Chapter 70: Promoted Three Levels?

On this day, Xiao Simo summoned all the military leaders.

After Li Xiao received the order, he first arranged everything in the camp to guard against the Naimans sneak attacking while he was away.

Then he led a team of guards toward the Khitan camp.

However, when he was about to arrive, he found a military force appearing outside the Khitan camp.

About three or four thousand people, all cavalry, looking travel-worn.

When they saw Li Xiao and the others from a distance, they seemed not to care at all, doing their own things.

Either a few people talking together, or spreading a sheepskin on the ground and sleeping soundly.

It was a mess, with no discipline at all.

“Which division is this? Seems to have just arrived at the Golden Mountains,” Erhu looked curiously into the distance, sizing up this army carefully.

Then he discovered something funny: “These people are quite resistant to cold! Daring to enter the mountains wearing such thin clothes?”

During the day, the temperature in the mountains was still normal, but at night it could freeze a person to death.

But looking at this army, most people seemed unaware of this, basically wearing thin clothes.

Dahu shook his head gently, expressing incomprehension: “Maybe they have already prepared clothes and saved them for the night.”

Li Xiao guessed the origin of this army and said calmly: “It should be the army from the Desert.”

To fight a decisive battle with the Naimans, Xiao Simo mobilized the power of the entire Four Prefectures of the Northern Border.

The armies of the other three prefectures had all arrived, only the Desert was delayed. Xiao Simo had long issued several orders, severely reprimanding them.

Unexpectedly, the battle of the Golden Mountains had already started for several days, and the Northern Border Army was fighting worse and worse, finally seeing the shadow of the Desert Army.

“The Desert? No wonder!” Dahu and Erhu realized. The Desert was in the south, and the average temperature was much higher than Jin Prefecture.

Li Xiao also shook his head speechlessly: “I thought the army of our Jin Prefecture was already disorganized enough.”

“Didn’t expect the Desert Army to be even worse.”

The army formed by Jin Prefecture herdsmen was simply a group of bandits compared to the soldiers of later generations.

Li Xiao intended to rectify military discipline but never had the chance, preparing to start real military training after this battle ended.

But when he saw this Desert Army, he knew what it meant that there is always a higher mountain.

His experience was too little.

At least Jin Prefecture faced the threat of the Naimans, and the herdsmen were tense.

Although military discipline was lax, the folk customs were tough, and individual combat power was extremely strong.

But the Desert faced Western Xia and the Gaochang Uighurs directly, and most of the area bordering the Naiman tribe was desert.

So having not experienced war for many years, the combat power of the soldiers could be imagined.

“This group of people came for a publicly funded tour,” Li Xiao chuckled. No wonder they came so late.

If this group of Desert soldiers were pulled up, a single charge by the Naimans would be enough to scatter them.

Soon, Li Xiao arrived at Xiao Simo’s central army tent.

At this time, quite a few people had arrived early, many of whom were nomadic tribe leaders from Beihai and Jin Prefecture.

In these days, Li Xiao also got to know them, and the relationship was quite harmonious.

However, Li Xiao found a strange figure in the crowd.

Around forty years old, with a magnificent physique, smiling like Maitreya Buddha.

“Desert Commander?” Li Xiao instantly guessed this person’s identity in his heart.

Then he shook his head secretly: “This guy, let’s see how he explains to Xiao Simo later.”

Delaying military orders was not a small matter.

Before long, Xiao Simo walked in. The noise in the big tent disappeared instantly, and everyone saluted Xiao Simo.

“Great King.”

“My Lord.”

There were all kinds of languages, so behind every leader, there was basically an interpreter who could speak Khitan.

Xiao Simo wore a wolf-skin coat, his majestic face scanning everyone in the big tent.

Anyone could see he was in a very bad mood.

Finally, Xiao Simo looked at the Desert Commander and said: “Jaugu Yachi, this King ordered you to arrive in Jin Prefecture before July 12th.”

“Why the delay until now?”

“Also, this King’s order was for the Desert to send five thousand troops. How many did you bring? Three thousand?”

Listening to Xiao Simo’s severe reprimand, everyone’s eyes turned to the Desert Commander in the very center.

Knowing in their hearts that this was the protagonist of today’s meeting.

“My Lord, please allow me to report. This lowly general also has difficulties,” Jaugu Yachi said with a panicked face.

“It is really because my Desert is not peaceful either. Several Karluk tribes rebelled too. This lowly general could only suppress them first.”

“And on the way to Jin Prefecture, we encountered sandstorms for many consecutive days.”

“This lowly general is incompetent.”

Jaugu Yachi looked helpless, and the reasons were indeed sufficient.

However, Xiao Simo smiled coldly: “Finished?”

Jaugu Yachi nodded gently, starting to feel a bit flustered in his heart.

But he saw Xiao Simo wave his hand and say: “Alright, this King will let you meet someone.”

Saying that, the tent flap was lifted, and a man walked in.

Around thirty years old, wearing a round-collar robe, with a sallow face and a goatee, his small eyes narrowing.

