Hu Duntu Khan led the iron-hoofed horse and walked on the desolate Gobi Desert. He saw the endless yellow sand, and there was desolation and despair everywhere.
In fact, not only Liu Chengzong at the other end of the Qilian Mountains scolded Chuo Ketu in his heart, but also the Huduntu rabbit in the north of Qilian Mountains. Chuo Ketu's letter came at the wrong time.
Since launching the Eastern Expedition last winter and attacking Horqin, which had already paid gold, Chahar and Houjin were at war with each other, waiting for a big battle.
But Hu Duntu knew very well that even if he swept through 30,000 households on the right, he still couldn't defeat Huang Taiji.
Because Huang Taiji has the nomadic cavalry he has; Huang Taiji also has the regular infantry and artillery he does not have... Even if they are also nomadic cavalry, his Mongolian army is weaker than Hou Jin's Mongolian army.
Nomadism is not about traveling, but about herding. In fact, if given the choice, the Mongolians would be happy to stay in one place and farm for a long time.
Whether they were the Huns, Xianbei or Mongols, they all farmed in Mobei, Monan, and Moxi.
It’s just that the world is so big that all the good land has been snatched up by their southern neighbors. They live on land that is not suitable for farming and have no choice but to choose nomadism. Even so, they can still cultivate small pieces of land on the Mongolian plateau with their tenacity and hard work. arable land.
But the harvest is really not on the table. The most important production method of nomadic herds can only be nomadic herding. Agriculture, like trade, plundering, and hunting, can only take a back seat as a supplement to production.
In fact, each tribe is like a huge mobile town, traveling along fixed routes and camping at fixed locations every few years.
The traveling routes that the tribes have figured out for generations do not interfere with the river water. In summer, they are stationed in summer pastures that are not easily flooded and have few mosquitoes. In winter, they are stationed in places with leeward warmth.
Merchants know where to sell, craftsmen know where to work, and nobles know where and when each tribe appears.
These traveling routes merged into the entire grassland, just like countless connecting questions. The Han people could not match each piece of grassland to each Mongolian tribe one by one, just like the Mongolians did not know who the donkey cart on the Gaoliang River belonged to.
But the tribe corresponding to the grassland is common knowledge among herdsmen.
Hu Duntu's westward migration of Chahar destroyed Tumut's old production route; Huang Taiji's westward expedition also destroyed the foundation of Chahar's survival.
Nomads who leave their fixed pastures, even if they stand on new pastures, are just like the wandering bandits who left their hometowns in Han Dynasty, they are rootless.
Because in a strange pasture, people don’t know where the good grass is and where the bad land is, where the cold wind is, and where they can get shelter from the cold.
The more serious problem in Qiantao within the scope of Tumut's naturalized city is that it is no longer suitable for farming. But if the Bu Shutu has half the military strength of An Dahan, Chahar would never dream of conquering the 30,000 households on the right.
The nobles loyal to Chahar Khan were busy exploring the pastures in Guihua City. Suddenly they heard that Hou Jinhuang Taiji was inciting various tribes to raise troops to fight westward, and people were panicked for a while.
Hu Duntu thought that he, the Chahar Khan, was capable and decisive, but in fact he couldn't.
Amid internal and external troubles, Chuoktu Taiji wrote a letter saying that he had robbed the Han Marshal's Mansion in Qinghai to start a family business, and asked the Great Khan to recuperate on the plateau and restore the supreme glory of the Mongolian Great Khan.
On one side is a powerful enemy that is difficult to defeat, and on the other is the southwestern loyalist of the Great Mongol Empire. How to choose? Migrate westward.
In fact, when Hu Duntu wants to move westward, he does not want to occupy Qinghai, but wants to use Qinghai as a springboard to leap into Uzang. In short... the further away from Huang Taiji, the better.
But now, the entire Mongolian Khan Court is stationed on the edge of the oasis outside Liangzhou, Gansu Province, and the Huduntu Khan is particularly depressed.
After a long journey, he finally arrived at the place closest to Qinghai, only to be told that Chuo Ke Rabbit was dead at the hands of a man named Liu Chengzong.
