"The Western Expedition of the Eldest Sons."
Li Shimin did not feel particularly surprised.
He was thoroughly familiar with the Turks and well aware of the endless internal strife among the steppe tribes.
They rose and fell in quick succession, submitted and rebelled just as swiftly, relying on nothing but blades and horses.
The simplest example was the Xueyantuo state.
During the Daye era, Yishibo and Qibi Geleng conspired to establish a Tiele khanate. They were defeated and submitted to the Western Turks, soon rebelled again, failed, fled east, and sought refuge under Jieli.
Barely a year later, Yishibo's son, Yishi Yinan, allied with the Huihe and Bayegu to rebel against Jieli once more. In the end he even sent envoys to the Tang court seeking imperial investiture. After some consideration, Li Shimin conferred upon him the title of Zhenzhu Khan and established the Xueyantuo state.
As for that Xueyantuo state, at present there were only faint signs of disobedience. Yet according to later histories, it was ultimately destroyed by Tang. Most likely it had reverted to its old habits.
From this alone one could glimpse the customs of the steppe. Five or six hundred years later, the Mongols were probably not much different.
However, with the eldest sons commanding, the eldest sons of the princes accompanying the campaign, and even the generals sending their own eldest sons to lead troops, and given that the screen had specifically emphasized that the later condition of the Slavic states was closely tied to this western campaign, then it seemed—
"This Western Expedition of the Eldest Sons likely achieved great merit."
Li Shimin's casual inference sounded to Li Chengqian like undisguised praise. He immediately declared:
"When I lead troops in the future, I will not disgrace Father's name as the Heavenly Strategy General!"
Li Shimin burst into laughter and patted his son on the shoulder.
"First strengthen your body and hone your martial skills. When you can draw a three-dan bow, then speak of other matters."
---
[Lightscreen]
[To speak seriously, the Mongols' Second Western Campaign offers little of dramatic interest, because they were at the height of the Mongol Empire's power.
They grew up in favorable circumstances, backed by abundant imperial resources. This was reflected in the fact that nearly every commander had a battle-hardened veteran at his side for guidance and support. Moreover, the first generation of elite Mongol cavalry had not yet grown old.
In particular, Batu's deputy commander Subutai was a genuine Mongol general who had fought alongside Temujin himself.
And what kind of enemies did they face?
At the time, Eastern Europe was in the post–Kievan Rus period. The fragmented Rus principalities were divided, harboring their own schemes and fighting among themselves.
Facing the allied forces of the four Mongol princes, the Rus states offered only symbolic resistance for three years before submitting as subjects under Mongol rule.
Further west, in the Danube basin, Poland and Hungary shouted loudly but in actual combat mostly competed to see who could flee the fastest.
The renowned scholar D'Ohsson bluntly criticized European armies as consisting of "a small number of heavily armored knights and countless half-naked peasants, ignorant of tactics, ignorant of discipline, with no unified command."
When confronting European fortresses, the Mongol expeditionary forces carried early cannon and various trebuchets, effectively prescribing the proper remedy.
Thus the Western Expedition of the Eldest Sons can essentially be viewed as the consolidation and plunder of the gains from Temujin's First Western Campaign.
However, at the critical moment when the Mongol princes were planning further moves into Western Europe, news arrived from the distant East that Great Khan Ögedei had died.
The princes had no choice but to abandon all ongoing campaigns and return eastward together. Some went to mourn, others to contend for succession. The collective excursion of this new generation thus came to an end.
As for Ögedei's cause of death, it was quite simple. He drank himself to death. There was almost no possibility of conspiracy.
Limited brewing techniques meant high-proof liquor was rare. In the feudal era, nobles and monarchs seldom realized that excessive drinking was a vice. It was almost regarded as a virtue.
A typical example is Cao Cao, who had the habit of composing poetry while drunk and even recorded such works in his literary collections.
However, although Old Cao suffered from hypertension and drank alcohol, he maintained good dietary control and lived to sixty-six before dying.
But Cao Pi, who inherited both the bad habits and the illness from his father, lacked such restraint. He indulged in sweets, alcohol, and rich food, and died at forty.]
---
So the extraordinary weapon that defeated him had been cannon.
So the inspiration for those iron-armored troops had come from here.
Liu Xuande had not even deigned to use the powerful trebuchets.
Cao Cao roared silently in his heart as he watched the screen display Mongol elite cavalry clashing with European armored knights.
The most striking figures were naturally the heavy knights. Yet as the screen said, they were few, and the impoverished peasants under their command were utterly mismatched with such armor.
In contrast, the Mongol cavalry, clad in leather armor and carrying small round shields, possessed far less defensive protection, yet they rode freely across the field. Each carried bow, blade, hand axe, spear, and lasso. They swiftly routed the peasants and then relied on numbers to wear down the heavily armored men to death.
In Cao Cao's eyes, these Mongol riders possessed a distinct beauty, truly embodying the essence of warfare.
Recalling the recent reports from the front, that Xu Huang's defended city had fallen and that he had been defeated in fierce combat by iron-armored troops, it was likely they had first endured bombardment and then been encircled by Liu Xuande's heavy infantry, leading to inevitable defeat.
Such tactics nearly combined the strengths of both sides shown on the screen. No wonder—
Before Cao Cao could finish his thought, he suddenly heard his own name mentioned.
He glanced at Liu Bei. The refined strategist had already sketched a set of iron armor and was speaking with Xuande.
Cao Cao then looked toward Zhang Fei at his side. He very much did not want to ask, but Zhang Fei seemed to understand and eagerly spoke first.
"Gao means dead."
Dead?
Cao Cao repeated the word in his mind. Then confusion overwhelmed him.
"My son died suddenly before reaching forty?"
"My illness could even be passed on…"
Zhang Fei nodded and tried, somewhat awkwardly, to console him.
"Cao Pi couldn't control his appetite and died early. But I remember Cao Zhi lived quite long. He nearly got killed by Cao Pi, though."
"Brothers contending…"
Cao Cao shook his head repeatedly, unable to accept it. Then he remembered something.
"If that is so, then what you said earlier about my grandson dying young, my great-grandson…"
"All true," Zhang Fei nodded earnestly. "Why would I lie about that?"
Cao Cao felt as though darkness nearly overtook his vision.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Later on, the Tang dynasty's fondness for alcohol was no secret. After all, Li Bai, a symbol of High Tang, was famed for "a hundred poems after a dou of wine." During this same period, grape wine entered the Central Plains and became favored by the nobility. It is possible that Li Shimin, a hypertension patient, living only into his fifties had some connection with the introduction of grape wine.
Similarly, Gaozong Li Zhi, who enjoyed comfort and indulgence, left numerous records of drinking. Alcohol almost certainly worsened his illnesses.]
---
"Father!"
Li Chengqian immediately looked at his father.
To him, his undefeated father was like an unshakable wall. Yet that wall would not live to sixty?
Before he could fully process his sorrow, he heard Li Zhi's name, along with the title Gaozong.
"Father?"
The same word spoken twice, yet filled with entirely different emotions.
Li Shimin remained calm.
"Chengqian, I can explain."