The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 163: The Sun and Moon Banners Surround Dunhuang
Yumen Pass is just a small pass and is part of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty.

The permanent population is only a few hundred people, and because there has been no war for many years, the military function of Yumen Pass has seriously deteriorated.

The city walls collapsed, the soldiers were poorly trained, and the manpower was seriously insufficient.

Due to various reasons, the Uighur infantry only launched a first exploratory attack, and the incompetent commander of Yumen Pass surrendered in fear.

Li Xiao saw this scene and shook his head slightly. He thought it would be a tough battle, but in the end~
That's it?

Seeing the city gate slowly opening amid the terrified expressions of the defenders, Li Xiao shouted in a deep voice, "General Aarkus!"

"The general is here!"

"Let your men lead 500 soldiers as the vanguard."

"After entering the city, you must not burn, kill, or loot, otherwise you will be severely punished according to military law."

"As you command!" Aarkus shouted.

To put it nicely, they are pioneers, but in fact they are just treading on minefields.

If it was a trap, the Uighur soldiers would surely suffer.

But there is no way, because the Uighur soldiers were raised by a stepmother.

This is what I come here to do.

So, the first batch of 500 Uighur soldiers entered the city and quickly took control of key locations such as the city walls. After making sure that there was no problem, Li Xiao waved his hand.

"Enter the customs!"

The soldiers of the White Armor Army rode their war horses and rushed into the pass in a mighty force.

Soon, a golden sun and moon battle flag was erected on the top of the city wall.

Under the scorching sun, the battle flags fluttered in the wind, frightening the people in the city.

Li Xiao rode a tall warhorse and walked into the pass under the protection of the White Armor Army.

What I saw was a desolate scene, with earth yellow everywhere.

The city walls were built of loess, the messy and dilapidated houses were also built of loess, and even the people were covered with loess.

Their skin was cracked, their faces were black, they wore dirty sheepskins, and their hair was a mess like a chicken coop.

They all crowded together and looked at the tall white-armored soldiers with horror.

Li Xiao was prepared for this and was not greatly disappointed.

After scanning the city, he shouted, "Where is the commander of Yumen Pass?"

"Here, here I am~"

A Dangxiang man came hurriedly over, wearing a sheepskin coat and deerskin boots. He looked cleaner and more energetic than the others.

He bowed to Li Xiao and said with a flattering smile: "I am a humble man of great knowledge, and I would like to pay my respects to the general."

"How many people are there inside Yumen Pass? How many Han people are there?"

Hearing this, the guard was immediately dumbfounded, stammering and unable to give an accurate number.

He was just here to make a living and leave when he made enough money. Why would he care about these untouchables?

Li Xiao's brows furrowed suddenly: "Don't know?"

The guard's face turned pale and he said in panic, "I know, I know."

But his eyes turned to a middle-aged man next to him, as if asking him to help him out.

This person, the leader of the team outside the city gate, said with a stiff upper lip, "Sir, there are 528 people inside Yumen Pass, including 366 Han people."

This number did not surprise Li Xiao. Yumen Pass was just a very small pass and a supply station on the Silk Road.

"Are you from Yumen Pass? What's your name?" Li Xiao asked indifferently.

"My name is Wang Daniu. My ancestors came to Yumen Pass and I grew up in Yumen Pass since I was a child." said the team leader.

Li Xiao didn't hesitate and said directly: "From today on, the more than 500 people in Yumen Pass will be incorporated into the Curry Army, and Wang Daniu will be in charge of their management."

"All of you will be divided into ten teams and supervise each other."

"If anyone from any team escapes, the entire team will be killed."

Li Xiao said in a cold voice, and simply reorganized the more than one hundred households.

Then he looked at the commander of Yumen Pass and said, "Since you don't know anything, there's no point in keeping you here."

"Kill~"

Following Li Xiao's order, Tietou next to him drew out his cavalry sword and instantly slashed the defender's neck.

Blood splattered, and there was still horror and disbelief in his eyes.

The common people were also shocked by this scene. The high-ranking general killed people at will, so they became even more afraid of the Jinzhou army.

Killing the chicken to scare the monkey is a necessary measure.

Most importantly, killing these Tangut officials and generals was to reduce hidden dangers.

