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

Looking at the campfires scattered like stars under Mount Kangher Han, the Taiyang Khan panicked. The number of fires was several times greater than the number of troops he had gathered. How could they possibly win this battle?

In fact, he had no idea that this was a plan devised by Dorje, a Cherbi under Temujin's command: each Mongolian warrior would light five campfires to create the illusion of a large number of troops, confusing the Naiman people.

The Taiyang Khan was indeed fooled. His arrogance turned into inferiority, and he quickly ordered a new decree to be issued: "Although the Mongolian warhorses are weak, they have too many men. We are probably no match for them. We should slowly retreat, leading them all the way to the foot of the Altai Mountains before engaging in a decisive battle. Our warhorses are strong and well-fed, so they can use the journey to digest their food and prepare for battle. By then, the Mongolian horses will be exhausted, and we can give them a head-on blow to achieve final victory."

Three orders were changed in a single day.

With such inconsistent and fickle orders, the soldiers of the Naiman tribe had no will to fight.

...

...

That night, in the camp of Naiman Prince Kuchlug.

"Jamukha Sechen, what do you think of this decree from our father?" Kuchlug asked slowly, his face full of sorrow.

"Sechen" translates to "wise man" in Chinese. Jamukha was known for his wisdom on the grasslands, and "Sechen" was a term of respect people used for him.

Jamukha poured himself a cup of mare's milk wine, smiled, and said faintly, "Why does the Prince ask what he already knows? If you think the Taiyang Khan's decree is correct, you should execute it immediately. Why else would you summon a defeated general like me to drink with you?"

Kuchlug refilled Jamukha's cup, nodded slightly, and sighed, "Yes, Father first issued a decree saying that our army would surely win. But only half a day has passed, and now he wants to avoid the Mongolians' advance. Such inconsistent orders are obvious to even a blind man. Father is not only unfit to sit on the throne, but he is also afraid of the Mongolians. But as the Naiman Prince, the son of the Khan, what should I do?"

*Thump!*

Kuchlug suddenly knelt before Jamukha and said, "Jamukha Sechen, you are the wisest man I have ever met. Please, teach me."

"In fact, Your Highness, you are also a rare hero in my life, Jamukha." Jamukha helped Kuchlug up and said two straightforward words: "Leave!"

"Leave? Where to?"

"Go to the Liao Kingdom, the Xia Kingdom, or even Khwarazm! In short, don't stay here! The Naiman people are finished!"

"Then what about you? Come with me! I swear to treat you as a teacher, no, as a father."

"What a good child. Seeing you reminds me of my younger self. But..." Jamukha shook his head with a wry smile, as if talking about a trivial matter, and said, "I am old, my legs are not good, I can't run anymore, and I can't kneel anymore. Let me end my life on this grassland!"

"You..."

Jamukha didn't mind at all and said faintly, "It's up to you. There are advantages to leaving tonight, and there are advantages to not leaving. But no matter when you leave, the road ahead will be extremely difficult."

"I understand."

Of course, Kuchlug understood that leaving the Naiman and seeking refuge in a foreign land would involve countless hardships and dangers, and he would have to endure countless humiliations that ordinary people could not endure before he could possibly make a comeback.

And his life could have been so much easier!

If he were the Naiman Khan now, instead of just the Naiman Prince, he might have had a chance to fight Temujin! If he could unite with certain allies and make Temujin submit, it wouldn't be impossible!

It's all his father's fault!

Not only is he going to ruin the foundation left by his ancestors, but he has also put him in such a situation!

"Someone!"

Kuchlug said loudly, filled with resentment: "Tell my father this from the Prince: He is as cowardly as a woman, and he actually said such things. The total population of the eastern grasslands is fixed, how could the Mongolians have so many people? Father hasn't even walked as far as a pregnant woman urinates, and he hasn't even been to the pasture where calves graze, what does he know? He is cowardly, and the decrees he issued are all nonsense, not as insightful as a woman!"

Kuchlug's words were harsh enough, but some people's words were even more intense.

The Naiman general Horisu Beqi also rejected the Taiyang Khan's decree and replied, "Your father, Inanch Khan, never let the enemy see his back when fighting enemies of similar numbers. If I had known you were so cowardly, I would have simply let Gur Besu, that woman, lead the army! You cowardly and incompetent Khan, I look down on you!"

The Taiyang Khan was furious when he heard these reports and immediately issued a new decree: "Who said this Khan is cowardly? I am just choosing the most suitable way to fight. Since the soldiers are unwilling to retreat, then let's go and fight the Mongolians tomorrow!"

Therefore, the next day, the Naiman Khan gave an order, and the entire army descended from the mountain stronghold of Kangher Han to fight the Mongolians in a decisive battle.

At this point, the battle methods on the grasslands were completely different from those in other regions.

In Temujin's words, it was: "Advance like a mountain peach forest, array like a sea of lakes."

"Mountain peach forest" refers to the sparse, low-lying shrubs distributed on the Mongolian grasslands, meaning that groups of three to five cavalrymen would approach the enemy in a scattered and flexible manner. "Sea of lakes" is the Mongolian term for the lakes on the grasslands, describing the vastness of the troop formation, like a large lake that cannot be seen to the edge.

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This was the most suitable battle tactic for a major battle that the grassland people had evolved after two hundred years of the Dark Ages.

"Horisu Beqi, haven't you always scolded this Khan for being inferior to even a woman? Now, you lead your troops to fight the Mongolians! Let me see what abilities you, this grassland warrior, have."

Since Horisu Beqi dared to scold the Taiyang Khan like that last night, he must have had some reliance. Among the many Naiman generals, Horisu Beqi was the most valiant.

The Taiyang Khan believed that sending Horisu Beqi out in the first battle was already a demonstration of great importance to this battle.

The Naiman army, seeing Horisu Beqi go into battle, would surely be greatly encouraged.

However, what he never expected was...

"Mongolian warriors, follow your Khan!"

At this crucial moment that would determine the fate of the entire grassland, the first to go into battle for the Mongolians was actually Temujin himself.

"Long live! Long live!"

"Follow the Great Khan!"

"May the Eternal Heaven bless us, the unification of the grasslands is just around the corner!"

...

Seeing their Khan start to fight desperately, the Mongolian army shouted loudly, their morale soaring!