Usurping the Mongols: My Father-in-Law is Genghis Khan

Two dwarf mountains were garrisoned by 20,000 Jin soldiers.

But now, nearly 23,000 Balu Camp warriors were actually fighting 15,000 Jin soldiers, with Wanyan Jiujin holding back a reserve force of 5,000.

The unfortunate Balu Camp warriors who charged towards Wanyan Jiujin's main camp had already been completely annihilated.

However, the Jin army's defense line, slightly further away from Wanyan Jiujin's main camp, was already on the verge of collapse.

"Reinforcements! Quickly notify Councilor Wanyan to send reinforcements immediately!"

Wanyan Jiujin issued the order without hesitation.

Although he didn't know the exact number of Balu Camp soldiers, as a seasoned general, he knew at a glance that the attacking enemy forces numbered over 20,000. The strength of both sides was similar, and their combat power was also comparable. However, one side had strict military law and high rewards, while the other had nothing. There was no way to fight this battle!

If he didn't call for reinforcements now, wouldn't he be waiting for a complete and utter defeat?

On the other side, Wanyan Chengyu, upon receiving Wanyan Jiujin's message, decisively transferred 10,000 soldiers from his side to the dwarf mountains, leaving only 5,000 soldiers to guard his position.

Then, he issued a series of orders, summoning nearby Jin soldiers for support.

However, the terrain of Wild Fox Ridge, while preventing the Mongol cavalry from utilizing their advantages, also restricted the Jin soldiers' movements. Wanyan Chengyu couldn't mobilize many reinforcements in a short period.

Of course, the reinforcement of 10,000 elite soldiers was still significant.

Wanyan Jiujin also left only 1,500 men as a reserve force, sending 3,500 men to join the battlefield.

Suddenly, nearly 14,000 fresh troops were added to the Jin army on the two dwarf mountains.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"The Iron Wall of the Great Jin, impregnable to ten thousand men!"

"Kill the barbarians, protect our homeland!"

…

With the addition of nearly 14,000 reinforcements, the Jin army's morale greatly increased, and shouts echoed one after another.

After all, the Jurchens still held the advantageous high ground. Their simple barracks also provided a certain degree of defensive advantage.

With this reinforcement, the Jin army quickly reversed the declining trend. Although they couldn't drive the Balu Camp out of the breastwork, they no longer retreated, and the battle fell into a stalemate.

However, if Wanyan Chengyu could send reinforcements, so could Zhao Shuo!

Zhao Shuo left 1,800 soldiers in Huanzhou to guard the Huanzhou stud farm and protect the city.

Now, he still had 9,000 of his own troops and 2,000 troops from the Ongud tribe under his command, totaling 11,000 men.

"All soldiers dismount! Follow me to break through Badger's Mouth!"

This place must be the location of the Jin army's general, the Jin army's command post on the dwarf mountain!

Swish, swish, swish!

Boom, boom, boom!

Wanyan Jiujin's main camp's defense system had not yet been destroyed. Huge logs, ballistae, divine arm bows, trebuchets, strong bows, heavy crossbows, rolling logs, boulders, golden juice boiling water... all unleashed their power. In no time, they caused huge casualties to the Mongols.

It was just a pity that the Balu Camp put too much pressure on Wanyan Jiujin. He transferred 3,500 soldiers from the main camp, leaving only 1,500 soldiers to defend. The number of people controlling these defensive weapons was insufficient.

The foremost 1,700 Mongol soldiers suffered only 900 casualties before breaking into the low wall!

Zhao Shuo led the Black Riders and Flying Eagle Army closely behind.

Boom, boom, boom!

After the Mongols broke into the low wall, the first wave of attack consisted of more than 700 fire蒺藜. Although the attack power of this thing was insufficient and it was difficult to cause much actual loss to the Jin army, they ignited the Jin army's barracks, illuminating the scene as bright as day.

The raging fire intensified the Jin people's panic.

