Water Margin people

Chapter 1460: Grassland War

On the Mongolian grassland, heavy snow is falling and the cold wind is howling.

Naiman tribe.

"Report! The Mongolian tribes sent out 100,000 troops and defeated the Kereyid tribe in a row. Now the Kereyid tribe has retreated to the Hangai Mountains. Buyilukhei Khan has sent people to ask for help!"

A soldier reported to the leader of the Naiman tribe, Yinan Khan.

"Where are the Merkits?"

Yinan Khan was shocked and asked hurriedly while looking at the soldiers.

After Qi defeated Jin, the Tatar tribe was also destroyed, and the Mongolian tribes and the Wanggu tribe quickly surrendered to Qi.

Not long ago, the Mongolian tribes had completed their unification. Kublai Khan officially announced the establishment of the Mongolian tribe and attacked the Merkit tribe in the west.

"To reply to the Khan, the Merkit tribe has been defeated!"

The soldiers told the news they had found out.

"Father Khan, the Mongolian tribe has become Qi's pawn and wants to deal with our grassland tribes!"

Baibuhua looked at Yinan Khan and said.

"I should have killed them all when Anbahai brought those Qi people here last time!"

Buyilu said in a cold voice that he felt something was wrong the last time Anbahai brought people from Qi to the Naiman tribe. He did not trust people from the Central Plains because the people there were very cunning.

"Don't say such things. The last time Qi State hadn't defeated Jin State, who knew that Jin State was so weak!"

Yinan Khan waved his hand irritably and said that it was not that he did not have the intention to kill last time, but the situation was unclear and he did not want to offend any party. He did not expect the situation to change so quickly. The Jin Kingdom disappeared in just one year.

"Father Khan, the Khorei tribe is asking for help, how should we respond?"

A chief looked at Yinan Khan and asked.

"Of course we have to support them. The Tatar tribe is gone, the Merkit tribe is gone, and the Wanggu tribe is in cahoots with the Mongolian tribe. If we don't take action, I'm afraid the grassland will all become the Mongols!"

Yinan Khan said in a cold voice that both the Naiman and the Kelie tribes had Turkic ancestry and could be considered to be of the same origin, while the Mongolian bloodline had been mixed.

"Buyilu, Baibuhua, the two of you will lead 50,000 troops to repel the Mongolian tribe!"

Yinan Khan looked at his two sons and said that he wanted to use this battle to test the strength of his two sons.

"Yes, Father Khan, we must kill all those Mongols and let them know who is the overlord of the grassland!"

Buyilu said excitedly that he had practiced martial arts since he was a child and was considered a famous warrior of the Naiman tribe. Everyone said that he was as good at fighting as Yinan Khan, but after he became an adult, he still had no chance to lead troops into battle.

"Yes...Father Khan!"

Bai Buhua's face was a little pale, and his words were a little lacking in confidence. Unlike his brother Buyilu, he was not interested in practicing martial arts and marching soldiers. He preferred beautiful women.

"Great Khan, it's freezing and snowy right now. I'm afraid it's not a good idea to send troops out at this time, right?"

An old chief said that it was winter now and the whole grassland was covered with ice and snow. This was the most difficult time of the year for the grassland.

"If we don't save the Kerait tribe now, the Mongols will come after our Naiman tribe in the spring!"

Yinan Khan said coldly, he knew that his subordinates were unwilling to send troops at this time, but the Mongolian tribe took advantage of this mentality.

"But we haven't prepared any food or fodder. In this kind of weather, an army of 50,000 cannot march out without sufficient food or fodder!"

Someone else raised the idea that it was okay to send troops, but not blindly. They couldn't get supplies on the spot in the icy and snowy environment, so they had to bring all the food with them.

Khan Yinan's expression eased a little. This was indeed a problem. If it were any other season, the army could plunder the small tribes along the way for supplies. But in this kind of weather, the small tribes all fled to the south to spend the winter, and there was nothing to plunder around.

