The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 686 Khan, it’s your turn to knock on the door
Hezhong can actually be seen as a smaller version of the Fifth Generation.

Of course, this is based on ethnic relations, production habits and territorial situation, not to say that their culture is very similar to that of the Five Dynasties.

The reason for this is that in Transoxiana, the Kazakhs were actually the Khitans of the early Five Dynasties.

It's a bit weak but also has some strength. Although it hasn't taken over the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, it has begun to roam around Tashkent, which is equivalent to Youzhou.

The Bujibeks, who controlled the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, were not a nomadic people as the public believed, but an agricultural people.

Although these people also raise cattle and sheep and have a tradition of raising horses, farming is the most important economic pillar.

However, these farming peoples were not united. They were divided into three major khanates, namely Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand, and then divided into various vassal states equivalent to Jiedushi, Bingmashi and Tuanlianshi. There were also various religious groups that controlled warrior monks.

The ethnic groups such as the Kyrgyz people living in the mountains are similar to the Tubo people of that time, except that they are the Tubo people after the collapse of the Tubo Empire.

They were brave and good at fighting but they were divided into many pieces and could not work together, so they became the three khanates that fought and pulled each other.

It was with the explanation of Erhan Albi from the Qitabu Bureau that Li Xingtai gradually figured out the ins and outs of this matter.

China still knows too little about the Three Khanates, and even the Qing Dynasty only has a superficial understanding of them.

"In other words, if we take Kokand, Khiva and Bukhara will not make much movement?" Li Xingtai asked.

"Yes, they even gloat over the misfortune. In recent years, Kokand has monopolized the privilege of trading with the Hui people and earned countless wealth. Khiva and Bukhara have long been coveting it.

The successive khans of Kokand, especially Narbatu Khan, had always dreamed of occupying Tashkent and Samarkand.

Therefore, every penny he earned from trade was invested in the war, and the other two Khanates were eager for someone to come and eliminate these madmen. "

Li Xingtai's last bit of hesitation finally disappeared, and now he rushed straight to the capital of Kokand.

"Have the soldiers change into Kokand clothing, have a good meal tonight, and set out tomorrow morning. Don't attack any towns or cities along the way, but attack Kokand directly."

. . . .

At this time in the city of Kokand, Narbatu Khan was not very anxious. He was even more concerned about the Khiva Khanate taking advantage of the situation than he was about the movements of the Hui Dynasty.

This is because Narbatu Khan was relatively familiar with the situation of the Hui people. In recent decades, the Khanate of Kokand had supported more than a dozen tribal leaders of the Hui people, large and small, and it was not in vain.

During the rebellion of the elder and younger Khojas, Samsak, the son of the elder Khoja Polonidu, was in Kokand. A large number of Hui people who fled here after the rebellion also settled here.

After all, he was a local, and Li Xianwen had just arrived, so it was impossible to completely block the news, because you didn't know when those local traitors would take a route you were completely unfamiliar with to tip off Kokand.

This is also the important reason why Li Xianwen acquiesced to Li Xingtai's risky move. Judging from the current situation, unless only a few thousand troops are sent, it will definitely be known.

So Li Xianwen simply did three things in the Hui tribe. The first was to allow the Hui people to report to each other who was the Kokand spy.

There is a reward for the informer, and the accuser will be immediately arrested and executed if he makes any groundless accusation.

The second thing was to send people to Suiye to persuade the feudal lords, big and small, who were staying in the Chu River Valley on the Tianshan Mountains to continue to submit to Dayu just as they submitted to the Qing Dynasty.

However, the conditions offered were not high, and he kept inviting the leaders to go to Shule (Kashgar), which gave people a feeling of being petty and malicious.

Although this was actually because Li Xianwen was afraid that they would really come down the mountain to surrender, and surrender without being scared was not surrender at all, others did not think so.

For example, Narbatu Khan thought that Li Xianwen was trying to lure the Kyrgyz people of Chuhe, so he felt relieved. It seemed that Li Xianwen’s first priority was to subdue the tribes that originally belonged to the Qing Dynasty. As for a fake vassal like him, he didn’t have time to deal with him for the time being.

The third thing, of course, was to control a large number of Hui people. The reason given was to move them from the Hui tribe to the Junggar tribe, and then completely abandon the Hui tribe to prevent any trouble.

This surprised Narbatu Khan again. It would be great if the Han people really gave up the Hui people!

Narbatu Khan felt that since the Han people were so sensible, he might as well continue to submit to them and be a vassal who did not obey orders or decrees, which was still a good thing.

"Khan, Prince Alim's troops have returned. His attendant Ali has come back with the news that the prince has recruited 5,000 Khartijins."

After hearing the report, Narbatu Khan was a little unhappy. How much money and food would these 5,000 people consume in a month?

