Chương 590: You two are really crazy!

After the Han army entered the city, they maintained strict discipline.

The soldiers simply took over the city gates, granaries, and armories, planted the Han army flags on the city walls, and then sat down to rest by the wall on the street, without disturbing any civilians.

The people of Shanshan, who had been living in fear, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A few daring children even ran out to look at the Han army's muskets, their eyes sparkling, wanting to touch them but too afraid to.

That evening, Xue Rengui spoke to Ma Chao in a side hall of the palace, pointing to Khotan on the map:

"Mengqi, I'm leaving this to you. Five thousand men will garrison Yuni City, receive the grain and supplies from Shanshan, pacify the people, and then follow up. Jingde and I will lead fifteen thousand men, setting off tonight to launch a surprise attack on Khotan!"

Yuchi Gong, standing to the side, was taken aback, nearly dropping the dry rations in his hand. He quickly said:

"Old Xue! Are you crazy? The soldiers have been running for two and a half days straight, they haven't even caught their breath, the horses have lost weight, they're all exhausted, how can we march through the night again? Isn't that going to kill them?"

"Rest?" Xue Rengui shook his head, his eyes sharp as knives, his voice brooking no argument.

"Speed is of the essence in war! Khotan, knowing we're attacking Shanshan, will surely assume we'll rest for at least a few days after taking it, reorganizing our forces and replenishing our supplies. We'll catch them completely off guard! By the time they realize what's happening, we'll already be standing at their palace gates!"

He stood up, put on his cloak, and said, "Mengqi, you take the remaining five thousand men and stay here to guard the area. Make sure the provisions are accounted for, and then follow later. Jingde and I are leaving first! We won't wait for you!"

After saying that, he pulled Yuchi Gong and strode out of the palace. Yuchi Gong was pulled so hard that he almost fell, muttering "madman, madman" under his breath, but he still followed.

A moment later...

Fifteen thousand cavalrymen left Yuni City silently and disappeared into the vast night.

The horse's hooves were wrapped in cloth, so it moved silently...

Xue Rengui and Yuchi Gong led their troops without stopping, their men and horses never removing their armor or saddles.

They work tirelessly, braving the scorching sun during the day and the freezing wind at night.

When one warhorse died, another was replaced. Horse carcasses were left along the roadside. When the soldiers were tired, they would lie on the back of their horses and take a nap. Several times, some of them almost fell off their horses.

When they were hungry, they would take a bite of dry, hard rations, which were as hard as bricks and could only be swallowed with water.

When thirsty, they lick their chapped lips with their tongues, reluctant to drink even a sip of water.

After crossing thousands of miles of desert, we finally arrived...

In the early morning...

Just as dawn was breaking, they appeared at the western gate of the capital city of Khotan.

There was only a sliver of white light in the east; most of the sky was still dark.

At this moment, Khotan was still immersed in sleep.

The rooster hadn't crowed yet, and even the dog was dozing off.

King Shan Xi was sleeping with his concubine in his arms, snoring loudly.

The royal guards and more than 10, 000 soldiers were still fast asleep in their barracks, some snoring while holding their weapons, some grinding their teeth, and some talking in their sleep.

There were only a few drowsy sentries on the city wall, leaning against the battlements, their eyelids drooping, their heads nodding like chickens pecking at rice.

"Set up the cannons!" Yuchi Gong ordered in a low voice, afraid of alerting the city's garrison.

Hundreds of tiger-squatting cannons were quickly unloaded from the horses and skillfully assembled. The artillerymen moved swiftly, aiming at the west city gate just like in regular exercises.

The muzzle was covered with a cloth to prevent the gunpowder from getting wet with the morning dew.

"fire!"

At Yuchi Gong's command, hundreds of tiger-squatting cannons opened fire simultaneously.

The firelight was particularly dazzling in the pre-dawn darkness, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

The earth trembled violently, and dust fell from the city walls.

Hundreds of cannons simultaneously spewed out intense flames, like flowers of hell suddenly blooming, illuminating half the sky.

Immediately afterwards, cannonballs rained down like iron rain, slamming heavily against the city wall.

The mud-brick walls crumbled into dust the moment they came into contact with each other, and the rubble and dust tumbled down from the top of the city wall like a waterfall, crashing to the ground with a thud.

The wooden city gate was instantly blasted to pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere...

The sound of the door hinge breaking was particularly jarring in the dawn; with a creak, followed by a loud crash, the city gate collapsed completely.

"Rush!"

Xue Rengui took the lead, his white robe fluttering in the morning breeze, and led his cavalry into the city.

The musketeers followed closely behind, marching into the city in formation, guns pointed forward, ready to fire at any moment.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The musketeers fired in unison, and the sleeping Khotan soldiers were shot to the ground before they could even pick up their weapons.

Many people die in their sleep without even feeling the pain.

Ten thousand Khotan soldiers hastily engaged in battle towards the royal palace.

They charged forward, shirtless, some without even trousers, brandishing knives, spears, bows, and arrows, shouting as they tried to block the Han army's attack.

Their shouts were deafening, but in front of the Han army, they were like the buzzing of mosquitoes.

"Form ranks!" a Han army battalion commander shouted, his voice unusually clear amidst the chaos.

The five hundred musketeers immediately stopped and formed three neat rows, with the front row crouching and the back row standing, their guns pointing outwards.

"First row, place them!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"Second row, place them!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"Third row, place it!"

"Bang bang bang!"

