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

Chapter 127 The world-famous city of Samarkand changes hands today!
That night, in the royal palace of Samarkand.

Snapped!
A precious porcelain vase was smashed to the ground.

"Fifty thousand men! In just one day, you've lost fifty thousand of my elite troops! Tuhai Khan, what on earth are you doing? Are those four trenches you built to defend Samarkand, or to feed the Mongols?"

The roar of Khwarezm Sultan Muhammad resounded throughout the palace.

That’s right, it’s Muhammad.

Because of Zhao Shuo's butterfly effect, Muhammad did not abandon his capital and flee to the southwest bank of the Amu Darya River before the Mongols besieged Samarkand as happened in history.

He chose to stick to it.

Historically, Muhammad fled Samarkand in a hurry because of a Mongol plot to sow discord. This plot was proposed by a man named Badruddin, an Otrar who, because his family had been killed by Muhammad, held a grudge against him. He surrendered to Genghis Khan and offered a ruthless plan.

He forged a letter from a relative of Tuhai Khan to Genghis Khan, which roughly read:
"We are leading our entire army to Khwarezm and submitting to Sultan Muhammad because of his mother. We once expanded vast territories for Khwarezm, but the Sultan was ungrateful and resented the Queen Mother. She wants us to avenge her. We only wait for the Mongol army to arrive, and then we will lead our troops to surrender."

Then, he deliberately let the letter be intercepted by the Khwarezmians and fall into the hands of Muhammad.

Tuhai Khan was the brother of Queen Mother Turhan Hatun, and thus Muhammad's uncle. Throughout the conflict between Muhammad and the Queen Mother, Tuhai Khan always stood firmly on Muhammad's side. It was precisely because of Tuhai Khan's support that the initially weak Muhammad was able to gradually regain some of his power from the Queen Mother.

Muhammad also trusted Tuhay Khan very much and put him in charge of the defense of Samarkand.

Of course, Muhammad was dumbfounded when he received the letter.

Did Tuhai Khan's relatives write this letter with his permission? Who exactly does the "we" in this letter refer to?
The Mongols were terrifying enough, and Tuhai Khan's loyalty was questionable, so why defend it? So, Muhammad abandoned Samarkand and fled to other places.

Zhao Shuo's arrival changed history.

Haier Khan, the former defender of Otrar, led an elite force to support Quchulug of Western Liao under Muhammad's orders, but was executed by Zhao Shuo. The city of Otrar was left depleted and easily captured by the Mongol army. Before he could surrender, Beduluddin was killed in the chaos, leaving him no chance to offer his plan to sow discord.

So, Muhammad is still in the city of Samarkand.

In fact, not only Muhammad, but almost all Khwarezmians now believed that Samarkand was so strong and had enough food stored in the city to last for three years. Without three years, the Mongols would not be able to capture Samarkand.

The Mongols came from thousands of miles away, could they still besiege Samarkand for three years?

Now Muhammad’s plan is very good. He can hold on to Samarkand and keep the enemy at the border. This will greatly increase the morale of the defenders and their prestige. Why not do it?
However, no one expected that 50,000 troops would be wiped out in just one day!

How long can Samarkand hold out?

If Muhammad had personally defended Samarkand and it had been conquered by the Mongols within a few days, wouldn't his decision to stay in Samarkand have become a huge joke?

Muhammad was furious and became rude to his own uncle Tuhay Khan.

"Calm down, Sultan!"

Tuhai Khan knelt on the ground, kowtowed deeply, and said, "The loss of 50,000 troops in one fell swoop is indeed my fault. I really underestimated the ferocity of the Mongols. Originally, according to my plan, even if the troops outside the city were not doing well, with the four trenches blocking the way, there would be enough time to retreat back to the city.

However, the Mongols were determined to hold our army outside the city hostage, at all costs. At least 70,000 slave soldiers were killed or wounded, and perhaps over 20,000 of the elite warriors in heavy armor were killed or wounded. If I were in their place, I would never have made such a decision."

