Chapter 126: The Buddha is Merciful

This was indeed a true gathering.

First, there were the brothers Aobadaiqing, representing Chahua. Then there was Erdgegei, the de facto leader of the Baarin tribe; Zhong Nen, the de facto leader of the Zhalute tribe; and Zaisai, who was also the strongest of the three northern tribes of Inner Khalkha at this time, representing the Wuban tribe. With them came a total of thirty-two Noyans.

From the Yehe Tribe, there was its second-in-command Boo Yanggu and Dergele, the de facto heir of Jin Taiji.

There was also Chuonai.

He was here as a victim, to denounce the crimes of Wild Boar Skin.

And then there were Yang Xin and the others.

Among these, Chen Yujie and Zhao Shuaijiao were the chief military and administrative officials of the Ming in Kaiyuan. Yang Xin represented the emperor—though he said so himself, his Flying Fish Robe and his official rank of Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were enough to make the various tribes participating in this alliance believe it. Including the master who served as the witness and also the host of this alliance. As a shared faith of the Mongolian tribes and the Yehe Tribe, such an alliance absolutely required someone like him. He was also very eager for a temple, which Yang Xin had promised earlier. There weren’t many temples on the grasslands at this time. Although all the tribes believed in the Buddha, as nomads, they certainly respected the clergy.

But building a temple was beyond their capabilities.

They didn’t even have houses themselves.

They couldn’t possibly make bricks, build a temple, mold Buddha statues, or even apply gold leaf for the masters.

“Master, please!”

Yang Xin pushed a cup of sweetened black tea towards the master.

“Thank you, General!”

The latter said, counting his prayer beads.

“I am indeed not a believer, but I hold the Buddhist teachings in great reverence. His Majesty the Emperor also holds your faith in great esteem. But you must understand, His Majesty must also consider the believers inside the border passes. The teachings they follow differ somewhat from yours. Therefore, we do not wish for you to enter inside the border walls.

We must make this point clear.

However, we support, and strongly support, your spread of the teachings outside the border walls.

The Great Ci’en Temple at Diaobi Mountain is only the first.

In the vision of our Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in the future, a temple promoting the Buddhist teachings will be built in each Noyan’s grazing ground. And Master, as a highly accomplished monk, this plan will rely entirely on you. We will build this first one. Then, Master, you can take on more disciples among the herders. When you feel your disciples are capable of independently presiding over a temple, then we will build a new one at a place you designate. Of course, in the future, if any disputes arise between our grassland brothers and us, we will still ask Master to be responsible for mediation, especially concerning the Jiannu.”

Yang Xin said.

“Amitabha. His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming is the lord of all under heaven. Both the Han lands and the grasslands should honor the Emperor of the Great Ming. The people of Jianzhou betrayed His Majesty and also persecuted other tribes, plunging the lands beyond the passes into misery. Their sins are utterly grave.”

The master said with a solemn and dignified bearing.

At this time, Ligdan Khan had already made a fundamental error.

This was the basis for his cooperation with Yang Xin. Otherwise, he would not have spoken such words. But now, since this so-called Khan no longer believed in them, they naturally would no longer acknowledge Ligdan Khan. And since Yang Xin, representing the Emperor of the Great Ming, was granting them such favorable treatment, they certainly had to make a wise choice.

“However, this land beyond the passes is poor. Maintaining such a temple will not be easy.”

He cautiously said.

“Master, rest assured. Since the Emperor of the Great Ming will build the temple for you, of course he will not abandon it. Every year, an additional donation will be given to you. Our Mongolian brothers will certainly offer some support as well. In short, you only need to focus on your Buddhist practice in peace.

After my fleet returns, it will immediately transport a second batch of supplies northward. This includes some craftsmen. Under the protection of General Zhao, they will establish workshops here to fire bricks and tiles. As for timber, it is available locally at Diaobi Mountain. The only lack is craftsmen. Similarly, we will send a group of craftsmen there. You can personally lead them to select a site and prepare the necessary timber in advance.

Counting from now, by next spring, basically all preparations will be complete.

At that time, we will dispatch even more craftsmen. I imagine by this time next year, you will be able to practice Buddhism in your own temple. By then, His Majesty the Emperor will also contribute to gilding the Buddha statue.”

Yang Xin said.

This cost was negligible.

The real cost lay in the need to continuously support them in the future. But compared to the effects gained from doing so, these costs were also negligible.

Huh? What effects?

Deputy Commander Yang, of course, was doing this to promote the Buddhist teachings.

“Amitabha. The Buddha will bless the Great Ming with prosperous fortune, His Majesty the Emperor with a long life, and you, General, with lasting blessings!”

The master said with a dignified bearing.

“The Buddha is merciful!”

Deputy Commander Yang also said with a dignified bearing.

Thus, the two smoothly agreed on the construction of the so-called Imperially Built Great Ci’en Temple at Diaobi Mountain—or by its modern name, Tiaobingshan. Immediately after, Yang Xin and the master walked out of the tent together…

It was indeed a tent.

Zhao Shuaijiao’s forces—three thousand cavalry and five thousand infantry—were not stationed in Kaiyuan city.

