Chapter 918 - 141: Ivan Thousand Households and Ququlu (2)
His scimitar pressed against the face of the envoy for a long time before he released it with a cold laugh: "Fulk, help our esteemed envoy up and let him stand aside and wait!"
He then strode swiftly towards the center of the camp’s training ground.
Bang bang—
He shook the central brass bell, and upon hearing the sound, soldiers from various units began to gather around.
The Mamluks, clad in iron armor and belonging to him personally, formed a wall of steel, surrounding Ivan in the very center.
He stepped onto the shoulder of a Mamluk and stood up, loudly shouting: "Brothers, do you know what our Ivan Tribe lacks the most now?"
"Is it livestock?"
"Warhorses!"
"Weapons!"
The soldiers shouted chaotically. Most hailed from places like Aleppo and Damascus, with many being former farmers or escape slaves and horse bandits recruited near Samarkand, all sharing a humble background.
"Ha, no, it’s women!"
Ivan laughed heartily: "Without women, how can we call it a tribe? But the Qidan people won’t just give us women for free. I have emptied my money bag to arm you with swords and armor. So what should we do?"
"Grab them!"
"Use the swords that our Great Khan gave us to grab them!"
The soldiers, red-eyed and panting heavily, shouted.
During this time, Ivan’s generous ways had fully earned their approval. Such a Great Khan who is willing to bring out his treasures and wealth to arm these tribesmen will also be generous in distributing future spoils.
Ivan laughed heartily: "Exactly, just grab them. The opportunity will soon arise. Zilu Khan has invited your Great Khan for discussions, and you lads wait here. When your Great Khan returns, he will take you to grab women!"
Fulk looked at the cheering tribespeople, astonished by their fervor, suddenly realizing that the "wild dreams" Ivan had spoken of might not be just dreams.
"Let’s go."
He pulled up the frightened Sogdian envoy, who thought he was about to be sacrificed, tossed him onto a horse, and with Fulk and dozens of his personal Mamluks, they vanished towards the Eastern horizon.
...
When Ivan arrived at the palace in Samarkand, the chiefs and generals of the Qidan tribes were already gathered. Additionally, representatives from the Western Liao territories, such as the Karluks, Uighurs, Karakhanids, and Sogdians, as well as Han leaders like Li Siye, attended the meeting.
Ivan held his breath and casually found an empty seat below to sit.
The hall did not stir at the arrival of this small chieftain, as Zilu Khan continued, "Now, the rebels of Gaochang Uighur have submitted to the Tatars, and places like Kashgar and Husi Woreda under the court’s jurisdiction have been occupied by the Tatars. The enemy has reorganized and is advancing on Khotan. Do any generals have strategies to defeat them?"
"Hm, the Tatars have only twenty thousand cavalry. Great Khan, if you were to give me the warriors of the Six Departments, I will write a military pledge, promising to defeat the enemy and bring back that Jebey and Subotai to dance for the Great Khan."
"Now the Tatars have not only twenty thousand cavalry, given that they’ve subdued the Uighur rebels."
"Great Khan, I think if Gaochang Uighur rebelled, the Khotan people may not be reliable either. If Khotan Khan seeks aid, we should let them fight until bloody and tired. Then we can intervene and clean up."
"Fool! How dare you speak such nonsense in front of so many tribal chiefs?"
That Qidan general retorted self-righteously: "Anyway, they don’t understand Qidan language. I’ve long said we should conquer all these regional tribes and replace them with our Qidan nobility."
Kuchu Law scoffed internally at this chaotic scene, knowing that while the enemy was almost at their doorstep, these Qidan nobles were still arguing. He thought the descendants of Da Shi were a bunch of useless people!
He was the son of Sun Khan Baibuhua of the Naiman Tribe, previously vying for domination of the steppe against what is now the Tatar Tribe, deeply aware of how fearsome the Tatars who destroyed the Naiman Tribe are.
Now valued by Yelv Zilu, he was not only adopted as his son but also granted leadership over the Six Departments and married Zilu’s daughter, Princess Huanghu.
At this point, a clearly more authoritative Qidan general stepped forward, causing the disorder to quiet down instantly: "Alright, enough talking. Great Khan, in my view, it’s better to assign the warriors of the Six Departments to me. I will lead all the troops to aid Khotan Khan."
This person speaking was the Qidan General Yelv Zonghan, uncle of Yelv Zilu, and brother of the previous Emperor Yelv Yilie. Since Zilu’s accession, he had been in charge of the palace guards and was the leading figure among the Qidan royal family.
He understood that after Xiao Wori’s act of deposing, their Great Khan remained vigilant against the Xiao family, although Xiao Wori had supported Yelv Zilu’s rise to power.
However, the important force of the Six Departments, even if not held by the Xiao family, should be controlled by the royal family. How could it be entrusted to an outsider?
Kuchu Law’s expression immediately darkened, as the Six Departments were nominally under his command, and Yelv Zonghan’s blunt demand for military power simply disregarded him.
He knew his own foundation was shallow, truly possessing only the force of Naiman Tribe remnants who had fled after its destruction. Being labeled "Kuchu Law Khan" and taking part in governance was purely because Yelv Zilu valued him.
Knowing he couldn’t sit idle any longer, he stood up and declared:
"Everyone, I have no intention of exaggerating the enemy to elevate myself. The Naiman Tribe was once the dominator of the steppe, commanding a hundred thousand archers, yet was utterly defeated by just five thousand Tatar troops.
Their shamans can command wind, lightning, and wolf packs, and fierce beasts. Their iron cavalry wield unparalleled combat skills, skilled in archery, breaking free from the loose discipline typical of steppe cavalry, enforcing strict orders.
Among them, the Tatars possess a Qesem Army modeled after the Great Jin, both man and horse armored, resembling an iron-clad torrent surging westwards that no tribal army on the steppe can withstand. When I joined Buerhe Khan, he was defeated by the Tatars. When I fled to Beshbalik, the Uighur (Gaochang Uighur) governor Barsh sought to capture me for the enemy. The Tatars effortlessly absorbed the Uighur army into their camp. Can this not prove the terror of the enemy?"
"I ask all present, though all the generals here are valiant, who among you has more experience fighting the Tatars than I do?
I know I am but a dispossessed prince, a wanderer, and shouldn’t be occupying the exalted position of Six Departments Khan, but I ask all present, who is more eager than I to see the Tatars’ blood and flesh torn asunder, and more willing to fight to the death against the Tatars on the battlefield?"
When he finished speaking, he knelt on the ground, eyes brimming with tears, saying: "Godfather, this child seeks neither fame nor gold and silver rewards. I only wish to clear away the invading wolves for you and bring peace to the Great Liao Court."
Sitting on the throne, Zilu Khan, who had been watching coldly, was momentarily moved by Kuchu Law’s performance, and Princess Huanghu beside him cried out "Father."
"Very well, let Kuchu Law lead the Six Departments on the expedition. All affiliated tribes must fully cooperate, with no delay allowed. Uncle Zonghan, you will be the deputy to support and correct him!"
Yelv Zilu made the decision, leaving no room for the Qidan generals to argue, and left the hall immediately.
Ivan Thousand Households, still clueless about what had unfolded, watched the bickering in the hall with a look of confusion.
After a while, he finally found out from the interpreter what had happened and couldn’t help but curse: "Just our luck, isn’t Kuchu Law just a soft-bearded weakling? How did he suddenly become our direct supervisor?"