Chapter 37 two

In the 778th year of the Muslim calendar (about 1377), with the power of the Ming army defeated and ruined, the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was quite tough in his imperial edict sent to the countries in the Western Regions.He expressed such a meaning: sending envoys to pay tribute means not conquering.But most of the leaders of the countries in the Western Regions responded indifferently or simply ignored it.At that time, although the Ming regime had firmly established itself within the Great Wall and expelled the Mongolian and Yuan forces from the grasslands outside the Great Wall, the remnants of the Mongolian and Yuan forces in Mobei were still strong.Under such circumstances, although Zhu Yuanzhang claimed to have inherited the orthodoxy of the Yuan Dynasty, the countries in the Western Regions still had to hold a wait-and-see attitude towards him.They also include King Timur, who is busy expanding his territory.

In the following ten years, the Ming army repeatedly destroyed the ruins of the Yuan Dynasty, and its military power spread far and wide to all places in the Western Regions.The reality prompted King Timur to seriously consider the relationship with the Ming Dynasty.In the 788th year of the Muslim calendar (about 1387), King Timur sent an envoy to pay tribute to fifteen horses and two white camels.This was nothing more than a temptation, but the far-sighted Zhu Yuanzhang regarded this temptation as a good start, immediately treated the envoy generously, and ordered eighteen ingots of silver.

In the imperial edict to King Timur, Zhu Yuanzhang referred to Timur as the son-in-law of the Yuan Dynasty, indicating that in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, Timur was just a local ruler on the same status as King Can Yuanzong.Since then, King Timur has always called himself a son-in-law in his contacts with the Ming Dynasty. In the following year, Feng Sheng, the Ming general, led an army to attack Yuan Sijun in Yuyuerhai (now Lake Baikal), and captured more than 80,000 people in triumph. The emperor thought that he had made a good relationship with Timur, so Enzhun sent all the merchants back.

Corresponding to Emperor Hongwu's kuande, King Timur gave 205 horses as a thank you gift, and paid tribute to the Ming court again.Since then, there will be tributes every year or every other year, and the Ming court will also reward them. In the winter of 796 in the Muslim calendar (about 1395), in order to thank Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty for his friendly trade efforts, and the kindness of Emperor Ming for allowing the merchants of Samarkand to return to the country six years ago, King Timur decided to send a large number of people. The tribute is also generous enough for missions to China.

This is the sixth time that King Timur sent an envoy to meet Emperor Hongwu. King Timur took great pains in how to show his sincerity in forming a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty.First of all, according to the preferences of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, he carefully selected and prepared 300 horses from the Western Regions as a tribute.And the last time, two years ago, the tribute that King Timur told the ceremony room was decorated by me included 84 horses, 6 camels, 6 cashmere horses, 9 green shuttles, and 2 red and green Saharas. Horses and iron, knives, swords, and some armor.As for the items given by the Ming Dynasty, there are platinum and wenqi (a kind of silk fabric with patterns), and the rewards are also decorated by me before they are presented to King Timur.It was this time when the envoy returned from the mission, the envoy told King Timur that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty still liked the horses from the Western Regions and the special products of Central Asia. So this time, King Timur decided to only pay tribute to the horses from the Western Regions.

In addition, King Timur also prepared two personal gifts for Emperor Hongwu.These two presents contained unforgettable memories, which I intend to tell Babur one day later. In fact, compared with any tribute, I believe that nothing can win the favor of the Ming emperor more than the magnificently written "Book of the Great Ming Emperor" written by King Timur. King Timur responded to Emperor Hongwu with this imperial edict a few years ago.It's just that few people know that after the table was drafted, King Timur had asked Princess Oela to review and polish it, and every word and sentence was revised by the princess repeatedly.