The dark mass of Mongol army behind them put heavy pressure on the 1,500 Jin soldiers.

"What are you afraid of? Jurchen warriors, follow me to kill the enemy!"

Wanyan Jiujin, as a fierce Jurchen general who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was never afraid of fighting more with less, let alone close combat.

It can be said that Wanyan Jiujin was the number one in combat power among the nearly 400,000 troops on the Wild Fox Ridge defense line!

Holding a 30-pound all-iron wolf's tooth club, he led 1,500 of his personal guards straight towards Zhao Shuo's direction!

Wearing such a cool armor, who else could it be if not the chief general of the grassland barbarians?

It was very likely the so-called number one warrior of the grassland, Mongol驸马 Zhao Shuo.

Wanyan Jiujin wanted to kill Zhao Shuo himself!

Hmm?

The enemy general not only didn't run away when he saw him, but instead launched a counterattack?

"Well done!"

Zhao Shuo snorted coldly, his fighting spirit soaring. He took a step and suddenly charged towards Wanyan Jiujin.

When the two were about four or five meters apart, Wanyan Jiujin held the wolf's tooth club with both hands, using the inertia of the charge, twisting his waist and abdomen, as if splitting the sky and the earth, and smashed it towards Zhao Shuo's head!

Facing Wanyan Jiujin, who was charging like a rhino, Zhao Shuo didn't panic at all.

Countless fierce battles on the battlefield had already cultivated his invincible "momentum". In terms of strength, he had never met an opponent.

So even if Wanyan Jiujin used a pure iron wolf's tooth club, Zhao Shuo didn't flinch at all. He held the shield in his left hand and welcomed it upwards!

"Peng!"

For a moment, a terrifying muffled sound, accompanied by sparks, spread across the battlefield, shaking people's eardrums!

Zhao Shuo felt a huge force coming from his left hand. His tiger's mouth, wrist, and forearm were slightly numb.

But that was all.

His body didn't deform or become disordered in the slightest.

If it were on an ordinary person, they might have been hammered away by this wolf's tooth club long ago.

But Zhao Shuo relied on his strength to withstand it head-on.

Not only that, at the moment of holding the shield to resist the wolf's tooth club, Zhao Shuo's Great Xia Dragon Sparrow also drew a tricky and fierce blade light!

"Tear—!"

After Zhao Shuo and Wanyan Jiujin took a step back each due to the impact.

A blood flower also spurted out!

"Ah!"

Wanyan Jiujin cried out in pain!

Because he found that a deep, bone-deep wound had been cut on his calf!

His face was a little ferocious because of the pain, and at the same time, it was filled with strong disbelief.

Because he was full of confidence in that blow just now.

He didn't know how many enemies had their arms broken and spat blood on the battlefield by his wolf's tooth club. Some even had their weapons broken and were smashed to death on the spot.

He didn't expect that the Mongol on the opposite side would actually use a shield to withstand it, and his body didn't become disordered in the slightest. What was even more terrifying was that this person actually cut his calf with a knife while resisting his wolf's tooth club!

What kind of power and insight was this?

Wanyan Jiujin felt a little cold in his heart!

However, he didn't have time to be shocked. Zhao Shuo had already adjusted his center of gravity and suddenly charged up again!

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow slashed towards Wanyan Jiujin's neck quickly, accurately, and fiercely.

Even with iron armor protecting his neck, Wanyan Jiujin still didn't dare to take it head-on. He hurriedly used the wolf's tooth club to block it.

But the wolf's tooth club was too heavy, and his movements were not as fast as Zhao Shuo's.

So Zhao Shuo's knife still touched Wanyan Jiujin's neck armor and helmet!

"Chi la!"

Sparks flew everywhere.

What shocked Wanyan Jiujin's pupils was that Zhao Shuo actually took advantage of the moment of contact to pick the chain on his helmet with the tip of his knife, and then used force!

"Bang!"

