The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 359 The Liao Kingdom's fate has come to an end.
Before the morning light pierced the clouds, more than a hundred menacing cannons were already arrayed at the northern mountain pass of Chaqi, their dark muzzles pointing towards the pass, exuding an intimidating aura.

"Woooooooo~"

"Woooooo~"

As the bugle call to attack rose over the desolate land, Wu Daniu, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, turned cold and looked towards the mountain pass ahead.

He shouted loudly, "All gun positions!"

"fire!!!"

After the order was given, a soldier stepped out from behind each cannon and lit the fuse.

In just a few breaths, more than a hundred cannons spat out scorching flames in succession, and the deafening roar seemed to tear the sky apart.

"Boom boom boom~"

Thick smoke instantly enveloped the entire position, and the shrill sound of shells piercing the sky was chilling.

This was not sporadic shelling, but a true storm of destruction.

A dense hail of bullets rained down on the hilltop position, the ground trembled violently, and iron bullets slammed heavily into the ground, causing rocks to crumble and dust to fly everywhere.

"Boom boom boom~"

The exploding shells burst open in mid-air, scattering countless deadly metal fragments that swept across the entire mountain like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

"Ahhh, my legs!"

"It's a cannon from the people of northern Xinjiang."

"Quick, hide!"

On the battlefield, the Khitan veteran Balu roared hoarsely, his voice sounding fragmented amidst the continuous explosions.

He pressed down hard on the trembling shoulders of a young soldier beside him, shoving him deep into the ditch.

At that very moment, a shell exploded not far away, and flying debris and splattered blood rained down on them.

Balu felt as if he had returned to the battlefield of the Seven Rivers six years ago.

At that time, he was a squad leader and was witnessing the terror of the artillery in the northern frontier for the first time.

Although there were only twenty cannons, each shell that landed tore a bloody gash in the Liao army's dense formation.

He remembered his best brother, Wolaru, whose head was shattered by a fragment of a high-explosive shell. Before he died, Wolaru stared at him with his single eye wide open, as if asking, "What kind of weapon is this?"

"Boom~"

Another shell exploded nearby, jolting Balu out of his reverie.

He shook his head violently and roared at the trembling soldiers around him, "Don't look up, find a hole to crawl into."

A young recruit with a trembling face asked, "Uncle Balu, can we...can we hold out?"

Balu did not answer, but stared intently at the front of the position.

Through the gaps in the smoke, he saw the entire hillside burning.

This was no longer the shelling he remembered. Although the shelling six years ago was terrible, at least there were gaps that allowed the soldiers to catch their breath and organize a counterattack.

But now, the artillery fire of the people of the northern frontier seems to be endless and inexhaustible.

Both in terms of power and quantity, it is far beyond what it was back then.

"Now this"

His voice trembled: "This is practically going to flatten the entire mountain!"

As he marveled, the military industry in northern Xinjiang is now vastly different from what it used to be.

With the influx of numerous artisans from the Xia Kingdom and Guanzhong, the artillery manufacturing process underwent a dramatic transformation.

Heavy artillery, which once required dozens of people to move, now weighs only about 600 pounds and can be easily pulled by just a few oxen or horses.

This enabled the Northern Frontier Army to rapidly deploy hundreds of artillery pieces to any corner of the battlefield.

"Load~"

"fire!"

Commands echoed from the foot of the mountain, signaling the arrival of another volley of fire.

The Khitan veterans were dismayed to find that this artillery barrage was more intense than before, and seemed to have no end.

"How many shells do they have?" a new recruit cried out in despair.

No one can answer this question.

Everyone understands that the Northern Frontier Army has now taken the use of artillery to a whole new level.

This is no longer a weapon used to assist in the attack, but a main force capable of determining the outcome of the battle.

O Allah!

Not far away, a Gur soldier suddenly leaped up and ran frantically backward, shouting, "This is not war, this is divine punishment!"

Before Balu could stop it, a shell exploded around the soldier.

When the smoke cleared, only a mangled corpse remained.

