The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 170 Victory, Victory, and what a fucking victory!

"Greetings, Grand Commander!"

Inside the golden tent, Li Dashan and seven other commanders strode in and shouted in unison.

They were all dressed in white cotton armor, wearing plumed helmets, and were burly and menacing.

Inside the tent, Li Xiao, dressed in a golden cotton robe, sat at the head of the table. He stood up and said with a smile, "Sixth Uncle, you've had a hard time staying in the desert these past few days."

"Today we are hosting a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

"Haha, it's not hard work."

"It's alright over there in the desert. Although it's unbearably hot, the Uyghur women are all incredibly beautiful. The lads in the army are practically rubbed raw."

Hearing Li Dashan's joking tone, the generals in the tent burst into laughter.

"Dashan, didn't those Uyghur women rip your kidneys out?"

"How's Big Tiger? He looks so young, I hope he wasn't eaten alive by those Uyghur women!"

"Stop showing off, you sons of bitches. Who doesn't have a few Uyghur women? I brought back over 20,000 from Gaochang last time, and I can't even use them all."

……

All the generals in the main tent were at least commanders of a thousand households.

Most of those who can reach this level are old brothers from the Four Forts of Hexi.

They were so familiar with each other that they joked and teased each other, instantly creating a lively atmosphere.

Afterwards, Li Xiao ordered a banquet to be served.

Ten whole roasted lambs wouldn't be enough to fill the bellies of these men from northern Xinjiang, but the fierce westerly winds provide plenty.

While they were eating and drinking, a group of beautiful Uyghur women walked in. They were all around sixteen years old, wearing only a few thin veils, with fair skin and delicate features.

Barefoot on the carpet, he performed a dance for the generals in the tent.

As their clothes fluttered, glimpses of their fair and slender legs appeared and disappeared, much to the amazement of the generals.

"How come I never noticed before that Uyghur women dance so beautifully?" Luo Meng smacked his lips and said softly.

"That's right."

"It's still the Grand Commander who will train you."

"When we get back, bring my Uyghur beauties with me and let them learn to dance properly."

Li Dashan laughed and said, "You guys were so busy doing 'that' with women before, who the hell cared about whether your dancing was good or not?"

"As long as the person is good-looking, that's enough."

"Hahaha!"

Listening to the generals' laughter, Li Xiao picked up a leg of lamb, chewed it slowly, and said with a chuckle, "In the past, the swords of my Jinzhou army were not sharp enough, and the Uyghurs were not afraid of us."

"But ever since my Jinzhou cavalry marched south, conquering the desert and Gaochang in succession, the Uyghurs have been slaughtered and their blood has flowed like rivers."

“The Uyghurs’ attitude towards us changed, and they also became good at singing and dancing.”

Li Xiao's words were accepted by everyone.

“That’s right. When we pick up a knife, all they can do is sing and dance and wag their tails to beg us, hoping the knife won’t fall on them.”

"Hahaha~"

The generals burst into laughter.

Looking at their expressions, Li Xiao nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "Jinzhou loved peace in the past, and it will love nuclear peace in the future."

Half an hour later, seeing that the generals had almost finished eating and drinking,

Li Xiao casually tossed the cleanly gnawed lamb leg bone onto the table, slowly rose, walked to the center of the tent, the curved sword at his waist humming clear and melodious with each movement, his gaze sharp as he scanned the people inside the tent.

The voice said calmly, "Now, in this tent, there is plenty of fine wine and delicacies. Where did all this come from? It was earned by the Jinzhou Iron Cavalry with every sword and spear."

"The Uyghurs once burned, killed, and looted in the desert, thinking that the Tianshan and Gobi Desert were their shield and that we were helpless against them."

But they were wrong!

"Our warhorses can easily cross the Tianshan Mountains, and our spears can easily pierce their bodies."

"Only when they watch with their last desperate eyes as their tents are set on fire and their wives and daughters are taken captive will they know what fear is."

