted the lands in the southern part of the Golden Horde."

"Once they succeed, it will also mean the entry of fundamentalists. We will then face fundamentalists head-on."

Zhu Chong was very satisfied, and he felt that Li Fang had been trained well.

Although Chen Jingke reminded us, if we don't have a global perspective, we won't be able to see these clues.

Thinking of this, he added aloud:
"The 50,000-strong Lithuanian army is made up of forces such as the Teutonic Knights and the Vatican."

"These people are most enthusiastic about proselytizing, and their purpose in forming a coalition is self-evident."

"Although we are not afraid of fundamentalism, Qin is currently in its infancy, and there is no need to get into a long-term stalemate with them."

"Letting the Golden Horde block it in the far west is the most advantageous situation for us."

"And it also fits the strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf that Anping Hou originally formulated."

The so-called "driving a tiger to devour a wolf" means using Islam to confront and attack Christianity.

Zhu Chong did not like these two religions. To be more precise, he had no good feelings towards all monotheistic religions.

But relatively speaking, Islam is easier to approach.

First of all, although it does not support ancestor worship, it does not explicitly oppose it either. No one will really do anything to you if you worship your ancestors.

Second, it is more inclusive than Christianity - of course, only relatively speaking.

In fact, early Christianity was even more extreme, with people either being our enemies or us.

Islam is more inclusive and even allows Christians to operate freely within their sphere of influence, establish churches, etc.

Culturally, Islam once played a leading role.

For example, modern libraries were founded by them, and modern universities were also the prototypes they explored.

Why did they later become synonymous with conservative extremism?
Because I’m falling behind.

If we fall behind and cannot find new ways out, we will become extremely conservative.

At least during the Ming Dynasty, Islam had not yet taken the extreme path, but Christianity was the extreme and dark one.

At first, Zhu Chong disagreed with many of Chen Jingke's plans.

This includes the plan to drive out the tiger and devour the wolf.

After understanding the situation here and the status of Islam and Christianity, I can only admire them.

I also fully support the plan of driving the tiger to devour the wolf.

Of course, the biggest reason why he was so cautious was that he was not strong enough.

If the Qin State had the strength of the Ming Dynasty, it would have crushed all religions, including Christianity and Islam.

At present, Qin does not have this strength and can only adopt a pragmatic approach.

Xu Yingxu frowned slightly and said, "We want to help Timur? But what about the King of Jin?"

Zhu Chong said: "It doesn't matter. It will take several years for the third brother to pacify the Western Regions, and he is temporarily unable to launch an attack on Timur."

"Although Yan State has unified Sindhu, the internal situation is still not completely pacified. It will take time to stabilize people's hearts."

"Timur was entangled by Tokhtamysh and had no time to care about other things, which gave them time."

Xu Yingxu thought about it and realized that it was true.

It took the State of Qin five or six years to reach its current situation. It is impossible for the King of Jin and the King of Yan to achieve it overnight.

Everyone needs time.

Moreover, the original plan was not to send troops directly against Timur.

Instead, taking advantage of the fact that Timur was tied up by Toghtomish and had no time to take care of other things, the Prince of Jin sent troops to take over the Western Regions.

The King of Qin and the King of Yan sent troops to carry out strategic deterrence on the flanks to relieve the pressure on the King of Jin.

After the Prince of Jin conquered the Western Regions and the Prince of Yan completely conquered Sindhu, the three parties sent troops to encircle and suppress Timur.

Therefore, there is no conflict in supporting Timur and the King of Jin in attacking the Western Regions.

At this time, Li Fang said with a serious face: "My Qin State also needs time."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that we are now prosperous, but we are actually surrounded by powerful enemies." "Kara Yusuf of the Black Sheep Kingdom is ambitious. He appears to be respectful, but in fact he has always coveted the wealth of the Qin Kingdom."

"In the past two years, he has played both sides between Qin and Timur, and also taken in many Jews."

"They will certainly attack us from behind at the critical moment."

"The Ottoman Empire in the West, and its monarch Bayezid was also a powerful ruler."

"The year before last, we defeated the Hungarian, German, French and other coalition forces at the Nico (Fort) Fortress and occupied almost all of Himes (Balkans)."

"It is said that it has shown a strong interest in the eastern territories, and the next step of expansion will definitely be towards Egypt or us."

"But whether his target is Egypt or Qin, we must send troops."

Egypt has been regarded as a piece of fat meat in the mouth of the Ming Dynasty, so naturally it will not allow others to get involved.

