Chapter 60: Fugitive

  Along the banks of the Dule River, inside the great tent of Huang Taiji, the various banner owners and Beile stood lined up on both sides.

  The emperor sat in the middle with his eyes cast down, like an old monk in meditation.

  Everyone saw that the leaders of various departments had all arrived, and Yue Tuo, who was in charge of the Ministry of War, glanced at Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji, whose eyes were slightly closed, somehow noticed Yue Tuo's movement and nodded slightly.

  Yue Tuo coughed lightly and said: "The various tribes of Mobei Mongolia do not want to see the Chahar tribe with knives. This is just received news."

  Inside the big account immediately like a pot explosion, discussion is in full swing.

  The irascible Ajige stepped forward and said: "This is treachery!"

  After half a day of noise in the account, it was still not calm. The emperor Taizong, who was sitting upright, showed a hint of displeasure on his face and coughed lightly.

  The big tent slowly quieted down.

  Young Dorje said: "The various tribes of Mongolia in the east are like wolves that cannot be domesticated, and they absolutely cannot be allowed to run wild."

  Hong Taiji slightly opened his eyes and said: "Wrong, they are dogs that cannot be tamed. To make them my Jurchen dogs, we must first kill their current masters."

  After a brief silence, with no one else speaking, Yoto continued: "The Great Khan has decided that even without the alliance of the eastern Mongols, we will still attack the Chahar people and kill their dog-like masters." He now held the Ministry of War and was explaining the battle plan to the various Beiles under the orders of the Great Khan.

  "The Eight Banners' cavalry was divided into three routes, with Jirhalang and Yueke leading the right wing, Abatai and Ajige leading the left wing, and the Khan himself commanding the vanguard of the Upper Three Banners army accompanied by Mongolian tribal cavalry in the rear. They set out at dawn the next day and departed from Zhangjiakou."

  Eyes scanning the tent, Hong Taiji opened his eyes and surveyed the generals below, saying: "Lin Danhan still has tens of thousands of cavalrymen. This battle is crucial, it relates to whether the various Mongolian tribes can be loyal to our great Jin. Everyone return to camp quickly and prepare, we cannot afford another mistake." As he spoke, his tone gradually became more severe, his voice like the clash of metal on stone.

  The account is quiet and silent.

  The Mongols and Jurchen-led Jin dynasty armies clashed on the grasslands of eastern Mongolia.

  Amur led the three thousand light cavalry of his tribe to respond to the Jurchen scouts with all their might, covering up the movement of the Chahar tribe and gaining more time for the tribe to migrate north into the desert.

  The horse thieves of Duo Yan grassland have disappeared without a trace, and the two scouts are like hunting each other, designing ambushes for each other. The Mongolians' riding and shooting skills are even more powerful, and their light cavalry is difficult to track. Even the most elite scout camp sent by Yue Tuo was unable to penetrate deep into the Mo Nan grassland.

  When the Jurchen army arrived outside Zhangjiakou, Amur had long since departed, and the Zhangguan grasslands were empty of people.

  Emperor Taizong did not dare to act rashly, and sent scouts to explore in all directions. The surprise attack he had planned turned into a pursuit battle due to the leak of information.

  The nomads left too many traces of their migration, and it was easy for the Jurchen scouts to find out where the Chahar people were going.

  In the Zhangba Grassland military camp, General Yue Tuo informed all the generals.

  "What do you gentlemen think?" Huang Taiji asked, looking up.

  Dai Shan reminded: "There are nearly 100,000 Mongolian cavalrymen in the three tribes of northern Mongolia. If we continue to pursue them, the outcome is unpredictable!" One of the four great Beile left by Ha Chi, now only he remains, out of wisdom and self-preservation, he has not spoken on major military and national affairs for a long time.

  Dorgon countered, "The three khans of the northern Mongols and the Chahar Khan are not on good terms. There was a dispute between them in previous years. Only the Tushetu Khan's tribe and the Chahars share the same Red Sect, our great army is slowly putting pressure on their borders, giving them pressure, the three khans of the northern Mongols may not be willing to accept the Chahars."

  "All right! The Chahar people must not be allowed to stay. As you said, another envoy will be sent to the three northern provinces of Mongolia to negotiate and announce that our great Jin dynasty is only seeking to punish the tyrannical and unrighteous Lin Dan Khan."

  Emperor Taizong had made up his mind, the grasslands were the backyard of the Jurchen people, and as long as the backyard was not stable, there would be no peaceful days.

  The north is cold and desolate, the grasslands' spring arrives late. At this moment, it's just when the shallow grass can't hide horse hooves. The 100,000 Chahar herdsmen are anxious, day and night rushing towards the northern desert. Countless weak livestock are lost on the road. Amur's vanguard cavalry reports to Lindan Khan every day about the movement of the Jurchen army. Lindan Khan is worried in his heart, the military morale has collapsed, he thinks that even if he wants to fight the Jurchen again, there will be no chance of winning.

  Two columns of over 100,000 people chased each other across the prairie.

  The vast grasslands made it impossible for the Jurchen army to pin down the Chahar people. The only ones who were constantly entangled in battle from the south of the desert to the north were the scouts.

  In mid-April, after a difficult journey, Lin Danhan finally saw the Mongolian tribes in Mobei, and also brought with him the 100,000-strong Jurchen army behind him.

