The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 287 Gaochang is no more in this world, only the Western Regions of the Northern Frontier remain.
Hami fell, and Gaochang was destroyed.

The northern cavalry surged into the city like a tidal wave, the sound of hooves mingling with shouts of battle and cries of agony, utterly tearing this once prosperous capital apart.

Upon entering the city, the Northern Frontier Army immediately seized control of key locations such as granaries, treasuries, and armories.

Although the national treasury still had a considerable amount of grain, it did not have much silver. The truly wealthy were the Uyghur merchants and nobles.

In a luxurious mansion, a fat man dressed in silk knelt on the ground, trembling.

This man was a well-known wealthy merchant in Hamil. He was once a front man for Alqus, and later joined the forces of Kudinayan, where he continued to thrive.

But his lucky streak came to an end when the Northern Frontier Army arrived.

While encouraging commercial development, the northern border region does not allow such large merchants to compete with the people for profits.

For monopolistic businesses that concern the foundation of the nation, the Hexi Trading Company alone is enough.

Therefore, this person became the first target to be attacked.

Watching chests of gold and silver treasures being dragged out of the cellar, the wealthy merchant felt utterly despondent.

But the military commander in charge of the matter, a centurion from the Northern Frontier Army, still frowned and kicked the wealthy merchant hard.

"Ah~"

The wealthy merchant collapsed to the ground, vomiting in agony, while the centurion coldly snorted, "That dog is still not behaving himself."

"Drag him away and torture him. He must reveal the whereabouts of all his money."

Then, the centurion's gaze fell on one of the wealthy merchant's concubines: "This woman is to be handed over to me, the centurion, for personal whipping and interrogation."

"Ahhh~"

Noble residences became particularly vulnerable to looting.

Kudinaya's mansion was turned upside down, and ten chests of gold and silver jewelry were found. Even the newly built pond in the back garden was overturned, and more than a dozen chests of gold were dug out from the ground.

Most of these treasures were acquired by Kudinayan after he became prime minister, and some were even moved directly from the Arkus household to his own home.

In the inner quarters, a dozen or so trembling dancers were also found. They had been specially trained by Kudinayan and had now become spoils of war for the Northern Frontier Army.

"These delicate-skinned girls will definitely fetch a good price if we bring them back to Dragon City!"

The chaos in the palace worsened, and after dealing with Chibido, Sanbao ordered his men to take over the palace.

The guards, eunuchs, and palace maids were gathered together. The men were assigned to labor teams to move supplies, while the women were kept separately in a side hall, waiting to be assigned according to their military merits.

The youngest daughter of Arcus, who had been brought out of the cold palace, looked at everything before her with a fearful and uneasy expression.

Her father was killed, her whole family was slaughtered, and now even her country is gone. Her fate is no longer in her own hands.

Fortunately, she had an older sister in the northern frontier, who was a concubine of the Grand Protector and held a very high status.

The soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army treated her with respect and even planned to send her to Jinzhou to reunite with her sister.

This finally put the Queen of Gaochang at ease.

Subsequently, the Northern Frontier Army carried out a major purge in Hamili City.

Li Xiao was determined to destroy Gaochang, so he had to break the old order.

This does not only refer to royal power, but more importantly, the power of the nobility.

Only by uprooting these deeply entrenched nobles can Gaochang truly be said to have undergone a transformation.

Thus, Hamili City was pacified.

Whether nobles or commoners, all were driven out of the city.

However, their treatment was different. Ordinary people remained ordinary people, but they were assigned to farm and reclaim wasteland, just like ordinary people in the northern frontier.

But the nobles fared even worse, as they were all reduced to slavery.

The men had half their hair shaved off, the word 'slave' tattooed on their faces, and were tied up like livestock, waiting to be sent to work in the mines.

Women and children were confined in wooden bars and became slaves for entertainment in the army.

A literate soldier held a roster and selected soldiers in order of merit.

A young soldier who had just earned a meritorious service excitedly pointed at a Uyghur woman holding a child: "I want her!"

The woman was so frightened that she clung tightly to her child, but could only cry and be dragged away.

