The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 328 The Last Emperor's First Encounter with the Jin Army
The city walls of Xia Prefecture gleamed with a cold, hard gray light in the summer. This city, which would later be known as Yulin, was originally the eastern gateway for Western Xia to resist the Jin Dynasty, but now it had become Li Anquan's last refuge.

"His Majesty has arrived! Quickly open the city gates!"

On this day, a loud shout rang out from outside the city. Li Anquan led several hundred remaining soldiers, looking disheveled and exhausted, to the city walls.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief; I could finally catch my breath.

In those days, the Xia state frequently raided the borders of the Song state, and settled most of the Han people they captured in the eastern regions such as Xia Prefecture.

Therefore, the population here is larger, and because it is far from Xingqing Prefecture, the capital was captured before the Xia Prefecture troops could reach it during the two conscriptions.

Therefore, Xia Prefecture still has a considerable number of troops remaining at this time.

Li Anquan originally thought that Xiazhou was his last refuge, a place to temporarily hide and wait for an opportunity to make a comeback.

But as soon as the city gates opened and he led his troops inside, hundreds of soldiers suddenly rushed out from both sides, wielding spears and surrounding them.

These soldiers wore old Western Xia armor but did not fly Western Xia flags. The leaders were dressed in brocade robes and were Tangut nobles and local officials from Xia Prefecture.

"Take it!"

At the command of the governor of Xia Prefecture, the soldiers immediately stepped forward and pinned Li Anquan's remaining troops to the ground.

Li Anquan's arms were held tightly by two soldiers, and the sword at his waist was taken away.

He struggled and roared, "Insolence! You traitors! I am the Emperor of Great Xia! How dare you lay a hand on me?"

"emperor?"

The governor of Xia Prefecture sneered, stepped forward, and looked down at Li Anquan with disdain in his eyes: "You dare to call yourself emperor?"

"You murdered the emperor and usurped the throne, forced His Majesty and the Crown Prince to their deaths, imprisoned the Empress Dowager, and now you have lost your army and territory, unable to even defend Xiping Prefecture. You are nothing but a traitor who brings disaster to the country and its people."

"We are here today to rid the country of traitors and to cleanse the house of the Great Xia!"

"To rid the country of traitors?"

Li Anquan trembled with rage, spitting as he spoke, "When I ascended the throne, who knelt to receive the title?"

"Who accepted my gold and silver? Who said they were willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty? Now that I am merely temporarily avoiding conflict, you turn your backs on me?"

"You are the traitors."

"No, you are a bunch of beasts and animals in human skin."

He stared intently at the nobles before him, their once fawning faces now filled with indifference and calculation.

He knew all too well that these people weren't "eliminating traitors for the country" at all; they just wanted to find a new patron after seeing him become a homeless dog and no longer of any use to them.

"Do you intend to take my head and offer it as a reward to the people of the Northern Frontier?" Li Anquan asked through gritted teeth.

"No no no."

The prefect of Xia Prefecture hurriedly waved his hand, forcing a stiff smile on his face, which then turned into a contemptuous expression as he sternly cursed.

"Those barbarians in the northern frontier, who eat raw meat and drink blood, and know nothing of etiquette, do they deserve our allegiance?"

“They are nothing but a band of thieves who burn, kill, and plunder. They don’t even understand the dignity of scholars. To associate with them is an insult to us.”

The surrounding nobles echoed their sentiments, some cursing the Northern Frontier for "not understanding the law," and others denouncing it as "tyrannical and immoral."

It's as if mentioning the northern border makes one's mouth dirty.

But Li Anquan looked at the panic deep in their eyes and sneered inwardly. These people were scathing in their words, but they were shrewder than anyone else when it came to their schemes.

They weren't "ashamed to surrender to the Northern Frontier" at all; they clearly understood the Northern Frontier's tactics and dared not surrender!

After the Northern Frontier Army captured Xingqing Prefecture and Xiping Prefecture, news of their treatment of the Western Xia nobles had already spread throughout the region.

Those who resisted were beheaded and their heads displayed in public; those who did not resist were stripped of all their land, reduced to slaves, and sent to the mining area to dig for stones.

