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

Chapter 205 Flatten the wheels and build a mound of corpses!

When faced with an ambush in a dense forest, there are generally three strategies to employ.

Firstly, send a portion of the troops to lure the enemy, and while they are besieging that portion, follow-up troops will arrive to engage them in a decisive battle.

Secondly, they suddenly set fire to the forest, burning some of the enemy troops to death and forcing the other part of the enemy troops to fight.

Thirdly, send a group to secretly bypass the dense forest and cut off their return route, thus forcing them to come out for a decisive battle.

However, given the current situation, setting fire to the forest is completely impossible.

It is summer now, and the northern part of Goryeo is humid and rainy. The vanguard of the Eight Banners Army does not have enough kindling, so how can they burn down such a large forest?

Bypassing the dense forest was also not advisable. The Koreans chose this ambush location very carefully, with undulating mountains behind the dense forests on both sides.

Then we can only take the first approach: send some troops to lure the enemy!

Hao Duan sent a message to Shi Tianxiang, the commander of the Plain Yellow Banner, that he was prepared to lure the enemy with his own body.

According to historical records, Hao Duan was a subordinate of Miao Daorun. Because the Mongols were even more inhumane, Miao Daorun sided with the Jin Dynasty.

After Miao Daorun's death in battle, his followers split into two groups. Zhang Rou led his followers to surrender to the Mongols, while Hao Duan and Jing Anmin continued to fight against the Mongol army.

Later, the Mongol army captured their old camp and took them and their families prisoner. Because their families were in Mongol hands, the men all wanted to surrender. Hao Duan and Jing Anmin, however, remained steadfast in their resistance against the Mongols and were killed by their own men on the same day.

Zhao Shuo changed history. Now, Jing'an Min is far away in Khwarezm, serving as a commander of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Semu people. Hao Duan, on the other hand, is the second commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Han people.

In any case, a man like Hao Duan, who would rather die than surrender even when his wife was captured by the Mongols, was extremely resolute and fearless.

The commander of the Plain Yellow Banner behind him, Shi Tianxiang, was the most capable and fiercest general of the Plain Yellow Banner among the Eight Banners of the Han Army!

This is also why the two Eight Banners commanders who were the first to enter Goryeo were chosen as vanguards.

It has to be said that Jin Zhongwen was unlucky to have encountered these two killing gods!
Da da da~~
Hao Duan continued to lead his thousand households forward slowly. After traveling for three quarters of an hour, they had covered a little over ten li and were less than five li away from the dense forest.

This is normal.

Cavalry cannot possibly gallop at full speed during routine marches. If they did, their fighting ability would be greatly reduced, not only in the event of a surprise attack, but even in normal combat, because the horses would be exhausted from the journey.

However, things soon became abnormal.

"The entire army changes horses and dons full armor!"

"Yes!"

During routine marches, only a small number of guard troops would don armor to conserve the soldiers' strength. At Hao Duan's command, his thousand Eight Banner soldiers donned their full armor.

For the Eight Banners soldiers, wearing "full armor" meant wearing two layers of armor.

Wearing inner iron ring armor and outer lamellar armor!
Ironclad armor is not all the same; each has its own application.

Lamellar armor is made of multiple layers of metal plates linked together by rivets or leather straps. Its advantage is that it is highly puncture-resistant. The overlapping arrangement of the metal plates can effectively resist the puncture of sharp weapons such as arrows and spearheads.

Its disadvantage is that it is not resistant to cutting and splitting; the joints between the armor plates are its biggest weakness.

In addition, lamellar armor was heavy and difficult to work at the joints, making soldiers less agile and usually used by infantry.

The iron mesh armor has two layers: an outer layer of iron mesh and an inner layer of cowhide. The outer layer of armor plates is densely distributed, resembling fish scales.

Its advantages include strong resistance to cutting, the ability to disperse chopping force, and excellent defense against the slashing of swords and battle axes.

