Chapter 29: The Iron Cavalry Chills the Hearts of Bandits (Part 1)

"The road from Qin Prefecture to Gangu City is not easy to travel," Han Qianliu sighed, shaking his head under the lamplight in the side room of Puxiu Temple. "Huang Dayong is dead, and Li Laizi has submitted, so I thought there would be no more trouble. But how did we end up with this task? Sigh..."

"Who made me offend the county magistrate?" Han Gang also smiled bitterly. "Officials always hide things from their superiors but not from their subordinates, fearing that matters will be reported to the top, hindering their path to promotion and wealth. But the case of the military arsenal was taken over by the prefecture, and those who died or were punished were all from Chengji County. The county magistrate has received a lot of criticism and cannot avoid the blame for negligence. Of course, he looks at me unfavorably."

"This... this..." Han Qianliu was shocked. It was already early winter, yet cold sweat poured down his face. Huang Dayong, a mere bailiff, had almost ruined the Han family. Now that Huang Dayong was dead, but Chen Ju was still around, and he had offended the county magistrate, his tongue tied in fear: "What... what should we do?"

"Don't worry, Father." Han Gang comforted him. "I am now on good terms with Wu Jiepan. If anything happens, he will help me. The county magistrate is just venting his frustration; he won't go too far. It's just a transport mission, and we can't avoid it. Let's see how it goes."

Han Gang said this to reassure Han Qianliu, but the situation he faced was much more dangerous. The magistrate of Chengji County wouldn't want his life, but Chen Ju certainly would. He failed to achieve his goal in the courtroom, and he would surely continue with his schemes. From the interactions with Wu Yan over the past few days, Han Gang knew that the military judge of Xiongwu Army would not directly confront Chen Ju.

Officials always avoid trouble, and one less problem is one less problem. Wu Yan could transfer documents to Chengji County because he found Han Gang likable and could help him out. But if he couldn't help, he would simply shrug and not even say sorry.

However, Han Gang was not the type to rely on others. He didn't ask much of Wu Yan, just to find a reason to send a few trustworthy people to accompany him to Gangu City under the pretext of delivering a message, acting as his guards. This shouldn't be a problem. Han Gang was confident that he could handle the rest on his own.

Chen Ju's influence was strong within the city but weak outside. In Qin Prefecture, he was deeply rooted, but once out of the city, his options were limited, making it easier to guard against. The only concern was that if Chen Ju failed to harm him, he might take it out on his parents and the little girl.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Han Gang didn't want to dwell on the county magistrate and Chen Ju, to avoid worrying his parents and the little girl after he left. He asked Han Qianliu, "Last year, General Yang repaired Gangu City. Father, you were also conscripted. You should know which part of the road from Qin Prefecture to Gangu is flat and which is dangerous, right?"

The General Yang Han Gang referred to was named Yang Wenguang, the grandson of Yang Ye, the invincible hero of Yunzhong, and the son of Yang Yanzhao, who had defeated the Khitans. Han Gang was familiar with these names, both in his past and present life.

Yang Wenguang was a brave and strategic general, not inferior to his ancestors. Now in his late fifties, he still fought on the front lines against the Western Xia. He had participated in the campaign to suppress Nong Zhigao and, after the main general Di Qing returned north, he governed the Guangxi border as the prefect of Yongzhou. Among the current military officials of the Song Dynasty, Yang Wenguang was one of the few remaining famous generals.

Last year, when Gangu City was being built, Yang Wenguang was the deputy commander of the Qin-Feng Road military. The commander was usually the prefect of Qin Prefecture and the governor of the Qin-Feng Road, who was a civil official. At that time, he was the prefect of Jing Prefecture, resisting the Western Xia.

To build Gangu City (then called Bili City) before the Western Xia could react, almost all the people of the six counties of Qin Prefecture were mobilized. The Qin-Feng Road military command mobilized about 70,000 laborers from Qin Prefecture. Han Gang's elder brother went to the construction site of Gangu City to compact the earth, and Han Qianliu was urgently conscripted to transport grain.

"Last year, to transport grain to Gangu City, I made six round trips from Qin Prefecture to Gangu and back. I know that road better than anything else," Han Qianliu sighed, full of emotion. "That road is not easy to travel!"

Han Gang nodded. Although Gangu City was northwest of the city of Qin Prefecture, only about 50 to 60 miles in a straight line, the two cities were separated by a high watershed, one in the Jishui River Valley and the other in the Wei River Valley. There were no tunnels or mountain roads in this era. To transport supplies from Qin Prefecture to Gangu, one had to go east along the Jishui River to Longcheng County, where the Jishui and Wei Rivers converge.

