Chapter 1077: What Dodo Fears Most Is Kangxi

Tianjin — the traveling court of the Ming Son of Heaven.

In Zhu Cilang's study, a man and a woman sat facing each other. The man was, of course, Zhu Cilang himself. These days he had been staying in Tianjin, keeping an eye on the war beyond the passes while also working with Shen Tingyang on setting up the Tianjin Development Zone.

The woman was Jin Dongzhu, who had just made her way back from Joseon by a roundabout route — she had truly done her utmost to see Dodo off; she was surely the Ming's finest "good cousin"! It was winter now, and the harbor at Tianjin was frozen shut, so there was no way to arrive by ship. She had first had to go to Dengzhou and then travel overland for more than a thousand li to reach Tianjin. The journey had been exhausting. If Jin Dongzhu had not regularly taken part in physical training at the Nanjing elementary school and been in good health, she would have collapsed from fatigue on the way.

But even so, after the sea voyage and the thousand-li overland trek, she was still utterly worn out. Yet she did not bother to rest. The moment she reached the traveling court in Tianjin, she hurried to request an audience with the Zhu Emperor, bringing with her a letter said to be written in the own hand of the eminent monk Ajige from beyond the passes.

"Ajige wants a death-exemption plaque." Zhu Cilang had already finished reading the letter. After considering it for a moment, he asked, "Dongzhu, do you think Ajige can deal with Dodo?"

According to the Chongzhen Code revised under Zhu Cilang's direction, Ajige's father Nurhaci was guilty of treason and rebellion, but Ajige himself did not carry that unpardonable crime — because by the time Ajige was born, Nurhaci had already been in rebellion for many years. However, he was a son, so he fell within the scope of collective punishment and could by law be sentenced to death. But "could be sentenced to death" did not mean he necessarily would be, because when Shunzhi first surrendered, Zhu Cilang had already exempted Shunzhi and Dodo from the death penalty under collective punishment.

Although Ajige was not among those exempted from death, because he was subordinate to Shunzhi and Dodo, he would not be pursued either — the punishment of an accessory cannot exceed that of the principal offender. As far as collective punishment was concerned, those who had profited most from their fathers' and grandfathers' generation were the principals. Shunzhi had gained the imperial throne, Dodo had gained the lands beyond the passes, and Ajige had become a monk. The Ming court could not let the Qing emperor and the lord of the lands beyond the passes go, and then go hunting down an old monk.

But apart from the death sentence under collective punishment, Ajige had other crimes as well — he had been a prince of the Qing who led troops, had once directed an invasion through the passes, and had also directed the siege of Datong (though Datong had not been broken by him, but by Dorgon). In the course of those campaigns he had slaughtered the innocent and committed monstrous crimes. That was why he needed a death-exemption plaque.

From the standpoint of political correctness, such a plaque certainly could not be granted. But Zhu Cilang did not care about such things; he only wanted to end the war in the northeast as quickly as possible.

The Ming northeast was divided into the Liaodong Regional Military Commission (Regional Commander) jurisdiction and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission jurisdiction. The former was long-developed cultivated land, good territory with relatively convenient transport and many developed farmlands — under Li Chengliang's management, the military colonies of the Liao garrison could support a hundred thousand troops!

The latter, however, was difficult to handle: all forested seas, snowy plains, and great mountains, and now in the Little Ice Age it was deathly cold, and its agricultural development value was low — developing the Heilongjiang basin now would be worse than going to the America Prefecture! At least the area around America Bay was quite warm, and southward to California there was gold to dig. Moreover, if the American territory was not occupied, it would go to someone else, whereas Heilongjiang could not run away.

Right now Russia was still entangled with the rising Dzungar tribe over in Moghulistan and had hardly any strength to contest the Heilongjiang basin.

In addition, the Ming navy, the French navy, the Dutch East India Company, and the English East India Company were now jointly exploring the Bering Strait and the Kamchatka Peninsula.

If the Zhu Emperor remembered correctly, in later times there was an excellent harbor on the Kamchatka Peninsula called Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which seemed to be an ice-free port. As long as this expedition could find it, the Ming could establish a naval base and fortress there. Then Russia would have no way to come from the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait into the Sea of Okhotsk and then into Heilongjiang — without Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky as a transit port, a Russian fleet would have to set out from ports on the lower Lena River, winding around for more than ten thousand li, and the twisting, turning route made it obvious they could not have favorable winds the whole way. If there was no port along the way to stop and take on supplies, they simply could not reach Heilongjiang at all.

