Chapter 104: Jin Prefecture’s Foremost Powerful Clan
Li Xiao, as Jin Prefecture Deputy Governor, represents the general trend and the legality of the Great Liao.
Normally confronting Li Xiao is actually confronting the overall forces of the entire Northern Frontier.
Although Zhu Wanli has high prestige in Yinshan Fort, facing the cavalry threat several times their own number around them, facing Li Xiao’s righteous theory of exterminating the nine clans.
The soldiers of Yinshan Fort wavered one after another.
Slowly they put down their weapons, no one daring to act rashly anymore.
“Men.” Seeing that the situation was under control, Li Xiao shouted loudly.
“Here.”
Li Xiao looked sharply at Zhu Wanli, whose face was full of panic, and said in an icy voice: “Behead.”
“Yes, sir!”
Upon hearing this, the personal guards rushed directly toward Zhu Wanli and dragged him out from the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Yinshan Fort soldiers around them faced this situation—some were indifferent, some struggled with their expressions, but no one dared to act rashly.
They could only let Zhu Wanli be dragged away.
At this moment, Zhu Wanli was thoroughly terrified.
His angry gaze turned toward the surrounding soldiers, as if he wanted to devour them.
He turned his head to look at Li Xiao again and roared loudly:
“Li Xiao, you cannot kill me.”
“I am a meritorious official of the Great Liao. I have rendered merits to Lord Xiao Simo.”
“You cannot kill me. I want to see Lord Xiao Simo.”
“I won’t be Deputy Chiliarch anymore. I submit~”
But facing Zhu Wanli’s submission, Li Xiao’s expression remained unchanged, saying nothing.
After all, Yinshan Fort’s strength was comparable to Hexi Fort, and Zhu Wanli had always thought highly of himself without self-awareness.
Keeping him would always be a hidden danger to Li Xiao’s personal prestige and the unity between Jin Prefecture’s Han Tribe.
So he must die.
As the personal guard’s blade fell, Zhu Wanli’s voice abruptly stopped.
Li Xiao then looked at the other Yinshan soldiers and said loudly: “Zhu Wanli was guilty and has been beheaded. His family members are to be enslaved as convicts.”
“You others are not guilty.”
As Li Xiao’s words fell, it was clear that the atmosphere in the entire camp instantly became less oppressive.
Many soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of surviving a disaster.
Next was the formal reorganization of Yinshan Fort.
Since Yinshan Fort had already rebelled, Li Xiao certainly wouldn’t be polite and prepared to perform major surgery on Yinshan Fort.
Completely dismantling its original fortress structure.
Soon, a list was freshly produced.
“Zhao Wu, Zhu Gui, Liang Sisheng…”
“You ten men, step forward.”
Da Hu holding a roster shouted loudly.
Then, ten soldiers of different ages stepped forward.
Then, in a state of bewilderment, they heard the final judgment on themselves and their families.
“You go back to fetch your families, pack your belongings, and bring them to settle in Hexi Fort before the start of winter.”
“From now on, you are people of the Hexi Hundred Households Office.”
“Whatever farmland you had in Yinshan Fort, you will receive an equal share in Hexi Fort.”
After Da Hu finished instructing them, he called another ten names, similarly telling them to bring their families to another fortress before the start of winter.
The reason it was before the start of winter was because grain harvest was imminent.
No one would leave their homeland at such a time.
Only before the start of winter, when heavy snow had not yet blocked the roads, would migration take place.
At the same time, Hexi Fort and other fortresses would each send out ten households to migrate to Yinshan Fort to live.
The purpose was simple: to completely dismantle Yinshan Fort.
After all, Yinshan Fort had a precedent of rebellion. Although the ringleader Zhu Wanli had been executed, who knew how many of his confidants remained?
If Yinshan Fort were left alone, another Zhu Wanli might emerge.
Therefore, Li Xiao dispersed all three hundred households of Yinshan Fort into every fortress, even into different squads.
This way, even if someone was unwilling, they couldn’t gather many people around them.
At most, it would be minor mischief, nothing substantial.
Listening as soldiers were one by one dispersed and assigned to other fortresses, Li Xiao rode on horseback, looking ahead, and lightly chuckled as he asked Gu Zizhong beside him.
“Mister Gu, do you think this arrangement is appropriate?”
Gu Zizhong also smiled faintly, stroked his mustache, and said softly: “Governor Li’s arrangement is very appropriate and considers everything comprehensively.”
“I believe Lord Xiao will also praise Governor Li’s arrangement highly.”
With Gu Zizhong’s intelligence, he naturally understood Li Xiao’s intentions.
This was clearly Li Xiao taking the opportunity to expand his personal forces.
Dismantling Yinshan Fort’s herdsmen and simultaneously drawing herdsmen from various fortresses to form a new Yinshan three hundred households was just the first step.
The key was the upcoming appointments for the three Centurions’ backbones.
Undoubtedly, the candidates for the three Centurions would definitely be selected from the ten who migrated from Hexi Fort originally.
For the squad leaders below, Li Xiao would similarly choose people he trusted.
After all, in this war, many from Hexi Fort had followed Li Xiao into battle and earned merits; there were plenty qualified to be promoted to Centurion or Squad Leader.
Li Xiao was simply going with the flow.
In this way, Li Xiao could firmly control Yinshan Fort’s three Centurions in his hands, making it another direct lineage force after Hexi Fort.
