The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 160 Queen, you don’t want your husband to be killed, right?

"What about Xia Guo?"

"You came from the Hexi Corridor, so you must be familiar with the towns within the Xia Kingdom."

"Tell me about the customs and practices of Xia Country."

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere of the banquet was in full swing. Li Xiao showed his true intentions and asked about his real goal.

"Xia Guo?"

When Fan Zhongxin heard Li Xiao's question, he didn't realize anything was wrong. He had drunk a lot of wine, his face was red, and he started to speak in a bolder tone, talking about everything he had encountered along the way.

"Xia's capital is Xingqing Prefecture, a major city comparable to Zhongdu and Lin'an, with a population of several hundred thousand."

……

"Hexi Corridor?"

"It has quite a large population. The most prosperous is undoubtedly Liangzhou (Wuwei). Anyone traveling along the Silk Road must stop at Xiliang Prefecture."

"To the west of Liangzhou are Shandan City and Ganzhou City, both of which have large populations and are very prosperous."

"Further west are Suzhou, Guazhou, and Shazhou."

"Although the population of these three states is not as large as that of the eastern part, they are also important cities on the Hexi Corridor, and there are many soldiers and horses guarding them!"

In order to show off his strength, the drunk Fan Zhongxin even took out a map from his chest in a mysterious manner.

Afraid that Li Xiao and the others didn't know the specific locations of the cities he was talking about, he pointed them out on the map.

"This is the route map I drew during my business trip. This is Xingqing Prefecture~"

For anyone who does business, the most important thing is the road.

Fan Zhongxin has a habit of marking the road conditions and terrain on the map every time he goes to a new place.

Li Xiao took a look and found that the map was very simple, with only rough markings of the locations of mountains, rivers and roads, and nothing else.

It's really rough, but it has certain reference value.

Comparing it with the impression of the Hexi Corridor in my mind, I gradually formed a general idea of the Hexi Corridor.

"According to your estimation, how many people are there in Shazhou City, and how many troops are stationed there?" Li Xiao withdrew his gaze from the map and asked Fan Zhongxin in a faint voice.

"garrison?"

Hearing this word, Fan Zhongxin, who was a little drunk, suddenly woke up.

Oh my God, what did I just say to the Grand Commander?
Why did you take out the map?

Realizing this, Fan Zhongxin immediately broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "This, this, this~"

"I don't know~"

"I dare not say anything more. If I make a mistake in the Grand Commander's important task, I will be punished with death."

Fan Zhongxin said with a sad face.

He seemed to have guessed something very important.

The Jinzhou Army seemed to be preparing to take action against Western Xia.

Is it possible for a businessman like me to know such military secrets?
Fan Zhongxin would rather be deaf than be killed by the Jinzhou army in order to keep the secret.

"Mr. Fan, don't be nervous. We are just chatting. Just tell me what you know." Li Xiao looked at Fan Zhongxin with a faint smile.

At this moment, I definitely have to say something.

Otherwise, if he angered the Grand Commander, he would be punished severely and it would be too late to regret, so he just confessed everything.

"The population near Guazhou City is about 70,000 to 80,000, and because it is the location of the Xiping Military Headquarters, the military strength is about 10,000..." Fan Zhongxin said tremblingly.

The Xiping Military Command was one of the twelve military commands that existed at the beginning of the Western Xia Dynasty, and was equivalent to the twelve local military regions.

The Xiping Military Region was responsible for guarding the westernmost part of Western Xia and guarding against the Gaochang Kingdom.

From the perspective of the military region, the three cities of Shazhou (Dunhuang), Guazhou and Suzhou (Jiuquan) are all defense areas of the Xiping Military Command, with Guazhou as the main one.

If Guazhou has about 10,000 defenders, then Shazhou and Suzhou have about 5,000 each.

In total, the Xiping Army had a total of about 20,000 people.

This number is also normal, because the main defenses of Western Xia were the nomadic peoples in the north and the Jin Dynasty in the east.

There was almost no war between the Kingdom of Gaochang and China.

Twenty thousand Xiping troops are enough.

