Mount and Blade Central Asia

Thinking of this, Li Rufeng looked at Alana with an ambiguous look. He was learning to become a political animal, and obviously starting with women and trying to use human nature instead of simple exchange of interests was a means of advancement.

"Come and sit next to me." Li Rufeng patted the seat next to him, asked the guards outside the door to move a little further away, and then directly took the woman into his arms.

Li Rufeng still had a strong control over his own troops. Wuerhun, Habashibuhua, and Huluchirjia all obeyed Li Rufeng's orders, and the young people in the tribe also admired the shaman, so these people did not harass nearby villages and gathering points too much.

If the followers of the Green Wind had not passed by here and combed the road, this road would have been very popular. But now it is just a mess.

The journey from Hama to Aleppo is more than 100 kilometers. Li Rufeng did not waste time setting off with Aziz's infantrymen, but set off in advance with his own guards.

It took him three days to see the walls of Aleppo. At this time, Li Rufeng's riding skill had reached 63 points, which was not too far behind among the Mughals.

I don’t know when it started, but the city of Aleppo has given Li Rufeng a feeling of home. When he saw the white city, he actually felt a sense of peace.

Or it should be said that this was not just Li Rufeng's own feeling. Many Mongols in the team also smiled unconsciously.

The sentry on the watchtower saw Li Rufeng's troops, blew the ox horn symbolizing victory, then opened all the city gates and shouted along the streets that the lord had returned to the city.

...

After returning to the city, the first thing Li Rufeng had to do was to reward people according to their merits. After a war, the merits and faults were obvious to all.

But before that, Li Rufeng's top priority was to visit the wounded camp where the war had not yet ended, the wounded camp that he had handed over to Isabella Darhey to take charge of.

"Sir, I disappoint you." Isabella Darhei opened her eyes tiredly and saw Li Rufeng's face. Guilt instantly surged in her heart.

She...she failed. She thought she could accomplish something, but she failed. The last thing Isabella remembered was the ceiling that suddenly appeared in front of her eyes and the screams of the nurses and the wounded in her ears.

She fainted from exhaustion.

In fact, Isabella Darhe fainted on the day Li Rufeng led his men out of the city to pursue, and she did not wake up until the night before Li Rufeng returned.

At this moment, Isabella looked like a patient who had just recovered from a serious illness. Her face was pale and thin, and she looked unrecognizable. She looked at least 20 pounds thinner than before the siege. She probably had not slept or eaten properly in these days.

Under her management, except for fourteen people who died from plague or injuries, all the wounded sent to the hospital are still alive and well.

The hair and the newly emerging head all reinforce this image.

Although Maritain was a mercenary, she had been employed by Manuel II and had seen big scenes. She also had her own ambitions.

In the previous war, Maritan's performance was outstanding enough, and one of her militiamen was lucky enough to kill an enemy who rushed up the city wall.

"Aiman! Have you finished peeing? If you don't come, we will leave first!" A group of militiamen teased Aiman ​​with envy, but everyone was scared at the time. Only Aiman ​​rushed up and shot the other person to death while he was not standing up straight. No one could take away the credit for this achievement.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!" Aiman ​​ran while shaking his hands violently, and he was extremely panicked.

How could a farmer like him suddenly achieve such merit? How could he be rewarded by the lord? How could he be rewarded on stage? This was truly a headache… Aiman ​​thought to himself, but a smile spread across his lips.

"This guy is wearing new clothes!"

"He's not afraid of peeing in his pants, haha!"

"Aiman, don't forget to pay me back when you become rich!"

"Get lost! When did I ever lend you money?"

Maritan watched all this with a smile, and then led the team to the big market in Aleppo, where the lord was going to judge the merits in front of everyone: "Stand up straight! Line up neatly! Stand up straight! Anyone who slacks off, watch out for my whip!"

...

"Abiram, my son, from now on, everything you experience is beyond my control." The tinker, Salva, looked at his second son. Because there were so many children in his family, he didn't pay much attention to them. Most of the time, he could only do his best to prevent these children from starving to death. "I wish you well."

Abiram carefully smoothed the corners of his clothes while hugging his mother, brothers and sisters, and only gave a perfunctory "hmm" to his father's words.

He had many complaints about his father, dissatisfied with why he was so timid, dissatisfied with why he was always so mediocre, and dissatisfied with why he could never feed his family.

He and his elder brother started working early, from helping people push carts, leading horses and feeding them, to stealing chickens and dogs. They did everything to have enough food to eat.

Abirama originally thought that this was how his life would be, waiting for his elder brother to inherit his father's career one day. He would probably become a laborer waiting to work in the big market and spend his life in a hasty manner.

