Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 424: Millennium Dynasty (Special thanks to book friend daddycool for 5 monthly tickets!)

The candidates to lead the army to Khotan were mainly the commander of the imperial guards Chen Jixing, the commander of the Longxiang Army Yang Yanzhao, and the Wude Division pacification envoy Chen Ding.

The person Chai Zongxun was most familiar with and trusted was naturally Chen Jixing, and he finally decided to have him lead 50,000 imperial troops to conquer Khotan.

Chai Zongxun said:

"My dear minister Chen, I will only wait for you in Gaochang for ten days. If you cannot persuade Yuchi Sengkharama, the king of Khotan, to surrender, you will lead the attack on this country. The garrison of Longxiang troops that will arrive in Gaochang will all be under your command.

We must take Khotan into our territory as soon as possible."

Chen Jixing was overjoyed and said:
"Your Majesty has entrusted me with such an important task. I will definitely help Your Majesty recover Khotan within six months at the latest!"

After the generals left the hall, they immediately began to prepare for the army to go out.

On October 22, the 31st year of Kaixi, Chen Jixing, the commander of the imperial guards of the Great Zhou, bid farewell to Emperor Chai Zongxun and led 50,000 imperial guards from Gaochang City to Khotan.

The eunuch Xue Ke, who read the imperial edict, rushed to the capital of Khotan, Khotan City, on horseback.

Khotan was located southwest of Gaochang State, quite close to it. Three days later, on October 25th, Xue Ke had already arrived at Khotan City on horseback.

King Yuchi Sangharama welcomed the angel of the Great Zhou at the gate of the palace with the most solemn ceremony.

Xue Ke, escorted by ten military officers, followed King Yuchi Sangharama into the main hall of the palace and read out the imperial edict to the ruler and his ministers in a loud voice:

"It is God's destiny, the emperor decreed:

I believe that since ancient times, the rulers of small countries whose borders are adjacent to each other have always been committed to maintaining trust and friendship.

Moreover, our Great Zhou, having received the mandate of Heaven, has taken possession of China. There are too many people in distant lands who fear our might and admire our virtue to count.

When I first ascended the throne, I implemented benevolent policies, saved the people from suffering, and unified China.

During the 30-year period, the Kingdom of Mengshu was conquered, Southern Han was pacified, the Tang Dynasty was taken in the southeast, the Liao Dynasty was destroyed in the northeast, the Liugufan and Ganzhou Uighurs were taken in the northwest, and after three years in Central Asia, the Karakhanid Khanate was incorporated into its territory.

Now the ruler and his subjects of Gaochang have come to pay homage to us. Although they are ruler and subject, they are as happy as father and son. The ruler and his subjects of the king are also known. Gaochang is my newly acquired beloved land.

Khotan is close to Gaochang and has had connections with China since the founding of the Qin Dynasty. As for me, I have sent envoys every year to establish peace.

Today, our Great Zhou has become the most powerful country in the world, and our people are prosperous and happy.

Therefore, I have sent a special envoy with a letter to announce my intention.

I hope that from now on, Khotan will be under my control, and we can share a peaceful and prosperous era. Isn't that wonderful? !

Moreover, the sage regards the four seas as his home. If there is no communication and friendship, how can it be considered as one family? As for the use of military force, who is in favor? The king should plan for it.

admire this
Made in October of the 31st year of Kaixi

After hearing the imperial edict, Yuchi Sengkara and other ministers of Khotan were suddenly in an uproar.

Yuchi Sengkharama was surprised and said:
"Eunuch Xue, my country Khotan has been a vassal state of the Great Zhou for more than ten years, and we have always served Your Majesty with respect.

Today I heard your Majesty's decree that my entire country of Khotan should be incorporated into the territory of the Great Zhou. I wonder what the reason is?

Is there any room for maneuver?"

Xue Ke said:
"Lord Yuchi, our Great Zhou Emperor is an eternal saint, and has always been friendly to the two kingdoms of Khotan and Gaochang. You have also seen what happened in Gaochang today. The slightest change in the country will lead to fierce political struggles, which will harm the common people.

Today, our Great Zhou is winning victory after victory in the wars against the Star Religion countries in Central and West Asia, and just last month we conquered the Samanid Dynasty, the leader of the Star Religion and the most powerful.

Now that the Western Regions and vast areas of Central and West Asia have become your Majesty's Zhou territory, the two states of Khotan and Gaochang have become the "countries within a country" of our Great Zhou.

