Chapter 132: A Land Like This—who Wouldn’t Covet It?
After the war, the Seven Rivers Basin grassland was filled with the heavy scent of blood and burning.
The afterglow of the sunset spilled onto the ruins, dyeing the scorched earth a dark red.
Almost all the felt tents of the Basaigan Tribe had collapsed, leaving only a few charred wooden stakes standing alone, like silent gravestones.
Burning tents emitted billowing smoke, which dispersed with the wind, filling the air with a pungent smell of burning and blood.
The surrendered men knelt on the ground like dogs, their hands tightly bound by rough hemp ropes, their heads bowed, their faces full of fear and humiliation.
Their eyes were hollow, as if they had not yet woken from the nightmare of war.
As if still trapped in fear of the White Armor demon.
The fate of the women was even more tragic.
They were roughly dragged into tents that had not completely collapsed, and their terrified screams rose one after another, only to be quickly drowned out by the men’s sinister laughter.
Li Xiao rode his war horse, walking slowly through the ruined tribe.
His white armor had long been stained dark red with blood, and the knife and arrow marks on his armor silently spoke of the fierceness of the battle.
The grassland under his feet was also soaked with blood, and every step he took sank into dark red mud.
Facing this tribe, which was a scene of devastation, his heart was like a pool of stagnant water, without a ripple.
In his heart, there was only one cold sentence: “This is fucking war, this is fucking the fate of the weak.”
The sunset was like blood, and his figure was stretched long in the setting sun, as if merging with the scorched earth, appearing somewhat lonely.
In the distance, Li Dashan was leading soldiers to count the spoils of war, with gold, silver, copper coins, dinars, furs, and grain piled up like small mountains.
In the distance, a large number of cattle and sheep were also slowly being gathered.
Seeing Li Xiao arrive, Li Dashan stepped forward to report.
“Governor, how should the captives be dealt with?”
Li Xiao withdrew his thoughts and said coldly, “Take away those who are useful, and dispose of those who are not.”
This tribe, named Basaigan, was on Xiao Simo’s list of tribes to be annihilated.
Moreover, fearing that the tribe would escape before the army arrived, he specifically sent Li Xiao to eliminate them in advance.
Their fate had long been sealed.
Li Dashan nodded and left. Soon, a few short screams were heard in the distance, followed by silence.
Li Xiao did not look back; he knew that was the sound of the execution of the injured, the old, the weak, and the captives who could not be taken away.
War is like this; the value of life is simplified into “useful” or “useless.”
And the weak do not even have the right to choose.
As the screams faded, Li Xiao spurred his horse towards the edge of the tribe, where there was a patch of grassland that had not yet been affected by the war.
Facing the sky, which seemed to be dyed with blood, he walked to a small hill and stood still, a strange emotion suddenly arising in his heart.
In later generations, due to excessive human development and destruction, most of the land in the Seven Rivers Basin had become desolate desert, no longer suitable for human habitation.
However, in this era, this land, nourished by seven great rivers and covering a full 400,000 square kilometers, was one of the most fertile paradises on the planet.
The fertile soil nurtured endless vitality, with lush grass and abundant water, like a natural pasture.
And the Seven Rivers Basin in the twilight was breathtakingly beautiful.
The setting sun dyed the long river into molten gold, and the winding river carried flowing clouds towards the horizon, intertwining with the solitary cooking smoke on the horizon, like bold calligraphy painted by the heavens.
Herds of wild horses galloped through the gilded grass waves, startling egrets that flew like snowflakes.
However, this absolutely beautiful scene formed a sharp contrast with the war-torn ruins behind Li Xiao. He stood between the two, as if he were the dividing line between heaven and hell.
The cold wind howled, whipping up the dark red robes on Li Xiao’s body, making them rustle.
He gazed into the distance and suddenly spoke faintly, “Where do you think that sea at the end of the sky is?”
Behind him, Da Hu, Er Hu, and Wei Xuan stood side by side in silence.
