The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 373 Tiger Menace
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Another salvo of artillery fire followed, the shells whistling as they slammed into the densely packed area of ​​the city wall.

In the instant bricks and stones flew, flesh and severed limbs soared into the air, and scalding smoke mixed with the stench of blood instantly filled the sky above the city of Diermi.

"God! What kind of demon's weapon is that?" A Ghur soldier clutched his head and slumped on the city wall, his voice filled with terror.

The distinctive retroflex consonant of Central Asian languages ​​became blurred due to the trembling: "It can split city walls, we can't stop it at all!"

"Run! If you stay here any longer, you'll be blown to bits!"

Another soldier threw down his spear and turned to flee down the city walls, but was kicked to the ground by the centurion beside him: "Don't run away! For Allah, hold the walls!"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than another shell struck him squarely in the chest. The immense impact sent him flying, crashing heavily onto the battlements, where he fell silent.

The soldiers on the city wall were in complete chaos. Some knelt down to pray, while others fled in all directions. The religious fervor that had been stirred up vanished amidst the roar of cannons, leaving only the most primal fear.

They had never seen such a terrifying weapon; compared to it, scimitars, spears, and even elephants seemed utterly ridiculous.

Ledus stood behind the city wall, his pupils shrinking as he looked at the carnage before him, his hands gripping his scimitar tightly.

He couldn't believe that the weapons of the people of the northern frontier were so terrifying.

He had previously considered using elephants to counterattack, but now it seems that was just wishful thinking.

Dermín was not a giant city like Samarkand; its walls were low and its defenses were weak, making it utterly vulnerable to artillery fire.

"Your Excellency, the thunder has stopped, and the Karakhanid army is charging in!" a trusted aide rushed in to report.

Ledus suddenly snapped out of his daze and looked in the direction his confidant was pointing.

The cannons outside the city indeed stopped firing, their barrels emitting blue smoke, clearly to cool down.

Meanwhile, the auxiliary troops, dressed in the old armor of the Western Karakhanid Khanate, were carrying ladders and charging towards the city wall in dense formation.

Behind them, the Qin army's crimson cavalry stood in formation, their eyes coldly fixed on the city wall.

"Hold on, everyone hold on!"

With a roar, Ledus drew his scimitar and charged up the city wall, shouting at the fleeing soldiers.

“Anyone who dares to escape will be killed first. If Diermi City falls, we will all die.”

Under his coercion, the soldiers had no choice but to pick up their weapons again and hack at the auxiliary troops climbing the ladders.

Some pierced the bodies of the auxiliary soldiers with spears, while others poured rolling stones and hot oil down on them, and screams of agony instantly echoed from the city walls.

In a short period of time, the allied forces paid a heavy price, but resistance was ultimately futile.

For the next three days, Erhu ordered artillery bombardment every day to destroy the city walls' defenses, and then had his auxiliary troops take turns attacking the city.

The morale of the Gur soldiers was plummeting.

On the evening of the third day, when a section of the city wall, two zhang wide, was blasted down by cannon fire, and the Qin army's armored soldiers captured the wall, opened the city gates, and the red cavalry poured into the city like a tide, Ledus knew that the city of Diermi was completely finished.

He fled in panic from the south of the city with fewer than two thousand remaining soldiers, heading south, crossing the Amu Darya River, and fleeing towards the city of Bariki on the south bank.

"Kill~"

"Hahaha~"

"Charge in and plunder all the money and women in the city of Diermi."

The Qin soldiers laughed wildly, their crimson cavalry galloping through the streets, and their sun and moon battle flags were planted on the walls of Diermi City.

Two tigers, mounted on their warhorses, gazed at the city before them with arrogant expressions.

Deirmi originally belonged to the Western Karakhanid Khanate. Now that Samarkand has been returned to Qin, this small city dared to surrender to the Ghurid Kingdom and even put up a stubborn resistance.

Even the nobles and commoners in the city helped defend it, which was simply unforgivable.

"Commander, the remaining soldiers on the city wall have been mostly cleared out. What should we do with the people inside the city?" A commander stepped forward to ask for instructions.

Erhu sneered, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority: "Before the attack, I said that if they resisted to the bitter end, not a single chicken or dog would be spared."

"Issue my order: the swords shall not be sheathed for ten days."