As for going by land, setting out from Yakutsk to attack Heilongjiang, at most they could manage a few hundred men; any more and there would be no way to solve the logistics.

On the Ming side, as long as they controlled Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and blocked Russia's sea route, they could enter Heilongjiang along the Far Eastern coast. Troops sent by that route would number in the thousands or tens of thousands, and could not possibly lose to a few hundred Russian soldiers.

But if the Manchu remnant led by Dodo went over to Russia, then the Zhu Emperor would have a headache for a while. Even if hardly any Russian soldiers could come over from Yakutsk, as long as Russia could supply gunpowder, muskets, and cannon to the Manchu troops in the Heilongjiang basin, they could rely on the favorable terrain to resist the Ming for a long time.

For the Ming, of course they could win by fighting to the bitter end at any cost, but the war would be fought at a loss — there was no way to win such a war cheaply. They would have to advance step by step from both north and south, developing the land, establishing strongpoints, and exterminating the eastern barbarians, preparing for a long war of ten or twenty years. And the farmland obtained from Liaodong (Liaoyang Province) would not be enough to cover the war expenses; the court would have to be ready to pour in vast sums of money!

If the problem could be solved with two Zhu-surnamed internal fiefs, Zhu Cilang was certainly willing.

"Your Majesty," Dongzhu said with a smile, "if the court establishes regular provinces in Jianzhou and Heilongjiang, Dodo's followers may grow resistant. For once regular provinces are set up, there will be no more enfeoffment, and those people will have nowhere to go. If the court is willing to establish internal fiefs, then whether the fief lord is surnamed Zhu or Aisin Gioro — what difference does it make to the men below? If they can have a king of their valley, and can sell ginseng, furs, pearls, timber, and rare birds, they will be content."

Once regular provinces were established, local power and profits would shrink. In densely populated, economically developed areas that was no problem — the cake was big enough, and those below had many opportunities, so they would not support enfeoffment, because once fiefs were set up, class lines tended to harden.

But the Nurgan Regional Military Commission's jurisdiction was mountainous, forested, and bitterly cold, and its profits consisted of ginseng, furs, pearls, timber, and rare birds. That looked fine, but the quantities were limited, so opportunities were few.

In such circumstances, if the Ming set up regular provinces, it would be tantamount to stripping a host of valley kings of their interests, and resistance would be unavoidable.

Zhu Cilang smiled. "We had originally intended to establish fiefs in Heilongjiang and Jianzhou, and planned to make Zhulan and Dodo the fief lords. It is a pity the two of them did not know what was good for them and insisted on resisting."

"Indeed," Dongzhu said. "Now all the Manchus are full of regret, and they hate Dodo, that benighted lord, to the bone. As long as Your Majesty is willing to establish fiefs, no one will sincerely defend them."

"But We want every male of Dodo's line dead!" Zhu Cilang set out his condition. "Can Ajige manage that? Dodo still holds a powerful army!"

"He can!" Dongzhu said. "As long as Your Majesty is willing to lend one person — there is no need to actually lend him; just granting the title will do. With that man's title, Dodo is dead."

"One man?" Zhu Cilang asked. "Who?"

Dongzhu smiled. "Aisin Gioro Xuanye!"

Kangxi?

"He is still a child. What can he do?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"He can be Military Governor of Heilongjiang!" Dongzhu said. "Dodo did not dare proclaim himself emperor, but instead set up Fulin as sovereign. But Fulin is long dead, and Xuanye is the rightful lord of the Manchus. If Your Majesty enfeoffs Xuanye as Military Governor, will the Manchus still follow Dodo? Once their hearts turn away, the heads of all the males of Dodo's household will soon be delivered to Tianjin, and the campaign to pacify Liao will be a complete victory."

Zhu Cilang burst out laughing. "Dongzhu, you truly are worthy of being the Clever King's daughter. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Dongzhu smiled. "This concubine only wishes to bear Your Majesty a son!"

Zhu Cilang laughed. "To bear a Military Governor?"

(End of Chapter)