Chinese New Year

Chapter 1436 Submission
“Your Highness is being reckless.” After dismounting, Zheng Long looked at the majestic snow-capped mountains and said, “Even if you wanted to subdue the Later Cheshi Kingdom, you shouldn’t have taken the risk yourself.”

"Without taking extraordinary measures, we may gain nothing," Shao Xu replied.

Zheng Long glanced at him, suddenly laughed, then looked around and asked in a low voice, "Do you want me to help you kill some more? Once the army returns, there won't be another chance."

Shao Xu waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "You must not do this."

Zheng Long sighed, somewhat puzzled, and didn't try to persuade him any further.

Actually, it doesn't matter whether King Zhao agrees or not. I won't cause trouble in front of you. Can't I just go somewhere else?

There are some things that even he couldn't completely stop, because it was the desire of all the soldiers.

"Commander Zheng," Shao Xu thought for a moment and then asked, "I wonder if any of the generals captured any prisoners on their westward journey?"

Zheng Long's heart stirred, and he said, "That is indeed true. However, the children, gold, and silk are what the soldiers cherish, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to take them away for free."

Shao Xu nodded, having nothing to say.

He didn't have the money to buy those slaves right now, and they might not be willing to sell them to him either.

If a Tocharian woman were brought back to the Central Plains alive, wealthy households would be willing to pay a high price.

As the saying goes, things are valued for their rarity. Maids from the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Goguryeo tribes were sold for more than maids from the Han Chinese tribes, not to mention those with high noses and deep-set eyes.

They've had their fill of Han Chinese women, and now they crave Hu women. The Jie women of the Central Plains are no longer considered "authentic," so they want women from their "place of origin."

Otherwise, the soldiers could just plunder money and valuables, why would they also plunder children?
"Does Your Highness intend to establish military farms?" Zheng Long asked tentatively.

Shao Xu didn't hide anything from him and nodded directly, saying, "The imperial court has set up Jinman Town, but it only exists on paper and has not yet been established for garrisoning. Furthermore, I also want to establish a military farm behind the mountain and urgently need manpower."

Zheng Long understood.

The military farms need manpower; even a fool knows that. Recruiting from the Central Plains is extremely difficult. Unless they are exiled criminals, people will only be able to reach the Hehuang region at most, let alone come to the Western Regions. Don't be ridiculous.

Therefore, capturing slaves was the only option. Zheng Long almost laughed; he had always heard of King Zhao's benevolence, but he never expected that he too would have to take this path. In the face of such harsh circumstances, benevolence was utterly insignificant.

"What land does Your Highness need?" Zheng Long asked again.

He really didn't mind helping out, because the Later Kingdom of Cheshi had already ceded a lot of land to Jinman Town, and might not be willing to "cede" any more territory.

Upon hearing this, Shao Xu was pleased and said, "The Pulei Sea (present-day Barkol) in the eastern border of the Later Cheshi Kingdom is rich in water and grass, and there are also fields that can be cultivated. I wish to encourage the people to cultivate and graze their livestock."

"Your Highness has excellent taste," Zheng Long praised.

South of Pulei Lake are snow-capped mountains, but there is a large, spacious passage in the middle that connects the north and south.

Simply put, crossing the snow-capped mountains from Lake Pulei would lead to the area between Yiwu and Gaochang. If the King of Zhao intended to maintain control of both the northern and southern parts of the snow-capped mountains, as the ancient Cheshi Kingdom did, then he would need to control these mountain passes that did not require detours.

The Wusun tribe currently occupies Lake Pulei. They have just suffered heavy losses after being plundered and killed by He Fen, Su Baochen, and others. Taking it over would not be difficult.

"Is this the only place?" Zheng Long asked.

Shao Xu hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "East of Jinman Town, it seems that land reclamation is also possible."

Zheng Long nodded expressionlessly.

The King of Zhao has quite an appetite.

He now understood that the best land behind the mountain was actually located on the northern slopes of the snow-capped mountains. The reason was simple: there was meltwater from the snow and ice, and rivers that could irrigate the farmland.

