Chapter 1219: Whoever Sends Troops, Benefits (Please Subscribe)

The territory Zhu Cilang wanted to claim from the Dzungar Kingdom lay north of the Tianshan Mountains — the highland lake later known as Issyk-Kul and its surrounding area. In the Tang dynasty, Issyk-Kul was called the Great Clear Lake, and later it was renamed Hot Sea, Tusi Lake, and Temurtu Nor.

This lake is very large, over twenty thousand li square (more than 6,000 square kilometers), ringed by great mountains, its terrain similar to the Fergana Basin, only at a higher elevation and with even higher surrounding peaks. Because the lake occupies more than half the basin's area, and the lake's western side is all rock-strewn desert, the land available for cultivation is not very much — only about six thousand li square.

Actually, that is not small at all. If it were all brought under cultivation, it would amount to more than two million mu. And this cultivable land is extremely fertile, part of it even black earth. East of this fertile cultivable land there are also large stretches of hillside pasture, greater in area than the flat land that can be farmed.

In addition, due east and southwest of this lake basin, there is also a good deal of hillside pasture and cultivable valley land.

All told, it adds up to a territory that is quite fine by the standards of the Western Regions and Central Asia.

Moreover, this territory is enclosed within encircling mountains. The great mountains to the north and south are very high and hard to cross; there are only three places with passable mountain mouths — due east, southwest, and northwest. The eastern pass leads to the Ili River valley, the northwestern pass leads to the Chu River, and the southwestern pass leads into several extremely secluded valleys deep in the mountains, and perhaps there are also small paths leading to the Fergana Basin or to the territory of the Anxi Army.

In short, this is a fertile and enclosed territory, extremely strategic! And because of the lake's temperature-moderating effect, the climate around the lake is also fairly comfortable — in winter it is not much colder than the North China Plain — making it very suitable for Han people from the Central Plains to settle.

What makes it even more precious is that the people living on this land are a very small number of Kyrgyz, who migrated from the Yenisei River region and have not yet accepted Islam (historically they only gradually converted to Islam after the fall of the Dzungar Khanate). At present they follow a primitive religion.

The two staff officers whom the Marshal's Office had posted to the western warm chamber of the Hall of Imperial Supremacy had by now brought over a map of the Dzungar Kingdom and spread it out on the long table in front of the Zhu Emperor, and had also used a brush dipped in red ink to circle the approximate location of the "Land of the Great Clear Lake."

The Dzungar Kingdom's envoy Bahabandi, the Dzungar Court of Diplomatic Representation commissioner Galdan Muba (father of Anu Khatun), and Galdan, who was studying at the Imperial Academy in Yingtian Prefecture, had all been summoned. After performing the grand ceremony, all were called up by Zhu Cilang to look at the map.

"You three, come and take a look. Whose domain is this territory at present?"

Hearing Zhu Cilang ask this, all three hurried forward to look. After one glance, they all shook their heads.

Galdan said, "Your Majesty, the land you have circled is fairly close to this subject's ten-thousand-household fief, but it is not this subject's domain."

Bahabandi, who had lived in Chu River City longer than Galdan, looked at the great lake on the map and said, "This great lake is called Temurtu Nor, meaning 'the lake with iron,' because the sandy ground around the lake yields iron, though it has not been mined much. Those who live there are some Kyrgyz people, who each year pay the Chu River Prefecture a hundred or so goats."

The Zhu Emperor nodded and smiled. "We have already deliberated with the senior ministers of the two offices and decided to send troops to rescue the Dzungar Kingdom. But the troops of the Great Ming Celestial Dynasty cannot march for nothing. Stone Fortress King City is nine thousand li from Yingtian Prefecture! A single expedition costs enormously. If there were no gain at all, that would be hard to justify, and King Sengge would feel ashamed as well. So after discussion with the senior ministers of the two offices, We have decided to take a piece of land as payment for the expedition — this 'lake with iron' plus the surrounding basin and mountains, as already circled on the map! What do you three think?"

Bahabandi, Galdan, and Galdan Muba were all stunned. None of them had expected the Zhu Emperor to pull this move — negotiating payment before sending troops. Was that something a suzerain state was supposed to do? Once the payment was settled, did they also have to sign a contract?

Was this doing business, or was it fighting a war?

"It is only a stretch of mountain land not much good for grazing and not easy to cultivate. We Mongols have no use for it at all. If the Celestial Dynasty needs it, we should naturally offer it up with both hands."

