King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

In the inn.

A luxuriously furnished room.

On weekdays.

This place is only used to entertain the king's first-class people.

The walls of the room are painted with fine lime, the surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting a soft sheen.

Delicate landscape paintings hang on the walls, with delicate brushstrokes and appropriate shades of ink.

The beds in the room are extremely elegant, made of mahogany and carved with exquisite auspicious patterns.

The bed is covered with a gold-woven brocade quilt, which is brightly colored and extremely soft to the touch.

The soft pillow at the head of the bed is embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, and a small and exquisite sandalwood incense burner is placed next to it. The burnt in the burner is fine agarwood, and a light aroma slowly spreads out, filling the whole room with a sense of tranquility and tranquility. Elegant atmosphere.

There is a finely carved mahogany desk placed in the corner of the room. There are several gorgeously bound books and a beautiful jade pen holder on the table, making the whole room look more tranquil and elegant.

Togu Si Timur looked at everything here carefully.

I couldn't help but let out a faint sigh.

This is Daming!
This is China!
After he was captured, he had lived such a luxurious life.

At that time, I was shocked by the luxury and prosperity of Ming Dynasty!

I couldn't even help but question it in my heart.

Such a place of treasures and prosperity.

Dayuan, is there really still a chance?

To know.

His "royal palace" on the grassland was only decorated with some blankets, fabrics and animal skins.

Of course, there are also quite a few gems.

However, compared with the Ming Dynasty's furnishings, those things were vastly different.

No matter how precious gems and animal skins are, they are still natural.

In front of him were various pieces of furniture carved with complicated patterns.

The various luxury fabrics on display are all handmade!

The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty can turn their craftsmanship into the highest level of enjoyment before your eyes.

They can also turn their craftsmanship into the most ruthless weapons on the battlefield.
Togu Si Timur couldn't help but shudder again.

terror!
so horrible!

The days he was held captive were the most peaceful period for him in so many years.

No more guarding against old rebellion.

No need to worry about Ming's attack anymore.

No longer need to fear sneak attacks from hostile tribes.

Although I lost my freedom.

But it’s also safer than ever.

just.

Togu Si Timur still often had nightmares.

In a nightmare.

Flames were burning all over the sky, broken limbs and broken arms were scattered everywhere, and the Mongolian Yuan cavalry fell in pieces.
When I think of that image.

Tuogu Si Timur's heart was as sharp as a knife, and he burst into tears.

It was I who pushed my people's lives to death and into despair.
These Han people are really terrible
Where will the future of the grassland people go?
For a while.

Togu Si Timur fell into confusion.

dong dong dong——!
A knock on the door startled Togu Si Timur.

Togu Si Timur hurriedly wiped his tears and said calmly: "Come in!"

Outside.

A young man's voice sounded.

"You didn't neglect the distinguished guests inside, did you?"

The words fell.

The guards hurriedly replied: "No! How dare you!"

"If this king knows that you dare to neglect him, or he has any dissatisfaction with you!"

Togu Si Timur's face darkened.

These words.

Lan Yu had performed in front of him back then!
Now it's just happening again.

Except for the different sounds, everything is the same!

You Han people
Are you too lazy to change your ways when showing kindness to others?

The door creaked open.

In walked a handsome young man.

It was none other than King Zhu Tan of Lu.

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "This king is Zhu Tan, King of Lu. Is it okay for the Great Khan to live here?"

The Ming Dynasty did not recognize the Northern Yuan regime.

According to Daming.

Although the Ming Dynasty recognized Yuanting's orthodox status.

But since Emperor Yuan Shun fled the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, the orthodox status of the Yuan Dynasty no longer exists, and should be replaced by the Ming Dynasty regime.

Therefore, the imperial title of Togu Si Timur was not recognized in the Yuan Dynasty and even today.

It was naturally impossible for Zhu Tan to call Togu Si Timur his majesty.

At the same time, Togu Si Timur had a Khan position on the grassland, named Usahar Khan.

