You have truly caused me great suffering!

The weasel is sending New Year greetings to the rooster, which is not a good idea!

If Mieguzhen knew the meaning of this Han Chinese proverb, he would surely agree wholeheartedly.

The conditions at Fishing Lake are not conducive to the development of a powerful tribe; the only option is to conquer the tribes in the southern desert and seize their fertile pastures.

Originally, Mieguzhen's plan was to lure the Great Jing army here, act as the vanguard, and take the opportunity to plunder.

But to his surprise, Da Jing wanted him to do it himself.

If we don't take action, we won't get these supplies and subsequent replenishments, and we might even be attacked by the Merkit tribe.

Because these Merkits are truly mad dogs; they'll snatch from anyone they see.

Having come this far, he had no choice but to annex the Merkit tribe.

Although they are barbaric, they are indeed skilled warriors.

With his advanced equipment and supplies, he was not afraid of the Merkits, but he was afraid of suffering too much loss.

That same day, he took some grain and livestock and went to the Merkit tribe to exchange for the envoy of the Jing Kingdom.

Since their primary motivation is financial gain, the Merkits will most likely agree.

On the southern side of the fishing boat, where it was freezing cold, the tents of the Merkit people were covered with animal skin felt tents, with only one hole for ventilation.

The bottom of the pit was covered with half a foot of grass, which had long been soaked in blood, urine, and sweat and turned into black mud.

The seven members of the Great Jing delegation huddled inside, having stayed there for ten days.

They huddled together, unable to speak, thankfully their cotton-padded coats hadn't been taken off when they arrived.

The Merkits spared their lives in order to get a better price.

Suddenly, everyone's eyes lit up. Deputy Envoy Zhao Chong narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Am I dead?"

Chen Ke, the mastermind beside him, clutched half a black steamed bun in his hand, his knuckles turning blue.

The leader quickly entered and wrapped a piece of animal hide around Chen Ke's body.

Chen Ke forced his eyes open and saw that it was Li Chongyi. He was stunned and said, "Could it be that we met in a dream?"

"Come on!"

After he finished speaking, a group of Tatars came forward to help them up, and outside was a felt carriage pulled by horses.

When Migu Zhen met Huluba, the leader of the Merkit tribe, Li Chongyi was afraid they would return and couldn't wait to leave with the delegation.

Upon entering the yurt, Li Chongyi couldn't help but burst into tears. He himself had suffered enough, as two members of his entourage had frozen to death.

But compared to Chen Ke and the others in front of them, they are worlds apart.

Judging from the way he walks, even if he survives, he will be crippled.

The rescued delegation was still somewhat bewildered, and this was not the time to speak.

And so, in this tense silence, the group left the Merkit territory.

The howling wind outside sounded like the low growls of wild beasts in the snow, as if it wanted to tear all living things to shreds.

Li Chongyi suddenly spoke up, saying, "Do you still remember what His Majesty said when we came? He said that all living beings are actually prisoners of the terrain and climate."

Chen Shao's words were actually a reflection on Japan, where the isolated environment led to a closed-off and repressed national character.

But it's particularly fitting here now.

"Your Majesty is truly a divine being."

Seeing that they had almost left, Li Chongyi said, "His Majesty heard that you were detained, so he sent someone to bribe Mieguzhen of the Tatar tribe to redeem you."

Chen Ke and his group were all stunned upon hearing this.

Throughout history, there have been many examples of envoys sacrificing their lives for their country, but this is the first time I've heard of an emperor willing to risk damaging his nation's dignity by bribing a foreign tribe to save his envoy.

If this happened to someone else, they might have talked about it loudly in a tavern or teahouse, thinking that the majesty of the imperial court was above all else, and they would be afraid that others would follow suit.

But for those in the mission, it left a deep impression on them.

Chen Ke, with tears in his eyes, remained silent, while the other envoys bowed to the south.

In Chen Shao's eyes, as long as you are strong enough, you don't need to sacrifice your own people to prove your authority.

The most powerful empire is one that can protect its own people.

Once the Merkits are destroyed, no one will say that the Great Jing has lost its national dignity.

Inside Huluba's tent, the atmosphere was very festive. Mieguzhen held a wine cup and praised Huluba profusely.

It is said that he was both wise and brave, and even the Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty had to submit to him.

Hu Lu chuckled, emboldened by the alcohol, and grinned, showing his teeth.

Miegu Zhen then changed the subject, saying, "However, this amount of grain is not enough for us."

"I've wanted to go south for a long time, but I don't know if you still have the courage!" Hu Luba said loudly, spitting as he spoke.

Clearly, his success in extorting Da Jing had made him somewhat arrogant.

Miegu Zhen looked at him with a smile, quite satisfied. This fool had fallen for it. Of course, if he were smart enough, he wouldn't have thought of extorting Dajing now.

“We just released his envoy. He would never have imagined that we would launch a sneak attack at this time,” Mieguzhen said. “They are probably still thinking about how to get revenge. They only want to attack and don’t know how to defend. This is the perfect time to launch a sneak attack.”

