The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 73 Jinshan, Must Win

Although I am a little immune to Xiao Simo's big promises, there is a saying that goes, wealth and honor are achieved through risk.

If you don't take the initiative to fight for it, you will still be a thousand households in three to five years.

When the Mongols attack, what will Li Xiao use to resist?

So, he decided to take a risk.

If it succeeds, this thousand households might even be promoted.

Moreover, if this war cannot be ended in time, it will have a significant impact on Golden State.

For Li Xiao himself, if he continued to work at Kingsoft, the effort and reward would also be disproportionate.

In the big tent, after everyone left, Xiao Simo was alone in thought when Xiao Yanyan walked in.

She was wearing a long gown worn by Khitan women, a felt hat that made her hair stick up, and she slowly walked behind Xiao Simo.

Reaching out, she gently massaged his shoulders.

"Brother, let me go~"

Before Xiao Yanyan could finish her words, she heard Xiao Simo shout, "Asshole."

"Do I need you to teach me how to fight?"

As he spoke, Xiao Simo stood up, turned to look at Xiao Yanyan, and said with an extremely serious expression: "Even if I, Xiao Simo, am incompetent, I will not push my sister into the fire pit."

"Even if you don't want Jinzhou, I won't allow you to say such things." Xiao Simo said in a cold voice.

But every word is filled with love for his sister.

Xiao Yanyan smiled. This was the brother she was most familiar with and respected the most.

But the more this happened, the more Xiao Yanyan didn't want to see her brother suffer so much.

She knew that Xiao Simo had spent too much time worrying about the Naiman people during this period.

The Jinshan defense line built by the Naimans was even more of a headache.

The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for Xiao Simo. If he stays in Jinzhou for too long, Zhilugu will probably take action against Dongdu.

But if we withdraw our troops now, the Naimans will definitely take advantage of the situation.

Not only will Xiao Simo fail to achieve his intended goal, but Jinzhou will also fall completely, and Dongdu will be directly exposed to the double-sided attack from the Naimans and the royal court.

In general, Xiao Simo is now in a dilemma.

"Brother, the Dahe family has sent a letter of withdrawal from the engagement."

"Also, my reputation in the royal court~"

As she spoke, a hint of anger suddenly appeared on Xiao Yanyan's face.

Xiao Simo was even angrier than him. When he heard the name of the Daha family, his eyes suddenly became gloomy.

"The Daha family is seeking death." Xiao Simo said angrily in a deep voice.

After the battle at Beishan, Daha Chuluoduo fled with his men and did not dare to stay in Dongdu, fearing that Xiao Simo would kill him, so he went straight back to the royal court.

Then, it was spread everywhere that Xiao Yanyan had been captured by the Karluk people.

Even if such a woman was rescued and married into the Daha family in the future, it would be too unfair to Daha Chuluoduo.

The direct bloodline of the Daha family must not be tarnished.

Therefore, he directly sent the original engagement letter to Xiao Simo, expressing his intention to cancel the engagement.

The Xiao brothers and sisters were of course very angry about this.

It was clearly Daha Chu Luoduo who abandoned Xiao Yanyan and ran away alone, but now the Daha family pretends to be wronged.

It's simply shameless.

"My grandfather was truly blind back then to actually fall for the Daha family's marriage proposal," Xiao Yanyan said.

She didn't have a very good impression of her grandfather because the old man blamed all the great changes in the Xiao family on her mother.

Even she, the granddaughter who didn't know who her real father was, was implicated.

And later the old man arranged for her to be engaged to the Daha family.

It was totally out of her mind and ruined her life.

"Hey!"

Xiao Simo also understood his sister's complaints about her grandfather and did not try to persuade her.

He simply said, "Grandfather knew his life was coming to an end, so he arranged for you to be engaged to Da He, so that we could have protection and support in the future."

The Daha family is not simple.

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Daha was the leader of the Khitan tribe and had been granted a title by Emperor Xuanzong.

Later, the Daha clan declined and was replaced by the Yaonian clan.

After that, the Yelu family rose to power and replaced the Yaonian family as the leader of the Khitan people.

Although the glory of the Daha family is gone, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

Among the core generals who followed Yelu Dashi to the Western Regions, some were from the Daha clan, and they also controlled a large number of troops.

The Daha family has considerable influence in the current Western Liao royal court.

Marrying into the Daha family would indeed bring many benefits to the Xiao family.

But the problem is that with the death of Xiao Wulila, the Xiao family was gradually suppressed by Yelu Zhilugu and its power declined rapidly.

The Daha family's attitude gradually became ambiguous.

Normal girls should get married at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

However, at that time, Ohga Churodo's grandfather had passed away, so it could only be postponed for three years.

Three years later, his grandmother also died and the deadline was postponed again.

It directly turned Xiao Yanyan into a twenty-year-old old girl.

The Khitans were influenced by the Central Plains culture and sometimes did observe mourning for their elders, but they were not required to do so.

The Daha family certainly doesn't need to care so much about such an important matter as the marriage with the Xiao family.

But they did it anyway.

Therefore, it was tacitly told to everyone that the Daha family had other ideas about this marriage.

The reason might be that Daha was not optimistic about Xiao Simo and was worried about being implicated by the Xiao family.

