Mount and Blade Central Asia

The herds of herders in the tribe are constantly growing in size, and the wealth of their leaders is also constantly increasing. Even someone as peaceful as the old shaman has benefited from this growth to a greater or lesser extent.

But for Wu Sari, it's not just a matter of being marginalized.

"What's going on?" Li Rufeng sighed. He had already begun to put himself into the role of a manager of the Changshengtian faith.

"

"I have a feeling Taierbahe and the others are hiding something from me," Wusali said after a moment's hesitation. "They've been deliberately undermining my prestige over the past six months. Many herders think I'm just a shaman with nothing but a facade, and now they won't even invite me to weddings or funerals."

"Where do you think the problem lies?" Li Rufeng frowned. His memory of the Taierbahe tribe still remained at the time when the old shaman brought him here for a tour more than a year ago.

At least at that time, Taierbahe and his son still treated Wusali with great respect and maintained their devout belief in Eternal Heaven.

Of course, this kind of piety only remains at the level of pragmatism. It may be the religious belief in this land that interferes least with secular authority.

"I'm not sure right now, Shaman Rufeng. Don't worry if you laugh at me, but sometimes I feel like I'm just a shaman in name only." Wu Sali looked at Li Rufeng with a bewildered look on his face. "I've never truly felt the power of Changshengtian. He has never responded to me. Am I not devout enough?"

As Wu Sali spoke, he unbuttoned his pockets. This action scared Li Rufeng. He was really worried that the other party was not wearing anything under the black robe. After all, shamanism includes the principle of returning to the primitive state.

In other words, even if Li Rufeng develops the habit of streaking one day, it is completely in line with the shamanic tradition.

But fortunately, Wu Sali is not that perverted, he just... did something even more perverted.

Beneath his robe, Wu Sali's skinny chest was covered in a disgusting mass of scars, with uneven patches of scar tissue intertwined with one another, as if someone had once used a spoon to cook a meal there.

"What did you do?" Li Rufeng's voice was a little sharp. His social attribute of level 4 allowed him to perfectly hide his micro-expressions behind the mask. Even though he now thought Wu Sali was a psychopath, he would never let the other party see it.

"I offered my flesh and blood to Changshengtian, one piece every day for two whole months, but nothing happened. He ignored me." Wu Sali's voice was a little ethereal, as if it came from another world. "Tell me, Shaman Rufeng, have you ever received a response from Changshengtian? Is my faith truly true?"

I got nothing, Li Rufeng was mad at himself, but he kept saying, "Of course your faith is true, Wusali Shaman, you're just too impatient. Your self-doubt has affected your followers' perception of you..."

"I didn't see Changshengtian, but I saw other things at that time." Wu Sali's words made Li Rufeng instantly alert.

"What did you see?" Li Rufeng imitated Wu Sari's tone to guide the other party to continue speaking, while thinking in his mind how to get out of this situation.

Relying on his intuition and his previous experience with Parisa's magic sword, Li Rufeng felt that this might be an area that Haishar was good at.

"I saw..." Wu Sali's words were not finished when he was suddenly interrupted by a shrill horn sound.

"Someone is attacking the camp! Someone is attacking the camp!"

The author says:

Author's words: It's almost 9pm when I got my computer back... It's so annoying. I'll post a 2,000-word chapter first, and then I'll owe another 1,000. Now I'll owe 3,000, a standard chapter, which is just right.

Chapter 29: Taierbahe's Death

In the darkness of night, Doste stood alone on horseback on the other side of the river, watching expressionlessly as the cavalry he brought galloped past the Taierbahe tribe from both sides, with a hint of a sneer on his face.

He regarded the screams of the Mughals as the most beautiful music in the world, squinted his eyes in the night wind, and directed the massacre across the Euphrates River.

These Mongols renamed everything they saw according to their own customary names, as if it had no names before.

What arrogance, what contempt...

Dost murmured his own name, a meaningless Mongolian name that benefited him and also humiliated him.

His father was a minor noble from Transoxiana, and his mother was an inconspicuous Persian dancer who was given to his father as a gift.

