The night was deep, but Lin Dan Khan found it hard to sleep.
The situation for Chahar was dire, most of the people were lost, and aid from allies was scarce, making external help desperately needed.
He wrote to Great Ming's Governor of the Three Borders, Hong Chengchou, but this Governor Hong was only focused on exploiting Chahar's weakness to gain military merits, offering no help at all; instead, he stationed heavy troops at the border, forcing him to resort to raiding.
Khalkha Chechen and Choktu Khong Tayiji initially sent some supplies, but later the aid became increasingly less; his other two allies, Tsangpa Khan and Baili Tusi, were too far away, making it difficult for them to help even if they wanted to.
Alas! I, the dignified Mongol Khan, unexpectedly ended up in such a predicament!
Lin Dan Khan had no sleepiness; when the lord is worried, the minister feels disgraced. Tieluo Kenote Shitu Taiji, who was guarding nearby, silently accompanied him, holding a long spear.
"Great Khan, Shalpa Khutughtu Master requests an audience," a guard entered the tent to report.
This Shalpa Khutughtu was a high monk of the Sakya School (Red Sect).
"Sakya" means gray-white land, named so because the location where the main monastery of this school—Sakya Monastery—was built had a gray-white appearance.
Because the monastery walls were painted with red, white, and black stripes symbolizing Manjushri, Guanyin, and Vajrapani Bodhisattva, it was also called the Red Sect.
This Great Monk was no ordinary person!
In the beginning, Lin Dan Khan believed in the Yellow Sect.
The year he ascended the throne, the 4th Maidari Khutughtu (Nomen Khan) from Lhasa arrived in Hohhot via Ordos, serving as the enthroned figure of the Yellow Sect in the Mongol region.
Soon after, the Great Khan invited the two high monks, Maidari Nomen Khan and Zhuoni Choerji, to Chaghan Hot, not only believing in the Yellow Sect himself but also having the entire Chahar believe in it.
In the eyes of others, Chahar was the stronghold of the Yellow Sect, and no one could shake its position.
Shalpa Khutughtu, however, refused to believe in evil influences; he requested permission from Sakya School Leader Tianjin Dharma King to spread Buddhism in Mongol.
The leader of the Sakya School (Red Sect) was called the Great Treasure Dharma King in the Yuan Dynasty and the Mahayana Dharma King in the Ming Dynasty; this was a bloodline inheritance from father to son, son to grandson. Because of their noble lineage, they were listed alongside the three Great Masters of the Gelug (Yellow Sect) as the four high monks in the Snowy Region holding the King's Scepter.
Unlike the Yellow Sect, the Red Sect did not forbid marriage, but stipulated that after having children, they should no longer approach women.
The position of leader was held successively by the bloodlines of the Tara Palace and the Perfection Palace, hence called the Upper and Lower Seats, among which the Sakya Tianjin Dharma King's status was higher than the Sakya Daqin Dharma King's.
Sakya Tianjin Great Monk listened to his aspiration and stared straight ahead, believing it was impossible to accomplish.
However, as the leader, it was not good to dampen the enthusiasm of a high monk within the school, so he offered a few words of encouragement and let him go.
Unexpectedly, upon going, he accomplished something earth-shattering!
That day, as Lin Dan Khan was hunting, Shalpa Khutughtu, wearing a red lotus-shaped monk's hat and a red kasaya, suddenly appeared.
The Khan had already accepted the precepts of the Yellow Sect, so naturally he didn't pay much attention to him, and said with a smile, "Since the Master is a high monk, he must know some magic arts. Could Your Majesty be shown one or two?"
"Great Khan reveres the Dharma, this humble monk shall make a fool of himself."
After speaking, Shalpa Great Monk began to perform magic, like summoning wind and rain, and turning beans into soldiers (presumably this person knew some magic tricks).
Wow, it was incredible, it immediately stunned Lin Dan Khan.
Immortal! Living immortal! Please, Master, come with Your Majesty to Chaghan Hot!
The thing most feared in the world is being deceived. As soon as Shalpa Khutughtu arrived in Chaghan Hot, Lin Dan Khan lost interest in the doctrines of the Yellow Sect and instead began to believe in the magic arts of the Red Sect.
He appointed Shalpa as State Preceptor and received the initiation of the profound esoteric vehicle.
To gain Lin Dan Khan's trust, this State Preceptor sent people to Mount Wutai to retrieve the Mahakala Golden Buddha cast with a thousand pieces of gold by Red Sect Master Basiba during the time of Yuan Emperor Shizu.
