knife

Chapter 454 Borrowing Troops
Just as Rendo Bao breathed his last, more than a hundred miles away from him, another Prince of Yan, Xifeng Keqin, also died, and the more than 20,000 troops of the Northern Camp were completely defeated.

Renduobao died in his son's arms, at least leaving behind a complete body, and could be buried in the ancestral graveyard later. Xifeng Keqin, in order to cover his son's escape with the last bit of seed, dragged his seriously ill body and led the army to cover the rear, and in the end, the entire army was wiped out.

Zhebie deeply resented Renduobao and Xifeng Keqin.

If these two hadn't coveted Akdun's Three Kings Council and joined forces with him, the Yuan Dynasty wouldn't have split, nor would it have ended up in its current state.

In this all-out offensive, Jebe and the Tiele allied forces chose the northern camp as their true breakthrough point.

Compared to the South Camp, the North Camp was somewhat weaker. Xi Fengke was seriously ill, and his son, Xi Fengkedai, was far inferior to his father.

Therefore, it was An Xuan who attacked Ren Duo Bao, while the main force that attacked Xi Feng Ke Qin was led by Zhebie himself. This force included not only his own troops but also the Eastern Camp led by Ye Li. It was a truly overwhelming force. The two-pronged attack completely crushed the main force of the Northern Camp in just a few days. Then, they chased after Xi Feng Ke Qin for hundreds of miles and finally killed him.

Jebe ordered his army to trample over the corpse of this once incredibly nobleman who had been so highly respected in the Yuan Dynasty.

After the ravages of war, Xi Fengkeqin was completely wiped out, his flesh and blood leaving no trace.

As for An Xuan, even if he wins, it will likely be a Pyrrhic victory. After a major battle, the barbarian elites have lost their main force, which is not necessarily a bad thing for the relatively weak Yuan people.

Therefore, An Xuan was loyal to Ren Duozhong and Zhe Biebao's attitude was that he was happy whether he won or lost.

In fact, if An Xuan hadn't had the help of the Eagle Bandits, he might have ended up with Ren Duozhong suffering heavy losses in this great battle. Now, An Xuan's main force has lost a third of its strength, but the Ren Duo tribe's army has completely lost its fighting capacity.

After An Xuan joined forces with the Eagle Bandits, he still maintained a force of tens of thousands of cavalrymen and slowly advanced towards Yandu.

Just as Renduozhong had predicted, they had no interest whatsoever in even glancing at the remnants of the Renduo tribe who had fled to Changgan Mountain.

They have many more important things to do!

However, along their route, the army dispatched scouts, and with the help of spies and sentries from the Chi Qiu Institute, they completely cut off communication between this battlefield and the main battlefield, as well as the Yandu direction. As a result, neither the Yandu nor Zhebie forces knew the outcome of this battle.

However, Jebe didn't care.

His combined forces with Yeli were the main force.

Moreover, as they advanced towards Yandu, many tribes along the way joined their army. These were small tribes with little presence. During the era of the Three Kings' Council, these small tribes were the most oppressed victims. Now that Jebe had returned, they were naturally eager to join the royal army to punish him.

Although their fighting ability was not up to Jebe's standards, both Jebe and Yeli welcomed their joining. In any case, this represented the will of the people.

Meanwhile, in Yandu, Akdun was completely panicked.

The defeat of the Northern Camp, coupled with the complete silence from the Southern Camp and the fact that the messengers sent out had vanished without a trace, was itself the worst possible news.

Clearly, neither the South Camp nor the North Camp can be relied upon now.

In Yandu, the garrison under his command numbered only about 30,000 men, commanded by his trusted confidant, Shaliewen. As for the more capable Wutu, his constant betrayals had caused Akdun to lose trust in him, and after successfully seizing power, Akdun banished Wutu to guard the towns of Bafang. What terrified Akdun even more was that the Grand Preceptor, Bashiba, no longer paid him any attention.

After being wounded in that battle, Bashiba went into seclusion to recuperate. Akodun, on the other hand, maintained his previous submissive attitude and would personally go up the mountain every month to deliver food to Bashiba. In the past, he was a prince, but now he was an emperor, which naturally made a big difference.

However, three months ago, Bashiba stopped allowing him to go up the mountain.

The change in Bashiba's attitude intensified Akodun's fear.

“Yandu’s military strength is insufficient. We must recall Wutu to strengthen Yandu’s defenses!” Akdun said.

"Your Majesty, you must not!" Yelü Chongguang jumped out and loudly objected: "The troops stationed in Bafang City are guarding the borders of our Great Yuan. Once they are withdrawn, the gates will be wide open, and the troops of the Beiting Protectorate will surely march straight in."

"So what?" Akdun sneered.

“Your Majesty, the attack by Jebe and the others is merely a struggle between brothers. Who wins and who loses is just a family matter. But if outsiders intervene, there will be the disaster of national subjugation and extermination. The troops in Bafang City must not be touched!” Shi Xian also objected.

Akdun stared at them coldly for a long time before saying, "Uncles, let's not beat around the bush. My elder brother and second brother's men are coming to kill us. Not only will I have a hard time surviving, but my wife, children, and elderly parents will most likely all die. Don't you agree?"

Yelü Chongguang and Shi Xian remained silent.

Akdun then looked at the others in the hall and said, "If we fail, how many people in this hall will survive? Not many, right? When the Tiele and Jebe fled Yandu in panic, how many of their clansmen, subordinates, and relatives are left? Where did they all go? Gentlemen, think carefully about where you should go!"

"Your Majesty, defending the capital is of paramount importance!" Shaliewen said loudly. "Moreover, in recent years, the Beiting Protectorate has been trying to maintain a balance among the three of us. Since they are unable to annex us, they will try to maintain our current situation of three parties standing side by side. I suggest that we not only recall Wutu, but also borrow troops from the Beiting Protectorate!"

"Outrageous!" Yelü Chongguang roared in fury. "This is inviting a wolf into the house!"

Shaliewen spat on the ground and said sternly, "Yelü Chongguang, even if Jebe comes back, you can still be your Grand Chancellor, but can His Majesty still live? You won't allow us to send troops back, nor will you allow us to use external forces. Do you want His Majesty to die?"

"You're spouting nonsense!" Yelü Chongguang said angrily.

"Alright, stop arguing. With a formidable enemy at hand, we must unite as one to fight against the foreign invaders!" Akdun said, "My mind is made up. I will recall Wutu and borrow troops from the Beiting Protectorate to quell the rebellion!"

After saying this, Akodun turned and left.

Shalieven walked up to Yelü Chongguang and Shixian, and said with a sneer, "Listen up, you two old fools. You'd better stay at home and not do anything you shouldn't do, or your whole family will be in danger. Jebe is still far from Yandu. Maybe I can't beat them, but killing your whole family before they arrive will be a piece of cake."

"Shuzi!"

"Traitor!"

Yelü Chongguang and Shi Xian cursed each other, while Shaliewen walked away laughing.

(End of this chapter)