The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 255 Offering Loyalty to the Northern Frontier

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the sky over the Hexi Corridor was just beginning to darken.

At He Dagan's residence, he paced back and forth, his face showing tension and fear, yet occasionally revealing excitement and agitation.

More than 20,000 imperial troops were at the city gates, while inside the city, he had already made all the necessary preparations.

He has contacted a group of loyal former subordinates, and they are ready to take action at any time.

"What time is it?"

He Dagan looked up at the sky outside the door and asked, this was the third time he had asked about the time.

The old servant replied, "Master, it is three-quarters past 7 PM."

He Dagan looked displeased: "Why is it taking so long?"

The agreed time was 3:40 AM, which is around 4:00 AM in later generations.

It was still early, but he couldn't contain his excitement.

They couldn't wait to welcome the imperial army into the city and use the blood of the "Northern Barbarians" within to wash away the shame of the Hedagan family.

He then ordered his old servant to wake him at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and then lay down on the bed to rest for a while.

But at that moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

"what happened?"

With his mind on edge, He Dagan opened his eyes instantly. Already feeling guilty, he quickly got up and looked outside.

A troop of northern border soldiers burst through the gate and strode in. The servants, who had been awakened, dared not show their faces and huddled in their rooms in fear.

"Bang~"

Then came a loud crash as He Dagan's door was kicked open, and the leader was a burly captain wearing a yellow cotton armor with white trim.

He stroked his cavalry saber, gave He Dagan a cold look, and said in a deep voice, "He Dagan, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief requests your presence."

Upon hearing this, He Dagan was filled with panic, his face turned pale, and he subconsciously thought that his plan had been exposed.

Looking around, he saw only soldiers from the northern frontier, and there was not a single person he could use.

"General, may I ask why the Commander-in-Chief summoned me?"

"That way, I can be prepared." He Dagan quickly stepped forward and asked with an awkward smile.

He also secretly slipped a silver ingot to the captain, which was about ten taels.

Although the Hedagan family's property was confiscated, they still managed to keep some of their secrets.

The captain unceremoniously grabbed the silver in his hand, weighed it lightly, and snorted, "With so many brothers like us, how are we going to divide a mere ten taels of silver?"

Upon hearing this, He Dagan cursed the insatiable greed of the "Northern Barbarians" in his heart, but he still took out another twenty taels of silver from the crack in the bed and handed it over.

After receiving the silver, the captain's expression softened a bit. He glanced at him sideways and said, "It seems that Prefect Hedagan has secretly hidden quite a bit of silver!"

He Dagan shook his head frantically: "No, no~"

"have nothing left."

The captain naturally didn't believe it, but he still had to get things done first.

"The Deputy Commander-in-Chief invites you to see a grand performance."

After saying that, he shoved He Dagan away.

"Wait, my clothes."

"No need to wear anything, just go naked~"

After leaving behind a squad of soldiers, the captain personally escorted He Dagan toward the prefectural governor's residence.

The remaining Shihu kicked open a servant's room and shouted, "Is there anyone here who can speak human language?"

"Go and summon everyone in the manor. Not a single one can be missing."

Soon, an elderly servant who could speak Chinese nimbly gathered everyone in the mansion together.

The Hedagan mansion was once incredibly magnificent, with over a hundred servants.

But now, only seven or eight old servants remain, followed by several of Hedagan's sons.

As for his concubines and daughters, they naturally went where they belonged.

The soldiers from the northern frontier stood in the courtyard, holding torches that illuminated the faces of the people inside the mansion clearly.

Shihu stroked his cavalry saber, scanned the men, and asked calmly, "Is everyone here?"

The old servant, who spoke Chinese, nodded hurriedly, his back hunched: "Yes, they're all here."

“Very good.” Shihu nodded gently.

The next second, he drew his knife, and the cold light instantly sliced ​​across the old servant's neck.

"Uh-huh~"

The old servant clutched his neck tightly with both hands, but he couldn't stop the gushing blood from flowing out.

