Chapter 255: Offering Loyalty To The Northern Frontier
As night fell, the sky over the Hexi Corridor began to darken.
In He Dagan’s residence, he paced back and forth, his face a mixture of nervous fear and occasional bursts of excitement.
Over twenty thousand Imperial Court troops were on the verge of breaching the city, and inside the city, he had already made all the necessary preparations.
He had contacted a group of loyal former subordinates who were ready to act at any moment.
“What time is it?”
He Dagan looked up at the sky outside the door and asked, this being the third time he had inquired about the time.
The old servant replied, “Reporting to Master, it is a quarter past the hour of Shen.”
He Dagan frowned, “Why is time passing so slowly?”
The agreed-upon time was a quarter past the hour of Yin, which is around four o’clock in later generations.
It was still very early, but he could no longer contain his excitement.
He was eager to welcome the Imperial Court army into the city and wash away the shame of the He Dagan family with the blood of the ‘Northern Barbarians’ inside.
Afterward, he ordered the old servant to wake him at the hour of Chou, and then lay down on the bed to rest.
But just then, footsteps were suddenly heard from outside the door.
“What’s going on?”
With his nerves on edge, He Dagan’s eyes snapped open. Guilty by nature, he quickly got up to look outside.
He saw a contingent of Northern Frontier Soldiers break down the main gate and march in. The startled servants dared not show their faces, cowering in fear in their respective rooms.
“Boom~”
Then came a loud crash as He Dagan’s room door was kicked open. Leading them was a burly captain wearing yellow and white trimmed cotton armor.
He placed a hand on his cavalry saber, glanced coldly at He Dagan, and said in a deep voice, “He Dagan, the Deputy Commander requests your presence.”
Upon hearing this, He Dagan’s heart was filled with panic, his face turned pale. He instinctively thought his plan had been exposed.
Looking around, he saw only Northern Frontier Soldiers, with no one he could rely on by his side.
“General, may I ask why the Commander wishes to see me?”
“So that I may be prepared,” He Dagan stepped forward quickly, asking with a fawning smile.
He also secretly slipped the captain a silver ingot, weighing about ten taels.
Although the He Dagan family’s property had been confiscated, they had managed to hide some private assets.
The captain, without hesitation, took the silver, weighed it lightly in his hand, and grunted, “With so many of our brothers here, how can ten taels of silver be divided?”
Hearing this, He Dagan cursed the ‘Northern Barbarians’ greed in his heart, but still retrieved twenty more taels of silver from between the bed slats and handed them over.
After receiving the silver, the captain’s expression improved slightly. He looked at He Dagan askance and said, “It seems Prefect He Dagan has also hidden quite a bit of silver!”
He Dagan shook his head frantically, “No, no~”
“There’s no more.”
The captain naturally didn’t believe him, but he had to attend to his duties first.
“The Deputy Commander invites you to witness a grand spectacle.”
With that, he pushed He Dagan out.
“Wait, my clothes.”
“No need to wear them, go as you are~”
The captain left a squad leader with some soldiers and personally escorted He Dagan towards the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion.
The squad leader who remained kicked open a servant’s room and loudly asked, “Is there anyone who can speak human language?”
“Go and call everyone in the residence here, not a single person is to be missing.”
Soon, an old servant who spoke Chinese efficiently gathered all the people in the residence.
The He Dagan residence was once so glorious; it had over a hundred servants alone.
But now, only seven or eight old servants remained, followed by He Dagan’s sons.
As for his attendant concubines and daughters, they had naturally gone to where they belonged.
The Northern Frontier Soldiers stood in the courtyard, holding torches, their light clearly illuminating the faces of the people within.
The squad leader, hand on his cavalry saber, swept his gaze over them and asked indifferently, “Are all the people here?”
The old servant who spoke Chinese, hunched over, quickly nodded, “Yes, they are all here.”
“Very good.” The squad leader nodded slightly.
In the next second, he drew his saber, its cold glint instantly slicing across the old servant’s neck.
“Urgh~”
The old servant clutched his neck tightly with both hands, but he could not staunch the gushing blood.
