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

Chapter 191: A stark contrast: The Jin army is starving and freezing, while Zhao Shuo's men are eating hot pot!
The snow wasn't heavy that night, but it didn't stop the next day.

The chatter continued intermittently and incessantly until evening three days later.

woohoo~~
The moonlight, as white as snow, illuminated the Jin Valley, making it resemble a cold, imprisoned cage. A biting wind swept in from the valley entrance, penetrating the Jin army camp.

"It's fucking cold!"

Sepuriah, carrying a cloth bag, walked into his tent and muttered something.

There were four other ordinary Jurchen soldiers living inside the tent, making it much warmer than outside.

But this warmth was only relative; his coarse linen autumn clothes were already soaked through with cold air, like a cold iron plate pressed against his skin.

Seraphim stomped his feet, which were frozen numb, but felt no relief whatsoever.

"Ah Xian, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

The other four Jurchen soldiers were huddled together for warmth in the corner of the tent when someone asked a question.

"What else could it be? A pancake!"

Sepuriah threw the cloth bag in front of them, saying, "Two for each of you, don't fight over them. There's nothing we can do if we don't get enough to eat; that's all the supplies we've received from above."

"The pancakes are one thing, but they're so cold! Didn't they even heat them up?!"

"Even a bowl of hot soup would be nice!"

"I'd rather eat one less pancake and drink half a bowl of hot soup."

"Exactly! It's so cold, we can barely stretch our arms. How are we supposed to fight when the Han army attacks? The higher-ups don't seem to care about us at all."

……

People began to complain.

Sepuria sneered, "You should be grateful! Jingou is only so big, and with our 80,000 troops crammed here, where are we going to get enough firewood? We're lucky to have some flatbread right now; I'm afraid we'll need more in a few days..."

"What? Are you suggesting we eat wheat directly?"

"We'll be lucky to have any wheat to eat. I'm afraid we won't even have wheat left! Think about it, we didn't bring much grain from the Tongbai Mountain defense line to begin with, and we were relying on the surrounding cities for supplies. Then, once those 5,000 elite Eight Banner cavalry arrived, the cities stopped sending grain. On top of that, we suffered such a great defeat and lost a lot of supplies. How much grain do we have left?"

"So what will we eat then?"

"how could I know?"

Sepuria stopped talking, and shakily pulled a hard piece of bread from his pocket, biting down hard with his teeth until his gums ached.

Left with no other option, he pressed the pancake against his chest, trying to soften it with his body heat.

He didn't know if the pancakes had softened from being warmed, but his chest felt ice-cold, and his eyes were filled with despair.

They always say that destiny belongs to the Jin Dynasty, but where is this destiny? When we left the Tongbai Mountain defense line, everyone was only wearing autumn clothes.

In theory, winter clothing shouldn't be a big problem, since it's an operation on the inside lines; surely the cities along the way would have stockpiles? If necessary, they could even rob civilians!

Who could have imagined that they would first be harassed by 5,000 elite Eight Banner cavalry, and then be trapped and killed in this damned Golden Gully?

To make matters worse, heavy snow fell again, and the temperature plummeted! It was as if the heavens were deliberately working against the Jin Kingdom.

What kind of bullshit Great Jin Mandate of Heaven is this?

Perhaps destiny is on Zhao Shuo's side?

Thinking of the miraculous legends surrounding the founding of the Jin Dynasty, a phrase kept welling up in Sepulia's mind: "The cycle of karma is inescapable; retribution is swift."

……

……

Deng Deng Deng~~
As Jia Guze strode heavily into the central command tent of the 80,000 defeated soldiers, he frowned and asked, "Why isn't there a brazier?"

"It was I who stopped them from having the child."

The snow had just stopped when Wanyan Sai summoned his generals for a military meeting. Unlike before, he did not wait for the generals to arrive before entering, but had been waiting in his command seat for quite some time.

Now that Jiaguze is the last to arrive, we can proceed with the military council.

However, Wanyan Sai still spoke up to explain: "Even if the army is short of fuel, it won't be short of us. But it's not cold when it snows, it's cold when the snow melts, and the more difficult days are yet to come. If we save some fuel now, fewer people will freeze to death in the future."

"The commander-in-chief is wise."

As a fierce general of the Jin Dynasty, second only to Wanyan Chenheshang, Jiaguze knew his place and bowed slightly.

Cao Huo Eke curled his lip and shook his head, saying, "What good is saving such a little fuel? It's not that I disrespect the commander, but in a few more days, we'll probably either freeze to death or starve to death."

Although Cao Huo Eke was violent and unruly, he would never have dared to speak to Wanyan Saibu like that before, even if he had a hundred times the courage.

