I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 947: The Western Expedition, the Unrest in Liang Province (Combined Chapter)

Luoyang, the residence of a certain Hu merchant.

A Sogdian merchant who was in a hurry saw the owner and shouted:
"Oh! My dear An Da, why are you still leisurely here?"

"Haven't you heard?"

"There will be a swearing-in ceremony outside the Nangong Gate in three days - the Tang King is going to march west!"

"Why panic?"

An Muming waved his hand indifferently and said:

"The journey to the Western Regions is thousands of miles away. No matter how good the Han army is at fighting, it is impossible for them to conquer the entire Western Regions easily. Besides, our Sogdian merchants are all over the Silk Road. No matter who rules, they need us to do business."

The Sogdians were a branch of the East Iranian language family. They had no homeland of their own and mainly lived in the territories of Kangju and Shule, located in the area from present-day Uzbekistan to the northwestern Xinjiang region of my country.

Due to its advantageous geographical location connecting the East and Central Asia, the Sogdians have been engaged in business for generations. From the Han Dynasty in the east to the Parthia in the west, they served countless countries and regimes and earned wealth.

Therefore, they had no concern about the Han Dynasty's desire to return to the Western Regions.

Anyway, no matter whether they are the kings of the local small countries, the foreign Han people, the Huns, or the recently rising Xianbei people, they must be used.

"The stocks of this Western Region Development Company are quite interesting. I didn't expect that the Han people could come up with such an ingenious way to make money."

"It's different, this time it's different!"

The merchant who reported the news stamped his feet anxiously, interrupted An Muming's words, and took out a roll of handwritten silk cloth from his arms:

"Take a look at this newly released 'Western Region Development Company Prospectus' - the King of Tang no longer wants simple rule, but to reopen the Western Region Chief's Office, and to monopolize the entire trade route!"

An Muming unfolded the silk cloth and saw the following words written on it:

[Business scope of Western Region Development Company]:
Engage in import and export trade between the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

Operate post stations, warehouses and armed escort services along the route.

All gold, silver, copper, salt, iron and other minerals in the Western Regions were mined and cash crops were planted.

"The Western Region Development Company has the exclusive rights granted by the imperial court: all Chinese and foreign merchant caravans engaged in the trade of bulk commodities such as silk, porcelain, tea, and jewelry must trade through the company's channels at designated merchant warehouses and are not allowed to trade privately; all merchant stations, post stations, tariffs, etc. along the route are managed by the company."

As An Muming read, his eyes gradually became dazed, and then he slapped his thigh:
"Great! This is going to cut off the survival of us Sogdians!"

He never imagined that these foolish Han people, who had always only known how to dig for food in the soil, would one day come up with something so cruel.

Monopolizing the trade routes to the Western Regions is the privilege of the Sogdians!

Once transactions can only be conducted through Han merchants from these Western Region Development Companies, how much profit will be left for them?

"What's more important is that these Han people want more than that!"

The messenger then took out a copy of the manuscript, which read:

"All territories that surrender will be supervised by Han officials. Those who voluntarily move to the Western Regions to cultivate land will be exempted from taxes for five years. Caravans that employ Han people can enjoy tariff concessions. If a Hu-Han couple intermarries, their children can become Han citizens."

After reading it, An Muming's face turned pale instantly.

"What a huge ambition!"

"He wants to completely annex the Western Regions!" An Muming's voice trembled, "It's not just a simple tribute, but he wants to cut off my foundation!"

The Sogdians were not simply barbarians. They were located in the center of the Silk Road and had witnessed the Persian civilization in Central Asia and understood the Han people in the East.

Although they do not have their own country, they have a stronger sense of pride in their own culture as they survive in the cracks.

"No, we must act immediately."

An Muming paced back and forth in the hall and suddenly stopped:
"Quick, send someone to inform the people of the Western Regions, Kangju, and Shule, and tell them to prepare themselves. They must put aside their prejudices and unite. We must not let the Han people's ambitions succeed!"

The businessman who reported the news looked embarrassed: "Is this really possible?"

"The King of Kangju has been competing with the King of Wusun for pastures in the past two years. There have always been conflicts and disputes between Shule, Shache and Qiuci."

"idiot!"

An Muming shouted:
"If we continue to fight each other, everyone in the Western Region will have no future!"

As he spoke, An Muming handed a token to the merchant:

"Go and tell the kings of the Western Regions that the Han people are going to build a 'trade station wall' in the Western Regions, with a fortress every hundred miles and garrisons. If you don't want to become slaves of the Han people, unite and take the initiative to ambush the Han army and supplies between the desert and the oasis—"

His voice suddenly lowered, with a hint of sternness: "At least, we must let the Han people know that the road to the Western Regions is not so easy to travel!"

Just when these Western Regions Hu merchants were becoming restless and running around like ants on a hot pan.

The troops around Luoyang were mobilized, and tens of thousands of soldiers gathered outside the city.

Such a large-scale movement has given strong support to the market.

