Chapter 317

Chapter 317

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 9: The Calamity of Drought and Locusts, Flying Troops to Liaodong, Chapter 317: The Death of Tadun

“Crossing the Liao River from Xiangping brings us close to the borders of the Liaodong vassal state. To capture Gongsun Zan, we must first deal with the Wuhuan leader Tadun, who is there,” Zhuge Liang said, looking at the map of Liaodong’s power distribution provided by Gongsun Du, a hint of contemplation flashing across his face. “I have an idea, but I wonder if you all dare to try it.”

Gongsun Du had already witnessed the prowess of these young men firsthand, while the others were well aware of Zhuge Liang’s capabilities.

Seeing everyone urging him to continue, Zhuge Liang said, “The lord has ordered us to join forces with General Wen Yuan to attack Gongsun Zan, precisely to prevent him from fleeing to Liaodong or even further north beyond the borders, where he would eventually become a threat. The same goes for Tadun of the Wuhuan. Although the Wuhuan are divided under the Chanyu into three kings, Tadun has gained legitimacy from the Ye court, placing him above the others. Once he loses power, he will surely be attacked by all sides. We must still prevent him from escaping or joining forces with Gongsun Zan, leading to a desperate fight.”

“Why don’t we first surround and eliminate Tadun, display his head as a warning, and then invade Liaodong?”

Zhuge Liang’s plan for the siege was clearly a pincer attack, similar to the “siege of Gongsun Zan,” rather than a conventional city siege.

He continued, “According to Prefect Gongsun, among the Wuhuan in Liaodong, some have fled from the Liaodong vassal state to escape trouble. At that time, Tadun was in Changli, and he has not moved since. From what I observe, Changli is not an easily defensible location. If there is trouble in the city, they can immediately flee along the Yu River to Liucheng, where Gongsun Zan has stationed troops, or retreat towards the Bohai Bay, taking the coastal road. Since the pursuers are unfamiliar with the terrain, they will have no chance of catching up.”

“Why don’t we split our forces from Xiangping? One group heads northwest to Wulu Mountain, crosses it, and attacks Changli from the north, cutting off their escape to Liucheng. The other group heads southwest from Xiangping, enters the sea at the Liao River estuary, and intercepts Tadun on the coastal road of Bohai Bay.”

“To capture Gongsun Zan, we also need ships patrolling the coast to prevent him from crossing the Bohai Sea to Ji and Qing provinces, joining Yuan Shao, and becoming his ally. These ships can now be put to use in our advance against Tadun.”

Wulu Mountain, also known as Yiwulu Mountain, is a northern sacred mountain of Youzhou, with its highest peak only about 800 meters above sea level. Compared to Qiao Yan’s daring march through Yinping Road, this was much easier, especially with Gongsun Du, who was familiar with the terrain of Liaodong and Liaoxi, leading the way.

After some discussion, everyone agreed that Zhuge Liang’s plan of splitting the forces was feasible.

Apart from leaving Lu Yi and Guo Huai to guard Liaodong Commandery, Gongsun Du, Lu Lingju, Zhuge Liang, and Tai Shici would take the Wulu Mountain route, while Sima Yi and Gan Ning would take the coastal route.

“Kid, it’s time to follow your lead. I see you’ve learned a lot from Jia Wenhe on the road from Yizhou to Hailing and within Xuzhou. Don’t let Tadun slip away under our noses,” Gan Ning said, slapping Sima Yi on the shoulder, clearly trying to boost morale before the battle.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Lu Lingju chimed in, “Gan Xingba, are you hoping we fail in attacking Changli? We can’t be pessimistic before launching an attack.”

“If Tadun doesn’t escape, just give me the credit for capturing Gongsun Zan,” Gan Ning replied confidently.

Sima Yi couldn’t stand their childish competition for功劳 anymore and interjected, “If you don’t act soon, I think Gongsun Zan’s head will end up in General Zhang’s hands.”

This statement made the two of them unite against a common enemy.

They had traveled far across the seas, even risking a sea voyage to transport military supplies. If the western front took the lead, it would be too frustrating.

No matter who got Gongsun Zan’s head, as long as it was their side, it wouldn’t count as a failure in their graduation internship in Liaodong.