Therefore, it is best to call him the Great Khan.

It neither seemed disrespectful to him nor violated the principles of Ming Dynasty.

Togu Si Timur was shocked when he heard this.

It turns out that the young man in front of me is the famous King Lu.

I have been a prisoner for many days and have heard the name of King Lu countless times.

This time, the terrifying artillery fire and gun formation were caused by the Lu Wang Wei under the command of Lu Wang Zhu Tan!
Togu Si Timur even heard that King Nalu's guard only had 5,000 people.

Unexpectedly, they were able to divide their troops into two groups and beat Kaiyuan King Naha to death in Jinshan City. At the same time, more than 200,000 Jinshan City defenders surrendered.

On the other hand, they defeated their 250,000-strong army on the grassland and lost their armor, resulting in heavy casualties!
It's hard not to be impressed by such a strong record.

It also made Togu Si Timur deeply remember the vassal king of King Lu.

Tuogu Si Timur looked at Zhu Tan, nodded with some fear, and said honestly: "I slept well! I have never felt so good!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

"That's good! I am also worried that I have neglected the Great Khan! This time I invite the Great Khan to Yingtian just as a guest! The Great Khan must not feel unhappy that he is a prisoner of our army."

Togu Si Timur smiled bitterly.

"I am already a prisoner. No matter how His Highness tries to explain to me, the result is the same. Your Highness came here to find me, probably for the purpose of passing on the imperial seal, right? The Marquis of Yongchang came to me, and the Duke of Song also came to me. Now His Highness Come to me, it’s actually the same thing.

I don’t know anything about the imperial seal!

Your national jade seal has been missing for many years. Although the Great Yuan Dynasty was at its peak, it has never been seen before.
I only have the Great Seal of the Yuan Dynasty here. If you need it, you can take it away at any time. "

Zhu Tan sighed.

"Why should the Great Khan refuse people thousands of miles away?
The imperial seal was acquired by Boyan and passed on for more than seventy years. Later, it was taken to the Mobei grassland by Emperor Yuan Shun. How could such an important thing be lost? "

Don't wait for Timur to deny it.

Zhu Tan smiled again and said: "I know that the Great Khan has grievances against the Ming Dynasty... We drove you back to the grassland and blocked you for many years. The life of the people in the grassland was already difficult. Now that the products of the Ming Dynasty are missing, the people are even more proud. The people are in dire straits! This time, our Northern Expedition defeated your hundreds of thousands of troops in one fell swoop. If we were ruthless and slaughtered these hundreds of thousands of people, or simply brought them all back to the mainland and reduced them to slaves, I'm afraid the grasslands would have been peaceful for a hundred years. !”

When Togu Si Timur heard Zhu Tan's words, he stood up suddenly.

He glared and said, "How dare you, Ming Dynasty, be so cruel in order to pass down the imperial seal?"

talking.

He is a little decadent.
Now the Ming Dynasty has a crushing advantage over Mongolia. As long as they are willing, they can destroy the Mongols at any time.

So what about brutality?
What right does a weak person have to accuse others?
What's more, when the Mongols conquered east and west and destroyed dozens of countries, where could those people who had their cities and countries destroyed go to reason?

In short, the world is a huge dining table.

Either you are a person who eats food, or you are a food on the table.

Nothing to complain about.

Think of this.

Togu Si Timur shook his head dejectedly.

"It doesn't matter. We were defeated, the Mongols were defeated! You Han people will be the rulers of this land from now on, and you are the real wolves! We have become sheep, so we should accept the fate of being eaten!"

Zhu Tan smiled slightly when he heard Togu Si Timur's words.

"Why did the Great Khan say that? The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has a universal mind. The Han people and the Mongols are one family.

Since we are a family, how can we distinguish between wolves and sheep? "

Togu Si Timur sneered.

"Your Highness, guess, do I believe it or not? Now that you are at a high level, you can naturally say whatever you want!
It is natural for you to kill us. The winner is king!
You let us go, played with us, and enslaved us, which can be said to be merciful!

