Chapter 227: Deliberations Settled

"I, Gushri Khan of the Qinghai Tumed tribe, admire the might of the Great Ming Emperor and wish to lead my tribe's population of over one hundred fifty thousand souls and several million head of cattle and sheep to submit to the Great Ming; I hope His Majesty the Great Ming Emperor will grant my Tumed tribe a stretch of pastureland where we may live and thrive, so that all my tribesmen may find peace! Gushri Khan is willing to relinquish the position of Great Khan, accept whatever office His Majesty the Great Ming Emperor deigns to bestow, and swears to be loyal to the Great Ming Emperor for all eternity, never harboring a thought of rebellion!"

Bu Chier, the envoy of the Tumed tribe, held in both hands a gold plaque that looked quite old and was about the size of an infant's palm, bowing in salute toward Sun Chuanting, who sat in the seat of honor.

Xie Renxing, who stood beside Sun Chuanting, stepped forward to receive the gold plaque and turned to hand it to Sun Chuanting.

This gold plaque was made of pure gold. On its face was engraved: "Bearer of this plaque may trade at the Datong market — made by order of the Ministry of Revenue in the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing." The reverse bore no writing or ornament.

Sun Chuanting gave it a glance and casually set it on the table.

This kind of gold plaque was a credential the court had once issued to barbarian merchants coming from the Western Regions to the Great Ming, permitting them entry to trade. How it had come into the hands of the Tumed tribe was surely a story steeped in blood.

"Please be seated, honored envoy. I have yet to learn your esteemed name and what office you hold among the Tumed. I never expected the honored envoy's Chinese to be so fluent — hehehe!"

Sun Chuanting asked with a smile.

Mongols simply had simple minds; they understood nothing of proper etiquette.

The envoy's attendants had been arranged by Xie Renxing to rest at an inn near the government office, after which he brought Bu Chier into the office to pay respects to Sun Chuanting. Unexpectedly, the moment they met, Bu Chier poured out a torrent of words without even introducing himself or his tribe's situation.

"Esteemed Governor official, I am Silat. Bu Chier, a member of the eight Taiji of the Tumed tribe. My Chinese was taught by a man of the Great Ming within our tribe — a learned man, much respected by my Tumed tribesmen!"

Everyone in the second hall fell briefly silent, while Cao Wenzhao felt a surge of anger in his heart.

Needless to say, this learned man who had taught Bu Chier Chinese must have been seized from Great Ming territory by the Tartars at some point.

"Since the honored envoy has been sent by your tribe's chieftain to negotiate the matter of submission, why have you brought only this gold plaque and no written document from your chieftain? How am I to believe in the sincerity of your tribe's submission?"

Sun Chuanting spoke with a grave expression.

"Written document? My tribe migrated to Qinghai over a hundred years ago and has grown unfamiliar with Great Ming customs. I came to the Great Ming on the Khan's orders, bringing the token of our past dealings with the Great Ming. With this, the Great Ming Emperor and you, the Governor official, should believe in my Khan's sincerity!"

Bu Chier looked utterly bewildered.

Submitting to the Great Ming was a move born of necessity, because the Tumed tribe's population of over a hundred thousand was on the verge of running out of grain. The drought had not only struck the northern lands of the Great Ming — it had even spread to the Qinghai region.

The highland barley the Mongols had planted could not be irrigated, and harvests had fallen sharply since last year; they had barely scraped by on surplus grain from previous years. They had truly hoped for a good harvest this year, but in the ninth year of Chongzhen not a single drop of rain fell, and the crops essentially failed entirely — the entire tribe of over a hundred thousand people was now facing starvation.

After receiving reports from the tribal herdsmen released by Cao Bianjiao, Gushri Khan conferred with the eight Taiji and decided to move the entire tribe eastward to submit to the Great Ming, obtaining grain and supplies from the prosperous Great Ming to ensure the survival of the Tumed Qinghai tribe's bloodline.

"Very well. Since the honored envoy does not understand these matters, I will speak plainly! Your tribe migrated westward long ago — why is it that today you think of submitting to our Imperial Ming? What is the reason?"

Sun Chuanting had no mind to quibble over such formalities — what was the point of being particular with these uncivilized savages? Taking in these hundred-plus thousand Mongols was the truly momentous matter, a feat comparable to expanding the realm's borders.

