Chapter 576: Bei Yuan has to think of his grandson
The location of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
In just two months, the entire Beiyuan region has undergone unimaginable changes.
This can be said to be a huge difference.
In the previous Northern Yuan Dynasty, under the strong suppression of the Ming Dynasty, all parties were in short supply of materials. Some lowly slaves were thankful to God if they could drink half a bowl of gruel every day.
The lives of ordinary people are not very good. After a winter, the medicinal materials and tea leaves at home have long been exhausted.
Without food, they could only survive on cow's milk and goat's milk, and occasionally only meat.
There is not even salt, and pure cooked meat is difficult to swallow. Long-term consumption of greasy meat will bring about all kinds of pain.
Forget about adults, especially children, their abdomens are generally bloated.
This situation develops in the homes of all grassland people, even some Mongolian nobles, not much better.
The most important thing is the fear of future life.
During that time, everyone in Beiyuan, both the court and the various tribes, were gloomy and gloomy, with no smiles to be seen.
But it's different now.
Zhu Ying set up a mutual market as quickly as possible, and he had a large amount of supplies. In just three days, a large number of urgently needed supplies for the grassland were on their way.
Here in Beiyuan, cavalry from all walks of life closely escorted them, and they quickly arrived and set up seven trading points.
The arrival of the Ming Dynasty caravan was like seeing the sun through the clouds, and everyone's faces were filled with cheerful smiles.
In particular, the rise in commodity prices has been a huge surprise to all herdsmen on the grasslands.
That night, there was a bonfire party with singing and dancing to welcome the arrival of the Ming caravan.
Invisibly, all the herdsmen discovered that they could no longer live without the Ming Dynasty.
Some tribal elders looked at this scene and sighed slightly.
In the future, there may be no way to go to the Central Plains to enjoy the autumn breeze.
Firstly, the Ming Dynasty became more and more powerful, and secondly, after the arrival of the Ming Dynasty caravan, a law was announced.
From now on, any tribe found to be ruthlessly plundering the Ming Dynasty will be permanently added to the undesirable list.
This means that the Ming Chamber of Commerce will refuse to trade with them and impose inter-tribal sanctions.
Such a law may not seem to have much effect, but in fact it makes many people very afraid.
It can be seen from the embargo that today's Ming Dynasty will really implement the laws thoroughly.
It's just that it's difficult to feed the tribesmen just by relying on the development of the grassland itself, whether it's fur or livestock.
Where can the future be?
Northern Yuan Dynasty court, palace tent.
Elbek sat on the dragon throne, and below him were the civil and military officials of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
"Shang Shu Haba, you are indispensable for being able to capture Yan King Zhu Di alive, prompting the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty to reach a peace treaty, lift the embargo, and trade at a reduced price."
"Tell me what reward you want, as long as you tell me, I can grant it to you."
Elbek said with a smile, feeling very good.
In terms of negotiations, although no other material compensation was obtained except for the lifting of the Ming embargo, the expansion of trade allowed the reputation of Elbek Khan to begin to spread throughout the grasslands.
All the Mongolian tribes, nobles, and herdsmen are thinking of Elbek.
Elbek's own reputation in the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the army also reached a peak.
Now I have to speak much more forcefully.
Haba, the Minister of War below, was speechless when he heard His Majesty say this.
Although the situation in Beiyuan is improving now, the Ministry of Revenue has actually been in deficit for a long time, so there is no reward to be given out.
How could he not understand the meaning of His Majesty's words? It was just to get to a better place.
But this is also a good opportunity for Haba.
He is now the Minister of the Ministry of War. With the current vacancy of the Prime Minister, he is already considered a very popular minister. If he goes up higher, he will be the master of great achievements.
Being able to maintain his current position as Minister of War is already a very good situation.
The first thing Haba did when he caught Yan King Zhu Di and returned to the Northern Yuan court was to hand over his tiger talisman overnight, for fear that His Majesty would have other ideas.
But if you have merit, it won't work if you don't want any reward.
After thinking about it for a while, Haba said, "This is all my duty, but speaking of it, I really want something, and I beg your majesty to reward it."
When Elbek heard this, his expression changed slightly and he asked calmly, "But it doesn't matter."
