On the banks of the Ili River, where the Khoshut Khan's court was located, the great Baibagas Khan had moved his court from Urumqi to here to facilitate closer command of operations.
In the bleak autumn wind, two women with two children, plus a group of civil and military officials, waited anxiously, waiting for their man, father, and Great Khan to come home.
Standing beside the beautiful Khatun Saihanzhu was her fourteen-year-old eldest son, Oqiertu. At this age, he was already considered an adult among the Mongols. He wore a saber, and his eyebrows were as stern and cold as his father Baibagas; beside Biji Gaoyun stood her five-year-old second son, Abalai. The little fellow was still very young, bouncing around, but he already faintly had some of his father's features.
A few days ago, the Khoshut generals, Hanak Tushetu, Sereng Khatan Batur, Buyan Hatan Batur, and others, fled back with the defeated troops, bringing bad news: the Khoshut army had been defeated, and the great Baibagas Khan was missing.
An ominous premonition rose in Saihanzhu's heart, and she waited daily outside the royal court's encampment.
chang sheng tian bless, bless my husband to return home safely! She prayed silently in her heart, and once again gazed into the distance, hoping to see the great man who was as fierce as a tiger in her memory.
A group of people appeared in her sight. The person leading them was Sainser Tengji, the Qianhu Chief of the Guard Army. He was her husband's confidant and should know some news. Hope ignited in Saihanzhu's heart.
“Thump!”
Sainser Tengji knelt before her. “Your servant deserves death for failing to protect the Great Khan completely. The Great Khan was struck by a stray arrow from the rebels and has returned to the embrace of chang sheng tian.”
“What!”
Saihanzhu felt a wave of dizziness and fainted.
“Ehe!”
“Khatun!”
Oqiertu and the civil and military officials hurriedly rescued her and finally woke her up.
Saihanzhu led everyone to Baibagas's body. The body had been cleaned and wrapped in a white Khan's flag.
“Oh Great Khan, oh Great Khan, your child is still young, how can you be so cruel and leave us?” Grief welled up, and Saihanzhu wailed loudly.
“E Qi Ge, your child will surely slaughter the rebels and avenge you,” Oqiertu clenched the hilt of his saber tightly, his eyes red.
“Great Khan, you are gone, leaving us orphans and widows, how can we live!” Biji Gaoyun's weeping was especially mournful. Half of it was crying for her man, and the other half was worrying about her future. Because of vying for favor, her relationship with Saihanzhu was very strained. Now that the Great Khan was gone and Saihanzhu held power, how would her future days be?
“Ehe, I want E Qi Ge~ Ehe, I want E Qi Ge~,” the crying of the five-year-old child Abalai was heart-wrenching.
“Wuwu~ Wuwu~ Wuwu~”
The banks of the Ili River were filled with cries.
“Leaping on a horse and cracking the whip, going forth never to return. The white horse is splashed with crimson blood, the beautiful woman applies rouge. The brave warrior goes to battle, just like when he was newly married. The horses' heads are like a forest of blades, the death warriors devour the living. The horses' heads dance in the dust, the living drive the death warriors. Alas, those people in the earthen room, their wisdom is short, their spirit is also dim. There is no ladder to ascend to heaven, there is no other door to enter the earth. My life is like a hunting dog, your life is like a fox or rabbit. The wind howls on the city wall, the wind is desolate below the city. Alas, those people in the earthen room, the children of brave warriors weep.”
“Khatun, now is not the time for grief,” Sainser Tengji came before Saihanzhu and said in a low voice, “The most urgent matter is to have the Taijis recommend the young Lord to succeed to the throne of Oirat.”
These words woke her from a dream, and Saihanzhu suddenly realized. She secretly glanced at the Taijis who were crying, Hanak Tushetu, Sereng Khatan Batur, Buyan Hatan Batur, and the others, and nodded slightly.
According to the traditional primogeniture system of Oirat, the fourteen-year-old Oqiertu, as the legitimate eldest son of Baibagas Khan, inheriting the throne after his father's death was only right and proper.
Saihanzhu originally thought that her son's succession would not be a big problem. Unexpectedly, the result of her private conversation with the Khoshut Taijis greatly disappointed her.
