Jingming

Chapter 458 The West of Ming Dynasty

Japan is in civil war, North Korea is fighting for the throne, and Ming Dynasty is launching the first batch of members of the World Datong Party to join the party.

In the north of Tianshan Mountains, the snow has not yet melted. However, Lake Issyk-Kul, the "eye of the Tianshan Mountains", does not freeze all year round because the lake is slightly salty and is blocked by towering mountains to the north and south.

More than a hundred rivers flow into this mountain lake, known as the "Atami". When the weather gets hotter and the ice and snow melt, the lake will become much larger.

Because water can only go in but not out, its lake water is slightly salty and cannot be drank directly, nor can it be used to irrigate farmland. But cattle, sheep and livestock like it here even more.

There is another small lake on the west side of Issyk-Kul Lake, on the pass of the Kyrgyz Mountains and the Tersgey Alatau Mountains to the north of the Central Tianshan Mountains.

And beside the lake is a place called Koshgar.

After passing here and going east, you will reach the Issyk-Kul Valley. From the Shuangtashi Pass on the east side of the valley, go north and cross the Kete Mian Mountain to reach Yilibali.

There will be a name that Chinese people will be very familiar with in the future, Yili. From Yilibali to Bielsbali, then south to Turpan, and then to Suzhou in the Ming Dynasty, this road was the once prosperous overland Silk Road.

Today, this road is no longer prosperous.

But today the Koshgar area is very lively.

The large banner swayed in the wind, and the large and small tents formed a large circle, like a movable city.

The Khan Court's elite cavalry, which had gone through many years of fighting, were extremely capable. Although most of them were scattered in the direction of Issyk-Kul Lake, the hundreds of people who lined up to serve as guards of honor and escorts looked towards the west, showing the appearance of a battle-hardened division. meteorological.

I am heading to the meeting place.

"Did the Han emperor really grant a marquis to the craftsman for that iron machine?"

He opened his mouth, and a monk wearing a yellow hat next to him replied: "Yes, this matter was discussed a lot by the officials and people in Beijing during the longevity ceremony of the Emperor of Heaven last year."

"What kind of machines did your Tibetan envoys see?"

"There was black smoke and constant roaring. There were no animals to pull it, and the iron wheels were turning on the iron bars." The monk said meaningfully.

Anda's expression did not change.

"According to my agreement with Gamba, the Mongolian people under the Khan's tent have begun to convert to Buddhism. Turpan is between my pasture and your cattle and sheep. This time, there are also Yarkands who have believed in Allah. I After seizing the land north of the Tianshan Mountains from them, Reside unexpectedly found Babur's son Kamran. Humayun, who succeeded Babur, had just been defeated by the rebels within the Mughals and went into exile. Persia, it seems that Kamran also has new ideas.”

After looking at the monk, Ida said calmly: "There are many issues that need to be argued about, including bows and horses, trade routes, and faith. The dispute over the teachings is only at the end."

"Don't worry, Khan, I understand." Rigzin Gonpo, who has been preaching on the grassland for many years, bent down.

"Let's go." Ida turned his gaze to the west again, burying the feeling of powerlessness deep in his heart.

It had been more than eight years since he left Fengzhoutan. There was not a day in these eight years when he did not think about it.

The results are naturally extraordinary. From the second year when the Great Khan of the Yarkand Khanate died of illness, it took more than eight years for Anda to make the Yarkand Khanate lose a large area of ​​land in the northeast.

On the one hand, Rexide wanted to resist Anda, and on the other hand, he wanted to stabilize the interior. With such a good opportunity, even if the grassland cavalry moves quickly, it is not convenient to control such a huge territory.

Ulyanha was happy to take over the land north of Alatau Mountain, but Khalkha did not want to leave the current pasture.

I know why. The Ming Dynasty used the Mongolian people who surrendered from the Ordos tribe to do business with them in Hetao and Xuanning.

And if you come here to the west, the goods Turpan buys and sells from the Xining border market in the Ming Dynasty will only be resold to Yarkand. How could Yerqiang, who had been enemies for several years, get along well with the Khan Court?

I don't want to push too hard. If we use all our strength to destroy Ye Erqiang, Turpan, whose lips are dead and teeth are cold, will immediately hide in the arms of the Ming Dynasty like the three guards of Duoyan.

In that case, the Ming army heading north from Turpan can still easily cut off the connection with the Khan Court.

What's more, can I use all my strength to destroy Ye Erqiang? There are more and more Ming cavalry in Xuan Ning, and they go north to burn wasteland every year.

After Timur, the Western Regions fell apart. After Dayan Khan, the Khan court fell into pieces.

Looking back at the source, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties fell into pieces.

The great khanates of the past cannot yet be united as one.

I looked at the sentry riders in front and behind me who were constantly exchanging information, and felt a little envious of the Han emperor.

No matter what, he inherited the orthodoxy of a unified empire. And my starting point is just a lord.

That thing called a steam engine gave Anda a very bad feeling. The machine that could replace horses made him feel that the grassland tribes who relied on horses to survive in the world might be facing a disaster.