The sound is quite profound

Chapter 301: Honoring Show

According to Li Rufeng, he originally planned to hold a military parade or something, but the soldiers under his command obviously did not have the qualities to line up for inspection.

Even for the Mongol people who had lived with horses since childhood, it was difficult to do this. The formal horse riding posture that Li Rufeng imagined was simply against the nature of horses.

Finally, after compromises on various demands, the military parade was transformed into an awards ceremony to reward merit.

Li Rufeng first had to establish a relatively fairer and more open military merit system, and at the same time use honors and medals to meet the spiritual needs of these soldiers, and use money, land, and promotions to meet their practical needs.

Since ancient times, warriors have pursued only these two things. Whoever can better meet these people's needs can mobilize a larger military force.

Qinggelinayan may have thought that sending out a team of 100 people would satisfy Li Rufeng's ambition and that he could rely on tradition to maintain the balance between the two sides, but in fact, Li Rufeng had not even made any effort yet.

...

"Mengge, there is no need for me to say any more encouraging words to you and me. You are a role model among soldiers. War is just a breeze and clouds to you. No enemy can make you frown, and no enemy is worth your surprise." On the temporary stage, the first person Li Rufeng called up was Mengge.

Among the many forces Li Rufeng currently has, only Mengge came to him on his own initiative. There was no loyalty or friendship between him and Mengge. If one had to say, it was at most that they had common interests.

Li Rufeng had ambition, and so did Mengge, but Li Rufeng's development speed was much faster than Mengge's, and he had much more courage and methods than Mengge.

Compared with Qinggelinayan, which was like a stagnant pool of water, Mengge decisively chose Li Rufeng.

Such a cooperative relationship is actually very tiring, but Li Rufeng cannot do without Mengge for the time being, or rather, cannot do without Mengge's team of 100 people composed entirely of "officers".

Moreover, Mengge's performance has always been remarkable. On the battlefield, Mengge dared to fight and fight hard. Outside the battlefield, Mengge was law-abiding. Even when faced with Li Rufeng's temptation in Hama City, he accepted it without hesitation and allowed the other party to split one-fifth of his strength away.

Such a working emperor is the dream of every entrepreneurial boss, but you must ensure that they can really get the meat on the basis of constantly painting the pie in the sky, and at the same time ensure that you work hard enough so that you will not be acquired by the other party.

"Mongke, I will award you the golden shield of Aleppo." Li Rufeng took out today's pancake...ah, no, the highlight of today.

Buzzing, nothing can be heard.

It was not until Li Rufeng patted Aiman's shoulder hard that he began to come back to his senses. Then a bronze Aleppo Shield badge was stuffed into Aiman's hand, and correspondingly, a pyramid-shaped silver coin placed on a tray for everyone to see was also handed over.

"Is this for me too?" Aiman ​​widened his eyes, looking at the overwhelming wealth, and wished he could kneel down on the spot and kowtow to the lord.

But Li Rufeng's powerful arms held back Aiman's weakening body. "You've earned this with your bravery, soldier. This isn't a gift from me, but something you deserve. Just like the fruits you harvest after planting seeds in the soil and carefully tending them for a whole year, if you must thank someone, thank yourself, soldier!"

For some reason, Aiman ​​suddenly felt strong and was able to stand up straight.

"Hold your rewards higher, soldier. These are all yours. You deserve them." Li Rufeng pushed Aiman ​​from behind, and the other party immediately showed his rewards to everyone in excitement.

Give officers honors in public and keep practical benefits behind the scenes. But for soldiers, the latter has far greater practical significance than the former. At least now almost all the militiamen are greedy.

Chapter 302 Model

The awarding ceremony lasted two and a half hours, which was the time Li Rufeng had calculated. If it was too short, it would seem too informal, and if it was too long, the audience below would not be able to bear it and their attention would be easily distracted.

So Li Rufeng put the awards given to the Mongols and Kurds in front. Yes, three of the Kurds received the silver Aleppo Shield badge, and another six received bronze badges.

The standard set by Li Rufeng is that militiamen can obtain the bronze Aleppo Shield badge if they kill one enemy in battle, and professional soldiers can obtain the bronze Aleppo Shield badge if they kill two enemies. In addition to the glory symbolized by the badge itself, the badge recipients can also receive a special monthly allowance for a full year. The amount is not much, about one-third of the military salary.

Recipients of the Silver Medal were required to have even more outstanding performance, such as completing tasks far beyond the capabilities of ordinary soldiers or officers. These individuals' allowances were twice their military pay.

As for the gold medal, it is only for officers and will only be awarded after a real victory. It does not include any special allowances because the winner of the gold medal will definitely be pulled into Li Rufeng's own interest group.

