After capturing Yanqi, Tibetan soldiers from various tribes in the Yin Mountains also received orders to retreat one after another.
They are not professional warriors, and they have a lot of things to do at home. They have been gone for seven or eight months, and they are not sure what their family will be like. In this matter, don't trust the chiefs' integrity too much.
Zangdu retained more than 5,000 imperial troops to guard Yanqi, and returned to Gaochang to eat and reduce consumption.
On the Gaochang side, the convoys and camel teams that came to transport supplies returned eastward one after another, taking away all the loot - most of which was distributed to the soldiers.
Throughout the next winter and spring, there will still be vigorous transportation of supplies and grain from the direction of Dunhuang, accumulating them in Gaochang and even Yanqi.
It’s not that materials are scarce now. In fact, after thirty years of immigration and reclamation, and a relatively stable environment, the wealth accumulated by Hexi and Longyou Road has been considerable. No matter how war-torn the Kanto region is, they are really living.
In the peaceful years, it has been more than one generation.
The problem is how to transport materials to the front line, which is the bottleneck.
Shao Shude suddenly thought of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
The Western Regions in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were actually far inferior to those in the Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties. This blame should undoubtedly be placed on the Mongols. The religious jihad may also get a share, but the bulk of the blame still falls on Mongolia.
This group of people is really too bad, not only harming the Western Regions, but also harming Central Asia, destroying prosperous cities one after another, causing the local population to plummet, civilization to regress, and history to appear.
Did the so-called feudal dynasty composed of loose tribal federations in modern Central Asia really have the prosperity of the city-states in the Sui and Tang Dynasties? I'm afraid there is a question mark, at least the productivity and civilization and art are far inferior.
When the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were fighting fiercely with the Junggars and preparing for the Western Expedition, there were almost no people in Turpan, so that the Manchu and Qing government had to implement military garrison to raise food and grass.
Families like the Shao family and the Lian family, who came out of Gaochang and became officials in the Yuan Dynasty, have long disappeared because Turpan no longer has karez extending in all directions, a prosperous city, a developed handicraft industry, and
There are only ignorant and illiterate people, and their number has dropped sharply.
The rise of the Mongols was indeed a disaster, both for the Han people, the Western Regions, and the people of all ethnic groups in Central Asia.
The Manchu and Qing government at that time must have been in trouble. They wanted to conquer the West, but they were faced with a large sparsely populated area. What could they do?
"Hey..." Groups of skinny sheep were driven into the pen. The people of Gaochang worked tirelessly to cut large bales of hay from the mountainside to serve as winter food for the livestock.
In semi-arid areas, fodder is sometimes a luxury.
The camels were lying on the ground, chewing straw carelessly. Occasionally, the wind and sand would hit, but they would just close their eyes slightly and not be afraid at all.
In this war, in addition to the fighting of the warriors, camels really contributed the most. They endured hunger and thirst, crossed the desert, and tried their best to transport supplies to Gaochang.
In later generations, the camels used to transport coal to Beijing in the late Qing Dynasty could carry four hundred kilograms per peak, which was close to the weight of four bushels (433.28 kilograms) of corn, which was astonishing.
When Shao Shude traveled from Tingzhou to Gaochang, all kinds of supplies and luggage were carried by camels and horse-drawn carriages. It is said that every time Galdan moved, his collection of books alone required 500 camels to carry them.
, it smells like prairie sweat.
Thousands of camels were organized to transfer supplies to Dunhuang, as well as pack horses, donkey carts, mules and horses, carriages, etc. All kinds of tools were used. It can be said that the whole people were mobilized to try to transfer the supplies that had been stored there over the past three or four years step by step.
They were transported to the west, but their efforts could only support an army of 50,000 to 60,000 people, which was the soldiers and horses that Zang Dubao originally brought.
Although Gaochang can provide some food and grass locally, if it is exhausted, it will only support 10,000 or 20,000 warriors who are not engaged in production all year round. If the plunder is more ruthless, it will not exceed 20,000.
Therefore, some troops who only eat food but are fighting for their health must withdraw when they should, so as to reduce consumption as much as possible.
Shao Shude even sent some troops to Tingzhou to use the cattle and sheep brought last year to provide supplies. Of course, various tribes in Tingzhou could also collect some livestock and hay, and the cultivated farmland along the foothills could also provide some millet and wheat.
Next year, with the fatigue of the people in the Hexi prefectures and the consumption of the accumulated supplies in Yin, Xi, and Ting prefectures, he will have to take advantage of the rotation of Tibetan soldiers to further reduce consumption. The saved supplies can also support a small number of immigrants.
