The vast mountains in the north of Qinghai Lake have high sky and light clouds.
White birds flew across the lake, yaks were leisurely on the grass, and there were a few isolated felt tents tied to war horses at the foot of the mountain.
The woman was chopping firewood outside the tent, and the child was holding the firewood and looking into the distance with sad eyes.
In the felt tent, Chen Qindai, the commander-in-chief of the Lion Camp with Mongolian descent, was sitting around the fire with his master, roasting highland barley nests, holding a tea bowl in his hand and talking happily.
The owner is a herdsman from the Seven Tribes of Khalkha. He is not tall but has a strong body. He said that they used to station in Mobei and lost their pastureland after losing the battle, so the leader brought them here.
The war was fought because the Great Khan Lin Dan wanted to conquer the Tumut, Yongshebu, and Ordos tribes by force. There was civil strife in Monan Mongolia. Some nobles took refuge in Houjin, while others crossed the vast sea and defected to Khalkha.
Many feudal lords in Khalkha fought hard to rob these people.
The war is still going on, but the herdsmen's Nayan lost, and the Nayan's Choktu Taiji also lost, so that other Nayan were driven out of the land where their ancestors had been nomadic for generations.
Therefore, since the year before last, they have been wandering and herding all the way, stopping and moving, living in no fixed place. They were beaten by Hui Hui in Hami and beaten by Han people in Gansu.
All the way from Gansu to Xining, the herdsmen failed to seek tribute and rewards. The herdsmen were finally brought to Qinghai by his Nayan and attached to Xiao Lazun Qingha Taiji, who was stationed as a herdsman at the border of Gansu and Qinghai.
At this time, they were fighting against Little Lazun's elder brother Guru Huang Taiji.
As he spoke, the herdsman showed Chen Qindai his armor, which was a complex piece of cowhide armor.
The helmet is shaped like a beggar, and also has a spear and a collar, but there are only two finger-width iron plates on it. The rest of the helmet is made of cowhide, with copper nails on the edges.
The same is true for armor. There are square pieces of cowhide nailed with iron nails on the armor. There are more than thirty pieces of old iron armor. The herdsmen pointed to the armor pieces and said that they were bought from the Gansu border troops of the Ming Dynasty using frozen lambs.
The herdsmen also said that the Ming Khan spoke Mongolian and believed in Xifan religion just like him.
Chen Qindai asked him not to interrupt, and then said that Gu Ruhuang Taiji.
The only real Khan in Mongolia is Chahar Khan; Jinong or Ji Nang is the prince; Huang Taiji is the crown prince, the title of the eldest son or prince of the Khan and Jinong; Taiji is the son of the Great Khan and Jinong. The added title.
In the earliest days, when this title was mentioned, people would know who they were talking about, but now it is no longer possible. The power of the Khan Court has fallen to others. As long as it is far away from Chahar Khan, no one dares to name their child Huang Taiji.
Naming his son Huang Taiji has a very obvious symbolic meaning, which not only puts him on an equal footing with Chahar Khan.
The basic distribution range is to the west of Chahar, from Tumut to Oirat, there are Huangtaiji all over the place; to the east of Chahar, there is only one Huangtaiji for the commander of the Jianzhou Guard.
So Nurhachi is very fierce.
After all, Mongolia is a basket, and everything can be put into it. The slave mother Ai of Yongxiebu Shiying is a Han bow and arrow craftsman, and Shibao Ai is a group of Jurchens who raise eagles. They all come from Yunyu Mansion in the Yuan Dynasty.
This ancient Huangtaiji in Qinghai has nothing to do with the Lin Dan Khan of Chahar. It belongs to the Doluo Tuman tribe and is an important branch of the Tumut tribe.
In the past, their camp was six to seven hundred miles north of Piantou Pass. They responded positively when Anda Khan worshiped the Buddha. The tribesmen who entered Qinghai were led by Huo Luochi. In ancient times, Huang Taiji and Xiaola Zunqingha Taiji were both Huoluoji. Chi's son.
