Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2312 Fengshan (IX) Taishiwei

Samarkand, this name has carried countless legends and glories since ancient times. It was once the pearl on the Silk Road, the center where Eastern and Western civilizations met, and witnessed the rise and fall of countless empires. Alexander the Great once praised it as the "most beautiful city", and later religious culture blossomed here with dazzling brilliance.

When Burihatu's army was at the gates of the city, Samarkand once again became the focus of the war. This ancient city, once prosperous, was now shrouded in the shadow of war.

On the city wall, Mumin and his soldiers patrolled nervously. They knew that the Chahar tribe coming from the east was not only "orthodox Mongolians", but also well-equipped and had diverse tactics because they were close to the prosperous and powerful Ming Dynasty. They must be fully prepared.

At the beginning of the siege, the residents of Samarkand still maintained a trace of optimism, believing in the solidity of the city walls and the bravery of the defenders. However, as the siege by Burihatu's army continued, food and water began to become scarce, and the market in the city gradually became depressed, no longer as prosperous as it used to be. The faces of the residents were filled with worry and anxiety, and they began to consciously eat less to prepare for the possible long siege.

Buzhihatu did not rush to attack the city, but adopted a strategy of siege without attacking. This was not because he regarded time as his greatest ally, but he deliberately wanted to create such a psychological impression on the Bukhara army.

In fact, Buzhihatu was very anxious because he had now lost all the areas under his control. Samarkand was the most important territory in his mind and the capital for him and the Chahar tribe to turn things around.

His army set up camp outside the city. The two main forces had joined together and re-formed a tight blockade, cutting off all contact between Samarkand and the outside world. During the siege, Burihatu's soldiers were not idle. They conducted various training in the camp and brought various simple materials from the surrounding areas to build siege equipment. It seemed that they were ready to launch an offensive at any time.

Under the pressure of the siege, the defenders of Samarkand began to feel an unprecedented challenge. The soldiers on the city wall were on guard day and night, not daring to slack off. As the Khan, Mumin led by example, personally inspected the city wall to boost the morale of the soldiers.

During the siege, the residents of Samarkand also showed their tenacity. They organized themselves, especially the craftsmen in the city, who devoted themselves to the defense work, using their skills to strengthen the city walls and manufacture defense equipment.

Although life has become difficult, the residents of Samarkand have not given up hope. They believe that as long as they unite as one, they can resist the invasion of foreign enemies. Samarkand has experienced countless wars, and the history and culture of this city have become the pillar of their spirit. They recall the glorious past of this city, draw strength from it, and firmly believe that Samarkand can usher in peace and prosperity again.

However, what they didn't know was that Burihatu was not just training soldiers and building equipment these days, but these actions were just to cover up his real purpose. No one in the Bukhara Khanate might have seriously read the military books from the East and didn't know the strategy of "openly repairing the plank road and secretly crossing Chencang", but Burihatu had read it and was very familiar with it.

Under the walls of Samarkand, a Chahar army continued their actions like ghosts in the night - they were digging tunnels. The soldiers of the Chahar Mongolian army waved their shovels, and each shovel of soil was carefully removed. The tunnel gradually extended, passing through the hard soil of Central Asia and pointing directly to the walls of Samarkand.

On the city wall, Mumin and his generals patrolled the area vigilantly. They did not notice the undercurrents surging underground. Mumin firmly believed in the solidity of the city wall and the bravery of the defenders. He believed that these were enough to resist any external invasion.

However, as the tunnel went deeper, Burihatu's army finally determined that they had dug under the wall of Samarkand. So, after reporting to the Grand Tutor, the Chahar Mongols began to secretly bury explosives at the foot of the wall.

These explosives came from various sources, some were obtained from the Ming Dynasty before the westward migration to Yarkand, and some were homemade after arriving in Yarkand. Although there may be some good and bad, gunpowder is gunpowder, as long as the amount is large enough, it will produce huge destructive power after detonation, enough to shake the foundation of the city wall.

Finally, on the eighth day after arriving in Samarkand, on this moonless night, Burihatu issued the final order. The excited Lindan Batur personally lit the long fuse, and the flames drew a bright track in the darkness, spreading rapidly along the tunnel and toward the explosives at the foot of the city wall.

"Boom!" There was a loud bang, shaking the earth and the city walls of Samarkand trembled in the explosion. A huge fireball shot up into the sky, and a section of the city wall arched and collapsed in the explosion, instantly turning into countless fragments that flew everywhere.

