The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 159: Intellectuals are harming the country, and all the nobles can be killed!

Hamil City.

The setting sun was blood-red, and the afterglow dyed the entire city a tragic orange-red.

Aarkus, wearing heavy armor, stood on the city wall. He frowned and looked towards the west, which was the direction of Gaochang City.

In this dead silence, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly came from afar. Aarkus was shocked and stared at the direction where the sound came from.

Amidst the flying dust, a fast horse came galloping towards us.

Aarkus immediately ordered, "Quick, open the city gate a crack and let the scouts in!"

He also quickly walked down the city wall and saw the panting scout.

"General, something terrible has happened! Gaochang City has been breached by the northern barbarians!"

Upon hearing this, Aarkus' body trembled violently, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"What? Breached?"

His voice unconsciously rose with a slight tremor, and he felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to his heart.

"Too fast, too fast."

"It's only been a few days," Aarkus muttered with a shocked look on his face.

In this extreme shock and fear, he inexplicably felt a sense of relief in his heart.

"Fortunately, I didn't go to Gaochang."

"Otherwise, these five thousand men would have been like the defenders of Gaochang City, all perished at the hands of those ferocious northern barbarians."

Aarkus muttered to himself with lingering fear, his voice low and tinged with relief.

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly remember something. He looked at the scout anxiously and asked, "Where is His Majesty? How is His Majesty?"

The scout shook his head slightly. "The capital is in chaos, the situation is out of control, and His Majesty is nowhere to be found."

"But I heard from the people fleeing on the road that His Majesty committed suicide."

"Some say that His Majesty was hanged on the city wall by the northern barbarians, while others say that His Majesty wanted to surrender and was then killed by the Young Eunuch."

All kinds of rumors were flying around, but there was no definite and reliable news.

After hearing this, Aarkus's brows knitted into a deep "chuan" shape.
When he returned to the general's residence, his trusted staff hurriedly came to greet him: "Congratulations, General! Congratulations, General!"

Aarkus frowned in confusion, looked at his staff, and asked, "What are you so happy about? Gaochang City has been destroyed, and the situation is critical. Do you still have the mind to joke?"

The staff member stepped forward and said in a low voice, "General, this is a godsend opportunity."

"Your Majesty's life or death is unknown, and the country is leaderless. The general commands a large army, and a hundred people will respond to his command."

"Prince Chibito is in Hamil City. We can establish him as the new king, and General, you can appoint yourself the Minister of the Chancellery. This will allow you to oversee the military and political power of the entire country."

"At that time, General, you will be the true ruler of the kingdom. Isn't this a great joyous occasion?"

Having said this, the staff member paused slightly, observing Aarkus's expression. Seeing that he seemed to be thinking about something, he continued to strike while the iron was hot.

"This is just like Cao Cao of the Han Dynasty, who used the emperor to control the princes. A general can also achieve hegemony."

Aarkus' heart stirred at these words. A subtle flicker of desire flashed across his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He paced back and forth in the hall, thinking for a long time, and then slowly said, "That being said, the king's life or death is uncertain now. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to act rashly."

The staff member nodded quickly, his face showing an expression of having already made up his mind, and suggested: "General, what you said is very true."

"In my opinion, we might as well send an envoy to the Jinzhou Army. Firstly, to inquire about your Majesty's news, and secondly, to show our sincerity to the Jinzhou Army."

The two had already discussed this before when Yue'ersi ordered Alkus to send troops.

It is believed that using Gaochang's strength to fight against the northern border is like hitting a rock with an egg.

The chances of winning were slim, so they planned to wait and see, but they didn't expect that the strength of the Jinzhou Army was far beyond their imagination.

Gaochang City was breached in just a few days?
The area between Gaochang City and Hamil City is basically an endless plain oasis with no strategic location to defend.

In this case, it would be better to surrender to the Jinzhou Army as soon as possible.

Otherwise, once the Jinzhou army arrives at the city, it will be too late to surrender.

"General, the Jinzhou Army is still an outsider after all. The majority of people living in this land are still us Uighurs."

"If the Jinzhou Army wants a stable and obedient Gaochang, they must find a Uighur who can control the situation in Gaochang to help them."

