The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 310 Xiao Yanyan Develops a Flower Stick, Jin Kingdom Mediates

Longcheng, the Protectorate General's Office.

The tranquility of the main house in the backyard that morning was broken by the clear cry of a baby.

"Waaaaah~"

"Waaaaah~"

"She's given birth! She's given birth! The lady has given birth!"

"It's a young woman."

"And there's another one in my belly~"

While the servants and Qin Dani in Xiao Yanyan's courtyard were busy, Er Ya was breastfeeding the infant Tie Jian.

Although there were wet nurses in the mansion to serve her, she always felt uncomfortable with engorgement. Without Li Xiao's help to relieve the discomfort, she simply decided to feed her son herself.

As Daya tidied up the baby clothes she had just sewn, she said softly, "There's been some activity in the main courtyard; a pair of twins have been born."

During this time, Daya stayed at the Protectorate General's residence, taking meticulous care of her younger sister's daily life, almost shouldering the burden of her mother, and taking care of Erya and Tiejian in every possible way.

Of course, her main concern was that her younger sister would be alone and helpless in the mansion, making her vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

Er Ya lowered her head to tease Tie Jian, who was drinking milk in her arms. When she heard Da Ya's words, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

"A flower stick? That's really not easy to make."

"The Li family has had so many children, but this is the first time they've had a 'flower stick' (a type of male offspring)."

"Sister Xiao is truly blessed. She has a son and a daughter, making a perfect family. It's truly enviable."

“That’s right, all the good fortune in the world seems to be bestowed upon her,” Daya replied.

Previously, I had been secretly worried that Xiao Yanyan, as a princess of the Liao Kingdom and the mother of the famous Empress of Liao, had been immersed in power politics since childhood and was probably capable of scheming against others. Er Ya would definitely have a hard time under her.

But as time went on, I discovered that although she had a strong personality, she was quite tolerant.

As long as the concubines in the backyard behaved themselves and did their jobs well, she rarely made things difficult for them, showing the demeanor of a principal wife.

This confidence, of course, did not come from nowhere.

Regardless of her illustrious background, her influence in the northern frontier alone is unmatched by anyone else.

Moreover, before Li Xiao went to the grasslands, she was the one he appointed as the "regent," and this trust was enough to suppress all the turmoil in the inner court.

Xiao Yanyan wasn't unwilling to compete; rather, she disdained wasting her energy on trivial matters.

Er Ya had long understood this, so she always kept to herself and respected Xiao Yanyan very much.

"Big sister, please ask your brother-in-law to prepare some gifts for me. They don't need to be expensive, just something that suits my taste."

Er Ya gently patted the back of the iron sword and said softly, "I'm out of confinement now, and I'll go visit Sister Xiao in a couple of days."

Daya nodded in agreement and then spoke of the recent eastern expedition: "Tiger has made a great contribution this time, capturing that grassland chieftain named Temujin alive, and has been appointed as the General of Zhonghai by the Grand Protector."

“I used to think that the West Sea was far enough away from us, but now it’s even further east.”

Daya sighed, her face full of worry, and said, "Sigh, I don't know how many times we'll see each other throughout the year."

Er Ya gently advised, "A good man should have ambitions in all directions and make achievements; it's a good thing."

“My brother is so capable because he is willing to work hard and take risks. We should be happy for him.”

"If we really keep him in Longcheng, he'll probably be bored out of his mind."

Da Ya's brows were still furrowed: "I'm happy for him, but I'm worried about the child."

"Although Erfeng has already given birth to a son, one is not enough."

"They never see each other. How can this go on?"

Just then, Su Wuji came running in from outside, shouting as soon as he entered, "Auntie, I've come to see the iron sword!"

He ran to Er Ya's side, peering intently at the swaddled Tie Jian, his eyes wide with surprise: "Auntie, Tie Jian seems to have grown a bit!"

The last time I saw him, he was a wrinkled little bundle of joy, but now his face is all round and chubby.

Er Ya smiled and patted his head: "Yes, children grow up fast."

"You just got back from school? How was your studies today?"

The Jinzhou Military Academy has been established, but due to limited teaching staff, it has not yet expanded its enrollment on a large scale.

Su Wuji said proudly, "Auntie, I'm not bragging, but what they teach at school is so simple that I can learn it in one glance."

"In today's archery lesson, only Da Nang and I hit the bullseye."

