Chapter 758: Let's Just Pretend to Be the Great Mongol State for Once (Previous Chapter Number Written Wrong)

A letter sent from Princess Dong'e could not possibly be delivered directly into the hands of the Shunzhi Emperor; his Imperial Ama Dorgon had to read it first.

But ever since the Fifth Dalai Lama had left Beijing and returned to Tibet, Dorgon's old affliction had come back. He kept dreaming of a Confucius nine chi tall and immensely strong, come to take his life. The more nightmares he had, the worse his health became.

Even as his health declined, Dorgon suffered another blow in the sixth year of Shunzhi: his primary consort of twenty-five years, Lady Borjigit, died of a grave illness. And while Lady Borjigit lay gravely ill, the lama who served Dorgon told him that the primary consort had been cursed by a spirit in heaven—Confucius—and that was why no medicine could help her; even the Buddha himself could do nothing.

Perhaps sensing that his end was near, Dorgon's desire for a son stirred again, and he could not suppress it no matter how he tried. Then he remembered that his only flesh and blood, Dong'e, had been born of a Joseon royal princess. So he thought he might try finding another Joseon woman, and issued an edict ordering Yi Ho to select a royal princess of outstanding beauty, enfeoff her as a princess, and send her to him to become his new primary consort.

In the end, the daughter of Yi Gae-yun, Prince Geumneung of the Joseon royal house, was chosen, enfeoffed as Princess Uisun, and sent to Beijing to become Dorgon's new favorite.

And once Dorgon had his Joseon loli, he naturally neglected the Mongol matron Bumbutai. These days he no longer went to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility to sleep, nor did he pay much attention to Shunzhi's studies.

But the letters Dong'e wrote to Shunzhi still had to pass under his eyes. And that book, the Supplementary Chapters on Governance, also had to be read by the three Grand Secretaries Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, and Ma Zhuguo together.

The letter contained nothing much—apart from some family chatter, it mentioned that the Southern Court was going to open an Imperial Academy and hold civil examinations. Dorgon had long known about this and had not taken it too seriously.

The Great Qing now had its own system of examinations for office, which had existed back in the days beyond the Pass and had not been abolished after entering the Pass. But it was not open to the scholars of the whole realm; it was for the sons of the Ten Banners. And it did not examine for jinshi; the highest degree was juren, and those who passed became petty officials of the lowest sort.

Moreover, the Great Qing also had an Imperial Academy, and the sons of the Ten Banners could likewise enter the Imperial Academy to study and thereby gain the opportunity to hold office.

But whether one came up through the examinations or through the Imperial Academy, neither could compare with military merit. In the Great Qing, military merit was the foundation of everything!

The three Grand Secretaries had apparently finished reading the Supplementary Chapters on Governance, and came together to the Palace of Double Splendor to report to Dorgon.

"This slave prostrates himself and inquires after Imperial Ama's sacred well-being!"

The three slave Grand Secretaries kowtowed together to Dorgon, who was leaning against the heated brick bed, somewhat drowsy and muddled.

Dorgon asked, "Ah, you have all finished reading it? What does the Supplementary Chapters on Governance say?"

"In reply to Imperial Ama, this book contains a great deal. To read it through thoroughly will not be quick."

"Indeed, to read it through thoroughly is no easy matter."

"Right, right—it is all the precedents, successes, and failures of the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties."

Dorgon's three Grand Secretaries were in fact a secretariat, the office with the most work of all; where would they find so much idle time to study the Supplementary Chapters on Governance? The book's word count was not large, but the matters it discussed were many; to read it through thoroughly one would have to consult historical records.

"Oh, then you three—" Dorgon looked at the three slave Grand Secretaries, all beaming with delight. "Could it be that there is news of victory from Sakhalin?"

The fighting on Sakhalin had already begun, but Sakhalin was vast in area and its terrain complex, and neither the Qing nor the Japanese forces had built fortresses on the island, nor established any effective rule.

So in the early stage of the war, it was first a matter of seizing territory, then building fortresses, then winning over the natives, expanding strength, stockpiling grain and fodder, and preparing for a prolonged struggle—for the time being there should be no great decisive battle.

But the fortunes of war are never fixed; what should not happen may well happen!

Fan Wencheng shook his head. "Imperial Ama, the good news delivered today is even better than a victory on Sakhalin!"

As he spoke, Fan Wencheng respectfully presented a memorial with both hands.

"Imperial Ama, this is a joint memorial sent from the Mongol State of India by the five ministers Sonin, Lan Bai, Du Lan, Shang Ke'ai, and Fan Yongdou."

