On January 22, 1727, it was the first day of the new year of Ding Wei, and in the small Jinghe Fort (now Jinghe County, Bole City, Xinjiang), hundreds of soldiers and civilians were celebrating the arrival of the New Year.

In order to boost morale and enliven the dreary winter atmosphere in the fort, Li Jinyao, the commander of Jinghe Fort, also ordered people to slaughter several sheep and take out a few jars of wine to reward all the soldiers and civilians to appease everyone.

Jinghe Fort is bordered by Aibi Lake in the north, Sailim Lake in the west, and a plain area at the northern foot of Borokonu Mountain, which is the westernmost military stronghold of the Beiting Governorate of Great Qin, and is the forefront of the Dzungar Khanate. There are 240 soldiers stationed in the whole fortress, and there are more than 350 military immigrants, and the Jinghe River, which originates from the glacier on the northern slope of Borokonu Mountain, meanders through Jinghe Fort, which not only provides sufficient water for the entire fortress, but also becomes a natural moat, protecting the west side of Jinghe Fort.

Although it is the New Year's Day, when the soldiers and civilians of the fort are celebrating, the necessary vigilance must still be done. In the two corner towers on the west side of the city, several soldiers on duty on duty were wrapped in heavy cotton clothes, wore felt hats, and covered their faces with a thick cotton towel to shield them from the biting cold wind, dutifully stationed inside.

A bonfire was blazing, and a tin kettle was erected on it, gurgling and bubbling. A soldier emptied the cold tin warm hand of the water, then poured the boiling water back in, tightened the wire, and handed it to the companion next to him, who was holding a telescope to observe the situation outside the city.

"This white-haired wind blows, and I don't think there will be any Mongolian Tartars coming out of the mountains." The soldier glanced in the direction of the west, then crouched down again, and continued to roast the fire around the campfire, "Maybe those dogs are also cowering on the other side of the mountain, hugging their animals one by one to keep warm!" ”

"I think it should be suggested that Shangguan build a beacon tower by that lake (Sailimu Lake), as long as the Tartars come out of the mountain and light a bonfire immediately, our Jinghe Fort can also be fully prepared." Kong Youshun put down the binoculars, shrunk his neck, and held the warm hand that had been changed with hot water while wearing gloves, feeling the warmth.

"It's easy to build a beacon, but the question is who wants to go over and be on duty?" Mao Ergou said, took off his felt shoes, and stretched out his frozen and stiff feet towards the bonfire, "If the Mongolian Tartars sneak out of the mountains quietly at night, they can immediately touch the left side of the beacon tower, and then secretly climb in, and wipe their necks one by one, how unjust!" Our Jinghe Fort is more than 200 miles away from the lake, and even if the Tartars want to sneak attack, they have to ride a horse for two or three hours, and the movement is not small. No matter what, we can get the letter, there is a reaction, isn't there? ”

"Ergou, your feet stink enough!" Ge Lishan, who was on the side, watched Mao Ergou roast his bare feet while taking out the mattress pad in the felt shoes and putting it on the side of the bonfire to dry, and immediately there was a pungent sour smell, and he couldn't help frowning in disgust, "Damn, I smell your smell, when I get off duty, Lao Tzu's appetite is gone!" ”

"Hey, hey, hey......" Mao Ergou listened to it but didn't mean to restrain his movements at all, licked his face and smiled: "Since the upper value, these two feet have been unconscious, and if they don't bake and roast, maybe just like Lao Li Tou, the feet were frostbitten, and finally had to be chopped, so it must be even more offensive!" ”

"Damn, if this Tartar rushes over, I see you barefoot, how can you escape?"

"Hey, I said the mountains, the Tartars are coming, how can you think of turning around and running away?" Mao Ergou said jokingly: "As a soldier, I should fight bravely to kill the enemy, what is the last one...... The horse wrapped the corpse, and he wanted to be loyal to my Great Qin. Hit the tartars, even if the men don't wear shoes, they still carry a musket and put a hole in their body. …… Run away? No matter how fast you run, where can you outrun the Tartar horse! To put it bluntly, if we are guarding here, we are all cannon fodder, giving a warning to Yanbo Fort (now Wusu), which is 300 miles away. Not to mention, the Tartar army is coming, and all of us have to fight to the last man. Well, the same goes for the immigrants from the hinterland who have migrated and been sent in. ”

"Although our Jinghe Fort is not a high city, it is also a well-defended fort, and there are several artillery, even if the Tartar army comes, it may not be able to capture it, right?" Kong Youshun patted the wall battlement, glanced at the gun emplacement in the distance, and said with some uncertainty.

"In this world, there is no invincible fortress." Mao Ergou shook his head and said: "As long as Tartar is willing to pay a huge price, gather tens of millions of people, and give you a day and night siege, how can you break through this Jinghe Fort." ”

"Ahh Kong Youshun twitched the corners of his mouth, and couldn't help but look at the vast wilderness outside, as if there were countless Tartar soldiers hidden at the end of the wind and snow.

