A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1203 Loulan will never be returned until he is broken

Wu Huaiyu fell in love with Dashicheng at first sight.

The city is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and has beautiful natural scenery. The snow-capped Tianshan Mountains surround it on three sides, and the mountains and rivers are picturesque. Half of the city is filled with springs, and the sunset is gorgeous in the depths of the sea buckthorn.

The sound of camel bells on the Silk Road is long and distant.

It is suitable for farming, grazing, living and traveling.

This place also controls the important mountain pass of Atakado leading to Suiye, but the Kingdom of Kucha only had one hundred soldiers stationed here.

Qiuci is connected to Yanqi in the east and Shule in the south. It has many oases and is the largest oasis country in the Tarim Basin. It is connected to the southern section of the middle Tianshan Mountains in the north.

The present Dashicheng actually belonged to Wensu Kingdom in the past, but Gumo, Wensu Kingdom and others were successively annexed by Qiuci. Shule was also annexed by Qiuci for more than a hundred years.

Looking at the Chen Tang beacon tower from afar, Wu Huaiyu could not help but hear his famous words: Those who openly offend the mighty Han will be punished even if they are far away. That was when he sent troops to Wusun from here, broke through the Chanyu City, and killed Chanyu Zhizhi.

"What's over there?"

“That’s the Thousand Buddha Caves.”

On the right side of the Hulu River not far from Dashi City, there are many grottoes on the cliffs more than ten feet high. Wu Huaiyu initially thought it was some kind of cliff burial custom of the locals, but he heard from the Dashi guard that it was a Buddhist cave.

These Buddhist caves are very famous and have a history of hundreds of years. They have been repaired one after another, from the ancient country of Wensu to the current country of Qiuci.
Some of the Buddhist caves have collapsed, but some are still under construction.
These grottoes are composed of groups of grottoes, with each group having a dozen or so grottoes at the least and dozens at the largest. I heard that each grotto is only ten square meters in size and about two meters in height. The caves in the same grotto group are connected internally.

There are Buddha statues in the caves, while the ceilings and walls are painted with murals.

There are several Buddhist temples and many monks under the Thousand Buddha Grottoes.

Wu Huaiyu could imagine how much money it would cost to build these grottoes, those Buddha statues, and those murals.

This is a very good feature of the present Kucha Kingdom.

They were the largest oasis state in Shannan, suitable for farming and grazing, and had many minerals such as gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, etc. The smelting industry was also very developed. Coupled with the prosperity of industry and commerce, Qiuci was very rich.

However, as an oasis country in the desert, it was destined to never become a real great power, especially since they were always threatened and controlled by nomadic tribes in the north of Tianshan Mountain. This made Qiuci, although very old,

But after all, it is just a small country confined to a desert oasis.
The people of Kucha had long been accustomed to submitting to those powerful nomadic khanates, and only wanted to live in peace and contentment in a corner.

Living behind closed doors is quite comfortable. They worship Buddhism, enjoy dancing and enjoy themselves.
Even in the eyes of the people in the Central Plains, the people of Kucha were lustful. Not only were there Buddhist temples everywhere in Kucha, but their cities were also full of brothels.

The music and dance of Qiuci were very famous in Chang'an, and Qiuci music was specially added to the official music of the Tang Dynasty.

Qiuci paid tribute and taxes to the Turks every year, and the Turks were very satisfied with their obedience.

Qiuci has always maintained a certain degree of peace, and the Turks also intend to limit Qiuci's military power. The entire country has only a few thousand soldiers.

Even though Dashicheng is such an important place, there are only 100 soldiers stationed there.

You should know that after Wensu Kingdom was annexed by Qiuci, it still has a population of over ten thousand.

A gentleman once said that Qiuci is the only place in the world where ancient Indian, Greco-Roman, Persian, Han and Tang civilizations converge.

The reason is that the location of Qiuci is the meeting point for caravans and envoys traveling between the East and the West.

The distance from Chang'an to Qiuci is about the same as the distance from Byzantine Constantinople to Qiuci.

During the Han Dynasty, the population of Qiuci was 80,000 and its army was 20,000. Now Qiuci has a larger territory and a larger population than during the Han Dynasty, but only a few thousand soldiers.

The reason why the Western Turks did not destroy Kucha was entirely because they kept it in captivity, raising it like a dairy cow and continuously milking it, which was obviously more cost-effective than killing the goose that lays the eggs. The Western Turks were still very good at calculating. After all, they were a nomadic khanate and were not used to city-state management. They conquered Kucha and allowed the Golden Family to continue to rule Kucha for them. The Western Turks only needed to collect taxes on time, which was so easy and convenient.

