The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 152 Black Armor Army, White Bone Farm

In the Longcheng wasteland, three thousand Han slaves were facing the dawn and starting their day's work.

The heavy stones were carried and stacked with difficulty in their rough hands.

Suddenly, a sharp and rapid whistle pierced the sky, instantly stopping their actions.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looked up with confusion and fear on their faces, and gazed into the distance.

On the horizon, countless cavalrymen in white armor were charging forward like a surging tide.

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and billowing smoke and dust rose behind them, covering the sky and the sun.

The golden light of the early morning sprinkled on the white armor, and the mottled bloodstains were still clearly visible, telling of their glorious military exploits, which was chilling.

The slaves who saw this scene turned pale instantly.

"White Devil."

"The White Devil is coming."

"What's going on? Are they here to kill us?"

“But we are already working hard.”

The three thousand Han slaves began to riot.

In the previous battle, they were deeply impressed by the terrifying power of the white-armored soldiers.

Many people were defeated by the white-armored soldiers and then captured.

Now, they saw the mighty white-armored army appear and instantly fell into a vortex dominated by fear.

But fortunately, the white-armored soldiers did not come to massacre them.

When they charged in front of the slaves, the white-armored soldiers' horses slowly stopped.

At this moment, the wilderness was silent, and only the arrogant roar of the warhorse could be heard.

Li Xiao, wearing a full set of cotton armor, rode out slowly on a black warhorse.

He stood tall and straight, his eyes as resolute as torches. He glanced at all the slaves calmly and said loudly, "I am Li Xiao, the governor of Jinzhou."

"From today on, you don't have to build a city anymore."

"This governor will give you a chance to gain freedom." Li Xiao's voice was cold and firm, and it spread throughout the wilderness.

"All you need to do is kill three enemies on the battlefield, and you will no longer be slaves, but become upright citizens of the Golden State."

"Follow me from now on, you will have the best food and the best drinks, you will be able to steal money and women, you will own your own land and property, and you will control your own destiny!"

"Do you understand everything?"

When the slaves heard this, they were stunned at first, but then a blazing fire ignited in their eyes, which was the desire for freedom.

Since being captured in Husiwoerduo, although these Han people were treated better than the Uighurs, they were still slaves after all.

I get up earlier than the chickens, sleep later than the dogs, and work hard every day, but I can't get a full meal.

Resentment?
This is true for all slaves in the world.

The only way is to get rid of the status of slavery.

They originally thought that they would have to work like cattle and horses for several years before they could get a chance to become adults.

But unexpectedly, this sudden turn of events gave them hope.

The crowd began to stir and they began to whisper among themselves.

"So, let's throw them onto the battlefield and die, right?"

"so what?"

"Anyway, if we continue to stay here, we will be living a life worse than death."

"I heard that the Uighurs were living even worse off than us. They were sent to the mountains to dig rocks. In less than a month, many of them died of exhaustion."

"Will they send us to dig rocks in the mountains in the future?"

"Let's do it. We're just trying to survive here anyway, so we might as well give it a try."

"As long as we can kill three enemies, we can become the Golden State Army."

Thinking of this, some slaves' eyes flashed with determination.

They saw clearly how the Jinzhou Army was treated.

In the battle of Husiwoerduo, the Jinzhou army captured many women, all of whom were maids from wealthy families, and even palace maids and concubines of nobles.

These women were originally high and mighty, kneeling and begging to climb into the beds of their masters, and they looked down on them, the ordinary soldiers and servants.

But what is the result?

All those women were divided up by the Jinzhou Army.

Even the former noble ladies now have to serve the peasants of the Jinzhou Army.

This kind of treatment made the slaves jealous.

Not to mention, the Jinzhou Army was also rewarded with a large amount of gold, silver, copper coins, etc.

Compared to their previous service in Husiwoerduo, the treatment of the Jinzhou Army was hundreds or even thousands of times better than theirs.

Next, they only need to kill three enemies and they can become members of the Jinzhou Army.

He could also snatch those noble ladies away and ravage them severely.

This feeling is crazy just thinking about it.

As a result, many slaves shouted and joined the Jinzhou Army.

You have no choice but to agree.

