Chapter 110: Secret Edict
“The Uliji Tribe raided Sanhe Fort for grain?”
Li Xiao had returned to the large tent and, listening to the report of a Hexi young and strong man before him, frowned slightly.
“I do know a thing or two about that Uliji. He’s arrogant, overbearing, and reckless.”
“To raid Sanhe Fort for grain, that does sound like something he’d do,” Li Xiao said softly, sitting on a folding stool.
The Uliji Tribe is considered a large tribe in Jin Prefecture, with over a thousand men.
There’s a rumor that when the Geluolu people rebelled, they once invited Uliji to join them.
But the reason Uliji didn’t participate was actually because he disdained the Geluolu people.
He was unwilling to be subordinate to the Geluolu people and wanted to be the boss himself.
The two sides didn’t reach an agreement, and Uliji went from being a waverer to a staunch supporter of the imperial court.
This shows Uliji’s character – truly arrogant.
“But arrogant as he is, he’s not stupid!”
Although he became a chiliarch and had a thousand troops openly under his command, Li Xiao held four chiliarchs.
Without a valid reason, would he be so foolish as to make an enemy of Li Xiao?
However, considering the current situation in Jin Prefecture, Li Xiao quickly had an idea.
“Xiao Lintta!”
Uliji has allied himself with Xiao Lintta.
That’s why this fellow believes he has the qualifications to contend with Li Xiao.
Everything he’s done might also be at Xiao Lintta’s instigation.
Thinking about it that way, it makes a kind of sense.
“This guy, is he really that impatient?” Li Xiao shook his head, his eyes containing a faint chill.
He truly had no intention of openly breaking with Xiao Lintta.
But unfortunately, this fellow had started scheming against him.
He then looked at the messenger and said, “Continue your report. What happened to the Uliji Tribe afterward?”
The messenger was from Hexi Fort, his surname was Wang, and his name was Erhei.
He had participated in the entire battle against the Uliji Tribe and recounted the events to Li Xiao.
In the end, while Da Hu and others were filled with indignation, they were also slightly puzzled.
“That’s strange.”
“No arrows were shot, so how did Uliji get shot?” Da Hu said in surprise.
Er Hu immediately asked, “Did you see Uliji get shot and fall with your own eyes?”
Er Hei nodded slightly, “Someone saw it with their own eyes. He was definitely shot.”
“Then who shot him?”
Er Hu was confused and shook his head, unable to figure it out. “It couldn’t have been one of their own people, could it?”
Hearing this, Li Xiao smiled faintly and said, “Why couldn’t it have been one of their own people?”
Internal power struggles, framing an external enemy.
These are common tactics in political struggles.
Therefore, it’s entirely possible that someone close to Uliji made the move.
And since Xiao Lintta’s involvement is suspected in this matter, Li Xiao has every reason to suspect that this old schemer is setting a trap for him.
Think about it.
Xiao Simo was just appointed chiliarch, and shortly after, he was shot and killed by his own people.
What does this mean?
A challenge to Xiao Simo’s authority.
The next step would definitely be to appeal to the emperor.
And Uliji is also a bit pathetic. He thought he had become a chiliarch, held great power, and had high status.
But in reality, he became a tool, a sacrifice, in the political struggle between Xiao Lintta and Li Xiao.
“That Xiao Lintta is truly ruthless!”
“To cause me trouble, he didn’t hesitate to kill a chiliarch,” Li Xiao murmured, shaking his head.
He felt a bit depressed.
Compared to someone like Xiao Lintta, who appears simple and honest but is full of schemes, Li Xiao preferred straightforward, honest people like Xiao Tula Duo.
Perhaps Xiao Simo was worried that Xiao Tula Duo’s personality wouldn’t be able to control Li Xiao, which is why he appointed Xiao Lintta as the Jin Prefecture Governor.
“Uncle Er Hei, you came at just the right time. This news is very important to us. Thank you for your trouble,” Li Xiao said to Wang Erhei.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” In reality, he didn’t think it was a big deal.
