After leaving Guanyang and Wei on the border of Datong, go to the grassland. Walking more than two hundred miles northwest is the Chahar tribe. This is now the center of power in the grassland, because Yanda Khan's golden tent is located here.
There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening on the grassland in April. You can go shirtless during the day, but you have to sleep under a sheepskin quilt at night. However, after being moistened by the snow water in the winter, the spring grass can no longer bear the loneliness, and one after another pokes its head out of the soil. Come. At this time, I stood on a hill and looked around. I saw endless tender green, as if there was a huge green carpet spread on the ground.
Tens of thousands of felt tents were connected together, and countless cattle, sheep, and horses were wandering around. Mongolian soldiers with swords and bows shuttled among them. There were also messengers coming from afar, riding fast horses to deliver news from all directions on the grassland. Get here.
The tribe was even more lively than you can imagine. There were merchants from the Central Plains and the Western Regions, bringing salt, tea, spices, wine, BMWs, jade, pearls, goldware, and women from all over the world to exchange with the Mongols, and the two sides bargained. . On the periphery of the felt tent group, there are Han Chinese and Jurchens captured by the Mongols from the Central Plains and Liaodong who serve as slaves. They are skinny and wear only thin clothes that can only cover their bodies. They either serve cattle and sheep, or carry animals. Scrap iron was melted into molten iron and forged into various murderous weapons. Anyone who did not work hard would be whipped by the Mongolian soldiers.
Between the open sky and the earth, a black torrent rushed towards this side from the east, stepping on the spring grass. From a distance, the black touch looks abrupt and incongruous against the green tone. This is Yanda Khan's team returning from hunting.
The first to arrive was a group of cavalry. They rode fast horses to announce the return of the Great Khan, and showed off their superb riding skills in front of the camp. They were all Yanda Khan's Golden Horde warriors. In this era, for Mongolian men, being able to become a Golden Horde warrior is an affirmation of your ability and is something worth showing off.
The Mongolian herdsmen in the camp arranged their clothes one after another, stood respectfully by the roadside, and bowed to the Khan in their hearts. Their extremely respectful eyes were mixed with enthusiasm.
The Mongolians regard nine as sacred and white as auspicious. Among this huge team, the nine-tailed white flag, the symbol of the Mongolian Khan's royal power, flutters high in the spring breeze.
Seeing Yanda Khan's team slowly approaching, the herdsmen suddenly became excited. They cheered and jumped, and the team rushed to welcome them. They cheered loudly at the nine-tailed white banner. Some even had tears in their eyes, some fell to their knees, and some recited blessing scriptures devoutly. . .
In the eyes of the Han people, Yanda Khan is synonymous with devil, but to the Mongols, he is a hero. After decades of conquests in the east and west, finally a few years ago, all the tribes in central Mongolia swore allegiance. Because of him, Yanda Khan led the fire of war to the Central Plains, Western Regions, Liaodong and other places outside the Mongolian grasslands. He brought peace to the Mongols. He is willing to share wealth, land, wine and women with those who are loyal to him, as long as you follow him and obey him, so the Mongols worship him and are loyal to him, and are even willing to sacrifice their lives for him.
After Yanda Khan unified Mongolia, he divided Mongolia into 60,000 households, with 30,000 households as one wing, and divided it into left and right wings. The 30,000 households on the left include Chahar, Khalkha, and Uliangha households; the 30,000 households on the right include Ordos, Tuman, and Yongxiebu households.
The 30,000 households on the left wing are directly ruled by Yanda Khan, who is stationed in Chahar. The 30,000 households on the right wing are under the jurisdiction of Yanda Khan's third son Balsbrot on behalf of the Great Khan, who is stationed in the tent. Ten thousand households in Ordos. Except for the Goljin tribe, Yanda Khan gave the remaining five ten thousand households to his sons. In this way, he consolidated his rule over the grassland.
At night, countless bonfires burned in the tribal camp, like stars in the night sky. Hundreds of cauldrons were set up. The cooks were busy, cutting the cattle and sheep into pieces and throwing them into the cauldron, preparing a grand feast. dinner party. On this spring night, the cold was not a problem at all. It seemed that everyone was celebrating and sharing the joy of Yanda Khan, who loved hunting, returning home with a full load.
