Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

In Gaochang City, several karez (ground water reservoirs) were surrounded by people.

With soldiers maintaining order, city residents lined up to fetch water, and those who dared to cut in line were immediately dragged out and beaten.

The water was already turbid, because the water in the open channel was gone, so they had to go into the underground channel to fetch water.

The water in the underground channel had also run dry.

If they had to forcibly take it, it would definitely be muddy with water.

Obviously, the Ming army blocked the upstream of the karez!

The vertical wells exposed on the ground were filled with a lot of mud by the Ming army, seriously blocking the flow of the underground channel.

The Ming army even left the river water on the ground and drank the water from the upstream karez for more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians.

There were two early theories about the karez.

One was that the technology came from Shaanxi, and the other was that the technology came from Persia.

But later, through archaeological murals, it was discovered that this thing had appeared in Xinjiang as early as the Xia and Shang dynasties.

There are more than ten karez dug in Gaochang City and the surrounding suburbs, which were abandoned as the Mongols destroyed Gaochang. After the founding of New China, these karez ruins were dug out again. Through scientific and technological determination of their age, it was found that they were built between the late Warring States Period and the Western Han Dynasty.

From time to time, cavalrymen ran back and forth in the city and shouted: "Don't be afraid of water shortage, it will snow soon, and you can drink snow water then!"

Such propaganda is naturally to stabilize people's hearts. Who knows when it will snow this year.

There are thousands of people digging wells in various underground channels.

The soil here is very permeable, and the meltwater and precipitation from the mountain snow seep down and become groundwater.

With abundant groundwater resources, squatting in the underground channel and continuing to dig down is very likely to regain water.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

In a karez underground channel, gunshots suddenly rang out and echoed for a long time.

The shields of the Western Liao soldiers who were responsible for protecting the well diggers were directly pierced by muskets at close range. The Western Liao archers who were at the back crouched and tried to draw their bows to fight back, but were killed by a few gunshots.

"The Ming army is coming!"

The Western Liao civilians who were responsible for transporting soil out were so scared that they rushed back.

The karez underground channel was about 1.7 meters high and 1.2 meters wide. There were too many people and it was too narrow, so they couldn't escape quickly at all. They trampled each other to death in a hurry.

"Come up!"

The Ming army soldiers shouted to the civilians who were digging the vertical shaft in the newly learned Uighur language.

The civilians in the well trembled and climbed up along the rope.

Including other captured civilians, they were all forced by the Ming army to fill the sand back to block the vertical shaft that had just been dug.

After blocking, the Ming army hurriedly fled!

Because this was already an underground area in the city, if they were a little slower, they would be surrounded by the enemy.

Under the continuous destruction of the Ming army, the defenders had to seal the underground channels inside and outside the city first, and then continue digging underground inside the city.

Even if more than a dozen wells were successfully dug, it would be a drop in the bucket considering the number of soldiers and civilians in the city, not to mention that there were still a large number of war horses that needed water.

"Water is out, water is out!"

There is a Buddhist temple in the southwest of Gaochang's outer city, and the monks cheered in unison.

This temple covers an area of ​​more than 10,000 square meters, and Master Xuanzang once preached here for more than a month.

The southwest and southeast urban areas of the entire outer city are densely packed with temples. In addition to Buddhist temples, there are also Nestorian temples. The relationship between the two religions is very harmonious, and believers have long intermarried.

The Manichean temple is in the northwest of the inner city, and the Zoroastrian temple is in the northeast.

There are many other temples of other sects scattered throughout the inner and outer cities. Believers of various ethnic groups live next to their temples, and the abbots have great community power and high community prestige.

"Da Da Da Da!"

A team of cavalrymen rushed to the gate of the temple. The officer raised his sword and said to the monks: "The monks are always extracting well water and pouring it into the nearest water tank. When the residents in the city draw water, the monks of this temple can use it first, and the rest will be distributed by the army!"