Huo Luochi was the most powerful Mongolian leader who entered Qinghai since Wanli.
Lazun is the honorific title given to the sons of nobles who became monks. Huo Luochi had two sons who became monks. To distinguish them, the people of Xihai called them Dalazun and Xiaolazun.
Chen Qindai stayed here for two days, and the herders told him everything they knew, which gave him a basic understanding of the general situation in Qinghai at this time.
It can be divided into eight pieces.
The northeast is Xining of the Ming Dynasty, the southeast is many Namafan and Xiaola Zunqingha Taiji, the southwest is Guru Huangtaiji, and the northwest is Yongxiebu Erying.
Beyond the northeast lies Chahar Lindan Khan, who wants to reconquer all Mongolia.
Outside the northwest, there is the Khalkha Choktu Taiji who is stationed outside Gansu Province and is trying to find a place to settle down.
On the Uzang Snow Mountain in the southwest, there is Zangba Khan, the benefactor of the Bai Sect, who has been fighting endlessly for the Wei Sect and Qinghai.
Chen Qindai summarized the news, licking the dry skin at the corners of his mouth and showing a complicated smile.
But before he could leave, the sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the felt tent. More than a dozen Khalkha cavalry in leather robes and sabers were already surrounding the outside, shouting: "Spy, come out!"
Chen Qindai turned around and saw that the owner of the felt tent was already holding a knife and said to him: "Don't draw the knife, go see my face, you spy!"
Chen Qindai wanted to fight to the death. When he heard that he was going to see his leader, he relaxed his tight fists. He was immediately approached and punched in the abdomen. He was picked up by the waist and thrown onto the back of a horse.
They walked north for nearly a whole day, passing three felt tents for grazing cattle. Chen Qindai regretted that his long stay in the Han region made him misjudge the value of armor.
He should have realized that that set of armor would be valuable after leaving the fortress. It would be nice for an ordinary herdsman to have a coat.
He was a warrior warrior from Khalkha. His pasture land, felt tent, wife and children were all stolen from him.
On the way, Chen Qindai heard someone say that not long after their expedition, they had driven away the Tumut tribe who had been stationed as herders in Haibei, and had invaded the Red Hat tribes farming in the mountains to the north.
The herdsman who escorted him said that the Qinghai Fan people are generally divided into two types, one is the Red Hat Fan who is good at arrows, and the other is the Zan Sike Fan who is good at swordsmanship.
The former is a relic of Anding Siwei, and the latter is the same species as Uzang.
It was a long road over mountains and ridges, until Chen Qindai vomited until there was nothing left in his stomach, and then he finally reached a large village by a small river.
The village is not big, with dozens of felt tents and more than ten residential buildings scattered around. The residential buildings are different from those in the Han Dynasty. The large one is seven or eight feet high, with layers of stone built like a pagoda. The smaller ones are two or three feet high and are covered with red soil. , wooden ladders go up and down, and the lower level is a stable for large livestock.
Yaks and horses are being tamed in the stockade, and several Mongolian soldiers are executing executions for tribe leaders and shaman family members by the well. There are various aspects of life: some are kowtowing to beg for mercy, some are yelling, some are dying without saying a word, and there are even mountain gods and shamans. Curse.
Chen Qindai was pushed away, and those people were killed one by one. The blood stained everything around the stone well red.
The people of the Fan tribe were driven to the fortress, carrying packages of highland barley noodles, tea and cheese, and put them on the yak's shoulders.
The herdsmen escorting Chen Qindai took him outside the high tower, pushed him in, and stopped in front of the wooden ladder.
"Go in, spy, that face is worshiping the Buddha."
The wooden ladder has been decayed for many years, and the cracks in the wood are filled with soil and sprouting grass blades, which make a squeaking sound when you step on them.
There was a sweet smell that Chen Qindai couldn't explain lingering in the blockhouse. He looked around for it. The smell came from the nine butter lamps lit in the dark room.
