“How’s Leping?”
Two days ago when Xu Huang asked that, it was a completely different vibe from the answer he’d get now.
Back then, Leping felt like a ferocious tiger cornering him and his pals, but two days later, on the way to Leping…
Xu Huang’s hand, tucked away in his sleeve, gripped something hard and pointy.
As he was leaving Leping, a kid noticed him staring at her windmill for a while, whispered a bit to Chu Yan, and then stuffed a paper star into his hand.
According to her, it was something the Marquis of Leping taught them to fold during his spare time.
He could forget about that windmill, but this paper star was a keeper.
So when he saw Qiao Yan, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was a bit of an enigma.
She held that fancy cylindrical thing with such casual elegance, yet when she tossed out the question, “How’s Leping?” there was this fierce aura about her.
Xu Huang wasn’t one to tell lies, especially since he didn’t have to. So he answered, “Leping is at peace, families are settled. This is thanks to Lady Qiao, and I truly admire that.”
When Guo Jia came to Leping, he found it brimming with life compared to elsewhere, and Xu Huang was measuring up against the White Wave Bandits, not Guo Jia’s peaceful Yingchuan.
What really struck Xu Huang was when Chu Yan decided to flaunt their wealth.
Flaunting wealth? Oh yeah!
He led Xu Huang to the granary!
In these times, grain stock is a big deal—especially showing off to a not-so-rich faction’s current leader that you’ve got a buffet while they’re starving!
Xu Huang hesitated a bit; after all, when he stood in front of Qiao Yan, both she and earlier guide Chu Yan had not made any promises.
Qiao Yan chilledly replied, “The grain growers aren’t me, but the people of Leping County. I’m just here to guard the wealth. Like how every route for the bandits in the mountains has been cut off, ready for a sweep to avoid anyone raiding the grain-rich folks from Hedong.”
Xu Huang felt a jolt.
He suddenly realized accepting Chu Yan’s invitation might not have been the best idea, because the White Wave Army’s quality compared to Qiao Yan’s regular troops was like night and day.
He wasn’t trying to verify Chu Yan’s words; he had just removed their last line of defense!
He really shouldn’t have forgotten that Qiao Yan’s military moves pushed Li Le and Han Xian to Yang Feng’s territory, leading to a whole lot of internal strife.
But here he was, just back from Leping.
While still pondering, “Wow, can one live like this?” hearing about Qiao Yan’s encirclement was hard to feel rage against.
Plus, given the White Wave Bandits’ methods, standing tall before the Marquis of Leping was nearly impossible.
He found himself absentmindedly squeezing that paper star made by the Marquis as he took a deep breath and said, “Lady Qiao, just cut to the chase. If you want to wipe out the bandits, you don’t need to just keep an eye on the roads. You could charge right up the mountain.”
“You’re not wrong, which is why I’m offering you a choice.” Qiao Yan replied, “I know the importance of cleaning house. The food in the mountains won’t keep people fed forever. To save Bingzhou future troubles, it’d be better to wipe them out now.”
She was young, but her words came with a weight that was hard to dismiss.
She played her cards right in these big affairs, leaving no room to doubt the truth behind her words.
But since she mentioned a choice, there had to be a second one.
“The second choice is… to kill your way to safety.”
“What do you mean by that?” Xu Huang frowned.
This was a strange request and didn’t sound like something the Marquis of Leping would propose.
But the next moment, she lifted that unusual cylinder and pointed north, “You can kill merchants, clan leaders from Hedong, so why not the Qiang tribes up north?”
A few days ago, Gugu County had been slaughtered. If not for the chaos still raging, I would’ve marched north for a significant battle, so now I offer you the second choice—”
“Lead the White Wave folks into battle with me. If you’ve got what it takes to kill in battle, you’ll enjoy the same treatment as my Leping folks; if not, you’ll face the consequences for being a bandit.”
Before Xu Huang could respond, Qiao Yan said, “Chu Yan!”
“Here!”
“Tell him about the benefits of Leping’s troops.”
The White Wave Bandits made Qiao Yan more uneasy than the Black Mountain Bandits, especially since—
They could easily flip-flop loyalties between Li Jue, the Xiongnu, Lü Bu, and Yuan Shu. Despite that, after all the back-and-forth between leadership changes, their looting habits remained unchanged in Xuzhou and Yang Province.
Even if Xu Huang was a gem, and Yang Feng, Li Le, and Han Xian had all met their demise due to internal strife, Qiao Yan had no intention of holding hands with Xu Huang, treating him like a hero in need of sincere invitations to join Leping.
This was, however, the most suitable approach at the moment.
Xu Huang found his resolve wavering.
He thought he should have stayed up in the mountains with Chu Yan but then realized that even if he didn’t leave, with Qiao Yan’s keen grasp of the situation, they likely stood no chance of fighting back.
Now, hearing about the two choices and the benefits shared by Chu Yan from the Leping army, Xu Huang was taken aback when he heard about thirty stone rewards based on team contributions.
Just this alone made being part of the Leping army way too appealing.
What’s more, the treatment for soldiers in Leping was more than just that.
So, swapping Hu for a brighter future didn’t seem like a coercive move; it felt more like she could’ve just gone for blood yet was giving them a shot at recruitment instead.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Huang replied, “Lady Qiao, I’ll relay your words and the situation here to the mountain folks…”
“Everyone, please ask Marquis Qiao for me….”
“Your time runs out by sunset today.” Qiao Yan interrupted him, “Don’t forget, you were initially given two days, and now over a day has already passed.”
