Chapter 77 Long March

Soon after Qiu Chuji left, Genghis Khan declared his class teacher.According to folklore, his wife Bortie wrote to him: the eagle has nested on the top of a big tree. If the eagle stays in the distance for a long time, it is difficult to guarantee that the cheap sparrows will not come to eat the eggs or young eagles in the nest. Genghis Khan saw the letter and understood the meaning behind Bortie.When he marched west, he took the beautiful woman Hulan with him, and Bortie was probably jealous.He always obeyed Borte, so he decided to go back to the grassland. In the spring of 1224, Genghis Khan's corps crossed the Syr Darya, ordered Shuchi to stay in the Qincha grassland, and at the same time called Jebe and Subotai to return home.Jebe and Subodei couldn't come right away, because they were playing a big game of chess, which was a long march that would make the earth tremble.After the two returned with a full load, Genghis Khan's army began to return to the grassland. In the spring of 1225, Genghis Khan returned to the Kherlen River after an absence of six years.

Now, let us turn the clock back to 1220. In this year, Jebe and Subotai led 30,000 Mongolian troops to pursue Mahama.When Mahamo let out the news that he was going to escape to Baoda City, Jebe and Subodai sent troops south to try to intercept the fugitives. The two first arrived at the present-day central Iranian city of Qom, and they were defeated in the first battle, and then came to the present-day Iranian city of Hamadan. At that time, the guard of Hamadan offered a large amount of property, but Subotai did not even enter the city, so he appointed a Mongol as the chief and led the troops away.

Until then, the two men knew that Mahamo had set off smoke bombs, so they pointed north and attacked the present-day Iranian city of Qazvin.Kazwen resisted tenaciously, and the two attacked tenaciously. After the city was broken, they carried out a massacre, killing 40,000 people, and then destroying the city. The two stood on the ruins of Kazvin, drew their knives and looked around in a daze. They didn't know where Mahamo had gone. Jebe casually pointed to a very likely place: Tebrisi (Tabri, Iran today). scholar). The two rushed into the Byzantine of Ajar in Persia, and advanced to the capital of the Byzantine of Ajar, the city of Tebris. Surrender to the man named Genghis Khan.

Although they subdued a country without any effort, Jebe and Subodei were not happy because subjugation was their normal state, and they did not find Mahama.Subotai reported to Genghis Khan that there are many countries in the northwest of Khwarizm, and Mahamo might have fled there. He asked Genghis Khan to let them march into Georgia and the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains, and they must catch up with Mahamo. People, see dead bodies. Genghis Khan was greatly surprised. He originally thought that there was only the Khwarazim Empire in the west.Rubbing his hands, he said to Subotai in surprise, "I'll give you three years to go to the northwest to conduct military reconnaissance. In a few years, we'll have a bigger game."

Subodei rushed to reply to the suburb of Bilisi. He discussed with Jebe, and the thousands-mile reconnaissance expedition in human military history began miraculously. The first goal was Guerzhi (now Georgia) in the southwestern part of the Caucasus Mountains, and its capital was Tiflis (now Tbilisi, Georgia).People in Guerzhi believe in Catholicism, a Christian sect, so they are extremely at odds with neighboring Islamic countries.When Subotai and Jebe were galloping across the Byzantine of Ajaer, the supreme leader of Guerzhi and Queen Lu Sudan immediately became alert.She sent someone to investigate this army that she had never heard of, and when she learned that this army had wiped out the mighty Khwarazm Empire, she opened her mouth in horror.She hurriedly ordered to prepare for the battle, but soon heard that this mysterious army had withdrawn from Azur Byzantine and was heading in the opposite direction to her country.After all, Lu Sudan was a woman with long hair and short knowledge, so she thought it was a false alarm, so she relaxed her guard.

In fact, Jebe and Subodei were staring at Gu Erzhi intently.The reason why they retreated was to spend the winter on the plains.In February 1222, when the winter was about to pass, the two, led by several Muslim guides, drove straight from south to north and rushed to Tiflis, the capital of Guergi.It wasn't until they arrived tens of kilometers east of Tiflis that Gu'er only discovered the enemy's situation. Lu Sudan's hair was trembling with shock, but fortunately, a few months ago, in response to the Pope's call, she recruited A crusade of 30,000 men, and now she puts the Pope aside, and uses these 30,000 men to deal with the enemy who is about to come.

