Chapter 68 Grassland

Chapter 68 Grassland

Chapter 68 Grassland
The weather in March is already very warm in the south, but in the north it is just the beginning of spring.

This is the weather inside the Great Wall. Going north out of the Great Wall is the grassland. Although the weather on the grassland is much better than the winter a few months ago, it is still a bit cold.

The grassland in my memory seems to be just like what is written in the poem: "The sky is vast and the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and you can see cattle and sheep."

But the actual grassland is not like this now. After a winter, the tender grass on the grassland has not yet grown out. Looking around, there is a large area of ​​bleak yellow, with only a few green spots dotted here and there.

Ma Shizhou told Zhu Shenzhui that the grassland would not take on its true appearance until after April. Right now the weather is still changing a lot, sometimes cold and sometimes hot. The weather will not stabilize until after May.

Zhu Shenzhui had been out of the Great Wall and into the grassland for several days. He was dressed in a fur coat and a hat, like an ordinary herdsman. He and his men were driving several horse-drawn carriages slowly on the grassland. A small triangular flag with the business name embroidered on it was placed on the carriage, which was the symbol of grassland merchants.

Although the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia had been at war since the beginning of their founding, merchants had never stopped coming and going on the grasslands. After all, the Mongols needed goods from the Ming Dynasty, especially salt, tea, cloth, silk, and even grain, copper, ironware, etc. The Mongols' cattle, sheep, skins, and even horses were also needed by the Ming Dynasty. In addition to the horse markets opened by the court, many of them were sold privately through merchants.

In order to obtain supplies from the Ming Dynasty, successive Mongolian Khans issued orders not to kill merchants on the grasslands, because such behavior would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. The Mongols were not stupid, especially the Mongolian nobles, who knew very well that only the existence of merchants could allow Mongolia to obtain supplies from the Ming Dynasty in a long-term and stable manner.

Once the merchants were killed and their goods were plundered, no more merchants would come to Mongolia. That was why the Khan issued this order, and for hundreds of years, this had become a rule on the grassland and had been enforced.

The small flag that Zhu Shenzui and his men inserted on the cart represented their identity as merchants. As long as the Mongols saw this small flag, they would understand what they were doing.

This is also a safety guarantee for merchants traveling through Mongolia. Zhu Shenzui was not aware of this before, but Ma Shizhou told him. Thanks to this advance arrangement, their journey went smoothly in the few days after entering the grassland.

Because Ma Shizhou was there, Zhu Shenzui and others were able to leave the Great Wall smoothly.

They had smoothed out the relationship in advance, and Ma Shizhou had previously served as an officer in the border army, so he was very familiar with the border. In addition, their group was not as large as those large caravans, with only six people and a few cars. They spent some money to bribe the border guards and easily reached the outside of the Great Wall.

Today's Mongolia is divided into several tribes, namely Tumed, Chahar, Khorchin, Khalkha and Oirat, as well as the Buryat tribe further north.

Among them, the Chahar tribe is directly under the jurisdiction of Ligdan Khan, and the Tumed tribe is also currently under the jurisdiction of Ligdan Khan. These two Mongolian tribes are close to the border and directly border the Ming Dynasty.

Going north from central Shanxi, the first tribe you enter is the Tumed tribe. After entering the grassland, if you head east, you will reach Ligdan Khan's Chahar headquarters.

Zhu Shenzui made a plan for this trip to the grassland and discussed it with Ma Shizhou.

Finally, we decided to head northwest to Fengzhou Beach after entering the grassland.

The place of Fengzhoutan was later called Horqin. It was previously the residence of Altan Khan. Although Altan Khan has moved his residence to Chahar after he ascended the throne, Fengzhoutan is still an important area of ​​the Tumed tribe.

After arriving at Fengzhou Beach, they would stay there for a few days, then head north to Sanniangzi City (Hohhot). Then they would turn east from Sanniangzi City and directly reach Jining. After leaving Jining, they would turn back and head south, then enter eastern Shanxi from the Chahar tribe, enter the Great Wall from Yanghewei or Gaoshanwei, and finally return to Shanxi.

This route was decided after careful consideration. Firstly, the areas they passed through were the main bases of the Tumed and Chahar tribes near Shanxi. Secondly, this route was relatively safe. It was Zhu Shenzui's first time entering the grassland and he was not familiar with the conditions there. It would not be safe to go too deep.

As for the third point, this time when he went north to the grassland, in addition to understanding the situation in Mongolia, Zhu Shenzui had other ideas. The current Khan on the grassland is Ligdan Khan. Both tribes are under the control of Ligdan Khan. Because of the rise of the Later Jin Dynasty and the relative independence of the Khorchin and Khalkha tribes, Ligdan Khan wanted to gain the support of the Ming Dynasty. At present, the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty is still good, and it is more convenient to travel in his territory.

The terrain of the grassland is different from that of the Ming Dynasty, and many places look similar when you look at them.

