On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 353 Khitan Army

In the third year of Renshou (AD 603), on the sixth day of the first lunar month, Cui Qiji respectfully sent his father Cui Che out of the city. The chiefs of various tribes followed suit and followed Cui Che's horse closely. Among them was the Dahemo Hui who was recently canonized as the King of Khitan.

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Cui Che had previously promised that during the Eastern Expedition, whoever contributed the most among the eight Khitan tribes would be declared the master of the Khitan.

He did not break his promise after the war. While reporting victory to Yang Jian, he also showed his merit for the Great Hemo Conference.

After the reward edict was sent to Liaodong, the Great Hemo Society finally got what it wanted.

But he also knew that Khitan was different from Kumo Xi.

Before Ahui Lusu was granted the title of King Xi, Kumo Xi experienced hundreds of years of tribal alliance history. Before that, the Khitan was still in the tribal stage and had never had a common leader.

As the Khitan King, he is only a king in name only and has very little influence on the other seven tribes.

If it weren't for Cui Che's support, I'm afraid not many people would buy it.

This also made Da Hemohui clearly realize that in order to secure his throne, he must rely closely on Cui Che.

Cui Che left all the 5,000 Liaodong cavalrymen, the remaining 5,000 Goguryeo cavalrymen who had been driven to attack the city, with Cui Qiji.

The 60,000 surrendered soldiers in Liaodong City were also reorganized and returned to Cui Qiji to help him defend the city.

As Cui Qiji watched, Cui Che led the coalition of four tribes to the north, planning to return the same way.

On the way, Cui Che called Da Hemohui and said:

"Now that you are the master of the Khitan, it stands to reason that you should give orders to the eight divisions and follow them in all directions.

"It's just that since ancient times on the grassland, the law of the jungle has been strong. Without corresponding strength, fame will only bring disaster."

Da Hemohui looked slightly panicked. He didn't know what Cui Che's intention was in telling him these things.

Could it be that other chiefs approached Cui Che in private and persuaded him to abdicate in favor of someone more worthy?

"The fact that Xiao Wang became the Lord of Khitan is all due to Duke Yan. If Duke Yan asked Xiao Wang to abdicate, Xiao Wang would not dare to disobey, but"

Before Da Hemo finished speaking, he heard Cui Che say with a smile:

"Your Majesty has misunderstood. How can I, Cui Che, be the one who goes back on my word? I summoned Your Majesty today to help Your Majesty secure the Khitan throne!"

Da Hemohui's eyes lit up and he said:

"Little Wang is stupid, please let Duke Yan make it clear."

Cui Che said calmly:

"Previously, the eight Khitan tribes had each sent warriors to obey orders in front of Cui's tent. Cui wanted to use them as generals, draw elite soldiers from various Khitan tribes, form an infantry and cavalry, and divide them into Yan and Heng prefectures, so that they could become the king.

Train an elite army.

"With Cui controlling this army for the king, as long as the king is of the same mind as me, how can the other seven tribes resist the king."

As he spoke, Cui Che's expression turned cold and he said in a deep voice:

"Is it possible that the king doesn't want to be of the same mind as Mr. Cui?"

The Monan Grassland was still chilly in early spring, but the chill in Cui Che's words penetrated into the bones of the Great Hemo Club, causing him to shiver unconsciously.

Da Hemohui did not dare to hesitate at all, he said excitedly:

"Yan Gong is as kind as a mountain to the young king. How can the young king dare to have second thoughts towards Yan Gong? Let alone recruit the best members of the clan to serve under Yan Gong. Even if the young king gives his life to Yan Gong, the young king will also

I won’t frown!”

Cui Che patted Da Hemohui on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"It's not that serious. Your Majesty, there is no need to talk about life and death."

After communicating with the Great Hemo Society in advance and obtaining his consent, Cui Che ordered people to summon the remaining seven chiefs to explain his plan to them.

Everyone was intimidated by Cui Che's power and did not dare to object openly, but they were also resistant. It was not until Cui Che informed them that they would send their close disciples to serve as generals of this army that their concerns were allayed.

The next day, the coalition forces did not set off directly. Instead, under Cui Che's arrangement, twenty-four Khitan guards under their command returned to the Khitan camp to select and mobilize 30,000 strong men, including 10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry.

Cui Che named it, and the cavalry number is Silver Saddle Khitan Zhi. They will inlay silver leaves on the saddle. The so-called Zhi comes from the Khitan language, which means people or teams.

The infantry number is Pishi Army. The word Pishi means King Kong in the Khitan language. In the original time and space, Pishi Army was the confidant of the Liao monarch.

These 10,000 silver-saddled Khitans and 20,000 Pishi troops will follow Cui Che to Yan and Heng prefectures.

Cui Che believes that as long as military discipline is strict, given time, he will become an elite soldier.

After the 30,000 Khitan cavalry were reorganized, Cui Che once again led the army and set off.

In late February, the coalition forces arrived in the Khitan's traditional sphere of influence.

The Khitan women and children who followed the Allied Army on the Eastern Expedition drove their cattle and sheep and finally returned home.

The eight Khitan tribes were about to stop here. Before leaving, Cui Che expressed concern that the 30,000 foot soldiers would miss their families, and asked the Great Hemo Association and the chiefs of the seven tribes for silver saddles for the families of the Khitan Zhi and Pishi Army.

Da Hemohui knew that once Cui Che was asked to take away the soldiers and their families, it would be like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth, never to return, but he really did not dare to refuse, so he had to agree.

The remaining seven chiefs had no choice but to agree to Cui Che's request and separate the families of the Silver Saddle Khitans and the Pishi Army and let them follow Cui Che.

This Eastern Expedition yielded a great harvest. Although 30,000 households were taken away by Cui Che, it was not unacceptable to share it among eight people.

Especially the Great Hemo Society, the title of the Khitan King, is worth more than just 30,000 households if it is supported by powerful forces.

After witnessing what happened to the Eight Khitan tribes, on their way back, Ahui Lusu and Du Suliu were inevitably worried that they would be weakened by Cui Che in the same way, but they were obviously overly worried.

The Kumoxi people gained the most from this Eastern Expedition, which also meant that they suffered the heaviest casualties, especially when they attacked Liaodong City from three sides. Except for the surrender of Goguryeo, the Kumoxi people were the main attacker most of the time.

And Dusu Liulong only had 30,000 cavalry in total, so how could Cui Che ask for it from him again?

Du Suliu had previously chosen to follow Yang Su's northern attack on the Western Turks or follow Cui Che's eastward expedition to Goguryeo. He chose to obey orders in front of Cui Che's tent, which aroused Yang Su's resentment and went to court for impeachment.

However, Yang Jian did not punish Dusu Liu. After all, they all contributed to the Sui Dynasty. When facing the recruitment of two people, one of them had to be given up. You can't blame the other party for this.

Of course, Cui Che also defended Du Su Liu. In short, Du Su Liu and his soldiers deserved no less reward.

When Ahui Lusu returned to the camp, the women and children of the Eastern Turks who had previously moved to the Sui territory were also greeted on the west bank of the Laoha River by Kumoxi women and children.

Seeing them celebrating their reunion, the cavalrymen of the Sui army wished they could spread their wings and head south overnight.

Cui Che also knew that the soldiers missed their families. It had been more than a year since he sent out troops in the spring last year. He could not ignore the demands of the soldiers when he had four side chambers to accompany him.

He did not waste too much time outside the fortress. After saying goodbye to Ahui Lusu and Dusu Liu successively, the army immediately headed south.

(End of chapter)