Chapter 461: When Can the Azure Dragon Be Bound?

"Wu Han thinks very highly of himself. He'll probably underestimate the Qiang, won't he?"

Only a local magnate like Niu Han understood that the Qiang were a two-hundred-year-old mess, one that had plagued several emperors of the Former Han. Brave as the sons of the Six Commanderies were, generations of them had failed to resolve it.

For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, the Xianlian Qiang took the lead and sparked a Qiang rebellion across Huangzhong — storming cities, killing officials, and nearly overrunning Jincheng. The court dispatched General of the Rear Zhao Chongguo to lead troops and suppress it. Old General Zhao assembled sixty thousand men, employing strategies like sowing division and establishing military farms, advancing step by step. It took three full years to put the rebellion down.

But did the Qiang fall silent after that? Not at all. Though they lost the war, within a few generations they grew strong again. With the collapse of Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty, the Qiang not only retook the Western Sea Commandery but also pushed hard to spread into Jincheng Commandery, seizing many of its subordinate counties. Wei Ao, a mere regional warlord, lacked the strength to launch a punitive expedition, so he sent Niu Han to placate them and, by the way, conscript Qiang to fight against Wei.

However, those who joined the Long forces were mostly the "Eastern Qiang" who had gradually migrated east since the Han. The "Western Qiang" in the He-Huang region were focused mainly on fighting each other over river valleys and had no interest in the Long-Wei conflict. But for Wu Han to march south into Longxi, his route would pass through the territory of several Qiang tribes. If he moved without reaching an agreement, the Qiang — whose territorial instincts are extremely fierce — would inevitably attack any force that entered without notice, no matter how many men it had!

Niu Han thought to himself, "During the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han, General of the Right Feng Fengshi held the Qiang in contempt and set out to quell the Western Qiang rebellion with just twelve thousand troops. He was defeated again and again, had to beg the court for reinforcements, and in the end it still took sixty thousand men to barely suppress the Qiang uprising."

Now Wu Han had only ten thousand men, and they were a guest army that also had to guard against the Long troops. If Wu Han charged straight in without a second thought, the mess would be colossal.

The Western Qiang are a hornet's nest. If you don't provoke them, everyone can coexist in peace. But jab them with a stick, and the Qiang tribes along the route, along with a dozen or so of their relatives, would be more than happy to use this mountainous terrain to toy with the Wei army at their leisure.

Yet Wu Han looked at Niu Han as if he were an idiot. "I'm just passing through. Why on earth would I have to attack the Qiang along the way?"

Wu Han still remembered that, just before setting out, Diwu Lun had personally given him strict instructions, making the objective of this campaign crystal clear. He was not required to seize the entire Jincheng Commandery. The Huangshui river valley, where Hua and Rong lived intermingled, was now occupied by the Western Qiang — the situation was too complex to be worth committing troops to fight over every inch of land. He only needed to capture the two counties of Yuzhong and Jincheng, allowing the Independent Division to resupply a little. From there, they could head south along the Tao River valley route and penetrate deep into the heartland of Longxi.

Diwu Lun was extremely cautious regarding the Qiang. He knew that before unification, there was simply no way to solve the problem thoroughly, so he set it aside to deal with later.

Even if they had to pass through a few Qiang tribes along the way, Wu Han — for all his rough exterior — was sharp as a tack inside and could clearly identify his primary mission: by imperial decree, march through Longxi and destroy the Wei clan!

If, while accomplishing his mission, he could incidentally grab some spoils for the brothers of the Independent Division — seizing a city, plundering a few wealthy households — that was catching a rabbit while gathering firewood. Why not enjoy it?

But the Qiang were unruly folk from barren mountains and foul waters, and their women were ugly to boot. There was no profit in it — what was the point of fighting them?

Niu Han acknowledged this. "Then, by the General's intent, you plan to pay in gold ingots to buy passage?"

This was the tacit understanding Longyou had reached with the Qiang. Caravans traveling between Jincheng and Longxi would give the Qiang along the route a little something to keep them quiet. The Qiang had little demand for goods from Han territory; hard currency meant gold and silver. Influenced by Xiongnu customs, the Qiang chieftains liked to use these as ornaments.

To his surprise, Wu Han shook his head again. "I don't want to part with gold ingots either."

Niu Han found this baffling. "Neither fight nor buy — then how does the General intend to pass through?"

"Don't we have Ruqing?" The smile that had been on Wu Han's face when he invited him to gnaw on an ox head surfaced again.

"I hear Ruqing's family is from Didao in Longxi and that he is acquainted with the Qiang chieftains. If I, your General, have to rack my brains over a trifling matter like dealing with the Qiang, what use do I have for you as Colonel for Qiang Affairs?"

Niu Han finally understood. Wu Han neither wanted his subordinates to suffer casualties nor could bear to part with his gold ingots — he planned to catch a wolf with empty hands!

And he was using Niu Han himself as the bait. But Wu Han was also worried Niu Han might run off — luckily, he had come prepared.

