Chapter 302: Capturing Temüjin Alive
Downstream, Temüjin’s army was stationed in the Onon River Valley.
The terrain here was treacherous, with steep mountains on both sides, easy to defend and hard to attack, while roads in other directions were rugged and difficult to traverse; the most convenient path was to go upstream along the Onon River.
Temüjin was calmly seated in his tent, waiting for the Northern Frontier Army to step into this trap he had carefully set.
“How is it?”
“Any movements from the Northern Frontier People?”
Seeing the scout return covered in dust, Temüjin immediately stood up and asked, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
“Great Khan, the Northern Frontier People did not pursue from downstream.” The scout knelt on one knee and reported.
“None?”
Temüjin’s brows furrowed tightly, a trace of unease rising in his heart.
It had been two days since he defeated Zhamuha’s allied forces, and he had been holding the advantageous terrain of the river valley, waiting in strict formation.
He had thought the Northern Frontier Army would soon come for revenge, but there had been no movement, leaving him puzzled.
“Could it be that the Northern Frontier Army discovered it?” Temüjin’s heart skipped a beat, vaguely feeling something was off.
And at that moment, a scout from the other side suddenly burst in in a panic: “Great Khan, the Northern Frontier People have come killing through that mountain road in Naluiji!”
“What?”
Temüjin abruptly stood up, his face full of shock.
That mountain road was difficult to traverse, far less smooth than the Onon River Valley—why would the Northern Frontier Army choose to attack from there?
“This is bad.”
He instantly realized that the Northern Frontier Army must have discovered his plan.
Temüjin’s face twisted in fury, his heart filled with anger at his strategy being seen through and a vague sense that his intelligence had been completely crushed by Li Xiao.
“Pass the order~”
He was about to issue orders to adjust the deployment when his expression suddenly shifted slightly.
A low rumbling sound seemed to reach his ears, like distant thunder rolling.
“What sound is that?”
Before the words fell, soldiers in the distance were already shouting in terror: “Water, water is coming~”
Temüjin hurriedly rushed out of the tent and looked in the direction the soldier was pointing.
At the end of the distant river valley, a wall of turbid water was surging forward like a wild horse breaking free from its reins.
Wherever it went, trees were uprooted, rocks were swept up and rolled along.
“The dam broke?”
“Damn it, how could this happen?”
Temüjin’s pupils contracted sharply, the color draining from his face as he roared in rage.
He had ordered Subutai to build a dam upstream, planning to breach it only after the Northern Frontier Army came killing along the river valley.
But now, he had not given the order to breach the dam—why had the flood come?
Worse still, the Northern Frontier Army had not arrived, yet much of his own army was stationed in the river valley.
“Help, glub~”
“Grab me~”
“Eternal Blue Sky, I don’t want to die!”
The soldiers at the bottom of the river valley were scattered by the sudden flood, with shrill screams and desperate cries rising one after another, rippling through the floodwaters.
“Get to the mountains! Everyone, run to the mountains!”
Temüjin’s eyes nearly popped out, shouting hoarsely at the top of his lungs, his voice turning raspy from extreme terror.
No need for his command—everyone knew to head for high ground, but the flood came too suddenly, like a beast descending from the heavens, instantly sweeping over the bottom of the river valley.
Countless men and horses were caught off guard by the waves and overturned, screaming as they were swept into the turbid torrent, struggling a few times before vanishing.
Even the soldiers standing at the edges of the river valley found the flood rapidly overflowing the riverbank, turning the ground under their feet muddy and impassable.
The war horses’ hooves sank into the wet, soft mud, unable to pull free no matter how they tried.
The entire river valley instantly became a flooded wasteland, with men and horses wailing in despair.
Temüjin rode his horse, protected by his guards, charging toward the mountaintop.
Turning to look at the shocking scene before him, his heart filled with fear and helplessness.
His carefully prepared water attack plan had ultimately become a flood that drowned his own forces.
“Aaaahhh~” Temüjin’s eyes turned bloodshot as he roared madly at the sky.
“Eternal Blue Sky!”
“Why are you doing this to me? I’m not willing to accept this!”
In the Naluiji mountain path, the Northern Frontier Army was advancing slowly.
The terrain here undulated, far less open and flat than the grassland, with gravel underfoot occasionally clinking against the horseshoes.
