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

Chapter 208 The Nightmare of Goryeo: Building a Jingguan in the South and a Skull Tower in the North!
Just as Jin Yunhou was being executed by being cut in half at the waist, the armies of Ögedei and Tolui also stormed into Guizhou City.

Originally, Ögedei besieged Guizhou for more than half a year. During the final siege, if Ögedei hadn't been caught off guard and struck by an arrow from Jin Yunhou, Guizhou would have already fallen.

Now the total force besieging Guizhou has increased from 50,000 to nearly 200,000. Zhao Shuo's army has entered the city again. How could the defenders on the other city walls possibly hold out?
What followed was a brutal massacre.

Zhao Shuo and Ögedei discussed the general strategy, but the specific orders differed. Zhao Shuo's order to his army was to "leave only the young women."

Ögedei Khan's order to his steppe warriors was to "kill everything that has life except young women."

Most people on the grasslands believe in shamanism and that all things have spirits.

A similar order had been given once before in history. It came after Temujin's most beloved grandson, Mu'atugan, died in battle at Fanyan Fort. Temujin then directly ordered the destruction of the city and the extermination of all people, livestock, and animals within, turning the area into a wasteland.

Is not Ögedei's life more valuable than that of Mu'atugan?

His decree was thoroughly carried out by the warriors of the grasslands.

The massacre lasted for three days, and all the wooden buildings in the entire city of Guizhou were burned to the ground. Every living thing in the city was brutally slaughtered, not even cats and dogs were spared. Only 13,647 young women survived.

Subsequently, outside Guizhou City, a mound of 200,000 corpses was erected to demonstrate the military prowess of the Mongol-Han allied forces.

This is not over yet!

With a decree issued by Ögedei Khan, all the male Goryeo men in the cities that had previously surrendered to the Mongol army were conscripted into labor service. They were ordered to demolish the massive stone walls of Guizhou City, all the stone buildings within the city, and even the residences within a radius of a hundred miles.

From then on, only the name of Guizhou remained; all traces of the city disappeared.

Then, Ögedei, Tolui, and Zhao Shuo discussed their next course of action.

"Although I have my brother-in-law's help, Kaesong is not an easy place to take."

Ögedei, reclining on the couch, sighed softly and said, "The key is the Dongjin army. They are mainly composed of Jurchens from the Northeast, and they are even more difficult to fight than the Jin army in the Central Plains. Their numbers are no less than 50,000. In addition, the Goryeo troops are also holding the city of Kaesong. It won't be easy for us to take it down."

Tolui nodded slightly and said, "If we're not in a hurry to destroy Goryeo, it's not actually that difficult. Goryeo's Gaegyeong is said to have 100,000 households and 400,000 to 500,000 people. Add to that the Goryeo army and the Dongjin army, and if we besiege the city for too long, they'll run out of food. How long can they hold out? Two years at most."

Ögedei smiled bitterly and said, "But the problem is, I am eager to see the destruction of Goryeo before I am summoned by the Eternal Heaven. I'm afraid I can't wait that long, two years."

Zhao Shuo said, "Then let's find a way to force them to fight."

"How to force it?"

"The reason why the Goryeo army and the Dongjin army are holding on to Gaegyeong is simply because of two things. First, Gaegyeong is a fortified city, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Second, other Goryeo cities are our enemies, which are draining our strength."

Zhao Shuo explained carefully: "Although Goryeo adopted the system of the Central Plains, it was fundamentally very different from the Jin and Song dynasties. Their nobles not only owned a large amount of land, but also had a large number of private soldiers, which were even more elite than the imperial army. They worshipped Buddhism, and Buddhist lands accounted for more than 20% of the country's land, and they were not required to pay taxes or perform corvée labor."

"These nobles and monks may not be particularly loyal to the Goryeo court. However, the conditions we offer cannot be higher than those offered by the Goryeo court, so they are generally unlikely to cooperate with us."

Tolui nodded and said, "So, the Goryeo court is actually hoping that these Goryeo nobles and monks will resolutely oppose us in order to delay and wait for a change in circumstances?"

"That's right, exactly. Even if these nobles and monks outwardly submit to us, they won't genuinely accept our rule. They might rebel at any time, harass our logistics, capture our isolated soldiers, or even poison or assassinate us, keeping us constantly on the defensive. This is the Goryeo court's greatest source of confidence."

"Then what should we do?"

"Since we can't bribe them, let's kill them all!" Zhao Shuo said. "Wherever our army goes, we will kill all the nobles, monks, and even famous scholars of Goryeo, regardless of whether they submit or not."

"What about the ordinary people who surrendered?"

"Just as we did in Khwarezm, all the men were conscripted and attacked the next city. All the cities had their walls destroyed."

After a pause, Zhao Shuo continued, "Furthermore, destroy their clothing and historical records. All Goryeo people are forbidden from wearing Goryeo clothing and must instead wear Mongolian or Han Chinese clothing. All historical records concerning Goguryeo, Goryeo, and Silla must be burned! Anyone who dares to possess them will be considered a traitor and their entire family will be exterminated!"

