Chapter 29: War of Words

  In the dead of night, with the help of the thin light from the snowy plain, Di Zhe and Xiao Zhishan closely followed behind T?mür Khan's cavalry.

  Cavalry in black shadow first went west and then turned north, Tukhara steppe is located between Guihua city and Yellow River, further north are continuous forests.

  The snowy grassland was difficult to walk on, and it was unknown how long they had walked. A group of people entered the mountain forest, and as they shuttled through the trees, the sky gradually brightened. Only then did Di Zhe see clearly that there were fifteen Tumuert cavalrymen leading the way in front.

  The road in the mountain forest seemed endless, and the Tumed cavalry who led the way did not speak to Di Zhe and Xiao Zhi either.

  At noon, at the entrance of a mountain pass, there were seven or eight riders waiting to receive them.

  The cavalryman in front of Zhai Zhe made a gesture, turned over and got off his horse. Zhai Zhe understood that it meant temporary rest. A moment later, several more cavalrymen came up from behind and reported: "No one is following!"

  Di Zhecai suddenly understood the cautiousness of the Temur people, and it seemed that Ombu Dahan was hiding in these deep mountains like a startled bird.

  A group of seventeen or eighteen people surrounded Di Zhe and Xiao Zhongyan, continuing to stroll through the mountains and forests. After walking for more than an hour, Xiao Zhongyan yawned repeatedly on horseback, showing great impatience.

  After passing through a forest, the scene in front of me suddenly became clear. A knight came running from the front, shouting: "Gediletu, Khan Wang has an order, those who lead the Ming Dynasty will be directly entered into the Khan's account."

  After turning over a mountain pass, in front of us is a valley where Mongolian yurts are densely packed, and the Khan's yurt of Tumet stands among them.

  Di Zhe and Xiao Zhishen followed the cavalry straight ahead, with all the Tumed cavalry around them watching.

  Outside the yurt, Geriletu loudly announced: "The envoy of the Great Ming has arrived!"

  "Come on in!"

  Di Zhe pushed open the curtain and walked in. A large chair was placed right in front of him, with a tiger skin cushion, and the Khan of Tumed, Ombu, sat on it.

  On both sides of the carpet, two people were seated in a row. On the right side, at the top was a young Mongolian girl, wearing a small and delicate headdress on her head, with two green jade earrings hanging from her ears, born with white teeth and red lips, with charming eyes. Below her was an old elder, with a few strands of black beard hanging from his chin, his thin face almost invisible under a large leather hat. On the left side sat two middle-aged men, both wearing fur coats, sturdy and strong.

  Di Zhe raised his eyes and secretly glanced over. O Mu Bu's hair was disheveled, his eyes were deep and profound, his face was pale, and his figure had become somewhat thinner. The curved knife at his waist was adorned with the luster of gems, making it look more like an ornament.

  Di Zhe placed his right arm across his chest, knelt on one knee and performed a gesture of respect, saying loudly: "Greetings to the Great Khan!"

  Ou Mu Bu's eyes narrowed like a knife, he looked at him for a few moments, then suddenly pointed with his hand and shouted: "You are not the envoy of the Great Ming!"

  Di Zhe knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Great Khan, I am not an envoy of the Ming court, but I am indeed an envoy from the Ming."

  The man at the lower right corner was furious after hearing this and shouted: "Where did this Han traitor come from, daring to tease Khan, tie him up!"

  Di Zhe blocked the rushing guard with his hand and said, "Hanjun, the envoy of Da Ming will not bring more things than I have brought. Let me finish speaking!"

  Ou Mu Bu stretched out his hand and signaled for the guards to stop, a pair of cold eyes staring straight at Zhai Zhe.

  Di Zheping calmed down, his tightly clenched fists slowly loosening, and said: "The Great Ming is currently unable to dispatch troops to the grasslands. The envoy of the Great Ming can at most provide a place for the Khan to take refuge. What I bring to the Khan is a path to revival."

  The Mongolian girl at the head of the table suddenly asked: "Are you a businessman?"

  "Exactly!"

  It seems that the merchants of the Great Ming left a very deep impression on the Mongolians!

  "Dahuan knows that the Chahar people are barbarous and impoverished, and after occupying the south of the desert, almost all trade routes have been cut off. Zhangjiakou is now relying on the Jurchen people, and outside Kuhuokou, bandits are still rampant, and the trade route is closed."

  Ou Mu Bahan nodded slightly.

  "I came here just to help the Khan reopen this trade route."

  That thin old man suddenly interjected: "All these belong to Chahar people now, you should go find Lin Dan Khan!"

  Dai Zhe shook his head and said: "The Chahar people are barbaric and coarse, the Han people only believe in the Tumote people."

