Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 4: The End of Zhongping, Luoyang’s Storm Chapter 115: Watching the Sun at Wutai

The fields on the Baidao River had completed the reclamation target set by Qiao Yan before the rain intensified.

Among the soldiers who had previously gone on expeditions beyond the frontier, except for those who returned to the Du Liao General’s camp and those who stayed behind at the border of Yanmen, the rest were transferred to the military farmland here.

Later, the remains of the cattle and sheep brought back from beyond the frontier were made into bone meal as described in agricultural books and buried in this already fertile land.

Before the outline of Suiyuan City’s walls was built with green bricks, the plowing and reclamation work on this land had been officially completed.

For the first year’s planting, Qiao Yan did not plan to make significant changes. Even though the irrigation here was more convenient than most farmlands in Bingzhou, the final decision was still to plant wheat.

She walked through the light rain in a straw raincoat, passing by the ridges, and said to Jia Xu beside her, “I entrust this place to you, sir. Please manage it according to the agricultural books we have compiled. I want to see a higher yield here than elsewhere in Bingzhou by this autumn harvest.”

Only then could she convince the people that the bone meal fertilizer could indeed increase production.

After all, this was something that had to be buried before planting, and ordinary farmers would not dare to do it casually.

Jia Xu replied, “Please rest assured, Marquis Qiao.”

Being suddenly assigned such a task was far from his intention of clocking in for a regular salary.

But he couldn’t just say he couldn’t do it.

If he did, who knows if Marquis Qiao would come up with some reason like “one person’s wisdom is not enough, but two people’s abilities might barely suffice” and transfer Jia Mu here as well. Then he would be in a dilemma whether to contribute or not.

Another event this year made him realize that in these times, perhaps it wasn’t possible to stay out of trouble just by wanting to keep a low profile.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, Yan Zhong, a famous scholar from Xiliang who was then under Huangfu Song’s command, advised Huangfu Song that since he had such military power and the current emperor was so foolish, he might as well rebel instead of obeying Liu Hong.

This suggestion was not adopted by Huangfu Song. Instead, this loyal official of the Han Dynasty publicly disclosed it.

As a result, Yan Zhong had to flee in a hurry back to Xiliang and live in hiding.

However, after the first wave of attacks by the Xiliang rebels, who killed the prefect of Hanyang and the governor of Liangzhou, was stopped by Zhang Wen, and Beigong Boyu was defeated, the Xiliang army fell into internal chaos, fighting among themselves.

To gain more prestige for the rebels in Liangzhou, they dug up Yan Zhong and forcibly made him their leader.

Yan Zhong had tried to persuade Huangfu Song to rebel out of trust in Huangfu Song’s character, not because he truly wanted to aid the wicked.

The position of leader of the thirty-six Xiliang rebel armies was undoubtedly a torment for him. Even though he was given the title of General of the Chariots and Cavalry by Han Sui and Ma Teng, it meant nothing to him, and Yan Zhong died in sorrow and anger.

Jia Xu had some friendship with Yan Zhong in the past, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

From what he saw, although Marquis Qiao was young, she was capable of handling her relationship with the current emperor, focusing on the livelihood of Bingzhou, attacking the Xianbei, strategizing after military strikes, and internally managing military affairs, commanding soldiers, and quelling the Black Mountain and White Wave rebellions. In a year or two as the governor of Bingzhou, she could turn this place into a solid stronghold, perhaps making her a suitable object of loyalty.

But let’s not rush, let’s wait and see.

Perhaps due to the common faults of the young, in his view, Marquis Qiao’s current undertakings were a bit too extensive.

If not for her exceptional talent and the help of Cheng Yu, Xi Zhicai, and Guo Jia, she might have ended up neglecting some areas.

At least, we would have to wait until after the autumn harvest to see the results.

Jia Xu thought for a moment and then asked, “Marquis Qiao has ordered Lü Bu to station here for military training. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

He wasn’t really looking for more work, just trying to figure out the boundaries of his interaction with Lü Bu.

But to Qiao Yan, his question was somewhat surprising.

“Please keep an eye on him for me. I have my own plans for him.”

This “keep an eye on him” would be interpreted by Jia Xu’s own intelligence.

