Chapter 150 West of the Valley
In early spring of February in the second year of Guangxi, the Southern Xiongnu people who were entrenched in the west of Ziwuling Mountains and used the river water around Ning County to cultivate the land even robbed the surrounding Xianrong Qiang in a show of force.
They robbed a number of cattle and sheep from the other tribe, and then leisurely returned to the reclaimed fields to sow seeds.
When the news reached Ma Teng, Han Sui and others, although the two did not gather together to celebrate in advance, they held the same view at this time -
In the short term, Qiao Bingzhou may not have the chance to advance westward to Liangzhou!
As for the looting of the Qiang people, it really had little to do with them.
During the Zhongping period, the Xianrong Qiang in Beidi County and other Qiang tribes in the county launched a rebellion, intending to invade Fu. They were later defeated by Zhang Wen, Dong Zhuo and others.
Afterwards, the scattered tribes in Beidi County would rather continue to maintain their way of survival by plundering each other, intending to wait for an opportunity to rise up and recreate the scene of "strength by force". They were unwilling to choose to serve the two major warlords in Liangzhou, which inevitably made Ma Teng and Han Sui feel that they were ungrateful.
Now they were once again defeated by the Southern Xiongnu tribe, who also behaved like bandits, which gave them a chance to vent their anger.
What's more, the more powerful the second son of the Southern Xiongnu Khan, who had separated and become independent, develops his subordinates, the more opportunities he has to unite with the Southern Xiongnu in Xihe County to create some trouble for Qiao Yan.
Judging from Ma Teng and Han Sui's assessment of the Southern Xiongnu, this tribe, whose political affairs were subject to the control of the Han Dynasty, would not miss this opportunity to become independent.
If the distance from the west to the east of Liangzhou was not too long, they would even be eager to personally assist the other party.
But how could they know that, also in February, Qiao Yan had people completely install horseshoes for the battle team, and sent out a team every day to help them adapt to the effect of the horseshoes as quickly as possible and to check for omissions and fill in the gaps. At the same time, before the spring plowing, he had people complete the production of the pot cakes with the shortest shelf life.
These military dry rations, along with the previously made meat jerky, pickles, cheese and other items, were loaded onto the small cart that transported the military rations.
The cart maker sent by Mi Zhu, together with Ma Jun, who was an expert in this field, completed the improvement of the cart in winter.
The sail-assist system that seemed a bit absurd to Mi Zhu was changed into a foldable state by Ma Jun's ingenuity, and would only be opened when necessary to use the wind power.
There was also a list placed in front of Qiao Yan, on which were written the names of the generals under her current command.
She still needs to make some final consideration about who to lead into battle.
Just as she had said to Qu Yi before, those people from Liangzhou could not be absent.
Qu Yi, Jia Xu, Fu Gan and Gai Xun were her guides on the march.
Perhaps we should also include Jiang Jiong who came with Gai Xun.
Qiao Yan couldn't help but find it funny when he thought that the other party was the father of Jiang Wei and Jiang Boyao from Tianshui.
Now Jiang Jiong himself is still just a teenager, and Jiang Wei is still a nobody. No one can even predict whether Jiang Jiong’s son will still be called Jiang Wei in the face of this butterfly effect that is increasingly snowballing.
However, these are all things that have not happened yet, so there is no need to think too much about them for now.
What Qiao Yan should consider more is who else she should bring with her besides these people from Liangzhou.
Among the generals, Dian Wei, Lu Bu and Chu Yan must be brought.
The Qiang people are good at fighting, and Qiao Yan cannot guarantee that her current fighting strength is completely sufficient, so Dian Wei, the bodyguard, cannot be missed.
It is not difficult to understand why Lu Bu is wanted.
According to the purpose of her trip, once Liangzhou is pacified, the next move will definitely be to attack Chang'an.
Lu Bu's only concern is to kill Dong Zhuo and get the Red Hare. If he is left out, there is no guarantee that he will not make trouble.
Besides his own wish, Qiao Yan also wanted to see if he could get another achievement of [Assisting Lu Bu in killing Dong Zhuo].
As for Chu Yan——
The mountainous terrain of Liangzhou requires Qiao Yan to have a mountain army as support, and Chu Yan is the only one who can take this position.
Then according to her marching plan, she was only missing one general.
