The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 136 Commander of the Left Army

Facing Xiao Linta's accusation, Li Xiao remained calm and indifferent.

He had expected Xiao Linta to make trouble, but he didn't take it to heart at all.

Xiao Simo obviously knew about this a long time ago. A look of depression appeared on his face, and he frowned and shook his head slightly.

On the one hand, Xiao Linta and Li Xiao are both his right-hand men, but they are at odds with each other because of their different positions.

Although he was deliberately guiding this from behind, he did not want the hostility between the two to affect the war.

On the other hand, he was also annoyed that Li Xiao had caused him trouble, and thought to himself: "This bastard, even if he wanted to attack half of Duoluochu, he should have waited until the war was over."

The incident involving the Dorochuban tribe has indeed caused panic among other tribes in the Seven Rivers Grassland.

If Li Xiao couldn't come up with a legitimate reason, Xiao Simo would have to punish him slightly to shut everyone up.

Otherwise, he would end up losing the support of the people, just like Yelu Zhilugu who protected Tayanggu.

"Li Xiao, do you have any explanation?"

"The order I gave you was to eliminate only the Basai cadres. Why did you attack and destroy half of the Duoluo group?"

"Don't you know that Dorotarhan has surrendered to the king?"

Xiao Simo's voice was light, and although it contained a hint of accusation, he was actually reminding Li Xiao.

As long as Li Xiao agreed with him and said that he had accidentally injured half of Duo Luo's group, he would be able to give him a lighter sentence and a light punishment would be enough.

But Li Xiao was prepared for this and said calmly, "Sir, I did not kill innocent people. It is really the half-unit of Duoluo that deserves it."

Then he looked at Xiao Linta and asked, "Commander Xiao, according to the laws of the Great Liao, what is the crime for harboring a death row prisoner?"

Xiao Linta was experienced and immediately understood Li Xiao's intention. He frowned and replied, "Same crime, but~"

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Xiao.

"Listen to me first."

Li Xiao looked at Xiao Simo with a serious face and said, "After I defeated the Basai cadres, their Jijintiyar fled to Duola."

"When I went to retrieve him, Talhan not only lied that Tiar was not there, but he also drew his sword and attacked our army."

"Tarhan is even more outrageous, claiming he and Commander Xiao Linta are close friends. He even wrote a letter to Commander Xiao and sent him some gifts not long ago!"

Hearing this, Xiao Linta couldn't hold it in any longer and shouted angrily, "He's farting!"

"Pontus doesn't even know him."

He knew very well that he could not have any connection with Talhan, especially through correspondence. This kind of secret collusion was a taboo for those in power.

Li Xiao laughed. "I said that Talhan Jijin was lying. If Governor Xiao, who is far away in Jinzhou, keeps exchanging letters with him, doesn't that mean he has some evil intentions?"

But in fact, where are the letters?
These were all fabricated by Li Xiao to throw mud on Xiao Linta.

"you……"

Xiao Linta's face was filled with anger as he stared at Li Xiao, "Don't be so unreasonable, this is your business!"

Li Xiao raised the corners of his mouth slightly and smiled faintly: "Okay, let's talk about my business."

"Duo Luochu's army took the initiative to attack, and our army was forced to fight back. After a fierce battle, we broke through them and killed their leader, Jijin Tarhan."

That’s right, that guy has been killed by Li Xiao.

How dare this ignorant bastard propose to Xiao Simo and marry Xiao Yanyan?
Li Xiao once said that whoever dared to marry her would have his entire family wiped out.

After tying her outside the tent and listening to Li Xiao whipping the woman for three days and three nights, Li Xiao finally vented his anger early this morning and lost interest in playing with these two people.

Not only was Talhan killed, but all his family members were not spared.

Only one person.

It was his Hedun, who defeated Luo Su.

Soon, two of Xiao Simo's personal soldiers brought a woman in.

She was pale, wearing a simple round robe, with disheveled hair, a vacant look in her eyes, a dull mind, and a weak body. It was obvious that she had suffered severe beatings many times.

As soon as the soldier let go, she fell to the ground.

Li Xiao said, "Sir, this woman is Hedun of the Duolochubanbu, from the Chuluosu clan. Jurhan's concubine is her sister."

As he spoke, he pretended to be embarrassed and whispered, "I didn't know her identity at first, so..."

