The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Did the Ming Dynasty have any actual control over Tibet?

The actual answer is almost no.

Although the Ming Dynasty established ties with Tibet through the tea and horse trade and continued to carry out tribute trade, it was actually limited to trade.

Although Tibetan officials returned the official seal from the Mongol Yuan and accepted the enthronement of the Ming Dynasty, they did not know much about the Ming Dynasty, so there was no respect.

The Ming court did not know much about the special political and educational system in Tibet, but just regarded it as a rule carried out like a border chieftain.

The Ming court did not have close relationships with the religious leaders in the snowy area at that time and did not have much control authority.

For example, in the 12th year of Yongle, the leader of the Gelug Sect, Master Tsongkhapa, rejected the invitation from Zhu Di, the Ming Dynasty's Chengzu, to himself on the grounds of a difficult journey, but sent his disciple Shakyamuni to the capital.

The Ming Dynasty never sent a soldier, a man, a man and a position to station in Tibet, and there was no concern about Tibetan affairs at all.

In history, the Han Dynasty basically never really went deep into Tibet and managed Tibet.

The control of Tibet is more influenced by the grassland.

During the Qing Dynasty, because of the full control of Mongolia by the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty actually gained the power to manage Tibet, which can be seen from the portraits preserved in Tibet.

In the portraits of the Ming Emperor and the Tibetan Living Buddha, the Tibetan Living Buddha was painted extremely tall and mighty, while the Ming Emperor seemed extremely contemptuous in front of him.

In the portraits of the Qing emperor meeting with the Tibetan living Buddha, the two were almost equal, and even the Qing emperor was on the left and was in a more respectful position.

Moreover, facial expressions and body movements also appear more humble.

Well, the Qing sect had ministers stationed in Tibet, who always supervised Tibet's every move. If they still painted according to the painting method of the Ming emperor, there would be no harm.

In fact, all of this was brought by the Qing army after entering Tibet seven times.

And the Ming Dynasty, never once.

The Potala Palace also enshrines the tablet of the immortality of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. The portrait of Thangka was painted in the image of Emperor Qianlong. The ceremonies of successive Dalai Lamas must be held under this portrait. Supervised by the Minister in Tibet.

This is the actual management power of the Qing Dynasty over Tibet, and these were not what the Ming Dynasty had at this time.

Wei Guangde, who was already accustomed to the "rooster pecking insects" picture of later China, naturally could not tolerate Tibet's current situation of departing from the Ming court's management.

I didn’t have the chance to interfere in Tibetan affairs before, but now it’s different. Through the Glu religion, it seems that the Ming Dynasty has the opportunity to intervene in Tibetan affairs.

"Shandai, are you planning to use troops against Tibet?"

Just as their discussion was about to end, Tan Lun asked with a frown.

He could feel Wei Guangde's ambition for Tibet. In the past, the Ming Dynasty only managed the place in name and had no actual control at all.

However, Wei Guangde seemed to be determined to change the status quo.

"It's too early to discuss the use of military force in Tibet."

Wei Guangde shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Now Altan Khan is seeing becoming the apologist of the Glu Cult, and the grassland cavalry has become the apologist of the Glu Cult. If the Ming Dynasty is involved in Tibetan affairs at this time, it is impossible to ensure that it will be at the same time. Tibet and Xuanda and other places were fighting.

Although I am not afraid of such a situation, it is not necessary after all.

What the Jinyiwei needs to do is to strengthen spy on Tibet and wait for opportunities.

If Altan Khan really led his troops to Tibet and fought with local armed forces, I, the Ming Dynasty, could imagine whether I would participate in it. ”

Speaking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but stare at Tan Lun and said, "Also, what's the situation in the Seven Guards of Guanxi?"

Since Wei Guangde looked to the western part of the Ming Dynasty, he naturally began to care about the Western Regions and asked about the situation in the direction of Xinjiang.

Guanxi Seven Guards refer to the seven garrisons established by the Ming Dynasty west of Jiayuguan, also known as the "Northwest Seven Guards" and the "Mongolian Seven Guards". They include Anding Guards, Aduan Guards, Quxian Guards, Handong Guards, The seven garrisons of Shazhou, Chijin Mongolian Guards and Hami Guards were all territories established during the reign of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di in the early Ming Dynasty.

When Tan Lun heard Wei Guangde ask, he looked embarrassed and couldn't answer.

But even if it is difficult to answer, I have to answer it.

"In name only."

Tan Lun didn't feel embarrassed and answered directly.

It was not thrown away from him, and it was not his business to the court for the crime.

"But the climate there is not good and the population is sparse, so it is useless even if you continue to control it. The court still has to bear high military expenses, which is really not worth the loss."

Tan Lun said at the end.

This is the Ming Dynasty’s view on the Western Regions. It’s tasteless to eat, but it’s a pity to throw it away.

In fact, when the Ming Dynasty was first established, it also fought to the west.

