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Chapter 1274 Consolidating the Foundation, The Mysterious Messenger

After changing the flags on the city wall and eliminating the remaining enemy forces, Lin Hao rewarded those who had contributed to the victory. He specially summoned Chang Shouzhen, who was covered in blood but in high spirits.

"Chief Chang's courageous advance and outstanding achievement in breaching the city have been recorded by this strategist!" Lin Hao said encouragingly.

Chang Shouzheng knelt on one knee, suppressing his excitement, and said:

"It's all thanks to the Grand Commander's strategic planning and the Protector-General's skillful command; I was merely doing my duty!"

He glanced around out of the corner of his eye and, not seeing Kang Huaien, couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

Lin Hao continued, "Rewarding merit is the rule of the Tang Dynasty. The area around Yanqi is rich in fish and grass, making it an ideal place for raising horses."

"This strategist has allocated a grassland on the lakeside to your Shatuo tribe, specifically for raising warhorses for the Hanhai Army."

"The loss of the Pulei seagrass farm in the past will be made up for today. I hope you will manage it well and live up to my expectations."

Chang Shouzheng was overjoyed upon hearing this. He never expected that the lost grasslands would return in this way, which meant that the tribe's livelihood and future would be more secure.

Chang Shouzhen then kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling as he said:
"We, along with the entire Shatuo tribe, will never forget the great kindness and virtue of the Grand Commander. We are determined to raise the best warhorses for the Tang Dynasty!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, he looked up, his eyes filled with anticipation, and asked cautiously:
"Great Commander, since I surrendered, I have followed the army through three bloody battles in Shazhou, Guazhou, and Yanqi, without ever retreating a single step. I wonder if I have met the standards for being selected as a candidate for the Hanhai Army?"

Lin Hao looked at his eager eyes and nodded: "Of course, your department's achievements are enough to qualify you for the position."

Chang Shouzheng felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and a smile spread across his face.

But Lin Hao changed the subject, his tone becoming serious:

"However, joining the Hanhai Army is not the same as joining a tribal private army. You must strictly abide by the military discipline and laws of the Great Tang Dynasty, obey all commands, and break with your former tribal habits."

"Later, this strategist will send a military judge to your camp to explain the military discipline regulations."

"All candidates must complete the required training and pass the assessment before they can be officially enlisted in the military. Can you do that?"

Chang Shouzheng straightened his back and confidently assured:

"Rest assured, General, I understand Chinese and will study it diligently to discipline my troops. I will not disappoint you!"

He calculated in his heart that with this foundation, he would surely be one step ahead of others. By the time Kang Huaien returned from his business trip, he might already be a dignified brigade commander or captain in the Hanhai Army!
If he could become a formally appointed official of the Tang Dynasty like his ancestors, his heart would boil with excitement.

"Very good!" Lin Hao nodded and said, "Go, first appease the troops, clean up the battlefield, the military judge will arrive soon."

Watching Chang Shouzhen respectfully retreat, Lin Hao turned his gaze to the distant, azure Bosten Lake.

······
At this moment, Lu Ziming quickly approached Lin Hao, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice:
"Reporting to the Grand Commander, all the Tang soldiers in Yanqi City have been rescued, and the Tibetans who oppressed them have all been arrested and imprisoned in the drill ground."

Behind him was a group of thin, white-haired veterans, who followed him out of the city gate with faltering steps.

The sunlight was blinding, shining on their tattered clothes and withered figures, making them look as if a gust of wind could blow them over.

Some of them have missing arms, others have only one leg to walk on, and still others appear to be perfectly healthy, but when they open their mouths to speak, they reveal empty mouths, because their tongues have already been cut off.

Only those pairs of eyes, which were originally cloudy but now shone with an unusual brilliance, were fixed on the Tang Dynasty battle flag that had just been raised on the city wall and was fluttering in the wind.

Lin Hao felt a tightness in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He then abruptly dismounted and exclaimed, "My lords! You have suffered! I am late and have kept you waiting!"

The veteran, who had lost an arm and was vaguely surrounded by the crowd, struggled to straighten his hunched back and used his remaining arm to make a crooked but extremely solemn salute.

He made a hoarse, hoarse sound, too excited to speak, and tears streamed down his deeply etched wrinkles.

