The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 269 Eastward along the Great River, establishing prefectures along the Qilian Mountains

In early 1203, when Li Xiao led the northern frontier army to prepare for the second eastern expedition.

Xin Qiji, the Pacification Commissioner of Zhejiang East Circuit, wrote to Emperor Ningzong of Song, suggesting that the Jin Dynasty take advantage of its weakness to launch a northern expedition.

To consolidate his power, Chancellor Han Tuozhou immediately persuaded the emperor to agree to the plan and repeatedly dispatched spies and missions from the Imperial City Guard to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the Jin and Western Xia states.

The envoy reported that the Jin state was "desolate for thousands of miles, with rice costing ten thousand coins a bushel, and was at odds with the Tartars, and was also experiencing internal strife," which completely solidified the Southern Song court's determination to launch a northern expedition.

In April 1205, the Song court officially launched a political mobilization.

The emperor posthumously conferred the title of Prince of E upon Yue Fei, stripped Qin Hui of his title of Prince of Shen, and dealt a blow to the pro-peace faction.

In May, Emperor Ningzong of Song officially issued an edict to launch a northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty, changed the era name to "Kaixi", and the northern expedition entered the public preparation stage.

In April 1206, the Song army launched a surprise attack and successively captured Sizhou, Xinxi, Baoxin and other places, achieving an initial victory.

In May, Emperor Ningzong of Song officially issued an edict to attack the Jin dynasty, and the Northern Expedition broke out in full force.

"The Northern Expedition of Kaixi..."

Li Xiao uttered the word softly, as if chewing a sweet candy.

Memories of his past life surged: the Eastern Route Army was counterattacked to Yangzhou, the Central Route Army was defeated at Caizhou, and the most fatal was the Western Route Army, whose deputy commander Wu Xi betrayed the country and surrendered to the Jin, proclaiming himself King of Shu and handing over the gateway to Hanzhong.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Jin state redeployed its elite troops from Guanzhong, causing the other two Song armies to suffer a complete defeat.

This farcical Northern Expedition would ultimately end in bloodshed and chaos within the Southern Song court.

Thinking of all this, Li Xiao slowly folded Da Hu's letter and said in a deep voice, "Pass on my orders."

"The Song spies do not need to be escorted back to Zhuoluo City. They can be directly expelled from the country and returned to the Song Kingdom."

He paced back and forth in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the wooden sand table beside him. It only showed the general terrain of Western Xia, which was no longer sufficient.

The territories of the Jin and Song dynasties will also be included.

"The longer the conflict between the Jin and Song dynasties lasted, the more the northern frontier could reap the benefits."

Then he picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and prepared to write a letter to Da Hu, instructing him to act according to the plan.

Three years before the historical Kai Xi Northern Expedition, the Southern Song emperor and his ministers were still weighing the pros and cons, while what he was going to do was to quietly add weight to one side of the scale.

……

On the land east of the Yellow River, the camps of hundreds of thousands of Western Xia troops were arranged like a chessboard, with the blue-gray linen tents rising and falling neatly in the wind, and the shouts of soldiers practicing martial arts on the training ground were deafening.
At first glance, they do seem to have the air of a fierce and powerful army, but in reality, they are nothing more than a facade.

Most of them were civilians urgently conscripted by the Western Xia court from all over the country, with only a small number of elite troops kept under wraps.

The commander of this army was none other than the Privy Councilor, Nailing Sicong.

Even someone who had fought a lifetime of wars could not possibly train this large army into elite troops in such a short period of time.

Therefore, they could only barely keep the army from disbanding and dared not forcefully engage in battle with the Northern Frontier Army.

The goal of the Western Xia rulers and their ministers had shifted from conquering the Hexi Corridor to simply guarding the Yellow River defense line and preventing the northern barbarians from threatening the heartland of Xingqing Prefecture.

Therefore, after Nai Ling Si Cong led his troops to Hedong, he did not lead them across the river, but instead set up camp on the spot to guard against the northern frontier army crossing the Yellow River.

On this day, in the central command tent, Nailing Sicong was discussing military matters with a deputy general.

The commander of the personal guards rushed in: "General, urgent military intelligence has arrived from Hexi."

Upon hearing this, Nai Ling Sicong suddenly raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Let the scouts in."

Then, a dirty-looking scout came in, knelt on one knee, and said, panting, "Reporting to the commander."

"The barbarians from Hexi have withdrawn their troops!"

The central command tent fell into a deathly silence, causing Si Cong's movements to abruptly freeze.

He narrowed his eyes, his mustache trembling slightly beneath his hooked nose: "Explain clearly, when did you withdraw? How many troops did you have?"