  Ou Mu Bu sneered and said, "Flattery will get you nowhere. I no longer have the power to occupy the business road."

  "Shunyi Wang and I, Da Ming, have always been close, a friend to the Han people. To operate this trade route, I don't need to exert myself too much, as long as Shunyi can get the support of the Tumed tribes in Helin and Tuohe."

  A needle dropping in a silent tent can be heard.

  "How will you repay?"

  "I will forever be under the command of the Khan of Khans, and all my wealth and troops will belong to the Great Khan!"

  Ombu burst out laughing with a tone full of sarcasm, saying: "I know the grassland has produced many rich Han people, but none of them belong to the Tumet people."

  "Not bad, the grassland is the Mongols' grassland. I came to surrender to the Great Khan today, of course, I have my own ambitions, and I only hope that one day when Tumet Mongolia rises again in the south of the desert, I will have the exclusive right to trade with the grasslands through the Kill Hu Kou."

  The Mongolian girl burst out laughing and said: "You think too much."

  Di Zhe shook his head and said, "The Han people have a saying that wealth and honor are sought in danger. I believe in my own judgment. Chahar has always been a thorn in the side of the Jurchen people. They will not tolerate the Mu Nan grasslands being occupied by the Chahar people. War is imminent, and the Tumote Department will only have the opportunity to rise again if they cooperate with us Han people."

  After saying these words, Zhai Zhe's palms were already full of sweat. The saying "wealth and honor are sought in danger" is indeed true. If he couldn't convince Ombu Khan today, it was likely that he would be buried here. I wonder if Fan Yongdou had similar fears when leading the merchant team to cross the Doyan grassland alone.

  Everyone in the tent fell silent and pensive after hearing this. Perhaps it was only at this moment that they looked directly at this sudden Han person.

  Ombu looked around and saw that no one else was asking questions, so he lowered his head and ordered: "Ge Rile Tu, take these two Han people down to rest."

  Di Zhe bowed again and followed Ge Rile Tu out of the tent. His words had been spoken, now it was up to the gods of fate to decide.

  Di Zhe stepped out of the door, and the atmosphere in the big account immediately became intense.

  That thin old man bowed his head and said, "Hawan, this Han person's origins are unclear, he can't be trusted, but some of the things he says seem reasonable. The Jurchen people being able to attack the Great Ming's capital is exactly when the country's luck is flourishing. When the Chahar people were in Duo Yuan Grassland, they and the Jurchen people couldn't coexist, perhaps this situation now allows us to go to Liaodong to surrender to the Jurchen people."

  "Even if Huang Taiji defeats Lin Danhan and me," asked Ejei Khongghor, "will he give us the south of the Gobi?"

  Kulun's mouth was still open, but no words came out. The man with the rolled-up hair on his left side spoke up and said: "Great Khan, I also think Kulun is right, the Jurchen people can be a useful force to borrow."

  That Mongolian girl suddenly smiled and said: "You all advise Da Khan to surrender to the Jurchen people, have you heard of the Three Kingdoms of the Han people? Do you know why Sun Quan couldn't surrender to Cao Cao during the Battle of Red Cliffs?"

  The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written in the early Ming dynasty and had become very popular by the end of the Ming, it is said that even Ha Chek's family were well-read in The Three Kingdoms and used it to devise strategies.

  Jian Hanzi Hang Gao had always been distant from the Hans, and he really hadn't heard of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", but Gu Lu Ge had heard it, and E Mu Bu had also heard it. This sentence was openly directed at Gu Lu Ge and Hang Gao, but in reality, it was directed at E Mu Bu.

  At the time of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhang Zhao could surrender to Cao, but Sun Quan couldn't. Correspondingly, at this time, Hangao and Gulebaoge surrendered to the Jurchen without any problem, but after Ewenke Khan surrendered to the Jurchen, he probably wouldn't have the opportunity to rule over Tumet Mongols again.

  Ombu Khan's face turned iron-green, and Guluoke's back broke out in a cold sweat as he hastily explained: "Where did Princess Ulan say this? You know that I also had deep grievances with the Jurchen people, all for the sake of the Tumote people."

  Princess Ulan turned to Ombu Khan and said, "I think that Han man's words make some sense. From Altan Khan onwards, my Tumed tribe has been inseparable from the Hans. Without the Hans, there would be no prosperous Dabang and Hohhot. Now that my Tumed tribe is in decline, Longshengtian has sent another Han man."

  Hang Gao shook his head and said: "Even Da Ming can't be trusted, how can we simply believe a Han person!"

  Ou Mu Bu Han's eyes narrowed and he fell silent, his gaze following Zhai Zhe as he left.

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