A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1201: This trip will help the Han people solve their problems

The Tianshan Mountains stretch across the Western Regions for 5,000 miles, from Yiwu in the east to Hezhong in the west. Inside the Tianshan Mountains, there are alternating mountain basins, and a large number of glaciers and rivers connect the basins with the surrounding oases.

Wu Huaiyu led his army along the Atami Road, where the spring in the river valley was breathtakingly beautiful.

As the spring breeze spreads, wild apricot blossoms with pink and white colors bloom everywhere. Against the backdrop of icy peaks and snow-capped mountains, the pink is delicate and the white is pure, appearing otherworldly.

Walking on Atamido, you can see the green valleys and the pink and white wild apricot flowers, which complement each other brilliantly.

Due to the surrender of the King of Shule, the number of troops departing from Suiye was reduced by half, but there were still tens of thousands of people, including 6,000 Anxi Han soldiers and 18,000 Turkic tribal soldiers.
Following behind were many Turkic, Sogdian and other Hu merchants, who went to the south of Tianshan Mountains via the Rehe Road. Some went to Shule and Qiuci, some went to Khotan, and some even went to India or Tubo via Khotan. Some also went to Chang'an in the Central Plains via the Silk Road.

The merchants trusted Prime Minister Wu and the strict military discipline of the Anxi soldiers.

Took this ride,

Some businessmen also saw the business opportunities. When an army goes to war, it will need a lot of military supplies. After the war, there will be a lot of spoils of war to sell, whether they are prisoners of war, slaves, livestock, cattle and sheep, or furs and medicinal materials. In short, if they purchase the spoils on the battlefield, it will be much cheaper and they can make a lot of money by reselling them.

Risks always coexist with benefits.

Wu Huaiyu didn't mind these merchants stopping by and using the Anxi soldiers as free bodyguards, nor did he mind these merchants wanting to follow the army to do business and make money.

Having a merchant caravan accompanying the army would also be of some benefit to a coalition army on a long-distance march.

For example, merchants would bring many cattle and sheep to follow behind, providing a lot of fresh meat at any time. Some merchants even brought many girls with them.

The Western Region is too big.

The movement is measured in thousands of miles.
From Suiye City to Boda Ridge is nine hundred and sixty miles.
A caravan of dozens of people on the Atakado Road is considered a large caravan, but this time the Tang army dispatched two to three thousand people, which can be said to be a grand journey eastward.

The western section of the Atami Road from Suiye to Bodaling is relatively easy to travel, especially the 500 miles along the Atami.
When the weather is good, we march a hundred miles every day. After stopping marching, we can hunt and fish to improve our food and have hot meals every day.

The Chumi tribe had moved from the north to the south of Rehe and began to graze cattle and sheep here. The original owner of this place, Basagan Shijin, moved to the lower reaches of the Suiye River. Basagan Shijin established his headquarters in the city of Talas and appointed him the governor of Talas.

The Chumi tribe moved to the south bank of Rehe and established the Rehe Governor's Office. The tribe was promoted to one of the Five Nushibi tribes, and its leader also became Dajijin and was granted the title of Rehe Governor.

The Chumi people were very satisfied with this new pasture.

Not only did they actively send their sons and daughters to join the army, but wherever the Anxi Army passed, the tribal herdsmen would also send yogurt, dried milk, milk tea, and some cattle and sheep.

Wu Huaiyu would collect a symbolic amount and then ask the quartermaster to pay Anxi Daji silver to purchase it, or exchange it for tea, salt, or silk cloth.

Travel a hundred miles a day,

This speed was actually not slow. Because Shule had surrendered, the army did not carry too much baggage and food. In addition, there were many horses and camels, so the march was quite fast.

Ten days later,
Wu Huaiyu had already led his army to the foot of Lingshan Boda Ridge.
When they arrived at Chishan Fort, which Luo Cheng and his men had set up during their winter patrol of Rehai,
Chishan Fort is still fifty miles away from Boda Ridge.

The grass is green and the flowers are blooming.

However, Lingshan Mountain, fifty miles away, blocked the way like a huge wall towering into the clouds.

People seem particularly small in front of it.

