Chinese New Year

Chapter 1444 Anxi
After the messenger reporting the victory arrived near Chang'an, the method of rapid dispatch was adopted.

Wherever they went, drums and gongs were played, and good news kept coming.

It was mid-December, and the people of Chang'an were preparing for the New Year. With nothing else to do, they came out to watch after hearing the news.

Upon hearing of the great victory in the Western Regions, with the states of Yanqi, Kucha, Shule, and Khotan either surrendering or being conquered, they immediately cheered loudly, regardless of whether it was related to them or not.

In the eyes of the literati, although the current emperor had many untimely actions, he ultimately enhanced the prestige of the country, won over distant peoples, and restored the Western Regions system that had gradually collapsed since the Later Han Dynasty. This was called restoring order and turning the tide, which greatly boosted morale and spirits.

As a result of this move, the literati's approval rating of the Liang Dynasty increased significantly, and the things that were previously unbearable no longer seemed so irritating.

From this day forward, all dynasties must emulate this move. Whoever does not control the Western Regions is unworthy of claiming legitimacy.

From the perspective of warriors, countless people changed their circumstances and destiny through this campaign.

While it's enviable to achieve instant success, taking steady steps and accumulating experience gradually is also a viable path to advancement.

The Western Regions are not so easily pacified. Even if they are pacified this time, it is not impossible that other countries will intervene in the future, and the surrendered regions will rebel again.

This was their chance as military men: to fight on the frontier and earn merit through battle, then return to the Central Plains to become officials, secure titles and privileges for their wives and children, and enjoy wealth and honor. It was a very clear path forward.

For merchants, it seemed that they saw a prospect of great prosperity in trade.

To be honest, there used to be too many powerful forces in the Western Regions. Those city lords and kings didn't have much credibility, and it was common for them to change their orders frequently. There were even instances where they would send their own troops to disguise themselves as bandits and intercept and kill merchants. Even so, there were still waves of people willing to take the risk to do this business, which shows how huge the profits were.

Now that the emperor has pacified the Western Regions, with unified government authority, and has swept away all kinds of demons and monsters, the business environment will be much better.

If the oasis were managed better, with more water conservancy projects and increased grain production, and if sizable inns were established at key locations to provide food and lodging for traveling merchants, that would be even better.

In short, they were very excited and looking forward to it.

For ordinary people, well, why think so much? Just be happy! The Emperor works so hard, governing the country so well, managing countless affairs every day, probably without even a moment to rest...

Yes, Shao Xun is at Lishan.

The news arrived late at night. He yawned, read it, and then set it aside, saying smugly, "As expected, the younger generation is enough to defeat the enemy."

Two shapely bodies lay on either side of the warm blankets.

The person on the left is Duan. At first, he had his back to him, but Shao Xunqiang pulled him to face him.

On the right is Kezhuhun, who is almost glued to him and is very proactive.

"This is the first time I've heard of the Kuaihu," Shao Xun said. "However, they were no match for the Tuqi Commander of Youzhou. The Duan tribe of Xianbei has rendered a great service."

Duan's face was turned to the side, so her expression wasn't clear. However, she didn't leave Shao Xun's chest, and seemed to be enjoying the feeling.

"Your Majesty, the Murong Xianbei also have strong soldiers and cavalry, why not use them?" But Zhu Hun stroked Shao Xun's chest, subtly brushed Duan's hand away, and then hugged Shao Xun.

Duan moved slightly and looked at Kezhuhun.

But Zhu Hun glanced at her and continued, "The Western Regions have just been pacified, and soldiers are needed to defend them. Your Majesty can recruit strong men from Pingzhou and give them a chance to make a name for themselves."

"Oh? They're willing to travel thousands of miles over there?" Shao Xun said. "Once they get there, they'll be required to cultivate the land. I originally planned to recruit able-bodied men with certain skills from the Central Plains to go to the Western Regions, where they can both cultivate the land and fight."

"Your Majesty's mercy is appreciated, but many members of the Zhu Hun clan are still in Tuhe. They all say that herding livestock for a lifetime is not a promising career, and it would be more worthwhile to earn military merit," said Zhu Hun.