It was okay if it was closer to the Great Wall, but the deeper you went, the harder it was to identify the direction. In addition, there were no official roads on the grassland, and even the small paths were hard to find. If you didn't have someone who knew the way to lead the way, you would be completely in the dark once you got in.

Ma Shizhou was indeed familiar with the grassland. After entering the grassland, he led Zhu Shenzhui and his friends along the way. With the guidance of the occasional streams, hills, sun, moon and stars on the grassland, and his rich experience, they walked smoothly. Although Ma Shizhou was not very talkative, he was often alone even when camping. But after getting to know him, Zhu Shenzhui had to admit that the man recommended by his uncle Wang Rong was indeed quite capable. If he was not there, relying on only these few people, let alone walking, they would probably get lost the next day after entering the grassland and could not even tell the direction.

"Uncle Ma, it's cold and windy, would you like to have some wine to warm yourself up?" When the time came, Ma Shizhou ordered everyone to camp. After setting up the camp, everyone was busy, some cooking, some sorting out the goods, and Zhu Shenzhui was not idle either. After finishing his work, he came to Ma Shizhou with a wine gourd and handed it to him with a smile.

After saying thank you, Ma Shizhou took it, unscrewed the lid, put it to his lips, took a sip and then closed it again.

"Don't drink two more sips?"

"No more drinking. There's still a long way to go. You have to drink this wine slowly. After a few days, when this wine is finished, you can only drink Mongolian mare's milk wine." Ma Shizhou forced a smile and handed the wine gourd back to Zhu Shenzhui.

After Zhu Shenzhui took it, he didn't drink it. He just hung it around his waist and then looked at the setting sun.

The scenery on the grassland is still very beautiful, especially at sunset. The sky is red, and the grassland, which has not yet turned green, is colorful.

"If everything goes well tomorrow, we might encounter a small tribe." Ma Shizhou pointed in a direction to the right.

Seeing Zhu Shenzui's puzzled look, Ma Shizhou explained a few words and told Zhu Shenzui that he figured it out from the traces left on the grassland.

There had been a tribe stationed where they camped, and although some time had passed, they could still vaguely make out some of them. Although the tribal herdsmen on the grassland were nomadic, their migration and life still had traces to follow. Ma Shizhou had lived on the grassland for several years, so these were not difficult for him.

From these traces, if they continue to move forward tomorrow, they will most likely run into this small tribe. The population of this small tribe should not be large, only about a hundred people, which is very common in the grassland.

"Sixth Master, you have to be careful tomorrow. It's best to leave directly after the transaction is completed, and don't stay with those Mongols at night. If the Mongols want to treat you to drinks and meat or something, just find an excuse to refuse, and don't agree to it right away." As he spoke, Ma Shizhou's expression became a little serious, and he said solemnly to Zhu Shenzhui.

Zhu Shenzhui asked in confusion why this happened? Since they had come across a tribe, it was natural for them to trade with each other. And after the trade, it was reasonable for them to drink and eat together. In addition, when they were walking on the grassland, they could stay with the Mongolian tribe and take care of each other. Why did Ma Shizhou say this?

In addition, wouldn't the Mongolian Khan have a rule that no harm should be done to the grassland merchants? According to this rule, they should be safe when traveling on the grassland, but the information revealed by Ma Shizhou now is not the case.

"Sixth Master, rules are rules. The actual situation is different from the rules." Ma Shizhou said with a wry smile.

He told Zhu Shenzhui that the situation on the grassland was very complicated. When they first entered the grassland, they were still close to the border. The herdsmen here were more Han Chinese, and the journey was basically peaceful. But from now on, they have entered the heart of the grassland, and the situation is different from the previous few days.
Zhu Shenzui was right. There were rules on the grassland that prohibited harming merchants, but not everyone could abide by the Khan's rules.

It would be better if we encountered a large tribe or a caravan with more people.

But they were just a small caravan, with only six people in total, including Zhu Shenzui and Ma Shizhou.

Except for Ma Shizhou himself, the other five people came to the grassland for the first time and knew nothing about the customs and culture of the grassland. Zhu Shenzhui had been learning Mongolian with Ma Shizhou these days and now only knew a few simple greetings. As for the others, they didn't know a word at all.

A large tribe means that the leaders of the tribe are all middle- and upper-class Mongolian nobles. These nobles are well-informed and most of them understand Chinese. Their compliance with rules and vision are naturally not comparable to ordinary Mongolian herdsmen. Small tribes are different, especially those with dozens of people. They are usually composed of several or a dozen herdsmen who gather together as a family, and they are the lowest level of Mongolians.

In the Ming Dynasty, there has always been a saying that poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people, and the same is true in Mongolia.

These small tribes didn't care about the Khan or not, because such a high and mighty figure was too far away from them. Driven by interests, once greed arose, they would do anything. Kill a few people on the grassland, and throw the bodies away casually. In one night, the hungry wolves roaming the grassland would devour them without leaving even a bone residue.

(End of this chapter)