Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 374 General Man, You Can't Say That!

Fan Jingwen remained standing on the high place, feeling that even the howling north wind around him carried a bit of warmth.

The conversation I just had with the Emperor was like parting the clouds to see the sun, allowing me to glimpse the profound wisdom of governing the country.

He thought he had reached the summit, but he had only stepped into His Majesty's courtyard.

Seeing Fan Jingwen's astonished and admiring expression, Zhu Youjian's smile deepened.

This feeling is very good.

It's like playing the zither alone on a mountaintop, only to suddenly hear from somewhere deep in the clouds that a kindred spirit understands the beauty of the music. Though we've never met, our hearts are already in sync.

Fan Jingwen was the one who listened to the zither in the clouds.

For an emperor, ministers who can keep up with his thinking are both a sharp weapon and a comfort.

Zhu Youjian was in a much better mood as a result.

His gaze, however, had already drifted towards the boundless sky outside the palace.

In recent days, he has frequently summoned tribal chiefs from the southern grasslands to a side hall.

Whether it was those under Ligdan Khan's command, those who had always been at odds with the Chahar, or even those tiny tribes with a population of less than a thousand and cattle and sheep of less than ten thousand, he would not hesitate to receive them as long as they sent envoys to request an audience.

This move caused some controversy, with some saying that the emperor should not lower himself to the status of a lowly chieftain on the border, lest it damage the dignity of the nation.

Zhu Youjian simply laughed it off.

How can summer insects discuss ice? How can sparrows know the ambitions of swans?
Just then, Wang Chengen approached silently with quick, light steps, bowed and whispered, "Your Majesty, Ahai, the Taiji of the Subai tribe, the right wing of the Tumed Ten Thousand Households, has been waiting outside the palace for quite some time."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening.

He turned his gaze to Fan Jingwen and said with a smile, "Meng Bo, you will come with me to meet this guest from the grasslands."

Fan Jingwen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed and replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."

……

The meeting was held in the back hall of the Xuanda Governor's Mansion, which had been temporarily used as the emperor's temporary residence.

Fan Jingwen, who was serving at the emperor's side, met the Taiji of the Subai tribe, Ahai.

This was a Mongolian man around forty years old, not tall, but as sturdy as an iron tower.

His bronze face was etched with the marks of time, but his eyes were not cloudy; instead, they were sharp like those of a hawk, as he quietly observed the Ming emperor on the throne with seven parts awe and three parts inquiry.

As the interpreter translated the greetings, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became more harmonious.

Ahai presented his gift—thirty magnificent warhorses from the Hetao region, while the emperor reciprocated with silk, tea, and exquisite porcelain of ten times their value.

This reward made Ah Hai Taiji beam with joy.

However, what the emperor said next was like an invisible force that instantly overwhelmed all of Ah Hai's thoughts, leaving only a blank, and also made Fan Jingwen's eyelids twitch wildly!
The emperor spoke slowly in a gentle yet unquestionable tone: "I am very pleased that Ahai Taiji is loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Ligdan Khan is the Great Khan of the Mongols, and I treat him with the respect due to a brother. However, you are also my subjects, and I will not be stingy with my rewards."

"Today, I hereby confer upon Ahai the title of Dorobele and bestow upon him the Han surname 'Jin' to honor his loyalty. I also grant him a mansion in Guihua City to provide for his family."

Upon hearing this, the interpreter quickly translated it.

Ah Hai Taiji was stunned at first, then his whole body trembled violently, and he could hardly believe his ears!

He was so excited that his face turned red, and he forgot his manners. He suddenly looked up at the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, his eyes filled with ecstasy and astonishment.

Dorobele!

This is a title second only to prince and duke!

I am merely a minor leader of a small group of hooligans under the Tumed Ten Thousand Households. Even Lindan Khan himself has never given me such a prestigious position!
Not to mention bestowing a surname upon him and granting him a mansion in Guihua City!

