Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 674 Rejection of Peace Talks

In the tenth year of Zhaowu, on July 3, it was cloudy and rainy.

After Lin Shiqi joined forces with Huang Cheng's allied forces, they arrived at Kuche City.

In the camp outside the city, Huang Chengzheng and Lin Shiqi were discussing the advance.

Huang Cheng said with some worry: "Marshal Lin, our two armies have nearly 100,000 cavalry and infantry. The food and supplies consumed every day are countless. In just half a month of marching, the food and supplies transported from Guanzhong have been lost by nearly 30%. The war can no longer be delayed!"

Lin Shiqi nodded and said with a wry smile, "Yes, so much food and fodder was saved because I have been stationed in Tarbugul and have not been deployed for a long time. It has been accumulated bit by bit. But I didn't expect that more than 60,000 cavalrymen would eat much more than the infantry!"

Since Lin Shiqi became a commander, most of the troops he led were infantry, and the largest number of cavalry was no more than 20,000. However, this was the first time for him to fight together with such a large cavalry team.

Lin Shiqi originally wanted to use his power to force the Yarkand Khanate to surrender voluntarily. Although the Yarkand Khanate's capital, Shache, was already within sight and the army would arrive in four or five days, there were still many small cities and tribes in the Yarkand Khanate.

Conquering each one one by one would be time-consuming, laborious and costly. Therefore, if the Yarkand Khanate could be made to surrender voluntarily, then it would naturally take a lot less time for the Qian Dynasty to pacify the Western Regions. If one wants the Yarkand Khanate to surrender voluntarily, a large army is the most effective way to deter them.

Huang Cheng frowned and said, "Marshal Lin, now that the Dzungars have fled west, only the Yarkand Khanate in southern Xinjiang remains. The only fortified city in Yarkand that can still be considered strong is Shache. In my opinion, it is better to recall the cavalry from the tribes in the south and north of the desert."

Lin Shiqi nodded slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "Recalling the cavalry can indeed reduce the loss of food and grass, but now that Shache is right in front of us, recalling the cavalry at this time will greatly reduce the number of troops, and I am afraid it will not be able to deter the Western Regions."

Huang Cheng shook his head and analyzed, "Lin Shuai's concerns are not without reason, but it is an indisputable fact that food and grass are in short supply. Although Shache is close at hand, if the Yarkand people refuse to surrender after the troops arrive at the city, if they stay at the city for a long time, they may run out of food."

Seeing that Lin Shiqi did not say anything, Huang Cheng advised again: "If you recall the cavalry and leave the elite infantry to advance steadily, it can reduce the consumption of food and grass. Secondly, the infantry is good at attacking strong cities. Leaving the cavalry behind has no other use except to deter the Yarkand people. It is better to waste manpower to transport military food for an unknown effect. General Lin should think twice!"

Lin Shiqi looked up at the gloomy sky outside the tent. The raindrops were hitting the ground, as if hitting his heart.

Just when Lin Shiqi was hesitating, the messenger came in a hurry in the rain. He was all wet. When he saw Lin Shiqi, he saluted and said, "Report! Marshal, the vanguard Gulbuha has an urgent report!"

The guards outside the tent hurried forward and respectfully handed the military report to Lin Shiqi. Lin Shiqi unfolded it and saw that it was Gulbuha's report that the Yarkand envoys came to negotiate peace.

Lin Shiqi put away the military newspaper and said to the messenger, "Go down and have a rest first, and change into dry clothes."

The messenger responded gratefully: "Thank you for your concern, Marshal!"

After the messenger left, Lin Shiqi ordered in a deep voice: "Send someone to bring the Yarkand envoy to me!"

"Yes, Marshal."

After no one was in the tent, Lin Shiqi slowly said to Huang Cheng: "General Huang, your concerns are correct, but it is inappropriate to send back the cavalry at this time."

Lin Shiqi glanced at Huang Cheng and continued, "The Yarkand people sent an envoy here, which means they already know that our dynasty has defeated the Dzungar people, and that our army has been invincible since its westward expedition, and they have long been frightened.

Now is the time to use the might of the army to intimidate. At least before the army reaches Shache, the cavalry cannot be sent back. The food and grass can be grown again after they are eaten, but this deterrent force is enough to prevent the cities in the Western Regions from acting rashly within a hundred years!"

Huang Cheng heard this and sighed, "In that case, we won't send them back yet, and we'll continue our march." Just as he finished speaking, Huang Cheng suddenly asked, "What about a hundred years later?"

Lin Shiqi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty once said that after conquering the Western Regions, we should continue to settle immigrants on the border for ten years to consolidate the border."

Lin Shiqi originally thought that he would only stop in Kuqa for one day, but he did not expect that it would rain for two whole days and the roads were muddy. Lin Shiqi was worried that marching in the rain would lead to an epidemic in the army, so he stopped temporarily.

On July 5, the weather was clear and the army continued its journey westward. Most of the troops marched until the afternoon, when the Yarkand envoy Batur finally met the commander of the Qian army, Lin Shiqi.

Batur walked into the tent under the guidance of his personal soldiers. He raised his head slightly and saw the majestic Lin Shiqi above him and the generals in military uniforms on both sides. His heart could not help but tremble.

Although he was mentally prepared, Batur still felt an invisible sense of oppression when he faced the commander of the Qian army who swept across the cities of Yarkand and dominated the Western Regions.

Batur knelt down and saluted, saying respectfully: "Greetings, General. I am Batur, and I have come here on the orders of the Khan to discuss peace with you."

Lin Shiqi looked at Batur and said coldly, "There is no need to negotiate peace. If you want to surrender, I can agree to it."

Batur felt suffocated when he heard this. This man looked more difficult than the previous Mongolian general. However, Batur was entrusted with great trust by the Khan. At this point, he could only bite the bullet and said, "General, the Khan knows that the Celestial Empire is powerful. Now we sincerely seek peace and are willing to pay tribute to the Celestial Empire. The Celestial Empire can station troops in any city in Yarkand. The Celestial Empire can intervene in the national affairs, money and food. I only hope that the general can show some leniency, stop the advance, and save the Yarkand Khanate."

This condition was added privately by Batur after careful consideration. Batur believed that this condition might impress the Qian Dynasty. As long as the Yarkand Khanate could survive, no matter how harsh the conditions were, they would eventually change with the passage of time.

Lin Shiqi was a little surprised when he heard this. If the Yarkand Khanate had been so sensible before the army marched west, the whole court would certainly be very happy. However, now the army had gone on a long expedition and was only one step away from destroying the Yarkand Khanate. Although Batur had already lowered his posture very much, it was still not enough to make Lin Shiqi change his original intention.

Looking at the envoy kneeling on the ground, Lin Shiqi signaled his men to help him up, and then said to Batur: "Go back and tell your Khan that at this point, the only way out is to open the city and surrender. The emperor is kind and will definitely spare your life. If you resist stubbornly, you will die!"