Chapter 420: Donta Ulus

On the western shore of Qinghai Lake, the second day of the eighth month, people piled up oboo cairns to the north and pitched the Khan's tent. Crimson satin was spread half a li across the ground, and from every direction Mongols gathered toward this place.

The Mongol nobles under the Marshal's Command convened a khurultai.

The Dzungar Baatur Khong Tayiji, the Khoshut Dorji Tayiji, the Dörbet Dalai Tayiji, the Torgut Mergen Jinong, the Khoid Sumur Tayiji, the Chahar Shatu Tayiji, the Outer Khalkha Aqai Daiching General, and the Yöngshiyebü Xie Erhu General all bore their sabers together.

The Khatun Namuzhong led the wives of the various tribal nobles, brought a white horse and slaughtered it to sacrifice to Heaven, broke the arrows, and all drank blood-wine. They hung sashes around their necks, removed their helmets and held them at the wrist, beat their chests with their hands, bowed nine times to the sun, poured out wine and prayed, swearing an oath to Heaven. They founded the Donta Ulus, honored Liu Chengzong as their common sovereign, and named him the Donta Ulus Daiching Khitan Khan.

In truth, it simply meant "the Valiant King of Han of China."

When choosing the title, the Khong Tayiji led the men in picking through quite a few words, and in the end they settled on just two: one was Khitan, the other Dotoladu Qajad — the former meaning Han people, the latter meaning the Central Land.

There were also some meaningless ones, like Sechen meaning "wise" or Khutuktu meaning "long life" — those never even got past Aqai Daiching and Xie Erhu before being sent back.

Xie Erhu knew it best: the Grand Marshal was a practical man and would surely look down on such superfluous titles. After all, when Shatu Tayiji had reported his elder brother's title, he had been there too, and the laughter of the Marshal's Command officers, bent over and slapping their knees, was still fresh in his memory.

Of course, in the Mongol tongue, there is more than one word corresponding to the Han people. The earliest term came from the Han commoners under Jin rule, hence "Khitan."

There was another term for the Han commoners under Song rule: in the plural, Nanggiya; in the singular, Nanggiyadai — meaning "southern barbarians." In the books of the Northern Yuan, whenever the Great Ming was mentioned, it was either "Khitan Daimin" or "Nanggiyadai Daimin" — never simply "Daimin" on its own.

Who would dare bring that word up?

Aqai Daiching had originally proposed calling him the Han Khan, but everyone felt there was a problem.

Baatur Khong Tayiji felt that the Mongol language had no word for "Han." Here, they could call him whatever they wanted and it wouldn't matter, but on the other side of the Tianshan Mountains, even if they taught the Han language, it wouldn't be resolved in a single generation. People would struggle to understand what it meant — calling him that would be as good as not calling him anything.

Xie Erhu, for his part, felt it was better not to smear the Grand Marshal's face. After all, he knew what the Great Ming called Ligdan Khan. If they dared call Liu Chengzong the Han Khan today, tomorrow the hundred officials at court would dare say the western bandits and northern caitiffs had joined forces, their leader called "Simple Simple."

And so Daiching Khitan it was — they could all understand it. Baatur Khong Tayiji, however, felt the word was too short and lacked power. After much effort, he finally found an old official document from the Great Ming that referred to itself as Donta Ulus, meaning "the Central Nation," and so they affixed it to Liu Chengzong.

Anyway, the Grand Marshal had said he would go to the Central Plains sooner or later.

Liu Chengzong made his obeisance to Heaven and Earth. The assembled Tayijis led their tribal followers in kneeling, saluting, and shouting "Ten thousand years!" Once the grand ceremony was complete, the literate men beside the many Tayijis transcribed the oaths of all, along with the borders of the Donta Ulus — from the Tianshan to the Mobei steppe, from the Frozen Sea to the Snow Mountains — and the tidings of two hundred thousand crack troops, into several dozen copies, and affixed the seals.

Scouts from every tribe, carrying water and rations and mounted on fine horses, set out for the Western Regions, the Tianshan, Mobei, Monan, and Ü-Tsang, to proclaim to all under Heaven that a Central Nation spanning several thousand li and embraced by all the tribes had been established, and to urge them to swiftly submit and pay tribute.

