Chapter 244 Secret Xuan Gulu
The courtyard suddenly fell into a long silence.

Chongzhen and Wang Chengen were worried about the future of the Ming Dynasty; Wang An once again thought of that gentle and affectionate woman, and they were both filled with sorrow.

"Then there's nothing we can do?"

After a long time, Chongzhen couldn't help but ask.

Perhaps it was because deep down he was hoping that Ligdan Khan could disappear from this world so that he could bring Subahai back.

Wang An no longer mocked Chongzhen as a patriotic young man, but instead began to think seriously.

After a moment, he said seriously: "It's not that there is no solution at all."

Chongzhen immediately became excited and asked, "Brother, what brilliant idea do you have? Tell me quickly!"

"Four words: differentiation and replacement!"

"Oh, what do you mean?" Chongzhen immediately turned into a curious baby.

Wang An sorted out his thoughts and said slowly: "Although Lin Danhan is a troublemaker on the grassland, we have to admit that Chahar is the most powerful force on the grassland. It is precisely because of its existence that the Jiannu's westward advance can be deterred to a certain extent."

"So, although Lin Danhan must die, the Chahar tribe still has value in existence."

Chongzhen thought for a moment and said, "Brother, do you mean to assassinate Ligdan Khan?"

Wang An nodded. "It would be best if we could assassinate Ligdan Khan. This way we can preserve the military strength of the Chahar tribe to the greatest extent."

"But this is not the crux of the problem. The crux is that Lin Danhan is dead. How can we ensure that the new successor is not a person like Lin Danhan?"

"And won't the Chahar tribe, having lost their Khan, take extreme revenge measures out of grief and anger, and indiscriminately attack the grassland and the Ming Dynasty without distinguishing between friend and foe?"

"If we can't get a useful Chahar tribe, then killing Lin Danhan with all the effort will be counterproductive."

"So if we succeed in killing Lin Danhan, there are only two options for the Ming Dynasty: one is to divide; the other is to replace!"

Chongzhen didn't dare to interrupt Wang An at all, just like a good student listening to his teacher's lecture.

As Wang An spoke, a horrifying plan suddenly unfolded before Chongzhen.

First of all, the Ming Dynasty needs to find a spokesperson in the Chahar tribe who can replace Ligdan Khan. This spokesperson must be pro-Ming. Even if he is not pro-Ming, he cannot hate the Ming Dynasty. The most important thing is that he must have no ambitions.

Only in this way can we ensure that the new Chahar tribe will not follow the old path of Ligdan Khan.

Secondly, one must not be too smart, so that the Ming Dynasty will have a chance to let the Chahar tribe return to their homeland of Chahar and serve as a barrier to prevent the Jiannu from advancing westward.

This person could be a high-ranking noble of the Chahar tribe, or one of the Eight Okto.

After the death of Lindan Khan, the main theme of the entire Chahar tribe was definitely to inherit Lindan Khan's will and avenge him.

Therefore, this successor must be divided and unwilling to continue to conquer Mongolia and avenge Ligdan Khan like Ligdan Khan did.

So this first step is called differentiation.

The second step is replacement.

The so-called replacement means to win over the Chahar tribe and its heir, or to coerce him, and gradually turn him into an ally of the Ming Dynasty.

Using various means to infiltrate Chahar is replacement.

Invisibly, the Chahar tribe became a firm ally of the Ming Dynasty.

But the most important thing about this plan is how to kill Ligdan Khan. Traditionally, there are two methods.

The first one is, of course, assassination.

The Ming Dynasty had the Jinyiwei, who were great at doing this.

The second is what Chongzhen said, that the Ming Dynasty should directly send troops, unite with the Tumed tribes, and kill Ligdan Khan directly on the battlefield.

But since ancient times, there have been countless wars, and being able to directly kill the enemy commander in battle is only a probabilistic event.

Therefore, the plan of sending troops to directly strangle Ligdan Khan is unrealistic.

After Wang An finished explaining his idea, Chongzhen immediately made a decision in his mind.

Lin Danhan has caused a lot of trouble to the Ming Dynasty since the end of the Wanli period.

If we were to ask who in the world most wanted him dead, besides Huang Taiji, it would be Chongzhen.

But whether Wang An’s plan is good or not is secondary. The most important thing is who can carry out this task?
Although the Jinyiwei were good at assassination and espionage, the Tartars were not fools. It was almost impossible for a Han stranger to get close to Ligdan Khan.

Even if the Jinyiwei disguised themselves and tried their best to pretend to be Tartars, it would take at least ten or eight years for them to get close to Ligdan Khan without any foundation, even if they were talented.

So at the end, Wang An just sighed and said, "It is true that destiny cannot be violated. How easy is it to change your fate?"

After Wang An finished speaking, he said no more and just drank his wine in silence.

Because he thought of that charming person, Subahai...

However, Chongzhen fell into deep thought, and began to think about how to get rid of Ligdan Khan and cultivate a spokesperson that would satisfy him.

After thinking for a moment, a person popped up in Chongzhen's mind.

Whether it is feasible or not, we will have to contact them first to know.

Thinking of this, Chongzhen stood up in a hurry and said goodbye to Wang An: "Brother, drink slowly. I remembered that I have a business deal to do, so I have to take my leave first!"

Wang An was in a sentimental mood and did not notice Chongzhen's expression. He just waved his hand and said, "Making money is important. If you have something to do, go first."

So, Xiaowu and Xiaoliu immediately sent Chongzhen out.

As soon as he walked out of Wang An's house, a carriage drove in in the night, and a dozen Jinyiwei in plain clothes escorted Chongzhen.

Wang Chengen put Chongzhen on the carriage, and he also rode a horse and followed the carriage towards the palace.

They had not gone far when Chongzhen's voice suddenly came from the carriage.

"Cheng'en, immediately draft an edict to Zu Dashou, asking him to go to the Duoluote tribe to meet with the leader of the Duoluote tribe, Gu Lu, and try to persuade him to come to Beijing secretly!"

Wang Chengen was immediately taken aback and said in astonishment: "Your Majesty, this... a secret meeting with the leader of the Western Tartar Tribe, this has never happened in the history of our Ming Dynasty!"

"If this gets out, I'm afraid it will become a topic of discussion among the government and the public!"

Chongzhen said coldly: "If my ancestors knew that I did this for the sake of Ming Dynasty, I believe they would understand me."

"As for the government and the people... Humph!" Chongzhen sneered, "Brother has long said that these so-called ministers are just a bunch of selfish people who are just sitting there doing nothing. It would be fine if they just kept their mouths shut."

"But if anyone dares to gossip about me, I will make them regret being born into this world!"

(End of this chapter)