The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 317: The people are the foundation of the country, and a solid foundation will bring peace to the country

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the palace walls of Xingqing Prefecture, the heavy vermilion gates were slowly pushed open, and the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, echoing clearly on the stone slabs before the bluestone steps.

Li Xiao rode a jet-black warhorse, clad in dark gold dragon-patterned armor, with a golden sword at his waist, and slowly walked into the palace gate of Xingqing Prefecture.

His gaze swept calmly across the empty square. This palace, which had stood for a hundred years, was now under his control.

On both sides of the square and on the palace walls, countless soldiers of the Wuwei Army stood tall and solemn.

A deafening roar swept through the entire palace:

"Long live the Grand Protector!"

Long live the Great Khan Tengri!

"Long live the Grand Protector!"

Long live the Great Khan Tengri!

……

The shouts echoed throughout the palace and the entire Xingqing Prefecture.

It was as if announcing to the whole world that the Northern Frontier Army had captured Xingqing Prefecture and Li Xiao had entered the capital of the Xia Kingdom.

"Finally, we've taken it down."

Li Xiao muttered to himself, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

From the first expedition to the Xia Kingdom to the fall of Xingqing Prefecture, the blood of countless northern warriors paved this road, and the stone slabs underfoot still seem to retain their scorching heat.

The Xia Kingdom, as a former hegemon of the west and a powerful nation that could share the world with the Jin and Song dynasties, naturally possessed immense strength.

It has a population of over two million, millions of acres of fertile land, and a large number of skilled craftsmen.

These resources are undoubtedly a huge asset for northern Xinjiang.

This was not merely a victory in war, but also laid a crucial foundation for the future journey of the Northern Frontier, becoming a powerful support for the Northern Frontier's eastward campaign against the Jin Dynasty and its westward expedition against the royal court.

However, although Xingqing Prefecture was captured, the Xia Kingdom was not completely destroyed.

"Reporting to the Grand Protector, our troops have searched the entire palace but have not found any trace of the false emperor Li Chunyou."

The skinny monkey stood in the palace hall with his hand on his chest and reported in a deep voice: "However, we have discovered a hidden tunnel leading out of the city, with fresh footprints in it."

"This subordinate has already dispatched cavalry to pursue and kill them."

At this moment, Li Xiao was sitting imposingly on the dragon throne, with his helmet on the table, listening quietly to the skinny monkey's report.

"According to the confession of the captured eunuch in charge of the seal, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and other members of the royal family, including the Crown Prince and Princess, were secretly sent to Xiping Prefecture by the puppet emperor before the war."

The skinny monkey looked up and added, "I'm certain that Li Chunyou has most likely gone that way as well."

Li Chunyou's escape meant that he could regroup in Xiping Prefecture and re-establish the court based on the legitimacy of the imperial family.

Although Xingqing Prefecture was destroyed, the Xia Kingdom was not truly gone.

A series of clanging sounds of armor clashing suddenly filled the hall.

"Great Protector, I am willing to lead three thousand elite cavalry to cross the Yellow River and take Xiping Prefecture directly, and uproot these remnants of the Xia Kingdom."

"Keeping Li Chunyou alive is a disaster. We should take advantage of his unstable position and wipe him out in one fell swoop."

"Most of the men in Hedong have been conscripted to Xingqing Prefecture, leaving Xiping Prefecture with few troops. The city walls can be breached in less than three days."

The generals in the northern frontier could no longer contain themselves and eagerly volunteered for battle.

Hearing these words, Li Xiao slowly rose from the dragon throne, walked to the huge map of Western Xia in the hall, and pointed to the Yellow River basin between Xingqing Prefecture and Xiping Prefecture.

He said in a deep voice, "We have been besieging Xingqing Prefecture for nearly a month. The Shenji Battalion soldiers have been practicing with cannons every day, the Black Armor Army has been traversing the muddy moat, and the cavalry have been exposed to the scorching sun and rain outside the city. All the troops are already exhausted."

