Chapter 1096: A Second Timur? (Seeking Subscriptions)

Although Galdan was by no means certain he could persuade his fifth brother, Sengge Khan, he still arrived travel-worn at East Lake Palace in Wuchang Prefecture — when the Son of Heaven summoned him, how could he dare not go?

"Galdan, why are you still dressed as a monk?" Zhu Cilang was a little surprised to see Galdan still in the appearance of a monk. Did this fellow really intend to chant sutras his whole life?

"Tuhao has told Us," Zhu Cilang continued, "that he wants to take you to the America Prefecture to take up a fief, and when the time comes make you a great general. Do you not wish to go?"

"Your Majesty," Galdan said, "this student does not wish to be a general, but only wishes to enter the Imperial Academy and devote himself to scholarship."

These words were of course a lie. Galdan — if he was not warlike, who was? But at Old Mountain Middle School people always said he was a second Esen. Though young in years, his thinking was precocious, and he knew that being a second Esen was no good thing. Zhu Hehao did not care, because he was not the Crown Prince!

Zhu Cilang laughed. "Devoting yourself to scholarship is also good. Later, go to America and become a university president. We have even thought of a name for the school. You are a Khutuktu, and the university you found and preside over — why not call it Harvard!"

"This humble monk receives the decree."

Zhu Cilang was joking, but Galdan received the decree with perfect seriousness — now there would be two Harvards in the New World! Because over in the Massachusetts Bay Colony there was already a Harvard. Now Peanut Tun in America Bay would get another Harvard. Who could say which one would do better?

"Sit!" Zhu Cilang waved a hand and granted a seat to the founder of Peanut Tun Harvard University.

"Galdan," Zhu Cilang said once the great monk was seated on an embroidered stool, "did Tuhao tell you about the matter of going home?"

"He did," Galdan answered.

"Then are you willing to make this trip?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"I am willing," Galdan said, "only..."

Zhu Cilang smiled and cut Galdan off. "Do not say 'only.' Even if Sengge will not heed your counsel, We will not punish you.

We know your Choros family has always had ambition. Sengge has ability and opportunity, and he has made the Dzungar tribe flourish. But part of the reason the Dzungar tribe has been able to rise to its present position is that the steppe khanates have all begun their decline. Because others' territories are in poor shape, they decline faster, while the Oirat confederation is situated in a remote place and does not decline so easily. Only thus has the Dzungar tribe been able to absorb the remnants of the other steppe khanates and rapidly grow. But what is the foundation of these remnants of the steppe khanates? After swallowing them, can the Dzungar tribe truly become strong?"

The rise of the Dzungar tribe was unavoidable, because their geographical advantage was too great. The place they occupied was very nearly the center of the entire nomadic world! After the surrounding nomadic khanates declined one by one, the small nomadic tribes unwilling to be ruled by conquerors would migrate toward the center, and then be absorbed by the Dzungar tribe, the strongest of the Oirat confederation.

And because the Dzungar tribe was far from the centers of the Eastern and Western empires, they could to a certain extent avoid the heavy blows of those empires, and could grow and strengthen on the Central Asian steppe, the last base of nomadic civilization.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang's blows against the Khalkha Mongols, the Southern Desert Mongols, and the Eastern Route Mongols would inevitably send large numbers of effective strength to the Dzungar tribe. Because in this era the populations of the various Central Asian states and tribes were all small, and the strength Russia could project into Central Asia was also very limited, once the Dzungar population reached six or seven hundred thousand, or even a million, they would be able to rise up in force.

But the Dzungar, fattened on the residual flesh and blood of the declining nomadic tribes of East and West, still could not escape the great decline of nomadic civilization. The result of a short-term rise would inevitably be long-term decline.

And the long-term decline of the Dzungar tribe was something Zhu Cilang did not wish to see.

Because the Dzungar tribe was a member of the Celestial Court's civilizational circle. The so-called Celestial Court was, of course, a whole that included the steppe, the Western Regions, and the Southern Barbarians.

Zhu Cilang looked at the great monk Galdan before him, saw his brows furrow slightly as though sinking into thought, and said gently: "Galdan, go and tell Sengge that We give him two choices. First, let him come and test himself against Us! Although We are now raising seven great armies to pacify Bashu and Yunnan, We still have strength to spare for a battle with the Dzungar!