But how do you explain these dangers clearly to these guys who are also descendants of Genghis Khan and of grassland blood?
  As I reach middle age, I also begin to lose my vigor.

At that time, I felt that as long as he was given the opportunity to become the co-leader of the Khan Court, he could fight further west like his ancestors. Slaves, wealth, craftsmen, nothing will be lacking.

But it's too far away. Or maybe, behind Genghis Khan, there was only a cowardly Song Dynasty, and behind Anda, there was a nightmare Ming Dynasty.

After crossing another hill, I saw the camp beside the river below.

Three distinct military formations faced each other in three directions. They were the escorts of the Great Khan of the Yarkand Khanate and the escorts of the Great Khan of the Turpan Khanate. In addition to the three hundred people under Anda who had arrived here early, flags were flying by the river and soldiers were in cold weather.

"You guys stay on guard here."

Ida raised his hand, and the guards behind him stopped and waited here. Only fifty of the most elite guards were separated to surround Anda and go there.

In the camp by the river, Rexide, the Great Khan of the Yarkand Khanate, watched the slow movement of Anda's scroll with hatred in his eyes.

Beside him, there was a young man.

At this time, the young man looked into the distance and said, "Is that Ida who has usurped the position of Great Khan of the Tatar Khanate?"

"It's this devil!"

Rexide withdrew his gaze and looked at Turpan Khan's tent to the east.

The man Su'er there is actually Rexide's biological uncle.

The Yarkand Khanate was also split from the original Chagatai Khanate.

The Chagatai Khanate was larger in the past. More than a hundred years ago, it was here on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul that Waisi Khan was killed by an arrow in a battle with Timur, and Chagatai was split into two parts: the east and the west.

More than fifty years ago, after Yunusi Khan died of illness, the Eastern Chagatai was further divided into two parts: the Eastern and Western parts. The Yarkand Khanate was founded by Rexide's father.

Twenty-five years ago, Rexid's father negotiated peace with Mansu'er in Arbat, and on the surface he still surrendered to Mansu'er.

Rexide looked back at Anda's team: Without Anda, I would have to face the ambition of his uncle Mansu'er as he had just succeeded. Although we have a common enemy now, Mansuer has never been willing to fully help Yarkand. He only does business with the Han people while supporting Yarkant with goods so that they can maintain a stalemate with Anda.

Mansu'er didn't dare to get angry, and he was even more afraid that the Han people would come out from behind and completely destroy Turpan.

This is all the aftermath of the Battle of Hetao nine years ago.

The young man spoke again: "Resid Khan, what do you think I have in mind when I invite you to come here for talks?"

Resid looked at him, but what he said was an old story: "Dear Kamran Khan, my father fought alongside your father back then. Without the support of Babur Khan, my father would not have been able to save up for the future. Strength, and finally established the Yarkand Khanate. No matter what ideas I have, please go back to back with me. I am looking at the north and the east, and if you can get the wealth you want and the weapons from the Ming Dynasty, you can defeat She Ersha, became the true emperor of the Mughals.”

This young man was the son of Babur, the younger brother of Humayun, now the Mughal emperor. After Humayun succeeded to the throne eleven years ago, he enfeoffed his younger brother Kamran to guard his home base in Kabul, the Mughal "Land of Dragons".

Unexpectedly, Kamran, with the support of another brother, seized Punjab Province, expelled the governor appointed by Humayun, and finally became the de facto ruler of the country.

Babur was a foreign invader, and he was very powerful. But after his death, Humayun faced rebellions.

Not only did his brother not help him, he also added insult to injury. The year before last, Sher Shah defeated Humayun. He controlled all the fertile lands in the Ganges Valley in northern India and established a Sur dynasty. Humayun, defeated again and again, fled back to Kabul, but was rejected by Kamran. As a last resort, Humayun had fled to Safavid in Persia to the west.

Under this situation, from the current point of view, the Mughal Empire has collapsed. Humayun essentially no longer has the strength and territory of the emperor, only retaining a title.

Then Kamran became ambitious.

Although it is difficult to defeat Sher Shah, he is still young and can accumulate strength.

Facing Reside, Kamran said proudly: "Reside Khan, don't worry. I'm ambitious, which is a good thing for us. Mansu'er is getting old, and he should think about the future. If there are you and My joint support may be able to ensure that his son can hold Turpan. If Man Su'er is still lucky, then it is time to restore the unified Chagatai. I will do my best to make the trade route through the south of Tianshan smooth. "

This matter is quite important to Kamran.

If they can get a steady stream of goods from the Ming Dynasty and have access to this trade route, then the Safavid side can gradually lean towards him. Humayun, who had gone into exile there, could not be allowed to come back.

The benefits gained from the trade route can also help him continue to strengthen. Only by restoring the territories his father had conquered in an open and honest manner, would he be a more agreeable new Mughal emperor.

At this time, Mansuer's son Shahan stood aside.

