The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 254 The Hatred of a Destroyed Family and the Stolen Wife

Delete Lecheng.

At this time, the prefectural governor's office had become the command center of the Northern Frontier Army.

He Dagan's family had no choice but to move to a villa in the eastern part of the city. The villa had only two courtyards and covered an area of ​​less than one acre.

It is far less luxurious and grand than the Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

In the backyard, outside the main house, He Dagan was speaking kindly to four soldiers from the northern frontier, and only after receiving their assurances was he allowed to enter the room.

But you can't stay long; you have to leave after saying a few words.

"You bitch, what are you doing?"

Hedagan entered the room and immediately saw Abugma sitting in front of the bronze mirror, dressing up. He walked up to her aggressively and questioned her.

His eyes blazed with fire, and his face was contorted with rage, which terrified the two maids, but Abugma ignored him completely.

She didn't even glance at it, continuing to groom herself in front of the bronze mirror.

Already possessing natural beauty, she became even more radiant and alluring after dressing up.

"Don't you know that?"

Abugma glanced at him lightly with her beautiful eyes and chuckled.

Then she started admiring her own appearance, which shows that women still need men to nourish them.

She originally thought all men in the world were like He Dagan, but after meeting Li Xiao, she realized what a true man was.

She looks much younger; her skin is fair and smooth.

Those days before, tsk tsk, I really wasted my life.

But seeing her disdainful attitude, He Dagan felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

"You shameless woman, how could there be such a promiscuous woman as you in this world?"

Hedagan roared angrily, his face flushed, staring intently at Abugma as if he wanted to devour her.

At the same time, he looked guilty as he glanced towards the door, afraid that the four northern border soldiers outside would hear him.

The four men were there to escort Abugma to the Shandan military horse farm to meet the Grand Protector.

This is outrageous!

But daring not to disobey Li Xiao's orders, he could only vent his anger on Abugma with words.

As he spoke, he grabbed Abugma's arm, stared at her face, and said hatefully, "You shameless slut."

"I killed so many people for you back then, and what do you do now that I've lost power..."

Hedagan used the most vicious words to constantly pierce Abugma's heart.

Her expression grew increasingly grief-stricken, and clear tears slowly streamed down her face, wetting her clothes. Between sobs and laughter, she said, "He Dagan, put away that bitch-like face of yours!"

"Isn't this the result you wanted?"

"Now you're asking me to be a chaste and virtuous woman?"

"Hmph, your face is truly disgusting."

Abugma was originally a loyal and virtuous woman, until the moment she was thrown away by Hedagan.

She was completely disappointed in this man, no longer believing any of his lies, and no longer caring whether he was her husband or not.

Now, she just wants to do what she wants.

"You~"

"You bitch~"

As he spoke, Hedagan raised his hand, intending to slap Abugema across the face.

But Abghma looked him straight in the eye without fear and said with a sneer, "Go ahead and fight!"

"Go ahead and hit me if you dare."

"Anyway, I'm going to see the Grand Protector. I'll let him see the slap mark on my face, hmph~"

He Dagan was terrified. His arm, which was raised in mid-air, froze instantly. His face turned ashen, and his back teeth were almost ground to dust.

Abugma snorted coldly, threw him aside, stood up in her gorgeous clothes and formal attire, and walked towards the door.

As he left, he didn't forget to turn back and mock, "He Dagan, what kind of man are you?"

"To tell you the truth, the two years I've been married to you haven't been as enjoyable as those two nights with the Grand Protector."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut and left the mansion with two maids and four soldiers from the northern frontier.

He Dagan's pride was thoroughly hurt by those words.

His face flushed red, his eyes widened, and he pointed in the direction Abgema had left, his voice trembling as he said, "You...you...you~"

Before he could finish speaking, he spat out blood, his vision went black, and he fainted from anger.

In the following days, He Da fell ill, lying in bed, in a daze, looking like he was about to die.

That evening, his window was suddenly pushed open quietly from the outside.

He Dagan, thinking it was a servant outside, asked groggily, "Who is it?"

However, the visitor did not speak.

He Dagan suddenly had a bad feeling. He opened his eyes wide and was about to shout for his servant when the person who came covered his mouth.

"Big brother, don't shout, it's me."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, He Dagan's eyes widened instantly.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, I carefully observed the person who came. He looked to be around thirty years old, wearing a tattered linen shirt, and his face was dirty. He looked like a refugee.

But He Dagan recognized him at a glance.

"Apu? It's you?"

This man was named Hedagan Apu, Hedagan's cousin, and served as the deputy commander of the city gate in Liangzhou.

As he spoke, He Dagan quickly looked towards the door and found that there was no movement and the servants seemed to be fast asleep.

"Don't look, brother, nobody knows I'm here." Ap sat on the chair next to him, picked up a teapot and poured water into his mouth.

