The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 264 Li Xiao's Name Shakes the Western Xia

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the rammed earth walls of Zhuoluo City a dark red, and the crenellations on the walls cast jagged shadows on the ground.

Inside the headquarters of the Southern Army Commander, Yeli Osamu slammed the conscription roster on the table and said angrily, "We are still half short of the quota set by the Privy Council."

"With the nation in peril, how dare those lowly commoners delay? Do they really think my sword is ineffective?"

After saying that, he kicked the low stool hard, and a loud crash echoed in the room.

"Go and summon all the officials who have evaded military service. Have them take their men to each village and arrest all those who resist military service," Yeli Wujie said in a furious tone.

The "Liu Guan" (溜官) can also be called "Zhang Zhu" (帐主), and they were mid-level generals in the Western Xia army, managing about one or two hundred people.

During the Battle of Hexi, part of the Southern Army Command's forces were also wiped out, leaving Zhuoluo City severely short of troops.

However, Zhuoluo City faces the Hexi Corridor directly, so the Privy Council ordered Yeli Wojie that Zhuoluo City must restore at least 20,000 troops.

However, the number of recruits is less than half of what it used to be, and it will take at least a month for local officials to mobilize these more than 10,000 people.

Nori Osamu couldn't wait any longer, so he had no choice but to send his army to forcibly conscript men.

"As you command, my lord!"

The lieutenant stood to the side with his head bowed, gave a deep salute, and shouted.

Just as he was about to deliver the order, a gong suddenly rang out from the city wall, tearing through the air.

Along with this came the soldiers' terrified shouts: "The barbarians from the northern frontier are coming! The barbarians from the northern frontier are coming!"

Zhuoluo City was just a small city, so the sound of the gongs on the city walls could be heard by the Commander's Office.

Upon hearing the words "Northern Frontier Army," Yeli Ogigai froze, his horrified gaze fixed on the western city wall.

"What? How is that possible?"

His face, which had been flushed with rage, instantly lost all color, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Keep in mind that the Battle of Hexi was only a short time ago.

Xingqing Prefecture had just issued a conscription order to Zhuoluo City when the northern barbarians had already marched out of Hexi and were attacking Zhuoluo City.

"Them~them~"

"Why are the northern barbarians advancing so fast? Don't they need to rest?"

With a look of terror on his face, Yeli Wujie hurriedly put on his armor with the help of his lieutenant, picked up his sword, and rushed toward the west city wall.

The moment I stepped onto the city wall, a stench hit me.

The setting sun dyed the sky blood red, and against this intense backdrop, the Northern Frontier Army surged forth from the horizon like a golden torrent.

Among the army, dozens of yellow sun and moon battle flags fluttered in the wind, their sun and crescent moon patterns gleaming in the setting sun.

Beneath the battle flag stretched an endless army of northern frontier cavalry.

One man and three horses, their iron hooves thundering like the sound of a giant drum, causing the rubble beneath the city wall to tremble slightly.

Those patches of bright yellow, like flowing molten gold in the twilight, swept in from all directions, carrying the sand and dust of the Hexi Corridor.

At that moment, Yeli Osuke's eyes narrowed, his throat tightened, and his hands gripped the city wall tightly.

"Is this the Iron Cavalry of the Northern Frontier?"

The reputation of the Northern Frontier Cavalry existed only in the rumors of the Western Xia army. This was the first time Yeli Wojie had ever seen the military might of the Northern Frontier Cavalry in person.

It was so imposing and terrifying!
The overwhelming golden waves seemed poised to completely engulf the city of Zhuoluo.

"Yellow armor, this is the first town in the northern frontier!" Yeli Wojie clenched his fists, his expression becoming increasingly solemn and horrified.

Since the outbreak of the Hexi War, Western Xia has also intensified its intelligence gathering in the northern frontier.

We have gained a preliminary understanding of the division of military forces in northern Xinjiang.

They were named after the six towns and distinguished by the colors of their armor and battle flags.

