The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 258 The Hexi Corridor, Now Completely Under Northern Frontier

Snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains meanders across Liangzhou, rising in a thin mist under the scorching sun.

The once majestic Western Xia army, which had been as imposing as a giant python, was now like a frightened bird, retreating hastily towards Liangzhou City.

"Woooooooo~"

During the retreat, tens of thousands of northern cavalrymen surrounded them from three sides, their yellow cotton armor blazing like flames under the scorching sun.

They held long guns, fully armed, and each soldier's expression was cold and disdainful, with a kind of cat-and-mouse playfulness.

"Ho ho ho ho~"

Soon, once all the units in the northern frontier were ready, the soldiers roared excitedly like wild beasts and formed a wedge formation, as if they wanted to break through the Western Xia army's formation.

But just as they were about to reach the range of the Western Xia army's crossbows, they scattered in an instant and began to move and fire at both sides of the Western Xia army's formation.

At this point, the most important thing is not how many casualties we can inflict on the Western Xia army, but to overwhelm them with morale, constantly undermine their fighting spirit, and wait for the final all-out attack.

"Stop! All of you, cease fire! No arrows may be fired without my order!"

At the front of the battle, a Western Xia general shouted loudly to his soldiers.

Now, their logistical supplies have been cut off, and the army's arrows are becoming increasingly scarce.

Therefore, we must be frugal. The best way to deal with the obvious provocations of the Northern Frontier Army is to ignore them.

But the more they did this, the more the Northern Frontier Army became, constantly harassing the Western Xia army.

As the sun was about to set, the Western Xia army set up camp on the spot and defended themselves according to the terrain.

Outside the camp, countless Western Xia soldiers began to work, digging horse traps in the ground with shovels and setting up defensive fortifications such as chevaux-de-frise.

They also utilized all the horse-drawn wagons that carried grain and military equipment, forming a 'wagon wall' around the camp.

"Where is this place? How far have we traveled today?" After finishing his work, a soldier looked at the setting sun and asked curiously, panting.

"That river ahead should be the Nangshui River, which is forty li away from the military horse farm," a local soldier said, hands on his hips, panting heavily.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers who had been questioning him widened their eyes instantly.

"what?"

"We've walked for two whole days and only covered forty li?"

The soldiers were unhappy and began to grumble and complain.

Under normal circumstances, an infantry corps can march at a speed of about fifty or sixty li per day, but now it has only marched twenty li.

When will we be able to return to Liangzhou City?
"There's nothing we can do. Those barbarian cavalrymen from the northern frontier are like dog skin plasters; we just can't shake them off."

"We also have to be wary of them taking a bite every now and then, so we definitely won't be able to move fast," the sergeant comforted us.

"That's slow enough. What if the barbarians from the northern frontier invade before we even get back to Liangzhou City?" someone sighed.

"My new wife is pregnant, and I don't want to die here."

"Do you think that the Zhenyi King's army was really wiped out by the Northern Frontier Army, just like others have said?" someone asked curiously.

The person next to him nodded slightly: "Maybe it really is! Otherwise, why would they let us retreat so easily?"

"Yes, the barbarians from the northern frontier have been chasing us all the way. Under any other circumstances, the commander would have already ordered the army to counterattack."

In recent days, the morale of the Western Xia army has been declining.

Because Wei Ming Shi'an suddenly issued an order for the entire army to retreat, the soldiers were happy to be able to go home, but some rumors inevitably spread.

Some say that the army of the Prince of Zhenyi was defeated and completely wiped out.

Some say that Liangzhou City was breached, or that the army's supplies were burned; there are all sorts of rumors.

Despite Wei Ming Shi'an's repeated orders to silence dissent, he was still unable to stem the tide of declining morale.

The soldiers all knew that a sudden withdrawal must mean something big had happened, so everyone was understandably uneasy.

By the time they finished their fortifications, it was time for dinner.

During this period, ordinary people only had two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was the most important and had to be eaten to be full, but dinner could not be too meager.

