Chapter 395: Troops Arrive at Khotan
Chapter 395: Troops Arrive at Khotan
Half a month later, Xiao Xia led three thousand cavalrymen to Qiemo City.
The war was over. The main force of the Sui army escorted Qiang prisoners of war, herdsmen and a large amount of wealth back to the West Sea. Xiao Xia did not go back for the time being. He led 5,000 cavalry to stay in Shanshan City. He wanted to inspect this new territory of the Sui Dynasty.
Qiemo City is not the Qiemo County of later times, but the legendary Qiemo Ancient City. Thirty thousand Loulan people once fled here, but then gradually disappeared.
The city still existed during the Sui Dynasty. Xuanzang recorded it in "A Record of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty" and called it the Ancient Kingdom of Zhemadana, but there was no one in the city anymore.
The main reason was the demise of Tuyuhun, which led to the destruction of Qiemo City and Shanshan City.
But at that time there were still 260 households, about 1,300 people, in Qiemo City, who made a living by growing wheat beside the Qiemo River. In addition, there were 300 Sui army soldiers stationed there.
Xiao Xia has decided to establish Shanshan County and Qiemo County in accordance with historical progress. Xu Min will be the governor of Qiemo County, and Cao Taiyue will be the governor of Shanshan County. Each will lead a thousand people to be stationed there for a term of two years.
Although the conditions were difficult, both of them accepted Xiao Xia's appointment without hesitation and became the first garrison commander of the Sui Dynasty on the Southern Silk Road. This was also an opportunity for them to leave their names in history.
The climate around Qiemo City was dry, with strong winds and sandstorms, but fortunately, as the climate warmed, it began to snow in Qiemo, the snowmelt intensified, the flow of water in the river increased, and it no longer dried up in winter. Many dead poplar trees also came back to life, and large tracts of grassland appeared by the river.
Where there is water, there is life. Not only did the relocated people begin to return, but the Sui army also planned to reclaim wheat fields by the river and raise some sheep.
Xiao Xia rested in Qiemo City for three days, and then led 3,000 cavalrymen to continue westward to the Kingdom of Khotan, 1,200 miles away.
The Kingdom of Khotan is today's Hotan, famous for its abundant production of beautiful jade.
Xiao Xia still has a knot in her heart. Yuan Shoucheng disappeared in Yutian. As to whether he really achieved enlightenment or simply passed away in Yutian, there is no way of knowing. But Xiao Xia still wants to see Yuan Shoucheng's last trace out of emotion.
As for ascending to heaven and becoming an immortal, that is a myth and legend. Just listen to it and don't take it seriously.
They happened to encounter a Sogdian caravan with several thousand camels and more than a hundred merchants returning to Kangguo from Chang'an.
The two teams traveled together. The Sogdian merchant in the lead was named An, about fifty years old. Everyone called him Mr. An. He had been traveling on the Silk Road for thirty years and had rich experience and knowledge. He could speak fluent Chinese and communication was very smooth.
"Has Lord An ever been to the west of Kangguo?" Xiao Xia asked with a smile.
Lord An smiled and said, "Your Highness, I have been to Persia, Damascus, and Byzantium. I took the most exquisite silk from the Sui Dynasty to Byzantium and sold it to the king, earning a large sum of gold coins. I was 25 years old that year, and I wanted to get married, so I married a blond, blue-eyed noblewoman in Byzantium. She followed me back to Samarkand, but unfortunately she couldn't adapt to Samarkand and died of illness the following year. She gave birth to a son for me, and now I have a shop in Samarkand, and she is eagerly waiting for my goods!"
"Are there Han people in Khotan?" Xiao Xia asked again.
Lord An smiled and nodded. "There are Han people, or they are descendants of Han people left over from the Northern Wei Dynasty. Khotan is the largest oasis on the southern Silk Road. The people there look like people from the Central Plains, unlike other places. Khotan also has many small cities, such as Pishan, Qule, Ronglu, and Yumi. There are tens of thousands of subjects and an army of about 2,000 people. There are also many Sogdians who have settled there. Your Highness, do you plan to expand the territory of Khotan?"
