Chapter 88: The Nation’s Heavy Weapon
After Bu Ermahei ordered them to surrender, the battle quickly ended.
Li Xiao also ordered his soldiers to stop the slaughter.
Li Dashan and others quickly brought their men to surround them, capturing all the Naiman people.
Soon, under Li Xiao’s command, the Naiman people’s warhorses and weapons were forcibly confiscated.
The young and strong were separated and imprisoned along with the other women, children, and the elderly and weak.
He then ordered men to drive back the Naiman people’s cattle, sheep, and warhorses to collect the spoils of war.
And they took advantage of the time before the sun completely set to set up camp, establish defenses, and so on.
By the time everything was finished, the sky had already completely darkened.
At this point, the temporary camp had tents set up, and bonfires illuminated the camp brightly.
The officers and soldiers were cooking horse meat in iron pots and eating dinner.
Meanwhile, Li Xiao had taken off his iron armor, put on a sheepskin jacket, and was sitting by the bonfire, carefully studying a Divine Arm Crossbow.
“This thing’s structure isn’t complicated,” Li Xiao said softly.
It mainly consists of three parts: the bow arm, the bowstring, and the trigger mechanism.
The structure is simple and can be easily disassembled.
And the materials required are not many; compared to making a strong bow, it only needs a few more parts.
“When I return to Jin Prefecture, I can try to make one,” Li Xiao said to himself.
After putting down the Divine Arm Crossbow, Li Xiao then called Bu Ermahei and Gu Erba over.
“I am Li Xiao, a Chiliarch of Jin Prefecture.”
Li Xiao stood up, hands clasped behind his back, and stared at the two, speaking in a deep voice.
“Greetings, my Lord.”
Bu Ermahei and Gu Erba quickly bowed.
Although Li Xiao’s age surprised them, they did not dare to show any disrespect in their hearts.
They even felt that the young man standing by the fire, with his expressionless face, exuded a pressure more terrifying than Sun Khan.
His deep gaze was like knives, constantly sliding over them.
“What’s the story behind this batch of Divine Arm Crossbows and these twenty sets of Pockmarked Armor?” Li Xiao asked, looking directly at them, his voice calm.
Among the spoils of war this time, besides one hundred Divine Arm Crossbows, there were also twenty sets of Pockmarked Armor.
The moment Li Xiao saw these items, he knew he had struck gold.
This battle was definitely worth it; the gains were astonishing.
The value of just these twenty sets of Pockmarked Armor could be compared to the entire tribe’s flock of sheep.
Pockmarked Armor is also known as cold-forged armor.
It is the most defensively strong armor of this era, and even in the entire history of ancient armor, Pockmarked Armor holds a unique position.
About a hundred years ago, a Qiang tribe in Western Xia mastered a unique forging technique: cold forging.
Armor plates forged using the cold forging technique are far sturdier than ordinary iron shards, yet they are half as thick as ordinary armor plates.
Therefore, the Western Xia people used cold forging technology to forge armor, which is called Pockmarked Armor.
Its emergence can be considered the pinnacle of armor-making technology.
Each set of cold-forged Pockmarked Armor is enough to become an heirloom for noble families.
Because not only is its defense astonishing, far surpassing ordinary iron armor, but its cost is also extremely high.
It often takes an artisan several consecutive days of work to hammer out each individual armor leaf of Pockmarked Armor.
And an entire suit of armor requires thousands of such leaves?
Therefore, the value of the twenty sets of Pockmarked Armor captured this time is absolutely immeasurable.
Each set can be considered a treasured family heirloom.
“These Divine Arm Crossbows and armors were obtained by Gu Erba under the order of Sun Khan from Heishui City. I am not aware of the specific details,” Bu Ermahei said first in response to Li Xiao’s inquiry.
Since they had already surrendered, there was no need to hide anything.
Cooperating honestly might even allow them to secure some benefits for their tribe.
Hearing him speak, Li Xiao’s gaze shifted to the small Naiman man beside him.
Around thirty years old, thin in build, but appearing somewhat shrewd.
“This~”
Gu Erba felt helpless, a wry smile on his face.
He had never expected things to reach this point.
Although he was Sun Khan’s subordinate, he also wanted to live, so he confessed honestly.
“These one hundred Divine Arm Crossbows and twenty sets of Pockmarked Armor were purchased from the Commander of Heishui City.”
Li Xiao was slightly surprised: “The Commander of Heishui City?”
Gu Erba thought Li Xiao didn’t know Heishui City, so he explained: “Heishui City is located north of Jiuquan and south of the Altai Mountains in the Gobi Desert.”
“It is a crucial northwestern stronghold of Western Xia.”
“The Zhenyan Army Command, one of the twelve Army Commands within Western Xia, is located here.”
The twelve Army Commands of Western Xia are equivalent to twelve regional military districts.
When Li Yuanhao established the Zhenyan Army Command back then, he stationed thirty thousand troops here to defend against the nomadic peoples of the northern grasslands.
However, it’s unknown how many remain now.
“The Commander of the Zhenyan Army Command would sell items like Divine Arm Crossbows and Pockmarked Armor to your Naiman tribe?” Li Xiao said speechlessly.
Both of these could be considered ‘national treasures,’ yet they were sold to an enemy country?
Gu Erba chuckled upon hearing this: “Who in this world doesn’t like money? The Commander of the Zhenyan Army Command is also human and needs to consider the needs of his own army.”
“The Western Xia imperial court has been delaying provisions, so they have to sell surplus military equipment.”
Military equipment is basically allocated according to the number of soldiers, so how could there be surplus?
