Chapter 8: Hexi Men Vow To Fight To The Death Without Retreat
The Naiman Tribe is a powerful nomadic people living in the western Mongolian Plateau, separated from Jin Prefecture only by the Altai Mountains.
It is said that the Naiman People are the legitimate descendants of the ancient Turkic People.
The former Naiman Tribe was a vassal force of the Western Liao Dynasty.
But twenty years ago, the Western Liao Royal Court experienced a very serious internal strife.
Its strength was greatly damaged.
The Naiman Tribe took the opportunity to break away, and the Western Liao Royal Court naturally refused, so it sent an army to subjugate them.
However, the Naiman People had the support of the Jin Dynasty behind them, so the Western Liao Army failed and returned, and could only acquiesce to the fact of the Naiman Tribe’s independence.
After that, the Naiman Tribe’s strength became increasingly powerful.
It is said that they have over 100,000 tribesmen, making them the undisputed Overlord of the Grasslands.
Temüjin’s final decisive battle to unify the Mongolian Grasslands was fought against the Naiman Tribe.
Temüjin gathered all the forces from the eastern Mongolian Grasslands to attack the Naiman Tribe. At that time, the strengths of both sides were roughly equal, but Temüjin ultimately prevailed.
Although he won by a fluke, Temüjin’s army also suffered heavy losses and took two years to recover its vitality.
Therefore, it is evident that the Naiman Tribe was strong with numerous troops.
The conflict between the Western Liao and the Naiman People has never dissipated. Although no large-scale war has broken out, small-scale clashes have been incessant in recent years.
For this Geluolu People of Jin Prefecture rebellion, Li Xiao guessed that the Naiman People were likely supporting them behind the scenes.
The goal was to annex Jin Prefecture and gradually devour the Western Liao.
Therefore, with the Naiman People’s manipulation, the nature of this Jin Prefecture internal strife was different.
Jin Prefecture’s Han People might be able to resist the Geluolu Rebels.
But once the Naiman army east of the Altai Mountains personally entered the fray, the power of Jin Prefecture’s Han People alone definitely wouldn’t be able to hold them off.
If the Eastern Capital’s reinforcements were delayed, then Jin Prefecture’s fall would become inevitable.
Therefore, the Old Master and the others were also preparing for the worst.
Sending these children to Dragon Heart Island for refuge was to guard against a possible large-scale invasion by the Naiman People.
Originally, they planned to send even Li Xiao and these youths to the island, but none of the men of Hexi Fort were cowards.
Da Hu, Er Hu, Tie Tou, and others all took up sabers, swords, and longbows to request battle, vowing to die rather than be turtles hiding in their shells.
They even more wanted to avenge those elder brothers and fathers and uncles who died on North Mountain!
The men of Hexi swear to fight to the death without retreating!
Er Bao, San Bao, and those girls needed to be sent to Dragon Heart Island, because if they stayed in the village, their role would be limited.
It was better to leave some roots for Hexi Fort.
After coaxing San Feng, Li Xiao brought the two of them to the lakeside. There were a few small boats in the lake water, all used by Hexi Fort villagers for fishing on ordinary days.
Li Xiao’s Second Aunt, Er Bao, and two cousins were also on them.
After helping his younger brother and sister onto the boat, Li Xiao said to Second Aunt, “Please take good care of them from now on.”
They definitely couldn’t let these children go to the island alone, so some young women were arranged on the island to care for them.
This included Li Xiao’s Second Aunt, an ordinary-looking woman with a gentle personality.
As for why not arrange for more people to go to the island for refuge?
Mainly because the space on the island was limited and couldn’t accommodate too many adults.
At this time, Dragon Bone Lake’s water level was very high, and the islands of later generations were still buried underwater, with only Dragon Heart Island exposed above the surface.
Although it could accommodate over a thousand people to live, food was a big problem.
Once all the people of Hexi Fort went to the island for refuge, what about the cattle and sheep? What about the crops?
Cattle and sheep needed to eat grass, and the island didn’t have enough for people to live on, let alone so much grassland?
Stored grain would eventually be consumed, and relying solely on fishing couldn’t meet the survival needs of so many people.
Therefore, Li Xiao and the others staying in the village was both to avenge and to protect the cattle, sheep, and crops in the village.
Otherwise, even if Hexi Fort’s villagers dodged over the Geluolu People on Dragon Heart Island, many would surely starve to death upon return.
“Da Long, don’t worry, I will definitely take good care of them.”
Second Aunt kept wiping her tears, her expression sorrowful.
Second Uncle’s fate was unknown, and she could only worry helplessly, so she had to take good care of these children at home to ease the Old Master and Old Lady’s minds.
She even more had to live up to her already fallen eldest brother.
Soon, several small boats carrying the last batch of children rowed toward Dragon Heart Island in the center of Dragon Bone Lake.
Li Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief. Watching the small boats gradually recede, he said to the person beside him, “Sixth Uncle, let’s go back!”
“There’s still some in the village.”
Their group of over a dozen people was specifically escorting these children to Dragon Heart Island. After all, the current situation was unstable, and no one knew if Geluolu People might suddenly appear.
As for the Sixth Uncle that Li Xiao mentioned, he was the son of Li Xiao’s great-uncle, named Li Dashan.
In Li Xiao’s father’s generation, he ranked as Old Six, about ten years older than Li Xiao.
He wasn’t tall, but had a sturdy build, dark skin, didn’t talk much, and was a steady and reliable man.
Just like that, Li Xiao’s group followed the road they came by, preparing to return to the village.
