The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 344 The Seventh Town of the Northern Frontier, Farewell to Lin'an
Half a month after the signing of the Wei River Alliance, Xianyang City welcomed a grand ceremony—Li Xiao's sacrificial ceremony to Heaven and confer the title of King.

On the site of the former Xianyang Palace, a temporary altar for worshipping Heaven rose from the ground, reaching a height of nine zhang (approximately 33 meters). The steps were paved with bluestone, and the sides were filled with golden sun and moon battle flags.

In the center of the altar, a large bronze cauldron stands quietly, which is the Yongzhou Cauldron, symbolizing the orthodoxy of Guanzhong.

This cauldron, passed down from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, has endured thousands of years of vicissitudes. It was unearthed from the bottom of the Wei River by the Northern Frontier Army and has become the most important ceremonial vessel for Li Xiao's investiture as a king.

At 3:45 AM, the auspicious time has arrived.

Li Xiao wore a dark gold dragon-patterned royal robe, with mountain and river patterns embroidered on the hem, symbolizing the vast territory he ruled.

He wore chainmail close to his body, with the armor plates hidden under his robe, which not only maintained his royal dignity but also concealed his military prowess.

Wearing a crown, he stepped steadily onto the altar, his solemn demeanor drawing the attention of the soldiers and civilians below.

On either side of the altar, Jin envoy Wanyan Yongji and Song envoy Su Shidan stood side by side, their expressions different.

Wanyan Yongji looked at Li Xiao's back, his heart filled with humiliation and resentment, but he could only pretend to be calm. After all, the Jin Kingdom's national strength was declining and it was powerless to stop the rise of the northern frontier.

Su Shidan's feelings were more complex—he was both relieved that the Song Dynasty had temporarily escaped the threat of the Jin Dynasty and worried about the strength of the northern frontier.

Looking at the densely packed soldiers from the northern frontier below the stage, and at the fervent worship in their eyes for Li Xiao, he was once again reminded of the Jurchens before the Jingkang Incident.

Both have risen rapidly and both have a strong military cohesion. Today's Northern Frontier is more terrifying than the Jurchens of yesteryear, because Li Xiao not only has a powerful army, but also the ability to integrate the territory and govern the people.

"The sacrificial ceremony begins! Read the sacrificial text!"

Hu Li sang loudly in response, holding the eulogy, stepped forward, and read it in a loud voice:

"On the eighth day of the ninth month of the 1427th year of the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, Li Xiao, the Grand Protector of the Northern Frontier and Tengri Gur Khan, respectfully offered sacrifices of cattle and sheep to Heaven and Earth."

"In the past, the five dynasties of Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang ruled the world from Guanzhong; now the northern frontier has risen in the western regions, and in ten years it has expanded its territory by thousands of miles, taking over the northern desert, pacifying the Hexi Corridor, quelling the Xia Kingdom, and taking the Wei River North, all thanks to the soldiers' bravery and the people's loyalty."

"Although I am not talented, I am willing to accept the mandate of heaven, be enfeoffed as the King of Qin, establish the Qin dynasty, so as to bring peace to the people of the world from suffering and to restore the orthodoxy of China in Guanzhong."

"May Heaven and Earth protect us, may the northern frontier be forever secure, may our soldiers be safe and sound, and may our people live in peace and prosperity; may all that our banners point to be our homeland, may all nations come to pay homage, and may there be no more war."

"May you enjoy this meal!"

After the eulogy was read aloud, Hu Li threw it into the brazier, and flames rose up as if in response to this expectation for the world.

The soldiers from the northern frontier below the stage erupted in a thunderous roar: "Long live the King of Qin! Long live the northern frontier!"

"Long live the King of Qin! Long live the Northern Frontier!"

Shouts rose and fell, echoing throughout every corner of Xianyang City.

Even the distant city of Chang'an seemed to be shaken by this sound wave. Wanyan Gang and other Jin generals stood on the city wall, looking north with solemn expressions on their faces.

