Mount and Blade Central Asia

But through Mongke's introduction, Li Rufeng learned that Sagrichin was the uncle of Karim Ansarifard, enjoyed a very high prestige among the people of Transoxiana, and was said to be a devout believer in Eternal Heaven.

Li Rufeng had no idea how devout this devout Changshengtian believer was. As a shaman, he didn't even know the strict rules and regulations of the Changshengtian faith that allowed people to publicly declare their piety. Usually, such claims were made when bragging about themselves or others...

But as the leader of the Eternal Heaven faith in Syria, Li Rufeng had no choice but to respond to such an invitation.

He was indeed worried that this was a Hongmen Banquet, and that the people in the river had secretly reached some agreement with the Black Sheep People or some other forces. After all, it would never be wrong to treat the world with a petty mindset.

So Li Rufeng finally wrote a letter inviting the other party to meet less than 50 kilometers from Aleppo. Although it was a bit less impressive, it was at least safe...

The author says:

Author's words: That's all for today -

Chapter 310 Please do me a favor...

As a branch of the Mongols, the people of Transoxiana have not completely forgotten the skill of setting up camp and tents. Like the Mughals, almost every household in Transoxiana has someone serving in the military. Therefore, this huge nomadic group of nearly 10,000 people is actually quite well-organized.

The camps of the people in Hezhong are distributed along the Tianshui River in groups of thousands, with a distance of about one kilometer between them. This distance can prevent water pollution and the spread of plague, but for the nomadic people, it does not cause the embarrassment of being too far away and unable to provide support.

The camp where Karim Ansarifard was located was a little bigger, with about 2,500 people, mostly elderly and children, and they were well protected by the most elite young and strong people of the Central River.

However, the self-immolation incident that occurred the previous night cast a shadow over the hearts of the top leaders of the Hezhong people.

In order to show his importance, Sagrichin waited on the road that the other party had to pass early in the morning after receiving the news that Li Rufeng had set off.

The distance from Aleppo to the Transoxiana settlement was less than a hundred kilometers, and Li Rufeng was a man of action, so he set off the day after the messenger returned.

So Sagrichin only waited for four hours before he saw a group of cavalry coming from the direction of Aleppo in the distance.

In order to quickly deal with the people in Hezhong, Li Rufeng only brought 20 people with him.

The three accompanying personnel are the personal guards, Bater, Jatalehun and Haishaer. One is a professional assistant, one is a diplomatic assistant, and the last one is a military guarantee.

For Li Rufeng, the people of Hezhong were actually quite easy to control. They didn't have many options, and the Mongols, who shared the same roots, were undoubtedly the most suitable ones.

It is true that there is a feud between them, but how much hatred can there be between these two branches when they are thrown thousands of miles away from their homeland?

Under the rule of Duosite, they were separated by a river, and most of the conflicts were more like conflicts for the sake of conflict. Under external pressure, reconciliation was easily reached. This was also the reason why Qinggelinayan was willing to act as a guarantor and allow them to cross the Tianshui River.

"That's Sagrichin, Karim's uncle. He has a high prestige among the people of Central Asia. Karim rarely objects to his decisions." Jatalehun explained quickly beside Li Rufeng.

When he was in Samarkand, he was very good at networking and could get along with people from all walks of life and all forces. He was the most suitable person for this kind of job.

“Also, he is a follower of the Tengri,” Jatalehun added before Sagrichin rode closer.

When he finished speaking, Sagrichin had already spurred his horse to rush over. He dismounted when he was still seven or eight meters away from Li Rufeng, walked forward with a hearty smile, and personally held the reins for Li Rufeng.

"Disciple Sagrichin greets the Shaman!" Sagrichin held the reins in one hand and touched his chest with the other hand, bowing slightly as a greeting.

Li Rufeng actually didn't know what specific etiquette should be between believers and shamans. Most of the time, this etiquette would change according to the status of both parties.

Perhaps during the Mongol Empire, when shamanism was at its peak, it also had unique ritual systems and sacrificial forms, but as time went on and the Mongols' beliefs began to shift, these systems and rituals gradually stopped being cared about.

At least the old shamans don't care, and even the shamans of this branch don't care much about it.

"May the Eternal Heaven bless His believers." Li Rufeng reached out and touched Sagrichin's head, then dismounted.

Although Sagrichin is much older than Li Rufeng, the action just now was a blessing from the shaman to his believers and was not considered rude.

