Chapter 7: Blood Debt Paid in Blood

Throughout the night, the rain over Hexi Fortress fell harder and harder, as if trying to wash away all the sorrow and suffering in the world.

However, reality is always so painful.

Sin cannot be washed away, and hatred cannot be dissolved.

Before dawn, more and more people in Hexi Fortress learned the news.

A crushing defeat at the Battle of the Northern Mountains. Of the one hundred able-bodied men from Hexi Fortress, only six had returned; the whereabouts of the others were unknown.

The entire village was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere of sorrow. Everyone’s face was filled with worry, even despair.

In some courtyards, women dressed in plain clothes could be seen hugging each other and weeping. They had received accurate news from Old Zhu, Wang Wu, and the others that their husbands, fathers, or children had died in battle.

But more were the families of those whose whereabouts were unknown. Amidst their worry and tension, they showed more prayer and expectation.

Many people stood at the village entrance gazing into the distance, hoping to see the figures of their loved ones returning.

The children were also infected by this oppressive atmosphere. They no longer laughed or played, but timidly clung to the adults.

In the Li family, an atmosphere of grief had completely enveloped this once-harmonious household.

Upon hearing that her eldest son was dead and her second son was missing, the old lady fainted directly. After waking up, she wailed loudly, fainting several times.

“Lord of Heaven, why are you so cruel to me?”

“I have accumulated virtue and done good deeds all my life, never doing anything bad. Why did you take my son away?”

“Da Hai~ My son.”

“Er Jiang, come back quickly!”

The old lady cried painfully, a desperate deathly stillness surrounding her.

Qin Da Ni was in no better state.

She never expected that in just half a month, she would be separated from her husband forever, unable to even find his corpse.

Her grief was beyond words; she could only hug her mother-in-law and daughter and weep.

The three Li brothers had all put on mourning clothes by now.

They wrapped a strip of white cloth around their heads, waists, and ankles respectively.

This was the heavy mourning attire for sons. As nephews, Dahu and Erbao did not need to wrap white cloth around their waists.

The five brothers all knelt facing Li Da Hai’s spirit tablet, sobbing in low voices.

It was for the deceased Li Da Hai, and also for Li Er Jiang, who was seriously injured and missing.

Not far away, the Old Master and others sat in a circle. Although everyone’s heart was inevitably filled with grief, they had more important things to do.

“Dongzi just came back.”

Third Grandfather squatted on the ground, looking at the Old Master who was lowering his head to sharpen a long saber with a whetstone.

He continued: “He went to Hedong Fortress. They had already learned the news ahead of us and sent people out to scout last night.”

“And at Eagle Beak Rock, thirty li to the east, they discovered traces of the Karluk rebel army.”

Like Hexi Fortress, Hedong Fortress was a village located on the south bank of the Dragon Bone River.

One was in the east, one in the west.

The two were not too far apart. Since Karluks had appeared around Hedong Fortress, they would soon reach Hexi Fortress.

Hearing this, the Old Master’s expression did not change, but his whole person seemed like a block of ice, radiating a grim, cold, and murderous aura.

He simply said calmly: “Send all the children to Dragon Heart Island~ It’s safer there.”

“Alright.” Third Grandfather nodded gently.

There were two main rivers flowing through Jin Prefecture, both originating from the Altai Mountains in the east.

The river in the north was called the Yedie River, flowing into the extreme north with no known end; this was the Irtysh River of later generations.

The river in the south was called the Dragon Bone River, known as the Ulungur River in later generations, which was an inland river.

The end of the Dragon Bone River was a lake called Dragon Bone Lake.

Its location was about ten li northwest of Hexi Fortress.

There was a small island inside Dragon Bone Lake, which the ancestors of Hexi Fortress named Dragon Heart Island.

Most nomadic peoples were not good with water and dared not take boats into the lake, so Dragon Heart Island became a sanctuary for Hexi Fortress.

When a strong enemy attacked, the women and children would be moved to Dragon Heart Island in advance.

The remaining men of Hexi Fortress would stay behind to avenge their kin.

The Karluk rebellion in Jin Prefecture had been premeditated for a long time. After defeating the Jin Prefecture Army, they would definitely not stop advancing and would inevitably point their spears at other places in Jin Prefecture.

Han villages like Hexi Fortress would bear the brunt.

“According to the news brought back by Little Five and the others, the scale of this Karluk rebellion is not small.”

“All the Karluk tribes within Jin Prefecture have united. Their military strength is at least three thousand men.” Third Grandfather said in a deep voice.

Hearing this number, everyone felt great pressure.

“The Karluks were already hard to deal with. Now they have gathered three thousand people and just defeated the main force of the Jin Prefecture Army. Their morale is high; we cannot fight them head-on!”

After Third Grandfather finished speaking, another younger brother of the Old Master, Old Fourth, spoke with a solemn face.

Hexi Fortress had a total of more than two hundred households and over one thousand three hundred people. But removing those one hundred able-bodied men, all the men who could hold a saber added up to only a little over three hundred.

Three hundred against three thousand?

That would be seeking death.

“Even if we can’t fight head-on, we must fight. The men of Hexi cannot die in vain; we must make the Karluks pay the price,” Third Grandfather said viciously.

His face was full of murderous intent. Although they didn’t know how many more could return from the previous battle, just the death of Li Da Hai was enough to anger the men of Hexi Fortress.

