Ch.59Conquest (5)

Ulrus had captured the hearts of the people of Khara-Khoto.

The people of Khara-Khoto, who had been cooperating somewhat forcibly before, began to help the Mongol soldiers more actively.

“You’ll need this, warrior.”

“This herb is good for your body.”

Since Western Xia was lacking in water, the people here knew better than anyone how to drive away heat.

Their method of chasing away heat was none other than mint, a type of herb.

Mint, which originated in the Mediterranean, had tremendous reproductive power and survivability, essentially no different from a weed.

Because of this, mint was able to spread around the world instantly through merchants.

Thanks to this incredible reproductive power and survivability, mint was able to take root even in Western Xia, which had many deserts.

This mint improved blood circulation, supplying more oxygen to cells.

This meant it helped people endure the dry weather of Western Xia, which was near the desert, for longer periods.

This was information known exclusively to the people of Western Xia.

From the perspective of Mongols who had only lived on the steppes, there was no way they could have known this information.

“If you go that way, there’s a wide plain. There’s a ravine in between where cool winds pass quickly back and forth.”

“It may be hard to believe, but in summer, water from the green bamboo flows all the way down there. The water level rises in summer thanks to water from the Tibetan Plateau.”

Additionally, they were sharing detailed information about the region with the Mongols.

This kind of information was valuable knowledge that only locals could possess.

I nodded as I looked at the Western Xia people who had become so friendly.

“I didn’t expect them to be this friendly toward us.”

“That’s right, Senwu. I believe it’s because you didn’t subdue the enemy with violence, as you said.”

I nodded at Bulqa’s words.

He and Hulitu were the ones who had originally proposed subduing Khara-Khoto by force.

The fact that Bulqa was saying this now meant he had been greatly influenced by the current situation.

“I’ve come to understand again what it means to show mercy to those who surrender and bring down the iron hammer on those who resist.”

However, Bulqa’s behavior was making me uncomfortable.

That was because until the enemy surrendered, I had been planning to subdue Khara-Khoto following Bulqa and Hulitu’s suggestion.

But fortunately, Khara-Khoto declared surrender first, making it seem as if I had made the right decision.

It felt like luck had piled up, as if I were the protagonist of a novel.

But I couldn’t reveal my true thoughts in this situation.

Again, everyone here had come trusting only in me.

I had to be someone who gave them confidence.

By whatever means necessary.

That was what a leader had to do.

* * *

After about five days of occupying Khara-Khoto, all the soldiers who had participated in the battle were able to recover their strength.

Being able to recover so quickly was entirely thanks to the help of the people of Khara-Khoto.

Anyway, now that we had finished recovering, it was time to leave Khara-Khoto and head to the battlefield.

Again, the Mongols were people who had lived their entire lives on horseback.

Therefore, they lacked the ability to conduct defensive battles, holding off enemies within Khara-Khoto.

If they had an infantry unit called Kerik, like the later Mongol Empire, they might have been able to conduct a defensive battle.

But even if we conscripted the people of Khara-Khoto now, there was no guarantee of successful defense without commanders to lead them.

“For that reason, we will meet the enemy here.”

I said this while pointing to a corner on the map.

Since the map was made based on information provided by the people of Khara-Khoto, its accuracy was far superior to the maps held by Xingqing.

“This place is… a plain.”

I nodded at Hulitu’s words.

“According to recent reports from the Tamma, the enemy is coming from Xingqing to here by the fastest route.”

As soon as we occupied Khara-Khoto, I dispatched the Tamma to check where Western Xia’s reinforcements were coming from.

Thanks to this quick response, we were able to obtain important military information such as who the enemy commander was, the size of the enemy force, and which direction the enemy was coming from.

“Can we know the size of the enemy force?”

At Hulitu’s question, I turned to look at Elunka.

Then Elunka, the leader of the Tamma, stepped forward and began explaining on my behalf.

“It appears to be 50,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, and about 30,000 miscellaneous troops.”

“100,000…”

“Huh… 100,000…”

Bulqa, Hulitu, and Chalukhab couldn’t help but look surprised.

That was because Western Xia, not even a Central Plains country but a frontier state, was coming with a massive force of 100,000.

“According to the Tamma’s report, the 100,000 appears to be the vanguard. According to information from Tangut merchants and the people of Khara-Khoto, Western Xia can mobilize a maximum force of 500,000.”

