The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 262 The Western Xia court and the public were in uproar, fearing the northern frontier like tigers and wolves.

Xixia Palace.

After Nailing Sicong left, Emperor Li Chunyou locked himself in his study and went into a frenzy.

"哐~"

"Whoa whoa whoa~"

"Useless, a bunch of good-for-nothings."

"Eighty thousand troops, eighty thousand elite soldiers of my Great Xia Kingdom!"

Hearing the roars and the sounds of things being smashed coming from the study, Consort Wang, Li Chunyou's most beloved concubine, stood outside the door in fear, wanting to see what was happening, but was stopped by the guards at the door.

Soon, Empress Dowager Luo, having been informed, arrived in a hurry with her maids.

She looks to be under forty, with faint wrinkles around her eyes, but she has a graceful figure and exudes the charm of a mature woman.

He wore a peacock blue fox fur coat with a fluffy fur collar, a belt tightly tied around his waist, and a sapphire hairpin, exuding an air of nobility.

Upon seeing Empress Dowager Luo appear, Lady Wang quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."

"What happened? Why is His Majesty so angry?"

Upon hearing the loud noise from inside the house, Empress Dowager Luo's eyelids trembled only slightly, as if a seasoned general, upon hearing an arrow pierce the air, had already tempered his panic into composure.

Consort Wang staggered forward, her pearl hairpin trembling wildly at her temples: "Reporting to the Empress Dowager!"

"Just now, Lord Sicong came by, and I don't know what he said, but His Majesty got angry and we couldn't persuade him otherwise."

Before the words were finished, a loud crashing sound of a wooden shelf collapsing suddenly erupted in the study.

The palace maids all shrank back half a step, and even Wang Shi's hand, which was clutching a silk handkerchief, was trembling. It was the first time she had ever seen the emperor so angry.

Empress Dowager Luo narrowed her dark brown phoenix eyes slightly as she gazed at the tightly closed vermilion gate, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

Nailing Sicong was the Privy Councilor, the top military figure in the Great Xia Dynasty.

At present, the only people fighting against the Great Xia are the people of the Northern Frontier.

"Could it be that something has happened in Hexi?"

Empress Dowager Luo was shocked and hurriedly walked towards the study door.

The guards at the gate tried to stop them, but were terrified by Empress Dowager Luo's rebuke and dared not make a move.

The study was in complete chaos, with books, papers, and ink scattered on the floor, and the table and cabinets overturned.

Emperor Li Chunyou of the Great Xia Dynasty was wielding a Great Xia sword and slashing wildly everywhere.

Empress Dowager Luo was startled by the scene before her, but she asked without fear, "Your Majesty, what has happened?"

Seeing Empress Dowager Luo enter the study while the guards outside remained silent, Li Chunyou's expression grew even more gloomy.

In the later years of Emperor Renzong's reign, Empress Dowager Luo interfered in politics as the empress, cultivating a large number of cronies in the court and spreading her spies throughout the palace.

He wielded immense influence in the court and among the people, but the more powerful he was, the more wary Li Chunyou became of him.

After all, his throne had gradually become secure, and he no longer needed Empress Dowager Luo's help.

Empress Dowager Luo clung to power, which ironically became a hindrance to him.

But Li Chunyou knew that now was not the time to completely break with Empress Dowager Luo; he had to first slowly remove her allies.

Thus, his displeasure was instantly concealed, and a hint of respect appeared on his face as he nodded slightly and said, "Mother."

"Why are you so angry? Has something happened in Hexi?" Empress Dowager Luo stepped forward, stepping over the mess on the ground, and asked.

Li Chunyou, leaning on his long sword, slowly sat down on the steps, his face contorted with rage and grief.

The hoarse voice said, "That's right, a battle report has come from Hexi."

"Our Great Xia's 80,000-strong army has been completely wiped out, Liangzhou City is in imminent danger, and the entire Hexi Corridor is about to fall into the hands of the northern barbarians."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Luo was also greatly startled.

His eyes widened, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "What?"

"The Hexi army has been defeated?"

As Li Chunyou's position became more secure, he gradually consolidated his power in the court, starting with the military.

Almost all of the high-ranking officials in the Privy Council were replaced by Li Chunyou's men, which is why Empress Dowager Luo did not receive the news immediately.

Even the last time, when Li Anquan was appointed as the deputy marshal of the Western Expeditionary Army, it was through Empress Dowager Luo's back door.

Essentially, it was still a struggle for military power between the "Emperor's Party" and the "Empress Dowager's Party".

But Li Chunyou was, after all, the legitimate emperor, and he had begun to gradually gain the upper hand.

"how is this possible?"

"This is an army of 80,000! Wei Ming Shi'an is a veteran general of our Great Xia, and An Quan is also assisting us!" Empress Dowager Luo blurted out.

