The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 207 The Eight Tribes of the Khitan, Battle of the Sihun River

On the south bank of the Sihun River, Wang Tingjun's camp resembled a giant steel beast perched on the grassland.

The cowhide tents, stretching for more than ten miles, gleamed with a cold, hard light in the twilight.

Twelve battle flags, each three zhang tall, stood before the central tent, each bearing a different design.

Sun and moon, mountains and rivers, oceans and seas, wolves and eagles, and so on.

Beneath each battle flag lay a massive war drum.

This was an important part of the imperial procession of the Liao emperors.

The twelve flags and twelve drums are collectively known as the "Emperor's Ceremonial Drums".

Representing the supreme status of the emperor, the appearance of these twenty-four flags and drums in the military camp signifies that the emperor has personally led his troops here.

The origin of these flags and drums is said to be related to the Tang Dynasty.

The Khitan leader, Dahe, was rewarded by the Tang emperor with twelve divine banners, twelve flags, and twelve drums for his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion in the Central Plains.

In the years that followed, power shifts occurred within the Khitan people, with the decline of the Dahe clan and the rise of the Yaolian clan.

Ultimately, the Yelü clan became powerful, and the Yaolian clan took the initiative to deliver these divine objects to the Yelü clan's tent.

The twelve divine banners were thus truly established as sacred objects of the Liao Dynasty, symbolizing the supreme power of the Khitan Khan and the Liao emperor.

The twelve divine banners were only brought out for major ancestral worship ceremonies and imperial enthronement ceremonies.

On ordinary days, the twenty-four flags and drums became items that the emperor carried with him.

At this moment, inside the large tent, the gilded bronze incense burner emitted pine resin, which mixed with the sour and fishy smell of mare's milk wine.

Yelü Zhilugu leaned back on a turquoise-inlaid folding chair, his brocade robe embroidered with gold eagles loosely covering his chest. He held an agate wine cup in his left hand and casually tossed a raisin into his mouth with his right.

With two concubines kneeling and serving him on either side, Yelü Zhilugu enjoyed a very comfortable imperial expedition.

"Has Jiu Meng Anhe replied?" he asked, his mouth full of wine, the last syllable trailing off lazily.

"Reply to Your Majesty!"

The attendant suddenly knelt down, his forehead almost touching the wool carpet: "That traitor not only rejected your offer of surrender, but also... he insulted Your Majesty, calling you incompetent and saying that you would ruin the Liao Dynasty sooner or later!"

"Hmph, ungrateful wretch." Yelü Zhilugu snorted coldly, not feeling angry, just a little regretful.

In the last war with the Eastern Capital, the royal army suffered heavy losses, and Yelü Zhilugu realized that he needed a group of capable generals to avenge the Kingdom of Gur and Khwarazm.

Jiu Meng Anhe came into his sight. Although he had contributed to the last attack on Hu Siwo Erduo, it also proved his ability.

Unfortunately, Jiu Meng Anhe didn't know what was good for him.

"Xiao Simo's days are numbered, and now a little kid is in charge in the Eastern Capital."

"It won't be long before I personally lead my army to conquer the Eastern Capital. At that time, I'll see if Jiu Meng Anhe will kneel down and beg for my forgiveness."

As he spoke, a smug smile appeared on Yelü Zhilugu's face.

The current situation is extremely favorable for the royal court.

The internal strife in the Eastern Capital gave the royal court an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Now his son Yelü Zhixin has led an army of 20,000 across the Alatau Mountains and arrived at the Eastern Capital.

We don't need to conquer Dongdu; as long as we can contain Dongdu's main force and prevent them from supporting Qihe, we will have succeeded.

Once the main force of the royal army he led crossed the Sihun River and joined forces with Yelü Zhixin, the royal army would reach an astonishing 70,000 men.

At that time, the Eastern Capital was within easy reach.

As for Xiao Pulayelu and his son?

They will lose their usefulness. If they are sensible, Yelü Zhilugu can give them wealth and honor.

But if you have any inappropriate thoughts, hmph!
"Xiao Simo, you'd better not die so young."

"Brother, I still want to catch up with you properly," Yelü Zhilugu said with a smug smile, then pulled the two concubines into his arms.

His hand naturally slipped inside her collar, causing the two concubines to pout coquettishly, and Yelü Zhilugu laughed heartily again.

Just then, the attendant entered again and whispered, "Your Majesty, General Tayanggu requests an audience."

