Chapter 59: The Demise Of The Moman Tribe
Not long after, the Eastern Capital Army broke camp and set off, and Li Xiao also rode out from the main camp.
“The Fort Master has come out.”
“Fort Master, are you alright?”
“Da Long Ge, the Khitan People didn’t do anything to you, did they?”
After seeing Li Xiao, the hundred Hexi Cavalry outside the camp instantly surrounded him, protecting Li Xiao in the middle as they chattered questions.
Li Xiao was somewhat touched by this concern deep down, laughing heartily: “What could happen to me?”
“The Khitan People wouldn’t dare do anything to me.”
“Let’s go, we’ll talk back at camp.”
Soon, Li Xiao led the hundred Hexi Cavalry charging toward Tazhai.
Upon returning, Li Xiao immediately summoned Qin Kaishan and the others, convening the highest military conference of the seven forts.
“This Xiao Simo is no simple man; he has deep schemes, is very aggressive, and is wildly ambitious.”
“Besides the fifteen thousand cavalry from Yin Mountains and the North Sea, Xiao Simo has also mobilized five thousand troops from the Great Desert, who are on the road now.”
Li Xiao briefly introduced Xiao Simo and the other intelligence obtained from the large tent.
Hearing this, Qin Kaishan and the others’ faces all turned serious.
“Twenty thousand troops?”
“Even all the Han People in Jin Prefecture together don’t number that many!”
“Is this Xiao Simo really going to attack the Naiman People?”
“If war breaks out with the Naiman People, Jin Prefecture will be in dire straits.”
Qin Kaishan and the others said worriedly.
Li Xiao gently shook his head: “This battle is already unavoidable; none of us can stop it.”
Although there were irreconcilable contradictions between the Naiman and the Western Liao Dynasty, historically the two sides rarely engaged in direct wars.
But now, due to Li Xiao’s appearance and the elimination of the Aslan Tribe, the situation in Jin Prefecture had been brought under control.
Xiao Simo’s Eastern Capital Army would no longer be bogged down in Jin Prefecture’s war quagmire, unable to extricate itself.
He now had absolute confidence to deal with the Geluolu People, then swing his army straight at the Naiman People.
This was a war that should not have existed in history.
But it was about to happen.
This even made Li Xiao suspect that future developments would likely deviate from the course of history.
For example, would Xiao Simo successfully rebel?
“What should we do?” Luo Ping asked with a furrowed brow.
Li Xiao chuckled: “What else can we do? Do we have any choice?”
“Xiao Simo’s twenty thousand troops are right here in Jin Prefecture; are we supposed to stay out of it or waver?”
At these words, everyone sighed helplessly.
In the face of absolute strength, any schemes and tricks were nonsense.
“Get ready, we’ll break camp this afternoon and follow the Eastern Capital Army to campaign against the Geluolu People,” Li Xiao said.
Hearing this, the crowd nodded and dispersed.
This time, the Eastern Capital Army would simultaneously attack the Moman Tribe and the Qibi Tribe.
And the task Li Xiao received was to assist in the assault on Wuya Village’s Moman Tribe.
But at this moment, the Geluolu People of the Moman Tribe had not yet realized the severity of the situation and were still immersed in longing for a beautiful future.
“Wu Guli, the sheep flock over there is about to scatter; be careful,” an old herdsman waved his whip and shouted loudly to a young Geluolu man in the distance.
The young man named Wu Guli let out a careless laugh, turned his horse, and cracked his whip.
He directly cursed: “Vile Han Slave, you’re too slow.”
“Go catch those sheep; if even one is missing, I’ll chop off both your feet.”
The sheepskin whip was extremely tough; when it struck a person, it instantly left a bloody welt. The two Han People beside him were in tattered clothes.
Their bodies were covered in wounds. After being whipped, they clenched their teeth tightly, hiding their hatred deep inside, and hurriedly chased after the sheep flock.
To prevent them from escaping, the Geluolu People did not allow them to ride horses at all.
“Haha, these Han People run so slowly; they’re not even as fast as my dog.”
Watching the backs of the two Han Slaves, the Geluolu man named Wu Guli snorted lightly, his face full of disdain.
The old herdsman chuckled and merely cautioned: “Don’t beat them to death, or you won’t have anyone to tend your sheep.”
Such were the rules of the grassland; who made these Han People lose the battle and become slaves of the Moman Tribe?
The old herdsman paid it no mind and turned to tend his own sheep flock.
“If only every day from now on could be like this.”
Originally, he was just an ordinary herdsman, supporting a large family with a dozen sheep, living very arduously.
But unexpectedly, after defeating the Jin Prefecture Army and capturing Wuya Village, the Moman Tribe suddenly grew wealthy.
Even the old herdsman was allocated several dozen sheep.
Life instantly became affluent, and he smiled every day.
“Uncle Nie Elun, do you think we can win?” A Geluolu Youth came over and asked worriedly.
The old herdsman’s turbid eyes looked toward the horizon, chuckling: “No need to worry; Yelü has already sent people to the Naiman Tribe for aid.”
“Even if the Eastern Capital Army arrives, we’ll be fine.”
Backing the Geluolu People were precisely the Naiman People.
Ever since the Aslan Tribe was wiped out, the offensives of the Moman Tribe and Qibi Tribe had also successively stalled.
Thus, the chieftains of the two tribes conferred and realized that relying on themselves, they could no longer consolidate the Jin Prefecture Han People to confront the Eastern Capital Army.
They could only seek help from their patron, the Naiman People.
