The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 290 Becoming King?

Fan Zhongxin was from Datong Prefecture, Xijing, Jin Dynasty.

The Fan family has been in business for generations and is quite well-known in the area.

However, he suffered a major setback a few years ago when his competitors colluded with the government to fabricate charges against him and throw him into prison.

To save his life, the Fan family spent most of their wealth, which allowed him to escape death.

That calamity did not break Fan Zhongxin; with his remaining money, he retraced the Silk Road.

They traded silk and tea from the Central Plains to the Western Regions, and brought back jade and spices from the Western Regions to the Central Plains.

With his shrewd mind and daring spirit, he carved out a bloody path in the cutthroat world of commerce, made a fortune, and became rich again.

Upon returning, Fan Zhongxin learned his lesson and realized that in this chaotic world, it was impossible to move an inch without a powerful backer.

He spent a fortune to curry favor with a high-ranking official in Datong Prefecture, and made monthly tributes without fail.

With this protection, the Fan family's business went smoothly, and they quickly regained their footing in Datong Prefecture.

On this day, Fan Zhongxin was checking the accounts in the back room when a servant suddenly came to report: "Manager, a gentleman has come to visit outside. He says he is an old friend of yours, surnamed Bei."

Fan Zhongxin put down his abacus, pondered for a moment, and said, "An old friend? His surname is Bei? Let him in and treat him well."

He had been in business for many years and knew people all over the world, but he couldn't remember who they were for the moment.

Soon, a servant led a young man in.

The man in front of me was in his early twenties, with a robust build, upright posture like a pine tree, and sharp eyes; he was clearly no ordinary person.

But Fan Zhongxin was certain that he had never seen such a person before.

"Sir, please forgive my poor eyesight,"

Fan Zhongxin cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone tinged with doubt, "Who are you?"

The young man smiled slightly, calmly took something out of his pocket, and held it in his palm.

It was an iron token, about the size of a palm, with no other decorations except for a pattern of the sun and moon shining together engraved on the front.

But the moment Fan Zhongxin's gaze fell on the token, his expression changed drastically.

His pupils contracted sharply, as if he had seen a ghost. He sprang up from the chair, knocking over the wooden stool behind him with a loud crash.

“You’re from the north, the north, the north…” Fan Zhongxin’s voice trembled.

The man nodded and said with a faint smile, "That's right."

Even Fan Zhongxin, who had weathered many storms and survived near-death experiences, could not remain calm at this moment.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to his trip to the Western Regions a few years ago.

It was during the battle when the Northern Frontier Army broke through Gaochang that the overwhelming iron cavalry surged in like a tidal wave. The sound of clashing armor and neighing warhorses shook the earth. It was a scene he would never forget.

He thought he was going to die, that he would lose both his goods and his life there, but the Northern Frontier Army did not kill him. Instead, they let him meet a great man—Li Xiao, the governor of Jinzhou.

He was a very young Han Chinese man, whose speech was profound and whose aura was so powerful that people dared not look him in the eye.

The other party asked him many questions about the Central Plains, and was particularly concerned about the lives of the Han people within the Jin territory.

Before he left, Li Xiao not only returned his goods, but also sent his personal guards to escort him out of the Western Regions.

I heard news of Li Xiao again last winter.

By then, the other party had become the renowned Protector-General of the Northern Frontier, commanding the entire army of the Northern Frontier.

Fan Zhongxin had little concept of the territory of the Northern Frontier. He had only been to Gaochang before turning back, but he knew that it was a vast and powerful place.

Li Da, the Protector-General, led his army to conquer the Xia Kingdom, occupying the entire Hexi Corridor. His forces reached as far as the west bank of the Yellow River, terrifying the entire Xia Kingdom into a state of constant fear.

When the news reached the Jin Dynasty, the Jin emperor and his officials were extremely uneasy. Although they tried their best to block the news, ordinary people had no way of knowing about it, but Fan Zhongxin had his own channels.

He originally thought that he had only met the Grand Protector once and had no further connection with the Northern Frontier, but he never expected that the other party would send someone to find him.

Fan Zhongxin glanced nervously at the door, then quickly stepped forward to pour the young man hot tea. His demeanor became much more humble, and he asked softly, "May I ask your name, sir?"

"A name is just a label, it doesn't matter."

The young man picked up his teacup: "Manager Fan, you can just call me Lao Liu."

Sixth child?

Fan Zhongxin was both amused and exasperated, but he dared not be negligent and respectfully addressed him as "Sixth Master".

"I wonder if the Grand Protector is well?" he asked tentatively, his tone tinged with caution.

