Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 440 Qiang

Winter in Jingkou is cold on the surface, but as long as you store some firewood and wear an extra layer of clothing, it's not too hard to get through.

However, the winters in Guanzhong are bone-chilling; no matter how many clothes you wear, you still feel cold.

Especially when heavy snow falls, the cold air is like needles, penetrating everywhere.

"Helian Bobo is cunning and ruthless. He has neither a capital nor a stronghold, and he wanders in all directions. When I come, he goes; when I go, he comes. This is the method he used to defeat Yao Qin. If Your Majesty attacks him with the usual methods, you will surely return empty-handed. Therefore, I will use myself as bait, leading three thousand elite troops westward to Zhanyin to block the vital passage for the Xiongnu to reinforce Longyou, thus luring them to attack us..."

After reading Mao Dezhu's memorial, Liu Daogui was filled with emotion.

As expected of Yuan Cong, who had followed him for many years, he was willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the country. If Wang Zhen'e was a sharp blade, then Mao Dezhu and Liu Guangzhi were two solid shields.

Having guarded the north for so many years, he has never made a miscalculation.

Although he had prepared 500,000 arrows and a large amount of food, he only had 3,000 men.

Zhanyin was just a small city, and it would be difficult for it to withstand the fierce attack of tens of thousands of Xiongnu troops.

But otherwise, it would be impossible to find Helian Bobo's main force.

Just like the Han Dynasty's campaign against the Xiongnu in the north, the difficulty was not the decisive battle, but how to find the main force of the Xiongnu.

At the end of his memorial, he advised Liu Daogui not to provide support, in order to prevent Helian Bobo from besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements. He also said that he could hold off Helian Bobo's 30,000 cavalry with only 3,000 of his old troops.

Yin Zhongwen said, "Commander Mao is a key general of the nation. If he miscalculates, it will inevitably damage the prestige of the country. The Han state is newly established and we cannot take risks."

Feng Kai said, "It's not too late to recall Commander Mao now."

“How do you know he will miscalculate? You can all wait and see,” Liu Daogui said, overruling the objections of the crowd.

In terms of military strategy, Mao Dezhu was by no means inferior to Wang Zhen'e.

Given Mao Dezhu's personality, if he dared to send troops, he must have a good chance of winning.

Moreover, sending someone to summon him back now would be like trying to quench a fire from afar; commanding a general at the front from a distance has always been a major taboo in military strategy.

At this point, Liu Daogui had no choice but to unconditionally trust him and his elite troops.

After becoming king, Liu Daogui's mentality also changed a lot. His desire to unify the world became more and more urgent. If we start counting from when Wang Gong raised his army, the world had been in chaos for twenty-five or twenty-six years.

In the midst of his busy military campaigns, the first half of his life rushed by.

If this battle fails to eliminate Helian Bobo, it's uncertain how long the conflict will drag on, preventing us from concentrating our efforts on a final decisive battle against the Northern Wei.

"Liu Yixing, Liu Muzhi, and Shen Tianzi, listen to my order. You have two months to assemble a 20,000-strong Qiang and Di volunteer army. Duan Hong and Xiao Chengzhi, listen to my order. Select 5,000 elite cavalry and, after the snow stops, garrison Anding to provide support to Zhanyin at any time. In this battle, we must take Helian Bobo's head." Liu Daogui made his decision.

"We obey!" everyone responded in unison.

The Qiang people are not afraid of the bitter cold, and this kind of weather has little effect on them. In two months, they should be able to build an elite force.

The snowstorm continued, and the scouts tirelessly sent back various battle reports.

In Longyou, Wang Zhen'e led his army to meet Qifu Chipan at Didao. With their backs to the Tao River, they formed a crescent-shaped formation and decisively defeated 40,000 Western Qin cavalry, killing and wounding over 10,000 and beheading their generals Qifu Tanda and Wang Songshou.

This battle shattered the morale of Western Qin and destroyed the prestige of Qifu Chipan, which had been built up over many years. The Han army's power shook the Hexi Corridor.

The Qiang chieftain Mi Jie Kang Boju of Chishui rebelled, responding to the evil Wang Zhen.

The powerful clans of Longyou, including Qu Jing, Li Da, Deng Chang, and Liang Gong, also led their troops to defect.

In the blink of an eye, Qifu Chipan, who once dominated Longyou, was reduced to only two cities, Fuhan and Jincheng, and his old stronghold, Yongshichuan, and his days were numbered.

As expected, Helian Bobo appeared at Zhanyin, with 40,000 infantry and cavalry at the city gates.

Despite repeated fierce attacks, they were all repelled by Mao Dezhu. Mao Dezhu also relied on the heavy snow, piled up sand and poured water to reinforce the city walls. After more than ten days of fierce fighting, he killed more than 3,000 enemy soldiers while suffering fewer than 50 casualties himself.

