Chapter 30: Cooperation

  As the sky turned completely dark, the Tumed cavalry in the valley lit up piles of bonfires and started roasting meat. It seems that Orumbaghan has not yet reached the end of the mountain.

  Xiao Zhiyan tore off a piece of roasted lamb leg, leaned his head close to Di Zhe and asked in a low voice: "How did you know that Tumu'er Khan would come looking for you?"

  Di Zhe wiped the oil from his mouth and said, "I've heard that a drowning person will grasp at even a straw."

  "So you're confident that Tamerlane will cooperate with you!"

  Di Zhe shook his head, just about to explain. A Tumet cavalryman walked up to the two and loudly announced: "The Han envoy, the princess summons you!"

  Di Zhe busily wiped the oil off his hands, stood up and followed the soldier through the stacks of Mongolian tents, to a small yellowish-brown tent at the side rear.

  The two female soldiers guarding the entrance saw Zhai Zhe arrive and said, "Go in, the princess is waiting for you inside!"

  Di Zhe walked into the yurt and looked around. This was Princess Wulan's residence, with a thick floral carpet on the ground, felt covering the top and four walls, a copper mirror hanging on the left wall, a long bow, a curved knife and a dagger inlaid with gems hanging on the right wall. The Mongolian yurt emitted a faint fragrance, a young woman sat on the chair facing the door, and two Mongolian women were sweeping the floor.

  Wulan saw Di Zhe enter, waved her hand to shoo away the two Mongolian women, gestured for him to sit across from her and said: "I know how much wealth this trade route means to the Han people, you also know the situation of the Tumote people, I need you to convince me."

  Di Zhe secretly sized up the girl in front of him. This woman was very young, but her position sitting in the sedan chair earlier indicated that her status was not ordinary.

  Wulan guessed Zhai Zhe's doubts and explained: "I am Wulan, the sister of Khan Wang."

  Dai Zhe pulled out a simple map he had drawn on the road from his bosom and placed it in front of Wulan, pointing and saying: "The Helin River and Liang City areas are mountainous with barren land, making it impossible to graze. As long as we clean up the horse thieves in Helin, we can guarantee that the trade route to Hu Kou will be unobstructed. I can help the Tumote people exchange horses and furs for the grain and weapons you need."

  Princess Wulan tilted her head, bringing her face in front of Zhai Zhe's eyes. Her youthful age brought out all the beauty she had stored up, like a flower. When the bud half-opens its petals and unfolds, it has a lovely posture and color that makes people yearn for it.

  Feeling the princess's breath was within arm's reach, Di Zhe felt a bit uncomfortable and leaned his head back, looking at Princess Wulan, only to see the princess's two bright eyes shining like stars in the night sky.

  Princess Wulan asked very carefully, until around the hour of hai, when Zhai Zhe's dry mouth and tongue finally left the tent. If his previous idea was just an outline, then after a long conversation, it had become a complete plan.

  Under the night, the bonfire had gone out, and the valley was quiet. Di Zhe followed the Tumet soldier into the tent, where Xiao Zhisheng was lying inside.

  "How is it?" Xiao Zhiyan revealed a ambiguous smile, "Is the princess beautiful?"

  Di Zhe shook his head and fell asleep immediately.

  The night in the mountains was quiet, Di Zhe slept very soundly. After rushing around for so many days, he was indeed very tired. At this time, life and death were no longer in his own hands, but instead, he relaxed and slept peacefully.

  It was late at night, and Princess Ulan was still pondering the words of Chui Zhe. Under the firelight, her face showed a hint of excitement. She wanted to present this plan to Khan because she saw hope in it. After being defeated by Chahar, the Tumet Mongols were on the verge of collapse. After the Battle of Zhaocheng, there were only over 2,000 cavalrymen left in the khan's camp. If they couldn't rely on external forces, the Tumet would never have a chance to revive again.

  The Chahar people never gave up searching for Ejei Khan, and the situation in the khan's camp became increasingly difficult. The upper echelons were restless, each with their own agenda. Now, among the three tribal leaders under the khan, Guleke of the Danzhen tribe began to persuade the khan to surrender to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, and it seemed that the Hanggai family also had similar thoughts, only Tobok appeared to still be loyal to the khan.

  Ulan did not like the Jurchen people. This Mongolian girl, who had idolized San Niangzi since childhood, admired the world inside the Great Wall just like her legendary predecessor. When Chahar cavalry moved westward, she fantasized that the Ming dynasty would send troops to join Tumuert and attack Lin Dan Khan together, but the Ming dynasty only sent a mediator. The subsequent invasion of the Ming dynasty by the Jurchen people, with Hong Taiji's army directly attacking Beijing, plundering wealth, and looting Han civilians, made everyone see the weakness of the Ming dynasty. It was probably because of this that Kulgei had the idea of defecting to the Jurchen people.

  Early in the morning, Di Zhe had not yet woken up when a Tumet soldier came to the outside of the tent and loudly shouted: "The Han envoy, the Khan has summoned you!"

  Di Zhe heard a voice in his sleep, sprang up with a start, rubbed his face and quickly walked out of the tent.

