Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 630: Snowy Western Expedition
On the Qin Straight Road, the cavalry galloped at full speed.

Horses were replaced at military stations and post houses along the way, and deputy riders were provided in turns.

At midnight, the envoys arrived at the shogunate's headquarters in Nakago.

Sima Zhang Ding was awakened. He put on his cloak and walked quickly to the side hall. When he came out, a military officer holding a lacquer-sealed bamboo tube gestured to him.

Zhang Ding yawned and asked the envoy, "What's the matter?"

"The Xianbei King reported that General Zhang Du Liao sent an envoy to investigate and found out that the Eastern Xianbei were advancing through the snow, bypassing the north of Yinshan Mountain and attacking the Dingling, Kunjian, and Gaoche tribes!"

The envoy was supported by two guards on their shoulders and said, "The Xianbei king sent troops without authorization to conquer the women, children, old and weak left in the eastern part of the Xianbei. General Zhang sent two battalions of soldiers to Du Liao and asked the shogunate to send an envoy to the Xiongnu to support the chief historian."

"Got it. Take good care of yourself."

Zhang Ding turned his head to look at the gatekeeper of the shogunate. The gatekeeper arranged for the guards to help the cavalry retreat. Then he heard Zhang Ding say, "Prepare the carriage. I will go to Dongxiang to ask to see the king."

"Here."

The gate supervisor bowed in response, and Zhang Ding then stepped forward to take the sealed bamboo tube from the military officer's hand. He shook it in his hand, but didn't hear any sound.

But he also knew that what the riders knew was only information that could be spread, and the really important information was in the paint bucket.

Zhang Ding did not delay and followed him out of the side door of the shogunate, putting on his casual clothes and a big hat in the carriage.

Escorted by a dozen knights, Zhang Ding successfully passed the checkpoint at Dongxiang Gate Pavilion.

When he arrived at the warm room, Black Bear had already been notified and was waiting quietly in a single layer of clothing covered with a white bear cloak.

When Zhang Ding entered the room, he took off his boots and only wore socks.

In front of Black Bear, Zhang Dingcai opened the lacquer seal and handed over a stack of military documents inside.

"I see."

Black Bear glanced at the first page, then turned to the second and third pages and read them carefully.

Kebi Neng sent more than 10,000 elite Donghu cavalrymen to attack the various tribes in northern Mobei around the Yin Mountains. Zhang Liao believed that this was a military conspiracy between Kebi Neng and Budugen.

However, Ma Chao had not returned from his expedition to Hehuang, so Zhang Liao had no intention of mobilizing the Huns to join him.

Therefore, we requested to send a chief official with special powers within the system of 'General of the Lieutenant-General of the Xiongnu'. The envoy of General of the Lieutenant-General of the Xiongnu is the abbreviation of envoy with special powers.

The reason why the autonomy of the Lieutenant General of the Xiongnu was higher than that of the Lieutenant General of the Xianbei and the Lieutenant of the Qiang was because of the "envoy holding the imperial seal".

Therefore, this position was not permanent, but it had to deal with the negotiations and governance with the Southern Xiongnu, so the Chief Clerk of the Xiongnu General of the Central Army would become the Chief Clerk of the Yongjie Army.

Whether he was appointed as the General of the Central Army of the Xiongnu or the Chief Clerk, he could supervise all the Xiongnu tribes, including Ma Chao.

Now Zhang Liao was going to mobilize some Xiongnu volunteers to attack the remaining Xianbei tribes first and force out Budugen, who "led his troops to attack the eastern Xianbei women and children".

As long as Budugen is forced to show up, it will be clear that all this is a conspiracy by Budugen and Kebineng.

The purpose was to lure the Du Liao camp and the Xiongnu volunteers to join the expedition and then ambush them.

As for sending troops together with Budugen to attack and rob the women, children and the elderly of the Eastern Xianbei... Zhang Liao was not greedy for this little achievement, but instead set his sights on the Xianbei headquarters.

Therefore, the first thing we need to judge is... whether Zhang Liao wants to take advantage of the situation to attack the Xianbei headquarters, or he has really noticed the conspiracy between Kebi Neng and Budugen.

General Black Bear handed the book to Zhang Ding and leaned on the couch: "Take a look and see what you think Zhang Liao wants to do."

"Here."

