Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, Chapter 02: The Strategist System

Book:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 002

Three months.

No matter how the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted in February and was quelled by November, lasting only nine months, one fact remains unchanged—

The uprising, once ignited, reached its peak due to the chaotic composition of its internal members, making the rebellion’s disorder immediately apparent.

If the rural areas of Yanzhou could have provided her a temporary refuge for three months, now it’s mostly impossible.

The Yellow Turban Army’s siege brought with it a massive demand for military provisions, and March is not the harvest season.

Thus, the grain reserves of the surrounding villages, along with the stored food in the breached fortresses and towns, have all fallen into the hands of the Yanzhou Yellow Turban Commanders.

Thinking of this, Qiao Yan sighed as she looked at the elderly corpse before her.

The hasty and disorderly uprising brought not the anticipated redistribution of land and wealth but the scene she now witnessed.

The social chaos caused by the late Emperor Ling’s sale of official posts and titles, under the influence of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, edged closer to collapse.

Of course, Liu Hong still sits on the throne, and with the quelling of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in November this year, he will change the era name to Zhongping to signify the world’s peace, not yet receiving the posthumous title “Ling,” which implies chaos without loss.

“They say Lop Nur is where birds cannot fly across, and now Daye Lake seems much the same,” Qiao Yan mused, looking up at the deepening dusk.

The usual sight of birds returning to their nests at sunset was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the distant chants of the Yellow Turban Army overpowered the evening bird songs, faintly reaching her ears.

But it makes sense.

After last year’s poor harvest and the harsh winter famine, any trees that could bear edible fruits in the spring had already been stripped bare, and any wood that could be used for siege or defense equipment had been requisitioned.

With the trees gone, bird nests are scarce.

It’s hard to say if most of these birds have already become food for the starving.

Even the vultures and crows that would feast on corpses are nowhere to be seen.

Thus, even Daye Lake, a water-rich area, likely has few fish left.

The Yellow Turban Army and refugees from Juye City to Dong Commandery have already stripped it clean.

[Actually… there is a solution.] The system tried to defend itself.

Perhaps because when choosing this identity, the strategist system numbered 068 had hoped for an easy win, it now belatedly realizes that placing a long-starved, ten-year-old body in the midst of the Yellow Turban Rebellion might not have been the best idea.

Its tone betrayed a hint of guilt.

It continued, [There is one town in Yanzhou that successfully resisted the Yellow Turbans and is not on their north-south route.]

“You mean Dong’e?” Qiao Yan responded quickly.

Yanzhou is home to many famous figures from the Three Kingdoms period.

Not to mention Cao Cao’s hometown of Qiao County in Yanzhou, the region was a crucial resource for his early recruitment of strategists and generals. The first notable figure recorded from the Yellow Turban Rebellion is—

Cheng Yu.

In 184 AD, when the Yellow Turban Army attacked, Wang Du, the county magistrate of Dong’e, responded to their call and set fire to the county’s granaries.

Cheng Yu, however, realized that Wang Du only intended to plunder and lacked the ability to defend the city, thus stationed his troops five or six miles outside the city.

Seeing this, Cheng Yu and the local gentry took the opportunity to return and fortify the city, defeating Wang Du upon his return.

Dong’e, or rather Dong’e with Cheng Yu’s assistance, seems like a good destination on the surface.

But only on the surface.

Qiao Yan drew a circle in the sand with her finger—

This is her current location.

North of the breached Juye City, at Daye Lake.

In the memories of the original “Qiao Yan,” her father Qiao Yu, the Prefect of Rencheng, though not a pillar of talent, was a dutiful official.

His study housed a map of Yanzhou, which now benefits her, the successor.

Judging by the divisions of Yanzhou, Daye Lake lies at the intersection of Jiyin, Shanyang, Dong Commandery, and Dongping, with Dongping to the north.

Dong’e, where Cheng Yu is located, belongs to Dong Commandery but was later incorporated into Jibei State during the Western Jin Dynasty, situated north of Dongping and close to the border of the two commanderies.

The system watched as its chosen host, after marking a point in the sand, showed a look of seriousness.

“Dong’e, in modern terms, is Dong’e County, part of Liaocheng, Shandong,” Qiao Yan pointed at the newly marked spot.

She then tapped the southern indentation of the initial circle, “Juye, part of Heze, Shandong.”

“The distance between these two places is about three hundred li. A person walking normally can cover about 5-6 kilometers per hour, so walking 8-10 hours a day, it would take about three days to reach, not far indeed. But don’t forget—

I am not an adult, I cannot walk that fast, and second, I lack sufficient food supplies.”

This is no casual journey.

Although the system’s presence has seemingly cured the previous illness symptoms when Qiao Yan took over this body.

Even the original “Qiao Yan’s” excessive frailty has somewhat improved.

It must still be acknowledged that neither age, physical strength, nor food reserves support the system’s suggestion to head to Dong’e.

Qiao Yan has no intention of sitting idly by, but she knows better than to act rashly!

Considering she is still within Juye’s territory, seeking temporary shelter with local magnates who will hold significant positions in the future might not be a bad choice.

