This was the border between the Oirats and the Nogai Horde, and also where the Oirats kept a garrison.
The Ming Dynasty had little contact with this place. To the west lay the Nogai Horde, while farther north was the Siberian Khanate. Only a few merchant caravans traveled between them in private; politically, there was virtually no exchange.
The Ministry of War having spies here had been entirely accidental.
During the Yongle reign, the emperor had always wanted to put an end to the Northern Hu raids, and thus launched military campaigns against the Northern Hu many times.
At the time, the Ministry of War had sent quite a few spies into the grasslands. One group of scouts disguised themselves as a merchant caravan and roamed the steppes.
After years of being buffeted about by wind and rain, they had encountered sandstorms and been swept up in wars between tribes. Later, in a muddle, they had somehow arrived here.
Tielian Guti was too far from the Ming Dynasty. They had sent three groups back in succession before finally establishing contact with the Ministry of War.
The rest had long since grown old. They would never be able to return in this lifetime.
So they married and had children here, or took in disciples and taught them their skills, training a new generation of scouts.
They had remained intermittently in contact with the Ministry of War, occasionally passing along news of the Oirats, while the Ministry of War would find ways to send them money and supplies.
In truth, both sides knew that, with mountains upon mountains and rivers upon rivers between them, their intelligence no longer held much value for the Ming Dynasty, while the cost of sending it back was enormous.
But one side could not return home, while