Chapter 1436: Three Parts Military, Seven Parts Marriage (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Ajige had come to the Hall of Imperial Supremacy on behalf of her son Zhu Hegong to deliver a report — although Ajige and her son Zhu Hegong had never set foot in the territory under the Andong Protectorate, that did not mean they had no strength there at all.

Zhu Hegong held the title of Protector of Andong, and this was no empty title — it was tied to a portion of the manors within the Andong Protectorate. The Andong Protectorate had grown out of Dodo's Ten Banners Beyond the Pass, and its feudal character was extremely pronounced. Although beneath the Andong Protectorate there were also administrative units such as prefectures, departments, counties, municipalities, chiliarchies, and centuriates, these were all nominal. After the collapse of Duoni's rule, apart from the two large cities of Jianzhou and Haishenwai and their surrounding areas, the only administrative unit that truly functioned under the Andong Protectorate was the "manor."

These manors were nothing like the wine estates of later ages. Rather, a castle governed a vast stretch of surrounding flatland, forest, and mountain, somewhat similar to the "castles" of Japan's Warring States period (the cities of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were of much the same nature). However, the term "castle" was not much used; the designation "manor" was more common.

The owner of a manor was called the manor lord. The household retainer whom the owner dispatched to manage the manor's affairs was called the steward. Beneath the steward were manor officers or household retainers who assisted in managing manor affairs or served as guards. And of course, at the very bottom of the manorial system were the exploited and oppressed manor households and bondservants.

It sounds very backward, but that is simply the situation in the Heilongjiang and Andong regions. Capitalist farming methods simply cannot work in Heilongjiang and Andong. In those two territories there is little in the way of law; the manor lord's word is final.

Moreover, transportation in those parts is extremely inconvenient. Only high-value goods such as ginseng, eastern pearls, furs, and livestock that can walk on their own legs can be sent south for sale.

If one truly went to that region to run a farm, the grain harvested would have nowhere to be sold. If it were shipped to Tianhe Prefecture, the freight costs alone could not be recovered!

After the collapse of Duoni's rule, the manors that had originally belonged to Duoni's brothers were partly divided up among Eight Banners nobles who had chosen the correct side, and partly handed over to Ajige and her son Zhu Hegong to manage.

Furthermore, after the destruction of the Qing state and Duoni, Ajige, under Zhu Cilang's direction, had accepted the allegiance of a number of nobles of the Eight Yellow Banners and sent them to manage manors within the Andong Protectorate.

Although Ajige accepted bribes from Oboi and Yue Le, she was comparatively lenient toward these manors registered under her son's name, collecting only a small annual tribute. Moreover, both her status and Zhu Hegong's were rock-solid (she was Hong Taiji's daughter, after all), and they also had Zhu Cilang as a powerful backer, so she could protect those beneath her.

Therefore, the stewards, manor officers, and household retainers of the manors under Zhu Hegong's name within Andong were all comparatively loyal to Ajige and her son, and had always maintained contact with them.

When word came that Yue Le was mobilizing his trusted followers and personal guards, and preparing to leave Andong with his family and valuables, someone immediately sent word south to Ajige in Yingtian.

As soon as Ajige received the urgent letter, she came straight to the Hall of Imperial Supremacy to wait for Zhu Cilang. And she had barely arrived when Wei Zaode, Yan Yingyuan, Li Yan, and Zhu Chunjie — the four of them — also came. For the Andong Courier Office had likewise delivered memorials to the Grand Secretariat and the Marshal's Office that very day. In fact, the household retainer who sent word to Ajige and the messenger who delivered the memorial to the Courier Office had traveled south from Haishenwai on the same sailing ship, and had naturally arrived at Yingtian Prefecture on the same day.

So Wei Zaode, Yan Yingyuan, Li Yan, Zhu Chunjie, and Ajige now began their reports.

"Your Majesty, the Andong Courier Office also delivered a report this morning. Its contents are much the same as the news Consort Ning received: Jin Yue Le, who oversees military and civil affairs in Andong, has already led his trusted followers, family, and personal guards out of the territory and north toward Heilongjiang."

"Your Majesty, the Marshal's Office has also received a joint memorial submitted by the Heilongjiang Courier Office concerning Oboi and Jin Yue Le. It states that a great army of Russia is about to invade, and that they have therefore already mustered twenty thousand elite troops, occupied the city of Yaksa and the city at the bend of the Shilka River, and are awaiting an opportunity to advance westward on Nerchinsk."

"Your Majesty, Oboi and Jin Yue Le have always nourished bandits to magnify their own importance, and there are also signs that they have colluded with Russia. Their sudden desire to campaign west against Nerchinsk is truly suspicious. We must guard against their luring Russian troops to invade the Heilongjiang region!"

Zhu Cilang had already seated himself calmly upon the dragon throne. Having heard the reports of Ajige, Wei Zaode, Yan Yingyuan, and Li Yan, he already had a clear picture in his mind.

