Just as Zhou Xian was curious about what arrangements Emperor Chongzhen would have for him, he suddenly stopped talking and turned the topic to the other side. "Zhou Xian, you have a lot of contact with the Mongolian people this time. In your opinion, can they be used for me in the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhou Xian's face changed slightly. Yang Sichang was really a worm in Chongzhen's belly. He even thought about how Emperor Chongzhen would ask him.

Zhou Xian brought Abnay and his son back to Ming territory this time, and Yang Sichang felt that this was a great opportunity. His plan was to completely refuse to recognize the identity of Ezhe Mongol Khan and instead make Abnay the Khan. Ezhe surrendered to the Later Jin Dynasty, and Abnay was invited by the Ming people to his territory. One was a prisoner and the other was a guest. The two identities were very different. Although Ezhe was the real Khan, those Mongols who were unwilling to surrender to the Later Jin Dynasty would definitely not recognize a prisoner as their Khan. Then, they had to choose to support Abnay on one road.

In this way, although Mongolia cannot be completely ruled by the Ming Dynasty, at least some of the Mongols can be brought to the side that supports the Ming Dynasty. Even if only a small number of people in the end, they can effectively restrain the Later Jin Dynasty.

And doing this is not at all risk. When Emperor Chongzhen first ascended the throne, he used a lot of money to win over Lin Dan Khan, trying to use his 400,000 free men to restrain the Later Jin, but the final effect was not ideal. Lin Dan Khan was profitable, but he never really made any efforts. Sometimes, they even sent troops to plunder the borders of the Ming Dynasty, causing a lot of trouble. Therefore, the contradiction between Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty never eased from beginning to end. Relying on this group of people to resist the Later Jin, one accidentally was Zhou Yu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who lost his wife and soldiers.

On that day, Wan Ji detailed Yang Sichang's intentions for Zhou Xian. After hearing this, Zhou Xian felt that it was feasible. For the Ming Dynasty, the benefits were obviously greater than the disadvantages. Although there were risks, they were within the scope of tolerance. At this moment, when he heard Emperor Chongzhen's question, Zhou Xian hurriedly said: "In the eyes of Xiaomin, the Mongols had a great disgust towards the Later Jin Dynasty. Otherwise, the siege would not have recruited so many Mongolians who were willing to follow him in such a short period of time. Although it was difficult to make them completely surrender to our Ming Dynasty, it was okay to use them to resist the Manchu army."

Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while and said, "But in that battle, wasn't it the sudden betrayal of the Mongols and the slaughter of the siege that caused the entire army to fall into a desperate situation? In this way, there should be no fewer Mongolians who support Manchu captivity?"

Zhou Xian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lin Dan Khan died, Ezhe Xin Khan was captured again, and Mongolia was in turmoil. The Manchu Captains are powerful, and it is not surprising that some Mongolians who surrender to them. What we want is not to make them completely loyal to our Ming Dynasty. As long as they are not completely loyal to the Manchu Captains, it will be beneficial for us. Moreover, Your Majesty, Abunai, Golden Wolf Khan Banner, and Taiji Jin Seal are all in our Ming Dynasty. Our appeal to the Mongolian people is no less than that of the Manchu Captains."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, his frowning brows slightly relaxed. "The same is true for Yang Wenwu's opinion. He suggested that I make Abnay the Khan and then fully support the Mongols to resist the Manchu captives. But after I consulted several ministers, they proposed that if such a plan be implemented. In the future, will we accept or not? If we accept it, we will inevitably be uneasy; if we do not accept it, we will be deemed to be honest. We say that we support the Mongols in name, but in fact we have no sincerity."

Zhou Xian thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, if you don't let them enter the territory of our Ming Dynasty, you will just provide them with some assistance!"

"What's the meaning?"

"I heard that when Lin Dan Khan was in Qinghai, he wanted to connect several tribes to resist the Manchu captives. But he unfortunately died of illness, and this matter would be delayed. If His Majesty's client went to Qinghai to summon the Mongolian tribes, those Mongolians would have no reason to go to our territory of Ming Dynasty."

"I have heard of what you said. But how could the Mongols obey my Ming Dynasty? Moreover, they are far away in Qinghai, how could they restrain the Manchus for us?"

Zhou Xian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Mongolia has experienced consecutive defeats and its strength has been greatly damaged, and it is no longer as powerful as before. We cannot expect them to be able to restrain the Manchus at this time, but should make long-term plans. Let them recover their strength first and then talk about how to help our Ming Dynasty. Also, before the death of the battle, Khan of the Gangtu gave the Taiji golden seal to his own son Turhai. In other words, he is the new Taiji of the Mongols. Your Majesty can send him to Qinghai, so it will definitely be much easier to gather other Mongolian tribes."

Emperor Chongzhen was a relatively impatient person. When he heard that it would take effect for a long time, he suddenly looked unhesitant on his face. He waved his hand and said, "Your suggestion to let Turthai go to Qinghai is feasible, but it cannot be made unworkable for a long time. Otherwise, it will be of no use to me, the Ming Dynasty. I will discuss this matter with the minister later!"

When Zhou Xian heard Chongzhen's words, he didn't say much, just curious whether he had helped Yang Sichang?

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zhou Xian and comforted him, "Even the ministers in the court can't come up with a good solution for this matter, let alone you? What you said is very useful, I remember it in my heart." He turned to Wang Chengen and said, "Wang Chengen, take him out! Let the imperial kitchen prepare a box of desserts and let him take it back."

Zhou Xian knelt down, bowed to Emperor Chongzhen again, and then walked out with Wang Chengen. On the way, he was nervous and said to Wang Chengen: "Eunuch Wang, did I do something wrong and make Your Majesty angry?"

Wang Chengen smiled and said, "Young Master, you have thought too much. If this is the case, how could the emperor reward you with snacks? It's good if you get used to these things, and you don't have to take everything to your heart."

Zhou Xian nodded, thinking that since Wang Chengen said that, then Emperor Chongzhen's personality might be so serious. He turned his head forward and suddenly saw a young man in military uniform with a solemn expression, walking towards him with a father-in-law accompanied by a father-in-law. He was holding a long red paint box in his hand, and the veiled clothes exposed on his inner clothes could be seen from the gap between the outer velvet clothes. It seemed that some relative had just passed away. When he saw Wang Chengen, he nodded slightly and said, "The young general has seen the father-in-law."

Wang Chengen nodded and said, "General Cao, Your Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time, so you can go there quickly!"

He nodded, and continued to walk forward without saying anything.

Zhou Xian looked at his back strangely and said, "Brother-in-law, this person is..."

Wang Chengen sighed and said, "A month ago, Cao Wenzhao, who was known as the most brave general of the Ming Dynasty, died in Jijialing in battle. It was his nephew Cao Bianjiao. The box he held in his hand was the sword his uncle used when he committed suicide."

Zhou Xian's face changed slightly. Knowing the historical facts of the late Ming Dynasty, he naturally understood how Cao Wenzhao's uncle and nephew had existed in the late Ming Dynasty. One died in Jijialing, while the other died in the later Battle of Songshan. Zhou Xian, who had always admired heroes, involuntarily bent down and bowed to Cao Bianjiao.
Chapter completed!