The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 381 The Kipchak Cavalry Marches South, Kings of the Age of Cold Weapons

Outside Bukhara, the Qin army stood in formation, the First Garrison's army stretching across the vast wilderness, seemingly without end.

The Shenji Battalion soldiers pushed dozens of cannons and lined up in front of the battle formation.

Further away were the Khitan and Western Karakhanid Khanate's auxiliary troops, armed with crude weapons, carrying hastily made siege ladders, and pushing carts full of stones and mud, awaiting the order to attack.

Although they were to be the first wave of attackers, the rewards promised by the people of the Northern Frontier were so generous that they could all change their fate.

In the morning breeze, the golden sun and moon battle banners fluttered. Li Xiao reined in his horse and stood at the front of the battle line, holding the Thousand-Mile Eye. His cold gaze swept across the walls of Bukhara, and he gave the order in a deep voice: "Attack the city."

"Yes, sir!" the messenger shouted, and then blew the horn.

"Woooooooo~"

The special frequency represents an order to the Shenji Battalion.

Upon hearing this, a commander of the Shenji Battalion drew his command sword, pointed it towards the city wall, and shouted with a ferocious expression, "Fire!"

"Give me a good beating."

"Boom boom boom~"

In an instant, dozens of cannons roared simultaneously, their black muzzles spewing out blazing flames, and the shells, with a piercing whistle, crashed into the walls of Bukhara like meteors.

"咻咻咻咻咻~"

The bricks and stones on the city wall instantly crumbled, smoke and dust billowed into the sky, and the entire city wall trembled violently.

Several cannonballs crashed directly into the crenellations of the city wall, and the Khwarezmian soldiers who could not dodge in time were instantly smashed into a bloody pulp. Blood and rubble flew everywhere, and screams of agony pierced through the sound of cannon fire, echoing throughout the city.

"Ahhhhh~"

"O God! What is that?"

On the city wall, a young soldier collapsed to the ground in terror, his hands clasped together in prayer as he faced east, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Is this the wrath of hell? Is this God's punishment upon us?"

"No... it's the sorcery of the people of the Northern Frontier."

Another soldier screamed and backed away, his eyes filled with despair: "They summoned demons, we can't stop them at all."

Among the crowd, several veterans who had followed Muhammad on his eastern expedition last year were ashen-faced and trembling uncontrollably.

Last year outside Samarkand, they witnessed the power of these "iron lumps" firsthand; their 50,000-strong army was routed by them.

Hearing that familiar roar again, the fear from his memories surged back instantly. An old soldier crouched on the ground, clutching his head, muttering to himself, "The demon is here, the demon has returned..."

Hailhan and Alexei on the city wall were so shocked that they couldn't speak. The two stared intently at the cannon that was constantly spewing fire, their pupils shrinking.

They had long heard from the generals who had escaped that "the people of the northern frontier have terrifying weapons," but they had always thought it was an exaggeration by the defeated soldiers. Only now, seeing it with their own eyes, did they realize that it was not a rumor at all.

That was a true weapon capable of destroying city walls and tearing apart armies.

"How...how can it have such great power?"

"Yes, it's a hundred times more powerful than our catapults."

How did the people of northern Xinjiang manage to do that?

Alexei's voice trembled, and the confidence he had gained from the army of 100,000 vanished instantly as if doused with cold water.

"Could this be the power that the barbarians of the Northern Frontier obtained through a deal with demons?"

"God above, can our city walls hold them off?"

Khair Khan was horrified, but as the nephew of the Queen Mother and the highest-ranking nobleman of Khwarazm, he had to maintain his pride.

Suppressing his panic, he spoke with the unwavering conviction of a believer in God: "Alexher, don't forget that God is with us."

"The city wall is a barrier given by God, and the sorcery of the people of the northern frontier will eventually be dispelled by God."

He turned to look at the supervisory team behind him, his voice suddenly becoming stern: "Pass on my order, the supervisory team, armed with scimitars, will stand guard on the city walls. Anyone who dares to retreat a single step, anyone who dares to spread fear, will be executed on the spot."

"This is a test from God for us. Only by guarding Bukhara can we receive God's forgiveness."

The defending soldiers were temporarily stabilized, but the Qin army's cannons continued to roar, and round after round of shells pounded the city wall, sending bricks and stones flying. The cracks in the city wall grew wider and wider, and many crenellations were completely destroyed, revealing hideous gaps.

