Chapter 60: That Year, at Fifteen, Standing Like a Lackey

In later generations, historical records regarding the Western Liao dynasty are extremely scarce, and the figure named Xiao Simo is not even mentioned at all.

Li Xiao now realized that this fellow was actually plotting a rebellion!

"Is this considered boarding a pirate ship?" Li Xiao thought to himself, feeling a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Considering the complex relationship between the Xiao family and Yelü Zhilugu, Xiao Simo certainly had the motive to rebel.

Moreover, historically, he probably did not succeed in rebelling, seeing as Yelü Zhilugu was eventually overthrown more than a dozen years later by Güchülü, the prince of the Naimans.

"So, this is not just a pirate ship; it's a sinking wreck as well," Li Xiao muttered silently, burying his face in his hands.

With no other choice—since those who live under someone else's roof must bow their heads—the northern frontier was Xiao Simo's territory, and even if it was a sinking wreck, he had to board it first.

Besides, even a broken ship still has three thousand iron nails!

Just like the famous Northern Wei Six Garrisons Rebellion; although it failed, it dealt a devastating blow to the Northern Wei dynasty.

As a participant, Yuwen Tai absorbed a massive amount of political legacy during the process, laying solid groundwork for his subsequent rise to power.

Therefore, Li Xiao was also secretly anticipating: after Xiao Simo's rebellion failed, how much political legacy would be left behind for him to inherit?

In the time that followed, Xiao Simo and the others began discussing how to annihilate more of the Naiman forces so that they would never dare covet the northern frontier again.

However, these people were all speaking in the Khitan language, and Li Xiao could not understand a single word.

He felt entirely like an outsider.

There was no help for it, after all; he was a newcomer and certainly could not integrate into Xiao Simo's inner circle just yet.

"I will climb upward step by step, until I reach the highest peak where no one can look down upon me," Li Xiao said to himself inwardly, drinking his mare's milk wine alone.

This feeling of being isolated and underestimated was intensely uncomfortable.

Many years later, when Li Xiao looked back at today's scene, he might sigh: "At fifteen years of age that year, I stood like a mere lackey."

Just at that moment, a shadow cast over him from the front.

"Your Royal Highness!" Li Xiao looked up toward Xiao Yanyan and greeted her.

Xiao Yanyan, however, looked at him with a half-smile: "Why did you stop calling me Lady Xiao? Calling me Your Royal Highness sounds so distant."

Hearing this, Li Xiao shook his head with a wry smile: "Previously, I was unaware of Your Royal Highness's true identity, so please forgive me."

"Hmph, no fun," Xiao Yanyan lightly snorted.

She still preferred the rebellious and untamed Li Xiao from before.

Thinking this, she sat down right next to Li Xiao without any hesitation.

Mostly, she saw that Li Xiao was too lonely and completely unable to participate in the conversation among Xiao Simo and the others.

After all, Li Xiao was, in a sense, her person, and it wouldn't do to leave him out in the cold.

"Are you curious why General Xiao Lintad dared to show such unreserved hostility toward the Royal Court right in front of you?" Xiao Yanyan asked softly, sitting beside Li Xiao.

"Mm~" Li Xiao nodded gently. "I am indeed a bit curious."

"After all, this is my first time entering this grand tent. I'm not yet familiar with them, let alone trusted by them."

"Aren't Lord Xiao and the others afraid that I might leak this information?"

From Li Xiao's perspective, a matter like rebellion should be kept as tightly sealed as possible, with as few people knowing as possible.

Yet the thought processes of these Khitans were clearly somewhat different.

Xiao Yanyan smiled lightly, her sparkling eyes fixed on Li Xiao as she asked, "Do you know about Sima Zhao?"

Li Xiao nodded slightly. Who wouldn't know about him?

"Before the Sima family revolted, did the people of the Wei State know about it?" Xiao Yanyan asked again.

Li Xiao was instantly rendered speechless.

Then he heard Xiao Yanyan's ethereal voice continue, "In fact, the conflict between my older brother and Zhilugu is no secret at all."