"When I succeeded to the throne as Sultan, in the northwest, people like Yue Jibie, Kazak, and Giljisi, who defeated your grandfather, had huge power in Uncle Mahamu's territory. In the southwest, we were our old enemies. As a last resort, I moved east to Turpan. In order to gain a foothold, I captured Hami. Although I lost the west and allowed your uncle Said to gain a foothold in Yarkant, he still wanted to surrender to me on the surface. You know why ?"

"At that time, to the east of us was the cowardly Ming Dynasty."

"Yes. At that time, where was there any real disadvantage between us and the Ming Dynasty? Said was different. He was surrounded by enemies." Man Su'er's eyes became worried, "But it is different now. The Ming Dynasty has He became an incredible emperor, and even the Tatars were defeated. Anda, like a bereaved dog, was invincible in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. When Said died, if Anda had not appeared in Yarkand, it would have been my reconstruction of the real inspection. The best time to join forces. It's a pity..."

Shahan was depressed and speechless.

"Do you know why I sent you to celebrate the Ming Emperor's birthday at that time?" Mansu'er looked at him.

"...It is in the interest of Ming Dynasty to help us resist Anda."

"Yes. Who knew that the Ming Dynasty would not allow us to block Anda from the west and contain Anda. He opened a border market and allowed us to control the trade routes to the Western Regions. Now I think about it."

"Father, what's the point?"

"Ida does not have the strength to fight a decisive battle with the Ming Dynasty. He will not directly border the Ming Dynasty in the west. The Ming Dynasty hopes to have a prosperous trade route in the west, so that Anda will always bring an army with him for the sake of the wealth here. Traveling thousands of miles back and forth. Anda may gain a lot of youth and wealth, but what he loses is the time and energy to run the Khan Court. Now, there may be many lords and clan leaders under the Khan Court who have been bribed by the Ming Dynasty. .”

Looking at his son, he said regretfully: "Otherwise, our power in Yarkand is unstoppable, why would we be invited here to discuss a peace treaty?"

"Father Khan, are you saying that I am already satisfied?"

Mansu'er was worried. His son's talents were limited. What would happen to Turpan in the future?
  "Anda will want to win over us. He will offer to give us the area around Issyk-Kul Lake and even Yarkand." Mansu'er said with certainty, "He can easily defeat your cousin's army, but he just can't help it. Establish a foothold here for a long time. Instead of doing that, he might as well turn us into his allies.”

Shahan was pleasantly surprised: "Really?"

"We can't listen to him!" Mansu'er said categorically, "What I want is the good iron, salt, tea, and cloth sold to us from Xining! But you have to remember, if we change from Ming Dynasty's chess pieces to Becoming an enemy of the Ming Dynasty, the army from the Qinggan Border Region of the Ming Dynasty will soon appear in Turpan!"

Shahan was shocked and looked at his father blankly.

"Anda probably noticed something was wrong, and his attention needs to be returned to the Khan Court." Mansu'er said leisurely, "Remember, Anda is actually very far away from us. But the Ming Dynasty is too close to us. "

Before the meeting, everyone thought about the situation they were facing.

And the big banner I answered finally moved here.

No matter how many disputes there were between Turpan and Yarkand in the past, and no matter how much hatred there was between Anda and Yarkant over the years, parties with different interests are still gathering in this border area.

The source of the storms in the Western Regions in recent years, and the biggest factor in the future direction of the situation, are actually the Ming Dynasty in the east.

In the center of the camp, three teams of generals surrounded the center from three directions.

About twenty steps away, Anda looked at Rexide, who was wary and hostile to him, and then at the senile Man Su'er, with self-doubt in his heart.

Am I really that far behind the Ming Emperor? The ambitions I had back then were actually blocked by these people here.

He did not reach the Europa he had imagined, or even Persia.

Because of Daming's pressure, he focused his attention here for several years.

But when he came, Turpan and Yeerqiang, who had originally had grievances, worked together again.

The trade routes no longer passed through the northern Tianshan Mountains, and they preferred to cross the desert.

He hated this trade route. He could have just destroyed the country and made the Western Region more chaotic. The Ming Dynasty would not be able to make money from the westward trade route. However, he also needs this trade route. There are many things that are needed on the grassland but cannot be produced.

We can't go any further west. Further west, Ulyanha will not follow. Chahar and Tumote have consumed too much power. Only he himself can suppress Khalkha's ambitions every year.

"In the name of immortality, you are all descendants of Genghis Khan. Now you regard yourselves as Turks and have forgotten your own bloodline?"

As soon as I opened my mouth, Kamran was the first to laugh.

Where are the four great Mongolian khanates in the past?
  Speaking of bloodline, it is no longer the case that generations of people have been reproducing in different places and marrying locals.

Now when I opened my mouth, I actually mentioned bloodline. Isn’t that ridiculous?

"Who are you?" Ida stared at him.

Kamran said proudly: "The seventh grandson of Timur Khan, the conqueror of India, and the son of Mughal Emperor Babur, Kamran! The traitor who usurped the Tatar Khanate, the demon who wreaked havoc in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, you When you come here, how many people with the same blood have been killed and how many villages have been burned down, and you have the nerve to say such things?"

Under the gaze of Tianshan's eyes, there was a brief silence, and then it became noisy.

(End of this chapter)