A few dozen meters further back, Tie Tou and a group of personal guards followed quietly, no one daring to step forward to disturb them.
Da Hu and Er Hu exchanged glances, their eyes filled with bewilderment.
Although they were brave and skilled in battle, they knew little about this unfamiliar land, let alone the mysterious sea on the horizon.
Wei Xuan, however, frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice, “That should be Yibo Sea, which the locals call Kashgar Sea.”
He paused, his gaze cast into the distance, “During the Han Dynasty, Governor Chen Tang of the Western Regions, who campaigned against Kangju and beheaded Zhizhi Chanyu, did so there.”
“And left an inscription here: ‘Those who offend the mighty Han, though far away, shall be punished.'”
“I just don’t know if that inscription is still there today.”
Among the three, only Wei Xuan had some talent and had read some historical books.
Although it was their first time on the Seven Rivers Grassland, looking at the boundless sea on the horizon, Wei Xuan immediately thought of the legendary Yibo Sea.
That place, which had once been incorporated into the Huaxia Territory by the Han Dynasty’s Western Regions Governor-General’s Office.
Da Hu and Er Hu looked at each other, realizing for the first time that such legends existed.
Did their glorious ancestors campaign to this place during the Han Dynasty?
And leave such a heroic oath.
Li Xiao nodded slightly upon hearing this, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips.
He gazed into the distance at the sea on the horizon, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
That sea was precisely the Yibo Sea of the Han and Tang periods, which would later be known as Lake Balkhash.
It was not only a geographical boundary but also a witness to history.
Witnessing the glory and humiliation of Huaxia.
“Then, beyond that sea at the end of the sky?”
“What kind of place is it?”
Li Xiao’s voice echoed softly, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were questioning heaven and earth.
With his back to the three, gazing at the boundless, vast land, he seemed to have already seen the place beyond Yibo Sea.
There, it seemed, a Sun and Moon Battle Flag was calling to Li Xiao’s iron cavalry.
Da Hu and Er Hu fell silent again, their gazes falling on Wei Xuan.
Wei Xuan shook his head slightly, his expression a mixture of slight dejection and hope for the distance, and sighed in a low voice, “I haven’t been to such a distant place either.”
Li Xiao turned his head slightly, looking at the young faces of the three behind him.
His gaze was deep and firm, his voice lingering as if it could penetrate heaven, earth, and the future.
“None of us have been there.”
“However, our lives are still very long.”
“Sooner or later, I will lead you across that sea at the end of the sky, all the way west, and fight to the ends of the earth.”
Saying this, Li Xiao slowly turned around, his gaze returning to the distant land.
As if murmuring to himself, he said, “To see~”
“The scenery at the end of the sky!”
The cold wind still howled, blowing their robes, but it could not blow away the passion in their hearts.
Da Hu, Er Hu, and Wei Xuan stood quietly behind Li Xiao, their robes rustling in the wind, their eyes closely following Li Xiao’s back as they looked into the distance.
The Yibo Sea on the horizon shimmered with golden waves in the setting sun, as if calling to them, calling to this iron cavalry, to conquer a more distant heaven and earth.
The cold wind remained, the sunset gradually sank, and the iron cavalry on the grassland gradually moved further away~
Their figures were stretched long in the setting sun, as if they had merged with the vast land.
The Yibo Sea on the horizon remained calm, reflecting the afterglow of the sunset, as if waiting for their arrival.
And Li Xiao’s gaze had long since passed over that sea and was cast towards a more distant heaven and earth.
“With such a beautiful land, how can one not yearn for it?”
…
This night was destined not to be peaceful for the Basaigan Tribe.
After their victory, the Jin Prefecture Army slaughtered cattle and sheep, eating all the food the Basaigan herdsmen usually wouldn’t bear to eat.
Unfortunately, during the army’s campaign, the military regulations prohibited drinking alcohol, which many soldiers regretted.
