unclear

Chapter 882: Making a Proposal to the North and Attacking the South
"...That being said, the Northern Army has received orders not to advance rashly. Otherwise, I will return to Suzhou to petition His Majesty in person and explain the situation here clearly. You guys wait for news." Sun Chengzong hesitated slightly, as if he was persuaded by Jiang Bi, but he could not disobey orders, so he had no choice but to choose to argue again.

"General Sun, since it is the will of His Majesty, please do not object too much. His Majesty must have his reasons for not attacking. We should be patient and wait for orders." Seeing that Sun Chengzong really wanted to leave immediately, Lei Lao Hu quickly followed him and expressed his attitude in a low voice.

As a graduate of the Haihu Division, the Emperor's will is the final result, and there is basically no room for negotiation. Not only do you have to obey verbally, but you also have to obey in your heart. Even if there are extremely unreasonable links, you still cannot object publicly, and can only petition privately.

Although Sun Chengzong did not belong to the Haihusi system, his contributions over the years were obvious to all, especially in the training of new troops. As an officer, I really don't want him to be demoted because of this.

"Thank you Chief of Staff Lei for your care. I know what to do. You two must wait for orders, do not act rashly, and do not be lured by the enemy to pursue too far. Take care!" Sun Chengzong grinned, clasped his fists to express his gratitude, and then walked down the earthen city with his guards.

"Alas... don't blame me for lying. I had no choice!" But as soon as he got on the horse, Sun Chengzong's expression changed. He turned around to look at his two colleagues who were still watching on the earthen city, sighed, and rode away.

There was no such thing as the Battle of Hami. The orders and battle plans received by Jiang Bi, Lei Laohu, and most of the generals of the Northern Army, as well as the imperial carriage, the camp, the imperial horse guards, the eunuchs, etc. in Suzhou were all fake. This was done mainly to deceive others and also to deceive their own people.

The Northern Army played the role of a conspicuous and reinforced force in the entire Western Expedition plan. It marched to Suzhou with great fanfare and then sent out the Inner Mongolian cavalry for large-scale reconnaissance. A large amount of baggage was also transported, all of which were to remind the Yarkand Khanate and make them believe that the Ming army was going to advance westward from here.

Since ancient times, there have been only three routes to the Western Regions. The northern route goes through the territories of Outer Khalkha Mongolia and Wala Mongolia, bypasses Hami and goes directly to Barkol in northern Xinjiang. Then you can go all the way west to Beshbaliq and Weilumu (Urumqi).

Then we crossed the Tianshan Mountains and headed south to Turpan, passing through Heshuo, Yanqi, Talbugir, Baicheng, Aksu, and went along the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert to southern Xinjiang. This was the route Zuo Zongtang took when he entered Xinjiang.

Its advantages are that there are not many uninhabited areas in the Gobi Desert along the way, and water sources are guaranteed. Its disadvantages are that it is a bit roundabout and far away, and it has to pass through the territories of Outer Khalkha and Wala, so you must get their consent.

The Qing Dynasty had already conquered the various Mongolian tribes, so it was OK to do so. In the Ming Dynasty, Outer Khalkha and Oirat were unwilling to submit. If you lead a large army through their territory, it would be very dangerous for both sides and basically would not work.

The southern route starts from Yangguan. There is no Yangguan to the west of Yangguan. The specific location is 100 miles southwest of Dunhuang and 300 miles southwest of Guazhou. It is on the east side of Lop Nur.

Starting from Yangguan, following the shady side of the Kunlun Mountains and heading west along the southern edge of the Tarim Basin, the first stop is the ancient country of Loulan.

Here I want to correct a point of view. From the perspective of later generations, Lop Nur and its surrounding areas have been completely desertified. However, in the Ming Dynasty, some water sources and small oases were still preserved.

Especially in spring and summer, the melted snow on the Kunlun Mountains gathers into rivers, which still nourish the earth, making it suitable for farming and grazing, and for people to live and work.

After Loulan is Ruoqiang, which was called Ruoqiang in the Ming Dynasty. They were descendants of the ancient Qiang people and belonged to the Yarkand Khanate. From Ruoqiang, it is easier to go west. There is a relatively large oasis every 1 or 2 miles. For example, Nirang (Minfeng), Yutian (Hotan + Yutian), Yecheng, etc., can provide sufficient water and food. Master Faxian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty went to India and other countries to seek Buddhist scriptures through this road, 300 years earlier than Master Xuanzang.

Its advantage is that it is the shortest distance to Yarkand City and there are supplies along the way. Its disadvantage is also the supply. The oases along the way, especially the section from Yangguan to Ruoqiang, are very small and cannot provide enough water and food for the army. The troops must be divided into batches.

There is a middle route between the northern route and the southern route, which goes from Guazhou to Hami in the north and then to Turpan in the west. The rest is the same as the northern route, which is the route that the great Tang monk Xuanzang took to the west to seek Buddhist scriptures.

Its advantage is...nothing! Master Xuanzang chose this route in the Tang Dynasty because Lop Nur had not yet been completely desertified and many tribes lived there. He had a small entourage and could get supplies while walking. It was closer than the northern route and easier than the southern route.

1000 years have passed, time has passed, and the world has changed dramatically. Lop Nur and its surrounding areas are seriously desertified. It would be unwise to still believe that if Tang Seng could get through, I can too.

But the ancients also said that war is all about deception. The more unlikely something seems, the more likely it is to happen during a war. The generals on both sides are looking for each other's weaknesses. What is a weakness? It is a place of negligence. At this time, the middle road, which seems to be the worst choice, has become the focus of both sides.

In order to give the other side a deeper impression that the Ming army was going to take the middle road, Sun Chengzong deliberately stopped Jiang Bi's vanguard in Guazhou. They did not go to Yangguan and Yumenguan at all. They rested and built the city on the spot, busying themselves with making it seem as if they were going to use Guazhou as a logistics base and store up enough food and grass to head north to Hami.

Even if one summoned Turpan Khan's cronies and allowed them to look around Guazhou, they would certainly come to the same conclusion.

Because the Ming army was really building a city, and the specifications were very high. They would never use rammed earth if they could use stones, and they spared no expense. Moreover, teams of horse-drawn carriages were constantly transporting food and building materials here, which clearly showed that more troops would be gathered here.

But no matter how big the city is or how many troops are assembled, the battle to the north to Hami will never start first. All these big moves are to cover for another army, to draw all the attention of the Yarkand Khanate to the northern line, and then leave the southern line empty.

By the time the real emperor led the Ming army down from the plateau and captured Ruoqiang City in one fell swoop, it was too late for the Yarkand army gathered in Turpan and Hami to return for support.

Nature is fair. The desert Gobi that the Han people could not cross was also feared by other ethnic groups. The Ming army needed small oases to pass through in waves, and the Yarkand army had to do the same.

By the time they slowly ran back, it was estimated that the emperor's army had already occupied several major cities and oases in southern Xinjiang, and was sitting there waiting for the main force of Yarkand to come and die after eating and drinking.

(End of this chapter)