His cloudy eyes were filled with disbelief, his body collapsing powerlessly to the ground.
The squad leader then looked at everyone in the courtyard and shouted sternly, “Kill them all.”
In the next second, screams echoed through the courtyard.
But soon, they discovered that these old servants were not easy to deal with.
They appeared harmless on the surface, but in reality, they were all veteran soldiers.
If not for their old age and lack of suitable weapons, they might have managed to take down one or two Northern Frontier Soldiers.
In a short while, the servants and He Dagan’s sons all lay in pools of blood.
The squad leader, holding his blood-dripping cavalry saber, surveyed the silent courtyard and grinned, “Search.”
Although the main house of the He Dagan family had already been confiscated, a starving camel is still larger than a horse.
The He Dagan family was bound to have hidden some good things.
For instance, loose silver, which the Northern Frontier Soldiers favored most.
…
Meanwhile, He Dagan was completely unaware of what was happening at his home.
The night wind was strong, and clad in thin clothes, he shivered as he entered the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion.
Although the place was so familiar, it also felt so strange. The mansion was filled with Luo Meng’s personal guards, all armed with spears and sabers, maintaining tight security.
Even Luo Meng himself was not asleep at this hour, standing in the courtyard, practicing his spear.
In the cold night wind, he was bare-chested, revealing his sturdy muscles. He was tall and imposing, as strong as a mountain.
As he wielded his spear, He Dagan felt a surge of fierce bloodlust, like that of a wild beast, washing over him, filling him with fear.
Trembling, he stood in the courtyard and bowed, “I, He Dagan, pay my respects to Commander.”
Hearing this, Luo Meng slowly stopped wielding his spear and turned his head. He glanced at He Dagan’s frail figure shivering in the cold wind and said calmly, “Do you know why this Commander has summoned you?”
He Dagan quickly shook his head and said cautiously, “May Commander enlighten me.”
Luo Meng’s lips curved into a slight smile, “I’ve invited you to watch a play.”
With that, he tossed his spear to a personal guard beside him, took a piece of cotton cloth to wipe the sweat from his body, and with the help of his guard, put on his Deputy Commander’s yellow armor.
He Dagan felt extremely anxious, but as long as Luo Meng didn’t speak, he could only stand there, steeling himself.
…
Hu Dujin was originally a minor official in Shanle City, living a relatively comfortable life.
But everything changed when the Northern Frontier barbarians arrived.
His home was gone, his parents were killed, his wife was taken to the Northern Frontier Army camp and never returned, and he himself had an arm broken, barely escaping with his life.
Yet, he was forced to work day and night for the Northern Frontier barbarians, a fate more miserable than that of a slave.
Therefore, when He Dagan approached him, Hu Dujin agreed without hesitation to join him.
He was joined by others who had suffered similar fates, all of whom were discontent with their lives and had been too brutally wronged by the Northern Frontier barbarians.
Thus, they had to resist.
After nightfall, they each secretly slipped out of the slave camp and gathered at a residence arranged by He Dagan, where they were distributed weapons, preparing to act at the hour of Yin.
However, shortly after nightfall, He Dagan’s advisor came to inform them that the plan had been moved up and they were required to depart immediately. Their target had also changed to attacking the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion, to capture the leader first.
Hu Dujin and the others did not suspect anything. They donned the clothes of Gaochang soldiers provided by He Dagan and headed towards the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion in the city center with their weapons.
However, as they reached the street outside the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion, they vaguely sensed something was amiss.
“Why is it so quiet?”
Hu Dujin cautiously looked at the houses on either side, his expression extremely grim.
“Perhaps those Northern Frontier barbarians are all asleep!”
“That’s perfect for us to make our move,” someone next to him said.
“Where is Wuli Zhen?” Hu Dujin asked.
Wuli Zhen was He Dagan’s advisor, also a Uyghur, and deeply trusted by He Dagan.
“He’s already left, saying he was going to protect the Prefect.”
“Never mind him, the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion is just ahead. As long as we kill the barbarian official, we’ll be meritorious officials of the Imperial Court, with silver, beauties, fertile land, and pastures all to ourselves.”
