Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1226: Rooting out
Combining these circumstances, Zhu Shenzhui concluded that these individuals were hiding in Khorchin and impersonating Khorchin tribes. This explanation made sense, and Dorgon's death in Khorchin also provided a plausible explanation.

Of course, Zhu Shenzhui did not continue to discuss how Dorgon actually died in Khorchin, because there was no need to discuss it anymore. Everyone present was no ordinary person; they were the highest echelons of the Ming Dynasty's power core. They were not fools, and a little thought would make the matter clear.

There are only two possibilities for Dorgon's death. One is that he died of illness. Although Dorgon was not old and was quite strong, medical conditions were poor in the harsh grasslands of northern Khorchin. In addition, he fled Shenyang in a sorry state and was worried about being pursued by the Ming Dynasty. It is possible that he fell ill in a panic and died because he did not receive timely treatment.

Besides this possibility, there is another possibility: Dorgon died at the hands of his own people. Considering that Qitat, Bumbutai, and the young emperor also disappeared without a trace, perhaps something happened within their ranks that led to Dorgon's death.

Regardless of which possibility it is, the news of Dorgon's death is highly likely to be true. With his death, the possibility of the Jurchens rising from the ashes has greatly decreased, and Liaodong is now safe!
But that's not enough. The whereabouts of Qitate, Bumbutai, and the young emperor are unknown. As long as they are not found, the Ming Dynasty cannot have peace of mind. The saying goes, "to nip the weeds in the bud," and the existence of these people is ultimately a hidden danger.

Zhu Shenzhui immediately ordered Zhou Anmin to continue investigating the matter, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard determining the source of the information and tracing the clues to find out exactly where Dorgon died in Khorchin, thereby determining the approximate area where others were hiding.

In addition, Zhu Shenzhui would give orders to Agudamu in Chahar, instructing him to conduct another rigorous investigation of the Khorchin tribe. Although this had been done before, with the end of the Liaodong campaign and Zhu Shenzhui's subsequent alliance with the various Mongol tribes of the grasslands in Guihua City, the Ming Dynasty's status as the overlord of the grassland tribes was established, and the division of the grasslands' spheres of influence was also presided over.

Afterwards, the various tribes, including the brothers Tengger and Agudamu, conducted a series of inspections and reorganized pastures for their subordinate tribes, intending to address potential problems. However, the grasslands were different from the Ming Dynasty. The various tribes on the grasslands were nomadic peoples, and there were simply too many tribes of varying sizes. It was impossible to do this very thing thoroughly. Perhaps this is why these people somehow managed to evade these inspections and adjustments and continue to hide in the territory of Khorchin.

But things are different now. Now that we have intelligence, another verification and search is necessary. Moreover, this time it's not just Agudamu himself who will be investigating; the Ming Dynasty will also send people to assist in the investigation. Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will not only confirm the intelligence information but also cooperate with Agudamu in this matter. In addition, the Governor-General's Office in Liaodong will issue an imperial edict ordering Sun Chuanting and the Solon tribe to search the northwestern region of Liaodong, that is, the area where Liaodong and Khorchin meet, to cooperate with Agudamu's actions.

“Your Majesty, I think this arrangement is excellent, but I am worried that if these people hear any disturbance, they might flee north. If they were to infiltrate the northern desert directly, it would be troublesome.” At this moment, Wang Jinwu spoke up.

“Mobei…” Zhu Shenzhui frowned. Wang Jinwu’s words reminded him that Mobei was indeed a troublesome place.

Although in the previous alliance meeting he personally attended in Guihua City, the tribes of the northern Mongolia nominally acknowledged the Ming Dynasty as their overlord and recognized its rule over the grasslands, Zhu Shenzhui actually understood the differences between the northern and southern Mongolian tribes.

Compared to Southern Mongolia, Northern Mongolia was farther from the Ming Dynasty, and its various tribes had always remained outside the core of the Mongolian steppe, on the periphery of Mongol power. Although Tengger had previously led his troops north to conquer Northern Mongolia, forcing its tribes to submit, the territory of Northern Mongolia was simply too vast. Furthermore, the harsh conditions and numerous tribes meant that even with the suppression of Northern Mongolia, it was impossible to completely subjugate the Ming Dynasty's commands in a short period.

In addition, there is the issue of the relationship between the various tribes in the northern desert and the Golden Family. From the perspective of ruling the grasslands, the Golden Family's reputation is very useful. Otherwise, Zhu Shenzhui would not have allowed Tengger to first marry the youngest daughter of Bushitu, Borjigin Sainzhuola, and later marry another daughter of Ligdan Khan as his wife. Moreover, Tengger allowed his sons to be given the surname of the Golden Family.

Even Zhu Shenzhui himself took a virtuous concubine, who was also the daughter of Ligdan Khan, and had already given birth to a prince for him. Although both father and son married Ligdan Khan's daughter, which seemed somewhat inappropriate from the perspective of Han Chinese customs and was likely to be criticized, few people knew about the relationship between Zhu Shenzhui and Tengger. To the outside world, the relationship between the Ming imperial family and the Mongol Tumed and Chahar tribes was merely that of ruler and subject, and neither side ever officially revealed their identities. Therefore, from a practical point of view, it was beneficial for either Tengger or Zhu Shenzhui to marry Ligdan Khan's daughter.

