The summer at the foot of Qilian Snow Mountain is still cool.
Zhu Yihai stayed in Biandukou to escape the summer heat. His daily schedule was very regular. After getting up at dawn, he would go to horseback riding and archery practice to practice firecrackers. After the morning exercise, he would swim in the river for a while, and then have breakfast after changing clothes ashore.
At this time, the eunuch in the palace will bring the day's newspaper to the emperor to read, and he will read the newspaper while eating breakfast. After breakfast, the eunuch in the internal affairs office will bring the green head card of the minister, which is a report requesting an audience.
The ministers and eunuchs will simply explain to the ministers what matters they need to see. The emperor will ultimately decide whether to see the minister or not. If he wants to see the minister, he will turn over the sign, and the internal affairs office will inform the minister to see him.
After breakfast, I took a walk and then started a meeting with the main ministers accompanying the emperor. Because the Western Tour was out, most of the ministers of the cabinet and prime minister's office had been sent back to the capital by the emperor. At the moment, there was a great scholar, Yan Wogong, by his side.
The emperor organized some other imperial generals, Hanlin bachelors and other imperial officials to form the Military Aircraft Department. This Military Aircraft Department was similar to a temporary simplified version of the Prime Minister's Office, with functions similar to the Prime Minister's Office, and similar to the Cabinet, the Attendant's Office.
Important affairs on the imperial side were directly handed over to the Military Aircraft Department, and officials with the rank of Military Aircraft Department handed them over to the emperor, who would handle them according to the emperor's orders, either directly or forwarding them to the Prince Supervisor who stayed in Beijing.
General affairs, like the cabinet, are first submitted to the attendants, who are responsible for going through them first and even making preliminary voting suggestions before submitting them to the emperor.
Although it was summer, the emperor was still wearing a robe in the morning.
After the tea was brewed, Mr. Yan came in with several civil and military personnel from the Military Aircraft Department, all purple-robed officials of third rank or above.
"Mr. Yan Ge, please give a briefing first."
Mr. Yan stood up and began to give a briefing. This was a routine matter of the Military Aircraft Department. Following the working regulations of the Prime Minister's Office, he first reported the orders received by the Military Aircraft Department the previous day and the results of the orders, and what matters were handled.
, which ones have not been dealt with, what problems have been encountered, etc.
Then he summarized some military and state affairs that were just submitted to the Military Aircraft Department yesterday and reported them together this morning, asking the emperor for instructions on how to deal with them.
Although the Western Patrol was abroad, the emperor still firmly held the military and political power. Even Yan Wogong, the only imperial minister, could only act according to orders and could not deal with these things on behalf of the emperor.
Whether it is the Prime Minister's Office of the imperial court or this temporary military aircraft office, they cannot read and handle the reports before the emperor. They can only record them and report them to the emperor. The emperor can handle them directly. When encountering some major and complicated matters, he will communicate with them
After deliberation, the emperor still gave the decision in the end. The Military Aircraft Department drafted an edict and issued a document according to the emperor's decree, or directly issued it to the ministries, provinces, military towns, or left it to the cabinet for handling.
"Qinghai Dalai Khan has returned to the Qinghai Lake Khan Court and ordered the disbandment of the conscripted Heshuote soldiers and horses, letting them go back to graze."
"In addition, he also sent people to send a group of cattle, horses and alpacas to Haiyan, Qilian, and Baiyun cities, saying that they are this year's tax tribute."
Zhu Yihai did not directly levy taxes on the Mongolian and other foreign vassals in Mobei, Monan, Moxi, and Qingkang, Tibet, and those areas were autonomous.
However, after several alliance meetings, Zhu Yihai, as the leader of the alliance, reached some specific alliance agreements with the Mongolian Khan King Taiji.
small book booth
For example, in the area of taxes, it was agreed that the vassals would collect taxes themselves and did not need to submit them to the court. The princes and princes could make and spend freely.
