Chapter 71 Mahamo was chased to death

Samarkand, in the known world at the time, was the city of paradise.In Khwarazm and even the Islamic world, Samarkand has the largest territory and the most fertile land, where stones are pearls, soil is musk, and rain is spirits.There are gardens for tens of miles around the city, and every family has gardens. The gardens are full of fun, and there are flying springs and pools everywhere. Nature and man-made are perfectly synthesized here, and the gardens of Suzhou in China are dwarfed by it.Samarkand is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and only one side is a plain. The moat is extremely deep, and there are several outer fort defense lines outside the city.It is also the strongest castle in Khwarezm. The ancient city wall is tall and thick, and the climb is undoubtedly as high as the sky. Bunkers and gun towers also guard the city.

In the city of Samarkand, there are 30,000 Kangli cavalry and more than 20 fearsome war elephants, and there are enough grain reserves for 500,000 city residents to feed for a year. It can be said that this is an unbreakable Khwarazm political, economic, cultural and religious center. When Genghis Khan and the commanders of his various columns gathered under the city of Samarkand with a large group of troops, they all expressed their sincere admiration for this great city.When Genghis Khan learned that Mahamo, the master of Samarkand, had escaped from the city, he allocated half of his troops to pursue Mahamo.He himself spent two days touring the city. He observed the outer defenses of Khwarazmo - the unfinished long wall and the bottomless moat.

He asked the people around him: "Do you like this city?" Answer: "It's spectacular, it must be very comfortable to live in." Genghis Khan said coldly: "Then spend more time and look at it carefully." "Why?" Still in a cold tone: "Because I will make it disappear from the world soon!" When he was concentrating on inspecting Samarkand, Togai Khan, the supreme commander of Samarkand, also inspected him on the city wall, and finally came to the conclusion that the legend of this old man was more important than his actual talent. Togai Khan gives the impression of being arrogant, but he is gifted with heresy, often with unexpected insights and actions.After Genghis Khan inspected the defense of Samarkand, he drove the "Khasha'er" brought from Bukhara into the army column, asking them to serve as soldiers and confuse Tuogai Khan, making him think that Mongolian soldiers had thousands of soldiers, which were bigger than sand. And more raindrops.Genghis Khan wanted to use this method to force Tuoge Khan to surrender without a fight, but Tuoge Khan didn't think so.On the night when the siege began, the west gate of Samarkand suddenly opened, and a death squad of thousands rushed out to the Mongolian camp.This sudden incident caused a short-term panic to the Mongols. Fortunately, they were well-trained and finally resisted the opponent's desperate attack, and then counterattacked, divided and encircled, and wiped out all of them.

Genghis Khan hadn't woken up from his childhood surprise, and Tuo Gai Khan performed strange skills again.At noon the next day, the west gate opened again, and an army dressed in colorful clothes and holding swords and spears poured out of the city like a flood.This is a volunteer army formed spontaneously by the residents of Samarkand. They broke through such a child's play under the instructions of Togai Khan. Genghis Khan ordered the forward detachment of the siege troops to retreat. Seeing that the start was so smooth, the Samarkand volunteers did not scatter in all directions, but chased the retreating Mongolian army.As you know, this is a trick that the Mongols never tire of. After chasing for more than ten kilometers, they were ambushed by the Mongols and the whole army was wiped out.Only a few hard-fated people fled back to the city.

Togai Khan came to express his condolences at the first time. When several people talked about the combat effectiveness of the Mongols, the generals under Togai Khan and the Muslim elders immediately felt ashamed. The generals said: "Let's just stick to it!" Muslim elders say: "Surrender!" Togai Khan first looked at the white beards of the Muslim elders, and sneered: "Surrender, Bukhara also surrendered, but they were all slaughtered in the end. Do you want to go back to the old way?" He glanced at the generals again: "The best defense is to attack, and we will fight tomorrow. The reinforcements of the great Mahammad are coming, and he will come to the city with thousands of troops and the confidence of victory. Kill all the Mongols like slaughtering cattle."

