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

Chapter 203 Ögedei Khan, in his dying moments, frantically tries to drag others down with him!
Guizhou City has a circumference of sixteen li and is built against the mountain, roughly in the shape of a "凸" character.

The city is surrounded by natural walls formed by mountains on its east, west, and south sides. In addition, the Goryeo people added stone walls to the mountains, with the lowest point reaching a height of seven zhang (approximately 13 meters).

Only the northern section is flat, without mountains or city walls, but the stone walls there are still four zhang high.

This city was considered easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it a key border town in northern Goryeo.

Two hundred and eighteen years ago, Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelü Longxu, led an army of 300,000 to attack Goryeo. He besieged Guizhou but failed to capture it. Later, he burned down the Goryeo capital, Gaegyeong, and returned.

Eight years later, Yelü Longxu ordered Chancellor Xiao Paiya to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Goguryeo. Not only did they fail to capture Guizhou, but the Goguryeo army, under the command of the famous general Jiang Hanzan, won a great victory at Guizhou. Less than 20,000 of the 100,000 troops fled back to Liao.

Therefore, although Guiju was not as famous as the capital Gaegyeong or Pyongyang, it was never a formidable Goryeo city to be underestimated.

It's not too surprising that Ögedei Khan, leading 50,000 Mongol troops, failed to capture Guizhou.

In fact, in the past six months, Ögedei Khan had already devised many methods to capture Guizhou City. For example, he dug tunnels near the north gate to attack the city, built tall siege towers, and even tried to set fire to the city using Kongming lanterns, just like Zhao Shuo had done... but all of these were thwarted by the Goryeo defenders of Guizhou.

Today, we have no choice but to launch a direct attack, hoping that the Goryeo defenders, after half a year of siege warfare, have suffered heavy losses and are exhausted.

Boom boom boom~~
The Mongols' catapults are launching.

They had been invading Goryeo for two years, and their gunpowder was long gone, leaving them with no choice but to launch a direct assault with stones. However, the defenders inside Guiju City also had catapults, and because of the city walls' imposing height, they had a superior range advantage!
In the battle of long-range weapons, the Mongol army not only gained no advantage, but also suffered a small loss.

Moreover, the Koreans, having long faced military pressure from major powers, were adept at implementing a scorched-earth policy. The Balu Battalion, captured by Ögedei Khan, had already suffered heavy casualties.

At this point, he could only use the true grassland warriors to launch a strong attack on Guizhou City!

"Charge! Kill!"

"By order of the Great Khan, Guizhou City must be captured today!"

"After the city falls, not a single chicken or dog will be spared!"

"The Khan took not a single penny of wealth or women, but gave it all to his soldiers!"

……

The Mongol soldiers roared wildly, carrying ladders and battering rams, and launched a fierce attack on Guizhou City from all directions at the same time!

They attacked one wall with three thousand men each, so twelve thousand men attacked all four walls. The first twelve thousand men retreated after their initial assault failed, and the second wave took their place.

If the second wave fails, then switch to the third wave.

If the third wave still fails to break through, switch back to the first wave!
The offensive against Guizhou City must be relentless, giving the Goryeo people no chance to breathe!
The battle raged from dawn until sunset, with over four thousand precious grassland warriors killed or wounded, and Guizhou City teetering on the brink of collapse.

It's now!

"Kheshig troops, follow me into battle!"

Ögedei's nine-stripe white banner moved towards the north gate of Guizhou. Nearly ten thousand Kheshig soldiers, as the main force, charged towards the north gate, the weakest point in Guizhou's city walls.

The Kheshig army was, after all, the strongest force in the Mongol army, and now that they had gathered their strength, they were truly like tigers descending the mountain, unstoppable.

Before long, more than twenty Mongol soldiers had climbed the north city wall.

"Excellent! Move my banner forward another hundred paces. I want to see with my own eyes how the eagle of the grasslands pecks open the tortoise's hard shell!"

In fact, Ögedei also had a telescope given to him by Zhao Shuo, which allowed him to watch from afar how the Kheshig army breached Guizhou City.

