Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 136 The traitor returns to his country, and Altan pays tribute!
It is late autumn and the northern part of the Great Wall is particularly cool. There was a light snowfall two days ago. The snow fell on the wild grass, and the sky and the earth appeared scattered with yellow and white, which was a unique feeling.

Arriving here is also the Tatar’s lair, Altan Khan’s lair.

Altan Khan welcomed the Ming Dynasty delegation as guests of honor and hosted the Ming Dynasty ambassador Wang Jiaping and deputy envoy Shen Weijing at a banquet with the highest standards.

Use the sky as the cover and the earth as the table.

Altan Khan, Wang Jiaping and Shen Weijing sat together on the grass.

Beef, mutton, milk wine, milk tea, and some berries unique to the grassland.

Tatar women dressed in exotic costumes sang and danced around several people.

Although not as gentle and graceful as the Ming Dynasty, there is another kind of beauty in its ruggedness.

The clothing of most ethnic minorities is simple, made of animal skins and straw, which is quite economical. Although this season is not spring, there are frequent glimpses of spring.

Especially when Ye'er Zhongjin appeared on stage, his stunning solo dance was a feast of sound and color.

Wang Jiaping couldn't help but understand why Altan Khan and Bahanaji, the grandfather and grandson, would turn against each other over a woman.

No one can bear such a daughter-in-law and such hatred of having her taken away from him.

The Yeer Zhongjin dance is over.

Shen Weijing seemed reluctant to leave, but at Wang Jiaping's reminder, in order to cover up his gaffe, he grabbed a piece of meat with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth. This eating method, which was quite in the style of Saishang, immediately won Altan Khan's laughter and favor.

Shen Weijing's face changed, and he slowly chewed the mutton, and couldn't help but exclaimed, "What kind of meat is this?"

It is just boiled, with very few spices. Such a simple cooking method does not have any bad taste, and the fishy smell is almost unnoticeable. This kind of mutton is what is called mutton.

"I believe you have never eaten this kind of meat. This is the meat of yellow sheep. They run very fast. Even the wolves on the grassland can only use their wisdom to surround them and then hunt them. We are smarter than the wolves. We can lure them into our encirclement and shoot them."

Altan Khan introduced the gazelles and said proudly: "But this is also very difficult. Only the great archers of Tatar can accurately shoot the gazelles while they are running fast. Otherwise, we can only rain arrows on them, but in that case, the intact sheepskin will be destroyed. Between mutton and sheepskin, the more valuable is the skin, not the meat."

The winters in the northern border are long and cold, and sheepskin that can be made into clothes is more valuable than meat.

The arrogance in Altan Khan's tone naturally implied that the Ming people were not good at riding horses and hunting, let alone archery.

Wang Jiaping heard it and smiled faintly, "I am from the Central Plains and this is my first time on the grassland. I am somewhat interested in hunting on the grassland. I wonder if Altan Khan can fulfill my small wish and go hunting on this grassland?"

The Six Arts of Confucianism.

Etiquette, music, archery, imperial duties, calligraphy, and mathematics.

Although the rise of the imperial examination system would make the Six Arts less important than the Six Classics, Zhang Juzheng's cabinet took this into consideration before deciding on the ambassador.

Therefore, Wang Jiaping was chosen. Although he liked poetry and literature and had a rather graceful and elegant appearance, he was born with some strength and was gifted in archery and charioteering.

Anticipate the enemy's advance.

This was one of the means that Zhang Juzheng's cabinet had planned in advance to show off their power in public and intimidate Altan Khan.

The enemy has given us a chance to show off, so how can we not take advantage of it?

"it is good!"

Altan Khan did not refuse and called two Tatar warriors to accompany the chief and deputy envoys of the Ming Dynasty to hunt. "Please come!"

But Shen Weijing suddenly backed off and said, "I am not good at riding and shooting, so I will not go hunting. I hope to stay with the Khan and talk more with him about the peace talks." Only two people from the Ming Dynasty delegation were invited to the banquet. Apart from Wang Jiaping, there was only him.

