“You can slow down a bit now. You’re young enough to handle this racket, but I’m not as spry anymore!” Jia Xu sighed helplessly from behind Yan Xing.
Officially, he was just a tag-along because of his proximity when Yan Xing made a hasty escape from Jincheng County.
As an unluckily positioned hostage, he was also serving as a human shield.
Along the way, Qiao Yan would certainly not let him off easy, but thanks to the delayed news, he could use Jia Xu’s reputation to slip through, or at least create hesitation among the pursuers who might think twice about targeting them with Jia Xu in the mix.
But truth be told, he wasn’t exactly a hostage.
At the sound of Jia Xu’s words, Yan Xing immediately slowed his horse.
They had reached Hanyang County, and just past the approaching Shanggui was Youfufeng, entering the territory of Sili.
With plenty of tough cavalry around in Liangzhou, Jia Xu and Yan Xing’s group wouldn’t draw attention unless they acted anxious or on high alert, something that would definitely reveal them as fugitives from Jincheng County.
Yan Xing turned his horse around and saw Jia Xu waving his hand.
He may have said he was too old for this, but being from Liangzhou and having received special training under Qiao Yan’s tough regimen, he wasn’t in any danger of falling off his horse.
No need to worry about him being jostled about too much.
It seemed all was well, yet Yan Xing couldn’t help but ask again, “With your talent, why are you only a so-called ‘acting assistant’ under Lord Qiao? Why haven’t you risen higher? Why endure all this?”
Yan Xing had clashed with Jia Xu at Kuaiyuan Gorge.
While it was really Chu Yan and Qu Yi who did the fighting, without Jia Xu plotting behind the scenes, Yan Xing felt they wouldn’t have established themselves so swiftly.
So technically, Jia Xu could easily be a military strategist.
Comparing him to the nearly-promoted gentleman Yan Zhong from Liangzhou, it was evident who was who in terms of strength and influence.
Jia Xu was the kind of talent Liangzhou locals would love to lift up.
Yet in Bingzhou, he only held a sham title.
This made Yan Xing feel that this was a clear case of poor rewards and punishments.
Seeing the confusion on the young man’s face, Jia Xu chuckled, “Do you think Lord Qiao is the type to be deterred from using my talents because of my origins?”
“No,” said Yan Xing confidently.
The number of Liangzhou people under Qiao Yan wasn’t small—there were Chu Yan, Jia Xu, Fu Gan, and even Zhang Xiu and Xu Rong, who had been captured from Dong Zhuo.
These men, even as former rebels, held their own territories and important positions under Qiao Yan’s command.
General Huangfu, also from Liangzhou, was respected by Qiao Yan and was a testament to her open-mindedness toward people from his region.
“So do you think Lord Qiao is a foolish lord who’s too fearful to use talent?” Jia Xu pressed on.
Yan Xing shook his head.
That couldn’t be it either.
Back in the prison, Qiao Yan had asked him which he would choose between loyalty and filial piety, even referencing how his parents were outside the dungeon concerned for him, while Yan Xing didn’t owe a life debt to Han Sui like Cheng Gongying did. With this in mind, he weighed his options before switching sides.
But before pledging loyalty, he’d asked Qiao Yan two things.
First, he had commanded many troops before; if Qiao Yan gave him the power to lead them, why wouldn’t she worry he’d provoke his old subordinate factions?
Second, he was persuaded to align with her mainly because of his parents, but in Liangzhou, family ties had always been tenuous, not just between Ma Chao and his sons. Why wouldn’t she be cautious about this?
But Qiao Yan had confidently replied, “If I’m willing to use Ma Teng’s sons, why wouldn’t I use you? Han Sui is dead; you can’t stir much up now. If everyone had to be vetted for loyalty down to the last turncoat, I’d have no one left to use. Not only do I dare to use you, but I’ll assign you to the most particular task possible.”
The “most particular and bold” task was sending him with a letter from Han Sui to Chang’an, as an undercover agent for Dong Zhuo!
