Chapter 70: Promoted Three Ranks?
On this day, Xiao Simo summoned all the military commanders.
After receiving the order, Li Xiao first arranged everything in the camp, guarding against the Naiman people launching a sneak attack while he was away.
Then he brought a team of guards toward the Khitan people’s camp.
However, when he was about to arrive, he discovered a force of troops appearing outside the Khitan camp.
Around three or four thousand men, all cavalry, looking travel-worn and dusty.
After spotting Li Xiao and the others from afar, they seemed completely unconcerned and just carried on with their own business.
Some were chatting in groups, while others spread out sheepskin on the ground and snored loudly in sleep.
It was a chaotic mess, with absolutely no discipline whatsoever.
“Which troops are these? They seem to have just arrived at Golden Mountain.” Er Hu curiously looked toward the distance, scrutinizing this army closely.
Then he noticed something amusing: “These guys are pretty resistant to the cold, huh? They dare enter the mountains dressed so thinly?”
During the day, the temperature inside the mountains was still tolerable, but at night it could freeze a person to death.
Yet in this army, most people seemed oblivious to this, basically all wearing thin clothing.
Da Hu shook his head lightly, expressing incomprehension: “Perhaps they have prepared clothing and plan to wear it only at night.”
Li Xiao, however, guessed the origins of this army and said calmly: “It should be the Great Desert Army.”
In order to decisive battle with the Naiman people, Xiao Simo had mobilized the strength of all Four Prefectures of Northern Frontier.
The armies from the other three prefectures had already arrived, but the Great Desert had been delayed, and Xiao Simo had already issued several stern reprimanding orders.
Unexpectedly, the battle at Golden Mountain had already been going on for several days, and the Northern Frontier Army was fighting worse and worse, when finally the shadow of the Great Desert Army appeared.
“Great Desert? No wonder!” Da Hu and Er Hu suddenly understood; the Great Desert was in the south, with much higher average temperatures than Jin Prefecture.
Li Xiao also shook his head speechlessly: “I thought our Jin Prefecture army was already disorganized enough.”
“Didn’t expect the Great Desert Army to be even more useless.”
The army composed of Jin Prefecture herdsmen was, compared to later generations’ local troops, practically a band of rabble.
Li Xiao intended to rectify military discipline, but had never had the opportunity, planning to start truly training troops after this battle ended.
But after seeing this Great Desert Army, he realized what it meant that there’s always a higher mountain.
His own experience was too limited.
Jin Prefecture at least faced the threat of the Naiman people, so the herdsmen all had a string taut in their hearts.
Though military discipline was lax, the folk customs were fierce, and individual combat strength was extremely high.
But the Great Desert directly faced Western Xia and Gaochang Uyghur, and the areas bordering the Naiman tribe were mostly desert.
So there had been no wars for many years, and one could imagine the soldiers’ combat strength.
“This bunch is here for a free vacation, right.” Li Xiao chuckled; no wonder they arrived so late.
If this group of Great Desert soldiers were sent up, a single charge from the Naiman people would be enough to scatter them.
Soon, Li Xiao arrived at Xiao Simo’s main army tent.
By now, quite a few people had already arrived ahead of time, many being nomadic tribal leaders from North Sea and Jin Prefecture.
Over these days, Li Xiao had gotten to know them, and their relationships were fairly harmonious.
However, Li Xiao spotted a unfamiliar figure among the crowd.
Around forty years old, with a burly build, smiling like Maitreya Buddha.
“Great Desert Governor?” Li Xiao instantly guessed the man’s identity.
He then shook his head inwardly: “Let’s see how this guy explains himself to Xiao Simo later.”
Delaying military orders was no small matter.
Shortly after, Xiao Simo walked in, and the noisy chatter in the large tent instantly ceased as everyone saluted him.
“Great King.”
“Lord.”
There were all sorts of languages, so each leader basically had an interpreter who spoke Khitan language behind them.
Xiao Simo wore a wolfskin coat, his dignified face sweeping over everyone in the large tent.
Anyone could tell he was in a very bad mood.
Finally, Xiao Simo looked at the Great Desert Governor and said: “Zhao Gu Yachi, this king ordered you to arrive in Jin Prefecture before the twelfth of July.”
“Why the delay until now?”
“Also, this king’s order was for the Great Desert to send five thousand troops; how many did you bring? Three thousand?”
Hearing Xiao Simo’s stern reprimands, everyone’s gazes turned to the Great Desert Governor in the center.
They knew in their hearts that this was today’s meeting protagonist.
“Please hear me out, my lord; I had my difficulties.” Zhao Gu Yachi said with a panicked expression.
“The truth is, the Great Desert isn’t peaceful either; several Geluolu tribes rebelled, and I had to suppress them first~”
“Moreover, on the way to Jin Prefecture, we encountered sandstorms for several consecutive days.”
“I am incompetent.”
Zhao Gu Yachi looked helpless, and his reasons seemed indeed sufficient.
But Xiao Simo just gave a cold smile: “Finished?”
Zhao Gu Yachi nodded lightly, starting to feel a bit panicked inside.
But then Xiao Simo waved his hand and said: “Alright then, this king wants you to meet someone.”
With that, the large tent flap was lifted, and a man walked in.