But fortunately, there were no tall trees blocking the view; along the way, it was mostly low weeds reaching the ankles.
At this time, Wei Xuan was leading his Myriad Household Commanders as the army’s vanguard, forming a pincer with Da Hu’s forces on the other flank, steadily closing in on Temüjin’s position.
Just then, a scout galloped up from ahead, his excited voice saying: “Myriad Household Commander, the Onon River suddenly surged, forming a flood that drowned Temüjin’s forces!”
Hearing this, Wei Xuan was momentarily stunned, then a trace of surprise crossed his face.
He reined in his horse, gazing toward the distant river valley, sighing inwardly: “The Great Protector’s foresight is indeed beyond our reach.”
While the generals in the Northern Frontier Army thought of gaining merits and achievements, viewing Temüjin as merely a defeated dog.
Li Xiao had keenly sensed something amiss and ordered men to detour upstream for scouting.
Sure enough, Temüjin had harbored intentions of flooding the Northern Frontier Army, but it had backfired on him.
This incident also served as a warning to Wei Xuan: in the future, when facing river valleys and such terrain, he must exercise greater caution.
He steadied himself, then gravely ordered: “Pass the order to the Chiliarchs: speed up and close in on the river valley direction. We absolutely cannot let Temüjin escape.”
“Understood.”
On the other side, Da Hu also received the scout’s report.
He immediately perked up, slapping his thigh hard: “Good! This old guy has his day too!”
With that, he bellowed to his soldiers: “Brothers, put some muscle into it!”
“Temüjin is right ahead—capture him, and we’ll earn a great merit.”
“We can’t let the eighteen Myriad Household Commanders beat us to it.”
Soon after, Wei Xuan and Da Hu arrived at the river valley one after another; the place was already flooded.
Many men and horses had been swept downstream by the flood, with some still trapped in mud pits on the riverbank, and many grassland cavalry around them still shaken.
Temüjin was nowhere to be seen; only after questioning captives did they learn.
Upon seeing the Northern Frontier Army arrive, Temüjin had abandoned rescuing the soldiers in the river valley and fled upstream with some men.
“Pursue him—we absolutely cannot let him go.”
As they followed the hoofprints and bloodstains on the ground to a pass, dense bowstring twangs suddenly came from the ridges on both sides.
The Kiyan tribe’s army had set up an ambush here.
Hundreds of Kiyan tribesmen occupied the steep slopes, arrows raining down on the Northern Frontier Army like hail.
The Northern Frontier Army’s cloth armor could block most stray arrows, but the war horses had no armor protection and neighed as they fell.
Sharpshooters like Jebe always precisely targeted gaps in faces, with soldiers occasionally screaming as they were hit.
Facing this sudden assault, Da Hu snorted coldly: “A bunch of jumping clowns.”
Then he roared: “Kill!”
He personally led the charge.
The Northern Frontier Army’s combat strength was formidable not only due to superior equipment over contemporary forces but also because the soldiers were mostly fearless and dauntless in the face of death.
For soldiers who died in battle, the Great Protector’s Mansion would compensate their families handsomely.
But anyone who flinched from battle would face strict military law, and their families would be drowned in neighbors’ spittle.
Deserting in the face of the enemy was even graver—summary beheading, with families demoted to slaves.
Moreover, Northern Frontier Army generals always led the charge.
Military law stipulated that if a general died while soldiers survived, the soldiers bore joint responsibility, forcing everyone to live or die together.
Over time, this fostered a spirit of unity from top to bottom, with everyone advancing without fear of death.
In just a quarter of an hour, Da Hu had led men to break through the mountaintop, slaughtering most of the Kiyan remnants.
Muqali and Jebe led the survivors over the ridge and continued fleeing.
“Kill them—let none escape!” Wei Xuan, covered in blood, shouted sternly.
The two Myriad Household armies immediately split into two routes for pursuit, like two iron pincers clamping down on the Kiyan remnants.
War horses do not run in straight lines when galloping, always unconsciously veering slightly left and right.
Each veer brings them slightly closer to the pursuers on both flanks.
Thus, pincer encirclement is the optimal tactic when pursuing enemy forces.
