I

All the cabinet ministers were there, as well as a few old friends, and they were all discussing Li Zicheng's letter asking for surrender.

"Li Zicheng must not be given the title of king," Xu Ying took the lead in expressing her opinion. "Mr. Pang is only the Duke of Liao now, but Li Zicheng is the king. What does this make the civil and military ministers of the Datong court think?"

Li Banghua said: "It is not feasible to make a king, but it is possible to give a duke. Li Zicheng surrendered the whole province of Shanxi, and also went north to the Yinshan Mountains, which can be regarded as a great achievement. Otherwise, once the war starts, although our army can capture Shanxi, But it will consume a lot of food and wages, and countless people will die as a result."

Fei Chun supported Li Banghua's point of view: "Your Majesty, we are fighting in several provinces at the same time this year, and a fight lasts for more than half a year. The state treasury is really stretched. Next year, we will organize immigration from Hebei, Shaanxi, and Liaoning. After Guizhou and southern Sichuan are consolidated, we will also Send troops to recapture Yunnan. All this will cost money and food. If Shanxi can surrender, it will really give us a big sigh of relief."

Xu Ying said: "People in Shanxi are panicked. Even if they are taken by force, it will not be very difficult."

Fei Chun said with a helpless smile: "Mr. Xu, you are not a family member, so you don't know that oil and rice are expensive. In this war, Liaodong consumed the most military rations. They were all shipped from the south of the Yangtze River, and one ship sank in a storm. Lu The general sent troops from Baozhou, and all the way north was through mountainous areas. The people transporting grain ate more food than the soldiers. And Yang Zhenqing's independent regiment also transported all the food northward in the mountainous area."

"The military rations for the battlefield in Hebei were transported by the Jianghuai River. Although not much was consumed in the process, too many peasant soldiers were recruited to defend the city. In the first-line cities of Baoding and the cities along the Grand Canal, more than 60,000 peasant soldiers were recruited to defend the city alone. , and this does not include the people who have evacuated into the nearby cities. Moreover, in the states and counties where too many peasants and soldiers have been recruited, although the income from staple grains will not be affected, the output of miscellaneous grain crops will definitely be severely reduced."

"The imperial court has been hoarding food for several years, and it is almost used up for this year's war!"

Xu Ying reminded: "Li Zicheng's food supply is almost running out. If he can afford to raise an army, he will definitely not surrender to Shanxi."

Fei Chun nodded and said, "That's true. Your Majesty, please make your decision."

The war lasted for more than half a year. Not only was the Datong court in a food shortage, but Li Zicheng and the Manchus were even more serious.

Liaoyang collapsed so quickly. In addition to the lack of fighting spirit among the Qing soldiers, the biggest reason was the lack of food in the city. At that time, Li Zheng didn't even need to attack. As long as the city was besieged for another two months, the Eight Banners soldiers in the city would have to eat human flesh.

Dayu'er wanted to deal with Dorgon, and the Manchu nobles unanimously agreed. There was also the factor that Dorgon's family had a lot of money and food.

When the Manchu Qing Dynasty moved the capital from Shenyang to Jianzhou, 30% of the food and salary paid to the soldiers during the process came from Dorgon's family property.

Zhao Han looked at Pang Chunlai: "What suggestions does Mr. Pang Ge have?"

Pang Chunlai asked: "Where does Your Majesty want to attack in the future? To the Hetao, to Saibei, or to Mobei?"

Saibei is the area of ​​Inner Mongolia north of Yinshan Mountain, while Mobei already belongs to Outer Mongolia.

"Mobei." Zhao Han said.

Pang Chunlai replied: "Since we want to attack Mobei, there is nothing wrong with putting Li Zicheng in Saibei. With the decline of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Saibei and Monan (both Inner Mongolia) will inevitably be in chaos, and the various Mongolian tribes will definitely attack each other. Those Mongolian tribes in Mobei, Most likely they will take the opportunity to go south. Li Zicheng went to Saibei. The enemy is not Saibei and Monan Mongolia, but the Mongols from Mobei. It is not easy for Li Zicheng to gain a foothold in Yinshan, and it is absolutely impossible for him to grow rapidly."

