Chapter 40 one

Seeing off the mission, King Timur held a military meeting the next day attended by princes and nobles, court officials and senior generals of various armies.In the Timurid Empire, such a military meeting was exactly the same as the kuril platform during the period of Genghis Khan.At the meeting, everyone can speak freely whether they support or oppose it.King Timur was not always on top, he would discuss and brainstorm with his officials, so as to make a detailed deployment of the next step of the campaign.As for the decision at the meeting, it must be communicated to the army and the people in the shortest possible time.The reason why it is so self-evident is because any war requires the participation of the army and the people.

That night, the result of the meeting we learned was: King Timur issued an expedition order to finally complete the conquest of Tok Khan.The date of the expedition was set in April 797 (February 1395) in the Muslim calendar.This is the habit of King Timur, preparing for winter and going out in spring. The preparations before the expedition were still cumbersome and meticulous. From the selection of war horses to the supplies for the march, from the making of weapons to the collection of intelligence, King Timur had to listen to reports many times and personally inspect everything.If a rein is missing at that time, both the person involved and his chief will be severely punished.

Before the expedition, all the soldiers and people participating in the expedition should drink expedition wine as usual, and in some places, grand banquets will be held.It was a crazy and tragic day. The Timur Empire became a sea of ​​songs and wine. It seemed that people had to go through this kind of carnival to commemorate the unknown fate and death in advance.After a night of carnival, we divided into columns and set off one by one.It can be said that the first time I learned about the various rules of Timur's army was also during this march. At the beginning of the march, our daytime travel was basically limited to twenty-five versts.In order to search for the enemy's situation, it is first necessary to send agile and experienced cavalry scouts to scout ahead.When marching, the front of the army should maintain a width of 300 to 1,000 steps, and each team should consist of 100 cavalry and 300 horses.The depth of the queue depends on the number of soldiers, and sometimes the queue is so long that it can hold nearly a thousand horses.

Once approaching the enemy, the army will be divided into three, two-thirds for the army, and one-third for the left and right wings.King Timur's army is known for its hard work and hard work. No matter it is a mountain, hill, plain, or a place with a river, it must be able to advance and retreat freely.When necessary, the army galloped quickly, day and night, resting only for feeding the horses or eating meals on the way. During this period, out of the need to conceal the traces of each column in the operation, the Timurid army mainly adopted a method called "sneaking along the antelope".Specifically, once approaching the enemy, it is necessary to determine the location and time of the next gathering, and then disperse to attack the enemy.Such a sudden attack often makes the enemy not aware of the strength of the opponent and the direction of the attack, so it is difficult to respond quickly and effectively resist.

In addition, King Timur also has a habit—this is probably not accurate enough—perhaps it is better to say that it is the army law formulated by King Timur himself: every commander, no matter how high or low, even if it is a prince and Nobles must keep in mind the twelve rules such as the organization of battle, breaking the enemy's defense line, attacking and retreating.This is an iron rule, if you forget it, you will be punished. Another rule is: in every major war, if the enemy’s strength is less than 40,000, King Timur will send an army of 40,000 to face it. This army is commanded by princes and will arrange experienced generals to assist; If the army has more than 40,000 troops, it will be commanded by King Timur himself.At this time, King Timur will divide the troops under his direct control into forty teams according to the actual situation on the battlefield and the strength of the enemy troops. Among them, the elite twelve teams will be the first line, and the remaining twenty-eight teams will be divided into the second , The third echelon.The troops of Timur's sons and grandsons were arranged on the right side of the above-mentioned forty teams, and the troops commanded by the relatives of King Timur and the allied army were arranged in front of the right side.

Once the battle begins, the light cavalry and outposts will start the battle first. If reinforcements are needed, the first and second echelon troops on the two wings will be sent out one by one.If it is considered that the troops are insufficient, approach the enemy's general command from the left and right wings, and wait for an opportunity to seize the enemy's flag.If this does not end the battle, then send all the troops out together and fight with all your strength. Although King Timur invested different troops in each battle and each battle, judging from the formation of King Timur, the relative distance between the left and right armies is relatively far, and the center seems to be very weak.It is precisely this seemingly weak center deployment that creates a visual illusion for the enemy. Therefore, once the enemy launches an attack, they will fall into the trap set by King Timur.When the enemy spreads its troops to the side, it will further cause the dispersion of troops. At this time, King Timur will attack the center with his own army, and he can successfully cut off the communication between the enemy's combat troops, and then break them down one by one.

