The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 194 The Illegitimate Son of the Xiao Family, the Great Snow Dragon Steed

"Don't worry, it's okay."

"Brother, you are blessed with good fortune and will surely be safe and sound," Li Xiao said softly, holding Xiao Yanyan in his arms.

The next second, Xiao Yanyan broke free and said urgently with red eyes, "No, I want to go back to Dongdu. I want to stay by my brother's side."

Seeing this, Li Xiao quickly calmed her down and said with a wry smile, "Aman, calm down first."

"Now that you're heavily pregnant, how are you going to the Eastern Capital?"

You should think about the child too!

Hexibao is 800 li away from Dongdu, and it would take at least two or three days to get there. Xiao Yanyan simply cannot withstand the bumpy ride.

Xiao Yanyan collapsed onto the couch, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls. Her trembling hand touched her swollen belly: "What should I do..."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Li Xiao didn't have any good solutions either. As the governor of Jinzhou, it would be a serious matter if he went to Dongdu without orders.

As dusk deepened, Xiao Yanyan's tear stains were still wet, and her reddened eyes still carried lingering sorrow.

Li Xiao sat down beside her, his fingertips unconsciously stroking her hair, and pondered, "I've seen Xiao Dalu a few times before. He's burly and strong, but he doesn't seem very bright."

At this moment, Xiao Yanyan's mood had improved a lot, and she no longer insisted on returning to Dongdu. Recalling Xiao Dalu's appearance, she gently shook her head and said.

"It's more than just being unintelligent."

"He is reckless and eccentric, just like another Wugulun."

"That woman's scheming was written all over her face, yet she thought she had outsmarted everyone. It was utterly ridiculous."

She suddenly recalled the past, and a layer of helplessness appeared in her eyes: "Back then, the Empress Dowager saw that she was simple-minded and that everything was written on her face, so she sent her to serve my elder brother."

"Who would have thought she was so bold? After the Empress Dowager passed away, she took advantage of her elder brother's drunkenness to climb into his bed and had another son."

"It's an advantage for her."

Xiao Yanyan complained to Li Xiao about some of the ugly things Wu Gulun had done, which was also a way of venting her negative emotions.

Li Xiao frowned slightly, tapping his fingertips on the table as he asked, "Is it possible that elder brother will appoint Xiao Dalu as his heir?"

After all, Xiao Helun is too young now, not even ten years old, and his ability and prestige are not enough to convince people.

If Xiao Simo were to encounter problems at this point, then choosing an older son as his successor would be the best option.

But Xiao Yanyan shook her head resolutely and said firmly, "Absolutely impossible."

"why?"

Li Xiao asked, puzzled, "Just because he has a bad temper?"

Xiao Yanyan nodded: "Yes and no."

She looked out the window at the swaying sunset and said softly, "Wugulun is extremely controlling. He has been strict with Abutou since he was a child, and he has to obey him in everything."

"At that time, my elder brother was busy fighting with the people of the royal court. By the time he realized the problem, the child had already been raised to be indecisive."

If Xiao Dalu were to become the ruler of the Northern Frontier, he would be nothing more than a puppet.

If Wugulun were as wise as Empress Xiao, it would be fine; Xiao Simo could have given her the power of regent. But unfortunately, she herself is also clueless.

Therefore, the prerequisite for Xiao Dalu to succeed to the throne was to execute Wugulun.

However, Xiao Dalu's personality had already been formed: he was reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Without checks and balances, he was prone to making mistakes and losing the support of the people.

Most importantly, over the years Xiao Simo has focused his attention on Xiao Helun and has never truly taught Xiao Dalu the art of rulership.

One cannot shoulder the great task of the northern frontier with mere martial prowess.

Therefore, if there were even the slightest other possibility, Xiao Dalu would never have been able to inherit the throne.

Knowing this, Li Xiao nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "How many sons does elder brother have?"

Before he could finish speaking, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, only then realizing that he was a truly incompetent uncle, knowing very little about Xiao Simo's offspring.

This was mainly because those illegitimate sons were not valued and were rarely seen on ordinary days.

Xiao Yanyan took a sip of tea and gently placed the teacup on the table: "There are five of them still alive today."

“Abutou was the eldest, then there was another illegitimate son named Xiao Cigudu, and after that was Nairi.”

Nai Ri was Xiao Helun's nickname, which means "sun" in the Khitan language, which shows how much Xiao Simo loved this legitimate son.

In that era, the infant mortality rate was very high. Xiao Simo must have had other children, but only these five survived.

The remaining two illegitimate sons are even younger than Xiao Helun, making it even less likely that they will inherit the throne.

"What kind of person is Xiao Cigu?"

Li Xiao asked curiously, as he seemed to have never seen him before.

