Chapter 235: Take A Handful Of Northern Frontier Soil, Drink A Bowl Of Northern Frontier Water
In the twilight, the Northern Frontier Army Camp coiled like a golden serpent across the vast Gobi Desert.
The fifteen thousand officers and soldiers of the First Division and Fourth Garrison were all clad in yellow armor, forming a flowing molten gold ocean under the sunset’s glow.
Yellow flags fluttered densely over the camp, and from afar, they resembled a golden curtain hanging from the horizon, draping the land.
War horses neighed, smoke curled from fires, and noisy voices rose and fell as the officers and soldiers ate their evening meals amid constant laughter and curses.
This was a rare moment of relaxation in the day; once the sun fully set, the entire camp would enforce a strict curfew, allowing no one to make loud noises.
At that moment, atop the ten-zhang-high watchtower flanking the camp gate, an alert soldier shouted down to the general below: “Centurion, a cavalry force of about two hundred is approaching us. They seem to be from the Sixth Garrison.”
The on-duty First Division centurion immediately looked out, seeing only a cluster of small white dots on the grassland.
Their armor somewhat resembled that of the Sixth Garrison.
“Send men to check.”
Three cavalrymen charged out through the camp gate, made contact with the approaching cavalry, and confirmed their identities.
Sixth Garrison, Eighteenth Centurion, responsible for escorting the Great Jin envoy group here to meet the Great Protector.
Meanwhile, Wanyan Yongxi looked as disheveled as a plucked wild chicken.
His original luxurious canopied carriage had been seized by the Sixth Garrison, and all his guards had been disarmed and imprisoned.
He was given only a rundown carriage, with a few accompanying officials, escorted northward by a Northern Frontier Army cavalry unit.
This infuriated Wanyan Yongxi: “This official is the imperial envoy of the Great Jin Emperor, come to discuss important matters with Xiao Simo.”
“How dare you treat me with such neglect?”
“Barbarians, you are nothing but a bunch of barbarians.”
At first, Wanyan Yongxi kept cursing, demanding the highest ceremonial reception due to an envoy of the superior state, but the Sixth Garrison cavalry escorting him completely ignored his rants.
Helpless, he had to shut up, but the bumpy ride in the rundown carriage nearly made him vomit bile.
Until dusk that day, when he saw in the distance the Northern Frontier Army Camp sprawled like a giant beast across the vast land, Wanyan Yongxi’s eyes sharply contracted.
“This is~”
Everywhere he looked, the Gobi Desert Grassland was covered in densely packed tents winding from one mountain peak to the foot of another.
Seemingly endless, the only visible sights were the yellow-armored soldiers moving about and the Sun and Moon Battle Flag flapping at the camp gate.
“What a massive camp~” Wanyan Yongxi murmured in shock.
By his estimation, such a huge camp could accommodate at least a hundred thousand troops.
Though considering the Northern Frontier’s greater cavalry numbers taking up most space, there were still at least twenty to thirty thousand troops.
“If all are cavalry, the Northern Frontier’s military strength is not to be underestimated,” Wanyan Yongxi thought gravely.
He then estimated the distance from Heishui City, confirming this could not be the Northern Frontier.
“Why station so many troops so close to Heishui City?”
“Could it be~”
“The Northern Frontier Army plans to attack the Xia Kingdom?”
Wanyan Yongxi was shocked by his own guess.
He urgently wanted to return and inform Weiming Zhongshi of this intelligence, but then thought it could let Western Xia probe the Northern Frontier’s strength first.
Soon, Wanyan Yongxi was brought into the Northern Frontier Army Camp.
He was casually assigned a tent and given a stinking sheepskin mat to sleep on the hard ground.
That night, Wanyan Yongxi was sleepless.
He finally fell asleep in the latter half of the night, but was woken just two hours later by the Northern Frontier Army’s clamor.
“Envoy from the Great Jin, the Great Protector summons you.”
