Chapter 438

Chapter 438

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Side Story: Western Regions Storm (7)

This temptation of “finishing the snow ridge and then bombing the Kushan people” is no less than the comfort of sleeping soundly and having a decent meal after leaving these mountains!

Previously, explosives were only used to attack the city walls of Ye City, allowing them to break through the once capital of the Han Dynasty with minimal losses. How about using this special invention to teach those foreigners a lesson!

Ma Chao, who had been feeling gloomy due to the continued downhill journey requiring constant caution, suddenly felt the clouds disperse.

At most, before continuing forward, he muttered to Yu Fan, “You’re carrying explosives, aren’t you afraid they might go off?”

With the power of these explosives, if they caused an avalanche, wouldn’t they bury everyone?

Yu Fan couldn’t help but roll his eyes at him, “General Mengqi, I think this is something you would do, not me.”

He is a master of Yi studies and a talent in governance. Though his words may be sharp, he wouldn’t mess up serious matters.

If explaining the principles of explosives, Yu Fan could certainly do it better than Ma Chao.

And, don’t think he didn’t notice, because of this sudden good news, Ma Chao’s steps became much steadier.

This guy really…

“Being two-faced isn’t beneficial,” Yan Xing suddenly interjected.

Yu Fan turned to look at him, surprised to find that Yan Xing wasn’t talking about Ma Chao, but him.

Yu Fan: “…”

Yan Xing continued, “If you truly despise Mengqi’s recklessness, you needn’t have chosen this moment to say it, nor joined this team at risk.”

“Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, yesterday I saw you take out some strange costumes. Where do you plan to use them?”

Where else?

Yu Fan thought to himself, wasn’t it to boost the morale of the soldiers when it hit rock bottom during the snow ridge crossing? Dress up some common-looking soldiers in these strange costumes, pretending they were captured Kushan people from below the ridge, and say a few words like “we’re not far from their city gates” to rekindle morale.

But it seems, it’s unnecessary now.

The explosives’ effect is much greater than he imagined.

Indeed, taking the country’s “specialty” out to see the world is like wearing brocade in broad daylight, truly… truly something to look forward to!

“General Yanming,” Yu Fan shook his head, continuing downward, “some things needn’t be said too clearly.”

Who says this kind of banter isn’t a way to relieve the monotony of marching through the snow ridge?

After all… when all you see is a vast expanse of white, it can mess with your mind.

Just getting out of the snow ridge is far from the end; achieving the goal in that never-before-reached place is a greater challenge!

Ma Chao is indeed a fierce general, even a leader who can make soldiers die for him, but don’t forget, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, as it has always been.

The cold can be fought with winter clothes and dried meat rations. Diseases outside the region have various remedies in Hua Tuo’s medical books. But psychological distress and the urge for quick success have no real cure.

He’ll just have to be the bad guy.

Once they reach Kushan territory, he can basically retire.

Yu Fan doesn’t expect to be enshrined in the Xuanyuan Pavilion for this little merit.

He thinks, his time serving under His Majesty is still too short. To govern a region, he really needs a notable achievement.

And this military exploit should be during the campaign against Kushan.

Yu Fan has to applaud His Majesty’s arrangement of assigning each general their role.

Ma Chao is indeed the most suitable for this battle.

The soldiers under his command, accustomed to his highly mobile tactics from previous battles, along with the Liangzhou people’s desire to make a name in this war, have been trudging step by step through the frosty mountains in March, getting closer to their destination.

With a leader confident in leading his subordinates to success, and subordinates willing to fight as long as their lives are secure, why not give it another shot!

At least, take a few more steps forward.

However, even with such belief, it wasn’t until Ma Chao marked the fortieth line on his paper that they finally saw greenery on the ridge instead of endless snow.

In the undulating mountains ahead, even signs of human activity could be seen in the valley.

At this moment, no words were needed; the scene before them told everyone—

This nearly torturous ridge-crossing journey was about to end, and they had finally reached Kushan territory!

But at this moment, no cheers of joy came from the large group; instead, a silent atmosphere lingered.

They wanted to open their mouths, to vent all the hardships of the journey, but in the end, no one uttered a sound.

Over forty days of trekking across icy plains…

Even if their rations could last another five days, and the cold wind hadn’t torn their clothes, behind them on the snow ridge, hundreds of simple tombstones remained.