Even Li Dashan and Luo Ping didn’t take the Uliji Tribe seriously, simply thinking it was just a battle.
They didn’t intend to bother Li Xiao with such a small matter.
It was the Old Master who felt something was amiss and sent Wang Erhei to Wuya Village to inform Li Xiao.
Otherwise, if Li Xiao remained in the dark, he would be truly at a disadvantage when Xiao Lintta made his move.
“Uncle Sixth and Uncle Luo, these two…” Li Xiao shook his head with a helpless smile.
These two are truly just generals; their political acumen is average.
He wondered if they would improve after being chiliarchs for a while.
However, for now, Li Xiao still needed to deal with the matter of the Uliji Tribe.
So he said gravely, “Pass down the order…”
He paused for a moment, then Li Xiao gently shook his head.
He had intended to mobilize the remaining Han cavalry from Wuya Village, but then he thought that Xiao Lintta might be watching him.
So, he changed his question: “When did the two centurions from Feiying Fort leave?”
As the autumn harvest approached, after Li Xiao had requested permission from Xiao Simo, he had gradually allowed the troops from the forts that had completed their reorganization to return home.
Feiying Fort was the last batch of soldiers to leave before that.
In Wuya Village itself, less than a thousand people would be returning over the next two days.
“They left about an hour ago,” Da Hu said after thinking.
Li Xiao said directly, “Da Hu, take my token and set off immediately. Catch up to the people from Feiying Fort and order them to stop immediately and proceed to Golden Sparrow Mountain to await orders.”
Li Xiao handed his Deputy Governor’s token to Da Hu. This token was equivalent to Li Xiao’s personal presence.
Not long ago, Xiao Simo had bestowed it upon him, representing his status as Deputy Governor.
It was the first time he had used it.
“Yes~”
Da Hu took the token and said with a solemn expression.
Just as he was about to leave, Li Xiao called him back. “Let’s go out together, and you can slip away by yourself midway.”
The main reason was to avoid Xiao Lintta’s surveillance.
If Xiao Lintta became suspicious of Li Xiao’s intentions and sent people to intercept them, it would be troublesome.
Afterward, Li Xiao led his personal guards toward Xiao Simo’s camp.
He had no other purpose than to go and learn Khitan language from Xiao Yanyan.
Midway, Da Hu, along with two others, secretly slipped away to chase after the cavalry from Feiying Fort.
Li Xiao, with his personal guards, entered Xiao Simo’s camp and, as if familiar with the place, walked into Xiao Yanyan’s tent.
He saw her arranging her hair in front of a bronze mirror, a smile unconsciously forming on her lips.
“My beautiful Xiao, it’s too much of a waste of the beautiful scenery outside to spend your days cooped up in this tent fiddling with these things,” Li Xiao said, hands crossed over his chest, leaning against a tent pole, gazing at her intently.
“You told me yourself that Xiao Yanyan is a tough woman who prefers to be armed than adorned.”
“Why don’t you come out with me for a ride?”
Saying this, Li Xiao walked behind Xiao Yanyan, slowly crouched down, and embraced her. His hands went over her shoulders, and he skillfully began to reach inside.
Seeking its mountain harbor.
“Get away.”
“Your hands are so cold!”
Xiao Yanyan felt a strange sensation on her chest. She turned her head, glanced at him, and feigned anger. “What bad intentions are you harboring again?”
Although she said this, the faint smile on her lips revealed her inner joy.
She didn’t continue to stop Li Xiao’s actions on her chest, but instead found a comfortable position and leaned into his embrace.
“What do you mean ‘bad intentions’?”
“I’m clearly trying to improve.”
“A Man, it’s time for us to learn Khitan again.”
“The camp is too noisy, why don’t we go out?” Li Xiao said in a tone used to coax a girlfriend.
His actions in his hands, however, became increasingly forceful.