"Did you see everything?"

With red eyes, Balu roared at the surviving soldiers, "If you want to live, lie down! We survived six years ago, and we can survive today too!"

However, the instant he uttered those words, an unprecedented barrage of artillery fire covered the entire hilltop.

Baru was horrified to discover that the shelling pattern this time was completely different from that of six years ago. The shells were no longer falling randomly, but were spreading systematically from the front line into the depths, as if an invisible hand was smoothing out the entire position.

Shrapnel flew everywhere, mercilessly reaping lives. A Gur soldier had just raised his head when a flying piece of metal sliced ​​off half of his head, and red and white matter splattered all over his comrade next to him.

Another Persian soldier, his chest pierced by shrapnel, looked down at his bleeding wound and let out a groan of disbelief.

"O Allah! This must be a nightmare."

A young Gur soldier huddled in a trench, clutching his head, crying hysterically, "Almighty Lord, please wake me from this nightmare!"

Another Persian soldier frantically made prayer gestures amidst the explosions, tears mixed with dirt streaming down his face.

“This must be divine punishment from God. We must be fighting against heavenly soldiers.”

His cries were quickly swallowed up by a new round of artillery fire, leaving only desperate wails and continuous explosions on the position.

"These are not the same cannons as they were six years ago."

Balu had already grasped this cruel truth: "They...they've turned artillery into another kind of weapon."

When the gunfire finally stopped, Balu struggled to lift his head.

The sight before him made even this battle-hardened veteran gasp in shock.

The scene was one of utter devastation, with corpses lying everywhere and blood flowing freely. The scorched earth was riddled with craters, resembling scars on the land.

The tattered flags fluttered helplessly amidst the embers, severed limbs and weapons were scattered everywhere, and blood stained every inch of the land.

Some surviving veterans were crawling out of the ruins, their eyes vacant, their faces pale, and their bodies trembling, like wandering souls returning from hell.

Looking at the soldiers who had lost their morale and spirits, Yelü Xiuduo, the commander of the Liao army, disregarded his anger and instead roared with a ferocious expression, "The troops from the northern frontier are coming to attack!"

"Those who don't want to die, pick up your weapons and prepare to fight."

Behind the mountain pass, the Liao army camp.

The roar of cannons reached Yelü Zhilugu's ears, and he gripped the reins tightly until his knuckles turned white.

Tayanggu's voice trembled as he spoke: "Your Majesty...this artillery fire..."

"Yelü Xiuduo is in danger."

After hearing the scout's report, Yelü Zhilugu's face turned ashen: "But I believe he can definitely hold the pass."

"Send orders to send three more thousand-man squads as reinforcements."

Tayanggu hesitated for a moment, but eventually bowed and accepted the order.

As he turned around, he saw thick smoke rising from the distant mountains and couldn't help but shiver.

At the front of the Northern Frontier Army, the golden sun and moon battle flags fluttered in the morning breeze.

Li Xiao was clad in dark gold dragon-patterned armor, his eyes piercing.

Behind them were the guards of the Wuwei cavalry, and in the distance, endless Qin cavalry swept across the grasslands, menacing and poised to strike.

Warhorses neighed, halberds clanged, and a chilling atmosphere filled the sky.

Li Xiao gazed at the landscape he had reshaped with his cannon fire, slowly drew his sword, and said in a cold voice: "Did Yelü Zhilugu think that he could stop my Great Qin cavalry with the help of the mountains?"

"Today, let the Liao people see what it means to move mountains and fill seas."

"Order the black-armored infantry to attack."

As soon as the words were spoken, the bugles sounded menacingly and the war drums thundered.

"Woooooooo~"

"Dong Dong Dong~"

A thunderous roar erupted from the front of the armored heavy infantry phalanx: "Roar!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"Hoohoo!"

"Wan Sheng!"

The heavy infantry at the front began to advance in orderly steps, their long spears gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The crossbowmen following closely behind had already drawn their bows, waiting only for the order.

