The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 263 How can I allow others to snore beside my bed!

The westward expeditionary army's entry into the three garrisons of Anding, Quxian, and Aduan proceeded with unbelievable ease.

With the help of the Yugur people, they rebuilt the garrison and stockpiled food.

The large-scale land reclamation project can only begin once new immigrants arrive; for now, it's merely a matter of organizing and planning the locations of military farms.

Xiong Zhen stayed in Guazhou as the commander-in-chief.

You can't lie flat.

The westward expeditionary force arrived suddenly, so the Kashgar Khanate could not so easily give up the territory it had taken.

Looking at the map of the Seven Guards of Guanzhong from over a hundred years ago, Deputy Commander Xiong drew a line with his finger:

"Besides the garrisons, the beacon towers are of paramount importance and must be built first! We need to form an early warning ring among the seven garrisons to ensure timely reinforcements!"

His personal guard (his eldest nephew) wore a bitter expression:
“Uncle, can’t we wait until the refugees arrive before conscripting laborers? Right now, besides breaking mud bricks to repair houses, our brothers also have to be ready to fight the cavalry of the Kashgar Khanate head-on.”

Enraged, Deputy Commander Xiong kicked his personal guard (his nephew).
"Before the Marquis had those refugees help us farm, you guys had to go to the fields to weed every day in addition to training! The soldiers I, your uncle, lead must be able to ride a horse and cut off the enemy's head, and on foot they can be farmers, bricklayers, and carpenters!"

What do you know, you brat? Your family may not need your money, but most of them are different! Being injured or disabled is worse than dying and receiving compensation. Let them learn a trade now, so they'll have more skills to earn a living in the future!

The bodyguard (my eldest nephew) rubbed his kicked backside with a grin:
"Hehehe, Uncle! Ang isn't interested in any skills that make a living! Could you send your nephew to the Vanguard Battalion?"

"Ha! With your fancy skills, you think you can join the vanguard? Don't just think about getting rich by following General Gan and his ilk. Those jobs are earned with human lives! Besides, what would your mother and sister think if they knew you were risking your life for money?"

"Ouch! He's definitely in for a beating!"

"That's right! Your mother and aunt will be coming to join the army in three months to two months at the latest! You better stay in the camp obediently, or I'll break your legs if you dare to cause trouble!"

"Don't cause trouble, don't cause trouble! I was just a little envious of those vanguard brothers who went to Hami City! They all say that Hami City is the royal city, and there's even a prince from the Kashgar Khanate living there. There are countless good things that can be looted!"

Xiong Zhen gazed in the direction of Hami City, filled with anticipation.

With General Gan in command, we're sure to win!

What he didn't know was that in Huozhou, 800 miles west of Hami City, a force of 40,000 archers and cavalry was also heading towards Hami City.

But let's go back to a few days ago.

Upon receiving the letter from the chieftain of Huozhou, who informed him that the Han army would exchange King Zhongshun and a group of nobles for an exorbitant ransom, the chieftain immediately issued a military order to send troops to Hami City.

He could make a decision on this matter without even waiting for a reply from the ruler of the capital, Shache.

Huozhou naturally participated in the massive holy war launched by the Khanate last year.

A total of 10,000 troops have been deployed!

As a result, the Nth generation of archer cavalry, which had taken the entire Huozhou region several years of painstaking effort to cultivate, suffered a 90% loss at Jinzhou Pass.

Although the losses were eventually recovered from the Tatar Tumed tribe during the withdrawal.

This also made the overall national strength of the Kashgar Khanate even stronger than before.

The king himself was very satisfied with the result.

Most nobles and the fiefdom chiefs who contributed men, horses, or grain were also able to accept it.

For Beggar of Fire State (the chieftain) himself, the gold, silver, sheep, and horses bestowed by the king could not compensate for the loss of the nearly ten thousand archer cavalry.

How could he train so many elite soldiers in such a short time?
Moreover, the king's decree after the war was that, unless a large number of troops were lost within the territory of Bei, he would never again easily send troops to the Central Plains.

When will they be able to avenge the heavy losses suffered by Huozhou?

As the westernmost territory of the Kashgar Khanate, the "Fire Province" is named for its mountainous terrain and the fiery red rocks found in the mountains. Historically, it was once known as the Gaochang Kingdom.

Gaochang Kingdom was densely populated and had limited land, so besides animal husbandry, grape cultivation was the most prosperous industry.

From local lords and monasteries to government officials and ordinary people, everyone owned vineyards of varying sizes.

Gaochang has many varieties of grapes, and they are very sweet.

The country's winemaking skills are second to none among the countries of the Western Regions.

Later, they were sold to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, by merchants from the Hu region, and the owners of the estates with large vineyards made a fortune.

Besides wine, Gaochang Kingdom also had a unique plant called Bai Die Zi.

Locals often use its cotton fibers to weave clothing, and the fabric is very soft and white.

When the white cotton plant spread to the Hexi Corridor, it was called cotton by the Han people.

This place, which produced excellent wine and cotton, was annexed by the Kashgar Khanate in the late Yuan Dynasty.

The Kashgar Khanate later stationed 50,000 troops in this area, constantly eyeing the Central Plains.

And sure enough, they got the perfect opportunity.

When the Kashgar Khanate realized that the Bei Kingdom was declining in strength, it ordered the Harahu Prefecture to send troops to attack the Seven Guards of Guanzhong.

They'll nibble away at something today, and then nibble away at something more tomorrow.

After more than ten years of fighting with the border troops of Bei, Bei completely abandoned the Seven Guards of Guanzhong and retreated back to Heping Pass.

The territory that has been conquered is not so easy to manage.

For more than two hundred years, dozens of ethnic minorities living in the seven guards of Kansai fought large and small battles year after year for oases and water sources.

The State of Bei had no control over its lost homeland.

The ruler of the Kashgar Khanate, apart from granting Hami City to his own younger brother as his royal fief, did nothing but plunder, oppress, and enslave other ethnic groups.

The basic national policy is to let these people fend for themselves.

As the chaos continued, Han Chinese engaged in agrarian life and commerce migrated to the interior of the pass.

The nomadic peoples, who were better adapted to the desert environment, stayed.

Besides the locals, there were also merchants from the Central Asian countries who traveled along the Silk Road and would stop and resupply in places like Guazhou, Hami, and Handongwei in the Seven Guards of Guanzhong every year.

When the powerful leader of Huozhou received the letter from Hami City, how could he not be furious?

Based on his understanding of the current king's style of doing things, the loss of King Chungshun and the nobles was far more humiliating than the fact that the Seven Guards of Guanzhong were recaptured by the Bei army.

Moreover, if the Bei army were allowed to station troops in the Seven Guards of Guanzhong, it would also be a threat to the security of the Kashgar Khanate.

What is an old saying among the Han people?

How can you allow others to snore on the side of the bed?

The intelligence sent back to Huozhou indicated that the enemy had mobilized 5,000 men!

With an army of 40,000, I refuse to believe we can't recapture Hami City.

The king had a dozen or twenty brothers.

It's time to give Hami City a new, loyal king!
(End of this chapter)