My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 187 I am only in charge of conferring titles, and leave the matters of offending people to Chongzhen!
Although Chongzhen also agreed with what Zhu Cilang was going to do next, he couldn't help but say:

"Even so, we cannot confer too many earls and marquises at once. Otherwise, the titles will become worthless, and the dignity and order of the court will be affected."

As he spoke, he waved his hand gently, his movements looking a little tired.

When Zhu Cilang heard this, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a confident smile, and then he said:
"Earl and Marquis are high-ranking titles, so they cannot be awarded arbitrarily. This is something I am well aware of."

"However, we can confer more other titles. This will both motivate the soldiers and not disrupt the imperial court's title system."

Chongzhen frowned, his face full of confusion, and stared at Zhu Cilang as if he wanted to see through his thoughts.

He asked in confusion:

"Duke, Marquis, and Earl are the only three noble titles in the Ming Dynasty. Where are the other titles?"

Just as he said this, a vague idea suddenly flashed through his mind, as if it was instantly illuminated by a glimmer of light. His eyes were full of surprise, and he asked eagerly:

"Wait, you don't want to change the ancestral system?"

There was both confusion and inquiry in his eyes, as if he wanted to find a definite answer from Zhu Cilang's expression.

Chongzhen was not a stupid man. After a little thought, he roughly knew what Zhu Cilang wanted to do.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Taizu established five levels of nobility to reward meritorious officials and stabilize the country, namely Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.

However, because few people were granted the titles of Viscount and Baron, they were abolished, and only the titles of Duke, Marquis and Earl were retained.

Now that Zhu Cilang said this, could it be that he wanted to revive these two long-forgotten titles?
In fact, Chongzhen guessed right!
Zhu Cilang really intended to do so!

He planned to confer titles on the military generals who had made great achievements in this battle in order to boost their morale and fighting power.

But he was also well aware of the interests involved. If he arbitrarily conferred titles of earl and marquis, it would cause dissatisfaction and controversy inside and outside the court, and might even cause turmoil in the court.

So after repeated weighing, he thought of activating the two long-unmentioned titles of Viscount and Baron, to open up a new path of promotion for the military generals of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, he was not without consideration and would not make all titles hereditary.

Except for titles specifically marked as hereditary, all new titles awarded in the future cannot be inherited, or must be inherited by a lower rank.

For example, a duke is demoted to a marquis, a marquis is demoted to an earl, an earl is demoted to a viscount, and a viscount is demoted to a baron.

However, there are exceptions. If the descendants have made military achievements and are strictly examined by the court to prove that they are indeed capable and have made achievements, they can inherit the title without being demoted.

You can even increase your title based on your military achievements to encourage soldiers to fight bravely and defend their country.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang told Chongzhen his thoughts one by one.

He spoke in great detail, not missing any details, so that Chongzhen could better understand his intentions.

After hearing this, Chongzhen fell into deep thought.

He knew that while doing so could inspire the fighting spirit of the generals and inject new vitality into the Ming army, it might also cause dissatisfaction and opposition from some people.

After all, this involves changes to the ancestral system and adjustments to the court's power structure. If you are not careful, it may cause an uproar.

After a long while, Chongzhen finally raised his head, looked at Zhu Cilang with a firm gaze, and nodded in agreement:

"Just do as you say!"

Chongzhen finally agreed with Zhu Cilang's decision!

Although doing so may be suspected of changing the ancestral system, in today's chaotic times, with constant peasant uprisings at home and the Qing army eyeing them covetously from abroad, the ancestral system is no longer a shackle that binds them. Everything should be based on the stability and development of the country.

Although Chongzhen could not change Zhu Cilang's decision whether he agreed or not, if Chongzhen agreed, then things would go much more smoothly.

So Zhu Cilang was still quite happy in his heart.

Of course, Zhu Cilang was not stupid. This time he only conferred the title, and matters such as demotion and inheritance would have to wait until the world was slightly stabilized before Chongzhen would issue an order.

He knew in his heart that it would be more appropriate to let Chongzhen deal with such offensive matters.

In this way, even if someone is dissatisfied, it cannot be blamed on him.

After all, Chongzhen was meant to take the blame!
And he is still the 'benevolent and wise' prince!
In this way, after some discussion, the father and son finally finalized many matters concerning post-war rewards.

All that’s left now is to wait for Zu Dashou to recover the lost territory before he can bestow his rewards!

Of course, as the greatest contributor to this battle, Zu Dashou's title of marquis was a foregone conclusion.

In the evening, Qin Liangyu, Abunai and Qiqige finally arrived near Jinzhou.

The strong wind in Liaodong is like a ferocious beast, howling wildly across the vast land and blowing everything away.