Those gentry and officials who had once acted arrogantly and domineeringly had their property confiscated, and any act of resistance was punishable by death.

People in northern Xinjiang do not recognize "aristocratic privileges" at all, nor do they take "gentry dignity" seriously.

They only recognize Li Xiao and only protect the people; they show no mercy to these parasites who suck the blood of the people.

These nobles of Xia Prefecture had long understood that surrendering to the northern frontier meant certain death; they would not only lose their property but also their lives.

However, they were reluctant to give up the land, estates, and power accumulated over generations, so after much deliberation, they set their sights on the Jin Dynasty.

The Jin Dynasty was completely different from the northern frontier. After the Jurchens entered the Central Plains, they had long since learned to "govern the Han with Han methods".

They went to great lengths to win over the gentry and landowners within the territory.

As long as they paid taxes on time and did not rebel, the Jurchens allowed them to oppress the people and annex land. They even granted them official positions to help manage the local area.

Which of those powerful Han Chinese within the Jin territory didn't own thousands of acres of fertile land and have a large number of servants, living a more comfortable life than they did in the Tang or Song dynasties?
This is the life that the nobles of Xia Prefecture have always dreamed of: no need to live in fear of having their homes confiscated and being enslaved, and still able to continue to lord it over and oppress the people.

Seeing that Li Anquan had stopped struggling, the governor of Xia Prefecture's coldness lessened slightly, but his tone remained firm: "Li Anquan, considering that you were once the ruler of the Great Xia Kingdom recognized by His Majesty of Jin, we will not kill you."

"But you must go and see Lord Wanyan Gang, the chief administrator of Fengxiang Road in the Jin Kingdom."

"If you are willing to submit to the Jin Kingdom and pledge your loyalty to Lord Wanyan Gang, you may still be able to save your life."

Looking at their hypocritical faces, Li Anquan suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter filled with sorrow and mockery: "You just want to use me as a pledge of allegiance to curry favor with the Jin Kingdom."

"You call the Northern Frontier barbarians, but you bunch of traitors who sell out your masters for power are even worse than barbarians!"

"presumptuous!"

A Tangut nobleman stepped forward, glaring fiercely at Li Anquan. "Even at this point, you still dare to be stubborn. Take him away and send him to Yan'an Prefecture tomorrow."

"If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll cut out your tongue first."

The soldiers grabbed Li Anquan and dragged him toward the city's prison.

Li Anquan's remaining troops had already been disarmed; some were killed, and others, seeing the situation was dire, immediately wanted to surrender to the Xiazhou nobles.

Three days later, dust suddenly rose up outside Xiazhou City, and the crimson sun and moon battle flag fluttered in the wind.

"Boom boom boom boom boom~"

The northern cavalry led by Baliara surged in like a tide, their crimson armor forming a continuous line under the sunlight, like a torrent of red-hot iron flowing across the wasteland.

The hands of the soldiers guarding the city wall, gripping their weapons, were already soaked with sweat.

"They're here... The Northern Frontier Army has really arrived!"

"I heard they've even captured Xingqing Prefecture and Xiping Prefecture. Can we hold onto Xia Prefecture?"

"Shut up! What's the panic!"

The veteran next to him shouted sternly, but his own hand holding the spear was trembling slightly.

He had served with the Xia army in the Hexi Corridor and witnessed the Northern Frontier Army breaching cities. He had escaped by chance, but now, facing this army again, he could no longer suppress his fear.

"The Northern Frontier Army is very brave. I heard that their cavalry can cover a hundred miles in a day, and their swords are so fast that they can cut through iron armor... We probably don't have enough men to fight them."

"My goodness... so many people!"

Most of these garrison troops were local strongmen and private soldiers of nobles in Xia Prefecture. Almost none of them had actually fought against the Northern Frontier Army. They had heard too much about the demonizing propaganda about the Northern Frontier Army from officials and nobles.

"The people of the northern frontier eat raw meat and drink blood; once they conquer a city, they will slaughter the inhabitants."

"They specialize in killing men, robbing women and their belongings, and they don't even spare children."

Seeing the Northern Frontier Army in person now, the rumors seemed to have come true, and fear was spreading rapidly.