The screams, prayers, and cannon fire of the defenders mingled together, and morale on the city walls dwindled.

After a dozen or so rounds of artillery fire ceased, the cannon barrels glowed red from overheating. Li Xiao reined in his horse and rode forward, his gaze sweeping over the auxiliary troops in the distance. He shouted, "Order the Kuli army to attack the city!"

These Kurul soldiers were mostly soldiers who had been conquered by the Qin army before. They included Khitan soldiers from the royal court, Turkic soldiers, soldiers from the Western Karakhanid Khanate, Ghur soldiers, and even Persian soldiers.

These are the Kuril army, which consists of slave soldiers.

Above the Kuril army was the army of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, who came to Bukhara as allies of the Qin state and held a higher status.

Upon hearing the order to attack the city, the first batch of Kuril soldiers pushed carts loaded with gravel and soil, preparing to fill in the moat outside Bukhara.

This paved the way for the subsequent siege.

Two days later, under the cover of Qin army cannons and crossbows, the moats that could have been used by the army to attack the city were filled in.

The auxiliary army then began its real siege.

Some of the "key members" and "activists" even shouted: "Whoever is the first to breach the city walls will be freed from slavery and will become a nobleman of Qin."

"Charge! For freedom! For becoming nobles!"

The attack and defense continued for five days, and the walls of Bukhara were riddled with holes. The defenders inside the city suffered heavy casualties, and their morale was extremely low.

On the sixth night, Hailhan paced anxiously in the city's mansion and said to Alexei, "If this continues, we'll be breached sooner or later."

"Why don't we launch a surprise attack on the Qin army camp tonight?"

"Their artillery is the biggest threat. As long as we destroy those iron lumps, we can turn the tide and win."

Alex frowned: "But the Qin army is heavily fortified. Can a sneak attack succeed?"

"It's just a gamble."

A ruthless glint flashed in Hailhan's eyes. "We'll select five thousand elite cavalry, open the city gates under cover of night, circle around to the rear of the Qin army camp, set fire to create chaos, and then take the opportunity to rush in and destroy the cannons."

“Once the artillery is gone, those barbarians from the northern frontier will be like tigers without claws.”

Even so, Hailhan did not dare to lead the team himself, fearing that the surprise attack would fail and he would lose his life.

He patted Alexei on the shoulder, his tone deliberately earnest: "Alexei, you are the bravest warrior of the Kipchak. This sneak attack can only rely on you."

"If you succeed, the Empress Dowager will surely reward you handsomely."

Although Alexei had his doubts, he knew the situation was critical, so he could only grit his teeth and agree: "Alright, I will take five thousand cavalry."

In the dead of night, the western gate of Bukhara quietly opened, and five thousand Khwarazmian cavalrymen, armed with scimitars and their horses' hooves wrapped in hemp cloth, crept toward the Qin army camp.

But as soon as Alexei approached the woodland surrounding the Qin army camp, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

The place where patrols used to be was now eerily silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Just as he was about to rein in his horse, a sharp horn sounded suddenly from the darkness.

"Woooooooooo~"

Immediately following was a roar and a commotion, as countless cavalrymen charged out of the darkness, lighting countless torches.

"The Khwarezmian cavalry launched a surprise attack; prepare for battle."

"The king has decreed that all invading enemies be annihilated."

"kill."

"Kill them all."

"Oh no, we're ambushed."

Alexei's expression changed drastically, his heart clenched, and he roared at the top of his lungs, "Charge out! Charge out now!"

Before the words were finished, countless crossbow bolts suddenly pierced the night sky from the woods on both sides.

The Qin army's crossbows were already poised to fire, and a dense barrage of bolts rained down on the Kipchak cavalry.

Before the front-line cavalry could react, crossbow bolts pierced their armor, causing them to scream and fall from their horses. The horses, startled, neighed, instantly disrupting the Kipchak cavalry's formation.

"kill."

A deafening roar echoed from the darkness as two squads of heavy cavalry, wielding long spears, charged straight out of the main gate of the camp. Wherever they went, men and horses were crushed, and blood splattered all over the ground.

Alexei swung his sword to cut off the incoming crossbow bolts, trying to lead the remaining troops to break through the encirclement, but light cavalry came from both sides to flank them.