"Make the city of Diermi disappear completely from the geomantic map."

He wanted to use the fate of Diermi City to let all the cities in the Western Regions know what the consequences of resisting the Qin Dynasty would be.

If they obediently surrendered like Jieshi City, offering up wealth, food, and women, the benevolent Qin Dynasty would naturally forgive their ignorance.

But if they dared to oppose the Qin Dynasty and refuse to surrender, they would be like Diermi.

"Yes, sir!" the commanders replied in unison, turning to relay the order.

Soon, the cries of the people and the shouts of the Qin army rang out in the city. Firelight gradually rose, and the "doomsday" of Diermi City officially began.

The Ledoux who fled to Barihei looked back at the distant fires of Dermín, their hearts filled with despair.

His dream of a northern expedition was completely shattered. Not only did he fail to seize territory, but he also suffered heavy losses, even losing the city of Diermi.

“Your Excellency, shall we… shall we return to Ghaznavidy?” a trusted aide asked cautiously, his voice filled with unease.

Ledus shook his head with a bitter smile, his eyes vacant: "There's no going back."

Without the support of an army, the Kingdom of Gur will surely face a major upheaval.

Those old nobles who had long been dissatisfied with him, as well as Qutb al-Din of the Delhi Sultanate, would certainly seize the opportunity to launch an attack.

Ghazni is now a pit of fire; going back will only lead to certain death.

"Then...where are we going?" The confidant's voice was even lower, his tone full of confusion.

Ledus looked towards the south bank of the Amu Darya River with a complicated expression: "Barikh can't stay on the south bank of the Amu Darya River for long. He should continue south to take refuge in the city of Yerli."

"That's a key border town of the kingdom, so we can hold it for now."

He sighed. His former ambitions and aspirations had vanished, leaving only the humble thought of "survival."

Meanwhile, Yelü Hongxin was leading more than fifty Khitan soldiers, rushing towards the Amu Darya River.

They were Turks from the north, and they spoke fluent Turkic.

The Turkic Empire had a tremendous influence in Central Asia, and even though it had been destroyed for many years, its bloodline and culture still permeated the land.

From the Karakhanid Khanate to the Ghurid Kingdom, and then to the newly established Delhi Sultanate, all were empires established by Turkic people on horseback after conquering the local indigenous populations.

In these places, the Turkic people were the natural nobility.

In particular, the "Ghulam" military nobles were the core fighting force of the Ghul Kingdom, and most of the generals who were good at fighting were of Turkic origin.

Therefore, the identity of a Turk was more useful within the Ghurid Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, there is a group of defeated Gur soldiers ahead. It looks like they escaped from Diermi," a Khitan guard reported in a low voice.

"How many times have I told you? Don't address him as 'Your Majesty' when you're out in public," Yelü Hongxin frowned and corrected him.

"Yes, Master."

Yelü Hongxin looked in the direction his personal guard pointed and saw a group of soldiers dressed in Gur clothing walking dejectedly on the dirt road not far away. There were about two hundred of them.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he shouted in Turkic, "Brothers, I am Ashina Hong of the Turkic Yabghu tribe. The city of Diermi has fallen, we cannot just give up like this."

"The barbarians of the northern frontier killed our brothers and occupied our land. Are you willing to accept this?"

Upon hearing the standard Turkic language, the defeated soldiers of Gur instinctively assumed he was a 'Ghulam' nobleman and stopped in their tracks to look at Yelü Hongxin.

"Do you think you can survive by escaping back to your country? The Ledus have lost Dermí and suffered heavy losses in their army; the kingdom is already in chaos."

“If we, the defeated soldiers, go back, we will only be used as scapegoats by those nobles. We will either be beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag or be sent to the mines as slaves, never to rise again.”

These words were like a bucket of cold water, chilling the defeated soldiers to the bone.

A young soldier asked in a trembling voice, "Then... what should we do? We can't just keep running away, can we?"

"Of course we won't keep running away forever."

Yelü Hongxin's tone shifted, becoming more inflammatory: "The barbarians of the Northern Frontier killed our brothers, occupied our land, and stole our cattle and sheep. Shouldn't this blood debt be repaid?"

“I, Ashina Hong, hereby promise that as long as you follow me, you will not only be able to avenge your grievances, but also reclaim your territory and wealth, and make you and your families nobles.”

