Tiger Guards

Chapter 500 Snoring as Before
On the twelfth day of the eleventh lunar month, on the Qin Straight Road.

Fifty li south of Gaonu, at midnight, the vanguard Yang Qiu set up camp.

Unable to sleep, Yang Qiu stepped out of his tent to observe the clear night sky and calculate the time by looking at the stars overhead.

Even before midnight, the hunting dogs in the camp barked intermittently.

The general offensive is about to begin, and their first target will be a Qiang-Hu tribe gathered in Gaonu.

This was a branch of the Xianling Qiang who caused trouble back then. The various Qiang tribes that migrated eastward can be collectively referred to as the Eastern Qiang. Their vanguard even spread to Shanggu County.

During the reign of Emperor Huan, the most powerful of the Eastern Qiang, the Xianling Qiang, were the first to rebel, and the Xianling Qiang could almost represent the entire Eastern Qiang alliance.

The so-called annihilation of the Eastern Qiang could not have been a complete massacre; most branches and miscellaneous Qiang were preserved by surrendering.

After all, the imperial court was no longer able to resist the increasingly powerful Xianbei. It was better to keep the Qiang people alive than to have these places occupied by the Xianbei.

Objectively speaking, the remaining Qiang tribes and the southward-migrating Xiongnu did indeed block the Xianbei people's southward invasion.

The main reason was the sudden death of the Xianbei chieftain Tanshihuai in his prime, and the killing of his son Helian by the defending army when he invaded the northern lands, which caused a split within the Xianbei and made it impossible for the tribal forces to act in unison.

Even with their dispersed operations, the various Xianbei tribes still oppressed the Wuhuan and Xiongnu.

At this moment, Yang Qiu dared not be careless at all. He had dealt with the Qiang people of the three northern prefectures and the eastern Qiang people of Liangzhou too many times, and he knew very well that these people were not easy to deal with.

These Qiang people had previously been employed by Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and others. They were not only familiar with the tactics of the Han army, but also had a large number of Han border troops and disgraced officials serving within their tribes.

Yang Qiu did not believe that such a large-scale military operation could be kept completely secret.

With the general offensive imminent, he was very worried about a counterattack from the allied forces of the Qiang tribes.

Just as he was worrying, the outer outposts were set on fire, and the officers and soldiers on night watch in the camp immediately sounded the horn.

A group of scouts fled in disarray, and the officers and soldiers who had been camping for the night poured out of their tents at the sound of bugles, lighting the prepared campfires one after another.

Yang Qiu also quickly returned to the main tent, put on his helmet, and walked out. Many military officers had already gathered in front of the tent.

The scout captain, exhaling a large puff of white breath, reported: "General! Enemy attack! We don't know how many are coming!"

"Hold the fort and await rescue!"

Yang Qiu shouted loudly, "The outcome of this battle will be decided tonight!"

"Here!"

The officers shouted and led their soldiers to the fortifications, where they also formed a camp around the wagons.

Just as they finished preparing their defenses, many Qiang cavalrymen came roaring in from the northern mountain ridge, carrying torches.

They were met with a barrage of powerful crossbow bolts from within twenty paces. Dozens of Qiang cavalrymen fell from their horses and turned to retreat from both sides. Behind them came the chaotic Qiang infantry advancing with large shields.

Unable to make out their armor and banners clearly, the marching column was converted into a large horizontal formation and then immediately advanced.

Both sides were seasoned veterans, and there was no need for mid-level military officers to give on-site command.

Yang Qiu climbed onto the high platform and peered out. He saw that behind the large horizontal formation, there were still Qiang infantry and cavalry coming with torches. He couldn't see exactly how many there were, but they seemed endless.

"Ignite the flames of war on both sides!"

As Yang Qiu shouted, the Qiang archers, who came rushing in with the cold north wind, began to fire indiscriminately. Arrows flew through the air near the watchtower, and Yang Qiu immediately slid down the ladder as soon as he let go of the ladder.

The archers on the watchtower returned fire with their crossbows, one firing while the other lay prone, carefully cocking the crossbow.

The two grand beacon fires used to call for help were lit, and Yang Qiu picked up the spare shield at the foot of the tower and held it diagonally above his head.

Since the battle hasn't reached a climax yet, he can stay here with his personal guards; there's no need for him to rashly join the fight.

Ten miles behind, Zhang He's camp also received the warning from scouts immediately.

Zhang He's two thousand men quickly assembled, and as soon as they were assembled, two beacon fires were lit. Before Zhang He could receive the military order from Duan Wei, the governor of the southern route, he decisively led his troops out of the camp, with sled teams pulling heavy infantry forward against the north wind.

The Qin Straight Road limited the direction of battle, and Zhang He was still worried about being attacked from the side.

Although the slopes were difficult to climb after the snowfall, he still sent knights to both flanks.

Some Qiang cavalrymen who bypassed the vanguard camp trampled the snow, while the knights sent by Zhang He did not engage in battle and retreated.

Hundreds of Qiang cavalrymen rode the wind and collided with Zhang He's main force heading north. They were immediately routed at close range by powerful crossbows and heavy crossbows that advanced on sleds.

About twenty miles south of the vanguard camp was the main camp of the Southern Route Army.

Upon hearing that the vanguard had been attacked, Duan Wei's heart finally settled down.

Although he judged that the Qiang tribes would definitely take action and would target the Southern Route Army, he still harbored some wishful thinking.

The attack indicates that the Qiang people's rear is vulnerable, and the Eastern Route Army will surely be able to quickly seize territory and severely damage the Qiang strongholds.