"That child is naturally quiet and reserved, always keeping silent. He hides behind people whenever he sees them; he's very timid," Xiao Yanyan sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, his mother was a Karluk. In her early years, she did something to offend her elder brother and was sentenced to death. As a result, he also became a thorn in his elder brother's side."

"The Karluks?"

Li Xiao wasn't too surprised. The Liao Kingdom was a multi-ethnic country, and ethnic integration was an inevitable trend.

Even if his mother was a Karluk, as long as his father was a Khitan, then he was a genuine Khitan.

This was mainly because during that era, various tribes and ethnic groups had a great need for population.

In order to make the tribe stronger and reproduce a larger population, the bloodline of the other half was not valued so much.

Afterwards, Li Xiao opened the letter sent by Xiao Dalu. It contained only the same old greetings, with no interesting topics whatsoever.

It is clear that Xiao Dalu and her son were simply trying to curry favor with Li Xiao and his wife and solidify their relationship.

After all, no one can open their heart and reveal their hand as soon as they meet.

That kind of person is a complete idiot. Li Xiao would definitely report him, otherwise he would inevitably be implicated.

"Give all these tonics to the servants."

"I've already asked my second uncle to buy you something better," Li Xiao said to Xiao Yanyan as he casually placed the letter on the table.

After all, Li Xiao wasn't comfortable with this kind of food.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Xiao Yanyan nodded. Even if Li Xiao hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have eaten anything indiscriminately.

"Let's go see what the legendary Akhal-Teke horse looks like," Li Xiao said softly, then helped Xiao Yanyan walk towards the backyard.

According to the old eunuch, Xiao Dalu also happened to encounter a caravan and was selling three Akhal-Teke horses.

Xiao Dalu immediately spent a large sum of money to buy the three Akhal-Teke horses.

He kept one horse for himself, gave one to Xiao Simo, and sent the last one to Li Xiao.

This demonstrates the preciousness of this horse.

Afterwards, the couple went to the backyard stables, where more than a dozen warhorses were kept, all of them very tall and magnificent.

The warhorses in northern Xinjiang are mainly Turkic horses, a very ancient breed, with an average height of about 1.4 meters.

They are taller than Mongolian horses, but their endurance is inferior.

During the last campaign against the royal court, Li Xiao captured more than 20,000 Ferghana horses and brought them back to Jinzhou, where he is now ordering people to train even better warhorses.

The dozen or so horses in the stable were mostly large and robust Ferghana horses.

Compared to Turkic horses, Ferghana horses are much larger, with an average height of over 1.5 meters.

Emperor Wu of Han dispatched General Li Guangli to conquer the Western Regions in order to seize the Ferghana horses, but unfortunately, the expedition failed.

Therefore, some people say that the Ferghana horse is the same as the Akhal-Teke horse.

However, the sweat from Ferghana horses is definitely not red.

In short, in Li Xiao's view, the term "Akhal-Teke" is just a general term, meaning that the warhorse is tall, strong, fast, and has good endurance.

Li Xiao remained skeptical about whether it truly existed in the world.

“Grand Commander, this is the Akhal-Teke horse that the First Prince sent,” a servant said, pointing to a white warhorse in the stable.

This horse was tall and magnificent, half a head taller than ordinary Turkic horses. It was pure white, covered with short, fine white hair, and its entire body shone with a rosy glow in the setting sun.

I could even vaguely see the flow of blood.

The moment Li Xiao saw the warhorse, he knew its origin.

They came from the Black Sea region and belonged to the territory ruled by Khwarazm.

This is the Altyn horse, which was later known as the Ferghana horse.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!"

Xiao Yanyan looked at the warhorse, her face filled with surprise and her eyes shining.

Then, he walked to the side of the warhorse, reached out and gently stroked it, looking very pleased.

Li Xiao examined the warhorse for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment: "Unfortunately, it's a castrated horse."

To prevent their warhorses from being used as breeding horses by others, the Khwarazmians would certainly castrate them before selling them.

Therefore, this horse only looked strong and beautiful, but that was all in Li Xiao's eyes.

If it can't be used as a stud, it's worthless; it's just for show.

"Aman, since you like it, then this horse is yours."

“But you can only ride it after you give birth,” Li Xiao warned.

"Okay, I promise I won't ride it."

Xiao Yanyan nodded, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"By the way, husband, let's give it a name."

Every horse in the stable has its own name, but Li Xiao didn't have the time to think of names; those were all given by Xiao Yanyan and the other women.

"Treading Snow? But we already have Treading Snow at home." Xiao Yanyan looked at a black horse with snow-white hooves in the stable.

"Snow White?"

Li Xiao shook his head slightly and said directly, "Let's call it Great Snow Dragon Steed!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanyan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Big Snow Dragon Colt?"

"This is a good name."

Afterwards, Li Xiao personally mounted the horse and rode around for a while, and felt it was quite good.

