Chapter 128: Imperial Guards, White Armored Army
“Although you are a Naiman, you are not an official chiliarch under my command.”
“But in my eyes, Li Xiao, you are no different from the others.”
“You have always been a loyal partner worthy of entrusting my back to, a comrade with whom I can share life and death.”
“You led the Huormar Tribe through life and death on the battlefield, establishing great merit for Jin Prefecture. This friendship and achievement, I, Li Xiao, keep firmly in mind.”
“Today, I will formally grant you the position of chiliarch in Jin Prefecture, as the Eastern Sea Chiliarchy.”
Sea is not defined by the presence of water as Da Hai.
In the culture of nomadic people, sea is an adjective.
Vast.
Grassland can be called a sea, and desert can also be a sea.
Vast Grass Sea, Sand Sea.
Therefore, Eastern Sea Chiliarchy means the chiliarch of the eastern grassland.
Of course, this chiliarch position is not formally established, just like Li Sanhe’s Jin Prefecture chiliarch; it is privately granted by Li Xiao.
However, the loyalty and status are the same within their group.
Li Xiao looked at Bu Ermahei with firm yet gentle eyes, solemnly handing over the cavalry saber with both hands: “Today, this cavalry saber symbolizing honor and status also belongs to you.”
“I believe that with your bravery and loyalty, you will surely use it to be invincible on the battlefield, letting everyone know that no matter where one comes from, as long as they hold Jin Prefecture in their heart, they are a pillar of our army!”
This saber was indeed specially forged by Li Xiao for Bu Ermahei.
One side reads ‘Success, or die nobly’ in four large characters.
The other side reads ‘Jin Prefecture, Eastern Sea Chiliarchy, Bu Ermahei’ in ten slightly smaller characters.
In Li Xiao’s plan, if Bu Ermahei obeyed his orders and came to Jin Prefecture to join him, then he would give him this saber, granting him all the honor and status.
But if he disappointed Li Xiao, then Li Xiao would personally lead the cavalry to attack the Huormar Tribe and use this saber to chop off Bu Ermahei’s dog head.
Fortunately, Bu Ermahei did not disappoint Li Xiao.
At this moment, looking at the cavalry saber before him, Bu Ermahei’s eyes reddened, his body trembled slightly, and his voice choked yet was extremely firm.
“Grateful for the governor’s favor, this lowly general will sacrifice oneself, using this saber to slay all enemies for the governor, protecting every inch of land in Jin Prefecture and the grassland with my life, never failing the governor’s trust!”
Then he knelt on one knee, pounded his chest heavily with his right fist, and shouted loudly.
“Loyalty!”
Over the past six months, Bu Ermahei had diligently practiced Chinese language, staying together every day with a Han translator.
Finally, raising his Chinese level to around passing.
He could understand what Han people said and barely communicate.
But to speak such complex Chinese, even including the idiom sacrifice oneself.
Obviously impossible.
What he said was a mix of Chinese and Naiman language, translated by Hutu beside him.
Hearing him pledge loyalty, Li Xiao nodded slightly, reached out to help Bu Ermahei up, scanned the crowd, and said loudly: “Everyone, with such loyal and brave warriors, what enemy cannot be destroyed!”
“From now on, Bu Ermahei is our brother, our comrade.”
Li Dashan and the others immediately understood upon hearing this, stood up, and greeted one after another: “Chiliarch Bu Ermahei.”
“We are all brothers; from now on, your matters are everyone’s matters.”
“Exactly, from now on we share blessings and hardships together, and share the women we rob.”
“Hahaha~”
The atmosphere quickly livened up, and Bu Ermahei was initially integrated into this group.
The reason Li Xiao took him under his command was very simple.
To use him as a benchmark.
A thousand gold for a horse’s bones.
To achieve great things, one must have the spirit to accommodate all rivers.
Endless war and violence cannot solve problems.
One must use both kindness and might, making enemies fewer and friends more.
Whether Naiman people, Khitan people, Mongol people, Uyghur people, Tangut people, and so on.
In Li Xiao’s eyes, they are all members of the Chinese Nation.
To make these people submit, he must show them hope.
Bu Ermahei and Amo are the benchmarks Li Xiao established.
Letting those people understand that following Li Xiao can bring high official positions and wealth, just the same as rising in rank and getting rich.
Li Xiao employs people without discrimination, not looking at background, only at ability.
Of course, despite this, Li Xiao would not neglect precautions.
His plan was to gradually adjust the Huormar Tribe during this war.
Drawing out some people, then bringing in a new batch.
Slowly integrating the Huormar Tribe with Jin Prefecture.
Bu Ermahei remains the chiliarch, but those under him are no longer entirely the original group.
As for future promotions?
Bu Ermahei’s age and personal ability destined that his future would not go far; perhaps as Li Xiao’s power expands, he would gradually fall behind.
……
Three days later, Jin Prefecture Army Camp.
The atmosphere was solemn and majestic, the golden sun and moon battle flag flapping loudly in the wind.
One thousand cavalry stood silently on the vast land.
They wore uniform white cotton armor, emitting a soft yet resilient sheen under the golden sunlight, like a silver ocean, calm yet surging beneath.
