Early spring has arrived, the cold winter has passed, and the mountains and fields in the Central Plains have begun to turn green. However, in many places in the western prefectures and counties of Liangzhou, you can still see the white snow on the mountains.
Dunhuang City, the center of the counties in western Liangzhou, is also the base camp of Zhao Jun in western Liangzhou. Not only is it heavily guarded here, but a large amount of grain and grass supplies are also stored. It can be said that this is Zhao Jun's headquarters in Liangzhou.
Logistics base, where future army operations will be carried out
To provide food and fodder for the army. In order to restore the popularity of this place, Zhao Jun not only moved in more than 100,000 Han people, but also used hundreds of thousands of young men of all ethnic groups to build the city here for several months. Today, here
It has begun to take shape, with the momentum and appearance of a big city.
In order to better bring the western counties under the jurisdiction of the Zhao Army, the pipelines in the western counties were built better than those in the eastern areas that had just been taken over from the Liangzhou Army.
"Zilin, Uncle Li, you have worked hard!" Zhao Xun, who arrived at Dunhuang City, immediately met with Wei Zilin, Li Chenfeng and others who had been busy in Liangzhou for several months.
"My lord is so complimentary, but I am so ashamed that I don't deserve it! This is all the credit of the officers and men!" Wei Zilin and others said solemnly.
Zhao Xun smiled and said: "What are you afraid of? You are here to lay a solid foundation for our actions. By the way, this must be General Xu Yexu, the Marquis of Pingliang who conquered Liangzhou in the past!"
Xu Ye said repeatedly: "It's my subordinate!"
"Okay! General Xu was also a high official of the country in the past. He made great contributions to quelling the civil strife. This time we are conquering the countries in the Western Regions, our country, Zhao, needs talents like General Xu."
Xu Ye said seriously: "I am willing to die in the service of the lord!"
"What's the current situation? If we take action, who should take action first?" Zhao Xun asked slowly, looking at the huge map spread out on the table.
Xu Ye pointed to the map and said: "Back to my lord, we can attack from two directions, leaving Yiwu Prefecture and Shanshan Prefecture in the north, then directly attack Gaochang State, break it and go west, then attack Yanqi, Qiuci and other countries. From the south
After leaving Qifu, we will head west to attack Khotan, Shule and other countries."
"The distance to the north is very close to ours, making it easier to attack. Moreover, Yanqi and Qiuchi have always been at war with each other due to border issues. Therefore, my subordinates and others believe that it is better to break through the northern line."
"The three major countries on the northern front and seven or eight small countries have a combined support of nearly one million people and more than 100,000 armored men. Therefore, fighting to the death is not advisable. Although our Zhao army officers and soldiers are stronger than them, fighting to the death is impossible.
It will bring a lot of casualties. Therefore, we have to take advantage of the disputes between them to make friends from far away and attack close by!"
Zhao Xun nodded and said with a smile: "That's right! I and everyone in the Military Affairs Department have also discussed that attacking the countries in the Western Regions should not be a head-on attack, but should be achieved with the smallest casualties in exchange for the greatest victory. It is possible to join forces vertically and horizontally."
Xu Ye continued: "Among the three countries, Gaochang is in the north, Yanqi, and Kucha are in the west. There are many conflicts between these two countries. Among them, Kucha is closer to us, so we should contact Yanqi.
We will attack Kucha together. As for Gaochang, if we can participate, that would be the best. If not, wait until we wipe out Kucha, then connect with Yanqi and attack Gaochang from the north."
Zhao Xun nodded and said: "Very good, Wei Zilin, immediately send someone to contact the Yanqi Kingdom. As for the excuse, use Kucha to attack our passing Zhao caravan for no reason. Tell the Yanqi Kingdom to destroy Kucha and destroy the Kucha Kingdom."
, it is shared with me, Great Zhao."
Qiuci Kingdom is one hundred and seventy miles south of Dubai Mountain, nine hundred miles to Yanqi Kingdom to the east, fourteen hundred miles to Khotan Kingdom to the south, one thousand five hundred miles to Shule Kingdom to the west, and more than two thousand five hundred miles to Dunhuang City to the southeast.
Li. Qiuci's native land is rich in rice, millet, bean sprouts, wheat, copper, iron, lead, leather, sand, salt green, orpiment, benzoin, fine horses, seal cattle and other products.
The current king of Qiuci Kingdom is Heli. Although he is not a man of great talent and military strategy, he is still a loyal king. However, he is surrounded by various countries and it is not so easy to be a loyal king. Especially especially
After the Yanqi Kingdom in the east grew stronger, the Qiuci Kingdom frequently had border battles with it.