"Why are you here? The city is full of people from the Northern Frontier. If they find out who you are, it will be terrible."

He Dagan struggled to get up and said nervously.

But Apu said with considerable confidence, "As long as you don't betray me, the barbarians of the Northern Frontier won't be able to find me."

The Hedagan family established themselves in Shanle City during the founding of the Western Xia Dynasty. With more than ten generations of accumulation, it would not be an exaggeration to call them the local emperors of Shanle City.

Although the city is now occupied by the Northern Frontier Army, it is still not a problem for one or two people to sneak in.

"I'm your older brother, why would I betray you?"

He Dagan dragged his weak body to another chair and sat down, saying seriously, "But it's really dangerous for you to see me at this time."

"Although the people of the Northern Frontier didn't kill me, they never trusted me. They might have spies inside the manor."

Ap nodded: "I understand, that's why I came to see you alone."

With an angry expression, he said, "Brother, I already know everything about our family."

"The barbarians of the Northern Frontier are nothing but a bunch of beasts."

"Even if I were to cut them into a thousand pieces and skin them alive, it would not be enough to quell the hatred in my heart."

Ap has been lying in wait in the city for several days and has a general understanding of what is happening there.

The Hedagan family was finished. Their wealth, accumulated over a century, was looted by the barbarians of the northern frontier. Most of their family members were captured, killed, or reduced to slavery.

Women, on the other hand, became playthings for those barbarians.

Even He Dagan himself only managed to survive by giving his wife to the Northern Protector-General.

The hatred of losing his family, the hatred of having his wife stolen, the hatred of having his relatives killed—all these were inflicted by the people of the northern frontier.

Apu didn't believe that Hedagan harbored no hatred.

When these things were mentioned, pain and anger naturally appeared on He Dagan's face.

His fists were clenched, his teeth were clenched, and his anger seemed to tear his chest apart.

Especially when he thought about how that bitch Abugma was lying on Li Xiao's lap, basking in his pleasure, Silver Sword looked at him with such rage that he wanted to tear that pair of adulterers apart alive.

The two years she spent with him couldn't compare to the two nights she spent with that man?

This statement was the greatest insult to He Dagan.

“That’s right, those people from the northern frontier are a pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing.” He Dagan said bitterly, his eyes red.

Seeing that his emotions seemed genuine, Apu finally revealed his purpose: "Brother, the barbarians of the Northern Frontier destroyed my ancestral hall, bullied my people, killed my relatives, and abducted my wife and daughters."

"Such a deep-seated hatred is irreconcilable. If we do not avenge it, how can we face our ancestors in the Hedagan family?"

Ap's face was tense as he spoke with resentment.

Although their branch of the family had settled in Liangzhou, Shanle City was still their root, and they would return every year to worship their ancestors.

"However, there is an opportunity for revenge right now."

“The Prince of Zhenyi already knows about what happened in Shanle City and is aware of the plight of our Hedagan family and other prominent families, so he specially sent me to contact you.”

“Once the prince’s army arrives outside Shanle City, elder brother can contact the others to work together to open the city gates and welcome the royal army into the city.”

"We can not only skin and tear apart all the people from the Northern Frontier in the city, but also lead our troops to the Shandan military farm and capture Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier."

"Then, brother, you can personally cut off the thief's flesh piece by piece, making him beg for mercy in front of you."

Hearing what Apu said, Hedagan was tempted.

According to his understanding, a fierce battle was taking place at the military horse farms in the south, and the situation was unclear.

Meanwhile, in the middle route, Prince Li Anquan of Zhenyi led an army of 30,000 into the ancient road of Yanzhi Mountain. How many northern border guards were there in Shandan City?

With a budget of less than 10,000, the success rate is quite high.

If he could lead the men to open the city gates, he would be a great hero of the court. Not only would he not be held responsible for the lost territory, but he would also be greatly promoted and rewarded.

Thinking of this, driven by hatred, He Dagan gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Damn it!"

……

At the military horse farm, after several days of bloody fighting, the intensity of the battle has eased, and the two sides have begun a stalemate.

That evening, Li Xiao received a secret report from Shanle City: a big fish had taken the bait.

"He Dagang is truly a fool. Now we'll see if Li Anquan is as clever as him," Li Xiao muttered to himself as he sat in the golden tent.

It was a seemingly insignificant move, but unexpectedly, the Western Xia people took the bait.

"Tell Deputy Commander Luo to proceed according to plan," Li Xiao said to the messenger. If the Western Xia army dared to enter Shanle City, then they would give them a big surprise.

Afterwards, Li Xiao summoned Wan Hu Tietou and Mo Jun from the Fourth Town.

Tie Tou was Li Xiao's playmate and came from the Wuwei Army.

