Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 74 An Unobstructed Death Passage to the Heart of the Ming Dynasty
Wuying Hall.

The palace where the emperor fasted and summoned his ministers was now tightly shut, with the most elite imperial guards standing at each of the four corners, every three steps a sentry, the atmosphere as grim as an execution ground.

A huge window was open, and the cool moonlight poured in like mercury, casting an unreal, frosty white hue over everything in the hall.

Duke Zhang Weixian of England, Zhou Quan, the director of the Western Depot, and Tian Ergeng, who had just recovered from his shock, stood with their hands at their sides in the hall, not daring to even breathe loudly.

They were all people who had lived on the edge of a knife, with a beast-like instinct for danger. At this moment, the eerie atmosphere made them feel more oppressed than when facing a thousand troops.

Before long, a hunched-over old eunuch, dressed in an ordinary blue robe and withered appearance, was quietly led in by Wang Chengen.

Wei Zhongxian.

He looked a bit older than before he went to Xuanzhen. The wrinkles on his face were like knife cuts. His once arrogant and ruthless eyes were now only cloudy and humble. He could not see any trace of the arrogance of the former Ninth Prince. He looked like an ordinary old eunuch who had swept the floor in the palace all his life.

But as soon as he appeared, Zhang Weixian and Zhou Quan's pupils contracted sharply, and Tian Ergeng even subconsciously took a half step back.

Without looking to the side, Wei Zhongxian walked into the hall, faced the emperor, and performed an impeccable kneeling ceremony, saying in a hoarse voice like a broken gong, "This old servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."

In the shadows, Zhu Youjian's figure slowly emerged. He did not sit down, but stood with his hands behind his back in front of a huge "Nine-Sided Map".

"You've all arrived." Zhu Youjian's voice was soft, yet it resonated throughout the empty hall. "Come, all of you, come before me."

The four walked up to the map.

"Look at this map," Zhu Youjian said, pointing to it. "What's different between this map and the one you saw a month ago?"

Zhang Weixian, being the head of the nobility and most familiar with military affairs, examined the map carefully for a while, then frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the map is still the same, and there has been no change at the nine border passes."

Zhu Youjian turned his gaze to Tian Ergeng.

At this moment, Tian Ergeng no longer dared to act presumptuously. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant. Please give me your guidance."

Zhu Youjian pointed to the grasslands south of the Great Wall.

"here."

Zhu Youjian used a vermilion brush to draw a blood-red circle where the three characters "Chahar" had originally been marked.

“If we continue to let this go unchecked, this place will fall to the Later Jin.”

Tian Ergeng's heart skipped a beat; he finally understood why the emperor had called him a fool.

Zhang Weixian nodded, but he clearly hadn't fully grasped the gravity of the situation. He pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, what Lord Tian said earlier wasn't entirely without merit. With Ligdan Khan's defeat, the tribes of southern Mongolia will inevitably descend into chaos. It won't be easy for the Jurchens to completely conquer this grassland. Our Great Ming only needs to hold the Xuanda defense line and observe the situation, perhaps..."

"Wait and see?" Zhu Youjian interrupted him, sneering, "Duke of Yingguo, let me ask you, if two hungry tigers are fighting in the mountains, it's certainly good for you to hide at the foot of the mountain and watch the show. But what if it's not two tigers, but one tiger and a pack of wolves that it has completely subdued?"

Zhang Weixian frowned, and his heart tightened suddenly.

"You," Zhu Youjian's gaze swept across their faces one by one, "what do you take war for? The abacus beads of an accountant? Do you think the enemy will fight amongst themselves and wear you down according to your ideas?"

He slammed the vermilion brush down heavily on the map, making a dull thud. "Do you know what Ligdan Khan meant to the Ming Dynasty?"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable authority and heartache.

"He is fickle, greedy, and arrogant! I know this better than any of you! But!" Zhu Youjian's tone suddenly changed, "He and his Chahar tribe are like a wall! A wall standing directly north of Xuanfu and Datong, sheltering my Great Ming from the wind and rain! No matter how dilapidated or unreliable this wall may be, it... stands there!"

"With it standing there, Huang Taiji would have to climb over this wall before he could invade! With it standing there, the Mongol tribes of southern Mongolia would not dare to easily side with the Later Jin!"

“And now,” Zhu Youjian used his vermilion brush to draw a shocking red line westward from that red circle, stretching all the way to the north of Xuanfu and Datong, like a hideous scar, “this wall has fallen.”

"What does the fall of the wall mean? It means that from now on, from Liaodong to Gansu, across thousands of miles of northern frontier, we will have to face the iron hooves of the Later Jin with our own flesh and blood! It means that Huang Taiji will no longer need to grit his teeth at Shanhaiguan!"

The vermilion pen in his hand was like a sharp knife, stabbing fiercely into the blank space between Xuanfu and Datong on the map.

"He has a key! A key that can open the back door of my Great Ming Dynasty at any time! From now on, he can come whenever he wants! He can come from wherever he wants! The whole of Shanxi and the whole of Beizhili will become his playground!"

Zhu Youjian's voice was like thunder, exploding in everyone's ears.

Zhang Weixian's face turned ashen. After a lifetime of military service, he finally understood the terrible consequences that the glaring red line on the map meant.

That was no longer just a line on the map; it was a death tunnel leading unimpeded to the heart of the Ming Dynasty!

Cold sweat poured down Tian Ergeng's forehead.

What he thought was a joyous occasion turned out to be a dramatic change concerning the fate of the nation, and he wished he could slap himself twice!

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I am guilty!" Zhang Weixian and Tian Ergeng knelt down together, their voices filled with fear and shame.

Wei Zhongxian, who had been silent all along, suddenly flashed a terrifying glint in his cloudy old eyes.

He understood the essence of power politics better than Zhang Weixian and Tian Ergeng, and he also understood the logic of violence better. He instantly grasped the deepest fear in the emperor's words.

This is not about the outcome of a battle; it is about a complete reversal of the strategic situation.

The Ming Dynasty is about to lose its last line of defense!
Zhu Youjian ignored the two kneeling men.

He gazed quietly at the map, as if he could see countless Mongol tribes on that grassland offering their loyalty and swords to their new masters.

He knew that Huang Taiji was an opponent ten times more formidable than Nurhaci.

Nurhaci was a wolf, while Huang Taiji was a fox in wolf's clothing.

He not only knew how to conquer with violence, but also how to integrate with interests and power.

If this continues, the Southern Mongolia in his hands will no longer be a disorganized mess, but will become a sharp blade pointing at the throat of the Ming Dynasty!

(End of this chapter)