Qiao Yan’s route wasn’t straightforwardly northward; launching a campaign was easy, but breaking the alliance of the three Xianbei brothers led by the chieftains was far from simple.

Both Xiutu King of the Southern Xiongnu and Liu Hong in distant Luoyang believed Qiao Yan’s springtime counterattack against the Xianbei was seizing an opportunity without prior warning from the Han Dynasty.

However, for Qiao Yan, dealing with the deaths of the chieftains and the substantial forces led by Buluge and the veteran leader Bu Dugen was no small task.

The northern deserts bred fierce warriors, especially in this current Little Ice Age when resources were scarce, forcing them to be ruthless.

Her troops camped at Yanmen, a recent direction of Xianbei raids previously dominated by the Southern Xiongnu.

Qiao Yan, however, didn’t plan to deploy troops from there.

Before the campaign, she had discussed strategy with Zhang Liao.

Inspired by Qiao Yan’s initiative in creating three-dimensional maps, Zhang Liao replicated the terrain of Yunzhong, Dingxiang, and Yanmen, areas he knew intimately from generations of residence, despite his ancestors changing their surname from Nie after the failure of the Mayi plan.

Although Zhang lacked Qiao Yan’s advantage in observing three-dimensional maps, he accurately depicted the geography, including the gates between Sumu Mountain and Yanmen Mountain, the northern exits from Pingcheng, the narrow passes of Wuyao and Wugao between Dingxiang and Yinshan, and the Yunzhong Qiantao Plain formed by the Yellow River’s current course.

North of Yinshan was the current Xianbei stronghold.

Choosing the route beyond Yinshan was crucial.

Directly north through Yanmen was too obvious.

Following General Huo’s strategy of old, they could opt for Daijun, where Wang Ze, brother of Jinxiang Wangshi Wang Ruo, currently served as prefect.

There was a friendly relationship between Wang Ze and Qiao Yan, making it feasible to temporarily cross borders.

A slight westward deviation led to Dingxiang, attacking from the fortified passes of Wuyao and Wugao in the Yinshan Valley.

However, Qiao Yan found none of these routes secure upon careful consideration.

After the previous battle with the Xianbei, she had sent scouts through Gongyang Pass towards the northwest, encountering Xianbei scouts who were even more vigilant than the Xiongnu.

Both sides quickly withdrew upon sighting each other, making it difficult to prevent the scouts from reporting back to the Xianbei Chanyu.

Gongyang Pass posed this challenge.

What about the area from Dingxiang to Daijun?

Frequent skirmishes implied numerous scouts from both sides were likely detained in these regions.

Qiao Yan was confident she wouldn’t get lost in the northern desert, but she also didn’t want people to be overly prepared too soon.

If the Gu Yang Road, Wu Fortress, and the mountain passes north of Yanmen Daijun were unsuitable for a surprise attack, was it possible to go straight through the central route?

On this matter, Qiao Yan and Zhang Liao agreed: they would take the Baidao Pass!

This was also the route General Wei had taken during the Desert North War in the sixth year of Yuan Shu.

Baidao Pass, as the fourth important gateway after Jilu Pass, Gaoque Pass, and Guanglu Pass along the Yinshan Mountains, had defenses established here since the time of King Wuling of Zhao’s concern with the Loufan and Linhu tribes.

However, the road was much more difficult than Gu Yang Road, and few Xiongnu passed through until the fifth year of Yuan Shu, when Xiongnu cavalry invaded again, only to be scattered by the subsequent Desert North War.

It later became a fortress because the powerful military group of Wuchuan in the Northern Wei to Sui and Tang Dynasties was stationed here.

But what Qiao Yan valued most was its location on the central line between Gu Yang and Yanmen, precisely where her sharp troops were best positioned to strike!

Because of this strategic approach, after leaving Yanmen County, their entire force hugged the Yinshan Mountains westward, passing through the three important towns of Wuyao, Wugao, and Wuquan, continuing straight into the northern Baidao Canyon in the clouds.

If we use a more familiar name for modern people, this place could also be called the Chele River.

It was the Chele River, under the Yinshan Mountains, with a sky like an arched roof, covering the vast surroundings.

Looking south from outside the Yanmen Great Wall earlier, it was a solemn scene of heavily fortified borderlands.

But looking west from their current position under the Yinshan Mountains, it was a lush landscape of water and grass.

