Chapter 32
Looking at a nearby patch of elm trees, Lia couldn't help but wonder, could this be Elm Spring?
Lia recalled some historical records about Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions.
It was said that when Zhang Qian first returned to the Central Plains from the Western Regions, he ran out of fresh water. Parched and thirsty, he saw a patch of damp ground and felt there must be a spring beneath.
So he began to dig. After digging a few meters, he found water trickling out. After quenching his thirst, he gently buried it again to avoid damaging the spring.
During his second mission to the Western Regions, he had several elm trees planted there as markers, hence it was called Elm Spring.
Now, the few elm trees planted by Zhang Qian had long since grown tall, visible from several miles away. Looking at the branches about to bud, Lia sighed with emotion, "Truly, the predecessors plant the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade."
They were following in the footsteps of their predecessors, and yet it was still this difficult. One could see how much courage Zhang Qian needed for his Zao Kong (opening up the path). It was said that Zhang Qian's first trip to the Western Regions took thirteen years. It was clear that managing the Silk Road was not something that could be achieved by a single generation; rather, every dynasty and every generation had to work hard to maintain it.
Unfortunately, the original courier station here had already become a ruin. If she unified and recovered the Western Regions, a courier station must be re-established here and not allowed to be destroyed by others.
As long as there were people farming the land and building Fortifications here, future envoys and merchants going to the Western Regions would no longer need to resupply at Hecang City. This place would become a new starting point!
Once the Western Regions were recovered, she would have to produce cement as quickly as possible. Paving a cement road on the route between the Western Regions and the Hexi Corridor would make traveling much easier in the future.
Only with clear main roads would the Western Regions not be easily lost.
On the third day, the scenery Lia and the others saw consisted only of vast stretches of Gobi desert, along with sand mountains and valleys; not a single tree could be seen.
Only weeds, whose names Lia could not call out, struggled to take root here. Occasionally, small lizards and scorpions could be seen crawling across the sand. Perhaps there were even sand worms and snakes hidden beneath?
Other than that, no other life could be seen here.
After trudging through the Gobi for a whole day, at dusk, a general walking beside Lia put down the telescope in his hand and let out a cry of surprise: "Lord, there is a large city ahead!"
"A large city?" Lia looked into the distance. Although her eyesight was excellent and she could see very far, comparable to a telescope, there shouldn't be any city, right?
Still, it was better to go and take a look.
So the army advanced in that direction. When they reached their destination, they found that the so-called city was just an empty, abandoned city.
The city was surrounded by earthen walls and covered a very large area. Upon entering, one could still see orderly houses and planned streets. Unfortunately, it was now deserted, leaving only dilapidated houses almost buried by wind and sand.
"Lord, this city should be the former capital of the a historical tribe before its westward migration," Hua Mulan said after a moment of thought.
What, the old capital of the Wusun people?
Hearing this, Lia felt a bit caught between laughter and tears. How could a historical tribe, a nomadic tribe, build such a large city?
Of course, it wasn't some ancient civilization either. This place should just be the Yadan Ghost City, the tourist attraction sold as a joint ticket with Yumen Pass.
However, whether that was the case or not was just speculation. Lia also felt there was no need to argue endlessly over this point; this place was quite suitable as the army's camp for today.
Lia didn't say anything more about it, but directly said, "Everyone will rest here tonight. The wind is very strong nearby. If you don't hide behind the mounds, you'll all be buried in sand by tomorrow. Don't wander around after dark; there are many forks in the road here, and it's easy to get lost."
Under Lia's orders, the army settled down in this ruined city.
At night, accompanied by the wind and sand, sounds like ghosts wailing and wolves howling actually echoed in the city, sounding as if specters were making mischief.
[Image: Map of the Western Regions]
Chapter 76: Walking Out of the Desert
The sound of the wind blew from far to near through the Yadan Ghost City, making a "wu-wu" sound and whistling over the tops of the felt tents, as if dozens of hands were tearing at them. The shrill sound of the wind was hair-raising.
