I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 996 The King of Shule's Warm Hospitality
Outside Luoyang city, a spring breeze caresses the face, and willows sway gently.

At the very front of the vast army formation, Su Yao, clad in a crimson battle robe, carrying a longbow on his back and a longsword at his waist, rode a tall, snow-white horse, his piercing gaze sweeping over the neatly arrayed soldiers.

Sunlight shone on the armored vehicles, reflecting a dazzling light, making the entire training ground resemble a steel forest.

Empress Wu Nian personally led civil and military officials to see her off. She wore a crimson dragon robe symbolizing the fire element of the Han Dynasty and a twelve-tassel crown. With the help of her maids, she slowly ascended the high platform.

"Soldiers!" Wan Nian's clear voice rang out in the spring breeze, "This western expedition is to protect our vassal states and enhance our national prestige. I hereby wish you all a resounding victory and a swift return!"

"Long live the Emperor!" Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Su Yao dismounted and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail in your trust!"

A hint of reluctance flashed in Wan Nian's eyes, but she quickly regained her imperial majesty. She personally handed Su Yao a large banner embroidered with the character "Tang": "May this banner be invincible wherever it goes."

Su Yao solemnly accepted the banner, then turned and raised it high: "Let's go!"

As the bugle sounded, the army marched westward like a torrent. Wan Nian stood on the high platform, watching the crimson figure gradually disappear into the distance until it vanished at the end of the dusty official road.

More than a month later, outside Dunhuang city.

Elite cavalry from all over the country arrived one after another, setting up a series of camps outside the city. Inside Su Yao's central command tent, all the generals were gathered, studying the latest military intelligence.

"Report—" a scout rushed into the tent, "The Kushan army has captured Beitian, the capital of Kangju, and the King of Kangju has retreated to the northern grasslands!"

An uproar erupted inside the tent. The Kangju envoy, his face ashen, slumped to the ground, exclaiming, "It's over. It's all over!"

Su Yao remained completely calm, instead revealing a slight smile: "Good, very good."

"General?" Ma Chao looked at him in confusion.

Su Yao pointed to the map: "The Kushans are greedy and reckless, with 100,000 troops deep into the heart of Kangju, stretching their supply lines so long. This is the perfect opportunity for our army to strike!"

Guo Jia stroked his beard and nodded: "Excellent. Our army can split into two routes: one will advance out of the Pamir Mountains and head straight for Dayuan, cutting off the Kushan army's retreat; the other will head north to reinforce Kangju, joining forces with the remaining troops to attack the Kushan army from both sides."

"Just what I wanted." Su Yao surveyed his generals. "Ma Chao, Yan Xing, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!" the two generals replied in unison.

"I order you two to lead eight thousand elite cavalry north immediately to join forces with Zilong and support the remnants of the Kangju army. Remember, focus on harassment and containment; avoid direct confrontation."

"promise!"

Then, Su Yao looked at the messenger: "Send word to Wen Yuan and the Chanyu, ordering them to lead the Xiongnu light cavalry as the vanguard and set off immediately to clear the way for our army."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Finally, Su Yao turned his gaze to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Yun Chang and Yi De will each lead four thousand iron cavalry, together with my central army, to take Dayuan and we must win this battle!"

"I will obey your orders!"

The generals obeyed and left, and soon only Su Yao and a few strategists remained in the tent.

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, the key to this battle lies in Dayuan. If we can quickly conquer Dayuan, the Kushan army of 100,000 will be cut off from their retreat and will surely be trapped like turtles in a jar."

Su Yao and the other soldiers of the expeditionary force were well aware of this, and the Kushans who were on the northern expedition were also well aware of it.

"We must never allow the Han people to enter Dayuan!" the Kushan king slammed his fist on the table and said.

Although Su Yao intended to conceal the expedition plan, the Han Expeditionary Force was so large that it was impossible to completely hide the movement of countless personnel and supplies.

While inside the pass, the Han army's movements could be kept relatively secret by blocking intelligence at the border. However, once the army marched west out of Yumen Pass, countless merchants and spies spread the news throughout the Western Regions.

The Kushan royal court soon learned of the Han army's westward expedition.

Countless people have heard the story that the Han Kingdom in the east has sent 100,000 troops to compete with the Kushan Empire for control of Dayuan and Kangju.

