The Death of Salitai
Meanwhile, Salitai led his remaining thousand or so cavalry northward in a desperate bid to escape. When they had crossed the Amnok River, his army numbered thirty thousand strong. But now, only this pitiful remnant of cavalry was left. And even this was only because they'd pulled back so quickly. He never imagined that so many troops could be trapped and slaughtered by those wagon forts.
"Grand Commander, the Amnok River is just a little further now."
The subordinate generals, including Puta'u, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately for them, that relief was short-lived.
"Salitai! So we meet here!"
Ahead of them waited an army—and from the look of their banners, it wasn't Mongol, but Goryeo's forces.
"What army is that?!"
"It's the Goryeo army! Goryeo cavalry!"
"Where the hell did they come from?!"
"Around here? It has to be from Hamsinjin!"
Even if they were Mongol troops retreating from Hamsinjin, this was still the same army that had captured and occupied places like Jeongju. They'd passed through occupied territory without issue, so the odds were high this was indeed Hamsinjin's garrison.
"Kim Gyeongson, you bastard! What are you waiting for? Break through! Those guys are just the cowards who hunkered down in their forts and defended!"
"You bastard Salitai! Looks like you've lost your entire army! Defeated by our Goryeo forces! Goryeo soldiers, charge the barbarians!"
Kim Gyeongson's cavalry from Hamsinjin clashed head-on with Salitai's routed remnants.
Meanwhile, news of the great victory at Gwiju reached Gaegyeong.
"Your Majesty! At Gwiju, Supreme Commander Choi's army has annihilated Salitai's Mongol horde! A resounding victory!"
"Is this true?!"
In the palace, Emperor Gojong and his assembled ministers buzzed with excitement at the report from the messenger.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Of the enemy's thirty thousand, twenty-eight thousand were killed or wounded. Enemy general Salitai fled, but our forces are in pursuit!"
The court, which had been gripped by fear and tension over the war with the Mongols—who had toppled Jin—now broke into broad smiles at the triumphant news.
"Your Majesty! Our forces have crushed the mighty barbarians, elevating our nation higher than Mount Tai. This is the glory of Great Goryeo!"
"The Mongol army is the one that conquered mighty Jin and campaigned as far as the Western Regions! And His Excellency has shattered them!"
"So, when will Supreme Commander Choi return?"
"His Excellency stated he will subjugate Dongjin, which aided the Mongol rearguard!"
An army under Choi that had already crushed the Mongols? Some ragtag Jurchen remnants in Dongjin would fall easily. Gojong, who had trembled in fear that his imperial house might collapse in his lifetime, felt a weight lift.
"Well, well, His Excellency's army gobbled up the barbarians at Gwiju!"
"Gwiju—that's where General Gang Gamchan smashed the Khitans long ago, right? Barbarians can never beat Goryeo, no matter how mighty."
"This is all thanks to Supreme Commander Choi and his daughter."
The common folk rejoiced greatly at the victory, praising the Choi clan.
"Today's drinks are on the house, in celebration of our Goryeo army's triumph!"
"My instincts were spot on."
"Goryeo's no pushover."
Foreign merchants in Gaegyeong spread the news to Jin, Song, and beyond, greatly elevating Goryeo's prestige.
Kim Heeje and I, leading the Byeolcho cavalry, finally caught up to Salitai's army.
"Iron Cannon Overseer, Salitai's forces are right there. Looks like the northern army's got them pinned."
"Probably Hamsinjin's troops."
They hadn't just sat idle in the rear, as expected. Word was, the entire Northwest Circuit was deploying cavalry to mop up Mongol stragglers. Still, I hadn't anticipated running into Kim Gyeongson here.
"Let's attack too."
Goryeo's elite cavalry struck Salitai from the rear as he battled Hamsinjin's horsemen. Arrows rained down, felling several of the cavalry charging our way.
"Capture every last one!"
"Break through the Goryeo bastards! We have to cross the Amnok!"
Desperate Mongols fought to flee across the river, while Goryeo troops blocked their path. The hellish melee echoed with screams and the wet sounds of flesh pierced and sliced.
Splurt! Crunch! Slash!
"Gaaah!"
"Help! Somebody!"
Our cavalry severed Mongol necks or thrust spears through their solar plexuses. Mongol riders slashed or stabbed our men's sides in return, turning the battlefield into a sea of blood.
How much time passed like that? The Mongols, hammered from front and rear, fought with animal desperation, but their numbers were dwindling fast.
"Damn these Goryeo scum!"
In the chaos, some weird bald guy with a topknot was hacking through our troops. That had to be Salitai. He was supposed to fall to Kim Yunhu's hand, but sadly, Kim Yunhu hadn't appeared in this campaign. I raised my arquebus and took aim.
Bang!
"Grand Commander, watch out—gurgh!"
The man beside Salitai dropped dead. It was pathetic, seeing them try to shield each other. The bald guy who looked like Salitai turned tail the moment his subordinate fell.
"Salitai's getting away! After him!"
In the swirling melee, I spurred my cavalry to loose arrows at Salitai. They poured volley after volley at him and his remaining stragglers as he desperately shook off the Goryeo troops.
Thwuck! Thunk!
"Gurgh!"
I saw Salitai crumple under the soldiers' arrows. Right on cue, our forces, having braced for some sacrifices, cut down the last Mongol remnants. The battle was effectively over.
