I'm sure of the prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong!

Chapter 636 Western Region
The Ming Dynasty Navy escorted the Governor of Chittagong to Bangladesh. This was also the first independent foreign military operation of the Naval Governor's Office.

The Navy Governor's Office was established in the second year following the original four military governors' offices. However, the Navy Governor's Office at the time of its establishment not only had a very low military presence, but also had long been an affiliated yamen of the four major army governor's offices.

This stems from China's long-standing lack of emphasis on sea control.

Even in the several foreign wars of the Ming Dynasty and the New Dynasty, the navy played an important role. But when it comes to the center of the imperial court, even the Privy Council believes that the navy's top priority is to prevent coastal and border dangers, and the real expansion of territory must rely on the army.

Of course, it was also because the Ming army's warships and artillery fired shells so powerfully that the intensity of the naval battle was greatly reduced.

This time he went to Bangladesh to take over the Chittagong colony and joined forces with the British to fight against the French.

Zhu Yijiong specially took advantage of the opportunity to recuperate and recuperate internally instead of fighting external wars, so that the Navy Governor's Office independently formulated a troop dispatch plan.

It not only strengthens the independence of the navy, but also gradually increases the weight of the navy governor's office. It does not seek to completely compete with the army, at least it cannot be reduced to a purely subsidiary office.

Let’s not wait for Bangladesh. The snow will melt in spring this year.

Galdan Norbu, who had stayed in Nanjing for more than two months, set out to return to Turgut together with the Chinese envoy.

The official envoy is still Li Hong, because this guy's official position in Honglu Temple is sufficient, and he has several experience as an envoy to Junggar in the Western Regions (don't worry about the name, the name of the province here can't be typed).

The deputy envoy was Wang Li's eldest son Wang Zheng. At first, he wanted to avoid suspicion and also set an example for the officials so as not to make things too difficult for the emperor. Therefore, I have been suppressing this son to prevent him from being promoted too quickly.

But now it's no longer necessary. We are all starting to prepare for three invitations and three resignations.

Although Wang Zheng relied on his father's influence and his official career was smooth, he was not really without talent.

After all, the chief assistant father deliberately suppressed him, and at most he would give him some care when he was promoted. This was also a custom in the officialdom. Within a few years, he was promoted from a clerk to a fifth-rank official with real power in the capital, and he was still affiliated with the sixth ministry. It was really impossible without some real materials.

This time Wang Zheng was sent as an envoy, and the emperor saw Wang Li's resignation, so he promoted his son.

Anyway, Li Hong is still responsible for major matters.

After this mission is over, it is almost time for Li Hong to transfer to the minister of Honglu Temple.

As for Xue Yingcheng, the former Minister of Honglu Temple, he will choose another job. It is most likely that he will be sent to another place and directly become the chief envoy of a province or the envoy of inspection.

This is also customary!

The chief envoy is the second rank, the inspector is the third rank, and the minister of Honglu Temple is the fourth rank.

When Galdan Norbu and the envoy arrived in Lanzhou, it was already summer, and the Ming army in Bangladesh had just taken over Chittagong.

According to the rules, the Chief Envoy of Lanzhou handed over the passage documents to the delegation, replenished some fresh water supplies, and sent an accompanying official as a guide to lead the delegation to the west to exit the customs.

The Hami Guards surrendered. Although Jiayuguan is no longer the front line of the border town, it belongs to the border of the Northwest Great Wall, and customs clearance documents are still required before release.

The Xi'an Dudu Mansion also dispatched a thousand dragon cavalry to be responsible for the accompanying protection.

This is also the emperor's will, and it can't be done without sending some cavalry to protect it.

As early as more than ten years ago, Torgut sent two missions to China. The first batch of missions went to the snowy areas of Tibet to worship Buddha and requested eminent monks from the snowy areas of Tibet to go to Turgut to preach. Fa, on the way to Beijing to visit Kangxi.