Among them, the Yellow Banner and Yellow Armor were the "First Town of the Northern Frontier" personally commanded by Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier, and also the ace army of the Northern Frontier Army.

They can be described as the elite of the elite.

Right now, Yeli Wujie actually saw a uniform line of yellow-armored cavalry outside Zhuoluo City. How could he not be shocked?

Half of Zhuoluo City's troops were stationed in Xining Prefecture on the plateau, while a considerable portion of the remaining half were wiped out in Hexi.

At this time, there were less than four thousand soldiers and more than three thousand hastily conscripted laborers left in Zhuoluo City.

With such a small force, how could they possibly hold off the most elite First Garrison in the northern frontier?
Nori Kosuke's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and the cold sweat seeping from his palms made the patterns on his sword slippery.

Just as he was gazing in awe at the golden torrent of the northern frontier army, his adjutant beside him suddenly exclaimed, "Sir, look, that flag!"

He looked in the direction the lieutenant was pointing, and his pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints.

Amidst layers of bright yellow armor and fluttering banners, a giant golden sun and moon battle banner pierces the sky.

The flagpole was over ten feet tall, and the sun and moon totem at the top gleamed coldly in the setting sun.

"It's Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier!!!"

"Nori Kosuke said in shock, his voice filled with disbelief."

Legend has it that this supreme commander of the northern frontier was ruthless and invincible, and once led the northern frontier cavalry to crush the Naiman tribes.

He then led his army to suppress the Kereit tribe, defeating all the tribes of the steppe so badly that they could not raise their heads.

These are all reports that Western Xia spies have just gathered through various channels, and their veracity is unknown.

However, the authenticity of the Battle of Hexi is beyond doubt.

Under Li Xiao's command, the Northern Frontier Army annihilated the imperial army of 80,000 in one battle and swept across the Hexi Corridor.

In addition to the original troops in Liangzhou, Heishui, Ganzhou, Dunhuang and other places, the Western Xia army that was wiped out by the Northern Frontier Army numbered over 100,000.

Such power and might would make anyone tremble with fear.

But now, Li Xiao has actually led a large army to Zhuoluo City...

Yeli Wojie was certain that Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier, was currently under the Sun and Moon Battle Banner, gazing at Zhuoluo City.

Even more so, it's gazing at itself~
Thinking of this, Nori Osuke's face turned ugly, and he gripped the city wall tightly with his hands, looking like he was gritting his teeth.

I was inwardly cursing.

What merit or ability do I possess to deserve the personal command of Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier, to lead an army to conquer me?
Fortunately, Li Xiao's target was not Zhuoluo City.

"My lord, it seems the barbarians from the northern frontier are about to leave?" the lieutenant suddenly said.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Nori Osuke felt a surge of excitement.

As long as they don't attack Zhuoluo City, the Northern Barbarians should attack Xingqing Prefecture from the north.

He himself sought not to achieve anything, but to avoid making mistakes.

However, the next second, Nori Osuke's mood took a rollercoaster ride and turned sour again.

This was because the Northern Frontier Army turned back southwest from outside the west gate of Zhuoluo City.

"southwest?"

"The northern barbarians' target is Yuanchuan Granary," the lieutenant said in shock.

Nori Kosuke naturally thought of this as well, his face turned ashen, and his ferocious gaze was filled with gritted teeth.

"Despicable and shameless!"

He slammed his hand heavily on the brick wall and said angrily, "How did those barbarians from the Northern Frontier know about Yuan Chuancang?"

Yuanchuan Granary was mainly used to store grain from the Hehuang Valley, and it was protected by the Henan Military Command.

However, Zhuoluo City is a small city and cannot store such a large amount of grain within the city. Therefore, the location of Yuanchuan Granary was chosen between Zhuoluo City and the Hehuang Valley.

That is, the location north of the Yellow River within the present-day Lanzhou area.