"And we also have hidden dangers within. The Persians have split into two factions."

"One is the Azasa faction that we support, and they are more submissive to us."

"The other faction is composed of the original Safi sect."

"They think we have settled in the Sharm area and will not give it to them."

"They think we are deceiving them, so they are quite hostile to us."

"There are clues that they are in collusion with the Black Sheep Nation and may stab us in the back at a critical moment."

"These hidden dangers must be eliminated while taking this opportunity."

Tang Wei said bitterly, "What a bunch of ungrateful bastards. I really want to kill them all."

On the contrary, Xu Yingxu asked with a twinkling look in his eyes: "Do we really want to give up this place?"

It's no wonder he thought so. The Qin State had cultivated this land for five or six years, and people had long regarded it as their home.

Who would be willing to move away in the future?
Moreover, although the Anxi Plateau has natural barriers to defend, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

However, the soil and water there are not even close to those in the Sham region, and the potential for development is far less.

Therefore, it is no wonder that the Safavid sect thought that Qin was deceiving them.

Anyone would think so.

Everyone looked at Zhu Chong, as he had the final say.

Zhu Chong's face was serious, and he said: "Even you don't want to leave, let alone ordinary people."

"This matter cannot be delayed any longer. We must take this opportunity to destroy the Black Sheep Kingdom and seize the Anxi Plateau."

At this time, someone whispered, "Is it necessary to give it up? If we give the Anxi Plateau to the Persians, we can also let them attack the Black Sheep Kingdom. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

Many people expressed their support, saying that the Sham area is very suitable for living.

How can you give up a good place to others and live in a bad environment yourself?

Zhu Chong's face suddenly darkened, but before he could say anything, Li Fang shouted:
"Shut up. I didn't expect you guys to be so short-sighted."

"I won't talk to you about the big principles anymore. I'll just ask you a simple question."

"The world is divided into five parts. Do you want Guanzhong or Xuzhou?"

Everyone made the choice without hesitation: "Of course it is Guanzhong. There is the Guanzhong Plain inside and there are natural barriers outside."

"Occupying this place allows us to attack or defend, and it is the foundation of the dynasty."

"Xuzhou has no strategic location to defend and is located at a strategic point in traffic, making it a place of war on all sides..."

The more they spoke, the quieter the crowd's voices became. It was obvious that they understood.

If the entire Anxi is regarded as the Ming Dynasty, then the Sham area is Xuzhou, and the Anxi Plateau is Guanzhong.

This is the situation of the Qin State now. It is surrounded by enemies on all sides and has no strategic location to defend.

If Timur had not been held back by Toghtomish, the Qin State would be having a hard time now.

Retreating to the Anxi Plateau may seem unwise, but in fact it turns passivity into initiative, and from then on, one can attack or defend.

"The land of the Anxi Plateau is inferior to that of the Sham region, but it is not completely barren and uncultivable."

"There is no problem in feeding tens of millions of people."

"How many of us are there now?"

"And if we occupy this place, we can better control Anxi Bay and develop maritime trade."

"The commerce of my Qin will be more prosperous than it is now."

Moreover, by occupying this place, we can better push the Persians to the front and let them deal with foreign enemies.

If Qin continued to occupy the Sham region and gave the plateau to the Persians, the situation would be reversed.

The Persians can develop with peace of mind, and the Qin State will provide them with protection from the wind and rain.

However, Zhu Chong also knew that everyone's concerns were correct, so he gave a guarantee:
"We will not give the entire Sham region to the Persians, but will cut it into several parts and distribute them to different subordinates."

"The part near the Anxi Plateau still belongs to the Qin State."

"So, you don't have to worry about food."

Everyone was finally persuaded and gave up the idea of ​​staying.

Once the top leaders have unified their thinking, the rest will be easy.

Then, the Qin State began to mobilize its army and prepare for war.

Such a big thing naturally could not be kept secret, but their explanation to the outside world was that they were on guard against Timur.

This is an excuse that is so appropriate that no one will doubt it.

It is quite normal for the Qin State to be on guard against Timur.

Moreover, based on the scale of the military mobilization, everyone speculated that it was not just a simple matter of prevention.

This was clearly an attempt to take advantage of the situation to kill Timur.

A war is about to begin, and the reactions of all parties will naturally be different.

Kara Yusuf, the leader of the Black Sheep Kingdom, was so happy that he could reap the benefits while two tigers were fighting.

Therefore, they began to quietly gather troops and prepare to take action according to the situation.

