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

Chapter 189 Ögedei's womanly compassion led him to dig his own grave!
Zhao Shuo would not show any mercy to heroes from other races.

Historical records show that the Mongols made a similar mistake when they attacked Goryeo.

After the Mongol army's first attack on Goryeo forced the Goryeo court to surrender, the cities in various parts of Goryeo that were still resisting also surrendered one after another.

Only Choi Chun-myeong, who was guarding Jaju, pretended to be stupid and refused to acknowledge the envoy's identity, even after receiving three imperial edicts from the Goryeo court, and refused to open the city gates and surrender.

Later, the Goryeo court ordered Lee Baek-cheon, whom most of the officials in Jaju knew, to deliver the imperial decree, and Choi Chun-myeong was forced to surrender.

At this point, the Mongols lost their minds and said, "Although he disobeyed my orders, he was a loyal subject to you, so I will not kill him. Moreover, since you have made peace with me, is it acceptable to kill your loyal subject?"

Thus, Choi Chun not only saved his life, but also became a great hero of Goryeo, ranking first in merit and being appointed as the Vice Privy Councilor of Goryeo.

Is this for real? Not only will resolutely resisting the Mongols not result in death, but you can also become the prime minister of Goryeo?
Choi Chun-myeong's example greatly boosted the morale of the Koreans.

Since then, the Goryeo people have repeatedly surrendered and rebelled, and the Mongols have launched nine campaigns against Goryeo, none of which have been completely successful.

Not only that, in later generations, Choi Chun-myung and Yang Man-chun were hailed by the Goryeo people as the two greatest national heroes of ancient times, which greatly fueled the arrogance of the Goryeo people.

The story of Yang Wanchun shooting down one of Emperor Taizong's eyes is entirely fictional, but the story of Cui Chunming is true.

It must be said that the Mongols' decision not to kill Cui Chun was truly a disastrous mistake.

Now, Zhao Shuo intends to crush the heroes of the Jin Dynasty. He wants the Jin people to understand that not only will the heroes who fiercely resist Zhao Shuo meet with no good end, but their families and clansmen will also face an even more tragic fate!

Of course, what Zhao Shuo didn't know was that Ögedei Khan had already captured Cizhou and taken Cui Chunming prisoner.

It really wasn't easy.

In order to break through the Tongbai Mountain defense line, Zhao Shuo first held the Tongbai Mountain garrison firmly for three months before launching a large-scale flanking maneuver, sending grassland warriors and Song troops from the Huai River to cross the Huai River and attack Henan, threatening the Jin capital of Bianliang.

Ögedei Khan, however, led only half of the main Mongol force in a fierce attack on Cizhou.

It has been almost five months since then, and only now have they finally captured Cizhou, which Cui Chun had ordered to defend.

“Back then, when Khadak killed my father Khan’s da, Uidar, my father not only spared his life but also transferred him to Zhao Shuo’s command, making him the commander of the Black Cavalry, where he achieved great military exploits. Today, I have captured Cui Chunming and wish to recruit him to serve my Mongols. What do you think?” Ögedei asked.

Ögedei Khan was completely different from Genghis Khan.

Genghis Khan was a man of great talent and ambition, and apart from his bloodlust and love of blood, he had virtually no flaws.

Ögedei Khan had a trait that was hard to define as either a strength or a weakness—he liked to win people's hearts with generosity and benevolence.

Genghis Khan once said: If you have a long-cherished desire to hunt, you can follow Jochi; if you want to master the rules and laws of the Jasa, Birik, and the law, you can follow Chagatai; if you love money and wealth, and want to enjoy comfort and maintain a noble demeanor, you can follow Ögedei; if you want to learn how to treat people and pursue courage, knowledge, and honor, you can serve Tolui.

These words were insightful and to the point, revealing the characteristics of all four sons.

Now, Ögedei suddenly had a bizarre idea: to pardon Cui Chun and recruit him to surrender.

"Great Khan, no!"

Zhenhai quickly advised, "The Mongols and the Kereit are both grassland people, they speak the same language, have similar customs, and their ethnic groups are not clearly distinguished. Once Wang Khan died, the Kereit became Mongols, and there was nothing wrong with Genghis Khan recruiting him."

