The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 182 Temujin's Shock, the Iron Cavalry from Western Liao
The blood-red setting sun hung in the sky, casting a shocking crimson hue over the Drague River.

A cold wind howled across the empty battlefield, carrying a heavy stench of blood and decay, swirling wildly.

The post-war battlefield was like a living hell, leaving clearly visible scars on this land.

The corpses of the Kereit soldiers lay scattered on the ground, layer upon layer, like a twisted forest.

Countless vultures circled in the air, emitting sharp cries.

The wounded warhorse lay on its side, its life slowly fading away; or it struggled to get up, letting out a pitiful whinny, but then collapsed again due to its severe injuries.

Li Xiao rode his warhorse, slowly surveying the battlefield.

His gaze was solemn, his expression cold; the horrific scene before him seemed so insignificant in the face of the joy of victory.

War is always cruel; even victory is accompanied by countless sacrifices.

"Grand Commander, Prince Sangkun of the Kereit tribe was not found among the prisoners of war. It seems he has escaped," Luo Meng reported.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao remained calm, his gaze still fixed on the devastated battlefield, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Sangkun was not only brave and skilled in battle, but also quite adept at escaping.

After Temujin unified the grasslands, Sangkun led his followers on a long and eventful journey, visiting places such as the Western Xia, Jin, and Western Liao dynasties.

He was eventually killed in Gaochang.

"Dispatch troops to continue the pursuit and kill him if possible," Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Although Sangkun and Temujin were at odds, and keeping him around might cause Temujin a lot of trouble, Li Xiao did not want to raise a tiger that would become a threat.

Some people, if you can kill them, then kill them.

"Yes, sir." Luo Meng nodded.

Despite Sangkun's escape, the Jinzhou army achieved remarkable results in this battle.

Of the 16,000 troops that the Kereit army had deployed, several thousand were killed, nearly 10,000 were taken prisoner, and only a small number of soldiers managed to escape.

This victory, like the destruction of the Naiman tribe, will shake the entire grassland and allow the Kereit tribe, the overlord of the grassland, to truly experience the terrifying strength of the Jinzhou army.

Shortly afterward, Li Xiao convened a war meeting with the generals of his various units.

"After annihilating the 20,000 troops under Sangkun, the Kereit forces near Yudujin Mountain were wiped out."

"The main force of the Kereit tribe was taken to Kuoyitian by Wang Han."

"East of Yudujin Mountain lies a smooth road for our army," Li Xiao said in a deep voice, seated at the head of the table in the golden tent.

This information was obtained through interrogations of Kereit prisoners of war.

The defenses in the heart of the Kereit tribe were weak, which was the perfect opportunity for the Jinzhou army to launch a surprise attack.

“The Naiman tribe is already part of our Jinzhou territory. The Kereit tribe’s attack on the Naiman is a deliberate act of hostility towards our Jinzhou.”

"We must not let them get away with this," Luo Meng said in a deep voice.

Immediately afterwards, Erhu nodded emphatically: "That's right, we'll also cross the Yudujin Mountain to raid the Kereit tribe."

"I heard that the Kereit tribe often raided the Western Xia from the south, taking many Han Chinese back to the grasslands and turning them into slaves."

“Although we are Liao people, we are also Han people. When our compatriots are in trouble, we must help them,” Da Hu said, giving a righteous reason.

Sensing the aggressive tone in the generals' words, Li Xiao nodded slightly. This was how an army should behave.

We will not back down, nor will we fear battle.

Always maintain a spirit of enterprise and be highly aggressive.

"Reinforcements are on their way and will arrive in three days."

"Among the reinforcements this time were 10,000 Naiman prisoners of war."

"I plan to divide these prisoners of war into twenty teams."

“Each of your thousand-household units will be responsible for five hundred Naiman prisoners of war,” Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Erhu frowned: "Grand Commander, can those Naiman prisoners of war be trusted?"

Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.

Erhu instinctively didn't quite trust the Naiman people.

Moreover, the Jinzhou army had recently annihilated the Naiman tribe and killed two of its Khans.

These Naiman prisoners of war had only undergone a short period of reformation; how could they possibly have any loyalty to the Jinzhou army?
Li Xiao simply smiled coldly.

"Whoever feeds me is my mother!"

"How much loyalty do these Naiman soldiers have to the Tayang Khan?"

The Jinzhou army has already killed all the nobles of the Naiman tribe, leaving only ordinary herdsmen and slaves.

In this chaotic world, people will risk their lives for whoever can give them food and improve their lives.