"Humph!"

After all, Muhammad was the king who expanded Khwarezm to its greatest glory. He quickly regained his composure, took a deep breath, and said, "You have a point. Tuhai Khan, stand up and speak."

"Yes, Sultan."

Tuhai Khan stood up and said, "Sultan, at this point, we have no choice but to defend Samarkand. I have three suggestions. First, in addition to the 60,000 elite troops in the city, there are also 30,000 local defenders. I think we should expand these 30,000 local defenders to 80,000 to make up for our shortfall in manpower."

"Yes." Mahmud nodded with a serious face.

"Secondly, Samarkand was originally the capital of the Western Karakhanid Khanate. I don't know how many people there are harboring ill intentions. I propose that all the city gates be guarded by us Kangli people to prevent any accidents."

Mahmud nodded and said, "Okay, you go and arrange it."

"Third, news of our defeat outside the city has spread, and the people of Samarkand are in a state of panic. I believe that in order to calm people and boost morale, the Sultan should appear in the city tomorrow and meet with some of the city's wealthy residents, scholars, and religious leaders."

"That makes sense."

Muhammad said, "Not only will I receive them, but I will also declare publicly that I will live and die with Samarkand."

"The Sultan is wise. If the Sultan has no other instructions, I will return and arrange for the city's defense."

"slow!"

Muhammad stood up, walked over to Tuhai Khan, and said, "Also, send someone to keep a close eye on those religious leaders. They're not on the same page with us, and it's not impossible for them to collude with their followers and seize the city gates. If they make any moves, just kill them without asking for permission!"

"Yes!"

Tuhai Khan took the order and left, adjusting his subordinates and arranging the city defense overnight.

That night, the Mongols were not idle either. Nearly 500,000 troops worked together and filled all four trenches under the cover of darkness.

The next day, the entire army rested for a day.

On the third day, the Qian army went out and, despite heavy casualties, filled a mile-long moat.

On the fourth day, the Mongolian army launched a strong attack on the city of Samarkand from the filled section of the moat!
There is no trickery this time, it's a head-on confrontation.

Of the original 210,000 signed troops, there are now less than 120,000 left.

During the siege four days earlier, two hundred of the one thousand medium-sized catapults had been destroyed. The Mongols simply ordered fifty thousand soldiers and craftsmen to continue building catapults to replenish the daily supply. The remaining soldiers, divided into two shifts, bombarded Samarkand day and night.

The total number of the Baru camp was as high as 130,000, but now only more than 100,000 are left, responsible for attacking the city of Samarkand.

In seven days, the Baru Camp suffered more than 50,000 casualties, which was certainly a heavy loss.

However, Samarkand was also in trouble. For seven days, the trebuchets had been bombarding the city day and night, severely depleting the defenders' lives and strength. The Baru Battalion's offensive had also caused heavy casualties.

It seemed that Samarkand's resistance was getting weaker and weaker.

At this moment, Zhao Shuo's twenty counterweight catapults were finally assembled.

Today is Zhao Shuo's turn to attack the city.

The cost of sieges was so high that they couldn't just pluck out every last one. The moat, which had been filled in for a mile, was only so wide, so of course the various armies took turns attacking the city.

"Sir, let's go with the Red Banner! If we can't take Samarkand with the Baru Battalion today, we'll have to let others take advantage!"

"What do you mean, just your Zhenghong Banner? Let us take the Zhenghuang Banner! Back then, outside Zhongdu City, it was us, the Zhenghuang Banner, who first broke through Zhongdu's inner city!"

"Use us to set the red flag!"

"Use our black flag!"

"Sir, we, the Khwarezmian Red Banner, are also your regular troops. You can't favor one over the other!"

……

Now the resistance of Samarkand city is getting weaker and weaker, and no one can say when the city will be captured.

What did the Eight Banners soldiers do?