"At this point, attempting to cross the Yellow River would likely be beyond our capabilities."

"not to mention,"

Li Xiao traced an arc along the Yellow River with his finger: "This river is currently in its flood season, the current is swift, and ferries are hard to find. The Xia Kingdom has been managing Xiping Prefecture for many years, so the banks must be heavily guarded."

“Our soldiers in the northern frontier are not skilled in naval warfare. If we force our way across the river, we will surely suffer heavy casualties.”

He turned to face the crowd, his gaze sharp as a knife: "The Jin Kingdom is even more important."

"Although the Song state is restraining them, the two countries have not yet truly gone to war."

"The Jin Kingdom still has the resources to support the Xia Kingdom."

"If our main force crosses the river and penetrates deeper into the territory, the Jin state might take the opportunity to move north..."

It wasn't that Li Xiao was afraid of the Jin Kingdom, but rather that the time wasn't right.

After all, starting in early spring, the northern frontier launched an eastward expedition to the grasslands, engaging in fierce battles with Temujin's army for several months.

Then they quickly marched south and captured Xingqing Prefecture in three battles.

Having spent most of the year in battle, all units were exhausted and needed to replenish their supplies of food, ammunition, and military equipment.

Even if war were to break out with the Jin Dynasty, it would have to wait until the northern frontier had recovered.

Li Xiao's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, and the calls for battle in the hall gradually subsided.

The generals looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

Yes, these past few days have been tough; everyone's arms are peeling, and the warhorse has lost weight. It definitely needs a rest.

"Destroying the Xia Kingdom is only a matter of time, but it requires careful planning." Li Xiao returned to the dragon throne, his fingertips lightly tapping on the armrest.

"First, stabilize Xingqing Prefecture, reorganize the surrendered troops, and inventory the treasury. It will not be too late to send troops to Xiping Prefecture next year when the grain and fodder are sufficient."

Upon hearing Li Xiao's words, all the generals clasped their hands in response and said, "Your subordinate obeys."

This battle, which captured Xingqing Prefecture, was supposed to be the decisive victory in destroying the Xia Kingdom and completely eliminating the threat in the east. However, Li Chunyou escaped, which is ultimately a regret.

Immediately afterwards, Li Xiao turned to look at Zhang Shitou, the commander of the Imperial Guard, and said: "Keep a close eye on the movements in Xiping Prefecture. If Li Chunyou arrives in the city, report to me immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Shitou bowed and accepted the order.

Then, Li Xiao took the command token from the table: "Issue this order: whoever captures the false emperor will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and granted a hereditary title of centurion."

"Whoever can take his head will be rewarded with five hundred gold pieces and granted the hereditary title of deputy centurion."

"If his guards can capture their master and bring him to us, they will be forgiven for their past actions and share the rewards."

Li Xiao issued a bounty order, mainly targeting the imperial guards around Li Chunyou.

A generous reward might bring about unexpected changes.

If someone is truly greedy for money, or sees that the Xia Kingdom has no hope, and captures Li Chunyou for a reward, then coming to the northern frontier to try their luck, that would naturally be the best outcome.

After dealing with Li Chunyou's matter, Han Jiuyuan, the military advisor of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward with the account book: "Grand Protector, the gold, silver, silk, antiques and paintings seized in Xingqing Prefecture have exceeded 15 million strings of cash."

"Most of the items were confiscated from the treasuries and noble residences, with more than five million strings of cash found in the imperial palace's private treasury, along with numerous antiques, paintings, glassware, ivory, and other luxury items."

As for other noble residences, there are even more, and these are only the assets on the surface; there must be a lot hidden in secret.

Han Jiuyuan paused, his voice deepening: "The wealth in Xingqing Prefecture is definitely more than 15 million strings of cash; the Xia Kingdom's two hundred years of accumulation must be even greater."

"The Ministry of Finance is working with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to interrogate the captured officials and nobles, and they will surely make them vomit up all the hidden goods."

Only then can one die comfortably.

