The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 333: Fight with words, not with fists
In the spring of the second year of the Tianqi reign, Ping Liaohou led a large army to conquer Japan and drive back the European colonists. Simultaneously, the following major events occurred in East Asia:
1. The sixteen-year-old Emperor Tianqi, taking advantage of the Kaiyuan army's expedition to Japan, launched a sudden uprising in the capital. Under the pretext of "quelling the rebellion and eliminating the rebels," he ordered the entire nation to mobilize troops to defend the emperor. He allied with the nobles, the Beijing garrison, and the Five Cities Military Command to brazenly arrest and imprison Yang Hao, the father-in-law of Grand Tutor Liu. Also arrested were Yang Qing'er, a First-Rank Imperial Concubine, and numerous civil officials who remained in the capital. Only Zhang Dong and Liu Xingzuo escaped.

Second, the last Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Ligdan Batur of the Borjigin clan, also known as Huduntu, engaged in a third battle at Kharchin against the Kaiyuan cavalry led by Wang Zengbing. Huduntu's entire army of 30,000 was annihilated. Ligdan Khan was driven from the grasslands to Qinghai by his enemy, the 13-year-old Great Khan of Khorchin, Bumbutai, and thus lost his position as the common ruler of the grasslands. Eyewitnesses reported that Huduntu ran faster than a rabbit in his hasty escape.

3. The southwestern rebels were struck by a "meteor" that obscured the sun. The Tusi soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and She Chongming was killed instantly. This meteor, falling from the sky, was certainly not some grand summoning technique, but rather a new type of rocket from the Kaiyuan Army. After She Chongming's death, a power struggle erupted between his son-in-law, Fan Long, and his associate, Zhang Tong. Third Army Commander Wang Erhu, Sichuan Governor Zhu Xieyuan, Shizhu General Qin Liangyu, and Sichuan General Du Wenhuan joined forces to fiercely attack the rebels and crush them. The She An Rebellion, which had plagued the southwest for three years, was finally quelled.

Fourth, Zhang Yuhe, living by Daming Lake, threatened Grand Tutor Liu with the lives of herself and her four-month-old child, successfully ascending to the throne and receiving the title of Third-Rank Imperial Consort. She became the third woman in the life of Marquis Ping Liao, following Yang Qing'er and Jin Yuji. From then on, the fates of these three unrelated women from different parts of the world became entangled, officially ushering in a thrilling palace drama.

