The land is vast, the sky is blue, and a few white clouds are moving slowly. As far as the eye can see, the vast Gobi Desert is covered with camel thorns, borax grass, and onions. Occasionally you can see grazing cattle and sheep, as well as one or two camels. The mountains are green and the breeze is dry and pleasant, making you feel relaxed and happy.
Goshawks were soaring high in the sky, and suddenly they swooped down with screams, frightened away the wild dogs, and began to fight for the dead bodies on the ground, bringing many invisible killings to the vast land of Hexi.
On the official road, countless officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty meandered westward, frightening away countless birds and beasts. The flags of the Song army were fluttering, the vehicles were heavy, there were many mules and horses, the flags covered the sky and the sun, the knights were strong, and the black clouds were endless, breaking the dead silence in the sky.
During the long journey, they had to bury corpses all over the ground to prevent the heat from causing plague. Despite this, the morale of the Song Army soldiers was still high. The longing for the future and the curiosity about Hexi concealed the boring and hard work of the march.
Since the Song Army's front troops entered Hexi and occupied Liangzhou City, Qiu had not committed any crimes. He had given porridge and grain, buried the bodies of the dead, and reclaimed farmland, quickly winning the hearts of the people in Hexi. When Yu Jie led most of his troops into Hexi, he went all the way west, destroying towns along the way and eating pots of pulp to meet the king's army. Many Hexi civilian refugees even took the initiative to lead the way and act as guides.
The Tatar army invaded and destroyed the country, shattering all the illusions of the people in Hexi about the Xixia court, and also made these miserable people who had survived the disaster eager for peace.
The arrival of the Song Army can be said to be just the right time.
Compared with the Mongolian army who burned, killed and looted, the Song army had already won the hearts of the people in Hexi just by not disturbing the people and invading the people along the way, burying corpses and giving porridge and food.
At least, before arriving in Ganzhou, military-civilian harmony was maintained for hundreds of miles in Hexi, and the atmosphere was harmonious, and there were no civil uprisings or civil unrest.
Yu Jie murmured in his mind as he saw the towering city wall like a giant dragon in front of him.
Ganzhou City, no, Zhangye County, one of the four counties in Hexi, has arrived.
"General, we have arrived at the boundary of Ganzhou. This area to the south is the horse farm of Ganzhou!"
The scout came back with his guide to report. Yu Jie nodded, reined in his horse, put up an awning with his hands, and looked forward.
The Qilian Mountains stand tall and rolling in the south, Yanzhi Mountain stands in the east, and Longshou Mountain is a barrier in the north. The mountainous areas in the north are undulating hills and criss-crossed with ravines. The terrain in the southeast is flat, with luxuriant water and grass, slow-flowing rivers, and some horses and sheep. Wandering there leisurely and contentedly, it is indeed a holy land for raising horses.
The army's westward march this time was for the horse ranch, and by the way, it also recovered the surrounding Zhangye County, Jiuquan County, and even Dunhuang County, Yangguan, and Yumen Pass at the junction of Hexi and the Western Regions.
"General, the horse farm in Ganzhou occupies half of the land in Ganzhou. It is perfect for raising horses, not to mention tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands, it is not a problem!"
Guide Li Er, the son of old man Li, a refugee from Xixia, is now wearing new clothes and full of energy, as if he has become a different person. He enthusiastically introduced the situation of Ganzhou Racecourse to Yu Jie, saliva flying everywhere.
From being worse off than dead to being able to survive from a desperate situation, life's circumstances are completely different, and of course it's exciting.
"Brother Li, you are right. Since the Han Dynasty, Zhangye has been famous all over the world for its war horses bred from local horse breeds and excellent horses from the Western Regions. It has also become the royal horse breeding base of our Central Plains dynasty for a long time."
Yu Jie said it leisurely.
"The general is right. Hexi horses are well-proportioned, strong, strong, strong, easy to breed, and have good speed and endurance. With the horse farm in Ganzhou, our army of the Song Dynasty can dominate the world!"
Li Er pointed to the north and south and introduced them carefully.
"General, in addition to being a horse breeding ground, Ganzhou also has coal and iron ores. Longshou Mountain in the north is a coal mine, and at the foot of the Qilian Mountains in the south, there are iron ores everywhere. Ganzhou's "Iron Engineering Institute" is located in East of Ganzhou City, but after the Mongolian army came, it was destroyed!"
Yu Jie nodded repeatedly, feeling much brighter.
