Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

A new sky appeared.

The desolate northwest Gobi Desert rises slowly, the strong wind blows the yellow sand all over the sky, and the ruins are looming in the wind and sand.

The picture shows Mongolian cavalry galloping on the battlefield.

The enemy troops fled in panic.

With a loud bang, the city gate was breached and the Mongolian cavalry rushed into the city like wild beasts. The scene of burning, killing and looting unfolded instantly.

[A civilization completely wiped out by Mongolia. How extreme and thorough was Mongolia's destruction of Western Xia? 】

[In 1227, Li Yu, the last emperor of Western Xia, walked out of the gate of Zhongxingfu (now Yinchuan, Ningxia) and surrendered to the Mongolian army.]

[According to convention, surrender may buy a glimmer of hope. ]

[But what awaited him was Genghis Khan’s last will and testament: “When I die, do not announce my funeral. Wait for the Xixia ruler to come and then kill him.”]

[A few days later, Li Yu and the Xixia royal family were secretly executed by Tuo Lei.]

[Zhongxing Prefecture was then subjected to a frenzied massacre by the Mongolian army. The palaces and mausoleums were burned down, and the Tangut nobles were almost exterminated.]

[What’s even more terrifying is that the Mongols did not stop there.]

[They systematically destroyed the Xixia writing system, burned books, dug up royal tombs, and even changed the name of the tribe "Dangxiang" to "Tangwu".]

【Completely erase all traces of this country's history.】

[Why was this war of annihilation so extreme? Why did the Mongols hate Xixia so much? ]

【First, let’s look at the characteristics of the Xixia regime. 】

[Western Xia, a regime established by the Dangxiang people, dominated the northwest and lasted for nearly 200 years.]

【It is located on the main route of the Silk Road and has absorbed many cultures such as the Central Plains, Tubo, and Uighur, forming a unique civilization. 】

【As a small country located in the northwest, with weak national strength. 】

[The founding strategy of Western Xia was to survive between the great powers. ]

[From the Northern Song Dynasty, Liao Dynasty, Jin Dynasty to Mongolia, the Xixia’s survival rule has always been “submission – betrayal – submission again”. ]

[Of course, Xixia has also been maintaining its own military strength. ]

[Make yourself a country that is stinky, hard, poor and arrogant. 】

[In addition, it is jumping back and forth between the cracks of major powers, seeking checks and balances. ]

【So Xixia has been doing pretty well so far. 】

[However, all this came to an end the moment the Mongolian cavalry stepped in. ]

[The war between Mongolia and Western Xia was not won overnight, but was fought over many times. ]

[In 1205, Genghis Khan used the excuse that Xixia had accepted Mongolia's enemies and led his troops to attack Xixia for the first time, plundering Guazhou, Shazhou and other states.]

[At that time, Xixia was somewhat at a loss in the face of the emerging Mongolian forces, and border towns were looted.]

[This was just the beginning. After that, the Mongols, like wolves smelling blood, frequently turned their attention to Xixia.]

[In 1207, the Mongolian army attacked again and captured the Western Xia city of Wulahai, looting for several months before leaving.]

[In 1209, the Mongolian army went on a third expedition, this time they surrounded the Xixia capital Zhongxingfu (now Yinchuan, Ningxia).]

【Li Anquan, the ruler of Western Xia, asked the Jin Dynasty for help. 】

【However, Jin Xuanzong wanted to see both sides suffer losses, so he did not send troops to support. 】

[Li Anquan had no choice but to personally lead his troops to the city to defend it, trying to resist the Mongolian offensive.]

[Genghis Khan used the river water swollen by heavy rain to build dams and divert water to flood the city. Countless residents and soldiers in the city drowned.]

[Just when the city wall was about to collapse, the river suddenly burst its banks and the Mongolian army was drowned by the flood.]

[They were forced to return the troops with no other choice. ]

[But the Mongols did not give up. Temujin sent his tutor Eda into the city to persuade Li An to surrender. Li An was forced to marry his daughter to seek peace and accept the humiliating conditions of "joining the Mongols to attack the Jin Dynasty".]

【Western Xia has since become a vassal of Mongolia.】

Outside the sky.

Song.

When Zhao Kuangyin saw this, he couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile and said:
"Haha, this Jin countryman is indeed a barbarian!"

"He doesn't read history books, doesn't understand strategy, and even forgets the old saying that if one loses his lips, his teeth will be cold!"

"Back then, Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which opened the door to the Central Plains."

“This lesson is still fresh in our minds.”

"Look at what the sky shows. The Jin Dynasty actually watched Mongolia encroach on Xixia!"

"And the map at that time shows that Mongolia was already very powerful and had already occupied many areas of the Jin Dynasty."

"When the main force of Mongolia attacked Xixia, the Jin Dynasty was in a situation where the lips and teeth would be in danger."

"If I were the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, I would definitely send a large army to support them."

"The Mongolian army has come out in full force, and the main force is on the battlefield of Western Xia, so the rear must be empty."

"If we march north, either to aid Xixia or to attack Huanglong, we will surely inflict heavy damage on Mongolia."

"No matter what, we can't just sit back and watch Xixia being conquered by Mongolia."

"Once Xixia falls, the Mongolian cavalry will be like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, forming a semi-encirclement of the Jin Dynasty. By then, the Jin Dynasty will be attacked from all sides and will have no chance to breathe!"

Zhao Kuangyin snorted coldly.