Although there were quite a few troops guarding the city, their strength was far inferior to that of Zhuoluo City, let alone able to withstand the ferocious northern barbarians.

"Sir, what should I do?"

"If Yuanchuan Granary is breached, His Majesty will not spare us," the deputy general said anxiously.

The best course of action now is to intercept the Northern Frontier Army.

But no one dared to bring this up.

The Northern Frontier Army was like wolves and tigers, with extremely strong combat power, and it consisted entirely of cavalry.

Relying on the city walls for defense, Yeli Wojie still has some confidence. But should he be allowed to leave the city and engage the Northern Frontier Army in open battle?
That's practically suicide.

Yeli Osamu pondered for a moment, his face showing struggle, and gritted his teeth as he said, "Hold the city and wait for reinforcements. No one is allowed to leave the city without my order."

Of course, faced with the infamous Northern Frontier Cavalry, no one dared to leave the city. Wouldn't it be better to stay in the city obediently?
Then Yeli Osamu tried to save face by saying, "Wanchuan Warehouse is built against the mountain and has high walls. It is not so easy to break through."

"Moreover, even if it is breached, it won't be so easy for the barbarians of the northern frontier to steal the grain."

"We should immediately report to the imperial court and request support."

"Once the imperial army arrives, we can encircle the barbarians in the north."

As he spoke, Nori Osuke seemed to be moved by his own idea, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

He grinned and said, "Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier, is right here in the army!"

"If we can capture this person in one fell swoop, we will not only be innocent, but will also have made a great contribution."

Thinking of this, Nori Kosuke rubbed his hands together slightly, secretly pondering the feasibility of his plan.

The more I think about it, the happier I am.

In the Battle of Hexi, the imperial court's 80,000 elite troops were wiped out by the northern barbarians.

The Northern Frontier Army has become the most pressing and thorny threat to the Great Xia Dynasty.

If we can capture Li Xiao, that would be a great achievement!

With the crisis in the northern frontier resolved, the imperial court will not only be able to successfully recover the Hexi Corridor, but also send troops out of the northern frontier to expand its territory.

Listening to Nori Osuke's words, the deputy general felt that things would definitely not go so smoothly, and defeating the Northern Frontier Army would not be so simple.

But there was no better way at the moment, so he could only nod emphatically and say, "Your Excellency is wise."

……

Outside the city, the First Garrison's army quickly swept past Zhuoluo City, but no troops from the city came to intercept them.

On a distant hill, Li Donghe looked at the tightly closed city gate and shook his head in disappointment.

“These Tangut bald dogs are cowardly as mice.”

"Humph."

While the First Town was advancing south, the Sixth Town had already laid an ambush.

Once the army in Zhuoluo City breaks out, they can be wiped out.

Unfortunately, the city's garrison commander was too cowardly.

This was mainly because the Northern Frontier Army was too powerful and had a fearsome reputation, so the Western Xia army dared not easily engage in open battle with the Northern Frontier Army.

"Commander, this is fine too."

“Anyway, our target is Yuanchuan Warehouse, so keeping Zhuoluo City doesn’t matter much,” said Li Donghe’s personal guard commander.

If they wanted to fight, the Sixth Garrison could certainly break through Zhuoluo City, but they would inevitably lose a lot of troops.

This is putting the cart before the horse.

The lives of the soldiers in the six garrisons are precious and should not be wasted in the siege.

"In that case, let them live a few more days," Li Donghe said with a slight nod.

"Issue orders to Deputy Commander Li and Commander Wei, and I will personally oversee Zhuoluo City to guard against the Southern Army Command. Let them each lead their men to plunder the surrounding villages."

The Yuanchuan Granary held over 300,000 shi of grain, with each shi containing 120 jin.

The 40,000 warhorses in the Northern Frontier Army alone were simply not enough to transport them away.

Therefore, a large number of laborers and oxen, horses, and donkey carts were needed.

The garrison of Zhuoluo City numbered only seven thousand, most of whom were infantrymen or even laborers with no combat experience.