The Hexi Horse and Xixia Swords were praised by the Song people as the best in the world. The imperial court and literati of the Song Dynasty were proud to wear the extremely sharp Xia Guo Sword. Even Emperor Qinzong of the Song Dynasty wore the Xia Guo Sword with him. The imperial envoys were awarded the Shangfang Sword when they exercised imperial power. The sword of the Xia Kingdom.
It was originally thought that only Xiazhou had the "Iron Engineering Institute", which was responsible for the mining and smelting of iron ore to manufacture various agricultural tools and weapons. Now it seems that there are also some in Hexi.
What he didn't know was that more than 90% of Gansu's iron ore deposits are located in Zhangye and Jiuquan, and they are also extremely rich in coal. It is normal for Zhangye to have coal, iron and iron smelting institutions.
As for the "Iron Engineering Institute" being destroyed, it will be rebuilt. The Song army came to Hexi not to go around in a circle, but to maintain long-term peace and stability.
"Li Er, do you know where you can find experts in raising and training horses?"
Yu Jie's eyes turned to "local snake" Li Er.
"General, there are many people raising horses in Hexi. Most of the people in Shazhou and Suzhou were killed, and only Ganzhou City was spared. As long as Ganzhou City is captured, there will be many people raising horses!"
Li Er answered with an apologetic smile on his face.
The Mongolian army invaded Hexi, and Guazhou, Shazhou, and Suzhou were basically slaughtered. In Suzhou, only 108 families of the Xili Qian tribe, a Xixia general under Genghis Khan, were spared. As for Ganzhou City, Chahan, another Xixia general under Genghis Khan, dissuaded him. After the city was broken, only thirty-six people including the recalcitrant deputy general were killed, and the people of Ganzhou City were spared.
Daruhuachi (printer) of Suzhou and Ganzhou is Asha, a descendant of the family of the Liqian tribe. He is a military, civil and judicial official representing Mongolia. Because Suzhou is dilapidated and has no military and civilians, Daruhuachi Asa only has Guarded in Ganzhou.
These idiots who act according to the changing circumstances!
"Go straight to Ganzhou City, no, go straight to Zhangye County! Fire a few cannons first, and then send someone to send a message to that Daruhuachi Asa. Give him an hour. If he doesn't surrender for an hour, attack the city immediately!"
Yu Jie sneered and handed down the military order.
No matter how strong the city wall is, it can be blown open.
"General, I also want to join the army, please accept me as a servant!"
Li Er begged Yu Jie.
"Brother Li, can you speak Dangxiang?"
"I've been growing up here since I was little, so why can't I? In addition to Dangxiang dialect, I can also speak Tubo dialect!"
Li Er was full of energy, patted his chest and said.
"Well, from now on, you will serve as the general officer in the army."
Yu Jie nodded and said.
If you want to gain a foothold in Hexi, you have to rely on these local snakes who are familiar with local people.
Several cannons were fired, the city gate swayed this way and that, and Ganzhou officials knelt on the ground outside the city gate. They knelt down under the bushes, not daring to raise their heads.
"Asha, the guard of Ganzhou and Suzhou, led the officials in the city to kneel down to welcome the King of Song Dynasty!"
Asha grabbed the ground with his head and said in a trembling voice, "Respectfully."
Although he is bald and radiant, he speaks Chinese fluently and is no different from ordinary Han people.
"Get up, Daruhuachi!"
Yu Jie smiled and stepped forward to help Asha up.
When troops approach the city, they surrender without opening the city gates. They have no choice but to surrender.
"No, no, no! From now on, Asha and all his subordinates will only obey the general!"
Asha was shocked and was about to kneel down again, but was supported by Yu Jie.
"Song and Xia are one, regardless of each other. From now on, we are a family. Everyone, get up!"
Yu Jie called everyone up and took Asha's arm with a gentle expression.
"Asha, let's go to the city together!"
There is no need to embarrass these wallflowers. With these guys here, at least the transition can be smooth without having to do everything personally.
"General, just call me Li Asha!"
Li is Asha’s Chinese surname. It seems that this gentleman has a flexible mind and is versatile.
Entering the Yamen of Ganzhou City, Yu Jie was sitting in the front seat, while Asha and General Song were lined up.
Yu Jie stopped smiling and suddenly turned serious.
"Li Asha, you are from Xia, but you were driven by the Tatars to enslave the people of Xia. What crime do you deserve?"
Yu Jie's scolding made Asha feel frightened. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, making a sound when he touched the ground.
"General, the Tatars are so powerful that they surrender and have never killed the people of Daxia. General, please be aware of this!"
Asa knelt down and kowtowed, and all the other former Ganzhou City officials knelt down one after another. There was a lot of kowtow in the lobby.
