Thus, after Lamazabu put on his most beautiful clothes, he found that he still could not see the Emperor.
He asked with some disappointment, "Has His Majesty's health not improved yet? May I go to visit him?"
Zhu Ci did not know anything about being unwell; he merely thought it was an excuse from above, so he followed the lead and said, "His Majesty is merely experiencing some minor discomfort. It will be the same if I, this Prince, handle the upcoming matters."
How could they be the same?
He wanted to see the Emperor.
Lamazabu thought this to himself but did not dare to say it. He glanced at Zhu Ci, finding a bit of mental balance in the fact that this Prince of Ning before him bore a certain resemblance to His Majesty and was not unpleasant to look at.
“That is also fine. Prince of Ning, please.”
Lamazabu immediately adjusted his mindset; the upcoming conversation was extremely important, as it concerned the future of the Tumet Mongols.
"Allow autonomy?" Lamazabu looked thoughtful.
Zhu Ci said with a gentle smile on his face, "Exactly. The people of the Tumet must still be led by their Taiji, all of your customs can be preserved."
Aside from the army.
Lamazabu added silently to himself.
Of course, saying it that way isn't entirely accurate; the Great Ming allows the Tumet to have their own law enforcement teams.
What does a law enforcement team mean? It refers to things like bailiffs.
However, bailiffs could only be equipped with simple weapons; they were not permitted to be equipped with firearms.
As for the existing soldiers of the Tumet, they would be incorporated into the Ming Army and then assigned to other locations for training and service.
Lamazabu remained silent for a long while; without armed forces, there was no difference between being at someone's mercy and being slaughtered.
Even if he harbored great admiration for the Emperor, he still had to weigh the matter against his own tangible interests.
While he remained silent, Zhu Ci continued, "His Majesty also mentioned that when the time comes, the Tumet Mongols will need to select people to enter the Grand Secretariat."
"The Grand Secretariat?" Lamazabu was extremely surprised.
He knew very well that the Grand Secretariat was the center of power in the Ming Kingdom and possessed decision-making authority; although the Censorate was also one of the centers of power, it held only supervisory authority and no decision-making power.
Entering the Grand Secretariat is equivalent to being able to influence the national policies of Great Ming!
Zhu Ci nodded in agreement, "That's right. His Majesty has said that the court is composed of Han officials, most of whom do not understand Mongolian customs and traditions. Even if the Tumet are allowed autonomy, certain national policies will still affect them, there will be a need for the Tumet people to weigh these matters."
After speaking, he said nonchalantly, "Speaking of which, the Khorchin area is also part of Mongolia, so there will likely be an impact there as well when the time comes."
Lamazabu's eyes lit up upon hearing this. In other words, while he actually ruled the Tumet, once he entered the Grand Secretariat, his influence would extend across all of Southern Mongolia.
This is different.
Lamazabu thought for a moment and asked, "How many people does His Majesty allow to join the Grand Secretariat?"
Zhu Ci said, "Only one person can become a Group Assistant; the number of officials for the remaining positions, such as Secretariat Drafters, can be discussed further."
A Group Assistant might not be a Vice Grand Secretary, but the position still held immense power and prestige.
Lamazabu knew very well that although the Tumet people entered the Grand Secretariat under the title of Group Assistant, they actually had little influence over national policy and could only have a say in matters concerning the Mongols.
He looked at Zhu Ci and said seriously, "I have felt Your Majesty's kindness, but I must still discuss such a major matter with my clansmen."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Although I say a little mischief is for fun, it seems I can't quite take it after so many times. *Cat slumped on the bed. jpg*
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 283
Zhu Ci did not expect to receive his reply immediately, but simply said, "It does indeed require careful consideration. If you are to enter the Grand Secretariat at that time, other personnel can be rotated, but I fear the candidates for the Group Assistant would have to move their entire families to the capital. After all, as long as they do not make mistakes, they will have to remain in the capital for many years until their retirement. Leaving one's hometown is no easy feat."
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he indeed saw Lamazabu becoming lost in thought.
He gave a slight smile and rose to leave.
Before coming here, Zhu Ci had told him that at the appropriate time, he could emphasize that officials entering the capital would have to live in Beijing.
They say it is hard to leave one's homeland, but it also depends on what that homeland looks like.
To the nomadic peoples, the Central Plains is something they have always yearned for; otherwise, why would they launch southward invasions at every opportunity?
A stable life in the capital naturally held an appeal for them as well.
After Zhu Ci left, Lamazabu immediately gathered everyone together.
This time, he came out bringing many trusted followers with him.
Someone objected, saying, "The Emperor of Ming wants to strip us of our military power; this absolutely cannot be allowed."
It's not a complete removal, is it? Isn't it true that the slaves owned by the nobility remain the same as before?
The number of people is the same, but they won't let us have firearms anymore.
You make it sound as if you have firearms on hand right now.
Of course I have them. Although birdlock guns aren't the best, they're still usable. If I give you my word, you won't even need a birdlock gun.
