"It's a pity, but there's nothing to regret!"
Chief of Staff Lin Shaozhang spoke up: "These fleeing Samanis are all our defeated enemies. Even with such strong fortifications in Yizhou City, they were no match for us. So what if they escaped?"
"Chief of Staff Lin,"
Li Maoxue, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, frowned and said, "This Western Region is, after all, the domain of the Samans. The Samans are naturally nomadic, moving swiftly across the grasslands and oases, with no fixed abode. It will probably be quite difficult to wipe them all out!"
"fine!"
Lin Shaozhang began, “Last year, when our Da Gan army pacified the grasslands in the north, what measures did we take? We built cities, stationed troops, resettled people, and cultivated land. If we take such measures, we can also firmly control the Western Regions in the hands of our Da Gan Kingdom! And this is also the intention of His Majesty, the Privy Council, and Director Zhao of the Western Expedition Command.”
"As for those Samanids who fled,"
Lin Shaozhang smiled mysteriously and continued, "These people are easy to deal with! As the saying goes, an eye for an eye. Back then, these Saman cavalrymen entered Suzhou and other places, plundering our vast population. Now, we can do the same! Yizhou has been occupied, and the entire Saman Khanate is wide open. We can send troops to attack everywhere, giving them blood for blood and tooth for tooth! Commander Li, isn't this exactly what you've been thinking about?"
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Li Maoxue, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, had a brightening eye.
He chuckled and said, "So we can also abduct the Samanians now?"
"right!"
Lin Shaozhang nodded and said, "We cannot show any mercy to these nomadic peoples who have always lived on horseback. There is no right or wrong in war. These Samans can enter our Daqian Kingdom for a little food, plundering and slaughtering our people. Our Daqian army can naturally take retaliatory actions in kind, doing everything possible to weaken the Saman Khanate's strength, in order to defeat or even completely annihilate the Saman Khanate as soon as possible!"
"Besides, if we capture all the Samans, we can use them for our own purposes!"
Lin Shaozhang continued, “If we want to develop the Western Regions, relying solely on our garrison troops, settlement troops, and militia is far too few. Therefore, we must rely on these prisoners, these Samans, to develop the Western Regions! In addition, the Samans are nomadic and have a large number of warhorses, cattle, sheep, and other livestock, which can not only serve as military equipment but also as draft animals, food, and resource supplements. Our mission this time is to bring all of these back!”
"Well said!"
Commander Zhao Chun of the Northwest Military Region clapped his hands and sighed, saying, "War is like this! Our expedition to the Western Regions is a long way from the interior. It would be too difficult to rely solely on Director Zhao for logistics. If we can solve some of the food problems here in the Western Regions, the logistical pressure will be greatly reduced. Then we can just transport ammunition!"
"so,"
Zhao Chun looked at Li Maoxue and the others and instructed, "The 11th Infantry Division, the 13th Infantry Division, the 36th Infantry Division, the 8th Cavalry Division, and the 11th Cavalry Division are to be dispatched to launch attacks in all directions and begin independent combat! Just be careful and don't be greedy for merit or act rashly!"
"yes!"
The teachers and instructors quickly responded.
The next day, after the defense of Illinois City was handed over, three infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions launched an attack on the area surrounding the Illinois Oasis.
Numerous Saman tribes were scattered across the vast oasis. Although Karhana Beile and General Tuli had conscripted many Samans after arriving in Yizhou City, some elderly people, women, and children still grazed livestock and lived on the grasslands.
This time, their mission is to relocate all these tribes to the vicinity of Yizhou City!
Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!
Strong walls and clear fields!
This set of policies must be strictly implemented!
"kill!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out continuously.
One by one, Samanian cavalrymen were struck by bullets. Those who dared to resist were quickly and mercilessly shot dead.
In a short period of time, the 11th Infantry Division had completely wiped out this small tribe!
All those who resisted were killed.
The 11th Infantry Division also captured all the tribe's resources, including people, tents, horses, cattle, and sheep!
"Report!"
A staff officer quickly approached Li Maoxue and reported, "Reporting to the commander, all the people, cattle, sheep and horses of this tribe have been captured. There are a total of 4,300 people, including men, women, and children, as well as 60,000 cattle and sheep, 1,900 horses, and 750 tents."
Listening to the staff officer's report, Li Maoxue nodded slowly.
"Tell the 8th and 9th Battalions of the 3rd Regiment to send all these prisoners, cattle, sheep, and horses back to Yizhou City!"
Li Maoxue said, "The rest of you, continue the advance."
Subsequently, the 11th Infantry Division continued its mopping-up operations in the vast oases nearby.
Illinois' oases have fertile land and abundant water and grass, and there are also many Saman tribes here.
However, the vast majority of able-bodied men had been conscripted beforehand.
Therefore, they offered little resistance to the mopping-up operation by the 11th Infantry Division and were all captured.
In just ten days, the 11th Infantry Division had wiped out five tribes, captured more than 200,000 head of cattle and sheep, and more than 20,000 Samans!
With so many spoils of war, Li Maoxue's 11th Infantry Division withdrew and returned to Yizhou City.
When Li Maoxue and his group returned to Yizhou City, they were stunned to see the densely packed tents and watchtowers outside the city.
"Whoa!"
Li Maoxue exclaimed in surprise, "How much have we seized in such a short time!"
"Commander,"
Regimental Commander Chu Yuanxing said with a smile, "Even our division has captured twenty or thirty thousand Samans, not to mention the other divisions. I estimate there are over a hundred thousand prisoners outside Yizhou City right now!"
While Li Maoxue, Chu Yuanxing, and the others were chatting and laughing, they entered Yizhou City.
After handing over the prisoners and supplies to the Northwest Military Region's logistics department, Li Maoxue's 11th Division began to rest and reorganize.
Li Maoxue, on the other hand, went into the command post at the Yizhou City garrison.
As soon as Li Maoxue walked in, he saw Zhao Chun with a big smile on her face.
"Commander Zhao,"
Li Maoxue asked, "What's the matter? Why are you so happy?"
"Old Li, you're back just in time!"
Looking at Li Maoxue, Zhao Chun said with a smile, "Do you know how many victories we've achieved during this period? Look! Including the tens of thousands of prisoners captured in the Battle of Yizhou, we have nearly two hundred thousand prisoners in total!"
"How many?"
Li Maoxue was also stunned, "Nearly two hundred thousand? That's a lot!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
