Chapter 87 Discussion

Chapter 87 Discussion

Chapter 87 Discussion
After entering the post station, Zhu Shenzhui went directly to his brother-in-law Zhou Anmin's office.

It is called an office, but in fact it is just an ordinary side room in the post station, which serves as the office of the postmaster.

Zhou Anmin was sitting in the room with an account book in front of him and writing something on it with a pen in his hand. When he heard the door being pushed open, he looked up at the door and saw Zhu Shenzhui walking in in a hurry.

"Brother-in-law!"

"Why are you here? When did you come back?" Seeing Zhu Shenzhui suddenly appear, Zhou Anmin's face showed surprise. He quickly put the pen aside and stood up.

"It's been a while since I came back. I came over right after I settled down at home. It's been a few months since we last met. How are my brother-in-law and sister? How are Chong'er and Bin'er?"

"Okay, everything is fine at home." Zhou Anmin smiled and quickly asked Zhu Shenzhu to sit down. He picked up the teapot in front of him and poured him a glass of water.

"You must be tired after traveling all the way. Let's have a drink of water and take a breath. By the way, did you have a smooth trip to the grassland? Did you go to Zhao Village as well?"

"Everything goes well. These are for you, your sister, Chong'er and Bin'er." Zhu Shenzhui smiled and put the bag in his hand on the table and pushed it over, then picked up the cup and drank tea.

"We are all family, there is no need to bring things from far away..." Zhou Anmin said subconsciously, but when Zhu Shenzhui untied the bag and saw what was inside, he was stunned and couldn't say the rest of the words for a while.

The bundle was not big, but the things inside were unusual, including several fine furs and other items, all good stuff. In particular, there was a dagger that looked very exquisite. This dagger was obviously of foreign style and was obviously not a product of the Ming Dynasty. It was inlaid with red and green gems and looked very beautiful.

"I brought them all back from this trip to the grassland. These things are not worth much on the grassland. Only this dagger is a little expensive, but it didn't cost that much. I don't need it myself, so I give it to you, brother-in-law, to play with. It's a good choice for self-defense or as a gift to others." Zhu Shenzhui said lightly.

As a postmaster and a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhou Anmin had seen good things before. He estimated that these things were worth a lot of silver in total, especially this dagger. If it caught the buyer's eye, it could be sold for at least fifty or sixty taels of silver. These gifts were quite valuable.

But after a slight surprise, Zhou Anmin returned to normal. After all, he and Zhu Shenzhu were not strangers. If there was anyone in the world who was closest to Zhu Shenzhu, besides Zhang and Zhu Qiaoer, his uncle Wang Rong and his cousin Wang Jinwu, it would be Zhou Anmin's family.

"It seems that this trip to the grassland was quite rewarding?" Zhou Anmin said with a smile.

"Well, I gained a lot, and I was lucky too. I met several Mongolian nobles on the grassland. If nothing unexpected happens, I will make a lot of money next time I go back." Zhu Shenzhui replied with a smile, and then talked about his experience on the grassland, which naturally included the chance encounter with Ligdan Khan gathering troops, and through this incident he met Burigude.

Speaking of gathering troops, Zhu Shenzhui asked Zhou Anmin if he knew about the situation of Lingdan Khan leading his army to attack Inner Khalkha. Calculating the time, when Zhu Shenzhui returned to Daming, Lingdan Khan's army had also gathered in Baicheng and marched into Inner Khalkha.

This war should have started now, but Zhu Shenzhui didn't know how it would turn out and who would win or lose. After all, this was a war on the grassland, and it had little to do with the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui was just an ordinary royal family member with limited sources of information. Not to mention him, even the governor and the provincial government probably didn't know much about the grassland.

The reason why I asked Zhou Anmin is because Zhou Anmin has channels with the Jinyiwei, and maybe he knows something.

Zhou Anmin shook his head. "I'm not very clear about this. Some time ago, news came from the north that Ligdan Khan was gathering troops on the grassland. The border guards were worried that Ligdan Khan would go south, and the guards were very nervous for a few days. Later, they learned that Ligdan Khan was sending troops to fight Inner Khalkha, and then they relaxed. As for the current situation of the Inner Khalkha, I don't know, but I think that this time Ligdan Khan has raised troops like this, and the Inner Khalkha troops may not be able to stop Ligdan Khan's army."

It seems that both the grassland and the Ming Dynasty are optimistic about this war. After all, compared with Lindan Khan's army, Chaohua's strength is far inferior. The gap between the two is obvious, especially since Lindan Khan is also the common leader of the grassland. Using the strong to attack the weak is a sure win.

But Zhu Shenzhui didn't think so. Although the situation was like this, Zhu Shenzhui didn't think that Lin Danhan would definitely be the winner of this war. You know, although the Inner Khalkha was not as strong as Lin Danhan, it was also a powerful force on the grassland. More importantly, the Later Jin had just defeated the Inner Khalkha not long ago, and Nurhaci forced Chaohua to form an alliance with the Later Jin. Now that Lin Danhan was attacking the Inner Khalkha, would Nurhaci in Liaodong just turn a blind eye? Nurhaci was not Lin Danhan, he was a tyrant. They had just formed an alliance, and if Nurhaci abandoned his ally at this time, he would never do such a thing, and he would send troops to help anyway.