"This plan is very clever," Li Banghua clapped his hands and praised, "Let Li Zicheng leave the Yinshan Mountains in the north to entangle the Mobei Mongolia heading south."

Zhao Han nodded in agreement and said: "Draft an imperial edict to allow Li Zicheng to surrender and to release the pseudo-submissive generals. However, Li Zicheng can only be granted the title of Marquis of Yinshan, and he can only be promoted to nobility again after he has made great achievements in the northern part of the Great Wall. If Li Zicheng dislikes me, If the title given is too low, then we will fight next year. If he can win, the emperor will let him do it!"

After finalizing this matter, we discussed other matters.

The Karaqin Mongols, who had occupied a large area of ​​territory by the king's courtiers, and the Chahar Mongols jointly presented a petition of surrender. These Mongolian tribes all requested surrender and jointly accepted Emperor Zhao of Datong as the Khan of Heaven.

Chen Maosheng cupped his hands and said: "The emperor is the emperor, and the khan is the khan. Although Tian Khan is majestic, I feel it is unnecessary. Once your majesty accepts this title, many things in the Mongolian tribes will be difficult to deal with."

"What Chen Shangshu said is reasonable." Xiao Huan was the first to agree.

All the ministers wanted Zhao Han to accept the title, "Khan of Heaven" was so powerful and domineering. But it is impossible to accept it now, because it is difficult to establish prefectures and counties in some Mongolian territories, and it is difficult to be tough in accepting other people's titles.

Nurhachi also had a similar title, but the price was that the Mongolian princes were equal to him.

Although Zhao Han was a little moved, he still resisted the temptation and said: "Then I won't be the Khan of Heaven. The various tribes in Mongolia are increasingly grudges. If I forcefully persuade them to make peace, they will become resentful. Let them fight and wait for a fight. In a year or two, the Datong Army will clean up the mess!"

Today's Mongolia is really like a pot of porridge.

The tribes of Horqin were in civil war, Harqin was poking at Horqin's chrysanthemums, and Harqin's southern territory was occupied by the Datong Army. Chahar is cleaning up the surrounding small tribes, and the remaining forces of Tumut and Yongshebu are forming an alliance. Mongolia in Mobei, Jurchens in Beishan, may move south at any time, plus Li Zicheng who is about to leave the border... After several years of melee, the grassland population is estimated to drop by 20 to 30%.

…

Qinghai.

Daiqing of Chechnya ran fast horses towards Gushi Khan's camp and met Gushi Khan who was shooting archery on horseback in the pasture.

"Why are you here?" Gushi Khan asked.

Gushi Khan had a total of ten sons. The eldest son was stationed in Tibet, the four sons were adopted by his brothers, and the remaining eight sons were nomadic in Qinghai.

Chechen Daiqing is the second son and is not allowed to come back to see his father unless he is summoned.

Chechen Dai Qing stood up and dismounted: "Father, there is important news. Emperor Zhao of Nanjing defeated Li Zicheng and occupied Shaanxi. I heard that the Jurchens also suffered a defeat. Emperor Zhao's army has arrived in Gansu and is stationed. I heard that he will send civilian officials Come here. Our herdsmen in Gansu have all been told to register with the government."

Gushi Khan played with the riding whip in his hand and sighed: "It seems that Gansu's taxes cannot be collected."

Li Zicheng's rule over Gansu has never been stable. He only occupied cities and passes, and officials could only restrain the Han people. The herdsmen in Gansu regarded Gushi Khan as their co-leader, and Gushi Khan could go to Gansu to collect taxes.

Similarly, in Kham District in western Sichuan, Gushi Khan was also collecting taxes.

The tax revenue from the Houzang area is used to support the group of monks in Tibet. The tax revenue from Kang District in western Sichuan is used to support the Mongolian tribes in Qinghai.

Chechen Daiqing asked: "Father Khan, do you want to fight the Han army in Gansu?"

"We can't start another war, we have to completely surrender to Emperor Zhao." Gushi Khan was very helpless.

