met free Chapter 1212 How can I please the Prince Consort?
Chapter 1212 How can I please the Prince Consort?
Among the various vassal envoys of the Ming Dynasty, there existed an invisible yet real hierarchy of contempt.
Goryeo and Annam looked down on each other, Goryeo and Japan also disliked each other, and Annam and Japan did not get along well.
These three families, in turn, looked down on all other vassal states besides themselves and Ryukyu.
According to the Goryeo envoy, "Goryeo is a descendant of China, and I am an envoy from the Little China of the East. Who are you?"
Just like when I visited Park Sung-sung, the deputy envoy of Goryeo, he was clearly a lackey of the Yuan Dynasty, yet he dared to give me, the deputy envoy of the Khanate, a hard time.
As for Ryukyu... Ryukyu's strength is indeed not that great. Not to mention these three powerful vassal states that look down on each other, even the Pegu Kingdom before it was attacked was not necessarily weaker than Ryukyu.
However, whether it is weak or not is one thing, and whether the prince consort is willing to think highly of Ryukyu is another.
Therefore, whether he could join the Ming Dynasty's household registration like Babur was one thing, but whether he could claim to be a descendant of Chunwei like him was another matter entirely.
No matter how much you Koreans call yourselves "Little China," how can you compare to us, descendants of the mighty Great Xia?
Then the problem is coming.
Should I be called "Xiamosi" or "Xiasiha"?
While considering his words, Mo Siha cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Xia Zhong and said with a smile, "Thank you for reminding me, Lord Xia. If it weren't for your guidance, I'm afraid I would have made a mistake without even realizing it, and become a laughingstock."
Xia Zhong immediately became happy, cupped his hands in greeting to Mo Siha, and said, "In that case, this humble official shall take his leave."
Mo Siha said, "Wait a minute! Xia Guanren has been guiding me through this difficult time. How could I be so ignorant of human affairs? Today, I would like to ask Xia Guanren to do me the honor of staying for a drink."
Xia Zhong was about to refuse, but Mo Siha continued, "To be honest, Mr. Xia, I have another question to ask you. I hope you will be kind enough to enlighten me."
After leaving Xia Zhong behind, Mo Siha continued, "I've never understood why the Prince Consort values those two barbarians so much?"
He had ordered his men to search far and wide for traces of the European barbarians, and now the Khanate had sent him two barbarians, but in doing so, he had lost one of his followers.
So, what is so noteworthy about those two barbarians?
Just because they eat people?
That doesn't make any sense either.
In response to Mo Siha's question, Xia Zhong simply pursed his lips and said, "Vice Envoy, you've gone too far—we are merely henchmen working for the Prince Consort. If he wants barbarians from Europe, we will capture them and present them to him. As for what the Prince Consort wants to do with them, that is not our concern."
Mo Siha was furious. He thought to himself, "You're Yang the bastard's lackey! Your whole family are lackeys!"
You dog only got your Ming Dynasty household registration yesterday, and today you're already calling yourself Yang Dianfeng's lackey. You even came here to show off. Do you really think I can't see through your intentions?
Despite his anger, Mo Siha had to suppress it and force a smile as he faced Xia Ju, who was now a clerk in the Court of State Ceremonial. He said, "Lord Xia, you misunderstand. I am not asking what the Prince Consort wants the barbarians for, but rather what kind of barbarians the Prince Consort desires."
"As you just said, I am also a descendant of Chunwei and an envoy of a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. It is only natural for me to do my best for the Prince Consort."
"However, as the old saying goes, 'If you don't follow the master's orders, you'll work yourself to death for nothing.' If I were to persuade the Great Khan to capture the barbarians of Europe, wouldn't I first have to please the Prince Consort?"
……
Just as Mo Siha and Xia Zhong were each plotting their own schemes to please the Prince Consort, the Ming court was once again thrown into chaos.
This time, the fun is quite big, and it all started with the phrase "catering to their preferences".
