Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 126: Rivers of blood flow, crushing Khwarezm!

During these seven days, the Mongols built many catapults.

The Samarkand of this era was not the Samarkand of later generations whose hydraulic facilities were first destroyed by the Mongols and then became barren due to deforestation. Instead, it was a place densely covered with gardens and full of vitality.

Historically, Yelu Chucai accompanied Temujin here and recorded the situation in detail in his "Journey to the West": "(Samarkand) is called Hezhong Prefecture because it is close to the river... Gardens are everywhere for dozens of miles around the city. Every family must have a garden, and the garden must be interesting, with flowing canals and springs, square ponds and round marshes, cypress trees and willows lining the ground, and peach and plum trees stretching out in rows... In the midsummer when there is no rain, the river is diverted to stimulate the flow..."

This garden, which covered dozens of miles in radius, provided the Mongols with a large amount of wood and stone.

With enough craftsmen and materials, and a large number of key components transported in, the Mongols built 6,000 catapults in just seven days.

Among them, there are 5,000 light catapults.

This type of catapult was the simplest, operated by two people, with a range of 100 to 150 steps, and could only fire a half-jin stone projectile at a time. Although its power was not strong, its rate of fire was fast, firing two to four stone projectiles per minute, and as fast as six.

One thousand medium-sized catapults.

A medium-sized catapult, operated by forty men, could fire a 30-jin stone projectile at a range of 120 steps. However, in order to threaten the defenders on the walls of Samarkand, the Mongols reduced the weight of the projectiles to about 12 jin each, with a range of 240 steps.

By now, the Mongol tactics were crystal clear.

Light catapults attack the enemy in the trenches, while medium-sized catapults restrain the enemy on the city walls.

Then, with a fierce attack, the enemy troops were trapped in the trenches, and the manpower of the Samarkand defenders was consumed to the greatest extent.

Boom boom boom!
The red tents raised by the Mongolian army marked the beginning of this battle.

Almost at the same time, 1,500 catapults from all four sides of Samarkand city began to bombard the Khwarezmians fiercely.

The Khwarezmians were not to be outdone.

Their catapults, fixed to the city walls, gave them an additional forty paces of range. A well-built catapult was also more powerful than the Mongols' hastily constructed ones. In a short while, dozens of Mongol catapults were destroyed, and hundreds of the soldiers were killed or wounded.

But, that’s not the point!

As for the signed army, they didn't care how many Mongols died.

Moreover, in order to attack the Mongolian army's catapults, medium and heavy catapults must be used. The firing rate of this type of catapult is very slow, and it can only be fired once every five to ten minutes.

Qian Jun can definitely afford to die.

Besides, the Mongols built so many catapults not only to attack the enemy, but also to attract firepower from the walls of Samarkand and reduce the losses of the army attacking the trenches.

Everything is expected.

The focus now is still on the battle for the four trenches.

"Charge! Kill!"

"If we take Samarkand, we can go home!"

"I'd rather die on the battlefield than retreat. Think about my family at home!"

"The disaster from God, the destruction of Samarkand, is the will of the true God!"

……

The Mongols besieged the city with 210,000 troops, 50,000 of whom operated catapults and 160,000 were responsible for attacking the trenches.

The signing army was certainly not invented by Zhao Shuo.

Before this westward expedition, the Mongols had already made plans to recruit Khwarezmian troops.

Ten people form a ten-household group, and a hundred people form a hundred-household group. This is not new at all. When the Mongols conquered the Jin Dynasty, they also did this when they recruited militiamen to attack the city.

It was only because Zhao Shuo had talents like Wu Xian under his command, who was best at organizing unorganized chaotic troops and civilians who had not received military training, that the combat effectiveness of the signed troops under Zhao Shuo was quite good.

Although Temujin did not have talents like Wuxian under his command, and Wuxian's innate talent for organizing rebellious troops and militia could not be learned, he had learned various systems of Zhao Shuo's army, and the combat effectiveness of the army was greatly improved.

The third-level supervisory team.

The promise that we could return home as long as we captured Samarkand.

Everyone had a mark burned on their chest, and those who retreated would bring trouble to their families.

They held wooden shields in their left hands and long spears in their right hands, and rushed towards the trench regardless of their own safety.

"Hmph, a mob, no match for them! Release your arrows!"

The commander in charge of the eastern moat of Khwarezm was named Togrul, a Qarluk.

