Finally, the dust settled, and the political structure was basically established. All the officials thought that the decision on Yuan Feng was wise and wise. It was the right way to not proclaim the king for the time being, surrender to the Zhou Dynasty, and focus on the management of the Western Regions.
The Western Region has not yet been pacified, Timur's empire has fallen apart, and wars have rekindled in various places. Now is a great time to expand the territory. Originally, Yuan Feng was worried that no one would be in charge of the overall situation in the rear after he went on an expedition. Now that Cao Yanhui is serving as the Zhongshu Ling, he can also
What's there to worry about?
The envoys sent to the Great Zhou Dynasty and the tribute items were all being prepared and arranged. The establishment of government offices at all levels, the expansion of Dunhuang City, and the construction of the royal palace were all left to the civilian officials. What Yuan Feng had to do was to send troops to march westward.
, planting Liang’s flag throughout the Western Region.
At the Grand Campus outside Dunhuang City, banners were being hunted, cavalry were in full bloom, and the Western Expeditionary Army was getting ready. Fifty thousand soldiers were silent, waiting quietly for the Grand Marshal's review. The rapid sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and Yuan Feng roared in uniform.
Come, followed closely by a group of cavalry in bright uniforms and holding flags high. When the drums on the general stage subsided, one person shouted: "The generalissimo is here!"
One hundred thousand heels gathered together, and fifty thousand swords and guns were raised together, uniformly and with breathtaking momentum. Yuan Feng ran to the front of the army, reined in his horse and stopped, shouting in the sky: "You, there are Tibetans, Qiang people, Turks
Humans and Han Chinese, your eyes and appearance are different, and the gods you believe in are also different, but today, you only have one common name, Xiliang Army! In the Xiliang Army, there are no national boundaries, only the commonwealth of life and death!"
As he spoke, he drew his sword out of its sheath and pointed to the west, "There are endless pastures for cattle and sheep, children, treasures, and silk. As long as you kill the enemy bravely, it doesn't matter whether you were a herdsman, a monk, or a lowly slave, you have the right to own it.
All that, including the title of prince and general, the glory of the court, everything is right in front of you, now I declare that the army will march westward!"
Commands came one after another from the army, and the troops turned in turn and headed west. Yuan Feng still sat upright on his horse, with a forest of flags behind him. Each group of soldiers passing in front of him turned their heads and paid attention, with their heads bowed.
Slightly raised, with neat and neat movements, Yuan Feng also raised his riding whip to his forehead to return the salute to them, while a line of honor guards behind him raised their long swords in front of their noses in a military salute.
The army meandered away, and Yuan Feng rode his horse towards the general station. Cao Yanhui brought a group of officials to pay homage. After seeing Yuan Feng wearing the white robe of the moon that day, all the officials in Xiliang followed suit and wore white robes.
Knowing that the price of white cloth had increased in Dunhuang City, Yuan Feng told Cao Yanhui a few words, and then turned to Hermione. Hermione had a sad look on her face, holding the corners of her clothes in her hands, and seemed hesitant to speak.
"I know, I understand." Yuan Feng said.
After this incident, the engagement between Prince Alai and Hermione was automatically terminated, and the relationship between the Qiang Kingdom and Wuszang instantly dropped to a freezing point. Alai is still imprisoned in a cell in Dunhuang as a hostage in Xiliang, and the Qiang King
After returning home, she also suffered a serious illness. She just sent a letter yesterday, asking His Highness to return to the country immediately. Hermione knew that her father had been ill from overwork for many years, and he was afraid that he would be in danger this time. State affairs and family affairs naturally took precedence over the personal relationships of his children, so
She had to rush back to Qiang country immediately.
It happened to be that Yuan Feng was going on an expedition, so the two of them had to part ways with each other. How could it not make people sad, but after all, these two were not ordinary children, so they just said they cherish each other, and everything went without saying.
The army disappeared into the vast desert, and Hermione's cavalry also headed south. On the city wall of Dunhuang, Cao Yanhui looked at the sunset and said with sincere emotion: "A new era is about to begin again."
"Father, was that person the one who created the new era?" Cao Xiu, who was wearing a skirt, said from the side. Since Liangzhou came to Dunhuang, Cao Xiu had regained her daughter's body. In fact, this was a strategy of Cao Yanhui.
He planned to marry this young daughter, whom he had always raised as his son, to Yuan Feng to ensure the safety and status of the Cao family, and then gradually seize the power of Xiliang.
But after knowing Yuan Feng's true identity, this plan was automatically abandoned. Yuan Feng was a matter of the former Han Dynasty prince. Only Cao Yanhui, Zhou Ze'an and Yuan Feng knew about it. Cao Xiu didn't know about it, so he thought the plan had not changed. Looking at
The sinking sun asked: "Is it true that after that person comes back, my daughter will..."
"This matter is over, don't mention it again." Cao Yanhui said. When he made this plan, he was still a little reluctant. He felt that Yuan Feng, a warrior, was not worthy of his daughter. Now it is completely reversed. What is his identity and what is his daughter?
There is a big gap between their identities. If Yuan Feng likes his daughter and is willing to accept her as his concubine, then that is fate. If he does not like her, that is fate.
"Why?" Cao Xiu was very unhappy, but she could only bury it in her heart. She was a little girl after all. How could she have the nerve to ask directly when she was involved in such a thing.
Zhao Ding'an's army had already reached Aksu along the Tarim River, and Yuan Feng's army followed the Altyn Mountains and Kunlun Mountains to the west and conquered Ruoqiang, Yutian, Hotan, and Yarkand. The two armies met in Kashgar.
