Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 443: The Enemy Arrives at Khwarezm (Special thanks to my monthly ticket from my friend Xu Wo Yi Sheng Ai!)

More than a month ago, after receiving the news that Emperor Chai Zongxun of the Great Zhou Dynasty was sending a large army to Khitan, Zalan Khan guessed that the Great Zhou Dynasty might attack his own country after pacifying Khitan.

Since the 27th year of Kaixi, Khwarezm joined the Star Sect coalition to invade the territory of the Great Zhou. Zhalan thought it was a "holy war" that was sure to win and he could seize money and people.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the 1.8 million-strong army entered Zhou territory, it was stopped by two corps of the Great Zhou Longxiang Army in the border town of "Bekara".

The Zhou army had powerful artillery that the Star Cult countries had never heard of or seen before. The 180,000 Zhou army led by "Bekara" actually withstood the crazy attacks of the Star Cult coalition forces that were ten times their size for nearly half a year, annihilated the enemy and waited for the arrival of the Great Zhou reinforcements.

The subsequent battle situation made Zhalan extremely sad. Facing the ten army corps of the Great Zhou, the coalition forces of more than twenty Star Sect countries successively invested more than three million troops. After five years of war, they suffered heavy losses. Even the leader of the alliance, the Samanid Dynasty, was destroyed by the Great Zhou in the 31st year of Kaixi.

In the 31st year of Kaixi, when the battle between Li Jiqian and Crown Prince Mo'ao of Khitan and the Zhou army supporting the Western King Reina was unfavorable, they sent envoys to Khwarezm to persuade Zalan Khan to send troops to help Li Jiqian's faction fight against the Zhou army.

However, Zalan knows his own suffering.

The 300,000-strong army sent by Khwarezm to the Samanid Empire was almost wiped out within a few years, and less than 20,000 people escaped back to their country.

With the destruction of the Samanid Dynasty, the pressure on the Eastern Roman Empire in the west was suddenly reduced, and it actually dispatched 250,000 troops to attack the northwestern prefecture at the border between the two countries, forcing Zalan to dispatch 300,000 troops to resist, and only then was he able to defend the three border prefectures.

Zalan knew very well that the invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire was not his biggest concern. The most terrifying thing was that the Great Zhou Empire, which had destroyed the Samanid and Ghaznavid dynasties, had no intention of withdrawing its troops and had gradually migrated a large number of Han people from its country.

Central Asia, including places like Khwarezm, has always been a vassal state of any rising great power.

In the first century AD, the Yuezhi people established the powerful Kushan Empire, and Khwarezm became a vassal state of the Kushan Empire for hundreds of years.

When the Tang Dynasty of China was at its peak, the Avrig Dynasty, the ruler of Khwarezm at the time, immediately pledged allegiance to the Tang Dynasty and became its vassal state after the Tang Dynasty conquered Western Turkestan in 657 AD.

However, no matter which powerful empire conquered Central Asia before, none of them had the ambition and immense financial resources shown by the current Zhou Empire, which actually immigrated tens of millions of people from its own country to settle in the newly occupied Samanid Empire and Ghaznavid lands.

After the Great Zhou Dynasty stabilized its control over the newly occupied territories in Central Asia, the ten corps were divided into two routes. Huyan Zan led the Second Front Army to attack the Black Arab Caliphate area westward from Bukhara.

Jingsheng led the First Front Army and divided it into two routes, one to the south to attack more than a dozen small countries of the Xingxing Sect with a force of 200,000.

Another group headed north to attack Khwarezm with a force of 250,000.

In order to resist the 250,000 Zhou troops attacking from the north, Zalan Khan had tried his best and mobilized 500,000 troops from Khwarezm to resist. Almost all the young and middle-aged men were recruited. Where would the troops be to rescue Li Jiqian of the Kyrgyz who was at a disadvantage in the civil war?

Relying on the experience of fighting against the Great Zhou in previous years, Khwarezm adopted the tactic of refusing to fight in the field and defending the city this time.

Khwarezm had its own unique secret in city-building, and was good at using sand and stone to burn large bricks to build cities.

