“Can strategists really not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 239: The Encirclement of Hanzhong
Back during the chaos in Luoyang, when Yuan Ji led Liu Bian to escape from Dong Zhuo’s assassination attempts, the damage had already been done, and he ended up with just a ceremonial position at the court in Ye City.
Compared to Yuan Shao, a leader with real power, he was more like the “legitimate son” in terms of ceremonial hierarchy among the Yuan clan.
This is why, after Yuan Shu delivered the letter stating “Shao is not a member of the Yuan clan” to Qiao Yan last year, she handed it to Yuan Ji to handle the sibling dispute and to offer some hush money to Qiao Yan.
He wasn’t in great health back then.
Despite Yuan’s wealth, finding a famous doctor or good medicine wasn’t hard. Yet, under the current medical conditions, his injuries weren’t treated promptly, and the various complications that arose from a weakened body meant it was just a matter of time before Yuan Ji passed away.
Last winter, Yuan Ji had already shown signs of a worsening condition. By the transition of winter to spring, he was sent straight to death’s door by a bout of cold.
It wasn’t just due to old wounds, either.
As the heir of the Yuan clan before the world got turned upside down, once he arrived at Ye City, he couldn’t help but ponder the future of the Yuan family.
After his uncle Yuan Wei died in Luoyang, the entire previous generation of the Yuan clan was gone.
Yuan Wei’s two sons had followed their mother Ma Lun to Leping, essentially cutting off ties with them.
Yuan Cheng had no sons, so Yuan Shao was adopted into his line.
Yuan Feng’s direct descendants were Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu.
But now, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were on opposite sides, supporting the Ye City court and the Chang’an court, respectively, effectively tearing the Runan Yuan family apart.
This wasn’t just about betting on different horses.
Yuan Ji firmly believed that regardless of who won between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, neither would allow the other to survive.
This was completely contrary to their father’s wishes for the brothers to back each other up.
Yuan Shu, who cared little about appearances, might end up offending the chief supporter of the Chang’an court, Qiao Yan, simply due to his noble family pride, which Yuan Ji found hard to predict.
While sick, Yuan Ji borrowed the Leping Monthly Report from Yang Biao and meticulously read it, word for word.
Thanks to his years in Luoyang’s court, he came to the same cautious understanding as Ju Shou —
The existence of the Leping Monthly Report signaled a lurking cultural invasion, testing the waters towards Ye City as its content and system took shape.
This was a very dangerous signal.
And how would Yuan Shao respond to this looming threat?
The Imperial Academy organized in Ye City lost the talent of Zheng Xuan and, instead, strengthened the cultural foundations of Qiao Yan’s Leping Academy. This was a significant misstep in their decision-making.
Such a gap couldn’t be filled by merely studying old blueprints.
If Yuan Ji could take a more relaxed approach to his recovery, maybe he could extend his life for a few more years. But he just had to torture himself with complicated thoughts about his situation.
This directly led to a critical illness catching him off guard. Yuan Shao hadn’t even managed to summon a famous physician before he breathed his last.
Yuan Shao stood beside Yuan Ji’s bedside, staring at the lifeless body of his brother, heartbroken over the separation caused by the natural cycle of life and death while rationally pondering another issue.
How would others react after the news of Yuan Ji’s death spread?
This wasn’t an ideal time for death.
While Yuan Ji was alive, there was still a “patriarch” above both Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao.
Of course, Yuan Shu had once shamelessly smeared Yuan Shao’s reputation, but as long as Yuan Ji was around, he couldn’t make any further accusations against the branch of the Yuan clan in Ye City.
But with Yuan Ji gone, dying just when the Ye City court had newly chronicled its era and opposing Chang’an’s new regime!
And conveniently, Yuan Shu happened to be in the Yuan clan’s ancestral lands of Runan.
This meant he could reach far more of the Yuan clan’s young members than Yuan Shao could!
Despite having a wealth of advisers, Yuan Shao still couldn’t fathom the thoughts of both parties involved.
One was Qiao Yan, who always seemed to find ways to win in unimaginable manners.
The other was Yuan Shu, who could always sabotage his way to success, much like a highwayman.
Once Yuan Ji passed away, who knows what mess Yuan Shu might stir up?
Yuan Shao was undoubtedly stressed, overseeing Yuan Ji’s funeral arrangements while keeping an ear out for movements in Yu Province, nudging a certain General of Bandit Subjugation to march without delay.
