Water Margin people

Chapter 1490: Reinforcement and Preparation

Yumen Pass.

Du Fu and his army finally reached their destination within two months.

The excitement that the soldiers had when they first left Liangshan City has faded, and now their faces are weathered, but they are still full of spirit.

"General Du, thank you for your hard work!"

Sun Li and Luan Tingyu brought people to greet Du Fu outside the gate.

"We are just hurrying on the road. The soldiers are doing a good job."

Du Fu said with a smile.

"The army is entering the city!"

Du Fu gave orders to the army, saying that the soldiers had worked hard along the way and it was time to rest.

Sun Li had already prepared a banquet, but Du Fu had no appetite and only wanted to know what was happening in the west.

Sun Li didn't care and took Du Fu to the map.

"Years ago, I led a large army to raid Puchanghai and burned the enemy's food and supplies. The enemy has withdrawn to Gaochang City... Not long ago, I received news that Yelu Dashi has led Ibrahim, the king of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, Mahmud, the king of the Western Karakhanid Khanate, and Ajisi, the king of Khwarezm, to Gaochang!"

Sun Li pointed to the map and began to introduce it.

"Is that so?"

Du Fu looked at the map and began to think.

"General Sun, you are the vanguard general of the Western Army this time. Do you have any plans? I am leading the army just waiting for your orders."

Du Fu looked at Sun Li and asked.

"General Du, what are you talking about? How dare I give any orders?"

Sun Li said quickly, but he was still very happy in his heart. He was not in a position to order Du Fu, but Du Fu's words gave him enough face.

"General Sun, you can say whatever you want. We must fight this battle beautifully. Also, I have news for you. His Majesty may come back here too!"

Du Fu looked at Sun Li and Luan Tingyu and said.

"Your Majesty will also come to the front line!"

Sun Li and Luan Tingyu were shocked. The emperor could lead the army in person in the Battle of Liaodong because Liaodong was not far from the Central Plains, only a thousand miles from Liaodong to Hebei and Shandong.

But the northwest is different. Even if you count from Qinfeng Road, it is more than 3,000 miles to reach the Western Regions, and it is wasteland all the way.

"General Du, I have already explored the eastern part of Gaochang. The Western Liao army will gather in Hami. My idea is to station the army in Puchanghai. Spring will come soon here. There is abundant water and vast grasslands. It can also form a horn with Yumen Pass. It is the best place to station troops."

Sun Li pointed to Puchanghai on the map and said that this was the reason why he raided Puchanghai in the first place. What he didn't expect was that the enemy actually retreated after one battle and gave up Puchanghai.

"Well, it's a good place indeed. The northwest is full of deserts and Gobi. The places where people can live and station troops are either by a big lake or by a river!"

Du Fu nodded and said, people cannot live without water, this is true for cities in the Central Plains, not to mention the Western Regions. From the map in front of us, we can see that the cities in the Western Regions are all beside big rivers and lakes. Apart from these places, the rest are deserted and uninhabited.

"Then there's no need to wait any longer, let's go directly to Puchang Sea!"

Du Fu pointed to Puchang Sea on the map and said.

"General Du, don't worry. The army has been traveling for a long time. We should rest for a few days before setting off again. There is a lack of trees over Puchanghai, so it is difficult to build a fortress!"

Luan Tingyu looked at Du Fu and said that the Northwest was different from the Central Plains. There were only grasslands, mountains, Gobi Desert and desert here, but there were very few trees. This made it difficult for the army to build camps on the spot.

"Then take a few days off!"

Du Fu nodded and said that although the morale of the army was high now, the two months of high-intensity marching had also exhausted the soldiers' physical strength. It would be bad if they encountered a major battle at this time.

……

Gaochang City. Bilege was drinking and watching singing and dancing in the palace. In the dance floor, beautiful dancers in gauze were dancing gracefully, and the Kucha musicians were playing hard.

Bilego drank a lot of wine and was a little tipsy at this time. He looked at the dancers twisting their waists with hazy eyes, but it was a pity that he was too old and could only watch.

"Report, Khan, 30,000 more troops are being sent to Yumen Pass!"

A soldier ran into the hall in a panic, and without caring that the dancer was dancing on the dance floor, he rushed to the middle of the dance floor and shouted loudly.

When the dancers saw this, they immediately stepped aside and the musicians stopped playing.

"What? Thirty thousand! So fast!"

Bilege woke up suddenly, all the drunkenness was gone, and his face turned gloomy.

"Get out, get out of here!"

Bilego shouted at the dancers and musicians who were bowing their heads.

"Go, gather everyone to discuss the matter!"

Bilego shouted again at the guards outside the palace.

Before long, all the officials and nobles of Gaochang arrived at the palace.

"Qi State has sent more troops! Thirty thousand!"

Bilege looked at everyone and said.

"Thirty thousand!"

Everyone's faces were filled with fear when they heard this. Gaochang Kingdom was already weak and could not resist a powerful enemy, let alone the overlord-like Qi State.

"Let's talk about what to do!"

Bilege looked at everyone and asked. He was now in a state of confusion and had no idea what to do. Gaochang City was only 1,500 miles away from Yumen Pass. If the enemy came to kill them, how could they stop them?

"Your Majesty, how long will it take for Jur Khan's army to arrive?"

Someone looked at Bilege and asked, this eastern expedition to Qi was advocated by Yelu Dashi. In this case, the problem should be solved by Yelu Dashi. What's more, they have already surrendered to Western Liao and should be protected by Western Liao.

"It will take at least one or two months!"

Bilege said that Yelu Dashi was going to bring the armies of the Khans of the other three kingdoms here, and they would not be able to move fast as they had to cross mountains and hills.

"Two months!"

Everyone was shocked again. This time was too long. Two months was enough for the enemy to capture Gaochang City.

"Your Majesty, quickly send someone to inform Juer Khan. Juer Khan can still stop the Qi army!"

Everyone urged Bilego.

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Even if we send someone to urge them, it will be too late!"

Bilego spoke.

The crowd that was noisy just now fell silent at this moment. They had no good solution.

"King Khan, do we really want to be enemies with Qi?"

A middle-aged noble suddenly spoke up. This man was none other than the royal family of Khotan. After the rise of the Gaochang Uighurs, the people of Khotan surrendered to them.

  The words of the Khotanese made many nobles change their faces. Only then did they realize the problem. Why did they want to be enemies with the State of Qi?

They were all small tribes living in the Western Regions. They would surrender to whoever came. This was the case when the Han Dynasty came, the Tang Dynasty came, the Gaochang Uighurs came, and the Western Liao Dynasty came. If this was the case, why did they resist to the death when the powerful Qi State came?

Bilege's face darkened and he glanced at those nobles who were interested. The Khotanese, the Kucha people, the Yuezhi people, the Dayuan people... were all declining races in the Western Regions.

"You want to surrender to Qi, you want to betray the Gaochang Uighurs!"

Bilege's eyes were fierce, and he looked at those people and questioned them with gritted teeth. The Western Regions now belonged to the Gaochang Uighurs, and they were all their vassals. Now they dared to say in front of him that they wanted to surrender to the Qi State, which showed that they did not take him, the Khan, seriously.