When Di Qing proposed this plan, Xue Rengui was not surprised at all, but shook his head and sighed:
"Before I came to Juyan, my lord told me before he left that if Commander Di proposed this plan, I must support it unconditionally."
"I didn't expect that Commandant Di was indeed like this."
"Our lord is truly a prophet!"
What?
Di Qing was greatly alarmed.
He devised this strategy after struggling for more than ten days while being besieged by Xianbei cavalry, and he didn't tell anyone about it.
Di Qing's method was his way of dealing with the Western Xia people in Hengshan, and it was also a method devised by the famous prime minister Fan Zhongyan.
Faced with the fierce and skilled cavalry of the Western Xia, they advanced layer by layer, building one fortress after another, gradually encroaching on the Western Xia's territory in the Hengshan area.
At Juyan Lake, the Xianbei people were able to cross Juyan Marsh and Juyan Grassland in one go and reach the city of Juyan without any resistance along the way.
This is because there is no depth.
If defensive fortifications were initially built in the valley north of Juyanze, and the defensive front was even pushed to the area of the old Qin Great Wall.
The Xianbei cavalry that marched south had no chance of entering Juyanze.
Therefore, after spending more than ten days in Juyan City, Di Qing immediately saw its shortcomings.
Since this place is to be the fist that extends from the Hetao region into the desert, then let this fist be incredibly strong.
In addition, few other people would think of using such a clumsy method.
This is too time-consuming and labor-intensive.
However, judging from Xue Rengui's tone, it seems that Liu Wei already knew Di Qing would say that.
"My lord...my lord..."
Di Qing was unable to express his feelings at that moment in words.
It feels incredibly satisfying when a subordinate's thoughts align perfectly with those of their leader.
"Hehe, our lord has already instructed his strategist to dispatch 20,000 laborers to Juyan Lake."
"The Lord and the strategist intend for Juyan Lake to be independent and not subject to the control of Zhangye Prefecture."
"Captain Di, as the Blackwater Captain, you also serve as the Prefect of Juyan, handling military, political, and civil affairs. My lord believes you have no pressure whatsoever."
Xue Rengui conveyed Liu Wei's appointment and authorization to Di Qing.
When Liu Wei and Xue Rengui were discussing the importance of this place, they regarded it as the crossroads of the Western Regions, the Northern Desert, and the Hexi Corridor.
"Thank you for your trust, my lord!"
Di Qing bowed deeply.
Xue Rengui then gave some instructions on military affairs and then dispersed.
The entire army planned to regroup here for a day before heading upstream along the Ruoshui River Valley to Zhangye, and then advance on Dunhuang.
The goal was to follow the invading Xianbei cavalry and, incidentally, seize the three prefectures of Jiuquan, Zhangye, and Dunhuang, thereby controlling the Western Regions.
"General Xue, these three counties in Hexi are the territory of the Han Dynasty. It's not appropriate for the Prince to order you to do this!"
"If this gets back to the court, it will draw criticism from the officials and damage the prince's reputation."
Chen Ji offered a reminder from the side.
"Haha, Inspector Chen, you are mistaken."
“The Xianbei people occupied the three counties first, and then we went to reclaim them.”
"The Liangzhou governor's office is too busy to even manage a strategic location like Juyan Lake, allowing the Xianbei people to invade from the south. How could it possibly have time to manage the three prefectures of Hexi?"
Xue Rengui said "shamelessly".
This was also what Liu Wei had secretly told him before he set off.
The Xianbei people conquered the area in front, and the Xianbei people then recaptured it from behind.
As long as we control Zhangye, this strategic location, we can prevent the Liangzhou governor's troops from advancing westward.
Moreover, Ding Yuan, the governor of Liangzhou, was still in the midst of suppressing the rebellions of Beigong Boyu and Bian Zhang.
"Alas, first it was the three counties of Hetao in Bingzhou, and now it's the three counties of Hexi in Liangzhou."
"The King of Clouds placed his piece on the edge of the board, seemingly insignificant, but it holds a hidden secret!"
Chen Ji could easily see that Liu Wei's occupation of the three counties of Hetao would allow him to control the northern desert.
Now they're eyeing the three prefectures of Hexi, and their next move is to the Western Regions.
In the eyes of the officials in the court, Liu Wei's actions indicated that he was determined to expand the territory and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty.
As a result, Liu Wei's popularity among the people is growing day by day.
Expanding our strength while winning the hearts of the people—a win-win situation!
It's important to know that the northern deserts and the western regions are absolutely fertile ground for horse breeding.
By controlling these two regions, they controlled two-thirds of the Han Dynasty's horse resources.
At that time, Liu Wei only needs to raise his voice and call upon the enemy, and a million iron cavalry will surge toward the capital like a rolling torrent.
The King of Clouds is truly a man of great foresight!
Chen Ji was filled with emotion.
At this point, he had already been tied to Liu Wei's chariot.
Hearing that his son Chen Qun, Liu Wei also sent people to trick him into coming to the border region.
The only way to survive is to serve Liu Wei.
......
The next day.
Six thousand auxiliary soldiers arrived and marched with the Xuanjia cavalry along the Ruoshui River valley toward Zhangye County.
Xue Rengui led four cavalry generals and three thousand five hundred cavalrymen as the second wave.
Accompanying him were Geng Chun and his 500 soldiers.
Di Qing's Blackwater Army was stationed in various places around Juyan Lake, surveying the terrain. They were waiting for 20,000 laborers from the Hetao region to arrive before they began to build the city on a large scale.
The people in Juyan City naturally returned to their normal lives.
However, it took the three thousand garrison soldiers and five thousand civilians quite a while to clear the tens of thousands of rotting corpses from the Ruoshui River.
at the same time.
The king of Loulan sent several groups of envoys disguised as merchants to infiltrate Dunhuang, only to find that the area was full of Xianbei soldiers.
Upon inquiry, it was discovered that Chen Zi, the prefect of Dunhuang, and Huang Hua, the prefect of Jiuquan, had both refused to surrender and organized troops to resist the arrival of the Yuchi Xianbei.
Unfortunately, they were outnumbered and outgunned, and all of them died tragically at the hands of the Xianbei cavalry.
The people of Dunhuang and Jiuquan either fled west through Yangguan to Loulan or east to Zhangye.
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