Fortunately, two months later, after Lü Bu completed various science courses at Leping Academy and was allowed to come to Baidao River, Jia Xu found him to be more like a hunting dog that had run dozens of miles and was exhausted, rather than the arrogant and domineering figure he had imagined.

He then saw Lü Bu take out a manual from his sleeve and follow it step by step with a serious demeanor.

The scene was somewhat comical.

Later, he heard that this was because Lü Bu had not yet passed two courses that his daughter, also a beginner, had already passed, leading to a three-point agreement with his daughter. He had to complete all the tasks assigned by Marquis Qiao before returning to retake the exams.

Lü Bu wasn’t exactly a doting father, but seeing the young students Qiao Yan had recruited, all aiming to become both intelligent and brave generals, he felt a sense of crisis.

Even though, as she said, these students would need ten years of study and frontier training before officially graduating, by then he would still be under forty.

In Lü Bu’s view, this was still the golden age for a general. If he were to be surpassed by these rising stars, where would his face be!

Listening to Lü Bu’s ramblings, Jia Xu fell silent.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to say that he also faced such a crisis or to admit that Marquis Qiao’s extensive undertakings made sense, given her deep understanding of training subordinates and stimulating competition.

But overall, ignoring these strange competitions between generations, Bingzhou still presented a thriving scene in the fifth year of Zhongping.

Outside Bingzhou, however, the court’s situation could be described as turbulent and unpredictable.

In April, due to the resurgence of the Yellow Turbans in Runan and Qingxu, Cao Song, who had bought his position as Grand Commandant, was dismissed before even serving half a year.

But his successor fared even worse.

In May, Liu Hong chose Fan Ling, the Minor Palace of Yongle, to take over as Grand Commandant.

But by June, Liu Hong, annoyed by the frequent strong winds in Luoyang, dismissed Fan Ling.

This was an even more absurd reason for dismissal than before, when it was due to solar eclipses, local rebellions, or the birth of conjoined twins.

In July, Liu Hong decided to appoint Ma Ri, the Colonel of Archers, as Grand Commandant.

The position of Grand Commandant, the most important of the Three Excellencies in the Han Dynasty, was in such a state, not to mention other positions.

It was clear to everyone that Liu Hong’s physical ailments were no longer just showing as a fear of cold but were affecting his mood, making him more irritable and angry than before.

But no one dared to point it out at this time.

Amidst the undercurrents in the capital, He Jin and He Miao, having been warned by Liu Hong, slightly restrained themselves but couldn’t help worrying about one thing.

Liu Hong might, in a fit of emotion, directly propose establishing Liu Xie as the heir.

At the same time, another group of people found their own way to survive.

For example, Zhang Rang suggested to Liu Hong that since it had been over half a year since the establishment of the Eight Schools of the Western Garden, and Qiao Yan, as the governor of Bingzhou, had already trained the soldiers of Bingzhou to achieve a great victory at the Xianbei royal court after a winter of selection and training, the Eight Schools of the Western Garden should also be more well-trained.

If Your Majesty is feeling stifled, why not hold another military exercise to demonstrate the capital’s military strength.

Liu Hong adopted his suggestion and gathered the Eight Schools of the Western Garden, which were indeed more like a regular army now, at the Pingleguan in Luoyang for a military demonstration.

As Zhang Rang said, he also proclaimed himself the Supreme General to show the majesty of the emperor.

Perhaps because this confirmation of having usable military force indeed gave Liu Hong a sense of security, his restless mood slightly calmed.

Thus, at the next day’s court meeting, he calmly issued a new military deployment order:

Order the Middle General Meng Yi and the Left Army Commandant Xia Mou to go to Youzhou and join forces with the Cavalry Commandant Gongsun Zan to defeat Zhang Chun’s forces.

At the same time, he issued an order to the governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu, to suppress Zhang Ju’s main force by the end of the year.

These changes in the capital were relayed back by the people Qiao Yan had sent to Luoyang.

In August in Bingzhou, Qiao Yan received the final payment of the annual tribute from Budugen and sent back a batch of mulberry bark clothing and coal as a “watering the leeks” reward.

After pondering these messages, she selected the finest eight horses from the delivered cattle, sheep, and horses and sent them to Luoyang, claiming they were captured from the Xianbei outposts by her soldiers.

Even with her overwhelming advantages, she couldn’t afford to slack off when her superior was irritable and angry.

