The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 183 Jochi is captured
The cold spring wind was like a beast that had broken free of its cage, rampaging across the vast grasslands and emitting a sharp howl.

In the cold wind, a cavalry unit was moving swiftly forward, the clattering sound breaking the tranquility of the grassland.

Most of these people were wearing tattered sheepskin coats, their bodies were dirty and smelled strongly of mutton, and their hair was disheveled and swaying in the wind.

Only one middle-aged man in the middle of the group, wearing a wolf-skin coat and a mink-skin hat, looked wealthy and his identity was definitely not ordinary.

“Erkehelanayan, after crossing this mountain, you can see Yudujin Mountain after traveling another three hundred li.”

Hearing his subordinate's words, the middle-aged man sighed heavily and shouted to the people behind him, "Keep it up, let's get to Yudujin Mountain as soon as possible, and after we finish talking, we can come back sooner."

"As ordered."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cavalry quickened their pace again.

This man's name was Erkehra, and he was Wang Khan's younger brother.

He was dispatched to Yudujin Mountain to negotiate with the Jinzhou army and discuss how to persuade them to withdraw and save the Kereit tribe from war.

Erkehra was the chief envoy of the mission, and the deputy envoy was named Kuitemur, who was also a nobleman from the Kereit tribe.

This Kui Timur had a very close relationship with Temujin and was usually responsible for liaison between the Kereit and Kiyan tribes.

Besides these, there are two other special people.

Temujin's trusted general, Jelme, was there as Temujin's representative to participate in the peace talks, in order to prevent Wang Khan from doing anything that would harm the interests of the Qiyan tribe.

The other person was Temujin's eldest son, Jochi.

When it was time to rest, Jelme sat down next to Jochi, his expression solemn, and said in a low voice, "The Liao army is fierce and bloodthirsty."

"This trip to Yudujin Mountain for peace talks is fraught with danger. If we are not careful, we will be doomed."

"You must not reveal your identity. Just think of yourself as an ordinary soldier and leave everything else to me."

"Observe more, learn more, understand?"

Jochi is only eighteen years old this year. He is young and vigorous, and exudes a youthful energy.

He was agile and had an innate domineering aura in his eyes. His every move bore some traces of Temujin, but the imitation was somewhat deliberate.

He frowned slightly, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, but he still nodded and replied, "Uncle Zhelemie, I understand, I will not act impulsively."

Not far from them, Erkehra and others were talking about the Liao army.

“Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Liao Dynasty has been gone for so many years, but I never expected that the Liao army would return to the grasslands and even wipe out the Naiman tribe. It’s really unexpected,” said Kuitemur.

Erkehra, with a seemingly compassionate expression, sighed and said, "The Liao army has already crossed the Yudujin Mountain and is plundering all over my Kereit territory."

"I wonder how many people will suffer at the hands of the Liao army."

"Are we just going to watch the Liao army be so arrogant? Even if it means fighting to the last man, we must fight." Jochi's face was tense as he couldn't help but say.

Erkehra chuckled, glanced at Jochi's innocent appearance, and said with a smile, "Young man, you make it sound so easy."

"Real war is not child's play; it's not that simple at all."

Erkeqara didn't look down on Temujin, but rather on Jochi, because he had heard that Jochi was a bastard of the Merkit people.

Kui Temur had a very close relationship with Temujin and treated Jochi like a son or nephew, explaining, "It's not that we haven't fought against the Liao army."

"After the Battle of the Dragh River, my Kereit tribes gathered another force, conscripting almost all the men from each tribe."

"But in the end, they still couldn't withstand the Liao army's advance."

Kui Timur shook his head with a pained expression.

The Liao army was simply too powerful. Unless the main force of the Kereit tribe was recalled from the Kuoyitian battlefield, the Liao army could only rampage across the Kereit territory.

After hearing this, everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The pressure from the Golden State Army was immense.

Finally, Erkehala said, "Our mission on this trip to Yudujin Mountain is to persuade the Grand Commander of Jinzhou to withdraw his troops."

"We can agree as long as the cost is not unbearable."

Afterwards, everyone got up and prepared to continue their journey.

