Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 191 Buddha’s light shines everywhere
The victory in the Battle of Hami officially opened the door to a new world for Yinzhi, and the western expeditionary army he led continued to advance and truly entered the territory of the Dzungar Khanate.

At that time, both southern and northern Xinjiang belonged to the Dzungar Khanate.

Of course, those in southern Xinjiang were merely subjugated and required to pay taxes to the Dzungar Khanate. Some were even forcibly conscripted to farm in the Ili River Valley and build palaces. This group even had its own separate name.

Most of the time, the cities in the southern border regions were in this state, submitting to the nomadic forces of the northern border regions. However, the nomadic forces of the northern border regions were also unable to destroy them, and ultimately chose to coexist and treat them as their own money-making tools. This had nothing to do with the differences in their beliefs. The nomadic forces with the same beliefs also had this relationship with them.

For example, the Eastern Chagatai during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.

Therefore, there was really no other possibility between Yinzhi and Cewang Alabtan except a war.

Yinzhi did indeed claim that his westward journey to Tianshan was to promote Buddhism, and he promised not to enter the northern border region, let alone the Ili River Valley. However, the problem was that even if he went to the southern border region, it would still affect the interests of Tsewang Arabtan. The cities in the southern border region were also his source of income. He could only conquer, not annihilate, the cities in the southern border region, but they did indeed pay taxes to him.

Moreover, it involves heavy taxes.

Yinzhi robbed him of his money bag.

As for propagating Buddhism and such...

We've all become rulers of a country; who doesn't understand this?

Whatever they believe in is ultimately just a way to deceive the common people and add a divinely ordained quality to their rule; in the end, it's all about putting their own interests first.

Therefore, after learning that Tsewang Rabtan had almost completely wiped out his army, Tsewang Rabtan, who had already completed the conscription of soldiers, personally led an army of 40,000, but claimed to be 100,000, out of the Ili River Valley.

However, he took the northern route, which was to go north from Yili and then march along the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains to Urumqi and then south. This route was through lush grasslands with ample water supplies, and he did not need to cross the barren valleys of the central Tianshan Mountains. In order to strengthen his own power, he also ordered the cities in southern Xinjiang to send troops to serve as his servants, and demanded that they meet in Turpan, where he would fight a decisive battle with Yinzhi.

The latter naturally arrived in Turpan first and quickly resupplyed the exhausted western expeditionary army; the method of resupply is self-evident.

The previously captured Dzungar cavalry were incorporated into the Eight Banners, with only Da Tsering Dondub and a few generals being placed under house arrest. These Dzungar cavalry naturally moved with the Eight Banners.

then……

Then they knelt down before His Majesty the Emperor with great joy and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

They were all very simple people. Whoever led them in burning, killing, and looting was considered a wise and benevolent ruler. Tsewang Arabtan was merely collecting taxes, but those taxes went to the upper class who lived in luxury, not to the lower-class herders. The lower-class herders still had to toil away herding sheep, and in reality, they themselves had to pay taxes to Tsewang Arabtan. But now His Majesty the Emperor didn't need them to pay taxes, incorporated them into the loyal peasantry, and led them in burning, killing, and looting. Moreover, the slogans His Majesty the Emperor shouted were, in their eyes, truly righteous. So why didn't they shout "Long live the Emperor!"

Are they from the Dzungar Khanate?
Tsewang Arabtan even conspired with the Qing army to kill Ge Erdan!

Ge Erdan was a trusted ruler of the Dzungar Khanate, who led the Dzungar Khanate to its current strength. At most, he could be considered a traitor.

A usurper.

Moreover, his usurpation of the throne was only possible with the recognition of the Qing emperor.

So as long as these things can be explained, then they're not a problem.

Urumqi.

"This is reality!"

Standing on the slope of Tianshan Mountain, Yang Xianzun leaned over a high-powered telescope, looking down at the thousands of troops arrayed below.

The Qing emperor, dressed in yellow cloth armor and with a lightning rod on his head, was boosting morale in front of his army's formation, much like Théoden.

The decisive battle between Tsewang Arabtan and Yinzhi is about to begin.

The latter was already taking a desperate gamble; he settled all the elderly, women, and children in the ancient city of Jiaohe...

At that time, Turpan did not have a city that could accommodate so many people.

By this time, Turpan was no longer the large city it once was, Gaochang, which had long been destroyed in repeated wars. It was now composed of several small towns, roughly extending from Shanshan and Lukeqin to Toksun. These were a series of small towns ruled by local Khoja families, who stationed officials in each. These towns could not accommodate many people, at most tens of thousands. Meanwhile, the allied forces of the southern border cities had already crossed the Iron Gate Pass and could attack Turpan at any time. If they dispersed, they would be easily defeated piecemeal.