Representing that in the spring of the third year of Yuanzhao, a group of Da Yong soldiers left their lives forever on the Xuandu Mountain.

Will these soldiers, who died before even engaging the enemy, receive even a brief mention in the historians’ stingy records?

For these soldiers, who also see following orders as their duty, they can’t give a definite answer.

They just stared blankly at the now lower mountains ahead, afraid what they saw was just an illusion.

It was Ma Chao who suddenly broke the silence, “What are you all standing around for! Form up, eat, and follow me to seize horses!”

They’ve come this far; to mourn their comrades’ deaths, they must first complete this mission to intimidate Kushan!

Bones buried in the icy plains might still be brought back by Da Yong soldiers reclaiming the Western Regions Protectorate. But to die obscurely in a foreign land without delivering a strong blow to the Kushan Dynasty, they would truly have no chance of returning home!

The severe cold on the snow mountain has melted with the spring breeze below the ridge, slowly restoring movement to their nearly frozen limbs.

Someone in the crowd shouted “Seize horses,” and the cry quickly spread throughout the group.

Yu Fan wanted to interject with some advice, but saw the still youthful Liangzhou general leading the way with his long spear towards the southwest downhill path.

There lay a mountain pasture, with the faint outline of a city further away, likely a horse breeding ground.

Their current location was still far from the Kushan Empire’s capital, Flosha. To reach there quickly, they couldn’t rely on their legs alone, so—

First, a raid!

The guide within the group had never seen such a scene.

Originally from Kangju, he became a Kushan prisoner due to conflicts between Kushan and Kangju, was sent south of the Big Snow Mountain, and then bought back during Xu Rong’s cotton procurement, barely learning Chinese over the years to become this expedition’s guide.

The development of Liangzhou over the years showed him the bravery and strength of the Central Plains warriors, and the unstoppable momentum of Da Yong’s military reaching the Western Regions Protectorate. But upon reaching Kushan territory, instead of awe, they… raided?

“What are you standing around for?” Yu Fan signaled his subordinates to bring the guide forward, “How far are we from the Kushan capital, Flosha?”

“…About four hundred miles,” the guide instinctively replied.

“Exactly, we’ve crossed nearly a thousand miles of mountains, already at the end of our strength, like the ancient saying, a weak army that can’t pierce light silk, how can we confront the royal capital? Only by arming ourselves with horses first can we have a chance to fight.”

“By the way, you said Flosha is a Buddhist city?”

The guide, now not caring about whether the Da Yong army’s actions were unbecoming of a great nation, replied, “Yes, the Kushan emperor two reigns ago revered Buddhism, hence establishing the capital here. Both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism coexist within its borders, and even a great Buddhist stupa was built in Flosha.”

“The city is also known as the City of a Hundred Flowers, because…”

Because in this pleasant climate and fertile land, countless roses bloom.

As their vanguard cavalry fully recovered from the fatigue of crossing the snowy plains, led by Ma Chao and Yan Xing, they reached the mountains near Flosha, seeing the newly bloomed roses entwined around stone carvings of meditating Buddhas.

The grand city spanning forty miles in radius, with the majestic stupa still visible from afar, even at such a distance, they could hear the Buddhist chants from the city.

It seemed a stark contrast to the endless snow ridges they had seen over the past month, unbelievably peaceful.

If Qiao Yan were here, she would tell them that in the original history, later Jin Dynasty monk Faxian and Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang had both visited this place, thanks to the Kushan emperor who moved the capital here, fostering the fourth gathering of Buddhism, making it increasingly prosperous.

But Ma Chao knew none of this, he just turned to Yu Fan and asked, “Can the explosives you brought collapse a section of the city wall?”

Such a city over ten miles long, unprepared for an enemy’s sudden arrival, couldn’t possibly have sufficient guards at every watchtower.

Not to mention, like Chang’an and Luoyang, the city walls were surrounded by many civilian houses, temporary residences for those coming to Flosha to worship, giving them a chance to first infiltrate near the walls.








So, instead of doing something like scaling the city walls and betting they could succeed in one go without being heavily guarded by the enemy, why not—just blow up the city wall and create a path for the cavalry to charge into the city!

