There are also those survivors of the Qingzhou Army who came to reinforce, and they are also scattered to supplement the main forces of the Central Army.

The nomadic troops have also returned to the grasslands, and the pastures of the Han have been reclaimed, even larger than before, just when manpower is needed.

However, after all, the offensive and defensive battle of Tiger Prison Pass was protracted, and the total number of casualties before and after was as high as tens of thousands, and the number of wounded was even more than that, and many of them lost their ability to fight, and even their ability to live.

The pension that the central government needs to issue alone is an astronomical amount that needs to occupy a considerable amount of central finance.

Lu Bu told Fu Zhu and others that they must supervise and implement the pension and distribute it to the families of every sacrificed and wounded soldier.

Half of the officers and men killed and wounded in this battle came from the local troops, and the rest were attrition of the main forces.

It was a long process to re-recruit new soldiers, train them, and replenish them to the various units, and within three to five years, the Central Army would no longer be able to conduct such a large-scale war.

Moreover, the loss of so many strong laborers had a great impact on the Han Dynasty government, which was mainly agricultural, and it was in urgent need of recuperation.

Of course, it is possible to plunder more slaves to make up for the shortage of labor, but this is not on the table.

Now that there can be no war, the focus of everything is once again back to internal affairs.

Fortunately, all kinds of new schools and schools set up in Chang'an have been on the right track, and students have graduated one after another and devoted themselves to production and construction in all aspects.

In particular, the graduates of the normal school can help governments at all levels to open more schools and form a virtuous circle!

On this day, Lu Bu finally received a long-awaited letter from Fa Zheng, who had already arrived in Liuzhong City, a very important battle of his trip to the Western Regions.

With the arrival of the new protector of the Western Regions, some small countries in the Western Regions, especially those near Liuzhong City, have re-sent envoys to pay tribute to the courtiers, asking for the protection of the Han Dynasty!

Fa Zheng sent small forces to a number of surrounding countries to assert the sovereignty of the Han and demonstrate the strength of the Han Dynasty.

After Fa Zheng arrived in Liuzhong City, Hao Zhao, with Fa Zheng's consent, continued to lead the vanguard troops and the Wusun delegation to Wusun Country in advance.

They first arrived at Jiaohe City, located at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, in the former country of Cheshi, and during their stay, the latest information they received was that the forces of Xianbei in the west had also infiltrated this area.

Just like the Migration Branch and Pu Class, the other three small countries in this vicinity, except for the Cheshiqian State located at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, are under the control of the Xianbei in the west.

These three countries are Dongjimi, Beilu, and Cheshihou, and they are all at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, which are closer to the Xianbei people.

The garrison of the Xianbei people heard that they were stationed in Jinmancheng in the country after the Cheshi, and the Han people were not unfamiliar with this place name.

This is the place where Geng Gong, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, fought fiercely with the Northern Xiongnu a hundred years ago, and became famous.

However, these are just rumors, and the specific situation is unknown, so Hao Zhao decided to send Ma Chao's reconnaissance battalion to Jinmancheng to reconnoiter the enemy's situation.

On the way, I passed by the palace of the Cheshi Houguo, and saw what was the attitude of the monarchs and people of the Cheshi Houguo towards the Han Dynasty?

In addition, Zhang Xiu was sent as the vanguard of the vanguard, and it was necessary to occupy Dongjimi and open the passage to Wusun for the follow-up troops.

This time, Wusun Gong mainly went to Dongjimi with Zhang Xiu's troops, and he couldn't act with Ma Chao.

After getting along day and night for such a long time, the two have a clear feeling for each other, but because it is an extraordinary time, they can't really be sure.

Ma Chao took his reconnaissance battalion and followed a few local guides, along the ancient road of Cheshi, to the country behind Cheshi.

At that time, this ancient road was a shortcut to communicate the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and it was an extremely important traffic artery.

Originally, the flow of people was relatively frequent, but after the Xianbei people took control of the Cheshi Houguo, they closed this Cheshi Ancient Road, making it inaccessible.

The first step is to cross the Qiongdaban Pass, which is very high and snow-capped even though it is the height of summer in July.

On the steepest sections, people dismount and lead their horses on foot.

There was no grass on the pass, the wind was cold, and there were palm-sized stones everywhere.

All the lucky ones who climb over the Qiongdaban will have a blessing stone on the top of the mountain, but there are only two small stone piles on the entire mountaintop.

And the arrival of the Han army's reconnaissance battalion, all the soldiers from Ma Chao down, one person built a blessing stone, and soon built a large stone pile!

What makes the Han soldiers feel interesting is that the lines of fish and shells can be seen on these stones, could it be that this tall mountain pass was actually the bottom of the sea many thousands of years ago?

There is also a man-made platform on top of Osaka, on which many air-dried offerings and totem stone statues are placed!

The guide told Ma Chao that this was the altar where their tribe worshipped the sun god.

Ma Chao restrained his subordinates not to destroy or destroy other people's altars.

After crossing the Qiongdaban Pass, you can start to descend gradually.

I didn't go far, but I encountered a dangerous place, and the smooth and tall stone wall blocked the way, leaving only a gap more than one person wide in the middle.

The guide said that this place is called Shimenzi, and when the Han army fought with the Northern Xiongnu before, there was a fierce battle here.

The horses' hooves occasionally slip on the smooth stone walls, as if they were walking on ice.

This terrain can be called a real one-man pass, but Ma Chao and the others did not encounter any defenders.

When passing through Shimenzi, the thighs of the Han soldiers were rubbing the stone walls on both sides, and the thighs were squeezed on the stones by the horses, but they were all nervous and did not know the pain.

Although it was all the way down, the altitude gradually decreased, but there were only gravel roads on the cliffs along the way, and the high altitude also caused some lack of oxygen for the soldiers of the Han army.

The guide did not urge the horses, but walked slowly, not that stones were kicked off the cliff by the horses' hooves, and that there was not even an echo, and the cold sweat on everyone's palms wet the reins in their hands.

At dusk, everyone has already crossed the five bridges, and it is said that there are nine bridges from the country behind the car division to the country before the car division, which is half the way!

On the tidal flat of a small mountain river, the guide chose to camp and rest.

Surrounded on all sides by cliffs, giant pines and raspberries are overgrown on the cliffs, which the guide told them was a rare wild fruit.

The taste is sweet and sour, has medicinal value, and is said to have aphrodisiac miracles, but you can't eat too much, otherwise it is easy to have diarrhea.

The river in this mountain, although it is still cold and biting, is sweet and refreshing, quenching thirst and refreshing!

Ma Chao took people to hunt a few pheasants and hares, washed them by the river, raised a bonfire, roasted and eaten, which was also delicious!