The first of the three most dangerous passes in the ancient Qiuci Kingdom in the Western Regions, it is located at the foot of the mountain to the north of Kuqa controlled by the Khorut Khanate. It is only more than a hundred miles away from the Kuqa Oasis and is the only way to connect to the Baicheng Oasis.
The Yanyangou Valley here is only seven to eight feet wide, and the terrain is particularly dangerous. The Yanyangou Fort is also an important pass on the ancient Tianshan Road and a battleground for military strategists.
After the Ming Dynasty took control of eastern Xinjiang, it began to open up a longitudinal line from Burqin Fort at the foot of the Altai Mountains in the north to Kuqa in the south. There is also a line starting from the west of Jiayu Pass, passing through Yumen, and passing through Xingxing Gorge in Anxi to Hami and Turpan.
Urumqi, Wusu, and Tacheng are horizontal lines, and one line is from Burqinbao, Bohuoksali, Yemili, Wusu, Yuledus, Yanqi, Kuqa, and Baicheng.
vertical line.
The two lines meet at Karawusu, forming a major cross passage in the Western Regions.
The Ming army led by Zhu Dadian followed the Tianshan Post Road out of the Yuledus Prairie and arrived at the Yanyangou Fort in Kuqa, which was the northwest gateway to Baicheng, the northern gateway to Aksu.
After passing this dangerous pass, you can enter the Baicheng Oasis.
Baicheng is a medium-sized oasis in Aksu. There is also a small Heiying Mountain oasis between Baicheng Oasis and Kuqa Oasis. It is the southern end of the Wusun Ancient Road and there is also an important pass.
Yanyangou is a canyon. On the stone wall on the west bank of Yanyangou Canyon is the ruins of the former Yanyangou Fort. At this time, the military flag of the Ming Dynasty was flying above it.
The emperor personally went to the Western Regions to destroy the Yarkands. The Ming army fought as far as Yanqi and Korla, and as far west as Yugul, which was Luntai, where the Western Regions border troops were garrisoned during the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Further west, there is the territory of Aksu Aqimube, Kuqa, and Baicheng. They all belong to the governor of Aksu. According to the agreement, they were given to Julut Khan and Eqil Tuchechen Khan. However, later the Ming army built the Tianshan Longitudinal Line.
At that time, it was repaired all the way to Kuqa.
Oqiltu was defeated and asked the Ming army for rescue. Zhu Dadian immediately sent troops to the west. Not only did he immediately stationed in Kuqa, he also immediately took over the Yanyan ditch, a key pass, repaired and reinforced it here, and also directly entered the Baicheng oasis.
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The efficiency of the Ming army was very high.
When the emperor stopped at Luntai and assigned all the oases in Aksu to Jialut, many generals were not able to accept it. They felt that if they took a step forward, the big piece of fat in Aksu would be theirs.
However, the emperor still insisted on giving Aksu to Jorut. Later, Kashgar was also assigned to him, and the two governor-general offices of Khotan and Yarkand were given to Khoshote Khan.
"At first it seemed that we suffered a big loss due to His Majesty's decision, but looking back now, it is not a loss at all." Zhu Dadian looked at the dangerous canyon in front of him and the flag-fluttering Guancheng, and said to the generals around him with a smile.
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On the road, a multi-ethnic Ming Dynasty's Western Expeditionary Army was lining up in a long line, winding its way like a long dragon.
"During the Western Han Dynasty, Princess Jieyou also entered the Baicheng Oasis via Yanguan, and then arrived at the Wusun Kingdom in the Yinli Valley via the Wusun Ancient Road."
Yanyan Pass is a very small pass in Queligeta Mountain. Only a small number of soldiers and horses can guard this important passage. One man can guard the pass, and no one can open it.
When the Ming army entered the Yanqi Basin, Eqirtu had already moved south from the Yinli Valley to the Wusun Ancient Road to pay homage to the city. It first attracted the main force of Governor Aksu, and then sent troops to dig ice ladders from the Xiata Ancient Road to cross the Tianshan Glacier Canyon, directly
Fight to the Aksu Oasis, capture it in one fell swoop, and attack the east and west with one beautiful move.
Of course, Oqiltu would not spit out the fat in his mouth easily. Yanshui Pass was very dangerous. If the Ming army wanted to seize food from the tiger's mouth, they would inevitably force Oqiltu Khan to fall out.
At that time, the emperor decided to stop at Luntai and digest the Yanqi Basin and Korla Oasis first. It was normal, especially since the emperor’s strategy against the Oirat tribes was to first cripple the most expansionary stronghold of Junggar near eastern Xinjiang.
