Chapter 357 - 351 Guerrilla
When Zhao Hanzhang and her group left Anling, they encountered several groups along the way. She killed all the Xiongnu, then untied and released the Han people, distributing the food plundered by the Xiongnu to them. "Do not go to Chen County, the route is filled with Xiongnu soldiers; you won’t be able to pass through. Head to Liang State, or hide in the forest nearby, and come out in spring next year."
"Spring?" A woman, handed a small bag of food, asked numbly, "Will the Xiongnu leave in spring?"
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, seriously replying, "In spring, they will leave!"
Watching them head into the dense forest, Zhao Hanzhang mounted her horse, contemplated for a moment, then said, "Let’s go to Xin County and Yanggu County."
Fu Tinghan instantly understood, "You want to make a detour before heading to Guan City?"
Zhao Hanzhang lifted her chin slightly, her gaze determined, "I want to meet Gou Xi."
Yan State is Gou Xi’s territory, but in fact, he has also taken over Liang State and Puyang Kingdom.
Because he was contending with Prince East Sea, he fought all the way to Luoyang, incidentally occupying these places, which ironically all belong to Yu State.
Yu State is one of the nine states, situated at the center of the nine. How large is it?
Under its name, there are ten counties; Ru Nan is just a slightly larger one. In modern terms, it includes most of Henan, parts of eastern Shandong and Anhui, some parts of northern Hebei and Shanxi, and parts of Hubei; its coverage is very broad, but in reality, He Ci Shi does not control much.
Out of ten counties, only five are truly under his control. If Zhao Hanzhang were to take over as Inspector, she would inherit only these five counties, and the rest, she would have to rely on her ability to reclaim.
The majority of the lost territory is now in Gou Xi’s hands.
Zhao Hanzhang never intended to contend with Gou Xi for control of this territory; she is not thinking about seizing territory now.
The most important task now is external enemies, and in the short term, Zhao Hanzhang does not want internal strife.
Initially, she wanted to persuade various parties to convince Gou Xi to deploy troops, but now she has changed her mind. She wants to meet him personally. Are the many civilians outside of Chen County meant to be exposed to the iron hooves of the Xiongnu?
After defending the walls and clearing the fields, when the Xiongnu withdraw without success, they are bound to unleash their anger on the civilians.
Zhao Hanzhang tightened her grip on the reins and immediately changed her direction.
That afternoon, Zhao Hanzhang captured Yanggu County but didn’t linger. She expelled the Xiongnu soldiers from the county, ordered the civilians to either move away or enter the mountains, had her team take two days’ worth of rations, and moved on.
She wandered around, leaving the Xiongnu unable to predict her direction. They watched as she moved eastward, prompting Liu Yuan to dispatch troops to the eastern cities to defend, aiming to strategize and even ambush her, only for her to break through the northern counties of Yu State. She only broke through, gathered adequate spoils, scattered the Xiongnu soldiers, and left without defending the city.
Liu Yuan had no choice but to order each army to dispatch a large number of scouts, yet they still couldn’t figure out her direction. She unexpectedly moved south instead of continuing north just as he sent troops north to assist; she left from the east.
Oh, she rampaged through the county where they previously hid trying to ambush her, although she didn’t capture the county, they suffered severe losses.
Liu Yuan immediately recalled the reinforcements mid-way only to find Zhao Hanzhang had already vanished.
Liu Yuan was commanding from Fan County when the battle report reached him, enraged, he smashed a bowl, saying angrily, "How many units are there, is it just one or several? Did you even catch a glimpse of them? Running back and forth like monkeys!"
"Perhaps not just one," someone followed his words immediately, "The troop leader’s whereabouts are mysterious; it is said to be Zhao Hanzhang of Xiping, but no one can truly confirm it’s her. Perhaps multiple teams are acting under her name."
Liu Yuan, no fool, replied with a cold sneer, "When has Yu State, no, Jin State had such competence, to produce so many fine generals and warhorses?"
"Two thousand cavalry, and still multiple teams? Do you think warhorses come with the wind? Investigate! Send scouts to find them, even if you have to dig three feet deep!"
Everyone could only bow and comply.
Liu Yuan circled in place, repressing his anger and asking, "Have they not captured Chen County yet?"
"No, their defenses are solid and difficult to breach."
The main issue is that they have been led around by Zhao Hanzhang lately, trying to extinguish fires, save, and capture people everywhere, rendering the support for Liu Cong minimal. Oh, a likewise displaced Wang Mi tried but Chen County remained steadfast, ignoring the insults outside their gate, refusing to open up for battle.
Though Wang Mi excels at siege tactics, each attempt resulted in heavy casualties, and the people inside were quite jubilant, tightly守the ramparts, blocking any attempts to invade.
Liu Yuan approached the table and looked at the map. Though crude, it roughly outlined Yu State’s boundary. He furrowed his brows, marking red dots on Zhao Hanzhang’s attacked locations, finding no patterns, "What’s her objective?"
"Perhaps there isn’t any; she might just be deliberately disrupting us. After all, since her arrival, our rear has indeed fallen into chaos."
Liu Yuan furrowed his brows tightly, eventually shaking his head slowly, "No, she certainly has an objective. Haven’t you heard from the scouts? He Chang relies heavily on Zhao Hanzhang, specially appointing her as Vice General. Now, Yu State is under her command. As Yu State’s commander refusing to defend the city but coming behind us, won’t she have a purpose?"
Liu Yao, surprised, quickly asked, "Could it be to find Your Majesty?"
Startled, Liu Yuan considered the possibility.
Liu Yao sneered, "She is very bold; isn’t she afraid she won’t be able to leave if she comes?"
Liu Yuan, however, relaxed, stroked his beard, saying, "If truly that’s her thought, then we can adopt a strategy of attrition."
Someone felt otherwise, "Isn’t Zhao Hanzhang clever? How would she dare to attack Your Majesty with only two thousand troops?"
Liu Yuan retorted, "Observing her use of troops, she’s evidently daring, young and reckless. She might be thinking of killing me, destroying the state, seeking glory through unprecedented achievements."
In the end, Zhao Hanzhang’s ideas were not that whimsical, nor had she lost her mind to charge into the enemy’s main camp with two thousand men. Instead, after making rounds and thoroughly confusing them, she entered Yan State’s territory.
Zhao Hanzhang headed straight for Dongping Country, where Gou Xi was stationed, mainly with the army present.
If they chose, cavalry’s speed could be swift; Zhao Hanzhang took merely a day approaching Dongping Country, where Gou Xi noticed her presence.
A true renowned general of Great Jin, his control over Yan State is strong; even though Zhao Hanzhang tried to avoid populated areas and traveled quickly, Gou Xi learned early and led troops to meet her at Dongping Country’s border.
Zhao Hanzhang, informed by scouts that a large army awaited ahead, nodded, unfazed, took out a letter from her garment and handed it to the scout, "Deliver it."
The scout reached out to accept, bowed, and retreated.
Zhao Hanzhang turned to Fu Tinghan, saying, "This is his domain, after all. In information gathering, he’s far superior to Liu Yuan."
Fu Tinghan remarked, "So he knows it’s you coming, also aware of your deeds recently?"
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Let’s remain humble, await his invitation before we go meet him."
Otherwise, charging with two thousand cavalry, she feared it might result in a battle.