The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 221 The First Warrior of the Northern Frontier
In October, the grass on the Jinzhou Grassland has begun to turn yellow in large swaths, undulating in the wind like golden waves.

The war is over this year. After harvesting the grain, the townspeople have started to mobilize their families to cut winter grass to store food for their cattle and sheep for the winter.

Meanwhile, the construction of Longcheng continues in full swing.

Before the sun had fully risen, prisoners of war were driven to work, carrying boulders or spreading mud.

The exhausted men hunched over, their shoulders bearing deep, bone-revealing wounds from the rough ropes.

"One two! One two!"

Amidst the hoarse shouts, a young prisoner of war slipped, and a 300-pound bluestone instantly crushed his calf.

Amid screams, the overseer's whip fell again: "Don't stop, keep working!"

The other prisoners of war walked past his twisted body numbly, continuing to drag the heavy stones as if he were just an ordinary corpse by the roadside.

The overseer dragged the prisoner with the broken leg aside to avoid delaying the project's progress; as for how the wound would fare, that was left to fate.

The most eye-catching thing on this construction site is the row of flagpoles strung together with rope.

Heads were hanging from the rope.

The reason for this is that these people are either planning to secretly escape or inciting others to rebel.

The sight sent chills down the spines of every passing prisoner of war, yet none dared to look up and glance at it.

On this day, Li Xiao stood on the completed inner city wall, the green bricks under his feet still carrying the damp smell of newly laid bricks. In the distance, amidst the dust rising from the rammed earth, the outer city construction site was still bustling with activity.

He picked up a brick from the ground; the craftsman's name was engraved on it.

The man accompanying him was a man in his forties named Li Laowai.

Originally an ordinary craftsman in Husiwoer City, he was brought to Jinzhou by Li Xiao after the city fell.

First, he built houses for Hexibao, and then he participated in the construction of the Tanggu Steel Base, gradually gaining Li Xiao's trust.

He has now become the chief craftsman of the Longcheng project, mainly responsible for the technical aspects.

Seeing Li Xiao holding a brick, he immediately explained in a low voice, "Great Protector, this is to prevent the craftsmen from shirking their duties."

"If there is a problem with the fired bricks, the craftsman can be found and punished accordingly."

Li Xiao nodded slightly without saying a word.

The purpose of this trip to Longcheng is to inspect these guys to see if they cut corners and built a poorly constructed city.

If that were to happen, Li Xiao would definitely follow Old Zhu's example and chop off heads that rolled to the ground.

But it seems that everything is still alright now.

Li Xiao is currently at the height of his power, always holding a knife above his head, and he will never hesitate to kill.

Afterwards, Li Laowai took Li Xiao to visit other places.

Because it was built according to a unified plan, the houses and streets in the city are not as messy as those in other towns.

On the contrary, it is very neat, with straight lines.

Starting from the two main north-south and east-west roads, numerous streets extend to the left and right, forming the inner city of Longcheng as it is today, like a chessboard.

At the very center is a relatively larger mansion, covering more than forty acres.

It was the Northern Frontier Protectorate.

Li Xiao stood in front of the door, gently tapping his fist on the specially reinforced copper nails on the elm wood door panel. He turned to look at Li Laowai behind him and asked, "Is this door hinge made of Hexi steel?"

Li Laowai nodded hastily: "Reporting to the Grand Protector, it's a full three-finger-thick layer of fine steel. Even if ten oxen charged at it, it wouldn't budge."

Li Xiao then pointed to the stone pillar next to him and said to his personal guards, "Smash it with a hammer."

The next second, there was a loud crash, and some debris flew up from the surface of the pillar, but it still firmly supported the roof beam.

Li Xiao nodded slightly; Li Laowai's head was spared.

Then, we entered the front courtyard, which was the working area of ​​the Protectorate General's Office, and had many gatehouses.

The backyard was Li Xiao's private space. Apart from his living quarters, the largest area was a small racetrack.

It can raise dozens of fine horses, and even allow the women in the backyard to practice riding and archery every day.

After the inspection, Li Xiao nodded in satisfaction: "Allocate the money for the book-making to the craftsmen as a bonus. This place doesn't have any winding corridors or artificial mountains and strange rocks. It's much more practical than those fancy palaces in Husiwoer.

"From now on, if there are any urgent military reports, it will only take half a cup of tea to get from the council hall to the stables—efficiency is key in warfare!"

Afterwards, Li Xiao inspected the other houses in the city. Although they were not as good as the Great Protectorate, they were by no means poorly made.

"Good job, Lao Li, you put your heart into it."

"Those who can complete the construction of the inner city so quickly should be richly rewarded."

Li Xiao gently patted Li Laowai's shoulder and smiled encouragingly.

