The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 309 The nation's fate hangs in the balance, and the pass is difficult to breach.

"The city has fallen! The city has fallen!"

"The Northern Frontier Army has broken in."

Just as the two sides were fiercely fighting for control of the breach, a terrified scream rang out in the city.

The city of Woluohai has been captured.

Taking advantage of the gap in the defenses of the Xia army's elite troops, the Northern Frontier Army forcibly scaled the city wall and launched a counterattack against the various sections of the defending forces.

"what?"

"Damn it!"

Gao Yi, who was directing his soldiers to resist the Northern Frontier Army at the breach, changed his expression drastically upon hearing this news.

His arm, gripping the knife handle, trembled slightly, and his teeth were almost bitten off.

"Heavens above, why are you so cruel to my Xia Kingdom!"

He knew that the Northern Frontier Army was very powerful, with terrifying individual combat capabilities and overall strength, but he never expected that he would only hold out for five days before the city of Woluohai was breached.

But Gao Yi would never yield.

More and more Northern Frontier troops scaled the city walls and stormed in, besieging the breach in order to help the Black Armor Army enter the city.

"kill!"

Gao Yi's eyes widened in anger, his spear gleaming coldly as he thrust it fiercely towards the neck of a Northern Frontier soldier.

The soldier didn't react in time, and blood sprayed all over Gao Yi.

He wiped the blood from his face and roared, "Men of Xia will never retreat, even in death!"

Inspired by his imposing presence, the Xia soldiers around him fought fiercely.

Gao Yi was like a fierce tiger, charging left and right, and successively killed three more soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army.

But countless Northern Frontier soldiers clad in red armor surged forward like a tide, with a large number of black-armored soldiers pressing closer from behind.

Fewer and fewer soldiers remained around him; one by one they fell, never to rise again.

"General Gao, let's go!"

The last guard roared as he stood in front of him, only to be pierced through the chest by a spear.

Gao Yi's eyes were bloodshot. With his exhausted hands, he swung the broken, chipped sword, trying to keep charging forward.

However, a soldier threw out a chain, which was then placed around his neck, and he was pulled to the ground.

The surrounding Northern Frontier soldiers seized the opportunity to rush forward, pinning down his limbs and binding him tightly.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill all you barbarians!"

Gao Yi struggled fiercely and roared incessantly, but could only watch helplessly as soldiers from the Northern Frontier Army poured into the city in an endless stream.

The city of Woluohai was plunged into chaos.

The northern cavalry entered the city and advanced along the streets, shouting: "All civilians and soldiers, assemble outside the city! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

A Xia soldier hid in a corner of a civilian house, holding a bow and arrow, intending to launch a sneak attack.

An arrow struck a soldier in the chest, but was blocked by armor plates, resulting in a minor injury.

Xia Jun's soldier was stabbed through the chest by another soldier from the northern frontier.

"You bastard, you're looking for death."

"To resist stubbornly will only lead to certain death!"

On the streets, soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army drove away panicked civilians, and the sounds of old people coughing, children crying, and women sobbing filled the air.

"Get out of here! If you dawdle any longer, your life will be in danger!"

On the other side, Gao Yi was brought before Li Dongjiang.

Li Dongjiang, clad in crimson armor, exuded a fierce aura with his burly physique, staring intently at Gao Yi, whose clothes were stained with blood, like a wild beast.

"General Gao, I have long admired your name."

Li Dongjiang looked at him and slowly said, "I have long heard that there is a General Gao Yi in the Xia Kingdom, who has resisted the southward advance of the Kereit tribe several times, pursued them across the grasslands for thousands of miles, and protected the northern border of the Xia Kingdom without any worries."

"Having seen it today, I can confirm that its reputation is well-deserved."

"In the world, few fortified cities can withstand five days of continuous attacks from my northern frontier army."

Despite listening to Li Dongjiang's words, Gao Yi's pale face remained completely unmoved.

A hoarse, branch-like voice said, "You are Li Dongjiang?"

