Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 5: The Han Divided, Battles in the Western Regions Chapter 157: Young Ma Chao

From the book:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 157: Young Ma Chao

After Pang De was struck by an arrow and fell from his horse, his side was momentarily paralyzed, no one daring to make a move.

Why did that crossbow bolt, shot from over a thousand paces away, hit its mark so accurately? This was not only a question Pang De wanted to ask before his death, but also one his comrades wished to know.

The Han Dynasty had indeed made significant advancements in the art of crossbows and other archery weapons.

These heavy crossbows had also proven remarkably effective in repelling invasions by the Xiongnu.

Even the six-hundred-pace crossbows relied on the existence of a dial, allowing them to shoot in a general direction, ensuring that the arrows from the heavy crossbows were all launched in the same direction.

In the recent chaos of the borderlands, there were few crossbow mechanisms suitable for combat.

Using bows and arrows was more in line with the needs of the battlefield than using crossbows.

Yet, this crossbow bolt that came from afar gave no chance for response, completely shattering their understanding!

Pang De was wearing the sturdy armor bestowed by Ma Teng, but it did nothing to stop the crossbow bolt from piercing through.

This, along with Qiao Yan’s Bingzhou army suddenly appearing at the gates of Longxi County, made it seem as if they had the aid of ghosts and gods.

Amidst the sounds of the cavalry and chariots advancing again, Pang De’s guards finally snapped out of their daze and hurriedly carried his body onto a horse, fleeing in panic towards Zhang County.

But when they reported Pang De’s death to Ma Teng, closed the gates of Zhang County, and returned to the city walls to defend, they saw the distant army stopping about eight hundred paces from the city walls.

Zhang County, named for its role as a “western barrier,” was at least a qualified defensive city.

Even with Pang De dead, the soldiers, out of loyalty to Ma Teng, still manned the crossbows on the city walls to defend against Qiao Yan’s attack.

But six hundred paces was the usual range of a crossbow; at such a distance, they couldn’t hit the enemy!

Almost as they were at a loss, another crossbow bolt shot through the air, breaking the Pang banner on the city wall with a brutal and precise strike.

The banner slowly fell, and the man standing beneath it dared not move.

He stiffened, faintly feeling a gust of wind above his head, reminding him of the perilous situation he was in.

When he looked towards the Bingzhou army, he saw several more heavy crossbows being pushed out from their ranks.

He couldn’t help but gasp.

What was there to fight?

How could they fight?

With the enemy’s divine crossbow strikes, anyone who dared to show their head on the city wall would surely become a target.

With these heavy crossbows, the Bingzhou army could suppress the enemy with firepower, creating opportunities for other soldiers to attack the city.

If the first arrow that hit Pang De was possibly a fluke, what about the arrow that hit the banner?

Clearly, it was the enemy’s crossbow firing pattern!

In such a situation, they couldn’t possibly hold out until Ma Teng arrived with reinforcements.

This wasn’t just alarmist talk.

Just then, a shout loud enough for them to hear came from the enemy.

“The Marquis orders—open the gates and you will not be killed—”

The soldiers on the city wall looked at each other.

This shout, made by many soldiers on the other side, reached their ears. In the face of the two heavy crossbow bolts, it wasn’t just the enemy’s numbers that gave them this imposing aura.

It was also a strategic move based on the current situation.

Someone muttered, “Should we surrender?”

If they still had a commander to make decisions, it might have constrained this choice to surrender.

But Pang De’s death had completely disrupted Zhang County’s defenses, making these Liangzhou soldiers, who were used to following the strong, more inclined to defect than to defend the city.

Moreover, strictly speaking, Ma Teng and Han Sui were rebels in Liangzhou, only gaining the title of generals because of Dong Zhuo’s rise to power.

The Bingzhou Governor and General Huangfu below the city were the true royal army of the Han Dynasty!

Even if they defected, they could say they were influenced by the army that was fighting against the rebels.

Better to surrender!

Qiao Yan did not order a third arrow to be fired, seeing the drawbridge over the moat lowered and the gates of Zhang County open before her.

Then, the defending soldiers filed out of the city gates.

They removed their armor and weapons, performing a proper surrender.

Qiao Yan waved her hand, ordering the soldiers to retreat from the heavy crossbows.

