Chapter 156 Deadly Crossbow
At the end of this conversation, Yao Chang asked Qiao Yan, "When do you plan to take action against A Yang?"
The response she got was -
"That should be up to you. In your opinion, when the Qiang troops serving under me can win a battle, that's when we'll take action."
In mid-May, the busy farming season in various places came to an end.
However, the growth of new seedlings in the fields did not allow everyone to enjoy the joy of a good harvest in a few months.
Summer is in sight, and it seems to be the time when all kinds of unrest are most likely to occur.
After enduring the torment of winter and spring, the summer heat finally brought out the last bit of passion in the refugees whose land had been swallowed up, and they wanted to fight back.
Two Yellow Turban groups rose up in Qingzhou and Jizhou. One group, led by Guan Hai, attacked Beihai, and the other group, led by Yu Du, Bai Rao and Sui Gu, attacked Weijun.
Leaving aside the former, the latter caused quite a stir.
The seat of Wei County is Yecheng, which is equivalent to being at the feet of the emperor!
Even if these bandits started from the corner of Wei County, it should still be called the capital area.
This is not even as far as the distance between the location where the Liangzhou bandits originally invaded Sanfu and Luoyang.
Liu Bian thought that he could enjoy peace after moving the capital to Yecheng, but he did not expect to have to face such a situation with bandits around.
In shock and anger, he immediately ordered Yuan Shao to give an explanation.
In this regard, Xi Zhicai, who stayed in Bingzhou, analyzed it very clearly in a letter to Qiao Yan.
The powerful and wealthy gathered in Yecheng have caused the price of grain here to rise, which has been out of control since last year. There was no special improvement in last year's harvest, and after the spring plowing this year, the living space of ordinary people has been continuously squeezed.
If this change in grain prices spreads, it will be common for people in the outskirts of Wei County to be unable to survive.
If there were officials in Yecheng who were good at governance, they might be able to quickly divide and gather the refugees. But you have to know that most of the people employed by Yuan Shao in Jizhou were from local powerful families. It is not easy to grasp the people's minds in a practical way.
After Liu Bian urgently summoned Yuan Shao back to Jizhou from Qingzhou, the unrest was indeed quickly put down, but the refugees who were dispersed also flocked to the surrounding areas.
This is Bingzhou's opportunity.
It is also an opportunity for two other places.
During this exodus of refugees, the performances of two people were truly outstanding, but to be more precise, it was because the people who employed them had sufficient vision that gave them room to perform.
To the north of Jizhou, Tian Chou, who was only 22 years old, was appointed as an official by Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou. He was in charge of formulating laws on how to deal with killing, theft, and litigation after collecting refugees, teaching knowledge, setting marriage ceremonies, and reclaiming wasteland in the border areas.
Liu Yu himself was by no means a mediocre person.
As early as last year, he had begun to develop the Hu market for trade between Shanggu County and Wuhuan, and he also used the salt and iron industry that was restarted after order was restored in Yuyang to accumulate money to attract refugees.
With the two-pronged approach of benevolent governance and laws, Youzhou was no longer dependent on Jizhou and Qingzhou for subsidies for official expenses for many years, but instead achieved "thirty coins for a stone of rice", that is, a stone of rice cost only thirty coins.
Because Liu Yu was a descendant of the Prince Gong of Donghai, the deposed crown prince of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, there was no shortage of Youzhou people discussing this situation:
Then why could Liu Bian, the eldest son of Emperor Ling of Han, ascend the throne as emperor in Yecheng after his younger brother was abducted to Chang'an by Dong Zhuo? Why could their Youzhou Mu Liu Yu only be a regent and not the legitimate emperor?
Such outrageous statements might have died down immediately at other times, but in the current situation, they were inevitably spread.
At the same time, south of Jizhou, Cao Cao, then governor of Dongjun, appointed Zao Zhi, a native of Yingchuan, as the commander of the military farms and settled the refugees from the north in the land of Dongjun.
Zao Zhi was really very capable in "encouraging people to engage in farming and sericulture, and storing grain and food". Under the current situation, his role is likely to be greater than that of Chen Gong.
He first rejected Yuan Shao's invitation and then joined Cao Cao, which made Cao Cao value him even more.
Qiao Yan had mentioned him when he was trying to fool the system.
