Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 312: Gaining the Way and Losing the Way
Weighing the bag in his hand, Zhu Shenzui smiled and nodded, then asked Elbeg Jitaiji how he planned to cooperate.

Elbegji Taiji said that he had prepared a batch of goods and gold and silver, and if the Tenger tribe had no objection, he would send someone to deliver the goods to participate in the trade.

After asking about the amount of goods and the quantity of gold and silver that could be taken out, Zhu Shenzhui agreed very readily, which made Elbegji Taiji very happy. He immediately picked up the wine to toast Zhu Shenzhui and drank it all in one gulp.

The drinking party was very enjoyable, and everyone was drunk before the party ended. After seeing off Elbeg Jitaiji and his friends, Zhu Shenzhui, who was drunk a moment ago, became like a normal person the next moment. How could he still be drunk?

Zhu Shenzhu was very confused about Elbegji's arrival and request, mainly because of the daily relationship between the two tribes and Bu Shitu's side. But with Elbegji's explanation, these questions were answered, and Elbegji's reasons for cooperating with the Tenger tribe were reasonable and not false.

In recent years, the grasslands have had fewer days of good weather and more days of natural disasters. The Mongols make a living by grazing, which requires abundant grass, and the change in weather not only affects the Ming Dynasty, but also the grasslands in the north.

There are many droughts in the summer and heavy snow in the winter. Without pasture, a large number of cattle and sheep die. Without the cattle and sheep, the Mongols will have no possibility of survival and can only find other ways to overcome the difficulties.

The Tengger tribe is located in the Tumote grassland in the south of the desert. Compared with the north of the desert, the climate is better. However, in recent years, some small tribes nearby have disappeared due to climate reasons. Among them is the Eris tribe that Zhu Shenzhu encountered when he first came to the grassland. Because this tribe could not resist the impact of natural disasters, after Eris died, Hatulig had no choice but to take his people to the original Ashi Temur tribe.

If a small tribe cannot survive and does not surrender to a larger tribe and be annexed, the final outcome will be the complete extinction of the tribe. This situation is common on the grassland.

Not to mention these small tribes, even the Tengger tribe suffered heavy losses in recent years. However, thanks to Zhu Shenzui, they made huge profits through smuggling with the Ming Dynasty, thus making up for the losses.

Among the twelve Tumed tribes, all suffered losses to varying degrees. The larger tribes could still hold on, but the weaker tribes had a very difficult time. In this situation, Elbegji Taiji turned to the Tenger tribe for help in order to survive, and took the initiative to propose cooperation with the Tenger tribe to obtain supplies through trade with the Ming Dynasty to overcome the difficulties.

This statement is completely reasonable in terms of logic. Although the relationship between the Elbegji Taiji and the Tenger tribes is ordinary and there is not much contact between the two sides, and Elbegji Taiji is still on the side of the Bushitu camp, but on the grassland, the so-called camp is just an internal conflict. After all, everyone is Mongolian and belongs to one of the twelve Tumed tribes. Under the premise of the survival of the tribe, other issues can be put aside.

But is the truth really that simple? Can Bu Shitu really watch the two tribes cooperate like this? With the canonization of Tengger by Ligdan Khan and the Ming Dynasty, the status of the Tengger tribe has changed, and now it has the right to trade with the Ming Dynasty. As the King of Shunyi and the nominal leader of the Tumed, can Bu Shitu really accept this?

Zhu Shenzhui never dared to underestimate Bu Shitu, the old man, and was always on guard. The two sides were in different camps, and the second was that the sudden rise of the Tenger tribe would inevitably affect Bu Shitu's position in Tumed.

You must know that Bu Shitu was the nominal leader of the Tumed and the King of Shunyi canonized by the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, in terms of bloodline, he was also a strong competitor for the throne of Ligdan Khan.

Although Bu Shitu failed in the fight for the position of Great Khan, he never admitted his defeat and had no respect or submission to Ligdan Khan. There were many conflicts between the two, and they even fought each other. The Tenger tribe had been a direct subordinate tribe of Ligdan Khan since the time of Ashi Temur, and was one of the twelve Tumed tribes that stood on the side of Ligdan Khan. As a result, Bu Shitu naturally had no good feelings towards the Tenger tribe.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty has also conferred titles on Tengger and Tana. With the title conferred by the Ming Dynasty, the Tengger tribe has the political strength to compete with Bu Shitu. Now that trade with the Ming Dynasty is about to start, Bu Shitu naturally knows what this trade means. Once the trade is officially launched, the Tengger tribe will inevitably increase its strength with the huge profits, and eventually threaten his position in Tumed.

Zhu Shenzhui's previous move of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was also motivated by this consideration. By showing off his military power, he let the Tumed tribes know that although the Tenger tribe had experienced civil strife, its strength was still there, thus discouraging many Mongols who wanted to take advantage of Tenger's recent accession to the throne.

These people naturally include Bu Shitu. In addition, the enthronement by Ligdan Khan and the Ming Dynasty made Bu Shitu cautious and cautious. The Tengger tribe should be safe in a short period of time. After all, Bu Shitu is not a fool. He knows very well that it is not a good time to attack the Tengger tribe now. Once he angers Ligdan Khan and the Ming Dynasty, the two will join forces to cause trouble for him, and Bu Shitu will not be able to bear it.

