The third part begins.
The north wind howls. Under the vast sky, the territory of the Great Sheng Empire stretches north to the Yanran Mountains and west to the Congling Mountains, spanning almost half of the Asian continent. Beyond the Yumen Pass, within the territory of the Western Regions Protectorate, there are fertile fields and fine horses. To the north, the Xiongnu are eyeing covetously, and to the west, Loulan blocks the Silk Road. In previous years, due to the decline of the Xiongnu, the threat from the north disappeared. The main hostile force of the Great Sheng was only the state of Loulan. So it was only a matter of time before Qin Feng conquered Loulan.
But now, there is a guy named Huyelü among the Xiongnu. It is said that he is the second son of Chanyu Huye and is known as the "Little Golden King", a war god among the Xiongnu.
Before their army entered Loulan, Huyelü led his troops to destroy the Jurchen tribes in the Xiansu area. It is said that his troops moved like thunder. In just five days, he cut off the head of the Jurchen chief. Then Huyelü also demanded that the Jurchens pay tribute to the Xiongnu, and the amount of tribute must be greater than that paid to the Great Sheng.
Under the coercion of Huyelü, the Jurchens had no choice but to agree. But paying tribute is not a simple matter. The amount of tribute the Jurchens paid to the Great Sheng was not small. Usually, when the Jurchens paid tribute to the Great Sheng, in order to show the grandeur of a great nation, the Great Sheng would generally give back gifts, and the quantity of the return gifts would be much larger than the tribute. But the Xiongnu were different. The Xiongnu were a grassland regime, an inland country by nature. The climate was dry, and the land was severely desertified. Generally speaking, they were short of food and resources. When they asked the Jurchen tribes to pay tribute, it was simply sucking their blood. In the long run, the Jurchen tribes would surely not be able to hold on for long.
But Loulan was different. Loulan was located on the edge of the overland Silk Road and was the economic corridor for the Great Sheng to reach Europe. The importance of Loulan's geographical location was self - evident. In a sense, the relationship between the Great Sheng and the Xiongnu could be judged by which side this wavering small country, Loulan, leaned towards.
If Loulan made good relations with the Great Sheng, it could not only ensure the smooth flow of the Silk Road and thus get economic support but also develop in a healthy way. But once Loulan made good relations with the Great Sheng, considering that Loulan was closer to the Xiongnu than to the Great Sheng, the Xiongnu would send troops to pressure it to turn against the Great Sheng.
Generally speaking, due to its geographical location, Loulan often had to maneuver between the Great Sheng and the Xiongnu. Throughout the years, there were some smart kings of Loulan who could swim between the two, enjoying the benefits of the tribute system on one hand and complementing the grassland regime of the Xiongnu on the other.
But now it was different from the past. The relationship between the Great Sheng and the Xiongnu had reached rock bottom since Nie Rong cut down Huyegao'er. Chanyu Huye, who was eager to avenge his son, and Huyelü, who wanted to avenge his brother, were already full of hostility towards the Great Sheng. In this situation, Loulan could not stay out of it either. Facing the sharp confrontation, Loulan had to choose a side.
Compared with the Great Sheng far away in the capital, the Xiongnu lurking nearby were obviously more intimidating to Loulan. So Loulan finally chose to stand on the side of the Xiongnu. From their own perspective, it was indeed a wise decision.
From a historical perspective, this was also the reason why there had always been wars between the Central Plains and the Western Regions.
In the capital, in the imperial palace, in the Taihe Hall.
Wu Qiuyang and Dou Yuan were discussing with Sikong Ting in the imperial study.
They had come to the imperial study right after the court session. Now it was almost sunset, but they still hadn't reached a conclusion.
Wu Qiuyang slapped the table and said, "Your Majesty! We can't delay any longer. The armies of Loulan and the Xiongnu have started to attack the Protectorate. Qin Feng has led his troops to fight. I received a letter from the Ministry of War saying that General Qin Feng's mental state has not been as good as before these days. After all, he is getting old. You should quickly order Qin Huaiqiu to take over his father's position!"
The matter of Qin Huaiqiu entering the palace to replace his sister had been suppressed by Sikong Ting to prevent shocks in the court and the public. So far, only a few people knew about it.