Li Xiao walked to the Yongzhou Cauldron, faced the soldiers of the Northern Frontier below, and said loudly, "Today I proclaim myself King of Qin, not for my own selfish reasons, but to free the people of the world from the suffering of war."

“All people in my northern frontier, whether Han, Khitan, Uyghur, Turkic, or Tangut, shall be treated equally.”

"All soldiers in our northern frontier will be rewarded for their merits and punished for their mistakes."

"In the future, we will conquer more land and make the laws of the northern frontier prevail throughout the world."

"Long live the King of Qin! Long live the Northern Frontier!" the soldiers shouted once again.

However, the expressions of Wanyan Yongji and the other observers changed.

Having just signed the Wei River Alliance, Li Xiao made a high-profile declaration during the investiture ceremony that he would conquer more land.

Who else could it be but the Jin Dynasty?
"Ambitious!"

"Overbearing aura." Wanyan Yongji looked at Li Xiao's figure on the altar and murmured in a low voice, his face full of solemnity.

From the moment the Wei River Alliance was signed, both countries were preparing to tear it up.

The same was true for the Jin Dynasty, and also for the northern frontier.

Li Xiao was not only good at fighting, but also knew how to govern a country and appoint talented people. Such an opponent was more terrifying than any enemy the Jin Kingdom had ever encountered before.

Su Shidan quickly stepped forward and bowed to Li Xiao, saying, "I, Su Shidan, the envoy of the Great Song Dynasty, congratulate the Prince of Qin and the founding of the Northern Frontier."

"The Great Song Dynasty is willing to forever form a brotherhood with the northern border and jointly resist the Jin invaders."

Li Xiao looked at Su Shidan and smiled faintly: "Envoy Song, rest assured, the friendship between the Northern Frontier and the Great Song is harder than iron and stronger than stone, and will never change."

After the ceremony, Li Xiao summoned his core generals and officials and announced an important decision concerning the future of the northern frontier.

The Seventh Division was established, and the existing six divisions were expanded in terms of troop strength.

"Everyone."

Li Xiao sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone solemn yet firm: "Although the Northern Frontier has now been established as a nation, the Jin Kingdom, our main adversary, remains a formidable enemy."

"They occupy the prosperous Central Plains, command hundreds of thousands of troops, and have deep roots in the country."

"With our current forces, it would be difficult to take Guanzhong. If we want to take the whole Central Plains and overthrow the Jin Dynasty in the future, we must expand our military strength and increase our power."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall nodded in agreement. Having experienced the Battle of Guanzhong, they knew that although the Jin Kingdom had suffered heavy losses, it still possessed considerable strength, and expanding its army was an inevitable move.

Li Xiao continued, "I plan to expand the existing six towns from three 10,000-household units each to four 10,000-household units each, with each town having a combined force of 20,000 cavalry, infantry, and artillery, thereby enhancing the attack and field combat capabilities of each town."

"At the same time, the Seventh Garrison of the Northern Frontier was formally established. Its armor and flag were blue, and it stood alongside the other six garrisons, stationed in Lingzhou, waiting for an opportunity to launch an eastern expedition against the Jin Kingdom."

He paused, then added, "In terms of troop replenishment, we will select the strongest men from the Jin and Xia army prisoners to fill the vacancies in the seven garrisons."

"The remaining prisoners of war were sent to the western border regions such as Beihai, Qihe, and Yili, where they were mixed with the local garrison troops. The disabled and demobilized officers from the northern frontier were the backbone of the re-establishment of the garrison troops."

"In this way, we can solve the problem of prisoner resettlement and strengthen the western border defense."

However, these two projects are large in scale and will take a long time to complete. It would be considered efficient if they could be completed within a year.

The immediate priority is to establish new structures for each town and determine the appointment of new generals.

Today's appointments and removals of generals mainly involve two core levels: commanders-in-chief and commanders of ten thousand households. The scope covers the six newly added commanders of ten thousand households in the six towns and the four commanders of ten thousand households in the seventh town.

