Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 3: Galloping Through Bingzhou, Troops Depart from Hedong Chapter 85: Surprise Attack Beyond the Frontier

Book: Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 85: Surprise…

When Qiao Yan arrived at the foot of Guyang City, even though the bloodstains on and below the city walls had been roughly cleaned up, and the heads and severed limbs of the Han people had been gathered and buried by Zhang Liao, the bloodstains seeping and spreading from the top of the city walls were still visible.

As the autumn winds swept across the northern frontier, the tattered flags, also dyed red with blood, fluttered in the wind, leaving only a desolate and bleak scene.

“North of Guyang City lies the double-layered Great Wall, and to the northwest is Guanglu Pass. How on earth did the Hu people manage to breach it?” She furrowed her brows as she looked up at the city walls and asked.

The Han Great Wall in the Wuyuan and Yunzhong regions was built with two layers of walls. One layer followed the terrain of the Yinshan Mountains, extending the foundation of the Qin Great Wall in the Guyang area, while the other layer retreated thirty miles inward, constructed with rammed earth and gravel.

This second inner wall was lined with beacon towers and military forts, the most famous of which was Guanglu Pass.

In the past, when the Xiongnu Chanyu Huhanye submitted to the Han Dynasty, he stationed troops here. Later, he returned to the northern deserts to manage his territory and, as a vassal, requested to marry a Han princess, leading to the famous story of Wang Zhaojun’s departure to the frontier. The pass involved was Guanglu Pass.

Located outside the Guyang Road at the Yinshan Mountain pass, Guanglu Pass was supposed to be garrisoned by seven to eight hundred soldiers, with regular patrols on the watchtowers. It was extremely rare for Guyang to face any threats.

Hearing her question, Zhang Liao hesitated for a moment before replying, “Previously, the Wuhuan rebellion in Youzhou and Jizhou prompted the court to requisition troops from Bingzhou. The Governor submitted a report emphasizing the importance of the border, but the conscription officer, carrying the imperial edict, not only requisitioned troops from the Southern Xiongnu, led by Yufuluo, the son of Qiang Qu, but also, despite objections, withdrew over four hundred soldiers from Guanglu Pass, along with half of the troops from the Wuyuan Commandery’s Du Liao General’s camp.”

“The Wuhuan rebellion was in June, and the conscription in July occurred while Marquis Qiao was under house arrest.”

The implication was that telling her at that time would have been useless.

But such a conscription, prioritizing immediate firefighting while completely disregarding long-term border defense, was truly—

“Ridiculous!” Qiao Yan couldn’t help but exclaim in frustration.

What kind of conscription is this!

But Bingzhou only had a Governor, with the authority to supervise and recommend, and could not interfere too much in military matters. Even if Cui Lie wanted to stop it, he had no means to do so.

Now, with no Du Liao General in office, there was indeed no one to prevent the withdrawal of troops from the Du Liao camp.

Qiao Yan, bearing the title of Marquis of Leping, could curse like this, but Zhang Liao could not.

He sighed and added, “With more than half of the troops missing from Guanglu Pass, the remaining soldiers still did their duty. When they heard a large cavalry force was coming from Guyang Road, they sounded the alarm and led a pursuit, but the disparity in numbers led to their complete annihilation.”

“Even more troublesome is that the outer wall along the Yinshan border now offers little defense, and the inner wall coincidentally has a collapsed section in this area. It had already been reported for repair, but before the repairs could be completed, the enemy arrived.”

Passing through Guyang City, Qiao Yan witnessed the tragic aftermath of the looting, and it was hard not to feel deep hatred for these Qiang and Hu tribes.

The untamed nomadic tribes at this time viewed the Han people as two-legged sheep, and given the chance to plunder, they would mercilessly tear a piece of flesh from the Han, truly behaving like beasts.

The bloodstains in the city were difficult to clean immediately, and as Qiao Yan passed through, a strong smell of blood hit her.

Her gaze fixed on a particular spot where a collapsed wall bore a bloody handprint.