As is well known, the imperial sons-in-law of the Ming Dynasty did not care much for the title of Duke of Ying, but were particularly interested in the title of Marquis of Champion.
As is widely known, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was preparing to have His Highness the Crown Prince perform the magnificent feat of sealing the wolf's lair.
As the saying goes, "What the superiors like, the inferiors will surely follow."
Kublai Khan's self-proclaimed title "Liu Bilie" is a joke, but it is an undeniable fact that Biliktu Khan, the Yuan Zhaozong, was the son of Borjigin Ayushiridara, and that he was misled by a tutor arranged by Yang Shaofeng, thus claiming to be Liu Dingbei.
A marquis born in Mongolia, who was granted the title of Marquis of Chongli by Emperor Zhu but named himself "Dingbei" (meaning "pacifying the north"), was repeatedly sent back to the grasslands by Emperor Zhu, but he kept finding various excuses to stay in the Ming Dynasty...
On the second day of the second month of the eighth year of the Hongwu reign, having finally run out of any new reason, Marquis Liu Dingbei of Chongli tearfully embarked on his journey home, only to cause a great commotion when he reached the Zunhua area—
Liu Dingbei went to find Geng Xingming, the magistrate of Zunhua County, and said repeatedly, "Nomadic peoples often move south in the autumn because they need to replenish their food and even their population. The best way to deal with nomadic peoples is to lead troops north in the spring and 'destroy their nests and drive their horses,' loot all the resources they can, kill all the livestock they can, and completely cut off their roots."
"There's no need to worry about not being able to find where they're hiding. After all, others may not know, but I, Liu Dingbei, know exactly where they like to hide."
"Water sources and grasslands, I, Liu Dingbei, can find them even with my eyes closed!"
Geng Xingming didn't dare to lead his troops beyond the Great Wall. After all, Li Mingchen had already done it before, and several Ningyang magistrates who led troops beyond the Great Wall had been reprimanded. In addition, the grasslands had been relatively quiet recently, so he couldn't find any excuse. Therefore, Geng Xingming did not accept Liu Dingbei's invitation to go beyond the Great Wall.
But who could have imagined that Liu Dingbei, whose first plan failed, would come up with another? In the blink of an eye, he recruited several hundred Mongols in Zunhua County, saying that he would wipe out the Tartars in the northern desert and prevent them from raiding southward in the autumn.
The Mongolians who had already settled in Zunhua perked up immediately upon hearing that they were going to rob money, grain, and grasslands.
In the past, when fighting for a chieftain or the Khan, one had to provide their own food, saddle, and horse. Sometimes, even selling one's wife and children wasn't enough to make ends meet. And the Khan's military pay was never going to be paid; one might even have to sell oneself into slavery someday.
Now there's actually a chance to follow a marquis from the Ming Dynasty to rob money, grain, and grasslands?
Then what the hell are we waiting for!
By the time Geng Xingming "came to his senses," Liu Dingbei had already gathered warhorses and equipment and led eight hundred Mongols out of the pass.
"So, can't your Ningyang County at all have a normal official?"
Black Sesame Dumpling pushed the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Geng Xingming's own petition for forgiveness in front of Yang Shaofeng, and mocked, "What virtue or ability does Liu Dingbei possess that he could gather eight hundred men's warhorses and equipment right under the nose of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even get the people of Zunhua County to help him keep it a secret from Geng Xingming, the upright official of Zunhua County?"
"If I remember correctly, those local gentry, such as Scholar Liu and Master Geng, had barely left Ningyang County when they were beaten half to death on the road, right?"
"Furthermore, before Geng Xingming became an official through the imperial examinations, he studied with his brother-in-law for two or three years and worked as a clerk for two or three years. I don't believe he can't understand a county like Zunhua."
Yang Shaofeng immediately rolled his eyes.
what do you mean?
Are you bringing up old grievances?