Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Can’t a strategist ascend the throne? Volume 6: Two Provinces, Tiger’s Roar, Silk Road Reopened Chapter 207: The Intention to Re-establish

Belonging to the book:


Can’t a Strategist Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 207: The Intention to Re-establish

“So, who can give me a reasonable explanation?” Qiao Yan asked, looking at the people in front of her.

Lü Bu, leading Li Hui, the daughter of Li Jue dressed in the emperor’s attire, stood nervously before her.

They had chased the wrong person, but they still had to bring her back, especially since there were several ministers from the Chang’an court accompanying her.

Fortunately, Lü Bu had the sense not to capture all these ministers during the pursuit.

However, these people had already been sent back to calm down, and most of those present here were acquaintances.

Lu Zhi had already been released from the prison in Chang’an by her.

Although he looked much thinner, he was physically unharmed and could at least catch up with his old friend Huangfu Song, who had arrived in Chang’an later.

Xun Shuang, still ill, had also forced himself to come here.

Then there were Wang Yun, Huang Wan, and others.

Qiao Yan pointed at Li Hui and asked, “Why didn’t anyone stop her from wearing the emperor’s attire? When Li Jue sought your help, couldn’t you even argue reasonably?”

She had thought that with Li Jue’s quick wit, as long as Jia Xu gave him enough guidance, escaping should not be too difficult.

But she never expected that Li Jue’s disregard for imperial authority and his instinct for self-preservation would lead him to such an act.

Misleading Lü Bu to chase in the wrong direction was one thing, but the more shocking part was that he had someone else wear the emperor’s twelve-chapter attire.

The emperor’s dignity should not be violated lightly; it is the foundation of the Han royal family’s honor.

Yet, during Dong Zhuo’s usurpation of power, it was already damaged once, and during Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu’s talk of establishing a new emperor, it was struck a second time. Now, this is the third time.

If anyone can wear the emperor’s attire, where is the Han’s etiquette and order?

Moreover, the person wearing this attire is a woman.

For someone like Qiao Yan, who aims to rule the world, this is indeed good news, but she cannot show approval for such actions at this moment.

She can only question Wang Yun!

Why didn’t you refute Li Jue’s actions and instead let him succeed?

What were you thinking!

To be fair, Wang Yun was also quite aggrieved.

He had placed himself in the dangerous situation in Chang’an to protect the emperor’s safety, having to deal with Li Jue and Dong Zhuo, and was kept in the dark by Jia Xu, the old fox. He could only use expedient measures.

If he had known that Qiao Yan could attack Chang’an with such speed and minimal casualties, he would have played along with Li Jue a bit longer.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know this and had to be the scapegoat now.

He felt that Lü Bu was giving him a grateful look, as if thanking him for sharing the blame.

This situation really made Wang Yun feel a bit of a stomach ache.

He didn’t want this kind of gratitude at all.

Fortunately, Qiao Yan added, “Forget it, Zilong has also gone to chase, let’s see if there’s any news.”

Zhao Yun, knowing that Lü Bu had gone east, directly chased south.

This meticulousness in covering all bases was exactly what Qiao Yan expected.

She was glad she hadn’t given the Ferghana horse to Zhao Yun’s subordinates, but she didn’t show this emotion on her face.

From the perspective of Wang Yun and others, Qiao Yan just pinched the bridge of her nose.

The fatigue from days of marching was inevitably showing on her face.

She wearily repeated, “Let’s wait until Zilong returns.”

After saying this, she made no further comments on Wang Yun allowing Li Jue’s actions and instead walked up to Li Hui.

Li Jue clearly didn’t value this daughter much, even treating her as a tool that could be sacrificed at any time.

Of course, he might not value his wife and son much either, otherwise he wouldn’t have left them all in Chang’an.

So when Dong Zhuo’s generals scattered after his death, some extremists happened to encounter this mother and son and killed them on the streets of Chang’an.

Instead, this daughter, who was used as bait and abandoned, safely appeared before Qiao Yan.