The Jinzhou City in the distance looks particularly solemn in the afterglow. The city walls seem to be coated with a layer of gold under the reflection of the setting sun, but they also reveal a bit of vicissitudes and heaviness.

Qin Liangyu rode on her horse with a calm expression, looking indifferently at the city standing on the vast land not far away, without any great feelings.

After all, this was originally the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

But Qiqige and Abunai had complicated expressions, with a trace of pain and sadness in their eyes.

They pulled the reins and slowly stopped, looking at Jinzhou City, and memories of the past flooded into their hearts like a surging tide.

You should know that their elder brother Ezhe died under the city of Jinzhou!
And there is a high probability that he died at the hands of the Ming army!

But they did not hate the Ming army. After all, their brother was forced by the Jiannu to attack the city, so it was reasonable for the Ming army to kill him.

If they have to talk about hatred, they only hate the Jiannu!
As they gradually approached Jinzhou City, they soon saw the Jingguan standing outside the city.

For a moment, even Qin Liangyu, a veteran who had been on many battlefields, couldn't help but gasp.

In the cold wind, more than 70,000 heads of the Jiannu people were neatly stacked to form a huge Jingguan.

Although the heads were preserved with lime and coarse salt, a pungent stench still came with the wind, making people feel nauseous.

Moreover, some of the heads have already rotted, looking hideous, with empty eye sockets and distorted faces. They look particularly terrifying under the reflection of the setting sun, as if they are evil spirits from hell.

Abunai's face was pale and he clenched his teeth, but he managed to suppress the nausea in his heart.

But Qiqige was different. She quickly jumped off the horse, staggering and almost falling. Then she squatted on the ground and vomited violently.

He vomited out everything he had eaten in the morning and at noon.

Even so, her body was still shaking violently, and her eyes were full of fear and discomfort.

When seeing this scene, no one else said anything.

After all, Qiqige is just a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old. It is normal for her to have such a reaction when faced with such a scene.

After vomiting, Qiqige's face was still as pale as paper. She wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand, forced herself to stand up, got back on the horse, and then followed the others to Jinzhou City.

However, at this moment, Qiqige no longer had the arrogance she had before, and she couldn't help but feel deeply wary of Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang.

She didn't seem to have expected that Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang would do such a "heartless" thing.

The people are already dead, yet they still use their heads to build a memorial temple!

Poor Qiqige, after all, was just a little girl of ten years old. She didn't understand the cruelty of war at all, and she couldn't understand that in such troubled times, only iron-blooded means could deter the enemy!

At the same time, Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang had been waiting in the general's mansion in Jinzhou for a long time.

When Qin Liangyu and others entered the hall and saw Chongzhen, Qin Liangyu was the first to kneel down and said:

"Your Highness, I, Qin Liangyu, the General of Xuanfu, pay my respects to Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Immediately afterwards, Abunai and Qiqige behind her also knelt down hurriedly. Their movements were a little awkward, and they said in unison:
"Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty."

According to Mongolian customs, when Abunai and Qiqige met Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, they only needed to perform Mongolian etiquette and did not need to kneel at all.

But things are different now. The Ming army defeated the Jiannu. The Jingguan outside the city, which was built with Jiannu heads, was like a huge rock, hitting their hearts heavily and bringing great psychological shock to Qiqige and Abunai.

This made them dare not slack off at all, and their attitude became more respectful.

In addition, they came this time to ask Chongzhen for a favor, so the more respectful their attitude was, the better.

Chongzhen was already in a good mood today, and now that Qin Liangyu had arrived and brought with her the newly appointed Abunai, he was even more delighted. He smiled and said:

"Everyone, get up! Take your seats!"

Afterwards, Qin Liangyu, Qiqige, Abunai and others followed the servants' instructions and sat down at the designated seats.

Immediately afterwards, Chongzhen asked some questions about the situation in Xuanfu.

Qin Liangyu naturally answered truthfully. Chongzhen nodded frequently, his face full of joy, and was very satisfied with Qin Liangyu's performance.

From time to time, he would interject a few words and discuss some border issues with Qin Liangyu.

Seeing Chongzhen and Qin Liangyu chatting enthusiastically, Abunai and Qiqige looked at each other, and a hint of anxiety flashed in their eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, Abunai took a deep breath to bolster his courage, then stood up with both hands clasped together and said:

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I have come here to ask for your assistance on a very important matter."

As soon as these words were spoken, they instantly attracted Chongzhen's attention.

Chongzhen looked up at Abunai with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, but asked in a rather kind tone:

"Tell me what it is."

Upon hearing this, Abunai hurriedly said:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, we received your order to hold back Dorgon's 20,000 cavalrymen."

