The eleventh day of the first month of the second year of the Lingwu reign of the Daxin era.
The Uyghur Khan, Huyen Khan, Guli Peiluo, personally led a coalition army of 150,000 from the Western Regions to ambush the Longcheng Jingnan army led by Prince Chen Huaian in Shama Town, a key town in Anxi. The two sides fought fiercely outside Shama Town for several hours.
Ultimately, the 150,000-strong Western Region coalition army under Gulipeiro suffered a major defeat, with over 100,000 killed or captured.
Only a little over a thousand survivors, including the Huihe Khan, Huai Ren, and the commander of the Huihe Imperial Guard, Bargu, managed to escape and fled in panic back to the Huihe capital, Harabalgas.
The siege of Kucha, one of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, was lifted without a fight.
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the same year, it was the Lantern Festival.
Led by Huo Qubing, the General of the Cavalry of Longcheng, 30,000 elite cavalrymen traveled thousands of miles to reinforce Yutian Town, one of the four towns of Anxi.
They decisively defeated the Western Regions coalition led by the Uyghurs outside the city of Khotan, achieving a great victory at Khotan.
Thus, the four garrisons of Anxi, which had lost contact with the Anxi General Command and the Daxin court since September of the first year of the Daxin reign (1861), when the Tubo invaded Hexi and Longyou, finally returned to the actual control of the Han Chinese dynasty.
The only difference is that the Anxi Border Army (including the Four Garrisons of Anxi), which once served the Zhao family of the Great Xin Dynasty, has now switched sides and become part of the Longcheng Jingnan Army under Prince Chen Huai'an, raising the banner of "cleansing the emperor's inner circle and eliminating treacherous officials".
That day.
In Kucha, the city closest to the Western Regions along the Silk Road and bordering the Uyghur Khaganate, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin summoned his generals from Longcheng to discuss sending troops to conquer the Western Regions.
Inside the council hall of the General's Mansion.
The Longcheng military officers, dressed in civilian clothes, all looked radiant and full of energy.
In particular, General Lan Yu, the commander of the Western Expedition, could not hide his excitement.
During the time his army rested in Kucha, he had already found out that the queen of the He Khanate's Huai Ren Khan, Guli Peiluo, was a famously beautiful young woman throughout the Western Regions. Even after half a year, she still retained her charm.
When following Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin to aid the important towns of Anxi, Lan Yu was able to remain rational under the constraints of military discipline and conscience, and ensured that he did not harm the Han people in the important towns of Anxi.
But next, the expedition to the Uyghur Khaganate in the Western Regions was a legitimate conquest of an enemy state.
Within the territory of the Uyghur Khanate, the foreign tribes with blond hair, blue eyes, and high noses posed no psychological burden whatsoever to General Lan Yu.
What's that saying again? It goes like this: "Those who are not of our kind must be punished."
Therefore, Lan Yu couldn't help but start to dream and fantasize about the day he would conquer the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas, and storm the Uyghur palace.
"Report—"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, an urgent military report from the Deputy Marshal of the Longcheng Army!"
Inside the council hall, before Chen Huai'an could even begin today's agenda, he received an urgent military report from Chen Qingzhi in Chang'an Prefecture.
oh?
Chen Huai'an took the battle report from the messenger and quickly skimmed through it.
As he read the letter more deeply, the smile on his face became increasingly obvious.
Chen Qingzhi reported that the Longcheng Xuanjia Army he led had successively recovered Hexi and Longyou prefectures, causing the Tibetan king Dama to suffer repeated defeats.
By the time of the Lantern Festival, the invading Tibetan army had been completely driven out of the Han territory.
Chen Qingzhi's report informed Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin that he would personally lead his Xuanjia Army in pursuit of victory, aiming to strike directly at the capital of Tibet and completely incorporate the territory of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the Prince's fiefdom.
"Gentlemen, good news!"
Finally, Chen Huai'an, holding the letter in his hand, stood up and addressed the generals in the council hall: "Deputy Marshal Chen Qingzhi reports that the Xuanjia Army of Longcheng has achieved a great victory over the Tibetan rebels who invaded our Han border."
"By the Lantern Festival, the Xuanjia Army had recovered Hexi and Longyou prefectures, completely driving the Tibetan rebels out of our Han borders!"
At this point, Chen Huai'an raised his voice and continued, "The deputy marshal said that he wants to take advantage of the situation and lead the Xuanjia Army to capture the capital of Tibet in one fell swoop, and bring the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the territory of the Prince of Jin!"
"good!"
"The Prince of Jin is mighty!"
As soon as he finished speaking, cheers erupted in the council hall.
Fan Wuji, the commander of the Ironclad Cavalry of Longcheng, shouted the loudest.
As one of the earliest generals of the Po Lu Army who followed Chen Huai'an in raising troops to quell the rebellion, Fan Wuji, who witnessed and participated in Prince Jin's southern and northern campaigns, seemed to have already seen the day when Prince Chen Huai'an ascended the throne as emperor.
He even foresaw the day when he would be ennobled, appointed as a general, and his wife and children would be granted titles and privileges.
The other Longcheng soldiers and generals, though not as obviously exaggerated as Fan Wuji, were all well aware of the situation and eagerly awaited the outcome.
The day when those who follow the emperor are ennobled and appointed as generals is not far off!
Chen Huai'an raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling the generals to be quiet.
He then continued, "Gentlemen, Vice Marshal Chen Qingzhi led the Xuanjia Army to conquer the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to expand the territory of the Prince of Jin. Neither I nor you can relax our efforts or call a retreat."
"This time, I am personally leading troops to conquer the Western Regions not only to relieve the siege of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, but also to completely subjugate the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions to the Han people."
"To this day, only half of this established strategic goal has been achieved!"