Li Xiao stared at the hilltop flattened by artillery fire and said in a deep voice, "Let Yelü Zhilugu know that there is no mountain or river in this world that my Great Qin's artillery cannot blast open."

"There is no pass that my Qin cavalry cannot breach."

Wherever the battle flag pointed, the steel torrent began to sweep towards the ravaged Liao army positions.

"Kill~"

Wang Erhu tightened his grip on the spear, the cold iron armor pressed against his back, sweat trickling down his cheeks and seeping into his neck.

He was a Black Armored soldier in the Third Division. Although he was a cavalryman, he had to abandon his warhorse and become a heavy infantryman in the face of such a prominent terrain.

But the fight continues.

He advanced with two other companions; the companion in front held a shield while he wielded a spear, and the companion behind him carried a crossbow.
The three men moved in unison, stepping over rocks and corpses, rushing toward the steep slope of the mountain pass.

"Draw the bow fully, release!"

With a loud shout, the general in charge of the crossbows at the front row fired, and more than a hundred crossbows simultaneously whistled through the air.

The arrows, whistling sharply, struck precisely at the remaining Liao army fortifications at the mountain pass.

The Khitan soldiers hiding behind the stone wall had just peeked out when their helmets were pierced by crossbow bolts.

Several Liao army recruits tried to raise their shields for defense, but the immense force of the crossbow pinned them to the rock face along with their shields, their faces still showing expressions of terror before they died.

"Charge! Those who retreat will be executed!"

The captain's roar exploded in his ears, and Wang Erhu gripped his spear tightly and began to charge forward.

He knew that once the bugle sounded, there was no room for retreat.

The Qin army had strict military laws; retreating even a step meant immediate execution. Not only would he lose his own head, but his mother and wife would also be branded as "traitors" and forever shamed. But if he charged forward and killed the enemy, he could not only be promoted and rewarded, but also allow his family to stand tall in front of their neighbors. This honor and benefit left him no room for hesitation.

Just as they reached the halfway point of the mountain, the Khitan veteran Balu charged at them, brandishing his battle axe.

"kill."

"Go to hell."

Baru roared, his eyes bloodshot, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, as he swung his axe, the blade whistling through the air, aiming straight for Wang Erhu's head.

Wang Erhu's pupils contracted, and as he rolled to the ground to dodge, his spear swept horizontally, the tip grazing the gaps in Balu's iron armor and piercing into his waist and abdomen.

Balu screamed in agony as his battle axe slipped from his hand. Wang Erhu's companion immediately stepped in, slashing his scimitar and decapitating Balu. Blood splattered all over Wang Erhu's face.

"kill."

Wang Erhu was aroused, wiped the blood from his face, and roared as he continued his charge.

The current situation is one of certain death.

The surrounding Qin soldiers also descended like tigers from the mountain, their crossbows constantly reaping the lives of the Liao soldiers, their spears piercing the enemy's chest, and their scimitars severing the arms of those who resisted.

A Liao army recruit was so frightened that his legs went weak. Just as he was about to turn around and run away, he was caught up by a Qin soldier, who pierced through his back with a spear and pinned him to the ground.

"Ahhh~"

Screams rose and fell, blood stained the ground, and a blood mist filled the entire battlefield.

The Khitan veteran general Yelü Xiuduo personally led his guards to the front line, only to find the Qin army surging up the hill like a tide.

What's most terrifying is that these northern border soldiers are completely fearless. Some charged forward even with multiple arrows in their bodies, some roared and fought fiercely despite being covered in blood, and some even smashed stones on the heads of Liao soldiers.

That fierce and savage energy chilled Yelü Xiuduo to the bone.

He couldn't understand why the soldiers in the northern border region were so fierce.

What were these soldiers fighting for?
Faced with such fierce soldiers and a powerful army, did the Liao Kingdom really have a chance of victory?

But no matter what, even if he has to die now, he wants to die at Chachi Pass.

"kill!"