His cloudy eyes were filled with disbelief, but his body could only collapse helplessly to the ground.

Shi Hu looked at everyone in the courtyard and shouted sternly, "Kill them all!"

The next second, a pitiful scream rang out from inside the courtyard.

But they soon discovered that these old servants were not easy to deal with.

They appear harmless on the surface, but in reality, they are all veteran soldiers.

If they weren't old and frail, and didn't lack suitable weapons, they probably could have taken one or two soldiers from the northern frontier with them.

In a short while, the servants and Hedagan's sons all fell into pools of blood.

Shihu gripped his blood-dripping cavalry saber, glanced at the deathly silent courtyard, and grinned, "Search."

Although He Dagan's main house had been confiscated, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.

He Dagan's family must still be hiding some good things.

For example, loose silver coins, which are the favorite of soldiers in the northern frontier.

……

Meanwhile, He Dagan was completely unaware of what was happening at home.

The wind was strong at night, and he shivered as soon as he stepped into the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion, wearing only thin clothes.

Although the place was so familiar, it was also so strange. The mansion was filled with Luo Meng's personal guards, who were armed with long spears and swords, and the defenses were very tight.

Even Luo Meng himself wasn't asleep at the moment, and was standing in the courtyard wielding his spear.

In the cold night wind, he stood shirtless, revealing his strong muscles; he was tall and imposing, as strong as a mountain.

As the spear danced, He Dagan seemed to feel a surge of bloodlust, like that of a wild beast, rushing towards him, filling him with primal fear.

He stood shakily in the courtyard, bowed and said, "This humble one, He Dagan, greets Commander-in-Chief."

Upon hearing this, Luo Meng slowly stopped wielding his spear, turned his head, glanced at the thin figure shivering in the cold wind, and calmly said, "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

He Dagan quickly shook his head and said cautiously, "Please enlighten me, Commander."

Luo Meng's lips curled into a smile: "I invited you to watch a show."

After saying this, he threw the spear to the guard beside him, took the cotton cloth to wipe the sweat off his body, and with the guard's help, put on his deputy commander's yellow armor.

He Dagan was extremely nervous, but since Luo Meng didn't say anything, he could only continue to stand there with a stiff upper lip.

……

Hu Dujin was originally a minor military officer in Shanle City, and his life was quite comfortable.

But when the barbarians from the northern frontier arrived, everything changed.

His home was gone, his parents were killed, his wife was taken to the northern border military camp and never came out again, and even he himself had an arm broken and was lucky to survive.

But they had to work day and night for the barbarians of the northern frontier, a life even more miserable than that of slaves.

Therefore, when He Dagan approached him, Hu Dujin agreed without hesitation to work with him.

Along with him were other people who had similar experiences, all of whom were unhappy with their lives and had been ruthlessly harassed by the barbarians of the northern frontier.

Therefore, resistance is necessary.

After nightfall, they secretly slipped out of the slave camp and gathered in a house arranged by Hedagan. They distributed weapons and prepared to take action at dawn.

However, shortly after nightfall, He Dagan's advisors came to them and told them that the plan was to be moved up and that they should set off immediately. The objective had also changed to attack the prefect's mansion, and to capture the leader first.

Hu Dujin and the others had no doubts. They put on the Gaochang soldiers' clothes that He Dagan had brought them, took their weapons, and headed toward the prefectural governor's mansion in the center of the city.

However, when they walked onto the street outside the prefectural governor's mansion, they vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

"Why is it so quiet?"

Hu Dujin cautiously looked at the houses on both sides, her face extremely solemn.

"Those barbarians from the northern frontier are probably all asleep!"

"That's perfect for us to get started," someone nearby said.

"Where is Wulizhen?" Hu Dujin asked.

Wulizhen was Hedagan's advisor, also a Uyghur, and was highly trusted by Hedagan.

"He has already left, saying he is going to protect the Prefect."

"Never mind him, the prefectural governor's mansion is just ahead. As long as we kill the barbarian official, we will be heroes of the court, and we will have silver, beauties, fertile land, and pastures."