To be honest, Liu Chengzong's "two hundred thousand crack troops" carried far more weight than Ligdan Khan's "four hundred thousand bowstrings." He did not consider it boasting in the slightest — it wasn't even a nominal claim. He really could mobilize two hundred thousand soldiers.

It was just that his territory was fragmented, with nothing but high mountains or deserts in between, or uninhabited zones where the midsummer temperature never reached ten degrees. His finances simply did not permit mobilizing that many troops.

The Oirat tribes could field a hundred thousand men, but their range of movement was limited to the vicinity of the Tianshan. Once they left the Tianshan, they couldn't even supply themselves.

Cao Yao at Kangning Prefecture had ten thousand men, and the chieftain Muya of Changhexi had three thousand, but those troops could only move back and forth within Kangning.

In Ü-Tsang, Bai Yan had led over ten thousand men in, and later Lhazang had intermittently led a few thousand of his own and Guru Tayiji's men in. Those men couldn't get out either, though there'd been no word of defeat.

The only truly mobile forces were at Xining Prefecture. Now, counting the two battalions carved out from the Dzungar and Khoshut, Liu Chengzong's direct-line field and garrison-farming troops already numbered fifteen battalions.

Add to that the garrison forces held by Liu Chengzu, Liu Guoneng, and Chen Qindai, plus the paltry handfuls held by a few Hehuang chieftains who were neither enemies nor friends, seemingly surrendered yet seemingly in revolt — all told, it came to over sixty thousand, just short of seventy thousand.

In fact, before this, Liu Chengzong had never imagined that, even without counting the Tianshan, he had a hundred thousand troops. Because against the backdrop of natural disasters and falling grain yields, he hadn't really regarded many of those people as soldiers. Never mind the distant ones — just among the fifteen Hehuang battalions, he only considered seven of them to be real soldiers.

But this decree, meant mainly for the chieftains of the steppe tribes, could hardly say that he held ten thousand li of territory yet had only thirty thousand troops. That would be far too easy to look down on.

This matter did not hinge on his own standards, but on the standards by which the other side viewed soldiers. Liu the Lion reckoned that by the standards of the steppe, saying the Marshal's Command had two hundred thousand troops was being modest.

The letters were sent out only so that the tribes on the steppe, shattered and scattered by the Jin invasion, would know that besides submitting to Jin, there was a place in the west that could take them in and protect them.

Liu Chengzong did not actually expect that a single letter from him would make the Three Khans of Mobei bow their heads and declare themselves subjects.

To put it bluntly, apart from the Dzungar and Khoshut, who had come over, been floored with a single slap, and then submitted after being promised benefits, the Mobei tribes would never embrace a king who had never conquered them. Nor would Jin surrender over a single piece of paper. Only the scattered Monan tribes were possible to win over.

In reality, his agreement to let the tribes call him Khan was, on the one hand, because the Khong Tayiji's concern that the Tianshan Mongol commoners would struggle to understand was objectively real; on the other hand, it was a means to test the reactions of the two prefectures of Xikang and the surrounding areas, in preparation for establishing a royal title and calling himself King.

In his heart, he had always believed that the Emperor of China possessed a unique, exclusive nature, while a steppe Khan was at most a tool to control the Tianshan. What he wanted most was still to be King.

What Liu Chengzong did not expect, however, was that no sooner had this khurultai to unify the Western Mongols concluded — before he had even made it from Qinghai Lake to the Naval Command post — he had already met an envoy sent by the Sechen Khan of Mobei.

On the road back to the Naval Command post with Baatur Khong Tayiji, Liu Chengzong heard a scout from the rear of the column report that the Chahar Great Khatun Namuzhong had come with Ejei to beg forgiveness.

Liu the Lion was utterly baffled, wondering how, just after the Khan-enthronement ceremony had finished, and he had seen her barely an hour ago, she could have committed an offense so quickly.

He had been in quite a good mood. The ceremony was simply exhausting. Tens of thousands of Mongols had gathered by the sea to attend the grand rite; men and horses rushing about had raised dust that filled the sky, and he had been wearing armor, stewing in his own sweat until he was nearly a mud monkey. He had been counting on reaching the Naval Command post for a nice, comfortable bath.

