The Great Taijis and nobles, including Kundulun Ubashi, Tulubaihu, Sereng Khatan Batur, and Buyan Hatan Batur of the Khoshut Tribe; Khara Khula, Mergen Noyan, and Sahalletu of the Dzungar tribe; Minzhu of the Dörbet tribe; He Erleke and Mergen Temuna of the Torghut tribe; and Nomudalai of the Huit Tribe, crowded into Baibagas Khan's great tent.
"Gentlemen, I have summoned you to Urumqi for the Churgan Conference to discuss the invasion by the Khalkha Mongol and Hotogoid tribes. This time, the mad dog Shulei Ubashi, along with the Uriankhai tribe, has launched an all-out attack. It is said they have also received support from the Zasagtu Khan, Tusheet Khan, and Chechen Khan, totaling eighty thousand troops. If we do not unite to resist this foreign aggression, I fear the Oirat Mongol will cease to exist," Baibagas Khan's voice was low and sorrowful, full of inflammatory power.
"Great Khan, I am willing to lead all the men of my tribe to fight them!"
"Yes, Great Khan, there is nothing more to say to those Khalkha bandits, just one word: Fight!"
Within the great tent, the war spirit ran high. More than a hundred years of deep-seated hatred made these Taijis eager to fight the Khalkha people to the death. Even Nomudalai, who had listened to his son's advice and wanted to preserve his strength and use the enemy's hand to kill in this war, also pretended to shout a few slogans in such a fervent atmosphere.
"Gentlemen, the Dzungar people have already engaged in battle with the Hotogoid tribe. Let's ask Khong Tayiji Khara Khula to introduce the situation of the Khalkha people. Knowing ourselves and our enemies will ensure victory in every battle," said Minzhu of the Dörbet tribe. He was representing Dalai Taishi, so all the tribes naturally had to show him some respect.
Baibagas Khan nodded slightly and turned his gaze to his old comrade-in-arms, Khong Tayiji Khara Khula of the Dzungar tribe, "Khara Khula, tell us about the enemy's situation."
The "prince hero" who dared to confront the Khalkha army alone back then had now become a middle-aged man. The only thing that remained unchanged was his eagle-like eyes. Khara Khula pondered for a moment before speaking: "Among the troops commanded by Shulei Ubashi this time, there are forty thousand soldiers from the Hotogoid main force, ten thousand Kyrgyz soldiers who are their vassals, twenty thousand soldiers from the Uriankhai tribe, and ten thousand reinforcements sent by the Zasagtu Khan, Tusheet Khan, and Chechen Khan. Not only are they numerous, but their equipment is also good. Their armor rate is higher than ours, and they have a large number of firearms obtained from the Oros people. Their combat strength is very strong. My Dzungar tribe has fought them several times and suffered considerable losses."
"Oh, does our Oirat great hero also have times when he is afraid? To speak of the enemy as being so formidable?" The chief of the Torghut tribe, He Erleke, said mockingly. Khara Khula's arrogant personality caused discord between the Dzungar tribe and the Torghut tribe, which is why He Erleke spoke mockingly to him.
"I am merely stating the facts, not fearing the enemy," Khara Khula's face flushed with anger. He suddenly sneered at He Erleke: "I heard that you and Dalai Taishi sent envoys to the Oros people for help. How is it? Did their great emperor agree? It is laughable, laughable, that the descendants of chang sheng tian have to seek help from foreign tribes!"
"You!"
"Audacious!"
As soon as this was said, it not only offended the Torghut people but also the Dörbet people. Minzhu, He Erleke, Mergen Temuna, and other Taijis from the Dörbet and Torghut tribes glared angrily at Khara Khula.
Gaining the support of Russia and jointly dealing with the Khalkha and Hotogoid tribes was a "brilliant move" jointly planned by Dalai Taishi and He Erleke. They sent envoys to Moscow and were received by Mikhail Tsar. Coincidentally, Shulei Ubashi, the leader of the Hotogoid tribe (whom the Russians called Altan Khan), also sent envoys to Moscow, inviting the Russians to jointly attack the Oirat Mongol.
