The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 229 The Soul of the Six Towns
After the appointments of the military advisors of the eight departments of the Protectorate were completed, the next step was the appointment of the most important generals of the six garrisons.

"Let them in."

As Li Xiao waved his hand and shouted, two personal guards carried a long table into the hall, on which were placed dozens of exquisite cavalry sabers.

Then six more guards strode in.

Each person carried a sun and moon battle flag.

In addition to the original battle flags of the three towns of Jinzhou, three more designs have been added.

Yellow background with white border, red background with white border, and white background with red border.

Moreover, below the sun and moon pattern on each battle flag, there was an additional line of text.

From the first town in northern Xinjiang to the sixth town in northern Xinjiang.

"Today, this capital will establish six towns in the northern frontier, based on the three towns of Jinzhou."

"These six battle flags are the soul of the six towns. As long as the flags are there, the soldiers are there; if the flags are gone, the soldiers are gone." Li Xiao stood in the hall, his gaze fixed on the battle flags, and said in a deep voice.

In the Northern Frontier Army, the lowest-level combat unit that could possess a battle flag was the centurion.

Each household would have its own separate flag, clearly indicating which town it was from to which household it was.

Once the battle flag is captured by the enemy, it means that the entire unit has been wiped out.

Because if a soldier escapes and returns, but the battle flag is lost, then there is only one outcome.

Military law is merciless; all the soldiers who escaped were executed!

The goal was to maximize the soldiers' determination to fight to the death.

Desertion is shameful, being captured is even more shameful, and it will also implicate your family.

It's either victory or death; there are no other options.

As soon as Li Xiao finished speaking, all the generals stood up, and the sound of clashing armor rang out in the hall at the same time.

They placed their right hands on their chests, their faces resolute, their gazes fixed on the six sun and moon battle banners in the hall, as well as the golden sun and moon battle banner behind Li Xiao.

He shouted loudly, "As long as the flag stands, we stand; if the flag falls, we fall!"

Then, Li Xiao began to announce the appointments of the generals of the six garrisons: "The first garrison, which governs ten thousand households, will be commanded by this commander."

"The second town governs ten thousand households, with Li Dongjiang serving as its commander."

"The third town governs ten thousand households, with Li Dongshan serving as its commander."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Erjiang and Li Dashan stepped forward, placed their right hands on their chests, and shouted loudly, "Your subordinates obey orders."

Their positions remained unchanged, but their military power was reduced.

Because Li Xiao could not allow one or two generals to control too much military power, he had to distribute it to maintain balance.

"The Fourth Garrison, with its white-edged yellow flags and yellow armor, commands ten thousand households, and its commander is concurrently the local governor," Li Xiao said.

The Fourth Division was actually a military garrison reorganized from a portion of the troops that were separated from the First Division.

It wouldn't be appropriate to promote anyone from Li Xiao's inner circle to the position of Commander-in-Chief. After much consideration, it was decided that Li Xiao himself would concurrently serve as Commander-in-Chief.

In this way, two of the six garrisons were directly commanded by Li Xiao, accounting for one-third of the total military strength in the northern frontier.

Moreover, the fighting strength of the First and Fourth Towns is more elite than that of the other four towns.

The selection of commanders for the first four towns was as expected; the remaining two towns were the most important.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Xiao picked up a beautifully crafted cavalry saber from behind him. The blade was forged from hard Hexi steel, the hilt was inlaid with pure gold, and the end had a lifelike tiger head.

This is precisely the cavalry saber issued to commanders of the Northern Frontier.

The Wanhu (万户) is decorated with a gilded lion's head, the Qianhu (千户) with a gilded eagle's head, and the Baihu (百户) with a gilded wolf's head.

As for Li Xiao, the Grand Protector, he naturally had a gold-plated dragon head.

Holding the cavalry commander's sword, Li Xiao glanced at Erhu, and Erhu's heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, Li Xiao shouted, "Where is Li Ao?"

"The general is here!"

With excitement, Erhu quickly came out, his face beaming with a wide smile that stretched all the way to his ears.

"I hereby appoint you as the Commander of the Fifth Garrison of the Northern Frontier, to wear a white-bordered red flag and red armor, and to command ten thousand households."

