Every tribe had its own heroes, and the Dzungar were no exception; they worshipped their hero, Khong Tayiji Khara Khula.
Back then, this 'lone hero' single-handedly charged into the Khalkha army.
For years, fearless of death, he campaigned in the north and south.
Khalkha, Oros people, Kyrgyz, Oirat, who among them did not fear his military might?
It was because such a brave man held the Dzungar's horse whip that the entire tribe grew stronger and stronger!
Now the old hero was old, and breathing heavily when walking fast.
Many old comrades, Baibagas, Mergen Temuna, and others, had returned to the embrace of chang sheng tian.
His own days were probably numbered!
But he was not disheartened.
Thinking of his eldest son, Duo Heqin, the old man was filled with pride, as if his life had been extended through his son.
Duo Heqin was very brave; even when he was very young, he could tear apart fierce beasts with his hands.
The people in the tribe called him 'Batu'.
Khara Khula had long since clearly established 'Batu's' right of succession; the future wielder of the Dzungar horse whip could only be him!
Unexpectedly, misfortune struck; two days ago, while hunting a tiger, Duo Heqin's horse suddenly stumbled, throwing him onto a rock.
He had been unconscious for two days, unresponsive.
This greatly worried Khara Khula.
He invited Shamans and famous doctors everywhere, but to no avail.
While he was in agony, Wensa III appeared.
Hearing that Khuntaiji's son had met with an accident, the Great Monk volunteered to treat him.
He made hand gestures, continuously chanting spells, and with a combination of tapping and striking, Taiji Duo Heqin actually woke up.
"Oh, Master's magic is truly profound; you saved my son's life.
How can I repay you?"
Khara Khula was so moved that old tears streamed down his face.
"amitabha.
This humble monk seeks no repayment, only the eternal prosperity of the Yellow Sect.
Please reconcile with the Koshut and join forces to protect the faith in Lhasa.
What are your thoughts?"
A gentleman can be deceived by the proper way.
Wensa III knew Khara Khula was straightforward, so he simply told the truth.
"I dare not hide anything from Master.
Oirat has always been a place where the strong rule.
In recent years, my tribe's population and livestock have increased, and we desperately need large pastures.
However, the Koshut occupy the best water and grass lands, and a war between us and the Koshut is inevitable.
Before the outcome is decided, I'm afraid I cannot go to Lhasa to protect the faith," Khara Khula also spoke the truth.
"amitabha," Wensa III twirled his prayer beads, lost in thought, then suddenly spoke, "If you could obtain the pastures in the Urumqi and Barkol area without going to war, would you still fight the Koshut?"
"Hahaha, Master is joking.
I have no deep enmity with the Koshut.
On the contrary, I have some friendship with their former Khan, Baibagas.
If I can obtain the pastures in the Urumqi and Barkol area without resorting to arms, I naturally won't fight," Khara Khula laughed loudly.
"Hmm," Wensa III suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze sharp, "the Yellow Sect's enemy, Choktu Khong Tayiji of Khalkha, occupies most of Qinghai province.
If you can help State Preceptor Khan eliminate the anti-Yellow Sect forces, then this humble monk will persuade the Koshut to move their pastures to Qinghai, giving the Urumqi and Barkol area to the Dzungar.
Wouldn't it be good if everyone lived in peace then?"
"Oh, if that's the case, the Dzungar are willing to obey State Preceptor Khan's command and join the army going to Lhasa to protect the faith," Khara Khula readily agreed.
Politics is compromise; the greater the politician, the better they are at compromising.
After Wensa III returned to the Ili River and discussed with State Preceptor Khan, State Preceptor Khan compromised.
However, a mere Qinghai province could not satisfy the appetite of a generation's hero.
What he wanted was the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
It was laughable that the high-ranking officials in Lhasa still thought he would return to the steppe after protecting the faith.
Heh heh, it's easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away.
Once he went to Lhasa, the entire Snowy Region would be the Koshut's galloping ground!
After some discussion, Wensa III successfully facilitated peace between the Koshut and the Dzungar, and the two sides reached a preliminary decision to jointly send troops to Lhasa.