Meanwhile, the generals were trying their best to calm people down.

"Everyone, cheer up! There are arrows and rolling stones on the city walls, and we also have Jin reinforcements coming. We will definitely be able to defend Xia Prefecture."

"Anyone who dares to spread rumors and disrupt morale will be killed by me."

Soon, the Northern Frontier Army approached the city, and their crimson battle flags stopped less than a mile from the city walls.

A centurion, riding a black horse and wielding a long spear, shouted loudly, "Listen up, defenders on the city walls! Surrender immediately and you will be safe..."

Before he could finish speaking, the angry shouts of the governor of Xia Prefecture rang out from the city wall: "You barbarians of the northern frontier, stop your wild words!"

"Whether we surrender or defend, we'll both die. I'm going to fight you to the bitter end!"

"Don't think that just because you can break through Xiping Prefecture, you can make us surrender."

"We men of Xiazhou are not afraid of you."

"Look behind me, what is that?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a black battle flag was slowly raised, with a white dot in the center swaying in the wind—it was the Black Sun Flag of the Jin Dynasty.

Immediately afterwards, a general dressed in Jin Dynasty armor walked onto the city wall.

He was Wanyan Lie, the deputy chief of Fuyan Road, who shouted loudly to the people of the northern frontier outside the city: "Listen up, people of the northern frontier outside the city!"

"Xia Prefecture has already submitted to the Great Jin, and this place is now within the borders of the Great Jin. If you dare to attack the city, you will be starting a war with the Great Jin. At that time, our Great Jin iron cavalry will march north and make sure you never return."

Bali Ala Lema stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the black sun flag on the city wall, his brows furrowing slightly.

His personal guard whispered, "General, the walls of Xiazhou are strong, and the Jin army has already entered the city to reinforce us. We have come from afar and are all cavalry. If we blindly attack the city, we may suffer too many casualties."

Bali Ala nodded: "Pass down the order to seal off Xiazhou City and forbid anyone from entering or leaving."

"Send men to cut down trees in the surrounding mountains and forests to build siege ladders and battering rams, and then attack the city once the main force arrives!"

The officials of Xia Prefecture were well prepared. They transported all the grain, fodder and timber outside the city into the city in advance, and carried out a scorched earth policy, hoping to wear down the Northern Frontier Army.

Soldiers in the northern frontier could only cut down trees in the distant mountains to make siege equipment.

After five days of this stalemate, Li Dongjiang led the main force of the Second Division, together with the troops of the Fourth Division under Mo Jun, and came from two directions in a grand procession.

The group also carried thousands of prisoners of war, all of whom were servants and soldiers captured along the way when they broke into the manors of the Tangut nobles. They were dressed in rags and their faces were full of fear.

"Siege!"

At Li Dongjiang's command, the Tiger Cannon roared first, and the shells whistled as they crashed into the city wall. Although they failed to collapse the wall, they still made the defenders on the city wall feel dizzy and their hearts pound.

Immediately afterwards, the prisoners of war were led to the front lines by the soldiers of the northern frontier, armed with simple wooden shields, and forced to rush down the city wall.

"Don't fire! We're on the same side!"

A prisoner of war cried out and waved towards the city wall, "We surrender! Don't kill us!"

"We were forced into it!"

The Xia soldiers on the city wall dared not be careless. Even though they knew these people were Xia soldiers, who could guarantee that they were not genuinely surrendering to the northern frontier?

If we let them get onto the city wall, and then they try to climb it again, that would be dangerous.

Therefore, many people did not hesitate to shoot arrows at the prisoners of war. However, the Northern Frontier Army did not expect these prisoners of war to break through the city walls; they were only there to attract the Xia army's forces.

"The Tiger Cannon isn't powerful enough, bring in the explosives!" Li Dongjiang ordered sternly upon seeing this.

Whenever his firepower was insufficient, he would miss the Divine Might Cannon.

Unfortunately, that thing was too heavy, slowing down the march, so it had to be left at the rear. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken long to blast the city wall down.

Now, we can only slowly grind it down using the Tiger King Cannon and explosive packs.

