Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 121 Khwarezm: Those troops with colorful flags are just miscellaneous soldiers at first glance!

Zhao Shuo's advance was very slow this time.

Because the Mongols were experts in using cavalry, and their favorite season for fighting was autumn, when the horses were fat and plump.

And what about spring? After a winter of exhaustion, horses continue to lose weight and their strength declines, making them the most in need of rest and recuperation. If you don't use your horsepower at this time, not only will many horses die from exhaustion and disease, but you'll also likely suffer heavy losses on the battlefield due to insufficient horsepower.

Zhao Shuo's army traveled eighty miles a day and arrived in Kashgar three months later.

This is actually quite fast.

According to Temujin's plan, the Mongol army he led would not march out until this summer, marching slowly and arriving at Huswort in autumn. By then, the army's horses would be at their peak strength, ready to launch a war of annihilation against Khwarezm.

In other words, Zhao Shuo and Subuchi's mission was to destroy Quchelug's army and take over all of Western Liao within three months.

"How is the situation now?"

On the day Zhao Shuo arrived in Kashgar, he discussed military intelligence with Jochi, Jebe, Subutai and Xinchu.

At this moment, Subuchi did not look too anxious: "Ashuo, the situation was very bad before you came. However, after you came, the situation has been very good."

"How do you say this?"

Zhebie continued, "Originally, Qubilai's rule in Western Liao was not popular.

Qubilai's fundamental force actually consisted of only a few thousand Naimans.

He seized the throne from Zhilugu, and the Khitans became alienated from him.

Seventy percent of the people of Western Liao believed in the true God. Qubilai's demand that they either convert to Buddhism or adopt Khitan clothing further inflamed their discontent. They angrily cursed: "O All-Knowing God, have mercy on me and throw him into the sea until he drowns! Capture him, and only then will the country be free!"
All of a sudden, Qu Chuli offended almost everyone.

He relied on burning, killing, looting, feeding the Khitans, and suppressing the local people to maintain his rule. Therefore, when our army arrived, we were unstoppable and surrounded Hu Sihan's ears without much effort.

Zhao Shuo shook his head and smiled. "So, Qubilai's change of faith and submission to Khwarezm was the right move?"

Zhebie said, "Now the local people and Quchulu have become one, and we have become heretics. In the past year, Quchulu has assembled an army of 100,000. Add to his original 20,000 cavalry, and the total number is about 120,000."

Jochi added: "This time, when we heard that our Mongolian army had arrived, the Khwarezmian Sultan Muhammad also sent 50,000 troops to support us."

"So little?" Zhao Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly.

Indeed, the total military strength of Western Liao and Khwarezm was too small.

Zhao Shuo had originally assumed that since Khwarezm had already broken ranks with the Mongols, the Khwarezmians would have to send at least 100,000 troops to secure a victory. Why only 50,000?
What’s the use of the 100,000-strong army of local people assembled by Qu Chuli?
Not only are these miscellaneous soldiers weak in combat, they are also prone to mutiny on the battlefield, causing an avalanche effect.

In other words, they only had 70,000 elite soldiers in total.

How could they possibly be a match for the nearly 150,000-strong Mongolian army?
You can't just go to Qu Chuli and overestimate your own capabilities and expect to defeat the enemy with a small force? That's too absurd.

Xin Yu probably guessed what Zhao Shuo meant and said, "I do have some guesses."

"Xin Ru, go ahead." Zhao Shuo nodded at Xin Ru. Xin Ru's efforts over the years had earned his approval. The boy was much more stable now than when he first joined him. It was Xin Ru's report that had saved Subuchi from a dangerous collapse. That alone was a significant contribution.

"You, my dear consort, may look down on the so-called 100,000-man army that Quchlug has just assembled, but I suspect that Quchlug and the Khwarezmians also look down on your vassal forces. They must think that the eldest prince only brought 30,000 elite troops with him on his western expedition. How many elite troops can you bring with you this time?"
In their opinion, 70,000 elite soldiers, plus 100,000 True God warriors, should be enough."

Zhao Shuo nodded, understanding Xin Ru's point. "You make sense," he said. "But we should also send more scouts to guard against any backup plans they might have. By the way, who is the commander-in-chief of these 50,000 Khwarezmian troops? Xin Ru, do you know?"

"I'd recognize him even if he turned into ashes!"

