Chapter 31
However, despite the regret, Lia could not possibly wait for Morgan to finish the flintlock gun before deploying troops. Otherwise, once Yumen Pass was breached, large numbers of Rouran People would enter the border.
Moreover, even if the flintlock gun was manufactured, it would still require a period of practice. In short, it wouldn't be usable for this trip to the Western Regions.
It took another half month for Lia to arrive at Yumen Pass with the main army. It could be said that by the time Lia reached Yumen Pass, the defending general there was already engaged in battle with the Nomadic Confederation.
When the Rouran People learned that Lia had arrived at Yumen Pass with ten thousand soldiers, they immediately fled without a word.
This, then, was the shameless aspect of the Rouran People.
Once they broke through Yumen Pass, they would head south, looting all the way. As soon as the Imperial Court's main army arrived, they would quickly flee and go loot other places.
After all, Yumen Pass was not the only place to enter the Central Plains region. Many places in the Northland allowed entry into the Land of Huaxia; there was no need to fight a desperate battle here at Yumen Pass.
And when the Imperial Court mobilized a massive army to the frontier, they would travel all the way, exhausted and accomplishing nothing, which was a waste of manpower and resources.
Looking at the fleeing Rouran People, Lia didn't say much. After all, "the monk may run away, but the temple cannot run with him." Even nomadic tribes need to graze their livestock, right?
"General Yu, it has been several months since we last parted. You have worked hard this time. Fortunately, you were here to prevent the Rouran People from breaking through Yumen Pass and harming Common People inside the pass."
Lia looked at Yu Ming, whose face was covered in blood, and expressed her gratitude.
Yu Ming quickly replied, "Defending Yumen Pass is this subordinate general's duty; my Lord need not be so polite."
As a subject, he received the Emperor's salary and naturally had to serve the Emperor faithfully.
Lia glanced at the defending soldiers. Originally, there should have been 1,000 defenders here, but now only a few hundred remained, and every one of them was injured.
Lia sighed, and then announced loudly: "Today, this King thanks all the soldiers on behalf of all Common People inside the pass! For all those who died in this battle, this King will issue pensions to ensure their families live comfortably for the rest of their lives. The surviving warriors will also receive corresponding rewards of money and grain. Thank you for your sacrifices!"
"Long live King Arthur! Long live the Queen!"
"Long live King Arthur! Long live the Queen!"
"Long live King Arthur! Long live the Queen!"
Upon hearing Lia's words, the soldiers immediately cheered loudly.
After calming the hearts of the soldiers, Lia instructed them to go back and rest, stating that the large army she led would temporarily take over the defense of Yumen Pass.
She and Yu Ming then entered the pass. Lia asked Yu Ming about the situation of the Rouran People and the investigation into The various kingdoms of the Western Regions that she had previously tasked him with.
Yu Ming then told Lia about everything he currently knew.
From Yu Ming's account, Lia learned where these Rouran People came from. Although they originated from Mobei, they were not entirely from there; it could only be said that they had a slight connection to Mobei, but it was not deep.
In Yu Ming's words, Lia learned that the Nomadic Confederation as a people was not unified.
The Nomadic Confederation tribe was divided into several factions, each ruled by several Khans, which was equivalent to the Chanyu of the Huns. These Khans usually refused to submit to one another.
The main nomadic range of the Nomadic Confederation roughly covered the entire territory of modern Republic of Mongolia, the Lake Baikal region of the Russian Federation, extending west to the western foothills of the Altai Mountains, and east to the western bank of the Argun River.
Of course, the core area was in present-day Republic of Mongolia. Sometimes the Khanate's influence extended west to the ancient Western Regions, which is now Central Asia and China's Xinjiang, and south to the northern part of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
And the group currently attacking Yumen Pass was one of the branches located in the Western Regions.
"So, these Rouran are just one branch," Lia said. After hearing Yu Ming's words, Lia gained a completely new understanding of the Nomadic Confederation tribe.
Previously, she had always thought that the Nomadic Confederation was a single regime, but according to Yu Ming, these Rouran were merely scattered forces and stragglers; no one had completely unified the Nomadic Confederation.