For positions below the deputy commander level, Li Xiao needs more time to consider because there are too many candidates.

However, regarding the appointment of commanders of ten thousand, he had already prepared a detailed list based on their military achievements in the various battles of the Eastern Expedition, and now he read it aloud one by one:

"He is relieved of his post as deputy commander of the Second Garrison of Baliala and appointed as commander of the Seventh Garrison, concurrently serving as the newly established 200,000th Household."

"Lin Dazhuang is relieved of his post as the Third Ten Thousand Household Commander and appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Seventh Garrison, concurrently serving as the newly established Twenty-One Ten Thousand Household Commander."

"Qin Xiong is relieved of his post as deputy commander of the 60,000th household and appointed as the newly established 220,000th household."

"Zhang Sheng is relieved of his post as deputy head of the 170,000th household and appointed as the newly appointed head of the 230,000th household."

"Zhu Dachang is relieved of his post as deputy head of the 40,000th household and appointed as the newly established 240,000th household."

……

This promotion was based entirely on military merits. The deputy commanders were promoted to commanders based on their military achievements, and the deputy commanders of ten thousand were promoted to commanders of ten thousand based on their military performance, which basically achieved fairness and impartiality.

Many generals were filled with excitement. They knew that as long as they fought bravely on the battlefield and made meritorious contributions, they would never be forgotten and would have even greater opportunities for promotion in the future.

The most attention-grabbing event was the appointment of the commander of the Seventh Garrison.

Li Xiao broke with the previous practice of appointing members of the Li clan as commanders-in-chief and handed over this important position to Bali'ala.

Although the crowd was surprised, they did not complain much.

Bali Ala was originally a subordinate of Xiao Simo and one of the four great stone marquises of the Six Courts of the Khitan.

As early as when Li Xiao served as the governor of Jinzhou, he had already served as the deputy governor, and had extensive experience.

Over the years, he followed Li Xiao in his campaigns across the north and south, from the Western Regions to Guanzhong, from the northern deserts to the Hexi Corridor, and he was present in every key battle.

He made several great contributions during this eastern expedition, and his body was covered with countless scars. Among all the deputy commanders, his military achievements were the highest.

Therefore, although not everyone was convinced by his appointment as the commander of the Seventh Garrison, no one could openly object to it.

Few people know that Li Xiao had a deeper consideration behind his move.

The Khitan faction within northern Xinjiang is facing a leadership vacancy.

News came from Longcheng that Sima Jiumeng Anhe of the Grand Protectorate was in increasingly poor health and had submitted his resignation to Li Xiao, preparing to relinquish all his positions and retire.

After careful consideration, Li Xiao agreed to his request and, during this military expansion, promoted Jiu Meng Anhe's eldest son to the rank of commander of ten thousand men to appease the veteran general.

However, a newly appointed commander of ten thousand households is not enough to support the entire Khitan faction. A senior general with outstanding military achievements is needed to take the lead, and Bali'ala is the best candidate.

Of course, Xiao Chilu, the deputy commander of the Fifth Garrison, who was also Xiao Tuladuo's eldest son, was also capable of supporting the Khitan faction.

However, the Fifth Division did not participate in this Eastern Expedition. Although Xiao Chilu was talented, he lacked key military achievements to support him. Therefore, Li Xiao decided to let him continue to serve in the Fifth Division.

Upon hearing the appointment, Bali'ala immediately stood up, patted his chest, bowed, and said in a loud voice, "This humble general, Bali'ala, thanks Your Majesty for your trust."

"I will live up to Your Majesty's trust and train the troops of the Seventh Garrison well. In the future, when we march east to conquer the Jin Kingdom, we will be at the forefront and take over the Central Plains for the northern frontier."

"Get up!"

Li Xiao smiled and nodded: "I believe in your abilities."