Mumin and his garrison were shocked by this sudden change. It was not that they had never seen gunpowder before, nor did they know that gunpowder could be used for explosions, but this was the first time they saw gunpowder being used in this way.

Firstly, gunpowder is a very expensive material, and the cost of blowing up a section of city wall at a time can be imagined; secondly, the groundwater in Central Asia is not as abundant as that in the Central Plains in the east, which makes the ground relatively solid, so digging tunnels itself is also very difficult, and it is not often used in wars, at least far less than in the Central Plains.

The unique skill that Burihatu learned when he was studying Gao Youshi turned out to be very successful, which even he himself could not have expected.

However, the Bukharans did not give up. Mumin raised his sword high, roared loudly, and rushed to the gap with his troops. As expected, the Chahar Mongols were about to take advantage of the opportunity to charge in.

The Bukhara Khan's personal army did not hesitate to engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Chahar army that poured in. In the midst of the swordplay, the bravery of the Bukhara soldiers frustrated the Chahar army's first attack. Even after Tashhai personally rushed to the gap to supervise the battle, he was unable to change the disadvantageous situation on the battlefield. The Chahar Mongolian army was forced to temporarily retreat and reorganize.

The success of the tactics and the failure of the battle made Buzhihatu very dissatisfied. He personally whipped seven or eight generals, and even Tashhai, who had made many military achievements, was whipped three times, leaving three blood marks wider than the thumb on his left arm. However, for a tough guy like Tashhai, the whip did not hurt, but his face was hurt.

Looking at his gritted teeth and livid face, you can tell that he only wants revenge and to wash away the shame of tonight.

Lindan Batur came forward to plead for the generals, saying that the previous defeat was mainly because the gap was not wide enough. It was actually difficult for Chahar's warriors to engage in battle. Many of them could only worry in the back, while there were always only about a hundred warriors fighting in the gap on the front line.

Buzhihatu certainly knew this truth, but he also had his own difficulties and it was inconvenient for him to explain publicly - gunpowder was very precious!

However, now that things have come to this, there is really no way to save them. If Samarkand is not taken, no one can predict what will happen in the future. Burihatu took a deep breath and pardoned the generals for failing to capture the city. Then he ordered the soldiers to dig tunnels and bury explosives again. Since the Chahar Mongolian army already had a series of ways to reduce noise when digging tunnels, and the Bukhara army did not have enough means to monitor underground sounds, the tunnel digging this time was still relatively smooth.

Two days later in the morning, a second explosion shook Samarkand again, and two huge gaps appeared in the city wall.

In addition to the gap that had not been completely repaired after the last earthquake, Burihatu's three elite troops attacked from three directions simultaneously today like a tiger descending from the mountain.

Mumin and his army fought again, but faced with the desperate situation of being attacked from three sides, their strength began to gradually weaken. Although the soldiers of Bukhara continued to fight desperately with the enemy, the further collapse of the city wall and the continuous influx of the Chahar army made Mumin clearly realize that Samarkand could no longer be defended.

The battle lasted until noon. The new Khan of Bukhara, Bullard Mumin, was covered in blood, but his eyes still burned with unyielding fire. However, after a fierce battle with Tashhai, Mumin's right arm was cut by Tashhai and he was forced to retreat to the battlefield to bandage it.

His men looked at their young Khan and resolutely took him away from the battlefield. Moomin looked back at this once prosperous land, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, but he did not speak to stop his men's actions. He knew that only by living, there is hope.

The remnants of the Bukhara garrison, led by Mumin, began to retreat westwards towards Bukhara. They knew that there, in the capital of the Bukhara Khanate, they would have a final battle with the Chahar army. Mumin's heart was filled with determination. Even if Samarkand fell, he would never give up. He would use his life to defend the dignity and glory of the Bukhara Khanate.

Mumin has decided to regroup in Bukhara and gather all the forces he can to meet the coming storm. Burihatu, standing on the ruins of Samarkand, staring at the west, also knows that the war is not over yet, but his determination is just as firm. He will do whatever it takes to realize his ambitions... for Mongolia.

During Mumin's retreat, he kept recalling the battle in Samarkand, thinking about Burihatu's tactics and his own countermeasures. He realized that facing an enemy like Burihatu, it was not enough to rely solely on the defense of the city walls, and more strategies and preparations were necessary.

