Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 6: The Two Prefectures Stand Firm, the Silk Road Reopens Chapter 185: Two Military Reports

Zhao Yun had personally witnessed how Qiao Yan had taken the Black Mountain Bandits under her wing, and seeing the current scene, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

In truth, the Qiang people were even harder to subdue than the Black Mountain Bandits.

The Black Mountain Bandits were, after all, Han Chinese, forced onto the Taihang Mountains due to the disasters in the sixth and seventh years of Guanghe.

Thus, when they could receive survival support from Leping, they chose to side with her and serve under her command.

However, the order broken by the century-long Qiang rebellion required a much longer time to repair.

Fortunately, things were gradually getting back on track.

A smile couldn’t help but flash across Zhao Yun’s face as he replied, “My lord, you will achieve your wish.”

Hearing this, Qiao Yan didn’t say much more about integrating the Qiang people into the Bingzhou army within a set time. Instead, she stopped at the edge of a field, looking at the rapeseed before her.

This rapeseed, also known as cold vegetable, could replace the more cumbersome name “Brassica napus,” and the term “cold vegetable” clearly indicated its growth characteristics.

The severe cold of the northwest didn’t affect its winter growth, which was why it quickly took root and sprouted after being introduced to the north via the Silk Road.

In the farming methods promoted by Qiao Yan, this batch of rapeseed had been treated by removing the top, causing the surrounding leaves to grow more luxuriantly, naturally producing more seeds than before.

Compared to sesame grown in Liangzhou, rapeseed had a higher oil yield.

This meant she could obtain another batch of oil.

However, Qiao Yan had different plans for these two types of oil.

Sesame oil, due to its drying properties, replaced southern tung oil and was used in making waterproof cloth and paper. Rapeseed oil, on the other hand, was most suitable for two purposes: cooking oil and—

“After harvesting these seeds, press the oil to make lamp oil, send it to Bingzhou, and supply it to the academy. Any surplus can be sold to the people of Bingzhou, with the profits recorded in the accounts of Wuwei Commandery’s farmland.”

In this era, the cost of candles was not as low as one might think, and most people couldn’t afford them, hence the need to work from sunrise to sunset.

But with the arrival of Zheng Xuan and his disciples, the age range of students at Leping Academy had increased significantly. In such a situation, not having them work a bit overtime seemed like a loss to Qiao Yan.

Especially in this time-sensitive situation, where there was an urgent need for clerks to be put to use.

At most, considering the lack of glasses to correct ancient myopia, the use of lamp oil at night was limited.

Calculating it, the free supply of lamp oil to the academy could already be considered an exceptionally generous treatment.

As she pondered this, she suddenly noticed someone looking at her.

However, when she followed the gaze, she saw the person quickly turn their face away, already explaining the use of rapeseed harvesting tools and the rules for calculating contributions based on the weight harvested to the Qiang people before them.

This act made it seem as if the person who had been observing her wasn’t themselves.

Qiao Yan walked over with interest, listening to her speak.

To her surprise, this Qiang woman in foreign affairs uniform spoke Chinese in a tone more akin to Han Chinese expressions than others.

She had almost completely overcome the lack of tonal features in northern Qiang language.

At most, she used more common words to express her meaning, replacing complex sentence structures.

Because her vocabulary was indeed limited.

Compared to the voices Qiao Yan had heard before, this beginner in Chinese seemed exceptionally talented.

Being able to express herself in such a simplified manner was itself a sign of intelligence.

“Did you learn Chinese before?” Qiao Yan asked, interrupting her explanation of the rules.

The person Qiao Yan noticed was Mi Tang.

Realizing that her prolonged gaze had caught Qiao Yan’s attention, she was already quite nervous, so she was speaking purely on instinct honed over the past few months.

Now, hearing Qiao Yan’s question, she felt even more unsure of where to put her hands and feet.

She could only remind herself that her experiences here had convinced her that Qiao Yan, the Prefect of Bingzhou, didn’t eat people. Instead, she had fewer prejudices against the Qiang people compared to other Han leaders or officials.

In her judgment, there was only one criterion—

Enemy or friend.

Rather than fear, Mi Tang felt more admiration for Qiao Yan.

Because after this winter, the Qiang people, having moved to Huangzhong, not only had a safe environment to survive the winter but also accumulated some wealth. In the Liangzhou region under Qiao Yan’s jurisdiction, this money could buy corresponding goods.

The accumulation of wealth also brought a sense of security and loyalty.

With this mindset, Mi Tang quickly composed herself and replied, “No, I started learning in December. I came from the Canlang Qiang and had no prior contact with Han people.”

