Chapter Twenty-Two: Nine Fortresses and Eighteen Strongholds

Sanhe Fortress has been breached by the Karluks?

When Third Grandfather brought this news back to the village, the shock it dealt to the residents of Hexi Fortress was immense.

"Is the news certain?"

In the evening, everyone gathered at Li Xiao’s home. The old village head sat in his chair, gazing at Third Grandfather with a grave expression.

Third Grandfather picked up a ladle, took a long, gulping drink of water from the vat, let out a long sigh of relief, and then looked at the old man, nodding.

"It is certain."

"On my way back, I ran into someone from Sanhe Fortress. She told me that Sanhe was under siege by the Karluks, and she had escaped to seek reinforcements from Qiyun Stronghold. By the time we reached the vicinity of Sanhe, we discovered the battle was already over; the fortress had been breached by the Karluks."

Upon hearing this, the old village head’s face darkened even further.

"Sanhe Fortress is finished."

There were over 20,000 Han people in Jinzhou, living in nine fortresses and eighteen strongholds, collectively known as the "Nine Fortresses and Eighteen Strongholds." Each varied in size and population. Hexi Fortress, with its thirteen hundred people, was considered relatively large. Sanhe was of similar size. The two were not far apart; Sanhe lay about forty miles to the northeast of Hexi.

"When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold," Fourth Grandfather said, slamming the table in anger. "With the Karluks having taken Sanhe, their next target will inevitably be us."

"Do these Karluk barbarians think they can conquer every Han village in Jinzhou?" another elder in the room hummed indignantly.

"Let’s fight them to the death! To take our Hexi Fortress, they’ll have to pay with two thousand lives."

The others in the room chimed in one after another. The old village head listened to his old companions in silence, then turned his gaze toward Li Xiao.

"Dalong, what are your thoughts?"

Li Xiao had already become the master of Hexi Fortress, though his prestige was not yet fully established. The old man had hurried to pass the position to him because he felt his own health failing and feared he might pass away unexpectedly at any time. Granting the position early was intended to help Li Xiao establish his authority. As long as the old man was still alive, he could suppress dissenting voices in the fortress and help Li Xiao grow. His question now was not just a test; it was a way to push Li Xiao to the forefront and allow him to take a leading role.

"In my view, the Karluks capturing Sanhe is a show of force," Li Xiao said, his voice deep as he faced the crowd.

"A show of force?" Third Grandfather’s eyes narrowed.

Li Xiao continued, "If I were the leader of the Karluk rebels, after the victory at Beishan, I would immediately disseminate the news throughout Jinzhou to intimidate the various tribes into submission. The Karluks’ true enemy has never been us, the Han; it is the Khitan royal court. The best strategy, before the Eastern Capital’s army arrives, is to use a mix of intimidation and enticement to win over the tribes of Jinzhou, binding them to the Karluk war chariot to concentrate strength for the decisive battle."

"Therefore, the breach of Sanhe is a warning. They are telling the other Han people in Jinzhou that if they do not submit, Sanhe’s fate will be everyone’s fate."

***

As Li Xiao finished speaking, the expressions of Third Grandfather and the others turned ugly.

"Hmph, those damned Karluk barbarians, they are simply arrogant," Third Grandfather shouted, slamming the table.

Others clamored as well: "The Karluks are courting death." "How could we Hexi people be intimidated by them?" "To be a Hexi person means not fearing death!"

The room was filled with righteous indignation. During the Battle of Beishan, Hexi Fortress had suffered heavy casualties, and Li Xiao’s father had been killed in that very battle; the grudge was irreconcilable. Furthermore, not long ago, Hexi had slaughtered over a hundred Karluks. Thus, the idea that the Karluks could force Hexi to surrender was pure delusion.

"Although our fortress will never collude with the Karluks, what about the other villages? What about the other nomadic tribes?" Li Xiao asked, looking at the angry crowd.

The room went silent, all eyes turning to him.