"At that time, who will dare to treat us as a defeated army? Who will dare to lay a finger on us?"

The defeated soldiers' eyes gradually brightened. On one side was the dead end of returning home to be punished, and on the other side was the path of survival of following the "Ghulam nobles" to take revenge and seize power. Even a fool would know which one to choose.

In the following days, Yelü Hongxin led this army south, constantly gathering the defeated soldiers of Gur who had escaped from Diermi along the way.

Some were Ghur native soldiers, while others were scattered private soldiers of the "Ghulam" nobles.

In less than five days, Yelü Hongxin's troops had grown from more than fifty to more than a thousand. Although their equipment was mixed, they were all veterans who had experienced war.

When they arrived at the banks of the Amu Darya River and looked at the wide expanse of the river, Yelü Hongxin reined in his horse, his gaze fixed firmly on the territory of the Gurkha Kingdom on the south bank, silently reciting in his heart.

"Li Xiao, you from the Northern Frontier, you just wait."

"The internal strife in the Kingdom of Ghur is precisely the time for heroes to display their talents."

“I, Yelü Hongxin, will definitely gather strength here to rebuild the Liao Dynasty. Sooner or later, I will cross the Amu Darya River and take revenge on you.”

……

Meanwhile, in Samarkand, the Qin army camp was bustling with activity.

Golden sun and moon battle flags fluttered in the sky above the camp. The camp was not tense like a wartime place, but rather resembled a large living area.

The soldiers gathered in twos and threes, some practicing martial arts in the open space, their shouts deafening.

Some led the plundered cattle and sheep to trade with the merchants accompanying the army at the temporary market, where furs, jewelry, and silk were piled up like small mountains.

On an open space not far away, a crowd had gathered in front of the makeshift stage erected by the Xuande Division.

On the stage, a traditional Qin drama was being performed, while on the other side, a storyteller told the story of "Qin Army Defeating Samarkand," drawing cheers from the soldiers below the stage.

Some soldiers, carrying copper coins, headed towards the female prisoner camp, where female prisoners captured from various places were held. For a fee, they could find some temporary amusement to relieve the fatigue of battle.

"Sigh, it's been five days already, why haven't we seen the King of the Northern Frontier yet?"

Lord Abdul of Jieshi City stood outside a guarded tent, his face filled with anxiety as his freedom was restricted.

The nobles behind him echoed him, their voices filled with apprehension: "Yes, Lord, we sent 50,000 taels of gold and a thousand beauties into the camp, but we still can't even see the king?"

"Could it be that the King of the Northern Frontier is dissatisfied with our tribute?"

Abdul frowned, feeling uncertain as well.

In recent days, more and more city lords of the Western Karakhanid Khanate have come to Samarkand with tribute, all eager to meet Li Xiao as soon as possible, to pledge their loyalty and seek his protection.

They were all intelligent people who knew that under the iron hooves of the northern people, as long as their cities were not massacred and their noble foundations were not lost, submission would be a piece of cake, just like when they submitted to the Khitans.

But now they can't even see Li Xiao, and nobody knows what will happen next. "Let's wait and see."

Abdul sighed: "The King of Northern Xinjiang is very busy and may be dealing with important military and national affairs."

But inside the central command tent deep within the camp, a completely different scene unfolded.

Queen Dowager Aidana of the Western Karakhanid Khan transformed into Li Wanji and lay on a bed covered with wool blankets.

Li Xiao leaned against the headboard, toying with a ruby ​​he had seized from a nobleman in Samarkand, his eyes languidly fixed on the woman before him.

"Your Majesty, I haven't left the tent for three days, and I can hardly breathe."

Adana reached out and gently stroked Li Xiao's arm, her voice tinged with grievance, her eyes revealing a longing for "freedom".

Even just getting out for a short while is better than being confined to the bedside day and night.

Li Xiao smiled faintly, placed the ruby ​​on Adana's chest, gently traced her skin with his fingers, and said expressionlessly.

"Today, put on your Queen Mother's crown and come with me to meet the city lords of your Karakhanid Khanate!"

"I'm sure they're all getting impatient."

"Really...really?" Adana looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with excitement.

She instantly understood the deeper meaning behind Li Xiao's words.