Therefore, the Kushan king dared not be careless and immediately ordered his son Vasudeva to lead 30,000 elite troops to reinforce Dayuan. At the same time, he also issued an emergency order to the troops that had penetrated deep into Kangju to quickly return to defend and shrink the defensive line.

So when Su Yao's army arrived in Shule a month later, the situation on the front lines had changed dramatically.

That's right, another month has passed.

This is the vast distance between the Central Plains and the Western Regions. From Luoyang, the capital of the empire, to Shule, the westernmost point of the Han Dynasty, the two places are thousands of miles apart.

This is not an exaggeration, but a real journey of thousands of miles.

For ordinary business travelers and military personnel, this distance often takes four or five months to traverse.

When Ban Chao set off from Luoyang to quell the rebellion in Shule, it took him more than four months on the road.

This is why Su Yao insisted on conscripting the entire cavalry force.

They rode a few horses and traveled at breakneck speed along the well-maintained road, taking nearly 80 days to reach this place.

The summer of the 17th day of the sixth month in the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era.

Outside Shule City, the sun shines brightly.

The King of Shule, along with a group of civil and military officials, dressed in their finest attire, came out to welcome the heavenly army into the city.

"This humble king pays his respects to His Highness the King of Tang."

The King of Shule prostrated himself on the ground, and the courtiers behind him also knelt in worship.

"A banquet has been prepared in our city. We cordially invite Your Highness, the King of Tang, to grace us with your presence and to show our sincerity in welcoming our soldiers."

Su Yao dismounted and helped the King of Shule to his feet: "Your Majesty is very kind."

"Our mission this time is to rescue Dayuan and protect the Western Regions. The military situation is urgent, so I will not enter this city. The army will rest here for a day and set off westward tomorrow. As for the banquet, we can hold it after my triumphant return."

Upon hearing this, the King of Shule's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly replaced it with a smile: "Your Highness is busy with military affairs, I understand. However..."

He stepped closer and lowered his voice, saying, "The situation in Dayuan has changed. I heard that the Kushan king has sent tens of thousands of elite troops to garrison the area. Not only has he strengthened the city's defenses, but he has also put strict guard on the mountain passes and key roads. If Your Highness hastily sends troops, I'm afraid you will not gain any advantage."

"Oh? Your Majesty also has intelligence sources in Kushan?"

The King of Shule chuckled and said, "I don't have much intelligence on the Kushan side either, but Dayuan has been my neighbor for a long time, so we do have some spies."

"Your Highness, why don't you come into the city and sit down, so I can explain it to you in detail?"

Su Yao pondered for a moment, glanced at Guo Jia and Lu Su beside him, nodded and said, "In that case, we will trouble Your Majesty."

The King of Shule was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately ordered his men to prepare a banquet. He also personally led the way to welcome Su Yao and several key generals into the palace.

Although the Shule Palace is not as magnificent as the palaces in Han areas, it is still resplendent and has a unique exotic feel.

Under the personal guidance of the King of Shule, Su Yao and his entourage passed through halls and palaces without any hindrance.

Clearly, the king had made preparations in advance; a banquet had already been set up in the hall, with a dazzling array of delicacies from the Western Regions.

After several rounds of drinks, the King of Shule clapped his hands, and a troupe of dancers gracefully entered, dancing to the music. Each dancer was beautiful and graceful, captivating the generals.

The woman leading the dance in the dance hall was especially stunning; every smile and gesture was captivating.

She was tall and slender, her face veiled by a light gauze, and her graceful figure, partially revealed as she danced, captivated the eyes of many generals.

"Your Highness, this is my daughter, Ayina," the King of Shule introduced with a smile. "She has admired Han Chinese culture since childhood and has always hoped to meet Your Highness."

Upon hearing her father's words, the dancer gracefully approached Su Yao and bowed deeply, saying, "Ayina greets Your Highness, the King of Tang."

Su Yao nodded slightly: "The princess's dance is graceful and pleasing to the eye."

Upon hearing this, Ayina's eyes flashed with joy, and she boldly looked up directly at Su Yao: "Your Highness has come from afar, and Ayina would like to present a newly learned Han dance to entertain Your Highness."

Before Su Yao could respond, the music changed, and Ayina unfurled her water sleeves and began to dance a court dance in the style of the Han dynasty.

Su Yao glanced at her and had to admit, although the princess's movements were still a bit clumsy, her earnestness was quite endearing.

It would be even better if they hadn't been so deliberate.

(End of this chapter)