Since she had to maintain her positions as Marquis of Leping, General Who Conquers the Barbarians, and Governor of Bingzhou until Liu Hong’s death in the sixth year of Zhongping, she couldn’t just focus on the harvest in Bingzhou but had to maintain good relations with the capital.

In fact, her decision was quite wise.

The horses from beyond the frontier seemed more wild and majestic compared to those in the capital, and whether it was Qiao Yan’s claim of a victorious raid or the tribute of fine horses, it perfectly matched Liu Hong’s preferences.

He had the eight horses painted and used them as the mounts for his “Supreme General” chariot, and at the court meeting, he praised Qiao Yan as a loyal official of the Han Dynasty.

Of course, this wasn’t just because Qiao Yan had made this pleasing gesture.

Qiao Yan’s move wasn’t solely out of consideration for Liu Hong’s mood but also to create another comparison.

Fu Gan, under Qiao Yan’s orders, led a group of people from Shangjun in Bingzhou straight into Liangzhou and discovered a special piece of news.

Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo had joined forces to lift the siege of Chencang. Although they hadn’t dealt a fundamental blow to Ma Teng and Han Sui at the time, Dong Zhuo, a martial artist from Xiliang, had gathered a considerable private army.

Huangfu Song sensed something was wrong and reported it to Liu Hong.

Liu Hong also made a response.

More than half a year ago, when Qiao Yan became the governor of Bingzhou, Liu Hong had already expressed his intention to appoint governors for Jingzhou and Liangzhou.

However, at that time, the position of governor of Jingzhou was temporarily reserved by Liu Biao through malicious bidding, and the governor of Liangzhou had not yet been decided.

This time, Liu Hong released another position.

But this position wasn’t up for grabs; he directly ordered Dong Zhuo, based on his military achievements, to be promoted to governor of Qingzhou, to suppress the remaining Yellow Turban rebels in Qingzhou, and to transfer his Liangzhou soldiers to Huangfu Song.

If Qiao Yan hadn’t been in the position of governor of Bingzhou, the more suitable place to station Dong Zhuo would have been Bingzhou, with Huangfu Song supervising from the side.

But Qingzhou wasn’t a bad choice either.

In any case, Liu Hong intended to separate Dong Zhuo from his equally ambitious subordinates.

However, Dong Zhuo refused this promotion.

Earlier, Liu Hong had suspected that Dong Zhuo might become a regional menace and wanted to summon him to the central government under the pretext of appointing him as Minor Palace, but Dong Zhuo refused, citing the emotional reason that his subordinates held onto his carriage, not letting him leave.

This time, his response was even more high-sounding.

He said:

“I have neither the wisdom of the old nor the deeds of the brave. Heaven’s favor has mistakenly fallen upon me, and I have commanded troops for ten years. The soldiers, big and small, have grown close to me over time, cherishing the kindness I have shown them, and are willing to give their lives for me at a moment’s notice. I beg to lead them to the northern provinces and serve at the frontier.”

In other words, I have no great abilities, only these soldiers who obey me. I am willing to lead these men who would die for me to guard the northern provinces and pacify the frontier for the court.

I, Dong Zhuo, am a loyal official of the Han Dynasty, guarding the frontier to the death!

He not only said this in his edict to Liu Hong but also to his soldiers.

The implication was that he had the ability to be promoted to governor of Qingzhou but chose to give up this opportunity to be a regional military and political leader for the sake of his soldiers, thus gaining even more loyalty.

But fortunately, he made this move, allowing Fu Gan to receive this news and quickly send it back to Bingzhou.

Qiao Yan couldn’t not know that some of her previous actions, if strictly considered, were somewhat similar to Dong Zhuo’s, so she had to distinguish herself at this time.

This was another purpose of the gift of the eight fine horses.

She presented eight fine horses, but the underlying message was that she could return military power to Liu Hong at any time.

Moreover, from the end of the fourth year of Zhongping to the autumn of the fifth year of Zhongping, she maintained a relatively friendly relationship with Han Fu, the General Who Conquers the Liao. Except for building Suiyuan City in the eastern part of Yunzhong Commandery, she rarely involved herself in military actions in the western parts of Wuyuan and Yunzhong Commanderies.

This also ensured that Han Fu never spoke ill of her in his reports to Liu Hong.