This is raving.If Mahamo really had the confidence to win, he would not have escaped from the city.In fact, when the defense line of the Syr Darya was collapsing, Mahamo's confidence had disappeared, and all that remained was hopeless pessimism. People clearly remember that when the construction of the Great Wall of Samarkand was broken, Mahammad once walked through the moat. He suddenly pointed to the moat in a daze and said: "The barbarians who come to fight us, as long as everyone throws down his whip, This ditch will be filled!" The people and soldiers were demoralized and frustrated when they heard the words of the supreme leader.Before he escaped from Samarkand, many people begged him to stay, and he said feebly: "Fend for your own survival, the Mongols are irresistible."

Togai Khan still remembered that Mahamo seemed to have lost his soul during that time, asking anyone he caught, but there was no way to avoid this disaster. Thinking of this, Togai Khan was furious, but he could not show his disappointment with Mahamo in front of his subordinates and the group of Muslim elders.He's putting all his bets on the next day's aggressive offense. Genghis Khan didn't seem to give him the opportunity to take the initiative to attack, and the fierce siege battle began at dawn.Genghis Khan himself put on his horse and directed the siege.Togai Khan took defense first, and the Mongolian catapults threw huge stones towards the city wall, like meteorites hitting the earth.Of course, Tuogehan's Kangli Corps was not a vegetarian. Bows and crossbows were fired, arrows and stones were flying, and the battle cry was earth-shattering.

When the Mongols' offensive became more and more fierce, Togai Khan ordered the city gate to be opened wide, and the twenty war elephants that had been preparing for a long time rushed out of the city like monsters, followed closely by the infantry of the Kangli Corps. Twenty war elephants are dressed in armor, with sharp steel knives tied to their tusks. They are no longer simple elephants, but super tanks and murderous behemoths.The Mongolian soldiers were not intimidated by the twenty large tanks. They shot at the elephant's face one after another. At the same time, a motorized cavalry charged at the infantry of the Kangli regiment behind the elephant. The infantry was in a mess and retreated one after another. The elephant's face was itchy and its nose was sore from the random arrows, and it turned around and ran away. The ghosts and wolves howled in front of the city gate of Samarkand, and many people became ghosts at the elephant's feet.

Togai Khan ordered the gates of the city to be closed before all the soldiers of the Kangli Corps entered the city. He secretly made up his mind that he would never go out to fight again. The Muslim elders came again and urged him to surrender.Their reasons are the same as those of most of the Muslim elders in Khwarezm city, to preserve life, preserve the temple, and preserve the light of Islam. Togai Khan knew that he had done his best, and that he no longer had the strength to resist Genghis Khan's tiger and wolf army.But he kept silent until the Muslim elders left, and then he said slowly: "Surrender is such a shame, how can I take the lead?"

The Muslim elders were overjoyed, and opened the city gate the next day, ran to Genghis Khan's camp, expressed their obedience to Genghis Khan, and asked Genghis Khan to forgive the lives of all the people in the city.Genghis Khan smiled and said, "Can you make the decision? There is still resistance in the city!" The Muslim elders ran back to the city in three steps at a time and easily persuaded Togai Khan. Togai Khan led a large number of officers into Genghis Khan's tent, kowtowed to Genghis Khan to admit his mistake, and asked Genghis Khan to spare the lives of the defenders. He smiled kindly and agreed.