Of course, the Mongolian Jurchens who already belong to Daming Prefecture and have naturalized households must pay taxes to the court.
Under the guise of caring for the herdsmen and maintaining order, Zhu Yihai also discussed with the various tribes a unified standard for tax collection by the Mongolian Khan King Taiji on the grasslands.
If there are five cattle and twenty sheep, one sheep will be levied. If there are 40 sheep, two sheep will be levied. Even if there are surplus animals, no more may be taken.
If there are two sheep, take six pots of rice. If there is one sheep, take one pot of rice.
This is equivalent to the official tax of Mongolian herdsmen, with a maximum of two sheep a year.
Of course, in addition to the regular taxes, there will definitely be some apportionments and additional levies. Therefore, according to the requests of the princes of each department, matters such as tribute, alliances, nomadic herding, marriages, etc. will be agreed upon, depending on the merits of those who belong to more than a hundred households.
Take a cart with one cow and one horse. If there are more than three cows, you are allowed to take a belly of butter. If there are more than five cows, you are allowed to take a bottle of kefir. If there are more than a hundred sheep, you are allowed to take an additional blanket.
Those who commit arbitrary levies will be punished.
Zhu Yihai, in his capacity as the Son of Heaven and the Great Khan of Mongolia, ordered everyone to conclude this covenant, allowing all the tribes to unify taxes. This also has many benefits. On the one hand, it can gain the grateful support of the herdsmen, and on the other hand, it also allows the various Mongolian tribes to
Stable, and at the same time, it does not allow the nobles to increase their strength by imposing excessive taxes.
Of course, the covenant only drew a line. In fact, the princes and princes were autonomous, and tax collection was their right. Even if the standards were set, there were ways to collect more.
Generally speaking, the standard set by Zhu Yihai is relatively light and less than traditional taxes. However, the actual burden is heavier, especially if there are many wars.
Foreign vassals did not need to pay taxes to the court, but they had to pay tribute.
The so-called soil tribute is actually a kind of tax, but the name is different. The essence is still a tax. In the past, the soil tribute was more arbitrary because the restrictions were not strong.
Nowadays, the Shaotian Dynasty has relatively clear regulations on the tribute of various vassals. It is not just a tribute of cattle and horses, but it is based on the division of the Duhufu, Dudufu, prefectures, etc., as well as the number of households, mouths, cattle and horses of the tribe.
Depending on the specific strength, several levels were drawn up, and tribute was paid accordingly.
Tugong mainly refers to local products, and herders mainly pay for cattle, sheep, horses, camels, furs, butter, rugs and other items produced in the grassland, and even mushrooms.
The Jurchens mainly received animal skins such as mink fur and ginseng, medicinal materials, and pearls, while the southwestern chieftains received grain, gold, silver, medicinal materials, cattle and horses, etc.
Basically, tribute is paid on a tribe-by-tribe basis. The larger the tribe, the higher the title, and the greater the tribute.
This kind of tribute is different from the previous Ming Dynasty tribute. It is not tribute in exchange for rewards. This tribute is essentially a tax. You have to pay according to the grade, and you can't owe it.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! As for rewards, that is another matter. The court will give rewards during festivals, but they are not linked to the tribute. It does not mean that the amount of tribute paid will be given in return or even more.
In addition to paying tribute, the imperial court also fully liberalized mutual trade with the chieftains of these foreign tribes. Everything was based on the market. Taxes were required when entering customs, and transaction prices were all determined by the market.
The Imperial Household Department and the Royal Shaofu Supervisor enjoy priority in transactions, also known as tuwuhebuy.
The price is high and the price is low, all determined by the market.
This system is basically based on the imperial court's current strong military strength and active border policies.
It was the Qinghai Khan's obligation to pay tribute to the court.
It's just that this time he turned it in in advance, and it seemed that he paid more than agreed. This was a personal act, and Ming neither encouraged nor opposed it.
If you pay more tribute, you will definitely get extra praise from the emperor.