Soldiers, in particular, expend more physical energy, so they are usually given a full meal, and sometimes even an extra meal at noon.

But when dinner was ready, many soldiers were dumbfounded.

"What is this? Is it grass that animals eat?"

"If you put it in a bowl, how are we supposed to eat it?"

"And why is the bowl full of soup? Where's the millet? Where's the grain?" The soldiers looked at the bowl of 'grass soup' in their hands and immediately began to complain.

Dinner on weekdays consisted of a bowl of millet porridge for each person, barely enough to fill their stomachs.

But what is this right now?
The bowl was filled with 'vegetable' leaves, but they were actually grass that cows and sheep ate.

There was less than half a bowl of real corn.

Who can get enough to eat with this?

"We're not livestock, why should we be fed grass?"

“Although this is grass, it can still fill our stomachs! As long as we’re not hungry, we’ll eat anything, even grass roots and tree bark,” said the soldier in charge of cooking.

"Grass roots and tree bark? What's the point of us joining the army then? We've never eaten this stuff back home!"

"Yes, we still have to fight tomorrow. How can we fight if we're not well-fed?"

Faced with the enraged soldiers, the person in charge of cooking became afraid and pleaded, "Please don't come after me."

"The general's orders are to give us this little bit of food. I have no choice."

Just then, a soldier saw a bucket of millet porridge, without a single blade of grass.

He questioned, "What's that? Wasn't there porridge?"

"That's for the shield bearers and crossbowmen."

Shield bearers and crossbowmen are frontline troops, and they are the main force used to defend against the Northern Frontier Army.

Therefore, even if there is a severe food shortage, we cannot let them go hungry.

This differential treatment only fueled the discontent among the ordinary soldiers, who began to shout.

Ultimately, it was the camp commander who stepped in and quelled the chaos.

But this is just the beginning.

In the central army camp, the general of the left battalion reported to Wei Ming Shi'an with a heavy expression: "The soldiers are very resentful."

"It almost caused chaos, but fortunately, I stepped in in time, but it can only alleviate the trouble temporarily."

The other battalion commanders also encountered similar situations, and they began to report their findings in a flurry of voices.

Wei Mingshi sat at the head of the table, his gaunt face showing even more signs of weariness, and his disheveled hair now streaked with gray.

His face was gloomy and he looked exhausted.

The news of Li Anquan's army's defeat and food shortages was originally known only to a few high-ranking officers in the army.

But now, with the issuance of the 'food restriction order,' the soldiers in the army can certainly guess some things.

However, Wei Ming Shi'an had to plan for the long term, as the northern barbarians would not allow them to retreat smoothly back to Liangzhou City.

We don't know how long the journey will take.

You have to break every grain of rice in two before you can eat it.

Food rationing was imperative. People were to eat their fill in the morning and only half full in the evening, but this did not apply to archers, swordsmen, and cavalry on the front lines.

“Tell the soldiers that we have not lost. The army of the Prince of Zhenyi is still here, Liangzhou City is still here, and our food supplies are safe and sound.”

"I have merely changed my strategy, luring the enemy deep into my territory, and waiting to annihilate the barbarians of the northern frontier."

"Tell them to just bear with it and they'll be able to go home soon."

“But if you can’t even withstand this hunger, then you can wait for the barbarians of the Northern Frontier to wield their butcher’s knives!” Wei Ming Shi’an said in a hoarse voice.

Intelligent people certainly wouldn't believe such nonsense, but human nature always leans towards comfort, and no one wants to bear the consequences of giving up until the very last moment.

And so, the Western Xia army continued its advance.

Because the main cavalry force was taken to the northern route, Wei Ming Shi'an's mobile forces were severely insufficient.

They could only watch helplessly as the Northern Frontier Army harassed them with impunity.

As food supplies dwindled, some soldiers began to feel dizzy, weak, and their morale plummeted.

Until this day, the commander of the vanguard battalion suddenly sent someone to report.