But Li Chunyou interrupted him directly, shouting hysterically, "Mother, don't mention Li Anquan again."

"The culprit behind the defeat of the Hexi army is Li Anquan."

"He underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly, falling into an ambush set by the northern frontier, resulting in the burning to death of 20,000 of my soldiers in Shanle City."

"This gave the barbarians in the north an opportunity to cut off the rear of our main force."

"All of this is Li Anquan's fault!"

Li Chunyou was furious and became even more disrespectful to Luo Taitai.

At this moment, his biggest regret was that he had compromised under pressure from Empress Dowager Luo and agreed to let Li Anquan be the deputy marshal.

Now that the defeat in Hexi is irreversible, he can only take this opportunity to challenge Empress Dowager Luo.

They should try to seize this opportunity to reclaim more power.

Faced with Li Chunyou's accusations, Empress Dowager Luo's expression turned solemn, her phoenix brows furrowed, and she gasped.

"Delete Le City~ 20,000 troops~"

She hadn't expected the war in Hexi to be so brutal.

They were also very clear about the consequences of this defeat in the Hexi campaign.

Without the Hexi Corridor as a buffer, the Northern Frontier Army could easily advance deep into the heart of Western Xia, and even pose a direct threat to Xingqing Prefecture.

However, she soon calmed down and transformed back into the composed and ruthless Empress Dowager Luo.

Whether it's 20,000 or 80,000, in her eyes it's just a string of numbers.

Living in the palace, he was unable to feel the pain of the families of the soldiers who died in battle.

At this moment, all she cared about was what impact this defeat in Hexi would have on her.

So he asked in a deep voice, "Is he safe? Is he still alive?"

Li Anquan is an important pawn in her game, and Empress Dowager Luo has already invested a lot of energy in him.

If she were to perish in Hexi, all her hard work would be wasted.

"Li Anquan?"

"Humph!"

"Mother still hopes he can die in Shanle City, otherwise I will never spare him."

Li Chunyou's face was gloomy, and he snorted coldly.

The mother and son then parted on bad terms.

Immediately afterward, Li Chunyou shouted in a deep voice, "Someone come here."

"Summon all officials of the rank of Vice Minister and above to the main hall."

Upon hearing this, the eunuch outside the door immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

It was already late afternoon, and they would be off duty in an hour. But when the order was relayed to the officials, some of them frowned instantly.

He instantly recalled the urgent message from Liangzhou City not long ago and murmured, "Something big has happened."

The fact that the emperor convened a court assembly before the next day must mean something of great importance.

Soon, all the court officials gathered in the main hall of the palace.

As the sun sets in the west, its rays slant across the palace gates, yet they cannot dispel the pervasive chill.

Li Chunyou's face was ashen. He surveyed the assembled officials below and said in a heavy voice, word by word, "The Battle of Hexi has been lost."

"The entire army of 80,000 was wiped out."

These words caused an uproar in the court, like a muffled thunderclap striking the hearts of the court officials.

The courtiers, who had been standing upright, instantly changed their expressions.

The ceremonial tablet in the hand of Zhang Peizhi, the Grand Secretary, clattered to the ground. His eyes widened, and his voice changed.

"Your Majesty, this...how is this possible? Eighty thousand troops, how could this be..."

The Imperial Censor Zhao Jingzhong said tremblingly, "That's an army that's been supported by the entire national treasury! With this defeat, Xingqing Prefecture's military strength is depleted... What can we do?"

The hall erupted in chaos, with ministers whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

Some people blushed and shouted at the top of their lungs, "There must be a traitor among us! Someone must be colluding with the enemy! Otherwise, how could we have suffered such a crushing defeat!"

"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to appease the people and then quickly deploy troops to defend against the Northern Frontier Army's continued eastward advance!"

The entire hall was in complete chaos.

Li Chunyou coldly observed the assembled officials, finally fixing his gaze on Zhao Jingzhong, the Minister of Revenue.

"Zhao Jingzhong".

As Li Chunyou coldly shouted, Zhao Jingzhong's heart trembled, and he subconsciously had a bad feeling. Then he saw Li Chunyou pick up the military report on the table and slam it down in front of him: "In the Battle of Hexi, 80,000 soldiers were wiped out of fighting strength after three days without food! Every word in the report is written in blood. What else do you have to say?"

Zhao Jingzhong was struck dumb, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. He immediately cried out, "Your Majesty, please investigate! I am innocent!"

"Your Majesty, I have done everything in my power to procure provisions..."

Li Chunyou sneered. Of course he knew that Zhao Jingzhong was innocent. The Hexi army's food shortage was purely due to strategic mistakes and had nothing to do with the Ministry of Revenue's control over military food transportation.

But since Zhao Jingzhong is related to the Luo family by marriage, he is a staunch supporter of the "Empress Dowager's faction."

