The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 266 The Mighty River
On the land of Liangzhou, countless laborers drove horse-drawn carts and camels eastward, leaving long ruts on the scorching yellow earth.

The sandstorm raged, stretching to the horizon, like a long, scarred, grayish-brown snake.

They were the team heading to Yuanchuan Granary to transport grain.

Because the laborers and carts conscripted by the Northern Frontier Army in Yuanchuancang and Zhuoluo City alone were simply not enough to transport all 300,000 shi of military rations.

According to the Song Dynasty regulations, each shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain weighed 120 jin (another unit of dry measure).

A horse-drawn carriage can carry five shi of grain, a camel can carry two shi of grain, a horse can carry one shi of grain, and a laborer can carry half a shi of grain on a long journey.

To transport all 300,000 shi of military rations, it would require 60,000 wagons, 150,000 camels, 300,000 horses, or 600,000 laborers.

Each of these tasks alone would be an impossible mission.

Therefore, Li Xiao made full use of the transportation capacity of Zhuoluo City and Liangzhou, using carts, horses, camels, manpower, and animal power to transport the grain back as quickly as possible.

Among this group of laborers, one carriage stood out, not because of its luxuriousness.

Instead, it was escorted by four northern cavalrymen.

The man huddled inside was none other than Li Anquan, the Deputy Marshal of the Western Expedition of the Western Xia and Prince Zhenyi.

At this moment, he had long lost the imposing aura he once possessed on the battlefield.

He was wearing an ill-fitting linen shirt, covered in mud and sweat, with a large tear in the shoulder, and his messy hair stuck to his filthy face.

With sunken eye sockets and large patches of gray hair, she looked ten years older.

In just half a month, his tumultuous fate transformed him from a high-ranking prince into a prisoner.

He looked dazed and lost all hope in life.

He thought the Northern Frontier Army had brought him out of prison to cut off his head.

But gradually, Li Anquan felt something was wrong. Four northern cavalrymen were escorting him out of the city, and there were endless laborers and carts around them.

"Brothers, can you tell me where we're headed?"

Li Anquan asked the four northern cavalrymen, his tone slightly humble, but he was trying his best to maintain the dignity of the Western Xia royal family.

"Stop talking nonsense, you'll know when you get there."

The leading Northern Frontier cavalryman glanced at him sideways and said in a cold voice.

Li Anquan had no choice but to obediently shrink into the carriage.

Unfortunately, all his valuables had already been taken from him, otherwise he could have bribed these soldiers.

After leaving Liangzhou City, Li Anquan discovered that they were heading east.

"Could it be that they're sending me back to Hedong?" Li Anquan frowned as he thought.

When it was time to rest in the evening, they heard several laborers talking about going to haul grain and so on.

Li Anquan felt a jolt in his heart and muttered in shock, "Could it be...Yuan Chuan Cang?"

The only possibility he could think of for mobilizing so many laborers and carts to haul grain from the east was that the Yuanchuan granary had been captured by the Northern Frontier Army.

The journey that followed confirmed his suspicions.

They passed through Tiger Wolf Valley and crossed Wushaoling Ridge, heading southeast along the Karuo River Valley.

That location was Yuanchuan Warehouse.

"Yuanchuan Warehouse was really taken down by the barbarians of the Northern Frontier?" Li Anquan was deeply shocked.

The Western Xia had four major granaries, but two of them fell into the hands of the Northern Frontier Army.

The Yuanchuan Granary contained a large amount of grain transported from Xingqing Prefecture and Lingzhou City, which was originally intended as military rations for the Western Expeditionary Army, but it was all seized by the Northern Frontier Army.

The consequences were quite terrible.

famine!

Famine will surely break out in Western Xia by the second half of the year at the latest.

But then Li Anquan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He was now a prisoner and didn't know if he could return to Xingqing Prefecture alive.

Why care so much?
The northern cavalry made a powerful advance from Liangzhou City to Yuanchuan Warehouse in less than three days.

However, it took more than ten days for such a large-scale caravan to reach Yuanchuan Warehouse.

On the way, they also encountered another grain transport team.

It was the laborers and carts conscripted by the Northern Frontier Army from around Zhuoluo City and Yuanchuan Granary that transported some of the grain back to Liangzhou ahead of time.