The soldiers, who had already fallen asleep, were startled awake, their hearts filled with tension and fear. Could this damn place be haunted?
Lia also heard these sounds. Coming from the modern era, she naturally knew this was just caused by wind and sand, but the ancients didn't know that.
They only felt that many people must have died here, and these wailing sounds at night were likely the souls of those who died here, lingering and wanting to come out at night to harm people!
If some ghost or monster appeared at this time, or if someone shouted for no reason, the soldiers might be scared into fleeing in panic.
Lia also realized this and immediately called Mulan over. She explained how these wailing wind sounds were formed and asked Mulan to pass it on verbally to the soldiers so they wouldn't worry.
Under Lia's words, the message passed from ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, and the soldiers gradually calmed down.
Even so, by the next morning, many soldiers still looked listless. Even though Lia had explained it to them, it wasn't that easy to dispel their fears.
Seeing the soldiers' condition, Lia knew today wasn't suitable for marching. So they only walked for half a day before choosing a spot in the Gobi to rest and let the soldiers recover their spirits.
Not a single tree or blade of grass could be seen here, not a trace of green. Last night there was a bone-chilling cold wind, but now the sun was like fire, and the hot wind mixed with grit hit people's faces with stinging pain.
Lia was fine; her constitution was special, so she didn't feel much, but some soldiers seemed to be having problems.
Lia knew well that if this continued, the soldiers would have issues. They had to find an oasis as soon as possible, otherwise many people would fall ill.
Thinking of this, Lia had someone light the hot air balloon to see where there might be a water source along the way.
After the hot air balloon rose over a thousand meters, they finally found a lush green area. However, it was a bit far from the army and would take another day's walk.
After the army rested here for a night, they set out early the next morning and finally reached the oasis before nightfall.
Lia breathed a sigh of relief. If she hadn't created something like the hot air balloon, the trip to the Western Regions would have been truly too difficult. Perhaps in just these few days, twenty or thirty percent of these ten thousand soldiers would have fallen behind.
Thinking about the reason for this, Lia realized it was because she wasn't very clear about the route through the Western Regions, not knowing where to rest or where the water sources were.
She had trusted too much in the abilities of her soldiers, thinking that since the Rouran People could travel freely between the Western Regions and the Central Plains, she should be able to as well.
But the fact was that the Rouran People were very familiar with this route through the Western Regions; they knew where to rest and where the water sources were, which allowed them to travel with ease.
Lia was only following the routes of her predecessors, but these routes were already over a hundred years old. Some paths were no longer suitable for a large army to pass through.
Fortunately, the hot air balloon and telescope she created could lead them out of these predicaments.
Next, Lia rested here for two days. After the soldiers had recovered, they continued their journey. This time they brought enough water, because next, even the hot air balloon wouldn't be able to help them.
For the next part of the journey, not a single trace of green could be seen. It would take at least four days to reach the next water replenishment point.
It wasn't until Lia and the others had traveled on this road for more than ten days that they finally arrived at Lop Nur.
If the places Lia and the others had passed through before were a dead silence, then Lop Nur was full of life.
Here, everyone witnessed a wealth of species.
Besides various aquatic plants, there were also deer, rabbits, otters, foxes, wolves, hares, and other animals, as well as various birds.
These animals drank water and groomed their fur by the lake. Whether flying in the sky or crawling on the ground, they formed a perfect biological tapestry here.
"I didn't expect there to be such beautiful scenery here in the Western Regions," Hua Mulan remarked, looking at everything before her.
Only after experiencing the road through the Western Regions could one appreciate the vitality of everything here.
Gray geese flew in a long line, bobbing up and down in the sky.
Egrets slowly flapped their wings, strutting through the shallow water, their white feathers very striking. One could even hear the splashing of a few black swans flapping their wings on the nearby water.
There were also many birds on the shore. A small flock of larks appeared on the salt marshes by the lake, hopping around, and woodpeckers pecked at the Tamarisk trees with a rhythmic thumping sound.
