Vol 2 Chapter 2705: Iron Prime Minister Bismarck, Loulan and the Queen of Xiliang
Chapter 2705 Iron Prime Minister Bismarck, Loulan and the Queen of Xiliang
Chapter 2701: Iron Prime Minister Bismarck, Loulan and the Queen of Xiliang
Of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions, the strongest ones are naturally the ten independent countries. As for the five vassal countries of Qin in the Western Regions, even the five countries combined are not as good as the two weakest countries.
Any force with some strength cannot be willing to act as a client state.
Force forces like the five major vassal states cannot rely on their own strength to survive in the fiercely competitive Western Region. They can only rely on more powerful forces and rely on paying tribute to gain protection. This is the way for small countries to survive.
Under Ji Xiaolan's leadership, the anti-Sui coalition forces of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions were formed, and then naturally they sent troops to fight against the Sui army.
This battle is related to the survival of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions, and the number of 100,000 Sui troops made all the countries in the Western Regions breathless, so the countries in the Western Regions did not dare to hide anymore.
The five great powers, including Dayuan, Daliang, Xiliang, and Khotan, each dispatched troops ranging from 20,000 to 35,000.
The five countries including Loulan, Shule, and Qiuci each sent troops ranging from 10,000 to 15,000.
As for the five major vassal states of Qin, the five countries together mobilized a total of 30,000 troops.
At this point, the total strength of the anti-Sui coalition forces of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions has reached 240,000.
In addition, there are 15,000 Qin troops under Wang Ben.
This 15,000-strong army was not mobilized from within Great Qin. After the seven countries in the Western Regions voluntarily became tributaries of Great Qin, Wang Ben relied on the 300 elite cavalry who had entered the Western Regions as the backbone to absorb the defeated armies of the destroyed countries in the Western Regions. , the refugees and young people from the subordinate countries, and the new army formed by destroying the bandits and bandits.
This army can be called the worst army of the Qin Dynasty. Firstly, it does not have the formal establishment of the Great Qin. Secondly, it has no military pay and logistical supplies. Thirdly, its weapons and equipment are also very poor. Compared with the regular Qin army, it is worse than a beggar.
The main reason for this situation is that the Western Regions and Da Qin are separated by the Sui State. The Western Regions are thousands of miles away, and the logistics supplies of Da Qin cannot be transported at all. Therefore, all the supplies of this army rely on the fifteen kingdoms of the Western Regions. support.
In fact, when this army was first formed, Ji Xiaolan and Wang Ben had a dispute.
Ji Xiaolan felt that the mission of their trip was just to balance the forces in the Western Region and unite them to fight against the Sui Kingdom. There was no need to form another army.
However, Wang Ben believed that without an army in hand, his back would not be strong enough and he would not have the confidence to speak out. The countries in the Western Regions would only act in a positive and negative way, so it was urgent to recruit and expand the army locally.
The two reported their opinions to Li Jing, and after some thinking, Li Jing, although he was biased towards fellow soldier Wang Bi, he also knew the difficulty of building an army in the Western Regions, so he agreed without much hope. , it’s just that it has not been officially compiled.
In other words, the Qin Army in the Western Regions formed by Wang Ben was not officially recognized by the Qin Dynasty. It had neither military pay nor logistical supplies, soldiers, money, food, weapons and equipment, etc. It was all up to Wang Ben and Ji Xiaolan to think of themselves. Find a way to solve it.
Ji Xiaolan and Wang Ben were stunned after receiving Li Jing's reply.
You don’t give me any support, not even a stone of food and grass, so how can I build an army?
Just when Ji Xiaolan and Wang Bi were having a headache and even wanted to give up, Bismarck took the initiative to ask for orders to come to the Western Regions and helped Ji Xiaolan and Wang Bi solve the biggest problem.
Bismarck saw the opportunities contained in the situation in the Western Region.
Wang Ben wanted to expand his army in the Western Regions, but he had nothing but three hundred elite cavalry guards and the banner of Qin.
If he can help him form an army, and if this army succeeds in the future war in the Western Regions, it will naturally be a great achievement for him.
In Bismarck's view, Wang Ben seemed to have nothing on the surface, but in fact he had everything.
Wang Ben understands military affairs and can train troops, Ji Xiaolan understands politics and is good at diplomacy, and they have the backing of the Qin Empire. These are far more important than any materials.
Short of money and food? It doesn't matter, the fifteen countries in the Western Region own it.
Da Qin has helped the countries in the Western Regions so much. Although they have not asked for any reward, should you be more conscious and pay some protection fees?
Ji Xiaolan, don't you have iron teeth and bronze teeth? Go and persuade them to give them money and food. The dependent countries should collect more wool, and the non-subordinate countries should collect less.
Lack of troops? It doesn't matter, the fifteen countries in the Western Region own it.
