Chapter 3: Hexi Fortress

Listening to the dispute between Erhu and Sanbao, Li Xiao remained silent on the side.

According to his predecessor’s memories, Li Dalong had always been like this when dealing with his two younger brothers.

Only when they had made enough noise would Li Dalong speak up to arbitrate, subduing his two brothers completely. Therefore, Li Dalong’s prestige among the brothers was very high.

Moreover, the young men of similar age in the village all looked to Li Dalong as their leader.

However, their words forced Li Xiao to face a realistic problem.

“The Karluk tribe in Jin Prefecture is rebelling?”

Riding on horseback, Li Xiao murmured softly in his heart.

Nowadays, many fortresses in Jin Prefecture had been called upon by the Governor-General’s Office, having their young and strong men drafted to form an army to suppress the Karluk rebellion!

Li Xiao’s cheap father, Li Dahai, and his second uncle, Li Erjiang, had led one hundred able-bodied men from Hexi Fortress to the Northern Mountains.

It had been more than half a month, and there was still no news.

“It’s a pity that historical records about Western Liao are too few, and there is absolutely no information about this Karluk rebellion,” Li Xiao said to himself with regret.

Transmigrators aren’t omnipotent. If it were about the Song, Jin, or even the Mongol Empire, Li Xiao might know something.

But everything about Western Liao seemed to have been forcibly erased from history books, leaving only fragments.

Many things could only be inferred from side records.

“However, the Karluks launched many rebellions in Western Liao, but none succeeded. The outcome for the Karluks this time will definitely be suppression as well,” Li Xiao thought.

Speaking of the Karluks, everyone’s first impression is their betrayal of the Great Tang during the Battle of Talas, which led to the loss of twenty thousand Tang troops at the hands of the Abbasid Caliphate.

From then on, the Central Plains dynasties’ influence on the Western Regions stopped completely at the Congling Mountains (Pamirs).

The Karluk people were also labeled as ‘traitors’.

It wasn’t entirely unjust, as their bones were filled with genes of violence and unrest.

During the Western Liao rule, the Karluks were synonymous with unrest, rebelling multiple times and being suppressed multiple times.

Rebelling repeatedly, failing repeatedly, failing repeatedly, rebelling repeatedly!

It must be said that the Yelü family was merciful enough to the Karluks. If it were Li Xiao, he would have long since leveled them (killed anyone taller than a linchpin).

“I hope this rebellion will be quelled soon!” Li Xiao said softly.

If it dragged on for a long time, it might affect the busy farming season in Hexi Fortress.

After all, the one hundred able-bodied men who were drafted were the main labor force of Hexi Fortress.

…

Shaking his head gently, Li Xiao stopped thinking about the Karluks. Anyway, the ending was already destined; the Karluks couldn’t stir up much of a wave.

What Li Xiao needed to do now was to train his martial arts and riding archery skills as soon as possible, expanding his influence in Hexi Fortress and even the entire Jin Prefecture.

After scolding Erhu and Sanbao to stop their fuss, the group soon arrived in front of Hexi Fortress.

The settlements of the Northern Border Han people were different from those of the nomadic peoples.

Nomads would pitch a tent anywhere, with almost no protection outside, leaving whenever they wanted.

But the Han people of the Northern Border would not migrate easily, perhaps due to a lack of security.

Every Han village in the Northern Border was built with certain city walls and moats, looking just like fortified docks.

Arriving outside Hexi Fortress, the first thing one saw was a circle of moats, about two or three meters wide and not very deep.

The main purpose was not to defend against people, but to defend against horses.

As long as most warhorses couldn’t jump over it, it was fine. After all, cavalry was the main combat force on the grassland.

Even if a small number of infantry entered the village, they could be killed by the village’s able-bodied men.

But once a sufficiently large cavalry charged in, the result would be different.

Therefore, all the defenses of Hexi Fortress were aimed at large-scale cavalry assaults.

The same went for the city wall behind the moat.

It was called a city wall, but in fact, it was far inferior to the real city walls in the Central Plains.

It was just a row of adobe walls over a meter high.

After all, Hexi Fortress occupied a large area. The cost of building a real city wall to enclose the village was too high, and Hexi Fortress couldn’t afford it.

When the enemy attacked, the adobe wall would become a shelter. The people of Hexi Fortress would hide behind the earthen wall and shoot arrows, while the enemy would be completely exposed in the open ground outside the moat.

Blocked by the moat and the adobe wall, the enemy couldn’t get in for a short time. Not wanting to become live targets, they could only retreat far away.

Relying on these simple defensive measures, the ancestors of Hexi Fortress had repelled attacks from countless horse bandits and hostile tribes over the past fifty years.

“Looks like I have to tell the Old Master to check the village’s adobe walls in the next couple of days and repair any collapsed parts quickly.”

Li Xiao looked back at the adobe wall and planned in his heart.

Prepare for a rainy day. What if the Karluk cavalry bypassed the main force of the Jin Prefecture Army and charged near Hexi Fortress instead?

If they didn’t want to suffer disaster, they had to make the necessary preparations.

Entering Hexi Fortress, what caught the eye were rows of adobe houses, scattered in an orderly manner.

Outside every house was a large yard enclosed by a fence. Villagers could build sheepfolds, cowsheds, and stables in the yard.

Every household raised at least dozens of cattle and sheep, some as many as several hundred. These were important assets for the villagers of Hexi Fortress.

When passing by each house, Li Xiao greeted the villagers as usual.

