The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 674 Grassland tribes, you can sing and dance now
Zunghar tribe, Urumqi city.

I have to say that the fighting capacity of the Kazakhs is really poor.

No wonder that in history, they were first enslaved by the Dzungar Khanate, then knelt at the feet of the Qing Dynasty, and finally beaten by the Russians, and were never able to be independent.

Aliklik, who claimed to be the Khan of all Kazakhs, used the vast fertile grasslands of the Seven Rivers Land and the Ili River Valley to win over the right-wing Great Juz.

That is, the tribes that roamed east and south of Lake Balkhash and often crossed the border into China had a total of 70,000 households and more than 400,000 people. Then, they used these more than 400,000 people to carefully select 10,000 cavalrymen.

In addition, there were 40,000 Muslims from Turpan, Hami, Barkol and Urumqi who came to him.

As well as the 70,000 to 80,000 people who escaped from Hexi and Longyou, Ali Creek used these tens of thousands of people to mobilize 7,000 infantry and cavalry.

And this was only Ali Creek's regular army. There were probably 20,000 to 30,000 herdsmen who came spontaneously after hearing the news, all hoping to plunder after breaking through Urumqi and Dihua.

The three parties together had a total of 50,000 infantry and cavalry. Ali Creek used these 50,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Urumqi, which was guarded by only more than 3,000 people led by Luo Siju, but the battle was a terrible defeat.

The rebels began besieging the city in early April and continued until October, suffering three to four thousand casualties and not getting a single penny. They also withdrew the siege in July because they could not hold on any longer, and did not return until early August.

In the rebel tent, Ali Krik said with a dark face that there was nothing wrong with them being rebels, because Abulbanbit Khan of the Great Juz on the right wing and Abulai Khan of the Central Juz on the left wing were both heroes who helped the Qing Dynasty to suppress the Dzungars, and both became vassals of the Qing Dynasty after the war.

Especially the right wing, because it did not border Tsarist Russia, and was not forced to submit to Tsarist Russia like the left wing, the right wing only submitted to the Qing Dynasty and was a real vassal.

"Hmph, the heavy snow will come in a month and a half at most. If we still can't take Urumqi, all our work this year will be in vain.

All the warriors were conscripted to fight, the livestock were not fattened, not enough hay was collected, no caravans came, there was not enough rice and flour for the winter, and there was not even much dried mushrooms.

It is better to withdraw the siege as soon as possible. If we withdraw now, we can still make some corrections. Otherwise, when winter comes, many people in the tents will starve to death."

This is the Achilles' heel of the grassland people. Their life is too hard and their production resources are too scarce. When they entered the industrial age, they could at least survive by selling resources. However, in this completely agricultural and pastoral era, they have to pay attention to collecting supplies at all times, otherwise they will starve to death.

In this environment, although there seem to be hundreds of thousands of troops under control, the population and time available for combat are extremely scarce.

"Khan, we can't retreat. If we retreat, we won't get anything this year, and we won't be able to gather enough people next year. The tribes may even go back to Borot, and we'll be in danger." Alikrik's general and his brother-in-law Se'ebu urged loudly.

The Khan Ariklik was a self-proclaimed one. People praised him because he occupied the land of the Seven Rivers and claimed that he could capture Urumqi and Turpan.

To put it bluntly, they only follow him because there are benefits. So if they don't get the benefits and so many people are killed or injured, I'm afraid that the real Khan Borot will just say a few words and these people will go back to being loyal subjects of the Khan.

Upon hearing this, Arick raised his head, with a fierce light in his eyes, but it was just an act, he felt very insecure inside.

Because he simply couldn't understand why, with so many people, they couldn't take down a small city like Urumqi?

"Se'ebu, what do you think we should do?" Aliklik was silent for a while, then asked his brother-in-law.

"Organize those people coming from the east, let them take one out of three and attack with their lives, and we will supervise the battle from behind!" Se'ebu said viciously.

Historically, the Kazakh Right-wing Great Juz was ruled by the Dzungar for a long time. It can even be said that the Great Juz was an important part of the Dzungar. Therefore, a large number of Mongolian customs still remained among the Right-wing Great Juz at this time.

For example, the Mongolian-style names, the preference for cannon fodder and army ants, and the hostility towards Muslims inherited from Junggar, especially the latter, were the root causes of Ali Krik's extreme distrust of the Muslims who fled from the east.

This guy, even though he added Ali to his name, is actually a fake.

