prosperous age

Chapter 791 890 Conditions
How was the Ming Dynasty founded?

That is to expel the Northern Yuan Dynasty and restore the mountains and rivers of the Han people.

And after they established their political power, both Taizu and Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty made several northern expeditions to the grasslands. Why did they not hesitate to exhaust their national power for this purpose?

That's because, in the eyes of the Ming Emperor, the Mongols were always a threat to the Ming Dynasty, and they did not stare covetously at the new empire at all times.

In fact, in the decades since the Mongols were expelled, the biggest goal of the Mongols was to make a comeback and drink from the Yangtze River.

It can be said that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, eradicating the grassland forces has been regarded as the most important task and has been completed with all efforts.

Ming Taizu's first Northern Expedition was a large-scale unification war to eliminate the remaining troops of Hu Yuan from the first month to November of the third year of Hongwu.

Huizong of the Yuan Dynasty stayed in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty after escaping to Shangdu in the north, and invaded the south for the second time in an attempt to regain the original capital and restore it.

In June of the second year of Hongwu, Emperor Huizong of the Yuan Dynasty moved to Yingchang Prefecture, which was only two or three days away from the capital in Yanshan, posing a substantial military threat.

In view of the lessons learned from the Yanshan area that was gained and lost within two years at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Ming Taizu decided to conquer the Northern Yuan Dynasty through the Northern Expedition.

In this northern expedition of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army won a complete victory, and the remaining forces of the Yuan Dynasty near the fortress suffered a heavy blow.

The subsequent Northern Expeditions were all aimed at the remaining Mongolian and Yuan forces near the borders of the Ming Dynasty such as Xuanfu and Ningxia, and gradually drove away the Mongolian and Yuan forces close to the Ming Dynasty.

In these wars, Zhu Yuanzhang also wanted to complete his victory in one battle and completely eradicate Bei Yuan. However, due to the mobility of the cavalry, although he achieved a great victory, the remaining forces were able to quickly escape from the Ming army's encirclement and suppression.

Although the Ming army had established a powerful cavalry force at this time, the main body of the army was still infantry.

After Zhu Yuanzhang discovered that the Mongols were slippery on the grassland and it was difficult to annihilate them, he was also concerned about the huge consumption of each attack, so he gradually reduced the scale of the Ming Army's Northern Expedition, and the Ming Army's attack distance was also farther.

In fact, at this time, although Zhu Yuanzhang still did not give up his plan to completely eliminate Bei Yuan, he still hoped to expel them further from the Ming border, and even expel them to the west like the Huns did.

The purpose of Ming Chengzu's Northern Expedition after that was actually similar to Zhu Yuanzhang's, except that in addition to expelling Bei Yuan to ensure the safety of the empire, he also had the purpose of showing off his martial arts.

After all, no matter how Zhu Di cleans himself, he ascended to the position of emperor by usurping the throne, which is somewhat unfair.

Just like Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he listened to the opinions of his ministers and accepted advice with an open mind in the early days of his accession to the throne because he was not in the right position.

In order to govern the world internally, he practiced strict economy, encouraged farmers and mulberry farmers to achieve recuperation, peace and prosperity for the country and the people, and created the "Government of Zhenguan".

Opening up territory to the outside world, conquering the Eastern Turks and Xueyantuo, conquering Gaochang, Qiuci and Tuyuhun, severely damaging Goguryeo, establishing four towns in Anxi, and getting along harmoniously with all ethnic groups in the northern region. He was honored as "Tian Khan" and became one of the later 100 people of the Tang Dynasty. Many years of prosperity have laid an important foundation.

After all, the two emperors actually did the same thing.

The antagonism between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols can be said to be from the bottom of their hearts.

Although the cabinet ministers all believed that the current situation in the Ming Dynasty was not suitable for continuing the confrontation, and hoped to relieve border pressure, save military expenditures, and alleviate financial difficulties, Emperor Longqing was not a fool, and of course he understood this truth.

Perhaps when he first ascended the throne, he did not understand that the Ming Dynasty was not easy to manage, but after all, after being the emperor for so many years, he actually had a deep understanding of the importance of money.

But he also had to take into account the consistent attitude towards the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. If he changed his attitude easily, it would have a huge impact.

This is Wei Guangde's current analysis of Emperor Longqing's psychology. He wanted to reconcile but was worried that domestic opposition would be too strong, which would affect the stability of his imperial power.

Just now, when several members of the cabinet were analyzing the matter, Wei Guangde "inadvertently" revealed this idea.

All the memorials expressing his attitude were retained by Emperor Longqing, so it is very likely that what finally made the emperor make up his mind was the number of people who supported him.

Now hearing Li Chunfang repeating Wei Guangde's previous conjecture, Gao Gong just thought for a moment and replied: "This is reasonable. The most important thing is that if we really look at the opinions of the courtiers at this time, we and the cabinet ministers will not be able to vote.