The Qarluk people, who had once betrayed Gao Xianzhi during the Tang Dynasty, were now divided into two groups. The eastern group, led by Arsalan Khan, submitted to Temujin and assimilated into the Mongols. The western group served Khwarezm, and Togrul was one of them.

The fierce attack of the Mongolian catapults had indeed made him quite depressed. However, now, seeing the enemy's light catapults stop attacking, and those 10,000 soldiers armed with simple weapons and without even leather armor coming towards him, he couldn't help but sneer.

Whoosh whoosh!
The Khwarezmian bow is also a composite bow with a shorter range than the common bows in the East, but a faster rate of fire.

In just a moment, arrows rained down on the 10,000 soldiers on the opposite side.

In Togrul's opinion, bows and arrows are very effective in killing unarmored targets.

Moreover, these soldiers were just a mob. As long as a hail of arrows caused heavy casualties to these natives, they would surely scatter.

No?
If these natives were so powerful, how could they have been controlled by the Western Liao Dynasty and Khwarezm for hundreds of years? The Western Karakhanid Khanate, which originally ruled here, was already vulnerable. Not to mention these untrained farmers, merchants, and craftsmen.

But, in reality, what did he see?
"what!"

There were screams everywhere, and soldiers were shot by arrows and fell down one after another. It turned out that their fighting capacity was not very good.

But the other soldiers who were not hit by arrows seemed to be unaffected and continued to rush forward!

One hundred steps!

Eighty steps!
Fifty steps!
Thirty steps!
After three rounds of arrow rain, the 10,000-strong army suffered nearly 3,000 casualties, but they still rushed forward and would soon come into close combat with the Khwarezmian army!

"This... How is this possible? Aren't they afraid of death? If they were so fearless, how could Khwarezm have annexed the Western Karakhanid Khanate so easily? And why? It was the Mongols who destroyed their homeland, yet they hate us even more than the Mongols themselves?"

Togrul couldn't believe his eyes.

How could he know?

These soldiers were not loyal to the Mongols, but were afraid of them!

They feared the Mongols more than the Khwarezmian army, even more than death!
I would rather die on the battlefield!

Moreover, these signed troops were originally from the Western Karakhanid Khanate, and it had been less than six years since they were annexed by Khwarezm. There was no question of their loyalty to Khwarezm at all!
Togrul could already see the hideous and distorted faces of the soldiers.

"Go out and kill them!"

Unable to figure it out, Togrul made a prompt decision and issued an order for an immediate counterattack.

Twenty thousand elite Khwarez troops were deployed in the eastern trench.

Immediately, five thousand elite Khwarezmian troops rushed out of the trenches and attacked the Qian army.

"when!"

A soldier thrust his spear at a Khwarezm warrior.

The soldier slightly turned his body to avoid the shot, then swung his sword with a grim smile and cut off the soldier's arm.

"what!"

The soldier screamed and fell to the ground.

Then the Khwarezmian warrior stepped forward and beheaded him with one stroke!

……

……

"Die!"

Two soldiers attacked a Khwarezmian soldier with a gun, one on the left and one on the right, at the same time.

The warrior used his armor to block the spear from the left, then knocked the spear of the warrior on the right away with a clash of his spear. Then, he thrust his spear straight forward and pierced the chest of the warrior on the right.

"you wanna die!"

Just as the spear penetrated, the soldier on the left, unable to strike, stabbed at the Khwarezmian warrior's neck. Although there was armor protection there, it was the most vulnerable point, and the spear was definitely a threat.

The Khwarezmian warrior quickly dodged to the side.

The soldier on the right did not die immediately and hugged his right leg tightly.

The Khwarezmian soldier quickly fired another shot, completely killing the soldier on the right.

In just a moment's delay, the soldier on the left had already struck him in the neck with a spear. Although he was protected by his armor and the Khwarazmian soldier dodged slightly, avoiding a vital injury, blood still seeped out of his armor.

The Khwarezmian warrior was furious and thrust his spear straight at the warrior on the left, hitting him in the lower abdomen.

Then he drew his gun and charged towards the other soldiers.

But the blood flowing from his neck continued to drain his strength.

……

……

After all, the Khwarezmian army had an absolute advantage in terms of organization, combat power, and equipment. Especially the armored soldiers, who had a huge advantage over the unarmored soldiers.