"Thinking of the posthumous title of 'Xuanzong', it should mean a virtuous monarch who maintained the status quo. Why is he so short-sighted now?"

"How can such a mediocre ruler protect the country?"

...The sky continues.

[After becoming a vassal, Xixia did not have an easy life. ]

[Mongol demanded that Xixia provide soldiers, horses, and food, but never shared the spoils of war, which led to the gradual depletion of Xixia's national strength.]

[Historical records show that Mongolia continued to recruit soldiers from Western Xia, making them "unable to bear the hardships and gradually losing their courtesy."]

[In 1217, when Genghis Khan marched westward to attack Khwarezm, Xixia refused to send troops.]

[The Mongolian general Mu Huali immediately led his army into Xixia, crossed the Yellow River and approached Zhongxing Prefecture.]

[Xixia Emperor Li Zunxu was terrified and left his crown prince Li Deren in the capital to defend it while he himself hastily fled to Xiliang.]

[The Xia army was unable to resist and could only surrender to Mongolia again.]

[It can be said that at this time, Xixia's "fence-sitting" behavior had already made the Mongols extremely disgusted. ]

[But this time, it really can't be said that Xixia was capricious. ]

[Before, whether Xixia paid tribute to Song, Liao, or Jin, it was beneficial to Xixia.]

【You can obtain a relaxed external environment. 】

[If you pay attention to etiquette in your daily interactions, Xixia can live in peace and live behind closed doors. ]

[Even if you submit to the Song Dynasty, you can still get a salary. ]

[As a result, they became vassals of the Mongols, but were constantly exploited by them, paying money, food, and manpower.]

[We have fought many battles.]

【I can’t get any benefit at all.】

[If this goes on, no one can stand it, right? ]

[In 1223, Li Zunxu, the Emperor of Western Xia, was unwilling to be the ruler of a fallen country, so he left the capital and gave up his throne to Li Dewang.]

When the commentators saw this, they all started to complain.

"The Western Xia, Northern Song, and Jin dynasties were all taught by the same teacher. When the country was about to fall, they passed the throne to others. "

"Northern Qi: I taught you."

"All the good guys have contracted the Song Dynasty's disease."

"Huizong: Always imitated, never surpassed."

"Xixia said: What's wrong with getting the Song's disease? I was given the surname Zhao, please call me Zhao Zunxu, Zhao Dewang!"

……

The sky continues.

[After Li Dewang, the new ruler of Xixia, ascended the throne, the people of Xixia could no longer bear the oppression of Mongolia and were excited and demanded resistance.]

[Li Dewang secretly contacted the Jin Kingdom and the tribes in the northern desert that had not yet been integrated by the Mongols, trying to resist the Mongols.]

[This move completely angered Genghis Khan. ]

[He ordered General Bolu to attack Xixia Yinzhou and massacre tens of thousands of people.]

【Dewang expressed his willingness to surrender and send hostages, and the Mongols temporarily withdrew their troops.】

[And warned Xixia: "If you betray again, your country will be destroyed."]

[However, Xixia did not stop. In 1225, Li Dewang secretly formed an alliance with the Jin Kingdom. Genghis Khan was furious when he learned about it and decided to put an end to this erratic regime once and for all.]

[In 1226, Temujin used the excuse that Xixia was slow to accept hostages and personally led 10 troops to invade Xixia again.]

[This time, Xixia lost almost all of the Hexi region.]

[In July, Li Dewang died of worry and fear, and his nephew Li Wei was enthroned.]

[In August, the Mongol Western Army seized the Nine Crossings of the Yellow River. In October, the Mongol Eastern Army captured Xiazhou.]

[Then, the Mongolian army attacked Xixia's political and economic center, Xinling and Xingling, from the east and west.]

[The garrisons of various parts of Western Xia vowed to resist to the death. ]

[Whenever the Mongols conquered a city, they would massacre the people, leaving only one out of a hundred alive.]

[In November, Temujin personally led a large army to besiege Lingzhou. ]

[Western Xia mobilized 300,000 soldiers from all over the country to defend Lingzhou.]

[They fought a desperate battle with the Mongolian army. The battle was tense for a time, and its intensity was rare in the history of the Mongolian army.]

【But in the end, the battle failed due to the heavy casualties suffered by the Xia army.】

【Lingzhou fell, and former Crown Prince Li Deren refused to surrender and was killed.】

[In 1227, the Mongolian army arrived at the city of Zhongxing Prefecture.]

[At this time, the population of Western Xia, which originally had 300 million people, had dropped to less than 50.]

[The troops were exhausted, there was no external aid, and there were earthquakes and plagues. ]

[Li Yu, the last ruler of Western Xia, was desperate and sent envoys to ask Temujin to give him a month's grace before surrendering the city.]

[However, just as the Western Xia was about to fall, Genghis Khan suddenly died of illness in Liupan Mountain while avoiding the summer heat.]

[There are many different theories about his cause of death - "he was seriously injured after falling off a horse", "he was assassinated by the princess of Xixia", "he was poisoned by an arrow", and even a bizarre rumor that he was "struck to death by lightning".]

[Whatever the truth, the Mongols unanimously blamed the Western Xia for Genghis Khan's death, believing that it was due to the Western Xia's "betrayal."]

[Before his death, Temujin also left a will: keep his death a secret, and when Li Yu surrendered, kill him and then return to Mongolia.]

【Li Xi quickly opened the door and surrendered. 】

【At this point, the Western Xia, which had been established for nearly 200 years, was declared extinct. 】(End of this chapter)