After figuring out the general situation of the Hexi Corridor, Li Xiao had Fan Zhongxin invited out of the tent and gave him the Uighur beauty to serve him well.

However, Fan Zhongxin was always worried, fearing that Li Xiao would kill him to silence him in order to prevent him from leaking military secrets.

However, since Fan Zhongxin is a talented person, Li Xiao is not ready to do so for the time being.

"Brother, are you planning to attack Xia Country?"

After Fan Zhongxin left, Dahu came up to Li Xiao and asked.

"Yes, I have this idea." Li Xiao nodded.

"Did Xia Country provoke us?" Erhu asked in confusion.

Li Xiao shook his head: "Just because he didn't provoke us doesn't mean we can't beat him?"

"I don't like Xia Guo, so I want to kill him."

Li Xiao drank the Xifenglie in the bowl and laughed.

Attacking Western Xia was something Li Xiao had planned long ago.

The reason is that Jinzhou’s population is too small, especially the number of Han people is too small.

That's just over 20,000 people.

It is totally not enough to support Li Xiao to launch several large-scale wars.

The power established can only be stable in the long run if it is based on a sufficient number of Han people.

Apart from Xixia, which has a large number of Han people who can meet Li Xiao's requirements, the surrounding forces and countries are not within Li Xiao's consideration for the time being.

Therefore, Li Xiao of Western Xia was determined to be defeated.

It is necessary to carry out a major blood replenishment for the Han people in Jinzhou.

"Of course we can fight. Whoever the eldest brother says to fight, we will fight." Erhu, who also drank a lot, said loudly.

"That's right. Who said that we can only fight back when others cause trouble for us first? What's wrong with bullying Xia Country?" Li Dashan laughed.

All the generals drank a lot and laughed wildly. They were brave and good at fighting and had made great achievements in battle. They did not take the mere 10,000 Western Xia troops seriously at all.

However, Han Jiuyuan, who was sitting next to Chen Chong, said with some concern: "General, since ancient times, sending troops must have a legitimate reason."

"Attacking others without reason is not what a king's army does."

As soon as Han Jiuyuan finished speaking, Dahu laughed out loud: "Master Han, I remember you grew up in Husiwoerduo."

"How did you develop such a poor and pedantic tone?"

Erhu also cursed loudly: "What royal master? Bullshit royal master? We are just bandits!"

"Haven't you heard the Uighurs call us 'Northern Barbarians'?"

The two brothers sang the same tune and did not give Han Jiuyuan any face at all.

He was so angry that he was fuming, but there was nothing he could do.

Li Xiao was afraid that this guy would die, after all, he was still worried about his beautiful daughter.

So, he gently waved his hand and said: "Da Hu and Er Hu are right. We are not the king's division. People who only follow the rules and have corrupt thoughts are not worthy of being generals."

"Besides, didn't the Kerait and Naiman tribes often go south to plunder Western Xia?"

“If they can grab it, why can’t we?”

"The enemy can go, so can I!"

Having said that, Li Xiao looked at Dahu and Erhu and said, "However, what Mr. Han said does make sense."

"Having a legitimate reason for doing so can help us avoid some trouble."

After hearing what Li Xiao said, Dahu and Erhu didn't dare to refute, but just looked confused.

"How can I have a legitimate reason to be a disciple?"

Before fighting, tell the other person why you want to fight.

Li Xiao has already found a reason.

"Hasn't we captured Gaochang King Yue'ersi?"

"This guy is a waste of food if he's still alive. It's better for him to make use of his remaining energy!" Li Xiao said with a faint smile.

I remember that in the original history, after Wang Han of the Kerait tribe was defeated by Temujin, he was preparing to seek refuge with the Naiman people, but when passing through the border, he was accidentally killed by a Naiman soldier.

It ended in a way that no one expected.

Li Xiao was puzzled when he saw this for the first time. Even if Wang Han was in decline, he wouldn't be without a personal guard around him, right?
So Li Xiao understood a truth: history is a little girl who can be dressed up by anyone, and also a little eunuch who can be castrated by anyone.

