The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 822 First Battle Against the Western Turks
During the Kaihuang era, the Turkic Khaganate split due to a counter-espionage plot by a Sui Dynasty envoy. The Western Turkic Khaganate gradually grew stronger under the rule of Shekui Khan. When his brother, Tongyab Khan, succeeded to the throne, the Western Turkic Khaganate reached its peak of power, commanding hundreds of thousands of archers and establishing a vast territory stretching from the Alps in the east to the Amu Darya River in the west and Tokharistan in the south. It occupied the entire Central Asia, Xinjiang, and northern Afghanistan, and its headquarters were located in Suyab.

However, this was the third year of Tongyabhu Khan's reign, a time when he was pursuing his grand ambitions. Just last year, he had already sent troops to conquer Anxi. If he hadn't resorted to this tactic of marrying off his princess, people would have tolerated the heavy taxes. But this move directly ignited the anger of the various small kingdoms in the Western Regions.

This is not just a matter of customs and beliefs, but rather an issue of extreme injustice. There were many small states under the rule of the Western Turks, and the Western Turks did not have that many princesses. They were all Turkic girls from ordinary families, who were all rough, fierce, and illiterate. They were forced to become queens of various states, while the states had to provide genuine princesses to marry Turkic nobles.

The kingdoms of Anxi were naturally unwilling, but their unwillingness would lead to brutal suppression, making the Sui army the only hope for the kingdoms of Shule and Shache.

Qin Qiong's army arrived at Shache Kingdom first. Shache Kingdom had two thousand Turkic troops stationed there, which could be easily wiped out. However, there were two problems: one was that innocent people could not be harmed, as the Turkic army was stationed in the capital city; the other was that not a single garrison soldier could be allowed to escape.

There is only one way: to cooperate from within and without and take Shache City under cover of night.

Deputy General Jia Wuben said, "Why don't we join forces with the Kingdom of Shache?"

Qin Qiong pondered for a moment and said, "We don't know anything about the King of Shache, so we don't need to bother them. The city walls aren't high, so it's easy to get up there. The key is that I need to know the exact location of the military camp and the situation of the guards at the city gate."

Prince Amile said, “I may enter the city. General, you may send a scout to accompany me and find out what’s going on inside the city!”

Qin Qiong was overjoyed and sent a scout who could speak Anxi language to dress in the clothing of the Shule Kingdom and follow Prince Amile into the city.

The rest of the army rested in a willow grove ten miles away from Shache City.

The following afternoon, the scout returned and reported to Qin Qiong: "The military camp is in the northwest corner, also surrounded by walls. There is no training at night, and only more than a hundred Turkic soldiers guard the north gate."

"Where is the south gate?"

"The South Gate is the main gate of the royal palace, guarded by soldiers from the Shache Kingdom. The King of Shache is very willing to help us eliminate the Turkic soldiers, so we can enter through the main gate of the royal palace."

Qin Qiong pondered for a moment and then asked, "Are there Turkic soldiers inside the palace?"

"There are no Turkic soldiers inside the palace, but there is a Turkic government office next to the palace. The deputy chieftain there is responsible for collecting taxes and monitoring the King of Shache. In addition to the officials, there are also more than a dozen Turkic soldiers guarding it."

Qin Qiong nodded and drew a map on the ground. "The Turkic soldiers are in three places: the military camp, the north gate, and the government office. We need to split our forces."

Qin Qiong immediately made arrangements. Jia Wuben led two thousand soldiers to ambush outside the city to intercept the fleeing Turkic soldiers. Another general, He Kaiyuan, led one thousand men to be in charge of the north gate. Another general, Zhang Lian, led five hundred soldiers to take over the government office. Cheng Yaojin led three thousand five hundred soldiers as the vanguard to storm the camp. Qin Qiong led eight thousand soldiers to surround the camp.

That night, the army moved out. Jia Wuben led 2,000 troops to ambush the capital, while Qin Qiong led 13,000 troops to the south of the city.

The Kingdom of Shache was a devout Buddhist, and the city's architecture reflected this Buddhist style. Above the royal palace stood five tall towers, symbolizing the Five Buddhas, and in the center were three arched gates: a main gate and two smaller secondary gates.

