I

It was the South Route Army sent out by Jiang Liang, with several thousand Datong cavalry and [-] Qinghai cavalry.

The South Route Army attacked Yarkand City from Hotan, and the main force attacked Kashgar from the north.

Yao Lewas said: "The nobleman, come with me, let's go to Dayuzi!"

This guy is going to run away, take the army and nobles, and go to Central Asia to fight again. Anyway, Dayuzi is very weak now.

Jiang Liang led the main army to Kashgar, and found that all the nobles here had fled, and He Zhuo, who ruled the area, also ran away, leaving only civilians and serfs.

Tens of thousands of elite soldiers, thousands of miscellaneous troops, this powerful force rushed to Dayuzi, and Yao Levas was enough to upset Dayuzi.

Jiang Liang recruited general He Yudu: "Take [-] soldiers to recruit the various tribes of Jilighis. Tell them that as long as they surrender to China, they will not be oppressed again. The court treats the Jilighis (Kirgiz) equally."

The territory of the Kyrgyz people is the Kyrgyzstan of later generations.

Their ancestors lived in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River, and were forced to move south during the Genghis Khan period. In the next few hundred years, they were bullied by various forces in turn.

What's even more rare is that although all the people around their territory believe in the Green Cult, the Giligis still maintain totem worship at this time.Historically, the people of Giligis were greened in the Qing Dynasty, and some people of Giligis also converted to Buddhism.

Yao Levas led his troops to flee to Dayuz, and had to pass through the territory of the Giligis.

This move frightened the people of Kyrgyz, and all the tribes summoned warriors one after another.But they didn't dare to really fight. After learning the truth, they were forced to agree with Yao Levas to cross the border.

It is said that it is an excuse to cross the border, but it is actually a way to snatch it all the way!

The people of Kyrgyzstan still dare not speak out about this kind of looting.They first attached to the Chagatai Khanate, then to the Yarkand Khanate, and at this time to the Junggar Mongolia.There is no independence at all, not even a recognized leader, because the suzerain power does not allow them to have a leader.

They can only be scattered into countless tribes, farming or grazing in the mountains.

After finally sending Yaole Gasli out of the country, before the Jirijisi people could breathe a sigh of relief, He Yudu brought thousands of fellow troops here.

This was a powerful force that defeated Yarkand, and the Kyrgyz people did not dare to resist, and the leaders of various ministries sent envoys to pay their respects.

"Call your leaders here, I want a meeting!" He Yudu said to the envoys.

20 days later, the leaders of more than 80 tribes gathered by the hot sea (Iksai Lake).

The translator conveyed the words of He Yudu: "From now on, the land of the Kyrgyz people will be the territory of Datong China. All the Kyrgyz people are also Chinese. The imperial court will send troops and immigrants to build here City!"

The leaders of the various ministries were blown up in an instant, and some stood up on the spot, clamoring to fight the Chinese army.

He Yudu raised his hand and said, "Quiet, listen to me."

After shouting for a while, the venue finally quieted down.

He Yudu said: "First, the imperial court will not force you to convert to religion. You tribes, you can continue to worship your totem!"

As soon as this remark came out, the expressions of most of the leaders eased down.

He Yudu continued: "Second, the tribute you bear will only be less than before. And it's not called tribute, it's called tax."

"Thirdly, Atami Prefecture will be set up here, which will be subordinate to Anxi Duhufu. Atami Prefecture will be divided into several counties, and Han officials will serve as magistrates. The leaders of large tribes can serve as county magistrates. The leaders of small tribes, Can be mayor."

"Fourth, the imperial court will not buy or sell your goods by force. Han merchants will bring in a lot of cheap goods, and your life will be better in the future!"

When He Yudu said so, the leaders of the ministries believed it for the time being.

If you don't believe me, there's nothing you can do. Do you still have a fight?

The entire Kyrgyzstan was won without bloodshed.

The birthplace of Li Bai has finally returned to the embrace of the motherland.

Chapter 1049 [Onion Ridge is back]

During the 16 years from the 17th century to the 200th century, the overland Silk Road was in the hands of the Bukhara people.

