Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Can’t a strategist ascend the throne? Volume 3: Galloping Through Bingzhou, Marching Out of Hedong Chapter 71: Three Arrows Seize Momentum

It is August of the fourth year of Zhongping.

It is also the time when Guo Jia decides to set off for Leping.

It is in this season that Xi Zhicai can write in his letter—

The yams on our mountain have ripened again, but unfortunately, I’m already full today, so I’ll have to make cakes tomorrow.

However, considering the depletion of soil fertility by yams and the fact that Leping has added new households and opened up farmland for each household in the past two years, this is actually an extension beyond the original two-year planting plan.

Qiao Yan didn’t plan to plant for a fourth year, but in Xi Zhicai’s writing, it has turned out this way.

She has no idea that this skilled strategist has done something so provocative again.

After all, apart from the letters he sends to Luoyang as political weapons during his confinement in Leping, the letters he writes to his friends in the wild are private matters, and she won’t inquire about them.

Qiao Yan also doesn’t know that he is still continuing his great cause of fine food, fine wine, and fishing, and has even caught a big fish at this time.

The network among the scholars of Yingchuan is truly a magical thing.

The messages they pass among themselves create a spread of news about their lord’s evaluation, like a private recruitment thrown into a circle of friends.

Of course, Xi Zhicai’s diary-style chats make this recruitment seem particularly informal and particularly deserving of a beating.

But there’s no doubt that he is sending a signal to his friends in Yingchuan: Leping is great, I’m satisfied, those interested should come quickly.

However, Guo Jia feels that he wasn’t the one being hooked, and there’s no need to decide his future based on this news.

To put it bluntly, Leping is such a small place. Even with Qiao Yan’s reputation for risking her life to seize power and the governor’s efforts to quell the locust plague, it’s still just a county. Having Xi Zhicai there is already a waste of talent, and adding him would be even more so.

Even though he is still young, by this age, one can roughly judge the situation and make decisions, otherwise Xun Yu wouldn’t have received the “Talent to Assist a King” evaluation from He Yong at such a young age.

Of course, he isn’t going to Leping just for the food and drink.

In a slightly more formal way, he is going for an inspection.

In a slightly more private way, as he told Xun Yu: “This year is turbulent, it’s time to think about danger while in safety. They enjoy the countryside, which is quite strange. I’ll go and take a look.”

Xun Yu didn’t plan to dissuade him.

It’s not yet the chaotic situation after Liu Hong’s death, it’s just at the stage of “turbulence.” As Guo Jia said, it’s just a visit, and he’s going to the place of the Marquis of Leping, personally sealed by the Son of Heaven, so it can’t be considered a wrong choice.

Xun Yu is indeed curious about Qiao Yan, who also received the “Talent to Assist a King” evaluation.

He hasn’t yet entered officialdom, while she has already made real achievements in Leping, or rather, in Bingzhou.

Since Guo Jia plans to visit Leping, perhaps he can also find out what kind of person this Marquis of Leping really is, beyond Xi Zhicai’s praises.

This year’s various disturbances haven’t affected the road from Luoyang to Leping, so Guo Jia shouldn’t face any safety issues if he goes.

If it’s just a round trip to Leping, it can be considered a study tour.

After seeing Guo Jia off, he closed the book and sighed.

The general amnesty in the first month of the fourth year of Zhongping clearly didn’t calm the chaos in the four directions.

The killing of the Zhongmu magistrate by the Xingyang rebels in February seemed to open the prelude to this chaos.

In April, the Liangzhou bandits, previously defeated by Zhang Wen, made a comeback. The governor of Liangzhou, Geng Bi, ignored Fu Xie’s advice and led troops to battle, only to be defeated by Han Sui.

Han Sui, having merged the forces of Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu, allied with Li Xiangru, the governor of Longxi, and Huang Yan, the governor of Jiuquan, amassed hundreds of thousands of troops and stationed them in Jincheng, forcing Geng Bi to flee and be killed by his subordinate.

Han Sui then allied with Wang Guo of Hanyang and besieged Hanyang.

The governor of Hanyang in Liangzhou was Fu Xie, a former general under Huangfu Song, who was determined not to abandon Liangzhou.

Fu Xie, defending the city alone, couldn’t possibly be a match for the combined forces of the Liangzhou bandits.

At that time, thousands of Xiongnu cavalry from Beidi were also in Han Sui’s ranks. Grateful for Fu Xie’s integrity, they asked him to surrender and return home, but Fu Xie refused, citing “the sage reaches the festival, the next keeps the festival.”