"Do you all understand what the envoy of Zhao said today? Do you think we should send troops or not?" King He Li of Qiuci Kingdom, with a solemn look on his face, asked the left and right prime ministers and other important ministers around him.
"Your Majesty, I think that we cannot send troops. This Zhao army is clearly an excuse to attack our countries in the Western Region. Today we have destroyed Yanqi. In the future, we will directly face the Zhao army." Prime Minister Bai Yi responded solemnly.
.
"Why not send troops? This Yanqi is our mortal enemy in Kucha. In the past few decades, countless Kucha soldiers have fought with him and buried their bodies on the battlefield. Now that we have joined forces with the Zhao army to eliminate this enemy in one fell swoop, what else can we do?
Divide the territory equally. As for Zhao Jun, it can be said from the passing caravans that
You know, their Central Plains dynasty is still in chaos, and he, Zhao Jun, is not the emperor of the Central Plains dynasty. Do you think he has not conquered the world in the Central Plains yet, and will he come to attack the countries in the Western Regions that are thousands of miles away?"
Another person expressed the opposite opinion to Bai Yi.
"Li Shu, you underestimated the Zhao army too much. The Zhao army destroyed Shanshan, and the two countries were not yet together, and they ruled the land as a government. Doesn't this explain the problem?" Bai Yi said angrily, pulling at his white beard.
said.
Li Shu sneered and said: "This Shanshan, not to mention that the two countries are different from us, they are originally the territory of Yan, so it is natural for them to be captured by the Zhao army."
"Really? But after the Tulun tribe was wiped out, wasn't the area of nearly a thousand miles around still occupied by the Zhao army?"
"That's because the Tulum tribe attacked Zhao Jun first!"
"Stop arguing! The Zhao Jun envoy said that if we send troops, they will divide the Yanqi country equally and make an alliance with us. If they don't send troops, they will persuade the Yanqi country and send their troops to the west! You said, we can fight
Can you defeat their coalition forces? Did you know that around Dunhuang, the Zhao army has gathered more than 100,000 soldiers?" He Li shouted angrily.
"Although the number of more than 100,000 may be an imaginary number, nearly 100,000 is indispensable. If we don't agree, it's not that the Yanqi State, which is in contact with Zhao Jun, also disagrees. They are under pressure from Zhao Jun, so they may follow the trend and destroy them first.
Got us."
Bai Yi said firmly: "Your Majesty, Zhao Jun will not unite with Yanqi. The excuse for Zhao Jun to send troops this time is because Yanqi attacked the passing Zhao Jun caravan and the people of Zhao's Xiliang. If they united, wouldn't he be going back on his word?
?”
"Excuse?" Li Shu, the Right Prime Minister, said coldly: "You also know that this is an excuse, so why can't you find the same excuse to attack us? In the past few years, which country in the Western Region has not attacked and plundered the east
The caravan coming here? As for whether it is going back on its word? What if the Yanqi Kingdom is willing to become a vassal of the Zhao army?"
"vassal?" Bai Yi and others were shocked. This word had not appeared for many years. After the middle period of the Yan Dynasty, the countries in the Western Regions had never become vassals. But this did not mean that they could not accept it.
In the early period of the Yan Dynasty, the Chu Kingdom before the Yan Dynasty and all the countries in the Western Regions were vassals of the Han Dynasty in the east.
Li Shu said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I believe that the current Zhao Jun also wants the countries in the Western Regions to surrender to him and restore them to the situation hundreds of years ago. In this way, not only will the trade routes of the countries in the Western Regions be able to pass, but also
It can greatly increase the reputation of the leader of the Zhao army and help him fight for the world."
"It is not unacceptable to write down the vassals of the Central Plains Dynasty. In this way, not only can our countries be pacified, but we can also trade with the Han people, which will be beneficial to us."
He Li frowned and said, "If that's the case, then why did Zhao Jun want to destroy the Yanqi Kingdom?"
Li Shu said in a deep voice: "If there is no other, to establish power, kill the chicken to show the monkeys. In order to make all countries surrender, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of troops that have gathered around Dunhuang, we must also let other countries see their power.
The envoys of Zhao Jun have already told the minister that what they need is the safety of the passing trade routes. In addition, they also want to restore the old appearance of the Western Region Protectorate of the Han Dynasty hundreds of years ago. If there is anyone who refuses to obey, the army will attack them.
Of."
"Li Shu, have you accepted Zhao Jun's benefits? Why have you been helping Zhao Jun to speak up!" Seeing what Li Shu said, the elderly Bai Yi immediately shouted angrily, "How dare you meet with Zhao Jun's envoy in private? You are too bold.