The two tribes used to frequently migrate south together, so the Merkit people were used to it.

Hu Luba picked up his wine, took a sip, and then chewed on a piece of meat. "Of all the heroes in the world, I only recognize Yin Shuke, but unfortunately he was killed. The rest are all trash, so let's go rob them to our hearts' content!"

Miegu thought to himself, "Your argument is utter nonsense. If he were really that heroic, how could he have been killed?"

In reality, they had only fought a few battles with Yin Shuke, which left a deep impression on them. After Yin Shuke died, some of them fled, some scattered, and those without powerful tribes were captured, leaving less than one in ten alive.

Large tribes like the Merkit fled back early and were therefore not trapped in the Jin Kingdom.

Those trapped in the Jin Kingdom were all driven to Lulong Ridge, and almost none of them returned alive.

When Miegu Zhen returned to his tribe, the smile on his face had long since vanished.

Although he sent his eldest son as a hostage, he had no intention of listening to Da Jing and directly attacked the Merkit.

What is a son? He instigated the Merkit to march south and attack Baidao, then turned around and killed him to plunder the tribes behind him.

To maximize profits, the Jing people's swords must be used to assist them, rather than the Jing people acting as their henchmen! The southward march of the two tribes was a smooth affair, as they had previously raided the Mongol tribes, the Khitan, and the Song Dynasty.

They gathered their forces in just one day and set off the next day.

Before their departure, the elderly, women, and children of the Merkit tribe all stood by the roadside to see off their warriors.

At the front was an old woman, wrapped in a patched sheepskin coat, clutching a ceramic jar tightly to her chest—containing half a jar of mare's milk wine saved from last winter's hunt, which she was bringing out today to send off her sons.

Behind her stood boys under the age of twelve, all barefoot in the snow, their ankles frozen purple, yet their spines were straight. They watched their fathers go off to kill and plunder, and they were all excited, wishing they could grow up and join them immediately.

They imitated the adults, placing their hands on their waists, where they all wore bone knives.

In the northern desert, ironware remained a luxury, especially after the Jin army came; possessing ironware was a capital offense.

Only if they reclaim their belongings can the entire tribe survive; otherwise, a large number of people are destined to die in the coming year.

In extremely harsh environments, morality and compassion become the rarest luxuries.

In the Merkit region, no one considered killing or looting a sin, but rather an honor.

Just as the two tribes began their southward march, the Tatars surged ahead, causing Huluba to lower his guard somewhat.

Their agreed target was the southern part of the Gobi Desert, where they had been trading extensively recently. After succeeding, they would escape westward along the northern foothills of the Yin Mountains, pass through the territory of the Ongud tribe, and return to the northern Gobi Desert, where they would be completely safe.

No matter who it is, anyone who dares to chase them to the northern desert will be worn down by the bitter cold.
-
Mieguzhen led his troops ahead and sent someone to deliver the message to Li Xiaozhong.

They agreed to work together to wipe out the Merkit army.

This time, the Merkits dispatched more than 4,000 cavalry, which can be said to be their elite force. They consisted of three major branches: the Uduyi tribe, the Uwasi tribe, and the Khaat tribe.

总户数约 5，000–8，000帐（每帐5–6人，含老幼妇孺），总人口约3万–5万人。

Such tribes can only muster a maximum of seven or eight thousand soldiers.

Killing these people is like cutting off a leg of their tribe, turning them into utter lambs that can be easily conquered.

However, Miegu Zhenye was cautious. He was afraid that Li Xiaozhong would deal with him as well, so he warned his men not to rush too close.

Based on their previous experience, it would take them about twenty days to reach the vicinity of Yinshan.

If it comes in autumn, it will arrive in about ten days.

Sure enough, eighteen days later, near Centipede Ridge, Merkit scouts spotted a defensive fortification, which looked like a newly built fortified village.

There's a reason why this place was able to build a fortified village. This ridge is also a river valley, and surprisingly, a forest has been able to thrive on the grassland.

These timbers alone are precious enough on the grasslands. The Liao Dynasty specially set up the "Eight Armies of the Northern Mountains" in the Yin Mountains, which were responsible for "harvesting pine and fir trees to supply the palaces in the capital".

Hu Luba and several scouts crept up to a high point and peered down at the camp. Seeing that the fortress wasn't very large, he pointed and said, "Let's take this place first, warm up the men, and then continue south."

Several scouts nodded, hiding in the grass, waiting for the moment when the defenses were weakest to climb onto the city wall, kill the scouts, and open the gate.

This is a tactic they often use.

After opening the gates, the army stormed in and unleashed a frenzied massacre, just as they had done when they raided the Khitan.

As dawn broke, several large yellow dogs were released from the watchtower. The dogs circled the area with extreme alertness, and the pungent smell of the scouts could not be missed even from a distance. Accompanied by their barking, the wooden clappers on the watchtower's upper tower sounded loudly.