In the brightly lit golden tent, the floor was covered with exquisite carpets transported from the Western Regions, and rich food and wine were placed on both sides. Yanda Khan's most loyal subordinates and sons were sitting on the floor. . .
"Compared with the warm atmosphere outside the golden tent, the atmosphere here is a bit strange. Everyone is eating in silence, without talking or laughing loudly, or mingling with each other. . .
In the golden tent, there was a person kneeling in the middle of the aisle. Yanda Khan looked at the person with a gloomy face. He picked up the golden cup and took a sip of kumiss. He asked in the same gloomy voice, "Did those bright dogs really say that?"
The person kneeling below knocked his head hard on the carpet, not daring to raise his head, and said in a low voice, "Yes, dear Khan, aboutThey said that the destruction of Tuoke was due to an error in the map of the Ming Dynasty War Department. They said that there used to be a group of horse bandits there, and they often crossed the border and entered the interior to plunder. . . They expressed regret for causing such misunderstanding. . . He said he was sorry and Mingting was willing to make compensation. "
Yanda Khan¡¯s face had turned purple, and he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, ¡°How can I make amends?¡±
The messenger's body was trembling slightly, and his forehead was covered with dense beads of sweat. He said in a trembling voice, "Sweat profusely They they are teasing me"
"Do you want me to repeat the question you just asked?"
Although the messenger did not raise his head, he could still feel Yanda Khan's furious eyes. He gritted his teeth and his voice became lower and lower until it was almost inaudible. "Ming Ting said Ming Ting said they were willing to pay ten" .horse."
Yanda Khan picked up the golden cup in front of him and threw it directly. All the nobles in the golden tent stood up in a hurry and fell to the ground, not daring to make a sound.
Sitting closest to Yanda Khan was a white-bearded Taiji. He was wearing purple silk and gold ornaments, and looked extremely distinguished. He lay on the ground for a while, then raised his head and said, "Khan, when a storm comes, he will always be the first to attack you." When a strong wind blows, the Han people often say that everything happens for a reason. The Ming court is so confident, I always feel that something must have happened over there, but we have no control over these things."
Yanda Khan pondered there for a moment, still with a gloomy face, "Huo Si, do you mean that Ming Gou suddenly became stronger?"
That white-bearded Taiji was Jibu Chuhe¡¯s father, Huoshai. This man was the general that Yanda Khan relied on most. The fact that Yanda Khan could entrust an entire ten thousand households to him showed how much he trusted Huoshai.
Huoshai nodded slightly.
"Great Khan, my men have found some clues. I don't know why, but the Ming army left a few Otok tribe survivors alive. According to those survivors, the Ming army's weapons that came to attack them were extremely sharp, and they fought hard. Fast, far and accurate, the entire army is made up of cavalry, coming and going like the wind, extremely powerful, very different from the Ming court border troops seen in the past, and" Huo Sihai paused and said uncertainly, " It seemsit seems that there are still Mongols as the vanguard of the Ming army."
Yanda Khan just frowned at Huo Si's last added news and didn't pay much attention to it. There had always been Mongolians fighting for him in the Ming Dynasty's border army, and there were even Mongolians who sat in the high position of deputy commander-in-chief. , and Yanda Khan's men also gathered a lot of Han troops. Both sides had men from the other side, and they could be considered to understand each other.
Huo Si raised his head and looked at Yanda Khan with bright eyes: "Great Khan, I heard from those living people that those Mongolians are skilled in bow and horse, and are many times more brave than the tribal warriors of their Otok tribe. No matter who they are, One against one, or one against many, they would kill the Otok tribal warriors in just a few encounters. Their horse-riding skills were extremely impressive, and they looked a bitsomewhat like the Khan's gold .The tent warrior."
Hearing the news, Yanda Khan tried his best to avoid Huo's sifting eyes, and waved his hands unnaturally, "This is absolutely impossible!" In order to cover up his uneasiness, he reached for the golden cup, but he just asked him to throw it away. , his hand stopped stiffly in mid-air.
Huo Si glanced at Yanda Khan, then lowered his head to pick up the gold cup from the carpet, picked up the wine bottle and filled Yanda Khan's cup. Yanda Khan's expression changed, and he tried his best to squeeze out a smile at Huo Si. For some reason, there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He took the golden cup handed to him by the fire sieve, raised his neck and drank the wine in one gulp. At this time, Yanda Khan's mouth was full of bitterness.