"Okay! Let's do it this way!"

Ögedei was overjoyed and said, "We conquered the vast Khwarezmian Empire, along with the Kipchak Steppe and the Rus' people, in just three or four years. How long can the tiny Goryeo country hold out?"

Tolui chimed in, "In this way, the cities our army has captured will no longer belong to Goryeo. I refuse to believe that the Goryeo court can hold its ground in Gaegyeong. Even if they can, can the Dongjin army hold its ground in the face of certain death? They will definitely fight to the death!"

The three men discussed and decided that the army would be divided into three routes.

Tolui led an army to attack the cities of Munju, Deungju, and Goseong in the western part of northern Goryeo.

Ögedei led an army to attack cities such as Dongju and Gokju in the eastern part of northern Goryeo.

Zhao Shuohe led his troops across the Han River to attack the southern provinces of Goryeo.

Isn't Gaegyeong a tough, impenetrable fortress? Let's just stop fighting and destroy the other Goryeo cities first, then see if you dare to come out!
Although Zhao Shuo's navy was newly established, it had taken away all the Han Chinese from the Jin navy before destroying the Jin dynasty, so it still had considerable strength and dealing with the weak Goryeo navy was not a problem.

Zhao Shuo mobilized his troops, and three months later, with the assistance of the Navy's Zheng Hongqi, Zhao Shuo's main force crossed the Han River and besieged Zhongzhou City.

Chungju was one of the major cities in Goryeo south of the Han River.

However, by this day, news of Zhao Shuo's ruthless methods in Guiju had spread throughout Goryeo. Hong Ik, the garrison commander of Chungju, fearing Zhao Shuo's methods, led the regular troops in the city to Cheongju, south of Chungju, as soon as Zhao Shuo's army crossed the Han River.

However, the monks may run away but the temple cannot. The garrison can leave, but the monks cannot. Their land and property are all nearby. How can they be allowed to be taken away by Zhao Shuo?

To take away someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!
The monk Renxin led the Chungju slave army in a resolute resistance!
The so-called slave army was an army composed of "lowly people" in Goryeo. Unlike the Central Plains, Goryeo had a large "lowly people" class in addition to nobles and commoners.

This class mainly consisted of wizards, witches, musicians, actors, butchers, prostitutes, their children, and slaves.

They were considered "unclean" people, and in principle, they were not allowed to become officials, let alone even serve as low-level clerks.

They lived at the very bottom of society for generations, suffering discrimination and having no future.

Now, with the Mongol army launching a massive attack, Goryeo faces the threat of national subjugation and annihilation. These "lowly people" have been organized into an army, known as the Slave Army.

Monks controlled the spiritual beliefs of the Goryeo people and often became leaders of these slave armies.

Renxin is one of them.

This man, whose secular name was Niu Ben, had no loyalty to Goryeo, but was extremely loyal to Buddhism.

Currently, Zhao Shuo's army is besieging the city and is building siege equipment. Renxin has gathered most of the slave troops and is rallying them.

"My warriors of Goryeo! Most of you are of lowly birth, but that is due to the sins you committed in your past lives. As long as you endure the suffering in this life and pay off your karmic debts, and sincerely believe in Buddha and accumulate good fortune, you can be reborn as commoners in the next life."

"In the next life, if you continue to devoutly worship Buddha and accumulate good karma, you can be reborn into a wealthy family. There is great terror between life and death; it is accumulated life after life, with countless difficulties!"

"Now, thanks to the Buddha's protection, your chance has come! Zhao Shuo and his men are evil ghosts who have escaped from the eighteen levels of hell! If you oppose them, you are destined to be reborn as commoners in your next life! If you kill one of them, you will surely be reborn into a wealthy family in your next life!"

"Killing many of Zhao Shuo's soldiers will bring you great fortune in your next life; it's not impossible for you to become a general or a prime minister!"

"However, anyone who is cowardly and fearful of battle, and surrenders to Zhao Shuo, will incur the greatest karmic debt of this life. In their next life, they will not be able to be reborn as a human, let alone a pig or a dog. They will be cast into the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reincarnated!" "Now, tell this Zen master, what should you do?"

Wow~~
As soon as Renxin finished speaking, the entire room erupted in a frenzy, as if a pot had been boiled over.

"I am willing to follow the master to fight the enemy!"

"Let's fight the Han army to the death! Killing even one enemy will be a huge win!"

"I am willing to live and die with Chungju!"

"Please grant us good fortune, kill the Han soldiers!"

……

The 30,000 slave soldiers, utterly ignorant, were roused by Renxin and began to shout in unison, their morale soaring!

Upon seeing this, Renxin was overjoyed.

When Goryeo was founded, monks provided tremendous assistance to its founder, Wang Geon, by providing him with manpower and money, and by encouraging believers to support him.

Wang Jian reciprocated by appointing the "Four Great Masters," including Neng Jing, as military advisors during military campaigns, calling them "Blessed Fields for the Army." He also revered Buddhist monks as royal teachers and national teachers, and paid them homage.

