Ch.69Xingqing (1)

The emperor sitting on the throne wore a serious expression.

The emperor of Western Xia turned to his chancellor and asked again.

“Is this information true?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“Hah…”

The emperor was considerably shocked by the report that contact with the Commander-in-Chief had been lost.

This was understandable, as the loss of contact essentially meant that the Commander-in-Chief had been defeated.

Of course, there remained the possibility that communication had been disrupted due to various factors.

But the probability of that being the case was extremely low.

“What should we do? The Mongol army will soon launch a surprise attack on this place.”

In response to the emperor’s words, the chancellor bowed before expressing his opinion.

“Your Majesty need not worry greatly.”

“You said the same thing when the Mongols first occupied Khara-Khoto, Chancellor. But the result was disastrous.”

At this, the chancellor could not help but blush.

This was because he had previously advocated an optimistic position that everything would be resolved smoothly.

When the chancellor remained silent, the emperor rose.

Then he ordered a guard on his right to bring the emperor’s sword.

“Your Majesty…!”

“Leading the army yourself is not the right decision.”

The emperor did not bother to answer the murmuring officials.

And holding the ornate imperial sword handed to him by the guard, he muttered quietly.

“Since our founding emperor, the Divine Martial Emperor, established this land and founded our nation, we have been the rulers of this territory.”

“…”

“…”

“Even the arrogant states of the Central Plains could not treat us lightly, and it was just yesterday that the nomads of the steppe paid tribute to us.”

The emperor, who had been speaking while looking at his sword, suddenly stopped and looked at his ministers.

The ministers bowed with their hands raised high, following the etiquette of Western Xia.

“And yet! That such humiliation should befall Western Xia during my reign means I have no face to show my people in life, nor my ancestors in death!”

“Please reconsider.”

“Your Majesty! This is our fault.”

The officials began to dissuade the emperor from leading the army himself.

This was because, although they understood the emperor’s anger, he was not well-versed in military affairs.

Of course, as the nation’s leader, he possessed basic knowledge of military tactics.

But unlike Commander-in-Chief Zhao Yunchang, he had no experience leading large armies.

In short, due to his limited experience, the officials had no choice but to try to dissuade the emperor.

Additionally, if the emperor were captured by the enemy, an unfavorable situation would unfold.

“…Sigh…”

The emperor took a deep breath and looked at his officials.

“Chancellor Wei Xiaoyun, receive my command.”

At the emperor’s voice, the chancellor prostrated himself before the emperor in respect.

The emperor looked at the chancellor who had shown proper etiquette and spoke with an authoritative voice.

“I appoint you as the Military Governor of Xingqing. Military Governor Wei, recruit soldiers to prepare for the Mongol invasion and assist me.”

“I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”

Seeing this, the emperor gestured for the chancellor to rise.

“This sword represents my authority. Your orders will be as if issued by me, and those who disobey them, even high officials, will be severely punished.”

At the emperor’s words, the officials inwardly sighed with relief.

This was because while it appeared the emperor would lead the army himself, in reality, the chancellor would be commanding the entire force.

It was far better for Chancellor Wei Xiaoyun, who had experience, to lead the 400,000-strong army than for the emperor with his limited military experience.

Thus, a military mobilization order was issued throughout Western Xia in response to the Mongol invasion.

By the emperor’s command, a large-scale conscription began, and adult men and women from all over Western Xia gathered in Xingqing.

* * *

Judging by the many people visible in the distance, it seemed Xingqing had noticed something.

“It appears the emperor has noticed and issued a military mobilization order throughout Western Xia.”

I nodded at Bulqa’s words.

Then, while looking at them, I continued speaking.

“What if we launch a surprise attack to prevent them from reaching Xingqing?”

“That seems like a good plan. If we do that, the enemy will struggle to gather their 400,000 troops in time.”

According to the Tamma’s report, Western Xia’s total military strength was 500,000 troops.

With the 100,000 troops led by Zhao Yunchang now defeated, only 400,000 remained.

Of course, mobilizing 400,000 troops from a nation with a population of 5 million was itself a difficult task.

In other words, excluding non-combatants such as the elderly and children, the actual enemy force could be estimated between 270,000 and 350,000.

Even this was a high estimate of Western Xia’s capabilities.

If Western Xia’s condition was poor, it was clear that their actual combat force would be lower, between 150,000 and 240,000.

Whatever the case, it was larger than the force we had faced under Zhao Yunchang.

Therefore, if we just watched this happen, it would inevitably become a great burden for us.

For this reason, I was planning to attack the enemy forces trying to gather at Xingqing in advance.

At that moment, Khasar, who had been listening to me, carefully expressed his opinion.

