Amidst the laughter and conversation of Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, the construction of a new Great Wall spanning the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains was put on the agenda along the main border between the Arab Empire and the Western Regions.
In Chen Huai'an's vision, this Great Wall beyond the borders, which spans the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, crosses mountains and valleys, traverses deserts, grasslands, cliffs, and rivers, is not a simple, isolated wall.
Instead, it is a complete and rigorous military defense system that connects the passes, fortresses, towns, and important military towns in the western regions along the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and the Pamir Plateau.
It can effectively resist the invasion of foreign enemies into the Western Regions and provide an important guarantee for the stability of the Silk Road in the Western Regions. It is a great feat that benefits the present and future generations.
Of course, it is also a large-scale project with a huge workload and a long time to complete;
Its engineering difficulty and far-reaching impact are in no way inferior to the Great Wall defensive works ordered to be built by the First Emperor.
The existence of the Great Wall beyond the borders will completely change the geographical relationship between the Western Regions and the Central Plains that has existed for thousands of years. It is a major move by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an to bring the Western Regions into the Central Plains dynasty.
In this way, the problem of dealing with more than 500,000 prisoners of war was easily solved.
The million-strong army summoned by Chen Huai'an from the [Born to Be an Emperor] system could also stay in the Western Regions without having to return to the capital, thus minimizing the impact of "system-summoned NPCs" on the Central Plains dynasty.
The Western Regions became Chen Huai'an's first instance of exploration since ascending the throne.
After resolving the issue of 500,000 prisoners of war, Chen Huai'an waved his hand and ordered that all the wounded and sick soldiers with missing limbs be sent back to the Abbasid Caliphate.
On the one hand, even after these wounded soldiers with missing limbs recovered, it was difficult for them to return to the army and take up arms again to become soldiers who invaded the Tang Dynasty.
On the other hand, releasing the wounded soldiers could also demonstrate the magnanimity and breadth of mind of the Tang Dynasty as a superior nation, and could also dampen the morale of the Abbasid army and people by allowing these returning wounded soldiers to strike a blow.
This move can be described as achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.
Of course, whether these wounded soldiers can make it back to China before the heavy snow closes the mountains, and despite the shortage of food and medicine, by crossing the complex terrain of the Walahan Corridor and the Pamir Plateau, depends on their luck!
In any case, the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an will not bear the infamy of killing prisoners!
Furthermore, in accordance with his previous promise, Chen Huai'an ordered Bisuma, the captain of Turhong's personal guard, to escort the remains of this Abbasid Caliphate's greatest warrior and the Arab Empire's Eastern Expeditionary General, who died in the Battle of Black Tiger City, back to the capital Baghdad for burial, along with the prisoners and wounded who were being sent back to their homeland.
This can be seen as Chen Huai'an giving this "defeated general" his final dignity and respect.
September 29th, the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty.
The remains of Turhun, the great general of the Arab Empire's eastern expedition and the first warrior of the Abbasid Caliphate, along with tens of thousands of released prisoners and wounded soldiers, officially embarked on their journey westward home.
On the same day, Emperor Chen Huai'an of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict that the remaining 500,000 prisoners of war from the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army should immediately proceed to the foot of the Tianshan Mountains to participate in the construction of the Great Wall beyond the borders. Through corvée labor, they would atone for the sins they committed during the eastern expedition against the Tang Dynasty's vassal states in the Western Regions.
The construction of the Great Wall beyond the borders was fully overseen by Guo Dingfang, the Vice Minister of War and Marquis of Zhenxi of the Tang Dynasty.
Meanwhile, Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Tang Dynasty, was ordered to lead 300,000 Tang troops to guard the western border and assist Marquis Guo Dingfang in completing the construction of the Great Wall beyond the border.
According to the preliminary plan given by officials of the Ministry of Works of the Tang Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall outside the territory would last for twenty years.
At that time, based on the performance of the more than 500,000 prisoners of war in the construction of the Great Wall outside the territory, it will be considered to release prisoners of war who have performed outstandingly in the construction of the Great Wall outside the territory, and allow them to cross the Great Wall outside the territory and return to their homes.
In a way, it gave these more than 500,000 prisoners a glimmer of hope.
It is worth mentioning that Tibis, the exiled king of Wusun who was the culprit who directly caused the conflict in the Western Regions, was also in the labor force building the Great Wall outside the region.
When the prisoners, strung together with ropes and long poles, were escorted by the Tang army to the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, Tibis was among the prisoners, his hands tied above his head to a long pole.
Those blue eyes gleamed with resentment as he glared fiercely at Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, who stood beside Emperor Chen Huai'an of the Great Tang Dynasty atop the Black Tiger City wall, giving orders to him. In his heart, he swore fiercely, "I, Tibis, will one day return to fight back!"
However, before Tibbis could glare at Lan Yu with his resentful eyes for long, he was whipped in the face, making him grimace and suffer terribly.
That was a Tang Dynasty soldier in charge of escorting prisoners kindly reminding him not to delay the entire group's progress.
October of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty.
After a devastating war, the situation in the Western Regions finally calmed down under the iron-fisted suppression of the Great Emperor, Heavenly Khan Chen Huai'an.
Currently, the Tang army stationed in the Western Regions has, in accordance with the decree of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, entered various states in the Western Regions, including the Uyghur Khanate, in batches, and is fully responsible for the military and security of those states.
The rulers of the Western Regions, their nobles, and military generals who had once betrayed their suzerain state, the Tang Dynasty, due to the majesty of the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army.
Most of them had become prisoners like Tibis, the king of Wusun, and were heading towards the foot of the Tianshan Mountains with the contingent of laborers building the Great Wall, contributing their share to the construction of the Great Wall beyond the borders.
The remaining small group, while remaining in the country, once again chose to change course after seeing the Tang army approaching the city, opening the city gates to welcome the Tang army, hoping to receive leniency from the Heavenly Khan.
Chen Huai'an adopted a relatively lenient approach to dealing with these Western Region princes and nobles. He ordered that they and their families be sent to the capital, Nanjing, where officials from the Ministry of Rites set up a special "study abroad class" for them to learn the rules and etiquette of the Central Plains dynasty. After they completed their studies, he told them to live as wealthy men in Nanjing.
After this series of ruthless suppressions, the entire thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions are now in a state of monarchless chaos, with only the Great Emperor of Tang, Heavenly Khan Chen Huai'an, becoming the undisputed ruler of the Western Regions.
Next, the new policy of "separation of military and political power" will be gradually implemented in the Western Regions. Naturally, Chen Huai'an does not need to personally handle these specific matters. The officials of the Six Ministries of the Imperial Court, as well as the two deputy military governors of Anxi Protectorate, Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing and Marquis of Changxin Zuo Liangcai, will handle them.
Lan Yu, who had made the mistake first, was punished by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an with a light "penalty of three cups of wine";
However, Chen Huai'an did not intend to keep him in the Western Regions, but planned to transfer Lan Yu back to the court for further arrangements.
Before we knew it, it was mid-October.
Harabalqas, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate, which had not yet entered winter, finally welcomed the first snow of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty.
While everything in the Western Regions was proceeding according to the will of the Heavenly Khan Chen Huai'an, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an in the Uyghur royal palace also received an urgent message from the imperial city of Jinling.
To be precise, it was an urgent report delivered by express courier.
Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun specially sent someone to report that if the situation in the Western Regions had been stabilized, she hoped that the Emperor would return to the capital as soon as possible.
Because Liu Shujun, the founding empress of the Tang Dynasty, and Yue Qiluo, the imperial concubine, were already in the countdown to giving birth.
Chen Huai'an is going to be the Emperor!!!
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