With Western Xia’s population at around 5 million, 500,000 troops was an enormous number.

Comparing to our country, with a population of 50 million, we typically maintained a force of 500,000.

In terms of population ratio, that was 1 percent.

But this meant that Western Xia could mobilize forces of the same scale as our country.

It might seem impossible to create an army of 100,000 in the medieval period, but Western Xia was a country that employed conscription, making it possible.

In Western Xia, when one became an adult, they had to join the military without exception.

Even women had to enlist as female soldiers.

For this reason, Western Xia could mobilize an army of 500,000.

“To face an army of 500,000…”

“A force of 100,000 is approaching right now, and this isn’t even the enemy’s total mobilized force…”

Even the usually brave khans were stunned by the enormous numbers.

That was because all the Mongol soldiers here combined didn’t exceed 30,000.

Even if we drafted everyone remaining in the Ulus, we would barely exceed 40,000.

But to conquer Western Xia, we would have to defeat the 100,000-strong force and then face the remaining 400,000 enemy troops.

It could be seen as a truly desperate situation.

So it was natural for the brave khans to be flustered.

But we couldn’t just give up here.

“It’s possible.”

At my words, all the khans looked at me.

I looked at them and continued speaking without the slightest hesitation.

“The enemy has come a long way without rest to reclaim Khara-Khoto. And for them, this place is unfamiliar territory.”

“Ah…”

“Indeed…”

As I keep mentioning, the distance between Khara-Khoto and Xingqing was like the distance from Busan in our country to Dalian in China.

Because the distance was so great, the central government didn’t know at all about Li Deyun’s misconduct.

The likelihood of those who had walked such a long distance without rest being able to fight properly was very low.

Additionally, the possibility that they, who had been in Xingqing, would know the harsh environment and terrain of Khara-Khoto was non-existent.

“In contrast, we have taken sufficient rest after occupying Khara-Khoto. Additionally, with the help of the people of Khara-Khoto, we know accurate information about this area.”

War was a battle of information.

Who knew more accurate information determined victory or defeat.

“But our numbers are too few. Even though the enemy has few cavalry, their army of 100,000 is more than three times larger than our current force.”

At Chalukhab’s point, I turned to look at him.

He bowed with an apologetic expression. I didn’t reproach him. Instead, I slowly persuaded him.

“What do you think is the advantage of steppe warriors?”

“The advantage of warriors… would be mobility, wouldn’t it?”

I nodded at Chalukhab’s answer.

And I added a little more to his answer.

“More precisely, it’s the ability to maintain mobility while concentrating firepower on the enemy that makes us steppe warriors.”

“If I may humbly ask, Senwu, could you explain in more detail?”

“Do you remember when we conquered the Tatars?”

“Ah…!”

When taking revenge on the Tatars, the Khamag Mongol used two tactics against them.

One was a false retreat, and the other was to surround those who pursued, maintain distance, and concentrate fire.

In fact, both tactics fell under deception tactics and could be considered as one.

The reason for dividing them into two was simple.

The second tactic itself was a kind of tactic to concentrate firepower.

Comparing to modern times, with some exaggeration, it could be considered a high-firepower battle.

And in a way that only the Mongol army attacked one-sidedly.

“The arrow attacks of Mongol warriors are not something the Western Xia army can withstand.”

“That’s certainly true. Even if the enemy has many infantry, those tired soldiers won’t be able to chase steppe warriors.”

“That’s right. If the enemy tries to surround our forces, we can flee to Khara-Khoto and rest. Unlike us, the enemy will have to build their camp outdoors.”

“Then we can disrupt them every time they try to set up camp. Hahaha!”

Chalukhab said this and began to laugh heartily.

Then the other khans, who had been in a gloomy mood until just now, began to laugh along.

“Senwu is right. We were too afraid.”

“We can win. We are steppe warriors.”

“Our ancestors will protect us. That our ancestors are watching over us has already been proven by our acceptance of Khara-Khoto’s surrender, so we need not worry.”

Thus, in an instant, the atmosphere in the ger changed to a positive one.

Looking at them, I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

I didn’t know how the battle would turn out,

but I had instilled confidence that we could win, so I had done what a leader should do to some extent.

Bekhter was watching me closely from beside me.

I silently looked at my son.

Then my son seemed to realize something and began to ponder for a moment.

And soon, as if he had gained a great insight, his eyes were shining.