Several armored soldiers from the northern frontier rushed to the city wall with their shields on, stuffed bundles of explosives into the dug pits, lit the fuses, and quickly retreated.

With a loud "boom", a breach was blasted into the base of the city wall.

The Tiger Cannon continued to unleash its power, and when used in conjunction with more high-powered explosive charges, by mid-afternoon, a breach had been blasted into a section of the city wall that was two zhang long.

"rush!"

Bali'ala drew his scimitar, and the Northern Frontier soldiers charged towards the breach like tigers, engaging in fierce combat with the city's defenders. Although the Xia army fought valiantly, they could not withstand the Northern Frontier army's relentless attack, and the Jin army's forces were also insufficient.

Before long, the city wall was breached, the Black Sun Flag fell from the city tower, and the Northern Frontier's Sun and Moon War Flag rose on the city wall.

After the city fell, the Northern Frontier Army immediately interrogated the prisoners of war. They learned from an official in Xia Prefecture that Li Anquan had long been sent to Yan'an Prefecture of the Jin Kingdom and might have already left Yan'an and was heading towards Chang'an.

The Jin army in the city was not the "main force of Fuyan Road" that Wanyan Lie had mentioned, but rather the garrison from Jiazhou on the Jin border.
When the nobles of Xia Prefecture sent people to the Jin Kingdom for help, Jia Prefecture, being the closest, was the first to arrive.

"The Jin army from Yan'an Prefecture is on its way under the leadership of Wanyan Heda, the general of the Fuyan Road?"

As Li Dongjiang listened to the interrogation report, a strange expression appeared on his face.

At this moment, Wanyan Lie was still arrogantly shouting from the side: "You dare to arrest me? Release this chief steward at once."

"His Majesty of the Great Jin Dynasty has already received the news, and the army will arrive soon."

"Can you afford to go to war with the Great Jin? We will raze your northern borders and leave you all without a burial place!"

Listening to his arrogant threats, and recalling the news from the prisoners of war that "reinforcements from Yan'an Prefecture are on their way," Li Dongjiang suddenly laughed, a low laugh filled with utter sarcasm.

Bali'ala was taken aback at first, then he smiled, exchanged a glance with Mo Jun and the other two, and they all laughed.

Wanyan Lie was baffled by the laughter and roared, "What are you laughing at?!"

Li Dongjiang stopped laughing, walked up to him, and said with a cold look in his eyes: "Laughing at your stupidity, laughing at your Jurchen naivety."

"Do you really think you can stop my Northern Frontier Army with just Xia Prefecture and a few thousand remnants? Let alone the reinforcements from Yan'an Prefecture, even if the main force of your Great Jin's Zhongdu comes, my Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry will still fight without hesitation!"

He waved his hand: "Take him away and keep a close watch on him—once we take Chang'an, we'll return him to Wanyan Jing as a 'gift'."

Subsequently, the Northern Frontier Army, in accordance with regulations, purged all the nobles, officials, and landowners of Xia Prefecture, confiscating their property and land, and enslaving the women.

……

On the dirt road on the border between Jin and Xia, ten thousand Jin infantry and cavalry were galloping toward Xia Prefecture.

The dust kicked up by horses' hooves blotted out the sky, and the infantry's spears and lances formed a steel jungle. The sound of armor clashing and horses' hooves mingled together, creating a menacing atmosphere.

As Wanyan Heda rode his warhorse, his eyes fixed on the front, his mind solely focused on reaching Xia Prefecture as quickly as possible to consolidate his strategic advantage over the northern frontier.

Just then, a scout galloped up from the front, dismounting with a look of urgency on his face: "Sir, a large number of Xia Kingdom refugees have been spotted ahead, all fleeing from the direction of Xia Prefecture."

"They said that Xia Prefecture has been captured by the Northern Frontier Army."

"what?"

Wanyan Heda abruptly pulled on the reins, his eyes filled with shock: "How could Xia Prefecture have fallen so quickly? I sent Wanyan Lie to take over the city first, how is he now?"

The scout shook his head: "These people are all fools; you can't get anything out of them."

Wanyan Heda's face instantly darkened.

