Creatures like jackals always bully the weak and fear the strong; if you are fierce, they will stay far away; if you are timid, they will pounce and bite you.
Governor Abu Hadi refused to save his son-in-law, demonstrating goodwill to his Mongol friends with practical actions; Nomudalai, however, didn't care about that and vowed to swallow this 'good friend' whole.
Leaving two thousand soldiers to guard Chalish and Iron Gate Pass, he led over seven thousand warriors to the west to conquer Kucha.
Abu Hadi was not completely foolish. To prevent the Mongols from not having enough fun robbing and coming to 'exchange feelings' in his territory, he sent a General named Bolu Zhi with five thousand troops to guard the city of Bicheng east of Kucha.
Bolu Zhi's ancestors had served as the chief administrators for the Chagatai Khan Timur, and even Kucha city had been their fief, so he was considered a descendant of a famous family. As a member of a prestigious family, he naturally had a sense of arrogance. He refused to defend the city and instead led five thousand troops out to engage the Mongols in a pitched battle.
The small city of Bicheng is historically quite famous. Emperor Wu of Han issued the 'Edict of Repentance at Bicheng' there in his later years, and Lu You's line, "Lying stiff in a lonely village, I do not grieve for myself, but still think of guarding Bicheng for the country," has been passed down through the ages.
Now, this is a battlefield!
"Dong ~ dong ~ dong ~"
The Mongol Army's drums sounded, and Sabir and Alimu led two thousand surrendered soldiers to attack the Kucha army. Strangely, these two had performed poorly in the Turpan army, but once they surrendered to their Mongol lords, they immediately became exceptionally brave and repeatedly achieved military successes.
Bolu Zhi refused to show weakness and led his army to engage the enemy in a fierce battle.
Nomudalai sat upright on his horse, observing the battlefield. He immediately had a grasp of the situation; the fighting strength of the Kucha army was far inferior to that of the Turpan army!
He immediately ordered Tuoli and Xi Rimo to each lead fifteen hundred cavalry to outflank the enemy, while he led two thousand central troops to press forward.
Dabalagan, meaning "wave" in the Mongol language, was an Aha (Brother) (Chief of Hundred Households) of the Huit Tribe, commanding ten soldiers. With him as the arrowhead, eleven warriors formed a column and charged following the Chief of Hundred Households.
Arrows rained down continuously. He lowered his body, took down his bow and arrows, and after getting close to the enemy formation, he fired an arrow that hit an enemy. Then, holding a saber in his left hand, he cut off the long spears in front of the formation, and with his right hand, he thrust out his lance. The slightly rotating spearhead pierced the chest of a spearman. With a gentle downward push, using the inertia, he pulled the spearhead out of the corpse and then thrust it towards another enemy.
The Mongol Army was composed of countless warriors like Dabalagan, which created the fearsome reputation of the Mongol cavalry.
The Kucha army could not withstand the assault and collapsed.
Bolu Zhi was surrounded by the roaring Mongol Army. The arrogance of a noble family was completely gone. At this moment, he only wanted to live. He threw away his helmet and armor, knelt on the ground, and roared four words: "General is willing to surrender!"
Someone tied him up and presented him before the Great Taiji. When Nomudalai saw this young man, he became furious. "You are the local General? You dare to offend my army's might, truly overestimating yourself! Drag him away and behead him!"
Bolu Zhi felt a chill on his neck and desperately struggled and roared: "Don't kill me, I am still useful to the Great Taiji!"
"A useless person like you, what use are you to me?" Nomudalai glanced at him disdainfully.
"If you don't kill me, I am willing to persuade Abu Hadi to surrender for you," Bolu Zhi shouted hoarsely.
"Haha, Abu Hadi is a dignified governor, how can he surrender just because you say so?" Nomudalai did not believe him.
"You don't know, General is a descendant of a local famous family and has some acquaintance with Abu Hadi. This person has always been timid and afraid of battle. If you feign strength and let him know that your army is strong and powerful, he will surely surrender."
Nomudalai looked at Bolu Zhi and thought for a moment. He was just a captive, and even if he was released, it was no loss. "All right, I will let you return to Kucha. If you dare to play tricks, you will be torn apart by five horses if caught."
Bolu Zhi returned to Kucha city and met Abu Hadi with a face full of shame. "Aqimuboke, General is ashamed, Bicheng is lost."