The person next to him said excitedly, clearly having been misled by the promises made by He Dagan.

For people like them, living at the bottom of a slave society, there are few opportunities to defy fate and change their destiny. If they seize one opportunity, it can bring blessings to their descendants for decades.

Everyone was eager to make a contribution, so Hu Dujin had no choice but to follow along.

But in the next second, figures suddenly appeared on the rooftops on both sides.

"who?"

"No, we were ambushed!"

Hu Dujin and the others looked to both sides in horror, their expressions panicked, constantly shifting their feet, trying to find cover.

Unfortunately, there was nothing on the street except some haystacks, and the doors on both sides of the house had been sealed off.

Soldiers from the northern frontier also appeared at both ends of the street, blocking the road.

These northern border soldiers were all dressed in yellow cotton armor and carried bows and arrows or crossbows.

Standing high on the rooftop, looking down at Hu Dujin and the others.

The next second, a captain shouted, "Fire!"

"Rustling sound~"

Dozens of arrows rained down on Hu Dujin and the others, their screams echoing through the air.

Then, soldiers from both sides rushed over and finished off those who were still alive.

At this moment, He Dagan had already been brought to the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion, where he watched helplessly as all of this unfolded.

The people he had arranged were slaughtered in the short time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

That was too fast, and too scary.

He Dagan no longer had time to think about why these people had come to the prefect's residence.

He was so frightened that his face turned pale, his legs went weak, and he was covered in cold sweat.

"This, this, this~"

He knelt directly on the ground, looked at Luo Meng who came out in full armor, and explained in a trembling voice, "Commander-in-Chief, Commander-in-Chief."

"I don't know, none of this has anything to do with me."

Luo Meng didn't seem to care, looking down at him and saying calmly, "Do you know this person?"

After saying that, he turned his gaze to the inner courtyard, where he saw a man walking out under the protection of two soldiers from the northern frontier.

The moment He Daqian saw him, his eyes narrowed sharply, his mouth agape in disbelief. His arm trembled as he pointed forward, angrily exclaiming, "It's you?"

The visitor was Wulizhen, an advisor to Hedagan.

He has been by his side for over a decade, and can be described as 'utterly loyal,' never hiding anything from him.

But He Dagan never expected that in the end, it would be He Dagan who stabbed him in the back.

Wuli Zhen walked over slowly, a smug smile on his face, and said with a chuckle, "That's right, Prefect, it was me who betrayed you again."

"You despicable, shameless scoundrel, you filthy bastard! I must have been blind to believe you!" He Dagan roared angrily.

In this situation, no matter how he tries to argue, it's useless. So he might as well just go all out and vent his anger.

But Wuli Zhen nodded dismissively, saying arrogantly, "The Prefect is right. I, Wuli Zhen, am a fickle, despicable, and shameless scoundrel."

"But you forced me to do it."

Wuli Zhen's eyes were cold and revealed a fierce glint.

"Why? I've treated you well all these years!" He Dagan roared, his eyes wide as if he wanted to devour him.

"Not thin?"

"Hmph, Prefect, you think too highly of yourself!" Wulizhen laughed bitterly.

Do you remember Gessa Shaina?

Upon hearing this name, He Dagan was slightly startled.

Although he had forgotten who Xia Yina was, the surname Gesa remained vivid in his memory, after all, the Gesa family had once held a certain status in Shanle City.

However, more than a decade ago, due to a conflict of interest, Hedagan took ruthless measures against the Gesa family, wiping out the entire clan.

"Are you from the Gesar family?"

He Dagan stared wide-eyed at Wulizhen in disbelief.

But he clearly remembered that he had killed all the offspring of the Gesa family, and he had checked the illegitimate children many times, so there was no way that any of them could have escaped.

Wuli Zhen shook his head slightly; it was a sad story.

His family originally lived in Liangzhou City, but they were punished by the imperial court and all the male members of the family were executed.

The father bribed the prison guards and replaced him with another child.

He was then sent to be raised by the Gesar family, because the head of the Gesar family and his father were close friends.