When they set out on campaign, Wu Han, in a great show of kindness, had granted Niu Han a quota of ten personal guards, all former subordinates and household slaves of his. Now these personal soldiers came in handy. Carrying Niu Han's tokens, they were dispatched to the various Qiang tribes with a message: Niu Ruqing is here, having submitted to the Son of Heaven of Wei. It is hoped that the various Qiang will send representatives to meet at Jincheng County, where His Majesty the Emperor will naturally have rewards to bestow.

But wait — they were currently in Yuzhong County. Jincheng was still in the hands of Wei Ao's subordinates!

Wu Han, however, was unconcerned. "To take one county with ten thousand men is a matter of a month or so. By the time the Qiang envoys arrive, it should be about done."

In truth, Wu Han had overestimated Jincheng County's defensive capability. It was just another small city built along the riverbank, and within three days it was already on the verge of collapse. But Wu Han deliberately dragged it out, waiting until the Qiang envoys were nearly there before letting his soldiers, amid heart-shaking battle cries, storm the city in one fell swoop!

Thus, the visiting Qiang's first impression of the Wei army was of sharp armor and weapons, brimming with martial vigor. Wu Han never stinted on slaughter when attacking a city, and this served to tell the Qiang plainly: the heavens have changed.

Those summoned were all minor Qiang tribes south of the Yellow River, named the Han Qiang, Kai Qiang, Zhong Qiang, Gongtang Qiang, and Xiangjie Qiang. They could not compare to the Xianlian Qiang north of the Yellow River, who numbered over a hundred thousand. None of these individual tribes had a population exceeding ten thousand — these were the ones Wu Han intended to borrow passage from.

These Qiang, some with hair in mallet-shaped buns and others with hair loose, stood before Wu Han. Wu Han asked Niu Han, who knew the Qiang tongue and could communicate with them: "Have the chieftains of all five tribes come?"

"Not the chieftains." Niu Han knew that with another interpreter who understood the Qiang language present in the room, he had no way to fudge things and could only report truthfully. "Those who have come are all their sons or younger kin."

It turned out that frontier officials of the Former Han and the Xin Dynasty had believed that executing Qiang leaders would pacify Qiang rebellions on its own. Figures like Li Guang during Emperor Wu's reign and the Colonel for Qiang Affairs during Emperor Xuan's reign had all lured Qiang chieftains to meetings and then killed them!

The result was that the Qiang, far from vanishing into silence, were united by these bloody vendettas and rose in even greater revolt.

After being burned enough times, the various Qiang had wised up. Whenever Han officials summoned them, they sent sons or clansmen — ones they weren't particularly fond of, at that, so it wouldn't be a pity if they were killed.

Wu Han understood. He didn't waste words. He knew that the Qiang envoys had come a long way, and the first order of business was to treat them to wine and meat. Never mind how guarded and wary everyone was now — once they started drinking, talking would become easier. This was wisdom Wu Han had accumulated over many years of roaming the land.

During the feast, Wu Han also noticed that the envoys of the Han Qiang and Kai Qiang were as close as brothers. Upon inquiring, he learned they shared a common ancestor. Yet they showed no courtesy whatsoever to the Zhong Qiang, Gongtang Qiang, and Xiangjie Qiang — the two sides had fought plenty of bloody feuds over contested river valleys and other lands.

"The Han and Kai hate the Zhong, Tang, and Jie clans even more than they hate the court officials."

And when the wine was flowing freely, Wu Han had someone bring in the "rewards" from Emperor Wu.

They turned out to be a group of Qiang slaves, whom Wu Han had just fished out of the Jincheng County jail. This was the norm in Longyou. Qiang and Hu people lived intermingled with Han locals in the area, with different customs and no common language. Many were bullied by petty officials and cunning individuals, and quite a few ended up enslaved.

They were also easy to tell apart: the half in the county jail with hair in buns were Han convicts transported from the inner commanderies, while the half with hair loose or in braids were losers from Qiang internal conflicts, sold as slaves to Han officials.

Wu Han conscripted the Han slaves as civilian laborers for the army, while generously giving away the hundred-odd Qiang slaves — at others' expense — to the five tribes!

Population was a vital asset in He-Huang, and the five tribes were very happy to accept this gift.

That was not all. Wu Han had even better things to hand over to the five tribes!

At the crisp clap of the General of Valiant Cavalry's hands, five ox-carts were driven up. They were filled with weapons seized by the Wei army during the siege — halberds, spears, swords, and sabers, everything one could want. Each cart could arm several dozen men.

The chieftains' sons had been only mildly pleased when they received a few dozen slaves moments ago. Now, with so many weapons in hand, they could not hide the great delight on their faces.

Although the Qiang did their own smelting, their techniques were crude and their products utterly incomparable to Han armor and weapons. One good blade in He-Huang could be traded for a sturdy slave.

By means of these two gifts, Wu Han, through Niu Han, reached an agreement with the five small tribes: the Wei army would borrow the road south. The five tribes were to keep their people strictly in line and not permit any harassment of the Wei army or its follow-up supply troops. Otherwise...

"Otherwise, your tribes will be wiped from the map, and the river valleys and pastures you occupy will be handed over to tribes that obey the Wei army!"

In simple terms: whoever disobeyed, the Wei army would help their enemies beat them!

