novelAbuy Chapter 47 Though Died, the Iron Falcon Remains
Chapter 47 Though Died, the Iron Falcon Remains
Yelü Deguang held Shulü Ping in awe and followed his mother's wishes in everything he did, and there was a reason for it.
Eight years ago, Yelü Abaoji died in Fuyu Prefecture of Bohai Kingdom. He died abroad and a new ruler had not yet been established. Shulü Ping summoned the wives of the generals and chieftains who were difficult to control, and said to them, "I am now a widow. You must follow my example."
The noble ladies were bewildered. Why should they be expected to follow suit when your husband has died? How could they possibly follow suit? They had no idea they had become hostages.
Shulü Ping then summoned her husbands and tearfully asked, "Do you all miss the late Emperor?"
The crowd naturally replied, "We have received the late emperor's favor; how could we not remember it!"
Shulu Ping followed suit and said, "If you really think about it, you should go and see him."
They then killed the chieftain and several hundred of his generals.
Since this tactic was so effective, whenever there were any cunning individuals among his men, Shulü Ping would say, "Please convey my message to the late Emperor."
Upon reaching the tomb, they would kill them; the number of those killed was in the hundreds.
The only time they failed was when they encountered a Han Chinese general who had surrendered, Zhao Siwen from Lulong.
When she tried to use the same trick again, asking Zhao Siwen to "go and convey a message to the late emperor," she was met with an unexpected rebuttal.
Zhao Siwen calmly replied, "No one is closer to me than the Empress. If the Empress goes, I will follow."
Many nobles held their breath, watching to see how Shu Lüping would react.
Having spun his own cocoon, Shulu Ping made a decision in an instant, and in full view of everyone, he decisively swung his sword and cut off his own right wrist!
The severed hand fell to the ground, and Shulu Ping ordered it to be placed in the tomb. He calmly said, "It is not that I do not wish to follow the late emperor in the underworld, but my heir is young and weak, and the country is without a ruler, so I cannot go."
Whether it was forcing chieftains and ministers to commit suicide or her ruthless act of cutting off her own wrist, the royal family, high-ranking officials, and all the civil and military officials couldn't help but fear this woman like the plague.
Relying on Yelü Abaoji's prestige and the tradition of funerary sacrifice, Shulü Ping unleashed a reign of terror, ruthlessly eliminating dissidents and finally stabilizing the situation for his son.
When she wanted to establish her second son, the current Khitan emperor Yelü Deguang, Shulü Ping ordered him and her eldest son Yelü Bei to stand on horseback in front of the tent, and said to the chieftains: "I love both of my sons, but I do not know which one to establish. You should choose the one who is suitable and hold the reins."
Yelü Bei was the emperor, and Yelü Abaoji had designated him as the successor. If Yelü Abaoji wanted to make him his heir, there would be no need for such a complicated process.
The chieftains knew perfectly well what was going on and, fearing Shulü Ping's brutal methods, eagerly grabbed Yelü Deguang's horse reins and shouted, "We are willing to serve the Marshal and the Crown Prince!"
Shulü Ping, following the will of the people, established Yelü Deguang as the Heavenly Emperor.
The decision to abandon the eldest son and choose the second son, besides the conflict between Sinicization and Khitan tradition, had another underlying reason.
Yelü Bei's principal wife, Lady Xiao, came from the Bali tribe, the former maternal uncle of the emperor, and had no children. His other concubine, Lady Xiao, came from a lowly family. Her clan was imprisoned in Wali for murdering Yelü Shilu, the third uncle of Abaoji.
Wali was similar to the place where officials managed slaves in the Central Plains' brothels. She had borne a child for Yelü Bei and would eventually rise to power. Yelü Ping, with his long-term vision, could not tolerate the future empress's throne falling into the hands of such a woman.
Yelü Deguang married Xiao Wen, the daughter of Xiao Shilu, who was Shulü Ping's half-brother. Comparing the two, it is self-evident who Shulü Ping would support.
Yelü Abaoji admired Han learning, called himself the Heavenly Emperor (or simply Heavenly Emperor), his empress the Earthly Empress, and his crown prince the Human Emperor.
