The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 184 The second generation concubine of Mongolia

The afterglow of the setting sun, like molten gold, splashed freely across the vast land, dyeing the entire Jinzhou military camp a warm yellow.

On the distant horizon of the camp, a troop of cavalry slowly appeared.

They wore yellow cotton armor with red trim, walking slowly in the cold wind, their faces full of victorious smiles.

It was Li Xiao's personal guard, the Golden Armor Army.

At this time, this centurion of the Golden Armor Army had recently attacked a Naiman tribe in the western part of Yudujin Mountain and returned to the camp with a large amount of spoils.

Large numbers of cattle and sheep were being driven around, mooing and bleating.

Various tents were haphazardly tied to the oxcart, and some daily necessities were scattered among them, clattering together with a crisp sound.

Of course, the most eye-catching group was the prisoners of war, mainly young women, numbering over two hundred.

With disheveled hair and tattered clothes, he was driven by the Golden Armor Army soldiers wielding whips, stumbling and staggering towards the Jinzhou Army camp like livestock awaiting slaughter.

For them, it was actually a cannibalistic den, a bottomless abyss, but they had no other choice.

"Hey, new stock arrived again?"

Upon arriving at the camp gate, a centurion responsible for guarding the camp looked at the spoils of war with a mocking smile on his face.

He was a burly man, wearing yellow cotton armor and a silver wolf-head cavalry saber at his waist. He squinted at the female prisoners, a malicious smile playing on his lips.

The commander of the Golden Armor Army, who was escorting the prisoners of war, laughed and said, "Big Blackie, lick the drool off your mouth. It's almost dripping onto the ground."

They were all military households from the First Town, and also former native Han Chinese from Jinzhou.

I know that bastard Daheizi's nature very well; besides fine wine, he only likes women.

Every time they captured a female prisoner, they would wear themselves down to the bone.

Big Blackie chuckled dismissively, "This batch of goods is of good quality."

The commander of the Golden Armor Army cursed, "You dog, you dare to sleep with any woman?"

“We have plenty of women in our camp, these won’t do.”

Big Blackie looked puzzled, his eyes widening: "What's wrong?"

They are all women from the Naiman tribe. Why can't we mess with these women?
"The women in this tribe were all chosen by the Grand Commander."

"Only after the Grand Commander has seen it can it be distributed to the brothers."

Hearing this, Dahei scratched his head, looking puzzled, and asked curiously, "What's so special about this Naiman tribe?"

"Who knows?"

"But some of the women in this tribe are indeed very beautiful," the Golden Armor Army centurion said casually, pursing his lips.

Subsequently, the Golden Armor Army brought these female prisoners into the camp.

At this moment, many soldiers in the camp were sitting on the ground preparing dinner. When they saw these female prisoners, they all looked at them with eyes that seemed to want to devour them alive.

The female prisoners trembled with fear, some clinging tightly to the bodies of those around them, trying to find a sense of security.

Some lowered their heads, tears welling in their eyes, but dared not utter a sound.

"What are you looking at?"

“I’m telling you, without orders, anyone who dares to mess with these women, I’ll chop off their thing.”

The commander of the Golden Armor Army laughed and cursed.

The soldiers of the First Town around them burst into laughter.

Soon, the Golden Armor Army placed the female prisoners in a sheep pen and imprisoned them.

The atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating. The cold wind blew like knives, and the female prisoners huddled together, trying to get some warmth from each other's bodies.

Soon after, several soldiers brought several large basins of water and slammed them down in front of the female prisoners.

The soldier, holding a leather whip, viciously ordered the female prisoners, "Wash your faces clean, make sure there's not a speck of dirt on them."

As he spoke, he brandished the leather whip in his hand, making a "whoosh" sound, which frightened the female prisoners into shrinking back.

"What should we do, Grandma?!"

A young girl, her voice trembling with tears, like a frightened fawn, huddled tightly behind her mother.

"It's okay, it's okay."

The middle-aged woman forced herself to remain calm, held the girl in her arms, and forced a smile onto her face.

"They won't kill us, they'll just..."

The woman's voice trailed off, her lips trembled slightly, and her throat seemed to be choked by something.

She knew, of course, what fate awaited them, because such things were commonplace on this land, a rule of survival and reproduction on the grasslands.

She had experienced it once more than a decade ago.

She was originally from a small tribe under the Kereit tribe, and her family had lived in the eastern part of the Yudujin Mountains for generations.

That year, the Naiman tribe and the Kereit tribe went to war. Naiman soldiers stormed into their tribe like wolves, burning, killing, and looting.

Her father and brothers fell in pools of blood, and then the Naiman soldiers ordered the women to wash their faces.