"Why bother? Just come and greet me in person. You can send a junior." Li Rufeng said politely. He regarded the people in Hezhong as a force that could be absorbed, and this high-ranking Changshengtian believer was undoubtedly the best entry point.

"I haven't seen a shaman for seven or eight years since the old shaman's pilgrimage. I can't help but feel excited." Sagrichin sighed, obviously feeling helpless about the decline of the belief in Eternal Heaven.

Sagrichin is not young anymore, he is already in his early fifties this year. When he was young, he had experienced the glory and defeat of Hamaruddin, and also experienced the era of chaos of the Dugrat tribe. Finally, when he was serving under the command of the Black Tiger, he was captured by Timur and sent to Samarkand. Then he and others were exiled to the western border of the Khanate, 5,000 miles away from home.

The glory and setbacks of the past have become a thing of the past at his age. Instead, the faith that he didn't care much about back then has gradually become the most important support in his heart.

Sagrichin had great respect for the old shaman, and the trusted shaman Li Rufeng had shown extraordinary wisdom in a series of previous actions, which made Sagrichin gradually transfer his respect for the old shaman to Li Rufeng.

When traces of witchcraft appeared in the tribe, Sagrichin thought of Li Rufeng almost immediately.

He knew that this choice would give Li Rufeng more help in integrating and swallowing up the various tribes of the people in Central Asia, but compared to going north to join the Aries people, or becoming a meaningless pawn in the tug-of-war with the Mongols, Sagrichin felt that turning to Li Rufeng was not an unacceptable outcome.

In Sagrichin's opinion, Li Rufeng was obviously an ambitious man. He controlled two cities, formed alliances and made use of other people's strengths politically, and was far more courageous than Qinggelinayan.

If the people of Central Asia could get on board earlier, the benefits they could gain in the future might not be less than those of the Mughals.

Of course, the premise is that they can get on the bus early.

Sagrichin could vaguely sense the conflict in Karim's heart. In these troubled times, Li Rufeng, the leader of a tribe of only 300 people, dared to take a gamble and become a local leader. Could it be that he, with a large army and the support of the people in the river, still couldn't accomplish something?

But...the people of the River Land themselves are like shackles, weighing down Karim in various ways, making him afraid to act rashly. He can only base everything on the interests and well-being of his people.

Such a melancholy and indecisive person cannot accomplish the same great things as Li Rufeng, so Sagrichin plans to give him a push.

"Something happened in the tribe recently. Karim can't travel far to greet you and can only stay at the center. But he has prepared a feast in the camp, waiting for you to arrive. We will sing and dance today!" Sagrichin signaled Li Rufeng to get on the horse, and actually planned to lead Li Rufeng towards the camp by leading the horse!

Out of respect for the elderly and love for the young, Li Rufeng tried to dissuade Sagliqin, but Sagliqin persisted. He whispered, "The people of Hezhong are running out of time and can't afford to delay. However, there are probably still some young people in the tribe who are still stubborn and might be disrespectful to you. When that happens, please, for my sake, don't take it seriously."

Li Rufeng was silent for a while, and finally nodded calmly.

The author says:

Author's Note: That's all for today.

, will start updating in the next few days

Chapter 312 Negotiation

It turned out that the slight disrespect in Sagrichin's words was more than just politeness. The moment Li Rufeng stepped into the camp of the people in the river, he felt the hostility.

Not every person in the Central River Land can look at what is happening around them from the same perspective as Sagrichin. In the eyes of many people in the Central River Land, the main reason for their downfall is the war between the Mughals and the Dost.

It is undeniable that their thinking is not unreasonable. If Duoshite had not died, as a Khanate commander, even if he only had the strength of half a Khanate commander, Duoshite could use his size to ensure that he would not be liquidated in the negotiations with the Black Sheep People.

But now Doshite is dead, and the people who took his place were the Mongol people... The Black Sheep People can negotiate with Doshite and ignore the people of Transoxiana, but they will definitely not coexist peacefully with the Mongols, who are mainly composed of Mongol people and Transoxiana people.

Therefore, Qinggelinayan's rash uprising was actually a blessing in disguise, otherwise they would be facing Duosite with the support of the Black Sheep, and their lives would probably be very difficult, right?

The whispering women and children stood guarding the tent door and watched Li Rufeng and his group riding on horseback. The highly respected Lord Sagrichin personally held the reins for him and had no intention of letting him dismount. Lord Karim stood in the open space in the center of the camp and welcomed Li Rufeng with open arms.