As soon as he finished speaking, Erhu excitedly took the cavalry saber that symbolized his status as commander-in-chief and shouted loudly, "This subordinate obeys your command."

Then he went back to show off to Da Hu and Er Bao.

Where is Li Donghe?

"Your subordinate is here!" Li Sanhe stepped forward and shouted loudly.

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief; it seemed that the position of Commander-in-Chief was still his.

"I hereby appoint you as the Commander of the Sixth Garrison of the Northern Frontier, to wear a white flag with a red border and white armor, and to command ten thousand households."

Li Sanhe solemnly accepted the cavalry saber and said in a firm voice, "This subordinate obeys."

Previously, he had served as a commander of ten thousand households, leading eight commanders of a thousand households to command troops in the Western Sea.

Now that his rank has been raised to Commander-in-Chief and two more commanders have been added, it is more legitimate.

Then came the appointment of the Wanhu (a military officer).

The ten commanders of the First Town comprised the elite forces of the entire Northern Frontier. They were Li Xiao's direct subordinates and the most powerful military town in the Northern Frontier.

Ten thousand households will be divided into three ten-thousand households.

The Ten Thousand Households is the Wuwei Army, which is currently the only standing army in Jinzhou.

Other troops are allowed to go home and rest when there is no war, but the Wuwei Army must stay at their posts and be stationed in Longcheng and other important places.

In addition to war spoils, the Wuwei Army received a substantial monthly pay from the Protectorate General.

They have moved away from the scope of the local militia and transformed into recruited soldiers.

Therefore, these four thousand Wuwei Army soldiers must be personally commanded by Li Xiao, who will also serve as the First Ten Thousand Household Commander.

"Qin Chunsheng."

"The end will be here."

"I hereby appoint you as the Deputy Commander of the First Garrison, leading the Second Ten Thousand Household Prefecture with a force of three thousand soldiers," Li Xiao declared sternly.

Qin Chunsheng was Li Xiao's second uncle, a strong, thin-faced, and tall middle-aged man in his thirties.

Originally, he was the commander of the Second Ten Thousand Household Office of the First Town, but now he also has the position of Deputy Commander.

"I will obey my orders."

Qin Chunsheng shouted in a deep voice, taking the deputy commander's sword from Li Xiao's hands.

The handle features a silver-inlaid tiger head.

This is a new regulation of the Northern Frontier Protectorate, which uses dragons, tigers, lions, eagles, and wolves to define ranks, and gold and silver to distinguish between principal and deputy positions.

Yin Hu was the deputy commander.

"Lin Dazhuang!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Lin Dazhuang limped out.

"I hereby appoint you as the commander of the Third Ten Thousand Household Office of the First Town, with a command of three thousand soldiers."

Taking a gilded lion-head cavalry saber from Li Xiao, Lin Dazhuang shouted, "This subordinate obeys!"

He was originally the third commander of the Wuwei Army.

With Luo Meng being transferred to serve as the deputy commander of the Fourth Garrison, the position of commander of the First Garrison became vacant, so Li Xiao promoted Lin Dazhuang.

After the appointment of the commanders of the first town was completed, it was time for the second town.

Li Erjiang, as the commander-in-chief, still concurrently served as a commander of ten thousand men, leading four thousand troops.

The deputy commander-in-chief was originally the deputy governor of Jinzhou, Bali'ala, who also served as the fifth commander of ten thousand households, leading three thousand soldiers.

As for the 60,000th household, it was Li Xiao's cousin, Li Donggen, who was also Li Ergunzi's older brother.

The three commanders of the third town were Li Dongshan, Zhao Dadao, and Chen Erqiang, respectively.

Zhao Dadao is Li Xiao's uncle-in-law and the eldest son of Zhao Tiezhu of Tazhai. He originally served as a commander of ten thousand men, and this time he also served as the deputy commander of the Third Town.

As for Chen Erqiang, he was from Hexibao and had been following Li Xiao in battles. He was promoted to this position entirely through meritorious service.

The commander of the Fourth Garrison was Li Xiao, who no longer concurrently served as the commander of ten thousand households.

The three Wanhu were Luo Meng, Wang Tietou, and Mo Jun.

Luo Meng concurrently served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and when Li Xiao was away, he practically wielded the power of the Fourth Garrison Commander.

