I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 54 - 21: In the Western Regions’ Sky, Only the Great Han Reigns

Chapter 54: Chapter 21: In the Western Regions’ Sky, Only the Great Han Reigns
If it were someone else, they might have scruples considering Dou Gu’s status.
But he is a descendant of the Gu Clan.
The merits of his ancestors and his current standing in court are incomparable to Dou Gu.
What does he have to be wary of?
Bowing to Dou Gu, Gu Cheng promptly walked out directly.
The already prepared army of more than five thousand soldiers marched straight out of Yiwulu City that very day.
Dou Gu was not enraged by this action.
He merely composed a letter and had it sent to Luoyang with urgent haste.
Then, as usual, he continued drilling the soldiers and cultivating the fields.
....
Gu Cheng’s target this time was Cheshi.
The Western Regions are vast.
The Northern Xiongnu’s control over the Western Regions, apart from the usual martial force, involves supporting pro-Xiongnu factions and controlling the transportation routes.
Thus controlling the entire economy of the Western Regions.
And Cheshi today is exactly such a case.
Indeed, Gu Cheng had a precise grasp of the military opportunities.
After King Huyan’s earlier defeat, the entire Northern Xiongnu became immediately vigilant, constantly guarding against the Great Han dispatching an army to snatch the rich lands of the Western Regions.
But when they heard that the Great Han began managing the Yellow River,
they relaxed their vigilance somewhat.
How could a country simultaneously handle such a large-scale water management project and still send an army?
This was a problem apparent to everyone.
As long as the army did not come, given the vastness of the Western Regions, how could the Great Han easily dismantle everything the Xiongnu had built up over the years?
It must be said, this was a very accurate assessment.
The Great Han indeed could not mobilize troops on a large scale now.
And a regular general would not choose to take risks at such a time.
But Gu Cheng was different.
Never forget, how did Gu Xiao establish his foothold back then!
Although Gu Yi caused interference,
those legendary stories had influenced Gu Cheng since childhood.
He could make precise judgments on any military chance.
He wanted to seize this opportunity to achieve another distinguished victory.
The army galloped forward, heading towards Cheshi.
Now, Cheshi was divided into two parts, south and north, by the Tianshan Mountain.
The southern part, centered around Jiaohe City, had fertile land and was known as the Former Cheshi;
The northern part had vast grasslands, relatively cold climate, known as the Later Cheshi.
The current King of the Former Cheshi was the son of the King of the Later Cheshi, the two royal courts separated by over five hundred miles.
Under normal circumstances, if there were enough troops, one should attack the Former Cheshi first since its fertile land could sustain the troops.
But given Gu Cheng’s current situation, he couldn’t do that at all.
His only strategy was to concentrate forces for a surprise attack on the Later Cheshi, utilizing the Great Han’s prestige and the father-son relationship to coerce the King of the Former Cheshi into submission.
This strategy involved risk.
But if he could seize the opportunity, he could achieve remarkable success!
Under such circumstances, the thousand highly obedient central army soldiers in Gu Cheng’s forces played a significant role.
Although only a thousand,
in a relatively small army, the influence of these troops was not to be underestimated.
People are often swayed by their environment.
When seeing numerous soldiers and the general Gu Cheng all advancing bravely, this army was destined to be unstoppable.
No one could imagine that the Great Han would mobilize troops under these circumstances.
When the Northern Xiongnu leaders and the King of the Later Cheshi realized this, the situation was already difficult to change.
After Gu Cheng led his troops to slay nearly a thousand men,
the King of the Later Cheshi could no longer suppress the fear in his heart. He personally came outside the city to greet Gu Cheng, removed his crown, held Gu Cheng’s horse’s hoof, and surrendered to the Great Han!
Without any unnecessary words, Gu Cheng immediately spread the word.
He aimed to utilize the information gap from a successful surprise attack and two victories to keep the Western Regions countries and Northern Xiongnu unsure of the Great Han’s true strength, thereby securing the greatest interest for the Great Han.
And the outcome was as he expected.
The moment the Later Cheshi fell, the entire Former Cheshi faced the threat of being encircled by the Great Han.
The King of the Former Cheshi no longer had any intention of resistance and promptly submitted.
Thus, Cheshi was pacified!
...
Yutian Kingdom.
Ban Chao had been in this place for some time now.
However, King Tian Guangde’s attitude towards him, the envoy of the Great Han Kingdom, was rather indifferent, having yet shown his face.
Ban Chao felt quite helpless about this.
The Northern Xiongnu exerted too much control over the entire Yutian Kingdom, with even currently an envoy stationed within Yutian.
Nominally for protection, but actually for secret manipulation of power.
The current King Tian clearly wanted him to back down, not willing to completely offend the Great Han nor to violate the Northern Xiongnu’s will.
This was why he hadn’t even had the chance to repeat his previous actions in Shanshan.
At that moment, inside the luxurious palace,
"Great King, although the Great Han has just won a battle, I heard they are currently managing the river within their borders,"
"In such a situation, the Emperor of the Great Han is simply unable to dispatch a large force to the Western Regions."
"The envoy of the Northern Xiongnu is currently within our borders,"
"At this time, Great King, how could you think of submitting to the Great Han?"
The Prime Minister, Silai Bi, was expressing his thoughts to King Tian Guangde.
But Guangde’s expression remained quite hesitant.
Seeing this, Silai Bi didn’t waste more words and simply summoned the wizard.
The influence of sorcery is prevalent in Yutian.
Wizards hold a considerable position throughout Yutian.