But wasn't Ögedei trying to boost morale?
Isn't this just showing off and trying to establish the prestige of the Great Khan of the Steppe?

Therefore, although Ögedei Khan, as the Great Khan of the Mongols, did not personally go into battle, his banner was already less than two hundred paces from the north gate.

It is no exaggeration to say that he personally braved arrows and stones to capture Guizhou City.

At this moment, Ögedei Khan was filled with immense joy.

He thought to himself: Although I lost too many elite grassland troops under the walls of Guizhou, my achievements are far inferior to those of Tuolei and Zhao Shuo.

But, didn't we take Guizhou City?
Once the grassland warriors have burned, killed, and looted in Guizhou City, their morale will be restored.

The two most fortified cities in northern Goryeo, Seogyeong and Guiju, have already fallen. Next, the siege of Gaegyeong will begin.

Kaesong is not so easy to conquer. In fact, I can follow Zhao Shuo's strategy and force the Goryeo people to submit and offer up a large amount of wealth.

The soldiers have received numerous rewards, and my prestige will continue to rise.

Then, we can recall the 30,000-strong expeditionary force of Guyuk and Subutai, find a way to deal with Tolui, and settle accounts with Zhao Shuo.

Now Ögedei Khan understood that he was truly incapable of warfare. His personal leadership of the army to attack Goryeo was, in fact, a huge mistake.

However, as long as this Guizhou is destroyed, this mistake can be covered up.

Moreover, why must we wage war to secure our position as Great Khan?
He leveraged his strengths: the title of Great Khan, a reputation for generosity, and the support of Chagatai. Given time, he might be able to manipulate Zhao Shuo and Tolui at will.

"Great!"

What Ögedei didn't expect was that at this moment, Kim Gyeong-sun, the Goryeo general in Guizhou, also cheered when he learned that Ögedei was personally commanding the Kheshig army to attack the city, and that the position was less than two hundred paces from the north gate.

The commander of Guizhou City was Park Seo, but the most valiant and fierce general was Kim Kyung-sun.

Park Seo, Kim Kyung-sun, Kim Jung-on... these Goryeo generals who were guarding the city had already discussed the matter.

The Mongol army is powerful, and if things proceed as planned, Guizhou City will inevitably fall sooner or later.

The only slim hope of holding Guizhou is to break with the established procedures and launch a surprise attack to kill the Mongol Khan Ögedei!

With Ögedei dead, who will become the new Great Khan of the Mongols? Those Mongol nobles will probably be too busy fighting to care about small Goryeo.

In terms of open field battles, the Goryeo army was definitely no match for the Mongol army.

However, there is a chance to mobilize a small number of elite troops to defeat part of the Mongol army!

It all depends on whether Ögedei Khan will give us that opportunity.

So, they've been waiting for this opportunity!

Today, the Mongol army launched a full-scale attack, and Guizhou City is in imminent danger, but Jin Qingsun has held onto the "Biechao" (a type of military force) of 1,600 men and has not moved.

"Don't copy" was a euphemism for the elite troops of Goryeo.

For example, Choi Woo, a powerful minister in Goryeo, currently commands a strong private army called "Yebiecho".

The current 1,600 "Biechao" are composed of the "Biechao" within Guizhou City, as well as the "Biechao" of the Goryeo generals who retreated to Guizhou City from Jingzhou, Shuozhou, Weizhou, and Lianzhou.

It can be said that the elite troops of Guizhou are all here, and the elite troops of the Goryeo border town are all here!
"Soldiers!"

Jin Qingsun looked at the 1,600 "Biechao" and said, "Guizhou is about to fall, and we will all die without a burial place. Fortunately, Heaven has blessed us, and the Mongol Khan has come out to fight, less than two hundred paces from the north gate. As long as we kill the Mongol Khan, Guizhou can be saved from danger, and Goryeo can also be saved from danger. We will all be great heroes who save Goryeo!"

"Even if we fail to kill the Mongol Khan, our heroic names will be forever etched in history even if we die outside Guizhou City. Even the Mongol Khan will look upon us with the same respect he would show Cui Chun!"