However, Wanyan Saibu, the "ever-victorious general" of the Jin Dynasty, was defeated by Zhao Shuo and became the "ever-defeat general". Seeing that the Jin Dynasty was about to be finished, what did he not dare to say?
He even privately believed that Wanyan Sai's decision not to allow the Zhongxiao Army and 30,000 elite troops to lure the enemy was a complete blunder. If these men had held the Sanfeng Mountain defense line, the Jin army's situation would be much better now.

"Yes!"

Wanyan Zhongde echoed, "We don't have enough food. All things considered, we can only last for seven days."

After Wanyan Congtan's death, Wanyan Zhongde became the second most powerful man in the army after Wanyan Saibu, and he was very clear about how much food was left in the army.

Wanyan Sai glared at Wanyan Zhongde and said irritably, "If we halve the food supply, we can last for half a month."

Cao Huo'e stubbornly asked, "May I ask, General, what's the point of this? If you ask me, we should take advantage of the ample food supplies and break out of the encirclement as soon as possible."

"Breakout? Clever! Cao Huo Eke, you're really clever, you're just like Zhao Shuo!"

Before Wanyan Sai could answer, Jia Guze sneered and said, "Zhao Shuo is hoping we break out! Can we outrun his four legs with only two? If I were Zhao Shuo, I would surround three sides and leave one open, deliberately leaving a path for us to break out. Then, everyone would rush to escape, and I'm afraid that before we even get twenty miles from Jin Gou, not one of us will survive."

"So what? Staying here is just waiting to die anyway, might as well die a glorious death and fight Zhao Shuo!" Cao Huo E Ke roared.

Wanyan Sai sighed and said in a deep voice, "Let us wait to die! The longer we hold out here, the more strength Bianliang can accumulate. Holding out here is much better than wasting the lives of our soldiers. Of course, anyone who doesn't want to hold out here can try to break out or surrender to Zhao Shuo. I will not stop you."

"Not at all, Commander, you flatter me."

"Since it is in the court's interest to hold this position, then let us hold it!"

"Let's see who dares to disobey the commander-in-chief's orders!!"

"Yes, hold Jingou! Fight Zhao Shuo to the death!"

"A true man of the Great Jin Dynasty would rather die standing than live on his knees! Anyone who dares to surrender, I'll chop off his head first!"

……

The generals all expressed their opinions.

As we had already discussed, breaking through was a dead end, only a quicker one.

Holding fast to this position would be more detrimental to Zhao Shuo and more beneficial to the Jin Dynasty.

Then let's hold on.

Surrender was not even on the agenda of these Jurchen generals!

Of course, Guo Zhongyuan, though given the surname Wanyan, was not a Jurchen, but a Han Chinese.

When the military council ended and Guo Zhongyuan returned to his central command with a heavy heart, he saw that more than a dozen of his subordinate generals, including Zhang Zhongwu, Wang Tieshan, and Li Shouren, had been waiting for him at the entrance of the main tent for quite some time.

"Commander, you have to stand up for us! We were defeated too quickly, and we didn't have enough tents to begin with! That bastard Wanyan Yuli just forcibly took seven of my tents! If I hadn't remembered that you told us to be tolerant of the Jurchens, I would have drawn my sword against him right then and there!"

"No one came to steal my tent, but a servant named Sancha led a group of men who stole dozens of my flags of various sizes. He said that since these flags were useless anyway, we might as well use the flag fabrics to make clothes for them to keep warm and the flagpoles to make a fire for them. Listen to that, does that sound like human language? Why don't they use their own military flags?"

"He Shilie Wu Jin not only robbed us of dozens of jin of cakes, but also killed three people! If the higher-ups don't give us an explanation, the brothers will definitely mutini!"

……

The Jin army is currently lacking in food, fuel, and cloth, so the lowest-ranking members of the Jin army, the Flower Hat Army, will naturally be targeted.

What? The lowest rank among those who sign military contracts?
First, the conscripted troops didn't have much better supplies than the Flower Hat Army. Second, the Flower Hat Army was mainly composed of Han Chinese, while the conscripted troops were mainly composed of Jurchens. Wasn't it obvious who was more friendly and who was less friendly?
Guo Zhongyuan seemed to have anticipated this situation. He showed no anger, beckoned the generals into his tent to speak, and then ordered the tent's defenses to be strengthened.
Then, Guo Zhongyuan smiled and said, "I thought it was something important, but it turns out to be just a trivial matter. It's alright, I'll report to the commander-in-chief tomorrow at dawn. Those who killed our men will surely pay with their lives. Those who stole our things will also make compensation. However... I have some bad news for everyone. Starting tomorrow, the food supply will be halved. Moreover, after fourteen days, when the army's food reserves are exhausted, there will be no more food supplies."

