The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 60: Fifteen That Year, Standing Like a Minion

In later generations, there are very few historical records about Western Liao, and there is no mention of the person Xiao Simo.

Only at this moment did Li Xiao realize that this guy was actually preparing to rebel!
"Does this count as boarding a pirate ship?" Li Xiao said in his heart, feeling both amused and helpless.

Considering the complicated relationship between the Xiao family and Yelu Zhilugu, Xiao Simo did have the possibility of rebelling.

Moreover, in history, he should not have succeeded in his rebellion. After all, Yelu Zhilugu was usurped by the Naiman prince Qu Chulu more than ten years later.

"So, this is not only a pirate ship, but also a broken ship." Li Xiao said speechlessly with his head covered.

But there is no way. When you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Northern Xinjiang is Xiao Simo's territory, and he has to get on it first even if it is a broken boat.

And even a broken ship has three thousand nails!
Just like the famous Six Garrisons Uprising of the Northern Wei Dynasty, although it failed, it dealt a huge blow to the Northern Wei Dynasty.

As a participant, Yuwen Tai received a lot of political heritage in this process, which prepared him for his subsequent rise.

Therefore, Li Xiao was also secretly looking forward to how much political legacy Xiao Simo could leave for him after his rebellion failed?

In the following time, Xiao Simo and others began to discuss how to eliminate more Naiman forces so that they would never dare to covet the northern border again.

However, these people spoke Khitan, and Li Xiao couldn't understand a word they said.

I feel like an outsider.

There was no way. After all, I had just arrived and I definitely couldn't integrate into Xiao Simo's core circle.

"Climb up step by step, until I reach the highest point where no one can look down on me." Li Xiao drank kumis alone and said secretly in his heart.

This feeling of being isolated and despised is very uncomfortable.

Many years later, when Li Xiao recalls this scene today, he might sigh with emotion: "At fifteen that year, I stood like a minion."

At this moment, a shadow appeared in front of him.

"Your Highness the Princess!" Li Xiao looked up at Xiao Yanyan and greeted her.

Xiao Yanyan looked at him with a half-smile: "Why don't you call me Miss Xiao anymore? Your Highness, are you being so formal?"

Li Xiao heard this and shook his head with a wry smile: "I didn't know the identity of Her Royal Highness the Princess before, please forgive me."

"Tsk, boring." Xiao Yanyan snorted.

She still likes the rebellious Li Xiao from before.

Thinking of this, she sat down next to Li Xiao without any hesitation.

The main reason was that Li Xiao was too lonely and couldn't join in the conversation with Xiao Simo and others.

After all, Li Xiao is her, Xiao Yanyan's man, so it's not good to ignore him.

"Are you curious about why General Xiao Linta showed his hostility towards the royal court in front of you without any scruples?" Xiao Yanyan whispered beside Li Xiao.

"Hmm~" Li Xiao nodded gently: "I am a little curious."

"After all, this is my first time in this big tent. I'm not familiar with them, let alone trust them."

"Aren't Lord Xiao and the others afraid that I'll leak it out?"

In Li Xiao's opinion, when it comes to rebellion, the more secretive it is, the better, and the fewer people who know about it, the better.

But the thinking patterns of these Khitans were obviously different.

Xiao Yanyan smiled softly, looked at Li Xiao with sparkling eyes and said, "Do you know Sima Zhao?"

Li Xiao nodded slightly. Who wouldn’t know this?

"Did the people of Wei know about it before the Sima family rebelled?" Xiao Yanyan asked again.

Li Xiao was suddenly speechless.

Then Xiao Yanyan's voice was heard faintly, "Actually, the conflict between my brother and Zhilugu is no secret at all."

"No one in the entire royal court doesn't know about this."

"Everyone knows that if given the chance, my brother would definitely drive Zhilugu out of that position."

"Zhilugu naturally knows this very well. He also wants to get rid of this troublesome person, my brother. Unfortunately, he never has the chance."

"My brother is not someone he can easily deal with."

After hearing this, Li Xiao finally understood.

Shit, it turns out they’ve already gotten to the point where they’re completely exposed.

Both parties know exactly what is in each other's mind.

But the reality is that no one has the ability to eliminate the other in one fell swoop.

Yelu Zhilugu was the emperor and had a righteous title.

Xiao Simo also has the political legacy left by Xiao Wulila's decades of struggle, and his strength should not be underestimated.

The open and covert struggles between the two sides had already begun.

It’s just that Li Xiao stayed in this remote corner of Jinzhou and knew nothing.

This is embarrassing. I have unknowingly become involved in the political struggle at the highest level of Western Liao.

"Do you regret what you said just now?" Xiao Yanyan looked at Li Xiao and smiled strangely.

"No!" Li Xiao shook his head decisively.

You definitely can’t say you regret it!

The worst thing to do when placing a bet is to please both sides.

Although he knew that Xiao Simo might fail, wasn't this also an opportunity for Li Xiao?

"You Han people have a saying that goes 'Wealth and honor are sought in danger.'" Xiao Yanyan said softly, and personally filled a glass of wine for Li Xiao.

"Although following my brother may seem very risky, for someone like you who comes from an ordinary Han Chinese family, it is the best way to advance your career."

"With your ability, becoming a marquis or a prime minister in the future will not be a problem at all."

Xiao Yanyan started to paint a rosy picture for Li Xiao again.

Li Xiao accepted it completely and looked very excited.

