Chapter 50: Seven-Fortress Joint Defense, Soldiers and Bandits are One Family

Three guests came to Hexi Fortress today.

They were the Village Lords of Qiyun Village, Qianhe Village, and Houhe Village.

The purpose of the three coming to Hexi Fortress was simple: alliance!

In the Battle of Sanhe Fortress, the four-fortress coalition annihilated the entire Aslan tribe, shocking Jin Prefecture.

It also gave hope to many Han fortresses and villages.

The four-fortress coalition led by Hexi Fortress was powerful; the Karluks couldn’t do anything against them.

Thus, some Han fortresses that felt their strength was insufficient began to have ideas.

“Indeed, heroes come from youth~”

“Fortress Lord Li is a young hero, brave and skilled in battle, with extraordinary wisdom and strategy, proficient in both civil and military affairs. Brother Li, you have a worthy successor~”

“Seeing Fortress Lord Li’s achievements, we also have to admit we’re old~”

Who said people of the Northern Border were irritable, straightforward, and couldn’t speak well?

Anyway, Li Xiao felt that the three Village Lords before him had gentle tempers, spoke nicely, and were all talents~

“Hahaha~” The Old Master laughed heartily and glanced gently at Li Xiao standing beside him.

Nodding slightly, he said: “This kid is alright~”

Anyway, the Old Master accepted all the praise from the three Village Lords.

He liked hearing others praise his eldest grandson the most.

This made him prouder than his own achievements.

Li Xiao also smiled gently, realizing that the Old Master’s mood had improved a lot recently; the most obvious feature was that he loved to smile.

Maybe it was because of Second Uncle!

After recuperating these days, Second Uncle’s injuries were gradually improving, although he needed to rest in bed for the time being.

Or maybe Li Xiao himself was striving for success and was already capable of carrying the banner of Hexi Fortress, allowing the Old Master to rest assured.

“Three Village Lords, then it’s settled.” Li Xiao looked at the three Village Lords and said.

“Seven-fortress joint defense, jointly resisting the Karluks!”

As Li Xiao’s voice fell, the three Village Lords nodded firmly.

Saying one after another: “Seven-fortress joint defense~”

“Sworn to be one body!”

The Nine Forts and Eighteen Villages of Jin Prefecture Han people, based on the closeness of relationships and geographical location, had always been divided into small groups.

Hexi Fortress, Hedong Fortress, Gushan Fortress, and Ta Village; the four fortresses had always been close, uniting against outsiders when things happened.

And Qiyun Village, Qianhe Village, and Houhe Village were also relatively close.

It was just that the strength of these three villages was relatively weak, far less powerful than the four-fortress coalition.

So, when the result of the Battle of Sanhe Fortress spread, the three Village Lords calculated that if the remaining Karluks came to attack them…

Even if the three villages joined forces, they would probably suffer heavy losses.

So they decided to find a powerful big brother for protection~

Hexi Fortress!

And for their arrival, Li Xiao also accepted everyone.

Although he had to bear the obligation of protecting them, when Li Xiao decided to dispatch troops, he could also summon manpower from the three villages to strengthen the momentum.

Utilization is mutual!

This move could further expand the strength and influence of Hexi Fortress. Overall, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

With the matter settled, Li Xiao invited the three to stay, preparing to entertain them well.

But at this moment, Zhao Dabao rode hurriedly, rushing into the house.

“Da Long, Grandpa (Qin), something happened~”

“Ta Village is besieged!”

Hearing this news, everyone in the room looked at Zhao Dabao, all solemn.

“Who besieged Ta Village?”

“Is it the Karluks?”

“How many people do they have?”

Zhao Dabao’s face was covered in sweat. Panting slightly, he said: “Not Karluks, and they don’t look like Khitans either.”

“Those people seem to have come from the west; they want to rob our sheep.”

“And want to kill our people!”

Zhao Dabao recounted the incident in detail.

Listening, Li Xiao frowned slightly, and a thought instantly surfaced in his mind.

“Besieging a point to strike reinforcements?”

Li Xiao was simply too familiar with this tactic.

He had just used it once at Hou Village not long ago.

So, Li Xiao somewhat suspected that besieging Ta Village was fake, and wanting to eliminate reinforcements on the way was real.

And at this time, the Old Master and others also guessed the identity of the enemy.

“Came from the west? Could it be from Yin Mountain or Beihai?”

Everyone looked at each other, their faces becoming more solemn.

“If it’s the Eastern Capital Army, that would be somewhat troublesome,” the Village Lord of Qianhe Village, an old man of fifty or sixty, said in a low voice with a heavy face.

The arrival of the Eastern Capital Army didn’t make them feel happy; instead, they considered it a dangerous signal.

“Why doesn’t the Eastern Capital Army fight the Karluks, but instead besieges Ta Village? Aren’t they afraid of punishment from the Eastern Capital Regency?” Dahu stood aside and asked with a frown.

In Dahu’s view, this was an act of fratricide.

The Old Master glanced gently at Dahu, shook his head slightly, and didn’t speak.

Instead, Second Uncle lying on the kang in the inner room sighed lightly and said: “Dahu, don’t speak, just listen honestly.”

Dahu inherited Second Uncle’s honesty and simplicity, and also inherited Second Uncle’s kindness.

Lacking experience, Dahu still failed to see through the cruel reality.