Li Donghe only needs one 10,000-household commander to block the garrison of Zhuoluo City.

……

Yuanchuan Granary is located about fifty miles southwest of Zhuoluo City.

It is located on the main road leading from Zhuoluo City to Xining Prefecture.

Built against the mountain and surrounded by a two-zhang-high earthen and wooden wall, the granary resembled a large military camp.

The next morning, Zhang Dazhu, a soldier on the watchtower, rubbed his sleepy eyes, forced himself to stay awake, looked up at the first light of dawn on the horizon, and yawned widely.

"Hey~" "What the hell time is it? Why aren't those bastards here yet?"

Zhang Dazhu muttered under his breath, having spent the night on watch in the watchtower, his stomach starting to rumble again.

"They're dawdling. I'm going to teach them a lesson later."

The soldiers next to them also began to complain; it was already time for the shift change, but the person hadn't arrived yet.

In fact, this is all tradition; when they take over, they always delay as much as possible.

Just as they were finally getting to the next squad of soldiers and preparing to descend from the watchtower, Zhang Dazhu suddenly froze.

My ears twitched slightly, and I heard a faint rustling sound in the darkness, like thousands of silkworms munching on mulberry leaves.

Zhang Dazhu squinted: "Huh?"

Did you hear anything?

Upon hearing this, the others on the watchtower looked puzzled and shook their heads, saying, "There wasn't any sound!"

"It seems like there's some noise?" Zhang Dazhu frowned and carefully surveyed the wilderness outside.

"Zhu Zi, are you starving?!"

"Maybe some wild animal is hiding in the bushes. Anyway, they'll have to run away when it gets light." A soldier chuckled and shook his head.

"Perhaps!" Zhang Dazhu nodded slightly, just about to walk down the tower, when he inadvertently turned his head.

His gaze fell on a low slope a few dozen meters away, and the next second his eyes widened instantly, and the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end.

"No, there are enemies!"

He grabbed the gong, ready to pound it desperately, when a hoarse, grating roar escaped his throat: "Enemy attack!"

Before the words were finished, a sudden humming vibration of a bowstring came from the darkness, followed by the whooshing sound of dozens of arrows piercing the air.

"Rustling sound~"

"Ah~"

Zhang Dazhu let out a scream as three arrows struck him squarely in the chest. The gong clattered to the ground, and with the force of the impact, his body staggered and fell off the watchtower.

The other soldiers around the tower were not spared either, and were all shot dead in a short time.

The next moment, a dark mass of people emerged from behind the low slope.

It was a group of northern frontier soldiers dressed in black armor, all armed with bows and crossbows, advancing rapidly in a strange, serpentine formation.

This group of people were the elite of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a special force specially trained by Li Xiao to carry out missions such as ambushes and assassinations.

"Quickly, open the gate."

"Send the signal!" a centurion shouted.

Then, he and his men went down to the bottom of the wall, threw out their iron claws, grabbed the wall, and climbed up using ropes.

They easily climbed the two-zhang-high wall.

At this moment, the soldiers inside the wall were also awakened by the sound of the gong.

They hurriedly put on their clothes and armor, picked up their weapons, and went out of the tent, but the first to arrive were two patrols of soldiers.

"kill!"

With a sharp shout from the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the dozens of soldiers who had scaled the wall split into two groups: one group opened the gate, while the rest blocked the advancing Western Xia soldiers.

Although the number of Jinyiwei was small, each of them was an elite, and they were fully equipped with weapons. One hand held a small shield, while the other hand was used to shoot small crossbows at a distance.

With their backs to the gate, they firmly blocked the Western Xia soldiers' counterattack.

"Boom boom boom~"

Soon after, the earth began to tremble, the tremors growing more and more violent, as if millions of giant beasts were galloping underground.

The mist was torn apart by a golden torrent, and the iron cavalry of the Northern Frontier Army galloped in the light of dawn, sweeping over the hills like a tide.