"You are all elite soldiers of Goryeo, loyal and patriotic men who would die without hesitation. Are you willing to fight alongside me out of the city and kill the Mongol Khan?"

Pfft!
The crowd knelt down and shouted, "We are willing!"

Ok?
Jin Qingsun keenly noticed that although four hundred of them also bowed down along with the other soldiers, the shouts of "I am willing" were uneven and very low.

They were all subordinates of Jin Zhongwen, troops who had retreated from Shuozhou.

They must have been terrified during the previous battle with the Mongol army at Shuozhou, and felt that this journey was likely to be fraught with danger, so their morale was low.

He looked disdainful and pointed at the four hundred men, saying, "You four hundred cowards, stay here and don't get in our way! The rest of you, come with me!"

"Yes!"

Boom~~
The north gate of Guizhou opened, and Jin Qingsun led 1,200 cavalrymen straight out of the north gate, charging towards the banner of the Mongol Khan!
Whoosh!
Jin Qingsun took the lead and fired the first arrow, hitting a Mongol cavalryman squarely. The Mongol cavalryman screamed and fell from his horse.

"General Jin is mighty!"

"Kill the Mongol Khan!"

"Kill Ögedei!" ...

With shouts echoing, 1,200 Goryeo cavalrymen charged fiercely towards Ögedei Khan, and in the blink of an eye, the two sides were less than a hundred paces apart.

At this time, most of the Kheshig troops were sent to attack the city walls, and Ögedei only had one commander of the Imperial Guard by his side.

This is more embarrassing.

If the number of Goryeo people rushing out of the city were 10,000, or even only 3,000, Ögedei Khan could retreat on the grounds that the enemy was too strong. It wasn't that he was afraid of these Goryeo people, but rather that as the Great Khan of the Mongols, there was no need for him to take unnecessary risks.

But it's only a little over a thousand people!

Would the mighty Great Khan of Mongolia, protected by a thousand men, retreat in panic when faced with a charge by a thousand enemy soldiers?
How will the people of the grasslands view him?
Ögedei Khan personally led his army to attack the city, but instead of showing off, he got thrashed.

"kill!"

Ögedei Khan quickly realized that he could not retreat at this moment, so he simply ordered the Imperial Guard Commander to charge head-on against Jin Qingsun's 1,200-strong army.

"kill!"

"Go to hell!"

"Oh!"

"Hey!"

……

In the blink of an eye, the battle between the two sides reached a fever pitch. Short bursts of fighting sounds, the clashing of armor, the screeching of weapons tearing through armor, and the screams of the wounded and dying blended together.

The Mongols had no other choice; if they allowed these people to kill Ögedei, none of them would survive.

The Koreans had no other choice; the city gates were already closed. They had to either kill the Mongol Khan or die on the battlefield!

Moreover, not far away, a large Mongol army was heading in this direction to reinforce!

Not only could they not be defeated, but they also had to kill Ögedei before these Mongol reinforcements arrived.

Therefore, everyone fought bravely and vied to be the first, even at the cost of their own lives, in order to kill the enemy in front of them in the shortest possible time and give their comrades the opportunity to kill Ögedei.

"Ögedei, prepare to die!"

Jin Qingsun charged the fastest and was already less than fifty paces from Ögedei.

"kill!"

Ögedei Khan's commander of a thousand households, Bulie, led his troops and spurred their horses to meet them.

Dang Dang Dang!
After exchanging more than ten blows, Bu Lie swung his spear heavily and pierced straight into Jin Qingsun's right arm!
Bang!

"what!"

Jin Qingsun's spear fell to the ground, and he let out a scream before turning his horse and fleeing.

When the remaining Goryeo soldiers saw Kim Kyung-sun flee, their morale plummeted. Some resisted on the spot, some fought bravely forward, and many others fled with Kim Kyung-sun.

"Alright! Eagles of the grasslands, follow me!"

Ögedei Khan had already noticed that the Goryeo army that had ambushed him was led by Kim Kyung-sun. With Kim Kyung-sun fleeing, the Goryeo people were thrown into chaos and retreated in disarray, making victory in this battle a foregone conclusion.

How could we miss such a golden opportunity to kick a man when he's down?

