Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 288 Hexi, Datong

Xi'an Prefecture, returned to its homeland, the traitors, their entire families brought to justice.

In this way, one can exit the mountain pass between Roulang Mountain and Shaniuling, enter the Dangxiang land directly, and head west to the Hexi Corridor.

Just keep riding fast. Although there are still cities of the Tanguts to the northeast, they are no big deal and need not be a concern.

Heading straight northwest, the road winds through salt flats, Gobi Desert, barren, and dried-up riverbeds...

More than a thousand years ago, Huo Qubing passed through here, Ban Chao passed through here, and countless Han soldiers went from here to guard the frontier...

Hundreds of years ago, the valiant soldiers of the Tang Dynasty marched from here all the way to the Western Regions, even crossing the Pamir Mountains and reaching as far as Central Asia.

Today, Su Wu reappeared here, leading 15,000 cavalry and more than 40,000 horses.

Wrap your face in a cloth, even covering your eyes, so you don't need to see anything clearly. The road is wide and the view is far, but when the wind blows, sand and dust fill the air. If it gets into your eyes, even water to wash them becomes a luxury...

The so-called four prefectures of Hexi are bordered by the Qilian Mountains to the south, the Mongolian Plateau to the north, and the Helan Mountains at the entrance. This narrow passage is the main transportation route from the Central Plains to the Western Regions.

The four prefectures of Hexi are nodes on this road. They are nodes because they have water and grass, making them habitable, like oases in the desert.

At this moment, Su Wu's first stop is Wuwei in ancient times, Liangzhou in modern times, which will be renamed Wuwei in the future.

They rode off at full speed, but there was hardly anyone on the road. If it weren't for the war, although there were no residents on this road, there would still be a few caravans coming and going. But now, caravans no longer came to Xingqing Prefecture, so it was truly deserted.

We're covering six or seven hundred li; just keep walking fast.

However, in the capital, in front of the Emperor's Genyue Pavilion, several ministers were discussing their comings and goings.

The Emperor also asked, "How come the recent battle reports indicate that Minister Su has gone to besiege the city of Xi'an? The imperial edict should have arrived at the army long ago, so why is Minister Su..."

The emperor still didn't say anything harsh, but he was clearly very unhappy.

After saying this, he naturally looked to Tong Guan for advice on military matters, and thus asked Tong Guan first.

Tong Guan also looked embarrassed and awkward. He looked at the emperor and the people around him, and forced himself to answer: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Ziqing's intention... is probably to first conquer Hexi, so as to cut off the escape route of the Dangxiang people, and thus stabilize the country once and for all!"

Tong Guan understood, and even understood more and more. He gradually figured out Su Wu's strategy, but the people and things in front of him were really difficult to deal with.

The emperor asked only one question: "In that case, how much longer will it take?"

"So...maybe..." Tong Guan couldn't really answer. If he really put himself in Su Wu's shoes, he really didn't know how long it would take to follow this plan.

But Tong Guan still said, "If things go quickly, the cauldron will be established in a month; if it goes slowly, then it will take three to five... two or three months!"

The emperor's brows were deeply furrowed, but he remained silent.

Wang Fu was already cursing inwardly: "If this continues, we might really run out of food supplies!"

To be honest, and to be realistic, Wang Fu was truly at a loss. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. That's just how the Song Dynasty was—it had neither money nor grain.

When it comes to taxation, the truly wealthy and powerful families don't actually pay much tax, yet they control vast amounts of the means of production.

Local powerful families also have their own ways of reducing their own taxes.

Those who truly need to pay taxes are ordinary, well-off families with a little bit of property. But if taxes are levied excessively, these families will immediately become destitute...

What consequences would this lead to? It goes without saying. The numerous uprisings during the Song Dynasty were no joke…

How could Wang Fu not know that many things have their limits? Although Guanzhong is not poor now, it is not much richer than the prefectures of the Central Plains. In fact, Guanzhong is actually narrow, and the actual production area is not large.

Currently, the funds and provisions for the hundreds of thousands of troops actually come mostly from Hebei and Henan. Henan may seem wealthy, but it is already struggling to support Bianjing, a city with a population of one million. The imperial court is even resorting to land grabbing, or rather, it is the emperor himself who is grabbing land...

