Chapter 187: The Great Governor Of Jin Prefecture’s Woman
On the vast and boundless Great Grassland, the afterglow of the setting sun draped like a layer of golden gauze gently over the Kereit Tribe’s wedding procession.
In this procession, besides the guards and soldiers escorting the bride, there were also one hundred thousand taels of gold, two hundred thousand sheep, twenty thousand war horses, and thirty thousand Han slaves.
In the Kereit Tribe’s public statement, all these supplies and slaves were Sorghaghtani’s dowry.
Including the entire Yudu Jin Mountain, which was also entirely given as dowry to Jin Prefecture.
Abundantly astonishing.
At this moment, Sorghaghtani was sitting in a horse carriage.
Wearing the most ornate clothes for a Grassland girl on her wedding day, the intricate embroidery and exquisite accessories gleamed brilliantly in the sunset.
However, even the most brilliant attire could not hide the sadness permeating her face.
Her gaze looked at the undulating, seemingly endless Grassland mountains around her, and the sorrow in her heart grew even stronger.
“Hasan, we’ve been traveling for nearly ten days now, right?”
Sorghaghtani slightly tilted her head up, looking at Sangkun riding horseback beside her, her voice soft yet seeming pulled ethereal by the Grassland wind.
At this time, Sangkun was wearing a thick sheepskin jacket, steadily riding a tall war horse.
Compared to before the Drago battle, his demeanor was even more steady, his gaze slightly tinged with world-weariness.
Hearing Sorghaghtani’s question, he slightly turned his head, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
“Yeah~ It’s already been eight days.”
Mainly because the large sheep flocks and slaves slowed their speed; if it were a large cavalry army instead, this journey could be completed in just two or three days.
“Once we cross that mountain ahead, another five hundred li and we’ll reach Yudu Jin Mountain.”
“The Naiman Tribe is gone now; that place has become Jin Prefecture People’s territory.”
Sangkun raised his horsewhip, pointing toward the distant high mountain that grew increasingly blurred in the twilight outline.
The fading sunlight of the sunset sprinkled on his face, outlining a trace of indescribable loneliness.
The last time he led twenty thousand army to garrison Yudu Jin Mountain, how majestic it was, but coming again now, it was as a loser’s status; the fickleness of fate filled his heart with bitterness.
But he absolutely would not admit defeat; the war between the Kereit Tribe and Jin Prefecture had only just begun.
“No rush, the slower we go, the better~” Sorghaghtani shook her head and said softly.
Her gaze looked toward the distant mountains, as if unfocused, full of confusion and fear toward the unknown distance.
“It takes this long just to get to Yudu Jin Mountain; how far away is that legendary Jin Prefecture!”
“Even the birds of the Khentii Mountains couldn’t fly to Jin Prefecture even if their wings broke.” Sorghaghtani murmured to herself.
She missed home, missed her father and mother, missed her own tent, missed the Grassland at the foot of the Khentii Mountains.
That night, Sorghaghtani was sleepless once again.
The next morning, though the sunlight was bright, it could not dispel the faint chill on the Grassland, nor the loneliness and anxiety of Sorghaghtani leaving home.
The wedding procession was like a sluggish long dragon, continuing to slowly advance along the winding grass path.
And at that moment, on the distant hill, a golden flag sliced through the originally calm horizon like a sharp blade.
Immediately after, as if surging from the land itself, countless cavalry appeared like a tide from behind the hillside.
“Boom boom boom~”
The rumbling galloping sound rose on the land, war horses neighed, weapons roared; in a short time, thousands of cavalry had surrounded the wedding procession on three sides.
“Giddyup giddyup giddyup~”
“Roar roar roar roar roar~”
These soldiers let out low roars, their figures tall and burly, all wearing yellow-based red-edged cotton armor; under the sunlight, the mottled bloodstains on them were clearly visible.
Wearing yellow tasseled helmets, wrapped tightly from head to toe, only exposing cold faces, riding war horses standing on the hillside, looking down from above at the distant wedding procession.
Seeing this scene, the Kereit Tribe people turned pale instantly, horror spreading wildly in their eyes.
The originally docile sheep flocks began to panic and scatter in all directions, the war horses uneasily pawing the ground, letting out bursts of neighs.
The Kereit Tribe’s soldiers also looked horrified, holding war sabers and spears, shouting loudly: “Bad news, we’ve been surrounded.”
“Who are they?”