The person next to him said excitedly, clearly mesmerized by the grand promises He Dagan had painted.
For people like them, living at the bottom of a slave society, opportunities to change their destiny were few; seizing one could bring decades of prosperity to their descendants.
Eager to earn merit, Hu Dujin could only follow them forward.
But in the next moment, figures suddenly appeared on the rooftops on both sides.
“Who’s there?”
“No, we’ve walked into an ambush!”
Hu Dujin and the others looked at the sides in terror, their expressions panicked, constantly shifting their feet, trying to find cover.
Unfortunately, there was nothing on the street except for some haystacks. The doors on both sides had been sealed shut.
Soldiers of the Northern Frontier Army also appeared at both ends of the street, blocking the road.
These Northern Frontier Soldiers were all wearing yellow cotton armor, wielding bows and arrows or Divine Arm Crossbows.
Standing high on the rooftops, they looked down, aiming at Hu Dujin and his group.
In the next second, a captain’s voice rang out, “Release the arrows.”
“Rustle, rustle, rustle~”
Dozens of arrows rained down, piercing the bodies of Hu Dujin and his men, their screams echoing.
Afterward, soldiers from both sides charged forward, delivering the finishing blows to those who were not yet dead.
At this moment, He Dagan had been brought to the gate of the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion, watching it all unfold before his eyes.
The men he had arranged appeared and were massacred in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
It was too fast, and too terrifying.
He Dagan no longer had time to ponder why these people were at the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion.
He was so frightened that his face turned ashen, his legs felt weak, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
“This, this this~”
He immediately knelt on the ground, looking at Luo Meng, who emerged fully armored, and explained in a trembling voice, “Commander, Commander.”
“I don’t know! This has nothing to do with me.”
Luo Meng was unconcerned. He looked down at him from above and said indifferently, “Then do you recognize this person?”
With that, he turned his gaze towards the inner courtyard, where a man emerged under the protection of two Northern Frontier Soldiers.
The moment he saw him, He Dagan’s pupils contracted tightly. His mouth gaped open in disbelief.
His arm trembled as he pointed forward, and he said angrily, “It’s you?”
The man who appeared was He Dagan’s advisor, Wuli Zhen.
He had been by his side for over a decade, serving with such ‘loyalty’ that He Dagan had never hidden anything from him.
But He Dagan never expected that it would be him who would stab him in the back in the end.
Wuli Zhen walked over slowly, a triumphant smile on his face, and chuckled, “That’s right, Prefect, it was I who betrayed you again.”
“You despicable and shameless wretch, you filth, I must have been blind to have trusted you,” He Dagan cursed furiously.
In this situation, no amount of quibbling would help. He decided to give up and curse to his heart’s content.
But Wuli Zhen nodded dismissively, proudly saying, “Prefect, your curses are correct. I, Wuli Zhen, am indeed a fickle, despicable, and shameless person.”
“But you forced me to be this way.”
Wuli Zhen’s eyes were cold, filled with a fierce glint.
“Why? I treated you well all these years,” He Dagan roared, his eyes wide as if he wanted to devour him.
“Treated me well?”
“Hmph, Prefect, you think too highly of yourself!” Wuli Zhen said with a bitter laugh.
“Do you remember Ge Sa·Xiaina?”
Hearing this name, He Dagan’s heart jolted slightly.
Although he had forgotten who Xiaina was, the surname Ge Sa left a deep impression on him, as the Ge Sa family had held some status in Shanle City back then.
However, more than ten years ago, due to conflicts of interest, He Dagan had dealt ruthlessly with the Ge Sa family, exterminating the entire clan.
“You are from the Ge Sa family?”
He Dagan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Wuli Zhen.
Yet, he clearly remembered that he had killed all the descendants of the Ge Sa family, even confirming multiple times that there were no illegitimate children left behind.
Wuli Zhen shook his head slightly. It was a sad story.
His family had originally been in Liangzhou City, but they were convicted by the Imperial Court, and all the male members of the family were executed.
His father bribed a prison guard and had another child substitute him.