"Except for you, General, I can't think of a better candidate," the staff member said softly.

In fact, Arcus is regarded as an agent of the Golden State Army.

The Jinzhou Army needs such a person to maintain its rule over Gaochang in the open.

"Once you have the support of the Jinzhou Army, General, you only need to firmly control the new king. Then, General Aarkus, you will undoubtedly be the uncrowned king of Gaochang."

Aarkus listened quietly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a long pause, he paused, a determined glint in his eyes.

"This is a serious matter, so we must not rush it."

"First, go and select a few people who can shoulder the heavy responsibility and prepare to go on the mission to the Northern Frontier."

"In addition, secretly strengthen the protection and surveillance of Prince Chibito, and do not let any information leak out." Arcus said in a deep voice.

The staff took the order and left.

Aarkus stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the night sky, feeling a mixture of emotions.

He knew that after taking this step, many people would regard him as a traitor to the country.

But he has no regrets.

Thinking that he might be able to replace him and become the real King of Gaochang in the future, Aarkus felt a surge of heat in his heart.

No one can resist the temptation of power.

"I'm not surrendering."

"We do this for the continuation of the Gaochang Kingdom," Alkus said firmly.

He is saving the country in a roundabout way.

Gaochang City.

The once prosperous and largest town in southern Xinjiang, also the capital of Gaochang Kingdom, is now deserted and seems to have turned into a ghost town.

There was dead silence without any sound.

Because all the people in the city were driven to the prisoner-of-war camp outside the city.

The young and middle-aged women were gathered together, curled up and huddled together tremblingly. They were afraid, crying softly, or looking at the surrounding Jinzhou troops with hatred.

They also thought about resisting, but the Jinzhou Army showed no mercy to these women, and the dozen or so bodies of women on the ground were proof of that.

The camp was filled with noise. Except for the soldiers on guard, most of the other soldiers had returned.

The bonfire is lit and crackling!
All the Jinzhou soldiers rode on their horses, with smiles of victory on their faces, laughing and joking with their companions!
At this moment, the figures of generals such as Li Xiao appeared in the camp.

After so many wars, Li Xiao's figure has become more and more muscular, and he has completely lost his youthful immaturity.

The brave general, like a living overlord, was majestic and walked slowly towards them on horseback, giving off a very oppressive feeling.

Slowly, the soldiers' voices became quieter and quieter, and everyone stopped talking and looked at the figures of Li Xiao and others.

Behind Li Xiao, a team of white-armored soldiers slowly approached in a horse-drawn carriage, pulling more than a hundred wooden boxes.

These were all carried out from the palace.

It was just a small portion that Li Xiao used to reward the three armies.

The moment the lid was lifted, a large amount of gold, silver and bronze treasures appeared in front of everyone.

Everyone's breathing became heavy.

Li Xiao rode on his warhorse, his eyes swept over all the soldiers, and he shouted loudly: "Soldiers, this commander-in-chief has made a promise to you."

"Everyone will be rewarded if Gaochang City is captured."

"These are all the treasures looted from the Gaochang Palace. Now, they are all yours."

Hearing Li Xiao's words, the soldiers instantly became excited and shouted loudly.

"The Grand Commander is mighty."

"The Grand Commander is mighty."

"The Governor is mighty!"

……

The soldiers' shouts were like surging waves, one after another, echoing in the open grassland for a long time.

At this moment, Li Xiao's prestige in the soldiers' hearts has reached its peak.

Whether it was the 3,000 Han Kuli troops or the newly joined Desert Army, all the soldiers were shouting excitedly.

They don't care who they serve or who they fight for, as long as they can have something to eat.

If he can allow myself and my family to live a good life, then I will truly support him.

Obviously, Li Xiao did it.

Warm cheers rang out across the grassland, and the soldiers' morale reached an unprecedented high. Their loyalty to Li Xiao also became more firm.

"Everyone gets it. Each person gets a minimum of ten strings of copper coins. Those who have made military achievements will receive additional rewards according to military regulations."

"Tomorrow morning, your squad leader will distribute the rewards to you."