Like Lin Dazhuang, Wang Tietou was originally a commander of the Wuwei Army, but was appointed by Li Xiao as the commander of the Fourth Division.

After all, the First and Fourth Garrisons were Li Xiao's direct subordinates, so naturally, they had to be appointed as commanders by people he could absolutely trust.

As for the last Wanhu Mojun, he was not a Han Chinese, but a Hu (non-Han) person.

His real name was Amo. When Xiao Simo established the Jinzhou Governor's Office, his father was one of the eight commanders of Jinzhou.

Later, he was tricked and killed by Xiao Linta, and Amo then inherited the position of commander and surrendered to Li Xiao.

When Li Xiao had only 6,000 men under his command, he was in charge of 1,000 soldiers.

It can be said that Amo was also one of the original shareholders of Golden State.

Later, Jinzhou implemented a comprehensive Sinicization policy, and the Hu people changed their surnames to Han surnames and started speaking Chinese. Amo then changed his name to Mojun.

Over the years, although his achievements were not as good as those of other generals, he was steady and honest, and loyal to Li Xiao.

Therefore, he was appointed as the commander of the Fourth Garrison, directly under the command of Li Xiao.

The five commanders of the town were Erhu, Xiao Chilu, and Jiang Youtian.

Xiao Chilu concurrently served as deputy commander-in-chief, while Jiang Youtian, originally a commander of a thousand under Erhu, was promoted to commander of ten thousand after accumulating military merits.

Because the Fifth Division's main target for future attacks is the Wang Court, and Xiao Chilu has a blood feud with the Wang Court for killing his father.

Therefore, Li Xiao placed him in the Fifth Division as Deputy Commander, leading three thousand elite soldiers.

"The 170,000th household, Li Xiang!"

"Lead three thousand elite troops and concurrently serve as the deputy commander of the Sixth Division," Li Xiao ordered in a deep voice.

Da Hu, dressed in white armor, stepped forward, took the silver tiger cavalry saber representing his position as deputy commander with both hands, and shouted loudly.

"I will obey my orders."

He was transferred from the Third Division to the Sixth Division as Deputy Commander-in-Chief, still commanding the same troops, but his position was promoted by half a rank.

His armor also changed from its original grayish-white color to white armor with red edges.

"The 180,000th household, Wei Xuan."

When Li Xiao called out the name, everyone's eyes turned to a young man standing at the back.

His expression showed slight surprise and confusion.

Wei Xuan!!
Originally, he was only a deputy commander of a thousand households; no one expected that he would become the last commander of ten thousand households.
That's a two-stage leap!
Some of the commanders felt slightly uncomfortable.

But thinking of Wei Xuan's past achievements, they could only silently suppress the bitterness in their hearts.

Wei Xuan may not be as senior as them, but in terms of military achievements, he is in no way inferior to any of them, and may even be stronger.

Moreover, Li Xiao wields absolute authority in the Northern Frontier, and no one dares to openly refute his decisions.

Wei Xuan ignored the gazes of the surrounding generals and stepped forward with a determined expression.

He took the gilded lion-inlaid cavalry saber with both hands and said with a firm expression, "This humble general obeys."

"I will certainly live up to the Grand Commander's trust."

After saying that, Wei Xuan looked up at Li Xiao's slightly smiling face and felt something was wrong.

He thought of that time he drank, and when he woke up he was confronted by Er Ya's questioning, saying that he wanted to marry her off to Li Xiao.
Wei Xuan was completely dumbfounded.

He vaguely remembered that Li Xiao asked him if he wanted a wife, but he had no recollection of saying that he wanted to marry his sister to Li Xiao.

When asked to verify this later, Li Xiao, Erhu, and Li Dashan all said in unison that they had said those words.

I just drank too much and don't remember.

This left Wei Xuan even more bewildered, with nowhere to vent his resentment, and in the end he could only swallow this bitter pill.

Besides, he could understand Er Ya's feelings; she liked Li Xiao.

Therefore, the older brother saw no need to stop them; he simply waited for the Li family's matchmaker to arrive.

The key point is that this incident made Wei Xuan very uncomfortable.

He was worried that people would say he got his position as a Wanhu (a high-ranking official) through nepotism with women.