The Qin light cavalry moved with incredible speed, their bows and crossbows firing in the darkness, their spears flashing as they relentlessly reaped the lives of lone riders, completely cutting off the Khwarazmian cavalry's retreat.

"Why...how did the Qin army know our plan?"

Alexei watched as the soldiers around him fell one by one, his eyes filled with despair.

He fought bravely and wounded a Qin light cavalryman, but was shot in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt from behind, and his scimitar clattered to the ground.

A Qin army centurion rode up to him, his spear pointed directly at his throat, and laughed: "You've captured a high-ranking official from Khwarezm, tie him up!"

Alexei tried to struggle, but was held down firmly by the Qin soldiers.

He turned his head and saw that the five thousand Kipchak cavalrymen were almost all gone, some lying in pools of blood, others captured by the Qin army. The battlefield, illuminated by torches, had long since become a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

On the distant walls of Bukhara, Hail Khan anxiously awaited news, but all he could see were flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the Qin army camp, and the faint sounds of fighting could be heard. An ominous premonition immediately rose in his heart.

Not long after, a Kipchak soldier who had managed to escape stumbled back into the city, crying out, "General, we've been ambushed! General Alexei has been captured, and five thousand cavalrymen... are all gone!"

"All gone?" Hail Khan staggered backward, almost falling off the city wall.

He gazed in the direction of the Qin army camp, his eyes filled with fear. The ingenious plan he had devised over three days had failed to defeat the Northern Frontier people, and he had even lost five thousand of the city's most elite cavalry.

Even Alexei failed to return. How am I supposed to explain this to the Queen Mother?

Can Bukhara still be held?
……

Meanwhile, in northern Khwarezm, on the grasslands along the Aral Sea, white yurts were scattered about, and herds of cattle and sheep grazed on the lush pastures.

The distant Aral Sea shimmered, and the spring breeze swept across the grassland, carrying a moist warmth.

A large group of Kipchak nomadic tribes were stationed here last year, and they were the reinforcements that Empress Dowager Turhan had specially invited with a large sum of money after learning of the defeat of the Khwarazmian army.

Outside the yurt, several Kipchak herders sat around a campfire, holding earthenware bowls, drinking mare's milk wine, and chatting about everyday life.

A herdsman with a full beard clicked his tongue, looked at the robust sheep beside him, and said with a smile, "It's still warmer south of Haizi." "It's still snowing on our Qincha grassland right now, and the livestock are so cold they don't want to leave the pen. Look at these sheep here, they've only been raised for half a month, and their wool is already glossy and smooth. They're much stronger than they are on the grassland."

The herdsmen nearby nodded repeatedly, agreeing, "That's right."

“When that old woman, Tuerhan, invited us here, I was worried that the water and soil here would not be good, but now it seems that it is much more comfortable than the grassland.”

"I just don't know how long this war will last. I heard that Khwarazm gave a lot of gold and silver. If we can finish the war soon, we can take the money back to the grasslands and exchange it for several herds of horses."

“The chieftain of the Boyuewu tribe, Jingkeshi, is a very blessed man! The gods are watching over him.”

Another herdsman put down his earthenware bowl, his tone tinged with envy: "He had a wonderful daughter; she became the Queen Mother of Khwarezm."

“The people of Boyuewu’s tribe have all become high-ranking officials in Khwarezm. The fact that we were able to come here and fight with such a large sum of money is thanks to Turhan’s consideration for our kinship.”

"Don't call him 'old woman' anymore. Even though he's old enough to be your mother, you should still respect him," an elderly herdsman scolded the young man beside him.

Then, with a nostalgic look on his face, he said, "Turhan, she was the most beautiful woman on the grassland when she was young."

"Countless warriors want to get her, and some have even risked their lives for the Grizzlies."

"Unfortunately, in the end she married that cowardly Persian from the south."

As the herders recounted events from years past and mentioned the recent battle, the atmosphere around the campfire suddenly became more somber.

An elderly herdsman frowned and said slowly, "They say they're going to fight the people from the Northern Frontier? I've heard they're very powerful!"

"A few years ago, the Liao people led several tribes from the east to raid the northern frontier. That was tens of thousands of cavalry. What happened? The entire army was wiped out, and not a single one of them returned to report the news."