Faced with real swords and guns, the monks dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.

The next day, another well was opened in the inner city. When the residents rushed for water, there was even a riot. The soldiers killed more than 20 people and suppressed it.

"Boom boom boom boom!"

The daily bombardment outside the city began again. Since there was no hope of collapsing the city wall, all the light and heavy artillery were aimed at the defense facilities on the city wall.

Several towers, especially those with urn cities, had been blown down by shells.

From time to time, shells fell into the city, smashing the nearby houses into pieces, and even many statues of the gods of major religions were smashed.

The soldiers and civilians in the city were terrified by the continuous bombardment.

And they did not dare to go out of the city to collect firewood, because they would be killed by the Ming cavalry if they were not careful. The firewood stored by the military was barely enough, but ordinary people could only dismantle doors or furniture.

Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore!

That evening, while the Ming army was withdrawing and returning to the camp, the defenders opened the city gates and let the people go out to collect firewood - mainly shrubs, hay and crop residues.

Many men and even monks rushed out with courage.

They were soon discovered by the Ming army scouts, who blew trumpets to call for more Ming cavalry.

The Western Liao cavalry responsible for protecting the firewood collection immediately went up to fight with the Ming army, but most of them shot a few arrows and fled towards the city.

And those civilians who went out of the city to collect firewood, picked up things that could be ignited and ran away.

The Ming cavalry chased all the way to the outside of the city, and had to stop in the face of the rain of arrows, silently watching the Western Liao soldiers and civilians enter the city.

However, a few Western Liao cavalry did not enter the city. They "ran away" and ran farther, and then took the initiative to kneel down and surrender and asked to see the commander of the Ming army.

"Who is your master?" Li Yanxian asked.

The cavalrymen replied: "Our master is called Zhuo Weng."

In fact, his master was called Zhang Huan.

Huan (wěng, meaning dawn) was a common name for Han Zoroastrians in the Tang Dynasty, and it has a special religious meaning.

The regime changed, and the ethnic groups changed.

The descendants of Han Zoroastrians in the Western Regions could no longer speak Chinese or write Chinese characters. But they still remembered the pronunciation of their surnames, and still liked to be named "Huang", but they completely forgot how to write their surnames and the character "Huang".

Zhang Huan, who had a good Chinese name, was actually called "Huang Weng" by his subordinates.

Li Yanxian naturally couldn't figure this out, so he continued to ask: "Where is that Zhuo Weng from? What position does he hold in the Western Liao army? What religion does he believe in?"

A cavalryman replied: "Our master is the second largest noble in Yizhou, serving as the deputy city lord of Yizhou, and believes in the glorious Zoroastrianism."

When Nestorianism spread to the East, its doctrines changed greatly, and the same was true for Zoroastrianism.

Although the orthodox Zoroastrianism of Persia has several auxiliary gods, it is ultimately a monotheistic religion. However, when it spread to the East, it became a polytheistic Zoroastrianism, constantly absorbing and adding gods along the way, and even adding Hindu gods.

If the Ming Dynasty ruled here for a long time, it would not be a bad idea for Confucius to become a Zoroastrian god.

For this sect that keeps pace with the times, Emperor Xiao Zhu was still very happy to accept it.

"How many soldiers does Zhuo Weng have?" Li Yanxian asked.

The cavalry who came to contact replied: "Many people were killed and injured. There are only more than 300 cavalry and more than 2,000 infantry. The master led the troops to defend the Wucheng Gate in the northwest, and the urn city there is also under the master's garrison. If the Ming soldiers attack the city, the master can immediately turn against them."

Li Yanxian did not express his opinion, and asked some military information, and then sent these cavalry away.

The generals expressed their opinions. Some thought that they could take the opportunity to attack the city, and some thought that the old man was pretending to surrender.

Li Yanxian had not made a decision yet, and suddenly a telegraph officer came to the army: "More than 40 miles to the west, scattered Western Liao cavalry were found. They may be scouts sent by the Western Liao reinforcements."