So many countries were lost in the Western Regions, and many of them were defeated armies and refugees. Aren't these ready sources of troops?
In addition, you can also encircle and suppress bandits to train your troops.
Lack of weapons and equipment? No... This is not that easy to solve. After all, the fifteen countries in the Western Region also lack weapons and equipment.
Bismarck initially asked Li Jing to send him a hundred craftsmen to mine and forge weapons on the spot, but the efficiency was too slow. Only a small number of people could use Daqin equipment, and the vast majority could only make do with the old-fashioned ones from the Western Regions. equipment.
Later, Bismarck discovered that the army's armor rate was too low, the number of long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows was too few, and there was no cavalry, which greatly limited the army's combat effectiveness.
Armor, crossbows and other weapons and equipment are not so easy to forge, and it is also extremely difficult to obtain war horses.
Bismarck had no other choice but to ask Li Jing to secretly transport a batch. As a result, two of the five batches were seized by the Sui State.
The intercepted equipment was of course a benefit to the Sui State, which made Wang Ben feel distressed. However, the equipment that was transported was barely enough for the Qin Army in the Western Regions.
Bismarck was responsible for making plans, Wang Ben was responsible for recruiting and training troops and suppressing bandits, and Ji Xiaolan was responsible for lobbying various countries, relying on one mouth to harvest the wool of various countries in the Western Regions.
The three of them each performed their own duties. With their sincere cooperation, three hundred elite cavalry were eventually formed as the backbone, gradually forming a warworthy army.
But relying only on the tributes from the five major tributary countries and the wool collected from the ten countries in the Western Regions, when the number of troops in Wang Ben's hands exceeded 5,000, it was obvious that he was beyond his capabilities and could not afford it at all.
Bismarck had obviously anticipated this. At will, he gathered refugees in the Western Regions and rebuilt cities at the ruins of annihilated countries, reclaimed land and restored production, and also opened glaze, paper and other factories.
Bismarck used the goods produced in the factory to do business with the fifteen countries in the Western Regions, and even attracted businessmen from Kushan, Timur, Seljuk and other countries in Central Asia to purchase goods and then transport them back to their home countries for further processing. Trafficking. Bismarck earned a lot of wealth through trade, and purchased grain from Central Asian countries to support Wang Ben's army expansion and maintenance, and eventually expanded the army to 15,000.
This number is quite large, even among the ten countries in the Western Regions, it is not at the bottom, not to mention that the Qin army in the Western Regions has stronger combat power and equipment.
Due to the limitations of territory and population, if Wang Ben wanted to continue to expand his army, he would have to increase his population and territory. However, the surrounding countries in the Western Regions were all allies of Qin.
Normally, Wang Ben and Bismarck can lead their troops to fight against bandits and bandits, but if they really attack any country, the other countries will definitely not ignore it.
What's more, Wang Ben's customary task was to unite the countries in the Western Regions to contain the Sui State, not to annex the countries in the Western Regions, so naturally he could not attack his allies.
Bismarck had no way to expand his territory and increase his population, so the expansion plan naturally came to an abrupt end, which also made all the countries in the Western Region secretly relieved.
With the Sui State, Ji Chang and Li Siyuan, establishing a firm foothold in the Western Regions, the Han people's power in the Western Regions has become stronger and stronger. The local forces in the Western Regions do not want the Qin Dynasty to also become stronger and stronger in the Western Regions.
I have to say that Bismarck, who had an intelligence of 98 and a politics of 102, performed well in Yongliang, but it was not too outstanding, but his performance after coming to the Western Regions was simply amazing.
In just two years, Bismarck helped Wang Bi form an army of 15,000 people almost out of thin air, repaired three abandoned cities, and restored the population of the three cities to 78,000. , whose abilities and methods are rare even in Great Qin, and he is worthy of the name of the iron-blooded prime minister.
When Bismarck first came to the Western Regions, he was just the younger brother of Ji Xiaolan and Wang Ben. But now Ji Xiaolan and Wang Ben are the main ones with Bismarck, and they are obviously completely conquered by Bismarck's various dazzling performances.
The Sui Kingdom made its third expedition to the Western Regions and claimed to have dispatched an army of 100,000. This forced the fifteen countries of the Western Regions to join forces again and held an alliance in the Tianshan Mountains. The person who presided over the alliance ceremony was Bismarck.
This alliance in the Western Regions is a matter of life and death, and no country dares to neglect it at all, so all the kings of the fifteen countries are present, including King Daliang Daiba, King Lingyun of Dayuan, King Khotan...
Among the fifteen kingdoms in the Western Regions, the previous kings of Xiliang and Loulan were both childless, but they both died in the war with the Sui Kingdom, so their eldest daughters inherited the throne.
The current Queen of Xiliang and the Queen of Loulan are both women, and both of them are beautiful women who have attracted great attention from the country, and their arrival has also relieved some of the tension in this alliance.
