The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 224 A Tiger Unleashed from Its Cage, Blood Flows Like a River

City Lord's Mansion.

The bride, Aliya, was wrapped in a red veil with exquisite patterns embroidered in gold thread, revealing only a pair of almond-shaped eyes covered with indigo eyeshadow.

She walked barefoot on the wool carpet, the silver bracelets on her ankles jingling, each step seemingly hitting the beat of a musical note.

Her captivating eyes, stunning beauty, and graceful figure completely mesmerized the groom opposite her.

According to Uyghur wedding customs, the groom should shoot three arrows without arrowheads at the bride, symbolizing growing old together.

But the groom almost missed twice, causing the surrounding guests to burst into laughter.

"She's acting so clueless, how is she going to get through her wedding night? Hahaha~"

One nobleman joked, "Lord Ahmed, your son's archery skills are rather poor! He should practice more tonight."

"Hahaha~"

The surrounding noble guests chuckled good-naturedly, and Ahmed shook his head and smiled helplessly: "Aria is so beautiful, she's completely captivated my son."

But just as Ahmed was about to pick up his glass to cover his embarrassment, he suddenly noticed that the wine in the glass was gently sloshing around.

"Ok?"

On the other side, the bride, Aliya, also felt uneasy. Standing barefoot, she could vaguely feel the ground beneath her feet trembling slightly.

I looked up at the sky in confusion. What was going on?

But the next second, a Uyghur soldier staggered into the courtyard.

Panting heavily, with a terrified expression, he shouted, "General, General!"

"Cavalry! A lot of cavalry have arrived outside!"

Instantly, all the music at the wedding stopped, and everyone stared blankly at Ahmed.

"what?"

"Where did these cavalry come from? How many are there?" Ahmed asked, his face contorted with rage as he glared at the soldiers.

Unexpectedly, someone came to cause trouble on her son's wedding day.

"From the north, down from the mountains, red, so many of them."

The guard, panting heavily, spoke haltingly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene erupted in uproar.

"Wow~"

Immediately afterwards, a commotion arose as the guests whispered among themselves, their expressions filled with fear.

The bride on the other side also looked incredulous.

The image of the day Gaochang fell involuntarily flashed through my mind, and my fair and delicate body, wrapped in a light veil, began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Ta-da!"

The sound of rapid copper bells rang out from the city wall. Hearing the noise, the Uyghur soldiers inside the city grabbed their weapons and climbed the wall.

The next scene left everyone speechless.

Suddenly, a red crack appeared on the distant horizon, like molten lava gushing from hell.

Thousands of cavalry from northern Xinjiang charged down the mountain ridge, the clanging of weapons mingling with the neighing of warhorses, tearing apart the tranquility of Kashgar.

"Boom boom boom~"

They waved crimson war banners, like a crimson tide under the rising sun sweeping across the wasteland, treading on the earth and causing it to tremble slightly.

Wherever their iron hooves trod, plumes of smoke rose three zhang high from the loess soil, even dyeing the clouds on the horizon crimson.

On the city wall, the Uyghur soldiers' hands, gripping their bows and arrows, began to tremble, and dust fell from the battlements amidst the violent shaking.

A veteran who had participated in the Gaochang War stared intently at the crimson torrent that was pressing down on the mountains and plains, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He shouted in terror, "It's the Jinzhou army!"

"The Sun and Moon Battle Flag, the Sun and Moon Battle Flag is here."

"The Red Devil".

The other soldiers also looked on in panic as the sun and moon battle flag drew ever closer, but all they could do was encourage each other.

After all, Karashar is located on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, and its geographical location is relatively isolated.

The most recent war was a war of faith between the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate and the Gaochang Uyghur Kingdom a hundred years ago.

The two countries share the same roots, their ancestors being the Uyghurs who once dominated the northern grasslands. However, after arriving in the Western Regions, their beliefs diverged.

The Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, which believed in Allah, wanted to annex the Buddhist Gaochang Uyghur Kingdom, but ultimately failed to achieve unification.

When Yelü Dashi launched his western expedition, the Kingdom of Gaochang surrendered directly, so no war broke out.

Karashar has been at peace for too long and has forgotten the threat of war.

When the Jinzhou army appeared, the entire garrison was thrown into chaos.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow quickly!"

The centurion's roar was also broken, but when the first volley of arrows shot into the sky, they were immediately swallowed up by the raised shields of the Jinzhou cavalry. Even if they hit the cotton armor, they could hardly cause any damage.

At the same time, the Jinzhou army launched a counterattack, their legs gripping their warhorses like iron clamps, drawing their bows and shooting arrows.

Countless arrows shot towards the city walls.

A sharp "thud" rang out amidst screams; someone had been shot in the throat, their hands gripping their neck tightly, blood gushing out between their fingers.

