Chapter Thirteen Lanzhou

  Lanzhou, was first built 1,386 years ago. According to records, because gold was dug up when the city was first built here, it was named Jincheng (Gold City), and during the Han and Wei Jin dynasties, a county called Jincheng was set up here. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Former Liang, the administrative seat of Jincheng Prefecture was moved to this location. In the third year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty (583 AD), Emperor Wen of Sui abolished the prefecture and established a zhou (prefectural-level administrative unit) here, setting up the Lanzhou General Administrative Office, giving rise to the name "Lanzhou".

  Lanzhou is north of Jiayuguan, west of Mengyin Pass, south of Qilian Mountains, and east of Wuwei. After the establishment of the Great Qin Empire, the rise of the Mongols in the north made the Emperor of Qin realize the importance of Lanzhou, so he stationed the elite Blue Feather Army Corps in Lanzhou to defend against the Mongols.

  This time, the Mongolian general Helian Tietou unexpectedly crossed the death zone and appeared behind Lanzhou, catching the defenders off guard, which led to the fall of Lanzhou and the defeat of the Blue Feather Army and the Northwestern Border Army.

  Lanzhou, former Taishou Mansion

  The eldest son of the Mongolian Empire, Wu Yusen, enjoyed the service of his maidservants, humming a tune in his mouth, and leaned comfortably on the armchair.

  "Monu, it seems that women from Great Qin are indeed different." Wu Yusen stroked the servant girl's thigh and smiled at Monu beside him.

  Mo Nu, Wu Yusen's trusted aide, is skilled at flattering and bootlicking, and is deeply trusted by Wu Yusen.

  "That's right, the land of Qin is vast and broad, every woman has a delicate and lovely appearance." Mo Nu's eyes rolled around and said: "However, now that the Crown Prince leads his million-strong iron cavalry into the Central Plains, aren't the women of the Qin Empire yours to command?"

  "Haha……" Wu Yusen laughed and said: "Monu, you still like to flatter people, but I like it. According to the time, General He Lian Tieshu should have conquered Wuyuan by now? Only General He can conquer Wuyuan, my 150,000 iron cavalry will then advance east with General He, and at that time, with over 200,000 iron cavalry, we can completely take down Guanzhong and push towards Luoyang. Haha, at this time, Second Brother is probably still fighting against the fierce tiger troops of the Great Qin Empire in the Yanmen Pass area!"

  "This is all thanks to Your Imperial Highness's wise leadership."

  Hahaha...

  The Grand Prince of the Mongol Empire, Wu Yusen, was about to say something when a hurried footsteps sounded from outside. A guard then walked in.

  "What's going on?" Wu Yusen asked with a hint of displeasure in his tone.

  "Didn't you see that His Imperial Highness is discussing state affairs with me?" Monu said in his sharp voice.

  "Your Highness, the military report from Wuwei..." The guard seemed to have not heard Wu Yusen and Mo Nu's words, looking at Wu Yusen.

  "News of the Wuwei battle?" Ng Yiu-sam didn't wait for the guard to finish speaking and interrupted him, saying: "Let me guess, hmm, I'm sure it's that Hulian Iron Tree who led the conquest of Wuwei, right?"

  Before the guard could respond, Monu took over the warrior's words and said: "It must be so, Helian Tietou has solved his own battles, with 800,000 iron cavalry under him. Now he must have captured Wuwei, wanting the Crown Prince to lead tens of millions of iron cavalry eastward, to Muma Pass."

  "Your Highness, the battle report from Wuwei, five days ago, General Helian Tietou was defeated outside Wuwei City, General Helian Tietou died on the spot, and the 80,000 iron cavalry were completely annihilated." The guard said anxiously.

  "Ah!"

  "Ah!"

  Wu Yusen and Mo Nu looked at each other in disbelief, with Mo Nu glaring fiercely at the guard: "Do you know that falsely reporting military information is a crime punishable by extinction of the nine clans? He Lian Ti Shu, the great general who has been through hundreds of battles, has rich combat experience, and under his command are 800,000 iron cavalrymen. How could he not take down the small city of Wu Wei?"

  "Sir, this is absolutely true. The soldiers who escaped from Wuwei have all confirmed the intelligence. General He Lian Iron Tree was killed in battle and his 800,000-strong cavalry was completely annihilated."

  "How could this be? How could this be?" Wu Yusen's face turned somewhat pale.

  "Who is the great general of Qin defending Wuwei? Is it Yang Chengfeng, the weak and feeble fourth prince of the Great Qin Empire? Who killed General He Liantie?" Mo Nu continued to ask.

  "It was Yang Chengfeng, the fourth prince of the Great Qin Empire. General He Liantie led all his soldiers to attack Wuwei City when Yang Chengfeng suddenly appeared on the battlefield with three thousand iron cavalry. General He Liantie and Yang Chengfeng exchanged blows for only a few rounds before being killed by Yang Chengfeng." The guard said.

  "What? Is it Yang Chengfeng who killed General He Lian Tiemu?"