The Tang army was preparing to enter the mountain on the grassland of Chishan Fort. Flowers were blooming at the foot of the mountain, but it was still very cold on the mountain with ice and snow, so they had to be prepared for the cold.

We also have to send out vanguard troops to open up roads and carry out emergency rescue and reinforcement.

Roads were cut through mountains and bridges were built over rivers. In some places, ice ladders had to be dug on the icy road sections of dozens of miles.

Standing at Chishan Fort, Wu Huaiyu couldn't help but recite a poem.

"The pedestrians are fighting in the dark wind and sand, while the princess's pipa is full of sorrow."

Jiang Xingben came over clapping his hands, "Good poem, good poem."

He smiled and said, "It's dusk in the desert, the sky is full of sand, the wild geese are crying, and the princess riding a white horse and wearing a bright red cloak is walking and playing the pipa. Prime Minister Wu, you are missing the Turkic Princess Zhenzhu, right? It's only been half a month since we last met, and you can't bear to leave her?"

It was no secret that the King of Shule and the Queen had divorced, and it was also no secret in the Anxi Army that the Queen had stayed at Wu Huaiyu's place the night before she divorced the King of Shule.

After Jiang Xingben knew about this, he was a little envious and jealous of Wu Huaiyu's romantic ability.

"The princess playing the pipa in my poem is a Han princess who went to marry a foreign prince."

"Zhaojun went to the frontier?" Jiang Xingben immediately asked.

"The first princess to play the pipa and go to the frontier to marry was not Zhaojun, but Princess Xijun."

Jiang Xingben was educated, but as a military officer, he was also an expert in architecture, but not very familiar with history. "Princess Xijun? I think I've heard of her."

"During his second diplomatic mission to the Western Regions, Zhang Qian wanted to form an alliance with Wusun and promised to marry a Han princess to the king of Wusun so that they could fight against the Xiongnu together. The king of Wusun did not agree, but the Xiongnu wanted to attack Wusun on the grounds that Wusun had contact with Han.

Wusun King Lie Jiaomi then sent an envoy to Chang'an to ask Emperor Wu of Han for the princess in marriage."

Hearing this, Jiang Xingben clapped his hands and said, "The King of Wusun also refused to accept my toast and drank the wine for punishment. What happened next?"

"Emperor Wu of Han was willing to make this marriage happen, so he chose Xijun, the daughter of Liu Jian, the King of Jiangdu, who had participated in the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion and was convicted, as the Princess of Peace to marry Wusun."

"Lie Jiaomi named Princess Xijun his right wife, but at the same time he also married a Xiongnu princess as his left wife. At that time, the left was respected in Wusun, and Princess Xijun was below the Xiongnu princess.

Princess Xijun was in a foreign land thousands of miles away from home. She was not able to eat or speak the language. She also had to share a husband with a princess from an enemy country. She also had to carefully manage and maintain the relationship between Wusun and the Han Dynasty. It was quite difficult. Later, Liejiaomi died and his grandson Junxumi succeeded him. According to Wusun customs, Princess Xijun had to marry Junxumi again. The princess found it very difficult to accept this custom and became sick with worry. She died of illness after giving birth to a daughter.

In order to maintain the alliance with Wusun, Emperor Wu of Han had to choose another princess for marriage, and finally chose Jie You, the daughter of King Liu Shu of Chu who had participated in the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms and was defeated and killed...”

Wu Huaiyu slowly recounted a historical event that happened hundreds of years ago.
Before he knew it, a group of officers were sitting around him.
"Do you know that this place was called Chigu City during the Han Dynasty and was the capital of the Wusun Kingdom? At that time, the Wusun Kingdom had a population of over 600,000 and 190,000 soldiers. It was very powerful and the strongest in the Western Regions. The Han Dynasty formed an alliance with the Wusun Kingdom to fight against the Xiongnu."

"Princess Xijun and Princess Jieyou once lived in this area, more than 700 years ago."

Compared to Princess Xijun, who was more thoughtful and had difficulty adapting to the Wusun, she died early due to illness. Later, Princess Jieyou, who married into the Wusun Kingdom, lived in the Wusun Kingdom for a full fifty years and married three Wusun kings. She experienced many bloody civil wars and finally plotted to stab her third husband to death.

