Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 5: The Two Divisions of Han, Battles in Hexi, Chapter 153: The Letter to Han Yue

Belonging to the book:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 153: The Letter to Han Yue

This is a blatant scheme laid out in the open.

When Huangfu Song received this letter from Qiao Yan the next day, he saw the heading “The Letter to Han Yue” written on it.

Han Sui, who had changed his name from Han Yue after being wanted for rebellion against the Han, had already drawn much hatred from this single sentence.

This was clearly mocking Han Sui for changing his name, a futile attempt to cover up his actions.

The opening lines of the letter pointed this out directly.

If Han Sui were truly a coward, forced to join the bandits after being coerced by the Qiang and having no way back, then why did he attack Sanfu, ally with the Qiang, occupy Jincheng, attack Hanyang, and now, seeking empty fame, join forces with Dong Zhuo, accepting the position of Left General?

Therefore, he should not be called Han Sui anymore; it would be better to revert to his original name, Han Yue, to honor his parents’ intentions when they named him.

Whether the character “Yue” meant to restrain himself or to keep his promises, it didn’t matter, as he had failed to do either. It was time to use this name to wake himself up.

Huangfu Song instinctively glanced in Gai Xun’s direction.

When Gai Xun had denounced Han Sui, Han Sui had not yet completed his name change. If he had changed his name then, perhaps he could have used this line as an additional reason.

After this sharp-tongued remark, the letter openly proposed a battle.

Qiao Yan listed three reasons for attacking Han Sui.

First, she described Han Sui as “a wolf with wild ambitions, difficult to appease, likely to submit only when desperate, but to rise again once the troops withdraw, like a festering wound hidden under the ribs.”

This line was subtle, as it was originally used by Duan Jiong to persuade Emperor Huan to exterminate the Qiang.

So, this was also a description of the Qiang!

Now, Qiao Yan was using it to describe Han Sui.

The implication was that Han Sui was not forced to join the Qiang but was similar in nature to them!

The Qiang were fickle, draining the Han’s resources. The suppression of the Qiang during the Yongchu era cost 24 billion coins, and by the end of the Yonghe era, another 8 billion had been spent.

Now that the Han was in decline, it could not afford to spend so much money to suppress their constant rebellions.

Fortunately, Bingzhou still had some resources left, so as the Prefect of Bingzhou, she was willing to provide both troops and money to suppress the rebellion led by Han Sui and others in Liangzhou!

Second, Dong Zhuo had taken the Emperor to Chang’an. Last year’s proclamation against Dong Zhuo had already exposed his crimes to the world, so there was no need to repeat them here. Han Sui, by accepting the title of Left General from Dong Zhuo and forming a defensive alliance with him, was equally guilty and deserved to be attacked.

Qiao Yan herself had never used the title of General of the Agile Cavalry, always sticking to the titles of Prefect of Bingzhou and Marquis of Leping given to her by Liu Hong. She had also been the first to attack Luoyang, intending to rescue the Emperor, so her stance was indeed more solid than anyone else’s.

As for the third reason—

If Han Sui were allowed to live, it would send a message to all officials in the region that once the Qiang invaded, they need not defend the cities to protect the Han people. They would not have to think of the tragic scenes of “ten thousand coins for a bushel of grain in Huangzhong, countless deaths among the people” when the Qiang invaded. Instead, they could join the rebels and enjoy wealth and luxury.

What an absurd statement!

If this were to become the norm in the Han borderlands, why would the late Emperor have posthumously honored Fu Nanrong as “Marquis of Zhuangjie” after he died for the country?

This was the reason Han Sui must be eliminated.

Thus, as soon as Qiao Yan captured Gaoping, she launched a denouncement against Han Sui.

The Qiang’s calamity was a local disaster, but Han Sui’s calamity was a dynastic one.

Without Han Sui to coordinate and plan for the various Qiang tribes, they would be nothing more than scattered, reckless fighters. But with Han Sui leading them, their ambitions grew, and only the strategy of “cutting off the root” employed by the late Grand Commandant Duan could deal with them.

“Qiao Yan, Prefect of Bingzhou, newly arrived in Liangzhou, should have been pacifying the county’s people and restoring order in Beidi and Anding. However, with vipers and thorns before her, and frequent grave robbings and exposed corpses, what was once tolerable has become intolerable. Han Sui’s head must be taken as a warning!”

She then wrote, did she not know that Han Sui was a local power in Liangzhou?

Of course, she did.

But in the past, Duan Jiong, when fighting the Xianling Qiang at Fengyi Mountain, had encouraged his soldiers by saying, “We have come a thousand miles from home to fight. If we advance, we succeed; if we retreat, we die. Only by striving together can we achieve fame.” Thus, though unfamiliar with the land, she dared to invite Han Sui to battle here to uphold the Han’s might.

If Duan Jiong could do it, then Qiao Yeshu, who had already killed 8,000 Zhong Qiang at Gaoping, could do it too.

When Han Sui arrived, she would greet him with Bingzhou’s elite cavalry, long spears, strong crossbows, and sharp blades.

