Taiheiki

Chapter 199 Opportunity
"Barbarians even more distant than the Kingdom of Linyi!" Qin Ke's mouth dropped open. As his wealth and status rose, so did his knowledge. He knew that Rinan Commandery was the southernmost part of Jiaozhou, nearly two thousand li from Panyu, and the Kingdom of Linyi was even further south of Rinan Commandery. The fact that Governor Wei had not only destroyed the Kingdom of Linyi but also conquered a region a thousand li south of it was indeed beyond his imagination.

"Governor Wei is truly a divine being!" Qin Ke sighed.

“Who says otherwise?” Wang Shou laughed. “That’s why there’s such a long queue outside!”

"So that's how it is!" Qin Ke laughed. "But Governor Wei has been in Panyu for quite some time now. Isn't it a bit late for them to arrive now?"

“You just don’t understand!” Wang Shou gestured for the servant boy standing behind him to step back, and said in a low voice, “In the past, Lord Wei was just a governor, but this time he’s back, he’s not!”

"Is the imperial court going to promote and elevate Duke Wei's rank?"

"That's for sure!" Wang Shou laughed. "Such a great military achievement, the only one that our dynasty can compare to is General Dou's expedition to the northern desert to destroy the Xiongnu and the inscription on Yanran Mountain. He should be ennobled and given a stipend of four or five thousand households. Of course, Duke Wei is not lacking in such things, and that's not what those people care about."

"What is that?" Qin Ke asked.

Wang Shou revealed a mysterious smile: "There's another matter, concerning Jingzhou. The Wuling barbarians and the E'ze bandits have officially formed an alliance and have besieged Baling. General Feng sent troops to its aid, and the two armies fought fiercely under the city walls for several days, until the government troops were forced to retreat!"

"The government troops were forced to retreat, what about Baling City?" Qin Ke keenly grasped the key information in Wang Shou's words.

"It's only a matter of time before it falls!" Wang Shou laughed. "Although that city is strategically important, it's not very big. Without outside help, the defenders won't be able to hold out for long! Once Baling falls, the pressure on Jiangling will be immense. Feng Cheqi will be attacked from two sides, and his days won't be easy!" But there was no regret in his final sigh!
So you mean—

"If the court wants to turn the tide, it must send Wei Gong north to attack the E'zhai from the rear!" Wang Shou laughed. "So, Luoyang is now in need of our help. Do you understand?"

By now, Qin Ke was no longer the naive young soldier he once was. Managing his family business and serving under Wang Shou, he had gradually come to understand the complex attitude of the group led by Wei Cong towards the imperial court. On the surface, they appeared extremely loyal, but in reality, everything they did was for the benefit of their small group—more precisely, to maintain their long-term control of Jiaozhou. Given this attitude, it was not surprising that Wang Shou had expressed excitement about the government army's predicament in suppressing the Moth Rebellion.

"You mean we can use this to negotiate with the imperial court and keep Duke Wei in Jiaozhou indefinitely?"

"Hmm!" Wang Shou nodded in satisfaction: "You haven't wasted your time working under me these past few days! That's right, that's the point! Lord Wei has led us on expeditions east and west, digging canals, building city walls, ports, salt fields, mining and iron smelting. What is it all for? It can't be for the benefit of the next governor, can it? Only when this Lingnan region becomes the property of the Wei family can we feel at ease!"

Wang Shou's words struck a chord with Qin Ke. In the end, he was also a beneficiary of Wei Cong's occupation of Lingnan. If there was anything that made him uneasy these days, it was the fear that one day Wei Cong would suffer a defeat or be transferred away, and the new governor would settle old scores after arriving in Jiaozhou. He would then have to return to the countryside of Guangxin and become that penniless pauper again, with nothing but a title of Duke.

"The prince has summoned me here today, surely he has something to instruct me on! Please speak frankly, I am willing to risk my family's ruin!" Qin Ke said.

"Yes! That's right, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!" Wang Shou nodded in satisfaction. "Lord Wei had a request for me in his letter, and after thinking about it, I think you're still the most suitable person. Since you've taken the initiative to ask, I won't beat around the bush. You should put aside your current projects and get this matter with Lord Wei first. You'll be in for a treat!"

"Okay!" Qin Ke nodded without hesitation: "What is it?"