After receiving a commendation from Liu Hong, she could confirm that she had temporarily passed this hurdle.

Qiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and had extra energy to focus on the autumn harvest in Bingzhou.

The time of harvest has come…

In the late Han Dynasty, where having enough to eat was more important than anything else, this was also…








The most anticipated time for the people in the province!

Normally, the northern yield per mu is three dan, but after the promotion of the Book on Agricultural Practices, with the district field method, the yield can reach between three to four dan. And this year?

This year, Qiao Yan implemented deep plowing and meticulous cultivation in Bingzhou, along with scientific planting, supplemented with soil ammonia water and soil sulfuric acid as fertilizers. The yield per mu is bound to increase significantly.

However, without the conditions for large-scale cultivation of improved seeds, the extent of this increase is uncertain to Qiao Yan.

She could only roughly judge from the farmland she recently passed that the crops are growing well under this year’s favorable weather conditions. Even the old farmers passing by feel the harvest is better than previous years. But regardless, an official figure from the provincial government to the people of Bingzhou is still needed.

Qiao Yan tried to maintain a calm expression while watching Qin Yu lead the statistics, but to Lu Yuan, who was also present, their provincial governor looked very much like the students of Leping Academy waiting for their grades.

After all, she had attended classes at the academy and had some authority on the matter.

Then she received a warning glance from Qiao Yan.

“Marquis Qiao need not worry. According to the old farmers’ estimates, except for the areas along the Fen River, most of Bingzhou’s land is not fertile. But based on the ear formation, the yield per mu is still around five dan,” Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Qiao Yan’s nervousness, more pronounced than during the yam harvest in Leping, did not diminish her wise image in Lu Yuan’s eyes but made her seem more genuine.

The statistics were not a one-day task, so Qiao Yan took Lu Yuan to visit farmers and merchants in Bingzhou for several days until the yield data from each county was compiled and reported to her.

When she received the yield data from Qin Yu, she immediately saw the provincial average at the top.

Yield per mu—

Five and one-third dan!

What an encouraging number!

Although this yield is still far from modern standards, it has almost doubled from the original three dan to over five dan.

With this grain yield, not only can the farmers in Bingzhou store enough food for the winter, but the tax revenue for the provincial government will also increase significantly.

This is crucial for Qiao Yan.

Even the yield on poor land has reached four dan.

This not only means a general increase in yield across Bingzhou but also that Bingzhou has the capital to attract refugees from neighboring Liangzhou, Youzhou, and Jizhou to settle here.

Most newcomers would have to reclaim wasteland, but with the farming methods promoted by the Bingzhou governor, even wasteland can yield more than farmland in other provinces. Why not move?

Moreover, with the unrest in Liangzhou, the unresolved Zhang Ju in Youzhou, and Jizhou also suffering, Bingzhou truly lives up to the name “Leping” (Peaceful) given by Marquis Qiao Yan, a place of peace and stability.

Qiao Yan understood these subsequent impacts and felt more at ease.

After assigning the task of collecting land taxes, she headed straight to Yunzhong County.

There was still a field there.

People are never satisfied. This year’s bountiful harvest was good, but she couldn’t help but want next year to be even better.

To satisfy this desire, she needed to see the harvest of the new fields near Suiyuan City as a basis for promoting base fertilizer next year.

This wheat field was planted later than others, so the harvest was naturally delayed.

By the time Qiao Yan arrived in early September, the wheat was just ready for harvest.

She looked up at the most iconic new city.

From spring to autumn, with the hard work of many military settlers, the open-pit coal mining in Yanmen County near the border progressed well, meeting Qiao Yan’s previous promises to the noble families of Bingzhou when they handed over the hidden coal households. The coal stockpile far exceeded last year’s records.

With the coal mines doing well, the construction of Suiyuan City was even more so.

This wasn’t Qiao Yan’s first visit, but it was her first time seeing the watchtowers on the city walls fully completed.

Looking south from Suiyuan City, the area was vastly different from when she last saw it during the Bai Dao Kou campaign.

Even from a distance, it was clear that the fields irrigated by the Bai Qu and Huanggan rivers, with their golden wheat, were indeed more clustered than those she had seen in Taiyuan County.

The slow-release base fertilizer gradually showed its effects during crop growth, and as Jia Xu, who accompanied her, said, it burst forth near harvest time.