A very small number of defenders did not believe in Genghis Khan's benevolence, so they retreated to the inner city, preparing to die for their country. On the morning of the sixth day of the siege of Samarkand, the west city gate was opened wide, and Genghis Khan's regiment entered the city in a swaggering manner, arrogantly admiring the Kangli regiment who laid down their weapons and greeted them by the roadside. Genghis Khan's first step was to order the captives to tear down the walls outside Samarkand.In the second step, the civilians in Samarkand and the Kangli corps who surrendered were driven out of the city, and the Mongols began to loot the city.The third step is to ask about the dietary structure of the twenty war elephants.Someone told him that these animals eat grass, Genghis Khan said, then let them go, and twenty war elephants starved to death one after another.The fourth step is to have a heart-to-heart talk with Tuo Gai Khan. He said to Togai Khan earnestly: "Since you have surrendered and are willing to join us, you should do the same as us and have the same haircut as us. From then on, we will fight side by side." Tuogehan was very moved. He was the first to cut his hair into a half-moon Mongolian hairstyle, and the others immediately followed suit. Genghis Khan said again: "I have arranged accommodation for you, rest for a few days, and we will move on." Tuo Gehan was moved again, came to the temporary residence, collapsed in the tent and fell asleep. In the early morning of the next day, he was awakened by screams. He opened the tent and found that his people were being slaughtered.And it was the Genghis Khan regiment who had a sincere talk with him yesterday who slaughtered him. The Khwarazmo's most valiant and combat-friendly Kangli Corps, with nearly 30,000 soldiers, was massacred in such a muddle-headed manner. It is said that when they were massacred, they almost resigned themselves, without the courage to fight a duel, or even to escape. Compared with them, the soldiers in the inner city of Samarkand are much more heroic and tragic.When the Mongolian army was looting in the outer city, they suddenly rushed out from the inner city and killed the robbers.The Mongols, who were caught off guard, quickly stabilized their position and, by virtue of their numerical advantage, forced them back to the inner city. The Mongols surrounded the inner city tightly, and both sides fired arrows and rocks at once, covering the sky and the sun. From noon to dusk, the inner city was finally breached. More than 1,000 Kangli warriors retreated to the Great Mosque, stubbornly resisting, and vowed not to surrender.Genghis Khan's army had to spray oil and burn down the mosque and everyone in the temple. After Genghis Khan completely occupied Samarkand, he rode through the city full of dead bodies and billowing smoke to the outskirts. Samarkand took a century to grow, but Genghis Khan turned it into a pile of ruins in eight days. Mahmo racked his brains and couldn't figure out why Genghis Khan's army was so powerful, so powerful that he thought in a daze, could Genghis Khan really be a whip sent by Allah? This was a problem he could not concentrate on, because Genghis Khan's pursuers were already chasing in the direction of Balk.He wants to put all his energy into escaping.His pursuers were Jebe and Subotai. Before leaving, Genghis Khan told them solemnly: "If you don't catch Mahamo, don't come back. No matter where he fled to the end of the world, he will pursue him closely. Zhucheng Those who surrendered were pardoned, and those who resisted were wiped out, leaving no one behind." At the same time, a surrender notice written in Uighur script was handed over to the two, and the notice said: "In order to inform the generals, nobles, and common people, all of them will be informed. Allah gave me the kingdom of the earth from east to west, and those who descend will protect their families, and those who resist and their wives, daughters and family members will be killed without mercy!" As soon as Mahamo heard Genghis Khan's pursuit in Balk, he immediately discussed the next escape target with his son Zalandin. Zalandin said: "The situation in the river is helpless, and now we must try our best to keep the Khorasan area and Iraq. We live to recall the troops stationed in various cities, and use the Amu Darya River as a moat to fight the Mongolian army; or retreat to Xindu." The chiefs of Iraq all invited Mahamo to gather troops in Iraq and make a comeback.Mahmo also had this plan, but Zalandin objected. He said: "The best way is to gather the army in the Khorasan area to fight the Mongols, and I think this can be done. .If father disapproves and goes to Iraq, then please hand over the army to me and let me win. We shouldn't be the target of condemnation. We shouldn't let the people poke our backs and say, we used to just go to They demanded their taxes, and now the catastrophe is upon them, and they are deserted." Mohamed was taken aback, he didn't expect his son to have such noble feelings, but he knew that such noble feelings had nothing to do with the ability to resist, so he ordered the whole army to continue to retreat westward. On the way, Mahamo's Kangli army was deeply impressed by the master's uselessness, so he decided to abolish the king. Only in this way can he return to the battlefield.Mahamo got the news in advance, and secretly ran out of the tent