Although gathering in one place can easily lead to total annihilation, for the current die-hard farmers, the result of not winning is total annihilation.

So they simply relocated them all to Jiaohe Ancient City.

It was a plateau surrounded by cliffs carved out by the river, much like a city wall, perhaps even more perfect. After all, no city wall is thirty meters high. Although there were no houses, only ruins, the hardworking farmers had been living in tents all along the way.

They actually live in dug cellars now, since the area is very windy and sandy.

Moreover, the cellar could also be immune to enemy arrows, and there were only 5,000 soldiers guarding it. The rest were all women and children who served as soldiers. They were not lacking in weapons. Yinzhi's westward army was a nation of soldiers. Even the female soldiers were equipped with matchlock guns, bows and arrows, and swords and spears.

Sufficient defense.

Of course, if Yinzhi's decisive battle failed, they would only be able to wait there to die, since their food supplies would soon run out.

and so……

It's quite tragic to think about.

After all, there were quite a few people here, including princesses and noblewomen. After months of sandstorms, they were all disheveled and their hands, which used to be free from manual labor, were calloused. They had to stand in the sandstorms with cracked lips, holding muskets and waiting anxiously for their fate.

They used to live in luxury, but now they wear smelly fur robes and eat dry biscuits and some kind of jerky from their own bodies.

You could scrape off a layer of old ash from his body.

I can only return to my past life in my dreams.

Of course, one could also say that karma is a cycle.

And all the other able-bodied men who could fight were on the battlefield right before them.

In this way, Yinzhi even managed to assemble an army of 70,000, well-equipped, with all soldiers wearing armor and a very high proportion of firearms, approaching 90%—meaning those unsuitable for firearms were excluded.

The Eight Banners were already well-equipped, and before fleeing west, Yinzhi had plundered all the weapons and armor he could find.

This also included warhorses, camels, and even some mules and donkeys. He even brought oxen, farming tools, and seeds, since their goal was to live and thrive in the Western Regions.

At this moment, this army of 70,000 men was centered around heavy infantry composed of Manchu and Han Chinese troops from the Eight Banners, flanked by Manchu and Mongol cavalry from the Eight Banners. In front, countless light artillery pieces were arrayed, along with a small number of flintlock muskets and a large number of matchlock muskets, arranged in volley fire formations. Interspersed within this formation were squads of heavily armored melee fighters. This was the best tactic that Yin Tai, Nian Gengyao, and others had devised to deal with the Heavenly Army; it was the best they could currently implement. However, after developing it, they had to helplessly admit it was utterly useless, as the Heavenly Army's muskets had a longer range than their cannons.

Even if you project firepower, you'll still be a target.

But a desperate assault...

A desperate charge could indeed have succeeded, after all, the Eight Banners warriors under Taiyuan City did indeed charge forward with their lives on the line. In the end, three thousand soldiers died in exchange for the deaths of twelve heavenly soldiers.

Their cannons were lined up in front of the battle lines, and the soldiers were mowing down cavalry heads as easily as cutting grass.

Fortunately, their efforts have not been in vain, and they are finally putting their efforts to use.

Before Yinzhi could finish his pre-battle mobilization, the Dzungar artillery opened fire. His Majesty bravely faced the cannons, continuing his mobilization amidst the flying dirt and debris from the shells, which earned him a chorus of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"

At the same time, the Qing army's cannons also opened fire.

The artillery capabilities of both sides were roughly equal, primarily consisting of light artillery. At this time, the Dzungar Khanate had not yet fought the Battle of Lake Yamysh against Tsarist Russia, and they had not yet captured Swedish officers. They were still at the level of Ge Erdan's time, using light artillery such as camel-drawn cannons. The Qing army could only carry mother-and-child cannons and Weiyuan cannons for long-distance travel, with the ultimate being the Divine Might Invincible General Cannon.

However, even after the Dzungar Khanate captured the Swedish officers, their capabilities were limited to this level. The Swedish forces only provided them with a few dozen cannons in total, the best being a four-pounder cannon and the next best a ten-pounder mortar. The former was less powerful than the Divine Might Invincible General, which was over eight pounds, and the latter was only slightly stronger than the Weiyuan cannon.

As for why my Great Qing Dynasty suffered such a crushing defeat at Bohol...

Each generation is worse than the last.

The Sangharaja even had cannons cast according to the cannon patterns left behind from the time of Ma Ge!
While others are already using Armstrong breech-loading cannons, he's still relying on archaeology for technology, and he's still researching ancient artifacts from over two hundred years ago.

As the Qing army's mighty cannons roared, the whistling shells immediately caused chaos among the Dzungar soldiers.