Wanyan Jiujin's helmet was knocked off, and his neck armor also fell to the ground!

Wanyan Jiujin panicked. He couldn't believe that he had fallen into such a situation in just two rounds of fighting!

Looking at the terrifying man in black and gold armor on the opposite side, he knew that he had guessed correctly. This person must be Temujin's son-in-law, the number one warrior of the grassland, Zhao Shuo!

However, he guessed the beginning, but he didn't guess the ending. Zhao Shuo was much more powerful than he imagined, and he had such terrifying skills!

Losing the protection of his helmet and neck protection, Wanyan Jiujin suddenly lost his sense of security.

He subconsciously wanted to retreat.

However, he forgot that his calf had been cut with a wound, and his body staggered.

And Zhao Shuo's movements didn't have a trace of stagnation, as if he had expected Wanyan Jiujin to reveal such a flaw.

His body turned ghostly, went around to Wanyan Jiujin's side, then raised his foot and kicked Wanyan Jiujin's back knee!

How could Wanyan Jiujin, who was already injured, withstand Zhao Shuo's kick?

Suddenly, his left leg went soft, and he knelt on the ground on one knee.

As soon as he knelt down, Wanyan Jiujin panicked.

His heart was shrouded in the shadow of death!

A warrior's intuition told him that there was a crisis of life and death!

Wanyan Jiujin turned his head to the side and sure enough saw a cold light, like a poisonous snake in the night, chopping down towards his head!

Too late to mobilize the wolf's tooth club in his right hand, Wanyan Jiujin subconsciously raised his left arm, wanting to block the knife light.

The armor on his body was excellent cold-forged armor. Under normal circumstances, it should be able to block the Mongol knife from slashing.

However, he was facing Zhao Shuo.

What Zhao Shuo had in his hand was the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade.

"Clang—!"

The sound of bronze and iron being split open sounded!

Most of Wanyan Jiujin's left arm was directly cut off by the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow!

Because of Wanyan Jiujin's left hand's block, the power of Zhao Shuo's knife was weakened a lot, and the trajectory also changed.

Originally, it was to chop Wanyan Jiujin's neck.

Now it moved up a bit, directly from Wanyan Jiujin's back of the head, along the temples and eyes, chopped down.

With one knife, Wanyan Jiujin's left arm was broken.

Half of his head was also cut out of a groove!

For a moment, blood and brains burst out along the groove.

Wanyan Jiujin's half-kneeling body, with half of his eyes glaring, held on for two or three seconds, then fell straight down!

"Ah! General Jiujin is dead!"

"The Mongols killed General Wanyan Jiujin!"

"Run away!"

…

Wanyan Jiujin was the most formidable general in the nearly 400,000-strong army, enjoying considerable prestige within the Jin ranks. His death in battle caused his personal guard of 1,500 men to teeter on the brink of collapse.

However, the Jin army's supervisor, Puxian Wannu, was not to be trifled with.

During the earlier Southern Song Dynasty's Kaixi Northern Expedition, Puxian Wannu, as the Right Wing Commander, led the army and beheaded over 20,000 Song soldiers in a single battle, seizing over a thousand warhorses and livestock.

Historically, Puxian Wannu even rebelled against the Jin Dynasty and established the Eastern Xia Kingdom in Liaodong.

"Hold! Hold! The Prime Minister's reinforcements are arriving soon!"

Puxian Wannu beheaded over a dozen men and commanded the 1,500 elite Jin infantry to fill the gap with their lives, holding the camp for a full quarter of an hour.

During this quarter of an hour, Wanyan Chengyu transferred the 500 personal guards who had come with Wanyan Kuang and dispatched 3,000 of his own guards to meet Zhao Shuo's assault. He also sent out 10,000 newly arrived Jin soldiers from the vicinity to reinforce Dwarf Mountain, leaving only 1,500 men by his side.