"Although the Seventh Division has the foundation of the other four divisions, it is a newly established army with many affairs. You need to put in more effort to integrate the troops as soon as possible and form combat effectiveness."

"Yes, sir," Baliara said emphatically.

Other newly promoted generals also stepped forward to receive their orders, and the atmosphere in the hall was lively.

……

Subsequently, Li Xiao appointed Bali'ala as the General of Lingzhou, leading the Seventh Garrison to guard the Hetao region.

Li Dong was relieved of his post as General of Jiangxi Province and appointed as General of Xianyang, leading the Second Garrison to guard the north of the Wei River and coordinating the defense against the Jin.

After Li Xiao led the First Garrison back to Longcheng, the troops remaining on the front lines against the Jin in the northern frontier will still maintain a force of four garrisons. From south to north, these will be: the Fourth Garrison in Longyou, responsible for defending against a Jin counterattack from the Qinzhou direction and maintaining contact with the Song Dynasty.

The second town north of the Wei River directly faces the Jin army in Chang'an and serves as the core of the defense.

The seventh town in the Hetao region was responsible for guarding the rear granaries and supporting the eastern and western fronts.

The sixth garrison in northern Mongolia was tasked with preventing a surprise attack by the Jin dynasty from the Jiehao defense line, while also tying down Jin forces in the northern frontier.

The four towns formed a defensive perimeter, creating a complete defense system against the Jin dynasty.

After the expansion is completed, each town will have 20,000 elite troops, divided into infantry, cavalry, and artillery, as well as numerous herding and garrison troops. Once war breaks out with the Jin Dynasty, the town can directly mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops.

After the military and political deployments came to an end, Li Xiao turned his attention to people's livelihood and production, and said to Gao Zhongyi, the military advisor of the military agricultural affairs department: "Gao Zhongyi, I hereby appoint you as the governor of Weibei. Go to Weibei immediately to take up your post."

"I will assign you a group of wounded and demobilized officers as junior officers to assist you in carrying out your duties."

"Your primary task is to ensure a good autumn harvest and planting season, and to guarantee a bumper harvest of grain in the Weibei region."

He spoke solemnly, emphasizing, "The grain production in Guanzhong, Longyou, Hexi Corridor, and Hetao regions will have to support an army of 100,000 in the future, which will put immense pressure on us."

"Production is the top priority. Only with sufficient food can we take the initiative in the confrontation with the Jin and have the confidence to continue the eastward expedition."

Gao Zhongyi was naturally happy to become the governor of Weibei, but he also felt immense pressure. After all, Guanzhong had just experienced war and was in dire need of reconstruction, making the restoration of production quite difficult.

Gao Zhongyi said in a deep voice, "This humble general will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust and do my best to ensure the autumn harvest and planting, guarantee the food supply, and provide a solid support for the army."

Li Xiao nodded slowly: "I believe you."

In October, news came from Yinchuan Prefecture that Lady Lü had given birth to a son for Li Xiao.

Lady Lü was originally a Han Chinese from the Xia Kingdom. She was once a concubine of Li Chunyou, the former ruler of the Xia Kingdom. After Li Xiao pacified the Xia Kingdom, she was taken into his household and became pregnant after only two months of being favored by him.

Now that she has successfully given birth to a son, not only is Lady Lü overjoyed, but her family has also risen in status, from being prisoners of war to becoming relatives of the King of Qin, completely bridging the class divide.

Li Xiao named his son "Li Shiqing".

In mid-October, Li Xiao's other wife, Li Lingyang, also gave birth smoothly, but she gave birth to a daughter.

Li Xiao was also overjoyed and named the princess "Li Wanyue".

Meanwhile, the princess to be married off to the Song Kingdom has been selected, named Zhao Yue.

His father was Zhao Bing, the Prince of Yi, who was a cousin of Emperor Ningzong of Song.

Since Zhao Kuo had no daughter, he selected Zhao Yue from among the imperial relatives and bestowed upon her the title of "Princess Shunyi".