This woman personally poured wine for Li Xiao. If he didn't know what was good for him, the consequences could be serious.

"A true man, born in this world, should act with vigor and determination. How can he be hesitant?"

"Don't worry, Princess. I'm not the kind of person who is fickle and forgets his principles when he sees profit." Li Xiao said firmly.

Then he picked up the wine in the glass and drank it all. "But I have another question." Li Xiao put down the glass and said.

"Lord Xiao has dispatched so many troops to the east to fight against the Naimans. Aren't you afraid that the Eastern Capital will be left empty and that Jurghan will take advantage of it?"

Xiao Yanyan shook her head slightly: "Of course not."

"My brother has left many soldiers stationed in the Eastern Capital. They are all loyal to my brother."

"Of course, the most important thing is that the royal court's energy is tied up in the Gur Kingdom, and it has no ability to take care of the northern border."

After Xiao Yanyan's explanation, Li Xiao also gained some understanding of the situation in Central Asia.

The Kingdom of Ghur was located south of Western Liao, roughly the location of Afghanistan in later times.

Ever since the Seljuk Empire was defeated by Yelu Dashi, the Ghur Kingdom, as a younger brother, has slowly absorbed the legacy of the Seljuk Empire and has begun to rise in recent years.

By constantly launching wars abroad, their strength grew stronger and stronger.

Just last year, the Kingdom of Ghur marched north to attack the Khorasan region.

As the suzerain state, Western Liao accepted the request of its vassal state Khwarezm and sent General Tayanggu to lead an army of 20,000 to invade the Khorasan region.

Part of the royal court's military force was withdrawn, so Xiao Simo had the opportunity to free up his hands and prepare to deal with the Naimans.

Before the royal army returns, it would be best to turn the four states in the northern border into a stable rear base.

"I see." Li Xiao nodded slightly.

After that, Li Xiao started chatting with Xiao Yanyan about other things.

"Your Highness~"

Li Xiao was about to speak when Xiao Yanyan raised her hand to interrupt him.

"I treat you as a friend, but don't be so distant with me and don't call me princess."

"Miss Xiao?" Li Xiao asked tentatively.

"Humph~"

Xiao Yanyan snorted unhappily and said unwillingly, "Li Xiao, I already said I consider you a friend."

"My nickname is Ah Man, and everyone around me calls me that. You can call me that too."

Hearing Xiao Yanyan's words, Li Xiao nodded.

Ah Man?

This name is interesting.

"Then, A'man, can you teach me Khitan?" Li Xiao said.

Xiao Yanyan became interested after hearing this.

"You want to learn Khitan? Of course, no problem."

"If you become an official in the Liao Dynasty in the future, it will be necessary for you to speak Khitan." Xiao Yanyan said happily.

I feel excited about being a teacher.

But then he frowned: "It's a pity that I don't have much time!"

"After the battle, I will definitely return to Dongdu with my brother."

"It's okay~" Li Xiao smiled lightly.

“I’m a fast learner.”

Xiao Yanyan immediately took action and prepared to teach Li Xiao to speak Khitan on the spot.

At this moment, Xiao Simo's loud laughter suddenly rang out in the big tent, and he kept nodding to a Khitan general.

"What did the general say?"

"Lord Xiao seems very satisfied." Li Xiao asked curiously.

"That was General Xiao Duolatu. He suggested that my brother contact Buyilukhei Khan of the Naiman people and jointly attack the Naiman army."

Hearing this, Li Xiao nodded slightly.

Unlike the scarcity of historical records of Western Liao, there are still some records about the Naiman people in later generations.

Therefore, Li Xiao also has a certain understanding of this Buyiluhei Khan.

He was the elder brother of Naiman Taiyang Khan.

After the death of Naiman Khan, the two brothers went to war for the throne.

Of course, there are also rumors that the two fought for their stepmother.

The two brothers coveted their beautiful and young stepmother at the same time, but the second brother was more sophisticated.

While the old Khan was still on his sickbed, he had an affair with his stepmother.

By using the influence of others, he successfully seized more power.

As soon as the old Khan died, the second Khan defeated the eldest Khan, seized his stepmother and the Khan throne, and called himself Sun Khan.

The defeated leader led a part of his tribe to migrate northward and settled in the northern part of Altai Mountains, calling himself Buyiluhei Khan.

From then on, Naiman split into two parts and its strength was greatly weakened.

Buyiluhei Khan, who missed out on the throne and his beautiful stepmother, must have been unwilling to resign himself to this fate. It was indeed possible that he could be persuaded to join the fight against Naiman Taiyang Khan.

But based on some records Li Xiao had read, it seemed that the relationship between the two brothers was not that bad.

Although he was a little pessimistic about this plan, Li Xiao was a newcomer after all.

Since he was not familiar with these Khitans and had not gained Xiao Simo's trust, he would definitely not raise objections at the cost of effort.

Just be a transparent person.

However, in order to avoid accidents, Li Xiao did not want the Naimans to wreak havoc in Jinzhou after all.

So he still gave Xiao Yanyan a subtle reminder: "I heard that the relationship between the two brothers, Taiyang Khan and Buyilukhei Khan, is not so incompatible."

"Buyilukhei Khan may not agree to join us in attacking the Naimans." Li Xiao said softly.

Let Xiao Yanyan remind Xiao Simo. If Xiao Simo doesn't listen, there's nothing we can do.

Xiao Yanyan frowned slightly when she heard this: "Really?"

(End of this chapter)