Mongolian Nayan is holding a rosary and holding a big hat. He has a long hair on his head and braids on his temples. He wears a large blue leather robe with a slanted front and a large silver and Tibetan red corundum bead necklace. He does not look young. The leader said to him: "Come closer and let me see you."
When Chen Qindai came five steps closer, two monks stood beside Nayan, one with a red hat and the other with a yellow hat. They raised their hands to stop him from moving forward. Nayan said, "I am Mergen Daiqing. Let me guess who you are."
Mergen means a sharpshooter and skilled, Dai Qing is a good fighter, and Dorgon of Houjin also got this noble title after defeating Chahar Khan Lin Dan two years ago.
Later the Qing Dynasty also used this word.
Chen Qindai is not afraid that he will be killed. The situation outside the wall is different from that inside the wall. For Mongolian Nayan, who has no personal vision, intelligence is much more important than killing. He has information that the other party does not know.
"Tumote's Gu Ruhuang Taiji?"
Chen Qindai shook his head.
"Yonshebu?"
Chen Qindai still shook his head.
"Walazhunger?"
After Chen Qindai shook his head again, Dai Qing became a little irritable.
The monk in the yellow hat looked at Chen Qindai and said something in his ear. Dai Qing then asked: "Khan of the Ming Dynasty?"
Chen Qindai was said to be deceived. He thought that it was only the herdsman with little knowledge who said that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was a khan, and this was the source of the long-standing trouble.
They are all taught by monks, including the Khan of Tumed, the right-wing Jinong, the kings of Uzang, and the Khan of the Ming Dynasty.
Invisibly, it created a feeling that the whole world believed in Fan religion. Only the Great Khan of Chahar did not believe it. However, he incited Mongolia to kill each other and start a war. It was a bad sweat.
Chen Qindai didn't know how to answer this sentence about the Ming Dynasty Khan. He thought for a while and said: "The Han people have that face."
Dai Qing asked: "What are the faces of the Han people in Gansu?"
In Mongolia, Nayan was the first official of a thousand households, and now he has been extended to be a noble. He can be collectively referred to as all the nobles from Jinong to Taiji.
Therefore, they also called the local officials of the Ming Dynasty Han Nayan, just like the Ming Dynasty people called Nayan outside the Great Wall the leader.
Chen Qindai shook his head and pointed at his feet: "The faces of the Han people here."
"Ah!"
Dai Qing laughed in surprise, and then said: "There are dada, tiles, red hats, and Zansa here, but there are no Han people. If your Han Yan wants to find a Han person here, let him sharpen it." Come on, there are still a few households there.”
"It will be there soon. My Nayan is fighting with the Ming Emperor and wants this land from the emperor. The Han army will come soon."
When Dai Qing heard this, he was not unhappy, he just smiled.
In Qinghai, except for those pilgrims who entered Tibet, those who stayed here were losers in the power struggle of their tribes. Daiqing's Taiji Chuoktu was a loser in the Mobei war and a loser outside Gansu.
Just the year before last, Chuoktu led 300 elite cavalry to the Gansu armed forces to seek rewards. He was beaten by Xu Jiashou, the chief military officer of Gansu, with artillery. From then on, he did not dare to approach Suzhou.
The successive failures have greatly affected Choktu Taiji's prestige among many Nayans.
At this time, in Dai Qing's eyes, Chen Qindai's face was a loser among the Han people.
He exchanged a few words in a low voice with the two monks from the Red Sect and the Yellow Sect beside him, and said slowly: "These are really two frightened birds, meeting each other on a big pine tree."
Among the two monks beside Dai Qing, the one wearing the red hat belongs to the Red Sect. In the past, Khalkha was in Mobei, and they all believed in the Red Sect.
The one who wears the yellow hat is the Yellow Sect. Outside Gansu, the Yellow Sect monks found his Taiji Chuo Ketu and were immediately expelled by the Red Sect's Chuo Ketu.