"This is retaliation for their provocation."

Li Xiao's voice grew increasingly deep, echoing throughout the tent and instantly drawing the generals' attention away from the song and dance.

"Some people say that my Golden State Army are devils? Villains? Barbarians? Enders of civilization?"

"They are absolutely right."

"We are barbarians, we are a bunch of demons."

"We can lose everything, but we must never lose the knife in our hands."

"This knife is our life."

With a deep, angry shout, Li Xiao slashed down with his cavalry saber, splitting the whole roasted lamb in two.

Inside the tent, all was silent. The generals listened with grave expressions, while the Uyghur dancers retreated to a corner, trembling with fear.

“Without knives, we will become like the Uyghurs, at the mercy of others, and our wives and daughters will be ravaged and humiliated by the enemy just like them.”

Li Xiao grabbed a dancer and ripped off her clothes.

Seeing the dancer crouching on the ground with her arms crossed, trembling in fear, the generals' expressions grew even more somber.

They've done this many times.

But if you put your own wife and daughters into this role, no one will be able to laugh.

The rule of the world is survival of the fittest.

Li Xiao was simply reminding these people constantly not to forget the consequences of losing their knives, lest they become corrupt and degenerate.

"go out."

Inside the large tent, everyone held their breath, intimidated by the overwhelming pressure emanating from Li Xiao.

Only after Li Xiao said those words did the dancers feel as if they had been granted a pardon. They bowed to Li Xiao and hurriedly left the tent.

Li Xiao looked at everyone and said in a calm voice, "You are all old brothers and comrades who have followed me, Li Xiao, all the way."

“From ordinary herders who were once worthless, they have now become households with hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of households.”

"This is what you fought for with your lives on the battlefield."

"You deserve it."

"but!"

At this point, Li Xiao's tone became serious, and his expression turned cold as he said, "Some people, after becoming commanders, have beautiful women to enjoy and endless gold and silver jewelry to spend."

"Have you started to become complacent and stop striving for improvement?"

"Humph!"

With a soft hum from Li Xiao, the generals in the tent all trembled.

They were all commanders of a thousand households, and they were all secretly wondering if Li Xiao was talking about them.
Thinking about it this way, I feel a little ashamed.

As high-ranking generals in Jinzhou, they are now surrounded by beautiful women.

There are beauties of all kinds: Han Chinese, Uyghur, Naiman, Qiang, and so on.

Moreover, after so many wars, they had seized too much gold and silver from the enemy, and there were also rewards from Li Xiao.

So they did indeed fall into depravity, all taking it personally and believing that Li Xiao was talking about them.

But today, Li Xiao has to deal with someone else.

"Bring the people up."

Following Li Xiao's order, a disheveled man, escorted by two golden-armored soldiers, soon entered the main tent.

He was disheveled, filthy, and his hands and feet were still in shackles.

When the generals saw his appearance, some were immediately shocked, while others shook their heads slightly, clearly knowing the reason.

“He Mancang,” Li Xiao said with a soft sigh as he looked at the man before him.

"The castle, the castle lord~"

The man stood in the tent, his voice trembling, and knelt heavily before Li Xiao, tears streaming from his eyes.

He was from Hexibao. Over the years, he had followed Li Xiao and his son in battles and made many contributions. He was appointed as a deputy commander of a thousand households and concurrently led a hundred households to graze the people in the northern part of Jinshan.

However, he has one flaw: he loves to drink.

I used to enjoy homemade mare's milk wine, but later I preferred West Wind Liquor.

When I was with Li Xiao, I still felt a sense of awe.

But after going north, he gradually became more indulgent, lowered his guard, and no longer thought those savages were that powerful.

Especially after Li Erjiang led them to eliminate and capture a large number of savages, He Mancang thought that everything was peaceful.

However, he did not expect that his negligence would lead to the near annihilation of his entire army.

