Chapter 75: Suppression

The Alai Ridge was one of the highest peaks in the southern Altai Mountains.

Towering into the clouds, with rugged rocks, it was like a giant arm extended from the earth, piercing straight into the sky.

On the surface of the mountain, traces of time were clearly visible. Ravines were like wrinkles on a giant’s face, recording the long changes of time.

And just between two peaks, a deep valley was hidden within, like a profound wound torn open by time on the earth.

The mountain walls on both sides were as vertical as if cleaved by axes and chopped by knives. The rock surfaces were covered with sharp edges, just like the ghastly sharp teeth in a giant beast’s mouth, daunting to behold.

“Alai Ridge Pass.”

Li Xiao stopped outside the pass, unable to see the end of the valley at all.

Behind him was a group of cavalry wearing leather armor, holding long spears, looking solemn. The hoofbeats of warhorses echoed in the valley, sounding exceptionally dull.

Compared with the towering peaks, the cavalry appeared so insignificant, like a group of ants crawling at the feet of a giant.

“I didn’t expect such a mountain path to be hidden here,” Li Dashan said in surprise.

“The terrain is truly precipitous,” Luo Ping also exclaimed.

“Just setting up an ambush on each of the two peaks, even if he has an army of a hundred thousand, it would be of no avail.”

Indeed!

Li Xiao nodded gently. According to historical records, in the autumn of 1204, Temujin chased the Merkits to the Alai Ridge.

His hatred with the Merkits was the kind that would never end until death, vowing to exterminate the Merkit clan.

Unfortunately, at that time, the Merkits occupied the favorable terrain and defended without coming out. Temujin’s army attacked many times but returned without success, suffering heavy casualties instead.

From this, one could see how precipitous the terrain of the Alai Ridge was; completely a case of ‘one man guarding the pass, ten thousand cannot open it’.

In the end, Temujin decided to wait it out with the Merkits in the Alai Ridge.

After a winter, the Merkits in the Alai Ridge suffered from cold and hunger, and their combat power was greatly damaged.

In the spring of the second year, when Temujin launched an attack, the Merkits collapsed without fighting.

Thinking of this matter, Li Xiao seemed lost in thought, but a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Merkits!”

As long as they were Temujin’s enemies, Li Xiao would treat them as close friends.

The Merkits fighting to the death with Temujin at the Alai Ridge—how could Li Xiao not come to help out given this opportunity?

If he could take the opportunity to kill Temujin, that would be winning the jackpot.

“Pass the order down, the whole army rests,” Li Xiao said to the messenger.

When the messenger left to deliver the order, Li Xiao’s gaze turned to Chen Erqiang.

“Uncle, take people to climb up the peaks on both sides to see if there are enemy ambushes.”

“Yes!” Chen Erqiang nodded and said, then went to assign manpower.

Immediately after, Li Xiao ordered Lin Dazhuang: “Take a team into the valley. If the situation is wrong, return immediately.”

“Yes.”

After dispatching all the reconnaissance troops, Li Xiao arranged for the soldiers to eat and rest.

But soon, Li Xiao heard a noisy sound coming from the team behind.

It seemed to become somewhat chaotic.

“Dahu, go see what’s going on,” Li Xiao said, eating a barbarian biscuit (hubing) and swallowing a mouthful of mountain stream water.

“Yes!”

Dahu mounted his horse and returned shortly after, reporting the situation to Li Xiao.

“Hehe, a bunch of soft eggs, trash.”

Li Xiao sneered and shook his head after listening.

He had expected this situation long ago; otherwise, why would he bring those people along?

So he stuffed the unfinished biscuit into the pocket on the horse’s back, mounted his horse, and led his personal guards toward the rear.

In the distance were towering peaks and the deep ancient road, while on both sides were undulating hills and grass covering the mountains and plains.

On a hillside, a group of soldiers with yellow cloth strips tied around their necks were shouting loudly, conflicting with their Section Leaders and Hundred Households.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“You must give us an explanation, otherwise we won’t go anywhere.”

“Right, we absolutely won’t go to die.”

There were more than a dozen of these army ruffians gathered together, their momentum not weak at all.

“Wang Hu, are you fucking looking for death?”

“Soldiers follow orders and do whatever the Thousand Household tells us to do!”

“Why need to give you an explanation?” A man shouted loudly with a ferocious face.

His name was Li Sanhe, the son of Li Xiao’s Third Grandfather, currently serving as a Hundred Household.

He was confronting Wang Hu and the others with a group of people from Hexi Fortress.

“I used to be a horse bandit, and I didn’t even give a damn about the Governor-General’s orders!”

“A tiny Thousand Household, still a babe not yet weaned, what does he count for?”

After Wang Hu finished speaking, the companions behind him burst into laughter.

Although in these few days, they ate well and drank well, and didn’t have to fight the Naimans, living a very comfortable life.

But Wang Hu, who had been a horse bandit for so many years, knew clearly that showing hospitality without cause means either evil or theft.

Maybe they wanted them to fight desperately with the Naimans.

He hadn’t lived enough yet, so naturally, it was impossible.

He originally thought of escaping halfway and returning to the Desert to continue being a horse bandit.

But unexpectedly, Li Xiao’s team was not loose at all during the march, giving him no chance to slip away secretly.

Seeing they were going further and further, maybe about to reach Naiman territory, Wang Hu couldn’t hold back anymore, so he secretly contacted some unruly army ruffians and started to make trouble.

