prosperous age

Wang Chonggu arrived in Datong and learned more about the complex relationships on the grassland from Fang Fengshi. He also discovered that Fang Fengshi also intended to use Han Naji and Ada Khan to make a deal, which was exactly what he wanted.

"No wonder he described Han Naji in his letter as a 'curious item to live in'. If you think about it carefully, it is really a good exchange commodity."

Wang Chonggu thought so, but he would not say it. Instead, he put forward the strategies he thought of based on the information he had on the road, and then said: "I have thought a lot along the way, and now I have summarized it into three strategies. You I’ll think about it carefully to see if it can be implemented.”

"All ears are here."

Hearing Wang Chonggu say that he had three strategies, Fang Fengshi was shocked. He only thought about the benefits he could get by exchanging Han Naji from Anda Khan, but never thought about anything else, let alone the three strategies.

I only heard Wang Chonggu start to say politely at this time: "The best policy is to give Han Naji his mansion and official position, enrich him with food, and make him happy. If I ask for it from nearby, I will ask for a promotion to Zhao Quan." After being captured and delivered alive, all the plundered people were released back to the south. Then they became a city and realized the mutual trade between tribute and trade.

The central strategy is, if I say that the troops will be taken by force, then the troops will be trapped in a tight position.Leaving Han Naji behind made Anda wary, thereby containing the Mongolian tribes, and the Ming Dynasty gained the strategic initiative.

The next best thing to do is, if I am confused and disobedient, ignore my grandson, and give up without asking for help, then I will increase my financial support and cultivate the auspicious power of Han Na.After Ida died, he was sent back to his homeland and asked to gather the remaining people to compete with Huang Taiji for the throne. We secretly sent troops to help him and caused it to fall apart internally. "

"My Lord Governor, I don't have any objections to this middle or lower strategy. It's really a clever move. But the best strategy is to ask Anda Khan to demand Zhao Quan and other traitors, and to demand the release of the plundered people. However, offering tribute and mutual trade is not a good idea. It is not within your or my authority, if the court punishes you for this."

Fang Fengshi did not go into details, but the meaning was clear. He agreed with the first half of the best policy, but there was no imperial decree behind it. Even if he, the governor, gave the order, he, the governor, would not buy it.

"You and I are just discussing, given the current situation in the grassland, is it possible to implement the best strategy?
If you think it's okay, the court will naturally report this matter. Do you think I can bear such a big crime? "

Wang Chonggu just stroked his beard and smiled.

Hearing that Wang Chonggu just wanted him to analyze the feasibility, Fang Fengshi lowered his head and started thinking.

The exchange of Zhao Quan and the return of the plundered population was actually within the scope of his consideration, and he naturally thought it was feasible, but mutual trade meant repairing with Mongolia.

Repairing relations with Mongolia is hard to say.

Fortunately, Wang Chonggu also knew that adding the word "tribute" in front of the mutual market meant that Anda Khan wanted to surrender to the Ming Emperor, and Anda Khan might not agree.

As early as the 11th year of Jiajing, Anda Khan had contacted the Ming Dynasty and wanted to "pay tribute" before pacifying the grassland forces.

The so-called "Tong Gong" was to establish trade relations and establish mutual markets with the Ming Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty did not agree.

But "tributary" is different. To be precise, tribute was born in the Song Dynasty. At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty made Liao, Xixia and other countries vassals and sent envoys to them to pay tribute. This kind of contribution etiquette form was reflected to a certain extent. The initial prototype of the tribute relationship was established.

The development of the tribute relationship was further developed and strengthened with the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty established various countries as vassals through ceremonies such as canonization and canonization, requiring them to pay tribute to the Yuan Dynasty and hold contribution ceremonies.

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang almost inherited most of the systems of the Yuan Dynasty, including the tribute model.

When Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he sent envoys to issue an edict to the governors of Annan, Champa, Goryeo, and Japan, conveying to them the news of the establishment of the new dynasty and the good relations with it.

However, there are countless differences between inheritances. These are not the reasons for the change of the Ming Dynasty, but the obstacles that the Ming Dynasty cannot bypass.

In the Yuan Dynasty before the Ming Dynasty, because it occupied a huge territory with the four Mongol Khanates, China's foreign trade reached a new peak at that time.Whether it is the land-based international caravans passing through the Silk Road or the fleets sailing into China's coastal ports from the vast sea, they have all reached an unprecedented scale.

However, after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, international trade shrank significantly.

This is also because the Mongol Khanate controlled a large area from central Xinjiang to the Arab world. They were hostile to the Ming Dynasty and cut off the Silk Road.

Under the influence of the Mongol Khanate, the number of Arab merchant ships that dominated Asian maritime trade also decreased significantly by the Ming Dynasty.This international trade dilemma directly led to a significant reduction in the international surplus when the Ming Dynasty was first founded, making international trade of very low financial importance to the Ming Dynasty.

While Zhu Yuanzhang was devoting all his might to deal with Bei Yuan, who had retreated into the desert, the southeast coast was suddenly attacked by Japanese pirates.

