I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 551 You, go and destroy the Han people

"General, this is the King of Shanshan."

Following Suo Zhan's introduction, Zhang Fei looked at the king in front of him with a smile on his face and a humble attitude. It was hard to believe that such a person ruled Shanshan, which could be considered a great country in the Western Regions.

No wonder they were oppressed by the Xianbei people and dared not resist.

Unlike Zhang Fei who was examining King Bi of Shanshan, Xu Huang, as the main general, took the initiative to talk with King Bi of Shanshan.

Bi said: "When I learned that the king's division was coming, I sent someone to invite Hu Changshi to meet me, and he is on his way now."

As he spoke, he noticed the troops Xu Huang had brought with him. They were solemn and orderly, and followed orders. Even during the march, the soldiers on the periphery were all wearing armor, and only the soldiers inside were not. Looking at the carts beside them, they should also be wearing armor.

Although not all of them are iron armor, they are enough to show the elite of the royal army.

King Shanshan was glad of his choice.

Xu Huang was overjoyed to learn that Hu Zhen was still alive. With Hu Zhen's cooperation, he was more confident of winning this battle.

The King of Shanshan continued, "In the past, the Xianbei and Cheshi were powerful, and I had no choice but to feign friendship with them. Now that the royal army has arrived, I am willing to kill the Xianbei envoys in Shanshan as a gift to the general!"

Xu Huang was moved when he heard this, but he asked the King of Shanshan with concern: "Do you need me to send troops to help you?"

Upon hearing this, King Bi of Shanshan immediately showed an aggrieved expression and said, "There is no need to trouble you, General. Before, without the support of the royal army, I had no choice but to submit to the Xianbei people. Now that the royal army is here, I have the confidence to kill them!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huang said, "In that case, I will wait in Haitou City for the victory report from the king!"

The King of Shanshan finally left temporarily after offering a thousand stones of grain and nearly a hundred sheep.

After the King of Shanshan left, Xu Huang, Zhang Fei and Suo Zhan said, "The King of Shanshan must have had doubts in his heart before today, but after watching the strength of our army today, he must have strengthened his determination."

Zhang Fei also said: "If he was really sincere, he should have brought the Xianbei people's heads with him when he met us... But if he can send them later, it won't be too late."

Suo Zhan was surprised after hearing what Zhang Fei said. He had always thought that Zhang Fei was a fierce general, but he didn't expect that he had such a delicate side.

……

Haitou City is where Hu Zhen was stationed after he became the Chief of the Western Regions. It is not far from the original Loulan City. In fact, compared with Haitou City, Loulan City has a longer history and higher walls, but due to the diversion of the river, it became difficult for Loulan City to get water and could not support too many people, let alone large-scale farming.

Even after the Shanshan people's post-war cleanup, you can still see traces of the battle when you walk into Haitou City - the marks left by knives and axes on the city walls, the destroyed fields outside the city, and the tombs that had been standing for only a few months, all of which show what this city had experienced before.

Looking at the time the tomb was built and seeing that the fallen soldiers were properly settled in a timely manner, Xu Huang's impression of King Bi of Shanshan improved slightly.

It is understandable that he did not dare to fight against the Xianbei people because he did not have the support of the Han army.

Less than two days after the army arrived at Haitou City, not far from Loulan City, Xu Huang and his party finally met Hu Zhen, the Chief of the Western Regions who had been missing for a long time.

Also arriving with Hu Zhen were the heads of the Xianbei people that the King of Shanshan had promised.

When the two sides met, there was a different kind of emotion.

Hu Zhen had no time to rest and started talking to Xu Huang and Zhang Fei about the situation in the Western Regions.

"The Cheshi Kingdom is divided into two parts, the front and the back. The rear is strong, so it often uses the power of the Xianbei to contain the front. Therefore, if we want to deal with the Xianbei and the Cheshi Kingdom, the focus is on the rear of Cheshi!"

"Yanqi and Qiuci both have more than 20,000 soldiers. Previously, the Changshi Mansion lacked troops in the Western Regions, so they all secretly colluded with the Xianbei. Now that the army has arrived, they should be alerted... However, this is not enough. We should show them kindness and make them send troops to attack the Cheshi Kingdom and the Xianbei together!"

"I am willing to go there in person to persuade them! Please ask the general to mobilize the troops from Shanshan and the surrounding small countries to serve as a fighting force!"

Seeing Hu Zhen set off again despite the hardship of the journey, Xu Huang said to Hu Zhen without hesitation: "The ancients feared that they would not meet a wise ruler. Now that we are fortunate enough to meet one, we should make great achievements and serve you."

But before leaving, Hu Zhen asked, "There is one thing I need to confirm, General. Will we continue to station troops in the Western Regions? Or will we withdraw our troops after the battle?"

Xu Huang didn’t know a clear answer to this question, after all, the battle hadn’t been fought yet!
However, he replied: "There is a turmoil in Guandong now, but Your Majesty still ordered me and Yide to lead the troops west without delay. You should understand the meaning of this!"

