Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

Wearing a wolf-fur cloak and a helmet tilted at an angle, Li Yuanheng had a blade of grass in his mouth, his leather-covered hand casually holding the reins, his eyes showing a mix of nonchalance and vigilance.

Behind him were over a hundred knights clad in gray armor. Apart from his trusted eagle sergeants, most of them were guards rotated from Jinshan Prefecture. Although he had trained a group of archers from the savages, they were not proper knights and could not play a significant role in this kind of war, only able to ambush and protect the flanks.

On the front lines, when facing these fat pigs, the hooves of warhorses will be their graves.

"water----"

He took the leather water bag, unscrewed the cork, and drank the sweet spring water down his throat. Li Yuanheng's dry face became slightly moist.

Hu Wu, who was standing to the side, took the water bag and said:

"Is Dalang getting anxious?"

"It's urgent. They're just a bunch of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. I'm just afraid of losing the savages and not being able to recruit good soldiers."

Compared to the so-called "fat sheep," Li Yuanheng's goal has remained consistent from beginning to end: to recruit soldiers, and even incidentally, to increase the population. After all, in this wild and untamed land of the Western Regions, the importance of population is self-evident. Only these soldiers who only recognize swords and blades do not know how to kill people, and only know how to kill people without understanding the value of living people.

"In that case, let's take the brothers and go—"

Just as Hu Wu turned his horse around, Li Yuanheng stopped him. The moment he turned his head, he was met with a pair of eyes as calm and still as an ancient well:

"Wait a little longer, let's kill a bit more before we go in, so the brothers can have an easier time."

Hu Wu's eyes were a little moist, but they were quickly dried by the wind and sand. As a son of the Western Regions, he was not allowed to be sad. He just kept wiping his sword, thinking about killing a few more later so that his eldest son would have an easier time.

The blinding sunlight relentlessly shone on the knights outside the forest, their cloaks billowing in the howling wind, ready to pounce on the impending war.

"ignition!!"

When the grease-stained rockets were lit by the fire starter and the arrows were nocked, everyone waited for the command.

"hair----"

The rockets seemed to gather together, turning the already blazing sky even redder. Looking up, one could even see the sun like a blooming flower, constantly radiating a crimson charm.

Combustion is a vibrant form of evolution. For ancient humans, fire was the key that freed them from being beasts and an important vehicle for moving from barbarism to civilization.

For the mountains and forests opposite, the existence of fire was so evil. Although the Qing army had set fire to houses before, the impact was limited. But now it was different. It was a kind of man-made punishment, just like when Homo sapiens first mastered fire, the first thing they chose to do was to set fire to the mountains to exterminate the surrounding wild animals that posed a threat.

This time was no exception, except that this time it was the extermination of their own kind, along with the destruction of this mountain forest.

The fire quickly engulfed everything, and then people began to emerge one after another. However, compared to the scattered and unruly Huoyan tribespeople who retained only their basic wildness and continued to pursue the border troops, most of the border troops reacted very cautiously, either in groups of three or in lines of five or ten.

They were armed with knives or shields, or they drove their troops out from outside the mountains and forests to regroup. Although they were still in a sorry state, they were not comparable to the depraved state of the late Qing Dynasty, which would collapse at the sight of foreigners.

Witnessing all this, Li Yuanheng merely pondered for a moment before drawing his precious bow, nocking an arrow, and firing it first, without giving himself any time to react.

"Whoosh!!"

The flagpole broke, and the military flag bearing the name of the Great Qing Dynasty's Kobdo City was snapped in half. The flag bearer was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, which caused the border soldiers to curse and shout. However, everyone remained still, only daring to nock their arrows and stand in a standoff, not daring to make any move.

However, the more this happened, the more trouble they caused behind the scenes. Even though the surviving members of the Huoyan tribe had suffered heavy losses, they continued to fight, forcing the border troops to always leave a portion of their forces to turn back and deal with the situation, thus revealing their weakness.

The moment this flaw was revealed, Li Yuanheng on the other side noticed it and, without giving him any chance to react, fired a second arrow, this time killing the frontmost border cavalryman on horseback.

Then came the order to charge.

The cavalry under Li Yuanheng's command, mostly composed of soldiers from the Jinshan Guard, did not have the bad habits of classical armies, such as playing flutes and gongs, or even shouting to boost morale. They only had one thing to do: charge and kill.

Turning sideways, maneuvering, drawing the bow—all in one fluid motion, without the slightest hesitation—it was a perfect depiction of a disciplined and highly skilled elite army under a feudal dynasty.

Meanwhile, the border troops on the opposite side also committed all of their remaining forty cavalrymen to the mounted archery duel.