"General, a large contingent of Northern Frontier cavalry, numbering over ten thousand, has been spotted ahead," the young soldier reported in a pale, terrified voice.

The reason it wasn't scouts who came to report was because the scouts in the Western Xia army simply couldn't get out.

Countless northern cavalrymen roamed around, and once the Western Xia scouts were dispatched, they would be wiped out in no time.

Therefore, the Western Xia army is now deaf and blind.

When the main force of northern cavalry charged close, they were discovered by the vanguard soldiers.

"Tens of thousands of cavalry?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ming Shi'an's already somber face darkened further.

Sitting in the commander's seat, he looked at the Liangzhou topographic map on the table.

However, upon closer inspection, it can be seen that his eyes are unfocused.

There were so many shocking things that he was almost in despair.

"I understand. Go back and tell General Liang to strengthen defenses and absolutely not let the cavalry of the northern barbarians charge over."

Wei Ming Shi'an said in a deep voice.

But deep down, he knew it was just a last-ditch effort.

When no one was in the tent, Wei Ming Shi'an walked to the wooden shelf to the side, picked up his sword, and looked grief-stricken and desperate.

"General Tuoba Mayu, you've broken your promise!"

His eyes were dark as he slowly sat down on the ground.

The arrival of this cavalry legion of over ten thousand men from the northern frontier could only mean that Tuoba Mayu's army had probably been annihilated.

Tuoba Mayu's troops were all elite cavalrymen of Western Xia.

Its destruction plunged Wei Ming Shi'an's army into a complete dead end.

With all the troops in the northern frontier concentrated on the Liangzhou Corridor, what would become of the more than 40,000 Xia soldiers under Weiming Shi'an's command?
……

The four garrisons of the northern frontier converged within Liangzhou, and more than 30,000 cavalrymen galloped across this wilderness.

The encirclement of the Western Xia army was tightened continuously, almost completely trapping the more than 40,000-strong Western Xia army here.

However, Li Xiao did not order his army to attack immediately, but waited for the day when the Western Xia army's food supplies would run out.

Over the next ten days, the Western Xia army advanced less than a hundred li (approximately 50 kilometers).

Under the threat of hunger and the brutality of the Northern Frontier Army, most of the Western Xia soldiers had reached their physical and mental limits.

On this day, fifteen powerful cannons were transported from the military horse farm. The reason why five cannons were missing was that the continuous high-intensity use had caused five cannons to explode.

This was unavoidable, but fortunately, the Northern Frontier Armory had already cast new cannons, which were on their way.

In the Northern Frontier Camp, commanders and officers such as Li Dongjiang, Li Donghe, and Luo Meng stood on the left and right sides of the main tent.

Yellow, red, and white armor crisscrossed the area, each person exuding a powerful aura and radiating a strong killing intent—an aura forged from the blood of countless people.

But at this moment, everyone's eyes were all turned to the front.

Li Xiao, clad in dark gold dragon-patterned cotton armor, placed his helmet on a table and surveyed his generals with a gaze full of battle intent.

He said in a deep voice, "The Xia army has run out of food and supplies, morale is low, and soldiers are complaining. It is time for our army to launch a general offensive."

These intelligence reports were all leaked by spies planted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard within the Western Xia army. The Western Xia army was on the verge of collapse, and Li Xiao was no longer willing to wait.

"Ben Du orders that the First Garrison be positioned to the west as the main attacking force, with the vanguard breaking through the enemy lines."

"The Second Division will be positioned to the south, the Fourth Division to the north, and the Sixth Division to the east, to support the First Division's offensive and annihilate the Xia army units."

"Tomorrow morning, launch a general offensive, surround the Xia army from all sides, and wipe them out."

The impassioned voices echoed in the golden tent, and the generals from all sides shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The next day, fifteen Shenwei cannons were already lined up in front of the battle lines, and the Shenji Battalion soldiers were nervously making preparations for the battle.