Aside from smacking Yuan Shu when he first marched into Yu Province, Liu Bei’s following actions were much too cautious, leading Yuan Shao to question whether using Liu Bei to “dispatch bandits” was indeed the right choice.
He couldn’t have been more right; Yuan Shu indeed did something outrageous upon receiving the news of Yuan Ji’s death.
Those like Cheng Yu and Guo Jia in Chang’an initially thought having relatives like Qiao Yan, who were clueless yet seeking favor, was bad enough, further fueling their dedication to serve their lord. But comparing them to the infighting between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu made the Qiao clan seem pretty obedient.
“Yuan Gonglu really dares to say anything…” Guo Jia looked at the letter he held and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of amazement.
The report claimed that Yuan Shu asserted Yuan Ji’s death must be closely linked to Yuan Shao.
Who else would classify as a renowned physician? If you had to pick one, it would definitely be Hua Tuo.
Yuan Ji had been ill for quite some time; shouldn’t Yuan Shao have called him over to Ye City for treatment?
As for Hua Tuo having a closer relationship with Qiao Yan and being invited to Bingzhou last spring, that wasn’t a problem.
Even according to bilateral relations, there could have been negotiations, not to mention that based on what Yuan Shu knew of Hua Tuo in Yu Province, he always practiced medicine with a compassionate heart and would never refuse to treat someone due to power struggles.
If Yuan Shao claimed this was because of pride, then it was a request Yuan Shu could have made.
But instead, Yuan Shao sent Liu Bei to attack Yu Province; maybe he couldn’t accept the goodwill from that area either.
If Yuan Shao argued that it was due to leaving a debt with Qiao Yan that he felt embarrassed to reach out, that was still Yuan Shao’s issue.
Knowing he wasn’t good at calculating matters, why agree to such terms and why let a mere 50,000 stones of grain pile up until now?
If Yuan Shu had known earlier, he would have cleared Yuan Shao’s debt to prevent his brother from dying.
Moreover, thinking in a conspiratorial manner, could there be a chance that Yuan Shao intentionally let Yuan Ji die just to legitimately acquire the position of heir to the Yuan clan and subsequently plot higher positions in the court?
These three speculations fully condemned Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao attacked Yu Province because Yuan Shu was being unreasonable? Not important now; Yuan Ji was dead and Yuan Shao also didn’t do right by him.
Yuan Shao borrowed military rations from Qiao Yan, but didn’t Yuan Shu ever use them? Not important; that was a debt Yuan Shao had to cover, and Yuan Shu couldn’t be blamed.
Had Yuan Shao not been competing for the position of heir? If he truly didn’t want it, he could just hand over that position to Yuan Shu.
The calculations made by Yuan Shu were crystal clear.
Cheng Yu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Though Yuan Gonglu engages in fratricide, he’s got skills.”
The incompetent could throw tantrums, but they couldn’t stir up a ruckus like Yuan Shu.
Cheng Yu and Guo Jia exchanged a smile, fully anticipating how Yuan Shao in Ye City would react to such doubts.
Compared to Qiao Yan’s power-based threat, Yuan Shu’s rogue antics made it seem like Yuan Shao truly understood what it meant to be in a chokehold.
And the blame-game between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu turned into a blessing for Qiao Yan.
Before they figured out the whole ordeal, Qiao Yan’s efforts in Hanzhong likely already reaped significant rewards.
But at this time, it wasn’t just Yuan Shao who was stressed; Cao Cao was too.
Yuan Shao in the north and Yuan Shu in the south — the escalating conflict between the two left Cao Cao feeling quite helpless in the middle.
With the support of the gentry and magnates from Yanzhou, he had firmly established himself in that region.
Through transactions with Qiao Yan involving cotton clothing and the results of last year’s agricultural initiatives, he’d tied together the soldiers from the Cao and Xiahou clans, contributing their own private soldiers and followers, along with the recruits from Yanzhou, creating a force that was resolute in command.
To put it plainly, if he were to march south against Yuan Shu, it wouldn’t be an impossible task.
However, the local gentry in Yu Province recognized Yuan Shu’s identity far more than they did Cao Cao’s.
While attacking Yu Province was easy, holding onto it would be quite the challenge.
Besides, he wasn’t in a position to reveal to Yuan Shao just how strong he really was.
But he could already imagine the swarm of messengers and scouts scurrying about once Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu clashed.