Therefore, they could only fill this inner void with the women of the Basaigan Tribe.
After eating and drinking their fill, the laughter of the Jin Prefecture men once again echoed across the grassland, along with the cries of the Basaigan women.
Under the starlit sky, it carried far away.
As the moon hung high, Li Xiao, after receiving reports from Li Dashan and others regarding their respective casualties, summarized the spoils of the battle, and discussed the actions for the next day.
He returned to his large tent.
On the way back, he saw a man bound by iron chains.
His hair was disheveled, his face ferocious, and he had suffered a serious chest wound, appearing to have been run through by a hooked scythe spear.
Yet, even so, he still looked at Li Xiao with fierce eyes.
“Who is he?”
Li Xiao stopped and suddenly asked.
Hutu, who was following behind, immediately bowed and said, “Master, this is Tiyal, the Sijin of the Basaigan Tribe.”
“You ordered that he be watched carefully and not allowed to die for the time being.”
Li Xiao suddenly realized, so it was this guy.
He then lowered his head and looked down at him from a height, saying, “I heard you are very brave?”
“You even dare to offend Lord Xiao.”
“To be honest, I admire your courage, but I look down on your stupidity.”
Then, he smiled coldly and shook his head.
“We Han people have a saying, ‘Do not bully a young man who is poor.'”
“There is also a saying, ‘To eliminate a disaster, one must cut off the roots.'”
“Unfortunately, barbarians are barbarians, and you don’t understand these principles.”
After speaking, Li Xiao no longer paid attention to this guy, planning to take him somewhere tomorrow.
After that, this guy would be useless, and presenting his head to Xiao Simo would be enough.
Entering his tent, he took off the cotton armor he had worn all day.
The originally gray-white cotton armor had been thoroughly dyed blood red after the baptism of this war.
Even after cleaning it in the future, it would be difficult to remove the bloodstains completely.
Dark red marks would remain on it, serving as a medal of Li Xiao’s conquest.
While taking off his cotton armor, he glanced at the two women huddled in the corner.
He frowned slightly and asked, “What is the status of these two women?”
Hutu, who had been waiting outside the tent for orders, quickly replied, “Reporting to Master, the older one is Hdun of the Basaigan Tribe.”
In the Turkic language, Hdun means Empress, Princess Consort, or Main Wife. Here, it means the mistress of the Basaigan Tribe, Tiyal’s main wife.
“The younger one is Tiyal’s daughter.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao nodded slightly.
Although she was called older, she was actually only about twenty years old, and certainly not Tiyal’s first Hdun.
As for the younger one, she was sixteen or seventeen years old, Tiyal’s daughter.
Due to their status, both had been reasonably well-maintained.
In terms of appearance, they couldn’t compare to beauties like Xiao Yanyan or Princess Consort Shulü.
However, among ordinary people, they were considered above average.
It was wartime, and Li Xiao was not that picky.
If it were the ordinary soldiers outside, let alone women with a bit of looks, they wouldn’t care even if they were uglier.
The reason was that they didn’t need pure women, but an outlet for their suppressed emotions.
The battlefield was a melting pot of life and death; the crisis of killing and being being killed always kept their minds tense.
After so many wars, Li Xiao had slowly adapted to this life.
After taking off his armor, he strode towards the two women.
“No, no, no~”
“Get away, don’t come closer.”
When Li Xiao had entered just now, his cotton armor was covered in blood, and its original color was no longer visible.
In the eyes of the two women, he was clearly a complete demon.
Facing Li Xiao’s indifferent eyes, both were very flustered and kept retreating.
However, when Li Xiao was less than a meter away from them, the two women, who had been panicking like rabbits, suddenly sprang into action simultaneously.
Tiyal’s daughter wanted to rush forward and embrace Li Xiao, while Tiyal’s Hdun was even more ruthless.
She had hidden a dagger somewhere and managed to evade the search by Li Xiao’s personal guards.