Even if Jinzhou conquers their homes and takes their loved ones, so what?

They used to be subservient to the bullying of the Naiman nobles, but now they are just as afraid of the Jinzhou army's tyranny.

During his unification of the grasslands, Temujin abducted women from many tribes, but the men of those tribes still made great contributions to the Mongol Empire's conquests.

Because women are a kind of wealth to them, a tool for procreation.

In grassland culture, women can even be traded and inherited.

Perhaps their original wives were stolen.

Moreover, although the Jinzhou army had taken their women and daughters, Li Xiao would also give them the opportunity to take the women of the Kereit tribe as their wives.

The money that has been spent must be earned back double from others.

"Moreover, the Naiman and Kereit tribes are sworn enemies. Over the years, they have fought countless wars, and their hatred cannot be easily resolved."

"Going to plunder the women and wealth of the Kereit tribe will only make these Naiman prisoners of war more willing to fight for their lives," Li Xiao said calmly.

“Tell those prisoners of war that they only need to kill three enemies who resisted to the bitter end, and they will be freed from their slave status and become herdsmen of Jinzhou.”

"If he captures three women, one of them can be his."

“If he steals three sheep, he should be given one as a reward.”

"Even if we steal three gold bricks, Ben will still give him one."

"Everything will be allocated according to the standards of the Golden State Army."

“As long as he has the ability, he will not care about his background, status, or race, and will reward him accordingly.”

This distribution method, known as "three horses sharing the spoils," was a method of distributing war spoils during the Tang Dynasty.

In short, the spoils of war looted by the soldiers were divided into three parts: one part was handed over to the national treasury, one part was left to the army collectively, and the last part was distributed to the soldiers as private property.

The strength of the Tang Dynasty army in its early stages was largely due to its simple and brutal method of distributing spoils of war.

On one occasion, the Tang army even besieged a city, preparing to massacre and plunder it.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, could not bear to see the people in the city slaughtered, so he allowed them to surrender.

However, the Tang army besieging the city refused, believing that Li Shimin's order harmed the interests of the army and soldiers.

Left with no other choice, Li Shimin had to take out valuables from the national treasury and distribute them to the soldiers, thus preventing the people from being slaughtered.

This method of distributing spoils is simple, brutal, and extremely bloody, making it as difficult to control as a wild beast unleashed from its cage.

But Li Xiao doesn't need to think about that much.

For him, killing was the simplest way to solve problems.

The great undertaking in Jinzhou has just begun, and what it needs most is a group of brave and fearless soldiers. Other things can be considered later.

"Those prisoners of war have already revealed the locations of some of the Kereit tribes."

"But the Kereit tribe is not like the Naiman tribe. The Kereit tribe is stronger and has a larger population."

"Even though the Kereit tribe has lost 20,000 troops, each tribe still has a considerable number of men left behind, so we cannot be careless."

"This looting will be carried out in units of a thousand households, and the distance between each thousand households should not be too far."

"We are ready to provide support at any time."

Upon hearing Li Xiao's words, the generals replied in a deep voice, "Yes, sir."

Three days later, the Jinzhou reinforcements arrived in the Dragh River basin, along with 10,000 Naiman prisoners of war.

Li Xiao assigned them to various thousand-household armies.

They were only given a batch of ordinary dhows and simple weapons. They would need to make enough contributions to receive the same treatment as the Jinzhou army.

Subsequently, Li Xiao led a portion of his troops to guard 10,000 prisoners of war from the Kereit tribe.

Da Hu, Er Hu, and others led their respective tribes in separate attacks, crossing the Yudujin Mountain to plunder the Kereit tribes.

……

On the vast plains of Kuoyitian, the gale-force winds, like wild horses, tore at the military flags, and a chilling atmosphere permeated the camp.

Wang Han, with his white hair and beard and large belly, sat upright on a tiger-skin chair, the sword hanging at his waist swaying slightly with his heavy breathing.

His gaze fell upon the person inside the tent, a satisfied smile flashing across his face. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Xi Tihu, the intelligence you brought this time is very important. Temujin and I will never forget the friendship of the Hongjila tribe."

Temujin sat below, wearing a gray-white cloak, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest.

With a deep gaze, he stared at Xi Tihu and said, "Xi Tihu, my mother came from the Hongjila tribe, so we are family. I, Temujin, will always remember this kindness that helped me in my time of need."

Xi Tihu was of medium height and had a thin face. He was the younger brother of the leader of the Hongjila tribe.

