Han Khan

Chapter 11, Jinhan Tribe
"Don't worry, Cao Yijin will release them tomorrow. If that dog slave dares to break the contract, then let's try whether the spears in our hands are sharp." Zhang Sheng responded to Yin Shanxiong's question calmly.

"Young Master is a man of great talent and vision. As his servants, we should follow him. Please give us your instructions!"

Luo Wenda said in a deep voice at this time, and several people in the tent nodded in agreement. Zhang Sheng also looked at this man in surprise.

Although this guy is a big and strong military commander, he is also from a branch of the famous Luo family in Dunhuang. Although he speaks nicely and is very humble, he is a man who will not release the eagle until he sees the rabbit! Waiting for Zhang Sheng's answer.

Zhang Xibao, Zhang Jingchong, Zhang Baoshan, Zhang Congwu, Zhang Liangzhen and others looked at Luo Wenda with gloomy faces and said in a deep voice: "Luo Wenda, what do you mean? Do you want to threaten the young master? Have you forgotten who took in a poor man like you?"

Zhang Anzuo and Zhang Zhongxian said nothing.

They were all relatives of Zhang Sheng after the merger of the Qinghe Zhang family and the Nanyang Zhang family, so they strongly supported Zhang Sheng as the heir to the emperor.

In the past, during the Jinshan Kingdom, they were already scattered throughout the army, serving as officers at all levels. Now under Zhang Sheng's command, their status is still respected, and they are well-known for their fearlessness and warlike nature in the army. They are also some of the people who are dissatisfied with Zhang Sheng's peace talks with Cao Yijin.

"Your Highness, I did not mean that. I just don't know where else we can go besides Dunhuang, so I asked so anxiously." Seeing this, Luo Wenda knew that he had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly explained.

Zhang Sheng also waved his hand at the right time, indicating that he didn't care, and said: "It doesn't matter, now we are all down and out, I will tell you what I think in my heart."

"Warriors, don't worry that we have nowhere to go. Go west and you will find Gaochang Uighur and Khotan.

However, the Gaochang Uighurs have been fighting with the remnants of our Jinshan Kingdom for many years, and the road to Khotan is also rugged and difficult. We are numerous and it is difficult to supply them. Moreover, they are relatives of Cao Rengui, so we cannot rely on them.

The Khitan Kingdom in the northern desert was powerful and prosperous, ruling over the entire desert. Its current leader, Are Gutulu Yar Khan, was my uncle.

We will go and seek refuge with you. You are all warriors under my command. Follow me to Mobei to build achievements. There will always be a place for us to stay. "Zhang Sheng stood up from the blanket. Although he was eating, he was cautious and never took off his armor and sword. He said to everyone.

"Your Highness, I, Zhang Xibao, am willing to follow you through fire and water!" Zhang Xibao was the first to express his opinion.

"Your Highness, we brothers Hunzi Ji and Hunzi Ying are willing to swear allegiance to Your Highness until death. Wherever Your Highness goes, we two brothers will follow you." The Hun brothers followed closely behind, glaring at Zhang Xibao with unwillingness on their faces, as if someone had gotten there first.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Congwu, Zhang Liangzhen and others also expressed their loyalty to Zhang Sheng.

"Okay! Brothers and uncles, please stand up quickly!"

"My noble Sheng Teqin, my master, the natural eagle, we, the Kyrgyz, Uighurs, and Tatars, are also your people.

"The slaves Koza, Boniek, Duobo, Temugu... are willing to swear allegiance to you until death, obey your will, and fight and herd for you." Several centurions from the Khitan, Uighur, and Tatar people immediately responded to Zhang Sheng.

These people were centurions under Zhang Sheng, commanding nearly a thousand Mobei herdsmen.

Speaking of these one thousand herdsmen households, Zhang Sheng must thank his deceased mother.

Because this was the dowry she brought from the Kyrgyz Khanate in the northern desert to Dunhuang when she married her father.

When my mother was alive, these one thousand herdsmen served as her ordo, which means the palace tent, and were responsible for guarding, herding and other labors.

These nomadic peoples, composed of the Khitan, Tiele, Tatar and Uighur people, usually grazed their livestock near the Ganquan and Shule Rivers near Dunhuang. In times of war, they would take the initiative to join the army and fight in order to obtain spoils of war.

After his mother passed away, Zhang Sheng inherited the tribe and became their leader. In the past, they did not have a high status and they were slaves themselves, so their lives were not very good, but at least they were able to survive.

After Zhang Sheng inherited these subjects, he continued to supply them with weapons, armor, and food, and took good care of them.

Today, these subjects are no longer the same as they were before.

There is a strict personal dependence relationship between them and Zhang Sheng, and Zhang Sheng has the right to dispose of them in any way.

This is partly due to the tradition of nomadic society, where everything belongs to the leader, including cattle, sheep, horses, and even the leader himself.

On the other hand, in their hearts, Zhang Sheng is Princess Asli's only son, and he also has the blood of the Khitan royal family flowing in his veins!
Such a nobleman must have many subjects and slaves, countless cattle, sheep and livestock, and vast nomadic territories on the grasslands of Mobei.

