Chapter 907: Hold Firm, and There Will Be a Way (Please Subscribe)

The Ming Dynasty's "Treaty of the Imperial Clan" actually came in two versions: one was a pact between sovereign and subject, the other a pact between father and son.

These were not the same thing!

What the Ming had signed with the four vassal states of Annam, Siam, Laos, and Chenla was the sovereign-subject pact. But what Zhu Cilang handed to the Chahar Prince Abunai was a father-son pact.

Sovereign and subject were of course not the same as father and son.

Under the "sovereign-subject pact," the Ming, as sovereign, was there to make money. The subject states of Annam, Siam, Laos, and Chenla, by joining the great family of the Ming world empire through the treaty, gained security guarantees and a vast market — but at the same time they had to make the Ming Empire profitable.

Under the "father-son pact," however, the Ming, as the father state, had to subsidize the relationship. The Chahar Mongols, as the son state, could "live off the old man" — even a shrewd emperor like Zhu Cilang could not figure out how to squeeze any profit out of the Mongolian Plateau. So the Ming Empire's rule over the Mongolian Plateau was bound to be a money-losing enterprise.

As a world empire, one could not of course be completely obsessed with money, but neither could one lose money without limit. Take territories like Mongolia proper, Moghulistan (the Central Asian steppe), the Western Regions (meaning Xinjiang), and Tibet — in the 17th century, losing money on them was certain. And if the losses were allowed to run unchecked, with large armies garrisoned directly in all of them and all of them governed by rotating officials, then losing several hundred million a year would be no problem at all. The Ming court simply did not have that much silver to burn.

Yet these territories had to be controlled as much as possible! Especially Moghulistan and Mongolia proper — if they were not controlled, Russia might stretch its bear's paw in!

Moreover, at least two million nomadic Mongols lived on the two territories of Moghulistan and Mongolia proper — a situation quite different from Siberia in Russia's hands. Siberia was vast, but its population was tiny, and it had no great grasslands for nomadism, so Russia, by controlling a few key waterways, could hold it at relatively low cost.

But on the great grasslands of Mongolia proper and Moghulistan, the population was by no means small — two million at the very least! If the Ming did not control them, a unified Great Mongol state might very well emerge. In history, the Dzungar Khanate had come within a hair's breadth of unifying Mongolia!

And if the Ming wanted complete control, it would have to carry out large-scale military conquest, perhaps even massacre — and the consequence of doing so would be to let Islamic forces slip in through the opening!

Of course, the most "correct" approach was to fill the land with Han settlers. But Han farmers could hardly turn a profit on land unsuited to cultivation, let alone cover the costs of migration and governance, so the government would inevitably have to provide subsidies.

The most ideal, and also most correct, approach was to establish state-run farms (like the later Production and Construction Corps, or the collective farms the Soviets set up in Kazakhstan). Given the productivity and transport conditions of the 17th century, losing several hundred million a year really was not much!

Zhu Cilang truly had nowhere to find that much money, so he could only use the rather unsatisfying combination of "father-son suzerainty," "sovereign-subject suzerainty," and "military-governor protectorates" to reduce the cost of rule as much as possible.

Specifically, where rotating civil officials could govern, use rotating civil officials; where military governors could hold the land, use military governors; and where neither would work, set up father-son suzerainty or sovereign-subject suzerainty.

Another difference between the "sovereign-subject pact" and the "father-son pact" was that under the sovereign-subject pact, the subject did not need the sovereign to help conquer his realm. The sovereign's support for the subject was fairly limited — he was only responsible for protecting the vassal from being bullied by other states or other vassals, not for helping the vassal bully other states.

But the Chahar Mongols had an empty title and no real strength. Without full Ming support, they could not push the Khalkha Mongols or the Khorchin Mongols at all. Since they needed the Ming to do the fighting for them, they had to follow the precedent of Shi Jingtang and call the Ming "father."

Of course, establishing a "father-son relationship" was by no means meant to humiliate the Golden Family. Rather, it was to unite the direct line of the Golden Family — Abunai, this adopted son, was to be entered into the Ming imperial genealogy. His heirs, and the future successors of the Chahar Khanate, could all be entered into the Ming imperial genealogy and enjoy the treatment of Ming princes!