A centurion found Wanyan Yongxi and led him to the large tent.
Along the way, Wanyan Yongxi noticed the Northern Frontier Army soldiers were all busy.
Clad in thick cotton armor against the cold wind, they ate hard naan bread while packing tents, stoves, and the like onto horseback.
Upon seeing Wanyan Yongxi in Jurchen clothes, they all cast vigilant, sharp gazes.
These soldiers who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood exuded a strong killing aura with expressionless faces, making Wanyan Yongxi’s heart crawl.
Feigning composure, he asked: “Where are you breaking camp to go?”
“To attack Heishui City?”
He hoped to extract useful intelligence, but the centurion in yellow-based red-trimmed armor merely gave him a cold glance and said nothing.
Soon, Yang Shoujing brought him to the outside of Li Xiao’s golden tent.
The Imperial Guards were dismantling tents, and the army would soon continue marching toward Heishui City.
At that moment, Li Xiao sat outside the tent, wolfing down a naan bread and gulping a bowl of millet porridge.
“Order the Sixth Garrison commander Li Donghe: my central army main force will arrive at the White Cliff Rock north of Heishui City in three days.”
“Order the Sixth Garrison troops to first clear the military villages outside Heishui City, cut off their wings, and block the Blackwater River passage.”
As Li Xiao spoke, a young man beside him recorded his exact words in simplified Chinese characters.
This young man, named Li Shurong, was about seventeen or eighteen.
His father had been a petty official in Shazhou, allowing him to study and learn to read.
After arriving in the Northern Frontier, due to his cleverness and fine handwriting, he was selected by Li Xiao to serve as his ‘document’ clerk.
He held no official rank or power, only responsible for writing things for Li Xiao.
Once written, Li Xiao reviewed it and directly stamped it with his ‘Great Protector of the Northern Frontier’ seal.
Finally sealed with sealing wax and handed to a courier to deliver by fast horse to Li Sanhe.
“Great Protector, the Great Jin envoy has arrived.”
Seeing Li Xiao was free, Yang Shoujing reported.
Li Xiao glanced lightly at the distant ‘fat man’ and nodded: “Have him come.”
Wanyan Yongxi then approached Li Xiao.
Looking at this young man in dark golden armor, he felt some surprise.
“Are you Xiao Simo, the Eastern Capital Governor of the Liao State?”
Li Xiao stood in place, surrounded by over a dozen Imperial Guards standing with hands on sabers, glaring menacingly at Wanyan Yongxi.
He said flatly: “I am not the Eastern Capital Governor.”
“I am the Great Protector of the Northern Frontier, Li Xiao.”
“Brother Xiao Simo has passed away. Whatever the Jin ruler sent you for, you can tell me.”
As the words fell, Wanyan Yongxi’s eyes slightly contracted, though his expression remained unchanged.
From Li Xiao’s words, he discerned three meanings.
Xiao Simo was dead.
This young man named Li Xiao now ruled the Northern Frontier.
He was Xiao Simo’s brother, and from his name and speech, he seemed to be a Han person.
Wanyan Yongxi nodded lightly, not particularly concerned.
Whether Xiao Simo lived or died mattered not; he just needed to meet the Northern Frontier’s director.
“Great Protector, this official Wanyan Yongxi comes by order of the Great Jin Emperor to request that you present two things to our Great Jin.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao grew somewhat curious.
If memory served, the current Jin Emperor was Wanyan Jing.
“What does the Jin ruler want?” Li Xiao asked.
Wanyan Yongxi puffed out his chest and smiled faintly: “My emperor hopes the Great Protector will present a handful of Northern Frontier soil and a bowl of Northern Frontier water.”
At these words, Li Xiao laughed.
“Hahaha~”
“Northern Frontier soil and water?”
“Hahahaha~”
But the next second, Li Xiao’s laughter abruptly stopped, his flat and indifferent gaze pressing oppressively toward Wanyan Yongxi.
