The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 116 The Wind Rises at Peace Pass

In this calm and tranquil state...

After nearly two months, the exiled group passed through Lintao Prefecture and arrived at Jinzhou Pass.

Jinzhou Pass and Jinzhou, the capital of Lintao Prefecture, face each other across the Zhuo River.

Jinzhou Pass was originally built during the Western Han Dynasty and has been rebuilt by successive dynasties, transforming it into a complex, well-defended, and magnificent fortress.

The East and West Passes, together with the Middle Pass, are known as the Three Passes of Jinzhou.

The streets within the Three Passes City are crisscrossed.

Government offices, barracks, shops, temples, academies, and residences are distributed in an orderly manner.

The streets are lined with shops, a diverse mix of businesses!

The sounds of hawking and selling filled the air, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Merchants from the Western Regions set up stalls along the street, vying to sell various local specialties they brought from the Western Regions to passersby.

At every strategically important location, beacon towers and fortresses were built.

Having just arrived from the capital of Lintao Prefecture, the group was immediately captivated by the prosperity of Sanguan City.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is what the capital cities of the East and West are like!"

The postmaster of Jinzhou Pass Post Station proudly introduced the post to the assembled officials:
"Our Jinzhou Pass is the first pass through which countries from the Western Regions enter Longxi, and it has always been known as the throat of the Northwest."

Leaving the West Gate City, one can traverse the entire Western Regions. Defending the Zhuohe River ferry crossing at the East Gate City will ensure the safety of Lintao Prefecture, and even the entire Guanzhong Plain.

After the founding of the country, Emperor Taizu built a pontoon bridge with twenty-four large ships on the Zhuohe River for the people to cross.

Merchants from various Western Regions entered the Central Plains through Heping Pass, and a large portion of them completed their transactions near the three passes of Jinzhou before returning home.

Only a small number of foreign merchants crossed the river at Dongcheng Pass and then ventured deep into the interior of Guanzhong and Longxi, eventually reaching Xijing City.

Therefore, our Jincheng Three Passes were not only an important military stronghold but also a border trade market. Many merchants from the Western Regions came here, as did many merchants from Guanzhong who came to purchase goods.”

The postmaster, a native of Jinzhou, was well-versed in the customs and had received officials and merchants from the Western Regions for many years. He introduced Jinzhou Pass with confidence and thoroughness.

All the officials listened with great interest.

Various people praised the convenient transportation and prosperity of Jinzhou Pass.

They also took the opportunity to inquire with the post station and found out the truth.

Jinzhou Pass is a crossroads, connecting the west bank of the Yellow River to the west and the Hetao region to the north.

The border town is located 800 li northeast of Jinzhou Pass.

At their current pace, they should reach the finish line in at most twenty days!
Having ascertained the exact location of the border town, the escorting officials were extremely excited:
"This is truly wonderful news! We've been away from Daming Prefecture for over half a year, and this is the first time we've known so clearly how far we are from our destination!"

"Boss, we still have more than a month until our arrival date, so we're not in a hurry to cover these 800 li! Why don't we stop at Jinzhou Pass for a few days to rest and then make our way to the border town in one go?"

The leader, surnamed Huang, snorted heavily through his nose a few times, laughing and cursing:
"I know you all too well; you're all obsessed with money. You've just fallen for the goods sold by those Hu merchants!"

"Hehe! Boss, the remaining public funds are really not enough for the return trip! Bringing back some specialties from the Western Regions to Daming Prefecture and making a little profit can help offset some of the cost."

"Let's not rush into buying. Let's first wander around the market and find out which products are the best-selling in Xijing City, and then we can just pick up the goods and leave on the way back."

"."

Ninety-nine percent of the escorting officials were thinking about making money.

Because they were relatively close to their destination, the two leaders had been in a more relaxed state of mind lately.

After discussing it, the two decided to give everyone a three-day holiday, allowing them to enjoy exploring Jinzhou Pass.

Jinzhou Post Station, a large post station on the Silk Road leading to the Western Regions, was located in Xiguan City, on the grain and military route from Hedong to Hexi.

In addition to the postmaster, the post station was equipped with 75 horses and 45 horsemen (professionals responsible for the management and transportation of horses at the post station).

This was the third largest inn they had stayed at on their journey.

The garrison at Jinzhou Pass was right next to the post station.
a month ago.

The Kashgar Khanate, the strongest enemy of the Bei Kingdom in the Western Regions, is preparing for a holy war after a merchant brought back important news about internal strife in Bei. Prior to this...

The Kashgar Khanate had already annexed the Seven Guards of Guanzhong decades ago.

After losing control of the Hexi Corridor, the State of Bei could only retreat to Heping Pass, the westernmost starting point of the Han Great Wall.

This directly contributed to the growing strength of the Kashgar Khanate in the Hexi Corridor.

Most of the Uyghurs in the former territory of the Seven Guards of Guanzhong were forced to abandon Buddhism, assimilate into the Kashgar Khanate, and convert to Islam.

Those ethnic groups, such as the Uyghurs and Yugurs, who were unwilling to convert, chose to migrate eastward to the territory of the Bei Kingdom near Heping Pass.

However, the ambitious Kashgar Khanate never gave up its covetousness for the Central Plains of the Bei Kingdom.

The successive annexation of the seven Guanzhong garrisons also gave them the confidence to raid the border.

This time, the peasant uprising within the State of Bei was undoubtedly a golden opportunity for the Kashgar Khanate!

Within ten days.

Their Khan, in the name of the overlord of all regions of the Western Regions, conscripted 80,000 cavalrymen and marched straight towards Heping Pass with their baggage train.
The afternoon sun was unusually intense that day.

The guards at Heping Pass will conduct routine patrols.

He had only been looking out from the city wall for a quarter of an hour when he saw a dense swarm of Kashgar Khanate cavalry suddenly appear on the Gobi Desert.

From the moment they were discovered to the moment they approached the territory of Bei, only a short time had passed.

These Islamized Kashgar Khanate cavalry units were primarily composed of horse archers.

Their equipment included bows and arrows, spears, matchlock guns, sabers, and other weapons.

The guard at Heping Pass suddenly felt his hands and feet go numb.

A formidable rival is at hand!

He quickly ordered the beacon tower at Heping Pass to be lit and sounded the horn to signal an enemy attack.

Peace Pass immediately entered a state of combat readiness.

But the Uyghurs and Yugurs who moved to the vicinity of the border of Bei and lived outside the Peace Pass were not so lucky.

There was no time to run when facing the well-armored and well-equipped cavalry of the Kashgar Khanate.

These cavalrymen directly burned down civilian houses.

In addition, they also ranchage pastures and looted property.

Unarmed civilians were either killed outright or used as targets for torture.

Before long, 80,000 enemy troops arrived at the Heping Pass.

Peace Pass is not a simple pass.

It consists of an inner city, an outer city, a walled city, a barbican, a moat, and the Great Wall on the north and south wings, with a total length of about 60 kilometers.

The three lines of defense overlapped and formed a defensive posture.

Every five li there is a beacon tower, every ten li there is a watchtower, every thirty li there is a fort, and every hundred li there is a city.

For more than 270 years since the founding of the State of Bei, the Peace Pass has never been breached.

It is known as the most formidable pass under heaven.

At this moment, the commander guarding Heping Pass immediately ordered his troops to open fire directly on the Kashgar Khanate cavalry.

"Rumble"

"Rumble"

The cavalrymen were instantly blown apart, their horses and men thrown to the ground, covered in blood.

The cannons at Heping Pass roared.

(End of this chapter)