But now that Elbeg Ji Taiji has come to propose cooperation, we have to consider the reaction of Bu Shitu. Although Elbeg Ji Taiji said that he would explain to Bu Shitu, can Bu Shitu really accept this explanation?

This was also what Zhu Shencui was concerned about, but Zhu Shencui did not reject Elbegji Taiji. Instead, he agreed to the other party's request and agreed to cooperation between the two parties.

Zhu Shenzhui thought about it carefully. Whether he agreed or not, the problem between the Tenger tribe and Bu Shitu was objective, and the contradictions and differences between the two sides were also facts. Even if the Tenger tribe did not cooperate with Elbegji Taiji, would Bu Shitu be at ease with the Tenger tribe? The answer was naturally no. Since the Tenger tribe was canonized by Ligdan Khan and the Ming Dynasty, the rise of the Tenger tribe has threatened Bu Shitu's position in Tumed, and the two will sooner or later have a conflict.

The reason why he agreed to Elbegji Taiji was not only that the other party offered real goods for trade, which was a good thing for the Tengger tribe, but there were also political considerations.

As one of the twelve Tumed tribes, if they directly refused to cooperate with Elbegji Taiji, it would be tantamount to telling all the Tumed Mongols that the Tenger tribe had directly torn its relations with the Bushitu tribe. The consequences of doing so would be even more serious.

Zhu Shenzhui was not Lin Danhan. As an outsider, he had to be more tactful to help the Tenger tribe survive and develop in such a complex situation. At least on the Tumed grassland, the key was to win over the tribes that could be won over, so that his own power would gradually grow, thereby consolidating the position and strength of the Tenger tribe in Tumed.

A great man once said, "Make more friends and fewer enemies."

This kind of approach is mature politics. From this point of view, agreeing to cooperate is far better than refusing. Of course, Zhu Shenzhui will not be without any defense. While cooperating, he will also pay close attention to Bu Shitu's reaction and take precautions.

Regarding the cooperation of Elbegji Taiji, Zhu Shenzhui only set the tone, and the specific work would naturally be done by the people below. In addition, Zhu Shenzhui also made a series of explanations. By the time these were arranged, two days had passed.

The arrival of Master Sangge made the herders in the tribe crazy, especially when Master Sangge was giving lectures in the tribe, which attracted many herders to come and listen to the lectures. During the lecture, Master Sangge sat upright, with monks helping to translate beside him. Although no one could understand what Master Sangge said, the herders were still fascinated and worshipped him under the translation.

After the lecture, Master Sangge touched everyone’s heads and blessed them, which made the herdsmen even more excited. This was an opportunity they could hardly dream of in their lifetime. With enthusiasm and incomparable piety, they knelt down in front of Master Sangge, feeling the master’s blessing.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Shenzui couldn't help but sigh at the terrifying power of religion, and he also personally experienced the status of a master in the hearts of the Mongols.

When Master Sangge touched everyone's heads and blessed them, Zhu Shenzui arranged people to maintain order. After the ceremony was completed, Master Sangge led people to thank Zhu Shenzui, thank the Tengger tribe for the hospitality, and informed them that they were about to leave the tribe and go elsewhere.

"Master, won't you stay a few more days?" Zhu Shenzhui was a little surprised when he heard Master Sangge say he was leaving.

Master Sangge smiled and said that coming is accidental, leaving is inevitable. Take everything lightly and let everything go with the flow. Fate can be deep or shallow, and meeting can be early or late. Those who are supposed to come will appear, and those who are supposed to leave will leave.

Zhu Shenzui couldn't help laughing after hearing these words going around in circles. Monks just like to make witty remarks, but he didn't expect that Master Sangge would be the same.

However, before leaving, Master Sangge said something to Zhu Shenzui. This sentence was vague and Zhu Shenzui did not understand what it meant for a moment.

Master Sangge smiled and told Zhu Shencui that he didn't need to understand now, he would know it naturally in the future. Then, Master Sangge never mentioned it again, and took out a Dongga leaf from his bosom and gave it to Zhu Shencui. Although Zhu Shencui didn't believe in Buddhism, he knew the value of this thing, stretched out his hands and respectfully took it, thanking Master Sangge for the gift.

Early in the morning of the second day, Master Sangge and his entourage set out to continue their journey eastward, but this time Master Sangge refused the escort offered by Elbeg Gyaltaiji's men. Even Zhu Shenzui's original plan to send people to escort Master Sangge and his entourage to continue their journey eastward was declined by Master Sangge.

Not only that, Master Sangge also declined the offerings from the tribe and only took some food and water for the journey. Watching Master Sangge and his group gradually going away, Zhu Shenzhui had an inexplicable feeling in his heart. Although he and Master Sangge had only known each other for a few days and had not talked much with each other, and even did not speak the same language, somehow Master Sangge left a very deep impression on Zhu Shenzhui, especially his eyes full of wisdom, which seemed to be able to see through everything and reach people's hearts.

(End of this chapter)