Mount and Blade Central Asia

"Don't stand there, let's go." Li Rufeng pushed Bater and walked straight into the Jingguanchang.

The Jingguan Arena still had that creepy, ghostly look, with hideous faces frozen in the mud, expressing their final despair and fear before death. After looking at it for a long time, you will see a hint of malicious mockery in these faces.

It's like the dead are mocking the living's attempts to overestimate their own abilities...

There was still that feeling of being secretly watched by countless people, and still that whispering that seemed to be everywhere but inaudible. Li Rufeng drew out the magic sword with an unhappy face, made a sword flower, and thrust it into the ground with force.

In an instant, those little tricks like flies and mosquitoes disappeared!

"Bah, you're so shameless! Do you really think I don't have any treasures?" Li Rufeng grumbled, a bit immersed in the drama, and then silently added in his heart, "Eternal Heaven, a great man will not bear grudges against a small man. I was just saying this to suit the situation..."

"Don't just stand there. Draw a circle on the ground around these Jingguans and leave a door here." Master Li began to direct Bater to do things with a confident look.

The author says:

Author's Note: I'm on a business trip these past two days, so I'll update 3,000 words first, and 4,000 words when I get home.

Chapter 198 Blacksmith Guild

He would be the first to know if there was any news coming from inside or outside the city within a radius of 100 miles.

What he has to do now is to establish household registration, refine population management, and make reasonable urban planning.

"Mir, no, Big Mir, I heard that you are the best blacksmith in the city of Martin?" Li Rufeng met with the representative of the blacksmiths among the immigrants at the Wangcheng Tower.

Because of the special nature of the blacksmith profession, the blacksmith representative Big Mil is actually the leader of the entire immigrant group among many immigrants.

In this era, if you want to become a qualified blacksmith, you need a smart mind, strong arms, and a considerable amount of financial resources. Only when you have these three things, you will be qualified to succeed in this industry.

Most blacksmiths follow in their father's footsteps, or become apprentices at a young age, working as apprentices in a blacksmith shop until the blacksmith himself is satisfied with his performance, at which point they will be taught by a master.

Blacksmiths have to deal with weapons and armor more than others. They are either good fighters themselves or have rich theoretical knowledge. They only need a little training to become much stronger than others, and naturally their martial arts skills are above average.

So Li Rufeng noticed the Mir brothers early on. After all, they were so outstanding among the craftsmen... Almost all the skilled craftsmen in the city of Mardin moved in from other areas after the Battle of Antioch. Before that, any craftsmen with some skills were packed up and taken back to Samarkand when the old Sultan returned to the court.

Just look at the level of the two blacksmiths in Li Rufeng's unit. Li Rufeng feels that if he is willing to take action, he can make them all laid off in three months.

"Master Shaman, do you still remember me?" Da Mir replied somewhat stiffly, acting very respectfully. "It is truly an honor. I wonder how you plan to accommodate us? We don't mean to complain, but many of us are exhausted from the journey and can't wait to start a new life."

"Of course, of course. It's my fault for not taking good care of you. I invited you to come here to start a new life. To express my apology, we will hold another banquet tonight so that everyone can eat to their heart's content!" Li Rufeng comforted the hearts of Damir and other refugees outside the city, and casually spent at least two hundred sheep. It is estimated that old man Gudi'er's heart will have to withstand a wave of overload exercise.

When he heard Li Rufeng mention another banquet, Damir swallowed his saliva subconsciously. He was a skilled blacksmith, mastering the art of wire drawing and making his own chain mail. He could have had enough to eat anywhere, but the Mongol people's extravagant roasted whole lamb banquet...

Where had these poor peasants ever seen anything like this before? Before this, Big Mir had eaten his last meal in his life when he and his father, Old Mir, went to the castle to repair the lord's armor. The two of them worked hard for a whole day and night. The lord happened to be at the banquet at the time and rewarded them with some leftovers and gave each of them half a glass of wine.

"And what other industries need cooperation to produce better ironware?" Li Rufeng patted Da Mier on the shoulder and encouraged him, "I've handed the power over to you. Now, feel free to ask for requests that were previously out of reach. If we can't do it right now, we can record it and address it later when we can."

"My Lord! I know!" Da Mir was so excited that he clenched his teeth while speaking to prevent himself from chattering due to nervousness.