When the imperial decree to "marry into the northern frontier" reached the Prince Yi's residence, Zhao Yue was copying Song Dynasty poems. Her bright and beautiful face instantly turned mournful and dejected.

She had heard rumors about the northern frontier before; it was a bitterly cold place covered in ice and snow, where winters could truly freeze people to death.

Having grown up in Lin'an with a life of luxury, how could she withstand such severe cold?

"Mother, I will not marry."

Zhao Yue threw herself into her mother's arms, crying with tears streaming down her face: "The Northern Frontier is a barbarian land, and Li Xiao is of humble origin. If I go there, won't I be like a lamb entering a tiger's den?"

The princess also wiped away her tears, but could only sigh helplessly, "My child, how could your mother bear to part with you?"

"But being born into royalty, we don't have the right to choose our own destiny."

"This is the Emperor's decree, and it concerns the safety of the Great Song Dynasty. We cannot disobey it!"

Not long after, Emperor Ningzong of Song, Zhao Kuo, personally summoned Zhao Yue to the palace.

Inside the imperial study, Zhao Kuo looked at his niece, his tone somewhat reassuring.

"Yue'er, although the war has stopped now, the Jin Kingdom is still eyeing our Great Song with covetous eyes, and there is always the possibility of them invading the south again."

"Only the northern frontier can restrain the Jin Dynasty. Your marriage to the northern frontier is for the sake of the Song Dynasty and the people of the world. I believe you understand this responsibility."

Upon returning from the palace, Zhao Yue cried even harder, but she knew that resistance was futile.

Her fate was already tied to the safety of the Song Dynasty, just like Wang Zhaojun's departure to the border and Princess Wencheng's journey to Tibet, she could only dedicate herself to the country.

A few days later, Han Tuozhou personally visited the Song Dynasty, and Prince Yi, Zhao Bing, relayed his message: "Prime Minister Han said that this marriage alliance is of great importance. If the northern border can maintain its alliance with the Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty will not dare to easily invade the south."

"Yue'er's journey is not only for herself, but also for the stability of Lin'an and the future of the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Yue remained silent for a long time before finally wiping away her tears and slowly nodding: "Daughter understands, daughter is willing to go to the northern frontier."

What Zhao Yue didn't know was that Han Tuozhou also wanted to take advantage of this marriage alliance to send some spies to the northern frontier.

After all, in the current relationship between the two countries, the northern border region has always held the initiative.

The Northern Frontier seemed to know a great deal about the Song Dynasty, even its court affairs.

In contrast, the northern frontier was shrouded in mystery for the Song Dynasty, and little was known about it.

Therefore, Han Tuozhou took the opportunity to plant many spies in the marriage procession in order to gain a deeper understanding of the northern frontier and pass on information.

The day the marriage procession set off caused a sensation in Lin'an.

Countless people flocked to the streets. Some came to see her off, some came to watch the spectacle, and many young men who admired Zhao Yue stood by the roadside, heartbroken.

Some even cried out, "Your Majesty is foolish! How could you marry such a beauty to the barbarian chieftain of the northern frontier!"

"Exactly! I've heard that the people from the northern frontier are killing members of the gentry and seizing land in Guanzhong; they're simply ruthless."

"Let's hurry and petition His Majesty to rescind his decree."

"The frontline generals are incompetent, and the soldiers are even more useless. They can't defeat the Jin Kingdom, so they rely on sending princesses to sue for peace, which has disgraced the Song Dynasty."

"Haven't those thieving convicts disgraced our Great Song Dynasty enough? Hmph!"

"Why does our Great Song Dynasty, with its flourishing culture and governance, have such a group of weak and incompetent soldiers?"

Some people, fueled by alcohol, angrily complained that the Song army was plundering the grain of wealthy households, unaware that those soldiers had already had their rations and pay reduced and were not even getting enough to eat; the plundering was merely a last resort.

The decadent lifestyle of Lin'an was laid bare during this farewell ceremony.