Yelü Xiuduo personally took up his scimitar and led his personal guards in a desperate battle. He cut down two Qin soldiers, only to find that more Qin soldiers were charging forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

"Hold on, everyone hold on!"

He roared at the top of his lungs, but before he could finish speaking, a crossbow bolt pierced his left shoulder, and blood instantly stained his armor.

But he remained indignant and roared, "Eagles of Khitan, follow me!"

Before he could finish speaking, three crossbow bolts pierced his breastplate simultaneously.

The old general staggered to his knees, staring in disbelief at the blood gushing from his chest.

"This is a general from the Liao Dynasty."

"kill him."

"To avenge the Shi family."

With red eyes, Wang Erhu charged forward, his spear aimed straight at the enemy general.

At that moment, Yelü Xiuduo felt all his strength rapidly draining away. Instinctively, he raised his sword to block, but another Qin soldier rushed in from the flank and slashed his neck with his curved blade.

"General!"

The Khitan soldiers watched in horror as their commander fell, and their formation began to crumble.

The first to give up were the Gur soldiers.

A Qin army armored infantryman roared as he charged forward. Before his scimitar could even fall, the many Gur soldiers were terrified and turned to run away.

Some people even panicked and tumbled down the steep slope of the mountain pass, only to be smashed to pieces.

"Devil, they are devils."

The cries of the Gur soldiers echoed through the mountain pass.

In their eyes, Qin soldiers, clad in iron armor and impervious to swords and spears, charged with fearlessness, like ferocious beasts crawling out of hell.

"Chase!"

Upon seeing this, the three Qin soldiers gave chase without hesitation.

They gripped their spears and bows tightly, their steps steady, showing no fear despite facing an enemy ten times their size.

The last Gur soldier was pierced through the waist by a spear and fell to the ground. The other Gur soldiers were only concerned with escaping and did not dare to turn back to help.

Soon, the thirty Gur soldiers were slaughtered by the three Qin soldiers, leaving only a few kneeling and begging for mercy.

The Liao army's defenses at the mountain pass completely collapsed, and Khitan, Turkic, Persian, and Gurkha soldiers mingled together, scrambling to escape.

When news of the fall of Beishankou reached Yelü Zhilugu's ears, he was sitting at his desk in his command tent, his fingers unconsciously stroking an old jade.

That was a congratulatory gift from Xiao Simo when he first ascended the throne.

The commotion outside the tent gradually subsided, leaving only the suppressed reports from the guards.

Yelü Zhilugu raised his head, his face even paler than the white paper on the table: "North Pass...is it really lost?"

"Your Majesty, it is..."

The guard's voice trembled: "The Northern Frontier Army broke through the defenses in a single day. Nearly half of our forces... have either been killed in battle or routed..."

"General Yelü Xiuduo has also died in battle."

Yelü Zhilugu closed his eyes, his heart filled with coldness.

The North Pass, which gathered the Liao army's most elite forces, couldn't even hold off the Qin army for a day. How long could the South Pass, with its even weaker forces, last?
He held the jade pendant tightly in his palm, as if it were Xiao Simo himself, wanting to devour him alive and knead him into mincemeat.

That bastard, he's been dead for so many years, yet he still won't let me go.

Li Xiao, who inherited his ambition, has already driven the Liao Dynasty to this point.

But after venting his anger, Yelü Zhilugu felt a deep sense of sorrow: "Is Heaven going to destroy my Great Liao?"

As he expected, the routed soldiers from Beishankou fled back to their camp and spread rumors about the Qin army's ferocity, exaggerating the details.

"The rebels in the northern frontier are impervious to iron armor and swords and spears, and their crossbows can pierce through stone walls."

“Three Qin soldiers chased after thirty Gur soldiers and hacked them down like cutting melons and vegetables.”

"The artillery fire made our ears bleed; one shot could take down more than a dozen people."

……

Panic spread like a plague among the Liao army.

The consequences of the panic were terrible; just five days later, news of the battle came from Nanshankou.

The Qin army's powerful cannons were still on their way and had not yet reached their firing positions, yet the armored infantry's charge alone tore through the Liao army's defenses.