As she spoke, she writhed and rubbed against Shao Xun's body like a snake, then moved to a more comfortable position and brought her head close to Shao Xun's neck.

Duan didn't want to see Kezhu Hun acting so provocatively anymore.

Her feelings toward this woman were complicated. On the one hand, she was dissatisfied with her initiative, as if she had completely forgotten about her son. On the other hand, there were some other factors that were hard to explain, and the latter was becoming more and more important.

"I've heard that the Kezhuhun clan once offered many warriors to Murong Jun, and quite a few of them hold official positions in the Crown Prince's residence. Are they reliable?" Shao Xun asked.

"Murong Jun is young and inexperienced; how can he compare to Your Majesty, who has won countless battles? Every warrior of the grasslands eagerly awaits to serve Your Majesty." But Zhu Hun paused, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Even I, back then, was forced to marry Murong Jun and merely feigned compliance. Only after meeting Your Majesty did I realize what true heroes of the world are like—"

As she spoke, a pale, white thigh gently rubbed against Shao Xun's lower abdomen, and she said softly, "I wish I could be favored by His Majesty every night, I would do it willingly."

Duan couldn't hold back any longer and glared fiercely at Kezhuhun.

Shao Xun gently patted her shoulder and said, "Mi'e, you are pregnant, so don't move around. You should lie on your back."

After saying that, he leaned close to her ear and said in a very low voice, "I trust the Duan family more than the Murong family. The biggest gain from fighting the Murong Xianbei is you. You must take good care of yourself. The Duan family's warriors fought for me and their fame shook the Western Regions. They are all watching you."

Duan was silent for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm," and lay back, gently placing her hand on her lower abdomen. Confidence, that's all.

No matter how promiscuous Zhu Hunshi was, she hadn't laid a single egg yet, while Zhu Hunshi was already pregnant for the second time. The outcome was already decided.

When Zhu Hun heard the word "fetus," her expression changed, and she seemed to lose her spirit.

Shao Xun gently patted her firm, bouncy buttocks with his right hand and said, "I have been thinking about the matter of military settlements in the Western Regions for a long time. We need to recruit warriors from the Central Plains, but we also need strong men from the border regions. In those places, the distance between two cities is often hundreds of miles. Without horses, we don't know how to fight. When we encountered the enemy in Yanqi, the army set off from Kucha. It was more than 800 miles of desert. By the time the infantry arrived, the battle might already be over. But since the Zhu Hun clan is interested in border affairs, I approve it. We can select some strong, skilled horsemen who are willing to fight, preferably those who can be armored cavalry."

But Zhu Hun gave a sullen reply, and then asked, "Your Majesty, where did they go to the Western Regions and stay?"

"Ask them if they're willing to go first." Shao Xun's hand unconsciously kneaded and patted his large buttocks, creating ripples.

"The children of the grasslands migrate constantly; where they graze their livestock doesn't matter." But Zhu Hunshi sensed the man's movements, and her mood gradually improved. She then said, "The Xianbei tribes of Hexi and Longyou were all formed after they migrated there during the Wei and Jin dynasties and conquered the local people. As long as they are given pasture and land, they are willing to go. Besides, they are all my servants, even I—"

She paused here, leaving the reader to speculate.

Shao Xun seemed oblivious and simply said, "It's good that they can go. But let me make this clear: once they arrive, they can't all live together in one place. They will be registered as commoners and governed by military garrisons or protectorates. When they disperse, they will be civilians; when they gather, they will be soldiers. In addition to farming and herding, they will need to train. As for where they will go, I intend to establish the Kucha Garrison in the southwest of the Kucha Kingdom (the garrison is located in present-day Aksu). They can go there."

Zhu Hunshi didn't know where Wensu Town was, but it didn't matter. He was going to the Western Regions anyway, so what difference did it make which country he was in? It was just herding livestock anyway.

However, she still casually asked, "How many towns does Your Majesty intend to establish?"

