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

Chapter 1272 The Emperor's Thoughts

Tengger is an extremely decisive person, much like his father Zhu Shenzhui. Once he decides to send troops to northern Mongolia, he will never hesitate.

In the Qianqing Palace of the Ming capital, Emperor Zhu Shenzhui had just received reports from Chahar and Tumed. He was slightly surprised by the news of Agudamu's ambush. After reading the detailed report, Zhu Shenzhui was relieved. Although Agudamu had underestimated the enemy and was ambushed, his decisiveness and proper response on the battlefield allowed him to escape successfully. This incident also proved that the previous speculation was true: Bumbutai and others were indeed hiding in Khorchin and had now fled to the northern desert.

Agudamu, having suffered such a loss, was naturally unwilling to let it go. After returning, he reorganized his army and prepared to march north, not only to avenge this humiliation but also to completely resolve the matter of Bumbutai and others.

Zhu Shenzhui was not surprised by this. He knew his son's character all too well. He was not the kind of person who would swallow his anger after being wronged. Moreover, Agudamu now controlled the Chahar tribe and could also command the entire Khorchin. If Siqinbal could have killed Agudamu in a sneak attack, that would have been fine. But he did not succeed. So he would have to bear Agudamu's wrath.

Not only Agudamu, but Tengger also planned to send troops to the northern desert. These two brothers were not to be trifled with, and they intended to take this opportunity to teach the various Mongolian tribes in the northern desert a lesson and completely subdue them.

Zhu Shenzhui frowned slightly at this, pondered for a long time, and finally sighed softly before putting the memorial aside.

To be honest, it seems perfectly reasonable for the Tengger brothers to attack the Mongols in northern Mongolia. They not only have sufficient grounds for war, but it also involves the issue of remnants of the Qing dynasty like Bumbutai. Logically, the Ming dynasty should not only not oppose it, but should support it.

However, Zhu Shenzhui was considering that once they took over the northern desert, completely suppressed the various tribes there, and even annexed several tribes to bring the northern desert under their control, then the strength of both Tengger and Agudamu would increase significantly, thus allowing them to control almost the entire northern and southern desert regions.

This situation is not a good thing for the Ming Dynasty. When the alliance was held in Guihua City, Zhu Shenzhui set the future pattern of Mongolia, which was to weaken and disperse the various Mongolian tribes, so as to prevent any of the Mongolian tribes from rising up like Genghis Khan in the past, thus unifying Mongolia and becoming a hidden danger for the Ming Dynasty.

Such an arrangement is the best choice for both the present and the future of the Ming Dynasty, and the division of tribal territories and grasslands after the alliance also moves in this direction. However, now that the Tengger brothers have decided to join forces to attack the Mongolian Plateau and completely resolve the Mongolian Plateau issue, this contradicts Zhu Shenzhui's original intention. Once they take over the Mongolian Plateau and bring it under their sphere of influence, the power of both Tengger and Agudamu will suddenly expand to a terrifying level.

The problem isn't so great with just the Tumet and Chahar tribes. The Ming Dynasty also needs a force in Mongolia capable of suppressing the various tribes and thus controlling Mongolia. Moreover, the Tengger brothers are his sons, and as their father, Zhu Shenzhui cannot suppress them too much. With them in Mongolia, the Ming Dynasty is much safer.

The problem is that this is only based on the blood ties between Zhu Shenzhui and the Tengger brothers, plus the current power dynamics between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia. If this situation changes in the future, and decades or even centuries later, Zhu Shenzhui and the Tengger brothers pass away, and their successors take over, and if the Ming Dynasty gradually declines from its peak, or if any of the Tengger brothers' descendants harbor ambitions beyond simply being the Shunyi or Shunning princes of Mongolia, intending to emulate Genghis Khan's achievements, then the situation will be entirely different.

It was highly likely that the descendants of the Zhu brothers would turn on each other, and it was not impossible for the Mongols to invade the south and reignite the war. Zhu Shenzhui was naturally worried about this, but after careful consideration, he decided not to intervene. At least, he would not stop the Tengger brothers' military operations in the Mongolian steppe. After all, from the current point of view, this battle was necessary. This battle would not only completely suppress the various tribes in the Mongolian steppe and subdue those who still harbored illusions, but also completely resolve the problem of the remnants of the pseudo-Qing dynasty, which was equally important to the Ming dynasty.

Moreover, judging from the current development of the Ming Dynasty, its upward momentum will continue for a long time, and it is highly likely that the Ming Dynasty will remain strong for at least a century. Furthermore, even if the Tengger brothers conquer the Mongolian steppe, Zhu Shenzhui can intervene appropriately to redefine the sphere of influence of the Mongolians in the Mongolian steppe according to the purpose of the Guihua City Alliance, rather than simply allowing the Tengger brothers to directly incorporate the Mongolian steppe into their jurisdiction and rule. Zhu Shenzhui is quite confident in this regard.

Furthermore, times have changed. With the advent of firearms, the once invincible Mongol cavalry has become far less effective. The role of cavalry in future warfare has been significantly diminished, and the nature of warfare has undergone a dramatic transformation. In particular, the Ming Dynasty's research and development of firearms has far surpassed previous levels. With the continuous deployment of new firearms, the Ming army's combat power has increased by more than one level. This doesn't even include the ongoing development of even better and more powerful firearms. Once firearms similar to modern firearms are developed, the Ming Dynasty will be able to completely suppress the Mongol cavalry militarily. This is similar to World War I, which fundamentally changed the landscape of warfare. Before World War I, cavalry played a crucial role in the armies of various countries. As highly mobile and sharp-attacking forces, cavalry were the elite of the elite. However, the advent of machine guns rendered large-scale cavalry warfare a thing of the past.

