Chapter 433 Extra 1 (2) (Update 1)
"You..." Ma Chao's words were stuck in his throat.
The reason why Yu Fan was such a cruel person was that, although he was trying to dissuade Ma Chao from his idea, he also cursed himself, which made people want to refute him directly. They all felt that they were a little unreasonable and were afraid that he would say something even more outrageous.
And if he had to say this, it really was a bit rough but true.
Although Ma Chao grew up in Liang Province, the four Hexi counties were isolated outside the Wushaoling Mountains. Even he had never reached the other end of the Hexi Corridor.
In this way, even if the strength of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions is actually not much different from what he said, the number of people that can be formed in large-scale settlements or even communities named after countries in this vast and sparsely populated land is also quite limited. When the prestige of the Han Dynasty is almost gone here, he wants to quickly travel to many places by fighting in a roundabout way, which is really not feasible.
Moreover, their number one goal is not to annihilate the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions and turn all the people there into citizens of Dayong, but to defeat the potential enemy in the farther west and drive them out of the country.
Your Majesty will never allow them to take any rash action of sending troops just to seek achievements!
The languages and cultures of the countries in the Western Regions vary, and the region is divided into two parts: the southern border and the northern border. Choosing Xu Rong as the commander-in-chief to guard this area should have set the tone.
Rather than using military force to win a single battle, Qiao Yan preferred to use the military force of the Yong army to fight against "foreign enemies", such as the Northern Xiongnu and the Kushans, and to use a combination of kindness and force to subdue the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions and implement a policy of gradual assimilation.
"Okay, everyone, stop talking for now." Lu Yuan spoke up immediately when he saw that Ma Chao's momentum had been somewhat reduced by Yu Fan's teasing.
"As General Xu said, the Cheshi Kingdom is located north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. If we are not familiar with the terrain and one of them flees north and escapes to the place where the Northern Xiongnu migrated westward, and Kangju and Kushan in the west learn of our movements first, it will be bad."
"Why not send troops out of southern Xinjiang and attack Shanshan directly? In the past, Loulan was sandwiched between the Han and Xiongnu. The king of Loulan was incompetent and sided with the Xiongnu. He was killed by the Han court, and a new king was appointed. The country moved south to the foot of Kunlun Mountain and changed its name to Shanshan. Now it should belong to the territory of Dayong!"
Take the road to Southern Xinjiang!
This is the choice given by Lu Yuan.
This marching direction was unanimously recognized by the generals in Dunhuang, and soon formed into a complete marching plan with the assistance of the Dunhuang caravan and the Western Region guides.
The records of the troop movements of the Han Dynasty's Wu Ji Commandant and the Chief Clerk of the Western Regions were also transferred from the Han Dynasty's treasury to Liangzhou as a reference case for Lu Yuan and others to plan diplomatic relations with the countries in the Western Regions.
This march report was delivered to Qiao Yan a few days later.
The drought in the second year of Yuan Zhao passed smoothly, which made the voices of the court more and more clear. Qiao Yan also made the decision immediately after discussing with the Minister of Agriculture about storing grain in the treasuries of various places.
send troops!
In addition to the decision to send troops, another transfer order arrived in Liangzhou at the same time.
Duan Wei, Dong Zhuo's former general, had prepared to guard Huangzhong forever and station troops in Jincheng after obtaining Qiao Yan's permission to bury Dong Zhuo in Liangzhou. However, he did not expect to receive an order from Qiao Yan to transfer troops north.
"In the past, Duan Jiming from Liangzhou Sanming could not find a foothold in the court throughout his life. He was forced to join the eunuchs to keep his wealth and status. In his later years, he lost his integrity and was imprisoned. He died in grief. Since the general became a vassal of Dong Zhuo, attacked Luoyang, and led troops to Chang'an, it is not difficult to see that he was not on the same path as Dong Zhuo. If he was only a captain in Jincheng, it would be a great regret in his life."
"Why not join us in the expedition to the Western Regions, make meritorious contributions in battle, and make the name of the Wuwei Duan family go down in history."
"The general's mistake of submitting to Dong Zhuo is an old matter of the Han court, but now it is the year of the Great Yong, so there is no need to dwell on it."
At the same time, he ordered the Grand Marshal Huangfu Song to stay in charge of the Gaoping grain road and supervise the Qiang people in Liangzhou to prevent any ill-intentioned people in Liangzhou from causing unrest after Lu Yuan, Xu Rong, Duan Wei and others left Yumen Pass one after another.
It can also ensure that food from Guanzhong, Jincheng Military Settlements and Wuwei Military Settlements can be continuously transported to Dunhuang.
The issuance of these two orders was a very useful reassurance to the Liangzhou officials!