"Lord Wei's military achievements during this southern campaign are immense, but given the distance of thousands of miles, apart from a few individuals in Panyu City, no one knows exactly what he accomplished! Therefore, Lord Wei plans to hold an entry ceremony upon his return. He will display the meritorious soldiers, prisoners, captured armor, weapons, war elephants, and livestock, allowing everyone to witness his prowess firsthand! To do this, the city's roads will need to be completely repaired, otherwise hundreds of people will be trampled to death!"

"So, you want me to build the road?"

"It's not just about road construction; the entire entry ceremony will be entrusted to you! Of course, your family alone won't be enough, and there will be others. But with you overseeing everything, everyone else will have to follow your orders. How about that?"

"If Your Highness thinks highly of me, I will certainly do my best!" Qin Ke lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.

When Qin Ke left Wang Shou's residence, he was still somewhat dizzy. He couldn't fully process the immense impact of Wang Shou's words. He had been entrusted with such a significant task; if he succeeded, wouldn't that mean—?
"Wake up! It's still a long way from being done! Let's take stock of the available manpower and funds first!" Qin Ke suddenly slapped himself, snapping out of his reverie and euphoria, and then hurried home.

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Youzhou, Youbeiping Commandery, Junmi County (present-day Xinglong County, Chengde City, Hebei Province), beacon towers.

The sky was gloomy and the cold was terrifying; even the dogs were unwilling to leave the beacon tower.

The black hunting dog sniffed the footprints, then shrank back, its tail between its legs, hiding behind the fence. The poor creature huddled miserably behind the withered bushes, enduring the biting wind that whipped through its thick sheepskin coat. Zhang Heng felt cold too; this awful weather affected both people and dogs, but he had no choice but to take the hunting dog out on patrol, inspecting the "sky fields" (sandy areas marked around beacon towers to determine the presence and number of enemy intruders by observing their footprints).

Thinking of this, the muscles on his face twisted with anger. I should have been able to stay safely in the beacon tower today, warming myself by the fire and eating a hot stew, but that damned captain took care of his stupid nephew and made me go out on patrol in his place, which is why I ended up in this state! Damn it, I went out to patrol the "fields" with the hunting dogs and my toes are frozen off.

"Master!" Zhang Heng yanked on the hunting dog's reins. "Come on! Do you think you're the Commandant's nephew, able to hide inside and warm yourself by the fire? Hurry up!" The black dog shrank back even more, howling in pain. "Let's just kill this beast and have some meat!" Qi Ge was a thin man, his hands tucked under his armpits. Despite wearing black sheepskin gloves, he kept complaining about his aching fingers. "Damn it, how could such a damned emperor have Xianbei barbarians out here!" He said, "Let's just take a quick stroll and go back. To hell with it, it's not worth freezing our fingers!"

"That won't do!" Deng Wen, with a full beard, said in a low voice, "We need to be more careful, especially at times like this. It's so cold here, and it's even colder over there with the Xianbei. I don't know how many livestock will freeze to death. If they don't come to plunder, many tribes won't survive the winter! If we're not careful, I don't know how many people will suffer!"

In the howling wind, no one spoke. Since the mid-2nd century AD, after Tanshihuai completely dominated the former territory of the Xiongnu during their heyday, he became the nightmare of the Eastern Han Empire in the north. Starting from the second year of Yongshou (156 AD), when Tanshihuai led his troops to invade Yunzhong Commandery, the Xianbei people would launch attacks on the northern border commanderies of the Eastern Han every one or two years. In the summer of the ninth year of Yanxi (166 AD), the scale of the Xianbei invasion had reached tens of thousands, covering nine commanderies along the border.

At this time, the Eastern Han Dynasty was powerless to launch a counterattack and could only passively defend itself. These beacon towers along the border, once they detected traces of the Xianbei, could signal with fire, allowing the border troops and civilians to retreat into the city fortresses and escape Xianbei raids. The soldiers guarding these beacon towers were conscripted from the border counties, and they all knew that Deng Wen was right: the colder the weather, the greater the likelihood of Xianbei invasions from the south. If they missed their chance, their homeland would suffer.

The three men walked forward silently, leaning on their spears. The black dog seemed resigned to its fate, leading the way. A biting wind blew against their faces, cutting like knives; each of them had to lower their heads, slipping and sliding on the sandy ground with every step. They trudged on with difficulty.