In the reed marshes, the unique calls of varied tits were often heard, and turtle doves and sparrows played while building their nests. Occasionally, they would accidentally step into the grass, causing brightly colored pheasants to scream and take flight.
There were even more ruddy shelducks, thousands of them, covering vast stretches of the lake's surface.
These birds flew in from India, passing through the gaps in the Himalayas and the Karakoram, flying north via Khotan. When the flocks entered the Tarim Basin and saw the endless desert to the north and the continuous snow-capped mountains to the south, it was inevitable for them to rest at the only green space, Lop Nur.
But this time, they were in for a rough time.
To the soldiers who had suffered greatly, these birds were simply a gift from nature.
The bows and crossbows in the soldiers' hands never stopped along the way; almost every arrow released meant an extra piece of wild game for the soldiers' dinner that night.
Aside from these birds, the deer, rabbits, wild boars, and other animals hiding in the thickets were not spared either; almost all of them were caught.
Lia didn't say much about this. If these small animals were taken out, wouldn't it protect this oasis even more?
So this oasis should actually thank them. After all, without the destruction caused by animals, the plants would grow more lushly, wouldn't they?
Upon reaching the territory of Lop Nur, it meant they had officially entered the lands of the Shanshan Kingdom. Before long, Lia saw a few small boats floating on the lake.
These small boats also discovered Lia's unknown army. They did not approach rashly, but simply rowed away quickly from a distance.
"My Lord, those small boats likely belong to Common People of the Shanshan Kingdom. If we just let them leave, will it..." Chen Fang approached Lia and asked cautiously.
Chen Fang was originally a general at Yumen Pass. Because he understood some of the languages of the Western Regions, Lia brought him along. In addition to him, she also brought several others who understood the languages of the Western Regions.
PS: For those interested, you can check Bilibili; just search for 'Library'. It records where the territories ruled by various Chinese dynasties reached. Watching it for two hours made my blood boil with excitement; it's truly wonderful!
[Image: Map of the 5th Century]
Chapter 77: We are Prepared to Fight to the Death, Why Did the City Lord Surrender First?
"It's fine. Even if they know, it won't be a major hindrance to our actions." Lia waved her hand.
According to Han Dynasty records, the population of the Shanshan Kingdom was around 15,000 in total, with about two to three thousand soldiers. The most likely outcome upon their arrival was that the other side would choose to open the gates and surrender.
After so many years, there likely wouldn't be any major changes. After all, the productivity of this era was limited; without liberating productivity, it's very difficult for the population to increase.
This is why in ancient times, populations were basically between tens of millions. Even a powerful country like the Tang Dynasty only had 80 million people at its peak.
The Qing Dynasty, however, had over a hundred million people, which had a lot to do with the implementation of the 'Tan Ding Ru Mu' tax reform. But even so, it didn't liberate much of the population.
Lia and the others continued to rest here for a day, during which they also took precautions to prevent those Shanshan people from being truly fearless and launching a night raid.
However, it seemed Lia was overthinking it; nothing happened all night. Those Loulan people didn't dare come over at all.
In the morning, after the soldiers finished breakfast, they set out for the capital of Loulan. After walking for half a day, they could already see houses built by the roadside.
The appearance of these Loulan people was very different from those in the Central Plains. Although it was hard to tell from their hair, their facial features made it clear.
The Shanshan people were typical Turanid, equivalent to a mix of Caucasian and Mongoloid races. After all, the Western Regions were a crossroads of ethnic groups; the Sakas, Tocharians, Xiongnu, Qiang, and Han all merged here.
They were of medium-to-short stature with pale skin, low foreheads, high nose bridges, deep eye sockets, and straight eyebrows. Their eyes were large, with pupils that were generally black, though some were brown.
Furthermore, the men here liked to shave their heads and wear felt hats, leaving only long beards.
The women's features were very much in line with the aesthetics of later generations, combining the advantages of Westerners and Easterners. Unfortunately, life was hard, and their appearances had already withered at a young age.