and slept in another tent. Early the next morning, his tent was shot into a sieve.But when he reappeared in front of everyone, the Kangli Corps was terrified, thinking that Mahamo was blessed by Allah, and since then accepted the rebellious heart, and fled devoutly with Mahamo. Mohamo used this trick to temporarily subdue the unruly heart of the Kangli Corps, and hurriedly fled to Youshapur City (now Neshapur, Iran) surrounded by mountains. As expected, Jebe and Subotai corps followed Genghis Khan’s will. After half a month of fear in your Shapur city, Jebe and Subotai tied a gourd ladle to the horse’s tail and floated over Amu. river.When the news reached you Shabuer, Mahamo yelled, jumped up and ran.But before he escaped, he did two things.The first thing was to send a letter to his old mother, Tuerhan. He said that Yulong Jiechi would not be able to guard his son's mother, and asked his mother to take relatives to leave Yulong Jiechi and hide in other areas.Bald Erhan finally agreed to his son's suggestion for the first time, and left Yulong Jiechi with his family. The second thing is that Mahamo ordered all the people in the countryside and undefended towns to move to the big cities with defenses; at the same time, he ordered the commanders of the cities to stick to the city until he moved rescuers from Iraq to restore the lost land .However, the people of the Khwarazm Empire did not take his order seriously, and the residents of the villages and undefended cities relocated and did not want to leave their homes. Therefore, wherever the Mongolian army went, there were still countless supplies.The defenders everywhere had no will to resist. When they saw the flag of the Mongolian Corps, they immediately surrendered. Mahamo ran out of your city of Shabuer and fled to Kejiyun.As you know, Mahathir finally took the last option.Here, one of his subordinates gathered 30,000 horses and was waiting for his visit.He discussed the emergency strategy with the generals to the point where all the generals thought that they should hide first, and Mahamo was very interested in this idea, because escaping would take a lot of effort.Someone proposed to hide in the mountains and fight him for ten years of guerrilla warfare. The Mongols are foreign and must withdraw.Mahamo ran to that mountain to inspect it, and when he came back, he said dejectedly: "There is no place to hide in this mountain. Once the Mongols set fire to it, we will be finished." Some people suggested hiding in a mountain that is easy to defend. , there is still a lot of wealth.Mahamo also disagreed. He said: "The folk customs there are tough, and our military discipline is not good. It will definitely cause hostile relations. By then, before the Mongols come, we will have internal strife." Mahamo's idea was to stick to Kejiyun and send people to nearby areas to gather troops.He said he wanted to counterattack, his generals smiled contemptuously, if Mahamo really had such confidence, why did he run so far! This is indeed the case. When Jebe and the Subotai Corps arrived at Nishapur, Mahamo did not stand or sit, and asked everyone where to escape next. The Jebe and Subotai corps advanced at a speed of 100 kilometers per day. Most of the cities in Khorasan did not resist and opened their doors to surrender.The Mongolian Corps did not massacre the city, but only requisitioned a small amount of food, and appointed personnel to manage and supervise the surrendered city.Because both of them are very clear about what the task is, that is to chase Mahamo, no matter it is night or day, after only a short rest, they mount their horses in a hurry and chase after Mahamo's whereabouts.But for those very disrespectful cities, the two still took up the butcher's knife. For example, under the city of Zawei, Jebe asked the townspeople to supply food and grass, but the townspeople closed the city gates tightly and treated the Mongols as air.Jebe was too lazy to care about the city because he was chasing Mahamo, so he let it die.But when Jebe was walking around the city, our Weicheng defenders actually looked at the Mongolian army in the distance, set up gongs and drums at the top of the city, beat and shouted.Of course, they must have invited some people who understand Mongolian to yell and curse, so the Mongols understood it, and suddenly returned to the army to launch a fierce attack. Three days later, our city of Weiwei was captured, and all living things in the city were killed.This was the first massacre carried out by the Mongolian army in the Khorasan area, which caused a huge shock. In June 1220, Jebe and Subotai came to your city of Shabur, and your city of Shabur welcomed the Mongols into the city like a god, and gave money, food, horses, and Mahamo at the same time. The escape route was analyzed for the Mongols, and the place where Mahamo was most likely to escape. Therefore, Jebe and Subotai divided their troops into two groups to wipe out the forces of Khwarazmo.The two armies joined forces in Layi City (now south of Tehran, Iran), but Layi City refused to surrender. Jebe and Subotai launched a five-day fierce attack, and Layi City had to fall.Layi City is Ke Jiyun's gateway, once it is lost, Ke Jiyun will lose its meaning as a base.When the news reached Ke Jiyun, Mahamo yelled loudly, and before he could escape, his army took a step ahead and dispersed. Mohamo did not expect that escape has now become the main