Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 6: The Two Prefectures Stand Firm, The Silk Road Reopens Chapter 198: Questioning the Crime in Hanyang

However, where would they have thought that their opponent had already taken action as soon as the first report of their arrival reached Yuzhong.

Qiao Yan held the letter in her hand, her fingertips slightly tightening.

To ensure the message could be delivered as quickly as possible, without having to cross the Wushaoling and cause any delay, after confiscating the family property of the Yan family in Wuwei, she moved from Wuwei Commandery to inspect the military colonies in Jincheng Commandery, temporarily staying in Yuzhong west of Kuiyuan Gorge.

News from the Sanguan direction in Wudu Commandery, traveling north via the official road between Hanyang and Longxi, could be directly sent here.

The time taken would be no more than two days.

This was a distance sufficient for her to respond.

Yuzhong is an extension of the river valley basin where Jincheng is located.

It was August, and the sight of wheat waves in this military colony, though limited by the terrain between two mountains and not as vast as in Jincheng, still conveyed a scene of harvest through the window.

The air also carried a scent of wheat fields.

In a year of disaster, this scent inevitably made one feel that hope was near.

However, before the formal harvest, the expected war would be launched first.

And just as Qiao Yan had planned earlier, this was her best opportunity to hold the four surnames of Hanyang accountable!

She crumpled the letter in her hand into a ball of paper, slapped the table, and stood up.

Jiang Jiao, who had just been called here, had been assisting Cheng Yu with administrative affairs in Jincheng Commandery since the end of last year. He had no idea what was happening and was immediately arrested by Qiao Yan’s order.

“My lord…”

“Take him to the Jincheng prison and keep a close watch!”

Qiao Yan waved her hand, indicating she had nothing more to say to him.

Jiang Jiao was indeed a talent, but he was from the four surnames of Hanyang.

At a time when Qiao Yan needed to take advantage of the special environment of Liangzhou and the best opportunity for the Xiliang army’s invasion to rectify the powerful families of Liangzhou, Jiang Jiao could only be a prisoner for now.

Jiang Jiao was shocked, and as he was taken away, he had a vague guess in his heart.

Qiao Yan would not detain him without reason.

In the absence of any wrongdoing on his part, this action could only mean one thing—

The Jiang family had done something to displease her!

Compared to her previous handling of the Yan family in Wuwei, today’s situation seemed even more serious.

But he could not get a precise answer from Qiao Yan for the time being, nor could he know that the other three families were also targeted by Qiao Yan.

“Send orders to the troops in Aowei City and Yuzhong Jincheng,” Qiao Yan glanced at the sky outside the window and issued the command, “Before dusk, the cavalry must be stationed in Dingxi.”

As she donned her armor, the movement of troops in the Yuzhong area had already created a rumbling sound.

Under the order she had established over more than a year, no one would question her command.

This was her order.

They only needed to execute it!

Even though the army being assembled was not just the Bingzhou army she had brought here, but also the incorporated troops of Ma Teng and Han Sui, as well as the Qiang people she had conscripted, they still maintained this efficiency.

With the Qiang people who had learned Chinese acting as nodes for information transmission between the Han and Qiang, the Qiang people who stayed and those who went to war quickly found their designated positions.

It was during this process of assembly that Jiang Tang saw Yao Chang again.

The last time she saw her, Yao Chang was a refugee from the Canlang Qiang just preparing to come to the Huangzhong Valley, and Yao Chang was responsible for transporting brine from the Xigong Salt Pond to the Huangzhong area.

Today’s situation was quite different.

She was here assisting in the assembly of Qiang soldiers, speaking Chinese.

Although she did not have to assist in the battle, it seemed she had completely integrated into Qiao Yan’s forces.

Yao Chang was at the forefront of the Qiang formation, looking every bit the heroic Qiang commander.

Perhaps noticing Jiang Tang’s gaze, she looked in this direction, her eyes full of encouragement.

But this was not a look meant for one person.

Over the years, Qiang tribes had often banded together to fight for power in Liangzhou, cooperating due to lineage connections and geographical proximity.

