When he got off the horse, Ethan Shen's face twitched. He knew how to ride a horse and had even practiced horse archery on the racecourse, but good riding skills and long-distance horse marches were two different things.
In just three days, Ethan Shen's thighs were worn out and he walked as if he was limping.
Alexander Gao looked at Ethan Shen who was trying hard to endure the pain and couldn't help laughing, "Shen Lang, there's no need to hold on. Why don't you take the car?" When he first went to war with the army, he was not much stronger than Ethan Shen.
The team had its own carriage, and the ten beautiful dancers that the King of Khotan sent to Alexander Gao were riding in the carriage. Hearing Alexander Gao's words, several of his subordinates and aides cast envious glances at Ethan Shen.
The ten dancers were all no more than 28 years old, with bright eyes, white teeth, and stunning beauty. Their waists were slender and boneless, and when they danced they were like willows swaying in the wind, or like water snakes dancing wildly, which made them very envious.
Mr. Shen is very handsome. If he gets on the car, I am afraid that those bold and unrestrained dancers will take the initiative to express their love. The governor has always been generous and open-minded, and he loves to help others succeed. He will reward money as he wishes! Even beauties will be given as he wishes!
"Thank you, Protector General, but I can still hold on. Besides, it is difficult to ride a car today. How can I follow the Protector General when he goes on an expedition to a remote place thousands of miles away?"
Seeing Ethan Shen declined, Alexander Gao was extremely happy. He had indeed made the right choice of the man. Shen Lang looked weak, but in fact he had a strong character. He looked proudly at those long-time aides who had embarrassed expressions. He had won the bet.
After walking for a while and getting used to the pain, Ethan Shen looked around. This was a fairly large oasis. The meadow nearby was probably several miles in size. He could even see animals vaguely visible in the grass in the distance.
The lake water was clear, and the guards were leading the horses to feed them water. This was the first time that Ethan Shen had camped in the wilderness since he had set out with the team. Before that, there were post stations almost every forty or fifty miles along the way where they could rest and provide horses for transfers.
From the guards, Ethan Shen learned that within the scope of the four towns of Anxi, from the Governor's Office to the Garrison Office, to the Guard Office and the Garrison Fort, the military fortresses built by the Tang Dynasty and the numerous post stations were like a huge net that covered the entire Anxi. The Anxi army could get sufficient supplies at any time when fighting in the territory.
This also prevented Tubo from directly interfering in the Western Regions. If they mobilized a large army, they would not be able to conceal their whereabouts. Small groups of troops crossed the mountains and entered the Western Regions. Apart from looting local villages when the Anxi Army on guard failed to react in time, if they dared to stay for a while, they would have no chance of returning alive.
"We need to build another fort here."
Alexander Gao said to his staff that he was now the Deputy Protector General of Anxi, with much greater authority than the former Garrison Commander of Khotan. The beacon towers and military forts in Anxi were all established by the Protector Generals and Garrison Commanders of the four towns of Anxi after they had personally surveyed the terrain in their jurisdiction.
Over the past hundred years, with geographical changes, many military forts and beacon towers have been abandoned and built from time to time. The ambitious Alexander Gao planned to set up military forts in every oasis and then levy taxes on those damn Sogdian merchants.
"Shen Lang, look at this oasis. The lake is a mile in size and there are wide meadows nearby. It's a good place to graze horses and raise soldiers."
The aide next to Alexander Gao was sketching on the parchment. Ethan Shen watched for a while before realizing that he was surveying a map. However, Ethan Shen could not understand what was drawn on it.
"The Protector General wants to build a military fort here. It is indeed a good place."
Ethan Shen was in no position to express any opinion. Although at this moment his mind was full of thoughts about contour lines, scales, bastions and so on, if he took a step too big it would easily lead to trouble. He was a newbie under Alexander Gao, and it was not a good thing to stand out too much and be envied by others.
What's more, in a border town, one still has to rely on fists to speak. He has no achievements now, and saying too much will only make people laugh.
By the lake, the guards began to set up camp. Alexander Gao ordered his guards to get bows and arrows. He originally wanted to take Ethan Shen to hunt on a nearby meadow, but seeing that Ethan Shen was walking unsteadily, he had to give up.
"What's the point of hanging this bell?"
"This is an iron horse, hung up to serve as a warning."
In the camp, Ethan Shen chatted with the guards from time to time. He used to be a fan of ancient battles, but he always felt that what he learned from books was superficial. Now that he could see how the real camp was stationed, he naturally would not miss any details.
The area under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate was too vast. Even elite troops like Alexander Gao's guards did not dare to be careless when camping in the wild. Especially now was the beginning of spring, when the nomadic tribes were at their poorest. After the tribes that had suffered from the white disaster had survived the winter, they even dared to attack the baggage trains escorted by the army.
