Chapter 153: Book with Han
This is an open conspiracy.
When Huangfu Song took the letter from Qiao Yan the next day, he saw the words "Agreement with Han" written on the title of the letter.
Han Sui changed his name from Han Yue to Han Sui because he was offered a bounty for rebelling against the Han Dynasty. This sentence alone has created a lot of hatred.
This is clearly a mockery of Han Sui's name change, and it is just a way of covering up one's mistake.
This is exactly what is meant in these first few sentences.
If Han Sui was really a coward, who had no choice but to join the bandits after being coerced by the Qiang people and had no way back, then why did he attack Sanfu, make friends with the Qiang people, occupy Jincheng, and attack Hanyang? Now he is even seeking fame by joining forces with Dong Zhuo and taking over the position of Left General?
Therefore, he doesn't have to be called Han Sui anymore. It would be better for him to restore his original name, Han Yue, so as to live up to the idea of his parents when they named him that.
It doesn't matter whether the word "covenant" means that he should restrain himself or abide by the agreement. He hasn't done either one anyway, so he should use this name to warn himself.
Huangfu Song subconsciously glanced in the direction of Gai Xun.
When Gai Xun denounced Han Sui, Han Sui had not yet completed the act of changing his name. If he had changed his name at that time, he might have referred to this sentence and had another reason.
And after these teasing words, they challenged each other to a fight openly.
Qiao Yan listed three reasons why Han Sui needed to be attacked.
The first one is to say that Han Sui is a man with wolfish ambitions and is difficult to please. It is expected that he will only be able to subdue the enemy even if the situation is desperate, and the troops will be mobilized again after they leave. He is like a latent carbuncle that lingers in the side of the body. 1
This sentence is very subtle, because it is the words that Duan Xing used to persuade Emperor Xiaohuan to kill all the Qiang people.
So this is also a description of the Qiang people!
But now Qiao Yan simply used it to describe Han Sui.
The implication is that Han Sui was not forced to follow the Qiang, but rather had similar habits to them!
The Qiang people were rebellious and wasted the Han Dynasty's financial resources. It cost 24 billion coins to suppress the Qiang rebellion during the Yongchu period, and more than 8 billion coins were spent at the end of the Yonghe period.
The Han Dynasty is now in decline and cannot afford to spend so much money to suppress their repeated actions.
Fortunately, Bingzhou still has some surplus wealth, so in order to suppress the Liangzhou rebels led by Han Sui and others, it would be okay for her, the governor of Bingzhou, to contribute both troops and money!
Second, Dong Zhuo has held Your Majesty hostage in Chang'an. Last year's edict to punish Dong Zhuo has exposed his crimes and evil deeds to the world, so I will not elaborate on them here to save time. Han Sui took over Dong Zhuo's title as the Left General and formed a pincer attack with him. This meant that they were the same evil villains and should be attacked.
Qiao Yan never used the title of General of Cavalry to refer to herself, but always used the titles of Governor of Bingzhou and Marquis of Leping that Liu Hong had given her. She also had the merit of being the first to capture Luoyang and intending to rescue the emperor, so her position was indeed more established than anyone else.
As for the third one——
If Han Sui were still alive, he would tell the officials in the prefectures that once the Qiang people invaded, they would not have to defend the city to the death to protect the Han people. They would not have to think about the tragic situation when the Qiang people invaded, when "the counties of Huangzhong were worth tens of thousands of coins of grain and stones, and the deaths of countless people." As long as they surrendered to the rebels, they could enjoy wealth and glory. 2
What a ridiculous statement!
If this could be an old precedent on the border of Han territory, why did the late emperor add the title of “Zhuangjie Hou” to Fu Nanrong after he died for his country?
This is why Han Sui must be eliminated.
Therefore, as soon as Qiao Yan captured Gaoping, he launched an attack on Han Sui.
The disaster caused by the Qiang people was a disaster in one place, and the disaster caused by Han Sui was a disaster in one day.