  "Summoned by the Khan!" The Tumet soldier said again, turned his head and left, Di Zhe followed closely behind.

  As soon as he entered the yurt, Di Zhe saw that Princess Wulan and Ewenke Khan were already there, and judging from their demeanor, they had been discussing something for a long time.

  Ewumbuhan sat there with a gentle gaze.

  Dai Zhe bowed and paid his respects, and Wu Mubuhuan said slowly: "Since Zhao Quan was sent to the Ming Dynasty for execution, we Tumote people have never reused Han people again!"

  Hearing this, Chuo Zhe's heart burst into bloom. It seemed that Princess Wulan had persuaded the Khan. He knelt down and said: "Now the Khan can give me an opportunity, it is also giving the Tumet people an opportunity."

  "How can you believe me? How can I believe you?"

  "You believe in me because Altan Khan's reuse of Zhao Jun has proven the value of Han people, I believe in you because I am not Zhao Jun."

  Ombu Khan took out the curved knife from his waist and played with it for a moment, saying: "You have a big nerve!"

  Di Zhe bowed his head and said: "Huang Wang is magnanimous, because of the relationship with San Niangzi, the Han people and the Tumote Mongols have been friends for many years."

  Wulan, who was standing beside them, heard Zhai Zhe mention San Niangzi and became excited, adding: "San Niangzi really likes the Han people's customs."

  Ou Mu Bu let out a long sigh and said, "San Niangzi is close to the Ming dynasty, and it's true that the Mongols and Hans have been getting along for many years. But my Tumuerte's decline also has something to do with her."

  In fact, Ombu Khan was very frustrated from the beginning of his reign. The Tumens had already been divided into four or five parts.

  This has to start with Altan Khan, who was extremely trusting and doting on his young third wife, Lady Tsen. In reality, she controlled the military power of the Ordos Mongols. When Altan Khan died, Lady Tsen was only 32 years old, while Hüngtaiji, who succeeded him as khan, was already 60 years old. Under pressure from the Ming dynasty and Hüngtaiji's coercion, in order to maintain the overall situation of the Mongols and the Ming, Lady Tsen reluctantly remarried Hüngtaiji, starting a struggle between each new khan of the Ordos and Lady Tsen over their relationship.

  The powerful influence of the Three Ladies made every Khan have to marry one of them in order to gain recognition from the entire Tümed tribe, and their struggle with the Khans also deeply consumed the strength of the Tümed people.

  Ombu did not expect that when his turn came, he would have to marry a woman thirty-two years older than himself to confirm his khanate. The third daughter felt humiliated, and this was also Ombu's humiliation, but under the pressure of the large and small tribes of Tumet, they both yielded. He needed this khanate, and the third daughter needed a united Tumet Mongolia. This is a cruel joke. The third daughter, who had served as the Khan of Tumet four times, died in exhaustion afterwards, and a unified Tumet Mongolia no longer existed. Ombu's feelings for this legendary Mongolian woman were complicated, and she was also nominally his wife, although he only had reverence for her in his heart.

  Emubai was persuaded by his own sister. Whatever the origin of Chagatai, it was not a bad thing for the Tumet people, at least to make the surviving Tumet people not a loose sand. He needed to accumulate the power of the Tumet tribe and wait until the Jurchen and Chahar people started fighting in the south of the desert, perhaps the long-lived heaven would give him another chance.

  For Di Zhe, his view was simple. This Han Chinese had a lot of guts. Didn't he need someone like that? Was it still so important for him, a Khan who could only hide in the deep mountains, to reuse either a Han Chinese or a Mongolian?

  "Ah, Han man," Ombu pointed with his right hand at Tie Zhuo, "I still don't know your name. If you can really help the Tumuerte tribe rise again, I'll give you all the grasslands outside of Kill Hu's mouth. I'll let Ge Rile Tu lead my most elite 300 cavalry to go and assist Lin Ger with you. I hope you won't disappoint me."

  Di Zhe bowed again and said: "My name is Di Zhe. I am willing to serve the Khan."

  Princess Wulan smiled and said: "I also want to go with Lin Ge!"

  Ombu Khan shook his head and said: "Sister, this is not a game. We will meet Chahar cavalry at any time there."

  "I must go, I'm afraid Gerdai will be deceived by this cunning Han man." After finishing speaking, Wulan also smiled at Zhai Zhe.

  When leaving the sweat lodge, Di Zhe's footsteps were light and easy. He saw Xiao Zhiyan standing at the entrance of the tent, looking around. He nodded slightly. Xiao Zhiyan couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw him, turned around and entered the tent, startling the two Tumet soldiers beside him.

  In the following days, Di Zhe, Wulan Princess and Ge Rituluo carefully discussed their plan. Under Wulan Princess's repeated insistence, Ombokhan finally agreed to let her join in as well.

  Two days later, at night, Xiao Zhiyan and Di Zhe left with the handwritten letter of Ewenke Khan, just like when they came. On a snowy day, if not for the help of the Tumet tribe cavalry, the two might not even find the road out of the mountain.

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