Someone was pierced through the shoulder by an arrow, and fell like a kite with a broken string, knocking over his companions and tumbling down the steep city steps.

Some people were shot in the knee and crawled in pools of blood, dragging their broken legs.

Someone clutched a bleeding wound in their abdomen, desperately clutching their companion's clothes, but gradually losing strength.

"Ahhh~"

Screams rose and fell, and the city wall was a scene of utter devastation.

Under the cover of a hail of arrows, the Jinzhou soldiers rushed to the foot of the city wall and threw out ropes, which then embedded iron hooks into the wall.

A Uyghur soldier was about to cut the rope when he was shot in the throat by a Jinzhou soldier behind him. He clutched his neck and fell outside the city.

Meanwhile, the Jinzhou soldiers climbed the city wall by riding on horseback and pulling on ropes.

The main reason is that Karashal has not experienced a war for too long, and the soldiers lack the courage to fight to the death. In addition, the city walls have been in disrepair for many years, with an average height of only four meters.

It did nothing to stop the Golden State soldiers from climbing.

"Ho ho ho~"

The first to climb up was a shihu (a type of military officer). He drew his steel scimitar and cleaved open the chest of a soldier in front of him. His face, splattered with blood, was contorted with rage, and he let out a beast-like roar.

This scene terrified the Uyghur soldiers who were about to charge forward.

In that brief moment of hesitation, two more Jinzhou soldiers climbed onto the city wall.

The three of them worked together to clear out all the guards on that section of the city wall.

One against ten is not a fantasy.

The soldiers of Jinzhou Town possessed strong physiques, sturdy armor, sharp weapons, and a fearless spirit.

On the other hand, the Uyghur soldiers were poorly trained, poorly equipped, and cowardly. Despite their numerical superiority, they were still chased and hacked down by the Jinzhou soldiers.

Soon, a blood-soaked squad of ten rushed down the city wall.

The three soldiers at the front each held a shield in one hand and a knife in the other.

The second line of soldiers followed with spears, while the last line of soldiers drew their bows and nocked arrows.

They advanced, killing many of the guards. When they reached the rear, the Uyghur soldiers saw them from afar and turned to run.

So much so that when they arrived at the city gate, they didn't see a single Uyghur soldier.

"Quack quack~"

The dilapidated city gate creaked as it was slowly opened.

Upon seeing this, the large contingent of Jinzhou cavalry outside the city roared in anger.

"Ho ho ho~"

"Kill~"

A commander brandished his scimitar and roared menacingly.

His thousand Jinzhou soldiers surged into the city like a crimson tide.

The city's defenders immediately let out terrified screams.

"They've entered the city."

"Buddha, please save us!"

"Don't run, stop! Block the gap!"

"Take back the city gate."

My quiver is empty! Does anyone have any arrows?

A sergeant, thrown to the ground by the shock, stared at the surging red-armored cavalry, his broken spear pointing to the sky as he screamed, "They are demons! Red-armored devils crawled out of hell!"

The Uyghur soldiers were poorly trained and lacked adequate weaponry. Even though a small number of soldiers continued to resist, they were quickly pierced through the chest by the well-equipped Jinzhou cavalry.

In the city lord's mansion, Ahmed had just put on his armor and was leading his personal guards to gather more able-bodied men to defend the city walls when he suddenly learned that Kashgar had fallen and the Jinzhou army had entered the city.

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

A moment later, the gates of the city lord's mansion were smashed open, and a soldier dressed in dark red cotton armor, riding a tall warhorse and holding a long spear appeared before everyone.

It was a young face, his disdainful gaze sweeping over the hundreds of nobles in the mansion, before he let out a cold laugh.

"Hahaha~"

"Kill~"

The next second, more than a dozen powerful Jinzhou cavalrymen appeared behind them and charged into the crowd of nobles without restraint.

piercing screams and painful wails rose and fell.

The once high-and-mighty ladies now resembled panicked pheasants, lifting their skirts and scurrying about in a flustered manner.

The portly nobles, seeing the ever-increasing number of corpses, felt their legs go weak and didn't know where to run.

Seeing this, the groom also looked terrified, grabbed the bride's arm in a panic, and said in a trembling voice, "Alia, let's run!"

"leave here."

Only the city lord Ahmed remained calm, watching the Jinzhou soldiers indiscriminately killing nobles and servants in his own mansion, and anger rose in his heart.

He roared angrily, "Stop!"

“I am Ahmed, and I want to see your general.”

But the Jinzhou soldiers ignored his nonsense and some even attacked him.

"This is utterly arrogant! I, Ahmed, am not some lamb that can be easily manipulated!" Ahmed roared angrily.

As he spoke, he drew his knife, ready to fight and teach these damned Jinzhou soldiers a lesson.

