Ch.105Occupation War (4)

“The order from Gurkhan had been issued.”

Bulqa passed the order he had received to his adjutant.

After reading it, the adjutant looked at Bulqa with a surprised expression.

“Are you saying we should divide our forces even further from here?”

“That’s right. Gurkhan wishes for the Mongol warriors to devour Western Liao more quickly.”

Bulqa smiled as if he found it amusing.

The adjutant’s expression suggested he doubted whether this was possible.

“I hear that the vanguard led by Borjigin Toghrul Khan has already captured Almaliq.”

“Al-already, sir?”

“Yes. Moreover, Temujin, who led the battle, secured Almaliq’s surrender without any casualties, using strategy alone.”

“As expected of Gurkhan’s son.”

“Indeed. The tiger’s cub is still a tiger.”

Bulqa nodded with a smile.

Then he turned his head to look at his soldiers.

“We are subordinates of that tiger. We serve Gurkhan, the incarnation of Dai-chi Tengri who leads Burkhan Khaldun. What could possibly be beyond our capabilities?”

“Nothing, sir!”

“The warriors of the Ulus know no fear!”

Confirming the high morale of his soldiers, Bulqa nodded.

Then he drew his sword and shouted loudly.

“Warriors of the Ulus! Draw your swords! Show those Western Liao bastards who we are!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

“Blessings to the Ulus!”

“The protection of God and Tengri is with us!”

With those words, the adjutants leading the hundred-man units began to move with their soldiers.

Seeing this, Bulqa turned to his adjutant and gave instructions.

“Let’s move as well.”

“I obey the Darughachi’s command.”

Thus, Bulqa began to move with his hundred-man unit.

Wherever he went, white flags were raised. This was because those who resisted did not die peacefully.

For this reason, the villages of Western Liao didn’t even dare think of resisting him.

* * *

While Mongol forces were spreading throughout Western Liao, the situation in Qara-Ordo, the capital of Western Liao, was not good.

“Search everywhere!”

“Find it quickly!”

Adjutants under Xiao Apgang’s orders roamed around with swords.

Yet they couldn’t find what they were looking for.

Angered by this, the adjutants began threatening the court ladies with their swords.

“Speak up. Otherwise, I’ll cut off your head.”

“I… I really don’t know. I really don’t know!”

“Don’t lie! You attend to the Emperor, how could you not know?”

“I… really don’t know, my lord…”

The adjutant beheaded the court lady who was begging for her life.

Seeing this, the other court ladies began trembling in fear.

“If you don’t tell us where the Emperor has disappeared to, I’ll continue killing you all.”

“Speak up! Then I’ll spare you!”

The court ladies were at a loss in the face of this brutality.

Suddenly, an elderly official stepped forward to stop Xiao Apgang’s adjutant.

“What are you doing! Even in rebellion, there are things one must not do! How can you kill innocent lives so cruelly!”

Buddhism was the main religion of the Liao Dynasty.

For this reason, both nobles and officials were Buddhists.

This was why the elderly official was condemning the adjutant for unnecessary killing.

“Ha! This old man has lost his mind. He’s too old to even understand the current situation.”

“Mind your words! I am a Great Liao—”

At that moment, the adjutant thrust his sword into the elderly official’s stomach.

The official trembled and then collapsed.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Hii… hiiieek!”

Seeing the screaming court ladies, the adjutant shrugged and glared at them.

“This is what happens when you act foolishly. Understand?”

“Uh… uuh…”

“Now, who will be the first to tell me where the Emperor has disappeared to? Speak up. Will you speak? Or…”

The adjutant reached out and grabbed a court lady by her hair.

The youngest court lady was dragged and tumbled to the floor.

“P-please spare me. Please spare me, my lord.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll spare you. Just tell me properly.”

“I… I haven’t been here long…”

“Tsk.”

As the adjutant’s eyes turned fierce, the young court lady immediately prostrated herself.

Then she began explaining what she knew.

“I… I don’t know exactly, but I… I saw many court ladies moving to the eastern annex the other day.”

“You wench! How dare you tell such lies!”

“You animal!”

The other court ladies cursed at the young one.

Noticing that this information was true, the adjutant smiled and stood up.

“So that’s it. You all knew but wouldn’t say.”

The adjutant gestured to summon his soldiers.

Numerous soldiers appeared from somewhere.

“Kill them all. Their crime is lying from the start. Oh, and…”

The adjutant smiled as he looked at the court lady prostrated on the floor.

He placed his sword against her head and murmured softly.

“I’ll spare you. However, for speaking up late, I’ll cut out your tongue as punishment.”

Having one’s tongue cut out was essentially the same as being killed.

The young court lady, realizing too late that she had been deceived, looked at the adjutant with a hollow expression.