As a high-ranking privy councilor, the espionage agent's mental pressure increased greatly due to his emotional fluctuations.

The scout wiped the sweat from his face, which had been seeping out due to nervousness, and said softly, "Reporting to the commander, since dawn yesterday, the Northern Frontier rebels have set off in three routes."

"The First Garrison had 3,000 cavalrymen covering the rear, while the main force, along with over 100,000 people from Hexi, drove no fewer than 50,000 head of livestock, and the grain and supply wagons stretched for thirty miles!"

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "The official road is covered with the tracks of oxcart wheels. Zhuoluo City is now just an empty shell; not a single person can be seen."

Upon hearing this, Nai Ling Sicong suddenly stood up, frowned, and shouted, "You took all the people and livestock away?"

"Exactly!"

The scout nodded and said, "Everyone, young and strong, old, weak, sick, and disabled, has been taken away."

“Anyone who disobeyed was trampled to death by horses by the people of the northern frontier. Young and strong men were forced to pull carts and carry grain. All 300,000 shi of grain in Yuanchuan Granary was gone.”

Upon hearing this, Nai Ling Sicong's face darkened, and he clenched his fist and slammed it heavily on the table.

"Damn barbarians from the northern frontier."

The Northern Frontier Army's eastward invasion was like a vicious wolf hunting its prey.

He originally thought that the Northern Frontier Army's goal was only the grain in Yuanchuan Granary, but he did not expect that they would not even spare the people of Hexi.

They were willing to go through all the trouble and waste food to take all these people away.
Thinking of all this, Wang Sicong frowned so deeply he could have trapped a fly, and sat heavily in his chair, sighing as he spoke.
"I thought the barbarians of the Northern Frontier were just a vicious wolf that only knew how to plunder, but I never expected them to be a vulture that eats people's bones and muscles."

"Population is the foundation of a nation. What they took away were not just the people, but the very foundation of our Great Xia Dynasty!"

He grabbed the pen from the desk and slammed it to the ground, his ferocious and terrifying eyes revealing a hint of despair.

As the Privy Councilor of Western Xia, he was not only a military general who knew only about war, but also a strategist who had a comprehensive view of the overall situation.

They deeply understand the importance of population to a country.

Although these nobles have always treated the common people like pigs and dogs, bullying and oppressing them at will, if it weren't for these lowly people, who would they be able to show off their nobility to?
Who would be willing to work like a beast of burden, burying themselves in hard work to create wealth for the country so that the nobles could enjoy themselves?

Therefore, population is the foundation of a nation.

If too much is lost, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the country.

The atmosphere inside the tent was incredibly oppressive. Nai Ling Sicong sat in a chair and spoke in a low voice.

"The old and weak can cultivate wasteland, the young and strong can serve in the army, and women and children can give birth and reproduce."

“West of the Yellow River to Dunhuang, although the land is vast and sparsely populated, and the population is not as dense as that east of the river, there are still nearly a million people.”

“These barbarians moved people, and it took the Hexi region a hundred years to recover.”

“What’s even more terrifying is…”

His voice suddenly lowered, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes: "By moving people to the northern frontier, aren't they strengthening their own power base? With this shift in power, what will we have to compete with them in the future?"

"This is clearly a step-by-step erosion of the lifeline of my Great Xia."

The tent was completely silent. Everyone stared at Nailing Sicong's hand, where veins were bulging, and realized for the first time that behind this raid lay a crisis far more deadly than the loss of supplies.

Although a large number of people also fled into the mountains.

However, the foundation of Hexi has been hollowed out, and it has been unable to recover its vitality for decades.

This is what truly terrifies Nai Ling Sicong.

The people of northern Xinjiang were not just barbarians who knew only how to plunder wealth and food; they were a far more terrifying enemy.

Among them were far-sighted strategists who understood the importance of population and knew that relocating people from Hexi would be a fatal blow to the foundation of Western Xia.

There are also decisive generals who, even when leading hundreds of thousands of civilians and livestock, can maintain an impenetrable order during a retreat.

What's even more frightening is that behind them might be an ambitious commander with not only the ambition to dominate a region, but also the ambition to conquer the world.

"General, since that's the case, our army should seize the opportunity to pursue and make sure to recover the people and food." The lieutenant gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes blazing with anger.

Nai Ling Si Cong pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Order that all ships be gathered, placed at the ferry crossing, and a pontoon bridge be built."

He then turned his gaze to the deputy general beside him and said in a deep voice, "General Su Nong, I hereby order you to lead five thousand elite cavalry out of the Yellow River and pursue the bandit army in the northern frontier."