"so--"
Chen Huai'an changed the subject, saying, "I have decided that the army will cease its rest and reorganization immediately, and will split into two routes to march towards the Uyghur Khanate, where they will meet in the capital, Harabalgas!"
"Blue Jade!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Chen Huai'an said, "I hereby order you to lead an army of 100,000 men and march along the Kerulen River. If any Uyghur subjects or people you encounter along the way are willing to surrender to me, you are welcome; if any attempt is made to resist to the end, you shall resolutely annihilate them. There shall be no mistake!"
Lan Yu immediately stepped forward and eagerly accepted the order: "This humble general obeys!"
Chen Huai'an then said, "Pang Xianchu, Fan Wuji, Tan Li!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
The three men stepped forward in unison, straightening their backs and awaiting orders.
Chen Huai'an said, "I hereby order the three of you to lead the troops of Longcheng and the Anxi border army, and march with me along the direction of the Sereng River, advancing westward to take the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas. Do not fail!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The three of them once again accepted the order in unison.
Chen Huai'an continued, "Gao Jialin, the garrison commander of Kucha..."
......
The ancient city of Harabalgas, the capital of the Uyghur Khanate.
In the magnificent palace, the Uyghur Khan, Guli Peiluo, lay on his luxurious bed, his face pale, his eyes sunken, and his breath faint.
After the 300,000-strong Western Region allied army was squandered in one battle, Guli Peiluo never recovered.
He was knocked unconscious from behind by Alba, the commander of his Imperial Guard, and was only able to escape by being tied to a horse.
By the time Bone Power Pello regained consciousness, defeat was already inevitable and there was no way to turn the tide.
Left with no other choice, he had to accept his crushing defeat.
After returning to the capital, he fell seriously ill. The royal family visited numerous renowned doctors in the Western Regions, but none could cure him.
It was clear that Guli Peiluo was growing thinner and thinner each day, and that he might die at any moment.
On this day, another renowned physician from the Western Regions entered the palace of the Khan Huai Ren to examine the frail and weak Guli Peiluo.
Outside the palace, Moyanchuo, the eldest son of Guli Peiluo, and a group of Uyghur officials waited anxiously for the divine physician's diagnosis of Huai Ren Khan.
Before long, the Western Region physician finally emerged hurriedly from the palace of Huai Ren Khan Guli Peiluo.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace, he knelt down and wept bitterly, crying out in tears, "Khan Huai Ren has passed away!"
Buzz!
This news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly causing an uproar in the palace and court of the Uyghur Khanate.
On the second day of the second month of the second year of the Daxin Lingwu era, the dragon raised its head.
When the Huihe Khan, Huai Ren, Guli Peiluo, passed away, his eldest son, Moyanchuo, succeeded him before his death, and was honored with the title of Yingwu Khan!
With the death of Guli Peiluo and the ascension of Moyanchuo to the throne, the entire Uyghur Khanate was plunged into an unprecedented atmosphere of sorrow.
February 8th of the same year.
General Lan Yu, the commander of the Longcheng Army, led 100,000 Guan Ning cavalry westward along the Kerulen River within the territory of the Uyghurs, sweeping away the Uyghur garrisons in various places with overwhelming force, and his army was heading straight for the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin personally led the Longcheng army, which was not idle either. Instead, it marched westward from the Seleng River and captured more than ten Uyghur cities in a flash, with its military force pointing directly at the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas.
In just over half a month, half of the Uyghur Khanate had fallen into the hands of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
When the news reached the Uyghur capital, Harabalgas, the valiant Khan Moyanchuo, who was in the palace, and all the Uyghur officials were shocked and filled with apprehension.
Inside the capital, wealthy families and royal nobles had already begun packing up their valuables, preparing to move west before the Han army besieged the city.
Inside the Uyghur palace, the valiant Khan Moyanchuo was summoning his civil and military officials to discuss how to resist the unstoppable Han army from Longcheng.
At the court meeting, the elderly Uyghur prime minister proposed: "Khan, now that things have come to this, in order to avoid the destruction of the Uyghur Khanate, there is only one way: to submit to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin!"
As soon as the proposal was made, someone immediately retorted in a low voice: "Isn't it too late to negotiate peace now? Back then, Khan Huai Ren instigated the Western Regions to jointly send troops to the Four Garrisons of Anxi, intending to annex the important Han towns on the Silk Road. This was already an offense against the Han people."
"Now, Chen Huai'an is leading a large army in two routes towards the capital of the Uyghurs, clearly aiming to destroy the Uyghur kingdom!"
The mighty Khan Moyanchuo nodded and said, "Prime Minister, isn't it too late to negotiate peace with Chen Huai'an at this time?"
The old prime minister stroked his white beard and said wisely, "Khan, there is no time for peace talks, only the weight of the bargaining chips."
"While the Uyghur Khanate still has some resources, negotiating peace as soon as possible is the best course of action!"
"Otherwise, when the country is completely lost, we won't even have any bargaining chips left to negotiate peace!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Yanchuo immediately asked humbly, "According to the Prime Minister, what kind of bargaining chips should we use to persuade Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin to return to the capital?"
The old prime minister said, word by word, "The princess will be married off, accompanied by three thousand beautiful young women, ten thousand fine horses from the Western Regions, one hundred thousand cattle and sheep, and—"
"The Uyghur Khanate has for generations regarded Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin as its patriarch, and has been committed to protecting the Silk Road and ensuring the smooth flow of traffic along the Silk Road among the Western Regions!"
The mighty Khan was greatly shocked and asked in disbelief:
"What did you say, Prime Minister? You want to send my daughter, Princess Bilge, to marry into a foreign kingdom, and also send three thousand beautiful young women as a dowry?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com