Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 859 The Wind and Sand Beyond the Great Wall Still Feel Cold (Part 2)
Given the way the Mongols treated slaves, it would have been impossible to conduct long-distance transportation for the slave trade.

The slaves crossed half of the Mongolian Plateau and arrived at Linhuang Prefecture. Even if they were still alive, they were nothing but skeletons.

Therefore, these slaves could only be captured from the surrounding area.

But whose gathering place was Linhuangfu?
They belong to the Khitans, of course!
How could this not enrage the Khitan army, led by Xiao Ping, to the extreme?
However, Wanyan Xiang came here with a heavy responsibility, and he could not allow the Khitans to actually clash with the Mongols.

After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, Wanyan Xiang made a decisive decision and suppressed Xiao Ping with swift and decisive measures.

Of course, if Wanyan Xiang could remain calm and composed in the face of such provocation, he would have become a Buddha on the spot. Why would he need to be a general?
"Dalitai, are you trying to intimidate me?"

Dalitai's fat face, which had just been laughing wildly, instantly turned solemn, and he even adopted an honest and simple demeanor: "How could that be? I came here to sell goods honestly. I remember that the Great Jin Kingdom allows the buying and selling of slaves!"

At this point, Dalitai seemed to suddenly realize something, patted his head, and made the gold ring on his braid sway. Then he said in Mandarin with a strong Liaodong accent, "I understand. I didn't know the rules. I will definitely pick out some good goods and send them to the general's mansion."

Wanyan Xiang squinted at Dalitai.

Dalitai, however, showed no fear whatsoever, and a mocking expression reappeared on his originally honest face.

This guy did it on purpose! Dalitai deliberately used this method to test the bottom line of the Jin Kingdom!
Wanyan Xiang harbored deep resentment.

But he was unable to cope with it for the time being.

Because all the incidents, including Wanyan Xiang's arrival at Heishuipu, stemmed from the Jurchens' losses in troops and the need to bring in foreign troops to fight against the Han army.

That is, the Jiu Army was formed.

In reality, the Jurchen army was composed of various ethnic groups from outside the Great Wall. After the Jurchens became corrupt, the Jurchen army even became the main force of the Jin army.

To use a similar analogy, it would be the legions composed of barbarians in the late Roman Empire.

Although there were Mongol people among the Jurchen army in history, the main body was still Khitan.

But haven't the Khitans recovered from the great rebellion and then suffered a brutal beating in Daming Prefecture alongside the Jurchens? The Khitan tribes are still full of complaints, so how can they possibly spare any able-bodied men to continue serving the Jin Dynasty?

Therefore, the Mongols outside the Great Wall became a target for courting.

Dalitai's actions were utterly cunning, typical of the steppe people.

Since your Jin Kingdom wants to win over the Mongols, then I'd like to see how much you can concede.

At the very least, should the Jin dynasty abandon the interests of the Khitan people?
If you dare to give up, I might take advantage of you!
This behavior was actually the same as when Hebule publicly pulled Wanyan Wuqimai's beard, and when Wanyan Wuqimai was furious but only hit Hebule a few times afterward; both were mutual tests.

That's just how things are outside the Great Wall; even a simple probing attempt can lead to fighting and even many deaths.

As more and more people realized that something was wrong with the group of slaves driven over by the Mongols, a commotion gradually arose among the troops brought by Wanyan Xiang.

The Jin army was too weak in Linhuang Prefecture, so Wanyan Xiang only brought more than 300 Jurchen cavalrymen. The remaining 300 or so were Khitan troops, and the majority of the rest were Mongol troops.

Most of these Khitan soldiers were local Khitans from Linhuang Prefecture. How could they not be extremely resentful and angry to see their own people and tribes being treated in this way?
Wanyan Xiang listened to the commotion behind him, stared at Dalitai for a long time, and then rode forward with a smile, approaching him: "Dalitai, I know you are a complete good-for-nothing, but I didn't expect you to dare to play such a trick in front of me."

As he spoke, Wanyan Xiang approached with his sword at the ready, causing the Mongol warriors beside Dalitai to become alert.

Just a moment later, Wanyan Xiang suddenly realized something.

Why not send a civil official, but instead send a military man like yourself to make initial contacts? And why didn't you choose someone experienced and prudent?

Isn't the court trying to use its arrogance to dampen the Mongols' spirit?
Having figured this out, Wanyan Xiang simply spurred his horse to the side of Dalitai, grinning maliciously at him: "You want to suppress me, don't you?"

Dalitai, however, still spoke in heavily accented Liaodong Han dialect: "So what if it is, so what if it isn't?"

No sooner had he spoken than Dalitai felt a blur before his eyes, and a large hand grabbed his neck.

As a nobleman from Mongolia, he was also quite skilled on horseback. He gripped the reins tightly with one hand and reached for the hilt of his sword with the other.

Seeing that the two generals seemed to be about to fight, their personal guards stepped forward, and their respective armies also assumed a fighting stance.

