Firmament

Birds choose tall trees to build their nests.

- Manchu proverb

In 1265, Galemang and Ahmang led 170 families of the Salur tribe to bid farewell to Samarkand and strode eastward with white camels carrying precious scriptures and the soil of their homeland. They are going to find a new home for the Salurians.

They climbed over the undulating Wai Ili Mountains, walked out of the former borders of the Khorezm Empire, and stepped into the perished land of Western Khitan. The two great powers of the Western Regions yesterday have now been reduced to grasslands where the people of the grassland country ride horses and herd sheep.

On the vast prairie, the wind blows the grass and sees cattle and sheep. The elated steppe people rode on horseback, singing melodious long tunes while leisurely grazing herds of cattle and sheep.

Hassan looked at them with jealousy, hoping that one day the people of Salur would have such a peaceful and peaceful home.

They crossed the majestic Tianshan Mountains without stopping, entered the scenic Ili River Valley, and followed the long road north of the Tianshan Mountains to Gaochang and Yizhou, which were scorching hot. They met many Gaochang people here.

The Hassan and Salur people regarded the Gaochang people as their relatives and visited their homes and villages where they lived.

They found that the courtyards, houses, and lifestyles of the Gaochang people were very similar to those of Samarkand. There are many qanats and vineyards like those of the Khorezm Empire, as well as some old Buddhist and Manichaean buildings that look incomplete.

A few days later, they bid farewell to the Gaochang people and walked out of the vast Western Regions into the Hexi Corridor, which was directly controlled by the Grassland State.

The Hexi Corridor is inhabited by a large number of Han Chinese, Tang Wu people, Sari Uyghurs and Hui people. They are engaged in different industries, with a clear division of labor and complement each other. The Han people mainly cultivated farmland and planted fruits and vegetables on the outskirts of the city. The vast majority of Tang and Sari Uyghurs graze cattle and sheep in the grasslands and mountains. The Hui were engaged in commercial trade and handicraft industries in the cities.

The Hassan and Salur people passed through Suzhou, Ganzhou and Liangzhou, cities with a strong Han and Tang style in the East. Although the Hexi Corridor is about 1,000 kilometers long from east to west, there is no place similar to the water and soil of the hometown.

Some Salurians are not accustomed to the water and soil of the Hexi Corridor. Some have vomiting and diarrhea, and are exhausted. Some of them were covered with scabies all over their bodies, and the pain was unbearable. Some people began to complain that the trip to Guozhu was a waste of money and labor. There was an atmosphere of pessimism and helplessness in the barracks.

Hassan counts that it has been 17 months since they left Samarkand and they have not yet found a suitable place, so it is no wonder that some Salurians are discouraged. He was affected by the pessimistic atmosphere and appeared a little listless.

Hassan said to Garemang: "My lord, I am afraid that there will be no home for us Salurians at the end of the earth. "

Gale is reckless, but very optimistic. He put down the tea bowl and naan in his hand, wiped the water droplets from his beard with his hands, and climbed the loess slope with an arrow step.

Gale recklessly said loudly to the dusty people: "Under the sky, there must be the home of our Salur people. As long as we work together, the dawn of victory is ahead. Hold on a little longer, brave Salurul!".

Gale Mang assigned Hassan to lead a vanguard to lead the way in front, so that everyone could walk along the fertile land and abundant water and grass as much as possible, so as to reduce unnecessary physical wear. In this way, they have been moving towards the northeast, out of the Tengger Desert with yellow sand, over the Helan Mountain in front of them, to reach the Pingxia Plain, which is rich in water and soil resources.

Gareng looked at the Pingxia Plain, with its flat rivers and dense crops, which were very suitable for human habitation, and guessed in his heart that this might be the paradise of the Salur people. So, he ordered the tribal brigade to stop advancing and settle here for a while.

Hassan took out the soil and water from his hometown from the sackcloth and carefully compared it with the local soil, and found that the two were roughly similar, but there were still obvious differences in color.

At this moment, the officers of the Grassland State stationed in the Pingxia area found a group of strangers in the area under their jurisdiction, and immediately led the team to surround them. He read the letter of introduction written by the highest governor of Samarkand, warmly received the Salulians who had come from afar, and quickly reported their situation to the king.

The king was glad to hear that someone had come from afar to take refuge in him. At this time, the country needs to gather strength to make a big difference.