King Timur often used this tactic of luring the enemy deep in his life, but it is a pity that this tactic was not known to the armies of other countries. When Shanai told me about King Timur's military strategy in such a bragging tone, we were on our way to the Golden Horde.When King Timur chose to attack, he generally avoided the harsh winter as much as possible, and most of them gathered in winter and started fighting in spring.In winter and spring, the further north I went, the colder the weather became, so I had to hide myself in the thick blanket in the carriage as much as possible.I have to admit that Shannai is the most loving grandfather in the world. At the same time, he is also a veritable storyteller. Listening to his stories can at least relieve me from being far away from Orinburg and Princess Oela. But born lonely and boring.

In my life, which is longer than many, I have personally witnessed five wars fought by King Timur.Except this time (the second time), Princess Oeira is always with me.The third time was King Timur's expedition to India; the fourth time was when the famous Battle of Ankara in history kicked off between King Timur and Bayezid.These two times, it was because the young Ulugh Beg, the son of Shah Rugh, had to go out with the army. As his protector, Princess Oela accompanied him regardless of the danger.The fifth time was purely at the request of King Timur.King Timur hopes to conquer China in his lifetime, and he needs a princess to witness his glory.

I understand better than anyone else the princess' fear and loathing of war.Because, how should I put it, in the words of the little girl Zo Weiran, that is, war is actually "not fun at all". In this campaign, I chose to leave Orinburg, just to accompany Shanai and Aya.Before the expedition, they came to visit the princess and me, and I found that they were suddenly much older.Although I am not a very filial granddaughter, Aya and Shanai are the ones who gave my mother life after all. With my mother, there is only me in the world. I should have a sense of gratitude to them. Shanai promised to tell me the story of how he and King Timur robbed the rich man's horses when he was young.Unexpectedly, just as he started the conversation, he was interrupted by the arrival of a person.Nuriddin came to our temporary tent and told Shanai to play chess with his old friend King Timur.

King Timur often compared commanding operations to playing chess. If he had leisure during the war or during the march, he was keen to play chess during the day and study the formation of troops at night.In the Timurid Empire, it seems that no one is likely to be his opponent in chess. His chess pieces are like his army, and his army is like his chess pieces. When advancing and retreating, they all pay attention to occupying important positions. . I wondered if I could see Shaharu in King Timur’s big tent, so I pestered Nuriddin to come to King Timur’s big tent with him and Shanai. Unfortunately, I didn’t know until I got there, Shah Ruh went on another mission and was not in the camp at all.I had to stay in King Timur's big tent all afternoon, watching Timur and Shanai play chess.Shanai's chess skills are already considered good, but even with all his efforts, he couldn't beat King Timur.Shanai is really getting more and more depressed, but I can see that King Timur is even more depressed than Shanai.When Nuridin came in to report that dinner was available, and King Timur ordered the guards to remove the chessboard, he muttered in his mouth: "It would be nice if Ouelah was here."