Qiao Yan observed her expression, sensing she wasn’t lying.

The harsh winds and snow of the frontier had left the Qiang girl’s skin slightly rough, but her delicate features were still apparent.

Though both had the deep features of the Qiang people, this girl was slightly less aggressive than Yao Chang, with only a determined and resolute air in her eyes.

What they shared was perhaps their inability to lie.

Qiao Yan then asked, “What’s your name?”

She replied, “My name is Mi Tang, but I’ve given myself a Han name, Jiang Tang.”

Qiao Yan’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

The character “Jiang” had existed in oracle bone script, depicting a woman wearing sheep horns.

Given the Qiang people’s totem of sheep, it was possible that in ancient times, it had meant a Qiang woman.

However, whether there was a further connection with the Qiang people, Qiao Yan couldn’t determine.

But now, with Mi Tang using it as her surname, it might be a kind of fate.

She didn’t delve deeper into the choice of surname change, just smiled and asked, “Do you know what ginger candy is?”

Jiang Tang shook her head in confusion.

The homophone of “tang” (candy) and “Tang” was clearly too difficult for someone who had only been learning Chinese for less than half a year.

But this might not just be difficult for her. At this time, sugar was still called “stone honey” or “malt,” and even the term “rock sugar” for braised pork belly was first used by Qiao Yan, let alone ginger candy.

She then saw Qiao Yan gesture for her to extend her hand.

Following Qiao Yan’s instruction, she instinctively reached out, and a small oil-paper package was placed in her hand.

“This is ginger candy.”

Jiang Tang unwrapped the package to find a yellow block inside. Following Qiao Yan’s gaze, she placed it in her mouth, and a sweet yet spicy ginger flavor immediately spread across her tongue.

This unique sweetness was something she had never tasted in her twenty years of life.

It made her eyes light up.

Then she heard Qiao Yan say, “You’ve given yourself a name that’s easy to remember. So, when you become fluent in Chinese, come find me. I have another task for you.”

Another task?

Before Jiang Tang could ask what Qiao Yan meant, she saw her and Zhao Yun turn and leave.

Without the need for a cloak in spring, Qiao Yan’s figure seemed slimmer than when she had seen her in February, but still carried a sense of swiftness and grace.

If not for the ginger candy still in her mouth, she might not have believed she had just had a brief interaction with the Prefect of Bingzhou, who had remembered her name and promised her another assignment.

But thinking of the unfinished spring planting tasks, she quickly swallowed the ginger candy and turned her attention back to her Qiang compatriots, continuing to explain the subsequent task of clearing the rapeseed stalks.

Qiao Yan, after walking away, took out two more pieces of ginger candy from her pouch, handed one to Zhao Yun, and said, “Keep an eye on her for me. To be precise, you and Zhongde should both keep an eye on people like her who have a talent for languages. I have another use for them.”

Zhao Yun didn’t ask further about the purpose of this observation, simply agreeing immediately.

For someone like Zhao Yun, who did far more than he spoke, Qiao Yan had no worries.

Seeing the spring planting season transition from rapeseed fields to wheat fields under control, with the rapeseed growth and harvest looking promising, she couldn’t help but relax a bit more.

This was the benefit of having reliable subordinates.

Thinking this, she unwrapped the oil-paper package and popped a piece of ginger candy into her mouth.

Things like pepper, which could be used both as a spice and a medicine, Qiao Yan didn’t keep for herself to roast meat. But the “Western Extreme Stone Honey” sent by the Yan family of Wuwei Commandery was something she could indulge in.

Western Extreme Stone Honey was sugarcane sugar, which, combined with ginger, could be used to make ginger candy.

This was the origin of the ginger candy in her hand.

In the harsh and crude environment of Liangzhou, with all the limitations of ancient times, the progress of such sweets could hardly fail to bring a sense of happiness, fitting her current mood.

And in the leisure of having all major affairs running smoothly, it was hard to say whether it was because her subordinate was too upright that she couldn’t help but tease him.

She turned to Zhao Yun and asked, “Aren’t you going to eat it?”

Zhao Yun replied, “Fanyu likes sweets. I’ll save it for him.”

Fanyu was the Ferghana horse Qiao Yan had given to Zhao Yun.

Ferghana horses were also known as “sweating blood horses,” among the finest steeds in the world, so Zhao Yun’s horse was named Fanyu, after one of the legendary eight steeds of ancient times.

Ferghana horses were mostly fierce, but like most horses, they had a sweet tooth.

When Qiao Yan first made ginger candy, she sent some to her subordinates in Liangzhou. When Zhao Yun opened his package, Fanyu happened to be nearby and snatched a piece, revealing the horse’s preference for sweets.

