Once you pass through the Jade Gate Pass, you'll be in the Western Regions.
Countless thrilling events have taken place here.
Throughout history, countless Han Chinese warriors set off from here to conquer even wider territories and demonstrate the might of the Celestial Empire.
Countless others have been buried outside Yumen Pass, their bones forgotten and unknown.
In short, this is a place frequently mentioned in historical records.
The closest event to the Song Dynasty was more than four hundred years ago when the Tibetans took advantage of the An Lushan Rebellion to conquer Hexi and sever the connection between the Western Regions and the Central Plains.
It was an era of heroes, but also an era of tragedy.
It was on this very land that Guo Xin, the Prince of Wuwei, held firm for forty years despite being cut off from the support of the imperial court and surrounded by powerful enemies on all sides.
For forty years, the sons of Han Chinese fought bravely and relentlessly to protect the territory of the Western Regions for the weakening Tang Dynasty.
Until black hair turns white, from a vigorous young man to an old soldier in his twilight years.
It's unimaginable how, after giving it his all, when Beiting fell, that white-haired, elderly general, along with a group of equally aged soldiers, drank his last cup of hot wine in the snow and bravely faced death.
They were a group of people who should be remembered forever by future generations, but the wind and sand have blown away their bones, along with their names.
The red tassels on the iron helmets fluttered, and on this land, the blood of Han soldiers was once again stained.
The long-dormant passion was ignited.
The Han cavalry shattered the foreign tribes' pipe dream.
Here, a new era begins amidst blood and fire.
Bilge was unstoppable, and no one could stop him.
When news of the collapse of the 300,000-strong army reached Gaochang, Bilege was dumbfounded.
His first reaction was to lead the last imperial guards of the Gaochang royal palace to flee the city.
The 300,000-strong army was defeated by the Song army after only a few days.
This royal city is absolutely not a place we can stay.
During Bilege's escape, he received news that Ambahai, Longza, and the leaders of various Tibetan tribes had all been beheaded.
This drove Billeco to despair.
Even more desperate than Bilege was that when Zhanmuer fled back to the capital, he discovered that the last elite troops of the capital had disappeared without a trace, having followed Bilege.
The Song army, which was close behind, had already rushed in, and Zhanmuer had no time to open the door and escape.
He had no choice but to stay obediently in the royal city.
At this moment, the people of the royal city are filled with fear and unease.
The ministers who were flattering Bilege a while ago are now either packing their valuables to flee or preparing gold to offer to the Song army after they break through the city.
Zhanmuer wasn't stupid. He led his remaining troops to plunder the city, intending to collect enough wealth to save his own life.
The day after the Song army arrived at the capital of Gaochang, the capital was opened and the ministers surrendered.
Zhanmuer brought several cartloads of gold to the city gate to welcome Yue Fei.
It must be said that Zhanmuer was lucky; he encountered Yue Fei's army.
If it were Han Shizhong, his head would be spinning on the ground right now, and everyone else's heads would be spinning on the ground too.
Yue Fei's army never massacred entire cities or killed people indiscriminately, making them a model for the Song Dynasty army.
Yue Fei simply asked, "Where is Bilege?"
"That traitorous scoundrel Bilege fled west yesterday!"
Yue Fei said to Zhang Xian, "Chase after him and bring Bilege back."
So, in the following period of time, a very simple thing happened in the vast land of the Western Regions.
Bilege fled with his men, and the Song army pursued them at breakneck speed.
Occasionally, when they catch up, a small argument ensues.
Bilege's only way out now is to seek help from Yelü Dashi.
He began writing letters to Yelü Dashi.
"Your Majesty, my army of 300,000 is currently fighting against the Song dogs. If Your Majesty sends another 200,000 reinforcements, we will surely wipe out the Song dogs, march straight into Hexi, crush Xingqing Prefecture, pass through Tongguan, enter Chang'an, and march all the way to Tokyo, making the dog emperor kneel down and beg for mercy. I am willing to share the world with Your Majesty."
A few days later, Bilege wrote another letter to Yelü Dashi.
"Your Majesty, my 300,000 troops have already routed that brat Yue Fei. Your Majesty only needs to provide me with another 150,000 troops, and I can lead my men to the gates of Tokyo within two months, forcing the dog emperor to open the gates and surrender. Your Majesty can then take control of the Central Plains."
A few days later, another letter from Billeco arrived.
"Your Majesty, my army of 300,000 has entered Hexi and is now at the gates of Xingqing Prefecture. It will only take one day to capture Xingqing Prefecture. What do you say, Your Majesty? Just give me 80,000 reinforcements, and I can reach the Central Plains within ten days!"
Yelü Dashi has been receiving letters one after another lately.
If he hadn't been so familiar with the situation there, one might have thought, just by reading Bilege's letter, that Bilege had utterly annihilated the Song Dynasty.
At first, Bilge's letters were written on blank paper.
Later, they started writing on cloth, sometimes with traces of blood.
Then, using the blood-stained coarse cloth, and finally some randomly selected leaves, I drew some crooked things on it.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Yelü Dashi did not send out a single soldier; he simply watched as Bilege was chased and eventually captured by Zhang Xian.
When Zhang Xian captured Bilege, Bilege shouted, "I want to see His Majesty the Emperor, I want to submit to him, I want to be his most loyal subject."
Zhang Xian brought Bilege back to Gaochang City. Bilege was eager to see Yue Fei, but he could not.
Because he was thrown into prison and imprisoned.
Duan Zhijie of the Control Yuan had already begun compiling a list of those who participated in the massacre of Han people in Gaochang that day.
A bloody storm is about to break out in Gaochang.
Two days later, Zhanmuer, who had originally given Duan Zhijie five cartloads of gold, was taken out of his bed at the mansion.
His whole family was brought out.
Not only him, but almost all of Billeco's ministers, as well as their families, were plundered.
These people kept samurai and attendants in their mansion, attempting to rebel, but under the sharp blades of the military police, all resistance was just a paper tiger.
The city of Gaochang was filled with pitiful cries, while the poor, who usually struggled to even get enough to eat, watched all this with curious eyes.
They were bystanders, and when they saw those noble gentlemen and ladies who usually whipped themselves at will being ruthlessly dragged into the middle of nowhere, looking as pathetic as wild dogs, they couldn't help but clap and cheer.
Yue Fei's prohibition against massacring cities became ineffective at this point.
Duan Zhijie held the emperor's handwritten letter in his hand, which clearly stated that all the nobles who had massacred Han people that day should be killed.
A red sun gradually sank below the horizon, and Gaochang City turned red as well.
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