The sixth brother took a sip of tea and nodded slightly: "The Grand Protector is doing well, but in mind Manager Fan's honesty back then, he specially sent me here to discuss a business deal with him."

Fan Zhongxin's heart leaped into his throat, and he sat up straight: "What kind of business is this?"

The sixth brother looked up at him, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "A big deal that can increase the Fan family's assets tenfold."

"ten times?"

Fan Zhongxin's eyes widened instantly, and his breathing became rapid.

……

On the grasslands of Helanzhen Shatuo, the wind whipped up sand and dust, howling and howling.

The Kereit cavalry pressed in like a dark cloud towards Temujin's camp, and also joined forces with Temujin's sworn enemy Jamukha and the Merkit and Oirat tribes.

The allied forces outnumbered Temujin's troops twice as much, and a fierce battle broke out at the Helanzhen Shatuo.

Although Temujin's troops fought bravely, they were outnumbered.

Borchu brandished his spear and felled several men, but was then surrounded by the heavy cavalry of the Kereit tribe.

Muqali led a light cavalry charge, but was repelled by Jamukha's archers.

The fighting lasted from dawn until dusk, and the Qiyan tribe's formation gradually collapsed.

Temujin had several wounds on his body, and as he watched the people around him fall one by one, his eyes were bloodshot.

"withdraw!"

He roared and led his remaining troops in a breakout to the north.

Sangkun was not about to let them get away, and led his army in hot pursuit.

Temujin led his remaining troops on a northward escape, pursued relentlessly by his troops.

When they finally shook off the last cavalry, only eighteen men remained by their side, all wounded, their armor tattered, and even their warhorses exhausted and foaming at the mouth.

Suddenly, a murky river appeared before us; it was the Banjuni River.

It was the dry season, and the riverbed was covered with silt. There was only a shallow puddle in the center, mixed with grass roots and mud, and it smelled fishy.

Temujin reined in his horse, looked at his wounded followers around him, then gazed at the empty grassland behind him, slowly dismounted, and knelt on the riverbank.

Upon seeing this, all eighteen people knelt down.

"By the Eternal Heaven!" Temujin scooped up a handful of muddy water and tilted his head back to drink it down.

"Today, I, Temujin, have fallen into this predicament, and I am grateful to you all for your unwavering support. If one day I am able to regroup and rise again, I will surely share both joy and sorrow with you all, and we will share in your glory!"

"If I break this oath, may I be forsaken by both heaven and man!"

Upon hearing this, the eighteen people were deeply moved and roared in unison.

"I am willing to live and die with the leader."

Their voices were hoarse but resolute as they scooped up the muddy water and drank it all in one gulp.

Temujin stood up, drew his broken sword from his waist, and pointed it south: "Kereit and Jamukha, the humiliation you have suffered today, I, Temujin, will repay a hundredfold in the future!"

He planted the broken knife on the riverbank and took off his wolf-skin cloak, tying it to a pole to serve as a flag.

After eating horse meat, Temujin began assigning tasks.

"Ashuru, take men to gather the defeated soldiers; Hasar, go and find your lost families."

"We are gathering on the Barga grasslands, accumulating strength, and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge."

The eighteen men clasped their hands in greeting, accepted the order, and went their separate ways.

In this battle, all the Qiyan tribe members were scattered, and even Temujin's family members were nowhere to be found.

Years of hard work were destroyed in an instant, and Temujin once again reached the lowest point in his life.

They could only gather their scattered followers and search for their families while heading north to the Barga Grassland, which later became the Hulunbuir Grassland.

It was far from the influence of the Kereit tribe and Jamukha, making it easier for Temujin to regain his strength.

……

The stench of blood still lingered on the grasslands of Helanzhenshatuo.

Large numbers of crows and vultures circled in the air, wolves howled, and broken spears and scattered corpses littered the ground.

Groups of captives from the Qiyan and Tatar tribes were bound with ropes and squatted on the ground like a string of grasshoppers.

Most of the men wore expressions of grief and indignation, some even muttering curses at Temujin for abandoning them and fleeing alone.

The women, clutching their children, looked on with fear and unease, glancing occasionally at the Kereit soldiers armed with knives and guns around them, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Hu Li followed Sang Kun to inspect the battlefield. Looking at the mess on the ground, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on your great victory! Temujin has fled in disarray. Now, no one on the grasslands can rival the Kereit tribe."

Sangkun reined in his horse, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the empty grassland in the distance, his voice filled with resentment: "We won, but unfortunately Temujin still escaped."

"Your Highness, rest assured, he won't get very far."

