The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 333 Li Celing's Conflict
At the end of the fifteenth year of Ming Dynasty, Li Celing, the monarch of Shun State, received two pieces of "good news" one after another.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the leader of the Torghut tribe, Wabashi, returned from the Ottoman Empire and went to the palace alone to meet Li Celing.

Li Celing was also waiting for news from Wubashi. After receiving the notification, he immediately asked him to come and see him alone.

After the two met, Wubaxi bowed to Li Celing and said excitedly:
"Your Majesty, may God bless you and I will accomplish my mission."

Li Celing was delighted when he heard this, and asked the servant to bring a chair to Wubaxi, and asked him to sit down:
"Thank you for your hard work, brother. Are Russia and the Ottoman Empire willing to cooperate with us? How can they be willing?"

Wabashi was originally the leader of the Mongolian Torghut tribe. He had a large number of subordinates of his own and a semi-independent fiefdom.

More importantly, as Shun State's relations with Russia and the Ottoman Empire became more important, the Wabacsi family's relations and connections with Russia and the Ottoman Empire also became more important.

When Li Celing faced Wabaasi now, he acted like an elder brother facing his brother, and his tone of voice became more polite.

After Wubaxi sat down, he told Li Celing about his trip in general:
"I went to St. Petersburg first. Emperor Alexander of Russia was relatively sober. They had already seen that the relationship between Dashun and Russia was one of mutual dependence.

“Moreover, after several contacts with Russian noble officials, I discovered that the Russians are actually very worried that we will completely submit to the Ming Dynasty.

"They are worried that we will cooperate with the Ming court, or in other words, continue to attack Russia westwards with the direct support of the Ming court.

“To the west, seize the Lower Volga, the Caucasus, and the former territories of the Crimean Khanate.

"At this time, to their west, there were Napoleon of Poland and Joseph of Austria, who are now vassals of the Ming Dynasty.

"If we completely turn to the Ming Dynasty again, Russia will be surrounded on three sides by the Ming Dynasty's vassal states.

"If we attack from three sides, the Russians will definitely not be able to withstand it.

“So even though they were jealous of us, they took back the Ural region, which they had controlled for decades.

“But they had to talk to us nicely and discuss cooperation in resisting the Ming.

"After I had contact with several Russian nobles and officials, I expressed Dashun's desire to unite with Russia to resist the Ming Dynasty.

“Their Emperor Alexander soon summoned me alone and directly expressed his intention to cooperate.

“However, the biggest problem for the Russians right now is the Ottomans.

"The new army established after the reforms of Ottoman Khan Selim III is much more capable than the previous Ottoman army.

“Now the Russians cannot repel the Ottoman offensive on the front lines.

"In the last war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan lands seized by Russia were about to be taken back by the Ottoman Empire."

Li Celing suddenly understood when he heard this:
"That's true. We were confused before. Russia's situation is more critical than ours and they are definitely more willing to cooperate with us.

"As for persuading the Ottomans and Russians to stop fighting and make peace, you happen to be the most suitable person."

Wubashi smiled and continued to explain the situation:

"I dare not take credit for it. I was not sure that I could persuade the Ottomans and Russians to stop fighting.

“But after I arrived in Istanbul, I encountered a civil war in the Ottoman Empire.

"The Ottoman Janissaries are repeating their old tricks, preparing to take advantage of the Ottoman new army's absence to rebel and depose the Khan.

"If it were in the past, I would definitely not dare to get involved in such matters, but the situation is different now.

“In the future, we will be allies with the Ottoman Empire and Russia. The current strength of the Ottoman Empire is the strength we can use in the future.

“If Osman’s Salem III were assassinated, the new army he had formed would inevitably become decadent.

"The Ottoman Janissary commanders were naturally hostile to the new army, and they would not allow the army loyal to Salem III to continue to exist.

“I felt at the time that I had to find a way to save Salem III.

“So I submitted a memorial to Your Majesty at that time, asking that I personally mediate the conflict between the Imperial Guard and Great Khan Salem III in your name and in the name of the Ming court.

“I remind the commanders of the Imperial Guards that the current Salem III is not a traditional Khan, and his tens of thousands of new troops are extremely powerful.

“If they kill the king now, when the new army returns from the front, they may massacre the guards. It is still unclear whether they can survive.