After reading these battle reports, Liu Daogui was completely relieved.

Neither the Xiongnu nor the Xianbei were as strong as the Tiger Guard.

Their command abilities were also lacking. The main reason why Helian Bobo and Qifu Chipan were able to thrive in Guanzhong was that they encountered Yao Xing, a weak ruler.

Helian Bobo was raised by Yao Xing, and Qifu Chipan was also helped up by Yao Xing.

Yao Xing defeated Qifu Qian Gui, and the Western Qin was in turmoil. Qifu Chipan escaped from Xiping County and went to Yao Qin. He was appointed as the Prefect of Xingjin, General Jianwu, and Acting Colonel of the Western Barbarians.

Not only were his former subordinates returned to him, but a particularly auspicious location, Yuanchuan, was specially chosen for him to recuperate and rebuild his life...

When they encountered Wang Zhen'e and Mao Dezhu, who had fought their way out of Northeast China, their true colors were immediately revealed.

The Guandong War was far greater in scale and intensity than the small states of Guanyou. Helian Bobo and Qifu Chipan were at most on par with the Zhai Wei of that time, and they couldn't even compare to the Southern Yan.

At most, he could only bully Yao Xing after Chai Bi's crushing defeat.

Two hundred years ago, after Cao Cao unified the Central Plains, he sent Xiahou Yuan, who was able to stride across Guanzhong and wipe out all the forces, large and small, in the Hexi Corridor. Later, Cao Zhen led a western expedition, sweeping through the allied forces of the various Hu tribes, beheading more than 50,000, capturing 100,000 people, 1.11 million sheep, and 80,000 cattle.

The kingdoms of the Western Regions were greatly shaken and submitted to Cao Wei, thus bringing the Western Regions back into the embrace of China.

Even in the Western Jin Dynasty, Ma Long's three thousand local militia were able to defeat Tuoba Shujineng's one hundred thousand troops and quell the Qin-Liang Rebellion.

The fierce generals under Liu Daogui's command were certainly no less capable than the generals of Cao Wei.

Helian Bobo claimed to have 40,000 cavalry, and Qifu Chipan claimed to have 80,000 infantry and cavalry, but with the national strength of Hu Xia and Western Qin, they simply could not maintain such elite forces.

The Han state encompassed most of the world, but even including its navy, it only had about 60,000 to 70,000 elite troops.

In less than two months, 20,000 Qiang soldiers were selected.

Only 10% of them wore armor, and many were dressed in rags, standing in the cold wind, yet their faces remained calm, displaying the unique resilience of the Qiang people.

Liu Yixing said, "Half of these men are brave warriors selected from the Qin army. After I give each of them twenty acres of land, they are all willing to die for the Han Dynasty!"

"Would you risk your life for just twenty acres?" Liu Daogui asked in surprise.

Liu Yixing smiled wryly, "That's quite a lot. Many Qiang and Di people don't even own an acre of land."

Yao Xing established the Qin state, but the Qiang people did not live a good life because of it. Instead, it was the powerful chieftains and magnates who supported him who lived a good life.

This has always been true throughout the world, from ancient times to the present.

Liu Daogui was not averse to these Qiang people from the lower classes. He said, “Take 20,000 sheepskin coats and leather shoes from the treasury and distribute them to the army. Also, bring 2,000 sheep to feast the entire army. Don’t forget, they are also soldiers of our Han state.”

Liu Yixing said, "The treasury doesn't have that many sheepskin coats and leather shoes right now."

Liu Daogui said earnestly, "Then go buy and build. The foundation of governing a country lies in people. The common people and soldiers are all people. We must treat them as human beings, not as numbers on paper or as cattle and horses. As Xunzi said, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!"

The century-long war between the Han and the Qiang was due to two main factors: firstly, the Han dynasty's westward expansion and occupation of Qiang lands; and secondly, the Han dynasty's border officials' failure to treat the Qiang people as human beings.

The Book of Han mentions: "Now, there are surrendered Qiang people in Liangzhou. The Qiang and Hu people wear their hair loose and their robes fastened on the left. They live among the Han people. Their customs are different and they cannot understand each other's languages. They are often robbed by petty officials and cunning people. They are desperate and resentful, so they rebel."

The Qiang people migrated to Guanzhong in large numbers at the end of the Han Dynasty. Over two hundred years later, their customs, clothing, and language have become virtually indistinguishable from those of the Han people. Since they are willing to fight for the Han state, there is no need to treat them as outsiders.

Their bloodline is much purer than that of those mixed barbarian and white captives.

Liu Yixing cupped his hands in greeting, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)