She took up her pen and pondered for a moment before adding Zhao Yun's name.
It will take more than a day to pacify Liangzhou. It involves the process of clearing and governing while marching, so a relatively calm general is very necessary.
Zhang Liao, Xu Huang and Zhao Yun actually all meet this requirement, but the one who is closest to Qiao Yan's needs is Zhao Yun.
It just so happened that Xu Huang took over Chu Yan's duties as the gate chief, and Zhang Liao continued to guard the northern border of Bingzhou.
The Xianbei Chanyu Budugen led all his followers back in February, but he probably never expected that his subordinates would almost not want to leave after staying in Bingzhou for a few months.
Even though Qiao Yan calculated the corresponding coal harvest for Budugen according to the labor of these people, it did not change his resentful look as he wanted to say something but hesitated before leaving.
It would be better to let Zhang Liao keep him under control for a while.
As for the strategist...she must bring Xun You with her.
Xun Gongda is best at combat strategies, which can help her find and fill in the gaps. Otherwise, Xun Shang, who is in Chang'an at the moment, would not have to recommend Xun You to her earlier.
If one more person were to be added, Qiao Yan finally decided to bring Cheng Yu along.
Cheng Yu himself was a little surprised to receive this invitation from Qiao Yan.
Since Qiao Yan always entrusted Bingzhou's internal affairs to him every time he left, Cheng Yu thought that this time would be the same.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Yan did not bring Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, but brought him instead.
He saw Qiao Yan, who had invited him to announce this decision, was looking at the map of Liangzhou in front of him. However, his eyes did not fall on Anding County and Beidi County, which were the locations they were going to advance to at the beginning. Instead, he first looked at the Hexi Corridor where the Silk Road was interrupted, and then turned to the higher plateau west of Jincheng.
This made him have some vague guesses in his mind.
Sure enough, he heard Qiao Yan say, "Compared to Feng Xiao and Zhi Cai, I prefer Mr. Zhongde in terms of his ability to adapt to the climate of Liangzhou. Besides -"
"Sir, has it been a long time since I and I fought side by side?"
The last time she cooperated in an operation was when she did not have many manpower available, and she planned to catch all the Black Mountain bandits who robbed food. After that, Cheng Yu was almost always engaged in internal affairs.
But if we have to count it, Cheng Yu, who has such a physique, should be regarded as a military general when necessary. In the original history, the promotion route given to him by Cao Cao was also the military general system. There was even a comment that "Cheng Yu's courage is greater than that of Ben and Yu."
If Qiao Yan did not have any civil officials who were truly good at general affairs, and Cheng Yu was the most suitable person to be a confidant, she should have changed his position long ago.
But it’s not too late now.
In the battle of Liang Province, considering the "aesthetics" of the people of Liang Province towards the governors of prefectures and counties, he was actually more suitable than Jia Xu and Xun You.
Cheng Yu bowed towards Qiao Yan.
He had heard the reliance and expectations on him in Qiao Yan's words, so naturally he would not refuse.
He just asked again: "After we send out the troops, how will Bingzhou's internal affairs be arranged?"
Qiao Yan replied without hesitation: "Let Gongcao, Bucao and Zhizhong each take charge of one part, and I will make corresponding arrangements for the other subordinate officials."
So when she called her people together for a meeting the next day, she explained these arrangements.
The civil servants who traveled with her were: Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, and Xun You.
The generals traveling with her: Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, Chu Yan, Lu Bu, Qu Yi, and Fu Gan.
Two foreign players who cannot be considered our own: Gai Xun and Jiang Jiong.
Temporarily taking charge of the affairs of the state: Lu Yuan, Qin Yu, and Xi Zhicai.
Guo Jia, Zhang Liao and others are still in charge of border affairs.
"The most important thing about the battle of Liangzhou is that there must not be any chaos in the rear. I let you and Zhong Rao take charge of internal affairs together so that you can keep an eye on the noble families in Bingzhou for me. No matter whether the news from Liangzhou is conveyed in time or not, we must not let them cause chaos." Qiao Yan said after keeping Lu Yuan.
Zhong Rao was the name chosen by Qin Yu from among the several possible courtesy names that Qiao Yan had provided to her earlier.