These were exactly the cotton armor forged by the Hexi Weaponry Shop.
Made by tightly sewing multiple layers of thick cotton cloth, each layer specially treated for warmth and strong defense.
On the surface of the cotton armor, copper rivets were neatly arranged, firmly fixing the inner armor plates in the interlayer.
They wore pointed tasseled helmets forged from wootz steel, with a tuft of white tassels standing high on top, gently swaying in the breeze.
The ear guards hanging on both sides covered most of the face, with a neck guard around the neck to prevent attacks from the neck.
Adding even more heroic aura to these soldiers.
In these three days, Li Xiao had only done one thing.
Selecting soldiers.
From the four thousand five hundred Jin Prefecture soldiers, picking out the most elite one thousand.
He wanted to form a personal guard army, like the Turkic people’s tiger division or Temüjin’s kheshig army.
He wanted to select an army completely obedient to him, becoming his most trusted and sharpest dagger.
And these one thousand before him were the result of the three days’ selection.
Whether in riding and archery, charge, endurance, close combat, or other aspects, they were the best in the Jin Prefecture Army.
Today was the day this army was formally established.
Soon, accompanied by the low sound of hooves, Li Xiao arrived with several chiliarchs and personal guards.
At this moment, Li Xiao also wore white cotton armor, almost identical to these one thousand soldiers.
The only difference was the golden tiger head buckle on his waist belt in front, with round glaring eyes, full of dominance.
On the wootz steel forged helmet, gold threads depicted the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and coiling dragons with sabers.
Furthermore, his waist saber was an inlaid gold cavalry saber, with a golden tiger head at the hilt.
Like the six great chiliarchs, Li Xiao also had his own governor’s cavalry saber, just more luxurious.
It was not that Li Xiao deliberately sought luxury, but this era was one of clear class distinctions.
There must be some external symbols to show the differences in class, thereby earning the soldiers’ respect.
Sharing food and shelter with soldiers without distinction only exists in specific eras.
At this moment, Li Xiao rode his war horse on the hillside, left hand lightly on the hilt, head slightly raised, eyes sharp as he scanned the army before him.
This was his selected personal guard army.
The four thousand five hundred soldiers marching to the royal court were already Jin Prefecture’s elites, and these one thousand were elites among elites.
He took a deep breath, his loud voice resounding like a great bell across the land: “Officers and soldiers.”
“Today, your standing before me proves that each of you is Jin Prefecture’s pride.”
“You stood out from countless warriors; your resilience, your bravery, your loyalty have all been best proven in these days’ selection.”
His gaze slowly swept over every soldier, full of expectation and praise: “From today, I grant you a unique name—Wuwei Army!”
“You are Jin Prefecture’s sharp blade, the fearless vanguard charging into battle!”
“Your mission is to annihilate every invading enemy, raze every enemy camp, make them tremble under our iron hooves, utterly destroy their ambitions, leaving them no courage to covet our Jin Prefecture land!”
……
Hearing Li Xiao’s stirring words, the one thousand Wuwei Army soldiers were deeply moved.
Then, the land resounded with endless low roars.
“Charge!”
“Charge!”
“Charge!”
At this moment, the entire grassland was enveloped by this aura, making one feel an overwhelming force.
The soldiers raised their hooked scythe spears and shouted loudly, faces flushed with effort, veins bulging on foreheads, eyes fixed ahead as if enemies were already there.
They would use their spears in hand to cut down all enemies from their horses.
Afterward, Li Xiao personally awarded cavalry sabers to the soldiers of this army and asked each soldier’s name, committing them to memory.
By now, the cavalry saber was no longer just a simple weapon, but more a symbol of status, position, and honor.
Only chiliarchs, centurions, and other officers, as well as elite soldiers, could have a cavalry saber.
Ordinary soldiers wanting one could only buy privately from the Hexi Weaponry Shop.
Identical in quality to those issued by the army, but slightly different in style.
Chiliarchs’ cavalry sabers had inlaid gold eagles, centurions’ had inlaid silver wolf heads.
The Wuwei Army’s cavalry sabers had the most ordinary style.
Although without their names.
But on one side of the blade, ‘Success, or die nobly’ in four large characters was engraved.
The other side had simply two words engraved.
Wu Rong.
At this moment, the cavalry sabers forged by the Hexi Weaponry Shop gained another name besides the Hexi saber.
“Wu Rong Saber!”
While if ordinary soldiers bought privately, it was just a plain weapon with nothing else.
……
On this day, the Wuwei Army, which terrified the entire Western Regions and grassland, was born.
Wearing white cotton armor, holding hooked scythe spears, carrying heavy riding bows, with cavalry sabers at the waist, became the mark of this army.
The reason Li Xiao did not choose other colored cotton armor was simple.
Jin Prefecture temporarily lacked dyeing technology.
The cotton cloth produced by the Hexi Textile Mill was all in its original color, that is, grayish-white.
To dye it required importing dyeing technology from the great desert or even farther places.
Li Xiao did not have the time.
Therefore, the first batch of cotton armor produced was all white.
Precisely because of this, the Wuwei Army gained another name.
White Armored Army!