How could he miss such a golden opportunity to demonstrate his bravery?

He shouted and charged forward.

However, how can the protection during movement compare to the protection during a stay?
Ögedei spurred his horse forward, and his many guards scattered.

Just as he had rushed forward thirty steps—

puff!
A piercing arrow came from afar, passing through the gaps in the guards, and shot straight into Ögedei's breastplate, hitting him squarely in the chest!
"what!"

Pfft!
Ögedei screamed in agony, his chest throbbing with pain, and he fell from his horse!
"The Great Khan has fallen from his horse!"

"Protect the Khan!"

……

The nearby Mongol army was completely thrown into a panic, letting out cries of alarm as they rushed toward Ögedei Khan, no longer caring about pursuing the Goryeo soldiers.

The Mongol soldiers who had just climbed the city wall also suffered a great loss of morale and were driven off the wall by the Goryeo people.

Boom~~
The north gate of Guizhou reopened, and the Goryeo people who had gone to war successfully returned to the city.

One man even shouted from the city wall, "I killed the Mongol Khan! The one who killed the Mongol Khan Ögedei is Kim Yun-ho, the Goryeo archer! Every wrong has its perpetrator, Ögedei, remember to file a complaint against me, Kim Yun-ho, in the underworld!"

"The Great Khan of the Mongols is dead!"

"He was shot and killed by Kim Yun-hou, the divine archer of Goryeo!"

"Mongolia is finished!"

"We've won! We've won!"

"Long live Goryeo!"

……

The Koreans on the city wall cheered loudly, adding to his prestige!

Of course, Ögedei couldn't possibly hear these provocative words. He was wearing two layers of fine armor and had been struck by a piercing arrow from a Goryeo archer, but it wasn't fatal. However, his injuries were too severe, and he fell off his horse, suffering a serious fall that left him unconscious on the spot.

He didn't wake up until the middle of the night.

What came into his view were his two sons, Kuoduan and Kuochu, as well as the worried faces of Zhenhai and Liu Zhonglu.

"How long have I been asleep?" Ögedei endured the excruciating pain, forcing himself to calm down, and asked.

"It wasn't too long," Zhenhai said. "It was only a little over three hours. However, Your Majesty, you were seriously injured this time."

Liu Zhonglu quickly added, "Even if things go smoothly, it will probably take a year and a half for the Great Khan to recover from his injuries. If things don't go well... Great Khan, you'd better prepare early!"

"What? Prepare...prepare early?"

Ögedei felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head in the dead of winter, chilling him from head to toe.

His expression changed drastically. He looked at Zhenhai and said, "I never imagined my injuries were so severe. What do you think I should do now?"

Zhenhai suggested, "Great Khan, you should withdraw your troops for now. You should return to the grasslands to recuperate, and then it will not be too late to slaughter Goryeo. Even if there are any disagreements, you can convene a Kurultai to discuss them with the nobles."

"Back to the grasslands? The Khuriltai? No way!"

Ögedei shook his head and said, "What authority does a Khan who was defeated by Goryeo have? Moreover, Güyük is thousands of miles away. If something happens to me, do you expect Köden or Köchü to stabilize the situation on the steppe?"

Although Ögedei Khan was not good at fighting, he was quite capable in politics.

Even with Genghis Khan's immense authority, who designated him as his successor, the ascension to the throne was fraught with difficulty.

He returned to the grasslands with the reputation of being defeated by Goryeo. If he were to die from his injuries, how could he possibly pass on the Khanate to his descendants?

Not to mention, his most outstanding son, Gyuyu, is far away in Iraq and it will take him at least a year and a half to get back!
"What the Great Khan means is..."

"Let me think about it."

After pondering for a long time, Ögedei finally made up his mind and said, "My mind is made up. Even if I am summoned by the Eternal Heaven, I will send Goryeo to hell first! Quickly send an edict to Zhao Shuo Khan, and tell him to lead his army to reinforce us. We must destroy Goryeo first!"

“Zhao…Zhao Shuohan?” Zhenhai asked hesitantly, “Would he agree?”

(End of this chapter)