Han Shizu

Chapter 1673 The Third Western Expedition

When Wang Yu dispatched troops and generals in Yulin Road to make a big show of momentum, preparing to "separate and attack" the rebel Li Jiqian, thousands of miles away, a national war was in full swing.

In fact, Li Jiqian's rebellion was just a minor disturbance, and its bad influence was only to clarify the conflict between Hu and Han in the northwest region, and it really didn't have much impact on the court.

The reason why this matter is solemn is only because Emperor Liu has taken his heart, and he has to express it from top to bottom. In the eyes of many people in power, Li Ni is just a disease of scabies, and he can't make a big difference.

Even from the point of view of Yulin Road, Li Jiqian's small rebellion did not go all out. Although the local officers and soldiers noticed that he was slippery, they did not take it seriously. In the eyes of many people, as long as they are determined to attack , then Li Jiqian can only end in ruin.

In contrast, the war that took place in Anxi is more eye-catching. After all, this is a war aimed at destroying the country. Initiate external expansion.

Even if only in terms of the scale of troops dispatched, it can leave a strong mark in the war history of the Han Dynasty.From the winter of Kaibao 20 years, when Emperor Liu issued an edict to conquer Heihan, to the end of spring this year, after five full months, after the preparations were completed, under the command of Wei Wang Liu Min, the Great Han officially started the third Western Expedition.

In the past 20 years, Dahan has launched two western expeditions.The first time was in the first year of Kaibao. At that time, the imperial court had just unified the world and the south was completely restored. Emperor Liu was very enterprising. Every corner is missing.

The Han army, which has not yet emerged from the war years, is at its peak, and it is commanded by Chai Rong, assisted by Wang Yansheng and Guo Jin. Although there are minor twists and turns, it is still devastated. Returning to the embrace of the Central Plains, the Hexi Corridor is completely restored, and the territory reaches Yumen and Yangguan in the west.

The second time was in the eighth year of Kaibao, when the imperial court launched a large-scale northern expedition, led by Guo Jin.However, that Western Expedition was part of the entire Kaibao Northern Expedition. Guo Jin led a partial division as the main general and marched into the Western Regions, aiming to destroy the Khitan army entrenched in the Western Regions.

As a result, the goal was also successfully achieved. Not only did the Khitans be wiped out, but the Uyghur territory in Gaochang was basically restored.

The nature of the third Western Expedition, to be honest, is mixed with some complicated things. It is not only a manifestation of the great Han's pioneering spirit, but also an upright reason for regaining the old China. It is inevitable to give people the impression that Emperor Liu was overjoyed and vented his personal anger.

There are not many people who support the upper echelons of the imperial court. After all, the conflict with Hei Khan is "justifiable" on the side of the big man. Even if a lot of evidence can be found to prove the justice of the Western Expedition, some conservatives will inevitably "promote unreasonable conquests" thought.

Of course, some people are conservative and some are radical. For the generals participating in this Western Expedition, it is a rare opportunity to make contributions.Over the years, the navy has been constantly rising, and by bullying the aborigines in Southeast Asia, it has grabbed a lot of wealth for the empire.

For such a situation, as the master of the country, Ma Bujun, how can he not be greedy, but looking around, it seems that there is not much use for him.

The Khitan remnants in Mobei can barely be called an opponent, but after all, it is too far away to fight, and it coincides with the hostility between Han and black, which gives the generals who are eager to make meritorious deeds a goal and direction to vent their ambitions.

At least for the Han army stationed in the northwest, they witnessed the prosperity and revival of the Silk Road and maintained it all the time, and they themselves benefited a lot from it.

Even if it's just for this point, it's worth their shot to teach that Yelang arrogance and ignorance of the so-called Black Khanate.

In this Western Expedition, in addition to Wei Wang Liu Min who was in command as a prince, his son-in-law Yang Yanzhao was the deputy commander. At the same time, Guo Yi was the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the camp, Wang Shenjun was the envoy of the camp, Xiang Deming was the envoy of food and supplies, and Murong The successor industry is a trench envoy.
From the above employment, it can be seen that this Western Expedition is unique compared with previous ones.The main generals and important positions of the Western Expedition camp are all outstanding talents from the younger generation, and all of them have extraordinary backgrounds.

