Although these Mongol leaders were more than happy to accept Han Chinese dependence on them, they wanted to accept Han Chinese as individuals, not as the peasant groups that Chongzhen claimed.

However, under Chongzhen's temptation before, coupled with the need for the Ming army to help them resist the military pressure from Lin Dan Khan, these leaders and representatives of the right-wing Mongolian tribes finally acquiesced to Chongzhen's suggestion.

Of course, in return, they also received a promise from Chongzhen that one-tenth of the annual income of the farming regiment would be paid to the banner where they were located. Half of the money will be used to build the flag's infrastructure, such as water conservancy or road repairs. while the other half is at the disposal of the Zasak of the banner.

When this long meeting was over, the Mongol leaders were taken to the side hall by their chamberlains, ready to enjoy the banquet that Chongzhen had given them.

When the officials of the Ministry of Rites accompanied these Mongolian leaders to leave, seeing that the idle people in the hall were no longer there, Huang Liji, who had been patient, finally opened his mouth and said to Chongzhen that he was resolutely opposed to changing the Ming Dynasty's consistent policy towards the border peoples, that is, to control the border nomads with trade.

Listening to Huang Liji's analysis of him, Zhu Youzhen said to him disapprerovingly: "Isn't it something that was determined at the beginning of the year to liberalize the commercial trade between Mongolia and abroad?" How is it that the sir is now against again? ”

Huang Liji said dissatisfiedly to Chongzhen: "At the beginning of the year, it was said that the border trade would be liberalized, but what was said at the beginning was to let the merchants of the Ming Dynasty go out to do business, and the imperial court still had to monitor *, machines, and weapons.

Now His Majesty has let these Mongols form companies, and he has also asked them to enter the interior to do business. At that time, these Mongols understood the reality of the Ming Dynasty, and relied on trade to enhance their strength, if there is any evil intention, how will you explain to your ancestors and ancestors in the future? ”

Zhu Youzhen smiled and replied: "Mr. Huang is too pessimistic, my Ming population is more than 150 million, and the total number of Mongols is only tens of millions, and it is divided into several parts: Monan, Mobei and Oirat, and the Mongolian tribes within each part are still divided.

In this situation, if we do not take the opportunity to turn the Mongols into the Ming people by deepening political, economic, and cultural ties, how long will we have to wait? It is correct to use trade means to weaken the ethnic minorities in the border areas, but relying on trade means alone cannot eliminate the hidden dangers of the Ming frontiers.

If you want to eliminate the threat of the frontier ethnic minorities to the Ming Dynasty, you must either eliminate them or assimilate them. By this time, the Mongol tribes have become a mess, and we naturally want to digest them. Do you still want to leave it alone, let the Houjin digest these Mongol tribes, and finally have a unified steppe empire in the north of the Ming Dynasty?

Moreover, if the court leaves it alone, will these Mongolian tribes not have bad intentions? Over the years, the north has been plagued by disasters year after year, and even the people of the Ming Dynasty in the north have had a very difficult time, and those Mongolian herdsmen who have no savings and rely on the sky for food will only be more difficult than the people of the Ming Dynasty.

The people of Daming will rise up and rebel if they have nothing to eat, and those Mongolian herdsmen have no food to eat, will they obediently stay on the grassland and starve to death, and they will not come to harass me Daming? Even if they feel that their strength is not enough, but with the vicious dog Houjin eyeing the side, won't they borrow the power of the Mongols to open a front in the northwest to attack our Daming? ”

Under Chongzhen's series of rhetorical questions, Huang Liji was stunned for a moment, and he replied for a long time: "It's not like this, right?" After this, Jin didn't just sign a peace treaty with my Daming, we also gave them a lot of benefits, and agreed to exchange markets with them in Jinzhou and Yingkou. Even if they want to regret it, they should put it off for 2 or 3 years. ”

Regarding Huang Liji's idea of treating the Jurchens as Mongolians who were satisfied with the mutual market, Zhu Youzhen subconsciously shook his head. He knew that although the officials in the court agreed with the concept he advocated, they first made peace with the Jurchens, settled the rebellion of the southern Tusi, and restored domestic production, recuperated for a period of time, let the Ming Dynasty ease up, and then went to the Jurchens to settle accounts and recapture the eastern Liaodong region.

However, after the successive defeats in Liaodong, most officials actually thought that Liaodong was difficult to recover, but because of the political correctness of the Ming Dynasty, they did not want to cut off their political future because they proposed a proposal and were attacked by the world's clear streams, so they showed the main battle in the court one by one.

When the newly enthroned Chongzhen offered to negotiate peace with the Jurchens on the grounds of abandoning his reputation, most officials breathed a sigh of relief. They used Chongzhen's reason for convincing them as an excuse. In essence, most officials did not believe that after the peace treaty was signed, a major war would break out between the Ming and the Houjin.

After all, there is an example of Longqing opening in the past, and many officials have regarded Huang Taiji as the second king of Shunyi. It is believed that as long as the Jurchens are allowed to enjoy the economic benefits of the opening of the market, the new Houjin Khan will always stop.

Even Huang Liji, who was reminded by Chongzhen from time to time, although he felt that the peace between Houjin and Daming would not last long, he never considered that this peace agreement could not be supported for three or five years.

Zhu Youzhen had to emphasize to his Shoufu again: "No matter what Houjin thinks, from the day the peace treaty is signed, we must be prepared to wake up tomorrow when the peace treaty has been torn up."