Qiao Yan shook her head in amusement, “Don’t spoil him too much, or he might refuse to let you ride him into battle without candy.”

In this era, carrots and apples, which horses loved, were either not domesticated or hadn’t been introduced to the Central Plains. The standard horse feed was low-sugar alfalfa, which explained their preference for ginger candy.

Zhao Yun replied earnestly, “My lord, rest assured, I understand the principle of moderation.”

He said so, but Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel that even someone as principled as Zhao Yun would instinctively give in to his steed.

At most, the bottom line was that sugar was expensive, and he wouldn’t buy more than his salary could afford.

Zhao Yun was like this, and Lü Bu was even more so.

Since Qiao Yan allowed him to use Red Hare and the incident with Ma Chao, Lü Bu had come to treasure Red Hare even more.

But perhaps because Qiao Yan had already set conditions for obtaining Red Hare, at the start of spring, Lü Bu was eager to march on Chang’an, vowing to cut off Dong Zhuo’s head as a “dowry” for Red Hare.

Qiao Yan simply turned a blind eye and sent him off to Bingzhou.

She had no intention of changing her plans due to his filial piety and eagerness to fight.

So rather than saying she sent Lü Bu back to Bingzhou to see his wife and daughter, it was more accurate to say Qiao Yan couldn’t be bothered to deal with his requests for battle.

Lü Bu obviously couldn’t read between the lines, as he was already overwhelmed.

The pepper was directly sent to Wu Pu, which was straightforward.

Wu Pu, responsible for designing the army’s first aid kits, popularizing medical knowledge in Bingzhou, and daily health care for Bingzhou’s civil and military officials, had even been nearly dragged into veterinary work by Qiao Yan. He often thought of inviting Hua Tuo to Bingzhou to share the burden of Qiao Yan’s strange demands.

Now, seeing Lü Bu deliver a considerable amount of pepper, he didn’t even wait for it to be weighed and recorded before rushing off to write to Hua Tuo.

As for the cotton…








Lü Bu received Qiao Yan’s orders. After completing the handover, he needed to continue supervising the reclamation of new farmland in Shang Commandery. He selected soldiers who were no longer suitable for border defense to take care of the cotton seedlings, essentially transitioning from guarding the borders to being bodyguards.

He also had another task: to have Qin Yu, who was in charge of agriculture in Bingzhou, submit data on the completed sowing. This included details like the area of farmland, the number of people working the fields, fertilization status, and the survival rate of each seedling.

Under such demands, Lü Bu couldn’t immediately return to Liangzhou.

Coincidentally, at this time, Leping Academy, under Qiao Yan’s directive, added a new course called “Agricultural Practice.” As part of this course, several juniors who were key cultivation targets for Qiao Yan were approved to visit the cotton fields, including Lü Lingju.

“General Lü, why is this cotton seed different from other crops? Why do we need to prepare a seedbed first before transplanting?” Lü Lingju asked.

“…” Lü Bu couldn’t explain.

“General Lü, did you add too much cake fertilizer? It doesn’t match the amount in the manual.”

“…!” Lü Bu panicked and jumped up, realizing he had indeed added too much. Someone immediately took over the task of handling the matured nutrient soil.

But when he looked around, he saw that the person responsible for spreading the fermented cake fertilizer was a child, and the one mixing and pounding it was also a child. The latter looked strikingly similar to Dian Wei. As for the former, Lü Bu had already heard from Lü Lingju that it was Lu Yi, who had come from Jiangdong.

Reflecting on how he was less composed than these two kids, Lü Bu was about to ponder further when Lü Lingju asked again, “General Lü, can these cotton seeds really grow cotton?”

Whether they could grow cotton or not, Lü Bu’s head was about to turn into a ball of cotton.

“Lü Lingju! Shouldn’t you call me ‘Dad’ instead of ‘General Lü’?”

As the leader of the youth group at Leping Academy, Lü Lingju met Lü Bu’s gaze calmly and replied confidently, “Public is public, private is private. That’s what Lord Qiao taught us. When I graduate from the academy and serve under Lord Qiao, what if I get assigned to your command? Should I receive special treatment just because I’m your daughter?”

This question stumped Lü Bu once again.

Lü Lingju shrugged, “So now I should call you General Lü… or maybe Lieutenant Lü.”

“Well said!” Before Lü Bu could respond, he heard applause and cheers. Turning around, he saw Wei Xu, his wife’s brother and Lü Lingju’s uncle, who was also his subordinate.

Lü Bu rubbed his temples, feeling a bit speechless that his daughter was not only more eloquent than him but also seemed to have more support. He thought to himself, “At least Red Hare never argues with me.”

