Three Kingdoms, I'm really not a general!

Chapter 662 Zhuge Liang is not idle either
While Jiang Wei was conquering the sea, Zhuge Liang in Chang'an naturally could not sit idle.

At this moment, a pungent smell of gunpowder permeated the backyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion in Chang'an.

Zhuge Liang stood in front of a stone wall blackened by black smoke, gently waving a feather fan, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

There were several broken pottery jars scattered on the ground in front of him, and the surrounding land was charred.

"Prime Minister, this is the seventh test."

Next to them, a young man was holding a bamboo slip with various ratios densely recorded on it, and he seemed to be assisting Zhuge Liang.

"According to the improved recipe, saltpeter is 75%, sulfur is 15%, and charcoal is 10%. This time the explosion was the loudest."

Zhuge Liang squatted down, picked up some black powder with his fingers, rubbed it on his fingertips, turned around and asked: "Prince, do you know what this means?"

It turned out that this young man was the current Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty, Liu Chan.

Liu Chan shook his head.

Zhuge Liang said: "It means...since the Yellow Emperor's battle against Chiyou, the way of war may change as a result."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chan nodded ignorantly.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and Ma Dai hurriedly stepped into the backyard. He was stunned for a moment when he saw the mess on the ground, then he clasped his fists and said, "Prime Minister, General Ma Chao sent a message from Wuwei saying that the army has been prepared and we can march westward."

Zhuge Liang stood up and looked towards the west, where there were continuous mountains and beyond the mountains was the vast Western Regions.

"Send the order and gather all the generals to discuss the matter." Zhuge Liang said suddenly, with unprecedented decisiveness in his voice.

Three days later, all the Han generals gathered in the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Young generals such as Ma Dai, Guan Ping and Zhang Bao stood on both sides. Zhuge Liang stood in front of a huge sheepskin map with his feather fan pointing in the direction of Longxi.

"Everyone, news has come from Wuwei that troops, horses, and food supplies have been prepared. I want to march to the Western Regions."

Zhuge Liang's words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake.

Guan Ping was the first to stand up: "Good! General Shi Nian never forgot to rebuild the Protectorate."

"Today is finally the time!"

Zhuge Liang nodded in appreciation.

Indeed, Xing Daorong was also obsessed with the affairs of the Western Regions Protectorate.

Today is finally the time!

He then slowly unfolded another map, which showed the locations of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions.

But he said: "Since Emperor Xiaowu established the Western Regions Protectorate, this place has been the barrier of China. Now that the world has been settled, it is time to go to the Western Regions again."

As he said this, he motioned to the servant beside him, who brought up a wooden box, opened it, and took out a clay jar.

"More importantly, we have this." Zhuge Liang's eyes sparkled with wisdom, "I call it 'gunpowder'."

The generals looked at each other, confused.

Zhuge Liang ordered his men to place a clay pot on the open space outside the tent, and then quickly retreat after lighting it.

There was a loud bang, the pottery jar exploded, gravel flew everywhere, and a shallow pit was blown out on the ground.

The generals were shocked. Ma Dai even drew his sword and asked, "What kind of sorcery is this?"

Guan Ping seemed to know something, and asked, "Is this the blasting method that the Prime Minister has been researching recently?"

"It's not a sorcery, it's God's help to the Han Dynasty." Zhuge Liang said solemnly, "This thing can break the city wall and shock the enemy. If it is combined with our army's formation, it will be invincible."

Jiang Wei's eyes lit up with excitement: "Prime Minister, do you want to use the power of gunpowder to conquer the western countries and rebuild the Western Regions Protectorate?"

Zhuge Liang nodded: "That's right. Now that the world is unified, we should restore the Western Regions Protectorate."

Ma Dai frowned and said, "But the Western Regions are far away, the journey is difficult, and the transportation of food and grass is even more difficult." "The Western Regions have good horses and fertile land. If we can gain local support, we can replenish our army with food and grass." Zhuge Liang turned to the generals and said, "This matter will benefit future generations. What do you think?"