Even if it is eliminated, then we must win over Lut, and we cannot fight on two fronts.
Winning over the Yalut can also stabilize the Heshuote in Qinghai and Tibet. They are originally one tribe divided into two khanates, and the uncle-nephew relationship is even closer.
The Ming army stopped at Luntai, and later gave Kashgar and Ush to Oqirtu, which indeed made Chechen Khan have great trust in the emperor of Ming Dynasty.
After that, the Ming Dynasty settled down and stabilized the eastern frontier, and Oqiltu also focused on pacifying Aksu, Kashgar and other newly occupied cities. The resistance of the old nobles and big berks in Yarkant was still very fierce, and Oqiltu also plowed the land repeatedly.
Several times, and then at this time, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty issued another decree to appease these Burkes and proposed that these local Burkes, who had been completely disabled, be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and pay taxes to Chechen Khan in exchange for the imperial court and Qilu Te Khan.
The imperial court granted them titles, official positions, etc., allowing them to retain some autonomy.
When Chechen Khan attacked, suppressed, and conquered these Burke lords, it also cost a lot to get them back. The Ming Dynasty watched the show and ate melons while selling weapons. The merchants ran to steal from the Lut army.
They bought prisoners of war and slaves there, and ate the looted grain, livestock, etc. at cheap prices, and directly opened the trade route to Aksu and even Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khotan.
If Zhu Yihai had forcefully tried to rob Aksu from the tiger's mouth, he would not only have forced Eqirtu to rebel, just like the Junggars who were forced to rebel, but he would also have to face the rebellion of the local rebels. With the strength of the Ming army at that time, it was still
It will be very difficult.
Looking back now, those who did the rough work and cursed were all Julu Te people. The Ming army gained stability and real benefits in the back. In the end, the Burke lords who were crippled by Julu Te were recruited and granted titles by the Ming Emperor. Although
After paying taxes to Jialut, they also began to submit to the Ming Dynasty.
The most important thing is that it hasn't been long now. Now, haven't Kucheng and Baiche fallen into the hands of the Ming Dynasty again? Without spending a single soldier, they have neither turned against Chechen Khan to fight, nor have to face Mao Hui.
Rebellion is a real bargain.
"This is the vision and pattern. Many of our captains can only see what is in front of them. Some generals can see a few steps ahead, but the saints can see farther and longer."
The generals were also very impressed.
They came down from the Yuledus Grassland and took the Tianshan Post Road specially built by the emperor. Before entering the Kuqa Oasis Plain, what stood in front of them was the area where the Kuqa River flows down from the mountain pass.
It just blocks the road from the northern grassland to Qiuci in the south.
This is Lique Pass, one of the three major passes. There is a Lique Fort and a Lique Temple.
If you attack hard, it will be too difficult.
But this time when they went south, the soldiers of the Jorut Khanate stationed here had already received orders from Chechen Khan and assembled in Aksu, leaving a few old men behind to wait for the arrival of the Ming army.
As soon as the Ming army arrived, they directly opened the gate to greet them, then handed over the defense and went to Aksu.
One of the three major passes in Qiuci fell into the hands of the Ming army. Then they crossed the pass and arrived at Kuqa City. This was Chagatai. During the Yarkand Khanate, they were all big cities.
Ke, the highest level of Burke, was the governor.
And commanded the cities and villages such as Sayar and Posi in the south. Now the Jorut people have also gone west. The local Aqimubek was conquered by the Jorut before, and then the Ming army came out to appease them.
Those who were awarded official titles had their kneecaps and spine bones broken long ago, and those with strong bones were either killed by Stifler or escaped.
The remaining bones were much softer and they were the naturalized faction. Once the Jorut people left, they still greeted the arrival of the Ming army very respectfully.
Food, grass and a lot of tribute were prepared in advance.
He also presented all the household registration maps and so on.
When visiting Zhu Dadian, a group of big and small Burkes did not forget to express their grievances to the Ming Dynasty. It was too harsh to strangle Taiji sent by Lut Khan. He had killed innocent people indiscriminately, robbed people into slavery, and even ran horses to enclose the land.
They occupied the houses. When the situation was not good, they simply abandoned them and ran away. Before leaving, they did not forget to exploit a large number of money, food and livestock, and also took away many young men.
Zhu Dadian comforted them well.
These Burkes all said that since the Julut people ran away, they would directly become subjects of the Ming Dynasty and pay taxes and serve directly to the Ming Dynasty, just like Yanqi. However, they knew that the Ming army was in Yanqi and Korla was very
Stable.