Judging by the size of the handprint, it clearly belonged to a child.

Unable to bear the sight, Qiao Yan quickly spurred her horse forward.

Exiting through the northern gate of Guyang, they soon reached the inner Great Wall.

Zhang Liao pointed and said, “This is the place.”

Qiao Yan followed his finger and indeed saw a significant collapse in the second layer of the Great Wall, built during Emperor Xiaowu’s reign.

Dismounting and approaching the breach in the inner Great Wall, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but frown.

The cross-section of the breach showed only clumps of earth and gravel, lacking the usual vegetation found in rammed earth walls to ensure stability.

This might have been a construction habit at the time, and there was nothing to criticize.

But besides the weathering marks on the wall, signs of human destruction were also evident.

The Hu people’s choice to attack here was no coincidence.

“Let’s go to Guanglu Pass,” Qiao Yan said, remounting her horse and turning it around.

Heading northwest, they soon arrived at Guanglu Pass.

Once a garrison for the Xiongnu Chanyu, the pass was indeed not small in scale, built in a shape that was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, easy to defend but hard to attack. However, with only about two hundred soldiers stationed there now, it looked pitifully undermanned.

Only with the arrival of Zhang Liao’s troops did it regain some semblance of its former defensive posture.

Looking at the military barracks within Guanglu Pass, Qiao Yan noticed the roof tiles illuminated by the sun, forming the character for “solid.”

This pattern was also seen in Guyang City. Unfortunately, this hope for solid defense clearly did not keep these two places safe.

“Before I came, did you send anyone to scout Guyang Road?” Qiao Yan asked as she surveyed the surroundings.

Zhang Liao replied, “Marquis Qiao sent me a letter indicating an intention to attack. I thought Marquis Qiao probably didn’t want the attacking Xiongnu to realize we were planning a major move, so I only sent a few scouts to follow their tracks for a distance, ensuring we didn’t mistake their direction of retreat. The rest of the troops only made preparations to repair the border defenses and gather the garrison.”

“The raiders came through the pass between Yinshan and Yangshan Mountains and exited the same way, heading straight northwest.”

Qiao Yan naturally praised Zhang Liao for his cautious actions.

The Yinshan he mentioned was not the Yinshan Mountain range itself but the Daqing Mountain within the range, and the Yangshan he referred to was the eastern Wula Mountain, also known as Wolf Mountain. The valley between these two mountains was the Guyang Road, also called the Huyan Road.

Qiao Yan looked north over the walls of Guanglu Pass. The rugged, reddish mountains in the twilight gave a sense of an impending bloodbath. After a long gaze, she turned back to Zhang Liao and said, “I have two tasks for you, Wen Yuan.”

“Marquis Qiao, please instruct.”

Qiao Yan said, “First, I am not familiar with the frontier, especially beyond Guyang Road. Please select two guides from Guanglu Pass.”

As a Military Officer, Zhang Liao could arrange this, whereas Qiao Yan was not suited for it.

“Second, for this expedition, the troops you lead must also cross the frontier with us. Guanglu Pass is undermanned. I will write a letter to the Governor of Wuyuan Commandery. Deliver it for me and request that he send a batch of soldiers to ensure at least six hundred are stationed at Guanglu Pass, to prevent any sneak attacks.”

As for why not continue to transfer troops from Yunzhong Commandery…

We still need to keep troops to guard against the Xianbei.

“I will handle it immediately.”

Though night was approaching, it did not hinder the delivery of messages, especially concerning the reinforcement of Guanglu Pass.

The Governor of Wuyuan Commandery had the authority to dispatch troops, but after sending them, he couldn’t help but remind Qiao Yan that she had no experience in frontier warfare. It would be enough to reinforce the border troops and withdraw them once the Youzhou rebellion was quelled. Why should a County Marquis take such risks?

Qiao Yan initially wanted to ignore this, but after some thought, she wrote back: [Having been under house arrest for so long, I need some frontier air.]

This sounded quite cheeky, but considering her usual style, it was not surprising.