The number of displaced people around Henan is increasing, banditry is rampant in Henan recently, and even in Bianjing (Kaifeng), public security is deteriorating...

The emperor simply didn't know.

Then there's Hebei, which is the place with the most serious land annexation. Who can blame them if Hebei is close to Beijing?
Take, for example, the family of Han Qi, who served as prime minister during the reign of Emperor Renzong. Han Qi rose and fell several times. When he rose, he was prime minister and vice prime minister. When he fell, he returned to his hometown and became the prefect of Xiangzhou. Now, all the good land around Xiangzhou is in the hands of the Han family.

Now, bandits are also breaking out in Hebei, and they are everywhere. Although none of them have become powerful, Wang Fu is still overwhelmed with their problems...

He also had to support hundreds of thousands of troops fighting in the Northwest. Wang Fu was inevitably a patch-up artist, and he was already finding it difficult to keep up the pace.

He had to frequently complain to the emperor, telling him that there was no money or food, so that when there really was no money or food to transport supplies, he would be less guilty.

When Wang Fu complained, the emperor was displeased. Although he knew Wang Fu was genuinely suffering, it was a disgrace that a prime minister, instead of solving the emperor's problems, was always complaining to him.

How could the emperor be truly happy?

Cai Jing then said, “Your Majesty, it is true that the grain supply is difficult to meet. As a retired prime minister, I am well aware of the difficulties in managing the finances. With hundreds of thousands of troops at the front, we can probably only hold out for about twenty days at most. After twenty days, I am afraid that we will really be unable to continue. I think Scholar Su is not unaware of this, so why is he still dragging his feet like this? It is truly puzzling!”

Why not mention the Jiangnan region? Where in Jiangnan is it not in trouble these days? Having just experienced the ravages of war, when we ask the local officials for grain, they give us a multitude of reasons, each one frightening.

How could Wang Fu not be afraid? If another rebellion broke out in Jiangnan, Wang Fu would be in deep trouble again.

Confusing...

The emperor was also puzzled and asked again, "Why can't we just go straight into Xingqing Prefecture? Even if hundreds of thousands of troops reach Xingqing Prefecture and besiege it from all sides, how can Xingqing Prefecture be defended?"

Cai Jing only replied, "I really don't understand, I really don't understand! Perhaps this old minister doesn't know much about military affairs, while Scholar Su is certainly skilled in military affairs and has his own plans!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guan frowned repeatedly, knowing that Grand Tutor Cai was starting to make his move. These words were even more powerful than direct attacks, and the emperor would surely take them to heart.

The emperor was indeed getting impatient. He stood up, paced back and forth a few times, and said, "Does Su Wu know what it would be like if the food supplies ran out and hundreds of thousands of troops mutinied?"

With hundreds of thousands of troops, Tong Guan sighed, vaguely remembering the tragic end of the five-pronged attack on Xia...

The emperor was truly enraged: "I gave him an army of 300,000—the actual number 300,000—so that he could sweep away the enemy and achieve a swift victory. Why are you still so slow to advance? Once you've captured Xingqing Prefecture, why worry about not being able to return to Hexi? What is there in Hexi? Besides the yellow sand and the long road, what else is there?"

The emperor's words were not untrue. At this time, the four prefectures of Hexi were truly lacking in everything, and even the water, grass, and sandbars were shrinking.

In the past, that place had a flourishing culture, but that was mainly before the Tang Dynasty. Now, it is nothing more than a key node on the road.

Why was Su Wu so persistent in pursuing this place in Hexi?

No one answered. Tong Guan did not answer either, because he had no answer and was afraid of incurring bad luck.

Cai Jing and the others did not answer because they knew the emperor's temperament. At this moment, the matter was just waiting to ferment in the emperor's mind.

Let the emperor think for himself and speak for himself...

That is true wisdom.

How could the emperor not continue, "Su Wu, Su Wu, even if I were to follow the example of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong and personally lead the expedition, hundreds of thousands of troops would already have Xingqing Prefecture completely surrounded! The ruler of Western Xia has already surrendered!"

The crowd remained silent, which meant they knew the emperor was already angry; they just had to watch.

Su Qing has long since become Su Wu!