Dost was not the only son of his noble father. Because of his mixed-race identity, he had no right of inheritance. After his mother's death, he resolutely joined the army and followed Sultan Timur in his battles, and eventually he became a commander of ten thousand households.

His father had never thought that his mixed-race son would achieve such great success. He died in ecstasy without shedding a single tear.

Because there was poison in the wine that could make people die from extreme joy or sorrow, and it was poisoned by him himself. What he needed was a Chagatai father who would never refute his self-positioning and self-praise, rather than a father who was lively and tried to cut power from him.

But obviously, Dosit's efforts did not have much effect. The Wanhu that the old Sultan promised him was the Tumed Wanhu located in the border area. The main population here was the Mughals, who had irreconcilable contradictions with the people of Central Asia.

He would never be able to gain the support of these Mongols. In that case, he might as well kill them all... Duosite looked at the burning tent across the river with a smile on his face. He shouted to the back, "Cross the river!"

The heavily armored Cumans carried thick rafts, which were thrown into the river one by one. Then the soldiers stepped onto the rafts in an orderly manner according to the order they had practiced in advance.

Like other forces of this era, it is easier to find a group of soldiers who can see at night than to find a group of soldiers who are proficient in

Soldiers who speak three languages ​​are even more difficult.

But Duosite is a Wanhu, and he has abundant human resources.

In fact, the conscription order was issued two months ago, but it was limited to the Persian and Cuman tribes that supported him the most.

The Persians assembled for him a cavalry unit of 500 men and a light infantry unit of 1,500 men, while the Cumans provided him with a hardworking heavy infantry unit of 1,000 men.

As for the arrogant Transoxiana people, they finally chose between themselves and the Moghuls and put forward five hundred cavalrymen.

Therefore, long before Mongke and Taierbahe had the intention of rebellion, Duoshite had already assembled a team of 4,000 people in total.

In this game, he is the real rebel.

What about raising an army to respond to Milan Shah and reopening transportation channels with the Khanate? All of this was just to paralyze the Mongols.

Dost's real target of betting is the ruler of the Black Sheep Dynasty, Karl Yusuf.

It was with his tacit consent that the Black Sheep were able to easily bypass the patrolling cavalry and penetrate deep into the Tumed Wanhu.

Doste naturally knew who they were chasing, he just didn't care.

He didn't care whether the Black Sheep failed or not. That was just the most minor condition of the deal. But now that the Black Sheep had failed and Parisa had fallen into the hands of the Telba tribe, it gave Doste an opportunity.

He could legally defeat the Tailbakh tribe and weaken the power of the Mughals in the name of rescuing Milan Shah's daughter.

Duoshite knew very well that the Mongols had not yet made their final preparations, and their forces were still scattered and not clenched into a fist.

In this case, as long as he has a reason, the Mughals will most likely choose to endure it temporarily.

This is Dost’s purpose. He can find countless similar reasons. By the time the Mongols realize the problem, the war will be over.

What's more, Dost has the Black Sheep as his backing.

"It's foolish, my stupid enemies." Dost looked at the Cumans who had crossed the center of the river. They were two full centuries, each led by an experienced officer.

Once they had landed, the Mughals, who had no horses in their tribe, were powerless to resist.

How does the saying go? Mongols have four legs. If you cut off two of their legs, they won't even be able to stand steadily.

...

The Taierba tribe is located in the central area of ​​Tumed. It has been a long time since any force here has tried to challenge the Taierba tribe. The entire tribe has been peaceful for a long time, and faced with the sudden attack, it reacted a little slowly.

Even Li Rufeng could point out a few problems: there were no sentries to keep watch at a distance, there were no strong walls, and the people in the tribe had not received any relevant drills.

When the night attack happened, the whole tribe was in chaos.

The brave ones grabbed their swords and mounted their horses, shouting loudly to go out and fight back, while the cowardly ones immediately looked for a suitable corner to hide.

Hulucierjia was the first to appear outside Wusali's tent and served as Li Rufeng's personal bodyguard. Bater and Beren were also with him.