Later, Fu Xie died in battle at Jixian in Hanyang, and his son Fu Gan was taken away by his secretary Yang Hui, disappearing without a trace.

The Han Dynasty has lost another fierce general.

In June, Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju of Yuyang rebelled. The governors of Youbeiping and Liaodong, and the Protector of Wuhuan all died in battle. Zhang Ju even declared himself the Son of Heaven and invaded Youzhou and Jizhou.

The court, short of hands, mobilized the Southern Xiongnu from Bingzhou to fight in Jizhou.

Amidst the frequent battles in the northern provinces, Bingzhou, protected by its surrounding mountains, remains relatively peaceful.

But it’s unclear how long this peace will last.

Xun Yu sighed at this thought.

The flames of war have reached the edge of the Sanfu, but not yet Yingchuan. However, as Guo Jia said, this is a time of turmoil, and even sitting at home reading can’t truly calm the mind.

So, can Xi Zhicai really live as peacefully as he describes in his letters in this place called Leping?

Guo Jia embarked on his journey north with this question in mind.

From Yingchuan, he first went to Luoyang.

Xi Zhicai is an old joker, and Guo Jia isn’t a serious character either.

It’s hard to say whether these two are hurting each other or honing their writing skills in their letters. In any case, Guo Jia, thinking of Xi Zhicai’s previous letter, picked a gift for him in Luoyang.

He Yong, who accompanied Guo Jia in Luoyang for two days, fell silent upon seeing the gift Guo Jia chose.

“Are you really going to bring this to Xi Zhicai?” He Yong pointed at the handful of chicken feathers in Guo Jia’s hand, his expression complicated.

“The Rites of Zhou say, when scholars meet, in winter they bring live chickens, in summer they bring cured chickens,” Guo Jia spread his hands, indicating that his action was quite justified.

The Rites of Zhou say that when scholars meet, especially close friends, in winter they bring live chickens, in summer they bring cured chickens. But he would arrive in Leping in autumn, so what should he do?

Thinking that the transition from winter to summer is roughly this handful of chicken feathers.

He is strictly following the scholar’s etiquette, even specially coming to Luoyang to buy it, truly a light gift with deep meaning.

Thinking of the saying “You give me a papaya, I repay you with a precious jade,” he traveled far to bring this handful of chicken feathers according to scholar’s etiquette, and Xi Zhicai should treat him to good wine and food.

Guo Jia packed the chicken feathers produced in the capital and continued north with a merchant caravan from Luoyang to Bingzhou.

But as he left Luoyang, he glanced back at the northern outskirts of Luoyang, a thoughtful look flashing across his seemingly playful young face.

The urgent war situation at the Sanfu passes seems, due to the defensive effect of the eight passes being tightly locked during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, to make Luoyang still a place of self-deceiving peace.

He left Luoyang in early September, just as Liu Hong issued another edict, first spread within Luoyang.

This order wasn’t uncommon before, called “Let the world’s prisoners with undecided crimes enter silk to redeem themselves.”

This is the seventh time this law has been implemented during Liu Hong’s reign.

That is, to let those in prison with undecided crimes redeem themselves with silk.

If used at other times to show the Son of Heaven’s benevolence, it might work, but at this time, it seems somewhat subtle.

In the face of rebellions in Liangzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou, and Yuzhou, without first defeating the enemy, the central government instead issued an amnesty for prisoners, which only makes the central government seem weak.

This isn’t a decision a still strong Han Dynasty would make…

Guo Jia was just thinking this when the caravan leader patted his shoulder, “Don’t look back, is this your first time traveling far?”

Such a thinly dressed young man in the team, although he didn’t pay much more than others traveling under the caravan’s protection, being good-looking has its benefits, such as receiving some care at this moment.

Especially when he looked back at Luoyang, since no one knew he was thinking about national affairs, they thought he was reluctant to leave.

But Guo Jia, who was waiting to surprise Xi Zhicai with his chicken feather gift, couldn’t have any feelings of reluctance to leave Luoyang.

He turned back and replied, “Thank you for your concern, it’s not my first time traveling, and I’m not from Luoyang. It’s just that a friend saw me off at the city wall, so I wanted to look back.”

This reason is quite credible.

After all, there is still a neighborhood in the direction of the northern outskirts, and the mountain path of Mangshan can’t be seen from afar, so it’s unclear whether someone was moving there or, as Guo Jia said, someone was seeing him off, making him look back.

He then chatted with the caravan leader, making the latter forget the previous topic.

