Chapter 1463: Galdan the Tiger, Into the Cage with You!

The royal palace of the Stone Fortress King City is a typical Chinese-style palace — red walls, green tiles, carved beams and painted rafters. At first glance it has a certain air about it, only the scale is a bit small, no larger than a corner of Old Mountain Palace. Moreover, the Stone Fortress palace buildings look somewhat rough, as if they were a crude imitation of a Ming dynasty palace.

But the Kheshig guarding the Dzungar royal palace are bold and spirited, all specially selected, especially tall and sturdy Mongol men, carrying flintlock muskets with fixed bayonets, wearing heavy cloth-faced iron armor and helmets, looking thoroughly murderous.

These Kheshig, defenders of Dzungar royal power, the hawks and hounds and scimitars of the former king Sengge, still look as imposing as ever, standing there motionless with fierce gleams in their eyes — but the Dzungar royal power that once belonged to King Sengge, which they swore to defend to the death, is now gone.

The Dzungar state is of course still a kingdom, and a kingdom of course has a king — otherwise how could it be a kingdom?

The Dzungar kurultai that has just concluded has successfully elected a new king of the Dzungar Kingdom! But the new Dzungar king, Choros Galdan, does not possess the royal power that King Sengge had.

Because this kurultai, while electing the king, also enacted a "Great Code of the Dzungars" to limit royal power.

According to this "Great Code of the Dzungars," the supreme power of the Dzungar Kingdom belongs to the standing kurultai assembly, not to the Dzungar king — although the king has the right to "convene" or "dissolve" the kurultai and to veto resolutions and laws passed by the kurultai. But without the kurultai's approval, the king can do almost nothing at all.

Without the consent of the assembly, the Dzungar king cannot levy taxes or muster troops beyond his own directly-ruled ten-thousands and the Stone Fortress King City, cannot declare war in the name of the Dzungar Kingdom, cannot appoint a cabinet, and cannot even lawfully issue religious decrees (edicts).

And after dissolving the kurultai, the Dzungar king must convene a new kurultai within three months; otherwise the various ten-thousands, cities, and temples may convene an assembly on their own.

The councilors of the kurultai assembly are elected within their respective jurisdictions by the fourteen ten-thousands, the two great cities, and the lama temples under the Dzungar Kingdom. Each ten-thousand has three councilor seats, the two great cities each have three councilor nomination quotas, and the major temples within the kingdom may jointly recommend three councilors as well.

In other words, the supreme royal power of the Dzungars does not lie in the hands of the freshly minted King Galdan, but is jointly held by the 51 councilors of the kurultai. There is no single-vote veto; a simple majority is enough to elect or dismiss the cabinet (electing the cabinet requires the king's approval), to wage war or sign treaties (which also requires the approval of the king and the Ming Emperor), to levy taxes (also requiring the king's approval), and to pass laws (likewise requiring the king's approval).

This is truly the king under the law, the king in a cage!

Just hearing about it sounds progressive — it does not seem like the law of Central Asia at all, but rather as if one had arrived in England or Holland.

At this moment, the Royal Uncle Chokhur Ubashi, who presides over the kurultai assembly, holding the just-passed "Great Code of the Dzungars" in both hands, strode up to Galdan's seat and loudly reported: "Your Highness the King, the kurultai assembly of the Dzungar Kingdom has unanimously passed the 'Great Code of the Dzungars.' Now we request that Your Highness issue the edict of approval!"

The Dzungar king Galdan, dressed in black ceremonial robes, smiled slightly and nodded gently toward Chokhur Ubashi with the enlightened air of one who humbly welcomes worthy men: "Very good. This 'Great Code of the Dzungars' greatly suits Our will, and also accords with the laws of the Celestial Dynasty and Mongol tradition. We the King approve this law. Once the Celestial Lord above graciously approves its implementation in the Dzungar Kingdom, the 'Great Code of the Dzungars' shall be the fundamental law of our Dzungars, and all persons high and low, including We the King, must obey it!"