No one would be so naive as to think that Li Xiao was discussing something with them.

If you don't agree, you may die.

"I am willing to die for the governor!"

"I am willing to die for the governor!"

The voices of the slaves gathered together, like a surging wave, one after another, echoing over the wasteland.

In this way, three thousand war slaves were added to Li Xiao's army.

Moreover, these three thousand people are basically young and strong men.

Because the bodies of the old, weak, sick and disabled had already been eaten by wild wolves and vultures on the two thousand miles journey back to Jinzhou.

Soon after, Luo Meng and other thousand-household troops arrived at the Longcheng Desert.

This time, Li Xiao mobilized 5,000 Jinzhou troops, plus these 3,000 slaves, the total force reached 8,000 people.

The rest of the people stayed in their respective forts and tribes to guard against enemy attacks. At the same time, two thousand-household soldiers were left to suppress the 20,000 slaves in Jinshan.

Afterwards, Li Xiao began to make organizational adjustments for these 8,000 soldiers.

"Li Dahu, appointed commander of the Kuli Army."

"Zhao Chunsheng, appointed Captain of the Kuli Army."

"Wei Xuan, appointed as a captain of the Curry Army."

"Zhao Dabao, appointed as a centurion of the Kuli Army."

"Feng Hou, appointed as a centurion of the Kuli Army."

Following Li Xiao's order, a group of meritorious soldiers in the Western Expedition, including Da Hu and Wei Xuan, were all promoted one rank and became officers in the 3,000-strong slave army.

At the same time, a group of slaves were selected to supplement the other thousand-household troops.

In this way, the eight thousand troops were reorganized into eight thousand-household armies.

The White Armor Army is still led by Li Xiao himself.

But the number of troops has reached 1,500.

Because during the Western Expedition, the old man led people to make a batch of cotton armor.

In the month since Li Xiao returned, Jinzhou's industry has gradually begun to gain momentum.

In the end, Jinzhou added another 500 sets of cotton armor.

Li Xiao selected five hundred soldiers from the entire army and added them to the White Armor Army, commanding them directly.

Afterwards, he selected 500 of the strongest soldiers to form a heavy cavalry corps, named the 'Black Armor Army'.

Erhu served as a thousand households.

The other six thousand households were Luo Meng, Li Dashan, Li Sanhe, Dahu, Bali Ala, and Li Xiao's second uncle, Qin Chunsheng.

As for Li Erjiang, Li Sishui, Amo, Buermahe and others, they stayed in Jinzhou because they took turns guarding the prisoners of war.

After everything was prepared, Li Xiao led 8,000 cavalrymen and marched south into the desert.

……

Beshbaliq, formerly known as Tingzhou, was once the core seat of the Beiting Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty, and is now the headquarters of the Great Desert Governor's Office.

It lies peacefully at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, two hundred miles away from the Tungut Desert in the north.

Thanks to the nourishment of the snow water from the Tianshan Mountains, an oasis corridor stretching for a thousand miles and with an average width of two hundred miles has naturally emerged on the east and west sides of Beshbaliq.

It winds its way between the vast sea of sand and the steep mountains, becoming an important channel of the Silk Road.

Thanks to its special geographical location, Beshbaliq has become an important silk town.

In the past, the sound of camel bells could be heard here, and caravans came and went in an endless stream. Fine silk from the Central Plains was transported here to Central Asia and even further afield, and the city was filled with prosperity and peace.

But at this moment, Beshbaliq was once again shrouded in war.

The prosperity of the past disappeared like a dream. Outside the city, the Uighur army was like a surging tide, surrounding the city tightly.

The densely packed tents looked like a black ocean with no end in sight.

Inside the city, the people were in extreme panic.

Merchants hurriedly packed up their shops, trying to move the precious silks and delicates to a safe place.

The people hid in their homes, praying silently, hoping that the war would end soon.

On the city wall, the big flag with the word "Xiao" on it seemed to have lost its vitality under the scorching sun, and no longer had the majestic aura of the past.

The soldiers leaned against the battlements in groups of three or four, their eyes filled with fatigue and confusion, and their morale was low.

Only when a young general walked by did the soldiers stand up in a hurry.

