The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 37 Houzhai
Houzhai!

Located forty miles east of Sanhebao.

It is a medium-sized fortress with a population of more than 600 people.

The largest surname in Houzhai is "Hou", and the entire Hou family has more than one hundred people.

Since fifty years ago, the Hou family has been the largest force in Houzhai, firmly ruling the entire Houzhai.

In their eyes, Houzhai was even the private territory of the Hou family, and they were the masters of Houzhai.

Other families are just slaves kept by the Hou family!

From birth to death, all descendants have to farm and graze for the Hou family.

That afternoon, a cavalry team of about ten people left Houzhai and slowly headed southeast.

In the middle of the team, there was a slim woman riding a horse!

She was not tall, but had a graceful figure. She was wearing a red silk long skirt, a golden jade hairpin on her head, and a sheepskin short coat.

This outfit makes her look more luxurious and wealthy than that of ordinary women in Northern Xinjiang.

Her pair of watery peach-shaped eyes are full of charm, and every move she makes exudes the charm of a mature woman.

Add to that her fair and smooth face and delicate skin, and someone who didn't know her would have thought this woman was a lady from the Central Plains. She didn't look like a woman from the northern grasslands at all!

But at this moment, the woman's brows were furrowed, and her expression revealed a hint of uneasiness.

From time to time, he turned his head to look at the man riding on the horse next to him!

"Husband~"

"Do we really have to go and convince my father?" the woman asked hesitantly.

The man next to him also looked to be under 20 years old, fair and tender, very handsome, with a high nose bridge and thin lips.

He grabbed the woman's hand, smiled gently and said, "My dear, we are not trying to convince our father-in-law, we are trying to save him!"

"Save the entire Huangsha Village~"

"But~" the woman said with an embarrassed expression.

"My father has never liked the Karluks. Now if he is asked to surrender Huangsha Village to the Karluks, he will definitely not be willing to do so~"

Although the woman looks charming and enchanting, she is a very traditional woman at heart.

Always remember the principle of obeying your husband after marriage.

So, when her husband's family decided to surrender to the Qarlugs, although the woman was reluctant, she never said anything to stop them.

After all, she, a woman, couldn't stop such a big thing.

I just want to be a good wife and be content.

But she never expected that her husband would take her back to her parents' home and persuade her father to surrender to the Qarlug people together!
Her father was stubborn and incorrigible, and he hated the Karluks the most.

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid that he will draw his knife and kill us." the woman said worriedly.

Looking at the woman's expression, the man snorted nonchalantly: "My dear, although my father-in-law has a bad temper, I believe he will be a smart man!"

"What good is it to continue to oppose the Karluk people in this situation?"

"The Khitans were defeated by the Karluks, and the Jinzhou Governor's Office is gone. Only we, the scattered Han people, are left. How can we resist the Karluks?"

"Besides, you know that Sanhe Fort to our west has been captured by the Karluk people."

"I heard from Dad that many people were killed in Sanhe Fort. It was very tragic~"

"Do you want to see Huangsha Village become like Sanhe Fort?"

Hearing her husband's threat, the woman was so scared that she shook her head quickly.

If you can live well, who would want to die?

"When we get to Huangsha Village, we'll persuade my father-in-law."

"Even if he's stubborn, he still has to consider the lives of the hundreds of people in the village, right?"

"And I don't believe that the people in the village are so stubborn." The man snorted.

His name is Hou Tiancai, and he is the young master of Houzhai!
Next to him is his wife, Huang Xiuer from Huangsha Village!
The reason why we have to persuade Huangsha Village is because the strength of a single Hou Village is too weak.

There are less than 700 people in Houzhai itself, and less than 200 people can be mobilized to fight.

His father had previously gone to Sanhe Fort to discuss surrender with the Aslan tribe.

However, because Houzhai was too weak and had too few soldiers, it was looked down upon by the Aslan tribe, who refused to agree to the Hou family's request and ultimately returned empty-handed.

Therefore, the Hou family was preparing to win over more villages, increase their own bargaining chips, and surrender to another tribe of the Karluk, the Moman tribe.

"As long as our villages unite as one, the Qarlug people will never look down on us~" Hou Tiancai said calmly.

"Once the Karluks occupy the entire Jinzhou, we will be the greatest heroes. From now on, all Han villages will have to obey the orders of our Houzhai and Huangshazhai."

"Our two families are the 'kings' of the Han people in Jinzhou!"

As Hou Tiancai spoke, his tone became more and more excited, and he continued to brainwash Huang Xiuer.

"As for whether the Qarlugs can capture Jinzhou?"

"Hmph, I'll tell you the truth, my lady!"

"The Naimans are behind the Karluks!"

"With the help of the Naiman people, the Qarluk people will definitely be able to defeat the Khitan army in the Eastern Capital and even occupy the entire northern border!"

"At that time, we were the dragon's merit~"

Hou Tiancai said in a fanatical tone.

The Hou family has already made a thorough analysis of the current situation.

The Karluks have a great chance of winning.

After the Battle of Beishan, the entire Jinzhou no longer had the strength to resist the Qarluk people.

The next step for the Qarlugs will be to capture cities and strongholds and bring the entire Jinzhou under their control.

Although Dongdu will definitely send troops to suppress the Karluks, the Naimans are also behind the Karluks!

The Dongdu Army came from afar and was no match for the powerful Naiman people.

As for the royal court?

