The Southwest Strategic Cluster has not yet marched into Yunnan, not because it encountered any major difficulties.
It’s not that the situation in Yunnan is so complicated and difficult to handle.
In terms of strength, even Mu Tianbo, Sun Kewang, the Burmese army and the Ming Dynasty court combined are not enough to defeat the Southwest Strategic Cluster.
The reason for the pause is entirely due to strategic considerations.
In the imperial planning, Burma was far more important than Yunnan.
The empire was founded on commerce, attached great importance to maritime trade, and was very aware of the importance of seaports.
In the southwestern region, the nearest outlet to the sea is Myanmar.
Although it is not necessary to incorporate Burma into the imperial territory, it is very important to control the situation in Burma, open up trade routes and ports, and open up the southwest's external connections.
To achieve this, simply exerting pressure on Myanmar as a sovereign state will not be very effective.
The Central Plains Dynasty has never had a very strong control over Yunnan, which has also caused various small countries in the Indochina Peninsula to rebel from time to time, although they admit that they are vassals of the Central Plains Dynasty.
For example, the border area between Yunnan and Myanmar often encounters intrusions from Myanmar and constant disputes.
In other words, Myanmar was not very respectful to the Central Plains dynasty.
Faced with this situation, the imperial center had already made a judgment.
To deal with unruly people, just give them a beating and they'll be honest.
If you want to use force against Myanmar, you need an excuse.
Now Myanmar supports the Can Ming Dynasty, which is the best excuse.
It just so happened that Sha Dingzhou, the leading local chief among Yunnan's local chieftains, was on the verge of destruction. It was just a good time to hunt down rabbits and bring all Yunnan, Burma and chieftains into the fold, and complete the victory in one battle.
The Central Committee and the headquarters fully agreed with the judgment of the Southwest Strategic Cluster and formally issued an order for action.
For a time, the war in the southwest rekindled, and the entire Indochina Peninsula began to feel the style of the emerging sovereign state.
Compared with the aggressiveness in the southwest, the northwest strategic cluster requested instructions to postpone the advance.
After Huang Sanhu inspected the situation in the northwest, he found that the problem was very serious.
What affects the march the most is still logistical supplies.
Whether you are taking the Hexi Corridor or Qinghai, if you want to enter the Western Regions, the supply lines are thousands of miles long and very fragile.
The entire northwest region not only has a harsh environment, but also has various ethnic groups that have not yet surrendered, plus the elusive bandits, which are all dangers that affect logistical supplies.
The Northwest Strategic Cluster has judged that it is necessary to manage and plan the currently occupied areas for three to five years. After ensuring the security of the rear, it is the best time to enter the Western Regions.
In addition, in the Western Regions, Liang Yue has joined forces with Batur Hutaiji to launch an attack on the Yarkand Khanate.
The two sides are fighting hard and the winner has not yet been decided.
After losing Turpan, the Yarkand Khanate simply shrunk its defense line and accumulated heavy troops in the Asu (Aksu) area.
To the north of Asu is the Tianshan Mountains, and to the south is the vast Taklimakan Desert. Liang Yue and Batur Hutaiji were unable to outflank the area at all, and could only engage in a fierce battle with the Yarkand Khanate in Asu.
Abdullah was quite talented. While establishing a defense line in Asu, he also reached an alliance with the Kokand Khanate. Together they sent troops from the Ili Valley to attack the core area of the Junggar tribe along the north side of the Tianshan Mountains.
In addition, he also sent someone to secretly contact Orqitu Khan, the leader of the Oirat alliance, to state his interests.
After Gushi Khan was jointly eliminated by Batur Hutaiji and Liang Yue, Orqitu Khan already felt the crisis. He happily united with the Yarkand Khanate and suddenly launched an attack on the hinterland of the Junggar tribe.
This combination resulted in complete chaos in the Western Region.
The two sides are evenly matched, and it is difficult to tell the winner for the time being.
This situation is also one of the reasons why the Northwest Strategic Cluster does not want to enter the Western Region too early.
I am afraid that with the arrival of a powerful empire, the two parties that originally fought against each other will abandon their hatred and jointly become enemies of the empire, making it more difficult to unify the Western Regions.
In addition to the military, the local government also has the same attitude.
With the arrival of spring, the earth is covered with green again, but the top of the Qilian Mountains nearby is still covered with snow.
As the huge team walks, the melodious sound of camel bells is a melody that has never changed for thousands of years.
Xu Erdou was riding on a camel, feeling the scenery of the Western Regions and having a unique mood.
Among the five brothers of the Xu family, the eldest, Xu Erjue, is based in Batavia, the second, Xu Erjue, is traveling to Europe with the diplomatic team, the fourth, Xu Ermo, is obsessed with art, and the fifth, Xu Erlu, has already distinguished himself in the military.
He was the only one to enter the political arena and was now appointed as Gansu Provincial Governor.
He knew very well that as a relative, he would definitely be treated differently.
The only thing that can be done is to show results.
Therefore, after arriving in Gansu, he immediately set out to visit various places to observe the social situation firsthand.
In order to have a clear target, he even walked the Hexi Corridor himself.
Xu Erdou has long been familiar with this northwest trade route, which has been famous for thousands of years. But now that he has set foot on it personally, he realizes the hardships involved.
Between Wuwei and Zhangye, there was originally a Yongchang Guard guarding the area, but now the place has been abandoned.
This resulted in dangers lurking along the thousands-mile journey.
Suddenly there was a huge cloud of smoke and dust in the mountains on the north side, and a large group of cavalry suddenly rushed out almost in the blink of an eye.
There are horses, camels, even mules and donkeys, it can be said that there are all kinds of animals.
The cavalry on top are also in a mess, and the weapons in their hands are even more difficult to see.
Everyone immediately realized that they had encountered horse bandits.
But no one panicked, and quickly began to respond under the orders.
The empire's caravans and government staff must master certain combat capabilities.
After all, in this chaotic era, force is the most effective guarantee.
The caravan quickly transformed from a long formation into a camel city surrounded by several camels. The camels were also covered with thick felts to act as armor.
Everyone even took out their weapons and stood ready.
Compared to the unsightly cold weapons of the horse bandits, everyone in the caravan held Minie rifles.
Not only that, there are two mortars in each camel city.
Different from the delicate operations in the army, the mortar operators in the caravan simply aimed directly with the thumb of their right hand. As a result, the mortar shells came out quickly and landed on the charging route of the horse bandits.
Although the accuracy was insufficient, the violent explosion shock wave still caused heavy losses to the horse bandits.
They had never seen such a terrifyingly powerful weapon, and they unconsciously slowed down for a moment, fear and doubt taking over in their hearts.
However, the fate of a cavalry that cannot charge at full speed when faced with hundreds of muskets can be imagined.