The distant mountain ranges stretch endlessly, towering over the vast land and amidst the white clouds.

Like a colossal beast from ancient times, it exudes a powerful sense of oppression.

The queues, stretching to the horizon, resembled long dragons, moving forward in an orderly fashion.

This is a highly trained army; their rhythm is very tight, and they show no signs of panic.

Wu Jie opened the map and glanced at it.

The guide, Yang Ke, said, "Commander Wu, the ancient city of Fulousha is just ahead."

Looking up, you can see some small black dots under the azure sky, like ants, scattered irregularly on the horizon.

The road ahead widened considerably, and occasionally one could see merchants carrying goods.

Wu Jie said, "Is this the ancient city of Purusha, which the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang passed through on his way to India?"

“That’s right, it’s that ancient city. It’s now under the jurisdiction of Ghazni. There are 10,000 armored soldiers in the city, and the city is guarded by the brother of Ghazni Sultan Abu Muzaffar.”

Yang Ke was a Han Chinese who spent many years doing business in the Western Regions, especially in Ghaznavidy and India.

Therefore, he is very familiar with this place.

"General Wu, the ancient city of Fulousha is located on the west bank of the Bala River, only 400 li away from the capital of Ghazni. It is a place that merchants must pass through. Our army can completely capture this city and use it as a reserve for military supplies."

"Moreover, heading south would allow for a smooth entry into India."

Wu Jie nodded; Yang Ke's words made sense.

Two hundred thousand troops have penetrated deep into the empire's territory, and the logistics in Gaochang have been basically cut off.

Wu Jie originally intended to sustain the war effort through warfare.

Taking over the ancient city of Fulousha can serve as a logistical reserve.

The situation on the battlefield can change in an instant. War is not a fight to the death or a desperate gamble from the very beginning.

However, he had a mission: to take down the capital of Ghazni as quickly as possible, firmly establish the Song army's forces on the southwest side of the Amu Darya River, and encircle Yelü Dashi from the south.

At the same time, it also served as a check on the Seljuks in the west, preventing them from taking advantage of the chaos.

Therefore, we must not only capture Purousa, but also quickly take Ghazni.

Therefore, Wu Jie ordered a messenger to deliver a message to Wu Lin, the deputy commander of the First Army Corps.

In his early years, Wu Lin followed Wu Jie in fighting against the Tangut people in the Northwest.

Among the Song Dynasty's Western Army, which excelled in mountain warfare, Wu Lin was even more adept at siege warfare.

Having received Wu Jie's military order, the messenger rode off at breakneck speed.

Before long, they arrived at the team where Wu Lin of the First Legion was located.

"Report! Commander Wu has issued a military order! He commands Deputy Commander Wu to capture Fulousha City before nightfall and use it as a reserve for our army's food supplies."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Wu Lin received the military order and was overjoyed.

Wu Jie's army marched south from Gaochang, avoiding almost all the towns of the Liao Dynasty and all the Turkic armies.

The army marched swiftly with a single, simple objective: to capture the capital of Ghaznavidy, the kingdom established by the Turks in northern India.

An army that has no battles to fight after setting out is lonely.

I heard that Yue Fei's forces are already engaged in fierce fighting with the Liao army on the banks of the Chu River. I'm quite envious.

Now, finally, I have work to do!

Wu Lin, who was always serious and earnest, had a faint smile of smugness on his face.

While the army rested, the 40,000 men of the First Legion began to eat heartily the dried meat and steamed buns they had brought with them.

The soldiers wolfed down their food; time was running out.

After the meal, the commanders of each army began to relay orders.

The four armies were divided into four commanders, who quickly marched forward.

It was only when the Song army had marched about ten miles away from Fulousha City that a scout from Gaseni received the intelligence and quickly sent the situation at the front to Fulousha City.

Judging from their control over intelligence, Ghaznavidy has indeed declined.

The scouts entered Fulusha and urgently informed Amu Muzaffar, the younger brother of Sultan Ghazni, that an army was rapidly approaching Fulusha with overwhelming force.

But Amu Muzaffar didn't take it seriously and continued to flirt with the beauties his men had carefully selected for him.

Fulousha City is only 400 li away from the capital and is located south of the Amu Darya River.

After Yelü Dashi's general Erbus marched westward to the Amu Darya River and conquered Khwarazm a month ago, this area was no longer under the control of the Seljuks.

Now Ghazni has reconciled with the Khitan, and the capital of Ghazni has just sent an army of 100,000 north as a gift to submit to Jur Khan.

How could an army suddenly appear?

Would Sanjar's army dare to bypass this?

It should be noted that Mulu City had already been occupied by Erbus, and the Khitan cavalry was at the height of their power in the Mulu City area.

Sanjar's willingness to take a detour is a cardinal sin in warfare.

Absolutely impossible!

The scout then gave a detailed description of the Song army's appearance, which finally made Amu Muzafar take it seriously.

However, he still didn't take it very seriously. He simply sent a cavalry force of 300 men out of the city to investigate whether the news was true.

From Amu Muzaffar's perspective, the sudden appearance of a large army was indeed hard for him to believe.

After all, the territory to the east of the Seljuks had been occupied by the Khitans, and even the flags on the walls of the important military town of Mulu had been replaced with Khitan flags.

Then, one after another, different spies came to deliver messages.

Now, Amu Muzaffar had no choice but to take it seriously.

But at this time, Wu Lin's army was only five miles away from Fulousha City.

The caravans along the way had been completely cleared away.

The First Battalion of the Fifth Army of the First Corps was at the very front, and behind the First Battalion was the Third Battalion, the artillery battalion.

Twenty cannons stood in neat rows, following the column in an orderly fashion, their cold gleam reflecting in the sunlight.

At this point, the scouts dared not approach any further. They nodded and ran wildly into the city, shouting as soon as they entered: "Enemy troops! Close the city gates immediately!"

"Close the city gates immediately!"

Before the caravans that had just left the city gates could turn back in, the gates were slammed shut with a loud bang.

No matter how much the merchants shouted, the soldiers on the city gate refused to open it.

When Amu Muzaffar heard that the city gates had been closed, he felt a little relieved and immediately began to summon the soldiers inside the city.

Squads of soldiers clad in heavy armor, armed with shields, axes, and swords, began to gather on the city wall under the command of their officers.

The residents of the city started talking about it.

The security situation in Fulousha City is not very good. It is a transportation hub, and many bandits are eyeing it.

Ghazni stationed 10,000 troops here to maintain order for merchants and travelers.

On ordinary days, it was not uncommon to see thieves, robbers, and bandits being caught on the city walls.

Beheadings and murders were commonplace.

The residents were no longer surprised by the deployment of the military.

However, as the number of soldiers increased, the residents became somewhat surprised.

Amu Muzaffar mounted his horse and, surrounded by his personal guards, rode towards the city wall.