Both the Qing Dynasty and Turghut were very satisfied with this exchange. At that time, Ayuqi Khan was facing heavy military pressure from Tsarist Russia, so he wanted to win a powerful ally, and Kangxi also wanted to find a vassal state in the northwest to contain Junggar.

The two sides hit it off immediately, and Ayuqi Khan soon sent a second batch of envoys. This group of envoys was received grandly by Kangxi and rewarded with a large number of gold and silver gifts.

As a result, on the way back, the mission completely disappeared in Central Asia, and no one knew where it went.

By the way, when Ayuqi Khan died, it happened to be the second year after Emperor Zhu... King Zhu launched an army to rebel against the Qing Dynasty.

After passing Jiayuguan, there are Yumen, Anxi and Dunhuang counties newly restored by the imperial court.

Looking around, there is a desert Gobi, with no human beings within dozens of miles. Even the three county towns are sparsely populated.

During the Manchu-Qing Tatar period, there were not many permanent Han residents here, and it was purely a military border town against the Junggars.

The decision to establish a county seat now was made through discussions between the emperor and the cabinet.

Immigrants must be resettled in the northwest, and the borders of the imperial court must not be barren.

Not only do we need to continue to immigrate to the Gansu border, but we will also have to insist on deporting some criminals and Han people to the Western Regions in the future when we regain the Western Regions.

After all, the Western Region at this time was not as desolate as later generations, and there were still many oases. It did not mean that all the Gobi deserts were occupied by Han people. At least the territory of the oases had to be established and controlled by the Han people.

Moreover, too many temples and Taoist temples in the mainland have to be relocated here, and the court can even provide financial support.

It's not that Emperor Zhu started to believe in Buddhism and Taoism, but if he wanted to control the Western Regions, he had to unify the complicated religious beliefs here first, and the religion controlled by the Han court officials had to have an absolute advantage.

The reason why the Western Regions have been in chaos for a long time and opposed the Central Plains Dynasty is that the religion here is too chaotic.

Southern Xinjiang is green, and northern Xinjiang is yellow. Even the greening of southern Xinjiang is divided into large and small factions. It is in chaos and cannot pass the review...

Li Hong passed through Dunhuang County and declined the reception of the Dunhuang County magistrate. He only proposed to visit the Yumenguan ruins.

Looking at the dilapidated pass city, Li Hong sighed with emotion: "Why should the Qiang flute blame the willows? The spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass. Now the imperial court has regained Yumen Pass, and even the former Ming and Hami guards have surrendered, leaving only the Western Region Protectorate of the Han and Tang Dynasties. .”

Wang Zheng also felt the same: "Thirteen generals returned to Yumen during the Han Dynasty. Now we, the Ming Dynasty, should also recover the Western Regions and overwhelm all the vassals and nations."

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

More than a hundred cavalrymen rushed over, but they were the actual controllers of Hamili. Yu Subu, the commander of the Hamili guards, personally led the cavalry to see the situation.

"Commander of the Hami Guards of the Ming Dynasty, Yu Subu, pays homage to the Imperial Angel!" Yu Subu immediately dismounted and saluted Li Hong and his party.

Regarding the news about the Turghut envoy, the Xi'an Governor's Office had already sent word to the Hami Guards immediately, so Yu Subu hurried to the border to greet them. After scanning around the envoy, the envoy only brought a thousand dragon cavalry and no infantry or civilians. It was obvious that they were not sent for him under the pretense of sending an envoy. Yu Subu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

As the actual controller of the Hamili region, this guy should have waited a few more years before taking the throne in history. However, his father was killed by Galdan, the Khan of Junggar, because of his "secret collusion" with the Chinese court of the Ming Dynasty. After noticing it, he summoned Guleza and never came back.

Yu Subu felt bad. It happened that the tribes and people of all ethnic groups in Hami were dissatisfied with Junggar's high-pressure policy, so they simply jumped over to the Ming Dynasty.

However, although Yu Subu jumped over and defected to the Ming Dynasty, in essence, he still just wanted to be a local emperor in Hamili.