Hu Li smiled slightly, his tone confident: "In my opinion, he has no choice but to either flee to the Barga grasslands or hide in the Great Xianbei Mountains."

"Your Highness, you must order the warriors of the Kereit tribe to intensify the pursuit and not give that fellow a chance to catch his breath."

Li Xiao actually told him this when he left Longcheng.

Hu Li admired Li Xiao even more. The Grand Protector was so far away in Longcheng that he could predict the events of the northern grasslands so accurately.

It's incredible that they even knew Temujin would be defeated and would even flee to the Barga grasslands.

But Sangkun's face showed no joy upon hearing this; instead, it revealed a hint of worry.

He turned his horse around and pointed at the densely packed prisoners: "Pursue them? That's difficult."

Do you know how big the Barga Grassland and the Great Xianbei Mountains are?

"How much food would it take to send a large number of warriors to besiege Temujin?"

Moreover, a large number of prisoners were captured this time, and they need to be fed.

Even with the cattle, sheep, and grain seized from the Qiyan tribe, it might not be enough for the Kereit tribe to survive the next winter.

Of course, all the prisoners of the Qiyan tribe could be killed to save food.

But Sangkun didn't want to be known for his cruelty. Jamukha was defeated by Temujin precisely because he was too ruthless and lost the hearts of the people. He remembered that.

Hu Li, having already made his own plans, seized the opportunity to say, "If Your Highness is in a difficult position, the Northern Frontier can buy these female slaves."

In Li Xiao's view, the more women in the northern frontier, the better; a capable man could have ten concubines without any problem.

Only by producing more children for the Han soldiers can the northern frontier prosper.

Therefore, one of Hu Li's missions in coming to the northern desert was to buy female slaves.

Sangkun scoffed, “We don’t want those hard stones; we want the grain, cattle, and sheep that can sustain our people.”

He has no interest in money.

In the eyes of the grassland people, usable things like grain, cattle and sheep, and ironware are the only hard currency.

Taking these female slaves back to the Kereit tribe to bear children for the warriors will make the Kereit tribe stronger. There's no need to sell them to the northern frontier for a pile of useless stones.

Hu Li smiled faintly: "Grain? There's plenty in the northern border regions."

"Oh? You're willing to trade grain for women?" Sangkun's eyes lit up. "Of course,"

Hu Li slowly flicked his riding whip, a calculating glint in his eyes: "However, the price of grain is not cheap."

"How expensive?" Sangkun leaned forward.

"If it's in silver, we'll give three strings of cash to young female slaves, two strings to older or younger ones, and we won't take those who can't have children."

Hu Li abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the female prisoners huddled on the ground: "But what if we exchanged it for food?"

“One shi of coarse grain can be exchanged for three young female slaves. If they are too old or too young, five can be exchanged for one shi. After all, transporting grain to the northern desert requires a considerable amount of money in carts and horses.”

Upon hearing this proportion, Sangkun's face immediately darkened.

My thoughts began to churn violently.

These female slaves could indeed produce warriors for the Kereit tribe, but that would take more than a decade, and food shortages were an urgent matter.

With food, he could immediately gather more herders, select surrendered soldiers from the Qiyan tribe to replenish his ranks, and take the opportunity to wipe out the remnants of Temujin's forces.

The opportunity to unify the northern desert is right in front of us; how can we wait more than ten years?

"Time waits for no one..." Sang Kun thought to himself.

The current conflict between the two powerful forces of the Northern Frontier and the Jin Dynasty has given the Kereit tribe the opportunity to take action against the Qiyan tribe. If they drag this out until those two tigers are free to act, the Kereit tribe will eventually become easy prey.

"it is good!"

He suddenly tightened the reins, and the warhorse pawed restlessly, gritting its teeth as it said, "Change for grain!"

When he looked at the Qiyan tribe women huddled together in the distance, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes disappeared.

The Qiyan tribe and the Kereit tribe were never on the same side.

The Qiyan tribe originated in the eastern grasslands and were closely related to the Shiwei people.

The Kereit tribe's bloodline is closer to that of the Turks and Uyghurs.

They are two completely different ethnic groups.

Even if the Qiyan tribe were truly wiped out, he wouldn't even blink.

"Your Highness's choice is very wise," Hu Li said with a cupped-hands gesture and a smile, his eyes shining even brighter.

"I'm sure you won't regret it."

After finalizing the exchange plan, Sangkun couldn't help but ask, "When will your food arrive?"

"At the latest, two months."

Hu Li answered decisively: "However, if Your Highness does not want these female slaves to eat two months' worth of food for nothing, you can send them to Yudu Jinshan first and hand them over to the garrison in the Northern Frontier."

