Chapter 94: Deputy Governor Li, Left Chiliarch
In this battle, the Liao army also seized considerable spoils from the Naiman, which was barely enough for the soldiers’ rewards.
However, for Xiao Simo, the greatest gain was completely crushing the Naiman’s strength, thus resolving the worries on the Northern Frontier.
At the same time, over ten thousand Naiman soldiers were captured.
These individuals will be taken to the Eastern Capital as slaves, and once tamed, they can continue fighting for Xiao Simo.
If asked to fight against Sun Khan, these Naiman slaves might have reservations.
But if they were to attack the Royal Court, these people, eager to escape their slave status, would fight even more fiercely.
Therefore, with these gains, Xiao Simo was not particularly concerned about money or property.
Sitting imposingly on a folding stool, Xiao Simo made no mention of Wu Huaitu Bulü, appearing completely immersed in the joy of victory, smiling at the generals in the large tent.
The next part is the main event.
“Xiao Lintta.”
“Your subordinate is here.”
Xiao Lintta stood up, a smile filling his face, clearly having guessed what was coming.
“In this Eastern Expedition, General Xiao Lintta commanded his troops effectively, fought bravely, and repeatedly achieved military merit.”
“You are now appointed as the Jin Prefecture Governor. We hope you will continue to strive for excellence.”
Upon hearing Xiao Simo’s words, Xiao Lintta’s old face broke into an even wider smile.
He nodded repeatedly and said, “Thank you, Great King, for your trust.”
After the household registration, the Jin Prefecture Governor would become a high-ranking official in a border region with real power.
They would wield both military and political authority, which was incomparable to before.
Xiao Lintta was very satisfied with this position.
On the other side, Li Xiao’s mood was completely opposite.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed.
Who wouldn’t want to advance?
If given the chance to become Governor, who would want to be a Deputy?
In the battle against Buyiru Khan, if Li Xiao had not led his troops to break through the Naiman formation, Xiao Simo might have perished by now.
Li Xiao had achieved great merit twice consecutively.
But unfortunately, that bastard Xiao Simo favored his relatives.
However, Li Xiao had already anticipated this and wasn’t too disappointed.
The reason was that Li Xiao’s seniority was too shallow, and he had been promoted too quickly.
Before this war, Li Xiao was merely a Fort Master without official status.
Being consecutively appointed as a Chiliarch and then Deputy Governor was already extraordinary promotion.
If he were truly appointed Jin Prefecture Governor, it would undoubtedly cause resentment among generals like Xiao Lintta.
Li Xiao would also become a thorn in their side.
After all, with Xiao Lintta’s promotion, a large group of Khitan generals would advance together.
As a superior, Xiao Simo needed to consider the harmony among his subordinates and the balance between different factions.
Even if Li Xiao had achieved great merit, his rewards could only come in other forms.
“Li Xiao.”
After finishing the appointments and rewards for Xiao Lintta, Li Xiao did not expect Xiao Simo to call his name second.
He quickly withdrew his hand from the woman’s waist, wiped off some water stains on the table haphazardly, and immediately stood up.
“Your subordinate is here.”
Xiao Simo looked at Li Xiao, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if conveying a dangerous signal.
However, he immediately smiled again.
“Li Xiao, the Jin Prefecture Chiliarch, who spared no hardship and feared no danger, led troops to cross the Golden Mountain and raid the Naiman’s great camp, is the greatest contributor to our army’s breakthrough of the Golden Mountain.”
“Subsequently, in the decisive battle against Sun Khan, he again led troops to attack Buyiru Khan, causing him to flee in disarray, allowing our army to turn the tide to victory.”
“His merit is great and cannot go unrewarded.”
“This King has decided to appoint you as Jin Prefecture Deputy Governor, concurrently holding the position of Left Chiliarch.”
“One Chiliarch position will be inherited, and additionally, ten thousand strings of cash will be rewarded, along with one hundred Naiman beauties.”