"If anyone's reward amount is incorrect, you can come to me at any time."

"If anyone dares to withhold the reward."

"I, Li Xiao, will definitely chop off his head."

This is a warning to the officers: Anyone who dares to drink the blood of soldiers should not blame Li Xiao for being rude.

The army is the foundation of all stability.

Li Xiao will chop off the head of anyone who dares to shake the foundation of the army.

After hearing Li Xiao's loud shout, the soldiers' shouts were heard again on the grassland.

"Good~"

"The Grand Commander is mighty."

The cheers were deafening, and the entire grassland seemed to be shaking. The morale of the soldiers had reached its peak.

Moreover, simply receiving the reward of silver is not the end.

Li Xiao drew out his cavalry sword again, and his deep voice exploded in the wind as he shouted loudly.

"Bad boys, the battle is over. We have captured Gaochang City. Now, it's time to enjoy your spoils."

"All the squad leaders are out here, picking out the girls."

As Li Xiao's voice spread to every corner of the camp, the excitement on the soldiers' faces became more and more obvious.

"As ordered!"

The squad leaders jumped on their horses and rushed out, quickly rushing towards the female prisoners.

You can get something if you are quick or slow, but you won’t get the good ones and will definitely be blamed by your brothers.

In this battle, the Jinzhou Army captured a large number of prisoners of war.

Excluding those who were killed and those who were too old or too young, there were only more than 30,000 women suitable for distribution.

More than enough.

The ages of these women range from teenagers to those in their forties.

Girls who were too young would be held in solitary confinement and raised by the Governor's Office; those who were too old would be killed to avoid wasting precious food resources.

In the feudal era, especially among nomadic peoples, women had no human rights but were considered a kind of wealth.

Just like swords, axes, pots, pans and other production tools, women are important reproductive tools.

Even in the most brutal battles, few people would kill fertile women unless the woman took the initiative to attack.

Therefore, these women will also be regarded as important assets and taken back by the Jinzhou Army to be rewarded to meritorious soldiers, so that they can reproduce offspring and add more population to Jinzhou.

The age range of these female prisoners is quite large, and their body shapes and postures are also different, so it is definitely impossible to distribute them absolutely fairly.

At this time, we can only rely on our own speed.

Those who arrived first could grab the young and beautiful ones, while those who arrived later could only grab what others had left. Fortunately, there were enough female captives to share.

Wang Ping was a Han Chinese from Husiwoerduo. After being brought to Jinzhou, he was soon appointed as a sergeant in the Kuli army because of his strong physique and good communication skills.

Originally, these Curry soldiers followed Li Xiao on the southern expedition mainly to avoid slavery and avoid hard labor.

However, unexpectedly, as the Jinzhou Army won great victories along the way, the Grand Commander did not forget these slaves when sharing the spoils.

It's exactly the same treatment as the old Jinzhou Army.

Not only did they give him money, but he also gave him women, which made Wang Ping very touched.

You have to know that in the time of Hu Siwoerduo, getting promoted and making money were the business of the nobles, and they, the soldiers, couldn't even get a drink of soup.

When it came to dividing the women, they had no share at all.

But now it’s different. Although there is not absolute equality in the Jinzhou Army, the commander-in-chief has not forgotten these soldiers at the bottom of the army.

All the good things were thought of for them, which made Wang Ping very touched.

I have already decided to stay in Golden State.

He would attack whoever the Grand Commander told him to attack.

I can never repay the Grand Commander’s kindness in my lifetime.

With a yearning for a better life in the future, Wang Ping is more motivated and works faster.

After rushing into the women's den, his eyes kept moving, trying to find some young and beautiful ones.

I was a little disappointed at first sight. There were so few young and beautiful women. After all, I was not a Han Chinese woman, so I couldn't have too high expectations.

And before this, these female captives had already been screened.

The youngest and most beautiful ones have already been picked up by the thousand-household and hundred-household officials.

The rest can only be said to be barely pleasing to the eye.

But soon, Wang Ping's eyes lit up because he found two that suited his taste.

They were a pair of sisters who had been captured by him in the city before.

The younger sister is seventeen or eighteen years old, young and lovely, while the older sister is in her twenties and still has charm.