Gan Ning and Lu Lingju exchanged glances, seeing not only a competitive spirit but also a sense of cooperation and mutual benefit in each other’s eyes.

The two commanders, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, helplessly shook their heads.

But it had to be said that when generals had such drive, their leadership in the team was truly remarkable.

Their march over Wulu Mountain proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

On the other side of Wulu Mountain was the Liaodong vassal state, dominated by the Wuhuan.

The Wuhuan were a warlike people. Although they had been attracted by Liu Yu’s pacification policies in Youzhou, they remained fiercely independent. The harsh climate of the northeast and the lack of fertile land compared to the Xianbei made them covet the territory of the Han Dynasty.

After helping Gongsun Zan defeat Liu Yu, Tadun was granted the title of Marquis of Liaodong by the Ye court, receiving annual tributes from the Liaodong vassal state.

But this was not enough to satisfy him.

Originally, in his and Gongsun Zan’s plan, Gongsun Zan was supposed to request the title of King of Liaodong from the Ye court, not Marquis of Liaodong. But whether Gongsun Zan had secretly added something to the letter sent to Ye or the Ye court had discriminated against the Wuhuan, the reward was downgraded.

Months later, the Son of Heaven in Ye granted marquis titles to other Wuhuan kings like Nanlou and Supuyan, further enraging Tadun.

The loss of manpower he had suffered in Yuyang Commandery forced him to resolve internal conflicts within the Wuhuan before considering settling scores with Gongsun Zan or Yuan Shao. By the time this was resolved, it was already late summer in the third year of Jian’an.

Having resolved internal strife, Tadun absorbed Nanlou’s forces and silenced those who questioned his submission to the Han Dynasty. He then began planning to make a profit that autumn.

To prove he had no intention of sowing discord among the Wuhuan, Gongsun Zan, as the Governor of Youzhou, did not take a share of the taxes from the Liaodong vassal state. However, the limited land and the Wuhuan’s lack of farming skills meant Tadun received little financial support.

His gaze naturally fell on one place—Yuan Shao’s Ji Province.

His neighbor to the left, Gongsun Zan, was his ally, while his neighbor to the right, Gongsun Du, had clashed with him before and was a tough opponent. That left only Ji Province to the south.

Although it was said that this year’s drought had caused severe losses in Ji Province, in Tadun’s eyes, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Ji Province, even in its weakened state, was much wealthier than his own.

Moreover, severe losses were good.

This meant that after their plunder, Ji Province would find it difficult to gather enough resources to retaliate.

The more Tadun thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. So, before the autumn harvest, he summoned all the Wuhuan tribes in the Liaodong vassal state to Changli.

Just as Lu Lingju and the others crossed Wulu Mountain, they encountered a Wuhuan force. After defeating them, they heard the news.

“I have a somewhat bold idea…” Lu Lingju couldn’t help but say.

But before the others could respond, she continued, “But forget it. If the lord knew, he wouldn’t choose this method either.”

Upon hearing the news, she had briefly considered letting Tadun carry out his plan to gather the Wuhuan tribes and raid Ji Province, then ambushing him on his way back.

This way, Tadun’s existence would surely give Yuan Shao a headache, and his raids on Ji Province would only worsen the situation there.

The plundered supplies could supplement their own forces, and they could crush Tadun while he was complacent from his满载而归.

But this would inevitably delay the mission to eliminate Gongsun Zan.

Thinking back to their time at Leping Academy and the lord’s policies in the three provinces, along with the messages she intended to convey through the Leping Monthly Report, Lu Lingju had a strange intuition—the lord had already regarded the people of Ji Province as his own.

She probably wouldn’t want to see the people of Bohai Commandery in Ji Province suffer from Tadun’s raids.

“Looking at it another way, having these Wuhuan gather together saves us the effort of searching for them. We can just wipe them out in one go!”

Lu Lingju rolled up her sleeves, ready for action, only to see Gongsun Du giving her a strange look.

But when she turned and saw Tai Shici and Zhuge Liang nodding in approval, she realized the strange one wasn’t her, but Gongsun Du, who had been in Liaodong for years and was unfamiliar with the customs of the Central Plains.