She was then sent to the tent of a Naiman general and became a Naiman woman.

In the years that followed, she gave birth to two sons and two daughters for the Naiman chief. Although her life was not exactly happy, she had a sense of purpose.

Now, fate is cruelly playing tricks on her once again.

The Naiman were defeated by the Liao army again. Her husband and son went to the front line and disappeared without a trace. She didn't know if they were captured or killed in battle. She and her two daughters were left to depend on each other for survival.

Until recently, a troop of Jinzhou cavalry stormed into their tribe, slaughtered the worthless elders, and looted all the other cattle, sheep, and valuables.

Just as her mother protected her back then, she is now doing her best to protect her two daughters with her frail body.

Her eyes were resolute, yet filled with despair.

Fate is a cycle, and these women can't escape its control. They'll just be snatched up by men like merchandise.

Therefore, she was well aware of what her two daughters would face next.

Just as her mother couldn't protect her back then, she couldn't protect her two daughters either.

Overwhelmed with grief, she held her youngest daughter tightly in her arms, as if trying to merge her daughter into her own body and give her final protection.

His gaze fell on his eldest daughter, his eyes filled with reluctance and worry, and he said softly, "Torgena, you've grown up. We were originally planning to arrange a marriage for you, but..."

Her voice choked with emotion: "Grandma won't be able to protect you anymore, so you have to take good care of Ningling."

She then took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, knowing that emotional appeals couldn't change reality, and the only thing she could do was face the harsh reality head-on.

"Go, Toregona, take your sister and wash her face clean."

"You two are the most beautiful girls in the Naimazhen tribe, and there will surely be Liao army generals who like you."

"From now on, you sisters must stay by the man's side and bear him children."

"Forget about the Naimazhen tribe."

"From now on, you will be Liao people," the woman said in a pained yet resolute voice.

In this era, the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she is, but beauty is also a woman's greatest asset.

Because beautiful women are usually the exclusive possessions of the strong, and they can live comfortably as long as they serve one man well.

The woman was beautiful when she was young, which is why she caught the eye of the chief of the Naimazhen tribe and became his private slave. Later, she also became the son of the chief.

However, her mother and other ordinary-looking girls in the tribe met tragic ends.

Those who were bullied by soldiers, even if they survived by sheer luck, only became the lowest-ranking slaves, and their lives were short-lived.

Her mother was killed by soldiers of the Naimajin tribe, and now it's her turn.

But it doesn't matter anymore. I've lived enough. I'll be content as long as my two daughters can live.

Toregona bit his lip, his eyes filled with resentment.

She glanced at her younger sister hiding behind her mother, then at her mother's haggard face, and slowly nodded.

He pulled his younger sister towards the basin of water.

In this military camp, the more beautiful a woman was, the more likely she was to be chosen by the general, and the greater her chance of survival.

Shortly afterward, Toregona raised his head in a daze. In the distance, a young general in yellow armor led a troop of cavalry.

His face was stern, his sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards into his temples, and his posture was upright, standing proudly on horseback like an ancient pine tree.

As they drew closer, the atmosphere in the sheepfold grew increasingly tense.

The soldiers around them straightened their backs, and the previously noisy chatter gradually quieted down.

Some of the female prisoners beside Torego trembled with fear, curling their bodies even tighter; others stared wide-eyed at the group with horrified expressions, as if they foresaw the impending doom.

Toregna's heart tightened, and he hugged his mother and sister tightly, his hands trembling slightly.

"Grand Governor!"

Upon seeing Li Xiao arrive, the commander of the Golden Armor Army quickly patted his chest and bowed.

Li Xiao nodded slightly, his deep eyes like cold stars, revealing a chilling sharpness as he carefully examined the women in the sheepfold.

"Are all the women of the Naimazhen tribe here?" Li Xiao asked in a calm voice.

"Except for the elderly and weak, all the other women are here," the Jinjia Army centurion said with certainty.

To carry out Li Xiao's orders, he interrogated almost all the prisoners of war from the Naimazhen tribe and got a clear understanding of the tribe's situation.

All the young women were captured.

"Thank you for your hard work." Li Xiao nodded slightly, acknowledging his contribution.

Then, he looked at these Naiman women. He had only one goal: to find a woman named Naimazhen.

She was Ögedei's sixth wife and the mother of Güyük, the third Great Khan of the Mongols.

According to legend, Naima was the daughter of Naiman Taiyang Khan, and married Khutuktu, the leader of the Merkit tribe, through a marriage alliance.

After Temujin destroyed the Merkit tribe, he captured Naimajin and gave her to Ögedei Khan. Naimajin gave birth to Ögedei Khan's eldest son, Güyük.