He was then sent to be raised by the Ge Sa family, as the head of the Ge Sa family and his father were sworn brothers.
And in the Ge Sa family, he met his “white moonlight,” Xiaina.
The two gradually developed feelings for each other and fell in love. Xiaina’s father also agreed to have them married once they were adults.
But unexpectedly, misfortune struck. The Ge Sa family was annihilated, Xiaina was taken by He Dagan, and was cruelly defiled and died at the hands of that beast He Dagan.
At that time, Wuli Zhen, to hide his identity, was merely a servant in the Ge Sa family, so he managed to survive.
He went into hiding, traveled far away, and returned to Shanle City many years later, gradually gaining He Dagan’s trust.
He began his revenge plan.
He had many opportunities to kill He Dagan, but that would never compensate for the lives of dozens of members of the Ge Sa family.
Thus, he had been waiting for an opportunity.
Two years ago, he secretly contacted He Dagan’s political enemies, hoping to use the strength of the Western Xia court to destroy the He Dagan family.
But unfortunately, He Dagan was one step ahead and remained unharmed.
This time, Wuli Zhen betrayed him to the Northern Frontier Army again, finally allowing him to crush the entire He Dagan family in one go.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang~”
Amidst the sound of ironware falling, a saber was thrown at Wuli Zhen’s feet.
Luo Meng said indifferently, “This general has no interest in listening to your grievances.”
“Although you have rendered meritorious service by reporting He Dagan, you still need to pledge your loyalty to our Northern Frontier.”
After speaking, Wuli Zhen’s expression became solemn, and he bowed to Luo Meng, saying, “Thank you, Commander, for giving this humble one a chance for revenge and to wipe out the shame.”
“From now on, this life of mine belongs to the Northern Frontier.”
With that, he slowly picked up the saber from the ground, his gaze towards He Dagan growing more ferocious.
He Dagan was scared. His body kept shifting backward as he frantically shook his head, “No, no, spare me~”
Before he could finish speaking, the saber slashed towards his neck.
However, Wuli Zhen’s skill was lacking, and the blade got stuck between his bones, but He Dagan was surely dead.
……
The Western Xia Army’s camp was set up about two miles outside the city walls, the purpose being to prevent a night attack from the city and to leave enough time to react.
Therefore, the Western Xia Army did not notice the commotion inside the city.
At the Hour of the Ox, the Western Xia forces were ready to depart. Li Anquan, clad in chainmail, protected himself from head to toe.
He looked towards the city with a solemn gaze.
Apu comforted him, “Your Highness, please rest assured. Although He Dagan has fallen, his influence remains.”
“My cousin still has many trusted subordinates within the city; they will surely be able to open the city gates.”
Li Anquan nodded slightly, knowing he had to gamble.
The battle at the military horse farm was fierce. If he could achieve a breakthrough in the center, he would be able to shine in this war.
The name Li Anquan would be deeply ingrained in the morale of the army.
As long as he held military power, great things could be expected in the future.
Around the second quarter of the Hour of the Ox, scouts suddenly reported that there was chaos inside the East City Gate, and it seemed like many people were fighting.
Moreover, the sounds were growing louder, having already alerted more Northern Frontier soldiers.
The next moment, the East City Gate was slowly opened, and three figures holding torches rushed out, constantly waving towards the Western Xia camp.
Seeing this, Apu’s face lit up with joy, “Your Highness, cousin has succeeded! They have opened the city gate.”
The three torches were the agreed-upon signal, known only to him and He Dagan.
However, he did not expect that He Dagan had preemptively instructed Wuli Zhen to arrange for three people to light the torches.
Li Anquan’s tense expression gradually relaxed. Although he still didn’t fully trust He Dagan, the current situation was enough for him to take the gamble.
Immediately, Li Anquan gave the order, “Relay a command to Zhe Bu Manu to bring his contingent of infantry and cavalry to charge into the city gate and capture Shanle City.”
Li Anquan did not dare to commit all his troops; he only committed a portion, around five thousand men.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Soon, the sound of war drums echoed outside the city. The cavalry, having received the order, moved out first, and under the faint light of dawn, they galloped towards the Shanle City Gate.
