Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 418: The Young Khan with an Old Heart
A good place is always a good place. In the eyes of professionals, where Chengde City is located and where the imperial palace is built are naturally highly consistent with the future.
After all, it has been less than a hundred years since the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains and built the Rehe Palace here, and the geographical conditions have not changed drastically.

At this time, the first temporary palace that the Ming emperor actually ordered to be built was called Chengde Palace. "Summer Palace" was just a private name.

Chengde Palace is quite large, but it has not been fully completed yet.

On the west bank of the Wulie River in the northeastern suburbs of Chengde Prefecture, the Chengde Palace that has been built today still has the palace wall as its outermost circle.

Since it is built to the specifications of an emperor's palace, the existence of palace walls is inevitable.

"It is only halfway done now. After your Majesty's order arrives, I can only write to the Executive Yuan and ask Prime Minister Ye and Privy Councilor Tian to discuss it. For now, we have transferred elite troops from Xuanfu and Liaoxi to set up camp and garrison in the northwest mountains and the north bank of the lake."

Zhu Changluo stood in front of the Huacheng Gate and listened to Shu Baiqing's introduction.

It can only be said that the final naming is also similar. That Xuanye named the main gate of the palace on the south side "Li Zheng", which is also from the "Book of Changes" "The sun and the moon are beautiful in the sky, and the hundreds of grains and plants are beautiful on the earth. The double brightness is beautiful in the right, and it transforms the world."

Now, Zhu Changluo just expressed more clearly his desire to win the hearts of the people and unify the world.

After all, the establishment of this palace actually contained the political purpose of strengthening the connection between the emperor of the Central Plains and the nobles of various ethnic groups in the northern border.

"We can build a small part of it in two years..." Zhu Changluo looked at Shu Baiqing and Yang Shouqin, "Isn't the labor too heavy?"

"How dare we!" Shu Boqing said hurriedly, "The project can only achieve this success thanks to your majesty's grace and kindness to the border people! At that time, there was a lot of work to be done. If it weren't for your majesty's awe-inspiring power in the border areas, countless captives, and generous spending of the treasury to solve the livelihood needs of the border people, and the strong support from the Zongming and Changming businesses, we could only advise your majesty to wait another two or three years..."

After saying this, he led the emperor into the palace and reported on the construction progress.

As we saw along the way, the cities of Kuancheng, Pingquan and Chengde have not yet been fully built.

In today's era where people still rely mainly on human and animal power, how difficult is it to complete large-scale projects?

We have achieved what we have today thanks to the strong support from all sides.

First of all, it was about money. In the past, when the emperor wanted to build a temporary palace, he would have to impose corvée labor and recruit people to work. However, Zhu Changluo's purpose in building this temporary palace was not for pleasure, but for various comprehensive purposes, and to promote the development of Chengde Prefecture with the help of large projects. Therefore, the money was mainly taken out of his inner treasury. Since money was not a problem, the only thing left was labor and materials.

The labor problem was linked to the capture and naturalization of border residents after the war and the large-scale migration of people to the border. Unlike the past when people only did corvée labor, the construction of the cities and palaces in Chengde Prefecture was all in the form of hired workers, who could get paid. Not only the Han people who migrated to Chengde Prefecture, but also because Chengde Prefecture was not far from the capital, Tongzhou, and Shandong, there were also forces such as Changminghao and Kongjia who organized a lot of people to take over some of the labor needs.

Then, there are two main sources of materials. One is outside Chengde Prefecture, mainly timber traded between Mongolia and Jurchen in the north and Ming Dynasty, and other materials shipped from the south. The other is inside Chengde Prefecture, mainly stone materials obtained from Yanshan Mountain, and brick, tile and glass fired nearby. The import of external materials into Chengde Prefecture can help restore the water transportation of Luanhe River.

Finally, there is the progress improvement brought about by planning, design and organizational management.

Zhu Changluo entered the Huacheng Gate and saw that the palace area on the south bank of the lake in the palace was already a mixed construction of brick, stone and wood. In terms of planning and design, Zhu Changluo had already given the general direction: do not strive for grandeur, and do not care about any architectural regulations to create too many time-consuming and laborious things, but focus on practicality.

Therefore, Shu Baiqing looked at the emperor with some worry, afraid that he would be dissatisfied.

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "This is different from the Forbidden City. It looks like an ordinary house. This house is just a little bigger."

Shu Baiqing breathed a sigh of relief: after all, the "Qinzheng Hall" in front of him, where the emperor handled government affairs when he was here, was indeed a bit simple and did not even have a double eaves.

Giant trees are scarce, so the main halls and lobbies here mostly have brick walls without any complicated structures.

This Qinzheng Hall is only slightly better than the main halls of some wealthy commoner’s homes, it’s just a little bigger.

"We've only built this much, but it's enough for now. Let's go to the next door Fan Academy first. It's fully built there, right?"

