The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 174 The Naiman Queen Consort, Eligible to Enter the Grand Governor's Mansion

As the spring snow melts and the winding streams begin to flow gently, the Hakqi tribe awakens from the long winter.

This is a Naiman tribe with only seven or eight hundred people, living near the Uruhei Mountain in the Kobdo River basin.

Hundreds of tents are scattered across the sunny hillside. Women are preparing lunch, children are running and laughing among the campsites, while men are gathered together with worried expressions.

"The snow on the grassland is the most unpredictable."

"This year's heavy snow is like crazy, falling day and night, so thick it could bury even an ovoo (a sacred cairn).

"Yes, so many cattle and sheep were lying there stiffly, their bodies were all hard, it was really heartbreaking."

"If this continues, our tribe will starve before summer even arrives."

The men sat around a rock, discussing how to deal with this year's food crisis.

"Alas, the order from Bu Yiluhei Khan has arrived like the wind, demanding that each household hand over ten sheep as tax!"

"What? Ten sheep? Are they trying to drive us to our doom? Do they want us all to starve to death on this grassland?"

"It would be better to kill those Kereit slaves in advance, at least we can save some food and get through this hard period."

Last year, during the war between the Naiman and Kereit tribes, Wang Khan fell into a trap and was defeated, and had to retreat. Some of the Kereit soldiers became slaves of the Naiman tribe.

"No, I heard that the two Khans are determined to cross the Jinshan Mountains this year to conquer Jinzhou."

"If we kill all the slaves of the Kereit tribe, who will be there to lead the charge and fight to the death for us?"

The group of men discussed and discussed, but couldn't come up with a good solution. Every one of them had a worried look on their face.

"Let's go hunting in the mountains. If we're lucky, we might catch a bear, which would be enough to feed our family for a long time."

The speaker was a burly man with two younger brothers. The three brothers were all incredibly strong, with few rivals in the tribe.

They were also skilled hunters; the three brothers were eager to hunt the black bears that others feared.

Upon hearing this, the others shook their heads helplessly.

Their tribe was near the Gold Mountain, so in addition to herding livestock, the tribespeople would also go into the mountains to hunt.

While the others couldn't compare to the three brothers and dared not hunt black bears, they could still hunt some small animals without any problem.

Three more days passed, but the peaceful life of the Hakqi tribe was broken by the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

A man covered in blood rushed out of the mountains and staggered into the tribe.

"Yes, there are enemies!"

"Red-Armored Demon~"

After leaving behind only these two sentences, the man lost too much blood and fainted.

The clan chief stepped forward and was greatly surprised when he saw the man's face clearly.

"Is it Tengger?"

"What happened? Why is he the only one who came back? Where are his two older brothers?"

This man was the youngest of the three bear-hunting brothers.

At this moment, his face was deathly pale, and an arrow was stuck in his back, piercing through his chest, with the arrowhead even protruding from his chest.

"The arrow's power is astonishing, who could have wounded him?" the chieftain asked in horror, looking at the arrow wound.

The human body is not that fragile, especially since Tengger was wearing several layers of sheepskin for warmth.

Under normal circumstances, even if one is hit by an arrow, it would be impossible to cause such a severe penetrating wound.

But Tengger's injuries were quite surprising.

The chieftain observed that the arrow that hit Tengge was extremely sharp; with a gentle stab, the sheepskin was instantly torn apart.

"Sigh~"

The men watching all gasped in shock.

Compared to the arrows made by their Naiman tribe, their penetrating power was many times stronger.

"Oh no, this is a big problem."

"Call everyone over."

Ordinary tribes could not possibly manufacture such sharp arrows; there must be a terrifying enemy at work.

Just as the chieftain was gathering everyone to prepare for battle, a cavalry unit followed the trail of blood and found the location of the Hakchi tribe.

There were about 120 cavalrymen.

Clad entirely in dark red cotton armor, they resembled a blood-red tide, emerging from the mountains and forests and approaching the Hakqi tribe.

Some of the soldiers' horses still had one or two fresh heads tied to them, with blood dripping from the severed necks.

The heads belonged to men from the Hakqi tribe who went into the mountains to hunt, including Tenge's two older brothers.

After a struggle, the soldiers of the Second Town Vanguard Hundred-Household, taking advantage of their superior equipment and numbers, cut off all the heads of these men, which were then used for post-battle commendations.

"My lord, judging from the tents, this tribe has about two hundred men," a red-armored cavalryman said in a deep voice.

"Lord Wanhu is right behind us. Let's take this tribe first and present it to him," the centurion said in a deep voice.

Then, he drew his silver wolf-head cavalry saber and shouted, "Kill!"