As night fell, Hamili City gradually quieted down, but the sounds of women crying and soldiers shouting could still be heard in the camp.

The crimson sun and moon battle flags atop the city walls fluttered in the night wind, as if proclaiming a new beginning for this place.

Ten days later, a group of Wuwei Army soldiers wearing yellow cotton armor arrived in Hamili City.

Only then did they gradually quell the chaos in the city and announce the end of military control.

……

Inside the royal palace, where Li Xiao and Aisha had toiled countless days and nights, the scene had changed.

Gu Zizhong stood at the head of the table, wearing a dark cotton robe and holding a bright yellow scroll in his hands, his expression solemn.

The hall was filled with many generals from the Second Garrison, as well as three commanders of ten thousand households who governed the Han people; all of them were retired generals from the northern frontier.

He placed his right hand on his chest and looked down slightly at Gu Zizhong.

"Imperial Edict of the Grand Protector!"

"King Qibido of Gaochang was unfortunately killed by the remnants of Kudinayan's forces. Upon hearing the news, Bendu was deeply saddened."

"As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, but the bloodline of the Gaochang royal family has been broken, and there are no male descendants to inherit the throne."

"After careful consideration, and taking into account the earnest requests of the people of Gaochang, I have decided to incorporate the Kingdom of Gaochang into the northern border region and establish it as a prefecture in the northern border."

"From this day forward, the former site of Gaochang will be renamed Xizhou."

“Rename Hara Khoja to Gaochang City and make it the seat of Xizhou; rename Hamili City to Yiwu City and make it a subordinate prefecture of Xizhou.”

Hearing Gu Zizhong's voice, all the generals of the northern frontier and the three commanders of ten thousand remained calm, without the slightest surprise.

After all, the Northern Frontier Army's southward march wasn't for this trivial matter of the Gaochang coup.

The so-called "pleading of the people" is nothing more than a nicer excuse.

Their real purpose was to annex Gaochang.

The moment Li Xiao issued this edict, the Kingdom of Gaochang ceased to exist; all that remained was the Western Regions of the Northern Frontier.

The name 'Xizhou' originated from the Tang Dynasty.

From the Han Dynasty onwards, Gaochang was always under the control of the Han people, and the majority of its inhabitants were Han people.

It even experienced the establishment of kingdoms by four Han Chinese families in Gaochang.

These are the Kan clan Gaochang Kingdom, the Zhang clan Gaochang Kingdom, the Ma clan Gaochang Kingdom, and the Qu clan Gaochang Kingdom, which ruled for the longest period.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Hou Junji was dispatched to destroy the Qu clan's Gaochang Kingdom and establish Xizhou, which was placed under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate.

Subsequently, the Tibetan Empire rose to power, and Xizhou was captured several times, resulting in the deaths of many Han Chinese.

Towards the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Uyghur Khanate in the northern grasslands was destroyed, and some Uyghurs fled to Gaochang, renamed the city of Gaochang "Khara-Khoja", and established the Khara-Khanate.

This is the official name used by the Uyghurs themselves.

However, people in northern Xinjiang and other places still habitually refer to it as Gaochang.

This time, the northern frontier destroyed the Karakhanid Khanate and changed all the names to the Han system.

The Kingdom of Gaochang was renamed 'Xizhou', and together with Jinzhou, Damo, and Gansu, it became a prefecture in the northern frontier.

Hara Khoja was renamed Gaochang City, and Hami was changed back to its old name from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Yiwu.

Completely eliminate the influence of Uyghur culture and restore the Han system.

"With the pacification of Gaochang and the establishment of Xizhou, this was a momentous event in the expansion of the northern frontier and a new chapter in the restoration of order and discipline for all people."

"Today, in order to secure the country and consolidate its foundation, I have specially appointed virtuous and capable individuals to assume important positions. I hope that you will all perform your duties diligently and work together to achieve great things."

Holding the imperial edict, Gu Zizhong continued reading: "Gu Zizhong is hereby appointed as the Governor of Xizhou, overseeing all government affairs in Xizhou!"

"To govern 30,000 Han households in Xizhou, ensuring that Han laws take root here; to oversee the assimilation of the Uyghurs in Xizhou into Han society, registering them as households, changing their clothing, and having them speak the Han language..."