The attendants behind him kowtowed repeatedly towards the throne, muttering incoherently.

Fan Jingwen stood to one side with his hands at his sides, his face expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil!

hiss……

How vicious is Your Majesty's move!
How utterly detrimental!
This is practically blatantly digging up Lin Danhan's ancestral graves right in front of him!

Ligdan Khan was the nominal overlord of all the Mongol tribes, and only he was qualified to bestow titles upon his subordinates, such as Jinong and Taiji.

But now the Ming emperor has bypassed him and directly bestowed more generous and direct titles upon these tribal leaders.

This investiture was like a boulder crashing into the seemingly calm lake of the southern grasslands, which was bound to stir up huge waves!
When Ahai returns to the tribe with the golden seal of Dorobele and the bestowed wealth, what envy and commotion it will cause among the leaders of the other small tribes!

Today there is one Ah Hai, tomorrow there will be ten or a hundred "Li Hai" and "Wang Hai" vying to come and pay homage, begging for the emperor's favor.

At that time, will Ligdan Khan's decrees still be able to leave his Chahar Khanate?
But the emperor's "poisonous scheme" was clearly not over yet.

The Emperor continued, “Now that you have been granted this title by me, you should be closer to the court. I invite you and the leaders of the various tribes in the southern deserts to come to the capital for an audience at the end of the year or the beginning of spring. All those who come to the capital will be provided with residences so that you may stay. I may also make an exception and allow the most intelligent of your sons to enter the Imperial Academy or the schools I have specially set up for the imperial princes, so that they may study the classics and the principles of the world together with the sons of the imperial relatives of the Great Ming!”

These words made Fan Jingwen secretly gasp. Granting a mansion in the capital and allowing his children to attend school… the open schemes of Emperor Wu of Han, involving "keeping a mistress in a golden house" and "relocating children to the capital," are reappearing!

The sons of these tribal chiefs are ostensibly enrolled in school, but in reality, they are taken hostage!

They grew up amidst the splendor and prosperity of the capital, learning Han etiquette, reading Confucian classics, and witnessing the majesty of the emperor.

When they return to the grasslands as adults, will their hearts still be those of the Mongols? Will their bodies still be able to adapt to that primitive, nomadic lifestyle?

……

Just a few days later, Fan Jingwen witnessed an even more terrifying scene.

On that day, the emperor summoned the chief of a small tribe called the Left Wing Rear Banner of Ordos.

The tribe's pastures were barren, its population dwindled, and it suffered heavy losses in several conflicts with the Later Jin dynasty.

After the usual rewards, the emperor proposed an unprecedented solution—"buying the right of succession"!
"I know your tribe faces hardship," the Emperor's voice was gentle yet enticing. "Rather than struggling to survive in this barren land, why not choose a different way of life? I am willing to give you 100,000 taels of silver in one lump sum. I will also bestow upon you the title of 'Earl of Loyalty and Obedience,' a hereditary title with your salary drawn annually by the Ministry of Revenue of the Great Ming. From this day forward, you and your descendants will be hereditary nobles of the Great Ming!"

"The price is that your tribe will be given full control over that pasture to the Ming Dynasty. From then on, that pasture will become the 'official pasture' of the Ming Dynasty, directly managed by the court. As for your people, I will also make proper arrangements. Those who wish to follow you into the pass to enjoy the good life will be given houses and land; those who wish to stay on the pasture can be employed by the official pasture to herd cattle and sheep for the court, receiving wages monthly, and their lives will be far more stable and prosperous than they are today."

This is undermining the very foundation of the grassland!
Fan Jingwen roared inwardly.

This is not the conversion of native chieftains to centrally appointed officials; this is clearly the purchase of land and its conversion to centrally appointed officials!
They used money to peacefully and legally buy piece by piece of grassland from those hereditary princes and nobles!