This time, Your Majesty personally led the army to quell the rebellion of the Mozang clan in Gaochang in just one month, saving the people from distress and making them happy.

The eldest prince of Gaochang was granted the title of "Duke Chechi" by His Majesty. He will go to Bian Jing with the queen to settle down and enjoy wealth and glory.

His Majesty was merciful and did not kill Concubine Mei Zang. He only ordered her to go to the "Baoen Temple" in Bian Jing to practice and reflect on her sins.

Lord Yuchi, the situation is very clear. I advise you to surrender immediately. If you do so, you will not lose the reward of a duke, and you can go to Bian Jing to enjoy a prosperous life.

After the people of Khotan become the subjects of our Great Zhou, they can also share in the prosperous and peaceful world!"

Yuchi Sengkara knew that the Great Zhou Emperor Chai Zongxun had made up his mind and could only hesitate and say:

"Eunuch Xue has come a long way and has been exhausted, so please come into the side hall for a feast to relieve your fatigue.

I understand your majesty's decree. This is a serious matter. I will discuss it with the other ministers before making a decision."

Xue Ke nodded, said no more, followed the entertaining eunuchs of the Khotan Palace into the side hall to eat, drink and have fun.

On October 27, Chen Jixing, who had marched to within a day's journey of Khotan City, waited until the afternoon. Seeing that there was still no news from Xue Ke, he learned that the King of Khotan, Yuchi Sengkharama, had not surrendered upon seeing the imperial edict.

Chen Jixing immediately followed the agreement he had made with Xue Ke when he set out on the expedition and sent troops to attack "Xicheng", the second largest city in nearby Khotan.

The West City wall is seventeen miles in radius, with a population of over three hundred thousand and sixty thousand soldiers.

After Chen Jixing led 50,000 imperial Zhou troops to West City, he first sent messengers to the city gate to solicit surrender.

The Yutian generals guarding the city had not received any orders from the king, and seeing that the Zhou soldiers were not many, they were not afraid and immediately refused in a stern manner.

Seeing that his attempts to persuade the enemy to surrender were futile, Chen Jixing immediately ordered the entire army to attack the city and lined up the 200 "Yansu Cannons" he had brought with him.

Under the curious gaze of the Yutian defenders who had only heard of but never seen the "Yansu Cannon" of the Great Zhou Dynasty, 200 artillery pieces fired at the same time. Amid the deafening sound, 200 shells flew through the air about three miles away and slammed heavily into the city towers, walls, gates, etc. Stone and wood chips flew everywhere, and the power was terrifying.

After more than two hours of attack, the sandy earthen city wall of Khotan, whose defense was far inferior to that of the Central Plains dynasty, was breached. Fifty thousand imperial troops rushed into the city and easily annihilated the enemy with the divine arm bow.

The general defending Yutian was horrified. After today's battle, he realized the terrifying combat power of the Great Zhou Army, which was able to defeat the Star Sect coalition of more than 3 million with only 900,000 soldiers. He knew that his own army was no match for them, so he led the remaining 50,000 soldiers to surrender.

After Chen Jixing gathered the surrendered troops, he immediately ordered dozens of Khotanese soldiers to rush to the capital to report the news.

On the second day, on the afternoon of October 28th, the 31st year of Kaixi, Yuchi Sengkharama, the king of Khotan, received military information in the Khotan palace that the Western City was captured by the Zhou army in just a few hours, the six-year defenders had no ability to fight back, 10,000 people were killed and 50,000 were captured.

Yuchi Senghalama was greatly shocked. After thinking for a long time, he realized that this battle was a warning by the Great Zhou army in the hope that he would surrender quickly and not kill more soldiers and civilians of his own country.

Although they had an army of 400,000 across the country, the imperial guards in the capital only had 200,000. Despite their large number of people, they were unable to resist the Great Zhou's new weapon, the "Yansu Cannon."

Yuchi Sengkara knew that if he did not make a decision, Chen Jixing would lead his army to attack in the next day. In desperation, he sealed up the national treasury and the royal seal and asked for surrender to the Zhou angel Xue Ke.

At this point, the Kingdom of Khotan, which had been established for more than 1,200 years and had been passed down by the Yuchi royal family for a thousand years, perished and was returned to the Great Zhou Empire.

(End of this chapter)