The Three Kingdoms: Rise of the Western Liang Cavalry

"I see."

Qin Lie nodded, a look of understanding on his face.

"The city must have ample food supplies, right?"

"I heard that when Grand Tutor Dong moved west, he emptied the treasury of Luoyang."

This seemingly casual question, like an invisible thorn, precisely pierced the messenger's last line of defense.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

The lack of food in Chang'an is the biggest worry for Wang Yun and Lü Bu, and the fundamental reason why they are eager to recruit and incorporate various troops, yet dare not fully trust them.

The treasury is empty, and the hearts of the people are empty. How can we feed an even larger army?

The messenger's lips moved, his voice dry and hoarse, like a withered branch worn smooth by wind and sand.

"The imperial court...the imperial court has its own arrangements, there's no need for you, Commandant, to worry about it."

This explanation was weak and unconvincing; even he himself spoke it without any confidence.

Qin Lie stopped looking at him and instead turned his gaze to the vast expanse of sky and earth outside the tent, and said calmly.

"Please return, messenger."

"Tell Marquis Wen and Minister Situ that I will give them an answer within three days."

"In addition, I would like to ask the messenger to convey a message: Chang'an is the Chang'an of all people, not just the Chang'an of the imperial court."

He spoke his last words very softly, yet they sent a shiver down the envoy's spine, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat.

He dared not say another word, bowed awkwardly, and fled almost in panic under the cold gaze of his guards.

The argument inside the tent had long since subsided. All the officers looked at Qin Lie with awe, trust, and a sense of relief at finally finding their leader.

Chen Wu stepped forward and lowered his voice.

"Captain, are we really going to have to wait three days?"

"wait."

Qin Lie's answer was only one word, but it was resolute.

"Waiting for the wind to come."

……

The wind did not wait three days.

On the morning of the third day, it swept in from the west in a ferocious and suffocating manner.

That was not a natural wind, but a raging storm of dust and smoke stirred up by forty thousand iron hooves, carrying with it blood and despair.

A scout stumbled and crawled into the camp, his armor covered in dust and congealed blood. His warhorse neighed and collapsed, foaming at its mouth and nose.

"Captain! Li Jue and Guo Si... have rebelled!"

The scout's voice was hoarse and cracked, tinged with sobs.

"An army of 40,000 is marching towards Chang'an!"

"They...they didn't take the official roads, but instead plundered along the villages on the south bank of the Wei River, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake!"

"The advance force is less than fifty li from here!"

"What?!"

The generals inside the tent paled in shock.

This news was like a boulder crashing into everyone's hearts, stirring up a huge wave.

They had anticipated that Li Jue and Guo Si would rebel, but they never expected it to be so swift, so resolute, and so... ruthless!

This is no longer an advance, but a massacre.

They are using the blood of the people of Guanzhong to demonstrate against Chang'an and to vent their resentment at being abandoned.

Almost at the same moment, the bugle sounded again outside the camp, this time even more urgent than before.

Another messenger was brought in; his official robes were covered in dust, and he looked flustered, clearly having rushed there.

"Captain Qin!"

He didn't even have time to bow before he shouted hoarsely.

"The two traitors, Li Jue and Guo Si, have rebelled, and their army is already approaching Chang'an!"

"Lord Situ and Marquis Wen have ordered the Colonel to immediately dispatch troops to reinforce the capital!"

"Once the matter is accomplished, the court will submit a memorial to His Majesty, appointing the Colonel as the Governor of Liangzhou, overseeing the military and political affairs of the entire province!"

Governor of Liangzhou!

If the promise made by the "Prefect of Fufeng" three days ago was a tempting piece of meat, then the three words "Governor of Liangzhou" at this moment are a gold mine that can drive anyone crazy.

This means that the imperial court recognized Qin Lie's status as a regional lord and acknowledged his rule over the entire former territory of Western Liang.

However, this time, no one in the tent showed any joy.

A solemn expression was written on everyone's face.

Thirty miles outside Chang'an, Lü Bu had already led his three thousand Bingzhou cavalry and a hastily assembled army of over ten thousand out of the city to meet the enemy.

The deafening shouts of battle seemed to carry all the way here on the wind.

A great war that will determine the fate of the world has begun.

And this isolated army was suddenly thrust into a crossroads of fate.

"Captain!"

A glint flashed in Chen Wu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice.

"A golden opportunity!"

"Li Jue and Guo Si have mobilized their entire forces, and Lü Bu has also deployed all his main troops; this is truly a situation of the snipe and the clam fighting!"

"We only need to remain still and observe the outcome."

"Once they are both severely weakened, whether we march on Chang'an or clean up the mess, it will be a piece of cake!"

His words represented the sentiments of most Han Chinese officers and soldiers; this was the safest and most beneficial way to "profit from the situation."

However, Dianwu, the Qiang leader standing to the side, voiced a different opinion.

His hawk-like eyes burned with a fierce flame as he spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

"The affairs of Chang'an are a matter for the Han people!"

"Our home is in the west!"

"Grandson, taking advantage of this opportunity, why don't we lead our army westward and march back to Liangzhou!"

"Liangzhou is vulnerable. I will contact the various tribes, and within three months, the entire Liangzhou will be yours, my grandson!"

"That's where our roots are!"

The atmosphere inside the tent became tense again.

One path is the stratagem of advancing eastward for profit, the other is the survival strategy of returning westward to one's homeland.

Both paths are full of temptation, and both are fraught with thorns.

All eyes were once again focused on Qin Lie.

Qin Lie did not answer immediately.

He slowly walked to the entrance of the main tent, lifted the heavy curtain, and looked eastward.

The sky was tinged with an ominous gray-yellow, the color of smoke rising from countless burning villages and the mournful cries of countless lives.

He could almost hear the Wei River weeping and see the unarmed people turning to dust under the iron hooves.

Those common people, like his soldiers, spoke the same Guanzhong accent and had the same simple and honest faces.

"Sit back and watch the outcome?"

He asked softly, his voice carrying a hint of icy coldness.

"Chen Wu, do you know what the price will be for us to stand by and watch?"

"The land beneath Chang'an is a desolate wasteland, littered with the bones of hundreds of thousands of people!"

"If that's the case, the crime of 'bringing disaster to the country and its people' will be forever unforgivable!"

"Even if we gain control of the world, we will be nothing more than another group of traitors trampling on countless bones!"

Chen Wu's face turned pale instantly. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Qin Lie's gaze then turned to Dian Wu, his tone softening slightly, but still firm.

"Grandpa, you're right, our roots are in Liangzhou."

"But going back now is not the right time."

"If Wang Yun's edict can reach me, it can reach Liangzhou."

"At this moment, Liangzhou has already laid a trap, waiting for us 'traitors' to return and walk into it."

"If we advance westward now, we will only find ourselves caught in a pincer movement between the imperial court and local powerful clans, facing attacks from both sides."

He paused, took a deep breath of the blood-smelling air, and said, word by word.

Therefore, we will neither advance eastward nor westward.