The princess has a meticulous mind and amazing chess skills. Playing chess with the princess, no matter whether he wins or loses, even if he loses more and wins less, it is a great enjoyment for King Timur. When King Timur sighed, I happened to miss the princess too, and I said to myself, in the future, I will never leave the princess alone in Orinburg, no matter what, I will be with her. After entering the hinterland of the Golden Horde, in order to make his side famous, King Timur sent envoys who were familiar with diplomatic rhetoric to Tuke Khan.The envoy came to Toke Khan's military camp, presented King Timur's letter to Toke Khan, and described King Timur's request with his particularly good rhetoric.But Tok Khan rudely refused.When the envoy returned to King Timur, the army had already set up a military camp on the Samur River Valley.King Timur arranged his army into a battle formation and confronted Toke Khan's army along the banks of the Telek River. King Timur ordered the army to dig two trenches around the barracks, nailed wooden stakes, and installed trench guards. He also stipulated that soldiers should not make noise, walk around in the camp, or light fire at night to prevent enemy sneak attacks.The confrontation lasted for two months. Tok Khan regarded King Timur's defense strategy as weak and deceitful. He took the lead in attacking the left flank of Timur's army in the early hours of a certain day. Twenty-seven elite hundred households of the reserve assisted the beleaguered left wing and repelled the enemy's attack. The troops of the Golden Horde were forced to retreat, and veterans such as Shauke, Aiku, and Shanai played their roles. They commanded the army to chase the fleeing enemy until they were far away.Tok Khan's purpose is exactly this.Seeing that King Timur's barracks was empty, he immediately divided his troops into two groups: one was used to continue to contain the pursuers, and the other was used to cover the night to suddenly return to the Samur River Valley to launch a full-scale attack on the central army commanded by King Timur. . Toke Khan's return carbine did catch King Timur a little off guard. The battle at that time was extremely fierce. King Timur's centurions all dismounted and dismounted their horses on the battlefield, and set up blocking points with carts and guards.The soldiers knelt down and shot at the enemy, and the arrows rained down.When the battle was in full swing, the eldest prince Jihanjar's son, the heroic king Sun Shaletan, led another army with excellent weapons to arrive, and the battle turned in favor of King Timur. This battle laid the foundation for King Timur's victory.The sneak attack failed, and Toke Khan failed one after another, so he had to contemplate fleeing.He ordered the soldiers to demolish the bridge over the Telek River, and the Timur army could not cross the river, so they could only pursue Tuke Khan along the river.King Timur sent an envoy to ask Toke Khan why he repeatedly violated the border?And proposed to renew the alliance with Tuke Khan, so as not to lose their lives.Tuke Khan received the envoy politely, but he knew very well in his heart that King Timur was resourceful and cunning, and he must not believe what he said about the renewal of the alliance.The envoys turned back to the king's tent and reported Tokhan's attitude to King Timur. King Timur was very annoyed and made a bold statement, vowing not to return south until Tokhan was eliminated. Although the oath was heroic, in the next three days, the two armies kept going up the river, and the Timurid army could not find a chance to attack the enemy.King Timur knew very well that his side had consumed a lot of food and fodder and could not replenish it in time. If this delay continued, he would be defeated without a fight.Just when he was very worried, Shah Ruku asked to see his father at night and offered a plan. King Timur praised his son and accepted it happily. That night, women, old people, slaves, and even mature girls like me were all required to put on armor and dress up as soldiers.I was trying to get used to the shaky feeling of the heavy helmet on my head, when I looked up and saw a familiar figure walking towards me under the moonlight.Although it was only a figure, I would not mistake him for who he was.A familiar person came to my side and smiled at me. I also smiled at him.I didn't know that my funny attire, my innocent grin, was actually very cute in Shaharu's eyes at that moment. "Cecia." "Shaharu, why are you here?" Before the expedition, Shaharu took the little concubine to Orlinburg to bid farewell to the princess. The princess asked him to take care of me, and he agreed.However, with repeated wars, it was impossible for him to fulfill his promise. Shaharu straightened the helmet for me: "It's crooked." "I said, how come I put on the helmet, and my head seems to be crooked." Shaharu smiled: "Ceccia, are you—are you afraid?" "I'm not afraid. As long as I think about it, you will not be afraid if you are not far from me." I replied jokingly.I'm really not afraid, Cecia is not a coward. "Yes, I will be not far from you. But you still have to promise me that you must take care of yourself. " "Relax." Shah Ruh didn't say anything, just a few words are enough.Before he left, he stared at me, and for a moment he seemed to be in a trance.I thank him for his care and concern for me, but I understand that he can always feel the existence of another person through me. Even if that person is not by his side, he is still the person he cares about and cares about the most in his life. Two centurions came