Chapter 218: The Uriankhai Migration Inward

"Then tell me, what benefits can your Son of Heaven promise us?" Urmai seemed to have believed seven or eight parts of Feng Quan's words, though hesitation still showed on his face.

"The lands of the Three Guards of Doyan are no longer what they once were. Not to mention the Ongniud, those lackeys of the Jianzhou barbarians, and the vacillating Ujiyed, in recent years the Khorchin and the Khalkha have come often enough too, haven't they?"

Seeing the look in Urmai's eyes, Feng Quan already knew the answer. Since his words had achieved their purpose, he continued:

"At this rate, if time goes on, the Jianzhou barbarians will separate your three tribes' people from the Doyan and Daning lands and make you pasture apart. When that day comes, will your own Uriankhai tribe still be said to exist?"

"You Han Grand Secretary, you talk all slow and drawn-out like some woman. If you have something to say, say it quickly!" Urmai grew more and more impatient as he listened, but seeing him thus, Feng Quan only became all the more pleased:

"Chief, don't be hasty. My Son of Heaven has said that the Uriankhai main tribe is different from the Ongniud, Ujiyed, and other tribes. Your tribe is of Turkic stock, a separate branch of the Xiongnu. Since the Tang destroyed the Turks, the various Turkic tribes have gradually merged into our Central Plains. In the eyes of our Celestial Dynasty, they are all materials worthy of cultivation. Now that the situation beyond the passes is critical, in the magnanimity of our benevolent Celestial Dynasty, our Great Ming Emperor has with his golden words permitted your tribesmen to migrate within the passes. Food, clothing, shelter, and transport shall all be borne by the Celestial Dynasty."

At these words, even Urmai could not believe his own ears. He was currently opposing Jianzhou precisely out of fear of being divided and destroyed. As it turned out, the Doyan lands were no longer the Uriankhai's own territory—they had long since become pasture for the Tartar Qing. His women and children staying here were hostages of the Tartars, to be killed whenever they pleased.

The men of his tribe were warriors unafraid of death, but the women, children, and elders were innocent. The cruel Jianzhou barbarians were not magnanimous like the Celestial Dynasty; they would never spare them.

For many years, the Han people of the Central Plains had never been known for military might, yet they had repeatedly caused all surrounding nations and tribes to submit in unity. What they relied on was naturally not merely the so-called force of arms that Jianzhou possessed.

In Urmai's heart, though he held Han military prowess in a thousandfold contempt, he would never dare say the Han were not powerful.

The title of Celestial Dynasty was not something any nation could casually bear. Though the Han were not strong in arms, Han destroyed the Xiongnu, Tang destroyed the Turks, Ming destroyed the former Yuan—all of these proved one point: the Han were not weak.

On the contrary, looking through history, whenever a Han dynasty rose to power, the surrounding grassland and barbarian tribes almost all submitted at the sight of them, and very few could stand against them.

Though these tribal chiefs were unwilling to admit it, in their hearts they clearly understood: an individual Han might not be formidable in combat, but there were so many of them, and they possessed thousands of years of accumulated civilization and knowledge that could be put into practice.

Since ancient times, all the tribes of the grasslands would say that the steppe had clouds of cattle and sheep to slaughter, and lush pastures where one could gallop freely—but once these were set against the prosperity and splendor of the Central Plains, they immediately became utterly incomparable.

By the Ming dynasty, the Han possessed a glorious and resplendent Central Plains culture, surpassing the grassland tribes in every respect. When their goods flowed out to the steppe, each became an extremely precious treasure.

Just like the tea-horse trade—a mere few catties of southern tea could be exchanged for several fine, sturdy grassland horses, not to mention silk and porcelain. These were things the men of the grasslands dreamed of getting their hands on to show off.

Though an individual Han was not formidable in combat, from Han destroying the Xiongnu, Tang destroying the Turks, and Ming driving out the former Yuan, the fighting power of Central Plains dynasties was by no means weak.

When facing the Han, these rough grassland men would always keep the word "weak" on their lips, sneering endlessly—but in truth, this only exposed the inferiority complex buried in their bones when facing the Celestial Dynasty.