He found it coincidental that the caravan leader mentioned a merchant in the team who was planning to go to Leping.

To hear others’ thoughts on Leping, Guo Jia immediately claimed he was going to Leping to visit relatives and sought to talk with that person.

Seeing Guo Jia’s young age and sharing the same destination, the merchant didn’t hide his thoughts, and they chatted by the campfire at night.

“Leping was just a small county a few years ago, but since the Marquis of Leping arrived, its status in Bingzhou has greatly changed.”

The temperature difference in the autumn night made the merchant move closer to the fire, then continued, “There are quite a few novelties there, but most are collaborations with the major families of Bingzhou, like the mulberry bark clothing. It’s said someone first offered the recipe to the Wang family, which was then handed to the Tang family, choosing Leping for production, but that’s just hearsay.”

“It’s probably the work of that Marquis Qiao.”

Guo Jia’s eyes flashed with interest, realizing this merchant had an unusual insight, “What do you mean?”

“Taking full control from start to finish can bring more benefits and fame to the Tang family. We merchants understand the importance of bargaining, unless the initiative of the benefits isn’t in our hands.” He shook his head, then added, “But the mulberry bark clothing business has a price ceiling, so I’m not planning to do that.”

“Then are you planning to do business with the Marquis of Leping’s paper?” Guo Jia asked.

“Not that either.” The merchant shook his head seriously, “With the current turbulent times, even if the Marquis of Leping’s paper is more durable than Cai Hou’s paper, the transaction volume is still limited. I want to do something more interesting.”

He pointed to the nearby stream where they were camping, “How much do you think the profit from fishing is in a year?”

Guo Jia thought for a moment and replied, “That depends on the location. If it’s just fishing in northern streams, it’s enough to make a living, but if it’s by the sea or large rivers, hiring fishermen could be a big business.”

The merchant, with a Xuzhou accent, clapped his hands and laughed, “Exactly, but ordinary fishing is just that. Leping has come up with something new.”

“I love wine, and some time ago I sent someone to Leping to buy some sweet wine made from kudzu. The person I sent came back and told me he saw Mr. Xi, who oversees wine brewing in Leping, fishing on the lake, but not with an ordinary fishing rod.”

Hearing the mention of Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia sat up a bit straighter, “What do you mean by an unusual fishing rod?”

The merchant gestured, “An ordinary fishing rod, the length of the rod determines where the line starts. To fish in the middle of the river, you have to take the boat there, but with a boat overhead, the fish often don’t come. But the fishing rod Mr. Xi used was strange. My subordinate only saw it from a distance and couldn’t make out the details, only that there was a reel on the rod, and the line was cast out, falling into the water far away.”

He was only in his twenties, and speaking of this, he couldn’t suppress his excitement, “If I could get this, and use it in a more suitable place, it would be a bigger business than mulberry bark clothing.”

Although Guo Jia isn’t a fishing enthusiast, he could understand the subtlety.

If it’s as he said, allowing fishing in the middle of the river without taking the boat there, then for those with related industries, it’s indeed a big business.

He curiously asked, “Sir, you told me this, aren’t you afraid someone might beat you to this business?”

The merchant laughed heartily, “Young man, you underestimate me. The world hustles for profit. The Marquis of Leping facilitated the mulberry bark clothing business, made some business out of yam planting in the past two years, and since last year, had the people of Leping County legally raise pigs, making another fortune. It’s clear she is not only talented in politics but also quite successful in business. Such a person would carefully select the best trading partners.”

“I am from Donghai…”








“Is there anyone among the Mi clan’s descendants more suited to handle the fishing rod business than me?”

With assets worth billions, over ten thousand servants and retainers, and a wealthy family business in Xuzhou for generations, this is the Donghai Mi Clan!

Guo Jia had previously noticed an unusual air about the other party, and now that he had an explanation, he naturally understood the reason.

However, he didn’t expect that the Mi clan’s descendants would come with so few attendants, instead traveling lightly with a merchant caravan.

After exchanging names and learning that he was Mi Zhu, Guo Jia asked this question.

Mi Zhu, being groomed as the future head of the Mi clan, had both vision and demeanor. He openly shared his background with Guo Jia because he saw a scholarly air in the young man. Now that he knew Guo Jia was indeed from Yingchuan, there was no need to hide such trivial matters.

“Recently, bandits have been causing trouble in Hedong, repeatedly raiding the borders of Bingzhou. Ordinary merchant caravans might not be worth much, but if the Donghai Mi Clan’s banner is raised, how many bandits do you think would dare to attack?”