Soon, the Hakqi tribe also spotted them, their expressions filled with terror and anger as they exclaimed, "There are enemies!"

"Red armor~ that's the red-armored demon Tengge mentioned."

"Get on your horses quickly and block them."

The Red Armor soldiers, all wielding hook-and-sickle spears, charged into the tribe like demons emerging from hell.

"kill!"

The centurion brandished his hook-and-sickle spear and, using the momentum of his warhorse, instantly sent a Naiman soldier flying.

Then, with a swing of his spear, he beheaded yet another Naiman.

At this moment, a Naiman soldier seized the opportunity, rushed out from behind, and thrust his spear fiercely into the centurion's back.

But the next second, something terrifying happened to the Naiman people: it was impossible to pierce through.

"how is this possible?"

"Is it armor?"

He never expected that the armor, which looked like just a layer of cloth, would be so tough.

At this point, it was too late to retrieve the spear.

The hunchback's hook-and-sickle spear slashed down instantly, piercing straight through his chest.

"Humph, I don't know what it means."

The centurion snorted angrily, "These are newly issued cotton armors!"

It was brand new, and the Naiman people poked a hole in its back.

I'll have to sew it up with needle and thread later, that'll be a hassle.

The soldiers of the Hakqi tribe picked up their bows and arrows and longswords and charged at the red-armored soldiers.

However, their equipment was rudimentary, and they were outmatched by the well-trained cavalry.

Despite numbering nearly two hundred, they were no match for the Red Armor soldiers.

The battle was a one-sided rout, with blood staining the newly green grass.

"Who are you?"

"Why did you kill my Hakqi tribe?" the chieftain roared angrily, his voice trembling with tears.

His response was a cold, mocking laugh from Baihu.

Because every herdsman is a soldier, if we don't kill them, our own people will die.

As the spear fell, blood splattered instantly on the chieftain's chest. His corpse, eyes wide with rage and resentment, slowly collapsed.

The battle is over.

The centurion stopped his horse amidst the corpses of the tribe and said in a deep voice, "Take stock of the casualties, finish off the dead, and count the prisoners of war and spoils."

Soon, screams from the women echoed through the tribe.

An hour later, the large contingent of Red Armor soldiers arrived.

The commander-in-chief was Erhu.

He led his 2,400 Red Armored Army soldiers as the vanguard and arrived at the Naiman territory ahead of others.

"Lord Wan, my troops have cleared this area."

"A total of 136 enemy soldiers were killed, 89 slaves were captured, and 312 female slaves were taken prisoner."

"In addition, there are more than three thousand sheep and more than one thousand horses."

Upon hearing this, Erhu simply remarked, "The Naiman people aren't having an easy time either."

"Distribute these female slaves among the soldiers; we'll have mutton for dinner tonight."

Upon hearing Erhu's words, smiles appeared on the faces of the soldiers.

Even if there aren't enough to go around, we can just wait in line!

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away from Erhu, Dahu also led his 2,400 White-Armored Soldiers to attack another Naiman tribe.

The white-armored soldiers brandished their gleaming spears, indiscriminately slaughtering the Naiman soldiers.

"What a human tragedy."

Da Hu, dressed in white cotton armor, stood on a high place on his horse, his calm gaze sweeping over the chaotic land.

His expression was indifferent as he watched the Naiman tribe perish in his hands, without being moved in the slightest.

“My Lord, this Naiman tribe is a staunch supporter of the Sun Khan.”

"It's not a pity to die."

Beside the tiger, a centurion dressed in white cotton armor spoke softly.

This man's name was Balt, and he was a Naiman.

Originally from the Horma tribe, they joined the Jinzhou army after being conquered by Li Xiao.

In the ensuing war, Li Xiao reorganized the Horma tribe, transferring elite troops such as Balt to other units.

Some Han Chinese were also settled in the Donghai Thousand Households.

Nowadays, apart from the commander of the Donghai Thousand Households, Buermahei, and a small number of officers who are Naiman people, most of the others have become Han Chinese.

Li Xiao has completed the adaptation of this Naiman tribe.

Bart was a centurion under Da Hu, serving as a guide in this campaign against the Naiman tribe.

Their main task was to locate the Naiman tribe; these Naiman people were incredibly accurate at finding them. "In that case, all the tribal nobles will be executed, the men reduced to war slaves, and the women..."

"You guys decide what to do!"

Upon hearing Da Hu's words, the commanders behind him chuckled.

One of the commanders even laughed and said, "I think that Naiman woman who was just dragged away is quite pretty; she should be sent to the tent of the commander of ten thousand."

……

Five hundred li east of the Kobdo River lies a low-lying basin surrounded by towering mountains, which protect it from the biting cold winds.