Sikong Ting looked at the map in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Qin Feng's army has won the first battle in Yutian, which means that Qin Feng is in good physical condition at present. Why are you so eager to send Qin Huaiqiu to the battlefield?!"
Wu Qiuyang sighed regretfully and said, "Your Majesty, General Qin Feng is my close friend. How could I not know his situation? He is even older than me. The root cause of his illness left over from the battle against Loulan ten years ago is not so easy to recover. Firstly, I'm worried about his health. Secondly, I'm worried that if something happens to Qin Feng, the morale of the army will be scattered, and the troops of the Great Sheng may be vulnerable!"
Dou Yuan remained silent. Wu Qiuyang's words were all reasonable, but he knew the real reason why Sikong Ting still refused to send Qin Huaiqiu to replace Qin Feng.
Wu Qiuyang continued to persuade, "Your Majesty, there is a huge difference in the psychological impact on the soldiers between letting Qin Feng retreat to the rear when there is no danger and having Qin Huaiqiu take over the army after something happens to Qin Feng."
Sikong Ting pursed his lips and frowned tightly, asking, "How far is Qin Feng from the armies of Loulan and the Xiongnu now?"
Dou Yuan stepped forward and pointed on the map, saying, "They have just recovered Yutian City, which was occupied by Loulan, and now they are resting in Yutian City. To the south of Yutian is the Kunlun Mountains, and to the north are Shule and Qiuci. These two towns are both north of the Tarim River and are currently occupied by the allied forces of Loulan and the Xiongnu."
Wu Qiuyang said, "Qiuci and Yutian are located one in the north and the other in the south. This time, the allied forces of Loulan and the Xiongnu divided their troops into two routes. The Loulan army crossed the Congling Mountains and attacked Yutian from the south. Qin Feng led 50,000 elite troops on a campaign and recovered Yutian. At the same time, the Xiongnu army bypassed the Congling Mountains from the north and attacked Shule, all the way to Qiuci. These two towns are in the Tianshan Mountains, which are not suitable for stationing troops. Now the Xiongnu army has stationed in Qiuci City. It only takes one day to ride from Qiuci City to the Protectorate."
"Where are the other troops?" Sikong Ting asked in a deep voice.
Wu Qiuyang said, "The other 150,000 troops are still stationed in the Protectorate to resist the attack from the Xiongnu in the north and ensure the safety of the Yumen Pass."
"Who is currently in command of the 150,000 troops in the Protectorate?" Sikong Ting asked again.
Wu Qiuyang said, "Since Qin Feng went on a campaign, Nie Rong is temporarily replacing Qin Feng in the Protectorate. But please forgive me for being outspoken. Although Nie Rong has many military achievements, he is just a secret guard of the Qin Mansion and cannot really play the role of a general. So, Your Majesty..."
"Stop!" Sikong Ting rubbed his temples and interrupted, "I've said that this matter will be discussed later."
Wu Qiuyang paused, sighed, and said, "Your Majesty, you don't have much time to consider. The front - line report says that Qin Feng was able to recover Yutian because his troops were unexpected. But the Xiongnu army has already approached the Protectorate. After they captured Qiuci, they have been resting in the city for several days. Now the weather is getting colder. In two months, the northwest border will be covered in heavy snow and ice. The Xiongnu people won't wait until then. They may take action in the next few days."
Sikong Ting nodded and waved his hand to signal Wu Qiuyang to retreat.
Wu Qiuyang wanted to say something else, but was stopped by a look from Dou Yuan. He looked at Dou Yuan and then at Sikong Ting. Finally, he let out a long sigh, bowed, and left.
Only Dou Yuan and Sikong Ting were left in the imperial study.
Dou Yuan glanced at Sikong Ting. Seeing that he looked worried and in a bad mood, he couldn't help sighing silently and said, "Your Majesty is a man who understands the overall situation and knows what to do. I won't say any more."
Sikong Ting suddenly looked up at him and squeezed out two words through his teeth, "Get out!"
Dou Yuan shrugged and emphasized, "Your Majesty, the reason why the Xiongnu are not moving their troops now may be because they are not familiar with the Tianshan Mountains or the defense layout of the Protectorate." He made a gesture of three to Sikong Ting and said in a deep voice, "I roughly estimated that, including the time it takes for Qin Huaiqiu to get there, Your Majesty, you only have three days."