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

Chapter 253 The Ninth Wonder: The Pyramid of Heads!
An hour later.

Dang Dang Dang!
In the darkness, the bells of the 256 temples of God in Cairo rang rapidly almost simultaneously, a signal for the gathering of God's people.

Meanwhile, urgent shouts echoed through the streets of Cairo.

"The true God is supreme!"

"Assemble at the Temple of the True Gods!"

"The main force of the Eastern army has left, only ten thousand men remain. Kill the evil Easterners! Kill Zhao He!"

"A hundred against one, we will surely win!"

"Both Mongols and Han Chinese must die!"

"Fight for the true God! Slaughter all the heretics!"

……

Amidst shouts, countless residents poured out of their homes and rushed towards the nearby Shinjinji Temple. There were young and strong men, young boys, unchosen ugly women, elderly men, and frail old women...

Most of the upper echelons of the Ayyubid dynasty knew just how powerful Zhao He's army was, having annihilated 200,000 of the Ayyubid dynasty's main force in a single day.

Therefore, when Pearl Branch asked the Ayyubid nobles for their opinions, some advocated surrender, some advocated fighting to the death, and some secretly planned to surrender first and then turn the tide. But none of them believed that holding Cairo to the death would guarantee victory in this battle.

However, most people in the lower and middle classes don't know that much.

They believe in the true God and have an immense sense of superiority and an unwavering belief in victory over the infidels—we are the children of the true God, protected by the true God, and it is impossible for us to be defeated! All infidels can only either become our slaves or die!

The defeat in the Battle of the Pyramids was due to either misguided command from higher-ups, desertion of the generals, or the soldiers' cowardice in not fighting to the death.

Otherwise, victory will surely belong to the people of the true God!

Later, the nobles of the Ayyubid dynasty forcibly conscripted beautiful women to please the Easterners, which further fueled their anger.

But what can a group of ordinary people do if no one takes the lead?
Now that the bells of the Shinjin Temple have rung, it's finally time to take action against the evil Easterners. How could they not be excited?

"Arudula, wake up!"

Hearing the shouts outside, Zainaloo quickly woke up her sleeping grandson, Arudula.

Zainaru is an elderly widow who lives with her grandson, Arudula, who just turned sixteen this year.

Although she was a Coptic, she had long forgotten that the Coptic people were once the original inhabitants of this land, ruling all of Egypt and enslaving the Nubians to the south and the Berbers to the west.

She had forgotten that her ancestors worshipped the sun god and the north wind god, and gradually some of them also converted to Roman Catholicism. Later, the followers of the true god forced her ancestors to convert to the true god with scimitars and heavy taxes.

All she remembers now is that she is a child of the true God.

Other heretics have no choice but to either die or become slaves of the true God's people; this is what the true God has promised.

Although the Coptic people were at the very bottom of the Ayyubid dynasty, suffering endless scorn and humiliation, and although the Zainal family was already destitute, lacking even young and beautiful women, the rule of the Easterners was practically irrelevant to their lives.

However, she still wants to participate in this war!
She wants to accumulate good deeds so that she may gain eternal life in the Kingdom of God!

"Grandma, what's wrong?" Sixteen is the age when most children are sleepy, and young Arudula rubbed his eyes.

"Arise! The time has come to fight for the true God!"

Zainal hurriedly helped Arudula get dressed, picked up a kitchen knife, and stuffed a wooden stick into his grandson's hand, saying, "Quick! Let's go to the Temple of the True God of Zoples and kill all the evil Easterners!"

"it is good!"

Ardulla finally came to his senses. Young people are full of passion and eager to make a name for themselves. His eyes were full of eager light.

However, recalling how he had knelt humbly on the ground, witnessing the mighty Eastern army riding tall, magnificent warhorses and clad in iron armor, he hesitated, asking, "Can...can we win?"

"The true God is supreme. As long as we risk our lives, the true God will protect us and we will surely win. Even if you die fighting for the true God, you will gain eternal life in the true God's kingdom. There you will find inexhaustible wine, endless delicious food beyond your imagination, and countless beautiful female slaves who have never been touched by men, who will accompany you forever!"

The boy loved listening to his grandmother tell stories of the wonderful life in God's heaven; it was his only solace in his life of hardship.

Arudula nodded emphatically and said, "The true God is supreme! I am willing to fight for the true God!"

"Let's go quickly! If all the Easterners are killed by others, we will have no chance to receive the true god's reward."

Zainal was only forty-eight years old and still quite agile. He and his grandson, Arudula, went to meet at the nearby Temple of Zoples.

