Ch.110 Qara-Ordo (3)

Kuchlug couldn’t help but be greatly surprised by the Mongol army’s attack.

Not only had the Mongol forces arrived faster than he expected, but he hadn’t noticed their approach at all.

Of course, part of the reason was that he had been distracted, focusing on seizing the throne with Xiao Apgang’s help.

But even considering that, it was problematic that no one had reported to him when the Mongol army had advanced right to their doorstep.

No one had reported it.

That could only mean one thing.

“It means they don’t recognize me as the Emperor of Western Liao.”

Kuchlug gritted his teeth.

From the perspective of the Western Liao officials, he was an outsider, a foreigner, and merely a usurper of the throne.

Of course, it was natural for the Western Liao officials not to recognize or follow Kuchlug as emperor.

But Kuchlug had no intention of appeasing or understanding such officials.

“Gather the soldiers.”

At Kuchlug’s command, his aide bowed.

After a short while, Naiman warriors assembled under Kuchlug.

“Everyone, take up your weapons. We’re heading to the palace.”

The soldiers followed his orders and took up their weapons.

Then they headed straight for the palace where the officials were gathered.

“Wh-what is happening?”

“Wh-what is this about…?”

The officials wore expressions of considerable shock at the sudden arrival of the emperor and his soldiers.

This was understandable, as Kuchlug and his soldiers had an ominous atmosphere about them, and weapons were in their hands.

Unlike the restless officials, Kuchlug remained calm.

He slowly walked toward an elderly official standing before him.

“Chief Secretary.”

“Y-yes, your command. Ku… no, Y-Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Do you still find it difficult to address me as Emperor?”

“N-no. Absolutely not.”

The elderly official holding the high position of Chief Secretary answered while trembling.

Seeing this, Kuchlug shrugged and patted the elderly official’s shoulder as if addressing a friend.

“Then why did you not immediately address me as Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Th-that is…”

Kuchlug drew his sword with a smile.

The Chief Secretary tried to say something, but Kuchlug’s sword was faster.

“Guh… gack…”

“L-Lord Chief Secretary!”

“My lord! My lord!”

When the official collapsed from Kuchlug’s sword thrust, the surrounding officials were shocked.

Looking at the officials gripped by fear, Kuchlug continued with a smile.

“A large Mongol force has arrived right at our doorstep, here in Qara-Ordo.”

“…”

“…”

The officials began exchanging glances.

Seeing this, Kuchlug wore an expression that said “just as I thought” as he pulled his sword from the official’s body.

“Kuh…”

Blood gushed from the abdomen of the elderly official sprawled on the floor.

And the blood from there soaked the floor.

Kuchlug looked indifferently at the official before glaring at everyone with his sword resting on his shoulder.

“Not a single one of you reported this fact to me.”

“Th-that’s because… Y-Your Majesty ordered us to prioritize finding the crown pr… I mean, the criminal…”

“Do you think that’s an acceptable excuse?”

Kuchlug pointed his sword at the official who made the excuse.

Seeing this, the official prostrated himself on the floor to save his life.

“Poor, pitiful ones. This is why I despise learned men.”

“…”

“You breathe lies as easily as air, disguise daggers as well-crafted words of goodwill, and smile while stabbing others in the back.”

At this, the officials immediately prostrated themselves as if to deny it.

Kuchlug looked at them and continued calmly.

“When you act like this, I have no choice but to drive you to the battlefield as arrow fodder.”

At this chilling statement, the officials began begging for their lives.

Seeing this, Kuchlug spoke as if granting them one last chance.

“Do you want to live?”

“W-we want to live.”

“P-please spare us, Your Majesty.”

“Very well. Then surrender all your private soldiers to me. Only then will I spare your lives.”

“P-private soldiers, you say?”

“Yes. They will go to the battlefield in your place.”

At Kuchlug’s words, everyone was speechless.

If they surrendered their private soldiers as demanded, they would have no means to protect their families from Mongol raiders when they attacked.

Seeing their hesitation, Kuchlug immediately ordered his soldiers.

“Bind them all, gouge out their eyes, and cut off their heels. Then place them outside the walls in that state.”

Without eyes, they would be unable to see.

Additionally, without heels, they could walk but not run.

So Kuchlug’s order meant only one thing.

He intended to use them as arrow fodder.

“I will obey your command, Your Majesty.”

As the Naiman soldiers with swords approached, the Western Liao officials begged for mercy.

