Chapter 141: Northern Frontier’s Great Cause Crumbles Midway
Kuyun-Ordu was originally the capital of the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate.
After being conquered by Western Liao, the capital was moved to Kashgar, which is the Kashgar region of later generations.
However, within Kuyun-Ordu City, a large number of Uyghur people still lived.
They even accounted for over seventy percent of the total population.
Although most of these people were commoners, there were also quite a few nobles and wealthy merchants.
At this moment, in a room, a dim oil lamp flickered in the wind, illuminating the cold walls around. The atmosphere was oppressively suffocating.
A Uyghur noble was tightly bound to a cross, wearing a magnificent but torn robe, and the turban on his head had been thrown to the ground.
His face was swollen like a pig’s head, and his body was covered with over a dozen whip marks, clearly having just suffered cruel punishment.
“Speak, where is the wealth hidden? Stop your futile resistance.” A Jin Prefecture Army soldier stepped forward, roughly grabbed his collar, and roared fiercely.
He spoke Chinese, but there was someone next to him translating in real-time.
This Uyghur magnate gritted his teeth, his face filled with anger and defiance.
He cursed in the Uyghur language: “You infidels, Allah will not forgive you!”
“Wealth is bestowed upon me by Allah, how can you greedy wretches covet it?”
“I will never yield to you; your evil deeds will surely be judged.”
His voice trembled with anger, his eyes wide as bronze bells, glaring at the Jin Prefecture Army before him.
The soldier, enraged, raised his hand and delivered a heavy slap to the magnate’s face.
A crisp “snap” echoed in the room.
A trickle of blood instantly welled up at the corner of the magnate’s mouth, but he merely let out a cold laugh.
His laughter was full of mockery: “Do you think you can make me speak with violence?”
“You are mistaken.”
“In Allah’s teachings, upholding faith and justice is our mission.”
“Your persecution merely exposes your own ugliness and ignorance.”
Another soldier couldn’t stand his constant talk of Allah and faith.
Without further ado, he picked up a bowl of salt water and poured it onto the magnate’s wounds.
He let out a pig-like scream from the pain.
Outside the door, Tie Tou clicked his tongue and shook his head, asking Han Jiuyuan: “Are these Uyghur people always this brave?”
“They aren’t afraid of torture, and they’re still so stubborn?”
Han Jiuyuan gently shook his head: “No.”
“Ordinary Uyghur people are quite timid, and you can’t extort much wealth from them.”
“But for a devout believer like him, his mind is full of Allah, and his mouth is indeed a bit tough.”
In the past, the Uyghur Khaganate was defeated by the Khakass Khanate and migrated to the Western Regions, establishing the Gaochang Uyghur Khanate and the Kara-Khanid Khanate respectively.
The two states shared the same origin but had different beliefs.
The eastern Gaochang Uyghur Khanate still believed in Buddhism, while the western Kara-Khanid Khanate, being close to the Arab world, was rapidly Islamized.
Thus, a large number of ‘warriors’ who sacrificed themselves for Allah emerged.
This noble named Oguz was one of the stubborn ones.
As he spoke, Tie Tou and Han Jiuyuan entered the room.
Seeing Oguz’s miserable state, Tie Tou’s expression didn’t change, but Han Jiuyuan slightly frowned, feeling a little unaccustomed.
“Oguz, we are old acquaintances, after all.”
“I don’t want to use such force, but you must cooperate with me.”
“Honestly hand over one hundred thousand gold dinars, and I guarantee not to harm any of your family members, Oguz,” Han Jiuyuan said, stepping forward to persuade him.
But what greeted him was Oguz’s cold laugh, spitting a mouthful of bloody water towards Han Jiuyuan.
“Han Jiuyuan, take away that jackal-like smile of yours.”
“The rebel army just entered the city, and you’ve already eagerly become a dog.”
“You are a complete scoundrel,” Oguz cursed loudly.
“You don’t need to lie to me. Given the grievance between our two families, how could you possibly let me go?”
Han Jiuyuan helplessly shook his head; he did indeed have personal intentions in doing this.
The first family he approached was Oguz’s, because the two families truly held grudges.
Kuyun-Ordu was originally Uyghur territory, but the establishment of Western Liao led to a large influx of Khitan nobles and Han people into the city.
This was akin to dividing a cake among the Uyghur people, naturally creating grievances.