He also knew more clearly that the Muslims like Bukit Bek did not really believe in his faith and were just using him.

So although Ali Creek could not capture Urumqi, he was unwilling to supply too much supplies and guns to these Muslim traitors.

Sure enough, when he heard Se'ebu say that he would give swords and guns to the Muslims coming from the east, he immediately shook his head like a rattle.

"No, no, we can't give them weapons!" Ali Creek immediately rejected it. He looked around and saw that there was no one outside before he whispered:

“I know how shameless these people are. These despicable things may survive.

They look pitiful now, like dogs that have lost their homes, but if you give them a foothold, they will soon recover. In a few years, they will say that your home is the land given to them by Allah.

To be honest, if we brothers were really defeated by the Han, we could still flee to the grasslands, but we would just have to live a hard life. But if we were held hostage by these people, everything would be over."

In fact, Aliklik had something to say, which was that among the three Yuz in Kazakhstan today, belief in Islamic religion has become the mainstream. Although the belief is superficial, everyone believes in it.

And Ali Creek is the most fanatical among them, at least in the eyes of outsiders.

So if Ali Klik made the Muslims from the east his confidants, the first thing these Muslims would do was to preach around him.

Because in the eyes of these Muslims, this is completely fine, but in this way, Ali Krik is in danger of making his fake play real.

By then, he will have no way out. When the time is ripe, any descendant of Khoja can come and squeeze him to the edge of the country, and he won't even be able to protect his own tribe.

It’s a pity that Aliklik himself realized this, but his brother-in-law Se’ebu did not.

In other words, Se'ebu had already lost miserably and there was no way back, so he could only place his last hope on these fanatics from the east.

Shuimogou, north bank of the Urumqi River.

This is the main camp of the Muslims, which is divided into two parts, north and south. The north is inhabited by Han Hui rebels who fled from Hexi and Longyou, while the south is inhabited by Chan Hui rebels from Hami and Turpan.

These two groups of traitors to their country were also on guard against each other. This was the case in history. Han Hui, who escaped from Hexi and Longyou, arrived in the Western Regions, but had to unite with the Han people to fight against the threat from Chanhui.

But now, they are barely in the same boat, so the two groups can still reach an agreement on the surface.

When Se'ebu arrived at the Hui army camp, the three parties sat down and Se'ebu directly put forward his plan.

"Five hundred muskets, three thousand swords, five thousand arrows, enough food and cattle and sheep to last a month. After we take it, we, the Sarisun, the Jalayir, and other tribes will take the rice, flour, salt, and sugar from the city and return to Ili. Urumqi will be your territory.

At that time, you Han people will live in Dihua in the north, and the Bujibeks will live in Urumqi in the south. Together, the three of us will drive out the Central Plains people and together we will protect this fertile land for Allah."

The Great Juz was mainly composed of tribes such as Suwan, Aleban, Sari Wusun, Kangli, and Zhalaier.

From this we can see that the Kazakhs of Greater Juz are actually very different from the Kazakhs of Middle Juz.

The Big Yuz and other guys are still the old figures on the northern steppes of Mobei. The Middle Yuz and the Small Yuz who are nomadic in the Caspian Sea further west are more ethnic groups influenced by Europe or Siberian ethnic groups.

For example, the Dayuzsari Wusun tribe from which Se'ebu and Aliklik came are old acquaintances. In the Han Dynasty they were called Wusun, and in the Tang Dynasty they were called Turgesh.

Hearing what Se'ebu said, Hanhui leader Qi Shouyi and Chanhui leader Babuding were both ecstatic, but they did not show it. Instead, they looked at each other and confirmed each other's opinions.

However, there are differences between the two sides. Qi Shouyi really knows how powerful Emperor Mo's butcher knife is, and he does not believe that Emperor Mo will give up the Western Regions.

Moreover, there is nothing wrong with the Han people today saying that they are religious Han people, so they are very familiar with the style of the Han Dynasty.

Qi Shouyi hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, we are people who have lost our homes, and now we want to stay away from this sad place.

We don't need Dihua City, we just need the Khan to allow us to pass through. We heard that the land on the Leizhu coast is fertile, and we want to settle there."

Leizhu Sea is the Aral Sea, most of which is currently controlled by the Khanate of Khiva.

Se'ebu curled his lips in his heart. These idiots thought that if they believed in religion, people would treat them as brothers. Go, and then you will become serfs of the Khivan people.

