“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 312: Soldiers Move Out from Yinping
If anyone else said they were going to conquer Yizhou in a month, it might sound a bit like a joke. But when Qiao Yan says it, it sounds more like a firm declaration.
The last battle in Hanzhong had a significant impact on Yizhou.
The officials under Liu Yan could never have imagined that just two months after the coronation ceremony in Chang’an, Qiao Yan would boldly march into Hanzhong, driving Zhang Lu out and then inviting Liu Yan to come to Yizhou for discussions.
This kind of decisive military action, one that wasn’t deterred in the slightest by the Qin Mountains, could truly stir up a storm in Yizhou in just a month or so.
Furthermore, during Xu Shu’s two years as the Governor of Hanzhong, he was not only busy setting up paper mills and shipyards for Qiao Yan in Yizhou but also overseeing the young Emperor Liu Xie who was ensconced in Hanzhong.
Frankly, if it were just that, there would be no need for Qiao Yan to send one of her trusted confidants over there.
During those two years, he was helping the military leaders in Hanzhong recruit soldiers from Yizhou while sending goodwill signals toward Guanghan and the neighboring Bajun, fully leveraging Liu Yan’s inability to control the northern Yizhou territories and even making friends with the Qiang people near the Baishui Pass.
If he were to march south, he could mobilize not just the forces already under her command but also launch a major hunt in Shu.
At the same time, Xu Shu was using the intel provided by Qiao Yan to compile information on various forces in southern Yizhou, preparing for a broad military campaign across the region, so they wouldn’t face the difficulty of taking one city at a time.
These activities might seem trivial on the surface, as if the Governor of Hanzhong was just getting along with his colleagues in Yizhou, but little did they know…
That would only become apparent when Yizhou underwent a seismic transformation.
Xun Yu wasn’t fully aware of everything, but earlier this year when Xu Shu returned to Chang’an to report, they had a brief conversation.
This exchange allowed him to grasp the reason why Qiao Yan would grant such autonomy to a young man like Xu Shu, effectively making him almost independent in Hanzhong.
Because he would undoubtedly be the one to hold the reins for her offensive into Yizhou!
And her military style assured her that such a long-distance blitz was far from impossible!
A month—this was the deadline she set for herself to quell any upheaval in Yizhou.
So what those two needed to focus on now was not to question whether her one-month campaign was feasible, but to answer the question she posed.
“If it’s just a month, I can guarantee that when you leave Luoyang, the situation here will be favorable for you by the time you return,” Xun Yu promised earnestly.
He pondered for a moment and then asked, “Forgive me for being concerned about your military plans, but where do you intend to launch your attack into Yizhou?”
Qiao Yan responded, “Since I want to settle things quickly and head straight into Shu, I cannot take the Hanzhong route.”
Zhao Wei and the others wanted to support Liu Zhang, Liu Yan’s young son, while he was on his deathbed, potentially making beneficial exchanges with the Fei clan of Jiangxia. They needed to alter the Yizhou situation in favor of Liu Zhang before news of Liu Yan’s death reached Chang’an.
Thus, even if the court genuinely learned of Liu Yan’s death, the forces would likely be too preoccupied to divert their attention to Yizhou, leaving Liu Zhang to take over.
With such control in mind, they had to keep a tight grip on Liu Yan’s officials in the Eastern Province, while also staying wary of Xu Shu in Hanzhong noticing the changes brewing in Shu, and possibly sending Ma Chao, Chu Yan, and Yao Chang south to meddle in the succession struggle in Yizhou.
So if Qiao Yan took the Hanzhong route, it might seem like she could directly call upon the garrison led by the General Annam in Hanzhong, but it would be easy for Zhao Wei and Liu Zhang to catch wind of it. If things go sideways, it could get messy.
If the situation drags on, it won’t help her for a surprise attack!
Xu Shu’s preparations in Hanzhong were for solidifying control in Yizhou, not for opening a breach.
She stated, “I’ll be going through Wudu County.”
From Wudu County down into Yizhou, arriving at the Guanghan fief!
Thanks to the Five Pecks of Rice sect, or rather the Taishi Path, the local Taoists weren’t obliterated as the culprits causing chaos in the region after Qiao Yan’s conquest of Hanzhong. Even Zhang Lu’s mother, Lady Lu, was temporarily pulled in as a leader to assist the sect members in atoning for their sins. So, despite being driven out by Qiao Yan, Zhang Lu still rallied his followers to study the teachings there.
Hence, the road extending from Wudu County towards Guanghan wasn’t as difficult as it might seem.
“Was it intentional that when you drove Zhang Lu to this place, it was for today’s sneak attack?” Guo Jia asked before sending Qiao Yan off.