The king readily agreed to incorporate the Salurians into the Tanma Red Army of the Northern Army, and at the same time appointed Gale Mang as the hereditary Daru Huachi (steppe language, the official position of the highest local governor in charge of local administration and military power), the hereditary Baihu and the deputy Qianhu in the former land of the Nuzhiguo, to exercise jurisdiction in Jishi Prefecture on behalf of the imperial court.

The

officers of the Grassland State provided Gale Mang with daily necessities and a few weapons, and ordered them to go to the border of Jishi Prefecture immediately.

Located at the confluence of two plateaus, Jishi Prefecture is home to nomadic Tibetans and some Saltas. Crossed by a clear river, the La Ridge Mountains extend from northeast to southwest, and Jishi Prefecture is located at the key point of the Silk Road and the Tangbo Ancient Road, and is also the gateway to Longyuan and Xihai, so it has become a military pass with a dangerous geographical location. Historically, the drums of war here have been frequent, and the beacons have changed hands several times.

In 1253, in order to stabilize the powerful Tubo people, the grassland country set up the Marshal Mansion of the Tubo Xuanwei Sidu in Hezhou, which borders Han and Tibet, to manage the affairs of Tubo on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Both Hezhou and Jishi Prefecture were subordinate to the Marshal Mansion of the Tubo Xuanwei Sidu.

Receiving orders from the officers of the Steppe State, Gale Mang led the Salur people to the southeast immediately, and after reaching Qinzhou, he turned back to the west, first reaching Fuqiang, then entering the area of Taozhou and Heicuo, where the Tubo people lived, and finally reaching Ganjiatan. They camped in Ganjiatan for a few days, one to replenish food, and the other to rest.

Gareng led his people out of Samarkand, and 45 Salulians followed them. These people are taking an even more difficult path. They passed through the arid and hot Tianshan South Road, crossed the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, passed through the famous hometown of Loulan in the ancient Western Regions, entered the Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and then walked east along the southern shore of Xihai Lake to the area inhabited by the Tibetans.

They first arrived in Guide Prefecture, then walked into Jianzha Beach, arrived at Tongren's dragon car, and then turned back to Yuanzhugou in Guide.

At this time, everyone was exhausted after a long journey. 12 of them said they wouldn't go any further. They stayed in Yuanzhugou and lived together with the local Tubo people. Later, these people multiplied into the 12 tribes of Yuanzhugou. Clothing and food conform to the customs and habits of the Tibetan people.

The remaining 33 people were firm in their beliefs, gritted their teeth and continued to move eastward, and finally met the brigade led by Gale Mang at Ganjiatan. Flesh and blood compatriots met unexpectedly in another country, and their hearts were sweet, sour, bitter and salty, full of flavors, and full of emotion.

After the two teams of Salurians had joined up, they rested for a while, and then continued their journey with the white camel in hand. They walked northwest from Ganjiatan, passed through Xichanggou, crossed Mengda Mountain, and entered the territory of Jishi Prefecture.

At this time, the sun in the west gradually set, and the sky soon turned into a black ink.

Garemang encouraged everyone to go on a further walk and then stop and recuperate.

The young man who led the white camel was named Ishei. Feeling anxious for a moment, he parked the white camel on the road and ran behind a pile of bushes to relieve himself.

The white camel did not wait for its owner as usual, but threw off its hooves and strode away, and then disappeared into the night.

When Ishei came back and found that the white camel was gone, he was so anxious that he cried out loudly.

Gale Mang immediately gathered his people and handed them over to Ah Mang to manage. He ordered Hassan to light torches and lead a few young men up the ridge in search of the white camels. Later, the hillside was called Otbenach, which means fire slope in the Salur language.

Garemang, Hassan, Ishei and others groped their way through the night, anxiously searching for the scriptures that carried the spiritual food of the Salur people and the white camels of their homeland.

When they reached the sand slope, a large area of fish belly white in the east was white, and the sky and the earth gradually became clear. Therefore, Shazipo is called Tanguti by later generations, and the Salur language means that it is dawn.

Garemang, Hassan and the others stood on the high hillside and looked down the hillside. They saw a beautiful and fertile place at the foot of the rolling hills. The terrain is flat, the rivers are mighty, the grass is green, and the flowers are blooming.