Without them taking the lead, even if someone wants to rebel, they will just be a group of scattered sand and will not have the prestige to rally people's hearts.

As for Wang Daniu and others, they are vested interests and will only help the Jinzhou Army to appease the people and will not rebel easily.

……

Dunhuang is the westernmost town in ancient Han territory in the traditional sense and the end point of the Hexi Corridor.

Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass are like two tentacles extending westward from Dunhuang, one in the south and one in the north, guarding the throat of the North-South Silk Road.

The three locations are in a triangular shape and rely on each other.

If any party was attacked, the news would be quickly transmitted to Dunhuang and then to Guazhou.

On this day, a cavalryman coming from the northwest broke the peace of Dunhuang.

He was exhausted and covered in yellow sand. He came to the city gate, gasping for breath, and spoke to the soldiers at the gate.

"Quick, go and report to the Governor and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief that Yumen Pass is under siege by a powerful enemy and urgently needs support."

The leader of the city defense team's face changed instantly. Not daring to delay, he quickly took his soldiers to the military headquarters.

He met the highest military commander of Dunhuang, Ji Lasiyi, the deputy commander of the Xiping Military Department.

This was a general who was about thirty years old, with a strong build and a fierce face. Just sitting there he gave people the aura that he was not to be trifled with.

After hearing that Yumen Pass was surrounded, he stood up suddenly and said angrily.

"Whose army is surrounding Yumen Pass? Gaochang or Tubo? How many people are there?"

The soldier who delivered the message said, "We, we haven't figured out who they are."

"Before the enemy laid siege to the city, the commander sent me here to report."

"As for the number of people, the commander said there were 100,000..."

Hearing this, Ji Lasiyi couldn't hold it in any longer and cursed loudly: "What a fool."

"Even a pig is smarter than him."

The person he was scolding was naturally the commander guarding Yumen Pass.

A complete idiot with no useful information at all.

Another 100,000-strong army surrounded Yumen Pass?

Blow him to death!

If the Gaochang Kingdom had an army of 100,000, it would have conquered the entire Western Regions long ago.

Although the Tibetan army has 100,000 soldiers, it is no longer the Tang Dynasty. The Tibetans are severely divided internally and are not even busy fighting each other.

How is it possible to gather an army of 100,000 to besiege a small Yumen Pass?
But no matter what, the siege of Yumen Pass is true.

"Come on, all troops on alert, prepare for battle."

Ji Lasiyi shouted loudly.

Then he selected a scout team and went to Yumen Pass to investigate the situation.

Not long after, Zhang Xinghua, the governor of Dunhuang, hurried to the Military Commandery.

"General Ji La, I heard that Yumen Pass was surrounded?" Zhang Xinghua said in a heavy voice.

In a short period of time, almost everyone in Dunhuang who should know knew about it.

"We are surrounded, but don't worry. I have sent people to investigate the situation and they are ready to support Yumen Pass at any time." Ji Lasiyi said in a deep voice.

It depends on the situation. If it is really impossible to do anything, we must give up Yumen Pass and defend Dunhuang City with all our strength.

Otherwise, if the enemy ambushed them halfway, the Dunhuang defenders would be in danger.

"Who dares to attack Yumen Pass? Gaochang people or Tubo people?" Zhang Xinghua said angrily.

"It's not clear yet, but there are only these two." Ji Lasiyi said in a deep voice.

From a geographical point of view, only these two countries have the motivation and ability to attack Yumen Pass.

"We still need to find out who the enemy is as soon as possible. I can also write a memorial and send it to Xingqing Prefecture by express horse." Zhang Xinghua said.

A few days later, the scouts sent to Yumen Pass returned.

Of the original team of more than a dozen people, only two people returned in the end.

And they were all injured, and one of them died just after entering the city.

"what happened?"

"Who is he?" Ji Lasiyi said angrily, staring at the last scout like a tiger, fearing that he was dead too.

"Sir, we, we saw the Uighurs~" said the injured scout in a weak voice.

"Uighurs?"

"It's them." Ji Lasiyi and Zhang Xinghua frowned at the same time.

"What does the Gaochang Kingdom want to do? Start a war?" Zhang Xinghua said.

