The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 171 Yellow Armor, Red Armor, White Armor
Inside the large tent, three soldiers dressed in cotton armor stood silently.

However, the color of the cotton armor was completely different.

The soldier in the middle wears yellow cotton armor, while those on his left and right wear white and red armor, respectively.

Li Xiao had them show their cotton armor to the generals and said softly, "The cotton armor these three are wearing is from the latest batch."

"The cotton has been repeatedly soaked, patted, and compressed to be firm."

"The armor plates are all made of Hexi steel, and their weight is the same as ordinary armor plates, but their protective power is superior."

Each cotton armor weighs approximately forty pounds.

Overall, the second-generation cotton armor offers stronger defense than its predecessor.

Li Dashan and the others smiled broadly as they looked at the brand-new cotton armor.

OK!

From now on, as long as half of his men can wear cotton armor, the Jinzhou Iron Cavalry will be invincible, whether on the grasslands or in the west.

"Grand Commander, why are there three colors now?" someone asked, puzzled.

In the past, Jinzhou lacked dyeing technology, so the cotton nails produced were made in the most original color of cotton cloth, grayish-white.

However, since conquering the Gobi Desert and Gaochang, dyeing cloth has no longer been a problem.

Li Xiao added red and yellow colors to the original gray and white cotton armor.

"Because these three colors are related to the reform of my Golden State military system."

Li Xiao dismissed all his generals and announced, "So far, my Jinzhou army has thirty-seven thousand households, and this number will increase in the future."

"Therefore, it has been decided to add two more permanent military commander positions above the Thousand-Household Commander."

"Commander-in-Chief and Commander-in-Chief!"

As soon as Li Xiao finished speaking, the generals exchanged glances, their hearts filled with excitement.

The meaning of "ten thousand households" is easy to understand, but it means that the meaning of "commander-in-chief" is still unclear.

But since they have these two commanding positions, it means that they have the possibility of being promoted.

"Five thousand households form one ten-thousand-household office, with one ten-thousand-household head and one deputy ten-thousand-household head."

“Five ten-thousand-household prefectures form a military town, with a chief commander and a deputy chief commander,” Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Ten people form a group, with one head of the group and one deputy head of the group.

Five units form a team, totaling fifty households, with one captain and one deputy captain.

The four teams form a Hundred-Household Office, with a total of two hundred households, headed by one Hundred-Household Commander and one Deputy Hundred-Household Commander.

Five hundred-household offices form one thousand-household office, with a thousand households in total, headed by one thousand-household commander and one deputy thousand-household commander.

Five thousand-household offices form one ten-thousand-household office, totaling five thousand households, with one ten-thousand-household head and one deputy ten-thousand-household head.

Five 10,000-household prefectures form a military town, totaling 25,000 households, with a chief commander and a deputy chief commander.

This reform of the system is not particularly novel; it is simply an improved version of the Jin Dynasty's Meng'an Mouke system.

In the Jurchen tribe, one Mouke was equivalent to three hundred households, and one Meng'an was equivalent to three thousand households.

Above the Meng'an is the Wanhu Prefecture, which governs multiple Meng'an.

In peacetime, they are civilians; in wartime, they are soldiers.

This system is a product of slave society, something that China eliminated more than a thousand years ago.

There are many disadvantages.

However, for Jinzhou at present, it is the most suitable management system.

The cost of separating the military and the government is too high; it's simply impossible to implement in Jinzhou now.

Only through this integrated approach of military and civilian integration can Jinzhou's limited human and material resources be utilized to the greatest extent possible.

The basic combat unit of the Jinzhou Army was the centurion.

Soldiers in the same centurion live together and are familiar with each other; they are even like family.

When it comes to battle, they trust each other more, cooperate better, and have stronger combat effectiveness and cohesion.

Therefore, although Li Xiao knew the drawbacks of this system, he still had to use it for the time being because it was a powerful tool for conquering the world.

