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

Chapter 273 Dragon and Tiger General
The Tenger tribe was quite powerful in the right wing of the Tumed tribe. Although it was not as strong as the Bushitu tribe, it was also one of the ten thousand households in the right wing of the Mongolian Tumed tribe. Moreover, compared with the Bushitu tribe, the Tenger tribe was further south, which meant it was closer to the Ming Dynasty.

It would not be a bad thing if the Tenger tribe could be won over to serve the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, Wei Zhongxian told Emperor Tianqi that although Tenger was the taiji of the tribe, in fact a woman was the real master of the tribe. This woman was the daughter of the former taiji of the tribe, Asitemuer, and also Tenger's biological mother. This woman named Tana admired the Ming Dynasty as much as Sanniangzi did back then and was quite close to it. If Tana could be won over and the Tenger tribe could be supported, perhaps this woman named Tana would be the next Sanniangzi.

The Ming Dynasty had always tried to win over and divide the tribes on the Mongolian grasslands, and when Sanniangzi was in charge of Mongolia, the two sides were at their most harmonious. Unfortunately, Sanniangzi died in the 41st year of Wanli, and the Mongolian tribes returned to their original state. Then Lin Danhan came to power. This Mongolian Khan was not only a simple-minded reckless man, but also a person without political wisdom. What he did in recent years was simply incredible. It would be more appropriate to find someone else than to pin hopes on Lin Danhan.

Wei Zhongxian thought that the Tengger tribe was a good choice. First, Tana was close to the Ming Dynasty and was worth winning over. Second, the Tengger tribe had just experienced civil strife, and Tana, as a woman, could stand out and support her son to take the throne, which showed that this woman was very politically wise.

As for the third point, Ming Dynasty needs to find allies from outside to share the pressure. Even if the Tengger tribe cannot help Ming Dynasty in the war in Liaodong, as long as the Tengger tribe and Ming Dynasty remain friendly, it can also reduce the pressure on Ming Dynasty’s northern border, especially the Shanxi border, so that Ming Dynasty can draw troops from the nine borders to support Liaodong and have more confidence in resolving the war in Liaodong.

All of these were worthwhile from every perspective, and the Ming Dynasty did not have to pay anything. Apart from a nominal enthronement, at most there would be some rewards. These costs were not much at all. The enthronement was just an excuse, and the rewards were nothing more than some trivial gifts. Wei Zhongxian calculated that it would not cost much silver to accomplish this, and compared with the possible returns, these costs were simply a drop in the bucket.

Emperor Tianqi listened quietly to Wei Zhongxian's explanation. After Wei Zhongxian finished speaking, Emperor Tianqi did not answer immediately, but closed his eyes slightly as if thinking about something.

After a long time, Emperor Tianqi asked: "According to Wei Banban's opinion, what kind of reward would be more appropriate for enfeoffing the Tenger tribe?"

"Your Majesty, the title of King of Shunyi is naturally impossible. After all, Bu Shitu is still the King of Shunyi. Once the title of Shunyi is given to Tengger, Bu Shitu will definitely be offended. Moreover, although the Tengger tribe is a large tribe, it is not like Bu Shitu who is the leader of the right wing of the Tumed. It is just one of the tribes. Therefore, I think it is more appropriate to give him the title of Commander-in-Chief."

"In addition, Tana, the mother of Tenger, should be given a generous title in my opinion. After all, a woman is only given a great fate."

"Well, that makes sense." Emperor Tianqi nodded slightly. He was also dissatisfied with Lin Dan Khan. Over the years, Lin Dan Khan repeatedly let the Ming Dynasty doves and screwed the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Tianqi had long thought that Lin Dan Khan was not trustworthy. Not only Lin Dan Khan, but also Bu Shitu was the same. As the Shunyi King of the Ming Dynasty, Bu Shitu had been taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty and doing nothing. Emperor Tianqi had long wanted to punish him.

Now Wei Zhongxian suddenly proposed to win over the Tenger tribe, which was a good move. Just as Wei Zhongxian said, there were many advantages, and no disadvantages. Even if Bu Shitu was angry with the Tenger tribe, it was the Mongols' own business. Emperor Tianqi was even hoping that the Mongols would cause chaos.

The more chaotic the grassland is, the more peaceful the Ming Dynasty will be. The fighting between Mongols and Mongols is none of the Ming Dynasty's business. It would be best if all these Mongols died. If there is no Mongolian threat in the north, the Ming Dynasty will not need to maintain so many troops in the nine borders, and can concentrate its strength to deal with the Later Jin and Jiannu in Liaodong.

The more I think about it, the more I feel that this operation is feasible. Even if it fails, the Ming Dynasty will only have to pay an insignificant price.

The enthronement is nothing more than a word from the emperor, and it is not an actual position in the Ming officialdom. No one in the court, including the cabinet, will object. As for the gifts of reward, it is nothing. There are plenty of silks and satins in the palace, and these things will get moldy if kept in the inner treasury. Take some out and send them to the grassland, and give a thousand taels of silver and jewelry or something. It will be enough.

Rewards are not based on the amount of gifts, but on the attitude. Besides, the rewards given by the Ming emperors were never many. Even the rewards for important officials in the court were never large. Sometimes, when rewarding a grand secretary or even a cabinet minister, the emperor would usually just give him a meal or something.

Thinking of this, Emperor Tianqi smiled and looked at Wei Zhongxian with eyes full of praise.