Zhang Ding stepped forward to take it, read it carefully, and said slowly: "I think that since Budugen surrendered, he has been cautious and slow in his actions, and he has never trusted the shogunate. This time he is acting out of character, which is quite suspicious. As for sending troops to attack the east, the shogunate has already authorized it, so it can't be considered as abuse of power." It was reasonable for the Xianbei king to seize the opportunity to quickly mobilize his tribe to fight against the Xianbei rebels. It was not Zhang Liao's turn to comment.

The purpose of Zhang Liao's Du Liao Camp was to guard the Liao River boundary and balance the Xiongnu and Xianbei.

Zhang Ding followed his heart and said, "Budugen's behavior is suspicious, but it can also be explained as his eagerness to make achievements. It is reasonable for Budugen to change his mentality after the victory in Hehuang. If the Lieutenant General to Protect Xianbei was appointed earlier, he would be able to distinguish the true and false."

"Zhang Liao is unwilling to take risks in a long expedition, so he attacked the Xianbei tribe. This would be easy and would bring great success. I don't care if the Xianbei are right or wrong, but I am worried that this would make everyone in the Xiongnu feel insecure."

After Zhang Ding finished speaking, he handed over the military book he had just read.

"Your consideration makes sense. The Xianbei tribe only has about 50,000 people, and they have few strong and healthy soldiers. If Zhang Liao and Liu Bao join forces, they can annex the Xianbei."

"The so-called evidence is not important, and it is hard to convince the public."

Black Bear placed his right hand on the small square cabinet, tapping the mirror-smooth paint surface with his fingertips.

Budugen led his troops to attack, and Zhang Liao attacked the women and children left behind by the Xianbei headquarters without any actual evidence... Even if Budugen quickly showed up and fought back, what was the point?
This had no meaning to the Xianbei people, but it did to the Xiongnu people.

The Huns didn't care about this legitimate or illegitimate reason; what they cared about was the survival of the Xianbei people.

The weak Xianbei people were the Huns' warning line.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

As long as the Xianbei existed, the Xiongnu could maintain basic loyalty; but if the Xianbei were annexed, even if the reasons for the war were justified, the Xiongnu would feel insecure.

After a moment's silence, Black Bear said, "Since Budugen has already led his troops eastward, we don't need to worry about it anymore. We can just wait and see whether it succeeds or fails. Tell Zhang Liao to prepare for defense. If Kebi can cross the Liao River and light the beacon, I will personally lead the troops to join the battle. Then tell Liu Bao that Ma Chao has begun to withdraw his troops. Let Liu Bao cooperate with Zhang Liao to concentrate on defending the land and prevent Kebi from taking revenge. We must also take into account the safety of the Xianbei people."

After that, he looked at Zhang Ding and said, "I will give Budugen another chance. I hope he can cherish it."

"Then your Majesty, do you think Budugen can win?"

"Winning or losing is not important, the Xiongnu cannot be in chaos. My regret is that if Kebi can annex the Dingling and Kunjian states, what will I do next year?"

After saying this, Black Bear stood up, walked to a table at the side, and took out a pen to write a military order.

No matter what Budugen was thinking or planning, if he didn't move, Budugen would not be able to take away most of his followers.

If there was no conspiracy, and Ke Bi really was determined to go on a desperate expedition to Dingling...it wouldn't matter.

His old nest was taken away by Budugen, so Kebineng had no choice but to continue moving westward.

Make the situation in the Western Regions more chaotic and more intense; only a large-scale melee can accelerate the restoration of order in the Western Regions.

It is better to let waves of people go on an expedition or flee westward than to demand manpower from the Western Regions.

Even in the southwestern region later, eunuchs were mainly captured, and they had to be carefully selected and healthy.

This kind of urgent military information cannot wait for the mail carriage that sets out on schedule every morning, and must be sent to the front line overnight by express horse.

It cannot be said that it was to suppress or restrict Zhang Liao's achievements; the Xianbei people were really needed to stabilize the Xiongnu.

The Xianbei people could migrate westward to escape, but they could not be eaten by themselves.

Not eating the Xianbei was the bottom line for maintaining the stability of the Xiongnu.

Another thing is that Ma Chao has already begun to retreat, and his army has not been disbanded, so he can intervene in the war at any time.

During this period, Ma Teng sent troops to help again, and Zhang Liao could not get any decent credit. Not to mention Zhang Liao, even Liu Bao could not stop Ma Teng and his son.

There's really no need to escalate the situation now. Just take this as giving Budugen a chance to show his loyalty.

(End of this chapter)