Wang Yuan only brought 4,600 cavalry with him, one person and two horses, and they advanced lightly.
Of the 3,000 Han cavalry, due to casualties and illness, only 2,200 were left to fight at this time. The newly attached Ordos cavalry (Yi Bu Ci and Bu Er Hai) also had 1,600 available to fight at this time.
The surrendered general Ya Mulan's cavalry fought more and more. The Turpan cavalry who surrendered were all under his command. At this time, there were 800 people.
As for the cavalry of the Seven Guards of Guanxi, Wang Yuan did not take any of them, leaving them all in Lamu City, Kunmo City and Chijin Fort. In preparation for the withdrawal of the Turpan troops, Xiaolie Tuhui would go crazy and come to rob them.
However, most of the horses of the Seven Guards of Kansai were taken away by Wang Yuan, who promised to return them with profits in the future.
Although these Guanxi cavalry were cowardly, they were still very obedient because they had to listen. If Wang Yuan had not stepped forward to fight against Turpan, they would have been annexed by Turpan in a few years.
It's not just as simple as annexation, you either choose death or change your beliefs!
Wang Yuan led his troops northward from the Barkol Mountain Pass (the remaining mountain range in the eastern part of the Tianshan Mountains) and immediately entered the Barkol Grassland. This is the territory of Xiaolietu. Wang Yuan has been here once before, so he is familiar with the road.
As soon as I crossed the mountain pass, I was quite scared of the little bald bald man.
The Xiaolietu tribe was deceived by Wang Yuan and went to Bican City to plunder some time ago. They harvested a lot, but they were overtaken by Man Su'er and his troops. After a small defeat, they retreated to the grassland and did not dare to move.
"Father, the herdsmen from the south came to report that the Han army had invaded the grassland!" Weng Gaocha rushed into the tent in panic.
Ajiabuliu scolded: "Nonsense, the Han army will only attack Turpan, how could they come to attack us now?"
Weng Gaocha said: "Really, they went west."
"To the west?"
Aji Buliu was startled, stamped his feet and said: "What a ruthless Han people, they want to bypass the Tianshan Mountains and directly attack the rear of Turpan!"
"Bypassing the Tianshan Mountains?" Weng Gaocha was dumbfounded.
Aji Buliu said: "I am already old and cannot bear such trouble. You immediately summon a thousand cavalry, one person and two horses, to chase the Han army."
Weng Gaocha asked: "Why should I pursue the Han army?"
Ajiabuliu said: "Catch up with the Han army and join the Han army. If the attack goes well, then you can benefit from fighting with the Han army. If the attack does not go well, withdraw from Yangji Bali immediately and don't take back the property. Save the tribe."
The man's life is at stake! If you run out of food during the retreat, go to the nearest Heshuo Special Department for help."
"Okay, I'll go right away!" Weng Gaocha was inexplicably excited.
The marching speed of ancient cavalry could reach up to more than three hundred miles per day, but that was an abnormal forced march.
During the Genghis Khan period, the normal marching speed of Mongolian cavalry could reach two hundred miles per day.
Wang Yuan, with one man and two horses, advanced lightly, and only had more than 4,000 surprise troops. Therefore, he was able to march at the same speed as the Mongolian cavalry. He marched about 180 miles per day. After passing through the mountain pass, the road was very easy to walk, and there were all roads along the way.
It’s a prairie, and with the Tianshan Mountains as the coordinates, you don’t have to worry about getting lost!
evening.
Zhu Dangqi jumped off his horse and said to Wang Yuan with a smile: "Scholar Wang, if I had not followed you to fight, I would never have experienced the joy of running thousands of miles in my life. How magnificent!"
"Aren't you tired, Your Majesty?" Wang Yuan asked.
Zhu Dangqi said: "I am so tired that my waist is almost broken. But this is what a good man should be like. Sitting at home all day makes people feel bored."
Wang Yuan took off Ah Hei's harness, stirred salt water to feed the horse, and fed the horse beans. After the horse went to eat the grass by itself, he said, "Your Majesty, are you willing to be the lord of the Western Region?"
Zhu Dangqi said quickly: "Scholar Wang, don't talk nonsense."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "I'm serious. This battle will definitely destroy all the land west of Jiayuguan. To the west and south are the Yerqiang Khanate, to the north are the Xiaolie Tu tribe and the Heshuote tribe, as well as the Yibu tribe. They will go to the West Sea to graze their cattle. Even if Turpan is conquered by then, it will be left alone and surrounded by people. If we only set up guard posts and canonize Mongol princes, the Western Region will surely be corrupted in a few decades."