The emperor's tribute was not much. Although there was a compulsory amount, the levy was relatively light, and the princes and princes also had the right to pass this tribute on to the herdsmen.
This kind of compulsory but not large amount of tribute was intentional by the emperor, not because of the cattle, horses and wool, but to show the vassal relationship between the two parties. As long as it was compulsory, even if it was
If you only hand over a piece of sheepskin, then you can be a concubine properly.
The Ming Dynasty made much more money from the mutual trade with Mongolia than the small amount of tribute. The royal guards went deep into the grasslands and directly obtained the tax rights of many princes and princes. They directly collected taxes on their behalf and even paid in advance.
For taxes, physical taxes can be directly converted into dragon tickets issued on the grassland, which can be withdrawn and exchanged at any time, which is very convenient.
All kinds of supplies, ranging from luxuries favored by nobles to necessities for herdsmen, from tea bricks to salt cloth, from needlework to iron pots, are now freely available on the grasslands, and herdsmen also like to take cattle.
Sheep, livestock or furs, cheese and ghee are exchanged for these goods, each takes what he needs and each is satisfied.
Even now, a large amount of grain is shipped to various parts of the grassland every year and sold to herdsmen. The herdsmen are also willing to exchange livestock for grain, and they all think that the livestock is a good deal.
The market integration of the grasslands, the mainland and even the Northeast has taken shape in less than ten years, and even includes overseas, Japanese silver and copper, Indian jute, cotton, Luzon, and Batavia.
Sugar, cotton, silver from the Port of Manila, grain from Annan and Champa and other Indochina peninsulas were continuously transported to the coastal ports of the Central Plains via sea-going ships. They were both cheap and plentiful.
The Mongolian herdsmen on the grasslands can obtain iron pots, salt, tea, cloth, and many exquisite items without taking risks to plunder and fight. All they need is to sell some of their grazing livestock, or to exchange the originally worthless
Selling wool, cattle felt, etc., and selling some ghee, etc., can be exchanged for various needs. Trading allows them to live a rich and convenient life.
No longer do you have to plunder the Ming Dynasty border or even die under the border wall just for a piece of iron pot.
"Dalai Batur is by no means that honest person. We need to be more vigilant and let the Jin Yiwei and others deploy more people to keep an eye on him."
Zhu Yihai sipped his tea, "Of course, you should be careful. The superficial tribute to him, especially the extra tribute, must be properly rewarded. Give him a few self-ringing bells and a few sets of porcelain from the imperial kiln.
, some ginseng and some mink skin, and then I will reward him with two sons who will accompany him before the imperial court, and he will be given first-class auspiciousness."
He always distrusted Dalai Khan and Zhu Yihai.
Moving on to the next topic.
"Dayan Khan reported that Ladakh was disobedient. As a vassal of Weizang, he took advantage of the civil strife in Guge to send troops to attack the Guge Kingdom, forced the king of Guge to be killed, and then directly annexed the Guge Kingdom. Dayan Khan
Request to send troops to attack Ladakh and restore the Guge Kingdom."
Zhu Yihai tapped the table lightly, "What is Dayan Khan's specific plan?"
"He wants His Majesty to issue a decree and ask the Heshuote generals in Kashgar in the Western Region to send troops to coordinate the attack on Ladakh, under his unified command." Yan Wo was fair.
Zhu Yihai couldn't help but smile after hearing this.
"Dayan Khan's drunkard's intention is not to drink. He seems to think that the rear Tibet is too small to accommodate his giant Buddha. He wants to send troops to annex Ali. He even wants to use the name of the imperial court to send troops to the Western Regions. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone.
He wanted to bring Ali under his control, and he also wanted to use the name of the imperial court to bring Kashgar and other nephews under his command."
"Dayan Khan is not a foolhardy person. This is a beautiful thought."
