The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 267 The Southern Song Imperial City Guard, First Hearing of the Northern Frontier
"You won't kill me?"

Li Anquan suddenly looked up at Li Xiao and said in surprise.

"Why should I kill you?" Li Xiao glanced at him lightly, with a slightly disdainful look, and then said slowly.

"Isn't it more beneficial for my northern border to keep a fool like you in the Xia court?"

These words struck Li Anquan like a heavy hammer blow to the heart.

His face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and his fingernails dug deeply into his palms: "You..."

The anger surging in his throat made it almost impossible for him to utter a complete sentence, but when he met Li Xiao's unfathomable eyes, the rebuttal that was on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back.

"Besides, you and Empress Dowager Luo's secret could have provided you with enough to live on for a lifetime."

Li Xiao's voice drifted in, carried by the wind and sand, as cold and menacing as a venomous snake's hiss.

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, emphasizing the word "secret," and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Li Anquan's pupils suddenly contract, and his face flushed even more with anger.

He knew Li Xiao's plans, of course; that secret was a sword hanging over his head.

Once exposed, not only will he be torn to pieces, but Empress Dowager Luo will also be utterly disgraced.

Li Xiao clearly intended to use this leverage to turn him into a pawn planted in the Western Xia court.

But he couldn't understand how Li Xiao could have found out about his secret affair with Empress Dowager Luo.
Could it be that there are spies from the northern frontier in the palace?

Upon realizing this possibility, Li Anquan broke out in a cold sweat and felt a chill run down his spine.

This speculation is absolutely terrifying.

Doesn't that mean that even the life and death of the emperor and empress dowager are in the hands of the people of the northern frontier?
"But don't worry, as long as you behave well, the government will not only not harm you and Empress Dowager Luo, but will also do its best to help you."

Li Xiao's lips curled into a slight smile, and he said in a voice like a devil's whisper, "You should have inherited your father's throne and become the King of Yue, second only to the emperor."

“It was Li Chunyou’s pettiness and personal vendetta that prevented all of this.”

"Are you content with just being granted the title of Prince Zhenyi?"

"Hehe, you are my friend from the Northern Frontier. As long as you have the help from the Northern Frontier."

"Let alone the mere title of King of Yue, when the time is right, why not hand over the throne of the Xia Kingdom to you?"

Although Li Chunyou was not a particularly brilliant or ambitious ruler, he was still a competent monarch.

It cultivated virtuous governance internally, strengthened military affairs externally, and was also a staunch ally of the Jin Dynasty.

Once he regained power from Empress Dowager Luo, his first task was to reorganize the military and continue the fierce battle with the northern frontier.

Releasing Li Anquan back would be like throwing a piece of rotten flesh into a snake pit.

Let him and Empress Dowager Luo, this illicit couple, stir up trouble in the court; it would be best if they could replicate history.

When the Western Xia royal family fought amongst themselves, depleting the country's strength, and Li Anquan's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, naturally there was much discontent.

The benefits of a Western Xia beset by internal troubles to the northern frontier are obvious.

Upon hearing Li Xiao's words, Li Anquan's flushed face trembled slightly, and a fiery glint flashed in his eyes.

The Emperor of Western Xia!
His grandfather was an emperor, and his father was the King of Yue, so he was also qualified to inherit the throne.

Having experienced the harsh realities of human relationships and the cruelties of war, Li Anquan's mind became even more twisted.

"You want to help me?"

"Why?" Li Anquan asked with a wary tone.

In his view, Li Xiao was clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing, with ill intentions.

Li Xiao laughed and looked at Li Anquan with a slightly pitying gaze.

"Because you're an idiot!"

"As I just said, keeping you in the Xia Kingdom's court is more beneficial to my northern frontier!"

"If you become emperor, the Xia Kingdom will no longer pose a threat to my northern border."

Li Xiao's words once again struck Li Anquan's very soul.
Not only was their personality insulted, but their intelligence was also repeatedly trampled on.

But he was no longer angry, because it was useless, and he even felt a little smug.

"Just because of this?" Li Anquan asked, swallowing hard.

"Of course more than that."

The setting sun, like blood, stained Li Xiao's dark gold dragon-patterned armor crimson.

He sat upright on his tall horse, looking down at Li Anquan standing in front of him, the whip casually tapping the saddle, making a heart-stopping "clack-clack" sound.

"Go back and tell Li Chunyou."

"The Hexi Corridor, I, the northern frontier, want it."

"West of the Yellow River, no one wanted to see the Xia army again."

