The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 189 Dog-skin hat, tattered fur coat, Mongol cavalry
Li Xiao led the army from the three towns of Jinzhou in a triumphant return.

However, not long after he left the Ubusu Grassland, a six-man cavalry squad escorting two grassland people caught up with him.

"Reporting, Grand Commander."

"Urgent report from Li Sanhe, the head of the household."

At this moment, Li Xiao was riding a tall black warhorse and wearing a black cotton robe with gold trim.

After all, armor is too heavy; even the cotton armor made in Jinzhou weighs about 30 to 40 pounds.

Therefore, soldiers rarely wear armor except during wartime.

Moreover, the scouts of the Jinzhou army were often stationed within a radius of about twenty miles, so even if they encountered an enemy attack, they would have enough time to react and put on their armor.

"Send it up."

Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Then, the guard handed Li Xiao a letter and relayed the message: "A few days ago, the herdsmen in the Third Town encountered two barbarians from the grasslands while grazing their livestock."

"After capturing them and interrogating them, we learned that they were sent by a man named Gurhan to deliver a letter to the highest official in Jinzhou."

"After receiving the news, Li Sanhe Wanhu did not dare to delay and sent the letter along with the two barbarians from the grasslands."

Gurhan?
When Li Xiao heard the name, he was taken aback at first, but then he immediately realized who it was.

Jamukha!
Although this guy only served as Gurkha for less than two months in history, he was still recognized and jointly elected as the Great Khan of the Steppe by most of the tribes on the steppe.

In the present day, Temujin is inferior to Jamukha in both prestige and strength.

Li Xiao then opened the letter, which was written in Chinese characters.

Before Temujin created the Mongolian script, there was no unified writing system on the grasslands.

Western nomadic tribes, such as the Naiman, used the Uyghur script.

Tribes close to Han territory, such as the Kereit and Tatar tribes, used both Chinese characters and Sogdian script.

Although Jamukha's letter was clearly written by someone else, and was very irregular with messy handwriting, indicating a hasty writing process, Li Xiao could still decipher its meaning.

"Your Excellency, Grand General of Liao, Temujin is a veritable cancer on the grasslands. His ambition is boundless, and he attempts to dominate the grasslands, leaving no chance for our tribes to survive."

“Our nine tribes, including Zandalan, are interdependent with the Liao Kingdom; if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.”

"If Temujin grows stronger, he will surely covet the western grasslands and plot to reclaim the old Naiman territory from the Liao Dynasty."

“We men of the grasslands respect warriors, but Temujin is greedy and cruel, and is by no means a trustworthy person. If he succeeds, the grasslands will never have peace, and we will have nowhere to stand.”

"Therefore, we should quickly form an alliance and join hands to resist Temujin. In order to protect our homeland and ensure the continuation of our descendants, we, the sons of the grasslands, are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Liao army to stop this scourge and protect our grasslands!"

The letter was short, but Li Xiao gleaned several key pieces of information from it.

The Battle of Koyitian ended, and as in history, the allied forces of Wang Khan and Temujin won a great victory. This battle laid the foundation for Temujin's unification of the eastern steppe, while also foreshadowing his break with Wang Khan.

However, the outcome for Jamukha and others changed.

Historically, Jamukha was captured alive by Wang Khan, surrendered, and then conspired with Sangkun to persuade Wang Khan to break with Temujin.

After the Kereit tribe was destroyed by Temujin, Jamukha went west to the Naiman tribe and persuaded Tayang Khan to attack Temujin.

However, history has now taken a turn. Jamukha did not surrender to Wang Khan, but instead came directly to Naiman, which is now Xihai.

Subsequently, Li Xiao ordered his men to interrogate the two messengers of Jamukha, and thus gained an understanding of Jamukha's current situation.

While they weren't exactly homeless, they weren't exactly doing well either.

The Qiyan tribe's army was in hot pursuit, seemingly intent on annihilating them completely.

Jamukha sent people over to ask for help.

Because of Kuoyitian's defeat, his prestige was greatly damaged, and his life as a fugitive caused his soldiers to leave one after another, some even going to join Temujin.

Therefore, he was almost at his limit, and if no reinforcements arrived, Jamukha would probably fall into Temujin's hands.