Even Yongzheng said: "The Huizi of Hami (actually not the Hui people) have been untrustworthy for a long time, and their suffering should be forgiven. Because their strength is weak and they are abused by the Junggars... Our army must pay attention to vigilance, but Don't let him have doubts and fears. My military strength can protect Hami, and Hami will not be used by thieves."

The envoys were invited by Yu Subu to Hami to entertain them. Wang Zheng, a Nanjing official from Fujian, had a rare chance to eat Hami melon.

During the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, this was a tribute from King Hami to Emperor Kangxi.

During the dinner, Yu Subu deliberately made an insinuation and said: "Your Majesty Angel, the Khan of Junggar in the west has become less humble and respectful towards the Ming Dynasty since last year. From the border of Junggar, Mongols often attack our tribesmen. . When the angel returns to Nanjing, he will report to His Majesty the Emperor and issue a serious edict to intimidate and beat the Junggar Khan to make him more peaceful. If His Majesty the Emperor one day sends troops to Junggar, I, the Hami Guard, are willing to be the vanguard."

Li Hong only smiled and nodded: "Definitely."

It is not up to the Hami Guard to decide when the Junggars will be destroyed, and if they really want to destroy the Junggars, the Hami Guards will probably have to finish it off.

It's a pity that Yu Subu couldn't figure it out. After all, the Manchu Tatars had always relied heavily on them, so they naturally believed that Hami's independence was due.

Staying in Hamili for several days, the envoy used the silver coins they brought to buy many supplies.

In the mainland of the Ming Dynasty, although silver coins were only promoted in coastal areas and other places, special areas such as Tibet in the Western Regions were very keen on gold and silver coins.

In history, Qianlong set up a mint to cast silver coins in order to satisfy the needs of the Tibetan nobles in the snowy region of Tibet. During Kangxi's lifetime, he also rewarded King Hami with gold coins and crowns several times.

Traveling northwest from Hami, the further west you go, the more desolate it becomes.

Often dozens of kilometers are deserted, and even if you reach some land that can be cultivated, you won't see even a trace of smoke.

This is not only because of the continuous war between Junggar and Qinghai, but also because of the perennial war and confrontation between Junggar and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which has caused serious damage to the economy and people's livelihood in the Western Regions.

This damage was almost semi-permanent and lasted until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

The current Western Regions can still develop, not only because of the industry of later generations, but also because of Lin Zexu, who banned smoking in the past. After he was exiled to the Western Regions, he quickly discovered that it was too poor.

The poor have reached a state where when the people are hungry, they either eat cold pancakes or eat fruits and vegetables to satisfy their hunger, and there is not even smoke from the kitchen.

Lin Zexu traveled across most of the Western Region in search of farmland suitable for cultivation and planting, and built a "karez", a water well that reduces evaporation.

This allowed the Western Region to obtain a certain amount of water for irrigation and successfully increased large areas of agricultural land.

Li Hong led the envoys all the way westward, passing through Turpan, which was nominally owned by Yarkand, but in fact it was completely autonomous.

However, it is not because Turpan is strong enough, but because it is too poor. Except for the slightly popular city, there are almost no people in other places, and the sky is filled with yellow sand and Gobi.

The Turpan nobles also warmly entertained the envoys of Li Hong and others. As a fellow Turgut Mongolian, Galdan Norbu experienced a completely different treatment than when he came.

Although they were not embarrassed when they came here, they were not entertained either. Now they just brought the Chinese envoys with them, and they were given warm hospitality.

It’s really a comparison between people, it’s so annoying!
After wandering around Turpan for a few days, Li Hong and Wang Zheng said: "I have carefully observed these days. Turpan City and Nahami City are exactly the same. Both cities are more prosperous, while the countryside is extremely deserted and even completely unpopular. . In such an extreme situation, these Turpan nobles are still singing and dancing in peace. At the banquet for us, we can actually see famous wines from the Central Plains and cigars from Southern Gansu."