When Chinese goods leave Xinjiang, they are transported from the southern mountains to the Caspian Sea.According to the administrative maps of later generations, the general route is as follows: Gansu - Xinjiang - Tajikistan - Turkmenistan (Uzbekistan) - Caspian Sea - Russia (Persia, Ukraine).

Although with the prosperity of the great voyages, the overland Silk Road has declined, but it is definitely not as withered as imagined.

Historically, the main purpose of Tsarist Russian envoys visiting China during the Kangxi period was to open up new trade routes in Siberia and break the monopoly of the Bukhara people on Chinese goods.

Kashi.

Jiang Liang met several Bukhara businessmen and asked about their domestic situation: "How is the King of Bukhara in recent years?"

These businessmen are all from the Tajik ethnic group, belonging to the ruled ethnic group in the Bukhara Khan.

A businessman said: "I haven't seen the Great Khan, but I heard that he likes to enjoy himself. In addition to paying taxes, the caravans passing through Bukhara must donate the most exquisite goods to the Great Khan free of charge to obtain pass."

Another businessman said: "The Great Khan keeps raising taxes, and the leaders of all ethnic groups are very dissatisfied."

Jiang Liang simply opened the skylight and said bluntly: "If the Chinese army occupies the mountainous area where the Tajiks live, will the local leaders resist desperately?"

The merchants replied: "If the generals don't kill the nobles and imams indiscriminately, and keep their power, they will not resist. If the generals can lower taxes, the nobles and imams are willing to throw themselves into the arms of China."

Jiang Liang thought silently, and didn't speak for a while.

Zhao Han asked him to seize the opportunity to seize the Tajik region and completely consolidate the defense line in the Western Regions.But these words are not dead, just wait for the opportunity, if it is not easy to fight, you can give up temporarily.

After arriving in Kashgar, Jiang Liang interviewed many Bukhara businessmen, inquired about the situation and found that the Tajik region was not easy to fight.

90% of the area there is plateau mountains, and Jiangliang's logistics supply line extends from Gansu to Kashgar.Such a long supply line to fight a place where 90% of the mountains are mountains can be called a military disaster.

Even if you want to fight, you must not kill nobles and scholars as soon as you see them like in Xinjiang.

Otherwise, the locals only need to fight guerrillas in the mountains, and they can beat the Chinese army to a nervous breakdown.

The style of play and strategy of domination must be changed!

That is to say, only the military and political officials of Bukhara in each city were killed, and the rulers sent by the Great Khan of Bukhara were driven away.Then, give preferential treatment to imams and Tajik leaders, implement religious freedom and tribal autonomy, and gain the support of local religious and noble leaders.

The Bukhara Khanate was once very powerful. When it was besieged from all sides, it overthrew Persia in the west and drove away the founders of the Mughal Empire and the Yarkand Khanate in the east.

But at this time, the dynasty had changed, the Shaybani dynasty collapsed, and the Astrakhan dynasty passed on to the fifth king.

The third king was awesome, ended the civil strife and completed the unification.

During the reign of the fourth king, the Khanate of Bukhara began to decline.

The current king is Abdullah Aziz, who has been on the throne for 21 years.At the beginning, he was relatively sober, but now he is becoming more and more stupid, and he is arrogant and enjoys enjoying himself, and he imposes violent taxes on all ethnic groups in the country.

The leaders of various ethnic groups began to lead frequent uprisings, while the governors of the Bukhara Khanate played the trick of raising the bandits for self-respect, and finally split up altogether.

Zhongyu Zitouk Khan, who married his younger sister to Zhao Han, not only unified the Kazakh Khanate, but also sent troops to support the nobles of Bukhara, and once again completed the unification of Bukhara.As a result, Bukhara became a vassal state of Kazakhstan, and Toukhan also became the Great Khan of Bukhara (similar to the existence of Tian Khan, who does not actually manage Bukhara).

In the case of frequent uprisings in Bukhara and the governor's disobedience to the king's orders, it is really suitable for attacking. Jiang Liang didn't want to give up this good opportunity.