"If I station troops there, do you think they will welcome it, Lord An?" "I think they will. As far as I know, Khotan has always paid tribute to the Central Plains Dynasty. In addition, Khotan's ethnicity is different from that of the Western Regions, and their customs and culture are different. They have occupied the territories of so many small countries in the Western Regions. They must be very worried. Once they become a vassal state of the Sui Dynasty and have the support of the Sui Dynasty's garrison, they will not be so worried and afraid. Your Highness can give it a try."
Xiao Xia nodded happily. He had already built the two counties of Qiemo and Shanshan according to the historical context. If he could build another Khotan Protectorate in the Western Regions, it would also be making history.
Three days later, the green color gradually increased, and the army finally arrived at Khotan. Since the founding of Khotan, it had never seen such a large army. The whole city of Khotan was in a panic, the city gates were closed, and all the troops went up to the city. Even the king Yuchi Wusubi went up to the city to check the situation.
At this time, the Sogdian merchant An Gong took the initiative to step forward to act as a peacemaker. He told the king that the Sui army was coming to attack Tuyuhun, not Khotan, and that the main general was a prince of the Sui Dynasty, the son of the Sui Emperor, and was an extraordinary person.
It is not known whether King Yuchi Wusubi believed in Lord An's mediation or was afraid of the Sui army. He ordered the city to be opened and took Prince Yuchi Bazhina out of the city to meet the commander of the Sui army.
The Sui army had temporarily set up a large tent outside the city. Xiao Xia met the king and the prince in the tent. Judging from their facial features, they were indeed different from the Hu people with high noses and deep eyes. They looked more peaceful and very much like Qiang people.
Yuchi Wusupi and his son knelt down and kowtowed respectfully, "The small country of Khotan pays homage to His Majesty, the Great Emperor of Heaven!"
There was a Sogdian interpreter nearby. Xiao Xia nodded and said, "We have eliminated the Tuyuhun troops in Shanshan and Qiemo. We are worried that there are also Tuyuhun troops in Khotan, so I led the army from Qiemo."
Yuchi Wusupi said quickly: "A few years ago, Tuyuhun envoys did come and asked us to submit to Tuyuhun. We agreed, but their envoys never came again."
Xiao Xia nodded. "It should be because of the war between the Sui Dynasty and Tuyuhun that Tuyuhun could not care about you. I can tell the king that Tuyuhun has been destroyed by my army. We chased them all the way to Shanshan and killed all their kings and nobles. Tuyuhun no longer exists."
Yuchi Wusupi said terrifiedly: "We have always been subject to the Central Plains dynasty. When the Wei army came to Khotan, we sent envoys to Luoyang to pay homage and invited back a group of Han painters to teach us how to paint Buddha scenes. The descendants of these painters are still in Khotan and are living well."
The Wei Dynasty the king was referring to was the Northern Wei Dynasty, to which Khotan once paid tribute.
Xiao Xia sensed his nervousness and smiled slightly, "Don't be afraid, King. We have no ill intentions. If there were no Tuyuhun troops here, and if Yutian did not need the care of the Sui Dynasty, we would not stay long. We would leave after two days of rest."
Yuchi Wusupi breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Your Highness. We will provide tents, food and vegetables so that the Sui army can rest in peace!"
Seeing that he didn't understand what she meant, Xiao Xia didn't try to enlighten him. She just glanced at the prince next to her and smiled without saying anything.
The Sui army set up a large camp by the river outside the city to allow the soldiers to rest in peace. The soldiers heard that the river was rich in beautiful jade that could be sold at a high price in Chang'an, so they went down to the river to look for jade. The soldiers' surprised shouts of finding beautiful jade continued to be heard from inside the river.
Although the local officials frowned, they knew that there were rules for jade hunting, including a special time and ceremony for jade hunting, and that people could not just go down to the river at will. But despite their dissatisfaction, the local officials did not dare to intervene.
Seeing that it was still early, Xiao Xia took a dozen personal soldiers into the city.
(End of this chapter)