"The true God is supreme!"

"Kill all the evil Easterners!"

"Victory is certain! Victory is certain! The Ayyubid dynasty will surely be restored!"

……

Even from a distance, the grandfather and grandson could hear the shouts echoing from the Mosque of the True God, which only fueled their excitement.

Upon entering the Shinjin Temple, they found people packed shoulder to shoulder, each with an excited expression and roaring. The grandfather and grandson, their courage growing and their confidence in victory increasing, joined in the roaring.

Then, under the leadership of the priests of the true god, they marched in a mighty force towards the Cairo royal palace.

Cairo has two royal palaces.

One is the Old Royal Palace, the palace of the Fatimid dynasty. After Saladin overthrew the Fatimid dynasty and established the Ayyubid dynasty, he used this place as his palace for a long time. The Al-Azhar Temple within the palace still represents the faith of Egypt.

One is the new royal palace, also known as the Cairo Citadel or Saladin's Citadel. Saladin began construction on Muqattam Hill over sixty years ago, building this structure that served as both a royal palace and a military fortress. Construction continued unfinished until Saladin's death. It wasn't until over twenty years ago that construction of this new palace was finally completed.

When Zhao He entered Cairo, he naturally resided in the new royal palace on Muqatam Hill.

Zainalu, Arudula, and the others arrived at the foot of Mukatam Hill. Looking up, they saw that Mukatam Hill, which was over fifty feet high, was already covered by scattered firelight.

Countless Egyptians, with torches lit and shouts blaring, launched a fierce attack on the new palace, the roar deafening.

The sound was so loud that it completely drowned out the sound of stones hitting the ground inside the palace and the screams of the attacking soldiers.

Zainal and Arudula stood in the crowd, seeing only the magnificent and spectacular siege scene, seemingly unable to hear the screams of the attacking soldiers. They felt even more that God was protecting them and that victory was already in their hands.

"It's a hundred against one! We're sure to win!" Arudula said eagerly, "Unfortunately, there are too many people ahead of us, we won't get a turn at all."

"Squeeze forward, squeeze as far forward as possible."

Zaina urged her grandson, saying, "Where else can you find such a good deal in the palace, with both evil Easterners and countless treasures?"

"Yes, I must kill one... three Easterners! And steal a huge chunk of gold, making our former neighbors, who used to look down on us, green with envy!"

The grandfather and grandson, one holding a kitchen knife and the other a wooden stick, tried their best to push forward.

Why are there so many people?!
The grandfather and grandson were extremely anxious, believing victory was within their grasp but also fearing they would miss out on the benefits of breaching the palace.

"The Ayyubid dynasty has no one left!"

On the tower of the royal palace, Zhao He held a telescope and looked around. The whole of Cairo was in his view, not to mention the Ayyubid people who were besieging the city.

Zhao He looked at the situation before him and sighed softly.

On a hill over fifty feet high, a magnificent palace was built, with a circumference of four miles and complete defensive fortifications. Inside, there was also an inner city where elite Han troops were stationed.

Even if Zhao He had already obtained intelligence from the Black Ice Guard and was on guard, how could such a large, ragtag group possibly take advantage of the situation in such a short time?

Did Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, really waste so much money and resources building such a complete waste?
In fact, let alone the rabble before him, even Zhao He felt a pang of pain when he saw the palace. If Adil II hadn't been weakened by the loss of his main force in the battle of the pyramids, Zhao He would have had to expend considerable effort just to attack this palace, known as Saladin's Citadel.

"Your Highness, Pearl Branch requests an audience."

Suddenly, Su Fei stepped forward and reported to Zhao He.

After Pearl Xiaozhi surrendered, Zhao He hadn't figured out what to do with her yet, so he kept her and her son Khalil living in a small hall in the palace, and even sent two black eunuchs and two maids to serve the mother and son.

"Let her come."

"Yes."

Before long, Pearl Branch climbed up the tower, kowtowed deeply to Zhao He, and said, "This humble slave, Shezhe'er Du'er, greets Your Highness!"

Pearl Branch was not fluent in Chinese; she spoke a Turkic language. Zhao He had many talented people around him, so naturally there were interpreters to translate for him.

"Get up."

Zhao He said, "Little Pearl Branch, what brings you here?"

"Tonight, the foolish Egyptians have launched a rebellion. Although the Crown Prince will surely win, since I have surrendered to the Crown Prince, I am willing to do my part for you."

"What do you want to do?"

"Although I am not skilled in swords and spears, I am willing to go to the city wall to boost the morale of the Balu Battalion."

"Okay, you go."