In addition, recipients of the Bronze and Silver Medals were required to receive one and three years of land tax and head tax exemption respectively, which for those decorated soldiers was often more than the allowance.

And this is also a kind of honor, the honor of being in front of the elders and fellow villagers.

For a moment, people couldn't even hear what the lord on the stage said. They only knew that a brave man had finally appeared among the people of Aleppo.

As long as there are people like this, they can even sleep more peacefully at night.

Johann Hiltberg was among the crowd and witnessed the entire awarding ceremony. He was somewhat envious of the medal recipients, but he also felt that he was a noble knight after all, and there was no need for him to be jealous of these peasants. He was extremely conflicted.

But when the people around him burst into applause and cheers for Abirama, Hiltberg realized that deep down his desire for glory was actually greater than practical benefits.

He also wants to be surrounded by the cheers of the people and lifted up by glory and recognition one day, just like today.

The painter Ostad Mahmoud was painting on the roof of a house in a somewhat crazy manner. He turned what he saw into lines and his emotions into colors, trying to capture this scene forever.

He had a premonition that this painting would become a highly representative work of art, just like the painting of Ardashir capturing Adawa in the Mongol Kings!

Driven by artistic inspiration, Ostad Mahmoud kept trembling as if he was having an orgasm, while trying his best to maintain his concentration and reflect what he saw and heard in the painting.

Abiramah looked at the cheering crowd below, his heart boiling like boiling water. He saw his mother wiping her tears, his father frowning, his eldest brother who wanted to cheer but didn't dare, and several jubilant younger brothers and sisters. He gradually calmed down.

He looked back at his lord. He knew who had given him this opportunity, and he knew who had given his brothers and sisters enough food to eat. His eyes gradually became fanatical.

Abhirama suddenly turned around, knelt on one knee, held his weapon in his hands above his head, and said, "I would like to become a follower of Tengri under your guidance. Please grant me your permission!"

Li Rufeng was caught off guard by this sudden change, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

After all, this city is still a traditional Islamic power. Most of the residents in the city are Muslims, and two-thirds of the people who migrated from Mardin are Muslims.

Abirama said nothing, but raised the weapon in his hand higher again. The citizens below also did not say anything, they all seemed a little at a loss.

Sayyid Kuda (a missionary of the Taiba tribe), a pioneering scholar of the Sufi order, who was mixed in the crowd, clenched his fists and stared at Li Rufeng.

< src = "" >

The author says:

Since most of them were die-hard supporters of Saladin's headquarters, Saladin's losses were even greater. In a big way, it shook the foundation of his rule. In a small way, it was also a victory with heavy losses.

Of course, all this depends on what kind of benefits he can gain for the Kurds. As long as the benefits are sufficient, Saladin's position will remain stable.

"I know you have suffered heavy losses, but your loyalty and bravery have moved me." Li Rufeng carefully considered how to balance the losses of the Kurds.

In terms of bravery, Saladin's men were far inferior to those of the Mughals, but as auxiliary soldiers, they did a pretty good job. At least they really dared to fight. The heavy casualties were mainly due to their lack of skills and the enemy being too strong. In addition, Li Rufeng placed them in a position where they were more likely to suffer casualties.

"The part of Li Rufeng's former grassland near the Tianshui River will be handed over to you for management from now on." Li Rufeng handed over a piece of grassland with lush grass and water to Saladin.

Pasture is the ultimate reward pursued by all nomadic peoples, and this reward is enough for the Kurds to recuperate.

Due to the population size, the Mongols have always had a problem of underutilization of the pastures they have. Now after occupying Aleppo, the pasture area of ​​Li Rufeng's tribe has been seriously underutilized.

Qinggelinayan hoped that the people of Hezhong would take over the pastures vacated by Li Rufeng's tribe. Li Rufeng did not intend to completely reject Qinggelinayan's request, but he would not accept it all either. He had just allocated the most fertile areas in the entire pastoral area to the Kurds.

In terms of area, Qinggelinayan took the largest share, which was already quite respectable.

The excitement in Saladin's eyes was visible to the naked eye. Didn't they think that this was what the Mughals were risking their lives for?

"Besides that, I will provide a compensation to each soldier who died in battle. The amount won't be too high, but it will be enough for their families to get through the most difficult years," Li Rufeng said casually. "As for the wounded, if they become disabled due to their injuries, the city of Aleppo can provide them with a job that can support themselves."

Saladin nodded disapprovingly, and he had already started thinking about where the money should be spent.

Li Rufeng didn't care whether the pension he paid would be fully compensated. He was even very happy to see the money divided up by the Kurdish high-level officials. After all, the truth would eventually come out. These "little things" piled up together and would eventually become the bullets that Li Rufeng would use to devour them.

