On the Gobi Desert, the sun was scorching, and the army was marching quickly.
Everyone had a thirsty mouth and carefully kept the water in the water bag. Unless they couldn't hold it anymore, they would not take a sip.
Shao Sheng, who had been able to take a bath a few days ago, had not taken a bath for several days. He slept alone at night because he was sweating and had no time to scrub, and the smell of women was too strong, which made him feel horrified.
Although life is inconvenient, it is still very pleasant mentally.
They haven't encountered anyone for a long time since Zhu Jin defeated that small tribe. It can be seen that in this arid place with little rain, there are not many nomads.
At the same time, I feel very sad. Without a businessman who is familiar with the roads to lead the way, it is really difficult to travel through this area. Legend has it that there are more than ten rivers in this area, but in such a big place, you can run around blindly.
Can you really find it before you die of thirst?
When they arrived at Yegan Lake (Arakpo), they sent several more messengers south.
In fact, as early as June, a group of envoys had already gone south to the Hexi Corridor. However, no news has been sent back yet. I don't know whether it was because of the long journey or because they were lost in the desert. It's hard to say.
A great war broke out at Yegan Lake in the 25th year of Kublai Khan's reign (1288). Haidu took advantage of Kublai Khan's lack of time to look west and led his army to march eastward, but failed to capture it.
In the Qing Dynasty, this place was named Arakpo and was located at the rear end banner of the right wing of Zasak Tuhan.
Generally speaking, this is a relatively fertile place in the Gobi Desert, so the army stayed here for two days to replenish supplies.
Today is the seventh day of July, and it has been more than a month since the expedition. Most of the daily necessities carried by the army have been consumed, and even many vehicles have been abandoned due to lack of replacement parts.
Shao Shude's beard grew very long and he was too lazy to cut it.
The spirits of the accompanying officials and palace officials were obviously not as good as they were a month ago. Not only were they physically tired, but they were also mentally tired. Especially after entering the Gobi Desert, they found that they were not as good as the grasslands they had walked on before, which was a bit disappointing.
On the contrary, some young officials of the Hanlin Academy were in high spirits, as if they had transformed into frontier poets who went to Luntai and other places during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, making friends and singing to each other.
Good, very energetic!
Today, some livestock were slaughtered to give everyone extra meals, mainly the pack horses that were in the way. After entering the Gobi, they were nothing compared to the camels, and their value plummeted. Therefore, the auxiliary soldiers selected some pack horses that had lost a lot of weight and slaughtered them.
Come on, there isn't that much luggage for them to carry anyway.
In the evening, Shao Shude summoned Yang Yao, the head of the Lifan Academy, Zhao Kuangning, the deputy envoy to the Bei Yamen, Du Hong, the privy minister, Chu Zhongye, the young eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lang Cui, the secretary, Cui Miao, the right supplementary, Liu Qu, the living room official, and other civil servants.
As well as Zheng Yong, Yang Liang, Wang Jianji, Wang Chong and other generals, they discussed the next step.
"I sent people to Suzhou last month, but failed to contact Zang Dubao. Today I sent people south to Guazhou. The messenger only traveled for half a day, but Xu Hao sent news from the rear..." At this point, Shao Shude asked people to open the door.
He picked up a jar of wine and said with a smile: "We don't have much in stock. I'm in a good mood today. Let's drink it with all the ladies."
"Your Majesty, where has Commander Zang's army arrived?" Yuan Xingqin asked impatiently.
At the end of May, when they last received news, they knew that the vanguard of the southern army had arrived near Guazhou in mid-May.
At this rate, by the end of May, not to mention the vanguard, all the front, middle and rear armies on the South Road should be gathered in Dunhuang.
Dunhuang has more than three years of grain, grass, supplies, and an expanded military camp. After resting here for ten days, the army's morale and physical strength gradually recovered. By mid-June at the latest, it would be time to launch an attack on Yinzhou (today's Hami). Zhao
The king raided Yinzhou last year, and the fight should not be too difficult. If everything goes well, he will have rested in Yinzhou City.
