Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 236 Stabilizing the Chaos (Part 1)

In the tenth month of the seventh year of the Kaihuang era,

As the northern winds began to gather and the waters flowed swiftly, the army set out, its banners fluttering in the wind.

The cavalry, numbering in the thousands, advanced, their armor gleaming in the frost. Scouts led the way, their hooves kicking up dust, while supply wagons rumbled behind them.

Lü Shang and his secretary Fang Yanqian rode side by side. The north wind swirled up bits of dry grass, which rustled against Lü Shang's armor.

This was the thirteenth day since Lü Shang left Shanggui. After leaving Shanggui, Lü Shang led the majority of his troops along the west bank of the Tao River while ordering his generals to lead cavalry to raid the grain reserves of the Qiang bandits.

Under Lü Shang's constant harassment, the Qiang people, led by the Qiang of Dangchang, gradually could not withstand the attack and began to retreat towards Diezhou.

Diezhou, one of the thirteen prefectures under the jurisdiction of Qinzhou General Administration, is known for its steep mountains and deep valleys, and its strategic location, making it a natural fortress.

Clearly, these Qiang people who retreated towards Diezhou were planning to defend their territory by relying on the natural defenses.

It must be understood that it is already October. If the campaign is delayed until the winter snow closes the mountains, the price the imperial court will have to pay for continuing to suppress the rebellious Qiang will be unimaginable.

Thinking this, Lü Shang reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping across the undulating mountain ridges ahead, and said, "Xiao Chong, do you think we can quell the Qiang rebellion before the snow falls in November?"

Fang Yanqian, the secretary standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and said, "That depends on how Lord Lu plans to quell this Qiang rebellion."

"Diezhou is a mountainous and treacherous place, easily defended by a single man. If we allow the Qiang bandits to retreat into Diezhou, even if our forces outnumber them tenfold, we will still find it difficult to completely eliminate them,"

"yes,"

Lu Shang frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Moreover, the Qiang people are fierce, their fighting strength shouldn't be so weak, what are they thinking?"

Despite winning battle after battle over the past ten days, Lü Shang has not underestimated his enemy.

After all, he knew how powerful the Qiang people were; the few half-demons in Gongmen Village, Qingshui County, were enough to demonstrate their strength.

This is because Lü Shang led the troops; if it had been an ordinary warrior, they would probably have been trapped at Gongmen Village.

He didn't believe that those few half-demons represented the entirety of the Qiang people's power.

A half-demon might be able to kill a martial arts master like Lü Shang with a flick of his wrist, but for other martial artists, those without a martial arts level of marrow refining and blood exchange are simply invincible monsters.

Fang Yanqian pondered for a moment and said, "Lord Lu, judging from the Qiang bandits' behavior these past few days, it shouldn't be a feigned defeat. They have indeed suffered heavy losses during this period."

Lu Shang glanced at the ranks behind him and said, "The more this is the case, the more I feel something is amiss."

"Logically speaking, I should be happy that the Qiang people are retreating like this. After all, my main purpose in leading troops into Qin Prefecture was to quell the rebellion. Now that the Qiang bandits have fled into Die Prefecture, it is tantamount to completing the suppression of the rebellion."

"However, the Qiang people's unusual behavior is making me a little worried,"

Fang Yanqian's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Is Lord Lu worried that there is a trap involved?"

Lü Shang did not answer immediately, but looked in the direction of Diezhou, seemingly lost in thought.

Just as Lü Shang was advancing towards Diezhou, Liu Chong, the Sima of the Qinzhou General Administration who had won a great victory over Zhong Qiang in Taozhou, had also led his troops into the territory of Diezhou.

Nearly ten thousand soldiers marched slowly forward. Liu Chong reined in his horse and stopped in front of a mountain pass, his gaze falling on the winding plank road ahead.

The military advisor beside him whispered, "Sir, the Flying Immortal Inn of Diezhou is just ahead. Eighty li further ahead is the city of Diezhou."

"Flying Immortal Inn,"

Liu Chong gripped his riding whip and silently surveyed the plank road ahead.

