For hunters, the most troublesome thing is encountering wolves, and the most dangerous wolf is the Lone Wolf.
There are many reasons why a Lone Wolf leaves the pack; it might be that the pack died off leaving only itself, or it might have been expelled by the pack for some reason.
It has to learn to hunt alone, face the perilous natural environment alone, and fight opponents alone.
Therefore, under the law of survival of the fittest, it becomes incredibly cunning, ferocious, and patient.
Arslan is such a Lone Wolf, wise, decisive, and ferocious, always ready to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent.
He is Qietu Khan's legitimate son and a famous Batur of the outer Khalkha Mongol.
Initially, Zangba Khan Danjiong Wangbo of the Xinsha Ba family instructed Chegyiwangqiu Rinpoche of the Red Hat lineage of the Kagyu to write to Qietu Khan, inviting him to send troops into the Snowy Region to jointly deal with the Gelug Sect.
This move was exactly what the ambitious Qietu Khan wanted, so he dispatched his son Arslan to lead ten thousand troops on the expedition.
When Arslan Taiji marched into Lhasa, he originally thought he would receive support from the Xinsha Ba family, after all, his army had been invited by them.
As a result, the cunning Tsangpa Khan did not provide a single soldier's help, but instead prepared to watch the tigers fight from the mountaintop.
Without the support of allies, he should have retreated, but the word "retreat" is not in the Lone Wolf's dictionary.
He adopted the tactics of a wolf, specifically attacking the weak points of the Gelug Sect army.
It was very effective!
He successively secretly crossed the Angqu River, controlling Luolongzong near Dadi Monastery; then proceeded along the Nu River line, consecutively capturing Jiadun, Naxue, and Suoge; when his army appeared below Nagquka city, the defenders were bewildered and thought it was a divine army descending from the sky; then, starting from Nagquka, he went straight for Dam.
Dam is the northern gate of Lhasa, its defenses are quite strong, but the garrison is not large, only two thousand men, although they resisted desperately, they were outnumbered and were captured in just seven days.
At this time, the main force of the Gelug Sect army was stationed in the Tanggula Mountains area, they completely did not expect the Khalkha army to advance north along the Nu River, they hurriedly returned to reinforce Dam, but fell into the Lone Wolf's ambush, were utterly defeated and fled back to Lhasa.
As soon as Arslan's army entered the Snowy Plateau, the Fourth Shigatse, the Fifth Lhasa, Qiangzuo (Regent) Sonam Qunpei, and the Masters of Ganden Monastery and Guolong Temple immediately dispatched Qian Ni, a monk from Guolong Temple, and Na Che, a translator, as envoys to Oirat.
The secret letter written by the Fourth Shigatse to the Oirat State Preceptor Khan contained only eight characters: "Come quickly to Lhasa, defend the Gelug," and those who understood this eminent monk knew that the fewer words this Living Buddha wrote, the more critical the situation was.
However, distant water could not quench the immediate thirst; the Gelug Sect's army protecting the faith had not yet reached Lhasa when the Khalkha army was already at the city gates.
Facing the fierce offensive of the Lone Wolf Arslan, Lhasa was like an undefended city.
No matter how one looked at it, the Gelug Sect seemed to be facing a great disaster.
However, a miraculous scene occurred.
After Arslan took Dam, he stopped for a long time, proceeding cautiously.
His subordinates were all spreading rumors that the Taiji was angry with Tsangpa Khan and Chegyiwangqiu Rinpoche.
The two of them wrote inviting us into the Snowy Region, but then broke faith and did not send a single soldier to support us, therefore the Taiji was angry and no longer wanted to expend effort for these two allies.
How could subordinates comprehend the wolf's ambition?
Arslan was not angry, but had other plans.
The foolishness of his allies combined with half of the Snowy Region already in his hands made him no longer satisfied with being a henchman for Karma Danjing Wangbo and Chegyiwangqiu, but instead had other plans, wanting to become the master of the entire Snowy Plateau.
Wearing a light blue brocade robe, his eyes beneath sword-like brows were both affectionate and indifferent, and his imposing physique exuded a kingly aura.
Arslan was admiring the snow scenery in Dam, his deep gaze falling upon Namtso Lake to the west.
It was truly beautiful!
White snow like willow catkins, lake water like jade, beautiful grasslands, countless cattle and sheep!
"What fertile land! This is the blessed place bestowed upon me by chang sheng tian, it must never be abandoned!" As he watched, the Lone Wolf suddenly mumbled to himself, his demeanor wild, as if he was about to drool.
General Daiqing came before him, bowed and persuaded him, saying: "Taiji, Dam has been taken, and Lhasa is within reach.
You must not lose this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity because of a momentary anger!"
The Lone Wolf smiled slightly, his lips red and teeth white, "Once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity? What opportunity?"
"The opportunity to capture Lhasa!"
"Heh heh, does Lhasa still need to be captured?" Arslan waved his hand, "Wait a little longer."
The phrase "Wait a little longer" made Daiqing freeze, "Taiji, what are you waiting for?"
"I am waiting for fate, waiting for the good fate bestowed upon me by chang sheng tian," the Lone Wolf's voice echoed in the wind and snow.
Facing the strong enemy, the Fourth Shigatse, the Fifth Lhasa, Ganden Tripa, Sonam Qunpei, and others remained calm in the face of danger, and held a high-level Gelug Sect meeting inside Drepung Monastery on the southern slope of Genpei Wuzi Mountain.
"Now our sect is in imminent danger, does anyone have any methods?" asked Ganden Tripa, who was the sect leader.
"If the enemy comes, block them; if the water comes, cover it with earth.
The only plan now is to simultaneously seek help from Oirat and conscript young men within the city to defend the faith with their lives," Sonam Qunpei said loudly.
"But Oirat is far away, and distant water cannot extinguish a nearby fire; moreover, the soldiers of the Khalkha Mongol have always been fierce and savage, relying solely on the young men within the city to fight them would likely be like moths flying into a flame, useless!" the young Fifth Lhasa said sadly.
As soon as these words were spoken, the main hall fell into a deathly silence, everyone's eyes fixed on the Fourth Shigatse, Luo Bu Zang Que Jue Jian Zan, he was the most virtuous and respected among them, and also the backbone of the group.
"amitabha! This old monk has been considering a question," the Fourth Shigatse said slowly with his eyes closed.
"Please Enlighten us, Master, what question is it?" everyone asked.
"Since that Arslan has already captured Dam, why doesn't he press on and take Lhasa directly, instead stopping at Dam and hesitating?"
Sonam Qunpei's eyes lit up, "Are you saying he doesn't want to completely annihilate our sect?
I have an idea, why not send someone with gold and jade objects to ask the Khalkha to withdraw their troops?"
This was blatant bribery, coming from the mouth of a high-ranking member of the Yellow Sect, which was inevitably awkward, but no one present felt it was inappropriate.
"amitabha, I am afraid that Arslan's ambition is great, and mere gold and jade will not be enough to fill his appetite!" Ganden Tripa was knowledgeable and experienced, and felt that simply giving money might not satisfy the Lone Wolf.
"First, let someone carry gold, silver, jewels, and rare antiques to try; if Arslan is satisfied, that is best, if he is not satisfied, then we will give Lhasa to him," the Fourth Shigatse suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze incredibly sharp, and said slowly: "However, he must abandon Sakya and convert to Gelug!"
"What!"
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, but upon careful consideration, they felt it was not impossible.
"Masters, this old monk is willing to go and persuade that Arslan," Ganden Tripa volunteered.