“The enemy’s numbers are too many.”
“Damn it, it seems like the Liao Army.”
The wedding procession fell into chaos, a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeating the entire group.
Sorghaghtani in the carriage also looked terrified, her delicate little face tense, hands subconsciously gripping the armrest of the carriage, her voice trembling slightly as she asked: “Hasan, who are they?”
“It’s the Liao Army!”
Sangkun said in a heavy voice, looking at the cavalry in the mountains, his face ashen as if water could drip from it, his expression extremely grave.
The brutal scene of the Drago battle instantly flooded his mind like a tide.
It was this group of devil-like cavalry that defeated his twenty thousand army with fierce attacks; it was the eternal pain in his heart.
“I didn’t expect the Liao Army to have already crossed five hundred li beyond Yudu Jin Mountain, penetrating deep into our Kereit Tribe’s heartland—utterly arrogant!”
Sangkun gritted his teeth and said hatefully.
But for Jin Prefecture Army’s such arrogant provocation, he was utterly helpless.
The Kereit Tribe could not possibly shatter the hard-won peace and go to war with the Jin Prefecture Army again.
“Liao Army?”
Hearing Sangkun’s words, Sorghaghtani breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Then her beautiful eyes looked toward the distance, beginning to carefully observe this Liao Army cavalry.
And at the same time, on the opposite hillside, Li Xiao was riding horseback standing under the golden Sun and Moon Battle Flag.
His cold gaze was like a cold star, staring at the convoy below, his eyes revealing scrutiny and decisiveness.
“Great Governor, the number of sheep flocks, war horses, and slaves sent by the Kereit Tribe is roughly as expected.”
“Great Governor, the surroundings have been scouted; no Kereit Tribe ambush within twenty li radius.”
“Great Governor~”
Hearing his subordinates’ reports, Li Xiao nodded lightly, then waved his large hand, leading the Golden Armored Army personal guards behind him, driving their war horses to slowly press forward.
When they reached fifty meters from the wedding procession, a Kereit Tribe soldier shouted loudly: “Halt! Who goes there?”
The voice echoed on the vast Grassland, carrying a slight tremble.
Thin Monkey heard it, quickly turned to look at Li Xiao, and seeing him nod slightly in indication, spurred his horse forward.
He shouted loudly: “Great Governor of Jin Prefecture Li Xiao is here.”
“Specially come to welcome Princess Sorghaghtani.”
Hearing this, both Sangkun and Sorghaghtani were shocked in their hearts, their faces simultaneously showing surprise and doubt.
They hadn’t expected Li Xiao to come personally.
Sangkun first thought whether to take this chance to kill Li Xiao.
But the thought had just arisen before it was immediately rejected.
At this moment, whether in terrain or troop comparison, their side was at an absolute disadvantage.
Once they fought, none of them would have a chance of leaving alive.
Moreover, whether the person opposite was truly Li Xiao was unknown; acting rashly would be seeking death.
On the other side, Sorghaghtani in the carriage looked toward a figure opposite.
Despite the dense mass of golden-armored cavalry like a golden tide before her eyes, she still spotted a distinctive figure at a glance.
That person stood under the Sun and Moon Battle Flag, riding a sturdy black war horse, with a burly and tall stature.
Unlike the surrounding soldiers in yellow-based red-edged armor, only this person wore dark golden cotton armor.
It was intricately embroidered in black with patterns of sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, exuding a mysterious and dignified aura.
“Is he Li Xiao?”
Sorghaghtani murmured to herself; facing this man before her, a complex emotion hard to describe surged in her heart.
At least, she didn’t hate this person before her so much.
On the Grassland, a woman’s fate was often like willow catkins in the wind, hard to control, without the power to choose her own destination.
But at this moment, she felt perhaps she was still fortunate, because she was marrying a hero, and a young general not much older than herself.
“Sorghaghtani, Hasan can only escort you this far.”
“Li Xiao came personally to receive you, which at least shows he values you, and values our Kereit Tribe.”
“Go with him!”
Sangkun walked to the front of the carriage, sighed lightly, and said.
Sorghaghtani nodded slightly, her eyes instantly reddening, tears swirling within.
Then, she took a deep breath, quickly wiping away the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand.
She lifted her head, her eyes full of determination: “Hasan, go back and tell Uncle Ong Khan.”
“I, Sorghaghtani, am leaving for the Kereit Tribe; I owe the Kereit Tribe nothing.”