Gunpowder was loaded into the cannon barrel, and then the exploding shells were fired. Once everything was ready, Wu Damao, the commander of the Second Divine Machine Battalion, standing behind the cannon, drew his cavalry saber. His face gradually became ferocious, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

He shouted loudly, "Fire!"

The next moment, all fifteen Divine Might Cannons trembled simultaneously, and the flames spewing from their muzzles instantly illuminated the entire wasteland.

The iron bullets, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur, tore through the air like meteors, and the moment they exploded among the Western Xia army, the heavens and earth seemed to stand still.

"Boom boom boom~"

The cannonballs struck the Western Xia army formation with precision. With a deafening roar, the cannonballs exploded, and iron nails, iron fragments, and stones rained down on the surrounding soldiers.

"Ahhhhh~"

"Help~"

"The Thunder God Pillar, it's the Thunder God Pillar again."

"Thor is angry!"

Countless soldiers let out shrill screams, and before the infantry in the front ranks could react, they were pierced through the body by iron nails flying from the cannonballs.

The leather shields were torn apart, and the hungry soldiers had long lost their initial spirit and will to fight; they were now all in a panic.

The once orderly line instantly descended into chaos.

"Fire!"

"Boom boom boom~"

After several more rounds of artillery bombardment, the Western Xia army began to collapse.

Seeing this, Li Xiao ordered the Shenji Battalion to cease fire and shouted in a deep voice, "Black Armor Army, attack!"

"Woooooooo~"

The deep sound of bugles tore through the wilderness, reaching the ears of every soldier in the northern frontier, and terrifying the Western Xia soldiers on the opposite side.

At the very front of the army, nearly two thousand armored cavalrymen stood silently, like ancient war beasts awakening from their slumber.

Heavy chains connected the armor of the man and the horse, and every slight sway produced a cold, metallic sound, as if death itself were shaking its chains.

All the Black Armor Army troops from the four towns gathered together, numbering nearly two thousand cavalry.

As the bugle sounded, Zhang Xianfeng put on his helmet, slowly raised his ten-foot-long armor-piercing spike, and roared angrily, "Black Armor Army, charge!"

"Ho ho ho ho~"

With a unified shout, two thousand pairs of iron hooves simultaneously shattered the wilderness, and the earth trembled uncontrollably.

The Black Armor Army swept out in a wedge formation like a black torrent, the dust they raised behind them obscuring the sky and even turning the blazing sun blood red.

Under the barrage of artillery fire, the Western Xia army was in complete disarray, suffering heavy casualties and losing all will to fight.

Gazing at the imposing iron curtain, some soldiers' weapons began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Armored cavalry~"

"An armored cavalry unit has arrived."

A general roared in a hoarse voice, "Quickly, shields, spears, stop them!"

But it was too late. The defenses hastily rebuilt by the Western Xia soldiers were like paper fences under the charge of the Black Armor Army.

When the first warhorse crashed into the Western Xia army formation, the enormous impact sent three infantrymen flying backward, their broken armor and flesh flying everywhere.

The armor-piercing spikes pierced straight down, piercing through the armor of the Western Xia soldiers as easily as paper. Amidst screams of agony, the black-armored army slaughtered them indiscriminately, like a plow sweeping through a field.

A Western Xia centurion roared and swung his sword at the black-armored knight, but was slammed in the back with a golden mace, shattering his helmet.

In the instant his brains splattered, he vaguely saw more black-armored cavalry surging forward, trampling over the corpses of their comrades. Wherever they went, screams, the sound of bones cracking, and the clash of weapons mingled together, creating a scene like hell.

In a brief exchange of blows, the Black Armor Army's iron hooves ruthlessly crushed the last resistance of the Western Xia army, and the vanguard battalion completely collapsed.

Meanwhile, countless First Town cavalrymen clad in yellow cotton armor trampled over the corpses scattered on the ground, following behind the Black Armor Army, sweeping towards the Western Xia army.

In the central command tent, battle reports kept pouring in.