"Oh no, it's cavalry, lots of cavalry!"

The Western Xia soldiers screamed in terror, their faces filled with panic, all staring into the distance with disbelief.

"Kill~"

Leading the charge was Yang Shoujing, a centurion of the Wuwei Army, who was wearing heavy cotton armor and a helmet with plumes.

Only a pair of black eyes were visible as they gazed at the distant wall.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows! Stop them!"

The Western Xia general roared loudly, but at that moment the Northern Frontier cavalry had already arrived.

The charging formation tightened abruptly, and the vanguard of the Northern Frontier cavalry transformed into a sharp cone, charging directly through the open gate.

Yang Shoujing took the lead, his hook-and-sickle spear tracing an arc.

Blood spurted from the neck of a Western Xia spearman to Yang Shoujing's right, spraying directly onto Yang's face. The warm blood mixed with the morning frost made his dark eyes appear even more crimson.

"Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

Yang Shoujing pointed his spear at the sky and roared.

"Kill~"

The northern cavalry surged out from behind, each with a wolf-like murderous intent deep in their eyes, and the Western Xia soldiers quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

Someone was pierced through the chest by a spear from a northern cavalryman; his body was sent flying two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) before crashing heavily to the ground.

Some were impaled in the air, struggling wildly, their intestines sliding down the spear tip; others had their spines crushed by horses' hooves, twisting into bizarre arcs on the ground.

Yang Shoujing spurred his horse in pursuit, and wherever his spear passed, the heads of the Western Xia soldiers were split open like watermelons, their white brains splattering onto the lush green grass.

The Western Xia general turned pale and trembled as he raised his sword, only to have a stray arrow, which seemed to have come from nowhere, pierce his neck.

Upon seeing the general being killed, someone shouted out.

"Escape!"

The Western Xia army's defenses collapsed completely, and the soldiers abandoned their armor and fled in disarray.

More and more northern cavalrymen surged over the city walls like a golden tide, the sounds of scimitars slashing, bones cracking, and screams mingling together.

Seeing that there were no more Western Xia soldiers in front of him, Yang Shoujing led his men to the nearest granary.

"Break through!" Yang Shoujing shouted in a deep voice.

Soldiers behind him violently broke down the door and rushed inside.

Before him were stacks of sacks. Yang Shoujing drew his knife and randomly cut open a few, revealing golden wheat scattered inside.

Yang Shoujing grabbed it and smelled it, then breathed a sigh of relief.

It was indeed grain, there were no other problems, and there were no flammable materials such as hay in the village.

The main reason was that he was also frightened by the events in Shanle City, fearing that the Western Xia people would also ambush the Northern Frontier Army.

Fortunately, the Northern Frontier Army marched extremely fast, taking only a little over two days to travel from Tiger Wolf Valley to Yuanchuan Warehouse.

Even if the Western Xia wanted to ambush them, they simply wouldn't have had time to prepare.

At this time, the sky was already bright.

As Yang Shoujing walked out of the warehouse, he saw Li Xiao in the face.

"Great Protector, the battlefield is dangerous, how can you~" Yang Shoujing patted his chest and bowed.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xiao waved his hand to interrupt him.

"My warriors in the northern frontier are fighting bravely against the enemy, how can I, Li Xiao, stand aside?"

"Besides, it's just a battlefield. What have I, Li Xiao, ever been afraid of?" Li Xiao smiled faintly, his resolute face full of confidence.

Since he became the deputy governor of Jinzhou, he has had fewer and fewer opportunities to personally lead troops into battle, and most of the opportunities have been handed over to his subordinate generals.

Now that he has become the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier, his own safety is directly related to the fate of the Northern Frontier, so he has even less chance to personally fight the enemy.

But this doesn't mean Li Xiao is no longer capable.

In terms of bravery, few in the entire northern frontier could probably compare to him.

"The Grand Protector is so brave that I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

"But the Grand Protector is of high status and should not be taken lightly," Yang Shoujing said softly.

