Ming politicians

The ceremony of worshiping heaven and earth held by the Jin court did not invite other vassal states to participate. This is the internal affairs of the Jin court and does not require other vassal states to participate.

After Su Tiancheng entered the capital, the first decision he made was to let the heirs of the Xibe tribe and the Daur tribe go back to the grassland without being held hostage in the capital. Not only the heirs of these two tribes, but also the descendants Jin's concubine Zhuang and Fulin also returned to Shenyang. Su Tiancheng's move won the support of many people. They thought it was a show of generosity. In any case, the blind arrogance that the Ming court had before still exists in the hearts of these civil and military ministers, thinking that the barbarians are inferior to the Han people and the Central Plains For the earth, although it is said that the Ming court was once beaten by the Houjin Tartars and dared not fight, the contempt still exists in the bones. The most obvious expression is that whenever the vassal states come to worship, the gifts they bring are not There are many, but there are many rewards, which is called feeling the majesty of the imperial court.

Su Tiancheng will not do such things. His foreign policy is very clear, that is, exploitation. Since the vassal state needs to be protected by the court, it needs to pay a price, at least in terms of money. Are you here to pay homage? The most important thing, the tribute wealth must be in place, this is the real surrender.

As for the practice of mortgaging hostages, it is not even considered.

Of course, Su Tiancheng will not say this kind of thinking for the time being, otherwise the civil and military ministers in the court may think that all the actions of their own emperor are similar to those of merchants.

Leader of the Xibe and Daur tribes.After Su Tiancheng occupied the capital, they all came to the capital to pay a visit. This was necessary, because the situation of the grassland was different from that of the vassal state. In Su Tiancheng's view, the grassland was originally the territory of the Jin Dynasty.It must be under the jurisdiction of the Jin court, so the leaders of the two tribes came to the capital, and Su Tiancheng specially met them in the Huangji Hall.

This time, the imperial court appointed two tribal leaders to the official posts, and specially set up the Hetao Mansion in the Hetao area. But because it belongs to grasslands and deserts.The population is not very large, so only government offices are set up.In the place occupied by the Xibe tribe, the Hohhot Mansion was established, Zheng Chenggong served as the magistrate, and the leader of the Xibe tribe, Mo Chuo, served as the commander of the Hohhot guard.

The appointment of Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhilong as the first magistrates was also the result of Su Tiancheng's deliberation. According to many people's views, since it is a minority area.Let them toss about it themselves, it is better for the Han people not to intervene.This is good for stability, but Su Tiancheng doesn't see it that way. He thinks that the Han people must enter the grasslands and assimilate the ethnic minorities with the culture of the Han people. Only in this way can they truly rule these places and prevent these places from becoming the biggest instability factor.

for a long time.The Ming court mainly suppressed and despised the ethnic minorities, which also created antagonism between the ethnic minorities and the Han people. This situation must be changed, although the change requires a process.

Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong.He was able to complete the task very well. In fact, there was a strong court support. After the two arrived in Hetao and Hohhot, they were the real leaders. According to their duties, Xiapa and Mo Chuo had to obey their orders.

The preparations made by Su Tiancheng were intended to unify the entire grassland, and at the same time lay the foundation for the complete extermination of the Hou Jin Tartars and their extension to the north.

When the two chiefs of the Xibe and Daur tribes came to the capital, they brought a large amount of jewels. They begged for more artillery, and at the same time expressed their loyalty to the court and were willing to obey the leadership of the magistrate. Under such circumstances, Su Tiancheng agreed to their request and decided to give them the newly developed artillery.

In fact, when Xiaba and Mo Chuo came to the capital, they represented not only two tribes, but also many tribes in the grassland. There was a huge shock, and some tribal leaders had realized that the Jin court might unify the entire grassland, and the tribes could not compete with the Jin court, so some tribes began to take refuge in these two tribes again, stationed in Hetao and Hohhot the area.

Su Tiancheng is aware of this situation. He specifically entrusted Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong to integrate all the tribes after entering the grassland. Now these tribes are under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court, but the tribes are not related to the prefectures and counties in the interior. The difference is that they are nomads, they live in no fixed place, and it is difficult to govern them. In addition to the lack of supplies, most of the time, they need to rely on the interior for their lives. Therefore, we must work hard to improve production capacity. On the one hand It is necessary to use strong means to deter these tribes. Anyone who dares to rebel will be severely punished. On the other hand, it is necessary to use gentle policies to influence the tribes. It is best to use Confucianism to transform the tribes and encourage the young people of the tribes. , to take the imperial examination of the Jin Dynasty, so that the grassland tribes can be managed to the greatest extent.

