Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 80: The Western Regions

Shentu Yang was going to lead troops to the Western Regions to reclaim the Protectorate General of the Western Regions for the Emperor. This intention deeply moved Yin Shuhuai. So before Shengtu Yang left the capital, Yin Shuhuai indulged him quite a bit.

This indulgence was no small matter. Shengtu Yang nearly drowned in the land of tenderness and could not bear to leave.

Unfortunately, happy times are always short. The Grand Marshal’s word is as good as gold. Even if he could not bear to leave the land of tenderness, he would not do something as foolish as breaking his word or defying an imperial edict. After all, he was only greedy for tenderness, not stupid. Whether he wanted one full meal or full meals every day after returning, Shengtu Yang could still tell the difference.

So on an auspicious day, after the Emperor of Yin led all the civil and military officials to offer sacrifices and report to the ancestral temple, the vigorous and spirited Grand Marshal led his twenty thousand elite cavalry westward, marching toward Liangzhou.

The army set out from Ji County, passing through Youzhou, Bingzhou, Sizhou, and Yongzhou, finally arriving at Liangzhou. Along the way, countless good sons from Guanzhong and Longxi came at the news. According to the Yin Dynasty’s conscription rules, they prepared their own horses and weapons and followed behind the main army. They wanted to follow the court’s army to Liangzhou, to the Western Regions, to gamble on a future.

Shentu Yang refused none who came and incorporated them all into the army. So by the time the court’s army reached Liangzhou, the original twenty thousand elite cavalry had become twenty five thousand.

The Governor of Liangzhou Dong Shou led the local officials to welcome the army at Wuwei Commandery, hosting a banquet to wash away the dust for the Grand Marshal.

Shentu Yang ordered the army to rest at Wuwei for three days. On one hand, this was to rest the troops and horses. On the other hand, it was to gather intelligence and information about the various states of the Western Regions, including the environment and local customs.

Ever since the court had made up its mind to reclaim the Protectorate General of the Western Regions, the Emperor of Yin had ordered the Shangfang Office to improve the compass, ensuring the army would not get lost in the desert. He also ordered the Imperial Medical Office to prepare many prepared Chinese medicines suited to the Western Regions’ environment, to be sent to the front lines by the conscripted laborers responsible for transporting logistics and provisions. This was to prevent non-combat casualties due to failure to acclimate after the court’s army penetrated deep into the Western Regions. He also had the Guanglu Office use powdered dried vegetables mixed with flour to make baked naan that was easy to carry for long periods, ensuring the army would not lack vitamins after entering the desert… As for the guides after the army entered the Western Regions, presumably the Governor of Liangzhou had long made preparations.

When Shengtu Yang was resting the army at Wuwei, he had the Governor of Liangzhou find one hundred local guides to lead the army. He also had the garrison troops of Liangzhou’s five commanderies train together with the Yan Kingdom cavalry, to cultivate默契 between the soldiers. The Western Liang garrison had long heard of the fame of the Youzhou and Bingzhou iron cavalry, just as the soldiers of Youzhou and Bingzhou had heard the fame of the Liangzhou soldiers like thunder in their ears. Both sides had admired each other for a long time, and now that they finally had the chance to gather together, they naturally had to compete.

At this first meeting, the Liangzhou army was completely won over by the excellent equipment of the Youzhou iron cavalry. Saddles and stirrups went without saying. What made the Liangzhou soldiers most envious was the heavy armor that both horse and rider of the Youzhou cavalry were fully equipped with. When the army set out from Ji County, they had not brought the armor considering the marching speed. But when they reached Liangzhou and were going to exchange martial arts with the local soldiers, every single one of them was fully equipped.

When the two armies gathered at the drill ground, the Liangzhou soldiers’ eyes went straight looking at the Youzhou cavalry’s equipment. No wonder the court had only sent twenty thousand troops to reclaim the Western Regions. They had originally thought that Shengtu Yang, relying on his illustrious military achievements and having once led the Yan Kingdom iron cavalry to crush the Xiongnu in a great victory, had become overconfident and was being reckless due to underestimating the enemy.

