Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2380: The Wind Within (VII)
With the end of the cabinet and nine ministers' meetings, the Imperial Household Department approved the memorial of Prime Minister Gao Youshi as usual the next morning in accordance with the emperor's previous instructions. It not only agreed to the surrender of the "Great Ming Jin Kingdom", but also announced it to the world, clearly stating the disaster relief measures that the court would provide after the surrender of the "Great Ming Jin Kingdom".

At the same time, another decree was issued to the Nen Khorchin, Solon, and the Wild Jurchen tribes, telling them that if they were willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty, they would enjoy the same treatment as the "Ming Dynasty Jin Kingdom". Of course, considering that the Ming Dynasty did this only because "I inherited the great throne and benefited the world", and not coveting "your bitter cold and wild land", so "if they have no intention of returning, I will let them do as they please"...

In short, the Ming Dynasty has given you this way of survival by submitting to the Ming Dynasty, and has also given you detailed consideration on how to deal with yourselves after submitting to the Ming Dynasty. As for whether you are willing to accept the Ming Dynasty's good intentions and submit to the Ming Dynasty, that is up to you. The Ming Dynasty will not force you.

The first person to receive the imperial edict was Tumed. Although Hannaji had mixed feelings as the Khan of the Mongol Khan Tumed Chechen and the King of Shunyi of the Ming Dynasty, as a staunch pro-Ming faction, he felt more relieved and accepted the imperial edict on the spot.

Such a major event naturally cannot be accomplished just by receiving the imperial edict. Although the plan given by the Ming Cabinet solved the biggest problem, it was still a statement of principle after all. The specific docking work still required people from both sides to clarify each item one by one, and finally a grand ceremony would be needed to demonstrate the significance of this move.

In the specific docking, political integration is the primary task. How should the Tumed nobles be placed in their official positions? How should the local governance structure be adjusted? How should the problem of legal applicability be solved? These problems, like a series of difficult problems, were placed in front of the Ming officials.

No matter how energetic Gao Youshi was, he could not take charge of every decision himself. However, these things might affect the stability and future of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the meeting of the Nine Ministers had almost become a scheduled meeting in recent days, held every afternoon.

Whether due to the objective reason of his own limited energy or for the purpose of cultivating the "big picture" of high-ranking officials in the court, Gao Youshi intervened less in the discussions of the nine ministers this time. Instead, after they put forward their preliminary opinions, he made slight modifications to form the final opinions, which were submitted to the Silijian for the emperor to review - even though everyone felt that the emperor might not really look at them carefully.

After political integration, economic integration followed. The adjustment of trade policies, the establishment of tax systems, and the issue of currency circulation are all key to economic integration. Ming merchants are ready to continuously transport more silk, tea, porcelain, ironware and other commodities to Tumed under the new trade policy, and also look forward to Tumed's horses, cattle and sheep to further enrich the Ming market.

What's more, they have already started to set their sights on Outer Khalkha (now Outer Mongolia), and even planned to hire the Mongols there as guides to lead them all the way north to the "North Sea" where Su Wu grazed sheep in the past, to find local "savages" to buy the best furs.

Gao Gongshi was happy to see this happen. After all, in the original history, Yermak was largely motivated by the desire to get more furs and helped the Tsar to become a pioneer in colonizing Siberia. Since Yermak, who was born a Cossack, could colonize Siberia, why couldn't the more cold-resistant Outer Khalkha Mongols continue to move north?
Oh, you asked why the Mongols in the original history did not continue to move north? Of course, it was because the Mongols had no use for so many furs! They even had difficulty in normal trade with the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty always restricted the volume of horse market trade. They had too many furs and no market, so naturally they had no motivation to move north.

It is different now. The Little Ice Age has caused the northern part of the Ming Dynasty to become increasingly colder. Now that the northern tribes have begun to submit to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has every motivation to buy more furs - after all, the people of the Ming Dynasty are not short of money!
In addition to the economy, military arrangements cannot be ignored. The adjustment of the border defense line and the mode of military cooperation are important measures to ensure the security of the Ming Dynasty's border. The Ministry of War and the nine border commanders have begun to plan how to build a more solid and flexible northern defense line with the participation of the Tumed and other tribes.

In fact, when the Tumed, Khorchin and other tribes surrendered one by one, the forces that threatened the northern border of the Ming Dynasty suddenly became our own. If these Mongolians, Jurchens and other tribes could really be fully integrated into the Ming Dynasty, then the Ming Dynasty would actually not need any "northern defense line".

Of course, no one in the court really thought so, because thousands of years of "Hua Yi Debate" made them always keep a string in their minds: those who are not of our race must have different hearts. As long as these Mongols and Jurchens still retain their own etiquette and living habits that are very vulgar in the eyes of Han officials, they cannot be fully trusted.