In the eyes of others, the number of Yanda Khan's Golden Horde warriors has not changed, still 5,000, but he knows better than anyone in his heart that there are 3,000 people he transferred from other places to make up for the loss. The three thousand warriors were incomparable. They could only be regarded as armored herdsmen at best. And he knew better that some of the three thousand warriors had already surrendered to the Ming court, but how could he tell others this news? If everyone knew that Mongolia's most elite Golden Horde warriors had lost all their lives in the battle of Wayaokou Fort, then those who followed him would no longer believe in the myth of his invincibility in every battle.
But he couldn't figure it out. In one year, the Ming Dynasty seemed to have suddenly changed. The clumsy and cowardly fat sheep suddenly turned into a tiger with snarling teeth and claws. The Ming army, which had never dared to leave the fortress, actually sent an entire force. The cavalry entered the grassland and defeated the powerful Otok tribe in one fell swoop.
¡°Am I not reverent to gods? Is it because I have murderous intentions towards the Great Shaman? Will Changshengtian punish me?
The Mongolians believe in shamanism. This religion believes that gods exist in everything including heaven, earth, mountains, rivers, vegetation, and fire. "Shaman" means "Buke" in Mongolian. It is said to be in charge of the relationship between gods and humans, to convey the will of gods, and toA very primitive thing to cure illnesses. In the Mongolian grasslands, both heaven and god are called "Tenggri" and are the highest gods. Among the nomadic people, whether they are nobles, subjects or slaves, they all act according to God's will, and "everything returns to God." therefore. Phrases such as "Eternal Heaven", "Eternal Heaven", "Eternal Heavenly Power" are often on the lips of Mongolians.
At this time, Yanda Khan began to panic. If Changshengtian, who had always been attached to him, abandoned him, how bad would the situation be?
Seeing Yanda Khan's devastated look, his sons exchanged glances. His third son, Balsbrot, frowned. He had never seen his father Khan in such a state. He raised his head and said, "Father Khan." , last year we severely damaged the three guards of Ulliangha, but they did not surrender. There is news that their three guards are negotiating with the general army of Liaodong, hoping to borrow troops to retaliate against us. Father Khan, we have Wala to the north and Minggou to the south. , there is Yili in the west, plus the three guards of Wuliangha in the east. As long as we show the slightest weakness at this time, those people will bite us in the back like poisonous snakes hiding in the thatch! "
Yanda Khan listened to his favorite son's unusual encouragement. His pride surged to the top of his head along his bloodline. Yes, I, Yanda Khan, am the fifteenth generation descendant of Genghis Khan. The blood of the Golden Family flows in my body. It is unyielding. Blood, when I had nothing, I could defeat extremely powerful enemies. Now that I have subordinates who are loyal to me, sons who are good at fighting, and countless people who admire me, I have nothing to fear.
Yanda Khan patted the low table, stood up, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I have decided to take revenge on the Ming Dynasty when winter comes this year!" Yanda Khan's deep voice made the big tent buzz.
??The eyes of everyone in the big tent lit up. Their all-powerful Khan was back again. They all puffed up their chests, bowed and shouted in unison, "I am willing to listen to the Khan's orders!"
"This time we send 50,000 troops! Fire sieve!"
"Yes, Khan!"
"I need 10,000 soldiers from Goljin!"
"I will definitely hand over the best warriors of Goljin tribe to the Great Khan!" Huo Si bowed and replied.
Huoshai nodded with satisfaction, pointed at his sons in the big tent and said, "The big tent will send 20,000 troops, and the remaining 20,000 horses should be divided among you!"
"Yes, Father Khan!"
"We Mongolians are the descendants of the wolf and the descendants of Genghis Khan. We should be as brave as the wolf and as courageous as Genghis Khan. We will eat the flesh and blood of all those who resist, and we will show no mercy! This time I want to teach Akito a lesson and tell them never to anger the Mongols!"
"Yes, Khan!"
The cold outside the tent was overwhelming, and the air was filled with the strong aroma of wine and meat. The bright bonfire reflected everyone's face red, and their eyes were dancing with fire, just like wolves biting lambs at night. The fierce light reflected under the shepherd's torch.