“Great Khan, while I believe your plan is excellent, I think it’s nearly impossible to annihilate all enemy forces heading to Xingqing with our limited troops.”

Khasar had performed brilliantly in the recent battle against Zhao Yunchang.

Thanks to my son’s strategy, we had cornered Zhao Yunchang on the hill, so his achievement surpassed that of the other khans.

As a result, Khasar’s voice carried weight among the khans.

“Explain why in detail.”

At my words, my son bowed and then shared his thoughts.

“The soldiers under the Western Xia emperor’s command are heading to Xingqing from various directions, sporadically. In contrast, our Ulus forces are limited. So even if we block one enemy unit coming from one direction, it would be difficult to prevent other units from reaching Xingqing.”

As my son said, our Ulus forces were limited.

But splitting our forces to attack the enemy also seemed somewhat risky.

This was because the enemy forces heading to Xingqing were at least 10,000 strong each.

To eliminate such a force through battle, we would need to deploy at least 2,000 cavalry.

“And the enemy is likely anticipating and preparing for our surprise attack. Therefore, if we hastily divide our forces, we will surely face a counterattack.”

The khans nodded in agreement at Khasar’s logical explanation.

Indeed, as my smartest son, his strategic thinking was exceptional.

“Are you saying we should just watch?”

In response to a khan’s question, Khasar nodded without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Are you saying it makes sense to just watch as 400,000 troops gather?”

“I think the khan misunderstands.”

“…?”

“We’ll just watch the 400,000 troops gather, but that doesn’t mean we’ll do nothing.”

After saying this, Khasar smiled and looked toward the entrance of the ger.

As if on cue, Jadaran Elunka and Munglig appeared, opening the door of the ger.

“Through the Tamma, we’ve identified the location of the waterways leading to Xingqing.”

“Using the Kheshig, we’ve identified all the villages near the enemy capital.”

“…What is this…”

In response to the khans’ reactions, Khasar stepped forward to explain.

“The khans present here will remember what strategy our great Ulus Khagan used when accepting the surrender of Khara-Khoto in summer.”

“The strategy used by the Khan…”

“Could it be…?”

“Yes. The tactic of overwhelming the enemy.”

In the summer battle, I had attempted two strategies against Khara-Khoto.

One was to devastate the area around Khara-Khoto, deliberately creating refugees to cause confusion among the enemy.

The other was to control the Green River by building a dam to block the water flowing to Khara-Khoto.

Of these two tactics, the scorched earth policy around Khara-Khoto worked well.

But controlling the water supply by building a dam on the Green River couldn’t be implemented due to the Mongols’ limited technology at that time.

Later, when Khara-Khoto revoked its surrender and provoked us, we were able to use the tactic of controlling the Green River by taking advantage of the lower water levels in winter.

My son Khasar was mentioning this tactic, intending to use a similar strategy against Xingqing.

“Is there any guarantee the enemy will fall for the same tactic?”

To the khan’s question, Khasar shook his head.

“Of course not. The military manuals written by the Central Plains people state that the art of war should always be as changeable as flowing water.”

The phrase “as changeable as flowing water” came from Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

Khasar, who carried books even during wartime, seemed to have mastered Sun Tzu’s Art of War as well.

“Therefore, I plan to introduce another tactic while simultaneously overwhelming Xingqing.”

“Another tactic…”

“What tactic are you referring to?”

Instead of answering, Khasar moved toward the map placed in the center of the ger.

There lay a detailed map created from information gathered by the Tamma, merchants, and local residents.

Khasar pointed to an area on this detailed map where a flag was placed.

“Xingqing is located where the Yellow River’s tributaries begin.”

Western Xia’s capital, Xingqing, was a city located near the river where the Yellow River began.

Water from this river and the Tibetan Plateau converged to form the mighty Yellow River.

“Fortunately, it’s winter now when the water level is low. Therefore, if we build a dam here, we can change the direction of the waterway.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’m not sure if our technology allows for it.”

“Of course it’s possible. We currently have Han craftsmen and Hui technicians among our forces. I believe their contributions to battle were evident in our fight against Commander Zhao Yunchang.”

The Mongols, with their limited technology, were able to install trebuchets on the hill using pulleys thanks entirely to their help.

Having received such clear assistance before, the khans realized that Khasar’s plan was not at all far-fetched.

“Diverting the waterway…”

“If that happens…”

Amid the khans’ murmurs, Khasar pointed to the waterway with his finger.

Following the waterway, Khasar’s finger stopped at none other than Xingqing.

“Water attack, I see.”

At my words, Khasar bowed and nodded.

Water attack.

Khasar was planning to divert the Yellow River’s tributary and turn Xingqing into a sea of water.