He had thought the Great Jin had a bit of greed, but they were greedier than expected.
They even wanted to swallow the entire Northern Frontier, unafraid of bursting their bellies.
Wanyan Yongxi, as an envoy, was no pushover; facing Li Xiao’s aura of oppression, he merely glanced indifferently, stroking the golden-thread sea eagle embroidery on his brocade robe, feigning casualness.
A mocking smile tugged at his lips: “What? Has the Great Protector finished laughing? Or did the grassland windsand clog your ears, making you unable to understand this official?”
He looked up at the busy Northern Frontier officers and soldiers around.
Though wary of the Northern Frontier Army’s strength, he outwardly represented the Great Jin’s dignity, which could not be diminished.
He gazed at the vast grassland expanse and said faintly: “My emperor said, Northern Frontier soil should be dyed Great Jin colors, Northern Frontier water should nurture Great Jin war horses.”
“If the Great Protector is wise, present them obediently, and we can preserve some face.”
Li Xiao’s eyes grew sharper, smiling faintly as he clapped lightly: “Good, Lord Wanyan has fine courage.”
“You’re the first to dare threaten me like this.”
Wanyan Yongxi smiled faintly too, nodding: “Great Jin men are always bloody-minded.”
“Not only do we dare to think, we dare to act.”
He then said pointedly: “I hear the Northern Frontier has long been at odds with the royal court. If our Great Jin Emperor dispatches troops to help the Liao ruler suppress the rebellion, I wonder if the Great Protector and your Northern Frontier can handle that.”
This was the Great Jin’s confidence.
With the Northern Frontier and royal court as fisher and clam fighting, the Great Jin was the weight that could tip the Western Regions’ balance.
Due to information gaps, the Jin ruler and ministers did not know the royal court could no longer threaten the Northern Frontier.
As the words fell, the clanging of metal rang out, and the surrounding Imperial Guards drew their cavalry sabers, eyes cold and fierce, glaring at Wanyan Yongxi.
Yang Shoujing’s saber was nearly at his neck, his face ferocious as he bellowed angrily: “Arrogant!”
Awaiting only Li Xiao’s order to cleave him in two.
But facing the blades at his neck, Wanyan Yongxi remained unmoved, instead sweeping a contemptuous gaze over the personal guards.
Head high, hands behind back, he calmly said: “If the Great Protector wishes to taste Great Jin Iron Cavalry, then kill this official right here.”
“Beyond this month, my emperor will surely muster three hundred thousand troops to raze your tents in the Northern Frontier!”
“Don’t think hiding in this yellow sand makes you king; in Great Jin eyes, the Northern Frontier is but a lamb waiting for slaughter!”
With that, a cold smile crept onto Wanyan Yongxi’s face as he gazed at Li Xiao, his tone bewitching.
“However, if Great Jin Iron Cavalry marches, the grassland will surely run red with blood.”
“My emperor has virtue and mercy, unwilling to see such tragedy.”
“Thus, he specially offers the Great Protector a path to survival.”
“Present Northern Frontier water and soil, become eternal vassal of our Great Jin, and then we are family.”
“Great Jin will help the Northern Frontier eliminate the royal court’s threat, making you, Great Protector, ruler of the Liao State.”
“Wouldn’t that be splendid?”
Throughout Wanyan Yongxi’s performance, Li Xiao’s face remained expressionless.
This Wanyan Yongxi was quite capable; unmoved by blades at his neck, he still pressured and tempted Li Xiao, who held great military power.
Absolutely a qualified diplomat.
But Li Xiao did not believe his promises at all.
Help the Northern Frontier eliminate the royal court?
Heh.
The Great Jin wished for Northern Frontier and royal court to mutually destroy each other, merely using the Northern Frontier to extend influence over the entire Western Regions.
“Does the Jin envoy know of Nian Gahanu?” Li Xiao suddenly said flatly.
Hearing the name, Wanyan Yongxi first froze, then paled, looking at Li Xiao in shock and suspicion.
