Lu Bu couldn’t shake the feeling that Qiao Yan wasn’t trying to trick him; instead, she seemed to be offering him a plum assignment.

Considering the state of Wuyao City they had passed earlier, which was quite dilapidated, he replied promptly, “Please, Lord Qiao, go ahead.”

“We’ve dealt a blow to the Xianbei from the White Road Pass at the Yin Mountains. I intend, on our return to Bingzhou and upon reporting to Luoyang, to establish a new city near the White Road Plain, close to the mountain pass. North of this new city lies the Yin Mountains, and to the south lies the military settlements of Yunzhong County.”

Pausing for a moment, Qiao Yan felt the warmth from the bowl in her hands and the fire before her, relaxing her muscles.

She continued, “The purpose of this city is to send a message to the Xianbei. Even if we can’t wipe them all out this time, they’ll know they can’t enter Bingzhou from the northern passes.”

“You, having just slain Fulohan, are a formidable warrior. If you were to guard this place, it would serve as a strong deterrent to the Xianbei. Imagine the tales north of the Yin Mountains about Lu Bu, the commander of Yunzhong, who guards the White Road Pass. Even with a thousand horsemen, no Xianbei rider would dare set foot in Bingzhou territory. How does that sound to you?”

Lu Bu’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Qiao Yan truly understood what he desired.

“Lord Qiao, you truly—truly understand what I want!”

Lu Bu, along with the governor of Bingzhou, marched out from Baidao Pass, killing a prominent figure among the Xianbei.

He was appointed as the guardian of Baidao Pass, which seemed perfectly natural.

Moreover, if Baidao River could be turned into a military farm, he would have plenty of troops under his command, and with its abundant waterways, it was an excellent place for cultivation.

If he succeeded, he would gain additional merits.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the ideal position for him.

The idea of being the sole defender of Baidao Pass, deterring any invaders, resonated deeply with him.

He immediately responded loudly, “Lu Bu is willing!”

“Good. I hope you can maintain the same momentum in our future attacks on the Xianbei king’s court. Can you do that?”

Can he do that?

Before Qiao Yan mentioned this arrangement, Lu Bu might have thought that since he had already earned his merits, he could afford to take it easy in the upcoming campaign.

But with Qiao Yan’s words, how could he not give it his all?

After all, he needed to live up to his reputation and deter any invaders at Baidao Pass with his valor.

This time, he responded even louder, “I can!”

Of course he could!

His halberd was eager to cut down more Xianbei heads!

His booming voice drew the attention of everyone in the camp.

Lu Bu didn’t mind; he always liked being the center of attention, just as he envied Qiao Yan for riding through Wuyuan County with the heads of Xiongnu leaders.

But with so many eyes on him, he felt a bit embarrassed and angry.

He waved his hand, “What are you looking at? Lord Qiao asked if I could cut down the Xianbei chieftain too. Of course, I said yes! Why don’t you all rest up these few days and compete with me later?”

His words were provocative.

Qiao Yan, who had just finished speaking and was about to sip her hot soup, almost paused.

But Lu Bu’s behavior didn’t harm her at all.

If someone with the most impressive battle achievements was so enthusiastic, how could the others slack off?

Qiao Yan, understanding the art of speech and motivation, just needed to steer everyone in the right direction.

Regarding the system that increasingly felt her behavior was off, it acted as a qualified compass.

Qiao Yan responded to this by saying, “Advancing against the Xianbei and ensuring the peace and prosperity of Bingzhou’s people—isn’t that what a loyal subject should do?”

The system questioned, “But in such chaotic times, would any warlord tolerate you as a subordinate?”

Qiao Yan immediately countered, “Have you ever seen Emperor Wu of Han unable to tolerate Wei Qing?”

“But Wei Qing… he was a military general!”

The system then scrutinized Qiao Yan’s stats and couldn’t determine if the extra point in intelligence was a compliment or an insult.

Indeed, her stats did resemble those of a military general.

