"Your Excellency, please rest first. Allow me to ponder this matter," the Sultan said unhurriedly, looking at the Envoy sent by the State Preceptor Khan Tulubaihu below the hall.
That Envoy was very seasoned; without a single unnecessary word, he bowed and withdrew.
The cause of the matter originated at the Oirat Churgan Conference, where the Huntaiji of the Dzungar tribe, Khong Tayiji Khara Khula, cornered the alliance leader, State Preceptor Khan Tulubaihu, stating that the Huntaiji of the Khalkha Hotogoid tribe, Huntaiji Omu Erdeni, had repeatedly harassed him and requested the Great Khan to send troops to preside over justice for him.
This made Tulubaihu difficult. Oirat and Khalkha were ancient enemies; sending troops to fight Khalkha was politically correct and a good opportunity to establish the Great Khan's prestige; but if the Hotogoid tribe were defeated, it would be tantamount to helping the Dzungars. That Khara Khula and his son were arrogant and overbearing, often harboring disloyal intentions. Only by uniting the strength of the Dörbet people was he able to suppress them. If they were allowed to grow, the consequences would be significant.
After much deliberation between fighting and not fighting, Tulubaihu made a decision: Fight! As the Great Khan of Oirat, if an Oirat tribe was in danger and he refused to save them, his prestige would inevitably be damaged! However, the Hotogoid tribe could not be completely defeated; they had to be kept to counterbalance the Dzungars. Therefore, driving them out of the Celestial Mountain north and south would suffice!
Thus, he decided to send ten thousand troops to assist in the battle and, in the name of the Great Khan, ordered the Dörbet tribe and the Huit Tribe to also send troops to aid the Dzungars.
Unexpectedly, the Huntaiji of the Dörbet tribe, Dalai Taishi, who had always followed his steps, did not agree, citing a snow disaster and a lack of both provisions and weapons.
The real reason was due to an oath; the Mongols' oaths were more precious than gold! During the Oirat civil war, Huntaiji Omu Erdeni of the Hotogoid tribe sent an Envoy to negotiate peace with him. To reduce pressure and recuperate, he agreed to the peace talks. The two sides secretly concluded a peace treaty and swore a blood oath: never to fight.
Once an oath was sworn, it had to be kept, otherwise they would suffer divine retribution! Dalai Taishi was an honest and trustworthy hero, so he refused to send troops.
Now, it was the turn of another hero, Sultan, to make a choice.
A figure flashed from behind the screen; it was none other than Langzhong (Doctor) Liu Haogu of the Ministry of Rites Rituals Department.
"Master Liu, in your opinion, is it better for me to send troops or not?" The hero Sultan hesitated.
Liu Haogu smiled and said, "Great Taiji, sending troops to help the Dzungar tribe will give all the seized pastures to the Dzungars. What good is that to you?"
Sultan felt that his teacher's words made sense and nodded slowly, "Then don't send troops?"
"Not sending troops means not obeying the Great Khan's order. Now is not the time to fall out with the Khoshut people."
"Master Liu, what exactly do you mean? To send troops or not to send troops?" Sultan was confused.
Liu Haogu secretly chuckled, then said with a straight face, "Great Taiji, my meaning is that he fights his battle, and I fight mine. First, use the Yarkand people's invasion as an excuse to refuse the State Preceptor Khan's order; then, lead troops south to attack the Yarkand people and seize Turpan and Hami."
Sultan's eyes lit up, "Seize Turpan and Hami?" He had long coveted the wealth of these two places.
"That's right, Great Taiji, I believe that a country can only be strong if it is wealthy. Oirat is barren and lacks many resources. To enrich the country and strengthen the army, trade must first be developed; and to develop trade, trade routes must first be opened. Turpan and Hami are located on the golden trade route with the Great Ming, especially Hami, which is close to the Great Ming's Jia Yu Pass, making it even more important. It must be in our hands. Moreover, these two places have fertile land, abundant resources, and are rich in grain. Obtaining them can be our source of sustenance," Liu Haogu eloquently spoke of the wealth and importance of these two places.