If that’s the case, it would be quite the master plan.
Qiao Yan replied, “Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Yizhou cannot maintain its state of independence forever, so it doesn’t hurt to have some routes well established.”
The roads from Hanzhong to Chang’an were meant to facilitate a more convenient passage between the separated Hanzhong and Chang’an.
The roads between Wudu County and Guanghan, and from Guanghan south to Chengdu, served to strengthen ties between Yizhou and Liangzhou. Moreover, when she stands on the shoulders of history, it’s hard not to acknowledge how significant these roads could be when executing a surprise strike into Shu.
Although the name Guanghan doesn’t ring a bell, everyone’s heard of Yinping Road.
In the waning years of the state, the famed general Deng Ai stealthily crossed Yinping and headed straight for Chengdu, leading to Liu Shan’s surrender during the annihilation of Shu-Han.
In the early Ming dynasty, the general Xuande under Zhu Yuanzhang also took this route over Mount Motian to finish the pacification of Shu.
When Qingchuan was liberated, the People’s Liberation Army also advanced through Yinping Road.
Allowing Zhang Lu to develop within the Guanghan fief while applying the road-building tenets of the Taishi Path, even if it wasn’t for today, it would certainly play a role in rapidly responding to the situation of Liu Yan’s illness and the succession dispute.
Now, it’s just timely.
To prevent news of this military move from leaking, Qiao Yan didn’t even inform Sima Fang, who was in Henan Yin, about her whereabouts.
In Sima Fang’s eyes, Qiao Yan seemed to be leading a small group of cavalry back to Chang’an, perhaps because she needed approval from Liu Yu over some matters, or maybe Luoyang was gradually accepting the Guanzhong court’s management here, thus allowing her the conditions to temporarily leave and report any discrepancies in the Yuzhou war situation to the central court.
But Sima Fang had no idea that Qiao Yan was racing from Luoyang to Chang’an at night. She didn’t stop in the city but continued westward, not stirring up any attention in Chang’an.
It wasn’t until she and her crew galloped into Maiwu that they made a brief stop.
Here, she dispatched two letters via carrier pigeon to two other outposts.
One letter was sent to Hanzhong, instructing Xu Shu to have Yao Chang and Ma Chao return to Wudu County and meet her at the point where the Qiang River flows into Guanghan.
The other letter went to Hanyang County, ordering Lu Yuan, who was stationed there, to maneuver the middle general Fu Gan and his subordinates to meet her on the route from Hanyang through Wudu.
Such troop movements were strictly prohibited from leaking …
“What on earth is making the outside world take notice?”
Even though it takes news quite a while to go from Wudu County or Hanyang County to the ears of the soldiers in Chengdu, probably not as fast as Qiao Yan arriving in Chengdu, let’s face it: ever since she started using carrier pigeons as a way to spread news, it’s been quite some time. The number of lost pigeons must be in double digits at this point—who knows if anyone has realized that these are no longer just birds seen as good omens, but rather the most qualified messengers.
To avoid the enemy getting wind of things too soon, it’s better to be on the cautious side and mimic her methods for spreading news during this troop mobilization.
In any case, when Qiao Yan decisively acted on her plans to pacify Yizhou within a month, Lu Yuan and Xu Shu, who received her message, didn’t dare waste a second.
These two groups quietly set off from Nanzheng in Hanzhong and arrived in Ju County within Wudu County, while another group hurriedly mobilized from Hanyang County, arriving first at the Wudu County government and meeting with Grand Marshal Gai Xun who was based there.
Fu Gan didn’t come to this place alone; he was accompanied by a familiar face of Gai Xun’s, none other than Jiang Jiao, who had once escorted Gai Xun to Bingzhou.
Reunited with old friends, Gai Xun couldn’t help but notice how much Jiang Jiao had changed compared to the past.
Once a spirited youth from the Four Clans of Hanyang, Jiang Jiao had a certain confidence back then, knowing that his family had his back.
But now, with the fall and rise of the Four Clans of Hanyang, that confidence had completely vanished. What remained was a calmness born from experiencing upheaval.
Strangely enough, Gai Xun, being the older one, hadn’t changed that much.
Years ago, he had fought for the position of Grand Prefect in Wudu County against Zhang Lu, but compared to the chaos of the Liang Province rebellion and the trouble caused by the Qiang people, the current situation was something he wouldn’t have dared to dream about.
Now that Qiao Yan had established order in Liang Province, and Zhang Lu had been ousted from Wudu County after Liu Yu established himself in Chang’an, Gai Xun had it much easier.
He was well-liked by the Qiang people, even during his days as an official in Hanyang County, and now as the Grand Prefect of Wudu County, he didn’t have to worry about battles. He even looked younger than he had a couple of years ago.