The Qiang, not bothering to ask what a "map" was, had now witnessed the might of Wu Han's force. They actually began eagerly touting their own warriors, hoping to serve as mercenaries and help the Wei army fight the Long army.

"Just like the Eastern Qiang helping the Long army fight the Wei army?" Wu Han did not trust them. These Qiang merely wanted to tag along to Longyou and loot.

"Longyou is not wealthy. The spoils we seize won't even be enough to divide among the ten thousand soldiers under my command — how could I let you Qiang wretches get a cheap share?" Wu Han scoffed and had Niu Han politely decline the five tribes.

Niu Han, puzzled, asked, "Since you don't wish to take them into your service, General, why give weapons to the tribes?"

Wu Han laughed. "I've never dealt with the Qiang before, but I have had dealings with the Wuhuan people in You Province."

"The Wuhuan, like the Qiang, are split into many tribes. They seize pastures and land from one another, and the hatred between them runs deep. Once, when a certain Wuhuan chieftain entered the border fortifications, I, as the County Magistrate of a frontier county, hosted him and gave him several dozen fine weapons. As soon as he got back, he immediately led his men in a surprise raid on a rival tribe. Guess what he said?"

Wu Han found the memory hilarious. "That Wuhuan chieftain said, 'With blades this fine, if you don't use them quickly to kill your enemies, they'll rust and go dull!'"

Truly, every moment counted!

Niu Han nodded. Exactly — the Qiang were the same damn breed. To seize land in He-Huang suitable for farming and herding, they slaughtered each other fiercely. Zhao Chongguo's pacification of the Qiang rebellion had relied precisely on sowing division and using Qiang troops to fight Qiang troops. And every major Qiang rebellion during the Han had mainly been because court officials were too stupid and brutal, indulging petty clerks who insulted Qiang chieftains, forcing feuding parties to hold councils, resolve their grudges, and unite against the Han.

Wu Han thought himself quite clever. "I see the Han and Kai have a feud with the other three tribes. That being the case, I'll give them some fine weapons. Let them go back and point those blades at their enemies, slaughtering each other — that'll save them from coming to harass my army!"

Niu Han was thoroughly impressed. With this, Wu Han had paid only some captured weapons and a hundred-odd Qiang slaves to buy the road south, while simultaneously overawing the Qiang with military might and even planting a few seeds of conflict among them...

Brilliant! Niu Han had previously thought Wu Han was nothing but a crude fellow, but now it seems this general not only has courage — he has a mind for strategy too! No wonder Diwu Lun places such heavy trust in him.

But Wu Han let out a long sigh. "Such a pity."

Niu Han, his respect for Wu Han greatly increased, asked, "What does the General find a pity?"

Wu Han replied, "A pity that under my command I have only a single division — a mere ten thousand men."

"If I had a full army!"

Wu Han licked his lips and cursed, "Then I wouldn't need to play these petty mind games with the Qiang. I'd round them all up and wipe them out in a single battle — clean and simple!"

"Wu Han has already taken Jincheng County and secured passage from the Qiang tribes along the route. Five tribes have even agreed to send tribute envoys next year. After a brief rest and reorganization, by the latter part of this month, he can advance to attack Didao County in Longxi!"

A few days later, at the temporary residence in Chengji County, Diwu Lun received Wu Han's report and showed it to Zhang Yu and the others who had been worrying that Wu Han would cause a major disaster among the Western Qiang.

"Well? Just as I said — Wu Ziyi as a commander is fierce and bold, yet possesses cunning and strategy, does he not?"

"Your Majesty is brilliant!" All the ministers expressed their admiration. Only Zhang Yu thought to himself: it takes three years to truly know a man — better to wait until this campaign is over before passing judgment. He had some past grievances with Wu Han from Hebei and was always hoping the man would show that old arrogance of his and take a hard fall.

And recently, good tidings proving Diwu Lun's skill in judging and employing talent had been plentiful. In early October, a victory report also arrived from Hexi, where news had been cut off for nearly a month: the Inspector of Liang Province, Diba Jiao, had subjugated enemy troops without fighting. From Liu Long, the Hexi Grand General in Longyou, he had taken over ten thousand soldiers and Zhangye Commandery. The new Governor of Wuwei Commandery, a diehard loyalist of the Wei clan, refused to obey this "treasonous order" and was still stubbornly resisting — but with Diba to the west and young Geng to the east, word of victory was surely only days away.

With this, everything was in place. The horn sounding the final assault to end Longyou was about to blow!

All that remained was for Wu Han to sweep around the dragon's claw at Jincheng, while Wan Xiu led the main force south, reaching out to seize Longxi — the dragon's lower jaw.

It had not been easy. Unlike the sweeping, wide-open campaigns in Hebei, Longyou could only be slowly nibbled away — a contest of courage and patience. The war had already dragged into its fifth month.

Today, at last, Diwu Lun could speak those words:

"This azure dragon of Liang Province — I have bound it with my long cord!"

PS: Can't believe this slacker of a May still managed to churn out 200,000 characters. Shocking.

The whole book should have about four months left. Monthly target: 250,000 characters.