At the Gesa family home, he met his white moonlight, Xia Yina.

The two gradually developed feelings for each other and fell in love. Xia Yina's father also agreed to marry them after they came of age.

But unexpectedly, misfortune struck. The Gesa family was wiped out, and Xia Yina was taken away by He Dagan, who then humiliated her to death.

At that time, Wulizhen, in order to conceal his identity, was only a servant in the Gesa family on the surface, so he survived by chance.

He changed his name and went far away. Years later, he returned to Shanle City and gradually gained He Dagan's trust.

He began his revenge plan.

He had many opportunities to kill Hedagan, but that was far less than the lives of dozens of members of the Gesa family.

So he was waiting for an opportunity.

Two years ago, he secretly contacted He Dagan's political enemies, wanting to use the power of the Western Xia court to destroy the He Dagan family.

Unfortunately, He Dagan was more skilled and remained unharmed.

This time, Wulizhen betrayed him to the Northern Frontier Army, finally managing to kill Hedagan's entire family in one fell swoop.

"Dang Dang Dang Dang~"

With a sound of metal falling, a scimitar was thrown at Wulizhen's feet.

Luo Meng said in a calm voice, "I have no interest in hearing about your grievances."

"Although you have made a meritorious report against He Dagan, you still need to show your loyalty to my northern frontier."

After saying this, Wulizhen's expression turned solemn, and he bowed to Luo Meng, saying, "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for giving me the opportunity to avenge myself."

“From now on, my life belongs to the Northern Frontier.”

After saying that, he slowly picked up the scimitar from the ground, and his gaze toward He Dagan became increasingly fierce.

He Da was terrified. He kept moving backward, shaking his head frantically: "No, no, spare me!"

Before he could finish speaking, the curved blade slashed at his neck.

However, Wulizhen's technique was lacking, and the blade got stuck in the bone crevice, but He Dagan was definitely dead.

……

The Western Xia army's main camp was located two miles away from the city wall. This was done to prevent night attacks from within the city and to allow sufficient time for response.

Therefore, the Western Xia army did not discover any movement in the city.

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), all the tribes of Western Xia were fully prepared to set off. Li Anquan was wearing chainmail, protecting himself completely from head to toe.

His gaze turned solemnly towards the city.

Apu comforted him, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Although Hedagan has fallen, his prestige remains."

“My cousin has quite a few trustworthy people in the city; he’ll definitely be able to open the city gates.”

Li Anquan nodded slightly; this was the only gamble he could take.

The battle at the military horse farm has reached a stalemate. If he can make a breakthrough in the middle, he will shine in this war.

The name Li Anquan will be deeply ingrained in the hearts of the military.

With military power in hand, great things can be expected in the future.

Around 3:45 AM, a scout suddenly came to report that there was chaos inside the East Gate, and it seemed that many people were fighting.

Moreover, the noise grew louder and louder, alarming even more soldiers in the northern border region.

The next moment, the east gate was slowly opened, and three figures holding torches rushed out, waving them in the direction of the Western Xia camp.

Upon seeing this, Apu's face lit up with joy: "Your Highness, my cousin has succeeded! They have opened the city gates."

The three torches were the signal for the agreement, a fact known only to him and He Dagan.

However, he did not expect that He Dagan had instructed Wulizhen to arrange for three people to carry torches in advance.

Li Anquan's tense expression gradually relaxed. Although he didn't completely trust He Dagan, the current situation was enough for him to take a gamble.

Immediately, Li Anquan ordered, "Order Zhe Bumanu to lead his infantry and cavalry to storm the city gates and seize Shanle City."

Li Anquan did not dare to commit all his troops, but only a portion of them, about five thousand men.

"As ordered!"

Soon, the sound of war drums rang out outside the city. The cavalry, having received the order, set off first, rolling towards the Shanle City Gate in the dim light of dawn.

"Kill~"

When the Western Xia cavalry rushed to the city gate, they found two groups of soldiers dressed in Gaochang clothing facing each other.