"Report, Commander, the Thunder God Pillar in the Northern Frontier has been activated, and the vanguard battalion has suffered heavy casualties. General Liang is doing his best to repair the defense line and urgently needs reinforcements."

Faced with the Vanguard Battalion's plea for help, Wei Ming Shi'an couldn't spare many men, as the other three directions were also under immense pressure from the Northern Frontier Cavalry.

In the end, Wei Ming Shi'an sent all the reserve troops he had left in the central army to the front.

Not long after, the messenger came again to report: "General, the armored cavalry from the north is coming. The vanguard battalion's defense line has collapsed, and the brothers can't hold on any longer."

Not long after: "General, General Liang of the vanguard battalion has died fighting valiantly."

"General, the iron cavalry from the northern frontier are charging towards the central army."

"General, the Northern Frontier troops are less than 500 paces from our main camp. The brothers can't hold on any longer. I will lead you out to fight our way out."

As battle reports came in one after another, Wei Ming Shi'an remained calmly seated in his chair, wiping his sword, unmoved.

This sword was a gift bestowed upon him by the late emperor after he defeated the Naiman people.

It is made entirely of black iron and is extremely sharp.

Unexpectedly, in the end, it was still this knife that accompanied him.

"I have done what I was supposed to do."

"Unfortunately, Heaven does not bless my Great Xia."

"The battle in Hexi is beyond saving," Wei Ming Shi'an muttered to himself.

"The incompetence of one general has led to the death of the entire army. The greatest responsibility for this battle lies with me, Weiming Shi'an."

Wei Ming Shi'an never denied his mistakes. Although he attached unprecedented importance to the Northern Frontier, he never expected that the Northern Frontier cavalry would be so terrifying.

It was his poor judgment of character that led him to allow Li Anquan to lead the central army to attack Shanle City, thus beginning a series of defeats for the Great Xia army.

As the commander-in-chief, he bears full responsibility for the devastating defeat.

"I am the commander-in-chief of the Great Xia army. I will not go anywhere except the main tent," Wei Ming Shi'an said, picking up his sword and turning to his personal guard commander.

"You should all flee for your lives."

After saying that, he looked towards the direction of Xingqing Prefecture in the east, a trace of desperate regret flashing across his face.

The next second, before anyone could react, he slashed the sword across her neck.

"Pfft~"

Blood gushed out, staining Wei Ming Shi'an's beard red. His weathered face gradually lost its luster, and his body collapsed weakly to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the guards in the tent rushed forward in alarm.

"General, General!"

Soon after, Yang Shoujing led his men into the central command tent and killed the resisting commander of his personal guards with a single spear thrust, thus intimidating the others.

When his gaze fell upon Wei Ming Shi'an's corpse, he felt a slight jolt in his heart.

"Wei Ming Shi'an committed suicide?"

The tragedy of the Yang family had nothing to do with Wei Ming Shi'an; in fact, Yang Shoujing's father had once served under Wei Ming Shi'an.

Therefore, Yang Shoujing still respected Wei Ming Shi'an.

The tip of his spear touched the ground slightly. His face was filled with sorrow as he said in a deep voice, "Take good care of General Weiming's body. No one is allowed to damage it."

News of Wei Ming Shi'an's suicide quickly reached Li Xiao.

His expression turned solemn, and he shook his head slightly, saying, "General Weiming is a loyal and righteous man, and his strong character is no less than that of Tuoba Mayu."

"Li Chunyou is incompetent and foolish. What virtue or ability does he possess to earn the unwavering loyalty of the two generals?"

Battle is a matter of stance, and Li Xiao admired this kind of loyal and capable general.

If Weiming Shi'an and Tuoba Mayu surrender, Li Xiao will naturally not make things difficult for them. He will even appoint them as officials of the Grand Protectorate to appease the many Western Xia soldiers captured in the Hexi War.

Unfortunately, both of them committed suicide.

As for Li Anquan, Li Xiao had other uses.

"Issue the order to give Generals Weiming Shi'an and Tuoba Mayu a grand burial."

