Chapter 893: The New Nine Border Garrisons (Seeking Subscriptions)

"But does Mongolia really need a Great Khan?" Zhu Cilang mused. "A Great Khan! What does it matter if Erinchen lacks strength? When We protected the Retired Emperor in fleeing Beijing back then, how much strength did We have?"

Wu Sanfu said, "Your Majesty, how can Erinchen compare with you? He is nothing but a thief guarding his own house, and he is already old, with not many years left to live."

"He is old," Zhu Cilang asked again, "then what about his son?"

Wu Sanfu shook his head. "He has no son, only an adopted son named Batu, who is the father-in-law of His Highness the Prince of Dai."

Zhu Cilang smiled and said lightly, "So the Prince of Dai is also a Yuan Imperial Son-in-law!"

Hearing the words "Yuan Imperial Son-in-law," Wu Sanfu's heart went cold. He knew that "Yuan Imperial Son-in-law" referred to that Yuan Imperial Son-in-law Timur, who had founded the Timurid Empire!

Wu Sanfu immediately changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty, after last year's Battle of the Ordos Loop, His Highness the Prince of Dai's prestige soared, and all the land south of the Yin Mountains came under his control. The six Ordos banners of the Mongols who attached themselves to the Prince of Dai also grew stronger, and many Mongol herders formerly belonging to the Tumed Commandery Banner went over to the six Ordos banners. The Commandery Prince Banner directly under Erinchen—one of the six Ordos banners—has already moved to Dongsheng Guard, its military edge pointing straight at Tumochuan!"

Although the Battle of the Ordos Loop had not been fought on a large scale, the "Black Spear Troops" of the Prince of Dai, Zhu Cijiong, had still won renown. None of the Mongol tribes that took part in the fighting were unafraid, and the three Khalkha Mongol tribes in particular were terrified to death—the fighting style of the Prince of Dai's Black Spear cavalry was almost the same as the Russians' Cossacks! Those were monsters and demons, a hundred of whom could beat several thousand Mongol warriors black and blue. How had the Han people become so formidable now?

So after the deputy commander shifted his troops to the eastern front, Zhu Cijiong and Erinchen began expanding their territory!

Zhu Cijiong's target was the interfluvial region between the foot of the Yin Mountains and the Yellow River. In this stretch the Yellow River split apart and rejoined: in the west, at the bend where the Yellow River turned from flowing north to flowing east, it divided into two; in the east, at the foot of Mount Muna, the two branches merged into one again. Thus a moist and fertile interfluvial region was formed, suitable for both farming and herding, and Zhu Cijiong had long had his eye on it.

After Fulin withdrew his troops, he personally led twenty thousand infantry and cavalry straight to the interfluvial region at the foot of the Yin Mountains to seize territory. In the interfluvial region he also ran into the cattle and sheep herds that the three Khalkha Mongol tribes had set out on the interfluvial grasslands, so he not only seized the land but also, in passing, seized several hundred thousand head of various large livestock—a handsome windfall.

After seizing the land and the cattle and sheep, Zhu Cijiong ordered men to build Jiuyuan Fortress south of the northern branch of the Yellow River, and established Jiuyuan Guard.

Erinchen, for his part, chose to expand in the direction of Tumochuan, moving his Commandery Prince Banner to the north bank of the Yellow River, to the old city of Dongsheng Guard near Tumochuan. The Ming dynasty's Dongsheng Guard had moved house many times; the old city of Dongsheng Guard occupied by Erinchen was the site of the earliest Dongsheng Guard, first established in the fourth year of Hongwu, re-established in the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, and in the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu—the fourth year of Jianwen—ordered by Zhu Di to be moved inward. From then on, the Ming dynasty's control over the Ordos Loop region had greatly declined.

Before Erinchen entered Dongsheng Guard, this area had been the territory of the Guihua City Tumed Left Banner and the Guihua City Tumed Right Banner, which belonged to the Qing's Inner-subject Mongols. The so-called Inner-subject Mongols were the Mongol banners that had no hereditary jasagh and were governed by officials directly appointed by the Great Qing court. Before "the Great Qing was no more," the Inner-subject Mongols consisted of two large blocks: one was the Guihua City Tumed Left and Right Banners, originally the direct tribes of Altan Khan; the other was the Chahar Eight Banners.

Because the Tumed Khanate had once been powerful, Hong Taiji and Dorgon were extremely wary of it, and so they did not permit the descendants of Altan Khan to hold hereditary jasagh—banners with hereditary jasagh were the Outer-vassal Mongols—but instead placed both Guihua City Tumed banners under the direct jurisdiction of the Great Qing court. At the same time, however, they did not incorporate them into the Eight Banners Mongols. Once incorporated into the Eight Banners Mongols, one became a true insider of the Great Qing; the two Guihua City Tumed banners were not insiders of the Great Qing.

As for the Chahar Eight Banners, needless to say, they were the former subordinates of Ligdan Khan—how could the Great Qing possibly treat them as its own?