Roulang Mountain is located north of Jingyuan in later times, on the east bank of the Yellow River.

To the south lies the territory of the Jin Dynasty, and to the north there is also a mountain range called Lingbo Mountain.

The journey from Xingqing Prefecture to Hexi mainly involves passing through the corridor between two mountains.

Therefore, the Western Xia established the Baotai Military Command here to guard against the Jin army south of Roulang Mountain, and also to guard against any changes coming from Hexi.

The only large pontoon bridge in the upper reaches of the Yellow River is located between two mountains.

On this day, the sound of horses' hooves thundered like muffled thunder on the dirt road on the west bank of the Yellow River, as three warhorses carrying cavalrymen covered in blood galloped in.

The leader's helmet was askew, and blood was still dripping from the arrow shaft on his left shoulder. He gripped the reins tightly and shouted in a hoarse voice, "The barbarians from the northern frontier are here!"

"The barbarians from the northern frontier are here!"

"Burn down the pontoon bridge immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the Western Xia soldiers on the west bank of the pontoon bridge were horrified: "The barbarians from the northern frontier have arrived?"

"Quickly, quickly, burn the pontoon bridge immediately."

"We must absolutely not allow the barbarians from the northern frontier to enter Hedong."

A Western Xia general shouted in a panic.

Then, a soldier immediately took out a tinderbox from his pocket and turned to look at the general with a reluctant expression.

"General, is it really going to burn?"

"It took a lot of effort to build this pontoon bridge."

The Western Xia court mobilized a large amount of manpower and resources to build this pontoon bridge, and many laborers drowned before it was completed.

The soldier's father died while building the bridge, but now they were going to burn it all down. He felt terrible about it.

But his hesitation earned him a hard kick from the general, who knocked him to the ground, snatched the tinder, and shouted angrily, "This is the commander's order! Who dares to disobey?"

"Moreover, if we don't burn the pontoon bridge, we'll all die when the barbarians from the northern frontier charge over."

As he spoke, the general lit the dry grass that had been laid out beforehand.

"Huhuhu~"

In an instant, flames rose up, igniting the dry grass soaked in tung oil. The fire burned brighter and brighter, spreading to the entire pontoon bridge in a short time.

At this time, the northern cavalry were less than a mile away from the pontoon bridge.

"Wan Hu, the pontoon bridge has been burned down."

Upon hearing the shouts of his personal guards, Wei Xuan, dressed in white cotton armor with red trim, frowned and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Looking towards the eastern sky, one could indeed see thick black smoke rising into the air, and the air was filled with a burnt smell.

"Whoa~"

Soon, Wei Xuan reined in his warhorse on the west bank of the Yellow River. Looking at the pontoon bridge burning like a fire dragon, he shook his head slightly and said, "These Western Xia people are quite alert."

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the Western Xia garrison on the opposite bank. All of them looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

They seemed to be terrified by the infamous reputation of the Northern Frontier Army.

"I thought it would be a fierce battle, but I didn't expect it~" Wei Xuan shook his head.

Then, my gaze fell upon the magnificent river before me.

The clear river water, carrying ice crystals and dead trees washed down from upstream, surges and roars forward.

The waves crashing against the riverbank sent sprays that were at least ten feet high. The surging waves, with their magnificent momentum, had transformed into a real dragon, lying across the scene with overwhelming force.

This is not a river that can be simply marked on a map.

It is clearly a wild and powerful natural beast.

"This is the legendary Great River, it truly possesses extraordinary grandeur," Wei Xuan remarked in a deep voice.

Having grown up in northern Xinjiang, this was his first time visiting Guanzhong and experiencing firsthand the grandeur of the Yellow River flowing down from the sky.

The descriptions of the Yellow River in the ancient frontier texts I remembered seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the reality before my eyes.

This is the mother river of China, the ancestral root of the Chinese nation.

Unfortunately, the Tangut people occupied this place.

"Though the river is wide, it can only protect them for a short time."

"Sooner or later, my northern army will cross the great river and trample the Helan Mountains."

Wei Xuan said in a deep voice, his heroic face full of unwavering determination.