Moreover, many young talents in the Han Dynasty had done outrageous things. If not for the fear of Qiao Yan perishing beyond the frontier and being unable to explain it, the Governor of Wuyuan Commandery wouldn’t have said more.

In principle, Qiao Yan should have submitted a report to the central government before pursuing the Hu raiders beyond the frontier.

But in her letters to the Governor of Wuyuan Commandery and Cui Lie, she wrote that to do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools. The White Wave Bandits, seeking survival, were this tool, but honing it took time. If she had to wait for central approval before launching the attack, it would delay the opportunity.

So she would report afterward.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this before.

Additionally, she wrote in the letter that if the Hu invaders were not taught a lesson, Bingzhou might face the same dangers as Youzhou and Jizhou.

With Zhang Ju’s collaboration with the Wuhuan leading to the deaths of the Governors of Youzhou’s Right Beiping and Liaodong, as well as the Protector of the Wuhuan, if Bingzhou suffered the same fate, who would be the first to die?

The Governor of Wuyuan Commandery, being the closest to Guyang and Guanglu Pass, was the recipient of her letter.

Shaken by the possibility mentioned in Qiao Yan’s letter, the Governor of Wuyuan Commandery touched his neck, feeling an inexplicable chill.

Seeing her bold declaration of seeking frontier air, he decided to keep quiet.

Fight, fight. At least it would ensure his safety, wouldn’t it?

But what surprised Qiao Yan was that among the soldiers sent by the Governor of Wuyuan Commandery to garrison Guanglu Pass was a familiar face.

After a night of exchanging letters between the two places, Qiao Yan took a short nap and soon it was time for the agreed-upon departure. As she rode out of Guanglu Pass and looked back at the frontier, she saw a familiar face.

It was—Liang Zhongning.

He was now clad in armor, holding a long halberd, standing on the walls of Guanglu Pass.

Amidst the helmets obscuring part of their faces, Qiao Yan could recognize him at a glance because his expression was too peculiar.

Compared to the soldiers curious about who the Marquis of Leping was, his expression was much more complex.

But Liang Zhongning had reason to feel bewildered.

If he were still a prisoner being punished for the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he wouldn’t have been among those sent to garrison Guanglu Pass at such a critical time.

But due to his good behavior over the past three years and his combat achievements in periodic deployments, he now served as a formal frontier guard.

Though his living conditions had improved, he realized that if not for Qiao Yan, he probably wouldn’t be in this position today.

But in this formal military environment, he gradually realized how easily their Yellow Turban Rebellion, which seemed so vigorous, could be crushed.

Moreover, Qiao Yan, or rather, the Marquis of Leping, had done many things to stabilize the people’s livelihood in Bingzhou.

Two winters ago, while warming himself by the fire with his comrades, he heard someone say that if not for Marquis Qiao quickly quelling the locust plague in Bingzhou, they would have been the first to starve if a famine had occurred.

Liang Zhongning had to admit, even reluctantly, that Qiao Yan had indirectly saved his life.

And now, a scene he had never imagined was unfolding before him—he was watching her lead an expedition beyond the frontier.

Regardless of whether the White Wave Bandits and Black Mountain Bandits under her command had initially raised the Yellow Turban Army’s banner, making Liang Zhongning feel an indescribable sense of déjà vu when they followed Qiao Yan—

It was undeniable that what she was doing now was truly about protecting the borders and securing the people.

Thinking this, Liang Zhongning’s complex gaze turned into one of relief and respect.

He raised his halberd, joining the soldiers on the city walls in cheering for this expedition to “collect debts.”

This somewhat special blessing made Qiao Yan gaze at Guanglu Pass for a long time.

But when Zhang Liao asked, she just smiled and shook her head. “Wen Yuan, just consider it the novelty of a first expedition.”

As she turned back, her gaze forward regained its usual composure.

The events of the Yellow Turban Rebellion need not be dwelled upon; the current matters were more pressing.

West of Guyang, in the area now known as Bayannur, between the mountains and rivers, was currently called Beijia.

