Ma Renyu's army on the south road was blocked by Kekexili, which was also expected by Guo Hao.

In his previous military orders, he said that we should be careful when marching. There are not only grasslands in the plateau area, but also Gobi and deserts.

The so-called no-man's land is not without people at all. The area of ​​Kekexili is very large, and there are still some herders on the outside, which is what the Song army encountered.

But these herders knew that the more they went, the more dangerous they were. The bloody lesson told them that there was a forbidden area in Kekexili.

Ma Renyu didn't believe in evil before. Looking at the vast grassland, he had no shortage of water and food. If he hadn't retreated early, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This road cannot be understood, so the Song army can only think of other ways.

According to locals, if they bypass the Qiang south, they will be blocked by Kunlun Mountain. Even if they cross Kunlun Mountain, there is an endless desert to the north of the mountain.

This is an ancient desert.

The latest research results of later scientists show that the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, the largest desert in China, may have been a vast and boundless "sea of ​​death" as early as 4.5 million years ago.

So they couldn't get around it at all, so they could only retreat, cross the Gobi Desert, and meet with the Northern Army in Dunhuang.

Facts have proved that whether it is the Silk Road or the Hexi Corridor, history tells us that there is only one way to the Western Regions.

But Guo Hao just wanted to try it. Mountains, deserts, and no man's land, and natural barriers appeared in front of him, so Guo Hao had to compromise.

In the Gongcham Hall, the Military Affairs Office studied various routes, but they were eventually unable to go through.

Guo Hao waved his hand helplessly and said, "Let the two armies join together. We cannot let the soldiers take risks. The king of the army probably knew this result a long time ago and thought we would give up."

In fact, the terrain of the Western Regions is indeed unique. There are the Tianshan Mountains in the north and the Kunlun Mountains in the south. The Qilian Mountains tightened their openings, leaving only one road in the Hexi Corridor.

Now the northern army is stationed in Yumen Pass. We originally planned to advance together and attack Gaochang together, but Guo Hao still thought it was too simple. The Western Regions are not that easy to fight.

...

Gaochang, royal palace.

"Amitabha, I want to see the king."

"Go and go, the king doesn't want to see you, you'd better leave."

Monk Hongyuan stood in front of the palace, but the guards refused to let him in. He had learned that the army had already dispatched troops and was stationed in Yizhou, obviously to go to war with the Song Dynasty.

Monk Hongyuan was very anxious. Although he was a Han Chinese, as a monk, he did not want to see bloodshed and sacrificed, nor did he want to see the murderous sins.

The king of Shizi was in the palace and did not know about the Southern Army. He only knew that they could not get through, but there were still 50,000 troops in Yumen Pass, eyeing him covetously.

The Master Wang was still hesitating whether to start a war. It is logical that the right time, place and people are both good, but he was a little panicked.

Most of the Song army were Han people and should not be able to adapt to the climate of the Western Regions. However, the perseverance of the Han people was unimaginable. Wasn’t Tubo also annexed?

At this point, Guo Hao has no longer talked about benevolence, righteousness and morality. It’s not that he didn’t give the other party a chance, but he just didn’t cherish it.

Whether it is Tubo or Gaochang, they are an inseparable part of China. Guo Hao always has a view that either doesn’t want it or is defeated.

Many people find this difficult to understand.

Why is Guo Hao trying so hard?

Haven't you seen that Genghis Khan made his way to the Eurasian continent and established the Great Mongolian Kingdom, but it still fell apart later?

Why did China and Mongolia become independent in later generations, as the former territory of China?

Haven't you seen that Emperor Yang of Sui conquered Goguryeo three times and directly destroyed the Goguryeo regime. Goguryeo, as a vassal state, was not independent.

During the Qing Dynasty, Junggar was dissatisfied with the rule, and Emperor Kangxi defeated him by force, not by his words.

The Western Regions, Tubo, Ryukyu, and other areas far away from the Central Plains and in a corner will be lost if they are not strictly controlled.

Throughout the world history, only China has passed down from the four ancient civilizations.

In history, Eurasia has decomposed, but China has completed the unification and Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, laying the foundation for China.

Since then, emperors of all dynasties, especially founding emperors, have had the idea of ​​great unity in their hearts.

This is not ambition, it is a mission. As descendants of Yan and Huang, every emperor will subconsciously complete the mission.