At midnight, the main gate opened wide. Cheng Yaojin, axe in hand, spurred his horse and led three thousand soldiers into the palace first. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, Qin Qiong waved his hand, and ten thousand troops quickly entered the city.

He Kaiyuan led a thousand troops straight to the south city, while Zhang Lian led five hundred soldiers to surround the government office.

The most proactive one was Cheng Yaojin. He was a late bloomer, but once he did, he was unstoppable. Cheng Yaojin's enlightenment came when his wife became pregnant and he wanted to be a father. This woke him up from his confused state of life. He wanted to be ennobled and earn a family fortune for his son and descendants. Now that the world was unified, his only chance was to expand the territory of the Sui Dynasty.

He led 3,500 soldiers, smashing open the camp gates and charging in with unstoppable ferocity. The Turkic soldiers were slaughtered, their heads rolling and flesh flying everywhere. The Turkic soldiers, fast asleep, were utterly unable to resist and could only desperately flee. Even those who escaped the camp were shot down by Qin Qiong's army. In just a few moments, 2,000 Turkic soldiers were wiped out, including the city guards, officials, and protectors—all were slaughtered, ensuring not a single one escaped.

The next day, Qin Qiong left 1,000 soldiers to garrison Shache Kingdom, and led 14,000 troops to continue the attack on Shule Kingdom.

Shule is the westernmost point of Anxi and a key node in the southern section of the Silk Road. It was home to many Sogdian merchants and was a thriving commercial center.

Shule was equally important to the Sui army. On the way, Qin Qiong and Prince Amile reached a consensus and agreed to establish a Sui army garrison based on the Khotan model.

The most distinctive feature of Khotan was that all the states recognized the Sui Dynasty as their suzerain state and were required to pay homage and tribute to the Sui Dynasty. However, the Sui Dynasty did not interfere in the internal affairs of the states. The states in the Western Regions paid certain resources in exchange for the security protection of the Sui army.

Of course, it was only after Amile personally witnessed the powerful firearms of the Sui army that he took the initiative to ask Qin Qiong to reach a consensus.

Twenty miles from the capital of Shule, they encountered three thousand Western Turkic cavalrymen who were training outside the city.

Qin Qiong made a decisive move, sending Cheng Yaojin with 5,000 soldiers to bypass the enemy's rear and intercept the Turkic cavalry's retreat.
Jia Wuben then led four thousand men to ambush the south, taking with them all the camels and horses.

Qin Qiong left only 5,000 troops to fight the enemy, including 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry.

Reducing the number of troops to an equal strength can lure the Western Turkic cavalry to engage in battle.

Several miles away, three thousand Western Turkic cavalry spotted the army ahead. They stopped and observed from a distance. The younger generation of Turkic cavalry no longer recognized the Sui army, but the commander-in-chief recognized them at a glance as the Sui army that had driven them out of the northern deserts years ago.

When enemies meet, their eyes are filled with hatred. The Turkic army would certainly not abandon Shule and flee. They only had two choices: either defend the city or engage in a face-to-face battle in the open field.

The centurion did not choose to defend the city, as this would not allow them to utilize their surprise attack advantage. Moreover, the enemy had only five thousand men, not much different in strength from their own. The centurion resolutely chose the latter, wanting to engage in a fierce battle with the Sui army.

"Pass on my orders: prepare for a decisive battle with the Sui army!"

"Woo——"

With a command from the centurion, a deep bugle call rang out, echoing across the boundless Gobi Desert.

Three thousand Turkic cavalrymen quickly formed ranks and began to slowly approach the Sui army. The Sui army was also approaching the other side. The two forces were evenly matched and both wanted to annihilate the other. The two armies drew closer and closer.

When they were three li away, the centurion finally gave the order to attack: "Attack! Slaughter the Sui army to the last man! Record the victory with their heads!"

Three thousand Turkic cavalrymen shouted in unison and suddenly surged forward. Qin Qiong sneered and ordered, "Arrow and lightning troops, prepare!"

Two thousand crossbowmen lined up in two rows, stepped on their bows, and unleashed their heavy crossbow bolts, aiming the fire arrows at the charging cavalry.

As they drew closer, when the enemy vanguard was only two hundred paces from the Sui army, the commanding general shouted, "Fire! Fire the first red line!"

(End of this chapter)