If it hadn’t been for the frequent raids by the Xiongnu in recent years, the Han people wouldn’t have feared that the Xianbei might enter this fertile land at any time.

What she saw now should have been cattle and sheep grazing peacefully under the wind-blown grass, rather than the spring grass starting to spread wildly, with no signs of people in sight.

Only the winding branches of the Yellow River irrigated this fertile land.

Qiao Yan was intrigued by this place.

Just as the open coal mines between Yanmen and Xiyi River had remained undeveloped, most of the population of Bingzhou was active south of Taiyuan, so this outer fortress area had not been fully utilized for grain production.

General Zhang Renyuan of the Tang Dynasty’s Shuofang Army reclaimed over 3,800 hectares of fertile land here, saving the court countless expenses.

Even if civilians dared not settle here, she was determined to make it her military camp.

However, the premise of this plan was to first scatter the Xianbei’s ambitious aspirations!

“Lord Qiao?” Seeing Qiao Yan pausing here with a thoughtful gaze, Zhang Liao approached and asked.

Qiao Yan shook her head. “Nothing, just thinking that this place has broad terrain. If conditions permit in the future, we should demonstrate military strength here. We’ll need to build another fortress city for defense. Further south, we’ll develop livestock, aquaculture, and agriculture. It’s such a waste right now.”

During the Little Ice Age, even the Huai River could freeze, reducing planting time here by at least four months.

Once the threat from beyond the frontier was resolved, this would be a secure place for storing grain.

“Let’s go, over the Yin Mountains.”

The reason Baidao Pass got its name was because the rocks here were a different color from those at the Gu Yang Road pass.

Gu Yang Road had red rocks, while here, the soil was white like limestone.

It wasn’t an easy road to travel.

It wasn’t until the Yuan Dynasty’s Yan You era that repairs to Baidao Pass turned this “perilous place” into a smooth route.

At this moment, Qiao Yan’s advantage in using her three-dimensional map became apparent.

Initially, Zhang Liao didn’t understand why Governor Qiao Yan not only supervised the battle here but also led from the front.

However, after walking half of the journey over the Yin Mountains at Baidao Pass, he realized that their route was indeed the optimal solution for traveling and settling along the way.

Qiao Yan clearly had thought through every detail, including the treacherous Wugong Dam along the way.

As they began descending the mountain pass, the silhouette of the northern desert grasslands came into view.

Having saved considerable energy by traversing Baidao Pass, the soldiers were still relatively fresh.

However, Qiao Yan desired a swift assault once they entered the grasslands.

Without hesitation, even though it was only the second afternoon since they had started their campaign, she ordered them to set up camp upon exiting Baidao Pass.

“We could easily march at night and strike their camp as soon as we clear the mountain pass,” murmured Lu Bu.

Feeling that Qiao Yan wasn’t difficult to deal with as a superior, he brought up the idea to her directly.

“Many border soldiers are not accustomed to navigating in the dark, but how would that be a problem for Xianbei nomads?” Qiao Yan adjusted the charcoal fire in front of her, the flames flickering faintly. “During this stretch through the valley, I cannot tolerate any mishaps. Even if we risk detection, we must be close enough to strike.”

Explaining the nuances to Lu Bu wasn’t easy, mostly because of the differences in dietary habits, consuming more animal organs.

When necessary, she wouldn’t hesitate to employ unconventional tactics, but crossing Baidao Canyon was already a daring move.

She preferred a strategy of conventional warfare supported by unconventional methods.

Qiao Yan glanced at Lu Bu.

Perhaps because this was his first experience in such frontier warfare, the young man, future general, showed eagerness and ambition on his face.

He straightened up immediately when Qiao Yan motioned toward a high point and handed him one of the ten telescopes they had brought for this march.

“Go up there. If you spot any Xianbei scouts, shoot them at the mouth of Baidao Canyon. Can you do that?”

After reaching an agreement with Donghai’s Mi Zhu, a particularly cooperative merchant from Xuzhou, he promptly delivered the first batch of clear crystals to Bingzhou during winter.

This was why Qiao Yan now had an ample supply of telescopes.

Lu Bu replied, “You can count on me, Lord Qiao.”

Of course, Qiao Yan didn’t intend for him to undertake the task alone, and Lu Bu understood this well.