After a banquet, everyone had a great time.

When the banquet ended, the moon was already high in the sky.

Although Li Xiao was drunk at this time, he had always been a good drinker and was completely fine.

I walked out of the tent, took a deep breath of fresh air, and suddenly felt my head became clearer.

The military camp was filled with the shouts of female prisoners and the laughter of soldiers, creating a decadent atmosphere.

Li Xiao was also a little excited after hearing this. He originally wanted to find two beautiful female prisoners to spend the night with, but suddenly he thought of the Queen of Gaochang.

So he immediately turned around and led his men towards a tent in the distance.

At this time, there were several strong women outside the tent. When they saw Li Xiao coming, they hurriedly saluted.

Li Xiao waved his hand and shouted, "You have nothing to do here, all of you leave."

Then, reeking of alcohol, he lifted the curtain and walked in.

The queen in the tent was sleeping with her clothes on. She had just fallen asleep when she heard a noise. She looked up in surprise and saw that it was Li Xiao coming in. A trace of panic flashed across her face.

"You, what do you want to do?" the queen said in horror, and quickly put the sheepskin mattress in front of her chest, looking at Li Xiao with a nervous expression.

"What are you doing? Haha, on such a beautiful day, Your Majesty, what do you think this Governor-General is doing here?"

Li Xiao raised the corner of his mouth in a meaningful arc and pressed forward step by step.

The queen was terrified. She looked around frantically and backed away repeatedly, but there was nowhere to escape in this small tent.

In just a few breaths, Li Xiao's body as tall as a mountain came close to him.

She forced herself to remain calm and said angrily, "General, I am the Queen of Gaochang. I cannot be insulted. Please respect yourself."

"The Gaochang Kingdom is gone, what kind of queen are you?"

"Yuersi is going to die soon, and you are no longer a married woman." Li Xiao sneered, and his big hands slid to her slender waist, holding her tightly in his arms.

"What? You want to kill His Majesty?"

The queen looked at Li Xiao in disbelief, so much so that she forgot to resist.

"This governor not only wants to kill him, but also wants to conquer Hamili and kill all the members of the royal family." Li Xiao said coldly.

Hami force?
Her son Chibito is still in Hamil.

"No, you can't kill him."

The queen began to struggle violently. She could ignore Yue'ersi, but she could not ignore her son.

The woman resisted strongly, and Li Xiao was also angry. He slapped her in the face and knocked her to the ground.

He said angrily: "Come here, chop off Yue'ersi's dog head." "Send troops tomorrow morning, capture Hamili, and kill all the royal family members~"

Hearing this, the queen became anxious. Regardless of the pain in her cheek, she quickly stood up and knelt in front of Li Xiao.

She hugged Li Xiao's legs tightly and begged: "No~"

"Please, spare His Majesty and the royal family!"

The woman begged hard mainly because she was worried that her son Qibito would be killed by Li Xiao, and Yue'ersi was just a by-product.

Li Xiao smiled and said, "Can't I cure you?"

Then, he grasped her cheek and lifted it up, looking at the queen's appearance more closely in the moonlight.

She looks to be in her thirties, with fair skin and beautiful looks. She is well maintained and there is no sign of age at all.

Moreover, her figure and grace add a touch of maturity to her appearance.

The most important thing is identity, Queen of Gaochang!

The sense of conquest brought by this status is enough to make Li Xiao ignore everything else.

"Such a beauty was taken away by that old thing Yue'ersi. It's such a waste of a talent." Li Xiao said secretly in his heart.

The person who immediately comes to mind is Princess Gaochang. She inherited her mother's beauty. At the age of 28, she has already become graceful and flawless.

"Don't be in a hurry~" Li Xiao said in his heart.

The woman continued to plead, "Although Your Majesty has offended the general, he has long regretted it and often confessed his guilt before me."

"Your Majesty has admitted his mistake. General, you are a man of broad mind. Please spare your life."

"Besides, although my son Chibito is a member of the royal family, he is still a child and knows nothing."