Over the years, under the deliberate guidance of the Khitan, Han magnates and Uyghur magnates had been in constant covert struggle, and many family members had died at each other’s hands.
Han Jiuyuan’s uncle was tragically framed and killed by Oguz’s father.
Not only Oguz’s family, but other Uyghur nobles would undoubtedly be sought out by Han Jiuyuan one by one.
If these Uyghur nobles weren’t bled dry, would the interests of the Han magnates be sacrificed?
As a fire poker landed on his chest, emitting a burnt smell like roasted meat, Oguz let out another scream.
But he still gritted his teeth, mumbling as if reading an imperial decree: “You can torture my body, but you cannot shake my faith.”
“I believe Allah’s mercy will protect me, and you evildoers will one day repent in the fires of hell.”
“Wealth is nothing to me but an external possession, but I will never let it fall into the hands of you blasphemers.”
His gaze was firm, as if before him were not fierce soldiers and cruel torture, but a sacred battle to defend his faith.
Hearing this, Han Jiuyuan knew that nothing could be extracted from Oguz.
He immediately adopted a sorrowful demeanor and sighed: “Go and bring his son here.”
He didn’t believe that every member of Oguz’s family was as tough as bone.
Moreover, Oguz guessed correctly; the two families were indeed enemies, and now that they had acted, Han Jiuyuan would absolutely not leave Oguz’s family alive.
And just as the soldiers went to bring Oguz’s son over, another personal guard from Li Xiao’s side arrived.
He said to Tie Tou: “Centurion, the Marshal has an order.”
“Within two days, by any means necessary, regardless of cost or consequence, we must raise five million strings of copper coins.”
Hearing this, Tie Tou nodded slightly and replied: “Alright, I understand.”
Han Jiuyuan, standing beside him, frowned, looking troubled.
“Why has it suddenly increased so much?”
Five million strings of copper coins was approximately five million gold dinars.
Of course, other gold ingots, silver ingots, silk, and so on were all acceptable.
Li Xiao’s order was for property equivalent to five million strings of copper coins.
And with only two days, this was a daunting task.
According to Han Jiuyuan’s estimation, the wealth accumulated by Oguz’s family would definitely not exceed three hundred thousand gold dinars.
In other words, at least twenty more families of equal status to Oguz would need to be found, and they would have to contribute their wealth.
This left Han Jiuyuan at a loss.
While there were many magnates among the Uyghur people, there were more minor nobles than major ones.
Oguz was already one of the greatest nobles.
“Five million is a bit much, but the Great Liao State’s capital surely wouldn’t be unable to gather this much money.”
Tie Tou sneered.
He directly ordered Oguz’s son to be brought in, stating they must squeeze every last bit of wealth from Oguz’s family.
…
The reason Li Xiao issued such an order was out of necessity.
Just now, while he was discussing human anatomy with the mother and daughter-in-law of the Da He Family, Jiu Meng’an He found him.
He delivered earth-shattering news.
Xiao Simo was severely wounded and his survival was uncertain, and the Central and Right Route Armies had suffered heavy losses.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiao was instantly stunned.
“How could this happen?”
Jiu Meng’an He had a grim expression, gritting his teeth and speaking in a low voice: “It’s the Kangli people.”
“Yelü Zhilugu hired twenty thousand Kangli Cavalry to fight for him.”
“And that bastard Xiao Lintta betrayed the Great King.”
“Because of his actions, the main force of the Central Army was ambushed by Kangli Cavalry at Black Stone Mountain, suffering heavy losses.”
“Subsequently, the Central Army was jointly attacked by the Kangli Cavalry and the Royal Court’s main force.”
“If Xiao Tula Duo hadn’t rushed to the rescue with the Right Route Army in time, the Central Army would have been completely annihilated.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao’s face also turned grave, and he angrily slammed the table.
“Xiao Lintta?”
“I knew long ago he wasn’t a good person.”
“But I never expected him to be completely worthless.”
“How dare he collude with the Royal Court?”
“Damn bastard.”
Li Xiao cursed angrily.
He knew that Xiao Simo’s command wasn’t clean; there were spies from Yelü Zhilugu.
He had suspected Xiao Lintta before, but there was no evidence.
Unexpectedly, Li Xiao’s guess was correct.
The bastard rebelled at a critical moment, causing heavy losses to the Central Army.
After venting his anger on Xiao Lintta, Li Xiao calmed down and said in a deep voice: “Such important battle information, and our army received not a single word.”