The spies outside the capital city told her that there were only 20,000 enemies, and they were wearing thick sheepskin jackets, exhausted, as if they had traveled from primitive society.Lu Sudan applauded and ordered to go out of the city to meet him. The 30,000 army and Subotai's 20,000 horses fought fiercely ten kilometers east of Tiflis. After fighting for half an hour, Subotai turned around and ran away, and of course the soldiers followed suit.Gu'er only shouted: "Catch me, I won't let anyone go!" As you know, they fell for the trick. After chasing a few kilometers, Guer entered a valley. When the commander was in doubt, there was a loud shout from above the valley, and a large group of people rushed down from the mountain on horseback. The commander of the army was Jebe, and what he and Subotai performed was the special skill of the Mongolian army: lure the enemy to the ambush circle and annihilate the enemy.

An hour later, the 30,000 troops were wiped out.The city of Tiflis can only be an empty city plan.But to Lu Sudan's bewilderment, this barbarian army did not attack her capital in the future, but turned around and headed south to Tbilisi. Lu Sudan later learned that her country is full of high mountains and deep valleys, and it is not easy for cavalry to exert their strength.What's more, Subotai and Jebe were just doing military reconnaissance this time, and they didn't think about engulfing Gu'erzhi. Subotai and Jebe came to Tebris for the second time, and it was inevitable that the leaders of Tebris would lose their money.Subotai and Jebe continued southward with these belongings, the destination: Hamadan (Hamadan, Iran today).The reason why the two revisited the old place was not nostalgia, but because Hamadan was occupied by the remnants of Khwarezm, they came to the city like a whirlwind, and immediately attacked the city without saying a word.Three days later, the city fell, and the two not only massacred the city of Hamadan, but also ravaged the surrounding areas of Hamadan.

Then, the two headed north from Hamadan and drove straight to Zhagen (now Ganja, Azerbaijan), an important town on the eastern frontier of Guerji. Facing the persuasion of Subotai and Jebe to surrender, the Zhagen defenders scoffed.After the two attacked for a day, Zagen discovered that this barbarian army could capture the city if it wanted to.So he hurriedly sued for peace and offered a lot of property.Subotai and Jebe were originally looking for a way to go north and cross the Caucasus, so they agreed to Zhagen’s summation, and marched eastward with a large amount of property, and came to the Sheriwang Kingdom in the southeast of the Caucasus Mountains (now northwest of the Caspian Sea) .

After the two withdrew from Guerzhi, Lu Sudan finally possessed his soul. The queen wrote to the Pope, revealing horror between the lines: "There is a barbaric Tartar, like hell devils, greedy for spoils Like a hungry wolf, fighting like a lion, invaded our country..." The Pope didn't write back to her, presumably thinking she was out of her mind.Shamaha (now Shemakh, Azerbaijan), the capital of Sherivan Kingdom, also thought that these hell devils were insane when they faced the order to open the door and surrender.Subotai and Jebe showed them with crazy attacks that the hell devil was not crazy.Shierwansha, the king of Shiliwang Kingdom, is an old man with low energy and wisdom. Facing the howling of all kinds of advanced attacking machines of these hell devils, he chose to surrender.After Jebe and Subodai entered the city, they carried out a small-scale massacre, and then asked Shierwansha to find ten nobles to serve as guides, because they were going to take Daerban (now Terban, Dagestan, Russia) special) over the Caucasus Mountains.