From the 6th century BC to the 6th century AD, many buildings at that time were ingenious and incredible. A large number of castles were built on the territory of Khwarezm. Later, they were swallowed up by the desert and preserved. Faced with the castle tactics of the Khwarezmian army, the progress of the northern expedition army led by Jingsheng slowed down a lot, and they had to increase the frequency of artillery sieges and advance northward one city at a time.

Zhalan thought about it and realized that there were really no troops to be transferred from the country. The battlefield on the southern front was already losing ground to the Zhou army, so he had to withdraw 100,000 troops from the western front against the Roman Empire, together with 100,000 of the 150,000 imperial guards guarding the capital city of Coti, a total of 200,000 troops were sent to the eastern front to fight against Yang Ye's troops of the Great Zhou Empire.

On October 7, the 32nd year of Kaixi, when Yang Ye led the 8th Corps of the Longxiang Army to the city of Qiemo, he saw signs that the city had been reinforced and raised all around, and the city walls were tall and thick. The tops of the cities were filled with Khwarezmian soldiers in distinctive armor and equipped with numerous weapons.

Yang Ye ordered to set up camp ten miles outside the city and gather all the generals to discuss military affairs.

Yang Ye said:
"According to the intelligence sent back by the Dragon Guards, the Khwarezmian King Zalan dispatched 100,000 troops from the western front and 100,000 imperial guards to garrison in Qiemo City a month ago.

This governor has observed that the defenses of Qiemo City were built like an iron barrel by the Khwarezmian army. Although it is no problem for my Eighth Corps to capture this city, I am afraid it will take half a year and it will take a long time!
When this governor went out to fight, he boasted in front of Your Majesty that he would conquer Khwarezm within a year. It was not a good idea to attack Qiemo City head-on.

The generals can offer their suggestions and advice. "

The First Army Commander Zhe Weixing saluted and said:

"Commander-in-chief, since the war with our Great Zhou in the past few years, Khwarezm has become much more docile and obedient. It is even afraid to fight with our army in the field, and only defends the high city and large pond.

Now the Eastern Roman Empire's 250,000-strong army is attacking the western capital of Khwarezm very urgently, and Khwarezm has dispatched troops to defend our Great Zhou. If we are to be attacked by the Eastern Roman Empire on the western front and advance into Khwarezm's capital, Khotan, then our Great Zhou will be making wedding clothes for the Eastern Roman Empire.

In my opinion, it would be better for our Eighth Corps to abandon Qiemo City and go straight to Khorezm's capital, Keti City, from the south!"

Zhe Weixing was the second son of Zhe Yuxun, born in the first year of Kaixi (960).

Zhe Yuxun had three sons. The eldest son Weixing and the third son Weicheng were both talented in politics and economics. In the past few years, they both passed the imperial examinations and became Jinshi in the liberal arts and commerce categories. The second son was a brave man, and was trained by Zhe Yuxun since he was young. In the 21st year of Kaixi, he ranked seventh in the first class of the military imperial examination. He was promoted to army commander in the 31st year of Kaixi due to his merits.

The Second Army Commander Hu Yanbi asked:
"If our army abandons Qiemo City and does not attack it, firstly, the follow-up supply will be insufficient, and secondly, we will be alone deep in the enemy territory. If we are attacked from both the east and the west by the heavy troops of Khwarezm, it will be a great disadvantage in strategy."

Huyan Biqiu was the third son of Huyan Zan. He was born in the seventh year of Kaixi (966), and passed the military imperial examination in the twenty-fourth year of Kaixi (973). He was promoted to army commander this year.

Yang Ye pondered for a while, knowing that if he wanted to quickly destroy Khwarezm within a year, he had to abandon Qiemo City and launch a surprise attack on Khwarezm's capital, Keti City.

Yang Ye said:
"My Great Zhou fought alone against the coalition forces of the Star Religion, and it seemed that we would achieve an unprecedented feat; the Eastern Roman Empire sent troops for five years, but achieved nothing, and only held back the Star Religion coalition forces of 600,000 to 700,000 men!

Now that our Great Zhou is about to destroy Khwarezm, how can we let the Eastern Roman Empire take advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits! "

(End of this chapter)