Unknown Knight

Two days passed, and there was no movement in the Kugit camp at the foot of the mountain. Apart from the occasional supply convoys and messengers riding horses, there was no other situation.

This made Aix very puzzled. You know, an army of this size consumes huge daily expenses. Although Saiga Khan has a large family and a great fortune, he does nothing. People who don’t know would think that the Khergits came here for vacation and fun.

It was not until the next day that Aix received a letter that he seemed to understand something.

The person who sent the letter was none other than his old father-in-law Toju Nayan, whom he had just contacted not long ago and who had entrusted the Holy Cave Mercenary Group to secretly send a large gift to him.

In the letter, Toju Nayan first praised Aix, and there was no lack of compliments between the lines, revealing his admiration for him everywhere. It can be seen that the old Taishan was very relieved, and he repeatedly said in the letter that Aisu was blessed and married the right person.

In a previous letter, Aix had told him that he had conquered a territory with a population of nearly 150,000 in Berbera and Zion, and that his beloved daughter, Aisu, was left in Berbera to manage the property for him because she was about to give birth.

Although Tojunayan was an old noble who had experienced many ups and downs over the years and seen all kinds of scenes, he was still surprised that Aix could build such a huge foundation. In his eyes, this was already an amazing achievement, and all this was done in just over two years. Based on this alone, it was not an exaggeration to say that Aix was a man of extraordinary talent.

Now in his heart, Aix was as powerful as the characters in myths and legends, so much so that Tojunayan told him bluntly in a letter that his son would only be worthy of being Aix's horse stirrup in the future, and hoped that Aix could take care of him in the future.

However, at the end of the letter, as a Kugit, the old man told Aix that due to years of war, the Kugit people have been in great distress, and he hoped that Aix would raise his hand and not let the war escalate further, so as to give his people some breathing time.

At the same time, Toju Nayan also said in the letter that the Sajche Fort was very important to Saiga Khan and must be taken back at all costs. If this continued, no matter who won or lost, it would definitely cause huge casualties, which was something he did not want to see. He hoped that Aix would take the opportunity to return the fort for the sake of his father-in-law and allow the two families to reach a ceasefire agreement.

In the letter, he guaranteed that as long as Aix returned the place, no additional commercial taxes would be levied on Aix's caravans in the future. In addition, as long as Aix could return the place, Sega Khan was willing to pay a huge sum of money privately and sign a non-aggression armistice treaty between the two families.

After reading the letter, Aix couldn't help but smile bitterly. If it were somewhere else, given his current situation and with the face of his father-in-law, he might really return Sageche Fort to Saiga Khan.

But this is a strategic location that controls the east and west. Beyond the mountain pass is Kudan City, from which one can quickly reach his most important place. Now that he has captured it, he will never give it up again. This is not negotiable.

So he wrote back to Toju Nayan, telling him that a ceasefire was possible, but the Sajche Fort was captured by the soldiers after bloody battles. Saiga Khan had launched two wars of invasion of Kudan City from here. Now that it had been captured, it was impossible to return it.

Two days passed after the messenger was sent away. During this time, Saiga Khan wanted to send scouts to sneak in through the narrow mountain paths, but they were discovered by Aix who was well prepared. After losing several cavalrymen in vain, he had to retreat.

On the third day, Tojunayan's messenger came again, but this time the content of the letter successfully aroused Aix's interest.

Tojunayan first complained to Aix in a letter, saying that he had married his precious daughter to Aix, and logically he should stand on the side of his own son-in-law, but this time was different. The domestic situation was more serious. If Saiga Khan could not take back Sageche Fort, not only would his reputation plummet, but hostile forces at home and abroad would probably take the opportunity to attack, causing chaos in the Khanate, or even breaking it apart and falling into war. As a Khergit, he could not bear to see the Khanate caught in the war and the people suffering.

Then the old father-in-law proposed a very creative idea in the letter, which was to let Aix pretend to fail, and let him lead his troops to "recapture" the Sageche Fort, and finally Saiga Khan would grant him the Sageche Fort as a fiefdom.

In fact, the Fortress of Sajchi was still occupied by Aix. All he had to do was to agree to fly his flag, have the sentries wear Khergit costumes, and announce to the outside world that this place was the territory of the Khergit Khanate.

Of course, since this place is nominally the territory of the Khergit Khanate, Aix cannot collect transit taxes from passing Khergit caravans.

After reading the letter, Aix felt relieved. Regardless of whether he agreed to drag his old father-in-law to act out such a drama or not, the information revealed in the letter showed that Saiga Khan was not as powerful as he had imagined. He had no other choice but to stand firm there. It was a waste of Aix's listening to Bolcha's words and being in a panic.

But if you think about it carefully, Tojunayan's suggestion is not unacceptable. According to the content of the letter, if the fort is not recaptured, Saiga Khan will definitely hold on for the sake of the stability of his position. He may even grit his teeth and lead his army to fight hard. In that case, even if his side wins, it will suffer heavy losses, which is not good.

Moreover, his territory is now surrounded by powerful enemies. It is not a good idea to drag on the war here for a long time. If something happens in the rear, it will be a big trouble.

Although his old father-in-law was his in-law ally, he was a Khergit after all. Ever since he recaptured Aichmor, he had been ostracized and suppressed by Saiga Khan, and had always been in a weakened and marginalized state in the country.

If this could be accomplished, not only would Toju Nayan's reputation at home soar, but he and Saiga Khan would also be able to resolve their past grievances and return to the core of power in the Khergit Khanate.

As for Saiga Khan, it was under his leadership that the lost territories were regained, which not only consolidated his position and enhanced his prestige, but also prevented the country from falling into chaos.

As for himself, he was the one who benefited the most. Not only would his territory be less harassed by the Kugit cavalry and safer, but he could also collect generous commercial taxes in Fort Sageche.

But now that Saiga Khan has come to negotiate through Toju Nayan, it means that they are more eager to accomplish this matter. I have already taken the initiative. I just need to stretch it a little, and maybe I can get more benefits.

Thinking of this, Aix picked up his pen and wrote a letter back to Tuojunayan, in which he simply said that the matter was of great importance and asked him to think about it before making a decision.