Chapter 74: Wait for Me to Come Back

“By the Chile Plain, below the Yin Mountain.”

“The sky is like a yurt, covering the four fields.”

“The sky is vast and gray, the wilderness is boundless; wind blows, grass bends, and cattle and sheep appear.”

…

The wind of the Northern Border was cold and desolate, as if it could cut open the curtain of time, revealing that magnificent and boundless picture.

Before dawn, Li Xiao rode his horse on the vast Altai Mountains, his heart full of pride, singing this Song of Chile loudly.

Although this song described the scenery below the Yin Mountain, Li Xiao felt it perfectly matched the beauty of all grassland scenery.

Every word resonated with the pulse of the grassland; every sentence seemed to depict the magnificent and vigorous scenery of the Northern Border. That was his deepest love for this land in his heart.

The sky of the Northern Border was endless, covering the earth like a lid. Grasslands and mountains were everywhere.

Heaven and earth extended around him, seemingly endless.

Only the undulating Altai Mountains, like ancient giants guarding this land, were boundless and straight.

When the faint light of the sun fell on the earth, the army under Li Xiao had already set out, galloping toward the vast northern land.

Standing on a hillside, Li Xiao looked down at the teams of cavalry passing by his feet. The sunlight seemed to drape a layer of golden gauze over them.

Everyone marched silently. The sound of horse hooves was dull and rhythmic, stepping on the soft grass like the steady heartbeat of the earth.

The cavalrymen’s sheepskin coats were wet with morning dew, shining with fine light in the glimmer. Every step forward seemed to measure the distance between this vast grassland and the unknown journey.

At the same time, on another hillside not far away, the figure of a woman riding a horse slowly emerged.

Her posture was as straight as a poplar, plated with a layer of warm yellow by the sunlight, making her outline even softer and more beautiful.

Her long hair flew wantonly in the wind like black silk; a few strands gently brushed her slightly flushed cheeks.

The colorful dress she wore, embroidered with patterns symbolizing auspiciousness, condensed the blessings of the grassland. At this moment, it swayed gently in the wind, as if singing softly for the person going far away.

At this moment, Li Xiao seemed to sense something and turned slightly to look back.

His gaze crossed the long grassland, looking straight at the opposite hillside, meeting the woman’s gaze in the air.

In this instant, time seemed to stand still; a thousand words flowed in their eyes.

“Xiao Yanyan..” Li Xiao murmured softly.

He didn’t expect Xiao Yanyan would come to see him off.

Also, the clothes she wore today were very beautiful.

The person was even more beautiful.

At this moment, Xiao Yanyan’s eyes were completely fixed on Li Xiao. Her lips trembled slightly, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately she just bit her lower lip tightly.

Everyone’s emotions seemed to converge into four words.

“Come back alive.”

And a trace of fluctuation flashed in Li Xiao’s eyes too. His mouth moved slightly, murmuring: “Wait for me to come back.”

Immediately, he turned his head firmly, tightened the reins in his hand, and urged the warhorse to keep up with the team’s pace.

As the cavalrymen went further and further away, Li Xiao’s figure could no longer be found in her field of vision.

Xiao Yanyan’s expression of hope and reluctance became slightly desolate.

Subsequently, drum-like hoofbeats sounded. Xiao Simo rode up, holding a large wolf-skin coat in his hand, and gently draped it over Xiao Yanyan.

“The wind in the valley is cold in the morning; don’t catch a cold.”

Feeling the warmth from the wolf-skin coat, Xiao Yanyan’s gaze seemed unfocused, just staring blankly at the gradually receding cavalry team.

“He will come back, right?” Xiao Yanyan murmured.

“Generals die in a hundred battles; no one knows if Heaven will take him,” Xiao Simo said in a deep voice.

This mission was indeed dangerous. Li Xiao’s lone army entering the Naiman territory, a slight carelessness would lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

But speaking of it, it was funny. Xiao Simo, as the Eastern Capital Garrison Commissioner and Grand King of the Six Divisions, had a prominent status and many troops under his command.

But now Li Xiao had become the only general under him who could be put forward.

Because this task of crossing the Alai Ridge was too important.

If Khitan troops were chosen, Xiao Simo worried about a betrayal.

Once this mission was leaked, the ancient road of the Alai Ridge would be completely blocked.

Conquering the Altai Mountains would become indefinitely postponed.

So Xiao Simo couldn’t afford to lose; he could only trust a Han person like Li Xiao who had no ties with the Royal Court.

“It’s a pity he is not a Khitan.”

Xiao Simo looked at the receding back of the army and suddenly shook his head and sighed.

In his eyes, Li Xiao possessed both wisdom and courage, was capable in battle, and although young, his methods were shrewd, convincing a group of battle-hardened veterans.

This was a genius born for the battlefield.

What a pity..

If he were a Khitan, Xiao Simo would even consider marrying his sister to him.

But Xiao Yanyan was unhappy hearing this.

Her head turned instantly, staring straight at Xiao Simo and saying: “What’s wrong with Han people?”