And Jia Xu was to be his military strategist for this mission.
With this kind of approach, he could hardly say Qiao Yan wouldn’t or couldn’t use people.
Jia Xu responded, “To gauge someone’s role under Lord Qiao, one shouldn’t just look at their current title but at the real power they wield. Sometimes having a dummy title can be an advantage.”
If his rank was too high and looked too much like a trusted aide, it would draw suspicion.
Conversely, in the current situation, he was aptly positioned to be both bait and blade.
“So if we fail, isn’t your trip just wasted?” Yan Xing pondered aloud.
He trusted Jia Xu’s judgment.
If Jia Xu determined that Dong Zhuo wouldn’t be fooled by their tactics, considering how they had successfully escaped from the Bingzhou governor’s pursuing troops, getting away from Dong Zhuo’s men wouldn’t be too hard either. But that back and forth would waste effort.
A failed deception might also harm Qiao Yan’s reputation.
Jia Xu replied, “Do you really think so? If you were one of Han Sui’s other subordinates, how would you see this situation? Just that point already makes this operation worth it.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Xing fell into contemplation.
Since Qu Yan’s rapid defection didn’t leave many in tough situations, a sizable portion of the soldiers quickly switched allegiances without any real strain.
The city had fallen, and the people surrendered; they felt some weight of the Bingzhou army’s might but lacked respect for Qiao Yan.
In the short term, during the entire mission to quell Han Sui’s rebellion, only the skirmishes at Kuaiyuan Gorge resulted in losses, which was good for a population not overly abundant in Bingzhou.
But looking ahead, lacking this kind of authority would inevitably sow seeds of trouble!
Thus, it was crucial to have a process where they could traverse life and d*ath and then experience a sense of relief, to make up for that deficit.
Yan Xing’s outward defection acted as a spark for this purpose.
Before Qiao Yan arranged things so everyone had their designated roles, she had initially considered a comprehensive deployment to net all the troublemakers, but withheld just to avoid dragging everyone down for one person’s mistakes.
This unspent thunderous warning would show that if she decided to seize a city with her skills, it was merely a matter of time!
They should never underestimate Qiao Yan!
Having accomplished this goal, Qiao Yan had already come out ahead!
Whether they could complete the task involving Dong Zhuo was less critical at this point.
Of course, if things could develop along the intended path, that would always be better than a screw-up.
In Qiao Yan’s explanations to those uninformed like Xun You, Jia Xu, and Yan Xing were headed to Luoyang to set up an insider before they launched their attack on Chang’an, to guard against any threats to the lives of Xun Shuang, Lu Zhi, and others in case Dong Zhuo went overboard.
But Jia Xu knew full well the gravity of his responsibility.
He lifted his gaze to the sky.
Having to hit the road, it was now the dead of night, just before dawn.
He looked at the faint light on the horizon and suddenly recalled that autumn harvest when Qiao Yan invited him from Suiyuan City on Baidao River to the Wufeng Mountain.
At that time, Qiao Yan said it was “unyielding vitality across the land,” how could anyone not be motivated?
But now, it was more like “storms raging across the world.”
True to his nature of avoiding trouble, Jia Xu should have declined the task assigned by Qiao Yan.
But having boarded the pirate ship and knowing her ambitions, why would Jia Xu pull back from taking decisive action?
Better to—
First grab an achievement that would be hard for others to match.
As they galloped straight into Sili, they had barely traveled a short distance when they were intercepted by Duan Wei’s…
The troops were stopped dead in their tracks.
Since Qiao Yan took Gaoping, Dong Zhuo made sure to adjust the defenses of his Middle General, fearing that Qiao Yan would launch a direct assault on the capital from Gaoping City.
If another surprise attack sprang up, Dong Zhuo would really have no place to retreat.
Therefore, after Duan Wei took over the defense west of Mai County, he applied all his meticulous planning skills from his time in Huayin to the defense here.
If you ignore the scenario of a massive army trampling over everything, Duan Wei’s setup could be called an ironclad fortress.
