Chinese New Year

Chapter 1468 Digging and Digging

Just as Shao Xun began writing his second letter, the first letter had already been sent to Gaochang.

King Shao Xu of Zhao, under the escort of a large entourage, was returning to Yiwu County via the Tianshan Pass.

This route is located in the eastern section of Tianshan (now Barkol Mountain or Barku Mountain), more than 100 li southwest of Yiwu, and is the main passage from Yiwu to the back of the mountain.

Before entering the mountains, Shao Xu had just inspected the towns of Jinman and Pulei behind the mountains, and had hunted and trained troops with the princes and nobles of the Later Cheshi Kingdom.

The attitude of the Later Cheshi Kingdom was generally quite good. They were well aware that after the establishment of Jinman Town and Pulei Town, the eastern border of the country would no longer have much to do with them, so they proactively withdrew, trying their best to preserve the remaining less than 10,000 people. In any case, the eastern border was mostly inhabited by descendants of Wusun and Yuezhi, who were originally vassal states and not very obedient, so losing it now wasn't too much of a pity.

Shao Xu stayed behind the mountain for three months, personally inspecting the various reclamation areas, and during the off-season, he organized able-bodied men for half a month of military training.

To be honest, he really liked the land behind the mountain. Although the summer sun was scorching, it was very pleasant to hide in the shade. But in Gaochang, such a place didn't exist. Even hiding under a tree or sitting under a grape trellis was still hot; you had to hide in a cellar.

Furthermore, there seems to be more rain behind the mountains, and correspondingly, there are more rivers, lakes, and swamps, especially in the area near the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains. It seems that the presence of the high mountains has "snatched" rainwater from the two prefectures of Gaochang and Yiwu, making this area more humid. Of course, this is only relatively humid in the Western Regions and cannot be compared with the Central Plains.

After passing the highest point of the passage, Shao Xu found a place with lush vegetation, stopped to rest for a while, and took the opportunity to read the letters he had just received.

Some of them were transferred back from Kucha and Yanqi.

The Gaochang Kingdom dispatched an official to each of the two locations to maintain constant contact. Naturally, they would also record their observations and experiences locally, compiling them and sending them back periodically.

Most of the texts were about local customs and traditions, which Shao Xu already knew quite well. He didn't pay much attention while reading them, only learning that a group of nobles from the former Kangju region had arrived in Kucha, saying they were going to Luoyang to meet the emperor.

This did pique his interest somewhat.

Compared to most officials in the Luoyang court, Shao Xu, who was fluent in Sogdian, had access to more firsthand information, rather than distorted information dictated and translated by others.

He knew very well that Kangju was finished; it was now a fragmented, self-governing city-state.

With the Kushan forces almost completely withdrawing, the Persians faced the predicament of fighting on multiple fronts. They wanted to expand, but could not commit a large number of troops, manpower, and resources to one direction. Therefore, they could only exert influence through vassal rule, but this was not reliable at all.

The Kuaihu had not yet fully risen to power, but they had great ambitions. Unfortunately, they were severely lacking in population and military strength and could not swallow up the vast territory of Kangju. So, like the Persians, they could only maintain the superficial independence of the Kangju city-states while secretly exerting influence.

However, their methods differed from those of the Persians; more accurately, they were a bit more blatant and lacked finesse.

For example, they levied a tax called "annuity" on multiple city-states, promising to protect their safety and paying them an additional sum if they needed to wage war.

As for intermarriage, they did it even more often than the Persians. They didn't seem to care much about it, and felt that it was more beneficial for them to seize advantages if the nobles of the city-states gave birth to heirs with Huihu blood.

The cities of Kangju were not really willing to be exploited by the Persians and the Kuaihu, but they had no choice because no major power outside the region supported them, until the arrival of the Yumie delegation.

Thinking of this, Shao Xu sighed softly.

These princes and nobles of Kangju were no pushovers either; their eastward journey was driven by complex motives. One possibility was that they genuinely wanted the Liang Dynasty's assistance, given their two victories over the Kuaihu, news of which had likely already reached the west. Another possibility was that they wanted to use the Liang Dynasty as leverage, hoping to prevent the Persians and Kuaihu from pushing them too hard.

Nobody's a fool; it's all a calculation.

Unfortunately, Gaochang's strength is still not enough. The national middle school has not been sorted out yet, so it is impossible for them to extend their reach outside.

Perhaps the task his father gave him was right: to defend against the invasions of nomadic tribes in the Jinshan area, and at least to hold the Tianshan defense line, preventing the two prefectures of Gaochang and Yiwu from being drawn into the war.

This is actually not an easy job...

After putting away the letter, he glanced at the people and convoys winding along the mountain road.

Such a large opening, yet not even a military city has been built.

At the very least, a military city, a dozen or so beacon towers, and a thousand or so garrison troops are still necessary; otherwise, they'll be able to enter the country as if it were their own territory.

Unfortunately, we have neither food nor manpower.

******
On August 20th, Shao Xu arrived in Yiwu County.

The main reason why the Gaochang Kingdom was unable to build fortresses in the mountains was that almost all of its manpower and resources were poured into the three counties of Yiwu, Rouyuan, and Anmin, which are lined up in a row.

Rouyuan County is located in the far east and currently has a population of about four thousand. Among them, more than two thousand eight hundred are soldiers of the Wuji Colonel's Battalion, natives of Cheshi, and powerful families of Jiangdong. Later, two hundred families of captives from Wusun, Dayuezhi, and Xiongnu were incorporated into the county—transferred by the Luoyan Army, which had already returned to the capital.

Shao Xu also sent 500 guards from the royal palace to this area.

