On the high platform, the wicked man stared at the map in his hand.
This is a detailed map of the Western Regions, with each oasis city-state marked in vermilion, densely distributed across this vast land.
"Your Majesty, look..." A merchant from the Western Regions pointed tremblingly at the map, "This is the spice route of the Cheshi Kingdom, over there is the jade-producing area of Shule, and further west is..."
"Shut up." The wicked man coldly raised his head and looked at the guide whom the Black Ice Guard had scavenged from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. "This Grand Commandant has no need to know about these useless trade routes."
"You just need to tell me where the troops stationed in each country are, and where the royal family is located?"
The businessman swallowed hard and continued his explanation.
Although the Western Regions were known as the Thirty-Six Kingdoms, there were not many that were truly important military strongholds.
Most importantly, there was the Wusun tribe, a nomadic people renowned for their horsemanship, swift as the wind, and capable of relaying messages to other city-states.
This unit was essentially a communication device between the Western Regions. To completely annihilate the Western Regions, this 'communication device' must be destroyed first.
"Very good." The wicked husband stood up. "Zhang Erhe!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead 50,000 elite troops and depart immediately. Your destination is the Wusun nomadic region. Remember, do not let a single messenger escape!"
The wicked man walked to the sand table and pointed to several key locations: "The Wusun people are all herdsmen, best at navigating pastures and waterways. If we let them inform other city-states, it will be difficult for us to achieve a quick victory."
Zhang Erhe accepted the order and left.
"Meng Tian!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead the main force westward, directly attacking the former Cheshi Kingdom. This is the largest country in the Western Regions; if we can achieve a swift victory, the other smaller kingdoms will surely tremble in fear. However..."
A cold glint flashed in the wicked man's eyes: "Don't rush to attack the city. First, blockade their camel caravans, water sources, and oases. Let them know what true despair is!"
Meng Tian accepted the order and left.
"Wang Li!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Your mission is the most important." The wicked man pointed to the southernmost point of the map, "Starting from Shache, head west. But remember, don't rush to massacre the city. Instead, you must..."
He drew an arc on the map: "Drive all the refugees here. Once they're all gathered, that's when we'll close the net!"
The three armies, each with its own mission, advanced westward into the Western Regions like a vast net.
This time, it's not just a simple massacre of a city; it's about erasing the foreign tribes from this land forever from history!
Wusun Grassland.
Zhang Erhe's cavalry were divided into dozens of squads, flanking from different directions.
"Not a single horse is allowed to escape!" he barked. "These nomads are masters of concealment. But to cut off their mounts is like clipping the wings of an eagle!"
Sure enough, as soon as the groups of herdsmen tried to escape on horseback, they were swarmed by the Qin army. The terrible rain of arrows not only killed the riders, but also turned their warhorses into pincushions.
Without their warhorses, these herders who once roamed freely across the grasslands immediately became lambs to the slaughter.
What's even more terrifying is that the Qin army wasn't in a hurry to kill them.
"Drive all these people to the center!" Zhang Erhe ordered. "Don't let a single one escape. Once the news gets out, the other city-states will be trapped!"
Meanwhile, in the former kingdom of Cheshi.
Meng Tian's army had arrived at the city walls, but did not launch an attack.
Instead, they dispatched elite cavalry to launch attacks in all directions.
Any caravans encountered must be killed without exception. Oases containing water sources must be immediately occupied. All roads leading to the city must be cut off.
King Cheshi stood atop the city wall, watching the Qin soldiers patrolling outside the city like jackals surveying their prey.
"Your Majesty!" A general rushed in, "It's terrible! The Qin army has cut off all our water sources. Our reservoirs are empty, if this continues..."
The King of Cheshi was ashen-faced. In this western desert, water was life. Without water, a city was like a person being strangled, destined to die!
Even worse, the Qin army wasn't in a hurry to attack. Instead, they slowly wore down the city from the outside, intending to let the hundreds of thousands of people inside die of thirst!
This brutal tactic is even more terrifying than a complete massacre of a city!
Southern route.
Wang Li's army marched westward, burning, killing, and looting wherever they went.
But he wasn't in a hurry to kill everyone. Instead, he deliberately created panic, causing the refugees to flee in all directions.
"Westward! Keep going west!" he ordered. "Drive them all to the edge of the desert. Only when they have nowhere else to turn will it truly be over!"
Thus, hundreds of thousands of refugees were driven westward by the Qin army.
They thought that as long as they escaped far enough, they would survive. Little did they know, this played right into the Qin army's trap.
Once these refugees have gathered on the edge of the desert, they will have nowhere to escape!
Ten days later.
The King of Cheshi knelt atop the city wall, his face deathly pale: "We surrender! We beg the Grand Commandant for mercy..."
The city has been without water for three days, and countless people have died of thirst.
Those who survived were living a life worse than death, and some even resorted to drinking horse urine to stave off hunger.
"Surrender?" Meng Tian sneered. "Let us into the city first. As for whether we live or die, that depends on the Grand Commandant's decision!"
Meanwhile, on the Wusun grassland.
Tens of thousands of herders were trapped in the middle, unable to escape. They then realized that the Qin army's purpose was not to massacre, but to make them watch the entire Western Regions perish!
On the edge of the desert.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees had nowhere to escape. Ahead lay the vast desert, and behind them, the iron hooves of the Qin army.
"The Grand Commandant has given the order!" Wang Li looked down at the refugees, "Since you've delivered yourselves to my doorstep, you may stay here forever!"
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