Hearing Xiao Simo’s rewards, Li Xiao was somewhat stunned.
The position of Jin Prefecture Deputy Governor was as good as in his pocket, with no surprises.
The key was the concurrent appointments.
This meant that Li Xiao, while serving as Jin Prefecture Deputy Governor, would also hold the position of a Chiliarch in Jin Prefecture.
As for the inherited official position, it had been a practice since ancient times and was easy to understand.
It meant Li Xiao could choose one person from his relatives to serve as a Jin Prefecture Chiliarch.
There were no requirements regarding which relative it should be.
Most inherited positions in ancient times were given to sons, as sons were considered more trustworthy.
With sons, no one would foolishly entrust such positions to other ungrateful relatives.
However, Li Xiao currently had no heirs, so this inherited position could be given to other relatives.
Xiao Simo’s generous rewards likely stemmed from the feeling that Li Xiao’s great merits were not sufficiently recognized by not appointing him Governor, thus he focused on other rewards.
He provided money, women, and even granted an official position to a relative.
“Li Xiao, are you satisfied with this King’s reward?” Xiao Simo asked Li Xiao with a slight smile.
At this moment, Li Xiao naturally nodded and quickly replied, “Satisfied, of course, I am satisfied.”
“Your subordinate has only achieved minor merit, yet has received such generous rewards from you, Lord. I am truly unworthy.”
“In the future, I will sacrifice myself for you.”
In short, he spoke only pleasantries that cost no money.
Although he was slightly disappointed about not getting the Jin Prefecture Governor position, receiving two Chiliarch positions was an unexpected joy.
What did the power of a Governor and Deputy Governor entail?
In Li Xiao’s opinion, there were no clear boundaries. The most important factor was the number of Chiliarchs under one’s command.
After all, the rules of the Northern Frontier were that simple.
Whoever had more people and a stronger fist had more say.
Everything else was nonsense.
Even if one became a Governor, if the Chiliarchs and Centurions under them did not obey, they would be a mere figurehead.
Now, with two Chiliarchs in hand, Li Xiao would at least not be suppressed by Xiao Lintta.
As Li Xiao spoke, everyone in the large tent turned their gaze towards him.
They seemed surprised by Li Xiao’s rewards, but upon further reflection, it felt natural.
Li Xiao’s merits in the battle against the Naiman were significant, fully deserving such rewards.
In fact, if Li Xiao were older and had more seniority, he would have been sufficient to be appointed Jin Prefecture Governor.
Thus, many people showed amiable smiles and congratulated Li Xiao.
“Chiliarch Li, oh no, we should call you Deputy Governor Li.”
“Deputy Governor Li’s appointment to this position is truly well-deserved.”
“Deputy Governor Li is both brave and resourceful, skilled in combat, and will surely protect the Common People of Jin Prefecture from further Naiman harassment.”
“The Common People of Jin Prefecture are fortunate to have two benevolent officials, Governor Xiao and Deputy Governor Li, to protect them.”
Hearing these insincere congratulations, Li Xiao also put on a fake smile and returned their greetings.
However, when he looked at Xiao Lintta beside him, he noticed that his expression was slightly stiff.
Li Xiao immediately put on a friendly smile but secretly shook his head, realizing their honeymoon period with Xiao Lintta was likely over.
Unless one side completely overpowered the other, their relationship would remain superficially amicable, with underlying conflict.
It might even escalate to a breaking point.
But there was no other way; the existence of a Deputy Governor was inherently for power sharing.
Unless he constantly yielded, their relationship could not be harmonious.
After briefly responding to everyone’s congratulations, Li Xiao returned to his seat, casually engaging in a game on his phone while carefully listening to the other rewards.
After Jin Prefecture, it was the Great Desert.
Xiao Tula Duo, as expected, took the position of Great Desert Governor.
As for the Deputy Governor, a Huihu General named Shigu Bi was appointed.
The Great Desert was located north of the Tianshan Mountains and south of Jin Prefecture.