"It's okay near cities, but in this wilderness, those on horseback are bandits, and those off horseback are civilians. How can we tell them apart so clearly?"
Outside the camp, Ryan Wang led the guards to set up the chevaux de frise. Ethan Shen had not expected that even with the Anxi Protectorate, the Western Regions would still be a chaotic place. "The Great... Imperial Court... Protectorate doesn't care?"
"My dear, how can I manage this?"
Ryan Wang sighed. Even though the Tibetans in Hexi and Longyou had been badly beaten, they could still have peace for ten to twenty years. But here in Anxi, the four towns had less than 30,000 soldiers and horses, but the area under their jurisdiction was far larger than Longyou and Hexi. There were many small countries, and the tribes in the former land of the Western Turks kept popping up like weeds. In addition, there was the Tibetans who were plotting against the Western Regions and the aggressive Arabs in Hezhong, so it was a blessing to have peace for two or three years.
"Qixi is far away from the Tang Dynasty, and it is difficult to transport food. Among the four towns, only Qiuci is the safest."
Beside Ethan Shen, a judge named Chen said that he was an old employee under Alexander Gao and had stayed in the Khotan Garrison for three years. This time, Alexander Gao was promoted to Deputy Protector General of Anxi. With Alexander Gao's recommendation, he could return to Chang'an to seek a small official position in the six ministries, so he was not hostile to Ethan Shen like his other colleagues.
"Judge Chen, can it be that the Anxi Protectorate can only support 30,000 soldiers and cannot support more?"
Ethan Shen asked. During the previous three days of walking in the territory of Khotan, he observed along the way and found that the climate was humid, and there were fertile fields and pastures wherever there were cities. If they were well managed, the grain output and the number of livestock should be considerable.
"It's not that we can't raise them, it's just that the court is unwilling to raise more."
Judge Chen saw that Ethan Shen was in the prime of his life and had a sense of vigor. He thought that this young man might be able to make a career in the future, so it would be a good idea to make a good friend of him. He explained the reason to Ethan Shen. It turned out that since the defeat of the Western Turks and the Turgesh, there were no major enemies in Anxi. The troops of the four towns were only on guard against Tubo's encroachment on the Western Regions to obtain population and wealth.
"The current sage attaches great importance to frontier defense. There are many small countries and tribes in the west of Qi. It is a place where frontier generals can use their skills, but the officials in the court may not be happy about it..."
Ethan Shen knew that the "Hexi" mentioned by Judge Chen was the name given to the Western Regions by the Tang Dynasty at that time. From the information he had heard from the guards before, Tubo was the biggest threat to the Tang Dynasty, especially in Hexi and Longyou, where the fighting was the most brutal. During the Kaiyuan period, there were several major battles involving more than 100,000 troops.
The countries around Anxi are all small. No matter how rich Hezhong is, the benefits that Tang Dynasty can get are limited. Instead, it will cost a lot to send troops on a long expedition. That is to say, the current saint intends to expand the border and restore the territory of Tang Dynasty during the time of Emperor Tianhuang. But for the prime ministers in the court, the Western Regions and Hezhong are more than ten thousand miles away from Chang'an. Although there is a policy of military farming, Hexi and Longyou need more immigrants to defend the border against Tubo.
After Ethan Shen understood the meaning of Judge Chen's words, he was silent for a moment. No wonder after the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty was no longer able to control the Western Regions. In addition to the Tubo seizing Hexi and Longyou and cutting off the connection between the Tang Dynasty and Anxi, it was also because the foundation laid by the Tang Dynasty in Anxi was not deep enough.
Seeing Ethan Shen's thoughtful look, Judge Chen couldn't help but laugh. This Mr. Shen was very interesting. During the conversation just now, this young man actually gave him the illusion that he could solve the problem of insufficient population in the Anxi Protectorate.
After a long time, Ethan Shen finally came to his senses and smiled at Judge Chen and the guards around him, "Judge Chen, although Qixi is thousands of miles away from the country, the mountains and rivers are magnificent. It has been the homeland of the Han Dynasty since the Western Han Dynasty. Now that our Tang Dynasty is prosperous, the Anxi Protectorate is overwhelming other countries. Future generations will surely praise your unparalleled martial arts."
The guards came from various places in the interior of the Tang Dynasty, thousands of miles away from their homeland. After several years in Anxi, they all missed their hometown, but Ethan Shen's words diluted some of their sadness, and instead gave rise to some heroic spirit, saying, "You are right, young master!"
"What did Shen Lang say?"
Not far away, a loud voice was heard. Ethan Shen turned around and saw Alexander Gao, surrounded by his personal guards, with a smile on his face. Behind him, several soldiers were carrying wild rabbits, yellow sheep and other wild animals. They had a rich harvest.
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