"Let him in," Yelü Zhilugu said casually, and then continued to frolic with the two concubines.

Soon, a burly general in armor entered, placed his hand on his chest, and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

“Tayanggu, sit down.”

"Bring wine!" Yelü Zhilugu ordered.

There are very few people in the entire Western Liao who can sit at the same table with him.

Although Tayangu's abilities are average, his loyalty is unparalleled.

When Yelü Pusuhan became emperor, Yelü Zhilugu was imprisoned in his palace, living in constant fear. It was the loyal father and son, Tayanggu, who remained by his side through thick and thin.

After becoming emperor, Yelü Zhilugu bestowed upon him and his son the utmost wealth and honor, and even married Tayanggu's sister, making her a concubine.

Even worse, Tayangu suffered crushing defeats in both wars against the Ghurid Kingdom and Khwarazm.

Yelü Zhilugu only gave him a minor punishment as a warning, and continued to trust him greatly.

Now, with the royal army lacking veteran generals, Yelü Zhilugu has appointed Tayanggu as the deputy commander of the army, second only to himself, and his favor is unmatched.

Tayanggu sat down on the stool next to him, ignoring the fruits, delicacies and wine in front of him, and looked at Yelü Zhilugu and said, "Your Majesty, your humble servant has come to report."

"Oh, where are the six armies?" Yelü Zhilugu asked anxiously.

The events in Luoyang were too sudden, and the opportunity was fleeting. So, as soon as Yelü Zhilugu learned of the news, he led the Pishi Imperial Guard and the troops of the Five Courts personally led by the emperor, a total of 20,000 men, to cross the Ili River ahead of time.

After a series of battles, they finally defeated the Seven Rivers army and pushed the battle line to the Sihun River area.

However, an army of 20,000 is not a guarantee of safety, after all, Xiao Simo's last western expedition had more than 40,000 troops under his command.

Therefore, Yelü Zhilugu issued a mobilization order to other tribes, commanding them to send at least 30,000 troops to provide support.

This time, he intends to use 70,000 troops to completely pacify the northern frontier.

"The troops of the Yishi, Pin, Tubulu, and Niela tribes are less than fifty li from my camp and are expected to arrive by evening."

"The troops from the Tuju and Wuhuai tribes are expected to arrive by tomorrow evening."

These six tribes, along with the five tribes directly commanded by Yelü Zhilugu and the six tribes under Xiao Simo, constituted the famous Eight Tribes of the Khitan.

Of course, these were not the eight tribes of the Khitan during the Liao Dynasty, but rather the eight tribes that Yelü Dashi reorganized after annexing many nomadic tribes during his western expedition.

They were the core force behind Yelü Dashi's establishment of the Western Liao Dynasty.

Among them, the Fifth and Sixth Departments are significantly stronger than the other six departments.

The last western expedition was actually a war between the Fifth Academy and the Sixth Academy.

Aside from providing some able-bodied men to join the royal army, the ordinary people of the other six tribes had been sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight.

Let's see who has the last laugh between Xiao Simo and Yelü Zhilugu, and then the Six Ministries will submit to them.

After all, Yelü Zhilugu had done a series of foolish things, which made him unpopular.

Xiao Simo also secretly contacted the Six Ministries and many royal court nobles before he dared to launch the western expedition after confirming their attitude.

However, news of Xiao Simo's critical illness has now reached the royal court, and Yelü Zhixin has even annihilated five thousand Dongdu soldiers in Yili and captured Xiao Simo's eldest son, Xiao Helun.

All signs indicate that the Eastern Capital is doomed.

Therefore, in order to prove their 'innocence' with Xiao Simo, the Six Ministries dispatched a large number of their people to the northern frontier.

They devoured the corpses of those from the northern frontier to strengthen their own tribe.

He used Xiao Simo's downfall as a stepping stone for his own advancement.

Although they were just a group of ordinary herders, no match for the elite of the Pishi Imperial Guard, even ants can kill an elephant.

Yelü Zhilugu intended to use overwhelming military force to completely crush the northern frontier.

"Okay, great."

"Once these troops arrive, I will be able to command 70,000 men, march straight to Luoyang, and capture the treacherous Xiao Simo alive."

"Hahaha~"

Even during the later stages of Yelü Dashi's western expedition, when he fought a decisive battle against the Seljuk Empire, his forces numbered only 60,000.