The young herdsman was stunned, somewhat disbelieving: "Are they really that powerful? Our Kipchak cavalry's scimitars can't even defeat them?"

"It's not easy to fight them!" the older herdsman sighed. "I heard from caravans on the grasslands that the people of the northern frontier have iron lumps that can blow up city walls, crossbows that can pierce iron armor, and their cavalry is faster than ours."

"The Empress Dowager has given us a lot of gold and silver, but if we lose our lives here, no amount of money will be of any use!"

"Perhaps the defeat of the eastern tribes last time was just an accident."

"The people of northern Xinjiang are just like us, coming from impoverished grasslands. How powerful can they be?"

Just then, the tribe's chief lifted the tent flap and came out. Hearing the discussion, he laughed and shouted, "Don't worry, everyone!"

"I just received news that Empress Dowager Turkhan said that as long as we fight well, defeat the people of the Northern Frontier, and capture their leader, the generous Empress Dowager will double the money and also reward us with slaves and pastures from Khwarezm."

"Add money?"

The herders, who had just been frowning, suddenly brightened up. The bearded herder slapped his thigh and laughed, "It's no problem if you pay more."

"As long as the money is right, we can shoot down not only the people of northern Xinjiang, but even the eagles in the sky."

"Yes, we'll do it if you pay more."

Other herders chimed in, and the atmosphere around the campfire became lively again. Their earlier apprehension towards the people of northern Xinjiang seemed to have faded considerably under the lure of "more money."

For the people of the grasslands, gold and silver pastures and cattle and sheep are always the most tangible motivation.

A few days later, a Khwarazmian messenger rode swiftly to the Kipchak cavalry camp, found the leader, and shouted: "The Queen Mother has ordered that the northern barbarians have captured Odala City, and all Kipchak tribes are to immediately raise troops to meet them in battle."

"Hahaha, after waiting for so long, the barbarians from the northern frontier have finally arrived."

"They came too slowly. Did they drink all the women's milk at home before coming?"

"Ahaha~"

The Kipchak cavalrymen laughed heartily, their fighting spirit immediately ignited by the thought of the "extra money" promised by Empress Dowager Turkhan.

And then he thought of the wealth of Otrar, one of the largest cities in Khwarezm.

The commercial prosperity has already fallen into the hands of the people of the Northern Frontier. If they were to take it back, the money and women that the people of the Northern Frontier had stolen would naturally not be returned to Khwarezm.

The bearded herdsman suddenly stood up, brandishing his scimitar and shouting, "Our Kipchak cavalry are the bravest warriors in the world!"

"Those barbarians from the northern frontier are just lucky. Once we get there, we'll make them taste the power of their scimitars."

"That's right, the bravest in the world are our Kipchak cavalry."

“Our Kipchak cavalry are the bravest in the world. The barbarians of the northern frontier are nothing but wild bastards from the frozen land. If we charge, they will have to run away.”

"At that time, all of Odara's wealth and women will be ours."

"Warrior, come with me, let's go to Edarla and make a fortune."

Herds of horses surged out of the camp like a tide, and cavalry from other tribes along the way gradually joined them. The originally scattered tribal cavalry gradually merged into an army of more than 20,000 men.

They were all the most elite warriors on the Kipchak Steppe, and they were Empress Dowager Turkhan's trump card.

Behind the camp, many Kipchak elders, women, and children stood on the earthen slope, gazing in the direction the army had gone.

An elderly woman with white hair held her grandson's hand, her eyes filled with worry: "Will Anu be alright? If the people of Northern Xinjiang are really as powerful as the caravan said..."

The woman beside her sighed, holding her newborn baby in her arms: "What can we do? The Empress Dowager has given us so much money that the men are all green with envy."

"I just hope that God will bless them so that they can win and come back alive."

The children, unaware of the dangers of war, excitedly waved their little wooden knives and shouted, "Father is the best! He can kill the barbarians of the northern frontier and bring back lots of money!"

Meanwhile, in the Kipchak cavalry army, Toghrul, the leader of the Toghrul tribe, was running alongside other tribal leaders.

He pointed to the horizon ahead, his tone full of confidence: "Five more days' journey and we'll reach Odaara."

"Then we'll first disperse the cavalry of the Northern Frontier, and then retake the city."

"Brothers, money and women are waiting for us ahead."

"Charge! Rob money, rob women!"

