The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 378 Bloodbath Across Three Hundred Miles, Sacrificing Five Million People to the Northern Frontier
Three days later, dust filled the air outside Kohart.

The Sultanate army, led by Qutb al-Din, finally arrived at the small town that had been captured.

But the sight before him caused the once arrogant Sultan to instantly turn pale and his veins to bulge.

The dilapidated city walls were riddled with sword marks and arrow holes. The city gates were wide open, most of the houses inside the city had been burned down, and corpses and dried bloodstains were scattered on the streets. The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood and burnt flesh.

What enraged him even more was that dozens of heads were hanging densely on the wooden frames outside the city wall, and blood dripped down the frames, forming dark pools of blood on the ground.

The head in the very center, with a ferocious expression, was none other than his most trusted vanguard general, Komor.

His eyes were wide open, as if the fear before his death still lingered.

"what!"

Kutbudin suddenly drew his scimitar from his waist and cleaved a small tree in two, his dark face contorted with rage.

"Gur people, how dare you be so insolent! I, the Sultan, will surely grind you to dust and avenge Komor."

The generals swarmed around, each filled with righteous indignation: "Sultan, give the order! We'll hunt down those Gur traitors now and raze their lair to the ground!"

Kutbudin took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and was about to order the entire army to pursue when a personal guard suddenly brought a merchant.

They were among the few nobles in the city who were not slaughtered by the Qin army and survived by hiding in their own cellars.

"Tell me, were those who breached Kohat City really Gur people?" Kutbudin grabbed the merchant by the collar, his eyes fierce.

The merchant trembled with fear and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Sultan, not a Ghur, but a man from the northern frontier."

“The real Gur army was defeated by them long ago. Those Gur soldiers who fought alongside the people of the northern frontier were their slaves and prisoners of war.”

"People from Northern Xinjiang?"

Kutbudin frowned, his eyes full of doubt: "What Northern Frontier People? I, the Sultan, have never heard of them."

“I am a merchant who travels between Lahore and Khorasan and am very familiar with the Ghurs.”

The merchant composed himself and continued, "The other day, while I was hiding in the cellar, I happened to overhear two Gur soldiers talking."

"I only just learned that the Kingdom of Gur has been defeated and the entire north has been occupied by the Northern Frontier people."

"Those people from the northern frontier wore red armor, rode fast horses, and were extremely fierce in battle."

Kutbudin was shocked. The forces that could defeat the Kingdom of Gur were no ordinary people.

But he had never heard of any "people from the northern frontier," which made him both puzzled and wary.

Just then, the merchant added, "However, I have also heard that those people from the northern frontier live in icy and snowy places and are not adapted to our climate at all."

"During the hot weather a while ago, an epidemic broke out in their army, and many people died. Now it seems they are preparing to withdraw their troops!"

"Many people died?"

"Withdrawal?"

Kutbudin was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, his wariness instantly replaced by smugness.

"Good, very good. A bunch of barbarians who can't even adapt to the climate dare to run wild on the territory of my Sultanate?"

He suddenly raised his hand, pointed north, and said in a loud voice: "Pass on my order, the entire army advances at full speed, catch up with those northern people, and annihilate them all."

"Let them know what the price is for offending this Sultan."

"Follow the order."

The generals echoed in unison, their initial solemnity replaced by excitement.

In their view, a group of "barbarians" who were preparing to withdraw their troops were no match for an army of 60,000.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar, Erhu was holding the secret letter sent by Zhang Yue, his brows slightly relaxed.

In his letter, Zhang Yue gave a detailed report on the results of the raid on the vanguard army and also learned about the strength of the Delhi Sultanate army by interrogating prisoners of war.

With 50,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and a small number of elephant troops, the total force was large, but the number of cavalry was far less than that of the Qin army, resulting in extremely poor mobility.

"Their biggest weakness is their lack of cavalry."

Erhu put down the secret letter and said to the personal guard beside him, "Pass on my order that all the troops scattered in various places return immediately and assemble south of Peshawar to await orders."