What this person did was not simply farming, but he proposed a relatively complete military farming system, which allowed Cao Cao to gather refugees for his own use and made it a legal matter.
"At this time, we have to say that the existence of Taihang Mountains is both an advantage and a disadvantage for Bingzhou." After reading the letter sent by Xi Zhicai twice, Qiao Yan said to Xun You beside him.
Having said that, there wasn't much regret in her words.
She already had more good ministers and generals under her command than any other lord, so there was no need for her to envy what others had recruited at this time.
Even in today's environment, she still wishes there was a combination like Tian Chou and Liu Yu, Zao Zhi and Cao Cao. At least in their territories, judging from the current situation, the people can still enjoy a peaceful life.
But no one can make an estimate of what will happen in the future.
Just as no one would have thought that in the process of suppressing the Yuyang Rebellion, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou would have the ambition to become stronger as his troops increased, and even began to think about competing with Liu Yu.
Xun You asked, "Are you regretting that the Taihang Mountains blocked the way and the people were unable to cross, so they fled to Yanzhou and Youzhou? Or are you lamenting that the splendor of Bingzhou was blocked by the Taihang Mountains and that the talented people who emerged in the troubled times could not be used by you?"
Qiao Yan did not answer the question directly, but just looked towards the Qingshui River in front of him.
In the river water flowing from the upper reaches of this mountain field, there are also many tiny petals mixed in because the lilac flowers in the Liupan Mountain area are in full bloom. But if you look closely, you will find that in the originally clear water, there is also a hint of blood mixed in.
Qiao Yan looked upstream in the stream and saw a ray of morning light rising from the edge of the mountain.
She said, "Let's not talk about the things east of Taihang. Now is the time for us to set off."
Xun You could tell that her speaking speed was still as gentle and slow as when she mentioned Bingzhou's disadvantages, but her tone revealed a solemn and murderous aura of being ready for battle at any time.
The Qiang people have already taken action in Ayang, and it is indeed time for them to act.
Even though she had confessed to Yao Chang that, between attacking Han Sui and attacking Dong Zhuo, she chose to attack Ma Teng first, it did not mean that it was as simple as marching west to Hanyang.
"Gaoping City is our base and the hub for transporting military rations from Bingzhou to Liangzhou. We must not lose it."
Qiao Yan stood at the top and looked at the people below.
"Mr. Zhongde."
Cheng Yu was standing in the first seat on the left below her and bowed directly to her.
"I will leave General Zhao to you. Please make sure Gaoping is not lost."
Although Qiao Yan didn't say much, Cheng Yu knew what was going on.
What he wanted to protect was not only the city of Gaoping, but also the Huoshizhai military settlement built by Qiao Yan to accumulate his power here. After she led the army away, she must not allow the Han and Qiang people from Liangzhou recruited here to cause any trouble in the rear.
If there is an opportunity, we can expand outward from Gaoping and recruit more people.
For tasks like stabilizing the rear and sending troops, she trusted Cheng Yu and Zhao Yun more.
"Mr. Wenhe."
Upon hearing the voice, Jia Xu stepped out of the line.
"From the middle of last month to now, more than 500 ferries and bamboo rafts have been built inside and outside Gaoping City. You are to lead 5,000 soldiers and Generals Chu and Qu to drive north with cars and boats, up the Yellow River, and directly take Kuiyuan Gorge. There is no need to fight Han Sui first. Go ashore in advance and occupy the city of Wei to await military orders."
The city of Aowei is located north of the Yellow River and northeast of Kuiyuan Gorge. There is no need to explain why Chu Yan chose to travel with him.
The rocky mountains on both sides of Kuiyuan Gorge make this pass of the Yellow River difficult to break through. However, if a different attack method could be used, the situation would be very different.
The city of Wei is located in Wuwei County, which is also Jia Xu's hometown.
Jincheng County, which is about to be attacked, is where Qu Yi was born.
The candidates along this route may not be the most offensive, but they are definitely the most suitable.
Jia Xu, Chu Yan and Qu Yi responded with "Yes".
Qiao Yan continued, "Gongda will be my military advisor for this trip, and the rest of the generals—follow me!"
After dispatching the teams to stay in Gaoping City and take the northern route of the Yellow River, she still had Dian Wei, Lu Bu, Fu Gan, Gai Xun, Jiang Jiong and Huangfu Song left on this journey.