The basin has a suitable climate, abundant water and grass, and lakes formed by melting snow from the surrounding mountains, known as Tannu Tuva.

Around the lake, herds of cattle and sheep are scattered like stars across the grassland, leisurely grazing on fresh, tender grass.

On the other side of the lake, countless tents stood like colorful mushrooms sprouting from the earth.

These tents vary in size and color, and their arrangement follows a unique order.

At the very center of this cluster of tents stands a large golden tent, which is the royal court of the Naiman king.

The dome of the large tent is inlaid with countless dazzling gems, which shimmer with colorful light under the sunlight, like a dazzling galaxy.

The ground was covered with soft Persian carpets, and Tayang Khan sat high on a luxurious tiger-skin throne, laughing wildly.

Seated beside him was the Naiman Queen, Gurbesu, dressed in her finest attire.

Holding a golden wine cup, the Khan of the Sun swept his gaze over the assembled Naiman nobles in the tent, a smug smile on his face, and proclaimed loudly, "Gentlemen! Today is my beloved concubine's birthday, so drink to your heart's content!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly nobleman stepped forward and respectfully said, "May the Queen remain forever young, as beautiful as the wildflowers blooming on the grasslands; may the Great Khan's fame be as enduring as the towering mountains!"

"Okay, hahaha~"

Princess Taiyanghan laughed.

Soon, cheerful music filled the tent, with the stirring sounds of the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) and the crisp sounds of the hand drum intertwined.

A group of dancers performed a grassland dance, their eyes revealing a charming allure.

Amidst this scene of singing and dancing, a personal guard quietly entered and whispered a few words in Taiyang Khan's ear.

In an instant, Taiyanghan's expression changed.

He slammed the golden goblet heavily onto the carpet.

"Hmph~ I haven't even gone to seek revenge on those barbarians from the northern frontier, yet they've already come to kill my people?"

"Bring people in."

Upon hearing Sun Khan's roar, the music and dance in the tent stopped instantly. The nobles exchanged bewildered glances, and from Sun Khan's angry tone, they could tell that it must be related to the northern frontier.

Soon, a man wearing a patina-covered sheepskin coat, whose dark face was covered with frostbite marks, was brought in.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Reporting to the Sun Khan, our tribe has been attacked by the Jinzhou people."

“They were many, many people, wearing red and yellow armor, and their arrows were so sharp they could pierce anything.”

"Their armor is also very sturdy; our swords and blades can't pierce it at all."

……

The man looked terrified; recalling the scene, he couldn't help but tremble.

too frightening.

Those Golden State people are impossible to kill; they're a bunch of demons.

"Damn it, how can the people of Jinzhou be so terrifying? Are you trying to demoralize the army?" Sun Khan said angrily.

Just two years ago, he fought a battle with the Northern Frontier Army.

Although the Northern Frontier Army was very strong, its equipment was not much different from that of the Naiman people.

Most of the soldiers wore leather armor and carried spears, while only a small number wore iron armor.

The soldier said that all the people of Jinzhou are invulnerable to swords and bullets?
The Sun Khan simply did not believe that the entire Jinzhou army could be equipped with iron armor.

“Great Sun Khan, I really didn’t lie.”

"Oh, right, there's also a letter here. Someone from Jinzhou asked me to deliver it."

As he spoke, the soldier pulled out a piece of cloth.

Taiyanghan picked it up and took a look; his face immediately turned furious.

"To Bai Buhua: The situation in the northern frontier is now at its zenith, with a strong army and powerful horses, and people from all directions come to pay tribute."

"Where the Jinzhou Iron Cavalry points, nothing is insurmountable; none in the world dares to challenge their might."

"Although the Naiman people have the dangers of mountains and rivers and the bravery of their people, compared with Jinzhou, they are like fireflies compared with the sun and moon, and cannot be compared at all."

"At this time, those who understand the times are the heroes."

"Now I hereby present you with the following conditions for surrender: First, lead your Naiman tribe to sincerely submit to the Northern Frontier, honor the Northern Frontier as your common ruler, and regard the ruler of the Northern Frontier, the King of the Six Courts, as your father, and from now on obey his commands."

"Secondly, offer 100,000 taels of gold, 1 million sheep, 200,000 horses, and 100,000 cattle as tribute. This is to show your sincerity in surrendering and to lay the foundation for your tribe to avoid disaster."

"Thirdly, I have heard that the princess is exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. If she can enter the Jinzhou Governor's Office, she will surely enjoy honor and prestige."

"Now, the Jinzhou army is marching eastward. If they remain obstinate and attempt to resist stubbornly, the Jinzhou iron cavalry will surely crush the Naiman."