Of course, he said he was very much in favor of it, "That's fine. After this is done, I will let you go through Yili and settle down in Leizhuhai."

The Chan Hui leader, Baladin, had no objections. He thought it would be better if these Han people from the east left. He would have exclusive control of Urumqi, and later reclaim Turpan, Hami, and Barkol, and become a Khan himself. However, this cunning Chan Hui still wanted to leave Se'ebu with no way out. He narrowed his eyes like a venomous snake and said to Se'ebu:
"I think this must be the Khan's idea, and Khan Ali would definitely not support it.

But now the situation is urgent, and we three must work together to win. If anyone is not united, they will surely die without a burial place.

Khan, you must find a way to prevent Khan Ali from destroying our combined strength. My friend Qi and I support the Khan."

Babuding didn't know the strength of Dayu, and always felt that they couldn't defeat Urumqi because of lack of unity, so he immediately began to seduce Se'ebu.

Se'ebuli was filled with lust and felt his heart pounding. Aliklik was not a good guy, and Se'ebu, who could stay with him for a long time, was naturally not a white lotus.

Both of them are good at sweet talk, greedy as sheep, and have no moral values at all. In fact, Se'ebu has long been envious of his brother-in-law Aliklik's power, but he just didn't have the opportunity.

Qi Shouyi immediately noticed Se'ebu's agitation and moved closer to him, whispering, "King Khan, the siege has reached this point. If we retreat as King Ali Khan wishes, we will all be in great trouble.

But if we can mobilize everyone now, regardless of division, and attack together, there is still hope. For the sake of the tribe, you can't just sit back and watch King Ali Khan retreat."

"The strong are respected on the grassland. This is the best opportunity to ascend to the position of Khan. Khan must not miss it!" Babudin also began to persuade.

Se'ebu was a greedy person. The more he listened, the more he felt that what the two people said made sense. After pretending to think for a moment, he gritted his teeth.

"Then please follow me to the Khan's tent, and we will have a good talk with the Khan."

Taking a knife to Luoyang, right? That means you completely agree. Qi Shouyi and Babuding were overjoyed. They pulled up the colored cloth and started to discuss.

Well, the disaster is imminent, and these guys are still thinking about internal strife, and they succeeded.

No matter how cunning Aliklik was, he never expected that Se'ebu, who grew up with him and married his sister, would be the one to take him down after just one night.

In the early morning of the next day, Aliklik, who was still waiting for Se'ebu to come and discuss retreat, was abducted in his sleep, and most of his trusted guards were killed, leaving him with no capital to resist.

When he saw Se'ebu coming in with the Chanhui leader Babuding, Aliklik thought for a moment that there was something wrong with his eyes.

The self-proclaimed Khan was so angry that he was shaking all over. He had been jumping back and forth all his life and had betrayed the real Khan of the right wing many times. After walking on the dark road for a long time, he finally met a noble man, but he was finally betrayed by his own close relative.

Se'ebu looked at Aliklik without a trace of guilt on his face. "Great Khan, retreating will lead our right wing to a dead end. Only by continuing the attack can we survive."

Alirick spat out a mouthful of spit and then cursed loudly: "You dog slave, you insist on getting involved with the desperate wild dogs. The right wing tribes will definitely be destroyed in your hands."

Se'ebu laughed heartily and said proudly, "You want to withdraw your troops because you are incompetent. But I am different. I can integrate the entire army and will definitely win."

. . . .

On the city wall of Urumqi, Luo Siju discovered the rebels' movement at the first moment, but he was not nervous at all because he had seen through the fighting ability of these guys.

More importantly, the Torghut tribe sent news about the Western Expedition Army, and it is estimated that the Western Expedition Army is about to reach Yili City.

The rebels began to gather, and Se'ebu was in high spirits. He took out all the food and killed hundreds of war horses so that everyone could have a good meal.

He then mobilized more than 20,000 people and rushed out. He wanted to use the most direct human wave tactics to capture the city of Urumqi.

Of course, Han Hui and Chan Hui, who had escaped, also went to the front line. The former wanted to take revenge and also wanted to get away as soon as possible, while the latter thought he could break into the city.

Seven hundred meters later, the rebels began to gather with shouts of men and neighs of horses. The Khans, both big and small, were cheering up the tribal warriors, and the Ahongs following the army began to chant scriptures.

Some devout believers also knelt there and prayed, entrusting their life and death to the illusory God.

