The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 350 Marriage
"The Swift Cavalry Battalion has been established, but we still need a commander to oversee the overall situation."

Beneath the golden sun and moon battle flag, Li Xiao faced all the student soldiers and shouted in a deep voice, "Li Shurong!"

"The general is here!"

Li Shurong immediately stepped forward, his posture as upright as a pine tree.

He had previously witnessed the strength of the student soldiers as an assessment supervisor and had already been informed by Li Xiao. At this moment, his eyes were full of excitement and anticipation.

"I hereby appoint you as the commander of the Valiant Cavalry, in charge of the training, combat, and daily management of the Valiant Cavalry. Are you confident in shouldering this important responsibility?" Li Xiao asked seriously, his eyes fixed on Li Shurong.

"This humble general is confident that I will not fail Your Majesty's trust!" Li Shurong slammed his right hand on his chest in a deep bow, his voice firm and powerful.

"it is good!"

Li Xiao looked up at the student soldiers again and said loudly, "I hereby order that Li Shurong, the centurion of the Wuwei Army, be relieved of his post and appointed as the commander of the Xiaoji Battalion."

After saying that, Li Xiao stepped forward and handed him the black sun and moon battle flag that symbolized the glory of the Xiaoji Camp.

"With this flag in hand, I represent the will of the King. The Valiant Cavalry is the new blood of the Great Qin. You must lead this force well and make it the sharpest blade in the Northern Frontier Army!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Li Shurong accepted the battle flag with both hands.

After appointing the commanders of the Thousand-Household Army, Li Xiao began to announce the appointments of the centurions: "Wang Rui, Zhou Heng, Wu Lie, Zheng Feng, Zhao Yan, and Sun Yi are appointed as centurions of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion. They shall assume their posts immediately!"

Six figures quickly stepped out from the Wuwei Army ranks and bowed in unison to receive their orders.

"I will obey your orders!"

"I swear to serve the King to the death!"

All six men were around twenty years old, dressed in yellow armor with red trim. Although their faces looked young, their eyes revealed the composure of someone who had been through many battles.

They were all Li Xiao's confidants, some of whom had followed Li Xiao since childhood, and were personally taught tactics, strategies, discipline of the new army, and training methods by Li Xiao.

During the Eastern Expedition, they charged ahead and made many contributions. They had already reached the rank of Captain and were fully capable of taking on the role of Centurion.

“You have followed me for many years and are familiar with my fighting style and military philosophy.”

Li Xiao looked at the six men and said in a solemn tone, "The soldiers of the Xiaoqi Battalion are mostly young men. You must not only teach them practical combat skills, but also instill the loyalty and discipline of the Qin soldiers into their very bones. Do you understand?"

"Your subordinate obeys," the six men replied in unison, their voices firm and resolute.

Next came the appointment of captains, all of whom were young members of the Wuwei Army, and all were key members of Li Xiao's personal guards who had fought alongside him on his eastern expedition and faced the enemy head-on.

The guards whose names were called stepped forward to receive their orders.

Just when everyone thought the appointment of captains was about to end, Li Xiao added: "In addition, Chen Muzhi, Mu Ying, and Zhang Hatu from the Jinzhou Military Academy, and the top three students from the Desert Military Academy, were also directly appointed as captains."

Upon hearing this, a low gasp of surprise immediately rippled through the square.

Many student soldiers looked at Chen Muzhi and his two companions with envy.

When they were all still recruits, these three were able to become captains alongside the veterans.

However, no one was dissatisfied, after all, these three were the best among more than three hundred students.

Upon hearing the appointment, Chen Muzhi and the other two were both surprised and delighted. They quickly went up to the high platform, clasped their hands on their chests and bowed to Li Xiao, saying in unison, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

"The students will swear to serve the King to the death!"

Li Xiao looked at the three of them, his tone gentle yet solemn: "Although you performed well in the actual combat assessment, and your tactical skills and discipline are no less than those of veterans, you have not yet experienced the cruelty of a real battlefield."

