Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 571 Daughter, did you sleep with Song Yan? (7,000 words)
Swords flashed like snow, and blood flowed like rivers.

The heavily armored cavalry charged into the ranks of the unarmored cavalry, like a pack of tigers and wolves rampaging through a flock of sheep, galloping freely and unstoppable.

This is an inherent advantage brought about by the type of military unit.

This is a near-dimensional reduction attack brought about by weaponry.

Heavy cavalry were the kings of the era of cold weapons, virtually invincible on land.

The overwhelming superiority in equipment, weapons, and morale cannot be compensated for by the barbarians' ferocity or sheer numbers.

Faced with such an invulnerable group of monsters, their weapons were completely ineffective, unable to inflict even the slightest damage. A single charge from the monsters sent their people flying, blood staining the sky; some were cut down, heads rolling to the ground…

Blood gushed out, and severed limbs were scattered all over the ground.

The thick snow had been melted by the warm blood.

Can anyone tell them how to fight this war?
Morale collapsed.

The Jurchen people could no longer control themselves. They desperately urged their horses on, turned them around, and fled. As they turned, they were astonished to find that the Xiongnu, who called themselves the true warriors of the grasslands, had already run away.

Are you kidding me?
Do you know how Song Yan got his title of Prince of Yan? It was made up of the heads of hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu people.

This is the kind of ruthless person who could capture the eldest prince, Abal, and the third prince, Agsang, alive and make them dance in Dongling City; who could cut off the head of the fourth prince, Alunchi, and send it to Sochoro, making Sochoro so angry that he vomited blood; yet, all he could do was leave behind 20,000 corpses.

If you encounter this guy, shouldn't you run away and wait to die?
Song Yan did not give the order to pursue, after all, although heavy cavalry were unstoppable when charging, their heavy armor made them unsuitable for pursuit. On the other hand, Batu's eight thousand elite cavalry, who had been relentlessly pursued and were already seething with anger, immediately pounced from behind, their gleaming scimitars rising and falling, chopping off head after head.

Unfortunately, due to the long escape, both men and horses were exhausted. They could only chase for a few miles before the distance between them inevitably grew larger and larger, and they eventually had no choice but to give up.

Take off your helmet.

A cold wind, unique to the snow-covered plains, suddenly entered my eyes.

It seemed to still be covered in snowflakes, and felt chilly.

A few tears actually rolled down my cheeks from the cool breeze.

Song Yan felt a little suspicious. He remembered that he didn't have a problem like tearing up in the wind.

He quietly turned his head away, flicking away the tears that were almost frozen on his face. As the Prince of Yan, it would be somewhat undignified for people to see him shedding tears on the battlefield because of seeing so many enemy corpses. However, the emptiness in his heart was something he could not get rid of.

Looking at the battlefield again, there were severed limbs and broken bodies everywhere.

You can still hear the mournful neighing of warhorses and the dying cries of knights.

Warm blood continued to gush from the corpses, soaking through the thick snow, melting it into blood, which was then quickly frozen in the extreme cold, turning into scarlet ice crystals.

Some black-armored warriors had already dismounted from their warhorses and walked through the snow. If they saw any movement, they would coldly go up and deliver a finishing blow, and then quickly fall silent.

Such a tragic scene seemed to be too much even for the heavens to bear. A gust of wind howled past, and several more thick clouds appeared in the sky. In the gloomy sky, snowflakes fell from the sky, gradually covering the miserable and scarlet ground.

In reality, the number of Jurchen cavalrymen killed was not that many. The war lasted a very short time, and the enemy fled. At most, only about two thousand Jurchen cavalrymen were killed.

However, the gains were enormous.

It's important to understand that the cavalry used to pursue Batu were the most elite of the Xiongnu and Jurchen people. They weren't heavy cavalry, but they were always equipped with three warhorses for long-term, high-speed maneuverability. However, when the Yan King's army attacked, everyone was only concerned with escaping for their own lives; who would remember the other two horses? As a result, as far as the eye could see, the snow-covered plains were filled with countless restless horses—several thousand, perhaps even tens of thousands.

For the Prince of Yan's fiefdom, these tens of thousands of warhorses are definitely a considerable gain, enough for Mei Wu to train another powerful cavalry force... well, this time it will most likely be light cavalry. In today's situation, if an elite light cavalry force were responsible for encirclement, even if they couldn't wipe out all 15,000 Xiongnu and Jurchens, it would be very possible to take out 70-80%.

