War comes quickly and goes quickly.
The Song army's attack on the Uighurs was like a group of well-equipped heavy cavalry fighting a group of primitive tribal remnants whose weapons were all bronze.
There is no comparison between the two sides, just like no matter how thick the leather armor is, it cannot stop the shooting of bullets.
As the sun sets, the earth is painted orange, but now it has turned into a bright red, a true blood-like color, filling Yizhou with blood.
Di Qing personally led the remaining 2,000 men and raided the rear of the Uighur army, destroying the already chaotic Uighurs and even their command system.
Amidst the chaos, the Uighur King Aqifuluo was surrounded by his guards and wanted to escape, but he happened to encounter 500 Song soldiers led by Zeng Yong who were trying to encircle him. He was shot and fell off his horse in the chaos.
Tens of thousands of Uighur cavalry were in a panic and most of them instinctively fled to the west. That direction was the direction of the Uighur royal court Gaochang, and there were places for supplies along the way.
For example, Bifengyi, Baozhuang (Shanshan County), Qiketamu Town, Liuchong Town, etc., and most of them are the habitats of these soldiers' tribes.
Di Qing naturally would not miss this opportunity to sweep away the fallen leaves. With a command, the Song army chased all the way. In addition to the 20,000 combat soldiers, even the civilians and the garrison troops in the rear joined in this feast.
The Song Dynasty stipulated that not only combat soldiers, but anyone involved in the battlefield, even auxiliary soldiers or civilians, would be rewarded as long as they had military merits, whether it was killing, capturing, seizing or obtaining important intelligence.
Under such a reward mechanism, and with the battle going their way, the Song army fell into a frantic pursuit, with only a few thousand men left to garrison Yizhou and occupy the local city.
The next day, the Song army, which had been chasing all night, arrived at Nazhi County.
It is located about 65 kilometers west of Yizhou, probably in Sibao Village, Wubao Township, Hami City, Xinjiang in later generations. It is the site of the ancient city of Lapuquke in later generations. It was established in the Tang Dynasty and is now occupied by the Uighurs.
Di Qing reorganized the troops here, left some logistical laborers and auxiliary soldiers along the way, and then led the main combat troops all the way to Gaochang in the west.
A few days later, they successively conquered Zetian and Baozhuang, and finally arrived at Xizhou during the Tang Dynasty, Gaochang at this time, and Turpan in later generations.
Gaochang has a favorable geographical environment and has been an important connecting hub of the ancient Silk Road since ancient times. Not only merchants from the Western Regions, but also merchants from Central Asia and the Han Chinese gathered here, bringing prosperity to this place.
But when they heard that the Song army was coming, the Uighurs, who were the main ethnic group, fled and scattered. There was chaos and disorder everywhere, and the city suddenly became deserted. Only some merchants and residents of other ethnic groups remained in the city.
Outside the east gate of the city, a large number of Uighurs gathered, but they were not there to meet the enemy, but seemed to be lining the streets to welcome them.
Di Qing was riding on horseback, and the winding road behind him was filled with dense crowds of heads. Some Uighurs who were watching in the distance were surprised. They never expected that the Song army, who were not wearing armor or carrying weapons, could defeat their army like this?
Not long after, the army slowly arrived in front of the city, and saw several middle-aged and elderly men coming forward and saluting Di Qing.
"Husband."
"General Di!"
Except for the three released envoys from the Song Dynasty, the rest were powerful people from the Gaochang Kingdom.
The leader was none other than Si Jie, one of Gaochang's ministers. He addressed Di Qing, saying, "Your Majesty has been bewitched by a witch and has rashly launched a war against a great nation. Now that we have apprehended her, it is entirely up to you, General, to decide her fate."
He said and waved his hand.
Several strong maids in the back pushed out Princess Jingyang, who was tied up.
Logically speaking, although Aqifuluo was defeated, Princess Jingyang was a princess of the Liao Kingdom after all, and she had Liao army guards. Even if she faced difficulties, it would not be a problem for her to get rid of them and escape back to the Liao Kingdom under the protection of the soldiers.
However, Princess Jingyang looked as pale as death at this moment, because after the Liao army guards heard that the main force of the Song army had arrived, they wanted to enter the palace and kill her - this made her realize that she was just a pawn of the Liao Kingdom.
The Liao Kingdom needed the Song Dynasty to focus its attention elsewhere, so naturally someone was needed to stir up trouble in the Western Regions to attract the Song army. Obviously, she and Aqifuluo were just scapegoats.
If Princess Jingyang escaped back to Liao, the Song Dynasty would have an excuse to attack Liao, which would be a bad thing.
Therefore, the best outcome is to kill her so that there is no evidence against her.
Fortunately, just as the Liao soldiers who were carrying out the order tricked Princess Jingyang out of the palace and were about to take action, they happened to encounter a Uighur palace coup.
It was ministers such as Huduoge, Turuhe, and Sijie who gathered some troops and stormed into the palace, deposing the queen and Aqifuluo's son.
As a result, when Princess Jingyang was about to die, the two sides met near the gate of Gaochang Palace and fought a bloody battle.
Since the Liao army was not fighting on their home turf, they were forced to retreat and failed to kill the enemy. Princess Jingyang, the queen, was captured by Hu Duoge and his men and was now presented to the Song Dynasty.
Di Qing actually knew all this a long time ago. Si Jie and others had already written to him to explain the details. The two sides had communicated through letters before, and now it was just a ceremony.
He waved his hand and said, "Send him to Bianliang!"
If the Liao Kingdom was strong, Princess Jingyang would be a hot potato, and the best way would be to execute her secretly.
But now the offensive and defensive situations have changed, and the Song State has become strong, so Princess Jingyang will become an excuse for the Song State to attack the Liao State. As for when this excuse will be used, that is a matter for the future.
"General Di, please come into the city. We have prepared wine and food."
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