Sunong Wujue knelt on one knee, the clanging of his armor as crisp as cracking ice: "This subordinate obeys!"

Although most of the hundreds of thousands of troops in Hedong were temporary conscripts, there were also some of the elite troops that the Western Xia had kept hidden away.

We can still muster five thousand elite cavalry.

But remember to be careful!

Nailing Sicong suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the other man's shoulder with surprising force, and said in a solemn tone, "The people of the Northern Frontier will certainly be on guard against pursuers during their retreat."

"You don't need to get entangled with them, just keep your eyes on their rear."

“They specifically targeted the convoys transporting civilians and grain, burning their carts, scattering their livestock, killing anyone they saw, and destroying any grain they found!”

"But remember this, Commander: those who greedily seek credit will die!"

"Once the main force in the northern frontier turns back, immediately sound the retreat!"

Sunong Wujue's heart trembled, and he shouted heavily, "This subordinate understands!"

"We will make the northern bandit army understand the might of our Great Xia cavalry."

Subsequently, he ordered Si Cong to have a pontoon bridge built overnight.

The small boats were lined up in the Yellow River, then tied together with ropes and secured. Wooden planks were then laid on top, thus constructing a simple pontoon bridge. This process took more than a day.

The next day, in the slanting afternoon sun, the dust raised by five thousand elite cavalry obscured the sky, and the sound of their hooves thundered across the wilderness.

"Be careful when crossing the river."

Sunong Wujue stood by the river, reined in his restless warhorse, and shouted loudly.

The imperial guard cavalry were the first to step onto the pontoon bridge, carrying their armor on their horses and climbing onto the bridge shirtless.

Every soldier was tense, and just as the cavalry at the front was about to reach the other side.

On the ancient road on the west bank of the Yellow River, several fast horses galloped from afar. They looked terrified and kept waving loudly at the cavalrymen on the pontoon bridge.

He roared hoarsely, "Go back quickly! The barbarians from the northern frontier are coming!"

"do not come."

The scouts' roars carried on the west wind, and the cavalrymen at the forefront of the pontoon bridge heard them and their pupils contracted sharply.

The warhorse beneath him seemed to sense immense terror and began to stir restlessly, its front hooves almost treading on the edge of the pontoon bridge.

"What? The barbarians from the northern frontier have arrived?"

The shout was like a thunderclap, and the ranks instantly descended into chaos, with the neighing of horses and the clanging of armor filling the air.

Because of the distance, Sunong Wujue, who had just stepped onto the pontoon bridge, did not hear the scouts' shouts, but only saw figures running towards them.

He reined in his restless mount, frowned, and asked, "What happened?"

When he learned that the barbarians from the northern frontier had appeared, Su Nong Wujue's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap." He looked horrified, his temples throbbing.

He looked at the cavalry crammed together on the pontoon bridge—the warhorses were neck and neck, and the wooden planks under their iron hooves were groaning under the weight, making it impossible for the troops to turn around.

If we were attacked by the barbarians from the northern frontier at this time... "Hiss~"

The consequences are unimaginable.

With nowhere to retreat, the only option is to charge forward.

"Blow the horn, beat the drum."

Sunong Wujue slashed his scimitar fiercely into the air, his face contorted with rage, and roared loudly.

"Everyone, take your shields and charge forward! Anyone who retreats will be court-martialed!"

The sound of horns tore through the twilight, and the Western Xia cavalry on the pontoon bridge took out their small shields, squeezed their knees against their horses' bellies, and tried to get to Hexi as quickly as possible.

But at that moment, the land west of the Yellow River suddenly trembled, as if ten thousand giant beasts were galloping underground.

"Boom boom boom~"

In the afterglow of the setting sun, thousands of northern frontier cavalrymen swept across the sand dunes like a golden, raging tide.

A golden sun and moon battle banner flew high, and the uniform yellow cotton armor with red trim gleamed with a dark and menacing aura under the setting sun. The scarlet trim, like congealed blood, added a touch of ferocity to the grim atmosphere, making people tremble with fear.

This cavalry force was the Wuwei Army, personally led by Li Xiao.

"Kill them! Wipe them out!"

Li Xiao's roar echoed under the banner of the Sun and Moon Battle Flag, his cavalry saber slicing through the twilight, leaving a silver arc in its wake.

The hundred-man light cavalry at the forefront had already drawn their bows to their fullest extent. The next moment, the sound of arrows piercing the air was like the shriek of a vengeful ghost, and the Western Xia cavalrymen who were the first to step onto the west bank let out miserable cries.