In Bukhara, Mumin summoned his generals to discuss the next battle plan. They knew that Burihatu's army had unique siege equipment and tactics, and they had to find a way to deal with it. After a heated discussion, Mumin decided to adopt a more flexible tactic, using the terrain and resources of Bukhara to deal with the enemy.

Mumin ordered his soldiers to strengthen the city walls, dig tunnels in the city, and install a urn-shaped loudspeaker for monitoring so that they could counterattack when the enemy attacked the city. He also ordered the craftsmen in the city to speed up the manufacture of various defensive equipment, such as ballistae and catapults, to strengthen the city defense.

At the same time, Mumin also realized the importance of morale. He personally inspected the soldiers, encouraged their fighting spirit, and told them that Samarkand was lost only because the enemy used a sneak attack method that they had never seen before. Now that the enemy's method has been exposed, they still have a chance to win in Bukhara. Mumin's words inspired the soldiers, and the light of hope rekindled in their eyes.

About half a month later, Burihatu's army arrived at the gates of Bukhara. Looking at this fortified city, they knew it would be another tough battle. Burihatu was not complacent because of his victory in Samarkand. He knew that Mumin would not give up easily and Bukhara would be a tough nut to crack.

The battle started again. Burihatu's army seemed to know that the enemy was already prepared for tunnel blasting, and did not try to replicate Samarkand's style of fighting, but instead launched a fierce frontal offensive.

However, Mumin and his soldiers were well prepared. They used the defensive equipment that was not outdated in this era to effectively resist the attack of Burihatu's army. The battle was extremely fierce and both sides paid a huge price.

Mumin did not simply defend himself. He even began to use the tunnels that were originally dug to prevent the Chahar army from exploding. In a night attack, Mumin personally led a team of elite soldiers to attack from the tunnel, catching Burihatu off guard. Although this night attack could not repel the Chahar Mongolian army, it gave Burihatu a warning, letting him know that the young Bukhara Khan was not an easy opponent to deal with.

The battle lasted for several days, with both sides looking for each other's weaknesses. Mumin's perseverance in Bukhara won the respect and support of the locals. The residents of Bukhara also participated in the battle, providing food and water for the soldiers and helping to treat the wounded. The whole city united to resist the foreign enemies together.

In his tent outside the city, Buzhihatu stared at Bukhara and weighed the battle situation in his mind. He knew that if he continued to attack, even if he could capture Bukhara, his army would suffer heavy losses. He began to consider other strategies, hoping to win at a lower cost.

At the military meeting, Buzhihatu's generals put forward various suggestions, including continuing the siege, launching psychological warfare, and even secretly sending a small team to carry out sabotage. Buzhihatu listened carefully to everyone's opinions and then made a decision.

He thought that at this time, any trick could be tried, such as besieging Bukhara first to weaken the city's defenses, and then looking for an opportunity to launch a general attack. At the same time, he also sent envoys into the city to try to persuade Mumin to surrender, promising to give him and everyone in Bukhara preferential treatment.

However, Mu Ming rejected Buzhihatu's proposal. He stood on the city wall, looking at the enemy outside the city, and his heart was full of determination. He knew that as long as he persisted, there would be a turning point soon.

The siege of Burihatu lasted for more than ten days, and both sides were exhausting each other's patience and strength. However, at this time, a message came - an army from the north was heading towards Bukhara.

This news gave Mumin and his soldiers new hope. They knew who the visitors were - the Kazakhs, who were invited to help the Bukhara Khan on the condition that the Bukhara Khan would pay tribute to the Kazakhs in the future.

Although it was humiliating to surrender, it was better than being annexed. Now the Bukharans had hope, believing that as long as they could hold out until reinforcements arrived, they would have a chance to turn the tide of the war. Mumin immediately strengthened the defense of the city walls, preparing for the final offensive that Burihatu might launch.

After learning about the reinforcements, Buzhihatu also felt the pressure. He knew that if the reinforcements arrived, his advantage might no longer exist, and he might even face the danger of being attacked from both inside and outside. He decided to launch a decisive attack before the reinforcements arrived, hoping to win the game in one fell swoop.

  However, he did not intend to launch a final offensive against Bukhara as Mumin had judged. Instead, he left most of the troops to continue besieging the city, while he personally led his elite troops north to confront the Kazakh army head-on!
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