“But Cui Chunming is a Goryeo person, completely different from us grassland people. How can you make an analogy? If you don’t kill him, how can you face the Mongol soldiers who died under the walls of Cizhou?”

"Besides, Choi Chun-myung's resolute resistance against our Mongols shows his unwavering loyalty to Goryeo. If you try to persuade Choi Chun-myung to surrender, you'll only bring shame upon yourself!"

Ögedei sighed and said, “What you say makes some sense. It seems that Cui Chunming cannot be spared. However, Cui Chunming was loyal to Goryeo and vowed to serve his country to the death. Not only was he not wrong, but he should be highly praised. Issue an edict to give him a proper burial. Also, issue a decree to the whole country: Cui Chunming is truly a model of loyalty and righteousness. I, the Khan, greatly admire him.”

"Yes."

In fact, this was Ögedei's true purpose: to commend loyal ministers and righteous men!
The allegiance of most steppe warriors is now quite ambiguous. Should they be loyal to Tolui? Or to the Great Khan Ögedei? Or to the Mongols? What happens if these three conflict?
Now that Ögedei has issued this decree, it is intended to guide the steppe warriors to learn from Cui Chun's orders and to pledge allegiance to the Great Khan or the Mongol court. In short, as long as they do not pledge allegiance to the powerful minister Tolui, everything will be fine.

In addition, Ögedei also had political considerations: after learning of this decree, would the Koreans think that the Mongols were reasonable and that being ruled by the Mongol Khan was not a bad thing?
This would weaken the Koreans' resolve to resist.

Otherwise, it would have taken Ögedei nearly half a year just to conquer Cizhou. Conquering Goryeo entirely would have taken forever.
However, what Ögedei did not expect was that his decree would have the opposite effect in Guizhou, Goryeo.

There are currently three generals in the city of Guiju in Goryeo: Park Seo, the military commander stationed in the northwest of Guiju; Kim Kyung-seon, the general of Jingju who fled to Guiju after losing the city; and Kim Jung-on, the general of Shuoju.

Initially, the Mongol left wing army failed to capture Guizhou, so they attacked Cizhou instead.

Now that Cizhou has been captured by the Mongol army, they will definitely turn back to attack Guizhou. These three Goryeo generals are under tremendous pressure.

However, upon learning of Ögedei's decree, the three were overjoyed and held a celebratory banquet.

"Haha! The Mongols are scared!"

Park Seo downed his drink in one gulp and said, "The Mongols are ruthless and decisive, having destroyed countless countries, including many rulers. Have you two ever heard of the Mongols praising heroes of other tribes?"

Kim Kyung-sun and Kim Jung-on shook their heads in unison, saying, "No! Absolutely not!"

Park Seo continued, "So, why did Ögedei Khan, for the first time ever, commend General Choi Chun-myeong and give him a grand funeral? Isn't it because although they captured Jaju Castle, they suffered heavy casualties and were terrified, so they wanted to win over the heroes of Goryeo?"

“That’s right, exactly.” Kim Kyung-sun said smugly, “The Mongols have killed dozens of their own kings, so why would they care about heroes from other countries? It must be because they suffered too many casualties at the Battle of Jaju that they had no choice but to change their course and try to appease Goryeo.”

"They think they can appease us and expect us not to resist resolutely? They're dreaming!"

Jin Zhongwen led his defeated troops to escape from Shuozhou, but he didn't have time to bring his family back. He could easily imagine what would happen to his still-attractive wife and three beautiful daughters, and he hated the Mongols to the core.

Jin Zhongwen said fiercely, "The more the Mongols try to appease us, the more we must fight them! There's a saying among the Han people: 'Even a spent arrow cannot pierce a thin silk cloth!' This time, our Guizhou City will surely make Ögedei suffer a crushing defeat!"

Jin Qingsun chimed in, "Perhaps we can not only make Ögedei bleed, but also launch a counterattack and drive the Mongol army out of Goguryeo completely! Back then, Emperor Yang of Sui had a million-strong army. How powerful he was! Yet his three campaigns against Goguryeo not only ended in failure, but he also died and his country was destroyed."