In fact, the reason why Xiao Yanyan took the initiative to come to Jinzhou was to ask Da He Chu Luoduo in person what his attitude was.

If it doesn't work, just cancel the engagement. She, Xiao Yanyan, won't tolerate this.

But unexpectedly, the Karluk people happened to rebel, and Daha Chuluoduo was defeated and left her there.

Even Xiao Yanyan sometimes wondered whether Daha Chuluoduo had deliberately lost the battle.

"Grandfather had his reasons, but he trusted the wrong person."

"The Dahe family is timid and cowardly, and they change their attitude according to the situation. They are not worth cooperating with. It is best to cancel the engagement."

"It's hateful that they dare to spread rumors and slander my reputation." Xiao Yanyan gritted her teeth in hatred.

If this rumor spreads, Xiao Yanyan's future marriage will be in trouble.

"Okay, I don't allow you to say such things, and I don't allow you to marry to the Northern Naiman." Xiao Simo rudely interrupted Xiao Yanyan's thoughts.

"War is a man's business."

"Just stay in the barracks and don't think too much."

"I can conquer the Golden Mountain without Toghtobolo."

Xiao Simo said in a firm voice, secretly angry in his heart.

If I were still in the royal court, how could those people dare to do this?

If you bully him, humiliate him, and laugh at him today, Xiao Simo will repay you a hundredfold in the future.

When the voices of the two people in the tent stopped coming, the guard who had been waiting for a while walked into the tent and reported: "Your Majesty, Li Xiao, the captain of Jinzhou, requests to see you."

Xiao Yanyan was originally about to leave, but after hearing Li Xiao's name, she sat down again.

"Let him in."

Xiao Simo glanced at his sister and gave the order.

"General Li Xiao pays his respects to you, sir."

Li Xiao walked into the tent and was surprised to find Xiao Yanyan was also there.

Then he immediately thought of a rumor that had been circulating in the army in the past two days.

Bu'erluhei Khan only agreed to send troops south after marrying Xiao Yanyan.

Li Xiao immediately realized that this rumor was inappropriate, as if someone was deliberately pushing it.

If the Jinshan defense line cannot be captured for a long time, the casualties of soldiers will increase day by day, and the morale of the army will be shaken.

At this time, will the soldiers direct their resentment towards Xiao Yanyan, or even Xiao Simo?

They complained that if they had agreed to Buyilukhei Khan's marriage request earlier, they would have broken through the Jinshan defense line long ago.

"Xiao Simo's subordinates are not united." Li Xiao said to himself.

"What's important?"

"I came here only for the princess's matter." Li Xiao replied calmly.

Then he looked at Xiao Yanyan and said, "I believe that the princess must not marry a Naiman."

"This move will only embolden the Naimans and make them look down upon the Liao Dynasty even more."

Hearing this, Xiao Yanyan was stunned for a moment and looked at Li Xiao with a somewhat touched expression.

"Li Xiao~"

Li Xiao, on the other hand, looked Xiao Yanyan in the eye with determination and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, Lord Yu, you represent the dignity of our Northern Frontier."

"Personally, we are friends. I, Li Xiao, will never sit idly by and watch you suffer in Beinaiman."

Hearing this, Xiao Yanyan felt very complicated. She didn't expect that Li Xiao cared so much about her friend.

Xiao Yanyan had few friends in her life.

She never expected that a mere young man from Jinzhou could move her so much.

"Li Xiao, I understand your intentions."

"It's just that some things are always beyond our control." Xiao Yanyan shook her head helplessly and smiled bitterly.

Li Xiao said directly: "Princess, are you talking about the Jinzhou defense line?"

"If I can conquer Jinshan, will the princess not have to marry the Naiman?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Simo and Xiao Yanyan's attention was drawn to them.

Xiao Simo said in a deep voice, "Li Xiao, can you conquer Jinshan?"

"can!"

Then Li Xiao looked at Xiao Yanyan next to him with an expression of being ready to die.

It seemed as if everything he did was for Xiao Yanyan.

"any solution?"

Xiao Simo asked anxiously, even ignoring the eye contact between the two.

Under normal circumstances, anyone who dared to flirt with Xiao Yanyan would have his brains beaten out by him.

"My ancestors sent me a letter telling me that there is an ancient road in the Alai Mountains that leads to the territory of the Naiman tribe."

"This road has high mountains and steep terrain, but it is wide enough for a large army to pass through."

"We only need one force to cross the Alai Mountains, go around to the east of Jinshan, and join the main force of our army to attack the Naimans."

"Jinshan, must win!"

After listening to Li Xiao's plan, Xiao Simo's expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly found the location of Alailing on the Jinshan map.

The mountains to the north of Jinzhou are much higher than those to the south of Jinzhou.

Xiao Simo sent people to check there and found that the terrain was indeed dangerous and difficult to pass through.

"Is there really an ancient road?" Xiao Simo asked with an excited expression.

"Have."

Li Xiao nodded heavily.

"My grandfather happened to pass by here when he was young and still remembers the location."

Hearing this, Xiao Simo's face suddenly showed an excited smile.

"Hahahaha~"

"Great!"

(End of this chapter)