This area, between the Yangshan Mountains, was a red sandstone ridge running east to west.

This was why Qiao Yan saw the reddish mountains from Guanglu Pass.

Approaching the mountains, they saw several patterns painted on the red sandstone cliffs. These rock paintings, weathered by rain and erosion, were somewhat blurred in some areas, but it was still possible to recognize scenes of cattle, sheep, dwellings, hunting, and sacrifices.

Of course, these rock paintings were very old, dating back to a time before the Han Dynasty, even before the concept of a state existed.

Entering Guyang Road, as the rocks turned from red to black, the carvings on them became more distinct due to the contrast between black and white.








For example, the scene she was looking at now was a depiction of a group of wild goats running on a stone wall.

But whether they were being chased by humans or other beasts was left blank, sparking endless imagination and speculation about what happened a thousand years ago.

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly heard Xu Fu exclaim urgently, “My lord, look here!”

Hearing his voice, which was unusually panicked compared to his usual calm, Qiao Yan rode her horse to Xu Fu’s side and saw another rock painting in front of him.

This rock painting was clearly much newer than the others, with fresh carvings that must have been made just a few days ago.

The moment Qiao Yan saw this painting, her eyes narrowed sharply.

If this were just another depiction of nomadic life like the other paintings, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

But this was clearly a scene of Xiongnu people throwing Han people into a cauldron to boil them, surrounded by celebratory activities!

In a painting that could be preserved for a long time, even for two thousand years, like the Ghost Valley murals, such a depiction of Xiongnu hunting was a blatant provocation!

Qiao Yan’s hand instinctively reached for the three-section spear by her side.

Not just Qiao Yan, but everyone who heard the commotion and came over couldn’t help but feel a surge of righteous indignation upon seeing this scene.

If it weren’t for the fact that Qiao Yan and Xu Fu were the closest to the mural, the painting would have been wiped off the stone wall in the next moment.

But after a moment of rapid thought, Qiao Yan calmed herself down and chose to keep the painting as evidence against the Xiutu Tribes, rather than destroying it, which would have been a disgrace to the people of Guyang County and even the Han Dynasty.

However, even though she made this decision—

Since she intended to expand her influence beyond Leping County into Bingzhou, it wouldn’t be a problem to act a bit more aggressively in the face of such provocation!

They were indeed too arrogant!

But for the Xiutu Tribes who had successfully raided, they could afford to be even more arrogant.

Guyang, a heavily guarded town, was not their first choice.

In their deeply ingrained impression, the Han Dynasty had always placed great emphasis on guarding the Guyang Road.

After all, among the important passes in the Yinshan Mountains, namely the Chanyu Road, the Guyang Road, and the Shuo Desert Ancient Road, only the Guyang Road, located at the junction of two mountains and traversed by the Kundulun River, could accommodate a large number of vehicles and horses.

This was also the route the Xiutu Tribes chose for their invasion of Bingzhou as they rose to power.

Out of fear of the Han Dynasty, they didn’t dare to launch a full-scale invasion directly. Even though someone had tipped them off about a section of the Great Wall collapsing and the special conscription in Bingzhou, they only sent 500 cavalry to quickly attack Guyang as a test.

If this succeeded, they planned to contact the Southern Xiongnu nobles who had leaked the information to them and launch a pincer attack on Bingzhou.

After all, wandering the grasslands outside the Great Wall was nothing compared to galloping freely in the cities of Bingzhou!

The Xiutu Tribes deserved to replace the Northern Xiongnu, who had fled westward, and become the rulers of these grasslands, even Bingzhou.

What further inflated their confidence was their victory in attacking Guyang.

After some of the soldiers were conscripted, most of those left in Guanglu Pass were of lower combat ability.

When they discovered the traces of the Xiutu Tribes and went to intercept them, they were no match for the well-prepared Hu cavalry.

By the time the beacon fires were lit in Guyang City, the Xiutu Tribes had already stormed in with their iron hooves.

In the slaughter that followed, Guyang was no different from unarmed children.

