Chapter 16: Building Castles in the Air, a Company Commander?

After speaking with the elder, Li Xiao took a group of men down to the river.

In truth, they would have eventually come to this spot anyway to clean up, as the Karluks and the Khitans had left behind plenty of valuable spoils; Hexi Fort had no reason to let such things go to waste.

Upon reaching the riverside, the scene was equally grim. Over twenty corpses lay strewn about the bank, most of them Khitan. In the river, a dozen more bodies were soaking, the majority being Karluks. Blood stained the water and the grass, while ownerless horses grazed nearby, as if the carnage unfolding before them had nothing to do with them.

"My condolences," Li Xiao said, standing by the river. After inspecting all the bodies, he offered a perfunctory comfort to Xiao Yanyan.

In reality, Li Xiao had known all along that there would be no survivors by the river. Once the Karluks had charged ashore, they would have surely slaughtered the Khitans, finishing off anyone who still breathed. Xiao Yanyan understood this as well; looking at the bodies of the Khitan warriors, her expression was desolate and sorrowful.

These were the warriors of the Xiao clan, men who had followed her with unwavering loyalty. Now, they were all dead in Jinzhou, which only fueled her hatred for that scoundrel, Daga Chuluoduo.

"Sigole!" Xiao Yanyan spat out, using a Khitan curse.

Li Xiao didn't understand the language, but he knew it wasn't a compliment. However, he sensed she wasn't targeting him; she was likely cursing the Karluks.

Next, Li Xiao and his men began to round up the horses and scavenge the spoils. They also had to pull the corpses from the river and bury them along with those on the bank. As they worked, Xiao Yanyan stayed by Li Xiao’s side and suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about leaving this place?"

Li Xiao slung a Khitan bow over his shoulder without ceremony, looked up at her, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Come and be my personal guard."

Before Xiao Yanyan could finish, Li Xiao interrupted, "Not interested."

"I haven't finished yet. If you come to my side, I won't treat you poorly." The promises Xiao Yanyan offered were nothing more than money and status. She had seen firsthand how formidable Li Xiao was—his archery was superb, piercing an enemy's chest from two hundred meters away; he was brave and skilled in battle, and ordinary men were no match for his blade. He sliced through the Karluks as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Such a valiant man was exactly what Xiao Yanyan craved. Abandoned by Daga Chuluoduo and having lost her two hundred Khitan warriors, she felt a profound lack of security and had never felt so helpless. Li Xiao’s appearance had been a dazzling light in her darkest hour, saving her from certain death. Thus, her attitude toward him was naturally different. She wanted this young man.

Yet, it was a case of the woman having intentions while the man remained indifferent. Li Xiao had no interest in the wealth and glory she promised. He found it laughable. This woman had occupied a position of superiority for too long, assuming that if she simply beckoned, commoners would crawl at her feet.

"I have absolutely no interest in what you're saying! I only want to stay in Hexi Fort! I don't want to go anywhere else!" Li Xiao refused again without hesitation.

Li Xiao had ambition. He wanted greater power, but defecting to the Khitans was not a good idea. Although some Han Chinese served as officials in the Royal Court, they were mostly civil servants managing domestic affairs; all military power was firmly held by the Khitan nobility. The Khitans were also quite xenophobic, looking down on the Han in their hearts.

Li Xiao’s identity as a Han meant that in a court dominated by Khitans, his prospects would be limited. His only path was in the Northern Frontier, leveraging the large Han population there to gather more people quickly and raise an elite army. Only then could he carve out a place for himself in the coming era of chaos.

Hearing Li Xiao reject her repeatedly, the two Khitan warriors beside Xiao Yanyan grew displeased. One of them, who spoke Chinese, said with a sour expression, "Han, Kunji is honoring you by asking you to be her guard; don't be ungrateful!"

He himself was a guard. Seeing this Han so unwilling, he wondered if he looked down on the position. One had to know that ordinary people would break their necks just for the chance to serve as Kunji's guard. That this Han was so ungrateful made him deserve death.

The other guard could not understand their words, but sensed the tension and slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to draw at any moment.

Li Xiao saw this and gave a disdainful smile, saying to the guard who spoke Chinese, "Do you believe me when I say I can ensure you won't see tomorrow's sun?"

His voice was cold, firm, and carried a faint trace of murderous intent. With so many Khitans already dead by the Dragon Bone River, Li Xiao didn't mind adding two—or three—more.

"Shut up, Doge!" Xiao Yanyan reprimanded the warrior and stopped the other from drawing his weapon. She felt like slapping these two idiots. What was the situation? She was the one asking for help, and her life was currently in their hands; how dare these fools issue threats?

"Don't mind them; the death of their companions has left them on edge. I will discipline them properly when we return," Xiao Yanyan said.