Originally he thought his life was over and he wished to take out 10,000 men from the three Kaltijin tribes which had only 60,000 to 70,000 men to fight for him. But now he felt that there was no threat anymore and he began to feel that 5,000 men were too many.

"Set up camp thirty miles south of the river, get three hundred sheep, no, get five hundred sheep, and bake thirty thousand naan. I want to treat these people well." Narbatu Khan rolled his eyes and gave orders quickly.

Strength is respected in Hezhong. He originally thought that his son Alim could bring back a thousand people at most, but now five thousand people came, which immediately increased the strength of his son Alim. Moreover, these Kaltijin people are quite good at fighting.

If they were all allowed into Kokand, and if these people only listened to their son Alim, it would immediately pose a huge threat to Narbatu Khan's position.

In the face of the highest power, even father and son must be cautious.

. . . .

Three days later, the weather began to warm up, and a temporary camp for the Khartijin people was built in the southern part of the Syr Darya River.

Narbatu Khan was quite cunning. He took 1,500 elite guards to occupy the high ground and even brought two cannons and set them up on the hill.

From such a high vantage point, the Kokand people, armed with muskets and muskets, could immediately eliminate any unusual movements from those below.

Narbatu Khan even considered whether to confiscate the weapons of the Khartijin people before they arrived at the camp. In the end, he gave up because he thought that this was not decent enough and he was afraid of misunderstanding from the other side.

Of course, there was also the reason that Narbatu Khan believed that the Kharti people were not equipped with many muskets, but only bows and arrows and long swords, and could not seriously threaten his life safety.

Li Xingtai narrowed his eyes and looked at Narbatu Khan's arrangements in the distance. He had an idea in his mind, while the three leaders of the Khartijin tribe beside him were a little nervous.

For them, the investment in this adventure was a bit too much. Not only were all the warriors in the tribe recruited, but most of the cattle and horses raised in the tribe were also eaten. These were all their property.

Don’t think that nomadic people can eat meat every day. In fact, in this era of extremely underdeveloped productivity, raising cattle and sheep does not mean they can afford to eat them at any time.

Especially the life of the lower-class herdsmen is the most difficult. The only way they can eat cattle and sheep is because they are rewarded by the tribal leader, or because the cattle and sheep die due to various disasters and injuries.

Therefore, the three tribes of Khartijin can be said to have sold everything they have. If they cannot take Kokand City and the Kokand people do not come to fight, at least 30% of their people will starve to death this year.

In the tense atmosphere, the people brought by Kokand Narbatu Khan got closer and closer.

Li Xingtai calculated that there were still two or three miles to go. Even if the opponents were not cavalry, everyone had a horse. If he attacked now, there was a high probability that the Khan of Kokand could run back to Kokand City, which would be troublesome.

It seems that I have no choice but to take the risk. Li Xingtai grinned and said to an extremely nervous Kokand man beside him:
"Boy, take us there. As long as we succeed, the beauty of your dreams will appear in your arms tonight, and you can do whatever you want with her!"

This was a close confidant of Prince Alim of Kokand, and one of the few who survived and was willing to cooperate with Li Xingtai.

His request was that Li Xingtai give him Narbatu Khan's second daughter Guli as a reward.

This nineteen-year-old pervert was completely bewitched by the Princess of Kokand, but because of the huge disparity in their status, he could not even be married to her. She simply treated him as a slave.

"Qi Lin, Dong Shixing, Yamamoto Shengxian, Bao Ning, and Yang Yuchun, each of you will select ten people and go with me to meet the Kokand chief.

Chen Huacheng, you will lead the troops to stay behind. Once we start, you will immediately lead the troops to move closer to me."

The five people Li Xingtai selected were all the most prestigious generals from his various factions. He then looked at the three chiefs, Qita, Qibuchak, and Chongbagashi, and said, "Each of you should select ten people and go with me."

The three leaders felt sweat on their backs, but they had to nod in agreement, because Li Xingtai chose to bring them along because he was afraid that they would cause trouble behind them.

If you say you don't want to go now, it will clearly show that you have ulterior motives.

Ali, obsessed with sex, was so frightened that sweat broke out on his forehead. He stammered, "We have less than a hundred people, but the Khan has more than a thousand guards around him, and each of them is a warrior who can fight a hundred with one."

"Bullshit, fighting one against a hundred warriors!" Li Xingtai cursed with disdain.

If three to four thousand were selected from seven to eight hundred thousand people, and only adult men were counted, the ratio would be more than one in a hundred. Those selected in this way could fight one against a hundred. Doesn't that mean China has five to six million such strong men?

"Just lead the way, and I'll show you what a warrior is!"