These Shanshan people all wore coarse cloth spun from Apocynum, sewn together with wild duck skins to keep out the cold. Compared to the soldiers who had changed into formal Han Army uniforms after leaving the desert, these people's attire looked more like that of refugees.
When these people saw the army led by Lia, they all hid in their houses in a panic, only daring to watch them carefully through the windows.
Lia stopped a Shanshan man and asked him about the situation of the Shanshan Kingdom.
This Shanshan man's face showed some panic, but he still knelt on the ground and said something to Lia.
Lia couldn't understand and could only look at Merlin. Although there were many translators in the army, Lia hadn't brought them to act as simple interpreters; she needed their help for the reforms later.
"He says he is just an ordinary citizen and hasn't done anything bad. He hopes we can let him go," Merlin explained.
"Tell him that we are the Han Army and want to know which direction to go for the Shanshan Kingdom," Lia said to Merlin.
So Merlin started chatting with the Shanshan man. After learning that the Han Army wouldn't hurt him, the Shanshan man became bolder and told Lia and the others about the situation in Loulan.
However, he didn't know much. After Merlin asked a few questions, he couldn't answer anymore. Finally, they let him go back, and Lia and the others continued on their way.
From the Shanshan man's words, Lia found that their situation was similar to that of the Han Dynasty. Originally, they didn't farm but made a living exclusively by fishing.
Later, when the Han Army of the Han Dynasty era came here, they continuously reclaimed farmland, which also allowed these Shanshan people to live a farming life. However, these fields were just like those in China—all owned by nobles. The people here could only borrow land from those nobles to cultivate.
As long as they were farming, it was fine; otherwise, Lia wouldn't have known how to win over the people's hearts later. Although tax reduction was one method, the more favorable policies there were, the more grateful Common People would be to her, right?
After leaving that place, Lia and the others continued forward. Once they left the banks of Lop Nur, which were full of swamps and reed beds, they were replaced by large areas of cattle and sheep grazing on the grass flats, as well as donkeys, horses, camels, and so on.
Following the livestock in search of water and grass—this was the economic pillar of the Shanshan Kingdom.
Lia didn't disturb those people but continued forward. After leaving the grasslands, large areas of reclaimed dry land and farmers planting grain gradually appeared before them.
Lia noticed that unlike the Shanshan people by Lop Nur who wore wild duck skins, the Shanshan people in this area were much better dressed, and there were also many women working in the fields.
Lia had known this before coming to China, but for the soldiers who were here for the first time, it was an eye-opening sight.
The Shanshan Kingdom had three main types of people: hunter-gatherers who fished and hunted in lakes and forests, farmers who lived in several small cities and planted wheat on the alluvial plains near the cities, and pastoralists who raised cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses on grasslands unsuitable for farming. These three groups exchanged their respective foods with each other.
Standing above them were the 'City Lords,' and the City Lords of each city owed their loyalty to the King of Shanshan.
This Shanshan Kingdom was somewhat similar to the European system, still in the early stages of feudalism. Although the territory looked vast, the population was only over ten thousand, which was only equivalent to a single county in the Central Plains.
After Lia and the others arrived here with the army, someone had already reported to the local City Lord.
Before long, in front of Lia's marching troops, more than a dozen riders came galloping toward them. Lia held back the soldiers who wanted to draw their weapons and watched as the other party came right up to them.
"I pay my respects to the heavenly might of the han family. This humble official, Zhang Huiling, greets all the generals." Before Lia could even take the initiative to ask, the other party had already knelt on the ground, speaking fluent Mandarin as soon as he opened his mouth.
This scene left Hua Mulan and the other generals a bit confused. What was going on?
Lia, however, knew why. This wasn't the early Western Han anymore; the people in the Western Regions had long been terrified by the Han Dynasty. Even the powerful Xiongnu had been beaten into tears by the Han Dynasty, let alone these small kingdoms.
It could be said that most people in the Western Regions were fence-sitters. Even Ban Chao could rely on the prestige of the Great Han with only 36 men to subdue The various kingdoms of the Western Regions. There was no reason for these Western Regions people not to be afraid and submit when she broug