But just then, a rapid and chaotic sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of herdsmen riding towards them in a disheveled state, their faces filled with fear and despair.

It felt as if a great terror was lurking behind me.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding guards drew their swords and gripped their spears tightly.

“They must be people of our Kereit tribe.” Erkehra slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

This place is still quite far from Yudujin Mountain, and the herders we encountered were most likely from tribes under the Kereit tribe.

But the next second, Jochi and the others tensed up again.

This was because as the herdsmen crossed the distant mountains, a cavalry unit appeared behind them.

There were only twenty people.

Some of them were dressed in white clothes, which looked very thick.

Dressed in uniform, they charged forward on their warhorses, their imposing presence quite awe-inspiring.

The remaining pursuers were all dressed in simple leather armor, exuding a savage and ferocious aura.

"Is it the Liao army?"

Erkehra was greatly alarmed.

According to intelligence from the Drag battlefield, the Liao army was entirely wearing a strange type of armor.

There are yellow ones, red ones, and white ones.

It is completely impervious to swords and spears, and its defensive power is almost comparable to that of iron armor.

So when Erkehra saw the ten soldiers in white cotton armor, he immediately thought of the Jinzhou army.

"This place is less than 500 li away from the Khan's court. I didn't expect the Liao army to have already appeared here."

“This is utter arrogance,” Khue Timur said angrily.

But Jochi, young and impetuous, his blood boiling, scoffed and said, "What's there to be afraid of?"

"The Liao army has only twenty men, while we have more than a hundred."

"Kill them."

Jochi brandished his spear, ready to charge forward and fight the Jinzhou army to the death.

Erkehra quickly stopped him and scolded him, "You scoundrel!"

“We are here to negotiate with the Liao army. If we kill these Liao soldiers, we might anger the Grand Commander of Jinzhou.”

"Wouldn't my people, the Kereit tribe, suffer even more calamities?"

Upon hearing this, Jochi was furious and retorted, "If you're afraid of this and that, what's the point of fighting a war?"

"Go home and have a baby."

Seeing that even a young brat dared to talk back to him, Erkehra was also displeased and snorted coldly, "At the very least, Bennayan can't give birth to a bastard."

"You~"

Jochi's eyes instantly turned red, staring at Erkehra like a mad bull. He hated it most when people talked about his background.

Kui Timur quickly advised, "Jochi, don't be reckless. Erkehranayan is also thinking about the bigger picture."

Although Jelme closely followed Jochi to protect him, he also advised him not to act rashly.

Erkehra was Wang Khan's most trusted younger brother. The Qiyan tribe still needed the help of the Kereit tribe, and they absolutely could not afford to antagonize Erkehra.

Jochi knew he couldn't afford to offend Erkeqara, so he could only snort coldly and turn away, saying indignantly, "For the sake of the greater good, can you just let your own people be slaughtered by the enemy?"

"That's cowardly."

Fortunately, the Jinzhou army saw that the delegation was large and immediately stopped their pursuit.

Two men were sent back to report the news, while the others stood at a distance to monitor Jochi and the others.

Soon, the fleeing herdsmen arrived before the delegation.

After investigation, it was learned that they were herders living nearby. Not long ago, the Jinzhou army suddenly appeared and attacked the tribe.

Only these people managed to escape.

Upon hearing this, Jochi was enraged and clenched his fists, shouting, "Damn it!"

"These Liao people are simply outrageous."

Then, he turned his gaze to Erkehala and asked, "Lord Nayan, is this the peace talks you want? The Liao army only slaughters our grassland people and has no intention of negotiating peace at all."

But Erkehra said to himself, "We just arrived too late."

"If we had arrived earlier, we would have been able to reach a successful peace agreement and stop the Jinzhou army from committing atrocities."

Upon hearing this, Jochi was furious.

I seriously doubt whether Erkehra was actually a grassland person.

The grassland people believe in the supremacy of the strong and have always fought and killed without fear. How come a great sage who talks about peace suddenly appears?

Isn't this like a cotton ball popping out of a gutter?
Jochi was filled with resentment. He slammed his boot heel heavily on the grass, mounted his horse, and turned to leave.