During the reign of Yelü Yilie, the imperial court conducted a census of the population within the territory directly under the royal court.

The result was 84,500 households.

This result includes not only the eight tribes of the Khitan, but also many Uyghurs, Karluks, Turks, Han Chinese, and others living within the direct territory of the royal court.

After all, the territory directly under the royal court was originally a part that was separated from the territory of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, and it included many indigenous people.

Although the population of the royal court has increased over the decades, the last expedition to the north and west resulted in heavy losses for the royal court.

The number of people captured by Li Xiao from Husiwo alone reached 20,000.

Subsequently, Husi Ordos was ravaged by the Kangli people and was completely destroyed.

Therefore, the 50,000 troops mobilized by Yelü Zhilugu this time accounted for almost two-thirds of the adult male population within the royal court.

With the addition of Yelü Zhixin's 20,000 troops from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, the total strength reached an astonishing 70,000.

If the northern frontier cannot be pacified quickly, serious problems will surely arise in the heartland of the royal court.

"Tayanggu, immediately issue an order to the four divisions of Yishi, that they need not join my main army."

"You will be in command. Tomorrow morning, we will launch a surprise attack on the lower reaches of the Sihun River and look for an opportunity to cross the river."

“The Seven Rivers Army has less than five thousand men left, and it is absolutely impossible for them to defend all the river channels,” Yelü Zhilugu said in a deep voice.

The Seven Rivers Army was composed of local Turkic tribes and some Khitans brought by Jiu Meng'anhe.

At its peak, the Seven Rivers Army numbered over 10,000, making it the largest publicly visible force among the five northern prefectures.

However, the Seven Rivers Army could not withstand the attack of 20,000 Pi Shi Imperial Guards and the Five Departments' army.

Fewer soldiers died in battle, and more surrendered.

After all, with the tribe captured, the soldiers of the Seven Rivers Turkic tribe had no choice but to surrender.

Therefore, the current forces under Jiu Meng Anhe are less than 5,000 men. They had all moved their tribes to the north of the Sihun River in advance, otherwise they would have surrendered long ago.

"After you lead your troops across the Sihun River, immediately turn back upstream and cooperate with the main force of my army to completely annihilate the remnants of Jiu Meng Anhe's army on the Sihun River."

Upon hearing Yelü Zhilugu's plan, Tayanggu's face immediately showed an expression of admiration.

He said excitedly, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"This plan is absolutely flawless. If it is carried out, let alone the mere five thousand people on the other side, even an army of fifty thousand would not be able to escape Your Majesty's grasp."

Do you really think Tayanggu is just a freeloader? He's actually received specialized training.

Despite his outward appearance as a military general with thick eyebrows and big eyes, his flattery skills were in no way inferior to those of the sycophantic civil officials.

Otherwise, based solely on his past achievements and his relationship with his sister in the harem, it would not have been possible to guarantee that Tayanggu would continue to enjoy such favor for so many years.

Sure enough, Yelü Zhilugu was extremely pleased with Tayanggu's flattery and burst into laughter.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that those ministers are respectful to me on the surface; they are actually criticizing me for being incompetent."

"I know perfectly well what's going on, but I just don't want to bother with them," Yelü Zhilugu said.

"This time, let everyone see whether I am a foolish and incompetent ruler." Tayanggu immediately showed an angry expression and cursed, "Those people are blind."

"Your Majesty is truly a peerless genius, one in a thousand years."

"If he is a foolish ruler, then no one in the world can be called a wise ruler."

"Emperor Taizu established the foundation of our Great Liao Dynasty, Emperor Dezong (Da Shi) restored the world, and Your Majesty is the Yao and Shun of our time. You are the great hero chosen by Heaven to lead our Great Liao Dynasty to reclaim our lost lands and rebuild the world."

"If there is a wise ruler in this world, it is none other than Your Majesty. Only Your Majesty is worthy of the eight characters 'The sun and moon shine together, and all nations come to pay tribute'!"

Look at that, that's professionalism.

In just a few words, Yelü Zhilugu was completely bewildered.

He kept waving his hands and saying, "It's over, it's over."

"How dare I compare myself to Emperor Taizu and Emperor Dezong?"

“Tayanggu, don’t talk nonsense.”

Although he appeared humble on the surface, the corners of his mouth couldn't be suppressed by the upward curve of his lips, his beard trembled slightly, and Yelü Zhilugu's eyes were practically beaming with laughter.