Even though there were rumors of a secondary share offering, the share price of Western Region Development Company did not plummet, but simply traded sideways at a high level.

Many original shareholders and early buyers settled their accounts at the exchange and secured their profits. There was also a large influx of newcomers, who embraced the dream of getting rich quickly and plunged into the financial wave.

The transaction volume in the exchange was rising rapidly every day, and the transaction fees collected by the court alone made the officials of the Ministry of Personnel staggering.

When had they ever seen so much pure money going on?
No one expected it.

Within just three years of the empress's accession to the throne, the Han Empire had emerged from its past financial collapse and the disaster of impending disintegration. The court's income continued to rise, and the economy and trade prospered and flourished.

"Does His Royal Highness the Tang King really have the ability to turn stones into gold?"

"Hiss - I think I sold my stock too early."

As everyone was talking, time passed quickly and soon the day of the oath-taking ceremony arrived.

In the third year of Kaiyuan, it was the beginning of autumn in July.

Outside the Nangong Gate, the autumn wind was howling and flags covered the sky.

More than 80,000 central imperial guards, which were expanded to 16 guards after the unification of the country, and nearly 20,000 guards from Liangzhou who had surrendered to Su Yao and were temporarily stationed around Luoyang, lined up in the square.

The 100,000-strong army was armed with swords and spears like a forest, their armor shining brightly. Under the gaze of countless onlookers, each of them held their heads high and their backs straight.

On the high platform, Su Yao was dressed in military uniform, with a long sword hanging from his waist, and the scarlet cloak behind him rustled in the wind.

"Soldiers!"

"Now that the Western Region Development Company has successfully raised funds, the military funds we have obtained have reached hundreds of millions."

"But the Western Regions are far away and covered with yellow sand. Only the most elite and bravest 10,000 people can accompany me on this journey to open up the frontier."

"If there are warriors who are not afraid of hardships and difficulties, they can step forward and win the competition in front of the school before going to battle with the teacher!"

"Any warrior who wins a place will not only win the honor of participating in the battle, but also get a place to subscribe to the second phase of the Western Region Development Company's share offering, as well as support from an interest-free loan from China Bank!"

“Oooooohhhhhhhhhh—”

Su Yao's words immediately made the entire scene boil.

They had received notification about the selection three days ago.

To be honest, many people were afraid of difficulties at that time. The Western Regions were too far away.

Now that the world has just been at peace, as the central imperial guards, they basically have land and houses around Luoyang, and have established families and careers.

Now, the King of Tang said that he would mobilize another 10,000 imperial troops to expedition to the Western Regions, which undoubtedly made many soldiers who had already settled down hesitate.

However, when Su Yao announced the policies of "stock granting for military merit" and "interest-free loans", everyone's eyes lit up.

The stocks of the Western Region Development Company have now become the hottest symbol of wealth in Luoyang City. If one can obtain the qualification to subscribe, even if it is only a small number of shares, the value of the shares is likely to double in the future.

In particular, the announcement of the second phase of subscription has been released, with a subscription price of five guan per share. It can be said that your wealth can be doubled on the spot.

Moreover, His Royal Highness the King of Tang was considerate enough to think that these soldiers who had just started a family might not be able to afford the increasingly expensive subscription fees, so he asked Qian Bank to launch interest-free loan support.

what is this?
Freeloader, freeloader!
If you take a trip to the Western Regions and come back, you may have all the wealth and glory in your life.

For a moment, the atmosphere on the parade ground was very excited. Countless soldiers rushed to sign up, and generals at all levels also volunteered to fight.

"The general will go where he wishes!"

"The general is also willing to go!"

"Your Majesty, King Tang, I am willing to be the vanguard!"

"very good!"

Su Yao nodded with satisfaction, and then announced the selection rules:

"Three days later, a competition will be held outside Luoyang City. Anyone who signs up can participate in the competition, and the winner will be selected!"

"In addition, if there are people who are good at riding and shooting, proficient in the language of the Western Regions, and familiar with the trade routes, they can also get extra points!"

As soon as these words were spoken, those soldiers in the army who had been hesitant because of their inferior martial arts skills became excited.

After all, a journey to the Western Regions requires not only brave warriors, but also guides, translators, scouts and even caravan guards who are familiar with local conditions.

……

Three days later, outside Luoyang city.

The competition and selection are in full swing.

Su Yao personally took charge and selected the elite troops.

In the end, 10,000 of the best soldiers stood out, including:
——Three thousand elite imperial cavalry, led by Imperial Army general Zhao Yun;

——Three thousand elite archers, led by Huang Zhong, a former general from Jingzhou;
——Three thousand armored infantrymen, commanded by brave generals such as Gao Shun and Xu Huang;

——The last one thousand experienced scouts who were proficient in various Hu languages ​​and had quick eyes and hands were led by Jin Fangyan, the Hu general who was the first to follow Su Yao.

At the same time, he was accompanied by civil and military officials from the court such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, as well as officials from the Tang Palace such as Zhou Yu and Lu Su.