Even accounting for stragglers lost on the long retreat here, this was annihilation. From the heavy losses at Gwiju to this chase, the Mongols had been utterly crushed by Goryeo in an overwhelming exchange ratio.
Whew—tension easing made me sigh without thinking.
The corpse presumed to be Salitai had an arrow straight through the throat. There were minor sword wounds too, but the arrow was the killer.
"General Kim Gyeongson, is this Salitai?"
"I've seen him commanding from the battlements before. If he didn't die at Gwiju, this is him."
Hmm, doesn't this steal Kim Yunhu's spotlight? Sorry about that, but no choice. The Yeo-Mong wars aren't over. The next Mongol push will be stronger. Unless Jin holds out longer and they don't absorb more manpower—their forces are limited, but still dangerous. When that time comes, guys like Kim Yunhu will join the fight.
"Salitai's dead. Who killed him? We must reward them handsomely."
"No one's claiming it, so probably some stray arrow."
We waited a while, but no one stepped up. Safe to assume no one knows if they got him. The fool wandered alone in real history too, sniped by Kim Yunhu. Died to an arrow this time as well.
"Say the lady did it."
"Let's do that."
Kim Heeje and Ugaha of the Jurchen Byeolcho insisted I take the credit. Feels like fudging it a bit.
"Me?"
"A subordinate's merit belongs to their lord. No one knows whose arrow it was—this is yours and yours alone. Tradition says when this happens, it's the commander's arrow that felled the enemy general. It boosts morale."
Kim Gyeongson agreed, so I had no counter. Fine, if that's how it is. I did spot him fleeing and call for focused fire, so it's basically my kill.
"Sever Salitai's head."
"Yes, Overseer."
"We killed the enemy general! Victory is ours!"
I raised my sword high and shouted.
"Our lady slew the enemy general!"
"Long live Great Goryeo! Long live the Iron Cannon Overseer!"
This feels kinda guilty. Okay, really guilty. I didn't kill Salitai. Though my arrow might've been in the mix. Maybe it was mine that got him.
"Capturing Salitai isn't my merit alone! I'll tell Father directly—you'll all get great rewards!"
Roooar!
That's how you do it—gotta take care of them.
Soon after, Choi U arrived personally with eighty thousand troops for the Dongjin campaign. Over thirty thousand more than expected—a clear show of his iron will to crush Dongjin decisively.
"You even killed Salitai! A true pride of our house! I'll petition His Majesty to name you Goryeo's hero!"
Choi U beamed at Salitai's head I'd brought. He and his generals mocked the severed head mercilessly.
"You bastard Salitai! You thought Goryeo was a joke? Salt this head and send it to Gaegyeong! Now, for the Dongjin expedition!"
Choi U boldly proclaimed the conquest of Dongjin. Having crossed the Amnok and declared northward advance, he turned to his beloved daughter once more.
"How should we handle the Dongjin campaign?"
The conquest could be surprisingly easy. Dongjin was a big, lumbering Khitan state at heart. Large in size, but lacking true cohesion. Especially now that Goryeo had beaten the Mongols. Dongjin's lords—some clinging to Mongols, others resisting—would waver. How many would fight for Mongols or their puppet Posan Manho?
"Dongjin started in old Goguryeo lands, bordering our northeast. But unlike our three-hundred-year oak of a nation, they're not sturdy. They barely hold with Mongol approval. Their Posan Manho likely submitted then rebelled, imposing heavy taxes for war prep. In such an unstable state, many Jurchen generals resent their heavenly king."
They'd find it suspicious I knew this, but speed was key now.
"I see."
"In that situation, Goryeo crushed the Mongol army. Dongjin, who aided them, must fear us. We should send envoys to Dongjin's circuit commanders—promise to preserve their positions if they surrender to Goryeo. They'll waver."
Just keeping their seats? Who'd complain? Being a Dongjin general already meant betraying their country once. They were ex-Jin officers anyway. Jins, Khitans—masters keep changing. Now it's Goryeo's turn. Dongjin stretched from old Buyeo in northern Manchuria to early Goguryeo northeast territories. The Khitans under Mongol sway in Liaodong Peninsula could come to us too.
"But don't they have considerable forces? Isn't this too hasty?"
Kim Gyeongson, who'd joined us, spoke up. True—Manchurian state, nomadic fighters. But Dongjin, as a Mongol puppet, was pathetic compared to Jin. No records mean they were weak.
"Jin's heartland shifted to North China; Manchuria's population is thin. Dongjin's military isn't impressive. Posan Manho's actions prove they can't beat us. Few Mongols survived to spread word—it'll take time. We end this quick."
"Good. Let's try it."
We dispatched multiple envoys demanding surrender and submission from Dongjin's circuits. Only possible because we'd beaten the Mongols. Many border forts surrendered, pledging to become Goryeo subjects.
"We Jurchens hail from Great Bang—Goryeo is our parent nation, which we've served. Though we founded Jin and now serve Dongjin, how could we defy our parents? Accept us as your subjects."
"The Wan'an clan and Posan Manho defied their parent nation; their ruin and division is just. We prostrate ourselves—accept our people and lands, let us enter the capital to swear loyalty."
Thanks to crushing the Mongols? The surrendering Jurchens rationalized with old ties and pledged fealty to Goryeo.