All Heavens: Starting with Yang Kang playing Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King

Chapter 77 Kublai Khan, the Champion Marquis, Conferred the Title of Wolf-Dwelling Mountain

Kublai Khan was an extremely special boy during the Great Qian Dynasty.

He was born into the Mongol royal family, the eldest son of Tolui, the fourth prince of the Mongol Empire, and the grandson of Genghis Khan.

From any perspective, their family's situation in Daqian should be considered extremely sensitive.

But no one expected that Kublai Khan would be so favored by Yang Kang.

Yang Kang not only adopted Kublai Khan as his son and brought him into the palace to receive education alongside the other princes, but also personally taught him martial arts. He even made an exception and allowed Kublai Khan to join the Imperial Cavalry at the age of eleven.

Kublai Khan did not disappoint Yang Kang's trust. This Mongolian boy, who worshipped Yang Kang almost like a god, tempered himself in the most rigorous way every day.

His diligence shocked and terrified even his elder brother Möngke and mother Sorghaghtani Beki, who feared that Kublai Khan might accidentally train himself to death one day.

Through such arduous training, Kublai Khan not only achieved remarkable accomplishments in strategy and knowledge, but also reached the third rank in martial arts, making him an outstanding figure among young people.

Even though everyone knew that the emperor favored him, Yang Kang's trust in Kublai Khan still exceeded everyone's expectations.

Yang Kang actually sent a prince of a fallen Mongol kingdom, a young man of only twenty, to quell the Mongol rebellion.

Is this a sign of trust or a test?

Sorghaghtani Beki and Möngke were secretly filled with unease.

Inside the residence of Marquis Möngke of Beian.

"What was the Emperor thinking? Why would he send such a greenhorn like you to conquer Güyük?"

Möngke looked at his younger brother Kublai Khan, who always had his nose in the air, with a headache, and felt a headache coming on.

"Brother, what do you mean by this? Don't you trust me?"

Upon hearing this, Kublai Khan immediately retorted with displeasure.

"The Great Qian Dynasty has renowned generals like the Prince of Chen, the Prince of Xiangyang, and the Prince of Jiankang. How could it be your turn to lead troops?"

Sorghaghtani looked at his son Kublai Khan with great curiosity.

"With someone like Guiyou, it's hardly Chen Wang and his men's place to step in."

"I have eight hundred Imperial Guards, enough to offer his head to my father."

As Kublai Khan spoke, a fierce killing intent suddenly ignited in his eyes.

"Do you treat matters of state as child's play? Let me tell you, everyone in the court is saying that His Majesty is using you as a benchmark to train Huo Qubing."

"If you betray His Majesty's trust, let's see how you face the world then."

Mongke gave a stern, cold snort.

"Of course I know that His Majesty is grooming me to be like Huo Qubing, so I need to prove that I am no less capable than Huo Qubing."

"His Majesty said that when I bring back Güyük's head and present it to him, he will bestow upon me the title of Marquis of Champion, just as Emperor Wu of Han did for Huo Qubing."

Kublai Khan said proudly to his mother and brother.

Möngke and Sorghaghtani looked at each other, speechless.

Although a decade had passed and they had grown accustomed to the tolerance of this imperial machine, this trust, which was completely contrary to the forms of political struggle in the past, still gave them a feeling of being flattered.

As they were talking, a servant came running over anxiously.

"My lord, the second prince has arrived."

Kublai Khan was taken aback.

Before the servant could finish speaking, a small, thin figure darted out from outside the door. The child was dressed in fine clothes, and although his face was still childish, he was exceptionally handsome. It was none other than Yang Guo, who was only ten years old at the time.

Soryughati and the others hurriedly stood up to pay their respects, but Yang Guo casually stopped them.

"No, no need."

Yang Guo said in a cheerful and straightforward manner.

"Your Highness, you're very well-informed."

"What, do you want me to bring you something good from the grasslands again?"

Kublai Khan pulled Yang Guo in front of him and said with a smile.

Kublai Khan entered the Daqian Imperial Palace at the age of nine and grew up with the other princes.