  What Lin Danhan did not expect was that the three khans of Mobei did not welcome the Mongolian Khan into their tribe with joy. The four major Mongolian tribes were stationed in Hanhai, and messengers came and went repeatedly. At the same time, the Jurchen envoy also broke through Amur's blockade and arrived in Mobei.

  In the western part of the vast ocean, in the yurt of Zasagt Khan, the three khans of the northern desert gathered together for the first time in many years.

  Tüsheetü Khan initiated this gathering; he was a supporter of Lindan Khan and wanted to persuade the other two.

  "I know you all don't like Lin Danhan, but we are all Mongolians, when lips are gone, teeth will be cold!"

  "Do you know that the Chahar people attacked us last year?" Zasagt Khan had no good feelings towards Lin Dan Khan.

  When Chahar people just occupied the south of the desert, he also wanted to go and share a cup of soup, but was defeated by Chahar people and returned.

  "I know, but the contradictions between the Mongolian tribes are fraternal strife. Now the Jurchen people bully their elder brothers, can we just stand by and do nothing?"

  "Perhaps only you would think that way, Lin Dan has never been our brother, he wants to be the father!"

  "If the Chahar tribe is defeated, the Jurchen people will eventually take action against Mobei!"

  "Not bad, but if we support Lin Dan now, perhaps we won't have to wait until that day."

  "Could it be that even if I were to gather the three tumens of the Khalkha, along with the Chahar people, we would still not be a match for the Jurchen people?" Tüshiye Khan said in indignation.

  Chechen Khan sneered and said, "What's the benefit of weakening our forces to help Chahar people? Once we get rid of the current crisis, Lin Dan Khan will not hesitate to take action against us. Don't you see what happened to Tumet people?"

  The tripartite dispute grew more and more intense, Chahar's western expedition to Tumotei left an extremely bad impression on the various Mongolian tribes, and everyone was in danger when dealing with Lin Dan Khan.

  "As long as the Chahar people revere the Yellow Religion, I agree to join hands." The dispute was fruitless, and Chechen Khan finally burst out with one word.

  "I agree too!" Jasaghtu Khan said afterwards.

  "It was all because of this!" Tusi Khan said with a sarcastic smile, "Are you trying to get me, Tusi Khan, to convert to the Yellow Sect as well?"

  How could Lin Dan's temper yield in this matter?

  Excuses, all excuses! They are afraid of the Jurchen people! Tusi Khan left in anger.

  The threat brought by the Jurchen army outweighed their loyalty to the Chahar tribe, and Ligdan Khan finally tasted the consequences of his years of conquests in unifying Mongolia. The Three Khalkha refused to accept the Chahars.

  When Tsetsen Khan hastily informed Lindan Khan of this news, he did not have a very strong reaction.

  Walking out of the camp, strolling among the nomads who followed him on his thousands-of-miles journey, Lin Dan saw only frightened expressions and exhausted bodies everywhere, and let out a long sigh.

  "I must unify Mongolia, I will punish those people who have forgotten the teachings of Genghis Khan, the Eternal Sky will not abandon the Golden Family."

  He shouted wildly, the vast grassland of the boundless sea, no matter how loud the roar was, it couldn't stir up any echo.

  "Tomorrow everyone turns south, returns to Guihua, Mobei Mongolia betrayed us, we go to Moxi."

  Amur suddenly remembered and reported: "There are also some Tumet pastoralists on the Hetao Grassland."

  "Take everything away, including livestock. We will leave nothing for the Jurchen people." Lin Dan's voice finally sounded somewhat tired.

  Endless grasslands, vast and boundless, in early spring, flowers bloom in clusters.

  "The grassland is so vast!" Yuetuo couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he chased after them to this place.

  It's too difficult to chase the Mongols on the grassland, the Jurchen army marched for five or six thousand miles, and the soldiers were exhausted, not even touching the buttocks of the Chahar people.

  "This is the most troublesome place for the Mongols, even when the Han people's national power was prosperous, they had no way to deal with the grassland people!" Huang Taiji put on a fur coat, and the weather in the north of the desert was much colder than in Liaodong, but his physique was not considered robust.

  "It was only during the time of Emperor Wu of Han that the Han people finally achieved a complete victory over the nomadic peoples."

  "The great Ming dynasty also defeated the Mongols on the grasslands at the beginning of its founding!" Yue Tuo said.

  The emperor shook his head and said, "The grasslands have been constantly changing owners, from the Xiongnu to the Xianbei, Jurchen, and then the Mongols. The Han people can win for a while, but they will never be able to take root there. Since the Ming Taizu built the Great Wall, they had already lost."

  Yue Tuo did not speak.

  Hong Taiji muttered to himself, "We must never allow the Mongols of the north and the Chahar people to unite!"

  The Jurchen people did not know the decision of the Mongols in the north so quickly, and the army slowly approached the coast of the sea, being cautious. If Lin Danhan really united with the Mongols in the north, whether to fight this battle or not, Huang Taiji was indeed uncertain. Killing a thousand enemies would cost them eight hundred men, the Jurchen people were scarce, and could not afford such losses.

  The Mongols could retreat further north in defeat, but the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty could not.