"Is this enough?" Li Rufeng looked at the boiling kettle and slowly poured the boiling water into the teapot. The fragrant aroma of tea immediately filled the air between the two of them.

"That's enough, Lord Shaman! The Kurds will always be loyal to you!" Saladin wisely stopped mentioning anything about Mongolism and equality. The experience of fighting side by side for several consecutive times made him deeply feel the power of the Mughals.

Even if Li Rufeng was willing to give it, he wouldn't dare to take it... This is the ecological environment among nomadic peoples, where the strong prey on the weak.

With the same doubts, Hiltberg reported his identity as the Sultan's messenger to the lord's mansion and was soon received.

In fact, Li Rufeng was very curious about which Sultan the Sultan messenger he was about to meet represented. After all, there were many Sultans in the Khanate. Khalil called himself Sultan, Shah Rukh also called himself Sultan, and if the dead Mahemah was counted, there were at least three Sultans in the Khanate.

"Your Excellency Shaman, I am John Hiltberg from Samarkand. On behalf of Sultan Khalil, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to you." Hiltberg, who met Li Rufeng for the first time, showed considerable respect to him. He knew very well that the title of Sultan had no deterrent effect on these emirs who were far away in the border and had real power.

Khalil's messenger? Li Rufeng felt a little guilty as he touched the magic sword beside him. Technically, after the death of Lord Miransha, the sword should have belonged to Khalil, and his sister was still in his possession...

"I express my respect to Sultan Khalil. What he did in Samarkand is admirable." Li Rufeng also followed suit and acted as if he really respected the Sultan.

Hiltberg presented Li Rufeng with a letter from Khalil to Li Rufeng. Of course, this letter was actually nominally written by Khalil to the leaders of the Mughal tribes in the western border area of ​​the Khanate. At that time, this person should have been Qinggelinayan, but now Hiltberg has changed his target to Li Rufeng in front of him.

For this, Hiltberg even secretly opened the parchment scroll to make sure that there were no specific names in it. All the titles were such as the leader of the Mughals and the pillar of the western territory of the Khanate. Only then did he feel relieved.

As for the wax seal used to seal the parchment scroll, Hiltberg later casually printed it with the pattern on his ring. He had inquired and found out that Li Rufeng had wandered into the Mongol territory a few years ago. If he could figure out these emblems, Hiltberg would eat the parchment scroll.

Sure enough, Li Rufeng didn't even look at the wax seal, but directly opened the scroll to read the contents. He really wanted to know why Khalil wrote to him.

The content of the letter was not long. The first half was mainly about Khalil, as the Sultan, affirming the Mughals' achievements in exterminating the Dosht, and generously announcing that all the lands once managed by the Dosht now belonged to the Mughals.

Of course, this is just nonsense. This is the territory of the Black Sheep People. Even Maharaja Milansha was defeated by the Black Sheep People, so the Mughals should not even think about it.

The second half of the letter is somewhat interesting. Khalil Sultan first expressed his regret for Timur's death, then talked about the betrayal suffered by Samarkand, and finally expressed the hope that the Mongols could act as messengers to convey Khalil's difficulties to his vassals in his fiefdom and let them form an army to rescue Samarkand.

At the end of the letter, Khalil Sultan stated that he was willing to give everything to reward his supporters for saving the future of the entire Khanate, and any conditions could be put forward.

Not right, right?

Chapter 305 New Blood

Li Rufeng had no interest in Khalil Sultan's future, viewing it as a weak claim that was dispensable. After all, he still lived in Parisa. Even if he really wanted to raise an army to rescue the emperor and march on Samarkand under the banner of clearing out the court, he would have to do so as Timur's grandson-in-law and Khalil's brother-in-law...

But it is hard to say who will be the Sultan and who will be the royal relative at that time. There is a saying that goes, if you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world. Master Li now controls two cities and governs more than 10,000 people. He is considered a big shot, right?

But at this stage, all of this population cannot be converted into strength. It took Master Li three months to consolidate the foundation of Aleppo, and it will probably take the same amount of time to digest Hama City. Moreover, Hama City has not yet been counted into the system's sphere of influence.

Li Rufeng estimated that this time it would not be a ceremony like the moat, but that legally the city of Hama still belonged to the Mamluks, while the actual control still belonged to Damascus. The city was just temporarily unattended due to the plague, and Li Rufeng took advantage of it.

At the very least, they had to fight a battle with the emirs in Damascus on the battlefield. Li Rufeng wrote down two things on his agenda: expanding the size of the army and deepening the professional soldier system.