"Friends who have come from afar, please dismount here. I have prepared clean water for you to wash away your fatigue!" Behind Karim, a row of girls were holding silver basins filled with water, smiling.

Of course, many of the girls already had sweat on their foreheads. They had been waiting here since the entire morning. Although they hadn't been holding basins of water the whole time, they were also very tired now.

This can actually be seen as part of the Hezhong people's display of their strength. There are more than twenty silver basins... Considering that even if this thing is not minted into currency, it is a precious metal with monetary properties. This is a naked show of wealth.

If Li Rufeng hadn't made a lot of "hard-earned money" in Martin City, he would have been jealous.

Sagrichin moved his horse to within two meters of Karim, then turned around and gestured to Tangji to dismount. This distance made Karim somewhat dissatisfied.

For the Mongolians who were good at riding, two meters was already a dangerous distance. If Li Rufeng wanted to, he was even confident that he could break through Sagrichin's obstruction and give Karim a life-ending blow.

Fortunately, no bloody incident happened in the end. Li Rufeng dismounted obediently and gave Karim a warm hug, as if they were old friends who had not seen each other for a long time.

He glanced at Karim, then raised his glass and gestured towards Li Rufeng, "Salute to faith as well."

Li Rufeng smiled unchanged as he drank and ate meat with everyone else, wanting to see how long the people in Hezhong could endure. For a moment, the atmosphere became harmonious.

After three rounds of drinks, Karim finally couldn't hold back and took the initiative to speak: "When we were in Mardin, we were busy with worldly affairs and never had a chance to communicate. I only heard that you were very young, and seeing you today, it's true that heroes emerge from youth!"

Karim said this with a bit of bitterness. He had never thought that the person who would eventually negotiate interests with him would be this young man in his twenties. He focused all his attention on Qinggelinayan.

"Although there are many misunderstandings between us, we all have the blood of the Mongolian Plateau. I want to know how we will get along in the future? How do you plan to settle my people?" Karim asked directly, pretending to be drunk.

In his mind, this matter was far more urgent than the one of being attacked by witchcraft.

"I'm afraid the land given up by my tribe is not enough to accommodate the entire Hezhong tribe." Li Rufeng smiled and showed his fangs.

Chapter 313: I can give you whatever you want

Li Rufeng was telling the truth. The area of ​​pasture left by Li Rufeng's tribe was naturally huge for a tribe of 300 people, and could be called the grassland on the ground of Tengger.

If we take into account the vacancy left by the Tairbaha tribe, it would be more than enough to support a large tribe of two to three thousand people, and this is according to the Mongol standards.

If we look at it from the Kurdish standards, it might not be impossible to support a tribe of 10,000 people.

But if the people of Transoxiana are willing to accept the Kurdish standard of living, then even if they stay in the territory of the Black Sheep, Sultan Karl Yusuf will probably restrain his own people and prohibit them from harassing the people of Transoxiana.

Using such a small price to exchange for at least one and a half thousand elite cavalry teams is definitely a lucrative deal.

But this is obviously unrealistic. Whether it is the Mongols or the people of Transoxiana, the main reason why they are willing to follow Li Rufeng and his group of ambitious people is that they want to maintain their privileged status, right?

No one wants to give away their property, but even if they do, they must get corresponding compensation and replacement.

This is what the people of Hezhong are expecting now. They are eager to get back the property they once owned.

In fact, there is no shortage of land in Li Rufeng's territory, but what is lacking is unowned land.

The pastures suitable for grazing alone include the area north of Aleppo, along both sides of the Kuweik River, a large area west of Aleppo to the port of Alexandretta, and the area east of Aleppo to the south bank of the Sweetwater River.

Even south of Aleppo, all the way to the city of Hama, although the land is severely desertified, there are several oases that can support thousands of people.

Li Rufeng sketched the situation on the table with his fingers, then looked up at Karim and Sagrichin and asked, "Where do you think is a suitable place to resettle the people of Hezhong?"

Among the areas he drew, from the perspective of water and grass grazing alone, the most suitable ones are naturally the areas east of Aleppo and the south bank of the Tianshui River.

But Li Rufeng's troops now occupy the area closest to Aleppo. If the land promised to the Kurds is taken out, the remaining area can accommodate at most 2,500 people without lowering the living standards of the people in Transoxiana. In addition, they still have to face the threat of the Black Sheep People. This area will become a barrier between Li Rufeng and the Black Sheep People.

The next best option is the area north of Aleppo, on both sides of the Kuweik River, but there are mostly woodlands there, and people living along the river would find it difficult to get used to it.