The Altyn horse is large and has a wider stride than the Turkic horse. It is very fast when charging and can be easily ridden by heavy cavalry.

"It's a pity it can't be a stud," Li Xiao said with a slight sigh, stroking the horse's mane. The horse seemed to understand its master's words, breathing warm air from its nostrils, shaking its head with a "humph," and pawing the ground restlessly, as if it too was unwilling to continue its bloodline.

Seeing this, Li Xiao chuckled and said, "You, this castrated horse, are quite adept at understanding human nature."

The horse was a good horse, but unfortunately it couldn't reproduce.

After laughing, Li Xiao slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the clouds and landing on the blood-red sunset in the distance.

That place is in the direction of Khwarazm.

"Such a fine horse, owned by the Khwarazmians, is truly a pearl being tarnished."

"It should be the sharp blade that allows my Jinzhou Iron Cavalry to roam the world."

Li Xiao has made up his mind that even if it's just to seize more Great Snow Dragon Steeds, he will still have to take action against Khwarazm in the future.

……

Xiao Helun and Xuegu Erda led an army of 5,000 men from Dongdu, crossed the Alatau Mountains, and entered the territory of Ili.

Wherever they went, the Karluk tribes were suppressed, and the remaining Karluk tribes quickly assembled.

All the men, women, and children took up their swords, mounted their warhorses, and formed an army of about ten thousand men.

The sunlight bathed the Tekemian Mountains in a golden hue, and the five thousand soldiers of Dongdu, clad in leather armor, resembled a flowing black Great Wall stretching across the hills.

Xuegueruda reined in his horse, pointed with his whip at the Karluk army formation ahead, and said to Xiaohelun.

"Your Highness, look, although the enemy hastily assembled, they have taken advantage of the mountain passes on both sides."

"If our army attacks from the front, the Karluk troops on both sides can take the opportunity to flank us..."

He then pointed his whip to the other side, where he could vaguely see a mixture of women and children, their knives and spears swaying erratically, yet converging into a tragic and chilling aura.

"They are holding their ground in a desperate situation, and we should not underestimate them."

"But our army is well-equipped and its soldiers are elite; we only need to cut off their flanks..."

Before the words were finished, a desolate horn blared from the Karluk ranks, warhorses neighed, and the birds in the mountains scattered in fright.

Xiao Helun gripped the curved knife at his waist, his knuckles turning white.

However, Xuegueruda remained calm and immediately began to command his army to attack.

Although the Karluk coalition outnumbered the Eastern Capital army twice as many, the Eastern Capital army, composed entirely of strong cavalry, was far more powerful than the Karluk army, which consisted of the elderly and weak.

Soon after, under the command of Xuegu Erluda, the Eastern Capital army split into several units, which, like sharp spears, routed the Karluk coalition.

"kill!"

Subsequently, the entire Eastern Capital army launched an attack, pursuing and annihilating the enemy.

This process is often the time when the most enemies are killed.

The Karluks fled for their lives, and many of the elderly, women, and children fell from their horses and were crushed to death by the warhorses behind them. Even those who managed to escape were killed by the Dongdu army that followed.

Xiao Helun personally led his army, killing and capturing many Karluks.

However, just as he led his army to pursue a defeated Karluk force of about a thousand men and arrived at a valley, a low, mournful sound of a cow horn suddenly rang out between heaven and earth.

The Karluks, who were fleeing for their lives, reined in their horses and stood in front of them.

However, a large number of soldiers suddenly appeared on the hills on both sides.

Upon witnessing this scene, the soldiers of the Eastern Capital Army instantly became serious.

"Oh no, we've been ambushed."

"Protect the Crown Prince."

Two thousand Dongdu cavalrymen immediately formed a defensive formation, surrounding Xiao Helun in the middle.

Fortunately, the valley floor was very large and the terrain was wide, and the hills on both sides were far enough apart, so it was not a true valley of death. Otherwise, the Eastern Capital army would never have blindly rushed in.

Neither the enemy troops on the hill could directly harm the Eastern Capital army, whether they used bows and crossbows or rolling stones.

However, this commanding position and being surrounded on three sides put immense psychological pressure on the Eastern Capital army.

Faced with an enemy force several times their size, many of them would likely perish here.

"what happened?"

"Where did all these enemy troops come from?"

Shock was evident on Xiao Helun's youthful face. According to their pre-battle intelligence, the 10,000-strong allied army that had been defeated earlier was the entirety of the Karluk people's strength.

The population of Yili is limited, and the Karluks cannot possibly gather more troops. So what is going on here?

"Don't panic, listen to my orders."

"Let's fight our way out."

Xiao Helun shouted loudly, demonstrating a composure and calmness beyond his years at this crucial moment.

He pointed straight ahead, where the more than a thousand Karluk soldiers they had previously chased were located.

After a fierce battle, these Karluk soldiers were exhausted.

