Chapter 150: Three Auxiliary Commanders
The first person to notice the troop movement in Weinan was Liang Xing, who was stationed in Huangbaicheng.

Out of vigilance, he routinely reported to Li Kan and Hou Xuan in the east.

In fact, from his point of view, there is nothing to be wary of.

He always felt that the Huya Army and Zhong Yao were not on good terms with each other. It would be better if he did not mobilize the army. Once the army started to mobilize, the conflict might break out at any time.

Subconsciously, the young General Hu Ya was very likely to have been played around by Zhong Yao and died inexplicably.

After receiving the report from Liang Xing, Li Kan immediately sent an envoy to Nan'an to apologize.

He really didn't send anyone to rob and kill Wang Yi!

He knew very well that he was wronged, so while sending envoys, he began to mobilize his troops and intensify the investigation of Weinan.

As a result, the first group to cross the river was 5,000 soldiers from Guanzhong, who settled in Gaoling City nearby after crossing the river.

Then that afternoon, Liang Xing of Huangbaicheng began mobilizing for war.

It was clearly Li Kan who provoked the Tiger Tooth Army, but with an army of 5,000 stationed next to him, he had to mobilize the army.

Liang Xing had to be on guard, because Li Jue was very famous in the past, but in this Huangbai City, he was negligent and his entire family was wiped out by Duan Wei.

Almost at the same time, Duan Wei, the governor of Beidi County stationed in Niyang, also began to mobilize his troops. Duan Wei happened to be north of Liang Xing.

When Liang Xing was wary of Gao Ling, Duan Wei was right behind him.

Duan Wei was the younger brother of Duan Jiong, one of the Three Great Masters of Liang Province. He also had a record of killing Li Jue, so he was very intimidating.

Now Ma Wan in Chiyang in the west could no longer sit idly by and began to mobilize the army.

In the east, news about the election of Li Kan's fellow villagers and allies was delayed, and they finally began to mobilize.

At night, on the Weishui floating bridge north of Zheng County.

The Qingzhou soldiers crossed the river in an orderly manner.

On the north side of the pontoon bridge, Wei Ji sat in his chariot and watched. He had mild night blindness, but he could still see clearly the Qingzhou soldiers crossing the river with weapons.

The biggest advantage of the Guanzhong Plain is that the terrain is open and the vision is good. At the same time, there are not so many swamps like in the Central Plains. As long as you are not afraid of field battles, there are roads everywhere!
At this moment, the black bear had entered Zhong Yao's original camp, which was separated from Linjin City by the Luo River.

It is a small highland called Qiangliangyuan.

To the south of Qiangliangyuan, there is a very short hill, but it has a majestic name, called Jingshan.

The black bear stopped at the northern end of Maqiangliangyuan, looking at the upper and lower reaches of the Luo River in front of it.

After the beginning of autumn, the water levels of rivers continued to rise everywhere, and the Luo River was no exception. The river water had already submerged the simple wharf built by Zhong Yao before.

In the rear, the Zhonglei Camp and the Yingji Camp marched in a line.

In the marching line of the Zhonglei Camp, the Black Cloud soldiers wore worn leather armor under their uniforms and a cloth bag on their heads.

A driver like him does not need to be issued with a helmet or armor. He can wear leather armor close to his body and a uniform on the outside to cover it up.

Camp commander Zhang Ding can only find a way to get you a set of worn leather armor, and you can only wear a cloth cap on your head like other auxiliary soldiers.

This is a heavy-looking helmet filled with scraps of cloth, which makes it look like wearing a small bucket.

This kind of cloth bag has strong sweat absorption ability and good cushioning ability, but it is not resistant to chopping and stabbing. It has good defense against stray arrows and stones.

As a charioteer, Heiyun hardly needs to face close combat, and the cloth bag can protect him from stray arrows.

As for his face, he also received a mask carved from hardwood, which he strapped to his face during battle.

In the dark night, Heiyun didn't need to control the carriage, and was pulled by a knight by the reins of the draft horse.

He did not dare to be negligent and watched both sides of the road together with the armored soldiers and crossbowmen on other chariots.

But there was no enemy, only the tracks of our own knights patrolling with torches.

Just like that, the night gradually became brighter.

As the sky brightened, dense smoke rose above the abandoned camp at Qiangliangyuan, and flags were erected and fluttering along the fences.

There was chaos in Linjin City.

Li Kan is a slightly plump middle-aged man. He should be in the prime of his life, but he seems a little distracted.