They are all men. Seeing the woman in this state, how could they not know what good thing Li Xiao had done?
Ok!

He became a brother-in-law of Yelu Zhilugu.

Xiao Tuladuo and others laughed, with envy in their eyes.

Chu Luosu is extremely beautiful, but more importantly, her status is something that not everyone can get.

Xiao Simo glared at him fiercely, but said nothing more.

It was common for a man to have three or four wives and concubines, let alone the wives and daughters of the enemy captured in the war. Any means were acceptable, and Xiao Simo did not care about this matter.

On the other side, Xiao Linta lost his composure. He opened his eyes wide and shouted, "Impossible."

"Chu Luosu is dead, and his head is still hanging in Dongdu!"

"That's fake!" Li Xiao shouted in a deep voice.

Just to fool you idiots.

Li Xiao had also seen that head.

At first I thought it was true.

It was not until I saw the appearance of Chu Luosu in the middle of the Dorachu that I understood everything in an instant.

"It was a trick by Tarhan. He found a woman who looked similar, cut off her head and sent it to Dongdu."

"In reality, this was just a conspiracy between him and Yelu Zhilugu. They pretended to submit to our army, but secretly planned to launch a counterattack against our army at a critical moment."

After hearing what Li Xiao said, Xiao Linta slowly fell silent and his face became even darker.

Damn it, Li Xiao got away with it again this time.

Then, Li Xiao looked at Xiao Simo and said, "Your Excellency can interrogate half of the people in Duoluochu, and you will know that what I said is true."

"no."

"This king believes in you."

Xiao Simo waved his hand lightly with a smile on his face.

He only believed half of what Li Xiao said.

It must be this bastard who deliberately destroyed half of the Duoluo tribe because of Ah Man.

However, he was lucky enough to find the real Chu Luosu and expose the conspiracy of Duo Luochubanbu.

Fortunately, he hit the mark by accident.

Otherwise, once the decisive battle comes, half of the Duoluo tribe will contact the other seven river tribes and attack from behind.

The Dongdu Army might be in some danger.

At this moment, Xiao Simo looked at Li Xiao with a hint of appreciation.

"You are truly a lucky man."

He then looked at Chu Luosu, who was lying limp on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Since you are already dead, there is no need to waste food by keeping you alive."

"Drag it down and kill it."

Xiao Simo hated being deceived the most.

And he used such a simple way of faking his death, which made him look very stupid.

But unfortunately, Chu Luosu herself is a small figure, and few people have seen her true face.

Just because they looked similar, I believed them to be true.

Now, Xiao Simo wants to correct his mistakes.

Immediately, Chu Luosu was dragged out by his personal guards.

Li Xiao clicked his tongue when he saw this scene.

I thought to myself, “What a pity!”

It turned out that Li Xiao was also thinking about capturing Yelu Zhilugu's concubine after a while, so that the two sisters could be together.

The idea was shattered.

Afterwards, Xiao Simo convened the highest military meeting in the northern border.

Because of the appearance of the seven river leaders, Xiao Simo's tent was no longer large enough.

So, they cleared a piece of land on the grassland not far away.

"Meet the king."

The leaders of the Seven Rivers Tribe all bowed their heads to pay their respects to Xiao Simo.

Judging from the current situation, Xiao Simo's forces are powerful and his military is at its peak, so there is a great possibility that he can break through the royal court.

Some people take the initiative to place bets in advance.

Of course, most of the people don’t want to get involved in the Khitan’s trivial matters.

But the situation does not allow them to remain neutral. The Northern Frontier Army has just massacred two tribes, the blood has not yet dried, and the howling of those wronged souls can still seem to be heard in their ears.

No one wants to be the next tribe to be slaughtered.

Therefore, they could only actively or passively join the Dongdu side.

The sky was azure blue. Xiao Simo sat on the top bed. He glanced at the tribal leaders one by one and said slowly, "Welcome, my friends."

"You have made the most correct choice. I believe you will never regret this decision."

……

Xiao Simo's eyes were fixed, and his voice became louder and louder: "The emperor is incompetent and unjust, and he favors treacherous people..."

"Once we conquer the royal court, the Liao Dynasty will usher in a new era of prosperity."

"Each of you is a meritorious official of the Liao Dynasty. You may choose the most fertile pastures with the most abundant grass and water. You may increase your herds of cattle, sheep, and horses as you please. In the future, your tribe will possess untold wealth."

