Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1146 Three Questions
Tengger was not surprised by this. Zhu Shenzui had considered this issue long before the alliance and had discussed it with them privately.

Tengger immediately told everyone that this division would be made based on the actual situation of each tribe, and that the problems they raised would be taken into consideration as much as possible. In addition, if adjustments were made to the original problems of the grasslands where some tribes were currently located, the future survival of these small and medium-sized tribes would be ensured through migration or tribal union.

"Leaders, Taiji!" Tengger said loudly, "We Mongols have lived on the grasslands for hundreds of years. The problems you just raised do exist, so the specific division of tribes will naturally take these situations into consideration to ensure fairness."

“Also, some people see the disadvantages of dividing grasslands, but fail to see the benefits!”

"Benefits? Haha, what benefits are there?" Someone below asked back with a little dissatisfaction.

Tenger looked over and said with a smile, "Of course there are benefits. I won't say anything else. I just want to ask you one question. How many wars and conflicts have broken out among the tribes over the years because of the fight for grasslands? And how many small and medium-sized tribes have been attacked by other tribes or even annexed by large tribes because of the abundant water and grass they have?"

"This..." When Tengger asked this question, everyone didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Tenger was right. Over the past few hundred years, the rise and fall of Mongolian tribes on the grasslands was common. A tribe could disappear from the grasslands at any time. There were many reasons for the disappearance, such as climate change. Especially for small tribes, a heavy snowstorm in winter could completely wipe out a small tribe from the grasslands. Or, because of competition for grasslands, a larger tribe would set its sights on the grasslands owned by the small tribe, and in order to meet the grazing needs, it would go to war and annex the small tribe, leading to the disappearance of the other tribe.

These situations have always existed, even for medium-sized tribes. Even large tribes would fall apart because of defeat in a war for resources with other tribes. The life of the Mongols on the grasslands was not as good as imagined.

The Mongols believed in the Eternal Heaven. What exactly is the Eternal Heaven? To use the meaning of the Ming people, it means God. This is the same as the Ming people's farming depends on God's mood, but the Mongols rely on God more than the Ming people. After all, although the Ming people had to rely on the sky to farm, they could also solve most problems through their own efforts, such as guiding water sources, digging canals for irrigation, etc., but the Mongols are different. Without the water source and abundant water and grass on the grassland, they can't survive at all.

Tengger continued, "By dividing the areas of each tribe and determining the range of grasslands owned by each tribe, we can avoid conflicts and wars among tribes over water and grass in the future and ensure the survival of more small and medium-sized tribes. Isn't this a good thing?"

Everyone was stunned. In theory, this was indeed a good thing. With this division, the grasslands and ranges occupied by each tribe were all determined. As long as the tribes did not cross the border, other tribes would have no reason to launch targeted wars. This was a good choice for small and medium-sized tribes.

"It sounds good, but King Shunyi, I have three questions. Please answer them!" Just as everyone was thinking about what Tengger said, the taiji of a tribe stood up and asked directly.

"Excuse me!"

"First of all, how do you ensure the fairness of the division?" the other party asked seriously. Tengger smiled and did not answer his question immediately. He asked: "What about the other two things?"

"The second thing is, if after the grassland is divided, the tribe that owns the grassland is attacked by other tribes, how can this problem be solved?"

"The third thing is that the terrain of the grassland is different, and the climate is also changeable. The grassland divided today is rich in water and grass, but maybe in a few years this grassland will change and become poor. If it was in the past, we Mongolians could just migrate away and find a more suitable grazing area. But because of the division of grassland, it is equivalent to restricting the tribe to this area. We can't just watch the cattle and sheep starve to death when the time comes, right? How do you say this?"

"Yes, yes, yes! These are indeed problems!" As soon as the Taiji finished speaking, many people expressed the same view and nodded repeatedly to indicate that the three questions raised by the other party were indeed closely related.

As the three questions were raised, everyone could not help but whisper to each other again. The noise below was getting louder and louder. Seeing this, Tengger did not stop them and stood there waiting patiently. After waiting for a while, everyone remembered that Tengger had not answered yet. The conversation gradually stopped and everyone turned their eyes to Tengger again.

After clearing his throat, Tengger spoke in a resonant voice. "The three questions that Taiji asked just now are probably what you all want to ask today, right?"

Seeing everyone nodding, Tengger said confidently: "In that case, I will explain these three questions to you."

"First!" Tengger raised his first finger and said solemnly, "The fairness of the grassland division is naturally what needs to be resolved at this meeting. Today, everyone came to naturalize to discuss this matter. All of you present are leaders and taijis of all Mongolian tribes, including not only Tumed and Chahar, but also Khorchin, Inner Khalkha, Outer Khalkha and even the tribes in western Mongolia."

