The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 523 The troops are divided into two groups
Regarding whether the thousands of taels of silver and goods belonging to the foreign merchants can be recovered.

Gan Minglan thought it was unlikely.

After learning that the culprit had fled to Leh, Marcoli dared not hope for anything more.

After the Silk Road left the Western Regions, Bukhara became the largest transit point for bulk goods in Central Asia.

Through this place, goods from the Western Regions and the Central Plains could be sold to Central Asia, West Asia and Europe.

As early as the Tang Dynasty, there was an Iranian-speaking ethnic group active in Central Asia in this region.

They were famous for the commercial network they built along the Silk Road; they were the renowned Sogdian merchants!
After the Arab Empire conquered Central Asia, some Sogdians assimilated into Persia, while others migrated to the Han and Tang dynasties.

The Tajik merchants of Bukhara were the successors of the Sogdian merchants.

Sogdian merchants were known for their long-distance trade, financial lending, and luxury goods transactions.

Tajik merchants are also skilled in these areas.

They had long engaged in trade with the Hu people, trading silk, gems, horses, and slaves.

Unfortunately, the former Bei Kingdom was practically in a state of decline for the last hundred years.

The eastern route of the Silk Road has lost its former glory.

Upon learning that the Bagua City in Yili had opened a trade market, Tajik merchants sprang into action.

However, the luxury goods they had always been proud of were neither as novel in style as those of foreign merchants nor as cheap in terms of raw materials as those of Hu merchants in the Bagua City market.

The goods they brought couldn't be sold at high prices, so they could only become typical wholesalers.

Everything I see seems good.

Especially the exclusive businesses of the Kansai Trading Company.

Compared to foreigners, they couldn't sell their goods at high prices, and their initial investment in purchasing goods was also less than that of foreigners.

As a result, the amount of goods brought back to Bukhara was indeed very limited.

So when those Uyghur nobles arrived in Leh with goods worth tens of millions of taels of silver that they had looted.

These Tajik merchants, who perfectly inherited the Sogdian genes, were like sharks in the sea that smelled blood.

All sorts of methods were employed.

They didn't care about the origin of these Uyghur nobles' goods; they only cared about purchasing them.

Before General Gu and his western expeditionary army even reached Leh, the goods worth tens of millions of taels of silver had already been looted by Tajik merchants.

The Western Expeditionary Army also used the Great General Cannon to clear the way.

Finally, the sight of cannons surrounding the city terrified the people inside, who dared not even breathe.

Because they were separated from the Han Chinese dynasties by the entire Western Regions, they had never directly fought against each other.

What mistake did they make this time?
Soon, the people in the city understood the source of this war.

Outside the city, several Persian translators hired from the Guanzhong trading company were using some kind of megaphone to shout from 300 meters away:
"Friends of Leh, please hand over the seven Uyghur nobles who fled from the Kashgar Khanate to Leh, along with their entire clansmen!"

"These nobles and their henchmen robbed and murdered more than 8,000 of our merchant friends from Europe. This is a provocation against our Yongtai Dynasty! They have ruined the original purpose of our border trade city. We will never let these enemies who disrupt the peace of the Silk Road escape our rule, no matter how far away they are!"

"Listen up, you people inside! Our general is only giving you one hour. If you don't hand over the people in one hour, we'll open fire!"

"."

The artillery fire of the Western Expeditionary Army has already proven its formidable power along the way.

And what about the Khanate of Bukhara?

Less than half of the most elite guards were equipped with Ottoman or Persian matchlock muskets.

These matchlock guns typically have a range of around 100 meters and a slow loading speed.

Most critically, the dry climate of Central Asia led to unstable gunpowder quality and severe barrel explosions. Ordinary soldiers fared even worse, still primarily using cold weapons (bows and arrows, sabers, and spears), with firearms accounting for less than 20% of their weapons.

You mean those two cannons mounted on the city wall?

It was imported.

It's still an outdated product!
With such precious firearms, they didn't have enough ammunition for the artillerymen to practice their aim.

It's mounted on the wall to serve as a deterrent.

In crucial moments, they may not be of any use.

Meanwhile, General Gu and his entourage, holding purchase lists from over eight thousand foreign merchants, were settling accounts with the Khanate of Bukhara and a group of Uyghur nobles.

With the cannon pointed at our doorstep, we have no choice but to bow our heads!

Here.

After dealing with the prisoners of war in Shache, Gan Minglan led 5,000 soldiers to Hotan.

The Kashgar Khanate's monarchy was destroyed.

How could the few small towns of Hotan possibly fight against the mighty?
The only way out is to surrender!

A tribal chief, who could slide on his knees exceptionally quickly and speak Mandarin, even acted as a guide for Gan Minglan and her group.

"General, our core area of ​​Hotan includes oases such as Hotan, Harahash, Yulonghash, and Keriya."

There are six cities in these oases, with a population of over 45,000.

Among them, we Uyghurs make up 80%, and most of them are engaged in agriculture, handicrafts and mining. Half of the garrison leaders are Mongols, and there are also a small number of Tibetans and Hui people.

We grow grains such as wheat, barley, and sorghum, as well as grapes, pomegranates, and mulberry trees.

We cultivate mulberry trees and raise silkworms. Our silk and brocade are especially loved by Persian nobles, but nowadays there are fewer and fewer artisans who are proficient in these silk fabrics.

The men in the family prefer to work in the jade mines, because jade is what we in Khotan are most proud of and what we value most.

The Yulongkash River is famous for its white jade and bluish-white jade, especially the 'mutton fat jade', most of which comes from this riverbed.

The Karakash Riverbed produces black jade and jasper.

The Kunlun Mountains have the largest jade deposits, with a wide distribution and rich variety of jade resources. However, mining there is extremely dangerous, and people die every year.

With this young burke's introduction, the impression of Hotan jumped into the minds of Gan Minglan and others.

At the meeting to plan the return of the old homeland of Khotan.

A group of idiots were drooling over the jade mines.

"They say gold has a price but jade is priceless. After fighting for so many years, I have plenty of gold, but I lack fine jade!"

"The reason why it's difficult for the Hu people to mine jade is because they don't know how to make explosives. We have plenty of gunpowder and bombs!"

"General, what do you suggest? Should we choose the best and largest mine first and secure it?"

"."

With a cold face, Gan Minglan's first military order was: "Seal off all jade mines and prohibit miners from mining privately!"

And repeatedly emphasized:
"The Western Regions have just been returned to our homeland, and all the mineral resources beneath this land belong to the imperial court and to His Majesty."

"You have achieved unparalleled feats in your westward expedition! The territory has expanded by thousands of miles, a fortune that many generals never have in their entire lives!"
I've already figured out how to write this commendation report and what positions would be most suitable for each of you.

If, at this critical juncture, someone were to ruin the entire westward expedition by privately mining jade, it would be disastrous.

This general wouldn't mind personally selecting a burial plot for him!

All the soldiers: "."