I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 961: Surrender or Destruction (Combined Chapter)

The capital of the Cheshi Kingdom was Futu City.

Under a golden Buddha statue, the left general of the Hou Kingdom, Mahāhula, was feeling a little restless at the moment.

"No news from the Han area yet?"

"Where is their imperial army now?"

"Did our strategy work?"

Faced with his series of questions, everyone present was speechless.

"General Zuo, there has been no news from the Han territory for several days. Not even a bird can fly out of Yumen Pass. We really can't get any news."

Mohula frowned even more tightly, and he slammed the table heavily:
"Useless! You are all useless! If you can't even get any information, what use do I have for you?!"

Everyone in the hall was silent, no one dared to answer.

Mohula paced back and forth, feeling restless.

He knew very well that once the Han army marched westward, the first to bear the brunt would be his Cheshi State. If he failed to grasp the movements of the Han army in time, the consequences would be disastrous.

Now that the news had blocked Yumen Pass, it was obvious that the Han Dynasty had some ulterior motive. This current situation of being in the dark made him feel a chill on the back of his neck.

"So what about our reinforcements?"

Mohula decided to change his target:
"When will the Xianbei and Wusun people arrive?"

Now everyone can finally answer this question.

In order to deal with the aggressive Han Dynasty, the Wusun Kingdom sent a reinforcement of 10,000 cavalry, and the right wing of the Xianbei people sent an army of 30,000 cavalry to help.

This really surprised them.

You know, at that time the Xianbei tribes were not a unified whole, but the right tribes made such an effort, but the people of Cheshi were unaware of it. It was all because of Su Yao's attack on the central and left Xianbei tribes back then, which made the Xianbei people on the right take advantage of the situation to grow bigger, but also extremely wary of Su Yao's expansion.

They were all afraid that they would become the next target. Now they could form an alliance on someone else's territory and take advantage of the situation to strike their mortal enemy. Moreover, it happened to be the autumn season when the horses were strong. It couldn't be better.

If they could win this battle and deal a severe blow to the Han Dynasty's arrogance, then it would be natural for the Xianbei people to rise again.

At that time, they could happily go south to herd horses, rob money, food and women.

However, fighting a war in ancient times was not an easy matter.

Not only is information transmission slow, but the reality of not having a standing army means that it takes a lot of time to mobilize and assemble troops.

Although the nomadic peoples mobilized faster than the Han army, the nature of their alliance slowed down their efficiency. Up to now, the leaders of various tribes were still gathering their forces, and it would take about half a month to reach Cheshi.

Although the Wusun Kingdom was a historically powerful nomadic country in the Western Regions with 30,000 cavalry, it occupied the Ili River Basin, the most fertile area in the Western Regions during its migration and expansion in the early Han Dynasty. Their affluent life corroded their once martial ambitions. Although the Wusun Kingdom now has strong national strength, it has little interest in the small city-states in the south and has never interfered in the affairs of the Western Regions.

This time they sent out an army of 10,000 cavalry to support, which was the result of the much persuasion of the Sogdian envoys from Mohula.

"Han's general Su Yao has just put down the war in his country. He is ambitious and wants to conquer our crossroads."

In the Wusun royal city and the Chigu royal palace, the Sogdian envoys were talking nonsense:
"I heard that your country's poems are still singing today, that the great Wusun once grazed in the fertile land between the Qilian Mountains, but were attacked and killed by the hateful Xiongnu. They went through a lot of hardships all the way to this land flowing with milk and honey."

"The Han Kingdom has also set its sights on this place today. Their iron hooves have already stepped into Hexi. The next ones will be Cheshi and Wusun!"

The Sogdian envoy suddenly raised his voice, causing the bronze candlesticks under the throne to buzz:

"Does your country think that it can rest easy by living in Yili? But how can the greed of the Han Dynasty be easily satisfied? Back then, the King of Dayuan simply refused to sell the Ferghana horses, and the Emperor of the Han Dynasty sent his general Li Guangli to the west. Now Su Yao is coming with the power to destroy the country. Do you want to wait until the Han army arrives at Chigu City before you think of joining forces to fight the enemy?"

"I am afraid that by then all the countries in the Western Regions will have been destroyed by the iron hoof of the Han Dynasty, and no one will be able to come to your country to help."

The young King of Wusun was so upset by these words that his expression changed from gloomy to uncertain.

Although he grew up in an era of decline of the Han Dynasty and witnessed many of its defeats in the Western Regions, he had also heard of its former prosperity.

If it is true as the envoy said, that neighboring country which calls itself the Central Kingdom once again rises out of the quagmire, and the Han cavalry advances westwards, after the destruction of Cheshi, it will indeed be difficult for Wusun to remain unscathed.

At that time, the best outcome would probably be to bow his head and submit like his ancestors did, beg for a Han princess, and then let the distant foreign royal family dictate to him.

This was obviously not something the King of Wusun, who had long been accustomed to being above everyone else, wanted to see.