This specific branch of the Nomadic Confederation had relatively frequent contact with The various kingdoms of the Western Regions. Due to the indulgence of The various kingdoms of the Western Regions, this Rouran force faced almost no resistance before attacking Yumen Pass.
Previously, Lia planned to deal with the Nomadic Confederation first, and then tackle the Western Regions. It seemed she needed to eliminate the Nomadic Confederation's Western Regions subordinates first, or else if she started fighting the Nomadic Confederation, their subordinates cutting off her retreat would be quite troublesome.
Soon, Lia had an idea.
"General Yu, give me all the information you currently have regarding the Western Regions. I need to sort through it," Lia said.
Yu Ming took out a small booklet and said to Lia: "my Lord, we have recorded all the information collected so far regarding The various kingdoms of the Western Regions here. Please take a look."
"I shall temporarily accept this. General Yu, you have been very tired recently, please go down and rest first." Lia opened the booklet, glanced at it, and then spoke to Yu Ming.
"This subordinate general takes his leave." Yu Ming nodded and went down to rest.
After Yu Ming left, Lia quietly flipped through the booklet and read it. After finishing the booklet, Lia put it down, having already formed a plan in her mind.
However, Lia still handed the booklet to Mulan, who was nearby, asking her to read it too. She still hoped Mulan could stand on her own; female generals were quite rare in the history of Huaxia.
It is often said that women are just as capable as men.
This booklet actually didn't contain much information about The various kingdoms of the Western Regions; it only roughly introduced which countries existed and their current locations, but not the relationships between these countries.
But considering how vast the Western Regions were, the fact that they managed to investigate this much in such a short time was already quite impressive.
"my Lord, are you planning a full conquest of the Western Regions this time?" Hua Mulan asked after reading the booklet.
"Yes, but in Mulan's view, which country should we attack first?" Lia asked.
On the road leading to the Western Regions, due to the efforts of previous generations, there were currently two routes, an upper and a lower one, leading to the various countries of the Western Regions.
But whether heading north or south, they first had to eliminate Loulan, which stood right at the gateway.
Hua Mulan thought for a moment and said: "I believe we should first attack Shanshan. Shanshan is the closest to us and is located at a vital chokepoint. Whether we later take the Northern Route to Luntai, Kucha, and a historical tribe, or the Southern Route to Khotan, Shache, and Shule, we must pass through Shanshan. Only by capturing Shanshan first and using this place
as a supply base will our rear be secure."
The Shanshan mentioned by Hua Mulan was Loulan, but it had now been renamed Shanshan.
Chapter 74: West of Yang Pass, No Old Friends Remain
Upon hearing this, Lia nodded in deep agreement.
Although Shanshan seemed like a small country, its actual territory was as large as two southern provinces, Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Of course, despite its size, the population was not large; it was simply vast territory with sparse population.
As long as they could capture Shanshan, the subsequent matters would be much easier. Therefore, Shanshan could not be avoided under any circumstances.
This Shanshan was actually extremely unlucky.
Although Shanshan seemed to constantly oppose the Han Imperial Court, the situation in Shanshan was actually very complicated—it was practically a history of blood and tears for a small state caught between two superpowers.
Hundreds of years ago, after the Huns drove the Yuezhi into Central Asia, they subjugated the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, forcing them to annually submit grain, gold, ironware, and livestock, and to serve as spies for the Huns, blocking access to Han envoys.
It wasn't until the Han Dynasty opened up the Western Regions and developed the Hexi Corridor. Emperor Wu of Han realized that seizing the Western Regions and completely severing the Huns' right arm was a necessary condition for winning this war, and Loulan, being the closest to the Han Dynasty, bore the brunt of the attack.
Emperor Wu of Han dispatched Zhao Ponu with seven hundred cavalry to breach Loulan. From then on, Loulan became a subordinate state to both the Huns and the Han Dynasty.
To ensure the safety of the Kingdom of Loulan, the King of Loulan could only send one prince each to the Chanyu's court and Chang'an to serve as hostages.
However, something happened to the Loulan prince who was in the Han Dynasty. He committed a serious crime in Chang'an and was sentenced to castration by the Court Commandant!