Yao Chang's statement that Qiao Yan had unimpeded access in Hanyang was not false.
Fu Gan was the son of the former prefect Fu Xie.
Gai Xun once served as the prefect of Hanyang, and was famous for his outstanding political achievements during his tenure.
Jiang Jiong is not only a subordinate official of the current Hanyang prefect, but also one of the four major surnames in Hanyang.
Even though there are still a large number of Qiang rebels scattered within Hanyang, making the current governor afraid to take office openly, if she wants to lead the troops quickly and pass through Hanyang County, she will be able to get a lot of support.
if only--
Get rid of Ayang, the obstacle.
Yao Chang wiped the blood off her face.
Or perhaps, what was seeping down her temples at this moment was not only the blood of the enemy, but also the sweat.
But she clenched the long sword in her hand, and reached out to pull at the leather armor on her body, her eyes still clear and cold.
Ayang is not an easy county to conquer.
When Han Sui and Bian Zhang were coerced into becoming bandits by Beigong Boyu and others, this place was once garrisoned by Gai Xun. The Liangzhou bandits failed to break through it. Later, the rebels became powerful, and Gai Xun mobilized them, which allowed this place to fall completely into the hands of the enemy, and the county town was occupied by the nearby Shen Di Qiang.
After Gaoping City changed hands, the Qiang people stationed in Ayang County would never make a similar mistake and let this place fall into the hands of the enemy due to lax defense.
Therefore, the only way out is to attack by force.
There will be no small amount of damage.
But Yao Chang didn't think that Qiao Yan was dissatisfied with her for entrusting her with such an important task.
Just as Toli and Yu Furuo said, the Qiang people take pride in dying in battle!
Even though Shaodang Qiang experienced a Han transformation and learned to make a living by farming like the Han people, this fighting talent seemed to be ingrained in her bones and blood.
Qiao Yan only provided them with stronger leather armor, sharper swords, and better tools for climbing the city walls, but did not give her any guidance on how to break the city walls, nor did he let Yao Chang feel disappointed or dissatisfied!
That's enough!
In order to gain enough status in front of the commander-in-chief of the royal army who conquered Liangzhou, a battle paid with blood was necessary.
In this battle that was launched in the dark, the Qiang troops led by Yao Chang cleverly avoided the eyes and ears of the Shendi Qiang in the mountains. When the enemy's city defenders sounded the alarm, the Qiang people had already surrounded and killed them from three sides.
These Qiang people, who were very good at mountain warfare, used a particularly special attack method when climbing the city wall.
They worked in groups of two, with the former climbing quickly while the latter maintained a certain climbing speed and used spears as weapons to attack the defenders on the city wall.
The throwing distance of this kind of shuttle would not be too far, but it was enough for the height of Ayang County!
Coincidentally, when Gai Xun was defending Ayang, he had consumed most of the city's defense equipment.
Especially the wolf-toothed baton that can be placed on the city wall!
This news, which was told to Yu Yaochang in advance, made her more confident in capturing the county.
When the Qiang soldiers in the front row who were climbing the city wall formed a momentum equal to that of the defenders on the city wall, Yao Chang swung the rope hook in her hand and climbed up the wall.
On their side, those archers who had not taken action before but were roaming around had already left several arrow marks on Ayang's rammed earth walls.
And these arrows were just covering another group of people.
The weapon they hold is called a four-stone crossbow.
In just half an hour, these crossbow machines had left crossbow arrows that had penetrated more than halfway into the city wall.
Yao Chang's eyesight and limb coordination are top-notch among her peers, which allowed her to step steadily on the footholds formed by the crossbow arrows while climbing the city wall, turning it into an alternative ladder.
She was also one of the first to climb the city wall!
The moment she landed on the city wall, her subconscious awareness of danger made her quickly avoid the spear that was stabbing towards her, and at the same time she swung out the spear in her hand.
At the same time, her companion who had climbed onto the city wall behind her quickly snatched the spear whose owner had died and stabbed another enemy soldier.
Yao Chang grabbed the wolf-fang bat beside her and threw it decisively at the defenders on the other side who were trying to defend the city.
But she is the commander along the way, and cannot limit herself to fights between people.