The planned Dragon City has been completed.

However, as Jinzhou became the core of the northern frontier, Li Xiao decided to add another outer city, which is currently under construction.

Upon hearing this, Li Laowai was flattered and quickly said, "Thank you for the reward, Great Protector."

"However, I dare not take credit. The fact that the inner city was built so quickly is mainly due to the great efforts of the 20,000 Kangli slaves brought by the Grand Protector."

"Without the help of the Grand Protector, even if I worked myself to death, I would never have been able to build the inner city so quickly."

Li Laowai's rise from an ordinary craftsman to the current director of Longcheng Craftsmanship is not solely due to his skills.

High emotional intelligence and the ability to flatter are the most important things.

"Hehehe, keep up the good work in the future, we will never forget your contributions," Li Xiao chuckled.

Looking at the large pie, Li Laowai said excitedly, "Thank you, Great Protector. I am willing to do my best to build Dragon City to repay your kindness."

Li Xiao nodded slightly. He didn't object to his subordinates flattering him, as long as they could get the job done.

Afterwards, he took people to the outer city and saw a bustling construction site.

The cold wind, carrying sand and gravel, lashed at the Kangli prisoners of war. They were dressed in rags, many wearing only a worn-out sheepskin with holes in it.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle."

The overseer brandished his whip and berated the workers fiercely.

The procession carrying bricks snaked its way from a brick kiln in southern Jinzhou.

The prisoners of war, hunched over, stacked the bricks one by one, and if they deviated even slightly, they faced beatings from the overseers.

Li Xiao simply watched all of this unfold calmly, feeling no pity for the tragic fate of these prisoners of war.

This world is inherently a dog-eat-dog world.

During the repeated invasions of nomadic tribes to the south, the Han Chinese in the Central Plains suffered even more tragically than these prisoners of war.

On this grassland, any act of pity is irresponsible towards one's own life and that of one's fellow countrymen.

Li Xiao was only concerned that the long hours and high intensity of these prisoners of war, and the high mortality rate, would delay the construction of Dragon City.

After all, winter was just around the corner, and Li Xiao could no longer wage war to capture prisoners.

"I've heard that just as autumn began, the Uyghurs rebelled and smashed their cooking pots to use as weapons?"

Staring at the prisoners of war toiling like ants outside the city, Li Xiao's eyes narrowed into a slanted arc, like a knife chilled to the bone.

Li Laowai's throat bobbed as he recalled the bloodshed of that time—three hundred Uyghur prisoners of war slit the throats of their overseers with broken pot shards, only to be trampled into mincemeat by the Jinzhou cavalry.

"Yes, they killed some overseers in an attempt to incite others to rebel, but they were quickly suppressed by Commander Li's troops."

Commander Li was Li Erjiang. During Li Xiao's campaign, Li Erjiang was left behind to guard Jinzhou.

At the same time, he was also the construction manager of Dragon City, overseeing the overall situation.

After all, the construction of Dragon City is a major undertaking that requires coordination from all sides.

Li Laowai was just an ordinary craftsman before, and he didn't have the prestige or ability to serve as the construction commissioner.

Therefore, he was only in charge of the technical aspects, while Li Erjiang was responsible for everything else.

Li Xiao suddenly laughed, a cold and sharp laugh that sent chills down one's spine. He said in a deep voice, "Anyone who rebels shall be executed in front of all the prisoners of war. The ringleader shall be executed by slow slicing. There shall be no leniency."

"As ordered!"

Gazing at the deepening twilight, after a long while, Li Xiao sighed again and said, "Old Wai, why can't these spineless bastards remember anything? Wouldn't it be better if they just worked honestly?"

"Do they have to rebel? Is it because the bricks of this Dragon City need to be glued together with their blood to be strong?"

Upon hearing this, Li Laowai's face immediately turned somewhat embarrassed, and he finally said awkwardly, "Those prisoners of war are all barbarians from beyond the borders, with wolfish ambitions and no gratitude whatsoever."

"The Grand Protector need not worry about this."

"Haha~"

Li Xiao shook his head and smiled gently; how could he not know the reason?

Where there is oppression, there is resistance.

Ultimately, it was because those prisoners of war were exploited too much.

Two years ago, Li Xiao would use some appeasement tactics when dealing with these ethnic minorities, assimilating the capable among them into Han Chinese and giving them Han names.

However, as his territory continued to expand, especially after the recapture of Luoyang, Li Xiao gained many more Khitans and Turks under his command.

There are enough brave and skilled soldiers.

They no longer need to naturalize foreign races to fight for them.

What Jinzhou lacked was a large number of Han Chinese to consolidate its foundation.