Kucha was subject to the Xiongnu, Rouran, Yanda, and Turks, and they all kept Kucha in captivity in this way.

But the Tang Dynasty came.
It's definitely different.

Although it is not that there have been no Central Plains armies attacking Western Regions countries,

But whether it was the management of the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty or the later conquest of Qiuci by Lu Guang of the Former Qin Dynasty, it was ultimately different from the Tang Dynasty entering the Western Regions today.

In other words, the business philosophies and models are different.

From the fact that the Tang Dynasty successively established three prefectures, namely Yi, Xi and Ting, in the east of Tianshan Mountains, we can see the Tang Dynasty's business philosophy, which was to move forward all the way and turn those city-states into truly directly affiliated prefectures and counties of the Tang Dynasty, rather than vassal states with independent autonomy.

When Lu Guang destroyed Qiuci, it was at most a robbery.

"The Great Stone City needs to be reinforced,"

"Build another Wensu city at the foot of Yanzi Mountain and beside Hulu River,"

Dashi City is garrisoned and is used exclusively for military purposes.

A new city was built on the flat area at the foot of the mountain to serve as a place for people to live and as a commercial market.

Building a new Wensu city would require a lot of manpower and financial resources, but Wu Huaiyu was not worried, because after conquering Zhujubo and Kepantuo, there would naturally be a lot of spoils, as well as many prisoners of war and slaves.

Moreover, if the Tang Dynasty wanted to build a city, Qiuci and Shule would have to contribute money and manpower.

Wu Huaiyu led the Anxi troops to station in Dashicheng.
He sent two generals, Jiang Xingben and Cao Qin, to take the King of Shule to the State of Shule to take over the territory.

He asked the commander of Dashi City in Qiuci to go back and report to the King of Qiuci, Su Fadie, that he had arrived in Dashi City.

Dashicheng is nearly a thousand miles away from Qiuci.

Wu Huaiyu stayed in Dashi City for half a month and traveled all over the territory of the ancient Wensu Kingdom. Jiang Xingben and Cao Qin had already traveled around Shule Kingdom and successfully took over its twelve large cities and dozens of small cities.

Everything went very smoothly.

With King Pei Shi leading the way personally, Shule Tutun had also received orders from Nanting long ago. No one dared to resist, whether it was the Shule nobles or the Turkic nobles such as Qiuci Tutun.

Wherever the Anxi army passed, the city gates were opened to welcome them, and food and drink were offered to greet the royal army respectfully.

In return, the Anxi army did not harm anyone and maintained strict military discipline.

The Shule Military Governor's Office and the Shule Military Town were both formally established in the Shule Royal Capital. The Shule Royal City, also known as the Jiashi City, was surrounded by mountains on the north, south and west sides. The city was in the water. The Chi River came from the Geluo Ridge west of Shule, split to the west of the city and merged in the northeast of the city.

Jiang Xingben sent a victory report back to Wu Huaiyu, saying that everything went well. Cao Qin had already received the Shule Army and the Turkic Army and was reorganizing them.
Jiang Xingben had already led the Turkic tribes to attack Zhujubo.

The state of Zhujubo was 900 li south of Shule, and its capital city, Zhizhiman City, was in the later Yecheng. It was a small state located between Shule and Khotan, and its king was originally from Shule. Jiang Xingben said that the state of Zhujubo was near the two rivers, and that farming flourished, with grapes, pears and other fruits in abundance, and its people also worshipped Buddhism.

But the Zhujubo people were very violent, cunning, and openly engaged in robbery.

This is a bit like saying that they are useless, saying that they love to cheat and rob, and that they are all hot-tempered guys. They have simply become the northern Myanmar online fraud gang.

The army presses the territory,

Zhu Jubo did not surrender.
They also tried to fight, but unfortunately Zhujubo was previously controlled by the Western Turks, who limited the military strength of Zhujubo to two thousand people, most of whom were stationed in the royal capital.

King Zhujubo was mobilizing the people in the royal city, calling on the young and strong to take up arms to resist the invaders. He was speaking passionately, but Zhujubo Tutun, a noble from the Geshu tribe,

He drew out his wolf-head sword and stabbed it into King Zhujubo's lower back.

The scene was in chaos.

The Turkic soldiers of Geshu Tutun quickly drew their bows and shot dozens of Zhujubo guards.

Geshu Tutun cut off the king's head with a knife and held it high.
Tutun's three hundred men actually defeated the king's two thousand soldiers and forced them to surrender.