He swiftly selected a few energetic young men from his own team and headed towards the mouth of the valley.

Watching his departure, Qiao Yan shook her head with some resignation.

Amidst the current focus on power struggles in the Central Plains, individuals like Lu Bu—who were eager for opportunities to fight and advance—could help her achieve her goal of securing the borders first and then ensuring internal peace.

In her view, this made him quite admirable.

As she turned away, she noticed Zhang Yang approaching.

“Lord Qiao, your orders to bring extra charcoal for hot water have been passed down.

However, carrying water during the subsequent raid would be burdensome.

I will oversee the camp’s situation to ensure everything runs smoothly. You can rest assured,” Zhang Yang reported.

Qiao Yan nodded in approval, showing her confidence in his leadership.

Although this journey benefited from the experiences of predecessors, Qiao Yan couldn’t forget how Huo Qubing had died young.

Because of this, she paid special attention to water and food for this expedition.

As Zhang Yang had said, they would start early tomorrow morning with light cavalry leading the way.

They must ensure to raid the enemy camp before the Xianbei notice their marching plans.

Due to the speed of the light cavalry, traveling at 300 miles a day, they couldn’t carry drinking water prepared south of the Yin Mountains.

They had to rely on water from the grasslands.

Fortunately, Wu Pu, a disciple of Hua Tuo stationed in Bingzhou during the winter preparations, designed a set of medical kits suitable for the border environment.

Qiao Yan had them equipped for the soldiers before marching.

Under the supervision of each unit leader, they must drink boiled water to reduce casualties.

Wrapped in her cloak, Qiao Yan gazed at the starry sky above.

It was late February to early March, with no bright moon in sight, only stars peeking through the jagged rocks of the mountains.

This tranquil scene subdued the restlessness she often felt at night.

Soon after slipping into her tent’s sleeping bag, she fell into a deep sleep.

At dawn the next day, when there was just a hint of light on the horizon, she woke up refreshed, washed, and had breakfast from the supplies.

The entire camp was bustling with preparations for the impending battle, people moving about feeding horses and eating, yet no one was whispering or exchanging secret looks.

As Qiao Yan’s chestnut horse was brought to her side, she threw back her cloak, mounted swiftly, and behind her, the troops were already prepared and waiting.

She raised her hand, signaling the march to begin.

Zhutan seemed to sense the moment’s significance and impatiently pawed the ground twice.

At Qiao Yan’s command, the spirited horse galloped out eagerly.

As the vanguard, over four thousand cavalry thundered through the valley entrance, their hooves resounding.

They joined with Lu Bu and his scouts, heading straight into the northern desert.

Qiao Yan no longer needed to lead the way.

Zhao Yun and Lu Bu’s cavalry flanked left and right, forging ahead, while she followed with Zhang Yang’s contingent.

Further back, infantry carried supply wagons stocked with medical provisions.

Riding across the grasslands felt unlike anything in the Central Plains.

The fierce winds of the northern desert, blocked by the Yin Mountains, lashed their faces, but couldn’t deter their ambitious conquest.

Even so, those seeking glory in this campaign were undaunted, despite facing nearly two days of relentless pursuit.

For the Xianbei who dominated the northern grasslands, this twilight seemed ordinary.

Unable to raid the Central Plains this year, they endured a difficult winter.

Yet, free from the influence of their deceased leader Tan Shihuai, under the rule of Kuitou, Fulouhan, and Budugen, they established a secure forward camp near Mount Saiyin.

This served as their staging post for raids into Han territory, with patrols regularly dispatched from here before the Yin Mountains.

As dusk settled, herds of cattle and sheep returned to camp, and patrol riders regrouped, forming a formidable protective perimeter.

It seemed like the safest place imaginable.

However, just as the last rays of sunlight sank below the horizon in the southwest, they heard a terrifying sound approaching from afar.

It wasn’t the usual late-returning herd or patrol; it was the thunderous sound of a military force on the move!

In the fading daylight, a group of riders, seemingly appearing from nowhere, crashed through the outer defenses.

The lead commander, mounted on a tall steed, was imposing.

With a halberd in hand, he cleaved a path through the cavalry that had breached the perimeter.

Without hesitation, he and his troops swiftly moved towards the center of the camp.

That was where the command post of this outpost stood.

Standing resolute at that position was Fulohan, the younger brother of the recent commander here, Budugen!