In the distance, Batu also led his men back.

Their faces were etched with exhaustion, yet their eyes revealed a fierce and excited glint in their eyes.

For the past ten days or so, they had been suppressed by Wanyan Guangzhi, the traitor Yilie Yilie, and the Xiongnu cavalry. Everyone had been holding back their anger, and now they were finally able to release some of it.

On the contrary, Batu appeared much calmer than his other subordinates. A different light shone in his slightly tired eyes as he pondered how to handle the situation. Although it seemed on the surface that this group of Blackwater tribe remnants had survived the crisis, the real trouble had just begun.

Opposite him stood Prince Yan, Song Yan. Although nominally his son-in-law, both sides were well aware of the fragility of this so-called kinship. Prince Yan's ruthlessness far surpassed that of Wanyan Guangzhi Suochuoluo; a single misstep could bring annihilation to the Blackwater Tribe. Before they knew it, Batu had reached a short distance in front of Song Yan. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath, as if having made a firm decision, and landed on his feet, shouting sharply, "Everyone, dismount!"

At Batu's command, even though the remaining Blackwater soldiers were extremely exhausted, they still obeyed his orders and quickly jumped off their horses.

"Kneel down and kowtow."

Another loud shout gradually echoed across the open grassland.

This immediately stirred up the eight thousand remaining soldiers.

A murmur rippled through the crowd as they exchanged furrowed brows, their faces contorted with reluctance and deep humiliation. What a joke! These were Jurchen warriors; how could they kneel and bow before a mere group of Han Chinese?
Although the Han people produced a King of Yan who, in the past two years, caused the Jurchens to suffer great losses, with countless tribes being slaughtered by Song Yan and even the Wuji tribe's royal court being burned to the ground by this Jingguan madman, the image of the Han people as weak and helpless pigs and sheep to be slaughtered in their minds was already deeply rooted and could not be changed easily.

I was very unwilling.

But Batu didn't care about any of that. He took off his leather hat, ignored the thick snow on the ground, and his legs went weak, so he knelt down in the snow. Even his bare forehead was covered with cold snow.

Humiliating.

However, since Ji Liehan had already knelt down, the rest of the soldiers, though unwilling and with expressions of shame on their faces, could only kneel on the ground in the end.

Immediately, Batu spread his hands out, palms facing upwards, making a gesture as if welcoming something. This was probably some kind of etiquette among the Jurchen tribes. Song Yan didn't quite understand it either. Finally, he raised his head from the snow and looked up at Song Yan, who was still on his warhorse, and shouted loudly: "Your subject Batu, the fierce Khan of the Blackwater Tribe, kowtows to thank His Majesty the Prince of Daning Yan... Your Highness, for rushing to my aid from a thousand miles away and saving my eight thousand soldiers of the Blackwater Tribe."

Calling His Highness "Your Majesty" is unclear whether it was intentional or a slip of the tongue.

In any case, Lei Yi and Zhang Han, who went on the expedition together, were quite satisfied with Batu's attitude and thought he was a discerning person.

As for Li Er standing beside him, he rolled his eyes. These people aren't even putting on an act anymore. His Majesty is still alive, and they're already in such a hurry? Shouldn't they at least wait until His Majesty passes away? What kind of people are around Prince Yan? They're all traitors... But then he thought about it again and realized that he himself was a rebel, so he couldn't say anything more.

Before Song Yan could speak, Batu raised his head again, his forehead still covered with some cold snow: "Now the Blackwater tribe has been destroyed by the despicable Wanyan Guangzhi and the Xiongnu. Only eight thousand strong cavalry followed the foreign minister to break through the encirclement, but it is as difficult as climbing to heaven to take back the old troops."

"The vast grasslands are freezing cold, and there is no place to stand. Your humble servant is willing to bring eight thousand men and serve as the lackeys and hounds of the Prince of Yan. I humbly request Your Highness to accept us."

Batu is a bachelor.

Although directly revealing his current difficulties would not be conducive to gaining benefits from Song Yan, he knew better than to be honest with Song Yan if he wanted to be accepted by her. If he were to hide his true feelings and act coy at this time, Song Yan might not be pleased.

Moreover, how could Song Yan not know what situation he was in?
Moreover, the Jurchen cavalry is the best, and eight thousand cavalry is definitely not a small number. He believed that Song Yan would not be able to resist such a temptation.