More than a hundred households were brutally murdered by the savages, and only a few dozen households managed to escape back.

Li Xiao was furious when he learned of this.

He immediately ordered his men to escort He Mancang back to Hexibao to await further orders.

"I have repeatedly emphasized this in military law, and it is also stated that generals are not allowed to drink alcohol during wartime."

"He Mancang, why won't you listen?"

Li Xiao sat at the head of the table, looking heartbroken, and asked angrily.

"I...I...Lord of the Castle, I was wrong~"

"I'm a damn bastard."

I shouldn't have drunk alcohol.

He Mancang wept bitterly, repeatedly slapping himself in the face.

The generals in the tent, upon learning the reason, all wore serious expressions.

Apart from the thousand households in northern Jinshan, no one else expected that He Mancang would make such a mistake.

At this moment, Li Dashan and the others also felt bad.

After all, He Mancang was from Hexibao, and they were old brothers.

"Grand Commander, please consider that Mancang is a first-time offender."

A commander stood up, wanting to plead for He Mancang.

Li Xiao glanced over with a cold look, and the commander immediately shut his mouth.

"First offense?"

"Who isn't a first-time offender?"

"If one can be forgiven for a single mistake, then what is the point of military law?"

All the generals in the tent fell silent, too terrified to utter a sound.

Li Xiao's gaze swept over them one by one, and he said in a deep voice, "I know that we are all good brothers and I can't bear to see He Mancang fall into this situation."

“But we are no longer the makeshift team we used to be, and you are no longer alone.”

“We are now the Jinzhou Army, and you are all commanders of thousands and hundreds.”

"You have hundreds, even thousands of lives in your hands."

"Can a simple admission of wrongdoing really save hundreds of lives?"

As he spoke, Li Xiao looked at He Mancang, took a deep breath, and shouted.

"Moreover, of your four captains, three have died in battle, one is seriously wounded and fights to the death, and of your twenty shihu, most of them have died in battle."

"These are all our old brothers who followed us from Jinzhou when we started our uprising."

"They fought to the death, but you survived completely, without even a scratch. How could you face them?"

Hearing Li Xiao's loud shout, He Mancang was overwhelmed with guilt, knelt on the ground, and burst into tears. "Waaaaah~"

"I deserve to die, I'm sorry to my brothers."

"Lord of the castle, kill me."

He was actually so drunk that he was unconscious at the time, and he was rescued by others.

Looking back, I felt extremely regretful and wished I had died on the spot.

Seeing his appearance, Li Xiao shook his head helplessly.

Military law is merciless.

"Someone is coming."

With Li Xiao's loud shout, the generals in the tent all raised their heads, wanting to plead for He Mancang, but they didn't know how to start.

Li Xiao looked at He Mancang and said in a deep voice, "Although you have made a mistake, your crime does not extend to your family. We would have taken good care of them."

"Go with peace of mind!"

Although He Mancang's family was not implicated, they lost their former glory.

From now on, they can only live as ordinary herders, and may have to endure gossip from others.

In short, it's passable, but not easy.

"Thank you, Lord!"

Knowing he was doomed, He Mancang gave a bitter smile, then kowtowed heavily to Li Xiao before slowly getting up.

They left the tent under the watchful eyes of two golden-armored soldiers.

For him, this was the best possible outcome.

At least his family wasn't implicated.

Moreover, over the past two years, he has accumulated a considerable amount of gold and silver, enough to ensure his family's future livelihood.

Shortly afterward, a muffled thud was heard outside the tent, and the faces of the generals inside showed complex expressions.

They may feel reluctant, regretful, or helpless.

However, they all took it as a warning and kept He Mancang's lesson firmly in mind.

After the guards placed He Mancang's head into a box and carried it into the tent, Li Xiao said in a deep voice, "Give him a proper burial."

"Issue the order to appoint Wu Laohan's eldest son as a centurion, to take office after his centurion army is rebuilt."

