Continuing to look at the monthly reports of the two counties of Liaodong and Huiji, Liu Bei smiled slightly, after all, it is a county governed by the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years, basically there is no problem, everything has a relatively systematic solution, Xun You and Zhong Xuan are just handling these various government affairs step by step, when there are displaced people, they will arrange for some displaced people to settle in Yizhou, and there will be no other important things for others. When Zhong Miao mentioned that Zhang Zhao's ability to handle government affairs is very good and he is an honest person, Zhong Miao suggested that he could be entrusted with important tasks. Liu Bei thought about it for a while, and then wrote back to Zhong Xuan: continue to appoint Zhong Xuan, and if he thinks he can, he can let Zhang Zhao take a boat to Liaodong for a tour, and Liu Bei will personally meet Zhang Zhao at the end of the year.

After handling all government affairs, Liu Bei led a large army to attack Khotan. This time, Liu Bei personally led the Hundred Battles Army and the Pro-Guard Army as the vanguard, and tentatively attacked Khotan; Jia Xu led the Black Flag Army and the Leopard Tao Army as the rear army, advancing slowly, and mostly liaising with the front army with scouts; Gan Ning commanded the Shence army to garrison the country of Humi, so far the three kingdoms of Humi, and the end and the three kingdoms of Jingjue will have nearly 10,000 troops stationed, and Liu Bei's main military order to Gan Ning and Huang Zhong is to guard against the four kingdoms of Qiuzi, Gumo, Yanqi and Shule in the north.

Before the army set off, Gan Ning sent a battalion to escort the royal family and the director of the state to Shanshan County to govern the mud city, and sent Tian Feng a handwritten letter, the content of which was roughly as follows: 1. Raise the royal family of the Humi in the mud city; Second, Yan Liang led the first battalion to Liu Bei's military camp with Pu Liyun, the lord of Shanshan. 3. Inquire about the governance of Shanshan County and the situation of the three newly established counties, and instruct Tian Feng to implement a monthly report from next month.

The king of Khotan ruled the western city and went to Chang'an for 9,670 miles. There are 60,000 households, a population of about 150,000, three cities directly under the central government, and 20,000 soldiers. There is one assistant marquis, one general on the left and right, one on the left and right horsemen, one for the east and west city chiefs, and one for the interpreter. It is connected to Wuqiang in the south and Gumo in the north. In the west of Khotan, the water flows westward, and the West Sea is injected; In the east, the water flows eastward, injecting salt, and the river comes out of the river. Lots of jade. Three hundred and eighty miles to the west of Tongpi Mountain.

It only took a day to gallop from the cavalry of Humi to Khotan, but Liu Bei slowed down his march and led 6,000 cavalry to the border of Khotan on the afternoon of the second day. Because Liu Bei did not hide his whereabouts during this expedition, and did not attack and kill the scouts of Khotan, the information of Liu Bei's army was accurately transmitted to Xicheng, the capital of Khotan.

Liu Bei's army was outside the west city, and he set up camp that night, and he was not eager to hesitate to march this time, so the physical strength of the soldiers was kept at the peak, and after the camp was settled, Liu Bei asked the soldiers to bury the pot and make rice. And there was no camp outpost, but the soldiers did not leave their swords and arrows when they ate and slept, and their armor did not leave their bodies. And there are always dark sentinels watching the situation in Xicheng.

It's just that Liu Bei overestimated the monarch and civil and military officials of Khotan, and he didn't say anything on the first night of camping outside Xicheng. Early the next morning, Liu Bei sent an envoy to Khotan, and the general policy had two points: first, to convey the will of the Han Dynasty; 2. Tell the monarch of Khotan that he can still live if he goes out of the city and surrenders, but if the city is broken, then life and death are not up to the monarch of Khotan. 3. In the whole process of the mission, emphasis was placed on the army of 5,000 and 3 generals.

The envoy entered Xicheng and was coaxed out for an hour, and brought a personal letter from the lord of Khotan, which was as follows: 1. I have taken the Han as the suzerainty of the Khotanese for generations, but I don't know what the so-called meaning of the capital protector came with troops this time, the capital of the Han Dynasty is near the Yumen Pass in the east, not in the Khotanese state, and I also ask the capital to withdraw the army as soon as possible. 2. Although there are 6,000 troops in the capital, they are all borrowed soldiers and horses from the countries of Humi, Jimo and Jingjue, and there are 20,000 soldiers in Khotan, if the outcome of the battle between the two sides is uncertain. 3. As long as the capital protects the withdrawal of troops, the Khotanese Congress will pay tribute to the Great Han every year, and will never rebel. Fourth, the neighboring state of Khotan, the state of Shule, knew that Daduhu had arrived in the country of Humi, and was preparing to visit Daduhu in the country of Humi.