But when Qiao Yan approached, she instinctively shrank back, her eyes showing fear.

She had just heard Qiao Yan scolding Wang Yun for letting her wear this attire, and Wang Yun, a high-ranking official of the Han, did not refute, indicating that this was indeed a wrong move.

So she was also a mistake, shouldn’t she be punished?

But surprisingly, she only heard Qiao Yan say to Yao Chang, who was accompanying the army, “Take her down to change her clothes.”

Li Hui, not daring to resist, followed Yao Chang out of the hall and couldn’t hear the subsequent conversation.

Qiao Yan pondered Li Hui’s situation, wondering if her personality was a result of being suppressed by Li Jue and his wife.

But undoubtedly, she not only didn’t enjoy the benefits of Li Jue’s power but also suffered because of it.

In such a situation, holding her accountable for Li Jue’s crimes was clearly inappropriate.

But the pressing matter now was not this “fake emperor,” but the whereabouts of the real emperor.

Even if Liu Xie went missing and a stable central figure was needed, Li Hui couldn’t continue to pretend.

A fake is a fake, and you can’t hide fire in paper. Qiao Yan couldn’t possibly give her opponents such a handle to use against her.

Now, it’s time to see the final result.

After all, with Dong Zhuo eliminated and the Guanzhong Plain in her hands, whether the plan was successfully executed or not, and whether Liu Xie disappeared naturally, she had strategies to deal with each scenario.

Before Zhao Yun returned from the south with the search results, a few others were brought before her.

Jia Xu and Dong Zhuo’s relatives were found in a tunnel.

This tunnel led to a civilian house in Chang’an, and the entrance had been covered by Li Jue while he was busy dealing with Dong Zhuo, so it shouldn’t have been easily discovered.

But the food in the tunnel and the house was limited, so they had to find a way to get more.

In the situation where Jia Xu “didn’t know” that the dominant force in the city was no longer Li Jue or Dong Zhuo, he ventured out and directly ran into a group of soldiers brought by Lü Bu from Baidaochuan.

After being recognized and unable to fight or run, he was quickly captured and brought before Qiao Yan.

Along with him were Dong Zhuo’s mother, daughter, and others.

Upon suddenly hearing the news of Dong Zhuo and Dong Bai’s deaths, the old lady, who had been granted the title of Chiyang Jun, took a while to recover.

Leaning on her granddaughter for support, she calmed her breath and looked at Qiao Yan sitting above.

Qiao Yan was still in her armor, even though she had control of Chang’an, she was not in a state of relaxation, as if she could continue leading troops into battle at any moment.

Her gaze showed no pity for them, only a calm stare.

The old lady asked, “May I ask how the lord plans to arrange for us?”

Qiao Yan replied, “There are two choices. First, like Dong Zhuo, I can give you a dignified death, at least not like Dong Zhuo’s exposure of He’s corpse on the streets.”

“Second, you two can live incognito in the farmland of Bingzhou, living out your lives in peace.”

The old lady was silent for a moment, holding her granddaughter’s trembling but not withdrawn hand, and replied, “Better to die well than to live in disgrace. I choose the first option. Thank you, lord, for giving us a reunion.”

Compared to He Miao, whose body was dismembered and abandoned by Dong Zhuo, this was indeed a dignified end.

This old lady, who had taught Dong Bai, her great-granddaughter, was no ordinary person.

The woman beside her, Niu Fu’s wife, though afraid of the death outcome, finally just bowed to Qiao Yan in thanks and followed her grandmother to their end.

These two were the outcome, and naturally, Dong Zhuo’s nephew Dong Huang was no exception.

Dong Zhuo’s issuance of small coins, the increased taxes within the year, and the conscription in the unstable situation of Chang’an had made many in Chang’an angry but silent.

Now, seeing Dong Zhuo executed and his relatives dead, the people of Chang’an were all clapping in joy.

To them, this outcome was still somewhat lenient.

Under Duan Wei’s care, their remains were placed in coffins and sent to Dong Zhuo’s hometown in Longxi County, Liangzhou, for burial.