"There isn't a single person in the entire Royal Court who doesn't know."

"Everyone is well aware that given the opportunity, my older brother will certainly drive Zhilugu from that throne."

"Zhilugu naturally knows this clearly in his heart, and of course he wants to eliminate the trouble that is my older brother, but unfortunately, he has never had the opportunity."

"Nor is my older brother someone he can easily deal with."

Hearing this, Li Xiao finally understood.

Damn it, it turned out that these people had already reached the point of playing with their cards face-up.

Both sides were entirely clear on each other's intentions.

Yet the reality was that neither side had the ability to eliminate the other at a single stroke.

Yelü Zhilugu was the emperor, possessing the legitimacy of righteousness.

Xiao Simo likewise possessed the political legacy left behind by decades of striving by Xiao Wolila, and his strength was not to be underestimated either.

The covert and overt struggle between the two factions had already begun long ago.

It was just that Li Xiao had been cooped up in the remote backwater of Jin Prefecture and knew nothing about it.

This was awkward; without realizing it, he had actually become embroiled in the highest-level political struggle of the Western Liao dynasty.

"Do you regret what you said just now?" Xiao Yanyan looked at Li Xiao with a mischievous smile.

"No!" Li Xiao resolutely shook his head.

He certainly couldn't admit to regretting it!

When placing bets, the worst taboo is trying to hedge your bets on both sides.

Although he knew full well that Xiao Simo might fail, wasn't this also an opportunity for Li Xiao?

"You Han people have a saying: 'Wealth and honor are sought amidst peril,'" Xiao Yanyan said softly, personally pouring a full cup of wine for Li Xiao.

"Although following my older brother may seem extremely risky, for someone like you born into an ordinary Han peasant family, it is the best path to advancement."

"With your abilities, being enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as a prime minister in the future is definitely not out of the question."

Xiao Yanyan began painting a grand picture of the future for Li Xiao once again.

To this, Li Xiao accepted it entirely, putting on a look of being deeply moved.

Since the princess herself had poured him a drink, if he failed to appreciate the favor, the consequences might be somewhat severe.

"A great man born between heaven and earth should act with magnificent grandeur; how can he hesitate and look backward at every step?"

"Rest assured, Princess, I am not the kind of person who is double-minded and forgets righteousness for the sake of profit," Li Xiao said firmly.

Then he raised the cup of wine and drained it in a single gulp.

"However, I still have one more question," Li Xiao said, putting down the wine cup.

"Lord Xiao is dispatching so many troops to march east against the Naimans, isn't he afraid that the Eastern Capital will be left defenseless and that the Gurkhan might take advantage of it from behind?"

Xiao Yanyan gently shook her head. "Naturally not."

"My brother has left quite a few soldiers stationed in the Eastern Capital, and they are all men utterly loyal to him."

"Of course, most importantly, the Royal Court's energy is tied up by the Ghorid Empire, leaving them with no capacity to care about the northern frontier."

Through Xiao Yanyan's explanation, Li Xiao gained some understanding of the situation in Central Asia.

The Ghorid Empire was located to the south of the Western Liao, roughly corresponding to the location of modern-day Afghanistan.

Ever since the Seljuk Empire was defeated by Yelü Dashi, the Ghorid Empire—acting as a junior partner—gradually absorbed the legacy of the Seljuk Empire and began to rise in recent years.

Waging constant external wars, its strength grew increasingly formidable.

Just last year, the Ghorid Empire moved north to attack the Khorasan region.

As the suzerainty state, the Western Liao accepted the request of its vassal state, the Khwarazmian Empire, and dispatched general Tayanggu with twenty thousand troops on an expedition to the Khorasan region.

A portion of the Royal Court's military forces had been drawn away, which was why Xiao Simo had the opportunity to free up his hands and prepare to deal with the Naimans.

Before the Royal Court's main army returned, it was best to turn the four prefectures of the northern frontier into a stable rear base.

"So that's how it is," Li Xiao nodded gently.

Afterward, Li Xiao began chatting with Xiao Yanyan about other matters.