As the distance shortened, Northern Frontier Army troops in front drew bows and nocked arrows, arrows whistling through the air as Kiyan soldiers screamed and fell from their horses.
“Loose arrows and counterattack!” Muqali roared the order.
Feigned retreat was their specialty, using arrows to pick off pursuing enemies.
But it was utterly ineffective against the Northern Frontier Army.
Because the Northern Frontier Army’s bows had greater range, sharper arrows, and sturdier armor.
Kiyan arrows either fell short or failed to penetrate armor even on hit.
But Northern Frontier Army arrows meant death or severe injury on contact.
Jebe turned and loosed an arrow, precisely piercing a war horse’s neck; the cavalryman fell with it.
He loosed another, his face full of frustration: “Damn it, these Northern Frontier People are too tough—we can’t kill them at all.”
He was the grassland’s finest archer, yet could only harm them by shooting their war horses.
The ordinary soldiers were even worse—mere live targets for the Northern Frontier Army.
Seeing the Northern Frontier Army closing in while more of his own men fell from horses.
Muqali’s expression grew grave as he barked: “Nalatu Mountain is ahead—we go south.”
As the remnants fled south, Da Hu and Wei Xuan, pursuing to this point, noticed the army’s hunting dogs all barking madly northward.
“Temüjin is to the north.” Wei Xuan’s eyes sharpened.
Northern Frontier Army scouts had infiltrated Temüjin’s army disguised as defeated grassland soldiers, secretly scattering special spices for the hunting dogs to track.
Even if the Kiyan people deliberately erased traces, leaving no fresh hoofprints, they could not fool the dogs’ noses.
“Hmph, trying to deceive us and sneak through Chencang?”
Da Hu spat: “Petty tricks.”
The two immediately ordered a Chiliarch under them to continue pursuing Muqali’s remnants, while they personally led the main force north, charging fiercely toward Temüjin.
The sound of hooves thundered like lightning, kicking up clouds of dust as if to shatter the entire grassland.
“Awoo—”
Moonlight like frost bathed the depths of Burkhan Khaldun.
Wolf howls rose and fell in the surrounding mountain forests, sometimes shrill, sometimes low, adding an eerie chill.
Temüjin half-knelt on the cold grass, his muddied hands gripping the hilt at his waist tightly, gazing at the bright moon in the sky.
His voice hoarse yet humbly devout: “Almighty Eternal Blue Sky.”
“You witnessed my ambition to unify the grassland and protected me through countless perils.”
“Today, I, Temüjin, bend my knee to you—not in submission, but as a lost child beseeching his father.”
His robes were soaked through by the flood, his exposed skin covered in wounds and bruises; the sharpness of the former grassland eagle replaced by exhaustion and dishevelment.
“Grant me the strength to break free from this predicament!”
“Even a sliver of breathing room, and I’ll show those who despise the grassland that an eagle with broken wings can still peck a bloody path through desperation.”
Wolf howls echoed endlessly in his ears, mocking his downfall or urging him toward his end.
Yet he maintained his prostrate posture, even without any response from the Eternal Blue Sky.
Finally, the light in Temüjin’s eyes gradually dimmed.
Once, he had been but a step from the throne of the Northern Desert King, but the Northern Frontier People came, turning all his ambitions to bubbles.
No matter what schemes or means he used, they seemed like jokes against the Northern Frontier’s terrifying strength.
Now, only his last thousand men remained, most no longer the warriors who had followed him to assault Zhezhe Yundushan Mountains.
Even generals like Muqali and Jebe were no longer at his side.
They had drawn the Northern Frontier People away in another direction to cover his escape.
“Father Khan, eat something.”
Torei brought over a piece of dry, tough dried meat and a water pouch, saying softly.
Temüjin turned at the words, looking at Chagatai and Ogedai Khan beside him.
These three were all his biological sons, now grown and beginning to shine in the army.
He had planned to bring them into battle to gain experience and courage, but instead led them step by step to doom.
Temüjin looked at his sons nearby, his heart heavy as stone.
“Torei, my son, Father Khan is not hungry—eat this dried meat.”
Temüjin forced a smile.
The army was defeated, cattle and sheep and provisions all gone; things to fill the belly would only grow scarcer.
“Father Khan, eat something!” Torei pushed the dried meat back, eyes full of stubbornness.