If Han Sui had not organized and coordinated the communication among the Qiang people, they would have fought on their own like mere reckless men. However, Han Sui's leadership over various tribes fueled his ambitions, which required the strategy of "cutting off their roots" adopted by Commandant Duan back then.
[Qiao Yan, the governor of Bingzhou, first arrived in Liangzhou. He should have comforted the county residents and restored order in the Beidi and Anding areas. However, there were many troubles ahead, and graves were frequently dug up and corpses exposed. This was intolerable. Han Sui must be beheaded as a warning! 】
She then wrote, doesn't she know that Han Sui is the local tyrant in Liangzhou?
Of course not.
But in the past, when Duan Xing and the Erxian Qiang fought at Fengyi Mountain, he encouraged his soldiers by saying, "We are fighting a thousand miles away from home. If we advance, we will succeed, but if we retreat, we will all die. We can only work hard to share the honor." Therefore, although he was unfamiliar with the place, he still dared to invite Han Sui to come here for a battle to preserve the prestige of the Han Dynasty.
Duan Xing can do it, and Qiao Yeshu has already killed 8,000 Zhong Qiang people in Gaoping, so she can also do it.
When Hou Han Sui comes, he will be met with Bingzhou's elite cavalry and generals, with long spears, powerful crossbows, and sharp swords.
Replace Han Sui in the above statements with Han Yue.
Han Sui almost slammed the table when he saw the letter.
But the messenger was still there. If he really lost his composure because of Qiao Yan's angry words, wouldn't he be playing into the other party's hands?
Han Sui tried hard to calm down a little and read the [Letter of Agreement with Han] again. He became more and more certain that Qiao Yan's ability to lead Bingzhou at such a young age must be inseparable from her "carelessness".
What does it mean that she left Bingzhou thousands of miles away to fight in an unfamiliar place, just to preserve the loyalty of the Han Dynasty and do her best to defeat the enemy?
She said this as if she was at a great disadvantage in this battle.
As early as two days ago, Han Sui received a report from the remnants of the Zhong Qiang who fled from Huoshizhai, saying that Gaoping City had been breached and none of the Zhong Qiang in the city survived. It was the Bingzhou Mu who attacked Gaoping and captured the city.
Han Sui was shocked to receive this news suddenly, and was particularly shocked to find that the important stronghold connecting Chang'an and the north was lost.
She dispatched her troops too quickly and too efficiently!
A strong city like Gaoping was breached, and the Zhong Qiang stationed in the city suffered a devastating disaster. This record, coupled with a time limit of one day to break the city, was too eye-catching.
Thinking about Qiao Yan's action of leading his troops to attack the border areas two years ago, perhaps he had inherited Duan Xing's style of marching more than 200 miles in a day and a night and advancing alone into deep territory. But there is no guarantee that she will not achieve a record of fighting and chasing the enemy and killing all the enemies.
But of course he would not offer his head just because of what he had said before when Qiao Yan attacked. Instead, he planned to invite Ma Teng to discuss a response strategy.
However, he did not expect that before his contact letter to Ma Teng had even reached Longxi, Qiao Yan's letter of challenge had already been delivered to him.
He also chose a place for the fight that was nominally a concession to him, but in fact was full of ulterior motives.
Fengyi Mountain is less than a hundred miles away from Gaoping City. Since she is already stationed in Gaoping, it would be extremely easy for her to attack here. But he had to rush from Jincheng where he was to Fengyi Mountain, a journey of more than 600 miles, which was undoubtedly a long and tiring expedition and a thankless task!
If Qiao Yan could use some shady strategies and order his men to ambush his troops halfway, he could annihilate his exhausted army.
He would have to be crazy to agree to use Fengyi Mountain as the venue for the fight.