As he spoke, Li Xiao narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Otherwise, my Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry will flatten every Xia army camp, burn the Xia Kingdom's battle flags to ashes, and ensure that there is not a single living person wearing Xia Kingdom armor left in the entire Hexi region."

Before he finished speaking, Li Xiao slowly raised his hand and pointed to the faint outline of the mountains on the distant horizon.

As dusk fell, those undulating silhouettes stood majestically in the evening breeze, like the spine of a giant beast.

“Every Xia general who dared to step into Hexi would have his head cut off and hung on a flagpole.”

His voice drifted over, carrying an undeniable air of authority: "I will never break my word."

"You want the entire Hexi region?"

Li Anquan said in shock, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

I thought the Northern Frontier Army would just plunder and leave, but now I realize that they actually intend to completely annex Hexi.

The Hexi Corridor and Hexi are two different concepts.

The Hexi Corridor refers to the area west of Wushaoling, all the way to Yumenguan, including Liangzhou, Ganzhou, Heishuicheng and other places.

Hexi literally means west of the Yellow River, including the entire Hexi Corridor and the area between the Wushaoling Mountains and the Yellow River.

But in reality, what Li Xiao really wanted was the Hexi Corridor. He planned to build a pass in Tiger Wolf Valley to lock down the entire corridor and restrict its development.

While the Hexi region east of Wushaoling was protected by the natural barrier of the Yellow River, the Northern Frontier Army was generally not skilled in naval warfare, and the Xia army could cross the river from many places to attack Hexi.

It is the main battlefield for the future northern frontier and Western Xia, making it impossible to develop with peace of mind.

Therefore, Li Xiao only regarded the Hexi region as a strategic buffer zone, focusing on consolidating his rule over the Hexi Corridor and developing agriculture and commerce.

"A miscalculation."

Li Anquan lamented inwardly, "Everyone in Great Xia has made a mistake!"

Although the northern frontier originated from the grasslands, the ruling class was entirely Han Chinese, and conquering cities and expanding territory was their true nature.

Their burning, killing, and looting were merely a disguise.

These damned barbarians' initial goal was to take over the entire Hexi region.

Suppressing his shock, Li Anquan forced a cold laugh: "The Grand Protector wants the whole of Hexi? As the saying goes, greed knows no bounds. Doesn't the Grand Protector fear that he will be overwhelmed by greed?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao shook his head indifferently: "I've always had a very good appetite."

"Your Highness, there's no need for you to worry about that."

Li Anquan stood frozen in place, filled with resentment and anger, yet unable to vent his feelings.

He knew all too well that the enemy in the northern frontier was a hundred times more troublesome than the nomadic tribes of the past, and could be considered the greatest threat to the Great Xia.

Watching Li Xiao's departing figure, he secretly vowed in his heart: "Just wait, I will make you regret it."

The barbarians of the northern frontier treated the Great Xia as fish on a chopping board, but he insisted on leading the Great Xia back to its former glory.

In his heart, however, it was not Li Chunyou who could accomplish this mission.

Li Chunyou lacked the ability because he wasn't ruthless enough.

Only I, Li Anquan, am the chosen one to lead the Great Xia Dynasty to rise again.

The next morning, the wind along the Yellow River was biting cold.

Li Xiao ordered someone to throw Li Anquan a dilapidated sampan and tell him to row across like Wang Baobao.

As for how to explain things to Li Chunyou after returning?

Just keep licking Empress Dowager Luo's crotch; that woman wouldn't want him to die.

……

Xining Prefecture, formerly known as Qingtang, is located in the famous Hehuang Valley.

After the An Lushan Rebellion, it was occupied by the Tibetans.

After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, it dispatched large armies to conquer the Tubo people on several occasions. Finally, during the reign of Emperor Huizong, Wang Hou and Tong Guan led the army to completely wipe out the Tubo people in the area.

The Hehuang Valley was incorporated into the territory ruled by the Northern Song Dynasty.

Subsequently, the Northern Song court carried out large-scale immigration and land reclamation from Longyou, Guanzhong and other places to the Hehuang Valley, while exiling criminals from the country to this area.

This led to a surge in the number of Han Chinese in the Hehuang Valley in a short period of time.

However, with the occurrence of the Jingkang Incident, the Western Xia took advantage of the chaos and seized the Hehuang Valley.

On this day, a caravan from the south appeared in Huangzhou (now Ledu, Qinghai, a county under Xining Prefecture).

More than thirty yaks carrying loads of goods walked through the wilderness.