She now held it in her reversed grip, glaring at Li Xiao with fierce eyes, and suddenly stabbed at him.
“Die!”
“Demon!”
Thinking of her child who had died tragically, tears filled the woman’s eyes.
She had already cast her life aside; all she wanted now was to drag the demon in front of her to death with her.
Judging by the soldiers’ attitude towards him, this person was definitely a high-ranking official in the Eastern Capital Army.
His status was very high.
Dying with him would be considered revenge for her child.
But unfortunately, after his transmigration, Li Xiao’s physique seemed to have been strengthened, and having experienced so many battles, his reaction speed had also improved significantly.
Although the actions of the two women were sudden, their speed, in Li Xiao’s eyes, was simply too slow.
He lifted his foot and kicked the young girl fiercely.
At the same time, he reached out and easily gripped the other woman’s wrist.
With a slight exertion, a ‘crack’ sound of bones rubbing together was heard.
“Ahhh~”
Amidst the woman’s scream, the dagger dropped to the ground.
Suddenly, Li Xiao raised his other hand and slapped the woman directly across the face.
“Slap~”
The woman was sent flying and knocked unconscious on the ground, her cheeks instantly red and swollen.
An assassination attempt was easily thwarted by Li Xiao.
At this moment, Hutu and others outside the tent heard the commotion and rushed in to check.
“Master~”
“Governor~”
Guards in white armor drew their sabers, exuding a murderous aura.
Li Xiao simply glanced at them and then uttered in a low voice, “Leave.”
He then added, “Who searched these two barbarian women? Go receive fifty lashes.”
Seeing the situation inside the tent, the guards knew what had happened and realized they had caused trouble.
They all lowered their heads and replied, “As you command.”
The group slowly retreated.
Afterward, Tie Tou received his orders.
Hdun of the Basaigan Tribe could not be kept alive.
Having lost her child, only hatred remained in her heart.
While such a woman might not cause significant trouble, she was still a potential threat.
Li Xiao always remembered the principle of eradicating a threat completely.
All risks must be nipped in the bud.
……
Approximately forty li southeast of the Basaigan Tribe, there was a nomadic tribe named Duoluoban Tribe.
Their Sijin was named Duoluotahan.
Late at night, Tarhan, who was fast asleep, was woken by his guards.
“Sijin, the Basaigan Tribe has been annihilated by the Eastern Capital Army.”
Tarhan, woken up in the middle of the night, was already somewhat angered, but upon hearing this news, it was as if a basin of cold water had been doused on him.
A chill ran from his head to his toes.
“What did you say?”
“The Basaigan Tribe has been wiped out?”
“When? Who did it?”
The night grassland wind was cold.
It blew through the robe Tarhan wore, revealing the muscles of his broad chest.
The biting wind was bone-chilling, but it paled in comparison to the coldness in Tarhan’s heart.
He had already realized something.
Indeed, in the next second, he heard his guard say:
“The Eastern Capital Army!”
At these words, Tarhan took a shallow breath, and a flicker of fear and apprehension crossed his face.
He even felt a hint of relief.
He clenched his fist and then asked nervously, “Hadn’t the Basaigan Tribe decided to migrate near the Royal Court?”
“Why did such a disaster befall them?”
“And hadn’t Xiao Simo’s army just left the Yin Mountains? Why are they so fast?”
The guards had no idea how to answer these questions.
So he replied, “A few herdsmen from the Basaigan Tribe escaped and have just arrived at our tribe seeking help. They are in the large tent right now.”
Hearing this, Tarhan no longer hesitated and quickly led his guards toward his own large tent.
The grassland starry sky was bright, providing some visibility even at night, especially with several guards holding torches outside the large tent, standing on either side.
And among them, several herdsmen from the Basaigan Tribe were squatting on the ground, looking terrified.
“Tell me, what exactly happened?”
“How many soldiers were in the Eastern Capital Army?”