He was willing to let her appear in public as the "Queen Mother" rather than merely as his "female slave."

This means that her status in the Western Karakhanid Khanate might still be preserved.

All the flattery and service he had received over the days had not been in vain.

She quickly sat up, wanting to get out of bed to prepare, but Li Xiao grabbed her arm.

His fingers gently pinched her chin, and his tone suddenly became calm: "I already know about your son."

"The real Amir was killed by Yelü Hongxin long ago. The so-called 'Sultan' now is nothing but an adopted bastard, right?"

"boom!"

These words struck Adana like a thunderbolt, leaving her feeling cold all over and her face instantly turning ashen.

She suddenly knelt on the bed, her body trembling uncontrollably, her voice trembling with sobs: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I... I didn't mean to hide it."

"It was Yelü Hongxin who was too cruel. I only learned the truth later, I..."

"I don't blame you."

Li Xiao interrupted her explanation, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about something unimportant.

The reason this matter was discovered was that when the Embroidered Uniform Guard interrogated Yelü Hongxin's confidants, they confessed to many things, and Amir was just one of them.

However, it didn't matter to Li Xiao whether Amir was real or fake, since he was just a puppet anyway.

"But so what if he's a fake sultan?"

“If I say he is true, then he is the true Sultan of the Western Karakhanid Khanate.”

"And you, Adana, remain the Queen Mother of the Western Karakhanid Khanate."

"Thank you... thank you, Your Majesty."

Adana could no longer hold back her tears, which welled up instantly. She knelt heavily on the bed and kowtowed three times to Li Xiao.

"Your Majesty, I will never forget your kindness. I will do my best to assist the Sultan and make the Karakhanid Khanate forever submit to Qin, without any disloyalty."

Her biological son, Amir, is dead, and all her hopes are pinned on Li Xiao.

With just a word from Li Xiao, the Karakhanid Khanate would not be completely destroyed, and she could continue to be the Queen Mother, instead of being at the mercy of others like other nobles of fallen kingdoms.

After kowtowing, her eyes red-rimmed, she burrowed into the covers, her voice choked with sobs, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty has nothing to repay me with, except to serve you well..."

Li Xiao let her do as she pleased, but his gaze was fixed outside the tent.

He didn't act on a whim; he had thought about it carefully beforehand.

The purpose of the Qin state's conquest of the Western Karakhanid Khanate was not merely to show off its military prowess, nor was it like the Mongols, who simply plundered the territory and withdrew their troops.

Instead, the goal was to utilize this place to supply the Qin state with various resources such as grain, minerals, and manpower.

However, the Qin army's strength in the Yellow River region was limited. Just managing the hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war in Samarkand and getting them to farm and mine had already consumed a lot of their energy.

It would be extremely difficult to completely transform the Western Karakhanid Khanate into a prefecture directly under the Qin state.

Because that would require Han Chinese to make up at least one-third, or even half, of the population.

However, migrating a large number of Han Chinese to Central Asia would require a huge amount of manpower and resources, and would take several years or even more than a decade.

If too little is invested and the foundation is unstable, the nobles and common people of the Western Karakhanid Khanate will inevitably rebel frequently, and Qin's military forces will be bogged down in the Western Regions.

However, if too much is invested, it will inevitably affect the strategy towards the Central Plains.

After all, after destroying the Liao Kingdom, the Jin Kingdom was Qin's biggest target.

Therefore, supporting a puppet is the best option at present.

Let Adana and the fake sultan continue to rule the Western Karakhanid Khanate, using the original aristocratic class to manage the cities in various regions.

The Qin state only needed to control the core power and make the Western Karakhanid Khanate pay taxes, supply grain, and send soldiers every year.

Meanwhile, people gradually migrated to Central Asia. Once the number of Han Chinese there was large enough, the Western Karakhanid Khanate would no longer be necessary.

An hour later, Li Xiao patted Adana's head: "Alright, get up."

"Clean your face."

"Have the maids dress you in the Queen Mother's robes. You will come with me to see the city lords later."

Adana wiped away the tears that had welled up from choking and nodded vigorously: "Your Majesty, I understand. I will certainly not disappoint you."

Soon, with the help of her maids, Adana changed into her clothes. Although she looked somewhat haggard in the mirror, she regained the demeanor of the "Queen Mother".