Not to mention Liu Min and Yang Yanzhao, the chief and deputy commanders, Guo Yi is the youngest son of Guo Wei, the Duke of Xing, Wang Shenjun is the eldest son of the late King Quanbin of Pingnan, Xiang Deming is the eldest son of Xiang Xun, Duke Wen, and Murong Jiye is the Duke of Luan. Grandson of Murong Yanchao, son of Murong Seungtae, then Commander of Gyeonggi Metropolis.

The only one who can be regarded as a veteran is probably Kang Baoyi who is worshiped as the head of the camp.Of course, strictly speaking, this person is also a second-generation general, but he joined the army earlier. When he was a teenager, he followed his father Kang to conquer the east and west. He has been in the army for nearly 30 years, from north to south, and from south to north He has repeatedly made military exploits and suffered dozens of wounds. In terms of prestige alone, no one in the Western Expeditionary Army can beat him.The main purpose of Emperor Liu's use of Kang Baoyi was also to let him fight for Liu Min and Yang Yanzhao.

Apparently, with the further aging and decline of the old generals, some generals of the middle and young generations gradually came to the fore, and the backbone of the new generation of the Han Empire is also rising with the tide of history.

In this western expedition, a total of more than [-] troops were mobilized, and most of the frontier troops and regiments in Anxi and Hexi were transferred.It's not that it's impossible to recruit more troops, but the logistical pressure is a bit heavy, and no matter how many, it will break through the support capabilities of the two places.

Although Anxi has a vast area, it has only been ten years since it returned to the Han Dynasty. In the past, the Uighurs, Khitans, Black Khans, and the Han Dynasty, and even the Khotan Kingdom in the south, several forces waged a tug-of-war on this land for ten years. After repeated destruction, it was basically reduced to ruins. During the Gaochang victory period, the million tribesmen lost [-]%.

It was not until the Han army marched westward that the rare peace was achieved. However, ten years is not enough for the new generation to grow up, and the restoration and reconstruction are far away. By the 21st year of Kaibao, the population under the jurisdiction of Anxi was less than 25. , There are a lot of popularity brought by merchants who go back and forth.

Therefore, Anxi, who was exhausted, could not support a big war at all. Young and middle-aged laborers were scarce. Gaochang defense made Pu Le exhausted his mind, and just provided the army with more than 5000 young men as auxiliary soldiers.What really supported the army's westward advance had to rely on Hexi.

Of the [-] troops, more than [-] were cavalry, and fighting against the black sweat still had to complement each other, and even to a certain extent, the role of cavalry was even more important.

For this reason, the imperial court also specially allocated [-] heavy armored cavalry to participate in the battle, which is the guard heavy cavalry against Heikhan.Of course, it also includes tens of thousands of servants of various ethnic groups.

It has to be said that recruiting servants to fight is indeed a cost-saving method. First, the combat power is guaranteed, and second, the cost is less than that of officers and soldiers. The court only needs to provide some money, food and weapons, which is enough to make them happy.

Wei Wang Liu Min even directly promised those servants composed of Tubo, Uyghur, and Liugu tribesmen that they would lay down the black sweat and let them plunder.

This agreement is really in line with the wishes of the servants.In the past, the imperial court recruited soldiers to fight, mainly for the domestic battlefield, especially during the Northern Expedition, tens of thousands of armed cavalry, but at that time, the imperial court formulated strict restraint rules. After all, the land of the Han Dynasty cannot Let it wreak havoc at will.

But Dahei Khan is different. Although it can be said to be the inherent territory of the Han Dynasty since ancient times, practical factors must be considered.It is rare for mere party members to be stable, let alone the Black Khanate, which has been established for a long time and has a cultural tradition completely different from China.

If you want to conquer Black Khan and regain your homeland, you need to destroy it from top to bottom, from the inside to the outside, and then consolidate it.In this process, there are some things that are not suitable for the Han army who emphasizes discipline.

(End of this chapter)