During the battle, arrows were constantly exchanged. The heavy breathing of the warhorses on both sides could still be clearly felt even from a hundred paces away. As the battlefield gradually expanded from the front to a fan shape, the striking distance became much greater. Every arrow that landed among the border infantry could take a life. Some arrows even pierced through the cotton armor, sending chills down one's spine.

Armor-piercing arrows were not unique to feudal empires. Jinshan Prefecture, which is located in the Jinshan Mountains, had already developed local iron mines decades ago. Using the craftsmen brought from the Central Plains, although there were some differences in the types of weapons and the details of the workmanship, in terms of the use of basic combat weapons, they were absolutely no less than any of the Qing court or even the Dzungar people.

Compared to the European cavalry, whose offensive capabilities have been gradually altered by firearms and who often only advance and retreat in a single, concentrated charge, resembling a city wall, the ancient and long-standing Eastern cavalry in the vast wilderness of the Western Regions still use more agile and durable warhorses, and their bows and arrows, after thousands of years of improvement and refinement, have become nearly perfect.

In warfare with cold weapons, the side with more cavalry has the advantage, and the side with superior mounted archery wins. This is a mark imprinted on the history of warfare. Even if infantry can occasionally overturn the rule of iron cavalry, more often than not, the cavalry with their flanking and mounted archery skills will tell you how ridiculous and naive the so-called victory of infantry over cavalry is.

The neighing of warhorses was filled with pain. In the fan-shaped battle line, several warhorses that had been hit by arrows staggered and fell to the ground, and the riders on their backs fell to the ground as well.

This scene exists on both sides. After all, even the most skilled Mongols couldn't put armor on their horses during mounted archery. Even if they did, they would use relatively thin leather armor, which offered little protection and could only reduce casualties.

"Reorganize----"

"Quickly launch four rounds and charge into battle with me!!"

Li Yuanheng had long since switched from his personal treasured bow to an ordinary riding bow. After all, the Three Stone Bow was quite large, and even though he had practiced martial arts since childhood, been blessed with medicinal baths, and possessed unparalleled strength, he couldn't unleash its full power within that small area. So he simply switched to a riding bow, since his accuracy was still there.

The sound of arrows whistling through the air filled the sky. In just a few breaths, the Jinshan Guard soldiers, who had been skilled in archery and horsemanship since childhood, and the even more valiant Eagle Division boys, completed the final four rounds of mounted archery.

Even during the final volley, he took the opportunity to reorganize his troops, put away his bows and arrows, and then drew the scimitar hidden in the side of his horse.

More than a hundred curved blades, gleaming with a cold light, exuded a chilling aura, waiting to be stained with the blood of their enemies and fulfill the mission of soldiers.

"Slay the rat!!"

Li Yuanheng spurred his horse, bent his body slightly, pointed his blade forward, and shouted as he charged towards the loose fan-shaped surface opposite him.

As he moved, the gray-armored knights beside and behind him pounced on the swarm of rats with overwhelming momentum, like tigers returning to the forest.

"Face the enemy, don't panic, don't panic----"

The leading cavalry commander spoke Mongolian, a language exclusive to cavalry. As cavalrymen from the border regions, most of them were selected from Mongolian tribes in the northern deserts. The Qing court bestowed upon them banners, euphemistically calling them members of the Eight Banners, but in reality, they were still regarded as outsiders. The so-called Mongolian Eight Banners, which were supposed to be a unified Manchu-Mongolian system, were mostly based on exploiting relationships.

"ah!!"

Before he could utter a cry, the commander was shot through the throat by an arrow and died on horseback with his eyes wide open.

Li Yuanheng immediately threw off his bow and arrow, drew his precious sword again, and took the lead, beheading a bandit leader who was blocking his way.

"Go to hell!!"

Several cavalrymen gathered together and charged towards Li Yuanheng's side, but before they could get close, they were intercepted by the gray-armored knights who arrived at the scene and were instantly swallowed up in their path of charge.

The scimitar, stained with the blood of several men, escorted Li Yuanheng through the border army's cavalry formation. The formation of dozens of riders was already small, and the enemy's slow regrouping meant that they were routed in just a few dozen seconds.

However, the border cavalry were, after all, the elite troops of the Qing Dynasty stationed in the Western Regions to defend against the Dzungars and Tsarist Russia. Even so, many of them still chose to break out of the battle formation, gather together, and choose to engage in a second confrontation.

"Damn it, the Qing Dynasty declined far too quickly. In just a few decades, it was defeated so badly by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom—"

Li Yuanheng muttered to himself about the vast difference between the Qing army's current fighting strength and that of the late Qing dynasty, but his hands still issued another order:

"Rush!!"