Liu Bei read this letter, but he was quite satisfied with Wei Chiming's performance, he was not a mediocre and incompetent monarch, and he did his best to love talents. The whole letter was sprinkled with thousands of words, expressing his views without being humble or arrogant, and at the same time threatening Liu Bei. And during this time, Wei Chiming was not idle, but was actively contacting Shule State, wanting to fight Liu Bei together. As for the words of paying tribute every year in the letter, Liu Bei just took it as a joke, because if he really withdrew his troops, Khotan would never recognize the Han as the suzerain.

Considering this, Liu Bei also gave up the idea of sending envoys again, so he sent a knight to shoot a letter into the city, just one content, the Western Regions capital will protect Liu Bei will conquer Khotan through war, and all the consequences will be borne by Wei Chiming himself.

At the same time, Liu Bei sent scouts to Humi City: 1. Inform Jia Xu that he could lead his troops to fight in Khotan, but he needed to keep a distance of at least 100 miles from Liu Bei and could not enter Khotan; 2. Inform Gan Ning that the Shule State may send troops to attack and harass the Mi Kingdom, so that Gan Ning can do a good job of defense.

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After receiving Liu Bei's order, Jia Xu led Leopard Tao and the Black Flag Army from Humi City, and arrived at the junction of Humi and Khotan two days later, Jia Xu stopped at the border of Humi State, and at the same time ordered Xu Huang to lead Leopard Tao's army to detour from the south, and arrive at the south thirty miles outside Xicheng to find a mountain forest to station, and see the army advancing and killing along the way! At the same time, he led the Black Flag Army to detour to Xicheng from the north, and at the same time the horses and feet were wrapped in hooves, and their mouths were ranked, and they were also hidden and stationed when they were fifty miles north of Xicheng!

After sending the messenger, Liu Bei began to be stationed outside the West City with peace of mind, and did not let the soldiers patrol or send sentry posts, but every day there would be several waves of scouts sent to the rear of the country, and the scouts came out of the military camp openly.

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A few days later, in the Xicheng Palace, Chi Ming, the chief lieutenant of the country, sat on the throne, and below him were the prime minister, national teachers, generals and generals of Khotan.

"Most of the Western Regions have been camping outside the city for five or six days, and they are not attacking the city, and the defense of the camp is quite loose, why do you think Aiqing?"

"Wang, I thought that this Liu Bei should be waiting for follow-up reinforcements, the king and thought, Liu Bei came this time with all the cavalry, not good at attacking the city, and we have also told the messenger before, there are 20,000 troops in my king's city, the Han people have few clouds can escape, if not, they can avoid it, Liu Bei must be familiar with the military book, Gu knows that with 6,000 cavalry to attack me in Khotan, it will not be able to win, it is to camp outside the city is quite loose, is to imply that we wait, he Liu Bei is not afraid of us, in fact, I guess that his barracks must be tight inside and loose outside." General Wei Chi Zhan gave his own thoughts, speaking of which Wei Chi Zhan is Wei Chi Ming's cousin, this year's twenty-five, quite fond of Han culture, since childhood learning martial arts familiar with military books, and can barely reach the level of first-class generals.

"Your Majesty, Chen thinks that the general's analysis is reasonable, and the general also reported a few days ago, this Liu Bei sends several waves of scouts back to Humi City every day, I guess Liu Bei must have sent scouts to the rear to urge reinforcements." Prime Minister Hajip said out of class.

"If that were the case, wouldn't we sit here and wait to die? Did you give me a plan?" Wei Chiming hurriedly asked.

"Your Majesty, Chen is wondering if I can concentrate my superior forces in Khotan to strike a fatal blow at Liu Bei, so that we can be free of worries. The king tried to imagine, according to the usual capital to protect the mansion, there were only about 20,000 soldiers who could be borrowed, and the number of people who died in my Western Regions was unknown, and the Han Dynasty did not send troops to conquest. If we can create or even kill Liu Bei in the 6,000 cavalry this time, at least in the short term, my Western Regions or my Khotanese will bring my worries to ten or twenty years later, with the king's sage, what is there to fear? The prime minister continued to suggest.

"What the prime minister said is reasonable, and this king also thinks that this plan is very good, I don't know what the general thinks?"

"Your Majesty, the ministers are afraid that they are afraid of luring the enemy to go deeper, the Han people are cunning, and the ministers are afraid that this Liu Bei will have ambush soldiers, and then lure our army out of the city to implement the tactics of encirclement and annihilation!"

"What the general is worried about is that Liu Bei has an ambush army, we have already explored the surroundings before, and Liu Bei has been sending scouts to Wang Hu Mi country in the past few days, and the south is under the rule of our country, and the north is the place of Shule country, so the general can send scouts to the west to explore two hundred miles, and the minister thinks that if there is no ambush for two hundred miles, it should be enough for us to annihilate Liu Bei's six thousand cavalry, right?"

"What does the general think?"

"Back to the king, if there is no ambush, the minister has the confidence to fight Liu Bei."