When to tear up the peace treaty, that is something that Huang Taiji and his subordinates have to consider. And what Mr. and I should consider is whether the Ming Dynasty is ready for war if Houjin tears up the peace treaty tomorrow.

The strength of the two countries is equal, and peace represents peace; The disparity in strength between the two countries is so great that the peace treaty is just a temporary armistice, and as long as one side is ready for war, then the peace treaty will be torn up.

For a long time, if the Houjin wanted to invade the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, they could only take the road of the Western Liaoning Corridor. It was not because he didn't want to go to the Mongolian steppe, but because Lin Dan Khan firmly blocked the passage of the Houjin detour to the Mongolian steppe.

Now Lin Dan Khan has moved westward, not only giving up the passage to the Great Ming Xuanda Defense Line, but also resenting the persecution of all the Mongolian tribes on the right wing of Monan.

If Huang Taiji takes this opportunity to win over the right-wing Mongolian tribes and let these tribes lead a detour to attack the Xuanda defense line or the Jizhou defense line for Houjin, do we still want to accuse Houjin of not being trustworthy and shouldn't make a detour to attack my Daming? ”

Although Huang Liji is still willing to believe that Houjin will abide by this peace agreement, he will not take such a big risk and make a detour of thousands of miles to attack the Xuanda defense line of the Ming Dynasty. But as a senior Ming bureaucrat, he naturally would not go to Huang Taiji to play this package ticket, so as to dig a hole for himself.

Therefore, he had to verbally agree with the emperor's opinion, believing that the Later Jin did have the possibility of winning over the right-wing Mongol tribes to deal with the Ming Dynasty.

However, he was still hesitant to allow these Mongols to enter the interior to trade freely, and he never believed that these Mongols would be all loyal to the Ming Dynasty. After all, the Wuhu Rebellion and the Anshi Rebellion have already been written in history.

Zhu Youzhen didn't observe the face of the first assistant next to him, he paused slightly, and then continued: "There is one more thing that I want to discuss with Mr. ”

Huang Liji sobered up from his thoughts, he arched his hand at Chongzhen and said, "Listen to your ears, please show your majesty." ”

Zhu Youzhen thought for a while, and then said: "I plan to merge the institutions of the Ministry of Rites to manage the foreign domains and the monks, and establish a new administrative department, with the same status as the six ministries, under the cabinet. ”

Huang Liji was stunned for a moment, and he couldn't help asking, "What department does Your Majesty plan to set up?" How to solve the funding and personnel of this department? Who will be the head of this department? ”

Zhu Youzhen replied lightly: "This department is responsible for managing ethnic minorities and religious affairs in the Ming Dynasty, and the department's funds are of course from the budget, and the first set is 300,000 yuan a year.

Officials, who are familiar with ethnic minorities from all over the country, including the more prestigious Tusi in the southwest, and the heads of the imperial court. As for the chief officer of this department, I thought that the king of Shunyi was very good, and I picked out two chiefs from the right wing of the Mongol tribes to assist him. The name of the department is the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission.

The main tasks of the work are to promote the cultural, educational, and public health undertakings of all ethnic groups, and to regulate the content of the dissemination of religion in areas inhabited by minority nationalities. Crack down on separatists among various ethnic groups and superstition and hatred in religious propaganda. ”

Huang Liji didn't take much to heart what Chongzhen said, he looked at Chongzhen very suspiciously and asked, "Let King Shunyi hold this official position?" Does His Majesty want to keep him in the capital? ”

Zhu Youzhen did not answer positively, but replied nonchalantly: "I can't say that, but the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission will set up official offices in Beijing, Chongqing, Kunming, Guilin, and Fengzhen."

As the head of this department, King Shunyi will work in the capital for about a longer time in the future. Of course, those ethnic minority officials who have performed well should also be transferred to the capital, so that they can better display their talents and contribute to the national unity of the Ming Dynasty..."

When Chongzhen was still discussing with Shoufu the establishment of a new organization called the Ethnic and Religious Committee, as the plenipotentiary representative of the Spanish Governor to the Philippines, Silva, after a difficult four-week journey, finally arrived in Beijing.

The colonial official, Severcos, finally breathed a sigh of relief after entering the tall and majestic city of Beijing.

When Garcia returned to Manila with the orders of the Ming Emperor, the colony's high-ranking officials had just received that the colonial base in northern Taiwan had been attacked.

And these unresponsive colonial officials have not yet figured out who exactly attacked Taiwan's colonial bases.

Even the always wise governor was a little uncertain whether it was the Dutch, the Japanese, or the Chinese pirates, but they did not suspect the Ming government.

It was only after a petty officer stationed in Taiwan was released by the Chinese that the colonial officials learned the whole story.

These Spanish colonists did not take the goodwill of the Chinese emperor brought back by Garcia, they only noticed one thing, the Chinese joined forces with the Dutch, which was simply a disaster.

Even if the Chinese forget, these colonial officials have not forgotten that this land was soaked with the blood of the Chinese more than 20 years ago.

The panicked colonial officials completely ignored Chongzhen's kindness to Garcia to bring back. These Spanish colonizers treated themselves as their own, and what they used to conquer the world was nothing more than violence and lies.

They were afraid that this was a lie by the Chinese who wanted to confuse them and let them let their guard down, and perhaps behind Garcia was a mighty Chinese fleet.