That place was too far from Laomi Bay. And the number of Ming troops was limited, insufficient to maintain a fifty-mile supply line during wartime. Therefore, he, as the Kaiyuan Regional Military Commander, and Chen Yujie, as the Military Defense Circuit official, were stationed at Qingyun Fort, which was right next to Laomi Bay. This small fortress could not, of course, accommodate so many people for an alliance. So, including Yang Xin, everyone was camped outside the fortress. This area was now depopulated. The original military households had either fled or died, leaving only an empty stretch of grassland. It was just right to pitch a cluster of tents on this open grassland.

The important figures resided in the central tents.

The soldiers’ tents were scattered around them.

Right in the middle of the entire tent area was a huge open space, like a giant square. In the center of this space, a massive bonfire was lit. Among the crowds on the outer edges, countless smaller fires burned. The roaring flames of all these fires were burning, polluting the blue sky and white clouds with billowing smoke. The nearly ten thousand cavalry in total brought by the various Mongolian Noyans and Jurchen chieftains like Boo Yanggu were spread around this huge bonfire. Together with the Ming soldiers, they happily ate meat, drank liquor, and jointly composed a hymn of unity.

Some were even singing, dancing, wrestling, and fighting.

“This isn’t lively enough!”

Yang Xin, who had stepped out of the tent, looked at the chaotic, grand scene before him and said.

“Want it lively?”

Zhao Shuaijiao said.

Yang Xin nodded very affirmatively.

“That’s easy. Let’s organize a hunt. With so many of us, not organizing a hunt would be dull. Let’s cross the Qinghe and go into the mountains. Then we’ll spread out and drive the beasts out!”

Zhao Shuaijiao said.

“Master, what do you think?”

Yang Xin said with a smile.

“Amitabha. All things have cause and effect. For beasts to offer their lives for this grand gathering is also the result of causes they planted in past lives!”

The master said with a solemn and dignified bearing.

“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease!”

Yang Xin said.

It had to be said, a master was a master.

After saying this, he took a horn from a soldier beside him and immediately blew it. The clear, loud sound of the horn instantly echoed across the vast grassland. The soldiers of various ethnicities who were drinking all rose in surprise. Soon, all eyes focused on Yang Xin standing on higher ground, watching his figure, seeming almost frantic, as he raised the horn high and blew it. Aobadaiqing and others mounted their horses and rushed to the front with puzzled expressions…

“Cross the river! Let’s go hunt to the south!”

Yang Xin put down the horn and shouted.

“Let’s go! Hunt!”

Nangnuke was the first to roar excitedly.

Then these Noyans immediately erupted in roars, quickly turning to rush towards their respective followers. Soon, all the cavalry of various ethnicities mounted their horses, took up their bows and arrows, and transformed into a flood sweeping across the grassland. They surged south, quickly crossing the not-very-deep Qinghe River and surrounded that stretch of mountain forest on the southern bank.

These guys were all experienced.

First, the Ming cavalry on the perimeter fired their guns. Some even set up things like the Great Wind-Chasing Gun. In short, they created a huge noise around the outskirts of the mountain forest to frighten the beasts who were peacefully living their quiet lives inside. Then the Yehe Tribe soldiers, who were the most skilled at hunting, entered the forest to drive these already frightened beasts southward. The most numerous, the Mongolian cavalry, flanked the forest on both sides, herding any beasts trying to escape to the sides back towards the center.

Driven from north to south by over ten thousand soldiers of the three groups, countless beasts were squeezed towards the banks of the Liao River.

“I love this kind of scene!”

Yang Xin said excitedly.

Standing right on the banks of the Liao River at this moment, he watched the swarming herd of beasts.

Because this area originally had a sparse population, and after more than a year of becoming a depopulated zone, the mountain forest held not just creatures like deer, but even a family of tigers was driven out. There were even four brown bears. These former kings and rulers of the forest now, just like their former prey, rushed in panic towards the Liao River ahead under the driving force of the hunters. But dense lines of Ming soldiers were also arrayed along the Liao River bank. The various firearms in their hands began to fire. The charging beasts fell one after another. On both sides, dense cavalry also stood. The powerful bows in the hands of the Mongolian cavalry also continuously shot down any beasts trying to escape this trap.

Even the fierce beasts could not escape this trap.

But there were some successes.

One massive brown bear and one Northeastern tiger, weighing at least five or six hundred jin, managed to rely on their ferocity to break through the Mongolian cavalry’s defensive line. They even injured two horses. Then, amidst a wave of startled cries, they charged straight into the river…

“Let them go! I’ll handle it!”

Yang Xin roared.

The cavalry who were moving to encircle them immediately stopped.

Then everyone watched as General Yang leaped from his horse’s back, landed, and began to sprint wildly. All the hunting soldiers immediately halted, all watching his Flying Fish Robe-clad figure and roaring, watching this man race against a tiger and a brown bear. However, the latter two were already exhausted. After all, they had been driven all the way here. These fierce beasts were indeed very fast in short bursts. But after running for half an hour, any fierce beast would be worn out. Yang Xin, on the other hand, had been conserving his energy for a long time.

The final outcome was soon revealed.

The distance between him and the two fierce beasts rapidly closed.

Roars cheering him on echoed across the Liao River. Even those across the river who were tending his herds ran to the riverbank to watch this shocking scene—a lone figure, amidst a stretch of green, chasing down two beasts worthy of being called kings of the forest.

Soon, the slower brown bear was caught up to.

But Yang Xin paid it no mind. Under the bewildered gaze of this brown bear, he swept right past its side.