When the scouts realized their ambush had failed, they immediately charged at the gate on horseback. But those damned garrison soldiers had dug several pits in a triangular pattern along the moat outside the watchtower wall. Two unlucky fellows fell right into them. By the time the main force arrived, the watchtower had already been secured by a drawbridge, the gate was tightly shut, and beacon fires were burning high in the sky.

Enraged, Huluba immediately ordered a fierce attack, and hundreds of nomadic cavalrymen from the grasslands swarmed forward.

The guards at the four windows hardly needed to aim; they could fire crossbow bolts at the crowd with perfect accuracy. Fortunately, there were enough soldiers to unleash a dense barrage of arrows at the windows, which were over three zhang high, preventing the guards from showing their faces for a moment.

A group of valiant cavalrymen dismounted, leaped over the moat, cut the drawbridge, and burst through the gate. What they found inside was utterly astonishing...

Inside the beacon tower, only four rough earthen walls were visible. The only opening connecting the tower to the top was a small hole, allowing only a single person to pass through, and letting in a dim, hazy light. The Merkits who had stormed the tower were completely unaware of their next move when countless stones rained down on them. The soldiers, who had been huddled together, had nowhere to hide and fled in terror, clutching their heads and howling like ghosts, leaving behind only seven or eight corpses.

Upon learning the situation inside the beacon tower, Hu Luba was furious and wanted to slash people with his knife. However, as a commander, he knew that the main reason for the failed attack was his underestimation of the enemy and insufficient preparation.

But the enemy seemed to have known they were coming all along. Huluba suppressed his suspicions and immediately ordered his men to cut down trees and make simple ladders to attack again.

There's no need to go inside this time. Going into such a narrow interior space would be suicide. We'll just place the ladder outside the platform and rush up.

After another exchange of fire and cover, the Mongol soldiers, having overcome numerous difficulties, managed to prop the ladder up onto the platform. A dozen or so men huddled below the platform to steady the ladder and prevent it from being pushed over by the defenders, while several agile armored soldiers immediately rushed up with swords in their hands.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities are rampant on the vast grasslands. Warriors who manage to survive these disasters are indifferent to the thorny bushes on the edge of the platform. At most, they think that they have rolled around in the thorns with their beloved woman. What is a little pain?
Unfortunately, these elite soldiers, handpicked from the Merkit tribe, underestimated the defenders' tactics. Three fire pots were thrown down from above, and the fire suddenly ignited. The Tartar soldiers on the ladder were caught off guard and most of them were burned to death.

The others also rolled into the trench with the flickering flames. The long ladders, which had lost their support, were easily overturned by the hook spears extended from the platform. One by one, the brave Mongol warriors fell from the ladders, which were several meters high, with screams of agony before they even had a chance to engage the enemy.

Watching the newly built ladder burn into charred pieces in the raging flames, Chaolu was both angry and suspicious. He was annoyed that his proud grassland warriors were helpless under a mound, and he was also puzzled as to how many guards were on a mere beacon tower in the border wall, and how they could fight on equal terms with a few hundred knights from his tribe!

After a long day of hard work, all efforts were in vain. Although not many people died, morale was very low. The nobles were busy gathering grass and grain for money, while the lower-ranking soldiers were more concerned with surviving the winter. In the cold winter, the grass withered and the leaves turned yellow, and the cattle and sheep were too weak to eat.

The grasslands don't grow grains, and if they don't manage to secure enough food, livestock, and cattle within the walls, it's hard to say whether their families can survive the winter. In recent years, the white disasters have become more and more frequent, and even the Merkits, who are resistant to the bitter cold, are finding it difficult to get by.

Hu Luba naturally understood his subordinates' thoughts; the current situation was one of being caught in a dilemma.

He was about to order a retreat when he saw troop after cavalrymen flanking him from both sides.

Li Xiaozhong's troops were not the troops that were training in the Hetao region, but rather troops that had fought their way from Nuanquan Peak all the way to Shangjing Prefecture.

The orthodox Dingnan Army has never missed a single major battle in the past eight years, fighting from beginning to end.

Of the original three mainstays, only they remain today.

As soon as the Dingnan Army of Yinzhou set out, they noticed something different. They began to encircle the enemy in a hunting-like manner, and no matter how fast they rushed, they remained orderly.

Groups of people quickly dispersed in formation, like a large net spread out on a vast grassland.

Miegu Zhen, who had originally planned to help them block their advance, saw this situation from afar and immediately ordered, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

Although everyone shares the same goal at the moment, he knows in his heart that these people will most likely take him down as well.

When he saw the pursuers, he knew that Hu Luba was finished, and that all his troops would perish here with him.

This was the annihilation of the Jurchen army, and the Jurchens attacked them as easily as an eagle hunting a hare.

Their only advantage against these people is the extreme cold of the northern desert and the vast ice plains where they cannot find their own traces.

Now that the Merkits have come south, it's no different from sending themselves to their deaths.

Miegu was still shaken and fled with his men. His suspicions were not unfounded.

As expected, the Dingnan Army caught up with them.

Luckily, I ran fast!
While cursing, Mieguzhen was also relieved that he was about to subdue the Merkit tribe and dominate the northern desert. (End of Chapter)