“The only worry is my family.”
“Going there now, I don’t know if I’ll ever return to the Kereit Tribe in this lifetime.”
“Please take good care of my grandmother and grandfather.”
As her words fell, without waiting for Sangkun to speak, Sorghaghtani resolutely stepped down from the carriage directly.
Alone, like a lone brave soul, she strode firmly forward, without any looking back.
Seeing this, Thin Monkey immediately led men to rush forward, surrounding and protecting Sorghaghtani.
Watching Sorghaghtani’s desolate departing back, Sangkun’s face was tense, his hands clenched into fists.
His heart was full of shame and rage.
Sorghaghtani had not wronged the Kereit Tribe; it was the Kereit Tribe that had wronged her.
The Kereit Tribe’s safety now relied on a woman—what a laughable, lamentable thing.
This was his Sangkun’s shame, and the shame of all Kereit Tribe men.
The short fifty-meter distance was so helpless and arduous for Sorghaghtani.
When she reached the Jin Prefecture Army, she saw the young general in dark golden armor dismount nimbly and walk slowly to her.
At this time, she finally saw Li Xiao’s true appearance clearly.
Extremely young, with hard-lined face revealing resolute and bold spirit, deep and spirited eyes as if able to see through everything.
His eyebrows sharp as knife carvings, yet hiding a trace of imperceptible gentleness at the corners of his eyes.
This was her soon-to-be husband, Great Governor of Jin Prefecture Li Xiao!
And this was also Li Xiao’s first time seeing the real Sorghaghtani; though her face still had some baby fat, it was clear she was a beauty in the making.
In a few more years, when grown up, she would surely be even more beautiful.
Li Xiao nodded slightly, then unfastened the golden cloak from his back, saying in a faint voice: “It’s cold; put this on.”
With that, the cloak steadily fell on Sorghaghtani’s shoulders, still retaining Li Xiao’s body heat, instantly dispelling some of her chill.
At this moment, Sorghaghtani’s heart seemed suddenly touched by something.
But in the next second, the sudden force at her waist made her cry out.
Li Xiao’s arm encircled her waist like iron pliers, easily lifting her horizontally into his arms.
Her wool skirt hem brushed over the sun and moon pattern on his armor, and the Jin Prefecture Army’s cheers erupted around them.
“Ooo ooo ooo ooo~”
They waved their war sabers and spears, shouting excitedly; seeing Li Xiao snatch the woman seemed even more thrilling than if they had done it themselves.
“Let me go~”
“Put me down; I can walk myself.”
Sorghaghtani struggled, kicking her legs; her deerskin boots traced chaotic arcs in the air.
She could clearly feel the body heat from under Li Xiao’s breastplate, mixed with a faint pine wood scent.
This man who made the Kereit Tribe tremble on the battlefield had breath as steady as a Grey Wolf on the Grassland, carrying an unquestionable strength.
“Don’t move; be careful not to fall.”
“You’ll get hurt.”
Li Xiao looked down at the girl struggling like a little beast in his arms, a barely perceptible smile crossing his lips.
His voice softened further, yet carried an undeniable dignity:
“Wrap your arms around my neck.”
Sorghaghtani’s fingertips hovered in the air for a moment, finally trembling as they rested on that shoulder covered in soft armor.
Then, Li Xiao carried her onto the horse, holding her in his arms, and shouted loudly to all the soldiers: “From now on, Kereit Sorghaghtani is my Li Xiao’s woman!”
“Ooo ooo ooo ooo~”
The soldiers erupted in deafening cheers once more.
Sorghaghtani’s stiff body slowly relaxed; the body heat from the man behind her seemed to slowly melt her frozen heart.
“Yeah~”
“I am already the Great Governor of Jin Prefecture’s woman.”
In the next second, however, Sorghaghtani suddenly picked up the bow and arrow on Li Xiao’s horseback, aiming the arrowhead at the distant wedding procession.
“Whoosh~”
The arrow shot out, but Li Xiao’s bow was heavy, and a woman’s strength was limited, plus the distance was far.
The arrow missed everything, landing in front of Sangkun’s horse.
Immediately after, everyone heard Sorghaghtani shout with all her strength: “Hasan, tell Uncle Ong Khan that I am already Li Xiao’s woman.”
“From now on, no ties with the Kereit Tribe.”
With that shout, she slowly turned around, tears quietly falling.