Pfft!
Xin Yu suddenly knelt before Zhao Shuo, clenched his fists, and said through gritted teeth, "The commander of these fifty thousand Khwarezmian troops is named Yinalshu. He is the nephew of the Khwarezmian Queen Mother Turhan Hatun and has been granted the title of Haier Khan. He is quite brave and is considered one of Khwarezm's most valuable generals."

According to the information I have, it was he who proposed to the Khwarezmian Sultan, Muhammad and Queen Mother Turhan Hatun to rob the caravans and become enemies with us Mongols.

It was also he who presided over the search for the caravan.

In order to force merchants to hand over all their wealth, he knocked out their teeth one by one and broke their fingers one by one. Some merchants had already married and had children in the local area, but he would torture their wives in front of them and throw their children to death in front of them.

One thousand three hundred and sixty-seven lives, one thousand three hundred and sixty-seven blood debts!
Please, Prince Consort, avenge them!"

Xin Yu was less than thirty years old, but he had been a member of the Mongolian caravan for nearly ten years. They had traveled thousands of miles together, dealt with bandits, wild animals, and the harsh environment along the way, drank and ate meat together, sold goods together, and dealt with difficult customers together... He had long since come to regard the caravan members as his own companions.

He felt the same pain as his companions and kowtowed to Zhao Shuo until he bled.

"..."

A cold look spread across Zhao Shuo's face.

He heard about this matter half a year ago.

He was extremely angry at that time.

Because most of these businessmen are under his command.

Khwarezm killed these merchants, which was not only a provocation to Mongolia and Genghis Khan, but also a provocation to him.

He has decided that after destroying Khwarezm, the Khwarezmian royal family will pay a heavier price.

But he didn't expect that these businessmen would die so tragically.

Zhao Shuo's heart was filled with murderous intent.

"I know, get up!"

"Don't worry! I will avenge the caravan! I will also avenge the Mongolian loss of 3,000 warriors! Whether it's Haier Khan or Muhammad, they won't survive even if they flee to the ends of the earth!"

"Khwarazm will pay a hundred, a thousand times the price for their stupidity!"

Zhao Shuo said coldly.

The last time he made such a vow of revenge was during his first expedition to Jin.

The Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty paid the price of eight thousand heads and lost half of their territory.

And this time, Khwarezm, are they as powerful and strong as the Jin Dynasty?
"Thank you, Prince Consort!" Xin Yu stood up with a cold look in his eyes. He had grown a stubble. After so many hardships, he had shed his impetuousness and edge. From a high-spirited young man, he had transformed into a man capable of shouldering responsibility and regret.

After ten days of rest, Subutai left 5,000 Han troops to guard Kashgar.

The 137,000-strong coalition army of Zhao Shuo and Jochi crossed the Fergana Mountains to the north, passed through the Naryn River Valley, marched along the Chu River, and reached Hu Sihan's ears.

In fact, the straight-line distance between Husihan Erduo City and Kashgar is only two hundred miles. However, the area is densely mountainous and has a complex terrain. The most suitable route for the army to march is this road, which is one thousand miles long and took the army half a month to travel.

Xin Yu's prediction was correct.

Neither Quchulug nor Haier Khan felt that the coalition forces of Western Liao and Khwarezm were the weaker side.

Seeing the arrival of the Mongolian army, they did not defend Husihan Erduo City to the death, but instead led 170,000 troops out of the city and formed a battle array to meet the enemy.

However, when he saw the Mongolian army putting on armor and leaving the camp, Haier Khan was dumbfounded.

"Are they really the vanguard of the Mongols, not the main force?" Haier Khan couldn't believe his eyes. He said in astonishment, "Over a hundred thousand people, all clad in armor? Oh, God Almighty! How many Mongols are there?"

There is no need to fight. Just looking at the armor coverage rate, Haierhan took a deep breath.

Khwarezm boasted abundant iron ore, excellent craftsmen, and was a key hub on the Silk Road. With neither a shortage of iron nor money, the 50,000 elite troops brought by Haier Khan were all clad in iron armor. Quchlug's 20,000-man army was also clad in iron armor.

However, of the 100,000 troops Quchuli had assembled in the past year, only 10,000 were wearing armor.

There were also 50,000 people wearing leather armor.

The last 40,000 men were armed with simple swords and spears, without even leather armor.

On the other hand, the Mongolian side had 137,000 troops, with flags waving, banners fluttering, swords and spears standing in formation, and helmets and armor shining.

Even the main force of Khwarezm is no more than this!

Moreover, Haier Khan had fought against the elite Mongolian troops led by Jochi before and knew the true fighting power of the Mongols. Otherwise, Khwarezm's plan to attack Mongolia and seize its wealth would not have ended in failure.

