The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 742: Far Beyond the Han and Tang Dynasties, Today Begins

He wore a vermilion lacquered helmet with the word "Yong" on it, a bright red battle robe with mandarin ducks, calfskin boots, and carried the latest Moye 1793 rifle on his shoulder. The shiny steel bayonet on the muzzle echoed with the helmet tassel on his head.

The soldiers marched in unison, and thousands of people made only a very uniform rumbling sound. In the middle of the four marching columns, tall draft horses were pulling three-pound field guns and moving forward in an orderly manner.

All the officers were in prominent positions in front of the left side of their soldiers. Outside the army formation, the military band was beating marching drums and playing lively and cheerful suona music.

The soldiers kept their eyes straight ahead, no one spoke nonsense, and no one left the formation. Command was mostly done by military flags, and the only ones who could run back and forth were the messengers from the headquarters.

Two or three miles away from the main army, more than 300 scouts formed a tight control, stretching forward like a big net, eliminating any possibility of being attacked by the enemy.

As the military supervisor of the army, the emperor's younger brother Mo Ziling wore golden dragon-patterned fish-scale armor and a Zhenwu Emperor conical helmet on his head. He did not do anything special and marched like all the other soldiers.

Of course, Mo Ziling's set of armor is just a showpiece. Even the meat-cutting chef of Lanzhou beef noodles in later generations would have to spend three years learning how to make armor. A set of golden armor weighs only more than ten pounds.

But from a distance, just by looking at their behavior, you can tell how powerful this army is and how their commander can gain the support of the soldiers.

"The imperial army has arrived! The imperial army has arrived!"

"His Majesty still remembered us pioneers. When he heard we were beaten, he came to help us seek justice!"

"See? This is the Han family, this is the good man of our Dayu Dynasty!"

"They are indeed the emperor's personal guards. A hundred Karluks are no match for one of our heroes!"

Wherever the Guards passed, a large number of immigrants from the Dayuan Basin rushed to surround them.

They set up an altar on the roadside, carrying home-cooked delicacies and farm wine. Some even killed chickens, ducks, and even cows and sheep and stewed them into soup, hoping that the guards passing by would have a bowl of it.

This is the best way to welcome the royal army with food and drink.

Mo Ziling originally wanted to hurry on his journey, but he could not refuse the people's hospitality, and some elders knelt down on the roadside and begged him. He really could not bear it, so he had to let the army stop temporarily to comfort the elders who were homesick.

"This is your Majesty's brother, the sixth son of Emperor Taizu Xian, a member of the imperial family, Duke Mo of Wu. You must not forget etiquette."

Officials from nearby counties and forts had already come over to introduce the situation, and some elders who had just stood up were so frightened that they knelt down in haste.

Mo Ziling hurriedly helped them up, but the elders refused and insisted on kneeling three times and kowtow nine times before they stood up.

After they finished their greetings and stood up, all of them were in tears. The elder who led the group said to Mo Ziling:
"Your Highness, with your precious body, has traveled thousands of miles westwards across mountains and rivers to reach our borderland, just to support and advocate for us common people. This shows that the emperor and father still care about us and love us children."

"Yes, Dayuan is thousands of miles away from my country. I originally thought that coming here was like exile. But today, seeing Your Highness here, I know that is not the case.

"It seems this is also a piece of land favored by His Majesty. Now we can focus on farming." Another elder also said, obviously very excited about Mo Ziling's arrival.

Mo Ziliang also felt an inexplicable sense of peace from them. These people had been in Dayuan for four or five years at most, and two or three years at least. Perhaps it was not until this moment that their hearts finally settled down.

The only discord at this time was the title of His Highness Mo Ziling. In previous dynasties, the emperor's younger brother was definitely a king, but it was different in Dayu.

The title of Prince is only given to those who have made great contributions such as expanding territory and stabilizing the country.

As for the title of a king, one must expand the territory and personally govern the vassal state, and implement the Xia Jun Yi Min policy before he can be granted it.