“This vengeance cannot be left unavenged.”

“Moreover, even if we don’t fight, the Karluks won’t let us go.”

“If we don’t want to be coerced by the Karluks into rebellion, we can only fight.”

“The news of the Jin Prefecture Army’s disastrous defeat has already spread. We just need to hold on for a period of time, and the troops from the Eastern Capital will come to suppress the Karluk rebel army.”

“Hmph, I just hope the Khitans from the Eastern Capital won’t be as trash as Dahe Chuluoduo.”

…

During Yelü Dashi’s western expedition, he proclaimed himself emperor at Emili (Yemili), taking the title of Gurkhan, which corresponds to the meaning of Emperor.

And Emili was located in Yinshan, one of the current Four Prefectures of the Northern Border!

Eight hundred li southwest of Jin Prefecture.

Later, Yelü Dashi conquered the Eastern and Western Kara-Khanid Khanates and renamed Balasagun, the capital of the Eastern Kara-Khanid Khanate, to Husi Ordu, making it the site of the Royal Court of the Western Liao Empire.

The original Emili was referred to as the Eastern Capital or Old Capital!

An Eastern Capital Stay-behind Office was set up to manage the Four Prefectures of the Northern Border.

This time, although it was only a rebellion of the Karluk tribes in Jin Prefecture, the threat to Western Liao could not be underestimated.

Once it could not be suppressed quickly, it was very likely to trigger rebellions by Karluks in the entire Northern Border, or even more places.

Therefore, after the news of the Jin Prefecture Karluk rebellion spread, the Eastern Capital Stay-behind Office would inevitably mobilize troops to come and suppress it.

Even if the Han people of Jin Prefecture couldn’t defeat the Karluks, they just needed to hold on until the Eastern Capital Army arrived.

Listening to the arguments of the people around him, the Old Master had finished sharpening the war saber in his hand. He straightened up and scanned everyone with his gaze.

He said in a deep voice: “What you said is all correct—the men of Hexi cannot die in vain.”

“We men of Hexi do not fear death, nor do we fear war, but our blood cannot flow for nothing.”

“Contact the other villages.”

“Together, we will exterminate the Karluks!”

“A blood debt must be paid in blood!”

The Old Master’s prestige in Hexi Fortress was unparalleled. After he finished speaking, everyone’s face showed ferocity and determination.

“That’s right, a blood debt paid in blood~”

“Blood debt paid in blood!”

The crowd shouted in low voices. The Li brothers’ fighting spirit was equally high like a rainbow.

Especially Erhu, who was the most agitated; the veins on his neck bulged, wishing he could rush out immediately to fight a bloody battle with the Karluks.

Shortly after, Third Grandfather took a few able-bodied men and left Hexi Fortress to contact other surrounding Han villages.

To ambush the Karluk rebel army together.

That afternoon, Li Xiao and a dozen able-bodied men from the village protected a group of children as they left Hexi Fortress.

Their destination was Dragon Bone Lake, more than ten li away.

This was one of the largest lakes in the Northern Border, covering more than a thousand square kilometers. It was rich in fish and was also one of the important meat sources for the villagers of Hexi Fortress.

At this moment on the east bank of Dragon Bone Lake, Li Xiao gently rubbed Sanbao’s head, provoking a burst of resistance from the boy, who could never escape Li Xiao’s demonic claws.

“Brother, let me stay, I’ve grown up.”

“I want to kill Karluks with you guys and avenge Dad.”

Sanbao raised his head stubbornly, looking at Li Xiao, his red eyes full of stubbornness and anger.

A ten-year-old child already understood a lot. He knew his father was dead, and that his grandfather and brother were staying in the village to avenge his father, sending him to the island for refuge.

But he didn’t want to be a coward; he wanted to stay too.

Li Xiao shook his head gently and said firmly: “You are still young. Wait another two years before going into battle to kill enemies with us!”

A ten-year-old child wasn’t mature enough; he was short and thin. Going onto the battlefield like this would just make him a live target!

Therefore, at the Old Master’s request, all the children in the village were sent out.

Only youths like Li Xiao, Dahu, and Erhu, whose physiques were beginning to form, stayed in the village.

As for Erbao, Sanbao, and Li Xiao’s three female cousins, they were all sent to Dragon Heart Island in Dragon Bone Lake.

“Brother, I can’t bear to leave you, can’t bear to leave Mom and Dad, can’t bear to leave Grandpa and Grandma~”

San Feng lay in Li Xiao’s arms crying. She was the youngest child in the family, only seven years old this year.

At the age of a naive child, suddenly encountering such a misfortune, how could she bear it?

She had been crying all day.

Li Xiao held her and comforted her softly, wiping the tears from her face: “San Feng, Big Brother and Mom can’t accompany you for the time being.”

“During this time on the island, you have to listen to Second Aunt and your Third Brother.”

“In a few days, Big Brother will go pick you up.”

Li Xiao didn’t have much experience in coaxing children. He could only say nice words to San Feng, making promises he didn’t know if he could keep.

This Karluk rebellion was unusual. If it were just these three thousand Karluk rebel troops in Jin Prefecture, it wouldn’t be enough to make Hexi Fortress face such a formidable enemy.

It was just that Li Xiao, the Old Master, and others all knew clearly that there must be other forces supporting the Karluks behind the scenes.

And it was very likely the Naimans.