Chương 587: Steady Progress

"I'll take this!" Yuchi Gong immediately raised his hand, afraid that someone else would take it from him.

"I'll lead the artillery battalion to bombard the walls of Kucha! I guarantee every shot will hit its mark! We'll be the first to charge through the city gates!"

"The third, Shule." The whip struck the foot of the Pamir Mountains.

"The population is seventy to eighty thousand, and the army is twenty-five thousand. This place is the crossroads of the Silk Road, where the southern and northern routes converge, and it is the western gateway to the Western Regions."

If we take Shule, we can control the throat of the Pamir Mountains, and we can attack the Kushan to the west and the Kushan to the south... The king is an old fox; he follows whoever is strong and whoever gives him benefits.

Let's send a messenger first. If he knows what's good for him and surrenders, we'll spare his life; if he doesn't, we'll blast open his city gates and teach him a lesson.

"The fourth one, Yanqi." The whip pointed to the area beside Bosten Lake.

"The population is fifty to sixty thousand, and the army is around ten thousand. It is located by a lake, with fish, salt, and grain, so life is very comfortable, and they eat fish every day. The terrain is also excellent, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only three canyons to enter, making it an impregnable fortress."

But that's easy to fix. Just move the tiger-squatting cannons to the mountain pass and bombard the canyon. Hiding behind the rocks won't help; iron filings can get into the cracks. One volley will stun them.

"The fifth one is Shanshan, which was formerly known as Loulan." The whip struck the western shore of Lop Nur.

"The population is forty to fifty thousand, and the army is around ten thousand. It's just west of Yumen Pass, which is our only way through. This country is a fence-sitter. When the Xiongnu were strong, they sided with the Xiongnu. Now that we are strong, they will definitely surrender."

If they don't know what's good for them, then blast open their city gates, make an example of them, and let other countries see what's what.

"The last one, the former Cheshi Kingdom." The whip pointed to the Turpan Basin.

"A population of over 20, 000, with an army of around 6, 000. They're famous for their grapes and fine wine; they're easy prey, you can crush them at will."

After introducing the six city-states, Su Lie suddenly raised his whip, soaring over the Tianshan Mountains and pointing to the green grassland to the north.

It was a vast grassland, where the wind blew the grass low, revealing cattle and sheep.

The tent fell silent instantly.

"The Wusun Kingdom." Su Lie's voice deepened, as if it came from underground.

"A total population of three to four hundred thousand, with an army of around one hundred thousand. They are the most formidable nation in the Western Regions... Their cavalrymen grow up on horseback from childhood, possessing superb horsemanship and accurate archery..."

"One hundred thousand? That's a lot." Yuwen Chengdu frowned, then stepped forward.

"However, they don't have firearms. Leave them to me. I'll take on ten."

"Don't underestimate them." Xue Rengui stepped forward.

"Each Wusun cavalryman has three horses, so they can change horses but not riders, making them very mobile. They won't fight us head-on; they'll just flank us from behind, attack our supply lines, burn our provisions, and then run away."

Our arquebusiers are formidable, but they can't catch up with them. However, we also have 50, 000 elite cavalry, all battle-hardened. If they dare to stop and fight us, we'll charge in and crush them in a single round. No matter how powerful their cavalry is, they can't withstand our iron armor.

"Moreover, the Wusun territory is vast, stretching for thousands of miles from east to west, entirely grassland," Su Lie added.

"If we venture deep into the grasslands, they'll hide and refuse to fight us; but if we retreat, they'll come after us and bite us, like a leech. So this time we must act swiftly and decisively, taking down their royal court, Chigu City, and capturing their leader. Then they'll be leaderless. To catch the thief, first catch the king."

"There are two minor characters as well," Su Lie continued.

"The rear of Cheshi, with a population of 20, 000 and an army of 3, 000 to 4, 000; and the Yueban, the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu, with a population of 30, 000 and an army of 9, 000. They're just small fry, easily wiped out, no need to worry about them. Sending a battalion will be enough to handle them."

Lu Bu suddenly pointed to the westernmost part of the sand table and asked, "What about the Kushan Empire to the west? I heard they used to be quite powerful. Will they send troops to meddle in our affairs now?"

Su Lie smiled, his whip sweeping over the Pamir Mountains, pointing towards the vast empire—a yellow region marked with the words "Kushan."

"The Kushans were indeed powerful at their peak, with a population of tens of millions and the ability to mobilize an army of 300, 000, including heavy cavalry, all of whom were fully armored. But they are no longer what they used to be. They have split into eastern and western parts, and they are fighting amongst themselves, engaging in civil war every day, resulting in bloodshed. They have no time to care about the affairs of the Western Regions. They can't even manage their own affairs."

"Even if they dare to come, we're not afraid," Su Lie said confidently, his voice full of assurance.

"No matter how powerful their cavalry are, can they withstand our cannons? A single volley will wipe out tens of thousands of them, turning men and horses into mincemeat. If they dare to come, we'll take advantage of the situation to cross the Pamir Mountains and annex Central Asia, expanding Your Majesty's territory even further and spreading Your Majesty's fame even wider."

"That's right!" Yuchi Gong shouted, "If they dare to come, I'll raze their capital to the ground with cannons! I'll take back all their gold and silver treasures! I won't leave them a single hair!"

"Alright, we now know the details of each country. Now let's discuss the deployment routes. Does anyone have any ideas?" Su Lie looked around at his generals, twirling his riding whip in his hand.

"I'll go first!" Xue Rengui was the first to step forward, pointing at the sand table and shouting loudly.

"What I mean is, we should concentrate all our forces, start from Yumen Pass, first destroy Shanshan, then Khotan, then head north to destroy Kucha, and finally crush Wusun! We must capture the king first, eliminate the strongest few, and the rest will surely surrender! At most, we can pacify the entire Western Regions in three months! Then we can even return to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with His Majesty and eat mooncakes!"

"No! It's too risky!" Cao Cao immediately objected, stroking his beard and shaking his head.

"Concentrating our forces to fight all the way is too difficult. The supply route is too long, from Dunhuang to Khotan, which is two thousand li. In between, it is all desert, with hundreds of miles of uninhabited land. If Wusun sends tens of thousands of cavalry to raid our supply route and burn the grain, our 100, 000 troops will starve to death in the desert. Moreover, if we fail to conquer the front and our rear is cut off, we will be trapped like turtles in a jar, with no one to turn to for help."

"Then what should we do?" Yuchi Gong asked.

"Take it one step at a time," Cao Cao said slowly, pointing to the sand table, each word carefully enunciated.

"The first step is to capture Shanshan and the front of Cheshi, establish a logistical base, transport supplies and ammunition here, and leave a portion of troops to guard them. The second step is to divide the army into two routes: Xue Rengui will lead 30, 000 troops along the southern route to pacify Khotan and Shule; Commander Su will lead 70, 000 troops along the northern route to pacify Yanqi and the rear of Cheshi, and finally attack Wusun. The two routes will advance simultaneously and support each other.

Although it will be slower, taking more than half a year, it will be foolproof. Speed is of the essence in war, but stability is even more important."