Behind him, a group of more than 100 battered veterans, whether they could stand or not, did their best to salute, and sobs and suppressed cries filled the air.

"General!" The one-armed veteran managed to squeeze out his voice, tears welling in his eyes, "Today, today I can see with my own eyes the banners of my Great Tang Dynasty being planted atop Yanqi City once again!"

"Even if we die right now, it'll be worth it! We can die in peace!"

"Yes! It was worth it!"

"Great Tang, may you be victorious!" the veterans echoed, their voices choked with emotion.

The one-armed veteran wiped his face hard with his tattered sleeve, trying to calm his emotions, and his tone suddenly became resolute:

"General! We old codgers have only survived this long because we're holding our breath and want to see what happens to these Tibetan bastards!"

"Now that our great revenge has been achieved and our wish has been fulfilled, we are now crippled and useless. We can no longer fight for the Tang Dynasty and would only be a waste of supplies."

"General, please, please consider us dead in battle and let us fend for ourselves! We must not be a burden to the Tang Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, the veterans behind him all looked up, their eyes filled with sorrow, but even more so with a sense of relief and acceptance, and they shouted in unison:
"Please grant my request, General!"

They had long been prepared to die, and their only concern was becoming a burden on the revitalizing Tang Dynasty.

Having experienced so many worlds, Lin Hao was no longer an easily sentimental person, but looking at these old soldiers now, his eyes couldn't help but redden.

Lin Hao abruptly turned his head away, forcefully blinking back the surging heat and moisture. When he turned back, his face was now resolute and solemn.

Then he addressed the veterans in a loud voice: "Gentlemen! That is a misconception. Who says you are useless? Who says you are a burden?"

His gaze swept over the aged yet resolute faces, and his tone became impassioned:
"Times have changed! I tell you, the land reclamation in Luntai City has yielded a bountiful harvest, and our Tang soldiers will no longer have to defend the city on empty stomachs!"

"And Xizhou, Kucha, and even the newly recovered Tingzhou, Yizhou, Shazhou, and Guazhou have all begun large-scale land reclamation and are in dire need of manpower!"

Seeing the surprise and a glimmer of light in the veterans' eyes, Lin Hao pressed his advantage, speeding up his speech:
"Besides, who says that serving the Tang Dynasty only means charging into battle with a sword? You brothers are experienced and skilled, how can you give up so easily? The Tang Dynasty will need your help in many ways!"

He stepped forward and patted the one-armed veteran on the shoulder: "Before you joined the army, were you from a farming family? Do you know anything about farming?"

"Even if I can't work in the fields myself, could I be competent to go to the military farms, instruct the newly surrendered prisoners on how to cultivate the land, and supervise their labor?"

Without waiting for an answer, he looked at the old soldier who had lost his tongue, pointing to his hands, roughened by years of hard labor:

"Brother, judging by your hands, you must have used a lot of strength, and perhaps you even know some skills?"

"There are workshops in Luntai City that are in dire need of master craftsmen! Blacksmithing, carpentry, armor making, and even simple tasks like basket weaving and rope twisting would be of great use!"

He turned his gaze towards Bosten Lake and said:

"Yanqi has a vast sea of ​​fish (Bosten Lake)! Those who know how to sail and fish should go to the lake to catch fresh fish for our army, and make them into dried fish and salted fish to supplement the army's food! This would be a great achievement!"

Then, he looked at the veterans who had served as squad leaders, platoon leaders, or even higher positions:

"And you! You were able to lead troops in the army back then, and now you're able to train the young men of the newly annexed tribes!"

"Teach them to speak Tang language, recognize Tang characters, understand the military discipline and regulations of our Great Tang, and learn the battle formations and martial arts of our Great Tang!"

"To transform them from a disorganized mob into a true Han Hai Army! Isn't that a form of conquest?"

Finally, Lin Hao softened his voice and said:

"Even if some brothers are too badly injured to work, they are not useless. They should take good care of themselves and rest well, Your Majesty!"

"No, I, Lin Hao, will find you wives and settle down. You have shed your blood for the Tang Dynasty, and now it is time for you to have children and carry on its legacy. In the future, you will all be fine sons of the Tang Dynasty, clad in armor!"

Lin Hao's words were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, stirring up ripples.