Therefore, we must win over every third-rank official and nobleman in the DPRK and China to gain their support. "

The reason why he said this was that Gao Gong was actually treating this matter according to the emperor's method of holding a court meeting.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were three main forms of handling government affairs, namely, sage consultation, cabinet consultation and court consultation.

Holy judgment refers to "Chenzhi arbitrary decision", which is the emperor's personal decision-making. This method is the most important decision-making method in tradition and legal theory.

The cabinet of the Ming Dynasty was also the emperor's informal advisory body in the early days, similar in nature to the previous ministers, ministers, and privy councilors.

After that, the cabinet gradually became a formal institution, but its main task was still to provide advice to the emperor and assist the emperor in handling government affairs.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the emperor often participated in cabinet meetings, but after Chenghua, he basically did not participate. Only Xiaozong occasionally summoned cabinet ministers.

In the Ming Dynasty, the submission of chapter memorials, the emperor's comments and even the final issuance and effectiveness had to go through the cabinet. When the cabinet was drafting votes, cabinet ministers had to gather for a discussion, that is, a cabinet meeting, to form a consensus.

Since Emperor Yingzong's reign, the emperor's neglect of government was common, and cabinet votes were expected to become the most important basis for the emperor's decision-making.

Although the cabinet vote must be approved by the emperor before it can become a decision, the dissemination of the edict without the cabinet vote is considered to be inconsistent with the procedures, and the six subjects can be rejected. Therefore, to a certain extent, the emperor only implemented the cabinet discussion decision.

China has always had a tradition of "major matters must be discussed together", that is, the monarch and ministers discuss state affairs collectively to find solutions to problems.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, a mechanism for the emperor and his ministers to discuss decisions had been developed. This mechanism became more mature in the Tang Dynasty, and developed into a court meeting, or assembly meeting, by the Ming Dynasty.

Depending on the content of the decision, the participants, and the location of the meeting, there are court meetings, cabinet meetings, court meetings, ministry meetings, etc., but they are all considered a type of court meeting.

Among them, the Ministry Meeting mainly refers to the memorials about the headquarters handed over by the six ministries to the emperor, for internal discussions and resolutions, and to put forward specific opinions on how to deal with them.

The cabinet meeting mainly discusses government affairs beyond the jurisdiction of the six ministries and nine ministers, and proposes countermeasures. Generally speaking, the cabinet meeting discusses problems that arise in the country's daily government affairs.

More important decisions must be submitted to the court council for discussion, that is, the court meeting and the court meeting.

The results of all these discussions must be reported to the emperor for final decision.

As courtiers who discuss important and confidential decisions, they refer to the small group of people who are qualified to enter the palace at the court meeting, that is, the civil and military officials of the third rank and above.

Although whether it is a court meeting or a cabinet meeting, the final result requires the emperor's "sacred ruling", but because of the unique political system in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the emperor generally would not object to the results of the cabinet meeting and the court meeting, but would choose Approval, because this represents the court's decision.

It should be said that Wei Guangde's conclusion that the emperor might want to determine his attitude towards Mongolia through court discussions was the most unfavorable result for several members of the cabinet, which meant that they could not play a role in this important matter.

But the result of the court discussion is also the most effective, blocking the mouths of the courtiers. Because once a matter reaches the result of the court discussion, other officials, even Kedao Yanguan, must shut up and can only accept the results of the court discussion unconditionally.

Even if you have opinions, you can only keep them.

Even Gao Gong recognized Wei Guangde's guess, and Zhang Juzheng and Yin Shizhen naturally had no doubts. Therefore, everyone in the cabinet knew that before the emperor ordered the court meeting, they could only win over as many officials who supported them as possible. Guaranteed victory in the court meeting.

At this time, Bao Chongde, the envoy sent by Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, also walked into a heavily guarded camp. In the middle of the camp was a huge yurt.

But this is actually nothing new. All Mongolian camps are the same. The leader’s tent is often the most luxurious and magnificent tent in the entire camp, and it is often chosen to be set up in the center of the camp, so that it is convenient for him. Receive news from all directions.

But this yurt is a little different. It is similar to the tents we saw along the way. They are all white in color, but the roof here is not the common white or blue, but gold. This is what the sweaters on the grassland have to say. Available colors.

Moreover, there is a large black bamboo pole erected in front of this yurt, which fully reflects the extraordinary nature of the owner here.

When Bao Chongde saw this, he couldn't help but swallow the saliva in his mouth. He knew that the person he was about to meet was the target of his trip, Mongolian Khan Altan.

Passing through the surrounding crowd of strong Mongolian guards, Bao Chongde walked into this huge golden yurt following the person leading the way, while his entourage could only stay outside, surrounded by a group of Mongolian guards.

