The horse bandits retreated, taking away the crisis of death. What was left behind was a mess. In the car formation, corpses fell all over the place. The scene was shocking. Perhaps it was because the weather was too cold. The blood splashed everywhere seemed to have solidified, deep and deep. And depressed.
Less than half of the nearly 300-person envoy survived. In addition to the escorting soldiers, the slaves and followers suffered even greater casualties. Killing and death seemed to be commonplace, and there was not much joy in surviving the aftermath. Those who were alive spontaneously packed up while still remaining on guard.
Amidst the moans of the seriously injured, the old man who had been taking command could not help but breathe a sigh of relief and looked around. Although he suffered heavy casualties and huge losses, at least his life was saved.
"Her Majesty, are you okay?" An entourage, who was in a mess and stained with blood, came up, supported the stiff old man, and asked with concern.
"I'm fine, please take a look at the guards, count the casualties and losses, and try to treat the injured as much as possible!" the old man ordered and asked: "How is the situation of the Uighurs?"
"The casualties are not small!" He then replied, pointing to the approaching Han cavalry in the east, and said: "Fortunately there are reinforcements from the Han, otherwise we will die here!"
Mentioning this, the old man also turned his gaze to the east again, and sighed: "Yes! We have found the Uighur envoy, and the Han cavalry has come, and we should go and thank him!"
"yes!"
This old man is not tall but has a calm demeanor. His name is Cao Yuangong. He is the brother of Cao Yuanzhong, the governor of the Guiyi Army. He is the governor of Guazhou. He is the person in charge of the eastward envoy and has represented Guazhou for many years. , Sha contacted the court and paid tribute to the person with the highest status. Of course, this was also the first time such a big accident happened.
Soon, he found Pule, the Uighur envoy from Xizhou who was accompanying him. This is a burly Uighur man with a handsome appearance. When faced with the attack of the horse bandits, he acted very bravely. He led the accompanying Uighur warriors to fight desperately. He was also injured, hit by two arrows and one The arrow is in the thigh and the other is in the hip, which is more embarrassing.
But when he was found, he told the Han cavalry who was going to thank him for coming to help. The envoy Pule showed great enthusiasm and ignored his injuries. After simply treating them, he found Cao Yuangong.
Pule came east this time, naturally with an important mission, and asked for help on the orders of Uiguzhi, the Uighur Khan of Xizhou. More than a year has passed since Yelv Xiezhen led his army on the Western Expedition last year. During this period of more than a year, the situation in the Western Regions has naturally been turned upside down. Under the powerful attack power of the Liao army, the Gaochang Uighurs have naturally lost their troops. Having lost ground, they have reached the point where they are praying for help from the east, which shows that they are in a critical situation.
Of course, the Xizhou Uighurs themselves probably knew that it was obviously unrealistic to ask the Han army to cross two thousand miles to the Western Regions to rescue them with whom they did not have a close relationship. Therefore, Pule's original goal was to ask for help from the Guiyi army. After all, compared to the Han Dynasty who were thousands of miles away, the Guiyi Army was close at hand, which was much more convenient. In addition, the two parties were related by marriage.
It must be mentioned that the Guiyi Army, which occupied Gua and Sha, gradually declined after entering the tenth century. After all, they had always been cautious and cautious in order to survive in the cracks of their own forces.
Therefore, when the Liao army's cavalry invaded the Uighurs in Gaochang, the Guiyi army was also frightened. They stored food and weapons, repaired city defenses, and gathered troops to prepare for war, for fear of affecting themselves. Therefore, when Pule, the envoy of the Uyghur Khan, found the Guiyi Army to save Cao Yuanzhong, he received sufficient courtesy. However, if he sent troops, to put it bluntly, the Guiyi Army was not enough to protect itself, and how could he dare to go against the Liao Army.
However, we also understand the truth behind the death of lips and teeth. If the Xizhou Uighurs were really destroyed, it would not be difficult for the Liao army to turn around and deal with a Guiyi army. As for the Han army, the Han army with the Uighur forces in Ganzhou could not give them much strong support. For half a century, the Guiyi army had relied on itself to gain a foothold in Gua and Sha, and could only count on itself at critical moments.
Although he had many concerns, he still expressed his response to the Xizhou Uighurs' request for help. After thinking about it for a while, Cao Yuanzhong told Pule that the Guiyi army was weak, and even if he sent three or two thousand troops, it would be of no avail. On the contrary, the Ganzhou Uighurs in the east have hundreds of thousands of households. They come from the same source and can ask for help. He was preparing to send another envoy to the Central Plains. Mo Ruo could accompany him and escort him all the way to Ganzhou.