The Anxi coalition army led by Jiang Xingben had not yet arrived at the city.

There was a civil strife in Zhujubo's capital, and the king was killed by Tutun. Zhujubo's soldiers surrendered, and Geshu Tutun carried the king's head to meet the arrival of An's army dozens of miles away.

Without spending a single soldier,
The capital of Zhujubo fell into the hands of the Tang army.

Next, Jiang Xingben sat in the capital of Zhuju State, and Geshu Tutun led other tribal soldiers to quickly sweep all the cities of Zhuju.
Those who obey prosper, those who oppose perish.

Because of Jiang Xingben's tacit approval, the Zhujubo people didn't even have time to surrender before they were attacked and defeated by the vassal armies of various tribes, and then they were looted, their livestock were stolen, and their people were captured.

The victory report was sent to Wu Huaiyu in Dashicheng.

Wu Huaiyu was also aware of what might have happened to Zhu Jubo, but he did not delve into it too deeply. If you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat some grass.

Shule surrendered voluntarily, and the Tang army required them to maintain military discipline and prohibit looting. If they attacked Zhujubo, they had to let them loot and get some benefits, otherwise the Turkic tribes would be dissatisfied. Letting them loot Zhujubo was also a warning to others.

Shule and Zhujubo were both taken.

The King of Kucha came late.

The King of Kucha, Sufadie, brought his queen, his younger brother, his prime minister, his generals, and Tutun with him, as well as 5,000 Kucha and Turkic soldiers.
There were also 3,000 Yanqi troops led by Yanqi King Long Tuqizhi.

Eight thousand northern troops arrived at Dashi City.

"The two kings are a step too late. The King of Shule has repented and the whole country has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty."

"Zhu Jubo has also been defeated by the Shule Governor and Shule Garrison Commander. The King of Zhu Jubo has been beheaded and his head is on the way."

"The kingdom of Kepantha has also been conquered."

"The Hezhong Zhaowu coalition army marched out of Dayuan and crossed the Geluo Mountains, while the Tokharistan coalition army marched out of the city of Shenjiashen, crossed the Sulu River, and passed through the Sulu City of Humi. The two armies met at the Pamir Mountains.

Kepantha put up a desperate resistance, but the two allied forces attacked fiercely and unstoppable, capturing more than a dozen cities of Kepantha and even its capital in one fell swoop.

Now King Kanparda, his clan members, and ministers are on their way here.”

"This expedition is over."

Wu Huaiyu's words stunned the King of Kucha and the King of Yanqi. Is this the end?
"This Grand Protector has already issued an order to establish Bohe Prefecture with the city of Salaseha, to establish Congling Prefecture with Kepandu, to establish Qinan Prefecture with Zhujubo, and to establish Wensu Prefecture with the land of Wensu State, including Dashicheng.

These four newly established states were all under the jurisdiction of Shule Military Governor's Office.

The land of Shule State was divided into three states: Damanzhou, Yanduzhou and Bienchengzhou.

Guards are set up in Congling, Bohe and Wensu."

The King of Shule stood beside Wu Huaiyu, extremely respectful.

The King of Kucha had a colorful ribbon tied around his head and sat on a golden lion throne, acting like a king.

As a result, I was confused by Wu Huaiyu's words.

Dashicheng belonged to the Kingdom of Kucha, and the land of the ancient Wensu Kingdom had also long been part of the Kingdom of Kucha.

Now he brought 5,000 Kucha soldiers to respond to Wu Huaiyu's order and come to assist in the conquest of the Three Kingdoms. How come this ended up sacrificing the Kucha Kingdom's Wensu?
That’s the western border of Qiuci with a population of over ten thousand. Can Wu Huaiyu just take it?
"Your Majesty the King?"

When the King of Kucha saw Wu Huaiyu's smiling face, he wanted to rush up and crush him to pieces, thinking it was too much.

Su Fa was so out of breath that he couldn't speak.

When the Prime Minister Nali of Kucha and the General Jieliedian saw that the king was about to refuse, they hurriedly grabbed Sufadie from the left and right.

"Your Majesty, think again."

A wise man never suffers a loss in front of him. Although this place was originally the territory of Qiuci, Dashi City is now occupied by the Anxi Tang army. If they really fall out, they may not be able to leave.

"Your Majesty, you might as well agree to him for now," Prime Minister Nali advised.

The 'Golden God' Su Fadie had no choice but to swallow his anger when his two civil and military right-hand men said so. In fact, although he was the King of Kucha, the military and political affairs had always been controlled by these two ministers. Behind these two people was the Turkic Tutun, who was the real king of Kucha.