"It is also necessary to build water conservancy projects to open up ditches and cultivate fertile land to fill granaries. Anyone who obstructs this should be executed first and reported later!"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the hall understood.

No wonder Gu Zizhong was chosen to read the imperial edict; it turns out this man is the newly appointed governor of Xizhou.

Moreover, Gu Zizhong's qualifications were sufficient. He was originally the governor of the desert, although he was just a figurehead, but his rank was still there.

Later, he became the military advisor to the Grand Protector, a position of great prestige, and was fully qualified to serve as the governor of Xizhou.

So everyone patted their chests and said to Gu Zizhong, "Greetings, Governor."

After all, in terms of status, the governor and the commander-in-chief are at the same level, and apart from Li Dongjiang, everyone else has to pay respects to Gu Zizhong.

"Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities; you've made me feel uncomfortable."

"We're all colleagues, and old friends, so there's no need for so much formality," Gu Zizhong said with a smile to everyone.

He was very amiable, without a trace of arrogance.

But in reality, the people of the Northern Frontier also have a simple understanding of him: a smiling tiger.

They can get along well with anyone, but they can also be tricked unexpectedly.

"Li Dongjiang, listen to my command!"

"The general is here!"

As Gu Zizhong's expression turned serious again, he shouted, and Li Dongjiang, the Second Garrison Commander, stepped forward.

The red armor clashed with a clanging sound, the movements were powerful and vigorous, and the knife scars on the arms were particularly ferocious.

"You are hereby appointed as the General of Xizhou, in charge of all military affairs in Xizhou!"

"Soldiers must be rigorously trained, military discipline must be strictly enforced, city defenses must be repaired to secure the territory, and remaining bandits must be eliminated to ensure the well-being of the people. If foreign enemies invade, there is no need to ask for orders; decisions can be made independently!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Li Dongjiang said in a deep voice.

When Li Xiao ordered the entire Second Division to march south, Li Dongjiang guessed that his position should be moved.

As expected, he was reassigned from his original position as General of the Desert to General of the Western Regions, and continued to protect the security of the southern border.

After reading the imperial edict, Gu Zizhong handed the scroll to Li Dongjiang and others for circulation, and said to everyone: "From this day forward, there will be no more Gaochang in the world, only Xizhou in the northern frontier."

"All matters in Xizhou must be handled in accordance with the laws of the Northern Frontier, without any errors."

"As ordered."

The generals shouted in deep voices.

With the issuance of Li Xiao's edict, the Uyghurs finally understood that the fall of Hamil City was not the end, but the beginning.

The beginning of a complete assimilation into northern Xinjiang.

Their king is gone, their kingdom is gone, even the name of their homeland has been changed, and countless years later, even their descendants may forget all of this.

After all the generals had left, Gu Zizhong turned to the Wuwei Army captain beside him and instructed, "Leave two men from the Shihu household to accompany me in guarding the governor's mansion."

"The rest of you shall immediately escort Queen Gaochang and the gold and silver seized in this war back to Longcheng and hand them over to the Grand Protector for disposal."

"The last general takes command!"

The captain clasped his hands in response.

Immediately send people to protect the safety of the Queen of Gaochang and to take control of the looted treasures.

Subsequently, Gu Zizhong summoned the three Han Chinese households in Xizhou to prepare for the establishment of the governor's office. "Zhang Yushi, you are familiar with civil administration, so you will temporarily serve as the head of the household affairs department, responsible for household registration and land statistics."

"Liu Wanliang, you have been in charge of grain and fodder, and are temporarily in charge of the granary. You must make sure to take stock of the supplies in the Gaochang Prefecture warehouse."

“Zhao He, since you were a soldier, you will first take charge of the prison, responsible for apprehending criminals and maintaining public order.”

When Gu Zizhong took office, he brought three officials from the Protectorate General's Office. All of them were Han Chinese from the northern frontier and were appointed as chief clerks in the Governor's Office.

First, take control of personnel, finance, and the judiciary to prevent being sidelined.