Xiao Helun chose to break through from this direction.

"kill!"

The cavalry of the Eastern Capital charged forward in a mighty procession.

At the same time, enemy troops on both sides of the hills also rushed in, trying to surround and devour Xiao Helun's two thousand soldiers.

Meanwhile, Xuegu Erda learned that Xiaohelun was surrounded.

"what?"

"Damn it!" Xuegueruda cursed angrily, his face contorted with rage.

The Eastern Capital army has already defeated the Karluk coalition from the front; now it's time to pursue the remaining enemy and reap the rewards.

Therefore, Xuegueruda specifically asked Xiaohelun to lead a group to carry out this not-so-dangerous mission.

The goal was to enable Xiao Helun to achieve more merits and establish prestige in the army.

But unexpectedly, Xiao Helun was surrounded.

“The royal court.” Xuegu Erluda emerged from the water with a gloomy expression.

He knew exactly how many people the Karluk tribes in Ili had, and he knew they certainly didn't have enough troops to surround Xiao Helun's two thousand cavalry.

Therefore, it must be the royal army that has arrived.

Xuegueruda no longer had time to investigate why so many royal troops were able to enter Ili without being detected.

The most important thing is to rescue Xiao Helun.

"We must rescue the prince; follow me and we will kill him."

……

On the other side, atop the hill, Yelü Zhixin gazed at the battle below with a broad smile, laughing as he spoke.

"We never expected to be so lucky."

"I thought it would be good enough to just surround Xuegueruda, but I didn't expect to catch an even bigger fat sheep."

"Xiao Simo's eldest son, Xiao Helun?"

"Hahaha!"

Beside Yelü Zhixin, a young man in his early twenties rode a warhorse, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Xiao Simo's health is deteriorating, and he has placed all his hopes on his eldest son."

"Your Highness, all we need to do is capture Xiao Helun, and the Northern Frontier will fall without a fight."

Hearing this, Yelü Zhixin smiled and nodded: "That's right."

"Fortunately, Father Emperor pardoned you and your son and brought you back, otherwise, how could we have achieved such results?"

"If we can capture Xiao Helun, you and your son will be credited with the greatest achievement."

"I will certainly take good care of this cousin."

Yelü Zhixin was the son of Yelü Zhilugu. Although he was not made crown prince, he was the strongest contender for the throne.

This time, he led part of the royal army and the army of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, starting from Kashgar, heading north along the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, and finally successfully crossing the Tianshan Mountains in the area of ​​Nalati.

They bypassed the Eastern Capital army's spies and, in cooperation with the Karluks, set up this encirclement.

The plan was devised by the young man standing next to him and his father.

His name was Xiao Hetu, and he was Xiao Simo's cousin.

His father was Xiao Wulila's illegitimate son.

After the palace coup that year, both of the second generation of the Xiao family's legitimate sons died, and the young Xiao Simo was designated as the next successor of the Xiao family.

However, he was too young at the time and lacked the prestige to support the vast Xiao family.

Not only did he have to face the wolves and tigers outside, but people within the Xiao family also came to compete with Xiao Simo for power.

The most ruthless of them all was Xiao Hetu's father.

However, the father and son were ultimately defeated by Xiao Simo and had to flee to Khotan.

That place is at the southern end of the Taklamakan Desert, extremely desolate, and falls under the sphere of influence of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, making it difficult for Xiao Simo to reach.

However, they have been secretly monitoring the situation in the royal court, ready to make a comeback at any time.

This battle was the result of their planning, father and son.

As an elder who once vied with Xiao Simo for power within the Xiao family, Xiao Hetu's father had quite a few of the Xiao family's spies in his hands.

“Your Highness, Xiao Helun is Xiao Simo’s legitimate son, and Xuegu Erluda cannot simply ignore him.”

"We just need to hold these two mountain passes firmly, and no matter how many men Xuegu Eruda brings, they will all become our dead under our arrows," Xiao Hetu said with an air of confidence.

They had only a small number of elite royal troops under their command; the majority were soldiers conscripted from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate.

In open field battles, they would be no match for the elite cavalry of the Eastern Capital.

Therefore, Xiao Hetu's idea was to occupy advantageous terrain, turn the Dongdu army's attack into a piecemeal tactic, and slowly annihilate them.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way,” Yelü Zhixin said, clapping his hands.

"As long as we eliminate these five thousand Eastern Capital troops, the Northern Frontier will be severely weakened."

"At that time, Father Emperor can lead the main force of the royal court to pacify the Seven Rivers Grassland, and march north with our army to besiege the Eastern Capital and completely eliminate Xiao Simo." Yelü Zhixin was full of anticipation for this.

If this goal is achieved, then the royal court will be able to completely unify the northern frontier, and he will be able to take advantage of this great achievement to become the crown prince of the Liao Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)