Chapter 23: Those Who Submit Prosper, Those Who Resist Perish

Gloomy dark clouds blocked the sun, and low rumbles sounded occasionally in the sky.

A misty drizzle sprinkled over the earth, washing away the dirt on the ground, but it could not wash clean the sins committed by the Karluks in Sanhe Fortress.

Dried blood gathered on the ground again with the wash of rain, flowing into rivers.

In the village fortress built of loess and stone, traces of saber slashes and arrows could still be clearly seen.

In some inconspicuous corners, pieces of flesh and bone, even severed limbs, were occasionally flushed out by the rainwater.

Nature’s tears failed to cleanse the filth and sin in Sanhe Fortress but instead revealed the true form of everything again.

Rumble rumble rumble~

A burst of low rumbles suddenly exploded over the earth. Some of the Karluks who had just occupied Sanhe Fortress shuddered instantly under this majestic heavenly might.

They knelt on the ground in panic or even walked out of houses to get soaked in the rain, as if praying to the spirits.

Some Karluks believed in Nestorianism, but more still believed in Shamanism.

In their tribal culture, supernatural forces like lightning were incomprehensible to them.

The huge sound and powerful might of lightning would make many herdsmen feel awe and fear, leading them to kneel and worship devoutly.

They believed this was a manifestation of the spirits’ anger.

At this moment, not far from these herdsmen, inside a house built of adobe bricks and stones, a woman lay on the ground.

An iron chain was bound around her neck, the other end tied to a pillar.

“Damn it, like a dead person.”

“Can you scream? Scream for me!”

A thickset and ugly man cursed angrily in Karluk, picking up a horsewhip and whipping the woman, adding countless whip marks to her already scarred body.

But even so, the woman still lay on the ground, motionless.

Without making a sound, not even her eyes fluctuated.

As if she no longer knew pain, or rather as if her mind had completely severed connection with her body.

She seemed to have become a dead person.

But after being whipped a few times, color miraculously appeared in the woman’s eyes.

Her eyeballs began to fluctuate, the muscles on her face began to tremble, and she slowly turned her stiff neck to look outside the door.

She seemed to hear a child crying.

Right, she still had a son; he was still alive.

For the first time, color and hope appeared on the woman’s face. She wanted to find her son, but unfortunately, she couldn’t go anywhere.

She could only place her hope on this ugly man in front of her, looking at him with hateful eyes.

Her voice, hoarse like a broken bellows, said: “Where is my son?”

Seeing the woman finally speak, the Karluk man grinned as if victorious and threw the horsewhip aside.

He sat carelessly beside the woman.

“Don’t worry, he’s still alive.”

“I haven’t played enough yet, how can I let him die?” The man laughed loudly.

This woman wanted to commit suicide at the beginning. It was only because he threatened her with that little brat’s life that she had to submit.

For him, that little brat posed no threat but could threaten this woman instead.

So, he certainly couldn’t let that child die.

However, the man suddenly thought that he hadn’t fed him for two days.

He decided to go take a look at that little brat later, treating it as feeding a cat or dog.

Thinking this, the man put on a round-collar robe, with a wolf-skin coat over it, and wrapped a circle of wolf-tooth decorations around his forehead.

Displaying his ferocity and strength to everyone, he picked up a gold-inlaid curved saber he had captured from a Khitan, opened the door, and strode out.

To the two guards outside the door, he asked in a rough voice: “Have those guys arrived?”

“They have arrived, waiting for you ahead,” a guard said with his head down.

“Let’s go.”

The man nodded gently, glanced at the closed door behind him, mounted his horse, and left the courtyard.

The sky was still drizzling densely, but on the street, some Karluks could occasionally be seen kneeling on the muddy ground.

The weather was slightly cold, but the Karluks were shirtless, completely disregarding the wind and rain. Instead, their faces showed devout expressions, muttering something constantly.

These were Karluk herdsmen praying to the spirits for redemption because they believed the thunder was the spirits’ anger.

“Hmph, a bunch of brainless stupid sheep.”

The man looked at these herdsmen in front of him and sneered softly.

His name was Aslan, the leader of this Karluk tribe.

Although most of these kneeling Karluks were his herdsmen, Aslan still considered them a bunch of stupid sheep crippled by the Shaman priests’ fooling.