Then he looked at the three Han Chinese commanders, exchanged a few pleasantries, and said seriously, "You each have capable men under your command, so don't hide them."

"We need to set up the framework first to ensure the smooth flow of government orders."

The three Han Chinese households responded in unison, and they also hoped that more of the officials under the governor's office would come from their own ranks.

After dealing with civil affairs, Gu Zizhong invited Li Dongjiang to discuss the relocation of the administrative center.

The capital of Xizhou was set in Gaochang City, and Li Xiao had already ordered the original Gaochang Royal Palace to be dismantled.

The eastern side was assigned to Gu Zizhong to establish the governor's office, and the western side was given to Li Dongjiang to establish the Xizhou General's Office.

Li Xiao has never liked building palaces outside the capital. Even when he tours various regions, he only stays in a golden tent. It would be a pity to leave such a large palace idle.

Now that it's been dismantled and remodeled, it's a perfect opportunity to make the best use of everything.

Before heading to Gaochang, Gu Zizhong, in his capacity as the governor of Xizhou, issued several decrees.

The first item is population statistics.

Preliminary investigations revealed that there are still more than 20,000 Uyghur households in Gaochang, the vast majority of whom are ordinary people or even slaves.

They had no private property and could only make a living by farming for nobles.

Gu Zizhong then ordered: "Those who register their household in the northern frontier shall be treated the same as Han people, and may rent public land and pay 40% rent tax."

"The northern frontier embraces all rivers; those who live in peace and obedience are all Chinese people."

The issuance of this order instantly brought cheers from countless Uyghur people.

After all, many people had previously speculated that the Northern Frontier Army would either kill them all or reduce them all to slavery.

After all, such things have happened countless times throughout history; the law of the jungle is the most normal thing in the world.

But unexpectedly, the Northern Frontier Army let them all go and even distributed land to them.
As a result, many Uyghur slaves were moved to tears and vowed to cultivate the land well for the northern frontier.

Article Two concerns the measurement of land and the granting of public fields to the people.

The third point is the most eye-catching—adjusting marriage arrangements.

Due to the war, there were many widows in Gaochang, while the immigrants from Hexi were mostly prisoners of war and laborers, and many of them were bachelors.

Gu Zizhong mandated in his decrees: "Widows must remarry within two months, or they will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane; newly surrendered Uyghurs are prohibited from taking concubines, and their existing concubines must be dismissed and remarried. If they wish to take a concubine, they must achieve merit on the battlefield and become military households."

In those days, farming was hard work, and widows couldn't do much on their own.

Even without government decree, Uyghur widows would eventually find someone to marry, but now a timeframe has been set.

But the Han Chinese bachelors all looked delighted.

One of the immigrants stroked his chin and smiled, "This governor is truly thinking of us. From now on, we'll have a home in Xizhou."

The fourth measure was to completely dismantle the Uyghur clans, re-register all Uyghurs into households, and have them live among the Han people. Another 10,000 households were selected and dispersed to various parts of northern Xinjiang.

In this way, the Han Chinese population in Xizhou would be absolutely dominant, further reducing the possibility of Uyghur rebellion.

……

Xizhou originally had more than 20,000 Uyghur households. After 10,000 households were relocated and resettled in various parts of northern Xinjiang, the remaining 10,000 Uyghur households and more than 30,000 Han households were reorganized into five 10,000-household groups.

On this day, Gu Zizhong traveled lightly and simply to the Fifth Ten Thousand Households area, located west of Gaochang.

They are busy distributing land to the newly surrendered Uyghurs, still using the method of dividing land by horse, which is not very accurate, but can ensure basic fairness.

These fields originally belonged to the nobles of Gaochang, and the Uyghurs who are now queuing up to receive the fields were once just tenant farmers or even serfs who cultivated the land for the nobles.

Apu huddled in the crowd, his rough hands repeatedly rubbing the hem of his clothes, his eyes filled with tension and anticipation.

His family had been serfs for generations, doing the dirtiest and hardest work, yet they had to pay nearly 80% of their land rent and taxes.

Every year after the autumn harvest, only a pitiful amount of grain is left, barely enough to make ends meet. The whole family has to rely on digging for wild vegetables to survive for half a year.