Only when we truly rule the country should we gradually implement reforms.

“Jinzhou currently has thirty-eight thousand households, and I have decided to use them to form three military towns,” Li Xiao said calmly.

Then, he waved his hand gently, and a personal guard stepped forward, holding a golden cavalry saber in both hands.

Li Xiao picked up his cavalry saber, looked at the generals, and finally his gaze settled on Li Dashan.

"Li Dashan!"

"The end will be here."

Li Dashan immediately stood up, a slight look of joy appearing in his eyes, clearly having realized something.

Moreover, in terms of seniority, he had been by Li Xiao's side since Li Xiao was still a fortress lord.

In terms of ability, he had also made outstanding military achievements. Under his command, the thirteen thousand-household troops in the desert were all well-organized.

Therefore, Li Dashan must have been one of the three commanders.

"You are hereby appointed as the Commander of the Third Garrison and concurrently as the General Protector of the Desert Army."

As he spoke, Li Xiao handed the cavalry saber to Li Dashan.

The cavalry saber, officially called the Wu Rong saber, was the standard military saber of the Jinzhou Army. It was not only a weapon, but also a symbol of status and honor.

From the centurion upwards, every officer would be personally presented with a cavalry saber by Li Xiao upon assuming office.

There is a silver wolf head on the hilt of the centurion's sword.

The hilt of the sword has a gold-cast eagle head.

There is a golden lion's head on the hilt of Wanhu's sword.

The hilt of the commander's sword features a gold-cast tiger head.

Li Dashan's previous official position was commander of a thousand men. Compared to his previous cavalry sword, it was just a decoration with a tiger head on it.

But Li Dashan couldn't put it down.

After the sword-wielding ceremony, Li Xiao made arrangements for the organization of the Third Town.

"The Third Town administers twelve thousand-household units and three ten-thousand-household units."

"Chief Zhu Dachang, Chief Chen Erqiang, Chief..."

Li Xiao called out all twelve names. Some of them were in the tent, bowing to Li Xiao with their hands on their chests.

"You twelve thousand-household prefectures are now under the jurisdiction of the Third Garrison."

"Yes, sir!" Zhu Dachang and the others shouted in loud voices.

The division of the Qianhu Prefectures under the jurisdiction of the three towns of Jinzhou was not entirely based on geographical location, but rather on a degree of randomness.

Just like the desert guarded by Li Dashan, there are thirteen thousand households.

However, of these thirteen households, Li Xiao only assigned five to the Third Town.

The other eight households belong to the first town and the second town, respectively.

Li Dashan could only exercise military command over these eight thousand households as the General of the Desert Guard, but he could not interfere in their civil affairs.

The civil administration of these eight thousand households still belonged to the governors of the other two towns.

Li Xiao's purpose in doing this was simple: although complete separation of military and political power was not possible, he wanted to limit the power of the generals in command of troops to the extent possible.

If all of Li Dashan's troops were concentrated in one place, he would have absolute military and political power over it.

With the mountains high and the emperor far away, over time, local separatism will inevitably develop.

This wasn't a question of whether Li Dashan was loyal or not, but rather a bottom-up will that compelled him to take that step.

Therefore, at the beginning of the establishment of the military town, Li Xiao carried out a simple separation of military and political affairs at the upper level.

Li Dashan held absolute military and political power over only five thousand households in the desert.

The Third Town held absolute civil administration power over the other seven thousand households in Jinzhou.

As for the other eight thousand households in the desert, he only had temporary command authority as the Protector General.

After the appointments were completed, Li Xiao pointed to a pair of cotton armor and said, "This white cotton armor is your armor for the Third Town."

"From now on, the Third Town will fly a white sun and moon battle flag as a distinguishing feature from the other two towns."

"Yes, sir!" Li Dashan shouted.

From now on, the title of "White Armor Army" will belong to the Third Division.

