The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 161 Welcoming the Grand Commander

Hamil City, after a long, depressing and tense blockade.

The heavy and mottled city gate, which had been closed for a long time, finally opened again that day.

Teams of Uighur soldiers holding long spears, led by generals from various tribes, filed out of the city gate.

Everyone's face was filled with nervousness because they knew exactly what they were doing.

Surrender to the Jinzhou Army!

Soon, Alkus, under the strict protection of a team of personal soldiers, rode a tall and strong horse and slowly walked out of the city gate.

Next to him was a Uighur boy who was only sixteen or seventeen years old. He was a little thin and his expression was full of fear and anxiety.

It was Yue'ersi's youngest son, Qibito.

Seeing him with his head drooping, his lower lip trembling slightly from biting it, and his inner tension and fear, Aarkus smiled faintly.

Like a loyal minister, he advised: "Your Highness, you have nothing to fear. I will always be by your side to keep you safe."

After a pause, he continued, "Besides, the Grand Governor of Jinzhou has already accepted the peace proposal. The war is over. From now on, our Hamili City will be safe and secure."

Not long ago, Alkus's staff was ordered to go to Gaochang City to start peace negotiations with the Jinzhou Army.

Although the peace talks were successful, the Jinzhou Army was also given many harsh and almost humiliating conditions.

But in Arcus's opinion, it was all worth it.

The price of peace talks was just the betrayal of Gaochang Kingdom, but he was still the powerful General Hamili.

As long as it does not affect his status and power, he will not care no matter how humiliating or harsh it is.

According to the agreement between the two parties, the Jinzhou Army will arrive in Hami this morning.

As a sign of respect, Arcus took Prince Chibito out of the city to greet him personally.

However, there was no joy on the face of the little prince Chibito.

Although he was the nominal prince and heir to the Gaochang Kingdom, everyone in Hamil City was from Alkus.

He was more like a puppet being manipulated by others. His every move in daily life was under the strict surveillance of Aarkus, and he had no freedom at all.

This oppression and helplessness made Qibito feel very angry.

At first, Qibito was full of resistance and was unwilling to come to meet the Jinzhou army.

But Alcyus broke into his house and killed Cibito's favorite concubine in front of him.

The reason given was extremely absurd, claiming that the concubine had bewitched the prince, causing him to become obsessed with women and neglect state affairs.

This atrocity made Chibito extremely angry, and at the same time, a deep fear surged from the bottom of his heart.

The fall of Gaochang City has made him lose his most solid support. Now he has completely become a plaything in the hands of military leaders like Arcus and has no power to resist.

Faced with the cruel reality, Chibito had no choice but to bow his head and obey Arcus's arrangements.

"Your Highness, you should also understand my painstaking efforts."

Aarkus sighed slightly, a look of deep sorrow on his face.

"Those northern barbarians are powerful and ferocious. Our Gaochang army is simply unable to contend with them."

"Our land has been lost one after another, and Your Majesty has suffered humiliation. I am filled with grief and indignation. I wish I could immediately take to the battlefield and annihilate those northern barbarians without a single survivor."

"However, I cannot act so impulsively, for the people of Hamil City still need me, and the future of Gaochang Kingdom also needs me."

"I can only yield to that northern barbarian for the time being. I only hope that Your Highness can grow up quickly and one day restore our Gaochang Kingdom and revive the great cause of our ancestors."

Arcus spoke with tears in his eyes, as if he had really become a national hero who endured humiliation and devoted himself to the country, and was struggling to save the country in this difficult time.

But Qibito had already seen his true face. He was a living Cao Cao.

He sneered and spitted in his heart, but on the surface he said respectfully, "General, you have been wronged."

"The people of Gaochang will certainly understand the general's good intentions. I will live up to the general's expectations and take on the responsibility of reviving Gaochang as soon as possible."

On the surface, the two of them were interacting with each other and speaking sincerely, but in fact, they had their own thoughts and were completely hypocritical.

Just at this moment, a scout came galloping from a distance.

"General, the Jinzhou army is twenty miles away."

Upon hearing this, Aarkus's face instantly became solemn, and the relaxed and comfortable look he had pretended to have on Qibi for so long was now gone.

He felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart, making it heavy and his breathing became rapid.

In his mind, the Jinzhou Army had become a terrifying existence like a devil.

Nervous and frightened, my body trembled slightly unconsciously.

He took a deep breath and said to everyone, "Everyone cheer up and welcome the arrival of the Northern Frontier Royal Army."

"If anyone dares to cause trouble for me, I will kill his entire family."

The Hui traitors are no more than this. They are submissive to powerful enemies abroad, but they attack the people at home with heavy blows.

There are always people like this.

After a moment, there was a faint thunder-like roar coming from the distance, which came closer and closer, as if rolling thunder was sweeping in from the horizon.