The tent fell into silence, and finally Guan Ping knelt on one knee: "Ping is willing to be the vanguard and clear the way for the Prime Minister!"

Zhang Bao was not willing to be outdone, and he clasped his fists and said, "I heard that Jiang Wei has already expanded his territory in the East China Sea. How can we fall behind him? We are willing to be the vanguard and expand our territory!"

Zhuge Liang nodded with satisfaction: "Okay! From now on, the entire army will prepare for the Western Expedition."

"Guan Ping and Zhang Bao are the vanguards, heading to Wuwei to join General Ma Chao."

After the meeting, Zhuge Liang sat alone in his tent and unfolded a scroll of bamboo slips, which recorded the glorious history of the Western Regions Protectorate of the Western Han Dynasty.

He whispered to himself, "Ban Chao, the Marquis of Dingyuan, conquered the Western Regions with only 36 men. Now I have the advantage of gunpowder and tens of thousands of elite soldiers. How can I let the ancients surpass me?"

...

The Western Regions have been separated from the central government since the Wang Mang Rebellion. It has been nearly two hundred years now, and each country is independent of the central government. How could they easily surrender?
However, when Ma Chao led the Han army to attack, their memories returned.

The first to be hit...is naturally the nearest Kingdom of Kucha.

The Kingdom of Kucha, also known as Qiuci, Qiuzi, and Qiuzi, was one of the great countries in the ancient Western Regions of China. During the Han Dynasty, it was one of the countries in the northern route of the Western Regions.

In terms of race, it has completely deviated from the Central Plains race and belongs to the Indo-European race.

After the arrival of the Uighurs, both the ethnicity and language gradually became Uighurized.

The Kingdom of Qiuci was centered on the Kuche Oasis. At its peak, its jurisdiction covered the area equivalent to the six counties and cities of Luntai, Kuche, Shaya, Baicheng, Aksu, and Xinhe in Xinjiang today.

The wind and snow in the Qilian Mountains are as sharp as knives.

Ma Chao reined in his horse and stopped on a ridge. A thin layer of snow had already covered his silver armor.

He took off his iron mask, and the white breath he exhaled quickly dissipated in the cold wind.

Behind him, 20,000 Han troops were like a black dragon, winding among the snow-capped mountains.

"General, the scouts ahead report that we will be out of the mountains in another thirty miles." Guan Ping rode his horse forward. His young face was red from the cold, but he could not hide the sharpness in his eyes.

The scarlet cloak on his shoulders fluttered in the wind like a flame that refused to go out.

Ma Chao nodded slightly and looked over the mountains to the west.

"The ruler of Kucha cut off my trade route and killed my envoys. This time, I will make him pay with blood."

It turned out that before Ma Chao went to the Western Regions, he adopted the strategy of courtesy before force.

However, the Kingdom of Kucha had not had any contact with the Han Dynasty for two hundred years and had long forgotten the Han Dynasty.

"Uncle Ma, don't worry!" Zhang Bao rushed over from behind, carrying a snake spear, and said in a loud voice, "My snake spear hasn't tasted the blood of the barbarians for a long time, so it's a good time to use them to have some fun!"

Ma Chao's mouth curled up slightly. These two young men, one calm as the abyss, the other fierce as fire, reminded him of himself and the general in the past.

He shook off the snow on his cloak and said in a deep voice, "Order the entire army to speed up and make sure to cross the canyon before sunset."

The wind and snow are getting stronger.

The soldiers trudged through the snow, one step deep and one step shallow, and the sound of armor clashing against each other was endless.

Ma Chao's mount, the blue horse from Xiliang, snorted nervously, as if it smelled danger.

Suddenly, a strange vibration came from the ridge ahead.

"Avalanche!" Guan Ping shouted harshly.

In an instant, a thunderous roar rolled down from the top of the mountain, and huge white waves poured down like a tidal wave.

(End of this chapter)