“I think you are seeking death.” Li Sanhe was instantly furious, holding a spear, wanting to teach this bastard a lesson.

But at this moment, a burst of low warhorse roars came from the distance.

Li Xiao arrived with his men, wearing leather armor, holding a horse lance, with a cold and stern face, galloping on the mountain grassland.

In an instant, he rushed into everyone’s field of vision like a black lightning bolt.

“Who dares to rebel against superiors?”

Li Xiao shouted violently, his gaze sharp as a falcon’s, sweeping straight towards Wang Hu.

This person’s originally arrogant arrogance was instantly suppressed by the powerful aura emanating from Li Xiao, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

But Li Xiao’s warhorse speed didn’t stop at all. The horse lance in his hand radiated sharp cold light, charging straight at Wang Hu and the others.

“What do you want to do?”

Wang Hu and the others were shocked, looking at the approaching Li Xiao, they panicked one after another.

But in the next second, the horse lance in Li Xiao’s hand stabbed out directly. Accompanied by a scream, a large hole was instantly torn open in Wang Hu’s chest.

Neigh~

Li Xiao reined in abruptly. The warhorse’s front hooves rose high, letting out a neigh, then landed steadily.

Immediately after, the powerful strength of his arm lifted the horse lance high directly. Wang Hu, not yet completely dead, was held high in mid-air like a flag.

“Ahhhhh~”

Miserable screams resounded through the valley, and blood dripped down continuously like rain in mid-air.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt their bodies turn cold, shuddering all over.

Li Xiao looked down condescendingly at the group of people who followed Wang Hu in rebellion, his voice low but revealing unquestionable majesty: “Arrest them all.”

As his voice fell, Li Sanhe led people to act, rushing up directly.

Awed by Li Xiao’s terrifying power, those people dared not resist in the slightest.

Immediately, Li Xiao threw Wang Hu on the ground like throwing garbage.

Thud!

Soon after, Li Xiao stood on a high slope on horseback, looking down at the gathering soldiers below, the horse lance in his hand still dripping blood continuously.

Those who rebelled were all bound and kneeling on the ground.

“You are all elites I personally selected from an army of more than twenty thousand.”

Li Xiao shouted loudly to the many soldiers, directly crowning them with the title of elite warriors.

The soldiers looked at Li Xiao’s figure, silent, but a touch of confidence unconsciously flowed from their bodies.

That was recognition and affirmation from a superior.

“But some people are greedy for life and afraid of death, shrinking from battle.”

“Intending to provoke military morale and rebel against superiors.”

“According to military law, behead.”

As his voice fell, Li Xiao waved the horse lance in his hand. Immediately, Li Sanhe led people to execute the punishment personally.

Amidst the terrified pleas for mercy and loud curses of those rebels, their heads were cut off directly.

This scene instantly scared the surrounding soldiers silly.

The scene suddenly became terribly silent; fear and rejoicing flashed across the soldiers’ faces.

Fortunately, they didn’t listen to the bewitchment of Wang Hu and those people before; otherwise, they would have almost died too.

Very satisfied with the effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, Li Xiao nodded gently.

He continued: “You might have guessed it already, yes we are indeed going to fight the Naimans.”

“Crossing this valley is the territory of the Naimans.”

Following the direction Li Xiao’s horse lance pointed, everyone looked at the deep valley, their hearts inevitably nervous and apprehensive about the future.

“But, I am not taking you to die.”

“Instead, I am taking you to establish merit, get rich, and snatch women.”

Li Xiao shouted loudly: “The main force of the Naimans has been dragged in the south by Lord Xiao’s army and now the Naiman territory is empty.”

“Almost no troops guarding it. We just need to cross this valley, and no one can block our sharpness anymore.”

“The cattle and sheep left at home by the Naimans are ours!”

“The women in their tents will also be at your disposal!”

“Finish fighting this battle, and your identity will no longer be slaves, no longer sheep slaves.”

“You will own enough cattle and sheep, and there will be several more Naiman women in your tents to bear sons for you.”

…

“Now, who still wants to leave?”

Li Xiao spoke until his mouth was dry, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

Asked by him like this, naturally no one dared to propose the idea of leaving. After all, the heads of Wang Hu and the others were still warm.

No one dared to act as the bird that sticks its head out.

And most soldiers settled down one after another; even a trace of longing appeared on their faces.

Moved by the beautiful picture depicted by Li Xiao.

Many of them were destitute slaves and sheep slaves. Many even had no women willing to follow them due to low status and insufficient money.

Now, with such an opportunity to get rich overnight, they were naturally moved.

Of course, this was also because Li Xiao selected a group of honest and simple men; they didn’t lack the drive to fight desperately.

If they were the kind of people who were smart on the surface but timid and cowardly inside, the effect of Li Xiao’s words would be greatly discounted.

In short, through Li Xiao’s means of killing the chicken to scare the monkey and applying both kindness and severity, the morale of this army was stabilized.

They were no longer so resistant to the upcoming battle in the Naiman territory.

Finally, the soldiers returned under the leadership of their respective Section Leaders and continued to eat and rest; nothing else happened in between.

Li Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief secretly in his heart.

After all, this was a temporarily assembled army, although they were all honest and simple men.

But with many people, human hearts become different.

Fortunately, through some means, Li Xiao temporarily condensed the military heart.

Next, continuous victories were needed for this temporarily assembled army to truly transform into an iron cavalry.

(End of this chapter)