"Furthermore, I will set up special seats for you all in the imperial court and confer titles upon you, so that your descendants will all enjoy endless wealth and glory."

"Rest with the country."

Xiao Simo's words were powerful and his deep voice spread far across the grassland.

This was a big promise to the leaders of the Seven Rivers Tribe, and also a promise to old generals like Li Xiao.

As long as Xiao Simo sits in that position, these people will be granted titles of nobility and become prime ministers, and their descendants will benefit from it, and they will enjoy endless wealth and glory.

The Great Liao will be completely controlled by the Northern Frontier Military Group.

As soon as Xiao Simo finished speaking, Li Xiao immediately stood up and expressed his opinion.

"We will swear to follow the king till death, purge the emperor's entourage, punish corrupt officials, obey the will of Heaven, quell the rebellion, and restore the might of the Liao Dynasty."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Simo immediately gave him an admiring look.

Clear the imperial court, punish corrupt officials, and quell the rebellion in accordance with the will of heaven.

Listen, that’s well said!
This is what Xiao Simo wanted to express.

But Xiao Linta was unhappy and glanced at Li Xiao secretly.

Damn it, he tricked me again.

But there is no way, because Li Xiao is now Xiao Simo's favorite.

He not only became Xiao Simo's brother-in-law, but also became one of his true family members.

He also made countless contributions and had outstanding military achievements.

He is capable, loyal, and sweet-talking, which can please the leader.

Who can not like such subordinates?
There is no way, Xiao Linta really can't beat Li Xiao now.

As soon as Li Xiao finished speaking, everyone stood up and shouted in unison, imitating Li Xiao's behavior.

"We swear to follow the king until death."

"We swear to follow the king until death."

……

Then, the military meeting officially began.

Xiao Simo had many connections in the royal court, so although he didn't know everything about the royal court's military deployments, he knew about 70% to 80% of it.

This time, Yelu Zhilugu still appointed Tayanggu as the commander on the surface.

But according to the information Xiao Simo obtained, this was just a trick he used to confuse himself.

In fact, after these two wars, Yelu Zhilugu also realized that Tayanggu was useless.

So, an old veteran was secretly recruited.

Really Wuchi.

"Really General Wuchi?"

Li Xiao had no feeling for this name and had never heard of it.

But after hearing this, Xiao Tuladuo and the others' expressions darkened. "Old General Zhen Wuchi has actually returned to the battlefield."

"This battle is not easy to fight!"

Xiao Linta and others said secretly.

Zhen Wuchi is not a fool like Tayanggu.

This is an antique from the Yelu Yile era. Later, during the Yelu Pusuwan period, he was still used in order to balance the power of the Xiao family in the army.

Participated in many foreign wars.

Even the most famous war to suppress the rebellion of the Qarluk people in Central Asia during the reign of Yelu Pusuwan was fought by Zhen Wuchi.

This is a veteran like Lian Po.

However, Xiao Simo did not show any fear towards him. Instead, he said calmly:

"General Zhen Wuchi's reputation is widespread, but he is old and has no soldiers at his disposal."

"Yelü Zhilugu is cowardly and incompetent. Even at this point, he still clings to the Pishi Army and only gives the old general 20,000 troops to stop our army."

"How can we not win with my 60,000 troops against 20,000?" Xiao Simo laughed.

But in fact, there are only more than 46,000 people in Dongdu, and Xiao Simo was just exaggerating on purpose.

But even so, it is still far more than the royal court's troops.

The failure of two consecutive wars had a great impact on the royal court.

Apart from the royal guards, the Pi Shi Army, only 20,000 troops could be mobilized.

What does this mean?
Yelu Zhilugu's control over the various tribes in the royal court declined, and they all began to secretly disobey him.

Moreover, even among these 20,000 troops, there are still many "miscellaneous troops" like the Seven Rivers tribes.

Then there are the 5,000 soldiers and horses recruited from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate.

The number of soldiers and horses that actually belonged to the Khitan tribe was less than 10,000.

"General Zhen Wuchi is mobilizing his troops, intending to block our army north of the Ili River."

"But a mere 20,000 soldiers and horses can never stop my army."

Xiao Simo said in a deep voice, and gave a big pie to everyone.

At this time, everyone had great expectations for the future of this war.