Luo Siju snorted, his face full of disdain. "It's been almost seven months since we started fighting, and you still don't know how powerful the artillery is, right? You dare to pray within my range? You're courting death!"

"Boom!" The new twenty-four-pounder cannon on the top of the Urumqi city wall opened fire, and one shot hit a group of disciples who were praying. In that instant, it was unclear whether God would come, but the god of death was definitely coming.

The disciples and Ahong's broken limbs flew into the air together, they were truly brothers.

Moreover, the artillery fire became more and more powerful. This new type of 24-pound city defense cannon had simple rifling. The artillerymen were all graduates of professional artillery schools. They could observe and aim visually, calculate angles, and hit the target accurately with every shot.

Seven 24-pound cannons, plus three 3,000-jin cannons left over from the Qing Dynasty, fired together, and the rebels could no longer hold out after three rounds.

They rushed over wildly, without any organization, coordination or even purpose.

Many people were firing their guns from four or five hundred meters away from the city wall, running bravely and quickly, and quickly distanced themselves from the people behind them, creating a scene that looked very strange, as if someone had used magic to draw a gap between them.

Four hundred meters is the perfect distance for the four-pound field guns on the city walls, the small long-range guns weighing over a hundred pounds left by the Qing Dynasty, and the small sub-cannons to perform.

The shells were not big, but they did great damage. Round after round, the rebels who were charging madly were panicked, and the gap between those who dared not charge and those who were brave became larger.

When the distance reached 200 meters, the rifles on the top of the city wall started firing cracklingly. The new 24-pound cannons were replaced with shotgun shells, and some soldiers were holding horn guns that they had purchased themselves, which were produced at the Foshan Huang'en Arsenal.

This is a close-combat shotgun originally used in naval battles. It is named after its trumpet-shaped muzzle. It is usually loaded with fifteen small steel balls, and a dozen of them is a shot.

However, it is very expensive, and the ammunition is also expensive. Ordinary soldiers certainly cannot afford it. It is used by small meritorious officials, small officials, and the children of small capitalists to earn military merit and build a future.

"Ouch!" As if ghosts and gods had emerged from hell, countless large and small shotgun shells exploded in the air, making bursts of sharp whirring sounds.

The more than 400 rebels who rushed to the city first were hit by a 24-pound cannon, and thirty or forty of them were killed immediately. Then they were hit again by countless muskets, and more than a dozen people were killed.

The remaining three hundred or so were terrified and turned around and ran away crying, but were immediately shot dead by riflemen, dozens of them.

Of course, those who did not dare to come up later did not suffer a good fate either. The Qing Dynasty's 3,000-jin cannons bombarded them, and they also suffered heavy casualties.

This time, the siege was launched with the maximum intensity from the start, and the casualties were the highest since the siege.

Two hours later, the rebels reorganized three times and launched four collective charges. When they finally reached the city, more than 20,000 rebels had suffered more than 2,000 casualties, and the morale of the army was on the verge of collapse.

Then, the rebels followed the old routine and began digging holes under the city wall in preparation for the blast, while some people followed suit.

However, in the past, when they dug pits under the city walls and placed gunpowder for blasting, they were hit by stones, hot oil, and gold juice, but this time they were hit by bombs.

Bombs are much more convenient than the above-mentioned things. They can explode everywhere and in all directions, making it difficult for the rebels to defend themselves.

Those that are attached by ants can be dealt with with a horn gun. They cannot cling at all and are no different from committing suicide.

In this situation, no matter how much encouragement the tribal leaders and Khans gave, no matter how great their hatred was, they could not prevent the defeat.

By the evening, the rebels, who had suffered nearly 20% casualties in a single day, collapsed and retreated in panic, leaving behind a pile of corpses.

Luo Siju had been waiting for a long time and immediately sent 500 cavalrymen out of the city to strangle the rebels. The rebels were terrified and had no idea how many pursuers were coming. They ran away crying and shouting.

Se'ebu was dumbfounded. It was the first time he saw what an industrialized killing machine was.

In the past, 23,000 people suffered 4,000 casualties in one day, which was a record that no one could have achieved.

Luo Siju laughed heartily and immediately asked Li Xianwen in Dihua City to send out another thousand cavalry. He wanted to drive these rebels to the Ili River Valley, so that they would not get any rest and would directly run into the Western Expedition Army with more cavalry.

The era of the grassland peoples has come to an end, and the era of steel and guns has finally arrived.

(End of this chapter)