What further boosted their confidence was that after their successful raid and return, they waited in ambush at the other end of the Guyang Road for a long time, but no Han army appeared. They only saw timid scouts who came to take a look from afar and then quickly retreated.

The Xiutu King realized that their real opportunity might have come.

To this end, he quickly gathered the other members of his tribe.

And their destination for this gathering was none other than—

Shouxiang City.

In the sixth year of the Yuanfeng era of the Western Han Dynasty, after the death of Chanyu Wuwei, his son Chanyu Wushilu succeeded him. That winter was colder than usual, and many cattle and sheep froze to death in the Xiongnu territory due to heavy snow. The Left Grand Commandant of the Xiongnu intended to surrender to the Han Dynasty, so Emperor Wu of Han ordered Gongsun Ao to build Shouxiang City here to receive him.

For nearly three hundred years thereafter, due to the retreat of the defensive borders, Shouxiang City changed hands between the Han court and the Xiongnu multiple times, but the name of Shouxiang City remained.

Now, Shouxiang City was an empty city.

The Xiongnu had retreated westward, and the Han Dynasty, due to internal turmoil in recent years, was unable to expand its borders and retake Shouxiang City.

After the rise of the Xiutu Tribes, the city fell within their control.

But the Xiutu King didn’t like this city.

Its origin represented a time when the Xiongnu, due to natural disasters, had traitors who defected to the Han, and the Han Dynasty had once extended its reach into the grasslands.

After leading the troops back with the grain and “food” looted from Guyang, he still stationed his army outside the city and then led his men into the city, causing further destruction.

After doing all this, he stood on the city wall and looked into the distance, seeing the autumn grassland scenery, feeling a surge of pride.

Once he gathered his tribe, he would show those cowardly two-legged sheep that just one Guyang City wasn’t enough to satisfy his appetite!

But how could he have known that as his tribe members were rushing to his call, another force was also heading towards this place.

And they were in a hurry.

In Qiao Yan’s view, if she wanted to attack the Xiongnu royal court like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, achieving the goal of sealing the Wolf Juxu, with her three-dimensional map, she could avoid getting lost in the grasslands to the greatest extent. However, her men didn’t yet have the ability for such operations.

But heading towards Shouxiang City, as estimated by Zhang Liao, was clearly no problem.

She didn’t even need to ask the system to open the map, because Shouxiang City was connected to the outer Great Wall that ran through the Yinshan Mountains, which meant—

Shouxiang City was at the foot of the Yinshan Mountains!

They only needed to follow the Yinshan Mountains, and there was no way they could lose their direction.

What made this journey even safer was the telescope Qiao Yan had brought along.

The Yinshan Mountains had a significant elevation difference as they connected to the Central Plains, but as they extended northward, the terrain on this side was also high, forming only a slightly higher gentle slope.

Thus, Qiao Yan could have people look around from the mountain to confirm there were no Xiongnu cavalry before advancing quickly.

Of course, what she was worried about wasn’t losing a battle at this point.

Ever since they saw that special mural in the Guyang Road valley, the team seemed to be holding back a fiery rage ready to burst forth at any moment.

The Xiongnu, or more precisely, these plunderers from the Xiutu Tribes, really shouldn’t have underestimated the Han people’s protection of their compatriots and their self-respect.

This growing fighting spirit as they marched made Qiao Yan certain that if a Xiongnu patrol appeared ahead, they would only be torn to pieces.

What she was worried about was that their sizable force would be spotted from afar by the Xiongnu cavalry, rendering their blitzkrieg surprise attack useless.

But fortunately, along the way, with the help of scouts who climbed high to look far, they intercepted all the Xiongnu cavalry they encountered. Moreover, from the interrogation of Xiongnu prisoners by Guanglu Pass soldiers who understood the Xiongnu language, they received an unexpected piece of good news.

There was going to be a special gathering at Shouxiang City!

During a temporary halt in their night march, Zhang Liao played with the telescope sent back by the scouts, his eyes showing admiration.

“If this new gadget of Lord Qiao could be used on the border, it would be quite useful.”