"Huh? Is this all the supply is? And you're going to cut it in half?"

"This weather is already cold enough, and without enough food, how can the brothers possibly hold on? Some of my men froze to death last night!"

"I really don't know what the commander is insisting on? Since we're all going to die sooner or later, we might as well all die with our fill!"

……

The generals discussed amongst themselves, their faces filled with displeasure. However, faced with such bad news, they no longer cared about their previous complaints.

Guo Zhongyuan remained calm and composed, saying, "Stop complaining. This is nothing."

"What? Could it be worse than starving to death?" Wang Tieshan's face was full of disbelief.

Guo Zhongyuan sighed softly and said, "Do you think that in fourteen days, these 80,000 troops will obediently starve to death?"

"If we don't wait to starve to death, what can we eat... Ah!"

As soon as Wang Tieshan finished speaking, everyone, including himself, thought of a terrifying possibility, and their expressions changed drastically.

Zhang Zhongwu took a deep breath and said, "Could it be that in fourteen days, they will be cannibalistic?"

Li Shouren's face contorted with rage as he said, "They not only eat people, they eat us! We are Han Chinese. If the Jurchens don't eat us, would they eat their own people?"

Wang Tieshan chimed in, "That's right. If I were Wanyan Saibu, I would guarantee the supply of an elite force. Then we could suddenly take them down and...eat them."

"After they've eaten us, they'll probably eat their own people too. First the conscripted soldiers, then the old and weak among the elite troops, and finally they'll break through and fight Zhao Shuo. But that old fox Wanyan Saibu can't tell right now, he only says to hold out for fourteen days. After that, we'll just have to take it one step at a time, and that's how it will slowly become. Those who are eaten have no power to resist!"

"At this point, why are you still worrying about the Jurchens? Let's talk about us first. What should we do?"

As they spoke, everyone turned to look at Guo Zhongyuan.

If it weren't for Guo Zhongyuan's established prestige, they would probably have all turned fierce and decided to eliminate Guo Zhongyuan first before immediately rebelling.

Guo Zhongyuan chuckled and said, "Why are you looking at me? The Flower Hat Army has been wiped out, how could I, the commander, possibly survive? I'm not afraid to tell you, I've long wanted to rebel against the Great Jin and join Zhao... the Northern Zhao Emperor."

Zhang Zhongwu asked in confusion, "What about your family? They're all in Bianliang!"

Guo Zhongyuan took a deep breath and said bitterly, "To tell you the truth, the Jurchens wanted to send your families to Bianliang as well. I firmly opposed it and stood my ground. However, my family had to be sent to Bianliang. Otherwise, I'm afraid none of my Flower Hat Army would be alive today."

"Now that the situation has developed to this point, I really can't care about my family anymore. Besides, my family may not necessarily be sacrificed. If we surrender to the Zhao emperor in the north, and the Jin army dares to kill my family, the emperor will definitely make more Jurchens pay with their lives."

Wang Tieshan gritted his teeth slightly and said, "Since that's the case, then we'll rebel against the Great Jin! Damn it, we risk our lives for the Jurchens, but they want to eat us up. This deal is just too unprofitable!"

"Yes! We've rebelled against the Great Jin!"

"Let's fight the Jurchens!"

……

More than a dozen generals echoed his sentiments.

When the Red Turban Army uprising broke out in Shandong, the Han Chinese in Shandong split into two groups. One group supported the Red Turban Army, while the other group supported the Jin Dynasty and organized the Flower Hat Army.

The Flower Hat Army previously supported the Jin Dynasty not because they were particularly loyal to it, but because most of them were property owners who did not want anyone to disrupt the existing order.

Later, Zhao Shuo took Shandong and implemented the equal distribution of land. This army was very dissatisfied with Zhao Shuo's implementation of the equal distribution of land and still chose to stand on the side of the Jin Dynasty.

However, without comparison, there is no harm.

Zhao Shuo only wanted their land, but the Jin Kingdom wanted their lives, or even their flesh!

At this point, is it even a question?

Guo Zhongyuan, however, was passionate and didn't harbor much ill will towards Zhao Shuo. With the Jin dynasty nearing its end, he had long wanted to join Zhao Shuo's cause.

However, Wanyan Zhongde struck first, using his family as hostages. The Flower Hat Army was also too difficult to mobilize, which is why they waited until today.

Immediately, Guo Zhongyuan ordered someone to bring several bolts of red cloth that had been prepared in advance.