"The Second Garrison Commander of the Northern Frontier, and the uncle of the barbarian chieftain Li Xiao?"

Since Li Xiao first conquered Dunhuang, the northern frontier has become the main enemy of the Xia Kingdom.

Li Chunyou intensified his intelligence gathering efforts in the northern frontier and learned a great deal.

The backgrounds of people like Li Dongjiang are no longer a secret.

We'll know once we capture a few prisoners.

“That’s right, I am Li Dongjiang, the Second Garrison Commander of the Northern Frontier and General of Xizhou.” Li Dongjiang nodded slightly.

Gao Yi nodded slightly and said calmly, "General Li, I am not wronged to lose to you today."

"I have no other wish today but to die."

Li Dongjiang sighed: "General Gao is a good man, I admire him very much."

"Wouldn't it be a pity if he were to perish here?"

"Now that the city of Wuluohai has fallen, the Xia Kingdom's fate is sealed. If you are willing to surrender to my northern frontier, I will guarantee you high office and generous salary. Wouldn't that be better than staying in the Xia Kingdom?"

"Surrender?"

Gao Yi sneered: "My Gao family has been favored by the Xia Kingdom emperor for generations. We eat the emperor's food and serve the emperor loyally. How can we be the kind of people who betray their master for personal gain?"

“Your Northern Frontier Army has invaded the territory of my Xia Kingdom and slaughtered my Xia people. I wish I could eat your flesh and drink your blood. How could I possibly surrender?”

Li Dongjiang frowned slightly: "General Gao, you are just like us, a Han Chinese. Xia is not your homeland, so why are you so insistent?"

"I was born in the Xia Kingdom, grew up in the Xia Kingdom, and have benefited from the Xia Kingdom, so I am a citizen of the Xia Kingdom!"

Gao Yi said firmly, "Today, I, Gao Yi, have no choice but to die to repay the Emperor's grace."

Seeing the resolute look in his eyes, Li Dongjiang knew that further persuasion would be futile, so he shook his head helplessly: "Since you have made up your mind, I will grant your wish."

"I wonder, if your Xia Kingdom's ruler falls into the hands of my Northern Frontier in the future, will you die a heroic death like General Gao, or kneel down and surrender like an ant trying to survive?"

After saying that, Li Dongjiang snorted lightly: "I hope he will not let down you loyal ministers who sacrificed your lives for the foundation of the Weiming family."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yi looked indignant and glared fiercely at Li Dongjiang, but a hint of struggle and doubt also flashed through his eyes.

Then she slowly closed her eyes.

Seeing his determined attitude of never surrendering, Li Dongjiang said no more.

In the northern frontier, there are many soldiers and generals, and the stage of being eager to find talented people has passed.

Shortly after, gazing at Gao Yi's corpse, Li Dongjiang remained silent for a moment before finally ordering, "Give him a proper burial."

As in history, Gao Yi died for his Xia state.

However, his grandson became a high-ranking official in Mongolia more than a decade later.

……

On the other side, a large army is marching north across the land between the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River.

Under the scorching sun, the banners of the Xia Kingdom fluttered listlessly, much like the soldiers in the army, showing no sign of being elite.

"General, Keyimen is ten miles ahead."

In the midst of the army, the vanguard officer reined in his horse, pointed to the faint mountain pass on the distant horizon, and turned to Wei Minghonglie in the central army.

Wei Minghonglie, clad in gleaming silver armor and with a sword at his waist, nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes and looked towards Keyi Gate, his brows furrowing unconsciously.

Not long ago, the Xia Kingdom completed its first batch of military mobilization, conscripting all men aged 15 to 50 from the civilian population.

They barely managed to arm themselves into an army by using a small number of elite troops left behind in places like Xingqing Prefecture as the backbone.

In just the three prefectures of Xingqing, Shunzhou, and Dingzhou, 50,000 able-bodied men were gathered, and the conscription of men from other prefectures is still underway.

