Chapter 1215: Sengge Has Seen Through Everything (Please Subscribe)

Shesta Khan left in a daze, going to consult with his master Aurangzeb on how to defend Samarkand — or not defend Samarkand, and simply run back to India!

Meanwhile, King Sengge summoned his uncle Chokhur Ubashi, his brothers Chechen Taiji and Jotba Batur, and Galdan's agent Hu Zhongyong to the Stone Fort royal city to discuss going to war.

"Great King, the Timurid Empire, Russia, the Khanate of Khiva, and the Persian Empire have now joined forces. Their combined strength is several times ours, and our state truly cannot resist them by force. The only course now is to hold our cities firmly while seeking aid from the Celestial Court."

The one who proposed seeking aid from the Celestial Court was Galdan's agent, the Regional Commander of Chuhe Prefecture, Hu Zhongyong.

This Hu Zhongyong was also a Mongol. He was the youngest son of Hu Dawei, the Regional Commander of Shaanxi who had died in battle in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen. When Hu Dawei fell in battle, Hu Zhongyong was still in Yulin in northern Shaanxi, and later followed his elder brother to join the army of the Prince of Dai. Because he was still too young to serve in the army, after Wu Sangui's defection he was sent by the Prince of Dai, Zhu Cijiong, to Nanjing, arriving around the same time as Galdan.

Since Hu Dawei had been posthumously enfeoffed as a marquis, Hu Zhongyong became a noble's son, attended Nanjing Primary School, and was classmates with Galdan and Zhu Hehao. Although they had fought plenty as children, the two became good friends as they grew up. Galdan passed the exam into Nanjing Imperial University after middle school, while Hu Zhongyong entered the Army Military Academy. Because Galdan had taken two years off during middle school to go to Chuhe City and assist his elder brother Sengge, his studies were delayed, and he was still grinding away at the Imperial University, while his primary and middle school classmate Hu Zhongyong had already graduated.

Because Sengge, after moving the capital to Stone Fort royal city, had enfeoffed Chuhe City and a herding chiliarchy to Galdan, Galdan petitioned the Great Ming court for approval to send his classmate and close friend Hu Zhongyong to garrison Chuhe in his place.

However, although this Hu Zhongyong had attended the Military Academy, he had little actual experience commanding troops, and the suggestion he now put forward was of no great value.

But Sengge still had to give this Hu Zhongyong some face — the man represented the Celestial Court, after all!

"Regional Commander Hu speaks reason," King Sengge nodded. "The city must be held, and aid must be sought. But better to rely on oneself than on others, and in defending the city one must not forget to strike out. We are Mongols, after all — how could Mongols only defend and never attack?"

"But gathering our forces to fight a decisive battle with the Timurid, Russian, Khivan, and Persian armies at the Samarkand oasis is hardly wise either!" Hu Zhongyong shook his head. "The troops the four powers can concentrate at the Samarkand oasis will be no fewer than a hundred thousand. And the most we can field is twenty-five thousand. One against four — there is no chance of victory!"

"Hahaha!" Sengge laughed loudly. "Zhongyong, did they not teach you at the Military Academy that all is fair in war?"

"All is fair in war?" Hu Zhongyong thought for a moment. "Your Highness means we should not go to Samarkand?"

Sengge smiled. "Of course we must go. If we do not, how will Aurangzeb be induced to mass his forces and confront us?"

"Confront? Not fight to the death?" Hu Zhongyong still did not understand.

Sengge sneered. "If he truly had the resolve for a death struggle, why would he send his daughter to be a consort of the Son of Heaven?"

Hearing this, Hu Zhongyong also found it strange, and so asked, "What exactly is Aurangzeb scheming?"

Sengge smiled. "What scheme? Obviously he does not want war! Uncle, you explain."

Chokhur Ubashi took up the topic and said with a laugh, "This Aurangzeb may be quite the troublemaker, but his Indian troops are utterly worthless — they cannot even beat the Turkmen nomadic cavalry. If not for us and the Khanate of Khiva helping him destroy the elite of the Khanate of Bukhara, he would never have reached Samarkand at all. From what I know, after entering Samarkand he raised high the banner of the Timurid Empire, dispensed favors far and wide to win the hearts of Transoxiana, paid high prices to recruit the remnants of the Bukhara Khanate's defeated troops, and selected the finest of those remnants to form his personal guard. Does that not prove his own army cannot fight?