"Ha, how ironic."

Li Dongjiang sneered from the side, the armor plates making a soft clatter with the movement: "I heard that Li Chunyou called for donations of military funds, and he even 'reluctantly' donated half of his private treasury, and in the end he only got one million guan in total."

“We’ve already seized five million strings of cash from the palace’s private treasury alone, and that’s after he’d already sent a batch to Xiping Prefecture.”

The skinny monkey laughed, revealing two rows of white teeth: "With the country in peril, even the emperor values ​​money more than the empire. What hope can those parasites have?"

"Isn't it?"

Mo Jun shook his head: "I heard that three cellars of silver were found in the home of the former Vice Minister of Revenue, but he cried poverty when he made donations, saying that he only had coarse grains left at home."

"These people live in grand mansions, surrounded by gold, silver, and beautiful women; what do they care about the lives of the soldiers outside the city?"

Listening to his subordinates' words, Li Xiao strolled into the hall, his gaze falling on the withered leaves drifting outside the window. He slowly spoke, his voice carrying a chilling coldness that pierced the heart.

"Guanzi says, 'When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame.' But the Xia state was different. The granaries were overflowing, yet people hoarded their wealth, and the people were starving and freezing, yet no one cared. It was a living illustration of 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, there are frozen corpses.'"

He turned to face his generals, the dragon patterns on his armor shimmering in the light and shadow: "Li Chunyou hoards five million strings of cash in his private treasury, yet he is stingy with a million in military pay. This is the root of the saying 'oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger.'"

“He forgot that ‘the people are the foundation of the state, and when the foundation is firm, the state is secure,’ and thought that the country was the private property of the royal family, but he did not know that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.”

The generals all bowed their heads, listening to Li Xiao's words.

"Our Northern Frontier Army is able to stand here today not because of the sharpness of our armor, but because of the unity of our people."

Li Xiao's voice suddenly rose: "If one day you also learn from the officials of Xia Kingdom, stuffing the people's grain into your own cellars and pocketing the soldiers' pay..."

He suddenly drew his golden sword from his waist, his cold gaze sweeping over the generals in the hall, and said in a low voice, "Then, my Northern Frontier is not far from destruction."

"The mistakes of the past should serve as a warning for the future. The current state of Xia should not become the future state of the northern frontier."

The hall was completely silent; even breathing became soft and slow.

Looking at Li Xiao's resolute profile, the generals all patted their chests and shouted, "We will heed the Grand Protector's teachings!"

Although the founding generals of any dynasty may also be greedy, they know the bottom line, understand the big picture, and will not disregard the interests of the country.

Only after several generations of inheritance, when descendants become pampered and gradually degenerate, will they turn into parasites that erode the nation.

He couldn't help but wonder if the northern frontier would become like the Xia Kingdom in the future.

The answer is harsh, and it will likely be difficult for northern Xinjiang to avoid this as well.

After all, human greed is hard to eradicate, and the erosion of time is even more relentless.

What Li Xiao could do was to lay a solid foundation, expand his rule, and use the vast national power to absorb any potential internal conflicts that might arise in the future.

At the same time, a strict system for cultivating heirs should be established to ensure that each generation of heirs is as outstanding as possible and can safeguard the family business.

If Heaven grants its blessing, perhaps the Sun and Moon War Banner of the Northern Frontier will be able to see the world more than seven hundred years from now.

With a sigh, Li Xiao put these thoughts aside for the time being and continued to discuss important matters with the others.

The most pressing issue was the supply of food and provisions.

The Western Xia was already short of food, and the Northern Frontier Army captured mostly gold, silver, silk, and antiques in Xingqing Prefecture, but very little grain.

However, they also captured nearly 100,000 prisoners of war and many civilians in the city.

In addition to the 150,000 prisoners captured in the Battle of Keyimen, as well as the 20,000 prisoners of war and 30,000 elderly, weak, women and children captured in Wuluohai City, the Northern Frontier Army now has more than 300,000 prisoners of war in its hands.