At that time, the Liao soldiers at Nanshankou had long lost the will to fight to the death.

As soon as the Qin army's bugle sounded, the new recruits in the front ranks began to retreat, and the Gur soldiers even threw down their weapons and fled towards the main camp.

Qin soldiers formed ranks of three, their crossbows suppressing the defenders at the mountain pass, while spearmen charged forward, their scimitars slashing and the Liao army's defenses collapsing instantly.

In less than an hour, Nanshankou was breached, and the Sun and Moon Battle Flag was planted on the highest point of the pass.

"Your Majesty, hurry! Nanshan Pass has also fallen."

Tayanggu rushed into the command tent and helped Yelü Zhilugu onto his horse: "I will lead my personal guards to protect you as you break through the encirclement and go to Ferghana!"

Yelü Zhilugu was forcibly mounted on a horse. Looking at the chaotic scene in the camp, despair welled up in his heart.

The soldiers scattered and fled in all directions, some even killing each other over horses. On the distant grasslands, Qin cavalry swept in like a whirlwind, dividing and surrounding the fleeing Liao army.

"Those who lay down their weapons will be spared death."

The Qin army's shouts echoed across the grassland, and the resisting Liao soldiers were instantly shot dead by arrows. The remaining soldiers threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

As Yelü Zhilugu watched the number of people around him dwindle, only despair remained in his heart.

He knew that his Liao Dynasty was truly finished.

"Xiao Simo".

“I, Yelü Zhilugu, am no match for you.”

"But I still refuse to accept it! I refuse to accept it!"

"Why?"

"You bastard, you've been dead for so many years and you still won't let me live in peace."

"When we get to the underworld, I'll definitely kill you again, kill you again!"

Yelü Zhilugu screamed in despair, appearing like a madman, crying and laughing at the same time.

A day later, inside the golden tent of the Qin army's main camp, Li Xiao was listening to the generals report on the battle results.

"Your Majesty, at the North Pass, more than 3,000 Liao soldiers were killed and 10,000 were captured; at the South Pass, less than 200 were killed before the Liao army collapsed and 20,000 were captured."

"More than 10,000 Liao soldiers who were routed on the grasslands have been captured."

However, many of these captured soldiers were Ghurs and Persians.

There are not many Khitans and Turks left.

Regarding these prisoners of war, Li Xiao instructed: "Demote the Khitans and Turks as war slaves, and allow them to redeem themselves through meritorious service."

"The Ghurs and the Persians..."

"Send them all to the mine."

There were many Khitans and Turks in the Qin state, so Li Xiao would show some leniency to this group of prisoners of war.

But the Ghurs and Persians had nothing to worry about.

Use it to death.

The Qin state possessed a vast territory and endless mineral resources, enough for these prisoners of war to contribute their strength to the Qin state.

In Li Xiao's eyes, these people were simply a kind of consumable.

We've exhausted our resources, let's continue south to hunt.

Next, they reported on the captured supplies such as grain, warhorses, cattle, and sheep.

Despite their nomadic characteristics, the Qin army, which had come from afar, still relied heavily on logistics.

The replenishment of food supplies for the Liao army greatly alleviated the logistical burden on the Qin state.

Finally, and most importantly.

Yelü Zhilugu ran away.

After all, in that chaotic battlefield, once he changed into the clothes of an ordinary soldier and had the protection of loyal bodyguards, it would have been easy for Yelü Zhilugu to escape.

Li Xiao nodded and lightly tapped the map on the map: "Yelü Zhilugu has most likely escaped to Ferghana. Order the Third Garrison to pursue him immediately and capture Yelü Zhilugu at all costs."

"Whether they live or die, it doesn't matter."

He raised his head, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Chachi has been captured, and the fate of the Liao Kingdom is sealed."

The wind still howls over the grasslands, but it is no longer a lament of the Liao Kingdom; instead, it is the clarion call of the Qin Kingdom's expansion.

(End of this chapter)