The Emperor paced back and forth, then said, "Send fast horses, fast horses to chase after him, chase him all the way to Hexi, bring Su Wu back, and make him march on Xingqing Prefecture immediately! Tell him that no matter what he thinks or what plans he has, I will not listen to his pleas. I only want Xingqing Prefecture!"

Wang Fu felt relieved and quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I will take care of it right away!"

The emperor added, "I would also like to warn him that if he does not obey the imperial edict, I will have to replace him in the midst of battle!"

The Emperor was clearly furious, but he still maintained his composure.

Why would the emperor be so angry?
Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) has never truly been disobedient, from his days as a leisurely prince to the present day.
When he was a prince, he was a renowned scholar in Tokyo, and everyone who met him praised him.
At that time, with whom did he associate? The likes of Grand Scholar Su and Junior Scholar Su!
After he ascended the throne, everyone around him did everything they could to please him.
Today, Su Wu came, who should be an extremely loyal and obedient person. How did he suddenly change?
Have they become so unruly and incompetent that they actually dare to defy imperial orders?

How could the emperor not be furious? He couldn't help but wonder if Su Wu was also arrogant because of the emperor's favor. He had only heard of this term before, but he never expected to actually meet such a person.

Was it because I treated him too well in the past? Is that why he's become increasingly rude?
This emotion is somewhat like the anger and frustration that comes after a breakup, and it also includes a sense of defeat.

There was also a feeling that the emperor's authority had been seriously challenged.

Moreover, he was a military leader with hundreds of thousands of troops under his command.

Wang Fu went to prepare the imperial edict early in the morning. The emperor's temper remained unchanged. He waited for the edict to arrive, read it in person, personally stamped it, and signed it in his own handwriting, urging it to be issued.

Thus, the meeting was adjourned. The emperor went to stroll around Genyue, hoping to calm his anger. After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned around and left.

Liang Shicheng, who was standing nearby, asked, "Why doesn't Your Majesty stroll around more? It would make you feel more at ease!"

"Hmph, for no apparent reason, seeing this Genyue reminds me of Su Wu, which only makes me more depressed!" the Emperor replied.

Liang Shicheng immediately said, "How about we go for a walk? It's been a long time since we last visited Master Li at Fanlou... I'm sure Master Li misses Your Majesty very much!" "Yes, let's go out!" The Emperor nodded, his pace quickening unconsciously. Dealing with state affairs was not his forte, and he loathed dealing with troublesome and worrisome state affairs even more.

The emperor had already left the imperial city and gone to Fanlou.

In the windy and sandy lands of Hexi, Su Wu had already arrived outside Liangzhou City.

The city of Liangzhou was already in a state of disrepair, with its earthen walls bearing many gaps.

Why?

This was also due to the falling out between Western Xia and the Song Dynasty. If Western Xia and the Song Dynasty had not been at odds, this trade route would have been a golden goose.

After the falling out, the Song Dynasty imposed "economic sanctions" on the Western Xia for a long time, which meant not doing business with the Western Xia. Merchants on the Silk Road would go to the Western Xia and then into the wealthy Central Plains. How could the Western Xia not be in ruins after more than eighty years?

This directly led to the rise of the Maritime Silk Road, and the prosperity of Quanzhou and Guangzhou goes without saying.

Sometimes, the Western Xia is also incomprehensible, especially during the reign of Empress Dowager Liang, who was a true war maniac who constantly fought to the death with the Song Dynasty.

Looking back on that period of continuous warfare, Su Wu couldn't really understand its strategic purpose.

In other words, you always have to gain something from fighting a war, just like the Tanguts' decades-long deadly struggle against the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty had already adopted a fortified village strategy, which was basically a passive defensive strategy. The Western Xia, on the other hand, had begun to launch an active offensive. The places that the Western Xia could attack were border cities, which were actually sparsely populated areas. Even if they captured some cities, it would be a losing proposition.

If Su Wu's thinking were correct, if he were in charge of Western Xia, he would have already gone west to fight. The Uyghur lands in the west are also in disarray, with only the Lion King's territory having some strength.