So as soon as she climbed onto the city wall, her eyes began to wander around the opposite team.
Even though the night reduced visibility a lot, being a fellow Qiang meant that she could more easily determine the presence of the enemy commander by the formation formed by the opponent!
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
Found it!
When the troops led by Qiao Yan crossed the mountains and arrived outside Ayang County, the battle here had already come to an end.
In this battle between Qiang people, the mixed Qiang team that broke through the city wall and gained the upper hand suppressed the Shen Di Qiang and moved the battlefield from inside the city to outside the city.
Yao Chang really lived up to her self-proclaimed style of commanding a general. After shooting and killing the Qiang leader with a bow, she still led the charge in the close combat.
Fortunately, she remembered to find a messenger with a loud voice for herself, otherwise, when she stood in front of Qiao Yan, it might not be just the hand holding the knife that was shaking slightly.
But after this battle, her eyes were bright as if they were on fire.
She reported to Qiao Yan: "There are a total of 4,000 people from the Qiang tribe. 1,000 of them were killed, 3,000 were killed, and more than 1,000 were captured. Thanks to the weapons provided by the Lord, Chang... has fulfilled her mission!"
If the city is impregnable, the difference in death rates between the attackers and defenders is often six times.
Fortunately, the troops led by Yao Chang successfully entered Ayang County and successfully saved the situation.
Qiao Yan praised, "Well done, pack up the team and join the team."
Yao Chang had just taken two steps when she heard Qiao Yan say, "Tell the victors you lead that according to the rules of our Bingzhou Army, you can get 30 dan of grain for each person you behead or capture. How to distribute it specifically, how much to give to the dead and how much to the living, let the elders of each Qiang calculate it and report to Military Advisor Xun."
These words were heard not only by Yao Chang, but also by the other Qiang people who returned to the team with her.
As a result, when Xun You integrated the troops outside Ayang County and gave the order to march quickly, the speed at which these Qiang people collected their luggage did not show that they had just experienced a life-and-death battle.
However, Qiao Yan still incorporated them into the rear army and had no intention of consuming them further.
The reason why we chose the Qiang people instead of the Han army to attack Ayang County was to reduce our casualties and to give them a reason to integrate into the team. However, in the following march -
What she wants to show is the momentum of the Bingzhou Army!
Going south from Ayang County is Ji County, the seat of Hanyang County.
Under the threat of this group of more than 10,000 people rushing straight into the country, Governor Zhang, who had been hiding in a big family in Hanyang, immediately straightened his back and took up his post.
With the help of Gai Xun, Fu Gan and Jiang Jiong who had arrived earlier with light cavalry, he dispatched the Ji County garrison scattered around with the official seal.
When Qiao Yan and Huangfu Song arrived later, the rebellious Qiang people in Hanyang County had already fled, fearing that they would follow in the footsteps of the Shendi Qiang and Zhong Qiang.
Prefect Zhang, who was from the Zhang family of Jiuquan, originally thought that Gai Xun's decision to go to Bingzhou was nothing more than a desperate attempt to find a cure.
But when his eyes fell on the team that came with Qiao Yan, he had to admit that a person with a long-standing reputation must have his own unique qualities.
At this time, he had not yet realized that the Bingzhou army had equipped their war horses with horseshoes. He only felt that the enemy was in high spirits, and even the sound of their horses' kicking was louder than that of ordinary horses.
In this way, Gai Xun chose the right partner.
However, when he heard that Qiao Yan did not plan to rest in Ji County, but planned to attack Zhan County and advance to Longxi, even though he knew that Qiao Yan's march in Bingzhou was unexpected, Zhang Taishou still reminded him, "Ma Teng may not have prepared for Qiao Bingzhou's attack, but Pang De, the former chief of the general's office under his command, is stationed in Zhan County, so it is better to be cautious in sending troops."
Qiao Yan replied: "It is precisely because I know that Ma Teng has stationed his confidants in Zhan County that I want to enter the country quickly."
She pointed to the west with her whip and said, "Zhang Taishou may not know that the Qiang people and scattered tribes who were defeated by us along the way, now that they know that our army has entered Hanyang, they dare not flee to Longxi where Ma Teng is. Now is the time to move quickly and with all our might."