Bullshit spirits’ anger; it was purely just lightning.

It would be fine once it passed.

If there really were spirits in the world, why would the spirits watch helplessly as their loyal Karluk subjects were oppressed by the Khitans?

If there really were spirits, his father wouldn’t have been forced by the Khitans to commit suicide by taking poison back then.

“Bullshit spirits,” Aslan cursed secretly.

But he wouldn’t stop these herdsmen from kneeling to the spirits.

After all, Shaman culture was also part of the rule of nomadic tribes.

The herdsmen being ignorant and believing in spirits was actually beneficial to Aslan’s rule.

After all, the great Aslan was the spirits’ messenger in the mortal world.

Regardless of how devout these kneeling herdsmen were, Aslan led his men to ride past directly, heading towards a courtyard not far away.

“Leader.”

“Leader.”

“Leader Aslan.”

When Aslan walked into the courtyard, many Karluks inside the house came out to greet him.

They shouted respectfully to Aslan one after another.

“Hahahaha~”

“Everyone, no need to be so polite, let’s go inside and sit.”

Aslan spread his wolf-skin coat to both sides with his hands, half-baring his chest, and walked into the house laughing loudly.

And he naturally sat on the chair in the very center.

Then, the other Karluks slowly took their seats.

“Guliya~ You look a bit disheveled.”

Aslan first looked at a man in his forties, thin in build, not tall, half-bald, with a small braid left at each temple.

He was the leader of a small Karluk tribe. The tribe’s total population was only over three hundred, needing to rely on Aslan’s tribe to survive.

He stood up from the stool and said somewhat annoyedly: “Please forgive my rudeness, Leader Aslan.”

“Because my tribesmen reported to me that several Han scouts were found in the south. I took people to chase them and just returned.”

Hearing this, Aslan became interested and continued to ask: “Oh, did you catch them?”

“No, let them escape.”

“These Han people on horses are simply more cunning than foxes and run faster than rabbits.” Guliya shook his head.

Aslan didn’t mind but laughed instead: “Hahaha~”

“No matter how cunning the fox, it cannot escape the hunter’s trap. No matter how fast the rabbit runs, it cannot outrun our Karluk arrows.”

“It doesn’t matter; they are just a few Han scouts. Let them run. It’s just right to let them tell other Han people about the situation in Sanhe Fortress.”

“There is a saying among Han people: ‘Those who submit to me prosper, those who resist me perish.'”

“I just want to tell all Han people that anyone who does not submit to me will share the same fate as the Han people of Sanhe Fortress.”

As his voice fell, the Karluk headman named Guliya relaxed and nodded deeply in agreement.

Other Karluk leaders in the room all laughed in agreement.

“That’s right.”

“Those who submit prosper, those who resist perish.”

“Those Han people had better be sensible and submit to us early to resist the tyrannical rule of the Khitans together.”

“I actually hope those Han people have some backbone, so we can enjoy more Han women.”

“Hahaha~”

“Have to say, Han women are just beautiful.”

The room full of Karluks burst into rampant and obscene laughter.

Some of them were headmen from Aslan’s tribe, and some were from other Karluk tribes.

Like the Nine Forts and Eighteen Villages of the Han people, the Karluks in Jin Prefecture were also divided into many tribes.

Aslan’s tribe was one of the most powerful tribes among the Jin Prefecture Karluks.

Therefore, after the Battle of the Northern Mountains, the Karluks chose to split into three routes to subdue the entire Jin Prefecture.

Aslan led five small tribes that had always been on good terms with him to capture Sanhe Fortress with lightning speed.

“How are the Qibi tribe and the Moman tribe doing?”

After joking, Aslan didn’t forget the other two large Karluk tribes.

The Karluks in Jin Prefecture were mainly dominated by these three tribes, and other small tribes were attached to the three major tribes.

“The Qibi tribe is progressing very smoothly and has already subdued two Oghuz tribes.”

“The Moman tribe isn’t doing so well; they are still besieging and attacking a Han village called Wuya Village.”

Hearing the subordinate’s report, Aslan sneered disdainfully at the Moman tribe.

“Hmph, trash.”

“Can’t even take down a mere Han village. That guy Ciputeqin still wants to fight with me for the position of Yabgu?”

