When Sultan led the two into the Taiji's Residence, Nomudalai was reviewing official documents. As a father, there is no one who doesn't hope his son meets a famous teacher and grows up to become a pillar of talent. Hearing that this Master Liu was a young master from a prestigious family and a Scholar of the Great Ming Dynasty, the old father's eyes narrowed with joy. In this wild and remote land, a Scholar was an extremely rare and precious thing!
"Oh, for my son to receive instruction from Grand Secretary Liu is truly the honor of the entire tribe! This Taiji shall host a feast in the residence and drink with the two esteemed guests until we are drunk," the Great Taiji laughed heartily.
"E Qi Ge, to show respect to Master, please allow me to perform the apprenticeship ceremony according to the Ming Dynasty's etiquette," Sultan sincerely proposed. This suggestion instantly brought a warm current to Liu Haogu's heart; although this little child was mischievous, he still knew proper etiquette.
"Good! It shall be as my son wishes, the apprenticeship ceremony will follow the Han people's rules," Nomudalai immediately agreed.
Fan Yongdou was a clever person, keenly aware that the son of the Huit Tribe's Great Taiji taking his friend as a teacher would bring immense benefits to his business. He opened his mouth and smiled, "Congratulations, young master, on meeting a famous teacher, and congratulations, Liu, on accepting a good disciple. I wish to offer one hundred bolts of Songjiang cloth as a congratulatory gift, and please allow me to prepare the items needed for the apprenticeship ceremony."
"Then I shall trouble you, Shopkeeper Fan," as a transmigrator, Sultan knew that this Fan Yongdou had the infamous reputation of being a "traitor" in history, but he still politely expressed his thanks. After all, the man had presented a generous gift, and officials don't hit smiling faces.
According to the tradition of the Great Ming Dynasty, the first teacher bears the responsibility of enlightenment for children and is extremely important, called the Initiation Teacher. The ceremony to meet the Initiation Teacher is also called the "Initiation Ceremony," and it is very grand.
Nomudalai invited the tribal princes, nobles, relatives, and friends, spread a red felt carpet inside the great tent, and arranged ten dishes on the table, such as Fat Choy, Tangyuan, Pig Liver, and Small Carp, served in ten bowls, called the "Ten Champions." Liu Haogu, Fan Yongdou, and Sultan ate together. After eating, Sultan knelt on the red felt carpet and bowed to Liu Haogu. Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, Teacher; the dignity of the teacher's way requires kneeling and bowing!
Then, Liu Haogu took out a writing brush and hand-in-hand taught Sultan how to hold the brush and write the three characters "Up, Big, Person" that were already printed. After writing, he circled these three characters to indicate approval. Sultan then performed another kneeling and bowing ceremony to show thanks and presented various gifts to show respect.
After the apprenticeship ceremony was completed, Nomudalai ordered the feast to begin. Everyone drank and sang loudly, feasting heartily. With beautiful women singing and dancing, fragrant dishes and strong wine, they ate and drank to their heart's content. After the banquet, the father and son respectfully escorted Liu Haogu out of the great tent.
Finally, led by his old father, Sultan again paid respects to various elders, relatives, and friends, accepting the "Initiation Money" gifted by the elders, as well as paper Kui Xing and Zhuangyuan, and prepared Zhuangyuan Slices, Fu Shou Gao, etc., to distribute to the herdsmen. Only then was the entire Initiation Ceremony considered finished.
So tired!
Nomudalai lay on the Folding Chair, rubbed his sore calves, and asked his eldest son, "Son, you insisted on taking that pedantic Scholar as your teacher. This person is so weak he can't even tie up a chicken; what is so outstanding about him?"
"E Qi Ge, since ancient times, to accomplish great things, one needs not only military generals but also civil officials. This Master Liu has great foresight in his heart; he can be considered your son's Zhuge Kongming," Sultan said solemnly.
"Alright, since you say so, I will leave it to you. Whether he is Zhuge Kongming or not, I will wait and see. Hahaha," Nomudalai burst into laughter.
Pity the hearts of parents everywhere; to ensure this "Zhuge Kongming" would teach his son well, he prepared a large house for Liu Haogu, provided eight slaves, and even sent two full-figured, enchanting Mongol beauties.