In the fifth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang carried out a second conquest of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, which is known in history as the Battle of Lingbei.

The Ming Dynasty originally planned to completely wipe out the Yuan Dynasty in one go, but unexpectedly, Xu Da's central army and Li Wenzhong's eastern army were both frustrated, so they had to retreat. Only the Western Army successfully fought to the Hexi Corridor.

Feng Sheng, the commander of the Western Route Army, considered the supply difficulties and heard that the other two armies had retreated. At the same time, he was a little worried that his Western expedition would cause the Eastern Chagatai Khanate to rise up and confront the then East Chagatai Khanate, so he did not go to Hexi. After the corridor was stationed, Jiayuguan was built, he withdrew his troops back.

Two years later, the Ming Dynasty sent troops to Jiayuguan to surrender Bu Yan Timur in the Qaidam Basin, and set up a garrison in the local area to achieve nominal rule.

Although the Western Regions were vast at this time, their geography and climate were actually not suitable for the long-term station of the Ming army.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the two states and eight counties in the Hexi Corridor had a total population of 1.03 million, including more than 30,000 in Dunhuang County, the least populated of which.

During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the Longyou Road, which was in charge of the Hexi Corridor, had a total population of more than 190,000, which grew to 550,000 in the Kaiyuan period.

But in the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition, only 30,000 people were found in the entire Hexi Corridor, and there were only 830 households left in Ganzhou, which was less than the number of the Western Expedition Army itself.

In addition, the proportion of Han people in the area was very low. Fu Youde had to bring interpreters with him to march westward. In this situation, there was no way to provide logistics for the army.

During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the climate at that time could still allow Han people to live there, but in the Ming Dynasty, it was a huge challenge to survive.

Naturally, the emperors before the Ming Dynasty had no intention of continuing to rule there, as it was too difficult.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di both had the idea of ​​operating the Western Regions, but even the Hexi Corridor could not fill enough population, let alone operating westward.

Since there is no way to rule directly, what should we do?

The only way to stabilize the situation is to use the means of tributary enfeoffment. The so-called Guanxi Seven Guards are actually mainly composed of ethnic minorities on the border, similar to the Doyan Three Guards.

If the Ming Dynasty wants to, it is not difficult to mobilize tens of thousands of troops to fight over there, but it may not mean that they can defend it for a long time.

Wei Guangde doesn't need to think too much. Looking at Tan Lun's face, he knows that if it is proposed to restore the Ming Dynasty's management of the Western Regions, he will probably be the first to jump out and oppose it.

After all, it is a military matter, which is closely related to him, and he can't hesitate.

"Use the original tributary relationship, whether they recognize it or not, it is still very important to contact them first and understand the actual situation.

It doesn't matter whether the court will continue to expand westward, but it must understand the situation."

Wei Guangde had to say.

After Wei Guangde said this, Tan Lun was no longer anxious and nodded to agree.

In this regard, Wei Guangde could only sigh in his heart.

Although I don't want to admit it, the fact is that the Qing Dynasty's contribution to China's territory is undoubtedly the greatest among all dynasties.

Only the heyday of the Tang Dynasty can be compared.

The Han and Tang Dynasties have always been considered the most prosperous periods of the Central Plains dynasties, but even these two dynasties were deterred by the nearby Tibetan Plateau.

Tibet is located in a plateau with cold winters. Although the Qin and Han dynasties once wanted to set foot in Tibet, they gave up expanding to the southwest because of the high mountains and long waters and the high altitude reaction of the Central Plains people after they arrived.

Therefore, the Tibetan Plateau also became a geographical barrier for the Central Plains dynasties to expand their military to the southwest.

As for the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the earliest contact with Tibet was due to war.

Later generations of Chinese people only knew the story of Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng. In fact, before Songtsen Gampo married Princess Wencheng, he had married five princesses, and Princess Wencheng was the sixth.

The first "close" contact between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo was in 638 AD, when Tubo invaded Tuyuhun and moved eastward. Songtsen Gampo led an army of 200,000 to Songzhou, Sichuan.

Han Wei, the governor of the Tang Dynasty, led his troops to resist but was defeated. In August, Emperor Taizong of Tang appointed Hou Junji, the Minister of Personnel, as the general commander of the march. He divided his troops into four groups to attack Tubo and defeated Tubo, finally saving face.

After this military conflict, Songtsen Gampo finally realized the true strength of the Tang Dynasty, so he decided to establish friendly relations with the Tang Dynasty, and then there was the story of Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng.

However, this relationship lasted only ten years. After Songtsen Gampo died in 650 AD, the power of Tubo was controlled by Lu Dongzan.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty had been taken over by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, and the Tang Dynasty completely occupied the Western Regions, and the Hexi Corridor was unobstructed.

In 651 AD, Tubo attacked Tuyuhun, a younger brother of the Tang Dynasty, and brought Tuyuhun under its command. Since then, Tubo and Tang Dynasty have been directly adjacent to each other in terms of territory, and conflicts have continued.