They shared a moment of nostalgic reflection.
But before they could reminisce too much, Gai Xun turned to the matter at hand, “What’s going on?”
Jiang Jiao replied, “Lord, the Commander intends to move troops to Yizhou and needs Grand Prefect Gai to assist us in mobilizing some soldiers skilled in navigating the mountainous routes of Liang and Yizhou.”
“The Commander is personally leading the charge on Yizhou?” Gai Xun almost jumped in surprise.
It was already quite a risky move for Qiao Yan to arrive in Yingchuan and negotiate boundaries with Cao Cao directly.
Anyone in her position shouldn’t be so reckless as to personally lead an army.
Yet it was clear that Qiao Yan not only did this, but right after concluding that meeting in Runan, she was jumping into something riskier—
Leading the charge on Yizhou herself.
To come from Wudu County, she not only had to mobilize troops from Hanzhong and Hanyang but would also need to directly enter the southern territories of Yizhou.
“I’ll have a clearer explanation when the Commander arrives personally,” Fu Gan chimed in.
Indeed, Qiao Yan arrived in the central area of Wudu County just a couple of days after Fu Gan and Jiang Jiao, only slightly delayed because she was coordinating supplies from the direction of Chencang.
The Sanguan Pass posed no obstacles for her, and on the sixth day after receiving news of the situation in Yizhou, she successfully met with Gai Xun in Wudu County.
On Gai Xun’s question about whether her personal expedition to Yizhou was too risky, Qiao Yan offered this explanation.
“Having the Grand Prefect of Hanzhong present at the scene of this wrongful action against the Yizhou overseer would hardly have the same effect as me, the Grand Marshal, being there. If even someone as influential as me can appear in the heart of Yizhou without anyone suspecting a thing, who on earth would dare to plot any traps?”
“Besides, I’m not entirely flying solo in Yizhou against every obstacle that comes my way. For instance, I’ll be passing through the state of Guanghan first; when I get there, will Zhang Lu be a roadblock, or will he be my ally?”
Zhang Lu?
Gai Xun instinctively thought that for Qiao Yan to oust him from Guanghan, it certainly wouldn’t be as easy as driving him away from Wudu and Hanzhong years ago.
Having spent more than two years in Guanghan, Zhang Lu would have learned his lessons and fortified his defenses.
The complicated relations he’d forged with the local Qiang people meant he could count on more forces to defend himself from being easily ousted.
But Gai Xun felt he hadn’t misheard; in the tone of Qiao Yan, she seemed to think Zhang Lu wasn’t necessarily her enemy.
Meeting Gai Xun’s puzzled gaze, Qiao Yan responded, “Whether we’re enemies or allies can change with the times. If I can get Zhang Lu out of that little Guanghan territory and even restore his glory in the Taishi Path, would he rather allow my troops to sweep in and take him down, or choose to collaborate with me?”
Zhang Lu was a clever guy and quite good at reading the situation.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have quickly chosen to cooperate with Liu Yan after the Taishi Path was seized by Zhang Xiu, leveraging Liu Yan’s power to reclaim his standing.
If two years ago he was a bit inexperienced, resulting in Qiao Yan giving him a beating as a gift for the establishment of the Chang’an court, maybe by now…
He’d have toughened up in difficult circumstances.
Seeing how determined Qiao Yan was, Gai Xun didn’t push back against her decision and instead arranged for the supply transport personnel she needed into the logistics team as she instructed.
With the troops coming from Hanzhong, the Liang Province army brought by Fu Gan, and over a thousand soldiers from Qiao Yan’s side from Chencang, they totaled around five thousand. After a brief rest in Longnan, they set off straight for Guanghan.
In his remote spot, Zhang Lu felt secure, thinking he had a few years of respite due to the ongoing battles in Xuzhou and Yuzhou.
By that time, as he developed his followers in Guanghan, he might become an accepted member just like Qiao Yan’s attitude towards those Qiang people.
But he never expected that a force would suddenly emerge from the long-quiet Wudu County, heading straight for his base at Huyi Dam.
The person at the forefront wasn’t just some commander but actually Qiao Yan herself!
This Grand Marshal, who had once decisively seized Hanzhong, rode calmly towards his camp, looking at the scene that seemed to trap him within, showing no hint of mockery, but her demeanor exuded a sense of assured victory.
And rightfully so, it was a situation she could be confident about.
At that moment, the followers of the Taishi Path stationed at Huyi Dam were slightly outnumbered by her troops, but in terms of actual combat strength, they were mostly tough soldiers from Liang Province, making it a fair fight.
What chance did he have against Qiao Yan?
Then Qiao Yan spoke, “Zhang Shijun, long time no see; how have you been?”