"Yu" means stability and beauty, and fertile land is naturally included in it. When Qiao Yan added this character to the alternatives, he remembered that there was a man named "Yu" in later generations, whose courtesy name was Wenrao. When he was a county magistrate, he dug canals, built embankments and planted trees, and implemented many good policies.
Qin Yu certainly didn't know about this. She just felt that this was in line with the job positioning Qiao Yan gave her.
Seeing that Lu Yuan did not seem to be nervous about the important task, but rather responded generously, Qiao Yan could not help but reveal a satisfied smile and continued, "In addition, there is the issue of logistics and military rations. During the spring plowing period, I will not let the war in Liangzhou become a burden to Bingzhou, but the subsequent military rations supply in Bingzhou must not go wrong!"
Lu Yuan replied, "Don't worry, my lord."
After explaining these things, Qiao Yan thought for a moment and asked again, "What do you think about your father's situation?"
It was almost the beginning of spring when a message came from the south.
Yuan Shu took over the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry from Liu Bian's court and stationed him between Yu and Yang. This man was always arrogant and even regarded himself as half of the governor of Yangzhou, and recruited a large number of troops in Jiujiang County.
If it had been just that, it would have been fine, but he also openly ordered Lujiang prefect Lu Kang to pay him 10,000 dan of rice as military supplies. After being opposed by Lu Kang, Yuan Shu did not hesitate to label Lu Kang a traitor, and sent troops to attack him on the grounds that he had not recognized Liu Bian as the emperor and had not paid taxes.
Before this, Yuan Shu's letter asking for food was just a private matter between the two parties.
But once he started the war, the news spread to all the states.
Qiao Yan was no exception and learned about this.
This is indeed something that the fierce ghost Yuan Changshui on the road could do, but it is not good news for the elderly Lu Kang who is in Lujiang, and the more than one hundred people in the Lu family.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan sighed, "All I can do now is to write a letter to Lujiang. First, to inform my father that I am still alive. Second, to inform him that if Shu County, the seat of Lujiang County, cannot be saved, we can let our clansmen come to Bingzhou to avoid disaster."
As for whether Lu Kang could listen to it...
Lu Yuansu knew that he had a stubborn temper, so she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
But the two places are far apart. Lujiang County is close to the bank of the Yangtze River. This is exactly what the saying "distant water cannot quench nearby fire" means.
"Should we..." Should we send someone to pick up the children of the Lu family just like we sent Bao Hong to protect the safety of the Mi family?
Before Qiao Yan finished speaking, Lu Yuan replied, "No need for that. Your Excellency has entrusted Bingzhou's affairs to me, and I must put Bingzhou's affairs first. The current situation is turbulent, and some things are beyond human control. If my father insists on living and dying with the people of Lujiang to preserve his loyalty, I can only respect his choice."
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly said in a firm tone: "If things don't go as planned, and if you are hostile to Yuan Shu in the future, I will kill him if I have the chance!"
Qiao Yan looked at her, and saw a look as cold as a knife in her eyes.
The gap between the North and the South and the choices made by each person have made the fate of the family members an unknown at this moment. But just like when she met Lu Yuan that year, the other party was well aware of the principle of taking advantage of the situation and making decisive decisions, and it is still the same now.
She also realized more clearly why Lu Yuan named herself Ruqing.
According to Lu Yuan, Lu (Liu) Ru is this word.
The six likes here are not the six likes in Buddhism, but a few sentences from the Book of Songs, "Like a mountain, like a hill, like a ridge, like a river... Like the constancy of the moon, like the rising of the sun, like the longevity of the southern mountains, like the luxuriance of pine and cypress." 1
This is originally "Jiuru".
But the sentence "As constant as the moon, as rising as the sun, as long-lived as the southern mountain" was too presumptuous and was removed by Lu Yuan, leaving only the six likes.
In Qiao Yan's opinion, she really had the demeanor of mountains, rivers, pines and cypresses.
She could also feel confident enough to hand over the personnel transfer rights in Bingzhou to her!
This is her right-hand man!
When everything was arranged properly, that is, in April of the second year of Guangxi as she and Gai Xun had mentioned—
Twenty-five thousand soldiers under the command of Bingzhou Governor gathered in Shangjun.
Half a year ago, she had asked Xun You questions by the Beiluo River in Shangjun, pointing at Ziwuling.