"Esteemed Governor official, we Mongols do not tell lies. Our Tumed tribe is nearly out of food — if we eat only meat, people will die! Please, Governor official, issue an order to send our Tumed tribe some grain, so that my people can travel from the west into Great Ming territory! If the Governor official can save my people's lives, we Mongols will remember your great kindness for generations and obey your commands for generations!"

After Xie Renxing led Bu Chier back to the inn to rest, Xie Yannian spoke up: "Your Excellency, how should this matter be handled? Should we memorialize His Majesty and the court?"

Sun Chuanting shook his head: "Before we have seen these hundred-plus thousand Mongols with our own eyes, it is better not to memorialize. If this turns out to be a false alarm, you and I will become the laughingstock of the Great Ming! Better to memorialize only after confirming everything is as it should be!"

Xie Yannian and the others all nodded in agreement — one must always plan for the worst. If they memorialized and then something went seriously wrong in the meantime, and the Mongols did not come, then everyone present would not only become the butt of the court's ridicule, but could also kiss their future careers goodbye.

"Your Excellency, this matter of the Mongol tribe's submission should be all but certain. The urgent task now is to firm up their resolve and keep them from wavering midway! Your subordinate believes we should show them sincerity — first dispatch a small quantity of grain and supplies to their tribe. Not enough to see them through the crisis, but enough to strengthen their will to move east. If we do this, the great matter can be accomplished!"

Fang Wen proposed.

To participate in the submission of a Mongol tribe of over a hundred thousand people — if it ultimately succeeded, everyone present would reap enormous political benefits, adding a weighty counterweight to their future official careers. What was needed most now was to pool everyone's wisdom — each person should offer counsel and suggestions, fill in gaps and oversights, and devote full effort to bringing this matter to completion.

"Shoucun, Xiuzhi — the two of you, together with the clerks of the Revenue Office, calculate the time needed for over a hundred thousand people to migrate east from Qinghai to Pingliang and the minimum grain they will consume. Then have grain drawn from the official granaries and handed to the Left Commissioner-in-Chief, who will arrange men to transport it to the Tumed tribe, and order them to send their women and children as the vanguard in migrating to the Great Ming! Governor Cao, your forces must dispatch heavy troops to maintain strict vigilance. I will also transfer elite cavalry from He Renlong's and Luo Shifang's units to follow covertly — if anything seems amiss, crush them with full force at once!"

The migration of over a hundred thousand people and several million head of livestock was no simple matter. The road from Qinghai to Lintao and Pingliang was long, and organizing the transport of grain and supplies from the Great Ming side would take considerable time. After that, the Tumed people would still need to dismantle their tents, gather their cattle and sheep, and notify the scattered herdsmen of the various subtribes — all of which would consume many more days. By the most optimistic estimate, the Tumed would not reach the Great Ming until after the fourth month of next year.

It was now nearly the eleventh month, in the dead of freezing winter. The Tumed needed not only grain — tea, salt, and medicine were also in severe shortage, and even physicians would have to be dispatched from the Great Ming side to prevent the outbreak of large-scale epidemics.

Fortunately, despite the ongoing drought, no heavy snow had fallen since winter began, and the roads had not been blocked — this was the most favorable condition for a long-distance migration.

Sending the women and children eastward first as the vanguard was only to be expected. Since you wished to submit, you had to send hostages — otherwise, how could you show the sincerity of your submission? What if you used submission as a pretext, entered the territory, plundered wildly, and then ran off? A great tribe of over a hundred thousand people would have at least ten to twenty thousand warriors capable of fighting on horseback — with such formidable force, the Great Ming would certainly maintain strict vigilance.

After Cao Wenzhao saluted and accepted the order, Sun Chuanting continued: "Xiuzhi, this time you will personally escort the grain and supplies. I am dispatching Xie Zhongwen to accompany you. Your mission there is twofold: first, to firm up the resolve of their chieftain; second, to observe whether there is any deception! If you discover the matter cannot be accomplished, find an opportunity to extricate yourselves at once! No matter how much grain and supplies there are, they are but dead things — not worth the life of a single talented man of the Great Ming!"

Fang Wen rose excitedly, saluted, and declared loudly: "Rest assured, Your Excellency! Your subordinate will spare no effort to bring this great matter to completion! I will not disappoint Your Excellency!"

Fang Wen knew full well in his heart that Sun Chuanting was giving him an opportunity to earn merit. If this matter succeeded in the future, his name would surely reach His Majesty's ears directly, and his prospects would be infinitely bright.

"Good! Then I shall await good news here in Pingliang Prefecture!"