"One should not blindly believe everything the people say."

"Send scouts to Xia Prefecture. I need accurate information."

Immediately, the army set up camp on the spot, and scouts disguised themselves as civilians and went to Xia Prefecture, bringing accurate news.

"Xia Prefecture has been occupied by the Northern Frontier Army."

"Damn it!" Wanyan Heda said angrily.

Having learned that the officials and powerful families of Xia Prefecture were willing to submit to the Jin Dynasty, he immediately ordered Wanyan Lie to lead a thousand cavalrymen to Xia Prefecture to assert sovereignty and stabilize the situation, while he himself led the main force of the army to follow closely behind.

He originally thought that the competition with the Northern Frontier Army was about speed. As long as he controlled Xia Prefecture first, he would be able to take the initiative. However, he did not expect that Xia Prefecture would fall so quickly.

Wanyan Lie is probably in grave danger at this moment.

"General, what should we do now?"

The adjutant beside him asked in a low voice, "Xia Prefecture has already been lost. There's no point in us advancing any further. If we encounter the main force of the Northern Frontier Army, we might suffer losses."

Wanyan Heda remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping the saddle.

He knew in his heart that the deputy general was right. Xia Prefecture was the target of this trip. Now that the city had fallen, continuing to advance would not only be futile, but might also lead to being surrounded by the Northern Frontier Army.

Moreover, the Song and Jin dynasties have already gone to war, and most of the Jin's main forces have been transferred to the southern border.

It was only because of the threat posed by the people of the northern frontier that he left his 10,000 troops to garrison Yan'an to guard against them.

Therefore, the Jin Dynasty's current attitude towards the northern border is primarily defensive, waiting until the war with the Song Dynasty has determined the outcome before making any further decisions.

Taking Xiazhou was also to gain a favorable defensive position.

Now it seems that everything has to return to the starting point, but unfortunately, Wanyan Lie has lost a thousand soldiers.

After a moment's thought, Wanyan Heda finally gritted his teeth and said, "Send the order down: the army shall immediately turn around and return to Yan'an Prefecture."

"Furthermore, send two scout teams to continue investigating the situation in the Xia Prefecture direction, and make sure to find out Wanyan Lie's whereabouts!"

Although the Jin soldiers had doubts, they dared not disobey orders and turned their horses around to retreat towards Yan'an Prefecture.

But no one expected that when the army returned to a place called Shilijing, the scouts behind them discovered a troop of cavalry.

"Look, sir, what is that?"

"Wearing red clothes?"

“Those are not our soldiers, nor do they seem to be from the Xia Kingdom.”

"Could it be the Northern Frontier Army?"

Upon realizing this possibility, all the scouts' expressions changed.

As the western frontier troops of the Jin Dynasty, they were very familiar with the name of the Northern Frontier Army.

They conquered the Hexi Corridor, destroyed the Xia Kingdom, and pacified the northern deserts, among other things.

But this was the first time he had ever seen the Northern Frontier Army in person.

"Hmph, dressed like women, all in bright red. I don't think they're much better than women," an old soldier mocked, feigning composure.

The other person nodded: "That's right, they only have ten people, we have twenty, so the advantage is on our side."

"Today I'm going to see if the people of Northern Xinjiang are really as powerful as the legends say."

"Kill them."

Subsequently, the Jin scouts gave chase, but the Northern Frontier scouts were exceptionally agile. Seeing the Jin army pursuing them, they did not linger in battle and turned their horses around to retreat.

The Jin scouts chased for a while but failed to catch up. Many soldiers relaxed and laughed, saying, "Haha, I don't think the people of the Northern Frontier are anything special."

"Didn't we still chase them like rabbits?"

"I thought the Northern Frontier Army was so powerful, but it turns out they're just all talk."

But at that moment, the scouts from the northern frontier suddenly reined in their horses and turned around as if to charge back.

On the left and right rear sides, two more scouts appeared.

Thirty against twenty.

The Jin army's scouts no longer had an advantage.

"No, we fell into a trap."

"Get out."

The Jin scouts shouted in panic, trying to turn back, but it was too late.

After a fierce battle, only two or three of the twenty Jin scouts managed to escape.