For this, Duan Wei thanked Qiao Yan.

He knew that if they were left in Chang’an, there would always be those who had suffered deeply and would want to open the coffin and desecrate the corpse.

Watching Duan Wei leave, Qiao Yan turned to Jia Xu and sighed. “Sir, shouldn’t you also give me an explanation?”

In the known situation, Jia Xu was kidnapped to Chang’an by Yan Xing.

According to the current understanding of loyalty, Jia Xu should have remained silent and not offered any strategies to Dong Zhuo.

Considering the safety of his wife in Liang and Bing provinces, he should have been a loyal minister who would never betray.

But not only did he speak, he also gave Dong Zhuo many suggestions.

Interestingly, he wasn’t completely classified as Dong Zhuo’s accomplice by the people of Chang’an.

Apart from the matter with Sun Jian, his suggestions were only to stop Qiao Yan’s military actions. As for the impact on Chang’an—

He suggested that Dong Zhuo stabilize Chang’an’s grain prices by trading with Yizhou, which could be considered beneficial to the people of Chang’an.

He persuaded Li Jue to trust Wang Yun and Huang Wan, which, in a sense, reduced the impact of the recent turmoil on Chang’an.

Anyone would find it difficult to convict Jia Xu.

Because he had already left himself a series of safe exits, truly a master strategist.

More importantly, Li Jue had requested an official position for Jia Xu, which had been approved by Liu Xie, meaning… Jia Xu was Liu Xie’s attendant.

As a subject of the emperor, he indeed did not overstep the emperor’s authority, so Qiao Yan had no power to decide his life or death.

Qiao Yan and Jia Xu exchanged a knowing look, saying that everything would have to wait until Liu Xie returned for a conclusion.

However, when Zhao Yun returned, they didn’t get the news of Liu Xie’s successful return, but Yan Xing was brought to Chang’an by Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun reported, “I went south to track and heard near Bashui that two people resembling Li Jue and the emperor in age and appearance were retreating towards Shangluo, where they were indeed blocked by this person leading troops.”

Yan Xing was naturally no match for Zhao Yun and was quickly captured.

But this delay allowed Li Jue to go further.

Under the watchful eyes of the court ministers, Yan Xing looked at Qiao Yan and said, “General Zhao said that since I betrayed the lord, avenging General Han by joining Dong Zhuo, the lord has always been magnanimous, not taking action against General Han’s old troops, nor venting anger on my elderly parents in Liangzhou. There are even old acquaintances from Liangzhou among the soldiers marching into Chang’an as proof.”

“I have been disloyal, but I cannot be unfilial, so I told General Zhao that Li Jue did indeed pass here, wanting us to go to Nanyang together.”

“At that time, I told Li Jue that if there were pursuers, going straight to Wuguan would only get us caught by the cavalry behind, charging and killing, and no one would escape. It would be better for me to lead the troops to ambush the pursuers first, then go, asking my guards to escort him to Wuguan first, wait for me for a day, and then go south together.”

Wang Yun almost wanted to grab Yan Xing’s collar but remembered to maintain his image and just said solemnly, “If you were truly loyal and filial, you should have brought Li Jue and the emperor back to Chang’an at that time!”

Yan Xing replied, “At that time, I thought my parents were no longer alive. Li Jue was willing to support the campaign against Liangzhou, so I naturally wanted to repay him. Now that he is down, I know what it means to have a beginning and an end. What’s wrong with covering his retreat!”

“Enough,” Qiao Yan directly stopped their argument and turned to Yan Xing, saying, “Continue.”

Yan Xing continued, “But when I led General Zhao to Wuguan, I didn’t see Li Jue waiting there.”

“The subordinates left there said that he had sent people ahead to Wuguan to scout, but when they returned, Li Jue was already gone.”

“…” This time, it was Huangfu Song who pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache.