Although this stability was due to the fact that after the Ming army entered Yanqi and other places, they directly took away all the locals. The leaders who resisted were killed, and the rest were not sent to the northeast or southeast as slaves. Married women were allocated to
The officers and men who guarded the border in Anxi and settled the land, immigrated as wives, and made slaves young and old. They even arranged for those from Yanqi to be sent to Hami, those from Hami to Wusu, and those from Wusu to Yanqi. After such a coquettish operation, although the indigenous people in the newly occupied lands were
There are still some, but those with civilian status are those women who married Ming soldiers and common people. The rest who stayed in the Western Regions as slaves were young and old, and the young and strong who were capable of rebellion were all taken away.
Can it be unstable?
Of course, there are also a very small number of people who are accepted, very few, and they mainly act as guides, translators and the like.
Aqimube of Kuqa expressed his willingness to recruit a thousand young men to join the army for the Ming Dynasty.
As a result, Zhu Dadian refused. Not only did he not need these Kuqa soldiers to be recruited as soldiers, he did not even want them to be civilian husbands. One of the basic strategies of the Ming Dynasty in the Western Regions at this stage is to never use local people as soldiers. Now the servant army in Anxi is all
Transferred from other frontier places outside the Western Regions.
The Ming Dynasty cannot trust them now, unless it is their second generation in the future. Only those who have received Chinese education since childhood are likely to gain some trust.
The army is a powerful weapon of the country, how can it be given to outsiders?
Zhu Dadian did not accept Kuqa's indigenous conquest. Instead, he left a team of troops in Kuqa to take over the city defense and be responsible for maintaining public security. He still appointed Archimubek as the lord of Kuqa City, but also appointed other officials to serve as Kuqa city lords.
The prefect of Chefu, the county magistrate, the commander of the regiment training battalion, the garrison of Guancheng, etc.
It was clearly ordered that all the old Burkes, big and small, would be under the management of the new officials.
After making arrangements, Zhu Dadian left Kuqa and headed northwest, arriving at Yanguan, a canyon pass at the foot of Queligeta Mountain between Kuqa and Baicheng.
After passing this pass, you enter Aksubai City and go north to Heiying Mountain, a small oasis northwest of Baicheng, which is the southern end of the Wusun Ancient Road.
After crossing this pass, you can reach the hinterland of Yinli River Valley.
Liquegeta Mountain lies between Kuqa and Baicheng. Although it is not as tall and steep as Tianshan Mountain, it is still insurmountable and can only be passed through a few natural tunnels.
The Jorut garrison at Yanguan also left, leaving a few old and weak people waiting for the Ming army. After the handover, they also went to Aksu.
The red rocks of the Danxia landform are like red palaces inlaid on the mountainside.
These canyons and passes connect oases one after another.
Starting from Kuqa, we traveled 120 miles north to Yanguan Fort. We spent the night in Yanyangou Canyon. The mutton strips were very delicious. After a good meal, we had a wonderful sleep. It was very nice to sleep under the Ming Army Fort with the Ming flag flying.
There was a sense of security. Although they were camping, there were artillery mounted on the small fortress, and night watch soldiers were always vigilantly keeping watch for them.
At dawn, everyone who had slept well got up, and the mutton soup that had been stewed all night was ready. It was fragrant and rich, and when paired with the freshly cooked noodles, it tasted great and was satisfying.
After eating, we set off again and walked northwest for another hundred miles. It was still a little early when we arrived at the Heiying Mountain Oasis. This small oasis has about 50,000 acres of cultivated land and tens of thousands of acres of pasture. The entrance of the Heiying Mountain Valley to the north is
It is the southern end of Wusun Ancient Road.
There used to be nomadic garrison troops stationed here, but now they have all gone to Aksu. The Jorut soldiers in the oasis of Baicheng, a hundred and fifty miles to the west, have also left. Aqimu Beke in Baicheng has been waiting for a long time.
The small oasis in Heiying Mountain asked Zhu Dadian to send someone to take over the defense of Baicheng. He also said that once the Lut people left, some damn bitches would come back and want to cause trouble.
While drinking milk tea in the local city lord's house, Zhu Dadian agreed to his request and sent a team of troops and some officials to return to Baicheng with him. According to the original plan of the Yarkand people, he still established Baicheng County and
Sailam County.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! The Heiying Mountain Oasis, which the locals call Kail, is set as a township in Sailam County.
When the Jarut people left Heiyingshan Township and Baicheng, Sailamu, they also forcibly collected many taxes and livestock, and took away many strong men.
Zhu Dadian was not concerned about this. He just accepted the requests of the Burkes and announced as they wished that the cities of Baicheng and Sairam in the northeast of Aksu would be placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. He would still retain the titles of the Burkes and let them
Assist the assigned county magistrate, county lieutenant, regiment training battalion commander, patrol battalion commander, etc. to manage and guard the place.