Looking at Tayanggu, he found him increasingly pleasing to the eye and said with a smile, "General Tayanggu has made great contributions. He will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold first, and after the Seven Rivers Army on the other side is wiped out, his rank will be promoted by one level."

"Thank you, Your Majesty~"

Tayanggu was overjoyed and knelt down to say something.

The two concubines inside the tent were deeply shocked by what they saw.

I've learned something new, I really have.

He went back and taught it to his brothers, saying that if they wanted to advance in the sect, they had to learn from Tayanggu.

Early the next morning, Tayanggu led three thousand Pishi soldiers to join forces with the troops of the four Yishi tribes.

"Tayang Ancient Privy Councilor~"

The king of the four departments of the Yishi stepped forward and greeted Tayanggu.

Although their ancestors were all meritorious officials who followed Yelü Dashi on his western expedition, and they themselves were all great kings, Tayanggu's status was not low either.

My elder sister is a Noble Consort, and she herself is Yelü Zhilugu's most trusted minister. She also serves as the Privy Councilor of the Northern Privy Council, nominally in charge of all the troops of the Western Liao.

Although the Four Great Kings were not afraid of Tayangu, they did not want to offend him unnecessarily, so maintaining a superficial harmony was sufficient.

“Four kings, His Majesty has ordered us to march downstream along the Sihun River and seek an opportunity to cross it,” Tayanggu said.

He then circulated Yelü Zhilugu's military order to the four men.

After the four kings finished reading, King Otsushi nodded slightly and said, "Since His Majesty has given this order, we will naturally obey."

"However, Jiu Meng Anhe is a veteran general of the northern frontier and should not be underestimated."

"If any action is to be taken, we will need to discuss it further before making a decision."

The other three kings nodded slightly in agreement.

The eight tribes of the Khitan were highly independent, just like the Six Courts could rival the royal court.

Although these six tribes did not possess such strength, they were by no means to be easily manipulated.

Just like the Royal Guard Pi Shi Army, which was the only standing army of the Western Liao Dynasty, responsible for guarding the royal court and ready to respond to war at any time.

The soldiers were all elites selected from the seven divisions.

If the Six Great Kings are angered, the soldiers of the Pi Shi Army might very well cause chaos.

This is also the key reason why Yelü Zhilugu dared not blindly retaliate against their previous inaction.

Upon hearing this, Tayanggu's expression darkened, but there was nothing he could do.

As the Northern Privy Councilor, he really couldn't command these four armies.

The fact that they even came is already a sign of respect for Yelü Zhilugu.

“Okay, we’ll discuss it together,” Tayangu said with a calm expression.

Thus, the Pishi Army, along with four other units, totaling 15,000 men, marched in a mighty procession down the Sihun River.

The Seven Rivers Grassland gets its name from the seven rivers that flow down from the Tianshan Mountains, traverse the entire grassland, and flow into Lake Balkhash.

Of these seven rivers, the Sihun River has the third largest water flow.

It is currently the high-water season in summer.

The water flow is so large that it can even reach above one's head in the downstream center.

Therefore, the offensive and defensive battles between the two armies were mainly concentrated upstream. Due to insufficient troops, Jiu Meng An He's defense of the downstream area was not very tight.

After arriving downstream, Tayanggu and his group ordered their men to search the area, but ultimately found nothing.

“The river is very deep, so we can only build a pontoon bridge,” Tayanggu said.

Fortunately, although the Sihun River is deep, it is not too wide, and it would only take two or three days to build a simple pontoon bridge.

"Good, send men to find wood to make sheepskin bags."

Such a large-scale troop gathering was quickly discovered by scouts on the opposite bank, and the news swiftly reached the Jiu Meng An He army.

"Is Wang Tingjun preparing to build a pontoon bridge downstream?"

"This is bad." Jiu Meng Anhe's expression was grave.

If the Wang Ting army were to attack from downstream, then they could continue their escape.

"Someone come here!"

Jiu Meng Anhe was preparing to detach a portion of his troops to block the construction of the pontoon bridge.

But just then, a personal guard rushed in to report: "General, reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Jiu Meng Anhe was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

……

Two days later, at dawn, five simple pontoon bridges were about to be completed on the lower reaches of the Sihun River.

Tayanggu, shirtless, stood on the riverbank, riding his warhorse, gazing at the surging waters, his face filled with determination and arrogance.