At this time, the mountains were still green, but below the mountains, there was a silent battle, forming a formation that seemed enough to fill up a river.
Qiao Yan turned around and saw that the team had become even more powerful and stronger after a winter of rest.
The newly forged long swords in their hands flashed with cold light.
The heavily armored cavalry and armored horses in the front row were like steel machines.
The most eye-catching thing was the generals wearing the latest chain mail in front of the battle formation.
This is the Wolf Riders of Bingzhou!
Her Bingzhou Army had long since broken away from being composed of many bandits.
The momentum of this expedition was such that it made the whole world tremble with fear.
This fighting spirit that had been brewing for a whole winter no longer required Qiao Yan to boost morale in any way!
She pointed her gun westward and shouted, "Cross the river, cross the mountain, and enter Liangzhou!"
Following her order, the cavalry had already taken the lead and galloped across the bridge that had been built over the Beiluo River.
There was no noise of conversation in the entire team, no hesitation in moving forwards and backwards, only the sound of the cavalry's kicking and the sound of the infantry's footsteps following behind.
With no snow to act as a buffer and with the sound coming from the mountain wall ahead, the sounds became even more thrilling as the vibrations moved faster after crossing the river, filling the whole world.
This scene made Huochequan, who was standing on the top of the mountain, look horrified.
At this moment, he was extremely grateful that after receiving Qiao Yan's order to farm here, he did not do anything to disobey the order.
He did not develop any inappropriate ambitions just because he defeated the remnants of the Xianrong Qiang at the beginning of this spring.
When the Bingzhou army no longer garrisoned in various places in Bingzhou in a scattered state, but gathered tens of thousands of elite troops in one place and rushed up the Ziwu Ridge, Huochequan almost thought for a moment that he saw the ferocious army that the King of Qin had swept away in the past, and was about to rush directly to Chang'an via the Qin Straight Road.
But it’s not.
They were like a black and white tide, swooping down the mountains in the sparse spring sunlight.
He was about to pass on this shock he had felt to the land of Liangzhou behind the Ziwuling Mountains.
How do they dare to gallop like this on heavily armored horses?
How did they create such sophisticated armor and weapons?
How did the Marquis Qiao make the Bingzhou soldiers fight for him and charge into that fierce land with the determination to never turn back until victory is achieved?
In this tide of march, Huochequan could not ask these questions, and no one would answer him at this time.
It seems that these Bingzhou troops can only give one result, a result of crushing all the enemies in front of them to prove that they are sharp blades that have been polished and unsheathed!
Because he had previously settled in Ning County, the Qiang people in this area had already avoided him.
This allowed the Bingzhou army led by Qiao Yan to rush across the outer edge of the field and into the Jingshui River Valley ahead without any hindrance.
Going along the river valley, to the south is Gaoling, which was heavily guarded by Dong Zhuo, and to the north is the location specially marked on the map that Qu Yi had seen.
Gaoping!
Where is Gaoping City?
It was the first city west of Chang'an on the Silk Road opened in the Western Han Dynasty.
It’s not that this is the first city, but the first absolute military stronghold!
The so-called "key point of the town, the throat of the Six Pan Mountains, the shoulders and back of the eight counties, and the mouth of the western pass" is exactly this place!
Once he takes over this place, Qiao Yan will have a springboard to enter Liangzhou.
The people stationed here now are the Zhong Qiang who are in collusion with Ma Teng and Han Sui.
Because of their existence, Huangfu Song had to station in Chaona City. Relying on the influence of this place as Huangfu Song's hometown, he got the most powerful local support.
But Qiao Yan had no intention of meeting Huangfu Song first.
The Zhong Qiang tribe was the most powerful of all the Qiang peoples in Liangzhou at that time. They would never neglect their guard against Huangfu Song, but they could not help but neglect the exploration of the Jingshui River Valley because of the confusion set up by Qiao Yan earlier.
This is her chance!
But even so, Qiao Yan did not dare to slack off.
The river valley is the source of life.
Even if there were no Zhong Qiang, there would be other Qiang people coming here to fetch water.
Who knows whether they are cooperating or being hostile to Zhong Qiang?
So before entering the valley, Qiao Yan issued an order -
Anyone you see in the valley who is a Qiang will be killed!
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