Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 105 Making Money! Making Money! Making Money! War is all about making money.

The horse market of the Ming Dynasty was a complex and intermittent affair, operating intermittently. When the Ming Dynasty was powerful, it would oppress the Mongol tribes, driving them to rebellion; when the Mongol tribes were powerful, they were equally ruthless, engaging in forced buying and selling, and even directly plundering the horse market. The horse market was highly profitable, generating substantial annual revenue, and naturally, many parasites thrived within it.

These issues are difficult to untangle, requiring a highly capable and efficient minister to reorganize them. It would take a very long time, and the problems could easily resurface. There are also many conflicts in the horse market, which could seriously lead to war.

The Mongols would sell sick or diseased horses to the Ming people. Don't think that the Mongols were honest. Of course, the Ming people weren't good people either; they would do anything to cheat and swindle.

Rather than struggling with management and getting little reward, it's better to simply open up free trade and let the market decide. If the market gets ripped off, then it's your own fault for not being discerning enough. The Ming Dynasty won't interfere in trade disputes; it only needs to maintain order. The horse market will be moved outside the Great Wall. The bolder ones will venture deep into the grasslands, while the less daring will stay close to the city walls, protected by the border troops.

Merchants from the Ming Dynasty who came and went were all taxed, whether they were bartering or exchanging goods for money or grain. They all paid a 10% tax, which amounted to 20% for a round trip, including customs duties and commercial taxes. Taxation is the most problematic thing; the more complicated it is, the more likely it is to cause problems. It would be best if it were simple and clear enough for everyone to understand and calculate.

The Mongol tribes were undoubtedly the happiest about Zhu Youjian's plan. Taxes weren't directly levied on them, and the trading locations were outside the Great Wall, eliminating their need to deal with the cunning Ming officials. However, there was considerable dissent within the court. Zhu Youjian couldn't discern whether those who disagreed simply thought his plan was flawed, or whether they were dissatisfied because they saw the horse market as a potential source of profit and were now seeing it effectively abolished.

Zhu Youjian confiscated the two Mongolian women. It wasn't a matter of Han Chinese versus non-Han Chinese; even if they were non-Han women, Zhu Youjian would accept them all, after all, he was a "philanthropic" person. The reason he didn't accept them was simply because he found them unattractive.

Objectively speaking, these two Mongolian noblewomen weren't ugly; they were at least much prettier than the Mongolian concubines in late Qing Dynasty photos, but they certainly weren't considered beautiful. The wind and sand of the grasslands had roughened their skin. Even though the Tumed and Khorchin tribes weren't on the Mongolian Plateau, these two Qiqiges still had a patch of rosy cheeks on their faces, flat noses, high cheekbones, round faces, and outlandish hairstyles.

Zhu Youjian began to believe that they were indeed descendants of the Golden Family, looking exactly like the portraits of Temujin and Kublai Khan. Zhu Youjian couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Golden Bloodline; even though their appearances were vastly different from those of the Taizu and Taizong emperors, these Mongols could still look alike after hundreds of years.

It has to be said that Huang Taiji really had a silver tongue; he was truly willing to go to any lengths to consolidate his position! There were portraits of Mongol emperors in the palace, which Zhu Youjian had previously wanted to sell, but no one wanted to buy them. Now, a suitable buyer has come along.

Zhu Youjian invited the envoys from these dozens of Mongol tribes to a banquet and treated them to roasted pig. Some tribal representatives ate heartily, enjoying their meat and wine; others watched the roasted pig with contorted faces, not touching it, and could only drink their wine in silence.

Then, Zhu Youjian brought out a portrait of Temujin, and a large group of Mongols knelt down. If Kublai Khan's reputation among the Mongol tribes was mixed, Genghis Khan was the common ancestor of the steppe people, a figure who had been deified by the Mongols.

Ultimately, this 400-year-old portrait of Genghis Khan was auctioned off for the price of 1,200 sheep and acquired by the Ordos tribe.

After making a small profit by utilizing waste materials, Zhu Youjian began to fabricate stories. He said mysteriously to the Mongol envoys, "I recently found a shamanic prescription from four hundred years ago. If you make medicine according to this prescription and take it, it can enhance male virility, nourish the kidneys, and even grant immortality."

Do you know why Genghis Khan sent troops to attack the Jin Dynasty? Because the Jurchens were incredibly 'nourishing'! He claimed that by using the brains of 99,999 strong Jurchen men as a catalyst, he could concoct an elixir of immortality, thus granting himself eternal life, hehehehe!

The Mongol tribes were utterly shocked by the Ming emperor's erratic performance. They had long heard that the emperors of the Central Plains were eccentric, and now they saw it was indeed true. There was no such thing as immortality; everyone dies. Even Genghis Khan returned to the Eternal Heaven. He's gone mad! The Ming emperor has gone mad!
Zhu Youjian licked his lips and said, "So I want to buy the heads of the Jurchens from you. Forty taels of silver per head, no cheating, young or old. That's eighty shi of grain, enough for a small tribe to get through the winter!"

Sure enough, the Mongols were tempted! Good heavens, could it be that the Jurchens are truly made of gold, so valuable? You must know that on the grasslands now, when the harvest is bad, food is more precious than life; a sack of grain or a sheep can be exchanged for a strong slave!

However, this was a benefit unique to the eastern Mongols, as the western Mongols could not cross thousands of miles to cause trouble for the Jurchens. Their demand was to reopen the tea-horse trade and restore the Silk Road.

Back then, they saw the decline of the Ming Dynasty, seized Hami Guard, and forced the Ming forces out of the Western Regions, leading to the Ming Dynasty's isolation and self-defense. Now that they see they can't make ends meet, they've started to miss the existence of the Ming Dynasty.

Due to the rise of the Jurchens, the Ming Dynasty's nine border garrisons were now "top-heavy," with most of its forces concentrated in the east. The combined strength of the three western garrisons was less than that of a single Liaodong garrison, making it naturally unable to control the Western Regions. Currently, several Mongol tribes in the Western Regions were engaged in fierce fighting, leading Zhu Youjian to doubt whether business could truly be conducted there.

However, since the Mongols have sent people to invite us, we should at least give it a try. After all, it's the Silk Road, a place that flourished during the Han and Tang dynasties! Back then, the west was richer than the east. Now, the western provinces of the Ming Dynasty are dirt poor, precisely because the Silk Road trade has been cut off.

Of course, the land Silk Road was cut off, but the maritime Silk Road was incredibly prosperous. Unfortunately, Zhu Youjian couldn't even get a sip of the soup! So, Sun Chengzong had another task: to do business and make money with the western Mongols.

Make money! Make money! Make money! War is about making money, not about showcasing national power. Zhu Youjian only wanted tangible benefits, not empty fame. After finalizing the general direction, the remaining details were left for the court officials to discuss. Zhu Xieyuan also led people to make connections with the Khorchin tribe.

This time, the envoy from the Chahar tribe was sent by Ligdan Khan's younger brother, Juntu Taiji. The Chahar tribe had split up, and when they returned, the sky fell. The tribe was plundered by the traitorous Left Wing Grand General Tashhai, suffering heavy casualties. Tashhai then went to surrender to Huang Taiji. This was all Ligdan Khan's fault!

Juntu Taiji was elected as the new Khan of the Chahar tribe. Lindan Khan could not suppress him and almost lost his life. After his defeat, he led his remaining troops westward.

Sun Chengzong reported that traces of Ligdan Khan had been discovered in Ningxia Town, and that he was currently engaged in battle with the Western Mongol forces, with the possibility of him invading the Ming Dynasty again.

(End of this chapter)