On the vast Gobi south of the Khovd River in Outer Mongolia, there is an oasis called Bayan Ula, where the Jasagtu Khan, the leader of the Khalkha Mongols, resides.
The biting wind of the Outer Mongolian grasslands is like a knife, and even a strong body cannot withstand the erosion of time. The Jasagtu Khan Subadi, nearing fifty, is not as energetic as before, but as long as he lives, he can firmly hold the reins of the Jasagtu tribe and even the entire Khalkha Mongols.
Recently, things have not been going smoothly for him. The Khoshut Tribe, a branch of the Jasagtu tribe, failed in their campaign against the Oirat Mongols. Shulei Ubashi died in battle, and his son, Omubu Erdeni, inherited the position of Khoshut Tribe Huntaiji with the support of his people. Although Subadi did not truly wish for the Khoshut Tribe to annex the Oirat, he also did not want them to collapse, leaving the Jasagtu tribe without a northern and northwestern shield. Therefore, he recognized the status of Omubu Erdeni Huntaiji and provided him with three thousand reinforcements and a large amount of military supplies.
Just as the Khoshut Tribe was finally stabilized, the Chechen Tribe to the east began to stir restlessly. Shuo Lei, the Huntaiji of the Chechen Tribe, was determined to revitalize Chechen. With his subordinates, the Ujumqin tribe, Chechen Jinong tribe, Sunid tribe, Baturu Jinong tribe, and various Kharachin tribes, he trained his horses and soldiers, constantly harassing the Tushetu tribe, causing Tusheet Khan Gunbu to repeatedly seek his intervention.
Logically, the Tushetu tribe of the left wing should be the true leader of the Khalkha Mongols. In the past, Oqilai Sain Khan Abadai of the Tushetu tribe was the first in Khalkha to be called Khan. Later, he enfeoffed Laihū'er, the leader of the Khalkha Right Wing and the Jasagtu tribe, as the Right Wing Khan, and the Jasagtu tribe thus became the second tribe in Khalkha to have the title of Khan. Later, Laihū'er died leading his army against the Oirat, which angered Oqilai Sain Khan Abadai. He raised an army to avenge Laihū'er, killed Hani Nuoyan Hongguoer, the leader of the Oirat and the Khoshut Tribe, and made his son Sigubudai rule the Oirat.
The Oirat were unwilling to be enslaved and rose in resistance. Sigubudai was unable to cope. When Laihū'er was alive, he had appointed his cousin Shulei Ubashi to manage the Oirat. This was an outstanding commander who achieved great merit in the wars against the Oirat, and was known as Altan Khan.
After Laihū'er's death, the position of Right Wing leader remained vacant, and the power of the Jasagtu tribe greatly declined. It was not until 1596, when the Khalkha Left and Right Wings held a grand assembly, that Laihū'er's eldest son Subadi was proclaimed Jasagtu Khan and inherited the position of Right Wing leader, and the Jasagtu tribe became strong again.
Subadi was a highly skilled leader. He seized the opportunity when Oqilai Sain Khan Abadai of the Tushetu tribe died in the war against the Oirat, turned the tables, and became the new leader of the Khalkha. As for the former leader, the Tushetu tribe, after Abadai's death, the successive rulers, Mergen Khan Eleke and Tusheet Khan Gunbu, were not particularly brilliant or ambitious rulers, and were easily manipulated by Subadi.
Shuo Lei Huntaiji of Chechen also wanted to be called Khan and expand his territory, so he set his sights on the Tushetu tribe, constantly raising troops to the west to harass them. Although the Tushetu tribe had declined, they were still the former leader and their strength was actually greater than that of the Chechen Tribe.
Shuo Lei Huntaiji was not at all afraid; he had a powerful backer, a great backer, the direct bloodline of the Golden Family, Lindan Khan of the Chahar tribe in Southern Mongolia. He was related to Lindan Khan by marriage; his principal wife, Ahai, was the elder sister of Lindan Khan's wife, Nangnang.
The ambitious Lindan Khan had always considered himself the co-ruler of all Mongolia. To strengthen his influence over the Khalkha Mongols, he vigorously supported his relative by marriage, Shuo Lei Huntaiji, in expanding his power in Outer Mongolia.
Upon receiving the letter of complaint from Tusheet Khan Gunbu, Jasagtu Khan Subadi was not at all ambiguous. While reprimanding Shuo Lei Huntaiji for stirring up trouble, he spared no effort to mediate between the two sides. However, he also understood that Shuo Lei dared to be so overbearing because of Lindan Khan's backing. After all, he was the direct descendant of the Golden Family and, like himself, believed in the Sakya School (Red Sect), so he did not want to directly fall out with Lindan Khan, but chose to endure.
Remembering Lindan Khan's titles: "God of Gods, All-Knowing Genghis, Prosperous Khan", "Lindan Hutuktu, Holy and Martial Genghis, Great Ming, Wise, Invincible, Unparalleled, Great Chakravartin, Nurhaci, Heaven of Heavens, Jade Emperor of the Universe, Turning the Golden Wheel Dharma King", Subadi smiled, "Lindan Khan, ah, Lindan Khan, you are so arrogant and conceited, how can the newly risen Jin Dynasty tolerate you? When two tigers fight, one will be injured. I will just wait and watch the good show!"
Subadi's guess was correct; the conflict between Lindan Khan in the south and Nurhaci of the Jin Dynasty was escalating and developing towards war.