In other words, Wanyan Chengyu had been pushed to his limit by Zhao Shuo, and the battle had reached its crucial point.

It was at this moment that Mukuali's raiding party scaled the cliff and annihilated the 300 Jin soldiers stationed at the summit.

"Well done, Ashuo!"

Mukuali immediately recognized the dire straits of the Jin army and exclaimed in admiration.

Then, he pointed his heavy iron spear forward and said, "Soldiers, follow me into battle!"

"Yes!"

Three thousand elite Mongolian soldiers followed closely behind Mukuali, charging swiftly from the flank towards the Jin army camp at Broken Badger's Mouth.

"Good! Ashuo and Mukuali are both doing great! The Jin dogs are doomed this time!"

Seeing this, Temujin was overjoyed and issued an order: "The entire army dismount and charge with me!"

"Charge! Kill!"

"Kill the Jin dogs!"

"Break through Badger's Mouth and ride into the Central Capital!"

…

Over 40,000 Mongolian soldiers dismounted and fought on foot, joining the bloody battle under Temujin's leadership.

"We can't hold on! Lord Wanyan, brothers can't hold on any longer!"

If Puxian Wannu, this formidable figure, could grit his teeth and resist Zhao Shuo's 3,000 troops, he was utterly despairing in the face of the 40,000 fresh Mongolian reinforcements.

He abandoned the army still engaged in battle and rushed to the valley to meet Wanyan Chengyu.

"Can't hold on? How is it possible that you can't hold on?"

He could hardly believe his ears, saying, "I've invested 45,000 troops in the entire Yuhuling defense line, and we have the advantage of terrain. How many people can those grassland barbarians have? They still have to leave heavy troops to guard Wushabao, Wuyueying, and the three prefectures of Fu, Chang, and Huan!"

Puxian Wannu said, "They probably didn't leave many troops to guard those places at all. The Mongolians have committed more than 80,000 troops to Badger's Mouth! Not only that, but they also used a surprise tactic, climbing up the cliffs from the side and launching a flanking attack on us. We simply cannot defend against this kind of offensive!"

Wanyan Chengyu and Puxian Wannu never imagined that the Mongolian army's mode of operation was completely different from that of all armies throughout history.

The Mongolian army had too few total troops.

If they occupied a city and stationed heavy troops there, they would soon not have enough troops for offense. Therefore, they would only leave a very small number of people to guard the city, or simply massacre the city.

Then, they would continue to concentrate their main force and attack fiercely forward.

If it weren't for the importance of the horse ranches in the three prefectures of Fu, Chang, and Huan, and the fact that there were too many livestock to take away, they wouldn't even leave these few thousand troops behind, at most leaving two or three hundred guards.

As for what would happen if the cities behind them were attacked by the enemy and their retreat was cut off?

Then so be it. They would attack again when they returned, and then massacre the city in retaliation.

This was the Mongolian army's confidence in their fighting strength. They didn't believe that any enemy could cut off their retreat.

Neither Puxian Wannu nor Wanyan Chengyu understood or were accustomed to the Mongolians' locust-like, all-out warfare that disregarded the rear.

Wanyan Chengyu completely miscalculated the Mongolian's offensive force.

Puxian Wannu would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

Wanyan Chengyu understood Puxian Wannu's ability, and now he had to believe it even if he didn't want to.

He immediately panicked and said, "Then what do we do?"

"It's over! The Badger's Mouth defense line is finished! The Yuhuling defense line is finished too! Let's go quickly, or you and I will be impaled on wooden donkeys by the barbarians." Puxian Wannu urged.

In fact, the Han people of this era called both the Mongolians and the Jurchens 'Tartars'.

However, the Jurchens couldn't call the Mongolians 'Tartars' without also cursing themselves, so they called the Mongolians 'Barbarians', despising their level of civilization.

"Alright! Let's leave immediately for Huihe Fort!"

At this time, another 500 reinforcements had arrived around the Jin army.