But in the next second, there was a muffled thud, and Ahmed's body was sent flying.

His chest armor was pierced by an armor-piercing spike, and blood flowed uncontrollably.

The young Jinzhou centurion looked at his corpse and said disdainfully, "That's it?"

Armed with only a broken blade and without even a horse, he dared to confront a fully armed cavalry? He's practically courting death.

Having said that, he ignored them as if they were trash and continued to hunt down the other Uyghur soldiers.

Meanwhile, the groom, who had already run a long way away, watched Ahmed's death with a look of grief on his face and hysterically roared, "Father!"

Ahmed, the lord of Kashgar, was killed in front of everyone, which was a great shock to these nobles.

These Golden State soldiers in their red armor had become demons in their eyes.

"Aaaaaah~ Why did they do this to us? Why did they kill my father~"

The groom roared in anger, ready to draw his sword and fight the Jinzhou army to the death, when he saw three Jinzhou cavalrymen charging towards him.

Their blood-soaked faces revealed a sinister, devilish laugh.

The once spirited groom seemed to have been doused with cold water, instantly reverting to his timid and cowardly nature.

Grabbing the bride's hand, he said in a panic, "Let's run!"

"Alia, run!"

However, how could they possibly outrun warhorses?

Just a few breaths later, a cavalryman charged in and knocked the groom flying.

He then reached out and grabbed the beautiful bride, placing her on the horse's back.

"Hahaha~"

"Help me!"

The groom lay sprawled on the ground not far away, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted. His once loyal servants had scattered like birds and beasts.

He looked at his wife with tears of blood streaming down his face, reaching out his hand, but he couldn't grasp her no matter what.

"Aria~"

Outside the city, the setting sun bathed Erhu in a blood-red glow, and the Sun and Moon battle flags fluttered behind him.

The cries and the sounds of clashing weapons from within the city surged like a tide, mixed with the stench of blood wafting out of the city, yet they could not shake his mountain-like figure in the slightest.

He rode his warhorse, his eyes lowered as he gently stroked the hilt of his sword at his waist, his fingertips caressing the lion's head pattern engraved on it.

Behind him, Commander Jiang Youtian asked, "Commander, should we kill all these nobles? Or should we reduce them to slavery?"

Before he could finish speaking, Erhu cast a cold glance at him and snorted, "Slaves need to be captured, and these nobles certainly can't be let go either."

"We only have three thousand cavalry. If we don't establish our authority firmly, how can we keep the towns behind us in line?"

Of the 20,000 troops under Yelü Zhixin's command, some were sent by Kashgar City.

The death of Xiao Helun and the massacre of thousands of Dongdu soldiers also implicated Kashgar City.

But what truly motivated Erhu to kill was considering the bigger picture.

The purpose of Erhu's invasion of the south was very simple: to plunder.

After all, with only three thousand cavalrymen under his command, it was impossible for him to destroy the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate.

Taking one city at a time is far too slow, and the losses would certainly be substantial.

But once Kashgar establishes its authority, other towns will be filled with fear upon hearing the news.

At that time, Erhu only needed to order them to hand over their treasures, food, women, and slaves on the condition that they would not attack the city.

Those Uyghur nobles would certainly be eager to agree.

After all, what they were selling were just some treasures and the lives of the common people. As long as they and their descendants could continue to lord it over the land, what did it matter if they sacrificed the interests of the common people?
The lives of the lowly are not considered lives.

Kashgar is the chicken that Erhu chose.

Upon hearing Erhu's explanation, Jiang Youtian nodded slightly, looking admiringly at him, and said, "Commander Wan's foresight is admirable."

"Haha~"

Erhu chuckled and patted Jiang Youtian on the shoulder, saying, "Old Jiang, although you're older than me, you still have a lot to learn in terms of strategy."

"If all you know is fighting and killing, you can only be a fierce general at most, and that's the limit for a thousand-household commander."

"To become a Wanhu (a high-ranking official), you still need brains," Erhu said, pointing to his head with a chuckle.

He learned these methods from Li Xiao.

In Erhu's opinion, his elder brother was the most capable commander of cavalry in the entire Western Regions, comparable to the great military strategists in the Central Plains.

However, Jiang Youtian discovered that since Erhu left Li Xiao and began commanding troops on his own, he had become much more ruthless.

They are extremely murderous and are quick to kill anyone in sight.

Jiang Youtian thought he was already brave enough, but he didn't expect Erhu to be even more ferocious.

"It seems that this is Wanhu's true character. He was actually keeping a low profile while staying by the Grand Protector's side!" Jiang Youtian thought to himself.

Without Li Xiao's supervision, Erhu let his true nature run wild, and his murderous intent was fully exposed.

They might even become human butchers in the future.