Your Highness, please come back! I really don’t know anything about the imperial seal!

I don’t want to be a loser and have nothing to talk to you winners!
Whether you are tolerant or cruel, it is the same to me. The fate of the Mongols is no longer in their control, and we have gone from being the freest eagles in the world to poultry raised by you Han people."

Zhu Tan looked at Togu Si Timur.

He couldn't help but said: "Great Khan. With so many emotions and such a battle between four and six, are you going to take the imperial examination? I can help Great Khan. In the imperial examination in the eighteenth year of Hongwu, most of the top fifty He is my student”

Togu Si Timur blushed.

"It's already this time, do you still want to humiliate me? Your Highness, King Lu!"

Zhu Tan laughed dryly.

"Great Khan, I am here today not only to pass on the national jade seal, but more importantly, I want to talk about the cooperative relationship with you grassland people."

Togu Si Timur sneered.

"Cooperation? I'm familiar with this! When we captured your Han Prime Minister Wen Tianxiang, we also wanted to negotiate cooperation with him. But he would rather die than surrender, and he also left behind a famous poem that will last forever. It seems to be something that will leave a lasting impression on history!
Does His Highness King Lu now want to imitate the ancients?

Then I, the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Usahar Khan, and Togu Si Timur also tell you that I will never do anything so-called adultery!

Even if the Mongolians can only live for one day on the grassland, they are still free and will never accept the slavery of you Ming people!
As their great khan, it is even more impossible for me to cooperate with you to oppress them! "

When Zhu Tan heard this, he couldn't help but feel dazed for a while.

Does this Togu Si Timur have delusions of being persecuted?

Why do you keep thinking about being enslaved?

Your ancestors did that kind of thing, don't you think we will do the same?

Zhu Tan couldn't help but said: "What I call cooperation is not the same thing as the cooperation you understand! I have no ill intentions towards you Mongolians, I just hope to improve our relationship with you, and I hope you and us Han people can prosper together!"
As long as you accept cooperation with us in the future, the first thing I can guarantee is that the mainland will not impose any form of blockade on you. The Ming Dynasty will trade freely with the Mongols and will never prohibit you from buying our salt and tea. , ironware, anything! "

Hearing this, Togu Si Timur was stunned.

"His Royal Highness King Lu, are you serious about this?"

Zhu Tan nodded and said: "Of course it's true! I won't come here to lie to you!"

When Togu Si Timur heard this, he suddenly became excited. Life in Mongolia today is really difficult.

Almost all production and living materials can be obtained by breaking into the Ming Dynasty and plundering them.

And as the Ming Dynasty's military power became stronger and stronger, this kind of robbery would undoubtedly lead to death.

This also resulted in the Mongolians being extremely short of supplies on the grasslands and living in extreme hardship.

More than ten years of blockade have made the Mongolian people, who were not already wealthy, even poorer.

If the Ming Dynasty really stopped imposing such a strict blockade on the Mongols, the Mongolians would be much better off than they are now!

Togu Si Timur looked at Zhu Tan warily.

"His Royal Highness King Lu means that you will only be willing to help the Mongols if I promise to find you the imperial seal?"

Zhu Tan smiled.

"I don't care about the Imperial Seal! I don't want to help you! I said it before, I just want to cooperate with you!"

Togu Si Timur frowned and said, "I wonder what His Highness King Lu wants to cooperate with?"

Zhu Tan said lightly: "Two words, wool!"

Togu Si Timur frowned and said: "Wool?"

He does know this stuff.

Can be used to weave blankets and make clothes.

But things made of wool are limited by craftsmanship issues, so they feel cheap no matter how you look at them.

Not to mention the Han people, even the Mongols don't really need to use wool products.

Togu Si Timur couldn't help but said: "This wool seems to have never been very valuable. How could His Highness King Lu take a fancy to such a thing?"

Zhu Tan smiled.

It was not valuable before, but it may not be valuable in the future!

It's nothing more than an issue with improving the textile machine.