Moreover, this armor conforms to the body's curves, is highly flexible, and allows for free movement when worn, making it frequently used by cavalry.

However, the iron ring armor is less resistant to punctures; long arrows and crossbow bolts may penetrate the ring gaps, and sharp spearheads may also pierce through it.

More than a decade ago, when the Mongol army first attacked the Jin Dynasty, Zhao Shuo's troops were already fully armored.

To this day, every soldier in his Eight Banners army has three sets of armor: lamellar armor, iron-rimmed armor, and cotton armor.

When fighting on foot, soldiers generally wear lamellar armor. When cavalry attacks, they wear iron-rimmed armor.

If the weather is cold, you can wear a cotton-padded jacket underneath.

However, in situations where there is a possibility of enemy attacks requiring heightened vigilance, or when facing a siege, one could wear two layers of iron armor, a practice known as "wearing full armor." This sacrificed some flexibility for enhanced defensive capabilities.

It took Hao Duan's soldiers a full quarter of an hour to put on their armor.

Their horses have been replaced.

Each Manchu soldier had three horses. Normally, they rode a Mongolian horse with excellent endurance, but in battle, they would switch to an Arabian horse. If the Arabian horse was injured, died in battle, or became exhausted after a long battle, they would switch to a third Arabian horse.

In addition, Zhao Shuo's central command was driving a large herd of horses. On average, each Han soldier had five horses.

Now, these Eight Banner soldiers have been replaced with powerful, tall, and magnificent Arabian warhorses!
Then, Hao Duan ordered, "The first to the ninth hundred households, follow me! The tenth hundred household, guard the horses."

"Yes!"

Boom~~
Hao Duan led nine hundred cavalrymen, slowly making their way towards the official road in the center of the dense forest. The remaining centurion stayed behind to guard the other warhorses.

Three miles behind him were nine hundred iron cavalry led by Shi Tianxiang, with a centurion left behind to watch the horses.

However, in order to ensure sufficient flexibility, Shi Tianxiang's cavalry did not need to wear full armor, but only iron ring armor.

"Hiss... Why are the Han soldiers wearing armor? And the Han soldiers in front are wearing two layers of armor. They're even moving in two groups?"

Upon receiving the report from the scout, Jin Zhongwen, who was lying in ambush in the dense forest, couldn't help but gasp.

Since the rise of the Khitan at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Goryeo had not shared borders with the Han people for more than 300 years and had long forgotten how powerful the Tang army was.

All they knew was how weak the Han people were, first bullied by the Khitans, and then humiliated by the Jurchens who rose up after the Khitans, leaving them with only half of the country.

The Han Chinese in the north are no good either. If they were really capable, would the Jin dynasty have been destroyed by the Mongols?

Kim Jong-on consistently used the Mongol army as a benchmark to assess the strength of the steppe warriors.

He had seen the equipment of the Kheshig army under Ögedei Khan. Many of them wore double armor, and some wore triple armor, making them armed to the teeth.

Ordinary Mongol soldiers were also quite well-equipped, wearing full iron armor.

Even the elite troops of the Han army should not be a match for ordinary Mongol soldiers, right? Their equipment should also be far inferior to that of the Mongol soldiers, right?
According to Jin Zhongwen's estimate, it would be considered good if half of the Han army were wearing iron armor.

However, now, the entire Han army is fully armored! The nine hundred Han soldiers in front are wearing two layers of armor! Moreover, the outermost layer is lamellar armor, which is much more expensive to make than round-backed armor!

Did something go wrong?
The armor worn by ordinary Mongol soldiers was mainly iron-rimmed armor!
Aren't the Han army supposed to be Mongol vassal armies? How come their equipment is even more elaborate than that of the regular Mongol army? It's almost on par with the Kheshig army!

Moreover, wearing double-layered armor requires not only the right equipment but also sufficient physical strength. Those who can wear double-layered armor are undoubtedly elite soldiers!