Only her voice lingered in the wind, carrying a trace of resolve and resilience, echoing for a long time.
Sangkun witnessed all this, his expression complex and hard to discern.
He was silent for a moment, then slowly reached out, taking the arrow from his subordinate’s hand, as if feeling Sorghaghtani’s inner pain and struggle from the cold arrow shaft.
He understood the meaning of Sorghaghtani’s action.
Shooting this arrow meant she had cut ties with the Kereit Tribe from then on, severing all past bonds.
In the future, if Jin Prefecture and the Kereit Tribe fell into war again, then the Kereit Tribe would become her enemy.
Thinking of this, Sangkun felt a pang of sadness; his fingers unconsciously tightened, gripping the arrow tightly, his knuckles whitening from the force.
He slowly closed his eyes, his face full of grief.
In his heart, he secretly swore: “Li Xiao, once I eliminate Temüjin and unify the Grassland, I will surely avenge this arrow.”
In his heart, the greatest threat was always Temüjin.
That was a true hungry wolf.
Afterward, the Jin Prefecture Army and the Kereit Tribe wedding delegation completed the handover.
Two hundred thousand sheep, twenty thousand war horses, thirty thousand Han slaves, and one hundred thousand taels of gold were taken into the Jin Prefecture Army’s possession.
“Back to the Western Sea!”
Li Xiao shouted loudly, leading the army with the spoils of war returning westward.
The Western Sea was the former Naiman Tribe’s territory.
Including east of Golden Mountain, west of Yudu Jin Mountain, north of the Xia Kingdom.
Originally, this place’s name was given by the Naiman People.
Li Xiao directly discarded it, naming it Western Sea instead.
The Grassland was a vast sea of grass.
Western Sea meant the western vast sea of grass.
After defeating the Kereit Tribe later, that territory would be named Middle Sea.
Eastern Grassland as Eastern Sea.
At night when camping, Li Xiao received a report that the Kereit Tribe’s army had not pursued.
“After being defeated once, Sangkun has become much more cautious.” Li Xiao shook his head lightly with a smile.
He had originally thought the Kereit Tribe would take the chance to dispatch more troops to pursue and kill the Jin Prefecture Army.
For this, Li Xiao had specially arranged Da Hu and Er Hu to lead troops in support nearby.
Unexpectedly, the Kereit Tribe army didn’t come.
“They must have been scared by our Jin Prefecture Army.” Zhang Xinghua laughed beside him.
“The Kereit Tribe can no longer afford the cost of more losses.”
Then he reported the situation of these thirty thousand slaves to Li Xiao.
“As we expected, these Han People were originally Xia Kingdom people, robbed by the Kereit Tribe to the Grassland, and suffered a lot.”
“Some were even tortured into cripples.”
This was inevitable; to meet Jin Prefecture Army’s specified quota of thirty thousand, the Kereit Tribe had basically packed and sent all their Han slaves.
Good and bad alike.
“How many usable ones?” Li Xiao asked gravely.
“Around five thousand.”
Among the thirty thousand Han slaves, there were more women than men.
Men numbered only around ten thousand, among whom some were too young or too old.
Or disabled or ill.
Men able to mount horses for battle or labor numbered only around five thousand.
This ratio was indeed not high.
“Turn all these thirty thousand into freemen, settle them in the Western Sea.”
“The five thousand usable ones, incorporate into the Kuli Army, with promotion and reward standards matching Jin Prefecture garrison soldiers.”
Kuli Army not only referred to slave soldiers but also Jin Prefecture Army reserves, not belonging to any of Jin Prefecture’s three garrisons.
Though these thirty thousand Han slaves became freemen, they could still only live at the bottom of Jin Prefecture.
Li Xiao was not their nanny; he wouldn’t take care of their food, drink, and excretions.
After providing some basic livelihood support, everything else they had to strive for themselves.
If they could mount horses for battle, then follow the Jin Prefecture Army to plunder.
Otherwise, they could herd sheep for others to maintain subsistence.
Of course, they could also borrow some sheep from the Governor’s Mansion to raise.
In short, Li Xiao would arrange as much as possible for these Han People to take root on the Grassland.
Especially those twenty thousand women.
Though many were also old, weak, sick, or disabled, as long as they could still bear children, they had value.
Li Xiao would reward them to meritorious officers and soldiers.
To bear children for the Jin Prefecture Army.
In a few years, there would be more Han children born on this land.
