The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 788 Comprehensive preparation for war
"Your Majesty, Chuluo Khan should be the third son of Qimin Khan, Ashina Silifushe. This man has always hated the Sui Dynasty and is ambitious towards it. It is said that he has the support of the hardliners this time. In order to consolidate his position as Khan and to repay the hardliners of the Turks, this new Khan is very likely to launch a major invasion to the south next year. The time when the funeral of the deceased Khan is held will be a good opportunity for him to negotiate with the various tribes!"

Xiao Xia nodded. "I don't quite understand Princess Yicheng's stance. She is a princess of the Sui Dynasty. When I ascended the throne, she did not offer any congratulations. Now that the new Khan has ascended the throne, and she is the new Khatun, she still hasn't sent an envoy to inform me. I just don't understand, is she still a princess of the Great Sui?"

“Your Majesty, Princess Yicheng has been living in the Turkic Khaganate for twenty years. It is impossible to expect her to remain as loyal to the Sui Dynasty as before. Now the hardliners in the Turkic Khaganate are in the lead, and in order to protect herself, she has no choice but to submit to the conservatives and not contact the Sui Dynasty.”

"Then just ignore her!"

Xiao Xia said coldly, "Heaven will help us once, but not a second time. We must prepare for war in full force and take the initiative. The Great Sui Dynasty, which has finally achieved peace, will not allow any force to invade again!"

Xiao Xia immediately appointed Li Jing as the commander-in-chief of the Shuofang Army, with the title of Imperial Censor, and Qu Tutong as the deputy commander-in-chief, to lead an army of 100,000 to Lingwu County. He also appointed Pei Xingyan as the commander-in-chief of the Yunzhong Road Army and Xu Shiji as the deputy commander-in-chief, to similarly lead an army of 100,000 to Mayi County.

At the same time, 200,000 camels were dispatched to transport 500,000 shi of grain and 300,000 fat sheep to Shuofang County and Mayi County respectively, along with countless other military supplies.

Of all the means of transportation, Xiao Xia preferred boats and camels the most. Camels were used in the north because they could carry heavy loads; a strong camel could carry five shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain. They were also adaptable, easy to raise, and rarely got sick.

Therefore, over the years, Xiao Xia has been focusing on developing camels. The number of camels in the Sui army has increased from the initial 50,000 to more than 100,000. Through war and conquest, the total number of camels in the entire Sui Dynasty has now reached 300,000, making outstanding contributions to the Sui army's unification of the north.

If grain is transported to the border by manpower, twenty shi of grain can be transported from Jiangnan, but only two shi will be left by the time it reaches the border, as the rest will be eaten by the transporters along the way.

But using camels for transportation is different. According to the Sogdians' experience, a team of a hundred camels only needs two or three camel drivers. Moreover, traveling from Chang'an along the Qin Straight Road, it takes about ten days to reach the Hetao region.

Another camel caravan departed from Taiyuan and arrived in Yunzhong County in about ten days.

Along the way, there are water and food supply points that provide people and camels with the clean water, food, and coarse and fine fodder they need. Camels are easy to raise; 70% wheat straw, 30% alfalfa and wild pea cake, plus plenty of clean water, is enough.

The Sui army once cultivated wild peas on a large scale, originally to provide relief to disaster victims. Later, after the successful cultivation of yams, yams were used instead to provide relief to disaster victims. The millions of shi (a unit of dry measure) of wild peas produced each year were ground into powder and became a high-quality feed for horses and camels.

Preparing for war is not just about transporting food and supplies; it also involves bringing out various new types of equipment. In addition to arrows and grenades, the Firearms and Gunpowder Division invented the stun arrow, a type of firearm designed to frighten warhorses.

When firearms explode near a warhorse's ear, the loud noise can easily startle the horse. These arrows are inexpensive and easy to manufacture, and can be mass-produced to compensate for the insufficient production of arrow grenades.

In addition, the Bow and Arrow Bureau invented a throwing device, which was a ten-stone crossbow, weighing two hundred catties, which could be carried by a camel.