The plains west of Aleppo to the port of Alexandretta have no strategic locations and the quality of the grassland is average, which can only accommodate about 4,000 people.

Of course, these are all what Li Rufeng said himself, not actual data, because he wanted to dig out all the land suitable for farming, and not let the Mongols graze it all...

To be fair, the reason why the Mongol Empire expanded so rapidly back then was because the nomadic peoples had an insatiable demand for land, and their land use efficiency was terribly low.

The people of Transoxiana were actually a little more "advanced" than the Mughals in this respect. They developed a system similar to collective grazing, leaving professional matters to professionals to free up more people to do other things in the settlement.

Li Rufeng plans to try to promote this system within his own tribe to see the results.

"You want to separate us." Karim was silent for a moment before speaking, his expression slightly grim. "This is different from what we agreed with Qinggelinayan."

"I remember him saying he would treat the people of Hezhong equally," Li Rufeng said calmly. "But among the Mongol tribes, my tribe is the largest, with only 2,000 people. Our lands intersect with those of other tribes, and we watch over each other."

The people of Hezhong are a large tribe of more than 10,000 people...

"Our strength will be dispersed and we will become weak." Karim spoke again, his tone not as tough as before, but still very serious.

"Don't forget, in the war, it was our scattered forces that defeated Dost and you. We are not weak." Li Rufeng glanced at Sagrichin, who was drinking with relish, seemingly indifferent to the argument.

“But we are the river

The people of the Central Plains are different from the Mughals.” Karim sighed.

"Don't forget that we all have the blood of the Mongolian Plateau flowing in our veins. Seeking common ground while reserving differences is the best outcome. Otherwise, you will be enemies all over the world." Li Rufeng shrugged, not in a hurry at all.

The main reason why he dared to take a small risk and try to gain the power of the people in Hezhong was because their leadership was full of the cowardice of vested interests.

For example, when Karim Ansarifard raised his army and surrendered to the Mughals, Dost was almost dead. It was not because he had foresight, but because he did not want to take risks.

So, Li Rufeng opened his mouth and directly took out his most ambitious plan and put it on the table for Karim to see. He wanted to split the people of Transoxiana into several parts, mix them with the Mughals, and eventually digest them into his own strength.

Of course, the people in Hezhong would definitely not accept it, so the next step was bargaining...

"I have no objection." Karim glanced at his uncle and raised his glass to clink with Li Rufeng.

Ok?

Li Rufeng didn't react until the wine was gone, and then he heard Karim continue, "But I ask that Aleppo accept some of the people from Transoxiana. Many of us want to live in the city."

Oh...Okay...

Li Rufeng nodded in agreement in a daze, and then nothing happened. It seemed that Karim's arrangements for the future of his ethnic group had been completed, and the next step was to enjoy the food.

A girl with ordinary looks but a good figure was holding a silver tray with a folded Mongolian robe and belt on it. She knelt beside Li Rufeng, looking at him with a smile, seeming very happy.

"This is my little daughter. She's fifteen years old and old enough to get married and have children." Karim took a sip of wine and a bite of meat, wiped his mouth, and pointed at the girl. "I can give you anything you want. As long as you marry my daughter, we can be family."

"There's no need for so much defensiveness or politeness among our own people. From now on, everything that belongs to the people of Transoxiana is yours," Karim continued. "I know you're not originally a Mongol. You're a Han Chinese. What the Mongol can give you, we can give you too."

Li Rufeng now understood that people were waiting for him here.

To be fair, it was a good deal, but he had just recently moved on to bigger goals and a more beautiful bride...

Chapter 314 I Have a Beautiful Woman

Li Rufeng rejected Karim's "good intentions", which made the negotiations a little difficult.

Obviously, for Karim and other people in Transoxiana, marrying Li Rufeng was a very important matter. It was an open secret that Li Rufeng was not a Mongol, but no one had taken the initiative to mention it before.

But now, it has been brought to the table.

The people of Hezhong saw Li Rufeng's potential and valued his status among the Mongols. They did not want to pull Li Rufeng into their own camp, but wanted to use marriage to ensure their future interests among the Mongols.

This is what the old Sultan Timur did. He married a descendant of the Golden Family and guaranteed the interests of the Mongols within the Khanate. This made marriage the first choice within the Khanate to safeguard the interests of both parties and express sincerity.

After Li Rufeng politely refused, a trace of embarrassment flashed across the face of the cute round-faced girl, and she found an excuse to leave the tent in a panic.