"Lucky Boy, Yuying, what do you two think?" Emperor Zhu tossed the difficult question to his son and daughter-in-law.

"Imperial Father, Oboi and Jin Yue Le are most likely going to defect to Russia!" Zhu Hexing immediately grasped the gravity of the problem. "According to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's reports, they have several thousand personal guards under their command, called the Russian Army, and their strength is not to be underestimated. Moreover, Oboi also has the Heilongjiang naval force, and is thoroughly familiar with the waters and geography of the Heilongjiang and Shilka Rivers, and is skilled at fighting naval battles on narrow waterways. Once they have Russia at their backs and entrench themselves in the Shilka and Onon River basins, I fear they will be a lasting scourge to Heilongjiang and the Khalkha Mongols!"

Zhu Cilang turned his head to look at Yan Yingyuan. Yan Yingyuan nodded. "His Highness the Crown Prince speaks most excellently. Once Oboi and Yue Le rely on Russia and entrench themselves in the Shilka and Onon River basins, they will surely cause lasting harm and be difficult to root out."

Zhu Cilang turned back to look at his son and daughter-in-law. "How should we respond?"

This Crown Prince Zhu could not answer. Oboi and Yue Le were the local bosses of the Heilongjiang and Shilka regions. They had elite troops and a naval force, the Russians behind them, and the two of them had been living at ease in Heilongjiang and Andong for nearly twenty years — they must have accumulated a great deal by now. Holding out for several years in the Shilka and Onon River basins would be no problem for them!

"Imperial Father, may your daughter-in-law answer in His Highness the Crown Prince's place?" Seeing her husband sink into deep thought, Ding Yuying knew he had gotten himself stuck in a military dead end, so she volunteered to answer on his behalf.

"Go ahead," Zhu Cilang glanced at his son and smiled. "The Crown Prince's mind is entirely on military affairs, and oversights elsewhere are inevitable. You must help him more in the future, and not worry about whether women should meddle in politics. You are the wife he properly wedded — why shouldn't you lend him a hand?"

"Then your daughter-in-law will speak." Ding Yuying paused, then continued. "This humble one believes that the purpose of the Crown Prince's being stationed in Heilongjiang and Andong is to strengthen the court's control over those two garrison territories. And to seize the lands of the Shilka and Onon River basins, we must first take the lands of the Heilongjiang basin into our hands."

Zhu Cilang asked again, "Yuying, tell Us further — how should the Heilongjiang lands be taken?"

Ding Yuying smiled. "Hasn't Imperial Father already found the method? You have already obtained twelve Commandery Princes from the Retired Emperor for marriage alliances to seize territory. As long as this move is used well, the court's strength in Heilongjiang and Andong can be greatly increased."

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded. "Yuying, We never mentioned using marriage alliances to seize territory — that was your idea! Tell Us more — specifically, how should it be done?"

Ding Yuying did not stand on ceremony, and said directly, "Your daughter-in-law's thinking is three parts military, seven parts marriage alliance. Only when the military is strong can the marriage alliances be secure! When the twelve Commandery Princes go forth to form marriage alliances, they certainly cannot marry their brides and then return to Yingtian. Rather, they must build cities on their enfeoffed lands in Heilongjiang and Andong, and forever hold those regions for the court. Heilongjiang and Andong have land in abundance, so granting fiefs is naturally not difficult — but the population is not large. Having land without people will not do!

As for the population, it can be taken from the subject people of Oboi and Yue Le, and the Commandery Princes' in-laws can each be made to raise a portion as well!"

"Hahaha," Zhu Cilang laughed heartily. "Yuying, your calculations are truly shrewd! With you at Lucky Boy's side, We can rest easy!"

He paused, then asked, "When can the Crown Prince and Crown Princess depart to take up their posts in Heilongjiang and Andong?"

This question was directed at Wei Zaode, Yan Yingyuan, Li Yan, and Ajige.

Yan Yingyuan said, "The hundred thousand soldiers of the Liaoyang Army are lying on their weapons awaiting dawn — they can march north to suppress the rebels at any time!"

Li Yan said, "The military storehouses and treasuries of Tianhe, Liaoyang, and Shenyang are all abundantly stocked. Grain and fodder are piled high as mountains, enough for a hundred thousand troops for several years!"

Ajige also said, "Within Andong there are fifteen manors that all obey the orders of the Prince of Jin (Zhu Hegong has been enfeoffed as Prince of Jin). The Crown Prince is the Prince of Jin's elder brother, so of course he can also command these manors."

The last to speak was Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode. The aging Old Wei smiled and said, "Everything is now in readiness; all we lack is the east wind."

"The east wind?" Zhu Cilang glanced at Zhu Chunjie, who had barely spoken the whole time.

Zhu Chunjie said, "Your Majesty, this subject will arrange for someone to borrow the east wind tomorrow."

(End of Chapter)