Chapter 63: Descendant of Zhang Qian

Li Xiao was preparing to carry out a very important matter.

Naturalizing the foreigners!

The number of Han people in the Western Regions was ultimately too small. Even if Li Xiao united them all, they didn’t have much of a numerical advantage among the ethnic groups of Western Liao.

Besides planning to plunder population from Western Xia and the Central Plains to supplement the number of Han people in the Western Regions, Li Xiao also prepared to naturalize these honest and dutiful foreigners.

Turning them into Han people.

Starting with the Čarlan people.

“Please bestow a name, Master.”

Hearing Li Xiao wanted to change Basihatulu’s name, a trace of envy appeared on Hutu’s face.

As Li Xiao’s private slave, highly regarded for his language talent, Hutu’s status and treatment were not low.

But even so, he was essentially a slave, let alone being bestowed a name by Li Xiao personally.

“This guy is probably going to be heavily relied upon by the Master in the future,” Hutu thought secretly, glancing at Basihatulu.

Li Xiao had no experience in changing names for slaves.

But it wasn’t naming his own son, so there was no need to be so serious.

So he thought for a moment and said: “Back then, the Han Dynasty envoy Zhang Qian went on a mission to the Western Regions. Along the way, the various countries of the Western Regions received him warmly and sent many beauties to serve him.”

“So much so that Zhang Qian left quite a few bloodlines in the Western Regions.”

After Li Xiao finished speaking, he stared at Basihatulu’s face carefully for a while, nodded, and said: “I see Basihatulu’s appearance is eighty percent similar to us Han people.”

“Very likely a descendant of Marquis Bowang, Zhang Qian.”

“So, let him acknowledge his ancestors and return to the clan directly, changing his surname to Zhang.”

“Since he was the first to rush into Wuya Village, let’s call him Zhang Xianfeng (Vanguard).”

“Meaning the vanguard breaking the formation, invincible wherever it goes.”

As Li Xiao’s voice fell, he looked around.

As if having completed a very interesting thing, he asked with interest: “What do you think?”

Listening to his words, the expressions on the faces of Luo Ping and the others were also quite colorful.

“He~”

“Descendant of Marquis Bowang Zhang Qian?” Qin Kaishan pointed at Basihatulu’s big face and suddenly laughed loudly.

“Da Long, you are really funny.”

Others also burst out laughing, amused by Li Xiao’s idea.

Unexpectedly, Li Xiao not only wanted to give this Čarlan person a Han name, but to prove the legitimacy of his Han bloodline, he even found him a Han ancestor.

Zhang Qian was a figure from so many years ago. Even if this guy was really Zhang Qian’s descendant, the Han blood in his body would have been diluted to almost nothing long ago.

“Anyway, the surname is Zhang; might as well say he’s a descendant of Zhang Yichao, only over two hundred years ago,” Zhao Tiezhu chuckled.

Li Xiao shook his head immediately and said firmly: “That won’t do.”

“What if these Čarlan people get hot-headed in the future and want to restore the Guiyi Army (Return to Allegiance Army/Altai Mountain Kingdom)?”

Zhang Qian was a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, but Zhang Yichao’s family established a small kingdom.

Hidden dangers cannot be left.

“Tell him, from now on he is called Zhang Xianfeng, a descendant of Marquis Bowang Zhang Qian,” Li Xiao said to Hutu.

There were too many naturalized foreigners in Chinese history, and they also liked to find a famous Han figure as their ancestor.

Just like the Xiongnu claiming to be descendants of Liu Bang, and the Qiang Yao family who established Later Qin claiming to be descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

Even the Temujin family was rumored to be descendants of Liu Bang.

These were all necessary means implemented based on political purposes.

On the other side, Basihatulu looked confused after hearing the translation, obviously not knowing who Zhang Qian was.

But Hutu explained to him that Zhang Qian was a big shot in the Central Plains, even much, much bigger than the chief of the Čarlan tribe.

At this time, Basihatulu instantly showed a happy smile on his face.

Gladly accepted his new name.

Zhang Xianfeng!

With his smaller brain capacity, he even suspected at one point whether his ancestor was really Zhang Qian.

Time passed slowly, and it was completely dark.

The seven-fortress coalition camped outside Wuya Village, and Li Xiao sent scout cavalry to stand guard ten li away.

Soon, screams of Karluk women and the rampant laughter of Khitans rang out inside Wuya Village.

This was the consequence the loser must bear after the war ended.

“Are all the Han people coming back?” Li Xiao stood outside the big tent, looking at the bonfires inside Wuya Village, and asked Tie Tou beside him.

“All coming back.”

“Sixth Uncle is arranging for them to eat and set up tents,” Tie Tou answered.

These more than five hundred Han captives lived quite miserably in the hands of the Karluks.

Men were completely treated as livestock, and women needless to mention.

Everyone’s body was extremely weak. If Li Xiao hadn’t asked for them, falling into the hands of Khitans and other nomadic tribes, they probably wouldn’t have a good ending either.

The Khitans wouldn’t treat them leniently just because they were Han people.

Only wolves can walk with wolves.

Li Xiao also gained the recognition of the Khitans and other nomadic peoples only after showing his fangs.

