Gaochangguo is located in the vicinity of the city of Turpan in Xinjiang, where ruins can still be seen. Many people may have two impressions of Gaochangguo: first, it is rich in products, and many of the grapes and cantaloupe we eat every year come from there; The second is that the sunshine hours are long, the climate is hot, and the legendary Flaming Mountain is nearby.
In the agricultural era, the Gaochang region was a treasure land, in addition to the abundant wheat resources, what is more attractive is the population structure here. Although far from the Central Plains, the population of Gaochang was dominated by Han Chinese, with other ethnic groups accounting for only a minority.
The emergence of this phenomenon can be mainly attributed to two aspects: first, in history, many Tuntian soldiers and deserters settled here and did not return to the Central Plains; Second, the long-term war in the Central Plains caused many Han people to move west here in order to seek refuge.
Over time, the eldest of these Han Chinese gradually took control of the local government and established the Gaochang Kingdom. Among them, the Koji family was in power for the longest time, and until the Tang Dynasty, the Gaochang Kingdom remained under their control.
The relationship between Gaochang and the Central Plains regime was quite harmonious, especially during the Sui Dynasty, when Princess Huarong married the king of Gaochang, and Gaochang also paid tribute to the Central Plains.
However, over time, the attitude of the Gaochang king Ko Wentai towards the Tang Dynasty changed. He realized that although the Gaochang Kingdom was remote, its geographical location was very important, and it held the throat of the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions.
Therefore, he decided to take refuge in his neighbor Western Turks and set up toll booths on the border to extort and rob passing merchants. This move had a severe impact on Tang traffic and commerce, and also increased tensions between the two countries.
Li Shimin was furious, because Xuanzang had been in Gaochangguo, which seemed to be slapping him in the face. He had been looking forward to Wanbang's coming to court, but Gao Changguo blocked this way.
What made him even more angry was that Gaochang joined forces with the Western Turks to prepare to carve up the Yiwu Kingdom, and the king of the Yiwu Kingdom was so frightened that he hurriedly asked the Tang Dynasty to send troops to protect it. This time, Li Shimin decided not to tolerate it anymore, and he wanted to take action against Gao Changguo.
Hou Junji once again put on the battle and led the army to the west.
In the face of the provocation of the Tang Dynasty, Lu Wentai was not alarmed, he said that there is sand here, and he is not afraid that they will go to **. However, his self-confidence is not without reason, because Chang'an is more than 4,000 miles away from Gaochang State, if there are too many people, logistics will become a problem, and if the number is too small, it may not be able to defeat the opponent, which will undoubtedly bring more shame.
However, Hou Junji's strength exceeded his expectations.
Although Hou Junji does not have many other advantages, his "one tendon" spirit is admirable. When he set out to conquer Tuyuhun, people ate ice, horses ate snow, and he crossed more than 2,000 miles of uninhabited land.
Although facing the difficult and dangerous desert, he was not afraid, and led tens of thousands of troops to camp in a hurry, first enjoying the beautiful scenery of "the desert is lonely".
The news quickly spread to the city of Gaochang and caused shock throughout the country. As a result, the king of Gaochang, Lu Wentai, fell ill with fright, and even died before the Tang army could attack the city.
His son Koji Zhisheng took over the throne as a result, but the young king was held accountable for his father's absurd behavior.
Hou Junji led the Tang army to the Gaochang Kingdom, and upon learning of the death of Ko Wentai, he decided to take a three-day holiday in order to provide time for the funeral. He sent envoys into the Kingdom of Gaochang to persuade him to surrender in order to avoid the cruelty of the war.
However, Koji Zhisheng of the Gaochang Kingdom rejected his offer. Hou Junji prepares for war, and the siege battle officially begins. Although most of the people in the Gaochang Kingdom are Han Chinese, they have been away from their homeland for a long time and do not understand the development of the scientific and technological level of their hometown, and they are still waiting for the Tang army to build a ladder to attack the city.
Li Shimin foresaw the problem of siege, so he personally led a group of craftsmen to follow the army and make full preparations for the siege. Among them, the arrows fired by the Super Bed Crossbow are so thick that they can easily penetrate the rammed city walls, creating many holes; The stone-throwing cart can throw dozens of pounds of stones into the city to hit the enemy's defense line; Moving up to 10 feet tall, the mobile tower can provide all-round observation and command, while also sending soldiers to the city walls for battle, making it a versatile siege weapon.
These high-tech ** played a key role in the siege warfare, allowing the Tang army to successfully capture the city of Gaochang.
Qu Zhisheng's army was under great pressure during the siege, and he pinned his hopes on reinforcements from the Western Turks. However, the Turks, seeing the high morale of the Don army, decided to avoid the battle and fled directly.
Qu Zhisheng had no choice but to surrender. The Tang Dynasty set up counties in this place and incorporated this beautiful land into its territory. Hou Junji escorted the king of Gaochang and hundreds of civil and military officials, and went to Chang'an proudly.
The Kingdom of Gaochang, enjoying the glorious history of the country for 180 years, comes to an end here today, and the story ends here, and we will meet again in the next issue.