At first, he gave Luo Wenzhong the nickname "Big Gong," but Luo Wenzhong immediately gave him the nickname "Little Eunuch," which infuriated him.

"No disease" simply means "no chickens"!
Therefore, Luo Wenzhong's nickname was upgraded to "Big Naan".

A gong, isn't it just like a naan bread?

Hearing these nicknames, Er Ya laughed until her breasts hurt.

These kids have so many ideas; they're all so cunning.

"Don't give people nicknames!" Er Ya said.

Su Wuji said, "So what? Just call it Big Naan."

Er Ya gently shook her head, no longer concerned with the children's affairs, and continued to ask about their studies: "What about literacy and moral education?"

Mentioning this, Su Wuji's smugness grew even stronger: "I can recognize all the characters now, and I've memorized all the characters the teacher taught me."

"The gentleman also told us about the past in the northern frontier, saying that we were bullied by foreign tribes and suffered a lot. He also said that we should learn skills well so that we can contribute to the rise of the northern frontier and the rejuvenation of China in the future!"

Er Ya nodded with satisfaction: "It's good that you understand these things. You must study hard to learn these skills."

Su Wuji nodded heavily, then turned his gaze to Tiejian and whispered, "Tiejian, when you grow up, I'll take you to school and teach you riding and archery. We'll protect the northern frontier together."

Looking at the two children, Er Ya and Da Ya smiled at each other.

Three days later, Er Ya, carrying an iron sword, came to visit Xiao Yan Yan in her room.

Also present were several female members of the household, including Huang Xiuer, Suolu, and Tieni.

Qin Dani arrived early as well. As a grandmother, although she could not treat each of her grandchildren equally, she never missed the birth of any of them.

Sitting in a grand chair to the side, looking at the lively scene in the room, his face was full of a gratified smile.

Xiao Yanyan leaned against the headboard, her complexion rosy and her spirits high.

She looked gently at the bedside, where two wet nurses were each holding a swaddled baby, inside which was a newborn child.

Seeing everyone enter, she chuckled and said, "You've finally arrived. My room was so quiet and deserted."

Er Ya stepped forward, handed the iron sword to the wet nurse beside her, and said with a smile, "Sister Xiao has just given birth and needs to rest. We dare not disturb her too early."

Huang Xiuer and others also presented gifts to congratulate Xiao Yanyan.

Xiao Yanyan smiled and thanked her, then looked at the child in the wet nurse's arms with a loving smile: "In the last letter from the Grand Protector, he said that he had already chosen a name for the child."

“The boy will be named ‘Shiye’ and the girl will be named ‘Xiyue’.”

"I didn't expect it to be two children; they'll both come in handy."

She paused, then said, "As for my son's nickname, I've already come up with one: Xuanjia."

As she spoke, she reached out and gently touched the cheeks of the two children, her eyes filled with maternal love.

Now she has two sons and a daughter, and her life can be considered complete.

However, I still think I need to have more sons in the future.

The future foundation of northern Xinjiang still depends on the men to solidify it.

Er Ya laughed upon hearing this: "Xi Yue and Shi Ye? They are both good names."

Huang Xiuer nodded in agreement: "Yes, Xuanjia and Xiyue are clearly blessed children, their eyes and brows are full of spirit."

Everyone chatted amongst themselves, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere in the room.

Just then, a maid tiptoed in and whispered a few words in Xiao Yanyan's ear.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanyan's smile faded slightly, revealing a hint of surprise. She then turned her gaze to Yelü Jin, who was standing to the side.

At this moment, Yelü Jin was gently stroking her still-not-obvious belly while looking at Xuanjia and Xiyue with envious eyes.

She was pregnant; she conceived the nights before Li Xiao went to war.

After learning that she was pregnant, she had mixed feelings, including the joy of becoming a mother and the anxiety about the future.

She didn't aspire to have twins like Xiao Yanyan, but only hoped to have a son, so that she would have more confidence in the household.

Just as she was thinking this, Yelü Jin suddenly noticed that all the women around her were looking at her, and her heart tightened immediately.

He looked at Xiao Yanyan with some unease and asked, "Aunt, what happened?"

Xiao Yanyan withdrew her gaze and slowly said, "The royal court has sent an envoy, saying they are here to visit you and me."

The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

Everyone knew that it was normal for them to come and see Yelü Jin, after all, she was Yelü Zhilugu's biological daughter.

Even though her relationship with her father wasn't good, she was still a legitimate princess sent for a political marriage.