The reason for using different colors to distinguish the three military towns was mainly because the soldiers of that era were mostly illiterate.

But they could recognize colors.

In the chaotic environment of the battlefield, if soldiers get separated, they can quickly rejoin their unit simply by recognizing their assigned color.

"Li Erjiang is appointed as the Second Garrison Commander and concurrently as the Jinshan Protector General."

"The Second Town has twelve thousand-household units and three ten-thousand-household units under its jurisdiction."

"Use the Red Flag and Red Armor," Li Xiao said.

Li Erjiang is currently in Jinshan and cannot personally accept Li Xiao's appointment.

"The First Garrison Commander will be personally appointed by me."

It has jurisdiction over thirteen thousand-household units and three ten-thousand-household units.

"Use yellow flags and yellow armor."

Subsequently, Li Xiao appointed six more commanders.

The reason there are six is ​​that Li Xiao and the other two commanders also concurrently served as commanders of ten thousand households.

Moreover, Li Dashan and Li Erjiang did not resign from their original positions as commanders of a thousand households.

Instead, he became their personal guard commander.

"Qin Chunsheng is hereby appointed as the First Town Commander and the Second Ten Thousand Household Commander."

As soon as Li Xiao finished speaking, a middle-aged man stepped forward, his face solemn, and he placed his right hand on his chest and said, "Yes, sir."

Qin Chunsheng is Qin Kaishan's second son and Li Xiao's maternal uncle.

Like Li Dahai, the eldest son of the Qin family died in battle at the hands of the Karluks.

Therefore, nowadays, Qin Chunsheng is the one who carries the banner of Gushan Fort and the Qin family.

Since Li Xiao rose to prominence, Qin Chunsheng has followed him closely, fighting in the north and south and making many contributions.

In terms of seniority, ability, and loyalty, Qin Chunsheng is worthy of the position of the Second Ten Thousandth Household.

Subsequently, Li Xiao presented Qin Chunsheng with the lion-head cavalry saber, which represented the identity of a commander of ten thousand households.

"Thank you, Grand Commander!"

There were no superfluous words, nor any declarations of loyalty such as going through fire and water, but Li Xiao knew of his loyalty.

He was a quiet man, without many hidden agendas.

"Luo Meng is hereby appointed as the Third Ten Thousand Household Commander."

"Thank you, Grand Commander!"

Luo Meng took the lion-head cavalry saber and shouted in a deep voice.

"Li Erjiang is appointed concurrently as the head of the Fourth Ten Thousand Household Office."

"Li Sanhe is hereby appointed as the Fifth Ten Thousand Household Commander."

"Li Erhu is hereby appointed as the Sixth Ten Thousand Household Commander."

"Li Dashan is appointed concurrently as the Ten Thousand Households of the Seventh Ten Thousand Households Prefecture."

"Li Dahu is hereby appointed as the Eighth Ten Thousand Household Commander."

"Zhao Dadao is appointed as the 90,000th Ten Thousand Household Commander."

Zhao Dadao is the eldest son of Zhao Tiezhu of Tazhai, and also Li Xiao's uncle.

He, Luo Meng, and Qin Chunsheng represented Li Xiao's relatives.

Naturally, they were bound to the same war chariot as the Li family.

More importantly, Tazhai, Hedongbao, and Gushanbao are Li Xiao's old team.

He followed Li Xiao in attacking Sanhe Fort and fought his way up to his current position.

These three companies essentially joined with their original shares.

Both morally and logically, when granting fiefdoms to ten thousand households, these three families should not be forgotten.

Apart from these three, all the other Wanhu (households) were members of the Li family.

This reveals the power structure of the upper echelons in Jinzhou.

The Li family is unique.

The three major families are located in the second tier.

Of course, the influence of the Xiao family, represented by Xiao Yanyan, in Jinzhou was second only to that of the Li family.

