Chapter 1085: The Man from the West

The relocated households from the southeast would be gradually settled in Weizhou, Qingzhou, Weizhou, Yanzhou, Yan, and other places. The court had already considered these southeastern migrants—although these prefectures and counties were border prefectures, they were already quite consolidated, with relatively stable public sentiment and security, and the government's control was also very strong.

After all, when the court relocated these households, it was not truly sending them to the northwest to fend for themselves. In today's Great Han, the true frontiers, where popular sentiment was complex and ethnic groups intermingled, were places like Lan, Liang, and Lingzhou. These were the main destinations for criminals and the poor. Surviving in these places truly required holding a blade in one hand and a plow in the other, facing potential unrest and conflict at any moment, needing to fight desperately to protect one's life, family, and property.

Even Lingzhou, which the court had governed the longest and controlled most strongly, was in a similar situation. Since the Tibetans split and declined, the northwestern region had been occupied by various Qiang and barbarian tribes for too long, separated from the Central Plains' control for too long. The ethnic situation was complex, with constant conflicts and contradictions. Governing it well could never be achieved by relying crudely on strong troops alone; absolute military force only provided a basic guarantee.

Of course, as the court advanced westward and the Central Plains regime returned, as the Great Han grew ever stronger, and as the realm was unified, there were still positive effects. By now, without a doubt, the Great Han court and government were the most powerful force, one that all other ethnic forces combined could hardly contend against.

And over these many years of submission and governance, looking at the overall picture, the situation was developing toward stability. The frequency of various vicious incidents was decreasing. The most tangible results of the court's penetration into the northwest, besides the restoration of territory, was the re-establishment of a new order led by the Great Han government and military.

It might be difficult to make the people of all ethnicities, including the Han, set aside their grudges and live in harmony, but those situations where a single word of disagreement led to drawing blades and attacking each other had indeed become much rarer.

For many northwestern commoners, this was a rare kind of progress—enjoying a stability they had not experienced in who knows how many years. After all, regardless of ethnicity, most ordinary people wished to live peacefully and securely. The so-called love of war and delight in battle was more likely driven by the pressure of survival. Of course, there were exceptions—human greed, and those unwilling to accept mediocrity or loneliness, could all spark unrest by exploiting the complex environment.

Liangzhou, the most northwestern major town of the Great Han, held the strategic pass of the Hexi Corridor. From the early Qianyou period, it had established contact with the Great Han court. When the local magnate Zhebu Jiashi entered the court and was appointed Military Governor, the connection grew even closer. But it was only later, when the court dispatched officials and troops, that it was truly brought under court governance.

Now, six or seven years had passed, but to this day, the main ethnic group in Liangzhou remained the Wenmo people, and even the Han had become severely barbarized. However, one thing that made Liangzhou most appreciated by the court was that it was the most pro-Central Plains and pro-court among all the northwestern prefectures. This was evident from its repeated requests for the court to dispatch officials in earlier times—though of course, this might also have been because there was no force within Liangzhou strong enough to convince everyone and suppress the situation.

Perhaps in many people's fixed impressions, Liangzhou was a desolate, barren place surrounded by great deserts and Gobi. But in fact, the vast area centered on Wuwei had abundant water and lush vegetation—a rare treasure land.

The Gushui River, originating from the Qilian Mountains, cut across the flat corridor. Melting ice and snow mixed with rainwater flowed continuously, nourishing the land of Liangzhou. There were even great lakes in the Gobi, and oases scattered across the desert. Whether in scenery or local character, it could hardly be described as desolate.

And as the court came west to manage the region, with the Han army forcefully stationed there, public security was strengthened, trade routes were opened, merchant caravans traveling between East and West surged, and prosperity reappeared in Liangzhou.

However, after entering the first year of Kaibao, the initial prosperity sank again. Though caravans had not completely ceased, their numbers plummeted. The reason was simple—the warfare in the Western Regions and the Liao army's western campaign had directly strangled the Silk Road that was on its way to revival. From the west, one could see Western Regions nobles, merchants, and commoners fleeing east to take refuge, but the large-scale caravans of previous years had almost completely ceased.

And because of the warfare in the Western Regions, the situation from Guasha and Gansu had grown increasingly tense. The severing of trade routes also made many people who had relied on the Silk Road for wealth resentful of the Liao army that had brazenly invaded the Western Regions. Of course, this resentment could basically only be swallowed, with nowhere to vent. Perhaps after the Great Han's northern expedition, the Khitan Liao was no longer the most powerful state in the East, but it was still a behemoth—no force except the unified Great Han could confront it head-on.

