Chapter 756: Let Galdan Come to Elementary School

The diplomatic pressure campaign that Ji Kun had launched on his own initiative in Siam had now produced a chain reaction: Cambodia and Laos no longer dared to oppose the Celestial Dynasty. Nor could they have opposed it even if they had wanted to, for they were now hemmed in by the Ming garrisons at Jinghai and Jin'ou and by the two vassal states of Annam and Siam.

And so, at the New Year of the fourth year of Hongxing, the tribute missions of Cambodia and Laos arrived in Nanjing and requested that they be allowed to sign the Treaty of Suzerainty and Vassalage, just as Annam and Siam had done.

Zhu Cilang was naturally happy to grant these two friendly neighbors their request, and so he had the Laotian envoys sign a "form treaty" — he had no demands to make of Laos. The whole country was mountains, with hardly a few feet of flat land; there was not even a place where the knife of territorial cession could cut.

As for Cambodia, Zhu Cilang brought the knife down in one stroke and cut away the Nine Dragons River plain and the Ca Mau Cape — the very territories that, historically, the Cambodians had lost to the Vietnamese. These lands were now divided between the Jin'ou and Jinghai armies, with the Jin'ou army taking the larger share and the Jinghai army the smaller.

Besides Annam, Cambodia, Laos, and Siam, at the New Year of the fourth year of Hongxing the envoys of three more states — Brunei, Sulu, and Ryukyu — also came to Nanjing to pay tribute.

This, too, was probably a chain reaction from Siam's return to the fold.

However, Brunei, Sulu, and Ryukyu had not signed the Treaty of Suzerainty and Vassalage, which meant they were not yet "lawful vassal states" of the Celestial Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Cilang was now transforming the Ming's external system from a tribute system into a world-empire system, and the Treaty of Suzerainty and Vassalage was one of the legal foundations of the Ming world empire. Any state that signed the treaty, while enjoying Ming protection, also had to undertake the obligation of upholding the Ming world empire.

The world empire was not there to give these small states a free ride; they too had to perform their duties to the Celestial Dynasty. Therefore, for small states that the Celestial Dynasty could not yet shelter, or that were unwilling to fulfill the obligations of a vassal, Zhu Cilang would not sign a treaty with them.

But drawing Brunei, Sulu, and Ryukyu into the Ming world empire was also the consensus of the senior ministers of the two offices.

"Military Advisor," Zhu Cilang said, toying with the memorial of the ambassador to Japan, and asked after a moment's thought, "Do you intend to use Japan's defeat on Sakhalin Island as an opportunity to settle the Ryukyu question?"

Li Yan replied, "Your Majesty is sagacious; that is exactly what this subject has in mind."

"But Ryukyu is controlled by Japan's Satsuma domain," Zhu Cilang said. "The Satsuma domain could not possibly have taken part in the battle of Sakhalin Island. Are we to go to war with Japan's Satsuma domain over a tiny speck of land like Ryukyu?"

It was not that Zhu Cilang feared he could not defeat Satsuma; rather, he worried that a war over Ryukyu might well become the turning point that pushed Japan toward opening its country.

And once Japan opened its country, sooner or later it would become a powerful enemy of the Ming on the southeastern seas!

Although Japan's opening was only a matter of time, if it could be delayed, one should not hasten it. If it could be put off for thirty or fifty years, the gap between Japan and China would become a generational one.

"Your Majesty," Li Yan said again, "if you are unwilling to go to war with Japan's Satsuma domain, you might still take advantage of Japan's defeat on Sakhalin Island to send troops into Ryukyu. At present Ryukyu is one state under two masters. If Satsuma can send troops, why can we not?"

"Your Majesty," said Zheng Zhilong, the Minister of Revenue, "in fact, our taking Ryukyu will not provoke a war with Satsuma. Compared with us, Satsuma's strength is not worth mentioning! Moreover, our entering Ryukyu does not mean we must exclude Satsuma. We and Satsuma can coexist."

"Coexist?" Zhu Cilang frowned. "How would we coexist?"

"We could establish a trading port on Ryukyu soil," Zheng Zhilong said, "and then contract its management out to Satsuma. That way Satsuma would profit, and would not make a fuss that drew the attention of the shogunate."

"Is that so?" Zhu Cilang was still somewhat doubtful.

Zheng Zhilong looked at Zhu Cilang's expression and smiled. "This subject has another plan."

"Speak quickly."

"Has Your Majesty ever heard of a man named Ukita Hideie?"

"Ukita Hideie?" Zhu Cilang put on an expression of not quite knowing the name.