Not to mention that this distinguished special agent is now the agent of the gods in heaven. It is their honor to be loyal to such a respected special agent. Since Zhang Sheng became the leader, as their status under Zhang Sheng has been improved, these people have called themselves the Jinhan tribe.

Because they themselves came from different tribes, there has never been a tribal name.

They had a deep-seated feud with the Uighurs, so their morale was high when they fought, and they became a force that could not be underestimated under Zhang Sheng's command.

Therefore, Zhang Sheng relied heavily on them. On the one hand, it was because of their loyalty. On the other hand, it was very cost-effective to maintain such a natural cavalry who were hardworking, extremely ferocious, able to fight on horseback and herd livestock.

They were also under Zhang Sheng's command, supporting Zhang Sheng's peace talks with Cao Yijin and heading north to the desert.
Because in Dunhuang, the east and west sides were surrounded by the Uighurs who had a blood feud with them, and at the same time the pasture was narrow and there was not much pasture for grazing, so they strongly supported Zhang Sheng's peace talks and then went to Mobei to join the Khitans.

"Please stand up quickly, my loyal warriors. I swear to the gods that there will always be a seat beside me for you all."

"In the past, our ancestors and fathers all followed the Grand Protector and the Emperor with loyalty. Now we are willing to follow your example and follow His Highness, vowing to follow you till death!"

"Swear allegiance to Your Highness until death."

"If Your Highness does not abandon us, we, the humble ones, are willing to follow you till death!
Afterwards, Han Chinese Xue Shantong, Li Shaozongren, Luo Tongda, Yin Shanxiong, Sogdian An Shilang, Kang Wenzhe, Tibetan Wang Duoji, Li Pajia, Zhang Langjieri and other Han and Tibetan generals knelt on one knee and swore allegiance.

"My fellow warriors, uncles, brothers, please stand up quickly. You are all my loyal subjects.

I swear to the Most High God of Heaven in the name of my great-grandfather Zhang Yichao, the Grand Tutor, in the name of my father Zhang Chengfeng, the White-Robed Emperor and son of the White Eagle, and in the honor of the Zhang family.

As long as you don't let me down, I will never let you down. You will definitely have a place by my side, and I will treat you like brothers and sisters!"

Zhang Sheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although these people were staunch military heroes of the Zhang family and Zhang's family servants, he was not sure whether they would continue to support him when he left Dunhuang.

Even if no one else supports him now, Zhang Sheng feels that this is the best result at the moment.

With their support, the two thousand cavalry troops will be well preserved, and he believes that he will definitely be able to make a career for himself.

"The Han Kingdom of Baiyi Jinshan is gone, and we are no longer the Guiyi Army or the people of Dunhuang. But one day, I will lead the people to rebuild the Jinshan Kingdom.

Since everyone is willing to go with me, then take your families with you. We will head north and west to the desert and seek survival there.

There is no need to panic or be afraid, because God has already revealed it, and that is our path to rebirth.

I still remember that day, a majestic white eagle descended from the sky and circled over Yacheng.

At that time, Prime Minister Zhang Wenche said that this was an auspicious sign, and the people of Dunhuang cheered. My father led the people of Dunhuang and the noble families to offer sacrifices to heaven and express gratitude, and later established the Baiyi Jinshan Han Kingdom.

I wonder if you still remember my resurrection last night? This is the power of God, and it is God who gave me a second life.

Today, someone said that the wicked go to hell and the good go to heaven. You must be wondering, who is the Lord of Heaven? Where is heaven and hell? Now let me tell you. "Zhang Sheng said to everyone.

Everyone in the tent sat upright, surrounding Zhang Sheng, gazing at him with solemn and devout expressions.

They recalled that when the Jinshan Kingdom was first established, the giant beast that should not have appeared in the world mysteriously appeared in the sky above Dunhuang. Anyone would think that it was a good omen, especially in Dunhuang, a place where many religions coexisted and the people were all devout.

This is not the present world, but the late Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. At that time, people had a strong atmosphere of worshiping and believing in Buddha and gods. Not to mention this area west of the Yellow River, where the beliefs in gods and sects from the East and the West were dense and complicated.

Whether it is the Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and ancestor worship of the Han people, or the Nestorianism of the West, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism of the Western Regions, the Tengri beliefs of the grasslands, and the Bon religion and Buddhism brought by the Tibetans from the snowy plateaus, they can all be found in Hexi, and all kinds of beliefs converge here.

The Dunhuang area is now half Han and half Hu people. The Hu people brought their beliefs, and Dunhuang is a must-pass place for the spread of Buddhism and the Silk Road. Both Han and Hu people are very devout in their belief in gods, and the construction of a large number of Buddhist caves is a typical example.

So when Zhang Sheng talked about this, everyone immediately became excited.

Because this area has had so many saints and prophets who spread various doctrines, everyone from slaves to kings and nobles have faith in them. Nowadays, most people believe in Buddha, but there are other beliefs as well. For example, the Zhengyi Sect is also preaching widely in Hexi.

(End of this chapter)