Expelling the Tanguts and restoring the source of the Yellow River to the rightful Chinese civilization is the inescapable responsibility of the men of the northern frontier.

As night fell, Wei Xuan led his 10,000-household cavalry to set up camp on the west bank of the Yellow River.

The pontoon bridge on the opposite bank had turned into a sea of ​​fire, while the Yellow River beneath our feet continued its tireless rush.

Wei Xuan sat by the Yellow River, watching the moonlight spill onto the water, creating a shimmering scene that reflected the distant firelight.

I stayed quietly by myself for a long time.

The next day, when the army left, Wei Xuan personally filled a water bag with a handful of Yellow River water.

"The barbarians from the northern frontier have retreated?"

On the east bank of the Yellow River, Fang Dangyipu, the military commander of Baotai Army, stood on the shore and watched the northern cavalry disappear into the dawn before he slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the first time he had directly faced the intimidation of the Northern Frontier Army.

The cavalry, all clad in white armor, exuded an imposing aura. Even across the rolling Yellow River, one could clearly sense the bloodshed and grim atmosphere of the Northern Frontier Army.

It was as if, at the slightest command, it would transform into an avalanche of steel, crushing everything in its path into dust.

"Fortunately, our army was protected by the natural barrier of the Yellow River, otherwise it would have been difficult to stop the cavalry of the northern barbarians."

Fang Dangyi said with relief.

Moreover, he had already requisitioned all the boats on both sides of the Yellow River in advance, making it impossible for the Northern Frontier Army to cross the river.

Baotai Military Commander is safe for now.

"Reporting to the Privy Council, the northern barbarians are preparing to cross the river and advance eastward. The Baotai army attacked them while they were crossing, inflicting heavy losses on the northern barbarians..."

The embers of the Yellow River pontoon bridge are still emitting wisps of smoke, but the land west of the Yellow River has become a battlefield where the Northern Frontier Army runs rampant.

They rode on tall horses, sweeping through every village like a white plague.

Wherever it went, the cries of the people and the moans of the livestock echoed through the sky.

In particular, the landlords and wealthy households became the main targets of the Northern Frontier Army, and all of them suffered the loss of their families, lives, and money.

Even those who had committed evil deeds in the past would be publicly executed by the Northern Frontier Army, thus winning the hearts of the people.

Therefore, many people were moved by the Northern Frontier Army's 'sincerity' and 'big promises' and prepared to follow them to the northern frontier territory. Sixty percent of the grain was enough to feed the whole family.

Outside Zhuoluo City, the cavalry of the Northern Frontier Army surged back and forth across the land like a white wave.

Horse hooves pounded the rubble, raising clouds of yellowish-brown dust that formed a dense, impenetrable net that enveloped the entire city.

The leading cavalry commander suddenly pulled on the reins, and his warhorse reared up.

His fierce gaze was fixed on the city wall, revealing a hideous scar that ran diagonally from the corner of his eye to his jaw.

"People inside Zhuoluo City, listen up! Open the gates and surrender immediately!"

"Otherwise, when the city falls, we will massacre the entire city for three days, leaving no one alive, not even a chicken or a dog!"

Behind him, thousands of soldiers from the northern frontier shouted in unison: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The roar reached the city wall, startling the Western Xia soldiers so much that their spears trembled.

Inside the city wall, Yeli Osako, the commander of the Southern Army, gripped the bricks of the observation hole tightly, his expression solemn.

With Yuanchuan Warehouse already breached, the Northern Frontier Army can now free up more manpower to besiege Zhuoluo City.

Just then, the lieutenant rushed over, looking terrified, and said, "Commander, our messenger has returned."

"It seems that the barbarians from the northern frontier deliberately let them into the city to inform us."

Upon hearing this, Nori Osuke frowned and asked, "What message?"

"The Yellow River pontoon bridge has been burned down by the Baotai army, and all the cities and villages west of the river have fallen. Now, only our Zhuoluo City and Xining Prefecture remain west of the Yellow River."

Upon hearing this, Nori Osuke felt a wave of dizziness and his body swayed slightly. He quickly grabbed the city wall to avoid falling.

But his face grew paler and paler, his eyes filled with rage and ferocity.

"Did the Baotai army burn down the pontoon bridge?"

"If the house is moved to another place, I'll curse your grandmother."