At this time, a very high proportion of Japanese pirates were Japanese, and they were Japanese pirates in the true sense.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not in the mood to pay attention to these small-scale Japanese pirates, but in order to prevent the Japanese pirates from becoming big, he still took some very extreme measures.

That is to say, the sea is closed and closed, people from the Ming Dynasty are prohibited from sailing into the sea, and overseas ships are prohibited from entering the port.

This simple and crude method of banning everything has directly banned all foreign trade activities in China!
Because in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, the so-called international trade is just a small profit, not worth mentioning at all. Of course, he could never imagine the grand occasion of the Yuan Dynasty.

After Zhu Yuanzhang's son Zhu Di ascended the throne through the Jingnan Campaign, he sent Zheng He on six voyages to the West for various purposes. The countries that came to pay tribute to China further expanded to West Asia, North Africa and other regions.

The countries that Zheng He passed through on his voyages to the West all wanted to trade with the Ming Dynasty, which posed a problem for Zhu Di.

Because it was Zhu Yuanzhang's will to ban the sea and seclusion, the moral banner that Zhu Di had always held high during the battle of Jingnan was that Emperor Jianwen changed Zhu Yuanzhang's established national policy.

Allowing other countries to trade with the Ming Dynasty was an act of changing Zhu Yuanzhang's established national policy. If he did this, wouldn't it be Zhu Di's own slap in the face?

So Zhu Di came up with a compromise - paying tribute!
Those who docked under the tribute were not caravans but envoys. After they landed at the place specified by the Ming Dynasty, they went directly to Beijing and would not engage in any commercial activities. After arriving in Beijing, they were not doing business, but envoys The group met with the Ming Dynasty Emperor and later the 'exchange of gifts' between the two countries.

Roughly speaking, "tribute" and "tribute" can be considered to refer to the same system, but strictly speaking, they are actually different.

The word "tribute" highlights the economic and trade functions of this system.

The tributary countries' tribute of objects and the heavenly dynasty's return of treasures and goods formed the so-called "thick and thin" tributary trade. In addition, private business travelers accompanying the tributary envoys from the tributary countries also engaged in certain trade activities during the process of paying tribute to China. .

"Tribute" more completely summarizes "canonization" and "tribute" - that is, the political and economic impact of this system.

Tribute envoys came to the DPRK not only to pay tribute, but also to "ask for a seal" for their country's rulers, that is, to request the Celestial Dynasty to canonize their country's rulers and award them with a treasure seal and ribbon.

Under the tribute system, the political significance of the canonization of the Celestial Dynasty as the suzerain state is to grant the rulers (royal families) of the vassal states the legitimacy of their rule and endorse them, and to use the political and military strength of the Celestial Dynasty to protect the stability of their regime and national security; on the other hand, the vassal states The succession or replacement of a country's ruler must be recognized by the suzerain state through specific procedures under the tribute system. Otherwise, it violates the political ethics under the tribute system, and the suzerain state has the right to intervene forcefully.Therefore, Wang Chonggu said in front of Fang Fengshi that the second half of the best strategy was to "confer tribute and trade with each other", which meant that Anda Khan had to accept the canonization of the Ming Emperor.

In fact, Wang Chonggu was not sure that Anda Khan would bow to the Ming Emperor, and Fang Fengshi thought so.

I think back then, Anda Khan's soldiers and horses were at the foot of the capital. It is easy to imagine how difficult it would be for such a person to ask him to surrender to the Ming Emperor. Naturally, Fang Fengyang shook his head and said: "Your Majesty Governor, although if Anda Khan If you are willing to become a vassal, the imperial court may agree to open a mutual market, but Anda Khan may not be willing."

Here, there are actually two difficulties. One is whether the court is willing to canonize Anda Khan, and then whether Anda Khan is willing to become a minister.

"The difficulty is indeed here, but have you noticed that Anda Khan has always wanted to trade with me, the Ming Dynasty.

During the previous dynasty, envoys were sent to the Ming Dynasty more than ten times, hoping that the Ming Dynasty could exchange tribute and trade. However, they were unwilling to accept canonization, so the late emperor always rejected this request and did not even see the envoys. "

Here, Wang Chonggu actually said it very tactfully. Not only did the Ming Dynasty not see the envoy, but the general directly killed the envoy and went back to report his merits.

A few years before Anda Khan launched the "Gengxu Rebellion", several groups of envoys were shot dead by the Ming army. Weng Wanda, the governor-general of Ming Xuan Dynasty, denounced this approach as "a huge disgrace and a huge provocation", and emphasized in Shangshu "A king should treat barbarians and Di without rejecting them when they come." I should accept the tribute envoys from Anda.

However, this proposition was not recognized by Emperor Jiajing.