At this moment, the city of Odaara has long lost its former commercial prosperity.

This city, which once prospered because of the Silk Road, is now a scene of devastation, with corpses piled up in the streets and the air thick with the stench of blood and burnt flesh.

Qin soldiers looted the city wantonly, some carrying wooden boxes full of gold and silver, others dragging crying Khwarezmian women.

Others rummaged through noble mansions for valuable treasures, venting their warlike fury.

Just like the scene when Jochi led the Mongols to conquer this city in history, only this time, the victors are the Qin army.

"General, we've found it! The black wheat that the King is looking for has been found in the market in the city."

A soldier rushed up to Li Dongshan, carrying a bag of plump black grains on his shoulder.

Li Dongshan took the bag and examined it carefully.

This type of rye grain is smaller than that of regular wheat, with a dark brown husk and a fine texture on the surface, making it feel heavy in the hand.

Although he didn't know what the wheat was for, he immediately followed Li Xiao's orders and had all the rye collected, forbidding the soldiers from consuming it and reserving it all for seed.

The guard explained, "We asked the prisoners and found out that this rye is wild and can grow in cold, barren, saline-alkali soil."

Actually, this kind of food is not uncommon in Khwarezm and the Black Sea region to the west, but it is not prevalent and is not a staple food for the Khwarezmians.

Because it is grown in warm, fertile soil, its yield is not as high as that of wheat.

However, in cold places like the Gobi Desert, the yield is actually higher than that of wheat.

However, the flour produced is black and has a poor taste. The black bread in Western movies and TV shows is made from rye and other whole grains, and it is a food eaten by the poor in the West.

In the northern part of Jinzhou and the northern desert, there are large areas of cold land that have never been cultivated.

The salinization has not been improved, making it difficult to grow other crops.

Li Xiao plans to try planting rye.

Even when we conquer the frozen plateau further north, we can use rye as a temporary measure in the absence of corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Just as the rye was being arranged, another soldier ran in to report: "General, thirteen Akhal-Teke horses have been discovered in the city's stables."

"It was pure white, and you could see the blood lines on its body when it ran, just like the Akhal-Teke horses that were captured in Samarkand last year."

"A sweaty horse?"

Li Dongshan's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed the soldiers to the stables.

Inside the stable, a dozen or so snow-white horses paced restlessly. They were agile, with smooth manes, and the veins on their necks were faintly red in the sunlight, as if blood was flowing under their skin.

This is the Altyn horse that became famous in later generations.

"Great."

Li Dongshan rubbed his hands excitedly: "Ferghana horses are not easy to come by. Over the years, our Qin state has only managed to buy less than ten of them as breeding horses through caravans."

"It's still being kept tightly covered by the King. I've long wanted to get one as a mount."

"This time we found more than a dozen horses. Your Majesty should reward me with a few."

He immediately ordered the grooms to take good care of these fine horses, feeding them the best fodder every day, and to ensure that there were no mistakes.

It should be noted that the vast majority of Khwarazmian soldiers rode ordinary horses, not much different from the warhorses of the northern frontier.

Even in Khwarezm, the Akhal-Teke horse is a national treasure. Only in the Battle of Samarkand last year, when Muhammad was defeated, were dozens of Akhal-Teke horses used by his generals captured.

Finding more than a dozen horses this time was already a pleasant surprise.

But that's far from enough. To breed enough superior warhorses, it is necessary to conquer the entire Khwarezmian Empire and bring all the Akhal-Teke horses back to Qin.

Next, the Qin army looted the city of Odala for three days, plundering all the gold, silver, supplies, and food in the city. Young women were taken prisoner and prepared to be taken back to the Qin state.

Just as the army finished packing and was preparing to move on to the next target, two scouts rushed over: "General, a large number of cavalry has been spotted thirty miles to the northwest. Judging from their banners, they seem to be Kipchaks, numbering more than 20,000."

Li Dongshan's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold chuckle.

He reined in his horse and shouted to the Qin army, "Brothers, the Kipchak barbarians have delivered themselves to our doorstep!"

“The 30,000 Kipchaks buried in the northern frontier back then weren’t enough, so today we’ll bury these 20,000 together.”

"Today, let these barbarians know that the swords of the Northern Frontier are the hardest."

"Anyone who dares to oppose the Great Qin will only face death."

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

(End of this chapter)