Han Khan

Chapter 145, Central Plains

"Yes, sir. The Khitan people from the grasslands east of Monan and north of Youzhou often went south to plunder the Tang villages and towns in Youzhou, Hedong, and Hebei.

They captured 20,000 to 30,000 Tang people, and they valued them very much. They did not kill and enslave them as they did to the Tatars and the Jurchens in the Great Xianbei Mountains.

Although a large number of Tang people died due to migration, the Khitan leaders regarded those Tang people as their own subjects. They built towns and villages on the grasslands, allocated land and livestock to the Tang people, and allowed them to continue to cultivate the land.

To the south of Youzhou, the powerful Tang general and Youzhou Jiedushi Liu Rengong often led Tang troops into the grasslands to raid the grasslands of the Khitans.

Jin Wang Li Cunxu was even more fearless and beat the Khitan Khan Yelu Abaoji, leaving him with a bloody head and causing heavy losses.

Upon hearing the news from Central Plains, Yang Binghan was extremely excited. He wanted to immediately inform Zhang Sheng, his lord, of the good news.

But Koza interrupted him and continued to the Tatar:
"It's getting late. Arrange someone to bring your people, subjects, and slaves here. We'll set up camp here, and then you can come with us!"

Koza turned around and gave orders to the Guards behind him: "Assign people to lead the slave soldiers to clean up the battlefield, and then confiscate the weapons of these Tatars, reorganize these people into groups of ten or one hundred households, and then add them to the three regiments."

"As ordered!"

Then, he said to Yang Binghan: "Send someone to inform the commanders of each camp and Erke, and ask them to come to the big tent as soon as possible to discuss the next action."

"I obey your command!" Yang Binghan hurried to carry out the order.

As night falls, the sky and the earth are pitch black, you can't see your hand in front of you, and the stars are so low and brilliant.

However, in the dark night, an army was lurking quietly.

They were located in the hilly area at the foot of Yanran Mountain and upstream of the Saling River (Seleng River). They were the three left-wing regiments led by Kozha.

The soldiers of this army had already eaten their midnight meal, but instead of lighting a campfire or any lighting tools, they chose to extinguish all light sources and fire sources to avoid exposing their position.

In the silent night, only the occasional sound of horse hooves and human footsteps make people feel a little tense.

Koza was born in the grassland. He knew very well that the Jinhan people were alone and deep in the territory. In this dangerous place, any negligence could lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

Therefore, he decided to send out a large number of scouts, who would take turns to conduct reconnaissance and patrol within a radius of 100 miles to ensure their safety.

These scouts are elite warriors who have undergone rigorous training and are able to quickly cross the mountains and forests in the dark, searching for traces of the enemy.

Under Koza's command, thousands of Jinhan soldiers began to disperse to various corners of the camp under the leadership of their respective centurions and battalion commanders to strengthen the fortifications.

They held sharp swords, looked serious and focused, and were always ready to deal with possible attacks, especially the rebellion of Tatar slave soldiers.

Although the night was bitterly cold, they had no complaints and remained highly alert.

In such an atmosphere, time passed minute by minute, and the soldiers gradually adapted to the night environment and became more alert.

They know that if there is any sign of trouble, they must respond immediately to protect their own lives and the lives of their companions.

Koza stayed in the big tent, waiting for the scouts to bring back news about the enemy. He knew that there were many Tatar tribes around him, and if he was not careful, he would easily be attacked by the enemy.

If a night attack occurs, the consequences will be disastrous, and huge losses will be incurred tonight. Therefore, he must remain calm and be fully prepared to meet the challenges that may come.

At this moment, Koza was sitting in the meeting tent, in front of him were the two regiment commanders and six battalion commanders who were led by him to participate in the Eastern Expedition to Yanran Mountain. (A brigade has three regiments, each regiment has three battalions, the brigade commander is the regiment commander of a regiment, and the other two regiments serve as his left and right wings, and a regiment commander is also a battalion commander of each regiment.)
Koza asked:
"Bu Chule, you are familiar with the surrounding situation. Now tell us which tribes are there around us and how many people there are."