Thinking the Eastern Capital Army and their Han people were on the same side~ all fighting Karluks.

But reality was not so.

“The enemy of an enemy isn’t necessarily a friend; they could also be an enemy!” Li Xiao looked at Dahu and explained in a deep voice.

“When an army from one place goes to another, it will inevitably cause great chaos locally.”

Just like Dong Zhuo’s Hedong army entering Luoyang, or the Tang Dynasty’s Anxi army entering the pass to quell the An Lushan Rebellion, both caused huge harm to the local common people.

“Moreover, the purpose of the Eastern Capital Army is to suppress the Karluk rebellion, not to protect us Han people!”

Since ancient times, a term has circulated among the people called ‘soldier disaster’ (bingzai).

Meaning, the terror of mutinous soldiers is no less than natural disasters!

Rebels will burn, kill, and loot; government troops will do the same, even more excessively than rebels.

Common people always feared government soldiers like tigers.

And facing the situation of government troops harming the people, government generals mostly turned a blind eye.

Because the general’s primary task was to suppress the rebellion; as for the life and death of the common people, it ranked behind.

As long as the rebels could be eliminated, the imperial court would naturally promote officials and grant titles; what did it matter if some common people died?

Especially when the imperial court couldn’t provide rations and pay, to maintain the army’s combat effectiveness, generals would even indulge officers and soldiers in looting the common people.

“Dahu, in this place, the Northern Border, if you don’t have strength, you deserve to be bullied. No one will pity you, and don’t expect the Khitans to uphold justice for you,” Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

Although he hadn’t been here for long, Li Xiao saw through the cruel nature of the Northern Border very clearly.

The Khitans didn’t regard the Han people as their own subjects at all and wouldn’t protect Han interests.

Because these Han fortresses were actually not controlled by the Khitans. Apart from taxation and conscription, the Khitans couldn’t interfere in the internal affairs of the fortresses at all.

The so-called Governor-General’s Office was more like a supervisory agency than a management agency.

For the Khitans, Han fortresses were just like the loose-rein forces of the Gaochang Uighurs and the Čarlan tribe, all independent entities.

Summarizing the social structure of Western Liao in one sentence: the Khitans were the boss, leading a group of little brothers.

And this group of little brothers wasn’t very obedient, all having the possibility of rebellion.

Therefore, when the little brothers killed each other, the Khitans wouldn’t care, and would even indulge it.

“Even if more Jin Prefecture Han people die, the Khitans won’t care.”

“What the Khitans care about is only the taxes paid by the Han people and the soldiers fighting for them,” the Old Master said in a deep voice.

The other three Village Lords also nodded deeply in agreement.

In this place, the Western Regions, such things were very common.

When the Khitans conscripted armies from various tribes and fortresses to fight, they didn’t issue military pay at all; everything relied on the soldiers looting.

Under such circumstances, soldiers all turned into wolves.

Not only robbing enemy spoils, but even friendly tribes met on the march, if not strong enough, would also be looted.

Soldiers and bandits are one family; it has been so since ancient times!

The Old Master and the others did quite a few such things when they were young too.

As long as they didn’t rob Khitan tribes, the army commander wouldn’t care at all.

After hearing these words, Dahu nodded slightly, looking thoughtful, and said in a deep voice: “Those Eastern Capital troops treat us as soft persimmons.”

Those people continued their usual style, looting wherever they went.

In short, the Karluks were enemies, and the Eastern Capital Army wasn’t a friend either.

But as long as one was strong enough, everyone was a friend.

“After this war, the Han people of Jin Prefecture will probably be greatly weakened,” the Qiyun Village Lord shook his head and sighed.

“Therefore, we must let those people from the Eastern Capital know that we Han people cannot be kneaded at will,” Li Xiao said fiercely.

“If they want to loot our Han fortresses, they’ll break a mouthful of teeth first.”

The opening couldn’t be made; Ta Village couldn’t be lost.

Otherwise, letting these mutinous soldiers from the Eastern Capital taste sweetness, the next would be Hexi Fortress, and then more Han fortresses would suffer.

The three Village Lords also understood this principle, looked at each other, nodded, and said: “Fight!”

Ta Village must be saved, and those Eastern Capital mutinous troops must be beaten until it hurts.

Only by showing their fists would they not be looked down upon by the Khitans.

“We’ll go back now, gather troops, and rush to Ta Village,” the three said one after another.

Since they had joined the alliance, they definitely had to contribute.

Li Xiao didn’t stop them. Although a round trip for the three would take at least a day, definitely too late.

But at this time, the more manpower the better.

“Troubling the three Village Lords.”

“The situation in Ta Village is urgent; I’ll take the people from Hexi Fortress there first, you can follow later,” Li Xiao said.

Although it might be a trap, Ta Village still had to be saved.

Li Xiao looked at the sky outside; there was still at least an hour (two hours) before sunset.

Time was enough.

If it were already dark, Li Xiao would absolutely not risk sending troops.

After all, it was easier to encounter ambushes in the dark night.

But under broad daylight, the scene within a few li between Hexi Fortress and Ta Village could be seen at a glance.

After all, the western and southern parts of Jin Prefecture were mostly flat grasslands without steep mountains.

Whether there was an ambush could be discovered at a glance.

So, just be careful on the road and send more scout cavalry to reconnoiter everywhere, and there would be no problem at all.

(End of this chapter)

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