"Also, tell Zhang Yue to lead his cavalry to continue harassing the Delhi army, delaying their march and preventing them from reaching Peshawar too soon."

The reason Peshawar was chosen as the main battlefield was because it was located on the north bank of the Indus River, surrounded by vast plains, which were ideal for cavalry warfare.

"Yes, sir!" the guard shouted.

In the days that followed, Kutbudin led his army northward, sweeping all before him. The Qin army voluntarily abandoned the small towns they had previously plundered, allowing them to retake them.

What troubled Kutbudin was that there was always a group of Red Cavalry swarming around the army like flies, occasionally rushing up to launch surprise attacks and harass the rearguard.

When he sent a small number of cavalry to drive them away, they were surrounded and annihilated. If he sent more cavalry, the enemy simply galloped away and he couldn't catch up at all.

"These barbarians, all they do is hide." Kutbudin sat on his horse, watching the red cavalry gallop away in the distance, gritting his teeth in anger.

Although he had recovered the lost territory, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of a single person from the northern frontier, which made him feel very embarrassed.

Fortunately, the army arrived at the walls of Peshawar not long afterward.

To Kutbudin's surprise, the Qin army did not abandon the city and flee. Instead, they kept the city gates tightly shut, as if they were determined to hold out to the end.

"Hahaha, a bunch of barbarians, you think you can defend the city with my 60,000-strong army?"

Kutbudin reined in his horse and laughed triumphantly at Prince Vijay and Shankara beside him: "Prince Vijay, Master, watch closely."

"Today, the Sultan of Japan will show you how the army of Lahore breaches the city."

Prince Vijaya and Shankara outwardly agreed, but secretly hoped that the people of the Northern Frontier would not be defeated too quickly.

After two days of preparation, Kutbudin ordered: "The entire army will attack the city, capture Peshawar, and kill all the northern people inside."

Following his command, Delhi soldiers carried ladders and pushed battering rams, charging toward the walls of Peshawar.

On the city wall, Erhu personally took charge, while the Gur prisoners of war beside him stood behind the crenellations with long spears and stones.

Under the intimidation of the Qin soldiers, they launched a defensive counterattack.

"fire."

At Erhu's command, dozens of cannons on the city wall fired at the charging Delhi troops.

"Boom boom boom~"

A deafening roar erupted instantly, and black shells, accompanied by a piercing whistle, hurtled towards the Delhi army's formation.

The moment the shells landed, dust flew and blood and flesh flew everywhere. Dozens of Delhi soldiers at the forefront fell instantly into pools of blood.

Some were blown to pieces, while others had their limbs broken by flying rocks.

The Delhi army was thrown into chaos, with soldiers retreating in fear, their faces filled with terror.

They had never heard such a terrifying sound, nor had they ever seen such a powerful weapon.

"It is Shiva's wrath, it is Shiva's punishment!"

A soldier threw down his shield, knelt down, clasped his hands together, and bowed towards the east, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Have we offended the holy Shiva to incur such divine punishment?"

Another soldier screamed as he retreated, his eyes filled with despair: "No, this is sorcery! It's an evil spirit summoned by the barbarians of the Northern Frontier! Lord Brahma, please show your power and save us!"

Some people squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands, repeatedly chanting, "Where is the incarnation of Vishnu? Stop this terrible noise! ​​This is not a weapon that belongs to the human world; it is something that only demons in hell would use."

"Run! If you don't leave now, you'll be devoured by the evil spirits!"

The soldiers began to scatter and flee. In their minds, only gods could unleash such power, and the "sorcery" before them was something no mortal could withstand.

Behind him, Kurtbudin's smile froze instantly, his eyes widening in disbelief: "What...what is that thing? How can it have such power?"

Prince Vijaya and Shankara were trembling with fear. Shankara clasped his hands together and kept chanting, "Shiva, protect me... This is sorcery, it's sorcery!"

Kutbudin was stunned for a long time before he finally reacted. He suppressed his shock and carefully observed the power of the cannon.