The princess is as meticulous as a hair, so she will copy the Feng Biao and keep it, and I will keep it for her.It wasn't until she died that I put Bongbiao in her coffin and buried her in the ground together. The contents of the table are as follows: Gong Wei, the great emperor of Ming Dynasty was ordered by Tianming to unify the four seas, to spread benevolence and virtue, to support common people with kindness, and all nations admire him.Knowing that God wanted to rule the world, he specially appointed the emperor to be the master of billions of trillions.The light is vast, shining like a mirror in the sky, no matter how far or near, it shines brightly upon it.The minister Tie Mu'er is thousands of miles away, and he has heard that the holy virtue is magnanimous, surpassing the ages, and the blessings that have not been seen since ancient times, all emperors have it, and the countries that have not been conquered will be conquered.In the remote and dark places, all are clear and bright, the old are all restless and happy, the young are all prosperous, the good are all favored, and the evil are all fearless.Today, we have received special favor from distant countries, and merchants and merchants who come to China can look at the cities and cities, rich and magnificent, as if seeing the sun suddenly in the dark, how fortunate it is.He also accepted the imperial edict to ask questions, so that the stations and reprimands are connected, and the road is not peaceful.People from far away countries get their benefits.Admiring the Sacred Heart is like a cup that illuminates the world, and the hearts of the ministers are suddenly bright.The tribes in the country of the minister heard the sound of Zide, but they only knew how to dance and feel grateful.There is no way for me to repay my kindness, but to look up to the sky to bless and praise. The holy life and blessings are as vast as the sky and the earth, and they will last forever.

Before I accepted King Timur's order, the candidates for the mission were determined after repeated consideration by King Timur.His name is Dielibis. I have never seen him before, but I heard that he is quite legendary.He himself was discovered by Shah Ruh when he was guarding northern Persia because of his quick mind, outstanding eloquence, strong physique, and deep understanding of Chinese etiquette and business rules. King's favor.This is one aspect.In addition, before working for the Timurid Empire, Dielibis was a very successful businessman and extremely rich. When he was young, he often traveled between Europe, the Western Regions and China for barter trade, and bought goods from Europe or the Western Regions. Leather goods and horses were exchanged for genuine Chinese tea, porcelain and silk, and then shipped back to Europe and the Western Regions to be sold to princes, nobles or wealthy merchants who were proud of using Chinese products.The experience of traveling between countries all the year round has made Diebilisi a well-informed person who is good at figuring out the thoughts of others. Therefore, this time, King Timur used his strengths to let him serve as the envoy. In order for him to take on the mission of purchasing Chinese products for the court at the same time.

I am not familiar with the envoys, but I am very familiar with two of the five deputy envoys. One of them is Zilkas and the other is Aylai. Since King Timur's subordinates are full of talents and wealth all over the world, why would he appoint a ten-year-old boy as the deputy envoy of the mission?If you think so, I can only say that it's because you don't know Ayile well enough.In fact, Ayilai is a child with extraordinary language talent. He was able to use Persian and Turkic to communicate with the locals when he was very young. Since he came to Princess Oela, his language talent has been further explored .Today, in addition to Persian and Turkic, he is also fluent in Mongolian, Chinese and Spanish.I personally think that no matter how the world evaluates King Timur, just because he favors and uses his talents to a child can quite reflect the side of his nature that knows others and is good at responsibility.

The mission's departure was scheduled for twenty-four days later. It took the astrologer most trusted by King Timur to calculate this auspicious date for three days.For this reason, King Timur hurriedly summoned me in the palace tent.He ordered me to spend 20 days designing and making a gift for the Chinese emperor. As for the main materials needed to make the gift and other materials I need after the design is completed, he will ask the head of the palace, Nuridin, to guarantee As supplied.After such instructions, he rushed to the imperial garden to entertain the envoys from the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

