Chapter 1087: The Situation in Hexi Turns from This Point

Wang Yansheng's teasing meant little to Pule, whose will had been tempered to extraordinary strength through the arduous journey eastward. Meeting the gaze of the Great Han general Wang Yansheng with a low posture, he replied, "Precisely because our small western state cannot withstand the brutal Khitan, my Khagan specially dispatched this humble servant to seek aid from the Celestial Dynasty of the Central Plains!"

Apparently satisfied with the Uyghur envoy's humble bearing, Wang Yansheng had no real intention of making things difficult for him. His gaze swept back and forth between Cao Yuangong and Pule a few times, as if curious how the Guiyi Army had become entangled with the Uyghur envoy.

"What were your losses?" Wang Yansheng asked Cao Yuangong.

"The bandits were fierce—more than half of our attendants were killed or wounded. Had the General not arrived in time, we would all have perished! Several hundred fine horses selected as tribute for the Son of Heaven, along with more than a dozen carts of local products, were seized!" Cao Yuangong said simply.

"What bold bandits, daring to touch an envoy mission, daring to rob tribute meant for the Son of Heaven of the Great Han!" Hearing this, Wang Yansheng said with murderous intent, "It's been years since I've encountered such a thing!"

Noticing the miserable state of the envoy mission, Wang Yansheng's gaze turned colder than the weather itself. "This band of brigands is probably not so simple!"

After all, Wang Yansheng was a veteran general who had garrisoned the border for over a decade. He understood the situation in the northwest, and many things required no deep thought—he had keen enough judgment.

Hearing this, Cao Yuangong shared his earlier observations: "General, from what this humble one observed, that band of brigands fears not death, is well-trained, and fights with considerable tactical discipline. They are by no means ordinary grass-bandits or roving outlaws!"

"Hmph!" Wang Yansheng grunted, raising his eyes to gaze in the direction the horse bandits had fled, lost in thought.

"General, the envoy mission has suffered heavy casualties. After a bitter battle, men and horses are exhausted, and we lack medicine. We beg for your aid!" Cao Yuangong requested on his own initiative.

Glancing at the old man, Wang Yansheng waved his hand and said crisply, "Pack up your things. I'll have men guide you to Guzang. Once you arrive in Guzang, someone will make arrangements for you!"

Hearing this, joy immediately appeared on Cao Yuangong's face. He clasped his hands in salute and bowed: "Thank you, General!"

From beginning to end, Wang Yansheng remained seated on his horse, conversing from a lofty posture. Neither Cao Yuangong nor the Uyghur envoy Pule seemed to show any displeasure at this.

After achieving effective communication, the envoy mission finally relaxed completely, quickly tending to the dead and wounded and gathering the remaining tribute goods. With these formidable Han cavalry at their side, the group that had just endured a life-and-death trial inexplicably felt at ease.

As for Wang Yansheng, he did not have his men help. He simply reined in his horse to the side, while dispatching a hundred riders to pursue in the direction the bandits had fled. This was not overconfidence—on the way here, he had already sent a battalion commander with three hundred riders north along the old Liangzhou Great Wall to intercept that rampant band of horse brigands.

About half an hour later, another commotion came from the northwest—the sound of hooves treading through ice and snow was unmistakable. But the proudly raised Han banners caused the tense envoy mission to relax once more.

The returning Han cavalry were still at nearly full strength, having lost few men, but they had clearly been through a battle—murderous aura radiating, their campaign robes stained with blood. What was truly chilling were the human heads tied to the horses, swaying with each step—they had returned bearing the severed heads of the barbarians.

There were also a dozen or so large carts and over a hundred horses, presumably the recovered goods. The battalion commander came forward to report, explaining: "The bandits were cunning—they refused to fight, fleeing all the while. We only beheaded sixty-three of them, recovered one hundred twenty-four horses, and all the supply carts!"

"Did you notice anything unusual?" Wang Yansheng was somewhat dissatisfied with this result, but he asked patiently.