As soon as Yan Xing entered the area, he was spotted by the patrolling sentinels.
Even though Yan Xing and his “subordinates” were quite brave, after being besieged twice, they found themselves in a dire situation.
If he hadn’t quickly reported his reasons for being there, he might have ended up dead right then and there.
Meanwhile, Jia Xu wasn’t exactly having a great time either.
To put on a show, he had to completely commit.
As a hostage, no matter how much the folks from Liangzhou respected famous scholars, he was still tightly bound and tossed into the back of a supply cart.
Peering through the grain bags pillaged from Han Yang’s wealthy families, he caught sight of Duan Wei, starting to piece things together in his mind.
Dong Zhuo’s underlings suffered heavy losses in Luoyang, yet he still had a few capable talents left.
This was Dong Zhuo’s good luck, and also… also Qiao Yan’s good luck.
A flicker of subtle amusement crossed Jia Xu’s eyes just as he heard a commotion up ahead.
After Yan Xing had a run-in with Duan Wei’s generals and identified himself, Duan Wei arrived in person.
Upon hearing from Yan Xing that Qiao Yan had subdued Ma Teng and taken down Han Sui, Duan Wei was taken aback and hurriedly inquired about the details.
In this day and age, news travels slowly, especially with Liangzhou’s rugged terrain in the way.
And after Dong Zhuo’s defeat in Luoyang, he fortified Chang’an, pulling back his old troops from Liangzhou, leaving only a handful of spies scattered throughout the region.
With Dong Zhuo’s good relationship with certain Qiang tribes, he could have been informed about the changes in Liangzhou.
But with Longxi and Jincheng on the western edge of Liangzhou, and Qiao Yan wooing and suppressing the Qiang, some channels of information were shut down so thoroughly that Dong Zhuo was completely oblivious, even suffering cases where his informants in the tribe were executed upon surrendering to Qiao Yan.
Thus, more than ten days had passed since Qiao Yan took down Han Sui, and the news was still muffled in Jincheng County, waiting for her to pacify the Huangzhong region before executing Jia Xu’s fourth strategy to wipe out any remnants linked to Han Sui.
Duan Wei was shocked by the speed of the Bingzhou army’s advance, and after confirming that Yan Xing wasn’t lying, he quickly sent word to Dong Zhuo.
This was definitely critical news.
Once that was done, he turned his attention to Yan Xing’s troops.
According to Yan Xing, these were the remnants of Han Sui’s old forces he had managed to bring with him when fleeing Jincheng.
Unfortunately, these were the only ones left after dealing with pursuers along the way.
Duan Wei quickly noted that these troops showed signs of numerous injuries and carried a Liangzhou vibe.
Among them were three or four Qiang, further confirming that these were indeed Han Sui’s troops from Jincheng.
Looking further back, he spotted Jia Xu lying in the grain cart, “Who’s this?”
Yan Xing replied, “This guy was previously ordered by the Bingzhou governor to stand off against me at Kuiyuan Gorge. His military strategy helped me escape Liangzhou and find the general; otherwise, I might have been done for. He serves Qiao Yan, and while I wished to have his head, he claimed to know you, General Duan, so I decided to keep him around for now.”
“What, you mean to say you don’t recognize Jia Xu?”
Before Yan Xing finished speaking, he had already drawn his kn*fe, aiming it straight at Jia Xu with an expression of regret for being fooled.
But upon hearing that name, Duan Wei quickly shouted, “Hold on!”
If Yan Xing hadn’t halted his attack, Duan Wei would have been ready to intervene with his own blade.
Aiming to save him, Duan Wei hastily started moving the grain bags off of Jia Xu, assisting him to sit up, realizing it truly was Jia Xu.
He instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
Jia Xu…
Though he wasn’t familiar with Jia Xu, Duan Wei had some knowledge of him from his time in Wuwei when he was recommended for righteousness. He had a bit of understanding about Jia Xu.