It was separated from the Gaochang Uyghur Kingdom by only the Tianshan mountain range.
Therefore, many Uyghur People lived in the Great Desert Prefecture.
Appointing Shigu Bi as Great Desert Deputy Governor also took this factor into consideration.
Similar to the relationship between Li Xiao and Xiao Lintta.
It was a situation where the ‘parachute appointees’ and ‘local faction’ would check each other.
This ensured that neither the Governor nor the Deputy Governor could dominate alone.
“The Great Desert has the largest Han People population among the Four Prefectures of Northern Frontier, yet not a single Deputy Governor from the Han People.”
“The Han People of the Great Desert Prefecture are truly…”
Li Xiao shook his head speechlessly. The Han People population in the Great Desert was even larger than the Uyghur People, yet they received nothing in terms of merit during the reckoning.
It could only be said that among these Han People of the Great Desert, there was a severe lack of ambitious individuals.
“But this is good; the Han People of the Great Desert can be used by me.”
The Han People of the Great Desert had no leader?
It was meant for Li Xiao to lead them to fight for Han People’s rights.
After the Great Desert, it was the North Sea Governor, taken by another veteran general under Xiao Simo, Jiu Meng’an He.
The Deputy Governor was a Chieftain of a nomadic tribe in the North Sea, also for mutual checks and balances.
After awarding these three veteran generals, Xiao Simo promoted three younger Khitan generals to replace Xiao Lintta and the other two in their positions within the Sixth Courtyard Department.
Each Khitan tribe was divided into two to five Shili according to its size.
The Sixth Courtyard Department had four Shili, and Xiao Lintta and the other two were leaders of three of them.
Now, with new leaders appointed by Xiao Simo himself, it meant his overall control over the Sixth Courtyard Department had strengthened.
After the appointments of Governors and Deputy Governors for the three prefectures concluded, the rewards for other meritorious individuals began.
The various Chiliarchs and Centurions of the Four Prefectures of Northern Frontier would also be determined based on the magnitude of their contributions in this war.
Listening to Gu Zizhong read out the list of rewards, Li Xiao’s hands began to clench involuntarily.
The Naiman woman in his embrace let out soft whimpers, her face flushed, and her breathing quickened.
But Li Xiao’s mind was completely elsewhere.
Soon, when Gu Zizhong read out the name of a Jin Prefecture Chiliarch, Li Xiao’s lips slowly curled up.
“Luo Ping, the Hedong Fort Master of Jin Prefecture, accompanied Deputy Governor Li Xiao in crossing the Golden Mountain and fought bravely… is now appointed as Jin Prefecture Chiliarch.”
“Li Dashan, the Hexi Fort Deputy Fort Master of Jin Prefecture… is appointed as Jin Prefecture Chiliarch.”
There we go.
At this moment, Li Xiao’s mood completely relaxed.
With Li Dashan and Luo Ping both appointed as Chiliarchs, it meant Li Xiao now commanded four Chiliarchs.
And Jin Prefecture altogether only had eight Chiliarchs.
Li Xiao controlled half of them.
The other half were not all Xiao Lintta’s men either.
Besides, Li Xiao also had his over eleven hundred unregistered subordinates.
Simultaneously, the Huormar Tribe had submitted to Li Xiao. Although they couldn’t be controlled as easily as his other subordinates, they were still a form of assistance.
Therefore, more than half of Jin Prefecture’s strength now belonged to ‘Li.’ How could Xiao Lintta possibly contend with Li Xiao?
Indeed, after this list was announced, Xiao Lintta’s face turned ashen.
While he was unaware of the hidden forces Li Xiao possessed, the mere sight of four Chiliarchs on the surface was enough for him to be on par with Xiao Lintta.
Perhaps Li Xiao’s strength was even greater?
At this moment, Xiao Lintta felt as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind, suddenly having the urge to refuse the position of Jin Prefecture Governor.