When Wang Jiaping went hunting, it was a rare opportunity for him to be alone and chat with Altan Khan.

Whether he could gain the trust of Altan Khan, stay in Tatar, and become a Tatar noble depended on how this conversation went.

Wang Jiaping saw through Shen Weijing's thoughts, and the joy in his heart almost overflowed, but he pretended to be solemn as he stared at Shen Weijing.

Shen Weijing, feeling guilty, raised his wine bowl and pointed it in the direction of Altan Khan. Altan Khan, who was able to become the overlord of the grassland, was not a fool. He also raised his wine bowl and toasted Shen Weijing, saying, "Come on!"

A Tatar Khan, Altan Khan, and a deputy envoy of the Ming Dynasty delegation, left Wang Jiaping aside and drank bowl after bowl of milk wine together.

At the request of the two Tatar warriors, Wang Jiaping mounted his horse and left the Khan's tent.

One of the two Tatar warriors invited Wang Jiaping to a hunting competition, with the North Mountain as the line, to see who could hunt more prey before sunset.

"it is good."

Wang Jiaping accepted it with pleasure, and said, "See you in the evening!"

The Tatar warriors went off into the distance.

Wang Jiaping, accompanied by another Tatar warrior, also went to a nearby hill.

Even though the hill is very close to the Khan's tent, the prey there is the most abundant in the surrounding grasslands.

As the saying goes, "A rabbit doesn't eat grass near its burrow." Unless it is absolutely necessary, the people of Altan Khan's tribe would not go to that hill to hunt, and Altan Khan would not allow it.

Just like the royal hunting ground in the southern suburbs of the capital of the Ming Dynasty, this was a special place for the emperor to show off his military power and harvest.

Before the arrival of the Ming envoy, Altan Khan's "Yikhatun", or Altan Khan's wife, Molun, had sent a message to the people in the tribe, asking them to do everything possible to make the Ming envoy happy.

This could make Altan Khan unhappy, but it would also make the Ming envoy happy. The lady had great prestige in the tribe, and these Tatar warriors dared not disobey her orders.

This is why the Tatar warriors went far away to hunt, while Wang Jiaping was able to march straight into the Tatar Khan's hunting ground.

Even though Wang Jiaping's archery skills were not good, he could always hunt some prey thanks to the abundant prey. If that didn't work out, the Tatars had a backup plan. They could take the arrows shot by Wang Jiaping and stab them into the prey caught by the Tatars in advance, pretending that they were shot by Wang Jiaping.

When Wang Jiaping saw the prey all over the mountains, he deeply felt the benefits brought by the growing strength of the Ming Dynasty.

Shen Weijing, who stayed where he was, was invited into Aldan Khan's tent. At Shen Weijing's signal, Aldan Khan drove away the guards.

The first thing Shen Weijing wanted to do before staying in Tatar was to get rid of his "predecessors". Shen Weijing took out the letter sent to the Ming court by the traitorous leaders Zhao Quan and Qiu Fu of Bansheng, and handed it directly to Altan Khan.

After Altan took the letter and read it from his lackeys, he stood up in shock and cursed: "These traitors from the Ming Dynasty are really wolf cubs who have never been accustomed to their own way!"

Shen Weijing's expression changed subtly in an instant.

Although he was angry, Altan Khan still noticed Shen Weijing's expression and added, "Deputy Envoy Shen, I didn't say anything about you.

The Tatars have long wanted to attract the Ming Dynasty court. It was all because of Zhao Quan and Qiu Fu who flattered me and said that I deserved to rule the world, and encouraged me, the Tatars, to move south year after year.

As long as the Ming court forgives the past and reopens the trade, I am willing to offer the heads of all the traitors in Bansheng, and sincerely submit to the Ming Dynasty and pay tribute. In the future, the position of Khan will also be passed on to my Hannaji grandson!"

(End of this chapter)