By that time, the demand for wool in the entire market will become infinite.

The grasslands in the north are precisely the source of the best quality wool.

At that time, the people of Ming Dynasty may be surprised to find out.

Those seemingly poor Mongolians have hundreds or even thousands of sheep in any household.

And these things can be exchanged for several houses in Daming.

He smiled at Togu Si Timur and said: "Dissatisfied Khan, I have this ability to turn decay into magic! You should know Wu Qingchen, the Shanxi merchant who hates me to the bone, right? It was me who drove him to the grassland Go up! They were defeated by me!
The salt business, which they have always monopolized, fell into my hands early!

Of course, what I rely on is not the power in my hands, but that I can make refined salt that is much better than them! "

Togu Si Timur was stunned when he heard this.

He seemed to remember that Wu Qingchen was indeed gnashing his teeth in hatred towards Zhu Tan.

He even said that if he revitalizes the Yuan Dynasty in the future, all the Ming royal family can be forgiven, but Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Tan must die.

It turns out that he forced the Shanxi merchants into desperation and took refuge in him...

Togu Si Timur frowned and said, "I wonder what form His Highness King Lu's so-called cooperation takes?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "It's very simple! Just raise a large number of sheep, and I will arrange for someone to teach you how to shear the sheep. Every time you shear the sheep, I will buy them at a price! At the same time, I will ask the court to unblock your Mongolia." The people’s blockade, when the time comes, the money you earn from selling wool can be completely exchanged for supplies from the Ming Dynasty. In this way, the lives of all Mongolians will become better!”

Hearing this, Togu Si Timur nodded.

"His Royal Highness King Lu, if what you said is true, then we don't have to start this war!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

"If it weren't for this war, how would you be willing to do business honestly with our Ming Dynasty?"

Togu Si Timur smiled bitterly.

Honestly…

If they could use what they robbed, the Mongols would really be too lazy to exchange with the Han people.

After all, no matter how the exchange is made, you will always be the loser.

Zhu Tan said calmly: "If our cooperation can be concluded, then all the people in Mongolia will be able to live a good life! At least the living standard will not be lower than that of the people of the Ming Dynasty!

As for the slavery you mentioned, the success of the king and the defeat of the bandit, with all due respect, that is all done by you Mongolians! For example, divide the people of the world into four classes... Haha!
We Han people are too broad-minded to do that kind of thing!

But I also hope that the Great Khan knows that the Mongolians today cannot live independently without the Ming Dynasty, and they can even live better with the Ming Dynasty in the future. So why should they be enemies with the Ming Dynasty? "

When Togu Si Timur heard this, he fell silent immediately.

Suddenly asked: "His Royal Highness King Lu just said that the living standard of Mongolians can be no lower than that of Han people. Is it true or false?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "Of course it is true! This time the Great Khan comes to the Ming Dynasty, I can show you what I can make with wool in the future!

Once you discover its value, you will know how much I hope to cooperate with you! "

Togu Si Timur hesitated for a moment.

Suddenly he gritted his teeth.

"His Royal Highness King Lu, this imperial seal has no meaning to me at all!
I never handed it over, I just felt resentful in my heart.

But today His Highness King Lu said that the Emperor of Heaven will treat us Mongolians and Han people equally, and His Highness is even more willing to help us Mongolians live a good life!
Based on this alone, I should also show my sincerity. "

Saying that, Togu Si Timur smiled bitterly.

"Please ask your Highness to order someone to find a dagger!"

Zhu Tan nodded.

Soon, the dagger was delivered.

The people around him stared nervously at Togu Si Timur, and if he wanted to commit suicide, they would immediately grab the dagger.

Togu Si Timur smiled.

"Don't worry, I have survived for so long, how can I seek death easily!"

soon.

Thugustimur used a dagger to cut a hole in the belt around his waist.

This belt is actually hollow.

Togu Si Timur took out a small jade seal from the hollow belt.

Seeing this, Zhu Tan felt so excited that she almost stopped breathing!