"Giving you this position is both a reward and a test."

"Going forward, we should learn more from veterans' combat experience and grow into officers who can stand on their own as soon as possible."

"Your humble servants will certainly not fail Your Majesty's expectations." The three bowed again, their eyes filled with determination.

Afterwards, Li Xiao had someone bring over the rewards that had been prepared beforehand.

Two soldiers stepped forward carrying a tray, on which were placed three gold-inlaid cavalry sabers and ten exquisite telescopes.

Li Xiao picked up the first knife and handed it to Chen Muzhi: "This knife is the standard military knife of my Qin army, the Wu Rong knife."

"One side of the blade is engraved with 'Wu Rong,' symbolizing the mission of a soldier; the other side is engraved with 'Cheng Gong, Cheng Ren,' representing the integrity and glory of a soldier."

"You are the top scorer in the Jinzhou Academy's examination; this sword is bestowed upon you."

"I hope you will continue your efforts and make unparalleled contributions to our Great Qin."

Chen Muzhi took the sheathed cavalry saber with both hands, and couldn't help but grip the hilt tightly, his heart filled with pride.

Following that, Li Xiao handed two more knives to Mu Ying and Zhang Hatu respectively. The three of them stood with their knives in hand, drawing envious glances from the surrounding students.

Afterwards, Li Xiao ordered the top ten students in the final assessment to come up on stage and personally bestowed upon each of them a clairvoyant ability.

He intends to continue this sword-awarding ceremony as a tradition, where the top three and top ten graduates from each batch of Jinzhou and Damo Academy will be personally awarded cavalry swords and clairvoyance by Li Xiao.

Both of these symbolize command authority, an honor bestowed upon them by Li Xiao, and also an expectation for their future.

At this point, the framework of the Swift Cavalry Battalion was fully established: Li Shurong was appointed as a commander of a thousand men, and six captains from the Wuwei Army were appointed as commanders of a hundred men.

More than ten core guards and six outstanding students from two schools were appointed as captains, while the remaining outstanding students were appointed as shihu (household officers).

Once the more than 500 young men recruited from the populace have arrived, the 1,200-strong elite cavalry battalion can be officially established.

"New Army!"

As the framework of the elite cavalry gradually became clear, Li Xiao's thoughts drifted back to many years ago.

When he first commanded the battle against the Grolus, he remained unmoved in the face of the frenzied coalition of the Four Fortresses.

This is simply because this is the true nature of the army of this era: barbaric, chaotic, and greedy, fighting only with the courage of blood and guts, and venting their bestial desires wildly after the war. No one can easily change this.

At that time, Li Xiao thought about building a brand new army, a new iron army with discipline, tactics, and faith.

But the situation at that time was just too difficult.

Without a stable foundation, sufficient provisions, and enough prestige, and with even their own safety constantly at risk, establishing a new army would be tantamount to suicide.

Now, ten years later, he has grown from a boy in Jinzhou into the King of Qin, finally turning his original idea into reality.

Thinking of this, a trace of emotion flashed in Li Xiao's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

The elite cavalry battalion was just the beginning.

For the next five days, Li Xiao stayed at the academy camp, personally overseeing the reorganization of the Xiaoji Camp.

He personally supervised every detail, from developing new training programs to defining the responsibilities of each 100-household unit and coordinating the cooperation between veterans and student soldiers.

Ensure that the elite cavalry battalion develops in the direction of a "new army" from the very beginning.

In his spare time, he also inspected the living and training conditions of students in the other two cohorts of the academy.

Most of the students in the second batch were people he had met before the expedition. Now they had shed their childishness and were able to skillfully complete basic horseback archery and physical training.

The students in the third cohort were even younger, mostly seven or eight years old. They were completely unfamiliar with Li Xiao, the "King," and were both curious and somewhat timid when they met him.