::Continue to the west and cross the high mountains to reach Samarkand, Timur's hometown. It is said to be a majestic city with the most spectacular palaces and mosques in the world, as well as rare treasures that Timur looted from all over the world.
Bao is simply a city made of wealth.
But at this time, the situation in Central Asia was already turbulent. It is said that Persia, India, and all the people under Timur's cruel rule began to take up arms to resist, and wars were everywhere.
The road to Samarkand is difficult to walk. There is a natural barrier in front of us. Thousands of miles of mountains are difficult to cross. The Xiliang Army has also reached the end of its strength. After all, this is an army with a high rate of firearms equipment and relies on logistics.
The security is very high, and all the baggage must be transferred from Dunhuang. The materials in Dunhuang are purchased from the Central Plains. The supply line is too long, and it is inevitable to make the same mistake as Timur.
Summer has passed, autumn is coming, and there are good harvests everywhere in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. The soldiers are beginning to miss home. Although the wealth of Samarkand is waving in the distance, Yuan Feng resolutely ordered the army to stop at the Uzbeli Pass and temporarily repair troops.
, let’s digest the territory we swallowed first.
Yuan Feng was wise. The land in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains alone was enough for him to digest for several years. If he went deep into Central Asia, he would probably be trapped in the mud, and in the end he would even have to vomit out what he had eaten.
The Xiliang army ceased fighting, but it did not mean that Yuan Feng gave up control of Central Asia. He singled out the Turkic prisoners of war from the Central Plains of the army and handed them over to the command of Shaharu, asking him to return to his homeland to seize power. Xiliang will be behind it
Support him.
This move was more clever. I couldn't capture Samarkand, so I asked people to disrupt the situation. In short, the more chaotic Central Asia is, the better. Shaharu didn't expect Yuan Feng to trust him so much. He shed tears of gratitude and swore to the sun and the moon that from now on,
We will always be Xiliang's ally, and our two countries will always be friendly.
Shaharul led his troops away, and another contender was added to the magnificent stage of Central Asia. At the same time, Chagatai Khan Chujian also left the Ili River and advanced towards Central Asia. As agreed,
.The territory starting from the Irtysh River in the north to the Tianshan Mountains in the south, including Luntai, Ili and other cities, was all assigned to Xiliang.
Since then, the territory of Xiliang has gradually developed a rough outline, starting from the Altai Mountains in the north, Kunlun Mountains in the south, the Tianshan Mountains in the west as natural boundaries, and Liangzhou in the east. The huge territory of a hundred thousand miles is all fluttering.
A fiery red flag: "Cool."
For the new territory north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, Yuan Feng gave an appropriate name: Xinjiang.
Xinjiang means new territory, bounded by the Tianshan Mountains, the northern area is the Northern Xinjiang Protectorate, the south is the Southern Xinjiang Protectorate, and Turpan and Hami in the east are the jurisdiction of the Eastern Xinjiang Protectorate, Liangzhou, and Ganzhou
, Suzhou is the Hexi Protectorate, and Dunhuang is the capital.
Yuan Feng rewarded the generals in Kashgar and allowed them to run horses and enclose the land in one day. They could enclose as much land as they could. Anyway, the land was vast and sparsely populated, and the land was left uncultivated. Only when the land was allocated to the soldiers could they take root.
Border, guard the border here with peace of mind.
After settling the border guards, Yuan Feng returned eastward with peace of mind. Zhao Ding'an, the governor of the Southern Xinjiang Protectorate, accompanied the general marshal back to Beijing. On the way, Zhao Ding'an was still full of complaints, complaining that Yuan Feng did not mention his troops to advance westward and destroyed Samarkand.
Give up your treasure to others.
"What's yours must be yours. If it's not yours, even if God gives it to you, you will take it back." Yuan Fengduan sat on his horse and said calmly.
Zhao Ding'an was unhappy: "We have reached the door, only a few hundred miles away. It would be a pity to give up so hard!"
"Back then, Timur also attacked the city of Liangzhou, but he was defeated in the same way. Samarkand is a great city, and the defense facilities and the determination of the soldiers and civilians in the city are no worse than those of the people in Liangzhou. Are you confident that you can capture this city?" Yuan
Feng asked.
"Yes, I am confident that we can take Samarkand in three months." Zhao Ding'an was still unconvinced.
"If your weapon is cut off, will you still have the confidence?"
"What? Could it be that..."
"That's right." Yuan Feng said solemnly: "Food and grass can still be collected on the spot, but weapons and ammunition cannot. Our arms can no longer last long."
"But isn't it being built in Liangzhou?"
"The copper, iron, tin, saltpeter, and sulfur we use all have to be imported from the Central Plains. Now that the Central Plains has been closed off, any materials are strictly prohibited from flowing into the Western Regions. Even the tea-horse trade has stopped. How can we continue to fight?"
Zhao Ding'an was silent. Although Xiliang was strong, it was only superficial, and its basic industry was far worse than that of the Central Plains. He was a blacksmith and knew the backwardness of the Western Regions. There was not even a blacksmith furnace capable of making horseshoes within hundreds of miles, so there was nothing.
The vast amount of mineral resources cannot be effectively utilized. It is indeed a pity that the Zhou Dynasty closed the border at this time, which is equivalent to blocking the throat of Xiliang. It also shows that the Zhou Dynasty has begun to pay attention to this emerging neighbor.