Shao Xun shook his head slightly and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. Things might take a turn for the worse."

In his vision, these military towns would cultivate their own land to solve part of their food supply problem, while the host country would provide the rest.

When war breaks out, the garrison troops are the main force, and troops, livestock, provisions and weapons from vassal states are conscripted to fight.

Because of the unique geographical environment of the Western Regions, the garrison troops stationed in the area needed to have a sufficient number of horses to facilitate long-distance mobility; otherwise, they would be unable to even catch up with the latest developments. These horses could be their own or obtained from vassal states, but they had to have them.

Taking the military governor of the four towns of Anxi during the Tang Dynasty as an example, he had a total of 24,000 soldiers and more than 2,100 warhorses in his account book. He managed the vast southern frontier. The military governor of Beiting managed the northern frontier, with 20,000 soldiers and more than 5,000 warhorses.

If war really breaks out, do the four garrisons of Anxi only have these two thousand-odd warhorses available? And the other twenty thousand-plus men are left to do nothing? Obviously not.

In fact, apart from those who stayed behind, every elite soldier going on the expedition had to be able to ride a horse and be used to long-distance maneuvers. Even the sons of military families in the four garrisons had to be able to ride horses.

In the Battle of Talas, Gao Xianzhi mobilized over 10,000 Tang soldiers, along with approximately 20,000 able-bodied men who had settled in the fields (generally known as local militia, i.e., trained militia), plus 40,000 cavalrymen from the Karluks and other Hu people, for a total of 70,000 troops. The army advanced at an extremely fast pace, clearly all of them on horseback.

In the Western Regions, horseback riding was an essential skill and a necessity for soldiers.

Returning to the topic of land reclamation, this was also imperative.

The soldiers of Tang Dynasty's Kucha Town cultivated 100,000 mu of land, while Yanqi and Shule also cultivated tens of thousands of mu. The Khotan Town, which controlled the deepest part of the region, cultivated land extensively in the Niya Oasis, which greatly solved the problem of the source of military food. With the tribute from the vassal states, it was almost enough.

As for rewards, they were usually sent from the Central Plains in the form of silk, which was relatively easy to transport. In addition, merchants could also share in the profits from trade routes—the latter actually far exceeded the former.

The garrison soldiers included both Han and non-Han people. Because the population was insufficient, it was necessary to use a large number of surrendered non-Han people and register them as ordinary citizens. This was the most important point. Those who were not registered as ordinary citizens were the five Xiongnu tribes in Bingzhou since the Cao Wei and Sima Jin dynasties.

Of course, the Tang court was also trying to find ways to relocate people from the Central Plains, using a variety of methods. In addition to exiled criminals and their families, there were also disaster victims from the Central Plains. That is, if your hometown suffered a disaster, the court would relocate you to the Western Regions, giving you a choice between starving to death and relocation.

It sounds inhumane, and it is inhumane at all, but if we don't do it, who among ordinary people, apart from those muscle men who want to gain military merit, would be willing to go to the Western Regions?

In Shao Xun's initial plan, he also intended to establish a military town and station troops there to cultivate the land.

However, this matter still faces many difficulties.

It wasn't due to national strength. When Li Shimin established the Four Garrisons of Anxi, the Tang Dynasty's population was still smaller than that of the Great Liang Dynasty at that time. Even considering the difference in productivity, they were at most on par.

The real difficulty lies in the fact that these countries have been "free" for nearly two hundred years, and the control over them during the Han Dynasty was not so comprehensive or in-depth. In other words, if you try to put a bridle on a wild horse that has become accustomed to freedom, there is a high chance of resistance.

Therefore, he planned to test the waters by setting up a town called Kucha first.

This country has just been defeated and is still in fear, making it a good candidate for a pilot program.

After figuring it out, Shao Xun sighed inwardly, perhaps his descendants would have to carry on the work...

"Go to sleep!" He decisively stopped his wild thoughts, hugged the two women on either side, closed his eyes, and didn't want to think any further.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; just do what you can. Thinking too much will shorten your lifespan.

(End of this chapter)