"Thank you, son."

Pearl Branch bowed again, accepted the order, and left.

Watching Pearl Branch's departing figure, Zhao He shook his head slightly and said regretfully, "That woman is too smart, what a pity."

"What's a pity?" Su Fei asked.

Su Fei is Su Na's brother. Although he can't be considered Zhao He's elder, he can be considered Zhao He's relative. He is one of the few people in the Western Expeditionary Army who can chat with Zhao He.

Zhao He said, "Pearl Xiaozhi surrendered Cairo voluntarily, so it's not right for me to deal with her and her child. Originally, if she hadn't done anything tonight, I was thinking of blaming her for the mastermind behind this uprising and eliminating her and her child. After all, they represent the legitimacy of the Ayyubid dynasty and still have some influence, so there's no need to keep them alive."

These are Zhao He's true feelings.

If Genghis Khan had conquered Cairo, he would certainly have taken Queen Pearl of Egypt into his harem, and it wouldn't have been impossible for him to have adopted Khalil as his son.

Although Zhao He also liked beautiful women, he wasn't that enthusiastic about beauty; what interested him most was conquering countless lands.

Looking at the slender, elegant neck of the pearl branch, as beautiful as a swan, Zhao He felt it would be a pity not to cut it in two.

Su Fei asked, "Then why did the young master agree to let Pearl Branch go to boost the morale of the Balu Camp?"

“We need to set an example. Let those foreign nobles who surrendered cities to us have a good ending. Pearl Branch knows how to advance and retreat, so it’s not unreasonable to let her be this example,” Zhao He said calmly.

Su Fei bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness is wise!"

Zhao He asked, "By the way, how are the preparations going in each department?"

Su Fei reported in detail: "Saladin Castle is extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack. The 10,000-strong Baru Camp inside the city is more than enough. The 5,000 troops in the palace are fully prepared. As long as the Crown Prince gives the order, they can don their armor and leave the palace to quell the rebellion."

After a pause, Su Fei continued, "Each of the six city gates is guarded by a commander of one thousand and six hundred soldiers from the Balu Camp, which should be sufficient to hold them. General Shi Tianze has led fifteen thousand troops and has already moved to the vicinity. We are just waiting for the royal palace to send a signal so that we can enter the city through the Gate of Victory and the Gate of Conquest to quell the rebellion."

It would be impossible for the city's garrison to hold the 28-mile-long Cairo city wall. However, holding Cairo's six city gates would not be a problem.

By holding these six city gates, Cairo would be sealed off, and the army sent to quell the rebellion would be able to enter the city smoothly.

"Ah, very good."

Zhao He nodded slightly and said, "Hold the line for half an hour. After half an hour, send a signal for Shi Tianze to enter the city and quell the rebellion!"

"Yes."

……

……

Meanwhile, on the eastern wall of the royal palace.

"Warriors of Egypt, kill the rebels!"

"The king is a calamity from God, sent by the true God to punish sinners!"

"Those who submit to the king will live, those who do not submit to the king will die!"

"Kill the traitors! Cut off three heads and you'll be promoted to the Eight Banners. Don't miss this golden opportunity!"

……

After Pearl Branch hurled a stone at the rebels attacking the city, she shouted loudly from the city wall, boosting the morale of the defending Balu camp.

The flickering firelight made Pearl Branch's charming and delicate face even more beautiful.

In fact, the morale of the Balu Battalion was already quite high.

It wasn't because they killed other prisoners and pledged allegiance. That's not important. If they switched sides now, who would hold them accountable?
The key point is, others may not know the strength of the Eastern army, but don't they?
In the battle of the pyramids, they were slaughtered in a bloodbath, forced to kneel and surrender. Their spines had been broken, and they had lost the courage to face the Eastern army!

They guarded Saladin's castle. Although the rabble in front of them was large, it did not make them feel much pressure, nor did it make them think of defecting.

The encouragement from the pearl branch further solidified their resolve to make their choice. The fact that even the mother of the rightful heir to the Ayyubid dynasty had given up on restoring the kingdom proved their decision was correct.

Getting promoted to the Eight Banners by beheading three people wasn't easy. After all, this was a siege battle; you couldn't just stand by and watch the enemy breach the walls before beheading them, could you?

However, the enemy is too weak, there will always be opportunities!

They've been promoted to the Eight Banners!
They also wanted the generous treatment of the Eight Banners Army, and they also wanted to enjoy the noble ladies that they could only dream of before!
"kill!"

"Go to hell!"

"Long live the King! Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Execute the traitors!"

