The Marquis of Le Ping, who had been seated at the head, now walked over to him and handed him the special tube. “Take a look.”

Xu Huang, following Qiao Yan’s gesture, instinctively placed the narrow end to his eye.

As he was led out of the tent, he looked towards the nearby mountains.

Xu Huang was startled again.

This tube, polished and fitted with crystal at both ends, allowed him to see the distant mountains clearly, magnifying everything in his view several times over.

This explained how Qiao Yan knew about their internal conflicts earlier.

Although crystal was expensive and craftsmen with such polishing skills were rare, just a few of these tubes would be enough to keep all their movements under Qiao Yan’s watchful eye!

She wasn’t just enlightening him; she was applying more pressure.

Xu Huang respectfully returned the tube to Qiao Yan and left the tent without another word.

With the deadline at sunset, he realized he couldn’t delay any longer and needed to get the others to make a quick decision.

“If Xu Huang can convince the others to join, can I borrow this new weapon of Qiao Yan’s for a few more days?” Chu Yan asked once Xu Huang had left.

He had long known that Qiao Yan’s fort workshops, staffed by former refugees, were unusual.

But he hadn’t expected them to produce something like this.

Having this device would make scouting the mountain movements much easier for him.

Unfortunately, there were only two samples at the moment.

One was still in the workshop as a template for production and improvement, and the other was the finished product in Qiao Yan’s hand.

“For now, it’s not possible,” Qiao Yan shook her head. “I plan to have you send the old, young, and women among the Hedong Bandits back to Le Ping. During this time, you will take over all patrol duties in and around Le Ping, replacing Zilong(Zhao Yun). I need to take this device to the northern front. If you really want it—”

“If everything goes smoothly during this period, there should be another one soon, and that one will be yours.”

Qiao Yan could describe the general shape and principle of a telescope, but when it came to focusing and polishing the lenses, she was clueless.

She couldn’t specify the best magnification for use in the mountains versus the plains, so she simply delegated the task to her subordinates.

Unfortunately, the only crystal mined in Bingzhou so far was amethyst.

The few clear crystals were bought last year from Donghai County.

So, even though the telescope wasn’t that complex, its scarcity was a concern.

When Qiao Yan said the next one would be “yours” instead of “given to you,” Chu Yan was immediately pleased.

Chu Yan couldn’t help but smile.

After his recent success, he had originally wanted to ask Marquis Qiao for a courtesy name, so he wouldn’t always be referred to by his full name or his nickname, “Feiyan.”

Having a courtesy name would make him feel more dignified, like Yuan Zhi, Zi Long, or Zhi Shu.

But now…

With this device called a “telescope” by Marquis Qiao, who cared about a courtesy name!

Just as Chu Yan thought this, Qiao Yan asked, “What do you think of Xu Huang?”

“I’ve fought him many times. His skill in leading troops is indeed impressive, though I sometimes feel he doesn’t give his all. But once he surrenders, any lack of effort will be forced out of him,” Chu Yan replied. “Rest assured, Marquis Qiao. With our strong presence here in Le Ping and the heavy forces we’ve stationed at the mountain pass, they will make the right decision.”

In fact, before sunset, Xu Huang had already led his men to a decision.

With their leaders dead, the Hedong Bandits were already uncertain about their future, and being surrounded by Marquis Qiao’s army only added to their desperation.

Seeing Xu Huang return felt like grabbing a lifeline.

However, the terms of surrender he brought back were not easy to accept.

But as Guo Jia and Qiao Yan had shown, the common perception of the Xiongnu and Xianbei, though fearsome, was that they were more of a threat in border raids.

When facing regular troops in battle, years of experience had led to a belief that the barbarians were not so formidable.

Choosing between fighting the Xiongnu and engaging in a battle with Qiao Yan now wasn’t a hard decision.

In a situation where they were at someone else’s mercy, naturally, they would choose the easier option.

Moreover, Xu Huang revealed the merit-based reward system in the Le Ping army, which could be fulfilled with grain, providing even more motivation to make a decision.

Qiao Yan looked at the group of surrendering soldiers, who still retained some bandit-like behavior more than the Black Mountain Army.

She let them see that the grain sent from Le Ping to support their northern campaign had already arrived.

The army led by Qiao Yan, fully equipped and prepared, displayed the aura of a formidable and disciplined force.

With Qiao Yan raising her whip and pointing north, the scene was filled with a sense of grandeur and majesty.

The soldiers, feeling swept up in the march of iron hoofs and footsteps, only realized how far they’d come when the cold frontier winds hit them near the city of Guyang.

Perception was nearing its destination.

Of course, carried on the breeze from beyond the borders wasn’t just the atmosphere, but also the arrival of troops from Dingxiang.

Leading this army was none other than Zhang Liao.

Two years had been enough for this young man to grow significantly taller.

His experience overseeing border conflicts and frequent battles had accelerated his growth.

But these two years hadn’t made him forget.

His ability, at this tender age, to hold a position in military operations owed much to the help he had received from Qiao Yan.

Dismounting and striding quickly towards her, Zhang Liao’s face clearly showed respect for her.

“How is the situation in Guyang?”

Qiao Yan asked, looking north towards the vague outlines of mountains.

North of Bingzhou lay the Yinshan Mountains, not as difficult to pass as the Taihang Mountains but with eroded north-south valleys that allowed Hunnic cavalry to enter Bingzhou easily.

That was why, ten days earlier, Guyang had been invaded without warning.

“Before Lord Qiao arrives, the corpses in Guyang have already been collected and buried,” Zhang Liao said.

Despite his long experience with border skirmishes, a deep-seated hatred still lurked beneath his demeanor. “However, the heads hanging on the walls and the bones in the cauldrons below cannot be identified. They have been buried together for now.”

During the plundering, Han people were mere food.

This was the current way of the Hu people!