The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 308 The Wolfish Ambition of the Northern Frontier People, a Flesh and Blood Mill

The city of Wuluohai was teetering on the brink of collapse amidst the roar of cannons and the trampling of iron cavalry in the northern frontier.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the Western Xia imperial palace suddenly plummeted to freezing point.

"Urgent report—Essential dispatch from Wuluohai City, 800 li away!"

The Privy Council official rushed into the main hall, shouting loudly in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager."

"Urgent report from Gao Yi, the military commander of the Heishan Weifu Army."

"Li Dongjiang, the commander of the Second Garrison of the Northern Frontier, personally led an army of 50,000 to press on the border. Lijili City had already fallen, and all the defending soldiers had died for their country. Just one day later, Luosi City was breached, and the fires burned for three days."

Before he finished speaking, a collective gasp of cold air filled the hall.

Several senior officials pressed their hands to their chests, letting out hoarse, alarmed sounds.

Li Chunyou suddenly gripped the armrests of the dragon throne, his expression one of shock: "What?"

"Woluohai City?"

This is a major northern town of the Xia Kingdom, located at the northernmost end of the "几" (ji) shaped section of the Yellow River. Beyond the Yellow River lies the fertile Hetao region.

However, if one does not cross the Yellow River but travels south along it, one only needs to pass through the two defense lines of Keyimen and Dingzhou to reach the city of Xingqing.

Therefore, Li Chunyou was completely unable to remain calm at this moment. His body trembled slightly, and he looked at the official with a fierce gaze.

"Bring it here."

Immediately, Gao Yi's report appeared before him.

“Your Majesty Gao Yi, the Commander of the Weifu Army, reports with tears in his eyes: The Northern Frontier Army, led by Li Dongjiang with 50,000 troops, has already besieged the city of Wuluohai, and the villages outside the city have been looted.”

"I have heard that the firearms in the northern frontier are incredibly powerful. The walls of Luosi City were breached in less than half a day. I fear that Wuluohai City will follow in its footsteps."

……

"The city of Woluohai is the key to the nation's gates; as long as the city stands, the people live; if the city falls, the people die!"

"Your subject, Gao Yi, is willing to live and die with the city, and use my flesh and blood to build the last line of defense for Your Majesty!"

Li Chunyou gripped the corner of the table tightly, his clothes trembling slightly, his eyes blazing with barely concealed anger, and a barely perceptible fear.

A few days ago, he mobilized an army of 100,000 and appointed the Privy Councilor Nailing Si Cong as commander-in-chief, with a heart full of plans to take advantage of the weakness of the northern border forces to recover the Hexi Corridor in one fell swoop and restore the former glory of Western Xia.

But to his utter surprise, before the war in Hexi had made much progress, the city of Wuluohai was attacked by the Northern Frontier Army.

Wuluohai City is an important barrier for the Hetao region. If it is lost, the entire Hetao region will be wide open and in grave danger, and even the capital of Western Xia, Xingqing Prefecture, will be in danger.

This sudden turn of events struck Li Chunyou like a heavy hammer blow.

"The people of the Northern Frontier are all wolves in sheep's clothing!" Li Chunyou suddenly released the corner of the table and slammed his hand on the table.

"Not satisfied with taking my Hexi region, they now dare to covet the Hetao region!"

He roared angrily, trying to use his raging fury to mask the unspeakable fear in his heart.

However, they seemed completely unaware that if they hadn't first dispatched a large army to try to reclaim the Hexi Corridor and actively provoked the war, perhaps the situation wouldn't be so dire today.

Then, Li Chunyou suddenly turned around, looked at the ministers who were standing with their heads bowed in the hall, and shouted sternly: "Are you all mute? Wuluohai City is in danger, and the Hetao region is on the verge of collapse. Is there no one who can come up with a plan to repel the enemy?"

The hall was silent; all the officials bowed their heads, and no one dared to speak.

After all, the Northern Frontier Army is fierce, and who dares to say they can defeat it?

What if Li Chunyou applauds and cheers, and lets him go on stage right away?
With no other option, the newly appointed Deputy Privy Councilor Wei Minghonglie took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped out of the queue.

Even if Ling Si Cong is still commanding the army in Hexi, he, as the nominal second-in-command of the military, cannot escape the consequences.

"Your Majesty, both Lijili and Luosi have fallen, and Wuluohai City is now an isolated fortress. The situation is critical..."

He paused, then said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please issue the conscription order immediately."

“All males in the country who have reached the age of fifteen shall be enlisted in the army, and good generals shall be selected to lead them north to resist the barbarians of the northern frontier.”