Of course, the tribes headed by Tumed had been subordinate to the Ming Dynasty for thirty years, and there was still basic trust. In addition, the Ming Dynasty was not as good as the Qing Dynasty, and the overwhelming population advantage made the Ming Dynasty not intend to adopt the series of population control policies implemented by the Qing Dynasty on Mongolia.

On the contrary, the decision made by the Ming cabinet was to actively promote intermarriage between Han and Mongolians, and the court was very generous in allowing the offspring born from intermarriage to "self-report Han and Mongolian household registration" - that is, if either parent belongs to the Han or Mongolian ethnic group, the children born can be reported as Han or Mongolian at will. Of course, once reported, it cannot be changed without permission - unless one passes the imperial examination or the provincial government or higher government offices approve it.

Since we are talking about the Han and Mongolian household registration, we should talk about cultural integration, which is also the most delicate link. The promotion of educational policies and the respect for religious beliefs are the keys to the expansion of the cultural influence of the Ming Dynasty. Under the overt and covert instructions of Gao Fusi, the scholars have begun to prepare. They will personally or send their disciples to cross the grassland with scriptures to sow the cultural seeds of the Ming Dynasty on the land of Tumed.

In addition, the reform of social management is also quietly underway. The establishment of household registration management and the improvement of public health are important measures to improve the quality of life of the Tumote people. Officials from the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Punishment, and Ministry of Works have begun planning how to establish an effective social management system in this new land.

Of course, the biggest external factor of Tumed's surrender cannot be forgotten, so the formulation of emergency response measures is even more urgent. The white disaster relief plan and the establishment of mutual aid teams are emergency measures to alleviate the current difficulties of Tumed and other tribes. The Ming Dynasty's rescue team has begun to assemble. They are carrying food, clothing and tools, ready to cross thousands of mountains and rivers to bring hope to the people of Tumed.

Finally, the preparation of ceremonies and celebrations is also indispensable. The planning of internal ceremonies and the organization of cultural exchange activities are important means to enhance the unity and identity of both sides. The officials of the Ministry of Rites have already started to work hard. They have to ensure that every detail is perfect to demonstrate the majesty of the Ming Dynasty and the loyalty of the Tumed tribe.

As these efforts are gradually advanced, the integration of the Tumed tribe and the Ming Dynasty is bound to deepen. The herders on the grassland will begin to learn Chinese in the near future, and the Ming Dynasty's caravans are also preparing to establish permanent trade stations on the grassland. In the past, there were trade stations in Beijing, but they were not permanent. After all, even Gao Youshi was not sure that he could make the Tumed tribe submit smoothly. If the Tumed tribe rebelled, these stations would be the meat on their lips.

Although there are many complicated things to do, the one issue that Gao Youshi can take care of throughout the process is military affairs.

The Tumed tribe claimed to have 400,000 soldiers, but that was based on the Mongolian calculations. Anyone who could hold a saber or draw a bow could be counted among the "400,000". In fact, under normal circumstances, the number of Tumed soldiers that could be gathered together and be called "Mongol cavalry" was about 100,000.

Of these 100,000, Hannaji's Khan directly controls about 40,000, and Zhongjinhatun controls more than 10,000. The couple controls more than half of the power of the entire tribe - this does not include the Outer Khalkha tribe controlled by Shunyi Prince Erdemutu. Of course, the more than 20,000 main forces of the Outer Khalkha tribe have been ordered by Erdemutu to go west, and now they have reached the coast of the Caspian Sea, and they can't come back for the time being. The remaining more than 40,000 cavalry of the Tumed tribe belong to several taijis, including the tribes left after Qia Taiji's death. These people are also directly influenced by Gao Youshi, and they should not have too many opinions on Gao Youshi's military reform - of course, the premise is that Gao Youshi will not weaken them too much.

Regarding Tumed's military reform plan, Gao Youshi consulted with Zhou Yong and Song Yingchang, and then called a group of generals of the Imperial Guard to discuss it. Finally, they decided to organize it into two armies and one town.

The two armies refer to the First Cavalry Army (Type A Army) and the Second Cavalry Army (Type B Army); the one town refers to the First Town of the Imperial Guards Cavalry.

In other words, two special cavalry armies were organized for Tumed, one of which was Type A and the other was Type B. In addition, the elite were selected from the Tumed Mongolian cavalry and incorporated into the Imperial Guard, and a special cavalry town was organized to form an independent town, which was the "First Town of the Imperial Guard Cavalry".