Wu Laohan was a captain under He Mancang.

Faced with the attack of the savages, he fought desperately and killed at least ten savages, but he bled to death.

After the savages occupied the camp, they vented their anger on his corpse, dismembering it into eight pieces.

By the time Li Erjiang recaptured the camp, they couldn't even gather all of his body parts.

Faced with such a brave warrior, Li Xiao must reward him handsomely.

Like other officers who died in battle, their families received generous compensation and resettlement.

The message is to tell all soldiers that they should just focus on fighting.

If they die in battle, Li Xiao will take good care of their families, and their sons will inherit their positions, or even advance further.

But what if one neglects their duties or deserts their post?
They'll only be worse off than He Mancang.

"Since I raised my army in Jinzhou, it has been a series of victories, victories, and damn victories."

"Our Jinzhou Army has always been invincible in every battle."

"I can accept failure, but I absolutely cannot accept such a humiliating failure," Li Xiao said in a deep voice to his generals.

Military law is strict, and those who are defeated are naturally punished.

If a defeat occurs when the enemy's strength is significantly outnumbered, and there are no other faults, Li Xiao may allow the soldier to atone for his crime through meritorious service.

If it was simply a defeat, he would demote the person or punish them with military rods.

However, if someone like He Mancang suffers heavy losses due to a serious mistake, Li Xiao will absolutely not tolerate it.

He wouldn't show any mercy, not even to the old folks of Hexibao, or even to members of the Li family.

The purpose of doing this was to subconsciously convey a message to all the generals.

To defeat the enemy at all costs.

The word "victory" only exists in the dictionary of the Jinzhou Army; defeat is unacceptable.

Military law is ruthless and cruel.

But what difference is there between an army without these strict military laws and a rioter?
Why did the Eight Banners Army fail in the late Qing Dynasty?

One reason is that soldiers became pleasure-seeking and lost their martial spirit.

However, the punishment was not so severe for defeated generals; even if they lost a battle, they would not lose their heads.

Who's still risking their life on the battlefield?
Therefore, the Jinzhou Army has only one rule: clear rewards and punishments, with heavy rewards and heavy punishments.

Because of He Mancang's matter, the generals in the tent were all in a somewhat somber mood.

Li Xiao then sat back down at the head of the table and said in a deep voice, "Half of the commanders of Jinzhou are already standing in the tent."

"I have called you here today for two reasons."

"First, although most of the savage tribes were pacified, the savage tribe that attacked He Mancang, the last centurion, escaped."

"Li Erjiang led his troops in pursuit and discovered that they had fled into the territory of the Northern Naiman and found a large number of Northern Naiman soldiers."

"Li Erjiang, the commander of ten thousand households, did not act rashly and is currently monitoring the movements of the Naiman people in Jinshan."

Upon hearing Li Xiao's words, the generals in the tent instantly perked up and eagerly volunteered for battle.

"Grand Commander, let's fight!"

“Those damned savages killed so many of our people, we must not let them get away with it.”

“The Naiman people took in those savages because they were preparing to be our enemies.”

"If we can defeat the Naiman once, we can defeat them a second time."

"This time we will strike directly at the Naiman King's court."

"Correct!"

"Strike down to Tannu Uriankhai and capture the Naiman Tayang Khan alive."

"Correct!"

“Capture all the Naiman women and make them female slaves.”

"Correct!"

……

Seeing the generals' requests to fight, Li Xiao nodded slightly, silencing the chaotic noise.

"The Naiman people have forgotten the pain of their past wounds and are still eyeing my Jinzhou covetously."

"Bendu has already decided to launch an eastern expedition against the Naiman after the spring of next year."

Xiao Simo's previous eastern expedition only crippled the Naiman people.

However, its foundation remains intact, and the two brothers, Tayang Khan and Buyiluk Khan, are still alive and well.

