Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 370: Head Trade and the Profits of the Fisherman

"This..." Amudaihong Taiji was speechless. He had never thought that the Ming Emperor actually knew that the envoy Kangkar Baihu had been killed by Nurhaci. They should have suppressed this news.

"Hmph." Zhu Changluo lay down on his side, half leaning on the armrest, assuming a relaxed attitude. "The premise of the annual reward given to the Chahar tribe by my Great Ming is that your tribe sent troops to attack the rebels. Now your tribe has not achieved any success and has violated the contract. It is not too much for my Great Ming to cut off this annual reward, right?" After Li Kezhuo finished translating the previous words, a look of surprise and even fear appeared on Amudaihong Taiji's face. Zhu Changluo then turned and said, "But since the annual reward is an old policy of my father, I will not rashly abandon it. I will reduce it by half this year."

Amudaihong Taiji's forehead was already covered in sweat. He wiped it away, continuing to fight for the annual reward while trying to change the subject. "Your Majesty, last autumn and winter, snowstorms and frostbite plagued our Khanate, killing countless people and livestock. This year will surely be a year of great famine. We rely on the annual reward to buy food and survive. If the annual reward is suddenly reduced, without the Ming Dynasty's corn imports, people will starve and freeze to death, which would be a disservice to Your Majesty's virtue."

Amudaihong Taiji spoke haltingly, but Li Kezhuo translated it very well.

The playful look on Zhu Changluo's face seemed to have faded a little. He pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Did you buy a lot of corn with this money?"

"Yes! Yes!" Amudaihong Taiji nodded repeatedly. "Before September, we mainly bought salt, tea, iron pots, cloth, silk, ceramics, and other items. But since the disaster in August, most of the reward money has been used to buy food."

"Oh?" Zhu Changluo keenly caught a word, his expression changed slightly, but then returned to normal. Zhu Changluo looked at Wang An and asked, "Is that true?"

"My Lord, there is indeed one," Wang An agreed. "The Liaodong Governor's Office once submitted a report on the tribute market."

"A request from the Liaodong Governor's Office? I remember the Governor's Office requesting the admission of Mongolian refugees," Zhu Changluo countered. "Since they used their annual bonuses to buy rice, why are so many people still coming to our Ming castles to beg for food?"

This time, Wang An didn't respond, but simply glanced silently at Li Kezhuo. Li Kezhuo had already grasped the nature of the meeting and interpreted the conversation knowingly.

After hearing the translation, Amudai Hongtaiji first bowed in gratitude, saying, "The Heavenly Emperor is so benevolent and virtuous. Amudai deeply thanks the Great Ming Emperor for his grace." He then continued, "Your Majesty. Even though my Khanate has purchased rice from Guangning, we are still extremely short of food. We have done our best to maintain the current situation. If the Great Ming reduces the annual reward at this time, my Khanate will find it even more difficult to control the small states and tribes. The number of victims and even looters will increase even more."

"Heh." Zhu Changluo sneered and stared at Amudaihong Taiji. "Are you threatening me?"

Although the emperor looked delicate and frail, not a warrior, Amudai Hongtaiji flinched at the emperor's gaze. It felt like an eagle gazing at its prey. After hearing the translation, he quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Amudai, I dare not! I am merely stating the facts. My Khanate has indeed suffered a great disaster."

"We accept the victims of the disaster and suppress the looting," Zhu Changluo said mercilessly. "Even if there are twice as many refugees, the Ming Dynasty can accept them. With more refugees, the towns and cities in Liaodong can add a few more defensive fortifications. Don't even think of using this as a bargaining chip in our negotiations with the Ming Dynasty!"

Amudaihong Taiji heard the anger in the emperor's tone and knelt down without waiting for Li Kezhuo to translate.

The emperor's attitude seemed to soften at his humble attitude. Li Kezhuo translated, "The emperor wouldn't go back on his word like you do. Last year's final annual reward will be distributed according to the previous emperor's precedent. This year's annual reward will be halved. As for future matters, we'll discuss this later. In short, the annual reward can't be taken for free, but you have to exchange it for something."

"If my Khanate sends troops, can we get the same annual reward as last year?" Amudaihong Taiji asked hurriedly.

"You guys should send out your troops first and talk later." Zhu Changluo waved his hand: "If there is nothing else, you can withdraw first."

Amudaihong Taiji still refused to leave. He frowned, as if he had made a decision. "My Khanate can behead the envoys and present them to the Ming Dynasty."

"Oh?" Zhu Changluo seemed interested. "Tell me about it."