But everything changed after the Northern Frontier Army arrived.

They were freed from serfdom and became commoners in the northern frontier. Even the land that originally belonged to the noble lords was allocated to them for cultivation.

Although it's public land and we have to pay 40% rent, life is like living in a honey pot now compared to before.

"Apu! Fifty acres!"

The centurion's shout startled him, and he quickly responded and stepped forward.

Apu's hands were trembling as he received the wooden plaque that read "No. 7, C, 50,000th Household, 50 mu".

But then he clicked his tongue inwardly, saying with a hint of reluctance, "What a pity, the girl has grown up."

Apu's wife was also of serf origin. The two worked hard for half their lives, raising an eldest daughter, two sons, and an elderly mother.

He himself couldn't say for sure whether the eldest daughter was his child.

In the past, when the master was in a good mood, he would always bring the girls to his home, and any girls born there could only be raised as his own.

Later, when the wife got old and became ugly, the master stopped coming. So the two sons must have been his own, because they were as ugly as he was.

Ap originally planned to rent 60 acres of land, but the eldest daughter had reached marriageable age.

The newly issued decree by the governor of Xizhou clearly states that if a woman does not marry by the time she reaches marriageable age, not only will she have to pay a hefty fine, but her father will also be severely punished.

He dared not take the risk, so he had no choice but to marry off his eldest daughter, leaving the family without an important breadwinner.

The son-in-law is a Han Chinese man in his early twenties. He was originally a soldier of the Xia Kingdom. He was captured by the Northern Frontier Army and assigned here. He is mainly tall and strong, as robust as a calf.

The Gaochang Kingdom was gone, and it became Xizhou in the northern frontier. Although the government decrees said that the Han people and the Uyghurs were not distinguished, it was obvious to everyone that the Han people would eventually have a higher status.

With this Han Chinese son-in-law, the other Uyghurs no longer dared to bully them.

A few days ago, the Uyghur man next door joked, "Apu, your daughter has married a Han man, so from now on we'll all have to treat you with respect."

Apu touched the wooden plaque in his arms and looked at the fifty acres of land that his family had been allocated.

Suddenly he straightened his back and waved to the woman and old mother at the other end of the field: "Wait here, I'm going to borrow a plow from the garrison. We need to plow our land right away!"

The old mother's face lit up with a smile. She knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing, saying, "Buddha, please bless us! Buddha has shown us his power!"

"May the Bodhisattva have mercy and allow us poor souls to have our own land to cultivate, so we no longer have to be slaves to noble lords!"

"From now on, we'll have enough to eat, our grandson will be able to eat his fill, and even if this old woman dies, she can die in peace!"

"May Buddha bless us so that these good days may last forever..."

She kowtowed and chanted.

When the Uyghurs around saw this, they also put their hands together in prayer, chanting words of gratitude for the Buddha's protection.

Gu Zizhong, who was not far away, saw this scene clearly. He frowned slightly and asked the Uyghur official next to him who understood Chinese, "What are they doing?"

The clerk quickly stepped forward to listen to a few words, then hurriedly ran back, bowing as he reported, "Your Excellency, they are thanking Buddha, saying that Buddha blessed them by granting them land."

"what?"

"Thank Buddha?"

Gu Zizhong's face instantly darkened, and he lashed his riding whip heavily against the tree trunk beside him: "This is utterly absurd!"

"If the Northern Frontier Army hadn't pacified Gaochang and wiped out those arrogant Uyghur nobles, these former lowly serfs would never have been able to rise above their circumstances in this lifetime!"

Gu Zizhong's expression was indifferent as he glanced at the Uyghurs kneeling in prayer: "Is it a gift from Buddha that we can cultivate public land and have enough to eat and wear every year?"

"It was clearly won through the bloody battles of the Northern Frontier Army, and they were protected by the laws established by the Grand Protector!"

He slowly turned around and stared at the minor official: "Go and tell them that whoever gave them land to cultivate and food to eat is the one they should thank!"

The clerk turned pale with fright and tried to step forward, but Gu Zizhong waved him off.

"No need."