A relieved smile appeared on Galeman's tired face. He excitedly stroked his thick beard and thought: The water and grass here are abundant, the land is fertile, and it is a fascinating cornucopia of gold and silver. Could this be the place we are looking for?

Gale Mang suddenly lifted his spirits and decided to lead everyone down the hill to check the water and soil conditions there.

Everyone ran down the hill in a puff of smoke.

Hassan was at the front. He saw a crystal clear, crystal clear spring flowing from the grass beneath his feet. He searched the spring and found the white camel lying peacefully on the edge of the spring

Hassan was overjoyed and shouted excitedly: "Lord Garemang, the white camel has been found!

Everyone gathered around in surprise, and sure enough, they saw the white camel lying quietly on the grass.

The white camel twisted its neck slightly, blinked, and looked at the excited people silently. Between the humps are sackcloth with precious scriptures and the water and soil of the homeland.

Yi Si Hei was so happy that tears flowed down her eyes. He hurried forward, picked up the reins from the ground, gently patted the white camel with a poplar branch, and urged him: "Stand up quickly." We've been looking for you for a night!".

Unexpectedly, the moment the poplar branch in Yi Sihei's hand fell, the white camel turned into a stone camel, and his whole body did not move.

Ga Lemang was so excited to see this miraculous scene that he choked up for a long time.

He calmed down and said to everyone: "Doth (Salur, brothers), the white camel has turned into a white stone. It must have been inspired by the gods to lead us here. Hassan, take out the water and soil of your hometown, compare it with the water and soil here, and see what the situation is?"

Hassan quickly removed his coat and took out the water and dirt in the clay pot. He grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground. Ishei picked up a handful of clear spring water. The two got together and made a serious comparison.

Hassan and Ishei found that the soil and water in both places were of the same quality. They looked and looked and saw for sure they were exactly the same. Hassan excitedly reported the results to Garemang.

Gale recklessly proclaimed, "This is it, this is it! This is the place where we have overcome difficulties and traveled thousands of miles to find it!"

"Roar, this is our new home!" Salur, men, women, and children, who had gone through many hardships and dangers, were overjoyed, and cheered loudly together despite the folk customs of men and women, young and old. Later generations called this place the street, which means here in the Salur language.

Men set up improvised tents near the springs. Women gather dry wood and dry grass. Gale recklessly raised a roaring fire. Hassan brought cool spring water and boiled a large pot of tea for his people.

The

people of Salur settled down contentedly around the warm stove and drank the delicious tea. They lived next to each other as a family, forming the first village of the Salur people in the East. They called the life-saving spring the White Camel Spring.

Officials from the Prairie State of Jishi Prefecture soon came to the street.

The Supreme Governor held a solemn and enthusiastic handover ceremony. He solemnly handed over an official seal carved from Hetian white jade to Gale Mang, officially transferred the jurisdiction of Jishi Prefecture to him, and also allocated some silver taels, horses, forage, etc. Subsequently, the Supreme Commander led the team to the east to crusade against the Eastern Kingdom.

From then on, the mission of the Salur tribe was to reclaim the frontier for the steppe country. They rode on horseback as brave warriors, and jumped off their horses as border people who gathered and shepherd.

Gale Mang is in charge of the overall work as the Daru Huachi. Ah Hemang assists his brother in managing daily chores. Hassan assisted Gareng in managing military affairs.

The

steppe country collectively refers to people from Western countries as Caimu people, which means people with colored eyes. This is because the color of their eyes is gray or yellowish, unlike the black of the Oriental steppes and Orientals.

The

government followed the name of the Salurians and called them Salulians. The common people of the Central Plains have always referred to the people of the Western Regions as the Hui people in general. To make a further distinction, they refer to the Salur people as Salur Hui.

In order to provide a place of worship and meeting for the men of Salur, Gareng led men who did not pay attention to physical fitness to build a simple mosque by the camel spring, called Gaalmaxiti (Salur, black mosque). He kept the precious hand-copied book in a wooden cabinet in the mosque and carefully treasured it.

One glorious morning, Gareng led all the Salur people out of the village and up the red clay slopes in the distance. They knelt on the hillside on their knees and prayed reverently in the direction of their hometown, where the sun had set.

After praying, Gale raised his arms and shouted: "All of us people must cheer up our spirits, work hard, and build a beautiful new homeland on the land of the East." "

With

a glint of hope in their eyes, the Salurians raised their hands together and shouted, "New home!