When the Tang army went on a western expedition, the army set out in the twelfth month of the twelfth month. It was not until the third month of the following year that they arrived at Gaochang. It took three months. Although there was some delay, the time spent on the road was another three months.
However, the speed of the messengers of the Western Expedition was much faster. When they set off from Gao Chang, all the messengers rode three horses each. Each horse was prepared with enough food and water, and they were ready to rush back to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible.
"Hyah!"
A group of three messengers rushed eastward into the vast Gobi Desert without even looking back. The abundant food and water behind them gave them enough confidence, allowing them to cross over two thousand miles of distance.
Even so, the high temperature of the desert in summer still made the messenger suffer. Even with sufficient food and water, it took ten days to reach the Jade Gate Pass after traveling two thousand miles of the Gobi Desert.
Suddenly, all the messengers breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they reached Jade Gate Pass, they would reach the border of the Tang Dynasty. They could use the courier system, and the rest of the journey would be easy.
"Gao Chang has won a great victory! Twenty-two cities have been conquered. "The leading messenger waved his hand and suddenly roared.
In an instant, the entire Jade Gate Pass was in an uproar. Jade Gate Pass was built for war. When they heard the news of the Western Expedition Army's victory, naturally, everyone cheered. Only one person was stunned, and that was Su Dingfang.
"What? Gao Chang has won a great victory!"
Su Dingfang was not an ordinary soldier. He would only be happy when he heard about a great victory. At his level, he would naturally think more. Not long after the Western Expedition Army left, he was organizing the second batch of provisions and weapons to be shipped to Gao Chang according to the agreement. After all, no one knew how long the war would last. It would be troublesome if there were no supplies by then. After all, there were 100,000 Tang Army there. The daily expenses of food and water were not small.
However, Su Dingfang had just finished preparing and had not had time to set off, and the war in Gao Chang had already ended. This was too fast.
However, when Su Dingfang heard about the war in Gao Chang from the messengers, he could not help but be stunned.
"Gunpowder! Breaking the city in one strike! "Su Dingfang sucked in a breath of cold air. He could imagine just how powerful that was.
"Reporting to the general, there are still several thousand miles to Chang 'an. I request to requisition the courier station for urgent transportation." The leader of the messengers bowed.
"Approved!"
After Su Dingfang verified that the report of victory was correct, he said firmly. With such a great report of victory, he naturally had the right to use the Eight Hundred Li Express. Moreover, the Imperial Court was probably waiting anxiously! No! I'm afraid the imperial court hasn't even started waiting yet! "
"Thank you, General!" After the three messengers received the order, they immediately left in a hurry. They requisitioned three high quality horses from the relay station and galloped towards the east without stopping.
Originally, it would have been faster for the messengers to deliver the news to the courier station. However, no one was willing to give up such a glorious opportunity. The three messengers unanimously decided to deliver the news back to Chang 'an in person.
"General, are we still going to transport these provisions?" One of Su Dingfang's subordinates looked at the mountain-like piles of provisions at Jade Gate Pass and asked hesitantly.
Su Dingfang shook his head and said, "Give my ass! The army has already conquered all of Gao Chang's territory and is no longer lacking in provisions. Preserve these provisions at Jade Gate Pass for now. When the army returns in triumph, they may be of use. However, inform the rear that there's no need to transport provisions to Jade Gate Pass. "
"Yes!" The subordinate received the order and left in a hurry.
"I regret not being able to go on the expedition to the west together!" Su Dingfang thought of the grand occasion of the expedition to the west, the hardships of crossing the Gobi Desert, the situation of conquering a city in one strike, and the carefree surrender of Gao Chang. This was the kind of gratification that a general should have.
With the help of the relay station, the three messengers' speed increased once more. They casually requisitioned the horses to and from the relay station and ran a full eight hundred miles on the first day. Everywhere they went, there were cheers.
"Why is the announcement so slow? Why hasn't the brick road been completed yet? If we were to take a detour, it wouldn't be difficult for us to travel a thousand miles in a day." One of the messengers said with a frown. According to the imperial court's announcement, the brick road from Lan Province to Jade Gate Pass had to be completed before the army's triumphant return. At present, they had already won in Gao Chang, but the Ministry of Works still had such a long road that had not been completed. Compared to when they had set out on the expedition, there was not much of a road that had been completed.
"It's probably because the army won too quickly!" the leading messenger said with a bitter smile.
The next day, the three messengers galloped two hundred li on their horses, passing by a group of commoners who were in the midst of repairing the road. Only then did they step onto the flat brick road and leave, leaving behind a cloud of dust.
"Gao Chang has won a great victory!"
Hearing the news of victory that everyone was cheering, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works was so anxious that he almost stomped his feet. Their original plan was for the western expedition to finish this war at least in August or September. Who would have thought that it would end so quickly?
If the soldiers of the western expedition had not yet reached Jade Gate Pass by the time they returned in triumph, even he would probably be held accountable.
"Quick, immediately send an order to the officials along the road. The Ministry of Works needs a large number of corvee laborers and even more bricks. They must reach Jade Gate Pass in the shortest time possible," the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works said anxiously.
"But right now is the busy time for farming. I'm afraid we don't have much manpower. Moreover, the bricks still need a certain amount of time to be fired," a manager of the Ministry of Works said with difficulty.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Works said coldly, "Even if we have to spend money to hire people, we still have to hire people. Secondly, if we don't have bricks, go to the cities in the rear and spend money to buy them. This official will naturally apply for money from the Ministry of Works."
If the victorious return of the western expedition was delayed, the Ministry of Works would definitely have to bear the consequences. He believed that the Minister would definitely agree.
After the messengers stepped onto the brick road, their speed increased by thirty percent. They headed east without stopping, passing by Wuwei and even inadvertently passing by Ma Family Village.
"Merton has won!"
When Ma Family Village heard the news of Meton, they could not help but cheer. The current Ma Family Village could be said to have changed greatly. The entire village was filled with enthusiasm, and the imperial court was expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was piled with purchased cotton and leather.
They had sufficient raw materials, but they were vexed that they did not have enough manpower to weave cloth. However, Ma Family Village did not know that Meton, who was far away in Gao Chang, had already solved this problem for them. As long as the news of the victorious return of the army, there would definitely be a group of skilled cotton weavers coming to Ma Family Village. When that time came, the strength of Ma Family Village would definitely multiply again.
The messengers of the victory sped east. After passing by Lan Province, they traveled day and night. During the day, they rode horses. At night, the three messengers would ride four-wheeled carriages and travel at night. They even reached a speed of a thousand miles in a day. In just two days, they had already reached Chang 'an from Lan Province.
"Gao Chang has won a great victory!"
When the three messengers shouted loudly. Wherever they went, everyone cheered. They felt that it was only right. Unlike the Tuyuhun, who had been their archenemy for many years, the people of Gaochang were weak. It was only natural for them to win the war. If they lost, it would be big news.
The only thing that surprised the people was that the speed was too fast. Gao Chang was too spineless. It ended so quickly.
He was so weak and yet so arrogant. He was simply courting death.
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