Now that Governor Qiao Yan had arrived, it was time for the new fields to be officially harvested.

But before Qiao Yan could give the order, she saw a conspicuous figure jump into the field.

Who else could it be but Lü Bu!

“Does he know how to harvest?” Qiao Yan’s eyelid twitched.

It was hard not to think of a pouncing husky when seeing this scene.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and replied, “Actually, Colonel Lü has studied a lot this year and should be quite skilled.”

Lü Bu had gained a good deal of military merit from the spring campaign against the Xianbei and clearly wanted to add another achievement to his record.

Unfortunately, there were no immediate opportunities for battle, so he turned his attention to farming in Bai Dao Chuan.

If you think about it, he had done farming in his early years and was just picking it up again.

With the provincial government present, he naturally had to show some effort.

Fortunately, as Jia Xu said, he had some farming experience and didn’t foolishly ruin the harvest.

With this strong and hardworking helper, the wheat in the ten mu field was quickly harvested, threshed, and weighed.

An astonishing yield per mu was presented to Qiao Yan.

“Yield per mu… seven dan?”

Seven dan!

Even Lü Bu, who often came to check the wheat’s growth, knew this number was significantly higher than usual, and he was almost stunned.

More than double the usual yield from military fields meant the potential to expand the border army!

He immediately rolled up his sleeves and turned to the remaining unharvested wheat fields.

Even though Qiao Yan only asked him to supervise the harvest and transport the wheat to Suiyuan City for proper storage, without mentioning any plans for new recruits or campaigns, it didn’t dampen his current enthusiasm.

Qiao Yan found his behavior somewhat amusing.

But thinking that his competitive spirit here saved her some effort in management, she didn’t mind.

Seeing that Lü Bu didn’t need her attention for now, Qiao Yan turned to Jia Xu.

As the local administrator, Jia Xu had time since the harvest would take a while, and the military settlement’s record-keeping was assisted by many squad leaders and centurions.

Qiao Yan thought for a moment and asked, “Wenhe, would you like to join me for a mountain hike?”

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, some places already had the custom of climbing high on the ninth day of the ninth month to ward off evil spirits, though it wasn’t yet officially called the Double Ninth Festival or a folk holiday.

But perhaps due to the recent epidemics, the custom of carrying dogwood and chrysanthemum wine to climb high and offer sacrifices spread from the Ru River area, reaching even the border regions of You and Bing.

Jia Xu looked at Qiao Yan and felt she wasn’t inviting him for any exorcism ritual but had other plans.

Because she invited him to climb Wufeng Mountain, which wasn’t in Yunzhong County but south of Yanmen County.

This place would later be known as Wutai Mountain.

To Jia Xu, Qiao Yan’s usual behavior showed no particular belief in Buddhism or Taoism, so this mountain climb wasn’t because a Xiantong Temple was built here around the same time as the White Horse Temple in Luoyang during the Yongping era.

But since the governor invited him, he naturally had to comply.

The two, along with Qiao Yan’s entourage, headed straight to the Wanghai Peak on the eastern platform of Wufeng Mountain.

Perhaps this place wasn’t yet called Wanghai Peak, but Jia Xu, not being from Bingzhou, took Qiao Yan’s confident naming at face value.

But naming it Wanghai Peak was fitting.

They climbed the mountain at dawn, reaching the summit just as the sun rose in the east. The sea of clouds stirred by the night’s wind showed a magnificent sunrise, truly resembling a sunrise over the sea.

Under this sunrise, looking east from Wanghai Peak, Changshan County in Jizhou gradually emerged from the dispersing clouds.

Or perhaps, it wasn’t just Changshan County.

As the red sun rose and the morning mist cleared, the entire Hebei Plain came into view, a refreshing sight.

Jia Xu felt he wasn’t mistaken. When Qiao Yan turned her gaze from the vast eastern plain to the nearby view, her eyes still held an unconcealed, and unbothered to conceal, covetousness.

She said, “Looking west from here, you see the other peaks of the Wutai Mountain range. But Wenhe, coming west with me, you should remember the Yanmen Pass we saw when we passed the Juzhu Mountain from Yunzhong to Yanmen.”

Jia Xu replied, “Of course, I remember.”