With so many people, their daily food and drink expenses are enormous; we simply can't afford to support them.

However, a large part of Li Xiao's reason for attacking Western Xia was to take advantage of its population. Naturally, he could not ignore them, otherwise the people would be alienated and his rule would be difficult to sustain.

"Grand Protector, you can gather provisions from Wuwei."

Gao Zhongyi, the military advisor of the agricultural affairs office, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "The Gansu treasury had a surplus of more than 300,000 shi of grain last year."

"Although war broke out this year, the Xia army was blocked outside Tiger Wolf Valley by our army, so the impact on production in Gansu was limited, and the estimated surplus grain is more than 200,000 shi."

"In addition, the people have a certain surplus, which can be purchased by the Hexi Merchants. The price will be fair, and the people should be willing to sell."

Li Xiao nodded. This was indeed a feasible solution, but the journey from Wuwei to Xingqing Prefecture was long, making transportation a challenge.

Zhang Shitou, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, said: "The Grand Protector can also entrust merchants from Datong Prefecture to smuggle grain."

“We have been cooperating with the Fan family of Datong Prefecture before. This time, we can contact two more merchants and use the money in Xingqing Prefecture to purchase grain from the Jin Kingdom.” Sending grain to the Xingqing Prefecture area is much more convenient than sending it to the northern desert.

Starting from Datong, the Yellow River is 400 li to the west. Using boats, more grain can be transported at once, and the cost is relatively low.

"Don't the Jin people care?" a general asked.

Zhang Shitou explained, "Merchants from Datong Prefecture are only interested in profit. As long as you pay the right price, they will definitely be willing to take risks."

"Moreover, we can let them use the pretext of transporting grain to Xiping Prefecture. Once the grain crosses the Yellow River, we will naturally be in charge."

Li Xiao nodded slightly. This plan was feasible, but he had other plans. It would be best to send the grain smuggled by the Jin Kingdom to the northern desert.

Other generals also offered their suggestions and advice.

"We can also plunder the wealthy households outside the city."

“We’ve been busy attacking cities and haven’t had time to deal with them. Now it’s time to let them go.”

“That’s right. The Xia Kingdom’s treasury is almost empty, but those rich and heartless landlords must have plenty of grain hidden in their cellars.”

"They exploit the people on a daily basis, but now they are using their grain to help prisoners of war. This can be considered taking from the people and using it for the people!"

Upon hearing this, many generals echoed his sentiments, believing it to be a good way to quickly resolve the food shortage.

Hearing these suggestions, Li Xiao decided to take a three-pronged approach.

They plundered wealthy landowners outside the city, confiscated their land and turned it into public land, and seized all their stored grain to help Xingqing Prefecture overcome the current famine.

Secondly, the grain smuggled from Gansu and the Jin Kingdom was not delivered directly to Xingqing Prefecture, but instead was stored at grain depots along the way.

Tell the people that if they want food, they should migrate to Gansu or to the northern desert.

Once there, they will not only receive food, but also land and pastures.

Each household only needs to pay 40% of the rent tax; the rest is theirs.

Li Xiao's ultimate goal was still to immigrate.

The people of Western Xia were relocated to the northern frontier to solve the problem of insufficient Han Chinese population in the northern desert.

However, winter is just around the corner, and before the end of the year, only a group of people can be relocated to Gansu and the northern desert respectively. The rest will have to continue next year.

Li Xiao planned to relocate at least 60,000 Han Chinese households to the northern desert to populate the grasslands and balance their numbers with those of the grassland herders.

The northern desert region was completely incorporated into the inherent territory of China.

In the days that followed, the various units of the Northern Frontier Army launched attacks in all directions, plundering landowners and wealthy households in various places.

The troops that remained in Xingqing Prefecture were tasked with reorganizing these prisoners of war.

……

Gaotai Temple was a royal temple built by order of Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of the Western Xia Dynasty. It was located on the banks of the Yellow River, fifteen miles east of Xingqing Prefecture.

