Western Regions.
The Samanid Khanate, Saman City.
The city of Saman, nestled in a river valley, was surrounded by lush pastures, fertile land, and a large population. As a result, it became the center of the entire Western Regions after its construction.
Throughout the rise and fall of numerous dynasties in the Western Regions, each dynasty and khanate established its capital in Saman.
The same is true for Samantha City today!
Merchants and artisans from the entire Saman Khanate gathered here. The city of Saman was the most prosperous and extravagant city in the entire Saman Khanate, and even in the vast land of the Western Regions.
In the very center of Samantha, a tall, gray-yellow building stands proudly.
This building is the Saman Palace, the capital of the Saman Khanate.
At this time, a large number of people had gathered inside the Samanid palace.
Despite having so many people here, it was unusually quiet; you could hear a pin drop!
On the luxurious carpet in the center of the royal palace, a middle-aged general knelt on one knee with one arm crossed over his chest, head bowed and silent.
This middle-aged general was none other than General Tuli, who had retreated from Daqian territory years earlier.
On the other hand, Kuli Saman, the Great Khan of the Samanid Khanate, had a gloomy expression and a livid face.
Staring at General Tuli, Khan Kulisaman said in a deep voice, "You said that most of your hundreds of thousands of cavalry were lost within the territory of Daqian? And only twenty or thirty thousand returned? Is that true?"
"Great Khan, please calm your anger!"
General Tuli lowered his head, sighing inwardly, and said, "The Da Gan army is too formidable. At the beginning, we were able to achieve some victories. Later, it became difficult to achieve any more. Moreover, we suffered successive defeats in Suzhou and Guazhou. Even Ashina Simo's plan to launch a surprise attack on the heart of Da Gan failed. According to the news brought back by Ashina Simo, there are at least 40,000 to 50,000 troops in the vicinity of Ganzhou City in the heart of Da Gan. In addition, there are many laborers in the surrounding area, mostly from the interior. It seems that the Da Gan Kingdom is preparing a large army to enter Hexi. It is estimated that it will not be long before the Da Gan army launches a major westward advance to conquer my Saman Khanate!"
Upon hearing this news, the Great Khan of the Samanid Khanate, Kuli Saman, frowned deeply and remained silent for a long time.
The entire palace hall was unusually quiet.
In the empty hall, no one spoke.
After a moment, Khan Kulisaman frowned and asked, "You said there are still forty or fifty thousand troops in Ganzhou City?"
"Yes, Great Khan!"
General Tuli nodded and said, "This news was brought back by Ashina Simo."
This surprised everyone.
Another 40,000 to 50,000 troops appeared in Ganzhou City. In addition, another 40,000 to 50,000 troops were stationed in Suzhou, Guazhou and other places, bringing the total number of troops to nearly 100,000.
Such a large-scale troop movement implies one thing.
That would be a massive army that would launch an attack on the Samanid Khanate!
If that's the case, the Samanid Khanate is in imminent danger!
For a moment, Khan Kulisaman remained silent.
After a long while, he turned to look at the ministers in the hall and asked, "Minister of Military Affairs, with a formidable enemy at hand, our Saman Khanate is in imminent danger. What do you suggest we do now?"
"Great Khan,"
The Minister of Military Affairs stepped forward, placed one hand on his chest, bowed, and said, “The Da Gan army’s weaponry is extremely formidable, a fact not only General Tuli and his men are aware of. The Steppe Royal Kingdom, which migrated here before the New Year, also brought this news. Even a powerful kingdom like the Steppe Royal Kingdom couldn’t withstand the Da Gan army’s offensive. Now, relying solely on ourselves, we fear it will be difficult to defeat the Da Gan army. Moreover, General Tuli’s forces just suffered tens of thousands of casualties within Da Gan territory, and our Saman Khanate is now down by another eighty or ninety thousand men, making it even more difficult to stop the Da Gan army!”
"good,"
The Minister of Military Affairs continued, “While the Da Gan army is formidable, we are not without countermeasures. To launch a campaign westward from within Da Gan territory, one must traverse the vast and desolate Moheyan Desert, an eight-hundred-mile stretch of sandy desert, fraught with peril and fraught with peril. Even we would struggle to guarantee the safe passage of such a large army, giving us an advantage! On one hand, we can instruct the eastern forces of the Samanid Khanate in Yizhou and Xizhou to implement a scorched-earth policy, sending small groups to harass the Da Gan army. If we can inflict as many casualties as possible on the eight-hundred-mile stretch of desert, their morale will be severely damaged. Then, we can wait in ambush and defeat them!”
"Hmm, that's a great idea!"
Khan Kulisaman nodded in approval.
"besides,"
The Minister of Military Affairs continued, “When the Steppe Royal Tent migrated here, it also brought with it the flintlock muskets and new firearms of the Great Gan Kingdom. Preliminary research was conducted while they were in the Steppe Royal Tent. From last year until now, we have also contacted skilled craftsmen from the Golden Horde and the Black Horde, gathering them in Saman City for further research. Previously, we were already able to mass-produce the Sky-Bomb. Not long ago, we also figured out the principle of the flintlock musket and were able to replicate it. During this period, the Ministry of Military Affairs has also mobilized skilled craftsmen and recruited a large number of workers to manufacture flintlock muskets. Given time, we will definitely be able to manufacture thousands of flintlock muskets to equip various units. At that time, we will not lag too far behind the Great Gan army in terms of firepower.”
"Yeah?"
Upon hearing this news, Khan Kulisaman's eyes lit up, and he said, "I never expected that our weapons research would achieve such great results!"
"Not only that,"
The Minister of Military Affairs continued, “Your Majesty, the ordnance research team has also been able to replicate cannons. Not long ago, Hisemi and his apprentices manufactured a cannon weighing three thousand catties. After testing, it was found to be extremely powerful. This cannon has already been deployed on the walls of Saman. Our Ministry of Military Affairs has also allocated manpower and resources to Hisemi and his apprentices to continue producing these cannons.”
"Yeah?"
Upon hearing this good news, Khan Kulisaman was overjoyed.
With these guns, cannons, and thunderbolts, the gap between the Samanid Khanate and the Dagkan Empire could be bridged. Then, victory over the Dagkan Empire would be just around the corner!
Thinking of this, Khan Kulisaman burst into laughter.
"Hahaha……"
The other ministers in the hall also burst into laughter.
On the contrary, the Great Khan of the Steppe King's Tent, the Right Khan, the Karhana Beile, and others frowned and looked somewhat gloomy.
The three exchanged glances, but none of them seemed relieved; their faces remained full of worry.
Turning his head, he saw the expression on Urut Khan's face. Kuli Saman, the Khan of the Saman Khanate, frowned and asked, "Urut Khan, do you have any thoughts on the current layout of our Saman City?"
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