Therefore, the attitude towards these prisoners of war also changed. Their channels of freedom were cut off, and they began to squeeze out the last drop of value from them, turning them into nutrients for pasture.

With no hope in sight, the prisoners of war naturally became more resistant.

"These prisoners of war still need to build our city walls, so we can't kill them all."

After a moment of contemplation, Li Xiao said calmly.

"We still need to give them a break from their tense nerves."

He decided to do a good deed to prevent further losses to his personal life and property.

In addition to high-pressure management methods such as "collective punishment" and "death by a thousand cuts," some lenient approaches are also needed.

“Recruit a group of elderly women over thirty-five years old from the slaves, not too many, two or three hundred will be enough, and send them to the slave camp as a reward.”

“Based on the slaves’ contributions, select the two thousand who work the hardest each day,” Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Female slaves over the age of thirty-five are nearing the end of their reproductive capacity, and placing them on the grasslands would mean they have lost their value in life.

Keeping it would just be a waste of food. It would be better to use it to motivate the prisoners of war. With a goal to achieve each day, they would naturally work harder.

"Yes, sir." Old Li nodded heavily in response.

This was naturally not something he could handle, but since Li Erjiang wasn't around at the moment, he had to take it on first and then relay the message to Li Erjiang.

After arranging other matters, Li Xiao left Longcheng.

As dusk deepened, the city walls rose ever higher under the blood-red setting sun. Every brick and stone was soaked with the blood and tears of the Kangli people, and who knew how many more days of such darkness awaited them.

Above the city walls, flocks of vultures and crows circled, their blood-red eyes fixed on the ground, waiting for the next life to fall.

In the bloody twilight, the cavalry of the Imperial Guard marched further and further away.

Behind them, the heads of the rebels swayed in the wind atop the flagpole.
The hollow eye sockets, already crawling with maggots, gazed in the direction where the Imperial Guards had left, as if seeping with blood and tears.

This bloody scene served as a constant reminder to every Conri prisoner of war that any resistance was futile.

……

Upon returning home to Hexi Fort, Li Xiao handed his warhorse to his personal guards and told them to go back to their rooms to rest.

Then he strode into the main hall, where Xiao Yanyan was sitting in a chair waiting for Li Xiao.

At this point, her belly was already very large, and she was due to give birth within half a month.

Seeing Li Xiao return, she didn't get up to greet him, but simply asked curiously, "How's the construction of Dragon City going?"

When are we moving in?

It was because Li Erjiang had told Li Xiao that the inner city was completed a few days ago that Li Xiao went to inspect it.

If she weren't about to give birth, Xiao Yanyan would definitely have gone over to join in the fun.

"The inner city has been built, and the Grand Protectorate has also been completed, but it will take some time before we can move there."

Li Xiao rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands in the basin of water brought by the maid.

After wiping away the water stains, he sat down next to Xiao Yanyan and gently stroked her belly with his palm.

He could clearly feel the baby's movements, and even when Li Xiao touched the baby, it seemed as if the baby kicked him.

This brought a playful smile to Li Xiao's face.

After all, it was his first child, so Li Xiao valued it very much.

"This little guy is really strong!"

"It's so active, it must be a son," Li Xiao said with a smile.

Then he looked at Xiao Yanyan: "Are you feeling unwell today?"

"It's alright, I don't feel anything." Xiao Yanyan shook her head.

She was a tough Khitan woman with a strong physique, so childbirth wasn't as troublesome for her as she had imagined.

It can eat and sleep well, and it can even ride a horse; it's perfectly fine.

It was subtle yet profound, adding a touch of maternal radiance.

Even her temper has become much gentler than before.

"That's good. Our child will definitely be as strong as a calf when he's born," Li Xiao chuckled.

"Of course," Xiao Yanyan said, raising her chin proudly.

Women on the grasslands have no concept of humility; they always strive to be number one in everything.

She even confidently declared, "My child, Xiao Yanyan's child, will be the strongest, and will one day replace his father as the number one warrior in the Northern Frontier."

Li Xiao laughed: "Hahaha."

"I'm waiting for that day to come."

Li Xiao, who is already nineteen years old, has grown to be very strong, and can even fight a tiger with his bare hands.

Although he never admitted it himself, many people called him the "Number One Warrior of the Northern Frontier," and his name was known throughout the Western Regions.

While his robust physique was certainly due to training, Li Xiao felt that the most important factor was the innate advantage he gained from his rebirth.

My body seemed to have undergone a baptism, a complete transformation.

It is no exaggeration to call him a modern-day overlord.

Li Xiao was unsure whether this transformation of his could be passed on to the next generation through genetic inheritance.

If possible, the child in Xiao Yanyan's womb will one day have a chance to replace Li Xiao as the 'Number One Warrior of the Northern Frontier'.