The person in charge was a man in his thirties, wearing a brocade sheepskin hat, a crimson woolen robe, and a cowhide belt inlaid with turquoise.

With a string of Buddhist prayer beads hanging from his chest, he was dressed in the typical attire of a Tibetan.

Upon seeing an elderly farmer working in the fields by the roadside, the man dismounted, stood outside the field ridge, and deliberately made his Buddhist prayer beads jingle.

"Excuse me, sir, could you please tell me the way?"

He shouted at the top of his lungs in broken Tibetan, "How do I get to Xingqing Prefecture?"

The old farmer, who was weeding, slowly straightened up, his hands, covered in cracks, gripping the sickle tightly.

His cloudy eyes darted over the other person's crimson woolen robe before turning to the yak caravan behind him.

A dozen or so men were either walking or riding on yaks with their legs spread apart, some of them wiping sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves.

The old farmer remained calm and pointed to a road in the northeast: "Go through that ravine ahead, and you'll reach Huangzhou City. Then keep going north, cross the Datong River, and ask someone else. This old man doesn't know."

After saying that, the old farmer spat into his palm and continued bending over to cut grass.

But the man was stunned for a moment.

He understood, but felt somewhat embarrassed.

The old farmer spoke the Guanzhong dialect, but at this moment, he was dressed as a Tibetan and spoke the Tibetan language.

Helpless, the man could only continue to try and get closer to the old farmer, asking, "Are you Han Chinese, brother?"

The old farmer slowly straightened up again, a sly smile appearing on his dark, wrinkled face.

He chuckled and said, "You Tibetan barbarian, how come you can speak Han language?"

Seeing the old farmer's expression, the man knew perfectly well that his disguise had been exposed.

He could only shake his head with a wry smile and say, "Please forgive me, older brother!"

"We are all merchants from Xingzhou, trading on the plateau. We pretended to be Tibetans to avoid trouble."

"My surname is Li, and my name is Li Benzhong."

The old farmer chuckled, revealing two large yellow teeth, and slowly walked to the edge of the field. He glanced at the field and nodded, saying, "Not bad, young man, you're honest."

Upon hearing this, Li Benzhong quickly asked, "I hope you can enlighten me, brother. Where did we slip up?"

The old man pointed to the Buddhist prayer beads on the man's chest and said, "These things are too new. The Tibetans hold them and chant sutras every day. They've been oozing with saliva for a long time."

"Moreover, your technique for handling the beads is incorrect; it's obvious that you learned it from a Han Chinese monk."

"Furthermore, Tibetans mostly ride yaks cross-legged, unlike you who ride like horses. Look at how the saddle is tied; it's clearly the work of the Sichuan caravans! And the way you wipe your sweat..."

The old farmer pointed out several mistakes, making Li Benzhong's temples throb. He had thought his disguise was flawless, but it turned out there were so many loopholes. Luckily, he had been avoiding the Tibetans along the way and hadn't ventured into their village.

The old farmer was also a Han Chinese; otherwise, he probably would have really been in trouble this time.

Overjoyed, Li Benzhong quickly bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, brother. Otherwise, we would have been in trouble."

Hearing Li Benzhong's compliments, the old farmer grinned again and chatted with Li Benzhong for a while.

"Where are you from, brother?"

"Our ancestors were from Qin Prefecture."

"That's very close to Xingzhou."

"That's right, that's why the old man feels so close to you kids."

"What a pity, Qin Prefecture now belongs to the Jin Kingdom..."

During the reign of Emperor Huizong, the old farmer's grandfather could no longer make a living in Qinzhou, so he brought his family to Huangzhou.

At that time, Huangzhou was very desolate. The land allocated by the imperial court was not enough to feed the people, so the old farmer grandfather continued to reclaim wasteland.

Just when they were about to start living a good life, the Song Dynasty was destroyed.

The capital city was breached by the Jurchen barbarians, and the areas of Xining Prefecture and Huangzhou were left unattended and eventually seized by the Tanguts.

The land that originally belonged to the old farmer's family was eventually seized by the Tangut people.

The old farmer's family could only make a living by farming for the Tangut people.

The old farmer felt a pang of sadness when he talked about it.

But there's nothing I can do; life is so cheap. As long as I can eat and not starve, I'll just keep going.

Hearing the old farmer's words, Li Benzhong sighed deeply.

The loss of territory, the humiliation of the people, and the disgrace of the emperor are all due to the incompetence of these generals and the incompetence of these officials.

At this moment, Li Benzhong only regretted that he could personally mount his horse to fight the enemy, drive out the Dangxiang and Jurchen, and restore the Han people's land.