Besides a Khitan commander of a thousand men who accompanied her as part of her dowry, Bali'ala, the deputy governor of Jinzhou, was also a member of the Xiao family.

In fact, his nominal status was even higher than that of Li Erjiang and Li Dashan, the two military commanders.

Therefore, it is more accurate to call them the four major maternal relatives families of Jinzhou.

Qin Zhao Luo Xiao!

……

While the Jinzhou Army was undergoing military reforms in preparation for the next war, a war that would determine the hegemony of eastern Mongolia had already begun, thousands of miles to the east, on the banks of the Onon River.

The autumn wind howled, and the flow of melting snow from the high mountains into the Onon River dwindled, making the land along the river increasingly parched, resembling ugly, unhealed wounds.

Temujin reined in his horse on the high slope, his wolf-skin cloak fluttering in the wind.

He stared at the banners of the Taichiwu tribe, which were faintly visible in the dense forest on the opposite bank of the river, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.

The Taichiwu tribe was a branch of the Mongol tribes, and twenty years ago it belonged to the Qiyan tribe.

But everything changed the moment Temujin's father, Yesugei, was poisoned to death.

Talihutai took away a large number of his followers and established the Taichiwu tribe.

They ruthlessly abandoned Temujin and his mother in the wilderness, leaving them to be surrounded by wolves.

Temujin was even tied to the back of a horse and dragged along by Talihutai, thorns piercing his flesh, his laughter more poisonous than the whip.

Now, it is time for Temujin to take his revenge.

"Temujin, the Kereit army has not yet arrived. Should we still make a move?" came the hoarse whisper of Jelme from behind.

Temujin's wolf-skin coat was covered in frost, and his gaze was fixed on the south, as cold and hard as a vulture's.

"Hasn't the Kereit tribe always been like this?"

"Humph!"

Temujin was already used to it.

Although Wang Han was nominally his adoptive father, he was able to grow stronger amidst the wolves of the grasslands thanks to Wang Han's protection.

However, Temujin knew perfectly well that Wang Khan had always treated him as a tool to be used.

It's just a knife.

In every war, Wang Han's army would hold out until the battle was nearly over before reaping the spoils.

"I can defeat the Taichuud tribe and the Merkits without the help of the Kereit tribe," Temujin said firmly.

He then issued a death order to his men: "No retreat or retreat." The implication was that only by fighting bravely and risking their lives could they survive.

Meanwhile, Tariquttai, the leader of the Taichiwu tribe, and Tokhtoa, the leader of the Merkit tribe, stood on the precipitous riverbank, gazing at the forest, their hearts filled with unease.

"Temujin is a cunning fellow; we must be careful." Tohtoa frowned, his eyes filled with worry.

The Merkit and Kiyan tribes were sworn enemies. He had fought Temujin many times before and knew Temujin's cunning well.

But in Talihutai's eyes, Temujin was still the same little wolf cub he had once tormented.

He patted the long sword at his waist and sneered, "What's there to be afraid of! With this forest and river as our base, he couldn't possibly fly in even if he had wings!"

Taking advantage of the terrain, the Taichiwu tribe meticulously prepared its defenses, waiting for Temujin's allied forces to walk right into their trap.

However, they underestimated Temujin's determination and strategy.

The next morning, before dawn, Temujin's army approached like ghosts.

The sound of horses' hooves was light, yet it resembled a faint rumble of thunder rolling across the grassland.

"rush!"

At Temujin's command, the Qiyan tribe surged towards the combined forces of the Taichiwu and Merkit tribes like a tidal wave.

In an instant, the neighing of warhorses and the shouts of battle shook the heavens.

The combined forces of the Taichud and Merkit initially attempted to resist Temujin's attack with their numerical superiority, but gradually showed signs of defeat under the fierce offensive of Temujin's army.

Temujin's army had excellent tactical coordination, with cavalrymen flanking and constantly attacking the enemy's defenses.