Just as the larger Gaochang army was about to close the city gates, the Western Xia cavalry, clad in iron armor, charged straight in.

"Close the door! Close the door!"

A desperate roar echoed from the city gate.

Because there were too many Gaochang soldiers in the crowd, the Western Xia cavalry trampled and knocked many people away as soon as they rushed in, but this also slowed them down.

Soldiers on both sides seized the opportunity, pulled him off his horse, and stabbed him to death with a flurry of spears.

But after killing seven or eight Western Xia armored cavalrymen, more and more cavalrymen rushed in.

The Gaochang soldiers behind them were terrified by this scene and turned to run away.

The number of soldiers at the city gate dwindled, and it was soon occupied by the Western Xia cavalry.

Subsequently, more and more Western Xia infantrymen rushed into the city and began street fighting with the Northern Frontier Army.

The battle quickly became stalemate.

"Reporting, Your Highness!"

"The 'Northern Barbarians' inside the city are putting up fierce resistance, and our troops are insufficient. General Zhebu requests reinforcements."

Hearing this, Li Anquan finally lowered his guard and began to believe that he would be able to take over Shanle City soon.

Then they marched south, cutting off the rear of the Northern Frontier Army at the Shandan Army Horse Farm, and annihilated the Northern Frontier Army in one fell swoop.

At that time, he was the greatest contributor to the Battle of Hexi, and all the military and civilian officials in the Great Xia Dynasty would sing his name, Li Anquan.

King of Yue?

It's practically in our grasp, and we might even go further.

Enchanted by this beautiful fantasy, Li Anquan completely abandoned his concerns, drew his sword, and shouted, "Issue my order!"

"The entire army will launch an attack and capture Shanle City."

"Kill~"

The remaining ten thousand-plus troops rushed towards Shanle City.

One after another, Western Xia soldiers stormed into the city and engaged in a bloody battle with the Northern Frontier and Gaochang soldiers inside.

The Northern Frontier Army put up a fierce resistance, but ultimately they were outnumbered.

By the time the sun had peeked over the horizon, the entire city of Shanle had almost completely fallen under the control of the Western Xia army.

The Northern Frontier Army was driven out of the city and only occupied the west gate for a final resistance.

"Hmph, they're at their last gasp, just putting up a stubborn resistance."

Upon hearing the news, Li Anquan, who had just entered the city, scoffed disdainfully.

Subsequently, he ordered his men to intensify their offensive and capture the entire city of Shanle.

The ground was covered in blood and corpses, and the air was filled with a stench.

Li Anquan, dressed in clean chainmail and riding a tall warhorse, marched majestically toward the prefectural governor's mansion under the protection of his personal guards.

However, he had only walked a short distance when he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Looking around, besides the corpses and blood, there were also some dry grasses on the street, which were just piles of dried wild grass.

"Why is there so much grass?"

Li Anquan frowned, somewhat puzzled.

The commander of the personal guards standing nearby was also completely bewildered, because no one had reported this matter at all.

After all, it was still quite dark when the Western Xia army entered the city, and the intense fighting had kept every soldier on edge, so they were even less likely to notice the dry grass under their feet.

After all, to anyone else, these are just trivial things.

But now, the sun has begun to peek out, and it's bright daylight; it would be hard for Li Anquan not to notice the hay.

The next second, as if he had thought of something, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said to his personal guards, "Open those houses and see what's inside?"

The guards kicked open the doors of the houses on both sides of the street, and almost everyone gave the same answer.

"Your Highness, it's all dry grass inside."

Upon hearing this, Li Anquan turned pale with fright, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

A sharp voice roared, "Retreat!"

"Order all departments to immediately evacuate the city; everyone must go outside the city."

Meanwhile, the Northern Frontier Army had been forced to the western gate of the city.

However, Luo Meng, who was located outside the city, remained calm and composed.

"Report, Deputy Commander, most of the Xia army has already entered the city."

Upon hearing the scout's report, Luo Meng nodded slightly and said, "Let's do it!"

(End of this chapter)