  "Yes."

  "What shall we do now, Your Imperial Highness? Shall we march east immediately or report this matter to the Emperor?" Mo Nu turned his head and asked Wu Yu Sen.

  Wu Yusen furrowed his brow, somewhat hesitant and indecisive.

  "The Crown Prince, it's hard for me to send troops." Mo Nu said, seeing Wu Yu Sen hesitate.

  "What's the meaning of this?"

  Mo Nu glanced at the guard and then looked at the maid beside him.

  "Get out." Ng Yu-sam waved his hand.

  "Yes."

  After the maids and guards left, Monu said to Wu Yusen: "The Grand Prince, now that the Emperor is old, you should consider yourself. In the entire empire, only the Grand Prince and the Second Prince Wu Yanshao can inherit the throne. This time, attacking Qin is a test of the ability of the Grand Prince and the Second Prince Wu Yanshao by the Emperor. Now that the Grand Prince has conquered Lanzhou, eliminated the elite Blue Feather Army and the Northwestern Border Army of the Great Qin Empire, this achievement is unprecedented in the history of the Mongolian Empire for a hundred years, and it will also bring the Grand Prince's prestige to the highest level at home. Although General He Lian Tieshu failed to attack Wuwei, it cannot shake the Grand Prince's prestige in the hearts of the people, but if the Grand Prince sends troops to Wuwei at this time, it is different. You know that Wuwei is the second most important town in the northwest of the Great Qin Empire after Lanzhou, with high walls and sufficient grain and grass. Moreover, the Great Qin army has just defeated He Lian Tieshu's 80,000 iron cavalry, and their morale is high. The difficulty of attacking Wuwei is not lower than that of Mengyin Pass and Jiayuguan Pass. In this situation, it is uncertain whether the Grand Prince's tens of thousands of troops can take down Wuwei, and it may even be a protracted war. This will damage the Grand Prince's strength and put him at a disadvantage in future struggles with the Second Prince. You should know that the Second Prince still has 100,000 iron cavalry outside Yumen Pass!

  Wu Yusen paced back and forth in the hall, finally stopping to say: "How can you explain the matter of He Lian's iron tree? The entire army of 80,000 iron cavalry was defeated, which is also a defeat that the empire has never had in a hundred years. If my second brother attacks me from this matter, what should I do?"

  Mo Nu's face was gloomy and he smiled coldly: "Is General He Lian Ti Shu your man, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

  Wu Yusen shook his head, "I have repeatedly pulled Helian Tiemu, but this old thing that doesn't know the times didn't give me any response at all."

  "That's right." Monu said with a cold smile: "General He Lian Ti Shu disobeyed orders, led 800,000 iron cavalry to advance eastward rashly, and was ambushed by the Imperial Forest Army of the Great Qin Empire. He Lian Ti Shu died on the spot, and the 800,000 iron cavalry were completely annihilated."

  "Good, good. Mo Nu, you are indeed the wise advisor of the widowed emperor. With Helian Tietou dead, not only will I not be punished by my father, but I can also eliminate one of my political enemies." Wu Yusen burst out laughing.

  "Your Highness, apart from this, you can also recruit and buy horses in Lanzhou." Monu continued.

  "Raising an army and buying horses?" Wu Yusen looked at Monu in confusion.

  "Your Highness, haven't you noticed that our Mongolian Empire's army has not achieved much in the past hundred years when attacking the Great Qin Empire? It's not because our army is not brave enough, nor is it because the Great Qin Empire's army is too strong. It's because of the type of soldiers we have in our Mongolian Empire."

  "What's the reason for the troops?"

  He nodded and said, "Right, the Mongol Empire has a total of over 1 million troops, but among these 1 million troops, our cavalry numbers as high as 900,000, while the real infantry is less than 100,000. And the Great Qin Empire is not a vast grassland, facing their cities and passes, our iron cavalry's combat effectiveness is greatly reduced. So, Your Highness wants to eliminate the Great Qin Empire and dominate the Central Plains must establish an elite infantry, only in this way can we have the power to fight against the Great Qin Empire."

  "You mean you want me to establish an infantry in Lanzhou?" Wu Yusen was no fool and immediately understood the meaning behind Monu's words.

  "Yes, Lanzhou as the northwest stronghold of the Great Qin Empire, although the population is not as many as other places, but there are still 200-300 thousand people. Your Highness only needs to select a few tens of thousands of strong men from these 200-300 thousand people to form infantry and train them, then they can be your vanguard, attacking cities and occupying territories for you." Mo Nu said.

  "It's not bad, infantry may seem useless on our vast grasslands, but it's different in the Great Qin Empire. Now that we've occupied Lanzhou, whether it's the city itself or Mengyin Pass and Jiayuguan, all require infantry to defend. It would be a waste to use our elite cavalry as infantry. This plan is good, I'm sure His Majesty will agree." Wu Yusen was overjoyed, "Monu, you're in charge of this matter."

  "Yes, Your Highness."