Chapter 41

"Perhaps we can cut down trees to make rafts to cross the river..." Chen Qingzhi's words were cut short halfway through. The banks of the Yellow River during the Western Han period were not short of wood for making rafts; there were plenty of materials in the nearby forest. However, the Han envoy group lacked the tools to cut down trees!

The Han swords carried by the soldiers were not suitable for such tasks. Swords are good for stabbing but weak for chopping. Using them to cut down trees would likely result in the swords breaking before enough wood for the rafts could be gathered! Oh, not all of them, though. Pan Feng's large axe was quite suitable for cutting trees! However, relying on Pan Feng alone to cut enough wood for over a hundred people to cross the river would be too much to ask, especially considering the large number of horses and supplies in the group.

Moreover... having a peerless general cut wood was a waste of talent, wasn't it? Besides, making rafts is a skill, and Li You was not confident that there was anyone in the envoy group with such expertise.

"Since the Xiongnu have already left, let's rest for the night! We'll go to the Qiang tribe tomorrow to see if we can find another way to cross the river!" Li You immediately issued the order, and the soldiers began setting up camp to rest. However, they still could not start a fire. Once the camp was set up, Li You called Tang Yifu and Chen Qingzhi to his tent.

"It seems that Zhong Xing is trying to cut off our path! Tang Yifu, is there a place nearby where we can wade across the river?" There were several small paths from the ambush valley to the Yellow River, and Zhong Xing probably couldn't guess which path they would take, so he came up with this plan to cut off their supplies. Using the speed of the Xiongnu cavalry, he arrived ahead of the envoy group, cutting off their hope of crossing the river and then trapping them like fish in a barrel.

Tang Yifu thought for a moment and slowly shook his head, "Although the river here is not as wide as in Hongnong Commandery, it is still too deep to wade through! Perhaps during winter when it freezes, we could cross on the ice! But we definitely can't wait that long!"

Hongnong Commandery is east of Chang'an, where the Yellow River flows into Henan and Hedong Commanderies. The current is swift and difficult to cross. Tang Yifu had been to this area during his time in Han, accompanying Tang Yihou.

He reminded Li You again, "The weather is getting colder, and in a few days, the ice on the river will be too thick for us to cross even with boats! We need to cross the river in the next few days!"

Li You's brows furrowed. There were Xiongnu troops on both the north and south sides, and the westward route was blocked by the Yellow River. They couldn't return east to Chang'an, could they? After much thought, he asked, "How long will it take Zhong Xing to return from his southward journey?"

"From here to the south, there are only five or six small Qiang tribes. With the speed of the Xiongnu horses, it will take about five days to clear them all!" Tang Yifu, who was very familiar with the geography, answered without hesitation.

"Five days to go, and less time to return without the need to burn the boats. So we have at most eight days to cross the river!" This time was neither long nor short. If it were longer, they might be able to gather enough wood to build rafts. If it were shorter, they would have to retreat and find another route.

"In that case, let's spend five days figuring out how to cross the river. If we can't come up with a plan in five days, we'll retreat a bit and see if there are other routes to bypass this crossing point." This would mean a much larger detour, encountering more Xiongnu tribes and wasting valuable time! Unless absolutely necessary, Li You did not want to make this choice!

"How many people are in the Qiang tribe? How many able-bodied men?" Chen Qingzhi knew they would have to deal with them tomorrow, so he inquired about their situation.

"About three hundred people, with over a hundred able-bodied men!" Tang Yifu had scouted the area around the tribe today and had already gathered this information from interrogating captives.

"Over a hundred able-bodied men?" Li You and Chen Qingzhi exchanged a glance, seemingly reaching a decision.

Meanwhile, in the Qiang tribe, the leader Dian Liang was discussing with his son Dian Wu how to respond to the Xiongnu's orders! The Qiang people did not have surnames at the time, and names were often passed down through generations. Dian Wu's first name was the same as his father Dian Liang's first name, and his children would use his second name as their second name, such as Dong Wu and Hao Wu. If Dong Wu had children, they would use "Dong" as their first name.

"What should we do if the Han envoy group really comes to us?" Dian Liang sighed, as the Xiongnu's visit had not only burned their boats but also killed several able-bodied men and consumed many cattle and sheep. This winter would be tough!

"If they come, we can capture them and claim a reward from the nobles! The tribe's cattle and sheep are not enough to last the winter! If we can get a reward from the nobles, the children of the tribe might survive the winter!" Dian Wu gripped his curved sword, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty gleam!

"The Han people pay tribute to the Great Chanyu every year, so they must be weaker than our tribe's warriors!" In Dian Liang's simple view, only those who couldn't defeat others would offer tribute to beg for mercy! He believed the Qiang were not much weaker than the Xiongnu, but their small numbers and scattered distribution forced them to submit to the Xiongnu!

Since the Han couldn't defeat the Xiongnu, they definitely couldn't defeat us, "Tomorrow, take your men to this place and look for the Han. If you find them, return to the tribe, gather the men, and kill them to claim a reward from the nobles!"

Hearing this, Dian Wu felt a burning flame in his chest. Although the Han couldn't fight, their silk and tea were highly valued by the nobles. If he could find them, his tribe would become wealthy!

"Once the Han are killed, hide half of their wealth and then claim a reward from the Xiongnu nobles! With this wealth and the nobles' rewards, we can recruit more warriors to join our tribe!" Dian Liang's ambition was also burning.

With money, they could buy more food to help the tribe survive the winter. After the winter, when other tribes were at their weakest and many would not survive, they could take advantage of this opportunity. With a complete tribe and recruited warriors, they could conquer nearby tribes. At that time, he would no longer need to rely on other tribes and would become the chief of all the tribes!

Dian Wu was so excited that he couldn't sleep well that night. The next morning, he woke up with bloodshot eyes, called a few famous warriors from the tribe, and eagerly rode east to search.

By noon, one of the men heard the distant sound of hooves. Dian Wu rode up a hill and looked into the distance, unable to contain his laughter, "Ha ha, the Han are here!"