Chapter 15: A Minor Victory Over Wuwan

Liu Yao’s expedition to Guangping yielded remarkable rewards: not only did he reclaim Ju Shou, but he also gained Gao Shun, making the journey a resounding success. The party lingered in Guangping for a few days, waiting until they were joined by the troops under Zhang Fang’s command, and then set out together toward Ji County, the administrative center of Youzhou. After half a month’s travel, the city of Ji stood not far ahead of them.

“Report, my lord! There’s a cavalry force charging toward us from five kilometers away. They’re coming in strong!” A scout galloped up to Liu Yao with the news.

“Cavalry? How many?” Liu Yao asked, his brow furrowing.

“Roughly fifteen hundred, and judging by their appearance, they aren’t people from the Central Plains.”

“Looks like Wuhuan cavalry. Form up! Ready the repeating crossbows! Prepare to meet the enemy!” Liu Yao shouted.

Before long, the fifteen hundred Wuhuan cavalry halted five hundred meters before Liu Yao’s troops. From their ranks, a man who appeared to be the leader rode forward, eyeing the well-equipped Han force of three thousand.

“Han men, leave all your supplies behind, and I’ll spare your lives.” In the eyes of the Wuhuan, Han soldiers were all weaklings, no matter their numbers.

“Hmph, you aren’t even qualified to make such demands,” Liu Yao sneered coldly.

“Then we’ll slaughter you all! Charge!” the leader commanded, and the cavalry surged forward in a thunderous assault.

“Crossbows ready! When they reach two hundred paces, commence triple-volley fire. Aim for the riders, not the horses!” Clearly, Liu Yao had his eye on the Wuhuan steeds.

Immediately, the three thousand well-trained crossbowmen split into three groups. As soon as the cavalry entered the two hundred pace range, they unleashed a relentless barrage. Thirty thousand bolts soared into the sky, so dense that they blotted out the sun.

“Not good! Take cover!” shouted the Wuhuan leader, but it was already too late. Screams filled the air. Under the indiscriminate hail, the cavalry suffered catastrophic losses—some, luckier than most, were turned into human pincushions. Fewer than ten survived unscathed, among them the leader.

“Han Sheng, You An, Zi Yi—kill the rest, but leave that leader alive,” Liu Yao ordered. His own face had turned deathly pale. Never before had he witnessed such carnage; it was all he could do not to retch.

“Yes, my lord.” The three men spurred their horses forward. Against them, a handful of Wuhuan cavalry were as nothing—each fell with a single stroke.

“My lord, are you all right?” Shi A asked, concern clouding his face as he saw Liu Yao’s pallor.

“I’m fine. If I can’t endure even this, how can I talk of restoring the Han?” Liu Yao replied resolutely. Perhaps that reassurance helped; he found the shock a little more bearable now. This was his first step toward change.

Not long after, the cavalry leader was dragged before Liu Yao.

“Gather the horses, retrieve the arrows, and put an extra blade in every corpse,” Liu Yao commanded. The repeating crossbow bolts were not easy to produce, so undamaged ones were always collected for reuse.

The leader collapsed in terror, sobbing, “Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me!”

“Heh, you were bold just a moment ago. Didn’t you Wuhuan claim to have backbone? Why are you so afraid of death now?” Liu Yao mocked, disdainful.

“Yes, yes, my lord, I admit it! I’m a coward—please spare my life!”

“I’ll let you live if you answer two questions.”

“Yes, sir—ask anything! I’ll tell you everything!”

“What was your cavalry doing here?” Liu Yao demanded harshly.

“Our king, Qiuliju, sent us ahead to scout the way,” the leader stammered, his fear palpable.

“When do the Wuhuan plan to invade Youzhou?”

The leader hesitated, fear flickering in his eyes. Revealing this would surely mean death at Qiuliju’s hands.

Liu Yao sneered. “Think carefully. If you don’t talk, you die now. If you do, things might turn out differently.”

Liu Yao’s words echoed in the leader’s mind like the devil’s own whisper. At last, he gritted his teeth and confessed, “Our king Qiuliju plans to invade as soon as autumn arrives.”

“Autumn, is it? That’s half a year from now—more than enough time for me to prepare,” Liu Yao thought with satisfaction. He looked at the leader with approval. “Well done. You may go now. I said I wouldn’t kill you, and I won’t.”

The leader turned to flee at once, but before he could take a step, Liu Yao signaled to Shi A. In the next instant, the leader’s head flew from his shoulders.

“I said I wouldn’t kill you myself. Never said my men wouldn’t,” Liu Yao murmured. He had no mercy for foreign tribes like the Wuhuan.

“My lord, we suffered no casualties—only lost ten thousand arrows. We captured 1,260 horses, 2,000 stone of grain, and a great many other weapons and supplies,” Zhang Fang reported after tallying the spoils.

“Excellent! This is a great victory,” Liu Yao rejoiced.

With the supplies secured, the party continued toward Ji County. This time, no one dared obstruct them, and by midday they reached the city.

“Open the gates! This is the Governor of Youzhou!” a soldier shouted to the gate captain, delivering the official orders.

Upon verifying the document, the captain opened the gates and let them in.

“Summon all Youzhou officials to me for a meeting.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Zi Yi, arrange the encampment. The rest, follow me to the governor’s residence.”

“Yes, my lord.”

In the governor’s residence, Liu Yao took the chief seat, with Huang Zhong, Shi A, Gao Shun, Ju Shou, and Tian Feng standing behind him. Soon, all the officials arrived, each watching the new governor warily, anxious that his “three fires” might burn them next.

“State your positions,” Liu Yao said coolly.

“I am Wei You, currently serving as Legal Affairs Officer of Youzhou.”

“I am…”

A string of unfamiliar titles followed, prompting Liu Yao to shake his head in exasperation. Besides Wei You, none were names he recognized. Only one Controller of Affairs was present; there were no Vice Governors, Military Affairs Officers, or Merit Officers.

“Ju Shou.”

“Here.”

“I appoint you Deputy Governor of Youzhou.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Tian Feng.”

“Here.”

“You are now Military Affairs Officer, and you’ll also serve as Merit Officer for now,” Liu Yao said, resigned to stretching his thin ranks.

“Yes, my lord.”

The local officials bristled at these newcomers outranking them, but dared not voice their resentment. Before them sat not only the Governor of Youzhou, but the Imperial Prince himself—either title was not to be trifled with.

“Controller Wei, I have just arrived. Give me a report on the population and military forces in Youzhou,” Liu Yao ordered evenly.

“Yes, my lord. Youzhou has a total population of 2.8 million, with 500,000 stone of grain in storage. Apart from the garrisons in the various counties, Youzhou currently fields 40,000 troops: 5,000 cavalry and 35,000 infantry, including 5,000 archers. There are 10,000 horses and ample armaments,” Wei You replied respectfully. Wei You had originally served under Liu Yu; though not a man of great talent, he was competent in civil administration.

“Very well. The Wuhuan are growing ever more arrogant. I intend to rely on all of you to help deal with them. But let me be clear: anyone who disobeys my orders will find me far from lenient,” Liu Yao warned coldly.

Cold sweat broke out on the backs of the officials. They had hoped to test the new governor, but the tables had turned—now it was they who had been cowed.

Thus, Liu Yao subdued the officials of Youzhou, and his power in the province was poised to flourish.