Ch.56Conquest (2)

Yesugei looked at the bound man before him.

Li Deyun’s body was covered in bruises.

Even his hair had fallen out quite a bit, suggesting that the anger of the Khara-Khoto soldiers had been more severe than expected.

“To think we’d meet again like this.”

Hulitu sneered as he looked at the captured Li Deyun.

Seeing this, Li Deyun couldn’t help but grimace.

“Are you certain this is Li Deyun?”

In response to Ulanbaatar’s question, the man beside him bowed before answering.

“Yes, Great Khan.”

The man next to Li Deyun was none other than his adjutant.

Since his own adjutant had personally brought Li Deyun here, the possibility of him lying was very low.

“Why do you surrender?”

“That’s…”

As the adjutant tried to explain, Li Deyun interrupted him.

Then, clasping his hands together, he began to beg Yesugei for his life with a pitiful expression.

“Please spare me, Khan. If you spare my life, I will offer you Khara-Khoto. And I swear to serve you forever.”

“Serve me, you say?”

“Y-yes. Whatever you desire, I will obtain it for you. Whether it’s delicacies, fine horses, or women—just tell me what you want, and I will get it for you. If you just spare my life, I will serve you with utmost loyalty.”

The adjutant looked at Li Deyun with disgust at his cowardly behavior.

Yesugei too frowned in revulsion, as this was the first time he had encountered someone so cowardly yet incompetent.

To reiterate, Li Deyun’s strategies and tactics had been somewhat appropriate responses.

However, lacking the qualities of a commander, he had dealt with internal issues carelessly.

Because of this, he ultimately met his end by being betrayed by his subordinate, making him a completely useless person.

From the beginning, Gurkhan had no intention of sparing his life.

Having killed two envoys sent by the Khagan of the steppe, he deserved the same punishment.

“Li Deyun is begging for his life. What would you have me do?”

At Gurkhan’s question, a man standing behind me stepped forward.

When he appeared, Li Deyun’s face showed both surprise and anger.

“You traitor! You betrayed me!”

As Li Deyun pointed at Li Byeongsang and cursed, Li Byeongsang gave him an incredulous look.

Then, without bothering to respond, he looked at the adjutant.

“You’ve made a significant decision.”

“L-Lord Minister…?”

“By the boundless mercy of the Khan, I have been appointed to govern Khara-Khoto in place of this tyrant.”

At Li Byeongsang’s words, Li Deyun tried to rise in uncontrollable anger.

But the steppe warriors in the ger did not just stand by watching.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

“Don’t move!”

“Ugh…”

Thus, Li Deyun ended up rolling on the ground in a miserable state.

Seeing this, Li Byeongsang shrugged and made a proposal to the adjutant.

“If you help me, we can save all the soldiers in Khara-Khoto and their families.”

“Is… is that true?”

“Yes. However… there is one thing you need to tell me…”

“What is it?”

“Information about those who follow Li Deyun.”

The adjutant was visibly shocked by this.

It was understandable, as he knew most of the people Li Deyun met while serving as his aide.

People who bribed or flattered Li Deyun for favors.

These weren’t just merchants but also nobles, upper-class individuals, and various others.

“If… if I just provide information about them, everyone else can live?”

“Yes. If you just tell us that information, we can live peacefully as before. Of course, as citizens of the Mongols… no, the Ulus.”

At the mention of becoming citizens of the Ulus, the adjutant fell into brief contemplation.

But his hesitation didn’t last long.

This was because he believed that Western Xia had abandoned them.

It was natural to think this way when Khara-Khoto was in such danger and no help was forthcoming.

“…Very well. I will tell you.”

“Traitor! I valued you highly, how could you betray me like this!”

At Li Deyun’s words, the adjutant shook his head.

Then, turning to Li Byeongsang, who had become his new lord, he made a request.

“My lord, please allow me to kill this man with my own hands. I beg you.”

“It’s a difficult request… but I will personally ask the Khan on your behalf.”

After finishing their conversation, Li Byeongsang turned to look at Gurkhan.

Then, assuming a posture almost like a full kowtow, he began to plead.

“Merciful Khan of the steppe. I, Li Byeongsang, governor of Khara-Khoto who follows the Khan, have a request.”

After hearing the translation, Yesugei gestured for him to continue instead of responding.

Li Byeongsang expressed his gratitude and then addressed Yesugei.

“This man has committed all sorts of atrocities in Khara-Khoto. I earnestly request that you grant me the authority to punish him.”

At Li Byeongsang’s request, Hulitu, who was right next to Yesugei, looked surprised.

He stepped forward and pointed out that Li Byeongsang’s request was excessive.