Hu Duntu always thought that he was capable and decisive, but he kept cutting off things and found that he was almost killing himself.
At this time, we can no longer go back the way we came. If we brave the wind and snow to move eastward, we will probably freeze some tribesmen. Moreover, the Mongolian Khan Court under his command has also moved westward and formed a loose alliance. They may not still listen to him when they return to the east. of.
Even if you listen, Guihua City may be captured by Huang Taiji.
There is a large desert to the north, and there is no way to go there. The only choices left are the west and the south.
You can't go to the west. Over there is the Oirat, an old friend of the Tatars. They often worked as mercenaries for the Ming Dynasty decades ago, blocking Andan Khan's way to Qinghai.
Those people in the forest were also the mortal enemies of Chahar Khan, and there was no way they could offer him food.
To the south was the Gansu frontier army, and Liu Chengzong was waiting for him behind the Gansu frontier army.
On the Gobi Desert, Hu Duntu looked around at a loss... Houjin, Oirat, Gansu Frontier Army, Marshal's Mansion, he was not sure of winning against anyone!
The tribal structure of Mongolia determines that the pasture is the life of the Mongols, and leaving the pasture means losing their lives, so not everyone is willing to move westward with him.
Even the tribe was willing at first, until Hu Duntu took them to the next pasture, and the large army marched westward. Many people fell further and further behind, and finally stayed in other people's pastures to recuperate.
So when he arrived at the border of Liangzhou to count the population and livestock, he found that there were only more than 67,000 people under his command. What was even worse was that only about 50,000 men, women, old and young among them could ride horses and shoot arrows, but there were only more than 40,000 horses left. More than 40,000 livestock.
This situation made Hu Duntu hesitant. It was very easy to break through the long and narrow Gansu. In the past, Tumut entered Qinghai and crossed Ningxia and Gansu many times. Sometimes he even crossed northwest Shaanxi instead of Gansu. The Ming Dynasty had a very large population in the northwest. There are few, and it is difficult to organize defense in the face of sudden crossings.
But after crossing Gansu, we have to cross the Qilian Mountains. If Liu Chengzong beats him half way through, the tiger and the rabbit will be finished.
So he decided to put aside his dignity and write a letter to Liu Chengzong, looking for opportunities to avoid war, and sent his younger brother Qututaiji to Qinghai first.
After receiving this mission, Qututaiji took his brother's mission and the courage of the warriors of the Mongol Empire and said goodbye to his family. On the same day, his wife went to scold the Khan. If she hadn't been taken away by Hu Duntu's sister, Maybe you have to get started.
During the years when Huduntu Khan was in charge of the country, due to his guiding ideology of "first dealing with the inside, then dealing with the outside", nearly 200,000 people in Monan Mongolia had been killed in battle, and even Huduntu's headquarters had lost four people. Ten thousand.
Hu Duntu never fought against Hou Jinhuang Taiji in person, and was always busy beating his own people.
In the environment of hatred from the west to the east, the death rate of Hu Duntu's envoys may be the highest among all the countries in the world.
At first, Hu Duntu sent a message to Nurhaci, and both sides detained and killed each other's messengers. Later, when Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne and abolished the rewards, Hu Duntu asked his brother-in-law, Qia Taiji, a member of the army in Chahar's headquarters, to ask for the reward from the Ming Dynasty. The younger sister became a widow.
Gotutaiji accepted the mission with the belief that he would die, but his wife did not want to become a widow like the eldest princess.
Ruitutai Ji was careful and careful pretending to be pilgrims all the way. The Gansu border army did not do much to stop these people. Entering Tibet in the name of worshiping Buddha is an old method inherited from the Anda Khan period. It has always been a good idea for the Ming Dynasty border defenders. Works great.
At first, it was because I was paying tribute, and the officials above took more care of the 30,000 Mongolian households on the right. Later, it became a habit at the grassroots level.
For a long time, the northwest frontier army has eaten the least food and suffered the most severe beatings. Their mission is not to make this line of defense impregnable. It is enough as long as it is not occupied by the enemy.
