Han Shizu

Chapter 1674 Outbreak
As the first goal of the Western Expeditionary Army, there is no doubt that it is the city of Qiuci, which is five hundred miles away from Yanqi.Kucha Kingdom used to be a big country among the cities and walls of the Western Regions. It was well-known outside the country. Thousands of years later, it is still a big city in the Western Regions. This name also represents a complete historical context. There is no doubt that this is a territory of China. How can it be lost for a long time? In the hands of Manchuria in foreign lands, it must be taken back.

Of course, some Han soldiers headed by Wei Wang Liu Min, in addition to being driven by the interests of opening up territories and making contributions, have another reason. Being invaded by the Black Khanate is not good for national defense.

In fact, this is also the case. As the Han and the black turned against each other, the cavalry from the black khanate invaded the east several times. The open and flat land is the racetrack for its wanton galloping. It comes and goes like the wind, and many townspeople have suffered losses , Although a counterattack was carried out and many black sweat troops were killed, it did not solve the fundamental problem.

Therefore, among the strategic goals made by the Western Expedition Battalion, the combat goal of the first stage is to take all the plains south of the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, strive to kill and injure the Black Khan army in large numbers, expel their forces from the southern region, and then move northward. Enter.

It has to be said that the vast and stretching Tianshan Mountains are a natural barrier for the Black Khanate, perfectly protecting the core ruling area of ​​the Black Khanate.

Relying on its superior geographical advantages, the Black Khanate has always been in a favorable position to advance, attack, retreat, and defend, with freedom of maneuver.Back then, Yelu Xiezhen led the Khitan army and pushed westward all the way, but they were inevitably blocked by the Tianshan defense line of the Black Khanate. In the end, the Khitan army was pushed back and lost the Moman and Kucha areas.

This kind of trouble is also in front of the Western Expedition Han army, but before facing those obstacles, Kucha must be taken.

Kucha is the most important city of the Black Khanate besides Shule at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, and it is also the largest, richest and most valuable city occupied after its eastward expansion. At the junction of Han and Hei, some prosperity has also been restored in the past ten years.

However, the so-called prosperity is too fragile in the face of war.The Black Khanate's construction of Kucha has obviously put its heart into it, and ten years of peace is enough to produce some results.

The farming and animal husbandry here is prosperous, and the handicraft industry is also very developed. It is not only a commercial city relying on the trade between Han and Hei, but also an important military town.

Although forced by the original peace agreement, for a long period of time, Kucha did not have too many garrisons, but various military facilities were well built, and the city walls were thickened and raised.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Heihan people, the city of Kucha can be used as a base for plundering east, and it can be used as a defense when retreating.With the incident of the mission and the hostility between the two countries, the tacit understanding in the past was broken, and the peace agreement was naturally torn up.

Especially after the formation of the Western Expeditionary Battalion, the Han army gathered in Gaochang, Yanqi, and Wulei, and a large amount of food, ordnance, war horses, and livestock were transferred westward one after another. hide.

In response to the movements of the Han army, the Black Khanate is also unyielding, and even eager to try. The order from the Eight Assassins is also very strong. Facing the provocation of the Han army, it must resolutely fight back.

Of course, it doesn’t just stop at words. When the Han army is preparing for the Western Expedition, Heikhan is also dispatching troops from all over the country to increase the number of troops in Kucha to 20,000 people, including [-] people. The elite guards from the eight assassins of the "Eastern Capital" of the Black Khan.

Moreover, in its country, mobilization is also carried out simultaneously, recruiting young and strong from various tribes in the north to form a militia, and at the same time recruiting those useful and cheap YSL volunteers.

Of course, the more important thing is to gather and mobilize the standing armies of its domestic cities. In this regard, the Black Khanate is also determined enough.

This determination comes from their king, Ali Arslan Khan, who is a YSL believer and has received a good court education and YSL influence since childhood.

After taking power, he strongly promoted the YSLization of the Black Khanate, severely cracked down on Buddhism, set off rounds of religious movements, and even launched wars.

Arslan Khan succeeded to the throne only after negotiating peace with the Great Han. Shortly thereafter, in the 11th year of Kaibao, he launched a war against the Kingdom of Khotan, and quickly reversed the situation in which he was attrition with the Khitan and the Great Han. , completely at a disadvantage in the religious war situation, and the power of Yutian Kingdom was completely eliminated from the Shule area.

In the process of suppressing Buddhists and overall YSLization, Arslan Khan's position was gradually consolidated, and the centralization process of the Black Khanate also achieved great results.

With ten years of savings, the expansion nature rooted in the blood and bone marrow can no longer be suppressed, and urgently needs a catharsis direction.

Under normal circumstances, the best direction of expansion is in the west. The Saman dynasty is not only the feud of the Black Khan, but also has entered a period of decline. There are many internal conflicts and the tendency to split is obvious. It is the best target for attack.

At worst, although the Khotan Kingdom in the south is smaller and tougher, it is only natural to hold high the banner of religious wars and spread the glory of YSL.

However, the development of the situation should not only look at the Black Khanate, but only at Arslan Khan.The Han Empire made a choice for them.

On the other hand, with the frequent exchanges between the East and the West, the Black Khanate's understanding of the Great Han is also deepening. Although it is amazed at its strength and vastness, it does not have much fear.

Big is big, but they are fighting nearby, and basic military common sense also gives them increased confidence.At the same time, there are various legends from the east, and it is really difficult to restrain the greed of the neighbors in the east whose land is full of gold.

In particular, after a book called "Journey to the Gods" was widely spread in Heihan and even Central Asia, when it deepened the impression of people from other places on the great Han, it also made the yearning and coveting heart more intense.

However, the realization of the goal of greed must also be supported by strength. The Black Khanate has confidence in itself, but at the same time, it does not dare to take it lightly in the face of the large-scale mobilization of the Han army.

Back then, the Khitan people were able to beat them with heavy losses, not to mention the Han people who had already collapsed the mighty Khitan dynasty?In addition, the confrontation between the two countries more than ten years ago was just a small fight, but after all, they fought against the Han army, which can also give a glimpse of the strength of the Han army.

The probing battle that took place in Yanqi last year also proved once again that the Han army has not weakened after ten years, and is still as strong as ever.

In view of this, Hei Khan was excited with caution and joy with worry in the Western Expedition of the Han army, and he was also mentally prepared to go all out and fight the whole country.

However, when I learned that the Han army had only about 50,000 people recruiting troops from the west, my nervousness was inexplicably relieved. In the eyes of the black sweaters, the Han army was still too big. It is obviously whimsical to attack them.

As the two countries prepared silently, the clouds of war piled up over the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains for several months. Under the command of the great Han Wei Wang Liu Min, the Han army officially marched westward, and a war that had been brewing for a long time broke out.

However, the development process and bloodshed of the war were beyond the expectations of many people. Since it was beyond the expectations of the Heihan people, it was not within the expectations of the generals of the Han army.

(End of this chapter)