This inferiority complex, developed to the present eighteenth year of Chongzhen, had formed several different situations among the surrounding nations. The better case was Joseon; Japan counted as a neutral situation.

Since the founding of the Great Ming, people from Japan had come to the Nanjing area to study in an unending stream. Calligraphy and paintings by literati and poets were carried back to Japan by them, where they were auctioned and treasured at extremely high prices.

And as for Joseon, even the name of their nation, still in use to this day, had been bestowed by the Great Ming. The entire people of Joseon had always taken pride in this, and for over two hundred years had always been very obedient.

Now, though Joseon had been repeatedly forced into submission by the Tartar Qing through military might, the people within the country still used the Chongzhen reign calendar, and had not switched to the Shunzhi calendar as the Jianzhou barbarians claimed.

Last time, Im Gyeong-eop traveled a thousand li to the capital to meet the Chongzhen Emperor. At that time, the Chongzhen Emperor had seen longing and supplication in his eyes—all for the sake of obtaining legitimate recognition and official titles from the Ming.

Since ancient times, no dynasty's claim to legitimacy had been purer than that of the Ming.

The reason the current sixteenth king of Joseon, Yi Jong, had replaced his predecessor was only one: his predecessor, the fifteenth king Gwanghaegun Yi Hon, had leaned toward the Jianzhou barbarians during the Tianqi era. In the eyes of Joseon's entire court and the common people, this was absolutely not permitted.

Therefore, Yi Jong, who favored the Ming, was pushed forward by Im Gyeong-eop and others to launch a coup and seize power. Yi Hon, a king of a proper nation, was deposed by his own subjects under the charge of "showing disrespect to the Celestial Dynasty above and violating the way of a vassal."

In the early years of Yi Jong's reign, he had been quite capable and virtuous. But now, perhaps dazed from being beaten senseless by the Jianzhou barbarians, his mind had grown unclear. Like his predecessor, he had begun to follow the Jianzhou barbarians' lead, and constantly rebuked those ministers who wished to return to the Great Ming, saying that his earlier reliance on the Ming had been foolish.

Interestingly enough, during the period when Yi Jong relied on the Great Ming, the country was peaceful and tranquil. Apart from the Jianzhou barbarians to the north repeatedly causing trouble, the whole nation was united in resisting them, and there had never been any upheaval.

But ever since he had completely submitted to the Tartar Qing after the second Byeongja Horan, the number of Joseon's princes, civil officials, and military generals killed for rebellion was beyond counting. Uprisings across the land to return to the Ming had never ceased, just as in the days of Gwanghaegun not long before.

Though they had all been suppressed by Yi Jong by now, his prestige within the country had plummeted, nowhere near what it once was.

As for the bad ones, they became extreme like the Jianzhou barbarians and some Western nations: whatever was better than mine, I must seize; if I cannot seize it, I will forcibly destroy it, to prove that I am stronger than you.

Kangxi was blown up into a "great emperor through the ages," yet he himself had said that the Ming fell to treacherous ministers holding power and eunuchs running the government, and that the Donglin Faction were all talented men beneficial to the state.

But was that really the truth? In fact, one could tell from the West's attitude toward the Great Ming and the Tartar Qing.

Even in this day and age, have you ever seen any missionary or foreigner run off to Liaodong to trade with the Tartar Qing?

No. No matter what happened to the Great Ming, these people still rushed to the Ming regardless, because they felt the Ming had what they wanted, and the Ming could accept what they brought—such as proselytizing and certain technologies.

When it came to the Tartar Qing, things were different. Technology became "cunning tricks and lewd crafts," and they closed the country's borders, refusing to allow trade. The West couldn't understand this—they were racking their brains to give you silver, yet you racked your brains to refuse it?

The former Yuan conquered such a vast territory, but in the end still chose to settle in the Central Plains. If there had been a chance to enter peacefully, who the hell would still be willing to stay on this barbarian land herding livestock? To hell with it!

After Feng Quan finished speaking these words, there was not a single Uriankhai man in the room who was not moved. All at once, they fell completely silent.