Xiao Yanyan was made weak by his actions, lying softly in his arms and playfully complaining, “You say you’re not up to no good, but when have you ever been serious about learning Khitan?”
“It’s not like you don’t start… midway.”
Saying this, Xiao Yanyan rolled her eyes at him, then stood up and pushed Li Xiao outward.
“What are you doing?”
“Go out, I need to change. Aren’t you going out to learn Khitan?”
“You don’t need me to leave just because you’re changing. I’ll be right here and I promise not to peek.”
Finally, Li Xiao gently took Xiao Yanyan’s hand and, with her blushing and weak, led her out of the tent.
First, he helped Xiao Yanyan onto the horse, then nimbly swung himself up and sat behind her, holding her tightly.
“Let’s go~”
Meanwhile, in Xiao Simo’s large tent, the Guard Captain reported the situation of Li Xiao taking Xiao Yanyan out.
At the end, he hesitated and said, “Great King, do you truly intend to marry the Princess to a Han?”
Xiao Simo slowly walked out of the tent, feeling the comfortable warmth of the scorching sun on his cheeks, and said in a faint voice, “What does it matter if they are Han? Or Khitan? Why divide them so clearly?”
“Does having Khitan blood mean they will always be loyal to me?”
“And if they are Han, they won’t be of one heart with me?”
“Who can control the human heart?”
Xiao Simo said with emotion. Having experienced betrayal and failure, he no longer held such deep prejudices based on identity.
What he valued more was their utilitarian value.
“And most importantly, A Man likes him,” Xiao Simo said leisurely.
His grandfather had treated A Man as a tool for a marriage alliance and betrothed her to the Da He Family.
As it turned out, the Da He Family could not be relied upon.
After his grandfather passed away, it was Xiao Simo who raised Xiao Yanyan, acting as both an elder brother and a father.
Their bond was deep, and he truly did not want Xiao Yanyan to suffer any more grievances.
Regardless of whether they were Khitan or Han.
Nothing mattered more than Xiao Yanyan’s own “I am willing.”
Therefore, on the matter of Xiao Yanyan’s marriage, Xiao Simo did not intend to interfere excessively; her own preference was sufficient.
Moreover, Li Xiao was indeed quite suitable.
Firstly, he came from a humble background. With Xiao Simo keeping an eye on him, Li Xiao would not dare to treat Xiao Yanyan poorly.
Secondly, because he was Han, he had no connection to the Royal Court and could only follow Xiao Simo wholeheartedly.
This was also what Xiao Simo valued most.
Therefore, he had no dissatisfaction with Li Xiao and had never prevented their interactions.
Perhaps all he felt was reluctance at his sister leaving him, which led him to feel a bit displeased with Li Xiao, the main culprit.
Thinking this, an idea that had been brewing for a long time surfaced in Xiao Simo’s mind.
At this moment, he finally made up his mind. He walked back into the tent, wrote a letter on the table, and used his Great Seal and personal seal, marking it with his special symbol.
He put it in an envelope and sealed it with sealing wax.
He then placed it in a box, covered it with a seal, and handed it to the Guard Captain.
He quietly ordered, “Keep this safe.”
“If anything happens to me, take this out.”
Upon hearing this, the Guard Captain was stunned.
He looked at Xiao Simo in disbelief. “Great King…”
“You, you…”
Seeing the look on his confidant’s face, Xiao Simo smiled gently and patted his shoulder. “It’s nothing, just a precaution.”
“This King will not be taken by the Buddha until I have accomplished my great endeavor.”
What Xiao Simo worried about was Yelü Zhilugu becoming desperate, and also that there was a spy among his close circle, with a high position, making him unable to guard against them.
His son was still young and unable to bear the great responsibility.
Therefore, Xiao Simo was truly doing this just as a precaution.
Of course, this secret edict also had a time limit.
Once his son grew up and was capable of taking over his power, this secret edict would naturally lose its validity.