"In this battle, our warriors suffered heavy losses, approximately 5,000 men and women were killed or wounded."

"Therefore, I hope these soldiers can receive the rewards they deserve."

Chongzhen instantly understood Abunai's intention and couldn't help but feel amused.

After all this time, it turns out she wanted to ask him for money!
But on second thought, the 15 million taels of silver had already been taken out, so Abunai's few hundred thousand taels of silver would not be a big problem.

After all, what Abunai said made sense. He was indeed trying to restrain Dorgon because of "his own" orders.

From this perspective, it is reasonable to give him some silver as pension and reward.

However, just when Chongzhen was about to agree, Zhu Cilang beside him suddenly coughed a few times.
"Cough cough cough."

Although the voice was not loud, it was very clear in the quiet hall. Upon hearing this voice, Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cilang in surprise, only to see the corners of Zhu Cilang's mouth slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile.

Chongzhen reacted instantly and knew that Zhu Cilang must be planning something again.

Since that's the case, he's too lazy to care about this matter anymore.

Then, he looked at Abunai again and said:
"Regarding this matter, let's leave it to the prince to discuss with you."

"The prince's opinion represents my opinion."

Chongzhen's tone was very calm when he said this, but it left no room for doubt.

When Abunai heard this, his face instantly turned ugly and his eyes were full of unwillingness.

He had long realized that Chongzhen was a relatively easy person to talk to. As long as he praised Chongzhen more and was more humble, he might be able to get the money smoothly.

Even just now, he clearly realized that Chongzhen was about to agree!

Unexpectedly, at this moment Zhu Cilang intervened and took over the matter.

This is going to be a difficult situation!
Abunai knew that Zhu Cilang was not as easy to deal with as Chongzhen, and he couldn't help but groan inwardly.

But Chongzhen had already spoken, and although Abunai was unwilling, he could not say anything and could only nod.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Chongzhen got up and went back to his room to rest, and Qin Liangyu was also arranged to stay somewhere else.

At this time, only Zhu Cilang, Abunai and Qiqige were left here.

Zhu Cilang sat in the main seat, looking at Abunai with a smile on his face, and there seemed to be some deep meaning hidden in that smile.

"Abunai, tell me, how much silver do you want this time?"

Zhu Cixiang asked.

Seeing that they had finally come to the point, Abunai said directly without hesitation:

"I calculated before that the pension and reward would cost about 300,000 taels of silver, so I want 300,000 taels of silver!"

Three hundred thousand taels of silver?

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he just felt a little funny.

What can you do with this little money?

In the Ming Dynasty, this amount of silver would not be enough to be shared by 10,000 soldiers. However, when it came to Abunai, it had to be distributed to 30,000 soldiers, including compensation for the dead soldiers.

But what Zhu Cilang didn't know was that Abunai's reward was actually mainly pastures and cattle and sheep, and silver and other things were just additional items.

After all, after driving out the Jiannu, the Mongolian grasslands were all under Abunai's control, and he could use these to reward people.

Besides, Abunai also wanted to ask for a high price, one or two million taels of silver, but he knew with his toes that Zhu Cilang would definitely not agree, so he finally said a number that he thought was reasonable.

Then at this moment, Zhu Cilang smiled and said:

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver seems a little too little! How about I give you five hundred thousand taels of silver?"

When Zhu Cilang said this, his tone was relaxed, as if the 500,000 taels of silver was just an insignificant number.

what?
Hearing this, not only Abunai was shocked, but even Qiqige was shocked.

Both of them looked incredulous.

They never expected that Zhu Cilang would be so generous and give them 500,000 taels of silver right away.

But the next second, Zhu Cilang suddenly spoke again:

"However, this is conditional! As long as you agree to my terms, you can take the 500,000 taels of silver away in a moment."

The smile on Zhu Cilang's face remained, but it was a little more cunning.

really!

There is no free lunch in the world!
Abunai calmed down instantly and asked:
"What conditions?"

Zhu Cilang said slowly:

"It's very simple. This reward must be distributed to you personally by the Ming Dynasty's officers and soldiers, designated by me. And it must be distributed in the name of the Ming Dynasty!"

After saying this, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Abunai quietly, waiting for his reaction.

When Abunai heard this, he stood up suddenly, clenched his fists, and said angrily:

"No! I absolutely don't agree to that!"

At this moment, Abunai's body was trembling slightly with anger, and his eyes were burning with rage.

Abunai is not a fool. If he really agrees to Zhu Cilang's conditions and allows the Ming generals to distribute rewards in the name of the Ming Dynasty, then doesn't it mean that all the Mongolian cavalry under his command have become soldiers of the Ming Dynasty?