Being stopped now put him in a slightly foul mood. As it happened, Dai Daozi was with the Khong Tayiji beside him, so he said to Dai Daozi, "Make a trip back then. Go to the rear and ask what's going on. We'll keep moving forward."

Dai Daozi took the order and left. The Khong Tayiji, seeing that Liu Chengzong was displeased, dared not speak and sullenly followed behind him toward the Naval Command post.

Not long after, Dai Daozi returned, cupping his fists. "Grand Marshal, it's an envoy from the Sechen Khan of Mobei, looking for the Chahar Great Khatun. He mingled into the ceremony procession, and after the rites ended, he found the Great Ordu but was stopped by the guards."

Before Liu Chengzong could sort through this information, the ever-perceptive Baatur Khong Tayiji spurred his horse forward and added an explanation to Dai Daozi: "The Sechen Khan is called Sholoi. He used to be a Khong Tayiji too. That fellow was originally the head of the eastern route of the Khalkha, attached to the Great Khan."

"After the Great Khan cut off his own right and left hands, because Sholoi had marriage ties to Ligdan Khan, many tribal followers fled to Sholoi's tribe after the rout, and he grew powerful. A few years ago, he declared himself Khan east of the Bogda Mountains."

Liu Chengzong reflected that this was no short journey, and asked, "What marriage ties does he have with Ligdan Khan?"

"Brothers-in-law. His Khatun is Namuzhong's elder sister — both from the Abagha tribe. Right," Dai Daozi added, translating for Liu Chengzong as he listened to the Khong Tayiji's account, "Namuzhong's father is also called Dorji."

Liu Chengzong nodded vaguely, then sent someone to the rear to tell Namuzhong, "Whatever the matter is, we'll discuss it at the Naval Command post."

He was exhausted and weary after the day. Listening to Dai Daozi recount these matters now, he felt it was nothing major. With ten thousand li between them, nothing was more important than taking a bath first.

On the road, Dai Daozi reported the full story to Liu Chengzong. He thought to himself that this Sechen Sholoi was truly crafty, and Namuzhong's father was a ruthless man as well. As for the Great Khatun Namuzhong herself, she had not had it easy.

Namuzhong's father, Dorji, was the great chieftain of the Abagha tribe. In earlier years, the tribe had been beyond Zhangjiakou, together with the Chahar, and submitted to them. He had married his two daughters to Sholoi and Ligdan Khan respectively.

Later, for reasons unknown, the father-in-law and his son-in-law fell out. Liu the Lion guessed that, given the Great Khan's temperament, it was most likely the Great Khan's fault.

The Abagha then led their tribe and migrated north beyond the Great Desert, attaching themselves to Dorji's elder son-in-law, Sholoi.

In the ninth month of the first year of the Chongzhen reign, the elder son-in-law brought his father-in-law and joined the allied forces of the Aokhan, Naiman, Kharachin, Khorchin, and Jin to go beat up the younger son-in-law at Guihua City.

Ligdan Khan was routed. Sholoi swallowed up a great many of the Chahar tribesmen, gorged himself full in one bite, and upon returning home, ascended to the Khan's throne.

Listening to the Khong Tayiji and Dai Daozi recount the war that had taken place at Guihua City six years prior, Liu Chengzong suddenly felt he understood why Ligdan Khan kept ramming his head against the wall like that.

He thought that Ligdan Khan might not actually have feared the Later Jin. Although the Chahar's loss of momentum was Hong Taiji's doing, it seemed that in that war, the Later Jin had merely driven the tiger to swallow the wolf.

He might have underestimated the situation Ligdan Khan faced. Ligdan Khan fled west because he feared the Mongols — a Mongolia where he was utterly isolated and abandoned by all.

In the vast Monan, there was no place for the Mongol Great Khan to dwell. Being abandoned by all his kin was even harder to bear than being defeated by an external enemy.

Only at this moment did Liu Chengzong have to admit that bloodline was still somewhat useful — at least it had allowed Ligdan Khutugtu to escape with forty thousand men.