How could these two people not be chosen to serve the Qianhu and Baihu?
Wang Ping was overjoyed.

At this moment, the two were huddled together in fear, hugging each other. The next second, Wang Ping rushed behind them on his horse, crawled down, and lifted the two women onto his horse's back, one in each hand.

Amid the two women's terrified screams, Wang Ping laughed heartily, turned around and walked back to his temporary tent.

"Hahaha, I'm blessed today."

After hiding the two women, he hurried back to choose for his brothers.

That night, Li Xiao took all the fine wine and delicacies in the city to reward the soldiers of the three armies.

It has to be said that Gaochang under Yue'ersi's rule was somewhat similar to the Southern Song Dynasty.

The armaments were slack and the fighting power was crippled, but wealth was accumulated in abundance.

In the treasury of Gaochang City, money piled up like a mountain, numbering more than tens of millions.

The granaries were filled with grain and fodder, measured in millions of hu.

Only a part of it was used to reward the soldiers.

But it made the soldiers cheer and feel grateful to Li Xiao, and their morale was even higher.

While rewarding the three armies, Li Xiao also held a grand banquet in the big tent to entertain all his generals. After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was extremely warm.

But there was only one person who felt very uncomfortable.

This person was none other than Fan Zhongxin, a businessman from Datong Prefecture in the Central Plains.

Looking at the generals in the room drinking, playing finger-guessing games, and each of them having two beautiful women serving them, Fan Zhongxin felt out of place.

A complete outsider.

He really didn't understand what qualifications he had to sit in this big tent.

I'm just a businessman.

"My lord, it's time to drink."

A woman's soft and nervous voice interrupted Fan Zhongxin's secret view of the beautiful woman dancing in the tent.

Coming to his senses, he quickly took the wine glass from the woman with both hands.

"Thank you for your trouble~"

Although he was a distinguished guest, he was still not used to this luxurious life and could not let go at all.

Until the beautiful female prisoner beside him cried and complained that if he did not accept her service, the Jinzhou Army would think that her service was not thoughtful and might even kill her.

This made Fan Zhongxin dumbfounded. He dared not keep a distance from the female prisoner anymore and just sat there obediently.

Watch the beauties dancing in the tent.

"I heard that these dancing women are the concubines of the King of Gaochang~"

"I never thought that I, Fan Zhongxin, would be so lucky as to live the life of the King of Gaochang."

Just when Fan Zhongxin's soul was wandering, he heard someone calling his name.

Turning around, he saw Li Xiao, who was sitting at the top, waving at him.

Not daring to delay, Fan Zhongxin hurried over and knelt in front of Li Xiao.

"Greetings, Grand Commander."

Li Xiao held a beauty in one arm, pulled out one hand that was wandering inside their clothes, gently lifted it up and said, "Get up."

"In our Western Regions, we don't have the custom of kneeling before others."

"You have to change that in the future."

After hearing what Li Xiao said, Fan Zhongxin also understood: "Yes, yes, I understand."

He stood up slowly, but still bowed slightly as he faced Li Xiao.

"Don't be so reserved. I'm not a man-eating beast." Li Xiao laughed.

But in Fan Zhongxin's heart, Li Xiao is much more terrifying than a wild beast.

After chatting and joking for a while, Li Xiao told him the purpose of summoning him to the big tent.

"Bendu has always been curious about the Central Plains. Can you tell me about it?"

Fan Zhongxin nodded quickly: "Of course I will tell you everything I know."

"However, may I ask what the Grand Commander would like to know?"

"Let's talk about the emperor first!" Li Xiao said lightly.

"Who is the emperor of the Jin Dynasty?"

"The emperor's name is Wanyan Jing. He has been on the throne for ten years and is approximately thirty years old this year."

Fan Zhongxin is just a businessman, and a bankrupt low-level businessman at that.

Without access to real secrets, all you know are some simple things.

Li Xiao simply didn't ask about the number, equipment, training level, etc. of the Jin army.

It's useless to ask.

However, we can let Fan Zhongxin go back and slowly collect information in this regard.

However, Fan Zhongxin still has some say in the people's livelihood in Central Plains.