Seeing his body covered in blood, Li Xiao felt a sense of relief and nodded slightly, saying, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

Then he pointed to his head and said, "You and Shouzheng are truly brothers; your temperaments are exactly the same."

“There aren’t many people who dare to openly advise me.”

Yang Shoujing smiled helplessly upon hearing this, realizing that he and his elder brother Yang Shouzheng were somewhat different.

After the banter, Li Xiao asked, "How is the situation inside the granary?"

"Reporting to the Grand Protector, everything is normal," Yang Shoujing said solemnly.

The Northern Frontier Army's long-distance raid caught the Western Xia people off guard.

All the grain was still in the granary and hadn't been transported away in time.

"it is good!"

Li Xiao nodded slightly and breathed a sigh of relief.

With the grain from Wanchuan Granary, plus the grain from Gansu and Liangzhou, there will be no famine in northern Xinjiang for at least a year.

As time went by, the shouts of battle in Yuanchuan Warehouse gradually subsided.

The Western Xia soldiers stationed at Yuanchuan Warehouse were not elite troops to begin with, and after witnessing the formidable fighting power of the Northern Frontier Cavalry, they quickly lost their will to fight.

They could either lay down their weapons and surrender, or simply use their familiarity with the surrounding terrain to scatter and flee.

Only two caves remained where the Western Xia soldiers were still putting up a last-ditch effort, but they were exhausted.

Indeed, the Tangut people had a habit of hiding their grain in caves.

In particular, Yuanchuan Granary was built against the mountain, and there were several huge natural caves halfway up the mountain, which stored at least one-third of the grain.

The remaining two-thirds were hidden in the constructed granaries.

By noon, all the grain had fallen into the hands of the Northern Frontier Army.

"Great Protector, there is too much grain; we haven't had time to count it."

"However, according to the confession of the Xia officials who guarded the Yuanchuan Granary, there were a total of 320,000 shi of grain in the granary."

"However, one of the granaries was mostly burned down, and only 4,000 shi of grain remained out of the original 10,000 shi."

Gao Zhongyi, the deputy military advisor of the military agricultural command, reported to Li Xiao.

During the battle, there were naturally some Western Xia soldiers who vowed to fight to the death and were prepared to perish together with the Northern Frontier Army.

A grain silo was set on fire.

However, when the Western Xia people designed their granaries, fire prevention was their primary consideration.

The granaries were far apart, so if one granary was set on fire, it would be difficult for the fire to spread to other granaries in a short period of time.

Therefore, the real loss was only a little over five thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), but Li Xiao still felt a little heartache.

"Are the people who burned the granary dead? If they are not, I'll have them skinned alive. If they are, I'll feed their corpses to the dogs."

"Hmph, wasting food, worse than animals!" Li Xiao said angrily.

In his view, the crimes of these people were simply unforgivable.

After venting his frustrations, Li Xiao continued to arrange other matters.

Although the grain had been looted, transporting it back to Liangzhou City was a major problem.

It requires a lot of manpower and resources, especially mules and horses.

Fortunately, during the process of transporting the grain to Yuanchuan Granary, the Western Xia people requisitioned many horse-drawn carts from the local population.

When the Northern Frontier Army launched their surprise attack, they seized most of the mules and horses, but many of the cart drivers managed to escape in the chaos.

After thinking for a moment, Li Xiao ordered, "Go and capture all the people in the surrounding villages, take all their livestock and vehicles, and take all their belongings with you."

“Tell them that as long as the grain is transported back to Liangzhou, the capital will distribute public land to them.”

"They only need 40% of the grain, and the other 60% will be theirs."

Li Xiao came here not only for food, but more importantly for people.

Li Xiao resorted to all sorts of methods to increase the proportion of Han Chinese in northern Xinjiang, including conscripting men and seizing laborers.

"Yes, sir!" the guard shouted, turning to leave and relaying the order.

(End of this chapter)