Mo Jun was one of the eight great commanders of Jinzhou. Although he was a Hu (non-Han Chinese), he was loyal to Li Xiao, after all, Li Xiao avenged his father by killing Xiao Linta.

The two men, dressed in bright yellow cotton armor with white trim, handed their swords to the guards outside the tent and strode into the golden tent.

He patted his chest and shouted, "Greetings, Grand Protector!"

Li Xiao raised his head from the sand table in front of him and said in a deep voice:

"Something has happened in Shanle City. You will each lead your troops and set off early tomorrow morning to support Shanle City, following Luo Meng's orders."

The ancient road to Yanzhi Mountain is situated in a strategically important location, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Meanwhile, the fighting at the military horse farm was quite intense, and there was an urgent need for the direct forces of the northern frontier to quell the situation.

Therefore, Li Xiao only gave Luo Mengqi his own 10,000-household commander and less than 5,000 Gaochang soldiers to guard Shanle City.

However, now, with the experience gained from the war, the Kuril troops have begun to gradually adapt to their identity as infantrymen in the northern frontier.

Therefore, Li Xiao can also free up some of his forces to support Shanle City.

Upon hearing this, Tie Tou and Mo Jun nodded and replied, "Yes, sir."

After the two left, Li Xiao studied the sand table for a while, then put on his armor and went to inspect the camp and comfort the wounded and sick.

However, compared to the tragic and bloody scenes in the Western Xia wounded soldiers' camp, the Northern Frontier wounded soldiers' camp had an added smell of garlic and strong liquor.

It is allicin.

"How many wounded soldiers are there in the camp?" Li Xiao asked the centurion of the wounded soldiers' camp.

This man was named Qian Zhongyong. He was originally a doctor in Jinzhou. Because he was skilled in surgery and had saved many soldiers, Li Xiao appointed him as a centurion in charge of the wounded soldiers' camp.

In later generations, his status would be equivalent to that of the dean of 301 Hospital.

"Grand Protector, there are more than 2,800 wounded soldiers in the camp, of whom 815 are seriously wounded. Today, 442 new wounded soldiers have been added."

"Since the start of the war, 638 wounded soldiers have recovered and left the camp..."

Qian Zhongyong reported to Li Xiao on the situation of the wounded soldiers' camp. Overall, the casualty rate in the northern frontier was not too high.

Moreover, since the start of the war, Qian Zhongyong had arranged for people to boil and extract allicin on a large scale.

As a result, the Northern Frontier Army almost completely harvested all the garlic in the Hexi Corridor, and they also brought a large amount of raw garlic with them when they set out on the expedition.

Applying allicin to soldiers' wounds and simultaneously ingesting it with water can effectively alleviate their infections.

It saved at least half of the soldiers who needed amputation, allowing them to recover and return to the battlefield or take on logistical duties.

Therefore, Qian Zhongyong was very fond of allicin and held Li Xiao, who invented allicin, in high esteem.

"The Golden Jade Powder developed by the Grand Protector is truly astonishing and awe-inspiring."

"With the use of Jin Yu San, all the festering sores that doctors were helpless against in the past disappeared."

"What you're doing isn't developing a medicine, it's practically snatching people from the jaws of death!"

Qian Zhongyong, with a look of admiration, patted Li Xiao's chest and said, "In the past, Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs to save people from illness; now, the Grand Protector has developed the Golden Jade Powder to save thousands of soldiers from the brink of death."

Such merits are enough to be remembered for generations to come.

Who says doctors only know how to save lives and don't understand human relationships?
Old Man Qian knew this very well, and almost every time he saw Li Xiao, he would use this set of words to flatter him.

Although he knew it was flattery, Li Xiao was still very tolerant of someone as capable as Lao Qian, and he continued to reward him regularly.

"Hehe, the development of Jin Yu San was just an unintentional act of mine."

"I don't aspire to be remembered for generations. I only hope to save more lives of soldiers in the northern frontier and prevent the people of the world from suffering the pain of rotting flesh. That would be enough for me," Li Xiao sighed with a compassionate expression.

This drew another round of praise from Old Man Qian.

After Li Xiao personally examined the injuries of each wounded soldier, it was already quite late, so he returned to his tent to rest.

I will sleep alone again tonight.

As for He Dagan's wife?

That was to deliberately provoke him.

Although Li Xiao is a womanizer, he knows when to stop.

It is wartime now, and the soldiers are risking their lives to fight the enemy. If he indulges in revelry in his golden tent every night, what will the soldiers of the northern frontier think of him?

Therefore, a rule that all soldiers, including Li Xiao, had to abide by was that they were forbidden from having sex during battle.

Only after victory can everyone indulge themselves and release the fear that death has brought to each of them.

……

Since finalizing the plan to "rebel against the North," He Dagan has been actively gathering his old subordinates in Shanle City.