Pule thought about it and realized that it made sense. Asking for help from the Guiyi Army was a helpless approach. He hoped that Cao could make some noise from the rear and contain the Liao Army. In comparison, the Ganzhou Uighurs have a larger population and stronger military strength. If troops can be sent for rescue, it can play the same role, and the effect will be better.
The gifts from the east were all purchased by Cao's helpers. However, the result was naturally disappointing. After arriving at the Khan's tent, he expressed his intentions to Jingqiong, the Uighur Khan of Ganzhou who had only succeeded to the throne a few years ago. Jingqiong also received Pule in a friendly manner, but when it came to sending troops In the Western Regions, they began to talk about other things, and ultimately their lobbying failed.
In fact, Ganzhou Uighur Khan Jingqiong was helpless, because his life was not easy, with internal conflicts and external pressure, and all the pressure came from the big men in the east. Geopolitics is like this. With the rise of a powerful neighbor like the Han Dynasty, all surrounding forces will naturally feel threatened.
Especially for the Ganzhou Uighurs, who are considered the dominant force in the Hexi Corridor, the sense of crisis is increasing day by day. After all, with their power, for today's big men, it is exaggerated to say that they can be destroyed with just one finger. .
In addition, the Han Dynasty has never stopped marching westward in the past ten years. Although it is not advancing like a storm, it is encroaching step by step, like a net covering it, which is suffocating.
Within the Ganzhou Uighurs, some voices that resisted the Han and defended the country also began to rise. Under such circumstances, Puleqiu came over, how could the Ganzhou Uighurs have the intention to send troops westward to drain the muddy waters of the Western Regions and offend the Khitans?
The inner reflection of the Uighur Khan Jingqiong is that in the world today, only the Khitans can barely compete with the big men. If they offend the Khitans, wouldn't they cut off their own escape route?
The request for aid to Ganzhou failed, and the envoy Pule was naturally disappointed and even a little desperate. The mood at that time was as cold as the winter in Hexi, and he had no other choice. He had already walked to Ganzhou and Xiedan, so he simply followed Cao Yuangong to Kaifeng. Perhaps the great, tolerant and kind emperor of the Han Dynasty would miss him all the way. Thank you for your hard work. Why don't you show some compassion and send troops to rescue me?
Even if Cao Yuangong reminded him, it didn't take long for the Han and the Khitans to reconcile. However, Pule still decided to go east, even if it was relatively slim. Of course, he knew that at this time, returning west would have an uncertain future, so he might as well try his luck in Kaifeng.
Pule's journey to ask for help was not easy. Starting from the beginning of summer, he secretly headed eastward. There were only a few roads in and out of the Western Regions. Yelv Xiezhen took the north road in his westward expedition, and Pule's eastward aid took the middle road. Then At that time, it had also been intercepted by the Khitan army.
Therefore, in order to avoid the Khitan blockade along the way, we were delayed a lot of time and almost got captured. There were more than 100 people when we set out, but only 23 people were left when we arrived in Guazhou. Now, after an attack, more than ten people were injured or killed.
On the Han cavalry side, the leader was of high status. He was the commander of the Hexi capital and the Marquis of Pingxi, Wang Yansheng. When news of the request for help reached Guzang through the garrison, Wang Yansheng was in the military camp. After hearing the news, Wang Yansheng, who was feeling bored, suddenly became interested, ordered five hundred Han cavalry and headed west.
"Cao Yuangong, the governor of Xia Guazhou, met the general. I don't know the general's surname. Thank you for your life!" When he saw the powerful Wang Yansheng, Cao Yuangong suppressed some doubts in his heart and bowed.
"This is the General of the Han Dynasty in Hexi and the Marquis of Pingxi!" Wang Yansheng did not reply, but a soldier beside him said loudly.
After saying this, Cao Yuangong's expression suddenly became more respectful.
"This is the envoy of the Guiyi Army. The official language is quite good. Why did you choose to come east at such a season?" Wang Yansheng looked down on him and looked a little arrogant. He looked at him and asked.
"According to the order of Duke Xiping, I have important matters to go to the court and see the emperor!" Cao Yuangong replied.
"Who are you?" Wang Yansheng cast his eyes on Pule again, having already noticed how special this person was.
Upon hearing the question, Pule hurriedly spoke his half-familiar Chinese and responded: "I am the Uighur envoy. I came east on the order of the Khan of Xizhou to meet with the emperor of the Han Dynasty to establish friendship with us."
Wang Yansheng had a hard time listening, but he finally understood it and understood its meaning. He couldn't help but said in a teasing tone: "Xizhou Uighurs? If you, the Khan, are not busy resisting the Khitans, do you still have the heart to send envoys to communicate? "
Hearing this, Pu Le felt embarrassed for a moment.