“People’s lives?”

"Ah~" Fan Zhongxin sighed heavily: "That's it."

"It's just half dead. I can't eat enough but I can't starve to death."

Datong Prefecture where he was located was relatively better, as it was the Western Capital of the Jin Dynasty after all. However, after leaving Datong Prefecture and heading west, Fan Zhongxin witnessed many human tragedies.

The lives of the people are miserable.

"I once heard a businessman say that the Jurchens' taxes were quite low, so why didn't they have enough to eat?" asked Li Dashan.

These people also gathered together and were very interested in the affairs of the Central Plains.

Fan Zhongxin smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "The court's taxes are indeed not high. They are even much lower than those in the previous dynasty."

"But, I can't handle this little devil."

As a businessman, he has broader knowledge than ordinary people and knows about the taxes in the Central Plains.

"The imperial court stipulated that the summer tax is three he per mu, and the autumn tax is five liters per mu, for a total of five liters and three he per mu per year."

"That's not much." Dahu said in surprise.

Ordinary farmland can yield 100 liters of grain per acre, and good farmland can easily produce 200 to 300 liters.

Five liters and three combinations?

Even Da Hu is suspicious of the Jurchens. Why are they so nice to the common people?
Fan Zhongxin shook his head and said, "That's just the official tax. When the tax is actually collected, many other miscellaneous items will be added. In the end, at least half of the grain will have to pay taxes!"

Erhu opened his eyes wide: "Is there such a big difference?"

This is too cruel!

"Are these all officials who are secretly corrupt?" asked Dahu.

Fan Zhongxin nodded slightly. This was only said in the Western Regions. If it were in the Central Plains, he would never dare to say it even if he was beaten to death.

"It's not just taxes, there's also land rent. Many people cultivate other people's land, so they have to pay at least 20% in rent."

"Ah? So cruel? What will be left at the end?"

"There's nothing left!"

"I work so hard all year round and don't even have enough food to eat."

"Many people have starved to death. Even if we have to sell our children, at least we can keep them alive!"

"Looking at it this way, our lives are much better than those of the people in the Central Plains."

Li Dashan and others exclaimed in amazement, saying that it was the first time they knew that the people in the Central Plains lived such a hard life.

Even Li Xiao didn’t know about these things!
But he was not surprised at all.

Because he knew too well the virtues of the officials and gentry in the Central Plains.

He was submissive when dealing with the Jurchens, but attacked his own people with heavy blows.

They are very good at being a sage on the outside and a king on the inside.

The Jurchens and Mongols were foreign ethnic groups and were small tribes ruling large tribes.

Therefore, in order to maintain their rule, they would have to compromise with the gentry and the noble class to a certain extent.

One of the most important points is taxation.

When the Jurchens and Mongols ruled the Central Plains, they implemented a tax farming system!

What this means is that the imperial court sets an amount, and as long as each state and county pays enough, the imperial court will not care about anything else.

Li Xiao once read an article saying that the Jurchen court was the dynasty with the lowest statutory tax rate in Chinese history.

They collected the least taxes from the people, yet why did the people still not have enough to eat? Why did they finally rise up in rebellion?
The key point is that the gentry class is manipulating the situation and increasing the pressure.

The gentry and bureaucrats became the inter-governmental rulers of the people of the Central Plains, and the Jurchen court became the agent of the landlords and gentry.

The taxes and land rents levied by the gentry and bureaucrats on the people were even more and more severe than before the Jurchens came.

The court's preferential policies did not benefit the people at all, but instead became shackles that strangled them.

The end result was that the imperial court had no money and many people starved to death, but the gentry and officials in the court were well fed.

It is like the desperate cry of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty on his deathbed: "Scholars are ruining the country, and all the nobles can be killed!"

Therefore, one day, when Li Xiao unifies the Central Plains, he will definitely put the butcher knife on the necks of the landlords and gentry.

Just like the Qing Dynasty, no matter what, they would first pick out a group of people and kill them, and then the rest would obey.

Otherwise, no matter how much land Li Xiao conquered, it would sooner or later be emptied by the landlords and gentry.

(End of this chapter)