Qinghai and Tibet are now called the Kashote Khanate, and their founder was none other than Gushi Khan.

Gushi Khan is the transliteration of the national advisor Khan. He is regarded as the great state advisor by the Oara Mongols. At the same time, he also serves as the leader of the Oara alliance - the various tribes of the Oara tribe do not have a great khan, only the leader.

As the leader of the alliance, the enemies of Oara Mongolia were the enemies of Gushi Khan.

So, who are Wala’s enemies?

One is the Khalkha Mongolia in Mobei.

Second, the Kazakh Khanate in Central Asia.

Third, Tsarist Russia!

If he went to war with the Datong court again, Gushi Khan would become enemies on all sides.

Gushi Khan said to his son: "You lead a team to Nanjing to pay tribute, and pay tribute 200 war horses, and pay tribute 10 exquisite carpets. Just say that the Mongols in Gansu are no longer contaminated by the Heshuote Khanate. These Mongolians belong to Emperor Zhao People. However, please ask Emperor Zhao to leave a passage in Gansu and allow the Heshuote army to pass through."

The Mongolian Heshuote Tribe, whose territory is north of the Tianshan Mountains, is managed by Gushi Khan's brothers. But Gushi Khan's Heshuote Khanate was in Qinghai and Tibet.

If the two territories want to send troops to support each other, they must either go to the Hami area outside Jiayuguan Pass, or go to the Gansu area inside Jiayuguan Pass. The former was blocked by the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, and the latter was blocked by the Datong court occupying Gansu.

It is impossible to find the Eastern Chagatai Khanate to use the road to march.

Although both were Mongolian regimes, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate believed in environmentalism. On Gushi Khan's side, he believed in Tibetan Buddhism. Not to mention marching on the same road and not fighting each other, they are considered peace-loving.

After thinking about it carefully, Gushi Khan added: "As long as Emperor Zhao agrees to use the road to march in Gansu, all the tribes in Oara will be willing to surrender to him!"

This is a big deal. Once Zhao Han agrees, not only Tibet and Qinghai will nominally belong to Datong China. It also included the territory of Xinjiang north of the Tianshan Mountains, as well as the eastern border of Kazakhstan and many Russian territories in Eastern Siberia.

Legal system!

In the autumn of this year, the Chechen Daiqing, the second son of Gushi Khan, led a tribute mission of hundreds of people and brought more than a dozen Qinghai lamas with him from Gansu to Nanjing via Shaanxi.

Historically, the Qing Dynasty's legal authority over Tibet, Qinghai, and Xinjiang came from Gushi Khan's submission and tribute. Chechen Daiqing even personally led troops to help the Manchu Qing pacify Gansu and Xining.

They surrender "sincerely" and there is absolutely no way they can rebel. Unless they can overthrow Kazakhstan and Khalkha Mongolia, and temporarily cease the war with Tsarist Russia.

In another time and space, this situation really happened.

Galdan, who came from the Jungar tribe of Oara Mongolia, first seized the rule of the Jungar tribe by force. Then he defeated the Heshuote tribe, unified the Oara Mongolia, and then defeated the Khalkha Mongolia until Inner Mongolia threatened Beijing. During this period, he also found time to occupy half of Tibet, wiped out the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, captured the Kazakh city of Seram and defeated it.

The conquest of Zhungeer lasted from Kangxi to Qianlong, and it took three generations to destroy Zhungeer.

If history does not change, Gushi Khan can live another ten years.

This fierce man who led troops to capture Urumqi at the age of 13 had arranged his posthumous affairs in a mess. The eldest son is in Tibet and the eight sons are in Qinghai. There is no established heir at all.

In the end, the eight sons in Qinghai all regarded the eldest brother as the Great Khan.

But the eldest brother was not allowed to come to Qinghai, and the power fell into division. The eldest brother governed Tibet alone, while the eight brothers divided and governed Qinghai. They fought with each other for decades, and were taken back by the Manchus at an advantage.

Zhao Han couldn't let go of this opportunity.

(There is only one update today. I wish all book friends a happy new year and all the best!)