"Everyone knows that people from the northern frontier are trustworthy and would never renege on their debts."

Sangkun snorted and turned his horse around: "No need. It's only two months. My Kereit tribe can afford it."

Hu Li watched his retreating figure, his smile deepening.

He beckoned his attendant and whispered, "Go back and tell Manager Li that this deal is done."

"Have him transport the leather, glass and other supplies as soon as possible."

……

Longcheng, the study of the Grand Protectorate.

Li Xiao held the secret letter Hu Li had sent back from the northern desert and gently shook his head: "The inertia of history is ultimately too strong."

Despite their great efforts, Sangkun, Jamukha, and their group ultimately failed to keep Temujin.

As in history, the outcome of the battle between Helanzhen and Shatuo resulted in Temujin fleeing to the Barga steppe.

Meanwhile, Temujin regrouped his followers in Bargut and slowly restored his strength. He then sent someone to apologize to Wang Khan and sow discord between him and Sangkun.

Finally, they seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Kereit tribe's camp.

Turn defeat into victory.

Although the outbreak of the Helanzhen Shatuo occurred a year later, no fundamental changes took place.

"Indeed,"

Li Xiao put down the secret letter, tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and smiled self-deprecatingly: "The only ones who can kill the Chosen One are probably those of us who have transmigrated."

On the table lay the military register of the expanded six garrisons, the numbers densely packed with ink still wet.

He tapped the roster of soldiers from the six divisions with his fingertips, his eyes gradually sharpening.

Once these newly recruited soldiers are trained, he will personally lead his army on an eastern expedition, determined to uproot Temujin, this "chosen one."

But for now...

Li Xiao picked up the map of the northern desert terrain he had drawn from memory and circled the territory of the Kereit tribe with his finger. Sangkun still held an absolute advantage; let them continue fighting.

"The more people who die, the better," he muttered to himself.

The Kereit tribe is also a fierce tiger, and it will inevitably clash with the northern frontier sooner or later. It would be better to let them fight Temujin to the death first.

Regardless of whether Sangkun or Temujin wins in the end, the Northern Frontier will definitely profit.

Moreover, in order to prolong the war, some more "blood" had to be added to the Kereit tribe.

Li Xiao pulled out a blank sheet of paper and gave orders to Zhang Shitou, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"At all costs, we must open up smuggling channels along the border trench defense line."

This road is very useful.

If we truly conquer the northern desert in the future, we will inevitably need to station a large number of troops to guard it.

Although cattle and sheep can graze on the grasslands, not everyone can afford to eat mutton.

He didn't want the soldiers in the northern frontier to go through the days when the herders were starving and had to eat grass.

The northern desert is too far from Jinzhou, making grain transportation very costly.

Smuggling grain from the Jin Dynasty was actually more convenient.

After arranging the smuggling channels, Li Xiao picked up Hu Li's follow-up report on the trade of female slaves from the Qiyan tribe.

He wrote a line on the document: "Exchange grain according to the original ratio, give priority to selecting eligible female prisoners, and hand them over to the Sixth Division for proper resettlement. Harsh treatment is strictly prohibited."

After the Battle of Hexi, he relocated 20,000 Han Chinese households to Xihai, many of whom were single soldiers and laborers.

In order for them to settle down in the Western Sea, more women had to be relocated.

The Han people have always placed great importance on paternal lineage.

My father was Han, so I was born a Han person.

Therefore, each additional female slave meant one more chance of survival, and the population of the Western Sea would flourish even more.

After dealing with all that, only one memorial remained on the desk, the five characters "Gu Zizhong's Memorial" on the cover written in vigorous strokes.

The content is also more exciting.

"Your subject, Gu Zizhong, respectfully reports to the Grand Protector."

"Since the Grand Protector has been managing the northern frontier, he has spent many years defeating the royal court, pacifying Gaochang, conquering Hexi, and leading the Xia Kingdom, expanding the territory by thousands of miles and commanding 100,000 armored soldiers."

"The people are won over, and the barbarians submit. This is not the achievement of a king or hegemon, but rather the mandate of Heaven."

"When the Zhou dynasty declined, the feudal lords rose up, and Qin, occupying Guanzhong, unified the six kingdoms; the Han dynasty inherited the Qin system and finally established a four-hundred-year reign."

"Although the northern frontier is nominally a vassal state, in reality, the government, military, and finances are all controlled by the Grand Protector. With Jinzhou as its base, Yili and Xihai as its shield, the Gobi Desert and Gaochang as its treasury, and the northern desert as its pasture, it already resembles a royal domain."