"Habashibuhua has gone to wake up our people, but our horses are all kept in the stable outside!" Huluchirjia's tone was a little impatient. As a grassland warrior, without a horse, his fighting power would be greatly reduced.

"Quiet!" Li Rufeng had no time to comfort his bodyguard. He immediately went to find Haishaer, who was the most powerful warrior he had ever seen in this era.

When he walked into the tent where Haishar was staying, he found that the man was already dressed and was sharpening his scimitar.

"Where is Parisa?" Li Rufeng looked around and found the still tied-up woman in the corner.

Perhaps to keep her quiet, a piece of silk was stuffed into Parisa's mouth. After being tied up for a day and a night, she looked like a kitten run over by a car, and even her hair had lost its luster.

"Do you think those people outside are coming for her?" Haishar frowned. He had been attacked at night for two consecutive nights. Even he had rarely experienced such an embarrassing situation.

"Who knows? It can't be because our Lord Wan Hu decided to take action in advance." Li Rufeng said sarcastically.

If this is true, then these Mughals who have already started to make deals secretly for the distribution of power and internal strife are really a joke.

Li Rufeng had only seen Duoshite from a distance once at a dinner table and did not know much about this person. But if guys like Mongke and Taierbahe, who wanted to rebel and seize power, also made such a big misjudgment of Duoshite, then this rebellion would really become a joke.

"Untie her and give her a knife. We won't be able to take care of her from now on." Li Rufeng said to Haishaer, "We have to seize the horse in the chaos. We can't bring a burden with us."

Parisa's originally listless eyes immediately lit up and she nodded hurriedly.

"She'll take advantage of the chaos and escape." Haishaer remained unmoved and directly carried Parisa on his shoulders. "I'll take her with me. It won't waste any time."

But we need you to be our spearhead... Li Rufeng pulled the piece of silk out of Parisa's mouth and said, "You can run, but I promise that no matter who catches you in this land, your fate will not be worse than here..."

A rocket was fired from a distance and penetrated the tent. Haishaer swung his knife like a ghost.

Block and deflect the arrow directly, it's so cool.

However, at this time of year, the tent itself is also a flammable item and soon caught fire.

"Don't forget the sword!" Haishar glanced at the location of the magic sword, carried Parisa and took the lead, walking in front. Li Rufeng took the closest position behind him without hesitation.

Outside the tent, those knights of unknown origin had already begun to attack the camp. Taierbahe, drunk, had a red face and a bare upper body, revealing his sturdy body. He shouted to encourage the morale: "Don't panic! Pick up your weapons, we..."

hum!

Li Rufeng only heard a sound of breaking air, and the next second he saw Taierbahe flying... A thick crossbow arrow hit his chest, carrying his body far away and directly nailing it to the only wooden building in the tribe.

Chapter 30 Mount and Blade (I)

On the other side of the river, a black-painted crossbow was slowly re-strung by eight soldiers. The grease-soaked crossbow string made a teeth-grinding sound of tension under the mechanical action.

The eight soldiers responsible for operating the crossbows were all wearing black armor. There were another twenty soldiers wearing armor of the same color standing in a semicircle behind the crossbows, blocking them firmly with their bodies.

They were blocking the view of friendly forces, and at this time a body had fallen next to the crossbow.

Doste calmly watched a man in a black robe standing next to a bed crossbow, sprinkling fluorescent powder of unknown origin on the crossbow arrow. A frightened slave beside him opened his eyes wide, his eyes full of fear.

The man in black robe used a dagger to cut the slave's chest and took his heart blood. The blood mixed with powder completely covered the crossbow arrow.

Then the man in black robe carefully took out a strand of hair from his pocket, tied it to the crossbow, and muttered something. As a barely noticeable blue light bloomed on the crossbow, Dosite knew that the ceremony was completed.

The blessed crossbow arrow was placed in the crossbow guide rail by the soldier's hands, and after a short wait, it was released again.

The crossbow arrow shot out suddenly, and after passing the river surface of nearly 300 meters, its trajectory changed subtly due to the disturbance of the wind in the air, drawing a not very obvious arc and falling directly into the Taierbahe camp.

...