Of course China is not trying to annex Bukhara, but to eat the territory of the Tajiks.There are plateaus and mountains everywhere, as long as they occupy them and build a few passes at will, a small garrison of troops can guarantee the security of southern Xinjiang.Coupled with the Kyrgyz territory, the same pass was built on the mountain pass, so that foreign enemies would never even think about entering Xinjiang.

This is considered from a defense point of view.

Regardless of whether it is Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan, Zhao Han does not intend to occupy all of them. He only occupies those places that are best defended, which is equivalent to about 80% of the territory of the two countries.

Jiang Liang continued to inquire about the situation, and after several days of repeated thinking, he finally decided on the goal of action—to occupy the Pamirs, and nothing else!

Moreover, there is also an excuse for sending troops, since ancient times and regaining lost ground.

The Pamir Plateau is also called Congling and Buzhou Mountains!

In this way, it is very easy to fight, because the Bukhara Khanate has very weak dominance over Congling, and there is not even a decent large city.

The average altitude of that place is more than 3000 meters, and there are high mountains covered with snow all the year round, but it is also a necessary place on the Silk Road.

It was already the eighth month of the lunar calendar at this time, and the weather turned cold, so it was no longer suitable for dispatching troops, because it could snow at any time.

Moreover, after half of Xinjiang is defeated, there are still many things that need to be done.

Nearly [-] civilians, half men and half women, are all husband and wife. They signed up voluntarily and were resettled in various places in the Western Regions one after another.The resettlement sites are all the best places, suitable for agricultural reclamation.

The freed serfs of various ethnic groups were placed in slightly worse places.

Sending troops, fighting, garrisoning troops, emigrating, and building cities... the whole process will cost about 4000 million taels of silver to recover half of Xinjiang.The Datong court was once again in debt. Judging from the current fiscal surplus, it would take ten years to pay off the principal with interest.

The Datong army fought in southern Xinjiang, and in the vast northern Xinjiang, the Junggar tribe and the Heshuote tribe once again broke out in a battle for pastures.

The previous alliance was meaningless, and the Datong army was under their noses, and it could not prevent the two parties from fighting.It was really bad weather during the Little Ice Age, and last winter there was a heavy snowstorm, which froze countless people and animals to death. Rather than competing for pastures, it is better to compete for food and population.

In another time and space, Junggar crushed Heshuote, and Heshuote had long been a vassal of Junggar.

But in this time and space, the Heshuo Special Division of Qinghai-Tibet returned with [-] to [-] troops.And the Junggar tribe was killed in half by the Datong army in Mobei.So the two sides were evenly matched, and they fought back and forth, and it was impossible to tell the winner in ten or eight years.

In the spring of the second year, the first batch of 2000 monks and Taoists passed through Jiayuguan and came to the Western Regions under the arrangement of the imperial court.

It is often a teacher and father with several apprentices.

Some were placed in cities, and most were placed in rural areas.Every teacher and father has a special fund, which can receive money and food to help the poor people of all ethnic groups.When giving relief and curing diseases, they spread Buddhist beliefs along the way, and there will always be people who will be influenced by them.

Jiang Liang had already gone to the imperial court last autumn to ask for more money and food. He planned to take Congling as well, and Urumqi and Barkol by the way.

When the snow melted in spring, Jiang Liang immediately divided his troops.

Five thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry marched towards Congling. These troops were enough to eat the Pamirs.

Except for the defending troops from various places, the rest of the troops went to attack Yangji Bali (Urumqi) and Balikun respectively.These two places are both arable and grazing. Jiang Liang wanted to build a city after he captured them.

The vanguard general Liang Zhen is in charge of recovering Congling.

He first led his troops to the southeastern valley, which is Taxkorgan County in New China.

There is no city built there, only some Tajik tribes live there.

Eight thousand Datong troops killed until no one dared to resist, and the tribal leaders came to surrender one after another.It doesn't matter to these Tajiks whether they surrender to China or the Bukhara Khanate.

"Master, there is an ancient city over there!"

The river valley here is very wide, and the altitude is low. There are tens of thousands of acres of grassland by the river, and there are even farmlands in some places.