Nori Osuke pointed angrily in the direction of Langrou Mountain and cursed.

Not satisfied with that, he went on to curse all the female ancestors of Fang Dangyipu for eighteen generations.

That bastard is a complete scoundrel.

His own cowardice and fear of death led him to put Zhuoluo City in a desperate situation.

Burning the Yellow River pontoon bridge, while preventing the Northern Frontier Army from advancing further east, also slowed down the speed at which the imperial army could come to the rescue of Hexi.

Now, only Zhuoluo City remains standing alone west of the Yellow River.

They had no external reinforcements and no morale within their ranks.

The army numbered no more than seven thousand, with only eight hundred elite soldiers; the majority were civilian laborers.

How should we fight this battle?
But at that moment, a deep rumble suddenly erupted between heaven and earth, like a thunderclap from a flat surface, outside Zhuoluo City.

"Boom boom boom~"

It was exactly twenty Tiger-shaped cannons.

The Divine Might Cannon was too cumbersome to be transported to Zhuoluo City in a short time, so the Tiger Lord Cannon was used as a test firing for the siege.

Twenty dark shadows streaked across the sky, trailing crimson flames as they crashed down onto the city wall, causing the guards on the tower to scream in terror.

The first shell hit a soldier squarely, instantly piercing his chest. Gravel mixed with blood and flesh fell like raindrops, smashing a dent the size of a bowl into the parapet.

Other shells also hit the city wall one after another, and in a short time, the surface of the city wall was cratered and pitted.

Although the Tiger Cannon was not as powerful as the Divine Might Cannon, it was more powerful than the catapult.

Feeling the tremors coming from the city wall beneath his feet, Nori Kosuke was completely shocked.

All hope vanished; the Northern Frontier Army's terrifying weapons truly posed a deadly threat to the city walls.

Moreover, this was before he had even witnessed the power of the Divine Might Cannon; otherwise, he would have been even more horrified.

"Commander, Commander!"

"It's too dangerous on the city wall, let's retreat immediately!" the lieutenant shouted in a trembling voice.

Upon hearing this, Nori Osuke's face showed a look of despair.

"Go? Where to?"

Where in the entire Hexi Corridor can one find a place to live in peace?

"Open the city gates!"

Nori Kosuke's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet it plunged all the soldiers around him into a deathly silence.

"The pontoon bridge over the river has been burned down, and we are now isolated with no hope."

"Surrender!"

Meanwhile, Li Xiao stood calmly among the army outside the city, watching the Tiger Cannon bombard the city walls.

The Yellow River pontoon bridge has been burned down, and the entire west bank of the Yellow River has become a playground for the Northern Frontier Army.

Therefore, Li Xiao was not in a hurry to conquer Zhuoluo City; he had plenty of time to waste.

Just then, a guard stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Grand Protector, we have brought the false King Li Anquan here."

Li Xiao slowly lowered the telescope and said in a deep voice, "Bring him up."

"As ordered."

Hundreds of soldiers in yellow armor stood like a silent iron wall outside Zhuoluo City, their indifferent gazes fixed on Li Anquan as he slowly approached.

Sensing the menacing aura emanating from the soldiers of the Wuwei Army, Li Anquan clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his flesh, barely managing to suppress his panic as he walked step by step toward Li Xiao.

The dark gold dragon-patterned armor covered his mountain-like body. The moment Li Xiao lowered his eyes and looked down, the shadow enveloped Li Anquan.

A pair of black eyes seemed devoid of any emotion, as deep as an abyss. When they casually swept over, Li Anquan felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast.

This was the first time he had faced the commander of the northern frontier since being captured.

However, the oppressive aura emanating from Li Xiao surged like a tide, making him panic and involuntarily want to avoid Li Xiao's gaze.

But the pride in his blood made him forcefully raise his chin and clench his teeth: "I am the Prince of Zhenyi of the Great Xia Dynasty, the grandson of Emperor Chongzong. How can I allow barbarians to humiliate me!"

Looking at his appearance, Li Xiao's eyes flashed with a faint disappointment.

Historically, Li Anquan, in alliance with Empress Dowager Luo, deposed Li Chunyou and declared himself emperor. He was thought to be a man of strong character.