“This is simply too much of a delay.”
Jiu Meng’an He nodded slightly: “After that night raid, the Great King had already sent orders for our army to move closer to the Central Army.”
“Unfortunately, the messenger was intercepted by the Royal Court Army and could not find us.”
“If our army had received the news earlier and gone to support them, perhaps the Great King would not have been in danger.”
Jiu Meng’an He spoke with regret.
He regretted that the Left Route Army couldn’t go to support them, and he also regretted not recognizing Xiao Lintta’s true nature sooner.
Even he hadn’t expected that Xiao Lintta, with whom he had fought on the battlefield and drunk and womanized, would become a traitor.
Thinking of past scenes, his heart also felt uneasy.
Li Xiao nodded gently: “Yes, if our army had reached Black Stone Mountain, the Kangli people would have been annihilated without a trace.”
Xiao Tula Duo’s Right Route Army had marched along the south bank of the Ili River, mostly flat terrain, so they quickly received the orders and successfully rendezvoused with Xiao Simo.
In contrast, Li Xiao’s Left Route Army had taken the Hasubo Mountain route; they were on high ground at the time, making them difficult to find.
It was only after Li Xiao arrived at Tala Mountain and waited for the other two armies for a long time.
It was then that he sent people to search, and the news they brought back was.
“How is Lord Xiao’s condition? And how was he injured?” Li Xiao asked with a stern face.
The Central Army suffered a severe blow, and Xiao Simo was seriously wounded.
Whichever piece of news it was, it was a fatal blow to the entire Eastern Capital Army.
“During the Battle of Black Stone Mountain, his iron armor was pierced by the Royal Court’s heavy crossbow,” Jiu Meng’an He said.
Li Xiao’s eyes narrowed: “Although Xiao Lintta rebelled, Lord Xiao’s side is still not clean!”
Perhaps it was a contingency left by Xiao Lintta, or a pawn planted by Yelü Zhilugu early on.
In any case, the reason for Xiao Simo being hit by a heavy crossbow on a chaotic battlefield was only one.
Xiao Simo’s position was exposed, and he was subjected to a wide-range far shot by the enemy’s heavy crossbow unit.
“Yes, those traitors are the most detestable,” Jiu Meng’an He said angrily.
“What does Governor Xiao Tula Duo plan to do?” Li Xiao asked.
Now that Xiao Simo was severely wounded and his condition unknown, the main army would naturally be under Xiao Tula Duo’s command.
“Xiao Tula Duo plans to withdraw to the north bank of the Ili River,” Jiu Meng’an He said.
The main force of the Royal Court Army, plus the Kangli Cavalry, numbered nearly forty thousand troops.
Even with the combined forces of the Central and Right Route Armies, they were still at a disadvantage.
Under these circumstances, the Eastern Capital Army could not pass Black Stone Mountain and would even risk complete annihilation.
Therefore, Xiao Tula Duo could only decide to retreat north.
He even specifically told Li Xiao that it would be best for them to leave together.
Li Xiao nodded gently, his face heavy, speaking with heartbroken remorse: “What a shame!”
“Success was within reach, but it failed.”
He had already broken through Kuyun-Ordu; if they could have eliminated the Royal Court’s main army, they could have completely changed the world.
Unfortunately, due to Xiao Simo’s severe injuries, everything would come to an abrupt end.
This was because the entire Northern Frontier revolved around Xiao Simo.
Others lacked the ability and prestige to replace Xiao Simo.
Xiao Tula Duo could not, and Jiu Meng’an He even less so.
Even Li Xiao, for the time being, did not have the qualifications to win over the masses.
If Xiao Simo were unharmed, then even with the Kangli’s help, Li Xiao would definitely have led his men to assist in the battle at Black Stone Mountain.
The possibility of turning defeat into victory would have been extremely high.
But now, with Xiao Simo severely wounded, not only would there be problems within the Northern Frontier Army, but even the nobles in the Royal Court who were ready to align with the Northern Frontier would become apprehensive.
At this point, even if they defeated the Royal Court’s army, they could not rule the Royal Court and bring about a regime change.
The only one who could serve as the backbone was Xiao Simo’s legitimate son, Xiao Helun.
But unfortunately, he was currently in the Eastern Capital and too young.
Even if he were to take the position, he would most likely be a puppet.
Therefore, the safety of the entire Northern Frontier rests on Xiao Simo.