Afterwards, Xiao Simo made strategic arrangements.

"Now, our army is at its peak, with a strength of 60,000."

"In order to facilitate deployment, I have decided to divide the army into three parts." Xiao Simo stood up and scanned the entire audience with a majestic gaze.

He said in a deep voice: "I will personally lead the Yinshan troops and the Karluk cavalry as the central force."

The Yinshan troops included 5,000 soldiers from Xiao Simo's most loyal Six Courts and 3,000 soldiers from other tribes.

There were 10,000 Naiman prisoners of war and 2,000 Ili Karluk cavalry.

The actual strength of the central army is 20,000.

"The troops under the command of Li Xiao, the deputy governor of Jinzhou, and the Northern Navy are the left wing army."

"The troops under the command of Jinzhou Governor Xiao Linta and the Great Desert Army are the right wing."

"The troops of the Seven Rivers will be divided into two parts and join the left and right armies respectively, awaiting deployment."

As soon as these words were spoken, the basic structure of the Dongdu Army was formed.

The three armies of left, center and right.

Li Xiao had 4,500 men under his command, plus 4,000 men from the Northern Navy and 5,700 men from the River Army, totaling 13,500 men, forming the Left Route Army.

Xiao Linta had 2,500 men under his command, plus 5,000 from the desert army and 5,700 from the river army, totaling 12,500 men, forming the right-wing army.

The three armies of left, center and right have a total of more than 46,000 people.

For the Western Regions at that time, this was already a very large military force.

Even during the founding period of Western Liao, Yelu Dashi had only about 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers and horses under his command.

Therefore, such a powerful army of Dongdu gave many generals full confidence.

The change of dynasties and the appointment of nobles and ministers are happening today.

The army structure has been formed, and the next thing is the most important thing.

The choice of commander-in-chief!
The commander of the central army must be Xiao Simo himself.

The selection of commanders for the left and right routes became the focus of countless people's attention.

But in reality, there are not many people who are qualified to sit in these two positions.

They are none other than the three governors of the northern border: Xiao Linta, Xiao Tuladuo, and Jiumeng Anhe.

Of course, now we may have to add Li Xiao.

After all, he had made enough military achievements for the Northern Frontier, and all of them were made at critical periods in important wars.

Military achievements alone may not be enough.

After all, which of the three of Xiao Linta didn't have great military achievements? And they had even more experience.

But Li Xiao’s real capital is his identity.

The son-in-law of the Xiao family, the prince consort of the Chu State, and the brother-in-law of Xiao Simo.

Sometimes, nepotism is more effective than military exploits.

Therefore, the atmosphere at this moment became a little weird, and everyone's eyes unconsciously fell on Li Xiao and the other three.

Xiao Simo glanced at the four of them calmly, and without letting anyone guess, he announced his decision directly.

"The commander of the left wing army is Li Xiao, and Jiu Meng An He is his deputy."

"The commander of the right wing army is Xiao Tuladuo, with Xiao Linta as his deputy."

Everyone who heard this was surprised.

Xiao Tuladuo was not surprised, but he did not expect that Li Xiao would actually take the position of commander of the left army.

"He seems to be less than twenty years old?"

"He actually reached the level of being on par with General Xiao Tuladuo and others, and even surpassed General Jiumeng Anhe and took down the commander of the left wing army."

"Becoming the son-in-law of the Xiao family, your status and position are different."

"Having a good appearance can really save you decades of detours."

At this moment, everyone had different thoughts. Some were envious, some were jealous, and some admired, but no one raised any objections.

Although Li Xiao is young, he has made great military achievements and is brave and good at fighting.

Becoming the commander-in-chief of the left-wing army can convince people.

What's more, with the blessing of the halo of his status, Li Xiao's future achievements are destined to be limitless.

No one would offend Li Xiao at this time.

Even the Beihai Governor Jiu Meng An He did not show any dissatisfaction.

It seemed as if they completely obeyed Xiao Simo's orders, with Li Xiao as their leader.

Only Xiao Linta felt even more depressed.

He looked at Li Xiao angrily, then turned his face away unwillingly.

But a hint of viciousness and determination flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He is the commander of a large army. He holds a high position and has great power, so it is easy for him to achieve military merits.

More importantly, it can influence the outcome of the battle.

Xiao Linta wanted to improve so much and wanted this position so much.