The sound grew louder and louder, and the vanguard of the Golden State Cavalry appeared in front of everyone.

Dust flew up, covering the sky and the sun, like a galloping yellow dragon, sweeping towards Hamil City.

Aarkus's body shook slightly as he rode on his horse. The muscles on his face, which had been trying to be calm, tensed up unconsciously.

Fine beads of sweat quietly seeped out of his forehead, and his eyes were full of tension and anxiety.

Qibido beside him was also frightened by this momentum. His originally drooping face became even paler, his eyes were filled with fear, and his body was shaking constantly.

I tried my best to maintain my dignity, but I couldn't pretend at all.

The vanguard of the Jinzhou Army surged in like a tide. The leading general rode a tall black horse and wore white cotton armor stained with blood, which looked even more murderous under the sunlight.

It was Li Dashan.

He scanned everything in front of him sternly, and when he saw Arcus and Chibito, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Is this General Aarkus?"

Li Dashan asked loudly with unquestionable majesty.

Aarkus hurried forward, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "It is I, General. You have come a long way and thank you for your hard work."

"This is Prince Qibiduo of the Gaochang Kingdom."

As he spoke, he turned sideways and gestured to Chibito.

Although Qibito's heart was filled with resentment and humiliation, he could only muster up his spirits and bow slightly.

Li Dashan nodded slightly and just glanced at Qibido. Knowing that it was a puppet, he ignored it directly.

He said to Aarkus: "From now on, Hamili City will be taken over by our Jinzhou Army."

"Order your soldiers to assemble outside the city."

Aarkus's face was filled with smiles as he quickly said, "Don't worry, General. I will fully cooperate."

To show his sincerity, Alquus left only a small number of soldiers to guard the city and soon mobilized all of them out of the city.

Li Dashan nodded slightly and said with satisfaction: "The Grand Commander is at the rear and will arrive soon."

"You wait here."

After saying this, he lightly whipped his horsewhip and led the soldiers behind him into the city.

Thousands of war horses trampled on the ground, making a dull and powerful sound, and slowly walked into the city gate.

A large number of officials and soldiers knelt on both sides and respectfully escorted the Jinzhou Army into the city.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down their foreheads.

Their scalps were so itchy and hot that they wanted to shave off all their hair.

At this time, how much they wished they could take a bath in a pool of cool spring water.

But he could only continue to kneel on the ground and watch the Jinzhou cavalry march towards the city, with mixed feelings in his heart.

Soon, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, and accompanied by a dull roar, the main force of the Jinzhou Army came in a mighty force.

Leading the way were 1,500 white-armored soldiers. Although the sun was scorching high in the sky, the war was not over yet and the soldiers were still fully armed.

Li Xiao was also wearing white blood-stained cotton armor, a tasseled helmet, and riding a horse.

The moment Aarkus saw the golden sun and moon battle flag, he was startled and knew that the person in front of him must be Li Xiao, the governor of Jinzhou.

Without any hesitation, he immediately knelt on the ground with many officials and soldiers.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Welcome, Grand Commander!"

Other officers and soldiers also followed suit and shouted, their voices rising and falling like a wave.

"Welcome the Grand Commander!"

"Welcome the Grand Commander!"

Qibido was also forced to kneel on the ground and even quickly crawled to Li Xiao's horse.

The next second, he felt a heavy pressure on his back, and his arms that were supporting the ground began to swing violently, and he almost fell to the ground.

This dignified prince, the heir to the King of Gaochang, has now become a horse stool.

In fact, it was not Li Xiao's request, but Aarkus took the initiative to force Qibito to do so in order to please Li Xiao.

Li Xiao stepped on his shoulders and dismounted, turned to look at him, and said lightly: "Get up."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Qibito bit his lips tightly, his face flushed red, his eyes full of unwillingness and resentment, and he struggled to stand up after several attempts.

"It's not hard work!"

"It is my honor to work for the Grand Admiral."

He lowered his head, clenched his fists tightly, and his nails dug deep into his palms, but he could only swallow the humiliation.

However, Chibito is still too young now, and all his emotions are revealed on his face.

Li Xiao could tell at a glance what was hidden in this boy's heart.

But I don't really care.

This kid is still useful to keep.

Because the territory expanded too quickly, Li Xiao did not have enough manpower to swallow the Gaochang Kingdom.

Therefore, he accepted Alqus's submission, let him govern Gaochang on his behalf, and pay tribute on time every year.

However, he could not leave Gaochang alone forever. When the time was right, he would definitely swallow it up.

At that time, Chibito could be used.

"Prince Chibito, General Arcus."

"I am very happy that you two have abandoned the dark and joined the light and submitted to our Northern Frontier."

"As long as you are loyal and dedicated, Northern Frontier will not treat you unfairly." Li Xiao said calmly.

