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Chapter 301
Can strategists not ascend to the throne? Volume Nine: The Drought and Locust Plague, Flying Troops to Liaodong — Chapter 301: Shen Ting’s Invitation
No need for Yuan Huan’s subordinates to respond to that.
Because of the galloping horses, Qiao Yan’s army had already moved closer to the walls of Lin Ying as he was asking this question.
He suddenly realized that the appearance of the Qiao character Commander’s Banner didn’t just signify that Qiao Yan’s troops were here.
Although he couldn’t see the arriving figures clearly, Yuan Huan still keenly recognized the silhouette that stood out among the crowd, and it seemed that…
It looked like it was actually Qiao Yan herself!
For some reason, the moment he realized this fact, Yuan Huan felt a slight tingling in his fingertips, even his tongue momentarily lost the ability to move, and he couldn’t utter a single word.
It wasn’t until the sound of hooves became completely clear in his ears that he finally snapped out of that wordless shock and blurted out, “Open the west city gate, welcome her in!”
Lin Ying is situated between the Ying River and the Xuan River, where the two rivers converge east of Lin Ying. Thus, although Cao’s army meant to besiege the city, they were stationed east of the confluence for the convenience of their troops, avoiding this maze of waterways.
Qiao Yan approached from the west of Lin Ying, making her route far more convenient than Cao’s offensive path, while also slipping past Cao’s watchful eyes.
This series of actions to open the city gates and welcome her was smooth as silk, and with the orderly formation of Qiao Yan’s accompanying guards, it didn’t raise any noise to alert the enemy.
But even after recognizing the Grand Marshal up there on the city walls, when Qiao Yan stood right in front of Yuan Huan, he couldn’t shake the feeling of it being surreal.
It was too fast!
Way too fast!
While they say fine horses travel a thousand miles in a day, there are sadly few steeds that can actually achieve such speed, not to mention that in military campaigns, such bursts of speed cannot be maintained for long.
How did she manage to arrive here in such a short time?
Yuan Huan initially had low expectations for dealing with Cao’s army, knowing full well that he wasn’t good at commanding troops. He could only accurately assess the enemy’s situation amidst the power clashes, which was how he had that famous encounter with Sun during their opposition to Liu.
But now he was tasked with a pure defensive battle—this was completely different.
If Cao Cao’s army pressed forward, he would have no chance to fight back.
It was also thanks to Runan, which had been taken by Cao’s main forces, that was five times the size of Yingchuan. With Yuan Shu dead, numerous smaller factions had caused Cao a few headaches, giving Yuan Huan a bit of breathing room.
Even so, Cao Cao’s relative Xiahou Dun had already closed in on Lin Ying.
His mission had been to eliminate the westernmost part of Runan, making a direct advance on Yingchuan.
“Xiahou Yuanrang?” Qiao Yan mulled over the name, unfastening her cloak and tossing it to a servant, looking far less like someone who had just traveled a long way.
Once they climbed up to the other side of the walls, Yuan Huan saw her take a cylindrical object and hold it to her eyes, peering toward the distant camp.
She slightly frowned, “Not just that, why is Ji Ling also over there?”
Among the flags raised at the enemy camp, besides the large “Cao” flag representing Cao Cao, there was also one with “Xiahou” on it, and surprisingly, another with “Ji”!
She hadn’t anticipated that Cao Cao would take action at this time, but she had a pretty good idea of who was under his command.
There wasn’t anyone with the surname Ji among the notable names serving Cao.
On the contrary, there was a general named Ji Ling under Yuan Shu who had risen somewhat among the shorter lot.
Yuan Huan tried to shift his gaze away from the intriguing object in Qiao Yan’s hands and replied, “There was a mutiny in Pingyu, and during Cao’s attack on the city, General Feng, General Huang, and General Zhang all fell in battle, and General Ji was captured by Cao and has… defected.”
General Feng referred to Feng Fang, who had also participated in the selection of the Eight Schools in the Western Garden of Luoyang and had joined Yuan Shu during the campaign against Dong Zhuo.
General Huang referred to Huang Yi, who was Yuan Shu’s son-in-law.
And General Zhang was Zhang Xun, who had also participated in the battles against Wen Chou and Liu Bei.
Ji Ling surviving and choosing to defect after Yuan Shu’s death didn’t count as betraying his side, so when Yuan Huan spoke of this, he didn’t show any blame in his tone.
Qiao Yan nodded, signaling that she knew about the situation.
