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

Mu Huali's eyes lit up. "That's exactly what we want – not enough room to hide many ambush troops! Jebe, you wouldn't have thought of it, and neither would the Kerait pursuers! Setting up an ambush like this, catching them off guard, even though we have fewer men, the chances of success are extremely high!"

Temujin also nodded slightly, saying, "The Black Pine Forest is indeed an excellent place for an ambush. But Zhao Shuo, how did you happen to escape to the Black Pine Forest? And how, in such a hurry, did you think of setting up an ambush there? If I'm not mistaken, the ambush in the Black Pine Forest, like feeding the horses bean feed in advance, was something you had planned long ago, right?"

"Great Khan is wise!" Zhao Shuo said, "I did formulate some contingency plans for retreating after a defeat. There's a saying among the Han people, 'Better safe than sorry.' There's also a saying, 'Preparedness ensures success, lack of preparation ensures failure.' Foresight is the key to invincibility!"

Temujin nodded slightly, saying, "Zhao Yong must have taught you all this, right? Han culture is indeed profound and extensive."

Temujin knew Zhao Shuo's background very well. Before joining Temujin's command, Zhao Shuo's mother had died early, and he had always depended on his father, Zhao Yong, for survival, living under the protection of the Qiyan tribe.

Therefore, Temujin surmised that Zhao Shuo's Han knowledge could only have come from his father, Zhao Yong.

Sometimes, Temujin couldn't help but wonder, Han culture is so profound and extensive, and it can produce geniuses like Zhao Shuo. How could the Jingkang Incident have happened? And how could they have failed to recover the lands occupied by the Jurchens for a hundred years?

Don't bring up Zhao Shuo being a descendant of Emperor Taizu of Song; that was two hundred years ago.

Now, the Song Dynasty has probably tens of thousands of descendants of Zhao Kuangyin alone, possibly more than a hundred thousand!

If the Great Song could put several people like Zhao Shuo to good use, why would they fear the Jin Kingdom? Those Jin dogs aren't that strong anyway!

I don't understand!

I really don't understand!

Regardless, because of Zhao Shuo, Temujin not only didn't have the slightest contempt for the Han people and their culture, but was instead filled with longing and respect.

Zhao Shuo nodded slightly, saying, "These things were indeed taught to me by my father."

"And then? You set up an ambush in the Black Pine Forest and succeeded?"

"Yes, we succeeded. At the time, I and the Fourth Prince led three hundred elite troops and lay in ambush inside the Black Pine Forest. The pursuers, seeing that my main force had already passed through the Black Pine Forest, were completely unprepared and chased closely. When the pursuers' commander reached the Black Pine Forest, the Fourth Prince and I led the ambush troops and charged out together, directly attacking and killing the pursuers' commander!"

"Who was the commander of the pursuers?"

Hasar interjected, "It was that guy Sangkun! Seeing that Zhao Shuo had saved Khutulun, that guy Sangkun got anxious and led his troops to chase relentlessly. Zhao Shuo and the Fourth, suddenly ambushing from the dense forest, scared Sangkun out of his wits, and he turned his horse to flee!"

Temujin was very calm, saying, "My sworn brother has more troops. In a sudden ambush, with unclear circumstances, he didn't engage you in a direct confrontation, but instead mobilized his troops to encircle and suppress the ambushers. His decision wasn't wrong."

Sangkun was Wang Han's only son.

Temujin had sworn brotherhood with Wang Han, so although Sangkun hadn't formally sworn brotherhood with Temujin, he was naturally Temujin's sworn brother.

However, Sangkun was arrogant and conceited, and he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred because Temujin's reputation surpassed his own. He repeatedly provoked the relationship between the Kerait and Mongol tribes, determined to eliminate Temujin.

Zhao Shuo not only covered Temujin's escape but also rescued Khutulun from the encirclement, which was equivalent to pulling a prank on Sangkun.

How could Sangkun endure this?

He was furious and chased relentlessly. As a result, he tried to steal a chicken but lost rice instead, and was ambushed by Zhao Shuo!

"Run? Could Sangkun run away?" Hasar said, beaming, "Zhao Shuo took the lead, unstoppable! Sangkun, surrounded by heavy guards, was still shot through the cheek by Zhao Shuo's arrow, entering from the left cheek and exiting from the right. Sangkun's face looked like it had two wooden stakes sticking out! Haha!"

Temujin's heart stirred, saying, "Hasar, did you see it?"

"Of course, I saw it. I had already broken out of the Kerait encirclement alone. But unfortunately, I ran into Sangkun's troops chasing Zhao Shuo, and they captured me alive with a lasso, tied me to a horse's back, so I saw it clearly," Hasar said somewhat embarrassedly.

After a pause, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Regardless of whether Sangkun's defeat was real or feigned, after being shot by Zhao Shuo's arrow, the feigned defeat became real. The Kerait people escorted Sangkun away to the south, and Zhao Shuo chased closely, so I took the opportunity to escape. But, unfortunately, Tolui was shot in the neck during this battle…"

"No need to say more," Temujin said with a somber expression, "It's already a great blessing that Khutulun and Zhao Shuo were able to return alive. How can I dare to have more extravagant hopes? After we have pacified Wang Han, we will find Tolui's body and bury him properly."

"What are you talking about, Big Brother?" Hasar said, full of confusion, "Did I say something wrong? Who told you that Tolui died?"

"Could it be that Tolui is still alive?"

Hasar said, "Of course, Tolui is alive. He was only shot in the neck. I helped him pull out the arrow and cauterized the wound with a red-hot iron, so it's not a big deal. I think he'll be lively again in a few days."

"Then… where is he now?" Temujin's voice was trembling slightly.

A heartless man is not necessarily a hero!

How can one not be a husband if one loves his son?

Now, hearing that Tolui was still alive, how could Temujin not be extremely excited?

Hasar explained, "Tolui was so seriously injured, of course, he had to lead the army slowly from behind!"

"Yes," Zhao Shuo interjected, "The Fourth Prince was injured and is leading the army slowly from behind. I was worried about the Khan's safety, so I, Hasar, and Khutulun rode fast horses to report to the Khan."

"What? Zhao Shuo, that army under your command is… still there?"

At this moment, Temujin unknowingly grasped Zhao Shuo's wrist tightly, hardly believing his ears!

You must know that Temujin and Wang Han both belonged to the same lineage on the grasslands, and their methods of using troops were completely similar. When pursuing fleeing enemies, they wouldn't just send one troop to chase from behind, but would spread out a net of hundreds of miles, constantly detouring and encircling to intercept.

Originally, Temujin had always thought that even if Zhao Shuo had achieved a small victory in the Black Pine Forest, he had only temporarily shaken off the pursuers.

He was still far from completely escaping!

To put it bluntly, if it were so easy to break through, would Temujin, such a hero, have been reduced to only eighteen cavalry?

Therefore, in Temujin's mind, Zhao Shuo and Khutulun being able to return successfully was already equivalent to being favored by the Eternal Sky, and he was extremely content.