Shi'erwansha turned pale with shock and said, "It is impossible for a human being to cross the Caucasus Mountain." Jebe and Subotai said: "We are not human, don't you call us devils from hell? Stop talking nonsense and find ten nobles!" Shierwansha selected ten nobles by drawing lots and sent them to the Mongolian military camp.Jebe killed one before speaking: "We will spare your life as long as you take us through the tater squad." Of course, the nine people were afraid of death, so they could only lead the Mongols to Daerban with all their hearts. The city of Tarban was an important frontier defense town for the Persian Empire to defend against the invasion of the northern barbarians. It stood on an unusually steep hill with only a small road leading to the north. Under the leadership of the nine trembling nobles, He Subotai easily passed the test.However, this long coastal area has the sea on one side and mountains on the other, and the roads are rugged, making it extremely difficult for people and horses to move.Jebe and Subodei had no choice but to burn all the siege equipment, and single-handedly, after exhausting all kinds of hardships, they finally successfully crossed the Caucasus Mountains and came to the Terek River Basin in the Caucasus Mountains. Their enemies have been waiting for a long time.Among the enemies are the Aso people who are good at mountain warfare, the Xueer Kesu people who are good at horse warfare, the Lesijining people who are strange in action and powerful in assault, and the masters of the northern prairie regions of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, the brave Qin Observe people. The Battle of the Terek broke out.The Mongolian army was very tired after a long and arduous journey, and suddenly ran into an overwhelmingly superior enemy. Of course, the situation was very unfavorable.However, the Mongols still chose to go to war. The two sides charged at each other, and the sound of killing shook the sky, shaking the water of the Terek River into a turbulent state.After a day of fighting, the two sides were tied, so they suspended their troops and waited to fight again tomorrow. That very night, the tables turned.Subotai sent people to the Kipchak army camp with a large amount of jewelry and a message. Subotai said: "We have a common ancestor. The Aso people and other types are outsiders. You help outsiders to deal with your brothers , I really can’t justify it. I have a suggestion, this treasure should be used as a foreshadowing first, as long as you withdraw your troops, we will never bargain for as much treasure as you want, and give it double.” The Kipchak people have been invincible in the northern prairie of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea for hundreds of years, and they have also seen the world.But they have never seen a golden gown as thin as a cicada's wings, nor silk as smooth and soft as a beautiful woman's skin. The commander of the Qincha Corps coveted these treasures that he couldn't even dream of, and that night, he broke out. And go, go back and wait for more gifts from the Mongols. At dawn the next day, Subotai and Jebe divided their armies into two groups. Subotai attacked the Aso people fiercely, and Jebe attacked the Xueerkesu people and Lesijining people in a surprise attack. Subotai and Jebe could not let go of the opportunity to ravage their opponents. The 30,000 Mongolian soldiers were divided into hundreds of teams and galloped through the villages of the Aso people, burning, looting, and massacring them along the way, turning the homeland of the Aso people into living hell.The entire Caucasus mountains were harassed by the Mongols.According to exaggerated records, the massacre of the Mongols in the Caucasus Mountains caused unparalleled terror to the local residents.The local people did not resist in the extreme terror, and they were slaughtered one after another.After a small town was breached, a Mongolian woman entered a house and killed all the men in the house. During the massacre, no one resisted.There are also records that a Mongolian soldier passed through an alley where more than a hundred people lived, and killed him from the beginning to the end. The only resistance he encountered was shouting and cursing. Regarding the murder of Mongolian women, it is necessary to make the following additions.Zhao Gong, a Song native who was drunk by Genghis Khan, said: "It is customary to go out as a teacher, not to be noble or humble, but to bring more wives and children. Ziyun is used to manage salutary clothes, money and other things. The women are in charge of setting up tents. To collect and unload saddle horses, luggage, carts and other things, you can go on horseback when you are in a hurry." This shows that there are many women in the Mongolian Corps, and they are not only logistics, but sometimes they can kill the enemy. For example, the woman mentioned above is an example. After Subotai and Jebe completely leveled the Caucasus Mountains, they pointed their troops at the Kipchaks without any suspense. After the Kipchak leaders secretly left their allies and returned to their lair, they disbanded the army and returned to their respective tribes, waiting eagerly for the Mongolian brothers to send treasures to their door.Unfortunately, the Mongols sent him war.Due to lack of any preparations, the Kipchak ministries collapsed one after another under the lightning attacks of Subotai and Jebe, and the remaining forces fled westward in a hurry.Jebe and Subotai announced that the Kipchak grassland had been taken over by the Mongols, and the receiver was Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, and then chased after the Kipchak remnants.Following the trail of the