This claim is also supported by evidence. Marco Polo wrote in his Travels: “On the way to the Altai Mountains, the escorts took all the people they encountered along the way as sacrificial victims.”
The monarch here refers to Genghis Khan.
The third account is that in the Liupan Mountains of Ningxia, there are records stating that Genghis Khan died near the Liupan Mountains in the summer of 1227 while attacking the Western Xia.
Based on this, some archaeological experts believe that, according to the customs of the Mongolian people in the past, a person should be disposed of within 3 days of death, either through sky burial, earth burial, or cremation, in order to prevent the body from rotting and the soul from being unable to go to heaven. Therefore, this view has a certain market in the archaeological community.
As for the statement about Etuoke Banner in Ordos City, it is more official, because from ancient times to the present, this has been the place where Mongolians worship their ancestors, and the "Eight White Palaces" of Genghis Khan's clothing and cenotaph, which are the national will and national public memorial, are located in Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia.
An even more important argument is that here, the Darhad Mongols, the hereditary guardians of Genghis Khan's mausoleum, whose sole duty is to protect it, have been practicing the most complete, authoritative, and distinctly Mongol-Yuan dynasty sacrificial system. Imagine if Genghis Khan hadn't been buried nearby; why would their guardians have remained here generation after generation, worshipping their ancestor?
After analyzing various aspects, Zhuang Rui still believed that the possibility of Genghis Khan being buried on the Ordos Grassland was the greatest. Therefore, along the way, Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to survey the underground situation while chatting.
"Peng Fei, how much longer until we reach Ordos? Is it like here, with endless grasslands?"
The first stop on this trip to Inner Mongolia was arranged by Peng Fei, even though he himself had never been there before.
Peng Fei laughed upon hearing this, glanced at Zhuang Rui, and said, "Brother Zhuang, don't worry, we're not going to Ordos. It's still seventy or eighty kilometers away, all grasslands like this. There will definitely be horses. I'm just worried that you might be afraid of horses when you see them..."
Riding a horse is different from riding a camel. Camels have thick hair on their backs, so they walk slowly and steadily. Even if you ride one all day, you won't feel much discomfort in your buttocks.
But horseback riding is different. Horseback riding is about galloping fast and requires the legs to work together to keep the body stable. Let alone riding for a whole day, even just two hours of jolting on horseback will probably result in bowlegs when you get off.
Moreover, even with a saddle seat, after riding for several hours, the skin on the inner thighs and buttocks would likely be chafed raw. Peng Fei had trained in horsemanship in the army and suffered a lot back then, which is why he said those words.
"It's not like I've never ridden a horse before..."
Zhuang Rui curled his lip upon hearing this. His manor on the outskirts of Beijing originally had a horse farm, but after Little Golden White Lion and King Kong moved into the manor, the horses were so frightened that they were constantly in a state of anxiety, so Zhuang Rui sent them all away.
After driving across the grasslands for a day, Zhuang Rui became the driver. Seeing smoke rising from some yurts along the way, Zhuang Rui and his group arrived at a place to stay for their trip.
"Brother Zhuang, don't drive over there, just stop here. There are horses tied to the cart, don't be startled..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to park his car next to those large Mongolian yurts, Peng Fei stopped him.
"Isn't this just a big-wheeled cart?"
Zhuang Rui followed Peng Fei's finger and saw a horse tied to a large cart, looking anxiously at the cars in the distance, sneezing intermittently.
"The Mongolian herders use the sound 'lele' to call out to their livestock, so that cart is also called a lele cart..."
Peng Fei was quite pleased to have the opportunity to be Zhuang Rui's teacher.
"Hey, you know a lot, kid. Come on, lead the way..."
After Zhuang Rui parked the car, he got out of the car. From a distance, the yurts looked very small, but now that he was up close, he realized that some of the larger yurts were comparable to two-story buildings.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei gave a wry smile and said, "I don't know where Batel lives either, I only know it's in this area. Fine, don't glare at me, I'll go ask him, okay?"
The Batel that Peng Fei mentioned was his comrade-in-arms in the special forces and also the equestrian instructor of that unit. After the last cavalry unit in China was disbanded, Batel also retired and returned to his hometown.
The place where Batel lived didn't have telephone service a few years ago. If Peng Fei hadn't corresponded with him before, he probably wouldn't have been able to find it.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Peng Fei didn't wait for Zhuang Rui to speak and quickly walked towards the yurts. Just then, an old man came out and Peng Fei hurriedly went up to him and asked, "Old man, do you know where Batel lives?"