Upon seeing this, the Western Xia cavalry on the pontoon bridge panicked instantly. Their horses became restless and their hooves slipped on the swaying wooden planks.

Sunong Wujue's face turned ashen. He gripped his scimitar tightly and shouted hoarsely, "Hold on! Hold the formation!"

"Charge forward!"

But under the overwhelming pressure of the Northern Frontier Army, his voice sounded so small and powerless.

The next second, the earth suddenly rumbled, and forty Tiger Cannons a hundred meters away on the west bank of the river roared simultaneously.

Before the Western Xia soldiers on the pontoon bridge could even look up, a violent explosion tore through the air.

The cavalrymen in the front row were thrown into the air by the iron bullets, crashing heavily onto their comrades behind them. Their broken limbs, mixed with the broken bridge timbers, fell into the Yellow River.

The middle group was pierced by flying nails, screams mingled with the mournful cries of horses, and some people staggered backward, clutching their bleeding wounds.

Some people were pushed off the pontoon bridge by even more panicked people in the chaos, struggling and sinking in the surging river.

Sunong Wujue reined in his frightened warhorse tightly, and seeing the carnage on the pontoon bridge, he roared hoarsely, "Form a shield formation!"

"Charge forward!"

But just a dozen seconds later, the Northern Frontier Army launched a second round of artillery fire. A shell exploded right in front of him, and a dense barrage of iron nails swept outwards like a swarm of locusts.

Su Nong Wujue instinctively raised his knife to block, but heard a muffled "thud" as a sharp iron nail pierced his neck.

On the east bank of the river, Nai Ling Sicong gripped the wooden railing of the watchtower tightly.

The pontoon bridge before us has become a living hell, with severed limbs and a large number of drowned soldiers and warhorses drifting down the Yellow River, turning the water an eerie scarlet.

At least nearly a thousand elite cavalrymen stepped onto the pontoon bridge, but they vanished in less than half an incense stick's time.

Even Sunong Wujue, a trusted confidant of Nailing Si Cong, became food for the Yellow River carp.

Such a tragic scene caused Nai Ling Si Cong's chest to heave violently, and he let out a low growl like a trapped beast.

His gaze was fixed on the golden sun and moon battle flag fluttering in the wind on the west bank of the river.

He knew that when the golden sun and moon battle flag appeared, it meant that Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier, had come in person.

He hadn't expected Li Xiao to have such courage and ruthlessness.

They're acting like gamblers, completely reckless.

They must have already laid an ambush on the west bank of the Yellow River, and only launched a surprise attack when the scouts discovered that the Western Xia army was building a bridge overnight.

They chose a good time to attack while the enemy was crossing the river, catching the Western Xia cavalry completely off guard.

This forced Wang Sicong to admit that Li Xiao was an absolutely formidable opponent, a cunning wolf lurking in the shadows.

"Li Xiao, you're ruthless! You actually set up an ambush here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ling Si Cong felt his vision go black, his temples throbbed, and he fell backward.

On the west bank of the Yellow River, the setting sun cast a long shadow of Li Xiao, which was cast obliquely onto the blood-stained riverbank.

Clad in a dusty, dark gold dragon-patterned cotton armor, he stood as imposing as a mountain. The evening river breeze brushed against his cold face, lifting a few strands of hair at his temples, but it could not shake him in the slightest.

"From now on, Hexi will belong to the Northern Frontier."

Looking at the Western Xia cavalry struggling in the surging river, Li Xiao's eyes were filled with indifference to life and death.

The oath he swore before setting out still echoed in his ears: "If the army is defeated, I, Li Xiao, will not live alone!"

At this moment, he is putting his promise into action, personally leading the elite of the Wuwei Army to cover the rear.

Behind them, the main force of the Northern Frontier Army, like a winding dragon, carried the people plundered from Hexi, mountains of grain and fodder, and swift warhorses, slowly moving towards Wushaoling.

The vanguard must have already arrived in Liangzhou City.

He wanted to make the Western Xia people understand that the Hexi region, which they once considered their own, had now seen the tides turn.

That night, Li Xiao led his troops to garrison the west bank to guard against the Western Xia army crossing the river again.

Three days later, Li Xiao led his army to break camp. Facing the boundless Hexi land, his thoughts involuntarily drifted to Huo Qubing, the cavalryman recorded in ancient books.

A thousand years ago, that young war god led his troops westward, drinking from the great river. He was probably just like Li Xiao today, with his banners fluttering in the wind and the yellow sand sweeping over and crushing the enemy camp.

Compared to the groundbreaking feat of that young war god, Li Xiao's conquests were merely following in the footsteps of his predecessors, repeating the same path.

There's nothing to brag about.

