It just so happened that the daughter of the son of the paternal aunt of his sister's husband married into the Dzungar, died not long ago; wasn't that a ready-made excuse?
If that's not enough, Lamazabu could find many more.
Although relations between Southern Mongolia and Northern Mongolia have always been quite tense, they do not lack interaction entirely; if a young man and woman take an interest in each other, their families will not strictly oppose it as long as there are no deep-seated hatreds.
Especially since the Tumet and the Weilaite were already close to each other, intermarriage between them was truly normal.
If that were not enough, they would also fight each other for grazing lands between them and the Ordos Mongols.
Li Zicheng was stunned, thinking to himself that no wonder His Majesty treated the Tumet so well; the Tumet were far too useful.
In the end, the two of them decided that the Tumet would take the lead by creating some friction with the Ordos Mongols first, then Li Zicheng would take action.
At first, the Ordos Mongols were also very annoyed by the Tumet for looking for trouble.
At this critical juncture, both Galdan and the Taiji of the other three tribes are extremely tense; who would have the mind to bother with such trivial matters?
“Arrange for people to kill all those Tumet people.” Galdan let out a cold laugh. “Does Lamazabu think he can act without restraint just because he has defected to the Ming Kingdom? This Khan wants to see if the Ming Kingdom will actually step up for him.”
Of course, my friend, of course.
When Galdan heard that the Ming Army was approaching, he was momentarily surprised: "Why?"
The relationship between the Ming Kingdom and these foreign tribes had always been neither good nor bad. Even if they pledged allegiance to the Ming Kingdom, if conflicts arose between these tribes, the Ming Kingdom would at most mediate or send an envoy to demand accountability, but would not easily deploy troops.
Why is it so unusual this time?
Great Khan, I have heard that the Tumet Mongols have already been completely incorporated into the Ming Kingdom, Lamazabu's second son has even entered the Ming Grand Secretariat to serve as an official.
"What?" Galdan was somewhat surprised.
A person's energy is limited; he has been focusing solely on dealing with three other tribes lately and has no real understanding of the situation in the Ming Kingdom.
Only then did he learn about the situation of the Tumet Mongols.
However, it was clear that some subordinates knew quite a bit. Upon hearing that the Ming Kingdom was even starting to help the Tumet build roads and establish schools, Galdan's expression changed several times, after a long silence, he finally said, "The Emperor of Ming has very grand ambitions."
“That's not right.” He reacted quickly. “The Ming Kingdom is coming for us this time!”
The opponent arrived far too quickly. Galdan had just ordered his men to deal with the troublemakers when the Prince of Shu from the Ming Kingdom came rushing over. If they hadn't been prepared beforehand, how could they have arrived so fast?
Galdan's expression turned solemn without a word. "Prepare for battle. Also, send someone to Tibet to ask when Tsangba Khan's reinforcements will arrive."
Galdan stepped out of his tent and looked at the stars filling the sky, his heart heavy.
He did not expect the Ming Kingdom to make a move at this time.
It shouldn't be.
Should they not be recuperating and recovering right now?
Even if the Emperor of Ming is warlike, shouldn't those scholar-officials criticize him for exhausting the country's resources on military expansion?
The Ming Kingdom as it is now seems somewhat different from the Ming Kingdom described by him and his grandfather and father.
Galdan's reaction was already fast, but unfortunately, he was caught off guard. Li Zicheng had long been prepared, the surprise attack arrived both fierce and swift.
At the same time, Lamazabu also led his men in a direct assault on the Torghut Mongols, the weakest of the three tribes currently.
The firearms of the Torghut Mongols were indeed quite good, but unfortunately, the firearms brought by Lamazabu were even better.
The Ming Kingdom would never sell its most advanced firearms.
Although Zhu Ci rarely personally inquires about the matter of firearms improvement now, there are still so many people in the Great Ming.
Moreover, when he was in Nanjing, Zhu Ci paid great attention to the selection of science students; now that the world is unified, in addition to selecting talents from the common people, he has already begun to focus on their cultivation.
Nowadays, even if one doesn't say the Ministry of Works is brimming with talent, it is certainly full of capable people; those without actual ability simply cannot survive in the Ministry of Works, the Minister of Works has already been replaced several times.
Except for the first one, who was removed due to corruption, the rest were all dismissed for lack of ability, being only capable of flattery.
Nowadays, the firearms of the Great Ming have not seen another leapfrog development, but there have been many improvements in the details.
The Torghut Mongols were somewhat slow to react when they were attacked, but as soon as he saw the Ming Army's banners, even if the ones holding the flags appeared to be Mongol warriors, they surrendered quickly.
Because there was no large-scale conflict, the Torghut Mongols still spoke a few peaceful words with Lamazabu.
Upon hearing Lamazabu repeatedly refer to "our Ming Kingdom," the Torghut Taiji's expression became extremely complicated.
However, when he heard Lamazabu state that the Prince of Shu of the Ming Kingdom was currently attacking the Dzungar, he immediately patted his chest and declared: We can also lend a hand.
Surrendering to the Great Ming is no big deal; after all, the relationship between the Ordos Mongols and the Ming Kingdom has always been one of shifting fortunes.
But Galdan must die!
Lamazabu did not object either, but when they led their men to rendezvous with Li Zicheng, they discovered that Galdan had already escaped with his men.
Why does His Highness the Prince of Shu not pursue them?
Li Zicheng had a blade of grass in his mouth, he lacked even a hint of a Prince's dignity. He said indistinctly, "No rush."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Galdan still doesn't understand my logic. He should remember in his next life that if one person of the Great Ming dies, his entire family will pay with their lives. Cold-eyed cat squinting. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 292
Galdan's direction of flight was Tibet, which happened to be a better excuse than the one the Imperial Court had previously used.