"I have heard that 'if the name is not correct, the words will not be proper.' Although the title of Grand Protector is awe-inspiring in all directions, it does not conform to the rules of etiquette and law."

"The generals have long served under your command, fighting bloody battles, and all hope to bring glory to their families. The soldiers and civilians of the six towns live in peace and prosperity, and also hope to have a common leader to serve."

"I have recently heard that the royal court is in turmoil, the Song dynasty is launching a northern expedition, the Xia state is barely surviving, and the world is about to descend into chaos."

"Now is the perfect time to follow the will of Heaven and the will of the people, to ascend to the throne and become king, so as to appease the soldiers and civilians of the northern frontier and to establish a legitimate name for future conquest of the Central Plains."

"Your subject, Gu Zizhong, bows his head a hundred times."

After reading the text word by word, Li Xiao's eyes flickered as he looked at the four characters "advance to the throne and become king".

Historically, Zhu Sheng advised Zhu Yuanzhang to "accumulate grain and delay declaring himself king" because Zhu Yuanzhang's strength was limited at the time.

In terms of military strength, territory, and resources, they were far inferior to the separatist forces such as Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng.

If one declares himself king too early, he will inevitably become a target of attacks from all sides.

Although the Yuan court is corrupt, it will certainly first suppress any forces that openly declare themselves king or emperor.

It wasn't until he defeated Chen Youliang and took control of the Jiangnan region that Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself 'King of Wu'.

Northern Xinjiang has now reached this stage as well.

Looking at the surrounding major powers, the royal court was forced to retreat back to the Chu River basin, the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate was constantly paying reparations and making marriage alliances, Gaochang was destroyed, Tibet was in constant internal strife, the Xia Kingdom was barely surviving, and the tribes of the northern deserts were fearless.

The only threat to the northern frontier was the Jin Dynasty.

However, the Jin state was constrained by the Song state, and the journey was long, making it difficult to launch a large-scale expedition.

"Looking around the world, there is no one left who can fight."

Li Xiao muttered to himself, his fingertips tapping heavily on the words "become king".

Over the years, the northern frontier has absorbed too many tribes, including Han Chinese, Khitans, Uyghurs, Naiman Turks, and so on. There has to be a spiritual leader to unite them.

Previously, the Northern Frontier Army relied on its absolute strength and shared interests to unite the people.

But now that the territory is growing larger, the people and soldiers of the Six Garrisons need not only a Grand Protector who can win battles, but also a king whom they can worship with peace of mind.

However, ascending to the throne is not something that can be easily decided. After much deliberation, Li Xiao still could not make a decision easily.

The candle on the table had burned more than halfway, and it was already quite late. I got up to go back to my room to rest.

As soon as I pushed open the study door, I saw a figure standing in the corridor.

The woman wore a moon-white gauze dress, the hem of which swayed gently in the wind, outlining her slender figure. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes held a hint of shyness.

It was Tajiguli's younger sister, Asugul, the former queen of Gaochang.

Upon seeing Li Xiao, Asuguli trembled slightly and quickly bowed slightly, her voice barely audible: "Brother-in-law."

"Asuguli?"

Li Xiao raised an eyebrow and looked at the personal guard standing beside him: "How long have you been waiting? Why didn't you report?"

Asugul quickly looked up to explain, her cheeks flushing even more, almost dripping with moisture: "It was I who told them not to announce it, for fear of disturbing my brother-in-law's official business."

Her voice grew even softer: "It was my sister who sent me to invite the Grand Protector over there."

As she spoke, she lowered her head even further, her long eyelashes casting shadows under her eyelids, and even her ears turned bright red. She didn't dare to look Li Xiao in the eye at all.

Li Xiao's gaze lingered on her for a moment, carrying a deeper meaning, but he did not express it.

He could vaguely guess what Tajiguli was thinking.

So he nodded slightly, his tone much calmer: "Let's go."

Soon after, a series of calls of "Brother-in-law" echoed from Tajiguli's courtyard, each one clearer than the last, lasting for a full hour.

It wasn't for any other reason than that Tajiguli always felt her younger sister was too introverted and didn't like to talk much, so she came up with an idea to force Asugul to call her "brother-in-law" ten thousand times, saying it was to help her build up her courage and overcome her social anxiety.

　Can you give me some advice on how to get a King account?

　　The name "King of Qin" was chosen to reflect the ambitions of the pre-Qin period to develop the western frontier, implicitly aligning with the overall strategy of expanding the northern borders and western regions.
　　The Prince of Yan, the ancestors of the Li family came from the Yan-Yun region.

　　King of Han, King of Ming, King of the Northern Frontier, King of Liang

　　
　
(End of this chapter)