"How many troops does Jamukha have left?" Li Xiao asked calmly.

"According to the two men, there were probably four or five thousand people," Tie Tou said in a deep voice.

"Quite a few!" Li Xiao said with a faint smile.

As the supreme leader of the grassland bandits and the head of the nine-tribe allied forces, Jamukha can definitely be described as "a lean camel is still bigger than a horse".

Therefore, Li Xiao decided to protect this person.

Keeping Jamukha alive would be a threat to Temujin.

Moreover, given Jamukha's prestige on the grasslands, if he were to raise his banner one day, many people would surely return to his cause.

In short, Li Xiao would always stand up for Tiezi whenever he went against him.

"Temujin didn't come?" Li Xiao asked.

Tie Tou shook his head slightly: "Temujin, the leader of the Qiyan tribe, did not come to hunt down Jamukha in person, but instead sent two of his generals."

"It is likely that Temujin himself is still in the eastern part of the steppe, reaping the spoils of the Battle of Koyitian."

For Temujin, absorbing defeated soldiers, annexing surrounding tribes, and strengthening the Qiyan tribe were far more important than pursuing Jamukha.

As long as the Qiyan tribe becomes strong enough, even if Jamukha makes a comeback, Temujin will not be afraid; he can simply defeat him again.

"Pity!"

Li Xiao shook his head slightly, looking melancholy.

If Temujin himself came here, Li Xiao would not say anything, but would lead his army back to Yudujin Mountain and kill him no matter the cost.

However, Li Xiao was not particularly interested in generals under Temujin.

The matter in Dongdu is still the most important.

"Someone, prepare the ink," Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Then, he picked up a pen and paper and began writing.

He sent an order to Li Sanhe, agreeing to form an alliance with Zhamuhe and demanding that all of the Qiyan army be captured.

As the Jinzhou Army expanded in size and its various systems became more standardized, the transmission of orders could no longer rely solely on verbal relay by messengers.

Such strategically important orders were usually written by Li Xiao himself, then stamped with his official seal and sealed with wax before being sent out by at least three cavalrymen.

After watching the cavalry squad deliver the message and take away his orders, Li Xiao looked eastward.

The deep voice murmured, "Temujin, one day I will personally lead a large army to conquer the Onon River and capture you."

……

On the vast grasslands north of the Kent Mountains, the sun blazes down, yet a fierce wind howls.

An army of tens of thousands is marching westward, crossing mountains and rivers.

Ordinary soldiers wore tattered linen clothes with dirty sheepskin coats over them. Their faces were covered in grime, and their greasy hair was matted like a bird's nest.

The weapons in their hands were also varied, and many of the scimitars and spearheads still showed traces of rust from the years.

If the soldiers are like this, the generals are no better off.

The armor on his body was not forged from shiny, new steel, but was made of pieces of leather and metal that were pieced together. It was uneven and worn down in many places, exuding an old and worn feel.

But for this army, these iron armors were already rare treasures, and only a very few people were qualified to wear them.

And they were the army of the Qiyan tribe, the prototype of the Mongol cavalry that later swept across Eurasia.

To sum up the meager state of the Mongol cavalry at this time in one sentence: wearing dog-skin hats, tattered fur coats, carrying only a scimitar and mounted archery, their equipment was all obtained through looting.

The Mongol cavalry truly achieved a surge in combat power after capturing Zhongdu and taking a large number of artisans from the Central Plains prisoner, which increased the armor coverage rate of their soldiers to 60%.

But at this time, the Mongol cavalry were just a bunch of peasants.

"where is this place?"

How far are we from Jamukha's army?

Among the Qiyan army, a man wearing a tattered leather coat, over which was iron armor, and with half-bald hair, shouted loudly.

He was the commander-in-chief of this army.

Bo'orchu was Genghis Khan's right-hand man.

He and Muqali were Temujin's most trusted generals. After the establishment of the Mongol Empire, they were respectively appointed as the left and right wings of the Mongol army.

His status was even higher than that of generals such as Chilaun, Jebe, and Subutai.

After the Battle of Koyitian, the armies of the Qiyan and Kereit tribes won a great victory, and Bo'erchu volunteered to pursue the remnants of the army led by Jamukha and others.