If we just keep fighting our way to the Western Regions, it will be like sweeping away fallen leaves in autumn. Expanding territory will be a piece of cake. If we can really manage the Western Regions, wouldn't our strength increase greatly?
If we can befriend Song again, we'll make a fortune. If we don't, and we fight again, we might actually achieve a great victory.

Standing beneath the dilapidated city walls of Liangzhou, Su Wu was puzzled. Did Xu Xixia have some kind of insecurity?
Unknowable.

There's really no need to fight this city. There weren't many troops stationed here to begin with, and some were even drawn from the city a few days ago. Now, there are only seven or eight hundred people left in the city, most of whom are old and weak.

Within the city walls, the majority of the inhabitants were Han Chinese!
Su Wu looked up and saw an old man with white hair, wearing armor and holding a weapon, on the city wall. To some extent, Su Wu also felt a sense of melancholy...

There were also Tangut officials shouting and behaving arrogantly on the city walls, who were also extremely anxious and even terrified.

Go ahead and drink some water, or you'll die of thirst.

The water is right inside the city, and it's very sweet! There are actually rivers outside the city, but they've dried up this season.

how to spell?
It's simple: use powerful bows and crossbows to shoot, use grappling hooks to hook onto the dilapidated earthen wall, and climb up using ropes!

Once a few teams climb up, there will be no enemy in the city.

Arrows rained down, creating a brief defensive vacuum, allowing the first to scale the walls and climb up!

They were surrounded from several sides and climbed up, and they did just that.

Actually, you could try ramming the gate. The city gate is rotten and decayed, and it's unclear when it was built. Perhaps it's because the area is extremely dry, so it's rotten but not decayed, and it can't withstand many rammings.

After entering the city, they simply dragged all the Tangut people inside and killed them one by one. The old and weak, with their wrinkled and withered faces and pitiful, cloudy eyes, were really hard to kill...

Just teach them how to cook. There's not much food in the city. There are some camels, but they're old and frail. Kill them and eat them; they're like dry firewood.

Even a bowl of meat soup would be good. Fortunately, Su Wu had brought enough food. He could cook it up and share it with the elderly and weak.

These people still need to do some work, like repairing the city walls, and we need to keep two thousand people stationed here.

After finishing his meal, Su Wu did not linger and continued westward. He followed the example of Huo Qubing, prioritizing speed. He headed towards Ganzhou, which was Zhangye, aiming to arrive quickly before his men in Ganzhou received the news.

It's another 500 li, which is actually quite far, not short at all. The road is not difficult to travel, and it doesn't even need repair; it's easy to walk on. It's just that the environment is harsh.

The situation in Ganzhou was much better. The city was larger and had more residents, but the garrison inside the city consisted of only a few hundred old and weak people.

The cavalrymen swarmed in, kicking up dust, and the city gates were almost left unclosed.

Unexpectedly, enemy troops, specifically Song troops, appeared here.

Su Wu didn't stop for a moment and got to work. In addition to the rain of arrows and hooks, he even moved dead trees by the roadside to use as stepping stones. He used crossbows to shoot armor-piercing arrows into the earthen walls, which also served as "steps".

They kept firing incessantly, and kept climbing up.

The city walls have been opened again.

It was simpler than Su Wu had imagined. Su Wu knew this trip wouldn't be difficult, but he never expected it to be this simple.

Firstly, Su Wu was genuinely surprised by the extent of the devastation here; secondly, he was surprised by the small number of Tangut troops stationed here.

Looking back, it's not feasible to station a large army here, because the local production is not much, and all the food supplies rely on transportation. The expense of stationing troops here is self-evident, and there is no need to station troops here, as there is no threat from outside.

Kill people, eat them, and then run away quickly—speed is everything!

Go quickly and return quickly. Ganzhou doesn't need to station too many soldiers. Seven or eight hundred elite soldiers are enough. If the Dangxiang people come to attack, they will never reach Ganzhou unless they break through Liangzhou.

Su Wu once endured the ordeal, but he never truly felt the exhilaration of Huo Qubing's great victory over Hexi, or the possibility of capturing Xiongnu kings like Xiutu.

What if I lose my Qilian Mountains, causing my livestock to cease breeding? What if I lose my Yanzhi Mountains, causing my women to lose their beauty? No, nothing at all, only the journey continues.