The fragile relationships in these alliances were filled with a noticeable tendency to fight independently.

They could also initiate annexations between the strong and the weak at any time due to interests, retaining the most savage traits.

But now, after a year of joint farming and building homes, and with relationships drawn closer through language and culture, the current military expedition had a sense of unity.

Even if this unity was just a sign, it did not prevent Jiang Tang from making this judgment.

What she saw was not just her fellow Qiang people.

In the assembly of troops in the Yuzhong area, the rapid and orderly formation of cavalry and infantry, moving to the beat of drums as a signal for troop movement, made those who witnessed it feel as if their hearts and blood were trembling with it.

Not just in numbers.

But in elite quality!

At the forefront of the formation, a line of 300 famous Ferghana horses formed a striking sight.

The 300 elite cavalry selected by Lü Bu were both excited to ride these fine horses and well aware that their task was not to protect these hard-won steeds by holding back, but to let these fiery horses from afar play their role on the battlefield.

Thus, in the coordinated movement of the horses, the spirit of the cavalry themselves was also roused to a high state of combat readiness, increasingly displaying the demeanor of elite soldiers and fierce generals.

The vanguard camp led by Xu Huang, the heavy armor camp led by Qu Yi, and the imperial guard led by Dian Wei each had a unit like these Ferghana horse cavalry, composed of elite soldiers and equipped with the highest standard of armor and weapons within Bingzhou.

Their other troops followed behind, forming a sharp, penetrating force.

Not only that.

Xu Rong and Ma Teng, who had previously made two trips along the Silk Road, along with Ma Chao and others, were also part of this expedition.

Qiao Yan clearly did not impose any restrictions on them because Xu Rong had once been a general under Dong Zhuo, or Ma Teng had once incited rebellion in Liangzhou.

In this current military preparation, they were still part of the expeditionary force, not some reserve army.

Jiang Tang subconsciously touched her waist.

She still carried something in her随身 pouch.

It was the candy wrapper left after she had eaten the ginger candy Qiao Yan had given her.

After washing off the candy residue, it still retained a faint scent of ginger candy.

At that time, Qiao Yan seemed like a gentle leader to Jiang Tang, showing a tolerant attitude towards them.

But today’s her…

When these formidable troops finished assembling, everyone could see Qiao Yan standing high on Kuiyuan Gorge, looking towards the assembled formation.

Although her face could not be clearly seen…








When she was in armor and holding a long spear, there was no trace of gentleness or softness in her demeanor. Only a resolute intent for war could be seen in her hurried movements to deploy troops. The battle aura and sharpness she exuded with every gesture made it clear why this gathered force chose to follow her command. She was the backbone of this army.

Strangely, Jiang Tang didn’t find it odd that such contrasting traits could coexist in one person. Perhaps this was what she had recently learned in her new Han vocabulary: “Civil skills can bring peace, martial skills can stabilize the nation.” Whether it could truly stabilize the nation was uncertain, but at least within Liangzhou, no force could withstand such power. Anyone witnessing this scene would not doubt it.

Unfortunately, those left behind in Jincheng Commandery to oversee the autumn harvest, like Jiang Tang watching the troops march out through Kuiyuan Gorge, would not see what followed. This was not even the full extent of the gathered army. Soldiers from Wuwei Commandery, stationed early at Aowei City under Zhao Yun’s leadership, joined them in Dingxi. Even with such a force, Qiao Yan still kept troops stationed in Liangzhou and Bingzhou to prevent internal unrest. Another force was assisting Liu Yu in Liaodong to reclaim Youzhou from Gongsun Zan.

This situation was something even the people under Qiao Yan’s rule might not fully grasp, let alone her enemies. Li Ying, Fan Chou, Hu Feng, and others, after resting in Chencang, advanced towards Shanggui, unaware of this. The powerful clans in Jiyang County of Hanyang were equally oblivious. Qiao Yan stood before this fully prepared army, watching the gathered soldiers, her eyes ablaze like the golden glow of the setting sun.

