Chapter 53: Drought

  June and July, the sun is like fire, clear sky without clouds.

  The heavy rain in May seemed to have emptied the sky of its water, and the surrounding areas of the Mongolian grasslands had returned to their usual rhythm. The water level of the Tuomao River in the deep mountains also dropped significantly.

  By this time, the great disaster in Shanxi Province had already become a foregone conclusion. Zhang Tingyu, the governor of Shanxi, was worried that the civilian uprising in Shaanxi would be repeated in Shanxi and prepared for disaster relief in advance. The price of grain in northern Shanxi skyrocketed, with the price of rice and millet rising to nearly four taels of silver per stone.

  Since the Wanli era, the "Single Whip Law" reform promoted by Zhang Juzheng, the chief assistant of the Ming dynasty, began to show its drawbacks.

  "The Whip Law" is to change the annual "land tax" and "head tax" paid by the people into silver, exempting the people from the endless labor service they used to bear, and instead, the government would take silver to hire people to do it. However, with its advantages come its disadvantages, no matter what policy, the common people can never get rid of being exploited.

  Every autumn harvest, farmers have to sell their harvested grains to merchants in exchange for silver to be handed over to the government. At this time, grain merchants collude to lower grain prices, and rice and millet are the cheapest. By the next spring, when farmers plant new crops, many farmers who had poor harvests need to buy grains to survive, and at this time grain prices are the highest. In a good year, after farmers sell their taxes and have surplus grains for food, price fluctuations are not very obvious. If they encounter a disaster year, grain merchants collude to raise grain prices in the spring, and families who run out of food will have to sell their children.

  Not only the common people are trapped, but even the imperial court and government officials are also deeply embroiled and cannot extricate themselves.

  The northern border of the Ming Dynasty, including the provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi, has been hit by a severe drought. The government only has silver in hand but no food to distribute. To provide disaster relief, they need to purchase grain from the market first. However, the price of grain has skyrocketed, and what used to be worth two dan can now only buy one dan. The officials of Shanxi have been summoning the owners of various merchant houses for several days, seeking their assistance, but how can merchants possibly offer help without any compensation?

  This year, the most active businessmen in Shanxi are the eight major families of Dongkou. Fan Yongdou seized the opportunity to expand his forces along the border, and took control of the grain and material supplies for the Xuan Da Town Border Army, establishing branches everywhere.

  To the north of Hohhot, Tumed Plain lies between Guihua City and the Yellow River. The plain is crisscrossed by rivers originating from the northern forests, making it a rare good pasture. Since the drought worsened, this grassland, originally used to imprison the remaining Tumet people, has been constantly flooded with Chahar herdsmen.

  The Chahar herdsmen who poured in occupied the lush pastures, and seized the livestock of the Tumet people. The patrolling Chahar cavalry watched with a fierce gaze, and the Tumet people dared not speak out in anger, silently retreating to the barren land of Hoh Lin Gol.

  Princess Ulan on Mount Mote was restless and personally went down the mountain to comfort the driven-out tribal herders.

  On the steppes, it takes roughly twenty to thirty head of livestock to support one person. The nomadic tribes must constantly move and change pastures in order to sustain their herds. A place like Lingor is completely incapable of supporting a large number of Mert people.

  The Chahar herdsmen are now like headless flies, frantically searching for pastures with water sources in the south of the desert. The changes in the surrounding grasslands naturally did not escape Di Zhe's attention, and he ordered Xiao Zhishan and Meng Kang to reduce their space and retreat into the mountains to avoid conflicts with the Chahar people. Even the Han camp cavalry changed their training methods, fearing that the sound of bugles would attract the attention of the Chahar people.

  The pastures of Tuo Ketto Grassland were almost completely plundered, and the Tumet herders almost all fled to the mountains. Princess Ulan summoned Zhai Zhe.

  Between the two mountains, a grassland, beside a clear spring flowing slowly from the mountain stream, Zhai Zhe met countless Mongolian tents along the way, and the originally lively birds and beasts were frightened to hide in unknown places.

  Not far from Maotian Ridge, Di Zhe met a family of Wuliji, who were the first Mongolians he came into contact with when he entered the grasslands.

  "Zhai brothers, long time no see!" Wuliji shouted loudly, riding on horseback and swinging his whip to drive the cattle. He still remembered Zhai Zhe, with whom he had cooperated for over a month at the beginning of the year, and had a good impression of the Han people.