"By the way, can you read? Can you count?" Li Rufeng asked casually.

"A little, sir, but not very well," Da Mir replied respectfully.

"That's enough. When you forge iron in the future, I hope you will record all the relevant processes. For example, how much pig iron is needed to make a long sword, how many times to turn it over after hammering, what fuel to use for heating, how long to heat it, when to quench it, and when to cool it. Record all of them. Can you do it?" Li Rufeng's tone was not so casual this time.

His cold eyes made Da Mir feel as if he saw the lord who had chopped off his father's head. Da Mir's knees weakened and he readily agreed, "Yes! Of course!"

Pigeon day everyone

I'm back from a business trip. I just got home and took a day off. I'll resume normal updates tomorrow. I haven't been on a business trip for more than half a year, and I'm not used to it. I was almost exhausted... Today, it's not suitable for humans to run outside, let alone run for work. Ten thousand words of swearing are omitted here.

Chapter 199: Winning People's Hearts

"Is this your city?" Qinggelinayan said admiringly as they rode their horses and strolled through the city with Li Rufeng. "You are truly the most talented young man I've ever met. You took over a city without making any noise. Now it seems you no longer need us."

"Or should I say, from now on, we need you." Qinggelinayan said jokingly, but what he said was no joke.

Qinggelinayan has begun to regard Li Rufeng as the leader of another force who is equal to himself, rather than a tribal chief with great influence under his command.

An entire city, and a big city like Aleppo, Qinggelinayan even felt a little sad. Perhaps it was the inertia of nomadic life, or perhaps it was the caution accumulated after serving under the old Sultan after being converted from a prisoner of war to a military noble. All this made Qinggelinayan feel that it was absurd to control a city alone.

He had never thought of such a thing, so he developed a subtle respect for Li Rufeng, thinking that he was braver than himself.

There was no further control over the land outside the castle.

But the people of Transoxiana knew very well that the wealth and land that once belonged to them would soon disappear. Rather than joining the Black Sheep People, they hoped to migrate to the territory of the Mughals.

Although the two sides have always had grievances, at least in this land far away from home, their grievances are mostly passed down from their fathers and even grandfathers. In this generation, both sides do not have too much blood debt on their hands... But the Black Sheep people are different. The blood of the Black Sheep people on the hands of the Mughals is just as much as that on the hands of the people of Transoxiana.

The only problem is that the power of the Mughals themselves is also shrinking. What the people in this land fear is not the Mughals, but the Timurid Khanate behind them. Now that it has risen again against the Black Sheep People, the indigenous people of this land are no longer so submissive.

"I noticed that your tribe has begun to migrate towards the vicinity of Aleppo. What are you going to do with the pasture you vacated before?" Qinggeli Nayan asked tentatively. Li Rufeng's strength at this time was firmly ranked second among all the Mongol chiefs, and the number of soldiers under his command was second only to Qinggeli Nayan.

If Li Rufeng defended the city, he didn't know whether he could capture a city like Aleppo even without a moat.

"Is it the people from Hezhong who want to come over?" Li Rufeng asked after thinking for a moment.

It can only be the people from Hezhong. The grassland of Li Rufeng's tribe is very large, including the grassland of the former Taierbahe tribe. Such a grassland will cause dissatisfaction among other tribes no matter who it is given to. Only by migrating a new tribe can the people be barely satisfied.

Qinggelinayan nodded. He had not yet figured out how to explain to the people of other tribes why they should accept the people from Hezhong. Not everyone was like Li Rufeng, who had nothing to do with the previous grudges.

"Why don't we talk directly?" Li Rufeng knew that Qinggelinayan, like himself, was gathering as much strength as possible in preparation for emergencies, but this was not the time to show off his style. Even if Li Rufeng wanted to do so, the nobles in the tribe behind him would not agree.

"Don't ask for too much. It's not impossible for them to reach an agreement with the Black Sheep." Qinggelinayan reminded Li Rufeng that the one who knows you best is your enemy. He really doesn't want to see the people of Hezhong stand on the side of the Black Sheep and then deal with him in their Mongolian way, just like when they were under Dosite.

"Don't worry, I don't want their livestock and property. I want other things." Li Rufeng nodded. He had other arrangements for the Mongols and the people of Transoxiana.