In less than two quarters of an hour, five thousand Khwarezmian soldiers killed more than seven thousand soldiers, causing a river of blood and forcing them to retreat step by step.

"Humph, you're just being fearless, but in reality you're still vulnerable!"

Togrul breathed a sigh of relief, a smile forming on his lips, and prepared to commit two thousand fresh troops to completely defeat the remaining signed troops.

However, at this moment——

"Second team, go ahead!"

At Wu Xian's command, the second team of 10,000 soldiers rushed towards the eastern trench.

"Damn! It's not over yet!"

Togrul was furious and sent another 5,000 more soldiers! However, because the front was already in close combat, there was no way to use a rain of arrows to wear down the Qian army, so they had to resort to direct and direct close combat. This time, the 5,000 elite Khwarezmian troops did not have such a big advantage against the 10,000 Qian army.

After a full quarter of an hour, the Qian army collapsed again!
At this time, in the east, the 20,000 signed troops who rushed forward had suffered more than 10,000 casualties, and the Khwarezmian army also had more than 1,000 casualties.

"Third team, go!"

Wu Xian generously sent out the third team of 10,000 soldiers.

Togrul could only send another 5,000 troops.

Another quarter of an hour later.

"It's now!"

Wu Xian pointed the caltrop bone in his hand forward, a bloodthirsty smile on his face, and said, "All the supervisory team, and the remaining soldiers, follow me!"

"Yes!"

The total number of signed troops heading east was 40,000.

The last 10,000 people are composed of Wu Xian’s thousand elite Han troops as the core supervisory team and a part of the signed troops!

The elite Han troops of the Eight Banners were all wearing iron armor and holding heavy iron spears that were strong enough to penetrate armor. They were obviously an elite force.

By now, Togrul had sensed danger.

How could it be so coincidental? He was able to effortlessly carry out the first three waves of attack, gaining a clear advantage. It seemed that with just a little more effort, he could easily defeat the enemy. But just when he was about to defeat the enemy, the enemy immediately sent reinforcements.

The number of reinforcements is not large, and it seems that if we make a little more effort, we can achieve results.

As a result, they were confused and now only had 5,000 reserve troops left.

But what can we do?
The elite troops sent out so far have suffered fewer than two thousand casualties. If they were to retreat suddenly in close combat, even with the trenches to rely on, they would surely suffer another two thousand casualties. Has the situation really deteriorated to that point? Togrul was truly reluctant to part with these two thousand troops.

It's like a gambler who has placed too many bets. Even though he feels something is not going well, that glimmer of luck still makes him increase his bet again.

"kill!"

After a moment of hesitation, Togrul personally led all 5,000 reserve troops!

There are only a thousand armored warriors on the opposite side.

As long as he personally led the army to defeat them quickly, immediately retreated the army behind the first trench and reorganized the troops, everything would still be in time.

If the enemy is really strong, you can retreat back to Samarkand.

However, what you fear will come true.

A quarter of an hour later, the situation seemed to be almost settled.

Zhao Shuo, the Great Xia Dragon Bird, pointed forward and said, "Baru Camp, move out!"

"Yes!"

Machibieduwen agreed.

The 30,000 soldiers of the Baru Camp were now fully armored, holding heavy axes, and ready to go.

Boom boom boom!
Thirty thousand tin cans stepped on the ground at the same time, and the entire ground was shaking slightly.

"No! Retreat! Retreat quickly! Retreat at all costs!"

Togrul's last bit of hope was completely extinguished, and he issued an order to retreat!

Behind them was the trench.

There is a ladder inside the trench.

As long as we retreat behind the trench and remove the ladder, we can rely on the trench to hold our ground.

However, how could retreat be so easy?

Wu Xian personally led the charge and held on to the main force of Khwarezm. By the time Togrul's army retreated behind the first trench, nearly three thousand people had been killed or wounded.

Now, there are only 15,000 soldiers left in his army.

Thirty thousand soldiers from the Baru Camp have already rushed to the trench.

These trenches are not easy to cross for soldiers wearing heavy armor.

and--

Boom boom boom!
At this time, they were already within the attack range of the catapults and crossbows in Samarkand City. Arrows and stones rained down on the soldiers of the Baru Camp behind them.

"Hold on! Warriors! Hold the trenches!"

"Right here, let the Mongol blood flow like a river!"