Furthermore, Li Xiao's intention to marry Erfeng to him made it even more difficult for Wei Xuan to defend himself.

He not only became the son-in-law of the Li family, but also the maternal relative of the Li family. How would the other generals view him?

Even if they don't say anything to your face, they will definitely talk about it behind your back.

This made Wei Xuan, who was proud and arrogant, feel depressed just thinking about it.

Li Xiao did not dismiss Wei Xuan immediately, but instead patted him heavily on the shoulder and said, "I appointed you, Wei Xuan, as the commander of ten thousand households because I value your abilities."

"Perform well in the future, show your true skills, and achieve more merits to convince everyone."

"Let them all know that you, Wei Xuan, are not just a pretty face."

Hearing Li Xiao's words, Wei Xuan gritted his teeth slightly and nodded heavily, saying, "This subordinate understands."

He can definitely shut those people up.

So what if it's nepotism?
In any era, connections are essential, and arranged marriages are perfectly normal. What the other generals truly resented were those who, despite lacking ability, rose to high positions through connections.

Therefore, in the final analysis, it is still Wei Xuan who has the ability to stand firm.

After the appointment of the commanders of ten thousand households was completed, the next step was to appoint the deputy commanders of ten thousand households and the commanders of a thousand households.

There were a total of sixty thousand-household commanders, eighteen of whom also served as deputy ten-thousand-household commanders.

Moreover, Li Xiao's younger brother, Sanbao, and cousin, Erbao, both became commanders of a thousand households.

Most of these people were in the main hall, where Li Xiao personally presented them with the Silver Lion Cavalry Sword and the Golden Eagle Cavalry Sword.

As for the few who were absent, as well as the sixty deputy commanders and three hundred commanders after them.

They will be brought to Longcheng in batches in the future, and Li Xiao will personally instruct them on how to use their swords.

As the Grand Protector, Li Xiao absolutely cannot be aloof and detached from his subordinates.

It is essential to maintain regular contact with grassroots officers so that they can feel Li Xiao's attention and care.

……

At this point, the appointments of all generals with a thousand-household rank or above in the six garrisons have been completed.

The six towns in northern Xinjiang have been initially established, with ten thousand households in each town.

Among them, the First and Fourth Divisions, personally led by Li Xiao, were stationed in Jinzhou and parts of the Western Sea region, and were the absolute main force of the Northern Frontier Army.

Secondly, the Second Garrison was commanded by Li Dongjiang and moved to the desert to replace Li Dongshan. Its main tasks were to deter the Gaochang Kingdom, monitor the movements of the Western Xia, and ensure the food supply in the northern frontier.

The Third Garrison, commanded by Li Dongshan, was stationed at Yinshan and Beihai to guard against nomadic tribes in the northwest and to support Erhu's Fifth Garrison at any time by marching south to Qihe.

The Fifth Garrison was stationed in Ili and the Seven Rivers, serving as the main force to defend against the royal court and the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate.

The Sixth Division, commanded by Li Donghe, was stationed in the eastern and southern parts of the West Sea.

The main purpose was to deter the nomadic peoples of the eastern grasslands and to raid the Western Xia at any time.

After the generals left, it was already mid-afternoon.

Leaving a mess for the servants to clean up, Li Xiao returned to the backyard.

The Northern Frontier Protectorate covers an area of ​​only about fifty acres, which is smaller than the royal palaces in the Central Plains, but about the same size as the frontier royal palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The focus is now more on military functions, and unnecessary gardens and rockeries have been removed, leaving only areas for work, living, and exercise.

After returning to the backyard, Li Xiao went to Xiao Yanyan's room first.

She was holding her child and directing the servants to put things away.

After all, the inner city's functions were basically complete.

This winter, Li Xiao's family will spend the winter inside the Protectorate General's residence.

Putting everything else aside, living in the city is definitely warmer than living on the grassland.

As soon as Li Xiao entered the room, he immediately felt a wave of heat coming from the two coke braziers in the corner.

After all, Jin Dao was still young, and Xiao Yanyan couldn't bear to let him suffer.

"what happened?"

"Shouldn't we be happy to have so many brothers gathered together?" Xiao Yanyan asked, puzzled.