Among Yang Kang's sons, Crown Prince Yang Qian was surrounded by admirers, enjoying everyone's expectations but also bearing everyone's pressure. His conduct was regulated by the standards of a legitimate royal crown prince, and he was not allowed to overstep the bounds.

Although the Third Prince Yang Xun also had Mongolian blood, he was always shy and reserved. In addition, he was the youngest, so he was the only one who had the best relationship with Kublai Khan.

When Kublai Khan traveled between the capital and the capital, he was always pestered by Yang Guo, who asked him to bring back all sorts of folk trinkets.

"Brother Kublai Khan, Miss Guo is always showing off to me about her family's giant eagle."

"After you finish fighting in Mongolia, could you find me a giant eagle just like theirs?"

Yang Guo blinked, looking at Kublai Khan with hopeful eyes.

"It's just an eagle, right? Don't worry, I've got it covered."

Upon hearing this, Kublai Khan immediately patted his chest and casually agreed.

"But speaking of which, why are you always hanging out with Miss Guo?"

Kublai Khan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Yang Guo with a playful smile.

"I don't like playing with her at all. It's my grandparents who always make me take her to play with them."

"But that eldest daughter of the Guo family is so annoying. All she does every day is chatter and brag about how amazing her parents are. I don't even want to talk to her."

"I didn't brag even though my dad was the emperor, so I don't know what she's so proud of all day long."

"Fortunately, my father is about to make a southern tour. I begged him for a long time, and he finally agreed to take me to Zhongnan Mountain to see Master Qiu."

"I finally don't have to spend all day with that annoying eldest daughter of the Guo family anymore."

Yang Guo said with a pursed lip.

"Is His Majesty going on a southern tour?"

Sorghaghtani Beki and Möngke looked at each other in bewilderment.

There had been no prior rumors about this matter, which showed that Yang Kang did not want to make a big fuss. The fact that even they had not heard any news about it made the matter seem particularly delicate.

"Mother, elder brother, don't overthink it."

"His Majesty has only gained some insights into martial arts and wishes to travel the world to inspect it, and also visit the Imperial Preceptor at Zhongnan Mountain."

"His Majesty said he would return to Yanjing before June next year, and he wants me to bring back Gyuyou's head before then."

"If you ask me, there's no need to go to so much trouble to deal with a mere Guiyou."

"Your Majesty might as well wait for me to return and then take me on a southern tour together."

Kublai Khan said nonchalantly as he picked up ten-year-old Yang Guo.

"You snuck out of the palace again, didn't you?"

Kublai Khan smiled and said that he was about to send Yang Guo back. Obviously, this was not the first time Yang Guo had run away from the palace.

Yang Guo struggled in Kublai Khan's arms as he walked toward the door.

"Don't think about it."

Kublai Khan carried Yang Guo on his back as he walked towards the door.

Sorghaghtani Beki and Möngke looked at each other in bewilderment.

Upon learning that Kublai Khan knew about the emperor's upcoming southern tour, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In May of the tenth year of the Qianwu reign, Kublai Khan led 800 imperial cavalry to raid Karakorum.

No one expected that Daqian's anger would come so suddenly.

I never imagined that in less than ten years, the power gap between the Daqian soldiers and the Mongol soldiers would become so great.

By the Eternal Heaven above, Guyuk swore he had never seen such a terrifying army in his life.

Even when Wanyan Chenheshang swept across the grasslands and forced him and his tribes to flee in disarray, he was not as terrified as he was back then.

Eight hundred heavily armored cavalrymen were three times faster than the light cavalry of the Mongols on the grasslands.

The impenetrable heavy armor seemed to weigh them down like paper, each heavily armored warrior wielding a thousand pounds of strength, tirelessly swinging their greatswords. Any one of them, on horseback, could easily tear through their defenses.

Guyuk was horrified to discover that his elite cavalry, which he had reorganized after years of dormancy, and Batu's invincible army that had swept across the Western Regions, were utterly powerless against these eight hundred men.