"Bater? There are a lot of young men here named Batel..."
The old man's words left Peng Fei dumbfounded.
Chapter 1126 Visiting (Part 1)
"Sir, the Batel I'm talking about is about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, and he's very tall..."
Peng Fei gestured wildly. This was a place where Mongolians gathered, and from a distance there were at least a hundred yurts. If it was really as the old man said, Peng Fei really had no way to deal with it.
Mongolian herders are different from the herders on the Tibetan Plateau. Since ancient times, Mongolian herders have preferred to live in groups, usually living together as a clan. They separate during the day to graze their livestock, but return to their communal dwelling at night.
Of course, there are also herders who travel alone, but in modern society, this is extremely rare. At most, they might go a little far while herding and stay overnight outside.
"Thirty-five or thirty-six years old? There are more than twenty people named Batel who are thirty-five or thirty-six years old. My son is also named Batel, and he's about the same age as you..."
The old man frowned upon hearing this. Batel means hero in Mongolian, and many Mongolians like to give their sons such masculine names.
So out of ten Mongolian men, four or five would have such a name, just like Battier, who used to play for the national men's basketball team.
"The Batel I'm talking about is a former soldier who came back five years ago. Do you know such a person, sir?"
Peng Fei had no choice but to reveal that Batel had served in the military. In fact, according to the discipline of their unit, in order to prevent retaliation from criminals offended during missions, it was generally not allowed to disclose that one or one's comrades had military experience.
Unexpectedly, Peng Fei's words actually had an effect. As soon as the old man heard the words "served in the army," his eyes immediately fixed on Peng Fei, and he asked, "Who are you? What do you want with Batel?"
Peng Fei honestly replied, "Uncle, I'm Batel's comrade-in-arms, and I came here specifically to see him..."
"If I'm not mistaken, my son is the only one in this settlement who served in the military. Young man, come on in..."
Upon hearing Peng Fei's reply, the old man finally smiled, grabbed Peng Fei's wrist, and pulled him inside, saying, "Bater went to herd the horses. He found a herd of wild horses a while ago and has been following them for almost a month. Come on in, have a seat. He should be back soon..."
Batel's father had a surprisingly strong grip, making Peng Fei's wrist ache slightly. Peng Fei didn't dare pull away, and seeing that he was about to be dragged into the yurt area, he quickly said, "Uncle, I...I have friends..."
"Ahem, this old man is getting confused. Quick, please invite all your friends over..."
The old man released Peng Fei's hand and called out to Zhuang Rui, who was standing more than ten meters away, "Guests, come over here..."
Upon finding the right person, Zhuang Rui and Ren Chunqiang were also very happy. They quickly walked to the old man's side and were about to speak when they suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves.
"It's my son who's back..."
The old man smiled as he listened to the sound of horses' hooves. Having lived on the grasslands his whole life, he could tell which horse was making the sound just by listening to it.
"hiss……"
Four or five men rode up on horseback, their heads held high. With several long neighs, the horses lifted their front hooves and slammed them to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
"Father, have we had any guests?"
Accompanied by a loud and deep voice, a tall figure jumped down from the first horse and walked towards Zhuang Rui and the others. He was not holding the reins, but the horse he had been riding followed obediently behind him.
Their settlement has one of the few remaining yurts on the Mongolian grasslands, so it often attracts tourists from the mainland. Mongolians are hospitable, so Batel didn't pay much attention to it.
"A true hero..."
Upon seeing the man who had jumped off his horse, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but secretly admire him.
The man was about thirty-four or thirty-five years old, about 1.82 meters tall, with bronze skin, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a burly build, and a loud voice. He walked with his upper body barely moving, giving him a majestic and powerful gait. If he were in ancient times, he would definitely be a fierce general.
"Battle, I've come to see you..."
Peng Fei stepped out from behind the old man and went to meet Batel.
"Feizi? What brings you here, kid..."
When Batel heard Peng Fei's voice, he was stunned for a moment. Then, when he saw Peng Fei, his face lit up with joy, and he rushed forward and hugged Peng Fei tightly.
"Those two must be doing well in the military..."
Just as Zhuang Rui and Dr. Ren were about to reminisce about the reunion of these two old comrades, they saw Peng Fei insert his right foot behind Batel, grab Batel's neck with his right hand, and take a step forward while exerting force, trying to throw Batel away.