……

Pearl Branches weaved through the four-mile-long royal palace walls, greatly boosting the morale of the Balu camp. Countless stones, arrows, oil, logs, and boulders were unleashed in a frenzied attack on the rebels below the walls.

Half an hour later, Ashraf led 10,000 rebels and stood on the mountainside, looking at the battle situation before him, somewhat dumbfounded.

"This...this...how come the Balu Battalion has such high morale? God! Unleash your power and strike these traitors to death!" Ashraf murmured.

Ashraf, both Adil II's cousin and the mastermind behind the rebellion, led 10,000 of his most elite troops, preparing to launch a fatal attack and secure victory once the palace's defenses were nearly exhausted.

But to his utter surprise, the warriors of the Baru Camp, these children of the true God, resolutely stood on the side of the evil Easterners.

The formidable defensive advantages of Saladin's Citadel left Ashraf, who had only a rudimentary understanding of military matters, somewhat dumbfounded.

By this time, the Egyptians had been attacking Saladin's castle for over an hour, and the castle's defenses showed no signs of weakening.

An extremely auspicious premonition welled up in Ashraf's heart.

What are you afraid of?

Whoosh whoosh!
Nine flaming arrows rose in succession from Mount Muqatam, illuminating the dark night sky.

Zhiwuwu~~
The gates of victory and conquest have been opened!
Rumble!
Fifteen thousand fully armed heavy cavalry, led by Shi Tianze, were divided into two groups and entered through the Gate of Victory and the Gate of Conquest respectively!

After entering the city, they first annihilated the rebels at the two city gates, and then dispatched three thousand cavalry to support the other city gates.

The remaining 12,000 men were divided into four teams of 3,000 each, and they marched in all directions toward Saladin's castle, intending to gather and annihilate these rebels!
It would be best to use the cavalry's advantage to ensure that no one escapes!

at the same time,

Zhiwuwu~~
The palace gates opened.

Five thousand warriors, as tough as tin cans, charged out of the gate.

They had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Each of them was wearing two layers of iron armor, and the spears, broadswords, maces, and heavy axes in their hands gleamed with a sinister cold light in the firelight.

They formed a neat military formation, and in no time at all, like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, they swept away all the rebels in front of the palace gates.

The leader was none other than Guo Kan, the newly appointed commander of the Semu tribes and the Eastern Heavenly General.

"Soldiers!"

Guo Kan pointed his long sword forward and shouted, "The chance to slay the traitors! The chance to plunder Cairo has arrived!"

"kill!"

The soldiers responded in unison and, led by Guo Kan, charged madly towards the rebel army!

The morale of the Eight Banners soldiers was already high, and now it's off the charts!
The logic is quite simple: after the Battle of the Pyramids, Cairo surrendered voluntarily. Zhao He was naturally very satisfied, having gained a prosperous city rarely seen in the world, and greatly reducing the casualties of his soldiers.

However, many soldiers regretted that Cairo should have fought back and refused to surrender even at the cost of their lives.
Wouldn't all the wealthy women in the city become spoils of war? How much money would each person get?

Now, the opportunity has finally come!
"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

With roars, five thousand killing machines charged into the hundreds of thousands of rabble.

Most enemies only had rudimentary weapons; mere kitchen knives, wooden sticks, and iron forks were no match for them.

Even if a few enemies have more sophisticated weapons, how much of a threat can these untrained people pose to them?

The sounds of shouts of battle, countless weapons piercing flesh, and the screams and wails of the Ayub people blended together into one.

Five thousand armored soldiers were invincible!
Blood flowed like a river on Muqatam Hill!
"How to do how to do?"

Upon seeing this, Ashraf broke out in a cold sweat.

He was now very hesitant about whether to commit his only 10,000 elite troops to stop the 5,000 armored soldiers from the East.

Although these 10,000 men were all elites, Zhao He managed Cairo very strictly. Despite the fact that these True God Cult nobles had tried their best to hide their armor, half of these 10,000 men were not wearing armor.

Not to mention, the so-called elite troops were just the best of the worst, and their actual combat strength was not very strong.

Can they really stop these five thousand armored soldiers?

Ashraf had no confidence whatsoever.

Now, he was filled with deep regret. Why couldn't he have just surrendered to Zhao He and lived a peaceful life? Why was he so foolish as to launch this rebellion?

The Han army was far too powerful, far exceeding his expectations!
Surely you can't really believe that you'll gain eternal life in God's heaven after you die?

In retrospect, this rebellion was a huge mistake!

Of course, it's too late for Ashraf to regret it now.

No matter how much you struggle with it, it's no use now.

