Chapter 1095: Tianshan

The Khan Court.

While the Western Lands Allied Forces were conducting intensive drills, the Great Song soldiers here were not idle either.

After brief preparations, Chang Wei ordered the march westward.

The Northern Di, led by Kelin, fulfilled their promise and took on the task of transport.

They drove cattle and sheep, loaded ammunition and tents onto horse-drawn carts, and wound across the vast Grassland like a long black dragon.

However, Chang Wei was not without precautions while testing the Northern Di.

The Great Song soldiers were relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside; should the Northern Di make any suspicious moves, they would show no mercy, and would surely stain the Grassland with the blood of them all.

Yet, to Chang Wei's relief, the Northern Di ultimately honored their promise.

From the Khan Court to Tianshan, they traveled like a nomadic tribe, following the water and grass.

After a month, they had crossed over two thousand kilometers and finally entered the Tianshan region, arriving at the former grazing grounds of the Red Flame Royal Tent.

At this moment, ten thousand White Tiger Army soldiers were already stationed here, guarding against an eastward invasion by the Tusman.

"White Tiger Army Captain, Dong Wu, greets the General!"

Before Chang Wei had even entered the camp, a White Tiger Army officer came out to meet him.

Seeing Chang Wei, he gave a military salute.

Chang Wei returned the salute and smiled.

Whether it was the Central Army, the White Tiger Army, or the Azure Dragon Army, they were all soldiers under his command, and he treated them all equally.

Therefore, seeing the White Tiger Army officer, he felt a sense of familiarity as well.

After dismounting, he walked toward the camp with Dong Wu and asked, "How is the situation here recently?"

"Reporting to the General, after we took over the Red Flame Royal Tent, Tusman Cavalry have been hovering and scouting nearby. There have been no large-scale attacks, likely because our troop strength is sufficient," Dong Wu said.

After Xue Jian transmitted the situation regarding the Tusman Cavalry back, Chang Wei had ordered the White Tiger Army to send ten thousand men to the Red Flame Royal Tent.

He was worried that with too few men, it would be hard to guarantee the Tusman army wouldn't take risky actions.

Facts proved his decision was correct.

"How much have you gathered about the Tusman troop deployments in Tianshan?" Chang Wei continued to ask.

For a general, understanding the enemy's situation when guarding a location is the most basic requirement.

"Our Gun Cavalry captured some Tusman Empire prisoners. After interrogation, we learned that the majority of the current Tusman army is stationed at Wumu City, consisting of 150,000 Infantry and 50,000 Cavalry. Commanding this army of 200,000 is Grand Duke Yadehan of the Tusman Empire; he is one of the eight Grand Dukes of the Tusman Empire," Dong Wu replied fluently.

Chang Wei wore a satisfied expression.

During this time, he had also spent considerable effort learning about the Tusman Empire.

Since ancient times, Zhongtu had been the trade hub between Dongtu and the Western Lands.

Zhongtu merchants made a fortune by flipping goods between the two sides and earning the profit in between.

Therefore, there were also merchants from Zhongtu in Great Song.

It was precisely through these merchants and the comprehensive intelligence from the Four Courts that they filled in the gaps.

Originally, there were over twenty countries of various sizes in Zhongtu.

But since the rise of the Tusman Empire, these countries had been gradually annexed one by one over the past hundred years.

Even the once-great Zhongtu power, the Great Yue Kingdom, had been forced to submit to the Tusman.

The rise of the Tusman Empire was due on one hand to their brutal slave-soldier system, and on the other, to Britain's need to counter the Ross, which led them to supply firearms and Artillery, causing their military equipment to surpass that of the Zhongtu countries.

When they rose, it was already too late for Britain to contain them, and in order to counter the Ross, the British dared not offend them further.

Now, to counter Great Song, the Tusman would likely be treated as a treasure by the Westerners and held in high regard once again.

Simply put, various factors shaped the current Tusman Empire.

And this empire covered Zhongtu, with a population of nearly seventy million in its ruled territory, and under its own ambition and the instigation of the Westerners, it had become the main enemy of Great Song in the Western Regions.

"Hmph, eight Grand Dukes; this time we shall wipe out one of their Grand Dukes." Looking toward the direction of Tianshan, Chang Wei said angrily.

The Tusman Empire did not have eight Grand Dukes from the start; they were continuously enfeoffed during the process of conquest as their territory expanded.

Besides these eight Grand Dukes, the true elite of the Tusman Empire were actually their 400,000 Imperial Guard.

This 400,000-strong Imperial Guard was directly commanded by Anka of the Tusman Empire and was the true elite of the Tusman Empire.

And among these eight Grand Dukes, there was also a disparity in strength.

The Grand Duke Yadehan mentioned by Dong Wu belonged to the bottom tier among the eight.

However, one could also see the arrogance of the Tusman Empire from this.

Before the Great Song army took the Red Flame Royal Tent, the Tusman army was in direct contact with the Northern Di.

It was evident that they no longer took the Northern Di seriously; one could say they were extremely inflated.

"Hehe, the General is right. With General Chen Hu's Gun Cavalry, plus the 60,000 Central Army and our 10,000 White Tiger Army, even if it were two of their Grand Dukes, we would still wipe them out," Dong Wu laughed.

Although his words were flattery, the implication was to ensure Chang Wei would not leave him behind when fighting.

He did not want to be responsible for just watching the house and guarding this place forever.

Chang Wei's mind was always straightforward; he did not catch Dong Wu's meaning and instead asked, "Where has Chen Hu gone?"

"General Chen has been here for over six days. Three days ago, he led his troops to scout ahead and, incidentally, cleared out the nearby Tusman Cavalry. These past few days, the vicinity has been very quiet; not a single Tusman Empire cavalryman can be seen," Dong Wu said.

Chang Wei nodded.

Chen Hu's Gun Cavalry was faster than them, so naturally, they arrived first.

He had not given Chen Hu strict orders; other than telling him not to attack Wumu City alone, he could act at his own discretion.

In his view, this kid must have been unable to endure the loneliness and went to scout the terrain of the Tianshan region.

After all, a map is one thing, but reality is another.

"The Central Army has traveled a long distance and the soldiers are very tired. We shall rest here for a few days, and wait for Chen Hu to return before marching toward Wumu City," Chang Wei ordered upon entering the camp.

Hearing this, Dong Wu replied in the affirmative.

Then, he cast a look of confusion toward Kelin, who was following behind Chang Wei.

This general, dressed in Northern Di attire, appeared particularly conspicuous among the many Song People generals in their dark green military uniforms.

Chang Wei noticed Dong Wu's gaze and explained, "The Northern Di have now submitted to His Majesty and honor him as the Heavenly Khan, swearing their allegiance; this time, they have driven cattle and sheep all the way here to provide supplies for the Great Army."

Then, he said to Kelin, "With Chen Hu here, the Tusiman Cavalry can forget about running rampant on the Tianshan grasslands; you may set up camp and graze nearby."

"Yes, Great General." Kelin was overcome with emotion, nearly shedding tears.

The Tianshan grasslands were, after all, one of the three most fertile grasslands the Northern Di had ever possessed.

They had also once been the grasslands of their Red Flame Royal Tent.

Ever since this grassland was ceded to the Tusiman by Wulanba, there had not been a single day he did not long to return.

What left him both laughing and crying was that he had not expected that one day, it would actually be the Song People who allowed them to graze on this grassland once again.