"The sky is full of snow covering the mountains, who is still cold in winter, a tree falls and a thousand branches are white, a light robe walks in the mountains, the fog is silent and the mountains are quiet, the bell of the mountain temple is far away, leaving three inches of mortal things, and spending worry-free year after year. Good ......, Yang Gong's book, vividly and vividly said this situation, the distant mountains are covered with snow, wrapped in silver, and the surrounding scenery is quite consistent with this poem, and it has a deep meaning! Tao Yuanzhong, the judge of the Beiting Governor's Mansion and Tao Yuanzhong, looked at the inscription on the bookcase, admired it very much, and twisted his beard and praised it repeatedly: "I have lived in the Western Regions for many years, in addition to being dyed white by wind and frost, I have also eaten a lot of sand in my mouth. Unexpectedly, Yang Gong's affection is still not lost in the past! ”

"Even if my generation is talented, what does it mean to be in the country and politics?" Yang Conglin, the observer of Tingzhou, said with a wry smile: "In this border of the Western Regions, only martial arts can make achievements, only martial arts can reach the imperial court, and only by destroying the enemy and destroying the country can they express their ambitions." ”

"Yang Gong is still worried about General Yue's insistence on leading his troops to attack Dzungaria despite dissuasion?" Tao Yuanzhong asked.

"Winter battles have always been taboo for soldiers, and if you are not careful, you will be in danger of annihilation." Yang Conglin said in a deep voice: "Tingzhou is thousands of miles away from Ili, and it is brave the wind and snow, and climb over the mountains, if the Tartars set up an ambush in a dangerous place, thousands of elite troops may not be spared, and they will be destroyed in a flash." If the army is defeated, the entire Beiting will be in danger, and the good situation that has only been achieved for more than ten years will also be buried. ”

"The general has always been cautious in his soldiers, and he has rarely been defeated in the battle for more than ten years, so he should not be ambushed by the Tartars." Tao Yuanzhong said: "Even if the mountains are blocked and the snow goes south, the general will not risk going deep into the territory of Dzungaria. On the other hand, the general almost collected all the cold cotton fur accumulated in Tingzhou in the army, and Gai Neng protected the attack of typhoid fever on the sergeants. Although the distance of this trip is more than 1,000 miles, the army is carried by climbing plows and sleds, and the speed is still a little faster than that of the fast horses in the summer and autumn. Yang Gong was worried this time, I am afraid that he is a little too worried. ”

"I hope so." Yang Conglin sighed, "I have been running Beiting for more than ten years, building more than 30 cities and forts, immigrating more than 40,000 households, cultivating nearly one million acres of fertile land, and raising more than 100,000 cattle, horses and livestock, almost realizing self-sufficiency, which greatly reduces the cost of inland material transportation." If the situation collapses, how can we explain it to Your Majesty? ”

Since its unification, Dzungar Mongolia has shown increasing aggressiveness. During the Geldan period, they began to constantly pass through the Khalkha Mongols, sending troops to conquer cities and territories, expanding their own territory while integrating the entire Mongol power. In the early years, they even marched into the old land of the former Chagatai Khanate, and because of their internal relationship, the expansion was smooth all the way. It successively seized Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, Yingjisha, Aksu, Ushi and other regions. After dormant for a few years, after the Dzungars digested the remnants of these Chagatai Khanates, tens of thousands of dragon spirits and fierce cavalry were added to their accounts, and their ambitions also grew, so they tried to point their swords at Monan, and then won the Central Plains and reappeared the Mongol and Yuan Empire.

After Galdan's death, while consolidating the territory and influence of Mongolia, Alabutan continued to use troops against the Kazakh Khanate, and insisted on breaking this once powerful Central Asian overlord into pieces and becoming a servant of their Dzungar Khanate. This move not only allowed the Dzungars to eliminate their worries, but also had a stable rear and could obtain sufficient supplies and personnel replenishment, so that the Dzungar Ministry could concentrate on the east and challenge Daqin.

If it is allowed to develop and grow, then in the north of our Great Qin Dynasty, a huge grassland empire will be born, just like the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty and the Turks of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, from a purely military point of view, the emergence of a male lord and overlord on the grassland has always been an unbearable thing for the Central Plains Dynasty. From the beginning of the establishment of our Great Qin several decades ago, the officers and soldiers of our Great Qin took advantage of the situation to enter Mobei when they were chasing and suppressing the remnants of the Qing Dynasty. In addition to destroying the so-called Manchu and Mongolian unity of the Qing Dynasty and not giving them a chance to breathe, there is also the momentum of ploughing and sweeping the caves to break up the nomadic tribes here in one fell swoop to prevent the emergence of a unified and powerful grassland overlord.