However, before they had gone far, Li Dashan suddenly said, “Stop.”
Everyone who was riding fast on horseback stopped. Not only did Li Dashan notice something wrong, but several others in the group also looked grave.
Soon, Li Dashan jumped down from his horse and pressed his ear to the ground, listening carefully to the sounds.
Seeing this, Li Xiao immediately understood.
Although he was a transmigrator, there were many things that were blind spots in his knowledge.
Like this technique of listening to sounds through the ground.
In later generations, with satellites filling the sky, enemies had nowhere to hide, and their positions could be known hundreds of li away in advance.
But in this era, they had to rely on such traditional methods to detect the enemy’s tracks.
Just as Li Xiao was also preparing to dismount and listen, to ask Sixth Uncle for experience.
Li Dashan had already stood up and said seriously, “Northeast direction, about six li away, over a hundred cavalry.”
Hearing that the other side had over a hundred horses, Li Xiao and the others unconsciously frowned.
The other side’s friend or foe was unknown, and their troops were several times their own.
Of course, there could also be some margin of error, as cavalry on long-distance raids often had one man with three horses.
The exact numbers would have to be confirmed by sight.
“Geluolu People?” Li Xiao pondered.
“Uncertain.”
Li Dashan shook his head lightly. “We’d best hurry back to the village.”
Hexi Fort had a moat and battlements and other defensive works, plus over three hundred with combat strength.
Although half of these three hundred were middle-aged and elderly, as well as youths like Li Xiao, their combat strength was still not to be underestimated.
Moreover, in emergencies, women could also ride horses into battle, and even the Old Lady could shoot arrows to kill the enemy.
Hexi Fort was armed to the teeth.
So, when outnumbered, it was best to return to the village.
However, soon the man who rode ahead to the high slope to scout returned and shouted loudly, “They’re crossing the river.”
……
The Northern Frontier Grasslands were not all vast flat plains. The terrain south of Hexi Fort was relatively flat, while the north was mostly undulating slopes covered with grass and low shrubs.
From a high vantage point, one could see far away.
But for the pursuers and pursued, neither had the leisure to go to the high slope to admire the distant scenery.
“Splash splash splash~”
With the melting ice and snow from the Altai Mountains, Dragon Bone River’s water level was also rising gradually, and even the shallowest parts were nearly up to the horses’ thighs.
Dozens of war horses waded south from the north bank of Dragon Bone River, dangerously climbing onto the south bank, but their crisis was not over.
The pursuers behind had also entered the water.
“Kun Ji.”
“You go first. I’ll take men to hold them off.”
A man wearing a round-collared robe, deer leather boots, and a Khitan felt hat shouted fiercely at someone in the group.
Then, without waiting for a response, he turned with his men, preparing to draw bows and nock arrows. But when he reached into his quiver, he discovered he only had two arrows left.
This pursuit along the way had depleted his arrows greatly, and focused only on fleeing, he had no chance to replenish.
Not just him, the other Khitan Warriors around him were also out of arrows, wishing they could break each one in half to use.
Arrows were as precious to nomadic people as bullets, irreplaceable during battle, so they wouldn’t shoot easily if they could kill enemies with spears or sabers.
“Draw sabers. Fight to the death to block them.” The Khitan Warrior ordered his men loudly.
Preparing to engage the Geluolu pursuers in close combat, to buy a little time for Kun Ji.
After all, by the riverside they still had some chance, but on open land, the Geluolu People could leverage their numerical advantage to surround and annihilate them.
“Kun Ji, hurry and go.” The Khitan Warrior shouted fiercely again.
The one he called Kun Ji was a person wearing a similar round-collared robe, overlaid with a sheepskin jacket, not tall, and of slender build.
Protected tightly in the center by the surrounding cavalry.
Hearing the man’s words, Kun Ji showed anxiety and anger, very reluctant but helpless.
Yet she knew this was the best option.
They originally had two hundred cavalry, but entangled by Geluolu People and pursued all the way, now only over thirty remained.
While the Geluolu pursuers behind had at least a hundred-man unit.
“Bahath, be careful!” The one called Kun Ji said through gritted teeth, but the voice that came out was a woman’s.
By the sound, not even twenty years old, crisp and clear like a mountain stream tinkling.
This was a woman disguised as an ordinary Khitan man.
And her status was not simple.
At the same time, on a nearby high slope, Li Xiao and the others stood high up, watching the riverside battle from afar.
They could vaguely make out the situation of the fight.
“Geluolu People. They should be pursuing and killing Khitan People.” Li Dashan said in a deep voice.
Having lived in the Northern Frontier for a long time, he had some understanding of the customs of various ethnic tribes and could recognize their origins at a glance.
“The Geluolu Cavalry number about a hundred or more, while the pursued are only over thirty. Although they’ve briefly blocked the Geluolu People using the convenience of Dragon Bone River.”
“They can’t hold out for much longer.” The speaker was a young burly man named Chen Erqiang, also a villager of Hexi Fort.
And just as his words fell, Li Dashan suddenly pointed to the downstream of Dragon Bone River in the distance.
“Look, the Geluolu People have split their forces.”
At this moment, over forty Geluolu People were bypassing the shore blockade, crossing at a downstream position of Dragon Bone River, and would soon reach the bank.
Li Xiao and the others, standing high up, had a clear view of the overall situation.
But those Khitan People fighting on the shore were not so lucky.
“Once the Geluolu Cavalry that crossed the river encircles upstream, those Khitan People are done for,” Li Xiao said gravely.
Pincer attack, and outnumbered, this group of Khitan People was in dire straits.