Wanyan Chengyu immediately made a decision and, under the protection of 2,000 soldiers, fled south towards Huihe Fort.

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"Lord Wanyan, what about the old Prime Minister?" Northwest Route Recruiting Envoy Nianhe Heda whispered a reminder.

Originally, the Jin Dynasty's northwest line was only defended by 100,000 troops, led by Northwest Route Recruiting Envoy Nianhe Heda and Deputy Commander Northwest Route Pacification Commissioner Wanyan Jiujin. Later, the troops were increased to 400,000, and Wanyan Chengyu and Duji Sizhong were stationed there.

Now, it was clear that Nianhe Heda was the second most important figure in the entire army after Wanyan Jiujin.

The old Prime Minister he was talking about was naturally the unconscious Wanyan Kuang.

Wanyan Chengyu bit his lip slightly and said, "Tie the old Prime Minister to a horse and take him away! We must not let the old Prime Minister be humiliated by the Mongolians!"

"Uh… yes."

Nianhe Heda certainly understood that, given Wanyan Kuang's physical condition, being tied to a horse and running away would kill him in less than a dozen miles.

But what could be done now? Was there a better choice?

Not to mention a living Wanyan Kuang, even if a dead Wanyan Kuang was impaled on a wooden donkey by the Mongolians, the Jin Dynasty couldn't afford to lose that face.

Also, even if the front line was defeated, what kind of blow to the Jin army's morale would it be if even the Prime Minister of the empire was impaled on a wooden donkey?

The sky would fall!

Therefore, Nianhe Heda hesitated for a moment and bowed to accept the order.

In short, Wanyan Chengyu, Nianhe Heda, and Puxian Wannu tied Wanyan Kuang to the back of a horse and, under the protection of 2,000 soldiers, fled south towards Huihe Fort.

Their escape immediately became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Wanyan Chengyu is running away!"

"We've been defeated!"

"Run! If we're late, the Mongolians will chop off our heads!"

"Go home! I'm not going to risk my life for the Jurchens!"

…

The Jin army's panicked voices rose and fell, abandoning the camp at Badger's Mouth and fleeing in a panic towards the rear.

Their escape led to the total collapse of the nearby defense lines. The nearby defense lines then led to the collapse of the more distant defense lines…

By noon the next day, the Jin Dynasty's 500-mile Yuhuling defense line had completely collapsed. The Jin soldiers abandoned the established camps and the large amount of supplies they had stockpiled, and fled madly towards the rear.

The Jin army's regular army was still thinking of joining Wanyan Chengyu at Huihe Fort.

Those poor conscripted soldiers, however, had no loyalty to the Jin Dynasty and fled madly in the direction of their respective hometowns.

At this time, the Mongolian army had already entered Black Wind Pass, cleared the iron chain carts that blocked the valley entrance, and the road was reopened, allowing them to fight on horseback.

Temujin gave an order, and after a short rest, the entire army divided into dozens of routes.

Half of the people were assigned to clean up the battlefield of the 500-mile Yuhuling defense line, while the other half were assigned to encircle and intercept the Jin army, making sure to keep as many Jin soldiers as possible on the road to escape.

…

Seven days later, the results of this battle were tallied.

"Our army captured a total of 135,647 enemies, including 37,586 Jin regular soldiers.

In addition, we seized over 137,000 sets of iron armor, 2,437 sets of armor for armored cavalry, 1,700 ballistae, and 5,300 divine arm bows…

Two3,000 taels of gold and 178,000 taels of silver.

The number of tents, camps, and flags is too large to be counted yet."

Hulan's voice, with its ups and downs, resounded in Temujin's golden tent.

Hearing about so many spoils, the Mongolian generals all showed joy on their faces.

Temujin said, "The Battle of Yuhuling is a crucial battle that will determine the fate of my Great Mongolian Empire. It is entirely due to the valiant battles of Imperial Son-in-Law Zhao Shuo and Chiliarch Mukuali, and the soldiers' brave killing of the enemy, that we were able to achieve such a glorious victory. The spoils of this battle cannot be distributed according to the regulations of the Great Jasagh."