In response to the tense situation in the north, Li Chunyou appointed him as the Grand Marshal of the Northern Garrison, commanding all troops in the north to resist the Northern Frontier Army.

The 50,000-strong army he was leading at that moment was the first force to march north to support the city of Woluohai.

However, the group consisted mostly of emaciated farmers, some too old and some too young, whose hands trembled as they held their weapons.

Moreover, most people couldn't even afford a single piece of leather armor and were still wearing their original farmer's clothes.

It was less of an army and more of a motley crew that had been forced into service.

There was no other way; the Western Xia's national strength had weakened to this point, and providing some old weapons was already the limit. Even the army's rations had been reduced.

After all, Li Chunyou only donated one million strings of cash, not ten million.

Wei Minghonglie was pondering how to speed up the march so that Wuluohai City would not be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats in the distance.

"Da da da da da~"

Two scouts rushed to the central army in a panic, nearly falling as they dismounted, followed by several ragged, blood-stained soldiers.

"General! Something terrible has happened!"

The scout's voice was filled with terror: "Woluhai City...Woluhai City has been captured by the Northern Frontier Army!"

"what?"

Wei Minghonglie's eyes widened suddenly as he stared intently at the scout and shouted, "Say that again!"

The Xia soldiers who had escaped from Wuluohai City knelt down with a thud. One of them, his voice trembling with tears, replied, "Commander, five days ago, the Northern Frontier Army breached the city walls, and our army fought back desperately..."

"But their heavy infantry were too fierce. The city fell before sunset. General Gao... his fate is unknown!"

Wei Minghonglie felt a buzzing sound in his ears and his vision went black.

He gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white: "How many troops does the Northern Frontier Army have? How did General Gao deploy the defenses? How many defenders were left when the city fell?"

"The main force of the Northern Frontier Army is about 30,000, and there are also many grassland herders assisting in the battle."

Another soldier, choking back tears, replied, "General Gao sent all the able-bodied soldiers to plug the breaches. There were still many defenders when the city fell, but there were even more people in the northern frontier..."

"We escaped through the waterways amidst the chaos. Along the way, we saw the Northern Frontier Army driving away civilians, and there were fires everywhere..."

Wei Minghonglie remained silent, his face gradually darkening.

He knew the strength of the defenses of Wuluohai City, and he was even more aware of Gao Yi's ability to defend the city. Even such a formidable city could not last more than ten days.
The fighting power of the Northern Frontier Army is so formidable.

"General," the adjutant beside him spoke cautiously, "Woluohai City has fallen, and Keyimen is isolated and without reinforcements. Should we...?"

"Continue north!"

Wei Minghong interrupted him, his voice hoarse but carrying an undeniable resolve.

"Even if only one Keyi Gate remains, we must defend it!"

"Pass on my order: the entire army must accelerate its advance and reach Keyimen within one hour!"

Keyimen, located at the northern end of the Helan Mountains, was not a city, but a dangerous place.

It connects to the Yellow River in the east and the main ridge of the Helan Mountains in the west, like a sturdy gate spanning the mountains and rivers.

It served as the northern gateway to Xingqing Prefecture, blocking invading enemies from the north from the heartland of Western Xia.

After passing Keyi Gate, one enters the flat Helan Mountain Plain, separated from Xingqing Prefecture only by the city of Dingzhou.

However, the successive wars have already depleted Dingzhou's military strength.

Therefore, we must defend Keyimen to the death.

Otherwise, Xingqing Prefecture would become a playground for the Northern Frontier Army.

Therefore, Wei Minghonglie led 50,000 ragtag troops, joined with the remaining 20,000 troops of the Right Wing Chaoshun Army originally stationed at Keyimen, and set up defenses around the dangerous Keyimen site.

They amassed heavy troops at key mountain passes and dug horse traps, doing everything possible to block the Northern Frontier Army's advance.

……

Tiger and Wolf Pass.

At the pass between the two mountains, this newly built pass, like a fierce beast poised to pounce, firmly guards the vital route to Liangzhou.

The Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition ordered Si Cong to lead 100,000 Western Xia troops, who had been fighting fiercely here for many days and launched dozens of attacks on this dangerous place.

Inside Tiger Wolf Valley, corpses lay piled upon piles, almost blocking the narrow passage, yet the pass remained unmoved, like an insurmountable chasm.

Inside the central command tent, Nailing Sicong looked at the military report on the table, his brows furrowed in worry.

The orders from Xingqing Prefecture became increasingly urgent and the wording increasingly harsh.

He was instructed to capture Hulang Pass and recapture Liangzhou City as soon as possible, then switch from offense to defense and send the main force of the army back to reinforce Xingqing Prefecture.

All this was because the Northern Frontier Army had opened a second front and was launching a fierce attack on the northern border city of Woluohai.

When this news arrived, it greatly shocked Si Cong. He never expected that the Northern Frontier Army could end the Battle of Mobei so quickly.

What about the Kereit tribe?

What about the Qiyan tribe?

Those grassland people who once plundered and were incredibly fierce in the Xia Kingdom have now become cowards who are easily defeated when facing the Northern Frontier Army.

He understood the critical situation better than anyone else.

Once Wuluohai City falls, Xingqing Prefecture will only have Keyimen as its last line of defense, at which point the entire Xia Kingdom will be in grave danger.

"Generals."

Nailing Si Cong's cloudy eyes, which held a sharp glint, looked at the generals in the tent, his aged voice hoarse.

"The city of Wuluohai is in dire straits, and Xingqing Prefecture is on the verge of collapse."

"Tiger Wolf Pass is the Northern Barbarians' only defense. If we conquer this pass, the Northern Barbarians will have no more defensible positions in the Hexi Corridor."

"Our army can not only recover Liangzhou, but also return to reinforce the capital and preserve the foundation of our Xia Kingdom!"

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly: "The imperial court raises soldiers for a thousand days, only to use them for one."

"Now that the nation is in peril, it is the time for us to serve the Great Xia with our lives."

"If Tiger Wolf Pass is not breached and Xingqing Prefecture is lost, how can we face His Majesty and the people? How can we face our ancestors?"

His words inspired the generals, who clasped their fists and declared, "We are willing to fight to the death with our commander!"

Then, he ordered Si Cong to put on heavy armor and personally come to the front lines.

He reined in his horse and stood atop the high slope, his eyes blazing as he looked down at the dark mass of Xia soldiers and gave a loud order.

"attack!"

"Woooooooo~"

As the mournful sound of bugles rang out, Xia soldiers surged toward Tiger Wolf Pass like a tidal wave.

Carrying ladders and shields, they charged forward, roaring as they tried to scale the towering city walls.

On the city walls, the soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army were already on high alert.

"Fire arrows!"

At the command, arrows rained down, and Xia soldiers fell to the ground, constantly struck by arrows.

But the soldiers who followed were fearless, stepping over the corpses of their comrades to continue forward.

"fire!"

At the command of the commander of the Fourth Garrison's Divine Machine Battalion, the twenty cannons on the pass roared in unison.

"Boom boom boom~"

The shells roared out of the cannon barrels and crashed into the dense formation of the Xia army. Each explosion brought a bloodbath, causing Xia soldiers to fall to the ground and scream in agony.

Xia Jun's offensive was repelled time and time again, and he reorganized his attack time and time again.

Inside Tiger and Wolf Valley, corpses piled higher and higher, and blood flowed into streams that flowed slowly down the valley.

Nai Ling Sicong, watching from the high ground, was extremely anxious. His face contorted with rage, he said, "Continue the attack on the city."

"Military law enforcement, listen to my command: anyone who dares to retreat will be shot on sight."

But just as he was shouting, he heard a loud "boom".

A shell whistled and exploded not far from him, sending dirt and gravel flying, and the shockwave startled his warhorse so much that it reared up.

"Watch out, Commander!"

Sicong felt a sharp pain in his chest, his vision went black, and he fell off his horse.