"Your arrival is a great event for Mongolia. In addition, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has also come in person to naturalize and preside over the meeting for the entire Mongolia. This is something that Mongolia has never seen before..."

Following Tenger's words, everyone couldn't help but nod their heads. This alliance meeting was indeed unprecedented in scale. It could be said that 90% of the tribes in Mongolia had arrived. In addition, the arrival of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty made it even more meaningful, otherwise they would not have come from afar to participate.

Tengger continued, "With the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty here, and so many chieftains and taijis here, are you still worried about fairness? The division of grasslands among the tribes in the alliance is basically based on the grasslands owned by each tribe now, and then it will be discussed and adjusted according to the actual situation. If there is anything inappropriate, everyone can take the initiative to propose it and coordinate on the spot. After the final division is completed, it will be approved by His Majesty the Emperor before the title is conferred. In this way, what are you still worried about?"

When everyone heard this, their eyes suddenly lit up. Tengger was right. This was not a private division of the grassland, but a division through an alliance. More importantly, they also heard Tengger mention the recognition and enthronement of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the war between Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty lasted for nearly three hundred years, in the eyes of the vast majority of Mongolians, there was no doubt that the Ming Dynasty was the legitimate ruler of the world. Even the unruly Mongolian Khan, Ligdan Khan, tried his best to form an alliance with the Ming Dynasty and win its support, which also represented the supreme status of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, it is well known that the Ming Dynasty's national strength has recovered and become stronger in recent years. Not long ago, the Ming Dynasty just solved the Liaodong issue. The Qing Dynasty, which was once powerful and entrenched in Liaodong, was destroyed by the Ming Dynasty in a battle. The Jiannu regime ended and the Ming Dynasty completely recovered the Liaodong region.

Most of the people present here share the same feeling about how powerful Jiannu was. You should know that during the Nurhaci period, Jiannu often attacked Mongolia, and through war, enticement, and various means of division, many Mongolian tribes were forced to join Jiannu.

Even the Mongol Khan Lin Danhan was ultimately no match for Huang Taiji, and he abandoned his Chahar headquarters and fled westwards in disgrace, eventually dying of illness in Qinghai. This shows that the Mongols had no confidence in the face of the Jiannu, and now the Ming Dynasty has directly destroyed such a powerful regime. Doesn't this prove the strength of the Ming Dynasty?
As for the Ming Dynasty's enthronement, it was also a blessing for the Mongols, even though some Mongolian tribes in the north had criticized the Tumed tribes before, especially from the time of Altan Khan to the time when Bushitu controlled the Tumed.

Because at that time, Tumed surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and was canonized by the Ming Dynasty, and also got the title of the so-called Shunyi King, which made many Mongolian tribes extremely dissatisfied. They felt that as descendants of Genghis Khan, how could they kneel under the Ming Dynasty? Why did they become the Shunyi King of the Ming Dynasty instead of being the leader of a Mongolian tribe? This really brought shame to the Mongolians.

But in fact, despite the criticism, they felt sour about the Tumed tribe in their hearts. After all, the Tumed tribe obtained the permission of the Ming Dynasty to trade with the Ming Dynasty after establishing a relationship with the Ming Dynasty. They were able to trade and exchange materials with the Ming Dynasty through border trade, and obtained various materials that the Mongols urgently needed from the Ming Dynasty. These materials included not only tea, grain, cotton, cloth, etc. for civilian use, but also ironware for both military and civilian use, and even armor for military equipment.

With these things, the Tumed tribe was the strongest and richest in the whole of Mongolia. No other tribe could compare to it. And all the Tumed tribe had paid was friendship and submission to the Ming Dynasty, and the title of King Shunyi. They were very eager for such a good thing. If the Ming Dynasty could also give them these benefits, they would naturally not refuse the title, and they would even be eager for it.

Once they were enthroned by the Ming Dynasty, their position in Mongolia was consolidated. Especially now that Mongolia no longer had a Khan, with the death of Ligdan Khan, the Mongolian Khan completely disappeared, and the tribes no longer had a common leader, which was both a blessing and a pressure for the tribes.

Fortunately, no one can tell me what to do in the name of the Khan anymore, and I can make my own decisions. The pressure is that without the Khan, the conflicts between tribes will be out of control. If conflicts break out between tribes in the future, there will be no one to suppress and mediate in the name of the Khan.

The emergence of the Ming Dynasty solved this problem. The Ming Emperor conferred titles on the Mongolian tribes as the Son of Heaven, which was equivalent to giving them an officially recognized amulet and ensuring their status. Moreover, the Ming Emperor was not the Khan, and it was impossible for him to summon the Mongolian tribes to wage war at any time like Lin Dan Khan did. This also eliminated another hidden danger, which was a great thing for the tribes!
(End of this chapter)