Chapter 297: Khan Of Khans
The Gobi Altai Mountains are the southeastern foothills of the Altai Mountains, referred to as “South Golden Mountain” by the Han people of the Great Desert at this time.
Compared to the true Golden Mountains, this area lacks a sense of great height and danger; it is mostly low hills, with large expanses of grassland and Gobi Desert between them, capable of accommodating a large army.
Currently, around Chahan Lake at the foot of South Golden Mountain, the grasslands are densely dotted with tents.
At regular intervals, a pure crimson, or a yellow-based white-bordered, sun and moon battle flag is planted.
Viewed from afar, it resembles a rolling wave of color.
And each battle flag represents a Centurion.
Resting here is an army of ten thousand men from the Second Division of Xizhou, and six thousand cavalry from the Fourth Division of Gansu.
A total of sixteen thousand men.
This force consists entirely of cavalry, with each soldier having at least three horses, and some even four or five.
The horses are laden with provisions such as grain, armor, and weapons, enough for this army’s use for half a year.
Such abundant provisions are naturally inseparable from the efforts of Zhang Xinghua and Gu Zizhong in managing the regions of Gansu and Xizhou.
Just like Gu Zizhong, the Governor of Xizhou.
Upon taking office, this man acted decisively to refine household registration and land management, dedicating himself entirely to agriculture and animal husbandry, constantly urging the Common People to reclaim more wasteland and cultivate more fields.
The original Gaochang Kingdom was the granary of the Northern Frontier, with fertile grain fields throughout its territory.
Gu Zizhong re-organized and registered these grain fields, leasing them to Han People and Uyghur People for cultivation, and organized manpower to reclaim wasteland.
Currently, the total acreage in Xizhou has reached over 1.3 million mu, a significant increase from before.
What is even more remarkable is that most of Xizhou’s grain can be harvested twice a year.
Wheat is planted in the autumn and harvested in the summer of the following year; it is immediately followed by millet, with another harvest in the autumn, a continuous cycle.
Simultaneously, according to demand and soil conditions, crops such as sorghum, soybeans, and cotton are interspersed, so the fields are busy year-round.
Last year alone, Xizhou produced over two million shi of grain, with ninety thousand shi collected in land rent and taxes.
For a country, ninety thousand shi of grain may not seem like much, but for a prefecture, this figure is historically unprecedented.
It is known that in the past, most of the grain was exploited by powerful landlords and the scholar-official class, leaving only scraps for the government and the people.
But the Northern Frontier has cut out the middlemen, allowing direct interaction between the government and the people.
The government collects grain according to the fixed rent and taxes, without imposing exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous levies.
The people receive whatever they cultivate; after paying rent and taxes, the remainder belongs to them.
Now, the grain in the warehouses of Xizhou is piled so high it’s almost overflowing, and there isn’t enough storage space.
The people also have enough surplus grain at home to last several years, so they don’t fear starvation in times of disaster, truly achieving a win-win situation.
By the bonfire by the lake, soldiers are cooking millet porridge in iron pots, the aroma drifting far away.
A soldier from Xizhou, holding a bowl of porridge, laughed, “The grain from our Xizhou is truly substantial; even the porridge cooked here is thicker than elsewhere!”
A Uyghur soldier beside him, speaking in broken Chinese, said, “That’s because Lord Gu is capable. In the past, during the Gaochang Kingdom, no matter how much grain was grown, it never reached our own mouths.”
San Wa Zi, hearing this, curiously asked him about the miserable conditions in Gaochang.
He originally thought he was miserable enough, working as a tenant farmer for a landlord, rarely getting enough to eat.
He never imagined that these Uyghur people were even more miserable, essentially slaves to nobles; not only could they not eat their fill, but they could even be killed for the slightest displeasure of their masters.
After the Northern Frontier Army arrived, they overthrew his master and distributed land to slaves like them, which is why this Uyghur soldier is more enthusiastic about serving in the army than many Han people.
And San Wa Zi was originally a Han youth from Hexi.
When the Northern Frontier Army captured Hexi, he was taken captive to Gaochang and became a farmer in the Northern Frontier.
He rented twenty mu of land and married a Uyghur wife. Just as a good life was about to begin, the General’s Mansion issued an order to mobilize ten thousand troops north.