  "Uliji brothers!" Di Zhe exclaimed with delight, urging his large black horse to move closer.

  "Have you been in the mountains with Lin Ge Er all this time? Why haven't you come to the grasslands to find me?" Wuliji smiled, looking very good-natured, completely unaffected by the drought.

  "Wait till I'm free, and I'll definitely go find you for a drink!" Zhai Zhe waved at him.

  "I'm waiting for you!"

  Wu Li Ji suddenly sang a pastoral song, his voice echoing through the mountains, what a young man with a heart full of sorrows!

  On the top of the mountain, Princess Wulan didn't have such thoughts. She furrowed her brow and waited until Di Zhe came up the mountain.

  Di Zhe bowed deeply as usual and caught a glimpse of Princess Wulan wearing the hairpiece he had given her.

  The current predicament has left Princess Ulan in a state of distress, but after sitting down and speaking directly to the point: "I have discussed with Geliertu that we should migrate some herders to the Hetao Grassland!"

  Di Zhe thought for a moment and said, "So be it, we can't raise these livestock in the mountains anyway!"

  Princess Wulan was still worried and said, "I'm afraid the drought will last for a long time. I want you to buy some grain from the Ming dynasty to ensure we get through this crisis."

  "Daming Mountain West is also a thousand miles of red earth!" Zhai Zhe was in a dilemma.

  "We have war horses, but now we can't even raise so many horses, it's better to exchange them for food!"

  There is not enough pasture, livestock will lose weight and even die, the situation of Tumote people has changed beyond recognition compared with two months ago.

  "I'll think of a way!" Zhai Zhe gritted his teeth, he had mentally prepared himself before coming, and must help the Tumet people hold on, otherwise all previous efforts would be in vain.

  "How many Tumet pastoralists are left?"

  This is Zhai Zhe's second time asking this question, he wants to know how much grain needs to be purchased to exit the pass.

  "Tuo Kuo Tuo has over 10,000 people, and the Hetao Grasslands also have over 10,000 people!" Princess Ulan's lips were lightly pursed, "But the situation in Hetao is not much better either. There are only oases along the Yellow River that can be used for grazing, barely enough to sustain the lives of the herders."

  More than 20,000 people! Zhai Zhe really didn't expect it.

  Two years ago, the Tumet tribe was one of the largest tribes in Mongolia's Chahar region, with over 100,000 people. If you add the Han slaves, even the Chahar people couldn't compare to them. Now there are only a little more than 20,000 people left. But having fewer people has actually reduced his burden. The Tumet people still have livestock and don't need to rely solely on buying grain to survive.

  "Twenty thousand stones of grain, is it enough?" Zhai Zhe asked tentatively. This year's Great Ming dynasty was also a disaster year! He had a big head like a Dou, and he himself must go to Kill Hu Kou personally.

  "The more the better! It's all up to you!" Princess Ulan looked at Di Zhe with pleading eyes.

  The Han people have now become the reliance of the Tumet people! Di Zhe smiled bitterly in his heart, hoping that they would remember this kindness.

  With the title of Princess Hana, the Tumet people were finally able to support each other, and half of the herders reluctantly set out for the Yellow River valley. The Yellow River was turbulent, and some young livestock that could not cross the river remained in the mountains.

  On the banks of the Yellow River, Ulan urged Gereltu, a great change is taking place on the grasslands, and we must speed up the organization of the Tumet people in the Hetao Grasslands.

  This drought is a torment for the Tumet people, and what about the Chahar people!

  Reports of herdsmen suffering from disasters have been constantly coming into Chahar Khan's tent, and livestock deaths have occurred in places where water is scarce.

  Further westward migration was unacceptable for Lin Dan Khan, and under duress, he once again turned his gaze towards the Great Ming Dynasty on the other side of the wall.

  In early August, the Chahar Mongols sent envoys to Zhangjiakou to request grain and horse trade with the Ming dynasty. In a letter, Lin Dan Khan detailed the drought situation in southern Mongolia to Zhang Zongheng, the Grand Coordinator of Xuan Da, and begged for relief from the Ming. Writing such a letter was humiliating for Lin Dan Khan, who had always regarded himself as the Great Khan of Mongolia, but after the invasion of Datong in March, he knew that if he did not change his attitude to satisfy the Ming emperor, he would probably not get any aid.