Chapter 799: Galdan Erdan, Who Does Not Fear Nirvana

"This humble monk Galdan respectfully wishes the Great Emperor His Majesty's sacred peace. Long live Our Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

A small lama, somewhat short in stature with a large head, rather small eyes, and deeply sun-darkened skin, knelt in the audience hall of Huangjue Temple, kowtowing and performing obeisance toward the Zhu Emperor seated high above, speaking fluent Chinese.

Zhu Cilang studied this child lama carefully, imagined for a moment how he would look sweeping across the steppe and campaigning in all directions, then smiled and asked, "You can speak Chinese too? You speak it quite well. Where did you learn it?"

"In answer to His Imperial Majesty, I learned Chinese in Yulin," the little lama said. "My master, Lama Tsering, fell gravely ill in Yulin because he could not adjust to the local climate, so I stayed there for several months and learned Chinese."

"Do you recognize Chinese characters?" Zhu Cilang asked again.

"I recognize a few," the little lama said. "I can write my name in Chinese characters."

"Is that so? Write it for Us to see." Zhu Cilang immediately ordered attendants to bring paper and brush, and had the little lama Galdan write his name while still kneeling. After he finished, he had Huang Xiaobao bring it over.

"Ge Erdan?" Zhu Cilang looked at the three crookedly written Chinese characters the little lama had produced and very nearly burst out laughing.

How did a perfectly good Galdan get written as Ge Erdan? Who taught Galdan Chinese? Surely it wasn't some village xiucai from the Yulin countryside?

"Erdan," the Zhu Emperor called Galdan by his nickname affectionately, "do you know what you have come to Nanjing to do?"

"I know," Galdan nodded. "My Ata (father) sent me to Nanjing to be a hostage for His Imperial Majesty, in exchange for some muskets to fight the Kazakhs. If my Ata dares to oppose His Imperial Majesty, then I will have to achieve nirvana."

This Batur Khong Tayiji really is a straightforward fellow! Zhu Cilang thought to himself. But would talk of nirvana and such, said to a nine-year-old little monk, harm his young heart?

Zhu Cilang smiled gently. "Erdan, do not be afraid."

"I am not afraid!" Galdan also smiled. "I am a disciple of the Buddha. Even if I achieve nirvana, I can be reincarnated."

You can even be reincarnated?

The Zhu Emperor was rendered somewhat speechless by "Erdan's" words!

With reincarnation available, he does not even fear nirvana — can such a hostage still be of any use?

"Then besides being a monk, do you plan to do anything else?" Zhu Cilang had no choice but to change the subject.

Galdan, after all, always had grand ambitions!

Galdan shook his head and looked at the Zhu Emperor with a blank, innocent expression. "I don't know how to do anything. All I know is chanting sutras and being a monk."

"If you don't know, you can learn!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "We have established a primary school here at Laoshan. You may go there to study."

"What does the primary school teach?" Galdan asked. "Does it teach sutra chanting?"

Why can you only think about chanting sutras? Zhu Cilang thought to himself. If you love chanting sutras so much, why become a great khan in history? Why not just become a monk and go beg alms from the Kangxi Emperor?

"Of course the primary school does not teach sutra chanting!" Zhu Cilang said. "But the curriculum at Laoshan Primary School is also very useful. Laoshan Primary School offers courses in mathematics, Confucian studies, martial arts, geography, and French. We have also hired teachers proficient in Chagatai and Persian for you, to give you additional lessons specifically."

Galdan's happy childhood has come to an end!

He will have to study six languages — Mongolian, Tibetan, Chinese, French, Chagatai, and Persian — and also study mathematics, Confucian studies (the Confucian studies course includes Chinese), and geography (mainly the geography of the various countries of Central and Western Asia), and also learn traditional Mongolian skills such as horseback riding and archery.

Of course, after school he must return to the temple and still chant sutras and study Buddhism! In case he cannot get into a good imperial academy and cannot become a great khan, he can still become a monk.

In short, as long as he studies hard, he need not worry about his future.

"Great Emperor, this is the memorial of submission from Erdeni Batur Khong Tayiji of the Dzungar tribe!"

The matter of Galdan's studies had been settled, and the monks of Huangjue Temple were now leading him away to get settled. Meanwhile, Lama Tsering, who had brought Galdan to Nanjing, produced Batur Khong Tayiji's memorial of submission.

This Batur Khong Tayiji's name was Batur; Khong Tayiji was an honorific title, originally the Mongolian term for crown prince, which later evolved into an honorific. Because Choros Batur was not of the Golden Lineage, calling himself khan would stir up considerable dispute, but calling himself Khong Tayiji caused no problem.

