Chapter 44: Base Of Power
The news that the Aslan Tribe was exterminated quickly spread throughout the Mo Man Tribe.
“How is that possible?”
“The Aslan Tribe is a large tribe just like our Mo Man Tribe. How could it be eliminated by the Han People in just one night?”
“It’s true~ During the heavy rain the day before yesterday, the Han People launched a night raid, and the Aslan Tribe was completely unprepared.”
“A large tribe of more than three thousand people~ Gone just like that?”
“How could the Han People be so powerful? Doesn’t that mean our Mo Man Tribe is in danger too?”
“Strengthen the defenses! Don’t let those Han People find an opening.”
“Sigh, this battle won’t be easy to fight!”
……
On this day, the entire Mo Man Tribe was shrouded in a heavy pressure.
Word spread from herdsman to herdsman, and everyone learned of the Aslan Tribe’s extermination.
Originally, after the Mo Man Tribe broke through Wuya Village, morale was high, and from top to bottom, everyone had an arrogant aura.
Next, they planned to make great achievements and capture more Han People’s Fortifications.
But this news came like a bucket of cold water in the midst of winter, causing all the Geluolu People to fall silent.
Unknowingly, a pessimistic mood even began to spread.
Many people even started to doubt whether this uprising could succeed~
Of course, the most helpless was still Hou Wen.
After hearing this news, Hou Wen returned to his temporary tent and sat there stunned for a long time.
His brows were always furrowed, his face gloomy and constantly changing.
Finally, he cursed harshly: “These petty men are not worth plotting with.”
“These Geluolu People are simply a bunch of useless trash.”
Hou Wen’s mood was utterly terrible.
Originally, he had high hopes for the Geluolu People’s rebellion and was prepared to bet on the Geluolu People!
But he never expected that the powerful Aslan Tribe would be exterminated in just one night.
It completely shattered Hou Wen’s worldview.
He racked his brains but couldn’t figure out which fortress had such powerful strength.
Or was it a joint operation by several fortresses?
But no matter what, this showed that a powerful military force had emerged among the Han People, one with the strength to confront the Geluolu People.
“Sigh, if I’d known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have come here.” Hou Wen muttered to himself in a low voice.
With the Aslan Tribe exterminated, the Geluolu People’s strength was greatly weakened, and their future looked bleak.
Hou Wen no longer believed the Geluolu rebellion could succeed.
Once the Khitan Army from the Eastern Capital arrived, cooperating with this Han People army from Jin Prefecture, the remaining two Geluolu Tribes would have no chance to resist.
So, Hou Wen regretted it.
He shouldn’t have joined the Geluolu People so early.
“Fortunately, not many people know about this!” Hou Wen murmured.
Besides the Geluolu People, only his own people from Hou Village knew.
This way, there was still room to maneuver.
“After going back, immediately kill Li Erjiang and those people.”
Just as Hou Wen was pondering how to remedy the situation, two sets of hasty footsteps sounded, and the tent flap was directly thrown open.
“Village Master~”
“What is it?”
Hou Wen frowned slightly, saying somewhat displeased.
But when he looked back, his expression changed slightly.
“Old Fifth, why are you here?”
There were two people who came; the one in front was one of the two Hou Family guards who followed him.
The man behind looked panicked and disheveled, his face full of grief.
He was Hou Wen’s cousin.
He should have been staying in Hou Village, but he had actually come to the Mo Man Tribe to find him.
Hou Wen instantly realized that something major had happened.
He saw this man covered in dust, full of panic. Upon seeing Hou Wen, he burst into tears, his legs gave way, and he knelt directly.
“Wah wah wah wah~”
“Brother, Brother~”
The man said with red eyes, crying and shouting: “Hou Village is gone~”
“Our Hou Family is finished!”
Hearing this, Hou Wen could no longer sit still and shot to his feet.
His eyes widened, his face drastically changed, and he angrily said: “What happened? How is Hou Village gone? Explain it clearly to me.”
Hou Wen’s heart leaped into his throat, his emotions growing more agitated.
“It was people from the Li Family of Hexi.”
“A young one from the Li Family named Li Xiao raided our Hou Village~” the man said through sobs.
He told Hou Wen what had happened then, including how Hou Tiancai led people out and was ambushed, leaving the village with empty troop strength that was broken through by the enemy.
When Li Xiao led people into Hou Village, he saw the situation was hopeless, so he escaped amid the chaos.
Hearing this, Hou Wen was completely dumbfounded.
He plopped down on the ground, muttering nonstop: “How is that possible? How is that possible?”
Immediately after, waves of heartache followed.
He cursed loudly: “Stupid pig, stupid pig.”
“Utterly foolish.”
Although Hou Village couldn’t be called impregnable, it wasn’t something ordinary people could break through.
If not for Hou Tiancai falling for the enemy’s Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain ploy, Hou Village would never have had an incident.