The temple was grand and imposing, with its flying eaves and brackets, and its incense was always burning brightly, making it the undisputed Buddhist center of the Western Xia Dynasty.

On this day, a young monk stumbled into the temple gate, his face filled with panic, and shouted, "The city has fallen! The city has fallen! The barbarians from the northern frontier have breached the imperial city!"

Upon hearing this, all the monks were greatly shocked: "What?"

"Buddha~"

An old monk slumped on a prayer mat, his hands clasped together, trembling uncontrollably: "How could my Great Xia Dynasty, with its century-old foundation, have come to such a state..."

"Where is His Majesty? Is he alright?"

Panic spread like a plague within the temple.

A monk, his face deathly pale, shouted, "The people of the Northern Frontier are demons crawled out of hell. I've heard they commit all sorts of evil deeds, even harming newborn babies!"

"More than that,"

Another monk who had been to Liangzhou said in a trembling voice, "They don't believe in Buddhism at all and have no respect for Buddhism."

“All the Buddhist temples in Liangzhou were razed to the ground, and the Buddha statues were chopped up and burned as firewood.”

Upon hearing this, the monks turned pale with fright.

Someone rushed to the side hall and said in a panic, "Quickly, let's divide the money for incense and the gold and silver donated by the believers, and then we can all escape for our lives."

"This temple is doomed!"

"absurd!"

The abbot slammed his hand on the table: "Gaotai Temple was built by imperial decree of Emperor Dezong. How dare you desecrate this sacred Buddhist site like this?"

"This old monk will remain here today, to live and die with the temple!"

Just as everyone was arguing, a deafening roar of iron hooves suddenly rang out outside the temple, as if a thousand troops were galloping in.

"Is this Kotai-ji Temple?"

"Surround the temple and do not allow a single monk to escape."

"Those who resist will be killed without exception."

Amidst the clamor of shouts and the sound of horses' hooves outside the temple, a loud crash was heard as the heavy temple gate was smashed open, and soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army filed in.

The leading general was a young man clad in crimson armor, none other than Sanbao.

He walked in, his hand resting on his cavalry saber, surrounded by soldiers. He looked around the magnificent hall and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"The temples in Xingqing Prefecture are truly luxurious. Even an ordinary pillar is gilded and painted. It's probably worth a month's worth of food for an ordinary person."

Yang Shoujing, standing beside him, nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "This Gaotai Temple was built by order of Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of the Xia Kingdom, and it has been a hundred years since then."

"It is the largest temple in the Xia Kingdom, with flourishing incense and offerings from many believers. In addition, the surrounding farmland for more than ten miles is all the property of Gaotai Temple, so the monks naturally have no shortage of money and food."

"Humph,"

Upon hearing this, Sanbao scoffed, "So what if it's a hundred years?"

"Owning thousands of acres of farmland but not engaging in production, spending all day knocking on wooden fish to swindle money from the people for incense offerings—such parasites will only drag the country down if left unchecked."

"The Xia Kingdom has already been dragged down by these bald monks, so don't let them stay and cause trouble for my northern border."

With that, he suddenly drew his long sword from his waist: "Issue the Grand Protector's order to close Gaotai Temple!"

"All property and land within the temple shall be confiscated, and these bald monks shall all be forced to return to secular life!"

"Anyone who disobeys shall be killed without exception."

As soon as he finished speaking, some monks stood up angrily and shouted, "How dare you!"

“You scoundrel, my Gaotai Temple was built by Emperor Dezong and has a million believers.”

"If you destroy Gaotai Temple, aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Upon seeing this, some of the monks in the temple grabbed sticks and shovels and glared angrily.

Sanbao glanced at them disdainfully: "You're all so fat and strong, you must have skimped on the sesame oil money all the time, right?"

"But when the Xia Kingdom was in peril, did you donate a single grain of rice or offer any assistance?"

“You were given the opportunity to repent and contribute to our northern frontier, but you didn’t know how to cherish it.”