Nian Gahanu was an early Great Jin general who earned great merit in campaigns alongside Wanyan Zongbi.
In the fourth year of Huangtong, 1144, the Great Jin appointed Nian Gahanu as Martial Righteousness General, sending him as envoy to Western Liao.
Upon arrival, Empress Dowager Xiao Tabuyan happened to be out hunting.
Seeing her, he not only refused to dismount and kneel, but demanded she dismount to receive the decree.
Xiao Tabuyan flew into rage and ordered him torn limb from limb; his skull was made into a drinking vessel still kept in the royal court.
Wanyan Yongxi knew these events well, but Li Xiao suddenly mentioning it filled him with unease.
“What do you mean, Great Protector?”
“In war between states, envoys are not slain. Empress Dowager Heaven Sense killed our Great Jin envoy, already breaking the rules.”
“My emperor, considering her a woman, did not pursue it, but Great Protector, do not repeatedly challenge Great Jin’s bottom line.”
Wanyan Yongxi threatened sternly.
But facing his threat, Li Xiao merely shook his head lightly.
Knowing the Great Jin’s intentions, Li Xiao need not have wasted time on this man’s nonsense.
He slowly approached Wanyan Yongxi, his tall figure bringing overwhelming oppression.
Slightly lowering his head, he looked down at Wanyan Yongxi, who barely reached his nose.
“Northern Frontier People have hard bones, unyielding even in breaking,” Li Xiao said in a low voice, his sharp gaze piercing his eyes.
“Want Northern Frontier soil? First trade your Great Jin lives for it! Want Northern Frontier water? I’ll see if you have the ability to drink even a sip alive!”
As the words fell, Li Xiao kicked him flying.
“Ah~”
A cry rang out as Wanyan Yongxi’s rotund body rolled far away.
Li Xiao’s icy voice sounded behind: “If Jin dogs dare step half a foot into the Northern Frontier, I will ensure you come but never return.”
“Mix your blood into the soil, sink your corpses into the river, let the entire grassland know—those who offend the Northern Frontier die without intact corpse!”
With that, Li Xiao ordered: “Cut off his head, box it, write down my exact words, and send it all back to Zhongdu.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yang Shoujing thumped his chest and responded, then strode coldly toward Wanyan Yongji with men.
He had tolerated this man long enough and had long wanted to behead him.
As for not slaying envoys in war between states?
Just words.
That principle was long outdated; now, the world belonged to the strong.
Moreover, where was this?
Barren Northern Frontier, savage grassland.
Fighting barbarians, who followed the no-slaying-envoys rule?
If tallying envoy killers, the Jurchens topped the list.
Facing the murderous Yang Shoujing and others, Wanyan Yongxi truly panicked.
Struggling up, he shouted: “In war between states, do not slay…”
But before finishing, two Imperial Guards pinned him to the ground.
Yang Shoujing drew his cavalry saber, stood aside, and swung down decisively in execution style.
With a “thud,” blood sprayed, staining the grass; the head full of terror rolled on the ground.
“Great Protector, the Great Jin will likely not let this rest.”
“Let them come then,” Li Xiao said coldly.
He killed Wanyan Yongxi precisely to enrage the Great Jin, ideally provoking Wanyan Jing to dispatch a large army on distant expedition to the Northern Frontier.
Though the Great Jin was declining, its strength remained formidable, with hundreds of thousands in standing troops.
The Northern Frontier’s strength naturally could not compare.
Attacking the Central Plains now would be suicide.
But shifting the decisive battle to the grassland, luring the Great Jin army into distant expedition, would put the war’s rhythm fully in Li Xiao’s grasp.
He was confident in utterly annihilating the Great Jin army on the grassland.
The Great Jin army’s vast provisions logistics, weapons, war horses—most importantly, its tens of thousands of Han young and strong—would all become Northern Frontier sustenance.
Thus, Li Xiao eagerly awaited news of a Great Jin army expedition!