So, after some consideration, he made a huge request and got a lot of benefits. Finally, he decided to send 10,000 elite cavalry to help and warn the Han army not to act recklessly. The Western Regions are no longer what they used to be and are not a place they can interfere with at will.

In this way, intensive mobilization began in Wusun, conscripting men one by one, organizing nomadic riders, and preparing to rush to the aid of Cheshi.

At the same time, thanks to the efforts of Sogdian merchants, some countries in the oases of the Western Regions, such as Shule, Gumo, and Yanqi, also sent troops sporadically.

With a force ranging from 8,100 to 3,500 in number, they formed a coalition force of about 20,000 people and slowly advanced towards the Cheshi State.

However, compared with big countries like Wusun and Xianbei, their sending of troops was more focused on participation and statement. Rather than resorting to war, they preferred to use force to promote peace. While sending out the army, envoys from various countries had already taken the lead and hurried to Yumen to ask to see the expeditionary general.

Coincidentally, at this time, Su Yao had just arrived at the pass with his reorganized vanguard of more than 8,000 cavalry to carry out the final water replenishment work.

Yumen Pass was first established during the Yuanding or Yuanfeng period (116-105 BC) when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up the road to the Western Regions and set up the four Hexi counties. The Great Wall from Jiuquan to Yumen was built, and Yumen Pass was established accordingly.

This pass, together with Yangguan, which is also located in Longle County of Dunhuang County a hundred miles to the south, became important garrison locations for the Han Dynasty to control the Western Regions. At that time, all traffic between the Central Plains and the Western Regions had to go through these two passes.

The reason why Yumen Pass was set up here was not because of the dangerous mountains here, but because of the unique reverse-flowing river next to it, the Shule River, which flows from east to west, and the huge lake behind it.

The reason why Yumen Pass is set up here is to control the water source!
Water is the source of life. The development of all civilizations is inseparable from water. Whoever owns the water source has the right to control the local surroundings. This is especially important for the Western Regions with yellow sand and Gobi.

It is also worth mentioning that although this river is named Shule, it has nothing to do with the Shule Kingdom in the Western Regions, and the river does not flow there.

And this is exactly the confidence that the Western Regions countries have in confronting the Han Dynasty this time.

Why do you wonder why the Han Dynasty never mobilized a large army from its homeland to conquer the Western Regions?
Because after leaving the Hexi Corridor and passing Yumen Pass, the local water resources and arable land conditions took a sharp turn for the worse, and the lack of a river connecting the countries in the Western Regions caused the cost of the Han Dynasty's control over the Western Regions to rise sharply.

The primitive production conditions and water and soil resources of the local Western Regions countries are simply not enough to support the long-term advancement and stationing of a large army.

Therefore, whether it was the Huns or the Han Dynasty, they only adopted remote control methods to exert influence on these oasis countries north and south of the Taklamakan Desert, and never practiced direct rule because the cost of governance was too high.

And now, the countries in the Western Regions, relying on their own poor conditions, have put on an attitude of unity to force the emperor to abdicate.

They first demonstrated their will to resist, saying that unpopular conquerors would be buried in the Gobi Desert.

Then, they said that it was of course different for the Han Dynasty. The Western Regions had long been under the rule of the king, willing to submit, and promised to pay tribute regularly and provide protection for passing merchants and envoys.

But at the same time, they also put forward the demand that everything should remain the same as before, asking the court to allow them to govern themselves locally, guarantee their privileges, and not engage in those horrifying legends such as supervision by Han officials and business monopoly.

"Oh? You mean everything will remain the same?"

At Yumen Pass, yellow sand is rolling and the autumn wind is howling.

Su Yao sat high in the lobby of the Duwei Mansion, looking down at the envoys from the Western Regions below.

They were dressed in colorful brocade robes and wore golden crowns on their heads. They lined up in a row at the bottom of the hall, with expressions that were both respectful and a bit arrogant.

"General, please understand." The leading Yanqi envoy stepped forward and said in fluent Chinese: "The countries in the Western Regions are willing to submit to the Han Dynasty forever and pay tribute every year. We only ask that the general withdraw his troops and everything will return to normal."

"As usual?" Su Yao sneered, "How do you explain that the Cheshi Kingdom colluded with the Xianbei and Wusun to stop our army from advancing westward?"

The envoys looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, the envoy from Shule answered with gritted teeth: "This was done by one person, Mohu Luo of the Cheshi Kingdom. It has nothing to do with us. If the general is willing to withdraw his troops, we are willing to work together to capture Mohu Luo and present him to the general's tent."

Su Yao narrowed his eyes, and his gaze swept across the crowd like a knife: "Do you think that we, the Han Dynasty, mobilized a large army just for a Mohula?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The envoys' foreheads were covered with cold sweat. They realized that the young general in front of them was far more dangerous than the rumors said.

"General, please think twice!" The Gumo envoy suddenly knelt down. "The journey to the Western Regions is long and there is a shortage of water and grass. A large army expedition will cost a lot. If you insist on conquering, this endless yellow sand will bury countless brave warriors of your country. Why don't you..."