After some calculations in his mind, Yu Fan replied, “Yes! Not only can we do it, but if the general is willing to follow my plan, we might even take control of this city effortlessly!”

After sending someone with a guide into the city to gather information, he became even more confident in his judgment.

However, they still needed a few days to prepare.

At night in the city of Flosha, only the patrolling soldiers and night-watching monks were awake. But everyone was suddenly awakened by a sudden, muffled thunderous sound.

It sounded like rolling boulders in the mountains or the roar of summer thunder, accompanied by the trembling of the earth, making it impossible to doubt that it was anything but a real event.

As the awakened crowd talked among themselves, they further confirmed that they were not dreaming—this was a sound everyone had heard.

It signaled that the capital was under attack!

And it was an unimaginable kind of attack!

In the quiet night, the patrolling soldiers stared in shock at the scene before them.

A burst of fire and explosion came from below the city wall, and the once sturdy wall collapsed along with its foundation, turning into a pile of rubble in an instant.

Just as he shouted the warning, “The wall has fallen!” the sound of hooves reached the base of the wall.

A long arrow, piercing through the night like a streak of light, shot through his head.

As he fell, the soldiers guarding the distant ends of the wall had no time to react. The cavalry, appearing out of nowhere and of unknown origin, had already charged through the breach created by the explosion.

He barely had time to notice that the leading warrior seemed to be riding a high-quality Kushan warhorse, wielding a long spear of foreign make, sweeping the intercepting cavalry off their horses with a single thrust to the throat, before losing consciousness completely.

This grand capital, which should be called “Husband City,” had never suffered such a blow before!

“The wall has collapsed?” The citizens, just awakened by the commotion, rushed to the scene but could no longer see the faces of the swiftly invading cavalry. Only the terrifying sound of hundreds of horses galloping through the city remained, along with the collapsed wall entrance.

The traces of digging beneath the wall had completely disappeared with the explosion, leaving no evidence.

The pilgrims who once lived in the nearby houses had already been “kidnapped” by Ma Chao’s subordinates, leaving no one to explain how they had approached the wall or dug such a tunnel.

What they saw was a breach that no human could have created in an instant.

It looked as if a giant had stomped or torn it open!

This was a place where Buddhism flourished, and while the atheistic notion that humans could become Buddhas had gained popularity with the city’s prosperity, it didn’t stop the citizens from making supernatural speculations about this inexplicable breach.

Among the crowd awakened by the city’s commotion, voices arose:

“That’s not the enemy; that’s the power of the Dharma Protector Deities!”

“Only the wrath of thunder could create such a miracle!”

Fortunately, the “divine cavalry” did not attack the city’s temples, civilians, or monks but instead headed straight for the palace, allowing the citizens to indulge in such thoughts rather than worrying about their safety.

But it was no wonder Ma Chao made such a decision under Yu Fan’s advice.

The Kushan king was not in the city but had gone north to quell a rebellion!

More importantly, there was no second palace wall in the Kushan capital.

Rather than wasting time dealing with the citizens, it was better to strike at the heart.

In the mind of the Kushan king who established his capital in Flosha, this place was the center of Kushan, with a barrier to the south resisting the northward advance of India and the Big Snow Mountain guarding the northern pass. How could there be any crisis of the capital falling?

Moreover, this Kushan king, similar to Ashoka, was a devout Buddhist who also believed in military expansion, embodying the typical mindset of using offense as defense. He never considered building a second palace wall.

His successor, indulging in luxury over the next twenty years, caused the decline of Kangju, Dayuan, Khorasan, and Khwarezm, all of which broke away from his rule. Immersed in the dream of Kushan’s continued strength, he never thought to adjust the layout of Flosha.

This, of course, worked in favor of the attackers.

The citizens, still guessing the identity of the invaders, soon heard a second thunderous explosion, this time from the direction of the palace.

This time, not only were buildings shattered and collapsed, but a sudden blaze also erupted, turning half the distant sky red.

At the same time, the soldiers’ shouts, translated into the Kushan language by the guide, echoed through the streets as the cavalry moved through the city after breaking through:

“The Great Yong Dynasty enacts divine punishment upon the Kushan king. Civilians, do not interfere!”

Whether this divine punishment represented the gods of the Central Plains or the Buddhist protector deities needed no explanation to the citizens.