If Yuan Shao had managed to secure an alliance with Gongsun Zan in the north, he wouldn’t have to worry too much about northern skirmishes and could send troops into Yu Province, where Yanzhou might even provide some grain support.
This was turning into a rather tricky situation.
He mulled over this while pinching Cao Zhang’s cheek beside him and said, “Don’t you dare end up like Yuan Gonglu and Yuan Benchu, making a fool of yourselves fighting each other. Remember the principle of brothers being respectful and loving.”
Cao Zhang innocently asked, “But isn’t the second brother in opposition to Father’s domain?”
“That’s different.” Cao Cao waved his hand and ordered Cao Ang to take Cao Zhang away.
In name, Cao Pi, situated in the territory supporting the Chang’an court, and Cao Zhang, situated in the territory backing the Ye City court, were indeed on opposing sides. But that situation was entirely different from the conflict between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.
Once Cao Cao’s influence expanded, he wouldn’t even need to care about the gentry in Yanzhou; he’d look to Yuan Shao instead.
Qiao Yan wouldn’t always be restricted to the lands west of Tong Pass.
When the time came for expansion, it might be Cao Cao’s chance to switch sides.
But such thoughts didn’t need to be shared with a child like Cao Zhang, nor were they wise to voice, as the walls might have ears.
After seeing Cao Ang and Cao Zhang off, Cao Cao turned to Chen Gong and asked, “What do you think about Ye Shu stepping into the Grand Marshal position?”
Let alone Yuan Shao feeling a pang of jealousy, even someone like Cao Cao, who had a good relationship with her, couldn’t escape feeling a sense of awe at this rising star.
The shift in the situation was something no one had anticipated.
The Grand Marshal held significant military and political power, and historically there had often been individuals who rose up high through overreach. For Qiao Yan to rashly take on this role might not be a good thing for her.
But—
“There hasn’t been any dissent regarding her assuming the Grand Marshal role from the Chang’an side; perhaps there’s some hidden context,” Chen Gong replied. “This might be related to her campaign into Hanzhong.”
This declaration hadn’t reached Yizhou, but the news of Qiao Yan mobilizing troops had caught the ears of the lords in the east.
“There are indeed some clever folks around who can make connections between these two matters.”
Unfortunately, if we dig deeper, the opportunity to mobilize troops to Hanzhong and hand over the Grand General position to Liu Yan both stemmed from Qiao Yan’s calculations, which must have quite a bit of complexity.
Chen Gong added, “However, if we’re going to attack Hanzhong, I don’t think Zhang Lu will just roll over without a fight.”
Zhang Lu is indeed no pushover, but that doesn’t mean he can easily drive out these shrewd and forceful invaders from Hanzhong while Qiao Yan holds the upper hand.
After Qiao Yan swiftly snatched Changgu, the jumping-off point in the central Hanzhong plain, he fell right into her carefully spun web.
Zhang Lu’s retreat from Wudu County back to Hanzhong wasn’t entirely unrestricted.
Coincidentally, Zhang Xiu, who also believes in the Way of Great Peace, continued spreading teachings in Hanzhong after heading to Wudu County, and on Liu Yan’s orders, replaced the previous Prefect Su Gu.
Though they’re both adherents of the same sect, they’re not two merging rivers but rather distinct streams. After the death of Zhang Lu’s father Zhang Heng, the situation was one of the Eastern Wind overpowering the Western Wind until Zhang Lu’s influence steadily grew into what it is today.
However, the situation has shifted slightly once again.
Zhang Lu’s defeat at the hands of Xu Shu and Gai Xun forced him to account for his side’s followers.
If he had Liu Yan’s backing, squashing Zhang Xiu’s counterattack might not have been too difficult.
But at that time, Liu Yan was preoccupied with the appointment of the Grand General, leaving Zhang Lu with a tougher time reestablishing himself.
Fortunately, Madame Lu’s arrival in Hanzhong, although ostensibly to avoid danger, also served as a form of support for his standing in the Taishi Path.
At this moment, Zhang Lu stationed his troops in Nanzheng while Zhang Xiu resided in Mianyang as support.
Zhang Lu is indeed a capable person; if he weren’t, he wouldn’t have earned Liu Yan’s trust to grow in strength and become the “Master” of the Taishi Path.
He sensed that Qiao Yan’s order for her subordinates to attack Wudu County was not merely to hand over a title to Liu Yan; there might well be follow-up moves involved.