At this moment, Li Xiao was holding the golden knife and teasing it. His face was rosy, probably because he had been drinking.

However, Xiao Yanyan, who was his wife, still noticed that Li Xiao wasn't very interested.

"The Grand Protectorate has been established, and the Six Garrisons have also been established. You should be happy," Xiao Yanyan asked leisurely, sitting next to Li Xiao.

Am I unhappy?

"I'm pretty happy, aren't I?" Li Xiao turned to look at her with a defiant expression.

Xiao Yanyan laughed and said with a chuckle, "We've known each other for years, do you think you can hide your feelings from me?"

Li Xiao shook his head and smiled helplessly: "Hehehe~"

"Actually, I'm not unhappy, just a little sentimental. The foundation of northern Xinjiang is still too weak."

"Why do you say that?"

"Isn't our Northern Frontier quite formidable?" Xiao Yanyan asked, blinking her alluring eyes.

The strength of the northern frontier is well known.

The destruction of the Naiman people intimidated the eastern grasslands, forced the royal court to flee in terror, annihilated the Kangli coalition, and directly destroyed the Gaochang Kingdom.

Each and every one of these events represents a glorious military achievement in the northern frontier.

Where is the foundation weak?

Li Xiao shook his head helplessly: "All this power is just superficial."

"In reality, our northern border region still has too shallow a foundation."

He knew very well that the strength of the northern frontier was built on one absolute victory after another.

Only after suffering a crushing defeat will the problems in northern Xinjiang truly be exposed.

First and foremost is the issue of ethnicity. The Han Chinese do not have an absolute advantage, which could easily lead to division.

Secondly, there is the issue of the system.

It's as if he unleashed a monster with his own hands.

Six towns!

Because no matter how Li Xiao changed things, the northern frontier ultimately could not escape the essence of a nomadic regime.

The northern border region today is not much different from the former Turkic Khaganate and Uyghur Khaganate.

Essentially, they are all alliances of regimes formed by tribes.

A true feudal system of rule had not yet been established.

At this time, the six towns were united in purpose, and their troops were invincible, appearing to be extremely powerful.

But all of this is based on Li Xiao's personal prestige.

If Li Xiao were alive, he could certainly control the Six Towns, but what about the Golden Knife in the future?
He lacks Li Xiao's prestige, making it difficult for him to completely integrate the six towns.

The military and political power of the six garrisons is concentrated in the hands of the commander-in-chief, which poses a great threat.

But it is precisely because of this system of military-political integration and civilian-military unity that the Northern Frontier Army was able to unleash its powerful combat capabilities.

So, Li Xiao was also frustrated!
They were eager to learn from the Tang Dynasty and establish a military system to restrict the direct command of the six regional commanders over their troops.

But now is far from the right time.

First of all, population is a major problem. Even the simplest separation of military and political power has not been completed, so how can we talk about establishing a complex feudal dynasty system?

No one could have imagined that Li Xiao, who had single-handedly established the Six Towns, would later devise a plan to dismantle their institutional framework.

Xiao Yanyan didn't understand Li Xiao's concerns about the hidden dangers in the Six Towns, and simply thought he was referring to the population problem in the northern border region.

He chuckled and said, "Isn't this just a roundabout way of trying to attack the Xia Kingdom?"

Li Xiao pulled himself together and burst into laughter.

"We definitely have to fight the Western Xia. We'll start after the spring planting next year."

"One winter should be enough time for the soldiers of the six garrisons to adapt to each other."

After saying that, he casually suppressed the struggling golden knife in his arms, causing the boy to burst into tears.

"Waaaaah~"

Xiao Yanyan immediately snatched it away, hugged it and comforted it, while giving Li Xiao a disapproving look.

Then another thing came to mind: "When will the Wei family send someone to propose marriage to Miss Wei?"

"I heard you promoted Wei Xuan to the rank of commander of ten thousand. Won't people gossip if you take her as a concubine at this time?"

Li Xiao shook his head slightly: "It's alright, let's arrange for someone to propose marriage in the next couple of days!"

“If Wei Xuan can’t even stand these idle rumors, he shouldn’t be leading troops to attack Xia.”

"Go home and take care of your child!"

Among the younger generation of generals, Li Xiao values ​​three the most.

Da Hu, Er Hu, and Wei Xuan.