Now they realized that the court truly believed these twenty thousand troops were enough to reclaim the various states of the Western Regions. Not to mention the court and Yan Kingdom cavalry, if their Liangzhou soldiers could also be outfitted with such elite equipment, they too would have the confidence to conquer the world with twenty thousand iron cavalry!

Even the Governor of Liangzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He also hoped that the Liangzhou soldiers could wear such elite equipment. He just did not know whether the court would prepare such heavy armor for the Liangzhou troops.

“This is the heavy cavalry outfit that His Majesty ordered the Shangfang Office to improve, specially made for me and the soldiers under my command. His Majesty was worried that I would get injured on the battlefield, so he ordered people to create this heavy cavalry unit, to arm me and my subordinates to the teeth…” Shengtu Yang did his utmost to show off before the Governor of Liangzhou: “His Majesty loves me, and all under heaven know it.”

Although the Governor of Liangzhou was far away in Liangzhou, he had also heard rumors about the relationship between His Majesty and the Duke of Yan. He did not want to comment on whether they were true or false, but it was true that His Majesty had spent a fortune on the Yan Kingdom iron cavalry. The Governor of Liangzhou observed Shengtu Yang’s expression and immediately followed Shengtu Yang’s words with a round of flattery, coaxing Shengtu Yang into beaming with joy. He then allocated two hundred sets of armor to Dong Shou.

The Governor of Liangzhou: “…” Two hundred was two hundred. Although the quantity was a bit small, heavy armor was valuable. Setting aside the exquisite craftsmanship that Liangzhou blacksmiths could not produce at all, a single set of armor for both horse and rider was worth at least a thousand gold. Two hundred sets meant two hundred thousand taels of gold. Enough for him to raise a hundred thousand troops.

Looking at it this way, the court was indeed wealthy, and His Majesty was willing to spend money. With such a militaristic emperor, why worry about not reclaiming the Western Regions?

The Governor of Liangzhou happily accepted the Grand Marshal’s reward, and upon returning, immediately outfitted his trusted confidants with it. He also privately instructed everyone that on this campaign beyond the frontier, they must obey the Grand Marshal’s orders. On one hand, this was because Shengtu Yang had a record of successfully repelling the Xiongnu. On the other hand, he could also see that the relationship between the Duke of Yan and His Majesty was unusual. The willingness to equip twenty thousand cavalry with such heavy military armor absolutely did not look like the attitude of a puppet emperor toward a treacherous minister who had usurped power. Instead, it had a bit of the flavor of a ruler and minister who got along well with each other.

The Governor of Liangzhou could not help but recall that some time ago, Shengtu Yang had marched his army to the gates of Luoyang, forcing the court to move the capital and causing turmoil throughout the realm. The entire court and countryside had cursed Shengtu Yang as a treacherous minister who “held the Emperor to command the nobles.” However, after the court moved its capital to Ji County, His Majesty had strongly supported the Duke of Yan in pacifying Goguryeo in the east and developing Jiangnan and Shuzhong in the south… The Emperor of Yin, seated high in the bright hall, took the opportunity to gather imperial power and strike at the aristocratic families and nobles. Never again was there the embarrassment of court edicts not leaving the capital region.

So whether it was Shengtu Yang “holding the Emperor to command the nobles,” or the Emperor of Yin “holding the Duke of Yan to command the world,” it truly was a matter of different people seeing different things.

The Governor of Liangzhou was far from the capital and did not want to participate in those court factional struggles. He only wanted to use this opportunity to capture the Western Regions in one fell swoop and establish a magnificent merit. As for after the success, Shengtu Yang would sooner or later lead the army back to the court. Wouldn’t this vast Protectorate General of the Western Regions then become something in his bag?