And Erdeni was an honorific bestowed upon Batur by Tibetan lamas, meaning "treasure."

If this "Erdeni Batur Khong Tayiji" were translated, it would be "Crown Prince Baby Batur."

Zhu Cilang accepted the memorial, unfolded it, and saw that it was written in both Mongolian and Chinese. Its general meaning was that Batur Khong Tayiji of the Dzungar tribe led his people to turn their backs on the Qing and turn toward the Ming, sent his son as a hostage, and requested the court's aid with firearms, cannons, gunpowder, and the like.

After reading the memorial, Zhu Cilang pondered for a moment, then asked, "We may enfeoff Batur Khong Tayiji as Grand Protector of Beiting. The position of Grand Protector is the same as that of a military governor — both are internal vassals of the Great Ming. Would Batur be willing to have the Dzungar tribe become an internal vassal of the Great Ming?"

The Great Ming now had both internal and external vassals. External vassals had greater autonomy than internal vassals, but also received less support from the Ming court, while internal vassals had less autonomy but received more support.

Although Wu Sangui and Zhu Cizhao were both saddled with enormous usurious debts, their two vassal states could still obtain funds and weapons aid from the court.

The current aid quota from the Ming court to the Pingxi and Shuofang vassals was 350,000 taels per year! The Chuanxi and Chuandong vassals received 250,000 taels, and the Jin'ou and Jinghai vassals received 150,000 taels. The Dongning vassal, on the other hand, remitted 1.5 million taels upward — it seemed that could balance things out!

"Batur Khong Tayiji is willing to guard Beiting for the Ming Emperor!" Lama Tsering replied.

Of course Batur Khong Tayiji was willing to become an internal vassal — only by being an internal vassal could he get money!

The Zhu Emperor would not give money to external vassals; there is, after all, a difference between internal and external!

"Good!" Zhu Cilang was willing to spend money, but he would not spend it for nothing!

He said, "The military pay We shall issue to the Grand Protectorate of Beiting is 250,000 taels of silver per year. However, We shall not issue silver, but rather convert it into firearms, cannons, ammunition, cloth, and ironware. But these things are not given for free. First, your Beiting side must cooperate with the court's campaign to recover Anxi. Are you willing?"

"We are willing!" Lama Tsering said. "Batur Khong Tayiji has long wanted to send troops to teach the Yarkent Khanate a lesson!"

You just want to plunder, don't you? Zhu Cilang thought to himself. The Yarkent Khanate is simply an unlucky wretch — anyone around it can come and rob it! Even if the neighbors do not come, the Mongol tribes within their own country will come and rob it.

Zhu Cilang continued, "After Anxi is recovered, Batur Khong Tayiji must lead his troops back north of the Tianshan Mountains. The region south of the mountains shall be handed over to the Pingxi Army. Pingxi Military Governor Wu Sangui shall concurrently serve as Grand Protector of Anxi. Henceforth, Anxi and Beiting shall be bounded by the Tianshan Mountains. Does your Beitin side have any objection?"

If you can get 250,000 taels' worth of goods a year, of course you have to work!

"No objection!" Lama Tsering's answer was also very crisp.

What Batur Khong Tayiji had his eye on was pastureland and prosperous cities, and the southern Xinjiang region had neither. Because of the Yarkent Khanate's misrule, southern Xinjiang was now drained of people and wealth, and moreover southern Xinjiang had an oasis economy, with little pastureland to speak of.

Therefore, after obtaining muskets and cannons, what Batur Khong Tayiji wanted to conquer were the two khanates of the Kazakhs and Bukhara (the Uzbek Khanate). After completing the conquest of these two khanates, Batur Khong Tayiji would also consider an eastward campaign into the Mongol steppe.

"We have one more condition," Zhu Cilang said. "After the Beiting Protectorate has destroyed the Kazakh Khanate, the Protectorate must also establish a root city at a location designated by the court. The court will provide part of the construction costs and will also send master craftsmen to assist Beiting with the work. In exchange, the Beiting Protectorate must hand over one-third of the land within the newly built city to officials dispatched by the court for their use."

This condition was newly added by Zhu Cilang, with the aim of establishing a trading city in the Western Regions that could connect East and West.

Only when the Silk Road through the Western Regions was reopened could the economies of Anxi, Gansu, and Shaanxi begin to improve.

Lama Tsering did not think much about it and nodded in agreement. "The Great Emperor is willing to help Beiting build a city, so Batur Khong Tayiji could not ask for more."

(End of Chapter)