The Han army seems quite strong!
And most importantly, why did they suddenly put on armor? And why did they split into two teams?

What exactly was discovered? Or was it simply that the Han army commander was being cautious and advancing through treacherous terrain while fully armored?
Jin Zhongwen was filled with suspicion.

Of course, despite this, after some consideration, Kim Jung-on decided to go all the way down this path.

It's a very simple logic: fifty miles behind these two thousand Han soldiers, there are still eighteen thousand reinforcements!

Regardless of whether the Han soldiers discovered the ambush or not, once they passed through this section of the official road through the dense forest, their return route would be cut off, and they would be unable to return to Guizhou City.

If an ambush isn't launched, the immediate priority is to retreat. These three thousand Goryeo soldiers, having attempted to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, are all cavalry. Some are positioned at the rear, mounted and waiting, while others are at the front, armed with bows and crossbows, their horses tethered to the rear.

You can always run.

But then again, seeing two thousand Han soldiers in armor and fleeing at the mere sight of them, did Kim Jung-on have no shame? His four hundred "illegible" soldiers' absence from the attack on Ögedei Khan had already made him lose face. How could he possibly face anyone after this? The Goryeo court would likely accuse him of cowardice and fear of battle!

"Whether the Han army discovers the ambush or not, this battle is inevitable! So what if their equipment is superior? I refuse to believe that their combat strength can truly match that of the Mongol cavalry!"

Jin Zhongwen thought to himself, waiting for the moment when the Han soldier in the double-layered iron armor at the front entered his encirclement.

Then he would issue an order: the cavalry in front would attack and block, the flanks would first unleash a barrage of arrows, and then the cavalry would attack, and a battle would be fought.

Then, depending on the battle situation, either annihilate this Han army by snatching them from the jaws of defeat, or disengage and return directly to Guizhou if the Han army proves too difficult to deal with.

However, he never dreamed that telescopes existed in the world!

Hao Duan not only learned from scouts that there might be an ambush in the dense forest, but also saw the location of their Goryeo army's ambush using the telescope given to him by Zhao Shuo!

As the cavalry continued to advance, Hao Duan kept observing the dense forest ahead through his binoculars and soon discovered some clues.

For example, the sunlight reflecting off swords and spears; a corner of a battle robe accidentally peeking out; half of a Goryeo soldier's face...

This is it!
"kill!"

Hao Duan roared and led his nine hundred iron cavalrymen to fiercely attack the ambushing Goryeo army.

Whoosh whoosh!
Dang Dang Dang!
The hastily fired arrows from the Goryeo people posed little threat to the fully armored Han cavalry.

With a single charge, the Han cavalry slaughtered hundreds of archers! And the massacre was rapidly escalating!
"Damn it! The Han army has really discovered us!"

Jin Zhongwen had no choice but to accept the reality that his attempt to steal a chicken had backfired, and he quickly shouted, "Attack! Cavalry attack! Stop them! Stop them!"

"Stop them!"

"Kill the Han dogs!"

"For Goryeo!"

……

The Goryeo cavalry quickly charged forward on horseback to intercept the Han army's iron cavalry.

Warhorses could hardly gallop in the dense forest, so the two sides clashed with their blades and fought one-on-one.

Although the Goryeo cavalry had a large number of troops, they did not have much of an advantage.

The double-layered armor provided the Han army with sufficient defense, and the Damascus steel spearheads were sharp enough to penetrate the Goryeo armor.

They were all highly skilled in martial arts, no less than ordinary grassland warriors!
Of the three thousand cavalrymen of Goryeo, only the four hundred "Biechao" could match them.

Most importantly, the distance of three li could be covered in less than five minutes by galloping on horseback, and soon the number of Han soldiers fighting in the dense forest reached 1,800.

Although the Goryeo army had a slightly larger number of troops, they were already retreating steadily.