What's more, prevention is impossible. The oases in Gansu have greatly degraded into deserts. Now the lower reaches of the Hexi Corridor have been completely abandoned. Only Zhangye and the northern part of the Qilian Mountains are still struggling to survive due to melting snow.
For these pilgrims, the defense line was almost useless. As long as they handed over some money, the border troops did not care whether the few Mongolians crossed the border to offer incense or visit graves.
This made Qututaiji feel a little relaxed, but just after crossing the Qilian Mountains, Qututaiji was caught because of a sheep.
There is no clear boundary between Haibei County and Gansu Town in the Marshal's Mansion. The Fanbu who live in the Qilian Mountains are Namafan from the Ming Dynasty on one side, and the residents of Haibei County on the other. Even Xiao Lazun ran into Us this autumn. Zang, and the leader of the tribe came out of the mountains and rushed Timba to pay favor to Xiao Lazun.
There was almost no movement of the local population, but a few noble-looking Mongolians suddenly appeared and said they wanted to buy sheep, and they also said that they were pilgrims to Tibet.
But the leaders of the tribes in the Qilian Mountains were very happy. After all these years, the statue of Empress Wencheng in the Marshal's Mansion has been built to the top of the Riyue Mountain, and the Tumote is gone. Who of the serious people would go to Tibet to offer incense?
Gututaiji was directly held by the neck and pushed into Chen Qindai's Haixi County government office.
Fortunately, Chen Qindai was of Mongolian descent. When he heard that he was delivering a message to the Mongolian Khan, he personally escorted him to Juerwan. Only then did Ruitu Taiji enter the Marshal's Mansion on the tail of Chongzhen for five years.
The Marshal's Mansion in Xincheng on New Year's Eve is the busiest time of the year.
In addition to the generals and county magistrates garrisoned at the border, many generals from the commander's office gathered together, and many chieftains from Xining were also invited to come here with their families.
Regardless of the relationship between them, the thirteen chieftains from Xining are all here, but some bring their families and some don't, but people's mentality is different.
Li Tianyu looked anxious and had been looking for a chance to be alone with Liu Chengzong, but Liu Shishi didn't give him this chance.
Qi Guoping looked more like he was here to gather information. He seemed very comfortable on the surface, but he was very nervous in his heart. His eyes wandered over the faces of the generals attending the party.
As for the other little chieftains, they all seemed jealous that Chen Shiwen had obtained the authority of the Thousand Households in Bajiao City, and they came here to ask for an official position for themselves, or they just wanted to hear the Generalissimo's plans for Juerwan next year and see how they could make money from it. Point money.
At this moment, the guards outside the hall came to report that Chen Qindai came with Guantu Taiji.
Liu Chengzong first called Chen Qindai in and asked who Guitu Taiji was, and then asked the guards to bring Guitu Taiji up.
Zitu did not expect that he would see Liu Chengzong in such a public place, but his psychological quality was not bad. After bowing and saluting, he stuttered and said: "I am the envoy of the Great Khan, and I have a letter from the Great Khan to submit to Liu Chengzong. General."
General?
The expressions of everyone in the hall were a little strange, and Chen Qindai opened his eyes wide and reprimanded: "I told you this is the Generalissimo's Mansion, what are you talking about there?"
Liu Chengzong held his hand holding the wine glass for a moment, put down the wine glass and raised his hand to signal Chen Qindai not to say more: "Let him read the letter, and you will translate it."
Chen Qindai responded immediately and stood aside to urge Guitu Taiji to read the letter.
In fact, Ruitutaiji was also very worried. He didn't mean to take this arrogance, but after all, the Mongolian Khan was targeting the Ming Emperor, and there was no way he could kowtow to Liu Chengzong.
Seeing that Liu Chengzong was not angry, Zhu Tutaiji swallowed, took out the letter and took a few deep breaths.