Thus, the Loulan prince was dragged to the Silkworm Chamber and castrated! After the old king died, a new king was supposed to ascend the throne, but the prince who was a hostage of the Han Dynasty had become a eunuch. How could a eunuch return to the country and succeed to the throne?
Therefore, the Loulan people could only welcome back the prince who was a hostage of the Huns. Since the lingering prestige of the Han Dynasty's expedition against Dayuan was still present, the new king dared not act rashly and still sent his two sons to continue dancing before the two dynasties.
However, a few years later, the King of Loulan died again. Coincidentally, the Han Dynasty withdrew from the Western Regions due to internal rebellions, allowing the Huns to regain control of both the Northern and Southern Routes. Thus, the hostage prince who had grown up among the Huns returned to Loulan to continue ruling as king.
The result was that two generations of Loulan Kings grew up under the influence of the Huns, so how could their loyalties not be skewed?
They then refused the request to attend court and meet the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty, adopting a "one-sided" policy and wholeheartedly serving as dogs for the Huns.
The consequence of this was that they opposed the Han Dynasty everywhere, stealing all the tribute items the Han Dynasty intended for other countries in the Western Regions. Though merely a small state, they constantly acted as opportunists, which is why it's no wonder the Han Dynasty wished to eliminate them.
At that time, various poems about Loulan emerged, all essentially expressing the desire to quickly eliminate them.
But for Loulan, they were also greatly wronged. They were just a small state; if they didn't listen to the Han Dynasty, they would be bullied by the Huns, and if they didn't listen to the Huns, they would be attacked by the Han Dynasty. For Loulan, it was truly the worst possible luck.
Finally, to solve this problem, the Han Dynasty sent various envoys to the Western Regions, eventually stationed troops there, and established the Protectorate of the Western Regions.
Of course, if the dynasty was stable, there wouldn't be major issues in the Western Regions. However, once internal problems arose within the dynasty, the garrison in the Western Regions would immediately withdraw, ultimately preventing the issues there from ever being resolved.
In short, for over 2,000 years, the Western Regions constantly wavered between siding with and opposing the Huaxia Central Plains, only stabilizing completely during the Qing Dynasty.
Finally, with the founding of New China, the Western Regions were thoroughly secured. It can be said that without the efforts of several generations, the region of Xinjiang might have had no connection to Huaxia.
This is why Lia has the idea of leading troops to reclaim the Western Regions. The longer the Western Regions are separated from Huaxia, the more unstable they become; only by reclaiming them promptly can stability be quickly restored.
Furthermore, the Western Regions are an important location for trade with Europe. The glass, soap, and other goods Lia produces cannot be sold widely unless the route through the Western Regions is opened, in addition to sales in the Central Plains.
Therefore, she must conquer the Western Regions, no matter what.
Hua Mulan thought for a moment and said, "However, according to the information provided by General Yu, the capital of Shanshan is six hundred li from Yumen Pass, and the fortified posts west of Yumen have been abandoned for a long time. Desert marching is slow; it will take us at least half a month to arrive. The path through the Western Regions is arduous, and many soldiers might suffer from acclimatization issues and die during the campaign..." Lia tapped the desktop with her finger. "I have considered that problem. Taking only a small group to execute the ringleaders and replace Shanshan with a king more favorable to us would cost much less... but that only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. Like the Han Dynasty, we would not achieve complete control over the Western Regions."
Furthermore, what if Lia wants to implement reforms later? She has no personnel or large army garrisoned in the Western Regions. The nobles there would only feign compliance, and wouldn't she have to lead a large army there to fight again?
Such a costly and exhausting affair should only happen once. It is better to eliminate future troubles now.
In fact, whenever The various kingdoms of the Western Regions encountered Huaxia armies attacking them, they offered little resistance.
For hundreds of years, these fellows have been accustomed to being opportunists. As soon as the Han Army attacked them, they immediately surrendered. Once the Han Army left, they surrendered to the Huns—though the current Huns are the Rouran People. In short, it has become a habit.
Lia knew clearly that leading a large army there would encounter almost no decent resistance.