In just one morning, the 20,000 troops stationed in Karakorum were defeated head-on by 800 men.

He couldn't even escape before being thrown onto the grass by the leading golden-armored knight.

"Kiyu, it's been a long time."

The golden-armored knight removed his helmet, stood coldly and proudly on his horse, and looked at Gyu, who had fallen to the ground in a disheveled state.

In the distance, the Imperial Guards were slaughtering Guyuk's soldiers.

"Kublai Khan! You are also a Mongol, a descendant of Genghis Khan. Why are you helping the Qing dynasty to fight against me?"

Gui roared in disbelief and rage.

"Mongolians? Do you even know that the emperor of my Great Qian Dynasty was Tengri Khan of Mongolia?"

Kublai Khan sneered, dismounted, and walked step by step toward Güyük.

The sound of heavy armor clashing was like the call of death, causing Kiyoshi to roll backward in terror.

"Tengri Khan, that's just a title that Yang Kang forced my Mongol people to accept with swords and knives. That's not the title of my Mongol Khan."

"Kublai Khan, if you still consider yourself a descendant of Genghis Khan, you should take up arms and join me in fighting against the Great Qian Dynasty and Yang Kang!"

"It's so angry!" Takayuki roared.

Upon hearing Guyuk's words, Kublai Khan's eyes blazed with fury.

He suddenly flashed to Guiyou's side, grabbed Guiyou by the neck, and lifted him up.

"You damned beast, how dare you address His Majesty by his given name!"

"You don't recognize Tengri Khan's rule over the grasslands, do you? Very well."

"Then you have no reason to continue living."

Kublai Khan, who had originally intended to slowly torture his enemy, heard Guyuk's words and immediately snapped Guyuk's neck without hesitation. He slightly activated his inner energy and instantly broke Guyuk's neck.

He then casually tossed Guyuk's body aside like trash, leaped onto his horse, and looked at the Dragon Cavalry and Karakorum still fighting in the distance.

Kublai Khan roared angrily:

"The Imperial Guards! They say they don't recognize Tengri Khan's rule over the steppes!"

"What do you think we should do?"

The sound echoed across the battlefield with Kublai Khan's roar.

Upon hearing this, every Dragon Knight Imperial Guard who was chasing and slaughtering immediately began to unleash their true energy, with streams of scarlet true energy spreading across their bodies.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A deafening roar echoed through Karakorum.

This time, there was no mercy whatsoever.

The emperor also granted Kublai Khan the power to act expediently, and Kublai Khan would not tolerate any betrayal of the deity in his heart.

Once a teenager idolizes someone, they will never allow anyone to disrespect them in the slightest.

On that day, the fire dyed the sky over the entire grassland red, and blood soaked the grassland.

After the massacre, an enraged Kublai Khan ordered Karakorum to be completely burned down and destroyed from the world.

This treacherous grassland city received no mercy.

On the Langjuxu Mountain outside the city, Kublai Khan reined in his horse and stood gazing at the endless western horizon.

Behind me lay the burnt ruins of Karakorum, and before me stretched a vast, desolate landscape where the wind rustled through the grass.

He dismounted, dug an altar in the ground with his sword, knelt on one knee, facing east towards Yanjing, and threw Guyuk's head in front of the altar.

"Your Majesty, I have not failed in my duty."

"From this day forward, there will be no more rebels in Mongolia."

This scene is just like the heroic feat of the Marquis of Champion who sealed the wolf's lair a thousand years ago.

Back then, it was a young Han Chinese soldier who went on a campaign against the Xiongnu; today, it is a young Mongol soldier who is pacifying the grasslands for the Great Qian Emperor.

Kublai Khan, only twenty years old, stood atop the mountain, clad in golden armor, with eight hundred imperial guards kneeling behind him, the mountain wind whistling and banners fluttering.

At that moment, he felt he was one step closer to the god-like figure of his adoptive father.

After burning Karakorum, Kublai Khan pressed on, following several guides, and galloped westward, reaching Batu Khan's location on the Kipchak Steppe.

On the grassland, a small squad of one hundred men clashed with a vanguard force of Batu Khan in a small skirmish.