The Wusun envoys who had long been waiting in Dunhuang Commandery learned that the Grand Marshal sent by the court had arrived in Liangzhou, and hurriedly rushed to Wuwei to pay their respects to the envoy from heaven. They presented precious gifts and one thousand head of cattle and sheep to reward the army, requesting that the court send troops soon to help Wusun repel the Xiongnu.

Shentu Yang accepted the tribute from the Wusun envoys, but did not respond to their request. He certainly did not put the defeated Xiongnu generals in his eyes, but he also knew that knowing yourself and knowing your enemy is the only way to win a hundred battles without danger. The twenty thousand Yan Kingdom cavalry and five thousand Guanzhong soldiers had just arrived in Liangzhou and were not yet used to the sandstorms and climate here. Shengtu Yang kept Yin Shuhuai’s instructions firmly in mind and had the medical team members who had set out with the army take the pulse of every single soldier, ensuring that the soldiers were not suffering from failure to acclimate. Only then did he gather the troops and set out from Wuwei, passing through Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang, then exiting the frontier through the Jade Pass.

As for the importance of speed in warfare… anyway, it was not the Yin Dynasty’s soldiers who were being beaten back step by step, nor was it the Yin Dynasty’s common people who were being plundered and enslaved by the Xiongnu. How could Shengtu Yang risk the lives of his own soldiers to fight bloody battles for the Wusun, who were not even remotely related to him?

His purpose in coming to the Western Regions this time had only one goal: to reclaim the Protectorate General of the Western Regions for His Majesty and reopen the Silk Road.

Facing the sandstorms of the Western Regions that had remained unchanged for a thousand years, Shengtu Yang looked out melancholically at the endless desert. The sun shone upon the golden sand, and everywhere he looked was golden. Ancient city ruins eroded by the wind and sand sat within the desert, and occasionally he could see winding camel caravans shuttling through them. The local customs here were indeed completely different from the Central Plains. Yet Shengtu Yang began to miss the wind and snow of Youzhou.

It was already summer. He wondered if His Majesty had eaten watermelon. The watermelons of Liangzhou were very sweet, and the wine was not bad either. But the weather was dry and hot, not as cool as Youzhou. However, when he led the army back to the court, he could bring Liangzhou’s watermelons and raisins back to Ji County. There were also the滩 sheep here, which were very tasty. His Majesty should like them very much.

Yin Shuhuai, who was being missed by Shengtu Yang, sneezed.

Ever since Shengtu Yang led his twenty thousand cavalry to set out for Liangzhou, the massive machinery of the court had also begun to operate. Yin Shuhuai was stationed at Ji County, personally responsible for the army’s provisions and logistics. He also thought that with Shengtu Yang’s abilities, this campaign to the Western Regions would certainly be able to reopen the Silk Road. So while raising military provisions and supplies, Yin Shuhuai encouraged the aristocratic families and powerful clans to plant mulberry and hemp, establish weaving workshops, purchase water-powered spinning machines and new types of looms, hire large numbers of women in large quantities, and train weavers and embroiderers. He encouraged the Shangfang Office to research brick kilns and porcelain kilns, hoping they could produce exquisite porcelain…

In addition, Yin Shuhuai also encouraged the various regional lords and powerful clans to cooperate with the court in building roads and bridges. He wanted to rebuild the official roads from Liangzhou to Ji County, making it convenient for the court’s army to reach the Western Regions directly, and also convenient for merchant caravans from both sides to travel and trade. After the roads were built, the court would charge traveling merchants a “road maintenance fee,” and the court was willing to split this money evenly with the local powerful clans. To build the roads as quickly as possible, Yin Shuhuai also dug up a cement recipe from the depths of his memory and handed it over to the Shangfang Office for research.