Prepare to secretly assemble a small force, not too many people, just enough to keep it secret, and seize the city gate at the crucial moment to receive the main army outside the city.

Meanwhile, upon learning the news, Li Anquan also ordered his army to intensify its offensive and capture several dangerous locations along the ancient Yanzhi Mountain road.

This forced the Northern Frontier Army and the Gaochang Auxiliary Army to retreat step by step, almost exposing Shanle City to the Western Xia army.

As a result, the atmosphere in the city became even more tense.

The auxiliary troops of Gaochang were busy every day, transporting large amounts of supplies into the city.

On this day, He Dagan, accompanied by his staff and two servants, went to contact a small number of his former subordinates who were still alive.

On the way back, we happened to see two soldiers from the northern frontier leading a group of soldiers from Gaochang, escorting more than twenty carts through the street.

"Get out of the way, don't block the way."

Upon seeing He Dagan and his men, the leading soldier from the Northern Frontier Army immediately shouted loudly.

It seemed as if they would run him over if he didn't give way.

He Dagan quickly hid to the side, his face full of humiliation and anger.

"Hmph, I'll let you be smug for two more days. Then I'll definitely skin you alive."

He Dagan was originally a high-ranking prefect. Every time he went out, he was surrounded by a retinue, sitting in a luxurious carriage and receiving the 'worship' of the common people.
Never before have things been like this: the carriage is gone, and we have to walk; the retinue is gone, and only two old servants remain.

They also had to endure being bullied by the barbarian soldiers of the northern frontier.

He couldn't bear such a lowly life for even a day longer.

They wished they could open the city gates tonight and let the imperial army into the city.

After the convoy had driven far away, He Dagan murmured in confusion, "Why are those barbarians from the northern frontier bringing so much fodder into the city?"

The aide beside him glanced around and immediately whispered, "I suspect it's because the imperial army is about to reach the city."

"The barbarians were worried about being surrounded on all sides, so they prepared enough fodder in advance to prevent their warhorses and men from fighting over food."

"Of course, it's also possible that there's something else hidden in the fodder that they don't want us to see."

This explanation was reasonable, and He Dagan nodded slightly in agreement.

He sneered, "It seems these barbarians intend to fight the imperial army to the death."

"Hmph, that's ridiculous."

Two days later, he showed those barbarians what he was capable of.

Shanle City has always belonged to the Hedagan family.

If you don't want to cooperate, anyone who comes will have to leave in a sorry state.

“You’re right, sir,” the advisor nodded slightly and said in a flattering tone.

"The barbarians of the northern frontier are blind and made a mistake in offending you, sir."

He Dagan nodded slightly, agreeing completely.

The next morning, just as the morning mist had cleared, a piercing gong suddenly rang out from the watchtower on the east gate of Shanle City.

Twenty thousand Western Xia cavalrymen surged across the wasteland like a black tide, heading towards the city gate.

Li Anquan's banner proclaiming him "Prince Zhenyi" fluttered under the blazing sun, the cold glint of armor and weapons reflecting off the armor. Though weary, the Western Xia soldiers were all in high spirits.

Simply because Shanle City is so close at hand.

After the city falls, they can plunder to their heart's content.

He used the heads of soldiers from the northern frontier to earn war merits, used the women of Shanle City to warm his bed, and used the wealth of the city to provide a good life for his wife and children.

Looting is the mainstream of warfare in this era, and it is also the foundation for soldiers to maintain strong combat effectiveness.

So what if Shanle City once belonged to the Western Xia?
But now it's a den of thieves in the northern frontier.

They weren't robbing the people of Great Xia, but rather the barbarians of the northern frontier.

As for who the northern barbarians are, that will naturally be determined by the valiant soldiers of the Great Xia.

"Order the entire army to set up camp, rest for a day, and attack the city tomorrow."

Under the great banner, Li Anquan waved his hand and issued the order.

The Western Xia army had opened up the entire Yanzhi Mountain Ancient Road and indeed needed to rest and recuperate.

But in reality, Li Anquan was preparing for tonight's operation.

After setting up camp, Li Anquan summoned Apu to his tent and asked in a deep voice, "Can you contact your cousin? How are his preparations going?"

Apu said, "Your Highness, my army has besieged the city, but the northern barbarians have strengthened the city's defenses. I'm afraid I won't be able to get in."

"But Your Highness, rest assured, I guarantee with the lives of my entire family that my cousin will not betray the Great Xia."

Upon hearing this, Li Anquan nodded slightly.

He had already learned about Shanle City and the Hedagan family's plight from other sources.

He also believed that the guy with the grass growing in his head harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the barbarians of the northern frontier.

But he doubted whether He Dagan had the ability to open the city gates, and whether any of his subordinates would leak the secret.

But at this moment, any worry is just asking for trouble.

Just wait for the third quarter of the Yin hour to arrive.

(End of this chapter)