over and urged us old and weak women and children to gather together.Shahru came back to his senses and bid farewell to me. He also had a more important mission. "Cesia, I'm leaving," he said with a smile. I said "hmm" and waved to him happily.Yes, I was able to see Shaharu before the war, and even the sweaty helmet became less annoying. The untrained "team" huddled crookedly together, and the centurion gave us the task.Only then did I know that King Timur originally wanted us pretending "soldiers" to stay in the camp, bluffing, while our army, led by him and the princes, each carried a horse for transfer. From the horse, he galloped back to the place where the water was gentle, and then swam across the river from there to destroy the camp of Tok Khan by surprise. The next day, the good news came.King Timur led his army to defeat Toke Khan, and Toke Khan fled in despair.This battle laid the foundation for King Timur to conquer the Golden Horde. Tok Khan has been living a life of escape since then. Although he has been restored several times during this period, he was eventually abolished due to his weak power.Ten years later, Toke Khan asked King Timur for pardon. He sent an envoy to see King Timur. King Timur was moved by Toke Khan's plea, and he was ready to restore him.It is a pity that this great promise to Tok Khan soon came to naught due to the death of King Timur, and Tok Khan's political career was interrupted. brother killed. After the Battle of the Telek River, King Timur returned to the Dan River.Soon, he led his army to suddenly march to the north of Woluosi, first invaded Liangzan, and then captured the city of Bale Chimul and Azahei.It was like a military adventure, because King Timur didn't really know Oros. When winter came, King Timur led the army to the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai City and Haji Taerzhai (Asta Rahan). The richness of Sarai City and Haji Taerzhai was his where the target is.He decided to capture Haji Tarzhai first, and then loot the city of Sarai. At that time, it was the middle of winter, and the surface of the Volga River was frozen, and it could be attacked directly from the river.Haji Taerzhai has solid fortifications except the side facing the river. The high wall stretches from one end of the river to the other to surround the whole village, and is supplemented by towers for protection. Only the side near the river is usually carried out by armed ships. defense.Due to the freezing of the river, the officers, soldiers and residents of Haji Tarzhai felt that the enemy might launch an attack from this weakest point, so they organized manpower to dig thick ice blocks to build the city, and then poured water on the piles of ice blocks at night On the ground, a defensive wall that was difficult to approach was soon formed.Many years ago, they used this method to defeat other enemies many times. This time they still used the same method to build high ice walls. The gate of the village, although the gate of the village is open, but an ice slope that is high on the inside and low on the outside has been built, so it is absolutely difficult for people and horses to attack the village.When King Timur came to the village, he saw this peculiar defensive barrier, and he couldn't help saying to his generals that this ice wall seems simple, but it is not something anyone can think of. Also use your brains. King Timur knew the situation in the village well.The reason for this should be due to the efficient and convenient intelligence network he established.After the Battle of the Telek River, King Timur organized an army to pursue Tok Khan on the one hand, and on the other hand left some capable people scattered in the cities and fortresses of Oros.In Haji Tarzhai, King Timur left one of his confidants, Taban. I have forgotten Taban’s origin, but I know that he is indeed an outstanding spy and activist, and, His eloquence is amazing.During his stay in Haji Tarzhai, he quickly won the trust of the local people, which created convenient conditions for him to fully grasp the fortifications in the village and the mentality of the residents. It was this fruitful work that made him It can continuously send all kinds of valuable information back to the general headquarters of King Timur.This time the Tamerlane army suppressed the village on a large scale. The village owner Hatar was ready to fight the enemy to the death, but before that, King Timur told Taban to spread rumors that only by laying down the weapons can life be saved, and that those who resist will die. Therefore, when King Timur's army arrived, many generals and people in the village repeatedly reported the harm of using force, forcing Hatar to make another decision to go out of the village to meet King Timur.King Timur kept his word and did not take any action against the fortress. He just marched towards another target city, Sarai, after replenishing supplies. King Timur took Haji Tarzhai lightly without encountering resistance.Although the soldiers and civilians of Sarai City resisted, King Timur still captured the city and burned the city of Sarai, which marked the prosperous period of the Golden Horde. In this way, the Golden Horde Khanate, once the most powerful of the four Khanates, was trampled underfoot by King Timur. He bestowed gold belts and golden embroidered robes, symbols of Khan's dignity, on a real Khan. A descendant of the Golden Horde, he made the new Khan he supported as his agent in the Golden Horde, and allowed the new Khan to go to the left bank of the Volga River to gather troops to rebuild order in the Golden Horde.