So the Ministry of the Imperial Treasury, in addition to coal yards and weaving workshops, also opened a cement factory. They produced bags of dry cement powder to be used for building roads and bridges. The aristocratic families and powerful clans got a taste of the benefits of building roads and could not stop.

A series of policies encouraging commerce were issued in an orderly manner. The aristocratic families and powerful clans were dazzled, and also began to imagine the beautiful money-making prospects that His Majesty had painted for them after reopening the Silk Road. Their hearts immediately skipped a beat.

In short, war is the extension of politics. Fighting is not the goal. Yin Shuhuai hoped that Shengtu Yang’s trip to the Western Regions would smoothly reclaim the Protectorate General of the Western Regions and restore the Yin Dynasty’s influence and control over the Western Regions. For the aristocratic families, powerful clans, and all the nobles of the court, the outcome of Shengtu Yang’s campaign would also affect whether they could earn money from the Western Regions in the future.

You see, ever since the court had successively developed Jiangnan and Shuzhong, the aristocratic families and nobles had discovered that the production capacity of silk and cloth in the Central Plains was somewhat excessive. If we say that the grain they planted could still be stockpiled for a rainy day, those warehouses full of silk and brocade were quite a headache.

The result of productivity exceeding market demand is that goods will drop sharply in price. Three years ago, hemp cloth that cost six hundred cash per bolt had dropped to less than two hundred cash per bolt by this year. The cloud brocade and Shu brocade brought back from Jiangnan and Shuzhong were also heavily impacting the high-end silk market of the Central Plains.

Ever since the Shangfang Office had improved the water-powered spinning machine and the loom, the court had also established weaving workshops in various places to recruit weavers. Every household began to plant mulberry, hemp, and cotton. Every village with a river built water-powered spinning wheels. Families with even a little bit of savings purchased new types of looms. The result of overproduction among the common people was that most commoners had achieved the basic survival need of having clothes to cover their bodies. But the cloth shops and weaving workshops established by the aristocratic families and powerful clans began to lose money, because large quantities of cloth could not be sold.

The aristocratic families and nobles did not understand any economic principles. They only knew that if things continued to develop this way, the silk and brocade in their warehouses would become less and less valuable, and their family assets would keep shrinking. Just at this time, His Majesty pointed out a path for them: sell their goods to the Western Regions.

That’s right! The Central Plains had been the center of the world since ancient times. If they could use the Silk Road to sell the silk and cloth stockpiled in their warehouses to the various states of the Western Regions, not only could they make money, they could make ten times or even a hundred times more.

Under Yin Shuhuai’s mobilization by explaining the benefits, the aristocratic families, nobles, and local powerful clans all saw the benefits of reclaiming the Protectorate General of the Western Regions. Everyone’s interests were closely tied together, sharing weal and woe. Naturally, they would not secretly cause trouble to make things difficult for the court. The power of the court working together with one heart was soon demonstrated. Shengtu Yang, far away in the Western Regions, also noticed that this time, the army’s logistics were running as smoothly as if they had been greased with rapeseed oil. With no one secretly pulling hind legs, Shengtu Yang fought this battle even more comfortably. Leading tens of thousands of troops, he directly drove the Xiongnu people beyond the Qilian Mountains to the west.

Further than that, he could not drive them, not because he was unable, but because the court’s supply lines had already been stretched to their limit. The court’s control over the Western Regions had also reached its physical limit.

Shentu Yang could only lead his army to erect a stele at Andijan in Dayuan, bringing this place into the jurisdiction of the Protectorate General of the Western Regions as well, checking off the achievement of “since ancient times” that Yin Shuhuai had assigned him. He also sent the various spoils of war collected during the fighting and the newly drawn maps back to the capital as the first shipment. These were the gifts he had carefully selected for His Majesty, and the territory he had conquered for His Majesty. He believed His Majesty would certainly like them.

With a full load of gains, the Grand Marshal led his soldiers, facing the biting wind and snow of early winter, back to the court in triumph!