Regarding military service, the Northern Frontier also has requirements for Common People; each household must send a strong man to take turns serving in the military.
When there is no warfare, they only need to spend half a day every three days for organized training, considered militia.
In the event of warfare, they are directly converted into regular soldiers.
Upon entering the camp, San Wa Zi was assigned armor and three horses: one fine horse for combat and two nag horses for hauling goods.
All new recruits received this treatment.
Want to exchange for a better horse?
Either pay for it yourself, or wait until you’re on the grasslands and seize one from the enemy.
Afterward, San Wa Zi and other new recruits engaged in intensive integration training.
In their daily military training, they had already learned many killing techniques; what was lacking was coordination with others in the unit.
After half a month, the troops were finally set to depart.
Before leaving, they went to the granary and each received two shi of grain, which is 240 jin, packed onto two nag horses.
These are their entire rations during the war, and they can also capture cattle and sheep from the enemy.
The army has clear standards: normally one jin of rations per person per day, but in high-intensity warfare, grain consumption increases to one and a half jin per day.
Moreover, during normal slow marches, warhorses can graze on grass, but on the battlefield, when they need to gallop and charge, they must be fed fine grain.
Calculated this way, this grain is only enough for each person to eat for about half a year.
After eating their fill, everyone lay on the grass to rest.
A soldier, patting his stomach, couldn’t help but exclaim, “We never fought such a well-supplied war when we were in the Xia Kingdom!”
San Wa Zi turned his head to look; this man was a Xia Kingdom soldier captured during the Hexi campaign last year, transformed into a Northern Frontier soldier.
His face was full of emotion, as if he were telling someone else’s story.
It was also a way to tell new recruits like San Wa Zi about the hardships of being a soldier in the Xia Kingdom.
“You kids are lucky to have come at a good time. When I was young in the Xia Kingdom, I didn’t have to serve in the military, so I didn’t know how hard it was for soldiers from poor backgrounds in the barracks.”
“Although the Xia Kingdom had military pay, after layers of deductions, only a fraction reached our hands.”
“Military merit rewards were the same; even after receiving a reward, superior officers would find an excuse to embezzle it.”
“The Northern Frontier is different; there’s no military pay, but one-third of looted spoils belong to oneself.”
“The standards for military merit rewards are clearly stated; whoever dares to embezzle will have their entire family implicated, and no one dares to have ulterior motives.”
He paused, remembering his days in the Xia army, and shook his head even more, “In the Xia army, it was also hard to get enough to eat, and that was because of corruption!”
“Only when it was time to fight and they needed our effort would we be fed well.”
In the Northern Frontier, however, grain is directly distributed to soldiers to control, so there’s no worry about deductions.
As for warhorses, armor, and weapons, the Northern Frontier uses only the finest, far beyond what the Xia Kingdom could compare.
This soldier kept lamenting that serving in the Xia Kingdom was a loss, as he ended up with nothing.
Instead, shortly after arriving in the Northern Frontier, he was given a few mu of land, and his life finally had hope.
Listening to his words, San Wa Zi’s heart also stirred.
He remembered his Uyghur wife, whom he had just married.
Although that girl’s Chinese wasn’t fluent, she was diligent and capable, managing the household in an orderly fashion.
“I wonder if this war will be over before the summer harvest,” he muttered, his tone full of worry.
The Sergeant nearby heard him and shook his head, saying, “Summer? It would be good if it ended before autumn.”
San Wa Zi’s heart sank, and he became even more worried.
Xizhou’s grain is harvested twice a year, so there’s no need for spring planting, only weeding. His wife could handle it alone.
But if it came to grain collection and summer cultivation, she might not be able to manage it all by herself.
The Sergeant saw his concern but said nonchalantly, “If she can’t manage, then hire people.”
“When other families’ affairs are done, have your wife spend some money to hire people to do the work.”
“Although the harvest will be less due to late planting, it’s better than tiring your wife out.”
He paused and then added, “And don’t be stingy with this money. The Governor’s Mansion has exempted you from land tax for a year.”
“Moreover, as long as you don’t flinch, the cattle and sheep you seize on the grasslands, and the rewards for killing enemies, will be far more than the money you spend hiring people.”