I walked out of the palace alone, with all kinds of thoughts in my mind, and I was a little dizzy.When I returned to Orinburg, Princess Oeira hadn't returned from the banquet in the imperial garden, so I lay on the bed without eating anything.The sensible Ailai came into my room with a painted red tray. On the plate was a cup of hot milk and a piece of honey bread. This was my dinner. Ailai said he wanted to watch me eat the bread. I appreciate his kindness.However, I am both absent-minded and unwilling to eat. I have no memory of when Ayilai left or how long it took. I only remember that after a long time, Princess Oela finally appeared in front of me.At that time, Nuridin, the head of the palace, accompanied her back.Nuridin was ordered to bring me two brocade boxes. When I opened one of the brocade boxes, Princess Oela couldn't help but exclaimed: "My God, this is not the one that Tok Khan dedicated to King Timur a few years ago. Suet jade? Jade is as its name suggests, as fine and white as suet. It is really top grade!" The princess lived in Khotan for a period of time when she was fleeing, and she has a certain ability to appreciate Khotan jade.I read the introduction about Khotan under the guidance of Shaharu. According to the book, Khotan is located 200 miles north of Congling Ridge. There are Baiyu River, Green Jade River, and Black Jade River flowing below. The customs are similar to the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. In the middle of the country, jade, Hu brocade, Bactrian camel, fragrant beads, coral, emerald, amber, anther cloth, famous horse, Venus stone, mercury, and lions are special products, especially jade and lions, which are mostly used as tribute.The book also said that Hetian jade is divided into two types, which are more expensive when collected in water, and slightly inferior when collected in mountains.The jade collected in the river, the big one is about one foot in diameter, and the small one is only two inches. Its colors are different, some are white like winter snow, some are green like emeralds, some are yellow like oil, and some are red like jade. Some red beads are as black as ink spots, but no matter what kind, there are differences in quality. And this piece of suet jade presented by Tuke Khan to King Timur, the whole body is shiny and exquisite, about five cents wide and fifteen cents long, it can be called the best jade, and it is rare in the world. After admiring suet jade with the princess for a while, I opened another brocade box. On the blue velvet of the box lay a short knife without a sheath.I think this should be the handle.I originally heard that King Timur recently obtained from the Eastern Chagatai Khanate an ice dagger that is said to have been used by Abhaier, the sixth grandson of Sheban Khan. As we all know, Xiban is the fifth son of Jochi Khan and the younger brother of Batu Khan.Many years ago, the Mongol Empire launched the second Western Expedition that shocked the world. The commander-in-chief Batu Khan was invincible, and successively conquered the vast area from the Irtysh River in the east to the lower reaches of the Danube in the west, from the Caucasus in the south to the Bulgar in the north. , and after the end of the conquest, the capital of Sarai was established, and the Golden Horde was established. Facing the land he occupied, Batu Khan thought about how to govern the southeastern European region east of the Dnieper River, the middle and lower reaches of the Volga River, the South Urals, the North Caucasus (until Tarban), North Khwarazm, and the Darya Darya River. The Lower Basin and the steppe region from the Syr Darya River, north of the Aral Sea to the Ishm River, Saresu River, he decided to divide the territory among his brothers and nephews like his grandfather Genghis Khan .It was in this enfeoffment that Xiban Khan got the vast land north of the Aral Sea.Moreover, because Xiban himself had made outstanding achievements like Batu Khan, people called Batu Khan "Golden Horde Khan" and at the same time they called Xiban "Blue Horde Khan". The Golden Horde once became the most powerful khanate among the four Mongolian khanates.But the good times didn't last long. Following the death of Batu, Bie Erge, Xiban and others, the Khanate soon fell into many crises.The descendants of the founder coveted the Khan's position, and civil strife quickly consumed the Khan's strength. Until Abu Haier became the master of the Khanate.He reigned for more than 30 years (1312-1242), was the ninth Great Khan of the Golden Horde Khanate, and was also the master of ZTE with both civil and military skills and worked hard to govern.On the basis of the original Golden Horde Khanate, he established the once very powerful Yuejibie Khanate.During his reign, a woman with a golden bowl on her head could travel through every inch of the Yuejibe Khanate without fear of being robbed.A caravan full of gold, silver and treasures set off from Khwarazmo in a cart without a guide, food or fodder for the horses. There was no danger along the way, and it took three months to reach Keli. Rimu. After Behan Abuhair passed away in the month, the Khanate continued to prosper for more than