The national jade seal!

The national jade seal!

Although there is a lot of controversy as to whether it is true or false.

But now that I saw it with my own eyes, I was still a little in awe and couldn't wait to know whether he was real or fake.

at this time.

The small jade seal in Togu Si Timur's hand is the same as described in ancient books.

It is four inches in diameter and has five dragons on New York, one corner of which is filled with gold.

Tuogu Si Timur handed over the precious and important place of jade seal to Zhu Tan.

"This was given to me by my father when he was dying. Seven years have passed in a flash. Over the years, I have always kept it close to my body. My father told me that this Fang Yuxi can only be used after I regain the capital of Yuan Dynasty. You can take it out and use it. He also hopes that after I recover Dadu, I will write a memorial, stamp it with this square jade seal, and burn it to him!"

Saying that, Togu Si Timur smiled bitterly.

"It's a pity that an unfilial son may not have the ability to do this."

"I am now a prisoner. Apart from this Fang Yuxi, I have nothing to express my sincerity! I hope His Highness can keep his word and let us Mongolians live freely so that they can live a better life!"

Zhu Tan solemnly took the jade seal and nodded.

"Don't worry, Khan, I will definitely keep my word!"

Done.

Zhu Tan carefully looked at the imperial seal in his hand.

The whole body of the jade seal is warm turquoise, with an oily luster, and the jade surface shines with a faint light, giving people a calm and simple beauty.

It feels cold and smooth, and when you play with it in your hands, you seem to feel the weight of history and the precipitation of time.

At the bottom of the jade seal, there are eight large characters engraved in the seal: "Ordered by Heaven, you will live forever." These eight characters were written by Li Si himself and ordered to be carved in seal. The fonts are strong and powerful, and they seem to have written all the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty!

On the shoulder of the jade seal, the official script is engraved with the words "The Great Wei received the Seal of the Kingdom from the Han Dynasty". This was an inscription added by Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi after he usurped the Han Dynasty to demonstrate his legitimacy.

In addition, there are four words carefully engraved on the right side of the jade seal: "Shi's clan of destiny", which was specially added by Emperor Shi Le of the Later Zhao Dynasty to show that he was also the legal ruler to whom destiny belonged.

Zhu Tan looked at the jade seal in front of her.

I was also surprised and happy.

Even if the imperial jade seal in front of you is a fake, it can still be regarded as the best among fakes.

At least all the details that should be noticed were noticed.

Whether it's gold filling the missing corners or the words engraved on it.

Togu Si Timur looked at Zhu Tan, his face full of calmness and relief.

To be honest, it was very risky for him to hand over the Imperial Seal to Zhu Tan, and it was even said to be no different from gambling.

As a mature politician, the basic principle of doing things is to avoid hares and hawks.

But Togu Si Timur didn't care so much.

He knew that if he continued to resist the Ming Dynasty, the end result would be that the people's lives would become even more difficult, and they might even be destroyed by the Ming Dynasty!
Don't think it's impossible!
Historically, the Xiongnu, Qiang, Wuhuan, Rouran, Turks and Khitans lived on this grassland.
But what about now?
All those peoples disappeared.

Whether it's being slaughtered or assimilated.

In short, they no longer exist.

What's so special about the Mongols compared to them?

If the now powerful Ming Dynasty is willing, it can easily wipe out these tiny Mongolians on the grassland!

It's better to take a gamble.

Choose to believe in the young and prestigious vassal king in front of you!

What if he really made the Mongolians live a good life.

So what is the price of a mere imperial seal?
After all, this is the treasure of you Han people, not the Mongols.

Yingtian.

Fengtian Temple.

Zhu Yuanzhang sits on the dragon chair.

His face was full of majesty.

Just a heart that keeps pounding.

His hands holding the dragon chair were trembling slightly.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath.

Calm.

Calm down!

I am the Son of Heaven.

Today is just a small surrender.

What does it matter?
talking.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyelids twitched.

He clearly saw that his legs began to shake again. (End of chapter)