"In addition, an imperial edict should be issued to order the marshal to recover Liangzhou as soon as possible. Otherwise, some troops should be dispatched back to Xingqing Prefecture to prevent the war in Wuluohai City from deteriorating further."

Wei Minghonglie added with deep concern.

His main concern was that after the Northern Frontier Army captured Wuluohai City, it would advance south, and since most of the main forces of Keyimen and Dingzhou had been transferred to Hexi, they would likely be unable to withstand the Northern Frontier Army's offensive.

In that case, Xingqing Prefecture would be in real danger.

As soon as Wei Minghonglie finished speaking, another official stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the battle in Hexi is still undecided, and the Hetao region is in danger."

"The Northern Frontier army is powerful, and our forces may not be able to withstand it alone. It would be better to seek help from the Jin Kingdom. If the two countries join forces, perhaps we can resolve this crisis."

Li Chunyou listened to their suggestions with a furrowed brow, naturally understanding that these methods had their merits.

But it's not that simple to do.

He glanced at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "The deputy envoy is right, and your method is also feasible, but—"

"The national treasury is empty of money and grain. How can we mobilize troops? How can we ask the Jin Kingdom to send troops?"

In recent years, the Xia Kingdom has been constantly at war, especially the Hexi War two years ago, which almost emptied the Western Xia treasury.

Last year, after a period of rest and recuperation, we finally managed to save some money, which we then invested entirely in the Western Expeditionary Army.

The national treasury is so empty that it can support rats. Whether it is to conscript a large army or to ask the Jin Kingdom to send troops, a lot of money and supplies are needed. How can he raise these funds?
Seeing this, an official suggested, "Your Majesty, the country is in dire straits now. We can increase the tax on the people and call it the 'Northern Tax' to alleviate the immediate crisis."

The funds used to quell the war in the north were called "Northern Funds".

Upon hearing this, Li Chunyou's face immediately darkened, and he angrily said, "In order to recover the Hexi Corridor, we have already levied a 'cooling tax' on the people this year. How can the people bear it if we increase taxes again now?"

One official, however, said dismissively, "Your Majesty, the people are wealthy. Which family doesn't have several dozen strings of cash saved up?"

"Even if you really don't have it, you can borrow from relatives and friends, or sell your house and land and you'll have it."

"Bastard!"

Li Chunyou slammed his hand on the table, glaring at the official, "How could I be such a ruler who harms the people!"

Although he had never personally witnessed the extent of the people's suffering, he knew that ordinary people were not wealthy at all.

But what really angered him was that this person was treating him like a fool, like Emperor Hui of Jin.

As the person in power, he can disregard the lives and deaths of ordinary people.

When the country is in trouble, it's okay if the people suffer a little.

But the key is to have a limit. If the people are truly driven to the brink of despair, the emperor's head will probably be thrown into the Yellow River.

After his anger subsided, Li Chunyou's gaze swept over the assembled officials, and he said in a deep voice, "With the nation in peril, I have decided to set an example by reducing the expenditures of the imperial court."

"From this day forward, the expenses of the inner palace will be halved, all rare and precious tributes will be discontinued, and except for festivals, the meals of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will be reduced to ordinary levels. All surplus palace maids and eunuchs will be dismissed, and the money saved will be used for military pay."

He paused, his tone becoming increasingly firm: "At the same time, redundant and cumbersome officials in the court will be dismissed. Anyone who has nothing to do and occupies a position in name only will be dismissed and sent home, and their salary will be returned to the national treasury."

"The staff at the relay stations should also be streamlined. Staff can be reduced on non-critical relay routes, and only essential channels for transmitting military intelligence should be retained."

The ministers listened with varying expressions.

They supported cutting palace expenses, since it wasn't their business.

But cutting redundant officials is a difficult task. Every family has a good-for-nothing son who comes to their door asking for help!

If all these official positions are abolished, are we supposed to spend our own money to support them?

"Your Majesty, I believe this action should be taken with caution."

"Your Majesty, there is no precedent in our dynasty for dismissing officials!"

"Your Majesty, how will these officials make a living once they retire and return home?"

The court gradually became noisy; when it came to their own interests, these people were uncompromising.

Finally, a highly respected minister deliberated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty is benevolent. Reducing palace expenses to fund the army will surely move the soldiers at the front to tears of gratitude."

"Reducing redundant officials can save the court a lot of money, but compared with the huge military expenditure, it is like a drop in the ocean."

"Besides, distant water can't quench immediate thirst! The drawbacks of dismissing officials are even greater..."