“He was the one I promised them to persuade Khan Salem III to give the commanders of the Guards more annual pensions and benefits.

"Through mediation between the two sides, I managed to stabilize the situation in Ottoman Empire."

Li Celing listened to the brevity of what Wubashi said, but as a politician, he could certainly imagine how much risk Wubashi took in Istanbul.

It is also conceivable how much connections and energy Wubaxi demonstrated in this process:
"Only you can do this kind of thing, my dear brother. You have enough status, but the key is that you have the courage and ability.

"Brother, if you mediate this conflict on behalf of our Dashun, then Ottoman Salem III and his new army generals will be able to accept our suggestions, right?"

Wubashi nodded slightly:
“It was difficult for Khan Salem to accept cooperation with Russia, but I took out a map of Asia and drew a circle for him.

"Russia has been surrounded on three sides by the Ming Dynasty. Dashun, Russia and the Ottoman Empire together are completely surrounded by the Ming Dynasty.

"Only the Persian Plateau in the south and the Arctic Ocean in the north have some air raids, and all other directions are completely surrounded by the local forces of the Ming Dynasty and its vassal states.

"If the three of us cannot work together, we will be defeated one by one by the Ming sooner or later.

"If the three of us cooperate, then if the Ming wants to deal with us, it will have to fight all three of us together.

"Since the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is devoted to stability, he will be more cautious after our three countries unite."

Li Celing paused for a few seconds after hearing this:
"If we bring Persia in, the landmasses of our four countries will be completely connected, just like four warriors standing back to back, facing the Ming soldiers surrounding them.

"This should be our only way to win... It should be said that this is the only way to make Ming suppress the idea of ​​completely annexing our four countries..."

Wubashi nodded again:
"Your Majesty is wise. In this world, the only four nations that can resist the full might of the Ming Dynasty are us.

"We should now implement what we have agreed upon as soon as possible and call on Russia and the Ottomans to find a place to sign the treaty."

What Wabacsi actually wanted to say was that if they wanted to fight the Ming Dynasty, they should have mediated the war between France and European countries and formed a huge anti-Ming alliance together.

When the Ming Dynasty declared war on Spain, taking the initiative to attack the Ming Dynasty in all directions might force the Ming Dynasty into a desperate situation.

Once the Ming court becomes incapable of coping, civil unrest may occur in Ming territory, which will be an opportunity for the anti-Ming alliance to win.

However, when all other countries, including Shun State, faced the Ming Dynasty, they did not imagine taking the initiative to attack. At most, they just tried to protect themselves.

But if you are not prepared for the attack, how can you have enough strength and bargaining chips to protect yourself?

The Ming Dynasty has now basically conquered Europe, and there are really very few forces in the world that can fight independently.

It is true that one only feels fear when death is imminent, and that is because the Ming Dynasty is moving too fast.

In just over twenty years, it conquered most of the world.

But Li Celing still hadn't made up his mind. He still had to wait for news from the Ming Dynasty.

Li Celing also knew that the current situation was difficult, so he still did not dare to make a decision easily between surrendering to the Ming or resisting the Ming:
"Let's wait until after the Chinese New Year to see if there are any new developments in the Ming Dynasty after the Chinese New Year."

Wubashi knew that Li Celing had also arranged personnel from the Honglu Temple to investigate and confirm the attitude of the Ming Dynasty.

But Wubashi was also worried that if Li Celing hesitated now, he might miss the last chance and waste the best situation he had negotiated.

So Wubashi quickly reminded:

“Your Majesty must make a decision as soon as possible. The Russians have not completely relaxed their vigilance against us, and the situation in the Ottoman Empire is not stable.

"The three of us can make a decision, and at the same time we can eliminate Russia's concerns and help Ottoman Khan Salem control the situation."

Li Celing hesitated for a few seconds:
"We can now start formal negotiations with Russia and reach an agreement on a formal alliance according to the plan that you have already discussed privately.

"I will decide whether to sign and approve this alliance based on Ming's attitude towards Dashun..."

Wubashi finally understood Li Celing's intention.

If it would be more beneficial to truly submit to the Ming Dynasty, this alliance with Russia and the Ottoman Empire could serve as a bait to paralyze them.