"Seize their wives and daughters, destroy their ancestral temples, scatter their corpses, and slaughter their people..."

The final signature was that of Li Xiao, the Grand Commander of Jinzhou.

Upon seeing this letter of surrender written in the Naiman script, Taeyang Khan was furious.

"Damn bastard, shameless vulture, despicable scoundrel..."

Sun Khan used almost every vicious word he could think of on Li Xiao.

He drew his scimitar and angrily swung it at some of the tables and chairs in the tent.

At this moment, Li Xiao had become the person he hated the most.

"Your Majesty, what does the letter say?"

The nobleman in the tent asked curiously.

Sun Khan glared angrily at him; this was one of his uncles, so he couldn't be too harsh on him.

I don't want to tell these people what's in the letter.

Then, he coldly snorted and said, "These barbarians from the northern frontier are arrogant and conceited, actually wanting me, the Khan, to surrender?"

"wishful thinking."

"Even if we fight to the last man, the Naiman tribe will never surrender to the northern frontier."

None of the three conditions proposed by Li Xiao were acceptable to him.

In particular, asking him to offer up his queen was practically a death sentence for him.

“The people of Jinzhou have invaded my territory and killed my people. I, the Khan, am determined to exterminate them.”

"Send word: all tribes must assemble immediately. I, the Khan, will personally lead the expedition," the Sun Khan said angrily.

A letter from Li Xiao urging him to surrender completely ignited his anger, and his reason was gradually consumed by rage.

Subsequently, more and more news came that almost all the Naiman tribes near Jinzhou had been defeated by the Jinzhou army, with only a few escaping.

The formidable fighting power of the Jinzhou Army was evident.

Along the banks of the Kodo River, the biting wind howls like a ferocious beast, sweeping across the vast grasslands.

Li Xiao led the main force of the Jinzhou army to arrive and set up camp on the riverbank.

In the middle of the camp, the golden sun and moon battle flag fluttered in the gale, like a blazing sun, shining with golden light, symbolizing the majesty of the Grand Commander of Jinzhou.

Beneath the battle flag stood a massive golden tent.

Li Xiao stood in the tent, in front of him was a simple sand table, which was made according to the description of the Naiman people, and it was rather crude.

"Great Commander, in the past few days, our army has annihilated thirteen Naiman tribes, captured 1,200 war slaves, more than 2,000 female slaves, and seized cattle and sheep."

Listening to Zhang Xinghua's report from the side, Li Xiao nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the sand table.

Such trivial matters as the counting of prisoners of war can be left to Zhang Xinghua, the internal affairs official.

He was considering which route to take to Tannu Tuva.

"Great Commander, I suggest we take the northern route. Although the road is rugged, the Naimans will never expect us to take this route. We can catch them off guard," Erhu suggested.

Li Xiao nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

There are three main routes to Tannu Tuva, each with its own unique characteristics.

In the end, Li Xiao chose the shortest route with the flattest terrain.

Even Erhu's idea of ​​splitting the army into two routes, with the main force attacking from this route and him leading a small contingent to launch a surprise attack from the side, was rejected by Li Xiao.

The reason is very simple.

If Li Xiao only had a few thousand soldiers to fight against tens of thousands of Naiman, he would definitely choose to launch a surprise attack.

However, when it comes to large-scale operations, one cannot simply take unnecessary risks.

We should prioritize stability and move forward steadily and surely.

"No need to say more, let's take the route through Maoergushan," Li Xiao said decisively.

Then, battle orders were issued, with Da Hu and Er Hu remaining the vanguard of the army, each leading their own 2,400 soldiers forward.

Because Li Xiao was preparing to cultivate a new generation of generals, so that Da Hu and Er Hu would gradually become the main force in the army's battles.

Both Erbao and Sanbao have demonstrated remarkable abilities in the military.

Both of them became centurions.

"Any movement from the Kereit tribe?"

After giving all the instructions, Li Xiao thought of the Kereit tribe.

He and Wang Han had agreed to launch a joint attack in the spring, striking the Naiman people from both the east and west.

As for the distribution of spoils after the war, Li Xiao promised to give the land and people to the Kereit tribe.

But agreements are meant to be torn up; anyone who believes them is an idiot. Li Xiao, anyway, had no intention of abiding by them.

The main reason is that he can't forget Tiezi and dreams of killing him.

However, the Kereit army has not yet made a move, which greatly angers Li Xiao.

Are the chosen ones really that hard to kill?
“I haven’t heard anything about the Kereit tribe, and the captured Naiman people haven’t received any news of the Kereit invasion either,” Zhang Xinghua said, shaking his head.

(End of this chapter)