The three powers of Heaven, Earth, and Man are the foundation of the Book of Changes: the way of Heaven is Yin and Yang; the way of Earth is softness and hardness; and the way of Man is benevolence and righteousness.
There are eight combinations of these three elements, forming the image of the Eight Trigrams.
The Khitan, encompassing yin and yang, strength and gentleness, benevolence and righteousness, have great ambitions and can no longer be regarded as an ordinary barbarian tribe; they are truly a formidable enemy of the Central Plains.
……
Xiazhou.
Upon receiving the military report of the loss of Suizhou, Li Yichao, the military governor of Dingnan Army, hurriedly summoned his third brother, Li Yiyin, who was serving as the military commander, to discuss the matter.
Li Yichao and Li Yiyin were brothers born of the same mother. After their father Li Renfu died, he was posthumously honored as the Prince of Guo. His principal wife, Lady Du, was granted the title of Grand Lady of Wu. They had five sons: Yiwen, Yichao, Yiyin, Yijin, and Yiyun.
Li Renfu also had sons with his concubine, Li Yimin and Li Yijun being the youngest. (Note 1)
"Father was so blind. He entrusted Suizhou to those two incompetent brats on his deathbed. Sure enough, things turned out badly."
Li Yiyin's attempt to stop Gao Xingzhou from building the city failed, resulting in the loss of his troops and the betrayal of his subordinates, leading to the loss of Suizhou. Li Yiyin then loudly mocked his half-brother.
He was robust and had a very strong voice. Despite his young age, he had a large belly, making him look quite prosperous. (Note 2)
"Let's not talk about Li Yimin and the others for now."
Li Yichao was only in his early thirties and much more mature than his younger brother: "The imperial court failed to relocate the garrison last year, and Gao Xingzhou, who was newly appointed as the commander of Zhangwu Army, has only been in office for a little over a month. He has already built fortifications on the border and plotted to seize my Suizhou. His intentions are sinister."
Although he knew nothing about Gao Xingzhou's strategic plans and Fu Yanqing and Yang Hongxin's actions did not arouse enough vigilance, Li Yichao subconsciously had already vaguely sensed that they were targeting him.
Last year, by relying on a scorched-earth policy, light cavalry raids, and impregnable cities, they forced back a 50,000-strong punitive army. However, the matter did not end there.
Since the court refuses to let me off the hook, then don't blame me for being disloyal.
Li Yiyin's voice boomed: "The Han people have always been ungrateful and bully the weak while fearing the strong. If they anger me, I'll simply surrender to the Khitan, slaughter all the Han dogs in the Northwest, and leave only us Tanguts alive. Wouldn't that be more satisfying and swift?"
Li Yichao stopped his brother's crazy idea: "It hasn't come to that extreme yet. Gao Xingzhou's release of Yijun shows that he doesn't intend to completely break ties. Building a city within the territory is an internal matter of the Zhangwu Army, and he also claims that the Suizhou mutiny has nothing to do with him, so he's seemingly clean-cut."
"Brother, it could also be a delaying tactic!"
Li Yiyin stumbled upon the truth by accident.
"If he does the first thing, I can do the fifteenth."
Li Yichao smiled calmly: "I've heard that the imperial court is busy suppressing the Prince of Lu, and all its military forces have been transferred to Fengxiang Prefecture. My Xia Prefecture's military strength surpasses that of Yan Prefecture. If we send all our troops to pacify Sui Prefecture and 'incidentally' occupy the fortifications he built, what can they do to me?"
"Haha, good, good."
The journey to Xia Prefecture was long, and news of Li Congke turning the tide and advancing into the capital had not yet reached him. Upon hearing his brother's plan, Li Yiyin clapped his hands and laughed, "Gao Xingzhou has worked in vain. Consider this city as something he built for us. Let him suffer in silence, unable to express his bitterness."
He thought of something and reminded him, "Even if the imperial court is powerless to intervene, what if the Zhenwu Army comes to our aid? Gao Xingzhou was just transferred here from there, so there's probably some kinship between us."
"When my father was alive, there were rumors that we were colluding with the Khitans." (Note 3)
Li Yichao said sinisterly, "This time it's not just a rumor. I've already sent a letter to the Khitan Emperor, asking him to take advantage of the chaos and head south. At that time, the border will be engulfed in flames, and the Zhenwu Army will have no time to worry about this side."