But just as victory was imminent, a cold arrow suddenly shot towards Temujin, the arrowhead piercing through the side of his neck, and scalding blood gushed into his mouth and nose.

In a daze, he saw his younger self curled up in a cage of the Taichiwu people, with Talihutai laughing loudly while holding up a cow horn cup: "Wolf cub, drink this wine and I'll let you die a quick death."

The scene before his eyes vanished instantly, and Temujin's memories returned to reality.

"Temujin!"

Someone roared and rushed forward; it was Zhelemie.

Temujin opened his eyes, his face contorted in pain, and said in a pained voice, "I'm fine."

"Can't die."

"Let Muqali take command for me. We must annihilate the Taichuwu tribe and the Merkit people."

After saying this, Temujin fainted again.

Soon, the defenses of the Taichuwu tribe collapsed completely, and Talihutai was captured alive by Temujin's army.

However, Tokhtoa, the leader of the Merkit tribe, fled again.

To Temujin, Tokhtoa was like an unkillable cockroach, escaping from his grasp time and time again.

Soon after, the Kereit army arrived. Temujin had already regained consciousness, and the wound on his neck had been simply bandaged.

Despite the pain and weakness, she met Wang Han.

At this critical moment, he absolutely could not fall, otherwise the foundation he had painstakingly built would surely be swallowed up by Wang Han.

"Temujin, you are injured."

Looking at Temujin, whose neck was bleeding, Wang Khan said emotionally, but on the surface he pretended to be concerned.

"Who hurt you? I will definitely avenge you and skin that person alive."

Temujin chuckled lightly, pretending to be unharmed, and said, "It's nothing, godfather, just a minor injury."

"The man who injured me has been captured by my soldiers."

“I allowed him to become my bodyguard.”

The young man named Zhierhuo Adai was from a small tribe, but he was an extremely skilled archer.

In that chaotic battlefield, an arrow actually struck Temujin in the neck, nearly killing him.

Temujin did not kill him, but instead brought him before him.

"Kill me." Zhierhuo Adai closed his eyes.

Temujin planted an arrow in the ground at his feet and said in a hoarse voice, "The rule of the grasslands is that whoever makes you bleed should make his blood flow like a river."

“But my rule is…”

He snapped the arrow shaft in two and said in a deep voice, "From now on, your arrows can only fly for the Khan of the Qiyan tribe."

Zhierhuo'adai was ultimately won over by Temujin's magnanimity and spirit. Trembling, he picked up the broken arrow and knelt before Temujin.

From then on, he had a new name: Jebe.

It means "arrowhead".

"Temujin, you are truly a magnanimous man." Wang Haohan laughed heartily, it was hard to tell whether it was a compliment or sarcasm.

In any case, if Wang Han were shot and seriously injured like this, he would definitely cut the person into a thousand pieces.

The two quickly moved on from the topic, and Temujin didn't even question why the Kereit tribe had waited until the war was almost over to arrive.

no point.

But Wang Han's mind was on these prisoners.

"Temujin, you have gained a lot from this battle!"

Seeing Wang Han's darting eyes, Temujin knew what he was up to.

Damn, he's like an insatiable, vicious dog.

Previously, Temujin was weak and had no choice but to send prisoners of war to Wang Khan for protection.

But this time, Temujin had no intention of backing down.

He said in a tone that was both soft and firm, "Father, these people from the Taichiwu tribe have all followed my father through thick and thin."

The Taichiwu tribe was originally part of the Qiyan tribe. After Yesugei died, these people believed that Temujin could not support the Qiyan tribe, so they established their own separate group.

Now, Temujin only told them one sentence.

"Welcome home!"

The herdsmen of the Taichiwu tribe surrendered one after another and have returned to the Qiyan tribe.

Therefore, Temujin would never give it up under any circumstances.

"Ok?"

"is it?"

Wang Han feigned displeasure, his gaze fixed on Temujin with a half-smile.