Taking Zhang County without losing a single soldier was indeed a good start to entering Longxi County!

This brought a smile to her face.

“The Marquis’s preemptive strike is truly impressive,” Xun You said as he rode into the city.

Qiao Yan replied, “That’s thanks to Strategist Xun’s judgment that, given the situation in Longxi County, the defenders of Zhang County would not just defend the city but would also prevent us from changing our route.”

Pang De, Pang Lingming, was indeed a standout among Liangzhou generals. Unfortunately, when Qiao Yan needed to make a name for herself and intimidate Ma Teng and Han Sui, whether he could grow into a later-stage general who could break through enemy lines and be unmatched in bravery was no longer important in Qiao Yan’s evaluation.

What mattered was the effect his death could bring.

She and Xun You exchanged a smile, inwardly marveling at the effect of having a strategist who could analyze the situation and predict enemy movements during battle, combined with advancements in weaponry. It was far more than just one plus one.

Even if that heavy crossbow was still a prototype.

Yes, a prototype.

The twelve-hundred-pace range of the heavy crossbow, with the materials of the Han Dynasty, inevitably faced issues of requiring many operators and severe vibrations in the crossbow mechanism.

Adding a scope to the heavy crossbow was not an easy task.

Ma Jun and Ma Lun had calculated for a long time and only managed to produce this one; the rest were still in their original state, just for show.

And even with a scope, achieving precise strikes with the heavy crossbow was not that easy.

Just like naval gunners hitting enemy ships, it took skilled hands to hit vital spots.

Since the birth of this more accurate heavy crossbow with its dial and scope, the seven soldiers trained to operate it had been practicing how to accurately hit their targets.

After more than six months of磨合, they finally fired two arrows in this real battle.

But these two arrows were enough!

As long as Qiao Yan didn’t say anything, no one would specifically ask how many of these killer crossbows existed.

After killing Pang De today, would it still play a role at another time?

No matter how fierce the warriors of Liangzhou were, they had to be within bow range or in close combat to show their prowess.

In the face of such a heavenly heavy crossbow, they would inevitably feel fear.

The rapid charge of cavalry would indeed reduce the accuracy of this weapon…








She looked at Pang De’s corpse, carried over by the soldiers, and said, “Bury him properly.”

Most Han people in the border regions took up official positions in their youth, and Pang De was no exception, much like Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang.

He was still just a young man in his early twenties.

But when he chose Ma Teng’s side, he had already become her enemy.

How to deal with an enemy—

This initiative must remain in her hands!

Who knows how Ma Teng is reacting at this moment…

Ma Teng would never have imagined that Qiao Yan’s sudden attack wasn’t aimed at Han Sui, whom she had challenged!

Han Sui and Fu Gan had a blood feud, and with Qiao Yan sending Fu Gan as an envoy, it was clear to the Liangzhou people that she intended to settle old scores first.

On the surface, Ma Teng expressed solidarity with Han Sui, but once back in his own territory of Longxi, he couldn’t help but want to see Han Sui suffer.

If Han Sui could use the terrain of Kuiyuan Gorge to his advantage, as he had done years ago against Sun Jian and Zhou Shen, and wear down Qiao Yan’s forces, wouldn’t that be the perfect opportunity for Ma Teng to profit?

But instead of hearing news of Qiao Yan heading straight for Jincheng via the Yellow River, he first heard of her attack on Zhang County.

Ma Teng’s hand unconsciously loosened, and the wine cup he was holding fell to the ground.

Whether Han Sui would lose his head over that earlier joke was still uncertain, but Ma Teng now had to face the Bingzhou army!

A force that had taken Gaoping City overnight and silently reached Longxi!

He grabbed the messenger by the collar and asked, “What did Lingming say? How many troops does he need for support?”

Pang De’s command abilities were among the best under Ma Teng, and before Ma Teng had even met Qiao Yan face-to-face, he trusted Pang De’s judgment.

But then he realized his reaction was too intense and let go.

The messenger replied, “According to Pang Changshi’s report, Qiao Bingzhou leads about thirteen thousand troops, with over three thousand cavalry. He will send more details on their strength later. He requests that you first secure Weiyuan to prevent them from splitting their forces.”