In the Northern Frontier, if a war breaks out, participating soldiers are exempted from the land rent for twenty mu of land for one year.
The soldiers’ families can use the money saved to hire others to help with their work, or pay the Hexi Merchant Guild, who will coordinate with the Salt and Iron Bureau to dispatch mine slaves from the mining areas to work.
For example, the Sergeant himself is a military household of the Northern Frontier, and he was rewarded with twenty mu of land for his military achievements.
He was originally stationed in the Great Desert, and as the Second Division was transferred to Xizhou, he sold his private land in the Great Desert to the Great Protector’s Mansion.
He re-acquired twenty mu in Gaochang and leased another twenty mu of public land.
Besides his wife, he has several children at home, and if he’s too busy, he also hires people.
As for Chiliarchs, Centurions, and others, they have even more land.
They don’t even need to farm themselves; they lease their private land to the Common People for cultivation year-round and collect rent as landlords.
They only collect a 20% land rent, and the remaining 20% land tax is paid by the Common People themselves to the Governor’s Mansion.
The ratio of land rent and land tax was forcibly set by the Great Protector’s Mansion; whether leasing public land or private land, this was the standard.
If the owner of private land finds the rent too low? Let them farm it themselves.
Of course, those with real strength will buy slaves to farm.
And to prevent these people from developing into true landlords and powerful families, the Great Protector’s Mansion has issued a formal decree that military merit rewards are capped at two hundred mu.
Once a household’s private land reaches two hundred mu, regardless of how much military merit is earned, no further private land will be granted; instead, rewards will be in the form of silver money, cattle, sheep, wealth, and promotions.
At the same time, private land is strictly prohibited from being sublet, and violators will be severely punished.
Private land is a historical legacy issue in Jin Prefecture.
At the time, Jin Prefecture was too poor, and to boost morale, Li Xiao could only offer private land to encourage soldiers to fight desperately.
Now, as the Northern Frontier gets on track, Li Xiao is controlling the distribution of private land, replacing it with money.
Listening to the Sergeant, San Wa Zi’s heart gradually brightened.
Exempting him from one year of land tax would indeed save a lot of money, which should be enough to hire people.
Moreover, he heard that after a war in the Northern Frontier Army, every soldier’s purse would be full, which was far better than farming, so why begrudge the money for hiring people?
He smiled sheepishly, “After hearing you speak, I feel much more at ease.”
The Sergeant waved his hand, “Fight well. As long as you earn military merit, it’s better than anything else.”
“When you achieve great merit and become a military household, let alone hiring people, you can even buy a few female slaves to serve your wife.”
San Wa Zi nodded heavily, his eyes filled with light.
Early the next morning, shortly after the army set off, San Wa Zi noticed a large convoy of horse-drawn carts following in their tracks.
“Sergeant, what are they doing? Why are they following our army?” San Wa Zi couldn’t help but ask.
The Sergeant squinted to take a look, then said with a look of accustomedness, “It’s the Hexi Merchant Guild’s convoy, delivering grain.”
Each horse-drawn cart had the mark of the Hexi Merchant Guild, but it was too far away to see clearly.
Whenever a large war broke out, the Hexi Merchant Guild would organize convoys to transport grain to the army.
They also served as accompanying merchants; if soldiers’ spoils were too much to carry, or too cumbersome during battle, they could be sold to the Hexi Merchant Guild in advance.
They could exchange it for silver money to save, or if they were worried, they could deposit the silver money directly into the accompanying Northern Frontier Bank.
The advantage was that they didn’t have to worry about losing their money during battle.
Furthermore, if a soldier died, this saved money would be distributed to their families.
The reason this Hexi merchant convoy was following the Second Division was because they had just transported a batch of grain from the Xizhou warehouse to the grasslands.
The Western Sea region does not have as abundant grain supplies as Xizhou.
After all, that area only has a small amount of farmland opened up by the Han People, and the yield is not high; it is primarily a pastoral region.
Therefore, the Hexi Merchant Guild needs to transport grain from Xizhou to the Western Sea grasslands to provide for the Sixth Garrison’s campaign.
Similarly, due to insufficient grain production in Jin Prefecture, the Hexi Merchant Guild first transports grain from the Great Desert to Jin Prefecture and then hands it over to the soldiers of the First Division.”