On May 25, 1408, under the witness of Qinggelinayan, the quarry near Aleppo finally produced the first batch of qualified stone. Nearly three hundred workers gathered here and worked for more than a week, and all the results were transported outside the city of Aleppo.

Compared to the natives, Li Rufeng naturally knew more about this kind of thing. He had always wondered whether this thing could be used to increase the furnace temperature so that blacksmiths could smelt stronger metals.

In addition, natural petroleum itself is an excellent anti-corrosion and moisture-proof coating, as well as a natural adhesive, and Aleppo craftsmen have always had the habit of using it.

The author says:

Author's words: First three thousand...

Chapter 200: New Lord, New Atmosphere

On May 30, 1408, as the vanguard of Li Rufeng's troops appeared outside the city of Aleppo, most of the forces under Li Rufeng's control had been gathered in the Aleppo area.

The construction of the city wall was still in full swing, the output of the quarry was increasing day by day, and the workers were gradually becoming more proficient in their work. The arrival of the Mughals accelerated the entire progress to a greater extent.

Li Rufeng's troops brought more horses and cattle. These animal forces greatly enhanced the logistics and transportation efficiency of the entire project. Li Rufeng's slave, who was not really a slave, Beren Garces, finally returned to the city he had passed by.

His teacher died less than ten kilometers outside the city. They also drew a floor plan of Aleppo in a limited time, which is what Li Rufeng is asking for now.

"I need you to further improve the map here based on your teacher's work." Li Rufeng said gently to Bell. Although the two parties were nominally in a master-slave relationship, in reality, neither Li Rufeng nor Bell carried this relationship through to the end.

Li Rufeng never asked Bell to do any hard work, and Bell never felt that his personality was being belittled. He even felt that his life under the shaman was better than when he was an apprentice with his teacher.

In just less than half a year, Bale has grown three centimeters taller and gained a lot of weight, and he looks a lot fatter than before.

"I will do my best, Master Rufeng!" Bell promised very solemnly. On the one hand, this was what he had learned in the past. On the other hand, he felt that drawing the map of Aleppo again was the best tribute to his teacher.

Li Rufeng gave enough face to these people of Aleppo. If anyone causes trouble again in the future, he will not be polite.

At this time, outside the city, among the group of new immigrants, the blacksmiths led by Da Mir were also discussing their future life enthusiastically.

"Big Mir, did the Lord really say that? Let us choose our own place to live?" An old man with graying hair on his temples excitedly paced back and forth in the tent, stroking his calloused hands. "What did he say about Big Mir? Tell us more!"

"Amira, if you're burning your feet, go out and cool down! Don't bother us here!" another dark-skinned man complained. "Then let's choose a location close to the city gate and near a water source. Is that acceptable to the Lord?"

The location close to the city gate and the water source in the city is like the prime location of the subway entrance in later generations. Everyone wants it, but some people have money and have to grit their teeth to buy it, while others have no money and can only grit their teeth and suffer. The same is true in the city of Aleppo.

"I think since the lord has given us the choice, we shouldn't go too far. Choosing a central location, what about fire safety?" Damir had already put himself in the role of the Blacksmiths' Guild leader, and his words were skillful, using a subtle emphasis before a subtle one. "We can take advantage of both transportation and water resources. This will both show our tact and bring us real benefits. What do you think?"

A group of blacksmiths immediately started to think about it. After all, fetching water and purchasing goods are both physical work, and no one wants to do them...

The author says:

Author's words: I bought a copy of the Ottoman Empire 1299-1923 by History Hall to supplement the information. I will follow the Ottoman path and leave the Ottomans with no way to go.

Chapter 201: A New Era for the Mongol People

Three days later, all of Li Rufeng's troops arrived outside the city of Aleppo. The mighty team of nearly two thousand people, together with flocks of sheep, horses, cattle and carts, occupied a large area. Standing on the wall of Aleppo and looking over there, one really had a feeling of being boundless.

The Mughals had a rich heritage. For many years, they had used privileges and wars to reap the wealth of this land. A tribe of less than two thousand people owned tens of thousands of sheep, more than four thousand horses, and more than three hundred cows.

Li Rufeng looked at it with both pride and worry. From a macro perspective, the resources on the grassland were limited. If the Mongols took more, others would have to take less. Take the Kurdish tribe under Saladin for example. The number of people in his tribe must be more than that of Li Rufeng's tribe, but during the previous expedition, all the horses in the tribe that were tall enough might have been used as war horses.