They all shouted, "Master Qianhu."

The young general nodded slightly, and did not punish the soldiers for their low morale, but just told them softly.

"The king has already sent people to the desert for support, and Governor Li of Jinzhou has also led his troops south."

"Once they arrive, the Uighurs outside the city will collapse."

"When the time comes, I will lead you to Gaochang, rob you of your money and women, and give each of you a young wife."

……

His name was Xiao Chilu, the son of Xiao Tuladuo.

He inherited Xiao Tuladuo's excellent genes, was born with a good physique, excellent martial arts skills, and bravery in combat.

But now he is trapped in the city, cut off from all contact with the outside world. He doesn't know whether there will be any reinforcements, and he doesn't know whether he can hold on until the reinforcements arrive.

But the only thing he could do was to constantly boost morale and defend the city.

"Sir, all the foreign merchants have been detained in the East City Market."

"It's just that there are too many Uighurs in the city, and we have too few troops to keep an eye on them."

A Khitan general walked up to him and reported in a deep voice.

In order to prevent the Uighurs in the city from causing chaos, the city gates were opened with the help of internal and external forces. Xiao Chilu ordered that all the Uighurs in the city be detained and not allowed to move around freely.

However, at least half of the people in Beshbaliq City were Uighurs, and the remaining half were Han people, Khitans, etc.

This resulted in Xiao Chilu being seriously short of staff.

Xiao Chilu frowned, and a hint of coldness suddenly flashed in his eyes.

He said in a deep voice: "Then there is no need to watch over it."

"Draw all those Uighurs to the city walls."

"Then gather all their families together."

"Tell them that if Beshbalik is captured, I will kill all their families first."

Threatening the Uighurs with the lives of their families to defend the city, even if a few people had ill intentions, they would not be able to cause any major trouble due to the lack of unity.

After his generals had gone into action, Xiao Chilu stood on the city wall, silently calculating the forces he had. Originally, Xiao Tuladuo had only left him with a thousand men to defend the city, but after Xiao Tuladuo was killed in battle, most of the Uighur soldiers in his army surrendered to the Gaochang army.

Only less than a thousand Han soldiers escaped back.

Xiao Chilu had less than two thousand regular soldiers, so he could only mobilize the people in the city to defend the city.

Beshbaliq is not a big city, with a permanent population of only about 30,000.

The current conscription of more than 6,000 Uighur men and more than 4,000 Han men is already the limit.

In this way, Xiao Chilu had more than 12,000 troops under his command.

However, many of the conscripted civilians were old, weak, sick and disabled, and there were also people like the Uighurs who were disloyal and completely unfit for use.

Therefore, facing the siege of 20,000 Uighur troops, the situation remained grim.

At this moment, the Uighurs outside the city suddenly began to move.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Master Qianhu."

"The Uighurs have begun to attack the city."

Xiao Chilu loudly comforted the soldiers, telling them not to panic and to hold their positions.

Then he looked outside the city, frowned, and whispered, "The Uighurs can't wait any longer."

Beshbalik had been under siege for many days, but before that the Uighurs had only carried out small-scale sieges, mainly trying to persuade the enemy to surrender.

But Xiao Chilu knew that they were taking the opportunity to build siege equipment.

Now, the Uighurs finally launched the general offensive.

Ladders, catapults, siege towers, battering rams, etc., all kinds of siege weapons are available.

It can be seen that there are many craftsmen among the Uighurs, and their skills are quite sophisticated.

"Hold the city walls. Anyone who dares to take a step back will have their entire family beheaded."

Unlike Xiao Chilu just now, he completely turned into a ruthless tyrant during the battle and no longer cared about or encouraged his soldiers.

In short, defend the city walls at all costs.

But the next second, the guards beside him suddenly shouted: "Sir, look, what is that?"

Xiao Chilu looked outside when he heard that, and the next second, his face suddenly became ferocious.

In front of the Uighur siege troops, a corpse was hung high on a flagpole, and the soldiers were slowly pushing forward.

He recognized at a glance that the body was his father, Xiao Tuladuo.

"Beast~"

Xiao Chilu's eyes were furious and almost spitting fire.