Narbatu Khan saw from the hill that the Kharti people in the distance stopped one or two miles away from him and accepted the inspection of the guards he sent out, and he felt a lot more at ease.

But soon, he found a cavalry of more than a hundred people approaching him. Narbatu Khan was about to order them to stop, but someone came to report:

"The prince's chief attendant, Ali, reported that Prince Alim had fallen from his horse due to excessive travel for several days. He is currently recuperating and cannot come to pay homage. Therefore, the leader of the Khartijin people has been specially sent to meet the Khan now."

Narbatu Khan felt relieved again. Since his son's leg was broken, he would not be able to have any second thoughts.

However, Narbatu Khan pointed at the rapidly approaching cavalrymen with some displeasure and said, "Since you are here to pay homage, you must dismount and walk to show compliance. How can you gallop towards the Khan like this? You are such poor idiots who don't know etiquette. Go, tell them to dismount and pay homage!"

He was still very angry, but the total distance was only a little over one kilometer. Li Xingtai asked the daring guards to trick open the first fence with chevaux de frise. While Narbatu Khan was still angry, the distance was actually less than one kilometer.

Here, a dozen Kokand cavalrymen rode down the hill to let the "Kharti people" dismount and pay their respects on foot. However, Li Xingtai and others suddenly threw away the dirty black Kokand cloaks they were wearing, revealing the bright red mandarin duck battle robes and foam-studded armor underneath.

A distance of 800 meters is actually not suitable for a cavalry charge because it is too long.

But this is not a battlefield where we have to fight back and forth for more than ten rounds, and there is no need to worry about the warhorse. Instead, it is time to make the final decision.

Therefore, after about 800 meters, Li Xingtai's more than 80 people increased the speed of their horses to the maximum and started galloping towards the hill.

"No, there's something wrong with these people!" Narbatu Khan's general Shah Rukh shouted. Without waiting for Narbatu Khan's order, he immediately started roaring:

"The left battalion advances and uses spears to stop the enemy's charge. The other three battalions reload immediately!"

My goodness, these Kokand guards had no idea what would happen today, so their muskets were completely empty, not even loaded with gunpowder.

What's even more outrageous is that before setting off, Narbatu Khan ordered the guards to wear the most grand and gorgeous military uniforms to intimidate these mountain villains.

As for military uniforms, once they are associated with gorgeousness, they become impractical and will not be worn often.

This is the case with these Kokand guards. The incident happened suddenly, and even with orders, they were still in chaos.

Many people were groping around in their complicated and rarely worn military uniforms. They either couldn't find their gunpowder bags, their fuses were a tangled mess, or they didn't have their cleaning rods with them at all.

Of course, there are even more outrageous masters whose lead bullets are still in blocks and have not been melted at all. They just think they are here to show off and have an outing.

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, stirring up yellow sand all over the sky. Li Xingtai rushed to the front, which was his usual style.

Looking at the Kokand Guards wearing small flower hats and carrying spears coming to form a battle formation in the distance, he knew that the Kokand people really had no emergency plans at all.

Without any hesitation, Li Xingtai lit a bomb and watched the fuse crackle with fire. He ran from a distance of 120 meters to 60 meters before throwing the bomb.

The time limit was very tight. If it was five or six seconds later, it would have exploded in his hands.

With a bang, the bomb exploded in front of the Kokand infantryman's head, at a distance that was neither too high nor too low, just level with his temple.

This type of explosion causes the greatest damage. People within the core explosion range will have their brains almost instantly turned into tofu pudding.

Of course, one bomb was not enough to force the hundreds of Kokand guards to retreat, but those who rushed over were all masters. Seeing that Li Xingtai's bomb caused chaos, the remaining eight or nine bombs were also thrown here.

This time, a gap immediately appeared and the cavalry could not be stopped at all.

Li Xingtai was still the first to rush forward. He ignored the Kokand people on both sides because these hand-to-hand combatants could not keep up with the cavalry and were not a concern. The important thing was not to let the musketeers finish reloading.

Soon, in the second line of defense, a bearded Kokand guard in the front row saw Li Xingtai's fiery red figure. He was so anxious that he was sweating all over and couldn't control his runny nose.

Although his hands were moving, his heart was weak due to fear, and his hands were shaking constantly, and he couldn't aim the cleaning rod at the muzzle of the gun.

Li Xingtai also saw the big beard in front of the man's mouth, and even the snot hanging on his face. In a flash, Li Xingtai took out his pistol and fired a shot.

There was a flash of fire and the bearded man screamed, but he was fine, while his comrades were hurt.

The unlucky guy had already loaded his gun. Just as he lit the fuse and raised his gun, the lead bullet fired from Li Xingtai's pistol hit his neck.