Since the establishment of Western Xia, there has never been a war between the two countries. After all, the Dunhuang area is all desert and there is nothing to fight for.

But what happened to the Gaochang Kingdom this time?

Ji Lasiyi slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Damn Gaochang bastards, I will never let them go."

"Also, my lord, we saw a golden flag and a group of cavalrymen in white armor."

"They are very fast and their weapons are very sophisticated. It is difficult for our spearheads to penetrate their armor."

"There were more than a dozen of us in our team, but we were chased by ten of them. I was the only one left."

After hearing the scout's words, Ji Lasiyi calmed down and asked in surprise, "The enemy only had ten people, but they killed more than a dozen of you?"

The scout nodded slowly, and Ji Lasiyi had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Are the Uighur cavalry so powerful?"

Then he asked, "What about Yumen Pass? How is it going?"

The scout shook his head slightly: "We were discovered before we even got close to Yumen Pass."

"Those white-armored cavalry have even advanced to a position forty miles east of Yumen Pass. I think Yumen Pass is probably..."

Ji Lasiyi and Zhang Xinghua fell silent for a moment.

"The Gaochang army is coming with great force, we must make plans early." Zhang Xinghua said in a deep voice.

Then, the two of them took action separately.

Zhang Xinghua sent a letter and had it delivered to Xingqing Prefecture by express horse, reporting to the court what had happened there.

Ji Lasiyi sent people to Guazhou for help.

Xiping Military Command, one of the twelve local military commands of Western Xia, was located in Guazhou, only two hundred miles away from Dunhuang.

The purpose of its existence is to support Dunhuang.

Two more days passed, and instead of the Guazhou reinforcements, Ji Lasiyi received the Gaochang Army. It was midday, the sun blazing brightly overhead. On the distant horizon, a faint black line appeared, accompanied by billowing yellow dust.

As time went by, the black line gradually became thicker, and the outlines of densely packed human figures and war horses could gradually be distinguished.

The Dunhuang soldiers on the city wall suddenly panicked.

"what is that?"

"Cavalry, lots of cavalry!"

"They are Uighurs."

"The Uighurs are coming. Quickly notify the deputy commander."

They had long known about the Uighur invasion, and Ji Lasiyi had ordered all units of the Dunhuang army to be prepared.

The city gates had been closed several days ago, and no one was allowed to enter or leave without his or the governor's order.

Amidst this panic, the vanguard cavalry of the Jinzhou Army finally appeared outside the city of Dunhuang.

Not long after, Ji Lasiyi and Zhang Xinghua quickly came to the city wall and looked out, only to see a shocking scene.

Thousands of cavalrymen came in a mighty force and quickly spread out in a fan shape, surrounding the city of Dunhuang tightly.

The neighing of war horses and the trampling of iron hooves intertwined into one, like rolling thunder, shaking the desolate earth.

The military flag fluttered in the wind, and the sun and moon patterns on it were eye-catching and dazzling, dancing freely in the wind.

The two people who saw this scene had extremely heavy expressions on their faces.

"This should only be the vanguard of the Gaochang Army. There must be a large group of infantry behind them." Ji Lasiyi said solemnly.

"What does Gaochang Kingdom want to do? By mobilizing so many troops, are they going to start a national war with our Great Xia?" Zhang Xinghua said in disbelief.

There are several thousand cavalrymen in the vanguard alone, and there will be even more infantrymen in the rear.

The Uighurs are preparing to mobilize the entire country to launch a war.

"Something must have happened in Gaochang that we don't know about." Ji Lasiyi said in a deep voice.

At this moment, Zhang Xinghua seemed to have suddenly discovered something and pointed at the Jinzhou Army's battle flag and said.

"General Ji La, look at those Uighur battle flags. Do they look familiar to you?"

"Battle flag?" Ji Lasiyi looked around.

In the yellow sand, the Uighurs' battle flags danced wildly in the wind.

The background color of the flag is dazzling gold, as dazzling as the sun, and the flag is embroidered with patterns of the sun, moon and stars.

"That is, the sun and the moon?"

Before he finished speaking, Ji Lasiyi's expression suddenly changed, and he asked in horror: "Three Stars Flag?"

The Three Stars Flag, also known as the Sun, Moon and Stars Flag, is the highest-ranking flag in China.