With that thought, he turned and left.

“Did I make him angry?” Lü Lingju peeked in the direction Lü Bu had stormed off and muttered, “I’m doing this for his own good. He doesn’t even understand the seedbed. How is he going to explain it to Lord Qiao? He can’t just say the stuff was delivered.”

She then patted Lu Yi’s shoulder and said, “See? This is the price of being uneducated. Don’t be like him.”

“…” Lü Bu, who hadn’t gone far, paused. He was just going to get some candy he brought back from Liangzhou to share with the kids and shut them up with food. How did it turn into a lecture on being uneducated?

Unfortunately, when it came to accepting new things, Lü Bu wasn’t as quick as Lü Lingju and Lu Yi, who were more flexible thinkers. Fortunately, he had experience managing Suiyuan City in the Bai Dao River area, and through sheer memorization, he managed to grasp the basics.

After planting all the cotton seeds in the seedbeds, he finally relaxed and gathered the group of key second-generation talents by the edge of the field. He looked more serious now and, remembering Qiao Yan’s instructions, said to Lü Lingju, “When you go back, make sure you know what to say and what not to say. If you cause trouble, I won’t be able to help you.”

Qiao Yan allowing them to come here was a sign of her trust, but it didn’t mean they had the right to be reckless. Especially with something like cotton, they could at most inform the academy students that such a thing existed and that they needed to brainstorm how to separate cotton from its seeds. But the origin and cultivation methods of cotton were secrets that Bingzhou must keep.

“General Lü, don’t worry,” Lü Lingju nodded solemnly. She understood the importance of this matter. “Recently, the academy has admitted several new students from other provinces. Cao Pi is the son of the Prefect of Dong Commandery, Zhuge Liang was recommended by the Xun family of Yingchuan, and Huang Yueying is the daughter of Huang Chengyan, who is related to Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province. Until we’re sure they’re not here to steal knowledge—”

Lü Lingju glanced at her companions, and they all replied in unison, “We’ll keep an eye on them.”

Lü Bu pressed her head down, “Now that it’s not farming time, you should call me Dad.”

Lü Lingju protested, “Nonsense! Preventing spies from infiltrating the academy is clearly official business.”

Lü Bu felt like this daughter might be a lost cause.

Fortunately, he soon found a reason to leave Bingzhou early, temporarily avoiding the constant “General Lü” situation.

Since last year, when Qiao Yan obtained the livestock breeding manual, Leping Fortress in Bingzhou had started training carrier pigeons. After six months, the pigeons had become familiar with their home and were trained to fly back, achieving significant results.

By April, with the spring plowing in Bingzhou mostly completed except for the cotton fields, the pigeons were sent to various locations by specialists to test longer-distance flights. However, a few pigeons returned just days after being sent, carrying messages tied to their legs.

The official in charge of the pigeons quickly sent the bamboo tubes containing the messages to the Bingzhou government office, where Xi Zhicai, who was stationed there, deciphered the messages using the agreed-upon code. He then had the decoded information sent to Lü Bu, who was to deliver it quickly to Qiao Yan.

Two days after Lü Bu left, the first message arrived via fast horse, while the other would take at least ten more days. Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but admire Qiao Yan’s foresight in training carrier pigeons. While the pigeons could only deliver messages one way and a few had gone missing—possibly killed by predators or lost—the time saved when a message did arrive was remarkable.

The coded messages, combined with the dense information recorded on mulberry bark paper, were not too difficult to decipher but effectively prevented the enemy from intercepting and understanding them.

The two letters were quickly delivered to Qiao Yan in Wuwei Commandery by Lü Bu on Red Hare. One letter was from Yang Province, and the other was from Yanzhou. Both were about military movements.

As the spring plowing season had just ended, it was no surprise to Qiao Yan that conflicts had arisen within the Han territory.

The message from Yang Province stated that Sun Ce, under the pretense of being appointed as the Prefect of Kuaiji, had stabilized the situation in Lujiang and Danyang and was now aiming to take Kuaiji. However, halfway through, he suddenly turned towards Wu Commandery, catching Xu Gong and Yan Baihu off guard, resulting in a defeat at Wucheng.

Unfortunately, Xu Gong had many retainers, and Yan Baihu had fierce generals, so they managed to hold their ground against Sun Ce at Lake Tai. Meanwhile, Yuan Shu, after a winter of rest, sought revenge for his defeat by Sun Ce last year and attacked Lujiang Commandery. However, at Liu’an, he encountered the well-prepared Zhou Yu and Lu Kang.

“Well, Yuan Gonglu might need to hire a competent strategist,” Qiao Yan said, handing the report to Xun You beside her.