Li Rufeng and his group's plan to go to the horse farm failed from the beginning. Taierbahe was shot to death with an arrow, and his body was hung on the only wooden house in the tribe. It was a huge blow to morale, and the entire tribe fell into chaos.

There were panicked crowds everywhere. The men didn't know where the enemy was or who to follow. The women and children were crying loudly, trying to find a safe place.

But the group of cavalry outside the camp galloped around the open space in front of the camp repeatedly, constantly using bows and arrows to consume the manpower of the Taierbahe tribe. Li Rufeng and his men were almost disrupted when they had only walked twenty meters.

"Stop! We can't go any further. There are so many cavalrymen outside. If we go out, we'll be targets." Haishaer stopped and turned decisively to Li Rufeng, saying, "We need to get them to organize and launch a counterattack!"

"Go to Wusali's tent!" Li Rufeng decided to trust Haishar's judgment. As a time traveler, the fact that he could ensure that he did not panic was already a manifestation of excellent psychological quality.

Even Huluchirjia looked panicked at this time. As the lowest level in the ruling group, he had never experienced such a thing as being attacked at night in the camp.

Apart from Haishar, only the veteran Habashibuhua remained calm in the team, as if his emotions were dead and would never change.

At this time, the old soldier said nothing and his face looked a little solemn. He glanced at Li Rufeng and opened his mouth, but finally remained silent.

The battle-hardened Habashibuhua realized from this familiar tactic that the people who launched the attack were "their own people" and that this was a civil war.

Stating this fact now would not help the situation and would only make the already low morale even lower. He respected Shaman Rufeng, but this was a war.

According to Habashibuhua's past experience, the only one who can change the situation is Taierbahe's son, Butubasin. He must organize his men and launch a counterattack, otherwise once these herdsmen become chaotic, the battle will be over.

"Shaman Rufeng! We have to find Butubasin first!" Habashibuhua pointed at the crowd running around and said hurriedly, "These people are okay for fighting when the wind is favorable, but we can't rely on them now. We have to get him to organize the tribe's soldiers and charge in!"

Where can I find that bastard Butubasin now? Li Rufeng looked around, and everywhere he looked was a chaotic crowd of people.

The few men on horseback were either trying pointlessly to gather themselves together with other armed men, or frantically searching for a way out.

"Shout with me!" Li Rufeng shouted, ordering those around him, "Butubasin! Fight back! Butubasin! Fight back!"

All the militiamen that Li Rufeng brought out from the tribe shouted along with him, even Haishaer joined in the shouting.

Their shouts quickly affected the panicked crowd around them, and they also started shouting. Gradually, the shouts drowned out all other sounds, forming a unified and orderly sound wave.

A figure on horseback galloped out from the rear of the camp, followed by seventeen or eighteen incompletely equipped cavalrymen, led by Butubasin.

He wasted a full ten minutes just to gather such a small number of troops, which was not enough to suppress the troops who had already blown up their camp.

But now, Butubasin saw the opportunity to fight back. He heard his name being shouted one after another. Those were the voices asking him to launch a counterattack!

Butubasin shouted, "Warriors of the Taierbahe tribe! Follow me and fight back!"

The men who were in a panic due to lack of command immediately responded to Butubasin's call. Those who had horses rode towards Butubasin, and those who did not have horses picked up scimitars and bows and arrows and ran behind the cavalry.

In order to prepare for war, the Taierbahe tribe raised their war horses in a stable outside the camp, which caused them to suffer great losses.

The herdsmen on guard outside the camp had long been spotted by the enemy, and the horse ranch was now isolated outside the camp by the hostile cavalry. In the end, Butubasin only managed less than fifty cavalrymen.

There were at least one hundred and fifty cavalrymen outside the camp constantly shooting arrows.

"As soon as we get a chance, we'll go to the stables, get the horses back, and leave!" Habashibuhua said again, "They can't hold on..."

Before Habashibuhua finished speaking, he heard Li Rufeng utter an incomprehensible curse. He looked in the direction Li Rufeng was looking and saw Butubasin being shot through the throat by a crossbow arrow and falling directly from the horse.