After a while, they finally arrived at "Tiantian" and slowed their pace, carefully examining the tracks on the sand. Zhang Huan and Qi Ge were both veterans, and they could easily determine from the tracks whether they belonged to wild animals, foot travelers, or Xianbei raiders from the south. It began to snow, and the three realized they had to hurry. The snow in Youbeiping was no joke; it was common for snow to be three or four feet deep overnight, making it impossible to open doors. But the snow fell heavier and heavier, forcing them to abandon their search of Tiantian and return to the beacon tower.

The snow fell quickly, soon covering their shoes. The three men's steps became sluggish and unsteady, and the black dog had long since lost the strength to howl. But that was the least of their worries. Underneath the snow were not only rocks but also many deep holes. Gerbils and rabbits on the grasslands love to dig holes, and if a person accidentally stepped into one, it wouldn't be surprising if they twisted their ankle.

Suddenly Zhang Huan stopped in his tracks, and Qi Ge, who was behind him, almost bumped into his back. Before he could complain, he heard Zhang Huan say in a low voice, "Can you feel it? The ground is shaking!"

Before Deng Wen could understand what was happening, Qi Ge grabbed him and whispered, "Quickly lie down, the Xianbei cavalry is here!"

The three quickly found a burrow and lay down. They could feel the ground vibrating – the sound of a large group of horses advancing. Deng Wen asked in a low voice, "Why do you say it's a Xianbei cavalry, and not our Han cavalry?"

Zhang Huan glanced back at his companion as if he were a fool. Qi Ge, standing beside him, gave a wry smile and said to Deng Wen with pity, "There are at least two or three thousand horses. When have our Youbeiping County troops ever been able to muster so many cavalry at once? Who else could it be but the Xianbei?"

Deng Wen opened his mouth, then forced himself to retort, "Then why aren't they Wuhuan people (at that time, the Wuhuan were still barbarians under the Eastern Han Dynasty), but specifically Xianbei people?"

"They're here. Lie down and don't speak!" Zhang Huan suddenly whispered. The two quickly did as he said, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them were buried by the falling snowflakes, looking no different from the snow-covered ground next to them. About half a cup of tea's time later, a group of knights passed by not far in front of the three of them. With the help of the firelight reflected off the snow, they could even see the braids of the Xianbei people on the horses nearby.

The three men lay on the ground, not daring to make a sound. After about half a meal's time, the caravan finally passed by completely. Zhang Huan was the first to roll up and sit up in the snow. He rubbed his hands and feet vigorously and said painfully, "Damn it, I'm all frozen stiff!"

"Let me help you!" Qi Ge also sat up and helped Zhang Huan rub his hands and feet. Both of them were veterans and knew that they couldn't afford to delay at this time, otherwise their hands and feet would freeze and even a god couldn't save them.

Deng Wen lay down, hugging the dog. He was in slightly better condition than the other two and asked in a low voice, "What should we do now? Go back to the beacon tower?"

"There's no going back!" Zhang Huan said without looking up, searching for something in the snow.

"Can't go back? Why?" Deng Wen asked.

“The beacon towers are built on high hills, six or seven zhang above the plains. If a fire is lit there, we can definitely see it from here! But can you see the beacon fire now?” Qi Ge asked.

"I can't see it!" Deng Wen shook his head blankly.

"Don't you understand? There were at least three or four thousand Xianbei cavalry just now. Even a fool in the beacon tower would have noticed. So why haven't they lit the beacon fires yet?"

"You mean the beacon towers have been destroyed by the Xianbei Tartars—" Deng Wen finally realized, his voice trembling, whether from fear or cold, it was hard to tell.

"Yes, the Xianbei Tartars have already raided it! If we had come out any later, we would be dead by now!" Qi Ge sneered, "If that nephew of the Commandant had come out on patrol just now, he would be the one alive now!"

"Yeah!" Deng Wen grinned foolishly. "We're actually quite lucky, aren't we? By the way, where are we going now?"

"Found it!" Zhang Huan suddenly pulled a large pile of things out of the snow. Deng Wen went closer to take a look and saw that it was a pile of dry grass and firewood. He asked, somewhat confused, "What are you going to do with this? Keep warm?"

Zhang Huan ignored him. He looked around, assessed the surrounding terrain for a moment, and suddenly pointed to the west: "That area is higher. Hurry up and move these firewood up there!"

"What are you trying to do? Are you crazy?" Deng Wen panicked upon hearing this: "The Xianbei haven't gone far yet. If you light a fire on high ground and lure them back, aren't you courting death? No, what if that group of Xianbei has a rear guard? Once they see the fire and surround us, the three of us won't even have a horse. We won't be able to run away!"

(End of this chapter)