The cause of the conflict originated from the Great Ming Dynasty. After the Battle of Sarhu, Eastern Liaoning was in jeopardy, and there was constant talk in the court such as "restrain the eastern barbarians first, then appease the western captives" and "use barbarians to attack barbarians." However, the Great Ming Dynasty first utilized the Inner Khalkha, a subordinate of Lindan Khan, who were close to the Later Jin. In July 1619, Nurhaci, riding on the momentum of the Battle of Sarhu, led his army to besiege Tieling. Zaisai, the most powerful among the Inner Khalkha, led ten thousand men to reinforce the Ming and was captured in battle with the Jin army; in August, another protective screen of the Great Ming, the Yehe tribe, was annihilated. It was only then that the Great Ming officially shifted its attention to Lindan Khan. Lindan Khan and Nurhaci had "no prior grievances," but in order to seize the Ming Dynasty's "reward silver" and to strengthen his own power, he also had the intention of allying with the Ming against the Jin.
In the autumn of 1619, the Great Ming sent the supervising censor Wang You with four thousand taels of silver to Chaghan Hot. Lindan Khan, while claiming illness and refusing to meet, also instructed his uncle Naomao Da to tell the Ming Envoy that he "wanted to raise troops to kill the slaves himself, but the authority is with Han, and it is difficult to act without authorization," in order to raise the price. Finally, the two sides reached an agreement: the Great Ming would annually reward four thousand taels of silver (which was increased to forty thousand taels the following year), and Lindan Khan would assist the Ming Army in defending Guangning Gate.
After allying with the Great Ming Dynasty, Lindan Khan sent Kangkaerbai Tiger with a national letter to the Later Jin. In the letter, he referred to himself as "Baturu Genghis Khan, Lord of the Forty Thousand Mongol Nation," contemptuously called Nurhaci "Lord of the Thirty Thousand Jurchens by the Water," and warned him not to invade Guangning Gate. Later, Lindan Khan detained the Later Jin Envoy Shuo Se Ubashi, while Nurhaci executed Lindan Khan's Envoy Kangkaerbai Tiger, and the relationship between the two sides officially broke down.
In the spring of 1621, the Later Jin occupied Shenyang. Upon learning this, Lindan Khan ordered Silhunak Duleng Hongtaiji, the minister in charge of the Thirty Thousand Households of the Mongol Left Wing, to lead two thousand cavalry from the Inner Khalkha's Zhuoliketou, Dalhan Batur, Bahadalhan and other tribes to rescue Shenyang, and the two sides fought outside the city.
In August 1621, the Inner Khalkha Five Tribes sent ten thousand head of livestock to ransom Zaisai from Nurhaci. This was a severe blow to Lindan Khan's prestige.
In January 1622, Nurhaci launched a large-scale attack on Guangning Gate, and Governor Wang Huazhen fled in panic, abandoning the city. Lindan Khan sent ten thousand troops to reinforce Guangning Gate, assisted the Ming Army in defending Shanhai Pass, and agreed with the Great Ming on the rewards after retaking Guangning Gate. The Great Ming Dynasty spent as much as a million taels of silver to appease Lindan Khan.
After the Battle of Guangning Gate, internal contradictions within Mongolia gradually became prominent. The Inner Khalkha intermarried and swore oaths with the Later Jin. In February 1622, Silhunak Duleng Hongtaiji, who was in charge of the Thirty Thousand Households of the Left Wing, led over three thousand households to surrender to Nurhaci; in January 1623, Labashi Xibu, Suo Nuomu, Mangguo, Dalaitaiji and others of the Inner Khalkha also led their respective five hundred households to defect to the Jin; Dorje Chechen Jinong of the Ujumqin tribe, Saileng Erdeni Taiji, Suse Baturu Jinong of the Sunid tribe, Celing Yier Deng of the Kharachin tribe, and Du Si Ga Er Zasagtu Jinong of the Abaga tribe each led their respective tribes to defect to the Khalkha Mongols in Outer Mongolia.
Facing the crisis from within Mongolia, Lindan Khan had to first deal with the Mongol tribes that were harming his interests. He said, "In the South, there is only one Great Ming Emperor, and in the North, there is only me. How can there be kings everywhere? I should first deal with the internal matters, and then the external ones." Oba Taiji's Khorchin tribe had the closest ties with the Later Jin, so Lindan Khan attacked him first, leading his army to conquer Khorchin in November 1624. Nurhaci personally led his Beile ministers to reinforce them. Upon reaching Zhenbei Fort, he ordered Manggurtai to lead five thousand troops to Nong'an Pagoda, and Lindan Khan withdrew his troops upon hearing the news.
The two sides went back and forth, and a great war was on the verge of breaking out.
As the Jasagtu Khan was deep in thought, his son Norbu entered the large tent, "Father Khan, the Envoy from the Jin Dynasty has arrived."
"Oh, did he say what it was for?" Subadi's expression sank.
"According to the Envoy, in March of this year, the Jin Dynasty's Khan who nurtured and enlightened all nations led his officials to move the capital to Shengying (Shenyang). He requested that you, Tusheet Khan Gunbu, and Chechen Khan Shuo Lei go to the capital for an audience and present the 'Nine White Offerings' to show submission."
Subadi was stunned, and then became furious, "Nurhaci, ah, Nurhaci, do you think that by defeating the Great Ming Dynasty at Sarhu you are the master of the world? Hmph, the descendants of Genghis Khan will never submit to anyone!"
After ordering a strongly worded and sarcastic letter to be written to Nurhaci, he muttered to himself, "The Jin Dynasty in the south and Lindan Khan are both eyeing my Khalkha like tigers. It seems that the war with the Oirat must be stopped as soon as possible, and we must concentrate our forces to deal with those two evil wolves in the south!"
