Chapter 34: The Dusty Road and the Barbarian Invaders (Part 3)

"Turns out you really are Nineteen's classmate!" Wang Shunchen was now the one surprised. He had thought Han Gang's claim of being a disciple of Hengqu was just boasting, or he would have started to pull strings long ago. He never expected Han Gang to call out Zhong Jiusai's name and courtesy name so easily, truly making him a classmate and fellow student of Nineteen, Zhong Jianzhong.

Han Gang smiled, having seen Wang Shunchen's previous suspicion and current surprise. "To say we are classmates, we aren't really that close. The master has many disciples, and I've only spoken a few words with Yishu. I'm just a bookworm, receiving teachings during the day and copying books at night. There aren't many close classmates."

"That's still a classmate..." Wang Shunchen slapped his chest heartily. "Scholar, rest assured. Since you are Nineteen's classmate, you are not an outsider. I can't promise much else, but I'll make sure those two scoundrels don't cause any trouble on this journey."

Han Gang bowed his head in gratitude. With Wang Shunchen's assurance, he could now be at ease for the next few days.

With this layer of connection to Zhong Jianzhong, the two felt much closer. They drank three cups of wine together, and then Han Gang suddenly remembered something. "By the way, military officer, I have a question. Is there anyone in the Zhong family named Shidao?"

Wang Shunchen thought for a moment and shook his head. "No."

"Are you sure there isn't?"

"Of course. Apart from those born in the past two years, I know everyone in the Zhong family. There is definitely no one named Zhong Shidao. However, the second son of Seventh Brother, who is Nineteen's twin brother, is named Shizhong. The names are similar, but he is only thirteen years old..."

They spent the night in Longcheng County. The next day, just past the second drum of the third watch, Han Gang and his group set out. They ate a quick meal and continued northwest. In the darkness before dawn, several torches illuminated the path ahead. The river flowing beside them was no longer the Jishui but the more turbulent and muddy Wei River. They traveled along the Wei River, and the mountain paths were narrow and difficult. However, there was one thing to be grateful for: the sky looked like it was going to snow, but it didn't, and instead, it cleared up.

During this day, Han Gang was on high alert, ready to deal with Xue Erba and Dong Chao at any moment. In his view, the four-day journey from Qin Prefecture to Gangu would be safe on the first day, which was a major road, and the fourth day, when they would be in the well-guarded Gangu. The only days when something might go wrong were the second and third days. However, nothing happened along the way, and they arrived smoothly at Sanyang Fort. Over the past two days, Xue and Dong had been very obedient, following the group. Han Gang deliberately teamed up with Wang Shunchen several times to discipline them, but they both endured it.

Seeing their reactions, Han Gang became even more certain that the danger was drawing closer. With Wang Shunchen by his side, and with several lives on his hands, Xue Erba and Dong Chao still looked very confident. The only possibility was that they had outside help.

On the third day of the journey, they set out again just past the second drum of the third watch, leaving Sanyang Fort. They spent several hours crossing the canyon and mountain paths, arriving at Xiyang Town at noon. The group found a sunny spot by the town and stopped to rest.

Xiyang Town was located in a basin surrounded by mountains, a rare flat area along the Wei River. Many merchants would stop here to rest, forming a prosperous market town. Five li to the northwest was Xiyang Lower Town, where a battalion of imperial troops was stationed for protection.

Wang Shunchen sat on the mule cart, rubbing his ankle. Although he was a cavalryman, horses were rare and he didn't want to waste their strength, so he walked more often on this journey. He rubbed his foot and said, "We've already passed the halfway point of today's journey. Rest for a while, and then quickly pass through Pei Gorge. Once we reach Fuchuan City, we can rest properly."

Han Gang, however, stood and gazed at the Pei Gorge entrance to the west, his brows furrowed. "Speaking of danger, the most dangerous part of our journey is Pei Gorge. If any bandits want to rob us, it would be in Pei Gorge."

"Scholar Han, what are you talking about?" Wang Shunchen laughed loudly. "Robbery? Who dares!"

Han Gang turned his head to look at Xue Erba and Dong Chao, who were hiding more than twenty steps away. "I killed Liu San and three others, and forced Huang Daliu to commit suicide. To quickly close the case, Chen Ju spent tens of thousands of strings of cash. He hates me to the bone and won't let me transport this military supply to Gangu City peacefully..."

Wang Shunchen was unconcerned. "What's there to fear? If Xue Erba and Dong Chao want to cause trouble, I'll find an excuse to deal with them for you! The river in Pei Gorge is narrow and the water swift. I can report that they slipped and fell. Once we reach Gangu City, you should be more careful."

Han Gang, of course, knew that Chen Ju wouldn't be without people in Gangu City, but once inside, Chen Ju would be wary of any countermeasures Han Gang might have. After several confrontations, Chen Ju hadn't gained any advantage over Han Gang. If he thought he could solve the problem by using his people in Gangu City, he was being overly arrogant. After all, Han Gang was a respected scholar, and only ignorant barbarians would disregard this.