The adjutant looked at the court lady as if it didn’t matter and turned away.

Then he moved to report to his lord, Xiao Apgang.

After he disappeared, countless screams echoed behind him.

“Your Excellency. We’ve finally discovered where the Emperor has disappeared to.”

“Good. Where is he hiding?”

“It seems he’s hiding in the eastern annex of the palace. According to the court ladies, many attendants were heading there.”

“The east, you say.”

Xiao Apgang smiled maliciously.

This was because the eastern palace was the residence of Empress Dowager Ganqian.

It was an unforgettable place for Xiao Apgang, as his father had been executed there by the current Emperor.

“I’ll go myself.”

“We will follow Your Excellency.”

Xiao Apgang headed to the eastern palace with his soldiers.

Upon arrival, imperial guards hidden in the forest rushed out.

“Die, you traitor!”

“Son of a treacherous minister! Face divine punishment!”

It was a perfect ambush, but their numbers were too few.

As a result, they were all blocked by Xiao Apgang’s soldiers.

And they were counterattacked and killed.

“How annoying.”

Xiao Apgang said this as he hurried his steps.

As he approached the entrance of the eastern palace, a man was standing proudly.

“…Emperor.”

“Xiao Apgang.”

The Liao Emperor was looking at the lake in the eastern palace as if nothing had happened.

His appearance was so peaceful that Xiao Apgang momentarily forgot that he had come to kill the Emperor.

That’s how peaceful the Emperor looked.

It was none other than the Emperor who broke this serene peace.

“You’ve come to kill me, Xiao Apgang.”

“Yes, you false being.”

“False? That word applies to you, Xiao Apgang.”

“…”

“I killed your treacherous father. In return, I spared you and allowed your family line to continue.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you falsely accused my father for your own power!”

The Emperor silently looked at Xiao Apgang.

Then he began to laugh loudly.

“Hahaha!”

“…”

“You’re insane. Completely insane.”

At the Emperor’s words, Xiao Apgang drew his sword.

Despite seeing the sword, the Emperor spoke proudly without intimidation.

“Ten years ago, there was a drought in Liao. The country distributed rice to show compassion for the people.”

“Why are you telling this story?”

“Have you forgotten who embezzled that rice?”

“…”

“It was your father. A parasite sucking the blood of the people. A filthy insect living off power. And…”

“Shut up!”

Xiao Apgang rushed toward the Emperor.

The Emperor looked at him as if he had no intention of avoiding it.

As a result, Xiao Apgang’s sword pierced the Emperor’s stomach.

“Kuhuk.”

“How dare… how dare you insult my father!”

The Emperor was mocking Xiao Apgang even as he coughed up blood.

And suppressing his pain, he uttered his final words.

“Son of a power-crazed woman and a bastard who danced to her tune. You will forever be manipulated by outsiders.”

“…”

Xiao Apgang’s face was filled with anger.

He looked at the dying Emperor and slowly pulled out his sword.

“Kuhuk.”

The Emperor tumbled to the floor.

Xiao Apgang looked down at the Emperor, then turned his head and ordered his adjutant.

“Search this area thoroughly. The Crown Prince is still alive. The coup will only be complete when the Crown Prince is dead too.”

“I obey Your Excellency’s command.”

The adjutant dispatched soldiers to search the eastern palace.

While Xiao Apgang was searching for the Crown Prince, a man appeared before him.

“You’ve finally achieved your revenge.”

That man was none other than Kuchlug.

At his appearance, Xiao Apgang nodded.

“Yes.”

“Was your revenge satisfying?”

“…”

Xiao Apgang did not speak.

Instead, he was mulling over the Emperor’s last words.

“Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”

Kuchlug smiled and dismounted from his horse.

Then he approached Xiao Apgang.

“Now, kneel, Gunlimdokmoa.”

At the sudden change in tone, Xiao Apgang glared at Kuchlug.

Despite this expression, Kuchlug did not erase the smile on his face.

“Kneel and show respect to the new Emperor.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“How insolent. I should punish you for disrespect before the Emperor, but considering your contribution in leading the coup, I’ll overlook it this once.”

Kuchlug said this as he took something out from his breast pocket.

Seeing it, Xiao Apgang could only widen his eyes.

“…You… deceived me.”

Kuchlug did not respond to Xiao Apgang’s accusation.

Instead, he demanded submission with his eyes.

Cavalry loyal to Kuchlug stood beside him.

If Xiao Apgang refused now, he would no longer be able to preserve his life.

It was a bad situation.

Therefore, Xiao Apgang had no choice but to submit.

“I will follow… the will of the great Emperor of Great Liao.”

It was a humiliating situation, but he had no other choice.

In Xiao Apgang’s mind, the last words of the Emperor he had stabbed kept echoing.