The earliest records can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty, and it continued until the Tang and Song Dynasties, but with different styles in different periods.

The most important reason why the Dangxiang man Ji Lasiyi was so horrified by the Sanchen Banner was because of a country.

The Jinshan Kingdom was established by the Guiyi Army in the late Tang Dynasty.

The flag they used was the Sanchen Flag.

Zhang Yichao's March

"Why are these Uighurs using the flag of the Jinshan Kingdom?" Ji Lasiyi looked confused.

The battle flags of these "Uighurs" in front of us are very similar to the Sanchen flags of the Jinshan Kingdom.

The biggest difference is the color.

The background color of the flag of Jinshan Kingdom is red, while the one in front is golden yellow.

But there is not much difference in essence.

This made Ji Lasiyi feel absurd. The Gaochang Kingdom had changed its formation and surrendered to the enemy.

You should know that the main reason for the decline of the Jinshan Kingdom was the long-term war with the Uighurs.

Now, why did the Gaochang army use the flag of the Jinshan Kingdom?
Ji Lasiyi couldn't figure it out, and Zhang Xinghua didn't understand either, but they guessed that it must be related to this inexplicable war.

……

An hour after the Jinzhou cavalry surrounded Dunhuang City, Li Xiao arrived with the main force of the Jinzhou army.

Also coming were 30,000 Uighur infantry and more than a thousand Dunhuang civilians.

Except for the more than 500 people in Yumen Pass, most of the rest came from Yangguan.

Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass are like two large pincers extending westward from Dunhuang, guarding the desert one in the south and one in the north.

Like Yumen Pass, Yangguan Pass has long lost its war function and has become a pure commercial and travel station.

The Jinzhou army easily captured Yangguan and took away all the people, cattle, sheep, camels and other property inside. After several days of marching, they finally arrived in Dunhuang.

"Is this Dunhuang? It's a pity that we can no longer see the former glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties." Li Xiao looked at the city gate in the distance and said lightly.

"The Grand Commander is wise."

The person riding on horseback beside Li Xiao was none other than Yang Shouzheng, the eldest son of the Yang family, who had been rescued by Yu Erdan not long ago.

He was a Han Chinese from Western Xia, and was the son of a general. He had a profound family education and a deep understanding of the situation in Western Xia.

He introduced to Li Xiao, "Dunhuang was originally built during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, but it has long been abandoned. The Dunhuang city we see before us was built by the Jinshan Kingdom, and it is more than two hundred years old."

"The city is five meters high, more than four hundred feet long from north to south, and more than three hundred feet wide from east to west. It is built entirely of rammed earth and huge stones."

The Jinshan Kingdom of the Western Han Dynasty was a country established by the family of Zhang Yichao, the governor of Shazhou, in the late Tang Dynasty.

The approximate scope includes the present-day Gua and Sha states, which is the western half of Jiuquan City in later generations.

The capital is located on the sandbar.

Therefore, the Zhang family rebuilt the city of Dunhuang.

By the time of the Western Xia Dynasty, Dunhuang's strategic position had rapidly declined. After more than two hundred years of erosion, it has now become dilapidated.

"Shazhou was once the capital of Jinshan Kingdom in the Western Han Dynasty. Many of the people here are the remnants of Jinshan Kingdom?" Li Xiao asked in a faint voice.

"Yes."

"Their ancestors were all people of Jinshan Kingdom." Yang Shouzheng nodded slightly.

"However, after more than two hundred years, many people have even forgotten the existence of the Jinshan Kingdom."

It’s better to forget about it, otherwise Li Xiao would be worried that these people would recover Jinshan Kingdom in the future.

It is enough as long as they remember that they are Han Chinese.

"How many people are there in Dunhuang? How many Han people are there?" Li Xiao asked. This was the question that concerned him most.

What the Golden State lacks most is population.

Yang Shouzheng thought for a moment and said, "There are probably about 20,000 people in Dunhuang City, and there are also 20,000 to 30,000 people scattered in some villages outside the city."

The total population of Dunhuang City is about 50,000.

According to Yang Shouzheng's observation, Han people accounted for at least 70% of them, or about 35,000 people.

After all, Dunhuang was once the capital of the Jinshan Kingdom, and the proportion of Han people there is higher.