Afterwards, Xiao Yanyan ordered dishes to be served and called out the other women to eat together.

At the table, when the topic of Longcheng came up, Xiao Yanyan shook her head and said, "Living in the city is not good at all. There are too many people, and you feel restricted in everything you do."

"I prefer living on the grasslands, where I can ride horses and enjoy the fresh air anytime."

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately gained Sorghaghtani's approval.

She nodded her little head, her eyes shining: "Yes!"

"My sister is absolutely right."

“My father took me to the city of the Jin Kingdom. It was smelly inside. The houses were packed together so tightly that even a horse couldn’t run. It was so uncomfortable to stay inside.”

Xiao Yanyan and Suoluheti both grew up on the grasslands and yearned for a life of freedom.

Li Xiao understood their thoughts and swallowed a mouthful of mutton, saying, "It's fine if you don't want to live in the city. We can live on the grassland for a few months in the summer."

"We won't lock you up like birds in a cage."

The establishment of Dragon City is more of a symbolic act.

Li Xiao also disliked spending all his time in a small room handling official business.

Eagles should spread their wings and soar.

His son, too, will need to practice riding and archery diligently every day from now on.

Although Dragon City is a good place, it is also like a cage. Living there for a long time can easily wear down one's fighting spirit.

"Really?"

"That's great!" Soruhiteni said happily, his little tiger teeth slightly showing, and his face beaming with a smile.

Although she left the Kereit tribe, her life in Jinzhou was not much different. Li Xiao and Xiao Yanyan treated her very well.

I just feel homesick occasionally.

The only concern is, as others have said, Li Xiao's status is rising, and as Li Xiao's woman, she should also pay attention to her own status.

We can't go out freely anymore, and we certainly can't ride horses freely.

But now it seems that Sorghaghtani's worries were somewhat unnecessary.

“Hmm, winters in Jinzhou are getting cold, so it’s best to spend the winter in Longcheng. We can spend the summer on the grasslands.” Li Xiao picked up a piece of mutton and placed it in the bowls of his wives and concubines.

However, when it was Han Ying'er's turn, she had only chewed a few bites of mutton when she suddenly felt nauseous.

"Ooh~"

Han Ying'er turned around, her face pale, looking like she was about to vomit but couldn't.

"Ok?"

Before eating, Li Xiao noticed that Han Ying'er's complexion was a little off. Now, seeing her vomit, an idea popped into his mind.

He turned to look at Xiao Yanyan and saw that she also had a wise look in her eyes, so he nodded slightly.

"It should be."

Li Xiao has been back from Dongdu for two months.

During this period, he devoted a great deal of energy to these women almost every day.

It's normal to get hit.

So Xiao Yanyan immediately ordered someone to fetch a doctor.

The doctor was an old man in his fifties, surnamed Sun. He was a Han Chinese from Jinzhou and had lived there for decades.

It is quite famous among the nine forts and eighteen villages.

Although he's not a famous doctor, he's perfectly capable of treating minor ailments like headaches and fevers, and diagnosing pregnancies.

The key is to have a clean background.

Soon, after taking Li Xiao's pulse, Old Man Sun smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, Grand Protector, your third wife is pregnant."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao smiled, and his usually cold and hard brow relaxed.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Sun."

"However, Mr. Sun needs to keep this a secret."

Having been a doctor for so many years, Old Man Sun naturally understood, and quickly nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Protector-General, I understand."

Then, he had someone give him the consultation fee and take him away.

Li Xiao turned to look at Han Ying'er and found that she was crying tears of joy.

With its head raised and its eyes pleading, it called out, "Master~"

Her voice was soothing and soft-hearted, but it made Xiao Yanyan turn her head slightly.

He simply disliked Han Ying'er's affected and pretentious nature, while Suoluhe Tieni, who was also a daughter of the grasslands, was more in tune with her temperament.

However, at this moment, both Suoluhetini and Tajiguli looked at Han Ying'er with envious expressions.

They want children too.

Li Xiao stepped forward and gently hugged Han Ying'er, comforting her, "Why are you crying? This is a good thing."

“Our Li family is about to grow stronger, and you are also a contributor to our Li family.”

Afterwards, he instructed the cook to prepare more nourishing food for Han Ying'er every day.

Ginseng and bird's nest are completely unnecessary.

In his view, the most nutritious foods for pregnant women are meat and eggs.

Children who grow up eating beef and mutton are much heavier than children who grow up eating rice and steamed buns, even if they look similar.

The bones are harder.

Han Ying'er, in particular, has a slender and delicate figure, giving her a refined and gentle appearance.

Then you should eat more meat to give birth to a strong child.

(End of this chapter)