But heading north from the foot of the mountain, it becomes increasingly arid, and there is even a vast desert stretching out before you.

The Later Cheshi Kingdom originally relied on the desert to defend against the Xiongnu tribes, and it seems that the King of Zhao also wants to do the same.

The idea is actually correct. Without the desert as a barrier, the enemy would be robbed even more fiercely. The desert itself can at least restrict the enemy to some extent, since water resources in the desert are limited and it is difficult for too many troops to pass through at once.

However, he was not sure if the King of Zhao had the strength to control both sides of the snow-capped mountain.

"Since Your Highness has made a request, this humble general will comply," Zheng Long said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

After saying this, he summoned Sima Maobao, the Commandant of Wuyuan State, and ordered him to lead a thousand cavalry eastward to occupy the territory first.

After accounting for the dead, wounded, and those who fled, it's hard to say whether there are even two thousand descendants of the Pulei Kingdom left. They would be easy to defeat. Even if the later king of Cheshi wanted to send troops to rescue them, how many soldiers could he send? Judging from the current situation, he would be lucky to gather two or three thousand infantry and cavalry, not to mention he doesn't even have the guts.

After Shao and Zheng reached an agreement, they got busy on the Cheshi Houguo side.

The Northern Route Army moved back and forth. Some had already begun transporting prisoners, valuables, and livestock; others, unwilling to let go of the last bit of time, continued their raids; still others had taken up residence in the towns of the Later Cheshi Kingdom, creating chaos and widespread resentment. Occasionally, someone would rise up to kill Liang soldiers, only to be quickly suppressed. It was unknown how many women of the Later Cheshi Kingdom would give birth to children other than their husbands after the war.

On the second day of the ninth month, Shao Xu could no longer stand it and asked Zheng Long to restrain the troops.

Seeing that the soldiers' ferocity had been largely dissipated, Zheng Long ordered all camps to gather in their tents in the open field and forbade them from staying in civilian homes. After beheading dozens of people, the camps obeyed the order in fear.

After being subjected to such turmoil, the King of Cheshi was terrified and agreed to every request, becoming utterly submissive. In his heart, however, he cursed that the military discipline of this army was almost as bad as that of the Han Dynasty soldiers, as the elders had said.

******
By late August, Zhao Wei's more than 10,000 troops had crossed the Yinshan Mountains, killed 300 enemies, and entered the Yinshan Desert.

At the end of the month, they arrived at Weixu City, more than 140 miles away, and captured it after a three-day siege.

The army swarmed in, killing the entire Wei Xuwang family and nearly robbing their ancestral treasury. Fortunately, Zhao Wei invoked the emperor's name, which made the soldiers wary.

But letting the national treasury go unpunished does not mean letting the people go unpunished.

After two days of continuous effort by the soldiers, the able-bodied men from Heliang who arrived later were finally allowed to enter the city to transport the captured supplies back to Jiaohe and Gaochang for storage.

On the fifth day of the ninth month, the vanguard of Tuoba Sigong's troops crossed the Dunhong River (Kaidu River), circled around to the rear of Yanqi, and the next day, the main force advanced to the city of Yanqi.

Wei Li, a vassal state of Yanqi, surrendered.

This kingdom was established by the people of the former Cheshi Kingdom who were relocated during the Han Dynasty, and was originally directly controlled by the Han army. Later, as the Han Dynasty's power gradually declined, this kingdom slowly broke free from control and became dependent on Yanqi.

Seeing that the king of Yanqi was about to be defeated, he sent an envoy to surrender. He offered to provide provisions and soldiers to aid the Central Plains army and to reward the heavenly soldiers with gold and silver, on the condition that they not commit mass killings.

Zhao Wei dared not act on his own initiative, so he sent a messenger to report.

Yang Qin was near Yinshan Spring at the time. After hearing the report, he pondered for a long time and finally agreed, and sent someone to inform the three armies.

The soldiers, who had been marching from May to September, were somewhat restless, but the unrest was suppressed.

Tang Xiang, the deputy commander of the Silver Spear Central Camp, was somewhat dissatisfied and muttered, "I've heard that the Northern Route Army is burning, killing, and looting with great gusto. Why is the Commander-in-Chief stopping the brothers from having fun?"