Upon hearing this, he respectfully clasped his hands in a salute and said with a smile, "Although my Hongjila tribe was forced to participate in the war, we have always insisted on supporting the two Khans. I have come here at great risk in the hope of being able to lend a helping hand to the two Khans."

This time, Jamukha assembled a nine-tribe coalition to attack Temujin and Wang Khan, and the Hongjila tribe was also forced to participate.

However, the Hongjila tribe was white on the outside but red on the inside. On the surface, they supported Jamukha, but in secret they kept passing on intelligence to Temujin.

It was precisely because of this that Temujin was able to keep abreast of the movements of the nine-tribe allied forces and Jamukha's military deployments.

Wang Han nodded slightly: "Hmph! That rat Jamukha dared to scheme against us."

“Xi Tihu, go back and tell your brother that after defeating Jamukha, the most fertile grassland in the east will belong to the Hongjila tribe.”

Xi Tihu bowed again in thanks: "Thank you both, Great Khans."

After Xi Tihu left the tent, a trace of worry flashed in Wang Han's eyes: "Temujin, Jamukha's allied forces have come with great force this time, and have sent 10,000 men to bypass the fortress and launch a pincer attack on our army. What are your thoughts?"

This is the intelligence that Xi Tihu just sent them.

The two armies were locked in a standoff in the Kuoyitian area for some time. Although tensions were high, both sides were probing each other.

Unexpectedly, Jamukha was so cunning that he actually planned to secretly send someone to sneak around and launch a surprise attack from behind.

Temujin said in a deep voice, "This is an opportunity bestowed upon us by the Eternal Heaven."

“Godfather, I am willing to personally lead men to annihilate those ten thousand enemy soldiers.”

Wang Han nodded slightly, agreeing with the idea that Temujin should handle the dangerous tasks while he could simply reap the benefits.

"However, Jamukha also left quite a few troops on our front lines."

“If you take too many people with you, I’m afraid Jamukha will take advantage of the situation and the fortress will be in danger,” Wang Han said with a worried expression.

Temujin's expression remained unchanged, but in his heart he was already furious with Wang Khan.

He then said with a serious expression, "Don't worry, Godfather, I don't need to bring too many people to wipe out this mere rabble."

"Eight thousand soldiers will suffice."

"The Eternal Heaven will protect us."

Hearing this, Wang Hancai nodded in satisfaction and laughed, "Good, Temujin, you've done a great job."

"As expected of Yesugei's son, he has completely inherited his bravery and fearlessness." Wang Khan completely treated Temujin as a free laborer, only needing to use praise and empty promises to keep Temujin fighting for him.

Therefore, although Sangkun kept urging him to kill Temujin, Wang Khan was somewhat reluctant.

More importantly, he was worried about his reputation being tarnished, since Temujin was his benefactor and the son of his sworn brother.

Just as the father and son were enjoying a harmonious moment, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent. A personal guard rushed into the tent and knelt on one knee: "Great Khan, something terrible has happened!"

"Prince Sangkun...has been defeated!"

The guard's voice trembled, his face turned deathly pale, and he spoke in a panic.

Upon hearing this, Wang Han, who was sitting at the head of the table, dropped his golden wine cup to the ground.

He stood up abruptly, but his large belly meant he no longer had the strong physique of his youth; he swayed and almost lost his balance.

The Kereit Khan, who had traversed the grasslands for many years and weathered countless storms, now stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock and disbelief: "What did you say? Say it again!"

Temujin's expression was equally grave. He looked at his personal guards with disbelief, muttering in surprise, "Defeated?"

"Sangkun has an army of 20,000!"

Although Sangkun had always been at odds with him, Temujin also looked down on him and even wanted to get rid of him.

But not now.

As the leader of the Qiyan tribe, he knew all too well what Sangkun's defeat meant.

Not only will Kereit's troops suffer heavy losses, but the balance of power across the entire grassland will be completely disrupted, and it will also directly affect Kuoyitian's battle situation.

"His Highness's army was defeated in the decisive battle against the Liao army at the Degra River..."

"General Bilegbeqi unfortunately died in battle while covering His Highness's retreat..."

Before the messenger could finish speaking, Wang Han plopped down in the tiger-skin chair, shaking his head in shock: "Impossible!"

"How could this be?"

"No way."

“Sangkun has 20,000 of my Kereit troops, the most elite of my army.”

"Moreover, Sangkun is not a reckless person."

Sangkun was his most valued son, who had achieved numerous military exploits over the years and rarely suffered defeats.

That's why Wang Han felt at ease leaving Sangkun at Yudujin Mountain.

