MLMD -Chapter 219 An Unpleasant Meeting

After the Ming army opposite them had finished forming its ranks, there was not the slightest movement. Bater grew somewhat impatient as he waited. He urged his horse forward a few steps and asked Namu Zhong, “Great Consort, the Ming troops are already here, but why is there no movement at all from them? Should we send someone over to ask what they’re up to?”

Namu Zhong had been able to lead the Chahar tribe in bitter resistance against the Mongols for a full year after her husband’s death, so she was naturally a woman of some capability. She sneered coldly and said, “Ask them about what? They’re waiting for us to go over first and greet them. If we make the first move, we’ll be falling straight into their trap.”

“What? Those Ming people are actually this crafty?” Bater was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. “Then what are we waiting for? We’ve already waited here all morning, and they’re still playing mind games with us. Why don’t we just go back and ignore them altogether!”

Namu Zhong let out a soft sigh. A trace of desolation appeared on her mature and beautiful face as she said quietly, “But things have already reached this point—can we really go back now?”

“This…”

Bater’s mouth hung open, and for a moment he was unable to say anything.

After another quarter of an hour passed, the Ming formation opposite them still had not budged in the slightest. It remained perfectly orderly. Such imposing discipline was astonishing even to someone like Namu Zhong, who did not have a deep understanding of military affairs.

“We can’t wait any longer,” Namu Zhong said.

She turned back to look at the Mongol cavalry behind her and found that they had long since lost any semblance of formation. Many of them were swaying crookedly in their saddles; some were chatting, some drinking water, and some had even dismounted to relieve themselves. There was not the slightest hint of a proper army about them—calling them mounted civilians would have been more accurate.

Namu Zhong’s long brows immediately knitted together. She knew very well that if this standoff continued, her own men would only become more undisciplined.

“This won’t do. We have to make contact with them at once, or those idiots are going to scatter!”

Though she was furious at the behavior of the Mongol warriors behind her, as the highest decision-maker she still had to make a choice.

Clenching her teeth, Namu Zhong was just about to spur her horse forward when she suddenly noticed seven or eight riders galloping out from the opposing formation.

“Huh… what are they doing?”

Before Namu Zhong could decide how to respond, the other side had already reached a point less than two hundred paces away and then gradually slowed. When they stopped less than a hundred paces from the Mongol line, the leading rider shouted loudly:

“The Great Ming’s Shanxi Northern Route Vice Commander and Zhen’guo General, Yue Yang, has arrived! We request that the leader of the Mongol Chahar tribe come forth to meet him!”

Namu Zhong bit her rosy lips tightly, her breathing growing a little rapid. After a moment’s thought, she tugged at her reins and rode forward, calling out loudly, “I am Namu Zhong, the Doro Great Consort and widow of Ligdan Khan. May I ask which one of you is General Yue Yang of the Great Ming?”

The riders ahead parted, revealing a man behind them. He urged his horse forward a few steps, smiled, and said, “I am Yue Yang, Vice Commander of the Great Ming’s Shanxi Northern Route and Zhen’guo General. I pay my respects to the esteemed Doro Great Consort!”

After their exchange, the two sides carefully appraised one another. Yue Yang’s youthful face greatly surprised Namu Zhong. In her estimation, this Ming general could not have been more than twenty-five years old. For someone so young to lead nearly ten thousand troops beyond the passes was extremely rare. Moreover, the sharp brilliance in his eyes and the faint, unintentional air of authority he exuded made her feel a little uneasy.

Likewise, Yue Yang was not calm inside. He had not expected that it would be such a beautiful woman who, after her husband’s death, had led the Chahar tribe in resisting the Jurchens alone for a full year.

Yue Yang of the Great Ming and Namu Zhong, the current head of the Mongol Chahar tribe, had met. Namu Zhong did not know whether this meeting would turn out well or badly, but she knew very clearly that the fate of her tribe would surely undergo a tremendous change because of this uninvited Ming general and his army.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yue Yang was soon invited by Namu Zhong into the tribe’s main tent.