Li Xiao did not put on airs like a king. Instead, he went into their tent, checked whether the bedding was thick enough, and asked whether they had enough to eat each day.

At the training ground, he picked up a child's short bow and taught him how to adjust his posture step by step.

In class, he also checked the literacy of several children. When he saw that they could recite excerpts from "The Revelation of the King of Qin" fluently, a smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Moreover, Li Xiao's nephew Luo Wenzhong and Er Ya's nephew Su Wuji are also among the students in the third cohort.

Li Xiao found an opportunity to call the two little ones out, gave them some instructions, and handed them the daily necessities that Da Feng, Er Ya, and others had entrusted to him.

Before leaving, Li Xiao personally addressed the second and third cohorts of students, his tone gentle yet powerful: "Your seniors have become soldiers of the Valiant Cavalry, and are about to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Great Qin."

"And you, you must also study hard and train diligently, so that in the future you will not only surpass your seniors, but also become pillars of the Great Qin."

"Remember, the laws of this world have never changed: the strong must rule the weak."

"Either defend your homeland with a sword or cultivate the land with a plow, but the prerequisite for all of this is that the Qin Dynasty must become strong."

"The Qin state is above all else!"

The young children nodded as if they understood, but they remembered Li Xiao's words.

"The Qin state is above all else!"

"The strong must rule the weak. If you don't want to be ruled and oppressed by others, you must become strong."

The next second, all the students, just like Chen Muzhi and the others before them, stood with their legs straddling, their right fists pounding heavily on their chests, and shouted loudly: "Loyalty!"

"loyalty!"

"loyalty!"

"I swear to serve the King to the death!"

After the speech, Li Xiao stopped Wu Gang and Zhao Lie and reiterated the core principles of the military academy.

"A strong ideology creates a strong nation, while a weak ideology only creates a weak nation."

"The formation of ideas depends entirely on education."

"As the administrators of the school, you must not only teach the children horsemanship, archery, and tactics, but also instill the ideals of the Great Qin and the dignity of the Chinese nation into their very bones."

"Let them know why they are fighting and to whom they are loyal."

"The Qin Dynasty is above all else; it is more important than any weapon."

"We understand!" Wu Gang and Zhao Lie replied in unison.

Subsequently, he led the Imperial Guard back to Longcheng, while the Valiant Cavalry also set off as planned to garrison at the military camp outside Longcheng, joining the student army of the Desert Military Academy to begin formal reorganization and training.

August brought great joy to Longcheng.

Li Xiao's cousin, Erbao, got married. The bride's family was of Han Chinese descent from Dunhuang, and their status and seniority were slightly inferior to some old Han Chinese families in Jinzhou.

His father was demobilized after the Battle of Mobei and was appointed by Li Xiao as the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Gansu.

The position of "Provincial Inspector" was a new official post created by Li Xiao to check and balance local power.

Previously, the system in the northern frontier was not yet perfect. The generals of each prefecture were in charge of military affairs, and the governors were in charge of civil affairs. Each of them held absolute power over their prefecture, which inevitably led to the hidden danger of excessive concentration of power.

To this end, Li Xiao specially established the position of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, who was in charge of the judicial, trial, anti-theft and security affairs of a prefecture and was directly under his command. He and the Provincial Governor were in charge of civil affairs and judicial affairs respectively, forming a system of checks and balances.

This system is currently being piloted in Jinzhou, Gansu and other places, and will become a standard feature in all states in the future.

Even at the grassroots level, such as the ten-thousand-household and thousand-household units, civil affairs officials will no longer be able to cover up all matters, and the bureaucratic system in northern Xinjiang is gradually becoming more complete.

Half a month before the wedding, Li Dongjiang had already finished dealing with affairs in Guanzhong and hurried back to Longcheng.

In the evening after returning home, the second aunt ran to Qin Dani's residence with red eyes and cried.