Upon hearing these words, a large number of cavalrymen behind them suddenly raised their heads, their faces filled with such intense humiliation that it seemed almost dripping with tears. How could this be? How could their noble Jurchen warriors surrender to the weak Han people? Where was the glory of the Xiongkuru?

A slight smile appeared on Song Yan's lips, which quickly disappeared. After waiting for so long, he finally heard what he wanted to hear most. His eyes flashed, and Song Yan finally dismounted and walked quickly to Batu. He grasped Batu's shoulders and helped him up from the ground: "Why does the Khan of Extreme Evil say such a thing?"

"You are Nakhtoya's father, and I am about to marry Nakhtoya. In that sense, you are my future father-in-law. What kind of lackey and lapdog are you? Isn't that just making a laughing stock of yourself?"

Batu's rough face grew even more obsequious with a smile: "Your Highness is too kind. I am unworthy of the title of father-in-law. Your Highness is a man of great talent and ambition, having trampled the Jurchen royal court and burned the Xiongnu army. You are truly a man of extraordinary ability. It is the greatest honor for me and the warriors of the Blackwater Tribe to be Your Highness's lackey."

Song Yan's forehead was covered with a layer of black lines.

Good heavens, at this moment Song Yan seriously suspected that this fierce Khan of the Blackwater Tribe had watched some Korean movie.

As for Nakhtoya, she was initially a little shy because of Song Yan's mention of getting married soon, but now her shyness had turned into shame. Is this her father? How can he be so shameless?

Although the Blackwater Tribe has been breached, you are still the Khan of the Blackwater Tribe. How can you act like this?

A commotion arose behind Batu, and Song Yan could even hear faint, heavy breathing sounds and feel pairs of bloodshot, even hateful, gazes fixed on him.

Song Yan sneered inwardly. There was a severe shortage of manpower in his fiefdom. The Jurchen cavalry were skilled in battle, and recruiting these eight thousand cavalrymen would be a significant boost to his own abilities, especially their horsemanship. If he could teach it to the cavalry of Pingyang and Anzhou, it would definitely elevate the fighting capabilities of the cavalry in his fiefdom to a new level.

However, he also understood that it would not be easy to win these people over. At the very least, he had to completely crush the remaining pride in their hearts before he could make them truly submit.

Thinking this, Song Yan hesitated slightly: "Logically speaking, Ji Lie Khan is my father-in-law. I should lend a helping hand to my father-in-law in trouble, but... Ji Lie Khan must also know that my fiefdom of Pingyang is often raided by the Jurchens."

"Not to mention anything far away, just last year, Jurchen cavalry ravaged the land of Pingyang, and many people in Pingyang were slaughtered. Countless people were separated from their families and children because of the Jurchen's slaughter. Surely there must have been people from the Blackwater tribe among them?"

"Tell me, if I were to accept the remnants of the Blackwater tribe at this time, how would I explain it to the people within my fiefdom?"

Batu's expression froze.

Even the heavy breathing of the eight thousand cavalrymen seemed to have been paused.

Originally, they were indignant that Jilie Khan was so humble in his request to surrender to Song Yan, feeling that such behavior was an insult to the dignity of Jurchen warriors. But now they finally understood that this was no longer a matter of dignity, but a matter of whether Song Yan was willing to accept them.

"Of course, you are my future father-in-law after all. Now that you are in trouble, I cannot sit idly by. This time I brought four thousand brothers with me, and each of them carried some dry rations. I am willing to leave these rations to my father-in-law. They should be enough to last for a while."

Song Yan smiled and continued, "Now that the Heishui tribe has been conquered by Wanyan Guangzhi, the tribe naturally cannot return. However, the Haixi Grassland is vast and rich in resources, so finding another place to settle down shouldn't be too difficult. The food should last until then, and the Jurchen warriors are all excellent hunters. With a place to settle down and game to hunt, they should be able to get through this winter." "Once winter is over and spring arrives, with your abilities, father-in-law, rebuilding the Heishui tribe will be no problem."

Song Yan's voice was light and airy, as if it were just a trivial matter.

These words caused Batu and the eight thousand men behind him to change their expressions.