Seeing Guo Jia’s confusion, Mi Zhu asked, “Are you wondering why the Hedong bandits don’t target small groups but instead go after large merchants?”

“Exactly. Raiding small groups is the least risky and most profitable. Why take on more dangerous ventures?”

“Because every raid is a gamble for them,” Mi Zhu said, waving to his attendant, who handed over a simple map. “Take a look, Fengxiao.”

The map outlined Bingzhou, Sili, and Liangzhou. Hedong included Hedong Commandery, Pingyang Commandery, and the southwestern part of Bingzhou. Crossing the Taihang Mountains via the Zhi Pass would inevitably lead through Pingyang Commandery and into Bingzhou.

Mi Zhu pointed to the marked area on the map. “This season, merchants fear these mountain bandits the most. Since late spring, they’ve been trying to invade Bingzhou via the Fen River. But fortunately—”

“Even among bandits, there are hierarchies. The Marquis of Leping recruited and tamed the Black Mountain Bandits, who are now nominally residents of Leping County but are actually called the Black Mountain Army. After the Hedong bandits invaded Bingzhou, the Governor of Bingzhou, along with the prefects of Xihe, Taiyuan, and Pingyang, decided to have the Black Mountain Army assist in defending the border between Bingzhou and Sili.”

“The Black Mountain Army’s leader, Chu Yan, and Leping County Captain Zhao Yun, work together seamlessly, knowing the bandits’ movements inside out. Any action by the Hedong bandits is met with swift retaliation. Thus, they have to go for big scores, gambling on larger hauls.”

Guo Jia stroked his chin, deep in thought. This was information one couldn’t know without coming to Bingzhou.

As for why these Hedong bandits, after such relentless pursuit, still chose to attack merchant caravans and even local households in Bingzhou…

Guo Jia, not being a lofty scholar from a noble family, could guess the reason.

Clearly, aside from raiding, these people had no other means of survival.

He pondered but replied lightly, “So it seems I made the right decision.”

Mi Zhu smiled, admiring Guo Jia’s calm demeanor in the face of unexpected situations. He wondered how credible the Yingchuan scholar’s claim of visiting relatives in Leping really was.

But clearly, there was no need to ask such questions now.

The next day, the caravan followed the same route Qiao Yan had taken to Bingzhou, heading to Jinyang to unload goods, thus taking the Zhi Pass.

Guo Jia had only traveled within Yan and Yu before, and his knowledge of Bingzhou’s landscape came only from Xi Zhicai’s letters. Seeing it firsthand now, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of novelty.

Mi Zhu, dignified yet humorous, had traveled extensively. His conversations with Guo Jia as they rode side by side were insightful, making the journey quite enjoyable.

However—

Their luck seemed a bit off.

Shortly after passing Linfen, as dusk fell, the group prepared to dismount and set up camp.

Perhaps due to the smooth journey during the day, everyone was a bit relaxed.

Especially the guards responsible for the caravan’s safety, who, after tying the horses to trees, gathered to fetch water from the stream.

But just as they stepped about seventy to eighty paces from the caravan, and the group was unloading goods to set up tents, shouts of attack suddenly came from the hillside, heading straight for them.

Guo Jia looked towards the source of the noise and saw a band of several hundred bandits rushing down from the mountain path.

The gentle slope allowed the bandits to charge swiftly, almost reaching them in no time.

Guo Jia’s temple twitched.

Given Mi Zhu’s earlier explanation, he had no doubt that these were the Hedong bandits!

A quick glance at Mi Zhu confirmed his judgment.

What luck, the Hedong bandits are attacking!

But in such a crisis, there was no need to ask why Mi Zhu’s claim that the Hedong bandits usually avoided small caravans had changed. Survival was the priority.

The bandit leader, wielding a ring-pommeled sword stained with blood, looked even more menacing in the twilight.

This was clearly not a group that could be reasoned with for survival!

As Mi Zhu had said, with pursuers always on their tail, their best bet was to kill quickly and take the goods for efficiency.

Almost as Guo Jia had guessed, when the leading bandits charged down and were just a few steps from the caravan, they didn’t give the leader trying to negotiate any chance, striking him down immediately.

The poor leader fell, trampled by the following bandits.

“Move quickly!”

The leader scanned the seemingly unprofitable caravan with disdain but knew it was his best option.

Another group from their band had been caught by Chu Yan, forcing them into a game of hide-and-seek in the mountains, still unable to shake him off.