When the Tang Dynasty focused its main forces on pacifying Goguryeo and suppressing the rebellion of the Western Turks, Tubo launched an attack in the Hexi Corridor.

In 670 AD, Tubo attacked the Anxi Protectorate and seized today's Aksu area in Xinjiang, resulting in the four towns of Anxi, which had been operated by the Tang Dynasty for many years, falling into the hands of Tubo.

The Tang Dynasty was naturally unwilling to accept this humiliation, and launched two large-scale wars for this reason, but both ended in failure.

In April 670, Xue Rengui led an army of 50,000 to counterattack and fought fiercely with Tubo in Dafeichuan, Qinghai. As a result, Tubo assembled 400,000 heavy troops to besiege the Tang army, and the Tang army was surrounded and almost annihilated.

Eight years later, the Tang army launched another counterattack in the Hexi Corridor. This time, Li Jingxuan was in charge and led 18 armies to attack, but the result was still a failure.

Therefore, the territory of the Tang Dynasty did not actually include the Tibetan area. The strength of Tubo at that time was evident from the war between the two sides.

Wei Guangde wanted to recover Tibet and bring it under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. It was a pipe dream to want to seize it by force.

The Han people could never fight fiercely on that plateau. The impact of altitude sickness was too great.

It seemed that seeing Wei Guangde's interest in Tibet, Liu Shouyou suddenly said at this time: "Wei Ge Lao, in the current situation, Sonam Gyatso wants to use the hands of Mongolian Altan Khan to restore the influence and control of the Yellow Sect in Tibet.

If the court confers the Dalai Lama, can we use this to support Altan Khan to send troops and we will assist from the side.

Although this move may not allow us to control the area in the Ming Dynasty, the court can regularly send people to Tibet for inspection, which will also facilitate us to understand the local terrain and population.

No matter the last choice of the court, at least go there more and have a more thorough understanding of them. It is always good to think about it. ”

Wei Guangde didn't say anything, but was just thinking about Liu Shouyou's suggestions. However, Tan Lun thought about it and said, "If you just provide some food and grass, it should be feasible."

Tan Lun understood Liu Shouyou's meaning, enthroned the Dalai Lama, and sent people to inspect regularly, turning Tibet into a similar model to the southwestern chieftain.

Although the management is still limited, it will ultimately help the court to have a deeper understanding of Tibet.

"So, Altan Khan still needs to be alive.

Wait until he helps Sonangacuo return to Tibet and die, otherwise the plan will fail. ”

Liu Shouyou's proposal was somewhat in conflict with Wei Guangde's previous plan, which was to use Altan Khan's death to differentiate Mongolia.

In the differentiated Mongolia, will his sons still help Sonangacuo?

Most likely not.

Only when Altan Khan is alive can he mobilize Mongolian military forces to climb the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and help the Yellow Cult restore its influence there.

When Liu Shouyou heard Wei Guangde say this, he didn't know how to answer.

"Shan Dao, Commander Liu's proposal is also a solution."

Tan Lun said, "As long as Altan Khan does not die, the court can proceed according to this policy.

If the person in the middle is gone, I will talk about it later.

As long as the official army is not dispatched, the Ministry of War will support it unconditionally. ”

Tan Lun would never object to letting the Mongols go to the Tibetan Plateau to fight.

What a great opportunity to weaken Mongolia, how can you easily miss it?

Wei Guangde nodded and said to Liu Shouyou: "The Jinyiwei checked the religious beliefs of Huang Taiji, Buyan and Tubert to see if they also converted to the Huang Sect.

If they also believe in the Huang Cult, they think it is possible that the war will continue.

As long as they go to the Tibetan Plateau, the pressure on the Nine Borders will be reduced. Liao Town can even find opportunities to completely destroy the Tuman tribes in Liaodong, as well as the Taining and Fuyu tribes. ”

Wei Guangde spoke.

The two tribes of Taining and Fuyu were originally one of the three tribes of Duoyan, but at this time the two tribes of Taining and Fuyu had actually been infiltrated and controlled by tribes such as Khalkha and Korqin to help them attack the Ming Dynasty.

However, Duoyan's tribe has been taught a lesson twice by Qi Jiguang in Ji Town, and has become much more honest in recent years.

These tribes, including the three guards of Duoyan, have actually become the main enemies of the Ming army in Liaodong and Jizhen.

It is reasonable that Wei Guangde plans to take the opportunity to destroy them.

After all, if Altan Khan's army was on the side, the Ming army would be unable to give it a try and siege these Mongols.

If Altan understood the principle of losing his lips and cold teeth, he would never indulge the Ming army to attack them.

"I will ask someone to prepare food and grass when I go back."

Tan Lun said immediately, obviously having the intention of enjoying it.

"Well, I'll just wait for Altan Khan's memorial."

Wei Guangde smiled and said casually. (End of this chapter)