Nomudalai Taiji was just being intimate with his Biji, their burning affection making the felt tent warm like spring, when an unexpected guest arrived.
“Taiji, the Great Taiji Dalai Taishi of the Dörbet tribe has sent an Envoy,” reported a close guard.
“Subude, you rest well. I’ll be back shortly,” Nomudalai comforted his wife, then straightened his back and chest and walked towards the great tent of the Huit Tribe. As the head of a tribe, he possessed his own imposing presence.
The great tent was pitched very large, capable of accommodating a hundred people, showcasing the tribe's past glory. Seated inside was a man with a broad face, prominent cheekbones, no lines above his eyes, and a fierce appearance. He was over five feet tall, with a very neatly braided pigtail, indicating at a glance that he was a noble.
After the Mongol Yuan ruled China, hairstyles were improved. In addition to the traditional “three-part head”, many Mongols within the Great Ming territory simply wore a single pigtail (which is not the same concept as the Manchu “money tail”). There were many styles, such as “large open door”, “one-character forehead”, “flower pot scorch”, “large round forehead”, “small round forehead”, and so on.
However, because the Oirat Mongol were located in a remote area, they still maintained the traditional hairstyle of the Mongol Empire: “Shibilergeer”. This hairstyle had a mane-like front; the hair on the crown was cut when it grew slightly long; the hair on both sides was gathered into small braids that hung over the shoulders, somewhat similar to the three-part head worn by Chinese children. The difference was that noble officials braided their hair or wore a gauze-tied bun, while commoners wore a bun.
Nomudalai recognized the visitor's identity: Elinqin Batur, the Nephew of the Great Taiji Dalai Taishi of the Dörbet tribe. This man was not tall but was very fierce. Though young, he had outstanding military achievements and was a famous warrior of the Dörbet tribe. Moreover, his status was noble; he was the third son of Dalai Taishi's fourth brother, Boyile Deng, and was qualified to be called a Taiji.
Oirat Mongol society was mainly divided into two major classes: Noyan (lords) and Arat (non-lords).
The Noyan class consisted of Khans, Huntaijis, Taijis, Zaisangs, and Masters with territories.
The Khan was the supreme ruler of the Mongols. Originally, only those with the bloodline of the Golden Family were qualified to serve. However, in the era of shattered rituals and collapsed music, the Great Khan was the one with strong soldiers and mighty horses. Yesen, the ancestor of the Dzungar, once killed the Yuan Dynasty emperor and declared himself Khan. Among the four major Oirat tribes, the Great Taiji of the Khoshut accepted the Khan title bestowed by Lhasa; the Great Taijis of the Dzungar and Torghut, although not publicly claiming to be Khan, had ceremonies and systems that were not much different from those Great Khans; only the Great Taiji Dalai Taishi of the Dörbet tribe was relatively low-key, honestly obeying the orders of the alliance leader, Baibagas Khan of the Khoshut tribe.
Huntaiji, derived from the Chinese word for Crown Prince, was originally a title exclusive to the Crown Prince of the Yuan Dynasty. However, in the Oirat, where the strong were kings, many Great Taijis called themselves Huntaiji.
Taiji, derived from the Chinese word for Prince, was originally the title for the feudal princes of the Yuan Dynasty, and only members of the Golden Family could be called Taiji. But now in Oirat, this title has become a universal title, and almost all Noyans call themselves Taiji.
The territories of the Khan, Huntaiji, and Great Taiji were very large, called Ulus, equivalent to the Myriad-household of the Yuan period. Their vassals were called “Zaisang”, a title derived from the Chinese word “Prime Minister”. The territory of the Zaisang was called Otok or Aimak, among which the Otok was equivalent to the Thousand-household of the Yuan period. In addition, powerful Masters and monasteries also had special Otoks or Aimaks, called “Jise”.