Gu Zizhong shook his head and chuckled, realizing he had lost his mind and was actually arguing with a bunch of ignorant people.

He took a deep breath, his tone as cold as ice: "The so-called Buddhist sect is nothing but a bunch of people who bewitch others and harm the country and its people."

"The Grand Protector said long ago that these Buddhist monks do not engage in production, but instead occupy fertile land, accept offerings from the people, and shout 'equality of all beings' all day long, yet they demand that the people kneel down and worship them."

"And when it really comes down to bloodshed and fighting to the death, where are they?"

He pointed at the kneeling old people, his voice full of disdain: "They only teach people to be submissive and weaken the will of the people!"

"These people think that by swallowing their anger they can wait for better days, but they've forgotten who pulled them out of the mire!"

The head of the household affairs office next to him whispered, "Sir, these people have been Buddhists their whole lives; they can't change their minds overnight..."

"Even if you can't change it, you have to change it!"

Gu Zizhong interrupted him, his eyes sharp as knives: "Pass down the order to establish schools in each commandery."

"We must not only teach children to recognize Chinese characters and learn the law, but also make them understand that a good life depends not on Buddha or Bodhisattva, but on the hoe in their hands, the laws of the northern frontier, and the protection of the Grand Protector!"

He glanced at the Uyghurs still praying on the distant ridges of the fields and sneered, "The incense of Buddhism should be extinguished."

"From now on, if the people of Xizhou want to express their gratitude, they should thank the Northern Frontier Army for their swords and spears, and thank the Grand Protector for his kindness and power!"

Shortly afterward, Gu Zizhong issued a strongly worded order.

"Buddhism is completely banned within Xizhou."

"Remove all Buddha statues, smash temple plaques, and strictly prohibit the worship of any Buddhist artifacts or scriptures in people's homes."

"Starting today, a reporting system will be established, and neighbors will supervise each other. Anyone found to be secretly possessing or worshipping Buddha statues will be punished by dismemberment, and three neighboring households will also be held accountable."

"Manichaeism, Anglicanism, Nestorianism, and other heretical religions are all prohibited, and those who disobey will be punished equally."

His decisiveness stemmed from his understanding of Li Xiao's thoughts.

The Grand Protector has never been fond of Buddhism and other religions. When he conquered the cities of Xia, he always razed the local temples first and distributed the temple's land to the soldiers and civilians.

Monks and nuns were either forced to return to secular life and farm, or they were directly demoted to slaves, and those who resisted were executed.

Therefore, Gu Zizhong's main motivation was to cater to Li Xiao's ideas.

Although he may seem like a sycophant, he is actually a capable minister who gets things done.

Just a few days after the order was issued, the head of the household affairs office rushed over to report: "Sir, there has been some unusual activity among the Uyghur households. Many people have gathered in front of the dilapidated temple and refuse to disperse."

Gu Zizhong was reviewing the registers of land properties in various places. Upon hearing this, he didn't even look up: "Please ask General Li Dongjiang to send troops to monitor the situation. Anyone who dares to gather crowds and cause trouble should be executed."

The Second Garrison's cavalry quickly appeared on the main roads of various villages.

An old monk with white hair and beard tried to stop Gu Zizhong's horse to remonstrate with him, but was pierced through the chest by a cavalryman's spear. His body was hung on the lintel of the dilapidated temple, and the smell of blood wafted far away with the wind, scaring everyone into silence.

But Gu Zizhong knew that the lack of faith was sometimes more terrible than oppressive government, and it was also easy for unscrupulous people to take advantage of it.

Therefore, the best way to get the Uyghurs to give up their Buddhist faith is to find another faith for them to follow.

On this day, Gu Zizhong locked himself in his study for the entire day.

It wasn't until evening that he pushed open the door, holding a scroll in his hands, and slowly unfurled it.

The painting depicts a man dressed in dark gold dragon-patterned armor and wearing a golden cloak, riding a tall and sturdy horse. His posture is upright like a pine tree, and although his face is not fully realistic, it exudes an aura of domineering majesty.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that the outline of this person's eyebrows and eyes bears a striking resemblance to Li Xiao's.

(End of this chapter)