"Good! That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you two."

Park Hee raised his wine cup and said, "Come, let us drink this cup together! May the three of us defend Guizhou together, let Ögedei be defeated and sink to the sands here, and leave behind a glorious name for all time."

"Dry!"

"Dry!"

The three of them each downed a glass of wine, and the atmosphere in the room was jubilant.

In fact, all three of them had fought against the Mongol army and knew how formidable they were. Their confidence in holding Guizhou City wasn't as strong as they appeared.

But wasn't this an imperial edict from Ögedei Khan praising Choi Chun-ming? By defending Guizhou City to the death, whether they succeeded or failed, the three of them were destined to become great heroes of Goryeo, leaving their names in history. Why not?
……

……

On the other side, after killing more than 10,000 prisoners in the three strongholds, Zhao Shuo began the next phase of military operations.

The Zhongshun Army now has only a little over 15,000 men left, and Zhao Shuo left more than 10,000 Zhongshun soldiers behind.

They will join forces with Zhao Shuo's troops, as well as the artillery and engineering battalions, to continue attacking other Jin troops along the Tongbai Mountain defense line.

The five thousand Zhongshun Army were cavalry, and together with Zhao Shuo's two commanders of the Plain Red Banner, two commanders of the Plain Blue Banner, two commanders of the Plain Yellow Banner, one commander of the Plain Black Banner, and one commander of the Bordered Blue Banner, they would pursue the main force of the Jin army.

In the attack on the Tongbo Mountain defense line, the Han army's Eight Banners also lost about 5,000 soldiers.

Therefore, Zhao Shuo used a total force of 80,000 men to pursue the Jin army, each with three horses.

If you calculate carefully, the main force of the Jin army has only been out of Dengzhou for five days. If Zhao Shuo orders this cavalry to advance at full speed, they can catch up in one or two days.

But why bother?

Such a rapid march left both men and horses exhausted. How could they possibly fight the Jin army when they arrived at their destination?
Moreover, the Jin army had 80,000 elite troops and 100,000 conscripts, and Zhao Shuo's forces were not at a numerical advantage. Even if he could win, he would certainly suffer heavy casualties.

Therefore, Zhao Shuo ordered the main force to advance at a speed of one hundred li per day. In addition, he dispatched five thousand elite troops on a forced march to catch up with the Jin army and carry out raids.

On the one hand, it slowed down the Jin army's speed.

On the other hand, they made sure the Jin army didn't eat or sleep well, increasing their fatigue.

Next, this Jin army, mainly composed of infantry, suffered a major setback.

Zhao Shuo's five thousand elite soldiers were divided into fifty teams, each led by a centurion.

They would follow the Jin infantry at a leisurely pace, sometimes a hundred paces away, putting immense psychological pressure on the Jin army.

Or, taking advantage of the Jin army's laxity, they could suddenly charge into the Jin army's ranks, kill several people, and then leave.

Or perhaps the Jin army hadn't let their guard down at all; relying on their fast horses, they suddenly rushed forward, unleashing a hail of arrows at the Jin army, and then quickly departed.

Or they might rest during the day and suddenly launch an attack at night, causing a disturbance outside the Jin army camp. Some even stormed into the Jin army camp, killing several people before leaving.

Sometimes, several units would suddenly combine, find an opening, launch a surprise attack on the Jin army's supply train, set it on fire, and then quickly leave.

What's even worse is that they liked to harass the Jin army while they were eating. This made many Jin troops afraid to light fires to cook and forced them to eat only dry rations.

Even more ingenious, since this was Jin territory, the Jin army didn't bring many logistical supplies and relied on towns along the way for provisions.

With the appearance of this Mongol harassment force, which town dared to send a logistical support team? Even if they did, they would become spoils of war for the Mongol army.

The Jin army did indeed have a cavalry force of over 7,000 men called the Loyal and Filial Army.

However, Zhao Shuo's harassment troops were not there for direct combat. They could simply run away when the Jin cavalry moved out.