The Burkes did not dare to refuse the sudden appointment of a bunch of superiors. The Jorut people left, but the stronger Ming Dynasty came. In the past, the local hereditary nobles and powerful people in Yarkand resisted the Jorut and most of them were massacred.
, and the rest fled.
As long as there is no one left behind, there is no stubborn one who just wants to be harsh and live an ignoble existence. As for everything else, they must give way to survival.
Moreover, these people are not big nobles or powerful people. Many of them were originally merchants, landlords or small Burkes.
Zhu Dadian appeased these Burkes. Although he was disdainful of these surrenders, he still needed these people to maintain the place for the time being.
After resting all night in Heiying Mountain City, they were ready to climb the mountain. They set off early the next morning and entered the Wusun Ancient Road from the entrance of Heiying Mountain Gorge. They had to cross hundreds of miles of mountains before the heavy snow closed the mountains.
Along the ancient road, there will be countless rivers, canyons, and cliffs waiting for them.
The team rode horses into the mountains and walked into the mountains under the guidance of the guide. They passed through countless rivers, passed through so many canyons, climbed so many slopes, and climbed over so many mountains.
There is a lack of sun in the mountains and the river is cold. Fortunately, there is no need to go directly into the water when riding on horseback. It goes all the way up the river valley. It soon gets dark. The team camped in the river valley for the night and continued onward at dawn.
On the third day after entering the mountains, they arrived at a lake in the mountains. The lake was not big, but it was so beautiful that it made people feel relaxed and happy, just like heaven.
After resting at this mountain lake for a night, we entered the Kuokesu River Valley.
After walking for another three days, they arrived at a village in the Qiongkushtai Valley, which was the northern terminus of the Wusun Ancient Road.
A very beautiful mountain valley, where a small Kazakh tribe was conquered by the Jaluts. They lived here grazing and had beautiful wooden houses.
The Kazakhs were startled by the large army that suddenly appeared at the entrance of the valley village, and quickly blew their horns to notify their tribesmen.
A group of cavalry rode out at night and galloped around the village.
It was really not easy to walk in the valley for six days, especially since winter was about to enter this season, it was cold in the mountains, and there was rain and snow in the middle.
Finally arriving at the broad flat valley, everyone was in a good mood. Even the Kazakh herdsmen who were wary of these people felt that they were very kind.
"You are from the Qiongkushtai tribe of Kazakhstan, right? We are the Son of Heaven, the heavenly soldiers of the Holy Khan. We have just come from the other side of the mountain to pay homage to the city. There is no need to panic!"
Except for a few locations, the Wusun Ancient Road is impassable in some bad weather and cold winters. At other times, it is an important transportation thoroughfare. It is an important passage between the Yinli River Valley and southern Xinjiang. Many merchants drive horses and camels.
Crossing the Tianshan Mountains.
These Kazakhs live in the valley at the foot of the mountain, and of course they know the Wusun Ancient Road very well. However, in this already deserted season, the sudden appearance of a large army shocked them.
There are many spruce trees in the north of the mountain, growing in clusters in the valleys. Grassland, spruce trees, and snowy peaks in the distance, Kazakh wooden houses, cattle and sheep, and the army broke the tranquility here.
Herdsmen are wary of them.
These Kazakhs were nomadic in the Yinli Valley before the arrival of the Oirat people. Later, Chagatai, Yarkand and other khanates controlled the Yinli Valley. Many Kazakhs moved westward, and some stayed.
Yinli Grassland is very large, and news spreads very slowly.
The herdsmen of this tribe did not even know that their tax-paying Eqirtu Khan was defeated by Chu Huer and Kundulun Utaishijinong and captured the Yinli Valley. They said that a Heshuote cavalry did arrive not long ago.
They passed here, but didn't stay long before leaving. When they left, they took away many of their cattle, sheep, butter, felt, etc., and even forcibly took away twenty men.
They were very afraid that this army coming from the south would come again to plunder and recruit young men. They said that winter was coming and they did not have much left, so they hoped to be merciful. They also said that there were not enough young men in the clan and they could not recruit more men.
Zhu Dadian bluntly said that he would not rob them of their things or recruit their young men. He also took out some salt and tea and said that in exchange for this, he hoped to hire two or three herdsmen as guides. There was no need for young, strong or old men.
If you are older, it will be fine as long as you can ride a horse.
This attitude made the Kazakhs very happy, especially because there was a lot of salt tea, enough to hire many herdsman guides.