"
The slightly fat middle-aged Li Shu said coldly: "Master Bai, it is true that Li met with Zhao Jun's people, but they came to him on their own. I would like to ask, who among you sirs has not been approached by Zhao Jun?"
?Master Bai, didn't Zhao Jun also look for you? It's just that you expelled him out of the door in a pretentious manner."
"Does Master Bai want me to fight with the Zhao army in the Kingdom of Qiuci before you are satisfied? Do you want to see Yanqi and the Zhao army come to attack you? Are you happy? Strength! It is not easy for us to fight against Yanqi. If we add Zhao
Army, hum... getting real benefits is the most important thing, as for a nominal surrender, vassal, what's so important?"
"Okay, stop arguing and send out troops! If we can destroy Yanqi, even if we do not divide the country, we will have eliminated a great harm. In addition, tell the Zhao army envoy that if they have no intention of invading our country, our country is willing to become a vassal state of Zhao."
King He Li of Qiuci State gave the final word.
It's not that the King of Kucha is afraid of the Zhao army, but that for more than ten years, he has been at war with Yanqi without interruption, which has made everyone in the Kucha kingdom tired of war. In addition, it is not unacceptable to surrender to the Zhao army. If the Zhao army
Restoring the old trade routes is also a great thing for the Kingdom of Qiuci.
"Li Shu, it's your responsibility to contact Zhao Jun to send troops. As long as they don't have any special requirements, we can make an agreement to send troops."
The Yanqi Kingdom has fifteen cities under its jurisdiction. Of course, compared with the Han cities, they can only be called big towns. However, they also have more than 40,000 armored men. The one closest to Zhao Jun Yiwu Mansion is Lan
The reason for the city is that outside the city, there is a Lan River to supply the needs of the people in the city.
In Yiwu Prefecture, 75,000 Zhao troops, two town troops and one guard army have been stationed. Zhao Xun, Situ Liang, Li Chenfeng, Wei Zilin, Xu Ye and others gathered in Yiwu Prefecture.
among.
"Zilin, how is the situation with contacting Gao Changguo?"
Wei Zilin shook his head and said: "The situation is not very good. The Gaochang Kingdom has no intention of joining our coalition to attack Yanqi, and is extremely dissatisfied with our attempt to restore the old Han Dynasty Protectorate. The king of the Gaochang Kingdom even secretly signaled that these countries in the Western Regions
There is no need for others to interfere in issues between countries."
"Besides, Gaochang State doesn't seem to pay much attention to our Zhao army. In the past, tens of thousands of Liangzhou troops were routed thousands of miles away, so what can our Zhao army do?" It can be heard from Wei Zilin's words that the Liangzhou army
The actions of the prefectures and counties in the west of Liangzhou have begun to look down upon by these small countries. Thinking about the early days of the founding of the Yan Dynasty, when it was so powerful that all the countries in the western region surrendered, everyone couldn't help but sigh.
"Oh? It seems that the reputation of the Liangzhou Army is not small among the countries in the Western Regions! However, that's fine. Let them underestimate us, and we can make them taste even greater pain!" Zhao Xun couldn't help but sneered secretly.
"I don't know how to praise!" Situ Liang sneered, "What a good man who doesn't need anyone else's intervention! My lord, from my point of view, once Yanqi is destroyed, the next target should be him."
Wei Zilin continued: "As for the Kingdom of Kucha, because it is far away, there is no reply yet, but if nothing unexpected happens, there should be no problem. We have bribed many important officials of the Kingdom of Kucha in the Kingdom of Kucha, and we will unite
Kucha State’s action of sending troops should be approved.”
"In addition, the Kucha Kingdom has been fighting for years and the people's livelihood has been in decline. The officials and dignitaries of the Kucha Kingdom are also extremely enthusiastic about our suggestions for restoring trade."
"That's good! However, we have gathered a large number of troops here, and the Yanqi Kingdom on the opposite side is also prepared. This time, we must be prepared for a tough battle. We must show off the prestige of our Great Zhao and let the countries in the Western Regions take a good look at it.
Zhao is not the Great Yan of the past, let alone the Liangzhou army that gave in."
"Xu Ye, how is the situation in Lancheng across the way?"
"Reporting to my lord, Lancheng has gathered 10,000 Yanqi soldiers, and Lancheng is also making defensive preparations."
"Ten thousand? It seems that this Yanqi country really regards us as the Liangzhou army." Situ Liang said in a deep voice, "This battle must not only be fought, but also must be fast, ruthless, and fierce. We will be able to defeat Yanqi in one go."