But to my surprise, it was just an ordinary product.

Although he tried to remain calm in front of him, Li Xiao, who had seen countless people, could easily see through his bluster.

Also.

If Li Anquan were truly a ruthless and ambitious man, how could he have been deposed by Prince Qi, Li Zunxu, five years after deposing Li Chunyou?

That's about all the skill I'm capable of.

This is exactly what Li Xiao needs.

"Your Highness, the King of Yue? I have long admired your name."

"This is Li Xiao from the capital."

Li Xiao suddenly spoke, his voice as deep as sandpaper rubbing against an iron sword.

Upon hearing the words "King of Yue," Li Anquan felt utterly humiliated and gritted his teeth, angrily retorting, "You're Li Xiao?"

"He's nothing but a barbarian who wears Han Chinese clothes but does the deeds of a wolf!"

"Li Xiao! I have always kept to myself and the Northern Frontier, but you, Li Xiao, harbor wolfish ambitions and brazenly attacked my Hexi Corridor!"

“The old, young, women and children of Hexi, which one of them is not innocent? Yet you allow your iron cavalry to burn, kill and plunder.”

"You burned all 20,000 soldiers of Shanle City to the ground. Your heart is more vicious than a snake or scorpion."

"Where the northern cavalry trampled, villages were reduced to ruins, and the dead lay exposed in the wilderness..."

Despite Li Anquan's angry outburst, Li Xiao remained calm and asked, "Have you said enough?"

"No!" Li Anquan shouted.

He pointed tremblingly at Zhuoluo City, which was being bombarded by artillery, his eyes filled with grief and indignation: "You keep saying that you want to save the Han people, but in reality you are for your own selfish desires and are forcing the flames of war on my Great Xia."

"You, a Han Chinese, have betrayed propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame, making you even more brutal than barbarians..."

Li Xiao kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, staring coldly at the maniac prince before him as if he were nothing more than a noisy ant.

Only after Li Anquan had cursed until he was hoarse did he slowly raise his head and say in a leisurely voice, "You, Li Anquan, are quite a character."

"Even though I'm in the northern frontier, I've heard a lot about your abilities."

"It's a pity that I'm too far away to help, otherwise I would like to witness the elegance of the Empress Dowager of Xia."

Upon hearing Li Xiao's words, Li Anquan was instantly stunned, his eyes widening as he stared at Li Xiao in disbelief.

"You~you you you you~"

At this moment, his face was full of panic, as if his most shameful secret had been discovered.

My mind went completely blank.

His affair with Empress Dowager Luo was a closely guarded secret; even their closest confidants knew very little about it.

How did Li Xiao, who was far away in the northern frontier, find out?
"You, you, you're talking nonsense."

"Creating something from nothing~"

"I don't understand what you're saying!" Li Anquan said in a trembling voice.

Li Xiao simply smiled slightly, and in this matter, he couldn't help but think more highly of Li Anquan.

Because this guy is really capable!
She became involved with Empress Dowager Luo.

Most importantly, he was able to persuade Empress Dowager Luo to launch a coup, depose her biological son, and install himself as emperor.

In this respect, Lao Ai, the Zhang Yi brothers, and Li Yi of the Northern Wei Dynasty were all far inferior to Li Anquan.

Therefore, Li Xiao truly admired Li Anquan.

However, the most fundamental reason was the power conflict between Empress Dowager Luo and Li Chunyou. Both of them were power-hungry, one unwilling to relinquish power and the other unwilling to be a puppet.

That's how Li Anquan finally managed to find a loophole.

"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. You know perfectly well whether this is nonsense or not," Li Xiao said with a faint smile.

"However, I have long admired Empress Dowager Luo's reputation for beauty."

"I really want to see how the life of a dignified empress dowager is different from that of an ordinary woman."

"It will definitely be more interesting than conquering ten cities!"

Li Xiao looked at Li Anquan with a playful gaze and said, a disgusting smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

These words, however, were like a poisoned dagger, piercing Li Anquan's heart.

As Empress Dowager Luo's lover, how could he stand by and watch his woman be humiliated by Li Xiao like this?

But then, something suddenly occurred to him: "You, you're not going to kill me?"

(End of this chapter)