As the sun quickly sank behind an unknown mountain, only the torches raised at the foot of Dingxi City illuminated the area like daylight, shining on her army. She immediately gave the order: “Cavalry, charge straight for Jiyang!”

Dong Zhuo’s generals dared not advance towards Shanggui in this manner. They lacked enough cavalry to ensure they could counter the resistance from Liangzhou forces after penetrating deep into the region. They also couldn’t guarantee their supply lines would evade interception by Liangzhou defenders. The benefits of a rapid march would be lost, and the resulting problems would fall on them. But Qiao Yan could.

On this road, where even the Qiang forces had been reorganized, there was nothing to hinder her advance—it was as smooth as a flat path. Summer marches in Liangzhou were far less grueling than in the Central Plains. Moreover, Qiao Yan herself was among the troops!

In the cavalry heading for Jiyang, some had followed her in the raid on the Xianbei royal court at Baidaokou over three years ago. That event still felt fresh in their memories. Her warhorse, Zhutan, had now reached its prime age, displaying a vigor far surpassing its earlier days. As the hooves thundered, her black cloak fluttered in the wind. When people looked at this leader, they couldn’t help but realize that she had been even younger when she accomplished those seemingly impossible feats.

Now, at eighteen, she was in her prime! Guo Jia, watching her lead the troops away, smiled faintly as he slowly rode his horse. In just four years since the establishment of the merit system, order had shown remarkable driving force. She no longer needed to tell her soldiers how many benefits each enemy head they took would bring to them and their families, as she had done during the surprise attack on the Xiongnu outside the frontier. Because her promises were always kept, the belief in merit-based promotion had solidified, spreading to new recruits and becoming part of the army’s cohesion.

So when she gave the order to attack, these soldiers, fighting for her and themselves, formed an unstoppable wave. Of course, that’s how it was—”Seeing so many elite soldiers, it feels like half the world’s heroes are gathered here, doesn’t it, Gongda?” Guo Jia looked at Xun You, who, despite usually being reserved, showed a hint of astonishment—a rare sight.

Xun You retracted his gaze and asked, “Was attacking Jiyang first part of your discussion?” The powerful clans of Liangzhou might be called noble families locally, but to the Central Plains’ nobility, they were unworthy. Just as Jing Province had its noble families and bandit clans, Yingchuan people viewed the four clans of Hanyang similarly. The Hanyang clans’ behavior had a bandit-like quality. So Xun You had no objection to Qiao Yan using them as a target to establish her authority. He just thought it was slightly risky—quite bold, indeed.

Guo Jia, however, disagreed. “If the money the Han Dynasty poured into Liangzhou’s chaos over a century had been used for disaster relief, the results would have been significant. But throwing money into this frontier region yielded no results. Why not change the strategy? Grand Commandant Duan’s extermination policy and the appeasement of the other two Liangzhou leaders didn’t bring fundamental improvement. Now, with Lord Qiao’s education, farming, and currency and script connecting the Qiang and Han, there’s hope. What we do now should be to cut off other interferences.”

“The Liangzhou clans, entrusted with official positions, haven’t achieved any goals of governing Liangzhou with Liangzhou people. It’s time they woke up.” Xun You couldn’t refute Guo Jia’s argument. Guo Jia added with a smile, “Besides, didn’t Lord Qiao say when she surrounded Guzang City—’If anyone collaborates with Dong Zhuo, I will behead them as a warning’? You wouldn’t want Lord Qiao to be a person who breaks her word, would you?”

Xun You wanted to retort that “breaking one’s word” wasn’t the right term here, but this decision did benefit the majority. Whether the four clans of Hanyang colluded with Dong Zhuo or were negligent, allowing Dong Zhuo’s forces to invade Liangzhou and soon reach Shanggui, was no longer important. What mattered was that, compared to the consumption of manpower and resources, and the future planning of Liangzhou, the parasites among them should serve as a warning!

Before dusk on the second day, as the gates of Jiyang County were about to close, the powerful clans in the city heard the thunderous sound of hooves approaching. At the same time, an arrow shot through the air and struck the city wall of Jiyang!