Later, Wang Geon even had one of his sons become a monk, with the Dharma name Zhengtong, setting a precedent for Goryeo princes becoming monks.

Of course, the most crucial factor was the granting of countless lands and privileges to Goryeo monks. To this day, monks control more than 20% of Goryeo's land, and Buddhism flourishes in Goryeo like never before.

Now, the Mongols and Zhao Shuo are coming in with great force, but can they stay for long? Even if Goryeo is destroyed, it will eventually be able to restore the country.

By then, Buddhism, which has contributed greatly to Goryeo, will surely flourish even more.

As for Inshin himself, he had long since disregarded life and death for the sake of Buddhism. The blood of these slave soldiers would be the stepping stones for Buddhism to flourish in Goryeo in the future.

Unfortunately, Renxin guessed the beginning but not the end.

Seven days later, Zhao Shuo's army completed the construction of siege equipment and began a fierce attack on Zhongzhou City.

Boom boom boom!
The catapults were launching, raining down stone projectiles weighing twelve or thirteen pounds and thunderbolts weighing five or six pounds on Zhongzhou!

Whoosh whoosh!
A terrifying shot, accompanied by three arrows, hurtled towards the walls of Zhongzhou!

"Charge! Kill!"

"Break through Chungju and kill the Goryeo dogs!"

"Baru Battalion has no intention of retreating!"

"Kill the Goryeo dogs and join the Han Chinese Eight Banners!"

……

Under the cover of long-range weapons, the soldiers of Balu Battalion launched a fierce attack on Chungju!

Today, only 11,000 men remain in the Balu Battalion. Apart from the more than 3,000 who died in battle, the rest have all joined the Han Chinese Eight Banners.

The remaining people were desperate to make a contribution.

The regular army in Zhongzhou had all fled, leaving only some slave soldiers with no military experience but boundless courage. How could they let go of such an opportunity to make a name for themselves? Cutting off three heads would be easy enough.
"Ah! What is this thing? It can explode?"

"Devils! They really are evil spirits who escaped from hell!"

"Master Renxin, quickly use your supernatural powers to destroy these evil spirits!"

……

What knowledge or understanding could these slave soldiers possibly have?
The Han army's thunderous bombs alone terrified them.

Renxin's words both inspired their courage and, at this moment, had the opposite effect, causing the slave army's morale to plummet.

As these Balu Battalion warriors scaled the city walls, their own strength proved utterly inadequate!
The battle didn't last until evening; Zhongzhou City had already fallen into Zhao Shuo's hands, with over 20,000 slave soldiers captured!

Renxin himself became a prisoner of the Han army, bound hand and foot and taken into Zhao Shuo's central command tent.

"My death is insignificant, but these slave soldiers are the lowest of the low in Goryeo. They resisted Your Majesty's heavenly army because of my instigation! Please, Your Majesty, spare their lives in the name of Heaven's benevolence!"

Renxin knelt down and respectfully pleaded with Zhao Shuo.

This was the last thing he did for Buddhism. If Zhao Shuo pardoned these slave soldiers, the credit would definitely be attributed to him and Buddhism.

However, Zhao Shuo snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "If you really believe that Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, would it incite them to resist my army? Let me tell you, I will not only kill all the slave soldiers and all the men in Zhongzhou City, but I will also use their corpses to build a huge mound of corpses to deter disobedience! As for you, I will cut you into a thousand pieces to atone for your sins! Because, in fact, these people were killed by you, you bald monk!"

Just kidding, how could Zhao Shuo make an exception for these slave soldiers just because they came from the lower classes?
He had plenty of Han Chinese to immigrate to, and he was only interested in Goryeo women anyway. It was only because these low-class Goryeo men were ignorant and could be enslaved that he was willing to make an exception. Now that they were willingly courting death, Zhao Shuo was naturally happy to grant their wish.

……

……

At the same time, Ögedei Khan also captured a fortified city called Dongju in northern Goryeo, taking more than 150,000 soldiers, civilians and civilians prisoner.

Zhenhai asked, "Our army suffered considerable casualties in this attack on Dongzhou. Should we follow the example of Guizhou and build a mound of skulls to deter disobedience?"

"A mound of bones?"

After thinking about it, Ögedei felt that always imitating Zhao Shuo was too detrimental to his dignity as the Great Khan of the Mongols.

Moreover, what is the significance of a mound of skulls?
On the surface, it's just a big mound of earth, but what's inside is terrifying.

He said, “There’s no need to build a mound of skulls. I think a Buddhist pagoda would be fine. Now, let’s build a pagoda outside Dongju City and embed the heads of all the prisoners of Dongju on it. This pagoda can be called the Skull Pagoda, so that all the Koreans who pass by will understand the consequences of disobeying the Khan’s authority.”

"According to the order!"

Thus, Timur's terrifying method of building the Skull Tower, a descendant of the Mongols, was born ahead of schedule.

And so, the darkest time for the entire peninsula arrived.

In the north, skull towers stand tall, while in the south, mounds of skulls rise up.

Goryeo had no choice but to be destroyed and its people exterminated!

(End of this chapter)