The veterans listened in a daze, their initial despair turning into acceptance, then into surprise and doubt, and finally into a renewed burning flame in their eyes.

They originally thought that their lives were just a flickering candle, ready to be extinguished at any time so as not to burden others, but they never expected this!

The one-armed veteran trembled, his single arm clenched into a fist, and tears welled up again. This young Grand Commander had actually shown them so many paths they could continue on, especially offering to help them find wives!

But this time it was no longer grief and despair, but excitement and hope:

"General! General! Are you telling the truth? Are we, these old and crippled people, really, really still of use?"

"It works! It's extremely useful!" Lin Hao said decisively.

"The Tang Dynasty will not abandon any loyal and brave soldier. We had no choice in the past, and you all suffered."

"Now that I, Lin Hao, have arrived, and now that the banner of the Great Tang has been planted back in Yanqi, there is absolutely no reason for me to disappoint you!"

He looked around at everyone and said in a loud voice:
"Now, tell me, are you willing to end your lives here, or are you willing to follow me and continue to serve the Tang Dynasty in the ways you have left, watching it gradually recover the Western Regions and regain its glory?"

"I am willing to die for the Tang Dynasty!"

"I am willing to follow the Grand Commander!"

"I entrust my wretched life to the Grand Commander!"

……

The long-suppressed emotions finally erupted, and the veterans roared with all their might, as if they wanted to shout out all the humiliation and suffering of the past years and the new hope they had gained at this moment.

Those weathered faces, streaked with tears, radiated an unprecedented vitality.

Lin Hao watched this scene, took a deep breath. Recapturing a city was not the key; the real goal was to recapture these almost forgotten military spirits.

These soldiers, who survived countless hardships, became another solid backbone supporting the Tang Dynasty's rebirth in the Western Regions.

Especially in the future, when they discover they can regain their youth, they will unleash even greater passion.

······
After the recapture of Yanqi, not only the Tang Dynasty and the vassal army that benefited from the battle were happy, but also the merchants from the Western Regions.

Because Yanqi fell into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, along with the cities that had been previously recovered, the trade route from Guazhou and Shazhou to Xizhou, and then from Yanqi in Xizhou to Kucha, was back under the control of the Tang Dynasty.

Finally, once the Hexi Corridor is opened up, the road to wealth for the Tang Dynasty will be completely opened.

Even so, this was enough to make these merchants happy, because their safety was guaranteed when they traded under the rule of the Tang Dynasty.

Unlike before, when they were often exploited by the Tibetans and plundered by small tribes along the way.

Therefore, Lin Hao encountered many merchants who came to ask him when the Tang Dynasty would attack Hexi and Longyou again to reopen the trade route from the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions.
They had longed for this for many years, and in order to see this day come sooner, they were willing to gather intelligence for the Tang Dynasty and even donate military funds.

Lin Hao was greatly pleased. As long as there was profit, these merchants would support the Tang Dynasty, which existed in the Western Regions as the order setter and maintainer.

As long as this order can be maintained, it will benefit the majority of people, and the Tang Dynasty will win their support.

This is the true source of the Tang Dynasty's rule over the Western Regions, not merely the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Beiting Protectorate and the Anxi Protectorate.

Of course, the maintenance of any order relies on force. Without force, such order is like a fortress built on sand. It may be fine under normal circumstances, but once the wind blows, the fortress will surely collapse.

······
Order has been initially restored in Yanqi City. Matters such as land reclamation, fishing and hunting, and salt administration have all been properly arranged and are being handled by designated personnel.

Lin Hao entrusted the daily administration to the clerks sent by Yang Xigu, as well as the quick-witted and literate people in the army.

He then led his core subordinates, along with a portion of the newly reorganized vanguard of the Han Navy, back to Tingzhou, the capital of the Beiting Protectorate.

His focus was always on rebuilding and expanding the Hanhai Army, and on increasing the Tang Dynasty's power in the Western Regions as much as possible.

Just as Lin Hao was handling military affairs, supervising land reclamation, and selecting soldiers in Tingzhou, Kang Huaien, weary from his journey, returned once again.

This time, he brought not valuable goods, but a wealth that Lin Hao valued more than any treasure: more than 2,300 Tang Dynasty citizens who had been scattered throughout the Western Regions and suffered many hardships.