It turned out that Li Dongjiang had brought back two more young sons this time, and Li Xiao had gained two more cousins. Second Aunt and Li Dongjiang were a couple who had gone through thick and thin together, and their relationship had always been deep.

However, Li Dongjiang was constantly fighting on the battlefield and faced enormous pressure, so he inevitably needed a way to vent his frustrations. As a result, a large number of women appeared in Li Dongjiang's tent, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

There were eight women who gave birth to children.

Including the two sons and two daughters born to his second aunt, Li Dongjiang had as many as ten offspring.

In matters of taking concubines and having children, she was in no way inferior to Li Xiao.

During his time back in Longcheng, under Li Xiao's great care, three more women became pregnant, and Li Xiao's offspring will continue to increase.

"Sister-in-law, it's not that I can't stand these children, but with each new family member joining the family, my heart is filled with..." Second Aunt sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), wiping away tears, her words full of grievance.

Qin Dani held her hand and gently comforted her, "Sister, I understand your pain."

"But Dongjiang is fighting on the front lines, his life is hanging by a thread, and there are bound to be times when he has no choice in what he does."

“These children are also of the Li family bloodline. You are the legal mother, and they will ultimately respect you.”

"We women can only take on more responsibility and take good care of the family so that they can fight the war with peace of mind."

Li Xiao listened for a few minutes, but remained unmoved.

He felt no affection for his younger cousins ​​who were born later. The only ones he truly identified with were the four siblings born to his second aunt, including Da Hu and Er Bao.

But he also knew that since they were of the Li family bloodline, he couldn't just ignore them. He would just let them live a carefree life as members of the imperial clan.

As for titles and official positions, they can only earn them through their own abilities. If someone is truly outstanding, he will not hesitate to promote them as appropriate.

Li Xiao couldn't help but sigh, it was only because his father passed away early, otherwise he would definitely have had a lot of younger brothers and sisters.

Before we knew it, it was the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. The General's Mansion in Xianyang was brightly decorated and bustling with activity.

Da Hu and Er Hu, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, also rushed back to Longcheng.

Erbao, dressed in a red wedding suit, rode a tall horse and led a group of comrades of similar age to pick up the bride with gongs and drums.

After the wedding procession returned to the Prince's Mansion, the wedding ceremony officially began. The second uncle and aunt sat in the main seats, watching Erbao and the bride bow to heaven and earth and to their parents, their faces full of smiles.

Da Hu and Er Hu then gathered around Li Xiao to drink, casually discussing the situation in their respective territories.

Da Hu, who was in charge of East China Sea affairs, took a sip of wine and said in a deep voice, "After the Lingzhou immigrants came to the northern desert, they have gradually adapted to the local life. They either herd sheep or reclaim wasteland, and their lives are relatively stable."

“But some of the original grassland tribesmen, as well as the remnants of the tribes who fled back then, always come out to cause trouble from time to time. In the past two years, I have killed quite a few people just in suppressing the rebellion.”

"Well done."

Li Xiao put down his wine cup and said decisively, "What our Great Qin has the least shortage of is people. Kill all those rebels and then relocate more people from Han territory to the northern desert to populate it."

"In a few years, the northern desert will be entirely ours. Let's see who dares to cause trouble then."

Da Hu nodded and added, "By the way, the Khitans in Liaodong have been restless lately after hearing that we made the Jin Kingdom cede territory and pay reparations. They secretly sent someone to contact me, wanting to ask for our support."

“They were severely oppressed by the Jurchens in the Jin Dynasty and had long wanted to rebel.”

A glint of light flashed in Li Xiao's eyes.

He knew that the Khitans had indeed rebelled many times in the later period of history, which ultimately helped Temujin take over Liaodong and cut off the Jurchens' retreat route back to the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River.

Now that the Qin Dynasty has risen to power, it is natural to strive for this force.

“Continue to strengthen communication with them.”