It is even farther away. It will probably take several months for the royal court’s army to arrive, and it will be too late.

"As long as we seize this opportunity, our Hou family can become the leader of the Han people in the entire northern border."

"We can even leave the Qarlugs behind and let the Naimans give us the entire Jinzhou~" Hou Tiancai was fantasizing about a better future. Although the risk this time was not small, all the risks were worth it when he thought about the rewards after success.

Huang Xiuer looked at her husband's obsessive look and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog."

She doesn't understand men's affairs, she only knows that she has to be a good wife and help men solve their worries.

Whether it was the Khitans who ruled Jinzhou, or the Karluks or the Naimans, the status of the Han people remained the same.
Huang Xiuer herself believes that there is no difference between the Khitans and the Karluks.

all the same!

As long as my family is safe and sound~
Women's thoughts are simple, but they have no idea of the cruel nature of the transition of power.

Every change of power is accompanied by a thrilling struggle, and once the bet fails, the outcome is extremely tragic.

The family is broken and the people are dead! ~
The group continued to move towards Huangsha Village. At this speed, they would definitely arrive before dark.

But at this moment, a strong man in the team suddenly shouted loudly.

"Young Master, we have cavalry~"

Everyone looked towards the west and saw more than twenty cavalrymen running around in disorder on the green land.

"Who are they? Why are they outside my Houzhai?" Hou Tiancai asked with a frown.

"Young leader, the enemy has more people than us, and it seems they have bad intentions~" said the man before.

Hou Tiancai thought about it and decided to return to Houzhai.

After all, if you are bitten by the enemy on the grassland, it will be troublesome.

At the same time, Li Xiao also saw Hou Tiancai and his group.

"Brother Dalong, these people seem to have just come out of Houzhai." Skinny Monkey said to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao and others had just arrived at Houzhai.

He asked Dahu and others to rest on the spot, while he took more than 20 cavalrymen from the first team to conduct reconnaissance around Houzhai.

In war, many commanders would go to the front lines to conduct reconnaissance in person, observing the terrain and the enemy's troop deployment.

Combined with the reconnaissance results of other scouts, the final combat plan was formulated.

The same is true for Li Xiao. He attaches great importance to pre-war reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

However, after Li Xiao's observation, he found that Houzhai's defense was very tight. There were not only trenches and battlements around it, but even horse traps.

If we attack by force, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

Absolutely not advisable!
Li Xiao's original plan was to lure out most of the troops from Houzhai and destroy them on the grassland outside.

But unexpectedly, he met Hou Tiancai and his group, which seemed to give Li Xiao an opportunity.

"The cavalry in front and behind are more like guards, protecting the two people in the middle!" Li Xiao said in a murmur.

Tietou beside him nodded gently: "Those two must be important figures in Houzhai, and one of them seems to be a woman!"

Li Xiao heard this and smiled softly: "Hehe~"

"We'll find out once we catch them all and ask them~"

At this time, Shouhou suddenly said: "Brother Dalong, those people are going to run away~"

When Li Xiao discovered the other party, they also saw Li Xiao. After all, the terrain south of Houzhai is relatively flat, and as long as it is not too far away, they can see it.

And Li Xiao naturally couldn't let them escape.
"Chase them, don't let them run away~" Li Xiao shouted and chased after them with his brothers.

Because they each had three horses when they came, the war horses had plenty of physical strength.

There were more than twenty cavalrymen behind him, fighting against the ten-man team of Houzhai.

The advantage is mine!

The war horses charged quickly, and more than 20 young men from Hexi, holding spears and swords, ran wildly on the barren grassland with murderous intent, accompanied by a low and roaring sound.

Hou Tiancai and others also immediately discovered the intentions of Li Xiao and others.

"They're coming towards us~"

"Are these people not horse bandits?"

"Hurry back to the village!"

"Don't panic, this place is very close to Houzhai, they dare not do anything." Hou Tiancai said loudly.

Calmed down the people who were feeling guilty.

He turned his gaze to the cavalrymen in the distance, secretly wondering who they were.

Han? Or Qarlug?
There is a high possibility that they are horse bandits.

But no matter what, the enemy is coming with great force and our numbers are at a disadvantage, so we have to hide temporarily.

So, Hou Tiancai hurriedly quickened his pace and rushed back. Once he returned to Houzhai and gathered more troops, he would no longer be afraid of these people.

It’s just that the other party is very fast and is determined to catch up with me at all costs.

"We must wipe out these damn bandits from now on~"

Thinking of this, Hou Tiancai glanced at his wife next to him and felt a little disgusted in his heart.

If Huang Xiuer wasn't a bad rider, they wouldn't be running so slowly.

If this continues, I'm afraid the other party will chase me up the mountain.

There was no other way, Hou Tiancai could only shout loudly to Li Xiao and others who were chasing him.

"I am Hou Tiancai, the young master of Hou Village!"

"Who are you?"

"If you keep chasing us, we won't be polite~"

Hou Tiancai tried to scare the other party away with the reputation of Houzhai. After all, this place was very close to Houzhai.

The village may send support at any time.

But what Hou Tiancai didn't expect was that after hearing his identity, Li Xiao's eyes lit up and he was not surprised but happy.

"Young Master of Houzhai?"

Haha, I didn't expect to encounter a big fish while out scouting~
So Li Xiao shouted without hesitation: "Catch them!"

(End of this chapter)