Galdan was the first to react, and of course he agreed at once.

The Zhu Emperor had opened his golden mouth — could they refuse?

Besides, the Dzungar homeland had 120,000 households, eighty thousand people in all, and even counting the residents of the four fortress cities of Chu River, Stone Fortress King City, Khojand, and the Protectorate City, the total was under a million people. What use did they have for a vast territory three thousand li north to south and three thousand li east to west? That was over two million square kilometers! Divided among a million people, that was one person per two square kilometers. And once the Dzungar Kingdom finished fighting the coalition of Timurid, Persian, Khivan, Russian, Turkmen, and Kazakh forces, its territory was bound to expand further.

So the mountain land the Zhu Emperor wanted was, in the Dzungar Kingdom's eyes, garbage. It did not even count as chicken ribs — it was simply something nobody wanted.

Bahabandi saw Galdan nod, so he too had no choice but to nod. "Land the Celestial Dynasty desires, our Dzungar Kingdom will naturally not begrudge offering up."

Sengge's father-in-law Galdan Muba, however, frowned slightly. He was the son of Ejei Khan, Grand Protector of Beiting, yet he was working for his son-in-law. Ejei Khan's seat was in the Ili River valley, where Yining City had been built with funding from the Ming court. Yining City was very close to the Temurtu Nor land Zhu Cilang was demanding — the road from Yining City to the Chu River ran right at the foot of the mountains of the Temurtu Nor land.

If the Great Ming established a garrison command or a vassal state in the Temurtu Nor land, it could cut off communications between the Beiting garrison and the Dzungar Kingdom at any time. Moreover, this garrison command or vassal state could also join forces with the Anxi garrison to strike the Beiting army from both east and west.

Of course, the Beiting army was utterly loyal to the Great Ming Celestial Dynasty and had not the slightest thought of rebellion — the Great Ming Celestial Dynasty was now in a golden age, a sage sovereign on the throne, with strong soldiers and sturdy horses. It was not something half a Khoshut tribe could dare oppose. For the Beiting army to rebel would be no different from suicide!

But just because the Beiting army had no such thoughts did not mean the Ming court had none. A garrison command was not a vassal state!

A vassal state possessed sovereign rights; the Ming court could not simply issue an edict to abolish the vassal state and impose prefectures and counties. But a garrison command had no sovereign rights. A garrison command was not feudal; rather, the Ming court granted full authority to a military governor's office or a protectorate office, letting them oversee all military and civil affairs.

The authority granted was great, but that did not mean the court could not take the power back, nor did it mean the court could not replace the garrison commander — a garrison whose power could not be taken back and whose commander could not be replaced was not a garrison command but a rebel garrison. Let the Beiting army try rebelling once? Without even sending court troops, just having the Anxi garrison send troops would be enough to wipe out the little strength the Beiting Khoshut tribe had.

This was no boast. How many years had it been since the Beiting Khoshut tribe had fought a war? The Anxi army was fighting roving bandits every month and every year right now!

If the Beiting Khoshut tribe joined hands with the Dzungar Kingdom, they could put up some resistance against the court. After all, the Dzungar Kingdom was also a bunch that fought wars every day.

But once a vassal state or garrison command appeared in the Temurtu Nor land that could sever the link between the two, would the Ming court next replace the Beiting garrison commander?

"Galdan Muba!"

Galdan's lowered voice had already sounded by Galdan Muba's ear, startling him. Only then did he realize he had been lost in thought.

He hurriedly answered, "This subject — this subject will certainly write to the Dzungar king and ask him to agree to Your Majesty's request."

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded. "Since all three of you agree, presumably Sengge will not object. The matter is settled.

We shall establish a vassal state in the Temurtu Nor land, to reward the meritorious men who go far to the Western Regions to rescue the Dzungars. All officers and men and surplus personnel of the four garrisons of Daning, Beiping, Anbei, and Shuofang may volunteer. We shall not recruit many soldiers — only five thousand men. Volunteers, besides being granted noble ranks and stipends in the vassal state, will each be given two hundred taels of silver for traveling gear. Before formal enfeoffment, each man will also receive double monthly pay, and at the time of enfeoffment, another two hundred taels of settlement silver per man!

Furthermore, whichever of the four garrisons contributes the most troops may designate the vassal state's king or a duke of the vassal state! The three that contribute fewer troops may obtain hereditary marquisates of the vassal state."

(End of Chapter)