Climbing up the city wall and looking at Qiangliangyuan seven or eight miles away, Li Kan's face turned pale.

Now he couldn't understand why people came here just for him.

He sent envoys to beg for mercy and request for submission, but when the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, Zhong Yao, was stationed in Qiangliangyuan, he still refused to bow his head. Who the hell is that General Huya?
He resisted the oppression of Zhong Yao, the Inspector of the Imperial Guards, and managed to secure his own independence and freedom.

If I were to bow my head and depend on him now, I would not only have to look at his face, but also have to endure Zhong Yao's harassment.

As for escaping...where can he escape to?
The troops from Guanzhong were attached to him because he controlled Linjin; if he abandoned Linjin, the troops from Guanzhong would abandon him!

This is also the limitation of the generals in Guanzhong. Their followers rely much more on the land than on themselves.

Without his troops, he couldn't even take away a cart of cloth!
Not to mention other properties in the city and the women he had looted over the years, he would be left with nothing and might even be assassinated by his accompanying guards.

Li Kan's face kept changing, and he could only send people to the other side to beg for surrender and discuss the treatment after surrender; at the same time, he appealed to Hou Xuan for help and begged for reinforcements.

When his messenger arrived at Qiangliangyuan by boat, Black Bear had just woken up and was eating a stewed millet porridge. The taste was not good, but this was the breakfast of most people.

After finishing his meal, he met Li Kan's envoy, a middle-aged man with two delicate moustaches, a long face, and bloodshot cheeks.

The other party wore a black official uniform and a black gauze Jinxian crown on his head, and bowed deeply: "Linjin County Magistrate Han Qi pays homage to the General Zhenbei."

"You're very interesting to talk to. Sit down and talk."

Seeing that this man was tactful and friendly, Black Bear put the military book back on the plate and turned to look at his personal guard: "Pour some tea. I want to hear about the specific situation in Linjin City."

The guards agreed and left. Han Qi sat firmly and began to speak: "Reporting to the general, Li Kan has about 7,000 households of followers and hermits, and has taken in more than 200 tribes of mixed Qiang and Hu. He is from Hedong and does not dare to trust people from Guanzhong, so he treats this mixed Qiang tribe with extra kindness."

Seeing that Black Bear was listening attentively, Han Qi was no longer impatient and explained in detail: "This is the remnant of the Eastern Qiang, a mixture of Xiongnu and refugees from border counties. There are more than 200 tribes with more than 500 soldiers, all of whom are good at armor and lances, and are extremely elite. If you want to recruit Li Kan, you must first appease this mixed Qiang."

Fearing that Black Bear might not be able to grasp the key point, Han Qi added, "Now in the city, whether to surrender or not is not decided by Li Kan, but by this Qiang tribe. In the past three years, Li Kan has used all his resources to support them, and now they are strong. If they are not satisfied, they will force Li Kan to hold on and wait for help."

"Reinforcements? But candidates?"

Seeing Han Qi nod, Black Bear couldn't help but grin and say, "This is really interesting. Is Li Kan incompetent, or is there a hero among the Qiang and Hu people who can turn the tables and defeat the strong with the weak."

Han Qi immediately explained: "Li Kan was originally a hero, but his troops have accumulated more and more wealth in recent years, so he indulged in wine and women and could not extricate himself. Also, Hou Xuan has more barbarians under his command, and Hou Xuan helps Li Kan resist the invasion of the northern barbarians. Li Kan provides Hou Xuan with food and fodder every year. The two are from the same hometown, and now they have formed an alliance for mutual benefit."

"It's just that Li Kan has a lot of food, and many Hu people come and go to rely on him, so he has become powerful in three years."

Hei Xiong nodded after hearing this. At this time, his personal soldiers came in with teapots and tea bowls. Hei Xiong picked up the black pottery teapot and poured the rich tea into the tea bowls and rinsed them. Then he made a bowl of tea for each of them and asked his personal soldiers to bring it to Han Qi.

Han Qi took it with both hands, blew on the tea like Black Bear, and took small sips.

As the warm tea went down his throat, Han Qi immediately felt refreshed, and the slight stress quickly disappeared.

Han Qi was from Hedong and was the county magistrate selected by Zhong Yao. However, his family was still in Linjin City and was under the control of Li Kan.

Black Bear refilled his cup. According to the plan, after defeating Li Kan, he should send people to appease Hou Xuan, and then leave most of the soldiers here to reorganize Li Kan's troops and population.