I didn't see any women, nor any livestock.

Next, we went to Suzhou, which is also known as Jiuquan. It was another five or six hundred miles away. Suzhou was much more prosperous, but it was still only comparable to the two places before it. It had lost its significance as a trade route. It was just a lone boat in the desert. How many people would be willing to stay here?
Along the way, there are places like Guazhou and Shazhou, which are hundreds of miles away. Guazhou is a small city, and Shazhou is Dunhuang, which is more prosperous, but still limited.

But Su Wu knew that Shazhou was a place with countless ancient sites and remnants of a prosperous civilization. There were countless huge grottoes there, and the murals and statues in the grottoes were the treasures of this country and nation.

The grotto also contains countless books and records from various ethnic groups, including some written records from ethnic minorities that have been lost to history. These records remained intact for a thousand years, yet were sold to foreigners.

Having captured dozens of old men from Ganzhou and Suzhou to serve as guides, Su Wu continued westward.

Meanwhile, at this very moment, in Yan Yun!
Datong City finally fell. Yelü Dashi risked his life and devised many strategies. Many Liao soldiers broke out of the encirclement in various places. He himself suddenly led a cavalry unit in a frantic breakout, covering Emperor Yelü Yanxi as he rushed towards the grasslands.

The Jurchens fell for the trap and relentlessly pursued Yelü Dashi, allowing Yelü Yanxi to escape.

The Jurchens actually captured Yelü Dashi, and then sent men to frantically pursue the Liao emperor Yelü Yanxi.

This tug-of-war of pursuit and flight will last a long time. Yelü Yanxi will flee back into the mountains, and the Jurchens who pursued him will be temporarily helpless and will relax their guard. It's not just that Yelü Yanxi can hide and escape, but also that the army from the grasslands that came to the aid of the king has arrived from all directions.

This so-called Liao Kingdom can still survive for a while.

Yelü Dashi has surrendered!

He was even forced to lead the Jurchens in pursuit of Yelü Yanxi, and he actually put in a lot of effort. But as soon as the Jurchens began to trust him even slightly, he would seize the opportunity and run away without warning...

He will return to Yelü Yanxi's side once again, and will still be the only general Yelü Yanxi can rely on.

However, the two later parted ways. The reason was simple: after gathering 10,000 to 20,000 troops from various tribes on the grasslands, Yelü Yanxi was eager to fight and reclaim the lost country, forcing Yelü Dashi to take the initiative to attack the Jurchens.

Yelü Dashi naturally intended to lie low and wait for the right opportunity, but the emperor was unwilling, so how could the two not part ways?
Thus, Yelü Yanxi embarked on a path of self-destruction, and was eventually captured by the Jurchens and taken to Huanglong Prefecture to "enjoy his old age in peace."

Yelü Dashi left, beginning his truly legendary life, heading west to create the vast Western Liao Empire that spanned Central and West Asia!

Su Wu knew all this, but he was unaware that it was happening. At this very moment, he was already at the foot of Guazhou City, where the city was even more prosperous than before.

Inevitably, another relatively easy attack ensued. Su Wu even wondered if the Tanguts knew that he, Su Wu, had already entered Hexi.

Logically speaking, once Xi'an Prefecture fell, the Tanguts should have known that a force had gone west and should have prepared a response. Even Su Wu wondered if he would encounter the Tangut army when he turned back.

Regardless of all that, there's still one more place to go: Shazhou, which is Dunhuang. Once Dunhuang is captured, we'll have to turn back.

There was something Su Wu didn't know: someone in Yan Yun was also causing trouble.

This inevitably involves Tan Zhen and Guo the Pharmacist.

How to cause trouble?

Under Jurchen rule, some former Liao Han people wanted to go south and submit to the Song Dynasty. They secretly sent someone to Yanjing to deliver a letter to Tan Zhen, expressing their longing for their homeland and their desire to submit.

Tan Zhen made the decision himself, verbally reassuring the situation and expressing his agreement, while also preparing to send a letter to Tokyo...

We await the decision of the Emperor and the ministers to see whether or not this matter should be done!

(Brothers, a little less today... Sorry! It's the last day of the month, brothers, check your monthly tickets so they don't expire and go to waste.)
(End of this chapter)