Unfortunately, Li Xiao not only made things difficult for him in Jinzhou, but now he is blocking his way.

Xiao Linta believed that if it weren't for Li Xiao, the commander of the left army would definitely be in his pocket.

So at this moment, he felt even more resentful towards Li Xiao.

She even blamed Xiao Simo for being ruthless and forgetting the old when she found the new.

No matter what everyone thought, Li Xiao was very happy in his heart.

He and Xiao Tuladuo stood up at the same time and shouted, "Xiao Tuladuo obeys your command."

"Li Xiao obeys your command."

At this moment, Li Xiao became the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier Left Army, directly commanding the battle of 13,500 troops, all of whom were cavalry.

At this moment, everyone looked at Li Xiao's back, and their vision seemed a little dazed.

His brilliance was so dazzling that it seemed as if people subconsciously forgot Li Xiao's age.

The commander of the left army was only sixteen years old.

He truly became one of the leaders of the Northern Frontier power group.

"No wonder they all like to live off women, it smells so good!" Li Xiao said with emotion.

He knew it very well in his heart.

Although he had made many military achievements, he could never become the commander of the left-wing army based on this alone.

The most important reason is Xiao Yanyan.

Once he became Xiao Simo's brother-in-law, he became one of our own.

Li Xiao's interests and Xiao Simo's interests are completely tied together. They prosper together and suffer together.

Therefore, Li Xiao's status and trust in Xiao Simo's heart have been raised to the highest level.

Although he still lacked some qualifications, the position of commander of the left-wing army was given to Li Xiao without hesitation.

There is something rightly said.

If you want to make it in life, it’s not enough to rely on your strength, you also need your background.

"I remember that the old man of the Xiao family seemed to have also served as the commander-in-chief of the left-wing army." Li Xiao suddenly thought of Xiao Wulila.

It’s the low-profile version of Sima Yi of Western Liao.

In the Battle of Kavant, which was the founding battle of Western Liao.

Xiao Worila served as the commander of the left wing of the Western Liao army, and together with Yelu Dashi, he defeated the Seljuk Empire and laid the foundation for the Western Liao to dominate Central Asia.

And today, this position falls on Li Xiao again.

Fate seems to be a cycle.

……

After everyone dispersed, Li Xiao said hello to Xiao Tuladuo and then caught up with Jiu Meng Anhe.

"General Jiumeng An~" Jiumeng Anhe stopped and turned to look at Li Xiaodao.

"Commander Li~"

This is a man about forty years old. He is not tall, has a solid build, and has a big square face. At first glance, he looks like an honest man.

Li Xiao stepped forward and said softly, "Li Xiao is grateful to Lord Xiao for his kindness. I will be the commander of the left army."

"But I know my own abilities, and my experience is not as rich as yours, Commander Jiu Meng'an."

"Therefore, I would like to ask Governor Jiu Meng'an to give me some advice on some matters."

Hearing Li Xiao's words, Jiu Meng'an laughed and looked up at Li Xiao.

"Commander Li, there is no need to do this. I, Jiu Meng An He, am not a petty person who is jealous of talented people."

"As long as it is beneficial to my Dongdu cause, even if I am asked to be a small soldier in front of the battlefield, I, Jiu Meng An He, will not say a word."

"What's more, Commander Li, your abilities are obvious to all."

"I, Jiu Meng An He, will wholeheartedly accept you as the commander of the left wing army."

Li Xiao didn't have much contact with him on a daily basis, but he knew that Jiu Meng Anhe was a straightforward person.

Like is like, hate is hate.

After all, his qualifications were not as good as Jiu Meng An He's, and he was worried that he would have complaints after becoming the governor.

For the sake of team unity and not wanting to make more enemies, Li Xiao took the initiative to come forward and show goodwill.

But unexpectedly, Li Xiao was overthinking it.

He was loyal to Xiao Simo and was willing to sacrifice himself for his success.

"The governor is righteous."

Li Xiao patted his chest heavily.

No matter what Jiu Meng and An He think, but they said nice things to save face, so Li Xiao’s acting skills can’t be bad.

Then, with a look of righteousness, he said to Jiu Meng An He: "I, Li Xiao, swear that I will do my best to break through the royal court."

"Don't let down Lord Xiao's expectations, don't let down the governor's trust."

(End of this chapter)