Abunai's heirs, and the khanate's successors after them, would all be educated and raised in Nanjing, returning to take the throne only after the old khan died. And the principal sons of the khan's house could likewise reside and receive education in the fief at Nanjing.

In addition, Erinchin, who was enfeoffed as Khan of Karakorum (deputy khan), was already quite old, so he did not need to acknowledge Emperor Zhu as his adoptive father. But he too had to sign the "father-son pact," and his grandson (he was no longer young and in poor health, so Batu would not be taken to Nanjing) also had to go to Nanjing for re-education, enjoying the treatment of a Ming Commandery Prince (imperial grand-nephew).

Beyond all this, the Chahar Khan and the Khan of Karakorum had to accept one more condition: they must hand over three pastures south of the Gobi — the Bashang Grassland, the Hetao Grassland, and the Tumochuan Grassland. These pastures would be placed under the jurisdiction of the Anbei and Beiping garrisons. The Ming would set aside a portion of pastures belonging to the Anbei Protectorate (and later a portion of pastures in the northeast) for the Ordos and Chahar tribes as winter pasture, but on the whole, the territory of these two tribes would still shift northward.

According to the treaty, the Ordos and Chahar tribes would, with the support of the Ming army, advance against the Khalkha Mongols and establish major strongholds at the old site of Karakorum and south of Bogd Khan Mountain, as the foundation of their rule over the left and right wings of the Khalkha Mongols.

And to maintain the rule of the Ordos and Chahar tribes over the Khalkha Mongols, the Ming Empire would provide them with subsidies when the two tribes moved south for the winter — according to the treaty, the Ordos tribe would receive 360,000 taels, and the Chahar tribe 400,000 taels. The Ming court would pay in silver directly, and the two tribes would then purchase from merchants on their own. As the Ming's "sons and nephews," there were naturally no export restrictions on them — they could buy whatever they wanted.

Abunai and Erinchin would of course not refuse a treaty that brought them several hundred thousand taels of silver, so they quickly signed and sealed it, and both became "son-and-nephew vassals" of the Ming.

After they signed, the Ming dynasty's campaign to besiege Beijing officially began!

In late June of the eighth year of Hongxing, large columns of Ming troops and Ordos and Chahar Mongol soldiers began advancing from all four directions — east, south, west, and north — toward Beijing, which had become an isolated city.

And isolated Beijing, at this moment, welcomed a visitor from beyond the pass!

"Your Majesty, the Prince's western expeditionary army has now captured the Joseon capital of Hanyang and surrounded the Joseon king and his ministers at Namhansanseong. In a few more months at most, Joseon, the Ming's running dog, will be finished! So the Prince asks you to hold on a little longer. As long as you firmly defend Beijing, the Prince will have a way..."

The one boosting the morale of Fulin, the "Lord of Coal Hill," was the visitor from beyond the pass, Murima. He had come on Dodo's orders, disguised as a refugee monk, slipping through Shanhai Pass to bring good news to Fulin, who was about to be completely surrounded.

Hearing the good news Murima reported, Fulin's face turned iron-dark, without a trace of joy.

"Wonderful! The western expeditionary army has gone to Joseon. Is Joseon west of Shengjing?" Fulin demanded furiously.

"In answer to Your Majesty," Murima said with righteous conviction, "the Prince advanced into Joseon to remove the threat from his rear. Once Joseon is settled, the Prince can devote his full strength to the western expedition to relieve Beijing. Therefore... Your Majesty need only hold Beijing for a few months, and victory is certain!"

"A few months?" Fulin snorted. "Exactly how many months?"

"Nine months!" Murima said. "It is now June. By next March at the latest, the Prince will lead a hundred thousand troops west through Shanhai Pass!"

"Nine months..." Fulin glared at Murima. "And if Dodo does not come, what then?"

Murima, unruffled, produced a memorial and presented it with both hands. Wu Liangfu took the memorial and passed it to Fulin.

"What is this?" Fulin asked.

"This is the military pledge the Prince has written!" Murima said solemnly. "If the Prince's great army fails to arrive in time, he is willing to accept severe punishment under military law!"

(End of Chapter)