After Ögedei Khan's death, Naimajin, thanks to her son, rose to become the regent of the Mongol Empire.

She held power in the government for five years, and it wasn't until after her death that Güyük was truly elected as the Great Khan.

During his reign, Naima Zhen favored treacherous officials, leading to chaos in the court and a surge in internal conflicts.

Historically, she has not been highly regarded.

But after all, she was the second-generation Grand Consort of Mongolia, so Li Xiao was somewhat curious about her.

However, after interrogating some Naiman people, it was discovered that Tayang Khan did not have a daughter named Naimajin, nor did he have a marriage alliance with the Merkit tribe.

Later, Li Xiao learned that there was a tribe called Naimazhen in the Yudujin Mountains.

So he ordered his men to kill them, and all the young women were captured and interrogated.

But among the more than two hundred women, who is the real Noma Shin?
First, women over twenty years old were excluded, and then women of average or even ugly appearance were excluded.

In the end, only five girls met the requirements.

"What are your names?" Li Xiao asked in Turkic.

The Naiman tribe claims to be direct descendants of the Turks, and naturally speaks the Turkic language.

Li Xiao's Turkic language skills weren't very good; he spoke haltingly and could only manage simple conversations.

Therefore, it is necessary to find a foreign teacher and study this foreign language all night long.

Faced with Li Xiao's question, Tuolege and his companions were terrified and trembling, but they still mustered their courage and said, "Nai Mazhen Tuolege."

Her younger sister held her arm tightly and said timidly, "Nai Ma Zhen Ning Ling Ge Na."

The remaining girls all called out their names: "Noma Makoto~"

Li Xiao was speechless. Four out of the five girls were named Naima Zhen.

Because they were all nobles, while the remaining one was just a commoner who only had a given name and was not entitled to use the tribal name with a surname.

But Li Xiao didn't know Naima's real name.

"Forget it, I won't be picky anymore."

"I want them all."

Then, Li Xiao said to the centurion of the Golden Armor Army, "Take all five women with you."

"The rest will be sent to the military treasury and rewarded to the meritorious soldiers."

"As ordered."

Then, several golden-armored guards picked up the five girls and threw them onto the horse's back.

Throughout this process, Ning Lingge and the others cried out in fear, "Grandma, Grandma~"

On the contrary, Tuoliege was more composed. Li Xiao glanced at her curiously and remembered this woman.

That evening, all five girls took a shower and changed into clean clothes.

"Sister, I'm scared!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Ning Lingge turned pale, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he gripped his sister's arm tightly, too afraid to walk.

Tuo Liege was also terrified.

Soon, the two were pushed into the large tent, trembling.

The cold wind stopped here, and the tent was exceptionally warm.

Li Xiao was wearing a wolf-skin coat tightly wrapped around his body, his chest exposed, and he sat on the couch with an air of nonchalant swagger.

With an indifferent expression, he beckoned to the two of them and said, "Come here."

Toregna knew exactly what was about to happen.

But as my mother said, serving one man is much better than serving thousands of men in the military camp.

The man before them was their only chance to survive.

Another half hour passed, and Li Xiao's shout came from inside the tent.

"Somebody come!"

Four guards dressed in yellow cotton armor went inside.

"Take him out."

"The Grand Commander is truly a role model for us all."

The four guards were filled with envy, dreaming of becoming as mighty as Li Xiao.

When Li Xiao was sleeping, he did not allow unfamiliar women to remain in his tent.

Lying in bed, I slowly fell into deep thought.

"Damn it, they're all women from the same tribe, you can't tell them apart at all."

Even after going through them all, Li Xiao still couldn't tell who the real Naima Zhen was.

Some people's lives are just a brief mention in history books, and for Li Xiao, they were just fleeting passersby in his life.

"Haha~"

"Whether it's true or false doesn't matter anymore." Li Xiao shook his head and smiled, no longer dwelling on it.

After all, his feelings for Noma were merely driven by a desire to conquer, not by any particular obsession with Noma himself.

There are plenty of beautiful women in the world. Without her status as the second-generation Grand Consort of Mongolia, Naimazhen is nothing special.

Moreover, this woman's historical reputation is not very good.

Moreover, his genes weren't very good; his son, while not exactly stupid, wasn't particularly outstanding either.

Among the Mongol Khans before the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, Guyuk was the worst one. He accomplished almost nothing and instead caused a lot of trouble.

Therefore, Li Xiao has no intention of taking a woman like Naima Zhen into his household or giving her a formal title. He can keep her as a mistress, but he has no intention of taking her into his own household.

He didn't want her to have his children.

In the following days, Li Xiao had Naima Zhen and the others keep him company, as the novelty hadn't worn off yet.

