Chapter 631: They Dare to Slay Their Master!

This time, the Western Qiang's attack on Lingju was unlike before — it came with ferocious momentum. The tribes of Hehuang and the Western Sea mobilized tens of thousands of Qiang soldiers, and their operations were more proactive than the loose alliances of the past. Even more notably, there were no incidents of suddenly settling personal grudges or backstabbing allies in the middle of battle — a fact that deeply disappointed the Protector-Colonel of the Qiang, Niu Han.

"Since when have the Western Qiang become so united?"

Niu Han guessed that it was probably the title of "King of the Western Sea" bestowed by Gongsun Shu that had genuinely intimidated some of the tribes. Or perhaps, with the Han dynasty long in decline and the Xin dynasty of Wang Mang proving utterly useless, an entire generation of Qiang had forgotten the terror of being chased and routed by Han soldiers at odds of one to five — to the point that they now dared to slay their master!

This made the defense of Lingju exceptionally fierce. The sheep-and-horse wall had already fallen, and Niu Han had to mobilize the entire city's populace — men and women, young and old alike — to assist in guarding the walls, just to hold the city gates.

Fortunately, the people of Lingju were naturally full of martial vigor. Almost every household could dig out some old armor, bows, and blades. Half-grown children, draped in their fathers' armor and drawing bows, moved with surprising proficiency — it seemed their daily hunting and private feuds had not been in vain. Their ancestors had migrated here over a hundred years ago, and after several generations in Jincheng, they understood the brutality and savagery of the Qiang better than anyone. If the city fell, a merciless slaughter was certain, and the survivors would be taken to Hehuang as slaves.

This battle was not fought for the distant, unrecognized Emperor of the State of Wei, nor for Niu Han's few pleas and entreaties — it was fought for their very lives and homes!

Relying on the people's all-out aid, and thanks to the Qiang's lack of skill in siege warfare, Niu Han held out for a full half-month.

"What is half a month?"

On the city wall, a white-haired local elder, repairing a bowstring, proudly told Niu Han that during the time of the Former Han's Emperor Wu, the famous general Zhao Chongguo, then still young, had lived in Lingju. At that time, the Xianlian Qiang had also led a revolt, and Zhao Chongguo had organized the people of Lingju to hold fast — enduring for a full half-year until reinforcements arrived.

"So General Zhao was already so valiant in his youth."

Niu Han nodded, but in his heart, he felt desolation. Times had changed. Back then, behind Zhao Chongguo stood a Han empire at its zenith. And behind himself?

In the lulls between bitter fighting, he often gazed eastward. Beyond the towering mountains, all he could see was the shattered Longyou, and the State of Wei, whose reliability remained utterly uncertain...

It was this very mindset of distrust that caused Niu Han, when the Qiang troops withdrew, to assume it was merely a trick of the Xianlian King. Cautiously, he kept the gates shut, missing a golden opportunity to coordinate with Ma Yuan in a pincer attack on the Western Qiang.

Only when the Qiang receded like a tide back into the mountain forests, leaving a scene of devastation behind, and Ma Yuan's special envoy arrived bearing military tallies and banners, did Niu Han finally believe that reinforcements had truly come!

But he had already missed the major battle and could only glimpse its fleeting traces through the envoy's account.

"When General Ma heard that the Western Qiang had mobilized, he was certain that their attack on Jincheng County was a feint, and that the real strike would be on Lingju first. He therefore ordered the Liang Province cavalry to sortie in full force. The Xianlian Qiang, meanwhile, assembled twenty thousand Qiang soldiers near Jincheng County to block our army."

"However, General Ma only sent infantry to Jincheng County to confront the Qiang troops, while dispatching three thousand riders of the Liang Province cavalry to cross the great river, take a side path, and raid the Qiang rear camp. The Qiang soldiers at Jincheng County, a motley assembly from various tribes, were thrown into panic at the Wei army's sudden appearance and retreated westward in disarray."

"General Ma thus cleared the route to Lingju. The Xianlian King personally led his main tribal force and held firm at the reverse waters of Wuting. General Ma employed his old trick again: he had the main army spread out in formation to feign a frontal assault, while sending several hundred cavalry to circle behind the Qiang, set fires under cover of night, and beat drums with loud war cries."

"The Xianlian Qiang, unable to tell how many Wei troops were attacking, all withdrew."