Therefore, there is only one king in Dayu now, that is his third brother, King Lu Mo Zirong, and there will soon be another king, that is his brother-in-law, King Xia Li Xianwen.

"If we win this battle, I will be granted a fiefdom in Hezhong. This way, I can leave a title of nobility for my descendants. When I grow old, I can return to the Central Plains to retire. This is also an option."

Mo Ziling was thinking about the future, but his mouth was saying something different. He held the hands of the elders and said sincerely:
"This trip to the west, besides leading the imperial army to suppress the rebellion, is also to come visit you all on the orders of His Majesty.

Please rest assured, times are different now, and Dayu will surely surpass the Han and Tang dynasties. Therefore, this place, the Dayuan Basin, will forever belong to China. Unless we, the Han people, lose the world again, we will never be separated!

"Well said, well said!" The crowd erupted in cheers, and the guards who were drinking broth and eating noodles and steamed buns also had firm eyes.

"Every household, go back. We've only saved enough food to survive the spring famine. Give the rest to the men of the Imperial Guard, to our Xia clan, and to the men of the Western Army to fight in the war!"

The leading elder suddenly shouted loudly, and instantly everyone responded. The women and children stayed behind to serve soup and bread to the soldiers, while the men went home to transport food.

Soon, a large number of donkey carts, horse carts, and wheelbarrows appeared on the roadside. The carts were loaded with the people's last surplus, which was now all taken out.

Mo Ziling looked at the soldiers behind him and shouted to them, "You all should remember this day. Remember how many people have sacrificed their homes and property and risked their lives to support us along the way. Without them, we would not be able to get here.

The way to repay them is to kill every enemy on the battlefield, so that those disgusting guys can no longer threaten them!"

"We will obey military orders!" Thousands of guards responded one after another. They once again strengthened their mission of going to the battle, and now they were basically able to kill any enemy.

. . . .

In Dingxia City, Li Xianwen saw the huge red crowd from the top of the city wall, and immediately prepared to lead civil and military officials out of the city twenty miles to welcome them.

On the way, he looked at Chen Qiuze, who looked tired from the hard work of collecting grain, and said, "I think Duke Wu should also know how hard we have worked. The Xia clan has put everything they have into this. Every family has contributed everything except seeds for next year and enough grain to avoid starvation."

Chen Qiuze bowed and replied, "The hundreds of people who have lived in the fort along the way are the best reflection of Your Majesty's contributions to the court and Your Majesty. Duke Wu cannot fail to see this.

Furthermore, when I was in the Red County of Shenzhou, I also heard of the virtuous reputation of Duke Wu. Although he was born to a Thai woman, he has been extremely intelligent since childhood, knows the big picture, and knows when to advance and retreat. He will surely understand the difficulties your Majesty faces."

Chen Qiuze knew what Li Xianwen was worried about. This first meritorious official of Dayu who was about to become the King of Xia was worried that Mo Ziling, the Duke of Wu who came as the military supervisor of the Zhenxi Army, was a person who liked to seize power, use chicken feathers as a token of authority, and wanted to interfere in everything.

If this is true, it would be difficult to deal with Duke Wu given his status as a close relative of the royal family.

Full of worry, Li Xianwen could just see the red flag with a golden sun and moon flying high, which symbolized the emperor's granting of the imperial power, and then he heard a clear voice of "brother-in-law".

Suddenly, all of Li Xianwen's worries disappeared with these two words. He strode forward and caught Mo Ziling who was about to bow down.

"A-Ling, you are the military supervisor sent by His Majesty. You are like an angel. How can you bow down to me?" Although Li Xianwen's tone was a bit blaming, his face was very happy.

"If this matter is reported back to the court, how do you want the world to view me?"

Of course, Mo Ziling didn't really want to bow down, and his status really didn't allow him to do so. He acted like this just to test whether his brother-in-law, who was also known as the Wise King, was worthy of the title.

Li Xianwen also felt relieved. Mo Ziling knew that by testing him, it would prove that this guy was not a fool and also understood politics.