What use are you to me?

"I, the general, will send you to see Buddha."

Having said that, Sanbao raised his hand and shouted, "Release the arrows!"

At a command, arrows rained down on the warrior monks.

Amidst blood and screams, these warrior monks who dared to resist the Northern Frontier Army fell one after another.

So what if you're highly skilled in martial arts?
In the face of a well-organized army, any individual's military strength is a joke.

When the Northern Frontier Army actually dared to kill people in the temple, the other monks trembled with fear and dared not resist in the slightest.

"Search thoroughly, leaving no corner unchecked."

Sanbao gave the order, and the soldiers scattered to search the temple.

In the end, a lot of gold and silver were found in the storeroom, and even the Buddha statues in the main hall were plated with a thick layer of gold.

Seeing this, Sanbao sneered even more: "Big brother was right after all."

"The bald monks of Buddhism outwardly proclaim the equality of all beings, yet they are all greasy and fatter than landlords!"

"So all the wishes that the people made by spending money in front of the Buddha have been fulfilled by you?"

He kicked the chest full of silver coins on the ground and said, "During the battle of Xingqing Prefecture, the Xia army was short of food and money, and the soldiers were not getting enough to eat. But you guys hid the gold and silver so well."

Seeing the three leopards mocking him, the abbot stepped forward, put his hands together in prayer, and said...

"General, please calm down. This money was offered to Buddha voluntarily by the people. We are just collecting it on their behalf to use for repairing temples and making offerings to Buddha. It is by no means an attempt to embezzle any money."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a captain came running excitedly from the backyard, shouting, "General, there's a group of nuns in the next courtyard, and they're incredibly beautiful!"

"nun?"

Sanbao paused for a moment, then chuckled: "This doesn't seem to be a nunnery."

"Are these nuns also being cared for by you on behalf of Buddha?"

"How could the prestigious Gaotai Temple have become a den of iniquity?"

The abbot's expression changed, and he quickly explained, "General, you misunderstand. These nuns are all devoted to Buddhism and voluntarily became nuns. They are not involved in any filthy or disreputable activities."

Even if there were truly impure things happening, the monks should secretly set up a residence, raise women and children there, and continue to pretend to be monks in the temple to deceive people and make money.

In reality, most of these nuns were wives or concubines of high-ranking officials or nobles, or "female bodhisattvas" who were not suitable to be brought into the family.

Many officials enjoy this and treat it as a form of role-playing fun.

Even Li Chunyou would often come to Gaotai Temple to offer incense, during which time he would be taken care of by a special "female bodhisattva".

Therefore, Gaotai Temple placed all these "female bodhisattvas" in the adjacent courtyard so that high-ranking officials and nobles could "worship Buddha" at any time.

Sanbao's eyes turned cold, clearly disbelieving the abbot's nonsense.

He immediately ordered: "Order all these nuns to return to secular life, and later register and reward them to the meritorious soldiers of the Northern Frontier."

"Furthermore, all land and property of Gaotai Temple shall be confiscated, not a single piece shall be left out!"

Yang Shoujing, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and said, "General, Gaotai Temple is a hundred years old and the most prosperous temple in Xia Kingdom. Logically speaking, it should not only have this much silver and grain. There must be other places where it is hidden."

Sanbao nodded in agreement, and then ordered Yang Shoujing: "This matter is entrusted to you."

“Arrest all these bald-headed officials and torture them until they confess where the rest of the money and grain are hidden. If they don’t talk, torture them to death.”

Then, he looked at the trembling ordinary monks and said sternly, "As for you ordinary monks..."

“Send them all to the Gobi Desert to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, so they can reflect on their actions.”

Upon hearing this, the monks immediately began to wail and cry, but in the face of the Northern Frontier Army's swords and spears, no amount of crying and wailing could help.

The abbot looked at everything before him, his face ashen, and collapsed to the ground, unable to utter another word.

The once-thriving Gaotai Temple will likely fade into history in the future.

(End of this chapter)