The Southern Route Protector was Zhang Huan's second son, Zhang Chang, who served as the Chief Secretary of the General Staff. Zhang Chang wanted to break free from the stereotype of a military family, but since Zhao Ji had sent him, he had to come.

Only he could mediate disputes and cooperation issues between soldiers from Hebei and Guanzhong.

Zhang Chang hurried over to Duan Wei: "General, should we send reinforcements now?"

"The remaining troops remain stationary; the Qiang tribes will not come solely from the front."

Duan Wei sat upright in the main seat, patiently explaining: "The straight road is situated at a high point with a wide field of vision, but it is a narrow path. I have repeatedly warned the vanguard to be careful and vigilant. No matter how many Qiang troops there are, it will be difficult to commit many of them."

Zhang Chang nodded, naturally aware that the Qin Straight Road battlefield was extremely narrow.

Yang Qiu's troops were also all heavily armored. As long as the defensive line was solid, the soldiers could take turns fighting and resting to recover their strength, and they could hold out for a long time.

Duan Wei had also experienced many mountain battles with Duan Jiong, and he knew very well that the most important thing in mountain and valley warfare was courage.

Yang Qiu actually had no way out. The successors behind Yang Qiu were from Hebei, and they had a relationship of supervising each other and competing with each other.

"Report! An enemy cavalry force is attacking via a side road. General Zhu has led his troops to intercept and kill them."

The officer strode in, reported his arrival, and then withdrew.

At this moment, Zhang Chang had already taken his seat and looked at Duan Wei: "Just as the Commander-in-Chief predicted."

"Not only that, at least ten thousand more are planning to attack my rear. Han Meng should be able to stop them."

Duan Wei turned to look at the clerk Dong Yu as he spoke: "Order Zhu Ling to detach a battalion of soldiers to be on standby at any time to support Han Meng's rear army."

"Here."

The clerk, Dong Yu, immediately picked up a pen and wrote down the military order. A military officer stepped forward to receive the order, glanced at Zhang Chang, and seeing that Zhang Chang had no other opinions, quickly put it away and left.

Duan Wei then said to Zhang Chang, "Commander-in-Chief, what do you think of the Central Army remaining at a rest as before?"

Zhang Chang then asked, "The rebels have retreated in disarray; does the Commander have no intention of pursuing them?"

“My talent is far less than one-tenth of my brother’s. I should be content with repelling the enemy. If I were to be greedy for merit and ruin the Grand Marshal’s plans, causing the officers and soldiers to die unjustly, how would I have the face to meet the people of Guanzhong?”

Duan Wei's meaning was quite clear: he was not as good as Duan Jiong, and Zhang Chang was not as good as his father Zhang Huan.

Seeing that Zhang Chang did not argue, Duan Wei turned to look at the clerk Dong Yu: "Order the four armies that if the enemy shows signs of retreating, pursue them for three li. If they pursue them for more than five li, they will be guilty and have no merit."

"Here."

Dong Yu agreed and immediately wrote down the order.

He was from Huayin in Hongnong. During the chaos in the Three Auxiliary Regions, he attached himself to Duan Wei. Unlike his elder brother, who was focused on farming, harvesting and selling hay to manage the family business, Dong Yu would seize the time to study while working.

Therefore, after Duan Wei heard about it, he promoted him to serve by his side.

After the four orders were relayed, Duan Wei got up and went to the fire pit, wrapped himself in his cloak, lay down on his side, and closed his eyes to take a light nap.

He carefully selected the locations of the various military camps, hoping that if the enemy had a large number of weapons, they might be able to break through them head-on.

But if they launch a night attack, how much heavy weaponry can the Qiang tribes bring?

Once the element of surprise in a night raid is lost, it's really not that big of a deal.

Duan Wei quickly fell into a deep sleep, snoring softly.

Zhang Chang couldn't fall asleep, and couldn't help but think of Huangfu Song's son, Huangfu Jianshou.

After Dong Zhuo was killed, many official positions were bestowed upon Huangfu Song, who became Grand Commandant, General Who Conquers the West, and Grand Master of Ceremonies; Huangfu Jianshou was also appointed as Attendant-in-Ordinary.

Because Huangfu Song had not strongly opposed Li Jue and Guo Si, he died of illness that winter; Huangfu Jianshou also declined the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary. After Huangfu Song's death, Huangfu Jianshou did not live as long as his name suggests, and also died of illness.

On the contrary, Huangfu Song's nephew, Huangfu Li, had advised Huangfu Song to join forces with Gai Xun, the Prefect of Jingzhao, to attack and kill Dong Zhuo in his early years. Later, when Li Jue seized power, Huangfu Li was able to protect the emperor, but he offended Li Jue and fled.

Unfortunately, when the Grand Marshal summoned Huangfu Li to serve, she refused.

If nothing unexpected happens in this battle, the Grand Marshal's army will surely summon Huangfu Li for questioning once they enter Anding Chaona.

For some reason, Zhang Chang felt a sense of unease about the fate of the Huangfu clan, fearing that they might suffer the same fate as the Su clan of Fufeng.

Zhang Chang sat still amidst Duan Wei's snoring.

A military officer strode into the main tent and, upon hearing Duan Wei's call, lowered his voice to report: "Commander, Zhu Ling reports that the enemy cavalry has been repelled, with over seventy heads taken and over fifty horses captured."

Seeing that Duan Wei was still snoring as usual, Zhang Chang replied gently, "Tell him not to be negligent and to wait for dawn."

"Here."

The officer turned and left. Zhang Chang took two deep breaths and waited for further developments in the military situation.

(End of this chapter)