“Unfortunately, until the cost of making this thing is reduced, it’s impossible to use it on a large scale,” Qiao Yan shook her head in reply.

White crystal mines should exist elsewhere in the Han Dynasty, but in Qiao Yan’s memory, they were only in places like Donghai County and Jiaozhou in the south. At the current procurement price, mass production was still a long way off.

“If Wen Yuan likes it, how about…”

How about giving him one when she had a few more on hand.

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard Zhang Yang, who had also come out of the pass, let out a resentful sigh, “Lord Qiao, let’s at least follow the first-come-first-served rule. Chu Yan getting your reward for mountain warfare first is one thing, but could you at least arm your own men before considering this kid?”

Qiao Yan’s hand paused as she took the telescope back from Zhang Liao.

For a moment, she thought she was holding not a telescope, but a medal of honor.

But as a promising leader, Qiao Yan thought for a moment and came up with an answer, “The soldiers will be rewarded according to the merit system. As for you, let’s change the method.”

She raised the cylindrical object in her hand, “For this surprise attack on the Xiutu Tribes’ camp at Shouxiang City, whoever takes the Xiutu King’s head will get this.”

“Is this acceptable?”

She looked around and clearly saw the competitive spirit flash across the faces of the three generals most likely to achieve this goal.

Indeed, rewards make for greater motivation.

After thinking for a moment, she added, “Provided you don’t forget to command your troops well.”

Zhao Yun, Zhang Yang, and Zhang Liao immediately replied in unison, “Lord Qiao, rest assured.”

She really had no reason to worry about these three.

Take Zhang Liao, for example.

The soldiers he had brought from Guanglu Pass had once traveled the road to Shouxiang City and had their own way of judging distances.

Before Qiao Yan could call a halt, Zhang Liao had already reported that they could slow down and wait for nightfall to launch the attack.

Qiao Yan became even more certain that placing Zhang Liao in the position of Military Officer for training, rather than directly recruiting him, was indeed the right choice.

This raiding force gradually slowed down as orders were passed along.

Perhaps because everyone was holding their breath, this slowdown didn’t mean they were resting or relaxing, but rather like a bowstring being pulled tight, ready to be released.

In the descending night, the Xiutu King was completely unaware of the approaching crisis, thinking the Han people were still cowering in Guanglu Pass, not knowing that the arrow was about to be released, aimed right at his head.

He looked at the tribesmen who had gathered, feeling proud as he stepped onto the temporary high platform made of piled earth.

To show the momentum of this military rally, he displayed the loot from Guyang City on the platform, with the Han captives lined up in front. Then, in the center of the platform, just like in the rock painting, he set up a bronze cauldron with boiling firewood beneath it.

In this rare spectacle, he clearly saw the growing admiration in the eyes of the elite tribesmen gathered below.

He felt even more pleased.

With this, they would surely not oppose his plan to invade Bingzhou and plunder the Central Plains!

Feeling victory within his grasp, the Xiutu King raised his knife and declared, “Listen to me, everyone!”

“We have long lived north of the Yinshan Mountains, suffering from wind, frost, rain, and snow, unwilling to be like Qiang Qu, ordered around by the Han, always fearful, especially in winter. But now, we have a turning point!”

His eyes, reflecting the firelight, were about to announce his ambition to invade the Central Plains.

But just as he was about to continue, a white-feathered arrow suddenly shot through the air, striking a flagpole near his “speech venue,” interrupting him.

What was interrupted wasn’t just his speech.

This wasn’t the sturdy commander’s banner in the camp, and with this arrow strike, the flagpole broke with a snap and slowly fell.

This was clearly a signal.

A signal that the enemy was attacking!

Before the flagpole completely fell, the Xiutu Tribesmen present heard a wave of battle cries coming from all directions.

And amidst these battle cries, a clear and distinct voice reached their ears from afar. Though most of them didn’t understand Han language, they could clearly sense the fierce fighting spirit in these six short words.

“Everyone—follow me to kill the enemy!”

Kill the Hu!