At that time, we will cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to launch a surprise attack and catch Russia and the Ottoman Empire off guard.

However, this kind of thing can only be done. If it is said directly and publicly, it may damage the king's reputation.

In the end, Wubashi just complimented:
"Your Majesty is mature and prudent, which is indeed a blessing for our Dashun..." After the two men finished discussing the serious business, they continued to chat about some trivial matters and let Wabacsi go back to rest.

Li Celing continued to handle Shun State's internal affairs.

Five days later, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites came specifically to ask for a meeting with Li Celing, and it was obvious that the Ming Dynasty's attitude was basically determined.

Li Celing immediately summoned the Minister of Honglu Temple of Shun State and met with him alone. This kind of matter could not be discussed openly in the court meeting, otherwise it might affect the stability of the rule.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites bowed and Li Celing responded by waving his hand. He did not offer him a seat, but directly asked him about the matter:
"how?"

The ordinary ministers in the Shun Kingdom’s court were all Li Celing’s real subordinates. When Li Celing faced them, he acted like a condescending monarch.

The attitude is completely different from when facing Wabashi.

The Minister of the Honglu Temple immediately said:
“I arranged several groups of envoys and contacted many officials from the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty.

“Although they had no way to directly confirm the attitude of the Ming Emperor, the officials of the Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty would usually receive the imperial edict of the Ming Emperor.

"They already knew the Ming emperor's attitude toward overseas vassal states, and his attitude toward a few special vassal states.

"Otherwise, they wouldn't know how to handle the situation when they face people from vassal states or overseas countries.

"The attitude of the Ming Emperor towards our Dashun should be to turn us into a true vassal state, and all major internal and external policies and laws should be subject to the Ming court's orders.

"The key is that we can't continue... Your Majesty... You must also..."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites seemed afraid to bring up the topic directly.

When Li Celing heard this, he spoke for him directly:

"You will definitely overstep your authority and ask me to give up my imperial title and issue orders in the country in the name of Prince Shun, right? Don't you have any other requests?"

The Minister of the Honglu Temple immediately bowed and said:
"Your Majesty is wise, this is what the Ming officials conveyed.

“As for other requirements, we cannot say that there are none, but the officials of the Ming Dynasty cannot accurately judge such details.

“According to the analysis of those officials, the Ming emperor seemed to regard the entire snowy plateau, the entire Western Regions, and the Central Asian grasslands as the fundamental land of the Ming homeland.

“No matter what our future relationship with Ming is, Ming will find a way to control these places.

"So the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will most likely ask us to hand over these places to the Ming Dynasty court for management, or at least grant them to other places separately."

After hearing this, Li Celing understood:
"It means dividing the Mongolian territory and handing all the Mongolians over to the Ming Dynasty, or assigning a separate monarch to rule them.

"And then? Does the Ming Emperor have any thoughts about India where we are now?"

This time, the Minister of Honglu Temple of Shun State was quite straightforward:
“This Ming official is quite certain that the Ming emperor has never had any interest in India.

“The emperor’s consistent policy has been to migrate a large number of people from the mainland, with the main destination being America, where the population is the most sparse.

"Most of Africa was given to the vassal states to govern, and in Europe, only a few cities and islands were occupied, and the vast majority of the rest were divided into vassal states.

“So the officials of the Ming Dynasty believed that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty had no interest in directly ruling a large number of ethnic minorities, and would set up vassal states to govern places where ethnic minorities were the majority.

“After the Ming Emperor conquered the Qing Dynasty, he had the ability to wipe out the local vassal states, but he sent them all to Africa.

"As for the Indian region that Dashun controls, it is the place with the most foreign races besides Africa..."

In fact, after Li Celing asked the last question, he realized that he had made the mistake of being too confused.

The Dashun Empire occupied India and thought that India was an excellent land, rich as it was, and was afraid that the Ming Dynasty or other countries would come and snatch it away.

But if we look beyond India, the Ming mainland is the richest and most densely populated place in the world.

The core areas of the Ming Dynasty are the two capitals and thirteen provinces. The total population there should have exceeded 500 million now. If the Nanyang region is included, the total population may exceed 600 million.

The total population of the Indian region controlled by Dashun is now about 180 to 200 million, which is only a little more than one-third of the population of the Ming Dynasty.