Unexpectedly, what they received was news of the complete annihilation of the army.

"Why were we defeated? What exactly happened?"

"Where is Sang Kun? Is he still alive?" Wang Han asked excitedly.

"Prince Sangkun has already left, but we don't know where he is," the guard said cautiously.

Upon hearing this, Wang Han breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the worst thing didn't happen.

If Sangkun also gets into trouble, then the Kereit tribe may really have no future.

Afterwards, Wang Han summoned the two soldiers who had escaped back into the main tent and questioned them in detail about the battle.

Soon after the soldiers left, the atmosphere in the tent remained oppressive and suffocating.

Wang Han slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant, as if he had aged several years in an instant.

Temujin's brows furrowed into a deep frown as he paced back and forth in his tent, his boot heels slamming heavily on the ground, his mind in turmoil.

For many years, the Kereit tribe dominated the grasslands, with numerous fierce generals under its command and its elite cavalry being invincible. It firmly held the throne of grassland overlord and could even rival the Jin army.

But now, they have been utterly defeated by the Liao army, almost completely wiped out. The fighting power of this Liao army is simply beyond imagination.

It could probably rival even the most elite troops of the Jin Dynasty.

Thinking of this, a hint of sadness flashed in Temujin's eyes.

My former ambitions seemed to have been doused with cold water.

He sighed softly, "Even a centipede dies but doesn't fall down. I originally thought that the Khitans had lost their former glory after the fall of the Liao Dynasty, but I never expected..."

Wang Han slumped in the tiger-skin chair and gently shook his head, saying, "They are not Khitans."

"The one who came to the grassland this time was just a commander under Xiao Simo of the Northern Frontier, named Li Xiao, who is probably a Han Chinese."

The northern border was too far from the eastern part of the grasslands, and Temujin had no way of learning about things there, only having heard snippets of information.

But Wang Han was different; he had even heard of the war between the northern frontier and the royal court.

They also knew the name of Li Xiao, the Grand Commander of Jinzhou, which is why they felt terrified.

One of Xiao Simo's commanders alone wiped out the Naiman and annihilated the Kereit army of 20,000.

If Xiao Simo were to lead the Northern Frontier army on an eastern expedition, wouldn't the entire grasslands have to submit to the Northern Frontier?
"Li Xiao, the Grand Commander of Jinzhou?" Temujin sighed in a deep voice.

Last year, Li Xiao sent someone to contact Wang Han and agreed to jointly attack the Naiman tribe.

However, because Jamukha organized a nine-tribe coalition to launch a war in the eastern grasslands, Wang Khan's war against the Naiman tribe came to an end without result.

No one could have imagined that, just as they were fiercely vying for the position of ruler of the grasslands,

The iron cavalry from the distant west, single-handedly, had already annihilated the Naiman tribe and possessed the strength to conquer the entire grassland.

Thinking about all this, their ambitions seemed somewhat laughable, as ignorant as frogs at the bottom of a well.

"Temujin, now that Sangkun has been defeated, our army is in a very unfavorable situation, and the Kereit troops will be attacked from both sides."

"If Jamukha were to learn of this at this time..."

Seeing Wang Khan's disappointed and worried expression, Temujin shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Father, Jamukha won't find out about this so soon."

Communication conditions on the grasslands are extremely poor.

Wang Han was able to learn about the battle situation immediately because a deserter from the Kereit tribe came to report the news.

Jamukha, however, did not have this advantage, since his attention was focused on Temujin and he would not pay special attention to the affairs of the Naiman tribe.

Relying solely on information exchange among grassland herders, it would likely take several months to receive the news.

"Now, our army must keep the news under wraps and absolutely cannot let Jamukha know that Sangkun has been defeated," Temujin said in a heavy voice.

Wang Han knew the situation was urgent, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Someone come here!"

A personal guard stepped forward, and Wang Han ordered him to kill the deserters who had returned from the battlefield of the Dragh River, and to strictly control the information and prevent the spread of rumors in the army.

But the crisis is not over yet.

The Jinzhou army and Jamukha's nine-tribe allied forces still hung like two sharp swords over the Kereit tribe.

"The situation is dire." Wang Han sat at the head of the table, his expression shifting between anger and fear.

"With the defeat of Sangkun's army, the Liao army will surely advance deep into our Kereit territory. Wouldn't the Khanate be in danger if they penetrated into the heart of our Kereit tribe?"

Apart from those under Sangkun's command, most of the Kereit army was taken by Wang Khan to Kuoyitian.

The heartland of the Khanate is empty and extremely dangerous.

