The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 355 Coup
Shache City.

Hasbaren and King Chungshun, among others, caused quite a stir in the royal court during the days that they returned to the country before Surilege.

The strength of the Bei army was once again brought into view.

As the prince who had dealt with the Bei army the longest, Prince Zhongshun offered a very objective assessment of them:
"Last year's holy war caught the Bei army off guard, but in reality, the Han people had passes and natural barriers to defend all the way east along the Hexi Corridor."

They have an old saying: "To kill a thousand enemies, you lose eight hundred of your own!" Our Khan's holy warriors want to wipe out all the Guan army in the Northwest, but even if they lose eighty thousand, or even one hundred and eighty thousand, they may not succeed.

When I received news of the Holy Warriors' defeat and retreat last year, I thought that the Bei army was good at defending cities, and their cavalry should not be numerous or strong.

If the two armies were to fight in the desert or the Gobi Desert, would the Khanate have a chance of winning by more than 70%?
This year, the Bei army quickly occupied Guanzhong, and the Khanate's 250,000 troops, including 50,000 elite soldiers, were completely wiped out!

The enemy not only fights prepared battles, but their 50,000 Rakshasa troops launched a surprise attack over a month ago. Did they succeed? When we stopped at Yili, we only saw a few dozen rookies fleeing in disarray. What does this mean?

His conclusion was: It's uncertain how many more years the Bei state's fate will last, but its border defenses remain strong and can be considered formidable. We can't win; we must accept the reality!
General Hasibaren had a different perspective on the issue than King Chungshun.

"I acknowledge that the Bei army is indeed capable and has considerable strength, but I believe that the Bei army is certainly not having an easy time right now!"
During the time that Guanzhong General imprisoned us, he often came to the prison to chat with us.

He repeatedly emphasized that there are now more than 200,000 troops and military dependents stationed in Kansai, and there is a continuous stream of refugees migrating from the interior of Kansai to reclaim wasteland.

I understand what he meant; he was saying that the Bei army's determination to establish itself in Guanzhong is immense, and that Guanzhong will be very difficult to conquer in the future. If the Khanate maintains peaceful relations with them, trade and mutual benefit are the only long-term solution. The Han people are accustomed to using this kind of "slap and then give" approach.

But why should the Khanate hand over the Nine Guards of Guanzhong to them?
Is there really no chance to take it back?

It's about soldiers, their families, and refugees!
There are a few oases in the Kansai region where crops are grown.

Your Majesty, I deduce that even if the Bei army were to seize all the grain and livestock in Guanzhong, it still wouldn't be enough to feed these hundreds of thousands of people until next spring!

So?

"Therefore, as long as the trade routes can be controlled and the tribes are prevented from selling their surplus grain and livestock to Kansai, the more people there are in Kansai, the harder it will be for them to survive."

Refugees come to survive. But they arrive and can't get enough to eat! What are they doing staying in the deserts and Gobi?
Even if the Bei army forcibly kept these refugees to cultivate the land, crops still take several months from planting to maturity! Therefore, from now until next autumn harvest, the Khanate may still have an opportunity to retaliate.

Besides, we have spies in Huozhou! We can incite internal strife within the Bei army first, then launch a surprise attack while the chaos rages on.

The old general's proposal was met with enthusiasm from some, while others felt it wouldn't be so easy to achieve.

Two voices appeared in the court.

Pro-war.

Lord and.

The White Hat faction, which advocates peace, believes that:

"Leaving aside the opponent's strength, judging from the current situation of the Khanate, it will take at least five years to train a group of paladins who can fight tough battles."

"In the next five years, we won't confront the Bei army head-on. Since they've already occupied Weilumu and Huozhou, we might as well just openly present the official documents ceding these two territories!"

Actually, the Khanate wasn't that concerned about saving face, was it?
Let the Bei army stay in Guanzhong and cultivate more land, store more grain, and have more children. After raising them for three to five years, it won't be too late for us to go and plunder.

Hasbaren, representing the pro-war Black Hat faction, insisted:

"As long as we cut off all trade routes to Kansai, we can then mobilize all available resources from the various tribes to avenge the holy warriors. Five years is too long; what if the enemy establishes themselves in Kansai?"

Then they'll have people and food, and they'll definitely start building infrastructure, passes, and cities.

We'll just put the artillery emplacements in these places!
How could the mortal bodies of holy warriors withstand firearms?

The white hat faction immediately launched an attack:
"General, you make it sound so easy. Mobilize all available forces? But what will you use to do that? Most of the herders who transported grain for the army have already returned to their tribes. They have witnessed the strength of the Bei army. If you were to conscript them, believe me, they would dare to move their entire tribe overnight!"

Hasbaren: "."

I'm really not sure about that.

Perhaps the herdsmen wanted to live more than seek revenge. In fact, the fact that so many hostages, including the masters of a royal palace, were able to return alive was something most people in the royal court had not expected.

Hasibaren, that kid, is incredibly capable.

Feelings are feelings.

A war that has consumed enormous financial and material resources and almost depleted our family's wealth certainly needs a person to take responsibility!

The White Hat faction was not satisfied with the old general bearing the burden alone.

The sword is aimed at the current king, a representative of the Black Hat faction.

While criticizing the other side for being incapable of being a good ruler, the White Hat faction strongly recommended King Chungsun, who shared their views, as the next ruler.

So what if they're brothers?

There can only be one throne!
They share the same parents and are of the same bloodline.

At this time, only a ruler who is willing to allow his people to recuperate and thrive is the most suitable!
Seven days later.

A coup d'état occurred in the royal palace.

The two factions' private soldiers engaged in a bloody battle.

Ultimately, the White Hat faction, which had been suppressed for over two decades, emerged victorious.

The former king and his children were imprisoned.

Next, the ministers and nobles of the Black Hat faction were also purged.

General Hasbaren and his entire family were imprisoned, and the plan was for them to be beheaded ten days later on the day the new king ascended the throne.

Shache City is not large.

The royal palace of the Kashgar Khanate occupied one-fifth of the inner city's area.

The coup d'état started from the outer city walls.

The main road leading to the most bustling part of the palace was stained with color.

The stench of blood lingered in the air.

Gan Minglan and the others entered the inner city under this tense atmosphere.

As soon as Su Rileg entered the city, he sensed something was wrong and immediately ordered his confidants to settle Gan Minglan in an inconspicuous courtyard.

After instructing the men to keep a close watch on the other party, he hurried home.

Even the Heavenly Prison couldn't hold General Gan, whose supernatural abilities were at their maximum level.

Not to mention such a small courtyard!
She was still worried all the way that the hostages who had been ransomed might be waiting for them ahead.

Fortunately, the other party was eager to return home.

Hasbaren and his two sons only thought she was a doctor.

But King Chungshun and his several principal wives knew of her identity as the vanguard general.

If I keep pretending, it's only a matter of time before my true identity is exposed.

Anyway, one of her purposes for coming to Shache has already been achieved.

Fifteen minutes later, she decisively slipped away.

(End of this chapter)