He instructed, "We can secretly provide some weapons, and when the time is right, we can coordinate from within and without to take Liaodong!"

Erhu, who was standing nearby, was itching to listen and couldn't help but complain: "You guys are all fighting in Han areas for three years straight, while I'm stuck in Yili, bored out of my mind every day."

"Although we can occasionally bully the border tribes of the Liao Kingdom and the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, raid their grazing lands and seize some people, it's all just small-scale fighting and not exciting at all!"

As he spoke, he didn't forget to persuade Li Xiao: "Brother, why don't we go to war to the west and take over the Liao Kingdom and the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate? Wouldn't that be great!"

Li Xiao smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, the time is not far off."

Upon hearing this, Erhu's face lit up with joy, and he raised his wine glass to clink with Li Xiao's: "Great! I've been waiting for you to say that, brother!"

Unlike the men's boisterous drinking and conversation in the front yard, the other courtyard was filled with the laughter and chatter of the women.

The etiquette in the northern frontier was not as strict as in the Central Plains. Women were not required to stay at home. Riding horses, shooting arrows, and even fighting on the battlefield were common occurrences. At this moment, they sat together chatting and laughing, feeling relaxed and lively.

Han Jiuyuan's wife was holding an embroidered handkerchief and said to the old lady with a smile, "Old lady, look how well-mannered Erbao's wife is. She has gentle features and is from a Han family in Dunhuang. She will definitely take good care of Erbao in the future."

Li Donghe's wife chimed in, "Yes, her father was the Gansu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner. He followed the King in battle for many years. His family background is impeccable. He and Erbao are a perfect match."

The old lady sat on the soft couch in the main seat, listening to the women's praise. Her originally sickly complexion became a little rosy, and her lips never closed.

Although Li Dongjiang's later illegitimate sons were also her grandsons, the old lady truly had affection for Li Xiao, Da Hu, and San Bao, the grandsons she had watched grow up.

Now that she sees Erbao getting married and Sanbao getting married soon, the old lady is satisfied and has no more worries. She feels much lighter all over.

The second aunt sat to the side, watching the old lady's happiness. Her previous grievances about Li Dongjiang taking a concubine and having a child had largely dissipated, and she joined in the laughter and chatter, making the atmosphere in the courtyard even warmer.

After talking about the bride, the conversation quickly turned to Sanbao.

The old lady smiled and said, "In another month, it will be Sanbao's turn to get married."

"Once Sanbao gets married, I, as an old woman, will finally have no more worries."

"Yes, from now on, you can just relax and enjoy your life."

"Madam, you were born to enjoy a life of happiness. Your son and daughter-in-law are so filial to you, and your grandchildren are all so successful..."

Hearing the compliments from the women around her, the old lady couldn't stop smiling.

He chuckled and said, "Sanbao's child is only one year younger than Erbao's. If it weren't for the Eastern Expedition a few years ago that delayed things, he would have been married long ago."

Xiao Yanyan chimed in, "Sanbao is steady and reliable, unlike Erbao's straightforwardness. He'll definitely be a family man in the future, and his wife will be blessed."

The women chatted amongst themselves, offering their congratulations to Qin Dani and the old lady, which made the two of them beam with joy.

Before long, the topic drifted back to the marriage of Sanfeng and Sifeng.

Due to the war, Erbao and Sanbao's marriage was delayed, but it did not prevent them from taking concubines and having children.

It's not uncommon for a son born out of wedlock to be older than a son born out of wedlock.

However, Sanfeng and Sifeng are of marriageable age, but they are not yet engaged.

Naturally, they became highly sought-after by the entire Qin state, and even the distant Song and Liao states were eyeing them.

The women began to chat amongst themselves, introducing outstanding young men to the two girls, listing their relatives and acquaintances.

After all, whoever can marry into the Li family and become an in-law can avoid the detours of a generation.

But Sanfeng and Sifeng remained unmoved as they listened to the women's explanations.