Although the sound was frightening, each cannon had a limited range and its power was limited to a small area, killing at most a dozen people at a time.

"It's just a bunch of bluffing stuff."

Kutbudin gritted his teeth and said, "We have 60,000 troops. We can wear them down. Pass on my order to send the supervisory team to take over. Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy."

Under the swords and spears of the supervising officers, the Delhi soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge toward the city walls once more.

For the next three days, the Delhi army continued to attack the city, but failed to breach Peshawar.

Although the artillery had limited firepower, it greatly damaged the morale of the soldiers. In addition, the prisoners of war in Ghur fought desperately to defend the city under the coercion of the Qin army. The Deli army suffered heavy casualties but made no progress.

What devastated Kutbdin even more was that on the morning of the fourth day, a personal guard rushed in to report: "Sultan, something terrible has happened! Our grain convoy was attacked by the cavalry of the northern frontier on the way, and all the grain has been stolen."

"what?"

Kutbudin's vision went black, and he almost fell off his horse.

He quickly summoned his generals to discuss and take stock of the remaining grain in the army.

It can only last for five days at most, and the next batch of grain convoys will take at least ten days to arrive, and there is no guarantee that they will not be intercepted by the barbarians of the northern frontier.

"Why don't we borrow grain from the surrounding nobles?" a general suggested.

Kutbudin's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered his men to plunder the surrounding area.

However, most of the nobles around him were Brahmins, who had long been dissatisfied with him as a "pagan sultan".

Moreover, when the Qin army looted earlier, they had already plundered almost all of the nobles' grain. Even if some were secretly hidden away, the Brahmins would never lend it to these "lowly slaves".

For a time, the entire Delhi army camp was plunged into despair.

Kutbudin sat in his tent, angrily smashing the golden cup beside him, cursing, "Damn barbarians from the northern frontier, and those Brahmin nobles, they all stood by and watched me die, they're all a bunch of ingrates."

In the following days, the Delhi army's siege gradually slowed down, and complaints arose in the camps.

The bodies of fallen soldiers began to mysteriously disappear, and soldiers escaped under the cover of night every day. Kutbudin executed more than a dozen people every day as a warning, but he still could not stop the desertion.

That evening, he ordered more than thirty deserters to be beheaded in public, their blood splattering across the open space in front of the camp. But he knew in his heart that this was not a long-term solution.

We are already preparing to withdraw our troops. We will wait until we are fully prepared and then fight the people of northern Xinjiang again in the summer.

As night fell, he vented his anger on several Brahmin women before finally falling into a deep sleep.

“Woo woo woo woo~” But just the next morning, as dawn was breaking, a low horn sound suddenly rang out outside the camp.

Then came the thunderous roar of horses' hooves, a continuous sound that made the tent tremble slightly.

Kutbudin jolted awake, shoved the woman beside him, and rushed out naked, roaring, "What's going on? Where did that horn sound come from?"

The camp was in complete chaos. Soldiers were fleeing in panic, some without even their armor. Soldiers couldn't find their generals, and generals couldn't find their soldiers. It was utter chaos.

“Sultan, he’s from the northern frontier. The northern frontier people are attacking.”

"There are so many cavalry outside, so many!" a soldier said in a terrified, incoherent voice.

"what?"

"How dare the people of the northern frontier launch a preemptive strike?"

Kutbudin's eyes widened in fury as he roared, "A bunch of barbarians! Do they really think they can defeat my Sultan's army? Quickly, organize a resistance!"

But his roars were of no use.

At this moment, on the plains to the east and west of the Delhi camp, countless red cavalrymen were rushing towards the camp, like a red tide sweeping across the wilderness.

What was even more chilling was that at the front of the column were a large number of heavy cavalrymen wearing black iron armor, which gleamed coldly in the morning sun.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar in the north, the city gates were wide open, and Erhu personally led his cavalry out to fight his way out.

"Warriors."

“These sultanate cowards are starving and terrified; I will kill them all.”

The crimson hooves trampled across the plains and instantly reached the edge of the military camp.

"kill."