Wang Zheng said: "You can see clearly if you can see the leopard in the tube. These Turpan Hui nobles are so extravagant and lustful. I am afraid that the entire Yarkand will not be much better."

Li Hong said: "Your Majesty has said before that Yarkand is called the Khanate, but it is actually a religious force. Its essence is the Islamic religion of the Western Regions, which conflicts with the Yellow Sect of the Junggar Mongols. This is the case in Turpan today, and Yarkand It is impossible to stop the Mongols. Without external force, Yarkand will be destroyed in a few years."

Wang Zheng even drew inferences: "After returning from this mission, I can also advise Your Majesty to reopen the Silk Road of the Han and Tang Dynasties. I don't want to earn much gold and silver, I just want to learn about the military situation in the Western Regions, and I can also take the opportunity to use the goods of the Celestial Dynasty to control these Ye Er Qiang people. And with commercial profits, these Yarkand people will only be more extravagant and lustful, and their army will be less able to fight. When the Mongols destroy the Yarkant people, I, the Ming Dynasty, can take advantage of the situation and send troops. "

Li Hong also smiled and said: "In this way, not only is it justified to send troops, but no matter how weak Yerkang is, if the Mongols want to bite them off, at least one of their teeth will be broken. Furthermore, Yerkang's troublesome Islamic religion can also be borrowed. At the hands of the Mongols, we took the opportunity to wipe them all out. Your Majesty has said that in the battle in the Western Regions, the first priority is religion, and the second is military warfare."

The envoy and Galdan Norbu left Turpan and continued westward. Along the way, they became more and more aware that Yarkand could not win against Junggar Mongolia.

The entire Yarkand region looks vast, but the interior is completely scattered, barely connected by the Islamic religion as a link, and the Junggar Mongols from the north try to invade southward every year.

Moreover, the ethnic divisions of the Yarkand Khanate are more complicated than those of Junggar. Although the main religion here is Islamic religion, there are also many small tribes that do not believe in Islamic religion, and even Islamic religion itself is divided into different factions.

These factions were now nominally under the rule of the Yarkand Khan, Yamato Zodanel.

Li Hong and the others did not go to Junggar, but went directly to southern Xinjiang and paid a visit to Daniel Khan in Yarkant (Yarkand County).

After another banquet, Daniel took the opportunity to say: "Those Dzungar Mongols go south to plunder my Yarkand Khanate every year. They also invite the angels of the higher country to return to Nanjing and report to His Majesty the Emperor of Tomorrow that I, Yarkand, are willing to cooperate." Send troops to attack and destroy the Dzungars."

Li Hongguan replied: "It is not for us and other envoys to interfere in military and national affairs, but I will convey the memorial of His Highness the Khan on your behalf."

Daniel was obviously not very satisfied. He thought for a while and said: "We don't have enough soldiers and armor, and we don't have enough salt and tea. Can you please ask the Celestial Empire to sell us some more? Or just reopen the Silk Road and allow Are we going to buy these supplies with the Chinese merchants?"

Li Hong was delighted. Turpan had only had this idea before, and the Yarkand people actually requested it.

However, thinking this way, Li Hong still said: "I will convey it on behalf of the Khan... However, His Majesty the Emperor is kind and will definitely agree to the Khan's request for trade."

Daniel was finally satisfied with this, and immediately had a drink with the envoys, and even invited the authentic Orchid from the Western Regions to dance.

It is true that the people of all ethnic groups in the Western Regions lived a miserable life, but the nobles of these Western Regions, especially the Yarkand Khan, lived not bad at all. Even some wealthy families in the Central Plains were no better than this.

After having had enough food and wine, and some supplies from Yarkand, the envoys left Yarkand City without staying any longer.

Further west is Kashgar (Kashgar), one of the four major return cities in the Western Regions in the pre-Ming Dynasty, and also a transportation hub on the Silk Road.

Fortunately, this place was not taken away until later generations, and it still remained in China (although not all of it).

(End of this chapter)