"Steward, Your Excellency."

The scouts who had escaped rushed back to Wanyan Hedama, their voices trembling with sobs and their bodies shaking uncontrollably.

“We…we were ambushed by the Northern Frontier Army. Out of twenty brothers, only the two of us survived.”

"More than fifty people from northern Xinjiang had already laid an ambush in the woods, just waiting for us to take the bait!"

Upon hearing this, Wanyan Heda's expression instantly turned serious.

"The Northern Frontier Army is incredibly fast... Xia Prefecture has just fallen, and their cavalry has already arrived here?"

But this surprise was quickly replaced by pride. Since the Jin army marched south into the Central Plains and swept through the Song army, they had never suffered a major defeat.

In the hearts of the Jurchen soldiers, the Jin army was an invincible force.

Although the Northern Frontier Army destroyed the Western Xia, it was because the Xia army was too weak in combat.

The people of the northern frontier were ultimately just a group of "barbarians from the Western Regions," how could they possibly be a match for the Jin army's heavenly soldiers?

"Hmph, trash."

After hearing the scouts' account of the battle, Wanyan Heda cursed angrily, never expecting the Northern Frontier Army to be so cunning.

In his view, it was not that the Jin soldiers were weak in combat, but that the scouts in the northern frontier lacked martial ethics.

Not only did they outnumber the few, they also set up an ambush.

"Order Wu Simeng to lead his cavalry to roam around the main force of our army and kill all the scouts from the northern frontier. Do not let them discover the strength of our army."

"The rest of the troops, speed up your march and return to Yan'an Prefecture as soon as possible. Once we are in our territory, they will not dare to act recklessly."

Subsequently, the Jin army increased its marching speed, while its cavalry was deployed in a wide area, preventing the northern scouts from getting any closer.

Two days later, as he looked at the gradually familiar landscape of the Jin Kingdom's border, Wanyan Heda's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

He estimated the distance; he would arrive at Sha Niu Ling, which was under the jurisdiction of Yan'an Prefecture, in another half day.

Just then, a rapid sound of hooves came from behind, and a Jin cavalryman covered in blood and with tattered armor stumbled and rushed over. It was none other than Wusimeng, the commander in charge of reconnaissance in the rear.

He cried out in a hoarse voice, "Steward, something terrible has happened!"

"We...we were ambushed by the Northern Frontier Cavalry, and our brothers suffered heavy losses."

"what?"

Wanyan Heda's eyes widened suddenly, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart. He grabbed Wusimeng's collar and questioned him sharply.

"The Northern Frontier Army? They actually dare to pursue us? My army has now reached Sha Niu Ridge, which is the territory of my Great Jin. Do they really intend to start a war with Great Jin?"

Wu Simeng forced a smile and replied, "Those barbarians from the northern frontier... don't care whether it's the territory of the Great Jin Kingdom or not."

"They have over a thousand cavalrymen, each one as fierce as a wolf. Our cavalry were shamelessly ambushed by them, and our brothers were either killed or wounded... They are still chasing after us, and they will probably reach Killing Ox Ridge soon."

Wanyan Heda released his grip, and Wusi collapsed to the ground.

He gazed at the rolling hills in the direction of Sha Niu Ling, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

The arrogance of the Northern Frontier Army far exceeded his expectations.

In his view, after the fall of Xia Prefecture, it would have been reasonable for the Northern Frontier Army to withdraw while they were ahead. However, the enemy not only ambushed the scouts but also dared to cross the border and chase them to the border of the Great Jin Dynasty. This was simply a blatant provocation against the majesty of the Great Jin Dynasty.

"The whole army obeys the order."

Wanyan Heda drew his curved sword from his waist and pointed it at the high point of Sha Niu Ridge. "Immediately seize the top of Sha Niu Ridge and form ranks to meet the enemy."

"I, the chief steward, want to see just how bold these barbarians of the northern frontier really are."

　Fuyan Road roughly corresponds to the area of ​​Yan'an in later times, mainly including Fuzhou City and Yan'an Prefecture. Jiazhou was a border town under Yan'an Prefecture, with a permanent garrison of about 500 troops.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)