Chigu City is 8,900 miles away from Chang'an.

"Back then, Princess Jieyou said this on her way to the Western Regions: Jieyou, Jieyou, I hope I can relieve the worries of the people of the Han Dynasty."

Princess Jieyou was married to Junxumi when she was a teenager. When she was 68, she wrote to Emperor Xuan of Han: "I am old and miss my homeland. I wish to be buried in Han territory as my remains."

Emperor Xuan of Han was also grateful for the princess's perseverance and courage, and for her efforts in striving for the friendly alliance between the Han and Wusun for most of her life, which had made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. So he sent people to the Western Regions to bring her back to Chang'an to enjoy the honorable title of princess. Two years later, the princess died of illness in Chang'an.

Princess Jieyou had four sons and two daughters. Her eldest son became the King of Wusun. Her second son followed her back to Chang'an and later became the King of Shache. Her eldest daughter became the Queen of Qiuci...

Many officers and soldiers of the Anxi Army did not know that the grassland where the herdsmen grazed their cattle and sheep was once the capital of Wusun. They also did not expect that more than 700 years ago,
Two Han princesses were married here.
What is even more unexpected is that Princess Jieyou stayed in Wusun for fifty years, married three Wusun kings, and always worked hard to safeguard the interests of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions.

Even the maid Feng Liao, who she brought with her when she married, was talented and intelligent and became Jie You's right-hand man. She later married the right general of Wusun and repeatedly maintained the relationship between the Han Dynasty and Wusun. Because of her outstanding talents, she was also granted the title of official envoy of the Emperor by the Han Emperor. She was rewarded to city-states and countries. The people of the Western Regions respected and trusted her and called her Madam Feng.

The former Chishan City,

Now it has long disappeared, leaving only some ruins.
But that glorious past has been recorded in history books and revered by later generations.

"I can't believe that more than 700 years ago, there was a group of Han women who worked so hard for the Han people in the Western Regions thousands of miles away. How can men like me fall behind?"

Even Cao Qin, a Hu man from the Sogdian Cao State, got his blood boiling after hearing what he said.

Just now everyone thought that Wu Huaiyu was reciting a poem, and the princess in the poem was the Turkic princess who was the Queen of Shule. Now they realized that it was a misunderstanding.

"We should rebuild a Chishan City here. No, we should rename it Jieyou City, and build another fort in Boda Mountain, called Princess Fort."

Jiang Xingben patted his chest and said, "That's great. Let's build a Jieyou City here and a Princess Castle in Boda Ridge. I will personally design and plan it. If we are going to build it, we have to build it bigger.

The east of Atami is just right for farming and grazing, and it is also a must-go place on the Atami Road. If Jieyou City is built bigger, it will not only be able to station troops, but also develop farming, grazing, industry and commerce."

This guy was so excited that he even thought about building a big princess temple in the future Jieyou City, and erecting a huge statue of Princess Jieyou inside.

Wu Huaiyu felt that Jiang Xingben’s plan was feasible.

The reason why this place became the capital of Wusun Kingdom was because of its excellent conditions.
There is a lot of arable land in the eastern part of Atami, and this is the key point of the Atami Road on the Silk Road, connecting Suiye and Kucha.

There is enough potential here to develop into a big city, or even a state in the future.

Wu Huaiyu left those enthusiastic generals behind and summoned Luo Cheng and other soldiers from Chishan Garrison.

All the people in Chishan Garrison were credited with a merit, which was that they firmly guarded the Bodaling Pass and sent the King of Shule to Suiye.

Xiong Kuohai was officially granted the rank of ninth rank, leader of the Anxi Army, and Luo Cheng was granted the rank of ninth rank, deputy team leader, and was awarded a promotion for meritorious service.

Zhu Can and others were also awarded honors and medals.

Xiong Kuohai and others all requested to be able to join the army in the expedition, and Wu Huaiyu agreed. He was never stingy in giving opportunities to these orphans of the Wu family and would take care of them as much as possible.

However, he has given them the opportunity, but whether they can seize it depends on their own performance.

(End of this chapter)