At the same time, they also shouldered the important task of subduing the tribes along the way.

The fame of Temujin, the Great Khan, must be spread throughout the entire grassland.

A Qiyan general, mounted on horseback, shouted, "General, we are still in the territory of the Merkit tribe. If we go any further, we will reach Bulgan, which is the territory of the Oirat tribe."

Upon hearing this, Bo'erchu laughed loudly: "From now on, there will be no more Merkits. They have been conquered by us. The Oirat tribe will not be spared either."

"Tell General Kublai Khan to keep a close watch on Jamukha and not let them get away."

"As ordered."

Their journey was precisely to hunt down and kill the remnants of Jamukha and his men.

They passed through the territories of the Taichiwu and Merkit tribes.

People on the grasslands naturally attach themselves to the strong. When Temujin defeated Jamukha, some of the tribes naturally surrendered.

After the Battle of Koyitian, Bo'orchu and Kublai Khan only led 8,000 Qiyan troops to pursue Jamukha, and now they have 15,000 men.

The number of troops has doubled.

The Oirat tribe was not particularly strong, with only tens of thousands of people and less than ten thousand soldiers capable of fighting. In Bo'erchu's view, they were not a threat at all.

Historically, Bo'orchu was appointed as the Right Wing Commander of the Mongols by Temujin for his merits in conquering the western tribes, and was in charge of the vast area from Dujin Mountain to Jinshan.

In a sense, his followers were the precursor to the Dzungar Khanate.

That afternoon, Borchu's army crossed the Erhun River and entered the territory of the Oirat tribe, where they attacked a subordinate tribe of the Oirat.

All men were reduced to slaves, forced to watch helplessly as their wives and daughters were wantonly violated by the Qiyan soldiers.

They seized their cattle and sheep, slaughtered them, and lavishly rewarded their soldiers.

This move once again greatly boosted the morale of the Mongol soldiers.

They followed Temujin only to drink the strongest liquor and sleep with the most vigorous women. Without these material resources, this army composed of different tribes would have long since scattered.

But that very night, a commotion broke out in the Mongol army. At first, Bo'orchu thought the soldiers were just playing with women and didn't take it seriously.

Until someone reported to him: "General, the Chucuo tribe and the Hechila tribe have started fighting."

Bo'erchu frowned and asked, "Why did they start fighting?"

"It seems to be because of a fight over a woman."

Upon hearing this, another general in the tent, Kublai, angrily put down his wine bowl and snorted, "Useless good-for-nothing."

On the grasslands, it was not uncommon for men to fight each other, sometimes even resulting in bloodshed, over women, cattle, sheep, and other valuable resources.

Moreover, the two tribes already had a history of enmity.

Having said that, Kublai walked out of the tent to deal with the matter.

His method was simple: he directly executed the woman the two tribes were fighting over, fair and impartial, leaving no room for either side to maneuver. Upon returning, Kublai complained to Bo'erchu, "Our numbers have increased considerably, but so have the conflicts."

There is a saying that Genghis Khan had four heroes and four mastiffs under his command.

The Four Heroes are Muqali, Bo'erchu, Bo'erhu, and Chilaowen.

The four mastiffs are Subutai, Jebe, Jelme, and Kubilai.

These eight men were the most important meritorious generals in Temujin's unification of Mongolia, and all of them were capable generals who could stand alone.

Therefore, both Bo'orchu and Kublai had long seen through the problems of the Mongol army.

Less than half of the soldiers actually belonged to the Qiyan tribe; the majority were soldiers from other tribes who joined the army halfway through the war after the Battle of Kuoyitian, intimidated by Temujin's reputation.

Although these tribal soldiers were no less capable than the Qiyan soldiers, they each had their own agendas.

Once they encounter a strong enemy, they will surely scatter in all directions.

To this, Borchu nodded slightly and said in a cold voice, "The birth of any powerful tribe is accompanied by the tempering of blood and fire."

"After a few more battles, the strong will be weeded out, and only the warriors we need will remain."

In Bo'ershu's view, these tribal soldiers who were forced to join were not one of their own, but just a bunch of cannon fodder.

Only after going through several bloody battles and sharing life and death with the Qiyan tribe can they be considered true compatriots.