theme of the Khwarazmo Empire, and everyone's grades are excellent.He had no choice but to flee to a military stronghold called Harrenburg with Zalandin and a few soldiers who could follow him.Jebe and the Subotai Corps pursued closely, and in the middle of Kejiyun City and Harrunburg, the Mongols caught up with the bereaved king, and the two sides launched a fierce field battle.The fighting power of the Kangli Corps is really not in vain. With one enemy and ten, it held the Mongols tightly.During the chaotic battle, the Mongolian cavalry shot arrows at Mahamo who was about to escape, and Mahamo's horse was injured, but this did not affect the speed of Mahamo's escape. He waved his whip, lashed his mount, and left the battlefield Disappeared. Jebe and the Subotai Corps entangled him persistently like grieving ghosts and poisonous snakes.So he only stayed in Harrenburg for one day, then got on his horse and continued to flee.But at this time, he had a new mind.He let people spread the news that he was going to escape to the city of Baoda, apologizing to the caliph, and asking the caliph to launch a holy war in the Islamic world.But on the way, he turned into Kazven Mountain.Jebe and Subodei chased towards Baoda City for two days, but there was no trace of Mahamo, knowing that they had been deceived, so they returned and entered the Kazvin Mountains. Mahamo found that the noses of the Mongols were sharper than dogs, so he hurriedly escaped from the Kazvin Mountains and fled into the Caspian Sea by boat.Mahamo found an island and he lived there.In the midst of this boundless sea, he poignantly recalls the past, calmly measures the present, and calmly contemplates the future.Since there are too few people following him, he can only rely on himself, and needs to do three meals a day by himself. From the emperor of a great empire to such a state, Mahamo was actually very relieved, because the Mongols could not catch up here.Of course, his mood was gloomy and he was sick again, so he often looked at the land and lamented: "I have conquered so many countries and expanded so many lands, I don't think there is even a piece of land for a grave now!" His land is being ruthlessly eaten away by Jebe and Subodei.Jebe and Subodai couldn't catch him, so they vented their anger to the castle where Mahama's mother Tuerhan was hiding. After besieging the two fortresses for four months, Tuerhan led the royal family and the defenders to surrender. Genghis Khan ordered Bald Khan was brought back to Mongolia. The old woman who always regarded her son as an outsider died tragically in Mongolia in 1233. Bald Khan must have discussed an issue with Genghis Khan who had promised her the Khorasan region, and this utterly stupid old woman must have also been taunted by Genghis Khan for turning her elbows outward.Her destiny is her own, and has nothing to do with others. After Mahamo got the news that his mother and the royal family were all annihilated, his illness became more serious and his energy went from bad to worse. He knew that his life was not long, so he called Zalandin to his side and said to several followers: "Now only Zalandin has The ability to save the country from peril, he is not afraid of the enemy, on the contrary, he will go to the enemy to fight. Now I swear, once Zarandin wins the war against Mongolia and Allah gives me the old authority again, I will definitely implement justice in the country and benevolent government." He took off the saber that symbolized power, hung it on Zalandin's belt, and said, "Now, you are the king of Khwarizim, and go to fulfill your mission!" Zalandin looked at his weak and depressed father, shed tears and said: "Our country is now being invaded by the Mongols, and our army is disintegrated like autumn wind blowing leaves. When this crisis occurs, I accept the order of my father to take over the flower The Razm Empire, commanding an army of nothingness. Even so, I will shine the greatest light in the dark night of Genghis Khan, and gather the warriors of the country to face the national calamity together!" Mahamo also shed tears, waved his hand weakly and said, "Let's go, go to the battlefield, and let the Mongols see the courage of a real Khwarazm man!" Reluctantly, Zalandin and his father Mahamo left the desolate island in a small boat. The departure of the father and son soon became a farewell. On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in 1221, Mahamo died on that desolate island under illness and mental torture.His body was hastily buried by the only three people on the island, a generation of people, and became the last name.It is said that before Mahamo died, there were bursts of thunder in Samarkand, which shook the world.Genghis Khan hurriedly asked Yelu Chucai what the sign was.Yelu Chucai did the divination and said: "This is a good omen, and Mahamo is about to die." When Zalanding heard the news of his father's death, he was recruiting troops in Yulong Jiechi, preparing to fight the Mongols to the death.He burst into tears in front of the defenders, weeping until his heart was broken.This sentiment resonated violently in the army. The entire Yulong Jiechi and even the entire Khwarazmo were moved by the death of the old king and the cries of the new king. They vowed to fight the Mongols to the end. Genghis Khan will face a new enemy. The enemy's weapon is grief and determination to counterattack and restore the country.