This army will become the vanguard core of the Han Empire's westward expedition!
And in order to support such an elite expeditionary force.

The imperial court also recruited more than 10,000 soldiers from the Xiliang guards stationed in the capital to assist, as well as auxiliary soldiers and civilian laborers, craftsmen, medical officers and merchants from various guards along the way, totaling 100,000 people.

Yes, this is the truth behind ancient wars that often involved hundreds of thousands of people.

When fighting a war, what we fight for is logistical supplies.

The more elite the troops are, the more food and clothing they consume.

Take Su Yao's 10,000 elite soldiers for example, it is not simply 10,000 men plus 4,000 horses.

Su Yao directly equipped these elite imperial guards with two to three horses per person, and took away almost all the available war horses of the Luoyang Imperial Guards, using up three years of savings.

After all, in addition to the cavalry, the infantry also have to travel on horseback to ensure transfers and carrying of equipment.

Therefore, even in the recent short-distance combat, every 2 combat troops need at least auxiliary personnel, including auxiliary soldiers and civilian laborers. Those personnel are mainly responsible for short-distance transportation of food and fodder, camp building and equipment maintenance.

When the distance gradually crossed provinces and the troops were marching and fighting in the Central Plains where road traffic was good, the ratio of auxiliary troops to combat troops gradually increased to 1:5.

However, for longer-distance raids, such as ultra-long-distance operations across deserts and mountains, such as the expedition against the Huns during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the logistical pressure would be so great that it would be despairing.

According to historical records, the Han army's 10 cavalry needed hundreds of thousands of logistical personnel to support them, a ratio that directly exceeded 1:10!

Among them, the consumption of horses was particularly significant: the Han army's 14 horses required 24 dan of grain per month, which was equivalent to 12 times the rations of the soldiers in battle, and required additional civilian laborers to transport it.

Therefore, an expedition, especially a large-scale expedition, can easily turn into a war that determines the fate of a country.

Such was the case with Emperor Yang of Sui.

During the expedition to Goguryeo, there were 12 combat soldiers equipped with 48 baggage soldiers and civilian laborers, with logistics accounting for 80%!

The departure of these people meant that countless fertile fields were left uncultivated and water conservancy projects were left unmaintained.

Their repeated failures were seriously depleting the empire's national strength, and if they were unfortunately defeated in one battle, the foundation of the entire empire would be severely shaken.

This is also the reason why the Eastern Han court later regarded the Western Regions as chicken ribs.

Although the expedition to the Western Regions was not as costly as Emperor Wu's campaign in Mobei, the long distance and supply pressure also greatly drained the court's already stretched treasury.

Finally, faced with the continuous wars and rebel kings in the Western Regions, the imperial court simply turned a blind eye, abolished the Western Regions Chief Secretary's Office, retreated, and became at peace with itself.

However, Su Yao's expedition to the west broke this traditional shackles.

Through the share issuance mechanism of the Western Region Development Company, he successfully transferred the economic burden of the expedition to private capital.

Those merchant families who enthusiastically subscribed for shares have now become "accomplices" in the Western Expedition - every penny they invested is providing a steady stream of logistical support for this expeditionary force.

More importantly, this army is not a simple consumable force, but a composite expeditionary force with commercial functions.

As much as 70% of the accompanying craftsmen, medical officers, caravans and other non-combat personnel will establish trading posts and post stations along the way, forming a "Great Wall of the Silk Road" that combines military defense and commercial trade.

Behind the high platform, Jia Xu looked at the boiling scene and whispered to Cao Cao: "Minister Cao, the Tang king's trick of 'using advantage to drive the troops' is really brilliant. Look at those Liangzhou soldiers. Yesterday they were arguing with Bingzhou soldiers over the issue of stationing, but today they are closer than brothers for the quota of the Western Expedition."

Cao Cao clapped his hands and chuckled, "What's even more interesting is the military competition. One hundred thousand soldiers competed to show their skills, and the King of Tang easily selected the most elite troops." He suddenly lowered his voice, "But..."

"Just what?"

Cao Cao glanced at the few furtive Hu merchants at the edge of the parade ground and said, "I'm afraid the Western Regions will not sit still and wait for death."

Jia Xu nodded slightly, glanced at Su Yao who was in high spirits on the platform, smiled slightly and said: "In my opinion, I'm afraid they are waiting for them to jump out."

That's exactly what happened.

Ten days later, the army was ready and swore to go to war.

The Ten Thousand Years Empress touched her slightly bulging belly and personally saw Su Yao off.

A few days after the army set out, they soon received news of unrest at the front.

However, it was a little surprising that it was not the Hu people from the distant Western Regions who started the trouble, but the Qiang people from Liangzhou who started the chaos first.
"Report——"

"Ma Chao, the Lieutenant Colonel of Wudu, has an urgent report: Han Sui and others from Jincheng have colluded with the Qiang and Hu people, and have raised an army of nearly 100,000 to cut off the Hexi Road. Wuwei, Jincheng, Longxi, Zhangye and other counties have all rebelled. Please send troops to support them as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)