Her undeniable resolve left Xu Huang no option but to believe this was her final ultimatum.
The previously seated Marquis of Leping now approached him, handing over a cylindrical object. “Take a look.”
Xu Huang instinctively placed the narrow end to his eye as he was led out of the military tent, glancing towards the nearby mountains and was startled once again.
This finely crafted tube with jade at both ends allowed him to see the distant mountain clearly, magnifying everything in his field of view several times over.
Clearly, it was thanks to this device that Qiao Yan had learned of the internal strife on their side.
Though this jade was quite expensive, masters capable of such exquisite craftsmanship were surely few in number, but even a few of these devices would keep all their movements right under Qiao Yan’s nose!
She wasn’t clarifying things for him; she was putting even more pressure on him.
Xu Huang respectfully returned the object to Qiao Yan, not saying anything further as he exited the tent.
With sunset as the deadline for his answer, there was no room for delays, so he could only hasten others to make a decision.
“If Xu Huang can really persuade the others to join in, could the Marquis lend me this new weapon for a few more days?” Once Xu Huang was out, Chu Yan immediately asked.
He had long suspected that the fortress workshops formed by Qiao Yan from the relocated commoners were unusual; he didn’t expect there would be such a device among them.
With this device, scouting movements in the mountains would become much easier.
Unfortunately, they currently only had two samples; one was still in the workshop as a template while they researched clearer imaging methods, and the other was with Qiao Yan.
“Not right now,” Qiao Yan shook her head, “I intend for you to send the old, young, and women among the White Wave bandits back to Leping, and during this time, take over all patrol duties inside and outside Leping County. I need to take this to the northern front; if you really want it—”
“If there are no issues during this period, I believe there should be another one soon; then that one will be yours.”
Regarding the telescope, Qiao Yan could describe its general shape and principle, but when it came to adjustments, polishing curves, and such, she was utterly clueless.
Especially when it came to determining the most suitable magnification for use in both mountainous and flat terrains—she couldn’t pinpoint anything, so she simply passed the buck to her subordinates to handle it.
Unfortunately, the only crystal resources available in Bingzhou were amethyst; this scarce white crystal was purchased last year by Qiao Yan on a trip to Donghai County.
Thus, even though it wasn’t too complicated, the available quantity was indeed concerning.
It was precisely because of this rarity that when Qiao Yan said it would be his rather than a gift, Chu Yan’s spirits lifted.
After this achievement, he originally intended to ask the Marquis for a courtesy name, so he wouldn’t have to always go by Chu Yan or his nickname “Flying Swallow.”
Having a courtesy name would let him sound more like Yuanzhi, Zilong, or Zishu.
But now…
Now that he had this device Qiao Yan referred to as a telescope, who cares about courtesy names!
Just as Chu Yan was thinking this, Qiao Yan asked, “What do you think of Xu Huang?”
In fact, more than a few moments before sunset, Xu Huang had already led the others to a decision.
With leaders failing left and right, the White Wave bandits were already filled with uncertainty about their future, especially surrounded by the Marquis of Leping’s troops.
Now upon seeing Xu Huang return, they clutched onto him like a lifeline.
However, what Xu Huang brought back were surrender terms that were not so easily met.
But just as Guo Jia and Qiao Yan expressed, despite the fearsome reputation of the Xiongnu and Xianbei, they had created an understanding over the years with the battles encountered along the borders; those Hu people were really no more than that.
Choosing to fight against the Hu or launch an attack alongside Qiao Yan wasn’t a difficult choice.
In a situation where one was a knife and the other meat, naturally, the easier option would take priority.
Moreover, Xu Huang indicating the Marquis’ merit-based rewards system and the promise of grain distribution further motivated the choice.
Qiao Yan looked at the group of defectors, who bore an even stronger bandit air than the Black Mountain army, and felt some pressure in her heart, but she showed none of it on her face; they soon saw that the supplies sent from Leping to support their northward advance had already arrived at the military camp.
The army under the Marquis of Leping presented itself as a fierce and formidable force!
With Qiao Yan urging them northward, a chilling, grand atmosphere enveloped them.
As if swept into this whirlwind of iron hooves and marching sounds, they finally realized they had unknowingly marched quite close to their destination, not far from Guyang City.
Of course, this gust of wind didn’t just carry the essence from outside the border but also the troops coming from Dingxiang.
The one leading this squadron was none other than Zhang Liao.
In two years’ time, the boy had grown noticeably taller and, having led battles at the border and experienced frequent military engagements, he had rapidly matured.
But in these two years, he hadn’t forgotten that it was Qiao Yan who had helped him reach the post of the chief officer at such a young age.
As he dismounted and quickly walked towards her, the respect on Zhang Liao’s face was evident.
“How is the situation in Guyang?”
Qiao Yan asked while gazing northward, where the outlines of the mountains were beginning to appear faintly.
North of Bingzhou lay the Yanshan Mountain range, which, unlike the Taihang Mountains known for its treacherous passes, has wide valleys that allowed Xiongnu cavalry easy access into Bingzhou.
This was precisely why Guyang had faced an unforeseen invasion a mere ten days ago.
“Before you arrived, we gathered and buried the bodies in Guyang City.” Despite having dealt with border raids for some time, Zhang Liao couldn’t help but show a deep-seated hatred at that moment, “However, we can’t distinguish the heads hanging from the walls or the bones in the cauldron below; we can only temporarily bury them all together.”
In the chaos of raiding, the Han people had become mere fodder.
This is how the Hu people operate nowadays!