And if he led the Zhonglei Battalion and the Yingji Battalion to attack Liang Xing in Huangbai City, he would definitely give Liang Xing a big surprise.

After defeating Liang Xing, he could then turn around and deal with Hou Xuan. By that time, Li Kan's troops would have been almost reorganized, so there wouldn't be any delay.

By the time the candidate is eliminated, it will be too late for Ma Wan to escape.

Even if he ran away, Pang De would definitely make a clear choice considering his record of quickly defeating Li Kan, Liang Xing and Hou Xuan.

Black Bear pondered for a moment and asked, "I want to recruit Li Kan's troops. Should I kill Li Kan or spare his life?"

"kill."

Han Qi’s attitude was clear: “Not only must Li Kan be killed, but all the mixed Qiang people must also be killed.”

He put down the empty tea bowl he was holding with both hands and spoke in a low voice: "After the rebellion of Li Jue and Guo Si, there were more men than women in Guanzhong. Later, the people who fled abroad gradually returned, and most of them were men. In the past two or three years, it has been difficult for the people in Guanzhong to get married, and the bride price is very high."

"Li Kan was very wealthy, so he bought many women from the people. If there were any beautiful women among his followers, he would force them to marry him. In order to win the hearts of the Qiang and Hu people, he gave many women as rewards."

Han Qi mustered up his courage and looked up at Black Bear, gritted his teeth and said, "If we leave it alone, in fifty years, Linjin will be the Linjin of the Qiang people. If you kill Li Kan and his followers, the people of Linjin will belong to you."

Seeing that Black Bear was interested, Han Qi suggested: "Li Kan loves beautiful women and knows that the general is not old. You may ask for money and women to trick this man out of the city. He will definitely bring Qiang and Hu guards around him. During the banquet, the general will smash the cup as a signal, and the sharp soldiers will come out and kill this ugly man in no time."

"can."

Black Bear handed the teapot to his personal soldier, who went to make tea for Han Qi. Han Qi raised the empty bowl to receive the tea.

Even though Han Qi was kneeling, he still gave Black Bear a sense of respect as he bowed and bent over.

Black Bear drank from the tea bowl and said, "Li Kan understands you, but not me. Let me add one more thing. I want him to send 2,000 soldiers and prepare half a month's worth of food and grass for another 7,000 men. I want him to follow me to attack Huangbai City. Since it wasn't him who tried to kidnap Wang Yi, then it was Liang Xing who did it."

"And as a hostage, he will send one of his sons and five hundred soldiers to serve under me afterwards."

Han Qi quickly put down his tea bowl and bowed: "General, you are wise!"

"And Hou Xuan, after defeating Linjin and confirming that it was not Li Kan who harassed Wangyi, I will treat Li Kan's family well and explain this to Hou Xuan. This way, I can keep Hou Xuan stable when I attack Huangbai City."

The largest ferry in Weibei is between Hou Xuan and Li Kan. Hou Xuan wanted to flee to Hedong with his people, even if the garrison in Linjin left it alone.

Hou Xuan also faces the same problem as Li Kan, that is, when he flees, his followers are often unwilling to follow him.

The group of generals from Guanzhong gave Black Bear a feeling of being bound by earth spirits.

After all, they were not warlords who emerged with swords and guns, but fake warlords who took advantage of loopholes and expanded in the past three or four years.

If he could annex them, he would be a temporary huge earth-bound spirit. Only after he completely occupied Guanlong and conquered Hanzhong could he integrate the people's hearts and geographical advantages.

Black Bear observed Han Qi's expression and said to this scholar from Hedong who was about thirty years old, "I have discussed with Lord Yuan Chang and feel that the separation of the three prefectures is not conducive to the governance of Guanzhong. In order to govern Guanzhong, the three prefectures will be merged into Jingzhao, and three prefectural commanders will be appointed separately."

In the Western Han Dynasty, the three auxiliary commanders were in charge of public security and conscription. In order to continue to divide Guanzhong, it was divided into three counties: Jingzhao, Fufeng, and Fengyi, which dismantled Guanzhong in terms of governance.

Noticing Han Qi's breathing quickened, Black Bear smiled and said, "If you do this well, you will be the Left Assistant Commandant."

"General, you have shown me your kindness and helped me to succeed. How dare I be reluctant to sacrifice myself?"

　I will try to post another chapter in the evening. If I update in the evening, I can only update in the morning tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)