Choosing between two options to eliminate the threat of Scholar Han, Chen Ju might still need to consider. But one option involves a two-pronged approach, while the other relies solely on allies in Gangu City. There's no need to think further. With more methods, there's more security. Han Gang, who had been closely monitoring Xue Erba and Dong Chao, was now 90% sure there was an ambush in Pei Gorge.

"Chen Ju's subordinates aren't just Xue Erba and Dong Chao. I've heard he can even command the barbarians." Knowing one's enemy is key to victory. Since Han Gang had become Chen Ju's mortal enemy, he had spent a lot of effort gathering information on Chen Ju. "The Chen family's shops do a lot of business with the barbarian tribes on the western mountains of Qin Prefecture, dealing in private salt and tea."

The western mountains of Qin Prefecture were actually the watershed between the Jishui and Wei Rivers. Without this watershed, the straight-line distance from Qin Prefecture to Xiyang Town would be only thirty li, and there would be no need to take a two-day detour. Therefore, the location of the barbarian tribes that Chen Ju traded with should be on the mountains directly south of Pei Gorge.

Wang Shunchen chuckled. "Scholar, you're thinking too much. It's just a rumor, and no one has seen it!" He pointed around. "Besides, military supplies aren't easy to rob. Even if those barbarian bandits had the courage, they wouldn't have the ability."

From Qin Prefecture to Gangu, except for some mountain roads, the rest were military roads five feet wide, covering less than two hundred li. Along the way, there were five major forts and numerous smaller watchtowers and beacon towers. The total number of troops stationed in these forts and watchtowers was about thirty to forty thousand. This was a defensive line composed of a series of forts, with a depth of over a hundred li, and its defensive capability was no less than the Great Wall, while its offensive capability was even higher. This fort line, stretching for two thousand li, took the Song people over a hundred years to build, but it was already enough to make the Western Xia's iron cavalry sigh at the sight of the Guanzhong region.

"We must still be cautious... When we left the city, Chen Ju was watching from the city wall. With your protection, I don't need to worry about Xue Erba and Dong Chao. If Chen Ju wants to kill me, it will be too late once I enter Gangu City. I don't believe he can still bet on Xue and Dong while you are with me... It's very likely that Chen Ju will notify his familiar barbarian tribes to ambush us on the road.

The forts along the way can easily defend against the Western Xia, but when it comes to the barbarians, you know how many of them walk this road every day? Not to mention, the governor was recently stationed in Longcheng County. Why? Because four thousand stones of grain and fodder were robbed by the barbarians on the way to Longgan City!"

"Even better if they come!" Wang Shunchen's eyebrows rose, and he rubbed his hands, excited to the point of cursing. "Damn it, if Chen Ju can send me some credit, I won't be polite!"

Along the Wei River, the so-called gorge is a loess ravine cut by the river, with countless smaller ravines on both sides, and even finer ravines on the sides of the smaller ones. The loess plateau, once a vast expanse, has been eroded into a landscape of thousands of hills and ravines, many of which are barren. However, on both sides of Pei Gorge, there were many trees, dense and thick, extending from the eastern entrance to the western entrance.

Pei Gorge was not long, less than twenty li, but it took nearly two hours to drive the carts along the mountain path by the river. In the middle of the formation, Han Gang held a hunting bow with a force of six to seven dou, which Han Qianliu had not only given him money but also maintained and restrung before the journey. He frequently looked up at the ravines and dense forests on both sides of the valley, where people could easily hide.

"Everyone, stay alert and move faster. There are barbarian bandits around!" Han Gang urged his civilian laborers. Wang Shunchen was overly confident, but Han Gang was cautious. If there were robbers, even breaking a jar of wine would be a problem in Gangu.

No one dared to contradict Han Gang, but the laborers secretly shook their heads, thinking that Scholar Han was being overly cautious. But the world is always worse than expected, and things always go from bad to worse.

"There are bandits!" Someone shouted from the front. In the next moment, a group of barbarians armed with bows and long knives suddenly emerged from the forest on one side of the road. They moved quickly, rushing out of the forest, jumping onto the road, and charging directly at them.

The laborers were trembling, and their looks at Han Gang were different, all complaining in their hearts: 'This scholar is a jinx, mentioning bandits, and bandits appear.'

"There are about forty to fifty of them," Han Gang said solemnly. Chen Ju's influence exceeded his expectations. Forty to fifty bandits might not seem like many, but their appearance on the front-line road could even alarm Li Shizhong. If their identities were revealed, their tribes would likely be considered rebels and wiped out by the imperial army, which had happened before. During the time of Cao Wei, the governor, many barbarian tribes were destroyed under this charge. What did Chen Ju promise them to make them act so recklessly?

Han Gang glanced at Xue Erba and Dong Chao, who showed no signs of panic, and an arrow was already on the string. 'To deal with external threats, one must first secure the internal.'

"Bloody barbarians!" Wang Shunchen shouted, raising his bow, a smile on his face. "They're here to give me credit!"

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