So, the purpose of Li Xiao’s major overhaul of Yinshan Fort was actually to pave the way for himself.
Gu Zizhong saw this very clearly. Although he wouldn’t interfere with the Yinshan Fort arrangements, he would definitely report it truthfully to Xiao Simo.
Letting Xiao Simo judge it.
In response, Li Xiao just smiled faintly, not caring at all.
Go ahead and report it.
Generals expanding their direct lineage forces within appropriate limits was a tradition of the Liao State.
Not only Li Xiao would do this; as Governor, Xiao Lintta would do it even more thoroughly.
Otherwise, without sufficient direct lineage forces, how could he deter the other forces under him?
So even if Xiao Simo knew, he would turn a blind eye.
While Jin Prefecture’s household registration of common people was proceeding vigorously.
An order was delivered by fast horse to Hexi Fort.
“Appoint Hexi Fort Deputy Fort Master Li Erjiang as Jin Prefecture Hexi Chiliarch.”
“Xiao Simo!”
This order was just a simple sentence, but it shocked the entire Li Family and even everyone in Hexi Fort.
Li Erjiang maintained his right hand on chest salute posture and stood stunned in place.
“Wh-what?”
“I-I, I’ve become a Chiliarch?”
Li Erjiang’s face was astonished, looking incredulously at Chen Erqiang who had come to deliver the message.
Just a few days ago, Er Hu returned home and brought news that Li Xiao had been granted Jin Prefecture Deputy Governor.
The Li Family naturally was overjoyed and also learned the significance of Jin Prefecture’s household registration of common people, as well as positions like Chiliarch and Centurion.
But Li Erjiang never imagined that he, who had done nothing, would be granted Chiliarch?
Directly managing one thousand common people households, comparable to several Hexi Forts.
Li Erjiang subconsciously thought this order was fake, or that Xiao Simo had written the wrong name?
“Er Jiang Ge, don’t just stand there stunned. Hurry and take this appointment document.”
“It has King Xiao’s personal signature on it.”
“No mistake, it’s you.”
Chen Erqiang grinned and stuffed the order into Li Erjiang’s hands.
A flash of envy crossed his face.
No wonder they say the Li Family’s ancestral grave has good feng shui.
The Old Master was a fierce man back then; if Li Dahai hadn’t died, he would definitely have thrived in Jin Prefecture.
And the next generation even produced a freak like Li Xiao.
Sure enough, after one war, out came a Deputy Governor, two Chiliarchs, and several Centurions.
From now on, the Li Family would leap to become Jin Prefecture’s number one magnate powerhouse.
But Chen Erqiang was doing well now too.
He had participated fully in the major battles Li Xiao fought and earned considerable merit.
Now appointed as a Centurion.
One of Yinshan Fort’s three major Centurions.
This time returning, besides delivering the message to Li Erjiang, it was also to notify his family that after wheat harvest, they would move to Yinshan Fort.
With him were a total of thirty households of Hexi Fort common people.
After all, since the three Centurions were all from Hexi Fort, the three of them needed sufficient manpower to control the people from other fortresses.
Ten households weren’t enough; Li Xiao ultimately decided to migrate thirty households directly from Hexi Fort to Yinshan Fort.
Plus dozens of households from Hedong Fort, Tazhai, and other fortresses, it would be enough for Chen Erqiang and the other two to prop up Yinshan Fort.
“This, Erqiang, what’s going on here?”
“I did nothing, just lay injured for two months, how did I become a Chiliarch?”
Li Erjiang holding Xiao Simo’s personally signed letter was completely baffled.
The Old Master, Qin Dani, and others nearby were equally puzzled.
Only Er Hu, who had just returned a few days ago, suddenly remembered something.
He chuckled and said: “Second Uncle, this Chiliarch position is yours, no mistake.”
“When Lord Xiao granted my brother his official position, he first granted Deputy Governor and Left Chiliarch, then added a hereditary Chiliarch.”
“Meaning one tribesman could also become Chiliarch.”
“Mainly because my brother’s merits were great enough and plentiful enough.”
“Xiao Simo felt bad not granting my brother Jin Prefecture Governor, so he added this hereditary official position.”
Hearing this, everyone in the Li Family instantly understood.
No wonder Li Erjiang got Chiliarch while lying in bed—it was arranged by Li Xiao.
Although this Chiliarch position could be hereditarily granted to any of Li Xiao’s relatives, after thinking it over, Li Erjiang was indeed the most suitable.
After all, the Old Master was too old, and Er Hu and the others were too young.
Li Sanhe, Li Sishui, and they were one layer further removed.
Only Li Erjiang could shoulder this Chiliarch position.
Although he had been lying low for these two months without earning any merit, Li Erjiang himself was a fierce man.
After all, in the Battle of North Mountain, he carried Li Dahai’s corpse and carved a bloody path out of the encirclement by the Geluolu people.
So in terms of ability, Li Erjiang absolutely deserved this Chiliarch position.
But Li Erjiang just couldn’t get over it in his heart.
After understanding the ins and outs, Li Erjiang holding the appointment document felt it burning hot.
“This, this reward was fought for with Da Long’s life.” Li Erjiang looked helpless.
He looked at the Old Master and said: “As his second uncle, I did nothing, and even my life was saved by Da Long.”
“Da Long was fighting while I wasn’t there, but now when merits are rewarded, my name appears.”
“Dad, this isn’t right.”
“How about giving this Chiliarch to you.”