.As long as Lancheng is captured quickly, the next
As we move forward, neither the Gaochang Kingdom to the north nor the Kucha Kingdom to the west dare to have any thoughts about us, and the Kucha Kingdom will do its best, and it will be convenient for us to attack Gaochang Kingdom in the future.
many."
"We will start taking action when the news from Qiuci Kingdom comes back! By the way, Zhentian Lei will also be used this time, so that the countries in the Western Regions can take a good look at it. I, Zhao, am not the Liangzhou Army."
Suddenly, the entire western part of Liangzhou, from Dunhuang to Yiwu Mansion, was in action. The army was mobilized, and grain and grass supplies began to be transported to Yiwu Mansion in a steady stream. The pipelines were all filled with carriages transporting army supplies. Suddenly,
The entire area around Yiwu Mansion began to become lively. Both the Yanqi and Gaochang Kingdoms stepped up their defenses and sent a large number of spies to investigate the situation of the Zhao army in Yiwu Mansion.
Because of Zhao Jun's Western Expedition, the princes of the Central Plains also started a new round of actions. No one expected that the original King Yong and the current King of Shu would be the first to wield a sword during the mourning period of Situ Lei.
, took the lead in waving the army and began to move eastward. The Shu army that entered Jiaozhou began to attack the part of Jiaozhou that was still in the hands of the Qi army from south to north. The Shu army in Yizhou and Ningzhou began to move eastward, attacking Jiang
state.
In the land of Yangzhou, the Qi army once again fought with the Xuzhou army, which is now the Chu army, and in the land northeast of Yangzhou. The Tang army in Jingzhou also began to move south, and also began to attack Jiangzhou, fighting with the Shu army and the Qi army.
Fight for the western part of Jiangzhou.
The most fundamental reason why the Chu Army and the Tang Army started attacking so quickly is because the Yanzhou Army suddenly became the Zhao Army. Whether it was the Chu Army or the Tang Army, they were all connected with the Yanzhou Army.
They were equal to each other, but now, they found that the Yanzhou Army beside them, who had the same status as themselves, had now turned into a northern tiger, which made them anxious.
Anyone can see that if you want to fight against the Zhao army now, in addition to the alliance of the southern princes, it is to annex others and make yourself the overlord of the south. However, if you want to make several princes who hate each other form an alliance, that is simply
Impossible. Therefore, taking immediate action is the best way. Therefore, after learning about the Zhao army's westward expedition and the news that King Zhao personally appeared in the west of Liangzhou, these princes waved their weapons one after another.
"Everyone, what do you think?" Situ Hao raised the letter in his hand and asked the important ministers around him.
"Your Majesty, the King of Shu wants us to be swordsmen, so we can't just accept it," Prince Zuo Cheng said.
"My subordinates think it is feasible. Now in our land of Yongzhou, Zhao Jun is to the east and north, and the Hanzhong King's territory to the west has no way out except developing to the south. Zhao Jun is powerful, and we can have a sudden attack at any time.
There is a risk of overturning. Now the King of Shu is restraining the Tang army from the south, and we are going from north to south. This is a good opportunity." Xu Ji, the right minister of the palace, expressed different opinions.
What Situ Hao had in his hand was nothing else but a letter from King Shu Che, inviting him to jointly send troops to attack the Tang army. Situ Hao was also very anxious about the situation he was in, but unlike other princes, it was difficult for him to expand outward.
Xu Ji was born in the military. Naturally, he did not want his own side to watch helplessly when all the princes in the world were taking action, "My lord, even if the king of Shu intends to use us as swordsmen, now we have no choice but to go south."
, there is no other way out. Furthermore, in order to expand and compete with the King of Shu for Jiangzhou, most of the Tang army has moved south, and fewer are stationed in the north. This is indeed an opportunity. It would be a pity to miss it.
Wang Dao frowned and said: "Although I think what Mr. Xu said is true, the troops in our hands are not enough to attack southward. Because we still have to guard against the Zhao army in the north and east, and there are not many troops at our disposal.
Although Zhao Jun is currently marching westward, his attention is focused on the west
However, even the troops stationed by the Zhao army in the northern states are far from our opponents. Once we and the Tang army are anxious to fight on the southern front, who can guarantee that the Zhao army will not suddenly attack us? Expansion is a good thing, but it cannot
Because of expansion, the foundation has been lost!”
After saying this, Xu Ji also began to frown. He had only thought about expansion before, but he had forgotten that there was a tiger lying beside him.