After being replaced during one attack on Chencang and driven out another time, Zhang Lu’s vigilance towards Qiao Yan reached its peak, constantly sending scouts towards Xigu to keep an eye out and fortify defenses.
Given that the chances of an invasion via Lu Valley and Ziwu Valley were much lower than through Xigu, he simply had patrollers moving between them.
These three strategic points were crucial to ensure Hanzhong wouldn’t face a strike from the direction of Chang’an.
But lo and behold, trouble stirred just as he stood on the battlements of Nanzheng, gazing towards the distant mountain peaks, when he suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves coming from the east.
He immediately turned in the direction of the sound and spotted a cavalryman approaching from afar, who, before reaching the city gates, held high the insignia of the Longting defending army.
Zhang Lu recognized this clearly—it was the signal for the defending armies in Hanzhong!
The rider was also conveying urgent news.
Zhang Lu quickly raised his hand, signaling the guards atop the walls to let the rider in.
The young messenger, breathless from his ride, finally calmed down and informed Zhang Lu, “General Yang sent me to report to the Master…”
Realizing halfway through that he had spoken in the dialect of Badong in his haste, he quickly switched to formal speech: “Scouts report that there’s a large army coming from the direction of Ziwu Valley, numbering about twenty thousand, already approaching Mugou, and only a day’s journey away.”
Zhang Lu’s expression tightened.
While the road through Ziwu Valley isn’t easy, it was a path that Liu Bang traversed with his troops during the Chu-Han conflict at the end of the Qin dynasty.
Moreover, it’s not rainy season, and compared to the Lu Valley, this route is definitely passable.
This is precisely why Zhang Lu had placed his trusted subordinate Yang Ang there.
Looking back, it seems that arrangement was spot on!
The scout continued, “General Yang has already headed to the valley’s entrance to set an ambush, but hearing that Qiao’s troops are well-trained, he fears setbacks, hence requests support from the general.”
Twenty thousand!
This was clearly an intimidating force.
The scout then handed over a letter penned by Yang Ang.
It seemed hastily written and had been shoved into the messenger’s clothing, resulting in some smudging of the ink, but it did not affect Zhang Lu’s ability to recognize Yang Ang’s handwriting.
Before splitting his forces, Zhang Lu had indeed warned Yang Ang that in case of urgent military matters, he must deliver written messages to prevent unauthorized seals being used by the enemy, which could lead to miscommunication.
This indeed confirms the validity of the news.
If the forces stationed at Longting could manage a few thousand troops, they should be fine.
With the favorable terrain of the Ziwu Valley exit, they might even wipe out the opposition entirely. But upon hearing that there were two entire divisions approaching, Zhang Lu couldn’t afford to hesitate.
He entrusted the defense of Nanzheng to his trusted aide and promptly mobilized five thousand soldiers stationed nearby.
To prevent Zhang Xiu from taking any action in his absence, he issued an order for Zhang Xiu to bring a thousand men to accompany him.
Zhang Xiu, unaware of the order’s reasoning, only realized Zhang Lu’s intentions when he arrived at Nanzheng’s gates.
He couldn’t help but smirk, “If the opponent is that Qiao from Bingzhou, even without these tricks, I’ll still back you up. What was her attitude towards Zhang Jiao and the Way of Great Peace back then? And the Taishi Path when you went to Wudu County—can I not see through it?”
Qiao Yan was clearly distrustful of the path’s legitimacy, even harboring intentions of destruction.
Given this, Zhang Xiu couldn’t help but feel the chill of the cold wind gnaw at his bones.
Since it truly was Qiao Yan attacking, Zhang Lu simply had to insist on cooperation.
Now, this roundabout approach left him with no proper arrangements for the guards in Mianyang.
However, having arrived, with the enemy situation being urgent, he did not delay, setting off towards Longting with Zhang Lu.
According to Yang Ren’s subordinate reports, Qiao Yan’s troops were no more than a day’s journey from Mugou, and the path from Mugou to Longting was a straightforward route along the Han River. As they passed through Changgu County, Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu never dared to linger but rushed through.
They spotted Madame Lu on the battlements, glancing their way for a moment before vanishing.
In the face of this urgent military situation, Zhang Lu had no time to inform his mother.
Since the Changgu area, positioned between Nanzheng and Longting, hadn’t stationed many guards, adjusting troop deployments would only waste time; thus, Zhang Lu boldly continued towards Longting.