The so-called Inner-subject Mongols, at least as far as the two Guihua City Tumed banners and the Chahar Eight Banners were concerned, amounted to "residence under surveillance." That was why, when Fulin was preparing for a decisive battle with the Ming army, he preferred to mobilize the forces of the Outer-vassal Mongols rather than call up the men of the ten Inner-subject Mongol banners.

Erinchen's six Ordos banners, however, originated from the Tumed Khanate. Erinchen's great-grandfather Jineng was a nephew of Altan Khan. After Altan Khan's rise, Jineng nominally commanded the Right Wing Three Tumen of the Tumed Khanate, but in fact he commanded only the Ordos Tumen, pasturing in the western part of the Yellow River Ordos Loop.

Relying on this connection, after the descendants of Altan Khan's line had weakened and the Qing dynasty's power had declined, Erinchen could perfectly well, with the support of Zhu Cijiong, seize the opportunity to occupy Tumochuan, gather in the two Guihua City Tumed banners, and even go a step further and take the Chahar Eight Banners as well.

In this way Erinchen would possess the six Ordos banners, the two Guihua City Tumed banners, and the Chahar Eight Banners—a "formidable strength" of sixteen banners in all.

On the face of it, he would then have the power to contend for the throne of the Great Khan!

But the three Khalkha Mongol tribes would not necessarily buy Erinchen's account. As long as the Zhu Emperor did not strongly back him, the Mongols of the northern desert would inevitably have a bout of rookies pecking at each other!

Zhu Cilang paced back and forth in the great hall, walking several rounds, and finally stopped before a map of the Mongol tribes' situation hanging on the wall.

"The Great Khan of the Mongols cannot be conferred by a single edict from Us. According to Mongol tradition, a khuriltai assembly must be convened at Karakorum, and the Great Khan can only be chosen by the election of the leaders of the Mongol tribes," Zhu Cilang said slowly. "We can first enfeoff Erinchen as Khan of Karakorum, ordering him to command the six Ordos banners, the two Guihua City Tumed banners, and the Chahar Eight Banners, and to hold the old Mongol capital of Karakorum."

Zhu Cilang paused, then added, "We shall also send a secret edict to the Prince of Dai, ordering him to assist Erinchen in going north to contend for the khanate and the city of Karakorum, while at the same time seizing the opportunity to occupy Tumochuan and Guihua City, as well as the former lands beyond the frontier of the old Shanxi Regional Military Commission. Once We have recovered Datong, he shall return to Datong Prefecture, and We shall also enfeoff him as Grand Protector of the Pacified North, commanding the former lands of the old Shanxi Regional Military Commission."

"Your Majesty, then what of Shuofang Garrison?" Li Ruolian asked. "Is Shuofang Garrison to be abolished?"

"There is no need to abolish it," Zhu Cilang shook his head. "It can be divided. The Ordos Loop, the interfluvial region, and Ningxia shall remain under Shuofang Garrison. A new Yulin Garrison shall be established at Yulin and Yan'an. Let the Prince of Tang serve as Military Governor of Shuofang, while the post of Military Governor of Yulin shall be given to Huang Degong. As for the Shuofang garrison debt, the court shall be entirely responsible for repaying it."

When Zhu Cijiong heard this news, he would certainly be moved to tears!

Li Ruolian said, "Your Majesty, this makes six great military garrisons: Beiting, Anxi, Pingxi, Shuofang, Anbei, and Yulin! From now on, will the northern frontier all be the responsibility of the military governors?"

Zhu Cilang nodded. "Change Pingxi Garrison to Hexi Garrison. The Pingxi garrison debt shall also be taken over by the court! Everything west of Lanzhou, including Lanzhou itself, shall be under the jurisdiction of Hexi Garrison. Everything west of Hami Guard, including Hami Guard itself, shall be under the jurisdiction of Anxi Garrison.

For the time being, both the Military Governor of Hexi and the Grand Protector of Anxi shall be held by the Duke of Liang, though in the future the Duke of Liang may hold only one of the two posts.

In addition, We intend to establish Beiping Garrison north of the Yan Mountains, commanding the former lands of the old Beiping Regional Military Commission and Xuanfu. Gao Jie may be appointed Military Governor of Beiping.

Add to that the Andong Protectorate and the Heilongjiang Protectorate, and there will be nine great border garrisons in all. The twenty to thirty thousand li of the northern realm shall be controlled by these nine great border garrisons!"

These nine border garrisons of Zhu Cilang's were far more extensive than the Nine Borders established by Zhu Di, and their strength and autonomous authority were naturally far greater as well.

Having arranged the nine great border garrisons, Emperor Zhu drew a breath and said to Wu Sanfu and Li Ruolian on his left and right, "Now that the territory has been divided, the next step is to accomplish the task in a single campaign. Preparations for the plan to besiege Beijing can begin! At least two hundred thousand troops must be dispatched, and not only the court's great army—Erinchen and Sengge of Beiting must also send troops to join the battle. If possible, the jasagh banners of the southern and northern deserts must also be made to send troops to join the battle, so that all under heaven may see who is truly the lord of the Mongols!"

(End of Chapter)