The deep-rooted prejudice that officials and generals from Liangzhou could hardly enter the central government for hundreds of years had given people hope for change because Qiao Yan had begun to promote the co-governance of Han and Qiang and restart the Silk Road in his early years, but -
The chief general of Liangzhou, Xu Rong, was from Liaodong, and the governor of the prefecture, Lu Yuan, was from Yangzhou. Among the officials in the court, there were very few who were from Liangzhou.
It was not until this order was issued that people could see more clearly His Majesty's determination to change this situation!
Duan Wei once followed Dong Zhuo into Luoyang, and after Dong Zhuo retreated to Chang'an, he became an important general who guarded the barrier for him.
If Qiao Yan had not been considered for his farming in Huayin and his desire to protect the people, he should have been executed long ago. There was no possibility that he would be transferred to Jincheng for garrison later.
If even people of this status can get the opportunity to make achievements, or to redeem themselves from punishment, then the other generals in Liangzhou will have an even better chance of rising to the top with their own abilities.
Just as Qiao Yan said, Duan Wei followed Dong Zhuo during the Han Dynasty.
His merits and demerits have already offset each other, so why should he kill the hope of his being employed in the year of Dayong?
There were quite a few generals from Liang Province who participated in this expedition to the Western Regions. With Huangfu Song stationed in Liang Province, the rear could be guaranteed. This was also the guarantee given to them by His Majesty.
Jia Xu, who was in Qingzhou, couldn't help but smile after hearing this plan.
Isn't it because under His Majesty's rule, the people of Liangzhou have the opportunity to compete fairly with others?
Because of his following in his early years and his indispensable contributions in the rise and fall of the kingdom, he was in charge of one side after the world was settled. His eldest son also had a job that would not get him into trouble as long as he did not make a big mistake, but he was still looking forward to seeing this scene today!
Although Your Majesty has already ruled the world and is troubled by affairs in all directions, it is obvious that you have not forgotten any of your early promises and have not let down your ministers.
However... His Majesty's memory is too good, which is sometimes not a good thing for his subordinates.
When the order to dispatch troops to Liangzhou was issued in Chang'an, Jia Xu also sent the document on the operating conditions of Qingzhou to Chang'an, and later received a reply from Qiao Yan.
I saw that after the serious text there was another sentence:
In his early years, Wenhe lied that he was the grandson of the late Grand Marshal Duan Jiming in order to avoid being accused of banditry. General Zhongming and Duan Jiming were brothers of the same generation. I don't know what Wenhe could teach him before he went on a march.
Jia Xu: “…”
What a bastard!
He said that he was Duan Xing's grandson in order to escape death. He didn't really want to have a grandfather, nor did he want Duan Wei to become his elder!
Your Majesty, your bad taste does not have to go this far.
But whether Jia Xu had any advice for Duan Wei was obviously not that important.
In November, all parties had already deployed their troops and food supplies. With Ma Chao and Zhang He as the vanguard, Fu Gan, Xu Rong, Ma Dai and others as the central army, and Lu Yuan, Yu Fan, Duan Wei and others as the rear support, a line of troops marched out of Yumen Pass and headed straight for southern Xinjiang!
Several decades have passed since the last time the Central Plains dynasty sent troops to the Western Regions.
This is also very different from the "traveling merchants" such as Xu Rong and others who transported cotton and BMW.
This is a truly comprehensive military deployment!
There is still abundant grass and water within Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass, but when you pass through Yumen Pass and go west along the long-unrepaired Great Wall of Han and the Shule River Valley, the wind and snow mixed with the dust flying up from the crescent-shaped sand dunes hit you directly in the face.
A desolate and bleak scene is before our eyes.
It can still snow in August, let alone this November, when the cold is almost unbearable.
If the cotton planted in Bingzhou had not increased countless times year by year, and if these soldiers who went out to fight in the border area had not been wearing two layers of cotton clothes, this battle to the Western Regions would have caused considerable losses to the soldiers of Liangzhou.
Even with such cold-proof items, the challenge they face is not just the cold.
Fortunately, they had a compass, which allowed them to avoid getting lost in the vast ocean even when wind and sand obscured their vision.
They also had sufficient rations and water storage equipment to turn snow into water for their own use, allowing them to maintain their food and clothing needs.
They were also equipped with war horses that were the result of mating the Dayuan BMWs with famous horses from the border areas. Together with the horseshoes, the vanguard troops responsible for clearing the way could move forward as if walking on flat ground.
"Ever since the Peacock River began to change its course, the lakes and puddles formed by the major rivers in the Western Regions around the Puchang Sea have shrunk a lot. If the situation continues to develop in this way, the people of Shanshan will have to move further west." The local guide explained to Lu Yuan. "But now we just need to follow this road down to where Yuni City is."
To the east of the desert oasis of Puchang Lake is today's Lop Nur.
The situation here is not so bleak that even birds cannot cross it. However, as the guide said, due to the diversion of the Peacock River, the surrounding water area has shrunk greatly, which has also brought great pressure to the Shanshan people living in Yuni City.