"I hope the general will be magnanimous and spare Qibi's life."

The woman begged desperately in front of Li Xiao, and the queen's arrogance had long since disappeared.

Li Xiao pinched her cheek and smiled coldly: "The Queen is right. This governor can spare the lives of them."

"You can even let Yue'ersi go free."

"But~" Li Xiao chuckled.

“The price of freedom is always high.”

"But Pontus believed that the queen was a wise woman and knew what she was going to do."

"After all, you don't want your husband to lose his life, do you?"

The woman was stunned at first, then her face turned slightly red and she looked at Li Xiao with anger again.

But things have come to this, and she has no choice for her son's safety.

Soon, when Li Xiao threw her to the ground roughly and was about to attack her, her clever IQ once again took the upper hand.

Afraid that Li Xiao was playing a trick on her and would regret it later, she pushed and shouted.

"Wait, wait, where's my husband?"

"You said you would set him free. When will you let him go?"

Li Xiao didn't care about that anymore, and roared in a low voice: "We'll talk about it later."

There is a river between Gaochang City and Hamili, called Hami River, which has dried up in later generations.

Even in this era, it is still just a small river.

Only in summer, when snow water from the Tianshan Mountains flows, does the water flow begin to rise.

At this time, a group of cavalry stopped by the Hami River, ready to drink water and rest.

The snow water flowing down from the Tianshan Mountains is cold and sweet, but the bloodstains that appear from time to time on the river bank add a touch of solemnity to the tranquility.

Soon, the cavalry found a pile of corpses being eaten by vultures not far from the river.

"It's our people."

A soldier said in horror when he saw the clothes.

Another soldier frowned. "They should be the defenders of the capital. They were chased all the way here by the northern barbarians. I wonder if any of them are still alive."

The soldier next to him cursed angrily: "Damn northern barbarians."

They were soldiers of Hamili, who came to negotiate with the Jinzhou Army under the orders of Arcus.

In fact, it is just surrender.

However, there has never been a shortage of brave men in the army. Seeing their compatriots die tragically at the hands of the Jinzhou Army, these soldiers naturally felt grief-stricken.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a round silk robe in the team immediately scolded the soldiers.

"Shut up, everyone."

"If you don't want to die, don't ask for trouble."

This person is none other than Aarkus's staff member, named Eniwa.

In the end, it was decided that he would personally go to the Jinzhou Army to discuss surrender.

Naturally, I don't want to cause trouble for myself because of the soldiers' affairs.

"As you can see, these people are the imperial guards, the most elite and brave soldiers of our Gaochang Kingdom."

"But now, they have all turned into corpses and been eaten by wild beasts. What does this mean?"

"The Northern Frontier Army is far more ferocious and terrifying than we imagined."

"If we continue to fight, Gaochang will be completely destroyed."

"I'm telling you, I won't be polite to anyone who asks for trouble."

Faced with Eniwa's scolding, all the soldiers became silent.

Although I am angry emotionally, the reality is even more terrifying.

Slavery was prevalent in Gaochang, and classes were clearly defined. The soldiers were inherently afraid of the nobles.

Seeing that the soldiers were all obedient, Ainiwa nodded slightly and gave orders.

"Let's go, the water here is no longer clean."

"Let's go upstream and find a place to rest!"

He didn't want to drink water contaminated by corpses.

Although he was also a Uighur, as a minor noble, he looked down on these lowly, poor soldiers from the bottom of his heart.

Afraid that their "dirty air" would taint their noble souls.

A group of more than ten people found a clean place upstream to rest for a while.

After walking for a while, they were discovered by scouts from the Jinzhou army.

Ainiwa quickly stated his identity and purpose, indicating that they had no hostility.

So, after waiting for a scout who went to report to them to return, Ainiwa and his party headed towards Gaochang City under the scout's supervision.

The main force of the Jinzhou Army stayed in Gaochang City to rest, with only a small number of soldiers guarding the prisoner-of-war camp outside the city.

It was lunchtime and many fireworks were set off in the city.