With Yuan Shu’s subordinates either dead or defected, she was grateful that she had issued her support for Yingchuan from Hangu Pass quickly.
Had she arrived a bit later, the region of Yingchuan would have been impossible to hold.
“Let’s go; we’ll return to the administrative office to rest and talk again if there’s any news of an attack from Cao’s army.”
Hearing these words of passive defense from Qiao Yan felt a bit odd, but perhaps it was because the Grand Marshal had a solid track record managing Ding and Liang provinces and stabilizing Guan Zhong, which made Yuan Huan follow without raising any doubts.
As they walked back toward the administrative office, Yuan Huan cautiously observed Qiao Yan’s serene profile and asked the question that had been perplexing him since he saw the Qiao banner.
How on earth did she arrive here at this speed?
Qiao Yan responded with a question, “You don’t think I came from Guan Zhong, do you?”
Yuan Huan really did think so.
She shook her head, “They say time is of the essence in warfare, but we’re still human; it isn’t like we can just pop up wherever.”
“Spring and summer bring a controllable situation in Guan Zhong, but locust plagues are set to rise in various regions. If they can’t respond to the disaster, the Office of the Governor still has farmland to cultivate, making it a point for assistance.”
“I was originally scouting the situation in Hongnong and Henan, but didn’t expect to receive such unexpected news.”
Yuan Huan couldn’t help but exclaim, “The Grand Marshal has the people’s well-being in mind.”
Compared to this, Yuan Shu’s ending felt mostly like he brought it upon himself.
But the dead are dead; arguing about Yuan Shu’s missteps at this point is rather pointless.
It’s still critical to keep our eyes on the situation outside the city.
Once inside the administrative office, Qiao Yan gathered Yuan Huan, Yuan Yao, Yan Xiang, and others present, including Xun Yu, Xu Huang, and Dian Wei who had come along with her.
With Qiao Yan, an outsider, present, Yuan Yao, as Yuan Shu’s son, had to maintain some semblance of composure, so he tried his best to present himself as more collected than before.
At that moment, he hardly remembered the time during the first year of Jian An when he found out Yuan Xi’s whereabouts while in Chang’an and reported to Qiao Yan, which led to Yuan Xi being outsmarted by her; he only thought about whether he might now have a chance at revenge with such a capable Grand Marshal here.
Filled with this thought, he looked at Qiao Yan with a flicker of hope in his eyes.
But he quickly realized that despite Qiao Yan’s arrival adding over a thousand defenders to Lin Ying, they were still at a disadvantage compared to Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling’s side.
Although Cao Cao had arrived in Runan with about fifteen thousand soldiers, after days of battle, that number surely wasn’t the same.
Yuan Huan said to Qiao Yan, “Xiahou Yuanrang is in charge of seizing the western part of Runan. According to the scouts’ reports, he has about four thousand troops, including three thousand elite soldiers Cao assigned to him, plus the two thousand from Ji Ling and his men.”
“Nine thousand men… Considering the defenses of Lin Ying’s walls, that’s enough to take this place.” Qiao Yan drummed her fingers lightly on the table.
She had already noticed the issues with this city while inspecting the walls with Yuan Huan earlier.
This was indeed the boundary between Runan and Yingchuan, but most of the time, there wasn’t a need for extra garrisoning; it wasn’t a boundary between provinces, nor was it a specific stronghold that needed defending.
In peacetime, such situations weren’t critical; after all, it was just an ordinary town. But in wartime, it was utterly inadequate to stop an enemy advance.
On the other hand, Yan Xiang, a strategist under Yuan Shu, felt a mix of delight at Qiao Yan’s arrival and concern about their unfavorable conditions.
He wanted to ask Qiao Yan about her backup plan but recalled how, during the campaign against Dong, he had a role in pleasing the emperor; that made him feel a bit small in front of her.
Noticing Yan Xiang’s hesitance, Yuan Huan asked for him, “Grand Marshal, since you arrived here with cavalry first, how many infantry do you have left?”
Qiao Yan shook her head slightly, “You don’t need to worry about reinforcements; they won’t be here anytime soon.”
She had sent Guo Jia back to Guan Zhong to transfer Zhao Yun’s troops, and not to mention the time needed to relay that message, it was impossible for a large-scale troop movement to match her speed in reaching Yingchuan.
Wait for true reinforcements? That would have to be at least seven days after.
Until then, they would have to rely on themselves.
“No need to look so worried,” Qiao Yan said with a hint of a smile, “You didn’t expect me to arrive here at this time, and neither did Xiahou Yuanrang.”