With their commander seriously injured, Xia Jun's attack instantly fell into disarray and came to an abrupt halt.

Seeing this, the generals had no choice but to order a retreat.

It wasn't until evening that Nailing Sicong finally woke up in the central command tent.

He tried to get up, but felt a sharp pain in his chest, making every movement extremely difficult.

"General, you are badly injured, please don't move around unnecessarily," a general hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him.

"What's wrong with me?" Nai Ling Sicong asked, frowning, as if he didn't remember what had happened before.

Only after being reminded by others did he slowly recall what had happened, and then he anxiously asked, "How is the battle going?"

The generals inside the tent looked troubled. A deputy general stepped forward and reported, "Commander, our offensive has been stalled, and our soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. We have temporarily withdrawn to our camp to rest."

"Moreover, news has already spread through the army that you are seriously injured and may die. We tried our best to stop it, but the morale of the troops..."

This left Wang Sicong speechless for a moment; he had already anticipated this outcome.

The only way was for him to force himself to act as if nothing was wrong and show himself in front of the soldiers.

Otherwise, the rumors will not stop, but will only intensify.

"How is the northern army making progress?"

Another general sighed: "General, the cavalry of the northern frontier are exceptionally elite, and our cavalry cannot match them. So far, we have not been able to achieve any results."

In fact, everyone knew that the Western Xia's most elite cavalry had been lost to the Northern Frontier Army in the Hexi War two years ago.

The cavalry of today are all newly formed and are far less elite than before.

Only two thousand Iron Falcons in the entire army were still capable of fighting, but the number was too small, and one thousand had to be left behind to protect Xingqing Prefecture.

The remaining thousand Iron Falcons had no advantage whatsoever against the Northern Frontier cavalry, especially since the Northern Frontier's Black Armor Army was also heavily armored cavalry no less formidable than the Iron Falcons.

After hearing this, the light in Nai Ling Si Cong's eyes dimmed little by little. He closed his eyes in despair, his heart turning cold.

The Tiger Wolf Pass on the front is difficult to break through, and although the north is a wide-open Gobi Desert, it is the home ground of the Northern Frontier Army.

As for Biandukou on the South Road?
That would cross most of the Qilian Mountains!
Just as gloom hung over the generals of Western Xia, an even more shocking piece of news arrived.

A messenger rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and said, "Reporting to the commander, the city of Wuluohai... has fallen!"

"what?"

Nai Ling Sicong suddenly opened his eyes, his face drained of color.

He stared at the messenger in disbelief, his body trembling violently, followed by a fit of coughing.

"Cough...cough..."

The phlegm he coughed up contained several pieces of dark red meat.

"General, General!"

Upon seeing this, the generals rushed forward to help him, but he waved them away.

"Go away."

This caused Sicong to roar angrily, like a tiger on the verge of death.

He stretched out his trembling hand, pointing towards Tiger Wolf Pass, his eyes filled with grief, indignation, and helplessness.

He murmured, "Your Majesty, this old minister deserves death for failing to recover the Hexi Corridor and has let you down."

"A capital offense!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down Sicong's face, and he continued to cough up blood.

The previous shell seemed to have damaged its internal organs and ribs.

Ultimately, this led Si Cong to issue a difficult order.

"Pass on my order: withdraw the troops!"

"Return to Xingqing Prefecture immediately."

"No mistakes!"

Although the generals were reluctant, they knew it was a helpless move.

It wasn't just Xingqing Prefecture that needed the protection of this large army; more importantly, the outbreak of the Northern War made it difficult for the Western Expeditionary Army to maintain its food supplies.

If we could break through Tiger Wolf Pass and seize the grain supplies of Liangzhou City, everything would still be possible. But now that the attack has failed, the only option is to retreat.

The next morning, the Xia army camp outside Hulang Pass began to break up its camp and set up camp. Tens of thousands of soldiers, exhausted and desperate, slowly retreated south.

Only the mountains of corpses remained in Tiger and Wolf Valley, exuding a desolate aura in the morning light.

(End of this chapter)