"General Ma won both engagements, a complete victory, taking over a thousand heads and seizing more than ten thousand head of cattle and sheep."

Niu Han had no time for praise. Soon, he saw the enormous spoils of war being driven by the Wei army into Lingju County. Herd after herd of cattle and horses were gathered and tethered behind Lingju's sheep-and-horse wall. For a time, the smell of livestock wafted everywhere. The Qiang way of war, much like the Xiongnu's, involved carrying dried meat or driving cattle and sheep alongside them, eating the meat and milking them as they marched. Now, their "army provisions" had become a windfall for Ma Yuan.

And Ma Yuan, true to his consistent style, distributed all these livestock to his subordinates, letting them feast well on meat.

When Niu Han personally went out of the city to welcome Ma Yuan, the colonels and retainers around Ma Yuan all felt the Qiang were nothing special and that the situation was now stable: "The Qiang have suffered two consecutive defeats and lost so many cattle and sheep. It seems they will quiet down for a while."

"This humble officer thinks otherwise." Knowing the Qiang temperament, Niu Han was not so optimistic. He immediately warned Ma Yuan with an analogy.

"Suppose there is a band of robbers who have just elected a new chieftain. He leads them out to plunder, hoping to accomplish something great, but they fail twice and even have their loot seized. May I ask, General Ma, what would happen in such a situation?"

Ma Yuan's phoenix eyes glanced at Niu Han. You might as well say outright that I, old Ma, once served as a robber chief and know the rules of this trade well. Not wanting to answer, he simply turned the question back on Niu Han, telling him to speak for himself.

"In such a situation, the robber chief's prestige is greatly damaged. If he stops there, the lesser robbers will surely deem him incompetent. A bloody struggle will ensue, he will be ousted, and the band will scatter, no longer a threat."

"The robber chief's only way out is to gamble again — to seize an even greater prize!"

Niu Han said, "The chaos among the Western Qiang is no different from a band of robbers. The Xianlian Qiang have, with great difficulty, managed to command the various tribes. Though they have suffered losses now, their core strength is not yet broken. They will certainly not let the matter rest."

"Correct." Ma Yuan agreed with Niu Han's assessment. His certainty that the Western Qiang would attack Lingju County was not only based on bold decision-making, but also on intelligence secretly passed on by the "Shaodang Qiang," a tribe within the Western Qiang that was friendly to Wei. He had learned that the Xianlian Qiang's military action this time was instigated by Xiongnu envoys, with the aim of seizing Lingju to open the throat of the passage to Hexi, and to stage a grand "Qiang-Hu Alliance" with the Xiongnu who were currently invading the four commanderies!

Over a hundred years ago, the Qiang tribes did not have to confine themselves to the cramped corner of Hehuang. Apart from the Third Pole to the west, they could also freely travel the Hexi Corridor, enjoying its lush waters and pastures — until the Great Han established commanderies and built passes, turning it into forbidden territory.

"The Xianlian have always been unruly and rebellious. Given any opportunity, they will revolt. For generations, they have dreamed of reclaiming Hehuang, but lacking the strength, they failed time and again. Now, with the Xiongnu seeking to occupy Hexi and extending a helping hand to the Western Qiang, this is the best chance the Xianlian Qiang have had in over a hundred years."

As long as they were not fools, they would throw everything into this campaign, not cease their activities. Ma Yuan knew what this meant.

"It seems the fighting in Jincheng will drag on for a long time."

The Western Qiang had failed to take the pass, but the territory west of Jincheng had been lost for some time. With only the troops from Longyou, Ma Yuan could not completely quell the Qiang rebellion either. Otherwise, why would he be slowly opening up farmland? He would have swept through long ago!

"The current situation is that the Right Division of the Xiongnu has poured out in full force, and Hexi is struggling to hold on. But for now, this general can only ensure that the Western Qiang are blocked and prevented from moving north."

Ma Yuan calculated the troops at his disposal. At most, he could send some scouts to Wuwei Commandery. Against the tens of thousands of Xiongnu rampaging through Hexi, it would be a mere drop in the bucket.

"Indeed." Niu Han offered his own view: "For the present strategy, Longyou can only defend itself. The only one who can save Hexi is General Wu Han in Bing Province!"

Indeed, the Rear General Wu Han had been reassigned to Bing Province. The distance from Xin Qinzhong to Wuwei in Hexi was only a few hundred li. If the cavalry of Bing Province mobilized, they could arrive within ten days.

