Chapter 29

Chapter 663: Ascend the Mountain Knowing the Path (入山先探路), Set Sail Knowing the Wind (出海先探風) (1)

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"Although not all of the Qiang people, these Zongcun tribes will no longer be mentioned in the Taishi Records after today."

As Jiahou spoke, the executions resumed below. Watching his dying subordinates, Huang Shui's eyes turned bloodshot.

While the executed prisoners were dragged away, Jiahou faced Hua Xiong.

"General Hua Xiong, have the Binan prisoners been separated?"

"According to your instructions, all those from the Binan tribe have been moved to another place. I know the Qiang language as well as the Qiang people. How could I not distinguish between the Binan and Zongcun tribes after spending so many years under Dong Zhuo's command?"

Hua Xiong was a general sent by Dong Zhuo to Lu Bu. Once a renowned hero under Dong Zhuo, it was natural that he was well-versed in the affairs of Liangzhou.

In particular, more than half of the 200,000 Xiliang soldiers under Dong Zhuo were of Qiang origin. It was only natural that he had to learn the Qiang language to command the Xiliang soldiers.

Although he had left Dong Zhuo, Hua Xiong now had the opportunity to use the Qiang language he had learned with great difficulty.

"Who is Chuhao?"

Jiahou asked the kneeling prisoners.

Jiahou also knew the Qiang language. After all, he was from Liangzhou and had prepared for the pacification of Liangzhou even before joining Lu Bu's command, so he must have learned the Qiang language.

Despite Jiahou's question, no one betrayed Huang Shui; they only exchanged glances. His lips curled into a sneer.

He drew out a short saber, the kind used for peeling fruit. Though short, typical of the north, it was as sharp as any other blade.

Jiahou approached a prisoner who looked quite young and stroked his head.

"Who is Chuhao? If you tell me, I will spare your life."

The prisoner's trembling was transmitted through Jiahou's fingertips. But the prisoner, overcome by fear of death and betrayal, remained silent, glaring at Jiahou instead of answering.

Jiahou instinctively knew the prisoner would not speak and mercilessly plunged the dagger into his chest.

Hua Xiong was more shocked by this than the prisoners.

"Scholar Jiahou..."

Hua Xiong's mouth gaped open as Jiahou, wiping the blood on the corpse's clothes, said:

"For the sake of General Lu's great cause, I am prepared to do anything."

Hua Xiong's face brightened at Jiahou's words.

Jiahou, whom he had thought was a weak scholar, had shown his resolve by getting his hands dirty. This made Hua Xiong look forward to the upcoming battles.

Jiahou pulled out a soldier who looked even younger than the prisoner he had just killed.

"Who is Chuhao? If you tell me, I will spare your life."

Jiahou's whisper was no different from the whisper of a death god.

The dagger, dripping with blood, hovered near the prisoner's neck. The prisoner looked around at his comrades.

Isn't it natural for anyone to fear death? With his life hanging by a thread, the prisoner must have been torn between his fear of death and the guilt of betraying his own people.

Jiahou's dagger pierced the prisoner's thigh.

"AAAAH!"

The prisoner, stabbed in the thigh, screamed as if he were dying.

"Tell me. Who is Chuhao?"

Still, the prisoner did not speak easily. Jiahou twisted the dagger embedded in his thigh.

"AAAAH!"

* * *

"You don't have to tell me. There are plenty of prisoners."

The prisoner's face turned pale at Jiahou's words. At that moment, Huang Shui shouted:

"I am Zongcun Chuhao Huang Shui!"

Huang Shui, who had risen to his feet, was kicked back to his knees by Hua Xiong.

Even with his hair pulled by Hua Xiong, Huang Shui resisted fiercely.

"The life of a Xiliang warrior must be repaid with three Han lives!"

"You Zongcun will not be able to seek revenge. Not a single one of you will survive."

Jiahou declared his intention to exterminate the Zongcun tribe and simultaneously slit the prisoner's throat.

"Do not think that our Zongcun will end like this! My sons will seek revenge, and if they fail, my grandsons will continue the cycle and avenge today's events!"

"Did you hear that? The Han people call this 'punishing one to warn a hundred,' don't they?"

Jiahou's decision seemed to worry Hua Xiong and Dalin greatly. However, Jiahou had no intention of changing his mind.

"The Qiang people are divided into several major tribes. Ultimately, we must form an alliance with one of them to conquer Liangzhou."

Hua Xiong frowned at Jiahou's words.

"No matter how I think about it, the Binan tribe does not seem to be a major force among the Qiang. Moreover, the Zongcun tribe is even less so. I don't understand why you are sparing the Binan and exterminating the Zongcun."

"The Zongcun are a variable. They can align with either side. Fortunately, I know the customs of many tribes well. Our response is determined by their actions. That's all there is to it."