Then, the group immediately changed direction and prepared to take another route.

But not long after, a muffled rumbling sound suddenly came from afar, like rolling thunder.

Jochi's expression changed drastically. He looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising on the horizon, obscuring the sun, as if a huge storm was about to sweep in.

"Not good! A large army is coming!" Zhe Lemie said in a deep voice. As soon as he finished speaking, a vast army appeared in everyone's sight.

Leading the charge were a group of Naiman soldiers.

They were dressed in tattered sheepskin coats, their hair disheveled, and their eyes gleamed with madness and greed, like hungry wolves.

Next came the elite main force of the Jinzhou Army, dressed in white cotton armor, resembling a surging white torrent, exuding a cold aura.

The thunderous roar of cavalry, their weapons gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

“It’s the Liao army.” Jochi’s expression turned serious.

The Jinzhou cavalry rolled forward like roaring beasts rampaging across the grasslands, their iron hooves trembling beneath their weight, and a chilling atmosphere filled the air.

In contrast, the delegation appeared small and helpless under the oppressive force of this formidable army, like a lone boat tossed about in a storm.

In the blink of an eye, the Jinzhou army surrounded Jochi and his entourage.

A young general, dressed in white cotton armor with his face and neck covered in cotton pads, rode forward on his warhorse.

This man was Zhao Dabao, a commander of the Jinzhou Army, and also the son of Li Xiao's aunt.

His cold gaze swept over the crowd, and he shouted, "Kill everyone except those women!"

Upon seeing this, Erkehra rushed forward and said, "General, please wait."

“We are envoys sent by the Great Khan of the Kereit tribe, here to negotiate with the Grand Governor of Jinzhou.”

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Dabao's eyes.

I used to think the grassland barbarians were a bunch of uncivilized savages, but it seems they can back down too.

That was too lenient a beating.

As long as they are more ferocious than the grassland people, they will become as docile as dogs.

"Peace talks?"

"Who gave you permission to negotiate?"

"My Jinzhou army hasn't had enough fun yet."

"No peace talks allowed," Zhao Dabao shouted with a displeased expression.

Erkehra became even more anxious upon hearing the translator's words, fearing that the negotiations might fail and he might lose his life as well.

What he feared most were these low-ranking Liao army officers who acted on their own initiative without informing Li Xiao.

The Jinzhou army in front of us numbered over a thousand, while the delegation only had a little over a hundred.

They were not even in the same league; if they were killed, there would be nowhere to seek justice.

"When two armies clash, envoys are not to be killed. I hope the general will reconsider."

Zhao Dabao snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.

The military in Jinzhou is strictly disciplined. Now that the Kereit tribe has sent people to negotiate, he certainly wouldn't dare to ambush and kill the envoy without Li Xiao's authorization.

While we cannot kill the envoy, we don't need to worry about killing the others.

His gaze swept over the crowd like a knife: "Bringing so many soldiers to peace talks is clearly a sign of ulterior motives."

"I see that your so-called peace talks are actually a ploy to cause chaos under the cover of night!"

Erkehra's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. He hurriedly explained, "General, you misunderstand. There are many chaotic troops running rampant on the grasslands. We brought more men for our own safety."

Zhao Dabao ignored his explanation and waved his hand, issuing the order: "Men, kill all the soldiers except for these envoys and those women."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Jochi and the others were greatly shocked, and gained a new understanding of the ferocity of the Jinzhou army.

It's madness to kill soldiers instead of the messengers.

Of course, this is also because they brought quite a lot of people with them.

The delegation of over a hundred people, most of whom were soldiers, would suffer losses if they rebelled.

Let's kill them all first.

Upon receiving the order, the Jinzhou soldiers immediately spurred their warhorses and charged toward the delegation like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

Surprisingly, those charging ahead were not Jinzhou soldiers, but Naiman prisoners of war, who were all acting like mad dogs, desperate to regain their freedom.

They roared, brandishing their weapons, and fought relentlessly against the soldiers of the Kereit and Qiyan tribes.

In an instant, shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and painful screams echoed across the grassland.

At the same time, several Naiman soldiers saw a girl, the most beautiful girl in the tribe that had just been wiped out.