Time always flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than three months had passed. Liu Haogu taught his disciple the classics, history, philosophy, and literature while enjoying Mongol mare's milk wine, brick tea, fresh beef and mutton, and the air.
One day, as the master and disciple were having a lesson, Sultan suddenly let out a long sigh.
"Why does the Young Taiji sigh?"
"Master Liu, I have always wanted to restore the glory of my ancestors and revitalize the Huit Tribe, but among the Oirat, the Huit Tribe's power is too small, and my ambitions are hard to realize, which is why I sigh."
Liu Haogu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "In the coming years, when you grow up, if you achieve your life's ambition, how will you treat the Ming Dynasty?"
As a transmigrator, Sultan really wanted to tell his teacher that when he grew up, the Ming Dynasty would be destroyed by the Manchu Qing. But he knew he couldn't say that; it would hurt his teacher's feelings too much, and his teacher wouldn't believe it anyway. He could only say solemnly, "I only want to revitalize my tribe and have absolutely no ill will towards the Ming Dynasty. If I achieve my life's ambition in the coming years, I will definitely coexist amicably with the Ming Dynasty, without any false words!"
Liu Haogu nodded and said, "In those years, Scholar Zhu Sheng once said to Emperor Gao of the Ming Dynasty, 'Build high walls, store abundant provisions, and slowly claim kingship'."
"Master Liu, are you trying to advise us to conceal our strength and bide our time, quietly accumulating power? To be honest, my father and I have been doing this for years, but it takes a long time, and we are a bit impatient."
"Yes, I also have eight characters: 'Befriend distant states, attack nearby ones, and defeat them one by one'."
"Are you telling me to befriend the distant Dzungar, Torghut, and Kazakh Khanate, and focus on dealing with the nearby Khoshut, Dörbet, and Yarkand Khanate?"
Liu Haogu first nodded, then slowly shook his head, "The Huit Tribe is too weak; just befriending the Dzungar, Torghut, and Kazakh is not enough. You should make friends widely: the Great Ming Dynasty, the Khalkha Mongol, the Chahar, Bukhara, Khiva, and even the Northern Oros can all be befriended."
Sultan's eyes lit up, and his mind suddenly cleared. He had been constrained by the Oirat's traditional views, always seeing the Khalkha, Chahar, and Oros as his enemies. Little did he know that between countries and tribes, there are only eternal interests, not eternal enemies; he could completely befriend these forces and use their strength to his advantage.
He sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, Master Liu, for your guidance! Among the three forces closest to Huit, which one do you think I should deal with first?"
When asking this, he actually already had a judgment in his heart. Among the three forces, the Yarkand Khanate was the weakest and fragmented; his teacher would likely advise him to deal with the Yarkand first.
"I think you should deal with the Khoshut first," Liu Haogu stated his opinion.
"Pfft!"
Sultan almost spat out the Mongol milk tea he had drunk. Khoshut? That was the tribe of the alliance leader Baibagas Khan, the most powerful entity among the Oirat! In the bloody battle of the Ertix River, Baibagas Khan and his guard army's bravery had become a legend on the grassland. Even Shulei Ubashi was no match, let alone his weak self? Provoking them, was he perhaps tired of living?
"Master Liu, Baibagas Khan is brave and skilled in battle, and the Khoshut's army is strong and their horses are sturdy; they might not be easy to scheme against!" he said weakly.
"Hehe, Baibagas Khan is merely a brave commoner; he is arrogant and conceited because of his victory, so defeating him is not difficult," Liu Haogu calmly analyzed. Seeing Sultan remain silent, he smiled again and said, "This man has three major weaknesses: lechery, alcoholism, and greed."
"Even so, he is still Baibagas," Sultan sighed, his tone carrying reverence.
"I heard that after defeating Shulei Ubashi, this man returned to Urumqi and spends his days carousing with his concubines, no longer paying attention to the Khalkha. How can one live a life of debauchery when a strong enemy has not been eliminated? Arrogance due to victory leads to chaos, and chaos leads to decline; the disaster within the walls is not far off! I assert here that before long, internal strife will inevitably arise within the Khoshut. Thus, your father and son's opportunity will come."
"I understand, thank you, Master, for your guidance," Sultan politely thanked him, but inwardly he was unconvinced. With a fierce man like Baibagas present, where would internal strife come from in the Khoshut? These scholars, they are accustomed to making grand pronouncements as if they are capable!