Over the years, my Great Qin has taken the initiative to attack from the two directions of Moxi and the Western Regions, and launched a war with Dzungaria that lasted for more than 30 years, just to destroy and disintegrate this ambitious Mongolian tribe.

That's right, although the Dzungar tribe had already established a foundation and established a khanate many years ago, abolishing the traditional loose Oirats alliance that was separate and independent of each other, and also abolished the power of the chiefs of the tribes and the titles of Hongtaiji, Keshi (Taishi), Jinong, etc. On the basis of improving and strengthening the establishment of the Etoks, the power of the tribal chiefs was dispersed into the hands of the various Etok Zasan. All the instructions and orders of the royal court could be directly conveyed to the various Otok Zaisang, who carried out them concretely and were responsible to the Khan, and the transition from the tribal alliance system to the state power had been completed.

So what?

In the eyes of my Great Qin Dynasty, your Dzungar tribe is a group of northern barbarians, a group of predatory steppe Tatars. Even if the so-called Khanate is established, it will only be the crown of the monkey and the rule of Diyi.

Although some officials in the Great Qin Dynasty and many literati showed contempt for the Dzungar Ministry, the officials stationed in the Western Regions did not dare to sneer at the Mongol regime that dominated the Western Regions.

Although they are Mongol Tatars, they have their own arsenal, which can produce artillery and muskets, and the army soldiers are also very familiar with the application of firearms, especially artillery, and their combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of ordinary steppe forces, and even the Rakshasas dare not plunder their edge. The only drawback is probably that the population is too small, so that they do not have many troops, but tens of thousands of elite cavalry can be easily pulled out, which requires my Great Qin to mobilize several times the infantry to deal with it, after all, sometimes the defense is always relatively passive.

Fortunately, our Great Qin has a strong national strength, and it took more than ten years, relying on sharp firearms and superior troops, from Hami in the easternmost part to Gaochang (now Turpan), Luntai, Yongbian (now Changji), Yanbo (now Wusu), and finally to Jinghe (now Jinghe County, Xinjiang), and touched the core area of Junggar - near the Ili River Valley.

According to Yang Conglin's cautious character, that is, it would take a few more years to continue to build the fortress to the shore of Lake Sailim and reach the Borokonu Mountain, and then in the summer and autumn, he continued to send small groups of troops and horses to infiltrate the Ili region, attack their nomadic and cultivating tribesmen, and continue to bleed the Dzungar Khanate.

At the same time, the Qin army could use Gaochang as a logistics base, march to the southwest, pass through Yanqi, pass through the Kuruk Mountains and the Hora Mountains, attack Kucha, and attack Aksu, kill the flank of the Dzungar Department, and threaten Kashgar (present-day Kashgar).

Now, Yue Zhongqi, the general of Jingxi and the governor of the Beiting Governor's Mansion, actually wanted to take advantage of the civil strife in the Dzungar Department to prepare for a battle, gather more than 4,000 elite cavalry and dragoons, and attack Ili in spite of the snowstorm and the cold weather.

It is not a matter of success, when the situation in the Western Regions is completely clear, it may be possible to hit the Dzungar Department in one fell swoop and force it to retreat to the Kazakh steppe, and our Great Qin will achieve a decisive victory.

But if it fails, it will deal a serious blow to the entire North Court, and maybe it will have to be fully strategically tightened and in a passive defensive situation.

"Let's go, the general is wise and martial, and the soldiers are so old, we can only hope that he can win the battle and create a new situation in my Beiting." Yang Conglin shook his head and sighed: "However, behind my Beiting, on the front line of Gaochang and Hami, there have been repeated horse bandits raiding and plundering, making the local defenders miserable. The winter is bitterly cold, and the infestation is becoming more frequent, and you need to be cautious so as not to miss the timeliness of the transportation of materials in the rear. ”

"What Yang Gong said, I also attach great importance to." Tao Yuanzhong nodded, with a solemn expression on his face, "The general also explained when he left, and after some time, let the Governor's Mansion dispatch a battalion of dragoons to patrol the Gaochang and Hami lines to fight those annoying horse bandits." When these thieves invaded the east of the Dzungar tribe, they did not think of resisting and fled from the wind. But when production was resumed in my Daqin Jingping place, he jumped out to rebel and attack and disturb, which is really hateful and annoying! If they are caught, they will be punished one by one. ”

——

On February 23, on a Gobi desert more than 20 kilometers south of Liuchengwei (present-day Shanshan County, Xinjiang), dozens of corpses lay on the ground, and ownerless horses were digging through thin layers of snow with their hooves, trying to nibble on the grass that might be covered underneath.