"Where are you going?"
"Yinli, Kundulun Utaish of Jie Lut and Chuhu'er of Junggar rebelled and captured Yinli. We are here to put down the rebellion and restore peace to the Western Regions in accordance with the will of the saint."
It was foggy and rainy, and it was still early.
The Ming army exchanged the hard currency of salt and tea for some of the herdsmen's sheep, and directly slaughtered and added food to celebrate their success in crossing the Wusun Road and successfully arriving in the Yinli River Valley. This military use was half the success.
A group of light cavalry left the valley in the rain and fog to reconnoitre the enemy's situation, while the remaining several thousand men and horses enjoyed a feast of roast mutton.
Zhu Dadian moved into the patriarch's large wooden house, which was made purely of logs. It was very strong and kept warm in winter. He took a bath and changed into clean and comfortable clothes. He felt very comfortable. He sat by the stove and boiled water.
I was warming myself by the fire and writing in my diary.
The scenery on the Wusun Ancient Road was very beautiful during the past few days. Although I came in the wrong season, the scenery is most beautiful and the road is easier to walk in the summer. At this time of winter, there is a lot of rain and snow, and there are no beautiful flowers, etc., but this time
The mountain scenery of the Western Regions still left a deep impression on him.
He felt that after the Ming Dynasty took control of Yinli, Baicheng, Kuqa, Aksu and other places, this Wusun Road should be well renovated and utilized. Fortresses should be set up on both sides of the mountain. It would be better to build a few beacon piers in the mountain and reserve some supplies.
Guarding this important transportation route is not only beneficial to the military but also to trade.
Especially now that the Tianshan Post Road leads directly to Kuqa, then Kuqa and Baicheng Heiying Pass can bring Yinli closer to the south of Tianshan, and also provide a powerful basis for the imperial court to build a city in Yinli, station troops and immigrate in the next step.
Durable and convenient.
The Chinese officer brought a large plate of delicacies, including roasted horse meat buns, large skewers of roasted mutton, stewed mutton soup, hand-made rice, smoked horse intestines, a plate of fried chicken, and a pot of kumiss.
"So much, my old bones can't eat it." Zhu Dadian put away the memorial he had written for the court and said to the Chinese officer with a smile.
"Mr. Ge is stronger than us. In the past six days, he climbed the Wusun Road without any difficulty. It's very impressive."
"We rode horses all the way, and we were not in a hurry, so naturally we are not tired." Zhu Dadian looked at the large table of goodies and said, "Invite all the generals to eat together and talk about the next battle plan."
This well-known elder from the Chongzhen Dynasty is indeed very capable to be active to this day, and even still holds a high position, standing in the central government. Although he was also known as greedy, he has always been deeply loved.
The most important thing for the emperor's trust is his strong ability to do things. Just like now, when he is old, he insists on personally leading troops to Yinli and following the Wusun Road. This is not something ordinary people can do.
While eating delicacies from the Western Regions, Zhu Dadian talked with the generals of the expeditionary force.
"Ye Bu Shu sent back military information. According to inquiries, there was originally a troop of Kundulun Utaish near here, but they have been transferred to Zhaosu near the upper reaches of the Tekes River. It seems that Oqiltu Khan is not idle either.
, made a big noise on Xiata Road, attracting the attention of the rebels to the west." A ranger general said.
Zhu Dadian asked, "Inquiry into Zhaosu, how many rebels are there in Xia Te?"
"There are not many people left in Kundulun Utesh. Now there is a big commotion in Eqirtu. Not only the people here have been transferred, but also the people left behind by Yinli Khan's court have been transferred. Kundulun's
There are about a few thousand people under the direct command. In addition, there are many Gilghis and Kazakhs on the Xiata side. Some of them have now switched to Kundulun Utesh, while some tribes are unwilling to obey, but they were still forcibly recruited.
There should be more than 10,000 soldiers in Xiata Zhaosu area now."
"There are more than 10,000 troops, so let's stab him in the back." Zhu Dadian said with a smile.
"Basically, Yinli is empty now. Why not go straight to the enemy's hole and take Yinli City first?"
Zhu Dadian shook his head, "Although Yinli has a castle, don't forget that they are the Mongols. They are nomadic tribes. The castle is not like a city in the Central Plains. If we take it now, it is just an empty city. At most
Just grab some noble family papers."
"The key to fighting a war is to annihilate the enemy's living strength. We can't just scare the enemy and let the more than 10,000 people escape just for the sake of an empty city. We first attack from behind and kill this group of troops. Then won't the empty city still be ours?"
"Excellent insights."
"This piece of mutton is big and fat. I'll reward you with it!"