"It's a matter of national interest, so that's natural."

The Fan Academy is located at the foot of the hill in the southwest corner of Chengde Palace.

Practical means that it has multiple uses. For example, in the "main palace" area at the main gate of the temporary palace, except for the Qinzheng Hall, the rest of the buildings are usually used by professors of the Fan Academy and the Chengde Office of the Northern Frontier Division of the Lifanyuan.

According to the agreement reached during the previous Tongliao League, the granted ethnic groups in the northern border areas usually had to send an envoy with five followers to reside in the Chengde Office of the Lifanyuan in Chengde.

They were here, on the one hand, to supervise the clansmen they sent to study at the Fan Academy, and on the other hand, to have smoother communication between Chengde and Daming.

As for the people in the border city, they are mainly responsible for border trade communications, and the Chengde Office is the "diplomatic" department.

In the Fan Academy, there are children of dignitaries from various ethnic groups, as well as people who come to learn some skills.

Zhu Changluo just watched calmly.

When you go to school in Daming, no matter what you study, you must first abide by the rules of Daming School. These rules actually cover all aspects, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, and daily etiquette.

Of course, it is not something they can adapt to, but that is only temporary. A settled and regular life and a more affluent living environment will have a subtle influence on them.

Zhu Changluo certainly wasn't worried about what real skills they had learned. He knew this well: after coming to the Ming Dynasty and seeing better things, even if some talented and patriotic people returned, what could the northern ethnic groups do with their backward systems, smaller populations, and scarcer resources?
Although Chengde is just a new city in the Yanshan Mountains north of Beijing, the continuous influence it will release to the north in the future cannot be underestimated.

"If they are used to eating beef and mutton, then buy more." Zhu Changluo gave instructions. "Although there are not many free craftsmen who can teach at the moment, once they have laid a basic foundation and learned Chinese and can speak it fluently, they can be divided into small groups to become apprentices to the craftsmen. No matter what kind of skills they have, there is no need to hide them."

Lindan Batur's younger brother, Qintu, just listened to the generous expression of the Ming Emperor. In the end, the sons of powerful nobles from various vassal states in the northern border went to meet the emperor together.

They have different identities, are in different classes, and learn different things.

"In the future, you may return to your tribe to manage affairs, or you may be appointed to important posts and deal with the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Changluo only encouraged them, "First of all, you should learn Chinese well, and then learn many rules and regulations. The Han people farm, and you are nomadic hunters, so the customs are different. But in governing the people, many things are still the same. There is no harm in learning the Han people's way of governing the country for thousands of years. Whether you can learn it and apply it to other situations depends on your talent and diligence."

Zhu Changluo pointed at Yang Shouqin and said, "Mr. Yang is the number one scholar, one of the most outstanding scholars in the Ming Dynasty. Mr. Gong Zongsi was born in the hometown of Master Kong, and he was also a Jinshi in the first year of Taichang. I regard you as my people. I am not afraid that you will learn skills, but I am afraid that you will not learn. The better you understand the Ming Dynasty and Chinese studies, the less likely you will become enemies in the future."

After demonstrating force and showing military might, all of their current actions are overt conspiracies.

The Ming Dynasty was stronger and more advanced. Allowing them to open up trade with the Ming Dynasty and allowing them to learn skills from the Ming Dynasty was the attitude of a strong country.

The competition between countries has never been just a competition for certain talents, but also includes resources, systems and organizational capabilities.

The Ming Dynasty might face the hidden danger of a stronger "enemy", but this would deliberately create pressure for the Ming Dynasty internally, and would also have the benefit of continuously infecting foreign vassal states with culture.

Pros and cons always go hand in hand.

Besides, even if I say I can teach anything and have nothing to hide, I certainly won’t really do that.

At least the most cutting-edge and highly strategic skills are not available here.

Teaching people how to smelt iron means teaching people how to forge weapons that are more advanced than those of the Ming Dynasty?

How can things like gunpowder, which are so dangerous, be taught in schools?
What they teach are mainly some skills needed for people's livelihood, which require the most basic technical skills: such as carpentry, pottery firing, coal and iron mining, simple smelting and casting of ironware... Let them do it, and as they do it, many of them will have to settle down somewhere, and they will slowly become Han people.

The settled nomadic people were no longer nomadic people, as they lost the advantage of “run away if you can’t win”, which was the biggest headache for the Central Plains Empire.

Once they return to a state of war, these industries that must be settled and produced in certain resource-rich areas can be easily destroyed, and they will suddenly return to a backward era.

Among all ethnic groups, the Tumed and Yehe tribes are the most motivated to study seriously.

The Tumed people had long begun to develop towards a settled state and had started farming; although the other people used to engage in fishing and hunting, now they have shifted their focus to trade, and the farming conditions in the Laoha River area are also good.