Their morale plummeted, because they were shocked to discover that the only difference between the Han army fighting them and the Mongol cavalry was that they were better equipped!

If the Goryeo army had the ability to fight the Mongol army in open battle, would they have needed to defend Guizhou City to the death?
"Run! Run!"

"Run back to Guizhou!"

"The Han army is formidable!"

"This battle is unwinnable! They are even more terrifying than the Mongols!"

……

No one expected that the first to escape would be Kim Jong-won and his "Biechao" army.

When Jin Zhongwen fled from Shuozhou, he couldn't even take care of his family. Wasn't he terrified by the Mongols?
When they were about to assassinate Ögedei Khan, Jin Zhongwen's 400 detached troops were demoralized and were left behind by Jin Qingsun. Wasn't that because they were terrified by the Mongols?

When they discovered that the Han army was not the pushover they had imagined, but rather a better-equipped ordinary Mongol army, countless terrifying memories flooded their minds.

They understood how dangerous their situation was! If they fought any longer, they might not be able to leave even if they wanted to!

However, the ordinary Goryeo soldiers, who originally belonged to the garrison of Guizhou, were only fighting a defensive battle and did not realize how dangerous the current situation was, and were still resisting.

But they couldn't hold out for long.

Upon discovering that Kim Jung-on had led his Byeokchō army to escape, the morale of the Goryeo army plummeted, and they scattered and fled. However, neither Kim Kyung-sun nor these Byeokchō soldiers were going to escape!

The Han army rode Arabian warhorses that were far faster than Korean horses!

Soon, the Han army split into two groups.

Hao Duan continued to lead his troops in pursuit of the Goryeo army in the dense forest.

Meanwhile, Shi Tianxiang, the fiercest general of the Plain Yellow Banner, led his troops onto the official road and chased after them!

On one hand, they needed to cut off Goryeo's retreat route through the dense forest; on the other hand, they needed to capture the escaped Goryeo general.

The fighting prowess of the "Biechao Army" and the magnificent armor worn by Jin Zhongwen made Shi Tianxiang realize that this was a big fish!
After running for less than five miles, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Shi Tianxiang's troops immediately split into three teams, each with nearly three hundred men, pursuing directly from the center while flanking from the left and right, rushing forward at high speed.

This method of pursuing and eliminating the remaining enemy forces was learned from the grassland warriors, and the Eight Banners Army has now mastered it to an extreme degree.

Less than twenty miles further on, they discovered traces of Jin Qingsun!
Whoosh whoosh!
Arrows rained down on the fleeing group.

Some arrows struck the enemy soldiers, while others struck their horses. People kept falling from their horses, and some horses suddenly collapsed, throwing their riders off.

The fighting strength of the enemy forces was actually quite strong. If they were to fight face to face, Shi Tianxiang would really have to put in a lot of trouble.

However, this guerrilla force had lost its courage and only knew how to flee for its life, turning a strong army into a weak one.

As they were being hunted, their numbers dwindled.

After traveling another twenty miles, Jin Zhongwen was left with only a hundred or so riders!
"Quick! Quick! Quick!"

"Keep pushing, everyone! General Park Seo is coming to our rescue!"

……

Jin Zhongwen spurred his horse on at full gallop, boosting morale as he did so.

In fact, he wasn't lying. According to the plan, Park Si would lead two thousand troops to meet him ten miles outside Guicheng to prevent any accidents.

If they could run another ten miles, no, five miles, they might escape alive. After all, Pu Xi would also send out scouts. If they sensed something was wrong, they would lead their troops forward.

However, those five miles were such a long time!
Whoosh whoosh!
Jin Zhongwen pushed his warhorse to its maximum speed, and the knights guarding him fell off their horses one after another. Now, including himself, there were only thirteen riders left. Shi Tianxiang was in the lead and was less than a hundred paces away from him!
Although Kim Jung-on saw a large cavalry force rushing towards them in the distance, and the leader whose face he could not see clearly, but who seemed to be Park Seo, he knew it was too late.