How could things possibly be as easy as Song Yan made them out to be? Finding a place to settle down on the vast Haixi Grassland wasn't difficult; the real challenge was surviving in the freezing cold. Even if they found a place to rebuild their tribe, where would they get so many animal hides to sew tents? Without tents, how would they withstand the biting north wind? And then there was food. They were skilled hunters, but in winter, those damned animals usually stayed in their dens and wouldn't come out. Where would they find so many wild beasts waiting for them to hunt?

Only then did they truly understand their situation.

They were left with only two paths: first, to become Song Yan's dogs and survive.

Secondly, they maintained the pride of the Jurchen warriors, struggled on the Haixi grasslands, and then either froze to death in the snow, starved to death, or were killed by Wanyan Guangzhi's pursuers.

Most importantly, even if you want to be Song Yan's dog, you still have to consider Song Yan's mood.

A predicament that offers no hope whatsoever.

At this moment, even the most unruly Jurchen warriors had to lower their heads, and cracks began to appear in their proud hearts.

A deathly silence and an atmosphere of decay began to permeate the air above everyone.

Batu's old face also dimmed for a moment, his eyes were sad, his legs went weak, and he knelt down again: "I beg Your Highness, Prince Yan, to give the Blackwater Tribe a way out. Even if we become slaves, we are willing to accept it."

This time, no one looked at Batu with reproach anymore; some even pressed their foreheads to the ground, just like Batu did.

Song Yan reached out to help him up, but Batu seemed determined this time, and Song Yan was unable to pull him up from the ground.

“Hey, Father-in-law, you…” Song Yan pretended to be embarrassed: “You… fine, fine, since you are Nakhtoya’s father, I will put aside my pride and accept you to live in my fiefdom.”

Upon hearing this, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the crowd, and even Batu couldn't help but show a hint of joy on his face.

"but……"

But Song Yan's next words made everyone tense up instantly.

"However, you need to agree to some conditions of this king."

"Please speak, Your Highness," Batu asked immediately. In front of Song Yan, he did not put on even the slightest bit of airs as a father-in-law.

"First of all, since you have submitted to me, you must follow my orders and abide by my military law. You must not disturb the people, plunder, or violate women."

"Your Highness's order must be obeyed," Batu replied hastily.

"Secondly, the heads of these corpses were cut off and a mound of heads was built outside Xinhou County to show the sincerity of our allegiance."

The corpses on the ground were mostly Wanyan Guangzhi's subordinates, or people from Yili Yili's side. They were also the main culprits in the destruction of the Blackwater Tribe. Although it was somewhat inappropriate to kill the heads of their own people and build a mound of skulls, they did not feel too much pressure or resistance.

Therefore, Batu and his eight thousand soldiers nodded in agreement.

"Furthermore, all the surrendered soldiers of the Blackwater Tribe, including my father-in-law, are permitted to receive instruction from the instructor. The instructor... well, roughly equivalent to a military supervisor, but the instructor will not interfere during marches and battles. The main role is to monitor discipline in daily life and to conduct ideological reforms on a regular basis."

At this time, Batu only thought of him as an ordinary military supervisor. He thought that since Song Yan was worried about him, it was normal for him to arrange for a military supervisor to keep an eye on him. So he readily agreed.

However, at this time, Batu had no idea how terrifying the power of the instructor's ideological reform was.

Before long, these 8,000 troops will no longer be his army.

"Finally, the Jurchen cavalry did commit crimes in Pingyang, so they need to atone for their sins... Instead of directly reducing you to slaves, you will be required to do some work and reform yourselves through labor to atone for your sins."

labor.

Batu looked bitter.

It's not that he's unwilling to work, but his men haven't had enough to eat in a long time. If they were to do strenuous work, who knows how many would survive? And would these brothers really be able to lower themselves to work and serve the Han people?

"Of course, food and lodging are provided."

Upon hearing this, Batu's bitter expression vanished instantly, and even many of the Jurchen cavalrymen behind him subconsciously raised their heads.

"Is this really true?" Batu couldn't help but ask.

“It is true.” Song Yan nodded slightly: “In the military camp, a camp will be specially allocated for your living quarters, and you will be provided with three full meals a day.”

Food, lodging, and all you can eat... countless people's eyes gleamed with excitement and elation.

You should know that even though the Blackwater tribe has not been conquered by Wanyan Guangzhi, they are still in their tribal camps. They often only have two meals a day, and they are not even full. In a while, food will become more and more scarce, and they may only be able to eat one meal a day. They lie in bed all day, dizzy from hunger, and count the days on their fingers, hoping that winter will pass quickly.