"Your Majesty may not be aware. After Nurhaci executed our Khanate's envoy, he immediately sent the envoy, Shuo Se Ubash, to our country to apologize, claiming it was an accidental killing. Our Hutuktu Khan, mindful of his humble words, allowed him to remain." Amudai Hongtaiji concentrated on observing the emperor's expression and spoke carefully, "It now appears that the envoy's promise not to attack the Ming was merely a delaying tactic, designed to delay our Khanate and cause it to lose its credibility with the Ming. It's truly despicable. Amudai will return and report this to the Great Khan. Please behead this slave and present him to you."

"So you didn't send troops because you were deceived?" Zhu Changluo smiled lightly.

"Yes!" Amudaihong Taiji also laughed.

Zhu Changluo's smile suddenly faded. "So, this person is still alive?"

"Just behead him!" Amudaihong Taiji said solemnly.

"In that case, then send the rebel envoy's head and the token to Guangning before April." Zhu Changluo shook his sleeves, extended his right hand, and raised four fingers. "As long as they are delivered before then, this year's annual reward will remain at 40,000 taels."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Amudaihong Taiji nodded solemnly.

Under his gaze, the emperor's thumbs popped up. "The imperial court is offering a reward of fifty taels of silver for each slave's head. This reward can also be offered to you."

"Really?" Amudaihong Taiji's eyes lit up.

"Who do you think is sitting in front of you?" Zhu Changluo smiled silently. "It's Guangning. If you send the thief's head to Guangning during the market, you can get fifty taels of silver from the government."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Amudaihong Taiji actually kowtowed to the emperor in a manner that was neither Chinese nor Mongolian.

"Let me warn you in advance. The Ming Dynasty has a set of established procedures for inspecting heads. The official in charge will inform you of the details later." Zhu Changluo said, "We are all old friends, and we all know each other's appearance. The government only accepts the heads of Jurchen thieves. Don't even think about exchanging the heads of your own people for Ming silver."

"Yes." Amudaihong Taiji could only respond with a wry smile.

"Wei Dynasty." Zhu Changluo turned his head.

"I'm here." Wei Chao quickly moved to the front of the emperor, waiting for his orders.

"Send the foreign envoys and the ministers out of the palace." Zhu Changluo ordered.

"Yes."

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The audience ended, and Amudaihong Taiji and the accompanying civil servants left the Yangxin Palace under the guidance of Wei Chao. After a while, Zhu Changluo also stood up. "Father." As soon as his father moved, Zhu Youxiao immediately followed.

"Go play. It's okay."

"Your son has some questions he would like to ask your father." Zhu Youxiao followed his father closely.

"Let's talk as we walk." Zhu Changluo nodded. "I still have to go back to the Southern Study to deal with the memorials due this afternoon."

"Yes." Zhu Youxiao silently organized his thoughts. After he walked around the wooden screen wall between the Yangxin Palace and the Yangxin Gate, he spoke, "Father. I think this Amu Daihong Taiji is lying."

"Oh?" Zhu Changluo turned to look at Zhu Youxiao. "Where did he lie?"

"I think they don't have a so-called slave envoy like Shuo Se Ubashi at all," said Zhu Youxiao.

"Why do you think so?" Zhu Changluo retracted his gaze and stepped over the threshold of Yangxin Gate.

"It's possible that the enemy accidentally killed the Tatar envoy and then sent someone to apologize," Zhu Youxiao said. "But this Amudai then said that the enemy's envoy used a delaying tactic to delay them, so they didn't send troops, thus breaking their trust in the Ming Dynasty. But how could they delay the war like that? If the enemy really wanted to delay the war, why would they kill his envoy first? He clearly made up a lie to deceive the emperor, just to make the Ming Dynasty continue to give him the corresponding annual reward."

"You're right. He was lying." Zhu Changluo nodded, giving Zhu Youxiao a look of admiration and encouragement. "But there really was such a person as Shuo Se Ubash. However, he wasn't sent by the Nu chieftain Nurhaci to apologize after he mistakenly killed the Chahar envoy following slander. This Shuo Se Ubash was originally sent by the Nu chieftain to reply to Lindan Batur. Nurhaci sent this envoy to reply to Lindan Batur in order to form an alliance with the Chahar tribe and jointly fight against the Ming. They weren't falling for any delaying tactics at all."

"Since the emperor knows everything, why don't you expose him on the spot?" Zhu Youxiao and his father walked through the Zunyi Gate, the right side door of the Yangxin Palace courtyard, and walked towards the Yuehua Gate which was nearby.