“Xiao Luoga, rest assured; the Naiman People have probably already deployed troops at the Altai Mountains pass by now.”
“If the Eastern Capital Army dares to come, we’ll join the Naiman People and give those Khitan People a harsh lesson.” Wu Guli rode over to the two, laughing heartily.
“Once we defeat the Eastern Capital Army, the entire Northern Frontier will open its gates to us.”
Wu Guli was very confident, with great expectations for the Naiman People.
Mainly because the Moman Tribe’s chieftain, to avoid fear among the tribesmen, kept brainwashing them, proclaiming inevitable victory in the war.
Young men like Wu Guli had all come to believe it.
“But even if we defeat the Khitan People, won’t there still be the Naiman People?”
“When can we Geluolu People truly rebuild the khaganate?” Xiao Luoga wondered.
Once the Khitan People left, the Naiman People would oppress them again; why was the fate of the Geluolu nation so tragic?
“Don’t think too much; these are just tests on the road to rebuilding our Geluolu Khaganate. We will surely succeed,” the old herdsman smiled at Xiao Luoga.
But in the next second, the smile on his face slowly faded, and his expression began to turn puzzled.
It seemed a low rumble came to his ears; he looked up at the sky—clear for miles, dyed red by sunset.
“Getting old; my ears are starting to go deaf.”
The old herdsman shook his head with a light laugh, thinking he had hallucinated.
But soon, the sheep flock beside him seemed to sense something too, bleating incessantly.
Thousands of cattle and sheep grew restless, appearing terrified, scattering in all directions; the old herdsman and his group could not control them.
But he no longer had the mind to care about the sheep; at this moment, he finally understood he had not hallucinated—something real was happening.
“Enemies!”
The old herdsman shouted in terror.
He swiftly mounted his horse, his tree bark-like black hands gripping a bow and arrow like a vice.
Geluolu People raised on the grassland were all too familiar with this: the sound of a massive horse herd charging.
The surrounding Geluolu People quickly gathered toward the old herdsman.
“Where did this large cavalry force come from?” Wu Guli exclaimed in shock.
The others were also baffled: “From the sound, there must be thousands; Jin Prefecture couldn’t possibly have so many cavalry left.”
“It couldn’t be the Eastern Capital Army, could it?”
The old herdsman’s wrinkled old face turned utterly serious.
Looking in the direction the sound came from, he said gravely: “We’re in trouble.”
“Hurry back.”
Without delay, ignoring even the sheep outside, all these Geluolu rushed eagerly into Wuya Village.
Moreover, learning from the lesson of Sanhe Fort’s night raid, everyone in the Moman Tribe had crammed into Wuya Village.
No one dared pitch tents outside the village anymore.
At this moment, all the Geluolu People in Wuya Village were alarmed; they all grabbed weapons and came to the rear of the moat.
All with tense, solemn expressions, staring into the distance whence the sound came.
As the rumbling grew louder, they finally saw the shadow of this army.
Their faces showed utter disbelief; the old herdsman’s parched lips finally roared: “It’s the Khitan People—the Eastern Capital Army is here.”
At this moment, the entire Moman Tribe fell into panic.
The Naiman reinforcements they awaited had not arrived, but the Eastern Capital Army had.
The boundless army was like a dark cloud, directly surrounding the small Wuya Village.
Under the cover of overwhelming force, Wuya Village’s Geluolu People were like a small boat in a storm.
Capsizing was only a matter of time.
“Damn it, I told you long ago we should leave Jin Prefecture quickly and go throw ourselves on the Naiman People’s mercy.”
“What good is saying it now? You said the Eastern Capital Army wouldn’t come this fast.”
“Clearly, you couldn’t bear to part with the Han People’s cattle, sheep, and women; you wanted to capture another Han People’s fort before leaving.”
“Enough, what’s the use of saying this now?”
“Quickly send someone to seek aid from the Naiman People.”
“Right, the Khitan People won’t take the village so easily; we can definitely hold out until the Naiman People arrive.”
With the Eastern Capital Army’s arrival, the Moman Tribe’s people were in constant chaos, arguing and blaming each other, in utter disarray.
Actually, when they first spotted the Eastern Capital Army arriving, the Moman Tribe still had a chance to flee.
But most could not bear to abandon their cattle, sheep, and wealth.
Moreover, they believed the Naiman People would come to save them, so they tacitly chose to stay and defend the village rather than leave.
On the other side, Xiao Simo, clad in a large coat, stood on a high slope, gazing far into the silhouette of Wuya Village.
He shook his head lightly: “These Han People are such trouble; back in the Central Plains they loved building city walls, and now on the grassland they’ve made so many enclosures and moats.”
A Khitan General beside him laughed heartily upon hearing this: “No helping it; Han People’s courage has always been this small!”
The Khitan People had ruled the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun’s Han People for centuries, harboring a deep sense of superiority over them.
“Great King, attack!”
“Great King, let my men go; we can take this village before nightfall.”
“Great King, let me!”
The Khitan Generals eagerly volunteered, but Xiao Simo shook his head: “Our Khitan warriors are eagles of the grassland, meant to fight unbound and free.”
“This business of siege warfare and capturing forts should be left to others!”
With that, Xiao Simo looked to his personal guard: “Pass the order.”
“Jin Prefecture Han Tribe, and Woli Jian, Halatu, Hechila, and other flanking tribes, jointly assault Wuya Village.”
“Before nightfall, I want to see the Moman Tribe’s leader kneeling before me.”