After three volleys of fire, a large number of Khotan soldiers at the forefront fell, their bodies piled up, and blood stained the street, flowing down the cracks in the stone slabs.

The people behind were so frightened that they turned and ran, trampling each other, killing and injuring countless people, and their cries of pain echoed through the sky.

Xue Rengui and Yuchi Gong led their cavalry in a charge, and no one could stop them as they wielded their halberds and double whips.

Xue Rengui knocked three people away with a single halberd strike, while Yuchi Gong smashed a head with a whip; the two worked together flawlessly.

Xue Rengui stormed into the palace and found Shan Xi and his concubine trembling with fear in the royal bedchamber.

Shanxi, dressed in pajamas, hid under the bed with his buttocks sticking out, trembling all over.

The concubine wanted to draw her sword and commit suicide, but Xue Rengui knocked the sword away with a single halberd strike, and the sword became stuck in a pillar.

"I surrender! I surrender!" Shan Xi knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly until his forehead bled and turned a purplish-blue color.

"I am willing to submit to the Han Dynasty and pay tribute, and I will never dare to betray it! I offer all my jade and gold to the Han Dynasty! Take whatever you want from the national treasury!"

Xue Rengui snorted coldly, pointing his halberd at him, the tip only an inch from his throat:

"Issue my order: everyone, lay down your weapons and surrender! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without exception! The entire Khotan army is to be disarmed and reorganized! Anyone who dares to keep a single weapon will have their entire family executed!"

The battle was over in less than an hour.

The sun had just risen a pole's width above the horizon.

With fewer than ten casualties, a few lightly wounded and none seriously wounded, the Han army annihilated the 30, 000-strong army of Khotan, captured the King of Khotan, Shan Xi, and took control of the entire kingdom of Khotan.

When Ma Chao led his follow-up troops to the walls of Khotan, he saw Han banners fluttering all over the city and Han soldiers cleaning up the battlefield.

The soldiers were moving corpses, clearing the streets, and confiscating weapons, busy but not chaotic.

When he found Xue Rengui and Yuchi Gong, they were sitting on the steps of the palace, gnawing on a hard, dry naan bread. There were two bowls of cold water next to them. Their faces were still covered in blood, but their eyes were relaxed.

"General Xue, General Yuchi," Ma Chao said with a smile, giving Xue Rengui and Yuchi Gong a thumbs-up.

"You two are insane! You traveled a thousand li day and night, and conquered Khotan in just two hours! I, Ma Chao, am truly impressed! From now on, if you say go east, I will never go west!"

Xue Rengui wiped the blood from his face, grinned, and revealed a set of white teeth:

"This is just the beginning. Send word for a three-day rest to replenish supplies, then continue westward to clear the southern route for the main army! Next stop, Shule!"

..................

Meanwhile, in the north.

The main force consisted of 60, 000 troops, including 10, 000 cavalry, 10, 000 infantry, 20, 000 musketeers, and 20, 000 artillerymen, carrying over a thousand tiger-squatting cannons and over a hundred divine might general cannons.

The artillery was lined up in a long line on the road, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The artillery vehicle rolled across the ground, leaving deep ruts.

...

Su Lie, dressed in a blue battle robe, sat upright in the central command tent.

His face was expressionless, his eyes as calm as a deep pool, revealing no emotion.

Yuwen Chengdu stood majestically on the left, holding a phoenix-winged gilded axe, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

Qu Yi, dressed in black, stood silently on the right.

"Pass down the order," Su Lie's voice was calm yet powerful, carrying an undeniable authority.

"The entire army must accelerate, march day and night, and reach Wutugu, the capital of the Later Kingdom of Cheshi, within three days! Vanguard Yuwen Chengdu will lead ten thousand cavalry to set off first and block the gates of Jinman City. No matter how many people come out, do not let a single one escape!"

"Here you go!"

Yuwen Chengdu accepted the order, turned around and strode out of the tent, his golden armor rustling in the candlelight.

Moments later, ten thousand iron cavalry charged out like arrows released from a bow, billowing dust that blotted out the sky.

The main force of the Han army advanced rapidly westward along the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains. Banners covered the sun, dust flew, and the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps merged into a thunderous roar.

On the grasslands at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, cattle and sheep scattered and fled. When the herders saw the banners of the Han army in the distance, they were so frightened that they hid in the mountains, not even having time to pack up their tents.

...

Deluo, the leader of the rear tribe of Cheshi, was hunting in the hunting grounds outside Wutu Valley at this time.

He was riding a fine horse, holding a bow and arrow, chasing a deer.

The deer leaped through the forest, as nimble as a flash of lightning.

He was surrounded by hundreds of guards, all of them in high spirits, some carrying spears and others leading hunting dogs.

"Your Majesty's archery skills are superb!" a bodyguard flattered, his face beaming.

"With this arrow, the deer is surely dead! We'll have venison tonight!"

Delu laughed heartily, full of pride. Just as he was about to release the arrow, it was already nocked on the string and the bow was fully drawn.

A scout rode up on a fast horse, rushing over in a panic, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!" the scout shouted, his voice trembling.

Dero frowned, displeased, and put down his bow and arrows:

"What's the panic? Is the sky falling down? Talk to me properly!"

"Your Majesty! The Han army is here! The vanguard is only ten li from the city! They're a dark mass, like ants!"

"What?!" The smile on Dero's face froze instantly, and the bow and arrow in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud." The bowstring twanged and made a buzzing sound.