“Did Xiao Simo personally lead them?”
As soon as Tarhan arrived, he fired off several questions.
The herdsmen exchanged glances; one of them even seemed completely stunned.
He kept muttering “White devil, white devil~”.
It was as if the cavalry legion, clad in white armor, brave and skilled in combat, and invincible, had become an inescapable nightmare for him.
“White devil?”
“What is that?” Tarhan asked, confused.
At this point, one herdsman trembled and replied, “It’s a group of cavalry wearing white armor.”
“They are incredibly fearsome.”
“They are very fast and impervious to blades and spears, like devils themselves.”
“Many of our relatives died by their hands.”
“Wuwuwu!”
As if recalling the terrifying scene, the herdsmen began to weep softly.
“Cavalry wearing white armor?” Tarhan frowned.
He said in a heavy tone, “How many of them are there?”
“Many, very many, several thousand~”
“No, tens of thousands.”
“They were like a snowball rolling down a snow-capped mountain, one after another, with no end in sight.”
Listening to the herdsmen’s conversation, Tarhan’s frown deepened.
These individuals were clearly terrified and rambling incoherently.
Not a single truthful word could be discerned.
The only useful piece of information was that a cavalry unit clad in white armor had appeared within the Eastern Capital Army.
Their numbers were unknown, but they were extremely powerful.
“I must send word to the Royal Court as soon as possible,” Tarhan thought to himself.
He instructed his confidant to depart early the next morning to deliver the message to the Royal Court.
Then, after arranging for the herdsmen from the Basaigan Tribe to be taken care of, he returned to his tent.
Inside the tent, a woman was still lying down.
Her appearance was exceptionally striking, with skin as white as snow and captivating eyes, tinged with a faint light blue, resembling a deep lake.
She lay in a languid pose, her bare body hidden beneath a fur quilt, with only an arm as white as lotus root exposed.
Seeing Tarhan enter the tent with a worried expression, she asked in a seductive voice, “Sijin, what has happened?”
Tarhan sat heavily on the edge of the bed, his voice grave as he said, “The Basaigan Tribe has been annihilated.”
“It was the Eastern Capital Army.”
Upon hearing this, the woman was instantly surprised.
“What?”
“How could the Eastern Capital Army have arrived so quickly?”
Then, as if recalling something, she relaxed and lay back on the bed, chuckling, “It has nothing to do with us.”
“Haven’t we already ‘pledged allegiance’ to King Xiao?”
“My ‘head’ has already been sent to the Eastern Capital.”
“Hehehe~”
As she spoke, the woman suddenly burst into laughter.
“It’s a pity that King Xiao doesn’t seem to fancy you much.”
“Otherwise, you would already be the Prince Consort to the Xiao family.”
“When King Xiao ascends the throne in the future, you could rise to prominence with him.”
Tarhan was displeased by the woman’s teasing.
However, the woman held an unusual status and was so beautiful that he found himself unable to resist her.
Therefore, despite his inner displeasure, he did not scold the woman.
He simply shook his head gently and said with firm resolve, “My loyalty to His Majesty is as clear as the sun and moon.”
“I will never betray His Majesty.”
“Even if Xiao Simo were willing to marry the Princess of Chu to me, I would immediately capture her and send her to the Royal Court.”
Hearing this, the woman giggled again, “Alright, it’s just the two of us here now, no need to be so cautious.”
“But then.”
“Xiao Simo’s army has already reached the Seven Rivers. I probably won’t be able to show myself for a while.”
She then looked at Tarhan and said, “You should be more vigilant during this time.”
“It would be best if, at the critical moment of the war, you could rally the other tribes of our Seven Rivers and deliver a fatal blow to the Eastern Capital Army from behind.”
“In this way, great merit will be achieved.”
“Then, Emperor Jie’er Khan will surely grant you great favor.”
“Perhaps he might even appoint you as the Eastern Capital Governor.”