"What's all the fuss?" Ge Lishan looked indifferent, "If the Tartars really gather a large army to attack my Jinghe Fort, the generals in the rear will definitely jump for joy." As long as we work hard here, we can consume several times more tartars, even if this Jinghe Fort is destroyed by the tartars, it doesn't matter at all. You must know that every Tartar head is a bargaining chip for those generals to be promoted to knighthood! It's a big deal, in a few days, the general above will ask the court for some money, grain and dingkou, and build another one. ”

"In this case, we are all pure cannon fodder!" Kong Youshun muttered, "That ......, that ...... Will I survive these five years of service? ”

"Hee-hee......, rest assured, they can all survive. Tartars are also human beings, and they are also afraid of death, so they will not easily attack our strong fortress. Think about it, how many people are there in the Tartars, and they are fighting hard with our Daqin, can they fight? ”

"What if, the Tartars can't think of it, and gather a large army to attack?"

"Then it must have been a Tartar who was kicked in the head by a donkey." Mao Ergou put the insole that had been roasted in front of his nose, sniffed it, and then his throat moved, and he quickly took the insole away, changed the side and continued to roast.

"Tartar...... Here it comes! Kong Youshun muttered, "They were really kicked in the head by a donkey!" …… The Tartars are here! ”

"Whew!" Mao Ergou turned his head and looked at Kong Youshun with a sneer, "You're fucking stupid!" In such weather, how could the Tartars be killed? ”

"Doodoo ......"

Kong Youshun didn't answer, just looked out of the city in a daze, stood for a moment, and immediately picked up the horn from the corner of the wall, puffed up his cheeks, and blew it vigorously.

"Junko, you're going to die! …… Invincible and warn, you want to eat military sticks! Mao Ergou roared angrily.

"Dut...... Toot ......"

"Mother! …… The Tartars are really here! Mao Ergou was barefoot and holding on to the wall stacks, staring blankly at the vast wilderness ahead, hundreds of black spots in the wind and snow, and were rapidly approaching Jinghe Fort.

"Bang!"

"Enemy attack!"

Mao Ergou grabbed a musket by the wall, quickly loaded the gunpowder, stuffed the projectile from the muzzle, and then compacted the gunpowder and projectile with a strip, and fired a shot into the sky.

The sound of the warning horn, the sudden sound of muskets, and the terrible roar immediately broke the warm and peaceful atmosphere of Jinghe Fort, and the entire fortress fell into restlessness and panic.

The officers, who were drinking and frolicking in the warm barracks, hurried out, and before they were fully dressed, they brandished their scabbards, gathered the soldiers who had heard the warning but were still in a state of confusion, and ran in the direction of the city wall with muskets in hand.

The colony officials and scribes stumbled and knocked on the doors of the earthen huts in the fort, ordered all the settlers to assemble at once, and then rushed to the armory inside the fort to prepare the corresponding war supplies for the upcoming defensive operation against the Tartar invasion.

——

February 8, Luntai (now Urumqi).

"On the first day of the first lunar month, the commander of the defenders of the Dzungar Khanate stationed in the fortress of Taleqidaban (now Ili Guozigou) led more than 4,000 tribes to Jinghebao to surrender, and was already contained outside the city by local officers and soldiers. Li Jinyao, the commander of the fort, sent a messenger to report urgently to Yanbo Town, saying that the Tartars had changed, and asked for the mobilization of rear troops to help prevent the Tartars from taking advantage of the situation to attack. ”

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Cheng Daye, the chief soldier of Yanbo Town, personally led more than 800 subordinates, galloped into the Jinghe River in the wind and snow, and on the evening of the ninth day of the first month, he entered the fort and took over all the defense. Fortunately, since the Tatar escape incident, the Dzungar Ministry did not gather troops to attack, so it was peaceful for a while. ”

"On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, through the questioning of the Tatar lord Luo Buzang Celing, civil strife broke out in the court of the king of Dzungar Khan, the slave chieftain plotted to be killed violently, dozens of nobles, chiefs and tribal leaders were killed, and more than 3,000 people killed each other among the tribes near the left of Ili. Cheng Daye, the commander-in-chief, then sent 100 cavalry to urgently escort Luo Bu, Zang Celing, and other Tatar leaders to the rear for the governor's office for future reference. ”

“……”

"When will those people be delivered?" Yue Zhongqi, the general of the Great Qin Jingxi and the governor of the Beiting Governor's Mansion, put down the urgent report from Suilai (now Manas County, Changji Prefecture, Xinjiang), raised his head, and asked the senator standing aside.

"Back to the general system, the wind and snow on the road are too big, and it is estimated that it will take three or five days." Deng Yuren, the senator of the Governor's Office, immediately replied.

"What do you think of Guifu?" Yue Zhongqi asked softly.