A few years later, when most of the small and medium-sized tribes have chosen this shortcut and sold their governance to the Ming Dynasty, the vast grasslands, which may still belong to the Mongols in name, have actually become the private treasury of the Ming emperor!
In the days that followed, Fan Jingwen was ordered to patrol the border of Xuanda to inspect military affairs and local conditions.

What he saw and heard further confirmed the growing fear and shock in his heart.

Outside Guihua City, brand-new temples rose from the ground, all supervised by the Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty, and their style was that of Tibetan Buddhism, which was most revered by the Mongols.

A large number of Living Buddhas and Lamas were invited to come and receive titles and rewards from the Ming Emperor.

And a message was spreading like wildfire across the grasslands through the mouths of these monks—the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was the incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva on earth!
Fan Jingwen stood in front of a newly built mani stone pile, watching the devout herdsmen turn prayer wheels and chant the emperor's title. He felt his throat go dry.

Moreover, elementary schools have been established in various bustling trading towns.

Inside the school, the sounds of children reading aloud in broken Chinese could be heard.

"Heaven is governed by the Way, Earth by virtue, and the Emperor by grace... Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, loving your people like your own children. The Mongols and Han are one family, forever bathed in the Emperor's grace..."

Han Chinese Confucian scholars taught them to read and do arithmetic, while Tibetan lamas taught them to recite scriptures and understand principles.

All the books taught were compiled by the Imperial Academy, subtly infusing the text with the strength of the Ming Dynasty, the benevolence of the emperor, and the idea of ​​the world as one family.

……

On the last day of December, inside the Governor-General's Office of Xuanda.

Fan Jingwen and Man Gui, the local commander-in-chief, received the latest imperial edict from the capital.

"His Majesty has decreed," Wang Chengen announced loudly, "that the Baoyuan Money Shop shall unite with the various tribes in the southern desert to implement the policy of 'granting peace and rewards.' Any herdsmen who wish to settle permanently or semi-settle may borrow money from the money shop at low interest rates to build houses, greenhouses, and cultivate small plots of farmland. So be it."

After the decree was read, Man Gui, a burly and imposing general, stood there dumbfounded. After a long while, he scratched his head, his face showing a mixture of understanding and admiration.

He chuckled at Fan Jingwen, lowered his voice, and said in a deep, muffled tone, "Lord Fan, you are a scholar, tell me, what is His Majesty up to this time? I think this is just to make those Mongol Tartars build houses so they won't run around."

Looking at Man Gui's rugged yet sincere face, Fan Jingwen was filled with mixed emotions, which finally turned into a long sigh.

What could he say?

All he could say was that even a valiant warrior like Man Gui had seen through the most basic truth behind this!
"What General Man said makes perfect sense," Fan Jingwen said with a wry smile.

Herdsmen live by following water and grass; their lifeblood lies in movement.

They are the wind, the flowing soul of the grassland.

Their cavalry came and went like the wind, and gathered and dispersed like clouds. This was the most troublesome thing for the Central Plains dynasties for thousands of years!
Once settled, the wind stops.

The greatly reduced mobility made it easier for the imperial court to conduct household registration checks, collect taxes, and exercise jurisdiction.

They became attached to every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, and every tile.

Having attachments leads to a loss of passion and courage.

The wolf that once abandoned everything to plunder has become a farmer who guards his own house and land, praying for good weather and a bountiful harvest.

Man Gui slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, "I get it! If these Tartars all live in mud houses, how far can their horses go? Damn it, if they cause trouble, we don't even need to search the whole grassland for them, we can just send troops to block their doorsteps! Brilliant! Your Majesty's move is truly brilliant!"

Man Gui bowed respectfully towards the emperor, his face showing genuine reverence.

"Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone... but this open scheme is so clear that you can see it all, yet you willingly walk right into it!"

Fan Jingwen's heart tightened, and he thought to himself, "General Man, you can't say things like that!"

(End of this chapter)