Later, Chuoktu Taiji was bombarded by the general army with ambushes in Gansu. Daiqing used the pretext of exploring the way to Qinghai, separated from Taiji, and attached himself here to Xiao Lazun, the reincarnation of the Yellow Sect of the Tumut tribe.
The monks from the Yellow Sect came to find him, so now he has monks from the Red and Yellow Sects around him.
The monk from the Yellow Sect had just told him the story of Tumote Ada Khan re-employing Zhao Quan, a Han from the White Lotus Sect, to achieve great things with Tumochuan.
The story suited him exactly.
The little Lazun he is now attached to is not someone he can rely on.
Since the two brothers invaded Uzang for the Yellow Sect a few years ago, they have been fighting among themselves, as if they were the only two brothers in Qinghai.
No matter how powerful this kind of person is, he will eventually decline due to civil strife.
Choktu Taiji watched the situation in Qinghai from a distance outside Gansu, and planned to let Dai Qing instigate the two brothers to fight more fiercely, so that the bereaved dogs of their Khalkha tribe could reap the benefits and occupy Qinghai.
For Dai Qing, this is an unprecedented era.
Lin Dan, the Great Khan of Mongolia, wants to reunify Mongolia. He wants to earn a Taiji for himself. Among the Yellow Sect and the Red Sect, he will believe in whichever one can help him get his identity.
In this way, when the Chahar army of Lin Dan Khan arrives, he only needs to surrender to the Khan to confirm his identity as Taiji.
There will be no shortage of wars in the future, and it is not a bad thing for some Han people to look after equipment.
The monk said that if there were too many Han people there would be chaos, but it was not that there were no Han people here. They had already seen several Erlang temples.
It's just that those Han people who left the Central Plains Dynasty either became Xifan or Dazi in order to survive.
If there are Han people to help, maybe Taiji's identity will be simpler, at least he will have no worries when he goes to fight.
As for the strength of the Han people, he probably wouldn't have many if they sent such a solitary spy.
Dai Qing smiled at Chen Qindai and said, "Huo Luochi's two worthless sons dare not provoke the Han army. They will only kill each other. If I rely on them, I will inevitably fight."
"I have 800 households in Qinghai. Do you have 500 Han soldiers there? I can form an alliance with him. When the time comes, I will send troops to rob Dadazi, leaving my wife and children in the tent, relying on you to take care of me. ,how?"
Chen Qindai didn't know what the monk said to Nayan, but seeing how quickly his attitude changed, he had some suspicions about a conspiracy.
But he doesn't care. Whether the alliance is an alliance or not, it's not him who has the final say anyway.
His first priority is to survive until Liu Chengzong leads the Lion Battalion to Xining and hand over the intelligence of Qinghai to the commander-in-chief.
As for Dai Qing, who imagined that there would be hundreds of Han households, what would he think when he saw tens of thousands of Han people... Hey, that's none of Chen Qin Dai's business.
He said in surprise: "Are you really willing to accept my appearance?"
"From where you came to here, it is now my pasture land. I allow you to choose a place to farm. You can also build a Bansheng here, like the Tumochuan River."
Dai Qing raised his hand and said: "I only have two requests. If someone attacks here, you must fight. In addition, you must help me ask for a gold medal as a tribute to the Southern Dynasty."
After that, he waved to Chen Qindai: "You can stay here with me first and wait for your face to come over."
Chen Qindai thought to himself that when his commander came over, he would not only build a bansheng, let alone pay tribute with gold medals.
He may not be able to get his commander to ask for a gold medal for Dai Qing, but Dai Qing can directly pay tribute to his commander.
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Note:
For the situation in Qinghai and the settlement of tribes, please refer to "Research on the History of Mongolia in the West Sea in the Ming Dynasty", "Research on Sectarian Disputes and Local Changes in Snow Areas in the Ming Dynasty", "Research on the Tea-Horse Trade and the Monetary Economy of Qinghai in the Ming Dynasty", "Research on the Commodity Economy and Market System of Qinghai in the Ming and Qing Dynasties"