He deliberately did not habitually call Zhao Shuo 'Ashuo', indicating the importance he attached to the Battle of Yuhuling.

After pausing for a moment, and waiting for the generals to fully digest this news, Temujin continued, "In this battle, I will only take 20% of the total spoils. Imperial Son-in-Law Zhao Shuo will take 30%, Mukuali will take 15%, and the remaining 35% will be divided equally among the others. How does that sound?"

"Genghis Khan is wise!"

"No objections!"

"This distribution method is very fair!"

…

The Mongolian nobles all nodded.

Originally, Mukuali was a chiliarch, so even if Temujin took 30% first and the rest was divided equally, he should have taken 10% of the spoils. Now, Mukuali risked danger, leading 3,000 elite troops to climb the cliff and attack the enemy by surprise, which only resulted in an extra half of the normal income, which was really not much at all.

Zhao Shuo was even more deserving.

He was the absolute main force in breaking through Badger's Mouth.

Of the nearly 20,000 Balu camp warriors under his command, only 9,000 remained.

Even the grassland warriors under his command suffered more than 1,400 casualties.

He also killed the Jurchen fierce general, Wanyan Jiujin, the Northwest Route Pacification Commissioner of the Great Jin Dynasty.

With such resounding achievements and contributions, who would dare to say that he took too much of the 30% of the spoils?

Besides, the Battle of Yuhuling was fought against the Jin Dynasty's army, so it was just a matter of seizing some armor and weapons, what was so great about that?

The real harvest would come later, at the Battle of Yue Ma Zhongdu!

Therefore, not only did the generals have no objections, some even suggested that Zhao Shuo's consort's share was too small. The spoils of the Battle of Zhongdu should be increased by half a share to compensate Consort Zhao Shuo.

Temujin readily accepted everyone's suggestion.

Then, Temujin announced the slaughter of cattle and sheep, and the distribution of wine to celebrate this great victory. Cheers resounded within the golden tent.

Of course, if the Mongol army wanted to attack Zhongdu, they had to break through Huaihe Fort first.

After Wanyan Chengyu retreated there in defeat, he gathered the remnants of his defeated troops. There were now more than 56,000 defenders inside Huaihe Fort.

Today, another 10,000 reinforcements arrived at Huaihe Fort.

These were not regular troops, but private soldiers from a dozen local tyrants, led by Xi Lieduan, the magistrate of Xuande County.

At this time of great chaos, the local tyrants saw an opportunity to establish meritorious service in this chaotic world, and be granted titles and positions. Who should they turn to? Compared to the fierce and brutal Mongols, whose language they didn't even understand, these local tyrants preferred the Great Jin Dynasty.

Xi Lieduan, the magistrate of Xuande County, was also a talented man. Hearing that Wanyan Chengyu had been defeated at Yehuling, he gathered these local tyrants together, bringing countless supplies of grain and grass to Huaihe Fort, offering timely assistance.

However, Wanyan Chengyu did not allow these so-called reinforcements to enter the city, but ordered them to camp outside the city.

He only allowed Xi Lieduan, the magistrate of Xuande County, to lead those dozen or so local tyrants into the city to see him.

Xi Lieduan was shocked when he saw Wanyan Chengyu.

Two months ago, when Wanyan Chengyu took office and passed through Xuande County, he had seen Wanyan Chengyu. At that time, Wanyan Chengyu was just over fifty years old, with a full head of black hair, energetic, and with a voice like a bell.

But the current Wanyan Chengyu had graying hair, at least half of it white.

His face was covered with countless wrinkles, his lips were chapped, and he looked listless. People would believe it if he said he was in his sixties.

It seemed that the defeat at Yehuling had been too great a blow to this Counselor Wanyan!