Hu Zhen became the Chief of the Western Regions and waited in Haitou City for several years. Instead of receiving the garrison troops sent by the imperial court, he received the invading Xianbei and Cheshi troops. Now, after hearing what Xu Huang said, he felt mixed emotions.

He also knew that it was not easy for the court to send these 7,000 soldiers and horses, but when he thought of his subordinates who did not escape, his nose couldn't help but feel sore.

Before leaving, Hu Zhen added: "Although Liuzhong City, located in the front of Cheshi and where the Wuji School Lieutenant's Department was stationed in the past, has been abandoned for many years, it can still be used as a stronghold..."

Immediately, Hu Zhen set out for Yanqi without spending the night in Haitou City.

Just like when Ban Chao first arrived in the Western Regions, Hu Zhen chose the auspicious number thirty-six as the number of his followers.

He wanted to persuade Yanqi and Qiuci, two big countries located in the central Western Regions.

Even if they were not allowed to send troops, at least they were allowed to remain neutral in the war between the Han Dynasty and the Xianbei and Cheshi Kingdoms.

……

The Han Dynasty's dispatch of troops was no secret.

The people of the Western Regions are a mixed bunch. In fact, after the army appeared in Dunhuang County, the spies arranged by the Xianbei people in Dunhuang had already passed this news to the Xianbei people.

Today, there is a large Xianbei tribe in the north of the Western Regions, and its leader is named Mo Hou.

In fact, rather than saying that Mo Hou was a Xianbei, decades ago, his parents were called Huns.

This is also a characteristic of the grassland people.

The nomadic production method determined that they lived in families, and multiple families formed tribes to prevent natural disasters and man-made disasters on the grassland. The productivity of the grassland determined that a single tribe could not gather too many people like an agricultural nation. Therefore, in many cases, their names would change with the largest and most influential tribe... After accepting the more primitive system and customs of the Xianbei people, the original Xiongnu people naturally became Xianbei people.

"Sir, should we take the initiative to attack while the Han people are still unstable?"

When the news of the Han people's march into the Western Regions was heard, the person who was most worried was not the Xianbei people, but Amitābha, the King of Cheshi.

When the Han people were still powerful in the Western Regions, his father Aluduo plotted a rebellion, but was no match for the Han people and was defeated by Captain Wu Ji. He had no choice but to take him, who was still young at the time, to seek refuge with the Northern Xiongnu.

Later, Arodo could no longer survive in the Northern Xiongnu, so he surrendered to the Han people. Finally, for the stability of the Cheshi Kingdom, the Han people deposed his cousin Beijun, the King of Cheshi who was appointed by the Han people, and continued to have his father Arodo as the King of Cheshi.

After that, the Northern Xiongnu disappeared, and the traces of the Han people gradually left the Western Regions. The Xianbei people, who were the predecessors of the Northern Xiongnu, replaced both sides. Because of its nomadic lifestyle, the Cheshi Kingdom has always maintained a relatively friendly relationship with the former Xiongnu and the current Xianbei. But once the Han people attacked, the Xianbei people could naturally retreat to the north and east. The Han people had never been able to chase them so far, but the Cheshi people did not dare to run - because behind them was the Xianbei people's pasture. If they dared to go, the Xianbei people would be able to seize his people without the Han people doing anything.

Mo Hou was well aware of Amizhaya's worries.

But in fact, the fact that the Han people dared to send troops to the Western Regions was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.

Originally, he dared to lead the Cheshi people to attack the Changshi Mansion of the Han people in the Western Regions, not only because the Changshi Mansion had been an eyesore since it returned to the Western Regions, but more importantly, he learned from the Qifu tribe in the east that the Han people were in civil strife, and Cao Cao, whose name could stop the Xianbei children south of the desert from crying, had been transferred to quell the rebellion.

The reason why Mo Hou sent people to Dunhuang County was that Dunhuang County had accumulated a lot of wealth in recent years, and he was jealous.

But I didn't expect to receive the news that the Han people were sending troops.

On the other side, Ami Zha saw that Mo Hou had not responded yet, so he persuaded him again: "Sir, Hu Zhen only brought a few dozen people to the Western Regions, and he almost did what Ban Chao did. He united the countries in the Western Regions and brought you a lot of trouble?"

"The people coming now are not just dozens, but thousands! If you don't respond, I'm afraid that countries like Yanqi and Qiuci will become disloyal."

After thinking about Amitābha's request again and again, Mo Hou replied, "That's exactly what I should do!"

Mo Hou understood that the people of the Western Regions actually welcomed the Han people more than the Xianbei. The most crucial reason was that the Han people had almost no tax requirements on them and could also bring commercial benefits.

If it were him, he would know what to choose just by thinking with his feet.

Therefore, we must take advantage of the fact that the Western Regions are still watching and defeat the Han people with thunder and lightning.

After making the decision, Mo Hou said to Ami Zha: "You, immediately send out troops, take the front and rear troops, and destroy the Han people!"

