Chapter 361 - 355: Relatives
Zhao Hanzhang had a fierce determination within her, but it had long since settled, allowing her to calmly contemplate.
Due to the proximity to the Xiongnu’s camp, no one dared to start a fire, fearing it would attract their scouts. Thus, she lit a firestick and confirmed the map with Fu Tinghan, "Five thousand people, I want to keep them all here."
Fu Tinghan asked, "Seize the camp?"
Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Yes, bring the people out from inside. Unfortunately, this area is mostly wilderness, making it difficult to resettle them even if rescued. So I plan to take them to Guan City."
"Speed is crucial, and we are light cavalry. Bringing them along will likely make us quickly pursued by Xiongnu reinforcements."
Zhao Hanzhang’s lips curled slightly, "So I intend to leave most of them, preventing them from seeking reinforcements to the west. I plan to disguise as Xiongnu soldiers to approach the Xiongnu at Guan City."
Fu Tinghan, though surprised initially, accepted this, "Currently Beigong Chun is trapped in Guan City and cannot get out, surrounded by Xiongnu troops. Disguising as them is indeed feasible, but they have many people, and we only have two thousand. What’s your plan for the battle?"
"Once we start, they’ll immediately counterattack. Are you confident in escaping from fifty thousand troops?"
Indeed, according to intelligence, there are fifty thousand Xiongnu troops besieging Guan City led by Liu Yuan’s general, Qiao Xi. However, he is far inferior to Beigong Chun.
Beigong Chun only has five thousand troops and has managed to defend Guan City single-handedly, whereas Qiao Xi, who claimed to have eighty thousand troops, now only has fifty thousand left.
Zhao Hanzhang planned her next steps internally, hastily writing a letter to Beigong Chun under the weak light of the firestick, and handed it to two scouts, "Find a way to deliver this letter into Guan City by noon tomorrow."
"Yes."
The scouts took the order and left.
Only then did Zhao Hanzhang close the firestick, blinking her slightly sore eyes, turning her head and neck, saying, "Let’s go, time to sleep."
The soldiers slept in their clothes, waking after less than two hours, and quietly lit torches. Mosquitoes that had been flying around them fled away. They drank some water, gnawed on dry rations, and mounted their horses with weapons.
There was hardly a sound during this process. Bright eyes gleamed as they focused on the person at the very front on horseback.
Zhao Hanzhang held a long spear while sitting on her horse, unconcerned by the mosquitoes circling her. She raised her chin slightly and said, "I know everyone has been bottling up anger these two days. The Zhao Family Army fights not only for themselves but for the people, especially those of Yu State!"
"Now they have been plundered and killed; tonight is the time for us to seek justice," Zhao Hanzhang announced. "Release the anger accumulated in your chest, storm into the camp, and rescue the brothers and sisters trapped inside. Are you ready to fight?"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Good, let’s depart!"
The group silently followed Zhao Hanzhang, urging their horses to quickly approach the Xiongnu camp.
This time they did not stop en route, charging straight to the tents, with Zhao Hanzhang leading the way and directly storming inside.
Fu Tinghan followed alongside her, also charging inside, becoming a military strategist capable of mounting a horse to fight.
The Xiongnu camp fell into chaos.
Apart from Guan City, all other towns in this area had been occupied by the Xiongnu. Beigong Chun was unable to attend to others, struggling even to defend the city, let alone mount an attack. Hence, the Xiongnu were unguarded.
Zhao Hanzhang charged directly into the camp, leaving the enemy bewildered. Then, with a confused look on their faces, they fell down.
However, being seasoned in battles, those inside quickly reacted, grabbing weapons to charge out, but without armor and without ready access to warhorses. The Zhao Family Army, already brimming with anger, swiftly routed them.
The leading Hu General rushed out, his hair disheveled, clothes disordered, and trousers worn backward. He shouted loudly, "Enemies! Enemies! Quickly get the horses..."
Zhao Hanzhang jerked the reins, flew past, and thrust her spear, killing him before he could finish speaking.
Without their leader, the Xiongnu camp was thrown into greater disarray, with many scattering outside, leading to almost a one-sided massacre by the Zhao Family Army.
In the end, Zhao Hanzhang grew reluctant to kill, and the soldiers’ anger subsided. Under her command, they rounded up all the Xiongnu troops in the center of the camp and encircled them with horses.
Zhao Hanzhang, her armor stained with blood, rode forward, lightly pointed her spear, and slightly raised her chin, "Surrender and you won’t be killed!"
Upon hearing this, they immediately dropped their swords and spears, knelt down, and surrendered.
Zhao Hanzhang turned her head and nodded slightly at Qiu Wu, "Recover all weapons and warhorses, and count the prisoners."
"Yes!"
Qiu Wu immediately stepped forward with others, collecting all weapons and horses, and tied up the surrendering troops with ropes.
Zhao Erlang trotted over on horseback, excitedly pointing in a direction, "Sister, there are many people there. Someone claims to be a relative of our family."
Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, exchanged a glance with Fu Tinghan, and immediately followed him.
In the open space surrounded by more than ten tents, nearly a thousand people were squeezed inside, including the elderly, young, and women.
Everyone appeared in dire straits, some lying on the ground barely breathing, emitting an unpleasant smell of blood and decay.
Zhao Hanzhang dismounted and strode forward. An elder leading a middle-aged and a young man staggered towards her, stopping three steps away with tears in his eyes, "Are you the third lady of the Xiping Zhao Family?"
He was elderly, so Zhao Hanzhang bowed respectfully, half-bending and asked, "I am indeed the third lady. I wonder who you are, sir?"
He immediately stumbled forward, lost balance, and half-knelt before Zhao Hanzhang, saying emotionally, "Cousin, I am Guan City Li Hou, a Qi man!"
Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes flashed with confusion, but she didn’t hesitate to help him up forcefully with both hands, "To which branch of our family are you related?"
With many relatives in the clan, and even more relatives of those relatives, she couldn’t recall who was related to Guan City Li’s family.
Li Hou felt awkward but due to the life-and-death situation didn’t care much, saying, "I’m related to your family’s branch."
Zhao Hanzhang thought of her mother, rifling through her mind. The girl had memorized her family genealogy, and most of her maternal relatives were not in this area—could it be her grandmother?
Still considering, Li Hou said, "Her former maternal great-aunt was Mr. Zhao’s maternal aunt."
Zhao Hanzhang: ... Oh, that indeed makes us relatives.
Currently, besides the younger generation from the Xiahou Family, her branch has blood ties with Xiahou Xuan.
Except for her and Zhao Erlang, there are Zhao Ji and others in Luoyang.
Though the connection was distant, Zhao Hanzhang warmly shook her elder cousin’s hand, helped him to a seat, and asked, "When did Cousin Li arrive here? Is everyone in the family well?"