unclear

Chapter 1397 Cossacks and Kazakhs 2
Aismu Khan is the new generation leader of the Middle Horde. After his brother Tawuqle Khan died, he began to increase contact with the Ming Empire. Last year, he even personally led a delegation to the capital to pay tribute, and also to see if the Ming Empire was as rich and powerful as legend had it.

Did he say so? He didn't say, but after hearing that the Russian army might invade the east, he took the lead in expressing his welcome to the Ming Empire's army to be stationed in Zhongyuzi, and was willing to provide 2000 of his most elite cavalry to fight alongside them.

After receiving the gift of 1000 muskets, they also provided fodder for the Ming cavalry stationed in Turkestan. 1000 muskets may not sound like much, but the Kazakh Khanate did not actually have any organized musket cavalry.

With just 1000 musketeer cavalry, he gained an absolute advantage in the skirmishes with the Little Horde tribe and snatched away a large piece of grassland that had been contested for decades!
Unlike the Middle Horde, which had expressed its firm support for the Ming Empire and pledged to contribute money, strength, and manpower to resist the invasion of the European coalition, Alim Ule Khan, the leader of the Lesser Horde, never expressed his stance. He only sent his people twice to inform them of the European coalition's eastward advance, and then lost contact with them.

To this day, no one knows the exact situation in the Little Horde. In order to prevent the tribe from suffering losses, Aismu Khan persuaded all the tribes bordering the Little Horde to move to the east in advance, leaving only some young people from small tribes in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River to continue herding, which was actually used as an outpost.

"There's a Han Chinese proverb: 'Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.' We've come from afar, so we're all guests; you're the host here. Now, this kind host has encountered a vicious guest. We can't just expect the guest to step forward and uphold justice, can we?"

Compared to when he followed Hong Tao across the Qinghai Plateau, Huang Taiji, now nearing fifty, appears slightly more robust and older, but his personality has also become more composed and shrewd.

Unlike Han Chinese officers, he understood the psychology of minority leaders better and was more comfortable with them. He was neither arrogant nor obsequious, and he always spoke his mind, clarifying the interests before discussing feelings.

"General, you flatter me. Yangir Khan is the true master of the Khanate. I am merely entertaining guests on behalf of my master." The minority leaders were quite receptive to this approach, mainly because they could immediately understand what he was saying. Being too convoluted not only failed to save face but also annoyed them.

"After this battle, things should change! I witnessed firsthand how the Great, Middle, and Lesser Hordes treated the Ming army, and I will report everything to His Majesty. You should also know the Holy Ruler's temperament; he hates those who are two-faced and opportunistic."

I'm a soldier, and a rough man, not good at grand pronouncements, but I understand one thing: Whoever considers the Ming Empire a friend should be the master of this land. Only when friends join hands can we defeat the wolves!

Huang Taiji was a master at persuading shepherds using language they could understand and enjoyed. And when it came to making grand promises, he was second to none, his skill rivaling that of the current emperor.

Every sentence revolves around the future political landscape of the Kazakh Khanate, but no word is definitively stated. Instead, phrases like "maybe," "should," "I think," and "the emperor has always" are used. In short, don't nitpick every single word, or you'll end up saying nothing at all.

"General, please rest assured, the 100,000 households of Zhongyuzi will always be friends of the Great Ming Empire! I originally wanted to conscript another 5000 elite cavalry to help, but unfortunately there are too few muskets, and I'm afraid that carrying swords, bows and crossbows will slow down the army."

However, these somewhat uncertain words resonated with Aisim Khan. The herdsman didn't quite understand the state system established by the Han Chinese in the Central Plains, let alone the military system of the Ming Empire.

In their eyes, Huang Taiji was the Ming Emperor's right-hand man, their relationship as close as father and son. Otherwise, why would they entrust him with tens of thousands of elite troops, thousands of miles away, and grant him the power to make decisions on the battlefield? According to the customs of nomadic peoples, unless he was the emperor's own son, the most likely reason for such power and strength was not to guard the borders for the country, but to establish a separatist regime, declare independence, and experience the life of a Great Khan!
Therefore, Huang Taiji's ambiguous statement was interpreted by them as nothing less than a piece of advice. It was even possible that the Ming emperor was already very dissatisfied with Yangjir Khan and was using the Western Regions General to leak some information.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Kazakh Khan, apart from his own ethnic territory, doesn't seem to have any substantial advantages over the other Horde Khans. But if you were to say who should be the Khan, they would secretly rejoice, and if you were to say who shouldn't be the Khan, they would be very unhappy!

Furthermore, as trade between the Kazakh Khanate and the Ming Empire deepened, the position of Khan seemed to become increasingly important. The most obvious example was the right to sign agreements; for all important agreements signed between the two countries, if the Ming Emperor affixed his seal, the Kazakh Khan also had to affix his seal, otherwise the Ming Empire would simply not recognize it.

This means that when Yangir Khan signs agreements with the Ming Empire, he will almost certainly prioritize the interests of the Great Horde before considering the smaller Hordes. If they disagree, there's nothing he can do; whoever breaks the agreement will face military attack from the Ming Empire, and they simply can't win!

If they could replace the leader, the various tribes of Zhongyuzi would usher in a golden age of great development. Who wouldn't want their own tribe to reap more benefits? Only when the tribe is strong can it have a solid foundation.

For this not-so-certain possibility, Aisimuhan was willing to invest more capital. But the herdsman was not stupid; he was constantly calculating against the other party.

If we could seize this opportunity to acquire a few thousand more muskets, the status of the various tribes of the Middle Horde would be quite stable without relying entirely on the support of the Ming army. As the Han proverb goes, "It's better to have what you have in your own pocket than what your parents have!"
"Hey, haven't you received the second batch of 2000 muskets yet?" Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji almost slammed his fist on the table. These were vital national weapons, a full 2000 muskets! How could they just vanish into thin air!

“2000... I swear to God, I have not seen any muskets other than those 1000. It was only two months ago that the Khan sent 50 boxes of bullets, saying that the general had ordered them.”

Aismuhan became even more agitated. He stood up and paced around the room, clutching his chest and pointing to the sky, swearing that he had not seen the batch of muskets.

"Oh, perhaps Yangir Khan has made a mistake. When I left the capital this time, I specifically requested an extra 3000 muskets from His Majesty, intending to distribute 1000 to the Great Horde and 2000 to the Middle Horde. After all, you will be at the forefront, so it is reasonable for you to receive more."

But I left in a hurry and didn't go with the railcars transporting the guns. Logically, these muskets should have been transported along the railcars to Andijan for storage first, and then escorted westward by the Ming army.

"Since I'm not here, the garrison in Andijan probably doesn't know the exact whereabouts of the muskets and hasn't continued shipping them. That's easy to handle. I'll write a warrant, and you can send someone to Andijan to collect them."

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh as if he understood something. He tapped his head and muttered that he had been negligent in his work, but it was never too late to mend his ways.

(End of this chapter)