The previous Kushan king was assassinated by his subordinates, and his successor turned the once prosperous empire of a dozen small states into decline. The current Kushan king, yet to demonstrate his ability to turn the tide, was still in the north quelling rebellions, unable to suppress the impact of the two explosive attacks with his remaining influence.

The infantry that followed quickly replaced the city’s defenders, completely seizing control of the capital.

There was one group of capable soldiers who tried to counterattack while Ma Chao and Yan Xing’s forces split up, but they had no idea that Ma Chao had such divine power, and Yan Xing was no pushover either!

While Ma Chao found the keys to the city’s granary and the Kushan treasury, Yan Xing entered the hall holding the head of the enemy commander.

He immediately asked Yu Fan, “Master Zhongxiang, what should we do next?”

Thanks to Yu Fan’s guidance, their attack on the city did not cause widespread panic, only scattering the Kushan defenders.

However, with the city gates not yet fully under their control, the fleeing defenders might bring reinforcements from the surrounding areas.

If the “divine punishment” theory couldn’t fully suppress the citizens, and considering their inability to communicate smoothly with the locals, no one could guarantee that internal chaos wouldn’t break out.

Despite their smooth capture of the city, the crisis they faced was still significant.

Yu Fan replied, “General Ma Chao’s troops should quickly distribute the granary’s food to the citizens and then guard the city walls. There’s no need for a full army; just ensure the gates are under our control. General Yan Xing should immediately lead troops north to block the Big Snow Mountain pass and intercept the Kushan king’s returning forces.”

The place later known as the Khyber Pass was the most important route connecting South Asia and Central Asia.

The Big Snow Mountain, or the Hindu Kush, divided Kushan into northern and southern parts.

Kushan’s resources were in the south, while the king’s direct army was in the north. Cutting off this connection would create chaos far more effective than any message in informing Xu Rong and others in the north that—

Their force, which had crossed the Hindu Kush, had succeeded. Now was the perfect time to attack the Kushan king!

——————

The sudden cutoff of supplies was indeed a glaring signal.

The southern part of the Big Snow Mountain was far more suitable for farming and herding than the north, naturally accumulating more food.

The Kushan king, Bo Diao, was on an expedition to Khwarezm, aiming to bring the disobedient vassal state back under control, and had supplies from Flosha continuously sent through this hundred-mile pass.

Because he needed to stay informed about the capital, the supply convoys were frequent.

But this time, no new supply convoy had arrived for five days.

This was definitely not supposed to happen!

Delays in supply convoys were severely punished in any nation’s laws, and Kushan was no exception.

There had been no unusual weather recently to cause such a delay.

Bo Diao frowned and sternly questioned his subordinate, “I don’t want to hear you shirking responsibility, saying the northern supply troops are doing their duty. I just want to know why the rear supplies haven’t arrived?”

That was the key.

Bo Diao knew exactly how much food was stored in Flosha. The consumption from his campaign against Khwarezm was far from depleting the reserves, so this couldn’t be a normal supply cutoff.

It made him feel a sense of foreboding.

He was still too young. While he had used a firm hand to suppress those who opposed his ascension, there were still those waiting for him to make a mistake in his campaigns. It was also possible that someone had caused trouble in the capital while he was away.

But the trusted aides he left in Flosha, holding a force ready for a desperate counterattack if necessary, shouldn’t have let his rear fall into chaos…

However, before he could order someone to return and investigate, a messenger arrived with urgent news.

The messenger, in a panic, reported:

“Something terrible has happened! A force has suddenly attacked from the northwest river valley, coming from the Congling Mountains, and has completely annihilated our troops stationed there. They claim—

‘To be the Great Yong army, pacifying the border!'”

Author’s Note:

Poor Kushan, so tragic.

But our generals have also suffered a lot, okay? (Righteously)

There are still two or three chapters left in this Western Regions side story, but it won’t be too detailed.

Then the maritime navigation side story will combine official reforms and productive forces development.

The following side stories won’t be as long as this one.

The side stories should wrap up by the end of the month. The detailed outline I had was until November 2nd, so it should be officially completed by then.

(The cover collection is already on Weibo; feel free to check it out if interested. The current cover will remain after completion.)

See you tomorrow at 9:30 AM.