The scene now unfolding is what legend calls constitutional monarchy. A historic moment! From now on, Galdan is a king in a cage!

One wonders whether the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, young Cromwell, upon hearing that the Dzungar king Galdan has voluntarily established a constitution and returned power to the nobles, would feel ashamed?

But if he knew Galdan's feelings at this moment, he probably would not feel the slightest shame. Because Galdan is smiling on the outside and weeping on the inside!

There is probably no king in the world more wretched than he. Other kings are tigers — hence the saying that serving a king is like serving a tiger. He, on the other hand, has become a caged tiger. And he walked into the cage himself, smiling as he went in.

He, Galdan, is the shame of the tiger world — no, of the monarch world!

But he had no choice but to walk into the cage!

Who wanted to build this cage? Princess Anu? Khatun Anu? The Third Prince Zhu? None of them. The one who truly wants to throw Galdan into a cage and lock him up is the Ming Emperor Zhu Cilang!

Galdan is such a clever king — he was a top student at the Imperial Academy! And he grew up in Yingtian Prefecture, and was the best buddy of the tycoon king. He knows all too well how the cage confining him came to be.

Of course, Khatun Anu, Princess Anu, Chokhur Ubashi, Chechen Taiji (Galdan's elder brother), Jotba Batur (Galdan's elder brother), Bum Taiji (Galdan's half-brother by a concubine), and other Dzungar nobles, as well as the leaders of the Dzungar Yellow Hat sect — Sanbo Lama, Mingzhu Lama, and Fute Lama — none of them like the feeling of serving a king as if serving a tiger. So they are all willing to cooperate with Zhu Cilang in forging a cage for Galdan's power.

Behind Galdan, that tiger baring fangs and claws, a row of flintlocks is pressed against his rear! If he did not walk happily into the cage, his rear would be shot to pieces by bullets. If there were any other way, who the hell would want to enter the cage?

And he could not refuse to enter, either!

A king with little power to begin with can of course doze safely in the cage, because the position holds little attraction for others and the risk of usurpation is not small — one careless slip and he becomes the target of all. But a king who truly holds great power cannot enter, and could not possibly enter, because a monarch holding great power means there exists no force capable of restraining royal power.

Since no such force restrains royal power, voluntarily surrendering it is tantamount to casually throwing away the power of life and death — an utterly irresponsible act.

However, Galdan is not entirely without a share in the kurultai. He has his own directly-ruled ten-thousand, and together with the Stone Fortress King City he can nominate six councilors in total.

And his two khatuns, Anu and Anu, together hold four ten-thousands and one city (Khatun Anu's Kokand), and can nominate fifteen councilors.

Husband and two wives together control twenty-one councilors; add the six councilors that can be nominated by the two ten-thousands held by the young Tsewang Rabtan and Sonom Rabtan (Sengge's two young sons, now under the guardianship of Khatun Anu), and the total is twenty-seven councilors — already over half!

As long as Galdan can keep his two khatuns happy and win over his nephews, he can still govern as king.

And he also has a way to raise his prestige and expand monarchical power: launching a foreign war!

Looking at the dozens of councilors in the great hall, and at his two khatuns in full ceremonial dress, Galdan cleared his throat again and deepened his voice: "Although His Majesty the Great Emperor has not yet graciously approved the 'Great Code of the Dzungars,' we may for the time being act in accordance with the Code. Now We the King formally propose to the kurultai assembly a motion to advance upon the Khwarezm oasis. Councilors, do you agree to muster a great army and chastise the mortal enemy of Our Dzungar king?"

A new king must establish his authority!

Many in the great hall turned their eyes toward Khatun Anu. She immediately nodded and said: "The late king planned the conquest of Khwarezm during his lifetime. Now is the time. But relying on the strength of our Dzungar Kingdom alone is not enough. We must ally with the Dai Kingdom and the Khoshut Kingdom and attack together to ensure victory!"

(End of Chapter)