As she followed Li Xiao out of the central command tent, the sunlight shone on her, and she couldn't help but squint slightly. This was the first time she had seen sunlight in many days.

She knew that from this day forward, her fate, and the fate of the Western Karakhanid Khanate, would be inextricably linked to the man before her and the powerful Qin state.

……

Not long after, Abdul and many other city lords and nobles received a summons.

Li Xiao, the King of the Northern Frontier, was to summon them to the Golden Tent.

They tensed up instantly, quickly straightened their clothes, and walked towards the golden tent with trepidation.

The Qin soldiers along the way all had fierce eyes and cruel sneers at them, which made them even more uneasy.

Upon entering the golden tent, the first thing that catches the eye is the man seated at the head of the table.

Li Xiao was dressed in a black and gold royal robe, with a jade belt inlaid with gemstones around his waist. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and just sitting there, he exuded an unquestionable majesty.

Abdul and the others dared not be negligent in the slightest, and immediately bowed and shouted in unison, "Greetings to the Great King of the Northern Frontier! May the Great King enjoy good health and longevity!"

But the next second, their attention was drawn to the figure beside Li Xiao, which was Aidana.

She was dressed in a magnificent queen mother's robe and wore a crown inlaid with pearls. She sat upright on a cushion to one side, her expression dignified and elegant. Although there was a hint of weariness between her brows, she still could not hide her noble bearing.

Abdul and the others were stunned; they never expected to see the Queen Mother in the golden tent.

No one knew that this seemingly dignified Empress Dowager had recently been kneeling humbly before Li Xiao's bedside, trying to please the King of the Northern Frontier.

Ignoring the surprised looks on everyone's faces, Li Xiao said calmly, "You've all been in Samarkand for so long, thank you for your hard work."

"However, I have recently heard that the tiger problem in the river is quite serious."

"Tiger threat?"

Abdul and the others looked at each other, their hearts filled with doubt.

Although tigers exist in the Transoxiana region, their numbers are small, and the situation is never described as "serious," let alone posing a threat.

Abdul cautiously looked up, wanting to ask a question, but met Li Xiao's sharp gaze and quickly lowered his head, not daring to say anything more.

Li Xiao seemed oblivious to everyone's confusion, picked up a military report from the table, and spoke slowly.

"My younger brother, Li Ao, the commander of the Fifth Garrison, led a large army south to conquer the Kingdom of Gur a few days ago. When he passed through the city of Diermi, he found that the tiger problem there had reached an alarming level."

"Hundreds and thousands of tigers came out of the mountains in groups, rushed into the city, and devoured all the people in the city."

"You gentlemen have lived in Hezhong for a long time, you should know about this matter, right? Is there any truth to it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Adana sat to the side, her face full of shock and confusion: "What?"

"Die'ermi City...was eaten by tigers?"

She had never heard of so many tigers in Diermi City, let alone "hundreds or thousands," which was simply illogical.

But aren't Abdul and his ilk all shrewd and calculating?

Upon hearing the name "Die'ermi" and recalling the Qin army marching south, they instantly understood.

"This, this, this..."

Cold sweat instantly seeped from everyone's foreheads, sliding down their cheeks and soaking their collars.

Abdul's face was deathly pale, his hands gripping the hem of his clothes tightly, and he even had to breathe carefully.

Li Xiao put down the military report, his gaze sweeping over the pale faces of the crowd, his tone tinged with amusement: "Why aren't you all speaking? Haven't you heard about this?"

"Or... do you all look a little unwell? Have you not been getting enough rest lately?"

"If you haven't rested well, then go back to your respective cities!"

These words were like an invisible pressure, making it hard for Abdul and the others to breathe.

Abdul quickly nodded, his voice trembling, "Yes...yes, Your Majesty, we have heard of it."

"The tiger problem in Diermi City is indeed serious, with tens of thousands of tigers... It's truly appalling."

"We were only distracted because we were worried about the spread of tigers. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."

The other city lords echoed this sentiment, some nodding vigorously, while others wiped the cold sweat from their brows, repeatedly saying, "There is a tiger threat."

“There are indeed many tigers around the city of Diermi.”

"The people of Diermi City must have been eaten by tigers."

No one dared to utter a single word of "no," fearing that their city would be the next to suffer from the "tiger menace."

(End of this chapter)