"They both died in the Battle of Hexi, so bury them where they died," Li Xiao commanded in a deep voice.

Subsequently, the army continued to encircle and annihilate the remaining Western Xia soldiers.

The central army camp had been breached, and even Wei Ming Shi'an had committed suicide. The other soldiers had no will to fight to the death.

They all surrendered.

For the next two days, the northern frontier army was busy cleaning up the battlefield.

According to the final count, more than 4,000 Western Xia soldiers and generals were killed in this battle, and more than 2,000 were seriously wounded. Those who were lightly wounded were not included in the count.

The number of casualties was not too high, mainly because Li Xiao had made extensive preparations for this battle.

The annihilation of the other two armies, in particular, affected the morale of the Western Xia army. Coupled with the cut-off of their rear and food shortages, the fighting capacity of a large number of soldiers declined drastically.

Ultimately, this caused the Western Xia soldiers to lose their will to fight, and many surrendered.

After defeating the main force of the Western Xia army, only Liangzhou City remained in the way of the Northern Frontier Army. If it were captured, the Hexi Corridor would fall entirely into the hands of the Northern Frontier.

Meanwhile, Liangzhou City was plunged into endless panic.

The army was defeated, Wei Ming Shi'an committed suicide, and the iron cavalry of the northern frontier was surging towards Liangzhou City.

This news came like a bomb, leaving everyone completely stunned.

No one expected that the 80,000 elite troops of Western Xia would be completely wiped out by the Northern Frontier Army in just over a month.

This battle shocked everyone.

This also plunged Liangzhou City into a life-or-death crisis.

"Quickly, quickly report the situation to His Majesty: Liangzhou City is requesting reinforcements."

The governor of Liangzhou, Supinaluo, tremblingly sealed the military report he had just written with wax in a box and handed it to the messenger, instructing him to send it to Xingqing Prefecture by fast horse.

He then summoned the generals, officials, and many prominent figures in Liangzhou City to discuss countermeasures.

"Liangzhou City only has three thousand defenders left, which may not be enough to stop the northern barbarians from attacking the city. What should we do?"

Supinara looked at everyone with a face full of grief and despair, hoping that someone could bring him a surprise.

Unfortunately, he was still disappointed.

These people were all terrified. They were not thinking about serving their country with utmost loyalty, but about how to protect their own lives and property.

"Your Excellency, it seems that the only option now is to submit to the Northern Frontier."

An official slowly stood up and bowed to Supinara in a heavy tone.

Upon hearing this, Supinara was instantly enraged and slammed his fist on the table in anger: "How dare you!"

"The Great Xia has nurtured scholars for two hundred years, and now it is your time to repay the favor. How can you be willing to become a lackey of barbarians for the sake of your own life and fortune?"

"They're worse than animals."

Supinara roared in anger. His health was already poor, and now he was even more breathless, as if he was about to pass out.

But faced with his rebuke, the official remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Sir, it is not that I am bold, but that the matter has reached a point where there is no other choice."

As soon as he finished speaking, another general in armor stood up and said, "Sir, the barbarians in the northern frontier are powerful, and even the main force of the commander-in-chief is having difficulty resisting them. With only three thousand rabble in Liangzhou City, it is no different from throwing eggs against rocks."

Another elderly man dressed in silk tapped the ground with his cane and said in a weathered voice, "Your Excellency, for the sake of the lives of all the people in the city, please make a decision as soon as possible."

"Please make a decision as soon as possible, sir."

Everyone else also stood up and demanded the abdication.

Supinara was furious at the sight. He had come to these people to discuss solutions, not to ask them to surrender.

However, these officials and generals were the real tyrants of Liangzhou City. When they united, even the governor had to give way.

In short, he was sidelined.

"You, you guys~"

Supinara was so angry that he fainted.

He wanted to save his life and fortune, but also wanted to maintain his reputation as a 'loyal minister,' so he had no choice but to be sidelined.

(End of this chapter)