Second, abandon the idea of eastward advance, turn south and swallow the Khanate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva, and then, with Bukhara or Samarkand as the center, establish a half-nomadic, half-settled Dzungar Khanate.

If Sengge is willing to fight, then We will fight until he is thoroughly convinced!

If he is unwilling to go to war with Us, then We will enfeoff him as King of the Dzungar Khanate, and at the same time separate the Dzungar Khanate from the Beiting Protectorate. Beiting will be internal territory, and the Khanate an external vassal. We will also aid him with a batch of firearms to support his southern campaigns."

Was the Ming Emperor really so easy to talk to? Galdan's heart pounded. If Sengge advanced east into Khalkha Mongolia, that would be to unify the Mongols and become a second Genghis Khan. But if he turned south and destroyed the Khanate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva, that would make him a second Timur. Had not the historical Timur, in the end, also stirred himself to launch an eastern campaign against the Ming? He had died of illness on the road — otherwise, who knew how it would have turned out?

But the present Ming was probably even harder to deal with than in the Yongle era! Galdan calculated in his heart. And the Mongols... were far inferior to what they had been in those days!

At that thought, Galdan rose, pressed his palms together, and made a monk's salute. "This humble monk will certainly convey Your Majesty's words to Sengge, and will do his utmost to persuade Sengge not to make himself an enemy of the Celestial Court."

Both Zhu Cilang and Galdan hoped that Sengge Khan of the Dzungar would not walk the wrong path of opposing the Celestial Court, but in this world there are always people who fear no chaos under heaven — because only when the world is thrown into chaos do they have a chance to restore themselves and revive the great Qing realm.

These people were now gathered in a Yellow Temple on Mount Wutai in Xinzhou, Shanxi!

A so-called Yellow Temple is a lama temple. In the Yuan dynasty, Tibetan Buddhism entered the Central Plains in force, and from then on Buddhist temples under heaven were divided into Blue Temples and Yellow Temples. Blue Temples housed monks, Yellow Temples housed lamas.

The Shunzhi Emperor, who had fled during the Battle of Beijing, was now living in hiding in a Yellow Temple, disguised as a lama.

Though this lama dwelt deep in the mountains, he could still observe the world and hear in all directions — he had, after all, been an emperor, and was the banner lord of the two Yellow Banners, and had quite a few old connections.

Moreover, his flight and concealment had been planned over a long period, so he had also made certain arrangements for a comeback.

But Duoni's swift defeat and destruction, and the collapse of the four Khalkha and Khorchin tribes, had caused most of his plans to come to nothing. Still, Shunzhi had not completely despaired, because the Ming had not yet unified the world!

In the southwest, the Shun dynasty still stood against the Ming, and in the northwest the Dzungar tribe grew stronger by the day, showing clear signs of unifying the Mongols.

"Tuhai, Biliktu, it will not be easy for the Great Qing to revive now. The strength in our hands is too limited; we can no longer act rashly. The only way is to incite the Dzungar to fight the Ming. The Dzungar have flourished greatly these past years, showing every sign of restoring the great Yuan realm. But Sengge Khan has long dwelt in the Western Regions and may not know the true strength of the Ming armies. Someone must go to the Western Regions to help Sengge. We have thought it over, and the two of you are most suitable. Tuhai, you are a veteran of many campaigns and deeply versed in both old and new military methods; you can help Sengge train troops. Biliktu, you are a Mongol, a man of the Khorchin tribe — just the right person to take service under Sengge."

Shunzhi, dressed as a great lama, now sat on a rush cushion, speaking at length with Tuhai and Biliktu, who had likewise shaved their heads and disguised themselves as monks — Tuhai and Biliktu had not disguised themselves as lamas, but as monks. After all, Blue Temples were many and Yellow Temples few under heaven, and disguising oneself as a monk made travel easier.

"Your Majesty, this slave will certainly persuade Sengge to fight the Ming!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this slave will devote himself utterly to reviving our Great Qing."

Tuhai and Biliktu both appeared full of resolve, with the look of men determined to fight the Ming to the end. The great lama Shunzhi nodded, then raised a hand, signaling the two to withdraw.

Seeing Tuhai and Biliktu leave, Shunzhi sighed and said to Sonin beside him: "Sonin... We should also go out and move about."

"Where does Your Majesty wish to go?"

"First to Changbai Mountain, to see the Imperial Ama!"

(End of Chapter)