“However, the prestige and power of these tribal leaders are still too high,” Borchu said in a low voice.

As Temujin's confidant, he vaguely knew some of Temujin's thoughts.

After the Liao army conquered the Naiman tribe in the east, Temujin became even more concerned about and attentive to the affairs of the Liao state.

They always tried every possible way to learn about the Liao Dynasty through various channels.

Moreover, Temujin was particularly interested in the thousand-household system in the northern frontier.

Because of the emergence of this system, grassroots power in northern Xinjiang was transferred from the tribal chiefs to the upper levels, making it an effective centralized system.

Temujin had been studying this, and he figured it wouldn't be long before the Qiyan tribe would also begin to emulate the practice of granting fiefdoms of a thousand households in the northern frontier.

The next day, Bo'erchu led the Qiyan army westward and soon received a report from scouts.

"General Bo'erchu, traces of the rebels have been discovered ahead."

"They are hiding in a valley, less than 30 miles from our army."

Upon hearing this, Borchu and Kublai exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.

"Great, we've finally found them."

"We must not let Jamukha escape again."

Although Jamukha was defeated, he was, after all, the Gurhan elected by the nine-tribe coalition, and enjoyed great prestige on the grasslands.

In this respect, Temujin was far inferior to Jamukha.

If he escapes, the grasslands will surely be in turmoil again, and he will always be a threat to Temujin.

Therefore, it is necessary to nip it in the bud.

“Khubilai, let’s split up and take two separate groups. We must surround the rebels and not let Jamukha escape,” Boorchu said.

"Don't worry, I won't give you the credit for capturing and killing Jamukha."

After saying this, Kublai and Bo'erchu exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Then, they led their warriors to attack the valley separately.

This valley in the upper reaches of the Hanu River is actually a basin located between mountains.

The valley is flat and large, making it ideal for stationing troops. The mountains on both sides are also gentle with a small slope and covered with a thick layer of green grass.

Standing halfway up the mountain, you can see the entire valley below.

The camps of Jamukha's remnant army were densely packed on the open ground of the valley. When viewed from above, they looked like patches of dog skin plasters covering the grassland.

Between the tents, the soldiers sat or stood, their faces filled with numbness and confusion about the future.

The soldiers in the valley were in very low spirits.

Meanwhile, Bo'ershu stood on a high place, watching all of this from afar, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Strange~"

Something feels off.

Although Jamukha's remnants were chased like stray dogs, they weren't so panicked that they didn't even send out any scouts.

Bo'orchu thought that Jamukha's scouts would give a warning in advance, but to his surprise, nothing happened, and the Mongol army approached the valley openly.

"General, is there anything strange?"

"Jamukha's army is just ahead. As long as we charge through, we will surely defeat them."

"Yes, Jamukha's flag is still flying over that big tent in the middle, he must be up there."

The generals of the Qiyan tribe eagerly volunteered for battle, their excitement making them wish they could immediately charge down and capture Jamukha alive.

But just as Bo'ershu hesitated, shouts of killing rang out from the other side.

"Kill!"

"Capture Zhamuhe alive."

"Kill one enemy, and you'll be rewarded with two sheep."

"Warriors, charge!"

Kublai Khan had already led his army to attack Jamukha's camp.

Seeing this, Bo'erchu could only suppress his doubts and was forced to lead his men in an attack.

"Kill~"

The Qiyan army attacked from two directions simultaneously, throwing the rebels in the valley into chaos.

The valley was suddenly filled with shouts of battle, catching the rebels off guard by the unexpected attack.

The Qiyan army advanced with unstoppable momentum, encountering almost no significant resistance before reaching the front of the camp.

Borchu, wielding a long spear, caught up with a fleeing rebel soldier and, with the force of the spear thrusting at his horse, instantly pierced through his body.

"Kill~"

The rebel army suffered a crushing defeat, falling into complete chaos, with many soldiers even kneeling and surrendering.

But as the Qiyan army charged deep into the camp, Bo'ershu's sense of astonishment grew clearer.

"wrong!"

"The number of rebels is wrong, why are there so few?" Borchu was suddenly shocked and realized a very serious problem.

After the Battle of Kuoyitian, the number of soldiers under Jamukha, Tokhtoa and others totaled several thousand.