“Father Khan, take a bite!”
Chagatai urged gruffly: “Our setback this time is temporary.”
“The Eternal Blue Sky is watching—we’ll take back everything lost sooner or later.”
Ogedai Khan nodded too: “Once we recover, we’ll make those Northern Frontier People pay in blood.”
Seeing his sons’ filial piety, Temüjin’s heart swelled with comfort.
The father and sons gathered, sharing a piece of tough dried meat.
That night, Temüjin could not sleep, lying on the grass staring at the moon, racking his brain for a way out.
But then, his ear twitched; the night wind carried faint hoofbeats mixed with screams.
Temüjin’s face changed abruptly as he sprang to his feet.
At that moment, a soldier on watch came galloping down the distant hillside like mad, bellowing: “Enemy attack!”
“Northern Frontier People are coming!”
“Ah~”
Temüjin was stunned—Muqali had clearly led the Northern Frontier Army away; how were they here?
He dared not think further—could Muqali and the others already be…
The moon like a silver disc lit the grassland brightly, visible far away.
On the distant mountaintop, a dark mass of cavalry charged toward them.
“Boom boom boom boom~”
“Giddyup giddyup~”
“Kill!”
They all wore white armor, gleaming coldly in the moonlight like demons bursting from hell, their momentum unstoppable.
“These demons again.”
Temüjin’s face twisted; since the river valley dam break, these white-armored demons had clung to him like maggots in the bone.
They had rested less than two hours, yet the enemy had caught up.
“Kill~”
Shouts of killing erupted from the Northern Frontier Army ranks like thunder, iron hooves thundering like rolling shocks under the moonlight.
Temüjin’s soldiers were already shaken; seeing the Northern Frontier Army charge, they fell into chaos.
Arrows flew like locusts from the Northern Frontier Army formation.
Some Kiyan soldiers were hit in the chest and fell stiffly.
Others hit in the legs screamed and tumbled from horses, trampled into meat paste by following Northern Frontier war horses.
Spears gleamed coldly in the moonlight as Northern Frontier cavalry thrust forward, spear tips easily piercing the thin armor of Kiyan soldiers and unhorsing them.
Clashing of weapons, screams, and killing filled the air, especially grim in the quiet moonlit night.
“Great Khan, run!”
Jelme roared, fighting fiercely with the Northern Frontier Army; amid flashing blades, wounds soon covered him, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.
Yet he staunchly held back the Northern Frontier Army’s assault, buying time for Temüjin’s retreat.
Until a Northern Frontier cavalryman circled behind Jelme and thrust a spear through his chest.
He lowered his head with difficulty, looking at the spear tip protruding from his chest, blood spilling from his mouth; he glanced one last time toward Temüjin and slowly fell.
Meanwhile, Chilawen fought fiercely too, cutting down several Northern Frontier soldiers in succession.
But the Northern Frontier Army was too numerous; he gradually weakened.
A cold arrow suddenly shot from the side, precisely striking his neck.
Chilawen clutched his neck, blood gushing madly from between his fingers; spitting blood, he turned his head with effort.
Looking toward Temüjin, using his last strength, he mouthed clearly: “Run.”
The next second, a charging Northern Frontier soldier cleaved off his head with a cavalry saber.
“Jelme~”
“Chilawen!”
From afar, Temüjin roared in grief and rage, watching his confidants fall one by one, eyes bloodshot, heart like a knife twisting.
But he knew he could not fall—for the Kiyan tribe, for his sons beside him, he must live.
Suppressing his sorrow, he bellowed: “Withdraw with me!”
He wheeled his horse, leading Torei, Chagatai, and Ogedai Khan into the dense forest depths.
This battle shattered the last of Temüjin’s forces.
He fled into Burkhan Khaldun with fewer than a hundred men, hiding and dodging.
But the Northern Frontier Army found them several times, nearly capturing him.
To catch him, Li Xiao dispatched the First Division and Sixth Garrison, over twenty thousand troops total, for a full-scale manhunt in Burkhan Khaldun.
He even issued a bounty: a thousand gold for capturing Temüjin, enfeoffed as Myriad Household Commander.
Determined to put him to death.
Half a month later, in the northern part of Burkhan Khaldun’s east side, the Dolin tribe in the forest’s camp.