As long as you understand politics and are a smart person, communication will be much easier. After all, Li Xianwen has made real contributions and has worked hard.

Li Xianwen then immediately continued, "Your Majesty's designated date for the pacification of Hezhong has been repeatedly postponed. I am truly ashamed to face this. I can only transport all the food reserves of the Xia clan and prepare to complete the task in one fell swoop.

Today, the military supervisor has arrived. The combination of the Zhengxi, Dingxi, Zhenxi, and my Xia clan's former Northwest Army will surely sweep away fallen leaves like an autumn wind. I can also give an explanation to His Majesty."

"The Grand Marshal has worked hard and made great contributions. I have seen how the Xia family and the people have sacrificed their wealth to help the country." Mo Ziling first affirmed the contributions of Li Xianwen and Xia Fan, and then continued:

"Hezhong is tens of thousands of miles away from the Red County of Shenzhou. We are carrying out a grand plan to destroy our nation and our race. The situation is volatile. Your Majesty and the court are all aware of this.

Since I set out from Nanjing, I have never heard anyone complain about the king's unfavorable advance. They all say that it is not easy for the king to support 80,000 men of the Western Army with the strength of a single vassal state.

His Majesty also told me personally that the king had worked really hard over the past decade and that he was the one who understood the situation in Hezhong best. He told me that once I arrived in Hezhong, I would obey my brother-in-law's orders. As long as I could destroy their country and their race, and avenge the tens of millions of compatriots who died in the northwest, that would be enough.

"Your Majesty knows me and trusts me so well. Even if I sacrifice my life, I cannot repay you." Li Xianwen raised his right hand and bowed to the east. "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The Western Army and I will definitely achieve our set goal."

After these polite words, everything was settled, still according to Mo Zibu's previous arrangements.

Li Xianwen took charge of the overall situation, Chen Guangyao was responsible for guarding the rear, and the charge was left to Li Xingtai, Mo Gongling, Zhu Shedou, Luo Siju, Fu Kangan and others, while Mo Ziling served as the military supervisor, representing the royal family and the court.

"The 40,000 men of the Zhenxi Army have just arrived here. Let them rest for two months before heading to the battlefield." Li Xianwen said tentatively.

Mo Ziling shook his head decisively. "While we say we won't rest, our combat effectiveness will certainly be reduced. However, we don't need to rest for two months. Our Zhenxi Army is eager to join the battle immediately. Brother-in-law, let's drive to Samarkand to rest first, and then transfer elite troops to Navoi."

The remaining soldiers will appear after you have engaged the enemy. This will give you about fifteen to twenty days of rest, which is more than enough."

Li Xianwen nodded with satisfaction and looked at Mo Ziling more favorably because that was exactly what he had imagined.

November 1796, 11. The 14st year of the Guangzhong reign of the Great Yu Dynasty, originally the first year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, the th day of the th lunar month.

Li Xianwen and Mo Ziling, together with an army of 60,000 and more than 100,000 civilians, marched down the Kaitian River (Syr Darya) in a mighty procession, with boats and ships going down side by side.

This time, they really gathered all the forces they could gather and mobilized all the materials they could mobilize. If they really failed, not to mention that they would not be able to launch the next expedition for many years, I am afraid that Dayu’s rule in the Dayuan Basin would be shaken.

On November 11, food and supplies were still being transported, but the 23-strong army, each carrying a large amount of rations, marched quickly to Samarkand.

Afterwards, Mo Ziliang selected the elite troops, and from the 40,000 Zhenxi Army, he selected 10,000 people who were in good health and had adapted well to the climate and soil. They continued to advance with Li Xianwen, and two days later, they arrived at the city of Navoi.

At this point, the army has basically gathered, with the commander-in-chief, deputy general, vanguard, military supervisor, logistics manager, etc. all present, and the complete form of the Western Army has been formed.

By this time, Dayu had dispatched a total of 80,000 Northwest Army troops for the Battle of Hezhong, including about 20,000 from the Three Guards of the Prince of Ningxia, 20,000 from the Northwest Town Army, 30,000 from Huiliang people, and 10,000 from the White Lotus Sect.