"Yancai——"
Hearing Qiao Yan's call, Fu Gan hurriedly rode forward.
"Go get two jars of strong liquor. General Huangfu and I will toast your father together, and then we will set off."
Fu Gan's eyes flickered slightly, and he suppressed the bitterness in his heart while answering, and just said loudly: "Yes!"
In the fourth year of Zhongping, Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, regardless of his own ability to command troops, rashly gathered people to suppress the bandits. After the army mutinied, the rebels attacked Ji County.
This is also the place where Fu Xie died.
And three years later, a young governor in helmet and armor and a famous old general from Liangzhou came here, each holding a jar of strong liquor. Although there were only two of them standing in front of Ji County, it seemed like a huge army.
Qiao Yan opened the wine jar and poured the strong liquor onto the yellow soil in front of the city. Then he heard Huangfu Song say, "Nan Rong is grateful for your sacrifice and for having taught Yan Cai to be what he is today. He will die without regrets."
She replied: "Then I hope his heroic spirit can stay for a few more years, to see me take off Han Sui's head and completely wipe out Liangzhou!"
Huangfu Song paused.
Completely wipe out Liangzhou?
This sounds like an amazing ambition!
The various dynasties of the Eastern Han Dynasty spent hundreds of billions of dollars but were unable to achieve this in a real sense, and this is not a goal that can be completely achieved by killing Han Sui.
But for some reason, when Huangfu Song heard these words from Qiao Yan's mouth, he felt that they were quite convincing.
He smiled and said, "Great, today we are offering a toast to the martyrs to witness this wish. If I can see this wished-for scene with my own eyes, my life will not be in vain!"
"Let's go! Enter Longxi!"
After the two of them returned to the team, Qiao Yan gave the signal for the entire army to advance.
The distance from Ji County to Zhan County on the border of Longxi is not too far, and a considerable section of the journey even goes along the Wei River.
Longxi County is also the source of the Wei River.
Niaoshutongxue Mountain, north of Nazhang County.
According to Fu Gan, the winters in Liangzhou are bitterly cold, and birds would love to dig holes in the mountains to hide. However, it is impossible for birds to learn to dig holes in the ground on their own, so they can only occupy holes dug by mice. This is how the special phenomenon of birds and mice sharing the same hole appeared, and it also became the origin of the name of this mountain.
Qiao Yan couldn't help but ask, "When birds and mice live in the same hole, are they relying on each other or are they occupying the magpie's nest?"
This seems to be a portrayal of the current situation in Liangzhou.
But at least, we have to destroy Ma Teng’s lair first!
There are indeed advantages to marching too fast.
When the Bingzhou army arrived three miles outside of Zhan County, Pang De, who was stationed there, received the news.
He was so frightened that he immediately gathered his men to go out of the city to watch the battle.
You must know that Longxi County is not the same as Jincheng County! There is more than one way to enter Longxi, which is through Zhan County.
When the Bingzhou Army led by Qiao Yan arrived here almost like a divine force descending from the sky, what he should have done most was not to defend the city, but to give full play to the mobility of the cavalry, to disperse and kill the enemy's army that came from afar and to dampen its morale.
Before leaving the city, he also asked another team to deliver the news to Lintao where Ma Teng was stationed.
But no matter how fast he organized his troops, the distance was only three miles, and for a well-fed army, it would only take a blink of an eye to arrive.
The Ponderemahe team had seen a group of black-armored soldiers gradually spreading out their formation more than a thousand steps ahead.
At such a distance, he couldn't see the entire team clearly, but he could feel the boiling murderous aura transmitted to the opponent in the opponent's neat formation.
What is even easier to identify is the enemy commander who rode out from the scattered and then reunited troops.
The governor of Bingzhou, who had been the subject of various rumors since entering Liangzhou, seemed to rein in his horse and look at the team that had left the city early and the fortified city of Zhan County in the distance.
Then, in Pound's sight, she raised her hand.
This is not a signal to advance.
Because the next moment, a heavy crossbow arrow suddenly pierced Pang De's chest!
It was a crossbow arrow fired from the crossbow on the opposite side, which took the life of the commander of Zhan County without any warning.
The moment he fell off the horse, countless questions flashed through Pound's mind.
The biggest one is——
How come the crossbow arrow is so accurate while maintaining the shooting range!
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