"Look, what's that?"

A guard's exclamation startled Ashraf out of his confusion.

He looked up and saw countless torches rushing toward the palace at an extremely high speed!
The cavalry have arrived!

Whose cavalry could it be?
They're from the East!
How could the Egyptians possibly still have so many cavalry by now?
"We're doomed! We've fallen for their trap!"

A sudden realization dawned on Ashraf, and he was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

"Run! Run away!"

Ashraf was so frightened that his voice changed, and he ran frantically down the mountain, trying to escape before the cavalry could surround him.

However, where can one escape?
"kill!"

Of the twelve thousand cavalry, two thousand were sent out to patrol and kill any escaping rebels. The remaining ten thousand iron cavalry charged into the crowd.

Arabian horses galloped, gleaming blades flashed, and heads rolled to the ground!
Zainal and Aldura were completely dumbfounded. At first, they tried their best to squeeze forward, but because there were too many people, they didn't get very far.

Immediately afterwards, a series of panicked voices could be heard.

"The Easterners have broken out!"

"Run away!"

"It's over!"

"We are no match!"

……

Immediately afterwards, the crowd fled down the mountain in a panic.

Zainal and Aldura did not want to escape and wanted to fight to the death, but they were forced to retreat by the powerful flow of people.

After finally reaching the foot of the mountain, they discovered that people at the foot of the mountain were fleeing up the mountain in a panic.

"what happened?"

"What happened?"

"Fight the Easterners to the death! Why are you running away?"

……

Zainal and Aldura shouted in confusion, still not understanding what was going on.

Soon, the view ahead opened up before them.

"kill!"

A heavily armored Eastern cavalryman rode swiftly towards them, and Arudula realized just how terrifying his enemy was.

Could I, in my small stature, possibly contend with those galloping warhorses, the warriors clad in full armor, and the messengers who stood as awe-inspiring as true gods?

The true God is great, but where is the true God?
Is the Kingdom of God real?

Perhaps the title of "God's Calamity" bestowed upon King Zhao Shuo is the real one!
Arudula tried to raise his wooden stick to fight, but was shocked to find that his whole body was trembling; he had exhausted all his strength just to stand up.

Woo!
A cold glint of light flashed towards him!

"what!"

With a scream, Arudula made no move to resist before his head flew high into the air!
"Oh no!"

Zaina let out a painful howl.

She couldn't understand—wasn't victory simply a matter of fighting to the death?
How could we just stand by and watch the morale of God's people, which was quite high, collapse like this? How could our own grandson die so easily? It's easier for Easterners to kill someone than to slaughter a docile lamb!

Was she wrong?

She killed her grandson, and she killed herself!

Of course, soon, Zainaru's doubts would be gone.

"kill!"

With another loud shout, half of Zainaloo's head was sliced ​​off. The corpse fell to the ground, blood and brain matter spilling everywhere.

"Surrender! We surrender!"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"We'll never do it again!"

"We know we were wrong!"

"From now on, I will definitely be a good and obedient subject to the Crown Prince!"

……

With Zhao He's army of nearly 20,000 men attacking from both sides, the morale of the True God rebels completely collapsed at the crack of dawn.

More than 600,000 people knelt at the foot of the mountain, begging to surrender and to beg Zhao He for forgiveness!
"Your Highness, what are your plans for dealing with these rebels?" Pearl Branch asked Zhao He.

Although her astonishing intuition sensed that Zhao He harbored considerable murderous intent towards her, she could not run away in order for her and her son to survive. Instead, she had to seize every opportunity to get close to Zhao He and gain his favor.

Zhao He was in a good mood and didn't mind chatting with Pearl Xiaozhi a bit more.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "What else can we do? Since they've committed treason, do they expect to live?"

"More than 600,000 people, all...all killed?"

Despite having a premonition, the number 600,000 was terrifying. Pearl Twig turned pale and her voice trembled.

"Not only must they all be killed!"

Zhao He smiled and said, "I'm going to build a mound of corpses using their bodies."

"Jingguan? What's that?" Pearl Branch asked in confusion.

Zhao He said, "You know, Egypt is most famous for its pyramids. I will completely wipe out the Temple of the True God, which was the first to rebel. Then, I will use these 600,000 corpses to build a pyramid there. Of course, in China, this is called a 'jingguan' (a mound of corpses).

Zhao He once heard Zhao Shuo say that there are eight great buildings in the world that can be called wonders: the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Great Wall of China.

Since the Cairoans were so stubborn, he decided to build a pyramid using their corpses.

The ninth wonder of the world!
(End of this chapter)