Su Tiancheng's attitude towards vassal states was different.

For example, in North Korea, the royal family of the Li family sent people to worship several times. Not long after Su Tiancheng entered the capital, representatives of the royal family of the Li family came to the capital and brought a large number of gifts. Su Tiancheng did not agree, he even talked directly with the envoy of North Korea, the meaning was very clear, the Great Jin court would protect all the interests of North Korea, and even did not need North Korea to come to worship every year, but North Korea must pay a certain amount of local specialties every year, which can be discussed with the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Rites.

Su Tiancheng also had the same attitude towards Southeast Asia's policies. The key point was that they needed to deliver rice, which must be delivered every year, otherwise the Jin court would no longer protect their interests.

This seemingly harsh condition will not encounter any rejection.

The power of the Jiangningying navy is not only experienced by many vassal states, but even Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries in the Western Regions have fully experienced it. No one can compete with it, even the combined navy of all countries in the Western Region Speaking of which, it is not the opponent of the Great Jin Navy. Under such circumstances, the Dutch warships and Spanish warships that used to be arrogant in Taiwan and Southeast Asia have long since disappeared without a trace. , Chenla, Siam, Sumatra, Dawa, and Ceylon are all within the control of the Great Jin Navy.

If the royal families or government offices in these places do not get the support of the Jin court, they will basically be unable to support them.

The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and other countries never imagined that the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, who attached so much importance to the sea area, was completely different from the previous emperors, and the former Jiangning Navy and the current Jin Dynasty were so powerful. It's terrible, if it really provokes the Jin court, maybe they send warships across the ocean to attack directly, it's not clear, they have already deeply experienced the power of the Jin navy's artillery.

Su Tiancheng's foreign policy has been confirmed by everyone. In fact, several prime ministers in the imperial court have changed their understanding a long time ago. After seeing the role of merchants, they feel that the imperial court can collect more money. Taxation is the only way to truly develop and to use money to do things. The docks and shipyards in Dengzhou and Laizhou earn money that ordinary people can't even imagine, especially shipyards, whether it is merchant ships or warships. Ships are always in short supply. These transactions are mainly for countries such as the Western Regions. Among them, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and other countries have become the main purchasers, all of which are traded in gold and silver.

The arsenal has become a cornucopia. Many countries in the Western Regions come to buy artillery, flintlock guns, etc., and they are very generous, and they don’t bargain at all. If the imperial court did not control it, it would prevent the later Jin Tartars from getting too much artillery from the arsenal. and flintlock guns hurt the interests of the Jin court, and the Ministry of Households still doesn't know how much income it will increase.

With these practical experiences and the fact that the court’s expenses are not small, the prime ministers also understand that the emperor’s proposal to develop commerce and trade and the court’s collection of more taxes is probably the only way for healthy development. With this track, the Jin Dynasty will become stronger and stronger.

In fact, everyone supports external toughness.

Southeast Asia, North Korea and other countries are completely dependent on the support of the Jin court. Without the support of the court, it is difficult for them to live a peaceful life. Under such circumstances, the court does not need to spend a lot of money to maintain this attachment Besides, if you want to get the support of the court, you must pay a price.

It's just that everyone was a little surprised that the emperor refused to mention Japan. In fact, Japan also secretly sent an envoy after watching for a long time. Unfortunately, the envoy did not see the emperor. You must know that Japan is far away from the Jin Dynasty in terms of location. The distance is closer.

After establishing these foreign policies, everyone has finally gained experience from them. The vassal states in Southeast Asia, etc., are busy paying tribute. They learn from North Korea one after another, discuss with the Ministry of Rites, and clarify the amount of tribute each year. The condition is to get the asylum of the Jin Dynasty. And they also got an unexpected surprise, that is, the Jin court will never interfere with their internal affairs, and everything is up to them.

Everyone didn't expect that all the decisions made by the emperor were just laying the foundation for a bigger move later. (To be continued..)