Although Mikhail Tsar was young, he possessed great political wisdom. He deliberately received the envoys of Dalai Taishi and Shulei Ubashi at the same time, using their desire for Russian support to demand their submission. The Tsar's clever use of both sides' predicaments was indeed effective. As a strategic means, both sides verbally submitted to Moscow to gain Oros's support, or at least alleviate diplomatic pressure and eliminate threats from the flank. In fact, the cunning Russians never gave actual support to either side, but rather maintained a seemingly "impartial" stance to achieve the effect of watching the tigers fight from the mountain. This process was repeated several times.
Verbally submitting to Russia had always been a humiliation for Dalai Taishi and He Erleke. Today, Khara Khula reopened the wound, naturally causing dissatisfaction among the Dörbet and Torghut people. Swords were drawn and bows were strung, and it seemed the situation was about to get out of control.
"Enough! With a great enemy before us, do you intend to fight each other first? Has not enough Oirat blood been shed already?" The alliance leader, Baibagas Khan, roared with authority, calming both sides.
This Great Khan had many shortcomings, such as alcoholism, lechery, and greed, but he had one thing: he never hesitated when fighting the Khalkha people, and was therefore regarded as the "national hero" of the Oirat people, enjoying high prestige among the Oirat.
With him at the helm, the focus of the Churgan Conference quickly shifted from mutual bickering to jointly dealing with the Khalkha invasion. Everyone unanimously agreed to jointly dispatch one hundred thousand troops to fight the Khalkha bandits to the death. The Mongol are a nation where everyone is a soldier; men between the ages of twelve and seventy must serve in the military. For the Oirat Mongol, with a population of over a million, it was not difficult to muster an army of one hundred thousand or even more. However, victory in war is not determined by the number of people alone; it also depends on the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.
After the tribes had agreed on the number of troops each would dispatch, the formal alliance began. The alliance leader, Baibagas Khan, led the Taijis, large and small, to swear an oath to chang sheng tian:
"Those of Mongol blood shall not be made 'Chokhor'."
"Those of noble birth, even if reduced to commoners, shall not be made to do menial work, shall not be made 'Inji' (people given as dowry when a prince's daughter marries), shall not be made 'Chokhor', shall not be given to those of non-noble blood, and their blood shall not be shed."
"Other matters shall be carried out as decided by the Mongol Churgan."
This was a successful conference, successfully mobilizing the hatred of the Oirat tribes towards the Khalkha Mongol.
But for Nomudalai, the Great Taiji of the Huit Tribe, the person he detested the most was not that Shulei Ubashi, but his two brothers, Noyan Ubashen and Buyanbu'erhan. He had long listened to his son Sultan's suggestion and wanted to use the Khalkha people's sword to eliminate these two scourges.
So, as soon as he returned to the Yulduz Grassland, he fell from his horse during a hunt and was severely injured, unable to get out of bed.
"Brother, I originally intended to personally lead the army, but unexpectedly I was injured. The task of commanding the great army can only be entrusted to you," he lay in bed, holding his brother Noyan Ubashen's hand, full of emotion. According to the agreement, the Huit Tribe should dispatch sixteen hundred soldiers. Nomudalai refused to mobilize his own main force, but instead ordered the four Taijis, Noyan Ubashen, Buyanbu'erhan, Eluolike Heshoku, and Namu Zhan, to each dispatch four hundred soldiers.
Noyan Ubashen did not want to go, but he was reluctant to give up military power. After much thought, he reluctantly agreed to go, but left Buyanbu'erhan to guard the home.
Nomudalai sneered inwardly. These sixteen hundred soldiers were subordinates of the four major factions of the Huit Tribe, and even he could not command them. So, he might as well use the Khalkha people's hands to eliminate them.
The wind howled mournfully as Noyan Ubashen led sixteen hundred Five Thousand Hui Te Warriors to join the anti-invasion war against the Khalkha Mongol.