Lin Dan Khan built the Jīndǐng White Temple and enshrined the Golden Buddha within it; he also gathered Kunga Odeser, Bandida Gushi, Ananda Gushi, and others to translate the 108 volumes of the Kanjur Sutra and transcribe them in gold letters on blue paper.
From then on, the Imperial Seal, the Mahakala Golden Buddha, and the Golden Kanjur Sutra were regarded as the Three Great Treasures of Mongol.
Lin Dan Khan's conversion to the Red Sect greatly affected his image and reputation.
The Khans, Jinongs, Noyans, and Taijis of the various tribes in Outer Mongolia Khalkha and the Right Wing Three Ten Thousand Households, who believed in the Yellow Sect, began to distance themselves from the Khan, and the Yellow Sect's Maidari Khutughtu moved to Outer Mongolia Khalkha, no longer sympathizing with or supporting him.
This laid the groundwork for Lin Dan Khan's failure.
"Oh, quickly invite the Master into the tent," hearing that it was Shalpa Khutughtu who had come to see him, Lin Dan Khan quickly ordered someone to invite him in.
Even when he had reached such a difficult point, it did not change his respect for this Master.
"amitabha, the Great Khan is completely sleepless, is it because you are troubled by the current situation?" The Great Monk saw through the Khan's thoughts as soon as they met.
Lin Dan Khan furrowed his brows, "Yes, State Preceptor, now that we have reached the end of the road, how can Your Majesty possibly sleep?"
"Great Khan, the Han often say, 'Mountains and rivers intertwined, one suspects there is no road, but where willows are dark and flowers bright, there is another village.' Why don't you send people to contact the various tribes of Oirat Mongol?"
"Contact Oirat Mongol? For a long time, they have always been enemies with my Chahar," Lin Dan Khan was startled.
Shalpa Khutughtu said solemnly, "This humble monk is willing to go to Oirat to spread the Dharma and lobby the various tribes for the Great Khan."
"The Master wants to personally go to Oirat?" Lin Dan Khan looked at Shalpa and slowly nodded; he knew the capabilities of this Great Monk.
He said seriously, "Your Majesty will send Nanchu, Bandida Gushi, and Ananda Gushi to go with the State Preceptor.
This matter cannot be forced; if it doesn't work out, the State Preceptor must pay attention to safety and return quickly."
Lin Dan Khan's assignment of these three had deep meaning.
Bandida Gushi and Ananda Gushi were famous scholars, proficient in Buddhist scriptures, and helpful for spreading the Dharma; Nanchu, on the other hand, was the younger brother of Biji Sutai, his brother-in-law, and belonged to his trusted inner circle.
Sending Nanchu also carried the intention of monitoring Shalpa Khutughtu; with the current unstable situation, he feared this Great Monk might flee under the guise of spreading the Dharma, which would be a fatal blow to the already restless hearts of the Chahar people.
Nanchu led five hundred elite cavalry to escort the Great Monk and his party to Oirat Mongol.
Shalpa Khutughtu originally thought that with his exquisite magic arts, he would definitely be able to make the Taijis of the various tribes convert to the Red Sect upon arriving in Oirat.
Unexpectedly, reality was quite a slap in the face. Oirat had already believed in the Yellow Sect for many years, and every tribe had noble sons who became Toyin, none of whom were willing to pay attention to this Great Monk, even if he used "magic arts."
State Preceptor Khan Tülubaishihu of the Khoshut directly refused to see him; Khara Khula Khuntaiji of the Dzungar sent troops to drive him out of their territory; Dalai Taishi of the Dörbet was polite, inviting him into the great tent for a bowl of mare's milk wine, and even politely watched him perform a few "magic arts," then politely declined; as for the Torghut, they had migrated west and were too far away to rely on.
The Great Monk was deeply disappointed. Not one of the Four Oirat paid him any attention. Had Buddha abandoned the Red Sect?
"State Preceptor, actually there is still a major powerful tribe in Oirat: the Huit Tribe, which we haven't been to," Ananda Gushi, who was accompanying him, suddenly spoke.
Shalpa Khutughtu was taken aback, "Huit Tribe? Aren't they vassals of the Dörbet? Their power is weak, going there won't be of much use!"
"State Preceptor, you may not know, but the Huit Tribe today, after being governed by the two powerful rulers Nomudalai and Sultan, is no longer what it used to be," Ananda Gushi recounted the deeds of the Huit Tribe.
"Wonderful! The small can become large, and the weak can become strong. Isn't this exactly the 'where willows are dark and flowers bright, there is another village' that this old monk spoke of to the Great Khan?" Shalpa Khutughtu laughed heartily and said to his attendants, "Let's go, follow this old monk to Yingsuo River."