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

Chapter 837 Enfeoffment
Thinking of this, Zhu Minlan understood Zhu Shenzui's intention. The reason why Zhu Shenzui conferred the title of Prince on Tengger and also gave Agudamu the title of Prince of Shunning was that he intended to prepare for the splitting of Tumed, or to use Agudamu to contain Tengger and prevent Tumed from becoming the only powerful one and affecting the safety of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Minlan did not expect that Zhu Shenzhui, as a father, would actually plot against his son in this way. This arrangement was far beyond his imagination. But after careful consideration, he found that Zhu Shenzhui was far-sighted in doing so, because if the Tumed became too powerful, it would definitely not be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty. Once the northern ethnic minorities were unified and formed a large and powerful regime, everyone knew what the result would be.

For example, the Huns during the Han Dynasty, the Turks during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Khitans at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Jurchens at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the later Mongols, etc.

Once the nomadic peoples in the north become powerful, they will show strong aggressiveness, and their target will not be others but the Central Plains dynasty in the south.

Therefore, for the Central Plains dynasty, stability in the north is extremely important. The Ming Dynasty may need a grassland tribe that is close to the Ming Dynasty and can serve as a northern barrier for the Ming Dynasty, but it absolutely does not need the birth of a regime that rises in the north and is strong enough to compete with the Central Plains. The latter poses too great a threat to the Ming Dynasty. Even if his own descendants control this regime, Zhu Shenzui will never allow this to happen.

In Zhu Shenzui's plan, he would never allow Tumed to become the real overlord of the grassland. He could give Tenger wealth and glory and support Tenger's rule in Tumed, but once Tenger planned to unify Mongolia, Zhu Shenzui would definitely stop him. In his plan, the future Mongolia should be composed of a large tribe close to the Ming Dynasty, and then a loose structure composed of countless other Mongolian tribes of different sizes.

Only in this way can Ming Dynasty and Mongolia coexist, and Ming Dynasty will take the initiative between the two. Mongolia will not only be unable to pose a threat to Ming Dynasty, but will also become a subsidiary of Ming Dynasty, a natural Great Wall in the north.

Zhu Shencui's enthronement of Agudamu was a preparation for this. When Agudamu grew up a little, Zhu Shencui would ask Tenger to divide part of the grassland and tribes from Tumed to Agudamu in the name of the emperor of Ming Dynasty and his father. The area east of Tumed and close to Chahar was the most suitable. As long as Agudamu occupied this grassland, Ming Dynasty could support Agudamu through trade and a series of other means, so that he could not only help Ming Dynasty guard against the Mongols including Jiannu from the east and northeast, but also use Agudamu to guard against the Tenger tribe in the west, so that they could check and balance each other.

As for the northern part of the desert, even if Tenger took over the northern part of the desert and wanted to unify it with the southern part of the desert, it would be difficult to do so. Firstly, the tribal structures of the northern part of the desert and the southern part of the desert are different. From a historical perspective, the Khalkha Mongols are completely two different branches from the southern part of the desert. It is not an easy task for the leader of the southern part of the desert to rule the northern part of the desert. Even if Tenger had this opportunity, Zhu Shencui would not give it to him. Zhu Shencui would use other means to prevent Tenger from effectively ruling the northern part of the desert, and at the same time dismantle and split the northern part of the desert, thereby weakening the power of the northern part of the desert.

When Tenger was older and his children were born, Zhu Shenzui planned to implement a feudal system similar to that of the Zhou Dynasty in Mongolia, enfeoffing all his descendants in Mongolia one by one and making them taijis and chiefs of various tribes.

Thinking of this, Zhu Minlan couldn't help but look at Zhu Shenzhui, as if he had met his father for the first time today. He never thought that the father who had always been an idol in his heart would even scheme against his own son and even grandchildren. This really subverted his imagination.

"Child, as an emperor, there are some things you have to do. Moreover, this approach is the best and most suitable for them. If you really let it go, when the North grows stronger, it will breed ambitions, leading to a war between the North and the South, and brothers killing each other. At that time, thousands of miles of land will be devastated. Is this a good thing?"

"The Ming Dynasty belongs to my Zhu family, and the future Mongolia will also belong to my Zhu family. No matter north or south, they are all my descendants. Do I want my descendants to fight on the battlefield when you have the same bloodline? No matter who wins or loses, it is unacceptable. Today's choice may seem cruel, but it is actually for the long-term peace in the future!"

Zhu Minlan's heart trembled slightly. Zhu Shenzhui's words were like a hand that cleared away the fog in front of him, allowing him to realize many things that he had not thought of just now.

Yes, Zhu Shenzui was right. Although his actions were somewhat unfair to the Tengger brothers and their descendants, wasn’t it also for their own good?
Zhu Shenzhui not only did not want to see his descendants killing each other in the future, he also hoped that the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia would coexist in peace forever. Moreover, since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Mongolia has always been the Ming Dynasty's biggest enemy. The reason why Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to the north was also because Mongolia was in the north. In this way, the emperor would guard the national border and the capital would be in the north, which would be more conducive to the war in the north.