Aarkus smiled humbly and said, "Gaochang has endured war and its people have suffered terribly. We are truly fortunate to have the protection of the Northern Frontier."

"We are willing to serve the Northern Frontier and have no second thoughts."

Li Xiao was not happy with Arcus' compliment. He just nodded slightly and then looked at Chibito again.

"Prince Chibito, congratulations."

Hearing this, Qi Biduo was stunned for a moment, looking confused.

"When Gaochang City was captured, King Yue'ersi had already left Gaochang City."

"I've been searching for a few days now, and we finally have a clue," Li Xiao said. Hearing this, Aarkus was shocked.

what happened?

Ainiwa clearly told himself that if the king was captured by the Jinzhou Army, the outcome would probably not be good.

But what does Li Xiao mean by this?
Want to release Yue Ersi?

That would be bad.

The main reason why Alqus was able to control the city of Hamil was because Qibi was young, had no prestige, and could not win the support of the people.

But if Yue'er missed her relatives, he would probably not be able to continue his role as a powerful official.

Fortunately, Li Xiao had no intention of letting the tiger go back to the mountains, and directly said: "People from Pontus have found King Yue'ersi outside Dunhuang City."

"He has become a corpse. He must have been killed by the Tanguts."

Upon hearing this, Aarkus and Chibido both opened their eyes wide, stunned and incredulous.

"Dun, Dunhuang?"

Chibito stuttered, his head a little confused.

I have no idea why my father went to Dunhuang.

Even if you escape from Gaochang City, you must first come to Hamili and make plans.

Dunhuang is at least four hundred miles southeast of Hamil.

How did he run over there?
Compared to Chibito's astonishment, Arcus immediately realized something, lowered his head in fear, and dared not say a word.

"General Arcus, how many troops does Hamili have left?" Li Xiao suddenly asked.

Arkus didn't dare to hide it and immediately said, "There are over 5,000 defenders in the city. If we recruit civilians, we can get another 5,000."

That’s ten thousand people!
Li Xiao nodded gently and said, "You'll give me three days to prepare."

"Three days later, I will lead 10,000 soldiers and follow Bendu to attack the Xia Kingdom."

"Yue'er thinks the king has great vengeance and must avenge it."

Listening to Li Xiao's righteous words, Alkus understood that Li Xiao was originally planning to attack Xixia.

Yue'ersi is just an excuse.

"Yes, as you command." Aarkus nodded quickly and promised to gather an army of 10,000 in three days.

Afterwards, Li Xiao led his troops into the city.

Now, the entire Hamili is under the control of the Jinzhou Army, so Li Xiao naturally stayed overnight in the general's mansion.

The whole palace was filled with White Armored Soldiers; even the cooks were firemen from the army.

But when Li Xiao returned to the room to rest, he found a woman sitting inside.

"Who is she?" Li Xiao looked at Tietou and asked.

"Haha, Grand Commander, this is Alkus's daughter, sent here to warm your bed." Tietou laughed.

As a captain of the White Armor Army, Li Xiao's personal guard, anyone who tried to force a woman on Li Xiao would have to deal with him.

"This Alkus is an old and experienced man. He knows how to invest." Li Xiao said.

She's just a daughter, there's nothing to be reluctant about.

Just continue to have children in the future.

But as long as I can serve Li Xiao well, everything will be worth it.

Even if he could win Li Xiao's favor and take her into his room, then Alkus's position in Hamili would be completely secure.

Is there anyone against you?

First see if your neck can withstand the blade of the Golden State Army!

Using daughters to exchange for political benefits has been a common practice throughout the dynasties.

No shame.

He strode into the room and came in front of the girl.

Her skin was as white and delicate as mutton-fat jade, and under the dim light in the room, it seemed to emit a soft halo.

Her eyes are bright and deep, and under her high nose bridge are lips as red as rose petals, without any makeup.

Her long, shiny black hair fell smoothly to her waist like black satin.

She was a very typical Uighur beauty, and was in no way inferior to Princess Ayi Na of Gaochang.

"What's your name?"

Li Xiao looked at the girl and said in a faint voice.

"My name is Tajiguli~"

The girl spoke in a soft voice, lowering her head slightly, clutching the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, looking very nervous and uneasy.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly like butterfly wings, but she inadvertently raised her eyes and glanced at Li Xiao.

Then, with a hint of curiosity and shyness, she quickly lowered her head again.

Silently, the blush slowly permeated her face.

"Is this the Grand Commander?" he thought to himself, with a hint of nervousness and joy.

Through other people's descriptions, his impression of Li Xiao was that he was a murderous devil.

He was a middle-aged man, or even an old man, who was dirty, smelled of sheep, had disheveled hair, and looked as ferocious as a wolf.

But unexpectedly, the real Li Xiao was actually a very young man who looked about the same age as himself.