"No need. It's enough to get what you want." Zhu Changluo said.

"What you want," Zhu Youxiao asked, "is it the slave's head?"

"What's the use of that thing? Just as a decoration?" When Zhu Changluo stepped into Yuehua Gate, the eunuch on duty immediately knelt down and saluted him.

"Forget about it, it's just a decoration." Zhu Youxiao was also an artist with a very rich imagination.

"Symbolically speaking, I do want the slave's head." Zhu Changluo laughed. "Lindan Batur endured the grievance and did not kill Nurhaci's envoy, simply to maintain an ambiguous attitude. What I want is to shatter the ambiguity between them, not to use it as an excuse to bargain with him."

Zhu Youxiao nodded thoughtfully. Just as he was about to ask more, he heard his father say, "Besides, sometimes talking too much isn't good." Zhu Changluo then looked at Wang An. "Send a letter to Yang Lian to investigate thoroughly. Find out who's selling iron pots to the Mongols in Guangning. If they're found, arrest them and send them to Beijing for serious punishment."

The Ming Dynasty implemented a long-term trade blockade against the Mongolian grasslands, based on the Great Wall. All goods imported into the grasslands were subject to the strictest scrutiny. Military supplies such as copper, iron, saltpeter, and sulfur were all banned.

Even after Altan Khan offered tribute and opened several horse markets, the goods allowed to be traded to the grasslands were primarily civilian goods such as silk, cloth, grain, tea, and salt. If the Mongols wanted to obtain copper and iron, they had to either rob or trade privately.

However, the volume of private trade was far from sufficient to meet the needs of the entire grasslands. Over two centuries of trade embargoes significantly regressed the Mongol civilization. Sometimes, Mongol soldiers who ventured south to plunder were forced to fight with bone arrows. Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty's ban on the sale of ironware not only blocked the Mongol tribes' military supplies but also brought a series of side issues, the most prominent of which was the shortage of iron pots. The iron embargo, for a time, made iron pots a luxury item, available only to nobles like Amudai Hongtaiji, who were reluctant to throw them away even when broken.

History records: "Iron pots were used for daily cooking among the captives. Every time they attacked a city or captured a fort, they would search first and loot, and pots were considered rare commodities." "When a raw pot was broken, they would use all kinds of methods to patch it up. As a last resort, they would use the skin to store water and cook meat for food. This was well known to the people in the border areas."

In the 45th year of the Wanli reign, the Ming Dynasty opened a trade window with the Chahar tribe, following the story of Altan Khan's tribute. However, the "military material embargo" was still in place, and the Chahar tribe could only obtain iron pots through smuggling.

"Yes." Wang An replied.

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As they were talking, the group had already arrived at the Southern Study. Liu Ruoyu, who stayed behind, saw Zhu Youxiao following him, so after paying his respects, he brought a cushioned wooden stool to Zhu Youxiao. Liu Ruoyu wanted to put the stool right in front of the imperial desk, but before he could put it down, Wang An reached out to him. "Let me do it."

Liu Ruoyu was stunned for a moment. "Yes."

Wang An took the stool and placed it directly to the side of the dragon throne. "Young Master, please sit down."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "You are too polite, Master Wang."

"Master, I am really embarrassing you." Wang An bowed hurriedly.

After sitting down, Zhu Youxiao carefully inched closer to his father. "Father, I'm confused. If Nurhaci wanted to form an alliance with the Chahar tribe, why did he kill the envoy sent by the Chahar Khan?"

"Good question!" Zhu Changluo clapped his hands and said, "Because between the Nu bandits and the Chahar tribe, there is also the Inner Khalkha tribe."

"Inner Khalkha tribe."

"The five camps of fried flowers."

"Are these the same thing?" Zhu Youxiao had heard the term "Chaohua Wudaying" from the Minister of War Cui Jingrong.

"Yes." Zhu Changluo felt that it was time to unify the names.

"Then what does this have to do with them?"

Zhu Changluo picked up his brush and pulled out another sheet of white paper. As he wrote, he said, "The Inner Khalkha tribe is sandwiched between the Nu and Chahar tribes. If they form an alliance, the Inner Khalkha tribe could be attacked from both sides. Nurhaci killed Kangkar Baihu, the envoy sent by Chahar Khan Lindan Batur to the Nu tribe, because the Inner Khalkha tribe had previously spread rumors to Nurhaci that their envoy, Shuo Se Ubash, had been killed by the Chahars. Their fundamental purpose was to completely antagonize the Nu and Chahar tribes, thereby preventing them from being attacked from both sides."

(End of this chapter)