Chapter 54: Sixth Courtyard Department Great King
Seeing Li Xiao’s face changing unpredictably, Hutu was extremely nervous beside him.
He was somewhat worried that this new master had a temperamental personality, and if he said something wrong, he might be chopped down with a single knife, which would be disastrous.
Fortunately, Li Xiao was still rational and quickly put that woman Xiao Yanyan out of his mind.
He turned his head to look at Hutu, who was shrinking his head, walked forward, patted his shoulder, and said cheerfully:
“Hutu~”
“Hexi Fort needs talents like you!”
“From now on, just follow me well, and I won’t mistreat you.”
Hearing this, Hutu was instantly overjoyed.
The master actually praised him as a talent?
He really knows how to judge people~
Hutu had always believed himself to be a talent, but unfortunately, his previous masters didn’t recognize it!
Poor him, drifting through half his life, finally meeting a wise lord~
If not abandoned~
Hutu knelt down directly, unable to contain his excitement, and pledged his loyalty to Li Xiao: “Thank you, master, for taking me in.”
“This lowly one will be loyal to the master, sacrifice oneself, and face death without regret!”
Full of idioms, he could go take the Imperial Examination; this guy has studied Chinese deeply!
Hearing this, Li Xiao chuckled, certainly not believing in so-called absolute loyalty.
But as long as Li Xiao was alive, it was enough if Hutu did his own duty well.
In short, don’t expect too much from human nature.
“Go ask him again, what’s the name of the Eastern Capital Army’s commander? What’s his background? What are his hobbies?”
“What battle plans does he have against the Geluolu People? What attitude does he have toward the Han People in Jin Prefecture?” Li Xiao said to Hutu.
The horsewhip pointed at the Khitan Supervisor pinned to the ground, and his expression suddenly turned cold and stern.
“If he still won’t talk, then beat him hard, dead or alive doesn’t matter.”
“In any case, make him spit out everything he knows.”
Hearing this, Hutu immediately became spirited and said loudly: “Understood, master~”
This was the first task the master had entrusted to him; he had to complete it beautifully.
After speaking, Hutu looked up again and said softly: “However, master~”
Li Xiao rubbed his head; damn it, bastard, he wouldn’t know already, would he?
Then what use was this Khitan Supervisor?
“Speak!” Li Xiao looked at Hutu with a half-smiling gaze.
“I do know a little~” Hutu said cautiously. For some reason, looking at Li Xiao’s eerie gaze, he felt chills in his heart.
“The commander of the Eastern Capital Army is named Xiao Simo, the Governor of the Eastern Capital Governor’s Mansion, and it’s said he’s also the Sixth Courtyard Department Great King of the Khitan.”
“I don’t know much about the other information, slave.”
“But this slave will go interrogate this Khitan right now and definitely wring everything out of his belly,” Hutu said quickly.
So he brought two slaves he usually got along well with, went to one side, and under Tie Tou’s supervision, began interrogating the Khitan.
He completely replicated the punishments those previous masters had used on them onto the Khitan.
Anyway, the master had already said dead or alive doesn’t matter.
As for the Khitan’s screams, Li Xiao turned a deaf ear, while inwardly considering the information Hutu had just mentioned.
Eastern Capital Governor, Xiao Simo?
Sixth Courtyard Department Great King?
“This Xiao Simo wouldn’t be related to Xiao Wulila, would he?” Li Xiao thought to himself.
Xiao Wulila was a super ruthless man!
He killed his son and then his daughter-in-law.
He was even a founding hero of Western Liao Dynasty, a former heavy minister of the Imperial Court, nearly becoming Western Liao’s version of Sima.
Personally enfeoffed as Sixth Courtyard Department Great King by Yelü Dashi; it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say his power was overwhelming.
By age, this Xiao Wulila must have died many years ago.
However, now this Eastern Capital Governor named Xiao Simo had become the Sixth Courtyard Department Great King, so Li Xiao suspected Xiao Simo might be related to Xiao Wulila.
After all, the Sixth Courtyard Department was a major tribe among the Khitan People, managed by Xiao Wulila for decades; it wasn’t something just anyone could come and take as Great King.
“Can only take it one step at a time,” Li Xiao said in a deep voice.
Fifteen thousand Eastern Capital Army soldiers truly put considerable pressure on Li Xiao.
The Geluolu People were completely out of the game; it depended on whether the Naiman People could hold out.
But no matter what, the Han People in Jin Prefecture currently had to obediently be the Khitan People’s underlings.
Couldn’t afford to provoke them.
“Dazhuang, do it.”
“Finish the work early and go back to rest early,” Li Xiao shouted to Lin Dazhuang.
“Understood!”
Soon, under the coercion of the Hexi Cavalry, the ordinary Zhelan People turned their butcher knives on the Zhelan Tribe nobles.
The scene was immediately filled with constant screams and endless angry curses.
In a moment, nothing was left here but corpses, blood, and minced meat on the ground.
More than fifty Zhelan nobles, including some guards and slaves loyal to Nie Erdu, were all slaughtered.
Only over three hundred and twenty ordinary Zhelan People remained, squatting numbly on the ground.
In this way, it was as if these Zhelan People had submitted a pledge of allegiance, maximally cutting off their retreat.
Moreover, without the Zhelan nobles leading them, these ordinary Zhelan People were like scattered sand, disunited; even if they wanted to cause trouble, it would be hard to succeed.
To subdue these slaves, Li Xiao had racked his brains to eliminate all hidden dangers.
“From now on, you are the slaves of my Hexi Fort.”
“But as long as you behave yourselves and work honestly, Hexi Fort will not mistreat you.”
“Whoever achieves military merit on the battlefield, this Fort Master will not only grant you cattle and sheep and wealth but also pardon your slave status, turning you into freemen.”