“Right, we must be cautious…” Ma Teng pondered, “Call Mengqi here!”

Ma Chao was already fifteen, known for his bravery, and naturally the first choice for leading a detachment.

But before Ma Chao arrived, a second messenger from Zhang County had already reached them.

Seeing the messenger’s grim face and shaken demeanor, Ma Teng felt a sense of foreboding before the man even spoke.

Before Ma Teng could ask what had happened, the messenger trembled and said, “Pang Changshi… Pang Changshi was killed by Qiao Bingzhou. A crossbow bolt from twelve hundred paces away struck him, and he died on the spot.”

The heavy arrows from the bed crossbow could reach up to two meters in extreme cases, but Qiao Yan’s version, designed for speed, was only one meter long.

Yet the destruction caused by such arrows was incomparable to ordinary arrows.

From Pang De’s instant death, Ma Teng could tell the weapon’s lethality.

He instinctively stepped back, collapsing onto his seat, a look of helplessness on his face.

The messenger’s panic was genuine; no one would joke about such a thing.

Even though Ma Teng prided himself on his decisive choices that had brought him to his current position, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread now.

Qiao Yan’s sudden arrival, and Pang De’s even more sudden death!

Before Ma Teng could mourn the loss of his right-hand man, he had to worry about his own head.

Twelve hundred paces!

What kind of range was that!

He finally remembered to ask, “What about Zhang County now?”

The messenger replied, “Before I left, the soldiers had closed the gates and were defending the city. The defenses of Zhang County might still hold. If you send reinforcements quickly, we might still save it.”

Before he could finish, a voice interrupted, “No! Zhang County is probably already lost.”

Ma Teng looked up and asked, “Mengqi, why do you say that?”

The speaker, a handsome young man with a commanding presence, met Ma Teng’s gaze and replied firmly, “Qiao Bingzhou’s westward advance, using such a heavy crossbow to kill Lingming first, must have shattered the defenders’ morale. If Lingming were still alive, Zhang County might have held until your reinforcements arrived. But with Lingming gone, no one can stop Qiao Bingzhou. In this situation, self-preservation is the best option!”

The speaker was none other than Ma Teng’s son, Ma Chao!

Ma Chao’s suggestion of self-preservation laid bare the mindset of the Liangzhou people.

Ma Teng understood this, but if Zhang County fell, the Bingzhou army would march straight in.

If they had passed Hanyang, they must have already dealt with the Qiang rebellion, establishing a route from Gaoping to Hanyang.

This meant she wasn’t just venturing deep into Liangzhou but leading a crack force to sweep through.

He now had two choices.

Either defend Linxiang.

But judging by Qiao Yan’s capture of Gaoping, if Ma Teng stayed in the city, she wouldn’t be forced to retreat due to lack of supplies after a two-month siege. Instead, she would swallow up Longxi, leaving Linxiang as the last stronghold.

Or, he could join forces with Han Sui.

By combining their armies, they could defend the Tao River flowing from Longxi to Jincheng and hold Kuiyuan Gorge, perhaps preserving themselves.

But this would mean living under someone else’s roof, possibly even being driven out of Liangzhou to Huangzhong.

In the face of Qiao Yan’s powerful opening move, both choices seemed laughable.

Ma Chao could tell that his father’s tone was unusually hesitant when presenting these options.

He asked, “What do you think we should choose, Mengqi?”

“Neither!” Ma Chao replied.

Under Ma Teng’s questioning gaze, Ma Chao continued, “The relationship between you and Han Sui doesn’t need elaboration. If we were to join him in desperation, how well would we fare?”

Ma Teng didn’t answer, but his silence spoke volumes.

They might not even successfully combine forces before Han Sui swallowed them up.

Just as he had done earlier with Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu.

Ma Chao then asked, “How much enmity do you have with Qiao Bingzhou?”

None.

Ma Teng could answer that without hesitation.

When Fu Xie died, he had just been forced to join the rebels during Geng Bi’s military mutiny. It had nothing to do with him.

He tentatively asked, “Are you suggesting we surrender to Qiao Bingzhou directly?”

“No! Not directly.” The youthful pride on Ma Chao’s face was evident. “She still has some distance to cover before reaching Linxiang. Give me two thousand cavalry, and I’ll intercept her on the way!”