"Threaten me? What's the best?" Su Yao interrupted, "Why not let you continue to raise prices and exploit merchants on the Silk Road? Why not let you secretly collude with the Xianbei and Wusun and repeatedly threaten the safety of Hexi?"

Su Yao's voice became colder and colder, but his expression was extremely firm:
"I tell you, all under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. From today on, there will be no more 'business as usual' in the Western Regions! We, the Han Dynasty, will establish counties and prefectures, build post stations, dig canals, and construct cities in the Western Regions!"

The messengers' faces suddenly changed.

Such a change would undoubtedly mean that these Western Region nobles would lose the countless privileges they had enjoyed for generations.

"General!" the Yanqi envoy said anxiously, "The Western Regions are a vast sea of ​​sand, which is in no way comparable to the Central Plains. If we forcefully establish a county, I'm afraid it will be a disaster."

"What are you afraid of?" Su Yao sneered, "Are you afraid that you will lose your power to tyrannize?"

Su Yao stood up and stretched out his finger: "I tell you, you only have two choices now."

"Or, you can just submit obediently, accept the officials sent by the court, open up trade routes, allocate farmland, and implement the Han system. I can imitate the old system of counties and kingdoms in the Han Dynasty and retain your royal status."

"Otherwise, you should clean your necks and wait for our Han iron hoofs to trample your cities. None of you princes and nobles will be left alive!"

"This"

When the messengers heard this, their faces turned pale.

Faced with the choice between surrender and destruction, no one dared to act on their own. They exchanged glances with each other quickly, and finally the Shule envoy spoke in a trembling voice:
"General, can you allow us to return to the country to discuss this matter?"

In this regard, Su Yao did not make things difficult for them, but waved his hand to show his agreement.

Not only that, before these envoys left, Su Yao also specially ordered that they be treated well and let these envoys visit the iron cavalry army that had stationed in Yumen Pass.

The envoys were deeply impressed by the well-disciplined and mighty army. The next day, the envoys hurriedly said goodbye and returned in a hurry.

"I'm afraid they won't agree to your conditions so easily."

On the city wall, Cao Cao frowned slightly and said.

Obviously, he did not believe that military might alone could make the Western Regions surrender.

After all, the problem of water supply that they rely on cannot be solved by the might of a large army.

If they travel west without the support of the local people, they will soon run into supply difficulties.

Cao Cao had already discussed and confirmed this with the local Guan Duwei after he came to Yumen with Su Yao.

Without the cooperation of a local guide, few people would be able to travel the road to the west.

Once, because the king of Loulan was fickle and deliberately did bad things and refused to send a guide, a team of hundreds of people was lost in the desert and no one returned.

Now the general is coming with great force and has declared war on almost all the countries in the Western Regions at once. How to advance will be an extremely difficult problem at that time.

If something goes wrong, tens of thousands of troops will never come back, which is no joke.

For this reason, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Jia Xu and others who were accompanying them, all urged Su Yao not to be too aggressive for the time being after they arrived at Yumen Pass and learned about the situation in the Western Regions from the local garrison generals and the governor of Dunhuang behind them. It would be better to adopt the method of divide and win over to solve the problems in the Western Regions bit by bit.

Su Yao actually agreed with this in his heart. This was indeed a prudent approach.

After all, although the strategic map of his system was unlocked, a considerable part of the Western Region was still shrouded in the fog of war on the tactical map. If Su Yao rashly went deep into it and only looked at the large map for reference, he would not be sure that he could accurately find a place suitable for the army to rest and replenish supplies.

Reality is not a game. The harsh environment and temperature difference of the desert terrain are truly more terrifying killers than any enemy. This is the power of nature.

However, Su Yao was not going to stop.

Time is especially important to him now.

If he didn't need to march all the way west to Persia or even Europe, he wouldn't have to fight to the death with the Western Regions, turning them into Han territory. He could just keep them under control and gradually strengthen control.

But if he wants to march west and cross the Pamir Mountains, he must ensure the stability of the Western Region. He cannot allow these fence-sitters to exist, in case there are twists and turns in the back during the battle on the front line, and he will be cut off.

Therefore, it is best to solve problems that can be solved at once.

"Don't worry. I don't expect these people to agree to our conditions so easily."

Su Yao said with a cold expression:
"The key lies in the coalition forces of Wusun and Xianbei that Cheshi State has brought in."

"As long as we can get rid of these foreign powers' intervention forces, the Western Region countries will only have one choice in the end."

"If we can capture the driver completely, I don't believe we won't be able to find a few reliable local guides."

So, shortly after those envoys hurriedly said goodbye, Su Yao also led his army and headed straight for the Cheshi Kingdom.

At the same time, the allied forces of Xianbei and Wusun also set out on their journeys. All three armies were targeting the Cheshi Kingdom and were about to launch a fateful battle in this vast land of the Western Regions.

(End of this chapter)