Although Xi Lieduan thought so, with his status, he was not even qualified to say words of comfort to Wanyan Chengyu.

"Let me introduce you, this is..."

After the greetings were over, Xi Lieduan smiled obsequiously, preparing to introduce these dozen or so local tyrants to Wanyan Chengyu.

Ten thousand miscellaneous soldiers were still soldiers, and these dozen or so local tyrants had to be appeased, right?

However, Wanyan Chengyu waved his hand slightly and said, "There is no need for introductions. The military situation is urgent. Now, this Counselor only asks you one thing."

"Counselor, please speak. This official will definitely answer everything I know."

"Uh..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Wanyan Chengyu hesitated. But in the end, he still opened his mouth with difficulty and said, "You are all locals and familiar with the local geography. Besides the official road, are there any small paths leading to... leading to Xuande County."

"..."

The smile on Xi Lieduan's face stopped abruptly, and all the local tyrants had extremely shocked expressions. The scene was silent.

Why wouldn't Wanyan Chengyu take the good official road, and instead wanted to take the small path to Xuande County? What could his purpose be?

It was nothing more than that he was afraid of being ambushed and captured by the Mongol army on the official road when they came to kill him, so he wanted to escape through the small path.

Okay, everyone came with a burning heart to help him defend Huaihe Fort. They were still hoping that after defending Huaihe Fort, the Great Jin Dynasty would reward everyone! But before the battle had even started, Wanyan Chengyu was already thinking about running away!

Wouldn't that make everyone fools for coming to rescue Huaihe Fort?

After asking this question, Wanyan Chengyu was a little embarrassed and lowered his head to pick up a book to read, trying to hide the awkwardness on his face.

However, hearing that no one answered, he became angry out of embarrassment.

Clang!

Wanyan Chengyu directly drew his long sword and held it horizontally against Xi Lieduan's neck, and said fiercely, "Speak! How do you get to the small path leading to Xuande County? If you don't speak, I'll kill you!"

"Although this official is a Khitan, I also know the principles of loyalty to the emperor and love for the country."

Faced with Wanyan Chengyu's threat, Xi Lieduan no longer had the cautious flattery he had shown earlier. His expression was solemn, and he said, "I'm not afraid to tell you that this official knows the small path to Xuande. However, Wanyan Chengyu, you are greedy for life and afraid of death, and only want to escape... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Wanyan Chengyu stabbed fiercely, directly piercing Xi Lieduan's heart!

This Khitan official who was loyal to the Jin Dynasty died on the spot.

Then, Wanyan Chengyu pointed his sword fiercely at a local tyrant and said, "Will you speak or not! If you don't speak, you'll end up like this old dog, Xi Lieduan!"

"I'll speak! I'll speak!"

That local tyrant didn't receive a penny of salary from the Jin Dynasty, so how could he have any loyalty to the Jin Dynasty? This time, he came to reinforce Huaihe Fort only to "seek wealth and status in danger."

Immediately, he honestly told Wanyan Chengyu how to get to that small path.

Of course, Wanyan Chengyu knew that what he had just done was not honorable, but he had been frightened by the Mongol army and really wanted to save his own life.

He didn't want to see these local tyrants anymore, waved his hand and said, "Huaihe Fort has the imperial army stationed there, as stable as Mount Tai. There is no need for you villagers to add to the chaos, go back."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Wanyan Chengyu didn't want to see these local tyrants again, and the local tyrants didn't want to see him either, so they quickly took their leave.

"Brother, let's go home!"

After leaving Huaihe Fort, Shi Jindao said dejectedly to his elder brother, Shi Bingzhi.

Many people are not clear about Shi Bingzhi, but his son Shi Tianze is much more famous.

One of the largest Han warlords in the north in historical records!

A prominent Han military commander!