Therefore, in July of this year, a group of merchants from the Qocho Uyghurs, in a pitiful state, petitioned the Great Han Emperor, saying that the Khitan were burning, killing, looting, and committing every kind of evil in the Western Regions, hoping that the imperial army could march west to rescue the people of Xizhou...

To this, Emperor Liu merely issued a simple condemnation but had no intention of dispatching troops—not because of the treaty with Liao, but because of national policy considerations. Moreover, even if he were to march west, the first target should be the Ganzhou Uyghurs. Emperor Liu naturally always prioritized the Great Han's interests and goals first. As for the suffering of the Xizhou people, what did it have to do with him?

And only a severed Silk Road could reveal how precious it was when unobstructed.

The cold wind howled, mercilessly whipping up sand and dust. Perhaps influenced by the great desert to the north, even this winter wind felt much harsher. East of Yanzhi Mountain, south of the Great Wall, a traveling party was braving the bitter cold, heading east.

This was a considerable-sized group, with a large number of horses and various supplies in the middle, and more than two hundred guards carrying bows, crossbows, weapons, and even armor. This was no ordinary merchant caravan. In this season, under these circumstances, no ordinary caravan would be heading east.

This was an embassy, composed of two forces: the Qocho Uyghurs and the Guiyi Army. Why the envoys of these two forces had joined together would not be discussed for now, but at the moment, they had clearly run into trouble.

A full six or seven hundred horse bandits were besieging them. Though the bandits were unevenly dressed, they looked extremely fierce, brave and unafraid of death, and carried large numbers of bows and arrows, with a few even wearing armor.

The embassy party, not only outnumbered but also ambushed, was at a disadvantage from the start. People kept being shot down and knocked over. Fortunately, their will to resist remained resolute. Under the leadership of their leader, they used the carts to fend off the attackers' charges.

But this was only a desperate last stand. If no reinforcements came, dragging on would only end in annihilation. Fortunately, they had already sent men toward Liangzhou to seek help from the Han army. As long as they kept resisting, there was some hope.

This area belonged to the old territory of Fanhe County, the border zone between Liangzhou and the Ganzhou Uyghurs, but it lay on a main road and was also a place where outlaws thrived like fish in water.

In recent years, to ensure the safety of the Silk Road, with the cooperation of the court and the Ganzhou Uyghurs, a major crackdown had been carried out against the horse bandits of the Hexi Corridor. After several sweeps, the previously active bandit forces were no longer rampant.

But the government could strike and suppress them—it was impossible to completely eradicate them. As long as the Silk Road existed, as long as merchants still traveled between East and West, there would be soil for horse bandits to survive on. In this land of Hexi, there would never be a shortage of people daring to risk adventure for wealth. After all, the great desert and Gobi were the best cover—one good job meant one big fortune.

Generally speaking, horse bandits robbed but rarely killed, because a golden trade route like the Silk Road needed to be maintained jointly by both officials and outlaws...

But this time, it was clearly different—they were completely bent on extermination. Of course, the reason was easy to imagine. A group like an embassy, with sufficient armed protection and special status, would normally not be targeted. But since they had struck, they had to do it thoroughly to avoid future troubles.

The wind continued to blow, growing stronger rather than weaker, but the cries of battle grew weaker and weaker. The besieged embassy members kept falling, yet they still resisted desperately. As time passed, the horse bandits grew increasingly impatient. The enemy's will and ability to resist exceeded their expectations. Dragging things out too long violated their usual raiding principles—every extra quarter-hour of delay meant an extra quarter-hour of danger.

In the rear, the thick-bearded leader stared with sinister eyes at the Han and Xizhou people in the cart formation, and at the increasingly tight, gap-free ring of carts. Though his face was fierce, he remained calm. After muttering a string of barbarian words, orders were given. The besieging horse bandits changed tactics—no longer riding and shooting in hit-and-run fashion, but dismounting for ground combat. This was a fight to the death.

At the same time, some were split off to round up the scattered horses and secure the captured carts and valuables, preparing for retreat.

Sensing the bandits' anxiety, the resisting embassy also fought with everything they had. Under the command of an old man, they continued to hold out. If they persisted, perhaps victory would come, perhaps the danger would turn to safety—and as it turned out, their gamble paid off.

As several riders came galloping from the east, arriving in panic, one with an arrow still stuck in his back, the horse bandits acted decisively. Led by their chieftain, they resolutely lifted the siege, taking their plundered spoils and fleeing north without the slightest hesitation.

This appeared to be a well-trained and experienced band of horse bandits.

And before long, a black banner fluttering in the wind appeared at the edge of sight—that was the flag of the Han army. Following it, a squad of fully equipped Han cavalry came flying in. They were not many in number, only about two hundred riders, but their bearing was ferocious.