Chapter 435: Luo Wuji Opens Up the Western Regions 1
Western Regions.
This is a barren land in the eyes of people in the Central Plains.
Even those who have been to the Western Regions say that it is extremely beautiful, with towering snow-capped mountains, gurgling streams, lush forests and countless lands suitable for farming, but this cannot change their ideas at all.
Even people in the Hexi Corridor were unwilling to migrate, let alone the Western Regions thousands of miles away.
The people in Chang'an said, "The people of the Western Regions cannot speak elegant language. There are no buildings with carved corridors and painted rafters, no classics of the ancient philosophers, no majestic temples of the Eight Lords, no sacrifices to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and most importantly, they do not understand what it means to be the Supreme Lord. There is only darkness and barbarism. It is not a place where people can survive."
It was not until Emperor Liu Che appointed the unrivaled Marquis Luo Wuji to guard the Western Regions that the perceptions of the people of the world changed a little.
The emperor and the Luo clan jointly spread the word among the people: "Marquis Wushuang is the future Duke Zhao and the head of the Luo clan. He is willing to go to the Western Regions. Even though it was once uninhabited, it will definitely not be completely dark and barbaric in the future.
I heard that decades ago, the ancestors of Wushuang Hou led their people to the Western Regions and left descendants there. Decades later, they are still offering sacrifices to the Su Wang Shang Huang in the wild land. "
…
Luo Wuji went to the Western Regions, and naturally he was not the only one there.
The level of the Western Regions Protectorate was higher than that of a county, which can be seen from the establishment of another Liaodong Protectorate.
The Liaodong Protectorate was under the jurisdiction of counties, kingdoms and volunteer armies. The Liaodong Protector-General was a true frontier official, which was unprecedented in the two-level political structure of counties and prefectures in the Han Dynasty.
Liu Che's initial plan for the Protectorate of the Western Regions was to establish a Wushuang Marquisate and the seat of the Protectorate, first to gain a firm foothold in the Western Regions and have a place to garrison troops. As for the establishment of counties, it would come later, based on actual conditions.
To keep a piece of land since ancient times is not something that can be achieved by just pointing fingers in a book or bragging, not to mention that the Western Regions already have relatively strong indigenous population.
In particular, the Yishui River Valley, the place chosen by the Luo family as its foothold, has abundant water and fertile land. It is both an excellent horse farm and an excellent farming area. It is also the location of the great Wusun country in the Western Regions.
This was not one of those small countries with a total population of only 10,000 or 20,000, but a very powerful country in the Western Regions. At its peak, it had a population of one million, making it the second most powerful country after the Xiongnu.
Even after experiencing a series of divisions and wars, the Wusun Kingdom still had a population of hundreds of thousands and should not be underestimated.
And the most crucial thing is that the distance from Chang'an to Wusun is 7,000 miles, which is far longer than the distance during the great battle in Mobei in the past.
With such a long distance, even in modern society, it is difficult for many countries to complete the delivery of power. In this era of relying on livestock, it is impossible to rely on the Han court to supply food and fodder, and the people on the road have to eat the horses' biscuits, even if they sell out the Han court.
In Ji Zhao's world, successive dynasties have exercised tributary rule over the Western Regions. Not much needs to be said about the Western Han Dynasty, which can be described as a tributary rule within a tributary rule, and influence was basically exerted through intimidation by force and marriages of princesses.
Ban Chao and his thirty-six companions traveled to the Western Regions, and then spent the rest of his life suppressing rebellions.
The military power of the Tang Dynasty was at its peak, and they would destroy nations and races at will. Gao Xianzhi launched an expedition to the Kingdom of Little Bolor, marching for four months and covering 5,000 miles. According to historical records, "they could not rest and could reach the bottom in half a day."
Even the powerful Tang army did not kill all the natives who surrendered and rebelled from time to time.
Could it be that our ancestors were too kind to be deceived?
Or was it that the ancients lacked wisdom?
Neither!
The wisdom of our ancestors is unquestionable, but there is no other way. The cost of sending the Central Plains army is too high and the benefits gained are too small.
The Tang Dynasty's Anxi Army was already the strongest force in the Western Regions, but such a small army needed support from the Central Plains to survive. Decades were simply not enough to establish a stable rule.
People who travel frequently and see the mountains and terrain in different places will understand how difficult it is to truly establish rule.
Naturally, the Luo family was not satisfied with just controlling the place. Their goal was to occupy the place and never leave, so they needed a real piece of land to live on.
With the current Han court, if the expedition to the Western Regions was to be a major war, the number of soldiers that could be sent could reach hundreds of thousands.
However, the permanent military force would not exceed three thousand. This number was indeed not small. It was more than enough to defeat a Xiongnu king, but not enough to defeat Wusun.
Because the Wusun Kingdom was defending the city while they were well rested, and they also had a lot of armor. As an important road connecting the east and the west, and the only way to the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, the Wusun Kingdom was really rich.
If the Wusun Kingdom had not been in disunity, even Luo Wuji would not have been willing to lead thousands of soldiers to die. It is easy to win a battle and to destroy a country, but it is difficult to gain a foothold.
To maintain a standing army of 3,000 people in the Western Regions, a population of 300,000 is required, which is too difficult.
The Han court's treasury was depleted so quickly, not just because of the war, but also because of the migration costs and resettlement expenses of establishing Shuofang and Wuyuan counties, and the food costs before the land was reclaimed. These were all major expenses.