The voice was low and hoarse, but it contained endless anger and sorrow.

His father's death in battle was already a heavy blow, and now he had to endure such humiliation from the Uighurs. How could he bear it?

"Uighurs, I will never forgive you!" Xiao Chilu roared to the sky and drew the long sword from his waist.

He turned to face the soldiers behind him, his eyes red like an angry lion. "The Uighurs bullied me and insulted my father. As a man, how can I just sit there and wait for death?"

"Today, they will pay for their blood debt with blood!"

……

At the same time, behind the Uighur army, a man riding on a standing horse was watching all this with a sneer.

Looking at the corpse hanging on the flagpole, his heart was filled with joy.

"Xiao Simo, Li Xiao!" He murmured softly, silently repeating these two names, his voice low and hoarse, full of indifference and murderous intent.

"What happened to Xiao Tuladuo today will be your fate in the future."

He was none other than Daha Chuluoduo.

In the battle of Ili River, his Eagle Tribe Pi Shi Army was directly defeated and completely defeated by Li Xiao.

Fortunately, at this time, someone suggested to Yelu Zhilugu that the Gaochang Kingdom send troops to attack the Northern Frontier Army from the desert.

In order to atone for his sins, Daha Chuluoduo took the initiative to take on this task and came to Gaochang with the 500 remaining troops under his command.

But then he learned some bad news.

Hu Siwoerduo was captured, his father died in battle, and his mother and wife were abducted by Li Xiao.

It was like a bolt from the blue, making Da He Chu Luoduo furious and crazy.

For him, it was a great humiliation.

Therefore, Xiao Simo and Li Xiao have become the people he hates the most.

Try every possible means to retaliate.

Xiao Tuladuo was just a little interest he collected from the two of them.

"Pass the order down and increase the intensity of the siege."

"Within three days, I will capture Beshbalik." Daha Chuluoduo spoke coldly. Although his voice was not loud, it revealed an unquestionable majesty.

Next to him were two generals riding on horses.

The Uighur man in his forties was named Yagubi, and he was the deputy governor of the desert.

A young man in his twenties named 'Baalshuartejin'.

He is the prince of Gaochang.

Historically, it was he who killed the Western Liao Shaojian, who was the supervisory official assigned to Gaochang State.

Then he led Gaochang Kingdom to surrender to Temujin.

This time, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Gaochang army and attacked the desert.

Hearing Dahechu Luoduo's words, Balshu's expression remained unchanged. He said in a calm voice, "The walls of Beshbalik are tall, and Xiao Chilu has also mobilized the people in the city to defend the city."

"If we rely solely on our Gaochang army, I'm afraid it will be difficult to capture the city within three days."

What this means is that we should let Ohga Churodo and his eagle troops attack together.

He is clearly hiding behind others and not contributing anything, yet he always gives orders to others.

I despise this kind of people the most.

"Even if it's impossible to break through, we must still attack. I don't believe there is an unbreakable wall in the world."

"Capture all the surrounding civilians, especially the Han Chinese, and have them lead the attack on the city."

Da He Chu Luoduo snorted coldly.

He hates Han people the most.

Because of Li Xiao, he wanted to kill all the Han people.

Balshu glanced into the distance, as if he didn't hear what Dahe Chuluo said.

I neither agree nor oppose, as long as the people of Gaochang are not arrested.

He could hide, but Yagubi couldn't.

He is the deputy governor of the desert. No one is more familiar with the situation in the desert than him, so this task naturally falls into his hands.

After taking a look at the two people who were at odds with each other, Yagu must have dared not offend anyone.

He could only nod to the two men and then go to the surrounding villages to capture people.

As soon as Yagubi left, the atmosphere between the two became even more awkward.

Balshu was an ambitious prince whose biggest dream was to lead the Gaochang Kingdom to revive and restore the former might of the Uighur Khanate.

Unfortunately, Gaochang was a weak country with a small population and had long since become a vassal of Western Liao.

Especially since he had seen the Western Liao young supervisor doing evil things in Gaochang since he was a child, he had long been dissatisfied with the Khitans.

Therefore, he naturally did not have a good face towards Da He Chu Luoduo.