"What is the Mongol State of India?" Dorgon was taken aback. Since when had a Mongol state gone off to India?

"It is the descendants of the Chagatai Khanate," Ning Wanwo explained. "About a hundred or so years ago they entered India and established the Mongol State of India. Now that the Khan of the Mongol State of India, Shah Jahan, has heard that the Great Mongol State once again has a Great Khan, he has sent envoys to offer tribute."

"Wait—a Great Khan of the Great Mongol State?" Dorgon leapt to his feet at once. "Since when? Which death-defying Mongol khan has proclaimed himself Great Khan again?"

A khan and a Great Khan were not the same thing! One was the leader of a Mongol tribal confederation; the other was the leader of all the Mongols. If the Mongols had a Great Khan again, then the Great Qing would have to send troops at once to chastise him!

Ma Zhuguo of the Han Chinese Plain White Banner knew Dorgon had misunderstood, and immediately spoke up to explain: "Imperial Ama, that Great Khan of the Great Mongol State is His Majesty himself! Have you forgotten—His Majesty is the Eyeer Jasag Khan!"

"Eyeer Jasag Khan?" Dorgon thought about it and still found it wrong. "But we are not the Great Mongol State either! What are Sonin and the others doing? Why did they not make it clear?"

Indeed—could a state's name be gotten wrong?

That was a crime of the utmost gravity!

Dorgon was just about to fly into a rage when he noticed that the three slave Grand Secretaries were all grinning cheerfully. Why did they not wear the same expression as their master?

"What is the matter with you three?" Dorgon asked. "Can the name of the Great Qing be changed on a whim?"

"It cannot—of course it cannot." Fan Wencheng, his face full of fawning flattery, presented a stack of gift lists with both hands. "Imperial Ama, please look at this."

"This is—" Dorgon took it and looked. "A gift list? So long?"

Fan Wencheng said, "Indeed! This Mongol State of India is rich—it is said they are even richer than the Southern Ming! This slave had the imperial merchants of the Plain White Banner appraise the gifts, and even at the lowest estimate, they are worth one million taels of silver!"

"One million taels?" Dorgon's eyes went wide. "They—they are too extravagant, are they not?"

"Are they not just!" Fan Wencheng laughed. "This is tribute from the Mongol State of India to the Great Mongol State. Do we want it or not?"

"Of course we want it!" Dorgon glared. "Only a fool would refuse!"

"But we are not the Great Mongol State..."

"Then we shall pretend to be it, just this once!"

Had this matter fallen in the Daoguang or Xianfeng years, it might well have been sent back. But now Dorgon was in charge—for one million taels of tribute goods, what did it matter to pretend to be Mongols for a while? The Great Mongol State had no rule about giving more in return than was received!

"By the way," Dorgon suddenly remembered, "all those fine things—they will not be robbed by Wu Sangui, will they?"

Because of Wu Sangui's defection, communications between the Great Qing and Tibet were now somewhat inconvenient.

Fan Wencheng, as if performing a magic trick, produced another memorial. "Imperial Ama, this is a memorial from the Khoshut Khan. The tribute mission of the Mongol State of India has already come back through Tibet together with Shang Ke'ai and Fan Yongdou. The Khoshut Khan has also sent five thousand Mongol cavalry to escort the Indian Mongol mission, traveling north by way of the Yarkent Khanate. It is estimated they will arrive this autumn."

"We must also send men to meet them!" Dorgon said. "Draft an edict for Ajige: have him send five thousand troops out from Taiyuan, and also muster five thousand men from the Mongol tribes near Datong, and go west to welcome the Indian Mongol mission!"

"Also, have Zu Dashou write to Wu Sangui and tell him to behave himself!"

Ajige was now garrisoned at Taiyuan and was the commander of the Qing forces on the western front.

And Zu Dashou had not been released by Dorgon; he was still "living out his retirement" in Beijing with his two sons, so a channel of communication between Dorgon and Wu Sangui still existed.

"Imperial Ama," Ma Zhuguo reminded him, "should we not also make a move? Staying put inside Beijing does not make us look much like Mongols!"

"Then what should we do?" Dorgon asked.

"Why not hold an autumn hunt?" Ma Zhuguo said. "North of the Yan Mountains there is a thousand-li pine forest, surrounded by rich pastures and teeming herds—in the past it was the hunting ground of the Liao emperors. Imperial Ama could go there to hunt and amuse himself, and by the way receive the Mongols coming from India."

Dorgon thought for a moment, then nodded. "By autumn, Our illness should be greatly improved—just the time for a trip beyond the northern frontier!"

(End of Chapter)