More than 30 Qin sergeants and soldiers were carrying muskets with bayonets, and they were examining the corpses one by one, in addition to confirming whether there were any living mouths, most of them wanted to find some property from these dirty horse bandits.

On the high slope in the distance, several cavalrymen stood guard on their horses and held binoculars to look around to prevent further horse bandits.

In a slightly sheltered mountain col, more than a dozen Qin soldiers grabbed the three surviving horse bandits, tortured them with extreme cruelty, and forced them to ask where the bandits were nesting and how many troops they had, making them scream again and again.

Bao Zhenxiang, the 100-household official of the second battalion of Gaochang Town, squatted by the bonfire, while roasting the fire, while comfortably smoking a pipe, swallowing clouds and spitting fog, enjoying a rare quiet time.

"Baotou, how about it taste?" A head cut off a piece of roasted horse meat and handed it to his Shangguan flatteringly, "This roasted meat, the small one is full of spices, although it is not as good as the craftsmanship of those Tartars in Gaochang City, but in this remote place, it is absolutely delicious." ”

"I said Mazi, you don't fucking badly, just with this barbecue skill, you can also make a good living in the Tingzhou territory." Bao Zhenxiang put the pipe in his mouth aside, took the dagger handed over by Ma Tieliang, and bit the piece of horse meat into his mouth in one gulp. Although it is a little jerky and a little fishy, it also has a unique flavor under the sufficiency smoke.

"Baotou, although there is an old saying that 'donkey meat is fragrant, horse meat stinks, don't eat mule meat if you are killed', everyone thinks that donkey meat is delicate and delicious, while horse meat is rough and has a fishy taste, and it does not taste as fresh and fragrant as donkey meat. But in reality, horse meat is not unpalatable if it is handled well. If you are willing to put in a little effort, and then put in enough ingredients, the horse meat is also very delicious. Don't hide it, when I don't have an errand in the army, I really want to open a barbecue restaurant in Gaochang City. Hehe, I don't know how many caravans and supply convoys come and go every year, and I can make some money anyway. ”

"It's beautiful!" Bao Zhenxiang chewed in his mouth while looking at Ma Tieliang playfully, "If you want to get rid of the errand in the army, I'm afraid it will take many years." During this period, you have to bless the gods and Buddhas in the sky, don't be pierced by the cold arrows of the Tartars, and don't get sick in this snowy wilderness, otherwise, your life will be confessed here at any time. Look at the brothers lying on the ground, pitiful ones, and they also praised the silver after thinking about it, divided dozens of acres of land, hugged their mother-in-law, and lived a happy life. Now, they have all turned into cold corpses, burned to ashes, and brought to their families. ”

Their group of more than 60 cavalrymen was ordered by the superior to clear out a group of Oirat horse bandit cavalry that was wandering nearby. These bandits set out from the south of Yanqi Baglashi Lake (present-day Korla Bosten Lake) in small numbers but very fiercely, plundering several villages near Gaochang, attacking the army's horse and forage fields, and even attacking a supply convoy from the east a few months ago.

In view of this, the general of Gaochang Town, who was in charge of the defense of the nearby area, immediately ordered all the troops under his command to clear out the troops and horses, ensure the order of the local colony, and restore the safety of material transportation.

The horse team stationed in Liuchengwei urgently dispatched to the surrounding area to track the traces of this horse bandit, and finally captured about 30 people in the Gobi, more than 20 kilometers south of the acropolis, and annihilated them all after a fierce battle. Today, they rest and wait for confessions from the captives in the hope of obtaining their hiding place.

"Bao Tou, I've asked for it." With a strong smell of blood, Yan Baolai, the deputy hundred, sat next to Bao Zhenxiang, grabbed the kettle on the ground, and poured a few sips.