Although the Jishui and Wei Rivers both flow east-west, the Wei River, to the north, flows more northwest-southeast, forming a small angle with the Jishui River, which flows straight east. The military supplies Han Gang was escorting would have to turn a large bend at Longcheng County, moving from the Jishui River Valley to the Wei River Valley, then upstream along the Wei River to the northwest. The route would pass through Sanyang Fort, Xiyang Town, Fugang City, and Anyuan Fort before reaching the destination, Gangu City.

"It's a huge detour, adding over a hundred miles to the journey," Han Gang said, summarizing his understanding of the route from Qin Prefecture to Gangu. "And neither the Wei River nor the Jishui River is a straight line. The riverbeds wind through the mountains, making the journey much longer than it looks."

"Exactly, it's not easy to travel! The mountain roads are long and narrow, winding and twisting. Even though it's just one mountain away, it takes four days to travel," Han Qianliu dipped his finger in the water in his teacup and drew a route map on the table. "From the city to Longcheng, this is the first day's journey..."

"But it's only thirty miles, and the official road from Qin Prefecture to Longcheng is well-maintained. Why is this considered a day's journey?" Han Gang interrupted.

Han Qianliu smiled, "You don't know, the second day's journey from Longcheng to Sanyang Fort, about sixty miles, is very difficult. It's all in the mountain crevices, with no place to rest. So, after reaching Longcheng, you must rest for a night and set out before the fourth watch the next day, pushing hard to reach Sanyang Fort by nightfall."

Han Gang nodded, understanding that if Chen Ju had any plans, they would likely appear on the second day, and if not, on the third. "So, the third day's journey is from Sanyang Fort to Xiyang Town?"

"Where's the good fortune? It's only a bit over twenty miles, how can you rest? Still, set out before the fourth watch, and you can rest for a short while in Xiyang Town before the hour of Si, then hurry through Pei Gorge, and you should reach Fugang City by the hour of You."

Han Gang nodded again, remembering the name Pei Gorge.

Seeing Han Gang listening attentively, Han Qianliu became very excited and spoke with enthusiasm: "Fugang City is where the Gangu River meets the Wei River. The fourth day's journey is along the Gangu River to the north, thirty miles to Anyuan Fort, and another thirty miles to Gangu City. General Yang built this city at the mouth of the Gangu River, encompassing the entire Gangu Valley, which has thousands of acres of prime farmland.

Gangu was originally inhabited by the Bili tribe. When the city was first built, it was called Bili City. But about ten years ago, they were driven away by the Tangut people, and the Xinbo tribes took over. Now, half of Gangu belongs to them, and they want the other half. I hear they are causing trouble. When you pass through Gangu, you might encounter some difficulties."

Han Gang now had a good understanding of the route to Gangu. After confirming it with Han Qianliu, who had personal experience, he would be prepared for any dangerous spots. If Wu Yan sent capable people, ensuring his safe arrival in Gangu would not be a problem. Even if they were not capable, he had found some useful things in the military arsenal that could help in emergencies. Once he safely reached Gangu City, he would have ways to deal with the situation.

Han Gang might not be as good at gathering intelligence as the women in Qin Prefecture who gossiped about family matters, but his skills in organizing, analyzing, and deducing information were essential in both business and intelligence activities, even in the future. Over the past few days, he had gathered a lot of information about Chen Ju, filtering out exaggerated and distorted information. He had a good understanding of Chen Ju's visible strength. Seeing the tip of the iceberg, he could also deduce the hidden part.

The Chen family's landholdings spanned the five prefectures and one military district of the Qin-Feng Road, and the number of people they could mobilize was staggering. Several shops in Qin Prefecture selling Tibetan specialties and large trading companies facing the Tibetan tribes proved that Chen Ju could also mobilize Tibetan forces when necessary. His connections in the capital and his network in various cities and forts meant that Han Gang could understand the means Chen Ju could use. The only thing he was worried about was the safety of his parents and Han Yunniang.

"Father!" Concern filled Han Gang's face, even his usually sharp eyebrows were knitted together. "This trip, Chen Ju will certainly have tricks up his sleeve. I'm not afraid of his dirty tactics, but I'm worried about you and Mother. Your brother is in the Fengxiang Army, and Chen Ju's reach can't extend there. Why don't you and Mother take Yunniang to stay with your brother for a while, and return after I handle the situation here?"

"How confident are you, Third Brother, to face Chen Ju alone?"

Han Gang smiled, "Father, you've seen what happened to Huang Dayong. Although Chen Ju's influence is great, he is not invincible in my eyes. As long as I have no worries, I have many ways to deal with him."

"Good!" Han Qianliu nodded without hesitation. The fates of Li Laizi and Huang Dayong gave him great confidence, and he knew that staying in Qin Prefecture would only cause trouble for his son. "I'll tell your mother and go to your brother's place for a while."