After the previous military reform, the Type A Army of the Ming Dynasty now has four regiments under its jurisdiction, with a total of 50048 troops; the Type B Army has three regiments under its jurisdiction, with a total of 37536 troops; the Imperial Guard has a unique organization, with five regiments under its jurisdiction, plus an independent heavy artillery brigade, with a total of 66598 people.

According to the military reform plan, the Ming Dynasty originally had one special army, namely the Imperial Guard, ten Type A armies, eighteen Type B armies, and a number of Type C armies with irregular organization and numbers (military farming troops, which were generally not responsible for combat).

After Tumed surrendered, the Imperial Guard gained an additional town of cavalry, and the total strength increased to 79110 people, which is approximately people.

The number of Type A troops increased to eleven, with the addition of the "Naturalized First Army". The total number of Type A troops in the country was 550528, which is about .

The number of Type B troops increased to 713184, with the addition of the "Naturalized Second Army". The total number of Type B troops in the country was , equivalent to about people.

Excluding the Type C Army which usually does not undertake combat missions, the total number of combat soldiers in the country including the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guard, Type A Army, and Type B Army is 1342822, which is approximately million, which is unparalleled in this era.

Of course, the military reform has not been completely completed. For example, in the Western Regions, the number of troops under Liu Jing exceeds the establishment - because it is still in a wartime state, the military reform has not yet been actually implemented. In some areas, especially the southern provinces, the military reform progress is slower than the nine frontiers due to the relatively small military pressure.

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Since Gao Youshi basically retained the Tumed cavalry in its entirety, when the decree of military reform was issued, the Tumed side was very relieved and immediately agreed.

However, Tumed "recommended" that he hoped that Butashri, the son of Zhongjinhatun, would inherit his mother's troops and organize them into the First Guard Cavalry Town; he hoped that Bahanaji would personally serve as the commander of the "First Naturalized Army" and continue to be stationed in Guihua City. As for the "Second Naturalized Army", Tumed generously said "please let the court select it".

Regarding Tumed's "recommendation", the court was divided into two groups. One group believed that the court should insist on appointing military positions on its own and should not make this exception; the other group believed that Tumed had just surrendered and voluntarily surrendered, and the court should consider this objective reality and approve the appointment of the First Guard Cavalry Regiment and the First Naturalized Army first, and then make adjustments in the future.

In fact, both of these opinions have their own reasons, but Gao Youshi weighed the pros and cons for a long time and finally adopted the second suggestion. He certainly knew the seriousness of the court system and there should be no exceptions, but the objective reality was here, and Gao Youshi had to consider the importance of buying horse bones with a huge amount of money, and he should make Tumed a model for the Khorchin and other tribes - if Hannaji and others surrendered and lost their real power, the Khorchin and other tribes would probably be disappointed.

Therefore, the imperial edict on the adjustment of military positions was issued, and the court respected Tumed's wishes, appointing Shunyi King Bahanaji as the commander of the First Naturalized Army and transferring Butashri to the First Guard Cavalry Town. As for the commander of the Second Naturalized Army, Gao Youshi also chose the son of Toghtoqa Taiji as the commander, as expected.

When the news came out, the Khorchin tribe immediately submitted a petition to express their willingness to submit. Soon after, petitions from various Jurchen tribes were also sent to the capital one after another, all expressing their willingness to submit.

Although things turned out as expected, Gao Yousi could also refer to the precedent of Tumed and send people to coordinate other tasks that needed to be coordinated one by one. However, Gao Yousi was in a dilemma when it came to the military reform of Khorchin and Shengnujur.

At this time, judging from the population alone, the most powerful Khorchin tribe could only mobilize no more than 20,000 cavalrymen at ordinary times. The size of the Jurchen tribes was even more uneven, with some large tribes only able to mobilize 3,000 people, while some small tribes could not even muster 300 people. As for the Solon tribe, they could even muster more than 10,000 people, but at ordinary times there was almost no so-called "standing army". The "Taiji" of the tribe usually had only 400 guards.

If we consider the total military strength of these tribes in the northeast, they are suitable for being organized into a Type A army, but in fact, this is not possible. If we choose a general commander from the Khorchin tribe, the Shengnuzhen tribe may be dissatisfied; but if we choose a general commander from the Shengnuzhen tribe, the Khorchin tribe may be dissatisfied.

Some people may ask, why not just send a general from the imperial court? Gao Youshi thought about it, but unfortunately that would only make the Khorchin and the Shengnuzhen tribes dissatisfied, so he gave up.
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PS: I went up the mountain yesterday holding a white marble urn weighing nearly 40 kilograms. It was so hot that I took off my coat. As a result, I caught a cold from the mountain breeze after the ceremony... It's not easy to show filial piety.

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