"What! Five thousand troops only held Bicheng for less than a day?" Abu Hadi was stunned.
"Aqimuboke, it's not that General is incompetent, but that the enemy is too strong! The Mongols who invaded the south this time are not just the Huit Tribe, but the united army of the entire Oirat, with a force of fifty thousand, which is why they could easily defeat Turpan and capture Bicheng," Bolu Zhi began to feign strength, inflating the number of the Mongol Army to fifty thousand.
"Fifty thousand!"
Abu Hadi felt a dizzy spell and was so shocked that his back was covered in sweat. He actually forgot to blame Bolu Zhi for losing the territory and instead asked him for advice. "Now there are only five thousand defenders left in the city. What do you think should be done?"
Bolu Zhi secretly rejoiced. Although this person was a dignified governor, he was actually nothing more than a timid rat!
He pretended to hesitate and slowly said: "According to General's plan, fighting is absolutely impossible. To preserve your power and wealth, there is only one way: surrender to the Mongols."
"Surrender?" Abu Hadi hesitated, "The Mongols are cruel and bloodthirsty. Surrendering may not end well."
"Aqimuboke, General thought the same when I was captured, believing I would surely lose my life. But that Huit Tribe's Great Taiji Nomudalai is very benevolent and treats the surrendered Turpan Generals like Sabir and Alimu under his command extremely well. Even a useless person like General, the Great Taiji is unwilling to kill. If you surrender, you will surely be given important positions."
"Is that so," Abu Hadi slowly nodded, "You go and see the Great Taiji. If he is willing to let me continue to serve as the Aqimuboke of Kucha, I am willing to lead my forces to surrender."
Bolu Zhi returned to the Mongol military camp and stated Abu Hadi's conditions. Nomudalai immediately agreed without hesitation. Haha, it's just a nominal title of a governor. As long as the defenders disarm, this Taiji can manipulate them however he wants. Could that fellow dare to rebel against the heavens?
The agreed-upon day of surrender arrived. Abu Hadi ordered the defenders to leave the city and disarm. At the city gate, he was stopped by someone, who turned out to be Aisha, the Gaznachi Bek in charge of land and taxes. This person had hung himself with a thick rope at the city gate, preventing the defenders from leaving the city.
"Aisha, what are you doing? Hurry and come down," Abu Hadi exclaimed in surprise.
"Aqimuboke, the Mongols are like jackals. If you surrender, you will surely not survive. Zhang Jiyuan cannot bear to see you humiliated and can only go first," Aisha said, then drew out his dagger and placed it on the thick rope.
"Idiot, not surrendering now and surrendering after the Mongols enter the city is the real humiliation," Abu Hadi was furious and ordered his subordinates to open the city gate and surrender.
With a "thud," Aisha's body fell from the city gate, ending his life in Kucha.
Abu Hadi didn't even look, and left the city without a care.
The five thousand defenders took off their armor, abandoned their swords and spears, and stood in neat ranks, waiting for the Mongols to deal with them.
Nasutu walked to Nomudalai's side and whispered in his ear: "Great Taiji, that Abu Hadi holds a high position and power and may not be truly submissive. It is better to disperse his subordinates and place them elsewhere so that he cannot stir up trouble."
Nomudalai nodded, called Abu Hadi over, and said with a smile: "This Taiji keeps his word. You will still be the Aqimuboke of Kucha, only in charge of civilian affairs. The affairs of the army will be handled by my Mongol warriors."
After saying that, without question, he dispersed these five thousand surrendered soldiers under the command of surrendered Generals like Sabir, Alimu, and Bolu Zhi.
Abu Hadi dared not be angry and fawned over the great Mongol Army, welcoming them into the city.
To make the most of him, Nomudalai also ordered him to persuade Bicheng in western Kucha to surrender.
The General of Bicheng, Aizimaiti, means "good man" in the Uyghur language. This good man saw the letter of persuasion and surrendered without a second thought.
After capturing Kucha, Nomudalai weeded out the old and weak from the surrendered army and added six thousand troops, increasing the total force to fifteen thousand, greatly expanding his power. His greed was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, and he even conceived the idea of continuing south and destroying the Yarkand Khanate. To prevent his subordinates from being fatigued by prolonged warfare, he ordered a ten-day rest in Kucha.