Each family consists of only one person, all of whom are bachelors. Since the beginning of this year, seventy or eighty people have gotten married, mostly to women of Hu ethnicity or the families of soldiers from the Wuji School.

The county has a population of approximately 4,200. Yiwu County is located in the middle, 240 li east of Rouyuan and 140 li west of Anmin.

This county has a large population, with more than 2,500 people including Cheshi people, ancient Shanshan people (Loulan people), Wusun people, Xiongnu people, and even Gaoche people (captives). In addition, there are more than 2,300 soldiers from the Wuji Colonel's camp and wealthy families from Jiangdong. This year, another 1,000 royal guards have arrived, totaling more than 1,700 men, women, and children. Therefore, the county actually has more than 6,500 people.

Anmin County had 2,400 people from Cheshi, Loulan, Wusun, and Xiongnu, 3,800 soldiers from the Wuji Colonel's camp and powerful families from Jiangdong, plus 500 families and 700 people from the newly arrived royal guards, for a total of 7,000 people in the county.

Therefore, Yiwu County actually had more than 17,000 people, at least half of whom were either newly migrated or registered captives.

Due to the lack of irrigation facilities, the three counties are completely unable to meet their own food needs, and the shortage is much greater than that of Gaochang County. They are now relying entirely on the food left behind by the western expeditionary army to survive. They are seizing the time to dig wells and canals and level farmland, and dare not relax for a moment.

When Shao Xu arrived at Yiwu County—which had no city walls—it was nearly evening, but people could be seen working hard everywhere along the riverbanks and near the springs outside the city.

"How magnificent!" Upon seeing this scene, he exclaimed, "Even if we level an extra acre of land or dig an extra zhang of irrigation canal before the spring plowing in the first month of the lunar calendar, it would be good. I, too, will go to the fields and share the joys and sorrows with the officials and the people."

Having said that, he took off his long robe, changed into a set of coarse linen clothes, and prepared to get out of bed.

The officials looked at each other, sighed inwardly, and ordered their attendants to fetch tools so they could all go down to the field.

Shao Xu descended a ladder to the depths below ground. When he was just one step away from the top, a soldier who had come down earlier reached out and helped him down.

After standing on solid ground, Shao Xu looked around and said with great emotion, "The people of Gaochang live off the extensive network of wells and canals. The Wuji Commandant was digging them during the Han Dynasty, generation after generation, without interruption, until today. How magnificent! Enough talk, let's get to work."

After the officers and soldiers came down one after another, seeing that King Zhao was taking the lead, they had nothing more to say and began to work hard in the newly opened underground river channel.

The underground river is built according to the terrain, getting deeper and farther away from the surface as you go further. At intervals, a wellhead is built to lead to the surface.

The vineyards, vegetable plots, wheat fields, and even some pastures are irrigated by underground river water.

It can be said that this is the lifeline of the people of Yiwu County and even the entire Gaochang Kingdom.

Shao Xu worked there until midnight, and slept directly in the well that night. He worked for most of the next day until his accompanying officers and soldiers repeatedly persuaded him to come up to the surface.

"It's not that I want you to suffer." After climbing up the ladder, Shao Xu dusted himself off and said, "By setting an example today, the people will be more eager to dig wells and canals to draw snowmelt from the mountains to irrigate the fields. If we suffer more, our descendants will suffer less, so it's worth it. Besides, my father has never missed a year of spring planting and autumn harvest. If he could persevere, how can I, young and strong, have the face to be lazy?"

"Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler of ancient times." Whether sincere or not, everyone praised him.

“We will set off for Anmin County tomorrow. You must also work in the fields to set an example. Do not refuse,” Shao Xu said.

Just then, a messenger arrived in haste, presenting an official letter.

Shao Xu first washed his hands, then took the official letter and found that it was written by Yang Qin, the Grand Protector of the Western Regions.

After carefully examining the stamp, he opened the package to read it, then frowned and never opened it again.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh and said to those around him, "Yu Yuandu has returned to Dayuan."

"How did it come to this?" Lieutenant Xue Tao asked in surprise.

"Yu Yuandu traveled west along the river—well, in Sogdian it should mean 'pearl,' pronounced 'poisoned'—passing through more than ten towns, where he was entertained at every turn. When he reached Suxie City, the new capital of Kangju (present-day Shahrisabz, south of Samarkand), he was attacked and killed by madmen at night," Shao Xu said. "Yu Yuandu asked the King of Kangju to search for the murderers, but the King of Kangju was unable to help, or said that he himself was in danger. Several days later, someone set fire to the inn. The minor ruler of Suxie City, Duke Kang, did not want to harm Yu Yuandu, but only sent troops to escort him away."

After hearing this, everyone frowned; the whole thing seemed incredibly strange.

Since that "Duke Kang" was a feudal lord in the Su Xie City area, he must have been familiar with the inside story, but he was unwilling to get involved and only wanted to settle things peacefully, which obviously meant there was a big problem.

People aren't fools. After spending a long time in officialdom, they pieced together the facts and roughly understood: someone didn't want to see the Liang Dynasty extend its reach.

"Have you all figured it out?" Shao Xu asked, looking at everyone.

Xue Tao asked, "Your Majesty, what does this matter have to do with us? What is Governor Yang's intention?"

"He was worried that someone might try to interfere here, so he asked Gaochang to send 2,000 troops south to Shule to contact the King of Dayuan to receive the delegation," Shao Xu said.

Xue Tao was speechless.

The mighty Protector-General of the Western Regions still needs to borrow troops from Gaochang to bolster his prestige... Could there really be a great power in the west?
Shao Xu ignored him and went to find a place to start writing a letter.

After finishing writing, he immediately sent it to Luoyang. He then led his men and rushed westward back to Gaochang overnight without stopping.

(End of this chapter)