It's not that it was bad, it was just a bit far-fetched.
Now he needs a more plausible excuse to offend the Great Ming; if Tsangba hands him over, it will be fine, but if he doesn't, then he can just wait for death.
“What if Tsangba Khan really hands over Galdan?” Lamazabu's eldest son, Menghe, asked with some curiosity.
Hmph." Li Zicheng let out a laugh. "He wouldn't be willing to hand over Galdan, he certainly wouldn't be willing to hand over everyone from the Dzungar, let alone.. he might not even be willing to hand over Galdan himself.
Who was Galdan? He was not only the de facto leader of the Dzungar Mongols, but also the reincarnation of a Living Buddha.
Li Zicheng had conducted quite a bit of research on the Mongols back then, as a result, he had even looked into Tibet as well.
The significance of a reincarnated Living Buddha is similar to that of the Son of Heaven for the Han people, perhaps even more important.
After all, the Son of Heaven can be replaced, but the Living Buddha's reincarnation is that one person.
In this situation, unless Awang Lousang Jiacuo personally agrees, Tsangba Khan will not be allowed to hand over the Living Buddha.
Moreover, even if the excuse of Galdan isn't useful, the Imperial Court has preparations ready; in any case, Tsangba has made up his mind.
However, before that, Li Zicheng needed to screen the soldiers under his command.
When the decision was made for him to lead the expedition, the Emperor specially summoned him in private to tell him the points that needed attention when fighting Tsangba, the most important of which was to find soldiers who would not suffer from altitude sickness.
At first, Li Zicheng naturally did not know what altitude sickness was, but after His Majesty handed him a document, he finally understood the situation.
He still remembered His Majesty saying with a very serious expression, "If you feel unwell, it is better not to fight at all than to force yourself."
He had spent his whole life galloping across battlefields, having fought emperors and even served as an emperor himself; if he were to die from altitude sickness in the end, it would be far too anticlimactic.
Li Zicheng felt a warmth in his heart at that moment and repeatedly promised that he would certainly be careful.
When selecting soldiers, he prioritized those who had just been captured.
Unlike the way the Qing Army used captives to charge into battle as cannon fodder, he valued these people because the terrain where they lived was already very high, meaning they should be better able to adapt to the plateau.
As for the soldiers he brought, even though they were somewhat unaccustomed to the current terrain, many suffered from headaches and discomfort, forcing them to be sent to lower altitudes.
Li Zicheng himself was actually quite fine; he was a little unaccustomed, but it wasn't that serious.
He thought for a moment and then called Lamazabu over to ask, "Has the Earl of Guiyi ever been to Tsangba?"
Lamazabu shook his head and said, "This official has never been there, but his eldest son, Menghe □□, once went there to study Buddhism."
Li Zicheng narrowed his eyes and said, "That's fine, let him lead the troops and follow me!"
Li Zicheng was also worried that the higher the terrain, the more he would struggle to endure, so there had to be someone capable of adapting to the terrain who could take command of the army at any time.
Lamazabu naturally agreed again and again.
Li Zicheng waited for a few days before sending messengers to the capital with news of victory while simultaneously leading his men in pursuit.
Zhu Ci was originally a bit puzzled: "He reached Tibet so quickly?"
Not only did he reach Tibet, but he also sent back news of victory; did Li Zicheng travel there by high-speed rail?
When he received the victory report, he was momentarily caught between laughter and tears. He casually handed it to Fu beside him and said, "Take a look."
Fu was not surprised after looking at it, merely saying, "The Prince of Shu is skilled at making things more complicated than they need to be."
"Making things complicated" was not a compliment. Zhu Ci looked at Fu and felt as if he were actually offering sincere praise, leaving him momentarily unsure of how to respond.
It's a pity that Galdan was allowed to escape.
The Prince of Shu must have let Galdan escape on purpose, so that he could more legitimately launch an invasion of Tibet.
"Alright." Zhu Ci said nothing more. In this era, there was no instant communication; even from far away in Beijing, he could not command, so he could only allow Li Zicheng to act as he pleased.
He casually handed several maps to Fu and said, "Find some craftsmen to make this thing."
What is this?
A jaw crusher," Zhu Ci said. "It's specifically used for crushing stones; it should have very wide applications in the future.
Fu looked at the first map, staring at it for a long time without understanding how it actually worked, finally had no choice but to give up and say, "I will find craftsmen to make it as soon as possible. It might be easy to make the individual parts, but assembling them will likely be.."
I will go there and take a look myself when the time comes, but there is no need to rush. Spring plowing is approaching, so set all other matters aside for now.
“Is there any news from the people surveying the canal? And what about the mapmakers..”
Zhu Ci asked a long series of questions, Fu Yi answered them all.
Sigh, as soon as spring arrives, the work piles up.
Spring plowing is tied to the livelihoods of millions of households; it cannot be handled carelessly.
Zhu Ci had people sent to survey the canal only because it was in a semi-blocked state; the Yellow River had flooded once last year, causing different degrees of blockage in both the Li Canal and the Zhong Canal.
The Qing Court had completely failed to manage the Yellow River floods at the time, which led to severe damage to the canal, now it must be rebuilt.
Fu stood up and massaged his shoulders, saying, "These plans cannot be completed overnight; Your Majesty need not worry about this."
I know." Zhu Ci took Fu's hand, playing with his slender fingers as he spoke, "It's just that we must lay a solid foundation now so that we can avoid detours in the future.