If there are only a thousand thieves, how can there be a thousand days of defense against thieves? How could more than seven thousand cavalrymen possibly protect an army of nearly two hundred thousand?

Besides, the Mongol army didn't care about losing one or two centurions, but the Jin army did.

If the Loyal and Filial Army were to engage in a pursuit battle with Zhao Shuo's harassing forces in units of a hundred households, losing one or two hundred households would be a painful loss. With only a little over seven thousand Loyal and Filial Army soldiers in total, their strength must be used wisely.

"No! We absolutely cannot continue fighting like this!"

Inside the Jin army's central command tent, the generals gathered to discuss countermeasures. Wanyan Chenheshang shouted, "If this continues, not only will our food reserves dwindle, but our soldiers will also become increasingly exhausted, turning even elite troops into weak ones. Once Zhao Shuo's main force catches up with us, we will be utterly powerless to resist!"

A fierce Jin general named Jia Guze suggested, "Why don't we enter a nearby city, wait for Zhao Shuo's main force to arrive, and then engage in a decisive battle with them?"

"inappropriate."

Wanyan Zhongde shook his head and said, "If I were Zhao Shuo, seeing us hide in the city, I would only send a small force to monitor us, and then continue to march towards Bianliang. His Majesty is in Bianliang, and most of the soldiers' families are also in Bianliang. Would we not send troops to rescue them? At that time, Zhao Shuo could fight us wherever he wanted, and the terrain would be entirely on Zhao Shuo's side!"

Jia Guze said anxiously, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just keep marching towards Bianliang, can we? We'll be overtaken by Zhao Shuo's main force before we even reach Bianliang. You know, they're all cavalry!"

Wanyan Zhongde said, "What I mean is that we should set up another defensive line on the road Zhao Shuo takes to advance on Bianliang, forcing him to fight us to the death."

"Zhao Shuo has chosen to maintain a stalemate with our army, waiting for another force to break through Bianliang. How should we respond?"

"Then we can only wait and see what fate holds for my Great Jin."

Commander-in-Chief Wanyan Saibu suddenly interjected, "Given the state of the nation, our Great Jin has reached its most perilous moment. There is no way we can have a foolproof plan. Therefore, all generals, listen to my command!"

"exist!"

"We will try our best to advance faster and set up defenses along the Sanfeng Mountain line to stop Zhao Shuo's advance. If we are blessed by Heaven and can stop Zhao Shuo's army, we can naturally spare some troops to rescue Bianliang. If we cannot stop him... then it is fate that does not belong to our Great Jin, and we will naturally have no choice but to sacrifice ourselves for our country."

"Yes!"

Sanfeng Mountain is only 240 li away from Bianliang, and it is located on the only route from the Nanyang Basin to Bianliang. It would only take three to five days for infantry to march from Sanfeng Mountain to Bianliang.

If Zhao Shuo fails to break through the Sanfeng Mountain defense line in a short time, the Jin army can naturally send some infantry to reinforce Bianliang. As for annihilating the other Song-Mongol allied army, Wanyan Saibu has already given up hope.

In conclusion, at this stage of the war, the Jin army could only defend itself and had no power to retaliate.

They could delay as long as possible, placing their hopes for victory solely on fate.

What if Zhao Shuo suddenly falls ill and dies, and his sons start vying for the throne?

What if Ögedei Khan suddenly dies, and Zhao Shuo has to go back to deal with the internal strife in Mongolia?

What if the Song state changes its mind again and decides to ally with the Jin against the Mongols?
What if something unexpected happens during the decisive battle, and the Jin army wins a great victory?
Wouldn't that allow the Jin Dynasty to survive?

If all of this is impossible, then there's no other way but to inflict the greatest damage on Zhao Shuo with all our might. Even if the Great Jin is to be destroyed, it must be destroyed in a spectacular and glorious way, leaving a lasting legacy in history.

In any case, two days later, the Jin army of 180,000 men deployed along the Sanfeng Mountain line.

A day passed, and they only had time to build a simple camp before Zhao Shuo led an army of 80,000 to attack!
(End of this chapter)