He looked at the young man delivering the letter and asked in a cold voice, "In the past, Emperor Guangwu's subordinate Kou Ziyi attacked Gaoping. Gao Jun, the defender of Gaoping City, ordered his military advisor Huangfu Wen to go to General Kou's camp to challenge him. Huangfu Wen was rude and impolite, so he was beheaded by General Kou. Gao Jun not only did not avenge his military advisor, but instead gave Gaoping City to General Kou. Aren't you afraid that you will also be the envoy beheaded in the battle between the two armies?"
The other party replied calmly: "General Han is a scholar, he knows what happened in the past, but he has no sense of shame and dignity, and dares to compare himself to Marquis Wei. Isn't this just a coward pretending to be the leader?"
"you……"
"I call you General Han because my lord invites you to a battle to raise your status. Do you really think you are worthy of the title of general? If you really have the guts to kill me, I would respect you a little, but I'm afraid you don't have the courage!"
It was indeed impossible for Han Sui to kill this envoy.
The young man standing in front of him was handsome and dignified, with a stern expression. If he were not a little younger, he would have been almost cast from the same mold as Fu Xie, who defended Hanyang back then.
Who else could this be but Fu Gan, the son of Fu Xie!
When Qiao Yan asked who in the camp dared to deliver the letter of challenge for her, Fu Gan stepped forward without hesitation.
According to the reasons he gave, "When my father died fighting for the city, I was blessed by his kindness and believed in his noble character. The Qiang people have already felt that the actions of Han Sui, Wang Guo and others are inappropriate. If he wants to kill me in anger just because I sent him a letter of challenge, it is even more unbecoming of the Qiang people. When the Qiang people are strong, they divide themselves into different tribes, and when they are weak, they attach themselves to others. If Han Sui kills me, it will show that he is strong on the outside but weak on the inside, how can he convince the people!"
"If he really has no scruples and makes me die in Jincheng, that's fine! When I served you, I didn't force you to avenge my father. Today, you are conquering Liangzhou and taking Gaoping first. Your army is as powerful as thunder and lightning. Sooner or later, you will pass Kuiyuan and point your sword at Huangzhong. You will definitely be able to eliminate Han Sui from Liangzhou. I will die with no regrets."
Fu Gan's words made Gai Xun, who originally wanted to step forward to deliver the letter, sit back down.
His fiery and frank words had completely confirmed the fact that he was the most suitable person to deliver the letter.
Why should Qiao Yan reject his self-recommendation?
Han Sui thought just as Fu Gan said.
Now that Fu Xie is dead, if Fu Gan dies at his hands again, it would probably bring him criticism.
On the one hand, he imitated the Qiang people's behavior and engaged in separatist activities, but on the other hand, he still retained his old habit of being concerned about his reputation.
In this contradictory mentality, even though Fu Gan brought the letter of challenge sent by Qiao Yan, and pointed at his nose and scolded him for being a coward who flattered himself, he could only swallow his resentment for the time being and express his attitude towards the challenge.
He said: "If Qiao Bingzhou wants to fight, why do we have to fight in Fengyi Mountain? In my opinion, wouldn't it be better to fight in Dingxi?"
Fu Gan sneered, "General Han, have you ever seen anyone make clear with the bandits before going to war? In the past, when General Duan heard that the Qiang people lived in Sheyan Lake, he chased them with light troops, covering 200 miles day and night, and attacked them in the morning. Your Excellency is attacking Gaoping by this route. If it was not me who came to deliver the letter, but the army under my Excellency's command, there would be no need to even have the battle at Fengyi Mountain."
"General Han is picky and unwilling to fight. He doesn't need to call himself the leader of the Qiang Army in the future. What leader would be so timid and bargain like this?"
Before Han Sui could suggest changing the location, Fu Gan left with a wave of his sleeves, saying, "From today onwards, within seven days, our Bingzhou Army will be waiting for you at Fengyi Mountain. If you dare not come, we will have no choice but to defeat you one by one."
He said this after he stepped out of Han Sui's reception area, which was enough for some of the Qiang rebels under Han Sui to hear clearly.
