Guhuacheng, also known as Hohhot.
The leader of the Wushen Tribe sat upright at the head of the long table, his posture steady and imposing. Below him, arranged in two rows, were the leaders of various tribes from different regions, all gathered for this meeting. As they ate, they tore into roasted mutton legs with their bare hands, grease shining on their fingers as laughter and chatter filled the tent.
This gathering had originally been convened so that the tribal leaders could report on their recent affairs.
If every report were to be written out in full detail, it would easily fill a hundred million words, and so this book will mercifully omit that part.
Now that the reporting was over, the formalities were finished, and everyone was preparing to eat, drink, and then disperse.
As the meal went on, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively, with boasts, jokes, and mutual flattery being exchanged without restraint.
The leader of the Otok Tribe grinned broadly and spoke first. "Thanks to the guidance of the Wushen Tribe, all the wool and hides from my tribe were bought up by the Han people. The caravan sent by Young Leader Zhebu brought us vast amounts of tea, salt, and grain in exchange. This winter, my tribe truly lived in comfort."
The leader of the Hangjin Tribe nodded vigorously and followed up. "It was the same for us. Through Young Leader Zhebu's connections, our tribe also passed the winter smoothly. No one froze to death, and no one starved. His caravans even brought us iron woks, which have made cooking far more convenient than before."
The leader of the Urad Tribe stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "In the past, the Han people strictly forbade us from acquiring weapons and were only willing to sell us a very limited number of iron woks. But now they are so generous. It seems they are no longer afraid that we might melt down the woks to forge swords and blades."
Before he could continue, the Otok Tribe leader burst out laughing and interrupted him. "That's nonsense. Haven't you seen how powerful the Han people are now? They no longer rely on swords and blades at all. They use flintlock rifles and those massive armored vehicles. Why would they fear us forging a few swords? Of course they no longer care about selling us iron woks."
Several of the tribal leaders nodded in agreement.
This was the truth.
In the past, iron woks had been a rare and precious form of hard currency on the steppes. Now, however, the Han people simply did not care anymore. As long as one could pay in wool, they could buy as many iron woks as they wanted, along with whatever else they desired.
Young Leader Zhebu acted as the intermediary, connecting the Han people and the Mongol tribes and turning trade between the two sides into a thriving, continuous exchange.
The tribal leaders could not help but sigh in admiration. "We owe a great deal to Young Leader Zhebu."
"To be so young and yet so capable, integrating with the Han people, opening factories among them, and earning their wealth. It is truly impressive."
Hearing this, the Wushen Tribe leader laughed heartily. "Zhebu is my most promising child. Once he has learned enough from the Han people, he will return and inherit my position. Speaking of which, my son mentioned that the wool sweaters produced by his factory have recently been selling far too well and are now in short supply. He urgently needs more wool."
At these words, the tribal leaders exchanged uneasy glances.
One of them spoke up cautiously. "The wool in our hands has already been collected and sent off. The next shearing season will not come until summer, which is still several months away."
The Wushen Tribe leader's expression darkened slightly. "How could it all be gone already? You must have been lazy and failed to raise enough sheep. From now on, you must raise more."
The tribal leaders immediately responded in unison. "Yes, Great Khan. Once we return, we will organize our herdsmen and instruct them to raise even more sheep."
The Wushen Tribe leader let out a long sigh. "Even so, far water cannot quench a nearby thirst. How long will it take for newly raised lambs to grow? My son needs a large quantity of wool right now."
The tribal leaders could only spread their hands helplessly.
It was only spring in the ninth year of Chongzhen, and summer was still far away. No one dared to shear sheep at this time, since doing so would certainly freeze them to death.
Just then, the leader of the Chahar Tribe suddenly raised his hand. "I may have a solution."
The tribal leaders immediately perked up. "Tell us."
The Chahar Tribe leader said calmly, "We may have no wool left, but the Mongol tribes conquered by the Jin still do. We can go and beat them, then seize their wool."
As soon as these words were spoken, excitement spread through the tent.
"That's right. The Khorchin Tribe is now allied with the Jin and has long been at odds with us. We can attack them."
"And the Hasum Tribe."
"The Unegud Tribe as well."
The tribal leaders silently calculated in their hearts and were surprised by what they realized. There were still many Mongol tribes under the influence of the Jin.
If they could thoroughly defeat these tribes and seize their wool, they could send it all to Zhebu and exchange it for useful Han goods.
The Wushen Tribe leader suddenly stood up. "Prepare for battle. We will go and give those eastern Mongol tribes a severe lesson."
"Great Khan," the Chahar Tribe leader quickly added, "we cannot openly declare that we are attacking them just to seize their wool. I suggest we ask Heavenly Khan E'zhe to issue a proclamation, stating that those tribes disrespect the descendants of Genghis Khan and disobey the directives of our Great Yuan court. That way, we will have a legitimate reason for war."
Naturally, this proposal was approved without the slightest hesitation.
A messenger was immediately dispatched to Gao Family Village, where he sought out Heavenly Khan E'zhe. However, E'zhe was still just a child and understood nothing about such matters. As a result, his sworn brother Liu Maopao guided him in composing a punitive proclamation, after which Gao Yiye was invited to bring out the Imperial Seal of the Great Yuan Dynasty and stamp it down firmly with a heavy thump.
The messenger clutched this so-called authorization for war and happily rode back to Guhuacheng.
And so, a so-called righteous war began.
On the surface, it was launched to uphold the dignity of the Yuan Dynasty's Heavenly Khan. In reality, it was nothing more than a scramble for wool.
Meanwhile, back in Gao Family Village.
Liu Maopao was delivering an impassioned speech at a shareholders' meeting.
He pointed directly at Zhebu and said, "Second Brother, you can't obtain any more wool from your side right now, can you?"
Zhebu shook his head. "We absolutely cannot shear sheep this year. We must wait until the weather becomes warmer."
Liu Maopao then turned his gaze to E'zhe. "Third Brother, what about you?"
E'zhe also shook his head. "The Chahar Tribe has no more wool either."
Liu Maopao sighed heavily. "As expected, relying solely on wool from the Mongol steppes is no longer enough. Our advertising has been far too effective. All branch stores are sold out, and the village's wool reserves are shrinking rapidly. If this continues, we will have no choice but to halt production."
"Halt production? That absolutely won't do," An Jile exclaimed anxiously. "If production stops, my female workers will lose their wages, and their lives will become difficult. Dao Xuan Tianzun would be angry with us for failing to care for our laborers."
An Jile had not known Chinese before, but by now her speech had grown increasingly fluent.
Liu Maopao said seriously, "Then we must find more wool suppliers."
E'zhe replied, "The major tribes have already formed a joint army and are preparing to attack the eastern tribes. They will bring back wool."
Liu Maopao immediately countered, "And if they fail? Do we shut down our factories and wait for them?"
For a moment, no one could answer.
Everyone felt a dull headache coming on.
Just then, Zhebu suddenly raised his hand. "I know a place that also has a large number of high-quality sheep."
Liu Maopao leaned forward. "Oh? Where?"
"Yinchuan," Zhebu replied.
Liu Maopao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Yinchuan… that is Ming territory, if I remember correctly. Ah, yes. Uncle Shi Jian is currently serving as the Regional Commander of Yansui. If I seek his help, we should be able to establish contact with the people of Yinchuan and urgently acquire a batch of wool from there."
Liu Maopao was a man who acted the moment he had an idea. Without delay, he arranged for his subordinates to travel to the Yansui border garrison to seek out Shi Jian.