5. Master Huiren and his zealous followers escaped the chaotic Edo Castle and returned to Shiranzan. They were attacked by a group of unidentified samurai, resulting in heavy casualties. After killing five of them, Master Huiren was thrown into a fire by the samurai and disappeared.

~~~~~
Philippine Sea.

The thousand-ton battleship "Sea Overlord", equipped with 102 naval guns, hoisted its sails and accelerated towards Manila, regardless of the wind speed of 45 miles per hour on the sea.

General Brown put down his telescope, looked up at the stormy sky, made the sign of the cross on the breastwork, and then turned and walked towards the second deck.

The 52-year-old naval officer, experienced in war, was no stranger to terrible weather and unpredictable hydrology.

On the second deck, he saw the fat director of the British East India Company who had just been rescued.

The summer before last, at a banquet at the Royal Palace in London, General Brown had met Ruprecht Kohlen once, but he could not remember it now.

When King James had just ascended the throne, General Brown graduated from the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England, and soon became the empire's best naval officer.

Later, he participated in the battle against the Spanish Armada in the northern Atlantic. Due to his command mistakes, the fleet suffered unnecessary losses. As a result, he was squeezed out of the core of the Royal Navy's power and transferred to Manila to safeguard Britain's commercial interests in the Far East.

Until half a month ago, General Brown received a request for help from the Nagasaki Chamber of Commerce, asking him to lead all the forces in Manila to participate in the war against the barbarians.

The British naval officers, who were alert by nature and paid attention to observing the battlefield situation, did not mobilize troops rashly, but boarded the "Sea Overlord" to find out what was going on first.

When the Sea King discovered Director Ruprecht Kohlen, the scene was quite terrifying.

Mr. Colen, who has lived a life of luxury in the tropical area of Manila for many years, is now unkempt, looks like a withered tree, and is as thin as a boat oar.

The British director's companions had been dead for a long time and were lying on the deck of the sailboat, exposed to the wind, rain and seagulls.

"General Brown, how many miles are we from the country of the barbarians?"

Ruprecht Kohlen struggled to stand up from a straw mat and looked eagerly at the captain of the Sea Overlord, the desire for revenge burning in his eyes.

General Brown, with a weathered face, remained unmoved. He glanced at the stormy sea and shook his head.

"Mr. Coren, we are not going to the China Sea. We are returning."

"What? General Brown, barbarians are slaughtering civilized and upright gentlemen, and you want to stand by and watch?"

Colen was furious and roared at General Brown.

Because of the atrocities committed by the barbarians in the Japanese domains and the Tsushima Strait, the British East India Company's business in the Far East collapsed, and Colen's position as director was about to be lost.

As one of the main organizers of the "Four-Nation Campaign to Punish Barbarians", he would be subject to a full investigation by the East India Company, face a huge fine, and spend the rest of his life in prison for dereliction of duty.

Unless, Colen can defeat the barbarians and recover the damage that has already been done.

General Brown once again rejected the British directors' request. When he learned that these barbarians not only invaded Japan and robbed goods, but also dared to tamper with doctrines and desecrate the sacred religion, he realized the seriousness of the situation.

General Brown decided to return to London first and report the matter in detail to the king and the prime minister. It would be best if he could contact the French and other European relatives to launch another sweeping operation against infidels.

This may be another massive Crusade in the Western world after the Middle Ages.

"Director Koren, based on your retelling, I believe that the British Kingdom's current strength in the Far East is insufficient to retaliate against this Marquis Ping Liao. We have lost almost all of our ships, and our infantry in Manila is limited, making it difficult for us to pose a threat to them."

"As an officer, I will not let my soldiers die in vain, much less for money. Director Kelun, please rest well and return to Manila. The company's supervisory board will re-evaluate your request for troop deployment."

~~~~~~~
In March of the first year of the Tianqi reign, Wang Zengbin was ordered by General Ping Liaohou to lead the Kaiyuan cavalry to reinforce the Khorchin tribe and support the eleven-year-old Bumbutai.

When Lin Danhan learned the intelligence, he immediately summoned his generals to prepare for resistance.

Initially, he wanted to lead his army to retreat to Khalkha in the northern desert and wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack. However, the three khans of Khalkha had always been at odds with him and had no intention of lending a helping hand at this moment.

In desperation, Lin Danhan led 100,000 troops to fight fiercely with 5,000 Kaiyuan cavalry and 10,000 Khorchin troops in the northern desert. Lin Danhan was defeated in three battles, and only 30,000 of the 100,000 troops were left.

Lin Danhan led the remaining troops to continue fleeing westward to Kuhdersu, and then crossed the Yellow River to Ordos.

The Kaiyuan cavalry followed closely. In May, Wang Zengbin entered Hohhot and learned that Ligdan Khan had already crossed the Yellow River to the south, and the Kaiyuan army was far behind. Wang Zengbin ordered to stop the pursuit and turn back.

The last emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Ligdan Khan, was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, the seventh-generation grandson of Dayan Khan, and a member of the Golden Family. He never recovered from this defeat, gradually withdrew from the grassland, and lost his status as the common ruler of the grassland.

After defeating Ligdan Khan, the main force of the Kaiyuan cavalry assisted Bumbutai in wiping out several other hostile tribes in the surrounding area, and the strength of Khorchin was unprecedentedly enhanced.

In March of the second year of the Tianqi reign, the twelve-year-old Bumbutai held a ceremony at the Khorchin royal court and officially inherited her father's Khan throne, becoming the first female Khan in the history of the Mongolian grasslands.