Once the Later Jin moved, the outcome of the battle would be hard to predict. But would Nurhaci really send troops? Xiong Tingbi was in Liaodong now, and he was cautiously fighting against the Later Jin. What if Xiong Tingbi took advantage of Nurhaci's sending troops to Inner Khalkha to rescue Chaohua and also sent troops to attack the Later Jin? The situation would be even more complicated.

"What? Do you think the Jiannu will send troops to Inner Khalkha?" Zhou Anmin asked with a frown.

"It's possible." Zhu Shenzhui said, "I heard some news when I was on the grassland. According to my judgment, it is very likely that I, Yezhupi, rescued Chaohua. Although Lin Danhan has a strong army, you, brother-in-law, know the fighting power of the Jiannu. Once I send troops to help, the outcome of this battle will be hard to predict, unless the Ming army in Liaodong and Lin Danhan cooperate with each other, one in the east and one in the west, in this way, not only can Lin Danhan capture Inner Khalkha, but it is also possible to inflict heavy damage on the Jiannu."

"This..." Zhou Anmin frowned and didn't speak for a while. He thought for a moment and shook his head: "This matter is not as easy as you think. A small move can affect the whole body. War is not just a matter of talking on paper. Moreover, we are thousands of miles away and cannot judge the situation. Now Lord Xiong has just stabilized the situation in Liaodong. He does not have enough military strength. The court is also unable to counterattack. As for Lin Danhan, there is no guarantee either."

"My brother-in-law is right." Zhu Shenzhui nodded, but sighed in his heart.

Having said that, if this time is really as he imagined, it is indeed a great opportunity for Liaodong to turn the tide. Unfortunately, Zhu Shenzhu couldn't even convince Zhou Anmin, let alone change these things. Such national affairs are not something he can influence. Besides, what Zhou Anmin said is also true. The Ming Dynasty suffered heavy losses in Liaodong after the Battle of Sarhu. At present, it is simply unable to take the initiative to attack. Once the attack fails and it is defeated again, the situation in Liaodong will be completely out of control.

Xiong Tingbi is a great man, but he is also a mortal. He is always steady and will not take such a big risk. In addition, if Lin Danhan wanted to unite with the Ming Dynasty from the beginning, he should have communicated with the Ming Dynasty in advance and agreed to send troops. But until now, Lin Danhan has not had this idea. When he gathered troops before, he almost caused misunderstandings in the Ming Dynasty. The arrogant Lin Danhan had no intention of joining forces with the Ming Dynasty from the beginning, so how could they march at the same time?
It was obviously a good opportunity, but he watched it slip away like this, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but feel a little regretful. But then he thought about it and laughed, in this case, the person involved is confused, the bystander is clear, not to mention Zhu Shenzhui is high up, standing in the eyes of God, naturally looking at the problem differently.

He shook his head and put the matter aside. Such national affairs were not something that small people like them could decide.

"Brother-in-law, I need your help with something." Zhu Shenzhui glanced towards the door, then retracted his gaze and lowered his voice to Zhou Anmin.

Faced with Zhou Anmin's doubts, Zhu Shenzui did not hide anything from him and directly told him about Yangtou Mountain and Zhaowuling, especially the gust of wind in Zhaowuling.

"A gust of wind?" Zhou Anmin frowned after hearing this. He had never heard of this gust of wind before, so he had to find out its origin. However, he understood what Zhu Shenzhui said, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "Are you worried that if Zhaowuling starts an incident, it will involve Yangtoushan?"

"That's right!" Zhu Shenzhui nodded repeatedly. "Yangtou Mountain has just stabilized. Li Hu and his men will be of great use in the future. If the incident at Zhaowuling gets out of hand, Yangtou Mountain may not be able to conceal it. When the war breaks out, Yangtou Mountain will inevitably be involved in the incident. If Yangtou Mountain is gone, all the efforts made before will be in vain."

Zhou Anmin nodded silently. Zhu Shenzhui was right to worry. With Zhou Anmin's understanding of the local area and the army, this situation was very likely. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui had just said that Zhaowuling's Yifeng had sent people to contact Yangtou Mountain. Although Yangtou Mountain refused to start an uprising, this matter was real.

After the incident of Yifeng was exposed, Zhaowuling and Yangtou Mountain could no longer conceal it. It was not difficult to eliminate Yifeng, but the difficulty lay in how to cover up the incident on Yangtou Mountain. If someone wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fuss and take the head of Yangtou Mountain to claim credit, Yangtou Mountain would not be able to be saved at all.

Although Li Hu and his gang settled in Yangtou Mountain and were completely different from the group in Zhaowuling, in fact, Li Hu was also a refugee, and he was also doing the business of occupying the mountain and becoming the king. Moreover, Zhou Anmin knew the details of Li Hu and his gang very well. Although the matter of the mine supervisor was suppressed, it could not be concealed if it was really dug up. When the two things were involved, Yangtou Mountain would also become a traitor, and naturally it would not be let go.

"This matter is a bit difficult to handle." Zhou Anmin thought about it and shook his head: "No one knows when a gust of wind will cause trouble, and how it will turn out. No matter what, once it starts, you, Yangtoushan, will not be able to ignore it..."

After hesitating for a while, Zhou Anmin said, "Little brother, why don't we move the people from Yangtou Mountain temporarily and take them to other places to avoid the limelight first, and then return to Yangtou Mountain after we understand the situation of Yifeng?"

(End of this chapter)