During their escape, soldiers continued to leave, but given Jamukha's prestige and methods, no matter how many people deserted him, he would surely have four or five thousand men left by his side.

However, although there are enough tents in the camp to house four or five thousand people, the actual number of soldiers is less than a thousand.

Where did everyone else go?
The main tent in the camp was empty; there was no sign of Jamukha.

Bo'erchu was greatly shocked and immediately shouted, "Go and capture a few prisoners!"

……

Ten miles away from this valley, a large contingent of cavalry stood in neat rows, like a forged steel wall.

The yellow, white, and red battle flags, each representing a thousand-strong cavalry unit, fluttered fiercely in the wind.

Looking out, the entire cavalry formation resembled a winding, coiled steel dragon, stretching and standing across the grassland.

It is magnificent and awe-inspiring.

On a high slope at the very front, a group of generals gazed silently toward the camp. All around was deathly still, with only the whistling of the wind.

The leader was Li Sanhe, who wore a striking red cotton armor and a tasseled helmet. The tight-fitting clothes covered his neck and face, revealing only a calm and composed face.

His gaze pierced through the telescope, fixed on the fierce battle raging in the camp ahead.

Beside him, Jamukha, Tokhtoa, and Huduha rode on their horses, trying their best to maintain a calm demeanor, but their slightly trembling hands and flickering eyes betrayed their inner excitement.

"General Li is indeed a prophet; the people of the Qiyan tribe have truly fallen for his trick." The leader of the Merkit tribe, Tuoheituo'a, couldn't contain his excitement and said with a light laugh.

His voice carried a hint of excitement and flattery.

Li Sanhe slowly lowered his telescope, withdrew his gaze from the battlefield, glanced calmly at the three men, and said in a steady tone, "The soldiers you left in the camp are all a bunch of useless trash; they've already begun to surrender."

"The Qiyan tribe has probably already noticed something."

"It's time to launch an attack."

Upon hearing this, Jamukha, Tokhtoa, and the other two exchanged glances, with Jamukha speaking first: "What are General Li's plans?"

They already knew Li Sanhe's identity: the commander of Jinzhou and the general of the Western Sea Guard.

Today, all the Jinzhou troops on the Naiman Grassland are under the command of this General Li.

Moreover, he was a relative of the Grand Commander of Jinzhou, possessing a noble status and high position.

If the nine-tribe allied forces wanted to rely on the Liao people to deal with Temujin, then they had better not offend this General Li.

However, when it comes to fighting for their interests, the three of them cannot back down.

They would never allow the Jinzhou army to use their troops as cannon fodder.

After all, they had already left several hundred men in the military camp as bait, and they had to keep the remaining three or four thousand men safe.

Li Sanhe was well aware of their intentions, but he didn't care.

Although the two sides are nominally allied, in reality, the Golden State Army is protecting Jamukha and others.

It is our duty to send them to be cannon fodder.

"My Jinzhou Army's Shenji Battalion will be the main force in the first wave of attacks," Li Sanhe said in a deep voice, looking at the three men.

"Your troops, along with my Jinzhou Kuli army, will form the second wave of attack."

"Is there any problem?"

Upon hearing this, Jamukha and the other two exchanged glances.

Although it is unknown what specific armies Li Sanhe referred to as the Shenji Battalion and the Kuli Army were, Li Sanhe's troop deployment already demonstrated his sincerity.

The first group consisted of the Jinzhou Army, followed by another group of Jinzhou Army soldiers.

This arrangement doesn't mean they're being used as cannon fodder.

“No problem, we’ll follow General Li’s arrangements.” Jamukha and the other two nodded emphatically.

Little did they know that not only them, but also the Kuril Army, were all cannon fodder in Li Sanhe's eyes.

The army in Kuli consists of either Naiman prisoners of war or Han Chinese slaves, neither of whom are currently of great use.

Only those warriors who survived the baptism of war, proving their loyalty and ability, deserve to become true soldiers of Jinzhou Town.

This time, it's also a process of natural selection for those in the Kuril army.

"Qiyan people, feel the wrath of my Jinzhou army!" Li Sanhe thought to himself as he looked toward the camp.

(End of this chapter)