How could he not know the origins of the Qiyan and Taichiwu tribes?

He just wanted to see if Temujin would obey him.

Indeed, Temujin has grown too powerful!
But Temujin did not yield an inch in the face of Wang Khan's intimidating gaze.

In the end, Wang Han laughed and stopped pursuing the matter, instead saying...

"Temujin, get ready. Next year, we'll continue to fight the Naimans."

He decided to forgive Temujin once again, after all, he was a useful tool.

"A barbarian?"

Genghis Khan was speechless.

At the beginning of this year, they went to fight the Naiman people.

However, Wang Khan was arrogant and fell for the counter-espionage plot of the Tayang Khan brothers, resulting in significant losses for the Kereit tribe.

Less than a year had passed, and Wang Han already wanted to go back for revenge.

Seeing Temujin's doubtful gaze, Wang Khan smiled confidently: "Temujin, trust me."

"The Naiman are doomed this time."

"Li Xiao, the governor of Jinzhou of the Liao Kingdom, has sent an envoy to agree to jointly attack the Naiman people next spring."

Temujin was even more shocked to hear this.

"Li Xiao, the Governor of Jinzhou of the Liao Kingdom?"

He had heard of the name.

Last year, Xiao Simo, the Grand Prince of the Six Courts of Liao, fought a great battle with the Naiman people, and Li Xiao severely injured the Naiman people.

Unexpectedly, in just one year, Li Xiao had become the governor of Jinzhou.

"Does he intend to continue the unfinished eastern expedition of last year?" Temujin asked.

Wang Han chuckled: "Not only that."

“Some members of the Naiman tribe attacked and killed herdsmen in Jinzhou, and the governor of Jinzhou was very angry.”

"They wanted to take revenge on the Naiman people, so they thought of us."

"Moreover, the governor of Jinzhou promised that he only wanted the head of the Sun Khan."

"The Naiman tribe's population and territory all belong to us."

"I have decided to launch an expedition next spring."

"Annihilate the Naiman tribe," Wang Han said firmly.

If the Naiman tribe were annexed, then the Kereit tribe would become the sole overlord of the grasslands.

The Taichiwu tribe, the Qiyan tribe, the Jadaran tribe, and all others will have to submit to him.

Perhaps Wang Han could reunify the grasslands.

Therefore, even if he didn't believe Li Xiao would keep his promise and give up the Naiman people's pastures and population.

But he also had to go and fight the Naiman people.

We just need to be constantly vigilant against the Jinzhou army.

Hearing Wang Khan's ambitious plans, Temujin was helpless.

He had no interest in the Naiman tribe at all, and preferred to conquer the tribes of the eastern grasslands.

However, now is not the time to turn against Wang Han.

"Temujin, your Qiyan tribe will be the vanguard of the army."

"If you defeat the Naiman, I will give you half of the Naiman prisoners of war and the grasslands."

Hearing Wang Han's flattery, Temujin could only pretend to believe him and said, "Yes, Father."

Subsequently, Temujin's Qiyan tribe experienced a period of rapid growth in strength.

The victory at the Battle of the Onon River was of great significance to Temujin.

It not only further consolidated Temujin's rule in the eastern Mongolian steppe, but also greatly enhanced his prestige among the various tribes.

Many small tribes that were originally wavering, seeing Temujin's powerful military strength and leadership, chose to submit to him.

Temujin's sphere of influence thus expanded further, and the number of his followers and the size of his army also grew, which made Wang Khan even more wary of him.

They planned to further weaken Temujin's power during their western campaign against the Naiman people.

Soon, Li Xiao received a reply from Wang Han.

Both sides agreed to launch a pincer attack on the Naiman people from the east and west next spring.

"Temujin!"

"I hope you'll come!"

Li Xiao said in a cold voice.

His true intention was not what he seemed; his real target was this man named Temujin.

(End of this chapter)