Li Chunyou seized this opportunity to launch an attack in order to eliminate dissidents, consolidate power, and concentrate forces to deal with the threat from the northern frontier army.

"The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the nation's money and grain, yet due to your poor management, the soldiers are going to the battlefield hungry!"

"Such crimes are undeniable!"

"Effective immediately, Zhao Jingzhong is removed from his post as Minister of Revenue and imprisoned at once!"

The hall was completely silent, except for Zhao Jingzhong's desperate sobs.

Subsequently, Li Chunyou used this as an excuse to demote several other officials from the "Empress Dowager's faction."

At this point, his anger subsided considerably.

Then he said in a deep voice, "Issue an order to all prefectures, states, and counties that every household, regardless of whether they are widowed, orphaned, or destitute, must send one able-bodied man! Anyone who hides such a man will have their entire family conscripted into the army, with the men sent to the border and the women forced into prostitution!"

"The Privy Council shall draft detailed rules for the conscription and mobilization of troops and submit them to me for review within two days."

Upon hearing this, the Privy Councilor and other relevant officials nodded in agreement: "As you command."

Normally, the Western Xia army conscripted soldiers from every three households, but now that the country is in crisis, everyone who can draw a bow and shoot arrows must go to war.

However, it would take a lot of time to conscript these people.

I don't know if we can keep up with the speed of the Northern Frontier Army's advance.

Moreover, even the 80,000 elite troops of Western Xia perished at the hands of the Northern Frontier Cavalry, so no one believed that these hastily conscripted laborers could play a significant role.

It's better than nothing.

After everyone had left, Li Chunyou left only Nailing Sicong in the hall, his chosen confidant.

In front of Nailing Sicong, Li Chunyou did not hide his fatigue and said with a solemn expression, "Nailing, you also know that the Northern Frontier Cavalry is advancing at a rapid pace."

"But my Great Xia army needs more time to reach full combat readiness, and I am worried about that."

"If the Northern Frontier Army seizes this opportunity to advance eastward..."

This is what Li Chunyou is most worried about. Losing the Hexi Corridor would only be a crippling blow to Western Xia, but if the Northern Frontier cavalry took advantage of this opportunity to attack Xingqing Prefecture in one fell swoop, that would be a catastrophic disaster for Western Xia.

Nai Ling Si Cong pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, although the Northern Frontier has a strong army, they are nothing more than barbarians from beyond the borders. They cannot last long in Hexi."

"At this time of year, the great river flows ceaselessly."

“If the barbarians of the northern frontier dare to advance eastward, our Great Xia has the advantage of the natural barrier of the Yellow River, and will surely be able to stop the northern frontier cavalry west of the Yellow River.”

"If the people of the northern frontier cannot conquer it after a long siege, they will surely retreat."

Although Li Chunyou declared during the court assembly that the entire nation would fight the Northern Frontier Army to the death, he was already terrified by the Northern Frontier Army's formidable fighting power.

The nationwide mobilization of soldiers was solely for self-preservation; there was no real intention to send a large army to retake the Hexi Corridor.

If the army is annihilated a second time, then Western Xia will truly be doomed.

Therefore, Li Chunyou and Nailing Sicong thought the same thing: as long as they could ensure that the Northern Frontier Army did not threaten Xingqing Prefecture, they would let them do whatever they wanted.

When the time comes, the Northern Frontier Army will naturally withdraw, and the Western Xia army will be able to successfully recover the Hexi Corridor.

"Your words are wise and insightful, and I entrust this battle to you," Li Chunyou said solemnly.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost."

"However, what if the barbarians of the northern frontier propose some conditions for withdrawing their troops?" Nai Ling Sicong asked cautiously again.

Upon hearing this, Li Chunyou's expression turned helpless, and he sighed softly, "As long as it can ensure the peace of my Great Xia and preserve its dignity, it is alright to reward the barbarians of the Northern Frontier with some things."

Nai Ling Si Cong nodded slightly, having figured out Li Chun You's bottom line.

When they left the palace, it was completely dark. Looking at the rising moon on the horizon, Nai Ling Si Cong looked solemn and shook his head heavily in the northwest direction.

"I never imagined that these mere barbarians from the northern frontier would become such a serious threat to our Great Xia!"

When the Northern Frontier Army first attacked Western Xia, it only plundered Dunhuang and Guazhou.

Nobody took them seriously.

The Western Xia rulers and their ministers thought they were not much different from the Naiman, Kereit, and other nomadic tribes, considering it a minor ailment.

However, no one expected that in just a few years, the strength of the Northern Frontier Army would expand to this extent.

It reached a point where the Western Xia had to mobilize the entire nation's resources just to ensure its own survival.

"Everything in the world is unpredictable!"

With the issuance of the imperial decree, the various prefectures and counties seemed to instantly erupt into chaos.