Shi Tianze led his army to defeat the Jin general Wu Xian, and also captured and killed the Anti-Mongol Red Turban Army leader Peng Yibin. He was successively awarded the titles of Commander of Five Routes, Pacification Commissioner of Henan and other routes, Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, and Deputy Chief of the Privy Council. He also followed Ariq Böke on his expedition, quelled the Li Tan rebellion, and served as Left Chancellor of the Central Secretariat with Bayan.

As the saying goes, "He has been in and out of the government for fifty years, with no suspicion from above and no resentment from below."

This man was cautious throughout his life, resourceful and decisive, and advocated attacking the enemy's heart in military strategy, strongly advocating against killing and plundering. He was compared to figures like Guo Ziyi and Cao Bin by many people.

Of course, the current Shi Tianze is only ten years old, and his father Shi Bingzhi is still in charge of the family.

Shi Bingzhi is just a local tyrant in Yongqing County, with eight hundred private soldiers under his command.

Yongqing is not close to Huaihe Fort, more than five hundred miles away.

When the Mongols first invaded the Jin Dynasty, Shi Bingzhi, with his keen sense, realized that his opportunity had come.

He hurriedly smoothed out relationships, led eight hundred miscellaneous soldiers to Xuande, and learned of the Jin Dynasty's defeat at Yehuling. He also managed to smooth out his relationship with Xi Lieduan and met Wanyan Chengyu at Huaihe Fort. But he never dreamed that this would be the result, his hot face pressed against the cold ass of the Great Jin Dynasty.

"Go back my ass!" Shi Bingzhi said hatefully, "It's more than five hundred miles. We finally came here, are we going back?"

"Then what are we going to do next?"

"What to do? It's too easy!"

Although everyone around him was his own, Shi Bingzhi still lowered his voice and said, "This world doesn't just have one dynasty. If the Jin Dynasty doesn't want us, we'll join the Mongols!"

"Join the Mongols? What about our families?" Shi Jindao looked hesitant.

Shi Bingzhi said, "Who knows that we have joined the Mongols? What evidence is there? Even if this matter is leaked, with our family's business in Yongqing for hundreds of years, delaying it for a few days is no problem. When the Mongols break through Huaihe Fort, the front will be a flat plain, and there will be great chaos in the world immediately. Then we will send someone to secretly bring our families here, and that will be it."

Shi Jindao was still a little worried and said, "We can't even speak Mongolian, will they trust us?"

Shi Bingzhi was full of confidence and said, "Not all Mongols can't speak Chinese. I have already inquired clearly that the number one warrior under Genghis Khan, Consort Zhao Shuo, is a descendant of the Han people. He also integrated our Han characters into the Mongolian script.

Such a person will definitely speak Chinese. He himself is a Han, so would he dislike us?

"That's right!" Shi Jindao's eyes lit up and said, "Maybe because we are Han, Consort Zhao Shuo will think highly of us."

Shi Bingzhi shook his head slightly and said, "Don't dream about this kind of opportunistic thing. If Consort Zhao Shuo thinks highly of the Han people, the Mongols will not tolerate him. As long as we can get fair treatment, we can gain fame on horseback. We must rely on the merits we have earned with our knives and guns to be valued by the consort."

Shi Jindao said, "Then shall we go north now to join Consort Zhao Shuo?"

"Don't worry." Shi Bingzhi had been speaking in a low voice just now, but now he directly leaned into Shi Jindao's ear and said, "With these few hundred miscellaneous soldiers, can the consort look up to us? Before we see the consort, we have to prepare a big gift first."

"What big gift?"

"Isn't Wanyan Chengyu going to take the small path? We'll ambush him on that small path, capture him alive, and use him as a gift to meet the consort!"

In the original history, Shi Bingzhi took the initiative to lead his troops and families, totaling thousands of people, to Zhuozhou to join Muqali's command during the second Mongol invasion of the Jin Dynasty.

Now, Zhao Shuo has changed history, and Shi Bingzhi's target has become him, and he also wants to prepare to take Wanyan Chengyu as a meeting gift.