Chapter 216: Capture the thief first and capture the king first

Mochuo led his army straight to Hanyiguan, but Jili Khan, Di Renjie, Zhao Ji, Li Yuanfang and others had already left Hanyiguan.

Jili Khan gathered his troops and led the team personally to Mochuo's residence, vowing to capture the rebellious son himself.

As fate would have it, both groups ended up empty-handed.

Mochu rushed to the Hanyi Hall, and only Zhang Huan, Li Lang and a few other Qianniu Guards stayed behind, leading the Turks to continue searching for the information and equipment left by the Snake Spirit.

Now it was Zhang Huan and Li Lang's turn to lead their men to escape through the secret passage.

"What? My father Khan brought people to my place?" Mochuo learned about Jili Khan's whereabouts from the Turkic captives who had never escaped.

……

"What, Mochuo sneaked out of the city yesterday?" Jili Khan was also shocked.

Jili Khan captured Mochu's followers and servants, and learned Mochu's whereabouts from them.

Zhao Ji and Di Renjie looked at each other in bewilderment. This sudden change was completely beyond their expectations.

At this moment, two groups of troops arrived one after another. One was the defeated troops from the east gate of Shi State, and the other was Zhang Huan, Li Lang and others.

"Khan, His Highness Mochu has rebelled. He has led the Leopard Division's troops and broken into the east gate!" said the defeated Turkic remnants.

Zhang Huan also reported: "Khan, sir, a group of Turkic troops attacked the Hanyi Hall!"

Jili Khan was riding on his horse, his face solemn and sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Khan, Mochuo went to Hanyi Hall, obviously targeting you," Di Renjie reminded.

The Turkic general Bu Zhen beside him said anxiously: "Your Majesty Khan, now is not the time to hesitate, we must make a decision immediately!"

Zhao Ji also spoke up: "Now there are two solutions, one urgent and one slow. I wonder what the Khan thinks?"

Upon hearing this, Jili Khan hurriedly asked, "I wonder what method General Zhao is talking about?"

Zhao Ji said quickly: "The number of troops under Mochu is still uncertain, so it is safer to have the guards protect the Khan and withdraw from the Stone Kingdom first, and then transfer the Tiger Division to quell the rebellion."

"No, how can we give up the Shiguo and Yazhang?" Jilike flatly rejected this idea.

Zhao was helpless and said, "The only way is to gather all the troops of the Shi Kingdom and risk going back to the Yazhang to see if we can capture the leader first and kill Mochu. Once Mochu is dead, the rebels under his command will surely scatter like birds and beasts."

Before Jili Khan could reply, Bu Zhen said, "Khan, let's do this! If it really doesn't work, I will protect Khan and evacuate him!"

"Okay, pass on my military order and mobilize all troops to gather in the tent to wipe out the Mochu rebels." Jili Khan made the decision immediately.

Bu Zhen took the order and left in a hurry. Jili Khan bowed to Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang and said, "I know that both of you are brave enough to fight against ten thousand men. I hope you can help me."

Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang glanced at Di Renjie, clasped their hands and said, "Don't worry, Khan. We will do our best."

Di Renjie nodded and added, "Khan, by then, the swords will be blind and they may not be able to capture His Highness Mochu alive."

Di Pangpang is more meticulous and pays attention to political influence. He wants to hear the personal authorization from Jili Khan.

Upon hearing this, Jili Khan snorted coldly and said in a resolute tone: "At this point, I only want the head of this rebellious son!"

After the discussion was finalized, Jili Khan quickly took Di Renjie, Zhao Ji, Li Yuanfang and others back to the tent.

Fortunately, when Mochu heard that Jili Khan had gone to his home, he was so concerned that he did not go straight to the tent.

They were one step slower and slower at every step, and were finally driven back to the yamen by Jili Khan, who even made some defensive preparations.
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As the night deepened, the two sides had completely torn their relations apart and there was no need to cover up anymore.

Mochu personally led the elite troops of the Leopard Division, crossed the street, and surrounded the yamen.

However, everything inside the tent was quiet and silent, making it hard to tell what was going on.

Seeing this, Mochu drew his sword and shouted, "Charge into the tent and kill Jili!"

The surrounding rebels immediately dismounted, shouted and rushed out of the darkness, rushing towards the tent.

In an instant, rows of archers emerged from the outer wall of the tent and shot at the rebels under Mochu.

There were immediate screams among the rebels, and heavy casualties occurred.

Of course, Mochu also had archers under his command. He shouted, "Fight back! Fight back! Charge! Crush them!"

Harile led the troops and charged forward personally. The morale of the rebels was boosted and their shouts of killing reached the sky.

But on a high platform in the yamen, a light suddenly appeared, and Jili Khan appeared in person, wearing armor, with Di Renjie beside him.

Jili Khan shouted, "Mochu, you are a rebellious son of a jackal and a snake. You dared to rebel openly, attack the Yazhang, and try to kill the king and seize the throne. You are really guilty! Now that things have come to this, why don't you get off your horse and be tied up!"

The Khan showed up in person, and the offensive of the rebels under Mochu came to a sudden standstill, and many soldiers hesitated.

Mochu responded tit for tat, brandishing his sword to boost morale: "Brothers, don't listen to his nonsense. The fat man next to him is a spy of the Zhou people! We Turks cannot be slaves of the Zhou people!"

"Kill! Charge into the tent and kill Jili Khan. Everyone will be rewarded!"