Listening to the old man's eloquent speech, Li Chunyou's expression turned cold, and he directly interrupted him.

He said calmly, "The old minister is right. This measure is indeed a case of 'distant water cannot quench immediate thirst,' which is why I am seeking advice from you wise ministers!"

This was only a reduction in the number of his cronies, and these people were already unhappy about it.

The real trump card hasn't been used yet.

As Li Chunyou's gaze subtly swept over a certain official, Liang Sansi, the head of the Ministry of Revenue standing at the end of the queue, took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

He slowly entered the hall, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I, Liang Sansi, am willing to donate one thousand strings of cash from my family as military expenses to do my part in resisting the Northern Frontier Army."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the officials in the hall were stunned for a moment, then reacted and glared angrily at Liang Sansi.

"Little man!"

"Dog thief!"

"I never expected this guy surnamed Liang to be so well hidden."

Everyone cursed him in their hearts, realizing that Liang Sansi had betrayed the bureaucratic group.
Moreover, he put everyone on the spot. If he took the lead, others would be seen as disregarding national affairs if they didn't donate, but if they did donate, they would feel as if they were cutting off a piece of their own flesh.

Just as the ministers were glaring angrily at Liang Sansi, Li Chunyou revealed a smile.

"Minister Liang is a man of great integrity who shares the nation's burdens, which greatly pleases me!"

Then, he turned to his ministers and said loudly, "Minister Liang has already set an example. The Empress Dowager and I will immediately take stock of the imperial treasury and donate half of the wealth to fund the military."

"My dear ministers and relatives of the emperor should also prioritize the affairs of the state and donate generously."

"If the country does not exist, how can the family be at peace?"

"Those who donate substantial amounts will be rewarded according to their merits and recorded in the annals so that future generations will remember their achievements."

That being said, he knew in his heart that it would be no easy task to get those royal relatives and officials who were already accustomed to a life of luxury to take out money voluntarily.

But at this moment, he had no other choice but to hope that these measures could alleviate the current predicament to some extent and give the court a glimmer of hope.

However, he clearly underestimated the shamelessness of these officials, who all cried poverty.

Some people went directly to the Empress Dowager, wanting her to make a decision. Has the Emperor gone mad?
Some even clamored that Liang Sansi must be a corrupt official who had plundered the people to amass such wealth, and demanded that Li Chunyou send people to investigate.

Li Chunyou was so angry that he almost overturned the table.

The shamelessness of these bureaucrats and nobles completely shattered his understanding of the world.

They all lived extravagantly, but when asked to contribute money to help the country through the crisis, they acted as if their own fathers had died.

Unfortunately, the Xia Dynasty was not the Ming Dynasty.

The most important difference is that the emperor held military power.

Although military power was also controlled by nobles, at least when he truly lost his temper, he could silence everyone. Thus, under the weight of this power, the officials and nobles reluctantly parted with a sum of money.

However, even including the 'half' of the private treasury money that Li Chunyou took out, the total amount was only one million guan.

Immediately afterwards, these officials and nobles directly shifted their losses onto the common people.

Once the conscription order was issued, local officials pounced on ordinary people's homes like vicious wolves.

The fifteen-year-old boy, who should have been working on the ridges of the fields, was forcibly conscripted into the army.

The fifty-year-old man, his back already hunched, was also dragged into the group, his hoe replaced by a heavy spear.

In the Battle of Hexi two years ago, the Xia Kingdom lost over 100,000 able-bodied men.

At the beginning of the year, in order to recover the Hexi Corridor, the Xia Kingdom conducted another conscription, and there were very few able-bodied men left in the country who could fight.

This conscription has practically wiped out the last remaining able-bodied men in every household.

Some people fled into the deep mountains overnight with their families to avoid military service and lived a hard life.

The ensuing taxes became an even greater burden on the people.

Although Li Chunyou had rejected the "Northern Tax," local officials still used various pretexts to collect it.

In Lijia Village outside Xingzhou City, several men dressed as constables kicked open the wooden gate and barged into a dilapidated courtyard.

"Where is Li Gousheng?" The head constable raised a brow with his triangular eyes, the iron chain in his hand clanging.

Wang hurriedly shielded her son behind her, her voice trembling as she asked, "Sir, my Gousheng is still a baby..."

"Young? Fifteen is old enough to carry a gun!"

Ms. Wang quickly explained, "Official, my son Gousheng is not even fifteen years old yet, only thirteen!"

The official shoved Wang aside, reached out to grab Li Gousheng's arm, and cursed, "What you say doesn't count. I said he'd be fifteen, so he's fifteen."

