Have the Xianbei cavalry already invaded the Western Regions?

Upon hearing this, Xue Rengui and Chen Ji were both startled.

Although these 16,000 Xianbei cavalrymen were not a threat to them, they were nothing short of a bombshell to any of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.

The thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, though called kingdoms, were actually about the size of a county in the Han Dynasty.

If it gets any bigger, it will become a prefecture.

Take the Loulan Kingdom, which is now seeking help, for example. Its population is only about 10,000 to 20,000, and its army is at most 2,000.

Faced with the Xianbei cavalry that roamed the vast desert, their resistance was so pale and powerless.

If this remnant of the Yuchi Xianbei army, after looting Dunhuang and Jiuquan, had ventured deep into the Western Regions and turned the place upside down.

This will cause the Western Regions to drift further and further away from the control of the Han Dynasty.

"Two envoys, it is not convenient to discuss this in detail on the street. Guards, please take them to the yamen."

Xue Rengui then instructed his men to arrange for the two envoys from Loulan to be taken back first.

"Supervisor Chen, the people deeply resent the Xianbei. You should appease them and convey the Lord's will."

Surrounded by a crowd of people, Chen Ji was filled with righteous indignation upon hearing of the Xianbei people's atrocities.

How could the mighty Han Dynasty tolerate such arrogance from a small tribe of the Xianbei in Hexi?

"Fellow citizens, we will surely recapture Dunhuang and Jiuquan, and slaughter every last Xianbei invader..."

Half an hour later.

The 1,900 Xuanjia cavalry, majestic and imposing, circled the main road within Zhangye City before encamping outside the city.

Six thousand auxiliary soldiers also caught up and set up camp near the Xuanjia Cavalry camp.

The camp, with nearly 8,000 people, was quite large, and the people of Zhangye were greatly excited when they saw it.

Xue Rengui's 3,500 white-robed cavalrymen, upon leaving the Ruoshui River Valley, did not enter the city but had already set off ahead of time to march towards Jiuquan.

Meanwhile, Di Qing's men had already arrived on the road to Zhangye, preparing to recruit soldiers and horses to defend the Liangzhou Prefectural Governor's Office to the east.

Di Qing was given a quota of 10,000 troops. In Zhangye, a strategically important location in the middle of the Hexi Corridor, at least 5,000 troops would be needed.

After Xue Rengui entered the prefectural government office in Zhangye, he ordered his men to bring the two Loulan envoys in for questioning.

"You two, tell me the details of the situation in Loulan!"

"The Protectorate of the Western Regions is located in Luntai, and there are troops stationed in Yigua, Loulan."

"Why did you come to Zhangye instead of seeking help from the Protectorate of the Western Regions?"

After calming the people, Chen Ji rushed over and, seeing Xue Rengui talking to the two Loulan envoys, interrupted to ask a question.

Xue Rengui did not blame him; Chen Ji's question was also his own.

"Reporting to the General, reporting to the Lord!"

One of the envoys said, “Don’t you know that the troops stationed in Luntai and Yigua were transferred to Hexi to quell the rebellion a month ago?”

"The troops of the Western Regions Protectorate have long been deserted, and our king had no choice but to come to Hexi for help."

"When the Western Regions Protectorate withdrew its troops, the Cheshi Kingdom in the north immediately surrendered to the Northern Xiongnu."

"They have assembled their army and, with the support of the Northern Xiongnu, are preparing to attack our Loulan."

Chen Ji angrily said, "How can such a thing happen? The Protectorate of the Western Regions should be protecting the Western Regions, how can it arbitrarily deploy troops into Hexi?"

"How exactly did Ding Yuan become the prefect?!"

He served as a clerk in the General's mansion for a long time, and he always spoke in a condescending manner.

I heard that Ding Yuan actually transferred all the troops stationed in the Western Regions in order to quell the rebellion. That's too childish!

Xue Rengui frowned: "Supervisor Chen, shouldn't the Protectorate of the Western Regions be on the same level as the Prince's Protectorate of the Northern Desert?"

"How come he's still under the control of the Liangzhou governor's office?"

"General Xue, you may not know this, but the Protectorate of the Western Regions is not as autonomous as the Northern Desert. It is not only controlled by Liangzhou, but also by Dunhuang County."

Chen Ji sighed.

In the era of Zhang Qian and Ban Chao, the Western Regions were highly valued by the Central Plains dynasties, and their administrative level was on par with that of a prefecture.

Now, the Han Dynasty court, having suffered from the persecution of the partisans and the Yellow Turban Rebellion this year, is teetering on the brink of collapse.

In addition, Liu Hong delegated power to relatives and governors in various regions, which weakened the central authority to some extent.

The Western Regions, a place far from the Central Plains, began to be forgotten by the imperial court.

"Such a large place, it's a real pity that it's under the jurisdiction of Dunhuang Prefecture!"

Xue Rengui sighed deeply, “Now Dunhuang has been occupied by the Xianbei people, and the various countries in the Western Regions are all acting independently, like a scattered mess!”

“General, sir!” the two Loulan envoys exclaimed, “Our king has always been subservient to the Han Dynasty.”

"Now, to the east are the Xianbei people, and to the north is the Cheshi Kingdom supported by the Northern Xiongnu. If the Han Dynasty does not send troops, our Loulan will be trampled by the iron hooves of the Xianbei and Xiongnu!"

The two messengers presented the king's secret letter, and knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, and said...

Xue Rengui handed the letter to Chen Ji, who helped the two of them up: "My lord has ordered my army to annihilate the Xianbei people."

"As for whether we can enter the Western Regions, we must ask our lord for permission."

"But don't worry, our lord will not stand idly by in the Western Regions."

"General's lord?" The two envoys exchanged bewildered glances. "Aren't you the army of the Han Dynasty?"

"It is indeed the Han army. We only obey the orders of the King of Yunzhong," Xue Rengui said solemnly.

"King of the Clouds!"

The two messengers murmured the name to themselves and memorized it.

"Someone, take the two envoys to rest first."

After seeing off the two Loulan envoys, Jin Yichuan, a centurion of the Northwest Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, also arrived in Zhangye.

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