By mid-September, the Hexi Corridor had already become quite cold. The autumn wind was bleak, whipping up clouds of dust that blotted out the sun across the Gobi Desert.

Located in Suzhou City, Zhao Chun, commander of the Northwest Military Region, Lin Shaozhang, chief of staff, Li Maoxue, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, Zhang Lunping, commander of the 12th Infantry Division, Yu Linfeng, commander of the 13th Infantry Division, Luo Mingliang, commander of the 8th Cavalry Division, and others all gathered here.

Three infantry divisions and one cavalry division, totaling nearly 40,000 troops, were gathered around the city of Suzhou.

"Commander,"

Li Maoxue, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, said with a grim face, "Several counties in Suzhou have been harassed by the Samanid cavalry, resulting in heavy casualties among the civilians. A rough estimate suggests that more than 3,000 civilians have been killed by the Samanid cavalry, and countless grains and livestock have been looted. If we do not avenge this, we will be ashamed before our people!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Luo Mingliang, commander of the 8th Cavalry Division, nodded and patted his chest, saying, "Commander, now that our army has arrived in Suzhou City, let's launch a direct attack, storm into the territory of the Samanid Khanate, and start the war!"

"A blood debt must be paid for! Those Samanid cavalrymen must pay the price!"

Li Maoxue said coldly.

At this moment, Zhao Chun's expression also became somewhat sinister.

Since arriving in Suzhou City, Zhao Chun was fully aware of the suffering inflicted on the local people. In particular, seeing those bloody and tragic scenes made his eyes bloodshot and his veins bulge.

They wished they could devour those Samanid cavalrymen alive!

"Alright! Let's march west and start the war!"

Zhao Chun shouted in a deep voice: "Blood debts must be repaid in blood!"

Upon hearing Zhao Chun's words, the division commanders present breathed a sigh of relief and were all eager to rush to the West.

However, at this moment, Lin Shaozhang, the chief of staff of the Northwest Military Region, frowned and said, "Commander Zhao, fellow division commanders, this matter cannot be rushed. We must consider it carefully! We must not fall into the trap of the Samanid Khanate!"

"Um?"

Lin Shaozhang poured cold water on the situation, causing the expressions of the teachers and officers present to darken, and everyone turned to look at Lin Shaozhang.

Li Maoxue asked in a deep voice, "Chief of Staff Lin, what do you mean by this? Are you afraid of the Samanid cavalry?"

No, not at all.

Lin Shaozhang waved his hand and said, “Commander Zhao, esteemed division commanders, please calm down. I have a few questions for you all. Division Commander Li, your 11th Infantry Division has always been stationed in Suzhou City, so you must know the surrounding situation much better than I do. The area around Suzhou City is mostly Gobi Desert, and the vast majority of the route for our westward advance is Gobi Desert. When marching through the Gobi Desert, what is the most important thing? It's not food, but water! Food is easy to obtain, such as dried meat and dry rations, and each person can carry enough for seven or eight days. But water is much harder to carry. To sustain such a large army, we need a large army to maintain logistics. Otherwise, if we are ambushed and cut off by the Samanid cavalry during our westward advance, our westward army will be in grave danger! Division Commander Li should know this much better than I do!”

Upon hearing Lin Shaozhang's words, Li Maoxue fell into deep thought.

Li Maoxue, who had been living in Suzhou City for a long time, naturally understood the reasoning behind it.

However, thousands of people in several counties, townships, and villages surrounding Suzhou City perished tragically. Li Maoxue was unwilling to let these lives go!

Li Maoxue took a deep breath, stared at Lin Shaozhang, and asked, "Chief of Staff Lin, did the people of Suzhou City die in vain?"

"Definitely not!"

Lin Shaozhang replied, "We know that a large army advancing westward needs supplies and provisions, and His Majesty and the Privy Council are certainly aware of this as well. The news has already been reported to His Majesty, and even if a large-scale westward expedition is planned, it will take some time. Meanwhile, our 30,000 to 40,000 troops in Suzhou can advance westward gradually, step by step, without being rash. We can still advance westward!"

"Proceed step by step?"

Hearing Lin Shaozhang's words, Zhao Chun's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Old Lin, do you mean we should build fortresses along the way as we advance westward?"

"right!"

Lin Shaozhang nodded and said, “Jiayuguan, near Suzhou City, has been the western border of our Great Gan Kingdom since its founding. Beyond that lies no longer our territory. However, hundreds or thousands of years ago, to the west of Suzhou City were Guazhou, Shazhou, Yizhou, Xizhou, Tingzhou, and other places, which also belonged to our Central Plains. The areas surrounding these cities were all oases in the Gobi Desert. For example, Guazhou and Shazhou, which are close to Suzhou City, are very close, and there are rivers flowing through them. We can first conquer these places, occupy Guazhou and Shazhou, take them for ourselves, set up camp, and build cities. After we have completely secured our position, we can then advance westward, step by step, slowly but surely!”

"Understood!"

Zhao Chun clapped his hands and sighed, then said with a smile, "Although we can't strike directly at the heart of the enemy, we can advance step by step. Once His Majesty and the Privy Council are ready, we can launch a major westward offensive and completely crush the Samanid Khanate!"

That's exactly right!

Lin Shaozhang nodded and said.

After listening to Zhao Chun and Lin Shaozhang's words, Li Maoxue finally understood the meaning behind Lin Shaozhang's words.

He nodded, looked at Lin Shaozhang, and said with a smile, "Chief of Staff Lin is truly insightful. Tell us how to fight this battle, and we'll follow your advice!"

No rush.

Lin Shaozhang pulled over a simple map of the Western Regions and said, "After the Battle of Suzhou City some time ago, the Samanid Khanate's army of over 100,000 retreated and is now stationed around the Mingshui River in Guazhou. Guazhou is our first important stronghold in our westward advance, and it's not far from Suzhou City, only a few hundred miles away. As long as we gather enough provisions, we can support our westward advance and capture Guazhou City! Since we're going to proceed gradually, let's start with Guazhou City!"

"good!"

Zhao Chun nodded and said, "Immediately send messages to Ganzhou, Liangzhou, Longyou, and other places, ordering the logistics supplies of each city to be sent to Suzhou City. Once these supplies arrive, we will advance westward to Guazhou!"

"In this battle, the 11th Infantry Division will serve as the vanguard!"

"The 8th Cavalry Division, provide flank protection!"

"The 12th and 13th Infantry Divisions will serve as the rearguard!"

As he spoke, Zhao Chun turned to look at Li Maoxue and said, "In the Suzhou Incident, the people near Suzhou suffered heavy casualties. Your 11th Infantry Division has failed in its duty to defend the territory. In this battle, you will be the vanguard to avenge this disgrace! Old Li, fight well!"

"Thank you, Commander Zhao!"

Upon hearing Zhao Chun's instructions, Li Maoxue's eyes reddened, and he quickly stood up, saluted, and said loudly, "Our 11th Infantry Division will certainly live up to Commander Zhao's expectations, kill as many enemy soldiers as possible, and avenge the people of Suzhou!"