So all he could do was comfort the old farmer, saying, "Brother, please don't worry."

"Our Han army will return sooner or later."

Li Benzhong was no ordinary businessman; he held a government official position.

“Gan Dangguan, Director of the Imperial City Office of the Great Song Dynasty, Lizhou West Road”

Lizhou West Circuit was roughly located south of the Wei River and in the northern part of Hanzhong in later times, with its administrative center in Xingzhou (Lueyang, Shaanxi).

Gan Dangguan was a high-ranking position in the Imperial City Guard of the Song Dynasty, in charge of intelligence in Lizhou West Circuit.

Not long ago, Li Benzhong received an order from the Imperial City Guard to gather intelligence on the Western Xia.

This includes the current troop deployment of Western Xia, the domestic situation, the food situation, and its relationship with the Jin Dynasty, etc.

Any intelligence regarding the Western Xia must be promptly gathered and sent to Lin'an.

Although there was no other more concrete intelligence, based on Li Benzhong's experience, the imperial court was probably preparing for a major move.

The target is most likely the Guanzhong region.

In addition to sending him to gather intelligence on Western Xia, he also specifically dispatched several groups of people to infiltrate Guanzhong, which was controlled by the Jin Dynasty.

It is very likely that they are preparing to attack Guanzhong, but they also need to guard against the Western Xia's interference.

Because the Western Xia had a history of this offense.

In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Song once planned to contact the Western Xia to jointly resist the Jin Dynasty. However, he did not expect that the Western Xia emperor Li Ganshun would be so arrogant that he would not even give the Song Dynasty envoys a seat as a sign of humiliation.

They even helped the Jin army attack the Song army, causing the Southern Song Dynasty to completely lose control of Guanzhong.

Therefore, if the Southern Song emperors and ministers were truly preparing to fight the Jin army in Guanzhong, they had to take the troublesome Western Xia into account.

After chatting for a while, Li Benzhong and his group had rested enough, so they prepared to say goodbye and head towards Xingqing Prefecture.

However, at this moment, the old farmer said, "Young man, I advise you to go back immediately and never go to Xingqing Prefecture."

Li Benzhong asked curiously, "Brother, what's wrong? Didn't you just give us directions to Xingqing Prefecture?"

Why can't we go anymore?
The old farmer chuckled: "Weren't you Tibetans just now?"

Okay, if they're Tibetans, then they've been tricked.

But if it's a young man from his hometown whom he likes, the old farmer can't bear to watch him go to his death.

"I heard that the barbarians from the north have attacked, and the Hexi Corridor is in great chaos now."

"If you encounter those barbarians, not only will you lose your goods, but you might also lose your lives."

Upon hearing this, Li Benzhong was stunned. He exchanged glances with his other spies and asked, puzzled, "Northern barbarians?"

"who are they?"

The old farmer shook his head slightly: "This old man doesn't know."

"Where is Northern Xinjiang? I've never been there."

"I've only heard that on the grasslands further north, you can just treat those barbarians as Khitans and Uyghurs."

With that explained it to Li Benzhong, he understood that the Northern Barbarians must be nomadic peoples from the grasslands.

According to the old farmer, those barbarians are fighting with the Western Xia people.

And they even invaded Hexi?

"How is this possible?" Li Benzhong was shocked.

The Hexi Corridor is nearly a thousand miles from the grasslands, and it's already close to the heart of the Western Xia territory.

After crossing the river, it would take several hundred more miles to reach Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia.

How could the Western Xia people have allowed barbarians to invade this place?
"Brother, can you tell me what exactly happened?"

"When did the war start? How is it going?" Li Benzhong asked anxiously.

He hadn't expected to learn such important information so soon after arriving in Western Xia.

This is so useful.

If the Western Xia people were driven into their heartland by the nomadic tribes of the grasslands, it would mean that they would definitely be unable to participate in the affairs of Guanzhong.

Even in the future, after seizing Guanzhong, the Song Dynasty could join forces with the nomadic tribes of the grasslands to attack the Western Xia and avenge the humiliation of the past.

Li Benzhong never expected that he would be able to obtain such a great achievement so easily.

"Oh dear, I'm not quite sure about that," the old farmer said, shaking his head.

He grabbed a handful of yellow soil from the ground, rubbed it on his sweaty palms, and said in a reminiscent tone, "I don't know when the fighting started, but I heard it was really brutal."

"A lot of people died in Liangzhou."

During the Battle of Hexi, the vast majority of Western Xia soldiers were killed or captured, but a small number escaped.