After all, in the Western Regions, a state of over a hundred thousand people was considered a major power. It would be extremely difficult for these major powers to muster ten thousand troops to fight against them.
Soon, at Lia's insistence, the strategy was decided: first destroy Shanshan, then attack the other nations.
The ten thousand strong army first rested at Yumen Pass for two days, then Lia led the army to depart for Shanshan.
The weather today was unremarkable, showing signs of changing. The soldiers at Yumen Pass stood on both sides of the Silk Road, holding ge halberds and spears, watching Lia and her company depart.
Yu Ming wanted to go, but Lia made him stay behind, as no one knew if the Nomadic Confederation would return. Therefore, the heavy responsibility of guarding Yumen Pass was entrusted to him.
Not only that, but Lia also left him some hand grenades, just in case.
The journey to Shanshan requires crossing two large deserts: the first is Sanlongsha, and the second is Bailongdui. Both stretch for hundreds of li, taking over ten days to traverse, before reaching the fertile Lop Nur. This is the most perilous section of the trip.
For this expedition to the Western Regions, Lia had actually made very thorough preparations.
Furthermore, she herself had traveled this route through the Western Regions and knew about the great temperature difference between day and night in the desert, so she had prepared a large stockpile of supplies for it.
The most important thing was that she brought Merlin. If a shortage of supplies really occurred, she would let this fellow act as a storage cabinet, running back and forth between the Western Regions and Western Liang. After all, this fellow is fast on their feet, so they shouldn't be wasted!
Chapter 75: Will Not Return Until the Western Regions Are Conquered
Soldiers marching during the day had to wear felt hats to shield them from the sun, preventing heatstroke and dizziness.
At night, they had to wear thick felt caps learned from the Rouran People, hide in felt tents, and wrap themselves in coarse wool blankets to withstand the cold winds sweeping across the desert.
In addition, they had to prepare two sets of clothing—summer and winter—and pay special attention to footwear. The hemp and kudzu vine sandals commonly used by Central Plains people could not be worn much.
During the day, the sand was hot enough to fry an egg, and the friction was intense; a pair of shoes would wear through the sole after just a few days of walking.
They also had to use the luodi, or high-top leather boots, which were introduced to the Central Plains from the Hu people.
These boots were better suited for riding horses and traversing sandy terrain, were durable, and the boot shafts reached the shins, preventing sand from entering.
Besides these everyday clothes, they brought plenty of armor and weapons. Lia invested heavily in this operation: everyone received a set of iron armor!
Finally, they brought cartloads of food crops.
Fortunately, they didn't need to carry arrows, which would have been even more troublesome. Now that they had things like hand grenades, it saved a lot of effort.
Actually, these supplies were originally prepared to defeat the Nomadic Confederation; they were just being used in the Western Regions now.
A day later, the main army had moved far away from Yumen Pass, entering the desolate frontier, like a lone boat venturing into the ocean.
The endless yellow sand sea undulated, with towering dunes rising one after another without end, like a million strong army blocking their advance.
But where the desert met the sky, Lia seemed to see a city.
But it vanished in an instant. The weather changed; the wind rose.
The vast yellow sand obscured the sky and blocked the sun, and countless grains of yellow sand struck the faces of the soldiers, causing immense pain.
But looking at the mirage in the distance, Lia felt her heart constantly pounding and her blood burning, simply because she recalled that line of poetry.
"Golden armor pierced through a hundred battles in the yellow sand."
"Will not return until Loulan is conquered!"
This expedition is not just about conquering Shanshan, but the entire Western Regions. Unless she completely reclaims the Western Regions, she will certainly not simply return!
On the first day after leaving Yumen Pass, Lia chose to have people launch a hot air balloon to lead the way.
A group of people held the ropes below, while the person in the hot air balloon used a telescope to find the direction for everyone. At night, Lia found a small lakeside and chose to camp there.
Although the soldiers were covered in sheepskin fur blankets, they still felt cold.
By the morning of the second day, after a night of wind and sand, the small lake was almost buried by the sand, leaving only a shallow puddle.
However, signs of life had not completely vanished here. Next to a low-lying sandy area, large patches of reeds, licorice, and white thor