In Li Xiao’s view, even if all the grain accumulated from last year was used, they had to capture the Northern Desert.
…
Woluoduo lies deep within the grasslands of the Tula River basin.
This was once the capital of the Uyghur Khaganate, and later became the site of the Kereit Tribe’s Khanate.
In the original history, after Temüjin defeated the Kereit Tribe, he moved the Mongol Empire’s Khanate to this location.
It was not until Ogedai Khan’s reign that Han Chinese artisans were ordered to build city walls, renaming it “Kharakhorum,” officially establishing it as the capital of the Mongol Empire.
However, Woluoduo at this moment does not possess any of the grandeur of a capital city.
As far as the eye can see, there isn’t even a decent low wall; only simple defensive fortifications built by the Kereit people with mud and stones, appearing particularly crude on the vast grassland.
Five days ago, after Da Hu and others led their troops to subdue the Kereit tribes east of Yudu Jin Mountain, they arrived at Woluoduo, the Kereit Tribe’s Khanate.
And occupied it without any effort.
Currently, a large number of Northern Frontier Army soldiers are gathered in the open space outside Woluoduo.
The soldiers ride tall warhorses, wear white-based red-bordered cotton armor, and wield spears or bows and arrows.
The killing intent of nearly ten thousand iron cavalry, condensed together, made all the assembled Tribal Leaders of the Northern Desert tribes look solemn, their eyes filled with shock.
“Such an elite force is sufficient to sweep across the entire Northern Desert.”
Zha Heganbu stroked his beard and said in a low voice, full of emotion.
He is Li Xiao’s father-in-law, and at this moment, he stands at the forefront of the leaders, his tone carrying a sense of shared pride.
Tiemai Chi, standing beside him, repeatedly nodded, “Compared to the Jin Army in the south, they are likely no inferior.”
“At least the Jin Army doesn’t have so many cavalry, nor do they dare to venture deep into the grasslands; they only act like cunning foxes, instigating internal strife among our tribes from behind the scenes.”
These individuals speaking are all Tribal Leaders of the Northern Desert tribes who have surrendered to the Northern Frontier.
Led by Zha Heganbu, behind him are Tiemai Chi and other former Kereit tribal leaders.
They had wavered between the Northern Frontier and Temüjin, but now they truly feel the might of the Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry.
The vanguard of the Sixth Division alone is enough to flatten any tribe in the Northern Desert.
On the other side of the leaders stand several individuals with complex expressions.
Zhamuha, the former leader of the Jadalan Tribe, Toqto’a, the leader of the Merkit Tribe, and Khubilai, the leader of the Oirats, among others.
They were once sworn enemies of Temüjin; they formed a thirteen-tribe allied army and fought a great battle with the allied forces of Temüjin and Ong Khan at Kuoyitian, but were ultimately defeated.
If it hadn’t been for the Northern Frontier Army’s timely intervention, they would likely have fallen as captives of Temüjin or Ong Khan, with dire consequences.
Zhamuha looked at Zha Heganbu on the other side and secretly shook his head, “Ong Khan and Sangkun are like two stupid sheep.”
“To have fallen victim to Temüjin’s surprise attack.”
“The Kereit Tribe, under the leadership of these two, will perish today or tomorrow.”
Last year, Ong Khan invited Zhamuha and others to attack Temüjin together, and Zhamuha readily agreed.
The two sides joined forces and dealt Temüjin a crushing defeat, forcing him to flee in disarray into the Greater Khingan Range.
They had planned to wait until spring next year, after the heavy snow thawed, to continue hunting down Temüjin.
They didn’t expect Ong Khan and Sangkun to be so incompetent, being ambushed by Temüjin in their strongholds during the depths of winter.
The grand situation of the allied forces was destroyed in an instant.
After Temüjin annexed the remnants of the Kereit tribe, his strength grew with each passing day.
Zhamuha knew that if Temüjin were allowed to continue expanding like this, there would eventually be no place for him on the Mobei Grassland.
And now, the only ones who could stop Temüjin were these devils from the west.
Northern Frontier People!
“That scoundrel Temüjin has a wolf’s ambition. If it weren’t for him back then, how could my Merkit tribe have fallen into such a state?”
Toqto’a clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his eyes brimming with hatred.