Padding payroll.
Li Xiao shook his head, understanding the situation of the Western Xia army.
Corruption, smuggling, treason, delayed imperial pay, officers exploiting soldiers’ pay.
The Western Xia army was already doing everything that armies do at the end of every dynasty.
One could imagine how dismal their combat strength had become.
A harbinger of national ruin!
However, Li Xiao then recalled that even with the Western Xia army’s combat strength in this state, the Mongols still took seven attempts to completely conquer Western Xia.
“Perhaps the Mongol cavalry at this time was not as formidable as it would become.”
When did the combat strength of the Mongol cavalry increase exponentially?
After capturing Zhongdu of the Jin Dynasty.
They captured a large number of artisans from the Central Plains and plundered countless supplies, which then allowed the Mongol cavalry’s combat strength to be trained up.
And the Mongol cavalry of today are probably not much stronger than the Naiman.
“Can you get more Pockmarked Armor from Western Xia?” Li Xiao asked Gu Erba.
Hearing this, the Naiman’s face immediately turned bitter.
“This might be a bit troublesome.”
“Pockmarked Armor is very precious and extremely difficult to produce. These twenty sets are likely all that the Zhenyan Army Command had.”
“If it were other military equipment, I could get it,” Gu Erba said softly, glancing at Li Xiao’s expression from time to time.
Noticing that Li Xiao seemed somewhat displeased, he immediately added, “Although Heishui City doesn’t have any, I can go to the Army Commands in Ganzhou and Guazhou.”
“Perhaps they have some surplus Pockmarked Armor.”
Gu Erba needed to demonstrate his value and make himself useful.
He was afraid Li Xiao would find him a waste of grain and, in a fit of anger, have him executed.
Hearing a satisfactory answer, the frost on Li Xiao’s face instantly receded, and a radiant smile appeared when he looked at Gu Erba.
“Hahaha~”
“Your name is Gu Erba, right?”
“You are a talented individual.”
“Jin Prefecture needs talented people like you.”
“In any case, Sun Khan is about to be finished, so you will work for me from now on,” Li Xiao said with a happy laugh.
Hutu, who was responsible for translating the Naiman language nearby, found Li Xiao’s words very familiar.
Wasn’t this exactly what Li Xiao had told him before?
Oh no, this Naiman person is here to compete for favor.
Immediately, Hutu’s gaze towards Gu Erba became somewhat displeased.
Meanwhile, Gu Erba, having received Li Xiao’s assurance, felt a great relief in his heart, knowing he wouldn’t die for the time being.
A smile gradually appeared on his face.
He quickly said to Li Xiao, “Thank you, my Lord, for sparing my life. I will definitely serve you diligently from now on.”
Li Xiao nodded with satisfaction.
This Naiman named Gu Erba was indeed a talented person who was familiar with the affairs of Western Xia, precisely what he needed.
After all, Li Xiao had been coveting the riches of Western Xia for a long time.
Once he had established himself firmly in Jin Prefecture, Li Xiao would have to attempt contact with Western Xia.
Western Xia not only had many Han People but was also a powerhouse in military industry, boasting numerous artisans.
Its industrial technology level was almost comparable to the Song Dynasty.
If he could annex Western Xia, the strength under Li Xiao’s command would undergo a qualitative transformation.
However, Li Xiao could only indulge in such fantasies for now.
Achieving this goal would require considerable effort.
After taking Gu Erba in, Li Xiao turned his gaze to Bu Ermahei.
This tribe originally lived at the foot of the Altai Mountains in the Gobi Desert, not far from Western Xia.
During periods of scarce resources, they even frequently raided Western Xia villages to the south.
Li Xiao had discovered some Han Slaves from Western Xia in his tribe.
This Naiman tribe also had utilitarian value in future interactions with Western Xia.
“Your tribe will no longer be of the Naiman people but of Jin Prefecture.”
“From now on, you will obey my orders.”
Upon hearing this, Bu Ermahei also felt a sense of relief.
He quickly pledged his loyalty: “As you command.”
“From now on, the Huormar Tribe will obey your every command.”
Most nomadic tribes lack the concept of a nation or ethnicity.
It was only because the Naiman Tribe was powerful that the Huormar Tribe had attached itself to them.
Now that the Naiman Tribe was on the verge of collapse, the Huormar Tribe did not mind changing their boss.
As long as the tribe could continue to survive and prosper, nothing else mattered.
“Go and properly appease your tribesmen. Our Liao State army is not your enemy, nor will we do anything to you.”
“Tomorrow morning, select all the young and strong from your tribe and accompany me to campaign against Sun Khan,” Li Xiao said to Bu Ermahei in a deep voice.
The Huormar Tribe had nearly six hundred young and strong individuals, which was a considerable fighting force.
If they dared to betray him, Li Xiao would immediately order the execution of all the old, weak, women, and children of the Huormar Tribe.
“Yes, as you command.”
After Bu Ermahei and the other man left, Li Xiao issued an order to everyone present.
“Tell your subordinates to control themselves down there.”
“This Naiman tribe is different.”
“You are not to touch the women of this tribe.”
When dealing with the previous Naiman tribes, Li Xiao’s army had primarily focused on looting.
However, with the changing situation, Li Xiao could no longer adopt a uniformly harsh approach towards the Naiman people.
A combination of hard and soft tactics.
Li Xiao would primarily focus on pacifying these surrendered Naiman people, incorporating them as his wings and claws for his campaigns.
Use both hard and soft tactics.
Facing these Naiman people who surrendered, Li Xiao will also primarily appease them, incorporating them as his wings and claws for his campaigns.