"Wars throughout history have all been fought for the sake of mountains and rivers."

Li Xiao murmured as he gazed at the Qilian Mountains, which were bathed in golden light from the rising sun, and said to himself, "But I, Li Xiao, have never been inferior to anyone in my life!"

"The General of the Flying Cavalry opened up the Western Regions."

"I, Li Xiao, will let the iron cavalry of the Northern Frontier trample across thousands of miles of mountains and rivers!"

……

Inside the Western Xia imperial palace, the wafting incense could not dispel the stagnant silence in the study.

Li Anquan's knees slammed heavily against the cold blue bricks. Although he had changed into clean clothes, he could not hide his dejection.

In just three months, he seemed to have aged ten years.

"Li Anquan, your greed for merit and recklessness have caused the loss of 20,000 of my troops in Shanle City!" Li Chunyou slammed the pen on the ground.

With a ferocious gaze fixed on Li Anquan, he gritted his teeth and said, "It is because of you that the main force of my army was cut off from its retreat, and all the people and grain of Hexi were captured by the Northern Frontier!"

"Are you guilty?"

Li Anquan's Adam's apple bobbed, his forehead almost touching the ground: "Your subject... Your subject is willing to atone for his sins with his death!"

Just then, Empress Dowager Luo led several senior officials into the study.

“Your Majesty, since the Prince of Zhenyi has already admitted his guilt, we hope that Your Majesty will consider that he is also a descendant of Emperor Chongzong and show leniency.”

"Let him atone for his crimes by performing good deeds."

Mrs. Luo later pleaded for her lover.

It's not that Li Anquan could serve her very well; it's just that Li Anquan was a fairly obedient dog.

Especially since her son was becoming increasingly disobedient and wanted to seize power from her.

Empress Dowager Luo naturally needed Li Anquan to counterbalance the emperor.

Li Chunyou turned around abruptly and said bitterly, "Li Anquan has lost his army and disgraced the country. How can we establish our authority if he is not killed?"

"To establish authority?" Empress Dowager Luo suddenly chuckled. "Does the emperor establish authority by taking action against his own brothers?"

She suddenly moved closer, her phoenix eyes filled with frost: "The late Emperor Taizu's last instructions still stand—'The imperial family is a shield, and the maternal relatives are a spear.' If Your Majesty insists on executing Li Anquan, where will you place the laws and regulations of our ancestors?"

Several senior officials knelt down in unison: "What the Empress Dowager says is absolutely right!"

Empress Dowager Luo then said, "Let Prince Zhenyi atone for his crimes by leading the remaining troops to reclaim Hexi."

"If you win, it means Your Majesty has made good use of talent; if you lose..."

She glanced at Li Anquan, whose face was ashen: "But he deserved it. His Majesty is still a benevolent ruler."

Just then, an eunuch entered the room, holding a memorial to the emperor high in his hands.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from Roulang Mountain."

Upon hearing this, Li Chunyou disregarded dealing with Li Anquan and hurriedly said, "Quickly, bring it here."

The hundreds of thousands of troops mobilized by the Western Xia dynasty are now all gathered at Roulang Mountain.

Li Chunyou truly could not afford the consequences of another defeat.

When he opened the memorial, he breathed a slight sigh of relief; the result wasn't the worst, but it wasn't much better either.

The Northern Frontier Army plundered Hexi, seizing many people, grain, warhorses, and valuables.

They have swept away all the land west of the Yellow River, and now the entire area of ​​hundreds of miles west of the Yellow River is deserted and has become a wasteland.

Moreover, during their retreat, the Northern Frontier Army devised a plan to bury a thousand elite Western Xia cavalrymen in the river.

Their methods were cruel, vicious, and ruthless.

It felt as if Li Chunyou had a lump in his throat.

But thankfully, there is some good news.

The Northern Frontier Army withdrew from Hexi and has now returned to the Hexi Corridor.

This made Li Chunyou breathe a heavy sigh of relief, and he even felt a sense of joy at surviving a disaster.

Even though the Hexi Corridor was originally part of the Western Xia territory, the return of the Northern Frontier Army there gave him a strange sense of peace.

At least, Xingqing Prefecture is no longer in danger.

"Mother Empress~" Li Chunyou turned to look at Empress Dowager Luo.

He waved the memorial in his hand and said coldly, "The barbarians of the Northern Frontier have already withdrawn from Hexi."

"The Prince of Zhenyi has no chance to redeem himself through meritorious service. Why not let him lead the army to subdue the Hexi Corridor?"

Upon hearing this, Li Anquan's face immediately turned as red as a pig's liver.

(End of this chapter)