“Simply a joke.”

The struggle between the major Karluk tribes was also very intense. For pastures, for women, for slaves—any reason could trigger a fight between two tribes.

Although this rebellion temporarily united the three major tribes.

But there was only one Karluk Yabgu, meaning the Karluk Khan.

Everyone wanted to suppress the other two major tribes and become the Yabgu of the Jin Prefecture Karluks.

So, the overt and covert struggles between these three major tribes had long begun.

After laughing at the Moman tribe, Aslan slowly restrained his smile and said in a deep voice: “The Qibi tribe is actually the trouble.”

Aslan’s tribe and the Moman tribe both chose to conquer Han villages to the south, while the Qibi tribe conquered other forces to the north.

In this place, Jin Prefecture, besides Han people and Karluks, many other nomadic tribes also lived.

Including Oghuz tribes, Čarlan tribe, Khalar tribe, and so on.

These were all nomadic tribes that had lived in the Northern Border for a long time. Although their individual strength wasn’t very strong, if they were all subdued by the Qibi tribe…

Then the strength of the Qibi tribe would surpass Aslan’s tribe and the Moman tribe.

Aslan’s dream of becoming Yabgu would also be shattered.

“Leader Aslan, the current plan is to go south and conquer Han villages as soon as possible.”

“The number of people in the northern Oghuz tribes is limited. As long as we take the Han people into our pocket, our strength will far exceed the Qibi tribe.”

Guliya, who was joked about by Aslan earlier, said in a deep voice.

There were more than twenty thousand Han people in Jin Prefecture, which other nomadic tribes couldn’t compare with.

If they could subdue all these Han people and incorporate Han able-bodied men into their army, then the Karluks would possess enough power to fight the Khitans again.

“Right, Guliya, you are correct.”

“As long as we subdue these Han people, our military strength will far exceed the Qibi tribe.”

“Wait until we defeat all the Eastern Capital Army and get rid of those two bastards; then Jin Prefecture will completely be our world,” Aslan said fiercely.

“I will rebuild the Karluk Khanate and become the Karluk Yabgu.”

“And you will all be the highest-ranking nobles of the Karluk Khanate.”

Saying this, Aslan’s expression began to turn fanatical, and his tone became increasingly excited.

Recreating the Karluk Khanate and becoming the Yabgu was something every Karluk tribal leader wanted to do.

And now, Aslan saw the possibility of realizing this great goal.

Other Karluk leaders also looked fanatical, shouting excitedly, as if looking forward to the early arrival of that day.

After everyone calmed down a bit, Aslan began to issue orders.

“Then we must speed up next.”

“I decide to go south early tomorrow morning and attack the Han people’s Hedong Fortress,” Aslan said loudly.

As his voice fell, the headmen of various Karluk tribes showed excited smiles and said impatiently: “Leader is wise.”

The Battle of the Northern Mountains had thoroughly established the Karluks’ confidence.

In their eyes, whether Khitans or Han people, none could withstand a single blow.

Moreover, the battle to attack Sanhe Fortress the day before yesterday also easily opened the gates of Sanhe Fortress with minimal losses to themselves.

This also gave many Karluks a feeling that Han people were nothing special.

They couldn’t wait to capture the next village, snatch their cattle and sheep, and plunder their wives and daughters.

“Leader, we can also use the method against Sanhe Fortress to deal with Hedong Fortress,” a Karluk headman suggested.

Another person beside him nodded in agreement: “Those Han prisoners are more useful than we imagined.”

“Those who understand Han people best are, of course, Han people themselves.”

“The Han people won’t expect that the deadliest knife comes from their own people.”

The Karluks laughed loudly one after another.

In the Battle of the Northern Mountains, Aslan’s tribe captured a portion of Han people.

Some of them quickly chose to submit.

Then Aslan sent them to pretend to be routed soldiers, cheating Sanhe Fortress of their sympathy and successfully entering Sanhe Fortress.

When Aslan’s tribe attacked Sanhe Fortress, these routed soldiers turned against their own side.

Successfully helping Aslan’s tribe take Sanhe Fortress with minimal cost.

This matter also gave Aslan and others a taste of success, and they prepared to do the same when attacking Hedong Fortress.

(End of this chapter)