In a moment of high spirits, he even granted Toregona's request, and out of consideration for her filial piety, allowed her to take her mother out of the military storehouse.

When the sisters of Töregene saw their mother, they could hardly believe their eyes; it was too tragic.

Fortunately, he can recover after a period of rest.

"Woooooooo~"

“Torgena, Ninglingna, I thought my daughter and I would never see each other again in this life.”

The mother and her two daughters embraced and wept bitterly.

Then, the mother instructed the two of them, "It is your good fortune to have been chosen to serve the Grand Commander."

"You must cherish this opportunity, listen to me, and don't anger the Grand Commander."

Listening to their mother's words, the two sisters nodded gently, but they no longer resisted as they had the first time.

Because they understood how fortunate they were to have a man of such martial prowess as the Grand Commander.

The only pity is that the Grand Commander was too mighty; even the two sisters combined couldn't defeat him.

“By the way, Grandma, we’ve found out where my two older brothers are,” Toleguna said.

"Where are they?" the mother asked anxiously.

Although his daughter is good, his son is his true support.

“My father has died in battle, and my two older brothers were captured by the Liao army and taken to Shandong to fight against the Kereit tribe,” the youngest daughter said.

Hearing this, the mother was filled with worry.

Her husband is dead, so be it. After all, she was taken from him by his father and son, and they had never treated her well.

But she was very worried about the safety of her two sons.

"May Ahala bless them, and may Anushimen and the others return alive."

Seeing his mother's devout prayers, Toregna's gaze gradually hardened.

Although the Grand Commander agreed to release their mother at the sisters' pleas, he refused to release their brothers.

This made Toregona feel a sense of defeat. Could it be that her beauty really couldn't attract the Grand Commander?
But she will not give up.

Having gone through all of this, she has come to clearly understand the importance of power.

She was unwilling to remain an unknown woman; she wanted to become the Grand Commander's true woman.

She wanted to bear a son for the Grand Commander; she wanted to become a woman like Gurbesu.

Fueled by this motivation, Tuolegena began to fawn over Li Xiao.

Little did she know that, simply because of her name, Noma Shin, she was destined to live only in the shadows.

That evening, two fast horses arrived at the camp.

A guard rushed into the tent: "Grand Commander, urgent report from Jinzhou!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao frowned and directly reached out to take the letter.

I checked the sealing wax seal and then opened it.

But at that moment, Toregona suddenly leaned over and asked in a seductive manner, "Grand Commander, what does the letter say?"

She blinked her big, innocent eyes at Li Xiao, looking so pitiful that it made one want to protect her.

But at this moment, Li Xiao frowned, looked at her with displeasure, and slapped her across the face.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound rang out in the large tent, and Toregona was whipped to the ground.

His eyes widened, he covered his cheeks, his expression filled with shock and disbelief.

"Who do you think you are, daring to spy on my Jinzhou secrets?" Li Xiao shouted angrily.

"Guards, drag her out and give her thirty lashes."

Upon hearing this, Tuolege suddenly realized what was happening, and his face turned deathly pale.

She knelt on the ground in terror, crying and begging for mercy: "Grand Commander, please spare this servant this time."

"I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to pry into military secrets. It was just an unintentional remark."

"Please, please spare me this time!"

Toleko kowtowed repeatedly, filled with dread.

She had personally witnessed what happened to slaves of the Naimazhen tribe after they had been whipped thirty times.

It's hard for a man to bear, let alone a woman like myself.

At this moment, her heart was filled with coldness, and a chill swept over her entire body.

The main reason was that Li Xiao's favoritism towards her and her sister these past few days had made her a little carried away.

Forgetting her own identity, she actually began to boldly test Li Xiao's bottom line little by little.

Such behavior is something Li Xiao absolutely cannot tolerate.

Now, he increasingly felt that this Töregene was none other than the historical Queen Norodom Naimajin.

Equally foolish, equally greedy.

Moreover, his desire for power surpasses all others.

Li Xiao had no intention of indulging her and ordered his men to drag her out.

If she still doesn't know what's good for her, Li Xiao wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

The atmosphere inside the large tent was oppressively terrifying.

Toregna's sister knelt below, trembling, and dared not plead for her sister.

Li Xiao ignored her and opened the letter directly.

But the next second, his expression changed instantly.

"How could this be?" Li Xiao murmured in surprise.

After the western expedition, Li Xiao left several spies in Luoyang.

There is no organization name, nor any other mission.

The most important thing is to keep an eye on Dongdu. If anything major happens, we must report it to Li Xiao as soon as possible.

Only Li Xiao and the old man knew about this matter, and the letter was also handed over by the old man.

Only one thing was reported: Xiao Simo was critically ill.

(End of this chapter)