What use is a birdlock gun? Can it stop a long-range matchlock or a single-shot rocket launcher?
Everyone chimed in, some were willing, while others naturally were not.
Lamazabu listened, remaining silent in deep thought.
His brother-in-law asked, "Why is the Taiji not speaking?"
Lamazabu said slowly, "I am just thinking, if we do not agree, how will the Emperor of Ming treat us? Will we become the next Khorchin?"
“This..” Everyone looked at each other, momentarily hesitant. "Surely not? We have been helping the Ming Kingdom all along."
Even if it doesn't become the next Khorchin, it probably won't be too good either. The Emperor of Ming is very ambitious; these arrangements of his are not solely aimed at our Tumet Mongols.
Suherbairu, the second son of Lamazabu, suddenly spoke up.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Lamazabu nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad. If it were only for my Tumet, the Emperor of Ming would not need to wage such a massive war."
At present, the number of people in the Tumet is not large, their territory is not particularly vast; while they are worth recruiting, the value is not that high.
Simply put, this series of national policies of the Ming Kingdom must have been debated for a long time before being formulated; is the Tumet worth such discussion from the Ming Kingdom?
If the Khorchin, Chahar, other tribes were included, it might be possible.
However, since these tribes had assisted the Qing Army and were already the defeated party, the Ming Kingdom would certainly not treat them so well.
In this light, this condition from the Ming Kingdom is quite intriguing.
This.. could the Ming Kingdom's target also include the Ordos Mongols?
Thinking about it carefully, it didn't seem impossible; after all, the friction between Great Ming and the Ordos Mongols had persisted for many years.
Lamazabu pondered for a long while before saying, "It is very possible, but they likely won't have friction with the Weilaite in the short term. If we look at the long term, it is only a matter of time. If that is the case.. we might be able to gain the upper hand."
Even though the Great Ming currently appears to still show signs of post-war weakness, no one doubts their strength.
The person who had just released the arrow sighed upon hearing Lamazabu's words, understanding the Taiji's meaning.
Of course, even if they agreed, they would still demand their benefits.
For example, regarding the grain trade they care about most, the Great Ming cannot possibly stall on that front when the time comes, can it?
And will the border markets also be open?
In addition, the Tumet Mongols require many other things, such as medicinal herbs and doctors.
It was late, after everyone had discussed and reached a preliminary consensus, they went to rest.
Lamazabu, however, kept his second son, Suherbairu, behind.
He looked at his tall and steady son and said softly, "Send someone to tell your wife to prepare."
Father?
Lamazabu said, "I want you to enter the Grand Secretariat and become a Group Assistant."
Suherbairu said subconsciously, "No, Father, I want to stay in the grasslands, by your side."
Lamazabu shook his head and said, "No, it is best that you come to Beijing."
He patted Suherbairu and said, "Believe me, this is the best arrangement."
When Zhu Ci mentioned that the people selected from the Tumet would reside in Beijing for a long time, he thought of this very point.
He had three sons in total; the eldest and the second were both excellent, while the youngest had only average aptitude.
Lamazabu was often worried. There was only one position of Taiji, while he had originally favored his eldest son, his second son was also quite capable. He worried that the two sons would fight over the position of Taiji in the future.
Isn't the Dzungar Mongols a cautionary tale? Now that war is raging over there, the fuse is the struggle for the Khanate within the Dzungar Mongols.
Therefore, when Zhu Ci left, Lamazabu had already made up his mind.
The eldest son inherited the position of Taiji at home, while the second son went to the capital.
Although the second son's status could not compare to the eldest son's, he enjoyed a much more prosperous life. His descendants would be able to live within the Pass for generations to come, without having to endure hardships outside the Pass, which could be considered a form of compensation.
The most important thing was that the two of them would be far apart in the future, which would instead allow them to work together to strengthen the Tumet.
Suherbairu did not understand at first why his father would do such a thing, but after returning, he understood and fell silent.
He did not insist on his opposition anymore, but instead used the remaining few days to carefully observe this city.
Actually, when he entered Beijing, he already knew it was far more prosperous than Guihua City, staying here seemed like a fine idea.
Lamazabu was also a straightforward person, once he had made his decision, he expressed his demands to Zhu Ci.
Zhu Ci was also somewhat surprised after finding out: "He is quite straightforward."
Fu said, "Your Majesty has already treated the Tumet Mongols with sufficient favor."
This was the sentiment shared by both the court and the people; the Great Ming had never set a precedent of allowing members of foreign tribes to enter the Grand Secretariat.
However, Zhu Ci had his own ideas, so no matter who opposed him, he pushed them through with determination.
It was quite different from what Lamazabu had in mind; the matter of the resettlement of the Tumet was not discussed by the court for long, the entire plan was essentially proposed by the Little Emperor alone.
At first, everyone thought it was pure fantasy, but upon closer inspection, it actually seemed quite decent.