Yang Qin was speechless and could only say, "Can we not force everyone to rebel? Transporting grain over thousands of miles is no easy task. It's a good thing that Yanqi is willing to provide grain and troops. But if we really besiege this city, how long will it take? This country has tens of thousands of people. If they really fight to the death and defend the city, just a few thousand men can kill or wound more than ten thousand of my comrades. Is it right to throw away the lives of our comrades for a moment's pleasure?"

Tang Xiang was speechless.

He had also heard that the capital of Yanqi, Yuanqu City, was backed by a great river, bordered the "Great Sea" (Bosten Lake) to the east, and was surrounded by mountains. The city was well-fortified, and the country had 6,000 elite soldiers and substantial reserves, making it difficult to take easily.

It's not that we can't take it, but if tens of millions of people die or are wounded under the city walls, it's really not worth it. Now, being able to turn enemies into friends, turning these so-called six thousand "victorious soldiers" into our own troops, and having Yanqi Kingdom provide food and manpower nearby, is indeed a good choice.

Even if things don't go well in the next battle, they'll still have a place to spend the winter, right?
However, I was still not entirely satisfied.

"The entire army went to Yanqi and rested for five days." Yang Qin added, "Then we will head west and go straight to Kucha. Kucha is the strongest country in the Western Regions with many vassals. I'm afraid they are unwilling to surrender. I will make sure the men have a good rest then."

"Commander-in-Chief, how far is Kucha from Yanqi?" Tang Xiang asked.

“Seven hundred and thirty li,” Yang Qin said, glancing at him.

Tang Xiang opened his mouth wide and couldn't close it for a long time.

More than 700 li would be beyond the borders of a prefecture in the Central Plains, but in the Western Regions it is only the distance between the two kingdoms of Yanqi and Kucha.

"How many people are there in the Kingdom of Kucha?" he asked again.

“The Wei and Jin dynasties recorded a large number of households from the Han dynasty, which numbered over 80,000 at that time, but now they should number no less than 100,000,” Yang Qin said. “The thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions during the Han dynasty have annexed each other, and now very few remain. If one male from each household in the Kingdom of Kucha is enough to form an army of 20,000, then if its king were to call upon his allies and recruit other Western Region barbarians, his military strength would likely be comparable to ours.”

After thinking for a moment, Tang Xiang suddenly smiled and said, "I reckon Kucha won't be difficult to conquer."

"Why?" Yang Qin asked curiously.

"Yanqi has only 30,000 to 40,000 households and a mere 6,000 soldiers. Knowing they are no match for us, they are willing to defend their city, which makes it difficult for us to attack," Tang Xiang said. "However, Kucha is so powerful that the surrounding countries are far inferior. They are probably too arrogant to back down and might even engage in open battle with the royal army. Wouldn't this be a good opportunity to defeat them?"

"You've made progress," Yang Qin praised. "We'll see then. If we can do field battles, that would be excellent."

On the evening of September 13th, the army arrived at the city of Yanqi.

On the 14th, the large banner bearing the character "Liang" was already flying over the city wall of Yuanqu.

The King of Yanqi nearly emptied the national treasury to reward the army of the Great Liang, and then provided a large amount of grain and livestock to the entire army.

As they watched the cattle and sheep being slaughtered, the eyes of the Yanqi ruler and his ministers twitched.

These people can eat so much!
Yang Qin was very satisfied with the hospitality shown to him by the powerful clans of Yanqi, such as the Long clan and the Yuan clan, and was full of praise for the country's wealth. He thought that in the future, the Protectorate of the Western Regions could be moved here to govern the country more conveniently.

Of course, Kucha is also a good choice and could serve as the location of the Protectorate General. It all depends on the Emperor's choice.

Anyway, Shanshan is a bit desolate, with few registered residents, and it's quite remote, so it's no longer suitable for the current situation.

We should make concessions when necessary. The Great Liang Dynasty was not like the Cao Wei, which only controlled half of the country, or the Sima Jin, which lacked ambition.

(End of this chapter)