"Naadam" is a transliteration of the Mongolian language, which means "entertainment, game", to express the joy of a good harvest. It is generally held in July and August every year during the season when the livestock are fattening, and was originally held by the nomadic people of the steppe to celebrate the harvest. When the Mongols rose to prominence in the steppe, the Naadam Assembly brought with it the intention of testing the military skills of the Mongol tribes.

However, after Meng Yuan was expelled from the Central Plains, the Naadam Conference began to revert to the original celebration meeting and a place for young men and women from various ministries to get acquainted.

However, with the continuous division of the Mongolian tribes, the assemblies that can be called the level of the Mongolian Naadam have been rarely held, and more are small meetings of a regional nature. Since the rise of the Jurchens in Liaodong, the steppe has been in turmoil again, and even this kind of regional nature of the little Naadam can not be held very often.

After Lin Dan Khan moved westward, the left and right Mongolian tribes were in a mess, and naturally there was nothing to celebrate in the past two or three years. When the news of the Ming military exercise outside the Guanguan spread, some tribes in the grasslands outside the Jizhou Pass were panicked, for fear that the Ming army would settle the account in the name of the exercise, and last year they assisted Houjin to enter the customs.

It wasn't until Zhu Youzhen got out of the customs and spread the leisurely appearance of playing in the mountains and rivers all the way that these Mongolian tribes breathed a sigh of relief and let down their guard. When he heard that His Majesty the Emperor was going to hold a Naadam conference in the Rehe camp, and that there was a princess of the Horqin tribe by the emperor's side, the leaders of the Mongolian tribes from outside Jizhou Pass to Zhangjiakou all came with single young men and women of appropriate age.

First, everyone heard that His Majesty the Emperor was very generous, and all the tribes that the Emperor passed through were rewarded, so they wanted to share a little of the Emperor's favor. The second is that Naadam has not been held for two or three years, and the young men and women within the various tribes have reached the time for marriage, and in the previous steppe civil strife, the various tribes have lost a lot of population, so the leaders of the tribes want to take this opportunity to marry other tribes.

Therefore, after confirming the emperor's goodwill to the various tribes, whether it was the Mongolian tribes who originally lived in the local area, or the Mongolian tribes who were relocated from the Fengzhen area by the Ming Kingdom, they all rushed to the camp in Rehe.

The presiding over Naadam is generally the patriarch of the most powerful clan, and since Naadam was summoned by the emperor this time, it should naturally be presided over by the emperor. However, Zhu Youzhen was not familiar with the customs of the Mongols after all, so he simply handed over the responsibility of presiding over the conference to Hai Lanzhu, and asked the 36 Zasak Zhuoerbi who came to serve him to assist Hai Lanzhu in doing things.

Although among the Mongolian tribes, there is also a saying that the male is the male and the female is the female, but the status of the woman is much higher than that of the Han women in the mainland. Because Mongolian women squeeze milk day and night, make cheese, fetch water, collect cow dung to dry, make clothes and boots, and do it all. Riding a horse gallops through the wilderness, no less than a man. It can be said that she is a representative of independent women in this era.

However, no matter how much status Mongolian women have, events like presiding over Naadam are not recognized. But today's Hai Lanzhu is not just the identity of a Mongolian woman, in front of these Mongolian chiefs, she also represents the authority of the Ming Emperor.

According to the tradition of the Mongol Khanate, the concubine of the Mongol Khan was already qualified to manage the tribes under the Khan. After Chongzhen came out of the customs, he has been letting Hai Lanzhu handle the rewards to the tribes for him, which is tantamount to acquiescing to Hai Lanzhu's status as a concubine by his side.

Therefore, out of reverence for the imperial power, they acquiesced to Hai Lanzhu's power to preside over Naadam. Moreover, it is better to deal with an indifferent Ming official than to follow the orders of a kind Mongolian princess. Hai Lanzhu's fair and cordial attitude in receiving the chiefs of the tribes soon convinced many of the tribal leaders, and they regarded the princess of the Horqin tribe as the representative of the Mongols in front of the emperor, and confided in her the difficulties encountered by her tribe, hoping to get the emperor's help.

As the daughter of the Zaisang family of the Horqin Tribe, Hai Lanzhu is naturally familiar with how to deal with the problems of these tribes. But with the exception of some tribal disputes, most of the tribal claims were due to economic difficulties, which she was a little unsure of, as she did not know what resources she could use.

After listening to Hai Lanzhu's embarrassment, Zhu Youzhen said to her disapprovingly: "In order to prepare for this Naadam, I have prepared 300,000 yuan of funds, of which 150,000 yuan is used for the expenses of holding the conference, and the other 150,000 yuan is used to reward the winners of the conference and the rewards of the tribes who come to participate in the conference. In addition, I have prepared 50,000 yuan for you, and I will spend it on these tribes in your name. ”

When Hai Lanzhu was in the Horqin Department, she didn't know Da Mingyuan's purchasing power, but in these days in the Guannei, she had already understood the value of Da Ming Yuan and knew that this was a considerable amount of money.

In the Gyeonggi area, the average annual income is set at 36 won, but in the remote areas of the countryside, it is only between 20 and 25 won, which is the standard of barely making ends meet. As for the Mongol tribes outside the Guan, because of the extremely backward commodity economy on the grassland, according to the calculation of the livestock they owned, it should have exceeded the average annual income of the people of Gyeonggi, but the reality that they could not realize it made them even more miserable than the Han people in the Guannai who earned 20-25 yuan a year.