In Xingqing Prefecture, at a mutton offal stall, Old Man Wang sprinkled chopped green onions into his bowl with trembling hands, and said in a shaky voice, "Eighty thousand men from Hexi have all perished at the hands of the northern people. I'm afraid we're doomed now."

A woman buying floral fabric nearby widened her eyes in disbelief and exclaimed, "What?"

"Old Wang, what did you say? All 80,000 troops are gone?"

"But didn't the imperial court say that we won a battle in Hexi?"

Old Wang chuckled and shook his head: "When can we ever trust what the government says? They're all lying to us!"

"If we told the truth, who would dare to become a soldier!"

In order to cover up the truth about the Hexi War, the Western Xia court claimed that it had won a great victory and killed 50,000 northern cavalry.

The large-scale conscription of soldiers was solely for preventative purposes.

Unfortunately, some rumors still leaked out, especially with the help of the Northern Frontier Imperial Guards.

"Good heavens!" the cloth-selling woman exclaimed.

“The barbarians of the Northern Frontier are so powerful, then… then isn’t that sending my man to his death? My son, Tiger, is only three years old. If we lose our man, how will we, a widow and orphan, survive!”

The lady wept and said that each household had one son, including her husband.

I thought it would just be the same old work as usual, carrying grain and escorting weapons, but I never imagined it would really be a death sentence.

Upon hearing this, a diner next to him nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, I've heard that the barbarians of the Northern Frontier are incredibly fierce in battle. They all seem to have three heads and six arms, and they fight like madmen."

"Chopping off heads is as easy as chopping wood."

"For ordinary people like us to go up there is just suicide."

Old Wang also agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "I heard that after the cities in Hexi were flattened by the Northern Frontier people, you can't even hear the breathing of the living anymore."

"More than that!"

"My cousin works as a courier in Liangzhou. He sent a message through someone saying that the people in the northern frontier are draining the blood of prisoners to soak their horses in feed!"

"The barbarians of the northern frontier love to eat human hearts, and they also like to eat the brains of babies!"

Gradually, the winds shifted, and the people of northern Xinjiang were seen as the embodiment of demons and a synonym for terror.

No one has ever actually seen the Northern Frontier Army; they are just imagining things based on rumors and gossip.

Just as the group was talking, a child's heart-wrenching cries suddenly came from beside the stall—it was Li the butcher's house at the alley entrance, where several soldiers were dragging his lame old father out.

Butcher Li had already gone to Hexi, and his fate was unknown. Logically speaking, his family should not need to provide any more members.

However, there are always some lower-level officials who, in order to recruit more people to meet quotas, force matching.

Such things could happen at any time within the territory of Western Xia.

In a cave dwelling in Lingzhou Prefecture, Widow Liu held her son tightly behind her, listening to the shouts of the yamen runners outside, biting her lip until it bled.

"Mom, I'm going to join the army."

The twelve-year-old boy's voice trembled: "It's better than...it's better than them taking you away to be a camp prostitute."

"Shut up!"

Widow Liu raised her hand to slap her son's face, but the blow was lighter than cotton. Tears streamed down her face onto her son's tattered clothes.

“Your father died at the hands of the Naiman people, and your brother went to Hexi and was never heard from again. They all say that the Hexi army was wiped out, and your brother is gone too. Your mother only has you left as her child.”

“The barbarians of the Northern Frontier are so powerful, and you're so young. Going there would just be suicide. I'm risking my life for you…”

The men of Western Xia were not cowards, nor were they afraid to fight, but they only hoped that their efforts would be fairly rewarded.

However, the Western Xia army was corrupt and corrupt, so even if someone made a meritorious contribution, they could not receive the full reward and were only given a few copper coins.

Over time, the men of Western Xia gradually lost their 'blood and spirit' and were no longer willing to serve as soldiers.

In their view, joining the army is a huge pitfall, not only delaying the harvest but also potentially leading to death in battle.

I always try to avoid things if I can, but this time there's really no way to avoid them.

Outside the earthen cave dwelling, several peasant women from the same village stood together, looking at the miserable state of Widow Liu's family, and couldn't help but feel saddened.

“My mother’s village is right on the outskirts of Liangzhou City,”

A woman choked back tears: "Now I'm afraid..."

She dared not continue speaking. The young woman beside her, holding her nursing child, trembled violently: "What will happen to us women and children if the barbarians from the northern frontier attack?"

Before he could finish speaking, the older woman covered his mouth: "Pah, pah, pah! Don't talk nonsense. God help us, the barbarians from the northern frontier won't be able to defeat us."

Just as the Western Xia court and the public were in an uproar, fearing the Northern Frontier Army like a tiger, the so-called "devilish Grand Protector" led his army away from Liangzhou City.

They marched in a mighty procession toward Tiger and Wolf Gorge.

(End of this chapter)