“Pick out the men whose physical condition is acceptable to follow the army in battle.”

“As for the others, you take people to escort them back to Hexi Fortress,” Li Xiao said.

“Yes~”

The next day, the army stayed at Wuya Village, continuing to clean up the battlefield.

But soon Li Xiao heard a piece of news.

The Eastern Capital Army’s battle to encircle and suppress the Qibi tribe failed.

It couldn’t be said to be a complete failure, but after discovering the Eastern Capital Army, the Qibi tribe decisively chose to abandon their cattle, sheep, and property to flee.

The Eastern Capital cavalry chased behind.

Unfortunately, on the vast grassland and mountains, catching up with another cavalry unit wasn’t that easy.

Especially when it got dark, finding traces of the enemy was even harder.

In the end, the Eastern Capital Army only intercepted more than two thousand old, weak, women, and children, while several hundred able-bodied men fled into the Altai Mountains.

“Crossing the Altai Mountains is the territory of the Naimans,” Li Xiao thought to himself.

According to the captives of the Moman tribe, the Naiman army had already arrived at the Altai Pass, ready to enter Jin Prefecture at any time.

So, the remnants of the Qibi tribe went to seek the protection of the Naimans.

“It seems that before long, we should enter the mountains and fight the Naimans,” Li Dashan said in a deep voice.

The Naimans were not so easy to deal with.

Compared to the loose tribal alliance state of the Karluks, the Naimans already possessed the embryonic form of a state.

The ability to centralize power and the amount of troops and supplies that could be mobilized were far beyond what the Karluks could compare with.

But there was no choice; even if they didn’t fight, the Naimans would enter Jin Prefecture sooner or later.

“Sixth Uncle, the mountains are cold; find a batch of thick clothes as soon as possible for our warriors to wear,” Li Xiao instructed Li Dashan.

“Don’t know how long this battle will last.”

Although it was summer, the average temperature in the mountains was seven or eight degrees lower than outside, especially at night; wearing thin clothes would definitely be unbearable.

“Okay!”

Li Dashan nodded gently, taking advantage of the few days before breaking camp to take people back to Hexi Fortress and other fortresses to prepare some thick clothes.

For the next few days, Wuya Village was as calm as ever.

Except for occasionally seeing Khitans throwing some naked corpses of Karluk women out of the village, nothing else happened.

Xiao Simo seemed to keep silent about the Qibi tribe matter as if it hadn’t happened.

If there was anything Li Xiao cared about, it was that another batch of Han camps appeared outside Wuya Village.

It was the troops from other Han fortresses in Jin Prefecture.

The news of the arrival of the Eastern Capital Army had long spread throughout Jin Prefecture, and everyone knew about the defeat of the Moman tribe and Qibi tribe.

Thus, without Xiao Simo summoning them proactively, the leaders of these Han fortresses, as well as the chiefs of other nomadic tribes in Jin Prefecture, hurriedly brought people to Wuya Village.

On this day, Li Xiao welcomed several visitors in his tent.

“Da Long, let me introduce you. This is the Changshan Fortress Lord~”

“This is the Bohai Fortress Lord~”

“This is the Heishan Village Lord~”

“This is the Huangsha Village Lord~”

Qin Kaishan introduced these people to Li Xiao one by one. Due to age, it was Li Xiao’s first time meeting these people.

But Qin Kaishan and the others, even if not familiar, definitely knew them.

Li Xiao spoke to them one by one, until the Huangsha Village Lord, feeling slightly awkward in his heart.

“Fortress Lord Li is young and promising, possessing both wisdom and courage, truly a model for our Jin Prefecture Han people!”

“After hearing of Fortress Lord Li’s achievements, this old man also admires you endlessly Hahaha“

The Huangsha Village Lord was named Huang Daquan, looking in his forties, actual age might be younger.

Dark complexion, rough skin, smiling at Li Xiao, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.

No obvious outstanding features, completely the image of an old farmer in the fields.

“Village Lord Huang praises me too much; I just did my best. Can’t watch the Karluks continue to harm our Jin Prefecture Han people, right?” Li Xiao said.

“Speaking of which, Village Lord Huang fighting horse bandits these years, protecting the peace of a region, is also of boundless merit!”

Li Xiao began formulaic flattery.

Huangsha Village was located at the southernmost point of Jin Prefecture; further south was the Great Desert.

In that wild desert, there were many uncontrolled horse bandits and robbers, often harassing the surrounding fortresses.

They were also the main enemies of Huangsha Village; quite a few horse bandits had died at Huang Daquan’s hands over the years.

Of course, these things were all discussed openly after Huang Xiu’er poured her heart out to him.

Also letting Li Xiao have some understanding of the situation in southern Jin Prefecture and the Great Desert to the south.

“Where, where?”

“How can mere horse bandits compare to Karluks?”

Hearing Li Xiao’s affirmation of his achievements, Huang Daquan also laughed very happily.

But he didn’t forget another important matter of his trip.

“Fortress Lord Li, this old man came here also to thank Fortress Lord Li for showing mercy to my daughter, and for taking care of her these days.”

(End of this chapter)