If this was the main force of Mongolia, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Don't worry! Don't worry!"

Qutlug forced himself to remain calm and said, "I know Temujin's wealth very well. He could only recruit a hundred thousand warriors from the grasslands at best. Most of these troops are probably his vassal forces. However, he was also lucky to have taken a heavy bite out of the Jin Empire and obtained countless pieces of armor."

Those vassal troops are just wearing armor, so they probably don't have much combat effectiveness."

Haier Khan pondered for a moment and said, "So, the Jin Dynasty is equivalent to Persia? We Khwarezmians only acquired so much armor after occupying much of Persian territory. Those Persians, though wealthy, were very weak and could only serve as local garrisons."

"That's understandable."

"I can rest assured that."

Haier Khan didn’t understand the Jin Dynasty, but he understood Persia!
The elite of Khwarezm were mainly composed of Kangli, Oghuz and Kipchak peoples, who were nomadic peoples. The Persians were the people they ruled.

Even if the Persians were wearing armor, what would be so scary?

Quchuli continued to suggest, "Hai'er Khan, look, the center of the Mongolian army is under the banners of Prince Consort Zhao Shuo and Grand Prince Jochi. They should be the main force of the Mongolian army. Their left wing has neatly arranged banners with the word Baru written on them. They should also have some fighting power."

However, their right wing, with its colorful flags, should be a ragtag force with the weakest combat power.

We can use our main force to first crush their right wing, then drive the defeated soldiers on the right wing to charge their center. If their center falters, we will immediately press forward with our entire army, and this battle will surely be won!

Haierhan nodded slightly and said, "Okay! That's it! Ha La Cha!"

"exist!"

"You lead your 10,000 elite cavalry to attack the right wing of the Mongolian army!"

"Yes!"

Boom~~
Halacha, a general under Haier Khan, led 10,000 elite Khwarezmian cavalry and rushed towards the Eight Banners soldiers under Zhao Shuo. Their target was the Bordered Black Banner!
This is also very particular.

The Bordered Black Banner had been established the youngest, and being descended from the Red Coat Army, its discipline was inferior to that of the other seven banners. Compared to the other seven banners, both its formation and its flags were the most disorganized.

Halacha means picking the softest persimmons!
He wanted to open a gap through the Bordered Black Banner and then break the Eight Banner Army formation.

"We must win! We must win!"

"God bless his brave warriors!"

"Kill all the Mongolian barbarians!"

"Leave no one behind! Leave no one behind!"

……

Seeing the elite cavalry of Khwarezm marching out, the 100,000 troops summoned by Quchlug cheered loudly.

They knew too well the strength of the Khwarezmian army led by Haracha.

At its inception, Khwarezm was primarily composed of the nomadic Kangli people, and gradually grew into a vast nation with a population of 20 million and a territory of 10,000 miles. The army led by Kharacha was entirely composed of Kangli people, and they were truly the elite of the elite!

How could we do this without getting off to a good start and destroying the morale of the Mongolian army?

However, soon, their cheers became quieter and quieter.

Seeing the Khwarezmian army being the first to attack the Bordered Black Banner, Yang An'er, the commander of the Bordered Black Banner, turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, his eyes gleaming with coldness. He had never expected that on his first battle with his son-in-law, he would be treated like a soft persimmon by these Western clowns. This made him feel extremely humiliated. "Release!"

Yang An'er's murderous intent surged, and he issued an order with a sneer.

In fact, if one were to choose one out of ten Red Coat soldiers, the Black Banner's horsemanship was quite good. To keep their horses in top condition, the soldiers did not ride on their horses when forming up, but dismounted and held the reins. At this point, Yang An'er ordered the entire army to mount their horses, and a head-on confrontation with the enemy's elite cavalry was not impossible.

But why bother?

Why not take advantage of a bargain?
Following Yang An'er's order, the crossbows that had already been strung in the Black Banner Army began to work!
The crossbow required eight oxen, twelve horses, or fifty men to pull, making it unsuitable for field battles. Therefore, the Bordered Black Banner was only equipped with fifty crossbows.

But this thing is powerful!
The crossbow had seven arrow paths, with a massive arrow resting in the center. The arrow was three feet five inches long and five inches in circumference, with iron leaves as feathers. The entire heavy arrow, including the shaft and arrowhead, resembled a spear, while the three iron leaves at the back resembled three short swords, earning it the nickname "one spear, three swords arrow."

Moreover, it is not just a "one gun, three swords and arrows".