As soon as he entered the city gate, Eniwa saw two soldiers pushing a cart passing by. On the cart covered with straw was a whole slaughtered cow.

Not far away, several veterans were expertly slaughtering, skinning, and cutting the meat of cattle and sheep. Their movements were smooth and performed with great skill.

At the foot of the city wall, a group of soldiers sat on the rocks, eating cooked beef and mutton with big mouthfuls.

The soldiers wore simple leather armor, with only important parts covered by iron plates, or wore sheepskin coats. Many even went shirtless, revealing their distinct and strong muscles.

They told dirty jokes to each other and laughed out loud from time to time.

When Eniwa and his group passed by, the soldiers slowly stopped talking and instead focused their attention on Eniwa and the others.

There was curiosity, ferocity, and indifference in their eyes. These men from the northern border who had been through hundreds of battles and had crawled out of piles of the dead countless times had a murderous aura that was terrifying.

Without saying a word, just a stare was enough to make many Uighur soldiers in Ainiwa's team feel their scalps tingling and their steps heavy.

In particular, there was an eight-foot-tall, shirtless, shaved-headed, muscular Golden State man holding a leg of lamb as thick as an adult's arm.

While swallowing big gulps, his eyes were always on Eniwa and others.

It was as if he was eating not mutton, but human flesh.

This made the Uighur soldiers even more afraid to breathe loudly.

The group finally walked through this section of road and breathed a sigh of relief. They could hear the loud shouts and yells of the men from the northern border behind them again.

At this moment, Ainiwa couldn't help but sigh, "These soldiers and generals from the Northern Frontier are truly brave!"

"Strong and brave, fearless of death."

"With so many warriors, it's no wonder the capital's army was defeated."

Everyone slowly walked towards the palace.

Along the way, there were soldiers eating meat with big mouthfuls. During the expedition, as long as conditions allowed, the Northern Frontier Army never skimped on the soldiers' food.

There were so many cattle and sheep looted from Gaochang these days that even those that died accidentally in battle were too many for the Northern Frontier Army to eat.

By supplementing with a large amount of meat, the Jinzhou Army soldiers became increasingly strong.

Moreover, the beef and mutton that the Gaochang people usually didn't want to eat were all snatched away by the Jinzhou army. They were almost tired of eating them and were very angry.

So, just when the group was about to arrive at the palace, the scene changed again, and the soldiers here seemed to have eaten and drunk enough.

Doing after-dinner exercises with the women.

Women's voices could be clearly heard coming from some of the houses.

When Ainiwa passed by a house, a naked woman suddenly ran out and kept shouting for help in Uighur.

But then, a shirtless man from northern Xinjiang walked out of the tent again.

He grabbed the fleeing woman and lifted her up onto his shoulders.

When he was about to turn around and go back into the house, he saw Eniwa and others and was stunned for a moment.

After seeing that Eniwa was obviously dressed in Uighur style and was accompanied by a group of Jinzhou soldiers, the man reacted.

He suppressed the urge to draw his sword, but the next second he suddenly spat on the ground.

He raised the corner of his mouth, sneered, carried the Gaochang woman who was struggling and shouting, swaggered past Ainiwa and others, and walked into the house.

"This, damn barbarian~"

Watching this scene happening in front of them, some of the passionate Uighur soldiers were almost spitting fire from their eyes.

These were all women from Gaochang, who were abducted by people from the northern border. Moreover, these bastards were so unscrupulous in front of them.

They all deserve to be cut into pieces.

Unfortunately, no matter how angry they were in their hearts, the soldiers in reality could do nothing.

They couldn't save these women.

Even if there is any slight movement, everyone will be chopped into meat paste by the Jinzhou Army.

So, he could only curse: "Buddha will definitely punish these barbaric people from the northern border."

And Eniwa sighed and shook his head, completely helpless about it.

After all, this is what nomadic peoples have been doing for thousands of years.

They never showed mercy to their enemies, destroying their tents, abducting their wives and daughters, and enslaving them.

Cattle, sheep, women, pastures, war horses, swords, etc., are always only worthy of being owned by the victor.

(End of this chapter)