Some of them then crossed the Qilian Mountains via Biandukou, and only one or two out of ten managed to return to Xining Prefecture unharmed.

They also brought news of the imperial army's disastrous defeat in the Hexi Corridor.

"In order to fight this war, the imperial court took away all the grain in the village and sent it to Yuanchuan Granary. I also went to move the grain."

“A couple of days ago, some people from Hexi came and said that the barbarians from the north have attacked Hexi again and have even captured Yuanchuancang.”

"What a pity we have such good grain."

After hearing the old farmer's words, Li Benzhong's eyes widened, and he was deeply shocked.

"Has the Hexi Corridor been occupied by the barbarians of the Northern Frontier?"

"The entire Western Xia army was wiped out?"

That's a complete fantasy.

Back then, the Song army fought a major battle with the Western Xia people in the Hexi Corridor for several years, ultimately suffering a crushing defeat.

Even the Western Xia failed to defend the Hexi Corridor.

"What exactly is the background of this barbarian from the northern frontier?"

"How could it be so terrifying?"

Li Benzhong muttered to himself.

He was greatly impressed by the formidable fighting power of the Northern Frontier Army.

It should be noted that even with the full strength of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was extremely difficult to face the 80,000 elite troops of the Western Xia.

It was already difficult enough to hold them off, but how could such a large army be wiped out by the suddenly appearing barbarians from the northern frontier?

Appalling!
However, although the old farmer spoke with conviction, Li Benzhong still needed to investigate and ascertain the truth of his claims.

Furthermore, he needed to find out exactly where the barbarians from the northern frontier came from.

Is it friend or foe?
So, after saying goodbye to the old farmer, Li Benzhong continued leading his men northward.

After crossing a mountain, we arrived at Huangzhou City.

This city was under the jurisdiction of Xining Prefecture. Although it was called a town, it was actually just a large fortified village. It was very simple and did not have the complete functions of a town.

At the city gate, Li Benzhong and his men were questioned by government soldiers.

"Where are you going? What's on the yak's back?"

"Shu brocade, Tibetan incense, and Rinpoche, prepare to go to Xingqing Prefecture," Li Benzhong answered honestly in Tibetan, even putting his hands together as if he were a Buddhist believer.

Rinpoche refers to a Tibetan Buddhist statue. Because Tibetan Buddhism had a great influence in Western Xia, some Tibetan Buddhist statues were very popular there.

The soldier used a spear to pry open the cowhide wrapping, and a rich aroma of Tibetan incense immediately wafted out, revealing some bronze Buddhist artifacts faintly visible beneath the woolen fabric.

The soldier quickly put down his weapon, put his hands together, and repented before the Buddha statue.

Since it was a Buddha statue, the soldiers naturally dared not stop it, but they still warned Li Benzhong, "The road to Xingqing Prefecture is blocked."

"You should go back."

"Why? Why can't we get through? What about our goods?" Li Benzhong asked, feigning ignorance.

"If you can't go, you can't go. Why are you asking so many questions? If you really want to sell your goods, then sell them in our Huangzhou City," the soldier said impatiently.

If it weren't for Buddha's sake, he would definitely have made a hefty profit off them, not to mention he wouldn't have bothered to warn these 'Tibetan swindlers'.

Li Benzhong sighed helplessly and shook his head: "I'll think about it."

These goods were at least twice as expensive in Xingqing Prefecture as they were in Huangzhou.

If it were sold so easily in Huangzhou, it might arouse suspicion.

But Li Benzhong's real purpose was to enter Huangzhou City to gather information.

We need to figure out what the current situation of Western Xia is.

Just as Li Benzhong was about to enter the city gate, a fast horse suddenly galloped from afar, shouting in a terrified voice, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Close the city gates immediately."

Upon hearing the shouts of the newcomers, the soldiers at the city gate panicked and forced Li Benzhong and his entourage through the city gate before immediately closing it shut.

The sound of urgent gongs echoed from the city wall.

"Dangdangdangdang~"

Li Benzhong was completely dumbfounded. Had he just walked in?
These Western Xia soldiers are a bit irresponsible!
If your group were enemy spies, you could immediately counterattack and open the city gates to let the army outside into the city.

So, did these Western Xia soldiers not know how to fight?

Just as Li Benzhong was about to lead his men to find a place to hide, he suddenly heard a low rumbling sound in his ear.

"Boom boom boom~"

Li Benzhong's expression changed drastically; it sounded like a large-scale cavalry charge.

(End of this chapter)