Then, the Great Monk went to the Dörbet.
The leader of the Dörbet, Dalai Taishi, was good-tempered, devout in his faith, and consistently preferred to align with the Khoshut.
Seeing that State Preceptor Khan Tulubaihu had already agreed to send troops, he unhesitatingly agreed to go to Lhasa together.
People with faith are not afraid of hardship!
Wensa III heard that the Torghut had migrated to the lower reaches of the Eijile River (called the Volga River by the Oros people).
He was not afraid of the long journey and insisted on finding their Khuntaiji and Oerleke to talk.
Dalai Taishi was moved by his perseverance and sent troops to escort him to the Torghut main camp on the Agangheba River, a tributary of the Eijile River.
After the Torghut crossed the Kazakh Steppe, crossed the Ural River, and arrived at the lower reaches of the Volga River and the shores of the Caspian Sea, they established their homes and lived and worked on this sparsely populated steppe.
Their Khuntaiji and Oerleke intermarried with the descendants of the Siberian Khanate, which had been destroyed by the Oros people, and also captured large areas of Khwarazm.
At this time, He Erleke had already proclaimed himself Khan and established the Torghut Khanate, but he still maintained close ties with the Oirat.
He sent representatives to almost every Churgan Conference.
He was a devout Gelug follower and deeply understood the significance of religion to a tribe establishing a state alone in a foreign land.
If Lhasa could confer him as Torghut Khan, his title of Great Khan would be legitimate.
"Master, please try this mushroom.
It's a specialty of the Agangheba River.
Oirat doesn't have such a delicious variety," He Erleke ordered a maid to serve Wensa III some dishes.
"Great Khan, the Gelug is in imminent danger.
This humble monk is not in the mood to taste," the Great Monk subtly led the conversation towards protecting the faith.
"Master, if I send troops to Lhasa to protect the faith, can the Gelug confer me as Torghut Khan?"
He Erleke stated his condition.
"amitabha.
Those who achieve great deeds should naturally receive great titles.
Conferring you as Torghut Khan is a matter of course," the Great Monk expressed Lhasa's stance.
All the Oirat tribes agreed to send troops to Lhasa.
State Preceptor Khan Tulubaihu decided to hold a great Churgan Conference on the Ili River to discuss the details.
Before they could reach a conclusion, the enemies of the Gelug struck.
On a large military banner, the five characters "By Khan's Order, Protect the Faith" were written.
Arslan, the son of Choktu Khong Tayiji, who called himself Qietu Khan, led an army of ten thousand into the Snowy Region and advanced towards Lhasa.
They also wanted to protect the faith, but they were not protecting the Yellow Sect, but the Red Sect (the Red Sect in a broad sense includes the Sakya School, Nyingma, and Kagyu).
The ambitious Choktu Khong Tayiji would naturally not let his son advance alone.
Instead, he wrote letters to his two allies, the Tsangpa Khan of Later Tibet and the Baili Tusi of Kang District, inviting them to join forces.
In his letter to the Tsangpa Khan, he enthusiastically wrote, "Let us join hands and destroy the Yellow Sect."
Unexpectedly, the Baili Tusi of Kang District was a staunch Bon follower and did not allow other religious sects to spread in Kang District.
For this reason, he arrested a large number of followers of other sects, including his allies the Sakya School, Nyingma, Kagyu, and other sects, thus worsening relations with other parties in the alliance.
He was unwilling to send troops.
"Yuedun Duoji (the name of the Baili Tusi), that stupid Niu, is extremely foolish," Choktu Khong Tayiji cursed, but still had great confidence in his other ally, the Tsangpa Khan.
Unexpectedly, this Tsangpa Khan was very cunning.
He felt that the Gelug Sect and the Sakya School were both quite powerful, so it would be better to let them fight first while he watched from the sidelines like a Tiger.
Thus, he silently deployed his troops in Shigatse to observe the battle.
As Arslan advanced into the Snowy Region, the religious war in Lhasa began.