Xun You, who had been worrying about Xun Shuang’s safety while also recognizing the necessity of Qiao Yan’s strategy to first stabilize Liangzhou before taking Chang’an, couldn’t quite discern Qiao Yan’s current mindset.

Qiao Yan’s combination of kindness and authority in Liangzhou made Xun You certain that she could suppress local uprisings while advancing towards Chang’an. Her military forces were also sufficient to quickly crush Dong Zhuo and rescue people before Dong Zhuo could destroy everything.

But ever since Xun You was assigned to assist Qiao Yan by Xun Shuang, he knew one thing clearly: he wasn’t just a strategist for Qiao Yan’s campaign through Liangzhou to Chang’an. He was also a chip the Xun family of Yingchuan had placed on Qiao Yan.

At a time when no one suspected Qiao Yan of disloyalty, and Xun You himself hadn’t realized it, this was similar to how scholars would seek refuge under He Jin, the Grand General—a form of investment by noble families in a powerful minister who could quell chaos.

Thus, Xun You couldn’t expose Qiao Yan’s schemes. Even when Liu Yu mistakenly believed that Qiao Yan was being morally restrained from advancing and felt guilty, Xun You, in his brief conversations with Liu Yu, never hinted at the truth to this Han royal.

Looking at the harmonious scene of Qiang and Han people farming together in Liangzhou this spring, and recalling the frequent Qiang uprisings in the northwest in his memory, Xun You felt he had no right to change Qiao Yan’s pace. Instead of doing something that only benefited the enemy, he should focus on his role as a strategist.

For example, analyzing the two battle reports that had just arrived.

“Yuan Gonglu underestimated Sun Bofu and Zhou Gongjin, these two young men. Since Lujiang Commandery borders Jiujiang Commandery, it’s natural that after occupying Jiujiang, he would think of attacking Lujiang. But Lujiang would naturally be on guard against him again.”

Qiao Yan asked, “Do you think Yuan Gonglu might be driven out of Jiujiang Commandery and pushed into Yu Province?”

Xun You didn’t know that Qiao Yan had arranged for Mi Zhu to recommend Lu Su to Tao Qian in Xu Province to prevent Yuan Shu’s invasion. But based on the recent performances of Tao Qian and Yuan Shu, it wasn’t hard to make a judgment.

Xun You replied, “I think he won’t just be driven out of Yang Province into Yu Province, but he’ll also try to save face by asking the court for the title of Governor of Yu Province. However, given his previous title of General of the Chariots and Cavalry and his disgraceful actions, Yuan Benchu, who has many capable people under him, won’t let Yuan Gonglu join forces with him. Thus, Yuan Gonglu’s request for this appointment likely won’t be granted.”

Qiao Yan pondered and then asked, “What about Sun Bofu’s situation?”

“The noble families in Jing Province don’t like Sun Wentai, and those in Yang Province don’t like Sun Bofu,” Xun You commented. “So he can win this battle, but he won’t take Wu Commandery.”

If that’s the case… the situation is still favorable for Qiao Yan!

Xun You’s judgment aligned closely with her own expectations. With his affirmation, Qiao Yan felt even more confident in planning her next move.

She then opened the second battle report.

Around the same time Sun Ce was mobilizing towards Wu Commandery, Cao Cao, citing the lack of civil governance in several commanderies of Yanzhou, rampant banditry, and the suffering of the people, launched a military expansion into Jiyin Commandery and Dongping Kingdom.

In the nearly two years since taking Dong Commandery, Cao Cao had balanced civil and military affairs exceptionally well. His generals, Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan, had thoroughly mapped out their marching routes, so his advance was entirely different from Sun Ce’s.

Before the Prefect of Jiyin and the Chancellor of Dongping could mount an effective counterattack, they were already captured.

Cao Cao didn’t attack the neighboring Chenliu, not because it was difficult to conquer, but because the Prefect of Chenliu was his good friend Zhang Miao.

Zhang Miao, whose courage was both great and small, went to Dong Commandery to visit Cao Cao after Jiyin fell.

Qiao Yan laughed, “Zhang Mengzhuo’s recommendation of Brother Mengde as Governor of Yanzhou will likely arrive in Ye City along with this battle report. In your opinion, how should Yuan Benchu react?”

As Qiao Yan and Xun You had predicted—

The news of Yuan Shu’s defeat and retreat to Yu Province, seeking the title of Governor of Yu Province, and Cao Cao’s consecutive captures of Yanzhou commanderies, with the Prefect of Chenliu recommending him as Governor of Yanzhou, both reached Yuan Shao’s desk.