Liu Chengzong and others were just wondering when they heard him read a series of words: "Lin Dan, Hutuktu, Saint Wu, Genghis, Ming Dynasty, Xue Chan, invincible, great Chakravardi, Taizong, the Jade Emperor of the universe, the Golden Wheel King, To General Liu, Lord of Qinghai Lake."
After saying that, Guitu Taiji, who was blushing, had a thick neck and his eyes were about to pop out, finally took a breath like a dying fish, and looked more tired than slaughtering a horse, and looked at Chen Qindai.
Chen Qindai was dumbfounded. He mumbled out a few words and muttered in a low voice, "This is so damn hard to do." He shook his head and said to Ruitu Taiji: "You, say it again."
Gotutaiji glared and said anxiously: "Aren't you making things difficult for me?"
"Okay Qindai, I almost understand."
Liu Shizi found that his Mongolian language, which was the magistrate of Haibei County, was not very good. He shook his head and said angrily: "Hu Duntu, Genghis Khan, Chechen Khan, Batu, Dai Qing, etc., who are they trying to scare? They want to follow me." Declare war?”
Chen Qindai thought to himself, Marshal, that your Mongolian language skills are not outstanding. He waved his hands and shook his head anxiously: "It's not Marshal, it's just the Great Khan of Mongolia. They are all titles."
As soon as these words came out, the originally tense atmosphere in the hall disappeared in an instant, and all the toasts who were holding back their laughter started laughing, not knowing who started it.
Liu Chengzong also couldn't laugh or cry. Seeing everyone laughing in the hall, and Tututaiji who was embarrassed in the hall, he waved his hand and said: "Forget it, give the letter to Qindai first and let him read it to me. You are from Huduntu." younger brother?"
When Chen Qindai finished translating, Guitutaiji was still complaining in his heart about his brother's long title. Seeing that all the pretense he had risked was wiped out by this title, he simply handed over the letter, nodded and said, "Yes."
"Don't stand in the middle. You are a guest when you come. Find a place to sit by yourself. You should eat and drink when you should." After saying that, Liu Chengzong said to Chen Qindai: "Come and read the letter for me."
In fact, the title of this letter is quite convoluted, and the content is relatively simple. It probably means that Hu Duntu, the leader of the Mongolia with 400,000 strings, entered Qinghai at the invitation of Chuoketu Taiji, but Chuoketu was killed by Liu Chengzong.
Although he and Liu Chengzong had no grudges in the past, one of his own was killed by Liu Chengzong. If he did not express his anger, no one would believe his reputation in the future, so Liu Chengzong had to apologize and give up a piece of pasture land.
The size of the apology must be at least 40,000 sheep or 40,000 taels of silver. If so, he is willing to make General Liu Marshal of Qinghai.
Otherwise, this will be a problem between the two of them, and God will decide who is the master of Qinghai.
After Liu Chengzong listened to Chen Qindai read the letter, he looked around at everyone in the hall. Regardless of whether they were chieftains or generals, the expressions on their faces were all complicated.
There was no anger or fear in everyone, just looking at each other in confusion and humor.
Because even a fool can tell that Huduntu wants a sheep. The price of sheep is about six or seven cents per head in more expensive places. In Xining, it is three to four cents per head.
The most outrageous thing is that Liu Chengzong could not find anyone while listening to Chen Qindai read the letter.
If you look closely, you can see that this guy is crowded next to Xie Erhu, cooking in front of a table full of vegetables. The person who enjoys the most food in the room is this outsider among the outsiders. His cooking ability is as good as at least eight Chen Tusi.
Ruitutaiji didn't want to find a place to sit down at first, but when he looked at other people's tables, he saw that they were all meat and there were no vegetables at all... and he sat down by accident.
"I, I'm not greedy." Although Chahar has been cannibalistic, Tututaiji still stuffed his mouth full of meat and explained to Xie Erhu: "I am willing to swear with half the title of my brother that I am really not greedy, your food , you can tell whether you can fight or not.”
Suddenly, he heard Chen Qindai calling him. He quickly swallowed and wiped his mouth that was full of oil from the Dongpo meat. He took two gulps of water and said to Xie Erhu: "It's pretty good. It's pretty good at fighting."
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