Head west.
"The Central Plains dynasties of all dynasties conquered the West in their expeditions, but they were unable to garrison large armies for a long time, and in the end they had to rule with their own hands." Shao Shude stood on the edge of a wasteland and said, "I have really made the people of Hexi suffer to death this year.
"
Yang Yao laughed and said: "Your Majesty, it's not that exaggerated. In the northern and southern grasslands of Qi, we can also collect some cattle, sheep, horses and camels next year and transport them to Beiting through the grasslands. Then we can just raise fat, and we will have meat and milk.
, the sergeants don’t have to eat so much rice and noodles.”
"Cattle and sheep do not grow on the ground. For two consecutive years, the livestock levy has been carried out. Even if the government subsidizes money and food, the overall impact is not very good." Shao Shude said: "We will levy again next year, and stop the year after that."
"Yes." Yang Yao wrote it down.
The two of them looked at the wasteland in front of them.
Among the Fan soldiers accompanying the army, some were slave guards and soldiers from the four palaces of Changxia, Woyang, Yulin, and Hongyuan, totaling about ten thousand people.
They usually herded and farmed, and trained intensively during the winter leisure time. They participated in many battles intermittently, and it can even be said that they lasted throughout Shao Shude's entire military career.
Shao Sheng still likes this army very much, not only because they are his own people, but more importantly because they are obedient. For example, they are now digging wells and ditches and building a brand new karez under the guidance of local officials.
There is no shortage of land in Xizhou. It can be said that there is as much cultivated land as there is need, but what is lacking is water. Wells and canals are the top priority, and they are idle anyway. Taking advantage of the time when there is no war, we can dig as much as we can.
Maybe there will be more irrigable farmland for next spring planting.
Shao Shude looked at them sweating profusely and was very satisfied.
Where can I find soldiers who are willing to do dirty work or even work in the fields these days?
Previously, Le Yanzhen, the military governor of Wei Bo, caused great anger and resentment because of his construction of the outer city of Weizhou, and both his father and son died.
Later, when he had money, he asked Wu Yongdu to dig trenches in preparation for building the city wall, which led to a large-scale rebellion.
In the eyes of the warriors, they are soldiers who only know how to kill people and cannot do the chores that a warrior can do. You don't want to let us do these things, right?
Of course, there are no absolutes in life. In the late Tang Dynasty and the early Five Dynasties, warriors did not accept this. By the middle and late Tang Dynasty, some people were willing to do it, and in the Northern Song Dynasty, even more people were willing to do it.
The spirit of the warriors is wasted away bit by bit.
"Your Majesty, the King of Khotan is here." Han Quanjie came over and reported in a low voice.
Shao Shude returned under the imperial umbrella, straightened his dragon robe, and said, "Let him come over."
Li Shengtian arrived soon, bowed to the ground, and said: "My lord, Li Shengtian, the great treasure of Khotan, pays homage to your majesty."
Li Shengtian's father was canonized by the imperial court a few years ago and was given the title of "Dabao King of Khotan". Li Shengtian assumed this title and became a vassal of Daxia.
"Get up and sit down." Shao Shude calmed down and said in a gentle tone with a kind face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Shengtian did not refuse, sat on the bed diagonally opposite, and raised his head.
Shao Shude looked at this man who was slightly famous in history.
The first impression is that he is very young. The second impression is that his eyebrows are too rigid. He should be a person who would rather bend than bend.
"What is the household registration in Khotan?" Shao Shude asked.
"With a household registration of 200,000, you can field a victorious army of 50,000." Li Shengtian sat upright and said.
Shao Shude did not comment on whether what he said was true or not. Instead, he followed his words and praised: "The Khotanese soldiers attacked Qiuci and achieved two victories in two battles. They directly caused the Uighurs to flee in embarrassment. It is indeed possible to fight."
According to Zang Dubao, Khotan dispatched more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry to directly attack Kucha. The Uighur soldiers were not many, only a few thousand. The two sides fought outside the city. Khotan won. The Uighurs were defeated and dispersed. Kucha then attacked.
.
Judging from these alone, Khotan should have a certain fighting capacity, but it is not clear how strong it is. However, Shao Shude did not want to seize other people's land, so it didn't matter.
"The king's division attacked in two directions, swept through the three prefectures of Yin, Xi, and Ting in a few months, and then returned to Yanqi. This is how he truly swept through thousands of armies." Li Shengtian replied.
Shao Shude smiled and said: "I am very happy that Li Qing can think so. Khotan has been a vassal of the Great Xia Dynasty for a long time, and we will still rely on it for the affairs of the Western Regions in the future."