Since then, Khorchin, Kharchin and Tumed have been in a three-way balance of power, checking and balancing each other, and becoming the three pillars of Ping Liaohou's control over the grassland.

~~~~~
In early April of the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Marquis of Ping Liao, his face dusty from battle, arrived at the Tianjin Port docks with his army. Liu Zhaosun, gazing at the bustling crowd at Zhangjiawan Wharf, immediately recognized Lü Demin, hiding among the governors, coastal defense commissioners, and censors.

After not seeing him for a few years, Lu Tongzhi had lost more than two pounds. He was being impeached by the censors and demoted from Tongzhi to a captain.

If Qiao Yiqi had not specifically asked to see him, this centurion would not have been qualified to see the Marquis of Ping Liao.

"I was blind and failed to recognize the true emperor. I offended the Marquis of Ping Liao and was deceived by the eunuchs. I almost killed the Marquis of Ping Liao's wife. I deserve death."

Liu Zhaosun leaned over and looked at Lu Demin:

"Lü Tongzhi, why are you so thin now?"

Lu Demin was terrified:
"Master Liu, I am extremely worried and can't sleep or eat well..."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand:
"I heard Captain Shen say that you were forced into a corner that day, so I won't kill you."

Lu Demin wiped the sweat from his forehead and knelt on the ground, not daring to move.

"I heard that your uncle, Governor Gao, died of illness, and you were dismissed from office and attacked by censors. This is retribution for your past evil deeds. I am merciful and will forgive the past and will not add insult to injury."

Lu Tongzhi knelt down and kowtowed, weeping uncontrollably:

"This humble official deserves death! I will never again engage in human trafficking. I beg you to spare my life!"

Lu Tongzhi lost goods twice, and last time he was implicated in the burning of the Tianjin Arsenal, although his uncle suppressed the matter and saved his life.

However, creditors from all walks of life came to Fatty Lu to ask for money every day, especially the high-ranking officials in the capital, who often sent the Jinyiwei to extort money from him, forcing Lu Demin to lose everything.

During this year, he lost his official position, sold his wife and concubines, and became extremely thin.

Ping Liaohou glanced at him and said in a deep voice:
"I'll give you a task. If you do it well, I'll give you a chance to live."

Lü Demin did not wait for Ping Liaohou to finish and shouted:

"I will go through fire and water and do my best!"

Liu Zhaosun pointed to the south and smiled slightly:

"Thirty thousand miles south, there's a large island called Australia. There are many red-haired barbarians on that island. I plan to capture them and sell them as slaves in the south. You have many connections in Nanzhili and are very familiar with the Qinhuai region. I'll leave the trade of the red-haired barbarians to you."

~～～～

On the sixth day of April, the army arrived in the capital.

The Imperial Guards quickly defeated several border troops that came to support the king, including two elite troops from Xuanfu and Shanxi.

The Beijing camp surrendered without a fight, and the gates were opened again to allow the original troops to enter the city.

The instigator of the rebellion in the capital, Grand Secretary Li Mingrui, hanged himself before the Kaiyuan army entered the city.

This right-hand man and trusted minister of Emperor Tianqi left a final manifesto before his death, calling on the gentry of the Ming Dynasty to continue fighting the traitor Liu to the end.

~~~~
On the eighth day of the fourth month of the second year of the Tianqi reign, in the main hall of the Huangji Palace.

Civil and military officials stood on both sides of the hall, looking anxiously at Grand Tutor Liu, who was standing next to the emperor, fully armored and holding a sharp blade.

All the officials were surprised to find that all the palace maids and eunuchs around Emperor Tianqi had been replaced with new faces.

Before the emperor could even open his mouth, the hall erupted in noise.

Ma Shiying and a group of Kaiyuan civil officials were arguing.

Sen Ti pointed at the nobles in front of him and said angrily:

"You idiot! You poor bastard! You beast! When Marquis Ping Liao was personally leading his army into battle in Japan, fighting the red-haired barbarians with such vigour and splendor, you ungrateful bastards stabbed him in the back and even dared to rebel! You even threw Lord Yang and his wife into the Zhenfu Prison! Check your hearts, do you still have any conscience?"

Civil Affairs Officer Xie Guangkun ripped off his wig, revealing his bare bald head, and shouted with his arms raised:

"What are you hesitating about? Cut him!"

Liu Zhaosun cleared his throat and said loudly:

"My fellow officers, please engage in a war of words, not violence, and do not disrupt the harmony among the civil servants."

Upon hearing this, Ma Shiying immediately rolled up his sleeves and swung his elbow at the head of a nobleman next to him who was involved in the rebellion.

"Why are you all standing there? Ping Liaohou said we need a fight of words, and that means we civil servants must fight. Hurry up and do it! Kill these beasts in human form!"

(End of this chapter)