Zhu Dangqi said: "To be able to stabilize the Western Regions for decades, Wang Xueshi has made extraordinary achievements."
Wang Yuan shook his head and said: "I want to follow the heroic style of the Han and Tang Dynasties and set up the Western Region Capital in Turpan. Of course, it should be called the 'Western Region Dusi' now. There must be a Han prince to colonize and garrison in the Western Region to ensure that this place is owned by the Han family. If Your Majesty is willing, and when this battle is over, I will ask your Majesty to confer your Majesty the title of Prince of Zhenxi, and concurrently serve as the Chief Military Officer of the Western Regions in accordance with the public regulations of the State of Guizhou."
"This matter is inappropriate and will inevitably lead to criticism." Zhu Dangzhen waved his hand.
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "The King of Zhenxi is not enjoying happiness. There are few Han people in the Western Regions and strong enemies are around. Your Majesty, you have to work hard here for at least thirty years before you can achieve any results. During this period, you have to guard against the invasion of foreign enemies. Your Majesty, Would you rather return to Shandong and be a prince with no troops or land, and worry about impeachment by civil servants when acquiring some land? Or would you rather stay in the Western Regions and be a prince who will open up territory for the Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Dangqi remained silent, but in fact his blood was boiling. Who doesn't want to be the Lord of the Western Regions!
Wang Yuan added: "If the prince is willing, I have even chosen the long history of the King of Zhenxi. The man named Zhang Zigao from Hami is sinister and vicious, and is very suitable to assist the prince in guarding the Western Regions."
"Let's talk about it later." Zhu Dangzhi did not refuse directly.
Suddenly, the sentry cavalry who had dispersed rushed back: "General Wang, there are Mongolian cavalry chasing behind us, and they have stopped three miles away."
Wang Yuan ordered the cavalry to prepare for battle, and said to the sentry cavalry: "Go and ask about the situation."
Not long after, Weng Gaocha came to see him on his own horse and knelt down on one knee and said, "I heard that Wang Zongzhi traveled thousands of miles to attack Yangji Bali, and Xiaoli's bald men are willing to sacrifice their lives to accompany him!"
"How many people did you bring?" Wang Yuan asked.
Weng Gaocha replied: "One thousand cavalry and two thousand horses!"
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Then let's march together."
Four thousand six hundred horses, inexplicably became five thousand six hundred horses.
After traveling for another half day, Wang Yuan arrived at Bielsbali City.
In the Tang Dynasty, this city belonged to Jinman County, Tingzhou, and later became the seat of the Beiting Protectorate, and gradually evolved into the capital of the Gaochang Uighurs. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was ruled by the Mongols, and Qiu Chuji once passed here and called the city "big city". There are many monks, Taoists and Confucians in the city.
The Ming Dynasty called the Eastern Chagatai Khanate the Besbali Kingdom, which was actually a beautiful misunderstanding.
Bieshe Bali City has been abandoned and is located on the edge of the Xiaolietu territory. Only some scattered herders are nomadic here.
Wang Yuan ordered the entire army to rest for a while and carefully observe the situation near Bali City. There is snow water flowing from the Tianshan Mountains here, which is very suitable for farming and can be cultivated. No wonder it was once the seat of the Beiting Protectorate.
It's a pity that the Ming Dynasty's finances are so bad, otherwise Wang Yuan would definitely bring troops to rebuild the Beiting Protectorate that belongs to the Ming Dynasty!
Hurrying quickly, a few days later, Wang Yuan arrived at Yangji Bali (Changji).
This is the city at the rear of Turpan!
On the way, we met several small tribes, all belonging to the Heshuote tribe. After Weng Gaozha came to negotiate, these tribes not only let us go, but also offered a small amount of food as gifts.
It is true that the Heshuote Tribe is too weak, consisting of an alliance of large and small tribes. They occasionally fight with the Turghut Tribe in the northwest, or are attacked and plundered by Turpan. They simply do not dare to provoke foreign enemies easily. They are not only polite
He sent Wang Yuan out of the country and sent a guide to show him the way, leading Wang Yuan straight to Yangji Bali by the shortest route.
Thousands of cavalry were tired and sleepy. Wang Yuan rested for half a day in advance, and then ran for dozens of miles straight to Yangji Bali City.