"It is my duty to share the worries of the imperial court." Li Shengtian replied.
The monarch and his ministers looked at each other and laughed happily.
Yang Yao apologized and laughed at the side. When the laughter stopped, he cleared his throat and asked, "I wonder if King Khotan has ever heard of Satu Ke?"
"Ogurchak's nephew?" Li Shengtian frowned and said, "This is an ambitious person."
Shule is right next door to Khotan, so of course Li Shengtian knew about it.
The capital of the Great Uighur Kingdom was Shule, which was actually a leftover issue from history. After Ogulchak's old capital Talas was taken away by the Persians, he moved the capital to Shule. Even if he later married his sister-in-law and inherited his brother's territory, he
The capital was not moved. Perhaps he felt that Persia was too strong and the west was too chaotic, so he would feel more at ease by placing the capital in the east.
"How much do you know?" Shao Shude asked.
"Satuk built a Gulam Guard, and these two thousand soldiers were all under his command. Even his uncle could not command him. When Ogurchak was fighting in the west, Satuk
Often leading troops, the Gulam Army plays the role of the final word and has a great reputation." Li Shengtian said: "Their strength is no worse than that of the Khotan Monk Army."
Shao Shude was a little surprised when he heard the word "Monk Army", but he felt it was reasonable.
Li Shengtian seems to be a devout Buddhist. The fifty guards around him are elites selected from major temples and follow him all year round.
Suddenly, Shao Shude felt a little ridiculous.
Is this the true nature of Buddhism? The gentle monks in later Chinese history may have been the result of severe punishment.
Buddhism, which has not been rectified, may be very active, with its own manor economy and supported warriors. They make weapons, practice martial arts, lend usury, interfere in politics, and penetrate into every corner of society.
The so-called Buddhist country in the Western Regions may be understood literally, as it is the country of Buddha.
Shao Shude automatically substituted the scene of bishops and nobles fighting for power under the European feudal system in later generations, which he found quite interesting.
"Can we drive a wedge between uncle and nephew Ogurchak?" Shao Shude asked.
"You can try it." Li Shengtian thought for a while and said.
But he was a little confused, why would he do this?
"How can we allow others to snore on the side of the bed?" Shao Shude glanced at him and said, "Did you know that Satuk was ambitious and secretly colluded with outsiders to usurp his uncle's throne?"
"I've heard about this a little bit. There was a turmoil in Shule back then." Li Shengtian said: "Ogurchak followed the custom of the grasslands and married his elder brother's wife and inherited the throne, so Satuk became his stepson. But
Ogurchak also had a biological son, but he did not want to pass the throne to Satuk, which led to the estrangement between the uncle and nephew..."
According to Li Shengtian, Ogurchak is a person who adheres to the Uighur tradition. Even though many Uighurs have converted to Manichaeism, he still insists on believing in shamanism.
Because he wanted his biological son to succeed to the throne, he had been sending people to monitor his nephew. This was not a secret in Shule.
The uncle and nephew were wary of each other like this. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that if they continued like this, sooner or later they would get into trouble and one of them would die.
"I want to conquer this Uighur country." Shao Shude suddenly said: "Some opportunities will never come back once they are gone. Li Qing must be very clear about what kind of person Ogurchak is. His abilities are limited and his ambition is only limited.
That way, there is no strong desire to expand the faith. Sartuk is very ambitious, and he has been practicing in the Gulam Guard for many years, and he is brave and good at fighting. This person is very dangerous, so it is better to get rid of him as soon as possible."
Li Shengtian thought silently for a long time, then raised his head and asked: "Your Majesty wants to attack Shule?"
"Of course." Shao Shude did not hide anything and said straightforwardly: "I am old, but Satuq is like the rising sun. After my death, he can still do evil for a long time. In this case, let me take him away before I die.
Let’s go.”
Such cold words made Li Shengtian's hair stand on end.
He just thought that Saturk was in danger, so he wanted to take him away, and his tone was firm, leaving no room for error, which made Li Shengtian's back subconsciously break out with a layer of white hair sweat.
"What does Your Majesty want to do?" Li Shengtian swallowed and asked.
"Some plans have actually already started." Shao Shude smiled and said, "Get ready when you go back and wait for my orders. I will personally lead the army to Kucha next year."
"I obey the order." Li Shengtian agreed immediately, paused, and then said: "Since the Tang Dynasty, Qiuci has been an important town in Anxi. This is royal land, and I dare not live there. I would like to dedicate it to the imperial court."
"Very good, it will be good for you." Shao Shude smiled happily.