…
Luo Wuji led 500 brave warriors in full armor and on horseback, plus 2,000 troops recruited from the Wushuang Marquisate. The five sons of the Luo family each led their own clansmen to the Western Regions.
It can be said that this was the most significant contribution made by the Luo family since the end of the Zhou Dynasty. Even the punishment of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty did not involve such a great effort.
After so many years of recuperation, the Luo family has finally grown stronger again. After all, this is not only about expanding the territory for the Han Dynasty, but also about opening up branch bases for the Luo family. It is the Luo family's millennium plan.
Luo Wuzhi led the cavalry army through the Hexi Corridor and marched along the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains. Countries along the way that were willing to provide food and fodder were allowed to stay, while those that were unwilling were directly attacked, causing their people to flee in all directions. It took a long time to finally reach the Eastern Kingdom of Wusun.
Wusun East Kingdom was a part split from Wusun Kingdom, located at the eastern end of Yishui River Valley. There was a large grassland in the country, where the later Sky Grassland was located.
The Wusun East Kingdom had a lot of cavalry, so its strength was not weak. Unfortunately, they encountered Luo Wuzhi. If they were infantry defending the city, they might have a better chance of survival, but fighting with cavalry would be tantamount to seeking death.
When Luo Wuzhi fought against the Huns, there were hundreds of thousands of cavalrymen fighting. These few thousand cavalrymen from the Western Regions were like children playing house.
Luo Wuzhi led the Luo family's cavalry and killed the cavalry of Wusun East Kingdom in just two charges. Then he entered the capital of Wusun East Kingdom, cut off the head of the young king of Wusun, announced the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate, and temporarily used Dongcheng as the office location of the Protectorate.
After the establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, it faced two main problems: the first was to protect the existing achievements, and the second was how to continue to expand.
Although the Wusun Kingdom was divided into pieces, it would certainly not sit idly by and watch its territory being occupied by the Han people, so it sent troops to attack the newly established Western Regions Protectorate.
However, Luo Wuzhi quickly established a military control system in the Eastern Kingdom of Wusun, which was able to provide food and fodder for the army coming from the Central Plains.
He also established commercial ties with several Western Regions countries on the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, such as Yanqi and Qiuci. In addition, with the development of the Hexi Corridor, Liu Che continuously transported food and grass and sent field armies from time to time. Under the double pressure, the Western Regions countries were still cooperative.
Once the pressure of logistics disappears, Luo Wuzhi will naturally be able to return to what he is best at, fighting.
Especially since the Wusun Kingdom actually dared to fight a field battle with him, Luo Wuji almost laughed out loud. If the Xiongnu's Qilian Chanyu knew about this, he would probably sympathize with the King of Wusun.
Even if it is thousands versus tens of thousands, Luo Wu Ji doesn't care.
The five sons of the Luo family were commanding the army at the front, while he took twenty spirit soldiers and brave warriors and seized the opportunity to launch a charge when the two sides were in a stalemate.
How strong were the brave warriors and the Han army? The Han Empire and the Xiongnu Empire fought for ten years, fighting each other with white knives and red knives. The blood between the two sides dyed the entire grassland red. In the end, the Han Empire won this brutal war with its stronger national strength and stronger commander.
The Wusun Kingdom might have been very strong in the past, but after years of fighting among the weaklings in the Western Regions, they had never seen such an opponent. Luo Wuji's horse trampled on the king's flag and directly killed the Wusun king in the battle. The remaining troops scattered like birds and beasts and fled away one after another.
"Grand Protector, the Wusun Kingdom has retreated and will not have the energy to counterattack in the short term. What should we do now?"
After crushing the conspiracy and war of the Wusun Kingdom to interfere with the Han Dynasty's foothold in the Western Regions, the court officials asked Luo Wuji, the first Protector General of the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty.
Luo Wuji looked up at the azure sky and white clouds. In the distant horizon was the Tianshan Mountains. The top of the mountains were covered with snow, and the ground below was green. There was a fresh and moist fragrance in the air.
It's so beautiful.
Luo Wuji couldn't help but think about it, then pointed at the city and said loudly: "Of course it is in that city that the sacrifice to the Su King is established and the tablets of the ancestors are placed. This is the land of Zhuxia Han."
Everyone was moved when they heard this, and they all responded in unison: "Yes!"
A sacrificial temple to King Su was built in the Yishui River Valley, like a lighthouse in a dark place.
This light may only illuminate a part of the Yishui River Valley, but it can bring comfort and hope to all Han people who travel to the Western Regions.
Because people can easily feel lonely, especially when they are far away from their hometown, but the existence of Su Wang can alleviate the feeling of being reluctant to leave their hometown.
Wherever the Suwang Shanghuang is, the people of China feel at ease.
————
The Han Dynasty's entry into the Western Regions is an indelible event in the history of the Western Regions. Luo Zhongkan discovered this land, and his son Luo Wuji brought advanced civilization, excellent culture, and long-term peace to this land. Since Luo Wuji entered the Western Regions, everything here has been completely renewed. People of all ethnic groups warmly welcomed the Han army, which was something that the Xiongnu who once ruled the Western Regions could not do, and fully demonstrated the superiority of the Xia civilization. ——"Research on the Historical and Cultural Migration of the Western Regions"
(End of this chapter)
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