Guo Hao did this to fulfill his duties as an emperor. If the Yuan Dynasty had not recaptured Tubo, there might not be Tibet as it is now.

Guo Hao stole Kublai Khan's credit, but he would not blush.

Many people don’t understand what he developed technology for, not for war, but for control.

With the current strength of the Song army, few of them in the world are their opponents. Even the Liao Kingdom, the Song army has the power to fight.

But why didn’t Guo Hao attack the Liao Kingdom first, but instead chew the bones of Gaochang. The thirty-six countries in the Western Regions sounded very big, but in fact, they were far less wealthy than Liaodong in terms of population or resources.

The Gobi Desert and the Desert will lose its direction if you are not careful. There are only a few places suitable for living. In history, the Central Plains dynasties actually didn’t care. They only care about reputation.

But Guo Hao is different. He wants to fundamentally change all this. While the world is still in a wilderness, he wants to build the Song Dynasty into an industrial empire.

At this time, Guo Hao had no chance to conduct any investigation or greening and environmental protection projects.

Perhaps a thousand years ahead of schedule, many deserts in later generations were not deserts, and those disappeared oasis still existed.

Guo Hao was thinking about this in his mind. He wanted to try to preserve all this, use human power to improve the natural environment, and make the land of China better.

Therefore, Guo Hao had already thought about the policy of governing the Western Regions. From now on, he would also need to build roads.

In order to facilitate the army's walking, Qin Shihuang built a straight Qin road that could directly reach the border and prevent the Huns from invading the border.

Guo Hao didn't need to do this. He built roads for development. After taking over Tubo and the Western Regions, the territory of the Song Dynasty was already large enough, and the next time was to develop with all his strength.

Now Gaochang Kingdom is unwilling to surrender, and Guo Hao can understand it, but Guo Hao will not be ruthless. He did this not for himself, but for China.

The second year of Longxing, the twelfth lunar month.

Ma Renyu's troops arrived in Dunhuang, but it was too cold in winter and was not suitable for fighting, so the court ordered them to station in Dunhuang and wait until the spring of the following year to attack again.

There was tension in Gaochang, but there was joy in the Song Dynasty.

As the people's lives become more and more prosperous, many folk customs have gradually developed. It is better to have a good idea than the top and the bottom will be effective.

Guo Hao likes to eat dumplings, not the chaos in history, but the real dumplings, and every household eats dumplings.

Guo Hao likes to eat hot pot in winter, and all the big and small taverns in Bianliang City have started making hot pot. Eating hot pot in winter is indeed a kind of enjoyment.

As for wine, Guo Hao did not promote it extensively, mainly because there was not enough food.

In order to save food, Guo Hao also issued an order that all the food for brewing wine cannot be new food, and it will be severely punished if found.

In recent years, the population of the Song Dynasty has been increasing, and the country has no way to deal with natural disasters. There have been dams in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, but they are only in the prototype and cannot be compared with the Three Gorges Dam in later generations.

Even so, the emergence of dams has indeed reduced the occurrence of dam breaking. The relevant departments of the Ministry of Industry have been studying until the flood is completely solved.

This year's New Year is much deserted than before. Li Fu's death and Qiunan's demotion made the palace less angry.

Fortunately, Shen Xin is back and she wants to spend the New Year with Kong Mingyue. Guo Hao did not force him this time, it was just a meal.

Walking on the streets of Bianliang, there are tea shops, wine shops, butchers shops, temples, pharmacies, and public parties...

The store has specialized in silk, satin, jewelry, spices, incense, paper, horses, etc.

In addition, there are medical clinics, car repairs, fortune-telling, facials and face repairs, and plastic surgery, all walks of life.

The doors of large shops are also built with "Cailou Huanmen", and the city flags are hung to attract business. Pedestrians in the streets are shoulder to shoulder, and the current is endless.

There are businessmen, gentry who sees street scenes, officials who ride horses, and hawkers.

There are family members riding in sedan chairs, monks carrying baskets, tourists from other places asking for directions, and children in the streets and alleys who hear stories.

There are children of wealthy families who drink wildly in restaurants, disabled elderly people begging by the city, men, women, young and old, scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, and all kinds of education and all kinds of people.

What a peaceful scene, what a peaceful scene...
Chapter completed!