But to his surprise, Battul was prepared. He turned around, stepped back with his right foot, leaned forward with his upper body, and used his left foot to throw Peng Fei, who weighed 130 or 140 pounds, to the ground.
Peng Fei, who had been tossed high into the air, flipped in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground. His face showed no anger; he smiled and hugged Batel again, saying, "Old Batel, your wrestling skills are getting better and better..."
Batel's face was also full of smiles as he said loudly, "You're not bad either, kid. You haven't let your skills slip after all these years..."
Peng Fei learned his wrestling skills from Batel. Although Batel was young, he became a famous classical wrestling champion in Inner Mongolia when he was only fifteen or sixteen years old before he was specially recruited into the army.
"Bartel, is this how you greet guests? I think you're asking for a beating again..."
Batel and Peng Fei expressed their feelings in a manly way, which made the old man next to them frown. The Mongolians are the most hospitable people. Although they also admire bravery, it is too disrespectful to use it on guests.
"Hehe, Father, I'm just happy! It's my fault, it's my fault..."
The tall and burly Batel shrank back when he saw his father glaring at him, and looked at Zhuang Rui and Dr. Ren, saying, "You two are Fei Zi's friends, so you're my brothers, Batel's brothers. Tonight, we're going to drink until we drop..."
Zhuang Rui was infected by the unique generosity of the Mongolians and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll definitely drink to my heart's content with Brother Batel..."
"If you want to have fun, do it yourself. I can't..."
Dr. Ren, who was next to Zhuang Rui, muttered something under his breath. He had seen Mongolians drink before, and drinking to one's heart's content with them was practically asking for trouble.
"Okay, as expected of Fei Zi's good friend, I like it..."
Batel didn't hear Dr. Ren's words. He happily patted Zhuang Rui on the shoulder and turned to the men who had come back with him, saying, "Balha, go kill two of the fattest sheep. I'm entertaining friends tonight, so come and have some drinks..."
"Alright, Brother Batel, don't worry, two aren't enough, I'll kill four..."
It was clear that Batel was highly respected among these young men. After giving them a brief instruction, the group mounted their horses and galloped off towards the pasture.
Seeing his father's face tighten again, Batel quickly invited Zhuang Rui and the others, saying, "Come on, let's go inside..."
Batel's home was in the center of many yurts. Along the way, people greeted Batel from time to time. Many children were not afraid of Zhuang Rui and his group and followed behind them with smiles.
When they reached the outside of a large Mongolian yurt that was five or six meters high, Batel shouted, "Mother, we have guests..."
As Batel shouted, two women came out of the yurt, and a child of about three or four years old ran out and jumped onto Batel, asking in a slightly childish voice, "Dad, did you catch the horse today?"
"Hmm, not today, but your father will definitely catch him..."
A hint of embarrassment crossed Batel's face. It seemed he had boasted to his son but failed to deliver. However, adults have many ways to fool children. Batel gently patted his son's bottom and said, "Bayar, call him Uncle. This is the Uncle Fei I told you about. He's a good man too..."
"Hello, Uncle Feizi..."
The little boy climbed off his father, scrutinized Peng Fei with a critical look, pouted, and said, "Uncle Fei, Daddy says a man has to be strong to be a hero, but you're not as strong as Daddy..."
“Uh, Bayar, your Uncle Fei is also very good. He can't beat Dad in wrestling, but he's much better than Dad in free fighting…”
Upon hearing his son's words, Batel chuckled dryly and looked at Peng Fei, saying, "You'd better teach the little guy a few moves later, otherwise he won't be convinced by you..."
"Let me spar with you a few times later..."
Feeling looked down upon by such a big little guy, Peng Fei was extremely annoyed. After glaring at Batel, he took a jade pendant off his neck.
After picking Bayar up, Peng Fei hung the pendant around the little guy's neck and said, "May Buddha bless you. This is a gift from Uncle Fei. You mustn't break it, or Buddha will be unhappy..."
"Father?"
The little guy looked at Batel, clearly having never received a gift from anyone.
"Hehe, it's a gift from your Uncle Fei, just accept it..."
Batel was pleased with Peng Fei's gesture. According to Mongolian custom, when visiting someone's home, one should bring a small gift, so Batel did not stand on ceremony with Peng Fei.
However, Batel was unaware that the jade pendant Peng Fei had taken out was a gift from Zhuang Rui. A similar pendant made of the same material was priced at over one million RMB at the "Qin Ruilin" shop in Beijing.
"This is too valuable, Bayar, you can't accept it..."