It is better to have your own people. Wei Zhongxian is loyal. He not only helps me deal with the Donglin Party in the court, but also remembers the political situation in the world and tries his best to solve my problems. Looking at Wei Zhongxian, and thinking about those Donglin Party members who only know how to talk big, find faults and make trouble for others on weekdays, and hide faster than anyone else when encountering problems, Emperor Tianqi feels that he is right to use Wei Zhongxian. Immediately, Emperor Tianqi agreed with Wei Zhongxian's suggestion and prepared to confer titles on Tengger and Tana. As for Tengger, Emperor Tianqi felt that since he was going to confer a title, he should not be stingy. What is a mere Tongzhi? Anyway, this is an empty official position, and the Ming Dynasty does not need to pay a salary. It is more appropriate to show sincerity by conferring a generous title.

Shunyi King is definitely not an option, so why not confer him the title of Dragon and Tiger General? Dragon and Tiger General is a second-rank military official in the Ming Dynasty, which is not low in terms of rank. In addition, according to the Ming Dynasty’s practice, Dragon and Tiger General is usually awarded to leaders of foreign races. For example, Nurhaci of the Later Jin Jiannu asked the Ming Dynasty for the title of Dragon and Tiger General. Before Bu Shitu was conferred the title of Shunyi King, he was also a Dragon and Tiger General.

Giving him a Dragon and Tiger General was also a way of showing the importance that the Ming Dynasty attached to the Tenger tribe. In addition, after considering Tengger's mother, Tana, Emperor Tianqi decided to give her a title of Lady Zhongshun, just like he had given her the title of Lady Sanniang. This title was of the first rank, more honorable than the Dragon and Tiger General, which was enough to make the Tenger troops grateful to the Ming Dynasty.

After Emperor Tianqi expressed his attitude, Wei Zhongxian kept cheering and flattering him. Listening to Wei Zhongxian's continuous flattery, Emperor Tianqi felt as comfortable as drinking ice water in the dog days of summer, and his face was full of smiles.

Afterwards, Wei Zhongxian made another small suggestion. He suggested that since the Tenger tribe was enthroned, in order to win over the Tenger tribe, it would be better to grant the Tengers the right to border trade. The Ming Dynasty had already opened border trade for cooperation with Ligdan Khan, and Zhangjiakou was now the port for border trade between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia.

Now, the Tengger tribe has become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. Since they are one of ours, we have to give them some benefits. It is not excessive to grant them the right to border trade. Moreover, a strong Tengger tribe is also beneficial to the Ming Dynasty. Maybe in the future war against the Later Jin and Jiannu in Liaodong, we can get the support of Mongolian cavalry from the Tengger tribe. This is simply killing two birds with one stone.

After a brief consideration, Emperor Tianqi said that he could give it a try, but it would be better if the court did not issue an order, as the overall impact should be considered. Moreover, there might be objections from the cabinet and the Donglin Party, and once it was proposed, it might not be implemented.

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and whispered that he would take care of the matter. He would conduct border trade appropriately through the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so that it would have nothing to do with the court. As long as the border was arranged well, the officials of the court would not notice it at all, and everything would be done naturally.

Wei Zhongxian's words reminded Emperor Tianqi of the incident in Shanxi last year. Feng Quan reported the results of the Shanxi investigation after returning to Beijing, claiming that the so-called smuggling by royal family members was completely false. The royal family of the Ming Dynasty was having a hard time now, especially the middle and low-level royal family members. How could they afford to engage in smuggling trade?

On the contrary, this investigation found some signs of collusion between officials in the court and Shanxi merchants, which also hinted at the Donglin Party behind them. Because at that time, Emperor Tianqi did not take direct action in order to ensure the implementation of Jiangnan taxes and the Donglin Party's power, but instead told the cabinet chief Ye Xianggao about it, and appropriately hit the Donglin Party, and used it as a political bargaining chip to make a private exchange with the Donglin Party.

At present, the taxation situation in Jiangnan has improved. With the supervision of Wei Zhongxian and the local tax supervisors, including the eunuchs who were previously transferred from mining supervisors to local positions, the taxation in Jiangnan has increased a lot in the past two months. In particular, the income from commercial taxes is quite gratifying, but even so, there are still too many places for Ming Dynasty to spend money, and the finances of Ming Dynasty are still tight. At the end of last year, in order to pay for the military expenses in Liaodong, Emperor Tianqi took out a sum of money from his private money and sent it to his teacher Sun. Now Teacher Sun decided to establish the Guanningjin Defense Line in Liaodong, and Ningyuan and Jinzhou needed to rebuild the city, which was another place to spend money.

The emperor's family didn't have any extra money. The Tianqi Emperor had a lot of private money, but it was all the money that the Wanli Emperor had saved for decades. Now, since he ascended the throne, several million taels of silver have been spent, and the money has never come back. What should we do if it continues to be like this?

Since you Donglin Party members and merchants can collude and smuggle money through border trade, why can't he, the emperor, do the same? Wei Zhongxian's suggestion instantly opened up the Tianqi Emperor's mind. Wouldn't it be better to reward the Tenger tribe and let the Dongchang or even the Jinyiwei be responsible for the border trade with the Mongolian tribe?

Once border trade is developed, the silver will become the royal property. More importantly, not only can he make money, but he can also teach a severe lesson to the Donglin Party and those merchants who collude with the Donglin Party, letting them know that they cannot sit back and relax just because of the Donglin Party's background. Everything they do is under his nose, and he, the emperor, is the real master of the empire.

(End of this chapter)