Still, he only knew that Jia Xu had served in the Grand Commandant’s office and was pulled into a subordinate position by Qiao Yan when she took over in Bingzhou. Beyond that, he didn’t know much more.
But who was Jia Xu?
He’s a genius, touted by Liangzhou’s fame as the equivalent of Zhang Liang or Chen Ping!
If he died here, that would be a disaster!
He could at least tease Yan Xing and Jia Xu as they traveled towards Chang’an, saying, “Twenty-plus years ago, Mr. Wenhe was pretending to be a grandson of Lord Duan to survive the Qiang; today, Mr. Wenhe is pretending to be an old friend of mine just to let this kid stay alive…”
“Sir, while I may be a bit younger than Lord Duan, we’re still from the same generation, you can’t just keep giving yourself ages like that, it doesn’t seem fair to my Duan family.”
Jia Xu dusted off the dirt from his clothes, replying, “Just the times changing.”
Duan Wei asked, “But how come I hear that you’ve been under the Bingzhou governor for nearly three years and you’re still just a fake assistant?”
That couldn’t really be chalked up to ‘just times changing’.
Jia Xu wasn’t even upset by it, simply replying, “If it weren’t for my bad luck, if I’d taken Kuiyuan Gorge and Han Sui had died, that achievement would have been enough to propel me up, so why would you, General Duan, hassle me on this? You yourself, alongside that traitor Dong, running here and there, must be rather uncomfortable, right?”
Duan Wei didn’t respond, just smiled back at Jia Xu’s stubbornness. Once they entered Chang’an, he made sure to get him settled in.
Right now, Jia Xu’s situation was secondary; the important thing was what was brought back by Yan Xing.
Qiao Yan’s Bingzhou army now had the resources to launch an attack on Chang’an!
“How could it be so fast!”
Even with Yan Xing in the room, Dong Zhuo nearly lost his cool, slamming his palm on the table.
He, along with Huangfu Song, Zhang Wen, and Sun Jian, were all top-notch commanders of the time.
But they had all suffered defeats in the Liangzhou situation and could not avoid Han Sui gaining a stronghold in Liangzhou’s heartland.
So, while Dong Zhuo knew Qiao Yan had established herself in Gaoping City and was likely to rendezvous with Huangfu Song, he had never imagined she would have wiped out Han Sui and Ma Teng by June.
One surrender, one dead—
This news hit him like a kn*fe to the throat, making him feel like he couldn’t catch his breath.
With Liangzhou’s rear secured, building up another force to rival Han Sui was not something that could be done overnight.
Even if such a force did exist, there was no way it would come from the outside.
At that moment, this Liangzhou lad Yan Xing seemed completely unaware of Dong Zhuo’s precarious situation, placing a bl**d-stained plea for help right in front of him, acting all noble and righteous, proclaiming, “General Han entrusted so much to the Grand Chancellor, yet before the rescue letter could even be sent, he has passed! Isn’t it time for you to send troops to seek justice for General Han?”
Send troops?
Dong Zhuo was just itching to recruit soldiers in Chang’an to bolster defenses, not to mention deploying any!
But facing Yan Xing right there, he obviously couldn’t just say that.
He couldn’t help but recall what Duan Wei told him yesterday.
Duan Wei’s troops had clashed with Yan Xing when entering the territory, testing his strength quite thoroughly.
According to Duan Wei, Yan Xing had the courage of Sun Jian; he was just a tad younger.
Han Sui may have been dead, but delivering Yan Xing right to him wasn’t completely useless. Given his current shortage of generals, it was all too convenient.
Even better was that Jia Xu, whom Duan Wei had pointed out, also arrived thanks to Yan Xing’s request for help!
A civilian who had been under the Bingzhou governor for nearly three years and still only held the title of a fake assistant—
Esteemed in Xiliang, seen as talented following Kuiyuan Gorge, and still a Liangzhou native!
Dong Zhuo couldn’t help but think how this was practically a gift from the heavens in the shape of a strategist!