"This time, I'll let everyone know how powerful I, Tayanggu, am."

"The northern frontier is nothing special; my Tayanggu can wipe it out with a single blow."

Four years ago, Tayangu led a large army to conquer the Kingdom of Gur, but suffered a crushing defeat.

Three years ago, Tayangu led a large army to attack Khwarazm, but suffered another crushing defeat.

But this time, the royal army's victory was already assured, and there was virtually no possibility of defeat.

All they need to do is cross the Sihun River to wipe out the Seven Rivers Army on the other side, and then march straight to the Eastern Capital.

Therefore, he must fight this battle brilliantly, not only to wash away the past humiliation, but also to lay the foundation for him to become a famous general of the Liao Dynasty.

Just then, a cheer suddenly came from afar.

"The pontoon bridge is now complete."

"We succeeded."

The craftsmen responsible for building the pontoon bridge cheered.

Tayanggu issued a strict order: if the work is not completed within two days, all of them will be executed.

Therefore, even if five pontoon bridges are to be built at the same time, it is necessary to work overtime and keep working without a break.

Fortunately, the construction process went very smoothly, and the Nanagawa army seemed not to have noticed it and did not come to cause any damage.

Tayanggu rushed over quickly, his face full of excitement as he looked at the few simple pontoon bridges.

"Good, good, all the craftsmen will be richly rewarded."

"Order the army to cross the bridge quickly."

It took most of the day for all 15,000 people to finally cross the pontoon bridge.

Upon stepping onto the north bank, Tayanggu, who had previously been bare-shouldered, immediately donned full armor, ready for battle.

I looked up at the sky; the sun was hanging in the west, and it would be at least two more hours before it got dark.

"The opportunity to fight is fleeting. We have no time to rest and must immediately advance upstream," Tayanggu said as he convened the four tribal kings for discussion.

"The boys have been resting on the south bank for two days, their bones are still soft, it's time for them to get back to work."

"Okay, let's get going."

The situation is now clear; it's obvious that Xiao Simo is doomed.

Without him, the northern frontier certainly wouldn't be able to hold out.

At this point, they couldn't care less about their past relationship with Xiao Simo. If they didn't want to be purged by Yelü Zhilugu, they had to fight hard in the northern frontier.

Moreover, Xiao Simo has been managing the Northern Frontier for so many years and has a deep foundation. Even if he were to seize a piece of the fat meat from the Northern Frontier, it would be enough for the six ministries to be stuffed.

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Tayanggu laughed and said, "Good."

"Let's attack the Seven Rivers Army right now and catch them off guard."

But in the next second, a deep rumble suddenly resounded between heaven and earth.

"what sound?"

Tayanggu's body suddenly trembled, startled.

Looking up at the sky, the bright red sun hung high on the horizon, the sky was cloudless, the weather was perfect, and it didn't look like it was going to rain at all.

But where did the thunder come from?
But in the next instant, Tayangu witnessed what the wrath of Thor was.

One after another, the shells traced beautiful arcs in the sky and accurately struck the Wang Ting army.

"Boom boom boom~"

Immediately afterwards, shells exploded, and a series of booming sounds rang out among the crowd.

Cast iron shell casings burst open in mid-air, and hundreds of iron nails and pebbles spread out in a fan shape. The cavalrymen in the front row were riddled with nails along with their horses. The warhorses neighed and crashed to the ground, crushing the cavalrymen behind them into a bloody pulp.

"Ahhh-"

A piercing scream shattered the clouds.

A soldier staggered away, clutching half of his still twitching arm. The next second, another shell exploded, scattering nails everywhere. It burst open in his abdomen, spraying crimson blood, and his internal organs spilled out from the ruptured wound.

Another Pishi soldier who tried to lie down to avoid the attack had his forehead sliced ​​open by a piece of iron, and his brains mixed with dirt splattered on his comrade's face.

Because they had just landed, the royal army's formation was relatively dense, but this led even more people into the abyss.

The once orderly military formation has now been transformed into a living hell, filled with the screams and wails of soldiers.

Tayangu stared at all this in terror, letting out a low growl like a wild beast.
"This, this, this is impossible!"

"This is beyond human capability."

Before he could finish speaking, another round of artillery fire came. The personal guard, who was standing close by, was shot in the neck with an iron nail. His mangled body crashed heavily at his feet, and warm blood splattered on his cheeks.

(End of this chapter)