There were too many people in the Ming Dynasty to manage, so an important goal of the Ming Dynasty's overseas expansion was to transport population abroad.

Under such circumstances, how could the Ming Dynasty possibly take over these nearly 200 million people in India?

When the Ming Dynasty expanded overseas in the past, its goal was not to control the local population. Its top priority was to occupy the uninhabited areas in the Americas.

For places with smaller indigenous populations, the approach is to replace the old with the new, removing the people and keeping the land.

For places with a large indigenous population, a special area is basically designated to allow the indigenous people to manage themselves.

After the Ming Dynasty seized the colonies of the Netherlands and Portugal, it asked their kings to continue to send colonial governors to continue to manage immigrants of their own race.

The most direct manifestation is the situation in India.

Faced with India, a recognized fertile land, the Ming Dynasty's enthusiasm was obviously not high enough.

The few colonies that Britain and France once had in India were concentrated on the coastlines on the east and west sides of the Indian peninsula.

After the American War, the British colonies on the northern and western coastlines of India were returned to Shun, and the colonies on the southeastern coastline were returned to the Ming Dynasty.

According to Li Celing and other monarchs, the Ming mainland was not far from India, and its navy and shipping were very developed.

It is entirely possible to continue conquering and occupying the land in the southern part of the Indian peninsula with this colony as the center.

However, after the end of the American War, the Ming Dynasty did not provide any additional support here, but instead focused on controlling the island of Ceylon across the sea.

In the following twenty years, no large-scale war of conquest was launched in India.

It was the Ming army stationed in the Indian colonies and Ceylon, leading the Dutch and indigenous troops in Ceylon to occasionally take the initiative to attack.

It gradually occupied the coastline on the mainland opposite Ceylon and merged with the former British colonies in the north.

Then it slowly expanded to the southernmost tip of the peninsula, gradually controlling the coastal plain south of the mountains in the southern part of the peninsula.

The total area is about 150,000 square kilometers, accounting for one-thirtieth of the whole of India.

(The scope of Ming Dynasty’s control in India).

When the European war broke out, after the Ming Dynasty declared war on France, it did not occupy the French colonies in northern India.

Because Shun State was worried that the Ming Dynasty would come to India to seize its territory, it had been continuously expanding its territory for more than 20 years and had completely occupied the remaining land in India.

After Li Celing re-examined the current situation, a new idea slowly arose in his mind.

After Dashun took root in India, it became increasingly disgusted with places like the Western Regions, the Snowy Regions, and Central Asia, as these places really did not have much to offer compared to India.

If these places were handed over to the Ming Dynasty, they should be able to be exchanged for the remaining land on the Indian Peninsula, right?

The Ming Dynasty has never had any interest in India?
But can such a deal still be done now? The premise of the deal is probably total surrender, right?

So what should he choose? Should he fight to the death with Russia and the Ottoman Empire, or should he surrender to the Ming Dynasty and become a true vassal state?

During the entire New Year period of the 16th year of Tiangong, Li Celing was carefully considering the future of Shun Kingdom.

It was not until February that the notice from the Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty was sent to Delhi. After it was delivered to Li Celing, Li Celing fell into another dilemma.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty asked me to go to Shuntian Prefecture to celebrate his birthday. Was this a Hongmen Banquet?

If I go there myself, will he arrest me directly?

Will he take away my title and deprive me of it, on the pretext that my gift is not valuable enough, or even that the items in the gift are not of high enough grade or quality?

Then directly appoint one of his younger sons as King Shun?
If I claim illness and ask my son to go on my behalf, would the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty use my disloyalty as an excuse to forcibly depose me from the throne?

Then directly appoint the son he sent to Ming as the new King Shun, and let the Ming army escort him back to fight a civil war with him?

Will he issue the Enfeoffment Order to split the current Shun Kingdom's land into several pieces and give them to his sons, and then divide it into dozens of pieces to give to his grandchildren?
Li Celing found that no matter what choice he made, he could quickly think of many very bad results.

Or maybe Shenzhou’s history is too rich, and there have been too many coups and conspiracies of all kinds accumulated. The key is that people are still used to recording history.

Therefore, when later generations do things, they can always find similar things in history and use other people's endings to predict their own destiny.

(End of this chapter)