Around thirty years old, wearing a round-collar robe, with a sallow complexion, a goatee, and small eyes squinting.
He walked to the center of the large tent and saluted Xiao Simo: “Your servant, Gu Zizhong, pays respects to the lord.”
Although he spoke Khitan language, Li Xiao knew right away from the name that he was a Han person.
Zhao Gu Yachi’s face turned especially surprised upon seeing Gu Zizhong, then quickly furious.
His eyes seemed about to spew fire as he stared at him and said: “Gu Zizhong, you dare betray me?”
“Gu was originally Lord Xiao’s subordinate, ordered to get close to you; where is the betrayal?”
“Gu has always been loyal to Lord Xiao.” The man shook his head nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Zhao Gu Yachi completely lost it.
He roared angrily: “Gu Zizhong, I’ll kill you.”
Over these past two-plus years, he had taken Gu Zizhong as a confidant and hidden no secrets from him.
In other words, everything he had done was under Xiao Simo’s nose.
Including this mobilization; there was no Geluolu rebellion in the Great Desert, nor any sandstorm.
It was Zhao Gu Yachi who had deliberately slowed the pace, wanting the Naiman people to consume Xiao Simo’s strength.
Moreover, he had been in constant contact with the royal court, and perhaps carried a secret summons from the Straight Luguw.
“Seize him!”
Xiao Simo waved his hand decisively, and prepared personal guards immediately rushed forward, directly taking Zhao Gu Yachi under control.
“Xiao Simo, I am the Great Desert Governor personally appointed by Jie’er Khan; you have no authority to arrest me.”
“This is rebellion; Jie’er Khan won’t let you go.” Zhao Gu Yachi kept shouting.
Xiao Simo remained unmoved.
He had long known Zhao Gu Yachi was not the neutral figure he appeared but a royal court man, so Xiao Simo had been secretly laying out his plans.
Even before becoming Eastern Capital Governor, he had sent people to infiltrate; today, he finally closed the net.
“Behead him!”
Xiao Simo commanded coldly.
Immediately after, Zhao Gu Yachi was dragged out of the large tent amid roars of anger and pleas for mercy.
“You’ve worked hard, mister.” Xiao Simo nodded slightly to Gu Zizhong.
“This is my duty.”
Next, Xiao Simo ordered: “General Xiao Tula Duo.”
“Here.”
“The Great Desert Army is temporarily under your command.”
“Understood.”
With that, Xiao Tula Duo strode out of the large tent to take over the Great Desert Army.
To prevent Zhao Gu Yachi’s matter from causing chaos in the Great Desert Army.
Li Xiao stood below, witnessing the entire process.
He inwardly applauded Xiao Simo’s masterful move.
If all went as expected, Xiao Tula Duo would be the next Great Desert Governor.
This position was also a high-ranking official in a border region, and Xiao Tula Duo himself would surely be satisfied.
With his departure, the army originally under him would certainly be handed to someone else to command.
Xiao Simo would then have a position to promote the young talents he favored.
At the same time, he would thoroughly take control of the Great Desert.
“This Geluolu rebellion was completely played by Xiao Simo.” Li Xiao marveled inwardly.
Suppressing the Geluolu people, resolving the Naiman threat, reclaiming the Great Desert, using force to threaten Jin Prefecture’s household registration commoners, completing the replacement of Sixth Courtyard Department generals, while also consuming North Sea nomadic tribes’ troops to strengthen control over North Sea.
One arrow, six eagles.
Li Xiao had to admit that in political means, he was still a beginner.
Compared to an old schemer like Xiao Simo, he was still too kind-hearted.
His heart wasn’t dark enough.
Shortly after, personal guards carried in Zhao Gu Yachi’s head.
His blood-drenched, ferocious face still bore remnants of anger and unwillingness.
Xiao Simo displayed the head to everyone, kill the chicken to warn the monkey.
“We are all people of the Northern Frontier, a unified whole.”
“Whoever dares to waver or disobey military orders, this will be their fate.” Xiao Simo said gravely to the crowd.
“Golden Mountain lies before us; cross it, and the millions of fat cattle and sheep in the Naiman tribe, along with tens of thousands of beautiful women, will all be ours to plunder.”
……
Zhao Gu Yachi was merely a tool to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, a warning to these military commanders who wanted to preserve their strength not to try fishing in troubled waters.
Whoever didn’t exert themselves would be the next Zhao Gu Yachi.
Of course, there was both might and reward.
Xiao Simo directly announced that whoever could first break through the Golden Mountain defenses would be promoted three ranks.
Then came piles of rewards like cattle and sheep, slaves, and more.
In short, it was all pie in the sky: break through Golden Mountain at the fastest speed, eliminate the Naiman people’s effective strength.
“Promoted three ranks?” Li Xiao murmured inwardly; the flatbread was huge.
But Li Xiao suddenly realized a problem: under Western Liao’s north-south official system, they also implemented the nine-rank system.
What rank was a governor?
What rank was his own chiliarch position?
This thing Xiao Simo had created himself didn’t even have defined ranks yet.
Thinking of this, he was speechless.
If not becoming governor, what good was even a five-rank promotion?
He looked down on the stuff in the civil officials’ pile.
If promoting, then promote to governor.
