The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 250 Ambition
Throughout history, the best way to cover up internal economic and social contradictions has been through external wars.

There is no reason why, for hundreds of years, the Hu people and Tatars have been committing all sorts of atrocities, such as burning, killing, and looting, on the territory of the Bei state.

Meanwhile, the border troops of Bei State could only passively defend and be attacked!
not to mention.

It’s not like I can’t beat him!

The cattle, horses, and sheep on the summer pastures have already started to grow taller, and as long as you stay in the lush pastures, you're sure to have a harvest.

The sentries memorized the locations of the major ranches on the sand table, and even knew several escape routes after robbing the livestock.

The border troops finally understood why those nomadic tribes were so fond of raiding.

This kind of risk-free business can be really addictive once you get a taste of success!

Captain Gan, however, was not satisfied with such a small-scale operation. She emphasized:
"Currently, our military households still rely too heavily on livestock and game from the grasslands for food. It takes several months to raise baby rabbits on a large scale, and there aren't enough pastures in the villages to raise a surplus of cattle and sheep. So, let's give those half-grown livestock on the grasslands some time to grow."

Returning to the interior, the various prefectures and even the provincial administration are all connected to powerful families and other influential forces. If we were to intervene in the struggle, it would inevitably trigger a series of upheavals, which clearly contradicts our original intention of safeguarding the nation's borders.

However, the Seven Guards of Guanzhong were originally the territory of our Bei State. The western expedition against the Hu was merely to reclaim the homeland that rightfully belonged to us! We brought our own military rations and did not harm the interests of the court or any other power.

The importance of the Seven Guards of Kansai to the Silk Road trade goes without saying. What I want to emphasize is that taking over this land would have another enormous benefit: it could be used to resettle at least 700,000 refugees who had fled to the Northwest.

The generals were a little confused when they heard this.

Weren't they going to rob grain from the Hu people's territory?
How come this is related to refugees again!
"Why do you think the Kashgar Khanate annexed our dynasty's Seven Guards of Guanzhong in just a few decades?"

When Captain Gan asked them the question, the generals racked their brains.

After a while.

General A: "This is related to the imperial court's policy of using barbarians to control barbarians at that time. The Seven Guards of Guanzhong only appointed local people as officials and did not send officials from outside the region!"

General B: "It's also because Emperor Taizu of Bei did not station border troops in the Seven Guards of Guanzhong back then, and all the defenses of the Seven Guards were handled by the locals!"

General Bing: "The taxes collected by merchants from the Western Regions through the Seven Guards of Guanzhong all fell into the hands of the local tribal leaders."

Captain Gan: "What kind of tribes were the locals in the Seven Guards of Guanzhong before they were annexed by the Kashgar Khanate?"

General Ding: "There are Sari Uyghurs, Tibetans, Tatars, Hui, Uyghurs, and Harahui, etc."

Captain Gan: "So, how could a territory conquered by Han people, where no Han people live or work, no army is stationed, and the court doesn't even pay a penny in taxes, be under the jurisdiction of a Han court?"

The generals: "."

Captain Gan continued:

"At Jinzhou Pass, we dealt with the Kashgar Khanate's horse archers; they were nothing but puppets brainwashed by holy war. Our muskets and thunderclaps had a much better chance of winning against their bows and swords!"
After that, we can station troops in Kansai! For those refugees who are willing to immigrate there, the garrison can allocate dozens of acres of land to each household! We can also open a market near the garrison to trade with the locals.

Tea, porcelain, and silk were needed by these tribes and even by various countries in the Western Regions.

Meanwhile, rice, flour, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and livestock produced in the Western Regions could be continuously transported back to the prefectures and counties in the Northwest.

As long as the Han immigrants become the main population in the area, the local tribes will hear Mandarin, see people wearing Han clothing, and be able to enjoy new and exciting meals at the restaurants and teahouses run by Han people when they go to the market.

Think about it, if thirty to fifty years pass like this, won't the descendants of the local tribes also speak fluent Mandarin? And won't their lifestyles gradually become Sinicized? "A foreign tribe that has been Sinicized will naturally willingly accept the rule of the Han Chinese court!"
The generals shouted at the top of their lungs, "Immigration! We must immigrate! Open the Jinzhou Pass and let people cross the river!"

Imagine if displaced refugees heard that there was a place without war, where they could get land for free and live in peace and prosperity, wouldn't they scramble to go there?
With these 700,000 Han Chinese, the Seven Guards of Guanzhong might be able to expand their territory further in time.

Gan Minglan ignited a good fire.

It almost burned Zhao Muyun and Xiong Zhen's brains to a crisp.

How could a general who could influence hundreds of thousands of border troops not have some ambition?

Xiong Zhen privately advised him quietly:

"My lord, even those displaced people's leaders dare to call themselves kings. What are we afraid of with our 100,000 border troops? Let those powerful and wealthy people fight to the death in Shangdu! At worst, we'll just be self-sufficient kings of the Northwest!"

Zhao Muyun secretly pondered to himself: "The title of Marquis of Ningyang is indeed not as prestigious as the title of King of the Northwest!"
That night!

The candlelight in the general's camp burned all night.

More than fifty generals attended the meeting.

Even Gan Mingfu and Zuo Wenkang brought their unfinished micro-scale model of the Northwest border, which allowed them to secure a place at the meeting.

When it was fully light.

This group of people not only showed no signs of fatigue from staying up all night, but their cheeks were all rosy, as if they had drunk a bowl of ginseng tonic soup.

Their future prospects are truly limitless!

That morning.

The defense of the five border guards has been greatly adjusted.

Several centurions, either brave and skilled in battle or exceptionally intelligent, were promoted to commanders of a thousand.

Dozens of squad leaders were promoted to centurions.

Captain Gan, the medical team leader who made outstanding contributions, was officially promoted to a fifth-rank guerrilla general, commanding a 5,000-strong border army battalion as the vanguard.

Afterwards, dozens of riders sped towards Huaiqing Prefecture, Jinzhou Pass, Yulin Guard, and Pianguan at the fastest speed possible.
The territory of the Seven Guards of Guanzhong was not small, and General Zhao, who had some ambitions for the title of "King of the Northwest," naturally wanted to unite all forces that could be united.

The established policy for the western expedition against the Hu was "to sustain war through war" (in other words, to plunder).

The key to a successful march is speed.

Military rations consisted mainly of various types of dried meat that could be carried.

Several Tatar tribes in the southern desert made a final contribution to this war.

All the tribes in the border city are preparing for the western expedition against the Hu.

Upon receiving General Zhao's invitation, Jinzhou Pass and Yulin Garrison immediately responded positively.

The garrison commander of Jinzhou Pass: The grudge of the Kashgar Khanate massacring Heping Pass and attacking Jinzhou Pass has finally been avenged!
General Zheng of Yulin Garrison: Wherever Brother says to attack (rob), we will attack (rob). Our Yulin Garrison is Brother's gun!
General Tang of Pianguan: Second brother, you're a step too late. What are your orders, elder brother? Are 30,000 troops enough for us?
(End of this chapter)