"So many young men died in the Battle of Hexi, now it's your turn, you greenhorns, to serve the country!"

Li Gousheng hid behind his mother in fear: "I'm not going! My father died in the war, and it's just the two of us left at home!"

"Don't go?"

The official sneered and slammed the iron chain to the ground: "The conscription order was issued by His Majesty. Disobeying the order is a capital offense."

"Either come with us, or we'll lock you and your daughter in jail right now!"

The two constables behind him grabbed the wailing Li Gousheng and dragged him outside. The boy's cries were heart-wrenching: "Mother! Mother!"

Three days later, in the same small courtyard, the same few bailiffs kicked open the wooden gate.

"Li family, you are to pay the 'suppression fee' of three strings of copper coins by today."

Wang held her husband's memorial tablet, her eyes vacant: "Sir, when we paid our 'salary' a while ago, we sold all the grain in the house, and we really don't have a single penny left."

"No?"

The constable kicked a broken earthenware pot in the corner: "Isn't this house still there? We can scrape together some money by tearing down the roof beams and door panels!"

"If all else fails, you can work as a servant for a wealthy family to pay off your debts. If all else fails..."

He looked Wang up and down, a malicious smile on his face. "With your physique, you could easily earn a good living serving the brothers in the army."

Wang trembled and clung tightly to the memorial tablet: "My husband died for his country, you can't treat me like this!"

"Countless people have died for their country!"

The constable waved his hand: "Search! If you don't find any silver, take the person away!"

The constables immediately ransacked the place, throwing the last of their worn-out clothes on the ground.

Looking at the empty rice jar, he spat and said, "What bad luck! Take her away and send her to the camp. She's a bit old, but we'll consider her worth two strings of copper coins."

When Wang was dragged out the door, she saw the widow Zhang next door being held by two bailiffs, her young child crying so hard he was almost suffocating.

Widow Zhang's screams pierced the sky: "I paid my 'cooling pay'! I really paid it! What right do you have to take my daughter!"

Not far away, an old man with white hair was being whipped by a constable and rolled on the ground. He was clutching a tattered cloth bag tightly in his arms, which contained the little food his family had left.

"That's the child's lifeline..."

Similar tragedies continued to unfold on the land of Western Xia. Young and beautiful women were either forcibly taken home as concubines by noble officials or sold at will as commodities.

Those who were old and weak were driven to build fortifications, and no one cared if they died on the construction site.

The entire Xia Kingdom seemed to have become a giant purgatory, with its people struggling in the abyss of suffering, unable to see a glimmer of light.

Woluohai City.

"Boom boom boom~"

The continuous roar of cannons echoed outside the city. Fist-sized shells blasted bricks off the city walls, and the Xia soldiers defending the city turned pale, clinging tightly to the base of the walls, trying to avoid the terrifying roar.

Gao Yi, however, had a somber expression and, amidst the roar of cannons, loudly encouraged morale from the city wall.

Whenever he went to a place, the soldiers there would instinctively straighten their chests, grip their weapons tightly, and even the fear in their eyes would lessen.

"Kid, remember this." Gao Yi patted a young soldier on the shoulder and said emphatically.

"The artillery of the Northern Frontier is nothing to fear. After bombarding us for so long, it has only knocked off a few of our city bricks."

"Hold on for a few more days, and our reinforcements will arrive."

Gao Yi was encouraging all the soldiers in this way, but when he turned to look in the direction of the Northern Frontier Army, his expression instantly turned solemn.

This was the first time he had witnessed the power of artillery in the northern frontier.

Although he spoke lightly, he felt quite heavy-hearted inside.

In the short term, the city wall beneath their feet could block the bombardment from the northern frontier artillery, but what about in the long term?
Gao Yi could clearly feel that many cracks had appeared between the bricks of the section of the city wall that had been bombarded by cannons.

How long can it last?

Because Li Dongjiang's troops were marching south to the Xia Kingdom in a forced march, they could not carry heavy Shenwei cannons. They were only accompanied by sixty Tiger-Zun cannons, which were provided by the three Wanhu (military commanders).

The Tiger Cannon is much smaller in power and range. It can easily break through a small commercial city like Luosi City, but it is not so easy to break through a strong fortress like Wuluohai City.

The sixty Tiger God cannons bombarded the area for several days, but they were not fired continuously.

After each shelling, the cannon barrel had to be allowed to cool completely before the next shot could be fired, sometimes with an interval of up to half an hour between shots.

Even so, several cannon barrels were still damaged.

During this period, Li Dongjiang also ordered the grassland herders to use ladders to attack the city, but Gao Yi defended the city walls like an iron barrel. The herders were shot down as soon as they climbed halfway up and could not climb up at all.