In the 28th year of Jiajing, An Da and others led troops to Xuanfu, fought fiercely with the Ming army, and demanded tribute. In order to prevent the envoy from being killed again, he ordered the sergeant to bind the letter to Yatuan and shoot it into the Ming army camp. In order to show his sincerity, he returned the envoy. He plundered people and said, "I cannot ask for tribute, so I plundered repeatedly. When I ask for tribute, I should restrain the tribes from violating the border." Finally, he warned the Ming Dynasty that if they did not agree to pay tribute, they would "come back in autumn, cross the border and rob the capital."

Despite such a naked threat, the then Emperor Jiajing still rejected his request.

In fact, Wang Chonggu brought up "tribute" again at this time because he believed that survival on the grassland was difficult. Anda Khan wanted to trade with the Ming Dynasty in exchange for survival supplies, and the Hannaji in his hand was just a step up to Anda Khan, so that he could He bowed his head in the name of protecting his grandson.

Fang Fengshi had the intention to object, but he also thought that the current emperor was no longer the Jiajing he was back then, so he didn't even think about such a proposal at that time.

Now that he is the new emperor, Emperor Longqing may not be willing to use this method to eliminate the threat from the north.

Looking up at Wang Chonggu, Fang Fengshi finally nodded and said, "If the Governor has such a high opinion, he can report it to the capital and ask for His Majesty's sanction."

“No matter what the outcome is, it’s always good to give it a try.”

Wang Chonggu glanced at Fang Fengshi and said leisurely.

"Yes, the northern border towns have been invaded by the Mongols and have suffered a lot these years. If we can really realize the mutual trade of tribute, the relationship between the two sides can be eased, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment, which will naturally be good."

Although Fang Fengshi was worried, he still agreed.

"Okay, I'll give you a memorandum here. Please help me think about it."

While talking, Wang Chonggu ordered his people to prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and quickly wrote a memorial. He showed it to Fang Fengshi before the pen and ink were dry.

Fang Fengshi read it carefully and found that the writing was old-fashioned and there was nothing worth revising, so he immediately nodded his approval.

According to the format of the memorial, Wang Chonggu copied it again and confirmed his and Fang Fengshi's names. This memorial was called "Discussing Matters for the Barbarian Chieftains". Shucheng immediately ordered people to hurry up and deliver it to the capital.

At this time, the news had spread in Beijing, and everyone knew that Anda Khan's grandson led his men to surrender to the Ming Dynasty. For a while, many people praised the emperor for his wisdom.

After all, Anda Khan left a deep impression on the people of the capital. They had not experienced the devastation of war for many years, but this man had threatened the safety of the capital many times, and the capital was under martial law in preparation.

In the past few days, the cabinet, led by Gao Gong, prevented cabinet ministers from analyzing the situation in Datong every day.

Of course, this was done under the instruction of Emperor Longqing, who naturally wanted to find the best way to solve the current situation.

Because of Zhang Juzheng's suggestion, the strategy of using Datong as the preset battlefield and the decisive battle with Anda Khan was mentioned the most.

Although Wei Guangde still insists that Anda Khan will not launch a war for this purpose, he has to seriously consider the implementation details and has even begun to contact the Ministry of War to ask them to select elite soldiers and generals from all over the world to prepare for emergencies.

Inherited from the Jiajing Dynasty, Ming Dynasty had no idea of ​​doing business with the Mongols. Naturally, whenever it had relations with the Mongols, the first thing everyone thought of was how to win the war.

This is also the case for more than ten years, and Anda Khan seems to have given up on the idea of ​​"paying tribute" to the Ming Dynasty, and no longer sends envoys to the Ming Dynasty to request mutual trade.

It was in this atmosphere that the "Discussions on the Disposal of Money for the Barbarian Chiefs" discussed by Wang Chonggu and Fang Fengshi was sent to the capital and handed over to Li Chunfang, the chief assistant of the cabinet.

When Li Chunfang read this, he just frowned. The middle and lower policies were consistent with the results of the cabinet discussions these days.

Among them, Wei Guangde proposed the strategy of holding on to and raising Bahan Naji and supporting Anda Khan after his death to help him control the grassland. In fact, it was also influenced by the experience of "proxy war".

Wei Guangde thought of the Ming Dynasty providing material help to help Hannaji gain control of the grassland, causing internal strife in the grassland, weakening their power, and then making good friends with the Ming Dynasty and restoring peace on the border.

But just because of the influence of many years of fighting life and death with Anda Khan, Wei Guangde never thought of having peaceful negotiations with Anda Khan to resolve the feud between the two.

"Come on, hurry up and ask Ci Fu Gao Gong to come to my place."

Li Chunfang opened his mouth to give instructions, but as soon as the clerk reached the door, he suddenly stopped him and said: "Call the other cabinet ministers too."

Wang Chonggu and Fang Fengshi's strategy was not considered a good one. This was Li Chunfang's opinion, because he did not think that "tributary" could be realized.

Without "paying tribute", Han Naji must not be exchanged for rebels such as Zhao Quan and the plundered population. This is actually a loss.

According to the "agent war" model proposed by Wei Guangde, it is actually the most beneficial to the Ming Dynasty. This is the conclusion Li Chunfang reached after several days of deliberations. (End of chapter)