"Not everyone is prepared to face death without fear," Li Xiao said solemnly. "Greed and fear of death are human nature. Capturing Sanhe was the 'intimidation'; now, the Karluks will move on to 'enticement'."

He stood up and looked at the crowd. "Over the years, the Khitan tax burden on Jinzhou has grown heavier, whether by the order of the royal court or the private machinations of the Jinzhou Governor’s Office. In any case, there are plenty of people in Jinzhou dissatisfied with the Khitans. Moreover, the Karluks must have captured many prisoners at Beishan. They will likely use them as chips to force the various tribes and villages to submit."

"Prisoners?" Upon hearing this word, the crowd’s faces changed slightly, and they fell into a somber silence. They had to admit that Li Xiao’s analysis was accurate.

"If the Karluks do as Dalong says, the situation in Jinzhou will only get worse," Fourth Grandfather said, frowning. "Some people might actually defect."

"Not to mention other tribes, even among us Han, there are many traitors," Third Grandfather added, his face grim. "Especially those people in Hou Stronghold—none of them are any good."

The Han in Jinzhou were not a monolithic block; there were long-standing grievances between them. The men of Hexi had never looked kindly upon the "spineless" people of Hou Stronghold. If the Karluks used captives as leverage—releasing them for those who submitted while slaughtering them for those who resisted—many would inevitably join the rebellion. Even within Hexi, if the Karluks held captive youths from the village, morale might waver.

"The Karluks are truly damnable," an elder said angrily; his son had gone to Beishan, and his fate was still unknown.

"The trouble is massive," someone sighed. "The whole situation is precarious. If one village falls, the others will waver, and in the end, even if we are the last ones left, we won't be able to hold out."

"What do we do then?"

"Let's fight them to the death!"

Finally, everyone’s gaze turned back to Li Xiao. This reflected how the young fortress master’s influence was growing among them.

"Of course we fight. We never intended to collude with the Karluks in the first place," Li Xiao said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

Joining the rebellion was impossible. Beyond their hatred for the Karluks, the Western Liao state still had twenty years of life left; the Karluk rebellion had no future. Once the Eastern Capital’s command moved armies from elsewhere in the northern frontier, the rebels would be annihilated. Those who joined would inevitably be purged.

"But we cannot sit and wait to be slaughtered!" Li Xiao scanned the room. "We must take the initiative. Otherwise, when the Karluks gather more strength to besiege us, we won't survive until the reinforcements arrive."

The crowd nodded in agreement. While Hexi had trenches and ramparts, waiting for the enemy to prepare was too passive.

"Do you have a plan, Dalong?" Li Dashan looked at Li Xiao with hope. Through past battles, Li Xiao had built a trustworthy image. Even his uncle, Dashan, now instinctively followed his lead.

Li Xiao didn't answer immediately. He turned to Third Grandfather: "Third Grandfather, you said earlier that Wuya Stronghold in the east is also under attack?"

"That’s right," Third Grandfather nodded. "I learned that when I went to Qiyun Stronghold the day before yesterday."

Li Xiao analyzed, "Wuya is at the foot of the Gold Mountain, over two hundred miles from Sanhe. The rebel army couldn't have reached Sanhe and captured it in a single day. The only explanation is that the Karluk army has split its forces."

After Beishan, the Karluks had achieved a partial victory, but their time was limited. They knew the Eastern Capital would send reinforcements. To consolidate their power, they had to subjugate the region quickly. Splitting their forces was the logical choice, and they likely believed the Battle of Beishan had already broken the spirit of the other tribes.

"To save time, they must have split into two or even three groups," Li Xiao concluded. "Therefore, the number of Karluks who captured Sanhe cannot be very large. Given their casualties at Beishan, the original three thousand rebels are likely down to two thousand or twenty-five hundred. After accounting for the hundred or so we already wiped out, the force currently at Sanhe is likely around eight hundred."

His gaze sharpened as he looked at the crowd.

"Perhaps we can launch a night raid."