C3537 Snow Wind Western Region (1/2)
Zuo Zongtang ordered thirty thousand troops to head out of Lanzhou City towards the northwest, passing Gu Lang, Wu Wei, and Yong Chang … Shan Dan, Zhang Ye charged straight at Jiayuguan!
Sand Russian Army raided the Ivu River Valley, taking over all of the Great Qing's land outside of the Sky Mountain.'s several thousand lone soldiers were guarding a few of the ancient passes, relying on the dangerous situation in the area and the bitter cold weather in the winter to survive!
Yaqub's originally expanding momentum had already weakened, but under the stimulation of the Sha Russian, his arrogance had actually soared, and he started to attack the s of the Western Region and the Zenith Province amidst the snowy weather.
The Su Zhou Governor, Xu Zhanbiao, and Yaqub's vanguard had already erupted into an intense battle between their cavalry soldiers outside the Stellar Gorge. It was all thanks to the six new field cannons that had come up to support them, that had forced Yaqub's three thousand riders to retreat!
Zuo Zongtang was extremely worried, he knew very well that the most important thing for Tongzhi to do after he returned to his own country was to take care of his own affairs. If he kept in mind that the situation in the Northwest was getting chaotic, the schemers in the imperial court would definitely take advantage of this situation, and would even use the disadvantageous situation as an excuse to refuse to return the authority.
Even if it was to make the emperor happy, before Tongzhi's great marriage, Zuo Zongtang's army would have to enter the stage of strategic counterattack, which was to send out the army of the Stellar Gorge to invade the borders of Xinjiang.
Time was of the essence. After signing the fund-raising agreement with Shang Tai and the others, without any worries over the money, Zuo Zongtang had to take action. The Xiang Army stationed at the Hao Lan Army Camp started to move closer to Jade Gate, Guizhou, and Dunhuang.
What made Zuo Zongtang even more worried was that Rong Quan had sent a message saying that Sir British Gordon's Expedition had already reached the Pagoda City. For safety's sake, after a short period of rest, this group of Expedition were actually preparing to cross the Quasi-Ge Plains under the cover of snow.
Travelling far away in the winter of the northern border was a dangerous operation, but Gordon and the others had no choice but to do it!
Although the wind and snow were dangerous, compared to the ferocious Yaqub, this was the safest choice!
”We can't delay it, it's better to freeze to death than die under Yaqub's blade! When Sha Russia took over the Ivu River Valley, Yaqub's troops in Di Hua City became even more restless.
”Once the Warm Spring Flower blooms, Yaqub's rebel army will definitely launch an all-out attack on the grassland. At that time, it will be even more dangerous for us to return to the Central Plains!”
Gordon, Duo Luo, Guan Lu and the others discussed for a long time, but in the end, they had no choice but to make such an adventurous decision. A thousand Quasi-Gear Plains Warriors who were familiar with the terrain escorted Expedition to venture into the snow covered plains.
Zuo Zongtang, who had received the news, paled in shock. He immediately opened the map and looked for it carefully. These people are crazy … If you want to be safe at this time, you have to go right west to Mongolia... ”Is he giving up his life?”
Liu Jintang pointed at the map and said in shock, ”Pagoda City is currently located east of the Namu River, and Lama Temple is currently in the Komori Prairie.” This place is basically a place with very few people! ”
”They have to find four wells in the wind and snow to not get lost … Chek Well, Eachwell, Holt Well, Zuckerson Well... ”The well water at the edge of the four deserts is where the herdsmen gather during the summer when they graze. How do we find it in the winter, when the sky is white?”
”Even if we can't find it, we have to!” Zuo Zongtang angrily tapped the map: ”Send a letter to Xu Zhanbiao, tell him to scout in the north, and bring my bodyguard to meet with Zai Sakhan!” Say that I wanted him to cast a net and look for someone! ”
”I know, I have no right to order them Mongol Kings, my rank is not high enough... But tell him, Yaqub is the enemy of the Man Meng three tribes, and they did not show mercy when they killed the Mongolian shepherds! ”
”Even if it's a white-furred knife, you still have to send troops to meet me on the prairie!” There was no room for negotiation! ”Immediately!”
At this moment, Zuo Zongtang understood Gordon's plan. To the north of Di Hua City, at the center of the Quasi-Carl Basin, there was a vast desert called the Gulbantungut Desert. To the north of this desert was the territory of Ke Xiao Meng.
Gordon and the rest would definitely not go through the southern part of the desert, they could only go through the more barren northern part of the desert, which was Mongolia. However, that area did not have any road signs or towns, and could only rely on four wells to recognize the road, which meant that they had to go through the right path one by one in order to reach the safe zone.
After passing through these four wells, they would reach the grasslands to the north of Hami Palace and Zhenxi Manor. Of course, they couldn't head south either, because this place had already been occupied by Yaqub.