In fact, the emperor rarely used any conspiracies or tricks, but the open conspiracies based on the general trend of historical development were more difficult to crack.

For example, in order to pacify the Liao Dynasty and destroy the slaves, they relied on well-trained soldiers and sufficient food, and then used absolute superior firepower to crush them; for another example, the measures taken against the Mongolian tribes were based on the precise impact of major disasters on the grasslands.

It doesn't matter if you don't naturalize, as long as you can withstand Ligdan Khan's "internal peace." Or, if you can avoid starvation when a major disaster strikes, you'll be considered a hero.

With the two factors of Ligdan Khan and the great disaster, the emperor knew that most of the Mongolian tribes would surrender and assimilate.

Of course, there was another way, which was to raise troops and plunder. However, the growing strength of the Ming army gave the emperor great confidence in victory.

Ma Chengfei basically made his point clear in this informal setting.

If they were naturalized, they would become citizens of the Ming Dynasty, and the imperial court would provide them with all its support, not only to resist Ligdan Khan, but also to supply them with food and supplies.

If you don't naturalize, you won't be regarded as an enemy. The horse market trade will continue as usual. If Ligdan Khan wants to attack again, then you'll be on your own.

Nuk also understood. Although Ma Chengfei also said that he would give special care to the Zarut tribe due to their past friendship, this was still far from the purpose of his visit.

Perhaps things will turn around when I meet Man Gui and Lord Yuan?

Hunakduleng and Nuk both thought of this unlikely possibility, but then they became interested in the Zasak established by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Zasak, which means "consul" in Mongolian, was historically a military and political title granted by the Qing Dynasty mainly to Mongolians and Manchus.

Zhu Youxiao also used the name of this official title, but he changed the banners divided by the Qing Dynasty into districts, which were mainly filled by Mongolian nobles such as Beile, Beizi, Gong, and Taiji.

The administrative divisions above the district level are called special districts, which are equivalent to "leagues".

Lin Danhan's downfall was inevitable. It was not only his own fault, but the Ming Dynasty would not allow him to unify Mongolia without the threat of the Jiannu.

Moreover, the policies implemented by Ligdan Khan have caused more rebellions among the Mongolian tribes, indicating that the political core of Mongolian society is collapsing.

The mission of the Ming Dynasty was to fill this gap, replace it with its own system and order, and reorganize the power of the Mongolian tribes.

In the emperor's view, relying solely on dangerous terrain for border defense was unreliable. Take the Great Wall, for example. It was built during the Qin Dynasty, but were border threats eliminated during the Han, Tang, Song, and even Ming dynasties?

Therefore, the emperor accelerated the assimilation of the Mongolian tribes and turned the Ming Dynasty's northern defense line into a barrier composed of Mongolian tribes.

In the process of establishing districts and special zones, one part will be directly controlled by ministers and generals appointed by the court; the other part will be appointed by Mongolian nobles.

Naturalized generals such as Mengruhu and Hu Dawei, as well as Man Gui who no longer argues that he is not a Mongolian, all have great hopes of becoming "Zasak" in the future.

There is only one principle: the local organizations of the Mongolian tribes can only belong to the imperial court and cannot form the basis for a new political core that can compete with the imperial court.

Nuke and Duleng were of course unaware of this. Their only concern now was how much power they would have and how much grassland their tribe would have if they naturalized as Ming citizens.

Even the Wu Keshan brothers seemed unclear about this. Clearly, the Ming court was cautious, as the system of districts and special zones was still in its experimental stages.

"Master Buhe has been appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, in charge of the affairs of naturalized ethnic groups?"

Hunakeduleng was obviously surprised. According to his understanding of the Ming Dynasty's official system, the Right Vice Minister of Rites was a third-rank official, which was already considered a high-ranking official in the court.

Wu Keshan nodded proudly. His father was a high-ranking official, so this was undoubtedly something for him to show off.

Originally, the emperor wanted to set up a new institution similar to the Lifanyuan of the Qing Dynasty, but he felt that it was not mature enough. Temporarily placing Buhe in the Ministry of Rites was also a stopgap measure.

In the future, the emperor will deliberately promote some minority officials to make the naturalization work proceed more smoothly.

"Your Majesty is broad-minded and treats naturalized people of all ethnic groups equally." Ma Chengfei interjected, "The Yehe and Ula tribes of the Jurchens have also been appointed to official positions, and the civilians have been resettled in their respective places."

The naturalized Mongolian and Jurchen tribes will not only be granted official positions and placed under long-term supervision and control measures, but will also become tools for the Ming Dynasty to expand its territory to the north.

If you want the tribe to live well, you have to work hard. The emperor is not a good man, nor is he a boy who gives away money. He will not do anything that does not benefit him.

Hunakeduleng naturally knew the pros and cons of naturalizing in the Ming Dynasty. Naturalizing in name only, retaining independence, and the Ming Dynasty still having to supply food and supplies, how could such a good thing happen in the world?

What he lost was the power of a local emperor, and what he gained was the protection of the Ming Dynasty.

Hunake Duleng knew very well that for the tribe, the ordinary herders would not suffer any losses and would even have a better life. As for the nobles, they would definitely not be willing to accept such an outcome.

To put it bluntly, ordinary herders did not have much resistance to naturalization. Even before the introduction of preferential policies, many Mongolians fled to the Ming Dynasty due to life pressures and became naturalized citizens.

Let’s not talk about others, but didn’t Meng Ruhu, Hu Dawei, and the naturalized Flying Cavalry Battalion who were sitting opposite them all become Ming citizens in this way?

The establishment of administrative divisions such as districts and special districts, as well as administrative management organizations at all levels, was aimed at the Mongolian nobles to enable them to retain certain power.

Properly settling naturalized civilians and ensuring they live a worry-free life is aimed at civilians.

This is truly comprehensive and thoughtful! Hunake Duleng took a big sip of the wine, and after the spicy taste, he felt the bitterness.

Ma Chengfei noticed the change in Hunake Duleng's expression and roughly guessed what he was thinking. He didn't really care whether his people could naturalize or not.

Under the current circumstances, naturalizing the Ming Dynasty would still allow them to retain some power and manage their people. But if they were to be "pacified" by Ligdan Khan, they would lose everything.

Choose the lesser of two evils. Now I am hesitant and haven't been pushed to the limit.

"General Meng—" Nuke suddenly noticed the strange thing on Meng Ruhu's head and pointed at it under the influence of alcohol. "What is this, a headband?"

Hu Dawei laughed and nodded, "That's right, that's right. This is General Meng's headband. He sometimes wears jewelry!"

Meng Ruhu rolled his eyes, pulled the strange thing down, and put it on his eyes. He raised his chin at Nuke and said, "These are called goggles. After you put them on, no matter how strong the wind and snow are, they won't irritate your eyes, and it won't affect your vision."

Nuke looked at the tiger-like eyes behind the transparent glass lenses and showed an envious expression again.

"The troops have just started distributing them, and even Man Shuai only has one pair." Hu Dawei explained, "When there are extra ones, I'll definitely keep one for you."

Nuk grinned and nodded repeatedly, thinking: There is nothing wrong with naturalizing in the Ming Dynasty. It is not difficult to earn merits like General Xianghu and General Meng with my own bravery!