In all the above statements, Han Sui was replaced with Han Yue.

Han Sui almost slammed the table when he read the letter.

But the messenger was still in front of him. If he were to lose his composure over Qiao Yan’s provoking words, wouldn’t that be exactly what she wanted?

Han Sui tried to calm himself and carefully read the “Letter to Han Yue” again, becoming more convinced that Qiao Yan’s ability to lead Bingzhou at such a young age was undoubtedly linked to her “unconventional” methods.

What did she mean by saying she had traveled a thousand miles from Bingzhou to fight, unfamiliar with the land, only to uphold the Han’s loyalty and thus strive to defeat the rebels?

It sounded as if she were at a disadvantage in this battle.

Two days earlier, Han Sui had received reports from the remnants of the Zhong Qiang who had fled from Huo Shizhai. Gaoping City had been captured, and none of the Zhong Qiang in the city had survived. The one who had attacked and taken Gaoping was none other than the Prefect of Bingzhou.

The sudden news of losing such an important stronghold connecting Chang’an and Beidi had already shaken Han Sui.

She had moved too quickly and too efficiently!

The fall of a fortified city like Gaoping and the complete annihilation of the Zhong Qiang stationed there, coupled with the fact that it was taken in a single day, was undeniably impressive.

Recalling Qiao Yan’s previous years of leading swift raids beyond the borders, perhaps she had inherited Duan Jiong’s style of marching over two hundred miles in a day and night, deep into enemy territory. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t achieve some feat of chasing and annihilating the enemy.

However, he certainly wouldn’t offer his head to her just because of some nonsense he had previously spouted. Instead, he planned to invite Ma Teng to discuss a counter-strategy.

But before his letter to Ma Teng could even reach Longxi, Qiao Yan’s challenge had already arrived.

And she had chosen a battle location that, on the surface, seemed to favor him but was actually full of hidden dangers.

Fengyi Mountain was less than a hundred miles from Gaoping City. With her already stationed in Gaoping, attacking from there would be all too easy. But for him to travel from Jincheng to Fengyi Mountain, over six hundred miles, would be a grueling expedition with little to gain!

If Qiao Yan were to employ some underhanded tactics, setting up ambushes along the way, she could easily annihilate his exhausted troops.

He would have to be insane to agree to Fengyi Mountain as the battle location.

He looked at the young messenger before him and coldly asked, “In the past, when Kou Ziyi, under Emperor Guangwu, attacked Gaoping, the defending general Gao Jun sent his strategist Huangfu Wen to Kou’s camp to propose a battle. This man was rude and disrespectful…”








He was beheaded by General Kou, and Gao Jun not only failed to avenge his strategist but instead handed over Gaoping City to General Kou. Aren’t you afraid that you might also be the envoy who gets killed in the clash between the two armies?”

The other party calmly replied, “General Han is a scholar who knows the events of the past but doesn’t understand what shame and face are. How dare he compare himself to Marquis Wei? Isn’t that like a rat pretending to be a tiger?”

“You…”

“I call you General Han because my lord invites you to a duel, to elevate your status a bit. Do you really think you deserve the title of General? If you truly had the guts to kill me, I would admire you a bit, but I’m afraid you don’t have the courage!”

Han Sui indeed couldn’t kill this envoy.

Standing before him was a young man of imposing and handsome demeanor, with a cold and stern expression. If not for his young age, he would almost be a carbon copy of Fu Xie, who once defended Hanyang.

Who else could this be but Fu Gan, the son of Fu Xie!

When Qiao Yan asked who in the camp dared to deliver this challenge letter for her, Fu Gan stepped forward without hesitation.

According to his reasoning: “When my father died fighting for the city, he earned the gratitude and respect of the Qiang people, who already felt that Han Sui and Wang Guo’s actions were improper. If he were to kill me just for delivering a challenge letter, it would be even more out of character for the Qiang people. The Qiang people divide when strong and submit when weak. If Han Sui kills me, it would show his inner weakness, how could he command respect!”

“If he truly has no scruples and lets me die in Jincheng, so be it! When I pledged my service to my lord, I did not demand that she avenge my father. Today, as my lord campaigns in Liangzhou, first taking Gaoping with the force of thunder, her military might is awe-inspiring. Sooner or later, her troops will pass Kuiyuan and point their swords at Huangzhong, and she will surely root out Han Sui from Liangzhou. Even if I die, I have no regrets.”

Fu Gan’s words made even Gai Xun, who had initially wanted to step forward to deliver the letter, sit back down.

His bold and straightforward speech had firmly established him as the most suitable candidate to deliver the letter.

Why should Qiao Yan refuse his self-recommendation?

Han Sui thought exactly as Fu Gan had predicted.

With Fu Xie already dead, if Fu Gan were to die at his hands, it would surely bring him criticism.

On one hand, he imitated the ways of the Qiang people, engaging in power grabs and secessionist activities, while on the other hand, he still retained some of his old habits of caring about his reputation.