According to the conversation habits of Liangzhou people, when Li Jue was in such a落魄 situation, if Yan Xing didn’t show determination to retreat with him through Wuguan, it would likely make Li Jue think that Yan Xing was still hesitating, whether to sell out Li Jue and defect to Qiao Yan, or continue with him to the end.

Li Jue also found that he couldn’t command the soldiers led by Yan Xing.

Although these soldiers were assigned to Yan Xing by Li Jue, Yan Xing had just led them to a victory against Zhang Ji, so…





If he judged that such a number of people were needed to complete the ambush, Li Jue’s words would be of no use.

So they wouldn’t directly follow Li Jue.

This further deepened Li Jue’s suspicions.

With such preconceived notions, seeing Yan Xing send his trusted aides to “escort” him, Li Jue couldn’t help but feel uneasy and would never see them as bodyguards protecting his safety.

He would only think of them as his jailers.

Since no one could be relied upon, he had no choice but to go alone!

As long as he wasn’t captured immediately and had Liu Xie in his hands, he always had a chance to rise again.

From Shangluo to Wuguan, there were too many paths Li Jue could take.

Heading southwest to Shanyang would lead him to Hanzhong.

Going southeast through Wuguan would take him to Nanyang, as he originally planned.

Heading northeast would lead to Lushi, and from there, he could enter the official road from Chang’an to Luoyang.

With Lü Bu having already captured a fake Son of Heaven in this area, the safety of this route was undoubtedly greatly enhanced.

Which path did he take?

“Let’s send people to search everywhere,” Lu Zhi said, breaking the silence.

Yan Xing had already informed them of the situation, and given his young age, no one could bring themselves to scold him harshly.

His youthful appearance made it easy to imagine what kind of mindset he had when he decided to flee Liangzhou for Chang’an due to Han Sui’s admiration for him.

It was also because of his youth that Li Jue thought he might be prone to wavering in his decisions.

At this moment, Lu Zhi shared the same speculation as Huangfu Song.

Li Jue probably felt that Yan Xing’s stance wasn’t clear enough, posing a threat to his personal safety, so he decided to hide first and reappear later.

But the smaller the target, the harder it is to find.

Even with a carpet search centered around Wuguan, they only found the Son of Heaven’s discarded clothes in the mountains near Shanyang, with no other clues.

Hearing the search results, Huang Wan frowned and said, “Li Jue can’t keep running like this. He’ll have to show up sooner or later.”

At this point, Li Jue holding Liu Xie hostage was very different from Dong Zhuo’s situation.

He had no soldiers, only people, and was merely using Liu Xie as a life-saving card.

But then he changed his expression, “No, he still has one path! If he sends the Son of Heaven to Ye City, Yuan Shao and others will surely treat him as a benefactor.”

Because then there would no longer be two Sons of Heaven, but only Liu Bian, the descendant of Emperor Ling of Han!

Yuan Shao would have to reward Li Jue handsomely enough to live out his days in peace.

Amidst the stunned silence, Wang Yun added, “There are other possibilities. If he sends His Majesty to Jing Province or Yizhou, there’s still room for maneuver. One controls Yizhou, the other dominates Jingxiang, and both are relatives of the Han imperial family. If they first accumulate strength and then use His Majesty’s name to command the provinces, they could also benefit.”

In other words, after all this analysis, they still hadn’t ruled out any possible direction Li Jue might have taken.

“Let’s keep searching…”

“Enough!” Before Wang Yun could finish, Qiao Yan sharply interrupted.

“I’m tired.”

Her simple three words echoed in the hall, which had fallen silent after her “enough.”

This was something no one expected.

But when everyone looked at her, they suddenly realized she was only eighteen.

Yet since the year before Emperor Ling’s death, she had been patrolling the northern borders, fighting the Xianbei.

From the chaos of Dong Zhuo’s tyranny in the first year of Guangxi to the eighth month of the third year of Guangxi, she had been fighting in Liangzhou and then advancing into Guanzhong without a moment’s rest.

She wasn’t just fighting; she was also stabilizing the livelihoods of the people in both provinces.