Under the auspices of Bismarck, a Chinese-style blood-based alliance ceremony was held, and all the ceremonies were carried out in an orderly manner.
Although the Queen of Xiliang and the Queen of Loulan are both women, they are soft on the outside and strong on the inside. There is no ambiguity in the two aspects of dripping blood and drinking blood wine, and they join the other kings without even frowning. The blood wine was drained in one gulp.
"...The alliance has been made. From today on, we must work together and share weal and woe. The Sui army will not fall and the alliance will not be broken up."
Bismarck stood on the altar and shouted, while the fifteen kings below also shouted in unison: "As long as the Sui army does not fall, the alliance will not break up."
Under the gaze of everyone, Wang Ben walked up to the altar and received the seal symbolizing the command of the allied forces of the fifteen countries from the hand of the King of Daliang, who represented the fifteen countries.
Wang Ben's 15,000 Qin troops, plus the 240,000 anti-Sui coalition troops of the fifteen countries in the Western Regions, the total strength of both sides reached an astonishing 255,000.
This is an army of 255,000 people. Even in Da Qin, few people have commanded such an army. But now, Major General Wang Ben has become the commander-in-chief of an army of 250,000 people.
I am afraid that no general will not envy this resume. Wang Ben is also very proud of it. The only fly in the ointment is that this army is all foreigners. It would be perfect if they were all replaced by Qin troops, but they are all Qin troops. If so, it won't be his turn.
Wang Ben became the commander-in-chief of the Fifteen-Nation Allied Forces, with an army of 255,000 in his hands. However, facing the 100,000 Sui troops, with a strength advantage of 2.5 times, he was still not sure of victory, and was rather worried.
Wang Ben is mainly worried about three points: first, the overall quality of the armies of both sides;
After Wang Ben's training, the armies of various countries in the Western Regions became stronger in combat power, but not by much. They were still far behind the Sui army, not to mention that not only the Sui army came this time, but also Ji Chang and Li Siyuan's Tang army.
As the biggest opponent of the Qin Dynasty before the founding of the country, the Tang State lost more battles with the Qin Dynasty and won less, and even though the country has been destroyed now, its powerful combat power still wins people's hearts.
The troops under Ji Chang and Li Siyuan were all elites of the original Tang Dynasty. They had faced off against the main force of the Qin army many times, but they were still tenacious and not completely defeated.
Although Wang Ben now has an army of 250,000, he can face an army of 100,000. If they are all elites from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, he really doesn't dare to confront the opponent head-on. After all, the troops are more elite than more numerous, and he may lose in a fight. Sex is greater.
The second point that worries Wang Ben is the lineup of the generals on both sides.
The Sui army not only has famous generals such as Yang Shuang, Ji Fa, and Yu Wentai, but also powerful generals such as Gao Xingzhou, Gao Changgong, and Gao Gao. Even if it is not an all-star lineup, it is already quite luxurious, and it is definitely good at commanding and dispatching the army. Nothing will go wrong.
On the other hand, on the Western Region Allied Forces side, the only local famous general who could take advantage of him was Ling Xiao. The only foreign aid on the Great Qin side was Wang Ben, Wang Li and his son, and the civil servant Bismarck.
Meng Ben, General Ruan Wengzhong, and Wang Xuance, who once protected Ji Xiaolan and Wang Ben and entered the Western Regions, have now been transferred back to Daqin to participate in the Central Plains War. There are no strong generals in the Western Regions.
The army in the Western Regions was already weak in combat strength, and there were no strong generals to guard it. Now it was even less advantageous in field battles.
In addition to the above two points, the third point that worries Wang Ben is that the fifteen countries in the Western Regions will not obey the command.
When Yang Su conquered the Western Regions for the second time, he almost won the battle thanks to Wang Ben's efforts to turn the tide. However, because some countries did not obey the command, the good situation was wasted.
Wang Ben didn’t want to make the same mistake again this time.
Wang Ben prepared to fight steadily and rely on his superior strength to fight a war of attrition against the Sui army, but he did not expect that he would be defeated as soon as the war started.
What Wang Ben was most worried about happened. The pig teammates in the Western Regions failed to withstand the temptation. They once again disobeyed the command and sent troops without authorization. As a result, the 30,000-strong army was defeated by Gao Changgong's 2,000 Sui troops, with nearly 10,000 casualties.
The loss of nearly 10,000 teammates was nothing to the Western Region Allied Forces, but it was a very bad start, which made the morale of the Western Regions Allied Forces, which was already extremely fearful of the Sui Army, even lower.
Just when Wang Ben was entangled with Yang Shuang Jifa in the Western Regions, Li Jing, who was far away in Guanzhong, also received news of the Sui army's western expedition and responded immediately.
“Everyone, the time has come to destroy the Sui Dynasty. It is our Yongliang army’s turn to take action.”
(End of this chapter)