But with His Highness the Prince of Yan, all they had to do was do some labor, and they were fed well every day.

Good heavens, as long as I can eat my fill, I'd be willing to do anything, even work under the Prince of Yan for the rest of my life, let alone just atone for my sins.

Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, is truly a good person.

As for the glory of the Xiongkuru and the dignity of the Jurchen warriors, what are those? Can you eat them?
Then Song Yan continued, "As for your household registration, I will temporarily register you as lowly. I'm not afraid to tell you, after some time the Japanese king will definitely attack the Haixi Grassland again, and I am determined to get Wanyan Guangzhi's head."

"At that time, I will select a group of people from among you to fight alongside me, with priority given to those who have performed well in ideological reform."

"If, in the course of war, one can personally behead ten Jurchen men, I will personally abolish their status as a lowly person and grant them the household registration of Han people in Ningguo. From then on, they will be Han people."

These words caused an uproar among the crowd.

Through those gleaming eyes, Song Yan could clearly see the excitement and greed in their hearts.

There is a kind of fanaticism known as convert fanaticism.

Once these people witness the strength of the army and the prosperity of the people in the Prince of Yan's fiefdom, they will naturally develop a strong yearning to become citizens of the Prince of Yan's fiefdom. And when they actually obtain Han Chinese household registration, they will be even more fervent and devout than the original Han Chinese.

Most importantly, they were of Jurchen origin, and everything they possessed on Han land was given to them by Song Yan. They could only rely on Song Yan, and only by sticking close to Song Yan and offering their loyalty could they have the opportunity to live on Han land.

At that time, they will become the most obedient and sharpest knife in Song Yan's hands.

With this thought flashing through his mind, Song Yan's smile deepened: "Father-in-law, would you agree to such conditions?"

Batu's old face was flushed, and his excitement made his eyes narrow into slits as he laughed. His tall body trembled uncontrollably as he said, "I swear to serve His Majesty the Prince of Yan to the death."

"I swear to serve His Majesty the Prince of Yan to the death."

Eight thousand cavalrymen shouted loudly from behind, their voices shaking the heavens.

As for the fact that His Highness mistakenly called His Majesty, no one cared.

Subsequently, under Song Yan's arrangement, eight thousand cavalrymen began to collect the ownerless warhorses in the snow, and a group of them were assigned to cut off the heads of the corpses on the ground one by one.

Fortunately, these people hadn't been dead for too long, and their bodies weren't completely frozen, so they could still be cut.

Batu walked alongside Nahetuya, speaking softly. Being father and daughter, and Nahetuya being Batu's most beloved daughter, their relationship was naturally closer. Moreover, it was thanks to Nahetuya that the last members of the Blackwater tribe were able to survive this time. Therefore, Batu was very careful when speaking to Nahetuya. Inadvertently, Batu glanced back at Song Yan, then looked at Nahetuya again: "Daughter, did you sleep with the Prince of Yan?"

"Is she pregnant with the Prince of Yan's child?"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Nakhtoya's pretty face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

……

On the other hand, some people were dissatisfied with Song Yan's attempt to recruit the Jurchens... or rather, not dissatisfied, but simply misunderstanding.

For example, Lei Yi.

Lei Yi wasn't actually stupid. When not fighting, his intelligence was about average, but it would instantly rise several levels once war was involved. The only reason he was somewhat opposed was because he had once been a member of the border army guarding Xinhou County, and all of them had perished at the hands of the Jurchens. This made Lei Yi find it hard to accept Song Yan's offer to recruit the Heishui tribesmen. However, due to his admiration and respect for the prince, Lei Yi didn't openly oppose it, only muttering under his breath, "I really don't understand why the prince is recruiting these people. Aren't we brothers much braver than these Jurchen barbarians?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Han, who was standing next to him, shook his head: "So, you don't understand our Prince at all."

"Your Highness, this is a method that could lead to the extinction of an entire clan."

"Extinction of the race?" Lei Yi was taken aback, his face showing suspicion. Didn't this save the eight thousand people of the Blackwater Tribe? How did it become related to the extinction of the race?
However, Li Er, who was the two men's superior, nodded slightly with approval when he heard Zhang Han's words: "General Zhang is right. Your Highness's plan is indeed a vicious scheme to wipe out the entire clan."

"It probably won't be long before there are no more Jurchens in the world."

(End of this chapter)