The arrow from the Han general behind him was too heavy and too accurate; it could kill him at any moment!
Then let's give it our all!
"Come with me and we'll fight our way back!"

Jin Zhongwen roared and led his twelve riders to turn around abruptly and head straight for Shi Tianxiang.

Both sides spurred their horses, and the distance of less than a hundred paces was covered in an instant. Shi Tianxiang was riding the Sakravie horse, a gift from Zhao Shuo, which was much faster than an ordinary Arabian horse. At this moment, he had no guards with him, and he found himself in a situation where he was fighting against many opponents.

However, Shi Tianxiang remained unfazed and charged forward with his gun.
Dang Dang Dang!
Weapons clashed, sparks flew from armor, and blood splattered everywhere!
In less than a quarter of an hour, Shi Tianxiang had killed ten people. The enemy's blood stained his face and armor, making him look like a demon god emerging from a sea of ​​blood!
"what!"

Upon seeing this, Kim Jung-hwa and his two remaining guards turned their horses and rode away again!

It wasn't that they didn't understand that fleeing at this moment would likely result in them being shot dead by this Han general; rather, this Han general was simply too terrifying, and fear had completely overwhelmed their reason! The three men fled rapidly in three different directions!

"Where to go!"

Shi Tianxiang ignored the two detached soldiers and urged his horse to come and take Jin Zhongwen.

Come here!

Sacramento was as fast as lightning. Shi Tianxiang bent down, grabbed Jin Zhongwen by the collar, pulled him onto the horse, and grabbed his neck, asking, "What's your name? What's your official rank?"

Kim Jung-on, a noblewoman from Goryeo, understood Chinese and quickly said, "My name is Kim Jung-on, and I hold the official position of Defense Commissioner of Shuozhou, a third-rank official."

"Alright, Jin Zhongwen, the Defense Commissioner of Shuozhou, is a third-rank official. I know how to report my merits!"

Seeing that the large contingent of Goryeo cavalry was less than two hundred paces away, Shi Tianxiang exerted force with his right hand and snapped his neck with a "crack".

Pfft!
Jin Zhongwen's body was thrown to the ground by Shi Tianxiang.

Whew whimper whimper~~
Seeing this, Park Seo quickly slowed down and reined in the horse when he was about a hundred paces away.

There was no way around it; Park Seo had already witnessed Shi Tianxiang's feat of fighting thirteen men and capturing Jin Zhongwen alive.

Park Seo was aware of Kim Jung-won's abilities in managing his subordinates.

Shi Tianxiang's ability to kill them so easily makes him a truly valiant general worthy of being remembered in history! His men, who were able to pursue and kill the rebel army, are probably not to be trifled with either. Now, over eight hundred Eight Banner soldiers have arrived nearby and are arrayed behind Shi Tianxiang.

If Park Si-hsi were to lead his troops into battle against Shi Tianxiang, how great would the losses be?

Although 800 of the 2,000 troops led by Park Seo were spies, his men were invaluable. They were there to defend Guizhou City, and it would be such a pity if they died in the field!
Also, what if Park Hee himself is killed or wounded in battle?
It wasn't that he was afraid of death, nor that he thought Shi Tianxiang had a high chance of killing him, but rather that Jin Qingsun's injuries hadn't healed yet, and Jin Zhongwen had died in battle.

If something happens to him, who will take charge of the situation in Guizhou?

Park Seo, standing a hundred paces away, called out loudly, "I am Park Seo, the military commander of the northwest of Goryeo! Who are you, the enemy general who killed my Shuozhou defense commander?"

"Shi Tianxiang, the fourth commander of the first ten thousand households of the Plain Yellow Banner under King Zhao Shuo! You surnamed Pu, you think it won't be so easy for you to take Jin Zhongwen's body."