In this case, how could he, the Great Khan of Mongolia, raise his head in front of his army in the future?
This is almost equivalent to telling everyone that these Mongolian warriors, including the Mongolian Khan Abunai, are all subjects of the Ming Dynasty!
Abunai will never allow such a thing to happen!
He could accept being a subject of the Ming Dynasty in name, but he would never accept being a subject of the Ming Dynasty in reality.

Qiqige now understood the reason. Her originally bright eyes were instantly filled with gloom, and the look she gave Zhu Cilang became somewhat unfriendly.

Zhu Cilang seemed unaware of it, and remained calm with a faint smile on his face, as if he had already seen through everything.

Then, Zhu Cilang spoke slowly again. His voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it carried a power that could not be ignored.

"Abunai, you should know that there is no free benefit in this world."

"The Ming Dynasty gave you money, but you don't want to truly submit to the Ming Dynasty. How can such a good thing happen in this world?"

"You should understand that those soldiers followed you through thick and thin. If they really didn't receive their reward, wouldn't they be disheartened by you, the Mongol Khan?"

"Of course, you could give them grasslands and cattle and sheep, and then let them use these cattle and sheep to exchange for silver from the Ming Dynasty, but have you ever thought that this might take a long time?"

"If the cattle and sheep can't be exchanged for silver, they may not even be able to buy a pot of wine or a cup of tea."

"If that's the case, when the next war comes, will they still fight for you?"

As soon as these words came out, Abunai's face instantly turned ugly, and his eyes were full of entanglement and struggle.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, experiencing a fierce ideological struggle in his heart.

He knew in his heart that what Zhu Cilang said was right.

If we cannot use silver to appease and reward the army, it will be extremely difficult to better control this army in the future.

He did have plenty of cattle and sheep, but they could not be exchanged for silver in a short period of time.

And don't forget, these cattle and sheep will eventually have to be exchanged for silver from the Ming Dynasty. If Zhu Cilang plays some tricks again, then these cattle and sheep will really not be exchanged for silver.
But if he was asked to truly submit to the Ming Dynasty for this silver, he would really feel unwilling to do so. After all, as the Great Khan of Mongolia, he had his own pride and dignity!

Damn Zhu Cilang!

He has complete control over him!

At this moment, Zhu Cilang suddenly continued:

"Alright, I won't force you. I'll give you two days to think about it."

"Within two days, as long as you have made up your mind, you can come to me at any time and take away the 500,000 taels of silver."

"But if you still disagree, I won't make things difficult for you. You can leave at any time."

After saying this, Zhu Cilang prepared to leave.

But at this moment, Abunai suddenly seemed to have thought of something, a trace of anxiety flashed in his eyes, and he hurriedly asked loudly:

"Wait, I have one more thing to ask you."

Zhu Cilang could only stop, slowly turned around, looked at Abunai and said:

"what's up?"

Abunai took a deep breath, calmed down his emotions and said:
"It's about Tayingzi. You should know that it was originally our territory, but it was occupied by the Jiannu. Now that the Jiannu have been driven out, can this territory be returned to us?"

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he was not angry. Instead, he looked at Abunai with a smile, which was both playful and meaningful.

Then he asked back:
"If the Ming Dynasty really returns this territory to you, can you hold on to it? Can you ensure that after you obtain this territory, it will not be conquered by the Jiannu again?"

"Can you guarantee that the Jiannu will never be able to attack Mongolia or the Ming Dynasty again through here?"

Upon hearing this, Abunai was speechless and his face turned red and white.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something in his defense, but found that his throat seemed to be choked by something and he had no idea how to answer.

A hint of panic flashed across his eyes, then dimmed.

Zhu Cilang's words were like heavy hammers hitting his heart, making it impossible for him to answer!
Because he knew in his heart that with his own strength, he had no ability to defend this territory!

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang continued:

"It seems you also understand that you can't do it!"

"In that case, why not hand over this important territory to the Ming Dynasty for management?"

"I can guarantee that as long as this territory belongs to the Ming Dynasty, the Jiannu will no longer be a threat to Mongolia, and your people will be able to live in peace."

"They can graze their livestock freely on the grasslands without having to worry about being plundered by the Jiannu."

"So, is this the best outcome for both Mongolia and Ming?"

“But of course, if you are still stubborn and insist on taking this territory back, Ming will not seize it by force.

"But there's one thing we must make clear in advance. After you take this territory, if you can't defend it and the Jiannu invade Mongolia again from here, the Ming Dynasty will definitely not help you!"

These words left Abunai with no reason to refute.

His shoulders drooped slightly, and his whole body looked listless, like a deflated ball.

Even Qiqige stood there blankly, not knowing what to say.

Because they knew that they probably couldn't get this territory back.
(End of this chapter)