Han Sui sat upright in the room, his expression changing again and again.
Qiao Yan's move was to take advantage of the victory in the Battle of Gaoping and challenge him to a duel to deal a blow to his reputation.
He is able to command the rebel forces and serve as the main general, so he cannot fail to see this.
But he couldn't move at this time.
"The marching of Bingzhou Mu is incredible. After breaking through Gaoping City, her subordinates still had the strength to attack Huoshi Village. According to the remnants of the troops, the people who sent troops to attack are very good at mountain warfare. I am afraid that they are the Black Mountain bandits or White Wave bandits under her command." Han Sui said after Ma Teng arrived.
The personnel composition of Qiao Yan's subordinates is no secret to the outside world. Perhaps it's just that the specific abilities of several of her generals are still uncertain.
Therefore, Han Sui's judgment that the attacker was a former bandit through the information from Huoshizhai was not groundless.
Han Sui continued, "If she brings not only cavalry and infantry for siege, but also the Black Mountain and White Wave bandits who are particularly good at mountain warfare, it will be very easy for her to set an ambush on my way."
"If we go into battle as she provokes us, we will fall into her trap. It is better to wait for her to tire herself out. When she penetrates deep into Liang Province, Brother Shoucheng will lead an army to cut off her food supply, and I will lead an army to attack Yuzhong and Xiaoyuzhong. It will be like what Sun Jian and Zhou Shen did back then. No matter how brave they are, facing the terrain of Yuzhong and Kuiyuan Gorge, they will still be defeated and flee miserably."
Although Ma Teng felt a bit gloating over the fact that Qiao Yan had provoked Han Sui first, their interests were now shared and it was not appropriate for him to show such thoughts on his face.
He stroked his beard and replied, "Wen Yue is right. If our army rushes in rashly, it will lead to disaster. It is better to wait and see the situation and win the battle in one go."
He added: "But if this happens, Wen Yue will have to bear some infamy."
Although Qiao Yan's letter of challenge did not state it explicitly, it did contain some implication of moral blackmail.
If Han Sui did not respond to the challenge, she could move her battles to various places in Liangzhou with impunity. If her next target was one of the rebel alliances they had recruited, would these people first blame it on the invading Qiao Yan, or blame Han Sui for inaction? Based on Ma Teng's understanding of the Liangzhou Qiang people's temperament of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, it was not difficult to draw a conclusion.
Han Sui has to take the blame for this!
Han Sui smiled bitterly and said, "If we can gather a hundred thousand soldiers at this time, why would I be afraid of Qiao Yan? I can just lead the army to attack directly, then..."
If they really did this, they might be able to expel Qiao Yan from the country, but it would also allow Dong Zhuo to benefit from it. He would not miss this opportunity to reap the benefits.
That guy also made his fortune in Liangzhou! As he still holds the throne, it would be easier for him to disintegrate the Liangzhou army and recruit followers than for anyone else since the threat to him has been eliminated.
So Dong Zhuo would be more happy to see such a scene than anyone else.
In this case, Han Sui could only wait for Qiao Yan to go deep into the hinterland to fight, but he did not expect that this way of fighting, which was most suitable for his current situation, would be criticized by Qiao Yan.
If time could go back, Han Sui would definitely slap himself in the face for saying that Qiao Yan could not attack Liangzhou for no reason.
The battle hasn't even started yet, but he's already at a disadvantage.
At this moment, Qiao Yan, who was in Gaoping, really followed the declaration of war she sent out. After the killing in Gaoping, she did not make any other offensive moves, as if she was really waiting for Han Sui to come and fight.
But it can't be said that she did nothing.
On the one hand, she ordered people to open up fields in Huoshi Village and recruited Han people from the surrounding areas to farm there.
At the same time, he issued a transfer order to Bingzhou.
She ordered the Southern Xiongnu King Zuo Guli and Yu Fuluo to lead their people to Gaoping to drink with her and wait for the enemy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