At this moment, Hou Wen was furious for the first time that he had fathered such a stupid son; back then, it would have been better to just shoot him against the wall!
And that old man was even more muddle-headed the older he got; he couldn’t even see through such a simple conspiracy?
It seemed his brains had been sucked dry by women, turning him into a blockhead.
“And then?”
Hou Wen asked impatiently.
“They’re all dead, all our Hou Family people are dead.” The man said sobbing.
At night, he sneaked back to Hou Village for a look and found all the Hou Family people hacked to death with random blades, collapsing on the spot.
He immediately rushed to the Mo Man Tribe to tell Hou Wen everything.
“Puff~”
Hearing this, Hou Wen was so enraged that his heart seized, and he directly spat out a mouthful of blood.
His whole body swayed unsteadily and he collapsed directly to the ground.
“Brother, Brother~”
“Village Master.”
The two Hou Family members hurriedly helped him up, but Hou Wen was already tear-streaked, his eyes bloodshot, his gaze ferocious.
Gritting his teeth, he said harshly: “Hexi Fort, Li Xiao!!”
“All the Li Family people deserve to die, everyone in Hexi Fort deserves to die.”
“I will kill every single one of you.”
……
The large group’s marching speed was very slow, especially since there were many elderly and children from Hou Village, along with large amounts of cattle and sheep and goods.
The cattle and sheep walked and stopped on the road, needing to graze and drink water, severely slowing the pace.
Although it was only sixty li away, it took a full day to arrive.
It was already evening by now.
Looking from afar at the familiar outline of Hexi Fort, Li Xiao felt a wave of relief in his heart.
Finally home.
“This is Hexi Fort? It’s indeed much larger than Hou Village.”
Huang Xiuer kept sizing up Hexi Fort, saying softly.
Because Hexi Fort and Hou Village had somewhat bad relations before, this was her first time coming to Hexi Fort!
“Hexi Fort has over thirteen hundred people, so it’s definitely larger than Hou Village.” Li Xiao chuckled.
Actually, in the beginning, Hexi Fort and Hou Village had similar populations.
After all, the ancestors of both families were military commanders in the Western Expedition army, of the same rank, with roughly the same number of troops under them.
The enmity between the two families dated back to that time.
But later, Hexi Fort’s population steadily grew, while the Hou Family treated their troops as servants.
The result was that the Hou Family’s servants grew more numerous, while Hou Village’s people dwindled.
This created the obvious gap between the two families today.
“If you go back to Huangsha Village, your parents will definitely help you find another family to marry into, but these cattle, sheep, and property might not belong to you anymore.”
Li Xiao looked at Huang Xiuer and said: “Just stay peacefully in Hexi Fort from now on. With me here, no one will dare bully you.”
Hearing this, Huang Xiuer’s slightly flushed face nodded lightly, knowing Li Xiao spoke the truth.
The Hou Family were the masters of Hou Village, so Hou Tiancai’s personal property was no small amount. Even if only half remained, Huang Xiuer was still a little rich woman.
But in this era, women’s status was very low.
If she returned to Huangsha Village, her maternal home family would definitely take over these properties, giving her at most a bit of dowry when remarrying.
But if she stayed in Hexi Fort under Li Xiao’s protection, Huang Xiuer could continue to own these properties and live very well.
Of course, Huang Xiuer also understood that Li Xiao’s decision was definitely not well-intentioned.
Thinking back to midday rest on the road, when Li Xiao pulled her to a secluded spot to practice speaking, ultimately choking her so much she coughed nonstop and couldn’t speak.
Huang Xiuer felt a surge of shame and anger inside.
Although married for two years, in front of Li Xiao, she felt like an innocent girl who knew nothing.
This guy was utterly wicked.
Huang Xiuer’s gaze secretly sized up Li Xiao, but for some reason, she didn’t feel disgusted inside.
At this moment, Li Xiao was summoning Lin Dazhuang to arrange Hou Village matters.
“Those tents on the east side are the people from Sanhe Fort.”
“You all separate from them and settle on the west side.”
“Live in tents for a while first; I’ll rally the people of Hexi Fort to help you build houses.” Li Xiao arranged.
“Yes, Fort Master.” Lin Dazhuang nodded heavily.
He quickly adapted to his new status; now they were people of Hexi Fort, so they definitely had to address Li Xiao as ‘Fort Master’.
Moreover, Li Xiao’s prestige in the hearts of these Hou Village people was extraordinary.
He was like a dragon slayer, helping Hou Village’s herdsmen take down the evil dragon of the Hou Family.
He was the hero of Hou Village.
But Li Xiao’s power and ruthlessness also inspired awe among the Hou Village people.
It could be said that Li Xiao had now replaced the Hou Family’s status, becoming the spiritual leader in the hearts of the Hou Village people.
Even the original residents of Hexi Fort didn’t revere Li Xiao as much as these Hou Village people did.
The people of Hou Village had become another solid base for Li Xiao, making his forces stronger once again.
