Han Khan

Chapter 165: The Tatar tribes surrender

Then, Zhang Zhongxian pointed to the densely packed cattle, sheep and horses on the grassland near the tents of his subjects and slaves, and said proudly:
"The more than 70,000 livestock tended by these subjects and slaves are your dowry to you. From now on, they are all your private property.

According to the grassland, there are about two Guleyan! "(One Guleyan is 1000 households)
At this moment, Ilhan and Sarah were watching this scene, their hearts filled with shock.

They had never imagined that there would be so many livestock as a betrothal gift, let alone that they would have such a huge wealth.

The two of them widened their eyes, too shocked to speak, and even a little numb.

After a long while, Ilhan came to his senses and patted his sister's arm. At this time, Sarah did not show any joy, but looked very guilty and worried.

She turned to Zhang Zhongxian and said, "Your Excellency the Chief Priest, please take me to tell His Highness that I am grateful for His Highness's kindness. I am really flattered by such a generous betrothal gift.

But I really can't afford it, and I hope Your Highness can take some back."

Sarah knew that the betrothal gift was too expensive and they could not easily accept it because she did not have a corresponding dowry.

Zhang Zhongxian smiled and comforted:
“This is your Highness’s intention and a sign of respect for you, the princess.

Don't worry, His Highness will make arrangements. Besides, when the princess gets married, she will be one with His Highness!"

After hearing this, Sarah felt a little relieved, but still a little uneasy.

She secretly decided that in the future she would make more contributions to her husband and the Jinhan tribe in order to repay his kindness.

Her brother Ilhan was also shocked by Zhang Sheng's generous betrothal gift, especially the 900 sets of iron armor and bows and swords. This gift, combined with the strong men among the subjects, could instantly gather a regiment of elite cavalry.

On the grassland, iron armor and high-quality weapons are even more valuable than people themselves.

Many tribes on the grassland had very little armor due to a lack of blacksmiths or technical problems. In order to obtain strong defensive iron armor, the tribal leaders would even exchange a hundred sheep for a set of armor. You can imagine how generous Zhang Sheng's betrothal gift was.

As the last betrothal gift was handed over, Zhang Zhongxian showed a satisfied smile on his face. He slowly bent down, bowed to Sarah, and said softly:
"Princess, I have already handed over all the betrothal gifts as agreed. Please review them and confirm them. In addition, there are still some things I need to explain to you."

Sarah quickly stood up and responded respectfully, "Please speak, sir."

Zhang Zhongxian smiled slightly and continued, "When the princess and His Highness are married, His Highness will prepare a huge new golden tent for you. It will become your private golden tent and the core of your Ordo."

Upon hearing the news, Sarah was already trembling a little. These people and livestock would be her private property, the foundation of her survival in the Jinhan tribe, and the guarantee of the status of her future children.

She said excitedly, "Please tell His Highness that I am grateful for his kindness."

Zhang Zhongxian felt relieved when he saw Sarah's expression. He knew that this marriage was an important opportunity for both parties and that all their efforts were worth it.

Suddenly, a series of horns sounded from a hundred meters away from the east of the camp, followed by continuous drum beats. The sound was like hitting one's heart, making one's ears buzz.

As the drums beat, the flags outside the camp began to wave continuously, as if showing people that something important was about to happen.

"The left wing army has returned in triumph, Lord Koza has returned in triumph!" At this moment, several cavalrymen wearing felt hats and carrying bows and arrows rushed into the camp on horseback.

They waved their colorful flags and shouted loudly. The shouts spread quickly throughout the camp like thunder. The guards in the camp heard the drums and horns and took action. Led by their centurions and battalion commanders, they quickly gathered under the eagle flag in front of the leader's tent.

Each team leader stood at his position, waiting for the next instruction.

At the same time, with the help of his attendants, Zhang Sheng put on his armor and held the sword tightly in his hand.

His eyes were firm, revealing a sense of majesty and courage.

He quickly walked out of the tent, mounted his horse, and then led the guards to the camp gate like an arrow.

The camp gate slowly opened, and Zhang Sheng led the guards to rush out.

The sound of their horses' hooves resounded through the sky, raising a cloud of dust as they galloped towards the battlefield ahead, ready to greet the victorious army.

Because it was winter, the weather was freezing cold, and the war horses that stopped in a hurry were spewing thick mist from their noses.

Zhang Sheng stood in the distance, looking at the army of the Third Regiment on the Left Wing. He couldn't help but feel shocked and his eyelids twitched wildly.

He simply couldn't believe his eyes. The left wing led by Koza was even more ruthless than himself and Zhang Xibao. The left wing army looked no different from bandits.

The size of the team before them was huge, far exceeding the expected 2,700 cavalrymen.

According to rough estimates, this team has at least seven or eight thousand people.

Beside every Jinhan cavalryman wearing stained armor, there were several Tatar cavalrymen wearing tattered leather coats and felt hats.

Although the ranks composed of these Jinhan people and Tatars seemed a little disorganized, the fierceness they exuded at this moment was chilling. At first glance, they were a strong army that had experienced bitter battles.

At the back of the team, there was a long dragon-like queue that stretched backwards.

The prisoners in the queue hung their heads, looking depressed. Next to them were endless herds of cattle and sheep, like a moving grassland.

What was even more striking was that among the crowd there were more than 400 carriages pulled by two or four horses, and the carriages were piled with all kinds of supplies, like small mountains.

Some of the Tatar women and children were sitting on the carts, while others were staggering. It was obvious that they were all captured.

Such a large number of prisoners of war and supplies meant that the Left Three Regiment had already destroyed several tribes.

Zhang Sheng could not help but start to suspect that perhaps some tribes had been beaten to pieces before they could surrender. All the strong men were slaughtered, and the women and property were taken away. Khoza was really merciless in this attack on Caogu!
In fact, the fighting between tribes on the steppes was like this, and it was not uncommon for the victor to obtain all the spoils of the conquered and defeated tribes, including the population.

Even if it was a feuding tribe, all the men on the other side would be killed. This was the custom of the grassland, the wheel was even laid flat and all the men were killed.

Koza was riding his warhorse on the left side of the prisoner group when he suddenly saw his master, the lord he had watched grow up, immediately running towards him with a hundred or so cavalrymen.

(End of this chapter)