On the left and right of the main arrow path, there are three slightly smaller arrows.

When a crossbow is fired, seven "one gun and three sword arrows" are fired at the same time.

Fifty crossbows fired, that’s three hundred and fifty shots!

The range of the three hundred and fifty "one spear, three swords and arrows" is more than a thousand steps.

Whoosh whoosh!
Just as the elite Kangli cavalry of Khwarezm were charging, 350 "one spear and three sword arrows" came whistling with huge potential energy, and in just an instant, they shot down the first hundred warriors.

Not only was he shot off his horse, but he was also nailed to the ground!

Some crossbow arrows even directly cut off the necks of Khwarezmian warriors, and even directly shot open their heads!
"What kind of magic is this? Charge! Charge quickly and kill them!"

Both the Kharacha and the Khwarezmian cavalry who were charging were frightened by this sudden and inexplicable attack.

However, Halacha was a brave general on the battlefield after all. He quickly shouted loudly and the entire army accelerated its advance.

However, they were soon brutally attacked by the Black Banner Divine Arm Bow.

The Shenbi bow has a length of three feet three inches, a string length of two feet five inches, and a range of over two hundred and forty steps. Within a hundred steps, it can penetrate heavy armor!

After the Divine Arm Bow, it’s not over yet.

Five hundred strong men stepped forward and threw out small thunder bombs!

According to historical records, "The 'Sky-shaking Thunder' was made by putting powder in an iron can and lighting it with fire. When the cannon went off, the sound was like thunder and could be heard a hundred miles away. The area it burned covered an area of ​​more than half an acre and the fire could penetrate even armor and iron."

Of course, this record is exaggerated.

Moreover, in order to ensure that they can be thrown a sufficient distance, these thunder bombs have been miniaturized, with each weighing only half a pound.

But that’s also a big deal!
This was a gunpowder weapon, the first time it appeared outside of China.

Boom boom boom!
In just a moment, the battlefield was filled with thunder, flames, and smoke, as if the legendary hellfire had descended upon the world.

Herod
Where have you seen this Khwarezmian war horse?

Countless war horses let out strange cries and fled in all directions.

Even those braver war horses were so frightened that they stood still and dared not move forward.

They didn't dare to move forward, as their master was even worse than them and only wanted to escape.

"Devil! The Mongol barbarians are using devilish weapons!"

"Run away!"

"Almighty God, please lower your infinite mercy and bless us!"

"Run!"

……

If the tremendous power of the crossbow just now made the Khwarezmians think of "magic", then the terrifying sound and explosion of the thunderbolt completely confirmed their guess.

The brave Kangli cavalry were frightened out of their wits, cried out in alarm, and turned their horses and ran away.

However, where can one escape?
"kill!"

At this time, 7,000 soldiers of the Han Army's Bordered Black Banner had already mounted their horses. With Yang An'er's order, the 7,000 warriors of the Bordered Black Banner used their abundant horsepower to charge towards the defeated Halacha army.

"Quick! Narli, hurry up and add Haracha!"

Upon seeing this, Haier Khan quickly mobilized another 10,000-man force to reinforce Haracha.

However, if he can send more troops, the Mongolian army can also send more troops.

As Zhao Shuo's flag waved, all seven flags, including the Plain Red Flag, the Plain Yellow Flag, and the Plain Blue Flag, were dispatched. Even the thousand warriors of the Plain Black Flag who stayed behind mounted their horses and followed closely behind.

Sixty-four thousand Eight Banners troops drove the defeated army of Kharacha towards the central army of the Khwarezmian and Western Liao coalition forces!

In a sense, the Khwarezmians were right in their judgment that the Bordered Black Banner was indeed the weakest of the Eight Banners.

But again, they were wrong.

The combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners soldiers is not inferior to that of the elite cavalry of Khwarezm!
Moreover, they have more advanced equipment.

Equipped with weapons made of wootz steel!
Crossbow!

Thunder of the sky!
The Eight Banners' warhorses, specially trained to withstand the deafening roar of thunder, were unfazed by it. However, the Khwarezmian steeds had never seen anything like it before! Faced with such a terrifying noise and flash, they either fled in fright or became uncontrollable, rendering the Khwarezmian cavalry's elite abilities completely unable to fully utilize their abilities.

"This is a ragtag group of Mongolian soldiers? What would the main force of Mongolia be like? Could it be that the troops led by Jochi were a ragtag group of Mongolian soldiers?"

Haierhan was speechless and asked the True God.