Xiao Yanyan looked at the two sisters sitting beside her and joked with a smile: "There are many young men here today, quite a few of whom are Erbao's good brothers in the army. If you have any favorites, just tell me."

"If you don't like any of them, that's fine. Your eldest brother will gather all the good men in the Qin Kingdom for you to choose from. Marry whichever one you like."

"The women of the Li family must not wrong themselves."

Sanfeng and Sifeng grew up in the northern frontier and have a straightforward personality like women from the grasslands, without any of the shyness of women from the Central Plains.

Sanfeng said frankly, "Sister-in-law is right!"

“My future husband can’t be too much worse than my eldest brother. Even if he can’t be as good as my eldest brother, he should at least be about the same as my second or third brother.”

"He must be a hero who can fight on horseback and govern an army on foot!"

Sifeng nodded in agreement: "Me too, at least I have to have made a lot of military achievements, but I can't be too rude!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Sanfeng pulled Sifeng to her feet: "Come on, let's go to the front yard and take a look. Maybe there'll be someone you like."

"You think I like calling you that? You don't want that."

"I don't want that. How many people can meet my criteria?"

"If I really can't find anyone, I won't get married. I'll become a female general."

The two women didn't want to listen to the group of women chatting, so they said goodbye and left.

As the women watched them leave, they began to chat and laugh again, complimenting the old lady on her grandson's success and her granddaughter's beauty.

After Sanfeng and Sifeng left, they didn't plan to go to the main courtyard where Li Xiao was. It was full of elders and married officials, with hardly any young men. The real lively place was the side courtyard where Erbao and his group of comrades-in-arms of the same age were.

As soon as they entered the side courtyard, the two sisters attracted everyone's attention.

Sanfeng wore a white long dress and had a pearl hairpin in her hair, looking radiant and beautiful.

Sifeng wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her eyes were bright and lively, and she had a charming and delicate air about her.

The two were already beautiful, and now they exuded an even more noble air, making all the young soldiers in the courtyard stare in amazement, and the playful noises gradually faded away.

"These two are..."

Several soldiers who were visiting Longcheng for the first time and did not recognize Sanfeng and Sifeng couldn't help but ask the people next to them in hushed tones.

"The one in the white dress is the Third Sister, the King's sister, and the one in the blue dress is our Commander's sister, the Fourth Sister."

"hiss~"

Upon hearing the identities of the two women, some of the young people were instantly surprised, and even became subtly excited.

They had naturally heard of the fame of Sanfeng and Sifeng, women whom even the Emperor of Song and the Crown Prince of Liao had sought to marry but could not obtain.

Now that they've appeared right in front of me, what are they here for?
Could it be...

Many people subconsciously straightened their backs, even slowing down their drinking, and cautiously glanced at the two women, hoping they would notice them.

Sanfeng and Sifeng, however, paid no attention to the stares of others, walking freely in the courtyard and occasionally huddling together to chat and laugh quietly.

Sifeng pointed to a tall, handsome young general not far away and said to Sanfeng, "Third sister, what do you think of that one? He's quite handsome, broad-shouldered and strong, his riding skills must be excellent. Why don't we let eldest brother..."

Sanfeng glanced in the direction she pointed, then shook her head with a smile: "She's alright looking, but she looks too mature. She's not my type."

“I think he’s a better match for you. He’s gentle and complements you perfectly.”

The two sisters chatted away, offering no reservations about the soldiers, making many of them blush with embarrassment, yet they couldn't help but want to show off in front of them.

Some deliberately mentioned their battlefield exploits, while others showed off their newly learned horsemanship and archery skills. The originally noisy courtyard became somewhat reserved.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard, and a figure dressed in black armor strode in.

As he reached the courtyard gate, the man seemed to realize he had been in too much of a hurry. He took a deep breath, slowed his pace, and walked in casually.

(End of this chapter)