“Hah~”
“Pickle his head, and deal with the accompanying guards.”
Li Xiao coldly eyed the corpse on the ground, mounted his war horse, and continued leading the army toward Heishui City.
Even if the Great Jin dispatched an army on expedition, war would not erupt this year.
The distant road aside, mobilizing and preparing logistics for a hundred thousand troops was no short task.
Full preparations would likely reach autumn.
If the Great Jin army dared enter the grassland in autumn, Li Xiao would laugh in his dreams.
Thus, the priority was resolving Western Xia first, then addressing any Great Jin expedition next year.
……
As the First Division and Fourth Garrison armies neared Heishui City, the Sixth Garrison, having received Li Xiao’s orders, had already launched its attack.
Huangshi Village, a small military village about ten li north of Heishui City.
It was the first defensive line north of Heishui City, to guard against nomadic tribal attacks from the north.
Huangshi Village was modest in scale, with over a hundred residents year-round, all men from military households, military and civilians as one.
This was their home, so they reclaimed land around Huangshi Village to grow grain.
Though spring planting had ended, many were still weeding and watering the fields.
Cold winds howled as an old farmer in thick sheepskin, his swarthy face etched with deep lines, carried water from the riverside in wooden buckets, pouring it scoop by scoop into seed pits.
Looking at this field full of hope, a bitter smile crossed his face.
“Sigh, hope the heavens favor us this year with more grain.”
The Northwest was barren, with average yields under two hundred jin per mu.
Military pay was often delayed, so the family relied entirely on these few mu of fields.
The old farmer’s family was better off with some thin fields, but others could only till land for commanders and army commanders.
Yearly harvests were meager.
“Sigh, when will these days end!”
In the distance, a middle-aged man sighed heavily.
Rent, taxes, military service—the heavy burdens nearly suffocated him.
Especially now in the lean season, home stores were nearly depleted.
The children cried hungrily daily, and the man was exhausted.
“Endure it.”
“Endure another dozen years, and this life ends.”
“Accumulate virtue and good deeds, and the next life will be better.”
The man’s wife said piously, clasping hands in prayer to the Buddha.
Western Xia was a land where Buddhism flourished; even frontier towns like Heishui City had two Buddhist Temples.
Many believed.
Life’s hardships numbed them, leaving hope only in the illusory afterlife.
Though skeptical, the man had believed half his life and could not abandon it midway, so he clasped hands too.
But the next second, he suddenly heard a low rumble from afar.
“Boom boom boom~”
Like distant thunder, everyone’s faces changed drastically.
“Hoofbeats?”
“Hoofbeats, at least several hundred horses.”
“From the north, enemies.”
“Quick, back to the village, light the beacon smoke.”
The military civilians working the fields panicked, mounting horses and fleeing toward Huangshi Village.
At the same time, wild roars of Northern Frontier men echoed across the northern land.
“Yah, yah~”
“Yah~”
“Roar roar roar roar roar~”
Hundreds of white-armored red-trimmed figures leaped from behind sand dunes, charging like whirlwind and blizzard toward the village.
They intermittently roared, constantly pressuring the military civilians of Huangshi Village psychologically.
“Northern Frontier Army.”
“They’re charging.”
“Light the beacon smoke, request aid from Heishui City.”
Though tense in Huangshi Village, all was orderly; everyone knew their tasks.
Man, woman, old, young—anyone who could draw a bowstring stood on the city wall.
Gripping bows and arrows tensely, aimed at the distant cavalry.
Awaiting their approach to loose arrows.
But the Northern Frontier Army would not let them succeed easily.
At a hundred meters, they halted, veering left and right to encircle Huangshi Village.
Seeing the beacon smoke lit in Huangshi Village, a deputy chiliarch reined his war horse, standing afar, and bellowed: “The Great Protector will arrive at Heishui City in three days.”
“Break Huangshi Village within two days.”
“To welcome the Great Protector!”
