The people of Gaochang were also dissatisfied with this. Although they did gain a lot of benefits in the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars, many people in their families died. If they had a choice, they would rather live here honestly and not go out to ask for money that they did not deserve.
But there are many things that small countries cannot decide. When the Tang Dynasty's army set foot here, Gaochang's fate had already been decided. In the entire Western Regions, the people of the Tang Dynasty are naturally the first level, the people of Gaochang are ranked second, and the rest will be the third level.
Although they were reluctant to do so, it was still much better than the people in other countries in the Western Regions. They were unwilling at first, but after understanding everything, they could only follow the wheel of the Tang Dynasty, otherwise they might be the target of suppression. No one could obstruct the expansion of the Tang Empire.
After leaving Gaochang, the environment in the Western Regions began to deteriorate. Although we chose better places along the way, most of the time every year we were surrounded by yellow sand.
Zhang Jiuli was no longer trying to be brave at this time. After all, there were a lot of documents transferred from the court, so he could only sit obediently in the carriage. Fortunately, many roads have been paved over the years. If not, they would probably have gone the wrong way.
Of course, building the road also cost a huge price. Not to mention other places, just transporting 10,000 laborers from Fuso was a huge price. It is said that after the road was built, not even half of the 10,000 laborers survived, and basically all of them were buried under the roadbed.
The second round of renovations has now begun. The people for this second round of renovations were transported from Annan. It is said that they were also prisoners of war we captured. After a long journey, these people did not welcome their new life, but instead welcomed the major road construction in the northwest desert.
Anyway, these are the policies of the court. Either you can win the war, or you have to obey the policies of the court.
Western Regions Protectorate
On the 42nd day after leaving Chang'an City, they finally arrived at the Western Regions Eastern Protectorate. If the road had not been repaired, even if the number was doubled, they would still not have been able to reach here.
Cheng Chumo brought a welcome banquet to the two of them at the Protectorate. Xiao Shougui was also waiting there. The court's order had been received long ago, but as Li Xiang predicted, Xiao Shougui still needed to consider many aspects. Now that Zhang Jiuli was here, as long as the two of them discussed it, there would be nothing that could not be solved.
As for going to the front line to fight, Qu Tushou brought it up at the beginning, hoping that Cheng Chumo would approve him to lead the army to the front line. This is also what many people from military families are willing to do, but Cheng Chumo has his own considerations.
Qu Tushou just came from Chang'an City. Although he has passed the test of the South Camp, it is not a battlefield after all. Some people must be tested first. If you are allowed to take the army to the battlefield casually, it will not only be irresponsible to yourself, but also to the army under your command.
Although these 20,000 people came from Chang'an City, they were not all Qu Tushou's subordinates. They were just brought here by Qu Tushou. Qu Tushou was very clear about this.
According to the court's order, Qu Tushou had only 5,000 men under his command, and these 5,000 men were his army. Li Xiang was giving him a chance. If you have the ability, then these 5,000 people are just the beginning, but if you don't have the ability, then the beginning will be the peak, and you won't be able to bring more people in the future.
"General Qu's patriotism is truly commendable, and I deeply admire your abilities. I also know that since we all grew up in Chang'an, many things can be left unsaid. However, the problem is that we are now leading troops, and we must follow the rules of the army."
Cheng Chumo did not beat around the bush. He knew very well what kind of tempers the children of military families in the capital had. If you make things very troublesome, the other party probably won't understand. It's better to just say it directly. It not only saves time but also avoids internal friction.
"I understand what the general said. Watching you fighting outside for the past few years, my heart was really burning. Now I have this opportunity. I hope the general will test me as soon as possible."
The Cheng Chumo brothers were both well-known officials in the General Tiance's Mansion, so they were both promoted this time. Although the court had not yet issued a clear decree, both of them were worthy of the title of general.
"I just like working with straightforward people like you. If that's the case, then there's nothing more to discuss. About 500 miles northwest of the Protectorate, there's a bandit group of around 3,000 to 4,000 men. Most of them are Western Turks who are rebelling against us. There's no time limit. As long as you can take them out, you can take your men to the front lines."
Cheng Chumo went directly to the sand table next to him. In addition to providing 5 guides, he didn't care about the rest. Since His Highness said that you are a capable person and you want to prove yourself, then you have to do something serious. This group of people didn't stay here for long. If Qu Tushou didn't come, Cheng Chumo would have led people to kill them himself.
"Please rest assured, General. Give me two days to rest. After all, we've been on the road for so long. I'll lead the team the day after tomorrow, and we'll have results within five days."
Qu Tushou said very confidently that these generals were no jokes and would prepare to set off immediately after receiving the order. Of course, after a long journey of more than 40 days, they must let their men have a good rest. The Protectorate also prepared various items for the troops, which would definitely allow them to recover within two days.
"That's perfect. We'll see how you perform. Once you've dealt with these people, you can lead them directly to the front lines without having to come back. I'll send 1,000 Gaochang soldiers to follow you. After you win, you can hand over all the prisoners and other messes to them."
Cheng Chumo's words made Qu Tushou even more grateful. After the battle, there were still various follow-up matters, which were the most annoying things. Qu Tushou, like other generals, only liked to lead the troops and did not like to take care of these messy things. Now that there is someone specifically in charge, it really saves us a lot of trouble.
