Ch.55Conquest (1)

Even in an unfavorable situation, I couldn’t abandon Khara-Khoto when it was just one step away from being conquered.

The only way to overcome this situation was to capture Khara-Khoto as quickly as possible.

“Inform all troops to occupy the inner fortress of Khara-Khoto as soon as possible.”

“I receive your orders, my lord.”

Elunka, who had received my command, hurriedly left the ger.

After he left, I sat in my chair and let out a long sigh.

“Haah… I never thought it would come to this.”

I felt I had been too complacent.

The belated thought that I should have been more careful washed over me.

Regret.

Since coming to this world, I had been riding a wave of success, which led to my arrogance.

At that moment, something flowed into my mind.

Hearing it, I shook my head.

“Don’t give me advice, Yesugei.”

Yesugei had suggested throwing corpses into the inner fortress, just as he had done in the past.

I immediately rejected the original body owner’s suggestion.

If we conquered Khara-Khoto using Yesugei’s method, it would only lead to worse results than not conquering it at all.

“Once you decide to show mercy, you shouldn’t waver. That’s what makes a leader, Yesugei.”

After my firm response, Yesugei fell silent as if telling me to do as I pleased.

I sighed, shook my head, and then stood up.

“There’s no time for regret. I’ll correct my mistake. That’s how the ulus will survive.”

I couldn’t let the ulus collapse like this.

* * *

The numerous soldiers who had fled to the inner fortress wore troubled expressions.

This was because they could hear the screams of their families, relatives, and friends outside the gates, begging to be saved.

“Save me! Let me in too!”

“I’ll be fine, but please, I beg you, at least take my wife and children! Please! I’m asking as your friend!”

“Son! We’ll be fine, but please send your sister and younger brother inside!”

The soldiers found it difficult to maintain their composure as they heard these pleas from people pounding on the walls with their hands or scratching them with their fingernails.

“Is this how we should live?”

“If my family all dies, what reason do I have to live?”

“Mother… Father… *sob*… don’t forgive this unfilial son… *sob*…”

The lieutenant watching the soldiers cry out in anguish felt the same way.

This was because his own wife and son were also outside.

He had tried to secretly let them in,

but couldn’t do so because it would affect the morale of the soldiers.

As if understanding the lieutenant’s feelings, his wife and son had smiled and told him it was okay as they saw him off.

“…Honey…son…”

The lieutenant lowered his head and wiped away his tears.

But knowing that the soldiers who trusted and followed him would be affected if they saw this, he gritted his teeth and held back his tears.

When he raised his head, what caught his eye was none other than Li Deyun’s annex.

“…”

Li Deyun’s annex, where everything inside was clearly visible due to the light.

Inside, he could clearly see Li Deyun sitting between two women who were fawning over him.

When a woman picked up food for him, Li Deyun accepted it.

When a woman poured him alcohol, Li Deyun laughed heartily and toyed with the woman attending to him.

The lieutenant couldn’t help but grind his teeth at the luxurious scene that made it hard to tell whether they were at war or not.

“…Is this right?”

As a soldier of Western Xia, the lieutenant had always endured with the mindset of serving his country.

But it was difficult for him to accept that the general he trusted and followed would behave like this during wartime.

Moreover, Li Deyun had even abandoned his honor as a soldier.

“I heard he didn’t surrender to the Mongols or pay tribute, and that’s why this happened.”

“That’s right. I heard it from the soldiers stationed at the north gate.”

“They say he even tried to deceive the Mongols by beheading the innocent strategist…”

The soldiers’ rumors spread faster than expected.

As a result, most soldiers began to curse Li Deyun for his disgraceful actions rather than cursing the Mongols.

“Besides, it seems the capital has abandoned us too. The Mongols have invaded twice, but there’s no news of anyone coming to help us.”

“At this rate, we’ll all starve to death.”

As the soldiers continued to complain, the lieutenant who had been listening quietly suddenly stood up.

When he rose, everyone fell silent and pretended they hadn’t said anything.

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to blame you.”

“…”

“We are the ones who have made the greatest sacrifices. We’ve risked our lives to protect our families and homes.”

The soldiers nodded silently at the lieutenant’s words.

They agreed with his statement that those present had worked harder than anyone to protect Khara-Khoto.

“For the sake of protecting this place, we left behind our families, relatives, and friends. That’s why we could sleep without straightening our backs and endure eating poor food.”

The lieutenant gritted his teeth and turned to point at Li Deyun’s brightly lit annex.

“But that man! Despite bringing harm to Khara-Khoto with his deceitful actions, he’s enjoying himself in luxury!”

At the lieutenant’s outcry, the soldiers responded loudly, as if all the anger they had accumulated burst out at once.