Walking to the center of the big tent, he saluted Xiao Simo: “Subject, Gu Zizhong pays respects to my Lord.”

Although speaking Khitan, Li Xiao knew it was a Han person as soon as he heard the name.

Seeing Gu Zizhong, Jaugu Yachi’s face became particularly surprised, then angry.

Eyes seemingly about to spew fire, staring at him: “Gu Zizhong, you dare to betray me?”

“Gu was originally a subordinate of Lord Xiao, ordered to approach you, so where does betrayal come from?”

“Gu has always been loyal to Lord Xiao,” the man shook his head carelessly and said.

Hearing this, Jaugu Yachi couldn’t hold back directly.

Roaring angrily: “Gu Zizhong, I’ll kill you.”

For more than two years, he had taken Gu Zizhong as a confidant, hiding many secrets.

Meaning, everything he did was under Xiao Simo’s nose.

Including this dispatch of troops, there was no Karluk rebellion in the Desert at all, nor any sandstorm.

It was just Jaugu Yachi deliberately slowing down, wanting the Naimans to consume Xiao Simo’s strength.

And he had always maintained contact with the Royal Court, perhaps even carrying Yelü Zhilugu’s secret decree.

“Take him down!”

Xiao Simo waved his hand, and the prepared personal guards immediately swarmed up, controlling Jaugu Yachi directly.

“Xiao Simo, I am the Desert Commander personally appointed by the Gurkhan; you have no right to arrest me.”

“You are rebelling; the Gurkhan will not let you off.” Jaugu Yachi kept shouting.

Xiao Simo remained indifferent.

Knowing long ago that Jaugu Yachi was not a neutralist on the surface but a person of the Royal Court, Xiao Simo had been plotting secretly.

Before becoming the Eastern Capital Garrison Commissioner, he sent people to infiltrate, and today he finally closed the net.

“Behead!”

Xiao Simo shouted in a cold and fierce voice.

Subsequently, Jaugu Yachi was dragged out of the big tent amidst roars and pleas for mercy.

“Sir has worked hard,” Xiao Simo nodded slightly to Gu Zizhong.

“This is the subject’s duty.”

Immediately after, Xiao Simo ordered: “General Xiao Tuolatu.”

“Here.”

“The Desert Army temporarily belongs to your command.”

“Yes, sir.”

After speaking, Xiao Tuolatu strode out of the big tent to take over the Desert Army.

Avoiding chaos in the Desert Army caused by Jaugu Yachi’s matter.

Li Xiao stood below, witnessing the whole process.

In his heart, he applauded Xiao Simo’s move.

Barring accidents, Xiao Tuolatu would be the next Desert Commander.

This position could be considered a high-ranking official governing a region; Xiao Tuolatu himself would definitely be satisfied.

And once he left, the army originally under his command would definitely be handed over to others.

Xiao Simo then had a position to promote the young people he favored.

At the same time, he thoroughly grasped the Desert in his hands.

“This Karluk rebellion can be considered played perfectly by Xiao Simo,” Li Xiao marveled secretly in his heart.

Suppressing the Karluks, solving the Naiman threat, taking back the Desert, threatening Jin Prefecture to register households with military force, completing the replacement of Six Divisions generals, and also consuming the military strength of Beihai nomadic tribes to enhance control over Beihai.

Killing six birds with one stone.

Li Xiao had to admit that in terms of political means, he was still a beginner.

Compared with an old schemer like Xiao Simo, he was still too kind.

Heart not black enough.

Before long, a personal guard walked in carrying Zhaoguyachi’s head.

Anger and unwillingness still remained on the ferocious face covered in blood.

Xiao Simo showed the head to everyone, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.

“We are all people of the Northern Border, a whole.”

“If anyone dares to be half-hearted and disobey military orders, this is the fate.” Xiao Simo shouted in a deep voice to everyone.

“In front of us is the Golden Mountains. Crossing it, millions of fat cattle and sheep in the Naiman tribe, tens of thousands of beautiful women, will all be ours to plunder.”

…

Jaugu Yachi was just a tool to scare the monkeys, warning these military leaders who wanted to preserve their strength not to think of fishing in troubled waters.

Whoever refused to exert effort would be the next Jaugu Yachi.

Of course, there was prestige and also rewards.

Xiao Simo announced directly that whoever could breach the Golden Mountains defense line first would be promoted three levels directly.

Then a pile of rewards like cattle, sheep, slaves, etc.

In short, painting a big picture, trying to breach the Golden Mountains as quickly as possible and eliminate the effective strength of the Naimans.

“Promoted three levels?” Li Xiao murmured in his heart; the pie was big.

But Li Xiao suddenly realized a problem. Western Liao implemented the system of nine ranks of officials under the premise of implementing the Northern and Southern official systems.

What rank was a Commander?

What rank was his Thousand Household?

Xiao Simo came up with this stuff himself; ranks hadn’t been stipulated yet.

Thinking like this, he was instantly speechless.

Not becoming a Commander, even promoting five levels, so what?

Li Xiao looked down on things in the pile of civil officials.

He wanted to be promoted toCommander!

(End of this chapter)