Yan Wogong said bluntly: "If Dayan Khan was really brave and resourceful, he would not submit to this memorial. Your Majesty has a sharp eye. How could you not see his thoughts and how could you agree? If he is smart, he will know how to find someone first.
A descendant of the Guge royal family came out to do things in his name, and then reported it."
Zhu Yihai smiled and said, "Although Dayan Khan's ambition cannot be tolerated, I feel that Ladakh's behavior is also a serious violation of the boundaries, and must be punished. The Guge Kingdom must be restored first."
The ruling center of the Guge Kingdom is in the Zada Xiangquan River Basin on the Ali Plateau. It reaches Japan in the north and the Snowwu Mountain in Kashmir in the north. It borders the Ladakh Kingdom in Kashmir to the west. Its sphere of influence in the east once reached
Foothills of Gangdise Mountains.
Its predecessor can be traced back to the Shangshung Kingdom. Guge was established after the collapse of Tubo. It was conquered by Ladakh a few years ago. There were 16 hereditary kings. It was founded by the descendants of the Tubo royal family. Its rule lasted for seven years.
Over a hundred years, it spanned the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties in the Central Plains.
The country of Ladakh is located in the southeast of Kashmir, with the Karakoram Mountains to the north, the Himalayas to the south, and the Kashmir Valley to the southwest. The entire territory is located on the roof of the world, between the Karakoram Mountains and the Himalayas.
A canyon area, the uppermost reaches of the Indus River passes through the entire canyon.
Ladakh is called Xiaoxi Zhang. This country name comes from the Tibetan language, which means the land of lamas. It is said that the country of Ladakh was originally founded by the descendants of the Guge royal family.
Today's Ladakh Kingdom is also called the Kingdom of Namgarh. It calls itself the Victorious Dynasty, but it is not the original Ladakh Dynasty. They took advantage of the civil strife in Guge and sent troops to besiege the capital city of Guge. The king committed suicide by jumping off a cliff from the capital palace.
Guge was annexed by them, and this is also their heyday.
Before the annexation of Guge, Ladakh, which had greatly increased its strength, swelled, but the swollen Namgarh Kingdom soon learned a lesson. The Kashmiri princes invaded Ladakh twice, and even the governor of the Yarkand Khanate briefly
Captured Ladakh.
The current king, Sanggen Namgyal, is considered a more capable king. He unified the three kingdoms of Ladakh, Purang and Guge, known as the Ali Triangle, and unified Ali.
Looking back on the previous experience of the king being beaten up by all parties, this Senggan Nanji was more pragmatic and believed that Uizang, whom they shared the faith with, did not help them, so he turned around and showed his favor to the more powerful Mughal Empire in the south and agreed.
The Mughals had long demanded tribute as a vassal.
It was the Skardu leader from the Baltistan region of the Mughal Empire in the south who led troops to invade Ladakh, occupied the capital, and imprisoned the then king.
During this period, the prince married a daughter to the king and gave birth to a child with him. Afterwards, the leader released the king. The king was disheartened and lost interest in being a king. He turned around and became a monk.
The throne was left to his son by the chief's daughter.
With this relationship, it is reasonable for Sangnamgyal to switch to the Mughal Empire.
But for the Ming Dynasty, of course it violated the interests of the Ming Dynasty. After all, Guge and Ladakh used to be vassals of Weizang, and Weizang is now a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, especially Ladakh, which is also an important Kunlun Corridor, connecting
Xinzang, such an important place, how could he switch to India?
"This is a good time. Didn't Dayan say before that Yarkand and the Khotan cities would be handed over to the Ming Dynasty? Now it is just in the name of the crusade against Ladakh that we will send our Ming soldiers and horses there. On the grounds of military supplies, etc., we can
Establish military forts and stations in Yarkand and other places in Khotan. After Ladakh is conquered, troops can be stationed there directly. Even the castles in Yarkand, Khotan and other places can be retained and troops can be stationed there.
"
This is equivalent to a false plan to destroy Guo.