The 350,000 yuan that Chongzhen took out is already equivalent to the annual income of 15,000 herdsmen on the grassland, plus he bought various materials in the customs and transported them, and these materials on the grassland should at least double, that is, a sum equivalent to the annual income of 30,000 herdsmen.

The Mongolian tribes gathered in Chengde City are all combined, and there are only 15,000 or 6,000 households at most, even if you count those tribes who are still on the road, they will not exceed 20,000 households. Therefore, the money prepared by the emperor is already quite abundant, and it is even enough for these tribes to follow the Ming Dynasty to fight a war of the same scale as last year.

Hai Lanzhu's heart had just relaxed, but she quickly asked Chongzhen with some curiosity: "Is it just for Your Majesty to bring me out so that I can deal with matters related to these tribes?" ”

Zhu Youzhen took a sip of hot milk tea with sugar, Mongolian-style milk tea not only added salt but also butter, which made Chongzhen very unaccustomed, so he specially instructed Hai Lanzhu to only put a little sugar when cooking milk tea for himself.

Hai Lanzhu's craftsmanship is very good, so the temperature and sweetness of the milk tea are just right, Zhu Youzhen drank it very happily, and he relaxed and said to Hai Lanzhu: "Since the founding of my Taizu, although there are many Mongolian Taiji who have surrendered to my Ming Dynasty, some have lived in the mainland for several generations, and they have completely lost their influence on the grassland.

There are also some Mongolian Taiji who have just surrendered to our country's Mongolian right-wing tribes, but they have their own tribes, friends and enemies in the grassland, and if they negotiate with the various tribes on the grassland on behalf of our Ming Dynasty, they will either support their relatives and friends on the grassland, or let their former enemies stay away from our Ming Dynasty.

For me, no matter how far or near, no matter how big or small, no matter what religion they are, as long as they recognize themselves as members of China, then they are no different in my eyes. Although I represent the Zhengshuo of China, China is not only the Ming Dynasty, but also inside and outside the Guan, the grassland desert, the white mountains and black waters, the Western Regions of Tibet, and the overseas vassals, but wherever the Chinese civilization is, it is the land of China.

Therefore, I need someone who is more detached, who can be accepted by these tribal leaders, who will be a bridge between the Mongol tribes and me. As the princess of the Horqin tribe, you have done a good job so far, and I hope that you can be such a bridge to convey their thoughts and needs to me, and also to pass on the kindness of the Ming Dynasty to them. ”

Hai Lanzhu was a little disappointed in her heart, after all, in the previous trip to the hot springs, the two had a more intimate relationship. She still had some expectations in her heart, hoping that Chongzhen could say something that would make her heart move, but now it seems that this man is really boring enough.

When Hai Lanzhu got up and wanted to exit the tent, Zhu Youzhen seemed to hear the complaint in her heart, and said slowly: "Of course, I also hope to use this trip to improve our understanding of each other, after all, after we go back, we may not have so much time to be alone." ”

Hai Lanzhu, who was about to lift the curtain of the door, suddenly stopped moving, she felt a little sweet in her heart, and a little flustered, but she quickly calmed down, turned to look at Chongzhen and said, "Your Majesty meant, the concubine has already understood." However, the concubine still has some questions in her heart, and I don't know if I can ask Your Majesty for advice? ”

Zhu Youzhen raised his head and met Hai Lanzhu's gaze, suddenly blinked his eyes and said, "If you have any questions, just ask, we are no longer outsiders, are we?" ”

Hai Lanzhu's ears were a little red, but she still couldn't help but turn around and run away, dodged Chongzhen's gaze and said: "The concubine wants to know, what is the ultimate purpose of His Majesty's concubine to communicate with these tribes?" In the future, if Your Majesty quells the rebellion of the Jurchens in Liaodong, how are you going to deal with the Mongol tribes on the steppe? ”

Zhu Youzhen stretched out his hand and knocked on the table in front of him and said, "You come and sit down first, I'm not used to talking with my head tilted up like this, my neck is too tired." ”

Hai Lanzhu sat down obediently, and Zhu Youzhen organized the language in his heart before saying: "The ultimate goal of letting you communicate with these tribes, in fact, I believe that you also have some numbers in your heart.

Now in the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Later Jin, the Mongolian ministries can't actually stay out of it, either on the side of my Ming Dynasty or on the side of the Later Jin. If you can use words and benefits to get them to stand on the side of the Ming Dynasty, it's better than letting me use the sword against them, isn't it? ”

Hai Lanzhu frowned and said, "Isn't it possible for our Mongolian tribes to be neutral?" As for the conversations between the concubines and these tribal leaders, what they were most concerned about was whether their tribe could survive and survive, and they did not want to get involved in the war between the Later Jin and the Ming Dynasty. ”

Zhu Youzhen spread his hands and said: "If the Mongolian tribes gather under one banner, there may be a chance of neutrality. But now the Mongol tribes are divided, and the nominal Mongol Great Khan is unable to convince the people. If our country does not fight for these tribes, then they will become the wings of the Houjin, and then not only the Mongolian tribes will have to face each other with our Ming sword, but also the grasslands will be full of blood.

Therefore, whether it is for the sake of the Ming Dynasty or for the tranquility of the grassland, the Ming Dynasty must take the initiative to take the responsibility of gathering the Mongolian tribes. As for how I will treat the Mongol tribes after the Liaodong Rebellion subsides. As I have just said, whether it is Mongolia, the Ming Dynasty, or even the Jurchens, they are all part of China. Unless someone isolates themselves from China, they can live and work in peace and contentment. If you want peace in China, there is only one heart within the four seas..."