It was also for this reason that Zhu Shenzhui, despite being the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was accepted by the various tribes of Southern Mongolia and was revered as the Khan of the Mongols. Meanwhile, the Tengger brothers were able to firmly control Southern Mongolia through the name of the Golden Family.

However, this had less impact on Outer Mongolia, mainly because Outer Mongolia was not within the core sphere of influence of the Golden Family. Furthermore, many tribes within Outer Mongolia, while nominally Mongol, were actually comprised of other tribes conquered by the Mongols and incorporated into the Mongol Empire. Their origins were entirely different, and they shared no common bloodline. Due to these historical reasons, the imperial court, including Southern Mongolia, did not have as strong control over Outer Mongolia, making it impossible for them to be as close to the Ming Dynasty as Southern Mongolia. Even though many Outer Mongolian tribes now acknowledged Ming rule, their true thoughts behind the scenes remained unknown.

In addition, there was the Western Rakshasa Kingdom, namely Tsarist Russia. In the previous battle in which the Mongolians of Outer Mongolia led their troops south, the enemy's attack was utterly defeated by Tengger and his various tribes, directly wiping out the enemy's main force. Even the enemy's leader, Chaoketu Taiji of Outer Khalkha, was beheaded in this battle.

In this battle, Tsarist Russia sent an army to assist Chaoketu Taiji in the fight. Although the army was eventually annihilated, this incident aroused Zhu Shenzhui's vigilance. It was for this reason that the Ming Dynasty later sent envoys to Europe, with the aim of guarding against Tsarist Russia's eastward expansion in the north.

However, Tsarist Russia's eastward expansion has never stopped, only the momentum has become less flamboyant and the actions have become much smaller and more covert.

Intelligence indicates that Tsarist Russia has been making constant underhanded moves in the north, secretly contacting and even secretly supporting and courting the Mongols. This has led to many people in the various Mongol tribes of Outer Mongolia hedging their bets and even engaging in double-dealing.

Under these circumstances, the Ming Dynasty had no way to completely control Outer Mongolia in a short period of time, and could only rely on military force and methods from Inner Mongolia to suppress them. However, Zhu Shenzhui was not entirely confident about the effectiveness of this suppression or whether it would make them obey his orders.

"This is a troublesome matter..." Zhu Shenzhui thought to himself. Once Bumbutai and the others escaped into the Mongolian steppe and hid in a tribe that was at odds with the Ming Dynasty or even secretly colluded with Tsarist Russia, it would not be easy to find them again.

Moreover, from the current perspective, the Ming Dynasty lacks the capacity to completely conquer Outer Mongolia by force, let alone fundamentally alter the situation in Outer Mongolia, just like in Southern Mongolia. It's important to understand that even Outer Mongolia was the culmination of decades of Zhu Shenzhui's efforts. He only achieved this by first marrying Tana, then taking over his father-in-law Astemur's tribe due to internal strife, and painstakingly building upon that foundation for many years. Finally, he capitalized on Ligdan Khan's defeat and westward flight after being defeated by Huang Taiji, and the opportunity presented by the battle between the Tumed and Bu Shitu to seize control of Southern Mongolia.

During this period, even with favorable timing, location, and human factors, the later results could not have been achieved if there had been any slight mishap. It must be said that Zhu Shenzhui was really lucky, which enabled his two sons in Mongolia, Tengger and Agudamu, to control the Tumed and Chahar respectively, thereby directly influencing the entire southern Mongolian region.

However, dealing with the Mongolians in the north using this method is not so easy. Completely resolving the Mongolian problem is no easy task, and launching a war against the Mongolians is a poor strategy in Zhu Shenzhui's view. After all, it has not been long since the Guihua City Conference, and the Mongolians still nominally recognize the Ming Dynasty as their suzerain. The Ming Dynasty does not have a very good reason to launch a war against the Mongolians for the time being.

Furthermore, this war would not be easy to wage. Although the Ming army was strong, its forces, being mostly infantry, were not very effective in grassland warfare. The Ming army would have to rely on cavalry from various southern Mongol tribes. And once the war began, there would inevitably be casualties, which would directly impact the Ming's policies towards the Mongolian steppe.

Furthermore, with so many tribes in the northern desert, launching a military campaign without first clarifying which tribe is at fault could trigger conflicts and even alienate some northern desert tribes that were already close to the Ming Dynasty, making the situation even more counterproductive.

After careful consideration, Zhu Shenzhui ultimately decided to let the Tengger brothers handle the matter first, especially Tengger from Tumd, who was more suitable for the task. He would use Tengger's name to send a signal to the various Mongol tribes in Outer Mongolia, urging their cooperation. Furthermore, while searching for Khorchin, he would also have Agudamu send troops to block the passage from Khorchin to Outer Mongolia, preventing them from fleeing north if things went wrong.

If this matter can be resolved smoothly, that would be ideal. If the other party manages to escape, at least we can find out the direction they fled to and which tribe took them in. Then we will have a legitimate reason to launch a targeted military strike and eliminate the threat.

(End of this chapter)