The battalion commander answered with certainty: "These are definitely not the bandits that have been active in Hexi before. They seem to be a new force, composed mainly of Uyghurs!"

Hearing this, Wang Yansheng let out a chuckle: "It seems Hexi is becoming increasingly unsettled!"

Saying this, Wang Yansheng pointed to the northeast and said, "Zhang Shuo, over there is the old site of Fanhe County. Take two hundred men and establish a fort there. I'll send reinforcements later. After spring comes next year, clear out the entire surrounding area!"

Upon receiving the order, the battalion commander named Zhang Shuo was taken aback. Looking at Wang Yansheng, he hesitated slightly: "Chief General, won't the Uyghurs have objections to this?"

"This was originally Liangzhou territory—land of the Great Han. What objections would the Uyghurs dare to have?" Wang Yansheng said immediately. "Now that bandits run rampant, even daring to rob tribute meant for the Son of Heaven, do they truly think this place is beyond the law? If the Uyghurs won't act, can they dare blame us for maintaining public order and clearing out bandits?"

Wang Yansheng's words were exceptionally forceful. Of course, the words at the very bottom of his heart were still restrained and left unsaid.

"Just follow your orders! I'll speak with Duke Ying about it!" Wang Yansheng continued. "Isn't the Administration Commission planning to reestablish Fanhe County? Consider this this general making preparations for them in advance!"

"Yes!" The battalion commander Zhang Shuo hesitated no longer, clasping his hands in salute to accept the order.

The situation in Liangzhou had always been complicated, especially the complexity of its tribal composition. Relying on the descendants of the Hexi Military Governor and large numbers of Sinicized Tibetans and Tuyuhun, they formed alliances to face outward, establishing themselves in Liangzhou through the chaotic late Tang and enduring for so many years.

By now, the era of the Wermo had truly come to an end, but the original power structure had not been completely broken. The Six-Valley Tibetans, led primarily by the Zhebu clan, had been shown respect—granted official positions and settled within the territories of Guzang and Changsong.

For many years, the court's approach to internal Liangzhou affairs had been one of management and appeasement. But in the past two years, the court's attention to the northwest had gradually intensified. With the arrival of Guo Rong, Wang Yansheng, and others in the west, their control had markedly improved.

By the first year of Kaibao, Administration Commissioner Wu Tingzuo had taken office. With multi-faceted coordination, he applied greater military and political pressure on the tribes both within and outside Liangzhou's borders. Looking at the current trend, this pressure was being directed at the Ganzhou Uyghurs—Wang Yansheng's actions were a sign of this.

In fact, the Ganzhou Uyghurs' anxiety was not unfounded paranoia. The Great Han truly could not allow them to permanently occupy a strategic location like the Hexi Corridor.

Guzang City—a city of historical renown. Around this city and its lands, countless Han and barbarian forces had written chapter after chapter of splendid epic over a thousand years. Now, after nearly a century, it was once again the turn of a Central Plains dynasty to take the leading role.

The city's population was considerable—over four thousand households—yet Han residents accounted for only about a quarter. This was already the result of the court's efforts; when the court had taken over the city back then, the Han households numbered fewer than five hundred.

If one were to emphasize only ethnicity and bloodline, this city could hardly be called a "Han city." Yet above the earthen walls full of desert flavor, fluttering proudly in the wind, was the conspicuous Han banner.

Guzang in winter was not a quiet place. Besides the local people of various tribes, there were also numerous resident merchant caravans and travelers. Large quantities of strong liquor from within the passes heated up the city's atmosphere.

When Wang Yansheng and his party returned to Guzang, an alcohol-fueled brawl had just concluded, requiring official intervention because it had escalated into a fight.

Such public security incidents were not Wang Yansheng's responsibility, and it had been a long time since he had eaten raw human ears. He went straight to the government office. In the main hall, Guo Rong was warming wine and playing chess with Administration Commissioner Wu Tingzuo.