If anything happens to him, the Eastern Capital Army’s favorable situation will be ruined.
The Northern Frontier will also face a fierce counterattack from the Royal Court.
Moreover, Xiao Tula Duo has already decided to withdraw troops, which means Xiao Simo is likely not lightly injured.
“Withdraw, we will evacuate Kuyun-Ordu City in two days.”
“Return to north of the Ili River,” Li Xiao said in a deep voice.
Kuyun-Ordu City is no longer a safe place; if the Royal Court’s main force returns from Black Stone Mountain, Li Xiao’s army will be in danger.
“Alright~”
“I’ll go arrange the withdrawal matters,” Jiu Meng’an He nodded heavily.
As he stood up, he also said, “Also, Xiao Tula Duo sent a message, telling our army to be wary of the Royal Court’s army.”
“Yelü Zhilugu has not only invited twenty thousand Kangli Cavalry, but also hired five hundred Iqta Cavalry from the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate, who are quite strong in combat.”
“The Left Route Army suffered a great loss at their hands.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao’s brows furrowed, and he said in a low voice, “Five hundred Iqta Cavalry?”
“Even they have come.”
“Yelü Zhilugu has really spared no expense.”
“I wonder what benefits he promised the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate to be willing to exhaust their resources and fight for him.”
Jiu Meng’an He shook his head slightly, “Who knows?”
“In any case, the Eastern Capital Army faces considerable trouble this time.”
After Jiu Meng’an He left the large tent, Li Xiao removed his disguise and sat alone, his expression grave.
While in the Eastern Capital, he had diligently studied the situation of the Royal Court and the Eastern and Western Kara-Khanid Khanates.
He naturally knew of the famous Iqta Cavalry corps.
Iqta was a system of military land grants in the Islamic world, where rulers granted land to generals or officials and religious leaders for them to manage.
These officials and generals were called Iqta.
They could form a certain number of troops within their territories and, when war broke out, they would obey the king’s orders and go to battle.
It was somewhat similar to European feudal nobles.
And the Iqta Cavalry were also similar to European knights.
Only a very small number of the most elite warriors were qualified to become Iqta Cavalry.
The Iqta lords would provide them with equipment, and they would fight under their command.
The equipment of the cavalry varied depending on the financial strength of each Iqta lord.
The Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate inherited the main body of the former Kara-Khanid Khanate and bordered the commercially developed Khorasan Region, so the Iqta lords there were all individually powerful.
According to intelligence from Xiao Tula Duo, these five hundred Iqta Cavalry came from dozens of Iqta territories.
They were fully armed, well-equipped, powerful in combat, and wore full iron armor.
This was equivalent to five hundred armored cavalry.
And, like European knights, each Iqta Cavalryman was accompanied by three to five auxiliary soldiers.
Who served as light cavalry escorts.
Therefore, five hundred Iqta Cavalry were actually five hundred armored cavalry, plus over two thousand light cavalry auxiliaries.
Their strength should not be underestimated!
They were far more formidable than the five thousand ordinary Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate soldiers eliminated by the Eastern Capital Army in the Battle of Saksu.
Those five thousand soldiers were likely just cannon fodder temporarily conscripted by the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate.
The Iqta Cavalry was their trump card.
Thinking of this, Li Xiao’s mood became somewhat heavy.
After all, within the Left Route Army, only the armored cavalry led by Er Hu, the Black Armored Army, could truly contend with them.
But there were only one hundred of them.
If the Iqta Cavalry turned to attack the Left Route Army, then the Left Route Army would likely suffer heavy losses.
So Li Xiao directly summoned Li Sanhe.
“Third Uncle, I have an important matter for you to attend to.”
……
After Li Sanhe left, Li Xiao also left the large tent, not even sparing a glance for the beautiful mother and daughter-in-law from the Da He Family.
Li Xiao had no time for them now; he needed to quickly get money.
With the order to withdraw troops issued, the entire Kuyun-Ordu City became chaotic again.
Tie Tou and Han Jiuyuan’s extortion efforts became even more urgent; in order to reach the goal of five million guan, the two worked almost non-stop, harassing all the nobles in the city.
Before this, their actions had been somewhat restrained.
After all, once Xiao Simo ascended the throne, Kuyun-Ordu City would become their territory, so Li Xiao hadn’t let them go too far.
It was enough to gather one million guan in copper coins to reward the soldiers.
