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

Chapter 35: The Sword of Shame Is Hard to Sheathe, Zhao Shuo Returns

After hearing Shijihutuhu's reply, Temujin frowned slightly.

"Alas, it's too far away. There's almost no news."

Temujin suddenly felt a little regretful that he should not have given Zhao Shuo the death order to kill Tokhtoa and his son.

This wasn't a battlefield. If Tuohetuo'a's three sons kept trying to escape, and if they were unlucky, it would take forever to find them. If they were even worse off, and the three of them died in the hands of bandits and were buried somewhere, wouldn't Zhao Shuo never be able to complete his mission?
"Ashuo has been hunting them for almost a year. If he can't catch them, forget it. Send someone to convey my order and let Ashuo return to the army. Tell him that even if he can't capture Tuohetuo'a's three sons, I will reward him with Hulan!"

"Yes."

Shijihutuhu took the order and left.

Of course, overall, Temujin was quite excited and full of confidence after he truly became the lord of the grassland.

On the way back to the eastern grasslands with the main force, they sometimes hunted wild animals, sometimes took a slow walk, and sometimes stopped to fish. It did not seem like a march, but more like a long journey.

One day, Temujin climbed a height and looked out into the distance. He asked, "Is that city to the south part of the Xia Kingdom?"

"Yes," the accompanying Shijihutuhu reported, "This is the small border town of Lijisi in Western Xia."

"How many defenders are there in the city?"

"I'm not sure, but there must be at least two or three thousand people, right?"

"Two or three thousand people..." Temujin thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Taiyang Khan's son Quchlü fled to the Xia Kingdom?"

Shijihutuhu said, "There is such a rumor. However, based on information from various sources, Qu Chulug is most likely in Western Liao, with only a slight possibility of being in Western Xia."

Temujin raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with a half-smile, "It's a slight possibility, but it's also possible, right? Borshu."

"exist!"

"The Xia Kingdom has actually harbored Qu Chulug, son of the Taiyang Khan. Their crime is unforgivable. Let's take Lijisi City first and teach them a lesson."

"According to the order!"

Borchu certainly understood that Temujin was a little too arrogant and was looking for trouble. He wanted to use Ligis City as a practice and try to attack the city.

But then again, just let it float.

It’s just a small earthen city with two or three thousand defenders. It shouldn’t be impossible to take it down, right?
Uh... well, I really can't beat it.

The army attacked for half a month, but gained nothing except some casualties.

Facts have proved that the grassland people's ability to attack is indeed too weak.

Temujin, feeling somewhat embarrassed, said, "We've been attacking Ligisi for so long, the Tanguts should have sent reinforcements, right? We're not good at attacking a city, but we're not afraid of anyone in a field battle. Borshu, you lead half of the troops south, waiting for an opportunity to eliminate the Tangut reinforcements. I'll continue attacking Ligisi."

"According to the order."

Borshu took the order and left.

However, the development of things once again exceeded the expectations of Temujin and Borchu.

No reinforcements!

The Western Xia court seemed to have become deaf and blind, and was completely unaware of the grassland people's attack on the Western Xia Kingdom.

Borchu led half of the main Mongolian force and marched southeast along the Western Xia official road. After walking a full 120 miles, he did not see any Western Xia reinforcements, but was blocked by a city - Qilingugusa City.

This city is about twice the size of Ligis City and has a garrison of four to five thousand.

These defenders had no intention of fighting and just stayed in the city. What should we do?
Borshu had no good solution, so he sent an envoy to ask Temujin for instructions, and then attacked the city of Qilingugusa.

In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.

Although the Mongolian army did not suffer any serious losses and even gained some benefits by plundering the Xixia countryside, they still felt a bit embarrassed that they could not even capture two small cities.

This was especially true for Temujin, who had just unified the grassland.

The earthen wall, which was less than three meters high, seemed to be mocking him - you are just a country bumpkin from the grassland, and you are still a million miles away from the great monarchs in the world!

"We've been fighting for over a month, and we still can't break the city. Should we continue to grit our teeth and fight, or should we just withdraw? Oh, if only Ah Shuo were here. Didn't he explain it so clearly when he was talking about the siege?"

By now, Temujin missed Zhao Shuo more and more.

At this moment, Shijihutuhu suddenly sent a message: Zhao Shuo had fulfilled his mission, had killed Tuohetu'a's three sons, and led his troops back. They were now less than 500 miles away from the main Mongol army.

"Okay! That's great!"

Temujin was of course very happy to have wiped out Tokhtoa's family.

But what made him even happier was that Zhao Shuo should be able to solve his urgent problem. He said, "Hurry up and tell Ah Shuo to abandon his troops and ride as fast as he can to see me!"

"According to the order!"

After receiving Temujin's order, Zhao Shuo abandoned the main force and rode towards Ligis City at full speed with only fifty personal guards.

"Great Khan, these are the heads of Tokhtoa, Hudu, Chilawen, and Mazhar."

The heads of Hudu, Chila Wen, and Mazhaer were pickled in lime, and their appearances could still be clearly discerned. But there was no way to tell about Tuohetuo'a, who had been dead for almost a year. Although he had not turned into a pile of bones, his original appearance was definitely unrecognizable.

Of course, Temujin would never suspect that Zhao Shuo had just found a rotten head to deceive him.

"So, all my Merkit enemies are dead?" When Temujin learned that his great revenge had been achieved, he felt as happy as drinking ice in summer!

Zhao Shuo said firmly, "Yes, not a single one left! The Merkits now have no enemies of our father's Khan, only obedient subjects."

"Good! Ashu, you have made an invaluable contribution! By the way, Ashu, your current headquarters has less than 5,000 households, right?" Temujin said happily.

It depends on how you look at it.

If we only talk about the number of households, Zhao Shuo's five thousand households are a perfect number.

However, if there is no male in the family, is it still considered a household?

Zhao Shuo suffered considerable losses in the battle of Zhezheyundu, and he also suffered some losses in the pursuit of Tuohetuo'a and his son.

There are definitely less than 5,000 men under my command now.

Zhao Shuo, of course, would not be polite to Genghis Khan and said, "Father Khan is wise. I now have about 4,500 households under my command."

"Ashuo, you've worked really hard hunting down Tuohetuo'a and his son. I'll allocate 500 households to you now, bringing the total to 5,000. Also, I'll send someone to deliver the Hulan you sent me earlier. This most beautiful woman of the Merkit tribe deserves to be enjoyed by you."

"Thank you, Father Khan!"

After discussing the reward, Zhao Shuo remembered Temujin's request for him to come to see him early, so he asked, "Great Khan, I heard that our attack on Xixia wasn't going well this time?"

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(Do you mainly want to see the destruction of the Jin Dynasty and the suppression of the Song Dynasty, or do you want to see the Western Expedition? I will modify the focus of the subsequent plot based on your opinions)
(End of this chapter)