Hanak Tushetu was Baibagas Khan's half-brother and held the most prestige in the tribe. When the Khatun, who had just experienced the pain of losing her husband, delicately made her request to her Elder Brother, this Elder Brother also very delicately did not express his stance. Sometimes, not expressing a stance means not supporting.
“Sister-in-law, it's not that this old man doesn't support the succession of my elder Nephew, but now our Khoshut tribe is surrounded by enemies on all sides. My elder Nephew is still young and may not be able to control the situation,” the old man's reply was thought-provoking. Hmph! If my son can't control the situation, who can?
The conversation with her brother, Sereng Khatan Batur, was also unpleasant. Her brother, who had always been straightforward and decisive, was also hesitant about the succession. “Sister-in-law, according to tradition, the legitimate eldest son's succession is only right and proper, but you also know the current situation. Our Oirat needs a powerful ruler. My elder Nephew is still young and hasn't achieved any military merits. Your younger brother is worried that some people won't be convinced!”
Powerful ruler? Hmph! Who is the powerful ruler? Who won't be convinced?
Her brother, Buyan Hatan Batur, had always been straightforward and lacked cunning, so he directly told the truth. “Sister-in-law, if it were peacetime, I would fully support my elder Nephew's succession. But now that there is war and chaos, the Khoshut tribe needs a Great Khan with outstanding prestige who can lead us to victory. Elder Brother, brother, I, and some other Taijis have discussed it, and only brother can take on this important task!”
Upon hearing this, Saihanzhu was heartbroken. It turned out that these Taijis had already privately discussed the candidate for the new Great Khan. Husband, husband, your body is not yet cold, and these brothers no longer care about the orphans and widows you left behind!
Although she was heartbroken, she had no good solution. Although Oirat traditionally followed primogeniture, in an era where rituals and music had collapsed, there were many cases of non-legitimate eldest sons succeeding. Ultimately, the Great Khan is one who is strong in military and horses!
The “brother” mentioned by Buyan Hatan Batur, Baibagas Khan's “brother” Tulubaihu, was such a powerful man with strong military and horses.
At the age of thirteen, he led troops to defeat ten thousand (some say forty thousand) soldiers of the “Guo Ga'er” Hui tribe; he was extremely filial, benevolent, and generous. When his birth mother, Ahai Khatun, passed away, he donated all his family property and widely distributed alms to pray for his mother, winning the support of the people; even more commendable was that he was not only brave but also resourceful. He once concealed his identity and went deep among the Khalkha Mongols, resolving the hatred between the Oirat Mongols and the Khalkha Mongols, and was respectfully called “Guoshi Khan” by the Khalkha Mongols.
In recent years, he had fought in the north and south, achieving countless merits, and his prestige in the tribe was second only to his Elder Brother. Later, because Baibagas Khan coveted his Elder Brother's inheritance, it triggered a civil war in Khoshut, and his prestige greatly diminished. His prestige had a tendency to surpass his brother's.
After Baibagas Khan moved his court to Ili, he ordered him to stay behind in the old base around Barkol and Urumqi; this time, he launched the attack before he arrived, which was actually because he was wary, fearing that this brother would achieve more military merits and his achievements would overshadow the Lord.
When her husband was alive, relying on his past accumulated prestige, he could still firmly suppress his brother. Now that her husband was gone, no one could suppress him anymore, and everyone was already thinking about recommending him as the new Oirat Great Khan!
Just as Saihanzhu was feeling annoyed, more bad news came. Biji Gaoyun took her five-year-old second son Abalai and her people back to their grazing ground, Sarato Hai.
Gaoyun had left because she was angry. After her husband's death, she refused to give Abalai any inheritance, citing that her husband had given Abalai Omuqi before his death, and gave all her husband's inheritance to her son Oqiertu.
Indeed, her husband had given Omuqi to both sons before his death, and Abalai had also received two thousand-households. But that was only a small portion, the bulk was still in her husband's hands. Now that he had passed away, Abalai didn't receive any inheritance, so Gaoyun was naturally angry, and it was normal for her to leave with her people.
Alas! The matter of her son's succession did not receive much support within Khoshut, what should she do? Saihanzhu fell into distress.