If there were no Later Jin, Hu Duntu could do whatever he wanted, and turning the Mongolian tribes into a mess was also what Zhu Youxiao wanted to see.
But now, how to deal with the relationship with Hu Dunmen and how to respond to the civil war among the Mongolian tribes will test political wisdom.
Others can only guess how the situation will change in one or two years, or perhaps three to five years; but Zhu Youxiao can see the evolution of Asia and even the world pattern in more than ten years, or even decades later.
The rise of Britain and France, far away in Europe, may be too far away to have much impact on China. At least for a considerable period of time, they cannot pose a real threat to China.
But in the north, Tsarist Russia had already been established. Although its current strength was not very strong, its rapid rise and crazy expansion into the Far East made Zhu Youxiao very wary.
In addition to being wary, Zhu Youxiao was also ambitious. How could he not be envious of the vast Far Eastern lands such as Lake Baikal? How could he not want to incorporate them into the territory of the Ming Dynasty?
The world is vast, and the territories of various nations are far from being fixed, leaving enormous room for change. For the Ming Dynasty, population growth and the need for land are issues that must be addressed sooner or later.
If there were enough land, why would there be any need for annexation? If the territory was vast and boundless, even if a prodigal son emerged, there would still be plenty left, right?
Therefore, whether it is to the north, south, east or west, fighting for a larger living space for the people of the Ming Dynasty will be Zhu Youxiao's important task after pacifying Liao.
Fools have their own happiness, and wise men have their own troubles.
Zhu Youxiao's happiness was always limited because he thought too much and knew too much.
After finally questioning Hu Dawei and the others, the emperor was quite satisfied, convinced that his choice of a strong military was the right one. Although costly, it would be an effective means of ensuring the security of northern Ming. Furthermore, the initial investment could be recouped later, potentially resulting in substantial profits, rather than losses.
"My dear ministers, you are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Youxiao returned to the throne with great satisfaction and said to the generals below: "I do not judge people by their nationality, but only by their performance and achievements. The Flying Cavalry Battalion will be expanded. I will not treat my meritorious officials unfairly, and you are my role models."
Generals like Hu Dawei understood the emperor's intention to attract more Mongolians to naturalize. They never mentioned the word "naturalization" to prevent them from feeling alienated.
"I understand," Hu Dawei said, bowing. "Your Majesty is broad-minded and clear about rewards and punishments. Expanding the Flying Cavalry Battalion will not be difficult."
Zhu Youxiao nodded with a smile and said, "Not only can we fight for our country, but we can also be ordinary citizens. We can raise horses and cattle, farm and do business. As long as we abide by the law, we are still citizens of the Ming Dynasty."
Hu Dawei bowed and agreed, not finding it strange. There were many naturalized Mongolians in the northern border towns, and not all of them were soldiers.
Of course, he would not think too far ahead and did not know that the emperor's ultimate goal was to naturalize all Mongols and make them part of the multi-ethnic country of Ming.
Zhu Youxiao turned around and ordered Wang Tigan to take a few guards to temporarily detain Hailanzhu and Bumbutai. Then he awarded rewards to Hu Dawei and others and let them leave.
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Rewards and punishments must be clearly distinguished. Zhu Youxiao was especially generous to the warriors who fought for the country.
But there was one thing he never granted lightly: titles. Although the emperor often said he was generous with his rewards, no one, whether civil or military, had ever received such an honor.
As for civilian nobility, it is not comparable to the real nobility. The real nobility should be the five kinds of duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron, which are quite noble and rare.
In the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang set the standard for conferring titles as "only those who have made military contributions to the country can be conferred titles", and clearly stipulated in the "Great Ming Code" that "civil officials are not allowed to be conferred titles of dukes or marquises".
After the Jingnan Rebellion, the standards for conferring titles became somewhat relaxed, but if a civil official wanted to be conferred a title, he still had to have made military achievements to be justified.
By the Jiajing period, due to the serious problem of military merit fraud, the low status of military officers, and the establishment of a system that valued civil officials over military officials, it gradually became difficult for military officers to be appointed.
Many meritorious officials were even ashamed of being granted titles for their military posts, and they often said, "I am a noble, not a military official." This meant that the standards for conferring titles had changed significantly.
With the establishment of a system that valued civil officials over military officials and the influence of the ruler's personal character and ability, court civil officials colluded to suppress military officials, making it increasingly difficult for military officials to be granted titles.
It can be seen that from the first year of Jiajing to the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, in the more than 100 years, only Li Chengliang, the general of Liaodong, was awarded the title of Ningyuan Earl for his military merits.
According to historical records, Li Chengliang's military achievements were unparalleled in the world, but the reason he was given this title was that he "influenced the powerful, made friends with officials in the court, and all the important people at home and abroad were paid a large sum of money and served as his right-hand men."
In other words, no matter how high your military achievements are, you still have to use connections, spend money and bribe people everywhere to get people in the court to speak for you.
Zhu Youxiao once asked the old officials of the Ministry of Rites about this issue. According to their explanation, since the Jiajing period, "the governors of our ancestors' dynasties were rewarded for their hard work, and they would rather confer the title of exile than give him the title of guardian, which was a change in the system."
To put it simply, the imperial court used more honorary titles to reward merit, adding countless hurdles to the path to nobility.
For example, as a reward for military merit, one would first be promoted to the rank of deputy commander, deputy commander, deputy governor, deputy governor, and governor.
Only when there was no more room for advancement could one be granted a title. Therefore, the distance between military commanders and being granted a title grew longer and longer. Take the most powerful Grandpa Qi as an example, the highest he could achieve was the Junior Guardian and the Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince.
As for posthumous honors, they are honors bestowed after death, which is very different from being appointed as a general and given a title of nobility during one's lifetime.
For example, the national hero Qin Liangyu was granted the title of second-rank imperial lady during her lifetime. It was only after the fall of the Ming Dynasty that she was posthumously named "Marquis of Loyalty" by the Southern Ming Dynasty.
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