However, the small squad of a hundred Dragon Cavalrymen was no match for Batu's five thousand elite cavalry.

Although Batu didn't know what had happened in the East, the terrifying disparity in combat strength was enough to frighten him.

Before Kublai Khan could reach his capital, Batu Khan hastily sent envoys to sue for peace and promised to submit to the Great Qian Dynasty.

When Kublai Khan saw Batu's letter seeking peace, he sneered and ordered the envoy to be killed before continuing his westward advance to completely annihilate the last remnants of the Mongol army.

"Reporting, Chen Wang's military orders have arrived!"

"Please return immediately, General!"

At a critical moment, Wanyan Chenheshang went north to the grasslands and recalled Kublai Khan.

Although Kublai Khan was unwilling, he still dared not disobey Wanyan Chenheshang's orders.

In Wanyan Chenheshang's camp, Kublai Khan, though still full of pride, was much more polite.

He dared not show the slightest disrespect to Wanyan Chen, and in the Great Qian Dynasty, no one dared to disrespect Wanyan Chen.

As the person who contributed the most to the rise of the new emperor, Wanyan Chenheshang was more like Yang Kang's brother than Guo Jing.

Wanyan Chenheshang was the military strategy teacher of the princes of the Great Qian Dynasty, and also Kublai Khan's first teacher.

In the past, Wanyan Chenheshang would always scold Kublai Khan to the point of death, but this time, Kublai Khan felt that he had the right to show off in front of his master.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the tent, Wanyan Chenheshang stepped forward and lashed him with a whip.

"Who gave you permission to massacre Karakorum on your own initiative?"

"Nothing like this has ever happened since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, Kublai Khan, how dare you!"

"Wanyan Chenheshang said angrily."

"I did nothing wrong."

"They dared to betray the Great Qian Dynasty and His Majesty; they all deserve to die."

Kublai Khan was taken aback at first, then quickly lowered his head and stubbornly said.

"Even if they betrayed the Great Qian Dynasty, only His Majesty has the authority to decide their life or death."

"Remember, Kublai Khan, you and I are merely knives in His Majesty's hands."

"Only the owner of the knife has the right to decide whose throat to slit."

"I think you've been blinded by victory, daring to act so presumptuously."

"Do you perhaps intend to betray His Majesty?"

Seeing that Kublai Khan still dared to talk back, Wanyan Chenheshang said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Kublai Khan was immediately terrified and knelt down, abandoning all his arrogance.

"Master, I didn't, I didn't have that thought. I just wanted to deal with those who were unwilling to submit for His Majesty."

"I have absolutely no intention of overstepping my bounds!"

"Your Majesty is Heaven, Your Majesty is God. Even if Kublai Khan betrays me, he will never betray Your Majesty."

Kublai Khan answered anxiously, his forehead covered in sweat.

"It's precisely because we know you wouldn't dare that your head is still on your neck."

Wanyan Chenheshang snorted coldly, then took out an imperial edict from his bosom and threw it to Kublai Khan.

"The news of victory has been sent back to the capital, and the imperial edict granting you a title of nobility has also been issued."

"Champion Marquis! What a prestigious reputation you have, but don't forget your place."

Wanyan Chenheshang snorted coldly.

Kublai Khan opened the imperial edict and saw that Yang Kang had not forgotten to write a letter to educate him even during his southern tour. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Yang Kang reprimanded him and told him not to do things like massacring cities on his own initiative in the future, the promise of the Marquis of Champion and various rewards were still given, which shows that the emperor was obviously not angry with him.

Kublai Khan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bring Batu's envoy back to the capital. Your Majesty and the Empress need to know all kinds of news about the West."

"Trade between the Great Qian Dynasty and the West has become more and more frequent, and some unpleasant things have also become more and more frequent."

"Sending you into battle this time is just the beginning; you'll soon have another chance to show your skills."

Wanyan Chenheshang glanced at it indifferently.

Kublai Khan hurriedly got up and followed Wanyan Chenheshang out of the military camp.