The shouts of the Qin soldiers were deafening, completely shattering the last will of resistance of the Delhi army.

"Boom~"

The heavily armored cavalry charged into the camp first. With their sabers flashing, Delhi soldiers fell like wheat being harvested, their armor splattered with blood, looking like demons that had just emerged from hell.

"Ahhhhh~"

"Help~"

"Devil, devil!"

Light cavalrymen clad in crimson armor followed closely behind, raining down arrows. Screams echoed throughout the camp, and the casualties were heavy in a short time.

Just then, a muffled roar came from the Delhi army ranks.

"Ho ho ho ho~"

Dozens of armored elephants, with sharp blades strapped to their tusks, were driven forward and, under the control of soldiers on their backs, attempted to attack the Qin army.

However, during the Battle of Samarkand, the Qin army had already captured some elephants from Khwarazm and thoroughly studied the habits of these animals.

One of the centurions leading the charge immediately gave the order: "Shoot in the eyes, beat the gong."

The Qin light cavalry immediately adjusted their arrows, aiming the arrowheads at the elephant's eyes.

With the whistling sound of arrows, several elephants were instantly struck, and the pain caused them to roar furiously.

At the same time, Qin soldiers took out the bronze gongs they carried with them and began to strike them rapidly, the piercing noise echoing throughout the camp.

Elephants are naturally afraid of pain and noise. Now, struck by an arrow and subjected to the noise, they instantly lose control, no longer obeying the elephant soldiers' commands, and running wildly around the camp.

"Ho ho ho ho~"

Its massive body rampaged, its tusks lifting Delhi soldiers who couldn't dodge in time, and its heavy hooves crushing their bodies, sending blood and bone fragments flying everywhere.

"Ahhhhh~"

"Help! An elephant is coming!"

"Don't come any closer, stop it!"

A Delhi military commander yelled at an out-of-control elephant, only to be trampled to death by the elephant's hoof.

In a short time, hundreds of Delhi soldiers died under the hooves of their own elephants, and the chaos in the camp was compounded.

The Delhi army's defeat was inevitable; the soldiers were only thinking about escaping and had no confidence in resisting.

Just then, someone shouted, "There are no enemies in the south, hurry and flee south!"

The Delhi Army soldiers, as if grasping at a straw, flocked south.

Kutbudin roared angrily to stop him, but the chaotic crowd ignored him, and the general beside him quickly pulled him back.

"Sultan, the northern barbarians have already broken in. The soldiers have all fled. We can't hold them off. If we don't escape now, it will be too late. Let's go!"

Looking at the collapsing military camp, Kutbudin could only grit his teeth and curse angrily, "Damn barbarians from the northern frontier, despicable and shameless."

"I, the Sultan, will definitely return."

Having said that, he mounted his horse and led a small number of cavalrymen in a breakout to the south.

Not far away, Prince Vijaya and Shankara hid in a tent and watched through the cracks as the Qin army slaughtered their soldiers, trembling with fear.

Shankara clasped his hands together and kept chanting "Shiva, protect me."

Prince Vijay cursed, "That idiot Kurtbudin! It's all his fault for bringing us to the battlefield. Now look what's happened, we're all doomed."

Although the countries of India were often embroiled in civil war, they had never witnessed such a terrifying conflict.

The Qin soldiers were covered in blood, with bits of flesh dripping from their sabers. Their eyes were as cold as if they were slaughtering livestock, showing no regard for human life.

Seeing Kutbudin run away, the two hurriedly found two horses and stumbled after him.

The Delhi Army camp of more than 50,000 men was now like a flock of runaway sheep, crowding southward in one fell swoop.

"Ahhh~"

"Don't push, don't push!"

"Help! My life!"

Many soldiers didn't have time to escape and were trampled underfoot by their comrades, their screams and cries filling the air.

The Qin army did not stop them at all, but chased after the defeated soldiers like a pack of wolves on the grassland.

The red cavalry were extremely fast and easily caught up with the fleeing soldiers. Their sabers slashed down, and heads rolled off.