Moreover, the Rajput cavalry of the Timurid Empire are all Brahmins, all native-born Indians. The Timurid Empire entered India from Transoxiana through the Afghan mountains, and its inner core are all Mongols and Turks who converted to Islam. If the inner core were not all useless, why would Aurangzeb rely on native Indian Brahmins to serve as soldiers and fight?"

"Then why is he making trouble for us?" Sengge's elder brother Chechen Taiji interjected. "We have never crossed him!"

"It is not that he wants to make trouble for us," Sengge said. "It is the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkmen, and Russians who want to make trouble for us. If Aurangzeb wants to win the hearts of Transoxiana, he can only go along with them. But he does not want a hard fight with us either, so earlier he tried to buy our submission, and now he wants to marry his princess to the Son of Heaven.

He just wants us to go fight others while he picks up the spoils!"

Jotba Batur shook his head, puzzled. "In that case, why don't we avoid Samarkand and strike someone else?"

"Heh," Sengge sneered. "Transoxiana is arid. Only the territory we hold, plus the Samarkand oasis, the Khwarezm oasis, and the Bukhara oasis, can sustain a large army. And the Khwarezm and Bukhara oases are too far from us — to attack them we would have to cross the great desert. How is that as convenient as going to the Samarkand oasis?

Rather than a distant campaign, we should draw all the enemy armies to the Samarkand oasis. Aren't they numerous? Many mouths mean much to feed — not only men must eat, but horses too!"

"I understand now," Hu Zhongyong raised his thumb. "Your Highness means to exhaust them through provisions!"

Sengge occupied the grain-producing regions of Transoxiana and had abundant supplies on hand. The grain stored in Stone Fort royal city, Khujand, and the Garrison Prefecture city was enough to feed the six herding chiliarchies and the residents of the three cities for several years — all of it seized in the previous wars. The Timurid, Khivan, Persian, and Russian coalition, by contrast, had many men and little grain.

Sengge smiled smugly and said, "How big is the Samarkand oasis? How much grain can it grow? Enough to feed several hundred thousand? Besides, would we Mongols ever let them farm in comfort? If grain cannot be supplied locally, it must be shipped from Khwarezm by water along the Amu Darya. And if we then cut that water route — ha! What will several hundred thousand men eat and drink? If they don't want to starve, they'll have to retreat south, all the way into the Afghan mountains!"

"Your Highness," Hu Zhongyong asked, "so we will not fight a decisive battle with them?"

"A decisive battle?" Sengge laughed. "Zhongyong, you may be a graduate of the Military Academy, but you are still a Mongol. You must not forget the ancestral craft of our people!"

Sengge's expression turned serious, and he said, "This time what we contest is not blades but grain! To win on grain, the key lies in two things: first, destroy the enemy's granaries and supply lines; second, hold our own granaries.

Destruction is our specialty, so I need not say more. Now, as for holding — there is no need to worry about the north of Stone Fort royal city; they cannot reach that far. So what we must hold are three places: Stone Fort Prefecture, the Garrison Prefecture, and Fergana. For Stone Fort Prefecture and the Garrison Prefecture, we will strengthen the walls and clear the fields — bring all outside grain into the fortresses, and move the tribespeople inside as much as possible. If the fortresses cannot hold them all, transfer the rest to the vicinity of Khujand.

Then there is the defense of Khujand. Khujand guards the great granary of Fergana, and must not be lost under any circumstances — otherwise we will not be able to starve the enemy."

Hu Zhongyong rose to his feet and bowed to Sengge. "Your Highness, entrust it to me! I am, after all, professionally trained — I have properly studied city defense and fortification!"

Sengge nodded and said, "Zhongyong, I know you can hold a city, but there is one point I must make: your enemies will not only come from outside the Khujand pass, but also from within it!"

"I understand!" Hu Zhongyong nodded. "Wherever they come from, I can hold firm!"

"Good!" Sengge smiled, then turned to his two elder brothers. "Chechen Taiji, Jotba Batur, the Middle Jüz steppe in the north rests on you and the other nomadic chiliarchies. The Russians and Kazakhs may not go to Samarkand; they will likely seize the chance to attack the Middle Jüz. You must delay and maneuver against them as much as possible, and if it truly cannot be helped, fall back to the Little Jüz, where the strong city of Chuhe can be defended — you can hold out there!"

(End of Chapter)