If his elder brother, Cao Yao, Yang Yao, Wang Wenxiu, and that whole lot were to rise up and crusade against him, Liu Chengzong probably wouldn't even bother to run… How despairing that would be.

And for the Sechen Khan's envoy to appear in Qinghai at this time, Baatur Khong Tayiji speculated: "Sholoi must have sent men to follow Ligdan Khan as early as when he fled west. I'd wager that if there's a letter, it was written long ago — probably several copies."

Liu Chengzong slowly nodded. This man had seen early on that Ligdan Khan's only path was defeat and ruin.

Of course, it could also be that it ate its fill last time, and as soon as it finished digesting, it was in a hurry to hunt again.

Liu Shizi returned to the naval command post. Hot water had already been prepared here, and after letting him soak in a comfortable bath, he received a report from a guard that Eje and Namuzhong had arrived. With his hair loose and disheveled, he went to the front hall of the command post to summon them.

Eje had come in such a hurry that the little Mongol cap on his head was crooked; Namuzhong was terrified and uneasy. The moment she saw Liu Chengzong sitting in the front hall, she stepped through the door and prostrated herself in salute to admit her fault.

"All right, don't kneel. Someone sent you a letter, so it's about enough that you came to admit fault." Liu Chengzong let out a laugh and waved Eje over. "Son, come here. You need to wear your cap straight."

Eje was completely bewildered. When Namuzhong prostrated, he prostrated too, and when Liu Chengzong called him over, he was instead at a loss. He looked at Namuzhong, then at Liu Chengzong, and only then hurried over. Listening to Dai Daozi's translation, he let Liu Shizi straighten the cap on his head.

It was only then that Liu Chengzong looked seriously at Namuzhong. Perhaps because she had been quite young when she married Ligdan Khan, she was not yet thirty, and even appeared to be two years younger than Sutai.

However, Namuzhong's features were not as dazzlingly radiant as Sutai's. Instead, she looked dignified and virtuous. After rising and saluting, she was just about to explain something when Liu Shizi cut her off, gesturing to one side. "Sit down and we'll talk."

While Namuzhong walked toward the chair, Liu Chengzong pulled Eje to his side and had Dai Daozi translate. "I've already heard most of it on the road. What was the content of the letter Sholoi sent you? Where is the letter?"

Namuzhong hurriedly produced the letter. It was already crumpled from being clutched in her hand. Dai Daozi stepped forward to receive the missive, his face full of helplessness. He could only say to Namuzhong, "My Lady, what was the content?"

Having said that, he turned to Liu Shizi with difficulty. "Commander, I can't read all of it."

Liu Chengzong nodded, unsurprised. "It's fine if you can't read all of it. Let the First Lady tell us. We'll find someone who can read it later to verify the letter."

Namuzhong glanced cautiously at Liu Chengzong and said, "The Sechen Khan hoped I would bring the other ladies and Eje to seek refuge with him. He said he could revive the Khan's court and would take on the responsibility of caring for us, mother and son."

Liu Chengzong wore a sincere smile as he looked at Namuzhong and asked, "Do you want to go?"

His smile was just a hair away from losing its sincerity, because Baatur Khong Tayiji's speculation had been quite accurate, which made it very hard to keep a straight face.

The war between the Oirats, the Marshal's Manor, and the Chahar had ended at the close of the sixth month. Ligdan Khan had been mortally ill and was buried in the middle of the seventh month. Barely half a month had passed since then.

Even if the routed Chahar troops had begun fleeing halfway through the battle, they probably still hadn't made it out of the Mu Us Desert by now, so how could an envoy possibly have returned from the Sechen tribe?

Unless it had been prepared long in advance — the brother-in-law, with his wife's younger sister's husband not even dead yet, already had designs on the younger sister-in-law. How could anyone keep a straight face at that?

Namuzhong could not meet Liu Chengzong's gaze. She lowered her head and said, "The Great Khan entrusted Eje to the Grand Marshal. He is now the Grand Marshal's son. We are all spoils of war belonging to the Grand Marshal, and we would not think of going to seek refuge with an outsider."

Having said that, she raised her head. "It's just, Grand Marshal, where do you intend to place the eight of us sisters?"

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Good evening!