It is estimated that the property of ten Kurds is equivalent to that of one Mongol. One of the main reasons why Li Rufeng's tribe and even the entire Mongol people now allow Li Rufeng to take advantage of their power is that they have vaguely felt a sense of panic and are afraid of losing their wealth and status.

There are certain privileges.

Li Rufeng's main purpose of moving the entire tribe here was to dispel such rumors. He wanted to do both things well.

So that night, when Li Rufeng and Qinggelinayan appeared together at the banquet of Li Rufeng's tribe, Li Rufeng announced one thing in front of everyone: "From today on, the Mongols can build yurts again!"

The nobles of Li Rufeng's tribe were stunned for a moment, and then Wuerhun immediately cheered. The others followed suit.

This news was simultaneously conveyed to all the herdsmen of Li Rufeng's tribe by Li Rufeng's personal guards, and soon the cheers from outside the tent overwhelmed the cheers inside the tent.

After all, for these nobles, it doesn’t really matter whether they have a yurt or not, as their tents are luxurious enough anyway. But for ordinary herdsmen, a yurt means a real home. They will no longer be in exile, but can truly settle down here, just like their ancestors.

"There won't be any problems with the Khanate, right?" Guder asked cautiously. He was the oldest and knew Timur's power best.

"The Khanate can't even get past the Black Sheep People, so they can't take care of us." Li Rufeng said with a smile, "We have to really take root in this land this time."

Timur needed the Mongols here to be forever homeless and always remain in a half-military, half-civilian state because he had his own ruling core. He only needed the Mongols to contribute warriors, and Li Rufeng needed to turn them into his own ruling core, or at least one of the cores. He needed the Mongols to stop and cherish everything in front of them.

Building yurts requires resources, and Aleppo is a commercial city that can provide resources; the Mughals have no money, but they have output, and Aleppo is a commercial city that can turn products into property, or skip this stage and directly barter, which the merchants must be happy about.

Li Rufeng and Qinggelinayan decided to rebuild the yurts. Although the winter in the Fertile Crescent is not very cold, the temperature is below zero on the coldest days. Water can freeze and it occasionally snows. With yurts, the herders' lives in winter will be much better.

This itself is also a very symbolic thing, symbolizing that the Mughals have passed an era and entered a new era, and in this era, they will take root in this land.

Qinggelinayan didn't know what Li Rufeng was thinking about every day, but after hearing him say this, even he himself was a little excited.

How many years has it been since he last lived in a yurt? When he was captured by the old Sultan, he was just a new soldier who had just learned to ride a horse. Then he fought his way up to become a squad leader, then a centurion, and then he became the Yan...

When Hassanli arrived, he immediately turned south to the city of Hari and took refuge with Timur's third son, Shah Rukh, but was executed by the other side.

Then, on March 18, 1405, Khalil officially ascended the throne in Samarkand, declared himself the new Sultan of the Khanate, and opened his grandfather Timur's treasury in Samarkand, distributing all the wealth in it to his soldiers.

A considerable portion of the gold and treasures in Li Rufeng's hands came from here. As for how they drifted all the way and were eventually transported from Tabriz to Mardin by the dark wizards, no one knew.

In January 1406, Timur's legitimate successor, Pir-Mahram, launched an army from his fiefdom of Kandahar and joined forces with Shah Rukh to attack Transoxiana controlled by Khalil. However, due to the rebellion of his subordinates, they were defeated near the city of Karsh and fled back to Balkh in embarrassment.

Khalil did not pursue the victory because Khwarezm was threatened by the Golden Horde at that time. He had to go north to prove to the outside world that the descendants of Timur the Lame were not easy to mess with.

Pir Mahama spent a year in fear and was eventually killed by his own prime minister.

After the death of Timur's legitimate heir, the internal strife among the princes and emirs became even more open, but the real contenders for the right of succession were Khalil and Shah Rukh.

It's just that the former is currently busy dealing with the threat of the Tensile Khanate, while the latter is also busy quelling the rebellion in its core territory of Khorasan. It can be said that in the three years after Timur's death, the entire Purification area of ​​the Khanate was in war.

Rebellions continued to break out, interrupting the decisive battles between the heirs. Timur's policy of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches had begun to show hidden dangers. Except for the Central Asian region, the conquered peoples and lands had never forgotten their hatred for the rulers of the Khanate. They seized every opportunity to launch a rebellion and use their blood to prove their courage.