Li Xiao rode on horseback, addressing all the Zhelan People.
Mainly painting a bright future, so these slaves could see hope, obediently work hard, and desperately fight for Hexi Fort to gain freedom.
As Hexi Fort’s power slowly expanded, Li Xiao also needed to start absorbing some nomadic people for his own use.
After handling the matters, Li Xiao led his men back to Tazhai.
They would rest in Tazhai tonight, waiting for soldiers from other fortresses to arrive tomorrow.
The next day, as dawn broke, soft light gently dispersed the thin mist over the open riverside ground forty li west of Tazhai.
Tents were neatly scattered, figures emerging from them to start working, clearly indicating that an army had camped here last night.
At this moment, the camp was already bustling, with noisy sounds gradually rising, breaking the morning tranquility.
Dozens of large pots were steadily set on simple stoves, the water in them boiling; some burly Khitan People, with bare dark arms, began preparing breakfast.
Not far away, the war horses seemed to sense the impending march, snorting occasionally, their hooves lightly pawing the ground with dull sounds.
The entire camp was a scene of busy activity.
In the center of the camp, inside a white large tent, a man with a heroic build, resolute face, and sword-like gaze was sitting on a folding stool eating breakfast.
In his thirties, wearing a wolfskin coat that showed his sturdy and majestic bearing, his hair braided into several plaits, neatly combed back over his shoulders.
His aura was majestic and domineering; just sitting there gave an extreme sense of oppression.
He took big bites of a freshly baked flatbread and drank a bowl of steaming horse milk, embodying the bold and rugged style of nomadic people.
“Great King~”
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the tent.
A burly Khitan wearing chainmail and a saber at his waist entered, saluted with his right hand on his chest, and then said: “Last night, the Zhelan Tribe lost contact with us and didn’t send anyone back to report on time.”
“My scouts encountered an injured Zhelan Person on the way to investigate.”
“He told us that the Zhelan Tribe was attacked!”
Last night’s dim light made it hard for Li Xiao to catch all the Zhelan People.
After all, even during ordinary marches, people could fall behind, let alone in battle.
In the chaos, one or two Zhelan People escaping was extremely normal.
Not worth sending people to chase.
“Attacked?”
Hearing his subordinate’s report, Xiao Simo’s face immediately grew grave.
He slowly put down the flatbread in his hand and asked in a deep voice: “Who attacked the Zhelan Tribe? How many were there?”
“How many Zhelan People are left?”
Though his tone was heavy, Xiao Simo didn’t seem particularly angry.
After all, for the Khitan People, these nomadic tribes like the Zhelan Tribe were just consumables in battle.
The so-called scouting vanguard was just cannon fodder.
Zhelan People dying was no big deal.
What truly concerned Xiao Simo was still the attackers.
They had the ability to wipe out the Zhelan Tribe in one battle, without even giving the Khitan main cavalry time to support.
Not simple!
“According to the Zhelan Tribe survivor, it was Han People who attacked them.”
Hearing his subordinate’s report, Xiao Simo slightly furrowed his brows.
“Han People?”
“Have the Han People in Jin Prefecture also rebelled with the Geluolu People?” Xiao Simo said, his tone slightly cold.
“This~”
“Seems not,” the subordinate said, shaking his head slightly.
Then he explained the reasons to Xiao Simo.
Immediately, Xiao Simo snorted coldly and sneered in a low voice: “Useless, good-for-nothing.”
“Nie Erdu is simply a stupid pig.”
After cursing Nie Erdu harshly, Xiao Simo sat back on the folding stool, his right hand propped on his knee, palm gently rubbing his stubble.
He said in a brooding voice: “However, the Han People in Jin Prefecture were actually able to surround and annihilate five hundred Zhelan cavalry in a short time.”
“Their strength is not simple either!”
“Pass the order: the army marches out. Go take a trip to that Han People’s fortress.”
Here is an explanation for Sixth Courtyard Department Great King and Xiao Wulila.
Traditionally, the Khitan People internally consisted mainly of eight tribes, essentially a tribal alliance regime.
The Yelü Family originated from the Dilie Tribe; during Yelü Abaoji’s time, because the Dilie Tribe grew too powerful and became uncontrollable, Abaoji grew wary and forcibly split it into two tribes.
Fifth Courtyard Department and Sixth Courtyard Department.
During the Liao State period, Yilijin were set up to manage the tribes; in the late Liao State, they became Great Kings.
Sixth Courtyard Department Great King was essentially the leader of the Sixth Courtyard Department, not an Imperial Court official position or title.
Although Xiao Wulila did not originate from the Sixth Courtyard Department, as Yelü Dashi’s most trusted subordinate, he had followed under him when Yelü Dashi was still a general in Liao State.
Then he followed Yelü Dashi north to Kaldun City, then on the Western Expedition; during the decisive battle with the Seljuk Empire, Xiao Wulila was the Left Route Army Commander.
After founding the state, Yelü Dashi sent Xiao Wulila with seventy thousand army on the Eastern Expedition against Jin Dynasty, but it didn’t succeed.
As a founding hero with illustrious military merits and deeply trusted by Yelü Dashi, it was reasonable for Xiao Wulila to be enfeoffed as Sixth Courtyard Department Great King.
Afterward, Yelü Dashi passed away, the ruler was young and the state unstable; Empress Xiao Tabuyan acted as Regent, and Xiao Wulila as co-regent, which was the period when Xiao Wulila’s power surged.
When Yelü Dashi’s son Yelü Yilie took personal rule, he found traitors in Western Liao.
He had planned to outlast Xiao Wulila by age, but awkwardly, Yelü Yilie faced the same predicament as Cao Rui: young but already in poor health.
In order not to let Xiao Wulila truly become Sima