On the other hand, in Suzhou, Ganzhou and other places in the east, the proportion of Hu people is higher, and the vast majority of Han people are concentrated around Xingqing Prefecture, close to the Han territory of the Jin Dynasty.

In a desolate place like the Hexi Corridor, it is rare for Dunhuang to have a population of 70% Han people.

"What is the conflict between the Han and Hu people in Dunhuang?" Li Xiao asked.

"The situation of the Han people is not very good either." Yang Shouzheng shook his head solemnly.

"Although there were many Han Chinese in Dunhuang, most of the city officials and garrison commanders were Hu people, and the local Han Chinese were suppressed everywhere."

After all, they were the remnants of the Jinshan Kingdom, and the Western Xia was still very wary of the Han people in Dunhuang and Guazhou, and even did not allow them to serve as officials.

Compared with the Han people in the eastern part of Western Xia, their treatment was completely different.

Without anyone above them, they naturally have no say and are often bullied by the barbarians.

"The situation is not good? That's great." Li Xiao smiled.

If the Han people in Dunhuang were living well, who would be willing to follow Li Xiao?

It is precisely because they are not living well that Li Xiao can liberate them and help them stand up again.

Yang Shouzheng probably guessed what Li Xiao was thinking, so he took the initiative to say, "Grand Commander, I have repaired the city wall of Dunhuang before, and I know where the wall is unstable."

"I am willing to help the Grand Commander conquer Dunhuang."

Yang Shouzheng now knows Li Xiao's identity.

The governor of Jinzhou in Liao Dynasty, the brother-in-law of the King of Liuyuansi, and a frontier general with a large number of troops under his command.

Not long ago, he led his army to capture Gaochang City, the capital of Gaochang Kingdom, and captured the King of Gaochang and other royal family members and officials alive.

It can be said that the Gaochang Kingdom has now been destroyed by Li Xiao.

The rest were just puppets he left behind on purpose.

When he heard the news, Yang Shouzheng was extremely excited.

Because he finally saw hope of revenge.

He joined the Jinzhou Army and surrendered to the Grand Commander to avenge the Yang family's blood feud.

He wants to make achievements and become stronger in the Jinzhou Army.

One day, I will return to Xingqing Mansion, pull that unjust and incompetent emperor down from the throne, and ask him why he wrongly accused the Yang family without any evidence?

Just because the Yang family is Han Chinese, and the commander who made the mistake is the Queen's cousin, does that mean the Yang family deserves to be blamed?

Yang Shouzheng refused to accept.

So at this moment, he had to do his best to demonstrate his value and let Li Xiao see his abilities.

One day, perhaps he could also lead the Jinzhou Army to attack Xingqing Prefecture.

The Dunhuang City in front of him was just a little interest he collected from the tyrant emperor.

"Shouzheng, I know you're eager for revenge, but there will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future."

"As for Dunhuang City, it is still useful to keep it." Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Looking at the ochre-colored city wall, after more than two hundred years of wind and sand erosion, many parts have become dilapidated.

It would be easy for Li Xiao to break through it.

However, there is more than just the city of Dunhuang in his eyes.

"The commander of Dunhuang City should have sent the news to Guazhou long ago!"

"Maybe the reinforcements from Guazhou are already on the way." Li Xiao said in a faint voice.

Then, he looked at Yang Shouzheng and said, "You have lived in Dunhuang and Guazhou for over a year. Is there any place between the two places suitable for an ambush?"

Yang Shouzheng was astonished and nodded quickly: "Yes, a lot!"

Not long after, Li Xiao called Li Dashan and Erhu, and ordered them to lead the army with the Yang brothers.

He wanted to surround the enemy and destroy the reinforcements from Guazhou.

Then, Li Xiao ordered the Uighurs to continue to besiege Dunhuang City, while he himself led the Jinzhou Army to attack everywhere.

There is still time now, he wants to gather the people outside Dunhuang City.

Convenient for taking away at the end.

At the same time, outside Guazhou City, the commander-in-chief of the Xiping Army, Du Luo Jianzan, personally led 6,000 troops towards Dunhuang City.

"Hurry up, hurry up, follow me."

"Reach Dunhuang City within three days."

(End of this chapter)