At present, most princes and emirs believe that Khalil's succession to the throne is illegal. These people control a large part of the land in Transoxiana except Samarkand. Khalil can only rely on the generals and soldiers of the left and right armies under his command who have followed him all the way back and fought bloody battles until now.

Khalil himself had no roots in Transoxiana. His fiefs were in Armenia and Gurji (almost the Georgia region in later generations). Because he was focused on the War of the Successors and the rise of the Qara ...

Grand Prince Miran Shah launched an attack on Tabriz in an attempt to destroy the Qara Qara Qaidam, which may have been an excuse for his son to gain power from his fiefdom again. However, Grand Prince Miran Shah is now dead. Khalil looked around and could not find any strong source within the Khanate, so he could only stay in Samarkand and hold on.

Unable to obtain support from princes and emirs, Khalil promoted a large number of people of humble origins to official positions in Samarkand to alleviate his own shortage of manpower. However, this further aroused the dissatisfaction of the nobles in Transoxiana. Shah Rukh took the opportunity to win over the emirs, dignitaries, and religious leaders in Transoxiana and maintained active contact with them.

They even agreed in the Mamluk prison that if they ever had the chance to rise again, they would each control their own men, divide their territory, and become allies, following the principle of "lips and teeth are cold" and stop attacking each other.

Carl Yusuf swore that what he said at the time was sincere and heartfelt, but he never thought that he would be able to make a comeback one day.

He knew Ahmed too well. That man was as narrow-minded as a crack in the door. He was greedy for profit and had no vision. It was impossible for him to be an ally.

But as long as Ahmed was alive, he was the Sultan of Jalaliyir, and there would still be people in Baghdad supporting him. More importantly, the Mamluks would not put all their eggs in one basket, and they would definitely support Ahmed's restoration of the country.

So Karl Yusuf made a choice between power and faith. He betrayed his faith and chose to cooperate with a sect hidden among the Mamluk nobles in the face of power. Those people secretly killed Ahmed for him, as if he were a stink bug, and died quietly.

From then on, Karl Yusuf became the Mamluks' only ceremonial guard and the only investment target on the west side of the Timurid Khanate, and the only price he paid was to allow the sect that had secretly helped him to spread openly in the shadow of the Black Sheep.

Karl Yusuf agreed, and so we have today's Black Sheep Dynasty, which is like a shadow in the sun, expanding rapidly with the appearance of dark clouds.

And now, Carl Yusuf began to feel a little regretful. The religion spread by those people was poisonous and led people to evil. He had never seen such evil things. However, after participating in a few sacrificial ceremonies, he refused to attend those ceremonies again.

The ceremony was cruel and bloody, as if bringing people back to a thousand-year-old mythological era, an era when humans, gods, and demigods lived together. In addition to playing their own roles, humans sometimes became food and toys for other species.

But he was already in a difficult situation. The warrior blessed by the four wind gods expanded the territory on the battlefield and even killed Milan Shah, the most brave and warlike son of Timur the Lame and the destroyer of the Black Sheep Dynasty.

Although Karl Yusuf had not personally been to the battlefield, the generals who had returned from the battlefield described the battle scenes to him in trembling tones.

Outside the town of Sardrud, a wizard holding an ebony staff summoned the wind and rain, turning the soldiers around him into an indescribable mixture. Those soldiers mixed together like liquid and turned into a huge monster with one hundred pairs of legs and one hundred hands.

The monster shook its head and fought with Lord Milansha, who was more than three meters tall, wearing scarlet armor, holding a big axe, and had horns on his head. The two sides fought all the way from the farmland to the wall of Sardrud town. The two behemoths smashed the wall into pieces, and there were almost no wounds on their bodies.

In the end, Lord Milansha breathlessly destroyed the monster with a hundred feet and a hundred hands, but another chief blessed by the God of the Four Winds bravely stepped forward, killed Milansha with an axe, and chopped off his arrogant head.

A total of eight people gathered in Li Rufeng's still shabby "palace", pointing to a simple version of the Aleppo map on the table to identify the place.

These eight people are all the members of the Blacksmith Guild. They are all experienced blacksmiths who can take apprentices. They are all big and strong, and they stand there with a strong smell of forge all over their bodies, like unburned coke.