“Li Deyun not only violated the laws of the steppe but also killed envoys sent by the Senwu twice. Therefore, this man should have his eyes and ears seared with hot iron to blind him, and then be subjected to quartering.”

Quartering was a horrific punishment where ropes were tied to the limbs and then horses pulled them apart, tearing the body to pieces.

It was an extreme punishment that had existed since ancient times, rarely carried out and reserved only for those who committed the most serious crimes.

Of course, it might have been executed more frequently in settled states,

but the Mongols, who believed that punishments causing bloodshed prevented reincarnation, rarely carried it out.

In any case, at the mention of quartering, Li Deyun looked at Yesugei with a terrified expression.

“P-please spare me, Khan. Please…”

Despite his desperate plea, Yesugei remained unmoved.

Instead of looking at Li Deyun, he turned to Li Byeongsang and asked a question.

“If I give you his life, can you swear to serve me for the rest of your life?”

Hearing this, Li Byeongsang shouted loudly while maintaining his kowtow position.

“My life already belongs to the Khan. Even if you were to order me to take my own life right here, right now, I would gladly obey.”

Gurkhan seemed pleased with his resolute oath and laughed heartily.

Then he raised his hand and gave orders to his soldiers.

“Li Deyun’s life shall be entrusted to Li Byeongsang. And make sure to confirm his death and report back to me.”

“I am grateful for the Khan’s boundless mercy.”

Having received Gurkhan’s permission, Li Byeongsang rose with a smile.

As he approached Li Deyun, the latter could only tremble and repeat the same words.

But Li Byeongsang had no intention of heeding Li Deyun’s words.

* * *

“That’s truly fortunate.”

I nodded at Elunka’s words.

If the enemy had not surrendered due to internal conflict in Khara-Khoto, our forces would have faced a serious crisis.

Fortunately, thanks to the enemy’s surrender, we were able to avoid the worst-case scenario.

“For now, relay the order for the soldiers to rest. And make absolutely sure there are no conflicts with the locals, and that anyone who arbitrarily loots or steals their property can be summarily punished.”

“I will carry out your orders, Senwu.”

Now that the siege was over, I planned to rest inside the fortress.

We needed to rest in order to be ready to face Western Xia’s main force, which could arrive at any time.

In other words, to ensure safe rest, it was best to avoid conflicts with the residents of the occupied territory as much as possible.

Elunka, having received his orders, left the ger.

Left alone in the ger, I was finally able to let out a sigh of relief that I had been holding back.

“Whew… I must have been crazy. I was so careful when preparing the trebuchets…”

Honestly, I didn’t expect such a big problem to arise just because one iron ball didn’t explode.

Even if the iron ball didn’t work, there shouldn’t have been a major issue with attacking the enemy.

However, this complacent thinking almost led to the worst outcome.

“…Still, fortunately, it was resolved well… that’s a relief… whew…”

I couldn’t help but feel that I needed to be more careful to prevent something like this from happening again.

While I was lost in these thoughts, a man entered the ger.

Judging by how freely he entered…

“Brother! So this is where you were! Haha!”

“…You seem rather cheerful?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? Our forces won! Hahaha!”

Munglig’s carefree words immediately changed my serious mood.

Though not in a good way.

When I frowned, Munglig seemed to realize his mistake and hastily concluded with an awkward smile.

“Haha… of course there were some difficulties, but we won in the end, didn’t we? Brother?”

“…You’re right.”

I had to nod at Munglig’s words.

In truth, there was no need to dwell on it too deeply.

It was far more beneficial to resolve not to repeat the mistake rather than becoming fixated on it.

That way, I could focus on the upcoming battles.

“Haha. Don’t you think you need me by your side, Brother?”

“That’s a bit…”

At my words, Munglig waved his hands dismissively as if to say I shouldn’t be modest.

I sighed and then asked him a question.

“More importantly, how did the recruitment of new soldiers go?”

“I recruited fifty youths suitable for the Kheshig and about 200 able-bodied adult men.”

“…?”

For a moment, I blinked, wondering if I had misheard.

In this era, villages were small, so the number of adult men per village wasn’t very high.

However, being a village near Khara-Khoto, a trading city, each village had about 50 adult men.

So I was surprised when Munglig mentioned a number that would require conscripting men from four villages.

Again, we were invaders.

It was unlikely that so many would willingly comply with forced conscription by invaders.

Which meant…

“Did you use violence? I clearly told you not to use violence, didn’t I?”

“Haha! How could I do such a thing when your words are so sacred, Brother?”

“…Then what did you do to get so many volunteers?”

“Of course, I just showed them the impressive muscles of the Kheshig. And I also offered them food.”

“Muscles…? Food…?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Munglig’s incomprehensible words.

In response, Munglig smiled and began to share his exploits.