But fortunately, Zhao Yun had returned to Leping two days ago, and Chu Yan was too busy to intervene. He could ignore the size of the caravan in the valley and take it all.

However, not everyone in the caravan was resigned to their fate.

For example, Mi Zhu, though traveling with a small caravan, had attendants selected from the Mi clan’s retainers, each capable of taking on ten.

And Guo Jia, facing such a scene for the first time, thought not of relying on Mi Zhu’s attendants for survival but—

How to delay the bandits’ actions.

His mind raced, knowing that untying the horses and fleeing wasn’t the best option.

The bandits clearly knew this.

After killing the leader, they headed straight for the horses, cutting the tethers.

Though called bandits, few near Bingzhou couldn’t ride. They didn’t ride horses for mobility but didn’t hinder the dozen or so who mounted and grabbed the bows hanging by the horses’ sides.

These were the weapons of those who had gone to fetch water!

Seeing this, Guo Jia showed no fear.

He noticed that only a few bandits carried bows, and those who mounted and held bows seemed somewhat clumsy, suggesting they were merely armed to prevent escapes, while the real fighters were the sword-wielding bandits.

But this didn’t make them any less aggressive.

The first to try and ride away was shot down by a volley of arrows.

Guo Jia decisively grabbed the flint from his waist pouch and approached Mi Zhu, asking, “Do you have any skilled archers among your men?”

Mi Zhu himself was a skilled archer, carrying a short bow that could cause some damage.

But with everyone scrambling for survival, drawing a bow would only make them the bandits’ primary target.

Guo Jia, seeing Mi Zhu point to himself, understood and whispered, “Then I’ll create an opportunity for you. Let’s try to shoot the leader.”

Killing the leader might not scare off the others, but it would at least boost morale.

The caravan, though small, had about a hundred people. With the bandits unable to fight long, there was a chance to counterattack.

But to create an opportunity, they had to disrupt the bandits’ momentum.

He didn’t have much at hand, but quality over quantity sufficed.

For example, while people couldn’t escape on horseback, they could drive a few horses dragging empty carts towards the bandits.

Guo Jia had a plan but lamented that someone as physically weak as him had to start a fire.

But no matter how hard, it had to be done.

Otherwise, dying before even entering Bingzhou would be a joke, especially if Xi Zhicai heard about it.

He picked up a few dry branches to use as kindling. After Mi Zhu signaled two attendants to follow him, he quickly moved towards the target, using the cargo boxes as cover.

Just as he lit the branches and prepared to make the final dash, he suddenly heard another set of hoofbeats, making him pause.

It was a rhythmic sound.

Unlike the usual noise of a merchant caravan, it sounded more like an army on the move.

Before the hoofbeats grew closer, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air.

Amidst the chaos, it stood out distinctly.

Guo Jia peeked from behind the cargo boxes and saw a sturdy white-feathered arrow flying towards them, accurately piercing the bandit leader’s head and exiting through his forehead.

A deadly shot!

Its precision and lethality were awe-inspiring.

This arrow signaled the arrival of another force.

In this imposing declaration, he soon saw a second white-feathered arrow follow without pause, taking another life with the same precision and force.

What marksmanship!

Horseback archery was rare, but these two arrows, seemingly effortless yet powerful, announced the arrival of an extraordinary cavalry.

As the two fell, Guo Jia looked north towards the river valley.

In the approaching hoofbeats, he could see the newcomers.

The dim southwestern sunlight cast a shimmering glow over this northern force, especially the leader.

And he saw that it was a girl no older than thirteen or fourteen!

Dressed in dark clothes with narrow sleeves, wearing tight boots, her hair tied in a bun, she held a heavy longbow.

From her swift draw and the white-feathered arrows, she was the one who had shot the previous two arrows!

Her spirited expression turned sharp and focused as she drew the bowstring.

Then she released, and the arrow flew!

This shot took down a bandit about to strike someone.

Just three arrows, and the momentum was hers!

Before the bandits could retaliate, the fierce cavalry had reached the front.

Guo Jia clearly saw the dark-clad girl hang her longbow on the horse’s side, replacing it with two half-length spears.

But as she threw one, the other half spun back, forming a complete double-pointed spear.

The spear swept, knocking aside a few arrows shot at her, maintaining its momentum as it impaled a bandit ahead.

Her successive successes didn’t make her stop, but a clear voice rang out amidst the hoofbeats, carrying the same unstoppable force—

“Qiao Yanshu of Leping is here! How dare the Hedong bandits act so recklessly!”