“Prefect Gongsun, please guide us to a suitable location to breach the enemy camp,” Zhuge Liang said, interrupting Gongsun Du’s assessment of these Leping students. “I mean, the camp that, once attacked, would cause the most chaos.”

Gongsun Du thought for a moment and replied, “Since Tadun is summoning all the tribes to demonstrate his dominance after absorbing Nanlou’s forces and to quell any suspicions about his role in the death of the previous Chanyu, Qiu Liju, he will surely invite Supuyan, who is currently in a weak position. To avoid unnecessary conflicts and given the importance of raiding Ji Province for the Wuhuan’s winter survival, Supuyan will definitely come.”

“His camp would be the easiest to cause chaos in a short time.”

Zhuge Liang smiled, “Then it’s him. Perhaps we can also wait for the right wind direction.”

It seemed their plan to prevent the Wuhuan from raiding the Han people had divine favor. As they prepared to attack the camp of Supuyan, one of the three Wuhuan kings, the wind direction was exactly what they needed.

Seeing Zhuge Liang’s signal to attack, Lu Lingju and Tai Shici immediately sprang into action.

The Wuhuan, having just gathered under Tadun’s call, had not yet finished setting up all their camps.

This chaotic gathering made their defenses weaker rather than stronger, as they believed more Wuhuan tribes would arrive and no one would trouble them at this time.

In the midst of this night, a force of archers and Liaodong cavalry charged into Supuyan’s camp.

The cavalry’s charge, accompanied by the throwing of torches, quickly spread the flames.

The archers’ advance caused maximum casualties in the confusion.

In the sudden chaos, Supuyan was barely rescued from his tent when an arrow nearly took his life.

Shielding himself with a raised shield, he looked towards the shadows in the firelight.

Amidst the chaos, even this seasoned Wuhuan king couldn’t easily discern the attackers.

The only thing he could clearly see was the silhouette of horses in the firelight.

These were unmistakably the famed horses of Youzhou!

In recent years, such fine horses had been divided among three: Gongsun Zan, Tadun, and Gongsun Du.

Gongsun Du was far east of Wulu Mountain, mostly dealing with the Fuyu and Goguryeo, rarely appearing in Wuhuan territory, so Supuyan dismissed him from consideration.

That left only Gongsun Zan and Tadun.

But either way, it ultimately pointed to Tadun!

“Bastard!”








Same as the Wuhuan tribe, not only did they not help each other, but they also deceived us under the pretext of plundering Ji Province, only to annihilate us all, making it easier for him to become the Wuhuan Chanyu.

Su Puyan, hearing the screams of his subordinates in the midst of the battle, felt his resentment grow.

The previous annexation of Nanlou and the death of Qiu Liju made Su Puyan clearly realize what kind of person this self-proclaimed Wuhuan Chanyu, Tadun, was.

But since Su Puyan chose to come here, he still had some recognition for Tadun.

This should have been a time to repair relations, so how did it become an opportunity to kill?

He must be crazy!

Su Puyan, while struggling to climb onto his mount amidst the chaotic crowd, made a decisive decision in his heart—

Since Tadun disregards the kinship between us and insists on eliminating all Wuhuan leaders who pose a threat to him, I am not one to sit and wait for death!

“Immediately contact the Wuhuan tribal leaders who are still on good terms with us!”

Su Puyan looked towards the enemy, who were still entangled with his forces but had the upper hand. In the firelight, a shadowy figure showed a long halberd cutting off his subordinate’s head, making him even more resolute. “We must quickly gather our soldiers to counterattack Tadun; perhaps there is still a chance of survival.”

“Do they expect Tadun to kill only me, Su Puyan?”

If they want to kill, they will wipe us all out.

Moreover, the fire, driven by the wind, has already spread to the next camp, showing no signs of stopping.

The sight of the burning tents and the red clouds spreading to the next camp has already been reported to Tadun.

He dared not delay and immediately got up, fearing that the cunning Gongsun Zan might break their cooperation agreement and decide to take Youzhou for himself, choosing this time to act. He quickly gathered his troops to rescue Su Puyan.

But he never expected that as soon as he stepped out, he would be met with the attack of Su Puyan, leading the remnants of his forces and several friendly tribes.