He is tall and mighty, with a handsome and heroic appearance, although he also speaks in a fierce tone.

But it was enough to make Tajiguli breathe a sigh of relief.

There was even a hint of joy in my heart.

The fear and resentment caused by being forced by his father were swept away in an instant.

"Tajiguli, were you forced by your father?" Li Xiao asked.

Upon hearing this, Tajiguli hesitated for a moment, then shook her head firmly.

"I do."

"So you know what's going to happen next?"

Tajiguli blushed and nodded slightly.

Well, in that case, Li Xiao won’t be polite.

He picked her up horizontally, feeling the softness of her chest, the wonderful touch made him feel comfortable, and walked towards the bed without hesitation.

Compared to the middle-aged woman like Queen Gaochang, the feeling of a young girl is different.

On the morning of the third day, when it was just getting light, the grassland outside Hamil City was already a busy and orderly scene.

The soldiers of the Jinzhou Army poured out like a tide and quickly assembled.

The war horses neighed, and the sky was filled with darkness, as if a black ocean was surging on the grassland.

The soldiers were wearing heavy armor, and the metal collision made a crisp sound. In the dim morning light, the armor flashed with a cold light.

Li Xiao, holding a cavalry sword in his hand, rode on a tall warhorse, his cold eyes swept over all the soldiers, and his loud voice echoed throughout the grassland.

"Little ones~"

"It's time to have fun. Get on your warhorses and follow me to beat the damn Tanguts."

"Chop off their heads with your swords, and shoot your arrows into their skulls."

"Their flocks and herds are yours, their food is yours, their gold and silver are yours, and their women are especially yours."

……

Li Xiao's pre-station mobilization did not contain any flowery words, but was full of the most practical and informative content.

Cattle, sheep, war horses, food, gold, silver and women, every one of them irritated the soldiers' nerves.

The Western Regions are not as prosperous as the Central Plains, and people here have a stronger demand for daily necessities.

But in today's era, productivity is low and it is impossible to produce materials that can meet the needs of everyone's lives.

Looting became the most convenient way, and this was not the first time the Northern Frontier Army had done so.

Although they had conquered the Gaochang Kingdom, the gold and silver rewards were distributed according to military merit.

What ordinary soldiers get is limited.

The old Jinzhou soldier wants to make more contributions and get promoted so that his family can live a better life.

Curry's soldiers also need more merit to gain their freedom and use more rewards in exchange for the opportunity to survive in the Golden State.

The soldiers were already impatient before the battle even began.

"Ho ho ho~"

"Ho ho ho~"

The soldiers rode on standing horses, holding spears and swords, roaring loudly, like barbarians.

There was a wild smile on everyone's face, and excitement in their eyes, which was the desire for the spoils.

On the other side of the grassland, there were tens of thousands of Uighurs.

In addition to the 10,000 people in Hamil City, there were 20,000 captured civilians and soldiers in Gaochang City.

In this battle, Li Xiao still needs to use them as cannon fodder.

However, compared with the powerful Jinzhou Army, these Uighurs were scattered and disorderly, and calling them a ragtag army was an exaggeration.

It's not even enough to be called an army.

Faced with the Jinzhou Army's brutal roar that was like a surging wave, the Uighurs seemed panicked and at a loss.

Although the soldiers among them were wearing tattered armor and holding weapons tightly in their hands, their eyes were full of fear and confusion, which was in sharp contrast to the burning fanaticism in the eyes of the Jinzhou Army soldiers.

The people were even more terrified, lowering their heads and trembling.

Only Aarkus was amazed: "The soldiers of the Jinzhou Army are truly brave."

"With so many brave warriors, why worry about the enemy not being destroyed?"

Li Xiao did not have much sympathy for these Uighurs. In his eyes, they were just tools in this war and cannon fodder that could be used to consume the military strength of Western Xia.

He frowned slightly and turned to Tietou beside him and said, "Tell those Uighurs that as long as they kill three enemy soldiers, they will be exempted from slavery. The standard of military merit is the same as that of the Jinzhou Army soldiers."

"But if you dare to escape from the battlefield?"

"If one person escapes, the whole team will be killed!"

"If one team escapes, the entire army will be killed!"

If you want these prisoners of war to work for you, you must use iron-blooded methods to make them supervise each other so that no one dares to escape.

After receiving the order, Tietou quickly rode his horse and rushed towards the Uighurs.

Li Xiao looked around again and confirmed that everything was ready. He suddenly drew the cavalry sword from his waist, raised it high, and shouted loudly: "Let's go!"

With his order, the Jinzhou army rushed towards the rising sun like a surging tide, and the sound of horse hooves made the earth tremble slightly.

The Uighurs also had to take heavy steps and move slowly towards Western Xia.

A brutal war is about to break out between the two countries.

(End of this chapter)