Haba grasped this scene and immediately said: "I like snowflake salt the most, but the Chamber of Commerce in the Ming Dynasty has restrictions on the share of snowflake salt. The portion here seems to be a lot, but it is not enough to eat."
"There are also those exquisite condiments, but I can't eat more than a few meals."
"Your Majesty knows that this is what I want, so I boldly ask Your Majesty to give me some."
Hearing this, Elbek felt relieved.
Sure enough, this Haba is quite sensible.
Just need snowflake salt and seasoning.
If it comes to other things, Elbek really may not be able to bring them out. It is precisely this snowflake salt and seasonings that he currently has in stock.
When the Ming caravan came earlier, the Ming Taisun specially sent a lot of them.
Nowadays, snowflake salt is second, and the barbecue seasoning is really popular in the Northern Yuan Dynasty.
After it is sprinkled on the barbecue, it feels like it is not the same thing at all. The taste can even be swallowed by the tongue.
"Now that Master Haba has spoken, I can't be stingy."
"As a reward, thirty catties of snowflake salt and ten catties of seasoning."
Elbek said with a smile.
Ten kilograms of seasoning is not a small amount. Just a little bit is enough for barbecue. In today's Beiyuan, these ten kilograms of seasoning would cost at least dozens of kilograms of gold.
It's not that Elbek didn't know the price of goods, it's just that these things were given by the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty. Things given away for free, I don't feel bad about giving them to others.
Moreover, the person in charge of the Chamber of Commerce who came to the Northern Yuan Dynasty said that if he needed things like snowflake salt and seasonings, he would just ask and have them delivered.
It was specifically told by the Ming Dynasty’s grandson.
At this time, Elbek's favorable opinion of the Ming Dynasty grandson was already very high.
Not only the snowflake salt seasoning, but also the most famous Jingshi Di Bao in the Ming Dynasty will be delivered as soon as they arrive at the border.
Including some precious tea leaves, porcelain, and even the famous rouge and gouache given to the imperial concubines in Elbek harem.
Almost all of Jingshi’s luxury goods series are delivered in batches every month.
If it exists in the capital, it will naturally exist here in Elbek.
For example, famous snacks, the Ming Dynasty Taisun would directly send chefs over to make them on the spot for Elbek.
This is so thoughtful.
As the saying goes, eating people is short of mouth, and taking people is short of hands.
Originally, Elbek was still a little hesitant about what he said about the Northern Yuan Dynasty officials, but now, he simply doesn't think about it so much.
In Elbek's heart, the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty really treated him as his own uncle, and his Majesty must have meant this.
Sure enough, Your Majesty has never forgotten me.
This further strengthened Elbek's intention to form an alliance with the Ming Dynasty. As for those Han officials, it was irrelevant.
If they were allowed to stay in Beiyuan, they would still support his younger brother. It would be better if they returned to Daming.
After the early dynasty of the Northern Yuan Dynasty ended.
Ou Anmin also went back to his tent.
Everything is good here on the grassland, but it is inconvenient without a city.
The nomadic people lived in pursuit of water and grass. The earliest role of cities was to store supplies and trade.
There is no business or material hoarding here in Beiyuan, even Wang Ting has a large account.
Rather, in order to take care of the Han courtiers, the large tent has the characteristics of the Central Plains.
"Ou Yushi, I heard that your Majesty has been considering building a city recently, but I don't know if it will be implemented."
"If we can really build a city, then we won't have to wander around all the time, and our lives will finally be stable."
A familiar Han minister said with a smile next to Ou Anmin.
This matter was only mentioned in the court recently.
The key lies in the corn feed provided by Daming.
Originally, cattle, sheep, and horses were kept in captivity, and they had to chase water and grass all the time before they could be raised.
Now that the Ming Dynasty has provided corn feed, it is completely different. These are more fertile than pasture, the price is not high, and they can be raised in a fixed area.
Under such circumstances, it seems that the Northern Yuan Dynasty can be stabilized here and there is no need to run around.
So correspondingly, someone came up with the idea of building a city.
Elbek Khan also agreed with this idea.
However, building a city is not something that happens overnight. It is easier said than done.
Beiyuan has just recovered somewhat, and it still needs to be more stable.