While some people were still enjoying themselves in restaurants, and others were sighing and lamenting about the marriage alliances in the streets, few people truly cared about the safety of the Song Dynasty or the war between the northern border and the Jin Dynasty.

Zhao Yue sat in the carriage, listening to the commotion outside, her heart filled with desolation.

I wonder if I will ever see Lin'an again.

The carriage slowly drove away, heading west, first to Hanzhong, then north to Longyou, and finally to Xianyang.

The journey of over three thousand li took nearly four months, and by the time they arrived in Xianyang, it was already the spring of the following year.

At this time, Li Xiao was staying in Guanzhong to oversee the situation.

This was his habit; whenever he conquered a new territory, he would personally supervise civil affairs such as population registration, land allocation, and cultivation to ensure the stability of his rule.

That day, he was inspecting the military fields in the second town. Under his feet was freshly tilled land, which exuded the fresh scent of soil.

In the order of battle in the northern frontier, apart from the Armed Forces which were fully engaged in military service, the other troops were engaged in both farming and combat.

After Li Xiao decided that the Second Garrison would remain in Guanzhong, he allocated a portion of the captured aristocratic farmland as military farmland for the Second Garrison.

While having soldiers cultivate the land couldn't completely solve the food problem, it did alleviate a significant portion of the pressure.

In addition, the 100,000 captured soldiers were not idle either; they also needed to farm or even reclaim wasteland.

We cannot support them in the northern border regions for nothing.

Some were carefully selected to join the Seven Towns, while others would migrate to the three states of the Northern Frontier and Western Frontier the following year, where they would need to grow their own food for the journey.

Amidst the busy spring plowing, Li Xiao personally went to work in the fields, while asking Wu Lizhen, the military advisor of Xuande Division, who was standing next to him.

"How is the propaganda going in the Jin Kingdom?"

While working, Wu Lizhen reported, "Your Majesty, we have already sent quite a few people to infiltrate the Jin Kingdom."

"They told the people of the Jin Kingdom that farming in the northern frontier only required paying 40% rent and taxes, with no other exorbitant levies or miscellaneous taxes."

"Moreover, our northern border treats prisoners of war well. Most of the Jin soldiers who fought in the Guanzhong Campaign have surrendered to the northern border. They not only cultivate low-tax grain fields, but also eat meat often, and many of them have even become officials."

"In short, to put it positively, we want the people of the Jin Kingdom to know that there are good days to be had in the northern frontier, and to encourage the families of prisoners of war to come and search for their relatives."

"well done."

Li Xiao nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Gao Zhongyi, the governor of Weibei: "Governor Gao, how many Jin refugees have you received in the past few months? How many are searching for their relatives?"

Gao Zhongyi replied, "Your Majesty, since the ceasefire, we have received more than 3,000 refugees from the Jin Kingdom, most of whom are displaced people from the south bank of the Wei River."

"More than 500 people are searching for their relatives, most of whom are relatives of prisoners of war. We have arranged for them to reunite with their families."

"However, many prisoners of war were previously refugees or young people who had not had time to get married, so they naturally had few family members."

Li Xiao nodded slightly and pondered, "It would be best if there were no family ties to worry about."

"Once they go to Qihe and experience the warmth of the women from that ethnic group, they might just forget all about home."

After the spring planting season is over, Li Xiao will lead the First Town and five prisoner-of-war households back to Longcheng.

He had already ordered a simple screening of all prisoners of war, and most of those taken to the northern frontier were those who did not have many ties in the Central Plains.

Just as Li Xiao was inspecting the prisoners of war's farming situation, his personal guard rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, Deputy Commander Luo has come to report that Princess Shunyi of the Song Kingdom has arrived at Fuqiang City. Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao stopped and said calmly, "Order Deputy Commander Luo to send someone to escort her to Xianyang so that she can return to the Northern Frontier with me."

The cold in northern Xinjiang will freeze many insects to death.

(End of this chapter)