Some soldiers even raised their weapons and shouted loudly.

“That’s right! Why should we be the only ones to sacrifice?”

“My parents, wife, and son are outside facing death at any moment—this is unfair!”

The fervor spread instantly, and even the depressed soldiers picked up their weapons and didn’t hide their anger.

The lieutenant also raised his weapon in response.

“Let’s drag him out and hand him over to the Mongols. The Mongols are at least people who understand honor. If we surrender, they will accept us.”

The soldiers nodded in agreement with the lieutenant’s words.

This was because they knew what had happened in the villages near Khara-Khoto.

When the Mongols invaded in the summer, they didn’t massacre civilians who didn’t resist.

They only executed those who resisted with weapons as examples.

While the lieutenant was inciting the soldiers, the door to the annex suddenly opened.

The one who emerged was none other than Li Deyun, slightly drunk.

“What are you doing making such noise! Everyone be quiet…”

Li Deyun couldn’t continue speaking.

This was because he could feel that the soldiers’ gazes on him were not ordinary.

“Y-you fools… W-what are you staring at! L-lieutenant! Punish them immediately! Hurry!”

“…”

“Lieutenant! Can’t you hear me! Do you really need to be severely punished to come to your senses?”

Li Deyun, too drunk to behave properly, was just spouting nonsense.

As if unable to watch this any longer, the lieutenant drew his sword and pointed it at Li Deyun.

“Capture Li Deyun!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

“Capture Li Deyun!”

At the lieutenant’s command, the soldiers began to rush toward Li Deyun with their weapons.

Surprised, Li Deyun tried to flee, but unfortunately, this was inside the inner fortress.

That meant there was nowhere to run.

* * *

Attacking walls with cavalry was like hitting a rock with an egg.

I couldn’t help but feel this deep in my bones as I watched the ongoing siege.

“Without trebuchets, it’s difficult to attack the enemy’s inner fortress.”

“That’s right, my lord.”

I wore a troubled expression at the reports from Bulqa Khan and Hulitu Khan.

A week had passed since the siege began, but we were still at a standstill.

“Is it impossible to secure space to set up trebuchets?”

“It seems difficult.”

I nodded at Elunka’s words.

Most pre-medieval castles had narrow widths. Setting up trebuchets in such spaces was nearly impossible.

Even if we could set them up, they would be within range of the enemy archers, making installation difficult.

Because of this, our siege progress was at a standstill.

Despite this unfavorable situation, there was one piece of good news.

The enemy’s resistance wasn’t fierce despite the ongoing siege, resulting in minimal casualties for our forces, which was somewhat fortunate.

Of course, this didn’t mean the situation was truly good.

If time continued to be wasted, enemy reinforcements would eventually arrive, and we would be trapped from both sides, suffering heavy losses.

“Ahem…”

“My lord, it’s time to make a decision.”

“That’s right. It’s difficult to show mercy to the people of Khara-Khoto any longer.”

In response to Hulitu and Bulqa’s words, Elunka expressed opposition.

“If we conquer Khara-Khoto in that way, they won’t accept our rule. That would lead to worse results than not conquering it at all.”

“Do we have time to consider that now? If time is wasted, the enemy will attack our rear.”

Feeling the tension from their conflicting opinions, I knew I had to mediate between them.

If things continued like this, we would end up in a no-win situation.

We needed the present to have a future.

For the ulus to survive now, I had to follow Bulqa and Hulitu’s advice.

The moment of decision.

I raised my hand to calm them down.

“Calm down.”

“…”

“…”

“All three of you have valid points. However, given the urgency of the situation…”

Just as I was about to make my decision, a messenger hurriedly entered the ger.

The soldiers tried to stop him since the Khans were present, but he looked at me with an urgent expression, suggesting he had important information.

“Everyone, stand back. I’ll hear the messenger’s report before making a decision.”

At my command, the soldiers guarding the ger released their encirclement.

The messenger bowed in gratitude and began his report.

“My lord, a white flag has been raised from the enemy fortress.”

“A white flag?”

“Could it be…”

Bulqa, Hulitu, and Elunka looked at the messenger with surprised expressions.

To get accurate information, I questioned the messenger.

“Are you certain a white flag was raised?”

“I saw it with my own eyes. A white flag was raised, and this paper was attached to an arrow stuck in front of the inner fortress gate.”

“Paper…?”

At my words, the messenger approached me and carefully handed over the paper.

After unfolding and reading it, I couldn’t help but show a surprised expression.

“What does it say that makes you react like that?”

“The enemy has expressed their intention to surrender.”

What was written on the paper was none other than a declaration of surrender.

And the condition was handing over Li Deyun.