The elite cavalry, however, was ultimately defeated by a barrage of bullets from a mere few dozen machine guns and a small number of defenders. While this was a tragedy for the cavalry, it also demonstrated the power of technological progress. As a result, cavalry units were withdrawn from the main front-line forces, transforming from the decisive force in war to an auxiliary force in the army. Eventually, they gradually disappeared from the ranks of modern warfare. In later modern armies, the number of cavalry was extremely small, often limited to use in special areas or existing as ceremonial troops, and could no longer dominate the battlefield.

It was precisely because of this view that Zhu Shenzhui ultimately had no intention of stopping the Tengger brothers' northward campaign against the various tribes in the northern desert. In any case, the war was going to be fought anyway, so let them fight if they wanted to. It wouldn't be too late to take action after the war was over.

Setting aside the matter of Mongolia for the time being, Zhu Shenzhui continued to focus on affairs in Yunnan.

With the complete defeat of Sha Dingzhou, the chaos in Yunnan has been quelled on the surface. However, merely suppressing the rebellion is far from enough. Zhu Shenzhui had already planned to take this opportunity to implement the policy of replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials in various parts of Yunnan. Although the Sha Dingzhou rebellion was a bad thing, it may not have been a bad thing from this perspective.

Because of Sha Dingzhou, the Tusi (chieftain) structure in eastern Yunnan became defunct. As Sha Dingzhou himself, the local Tusi who followed him in the rebellion, and the Tusi who were involved in the war after the rebellion, were basically unable to continue to control the local areas, these people either died in battle, surrendered, or lost control of their original territories. If we follow the precedents of the Ming Dynasty, the central government would usually reappoint Tusi to consolidate local rule. However, this time Zhu Shenzhui did not intend to do so. He planned to directly convert these areas into directly governed areas by appointed officials, bringing them under the jurisdiction of the court and changing the structure.

Such a policy naturally brought many benefits to the imperial court, and it would not overly provoke the chieftains in western Yunnan. Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui had already made arrangements for the resettlement work in Yunnan by the officials he had dispatched. Many officials had been implicated in the major case caused by the Yellow River breach. Apart from those directly responsible who were dealt with according to the law, the rest, although not deserving of death, still received necessary punishments.

Among these people, some were demoted, some were stripped of their official positions and reduced to commoners, and some were even exiled with their entire families. Making use of these useless individuals by sending them all to Yunnan was the best course of action. Those with minor offenses were given official positions, while those exiled could be used to enrich the local population and change its structure. Moreover, according to this policy, Zhu Shenzhui had just issued an edict a few days ago, ordering all exiles to be sent to Yunnan to fill the Han Chinese shortage there. In this way, after several decades, Yunnan's population structure would change, and with the implementation of the policy of replacing native chieftains with appointed officials, the southwest region would ultimately be completely under the control of the imperial court.

This method is somewhat similar to the historical immigration policies of Western countries towards their colonies, but it is more convenient and effective. Yunnan is, after all, territory of the Ming Dynasty, and the policy of exiling people to Yunnan has existed before. Zhu Shenzhui simply took it a step further and used this opportunity to implement it directly.

However, there was still one problem: what to do with Mu Tianbo. Zhu Shenzhui was still hesitant about this matter. His original plan was to bring Mu Tianbo back to the capital to be cared for after the rebellion in Sha Dingzhou was quelled, and then directly remove the Mu family's extraordinary status in Yunnan, thereby changing the landscape of Yunnan.

The problem is that the Mu family's roots in Yunnan are too deep, and Zhu Shenzhui has to take this into consideration. Although Mu Tianbo bears significant responsibility for the outbreak of the Sha Dingzhou rebellion, his subsequent counterattack and loyalty to the Ming Dynasty are undeniable. Furthermore, Mu Tianbo also suffered heavy losses in the rebellion; his mother and wives all died at the hands of Sha Dingzhou. In addition, the Mu family has played a significant role in stabilizing Yunnan since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. If Mu Tianbo were removed at this time, it would inevitably make people feel that the court is disregarding friendship, and it would be a great damage to Zhu Shenzhui's reputation.

After much deliberation, Zhu Shenzhui felt it was more appropriate to keep Mu Tianbo in Yunnan for the time being. Firstly, it was to appease Mu Tianbo and to set an example for the world. Secondly, he considered that the reform of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials in eastern Yunnan would require Mu Tianbo's cooperation. Without Mu Tianbo's prestige and influence in Yunnan, implementing this policy would likely be quite difficult.

As for the aftermath of Mu Tianbo's actions, Zhu Shenzhui planned to observe the situation for a while before making a decision. However, regardless of the circumstances, since this rebellion was caused by Mu Tianbo, from both the individual's and the court's perspective, even if Mu Tianbo had made contributions in suppressing the rebellion, his merits and demerits could not offset each other. A necessary reprimand was still necessary. Therefore, Zhu Shenzhui intended to let him off the hook for the time being, merely issuing a reprimand in the name of the central government, weakening some of his authority in Yunnan, while simultaneously enhancing the power of the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission, allowing him to atone for his crimes and cooperate in promoting the reform of the hereditary chieftain system.

(End of this chapter)