In theory, Ma Yuan was the highest military commander in the entire realm, and had been entrusted by Diwu Lun with the duty of "Guardian of the Western Border." From Wan Xiu in the east at Guanzhong, to Diba Jiao and Dou You in Hexi, and even Wu Han in Bing Province — all theoretically fell under his command.

But Diwu Lun loved to divide power; how could he possibly hand the western forces to a single person? The State of Wei's troop-deployment system was no simple matter. Although Ma Yuan could send a letter to Wu Han ordering him to rescue Hexi, Wu Han had the authority to not immediately execute the order "based on the situation in Bing Province." If rescuing Hexi led to the Xiongnu royal court and the Hu-Han Lu Fang moving south, creating a massive gap in the defenses of Bing Province and Guanzhong, who would take the blame? Therefore, this matter still needed to be reported to the imperial court first.

"How Bing, Long, and Liang provinces engage the Qiang and Hu must still await His Majesty's decision."

Ma Yuan wished he could wipe out the Western Qiang and Xiongnu all at once right now, but the setbacks at Heji had taught him patience. As early as when he dispatched troops to relieve Lingju, Ma Yuan had already sent courier riders toward Chang'an!

"I can only hope that His Majesty has concluded his eastern tour and returned to the Western Capital!"

From Jincheng to Chang'an, the entire journey was over one thousand two hundred li. How many days would it take for an urgent report, carried by a courier rider, to make a round trip?

The answer was: ten days would suffice!

Over a hundred years ago, during a similar revolt by the Xianlian Qiang of the Western Qiang, Emperor Xuan of Han had ordered the Rear General Zhao Chongguo to go on campaign. The sovereign and his minister exchanged no small number of letters, discussing battle plans. Among them, the two that decided the course of the war were written and sent by Zhao Chongguo on the twenty-eighth day of the sixth month. By the fifth day of the seventh month, he had received Emperor Xuan's reply: "Now the Five Planets emerge in the east, greatly benefiting the Middle Kingdom, and bringing great defeat to the barbarians. Venus rises high; for troops advancing deep to dare battle, it is auspicious; for those who dare not, it is inauspicious. General, make haste in your preparations, follow the will of Heaven, and punish the unrighteous. In all undertakings, you shall be wholly preserved. Harbor no further doubts!"

History is startlingly repetitive. Ma Yuan's letter requesting the Emperor to immediately dispatch Bing Province troops to reinforce Hexi also arrived in Chang'an in early seventh month. But the awkward thing was...

Diwu Lun was not there!

At that moment, Diwu Lun had just finished inspecting the Yellow River and was still in the Northern Capital, Yecheng! Thus, the letter could only be opened by the Imperial Counselor, Jing Dan, who was in charge of administrative affairs west of the passes during the Emperor's absence.

Opening memorials was a routine matter. Every day, hundreds, even thousands, of reports converged on the court. Even if Diwu Lun had three heads and six arms, he could not read them all. They had to be screened with the help of the Chancellor, the Imperial Counselor, and even the minor secretaries of the Secretariat. Often, he only had time to read the most critical ones.

Ma Yuan's letter was sent at the "five-seal relay" specification — one could understand it as bearing five chicken feathers, signifying the utmost urgency. Coupled with the seal of the Grand General of the Agile Cavalry, it was delivered by the Secretariat to Jing Dan immediately.

At a single glance, Jing Dan drew in a sharp breath, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. When, following protocol, he meticulously announced it to the Imperial Counselor's aide, opened it, and read it, he could only lament in despair.

"The fighting in the Liang Huai region ended only a few months ago. I thought this year we could rest and recuperate, letting the soldiers and people of Wei catch their breath. The east and south are quiet — why has fighting broken out again in the west?"

Jing Dan was utterly dejected. This war had truly come at the worst possible time. With no time for further lament, he immediately did three things.

First, according to protocol, he personally copied the memorial, kept the duplicate, and dispatched the original immediately to the Northern Capital for Diwu Lun to review!

Second, Jing Dan ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take control of the messenger from Longyou, placing him under house arrest to prevent him from running his mouth and unsettling the people.

As for the third, he said to a Palace Gentleman in an ordinary tone:

"Go to the Lantian Encampment and invite the Front General (Wan Xiu) to the capital. Tell him that Jing Dan has a matter to consult him on."