Especially since this person wanted to force Gaochang Kingdom to send troops, Balsu was firmly opposed to it.

However, his father was deeply afraid of the Western Liao Dynasty and did not dare to refuse. He even agreed to marry the princess to Daha Chuluoduo.

Balshu was so angry.

Every time I see Da He Chu Luoduo, I look like I want to eat him.

Da He Chu Luoduo was no longer surprised.

He snorted coldly and said to himself, "When I become the consort of Gaochang, I will send you to the Western Paradise."

A mere Gaochang prince consort could not satisfy his ambition at all.

Daha Chuluoduo planned that after getting married, he would slowly seize power in Gaochang and then eliminate all stumbling blocks like Balshu.

Finally, he launched a coup, forced the King of Gaochang to abdicate, and became the King of Gaochang himself.

After a whole day of attack, Beshbaliq was still as strong as before, but there were many more corpses on and around the city.

Seeing this, Balshu sighed, clasped his hands together, and silently chanted: "Amitabha!"

Then he looked at Dahechu Luoduo and said, "Dahechuluoduo, you have committed many sins. I am afraid that one day you will suffer the burning of the fire of karma. You should do more good deeds in the future."

Upon hearing this, Da He Chu Luo Duo snorted coldly: "Don't worry about it."

"I'm not concerned about you, but I'm worried that my sister will become a widow." Balshu sneered.

Then he gave the order: "Sound the horn to withdraw the troops and continue the battle tomorrow."

That night, the moonlight was bright, and there were many more wailing sounds in the Uighur camp.

Dahachu Luoduo was so nervous that he couldn't sleep at all, so he walked out of the tent and looked at the city wall of Beshbali with a heavy heart.

It must be conquered within three days.

Otherwise, the longer the time, the greater the possibility that the troops from Dongdu and Jinzhou will arrive.

He had participated in that war and witnessed with his own eyes the strength of the Northern Frontier Army, especially its terrifying field battles.

In Daha Chuluoduo's opinion, the Uighurs in the wild could hardly be a match for the Northern Frontier Army.

It is necessary to rely on the defense of the city walls, which are like a nail firmly stuck in the desert, to attract troops from the northern border and create conditions for the royal court's northern expedition.

Therefore, the city wall must be breached within three days, at all costs.

At this time, a Uighur officer led his men to inspect the military camp. When he saw Daha Chuluoduo, he immediately saluted.

"Meet the Prince Consort."

"General Hamam, are you on duty tonight?"

"Yes, I am on duty!"

"Is there anything unusual?" asked Da He Chu Luoduo.

"Everything is normal," Hamam said.

"I have already sent more than a dozen scouts to the west and northeast, reporting every two hours, and there are no unusual findings."

If the Dongdu army attacks, they will choose the west, while the Jinzhou army will come from the northeast.

There is nothing wrong with Hamam's plan.

However, Da He Chu Luo Duo frowned and asked, "What about the northwest?"

"Why not send scouts to the northwest?"

Hamamu knew that Dahechu Luoduo was not familiar with the terrain of the desert, so he explained, "Don't worry, Prince Consort. To the northwest is the White Bone Field. No one can come from there."

Baigudian is an extremely special and dangerous area.

It is located on the edge of the desert, and in ancient times, this land has been the battlefield of many large-scale wars.

Countless soldiers fought and died here, and no one collected their bodies, leaving them to be eroded by wind and sand. Over time, white bones were scattered everywhere, so it was called "White Bone Field".

The terrain of Baigudian is complex and varied, with quicksand in many places. The climate is harsh, with unbearable heat during the day and bitterly cold at night, with a huge temperature difference.

Gradually, this place almost became a restricted area for humans.

Neither Jinzhou nor Dongdu would risk marching from here.

Upon hearing this, Da He Chu Luo Duo nodded slightly, but also warned: "Don't underestimate the enemy."

"We must also send more scouts to the White Bone Dian area. Be cautious."

"I will obey my orders."

Afterwards, Hamamu thought about the spare scouts he had and said to his men, "Go tell Jueluo Tag to stop pretending to be sick."

"Go to the northwest to investigate the situation."

(End of this chapter)