This was indeed a delightful opportunity for them!
Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling truly hadn’t anticipated that while they were rubbing their hands together, ready to launch a direct assault as soon as the siege equipment arrived, Qiao Yan had already made her way into the city obliquely, taking advantage of its cover.
But Xiahou Dun still regarded the walls with a touch of vigilance.
He had fought alongside Cao Cao since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and if he considered him just a brute in his role, that would be a serious underestimation.
After all, he never ignored the importance of education and wisdom, he might look a bit rough around the edges.
“They say Yingchuan is home to scholars, but whether they are mere pedants or strategists is hard to say. That Yuan Yaoqing, as you say, has some public spirit in Yingchuan and is clever enough; we should indeed be on guard,” Xiahou Dun said, his tone tinged with a bit of regret, “If only Yuan Chang wasn’t so poor at warfare, he should have come along to help instead of staying behind in Yanzhou.”
The Yuan Chang mentioned by Xiahou Dun was Zhong Yao.
That made Zhong Yao somewhat of an old acquaintance of Qiao Yan from the battle at Changshe.
In April of this year, he had suddenly defected to Cao Cao, primarily believing Yuan Shu was unreliable.
It was precisely Zhong Yao’s visit that strengthened Cao Cao’s resolve to march.
But as Xiahou Dun said, despite Zhong Yao’s brilliance in administration beyond his skills in calligraphy, sending him into this swift campaign would be quite taxing for his health.
For Xiahou Dun, the pacification of Yu Province now seemed inevitable; even if Yuan Huan caused him some trouble, it would be quite limited.
As long as they could act before the reinforcements from Guan Zhong arrived, everything would be fine.
It’s in this context that Xiahou Dun prepared for the siege as thoroughly as possible, seeking to strike decisively.
With this thought in mind, he turned to Ji Ling and inquired, “You’re sure that Yuan Yaoqing had no previous ties with Sima Jian Gong, right?”
Xiahou Dun wasn’t too worried about Yuan Huan rallying the citizens of Lin Ying for defense, nor about him bringing in reinforcements from other counties in Yingchuan to initiate a counterattack.
They had seen the caliber of Yuan Shu’s soldiers when they had entered Runan.
Numbers couldn’t make up for the gap in quality.
His only concern was the potential for any soldiers under Sima’s command from Henan to come to aid, which would add some complications.
Ji Ling hurriedly replied, “Sima Jian Gong not only has no connections with Yuan Yaoqing but also no ties with my house… or Yuan Gonglu for that matter.”
With that, Xiahou Dun felt relieved.
With this assurance, he had some leisure to focus on other aspects.
For instance…
The intentional rephrasing by Ji Ling earlier made a sneer creep onto his face.
If Ji Ling weren’t one of the few to survive Yuan Shu’s ranks and surrender, Xiahou Dun would have found him rather contemptible; after all, Ji Ling was clearly just looking out for his own future!
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“Cao Cao sure knows how to throw a pity party for himself.”
He was trying to score a “noble” reason for surrender by telling Cao Cao that Yuan Shu met his end during a nighttime escape, and his body was left behind because his loyal followers couldn’t manage to carry him away. So, he offered his loyalty to Cao Cao as a bargaining chip to ensure Yuan Shu’s body would be left intact for burial.
It sounded quite honorable and chivalrous.
That is, until Xiahou Dun overheard Ji Ling instructing his subordinates to eliminate Yuan Yao after they captured Lingying City.
But hey, they were technically colleagues now, so Xiahou Dun didn’t want to fuss over such details.
Besides, with Cao Cao’s temperament and strategies, he surely had a plan for people like Ji Ling.
Xiahou Dun replied, “Alright then, we’ll prepare siege equipment tonight and advance on Lingying. By tomorrow, the battering ram and crossbows should be here. General Ji, please take the lead and help me seize this gateway to Yingchuan!”
Ji Ling didn’t catch on to Xiahou Dun’s reluctance. He figured Xiahou Dun just wanted him up front to encourage the guards in Lingying to surrender.
For someone like him, who previously held a high position under Yuan Shu and was still getting to partake in significant military actions, it was clear that Cao and Yanzhou weren’t bent on wiping them all out—what a prime example of being in the right place at the right time!
Desperate to make a name for himself in front of his new lord and eager to clear the world of any Yuan Shu relatives who might pose future headaches, on the day of the siege, Ji Ling charged to the front with his two-pronged sword in hand.