"Then, which tribe do you plan to ally with, Scholar Jiahou? From the way you are sparing the Binan tribe..."

Jiahou shook his head.

"The reason I am not executing the Binan prisoners along with the Zongcun is to avoid provoking the Nuza, Wuliang, Hao Wu, and others. There is no other meaning to it."

It would be a grave mistake to think that Liangzhou is only inhabited by the Qiang. There are dozens of other tribes living in Liangzhou, some of which have their own significant power.

Among the major tribes are the Qiang, Xiongnu, Yuezhi, Yiju, and Wusun, and there are many more tribes whose names are unfamiliar to the Han.

Given this, it is natural to conclude that conquering the Qiang does not mean conquering Liangzhou.

"Moreover, I have not yet decided which tribe to ally with."

Jiahou said this and turned to Dalin.

"I have a request of King Xiudao."

"Whatever you ask, I will do it, even if it means jumping into the Dushan Sword Forest. Isn't that right?"

"I am grateful for your words. In fact, I need to report the recent events to General Lu, but I cannot write a letter yet."

"Don't worry about that. The Wuhuan soldiers who operate the homing pigeons say that we will soon be able to use them again. Moreover, if it's urgent, I can send one of my subordinates as a messenger."

"Very well. I will write a report to General Lu, and I ask you to deliver it."

The time had come when homing pigeons could be used again. However, since Jiahou was on a campaign in Liangzhou, even if he could send a message via homing pigeon, receiving a reply would be impossible without a human messenger.

* * *

As the homing pigeon communication system reopened, reports began to flood in to Lu Bu. The messages sent to Hedong were relayed back to Lu Bu by messengers.

From the distant Youzhou, the reports from Bingzhou and Jizhou's western Shangshan, and the reports from Taihang, a pile of documents accumulated on Lu Bu's desk.

All these reports had passed through Guo Jia's hands. He was the chief clerk in charge of all documents in Lu Bu's army.

"Is there any special news?"

Lu Bu, chewing on a piece of dried meat as if it were someone else's story, asked Guo Jia. Guo Jia, without even looking at Lu Bu, continued reading the reports and replied:

"In Youzhou, trade with the Dongyi is going well. Moreover, the Lingbao Caravan has been holding regular markets in Youzhou and Bingzhou, generating considerable profit. We shouldn't have to worry about military funds for a while."

"That's good. Now that we can trade salt from Hedong, our army and the Lingbao Caravan will gain even greater wealth."

"Of course. And in Shangshan..."

As soon as Shangshan was mentioned, Lu Bu frowned, thinking of the troublesome Zhao Yun.

"Has Zhao Zilong caused trouble again?"

"On the contrary, General Zhao reports that he has been training thousands of soldiers with the help of Lord Zhao."

"Thousands? Where did so many able-bodied men come from?"

"General Zhao has been regularly visiting the heroes of Taihang. He has selected capable individuals from Taihang and taught them Shangshan spear techniques, making significant progress. Soon, you will have another elite force."

If thousands of soldiers were trained in Shangshan spear techniques, they would become a formidable force, not inferior to the Dongye or Hufu cavalry. Lu Bu found Zhao Yun quite commendable.

"General, you should praise General Zhao and Scholar Zhongde, and reward them."

Given that the valiant Zhao Yun and the capable Zheng Yu had trained the heroes of Taihang into elite spear soldiers, they deserved commendation and rewards.

Lu Bu nodded.

"After the Guanxi campaign is over, we will hold a commendation ceremony. For now, a few words of praise would be appropriate."

"What do you mean? Surely you don't think Zhao Zilong will come here?"

"Why not? Didn't you send a letter to Lord Zhao Wan about Zhao Qinglong? General Zhao is accompanying Lord Zhao here."

Lu Bu pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What about Shangshan?"

"Lord Zhao's eldest son, Feng, is in charge of the Zhao family's warriors, and Scholar Zhongde is also there. There shouldn't be any problems."

Zhao Feng, Zhao Yun's brother, was a capable warrior. With Zheng Yu by his side, even if the Guandong army attacked, the Zhao family would not fall easily.

"How is the situation in Dongguan?"

"The situation in Dongguan is still..."

The homing pigeons in Henei, north of the Yellow River, were just starting to be useful. Therefore, the homing pigeons sent to Dongguan were not yet capable of delivering messages.

Moreover, Zhang Fei and Xun Yu, who were guarding Dongguan, were currently staying at the Xianta Palace on Taohua Mountain.

Not only that, but they had used the Four Directions Formation, making it difficult to send messages by human messenger.

However, it was not necessary to use only soldiers as messengers. Xun Yu's report was brought to Lu Bu by Bishangfang and a few fangshi, who had arrived at the ferry on the Zhongtian River.