Unfortunately, Li Dian, who will become a General in the future, is only four or five years old this year, and it’s uncertain if his uncle Li Gan has already gathered three thousand retainers.








, it was also unaffected by the Yellow Turban Rebellion, completely an unknown.

Compared to the traceable Cheng Yu, this option is even more unreliable.

After she said this, the system remained silent for a while.

This reaction made her feel that this self-proclaimed Strategist System 068 seemed to have a newbie vibe.

But thinking is one thing, she just wiped away the circles on the ground and said, “Of course, I don’t blame you. If I hadn’t been chosen by you, I wouldn’t even have a second chance at life.”

Whether it was her imagination or not, a spark of light she could see since waking up flickered as she spoke.

Instinctively, she reached out to touch this light, and the next moment, a translucent glowing screen appeared before her.

Qiao Yan’s eyes flickered.

This light was indeed the panel of the Strategist System.

However, at first glance, Qiao Yan felt that this panel seemed a bit too simple.

Only two things appeared before her: one was a character backpack, empty except for a beginner’s gift bag, and the other was the character information in the center.

【Name: Qiao Yan】

【Faction: Han (Initial Faction)】

【Occupation: Strategist (System Setting)】

【Age: 10】

【Physique: 28 (100), Martial Power: 15 (100), Intelligence: 79 (100), Luck: 65 (?)】

【Remaining Attribute Points: 3】

【Skills: History lv7, Eloquence lv4, Artifact Appraisal lv4, Painting lv3, Calligraphy lv4, Field Archaeology lv5, Numismatics lv3…】

【Remaining Skill Points: 1】

【Strategist Points: 0】 (Every 10 Strategist Points earned grants 3 attribute points and 1 skill point)

【Special Status】 Beginner Protection Period (Immune to environmental diseases during protection period, countdown: 364 days 23 hours 42 minutes)

This was the cheat that would accompany her in this era.

However, this sparse character panel raised many questions for Qiao Yan.

The system’s attribute panel undoubtedly judged her physique, martial power, and intelligence.

Except for luck, which had a question mark, the rest were clearly on a percentage scale.

So the question was, what level does a full score correspond to?

For example, in the skill list, some skills she had already mastered and could use in this late Han period were still subjectively rated, such as 【Eloquence】.

Qiao Yan thought this and asked accordingly.

The system replied: 【The specific full-level standard cannot be disclosed, but I can say that the top-tier strategists and generals you know would not score below 85 in corresponding items.】

With this, Qiao Yan had a rough idea of the values.

【As for skills, the information I can provide is that we have a system default evaluation standard. If you improve skills through system-allocated skill points, the information will be transmitted in a memory-like manner, though the effect is slightly inferior to self-mastery.】

“What about Strategist Points?”

This overly simplified panel was clearly not the system’s complete form.

Surrounding the central character panel was a circle of mist acting as a barrier.

While the system explained attributes and skills, Qiao Yan touched it and saw the panel’s prompt:

【Check-in】【Unlocks at 10 Strategist Points】

【3D Map】【Unlocks at 100 Strategist Points】

【Ingenious Strategies】【Unlocks at 300 Strategist Points】

…

The names were tempting, but her current Strategist Points were still a big fat zero.

The system replied: 【Strategist Points are divided into two parts: one is through strategizing to achieve positive results for your faction or to assist a rising power within a faction.】

“So, assisting Cao Cao, who is already a lord, in seizing territory and developing power, or assisting Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan in becoming Yuan Shao’s heirs, can earn Strategist Points.”

【That’s correct. Another way is by completing strategizing actions to trigger strategist achievements. Since we’ve chosen the late Eastern Han period, a series of hidden achievements have been automatically generated in the system’s achievement section, but you’ll need to explore which ones they are. In any case, choosing a suitable faction is always right.】

Qiao Yan noncommittally acknowledged.

The system didn’t notice its host’s subtle thoughts upon hearing the explanation and continued.

Perhaps because it had prepared this introduction for a long time, it became more fluent, no longer the hesitant silence from before.

If the system had a physical form, Qiao Yan would have suspected she’d see a chest-puffed, smug brat.

Probably holding a script and reading it aloud.

【Finally, I must remind you that the goal of our Strategist System’s host is to become the world’s top strategist, otherwise, this second life will end at 20 years. You wouldn’t want to live only twenty years, would you?】

【So… if I were you, I’d cherish every Strategist Point earned and quickly raise your intelligence to compete with other strategists, otherwise—】

【Wait!!】

【What are you doing?!!】

Just as the system kindly suggested she quickly boost her intelligence to achieve the strategist goal, Qiao Yan had already casually allocated her initial 3 attribute points to physique.

Then, without hesitation, she allocated her initial skill point to lv4 【Eloquence】.

“Don’t worry about such things,” Qiao Yan casually changed the subject in response to the system’s sudden outcry, “By the way, I wanted to ask—”

“Say, if I were to become a strategist for the Yellow Turban Army, would that count as being a strategist?”

(Book from: Dragon Phoenix Interconnection)