"Zang Dubao has captured Yinzhou." Shao Shude stopped talking and said: "On the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, Fu Cunxun, Yang Can and others led 5,000 troops from Dunhuang to the north. Ye Li conquered the city and Li Cunxu, the second general, led 3,000 troops.
Marching west from Guazhou, they arrived at Yinzhou City on June 15th. The thieves came out of the city to fight, but were defeated and returned. The armies surrounded the city and attacked fiercely. Ma Sixun led Ju Ziman to climb first and was wounded several times.
He pulled it out. Then he divided his troops and plundered the countryside. The thieves were shocked and fled."
"Happy!" Yuan Xingqin took the wine bowl, drank it down, and shouted.
"Zang Du had so many soldiers and horses, why did he only send more than 10,000 troops to attack Yinzhou?" Chu Zhongye asked.
"Young Master Chu doesn't know. Whether you take the Jigang Road from Shazhou and go north to Yinzhou, or take the Fifth Road from Guazhou to Yinzhou, it's not easy to walk and the distance is not close. Especially if you go west from Guazhou, you have to go through it.
Mohe Yanqi is difficult to walk through." Zheng Yong smiled slightly and explained.
Mohe Yanqi, known as Shahe in ancient times, "is eight hundred miles long, with no flying birds, no animals below, and no water or grass."
When Master Xuanzang passed by here, "for four nights and five days, his food and stomach were dry and charred, and he was almost dead."
The desert, Gobi and Yadan landforms of Liusha River left a deep impression on Xuanzang, and he almost died.
When marching in such a place, there is no need to send too many people, which will only increase the logistical burden in vain. Select a small number of elite vanguards (cannon fodder), bring enough food and water, and spare no expense on horses, camels and other draft animals, forcefully cross the Gobi, and rush to the gate of Yinzhou City
That would be easier to handle.
If the enemy couldn't hold on, they would loot everywhere. This time the enemy couldn't hold back and actually fought in the field. You're welcome. But Shao Shude still saw the intensity of the battle from the military reports. Ma Sixun, this reckless man, was really reckless.
, took the lead in climbing up the mountain first, and achieved the first success in the Western Expedition.
"That's it." Chu Zhongye picked up the wine bowl and thanked Zheng Yong.
He is a civil servant and is not afraid of embarrassment. The eldest daughter, Chu, spent the most nights with the saint, probably more than any other in the harem. The younger daughter looks very similar to her elder sister, and the saint likes her very much, but it is a pity that she did not take her with her this time.
come out.
Whatever it is, he is afraid of birds!
"Your Majesty, the Uighurs must be greatly shocked when Yinzhou is captured. I believe that the Pugu clan will probably gather a large army to march eastward in an attempt to recapture Yinzhou. Otherwise, if the eastern barrier is lost, Xizhou will not be stable." Yang
Yao said.
"That should be the case." Shao Shude said.
This is the latest news, and the following news has not yet been transmitted. Perhaps Zang Dubao's army has arrived in Yinzhou, and it is unknown whether it has fought a main battle with the Uighurs.
The long distance, dangerous environment, and inconvenient news were the main problems faced by this western expedition.
Different environments create different modes of war.
When conquering Yunnan, the army was mostly infantry, and the main problems it faced were the hot and humid environment and epidemic diseases.
During the expedition to the Western Regions, Shao Shude led mainly cavalry and mounted infantry. The main problem he faced was logistics, and the epidemic was not obvious.
"The brave will be killed by starvation, and the timid will be starved to death." Shao Shude drank half a bowl of wine and said: "As long as Zang Du can save his entire army from being annihilated, the Uighurs must mobilize all their troops and prepare for battle. I have made up my mind to go south and north.
Court, swept through all the tribes, and then attacked the Uighurs with the army on the southern route."
If the Uighurs had not been annihilated by the southern army first...
******
They say they are heading south, but they are actually heading southwest.
After leaving Yegan Lake, the army first headed west, walking along the southern foot of the Beita Mountains.