"The civil strife in the Tartars is definitely the best opportunity for my Great Qin." Deng Yuren said: "However, it is the middle of winter at this time, and the army is afraid that it is not suitable to set off, and it will take some time. On the other hand, the Dzungar royal court was in turmoil, and we don't know how much it will affect you. If the son of the chief of the Nanu chieftain, Gardance, uses the momentum of thunder to quickly stabilize the Dzungar tribes and appease the hearts of the good people, our army will attack rashly, and I am afraid that the enemy will take advantage of it. ”

Hearing this, Yue Zhongqi got up and walked to the side of the wall, clasped his arms in his hands, stared at the map of the Western Regions, and fell into deep thought.

On December 21 last year, Galdan Tseling made a statement to the bedridden Dzungar Khan King Tselu Alabutan, saying that the second prince Lobzang Shunu intended to take advantage of the Khan's illness to try to murder him, and raised troops to depose the Khan in order to inherit the throne of the Dzungar Great Khan.

Originally, Alabutan had a prejudice against the second son of Lobu Zang Shunu, and some envoys of the Turghut tribe in the royal court had frequent contact and secret private meetings with him, which made his suspicions even more serious.

Therefore, Arabutan ordered the arrest of Lopzang Shunu, and prepared to wait for his illness to be cured before being interrogated.

However, his queen Seterzab was well heard, and learned of the news in advance, and also learned that Galdan Tsering was planning to secretly execute Lobzang Shunu while he was being captured and imprisoned. She immediately informed her son and told him to flee westward, taking refuge in the Turks.

Seeing that his son was framed by others, and that the Khan's king was arrogant and arrogant, and blindly listened to the mercy of Galdan Tseling, Seterzab was angry in his heart and took revenge on him.

The envoys from the Turghut tribe were also jealous of the fact that Galdantse had forced out Lopzang Shunu and continued to weaken the influence of their Turghut tribe. They handed over a package of poison to Seterzab in order to poison Gardanzeling and thus create an opportunity for their son to return to the royal court.

However, Seterzab couldn't find a chance to poison Gardanzeling at all, so he decided to poison his confused husband first, and then use his identity to frame Galdan Tseling and take the opportunity to get rid of him.

On 17 January, Seterzab poured poison into his mouth on the occasion of serving the medicine of Tseir Alabutan.

That night, he schemed to abiquitan and bleed and died violently in the palace.

When he was a teenager, he followed his uncle Galdan to fight in the south and the north, and made great contributions to the establishment of the Dzungar Khanate. When he grew up, he split with his uncle and formed his own line, and then he became the dominant side, but he didn't want to grow old but died at the hands of his wife.

After being poisoned to death, Kaldan Tseling, with the support of the powerful figure in the Khanate's army, immediately raised troops to quell the rebellion and captured the Sitlzab.

For this woman, Galdan Tsering did not show any mercy and adopted extremely cruel methods.

As for the fleeing Lopzang Shunu, envoys were sent to the Kazakh Khanate and the Turghut tribe, ordering them to capture him and return him to Dzungaria after seeing him in person.

The five-year-old son of Lop Tsangshunu was hacked to death, and a group of cronies and tribes who had once followed him were brutally purged. His wife, the granddaughter of the king of Yarkand, was taken into his account.

The leader of the Hoshot tribe, Lobzang Tenzin, who had been associated with Seterzab, did not escape the purge, and although he himself was not killed by Galdanze, his 10,000-strong tribe was forcibly stripped of 3,000 tents, and their former nomadic area in the Ili Valley was converted into the barren Karatal region (on the eastern shore of present-day Lake Balkhash) as punishment.

After hearing the news, Luo Bu Zangce Ling, who was a member of the original Qinghai Heshuo Department, did not hesitate to abandon the Talqidaban Fortress, and set fire to several fortresses in the mountains, and brought thousands of his troops to join the Qin State, in case he was served by Galdan Ce.

There are many tribes in Luobuzang Danjin, and they also enjoy high prestige in the Heshuot tribe, and Gardan Tse Ling does not dare to kill him, but if he wants to deal with a small clan leader like him with thousands of tents, how can he have any scruples, and if he can't say it, he will kill his people, swallow his people, and expand his own strength.

Unexpectedly, when my Great Qin was celebrating the New Year, there was a sudden change in the interior of the Mongols, so that Yue Zhongqi, the governor of Beiting, who had always wanted to break the Dzungar Khanate, found a golden opportunity.

"The Dzungar royal court is in turmoil, and if that Lobuzang Shunu flees to the Kazakh Khanate, it will definitely stir up the local situation and make the Kazakhs have the intention of fighting back. Then, at this time, the Dzungar Khanate will definitely raise troops to the west to relieve its worries and stabilize the situation in the entire steppe. Yue Zhongqi turned around, looked at several henchmen and generals in the room, and smiled, "It's really not an opportunity to use troops in the cold winter, but if you miss this stall, when the Dzungars take a breath of relief, it will cost you a greater price in the future." ”

"General system means ......"

"Hundreds of years ago, Li Yuxue entered Caizhou at night, so today, when I have the Great Qin Heavenly Soldiers to climb the snow mountain!" Yue Zhongqi said angrily: "Let's go to the royal court of Dzungaria, Ili City!" ”

(End of chapter)