She then went on to educate the system, explaining how Yanmenguan, from the late Han Dynasty to the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, saw a significant reduction in its population.

She painted an optimistic picture of turning the area into a lush, prosperous land, leaving the system somewhat dazed and deciding it was better off acting as a compass for now.

The reason she relieved herself of the alarm clock duty was that she felt consecutive days of rapid travel were detrimental to her growth as a minor.

After confirming that the camp and its surroundings were nearly identical to their state before their arrival, she decided to sleep until she naturally woke up.

As she had guessed, due to the location of Mount Sain, the scouts sent to the Yinshan Pass couldn’t leave at dawn and return by dusk but operated on a six-day patrol cycle.

These scouts, returning to the camp after two days, didn’t realize that their camp had already changed hands.

It wasn’t until they approached that they noticed the sentries, whose faces were hidden by beards, were not their own men.

By then, it was too late.

The guards, who had already switched shifts, shot arrows at the scouts, killing them on the spot.

Qiao Yan, listening to the commotion outside, didn’t even blink.

She was entirely focused on the map in front of her.

Marching straight to the royal court without rest would be a waste of lives.

So, she needed to change her strategy.

In these ancient times, where productivity was low, people relied heavily on rivers.

In the past, Tan Shihuai established his royal court at Dahan Mountain, directly relying on the Han Dynasty’s water sources.

After Tan Shihuai’s death, Helian’s death, and the fragmentation and re-coalescence of the Xianbei tribes, they moved northward.

But this move was not a journey of just a day or two.

Unlike the Xiongnu branches like Xiutu, the Xianbei had a larger population and a greater dependency on resources.

The stability in Bingzhou forced the Xianbei to either move eastward, like the branch led by Kebineng, or further north.

In the early years, the Xiongnu royal court in the northern desert relied on the Orkhon River’s source in the Khangai Mountains, also known as Yanran. Later, the Rouran khanate also set up its royal court there.

Some set up camp at the confluence of the Kherlen and Tuul rivers, the site of modern-day Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

Even the closest location to Mount Sain required six more days of marching at a previous pace of 300 li (about 150 kilometers) per day.

A two-day and one-night forced march already required her to recover her energy, let alone six days?

Even though the extreme cold in recent years had forced the Xianbei to move their base camp slightly southward, it was only a half-day’s journey south to ensure adequate water sources.

Calculating a five-day march, it was still a long journey.

This could only be a gradual advance, ensuring that all forward outposts were neutralized.

She sketched out the planned route on the map in front of her, feeling more at ease.

After another half day, the supply convoy also reached the camp at Mount Sain, giving her more confidence to launch the next attack.

Advance!

With this command, the newly supplied provisions were packed into the cavalry’s saddlebags.

No longer needing to march with one rider on two horses, the surplus horses were given to the logistics soldiers transporting supplies to the transit station.

These logistics soldiers now turned into regular combat troops, tasked with continuing to clear the surrounding Xianbei outposts.

With the official takeover of the camp at Mount Sain, Qiao Yan led Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Zhang Yang, and others further north.

With the changed marching strategy, their pace was much slower than before.

Thanks to the records left by the now-deceased Xiongnu leader in his camp, Qiao Yan could roughly determine the positions of his two brothers, ensuring they wouldn’t miss their target.

She also learned how they had arranged defenses south of the royal court.

Because Qiao Yan had taken over the role of governor of Bingzhou, the Xianbei realized that the Han people in Bingzhou were not so easily bullied and retreated to the northern desert.

However, seeing the successes of the Wuhuan in Youzhou and Jizhou, they formed a mistaken belief.

They thought the Han were too preoccupied with their internal troubles to dare venture deep into the grasslands to trouble them.

Therefore, they stationed Budugen and Fuluohan, each taking turns monthly to stay at Mount Sain, watching for opportunities to lead troops into the Central Plains.

Coincidentally, it wasn’t yet time for the shift change.

This meant that Qiao Yan did not need to worry about encountering Xianbei troops coming from the north on the way.