An arrow was fired, and the deserter fell to the ground.

Hunting down defeated soldiers was far more efficient than besieging and fighting them. The Qin soldiers showed no mercy, only a frenzy of killing.

Blood stained the plains red, flowing along the gullies and staining three hundred miles of land crimson.

The Delhi army's route of retreat became a bloody path to hell.

Kutbudin rode his horse and fled desperately south, the screams and the sound of hooves behind him still seeming to echo in his ears.

He glanced back at the plain behind him. The red cavalry, like a pack of wolves, were still hunting down the scattered Delhi soldiers. The ground was covered with corpses and blood, a horrifying sight.

"Do not……"

"My 60,000-strong army is gone just like that."

Kutbudin gripped the reins tightly with both hands, his knuckles white, his expression a mixture of fear and rage, and he roared hoarsely.

If he had known these Qin soldiers were so powerful, he would never have come to his death.

"Damn merchants, damn Gur people, they're all liars."

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his face contorted with rage.

Those were his elite troops, the foundation of his unification of Ghur and his southward expansion. Now they were lost outside Peshawar. How could he not be heartbroken?
It wasn't until dusk that Kutbudin dared to stop and rest with the few hundred cavalrymen he had left.

As soon as he dismounted, he saw Prince Vijaya and Shankara also riding up, looking disheveled and covered in dust, their faces pale.

Kutbudin was taken aback, but immediately stepped forward, his tone urgent and deliberately exaggerated: "Your Highness, Master, it's so good that you're alright."

……

“Those barbarians from the northern frontier are simply inhuman. They kill without blinking an eye, and they can even drive their elephant cavalry out of control. My 60,000-strong army can't stop them. The next to suffer will be your Qiaohan Kingdom!”

He wanted to unite with the army of the Kingdom of Qiaohan to fight against the Northern Frontier People.

When Prince Kevijie heard the words "northern barbarians," he shuddered, and images of the Qin army slaughtering its soldiers flashed through his mind.

Crimson armor stained with blood, the cold glint of a scimitar as it slashed down, and the soldiers trampled into mincemeat...

He quickly waved his hand, his voice trembling: "Sultan, this matter is of great importance. I... I will go back and immediately consult with my father and discuss it further."

Shankara, standing nearby, frowned and angrily began to rebuke, "These people from the Northern Frontier are too brutal. They violate Shiva's teachings and indiscriminately kill innocent people. They are simply demons crawling out of hell."

But then he lowered his voice, a hint of apprehension in his tone: "However, the Northern Frontier people are simply too strong. We would definitely be no match for them in a direct confrontation. I wonder if Your Majesty has any countermeasures?"

Kutbudin sighed and shook his head: "If I had a way out, I wouldn't be in this situation."

Shankara clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and spoke in a solemn tone, with a strong hint of curry: "Shiva tells us that all things have a spirit, and we should treat everything in the world with kindness and peace."

“We cannot use violence to deal with the people of northern Xinjiang; we must use ‘nonviolent resistance’ to awaken their conscience.”

"Nonviolent resistance?"

Kutbudin and Prince Vijay were both stunned, and asked in confusion, "What does this mean?"

Shankara opened his eyes and slowly said, "The Sultanate has tens of millions of people. If the people from the Northern Frontier attack, you don't need to resist. Let them kill you."

"After killing five million people, when they see so many lives lost, their conscience will be awakened."

“Under Shiva’s guidance, they will feel fear, be afraid, and regret their actions. At that time, they will take the initiative to repent to you, Sultan, and the war will naturally be eliminated.”

When Kutbudin heard this, he was completely dumbfounded, his mouth agape as if he could fit a fist inside.

He stared at Shang Jieluo as if he were looking at a madman: "You... what did you say? Let them kill five million people? This is resistance? This is clearly suicide, Shang Jieluo, have you been scared out of your wits by the people of the Northern Frontier?"

Right now, all he wanted to do was hurl a vulgar curse at Shankara: "You mad dog, you stinky bastard, you big idiot!"

(End of this chapter)