Erhu was the most bloodthirsty, so Li Xiao placed him in the west to deal with Wang Ting.

Da Hu and Wei Xuan were placed in the Sixth Town.

This force was the main force to deal with the grasslands and the Western Xia, and even more so the vanguard to enter the Central Plains in the future.

In Li Xiao's mind, Da Hu and Wei Xuan were like Muqali and Subutai, both brilliant military leaders.

The most basic requirement for an excellent commander is to have a strong heart.

They bear pressure that ordinary people cannot bear.

And then convert it into motivation.

Li Xiao did this on purpose to provoke Wei Xuan, so that he would prove himself in next year's war.

"Alright, since neither of you cares, I'll arrange for someone to go to the Wei family!"

"I've had someone check it out, and three days from now is an auspicious day for adoption."

Hearing Xiao Yanyan's words, Li Xiao nodded slightly.

The wicked feudal era was truly wonderful.

When a husband takes a concubine, the wife is expected to manage the entire process without any complaints.

But looking into the backyard, there are more and more women.

Meanwhile, in a house not far from the Grand Protectorate, Er Ya was also busy tidying up the house.

Although the mansions in Longcheng have not yet been sold to the public, some of them have already been bestowed upon certain generals.

This 'Wei Mansion' is a reward for Wei Xuan's military achievements.

Er Ya really likes this courtyard and has been tidying it up for the past two days.

Upon seeing Wei Xuan return, they couldn't wait to greet him.

"Brother, brother, has the Grand Protector appointed you as a commander of ten thousand?" Er Ya blinked her hazy eyes, asking expectantly.

Li Xiao had already revealed this information to Wei Xuan while they were drinking together, so Er Ya was really looking forward to seeing her brother's progress.

At this moment, Wei Xuan was not so excited. All he could think about was how to make a contribution and let everyone know that he, Wei Xuan, relied not on women's skirts, but on his real abilities.

So, looking distracted, he casually handed the Golden Lion Cavalry Sword in his hand to Er Ya.

"See for yourself!"

"Wow, it really is Wan Hu!" Er Ya said happily.

She was familiar with the rank of the Jinzhou army's cavalry swords; the golden lion's head was for a commander of ten thousand men.

Seeing her curiously examining the cavalry saber, Wei Xuan shook his head helplessly and simply said, "Take good care of yourself these next couple of days."

"The Li family will probably come to propose marriage soon."

Er Ya was stunned upon hearing this: "A marriage proposal?"

His face immediately flushed slightly, and the cavalry saber lost its appeal; his mind was filled with the image of Li Xiao.

Although she was married as a concubine, Li Xiao still formally proposed marriage to her.

This filled Er Ya with excitement and joy, as it meant that she held a high position in Li Xiao's heart.

Then he asked, "Brother, where is Sister Erfeng?"

When are you going to marry her?

Wei Xuan is several years older than her and should have gotten married long ago, but unfortunately, without the help of elders and with constant warfare, it has been delayed.

But in reality, Er Ya could see through Er Feng's feelings for Wei Xuan very clearly.

"Erfeng?"

Upon hearing this name, Wei Xuan felt a moment of disorientation.

Although Erfeng's appearance is not top-notch, she is a good housekeeper, and she will definitely be a virtuous wife and loving mother after you marry her.

Isn't that what men want when they get married?
Since the woman has already expressed this intention, Wei Xuan cannot be too negligent.

The final decision: "Let's go together!"

"We siblings, one of us will get married, and the other will marry into our family."

"They've got the upper hand over the Li family."

After saying that, he shook his head and chuckled.

Er Ya had no objections; it was a good thing to strengthen family ties.

"It's just a pity that my eldest sister probably won't be able to come to our wedding day."

"I wonder if she's doing well in Xia Country," Er Ya said softly, her voice tinged with sadness.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xuan's emotions became somewhat suppressed, and he thought of his eldest sister.

When he was little, his eldest sister always took care of him and Er Ya, truly embodying the role of an elder sister as a mother.

Later, she married and moved to the Xia Kingdom. The journey was long, and they lost touch. I only heard that she had a son and was living a relatively fulfilling life.

"If I have the chance next year, I'll go visit my eldest sister," Wei Xuan said in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)