However, with the changes in the Battle of Black Stone Mountain, Li Xiao’s mindset had also shifted.
He no longer considered Kuyun-Ordu City his territory and therefore harassed them relentlessly.
He was determined to squeeze out every last copper coin from the city.
After all, once he left, he wouldn’t care if Kuyun-Ordu City was flooded.
If it all turned into a mess, that would be Yelü Zhilugu’s concern.
Thus, under these circumstances, as many stubborn individuals were beaten to death, cartloads of gold, silver, copper coins, cloth, silk, and other property were continuously brought into Li Xiao’s camp.
At the same time, the Jin Prefecture Army was also conducting a large-scale search within the city, not sparing even people.
Blacksmith Shop.
Ever since the Left Route Army attacked the city, the blacksmith shop had been closed.
The blacksmith and his family had their doors and windows tightly shut, spending days and nights at home.
But on this day, a squad of Jin Prefecture soldiers directly broke down the door, making the blacksmith’s family’s faces turn pale.
“Military officer, my family has nothing.”
“We only have this little money left, please accept it.”
“Please do not make things difficult for our family.”
“We are all staunch supporters of King Xiao.”
Seeing the fierce-looking Jin Prefecture soldiers, the blacksmith, around forty years old, quickly shielded his wife and four children behind him.
He took out all the money on his person and held it out with both hands to the soldier in front of him.
The leader was Wei Xuan, who had become a squad leader in the White Armored Army, leading his subordinates to carry out Li Xiao’s ‘talent reserve plan’.
He extended his rough palm and slowly pushed back the few guan of copper coins and some scattered silver from the blacksmith’s hands.
In the blacksmith’s bewildered gaze, Wei Xuan said, “I don’t want silver.”
“I want you!”
Hearing this, the blacksmith was instantly dumbfounded.
“What?”
“Me?”
Wei Xuan nodded lightly and scanned the family members behind him.
Besides his wife, there were three sons and one daughter.
Among them, the two older sons were already adults, even a few years older than Wei Xuan.
They were currently leaning against the wall, looking at Wei Xuan and his men with vigilant and nervous eyes.
And it could be seen that these two had knives hidden behind them, ready to fight at any moment.
But Wei Xuan didn’t care.
Having spirit was a good thing.
He then said to the blacksmith, “Pack up your important belongings, and take your family with me back to the Northern Frontier.”
Hearing this, the blacksmith was even more stunned.
“What? To the Northern Frontier?”
“Why, why ah~”
He had heard of the Northern Frontier; it was extremely cold in winter, with no signs of human habitation for dozens of miles, desolate and barren.
The blacksmith really didn’t want to give up his current life and go to that godforsaken place in the Northern Frontier.
This was the Imperial Capital; owning a blacksmith shop inside the city made him a solid middle-class person with a comfortable life.
But if he went to the Northern Frontier, what would he be?
“Where are there so many whys?”
“In the Northern Frontier, you’ll still be a blacksmith, and your family will live peacefully.”
Wei Xuan said impatiently.
He didn’t have the patience to explain to the blacksmith, as time was tight, and he still had to apprehend other talents.
“Tonight, pack your important belongings.”
“Tomorrow morning, gather at the camp outside the city,”
Wei Xuan commanded, and as he left, he threatened, “Don’t think of escaping; the city and its surroundings are now all our people.”
“If I don’t see you tomorrow~”
“Then your family~ *hmph*~”
With that, Wei Xuan led his men away and went to the next location.
This was also a blacksmith, but he was a Uyghur.
When dealing with Han people, Wei Xuan could still be polite, giving them a night to pack.
But when facing Uyghurs, he completely lost his patience.
He directly ordered his men to arrest the blacksmith’s family, held knives to their throats, and declared to them.
“From today onwards, your family is my Northern Frontier’s slaves.”
“If you want to live, just obey obediently.”
“Otherwise, I’ll send your whole family to meet Allah.”
Then, Wei Xuan and his men ransacked the blacksmith shop, packing up all the gold, silver, copper coins, and other valuables, as well as the blacksmithing tools and finished sabers, and took them away.
From then on, this Uyghur blacksmith family became slave laborers.
Although they were still slaves, their status and treatment would certainly be much better than those of the Kuli Army.
As long as they obeyed honestly, forged enough ironware for the Northern Frontier, or achieved a technological breakthrough in some area.
They could completely become free people again.