With a cry, blood spurted out from the broken neck. The unlucky guy wanted to hold on, but his aorta was broken and he lost consciousness in a few seconds.

Blood sprayed all over the bearded man's face, and then something even worse happened. The fuse on the unlucky man's musket was not extinguished, and when it fell, the muzzle was pointing at the bearded man's thigh.

Snapped!
The bearded man screamed and felt as if his thigh was pricked by a needle, and warm blood immediately gushed out.

"I'm shot, I'm shot!" The bearded man howled, dropped the matchlock gun in his hand without any hesitation, turned around and limped back.

And around him, some people saw the bearded man running, and without thinking, they turned around and ran as well, fearing that they would be left in the front.

The Kokand officer who commanded them was so angry that his nose was crooked, but he had no time to punish the two men because another wave of bombs was dropped, killing more than a dozen people and creating another gap.

The cavalrymen still did not stop. Li Xingtai drew out his saber and, with the help of the horse's power, slashed twice, knocking down two Kokand men. Then he rushed towards the third line of defense, where the Kokand Khan was located.

"Quick, escort me away!" Narbatu Khan was completely panicked. He howled, turned around, and got on his horse to leave.

He shouldn't have shouted, because if he hadn't, the guards closest to him would still be resisting. When he shouted, dozens of them also shouted "Protect the Khan, protect the Khan" and followed him on their horses.

Those who were still resisting in the front immediately lost morale when they saw this situation.

At the critical moment, General Shah Rukh chopped down a guard who was running back with a single blow. He shouted, "Eagles of Kokand, let the Khan go first. We will hold back the enemy."

It was quite effective. At least some panicked Kokand guards remembered their duties and bravely stood up to block the attack.

But Li Xingtai didn't care about them. He whistled, pulled his horse's head, and chased after the fleeing Narbatu Khan.

I'm not stupid. The hundreds of people behind me have obviously finished loading, so I won't charge.

Now it was the turn of the Kokand guards to be dumbfounded. Those who had followed Narbatu Khan had already ridden away all the nearby war horses. They could only follow them in panic or go to the stable to find horses.

As a result, a very funny scene appeared on the banks of the Yaosha River (Syr Darya). Narbatu Khan was running in front, Li Xingtai was chasing behind, and at the back were the Kokand guards, a mixed group of people chasing Li Xingtai.

Further away, the thousands of people left behind by Li Xingtai began to chase and attack the Kokand guards.

The four groups of people formed a straight line, just like running a marathon.

The first to fall behind were the Kokand guards. Some of them had no horses, and they could not run after running for about two kilometers and were caught up by Dayu's elite soldiers.

Suddenly, there were bursts of gunfire and artillery fire. The Dayu soldiers formed a battle array and attacked head-on with flintlock rifles, while the cavalry of the three Kaltijin tribes circled from the left and right and shot arrows.

More than 4,000 people fought against more than 1,000 people, and soon they divided and surrounded the Kokand guards.

At the front, Li Xingtai was followed by more than 30 riders who were chasing after him, but they could only watch the target running further and further away.

Because Narbatu Khan's warhorse is much better than the Kharti Jin tribe warhorse ridden by Li Xingtai and others. If you only look at the short sprint, they are completely two different species.

So Li Xingtai decisively left half of his men behind and asked them to give up half of the war horses.

Since we can't compare speed, let's compare endurance.

This trick was indeed effective. After running about four or five kilometers, Narbatu Khan's guards could no longer run, and a large number of war horses foamed at the mouth and fell to the ground.

It is actually difficult for horses to run at such high speeds because their heat dissipation function and physical strength cannot keep up.

'Eek!'

As the horse screamed, Narbatu Khan felt dizzy and fell off the horse.

And his beloved warhorse fell with a bang not far from him, its nostrils flaring and its chest heaving violently. It was so tired that it didn't even have the strength to stand up.

Well, in other words, the horse's heart and lungs had physically exploded.

Clap clap clap!

Intensive gunfire rang out. Li Xingtai and Yang Yuchun, riding on their war horses, fired their carbines with terrifying accuracy. Three of Narbatu Khan's dozen or so guards were killed on the spot.

In fear, some people jumped into the river without caring about their lives. Only two or three loyal people tried to pull up Narbatu Khan, who fell to the ground with a bruised face.

But Li Xingtai would not give them this opportunity. He swooped down on his horse and chopped the two or three guards with two sword strikes, leaving them covered in blood.

"It's him, this is Narbatu Khan, hahahahaha!"

Juerhan Albi of the Qita tribe pulled a guy who was trying to play dead on the ground over and laughed wildly.

"Okay, the rest of us won't chase after them anymore. Let's go back and kill all those guards. Then we'll have the Khan personally open the gates of Kokand for us!"

(End of this chapter)