fleeing enemy, the two crossed the Don River and headed westward along the northern shore of the Sea of ​​Azov. The Kipchak people found that a large group of people were fleeing, and the target was too big, so they divided into three groups to escape.One fled into Hungary and was assimilated by the Hungarians; one crossed the Danube, entered the Balkan Peninsula, and was absorbed by the Byzantine Empire; the other was very strong, fled into the Russian border, and begged for assistance from the Russians. The Russians did not know the Mongols He readily agreed, and decided to take on this group of barbarians from the East. Subotai and Jebe have not yet had time to have close contact with the Russians. The two led the corps to advance to the Crimea Peninsula, and naturally exchanged fire with the Genoese.Genoa is a free city-state in northwestern Italy. It has an invincible navy, but its army has almost no combat effectiveness.The first place where the Mongolian army fought against it was the Genoese fortress Sudak, which consisted of a large castle and fourteen towers. Although it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, there was a defender who could not support the wall with mud .As a result, under the fierce attack of the Mongolian Corps, Sudak fell.Subotai and Jebe maintained the Mongolian tradition and burned the city. When they danced Mongolian dances on the ruins to celebrate their victory, Europe had received definite news of their arrival. In fact, the Byzantine Empire, the center of the Christian world at that time, had already received news of the Mongols coming from the east. When Guerzhi was attacked, the Pope in the Byzantine Empire received a letter from Queen Guerzhi.Shortly thereafter, Kipchak refugees made their way down the Danube, bringing more definite news.Immediately afterwards, the Genoese brought the sad news of the fall of Sudak. The Byzantine Empire was terrified and the whole of Europe was shaken. Although they knew that the enemy was coming, the Byzantine Empire and European countries had nothing to do. Here is the reason. Although the Byzantine Empire is called an empire, the only area it can control is the capital Constantinople. There are various empires in the surrounding areas, attacking each other, and eyeing Constantinople. That is to say, the Byzantine Empire The name is not worthy of the name, and it has no strength to provoke the burden of resisting the Mongols. Let's look at European countries.From 1097 to the 13th century, European countries have fought wars for more than a hundred years.Countries' finances are stretched and exhausted.And there are always internal strife in various countries, especially the conflict between church and state, which is extremely serious.Frederick II, King of Prussia, is having a splitting headache from the crusade launched by the Pope; Philip II, King of France, is in twilight, and is struggling with the feudal forces in his country; King Henry II of England is still a child, At this time, he was not yet in power, and the Magna Carta Movement was raging in the country, which was full of crises; in Spain, the long-term war between Catholicism and Islam was still inextricably fought; as for Italy, it was only a geographical term at that time, and the entire peninsula was torn apart, so it was impossible to send troops. Although the European countries were shocked, they could only sit and wait for the enemy to come because they had no strength. There was another reason why they would not take the initiative to send troops, that is, Russia was more pressured than them, because Russia was too close to the Mongols, and the Mongols were their neighbors. The home of the Kipchak people.But Russia is still weaker than European countries. Russia at that time was far from being as big as it is now, and its territory was limited to the northern part of Europe and Russia.Russia’s political system is similar to that of the Western Zhou Dynasty in China. The top leader of the central government is called the Grand Duke, who is a nominal leader. There are countless duchies under the central government. Each duchy is very independent. They often attack each other regardless of the grand duke’s face. In this way, Russia's strength was gradually weakened by them.Russia's neighbors, the Kipchaks, discovered this fact, and kept attacking it, defeating it repeatedly, asking it to donate gold, silver, treasures, cattle, sheep and horses. In 1169, the Grand Duke of Russia moved the capital from Kyiv to Vladimir. The influence of the Grand Duke of Russia plummeted, and the principalities were half dead because they were constantly being eaten away by the Kipchaks. However, there is a question, why did Russia take in the Kipchak people who were defeated by the Mongols?There are two reasons.First, the person who accommodated the remnants of the Kipchak branch was Mustislav, the leader of the Principality of Harix in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River. In order to avoid the harassment of the Kipchak people, this person took the initiative to marry the daughter of a Kipchak nobleman as his wife , and the Kipchak who came this time is his father-in-law; secondly, Mustislav is a thoughtful person. After he heard the general situation of the Mongols, he immediately summoned the principalities to discuss countermeasures with the Russian Grand Duke. .The Russians believed that instead of waiting for the Mongols to invade Russian territory and then resisting, it would be better to go to the Kipchak territory and fight the Mongols.This is to keep war out of the country, and the highest art of war is to fight one's own fight in other people's homes. Thus began the famous Battle of the Carmius River.