He instructed all the generals to take the red cloth back, so that the entire Flower Hat Army would wear red cloth as a marker to distinguish friend from foe—they were merely the remnants of the Flower Hat Army, and the Flower Hats were no longer used as the army's identifier.

The night is long and many things may happen. It is now the first watch of the night. Guo Zhongyuan ordered everyone to go back and make some preparations. They will take action at the second watch of the night.

Finally, Guo Zhongyuan instructed, "Although the agreed time for the uprising is the second watch of the night, I suspect Wanyan Sai has already sent people to monitor us. Everyone must be adaptable and, if necessary, launch the uprising ahead of schedule. In short, we are determined to rebel against the Great Jin!"

"Yes!"

……

……

While the Jin army in Jingou was suffering from hunger and cold, Zhao Shuo's camp was filled with joy and harmony.

What's there to be afraid of in the cold?
Although Zhao Shuo hadn't prepared ordinary warm clothing in advance, he had prepared cotton armor beforehand. Although this thing was much heavier than ordinary clothing, its effect in keeping warm was quite good.

Moreover, while the Jin army was shivering with cold in the valley, they had cotton armor to keep warm. The stark contrast made this feeling incredibly good!

The food was very satisfying; the entire army ate horse meat hot pot.

In the Battle of Sanfeng Mountain, the Jin army was completely wiped out, but Zhao Shuo's army also suffered heavy casualties, with both armies losing more than 10,000 warhorses.

Are we going to wait until the New Year to eat this horse meat?
The soldiers used their helmets as cooking pots, and their fuel was the trees from Sanfeng Mountain. With the meat of over ten thousand horses and the grain captured from the Jin army, the soldiers were very satisfied with their meal.

Tonight, a team-building activity is underway in Zhao Shuo's central military tent.

To put it bluntly, it's all about eating and drinking.

All the officers of the Han Chinese Eight Banners above the rank of commander of a thousand were present, and they also ate horse meat hot pot. However, instead of using ordinary firewood and helmets, they used kerosene stoves and iron basins.

In addition, there were some vegetables and mutton presented by the neighboring towns, as well as the wine captured from the Jin army... In such freezing weather, the food was steaming hot, and there was plenty of wine and meat, so the generals ate and drank to their hearts' content.

Before long, they were all slightly tipsy.

"If you ask me, His Majesty is truly a visionary. Before setting off, he made sure all the soldiers wore cotton armor. Now, our soldiers are all wearing cotton armor, and they're even finding the weather a bit too hot. Meanwhile, the Jin army in Jingou is shivering from the cold!" Wang Shixian, who joined Zhao Shuo's army the latest, was intentionally or unintentionally flattering Zhao Shuo.

However, it is clear that his flattery was far too low-level compared to that of the Han generals.

Yan Shi exclaimed, "Your Majesty is more than just a prophet; to be precise, you are blessed by Heaven! Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that such a heavy snowfall occurred?"

Zhang Fu, the commander of the Bordered Blue Banner, chimed in, "Indeed! His Majesty is divinely ordained! This auspicious snow is a good omen. This heavy snow not only foretells Heaven's destruction of the Jin Kingdom, but it's also a sign of divine blessings! Think about it, with this heavy snowfall, isn't the world a blanket of white? What character does 'King' plus 'white' form?"

"Your Majesty! Add the character 'white' to the character 'king' and you get the character 'emperor'!"

"Yes, yes, yes, adding 'white' to 'king' makes the character 'emperor'! It seems Your Majesty is about to take another step forward!"

……

The generals discussed amongst themselves, half-jokingly agreeing with them while secretly glancing at Zhao Shuo.

If Zhao Shuo shows even the slightest hint of interest, he might be crowned emperor tonight.

Zhao Shuo simply watched quietly without making a comment.

Historical records do indicate that heavy snowfall during the Battle of Sanfeng Mountain turned the tide for the Mongol army. Zhao Shuo altered history, so it's uncertain whether such a snowfall will actually occur. However, it's always good to have some cotton armor on hand for winter.

As for becoming emperor? Zhao Shuo wasn't in a hurry.

Anyway, as long as Ögedei is in power, he won't rebel. We'll deal with everything after Ögedei dies.

Zhao Shuo was pleased with the generals' reaction. Now, Zhao Shuo had no doubt that if he gave the order, these Han generals would draw their swords and strike at the Mongol court that did not submit to him.

"Report!"

Just as the atmosphere inside the tent was filled with joy, a centurion suddenly rushed into the tent.

"Your Majesty, suddenly shouts of battle have erupted from within the Jingou Pass, claiming that the Flower-Hat Army has rebelled and intends to surrender to the Zhao Emperor in the north. How should we respond? Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)