"Well, let's talk about it."

"There were more than two hundred and sixty horse bandits, and three or four hundred camels and horses, and they were very mobile. Their old nest was near an oasis about a hundred miles to the south. No walled city was built, and more than a dozen nests were dug to live in. However, although the other side did not have many firearms, it had seven or eight camel cannons, which was a big threat. ”

"Yo, there are almost three hundred people, and camel cannons!" Bao Zhenxiang was a little surprised, "Where are these horse bandits coming from, Mongolians?" Or the local Vultures? ”

"There are not many Mongols, most of them are local Wu'er people" Yan Baolai spat on the ground with disdain: "These Turpan slaves who died in the country, they didn't dare to resist the barbarians from the river in the front, and they didn't dare to show their teeth to the new masters, the Dzungars, but they dared to repeatedly invade my Great Qin colony, are they really stupid to believe in God?" ”

The "unfortunate slaves" mentioned in Yan Baolai's mouth actually refer to the descendants of the Turpan Khanate that was destroyed by the Yarkand Khanate about a hundred years ago.

The so-called Turpan Khanate, in fact, is the former Eastern Chagatai Khanate, in the former Ming Dynasty was called "Beishi Bali", because the second Great Khan's son of the fire set up the golden horde in Beishu Bali (now in Jimsar County, Xinjiang), and later in the official documents of the former Ming Dynasty, it was called "Yili Jiangli" Khanate, because the capital was moved to Yili Lili (near Yining in the Ili River Valley of Xinjiang today) during the reign of Crooked Khan. Then, even more bizarrely, in 1481, Yunus Khan handed over the eastern half of the khanate to his youngest son, Sutan Ahema (i.e., Ahmet Sultan), and made Turpan the capital, so it was once again called the Turpan Khanate.

In fact, the so-called Beshi Bali, Yili Jiangli, and Turpan Khanate are all talking about one country, that is, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, the reason why there are so many names is that the Ming Dynasty at that time did not border with the Western Regions (there was a vassal state in the middle, Hami State, the so-called Guanxi Qiwei is also), and the power did not extend to this point, so I don't understand it clearly.

After all, you can't expect a country that can't even effectively control Qinghai to know everything about the Western Regions, not to mention that the main military pressure of the Ming Dynasty came from the Mongolian steppes in the north.

Since its establishment, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate has been fighting in the east and west. At the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, the country and the Ming Dynasty were in a tug of war back and forth in Hami, and the Ming Dynasty sometimes lost the Hami State, and sometimes recovered it (Ming Shiyun "Three Stands and Three Wastes"). During the Mansul Khan (Mansur Sultan) period, the Ming Dynasty's national power declined, and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate completely annexed the Hami State, pushing the national border to the west of Jiayuguan, directly bordering the Ming Dynasty, and since then it has been fixed until the Eastern Chagatai Khanate was defeated by the Yarkand Khanate, which rose in Yaerkan.

After the Oirat Mongol leader Galdan who believed in Tibetan Buddhism destroyed the Yarkand Khanate, he did not give these inhabitants of the old land of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate any good face. On the contrary, the Mongols, who had rejected the True God Cult many times over the years, and who firmly believed in the Yellow Sect, were even more disgusted with these Vultures, and completely regarded them as cannon fodder and slaves, and their lives were still miserable.

When Daqin advanced westward along the Hami road, chasing away the Dzungar Mongol forces, it was unthinkable that these cowering Vultures were unprecedentedly active again, and after uniting some of the Mongols who had not withdrawn, they began to frequently attack the caravans and material supply convoys of Daqin, and even repeatedly broke the colony fortresses along the line, abusing and killing Han immigrants, which made people have a headache.

Two years ago, a group of horse bandits of several hundred people broke through Xixiangbao (now Tuoxun County, Turpan), more than 50 kilometers southwest of Gaochang, and more than 200 soldiers and civilians were slaughtered, causing a shock from the north court up and down.

"Yes, the other party's strength doesn't seem to be weak, and we may not be able to gnaw on it." Bao Zhenxiang stood up from the ground and patted the dust on his body, "After half an hour of rest, let's return to the Acropolis and report the situation to the guerrilla lord." Damn, I can't say that I have to mobilize the troops from Gaochang to come over to support it, so that this group of horse bandits can be annihilated in one go. ”

(End of chapter)