"Have each tribe slaughter some sheep for the army to take with them!"

Yi Nan Khan looked at the chiefs and said. But none of the chiefs answered. Survival on the grassland has never been easy. Life in each tribe is tight, especially in winter. Everyone counts the sheep in the pen to get by. No one has extra sheep.

Yinan Khan knew what these people were thinking and directly imposed levies on the heads of all the tribes, which left the heads speechless.

Hangai Mountain.

"Great Khan, An Bahai and his men are coming again with their troops to attack us!"

A chieftain looked at Buyiluhei Khan with an embarrassed look on his face and said.

"Are these Mongolians crazy? They are fighting so hard in this weather!"

Buyirukhei Khan gritted his teeth and said that their Kerait tribe was not weaker than the Mongolian tribe, but it was winter now and the men and horses were tired. At first they just avoided it and gave up some land to let the Mongolian tribes succeed and then retreat, but the Mongolian tribes were determined to fight to the death and chased them all the way.

"Let all tribes prepare. I will make Hebule and Anbahai pay the price!"

Buyirukhei Khan roared that Hangai Mountain was their last barrier and if they retreated further they would reach the territory of the Naiman tribe.

"Kill me!"

Anbahai commanded the army to charge and kill the people of the Kerait tribe in front of them. They paid a heavy price in this battle, but they had no choice. The State of Qi was watching them covetously. If they did not show enough value, the State of Qi would wipe them out once it sent troops. After seeing the horror of the Qi army, he no longer had the heart to resist.

The battle situation was seen by Liu Fa from Heishui Town in the south.

"These Mongols are really risking their lives!"

Ding Desun looked at Liu Fa and said.

"A bunch of aliens, just die!"

Liu Fa, however, didn't care at all. He didn't care about the casualties of the Mongolian tribes at all. He only regarded these people as foreign soldiers. Since they were foreign soldiers, they were sent to die. Foreign soldiers who were unwilling to die had no meaning of existence.

"General Liu, we have received news that the Naiman tribe is preparing to send troops!"

Gong Wang walked into the tent and looked at Liu Fa and spoke.

"The Naiman tribe sent out troops so soon?"

Liu Fa walked to the sand table and frowned as he thought. Although the Mongolian tribe fought very fiercely, facing the Kerait tribe was already their limit. It would definitely not be possible to face the Naiman tribe at the same time.

"Send someone to tell the Wanggu tribe to stop it!"

Liu Fa looked at a soldier and gave an order. At this moment, it was the Mongolian tribe that was fighting. The Wanggu tribe had not taken action yet. Now that the Naiman tribe had joined the battle, it was time for the Wanggu tribe to move out as well.

"Also send people to deliver some food, salt and tea to the Mongolian and Wanggu tribes."

Liu Fa looked at Ding Desun and spoke again. He didn't care about the casualties of the foreign soldiers, but he also knew that if he wanted the foreign soldiers to fight for their lives, he couldn't just whip them, he also had to give them sweet dates. Food, salt, and tea were all necessary items in wartime.

"General Liu, why don't we take action? The Naiman tribe's royal court is over there in Jinshan (Altai Mountains). If they send out troops, the royal court will be empty!"

Gong Wang spoke.

"There is no rush now. The Naiman tribe has a large population. Even if we send out tens of thousands of troops, it will not affect the combat effectiveness. The environment over at Jinshan is harsh and the terrain is complex. It is impossible to rush in rashly!"

Liu Fa shook his head. It was not that he did not want to send troops, but they were still tasked with guarding Xixia. If they sent troops rashly, there might be problems on Xixia's side.

"What about those mountain holdouts?"

Liu Fa asked again, there are still many nobles and large tribes of Western Xia hiding in the mountains, and they often go out to plunder.

"We wiped out a few of them not long ago, and now they are all hiding."

Ding Desun shook his head.