What he didn’t see was Xun You, still posted atop Changgu, watching their figures, revealing a knowing smile as if he were watching prey leap into a trap.
Zhang Lu was only looking at the road ahead.
He knew he absolutely could not afford to lose this battle.
After barely escaping a past defeat, he had to crush the invading troops in Hanzhong to solidify his position as Master of the Taishi Path.
The legacy of the Taishi Path under his guidance had evolved from simply teaching doctrines to a state of military and political amalgamation—there could be no regression or dissolution.
Holding onto this absolute win-or-nothing mindset, he made a nonstop dash from Nanzheng to Longting.
At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel thankful that he was in the Hanzhong plain.
Without this kind of terrain, he would never have been able to reach Longting by dusk the next day.
Yet upon arrival, if he pressed straight onward to Mugou, he would undoubtedly find himself at his wit’s end.
He promptly decided to rest and replenish his troops within the city before drafting his next battle strategy based on the situation at Ziwu Valley.
With this in mind, he looked towards Longting County.
This small city, yet sitting in the Han River basin, directly diverted the Han River into the moat. The battlements were equipped with plenty of strong bows and crossbows, and currently, the gates were firmly closed with soldiers guarding all around, qualifying it as a fortified city.
Realizing this was directed against the northern enemy, Zhang Lu felt reassured.
He raised his hand to signal, and his accompanying attendants galloped ahead, shouting to those atop the city, “The Master has ordered, open the gates quickly—”
Then the unexpected happened in that instant.
Before he could finish the word “gate,” an arrow shot past like a lightning bolt, piercing right through his skull.
As he fell from his horse, Zhang Lu caught a glimpse of a figure in a red cloak atop the city.
At the same time, several heavy crossbows were set up at the battlements.
This scene was clearly not one of welcoming him; it instead launched a counterattack against his long journey!
Zhang Lu’s face paled; he suddenly became aware of a terrifying truth.
He had likely arrived too late!
According to what the scout reported, at the moment Yang Ang detected Qiao Yan’s troop movements, the Chang’an army was merely a day’s journey from Mugou.
If Yang Ang hadn’t effectively intercepted them, they indeed could have already occupied Longting by now.
Thus, to see Longting change hands would be simply a matter of course.
Almost immediately following the arrow that took down his attendant, the heavy crossbows on the battlements unleashed a torrent of arrows aimed straight at Zhang Lu’s group.
Zhang Lu didn’t think twice before leaping off his horse, snatching a shield hanging by the horse’s side and holding it above his head.
The incoming arrows instantly slaughtered his horse and several of his nearby soldiers.
He bolted back, seizing another horse and mounting quickly.
As the second volley of arrows rained down, Zhang Lu shouted, “Fall back! Archers cover the rear and guard against the enemy exiting the city; the rest follow me as we retreat!”
Confronted with the grim news of the city’s takeover, Zhang Lu indeed experienced a moment of panic.
Especially since he had just dodged a near-fatal hail of arrows.
But he well understood that this was not the time for the commander to be flustered.
When the enemy opted to securely defend the city rather than confront his supposed two thousand-man formation outside, they likely suffered significant losses in the earlier engagement at the valley.
His own six thousand-man force had plenty of cavalry too, while the opposition, hampered by passage through Ziwu Valley, couldn’t possibly have brought many cavalry units. If a battle unfolded on an open plain, he would actually have an upper hand.
This provided him with a chance to retreat!
Moreover, they only occupied Longting!
That was merely the most peripheral point of the Hanzhong plain.
For her to consolidate control over Hanzhong would not be that easy.
The followers of the Taishi Path and the troops from Yizhou dispersed throughout the Hanzhong plain number well over thirty thousand, at least triple the number of foes attacking this time.
Any forces coming from the western areas outside Hanzhong, such as Xicheng and Shangyong, able to mobilize after receiving news, could immediately pose a two-pronged siege against her, ensuring that she wouldn’t have a chance to deploy additional forces into the battle for Hanzhong.
In that fleeting moment, Zhang Lu understood the current situation and the inherent advantages and disadvantages of both sides.
He also realized one crucial point: in light of this, his chances of victory were no less than those of his opponent.
So he issued another order—
Retreat to Changgu County!
Form a blockade against these invading troops from Guanzhong in the heart of the Hanzhong plain!