These people included men, women, and children; they were all emaciated and dressed in rags, but their eyes had rekindled the flame of hope.

Lin Hao attached great importance to this and ordered a grand welcoming banquet to be held in Tingzhou City, which, though not extravagant, was still quite solemn.

Slaughtering pigs and sheep, and providing unlimited rice, allowed these returning travelers, who hadn't had a full meal in years, to feel a long-lost warmth and dignity.

At the banquet, Lin Hao personally raised his glass to comfort everyone and assured them that they would no longer suffer the pain of displacement.

After the banquet, the next step was to settle these citizens of the Tang Dynasty, the first priority being to restore their youth.

Then, the officials of the Protectorate were instructed to quickly register and compile a register based on each person's circumstances, and those who were literate and had served as clerks were assigned to the administrative agencies in Tingzhou and Luntai.

Those who knew how to farm were allocated land, seeds, and farming tools, and incorporated into the households that cultivated the land.

Those with skills such as carpentry and blacksmithing were directly sent to the ever-expanding workshops.

Even those who lacked skills but were still physically capable were assigned to labor tasks such as building city walls and dredging waterways, as a form of work relief.

Furthermore, Lin Hao implemented a popular policy, ordering that priority be given to arranging marriages for these returning single men, with the partners being Tang women who had also been redeemed.

Alternatively, they might arrange marriages with women from tribes that had submitted to them, and provide them with a settlement allowance.

A series of measures were taken to quickly stabilize public sentiment and strengthen the population base and cohesion of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions.

After handling the complicated matters of resettling the displaced people, Lin Hao summoned Kang Huaien, who had made great contributions, to the Protectorate General's office.

"Huai'en, you did an excellent job!" Lin Hao praised Kang Huai'en, who was exhausted but couldn't hide his excitement.

"Population is the foundation of a nation. Every person you bring back is a brick in the revival of the Tang Dynasty."

"Once you successfully escort another group of Tang refugees of considerable size back to the capital, I will personally preside over your initiation ceremony, report to the court, and officially grant you the status of a citizen of the Tang Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Huaien knelt down excitedly and promised:
"Thank you, Commander! I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life!"

Traveling to redeem people through trade was clearly more in line with his nature and aspirations than fighting on the battlefield, and the results were remarkable, giving him a clear vision of the future.

Lin Hao nodded slightly and continued to paint an even grander picture for him, which is what we often call "drawing a pie in the sky."

"Our Great Tang has always rewarded those who have made contributions. You are not only good at business but also knowledgeable about the situation in the Western Regions. Once you are officially registered as a citizen, you will be a respectable official of the Great Tang and can be granted a real position based on your abilities."

The Western Regions are vast, and there are many cities to be recovered and numerous tributary states to be established. How can officials be dispatched from Chang'an for all of them? A talented person like yourself, who has both meritorious service and familiarity with local conditions, is the best candidate to govern this region.

"At that time, it will not be impossible for him to become the lord of a city, guard the region, and bring glory to his family."

Lin Hao's "pie in the sky" perfectly hit Kang Huaien's desires. However, what he didn't know was that the extent of power this so-called city lord would actually wield in the future was another matter entirely.

However, this did not stop Kang Huaien from imagining himself wearing the official robes of the Tang Dynasty and receiving praise from all the people.

Thinking of this, his breathing quickened, and he bowed deeply again, loudly promising:
"I will never forget the kindness shown to me by the Grand Commander. From now on, I will do my utmost to serve the Tang Dynasty and the Grand Commander!"

"Hmm." Lin Hao nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject, "Was your return journey smooth? Was there anything unusual along the way?"

Kang Huaien then remembered something, quickly composed himself, and lowered his voice to say:

“Governor, on my journey, I encountered a Tang man of extraordinary bearing near Yizhou.”

"Oh, this person didn't identify himself?" Lin Hao asked curiously.

"I asked them, but they refused to reveal their identity, only saying that they were a descendant of an old friend and that there was something extremely important that they needed to discuss with the Governor in person!"

Seeing that Lin Hao's expression was normal, Kang Huaien cautiously continued:

"However, judging from his words and actions, he does not seem to be faking it. He seems to have some connection with the Uyghur royal court. I dare not be negligent, so I secretly brought him back to Tingzhou and now he is placed in the post station, awaiting your summons."