Compared to Pingyu City, which Yuan Shu had meticulously fortified over the past two years, Lingying was a complete joke.
The siege forces wielded powerful crossbows that dominated the battlefield, making it hard for the archers on the city wall to stand their ground.
If the shield soldiers had been accustomed to such scenarios and coordinated with the archers, they might not have found themselves in a position of being beaten back. But clearly, most of them were rookies facing a siege for the first time, and all they could depend on was the wall and gate.
But how long could they resist against the assault ladders?
When the first ten ladders reached the walls and the battering ram crashed against the east gate with a loud bang, Ji Ling felt he could already see the city falling and his victory secured. He pushed his cavalry further forward.
Whether it was the battering ram breaking open the county’s gate or the soldiers climbing the walls first—
As long as the gate opened, it would be his moment to charge in!
“Seems like there are quite a few folks on the walls too scared to show their faces,” Ji Ling remarked, spotting figures trying to climb the ladders who quickly went quiet.
But what did it matter!
With each thundering impact from the battering ram, the gate was swaying, ready to give way and reveal an utterly defenseless city behind.
“Just a death rattle!”
Just as Ji Ling muttered that bitter thought, the door that was being pressed against suddenly crashed open.
His face lit up with joy, and without hesitation, he spurred his horse forward, leading the cavalry into the city!
Today, Xiahou Dun’s forces had slowly encircled Lingying City on three sides, following the principle of triage by letting the west gate stand.
If they broke through the east gate, those guys would likely skedaddle out the west and head to the next city to dig in.
Even if Xiahou Dun had said that they could take three cities with minimal losses and thus secure all of Yingchuan with no further dissent, Ji Ling still felt that if he could capture Yuan Huan and Yuan Yao, it would be way better than dealing with repeated skirmishes!
Why go through all this hassle!
However, just as his horse was a hundred steps away from Lingying City, a twist of fate struck.
A barrage of arrows suddenly rained down from the walls straight towards him.
Ji Ling quickly raised his shield to block the incoming missile storm.
But before he could even celebrate that he had adapted to this unexpected turn of events, he felt a sharp pain in his throat.
At that moment, an arrow, unlike the previous volley, pierced through the gap between his soldiers and his shield, striking right into his throat.
He could barely catch a glimpse of the white-feathered tail of the arrow before he fell off his horse.
And it wasn’t just him.
From Xiahou Dun’s vantage point, he could clearly see that what had been a somewhat chaotic defense on the wall suddenly transformed into an organized response the moment Ji Ling hit the ground—not just that, it was like flipping a switch!
The soldiers on the wall were now standing firm, bowstrings taut and arrows ready, showcasing their training.
“Damn it, they played us dirty!” Xiahou Dun blurted out.
But before he could finish his thought, another surprising development unfolded.
The banner representing the Yuan Clan of Runan came crashing down, replaced by several flags emblazed with the character for Qiao.
This unexpected twist caught everyone off guard, but it was the number of flags flooding the scene that allowed for a quick identification of the character.
Xiahou Dun’s face went blank.
Qiao?
How could it be Qiao?
The subordinate officers with last names Qiao under Yuan Shu had already met their end at Zhang Fei’s hands back when Liu Bei was dispatched to campaign against Yuan Shu. The only one left who fit the name was none other than the Grand Marshal Qiao Yan, who had control in Chang’an!
But why was she there?
Even if all the messages were sent out by galloping horse, even if she could skip any permissions from Liu Yu to act independently, even if she hadn’t taken any breaks on her way, she shouldn’t have arrived this fast.
But the fact stood clear: her presence here likely wasn’t just a feint orchestrated by Yuan Huan to push them back.
For if any of Yuan Shu’s commanders exuded such a fierce air and displayed elite ranks, there would be no way the Yan Province troops could crash through into Runan’s heart and make a mockery of their assault on Pingyu!
It dawned on him that the precise arrow that had taken Ji Ling down likely came straight from Qiao Yan herself!
She was indeed known for her marksmanship; that wasn’t just talk.
Yet, even if she was truly positioned there, she was tucked behind heavy defenses on the wall, leaving Xiahou Dun with no chance of reaching her directly.
At that moment, as he realized how Qiao Yan had unexpectedly shown up, soldiers from the north and south barricading Lingying surged forth towards him, yelling, “General, there’s a massive dust cloud rising from the west! Looks like enemies are approaching! Should we fight back?”
Xiahou Dun was taken aback.
He instinctively turned to look at the opposing city.
