Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 636 Escape to Jiayuguan

Babaksu looked sad and angry, because that was his hometown and the kingdom he was going to inherit. He had gone from being a high and mighty prince to being an exiled person.

Seeing that Babaksu remained silent, the guard leader Wasdan asked the question on all his followers’ minds: “Prince, where should we go next?”

Babaksu heard this and said with a painful look on his face: "Where can we go? Junggar is already the strongest in western Moxi, and now it has captured Yarkand, and its strength is even stronger. Who else can help me restore my country?"

After hearing this, all the guards had sad faces. They were all from the Black Mountain Sect, and were at loggerheads with the White Mountain Sect, which was now supported by Dzungar. Facing such a powerful Dzungar, no one in Central Asia and the Western Regions dared to take them in. Looking around, the world was so vast that they had no place to stand.

After a long while, a guard next to him whispered, "I heard that the Central Plains in the East has been unified again, and the Qian Dynasty has replaced the Ming Dynasty and become the orthodox dynasty. Why don't we go to the Central Plains?"

Babaksu's eyes lit up after hearing this. Yes, he had heard some news before that Dzungar and Qian Dynasty had a grudge, and the Central Plains dynasty had always been very powerful. It was impossible to stay in Central Asia and the Western Regions, so why not go to the Central Plains to see if there was a chance to restore the country.

Thinking of this, Babaksu seemed to have a backbone, and swept away his depressed look, and said loudly: "Let's go to the Central Plains and ask the emperor of the Central Plains to send troops to recover our Yarkand!"

After saying this, Babakda flicked his whip and galloped towards the east at the lead. The cavalrymen following behind him raised clouds of dust under the trampling of their horses' hooves.

On the galloping warhorse, Babaksu looked back at his homeland and swore in his heart: "Shache, I will come back again. One day, I will lead a powerful cavalry to defeat Dzungar and rebuild Yarkand!"

Although the Central Plains dynasty no longer had actual control over the Western Regions after the Tang Dynasty, the reputation of Tian Khan was not forgotten in the Western Regions.

However, in the hundreds of years since the Central Plains lost the Western Regions, the Central Plains culture has been almost completely replaced by the culture from Central Asia.

Therefore, the Western Regions no longer have any centripetal force towards the Central Plains, especially those in power, who are wary of the Central Plains dynasty. They are unwilling to allow the power of the Central Plains dynasty to enter the Western Regions.

So although Yarkand knew of the threat from Dzungar and that the Qian Dynasty had been established, the Khan of Yarkand always kept his distance from the Qian Dynasty.

After the Yarkand prince fled from Shache and took control of the city of Shache, the Dzungar Khan Sengge and Apakh Khoja discovered that Babaksu had escaped. In response, Apakh Khoja requested Sengge to send troops to hunt down Babaksu.

Sengge also felt that Apak Khoja's words made sense. As the saying goes, if you don't uproot the grass, it will grow again in the spring breeze. On the grassland, letting the enemy's offspring escape is an extremely dangerous thing. Therefore, Sengge sent a team of cavalry to hunt down Babaksu.

Shortly after Babaksu fled from here, a team of about a thousand Junggar light cavalry also arrived here.

The leading Junggar general also stopped here. He jumped off his horse and looked at the footprints and horse hoof prints that had not yet been completely buried under the yellow sand. Then he squatted down and touched the horse manure with his hand, feeling its temperature.

Then he showed a cold smile on his face, but said with murderous intent: "Horse manure is still warm. We can only stay here for half an hour at most. Get on your horse and give chase. The Khan has ordered that Babaksu must be captured and killed!"

More than a thousand cavalrymen galloped in the direction where Babaksu fled, stirring up billowing yellow sand.

Compared with the semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural Yarkand people, the Dzungar, as the overlord of western Mongolia, was much more capable of long-distance cavalry raids than the Yarkand people.

As time went by, about half an hour later, the Junggar cavalry could already see the fleeing Yarkand cavalry in the distance.

The Junggar general shouted, "Chase them, don't let any enemy escape!"

After roaring, he took the lead in whipping the horse with all his might. Under the effect of the whip, the warhorse galloped like the wind, gradually approaching Babaksu.

The Yarkand cavalry discovered the pursuers behind them, and someone shouted loudly: "Prince, the Junggars are catching up, and they are all light cavalry!"

Babaksu was startled and rode faster, trying to create some distance.

In this vast and desolate land of yellow sand, the two cavalry units chased each other one after another. However, as time went by, the advantages of the Junggar light cavalry gradually emerged.

Seeing that the distance was getting closer, the Junggar general in the front began to pick up the longbow, control the horse with his legs, and draw the bow and put arrows on it with both hands. With a whoosh, one of the Yarkand cavalrymen running in front was shot in the back and fell off the horse with a scream.

Babaksu's guard leader, Wasdan, was very anxious when he saw that some people had been shot off their horses. He knew that if this continued, they would all die.

So Vasdan shouted loudly: "Prince, hurry up, I will lead the team to stop the pursuers!"

After shouting, Wasdan pulled the reins of his horse and rode around, and the cavalrymen behind him also pulled the reins of their horses. Only more than thirty riders were still guarding Babaksu and continued to gallop towards the east.

Babaksu's eyes were filled with tears. He looked back at the Yarkand cavalry, which numbered less than 300, behind him. These were his confidants. He knew that this last force of his would be lost in this desert for his own life.

Wasdan stopped his horse, facing the oncoming Junggar cavalry without any fear. Instead, he gave an order and rushed towards the direction of the Junggar cavalry.

In the fierce wind and sand, Wasdan shouted to charge. Facing the Dzungar cavalry that was several times larger than his own, knowing that the enemy was strong, he still held the determination to die. Wasdan frantically increased the speed of his horse and charged forward with the determination to die.

The sound of horse hooves was accompanied by shouts of killing as the two cavalry units collided violently. In an instant, men and horses fell to the ground, blood splattered, and the cavalry units on both sides fell one after another. The red blood spilled on the yellow sand, which looked so dazzling.

Amid the shouts and cries, Babaksu looked back and saw that both sides were already fighting each other. He did not dare to hesitate any longer and unconsciously lowered his body, steering his warhorse, and galloped towards the east.

As the saying goes, the rolling yellow sand covers the setting sun, and the bow breaks the sand and scares the sleeping birds. Under the desperate cover of Wasdan, Babaksu and the remaining thirty or so riders temporarily escaped from the pursuit of the Dzungar.

As the last cavalryman of Yarkand was cut off his horse, the Dzungar general was covered in blood. He looked at Babaksu who had disappeared long ago, and then glanced at his injured subordinates and the scattered horses. He said fiercely: "Clean up the battlefield and go back!"