"Your Royal Highness—"

Just as Li Xiao was about to speak, he was interrupted by a wave of Xiao Yanyan's hand.

"I treat you as a friend, so don't be so formal with me. Do not call me Princess."

"Lady Xiao?" Li Xiao ventured tentatively.

"Hmph—"

Xiao Yanyan let out a displeased huff and said stubbornly, "Li Xiao, I already told you I consider you a friend."

"My childhood nickname is Aman, and everyone around me calls me that. You should address me the same way."

Hearing Xiao Yanyan's words, Li Xiao nodded.

Aman?

That name had an interesting ring to it.

"Then, Aman, can you teach me the Khitan language?" Li Xiao said.

Hearing this, Xiao Yanyan actually grew interested.

"You want to learn Khitan? Of course, no problem."

"If you're going to serve as an official in the Great Liao in the future, speaking Khitan is absolutely essential," Xiao Yanyan said happily.

She had the excitement of someone who suddenly found herself playing the role of a teacher.

However, she furrowed her brows immediately afterward: "It's a pity I don't have too much time!"

"Once the battle is over, I will definitely have to return to the Eastern Capital with my brother."

"It's fine~" Li Xiao smiled gently.

"I learn things very quickly."

No sooner said than done, Xiao Yanyan prepared to teach Li Xiao how to speak Khitan right on the spot.

At that moment, a loud laugh suddenly erupted from Xiao Simo within the grand tent, as he nodded repeatedly toward a Khitan general.

"What did that general say?"

"Lord Xiao seems very satisfied," Li Xiao asked curiously.

"That is General Xiao Duolatu. He suggested that my brother contact Inanch Bilge Khan of the Naimans to jointly launch a pincer attack against the main Naiman army."

Hearing this, Li Xiao nodded slightly.

Unlike the scarce historical records of the Western Liao, there were still some historical records about the Naimans in later generations.

Therefore, Li Xiao also had a certain understanding of this Inanch Bilge Khan.

He was the older brother of Tayang Khan of the Naimans.

Back then, after the old Naiman khan died, the two brothers broke out into a war to contend for the throne.

There were also rumors, of course, that the two men had fought to seize their stepmother.

Both brothers had cast their covetous eyes upon the beautiful and young stepmother, but the younger brother's methods were craftier.

While the old khan was still on his sickbed, the younger brother had already hooked up with the stepmother.

Using pillow talk, he successfully usurped more power.

As soon as the old khan died, the younger brother defeated the elder brother, seized the stepmother and the throne, and proclaimed himself Tayang Khan.

Meanwhile, the defeated elder brother led a portion of his followers to migrate northward, settling in the northern part of the Altai Mountains and proclaiming himself Inanch Bilge Khan.

From then on, the Naimans split into two factions, and their strength was severely diminished.

And Inanch Bilge Khan, who had missed out on the throne and the beautiful stepmother, certainly felt unreconciled in his heart; it was indeed possible that he could be persuaded to join forces to attack Naiman Tayang Khan.

However, based on some historical records Li Xiao had read, the relationship between these two brothers didn't seem to be all that irreconcilable.

Although inwardly he wasn't very optimistic about this plan, Li Xiao was, after all, a newcomer.

He was unfamiliar with these Khitans and had not yet gained Xiao Simo's trust, so he certainly wouldn't waste effort and court disfavor by raising objections.

It was better to honestly play the part of a transparent bystander.

However, to prevent any accidents—since Li Xiao certainly didn't want the Naimans to ravage Jin Prefecture—he still subtly reminded Xiao Yanyan: "I've heard that the relationship between the two brothers, Tayang Khan and Inanch Bilge Khan, isn't quite as water-and-fire incompatible as people think."

"Inanch Bilge Khan might not necessarily agree to join forces with us in a pincer attack against the Naimans," Li Xiao said softly.

He would let Xiao Yanyan warn Xiao Simo; if Xiao Simo refused to listen, there was nothing more to be done.

Hearing this, Xiao Yanyan frowned slightly. "Is that so?"