But what's with visiting Xiao Yanyan?

The Xiao siblings and Yelü Zhilugu were mortal enemies. Xiao Simo was killed by Yelü Zhilugu's men. Xiao Yanyan hated him to the core, so how could he possibly send someone to visit her?

Soluhetini couldn't help but curl his lip: "Isn't this Yelü Zhilugu just crocodile tears pretending to be compassionate?"

Tajiguli chimed in, "She must have something she wants to ask of us, otherwise why would she suddenly think of visiting Sister Xiao?"

Xiao Yanyan's eyes turned slightly cold, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips: "No matter what he's up to, we'll find out when he gets here."

"But this gift isn't so pleasant to receive."

She looked at Yelü Jin and said, "You should also be prepared. After all, he is someone sent by your father, and we will inevitably have to meet him."

Yelü Jin was even more uneasy, but nodded slightly.

……

The news that the royal delegation was coming to the northern frontier quickly reached Li Xiao.

At this time, he had already led the First Garrison Army to the city of Woluohai.

Sunlight streamed through the golden curtains, illuminating Li Xiao's sharply defined face.

He held the secret letter from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in his hand, his mind racing through various pieces of news about the Western Liao.

Historical records of the Western Liao Dynasty are scarce. Li Xiao only vaguely remembers that the war between the Western Liao and the Ghu Kingdom broke out again within the last two years.

But the current situation is vastly different from the historical record, and he is not sure whether the war will still occur as scheduled.

"Could this be a delaying tactic by Yelü Zhilugu?" Li Xiao muttered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly.

He speculated on Yelü Zhilugu's thoughts, guessing that the other party was probably worried that the northern frontier would take advantage of his southward attack on the Gurkha dynasty to launch another westward expedition, so he tried to stabilize the northern frontier.

However, history has already undergone earth-shattering changes, and the royal court's strength has been greatly diminished in the previous wars.

Whether they can defeat the Kingdom of Ghur as recorded in history books remains to be seen.

“Yelü Zhilugu…” Li Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, his tone both playful and cold.

"No rush. Once we've settled things with Xia, it'll be your turn."

Then, Zhang Xiong, a centurion of the Imperial Guards, entered and said with a hand on his chest, "Grand Protector, the prisoners of war have been settled. You may proceed." Li Xiao nodded slightly: "Let's go!"

"Xia Kingdom has been spreading propaganda about our northern border, portraying us as a bunch of demons. They must have terrified all those prisoners of war."

"Hehehe~"

Then, he left the golden tent and came to the top of the city wall of Wuluohai.

At this time, more than 10,000 prisoners of war had gathered on the open ground outside the city.

They had all been stripped of their weapons and armor, and were left sitting on the ground in a sorry state, wearing only a thin shirt.

They gathered in twos and threes, their faces filled with unease and anxiety.

"Do you think... the people of the Northern Frontier might kill us all?" a young prisoner of war asked the person next to him, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with fear.

The veteran next to him sighed: "It's hard to say. I've heard that the Northern Frontier Army is very ruthless in battle. Who knows how they will deal with us?"

They had long ago discovered that the guards from the northern frontier had been replaced.

Originally, most of them wore red armor, but now they have all switched to yellow armor.

These soldiers stood tall and had sharp eyes, giving them an even more imposing presence. This made the prisoners of war increasingly uneasy, and their discussions about how the Northern Frontier Army would deal with them grew louder and louder.

However, some people in the crowd remained calm and relaxed, even reassuring those around them, "What are you worrying about? Nothing will happen."

Someone asked curiously, "How can you be so sure?"

The man chuckled and said, "I ran into a fellow villager."

“That man was originally a soldier in the Weifu Army, just like us. He disappeared after participating in the Battle of Hexi two years ago.”

"Who would have thought that we would run into him here?"

"He told me that the Northern Frontier Army rarely killed prisoners indiscriminately, and that as long as we behaved ourselves and didn't cause trouble, we would definitely be fine."

After all, every prisoner has value. They are either incorporated into the Northern Frontier Army or assigned to farming and herding. Those who are truly heinous are sent to mines.

"In my opinion, most of us will most likely be assigned to farming or herding."

Hearing him say that, the tension on the faces of the surrounding prisoners of war eased a little, and their anxiety subsided somewhat.

"That's not bad."

"I'd be happy if they could just give me some food."

Just then, a loud bang suddenly came from above the city of Woluohai.