"We have nowhere to retreat. Just think about what will happen to Bukhara!"

"For myself, for Khwarezm, fight them!"

……

Togrul shouted loudly, boosting the morale of his army.

The Khwarazmians built four trenches for this very reason. Aren't the Mongols good at horse fighting? Now use the trenches to force them to fight on foot! There will be fire support on the city walls, and elite troops will be used outside to hold them down, so that the Mongols will bleed into a river.
However, if a man is a tiger, then the tiger is also a man.

The Khwarezmians wanted to consume the Mongolian troops here, and the Mongols also wanted to consume their troops.

"Switch to the Sky-shaking Bomb!"

Zhao Shuo decisively issued an order to the catapult troops.

The Mongols' thousand medium-sized catapults had only been hurling rocks to conserve thunder bombs. After all, the Khwarezmians had no gunpowder, and even sulfur and saltpeter hadn't been mined, so they couldn't seize them even if they wanted to. The Mongols could only use their stockpiles, and the more they used, the less they had.

Now is the time to use the thunder bomb.

Good steel is used on the blade!

Boom boom boom!
The fuses of the thunder bombs were ignited and they fell heavily on the walls of Samarkand.

A huge roar sounded, and in the blink of an eye, the air was filled with smoke!

This greatly reduced the threat posed by the equipment on the walls of Samarkand to the soldiers of the Baru camp.

Whoosh whoosh!
Some soldiers of the Baru camp picked up heavy bows and shot at the opposite side.

"Charge! Kill!"

"Those who retreat will die!"

"Chop off three heads and become a regular soldier!"

……

More soldiers from the Baru Camp risked their own lives, braving the threat of fire from the city walls, took the ladders handed over by the soldiers behind them, jumped down the trench, and climbed up.

The Khwarezmian soldiers fought desperately outside the trenches.

The war suddenly entered a white-hot stage, with both sides fighting fiercely. Blood became the least valuable thing, flowing like a river in the trenches.

"Oh God Almighty! How did the Mongols train their soldiers? Why aren't they afraid of death?"

Seeing this situation, Togrul had lost the confidence to hold on.

He just looked forward to the dark.

As soon as it got dark, he led the remaining troops and retreated into the city.

Whoever wants to guard the trench can do so, but he won’t do it anyway.

However, time seemed so long, and two hours had passed before the sun began to set in the west.

Zhao Shuo took a deep breath and said, "Red Banner, Yellow Banner, Blue Banner, Black Banner, all of you, press forward! We must spare no effort to annihilate the enemy forces in the east before dark!"

"Yes!"

Boom~~
Thirty-four thousand Eight Banners soldiers, who are more powerful than the Baru Camp, have joined the battlefield!
"It's over!"

Togrul finally understood what situation he was in.

The Mongols' target today is not the walls of Samarkand, or even the four trenches, but to pull out the teeth from the tiger's mouth and completely destroy the elite troops in his hands!

"go!"

After all, Togrul was a powerful general of Khwarezm. He made a quick decision and fled madly into the city with hundreds of his personal guards.

It is of course impossible to order the entire army to retreat;

First of all, it is impossible for the large army to withdraw at this time due to close combat.

Secondly, even if they could retreat, the Mongols were chasing them closely, and Samarkand would not dare to open the gates.

Only if he escaped with a few personal guards would Samarkand dare to open the city gates and Togrul could survive.

Of course, at the same time, he completely abandoned the remaining troops.

Seeing that they were in a desperate situation, the remaining 8,000 soldiers chose to surrender.

One day, just one day.

Zhao Shuo eliminated more than 19,000 defenders in the east and more than 11,000 defenders in the south!
Temujin personally led his army to attack the western defenders and wiped out more than 15,000 defenders!
The attack by Jochi, Ogedei, and Chagatai on the northern defenders was not very successful because the battle situation had reached a critical moment and the only twenty war elephants in Samarkand were dispatched.

This unprecedented type of troops caused the Mongolian army's attack to pause for a while, buying time for the defenders to enter the city.

Therefore, they only killed more than 5,000 defenders.

Of course, the annihilation here does not mean total casualties. About 30,000 people became prisoners of the Mongolian army.

Anyway, out of the total 110,000 defenders of Khwarezm, 50,000 were wiped out in just one day, leaving only 60,000 trembling in the city!

(End of this chapter)