"you……"

Park Seo took a deep breath and said, "I never imagined that even a mere commander under King Zhao Shuo could be so imposing! However, please tell King Zhao Shuo that Guizhou City is well-fortified, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even the Mongol Khan was defeated here. If he has any designs on Guizhou, he should be careful not to follow in Ögedei's footsteps!"

Shi Tianxiang shook his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, I won't pass on your words."

"why?"

What meaning does the word of a dead man have?

"Arrogant!" Park Hee sneered, "We'll see!"

There was no point in saying more than necessary, so Park Seo turned his horse around and retreated towards Guizhou City. The soldiers behind him took turns providing cover, clearly well-trained.

Seeing that there was no opportunity to take advantage of the situation, Shi Tianxiang took Jin Zhongwen's body and slowly retreated his troops to intercept and kill the remaining Goryeo soldiers who had escaped from the dense forest.

By evening of that day, all the remaining Goryeo soldiers had been killed.

The next day, two Han army commanders arrived at the city of Guizhou.

Now, Guizhou City only has less than a thousand detached troops, 15,000 regular troops, and 20,000 local militia. After witnessing the strength of the Han army, they dared not leave the city to fight in the open.

Guizhou was besieged again.

Not only that, a mound of corpses made up of nearly three thousand Goryeo soldiers was erected outside Guizhou City.

Jing means a high hill; Guan means a gate tower.

A "jingguan" is a tall mound formed by covering the remains of enemy soldiers with earth and compacting it. It serves three purposes: to display victory, to commemorate military achievements, and to deter the enemy.

For example, in historical records, after Sima Yi pacified Liaodong and captured Xiangping City, he massacred more than 7,000 men over the age of 15, "erected two markers to distinguish between the old and new, and made them into a mound of heads," and executed more than 2,000 people below the rank of duke.

Seventy-one years later, Liu Yao of the Former Zhao captured Luoyang, massacred more than 30,000 members of the Sima clan and officials, and built a Jingguan (a mound of corpses) north of the Luo River.

When Di Qing of the Northern Song Dynasty quelled the rebellion of Nong Zhigao, he collected 5,341 corpses and built a Jingguan (a mound of corpses) north of Yongzhou City.

Of course, there was also the Jingguan (a mound of corpses) built by Goguryeo after defeating the Sui army. Later, Emperor Taizong of Tang destroyed all of these Jingguan during his campaign against Goguryeo.

Regardless of the circumstances, the construction of the Jingguan (a mound of stones) demonstrates the deep-seated hatred between the two sides, indicating that there is no limit to the extent of the war.

"This must be Zhao Shuo's idea."

On the city wall of Guizhou, Park Seo, Kim Kyung-sun, and Kim Yoon-ho gazed at the mound of nearly three thousand Goryeo soldiers' corpses, their faces filled with solemnity.

Park Seo said, "Zhao Shuo personally led the expedition and built such a big event as the Jingguan (a mound of skulls). How could the 20,000 vanguard troops dare to make such a decision? It must have been Zhao Shuo who instructed them before he left that if they defeated our Goryeo army, they should build the Jingguan to establish their authority."

"He's setting an example for Guizhou City! If Guizhou City falls, you and I will probably both be corpses in this Jingguan."

Jin Qingsun frowned and said, "But I just don't understand. We have no grudges against Zhao Shuo, so why does he hate us so much? It can't be because of the Mongol Khan Ögedei, can it?"

If these Goryeo people previously believed that Zhao Shuo relied on the Mongol army to suppress the Han Chinese auxiliary troops and obediently become vassals of Ögedei Khan, then that idea has now completely disappeared.
It's a very simple principle: the Eight Banners army's fighting strength was no less than that of ordinary grassland warriors!
How many grassland warriors were there? A few hundred thousand at most!