ten years.Since then, the Yuejibe Khanate has declined due to civil strife.More than a hundred years later, another jaw-dropping offspring of Abhaier was born.He named himself Shaybani, which means a person who can inherit the legacy of his ancestors.When he grew up, he led his brave and invincible Yuejibie warriors, bent on taking the land of the Timurid Empire for himself. For this reason, he became Timur's great-grandson Buzain himself and other The most terrible enemy to the sons and grandsons of God. From the short knife to the past, and to the later Abu Haier and Shaybani, I can't help but lament the impermanence of the world.Needless to say, it is a helpless and expedient measure that this kind of enfeoffment system has been practiced since Genghis Khan.Although a person's ability is limited after all, he can't take care of such a vast territory, but the enfeoffment system is doomed that the stability of the Khanate can only be maintained for a period of time, followed by internal strife. I remember once I asked Princess Oela, why were the Mongols able to conquer such a vast territory when Genghis Khan was alive?The princess thought about it for a while, and said meaningfully that the Mongol Empire was once strong because all the Mongols stood under the flag held by one person. Well, having said so much, it can be regarded as a digression. Now, let’s go back and talk about the ice dagger that Abhaier Khan used.This will be the most precious gift from King Timur to the Chinese emperor.The knife lives up to its name, the blade made by Ruo Hanbing is really sharp, it can be called the best among knives, but the scabbard is relatively rough. It feels like a beautiful woman wearing a brand new brocade inner shirt, but Put on a shabby felt coat.I realized the intention of King Timur. Originally, King Timur wanted to give this dagger as a gift to Emperor Hongwu, but he was not satisfied with the scabbard, so he discarded it and asked me to design another one for the dagger. A scabbard that matches the blade. I didn't dare to disobey the king's order, so I locked myself in a secluded workshop in the back garden of Orinburg the next day.This is my unshakable habit.When I was thinking hard, no one was allowed to come in, whether it was Shahru, Aylai, Sodu, or Zilkas. I only make an exception for the princess, because her soft words often make me enlightened. I have to say, this is the most difficult design I have encountered in my life, and of course, it is also the most proud design in my life.After I designed the style of the scabbard, I asked Nuridin for a whole piece of gold, temporarily left Orinburg, and lived in the other courtyard of the palace. There is a handicraft workshop dedicated to making various handicrafts for the court in the Lifang Bieyuan. King Timur named it "Fuguifang". In Fuguifang, eleven of the country's most outstanding craftsmen assisted me in my work.According to the pattern I designed, the whole piece of sheep fat jade is divided into two parts. Eight of the eleven craftsmen need to take turns to carve the sheep fat jade.During this time, three other craftsmen had to help me make an inner sheath out of pure gold.Since it is an inner sheath, the requirements are naturally very high, not only the wall must be uniform and thin, but also no matter the shape, length or size, it must fit tightly when it is put into the ice dagger.We made a total of seven inner sheaths out of gold before and after, and it was not until the seventh that it fully met my requirements.After the inner sheath was completed, we also participated in the carving of jade, and finally finished carving two pieces of suet jade on the afternoon of the fifteenth day when I came to the ceremony room.Skilled craftsmen carved two patterns of an eagle and a lion respectively on two long jade plates.Through the hollow pattern, the golden wall of the inner sheath is looming.The most delicate part is that the arcs presented by the two jade plates exactly coincide with the inner wall of pure gold. No one else is needed for the next work. I weave a thin rope out of gold and silver threads, pass through the inner sheath and the small hole reserved on the edge of the jade plate, and firmly fix the jade plate on the pure gold inner sheath. My gift for the Emperor of China is finally complete.King Timur greatly appreciated my craftsmanship, and even exaggeratedly said that if the Chinese emperor was not a great man, he would be reluctant to give such an outstanding, exquisite and precious gift to his old man.King Timur's affirmation of my talent has made all my efforts these days worthwhile. However, what makes me more excited than receiving his reward is that King Timur said, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow at the latest, Sha Haru will return to Samarkand. Eighteen days after I left Orinburg, I returned home with a reward from King Timur.I feel as if I have been away from here for a long time, unfortunately, when I returned home, I did not see Princess Oeira coming to greet me with a smile as usual.However, when I returned to the bedroom, I found a steaming cup of tea on the table with a slice of attractive lemon floating on top of the tea.