Hundreds of Northern Frontier Army troops surged like an iron torrent, hooves shaking the ground slightly on the grassland.
The tribal leader, seeing this, hurried out with his people, a respectful smile on his face, bowing from afar in welcome.
“Has Temüjin come here?”
A Northern Frontier soldier in white cloth armor rode forward, speaking standard grassland dialect loudly to the Duolun tribe leader.
The Duolun tribe leader was an old man around fifty, followed by a dozen young and strong tribesmen, all appearing vigilant and uneasy.
He shook his head hurriedly, voice trembling noticeably: “Lord, look closely—our Duolun tribe has lived here for generations, with absolutely no ties to the Kiyan tribe.”
But as he spoke, several hunting dogs in the Northern Frontier Army suddenly barked furiously toward the tribe: “Woof woof woof woof~”
This sudden behavior immediately aroused the Northern Frontier Army’s suspicion.
Cold sweat instantly beaded on the Duolun tribe leader’s back.
Then, a burly general in bloodstained white armor rode forward—it was Wei Xuan.
He first glanced at the barking dogs, then swept a cold gaze over the Duolun tribesmen, eyes sharp as knives, as if piercing hearts.
The atmosphere grew oppressive, the air seeming to solidify, with only the dogs’ barking echoing on the grassland.
Seeing this, the Duolun tribe leader’s heart raced; he forced a fawning smile and explained.
“We just slaughtered a few sheep in the tribe—these dogs must smell the meat and are hungry for it.”
Wei Xuan, hearing the translator, gave him a deep look and said flatly: “Indeed, they do want meat.”
Then he turned his gaze to the cluster of tents ahead, asking gravely: “How many people in your tribe?”
“To answer the general, our tribe has over two hundred men, women, and children.”
The leader replied hastily, head bowed lower.
“Have you seen any strangers passing nearby recently?” Wei Xuan continued, tone even.
“No, none—our place is remote; few from other tribes come here.” The leader waved his hands in denial.
After questioning, Wei Xuan ordered the Duolun tribe leader to gather everyone in the tribe, emphasizing not one missing.
The Northern Frontier Army marched straight into their camp, meticulously searching every tent.
As for the dogs, they quieted upon entering the camp, ears drooping as they sniffed between tents, as if losing the scent.
Wei Xuan’s eyes fell on a nearby tent, where several freshly slaughtered sheep hung on the open ground outside, thick bloody smell permeating the air.
Soon, over two hundred Duolun herdsmen gathered, neatly lined in two rows—clearly more men than women.
Only about twenty young and strong, per the leader; the rest were out hunting.
Besides, the tent searches found nothing suspicious.
But Wei Xuan still felt this tribe had a major issue.
He slowly passed each tribesman, his sharp blade gliding over their bodies.
The cold gleam paled the herdsmen’s faces; they trembled like chaff, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe.
Until he reached a woman, the blade lightly resting on the child in her arms.
By her position, this relatively neat-clothed woman was clearly close to the tribe leader.
Wei Xuan stared into her eyes, his low voice carrying invisible pressure: “You tell me—have any outsiders come to your tribe these past days?”
Under Wei Xuan’s powerful aura of deterrence, the woman trembled violently, her child wailing in fright.
She grew more anxious, eyes darting panic-stricken, unconsciously glancing at the tribe leader opposite.
A cold smile tugged at Wei Xuan’s lips; he already had his answer.
He abruptly withdrew the blade, face turning icy cold, barking gravely.
“The Dolin tribe in the forest harbors the traitor Temüjin, with ill intent.”
“Exterminate the clan!”
“Kill!”
Blade light flashed; cries and screams exploded in the camp as the orderly herdsmen lines scattered, but they could not escape the Northern Frontier Army’s iron hooves and blades.
“General, General, we’re innocent—we didn’t harbor Temüjin.”
“No~”
“Ah~ Dad, you devils, I’ll fight you!”
One tribesman shouted at the tribe leader: “Leader, speak up!”
“We can’t die for Temüjin!”
Another raged at the tribe leader: “You old Duolun dog, you owe Temüjin a favor—why repay it with all our tribe’s lives!”
“Lord, Lord, I’ll talk.”
“Temüjin is in our tribe…”