Zhao Shuoguang's Han Chinese Eight Banners alone numbered 120,000! Not to mention the Semu Eight Banners and hundreds of thousands of local soldiers.

If Zhao Shuo had such power, he would have to be completely subservient to Ögedei Khan unless he'd been kicked in the head by a donkey!

Park Si shook his head and said, "Of course it couldn't be because of his loyalty to Ögedei."

"What's that for?"

"During the Han Dynasty, not to mention our Guizhou, even Kaijing, Xijing, and a large area south of the Han River belonged to the Four Commanderies of Han. Even in the Tang Dynasty, after the Tang and Silla destroyed Goguryeo, Silla only controlled a small corner of the southeast. Later, the Tang army was tied down by the Tibetan army, and the two sides used the Daedong River as the border. At that time, Xijing was owned by the Han people. Zhao Shuo has Han blood, and he probably sees us as thieves who invaded Han land and wants to get rid of us as soon as possible."

He paused, then said bitterly, "The Han people believe that even a nine-generation feud can be avenged. Now, Zhao Shuo has risen to power, with the Han Eight Banners as the main force. This war is not only a war of invasion by the Mongols, but also a war of revenge by the Han people against Goryeo. This hurdle for Goryeo will not be easy to overcome!"

Although Park Si was stationed in Guizhou, his official position was the Northwest Military Commissioner, making him Kim Kyung-sun's superior. In terms of knowledge and experience, he was far superior to Kim Kyung-sun and his group.

The battle outside Guizhou made him realize that the decline of the Han people since the end of the Tang Dynasty had been completely swept away. "Even a nine-generation feud can be avenged," he thought, adding that the land swallowed by the Goryeo people would not only have to be returned, but would likely be paid back with interest!

"So what?" Kim Kyung-sun said arrogantly, "The Han people want to reclaim the lost territories of the Han and Tang dynasties, but Goryeo is not made of clay. Back in the Sui and Tang dynasties, they lost millions of people to destroy Goguryeo. Now they want to destroy Goryeo, I wonder how many lives they want to pay for it!"

Although Goryeo was descended from Silla, they felt that Silla was not powerful enough, so they recognized their enemy as their father and claimed to be descendants of Goguryeo, who had bullied Silla.

"General Qingsun is right!"

Kim Yun-hou, who had remained silent until now, chimed in, "Though I am a monk, I am also a Goryeo person. If Zhao Shuo wants to seize our land, he should first test the power of my divine arrows!"

They had witnessed the strength of the Han army; indeed, they were no match for them in open field battles.

But isn't there a fortified city of Guizhou?

They were confident that they would make Zhao Shuo pay a heavy price!

However, what they didn't expect was that both Zhao Shuo and Ögedei wanted them to pay a heavy price.

Ten days later, Zhao Shuo's main force and Ögedei Khan's main Mongol army gathered at the city of Guizhou.

"Brother-in-law, what do you think our army should do to break through Guizhou City?"

Inside the central command tent, Ögedei Khan, pale-faced and weak, asked the question.

Zhao Shuo said, "Guizhou has been besieged for more than half a year. How much strength can it have left? Now we have nearly 200,000 troops outside Guizhou. After we build siege equipment, we can launch a direct assault."

“I’m relieved to hear my brother-in-law’s words. I deeply hate Guizhou City. After the city falls, according to the old rules, only the craftsmen, young women and children will be spared, and all the other soldiers, civilians and people will be slaughtered!” Ögedei said viciously.

Zhao Shuo smiled and said, "My Mongolia is vast, yet we lack the craftsmen of Guizhou City?"

"Brother-in-law, are you going to kill all the craftsmen too?" Ögedei was somewhat shocked; this was unlike Zhao Shuo's usual style. However, Ögedei naturally had no objections.

He said, "Fine! But even children taller than a cartwheel must be killed!"

Zhao Shuo chuckled: "Who told you it should be higher than the wheels? I think the wheels should be level."

(End of this chapter)