But the emperor remained unmoved. Eventually, the officials had no choice but to surrender all their private soldiers to the emperor.

When all the private soldiers from the noble families gathered under the emperor’s command, they numbered close to 10,000.

Though they didn’t know the exact strength of the Mongol forces, this number would be sufficient for a comfortable defense using the city walls.

If they took defensive positions and issued imperial orders to all cities in Western Liao to converge on Qara-Ordo, it wouldn’t be difficult to expel the Mongol forces.

Thinking this, Kuchlug looked at the officials.

The officials, prostrated on the floor, gritted their teeth and prayed to the gods that Kuchlug would meet the most miserable end.

* * *

“It’s beautifully clear.”

The sky was so clear it felt almost transparent.

Though not as vast as the Mongolian steppe, Western Liao also had extensive grasslands, allowing one to feel such clear weather on their skin.

“It’s perfect weather for destroying Western Liao, my Khagan.”

I nodded at Elunka’s words.

Then I turned my head to look toward Qara-Ordo.

“How long will it take to reach Qara-Ordo from here?”

“If we change horses twice, we could arrive in half a day.”

We were currently in the city of Kucha, which was under Kerik’s control.

From this city at the entrance of the Charyn Valley, it would take a day and a half to reach Qara-Ordo, making it possible to support Toghrul Khan’s vanguard today.

Again, such rapid advances were only possible for the Mongols in the medieval era.

“That’s fortunate. We’re moving quickly.”

With clear weather and no clouds, it was suitable for field operations.

So I planned to rush immediately to join Temujin’s forces and continue the siege.

With these thoughts, Elunka, I, and the main force moved quickly toward Qara-Ordo.

As the sun began to set and dusk crept in, a soldier carrying a white flag approached our unit.

Judging by his insignia, he appeared to be one of Toghrul Khan’s soldiers.

“I greet the great Gurkhan.”

“Who are you?”

“I am an aide serving Darughachi Toghrul. When we received word that Gurkhan was coming here, the Darughachi sent me.”

It seemed he had been sent as a guide because the valley was complex.

I nodded and followed Toghrul’s aide.

With the guide’s help, my unit and I were able to join Toghrul’s forces a bit earlier than expected.

“Welcome, Anda.”

Toghrul approached me with open arms.

I tilted my head and looked at him curiously.

This was because if a siege was underway, Toghrul shouldn’t have been here.

So his presence made me wonder if the siege wasn’t actually in progress.

“Don’t worry. My son-in-law is currently busy breaking down the outskirts of Qara-Ordo.”

“The outskirts of the walls?”

I was confused by what this meant.

Seeming to understand my confusion, Toghrul continued his explanation.

“Yes. According to the surrendered Crown Prince of Western Liao, that’s the weak point.”

With unfamiliar information continuing to come in, question marks kept appearing in my head.

In this war against Western Liao, I was playing the role of central control.

In military terms, I was responsible for assessing the overall situation of the war from the command and control room and issuing appropriate commands.

In this capacity, I had made the decision to split our forces.

As a result, reports were coming in daily from hundreds of units spread throughout Western Liao.

Of course, controlling all of these and issuing appropriate commands for each situation was nearly impossible.

But at the very least, as the commander-in-chief, I needed to be aware of the situation, so I was checking all reports, even staying up all night.

In this situation, I had received a report that Temujin’s army had reached Qara-Ordo and immediately begun a siege.

With this report, I had to organize all other reports to support the vanguard.

Anyway, I belatedly recalled that among the last reports was the fact of the Western Liao Crown Prince’s surrender.

“According to reports, the Crown Prince of Western Liao is about 7 years old. Is that correct?”

“That’s right. However, wolves already dwell in that child’s eyes.”

The expression “wolves dwelling in one’s eyes” was common on the steppe.

Due to frequent wars, children of the steppe often lost parents and family at a young age.

Such children had to become wolves to survive and for revenge.

From this, I understood that the Western Liao Crown Prince, Yelu Zhilugu, had turned to the Mongols to avenge his father, Emperor Renzong.

“I understand that Yelu Zhilugu has surrendered. But separately, why are you here?”

“We are waiting for Temujin’s orders here.”

Dei-Sechen appeared beside Toghrul.

I couldn’t help but be surprised that even Dei-Sechen was here instead of on the battlefield.

“Don’t worry, my Gurkhan. Temujin is already an excellent general.”

Instead, Dei-Sechen was reassuring me.

I could only roll my eyes looking at Toghrul and Dei-Sechen.