“Kill~”
When the Western Xia cavalry reached the city gate, they found two groups of soldiers dressed in Gaochang attire confronting each other.
As the larger group of Gaochang soldiers was about to close the city gate, the Western Xia cavalry in iron armor charged in directly.
“Close the gate quickly, close the gate quickly!”
Shouts of desperation rang out at the city gate.
Due to the congestion of Gaochang soldiers, the Western Xia cavalry trampled and knocked over many as they charged in, but their speed was consequently reduced.
Soldiers on either side seized the opportunity, pulled them off their horses, and stabbed them to death with spears.
However, after killing seven or eight Western Xia armored cavalry, more and more cavalry poured in.
The Gaochang soldiers behind them were also terrified by this scene and turned to flee.
The number of soldiers at the city gate dwindled, and it was soon occupied by Western Xia cavalry.
Afterward, more and more Western Xia infantry poured into the city and began street fighting with the Northern Frontier Army.
The battle soon became fierce.
“Report, Your Highness~”
“The ‘Northern Barbarians’ inside the city are resisting strongly. Our troops are insufficient. General Zhe Bu requests reinforcements.”
Upon hearing this, Li Anquan finally began to let down his guard, starting to believe that he would soon be able to capture Shanle City.
Then he would march south, cut off the Northern Frontier Army’s retreat from the Shandan Military Horse Farm, and annihilate the Northern Frontier Army in one fell swoop.
At that time, he would be the greatest meritorious official of the Hexi campaign, and the entire Great Xia, its military, civilians, and officials, would all sing the praises of Li Anquan.
Prince of Yue?
That would be a mere trifle, and even greater achievements were possible.
With such beautiful fantasies, Li Anquan completely let go of his concerns. He drew his saber and shouted loudly, “Relay this king’s order.”
“Attack with the entire army and capture Shanle City.”
“Kill~”
The remaining ten thousand plus troops rapidly charged towards Shanle City.
Western Xia soldiers, one after another, poured into the city and engaged in a bloody battle with the Northern Frontier and Gaochang soldiers inside.
The Northern Frontier Army’s resistance was tenacious, but they were outnumbered.
By the time the sun revealed half its face, Shanle City was almost entirely under the control of the Western Xia Army.
The Northern Frontier Army was driven out of the city and only occupied the West City Gate for their final resistance.
“Hmph, a dying struggle, merely resisting stubbornly.”
Li Anquan, upon entering the city, snorted contemptuously.
He then ordered the attack to be intensified to capture all of Shanle City.
The ground was covered in blood and corpses, and the air was filled with a stench.
Li Anquan, clad in clean chainmail and riding a tall warhorse, rode with his personal guards towards the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion in imposing fashion.
However, not long after he rode out, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
He looked around. Besides corpses and blood, there were piles of dry grass on the street – just weeds that had been dried.
“Why is there so much grass?”
Li Anquan frowned, saying with some confusion.
The Personal Guard Commander next to him was also puzzled, as no one had reported this.
After all, it was still quite dark when the Western Xia Army entered the city, and coupled with the high-intensity combat, every soldier was on edge, not paying attention to the dry grass underfoot.
After all, to anyone, these were just insignificant things.
But now, with the sun beginning to show itself and the sky bright, it was hard for Li Anquan not to notice the dry grass.
The next second, he seemed to realize something, his face changed drastically. He quickly said to his personal guards, “Open those houses and see what’s inside!”
The personal guards kicked open the doors of the houses on both sides of the street. Almost all of them had the same answer.
“Your Highness, they are all filled with dry grass.”
Hearing this, Li Anquan’s face turned pale with fright, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
He shouted in a sharp voice, “Retreat!”
“Order all units to withdraw from the city immediately. Everyone go outside the city.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Frontier Army had been pushed to the West City Gate.
However, Luo Meng, who was outside the city, remained unhurried, maintaining a calm demeanor.
“Report, Deputy Commander. The Xia Army has entered the city in large numbers.”
Upon hearing the scout’s report, Luo Meng nodded slightly and said, “It’s time!”