If anyone harbored the deepest hatred for Temüjin, it would be the Merkit tribe; both sides wished for the other’s annihilation.
Zhamuha also nodded slightly, “This villain is ambitious; annexing the Kereit tribe is not enough, and the next to be targeted will surely be us.”
“The arrival of the Northern Frontier Army this time suits my intentions perfectly. I will definitely make him pay for his blood debts.”
Khubilai sighed, “I can only hope that the Northern Frontier Army can eradicate this scourge, otherwise, we will all be swallowed up by him one by one sooner or later.”
On the other side, Zha Heganbu quietly asked Hu Li, “Adviser Hu, what kind of person is the Great Protector?”
Although he was Sorghaghtani’s father and Li Xiao’s father-in-law, he had never met Li Xiao before.
When he learned that Li Xiao would soon arrive at Woluoduo, he felt a bit nervous instead.
Hu Li, who had followed Li Xiao for many years, smiled upon hearing this, “Lord Zha Heganbu, please rest assured. Although the Great Protector is imposing, he is just in his rewards and punishments.”
“He values practical merit the most. You are the Princess’s father; as long as you behave yourself, you will surely receive benefits in the future.”
Zha Heganbu nodded, but his heart was still uneasy.
He had heard too many legends about Li Xiao; some said he was decisive and ruthless, destroying nations as easily as crushing ants.
Sorghaghtani, however, said he was kind and loved the people, and that he had implemented new policies in the Northern Frontier that allowed the common people to live and work in peace.
These contradictory images made it increasingly difficult for him to understand his son-in-law’s temperament.
As they were speaking, a deafening sound of hooves suddenly echoed from afar, like rolling thunder, striking directly from the depths of the earth.
“So much cavalry!” Zhamuha suddenly looked up, gazing in the direction of the sound, his eyes filled with vigilance.
Da Hu also frowned, raising his hand to shield his brow as he peered into the distance.
A golden dust cloud rose on the horizon, and at its peak, a huge Sun and Moon Battle Flag was slowly ascending, fluttering in the wind.
“It’s the Great Protector!”
Hu Li’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly said to Zha Heganbu.
As the golden dust cloud drew nearer, a massive torrent of iron cavalry gradually revealed its true form.
The soldiers wore yellow armor, forming a golden sea under the sun, the army of the First Division.
Upon their arrival, they quickly took over the defense of Woluoduo, deploying the Wuwei Army at all strategic points.
Once all preparations were complete, a general clad in dark gold Dragon Patterned Armor reined in his horse and emerged.
It was Li Xiao, the Great Protector of the Northern Frontier.
He was only in his early twenties, with a resolute face and an aura of dignity that deterred direct gazes.
Merely sitting on his horse, he exuded an aura that looked down upon the world.
Where his gaze swept, even the whistling wind seemed to momentarily congeal.
Zhamuha stood among the crowd, seeing this Great Protector’s true appearance for the first time, yet he felt immense pressure.
He himself had been proclaimed a Gurkhan by the various tribes of the grassland and considered himself to have met countless heroes, but before Li Xiao, his own presence seemed insignificant.
Li Xiao was also seeing these tribal leaders for the first time, but fortunately, Hu Li was beside him, softly introducing them to him.
His gaze swept over the tribal leaders around him, finally resting on Zha Heganbu.
Zha Heganbu’s heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward a few paces, placing his hand on his chest in a salute: “Zha Heganbu, pays respects to the Great Protector.”
Li Xiao looked at him, a faint smile curling the corners of his lips: “Father-in-law, there is no need for such formalities.”
“Sorghaghtani is well in Jin Prefecture. Once Temüjin is defeated, Father-in-law can return to Jin Prefecture with me and see your grandson.”
Zha Heganbu, as if not understanding the hidden meaning, nodded repeatedly and smiled: “Thank you, Great Protector.”
Li Xiao said no more and rode his horse into Woluoduo.
The yellow armor and golden battle flags intertwined, engulfing the ancient Khanate.
Once everything was settled, everyone gathered in Li Xiao’s Golden Tent.
Zhamuha suddenly knelt before Li Xiao and said in a deep voice: “Zhamuha implores the Great Protector to ascend the throne as the Khan of Khans, Tengger Gur Khan.”