Liang Zhen rode his horse and ran, and he found the ruins of the ancient city, and it was still a stone city wall-Tashkurgan, which means Stone City in Turkic.

Liang Zhen walked around inside and outside the city, and complained, "The king of Bukhara didn't send troops to guard such a valley with lush water and grass, and even the good stone city was left to be abandoned."

Lei Zhiji, a mission officer in the army, said: "This should be the Congling Shouzhuo City in the Tang Dynasty."

"What is Shouzhuo?" Liang Zhen asked.

Lei Zhiji explained: "Similar to the military towns of the Ming Dynasty, the big ones were called the army at that time, and the small ones were called the guards. The ruins in front of us are the castles of the Congling military town in the Tang Dynasty."

Liang Zhen, a Mongolian descendant who used to be a Korean, suddenly realized: "The governor said that he wanted to recover the lost land, but he was not just making it up. This was really our Chinese territory before. Hehe, you missionaries, you really have knowledge in your stomach. Know the origin of the abandoned city in the Western Regions."

Lei Zhiji couldn't help but rolled his eyes: "The governor was collecting information on the Western Regions two or three years in advance, and the imperial court also sent out ancient messages from the Western Regions. I seem to remember, you should also receive a copy, right?"

"Hehe, hehe, I saw it, but I forgot." Liang Zhen smiled perfunctorily.

Lei Zhiji said: "The Congling Shouzhuo City in the Tang Dynasty was smaller, and it was expanded in the Yuan Dynasty. The city wall in front of me should have been expanded in the Yuan Dynasty. It can be stationed here and can grow food. The city must be restored. .”

Liang Zhen said: "Guess we stayed and garrisoned the army and occupied the pastures around the city. Would the local tribes want to move?"

"If you don't move away, you will fight!" Lei Zhiji said coldly.

Liang Zhen sighed: "Oh, it's too much trouble to fight now, but it's a pity that all the local tribes have surrendered."

Leaving behind a thousand infantry and two thousand civilian husbands, Liang Zhen led the army to kill to the northwest.

There is a very narrow and long river valley, which is the only place where the Silk Road must pass. A small city developed at the confluence of the two rivers. The name of the city is Salitash.

It is said that the city is actually a small town, but it is already the largest city in the Pamirs!

By the way, in the Tang Dynasty, this place was called Chihe Station, which was a post station affiliated to Congling Shouzhuo.

Datong China did not invade other countries, it really regained the lost land. In the future, there will be no Pamirs, only China's Congling and Buzhou Mountains.

Chapter 1050 [Field investigation is reliable]

The entire Cong Ridge is under the jurisdiction of Governor Osh of the Bukhara Khanate.

But there have been several governors in succession who have never set foot in the land of Congling—a plateau with an average altitude of more than 3000 meters. Who would come here to wander around?

Congling is different from Jiang Liang's imagination. Although it believes in the Green religion, it is a secular tribal society.

Both the Yarkand Khanate and the Mughal Empire believed in Sufis at this time.On the other hand, in the vast plateau and mountainous area of ​​Congling, people believe in the Ismaili sect, which also incorporates primitive totem worship, and they are extremely tolerant of pagan beliefs.

When Jiang Liang communicated with the Tajik businessman, the two sides were purely talking about each other.

Jiang Liang's goal is Congling, but the Tajik businessman thinks that China wants to take down Fergana and Osh.Both belong to the territory of the Tajiks, but there are great differences in religion and culture, and even the sects of belief are different.

Fergana and Osh are on the north side of Congling, which is the core area of ​​Tajikistan.Religion, customs, and culture were heavily influenced by Central Asia, and power was held by nobles and imams.

Congling, which China intends to seize, is all plateaus and mountains, and its economy is very backward.In this case, religious leaders have very little right to speak, so the leaders of each tribe have the final say.

You can see Green Cultists worshiping totems in the mountainous area of ​​Congling, just like the Green Cultists in Java island worshiping Mazu... The painting style is extremely strange, and they are all products of the fusion of beliefs.

The governor of the Bukhara Kingdom didn't even know about Liang Zhen's seizure of Stone City River Valley.