"Boom~"

One of the Tiger Cannons fired blank rounds.

The deafening roar turned many prisoners of war pale, as if they had been transported back to the time when the Northern Frontier Army attacked the city, once again enveloped in the fear of being dominated by artillery. Many of them huddled up in fear.

But the loud noise silenced their commotion, and everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to the city wall.

There appeared a tall figure, none other than Li Xiao, who was wearing dark gold armor.

The dragon patterns on his armor gleamed in the sunlight, making him appear even more majestic and imposing.

Before him stood a large tin megaphone, his piercing gaze sweeping over all the prisoners of war below as he roared, "I am Li Xiao, the Great Protector of the Northern Frontier, Tengri Gur Khan!"

"He is also known as the 'Northern Slave Chieftain' by the Xia Dynasty court."

His voice, carried through the tin loudspeaker, resounded throughout the open space, exuding an unquestionable authority.

All the prisoners of war were astonished and whispered among themselves, "So this is the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier!"

"How majestic!"

"I never imagined that a nobody like me would have the chance to witness the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier."

"Truly extraordinary."

In their eyes, the Northern Protector-General was a figure as important as the Emperor of Xia, high above all others, and how could ordinary commoners and soldiers easily meet him?
But now, Li Xiao is standing right in front of them, alive and well.

Many prisoners of war gazed at Li Xiao from afar, their eyes filled with curiosity, wanting to get a clearer look at this legendary figure.

Li Xiao looked around at the prisoners of war below, and his voice came out again through the loudspeaker: "Ben Du just came from the northern desert. The barbarians there disrespected my northern frontier, and Ben Du wiped out their tribe."

"Do you know how many Qiyan tribesmen I have killed on the grasslands?"

"One hundred thousand! Rivers of blood, mountains of corpses!"

Whether this data was true or not, the prisoners of war had no way of knowing, but they were terrified, fearing that Li Xiao would kill them all as well.

Just as the prisoners of war were filled with fear and unease, Li Xiao changed the subject: "But I, Li Xiao, am a Han Chinese, and most of you are also Han Chinese."

"For the sake of our ancestors, I can give you a chance to live."

The prisoners of war immediately fell silent, their eyes fixed on the figure on the city wall, afraid of missing a single word.

The common people and soldiers of that era had limited knowledge and simply did not understand so many profound principles.

The only way to instill awe in them is through both power and virtue.

First, intimidate them and make everyone put aside their ulterior motives, then subdue and utilize them.

Li Xiao continued, "As long as you behave yourselves, you can live."

"From this day forward, you will no longer be citizens of the Xia Kingdom, but subjects of the Northern Frontier."

"However, you can't stay in Woluohai City anymore; you all have to go to the grasslands to herd livestock and farm."

In fact, this was because the proportion of Han Chinese in the northern grasslands was too low. Li Xiao planned to relocate people from the Xia Kingdom to the north, so that Han Chinese would account for more than half of the total population.

At this time, the grassland population had not yet reached its peak, and was sufficient to support even more people.

Moreover, the city of Wuluohai is very close to the Hetao region. These prisoners of war and civilians are not unfamiliar with herding life. Once they arrive on the grassland and become familiar with the daily routines, they can easily adapt.

As for the gap created by the Xia Kingdom's immigrants, we can just continue to plunder from the Jin Kingdom.

In short, Li Xiao's established national policy was to relocate the people of China to other regions, not only to resolve land disputes in the Central Plains but also to make more territory an integral part of China.

Afterwards, Li Xiao briefly explained the pasture system: "When you arrive at the grassland, you will be dispersed and mixed with the grassland people to form thousand-household units."

“You can rent cattle, sheep and pastures. As long as you work hard, you will gradually own more cattle, sheep and houses of your own.”

"Life will be ten or a hundred times better than it was in Xia Kingdom."

"Don't worry about exorbitant taxes, because in my Northern Frontier, we only collect 20% rent and 20% pasture tax, and we won't charge you any other money."

"You need not worry about being displaced by war, because the powerful Northern Frontier Cavalry will protect you and your families."

"As long as you behave yourself and live a peaceful life, you can provide a good life for your family."

As Li Xiao painted a rosy picture, the prisoners of war listened, their fear gradually fading, replaced by longing and anticipation in their eyes.

The vast majority of these people came from impoverished backgrounds.