Sixty thousand Northeastern Army (Western Expedition Army) troops were dispatched, including 5,000 Jilin cavalry, 15,000 Aihui quivers, 20,000 Northeastern Zhenjun troops, 5,000 conscripted troops composed of various ethnic groups in Xing'an Mountains, and 15,000 Mongolian cavalry in the south and north of the desert.

Fifty thousand Dingxi troops were dispatched, including ten thousand Yangwu troops from the Beijing camp, ten thousand mixed troops from the Beijing camp and the Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui and Henan garrisons, and thirty thousand volunteers recruited from Guanzhong.

Finally, there were the 43,000 elite guards and Beijing camp troops brought by Mo Ziling and his nephew Mo Gongling.

All together, the number of combat troops alone was as high as 213,000, not including the 10,000 cavalrymen of the Junggar Desert Western Mongolia and the 15,000 Kazakh vassals who served under the command of various armies.

It can be said that from ancient times to the present, including the Dayu Dynasty itself, no one has ever mobilized so many troops.

One can imagine the difficulty of command and logistical supply along the way.

But it was very good that for the newly born Dayu Dynasty, such a difficult organization was established and it was done very successfully, accumulating rich experience for subsequent military operations.

Of course, not all of these nearly 240,000 troops were deployed in the war against the Bukhara Emirate. If that were the case, the logistical pressure would cause the army to collapse even without the Bukharians fighting.

These 240,000 troops were actually attacked in batches.

They put down the last resistance of the Northwestern Disciples, destroyed the Kokand Kingdom, defeated the Kazakh rebellion, and wiped out more than 20,000 Russian troops in Suwu City (Lake Baikal) and Jintang City (Semipalatinsk).

Many of these soldiers retired on the spot within these five years and became Han inspectors, garrisons, and vassal lords stationed in the local area.

Now, the troops that were actually needed for the decisive battle with the Bukhara people and the Persian Qajar Dynasty were Xia Fan's 10,000 troops, Chen Guangyao's Northeast Army (Zhengxi Army)'s 10,000 troops, Dong Jinfeng's Dingxi Army's 20,000 troops, and the Zhenxi Army of about 30,000 troops brought by Mo Ziling and Mo Gongling, uncle and nephew.

In addition, there were 10,000 Kazakh cavalrymen serving as auxiliary, and 15,000 Long March and Unity warriors from all over the country who were armed with their own weapons. All in all, there were almost 100,000 people.

These 100,000 people are the current limit of Dayu.

Compared with the time of Emperor Wu of Han, when Li Guangli led 70,000 men from Dunhuang to attack Dayuan, the Tang Dynasty was able to mobilize 40,000 to 50,000 armored Han troops in Anxi. It can be said that there was progress, but it was limited, and the day of surpassing the Han and Tang Dynasties had not really arrived.

Three days later, the main force of the Dayu Western Army, consisting of 40,000 men, led by Li Xianwen, went down the Jinsha River (Zerafshan River).

Chen Guangyao led 15,000 troops to stay in Navoi to ensure that the city was not lost and to protect the supply lines along the way.

Fu Kangan continued to lead 15,000 cavalrymen and hid behind the Bukharans, waiting to capture the retreat of the Bukhara and Persian army.

The last batch of 20,000 Zhenxi troops to arrive in Hezhong slowly headed towards the battlefield from Samarkand.

As for the city of Samarkand, it was guarded by Fang Weidian, a military officer of the Xia vassal state, with 5,000 soldiers to prevent the Durrani dynasty on the plateau from launching a surprise attack in the snow.

On the other side in Bukhara, when the Persian King Agha Muhammad Shah discovered the movements of the Dayuxi Army, he was overjoyed.

Because although Navoi only held Li Xingtai back for six days when he was in their hands, the situation immediately reversed after he fell into Li Xingtai's hands.

Although Li Xingtai did not reinforce the city walls much, he had more than twenty cannons that could form a perfect crossfire.