They even fought a battle with the Kereit tribe and Temujin, and actually won a minor victory.

After more than a year, the two brothers, Taiyanghan and Taiyanghan, have gradually recovered some of their strength.

It seems they are preparing to avenge the beating they suffered earlier.

Seeing that Xiao Simo was seriously injured and unable to lead the army to the east again, did they think Li Xiao was easy to bully?

Li Xiao also wanted to have a showdown with the Naiman people.

Most importantly, he could no longer allow the grasslands to develop in a disorderly manner.

Although the grasslands are currently dotted with numerous tribes, they are in reality a group of treacherous insects.

Through mutual slaughter and conquest, the strongest individual will ultimately emerge.

Temujin!
Li Xiao planned to eliminate Temujin completely before he could grow stronger.

Moreover, the other three directions around Jinzhou are considered safe, with only the Naiman people in the east remaining powerful.

How can you allow others to snore on the side of the bed?

Therefore, Li Xiao is preparing to get involved in matters concerning the grasslands.

"The general will go where he wishes!"

"The general will go where he wishes!"

Li Dashan and the other generals all stood up and asked Li Xiao to lead the charge.

"The deployment of troops has already been decided by the capital. You just need to await orders," Li Xiao said.

"The second matter concerns the reform of my Golden State military system."

Li Xiao looked at everyone.

There were fewer than twenty commanders in the tent at this moment, but in reality, this was only half the total number of commanders in Jinzhou.

The others either guarded the desert or joined Li Erjiang in defending the Naiman people in the north.

In general, Jinzhou is no longer what it used to be. With the addition of people from Dunhuang and Shazhou, the number of households has reached more than thirty.

“In the beginning, our Jinzhou only had eight thousand households…” Li Xiao said calmly.

Four of the Han Chinese commanders were under Li Xiao's control, while four nomadic tribal commanders were under Xiao Linta's command, one of which was later seized by Li Xiao.

However, the three commanders under Xiao Linta suffered heavy losses during the western expedition and were subsequently purged by Xiao Linta.

When Li Xiao finally took over, only two commanders remained.

Li Xiao dispersed them and assigned all of them to Han Chinese as commanders of thousands and hundreds.

In this way, Jinzhou had seven thousand households.

However, during the Naiman War, Li Xiao recruited more than a thousand soldiers and distributed Naiman women to them. They settled down in Jinzhou, and some of them have even given birth to children.

These people formed the Dongshan Thousand Households.

These were Li Xiao's old guard, known as the 'Old Jinzhou Army'.

In the subsequent war, some of them were promoted for their merits and transferred to other armies as officers.

However, some people were added to the ranks, so the number of people in these thousand households remained basically unchanged.

Then, during Li Xiao's campaign against the Naiman, he subdued the Horma tribe, which was also considered a thousand-household commander.

Xiao Yanyan's dowry included a thousand Khitan households.

Li Xiao subdued two commanders, Zhang Dawa and Su Daqiang, in the desert.
Then came the three thousand Han Chinese from Husi Ordos. After the two major battles between Gaochang and Western Xia, many of them were freed from slavery and became true citizens of Jinzhou.

He was also given a Uyghur woman as a reward, which meant he was able to settle down in Jinzhou.

Finally, there are the 22,000 households in Dunhuang and Guazhou.

All in all, Jinzhou currently has 37,000 households.

With current management methods, the Golden State Army system is already extremely bloated.

Therefore, Li Xiao planned to change the Jinzhou Army and implement vertical management.

After saying that, he turned to his personal guards and said, "Let them in."

Soon, three soldiers entered the tent, saluted Li Xiao, and then stood there like wooden stakes.

Li Xiao chuckled at his generals, "I know you've been eyeing the cotton armor for a long time."

"Previously, because there weren't many of them, they could only be issued to the White Armor Army."

"From now on, every thousand households will have one!"

(End of this chapter)