"Don't panic, everyone, get up! I just want to see who is loyal and who is traitorous, so don't make a fuss."
Yu Jie made a gesture with his eyes, and the generals in the hall helped the officials up one after another.
"Li Asha, I would like to ask, where are the Tatar officials and soldiers in the city? You are not the only Xixia officials, right?"
There was something in Yu Jie's words that made Asha, who had just been helped up, turn pale and replied tremblingly.
"The generals, the Tatar... officials have all been kidnapped and are now in prison in Ganzhou. The Tatars only have 200 cavalry left, and now the military camp in the city has been forced inside by the soldiers in the city. Let... the general handle it! "
Yu Jie smiled slightly. If he didn't ask, I'm afraid these officials would be sent away by Asha and others afterwards.
This slick and fearful wallflower.
"Asha, I give you two choices. Please listen carefully."
Yu Jie's words made Asha kneel down and kowtow again.
"General, please speak, I am all ears."
"First, if you take your people and leave, I will never stop you. I will pay you money and give you gifts out of the country."
Yu Jie said it loudly.
Non-my family, its heart must be different. What's more, he really didn't feel comfortable staying with such a duplicitous person who could even betray his own country.
"General, where is the second one?"
Asha asked weakly.
As a result, he may not be able to take away his hidden gold and silver treasures.
"Second, you lead your men to kill the Tatar officials and cavalry in the city. I will definitely report this to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty and ask for credit for you."
Yu Jie said it slowly.
Asha and the surrendered officials looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
This general of the Song Dynasty is forcing them to surrender!
"General, you'd better leave me alone."
Asha sighed and bowed.
The fear of the Tatar army made him make a helpless choice.
"Zhang Zhongxia, lead your army to the west together with Asha, and send his people out of the country to the west of Yumen Pass. Get rid of the remaining troops in the city, and I will issue a peace notice and wait for Xianggong Fan to take over."
Yu Jie looked at Zhang Zhongxia with a faint look in his eyes.
"Zhang Zhongxia, the three areas of Yumen Pass are the west gate of Hexi. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Don't worry, General. Within half a month, Dunhuang County, as well as Yumen Pass and Yang Pass, will be under the rule of the Song Dynasty!"
Zhang Zhongxia knew it well and accepted the order generously.
"good!"
Yu Jie patted the table, her palms hurting.
"Zhang Zhongxia, capture Dunhuang, Yumen Pass, and Yang Pass. The defense of these places will be left to you!"
Zhang Zhongxia was an old friend of the emperor when he was young. He was calm and ambitious, and the emperor would not be able to justify him if he did not reuse him.
"Thank you for the promotion, General!"
Zhang Zhongxia's heart was agitated and he bowed respectfully.
Zhang Zhongxia and others left, and Yu Jie looked at the other anxious officials with a smile on her face again.
"Excuse me, who is the official in charge of horse administration? Who are the good horse breeders in the city? I have important matters to discuss."
Facing the Han officials in the city, Yu Jie asked with a smile.
From beginning to end, Ma Zheng was his top priority.
As for reclaiming wasteland and farming, that was Fan Zhong's business, and he didn't bother to take care of it.
"kill!"
In the Qing Dynasty, when the Yumen Pass closed, thousands of cavalry rushed forward. The sound of iron hooves was thrilling, and smoke, dust and yellow sand were rolled up. The Mongolian cavalry rushed forward and headed straight for the Song Army's cavalry formation outside the pass.
"Prepare!"
The Mongolian cavalry came towards them like menace, Zhang Zhongxia remained calm while Wang Gui on the side shouted loudly. The artillerymen immediately stepped forward. They quickly adjusted the angle of the artillery, and soon the muskets were loaded into the barrel one by one.
"Puffy!"
The artillery was fired, and violent explosions were heard one after another. The galloping Mongolian cavalry kept falling into the yellow sand. As the Song Army's grenadiers smashed thunder, and as the Song Army's crossbow arrows When the smoke cleared, corpses and blood were everywhere...
"Enter the customs! Raise the flag!"
Zhang Zhongxia's face was reddish, and with an order, thousands of troops and horses poured into this Xiongguan fortress, the hometown of the Han family.
The Jade Gate was closed, the battle flags of the Mongolian army were thrown down, and the flags of the Song Dynasty court were erected high, fluttering in the wind under the morning sun, facing the vast western regions in the distance, facing the endless Gobi oases on the desert, as if announcing to the heaven and earth Now, the land of Ganliang is already under the rule of the Song Dynasty.
