When Zhao Boyuan conquered the north, thousands of troops were riding their horses towards the Hexi Corridor.

On the banks of the Yellow River, the five-star dragon-patterned flag fluttered on the quaint and heavy Lanzhou City. Last year, without any support, Li Dingguo took five months to conquer this strong city.

Lanzhou was destroyed, Han Dai, the head of the Red Banner of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Yong, the general of Gansu, was killed, and the Qing army in the northwest was broken, and it became a natural thing to sweep from Lanzhou to other places.

The five-month siege battle left a trace in Lanzhou City is clearly visible. Just leading the partial army in Ningxia, he was able to Clanzhou City, and Wanjun liked Li Dingguo more and more.

In history, Li Dingguo was a tragic hero. When he was full of effort, he led the remnants of the Daxi Army to support the Ming Dynasty. Although he fought against the two famous kings in the south and north, unfortunately, his ambitions were still hard to fulfill in the end.

After a brief rest in Lanzhou City, the army continued to set out to the northwest and entered the narrow Hexi Corridor.

The south of the Hexi Corridor is the tall Qilian Mountains, and to the north are Yanzhi Mountains and large Gobi Deserts. The narrow and narrow area in the middle has become the barometer of China. When Chinese civilization flourishes, it will enter the Western Regions and suppress the nomadic peoples in the north from two directions.

From the Hexi Corridor to the northwest, passing Wuwei to Zhangye, it is hard to see the lushness of the Central Plains here, and the yellow sand in the sky has become the main color. On the yellow sand pier, the smoke and dust brought by the galloping horses can be seen for several miles.

Li Dingguo was in Zhangye City and received news of the arrival of thousands of troops. He quickly ordered his troops and rode his horse twenty miles east to greet him.

Seeing Wan Jun, Li Dingguo turned over and dismounted, clasped his fists and saluted, "Welcome the head of state."

Wan Jun also turned around and dismounted, "Dingguo does not need to be polite. I heard that you have settled in the northwest and come and have a chance to take a look."

Li Ding National Highway, "Yes, most of Gansu has decided. How will the troops and horses act next? Follow the orders of the head of state."

Wan Jun said, "Okay, you ride with me, I have something to ask you."

Li Dingguo responded, got on his horse again and followed Wan Jun. Wan Jun said, "It is said that there is a seven guards in the northwest of the court. Please tell me in detail."

Li Ding National Highway, "The Seven Guards of Guanxi were enthroned in the early Ming Dynasty. Seven Guards were enthroned west of Jiayuguan. After Jiayuguan, they were Chijin Mongolian Guards, Shazhou Guards, and Handong Zuo Guards. The northwest of the northwest was called Hami Guards. The Anding Guards, Aduan Guards, and Quxian Guards. These seven Guards were collectively called Guanxi Seven Guards."

Wan Jun said, "What is the situation of the Seven Guards of Guanxi?"

Li Ding National Highway, "The Head of State does not know anything. He had already attached himself to the seven guards in Guanxi during the Jiajing period. It has been more than a hundred years now. The situation west of Jiayuguan is still being investigated, and what he knows is not detailed."

Wanjun sighed, "The northwest land is vast and magnificent. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, China was able to cross the Pamir Mountains, but now it can only guard Jiayuguan. What a pity."

While speaking, everyone rushed to Zhangye City. On the ancient loess city, several bright red dragon-patterned five-star flags fluttered in the wind.

In front of the curved city wall, the gate of the urn city was opened, and everyone rushed into the city, heading straight to a government office in the center of the city. This place was originally the Admiral's Office of the Ganzhou Army Commander of the Qing Dynasty. After Li Dingguo was in charge of Zhangye, he changed this place to his residence.

On the lobby of the government office, there was a freehand map. Wan Jun took it and looked at it again and again. If it weren't for the words Zhangye, Dunhuang, etc., he almost thought it was a postmodern painting.

Wan Jun said, "Your map is a bit outrageous. Lanzhou is south of Jiayuguan, ha

The Miweidu was painted outside the Pamir Mountains, and there was also the marked Turpan Khanate."

Li Dingguo said on the side, "This is a map seized from the Gansu General Palace, and it is our only understanding of the Western Regions now."

Wan Jun shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it won't work to understand the Western Regions by relying on this thing."

Li Ding National Highway, "Our army gathered in the Jiayuguan area, and the exploration of horses has been released to Guanxi, which can ensure a smooth advance to Hami."

Wan Jun said, "Okay, follow your plan and I will send troops with you."

After resting in Zhangye City for two days, everything was ready, the army was carrying baggage toward Jiayuguan.

On the south side of the Qilian Mountains, there are many short rivers of ice and snow melting water. Although there are occasionally large areas of yellow sand, it does not threaten the army's logistics. The Yanzhi Mountain in the north is not as tall as the Qilian Mountains, but it is facing the large Gobi desert in Jilin, Badain.

When you walk through the narrow area between mountains and deserts, once you walk from here, you will instantly understand why this place is called the Hexi Corridor.

After seven days of marching, the army finally arrived at Jiayuguan. It is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor. The Great Wall stretches here and finally stops between the valleys.

The entire Jiayuguan is filled with a solemn and tragic atmosphere in the vast yellow sand. The Great Wall that flows from the ridge seems to be hanging in the sky. The city wall extending from the hillside at the entrance of the valley is connected with the city wall of Guancheng.

As the westernmost defense area of ​​the Ming Dynasty, the tall Guancheng is divided into inner city, outer city, Luocheng, urn city, moat and the Great Wall on the north and south wings, with a total scale of more than 120 miles.