These heavy cannons, painstakingly dragged all the way from Liangzhou by the Qing army, used their six- or seven-pound shells to send limbs flying among the Dzungar soldiers. Meanwhile, the Weiyuan cannons were also firing into the sky, launching fuse-equipped shells at the enemy, which exploded among the Dzungar soldiers. Amidst the artillery barrage, Yinzhi, having finally completed his pre-battle mobilization, turned and entered formation. At the same time, Yintai, as the de facto commander, issued the order to attack, and the massive Qing army formation slowly advanced.

Including those cannons.

Of course, the Divine Might Invincible General Cannon is not among them.

These things are used to boost morale. Given their gunpowder consumption and killing efficiency, it's not something that Yinzhi, who currently lacks logistical support, can sustain.

In real warfare, close-range fire from light artillery and muskets is essential.

however……

"I'm actually a good person."

Yang Feng left his high-powered telescope with a sigh, and then summoned the Imperial Seal of the State.

The next moment, the Imperial Seal of the State released a dazzling light, and the rocks and soil around him gathered at his feet like a vortex.

Immediately, someone on the battlefield spotted the light.

Then more and more people saw it, and even some soldiers couldn't help but stop.

From the confluence of rocks and soil beneath Yang Feng's feet, a rounded, slightly tapered pillar rose—or rather, a platform. The top alone was nearly a hundred square meters, entirely composed of rock. Due to the nature of the rock, its color was somewhat murky. It continued to rise, and then an even larger section emerged from the bottom, also rising continuously. This section consisted of a series of huge, arched protrusions, collectively forming an even larger arc. But as it continued to rise, a completely rounded top was formed…

At this point, even the generals on the battlefield saw it.

More soldiers involuntarily stopped and stared in astonishment. Both sides were equally shocked, looking at the enormous head illuminated by the light.

The top of my head is still rising.

Soon, eyes appeared as well.

Then comes the nose.

His head alone is already as big as a small mountain.

But it continues to rise from below because it requires a large amount of surrounding rock to form it, so the surrounding mountains are also sinking at a visible rate.

Soon the entire head appeared.

Meanwhile, some soldiers in the Qing army had already begun to kneel down.

This is a giant Buddha head, modeled after the Buddha in Journey to the West.

But he continued to rise, then his neck, his shoulders, gradually rising amidst the sinking of the surrounding mountains and the gathering of rocks. Simultaneously, the radiance of the Imperial Seal illuminated him, giving him a holy white glow. By this time, almost all the Qing soldiers had knelt. However, their opponents did not seize the opportunity to attack, because they too had begun to kneel and kowtow before this enormous Buddha statue. Although the image worshipped by the Dzungar Khanate differed considerably from this one, it no longer mattered; this miracle alone was enough to command their worship.

The enormous Buddha was still rising, his upper body gradually appearing completely, and his height had exceeded two hundred meters. One hand was raised in front, and the other hand was forming a mudra upwards.

And it's still rising.

At this point, even the entire Dzungar tribe had knelt down.

More than 100,000 soldiers from both sides who were about to engage in a bloody battle on the battlefield were now all kneeling on the ground, bowing to the rising Buddha.

Soon the Buddha's body was fully revealed. It was a standard cross-legged seated statue, sitting on a lotus platform, over three hundred meters high, standing majestically on the mountain. Behind it was a niche formed by the sunken area. In the light of the Imperial Seal, it looked down on the soldiers on both sides of the battlefield with a gaze that looked down on all living beings. At the same time, the sound of Sanskrit chants rose in the sky, although they were the death-reaping Sanskrit chants from A Chinese Ghost Story.

However, one person did not kneel down.

Tsewang Arabtan.

He was completely dumbfounded, sitting on a horse, staring at Buddha in utter astonishment.

He certainly understood what the appearance of this Buddha statue on the battlefield meant, especially given that it was right next to the Qing army.

"Why doesn't the Great Khan worship Buddha? The Qing Emperor came to promote Buddhism, and the Great Khan summoned the people of the southern border to fight against the Qing Emperor and block him. Now, however, he doesn't worship Buddha. What is the Great Khan's intention?"

An officer not far from him looked up and questioned him with obvious anger.

The officers and soldiers around him all looked up, staring at him with suspicion...

“Tsewang Arabtan disrespects the Buddha. My campaign against him today has nothing to do with the Dzungar Khanate. Those who are in cahoots with him will not be protected by the Buddha.”

At the same time, Yinzhi, who was also kneeling in the Qing army, pointed at him and roared.

"Whoever kills Tsewang Arabtan, who disrespected Buddha, will be the Great Khan of the Dzungars. I swear this to Buddha."

He then added.

(End of this chapter)