However, in the more than 200 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, although there was a period of peace between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia, the two sides had been at war for a longer period of time. Although the Ming Dynasty had the upper hand, it could not really solve the Mongolian problem, which was something that successive Ming emperors could never do.

But now this situation has changed with the emergence of Zhu Shenzhui. The Tumed who controls the most powerful tribe in Mongolia is Zhu Shenzhui's son Tenger. As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Shenzhui can rule both the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia. Although the two are still different ethnic groups and regimes, changes have already taken place. When Tenger's power continues to grow, Mongolia will basically be in Tenger's hands. By then, it will be impossible for the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia to merge, but there will be no problem for Mongolia to respect the Ming Dynasty as its suzerain, because the rulers of Mongolia have become the bloodline of the Zhu family from the original Golden Family, and are one with the Ming Dynasty royal family.

At this time, according to Zhu Shenzhui's plan, the feudal system was implemented in Mongolia, and Emperor Wu of Han issued the Enfeoffment Order, allowing the descendants of Tenger and Agudamu to rule the various Mongolian tribes respectively, while continuing to respect the Ming Dynasty as the suzerain state. In this way, the problems that the Ming Dynasty had not been able to solve in Mongolia for hundreds of years would have the possibility of completely changing.

By constantly winning over various tribes and using them to contain each other, the tribes on the grassland are equivalent to princes, and the Ming Dynasty is like the Zhou emperor. All princes respect the emperor of the Central Plains, and peace can be maintained for at least a hundred years or even longer.

As time goes by, when the Ming Dynasty's technology advances, its advantage over the northern nomadic peoples will be further enhanced. At that time, coupled with the Ming Dynasty's policy reasons, Mongolia will no longer be a powerful enemy. The Mongolian problem that has plagued the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years will be completely solved. However, this is a long-term plan and will not be completed in a short period of time. Even Zhu Shenzhui is unlikely to be able to do it in his lifetime. Even Zhu Minlan may not be able to do it. It will take the efforts of several generations to achieve it.

In addition to this method, Zhu Shenzhu also told Zhu Minlan that in the future, in order to win over the Mongolian tribes, certain marriage methods would be needed, which was also part of the political method. Of course, how to do it and to what extent it would depend on the ability of future generations. Moreover, because Tenger and Agudamu had Zhu family blood, this marriage was different from an ordinary marriage. After all, it was impossible for their descendants to marry each other directly, but only from other tribes.

Seeing that Zhu Minlan had frowned and remained silent for a long time, Zhu Shenzhui was worried that what he said today would have too much impact on him. When he was about to comfort him, Zhu Minlan came back to his senses.

"I understand. Although I can't accept it right now, I know that this arrangement by Dad is the best solution. I will keep it in mind, but I am worried that my elder brother will blame me in the future."

Seeing his helpless smile, Zhu Shenzhui laughed and said, "Don't worry, your elder brother won't blame you, and this arrangement is only aimed at Mongolia. If your elder brother is willing to go west and hand over Tumed to someone else, he will naturally not care about the Ming Dynasty's targeting."

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Minlan raised his head suddenly. He looked at Zhu Shenzhui with a little surprise. After thinking for a while, he asked tentatively: "You mean... the Rakshasa people in the west?"

Zhu Shenzhui's eyes flashed with relief. Although his son had just become the crown prince and had not yet officially been involved in government affairs, his intelligence was surprising. He reacted when he only mentioned it slightly. It was not easy for him, as a teenager, to think of this.

"You are right, it is the Luosha people." Zhu Shenzhui stood up, walked to the side and said seriously: "The rise of Luosha people in the west is not a trivial matter. You also know the origin and situation of Luosha people from your eldest brother. Such a country that has only been established for a hundred years can have such a vast territory in such a short time. Once its tentacles extend to the east, it will definitely be a great threat to our Ming Dynasty in the future."

"It is inevitable to curb the Russians' eastward advance. If your eldest brother is interested in advancing westward, as long as he has the ability to imitate Batu and fight all the way to the Russians' lair, it doesn't matter how large the territory he occupies is. At that time, he can gallop across thousands of miles. Why limit himself to Tumed? In this way, we can not only retain the northern barrier of the Ming Dynasty, but also expand the territory and rebuild the country in the west. How can this be good?"

Zhu Minlan's face lit up immediately. If that was the case, it would be a good thing. But could Tengger do it? He didn't know if he was sure, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. He and Tengger had already discussed military action against the Luosha people in private. If Tengger could really go west to defeat the Luosha people and expand the territory, he would not have to stay in Tumed to be feared by the Ming Dynasty.

For a moment, Zhu Minlan couldn't help but think deeply. Although he was smart, he was still young, and lacked a lot of experience. He didn't have a holistic understanding of the overall situation, so what he could think of was still very limited. Looking at Zhu Minlan's expression, Zhu Shenzhu didn't say much. The prince still needed to be trained. This was just the beginning. What he said today was enough for him to think about for many days. When he could really figure it out and have his own opinions and complete judgment, then he would be truly mature.

(End of this chapter)