The so-called Beita Mountains, also called Baishan Mountains, have the Junggar Basin to the west and south, which later became the Sino-Mongolian Boundary Mountains. The climate in this area is relatively humid, with dense forests, river valleys, and grasslands. It is ideal for marching on semi-arid grasslands.
For people who have lived in Xia for a long time, it is a rare place of respite.
Beita Mountain was also the northern boundary of Tingzhou and Yinzhou in the Tang Dynasty. Further north from here, past Jinshan Mountain, is the legendary Jiankun Prairie, the territory of the Xigasi people.
On July 20th, Wang Yanzhang climbed the hillside and looked down at the plains.
He, Oritsugu Yu, and Zhu Jin are actually considered pioneers.
As a right-wing patrol envoy, I have been on the road for almost fifty days. I have been with the noisy sheep all day long, but I haven't fought a single battle. It's really unreasonable.
The soldiers who came with him complained privately that Wang Yanzhang was overcast with dark clouds and had very bad luck.
Zhu Jin even killed a small tribe and robbed a lot of cattle and sheep. The brothers were able to sleep with women for a few nights.
Oritsugu Yuya also attacked and killed a caravan (this...) and obtained some wealth.
They just ate sand along the way and didn't touch anything.
Wang Yanzhang was under a lot of pressure.
Fortunately, things changed today! As the first unit to arrive south of Beita Mountain, they discovered an enemy pasture.
This pasture is quite unique. There are sand moraine on all sides, but there are good water and grass within a radius of twenty miles. It is a typical oasis. There is a city in the oasis, which cannot be seen clearly from a distance. It is not very big overall and can station more than a thousand soldiers.
Remarkable.
According to the scouts' report on approaching reconnaissance, the enemies in the oasis were poorly guarded and had many women and children. Not many men were seen, so it was easy to capture. Wang Yanzhang thought for a long time and felt that it was time to close down.
"Do it!" He no longer hesitated, went down the hillside, got on his horse, and took out his iron gun.
The morale of the sergeants who had already prepared was greatly boosted.
"Go!" Wang Yanzhang pointed his iron gun and said loudly.
"Catch them!" the sergeants shouted in unison.
The raging wave of cavalry left the foothills and rushed southward.
Amid the sky full of smoke and dust, we quickly crossed the Gobi Desert and saw Populus euphratica forest and lakes in the distance.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The arrows fell like raindrops.
The shepherd who was tending sheep on the grass rolled and crawled towards the horse. After only a few steps, he staggered and fell by the stream.
There was also a young man who was crying and yelling, but the iron cavalry came towards him and hit him hard on the face, cracking his skull.
Killing always starts inadvertently.
Thousands of cavalry rushed into the undefended oasis like hungry wolves.
The arrow missed and chased the young man.
The saber struck the old man with white beard and hair.
The knight with a grin on his face bent down, picked up the woman, and threw her across the saddle.
Moreover, the soldiers from Liaodong, like hunting wild beasts, circled around and drove the fleeing herdsmen into a pile.
They were running in a circle, and when they saw a man in the crowd, they swung an arrow and chased after him.
The Uyghurs cried out loudly and suffered heavy casualties.
They never thought that one day such a fierce enemy would come from the north, and they would kill them all regardless of the reason.
Fortunately, most of the men in the tribe were conscripted away, leaving only a few hundred men, and half of them lay down when they met each other. The rest were also chased by the enemy's cavalry, and were in a miserable state.
Subsequent reinforcements from Fengzhou Prefecture soldiers rushed into the walled city and dismounted to fight on foot.
The hastily organized Uighurs were no match at all, and were defeated by their superb martial arts and skilled teamwork. Looking from a distance, they looked like a group of strong men beating children, without any suspense.
The tribe's auxiliary soldiers dispersed to various places to collect the scattered cattle, sheep, horses and camels to prevent them from escaping.
In only half an hour, the battle was almost over.
The raid on the grassland was so fast, so bloody, and so cruel!