While the few people accompanying him were frightened, Bao Chongde finally saw the appearance of Ada Khan, an old man in his 60s. His face was covered with wrinkles from living in the North all year round. Although his eyes were still bright, they were no longer what they were 20 years ago. He looked like a high-spirited hero who led his men across the desert and plundered the capital.

Yes, in Bao Chongde's eyes, this Anda Khan who made people in the Ming Dynasty frightened was just an old man.

"Bao Chongde, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, met Altan Khan."

Now that he had seen Altan, Bao Chongde immediately took two steps forward and bowed with his fists clasped.

Seeing the envoy from the Ming Dynasty bowing to him, Ida Khan frowned.

In fact, when the Mongolians paid homage to him as the Great Khan, they would kneel down on formal occasions, but usually they would kneel down on one knee with their left hand and put their right hand on their shoulders with a fist.

The Mongolian nobles and guards in the camp also saw Bao Chongde's salute to their Khan, and immediately felt great disrespect, and they were all eager to come out and teach the Ming man in front of them a lesson.

There were even impatient guards who had already put their hands on the handles of their swords.

Although Altan felt that the other party was a little rude and felt unhappy, he was more concerned about his grandson in Datong. He asked Bao Chongde to see him because of the news that the messenger from Ming Dynasty was here to tell him about Han Naji's situation. .

So he waved his hand and stopped the Mongolians from taking action.

"Bao Chongde, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sent you to see me. If you have anything to say, just say it."

An Dahan said casually.

"Great Khan, I was not sent by the emperor, but on the order of the Governor-General of Xuan, King Chonggu, I came to see the Great Khan and inform him about Prince Hannaji's information."

Bao Chongde immediately replied and pointed out An Dahan's mistake to prevent him from getting the wrong idea.

"Wang Chonggu, Governor of Xuanda? Isn't it Chen Qixue?"

The last time he personally led Mengqi to attack Datong, he already knew that the governor of Xuanda was named Chen Qixue. It had only been more than half a year, so why did the Ming Dynasty change his name?

Changing the governor was the same as changing the commander. It was a major military and national event for Anda Khan, so he immediately put aside asking for news about his grandson.

"Governor Chen was transferred to the capital a few months ago. Now Governor Xuanda is Mr. Wang Chonggu, the former governor of the three sides."

Bao Chongde answered quickly.

Anda Khan frowned when he heard this, thinking that he thought that in the first battle at the beginning of the year, Chen Qixue was rewarded and returned to Dadu. Who would know that he was actually ostracized and transferred back.

"Well, since Governor Wang asked you to come, let's talk about it, Ben Khan, listen."

An Dahan smiled and continued speaking nonchalantly, but his hands had quietly grasped the armrests of the chair.

Therefore, Bao Chongde sent Han Naji to the Ming Dynasty. From the moment he entered Baihu Fort, Fang Fang sent his own soldiers to escort him back to Datong City. The government specially found a large house in the city for him to live. Provide good meals and so on.

When I heard Bao Chongde say that the Ming Dynasty treated Bahan Naji and his party with courtesy, Anda Khan's first reaction was naturally disbelief.

After all, in terms of the relationship between the two parties, it would be good if his grandson could not be put in prison. How could he still treat them well?

However, he carefully observed Bao Chongde's words and deeds, and they didn't seem to be fake.

In fact, in order to prepare for this trip, Wang Chonggu had already started making preparations before Bao Chongde received the order.

After he and Fang Fengshi decided on three strategies, they sent several candidates to Han Naji so that they could contact him so that they could know some of their living habits.

Therefore, what Bao Chongde told about Han Naji's life in the Ming Dynasty was all based on what he saw with his own eyes.

Although later on, his narration was interrupted from time to time by Anda Khan, who asked various questions. He only answered what he knew, and bluntly said "I don't know" about what he didn't see.

After Bao Chongde finished telling Han Naji's life situation during this period, although Anda Khan still had some doubts in his heart, he really couldn't find anything suspicious in Bao Chongde's words, so he believed it.

"Then when do you, Governor Wang, plan to send my grandson back?"

After Bao Chongde finished introducing the situation, Anda Khan asked directly.

"Reporting to Altan Khan, the prince came to the Ming Dynasty voluntarily. Therefore, the prince's stay is not the decision of the Governor Wang, but depends on his own intention and the intention of the emperor of the country."

Bao Chongde opened his mouth to explain.

At this level, even if Han Naji wanted to leave, Wang Chonggu would not be able to let him leave without the emperor's will.

"How to get the Ming Emperor to agree to his return to the grassland?"

Ida Khan was not a fool. He knew that the people of the Ming Dynasty wanted to put forward conditions, so he simply let it go and talked.

Although Bao Chongde said that his grandson lived a good life in the Ming Dynasty, Anda Khan would not believe these lies.

Even if it is true now, it will only be so if Hannaji still has value. If it loses value in the future.
(End of this chapter)