After settling the matters at the Office of the Minister of Works, Mengde summoned Liu Bei.
For the past few days, Liu Bei had been busy preparing for their departure.
Once he arrived, Mengde listened to his report and found his arrangements to be thorough and well-considered.
She nodded in satisfaction.
“Since everything is ready, let’s depart tomorrow,” she said.
“Understood,” Liu Bei replied, accepting Miss Mengde’s order.
***
Early the next morning, Mengde and Liu Bei set off westward from Luoyang, accompanied by several horse-drawn carriages and fifty strong escorts riding fine horses.
Fifty quality horses would be considered valuable anywhere, but to the Cao family—who controlled eighty percent of the Han Dynasty’s steel production and operated horse trade routes in the north—the cost was hardly worth mentioning.
Mengde did not plan to head north immediately. Instead, she decided to travel west to Liangzhou first, intending to use her connections there to prepare and negotiate before offering any support to the northern tribes.
After all, the Han Dynasty and the northern nomadic tribes were far from allies—they were enemies.
If Mengde were to bring a large amount of grain north and openly declare her intent to aid the tribes, she would likely be seen as a fool and immediately attacked by those who coveted the supplies.
On the grasslands, the rule had always been simple: if you see something good, take it.
‘Who had the patience to wait for someone to offer it nicely?’
During the late Han period, the four main nomadic groups in the north were: the Western Qiang, who lived alongside Han Chinese in Liangzhou; the Southern Xiongnu, who resided in the western river valleys of Bingzhou; the Wuhuan, who had been relocated by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu to the northern part of Youzhou; and the Xianbei, who controlled nearly the entire steppe north of the Yin Mountains.
Among these, the Southern Xiongnu and the Wuhuan had already declared allegiance to the Han court.
The Western Qiang were in a constant cycle of rebellion and suppression, but after a major uprising was crushed by the Three Commanders of Liangzhou over a decade ago, the region had been relatively stable.
As for the Xianbei, twenty years earlier their leader, Tanshihuai, had unified the tribes, occupied the former lands of the Xiongnu, and established his royal court on Mount Tanhai, becoming the greatest threat to the Han in the north—much like the Xiongnu had been during early Western Han.
Mengde’s plan was to first establish contact with the Southern Xiongnu, then use that connection as a bridge to reach the Wuhuan and the Xianbei further north.
As for the Western Qiang? They now lived a mixed lifestyle of semi-nomadism and semi-agriculture alongside the Han in Liangzhou.
Unless a major famine broke out, they weren’t likely to go hungry or cause trouble.
However, even though Mengde intended to approach the Southern Xiongnu, their allegiance was to the imperial court in Luoyang, not to the Han people themselves.
In other words, while they followed the emperor’s orders, they still raided Han settlements from time to time.
If Mengde wanted to avoid being ambushed on the way to meet the Southern Xiongnu, she would have to go through official channels to make contact.
The path she intended to take was the one used by the current Governor of Beidi Commandery—Huangfu Song.
Yes, the same Huangfu Song who would later become known for suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
At present, he was still serving as the governor of Beidi.
Beidi Commandery was located in what is now Ningxia.
Huangfu Song’s family was originally from Anding Commandery in Liangzhou.
Due to the Cao family’s horse trading business in the north, the two families had some cooperation over the years.
Their relationship was amicable and mutually beneficial, which was why Mengde chose to go through Huangfu Song’s network.
The convoy continued westward, passing through Hongnong Commandery, Hangu Pass, and the once-glorious city of Chang’an.
As they gazed upon the ancient capital, now left in ruins from the wars between the Western and Eastern Han, Mengde turned to Liu Bei and said: “Take a good look at this former capital. You should know, there are some Liu Beis in this world who spend their entire lives wanting to see Chang’an… and never do.”
“???”
Liu Bei’s face instantly twisted into a baffled expression upon hearing her words.
***
The convoy finally arrived in Anding Commandery in the fourth month.
Although the northern steppe tribes had suffered heavy losses during the devastating snowstorms of last winter, that didn’t necessarily mean they would immediately head south to raid the Han for survival.
After all, nomadic peoples were naturally resourceful when it came to living off the land.
If pushed to the brink, they could survive on nothing but gathered grass seeds.
And while their livestock had taken a major hit, it wasn’t as if every single animal had perished over the winter.
With the arrival of spring, life on the grasslands was flourishing again.
Everything was teeming with vitality.
The herders had many means to survive during this season.
It was the next winter when they would truly face the danger of starvation.
After all, there were no grass seeds to be gathered on the snow-covered steppes, and the livestock lost in the previous winter couldn’t be replenished in just one year.
If the herders wanted to survive the coming cold, they would have to head south in autumn to plunder enough grain to get them through.
Historically, nomadic tribes typically launched their raids in the fall.
Autumn offered several advantages: after grazing through spring and summer, their horses were at their peak strength, and their combat effectiveness was highest.
Although autumn grass wasn’t as lush as summer’s, it was still enough to sustain their march.
It was also the time when Han farmers were harvesting their crops—perfect timing to seize food.
On top of that, the weather in autumn was ideal: unlike the rains of summer or the snow of winter, roads were dry and flat, perfect for cavalry to maneuver quickly.
A raiding force could strike and retreat with ease.
In contrast, the Han empire usually chose to launch campaigns against the grasslands in spring, since that was when the nomads were at their weakest after a harsh winter.
It was also the farming off-season in the Central Plains, allowing farmers to be conscripted and supplies to be transported en masse to the front lines.
It was a time when the Han dynasty was strong and the steppes were weak.
Sending troops then often yielded great victories.
During Emperor Wu’s reign, for example, his armies always launched their attacks on the Xiongnu in early spring.
Since the northern tribes wouldn’t be moving south until autumn, it meant that Miss Mengde still had ample time to arrange aid and make preparations for the frontier.
***
However, to her surprise, before even encountering any Xiongnu or Xianbei raiders, she ran into something else first—Han Chinese bandits.
“Stop! This is a robbery!”
“Hands in the air!”
“Nobody move!”
“Don’t even think about running!”
As the convoy passed through a mountain gorge, a group of armed men suddenly surged down from both sides of the cliffs.
The convoy was immediately brought to a halt.
Curious about who would dare to rob them, Mengde poked her head out of the carriage to take a look.
After all, their convoy had fifty armed guards.
But then she saw the attackers—more than a hundred of them, with about a third mounted on warhorses.
Each of them held a spear, and some even wore leather armor.
They didn’t look like bandits at all.
Something was definitely wrong.
Her heart instantly grew alert.
‘What kind of bandits dress like that?!’
Just then, a tall, burly man rode forward from the group.
He held a long-handled broadsword in one hand and slowly moved to the front of the raiding force.