After conquering vast territories and plundering countless people and wealth, Shulei Ubashi refused to return to his old lair, Tannu Uriankhai (now Tuva, Russia). Apart from his grand ambitions to completely conquer the entire Oirat, this was also related to his cousin, Jasagtu Khan Subadi.
After the death of Laihū'er, the leader of the Jasaktu Tribe, Outer Mongolia was once without a head.
In 1596, the Khalkha Left and Right Wings held a meeting on the banks of the Tarni River and elected Subadi, the son of Laihū'er, as the Jasagtu Khan.
This great khan had clever methods; on one hand, he supported the Hotogoid, a branch of the Jasaktu, in their expedition against the Oirat and in collecting taxes from the Oirat people, while also using the Hotogoid as a barrier to prevent the Oros people from moving south.
On the other hand, he did not want the Hotogoid to completely annex the Oirat, to prevent them from becoming too powerful.
He not only firmly controlled the Khalkha Left and Right Wings with an iron fist but also harbored suspicion towards the newly emerging Qing Dynasty to the south, actively maintaining the independent status of the Khalkha.
Shulei Ubashi won consecutive victories in his campaign against the Oirat, and Subadi could no longer sit still.
The Hotogoid were already very strong; if they were to annex the Oirat, their power would surpass that of the Jasaktu Headquarters. How could they be controlled then?
This great khan only wanted to collect taxes from the Oirat people and did not want to completely eliminate the Oirat and pave the way for the Hotogoid.
Therefore, he wrote letters to Shulei Ubashi repeatedly, ordering him to return after his victory and demanding the return of the ten thousand troops from the Jasaktu Tribe, Tusheet Tribe, and Chechen who had been sent to assist in the battle.
As a seasoned politician, Shulei Ubashi naturally knew what his cousin was thinking.
He had finally seen the dawn of completely conquering the Oirat; how could he give up halfway?
So, while outwardly complying but inwardly disobeying, he engaged in a subtle power struggle with Subadi, and at the same time, actively prepared for a decisive battle with the Oirat people.
However, the Khoshut arrived so quickly!
A few days ago, there was still news that the debauched Baibagas Khan was spending his days in Urumqi enjoying beautiful women and singing and dancing, drinking and singing loudly, but unexpectedly, he had already reached the upper reaches of the Ertix River so quickly.
The mournful horn sounded; the situation allowed no time for hesitation. If you want to fight, I will fight!
Shulei Ubashi was not afraid of fighting.
The battle was fierce and closely contested.
Dalai Taishi and Oerleke were locked in battle with Hangtu Dai, the General of the Hotogoid vanguard; Khara Khula fought to a draw with Gunbu Yiledeng, their rear General; Baibagas's highly anticipated central breakthrough was also difficult to achieve due to the bravery and skill of the Hotogoid central army.
The Hotogoid army had followed Shulei Ubashi in campaigns across the north and south for years, gaining rich combat experience, especially their central army, which was the elite of the elite and could not be easily defeated in a short time.
"Tell General Sainser Tengji that if he cannot break through the Hotogoid formation, he should die in front of the formation for this khan," Baibagas ordered fiercely.
A compassionate leader does not command troops; he was a man of iron will, not a kind-hearted person.
Upon receiving the military order, Sainser Tengji calmly adjusted his attire, with two hundred carefully selected warriors behind him; this force had been resting and building strength for a long time.
"Mount your horses and follow me to kill the enemy," the young General mounted his warhorse and galloped with his spear towards the Hotogoid central army, followed by two hundred subordinates who were willing to sacrifice their lives.
Charging into the gunfire and arrows, people constantly fell from their horses, but there was no hesitation.
"Ho," Sainser Tengji charged to the front of the enemy formation, and his great spear pointed like a ghost, piercing a General's throat.
The bright silver spear seemed to have a spirit, thrusting, stabbing, whipping, striking, entangling, circling, pointing, and parrying while galloping and charging, moving as fast as flight, changing unpredictably, infinitely divine, scattering the enemies in disarray.
The General is the courage of the soldiers; seeing his martial arts were so superb, the soldiers were all emboldened, following their General, deeply wedging into the Hotogoid central army.
Shulei Ubashi was directing the battle when he suddenly saw over a hundred cavalrymen charging towards him, led by a General in a white helmet and white armor, covered in blood, appearing like a god of death.
At this critical moment, there was no time to evade, only to rein in his horse and fight.
"General greets Your Highness," the General was unexpectedly very polite.
"Oh, you have seen me?" Shulei Ubashi was startled.
"This General is Sainser Tengji of the Khoshut.
Seventeen years ago, when you came to Tarbahatai to meet with the various Oirat tribes, this General was fortunate enough to see you once.
It's just that your hair was black then, unlike now, touched with silver frost."
The General's tone was gentle, as if chatting about everyday life.
This made a glimmer of hope flash in Shulei Ubashi's heart, "Since we are old acquaintances, if you are willing to surrender, I will make you a Taiji and put you in charge of the Khoshut. How about it?"
The General smiled, his lips red and teeth white, "Your Highness is magnanimous, I am deeply grateful.
However, this General is trusted by Baibagas Khan and has been entrusted with the position of vanguard of the central army.
I can only fight to the death to repay his great kindness.
Excuse me!"
"A good bird chooses a tree to perch on."
"Your Highness need not say more."
Sainser Tengji called him "Your Highness" respectfully and politely, but his hands showed no mercy, stabbing Shulei Ubashi's guards one by one from their horses.
Shulei Ubashi had no choice but to fight him one-on-one with his saber.
"Bang," saber against spear, a burst of light.
"This fellow has great strength," Shulei Ubashi was secretly shocked.
He swung his great saber horizontally, but was kept busy by Sainser Tengji's god-like spear technique.
"Puff!"
Sainser Tengji seized an opportunity, thrust his long spear swiftly, hitting Shulei Ubashi squarely in the chest.
Before he could cry out in pain, he pulled out the spear and thrust again.
Alas, a generation's hero died tragically on the battlefield he sought to conquer.
"Your Highness, this General has offended," Sainser Tengji looked at the fallen body of Shulei Ubashi, dismounted, drew his saber, and cut off his head.
Then, holding his head, he galloped around shouting: "Shulei Ubashi is dead~ Shulei Ubashi is dead~ Shulei Ubashi is dead~"
Shulei Ubashi was the soul of the Huit army; with his death, the morale of the Huit army scattered.
Soldiers screamed and fled in all directions, turning their backs to the enemy, allowing the enemy to shoot them down like rabbits.
Shulei Ubashi's eldest son, Omubu Erdeni, desperately tried to rally the troops; he was also a famous warrior of Khalkha, but with no will to fight among the soldiers, he had no choice but to lead the remnants to withdraw from the Erqisi River basin.
This battle severely weakened the Huit tribe's power and earned great prestige for Baibagas and his guards.
Even so, the war did not end; the Huit tribe had paid a huge price and were unwilling to return to Tannu Uriankhai in defeat.
Omubu Erdeni, while seeking aid from Jasagtu Khan Subadi, deployed defenses relying on the Altai Mountains, occasionally harassing the Tianshan North.
Although Subadi did not want the Huit tribe to completely annex the Oirat, he also did not want them to be defeated by the Oirat, as their defeat would be the defeat of the entire Khalkha.
Therefore, he sent three thousand reinforcements to Omubu Erdeni.
The major battle had stopped, but minor skirmishes continued.
Baibagas Khan, who had become arrogant due to his victory, returned to Urumqi; in his eyes, the Khalkha people were no longer a threat and were not worth him personally leading troops to pursue and kill.