"Your Majesty," Zheng Zhilong said, "Ukita Hideie was the adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and one of the Five Elders under Hideyoshi. He was once a man who stood shoulder to shoulder with Tokugawa Ieyasu. In the Battle of Sekigahara fifty-one years ago, Ukita Hideie was Tokugawa Ieyasu's opponent. After the battle, Ukita Hideie fled to Satsuma Province and hid there for more than two years, until the reconciliation between the Shimazu and Tokugawa houses led to his being handed over to the Tokugawa shogunate. But the Shimazu house and the Maeda house, Ukita's in-laws, kept pleading with the shogunate, and so his life was spared and he was exiled to Hachijo Island. To this subject's knowledge, this Ukita Hideie is still alive!"

This Ukita Hideie really could survive!

Others had their fifty years of life; he had fifty years of exile on a desolate island!

"If he is alive, he must be eighty by now?" Zhu Cilang thought for a moment. "So old — what use is he?"

"He is useful!" Zheng Zhilong said. "Once the shogunate is defeated on Sakhalin Island and its prestige is damaged, and the Toyotomi house has carried off the elder Ukita, will the Shimazu house not have to give serious thought to its own position?"

That seemed to make some sense!

"The Duke of Quan speaks reason," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "We shall do exactly that!"

As he spoke, the Zhu Emperor picked up another memorial — a joint memorial from Wu Sangui and Zhu Cizhao forwarded by the Ministry of War.

The Zhu Emperor said, "The envoys of the Pacifying West and Guarding North frontier commands have reached an agreement with the Dzungar tribe's Baatur Khong Tayiji. Baatur Khong Tayiji has agreed to become our vassal state, to send troops against the Yarkent Khanate, and to send one of his sons to Nanjing to study."

Having the sons of the rulers of outer and inner vassals study in Nanjing was one of the means by which the Zhu Emperor strengthened suzerain-vassal relations.

"Your Majesty," Wu Xiang immediately spoke up, "Baatur Khong Tayiji has seven sons in all. At present five are still living: Sechen Tayiji, Jotba Baatur, Sengge, Galdan, and Wenchun. Which one does Your Majesty wish to come to Nanjing?"

Galdan the little fellow, of course. He is a talent, and must be properly cultivated!

"Let Galdan come to Nanjing," Zhu Cilang said. "Have him come to Nanjing to attend elementary school."

He paused. "Once Baatur Khong Tayiji has taken the Yarkent Khanate, he may send his son over."

The joint session of the two offices lasted until just before the midday meal. Zhu Cilang did not dine in the Hall of Venerating Heaven, but went instead to the Western Building, where he was to keep a young girl company for a meal.

The girl was named Jin Dongzhu — the same Dong'e Gege. She was fourteen this year and already in the fifth grade of elementary school; before long she would be entering middle school, and her coursework was not light. Today happened to be the fourteenth of the fifth month, so school let out at midday, and tomorrow was a holiday (the first and fifteenth were two days off, and the fourteenth and thirtieth of each month were half days), so Zhu Cilang had let Jin Dongzhu return to the Western Building to stay.

It was also a chance to help her with her schoolwork.

By the time Zhu Cilang reached the Western Building, Jin Dongzhu had already returned from school. The fourteen-year-old girl had grown into her figure, and because there was a good deal of physical activity at the girls' school, she was sturdier than when she had first arrived. Her skin was also a little tanned, giving her a healthy beauty.

When the girl saw the Zhu Emperor arrive, she hastily kowtowed in salute and even called herself "this common girl," which made Zhu Cilang laugh heartily. He waved a hand and said, "Dongzhu, it is just the two of us — why stand on ceremony?"

Jin Dongzhu said with a beaming smile, "Emperor Brother, Empress Sister-in-law is also in the Western Building."

"Right, she is here too." Only then did Zhu Cilang remember that tonight it was Wu Sanmei's turn to attend him. Zheng Chagu was pregnant again, and would give birth in the seventh or eighth month! So Wu Sanmei had to work hard.

"Where is she?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"She is teaching Princess Tianfeng archery," Jin Dongzhu answered. "Someone has already been sent to call her."

Zhu Cilang nodded, walked outside the dining room, and sat down on a Western-style sofa. Jin Dongzhu very obediently went over and sat down beside Zhu Cilang, then handed him an envelope.

"What is this?" Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "Is it your report card? If you did poorly, you will get your palm smacked!"

Jin Dongzhu blinked. "Emperor Brother would never bear to smack Dongzhu!"

"Did you really not do well?" Zhu Cilang asked, half joking.

"No, it is not that. It is a letter from younger brother Fulin."

(End of Chapter)