The second charge was actually more troublesome than the first. Even though there were far fewer Qing dogs gathered now, the enemy infantry pressed forward, and they were only three or four hundred paces away.

The blade sliced ​​across the black-faced rider's neck, and before the blood could even bloom, the pig's head fell to the ground, and within a breath, the horse's hoof trampled on it.

Li Yuanheng charged forward with his sword, cutting left and blocking right, single-handedly shattering three riders. Even when the cavalry melee ended, the adrenaline rush still coursing through his veins conveyed one thought:

"Kill, kill, kill----"

Without time to think, looking at the infantry less than two hundred paces away, ready to shoot arrows at any moment, Li Yuanheng reorganized his troops, grabbed a horse bow that had lost its owner, and led the gray-armored cavalry, who had lost about ten riders, to form a fan shape again in a short time.

"Whoosh whoosh-----"

Arrows rained down across the sky, their parabolas so perfect, as beautiful as mowing grass, with wild boars dying every moment.

Li Yuanheng didn't know how many arrows he shot; he only knew that the third quiver he had seized was empty.

Ask them whether they want to live or die.

Under Li Yuanheng's gaze, the border infantrymen opposite him hesitated for a moment, then threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground, and surrendered to him.

The blinding sunlight is still there, the air is still cold, the earth is still the same earth, the forests are still burning, but there are many more hateful and pitiful souls, as well as fertilizer that nourishes the earth.

----------

"I swear to the great Tengri that I dedicate my soul and life to the great son of Zaisang, Altai Beg, conqueror of Kobdo, protector of the Turks----"

"My tribe and I will pledge our loyalty to you, follow you forever, and fight for your bloodline to the ends of the earth."

Huoyan Ajun's solemn oath plunged everyone into a serious atmosphere. Only Li Yuanheng, sitting in his chair receiving the worship, kept suppressing the corners of his mouth. Listen to what kind of words these are: Altai Beg, conqueror of Kobdo, and protector of the Turks. It's as if the word "savior" is engraved on his forehead.

When the ceremony ended, Huoyan Azhun and Li Yuanheng drank the blood-soaked liquor together, and the surviving Huoyan tribe cheered. Even though the total number of tribesmen was less than three hundred, everyone firmly believed that under the leadership of this Turkic saint, they would eventually return to a more glorious period than before.

"Brother, we've really struck it rich this time! The total value we've looted from these fat sheep is no less than 50,000 taels of silver. This place is so poor, I wonder how much they've robbed and how many people they've killed along the way to amass such a fortune."

Hu Wu handed the crookedly written account book to Li Yuanheng, his face beaming with a smile that made him look like a Shar-Pei.

Li Yuanheng looked at the accounts, his lips constantly curving into a smile. Don't underestimate 50,000 taels. You have to understand, this is the border region, the Western Regions. Even if his family owned gold and silver mines, they would only earn 400,000 to 500,000 taels a year. After deducting expenses, they would only have a surplus of less than 100,000 taels a year. 50,000 taels is a lot of money at any time.

[Jinshan, also known as the Altai region, is rich in gold mines. However, due to the local population and limitations of modern mining technology, annual mining output is only between 400,000 and 300,000 taels of silver. Even so, it is considered a wealthy household among the local powers in the Western Regions.]

"It's a pity the sable fur was burned. If we had arrived faster, we might have been able to snatch some."

Hu Wu said it was a pity, but he didn't care about the sable fur at all. After all, he had never seen what a sable looked like in his life. He thought that the thing was made of gold thread, which was why it was so valuable.

"Where are those thieving soldiers?"

"Hey, they're in a terrible situation. They've been burning, killing, and looting all the way here, offending everyone. If we don't stop them now, they'll probably be beaten to death."

Hu Wu couldn't help but laugh when he talked about the surrendered soldiers. After all, these people had committed too many atrocities in this place. They had killed so many people and violated so many women. More than twenty of them were beaten to death on the spot after they surrendered. If he hadn't stopped them, probably none of them would have been left alive.

"Are the armored flags still there?"

"Except for one pole that was shot off by Dalang, the others can still be used after some patching."

Li Yuanheng blinked a few times, then put the account book away.

"Execute all the most wicked thieves in front of the Fire Rock Tribe. Those with lighter sins can be mixed in with the previously trained infantry, their armor modified, and they can wear straw and go on the expedition as soldiers."

"Let's talk about saving the descendants of Tengri, saving our brothers and sisters of the Great Turkic people."

"I'm going to be this savior!!"