So her saying she was tired carried more weight than anyone else’s.

Yet she was at an age where most people hadn’t even been recommended for filial piety and integrity.

Even if one argued that such a high position came with such responsibilities, compared to the actions of other governors, no one could blame her for saying she was tired.

“The people of Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Guanzhong are also tired,” she added.

“Even if you haven’t seen the situation in Liang and Bing provinces, you should have seen what Chang’an is like.”

The panic in Chang’an hadn’t completely subsided even days after Dong Zhuo’s execution.

In fact, this was supposed to be a time of celebration after the autumn harvest.

But they couldn’t, and didn’t.

Qiao Yan suddenly raised her voice, “What if we find out Li Jue sent His Majesty to Yuan Shao? Should we march on Ji Province now? If we find out His Majesty is in Jing Province, should we march on Jing Province? If he’s in Yizhou, should we march on Yizhou? The situation changes rapidly, His Majesty’s life is uncertain, and his whereabouts are unknown. What are we supposed to do? Play with the lives of the common people?”

Her words, though she was younger than anyone present, carried a heavy sense of interrogation.

“Of course, I don’t mean to offend anyone,” she said softly, lowering her eyes. “I just think doing such futile work is passive at this point.”

Lu Zhi asked, “I suppose Yanshu’s words aren’t meant to support the one in Ye City?”

If anyone else said such futile work, it might mean that, but not Qiao Yan.

If she had such thoughts, she wouldn’t have risked the trouble of attacking Liangzhou rather than accepting the position of General of Agile Cavalry offered by Ye City.

And the Son of Heaven in Ye City had already proven over the past two years that he wasn’t suitable for the throne.

Rather than being the Son of Heaven of Han, he was more like Yuan Shao’s puppet controlling Qing and Ji provinces.

“Of course not,” Qiao Yan shook her head firmly. “I want… to support Liu Youzhou as the Son of Heaven.”

Liu Youzhou, Liu Yu!

She wanted to support Liu Yu as the Son of Heaven?

This statement was like a boulder thrown into water, shocking everyone again.

Realizing the implications of her words, Huang Wan quickly asked, “If you do this, how are you any different from Yuan Gonglu?”

Back then, Qiao Yan had harshly criticized Yuan Shu for attempting to support Liu Bian, saying his reckless actions were no different from Dong Zhuo’s.

How could she make such a choice now?

Wasn’t she willingly aligning herself with Yuan Shu?

But what he heard was Qiao Yan’s resolute reply: “You’re wrong. I’m nothing like them!”

Qiao Yan looked at everyone, her youthful face showing a sharp, determined expression.

She declared, “Back then, I said he didn’t dare attack Dong Zhuo, losing the backbone of Han. But now Dong Zhuo is gone, and those who disrupt the court will surely bring about their own downfall. Even with a thousand miles between us, Han has loyal ministers inside and fearless generals outside, advancing step by step, seeking only to eliminate traitors and remain loyal. We are no weaklings. That’s the first point.”

“Back then, Lu Gong said that establishing another Son of Heaven disregarded the safety of the late emperor’s descendants. But today, whether we make this choice or not, His Majesty’s safety is uncertain. It’s better to ensure the stability of Han’s people first. That’s the second point.”

“Back then, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu established a young Son of Heaven, leading to a state of uncertainty. But Liu Bo’an, during his tenure in Youzhou, selected capable officials and stabilized grain prices, earning widespread recognition. A capable person should hold the position of Son of Heaven. That’s the third point.”

“Back then, Hongnong King wasn’t the late emperor’s intended heir, and even executed his maternal relatives to cut off his succession. But Liu Youzhou is a descendant of Prince Gong of Donghai and a trusted minister of the late emperor. In terms of legitimacy, he is second only to the missing His Majesty. That’s the fourth point.”

“Gentlemen, these four points are undeniable, aren’t they?”

Qiao Yan’s lengthy speech made one wonder if she had already been considering this idea.