In fact, the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners soldiers was not as good as that of the grassland soldiers.

However, the grassland warriors under Subuchi were not as well-armed as the Eight Banners under Zhao Shuo. The power of the thunder bombs in particular led Haier Khan to misunderstand them.

Of course, Haierhan quickly calmed down and gave the order: "Retreat! The entire army retreats immediately! Retreat to Husihan Erduo City at all costs! Hold on and wait for reinforcements!"

But, how can we retreat so easily?

Zhao Shuo pointed his Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade forward and said, "Attack with all your forces! Capture Haier Khan alive!"

Then, Zhao Shuo and Yang Miaozhen each led half of the Flying Eagle Army and charged to the front.

Zhao Shuo led half of the Flying Eagle Army and headed straight for Haier Khan's central army.

Yang Miaozhen led the other half of the Flying Eagle Army to encircle the city and prevent Haier Khan from entering the city.

That’s right, it’s the Flying Eagle Army.

Although the Black Cavalry is brave, its speed is much slower than that of the Flying Eagle Army.

Today, Zhao Shuo must capture Haier Khan!
"kill!"

The golden horse under Zhao Shuo's crotch and the chestnut horse under Yang Miaozhen's crotch are both rare and fine horses in the world.

Yang Miaozhen is "invincible in the world".

Zhao Shuo is stronger than Yang Miaozhen!

The Flying Eagle Army is a rare and powerful army under Zhao Shuo's command!
The two armies were like entering an empty land, and in the blink of an eye they slaughtered the Khwarezmian army.

"Protect me into the city!"

Qu Chuli had great experience in escape. Seeing that the situation was not good, he quickly fled into Husiwoerduo City.

Haierhan, however, was still hoping for a lucky break.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, although he issued the order to retreat, he still wanted to command on the spot and try to rescue more soldiers and horses into the city.

Now seeing this situation, I understand what kind of enemy I have encountered.

He quickly abandoned his army and fled towards the city gate under the protection of his personal guards.

They ran into half of the Flying Eagle Army led by Yang Miaozhen.

"Where to go?"

Of course, Yang Miaozhen didn't recognize Haier Khan, but in this era, it was very necessary for the commander to wear conspicuous armor to boost morale. Yang Miaozhen killed seven of Haier Khan's guards in a row and rushed to Haier Khan's front.

"Die, you bitch!"

Haierhan roared and swung the scimitar in his hand heavily at Yang Miaozhen.

when!
When facing Zhao Shuo, Yang Miaozhen still needs to use her unparalleled skills to relieve the force, but she does not need to do that at all when facing Shanghai Erhan.

She shook her spear and knocked away Haierhan's scimitar.

Then, he swung the gun tip and stopped it in front of Haierhan's choked throat, saying: "Tell me! Are you Haierhan?"

This sentence is in Kangli dialect, which Yang Miaozhen recently learned from Xin Ru.

"Yes!" Haierhan agreed quickly, fearing that if he agreed even a moment later, he would be stabbed to death on the spot by this incredibly strong woman.

"Tied!"

Snapped!
Yang Miaozhen swept his spear across, knocking Haierhan off his horse.

The Flying Eagle Army dismounted and tied up Haier Khan tightly.

The capture of Haier Khan was far from the end of this field battle.

Although the cavalry ran fast, the narrow gate of Hu Sihan'er City could not accommodate so many cavalrymen at the same time.

The 100,000 troops that Qu Chulug mobilized were mostly infantry, not to mention

After fighting for an hour, blood gathered on the ground into scarlet streams, and the war gradually subsided.

A careful count revealed that 13,000 Khwarezmian cavalrymen had been killed and over 25,400 captured. Perhaps over 10,000 Khwarezmian cavalrymen, seeing no hope of entering the city, fled in all directions. Fewer than 1,000 Khwarezmian cavalrymen had actually entered the city.

The so-called 100,000-strong army summoned by Qubilai suffered an even worse fate, with more than 5,000 of them beheaded and more than 87,000 captured.

On the contrary, only 3,000 of Qu Chuli's troops were captured. Zhao Shuo estimated that more than 13,000 of them escaped into Hu Sihan's Erduo City.
Of course, that's not the point.

The focus is Hail Khan.

The account of the Mongolian caravan and the three thousand warriors should be mainly attributed to Muhammad, but Haier Khan was also one of the important accomplices.
Today, I will collect some interest first.

"Bring it up!"

Following Zhao Shuo's order, Haier Khan, who was tied up, was brought into the central military tent.

(End of this chapter)