“Is he crazy?” Tadun dodged too late and was hit by an arrow in the shoulder.

To prevent his subordinates from seeing his injury, he pulled out the arrow without hesitation and ordered an attack.

Although he didn’t know why Su Puyan turned to attack him at this moment, the warlike nature of the Wuhuan people meant he would not choose to surrender in such a situation. He would only take advantage of his superior strength to launch a sufficiently intimidating attack!

But could he easily suppress one side and still have the same effect against these people gathered together for survival?

Probably not!

In such a chaotic multi-sided battle, the cover of night and the similarity in appearance made it easy to mistake friend for foe at a glance.

But with the arrow on the string, he had to shoot. If he didn’t break through Su Puyan’s forces in one go, like a beast surrounded and attacked, he would only end up being torn apart and devoured.

However, when Tadun successfully maintained his position as the hunter, he saw a column of troops advancing towards him in the expanding firelight.

They were not his Wuhuan compatriots, nor were they Gongsun Zan’s subordinates with whom he had cooperated, but a team both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

Familiar because of their Liaodong Commandery cavalry attire, with whom he had dealt many times before and during his time in the Liaodong Dependency.

Unfamiliar because their morale was even higher than any he had seen in previous years, and the leading general was not the Liaodong Prefect Gongsun Du, but a girl only in her teens.

This age did not make Tadun underestimate her, as he was already at a disadvantage in this unpredictable situation.

He didn’t believe her appearance here was a coincidence, thinking she must have come prepared, and even Su Puyan’s attack on him might have been orchestrated by her.

But until Tadun’s body was swept off his horse, he was still in the dark that these suddenly appearing people were not Gongsun Du’s subordinates, but troops sent by Qiao Yan to conquer Youzhou.

He would never know that after the pursuit battle following his death, Lu Lingju wiped the blood splattered on her face, officially cut off Tadun’s head, and issued an order: “All those marching on horseback shall hang a Wuhuan head in front of their horses, heading west to Liaoxi Commandery. Anyone attempting to stop us shall be killed without mercy!”

The success against the Wuhuan in Changli was just in time for their gathering. The true representative of Youzhou’s leadership was still Gongsun Zan, so they had to join forces with Zhang Liao’s troops as quickly as possible.

However, halfway through, she suddenly slowed her riding speed, pulling herself out of the bloodthirsty state of beheading enemy generals, and said, “Did I forget something again?”

Zhuge Liang replied, “I have already sent someone to notify General Gan and Zhongda, so they won’t be waiting in vain downstream of the Yushui River. They can directly go ahead and patrol the coast. Someone has also been sent to Liucheng; Gongsun Zan’s subordinates there will have no chance to pursue us from behind.”

Lu Lingju coughed lightly, pretending to be calm, and replied, “Kongming is indeed thoughtful.”

She just lacked a bit of experience, not really like her father who only looks forward without considering the rear!

When she looked at Tadun’s head hanging in front of her horse, she couldn’t help but show a satisfied smile.

Her performance must have captured the essence of when the Marquis avenged the people of Guyang Fort…

On the other side, Zhang Liao and Lü Bu, along with Yu Fuluo and Qu Yan, who were also present, launched an attack from Juyong Pass without giving Gongsun Zan any time to react, capturing Changping and Ji County in Guangyang Commandery, completely dismantling Gongsun Zan’s outposts guarding Juyong Pass.

Guangyang Commandery, the smallest in Youzhou, was originally a transit area between Shanggu Commandery, Zhuo Commandery, and Yuyang Commandery. Once Ji County was taken, Guangyang Commandery was almost completely under their control.

When Gongsun Zan, stationed in Yuyang, received the news, Zhang Liao and Lü Bu had already launched another attack from Ji County, capturing Anle County.

Gongsun Zan was shocked.

“Why so fast?” He suddenly stood up, his face showing undisguised astonishment.

This was all thanks to the restriction Qiao Yan placed on Lü Bu.

Qiao Yan knew exactly how to make Lü Bu fight with the highest morale!

Either give him a particularly important reward—

This had limited effect now that he already had Red Hare.