Harile cooperated and rushed forward with Mochu's loyal confidants as an example: "Kill!"

Seeing this, most of the rebels followed suit. Mochu was a cunning fellow who would never risk his life to command from outside the range of arrows.

The rebels had more people and soon broke through the thin gate of the tent, forcing Jili Khan's guards to retreat to the second line of defense.

General Bu Zhen personally led his men in a tenacious defense, causing the rebels to pay a heavy price for every advance.

However, the guards suffered heavy casualties and gradually found it difficult to hold on.

In the square inside the tent, Mochu's rebels were charging frantically, and the guards could no longer resist and retreated while killing.

Seeing the guards disintegrate, Harile shouted with a fierce smile: "They are outnumbered and can't hold on any longer. Kill them!"

The morale of the rebels was greatly boosted and they fought more bravely in the fierce battle.

Mochu was overjoyed when he saw this outside the tent. He urged the rebels to advance in full force: "Charge in, charge in all!"

The rebels rushed in like a tide, heading straight for the core of the tent.

Jili Khan was on the high platform, with a clear understanding of the battle situation. He turned his eyes to Di Renjie, who nodded firmly: "The time has come!"

Jili Khan quickly took the bow and put an arrow on it. The full bow was like a full moon. With a "whoosh", the arrow pierced the silent night sky, announcing the clarion call for counterattack.

Outside the door, Mochu heard the noise and quickly looked up, feeling confused and uncertain.

A group of soldiers and horses emerged from the street beside Mochuo, led by Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang, followed by Zhang Huan, Li Lang and others, and behind them were the Turkic cavalry.

The group of people fought bravely like a tiger entering a pack of wolves. The rebels did not expect that there was an enemy army lying in ambush outside the tent. They were caught off guard and were immediately killed and forced to retreat.

Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang were the fastest and they didn't care about the ordinary minnows at all and went straight for Mochu.

Mochu suddenly realized that the enemy was showing weakness and retreating into the tent, and the entire rebel army was pressing forward just to create an opportunity for this surprise force.

Now the main force of the rebels had rushed into the tent, and there was no time to return for reinforcement. The troops outside the tent were extremely weak and could not resist Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang at all.

Faced with the crisis of life and death, Mochu suppressed his fear, brandished his saber, and rushed towards Li Yuanfang and Zhao Ji, seeking survival from death.

Li Yuanfang sneered, and the knife moved before he moved.

The chain knife pierced his chest. Mochu spit out blood, looked down at his chest, and fell off his horse.

Zhao Ji was furious: "Yuan Fang, you have no moral principles! How can you launch a long-range attack?"

Li Yuanfang smiled when he heard this: "Chengyuan's horse is fast, so I can only resort to this last resort."

After saying this, he retracted the knife, brought back Mochu's body, and Li Yuanfang beheaded Mochu cleanly and neatly.

Looking at Zhao Ji again, he had already completed the remaining tactical moves with the cavalry and attacked the rebels in the tent.

Inside the tent, the rebels were about to break through the guards' defense line, but they were suddenly attacked from behind, which made them waver again.

Zhao Ji rode his horse into the tent and shouted in Turkish: "Mochu is dead, those who surrender will not be killed!"

Upon hearing the sound, Harile wanted to resist, but Zhao Ji raised his sword and it fell. A cold light flashed, blood splattered everywhere, and his body fell heavily to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yuanfang also held up Mochu's head and shouted sternly: "The traitor Mochu is dead. All soldiers lay down their weapons and you will be spared!"

The rebels stared at Li Yuanfang and Zhao Ji in amazement, not knowing what to do for a moment.

On the high platform, Jili Khan also shouted loudly: "Listen, all soldiers, Mochu was executed for rebellion, and it has nothing to do with you. Those who lay down their weapons will be spared!"

General Bu Zhen and all his guards shouted, "The Khan has ordered that Mochuo should be executed for his rebellion. This has nothing to do with the army. Anyone who lays down his weapons will be spared!"

Mochuo and Harile were both dead. The rebels lost their leader and their morale completely collapsed.

The rebels hesitated, but the first person in the crowd began to lay down his weapon, followed by the second, the third...

Everyone threw away their weapons, knelt on the ground, and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, please have mercy on me, Khan!"

Upon seeing this, Bu Zhen immediately ordered his guards to step forward, confiscate the rebels' weapons and take control of the prisoners.

On the high platform, Jili Khan finally relaxed when he saw the rebels surrender.

He turned around and held Di Renjie's hands for a long time: "Di Gong, you saved Ji Li's life again!"

Di Renjie smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. The guards contributed the most in this battle. We are just following the trend and doing our best."

Jili Khan took a deep breath and said emotionally: "Di Gong, you are not only my benefactor, but also the benefactor of the entire Turkic people."

"Please tell the Emperor of Great Zhou that Jili is willing to protect this hard-won peace with the utmost sincerity, and from now on the two countries will never talk of war. I will immediately order the Tiger Division to withdraw from the border to show my sincerity!"

Di Renjie achieved the purpose of this trip and nodded heavily: "Your Majesty Khan, peace is exchanged for the friendship between you and me, and the friendship between the people of Da Zhou and Turkic. It is precious!"

After saying this, Di Renjie and Jili Khan clasped their powerful hands together and raised them high.

Below the high platform, the Khan's guards cheered "Long live the Khan".

(End of this chapter)