In mere moments, the gate that had been smashed open by the battering ram had already been closed again, and the ladders that had been set against the wall were now ablaze, all these facts blatantly signaling to him—
Everything had simply been a trap designed to tempt Ji Ling’s rush for glory, solely to eliminate him.
With Ji Ling dead, the two thousand Runan soldiers that had surrendered with him either followed him to the grave or now stood in a confused state that Xiahou Dun couldn’t easily command.
The soldiers inside the city were all still doing their job effectively.
Their reinforcements had arrived!
If Xiahou Dun hadn’t heard about Qiao Yan’s appearance first, he wouldn’t have instinctively believed that the enemy troops rushing from that direction must be reinforcements dispatched by her.
But in this world, there’s no such thing as “what if.”
Xiahou Dun glanced at his own troops, clearly seeing the emotion reflected in their eyes—an instinctual fear of Qiao Yan commanding the army.
So, he decisively issued the order, “Sound the gong to retreat!”
They couldn’t keep fighting!
He understood that his forces could best Yuan Shu’s troops, not because they had the overwhelming prowess but simply because Yuan Shu’s forces hadn’t seen real combat in years.
But facing an army led by Qiao Yan, that advantage vanished into thin air.
To avoid further losses, it’d be wiser to pull back.
But what he didn’t know was that atop the walls of Lingying, Qiao Yan was wearing a particularly meaningful smile while watching him retreat.
She quickly crossed paths with the leading commander of the forces at the foot of the city.
Of course, these weren’t Zhao Yun’s troops from Guanzhong.
Rather, they were the forces borrowed from the Xun clan’s territory in Yingyin and Yuan Huan’s subordinates who had exited the city early.
Trailing behind them were hundreds of livestock being herded along, creating an illusion of an enemy attack, which were smoothly ushered into the city without ever pursuing Xiahou Dun.
However, soon after, a team exited the city, led by none other than Qiao Yan!
She wasn’t just satisfied with scaring Xiahou Dun away with the news of her arrival.
After eliminating Ji Ling and cutting off Xiahou Dun’s reinforcements, she was here to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.
The cavalry accompanying her had already been well-rested while others set up defenses and sought reinforcements the night before, so they were all in prime condition for action.
After two years of laying low, they were more eager than ever to prove their worth through a battle and show that they hadn’t lost their edge despite the fortifications built in Guanzhong.
Led by Yuan Huan, they raced ahead to an ambush site between Lingying and Pingyu, known as the Black Willow Gorge.
As Xiahou Dun was organizing his troops, contemplating how to regroup with Cao Cao to deal with Qiao Yan, little did he know he was about to fall victim to a surprise attack on his way back.
His scouts were on high alert for any pursuing enemies, but they had no idea that right in the turf of Runan County, Yuan Huan might not defeat him through direct confrontation but certainly knew how to take shortcuts.
When Qiao Yan’s cavalry burst forth, Xiahou Dun finally got a clear view of the infamous Grand Marshal.
But in this decisive battle led by her in the gorge, he barely had a chance to reach her before he was taken down by a pair of iron arms.
That was Dian Wei, the fierce general under Qiao Yan!
When Cao Cao saw Xiahou Dun, he fell silent for a moment, taking in his new look.
Xiahou Dun had left looking determined to sweep through the territory of Runan and Yingchuan, but now? He had been slapped in the face!
It wasn’t just that; he was actually dressed in mourning clothes and had a white cloth tied atop his head!
If the patrolling soldiers hadn’t found him, who knows how long he would’ve been left tied up with that flag!
“Lost to Yuan Yao?” When Cao Cao asked this, even he found it hard to believe.
Cao Cao knew exactly how capable Xiahou Dun was, and while losing to someone like Yuan Yao was possible, being knocked down to just a standard commander? Impossible!
However, watching Xiahou Dun hang his head in defeat, the answer that finally escaped his lips was immensely surprising, “I got taken down by Qiao Yan.”
He said this slowly while peeling off the white robe that had been put on him, spreading it out before Cao Cao.
On the inside of the mourning robe, someone had written five lines in a flamboyant script:
“It’s been years since we last met. How have you been, Meng De?”
“Alas, our reunion on the battlefield is a bit discourteous.”
“Thinking back to the old days when we drank together, I’d love to catch up.”
“Three days from now, I hope you’ll bring a horse and a few attendants to meet me outside Pingyu City, and please also bring Yuan Yu’s remains for his son.”
“Written by Grand Marshal Qiao Yan.”