Su Fadi's face turned pale and red.

It took him a long time to calm himself down, walk down from the Golden Leo, come in front of Wu Huaiyu, and grit his teeth to agree.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wu Huaiyu looked at Su Fadie, whose face looked extremely ugly, and felt a little disappointed. He really hoped that Su Fadie would refuse. It would be best if they broke off relations. Then Wu Huaiyu would have a reason to take action and take the opportunity to destroy Qiuci.

Once and for all.

The current result is unsatisfactory.

He looked past Sufadie and towards Nali and Jieliedian. He had seen all the little movements these two had made.

"Your Majesty, I have another request."

"Southeast of Wensu is the ancient Gumo Kingdom. During the Later Han Dynasty, Gumo first annexed Wensu, and later Qiuci annexed Gumo."

Wu Huaiyu smiled and continued, "Wensu and Gumo are adjacent to each other, but separated from Qiuci by the Kubera Desert. They are very far away, making travel difficult.

How about your Majesty handing Gumo over to the Grand Protectorate as well?"

This is just pushing the envelope.

After having forcibly occupied Wensu, they are now asking for Gumo. This is their intention to take away all of the western part of Qiuci.

Su Fadie gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger, "Wensu and Gumo are both the western borders of my Qiuci. Isn't this bad?"

"Your Majesty, across the Kubera Desert, Qiuci is indeed difficult to govern. It would be better to give it to the Anxi Protectorate." Wu Huaiyu said, "By the way, I forgot that there is a Weitou Kingdom to the west of the Kubera Desert and southeast of Wensu.

Weitou is a small and sparsely populated area, so we might as well put it under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Grand Military Governor's Office."

"I'm sorry that this is unacceptable." Su Fadie gritted his teeth and refused.

Wu Huaiyu still had that smiling expression on his face. "Weitou, Wensu, and Gumo were not originally part of Qiuci. They were all one of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, and were later invaded by Qiuci.
I made this suggestion out of long-term considerations, assigning Gumo, Wensu, and Weitou to the Anxi Protectorate and setting them up as prefectures."

Su Fadie shook his head and refused to agree.

"How about this: Gumo, Wensu, and Weitou are all set up as prefectures, still under the jurisdiction of the Qiuci Governorate, but these three prefectures are temporarily under the direct jurisdiction of the Anxi Grand Protectorate. How about that?"

Su Fadie's face turned pale with anger.

States were set up in the three places, which nominally still belonged to Kucha, but were actually directly governed by the Grand Protectorate. This was not the same as ceding the three places.

"No." Su Fadie spat out two words and refused again.

"Your Majesty, do not rush to reject it. You can go back and think about it carefully, or discuss it with the ministers."

Wu Huaiyu waved his hand and asked Su Fadie to retreat.

night,

A riot broke out in the Qiuci military camp.

Tianming,

The younger brother of the King of Kucha, Helibushibi, came to the gate of Dashi City dressed in white and asked to see Wu Huaiyu.

"Last night, my brother suddenly fell ill. No treatment was available and he died suddenly in the Golden Tent in the camp. I have come to report this to the Prime Minister."

"My condolences,"

Wu Huaiyu looked surprised.

"The Kingdom of Kucha cannot be without a ruler for a day, General, you must take responsibility." Wu Huaiyu patted Helibushibi's shoulder and said, "I now appoint you as the Inspector General of Kucha."

"I will also recommend you to the saints as the king of Kucha,"

Helibushibi could not hide his joy and immediately knelt down to thank Wu Huaiyu, "Thank you, Prime Minister."

"Before my brother died yesterday, he specifically left a will, saying that the Prime Minister's proposal to set up three places, Gumo, Wensu, and Weitou, west of Kubera Desert, and make them directly under the Grand Protectorate, is feasible after much thought."

Wu Huaiyu patted the guy on the shoulder and said, "Go and take care of your brother's funeral first."

Su Fadie died suddenly last night, but it was not Wu Huaiyu who did it. Now he is sure that it was his younger brother Helibusi who did it. It is estimated that Prime Minister Nali and General Jie Liedian were also behind it.

The reason is easy to guess. Su Fadie repeatedly refused Wu Huaiyu's request to cede land, which scared Nali and others. They were afraid that Wu Huaiyu would use this as an excuse to destroy Qiuci.

They could not persuade Su Fadie, so they simply killed him, supported the prince's brother, and compromised with the Tang Dynasty in order to seek concessions.

(End of this chapter)