Ami Zha, who was originally extremely excited because Mo Hou agreed to send troops, was stunned when she heard this.

He pointed at himself somewhat wordlessly and murmured, "Me?"

"My lord, I can't do this!"

Seeing this, Mo Hou laughed and said, "The Xianbei people have never known what fear is?"

He immediately ordered his men to call over several of his generals and said to them, "I want you to go back now and prepare your troops, head south, and destroy the Han people who have come to the Western Regions!"

Upon hearing this, the young generals all shouted excitedly, wishing they could set off with Mo Hou immediately.

Seeing this, Mo Hou laughed again and looked at Ami Zha.

Seeing this, Ami Zha understood clearly that even if he didn't come, Mo Hou had already made plans to send troops. Otherwise, how could these young generals, who usually led their respective villages to roam around, gather together?

He didn't know that Mo Hou had originally planned to plunder Hexi.

He just knelt down again and said to Lord Mo: "Your Excellency has many brave warriors under his command, and I am far inferior to them."

……

In the Kingdom of Yanqi, the King of Yanqi, Long An, was warmly entertaining Hu Zhen.

He said emotionally: "When I heard the news of the attack on Haitou City, I was really distressed because I didn't know whether the Chief Secretary was alive or dead. Fortunately, I see that the Chief Secretary is safe now, which also puts my mind at ease..."

Hu Zhen listened and first accompanied Long An to drink. After three rounds of drinks, he took advantage of his drunkenness to say, "As the saying goes, those who survive a great disaster will have good fortune in the future. When the emperor heard that the Xianbei dared to attack the Changshi Mansion, he immediately sent troops to the Western Regions. After that, the emperor intended to continue to station troops in the Western Regions, following the story of Ban Dingyuan."

"I am finally worthy of the title of the Western Regions' Chief Historian."

After hearing Hu Zhen's words, Yanqi King Long An exchanged glances with the Yanqi ministers present, and everything was said without words.

It was not until the next day that Hu Zhen discussed business with the King of Yanqi. "Today, the emperor sent General Xu here to attack the Xianbei and Cheshi. After the attack, he will definitely reward them according to their merits. Before I came, the King of Shanshan had already killed all the Xianbei envoys in the country to show that he would not coexist with the Xianbei."

Hearing this, Yanqi King Long An immediately said, "The Chief Secretary, you don't know, there were originally Xianbei people in my city, but when they heard the news that the Chief Secretary was coming, they fled overnight!"

Even though Hu Zhen had hinted yesterday, King Yanqi still did not respond to the issue of sending troops.

After Hu Zhen's repeated persuasion, he was only willing to provide some food and fodder to the Han army.

Hu Zhen understood that the King of Yanqi would not release the eagle until he saw the rabbit. He knew that unless the Han army gained the upper hand in the confrontation with the Xianbei people, the Yanqi Kingdom would just wait and see.

Because even if the Han army won, Yanqi Kingdom only needed to do some icing on the cake, so neither he nor Xu Huang had any reason to do anything to Yanqi Kingdom.

But Hu Zhen was somewhat unwilling.

Finally, he made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, you should know that Cheshi has been disloyal for a long time. In the past, Cheshi also invaded Yanqi with the help of the Xianbei people. Now we will attack Cheshi and punish them severely."

"A hundred years ago, there were more than fifty countries in the Western Regions, but now there are only more than thirty left. It is still unknown whether the Cheshi Kingdom will still be divided into two or what!"

Hearing this, King Yanqi was indeed moved.

But he still did not dare to agree to Hu Zhen's request to send troops - after all, Yanqi was too close to Cheshi State, even closer than Shanshan State.

Although his country had more than 20,000 soldiers and was not afraid of the Cheshi Kingdom at all, it was no match for the Xianbei people behind the Cheshi Kingdom.

Long An had to consider what would happen if the Han army failed.

In the end, Hu Zhen bid farewell to the King of Yanqi in disappointment and continued his mission westward to Qiuci.

Like the King of Yanqi, the King of Kucha, Bai Guang, was also hesitant and wanted to sit on the sidelines.

Bai Guang's ancestor was Bai Ba, who served as a servant in the Han Dynasty. After being made king by Ban Zhao, he took Bai as his surname. It seems that Bai Guang has a deep connection with the Han Dynasty.

But the Han Dynasty was unable to withstand the three cuts and three connections. After the vacancies left were occupied by the Xiongnu or Xianbei, the Han Dynasty came again. In this way, these kings really found it difficult to make a decision.

Hu Zhen returned empty-handed in the end. Just like in Yanqi, he only brought some food and fodder given by the king, which was just icing on the cake.

But when passing through Yanqi on his way back, Hu Zhen suddenly had an idea and did not go to see the King of Yanqi. Instead, he ordered his subordinates to take the people sent by the King of Kucha to transport food and fodder and leave from Yanqi under the banner of Kucha.

(End of this chapter)