"Duke Ying and Governor Wu are quite at ease!" Entering, Wang Yansheng made no ceremony, directly picking up a goblet of wine a servant had just poured and draining it in one gulp.

Seeing this, Guo Rong, known for his gravity, couldn't help but smile. He said, "Marquis Pingxi has worked hard! How goes it—was the envoy rescued?"

"The envoy actually had some skill—they managed to hold off bandits several times their number until reinforcements arrived! The Guiyi Army sent someone of no low rank—Cao Yuangong, Prefect of Guazhou—and there's also an envoy from the Western Prefecture Uyghurs with him!" Wang Yansheng made a brief introduction, then looked at Wu Tingzuo: "The envoy mission suffered heavy casualties. The government office will need to make arrangements and provide aid!"

Although Wu Tingzuo came from a military background, he was widely read and carried an air of literary refinement. He clasped his hands toward Guo Rong and said with a light smile, "Duke Ying, this game of chess ends here. This official will go first to comfort the frightened envoys!"

"Please go ahead, Brother Qingyuan!" Guo Rong replied.

When it came to chess, Guo Rong was no match for Wu Tingzuo—he was about to lose anyway... Wu Tingzuo hurried away, and Wang Yansheng took his seat, observing the chess game he couldn't understand for a moment before saying directly, "The Uyghurs are getting restless too!"

"Are these horse bandits connected to the Uyghurs?" Guo Rong asked with furrowed brows.

Wang Yansheng said, "The Hexi horse bandits, though impossible to wipe out completely, have never appeared on this scale in recent years—so sudden, with considerable fighting power, and daring to attack an envoy mission with sufficient armed escort. My experience may be shallow, but if anyone says these are ordinary bandits, I don't believe it!"

Hearing this, Guo Rong thought for a moment and said, "You think they were Uyghurs in disguise?"

Wang Yansheng drank some more wine and said nonchalantly, "Why bother agonizing over truth or falsehood? This general sees it as an opportunity!"

Noticing Guo Rong's gaze upon him, Wang Yansheng reported his arrangements at Fanhe. Guo Rong showed little reaction, pondered for a moment, and said, "Back then we made a pact with the Uyghurs to jointly maintain peace in Hexi. Now that bandits strike repeatedly and the Uyghurs won't do their part, let the Great Han's army handle it!"

Hearing this, Wang Yansheng's face lit up with joy. Duke Ying's fierce and resolute character had always suited his taste. He said, "In my view, destroying the mere Uyghurs would be no great difficulty. Give me twenty thousand infantry and cavalry, and I'll surely take Shandan in one stroke and recover Gansu!"

Guo Rong said, "The court has its own considerations. We must submit to the greater picture!"

"For the sake of submitting to the greater picture, this general has been stuck in the northwest for over a decade!" Wang Yansheng said with some emotion.

Guo Rong reassured him: "Marquis Pingxi need not be impatient. The lands of Gansu will return to the Great Han sooner or later—there will be opportunities for you to distinguish yourself!"

"It's just that the relationship between the Uyghurs and the Great Han will gradually deteriorate..."

In fact, since the founding of the Great Han, the Ganzhou Uyghurs had always maintained friendly relations with the court. When Emperor Liu was still Crown Prince, he had dispatched envoys to the Eastern Capital. However, there was a precondition: the Great Han was poor and weak, harmless to the northwest—then alliance and friendship were fine, even vassalage and tribute were acceptable.

But now the Great Han had grown too powerful and had shown clear ambition toward the old northwestern territories. If the Uyghurs continued as before, that would be the abnormal thing. When they sensed the crisis, it was understandable that they wavered and took measures—even if foolish, even if overreaching, it was hardly surprising.

"The Guiyi Army sending an envoy to court this time likely carries other intentions as well!" Guo Rong added.

Wang Yansheng: "According to Cao Yuangong, they've come on a matter of great importance. But the fellow is being evasive, unwilling to reveal more..."