But get the fame right away!
Who doesn’t want to be the first to capture the city?
Today, the catapult that Zhao Shuo had high hopes for has been completed.

The eight bannermen were eager to fight and wanted to capture the city today.

In fact, it didn't matter to Zhao Shuo which of the Eight Banners he sent to break the city.

Although the Zhenghuang Banner has the strongest combat power, we must give others a chance to show their abilities, right?
He thought for a moment and said, "Guo Baoyu!"

"exist!"

"The Zhenghong Banner was the first of the Eight Banners to be awarded. Do you have the confidence to capture Samarkand today?"

"Have!"

"Very good. I'll allocate ten siege towers to you. The twenty counterweight catapults are also yours to command. Take Samarkand today!"

"Yes!"

Guo Baoyu, the hereditary Duke of Fenyang, held the best rank among the Eight Banners of the Han Army. He was also the first of the Eight Banners to become a disciple of Zhao Shuo. Furthermore, he possessed both civil and military prowess, and held himself in high regard.

However, the strongest among the Eight Banners was obviously the Plain Yellow Banner. Even the other banners had no significant difference compared to the Plain Red Banner, which made Guo Baoyu very unhappy.

Today, I finally got the chance to make a great contribution, and my blood is boiling.

After returning to Zhenghong Banner, Guo Baoyu gave direct orders.

"The Prince Consort has placed great trust in us and entrusted the important task of conquering Samarkand to our Zhenghong Banner. Guo Dehai!"

"exist!"

"I order you to lead the 1,000th household of the Red Banner, push the siege towers, and capture the city of Samarkand!"

"Yes!"

Guo Dehai, the son of Guo Baoyu, had already served as a military officer in the Jin Dynasty before joining Zhao Shuo's army. Now, Guo Dehai held the title of 1,000th Household of the Zhenghong Banner, commanding its most elite forces. Guo Baoyu added, "The 2nd to 8th Thousandth Households of the Zhenghong Banner will drive battering rams and employ siege ladders, supporting the 1,000th Household as it sieges the city!"

"Yes!"

The generals took orders and left.

Of course, before attacking the city, the first thing to be used were the twenty counterweight catapults.

At this time, the counterweight catapult with an arm as long as three feet and seven inches has revealed its hideous appearance.

Moreover, the power of these catapults has greatly increased compared to when Zhao Shuo was in Bukhara City.

We have to thank the rich Samarkand.

For five hundred years, the world-famous city of Samarkand had used underground lead pipes to divert water throughout the city. Zhao Shuo dug up these lead pipes, melted them, and used them as counterweights for the trebuchets.

Lead is denser than silver, not to mention ordinary stones, which instantly increases the power of these counterweight catapults to a greater level.

They can throw a boulder weighing 120 kilograms from 300 steps away!

"emission!"

With Guo Baoyu's order, twenty counterweight catapults began to work.

Whoosh whoosh!
Twenty 120-pound boulders, carrying enormous potential energy, roared towards the walls of Samarkand.
boom!
Seven huge rocks hit a city wall at the same time, and it collapsed on the spot with a loud bang.

boom!
A huge rock hit the battlement, causing cracks to appear on the battlement and debris to fly everywhere.

boom!
A huge rock hit the catapult on the city wall, and the catapult fell apart with a loud crash.

boom!
A huge rock hit a Khwarazmian soldier, smashing him into a meat pie. The rock continued to roll forward, crushing three Khwarazmian soldiers and breaking their bones.

……

There’s no way, this is a huge rock weighing 120 kilograms!

No flesh and blood can resist it.

Even the city walls could hardly withstand the bombardment of several huge rocks!
"Oh, Almighty God! How could the Mongols possess such terrifying weapons!"

"Could it be that the rumor about the Mongolian prince consort being a scourge from God is true?"

"Can Samarkand still be defended?"

"How can we possibly hold it? From so far away, they can only attack us, but our catapults can't reach them!"

"Run! Don't stand on the wall!"