Five days later, with a deafening roar, a large package of gunpowder exploded beneath the city wall. The immense impact caused the wall to shake violently, sending bricks and stones flying and filling the air with smoke and dust.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, a gap more than ten feet wide was clearly visible on the city wall.

Gao Yi, standing on the city wall, suddenly changed his expression. He slammed his hand on a brick in the wall and shouted sharply, "Quickly! Take men to seal the breach and repair the city wall immediately!"

The Xia soldiers, as if waking from a dream, carried planks and stones and rushed towards the breach like madmen, trying to plug the gap before the Northern Frontier Army could attack.

Outside the city, the crimson sun and moon battle flag fluttered in the wind. Li Dongjiang, dressed in crimson cloth armor, stood under the flag, his gaze sharp as an eagle.

Seeing the breach in the city wall, he burst into laughter: "This damn city has blocked my way for five whole days. Today I can finally cut off its bird head."

"Pass on my order: Black Armor Army, attack!"

"As ordered."

The order was quickly relayed, and the heavy cavalry of the Second Division, with the help of their respective auxiliary troops, swiftly donned their heavy armor.

To conserve their energy, they rode their warhorses slowly to the outside of the breach, dismounting just outside the range of the Xia army's arrows from the city wall.

Transformed into heavily armored infantry, wielding spears, giant axes, and iron hammers, they marched with heavy steps, launching an attack towards the breach.

"kill!"

Seeing this, the Xia army on the city wall desperately shot arrows and threw stones downwards, trying to stop the advance of the Northern Frontier Army.

But the heavy cavalrymen were clad in heavy armor, which ordinary arrows could not penetrate. They braved the rain of arrows and steadily advanced.

The moment the heavy infantry from the northern frontier stepped into the breach, the Xia army's heavy infantry phalanx blocked them like an iron wall.

"kill!"

"Block those barbarians from the northern frontier."

"Anyone who dares to retreat even half a step will have their entire family executed."

A deafening battle cry erupted at the breach, and two groups of heavily armored soldiers collided instantly.

Just as a heavy infantryman from the northern frontier pierced the cheek of a Xia soldier, a battle axe slashed from the side, striking his chest and causing him to instantly vomit blood and fall to the ground.

"Ah~"

Immediately afterwards, another soldier from the northern frontier stepped forward to fill the gap, thrusting out a hook-and-sickle spear and using the crescent-shaped hook to wed the Western Xia soldier's armor.

Together with two comrades beside him, they pulled the Western Xia soldier out.

Then, hammers, axes, and other weapons were used to attack the fallen Western Xia soldiers, and they soon stopped screaming.

In fact, the hook-and-sickle spear's real purpose in dealing with heavily armored soldiers was precisely the hook itself.

Because whether facing heavy cavalry or heavy infantry, it is difficult for any cold weapon to kill or seriously injure them in one blow.

If you miss your target, the opponent might run away or become a threat to you.

Using a hook-and-sickle spear, one can trip a horse, pull an enemy off their horse, or drag heavy infantry to the ground.

To deprive it of its maximum mobility, and then slowly wear it down.

However, the Xia Kingdom's military industry was renowned throughout the world, and its heavy armor defense capabilities were not much inferior to those of the northern frontier.

Moreover, the space at the gap was narrow, and the soldiers on both sides were crammed together, making it impossible for them to form any formations.

It had become a bloody grinding mill, with people fighting face-to-face.

Whether it was the Northern Frontier Army or the Xia Army, soldiers fell one after another, being dragged away from the battlefield by the soldiers behind them.

Gao Yi stood on the city wall, watching the corpses piling up at the breach, his teeth grinding together.

He drew his scimitar and personally led the reserve force down the city wall: "Follow me and kill them! Drive the barbarians of the Northern Frontier out!"

Seeing their commander charge, the Xia soldiers were greatly encouraged and roared as they counterattacked, temporarily forcing the Northern Frontier Army to retreat half a step.

Li Dongjiang, who had a clear view outside the city, gave a deep order: "Tiger-Zun cannons suppress the city walls on both sides, and the second Black Armor Army will follow up."

"The rest of the units will use siege ladders to attack the city."

Sixty Tiger Cannons roared once more, their shells whistling as they pounded against both sides of the city wall, suppressing the Xia army so they couldn't raise their heads.

The other northern frontier troops and grassland militia took advantage of the fact that all the Xia army's elite forces were gathered at the breach, and launched an attack on the undefended city walls.

(End of this chapter)