"A-Yuan! Go and save them!" Cao Wance shouted at the top of his lungs, roaring like a rooster being choked, but it was unclear whether he wanted Hou Anyuan to save Wanyan Xiang, who was standing up for the Khitans, or to save the Khitan slaves.

Hou Anyuan didn't care about anything else. He turned around and whistled, and several Flying Tiger Armored Cavalrymen rode out from the crowd, forming a small cone-shaped formation before charging forward.

Hou Anyuan was practically bursting with laughter inside. Just a few days ago, he was scheming about how to kill Wanyan Xiang and Dalitai together, and now, thanks to the Emperor's blessing, the opportunity had presented itself!

If the two men are killed amidst the chaos, and a major battle is instigated between the Mongols and the Jin army, the Han army can easily escape.

Moreover, with Khitan slaves as a base, if some more rumors are spread, the Khitans will definitely rebel again.

However, this was precisely the time when the army was transitioning from peace to war, from order to chaos, and in that short period of time, far too much had happened.

Hou Anyuan had only taken less than ten steps when he saw Wanyan Xiang raise his foot and kick the warhorse under Dalitai's crotch, while the hand gripping Dalitai's neck remained as still as if cast in iron, lifting up a man weighing nearly two hundred pounds.

"Halt! Phusanpenli, blow the horns, and order the army to regroup and not advance!"

Wanyan Xiang gave a loud order, then grabbed Dalitai by the neck and grinned as he looked at the Mongol deputy general.

The Mongol deputy general hesitated for a moment, clearly out of fear of harming the enemy, and had no choice but to sound the retreat as well.

The two groups of soldiers, who had been itching to attack, immediately calmed down under the officer's reprimand.

Hou Anyuan had already approached within ten paces when he was blocked by the Jin army. He was filled with resentment, but could only rein in his horse and stand still. His hand secretly reached for his bow and arrow, but he felt uneasy.

Although he usually claimed to be skilled in archery and horsemanship, he was ultimately no match for his good brother Shi Wang in archery.

Hou Anyuan didn't know if he could kill two armored generals within ten paces using a rapid-fire technique.

However, having accepted the order from the King of Han, Hou Anyuan was determined to give it a try, regardless of the outcome.

Just then, Wanyan Xiang grabbed Dalitai by the neck and lifted him up like a child, shouting, "Dalitai! How dare you insult me ​​today? Do you really want to die?"

Dalitai's face turned bright red, like the color of a pig's liver. He couldn't even breathe properly, let alone answer.

Seeing this, Wanyan Xiang threw Dalitai to the ground and let his guards help him up. After he coughed for a while, he said proudly, "However, the affairs of the state are more important. I will spare your life today. How will you thank me?"

The idea that one should refrain from killing and expect others to thank them is utterly illogical and absurd.

But the Mongols actually fell for it.

After spitting out a few mouthfuls of sour water, Dalitai smiled and said, "General Wanyan, I was careless this time, not out of disrespect. Since General Wanyan is one step ahead, we will give all the slaves we captured to you."

Wanyan Xiang nodded in satisfaction, but then pointed to Dalitai's waist.

Dalitai chuckled, took off a Central Asian-style dagger inlaid with gemstones, tossed it over, then mounted another horse and shouted, "Men, let's camp right here on the banks of the Huang River!"

The Mongols seemed completely oblivious to the earlier incident, and began to cheer and whistle excitedly.

Wanyan Xiang toyed with the dagger, reined in his horse, turned around, and said to Xiao Ping, who was standing on the ground, "Why don't you hurry up and gather the men?"

Xiao Ping seemed to have injured his arm, and at this moment he performed a very strange salute with only one hand before turning to look for his warhorse.

After things calmed down, Wanyan Xiang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that today's troubles were over.

However, Wanyan Xiang turned his gaze and saw a very young knight in the Jin army formation raising his bow and arrow at him with a ferocious expression.

Wanyan Xiang's first reaction was to duck and dodge, but he had only completed half of his tactical maneuver when he heard the sound of hooves behind him tighten and the sharp whistling of weapons cutting through the air rushed from behind him. He was so frightened that he immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword and rolled off his horse to avoid the attack.

Wanyan Xiang was, after all, a young general with agile movements. He immediately steadied himself, using his warhorse to shield his back, while looking in the direction of the Mongols.

But then they saw a Mongol man holding a long staff lying motionless on his horse with an arrow in his forehead.

But Dalitai's voice came from afar: "General Wanyan's men are exceptionally skilled; I'm impressed."

Now you've startled me, and I've startled you back, so we're even! Hahaha!

Under the protection of his guards, Wanyan Xiang mounted his horse. He glanced at the direction the Mongols had retreated, then reined in his horse, turned around, and pointed at Hou Anyuan in the distance: "If it weren't for this man, I would be dead today! He deserves a reward!"

Amidst the envious and grateful gazes of those around him, Hou Anyuan felt a mix of emotions.

(End of this chapter)