Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 472 Why are they still robbing?

Zhangye.

The pastures of Damaying Grassland were first established by General Huo Qubing and were quite large. During the Han Dynasty, they were royal pastures.

After the Northern Wei dynasty occupied the Hexi Corridor, it further expanded the scale of its pastures. During the reign of Emperor Tuoba Tao, over a period of more than ten years, two million horses, one million camels, and countless cattle and sheep were raised there.

In fact, because the Northern Wei Dynasty had always suppressed the Rouran and subjugated the Tiele tribes, livestock, furs and other goods were always inexpensive.

During the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons, Liangzhou was also affected, and the livestock raised by the Northern Wei there suffered severe losses due to looting from various sources.

This situation continued until Li Shuang entered Guanzhong, destroyed Houmo Chenyue, and sent a large army into Liangzhou, took over the Damaying Grassland, and re-established the Royal Ranch.

Today, the Damaying Grassland Ranch houses 30,000 warhorses and hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep, making it the most important military logistics base in the entire Hexi Corridor.

Yang Kan rode his warhorse across the grasslands, inspecting the condition of the livestock that would soon be used for the expedition.

Over the years, the Damaying Grassland Pasture has been coveted by surrounding grassland tribes. After all, in less than ten years, the livestock here has accumulated to a considerable size.

It could even be said that if any surrounding tribe obtained the resources accumulated in this ranch, it could enable its tribe to achieve a qualitative leap forward.

However, this ranch is not the idyllic grassland scene one might imagine. It has a strict management system and a complete storage system. Furthermore, the surrounding strategic locations have been fortified with strong fortifications, forming a tight defense system.

Back then, after Anagui retreated to Juyanze, he once tried to invade Zhangye and obtain its resources.

However, after several attempts, Anagui had no choice but to give up and lead his remaining troops on a westward expedition to occupy the Western Regions.

After completing his inspection, Yang Kan returned to his tent.

Inside the tent, more than a dozen military generals, including Daxi Wu, Liang Yu, and Li Yuan, were already waiting, as were vassal generals such as Hedoulingbufan, Qibi Mozang, and Wanqipu.

"General!"

As soon as Yang Kan stepped into the tent, the generals bowed to him.

A smile appeared on Yang Kan's face. In those calls of "General," he heard a yearning for military merit.

Not long ago, Li Shuang led his army south and captured Jiankang. The soldiers who followed Li Shuang south were also rewarded.

However, among these soldiers, apart from those of Li Shuang's own troops, most were soldiers from Hebei and Henan, plus troops from the Jianghuai region whom they had subdued during their southward march. This immense achievement was entirely unacceptable to the Longyou soldiers.

All the generals were holding their breath.

"how?"

Yang Kan asked a question, and Da Xi Wu stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting:
"This humble general has already ascertained that there are 6,000 herding households around Juyan Lake, with more than 100,000 cattle and sheep. Anagui has been conquering the 30,000 Gaoche tribes along the way and has set up his royal court in Wusun Mountain. Recently, it seems that he intends to move these 6,000 Rouran tribes back to the northern desert."

Upon hearing this, everyone became anxious.

"General, we must not let them escape, otherwise, they will become a great threat."

Yang Kan nodded, understanding the generals' feelings.

However, capturing these Rouran people does not depend on the strength of the army, but on the fact that Juyanze is 800 li away from here. It would be very difficult to wipe them out without alerting the Rouran people.

"When the best warriors and swift horses are selected, they will launch a surprise attack from a thousand miles away!"

Yang Kan looked at the generals in the tent, a smile appearing on his face, and asked sharply:

"Who dares to take the blame!"

……

When Yaren learned that Kualü had completely changed its previous diplomatic strategy, placing the Tuyuhun Khan under the Heavenly Khan, and had accepted the military conscription, he led the country's elite troops across Biandukou to Zhangye to await orders.

Tuyuhun Yaren crossed the Qilian Mountains and traversed the snow-capped peaks, arriving at Zhangye County.

Tuyuhun Yaren's expertise lies in diplomacy, but as a member of the Tuyuhun royal family, commanding troops is also essential.

Including him, the Tuyuhun soldiers under his command were all feeling unwell after the long journey.

However, after arriving, Tuyuhun Yaren went to see Yang Kan as soon as possible. Along the way, he was shocked by the scene before him.

Livestock mingled and filled the fields.

The warhorses galloped like dragons across the grassland, startling the endless herds of cattle, sheep, and camels.

Seeing this scene, Tuyuhun Yaren finally understood the meaning of the eternal lament in the Han Dynasty folk songs.

If I lose the Qilian Mountains, my livestock will not thrive; if I lose the Yanzhi Mountains, my women will lose their beauty!
Ya Ren felt an impulse in his heart. Although he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if he could take over this place from Tuyuhun!

At that time, Tuyuhun will surely prosper, standing shoulder to shoulder with Rouran and Hephthalites, and even vying for supremacy with the Khan of that day.

Ya Ren, suppressing his emotions, arrived at Yang Kan's tent and heard a commotion inside.

"Old Liang, Old Li, listen to me, you can't handle this."

“What do you mean we can’t control it? We all follow the King. Why should you, Daxi Wu, always get to have all the good things first?”

"How can that be the same! Where were you when I was with the King? Old Liang, you were still feeding horses, and Old Li, you were probably hiding in some ditch somewhere."

"I'll feed the horses. You're much better than me, kid. You're just a supply soldier."

"The supply troops are no better than you, a mere groom!"

The argument inside the tent grew increasingly heated, and it looked like a fight was about to break out. Tuyuhun Yaren didn't know whether he should go in at this moment.

In the end, Tuyuhun Yaren went inside.

No one paid him any attention. As soon as they entered the main tent, Tuyuhun Yaren stood next to a man who looked like a lion and asked:
"What are you doing?"

"They're arguing about who should lead the expedition to Juyanze!"

Tuyuhun Yaren looked to the side and saw that the ones arguing were the generals under the Qin Prince's Mansion and the Tian Ce Mansion, while those who were not arguing were the vassal generals.

Tuyuhun Yaren's attire was completely out of place with the disheveled generals of the vassal state.

"Then why don't you fight for it?"

The lion-like man scoffed:
"With me, Qibi, not hiding here, who dares to compete with me!"

"..."

It turns out it was decided beforehand!

Gradually, Tuyuhun Yaren also pieced together the gist of the argument from the crowd.

But the more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong.

A thousand-mile raid, to swiftly capture six thousand Rouran tribes?
If we are not careful, the Rouran will react and take precautions, and we could easily be wiped out!
What's the difference between this and sending someone to their death?!
Why are they all scrambling to go?

Ya Ren thought for a moment, considering they were newcomers and needed to make a good impression. He gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and said:

"General, we will also send out three hundred cavalry."

Qibi immediately bristled and objected:
“The Tuyuhun army is weak. What difference is there between you going there and sending yourselves to your deaths? With your weak and frail appearance, you should be studying and becoming an official. You can’t handle this matter.”

……

After some debate, Ya Ren still didn't get the chance to "send himself to his death".

Once outside the tent, Ya Ren's earlier agitation vanished.

Your ruler is a tiger and wolf, your generals are tiger and wolf generals, and your soldiers are tiger and wolf soldiers!

How unfortunate, yet how fortunate, Tuyuhun!
……

(End of this chapter)