As the first target of the Western Expedition, there is no doubt that it is the city of Qiuci, which is five hundred miles away from Yanqi. Qiuci Kingdom was once a large country among the city-states in the Western Regions. It was well-known abroad. Thousands of years later, it is still a major city in the Western Regions. This name also represents the inheritance of a complete historical context. There is no doubt that this is a Chinese territory. How can it be lost for a long time? It must be taken back from the hands of the foreign Manchuria.
Of course, some Han soldiers, led by Wei Wang Liu Min, were driven by interests other than opening up territories and making achievements. Another reason was that if they did not capture the vast plain basin at the southern foot of Tiannan, they would be full of food all the time. Being invaded by the Black Khanate is not good for national defense.
In fact, this is also the case. With the conflict between Han and Black, the cavalry from the Black Khanate marched eastward several times and invaded. The open and flat land was a racecourse for them to gallop freely. They came and went like the wind, and many people in towns and cities suffered losses. , although they launched a counterattack and killed many Black Khan troops, it did not solve the fundamental problem.
Therefore, among the strategic goals set by the Western Expedition, the first phase of the combat goal is to capture all the plains south of the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, strive to kill a large number of Black Khan troops, expel their forces from the southern region, and then move to the north. Enter.
It has to be said that the vast and stretching Tianshan Mountains are a natural barrier for the Black Khanate, perfectly protecting the core ruling area of the Black Khanate.
Relying on its superior geographical advantages, the Black Khanate is always in a favorable position to advance, attack, retreat and defend, with freedom of maneuver. At that time, Yelv Xiezhen led the Khitan army and pushed all the way westward, but was not immune to the Tianshan defense line of the Black Khanate. In the end, the Khitan army was pushed back and lost the Moman and Qiuci areas.
Such troubles also faced the Han army in the Western Expedition. However, before facing those obstacles, Qiuci must be captured.
Qiuci is the most important city of the Black Khanate in the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains besides Shule. It is also the largest, richest and most valuable city it has occupied after its eastward expansion. It benefited from the rise of east-west trade and was in a At the border between Han and Heilongjiang, some prosperity has recovered in the past ten years.
However, so-called prosperity appears to be too fragile in the face of war. The Black Khanate had obviously put their best efforts into the construction of Qiuci, and ten years of peace were enough to produce some results.
Agriculture and animal husbandry are prosperous here, and the handicraft industry is also very developed. It is not only a commercial city relying on Han-Hei trade, but also an important military town.
Although due to the original peace agreement, Kucha did not have too many troops stationed for a long time, various military facilities were well-built and the city walls were thickened and heightened.
Perhaps in the view of the Black Khans, the city of Qiuci could be used as a base for eastward raids when advancing, and as a basis for defense when retreating. With the incident of the mission and the conflict between the two countries, the tacit understanding in the past was broken, and the peace agreement was naturally torn up.
Especially after the formation of the Western Expedition camp, the Han army gathered in large numbers in Gaochang, Yanqi, Wulei and other places, and a large amount of food, ordnance, war horses, and livestock were transferred to the west. These things were very high-profile and could not be hidden from anyone. Of course, they were not thought of at all. hide.
In response to the movements of the Han army, the Black Khanate was unyielding and even eager to try. The order from the Eighth Assassin Gun was also very tough. Faced with the provocation of the Han army, they must resolutely fight back.
Of course, it was not just words. While the Han army was intensively preparing for the Western Expedition, the Black Khanate was also dispatching troops and generals. Soldiers and horses were mobilized from various places to increase the number of troops to Qiuci to 20,000, including five Thousands of elite guards came from the "Eastern Capital" of Black Khan to assassinate Gun.
Moreover, in its country, it is also mobilizing simultaneously, recruiting young people from various ethnic tribes in the north to form militia forces, and at the same time recruiting those easy-to-use and cheap ysl volunteers.
Of course, what is more important is the assembly and mobilization of the standing armies in its domestic cities. In this regard, the Black Khanate is also determined enough.
This determination comes from their king Ali Arslan Khan, a YSL believer who received good court education and YSL influence since childhood.
After taking power, he vigorously promoted the Islamicization of the Black Khanate, severely attacked Buddhism, launched rounds of religious movements, and even launched wars.
Arslan Khan succeeded to the throne after negotiating peace with the Han Dynasty. Soon thereafter, in the 11th year of Kaibao, he launched a war against Khotan and quickly reversed the attrition of Khitan and Han Dynasty successively. In the religious war situation, which was completely at a disadvantage, Khotan's forces were completely eliminated from the Shule area.
In the process of suppressing Buddhists and totalizing Islam, Arslan Khan's position was gradually consolidated, and the centralization process of the Black Khanate also achieved great results.
With ten years of savings, the expansion nature rooted in the blood and bone marrow can no longer be suppressed, and is in urgent need of a direction to vent.
Under normal circumstances, the best direction of expansion is to the west. The Samanid Dynasty is not only the feud of the Black Khan, but also has entered a period of decline. It has many internal conflicts and an obvious trend of division. It is the best target for strategy.
At the worst, the Khotan Kingdom in the south, although small and hard-boned, still holds high the banner of religious war and spreads the glory of YSL.
However, the development of the situation cannot only focus on the Black Khanate or Arslan Khan. The Han Empire made the choice for them.
On the other hand, with the frequent exchanges between the East and the West, the Black Khanate's understanding of the Han Dynasty is also deepening. Although they are surprised by its strength and vastness, they are not too afraid.
It's a big deal, but they are fighting close by, and their basic military common sense also gives them confidence. At the same time, there are various legends from the east, and it is really difficult to restrain the greed of our neighbors to the east, whose land is full of gold.
In particular, after a book called "Travel Notes on the Divine Capital" was widely spread in Black Khan and even Central Asia, it deepened the impression of foreigners on the Han Dynasty and made the yearning and covetousness even more intense.
However, the realization of greedy goals must be supported by strength. The Black Khanate was confident in itself, but at the same time, it did not dare to take it lightly in the face of the Han army's massive mobilization.
The Khitans were able to defeat them and suffered heavy losses, let alone the Han people who had already defeated the powerful Khitan dynasty. In addition, although the confrontation between the two countries more than ten years ago was only a small battle, they finally fought against the Han army, and they could also get a glimpse of the strength of the Han army.
The test battle that took place in Yanqi last year once again proved that ten years later, the Han army has not weakened and is still as strong as ever.
In view of this, Black Khan's Western Expedition of the Han Army was also excited and cautious, joyful and worried, and he was also mentally prepared to go all out and fight as a whole.
However, after learning that the Han army had only about 50,000 soldiers and horses in the western expedition, the nervousness was inexplicably relieved. In the eyes of the Black Khans, the Han army was still too entrusted, and they wanted to fight with only tens of thousands of people. Just attack and destroy them, which is obviously out of the blue.
As the two countries made silent preparations, the clouds of war accumulated over the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains for several months. Under the command of Liu Min, King of Wei of the Han Dynasty, the Han army officially marched westward, and a war that had been brewing for a long time broke out.
However, the development process and bloody degree of the war exceeded many people's expectations. Since it was beyond the expectations of the Black Khan people, it was also not within the expectations of the Han generals.