Fortunately, Shanshan once had the glory of Loulan, and can be regarded as the largest Western Region country in this neighboring area.
The neighboring countries such as Qiemo, Xiaowan, Ronglu, Jingjue, etc. either obeyed him or obeyed the orders of Yutian further west. In short, no one dared to bully them.
Although the powerful enemy Cheshi in the north no longer attacked each other because the north obeyed the Xiongnu and the south obeyed the Han Dynasty, it was difficult for them to return to a unified state due to the influence accumulated over a century of division.
Compared with Shanshan, it is hard to say which one is stronger.
But the situation today seems to be different.
The King of Shanshan was resting in his bedroom when he heard his subordinates report in a panic, "A huge sandstorm is coming from the east!"
Big sandstorm? What big sandstorm?
The place where Yuni City is located is actually the most prosperous oasis in this area, and there is mostly greenery wherever you look. It just looks a little desolate because of the coming winter.
But when he climbed up the wall of Yuni City, he saw that what his subordinates said was not false.
A sound like thunder came from the east, approaching him at a speed that could not be ignored, and the dust it raised was definitely not caused by ordinary wind.
It really looks like the sandstorm you see in the desert before it rushes straight into the sky.
But this is not a sandstorm at all!
As the enemy approached, that is, when the King of Shanshan climbed to the top of the city and looked into the distance, he could clearly see that what was coming in the dust was not a natural disaster, but -
He couldn't even count the number of cavalrymen in a blink of an eye!
Even if he was the ruler of a country, it would be impossible for him to produce so many good horses in a short time.
He had not seen such sophisticated armor and weapons for many years.
This is not something that should appear in the Western Regions at all.
The cavalrymen who finally rushed into the oasis at this time changed from their originally blurry figures to clear black dots in the distance, and they stepped into this land with an air of divine soldiers descending from the sky.
That was an enemy attack!
He almost shouted in a voice distorted by fear: "Quick...quickly stop them!"
The bad intentions of the attackers were fully revealed in the opponent's strong attack.
They couldn't possibly be a caravan coming here to rest.
But how could these Shanshan soldiers, who had to meet the enemy in a hurry and did not have sufficient iron bows and iron arrows, possibly stop Ma Chao, Zhang He and others?
In just a moment, the cavalry had devoured all the patrol soldiers, and even reached the foot of the city despite the arrows shot from the top of the city.
The King of Shanshan, who had not seen such a scene for many years, felt his legs and feet go weak.
It was definitely not that he was too timid, but the strength displayed by the other party was too terrifying!
He hid behind the city wall and asked tremblingly, "Why is the Han envoy doing this?"
Except for the Han people at the other end of the Hexi Corridor, no one could invade Shanshan in this way at this time.
At least the Cheshi Kingdom can’t!
Of course, these must be the Han army.
But he soon heard the general under the city shouting: "You are wrong. We are the generals under the command of the Emperor of Great Yong. The Han Dynasty has ended. The Central Plains now belongs to Great Yong!"
"I am here today to punish the rebels under the order of His Majesty. Why don't you surrender immediately?"
The author has something to say:
A typical scene of information not flowing.
Let me explain in advance:
The number of people in the Thirty-Six Kingdoms in the Western Regions is written on the assumption that slaves were not registered as households.
Although it is recorded in the Book of Han: The Western Regions:
The former state of Cheshi, whose king ruled in Jiaohe City. The river water splits and flows around the city, so it is called Jiaohe. It is eight thousand one hundred and fifty miles to Chang'an. There are 700 households, 6,500 people, and 1,865 soldiers.
The king of the later state of Cheshi governed the country at Tugu, 8,950 miles away from Chang'an. There are 595 households, 4,774 people, and 1,890 soldiers.
The Cheshi Duwei State had 40 households, 333 people, and 84 victorious soldiers.
The Houcheng State of Cheshi had 154 households, 960 people, and 260 soldiers.
…
But if you look at the circumstances of these two military expeditions, this record may not be complete.
[Hui went to Wusun with 500 officials and soldiers. On their way back, he dispatched 20,000 soldiers from the Western Kingdom and ordered his deputy envoy to dispatch 20,000 soldiers from the Eastern Kingdom of Qiuci. The Wusun army numbered 7,000 and attacked Qiuci from three sides. Before the troops joined forces, he sent people to blame its king for killing the Han envoy. 】(Playing in Kucha)
In the autumn of the sixth year, Chao dispatched 70,000 soldiers from eight countries including Qiuci and Shanshan, as well as 1,400 officials, soldiers, merchants and guests to attack Yanqi. 】(Ban Chao attacks Yanqi)
If we calculate based on the figure that the registered population of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms was about 200,000, and if 70,000 troops were sent, the people of countries like Qiuci and Shanshan could have just killed Ban Chao directly instead of listening to such an outrageous order.
See you at nine o'clock in the evening (*/w＼*) I won't update soon, I'll finish it at nine to ten thousand a day.
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