This great tent, hung with countless colorful banners on the outside, was stitched together from hundreds of cowhides. Once erected, it covered an area of over a hundred square meters and was the largest tent of the Chahar tribe. It had always been Ligdan Khan’s personal sleeping quarters; after his death, it became the place where the tribe’s leaders gathered to deliberate.

Yue Yang entered the tent with Chu Di, Chen Dazhi, and several other officers, following Namu Zhong and her entourage. Yue Yang was invited to sit in the foremost seat on the right, while Namu Zhong sat to his left. Below them sat the many chieftains and nobles of the Chahar tribe.

Once everyone was seated, Namu Zhong was the first to speak. “May I ask the honored General Yue, according to what your envoy told us yesterday, you have led your army here to help our Chahar tribe resist the Jurchen invasion. Is that correct?”

“Of course,” Yue Yang nodded without hesitation. “That is precisely the purpose of our journey. Otherwise, I truly can’t imagine what reason I would have to travel such a long distance with an army to come here. Could it be that you do not welcome our arrival?”

“Of course not!” Namu Zhong let out a slight sigh of relief. Just as she was about to continue, a sharp voice suddenly rang out from the side.

“May I ask General Yue,” the voice said, “as far as I know, the Great Ming has never placed much importance on its relationship with our Chahar tribe. When Ligdan Khan was still alive, he sent envoys to the Ming several times to seek assistance, but all he received were messages that only disappointed us time and again. Ligdan Khan himself was defeated and died of illness because of this. As the highest-ranking commander sent by the Ming, don’t you have anything to say about that?”

Yue Yang turned calmly to Namu Zhong and asked, “Doro Great Consort, who is this?”

A trace of displeasure flashed through Namu Zhong’s eyes, but she had no choice but to explain. “This is Consort Sqiantu, who oversees the Gao’er Tumen Tumen Ordo. She is Ligdan Khan’s second consort.”

“Oh, I see.” Yue Yang nodded. Namu Zhong’s words not only made clear Consort Sqiantu’s identity and status, but also hinted at a measure of helplessness.

Having quickly decided on his response, Yue Yang straightened his expression and said, “You must be Consort Sqiantu. Please forgive me, but I cannot answer your question. Wait—please listen to me first.”

He raised a hand to stop Sqiantu, who was about to speak with a mocking expression, and continued with a faint smile, “You should understand that the Great Ming is a vast country, ruled by our Emperor. As a mere general, I have no authority to question the Emperor’s decisions. As for the explanation you seek, I can only say that I have none. As a general of the Great Ming, I do not owe your Chahar tribe anything, nor does the Ming owe you anything. Whether or not we come to help you is a decision made by our Emperor and the ministers of the court. If you are dissatisfied with our arrival, I can immediately lead my troops away. As for whether you continue to fight the Jurchens on your own or choose to surrender—offering up your gold, silver, and women to those filthy, barbaric Jurchen dogs—that is entirely your own affair. Are you satisfied with that answer?”

When Yue Yang finished speaking, the surroundings fell completely silent. Everyone was stunned by his words, which were filled with sheer dominance.

Yes—dominance.

After those words, even the sharp-tongued Sqiantu fell silent. Yue Yang’s message was perfectly clear: if you don’t welcome us, we will leave at once. Whether you surrender or keep fighting is your problem—I’m not playing along.

But under such circumstances, would these Mongols really let them leave? The answer was naturally no.

When a person is driven into desperation with no outside help, they may have the courage to risk everything. But once they see even a sliver of hope for survival, they are absolutely unwilling to push that hope away. That is human nature.

Namu Zhong quickly stepped in to smooth things over with a smile. “General Yue, you are too courteous. My sister Sqiantu has always been blunt by nature. Although her words were unpleasant, she meant no harm. I hope you will not take offense.”

“It’s fine,” Yue Yang replied with a faint smile. “I don’t mind at all. What concerns me most right now is that the Jurchens will arrive soon—and how exactly we can keep them here on this grassland.”