At the same time, attacking Navoi from Samarkand is going downstream, while attacking Navoi from Bukhara is going upstream, and the difficulty is completely incomparable.

The Persian king sent 60,000 to 70,000 troops to attack in turns, but they didn't even get close to the city walls.

Two days after the troops were dispatched, the vanguard cavalry of both sides began to exchange fire, and the movements of the main army became slower and slower. Both sides cautiously tested each other, preparing to find a suitable place for a decisive battle.

The reason why they discovered the other side so quickly was that in this place in the river, there was an oasis because of water, and only then could people survive. Therefore, the route of advancement was very fixed and could not be as changeable as in Shenzhou Chixian.

In this battle, the Persian King Agha Muhammad Shah dispatched a total of 140,000 troops, including 30,000 Persian infantry, 20,000 Turkmen red-headed infantry, and 10,000 red-headed cavalry. He really took out all his assets.

In history, Agha Muhammad Shah went north to take over the Caucasus region and conquer Georgia and other countries. He dispatched about 70,000 people.

After that, his nephew and Tsarist Russia launched the First Russo-Persian War for the control of the Caucasus region, and also sent between 70,000 and 80,000 troops.

In this battle, Agha Muhammad Shah had not only his own 60,000 Persian troops, but also 15,000 Khivan light cavalry.

The remaining 80,000 people are all composed of Bukhara sect militia and divine warriors.

However, since the Bukhara people's regular main force was severely damaged in the Battle of Samarkand, the combat effectiveness of the people dispatched was mediocre, and they could not even catch up with the divine warriors.

12 month 10 day.

The Dayu Longxiang Right Guard Cavalry, which had outstanding combat effectiveness, and the 4,000 cavalrymen of the Yulin Left Guard Cavalry worked together to defeat the 20,000 Bukhara light cavalry and the 10,000 Khiva light cavalry, and reduced their range of activities by two-thirds.

Having lost the cover of his cavalry, the Persian King Agha Muhammad Shah dared not advance any further, so he ordered the main force to start looking for a place to stay.

On the second day, more than 100,000 Persian-Bukhara-Khiva troops found a long mountain range at the southernmost end of the Jinsha River Valley (Zerafshan River Valley).

We can set up camp here with the mountains behind us and the Jinsha River facing us, so we can get water easily. The mountains are quite steep, so we have a geographical advantage of being high up. Bukhara city is behind the mountains, which makes it convenient to advance and retreat.

The only disadvantage for Agha Muhammad Shah was that his army was too poorly organized. The tens of thousands of Persian troops were fine, and the Khivan cavalry was also quite agile.

However, the Bukhara sect militia was in a very chaotic state, and the imams in the sect had to organize daily prayers according to the scriptures, so their actions were quite slow.

Moreover, this practice also affected the God Warriors. These fanatical religious believers naturally did not want to be outdone by others in these matters, so they also began to worship and pray four times a day.

After more than ten days of procrastination and quarrels, they finally set up camp successfully in a temperature of only six or seven degrees Celsius during the day and around zero degrees Celsius at night.

Although the camp of more than 100,000 people stretched for more than 20 miles, at least people had settled down and communication was still smooth.

It was only at this moment that Agha Muhammad Shah breathed a sigh of relief. If the Peach Blossom Stone Man had attacked him three days ago, he would have had a hard time dealing with it.

Fortunately, these peach blossom stone men did not react, giving him time to set up camp. Now that his camp has been set up, he can wait for the peach blossom stone men to attack.

If they did not attack, they would have no choice but to camp on the plain in the cold wind without shelter, which would certainly not last long.

If the Taohuashi people found that they could not set up camp and chose to retreat, then these troops who were familiar with the local area could pursue them and attack them from various shortcuts.

However, Agha Muhammad Shah never expected that Li Xianwen wanted them to set up camp so that they would not run around.

As for the so-called geographical advantage that Agha Muhammad Shah relied on, haha, it was nothing in the face of absolute strength and artillery fire.

(End of this chapter)