Ou Anmin snorted coldly when he heard this.
Said: "Don't just focus on the present. You should know why everything in Beiyuan currently comes from."
"The Ming Dynasty's caravans have grabbed our throats. Once we have a conflict with the Ming Dynasty, do you think these caravans will come again?"
"Just like the previous embargo, the entire Beiyuan will once again wither."
"At that time, it may be even more serious than before. When all the nobles, soldiers, and herdsmen are particularly dependent on us, we can only be led by the Ming Dynasty."
"Even Your Majesty, I'm afraid you won't dare to argue with Ming Dynasty, otherwise the people of the Northern Yuan Dynasty will be overturned and the throne will be unstable."
"You said that at that time, Bei Yuan was still Bei Yuan's Bei Yuan?"
The Han minister who spoke earlier was speechless for a long time by what Ou Anmin said.
After a long time, he said: "Ou Yushi, what you said can actually be seen and thought by everyone."
"But, what can be done."
"This grassland is no better than the Central Plains. There is nothing except the vast expanse."
"The current situation of the Ming Dynasty has far surpassed that of the Bei Yuan Dynasty. In the entire grassland, who can compare with the Ming Dynasty?"
"There is no way to rely on Ming. At least for now, no one can do anything to Ming."
"The great grandson of the Ming Dynasty, you have also seen how young he is, but he is only as young as a crown prince."
"If there are no other surprises, in the next few decades, we should not have any ideas that we cannot fight against."
"Since we can't fight, it's better to just follow along. Look, our life is much better now. Not to mention the herdsmen, even the slaves can have a bite to eat. What a good thing."
"We are all old, how can we compare to this? Let's just live like this."
"Being a monk for a day and ringing bells for a day is not a bad idea."
After Ou Anmin heard this, he suddenly felt sad for some reason.
It was as if everything I was holding on to was suddenly gone.
People seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. When he followed him to this grassland to serve as a minister in Beiyuan and refused Ming's solicitation, he naturally looked down on Zhu Yuanzhang.
In fact, many people look down on Zhu Yuanzhang.
This is especially true in the circle of scholars, like Ou Anmin's generation.
He, Zhu Yuanzhang, is nothing, just a Guizhou head.
Since ancient times, there has been no emperor who did not come from a famous family. Zhu Yuanzhang was a serious farmer with no background at all.
Even if you gain the world temporarily, it is almost like gaining the crown from a monkey.
He is just a rebel who has experienced many dynasties. He can only hold the position of emperor for several years.
So with this idea in mind, Ou Anmin decided not to recruit from the Ming Dynasty and followed Bei Yuan.
From a strategic point of view, it can be regarded as avoiding the melee in the Central Plains first, and then recuperating and entering the Central Plains to compete for power again.
This idea, considering the situation at that time, actually had no problem.
However, what I didn't expect was that after Ou Anmin left, the entire Central Plains suddenly became peaceful.
In front of Zhu Yuanzhang's army, all the forces were like paper, with no resistance at all.
The situation changed so fast that even before he could react, the Ming Dynasty seemed to be stable all of a sudden.
This kind of speed is unbelievable.
In fact, Ou Anmin also regretted it, but unfortunately, it was already too late.
Sighing slightly, no more words.
Thinking that I was already in my early sixties, half of my body was probably buried in the ground.
Fortunately, there are still descendants of his own in the Ming Dynasty, and the Xinzheng Ou family is also developing well.
So what if this end fails, it doesn't matter much.
Ou Anmin knew very well that not only himself, but also the Han courtiers currently in Beiyuan had a way out.
Many of the ways here in Beiyuan were transferred to their own families through Shanxi merchants at the border.
When he can no longer do anything in a few years, he will return to his family and enjoy his old age.
Thinking of this, Ou Anmin's mentality no longer mattered.
As soon as he arrived at the big tent, Ou Anmin saw his servants waiting anxiously.
After seeing himself, he ran over quickly.
"Master, you are finally back. The Ming Dynasty caravan sent you a letter from my family."
"I didn't think anything of it at first, but I just heard that other gentlemen seemed to have encountered something, so I became a little anxious. You"
Ou Anmin immediately grabbed the family letter from the servant's hand and immediately started to read it.