Qiao Yan took two steps forward, then continued, “Being here, with Yanmen to the west, Hebei to the east, Hengshan to the north, and Luoyang to the south, it’s hard not to feel a sense of awe. This is the vitality of the divine land.”

“Mr. Jia Xu—”

Qiao Yan suddenly changed her address, making Jia Xu sense that what followed wouldn’t be simple.

Especially when he looked around and noticed that the entourage escorting Qiao Yan had temporarily withdrawn at her signal, leaving only the two of them on Wanghai Peak.

Even though Jia Xu, witnessing the abundant harvest in Bai Dao Chuan on this autumn day, felt that serving Marquis Qiao Yan wasn’t a bad idea, being put on the spot like this was a first.

Qiao Yan didn’t find this behavior inappropriate. Given Jia Xu’s handling of affairs in Suiyuan City, he had already shown less of his usual cautiousness.

If Bingzhou, especially Bai Dao Chuan, faced a crisis, he might jump out like Guo Jia did when suggesting the first merit system’s flaws.

But currently, Bingzhou had no major crises, but next year would bring many changes hard to imagine in advance.

With Jia Xu’s attitude already wavering, Qiao Yan had no extra time to let him continue hiding in his shell and had to take the initiative to pull him out.

Counting it, even Cheng Yu, who dreamed of Mount Tai holding the sun, didn’t get the treatment of being accompanied on a mountain hike. Jia Xu was the first.

But coming from Liangzhou, with rich life experiences, Jia Xu understood better than any strategist in Bingzhou how to deal with the Xiliang army. So this push was necessary!

“Mr. Jia, at forty, seeing the sky dressed in rosy clouds and the sea of clouds, you shouldn’t think you’re in your twilight years, right?”

Qiao Yan bowed to Jia Xu, “Qiao Yan, though not talented, wishes to ask for your assistance.”

The conversation on Wanghai Peak lasted half a day.

After descending, Jia Xu returned to Suiyuan City to continue handling the autumn harvest, while Qiao Yan rode back to the Jinyang provincial government.

On the surface, it seemed no different from before the hike, but only the two knew that, though not explicitly stated, they were now in a lord and strategist relationship.

Fortunately, with all the cryptic talk, the system was fooled, thinking Qiao Yan was consulting Jia Xu on how to protect Bingzhou’s people after Liu Hong’s death and buy time to understand the current situation.

In the end, it was a win-win. Smart people and straightforward ones each had their own ways of understanding.

After returning to Jinyang, Qiao Yan sent out two letters.

One was arrangements for Fu Gan.

He wasn’t yet suitable to withdraw from Liangzhou and needed to continue monitoring Dong Zhuo’s movements.

This wasn’t easy for him, as he was close to his father’s killer but had to endure for now.

But perhaps due to the education he received in Leping, or his inherent patience, he assured Qiao Yan he wouldn’t act rashly.

The other letter was to Ma Lun.

This was a particularly special letter.

After sending these two letters, Qiao Yan entered a temporary state of leisure.

Or perhaps it wasn’t leisure, as she spent the extra time improving her martial skills.

During this period, news from inside and outside Bingzhou reached her ears.

In the eleventh month of the fifth year of Zhongping, Gongsun Zan of Youzhou fought Zhang Chun at Shimen and defeated him.

Zhang Chun barely escaped, but Youzhou Governor Liu Yu put a bounty on his head, and he was eventually beheaded.

Zhang Ju fled beyond the border and was captured by a Xianbei branch. Since Guo Jia had already contacted Ke Bineng, Zhang Ju was sent to Bingzhou as a goodwill gesture.

Qiao Yan had him beheaded and sent to the capital, claiming he had fled from Youzhou through Dai County to Bingzhou, where she captured him.

Thus, the rebellions of Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun were quelled.

In the twelfth month of the fifth year of Zhongping, Huangfu Song was appointed Left General and, together with Dong Zhuo, defeated Han Sui. Han Sui and Ma Teng retreated.

Due to the difficulty of winter campaigns, the imperial army didn’t pursue further. Dong Zhuo stationed troops in Longxi, frequently clashing with Huangfu Song.

In the blink of an eye, the sixth year of Zhongping arrived.

At the start of the first month, Qiao Yan received a letter from Luoyang. She unfolded the newly received letter and saw only four words—

The Son of Heaven is gravely ill.