"It’s fine, my temper isn't great either," Li Xiao said, shaking his head slightly.

Xiao Yanyan smiled helplessly, realizing that Li Xiao's mind would not be changed anytime soon. "Since you are unwilling to leave your home, I will not force you. However, I promised to reward you, and I will not go back on my word. Once we return to the Eastern Capital, I will have someone send you a thousand strings of cash and a thousand bolts of silk."

Hearing this, Li Xiao glanced at her and chuckled, "So, you want me to send men to escort you to the Eastern Capital?"

Xiao Yanyan smiled slightly. "If you have enough manpower, that would be best."

She was left with only two guards, and the Eastern Capital was at least eight hundred miles away. Over such a distance, beyond the potential of encountering more Karluks, they might face other nomadic tribes hostile to the Khitans. It was unsafe for the three of them to travel alone; it would be best if Hexi Fort could send an escort.

But Li Xiao shook his head again. "I'm sorry, we don't have enough men. The Karluks will arrive soon; if we dispatch men, Hexi Fort will be in danger."

Although the reward this woman offered was generous, the Jinzhou army had just suffered a crushing defeat. He didn't know how many of the hundred able-bodied men from Hexi Fort would return. The total number of men left in the village capable of wielding blades or bows was barely over three hundred. How could he send men to protect this woman to the Eastern Capital at a time like this? That would be desertion in the face of the enemy!

"Very well," Xiao Yanyan said, shaking her head. She had only been trying her luck. If Hexi Fort could have escorted her, that would have been ideal, but she wasn't too disappointed by the rejection.

"Then, can you allow us to rest in the village for a few days?" she asked, settling for the next best thing.

She had self-awareness. She knew clearly that once away from the Royal Court and without an army to protect her, her status as a princess wasn't particularly useful. The Western Liao had always practiced a policy of "Jimi" (loose rein) toward the various powers within its borders. The Northern Frontier was the same; apart from the regional administration offices, each village, fort, and nomadic tribe maintained a high degree of independence. Beyond paying taxes and providing conscripts, they didn't necessarily give face to the Royal Court, let alone a princess with a title but no real power. Of course, if the request wasn't excessive, they might still show some courtesy.

"It's no problem to stay and rest, but we may break into battle with the Karluks at any moment. If you stay too long, you might not have a chance to leave," Li Xiao said in a flat tone.

Hearing what sounded like a threat, Xiao Yanyan smiled gently. "It's fine, I'm not afraid. I believe you will protect me just as you did before, warrior."

Li Xiao shook his head indifferently, wondering where this woman got her confidence. They had only met for the first time; were they really that close? If he encountered mortal danger, she would be the first person he abandoned.

Not interested in chatting with her any further, Li Xiao continued to clear the battlefield. He picked up a longbow that had belonged to a dead Khitan warrior and, under the gaze of the three Khitans, calmly slung it over his shoulder. The two Khitan guards glared with rage, but Xiao Yanyan didn't care; they couldn't take the weapons with them anyway.

She continued to follow Li Xiao, watching the young man work. Thinking that she might need the protection of these Han for the next few days, she decided to offer another incentive. "I won't stay in your village for nothing. In addition to the wealth I promised, I can share a piece of information with you for free."

Li Xiao didn't respond, his head down as he gathered scimitars and bows, searching the corpses for valuables.

Xiao Yanyan continued, "The Office of the Resident in the Eastern Capital intends to register the households of the four Northern Frontier prefectures and appoint 'Thousand-Household' and 'Hundred-Household' officials to manage the villages and tribes."

"With your martial arts and archery, if you can distinguish yourself in the coming battles, you should have a chance to become a 'Hundred-Household' official."

After hearing this, Li Xiao's expression didn't change, but he was secretly astonished. Register households? He had never heard of such a thing. History had no record of the Western Liao ever attempting to register the households of its subordinate villages and tribes. In reality, the Khitan court's control over the grassroots level had always been weak; the court didn't even know how many tribes, villages, and people existed in its subordinate states and regions beyond its direct holdings. This was primarily because the Khitan ethnic population was too small to reach the grassroots level and rule every tribe or village directly. Therefore, they could only implement the "Jimi" policy, not interfering with the internal affairs of subordinate states and tribes, maintaining only nominal unity through conscription, taxation, and diplomacy.

However, if they could truly implement a full household registration, the implications would be significant; the Western Liao's control over the grassroots would be greatly enhanced. Then again, records of the Western Liao were limited, and much historical data had been lost. It was possible that they had attempted such a policy in a small territory.

"Hundred-Household? Thousand-Household?" The names made the nature of the positions obvious. Li Xiao glanced at Xiao Yanyan; this woman was very good at dangling a carrot.