"We can't run! The Mongols are attacking!"

……

After seven days of continuous day and night attacks, the morale of the Samarkand defenders had already dropped to an extremely low level. The immense power of the fierce bombardment of twenty counterweight catapults made them even more terrified.

Just then——

"Charge! Kill!"

"Soldiers of the Zhenghong Banner, today we will capture Samarkand!"

"Those who retreat will be beheaded, and those who make contributions will be rewarded with a bright future!"

"Today, the Han army's red flags are showing off their power in Samarkand!"

……

The soldiers of the Zhenghong Banner shouted, held up ladders, pushed battering rams, and rushed towards the walls of Samarkand.

Behind them, ten siege towers were advancing at the fastest speed like a ferocious monster.

Boom boom boom!
A thousand medium-sized catapults bombarded the four walls of Samarkand without reservation, delaying the enemy's reinforcements.

boom!
The siege tower where Guo Dehai was located stopped next to the city wall.

Boom!
The suspension bridge falls.

Guo Dehai, wearing heavy armor and holding a heavy axe, rushed towards the enemy on the city wall.

Of course, Guo Dehai's ability is inferior to Shi Tianxiang's when he attacked the inner city of Zhongdu.

However, the Khwarezmian warriors he faced this time were already exhausted after seven days of fierce fighting. Coupled with the huge blow to the morale of the Khwarezmian soldiers just now dealt by the counterweight catapults, Guo Dehai quickly led fifty people to attack the city wall.

They divided into two teams and attacked from both sides, trying to capture the longer city wall and make room for subsequent troops.

However, at this moment, a fresh force of Khwarezm hurriedly climbed up the city wall.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

With a roar, a Khwarezmian warrior in heavy armor separated the surrounding Khwarezmian soldiers and rushed towards Guo Dehai with a sledgehammer in his hand!

"open!"

Guo Dehai roared and raised his axe to block!

when!
With a loud bang, Guo Dehai's palm became numb.

"This guy has so much strength!"

Guo Dehai took a step back involuntarily, feeling awed.

But the warrior refused to give in and continued to swing his hammer.

when!
when!
when!
Guo Dehai took three steps back again!

Can't go back anymore!
If he retreated again, the brave general might use his breakthrough point to drive the attacking troops off the city wall.

"Die!"

When the Khwarezmian warrior's hammer fell again, Guo Dehai became ruthless and swung his axe at the warrior's neck without caring about anything!

In the blink of an eye, everyone will perish!

Why fear death?
Isn't this what soldiers do?
Being defeated by the enemy is more shameful than death!

It doesn’t matter if Guo Dehai died, he still has a son!
Guo Dehai is ready to face death!
At this moment--

"General Guo!"

With a loud roar, the soldier next to him ignored the heavy iron spear coming from the opposite side, suddenly raised the heavy axe in his hand, and smashed it to the side towards the iron spike.

"what!"

With a scream, the Khwarezmian warrior was hit in the neck by an axe and fell to the ground.

The soldier next to Guo Dehai was also stabbed in the abdomen and fell to the ground.

"Thanks, Mancang."

The military situation was urgent, and Guo Dehai didn't care whether his comrades were dead or alive. He just said thank you and continued to charge forward.

The comrades behind the soldier also quickly filled in.

"Kill!"

"Capture Samarkand!"

"Han Army's Red Banner, achieve great success today!"

……

With shouts, the Han army's red flags charged bravely!

An hour later.

Zhiwuwu~~
The northwest gate of Samarkand was opened.

"In terms of area, it is the largest of the states, in terms of land, it is the most fertile of the counties, and it is generally recognized that it is the most beautiful paradise on earth among the four Gardens of Eden."

"If there is a paradise on earth, it is Samarkand. Ha, if you compare it with Baleh, can bitter and sweet be equal?"

Samarkand, a world-famous city praised by countless Westerners, opened its arms to the Han army!

(End of this chapter)