Zhu Changluo met them and then returned to the palace.

The main living area is actually located on an island in the lake.

The reason why this place is called Rehe is because of a spring that never stops flowing all year round.

The Rehe Spring also gurgles out spring water continuously during the cold winter. Although it is not a high-temperature hot spring, the water volume is huge and the water temperature is above the freezing point and is quite stable. Because the water volume is too large, it gradually eroded out a lake, and finally found an estuary to merge into the Wulie River, thus gushing out a river less than two miles long. This is Rehe.

The spring water temperature is much lower than the air temperature in summer and is enough to melt ice in winter, which is what makes it so special.

There are several small islands on the lake, all connected by stone bridges.

When Zhu Changluo arrived at the stone bridge leading to the island in the middle of the lake on the northeast side of the Qinzheng Hall, there was a special gatehouse and personal troops stationed there.

Qin Liangyu had arrived here a long time ago, and only now did she welcome the emperor to the island in the middle of the lake.

Zhu Changluo looked from afar and saw that although the scenery was still being carved, it was obvious that they had focused their main attention on the palaces and pavilions on the island in the middle of the lake.

"Are the Queen and the concubines still used to living here?"

"I see that the Empress and the other ladies are very happy. Yesterday they boarded the pleasure boat and took the princes and princesses for a cruise on the lake."

"It's rare for me to leave the palace, so I'm naturally happy." Zhu Changluo asked her, "Have you visited the western mountains? What scenery is worth seeing?"

"As your servant, I have the important task of protecting you, so I must go there to meet with the border troops of Xuanfu Town and Liaoxi Town, and also check the shape of the mountain." Qin Liangyu thought for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to go up the mountain to enjoy the scenery?"

"Since we're here, we'll naturally walk around more. We'll see if the weather is good later. What's going on in the north?"

"All the princes and envoys stayed in their tents. Although they moved around a little, there was nothing unusual."

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "You go there with Gong Zongsi later and prepare my Khan's tent first. I will take them there tomorrow."

"I accept the decree."

Qin Liangyu stopped and watched the emperor walk towards the island in the middle of the lake.

In this palace, in addition to the palace on the island in the middle of the lake, there is also a community of felt yurts on a large grassland on the north side of the lake.

Among them was a large tent which was not much smaller than the Qianqing Palace. This was Zhu Changluo’s Khan’s tent - after all, he was also invited by various tribes and was given the title of Khan, Changshengtian Khan.

Occasionally meeting them as the Khan is also a way to integrate into their habits and deal with them.

But that's for tomorrow and after.

Today, after arriving at the island in the middle of the lake, we first went to Guo Lanzhi's place.

Zhu Youjian did not come, and this was the first time Guo Lanzhi left the palace after becoming queen.

Zhu Changluo brought her out to relax, and the others who came with him were all people from various ethnic groups in the northern border who had been presented to the palace and had official status.

The one with the highest rank among them was of course Yehenara Donggo, who had given birth to a prince and obtained the title of concubine.

Since we want to create a "family" atmosphere, then tomorrow we should let her meet her brother and let the little one meet her uncle. This should be done.

Khorchin and Tumed also wanted to see that the women they sent into the palace were favored by the emperor.

The emperor and his concubines had been separated for a few days, and today they were enjoying the joy of being together.

In the northern camp area, Lindan Batur and others only saw more civil and military officials and personal soldiers of the Ming Dynasty coming and starting to get busy in and out of the Khan's tent. They also came to their tents to inform them of tomorrow's arrangements in advance and asked them to be prepared.

The Khan's tent was very large, with very fine fabrics and decorations.

Judging from the style, it is an authentic felt bag.

Lindan Batur looked at the Khan's tent at dusk and the large banner and dragon flag fluttering in the wind outside, his eyes in a trance.

A few years ago, he had imagined such a scene. The majestic Khan's tent was surrounded by the felt tents of the leaders of various tribes. Then, he prepared a bonfire, prepared cattle, sheep, fine wine, and singing and dancing, and accepted their submission and congratulations.

Now he is one of the leaders. He is the Yuan Shun King who regards the Ming Emperor as his father and the Hutuktu Khan under the command of the Eternal Heavenly Khan.

He only brought guards with him, unlike the other man who brought several women with him, most of whom were presented by their various tribes to serve the Eternal Khan.

Now, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was probably enjoying himself not far to the south, while he was watching the female generals under his command arranging defenses at the door of his "Khan's tent".

He actually has a female general!

Lindan Batur turned around and returned to his tent silently, feeling lost and sad.

Can we really wait until the day when things turn around?

Such a long time is much longer and more sad than the night before the audience tomorrow.

He went to Tongliao the year before last, to Guangzhou last year, and to Chengde again this year. Which one of them is much more leisurely than him.

And although he was still less than twenty years old, he felt that his heart was already very old.

It’s so hard!
(End of this chapter)