Li Yiyin clapped his hands in delight, but then thought for a moment and said, "Yijun suffered a defeat, and although it was due to his incompetence, the fighting strength of the Zhangwu army should not be underestimated. Brother, we must be careful."
"Brother Yin, come with me, I have something to show you."
Li Yichao immediately gave the order and led Li Yiyin to a drill ground to review the troops.
……
The drill ground was heavily guarded on all sides, with soldiers armed with guns and halberds surrounding it so tightly that no one could get close enough to even peek inside.
Six riders lined up side by side, fifty in a row, clearly three hundred iron cavalry!
"The regional military governors in the Central Plains all establish their own private armies, selecting the strongest and most elite soldiers. Brother Yin, what do you think of this force?"
The riders were clad in heavy armor, their faces obscured, and they were all strong men, riding tall, powerful horses.
Recovering from the initial shock, Li Yiyin exclaimed, "What a formidable heavy cavalry!"
The Tanguts originated from the Western Qiang and were known for their light cavalry and archery skills. It's no wonder that Li Yiyin was surprised by the sudden appearance of a heavily armed cavalry force.
What surprised him even more was his brother's deep cunning; when the imperial army besieged Xia Prefecture last year, he didn't see this cavalry force being dispatched to fight.
"That's for protecting you and me in case the city falls and we have to break through."
Li Yichao sighed and ordered his men to place a suit of armor fifty paces away and shoot it with a powerful crossbow.
Ding!
The arrow could not penetrate it and fell to the ground. Upon examining the armor, it was found to be iron-colored and bluish-black, so clear that even the hairs on it could be seen.
Li Yiyin drew his sword and slashed, leaving only a shallow mark. He exclaimed, "Truly a treasure! If three hundred men wore this armor, they could kill the enemy without being injured, charging and fighting relentlessly. Who could stand against them?"
Li Yichao smiled slightly and passed on the order.
Where the general's flags flutter, rows of cavalrymen gallop across the battlefield, practicing their clashes with the enemy.
With each rise and fall of hooves, the horses galloped back and forth in a flash, covering the distance from one end of the training ground to the other in an instant, their momentum as swift as lightning and the clouds.
Despite being a heavy cavalry unit, it possessed the agility of a light cavalry unit; fine horses and superb horsemanship were both indispensable.
"By pooling the resources of Xia Prefecture and the efforts of several generations of my ancestors, we have accumulated hundreds of sets of fine armor and hundreds of top-quality horses, which were then given to the sons and trusted confidants of powerful chieftains to create these three hundred riders."
Li Yichao sighed, "If we had ten times that number, what would we have to worry about not being able to dominate the world!" (Note 4)
"It's enough to deal with Gao Xingzhou. With tens of thousands of light cavalry and three hundred heavy cavalry, crushing the Zhangwu army will be a piece of cake."
"Very well, this battle will determine the fate of the Li family. I will personally lead the army into battle. I don't trust anyone else. You and I are brothers from the same mother, so how about you, Brother Yin, concurrently serve as the commander of the cavalry and lead this force?"
"I'm willing to do my best for my elder brother!"
Li Yiyin was overjoyed: "What should we call this cavalry unit?"
He suggested, "If one is clad in iron armor and charges swiftly like a hawk swooping down on a bird, how about calling him 'Iron Hawk'?"
Li Yichao also thought the name was good and nodded in agreement.
He pointed to the horse's belly: "Brother Yin, look more closely."
Li Yiyin looked closely and discovered that the riders and their horses were all connected by ropes and hooks, which is why the six riders advanced and retreated together, an unstoppable force.
"Not only were they heavily armored and difficult to break, but their horses were also intertwined with hooks and ropes, so even if one died on horseback, he would not fall off. Hence, they were also called 'linked horses'."
Li Yichao was brimming with confidence: "When autumn arrives and the horses are fat and the provisions are plentiful, the Khitan will send troops to graze their horses in the northern border. At that time, our entire Xia Prefecture army will be deployed, and we can recapture Sui Prefecture in one battle, then annex Yan Prefecture, thus establishing the hegemony of the Tangut Li family!"