The ruler of the Muzaffar Empire, Shah Mansur, also began to gather his troops, but his purpose was to defend.

Who knows if those people will take advantage of the chaos to destroy them, so it’s better to be cautious.

The princes in white robes came over excitedly, ready to send their subordinate troops to assist in the battle.

They had tasted the sweetness of following the Qin State in battles and reaping the spoils of war.

When it comes to fighting, they are even more enthusiastic than the Qin State itself.

On the contrary, in Qin State, the atmosphere became solemn and the number of people on the streets was obviously many times less.

Merchants also withdrew from Qin in large numbers.

Li Fang secretly shook her head, this is because the people have a serious lack of confidence in the country.

If it were the Ming Dynasty, no matter how fierce the fighting was in the front, the people in the rear would just do what they had to do.

Because the people believed that the Ming Dynasty would definitely win, there was no need to panic.

The reason why they insisted on establishing themselves on the Anxi Plateau was also based on this consideration.

The natural barrier not only stabilizes the rear area, but also helps to stabilize the people's hearts.

Just survive one or two generations.

After the news that Qin was preparing to attack Timur spread, disputes arose among the Persians.

Azasa's faction believed that troops should be sent to assist.

This was agreed upon at the beginning.

What's more, the Persians would not think that the land was given for free, right?

The Safavids believed that the Qin was a liar and the Persians could not continue to be deceived.

The two sides got into a dispute.

At this time, Zhu Chong sent someone to find Azasa and said straight to the point:
"My attack on Timur was fake. My real purpose was to take this opportunity to capture the Black Sheep Kingdom."

Azasa was overjoyed: "Really? No, I'm not doubting you...it's just that this news is too unexpected."

Zhu Chong smiled and said, "I understand how you feel, but there is something I must remind you of."

Azasa said quickly: "If you have any requests, please let me know."

Zhu Chong shook his head and said, "It's not a request, but a friendly reminder."

"I heard that you had some problems internally."

"Have you ever thought about who will have the final say in Persia after our Qin withdraws from this place?"

"My friend, you don't want to make wedding clothes for others, do you?"

Azasa forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. It's just a small disagreement. It won't be a big deal..."

Zhu Chong interrupted him and said, "I told you, I'm just giving you a friendly reminder."

"In fact, a Persian country with constant internal strife is most beneficial to me."

Azasa's expression also became serious.

He knew that what Zhu Chong said was right. A unified Persia would be more powerful and more difficult to control.

The Qin State can only operate better if it is internally divided.

Zhu Chong continued, "But Anping Hou attaches great importance to the friendship between China and Persia."

"I don't want Persia to fall into division before it is restored. Let me remind you to solve the hidden danger as soon as possible."

Azasa was moved and said: "Marquis Anping is a great benefactor to the Persians... I swear to Allah that the Persians will never betray the Chinese."

Zhu Chong reminded: "You cannot represent all Persians yet."

Azasa's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "It will be soon, Your Majesty, please wait and see."

Zhu Chong was very satisfied and asked, "Do you need my help?"

Azasa shook her head and said, "Thank you. I think it's better if we can solve it ourselves."

Fearing that Zhu Chong might misunderstand, he explained: "This is an internal conflict among the Persians. If the Qin State gets involved, its hands will be stained with Persian blood."

"It will inevitably make many Persians dissatisfied and even hate Qin, which is not conducive to exchanges between the two countries."

Persian nobles have been intermarrying for thousands of years, and their relationships are complicated.

Even though they are divided into two factions, they are actually relatives in every way.

It doesn’t matter if there are some stupid fights inside, whoever has the bigger fist will be the boss.

If outsiders get involved, it's a different story.

If you kill my relatives, you are my enemy.

Zhu Chong naturally understood this, so he said:
"That's fine, but it's best to resolve this matter as soon as possible and not delay sending troops to the Black Sheep Nation."

Azasa said solemnly: "Don't worry, my king. The 40,000 Persian troops will fight to the death."

Zhu Chong had no doubt about this.

This battle was nominally fought to help the Qin State destroy the Black Sheep State, but in reality it was fought for the Persians themselves.

They must have fought to the death.

Just when the Qin State was busy preparing for war, Timur's envoys, who were still on the way, finally received the news.

You can imagine how worried they are.

There were also differences among them. Some thought there was no need to go to Qin, while others thought they should do their best to fight for it.

After discussion, they chose to continue their mission.

Regardless of success or failure, we must first meet the King of Qin.

And Zhu Chong had already been waiting for their arrival.

(End of this chapter)