A moment later, Liu Chong tapped his whip in his palm and said directly, "Pass on my order: advance lightly and quickly. Before tomorrow, we will be at Diezhou. I want to arrive at Diezhou before Lü Shang." Lü Shang had been advancing for more than ten days. As the Sima of the Qinzhou General Administration, leading tens of thousands of soldiers, Liu Chong was naturally able to receive military reports and even knew the speed of Lü Shang's advance.

Knowing that Lü Shang was advancing towards Diezhou, Liu Chong wanted to speed up his march, hoping to reach Diezhou before Lü Shang.

If Liu Chong could have stopped the rebellious Qiang in Diezhou before Lü Shang, it would have been a huge benefit to him, as it would have been a great achievement in quelling the rebellion.

"Lü Shang, what right does this brat have to claim credit for quelling the chaos?"

Liu Chong, who came from the Liu clan of Pengcheng, held Lü Shang, a relative of the emperor, in contempt to some extent.

In the powerful and influential families of the Sui Dynasty, everyone knew that Yang Jian's mother, Lü Kutao, came from extremely humble origins. While a poor family might still be considered somewhat respectable, the Lü family, from which Lü Kutao was born, was truly just an ordinary registered household.

The term "registered households" refers to the most impoverished common people, who were not even small landlords, let alone poor families.

Upon hearing the order, the military advisor hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, with the quality of our garrison troops alone, I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to march eighty li a day."

"Disaster?"

Liu Chong snorted and said, "I think it's because you're incompetent at commanding your troops."

He turned his horse around, looking down at the military advisor, and pointed his whip at the ranks behind him, saying, "Immediately issue an order to bring me a day's worth of rations. Leave all the remaining baggage behind and have it guarded by a hundred cavalry."

"Military orders are absolute. Anyone who is slow in marching or dares to complain will first be tattooed on the face, and then subjected to military law!"

“Yes,” the soldier replied, his face tightening as he bowed.

As soon as the order was given, the sound of armor plates clashing and baggage trains hitting the ground filled the ranks.

After the soldiers had brought enough rations for a day, they left the rest of their cooking pots and tents at the foot of the mountain pass. More than a hundred knights reined in their horses and stayed behind, while nearly ten thousand soldiers surged toward Feixianzhan like a tidal wave.

Feixian Plank Road is carved into the cliff face, so narrow that only one horse can pass sideways in some places, with the rushing Wei River tributary flowing below.

A cold mist, carrying moisture, rose onto the pallets, forming a thin layer of frost. The soldiers, carrying their rations, walked silently on the pallets.

"Quick, quick,"

Liu Chong lashed his whip on the plank and said, "Speed ​​up the march, spare no expense, and rush to the city of Diezhou."

Just as Liu Chong was urging the troops to advance, warhorses neighed in a secluded valley thirty miles west of Feixianzhan.

Liang Miding, the chieftain of the Qiang people in Dangchang, had a gloomy face, his hand on the curved knife at his waist, with three exceptionally burly men standing beside him.

These three men were Liang Miding's personal guards. They clearly had demonic blood, with bulging veins on their bare arms and lingering hair behind their ears. They were surrounded by a bloody aura.

Liang Miding's expression was cold and stern as he gazed in the direction of Feixian Inn. He muttered, "Unfortunately, the time was not right. All my efforts were in vain. If it weren't for my grandfather's strict orders, I would have really wanted to fight these Sui generals properly."

"Let these Sui people know that our Qiang people in Longyou also have heroes,"

Liang Miding genuinely wanted to fight the Sui army, instead of being chased into the mountains by them like this.

However, although Liang Miding was the chieftain of the Dangchang Qiang and was highly respected among the Dangchang Qiang, his popularity among his clansmen was insignificant compared to the prestige of his ancestor Yao Mao among the Qiang tribes.

"When will the Mandate of Heaven be upon us, the Qiang people, once again?"

The ancestor said that the Great Sui Dynasty had the Mandate of Heaven, and that meant it had the Mandate of Heaven. Although Liang Miding was arrogant, he dared not disrespect the ancestor.

(End of this chapter)