On the city wall that is beyond your sight, the city platform, pier and castle city are scattered, and are composed of three defense lines of inner city, outer city and moat, forming a defensive system of five miles, one shovel, ten miles, one pier, thirty miles, one fort, and one fort a hundred miles.

Only when you arrive at Jiayuguan, you will sincerely admire the tenacity and greatness of the Chinese nation, over a thousand years, have fought against the nomadic peoples and established the most splendid civilization in the East.

Standing on the towering city of Guancheng, looking out from afar, the endless yellow sand to the west, and the mountains in the south can still see snow in June.

In the ancient poem, there is "I advise you to have a glass of wine and go west to Yangguan without any friends." Only when you are in Jiayuguan, can you deeply feel the desolate and sadness of this poem. Behind the city of Guancheng is the peaceful and beautiful Central Plains that are lingering in dreams.

In the inner city of Jiayuguan, the 10,000 vanguard troops had been preparing for many days. The vanguard officer was Sun Shoufa, who surrendered to Xing'an Prefecture, and he met Wanjun and others to the guerrilla general's mansion.

"Head of the People's Republic of China, the materials for the Western Expedition are already complete, and only two people who can be guides have been found."

Wan Jun said, "It would be nice to find two. Call the person up and ask them about Hami's situation."

Sun Shoufa responded, waved his hand and a soldier hurriedly left, and soon came up with two dark men. They shrank their heads and glanced into the house, quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Wanjun, "Keep the Lord!"

Wanjun helped the two men up, "The Chinese army knelt down and stood up and talked."

The two of them thanked each other repeatedly and stood there with their bodies cramped.

Wan Jun said, "The army is going to regain Hami's hometown. I want to ask two of you to lead the way. I wonder if you have been to Hami?"

The two of them said repeatedly, "Mr. Sun asked, how many times have we been there."

Wan Jun said, "What are you going to Hami and how long is the distance?"

The two were silent for a while, one of them said,

"Grandpastic. From here to Hami, the villain has sold goods several times in the past, all for the purpose of supporting his family."

Wan Jun nodded and said, "This place has been on the Silk Road since ancient times. What's the crime of selling some goods? When the army recovers Hami, then set up post stations along the road, and you'll be safer to sell goods."

The two were so happy that they heard this, "Thank you, wise and powerful."

Wan Jun waved his hand and said, "You should tell me how far you are to Hami and how the road is."

The two said, "This is very far away from Hami, 1,3400 miles away. There is an ancient Yumen Pass to the west of Jiayuguan. The west of Yumen Pass is Guazhou. This road is not bad. There is also a big river along the way. From Guazhou to the northwest, there is a vast Gobi Desert. It is extremely inconvenient to take supplies from there."

Wan Jundao, “Are there no supply points like oasis along the way?”

The two said, "There are some supply points along the way."

Wan Jun said happily, "That's good. If there is a supply point, the army can pass through it safely."

Li Ding National Highway, "How many soldiers are there in the Turpan Khanate?"

The two of them looked at each other, "Sir, the Turpan Khanate was the past, and it has been destroyed for forty or fifty years now."

Li Dingguo said in surprise, "It is said that the Turpan Khanate repeatedly launched troops to invade, and finally seized the Hami Guard from the Ming Dynasty, forcing the seven guards of Guanxi to be attached. I didn't expect that it had been destroyed for so long, and I don't know who was destroyed by the country. How many soldiers and horses are there in Hami now?"

The two men said, "It was called the Yarkand Khanate. I heard that the family attacked each other. After the Turpan Khanate was destroyed, the troops there were all fighting in the west. There were not many enemies in Hami, about two or three thousand, and at most no more than four or five thousand."

Li Ding National Highway, "Yarkang Khanate, do you say their soldiers are fighting further west?"

"It is said that this is true. I heard that I was fighting the Khanate in the west in the Khanate in the river two years ago."

Another person said, "It's not Hexi, but Heshuot Khanate."

Wan Jun said, "Okay, you two go down to rest first. When the army sets off, there will be more work for you."

The two of them hurriedly bowed, "You are so polite. It is a blessing for a villain to help."

After sending the two, Wan Jun said, "No matter where you fight, I can be sure that it is not peaceful in the west now. The Yarkand Khanate must be internal and external troubles. It is a good time for us to advance. The army is ready and send troops as soon as possible in the next few days."

When everyone heard this, they nodded and said yes. Li Dingguo remembered something and said to Sun Shoufa, "When he conquered Ganzhou, Ningxia General Liu Fangming fled westward. Where are the people now?"

Sun Shoufa said, "This Liu Fangming fled west from Ganzhou. When our army chased him to Jiayuguan, he had already left the pass and fled, and we did not pursue him."

Li Ding National Highway, "It's okay. Go west of Jiayuguan, his troops have no supplies, and only a dead end. It's not too late to go to Hami to pursue him again."

After deciding the strategy, Wanjun transferred Zhang Huangyan to the central army and acted as his personal guard.

Then the army rested in Jiayuguan for one day. Early on the third morning, 30,000 troops gathered, and people shouted and neighed, and came out of the gate and marched towards Hami.

The vanguard brigade with three thousand war horses first, and then the central army carrying guns lined up to move forward. After the central army, there were baggage carried by thousands of camels, and after the baggage battalion, there were seven thousand carts of cannon battalion.

The 30,000 army was full of energy and stepped on the sand and advanced westward under the rustling red flag.
Chapter completed!