They made a living by farming for others, but the rent alone accounted for 50-60% of their income. They also had to endure a lot of exorbitant taxes and levies, and they couldn't even get enough to eat all year round.

Even if you join the army and serve in the military, the salary you receive is less than one-third of what you would have earned otherwise.

Moreover, the Xia army had been suffering defeats and had no opportunity to plunder.

However, what Li Xiao said excited many people.

Although it means living in that vast, unknown, and bitterly cold land in the northern desert, at least it will allow my family to have a better life.

This is better than anything else.

The murmurs among the crowd rose again, but this time they were not filled with fear and anxiety, but rather with a hint of anticipation for the future.

Seeing the prisoners' reactions, Li Xiao nodded slightly and smiled with satisfaction.

In this dog-eat-dog world, it doesn't matter which country it is or what country it is; as long as the people can live a peaceful and good life, it is a good country.

Let alone the northern desert, people go to even the coldest places.

Afterwards, Li Xiao went to several other prisoner-of-war camps to give speeches.

In the Battle of Wuluohai City, more than 50,000 Xia soldiers and civilians were captured.

If they are gathered together, it will cause chaos and be difficult to manage, so they are brought in batches.

Sure enough, when Li Xiao told all the soldiers and civilians about the policies in the northern frontier, many people were on tenterhooks.

Rather than enduring exorbitant land rents and heavy taxes in the Xia Kingdom, it would be better to venture into the northern desert.

Of course, there are some people who are unwilling to go to the northern desert, but they cannot be allowed to go.

Li Xiao wasn't discussing this with them.

After the five rounds of speeches were over, Li Xiao returned to the golden tent and drank water in large gulps.

He looked at the messenger beside him and asked, "Has there been any news from Keyimen?"

After the Battle of Wuluohai City, Li Dongjiang led his troops southward and pressed on to Keyimen. Unfortunately, the Xia Kingdom's reinforcements had already arrived and, taking advantage of the terrain, blocked the Northern Frontier Army north of Helan Mountain.

"Reporting to the Grand Protector, General Li's troops are still engaged in fierce fighting outside Keyi Gate," the messenger reported.

"Although the Xia army consists mostly of conscripted laborers with limited combat strength, the terrain of Keyimen is very unfavorable to our side."

"The roads there are narrow and uneven, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Our army is unable to take advantage of large-scale cavalry charges, and progress is quite difficult."

Li Xiao nodded slightly; this result was not unexpected.

Keyimen was the northern gate of the Xia Kingdom and the last line of defense for Xingqing Prefecture. If it were so easy to conquer, the nomadic tribes would have taken the opportunity to move south long ago.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, recalling the battle in which the Mongols breached Keyimen.

Temujin also encountered a similar predicament back then. Due to the terrain, the Mongol cavalry could only charge forward in single units, which turned into a piecemeal tactic, resulting in huge losses in the early stages.

Later, Temujin decided to withdraw his troops and cease attacking Keyimen.

The defending general, Weiming Linggong, believed that the Mongols were running out of food and their morale was low, and that they had really retreated, so he led his troops to pursue and kill them.

The ending was predictable!

After leaving the narrow terrain of Keyimen and arriving at the wide Gobi Desert, the Xia army was completely defeated by the Mongol cavalry.

"Try it!"

Li Xiao thought to himself, but he wasn't very confident.

After all, history has changed a lot, and the Battle of Keyimen at this time took place several years earlier than it has in history.

Whether Xia Jun would send troops to pursue them depended entirely on the commander's decision.

Li Xiao was unsure whether the current commander guarding Keyi Gate, Weiming Honglie, was the same Weiming Linggong from history.

After all, "Linggong" is just an honorific title, just like Yang Ye was called Yang Linggong.

As the Deputy Privy Councilor and Grand Marshal of the Northern Garrison, Wei Minghonglie certainly deserves the title of "Lord Commander".

While pondering, Li Xiao picked up his pen and began writing a personal letter, intending to give it to Li Dongjiang to carry out the plan.

Zhang Xiong, a centurion of the Imperial Guard, suddenly strode into the tent: "Grand Protector, General Li Dongjiang has sent someone to report that the Jin envoy has arrived at Keyimen, saying that he has come to mediate the war."

"Mediate the war?"

Li Xiao was taken aback, his hand holding the pen paused in mid-air. He looked up at Zhang Xiong, then looked down at the unfinished letter, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Perhaps this is an opportunity.

(End of this chapter)