"Heh heh, the tiger has been unleashed; the foreign tribes of the Western Regions are about to suffer rivers of blood," Jiang Youtian thought to himself.

Just then, a low horn sounded from the west of Kashgar.

Erhu raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Someone escaped through the west gate."

"Old Chiang, take five hundred men and go to intercept them."

"Yes, sir," Jiang Youtian said solemnly, then led his five hundred cavalrymen in a grand procession toward the west of the city to intercept the Uyghurs.

Not long after, Erhu sent men to the East City and the South City.

It's enough to stop most of the people; it doesn't matter if some civilians escape, as they can spread the news about Kashgar.

It wasn't until dusk that Erhu stepped into Kashgar city under the setting sun.

Tonight, the Golden State Army will party all night long in the city.

However, Erhu soon received another report: "Kashgar has been taken under control, but some people have fled to temples."

“A group of monks are blocking the temple gate, telling us to stop killing.”

Hearing this, Erhu raised an eyebrow and said angrily, "What is Zhao Shunzi good for?"

"Can't you even handle this small matter?"

“Kill all those bald monks, and melt down all the Buddha statues in the temple.”

“A bunch of bald monks who do nothing but play tricks all day long. They should have been killed long ago.”

Erhu said coldly.

The people of Jinzhou do not believe in Buddhism or Allah; their only faith is in God and their ancestors.

The Buddha statues were all melted down and turned into gold, and the bald monks and ordinary people were treated no differently.

If they are willing to work, they might be given a meal; otherwise, they will be killed.

Erhu was also influenced by Li Xiao, and he showed no mercy when dealing with these monks.

Soon, the Jinzhou army stormed the city's largest temple.

An old monk wearing sandalwood prayer beads sat cross-legged in the hall, with countless Uyghur people behind him.

He clasped his hands together, looking compassionate, and said, "Benefactor, refrain from all evil, do all good, lay down your butcher's knife, and you will instantly become a Buddha!"

But before he could speak, a centurion sneered, "Noisy!"

"You old bald monk, go home and become a Buddha with your mother."

After saying this, to the old monk's astonishment, the cavalryman's saber slashed across his neck.

The cracking sound of the Buddhist prayer beads breaking was mixed with a muffled groan as blood gushed out. The old monk's head hung from his chest, and his body fell heavily into the hall.

"Brothers, let's go!"

"Tear the Buddha statue up!"

The centurion laughed wildly, his blood-stained cavalryman's sword pointing at the golden Buddha statue.

In Gaochang City, he followed Li Xiao to excavate the local temples and melt down the Buddha statues. At that time, he was still a captain.

Now, he has become a centurion.

He once believed in Buddha, but he was bullied and lived in poverty.

Now, despite defying Buddha, he has been promoted and become wealthy, enjoying great fortune.

It seems that even Buddha was a bully who preyed on the weak.

When the other monks saw that the Jinzhou army really dared to kill monks, they all stopped pretending to be arrogant.

They all knelt down in terror and begged for mercy.

These monks routinely plunder the people's wealth, becoming bloated and fat.

The more they have these traits, the more they cling to life and fear death.

……

The darkness and evil seemed to merge into one, casting a bloody hue over this ancient town.

Inside the city lord's mansion, the groom's arms and legs were broken, and he was hung from the roof beam.

Not long after, another round of chaotic shouts rang out in the city lord's mansion.

Erhu walked out of the room with his shoulders bare, and shouted angrily, "What happened?"

The guard immediately reported: "Reporting to the commander, an assassin has appeared in the mansion."

"It's possible that the original Uyghurs weren't completely wiped out."

Upon hearing this, Erhu's eyes widened immediately. He kicked the bodyguard captain and angrily said, "What kind of work are you doing?"

"Capture the assassin immediately."

"Yes, Wan Hu~"

The captain of the personal guards gritted his teeth and said, hating that assassin to death.

Taking the head of a general amidst a vast army is ultimately just a storyteller's fabrication.

In reality, a general is surrounded by thousands of soldiers. Even if someone disguises themselves as a soldier and gets close to the commander, it is difficult to escape the search by the personal guards.

Unless betrayed by someone close to you, assassination in the military is very difficult to carry out.

Shortly after, the captain of the personal guards reported: "Commander, the assassin has been captured, but there was only one person."

"According to the prisoners' confessions, this man is the bride's brother, and was originally the son of a nobleman from Gaochang City."

Upon hearing this, Erhu turned to look at the woman in the room and sneered.

"These guys think my Golden State Army is just for show?"

"Humph~"

"Kill him!"

Erhu coldly shouted, showing no respect for the woman. "If you dare to be an assassin, you must be prepared to be killed."

Erhu is not a forgiving person.

Freed from Li Xiao's control, his bloodthirstiness grew stronger.

(End of this chapter)