Moreover, on the front lines, the Kereit army was also tied down by Jamukha's nine-tribe coalition.

This situation put Wang Han in a dilemma.

“Perhaps we can talk to Zhamuhe…” Wang Han’s voice was hoarse, and a hint of hope was in his eyes.

Temujin frowned, sensing something was wrong, and quickly stepped forward, saying urgently, "Father, you mustn't!"

"Zhamuha hates us to the bone, how could he give up so easily?"

“He would love for the destruction of our Kereit and Qiyan tribes so that he can monopolize the grasslands. Seeking peace at this time would be nothing short of walking into a trap.”

He knew Wang Han's character all too well: he was cautious about his own safety when it came to great things, but would forget righteousness for petty gains.

As Wang Han grew older, his personality became increasingly cautious, and when faced with danger, his first thought was to retreat.

Temujin could not allow him to go and negotiate with Jamukha.

Without the Kereit tribe, the Qiyan tribe alone could not withstand the combined forces of the nine tribes.

“Father, instead of seeking peace with Jamukha, we should try to find out the Liao army’s intentions.”

Temujin's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "The Liao army has come from afar and is on a long and arduous campaign. They probably do not want to get bogged down in a protracted war."

"We took the initiative to show goodwill by sending them grain, fodder, and livestock, indicating that we had no intention of being enemies with them."

"In this way, we might be able to avoid a direct confrontation. After dealing with Jamukha, we can accumulate strength and then settle accounts with the Liao army."

From Temujin's perspective, the Jinzhou army was too far away.

Even if the Khanate of the Kereit tribe is breached, what does it have to do with me?
But Jamukha's nine-tribe coalition was there with the aim of breaking through the Qiyan tribe and taking his life.

Therefore, Temujin had to involve Wang Khan in dealing with Jamukha.

Wang Han was furious upon hearing this: "The Liao army has gone too far in bullying me, causing my Kereit tribe to lose 20,000 troops, and my son Sangkun is still missing."

"Such a deep-seated hatred, you expect me to swallow my anger?"

"Should we still proactively seek peace with the Liao army?"

Temujin gently shook his head and said, "Father, the greater good is more important."

"Han Xin of the Central Plains could endure the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs. If we can defeat Jamukha, the grasslands will be ours. What does it matter if we suffer a little grievance?"

Then he launched into a long-winded explanation to Wang Han, saying that the Jinzhou army had come from afar only to plunder money and people, and was incapable of fighting for long.

If Jamukha eliminates the Qiyan tribe, the next step will be to gather the strength of the nine-tribe allied forces and completely annihilate the Kereit tribe.

They came with the aim of dominating the grasslands and killing you and my son.

Which is lighter and heavier, at a glance.

Now that Sangkun was no longer causing trouble, Wang Khan's heart had quietly tipped in favor of Temujin.

However, he still hesitated.

"The Liao army has just defeated Sangkun's army and is in high spirits. Will they agree to our request for peace?"

Temujin said with certainty, "Although the Liao army has won, it has suffered heavy losses in the battles against the Naiman and Sangkun armies. It may not want to fight us to the death."

Wang Han pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright, we'll do as you say."

"However, the Liao army has gone too far. After we eliminate Jamukha, I will personally lead the Kereit cavalry to seek justice from them."

Hearing Wang Han's boastful words, which were a pretense of wealth, Temujin outwardly appeared to agree with him.

He then suggested, "Although we have temporarily made peace with the Liao army, if the Liao people are still greedy, we can also seek help from the Jin state."

"If the Jin people knew that the Liao army was advancing eastward into the grasslands with the intention of recovering Liao territory, the Jin court would certainly not sit idly by."

Temujin and Wang Khan were both officials of the Jin Dynasty.

Wang Han was the official title bestowed upon him by the Jin Dynasty, while Temujin was also bestowed the title of "Zhawuhutili".

Jamukha assembled a coalition of nine tribes to attack the two men, the most important charge being that they colluded with the Jin people, inviting wolves into the house and betraying the interests of the grasslands.

Therefore, given the connection with the Jin Dynasty, Temujin would definitely make use of it.

Let the Jin people deal with the Liao people!
However, this was only under duress, as the Jin Dynasty had always coveted the grasslands and had previously implemented numerous 'population reduction' policies.

The Jin dynasty posed a far greater threat to the grasslands than the Liao dynasty.

To avoid inviting trouble, this strategy of "driving away the wolf to devour the tiger" should only be used if negotiations with the Liao army fail.

(End of this chapter)