The Ming army had temporarily set up an antenna in a fort in the northwest of Gaochang City.

Although the antenna was not high and the scale was not large, the army within a radius of dozens of miles could quickly send news to Li Yanxian as long as they brought a hand-cranked transmitter.

"No need to think about it!"

Li Yanxian stood up and said, "Fight the reinforcements first and then attack the city. With the morale of the defenders in the city, we can take it down in one fell swoop as long as we destroy the reinforcements."

Li Yanxian asked Chen Ziyi to lead thousands of cavalry to set off overnight, carrying only three days of food and grass, and march westward along the southern foot of Huoyan Mountain, bypassing the Gobi Desert to the rear of the Western Liao reinforcements.

He also asked the deputy commander Zhong Yanchong, who arrived two days ago, to set off overnight with his main force and move to the camp 20 miles southwest of Gaochang City. Although there are no rivers on the ground there, it is the area with the most karez and the essence of the farming area around Gaochang City.

The rest of the camps were drawn to Li Yanxian's main camp.

The Western Liao reinforcements marched all the way and slowed down 200 miles away from Gaochang City. One is to fear a sudden attack by the Ming army, and the other is to reduce the daily marching time to restore physical strength.

"Ding ding ding!"

The telegraph operator ran to report: "General Chen Ziyi called: Our troops are at the westernmost part of the desert. I don't know if the main force of the enemy has passed. The drinking water can last for two days. According to the guide, water can be replenished by going west or south."

Li Yanxian said to the telegraph operator: "Let him continue to lurk in the desert and wait for my order!"

Where is Chen Ziyi now?

If he continues to go west, he can go to Grape Valley to eat grapes.

Another day later, more and more cavalrymen from the Western Liao reinforcements came. Although he had not figured out where the main force was camped, Li Yanxian was basically sure that the enemy was nearby.

Another day later, probably in a hurry to rescue Gaochang City, Xiao Wulila took the initiative to show up with reinforcements and went straight to the water-rich area where Zhong Yanchong was.

Li Yanxian ordered the telegraph operator: "Send a message to Chen Ziyi, he can start."

Led by the guide, Chen Ziyi rushed to Grape Valley along the southern foot of Huoyan Mountain.

There were no enemy troops here, not even a few young and strong men, only some old, weak, women and children.

The local villagers were forcibly conscripted as laborers by the reinforcements, and now they are in Xiao Wulila's camp.

He went south along the river again, and after galloping for more than ten miles, he found a camp.

That was the main camp of Xiao Wulila's reinforcements, and it was also the most suitable place to camp nearby - Turpan City!

Xiao Wulila had already led his troops to fight Zhong Yanchong, and there were only thousands of soldiers and a large number of laborers left in the camp.

Before Chen Ziyi approached, the camp was already filled with smoke.

When he got closer, he found that the fortifications here were so strict that the cavalry had to dismount to fight. However, Xiao Wulila wasted two days, asking the laborers recruited along the way to dig trenches and build barriers to consolidate his main camp. Obviously, he had been preparing for the enemy's sneak attack.

"The whole army retreats two miles and dismounts to rest for a while."

At Chen Ziyi's order, thousands of cavalry retreated, leaving only a small number of cavalry on guard.

The rest ran to the river to fetch water, filled the already shriveled water bags, and then fed the horses with water, salt and bean cakes.

After the soldiers and horses had rested, they mounted their horses again.

They did not attack the enemy camp with empty troops but deep trenches and high fortifications, but blocked the enemy's main force and the enemy's main camp.

The current situation is that Xiao Wulila is facing Zhong Yanchong's troops in front, Li Yanxian's main force in the northeast, and Chen Ziyi's cavalry behind him. Surrounded on three sides!

Of course, if the defenders in Gaochang City broke out, it could also be regarded as the Western Liao Dynasty pincering the Ming army from front and back.