In short, Oirat Mongol was the world of Noyans of various sizes. The Aimak (clan composed of people with the same surname or close relatives) was formed by Ayil (several yurts of the same surname or close relatives) or Heyton (several yurts of the same family). The Otok was formed by Aimaks, and the Ulus was formed by Otoks.
In the world, where there is yin, there is yang; where there is darkness, there is light; where there are lords, there are non-lords. In Oirat, the non-lord class was collectively called Arat, which means “commoner” in Mongolian. Although they were commoners, they were divided into many levels. There were Sain Kun (upper class), Tabnang (son-in-law of the Khan), Darkhan (people exempted from taxes and corvée due to special meritorious service), Dundakun (ordinary people), Adak (lower class), Moderle (household servants), Qitate (slaves), shabinar (subjects of the monastery), and so on.
Oirat, and even the entire Mongol, was composed of numerous territories of different sizes and strict social strata.
“Early this morning, I heard magpies chirping, and it turned out that Elinqin Batur Taiji has arrived at my great tent. Thank chang sheng tian for allowing such a distinguished guest to come,” seeing it was him, Nomudalai unconsciously smiled broadly and bowed to greet him.
“Hmm,” Elinqin Batur responded with a half-smile, slowly stood up from his chair, grudgingly returned the greeting, and then said in a faintly arrogant tone, “I have brought the Great Taiji’s order. He wants you to bring one thousand cavalry and arrive at the campsite on the Ob River within ten days to meet him.”
Nomudalai was startled, “Could it be that an enemy has invaded?”
“You are worrying too much. It’s just that the Great Emperor of Oros from the northern has sent another Envoy, wanting us Mongols to join the Oros nationality and submit to him. Haha, the children of chang sheng tian should be the conquerors of the world, how can we submit to others? Therefore, the Great Taiji means that each tribe should bring soldiers so that those Oros people can see the military might of our Mongol,” saying this, a fierce light appeared in Elinqin Batur’s eyes, like a man-eating wolf.
“So that’s how it is,” Nomudalai felt relieved and politely urged the guest, “You have come a long way and worked hard. Please stay and drink fine wine to your heart's content. After I have assembled my men, I will go with you to the Great Taiji’s camp.”
“I won’t drink wine. I must rush back to report as soon as possible,” Elinqin Batur took out a horsewhip from his sleeve and stood up to leave as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this horsewhip, Nomudalai trembled with anger, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged. According to Mongolian custom, when a guest enters a tent, the horsewhip should be placed outside the tent to show respect for the host.
“This dog, he actually brought his horsewhip into the tent. He clearly doesn’t put my Huit Tribe in his eyes!” Nomudalai cursed inwardly, suppressing the impulse to draw his sword and attack, and moved his hateful gaze away from the horsewhip, lowering his head and saying, “I respectfully see you off, Taiji.”
“In that case, I will take my leave, hahaha,” Elinqin Batur laughed loudly. His laughter was very penetrating, reaching into the clouds and startling the birds.
“Giddy up~ Giddy up~ Giddy up~”
The fierce knight flipped onto his horse and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust, heading towards the northern Ob River.
He was not an impolite brute; his actions just now were merely a test. Since his third uncle, the ambitious Dalai Taishi, led his people to migrate west from the Altai Mountains to the Ertix River basin, the power of the Dörbet tribe has been constantly growing. In recent years, with the middle and upper reaches of the Ertix River as the center, their influence has extended to the Salt Lake (Lake Yamysh), Ishim River, and Ob River areas. The beautiful Ob River in the northern has become the location of the Dörbet people's royal court.
After the royal court moved north, the distance from the vassal Huit Tribe increased, and Dalai Taishi was somewhat uneasy, so he sent his Nephew to test Nomudalai’s loyalty.
Elinqin Batur was very satisfied with the result of the test. While galloping on his horse, he muttered to himself, “Third uncle is too cautious. Since the westward migration, my Dörbet sabers have successively conquered the Nogai people, the Kazakh Senior Zhuz, and the Kyrgyz Zhuz. How dare the weak Huit people have rebellious intentions?”