But she had always been exceptionally thoughtful, as seen in her Discourse on Feudalism at Dingzhong Temple. Even if this idea had just occurred to her, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Moreover, as she said, Liu Yu had the legitimacy conferred by the late emperor’s entrustment and his own lineage, and his age was vastly different from the uncertainty of a young ruler. If Qiao Yan really wanted to profit from this, she shouldn’t have chosen him.

This was indeed different from the Yuan brothers welcoming Hongnong King to Ye City and declaring him emperor.

Xun Shuang slowly asked, “Will Liu Youzhou agree to this proposal?”

Qiao Yan shook her head, “I don’t know.”

They would have to send the message to Youzhou first to find out.

When Liu Xie woke up, the sky was painted with the hues of twilight.

But he had no mood to appreciate the scenery, feeling only a splitting headache.

During his escape with Li Jue, fearing that Liu Xie might take advantage of the chaos to flee with only one guard, Li Jue had repeatedly knocked him unconscious.

This time, it wasn’t just his head that hurt; his face also ached.

He reached up to touch his face and gasped in pain.

What he felt wasn’t his usual skin but a gaping wound, his fingers damp with blood.

He instinctively looked up and saw himself in a low valley, with a smear of blood on a high rock.

Had he… fallen from there?

He quickly sat up.

As he moved, he felt his foot kick something.

Looking in that direction, he saw a familiar figure—Li Jue!

But Li Jue wasn’t conscious; he was lying headfirst in the grass.

Even when Liu Xie kicked him, he showed no reaction.

Liu Xie cautiously approached and realized Li Jue had hit his head on a rock.

If he had fallen from a height and hit like that, there was no way he could still be alive.

Sure enough, when he turned Li Jue over, he saw the rock soaked with blood, and Li Jue was already dead.

Li Jue… was dead?

The sudden death of his captor was like a stroke of luck for Liu Xie.

But he still didn’t know where he was, so it wasn’t time to celebrate yet.

The wounds on his head and limbs were severe, and he was starving after not eating properly for two days.

Unfortunately, as a Son of Heaven raised in the palace, he had no knowledge of wild plants.

Remembering what he had read in books, he didn’t dare to eat any random plants. He wrapped a cloth around his hand and carefully climbed up the gentle slope.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a very deep pit.

But after climbing up, he found himself surrounded by dense forests, making it hard to tell which way to go.

He decided to pick a direction and walk.

Perhaps fate was on his side, as he hadn’t gone far when he heard a faint mountain song.

Getting closer, he saw a woodcutter chopping wood in the forest.

Hearing footsteps, the woodcutter looked up warily, but relaxed when he saw it was just a child.

Then his gaze fell on Liu Xie’s wounded face, “What happened to you?”

“I…” Liu Xie started but then stopped.

He had planned to ask the woodcutter to take him to the nearest town so he could return to Chang’an.

But when he saw the woodcutter’s gaze, he suddenly realized something terrifying.

Due to Li Jue repeatedly knocking him out, he had no idea what was happening in Chang’an. He feared that if Li Jue had escaped, Dong Zhuo might have regained control. If he returned to Chang’an, wouldn’t he be walking into the tiger’s den?

For the past two years, he had lived as a puppet under Dong Zhuo’s control.

He had developed a deep psychological shadow from it.

And if the wounds on his face didn’t heal…

A person with facial scars couldn’t hold office, according to Han rules. What about a Son of Heaven with facial scars?

These thoughts flashed through Liu Xie’s mind, and he finally stammered, “I… I don’t remember. I woke up nearby.”

The woodcutter was a kind man. Seeing the child standing there, looking lost, he stopped his work and said, “Alright, come with me to my place. I have some ointment for bruises. Let’s treat your wounds first. You can figure things out later. It’s getting dark; you can’t stay in the woods with wolves around.”

Liu Xie felt a pang of sorrow but also relief. He had survived the fall, Li Jue was dead, and he had met a kind woodcutter.

But he didn’t see—

As the woodcutter approached him, he pushed a telescope deeper into his basket, hiding it further.