“Are Han people not people of our Great Liao?”

“Didn’t Empress Dowager Chengtian marry a Han person too?”

Empress Dowager Chengtian was Xiao Chuo.

During her regency, she personally led the army south and signed the Chanyuan Treaty with the Song State.

But what she was most remembered for in her life was falling in love with the Han Prime Minister of the time, Han Derang, when she was Empress Dowager.

And she held a small banquet for some relatives and friends, holding a wedding to marry Han Derang.

Of course, there were also rumors that Xiao Chuo and Han Derang were childhood sweethearts, and this was rekindling old love.

But regardless, in Xiao Yanyan’s eyes, Empress Dowager Chengtian was a great woman.

She was the object of her lifelong worship and learning.

What Empress Dowager Chengtian could do, she, Xiao Yanyan, could do too.

But seeing Xiao Yanyan like a tigress protecting her cub at this moment, Xiao Simo’s heart broke into pieces.

How could he not know Xiao Yanyan’s thoughts?

It was just that Li Xiao was a Han person, and his origin was too low, his status insufficient; he simply wasn’t qualified to marry into the Xiao family.

“Hmph, wait until Li Xiao reaches Han Derang’s step!” Xiao Simo said, forcing himself to be cold.

“Fine!” Xiao Yanyan also snorted lightly.

“Then after Li Xiao comes back this time and establishes merit, you let him be the Jin Prefecture Governor-General.”

“What?”

Hearing this, Xiao Simo was stunned instantly.

“Impossible.”

Jin Prefecture Governor-General?

Li Xiao was so young and a Han person. If he became the Jin Prefecture Governor-General, what would those old generals who had followed the Xiao family since Xiao Wolila’s time think?

…

When the army set out, the marching route definitely couldn’t be in the mountains.

After leaving the camp, Li Xiao led the people all the way northwest, soon arriving on the Jin Prefecture grassland.

The terrain instantly became open; if danger was encountered, they could respond in advance.

Most importantly, this was already considered the rear area.

“Everyone, follow closely behind the person in front of you, recognize the color of your team, don’t fall behind.”

“Shit and piss on horseback; without orders, no one is allowed to leave the team.”

During the march, messengers ran back and forth from time to time, loudly reminding these soldiers not to get scattered.

What soldiers in this era lacked was organization. Just walking on a mountain road, dozens of people would fall behind.

Scattering while walking.

But Li Xiao ordered forcefully that unless resting collectively, even shitting had to be done hanging on the horse’s back; no one was allowed to fall behind.

Violators would receive twenty heavy strokes of the plank.

Committing it three times, direct beheading.

“Da Long, your method is really good. If anyone falls behind, it can be discovered at a glance.”

“And when it really comes to fighting, it’s also easy to distinguish friend from foe,” Luo Ping marveled.

During the army’s march, Li Xiao and the others were standing on a high slope, carefully supervising the soldiers.

They found that the marching team became very natural, and even if someone fell behind, it was easy to distinguish.

Because around every soldier’s neck, a cloth strip was tied.

Depending on the Thousand Household they belonged to, the cloth strips were divided into three colors.

Walking at the very front were the people led by Li Dashan; every soldier had a red cloth tied around their neck.

At the front of the team was a person carrying a red flag.

In the middle were the troops led by Li Xiao personally; every soldier had a yellow cloth strip tied around their neck.

Finally, the people led by Luo Ping; the cloth strips were blue.

Three colors, clear and distinct.

Once someone in front fell behind and mixed into the back with a different color, it could be discovered at a glance, followed by twenty strokes from the military judge.

This method indeed greatly reduced the frequency of soldiers falling behind and saved time for reorganizing the team.

“Although none of the soldiers are stupid, their comprehension abilities vary.”

“Can’t expect them to understand every order directly, but they can recognize colors. Just follow closely those with the same color.” Li Xiao said in a calm voice.

Mainly because this was a temporarily formed army, and the sources of soldiers were diverse and different.

Language, appearance, and dressing style were all hard to distinguish.

A few days of training couldn’t make them familiar with each other at all.

On the battlefield, once these soldiers couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, it would definitely be dangerous.

So Li Xiao used cloth strips to mark identity. Soldiers only needed to see people with cloth strips of these three colors around their necks to know they were their own people.

Even if scattered, as long as people of the same color gathered together, they could quickly reorganize combat effectiveness.

No choice; the current Li Xiao simply couldn’t unify the soldiers’ attire.

Could only substitute with these cloth strips.

And the choice of these three colors was also very particular.

Red, yellow, and blue are the three primary colors, with the strongest visual impact.

simply put, the most conspicuous.

Soldiers could see it at a glance, without even needing secondary thinking to screen.

In contrast, white would become somewhat ‘invisible’ when the sunlight was strong, and black was unfavorable for night combat.

The three primary colors were just right.

“Let the soldiers keep up; no one fall behind.”

“Before sunset, arrive at Northern Mang Mountain to rest,” Li Xiao ordered loudly.

(End of this chapter)