There were many candles lit in the tent, and the lights were quite bright. Everyone sat in two rows, left and right. Koza sat at the front of the left row. He could not sit facing north because the holy flag was flying there, and that was the exclusive direction and position of the emperor.

All the people in the tent were fully armed, with swords placed on their knees. Everything was done to prevent any unexpected events and to be ready at all times to quickly get up and fight. At this moment, all the battalion commanders and the two regiment leaders except Koza were looking at the Tatar leader who was captured today with sharp eyes.

"My Lords, all Nayans and Beks!" (Nayan is the name given to the chieftain by the Tatars who speak the Donghu language, and Bek is the name given to various Turkic-speaking chiefs, because the Jin-Han generals in the tent had complex and diverse backgrounds.)
Nowadays, most of the nomadic tribes between the Yanran Mountains and the Langjuxu Mountains, and in the area around the Suling River, are Tatars.

The most powerful among them was the Wanggut tribe in the northern part of Yanran Mountain. They occupied the upper reaches of the Saling River, the foothills and the plains at the foot of the mountain. Their leader was named Zhao Wuliedai.

His clan was originally Uighur, but after conquering a large number of Mongols, they called themselves Tatars and had more than 5000 tents.

Tribes like these, which are Uighur and Shiwei people, are mostly called Wanggut. I heard that there is a Wulahai tribe in the southeast, which also calls themselves Wanggut.

To the north of the Wanggut tribe there was a Menggu Shiwei tribe called Waila. Its leader was a Menggu Shiwei tribe, but he also called himself a Tatar. He was called Hechinayan and had more than a thousand tents.

To the north of the Wailat tribe was the Merkit tribe. I don't know the name of their leader, but I know that the Merkit tribe had a large number of people. I heard that there were six or seven thousand tents. Their pastures stretched from the Oirat tribe next to the Eastern Sayan Mountains to the North Sea. However, the Merkit territory was very cold.

To the east of Yanran Mountain, there was a Uighur clan that controlled the former Turkic and Uighur tents, called the land of Halabalahhasun. It ruled over many Tatar tribes, called the Ahun tribe. Its leader was called Uzrukshijin, and he had about 3,000 tents.

I have never been to the west of Mount Yanran, but I heard that the Tatar tribe there has been annexed by another tribe, whose leader is called Timur.

When everyone in the tent heard this, they laughed out loud. Timur had already submitted to Jin Han and took the position of the hereditary leader of Jin Han, while his followers were divided into different groups of ten households, one hundred households, and battalions.

Bu Chule was very confused when he heard the laughter of these Jinhan people, but before he could ask, he heard Lord Koza say seriously:
"Everyone be quiet, and continue talking."

"Okay, Master Koza, the tribes I just mentioned are all Tatar tribes on the east and west sides and north of Yanran Mountain.

To the south of Yanran Mountain, bordering the great desert, are many Tatars named Kerait. Their influence extends westward to the Gobi Jinshan Mountains and eastward to the Langjuxu Mountains. They have a large population and vast grasslands.

Among them was the Shubugu tribe, located in the southeast of the Ahun tribe. Its leader was Chief Atlak, who had more than 5,000 tribesmen.

Just south of Mount Yanran is the Gurhan tribe, whose leader is Qiebuhua, who has two thousand households under his command. Under his command are three other tribes: Zhahun, Bejier, and Zhaaganbo, each with one thousand households. In other words, the entire Gurhan tribe has about five thousand tents.

To the south of the Kerait tribes, there was a small tribe called Konggulie, which controlled the narrow corridor between the southern and northern deserts.

Passing through the Konggulie tribe, you can reach the Yinshan Mountains in the south of the desert, and from there you can enter the Central Plains. The territories of Li Cunxu, the King of Jin of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitans, and the Tuoba Dangxiang people border it. My lord, the above is the situation of the various Tatar tribes that I am familiar with! "

Everyone in the tent nodded, this move was indeed useful.

(End of this chapter)