In this contradictory state of mind, even though Fu Gan delivered Qiao Yan’s challenge letter and pointed at his nose, calling him a rat who flatters himself, he could only swallow his resentment and respond to the challenge.

He said, “If Prefect Qiao of Bingzhou wants to challenge me, why not do it at Dingxi instead of Fengyi Mountain?”

Fu Gan sneered, “When has General Han ever seen a thief being warned before being hunted? In the past, Grand Commandant Duan heard that the Qiang were residing at Sheyan Marsh, and with light troops, he pursued them day and night, covering two hundred miles, and attacked them at dawn. My lord’s attack on Gaoping follows this same path. If it were not me delivering this message but the army under my lord’s command, there would be no need for a challenge at Fengyi Mountain.”

“General Han picks and chooses, unwilling to fight. In the future, he should not consider himself a leader of the Qiang army. What kind of leader hesitates and bargains like this!”

Without waiting for Han Sui to propose another location, Fu Gan had already turned and left, throwing back a final remark: “From today, within seven days, our Bingzhou army will await you at Fengyi Mountain. If you dare not come, we will have to defeat you one by one.”

He said this as he stepped out of Han Sui’s reception area, ensuring that some of the Qiang rebels under Han Sui heard it clearly.

Han Sui sat in the room, his expression changing repeatedly.

Qiao Yan’s move was precisely to use the victory at Gaoping to challenge him and damage his reputation.

As someone who could command the rebel forces and hold the position of chief commander, he could see this clearly.

But he couldn’t act now.

“Prefect Qiao’s military actions are unpredictable. Her subordinates, after capturing Gaoping City, still had the strength to attack Huo Shizhai. According to the remnants, the ones who launched the attack were extremely skilled in mountain warfare. I fear they might be the Black Mountain Bandits or White Wave Bandits under her command,” Han Sui said after Ma Teng arrived.

The composition of Qiao Yan’s forces was no secret to the outside world, though the specific abilities of her generals might still be uncertain.

So Han Sui’s judgment that the attackers were former bandits, based on reports from Huo Shizhai, was not without basis.

Han Sui continued, “If she is not only bringing cavalry and infantry for攻城 but also the Black Mountain and White Wave Bandits who are adept at mountain warfare, then it would be too easy for her to set up an ambush on my way to the battle.”

“Rather than falling into her trap by responding to her provocation, it’s better to wait and see, letting her深入凉州腹地. Then, Brother Shoucheng can lead a force to cut off her supply lines, and I can lead a force to attack at Dayu and Xiaoyu, just like how Sun Jian and Zhou Shen were defeated at Yuzhong and Kuiyuan Gorge. No matter how brave, facing such地形, they would still be routed and flee in disarray.”

Although Ma Teng felt a bit of schadenfreude that Qiao Yan had first provoked Han Sui, their interests were now intertwined, and it was not appropriate to show such feelings.

He stroked his beard and replied, “Wenyue is right. If we rashly advance, we might face disaster. It’s better to observe the situation first and decide the battle with one decisive move.”

He added, “But this way, Wenyue will have to bear some骂名.”

Although Qiao Yan’s challenge letter did not explicitly say so, it did carry a sense of moral绑架.

If Han Sui did not accept the challenge, she could openly转战凉州各处. If her next target was one of the rebel alliances they had拉拢, whether these people would first blame the invading Qiao Yan or Han Sui’s inaction, given Ma Teng’s understanding of the欺软怕硬 nature of the Qiang people in Liangzhou, it was not hard to conclude.

This锅 would have to be borne by Han Sui!

Han Sui苦笑, “If we could still gather a hundred thousand troops now, why would I fear Qiao Yan? I would just lead the troops and attack directly, but…”

If they really did that, they might be able to驱除乔琰出境, but it would also benefit Dong Zhuo. He wouldn’t miss the opportunity to profit from their conflict.

After all, he also rose from Liangzhou! With the Son of Heaven in his hands, it would be easier than ever to瓦解凉州军马 and recruit followers once the immediate threat was removed.

So Dong Zhuo would be more than happy to see such a scene.

In this way, Han Sui could only wait for Qiao Yan to深入腹地 to fight, but he didn’t expect that this most suitable response to his current situation would be turned into a big帽子 by Qiao Yan.

If time could be reversed, Han Sui would surely slap himself for saying that Qiao Yan couldn’t possibly attack Liangzhou.

Now, before the battle has even begun, he is already at a disadvantage.

And now, Qiao Yan, who is in Gaoping, is indeed following through with her challenge letter. After the slaughter at Gaoping, she has not made any further offensive moves, as if truly waiting for Han Sui to respond to the challenge.

But it’s not like she’s doing nothing.

On one hand, she has ordered the cultivation of田地 at Huo Shizhai, recruiting local Han people to farm there.

On the other hand, she has issued an order to Bingzhou:

Commanding the Left Guli Wang of the Southern Xiongnu and Yufuluo to lead their troops to Gaoping to drink and await the enemy with her!