Or give him a satisfactory stage—

He was already the Pingbei Middle General, and further promotion was slightly difficult unless he took the lead in killing Gongsun Zan.

Or, like now, reverse the operation.

If Lü Bu couldn’t kill Gongsun Zan within Yuyang Commandery, he would have to go to Zhuo Commandery to guard the Juma River and Baiyangdian, not allowed to cross the boundary, and might be laughed at by Yuan Shao’s subordinates across the river as a coward.

Could he endure such a situation?

Obviously not!

If it weren’t for the rule of taking cities one by one in Youzhou, Lü Bu would have wished to appear directly under Yuyang City, challenging Gongsun Zan to a duel.

But this wasn’t bad either.

The Anle County they were in and Gongsun Zan’s Yuyang County were separated by the Zhanshui River.

If it were a couple of years ago, this river could still be considered a geographical barrier, but this year…

The locust plague had a relatively limited impact on Youzhou, but the drought was another story.

The reduction in river flow was visible to the naked eye, meaning the path from Anle to Yuyang was almost a straight shot.

The same went for the moat; as long as the enemy prepared enough siege equipment, with the number of troops they had, they could break through the seemingly solid Yuyang city gates.

By the time Gongsun Zan received the news, the troops attacking Yuyang Commandery were no longer just the ones from Juyong Pass.

Since the Son of Heaven in Chang’an was the former Youzhou Governor Liu Yu, many in Shanggu, Guangyang, and Yuyang Commandery who had received Liu Yu’s favor chose to defect upon hearing the arrival of the royal army.

While Gongsun Zan was still in a rage, he heard even more unfavorable news.

The enemy troops stationed in Anle County split into two groups: one continued to prepare siege equipment and recruit manpower in Anle for the attack on Yuyang Commandery, while the other advanced east, capturing Hunu County before Gongsun Zan could react.

“Are the city defenders all useless?” Gongsun Zan was furious upon hearing the news.

Hunu County was on his way back to Liaoxi.

With this place lost, if he lost the defense battle in Yuyang, he would have to return to Liaoxi to regroup, hoping to make a comeback. His retreating forces would be limited, and he would have to travel light, hoping not to be discovered, or sacrifice the rear guard of his retreating forces.

No, he couldn’t think of the worst-case scenario yet; he should consider directly dealing with Zhang Liao and Lü Bu within Yuyang Commandery!

Yuyang wasn’t completely surrounded yet; he still had a chance to fight.

“Send more troops to the Great Wall pass north of the city walls to prevent the Xianbei from attacking from the north.”

Gongsun Zan had once allied with a Xianbei branch, and now, thinking of the friendship between the Xianbei Chanyu Budugen and Qiao Yan, he couldn’t help but worry about this possibility, unaware that Qiao Yan had no intention of using this force to avoid boosting the prestige of the foreign tribes.

After making this arrangement, Gongsun Zan added, “Send fast horses to Liucheng and the Liaodong Dependency to summon the Wuhuan reinforcements and my other troops here.”

Though anxious, Gongsun Zan gritted his teeth and put on a confident face. “Don’t worry, in this battle of Yuyang, it’s still unknown who is hunting whom!”

The several riders sent for help headed east, and after sending someone into the coastal road, some turned back. This news was quickly reported to Zhang Liao.

“As expected.”

The messengers were not actually stopped, as per his earlier instructions when sending scouts to investigate.

This wouldn’t affect the outcome of the battle.

If things went well, Tadun should have already engaged with their forces.

Zhang Liao believed Qiao Yan wouldn’t assign tasks beyond the capabilities of those young people.

Moreover, since they successfully established themselves in Liaodong, they should have more confidence in them.

What he needed to focus on was the present.

Hunu City, after they took advantage of the information gap, didn’t take much effort to change hands, making them feel more and more the unstoppable momentum of their offensive.

This was the first step in crushing Gongsun Zan’s confidence.

So next…

Zhang Liao immediately issued a second order—

“Raise the banners of the Three Wuhuan Kings on the walls of Hunu City.”

He wanted Gongsun Zan to believe that whether his messengers were stopped or not no longer mattered.

He was now a prisoner on an isolated island!

And chaos leads to mistakes, as it always does!