“Aunt Wang, the food is good today, there’s even meat~” Li Xiao smiled and greeted a middle-aged woman wearing an apron who was busy in the yard.

“I reckon the head of the house and the others should be back soon, so I’m making something to nourish him,” Aunt Wang laughed.

There were about one thousand three hundred people in Hexi Fortress, all descendants of the private troops of Li Xiao’s ancestor. There were people of all surnames, but those surnamed Li were the most numerous.

“Then you have to save the sheep testicles for Uncle Wang to eat, strive to give Tie Tou a younger brother or sister next year~” Li Xiao laughed heartily.

Tie Tou was also a childhood friend Li Xiao grew up with, currently driving a flock of sheep behind them!

Hearing this, Aunt Wang smiled frankly without any embarrassment and said carelessly.

“There will definitely be some for him. Da Long, if you want some, I’ll give you a portion too. You’re a big lad about to get married soon, you need to eat more of this stuff too.”

The women of the Northern Border didn’t have so many taboos. They were as bold as men and definitely wouldn’t get shy at the drop of a hat.

Li Xiao hurriedly waved his hand to decline Aunt Wang’s kindness.

Passing by Tie Tou’s house and walking a few hundred meters more, they finally arrived at Li Xiao’s home.

This was a large courtyard located in the middle of the village, more than thirty meters wide from east to west and nearly one hundred meters long from north to south.

In the middle of the courtyard was an adobe house with five main rooms and two side rooms, surrounded by sheepfolds and cowsheds.

More than two hundred sheep, thirty cows, six adult horses, two ponies, and eighty mu of land outside the village—these were all the assets of Li Xiao’s family.

Placed in ancient times, this was definitely a proper wealthy household; even countryside landlords weren’t this rich.

However, the Northern Border was vast and sparsely populated. The Royal Court’s control over the Northern Border was limited, and there wasn’t much pressure from the upper class, so the lives of the lower-class people naturally got better and better.

Every household in Hexi Fortress had considerable assets.

Li Xiao first greeted the Li Dahu brothers, watching them walk toward a nearby courtyard, which was Li Xiao’s second uncle’s home.

Then Li Xiao took Erhu and Sanbao, drove the cattle and sheep into the sheepfolds and cowsheds, and then led their respective horses to the stable to tie them up.

Glancing at his grandmother, who was rolling noodles at the table, Li Xiao asked, “Grandma, my mom isn’t back yet?”

“Gushan Fortress is dozens of li away from us, she won’t be back so quickly.”

“And looking at this, the Lord of Heaven seems to be throwing a tantrum again. Maybe your mom will stay there tonight.” The old lady said to Li Xiao with a light smile while working nimbly.

This was an old lady with a gentle temper and kind character.

Li Xiao nodded gently, picked up the water ladle from the water tank, and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. His mouth and tongue were no longer so dry, and he asked again, “Then where’s my grandpa?”

The old lady motioned with her eyes toward the back of the house: “In the back!”

“This damn old man has been clanging away all day, he just stopped.”

“Go call your grandpa, come over to eat later.”

“Oh, got it.”

Li Xiao passed the five main rooms and walked to the backyard.

It was also a yard enclosed by a fence, but the area was much smaller than the front yard.

The most eye-catching thing was a thatched shed built in the middle, piled with some farm tools, slag, coke, finished ironware, and primitive iron ore.

Outside the shed was a furnace built of mud bricks. At this time, the fire inside had cooled down.

The Old Master was squatting in front of the furnace, cleaning up the slag.

Obviously, this was a small blacksmith workshop, and also the place where the Old Master liked to stay often.

“Grandpa, Grandma is calling you to go eat!” Li Xiao walked over and said.

“I know, I’ll go over after I finish cleaning up.” The Old Master raised his head, glanced at Li Xiao, and nodded gently.

The Old Master was the Lord of Hexi Fortress, but because of his old age, he had handed over most matters to Li Xiao’s father, while he liked to hole up at home forging iron.

The farm tools used for tilling the land in Hexi Fortress, as well as the weapons used by the able-bodied men for fighting, were basically all made by the hands of the Old Master and his few old buddies.

The Old Master didn’t talk much, and his appearance had no special features. He used to be a tall and strong man, but with age, he had shrunk into a skinny, ordinary old man.

Of course, the most striking thing was the scar on the Old Master’s face.

It went diagonally from the left forehead straight to the right cheek, almost splitting his entire face in two. It was very scary.

Fortunately, the Li Xiao brothers had grown up looking at the Old Master’s face since childhood, so they didn’t think much of it.

Later, they learned that the Old Master had been injured by a Naiman centurion’s desperate counterattack during a battle against the Naimans.

And in that battle, the Old Master had personally killed no fewer than ten Naimans.

The Old Master in his youth was indeed fierce.

“Grandpa, is my blade finished?” Li Xiao looked at the Old Master and asked.

“En, it’s done.”

“It’s on the table. Go get it yourself and see if it fits.” The Old Master nodded and said, his tone without much fluctuation, serious and unsmiling.

He was a bit better when facing grandsons like Li Xiao. Although he didn’t smile much, he wasn’t too stern either.

Li Xiao’s father and second uncle were miserable. Even though they were burly men in their thirties and forties, their legs would tremble when the Old Master glared at them.

Li Xiao immediately walked to the table. From the many sickles, axes, melon hammers, and other weapons placed on it, he recognized his blade at a glance.

“Cavalry saber!”