MLMD -Chapter 48 Armed Advance

The birds and the chilly autumn wind roused Yue Yang from his drowsiness. Slumped over his horse and half-asleep, he looked out at the endless expanse of the grasslands ahead, a faint expression of helplessness crossing his face. They had been on the grasslands for ten days. The excitement he felt when they first entered had long since been replaced by monotony. Worse, after so many days of riding, the skin on the insides of his thighs had been worn raw—he now limped slightly whenever he walked.

“Yue, my worthy nephew, we’ve now reached the outskirts of the Khorchin tribe. If we travel another half hour, we can enter their territory,” said a slightly aged voice beside him, just as Yue Yang was feeling bored.

Yue Yang rubbed his sore waist impatiently and said, “Master Li, I’ve got to ask—why do you go so far just to do business? There are plenty of Mongol tribes not far from Datong Prefecture. Why not trade with them? Instead, we’re running so close to the Jianzhou area—I honestly think you’re doing this just for the thrill!”

“You’ve got guts as big as the sky!” Li Yuan was startled and looked around cautiously before saying in a tense voice, “Listen carefully. From today… no, from this very moment, you must never mention ‘Jianzhou Jurchens’ again. The Khorchin tribe is a loyal ally of the Later Jin. If they hear you insulting them like that, don’t even think about buying horses from them—you might not even survive!”

“I…” Yue Yang thought for a moment and recalled that the Qing dynasty had its origins in the three Jianzhou Jurchen guards. Ever since Nurhaci rebelled against the Ming, the Ming government had referred to him and the Jurchens as “Jianzhou Jurchens” or “Jian traitors.” For the Later Jin, such terms were deeply contemptuous and insulting. If the Manchus heard them, they would definitely take it as a matter of life and death.

“Fine, I won’t say it,” Yue Yang said sullenly, nodding. Then he asked, still puzzled, “But you still haven’t answered my earlier question.”

Li Yuan sighed helplessly. “Do I even need to explain? You know the relationship between Shanxi merchants and the Manchus is very close. The Mongol and Manchu tribes don’t produce much themselves—they mainly hunt and herd. Everything they need comes from us, from the Ming. But trading has its territories. The tribes near the border or the wealthier ones are already dominated by the big trading companies. Merchants like us, doing small-scale business, have no choice but to trade with the smaller, remote tribes.”

Yue Yang waved his hand impatiently. “Fine, let’s not talk about that. By the way, when we first left the border a few days ago, I saw many carts carrying very heavy goods. What were those? They looked like iron to me.”

Li Yuan snorted. “Iron? Those are armor and weapons! Do you think the Later Jin made all their own weapons and armor themselves? With the few miserable blacksmiths they have? No—they were all sold by us!”

“What? We sell weapons and armor to them? Isn’t that aiding the enemy?”

Yue Yang’s eyes widened in shock. He had thought that these merchants, though close to the Later Jin, would at most sell essentials like iron pots, tea bricks, or salt. He hadn’t expected them to be brazen enough to sell weapons and armor. This wasn’t smuggling—it was outright treason!

“Aiding the enemy?” Li Yuan sneered, a trace of mockery in his eyes. “If that’s aiding the enemy, then what are we?”

“How is that the same?” Yue Yang shook his head. “Selling tea bricks, iron pots, or salt to the Mongols isn’t a big deal—they just use them. But selling weapons and armor is completely different. If the Later Jin gets high-quality weapons and armor, they become a huge threat to Ming. Don’t they understand that?”

“Even if they understand, so what?” Li Yuan sighed. “Do you know how many merchants from Shanxi collude with the Later Jin? I’ll tell you: the eight largest trading companies in Shanxi all have intricate connections with the Later Jin. Every time the Later Jin plundered large amounts of gold and silver from Ming, did they keep it all for themselves? No. Most of it ended up in the hands of those eight companies, who then exchanged it for weapons, armor, food, and clothing, which continuously flowed into the Later Jin’s hands. Otherwise, what would they do with all that gold and silver? Just look at it? Moreover, every time the Later Jin entered the border, they could choose the weakest, least-defended areas of Ming. Why? Because someone was feeding them information!”

Yue Yang was stunned. In his studies, he had heard that Shanxi merchants had deep ties with the Qing, but he hadn’t imagined it was to this extent. These merchants not only sold weapons, armor, and supplies to the Later Jin—they also acted as spies and informants. This level of treason was thorough indeed.

“And the Khorchin tribe? What’s their relationship with the Later Jin?”

“What relationship?” Li Yuan snorted and said irritably, “If you ask which Mongol tribe is most loyal to the Later Jin, it’s definitely the Khorchin. Even the Later Jin Khan Huang Taiji had two secondary consorts from the Khorchin tribe.”

“Damn… that serious?”

Yue Yang was secretly shocked. So the place he was heading to was a staunch supporter of the Later Jin. If their identities were exposed during a conflict, it could spell disaster. He needed to prepare. Thinking this, Yue Yang quickly pulled a whistle from his neck and blew hard.

“Toot… toot… toot… toot…”

The loud, urgent whistle echoed across the vast grasslands. Before Li Yuan could react, the Yue family militia disguised as guards immediately stopped in their tracks, and the surrounding carts came to a halt.

Under the commands of the junior officers, the militia quickly took armor from the nearby carts and put it on. In less than fifteen minutes, the previously casually dressed soldiers were fully clad in Gothic-style armor. Some lifted long spears and crossbows, while others carried shields with long swords or broadswords. Clad in armor, everyone’s faces radiated a deadly aura.

Seeing this group of battle-ready soldiers, Li Yuan was stunned and stammered, “Yue, my worthy nephew… what… what are you doing?”

“Doing what? Naturally, it’s for self-preservation,” Yue Yang said, glancing at Li Yuan with a sidelong look, clearly annoyed. “Since the Khorchin are so close to the Later Jin, there will certainly be their people in the tribe. What if things go south? I need to be ready!”

“You…” Li Yuan smiled wryly. “Relax. Even though the Later Jin and Mongol tribes often clash with Ming forces, there is an unwritten rule: they never attack merchant caravans. Once that rule is broken, who would dare trade with them in the future? So put your mind at ease—nothing will happen.”

Yue Yang shook his head vigorously. “No, as the saying goes, you can’t harbor malicious intent, but you must guard against others. We still need to be careful!”

“But having your troops fully armored when entering Khorchin territory will easily cause misunderstandings!” Li Yuan tried to persuade him, suggesting the soldiers change back to civilian clothes. But Yue Yang refused, insisting they enter fully armed. In his words, “We must also show the Khorchin the might of the Ming Dynasty!”

In the end, Li Yuan had no choice but to go along. And so, Yue Yang led a group of two thousand men, escorting over three hundred carts into Khorchin territory…