They used sand molds to cast iron pipes, but these were not the seamless iron pipes used for guns and cannons.

The iron pipe was installed on the crossbow as part of the guide groove, and was used to launch the iron fire mine directly, just like a small crossbow cannon, which could launch a three-pound iron fire mine two hundred paces away.

Of course, this is not much different from the range of crossbows. The only difference is that it is more powerful. The poison nails it shoots out can kill up to ten zhang away, which is five times the power of arrow thunder.

Firearms will become the main force in this war between the Sui army and the Turks, and thousands of firearms craftsmen are working day and night on a large scale.

Although the Sui army had begun full-scale preparations for war, it also benefited from having stockpiled a large amount of supplies, so it did not affect people's livelihoods.

On the contrary, with the unification of the world and the cessation of war, commerce began to develop rapidly, markets became active, and all parts of the world began to recover.

In mid-November, a light snow quietly arrived, giving Luoyang a thin layer of white makeup. With the New Year just a month and a half away, every household began to get busy.

Chai Shao, who had just been appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, welcomed a pilgrimage delegation from the distant Kingdom of Khotan. The leader of the delegation was none other than King Yuchi Bazhina. Years ago, when the Tuyuhun were destroyed, Yuchi Bazhina followed the Sui army to Chang'an to study Buddhist painting. Five years ago, the old king passed away, and Yuchi Bazhina returned to his country to become the new king.

He learned of Xiao Xia's ascension to the throne from Sogdian merchants in June of this year, and set off for Luoyang to pay homage in early August. The journey took three months, and he arrived in Luoyang in winter.

"King Yuchi speaks fluent Chinese!" Chai Shao exclaimed in surprise.

Yuchi Bazhi smiled slightly, “I have lived in Chang’an for five or six years. My wife is also from Chang’an, and my son was born in Chang’an. Chang’an is my second hometown!”

"I see!"

Chai Shao led them to the Honglu Temple Guesthouse and arranged for them to stay in two large courtyards. He then rushed off to report to Pei Ju.

Pei Ju was the Minister of Rites of the Sui Dynasty, and his foreign affairs were also under his jurisdiction. Pei Ju hurriedly took Chai Shao to see the emperor.

Xiao Xia was overjoyed to hear that the King of Khotan had come to pay his respects. He had personally conquered Khotan back then, but he never expected that it would still be a vassal state of the Sui Dynasty.

“I know Yuchi Bazhina. He was a prince back then, and now he is a king.”

Xiao Xia sighed at how time flies; more than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye. He then asked, "Did he mention the garrison and Ruoqiang County?"

Chai Shao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have asked him. He said that Ruoqiang County still exists. General Cao Taiyue has led two thousand troops to garrison Ruoqiang County, and another five hundred soldiers are stationed in Khotan."

"It must have been tough on them, they're all veterans!"

Xiao Xia sighed deeply and immediately said to Pei Ju, "The day after tomorrow, I will receive the King of Khotan at Zetian Gate and host a banquet. Prime Minister, please make the arrangements!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

Xiao Xia then smiled at Chai Shao and said, "Young Master Chai, tomorrow you can take the King of Khotan around Luoyang so he can experience the style of the new Sui Dynasty."

"Your humble servant will certainly make the arrangements!"

On the morning of the third day, as the bell rang, Emperor Xiao Xia held a court audience ceremony at Zetian Tower.

King Yuchi Bazhina of Khotan ascended the magnificent Zetian Tower, presented the Sui emperor with state gifts such as jade and clay, and paid homage with grand ceremony.

Xiao Xia offered him a seat below and had a cordial conversation with Yuchi Bazhina, learning about the situation of various countries in the Western Regions, as well as the situation of the Sui army and garrison in Ruoqiang.

From Yuchi Bazhi, he learned that Yuan Shoucheng and Zhang Jue had reached Khotan in March of this year and then continued on their journey to the distant west.

In the Western Regions, Xiao Xia determined the next direction after dealing with the Turks.

(End of this chapter)