Gradually, he stirred the wolf-like nature of Sultan Great Taiji, and his eyes gradually glowed green. However, he also had his own concerns and hesitated, saying, "That Abdullah Khan who rules Turpan is a formidable ruler. Turpan is not easy to attack!"
As a transmigrator, he had read about the glorious deeds of this Abdullah Khan. In history, this Khan reunified the Yarkand Khanate; he defeated the Dzungar Army three times successively, expanding the khanate's sphere of influence to the north and south of the Celestial Mountain; he led the entire nation's army to attack the Kyrgyz people and achieved a great victory, known in history as the "Aksu Campaign."
"Great Khan," Liu Haogu said solemnly, "The more formidable a ruler, the more they should be eliminated while their power is weak, otherwise they will become a major hidden danger."
These words moved Sultan. He slowly nodded, "You are right. I will immediately prepare for the southern campaign to Turpan!"
He summoned the State Preceptor Khan's Envoy and cried, with snot and tears, "Respected Envoy, I should naturally obey the Great Khan's command, but my tribe has been invaded by the Yarkand people and is truly powerless. Please inform the Great Khan and send troops to rescue us as soon as possible! My tribe, from top to bottom, will be eternally grateful!"
Well, he didn't send a single soldier, and instead asked others for support. He had quite the thick skin!
Upon hearing the news that both the Dörbet tribe and the Huit Tribe were unwilling to send troops, State Preceptor Khan Tulubaihu was not angry but happy, thinking that these two tribes, like himself, were disgusted by the rude and arrogant Huntaiji of the Dzungar tribe, Khong Tayiji Khara Khula. It seemed that the Dzungars had aroused the common anger of the various Oirat tribes. In that case, they were not to be feared!
He led ten thousand troops and arrived at Khobukseer, where the Dzungar royal court was located. Khara Khula and his son Batur had already been waiting for a long time with over thirty thousand troops.
"Greetings, Great Khan, thank you for sending troops to save the Dzungar people from suffering," Khara Khula, riding a large black horse, cupped his hands in salute.
The phrase "saving the Dzungar people from suffering" was a lie. In fact, in the war between the Dzungar tribe and the Hotogoid tribe, he had not been defeated and had even slightly gained the upper hand. The crying child gets the milk; he had sought help from the State Preceptor Khan at the Churgan Conference, hoping to use the strength of other tribes to completely and thoroughly defeat the Hotogoid tribe. This way, Dzungar's northern and eastern regions would have no strong enemies, and he could concentrate his forces to contend for supremacy in Oirat.
Unexpectedly, only the Khoshut Tribe sent ten thousand reinforcements, while the other tribes did not send a single soldier, which made this Huntaiji gnash his teeth in hatred. Just wait, when I deal with the Hotogoid tribe, I will let you taste the flavor of the Dzungar saber. Although he was resentful in his heart, he showed no sign of it on his face, continuously expressing his gratitude to the State Preceptor Khan.
The State Preceptor Khan also smiled, his smile as bright as a flower, "Huntaiji, what are you saying? Oirat is one family. When one party is in trouble, all parties help. This is our duty. As the Great Khan, I am even more obligated. There is no need to thank me!"
The two exchanged pleasantries again. Then they combined their forces to attack the Hotogoid people. The Dzungars already had a slight advantage, and with an additional ten thousand Khoshut reinforcements, they were like a tiger with wings. They defeated the Hotogoid Hangtu Dai tribe at Jeminey; they defeated the Hotogoid Gunbu Yiledeng tribe at Bulunto Hai; then they went all the way north, driving Omu Erdeni's army out of the Celestial Mountain.
Just as Khara Khula was preparing to lead the army across the Altai Mountains to completely annihilate the Hotogoid tribe, the State Preceptor Khan, citing exhaustion from prolonged fighting, led ten thousand Khoshut troops back.
"Hmph! Without you, I can still destroy the Hotogoid tribe!"
Khara Khula gritted his teeth in hatred and was about to attack alone when news arrived: The Khalkha Zasagtu Khan Subadi had sent fifteen thousand troops to reinforce the Hotogoid people.
Helplessly, he had to return in frustration.
