By the Ob River, the beautiful grassland was dotted with countless small white flowers. No, not flowers, but yurts.
Around the largest felt tent, guards holding swords and spears stood silently. A huge white banner, emblazoned with the suld pattern, flapped in the wind. White symbolized nobility and purity; the banner could only be used by the commander of the entire army.
With his hair tied up and the braids behind his ears slicked back, someone stood with his hands behind his back. By age, he was under forty, with a gentle face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose bridge, and a refined temperament about him. His gaze was as deep as the stars in the sky.
"Great Taiji, Nomudalai of the Huit Tribe is willing to obey your command and dispatch a thousand soldiers. I deliberately brought a horsewhip into his great tent; his attitude was compliant, not daring to show the slightest dissatisfaction," Elinqin Batur respectfully reported the situation of his visit to the Huit Tribe to that person. Proud and arrogant as he was, at this moment he kept his head lowered, stood bowed, and dared not even breathe heavily.
"Oh," that person responded with an "oh" but did not turn around. After a long while, he softly asked, "To endure such humiliation without getting angry, he is either a coward or a hero. Which do you think it is?"
In an instant, Elinqin Batur felt a crushing pressure descend upon him. Despite the cold weather, sweat broke out on his forehead.
He thought for a moment and said, "Great Taiji, that Nomudalai is only in his twenties, meek and timid. I haven't heard of him doing anything remarkable. In my opinion, it's the former."
"Uh," that person stopped speaking, as if in meditation.
"Great Taiji, this time when I traveled south to Yule Duosi, I passed by the Otoks of the two Taijis, Noyan Ubashen and Buyanbu'erhan. They are very dissatisfied with Nomudalai and have prepared a generous gift for you. In this Nephew's opinion, that Nomudalai can't even control his own two younger brothers; he truly is useless," Elinqin Batur spoke again.
Hearing this, that person finally let out a satisfied "hmm," turned around, and revealed a smile as warm as the spring breeze. "Your mission this time was truly arduous. Go and rest."
"Yes, Great Taiji," Elinqin Batur bowed and withdrew.
After he left, that person rubbed his slightly sore eyes, came to the table and sat down. A thick stack of official documents lay on the table. This was the Great Taiji who held the reins of the Durbet, the wise philosopher of the Oirat, the legendary figure on the grassland, Dalai Taishi.
Very legendary! Back then, his father Tergetu Taishi had five sons: Erkeyiledeng, Galdan, Dalai Taishi, Boyile Deng, and Ileden Ubashen. He was the third son. After Tergetu Taishi died, according to the system of primogeniture implemented by the Oirat Mongol, the position of chief should have been inherited by his older brothers. However, because he was broad-minded, resourceful, and deeply popular, his brothers voluntarily gave up their right of inheritance and supported him as the leader, making him the wise philosopher of the Four Oirat Tribes.
This was an excellent leader who was wise, intelligent, ambitious, and acted discreetly. After succeeding to the position, he saw that the various Eastern Mongol tribes frequently attacked the Oirat, causing significant losses to the tribes. He resolved to find a peaceful land where the Durbet could recuperate and thrive. He decisively led fifty thousand soldiers and over a hundred thousand tribesmen, leaving their ancestral land in the Altai Mountains and arriving at the middle reaches of the Ertix River, becoming the first Oirat tribe to migrate westward.
Subsequently, the Torghut arrived in the upper reaches of the Ertix River, east of the Durbet. The Huit Tribe came to the Yulduz Grassland. The Khoshut migrated to the Urumqi region on both banks of the Emin River. The Dzungar migrated to the middle and upper reaches of the Ertix River, extending to the Khobuk River and Sari Mountains area. The entire Oirat Mongol formed a Northern group composed of the Durbet, Torghut, Huit, and some Dzungar nobles, and a Southeastern group composed of the Dzungar and Khoshut.
Starting from scratch, it was quite difficult to establish a foothold in an unfamiliar place, but Dalai Taishi succeeded. He relied on cultivating three types of relationships and annexing the weak to strengthen his own power.
First, he cultivated good internal relationships within the tribe. Since he was unanimously supported as leader by his brothers, this avoided infighting caused by the struggle for inheritance. He also possessed extraordinary wisdom and talent, and was broad-minded and tolerant. After succeeding, he led his four blood brothers and many uncles, brothers, and Nephews to graze together, opening up new pastures, making the entire Durbet harmonious and united. With everyone united and working towards a common goal, the tribe naturally prospered.
Second, he cultivated good relationships with other Oirat Mongol tribes. He strongly advocated for alliances through marriage. He and Gushri Khan of the Khoshut married sisters of Khuntaiji and Orluk of the Torghut, and Orluk's daughter also married Batur Khuntaiji of the Dzungar. This way, everyone became relatives, and conflicts significantly decreased. Although he had the strength to challenge the alliance leader, he acted discreetly. the Russia called him "Kalmyk Khan," but he himself never wrote himself as a Khan. Instead, he honestly obeyed the orders of the alliance leader, Baibagas Khan of the Khoshut. He attended all alliance meetings of the Oirat tribes and consistently followed the military actions against the Khalkha Mongol (a branch of the Eastern Mongol) and the resolutions of the various alliance meetings.
Third, he cultivated good relations with Russia, which, to put it bluntly, meant deceiving Russia. the Russia sent Envoys to visit, demanding that they become Russian subjects. He also sent Envoys in return, stating that they were "prepared to accept Russia's protection and desired the Tsar's favor," and requested permission to graze along the lower Ertix River to the Salt Lake and the Kamaishchev River area to expand their pastures. However, when it came to the substantive issue of submission, he did not give a clear answer. While both sides maintained friendly neighborly relations, several armed conflicts also occurred, but overall peace was maintained.
To strengthen one's tribe, relying solely on appeasement and marriage alliances is not enough; one must also expand one's pastures. To compete for grazing land, this leader was never soft-hearted in the slightest. While cultivating good relationships with his internal members and powerful neighbors, he began a series of expansions. First, he conquered the Nogai in the middle and upper reaches of the Ertix River, then he conquered some Kazakh and Kyrgyz, forcing the Kazakh Senior Zhuz and Kyrgyz Zhuz to submit.
The cunning leader's methods were extremely flexible. On one hand, he actively participated in the Oirat alliance against the Khalkha Mongol, and on the other hand, he secretly sent Envoys to negotiate with the Khalkha Mongol and the Khoshut Tribe. After all, after migrating westward, the Durbet did not directly border the Khalkha Mongol, so there was no need to desperately fight for the other Oirat tribes.
After migrating westward, compared to other Oirat tribes plagued by internal and external troubles, the grazing land of the Durbet was not only rich in water and grass, but its geographical location was also excellent: to the east were the pastures of the Torghut, and to the southeast it was connected to the Dzungar and Khoshut. That is to say, the Durbet was far from the main enemy of the Oirat Mongol at the time, the Eastern Mongol, and was not easily attacked by powerful enemies.
Under the strong leadership of Dalai Taishi, the Dörbet first grazed between the Ertix River and the Salt Lake, and later gradually expanded to the Ob River basin. As time passed, their grazing lands began to stabilize: centered around the middle reaches of the Ertix River, they expanded in all directions. The vast and excellent pastures, combined with a relatively peaceful environment, allowed the tribe's strength to grow increasingly, becoming a large tribe with a population of two hundred thousand.