At the age of fifteen or sixteen, with delicate features, she timidly rode on her horse, her eyes filled with fear and helplessness.

Her clothes were torn, and a few strands of messy hair clung to her bruised cheeks, making her look even more pitiful.

The Naiman soldiers were overjoyed to see this, never expecting that such a small tribe would have such a beautiful girl.

"Seize her and present her to Lord Commander."

"If Lord Chiju is pleased, we will not only regain our freedom, but also receive a great reward."

"Don't let her get away."

Three Naiman soldiers chased after the girl.

At the same time, Jochi was instantly enraged when he saw this scene. A mere pretty girl was not enough to make him so angry.

But the hot-blooded young man could not tolerate the arrogance and domineering attitude of the Jinzhou army.

The Kereit and Qiyan tribes had not yet been defeated; they had only come to negotiate peace. The Jinzhou army treated them as nothing and killed them at will.

If Jochi could swallow this insult, he wouldn't be Temujin's son.

"Kill~"

Jochi shouted and charged at the three Naiman soldiers with his spear in hand.

He struggled alongside his father from a young age, possessing exceptional martial arts skills and a robust physique.

Even when facing three opponents alone, he still held his own, killing one, seriously injuring another, and scaring away the third in a short period of time.

However, his bravery also caught the attention of the real Golden State Army.

Three soldiers in white armor arrived in an instant.

"Death~"

A soldier in white armor shouted and thrust his hook-and-sickle spear into Jochi's chest.

"Drink~"

Jochi parried with his spear, his strong physique holding him firmly in the face of this physical confrontation.

But this time, he was not facing Naiman prisoners of war, but the well-coordinated White Armor Army.

The next second, a long spear suddenly came from the side, aiming straight for Shu Chi's neck.

Jochi was terrified and quickly dodged to the side.

Although he dodged a fatal blow, a piece of flesh was still cut off his shoulder by the hook of the sickle spear.

Blood gushed out instantly, and he turned pale with pain, cold sweat pouring down his face.

But before he could react, the attack from the third white-armored soldier followed.

The hook snapped the horse's leg, and Jochi screamed as he fell heavily to the ground.

In cavalry duels, landing on the ground was practically a death sentence.

Fortunately, Jelme heard Jochi's screams and traded his life for the Naiman soldiers in front of him, then quickly rode over.

With a leap, he tackled a white-armored soldier who was about to stab Jochi to death with his spear, knocking him off his horse.

Then he stood up in a disheveled state and shouted loudly, "Stop! He is Jochi, the eldest son of Temujin Khan, and an envoy sent by Temujin Khan."

Although before coming, Temujin asked Jochi to conceal his identity and treat him as an ordinary soldier to gain experience.

However, the reality forced Zhelemie to proactively expose Jochi's identity.

Soon after, the Jinzhou army killed all the other soldiers, leaving only Jochi's four envoys and some women.

Zhao Dabao spurred his horse forward, circled the group, and a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Temujin's son is the descendant of that Merkit?"

Upon hearing the translator's words, Jochi's eyes widened instantly, and boundless anger burned within him as he shouted, "I am not of the Merkit race, I am the son of my father Temujin!"

He struggled incessantly, as if he wanted to fight Zhao Dabao to the death.

But all he got in return was a cold laugh from Zhao Dabao, who looked down at Jochi and said, "The Grand Commander often talks about Temujin."

"I suppose you're quite interested in me too."

He then directly ordered, "Tie them all up and escort them back to the main camp."

That evening, Jochi and the others were detained in the camp of the thousand-household army led by Zhao Dabao.

Under the moonlight, the laughter of Jinzhou soldiers and the screams of women echoed through the military camp.

These women were all captured by the Jinzhou army from the surrounding tribes and became spoils of war for the soldiers.

In particular, the girl that Jochi saved today was eventually taken into Zhao Dabao's tent under his cannibalistic gaze.

The thought of the beautiful girl groaning in pain beneath Zhao Dabao filled Jochi with unbearable heartache.

He clenched his fists and silently vowed, "One day, I will make these people pay the price."

(End of this chapter)