Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 7: Eight Hundred Qin Rivers, Occupying Guanzhong Chapter 224: Xun Yu Enters the Pass

According to Ren Hong’s admiration for Qiao Yan, influencing the change of the era name was not a big deal.

The era name Jian’an had a more pragmatic vibe compared to Guangxi, which they were still using, and Zhaoning, used in Ye City.

To put it simply, it meant building Chang’an.

Just like the double meaning of “Leping” in the popular saying, Chang’an also had its own connotations.

But obviously, this couldn’t be said to Liu Yu.

This wasn’t something their Lingtai should say.

When Ren Hong, dressed in the official robes of the Lingtai Cheng, entered Chang’an and passed through the city that had just experienced war with the Lingtai officials she led, she was still pondering her words.

In the letter Qiao Yan sent, there was a line about measuring the interpretation of celestial signs.

The implied meaning was that the celestial signs couldn’t be too mystical.

However, when Ren Hong met Liu Yu, she found that he wasn’t very enthusiastic about setting the era name.

Perhaps because he was still recovering from illness, Ren Hong even felt a hint of weariness in his tone.

Upon hearing “Jian’an,” he didn’t listen further to the reasons for choosing this era name, only saying, “The reconstruction of Chang’an should have been arranged by Ye Shu. Chang’an, as the capital, is the face of the dynasty, but given the current situation, simplicity is key. The imperial ancestral temples and the Lingtai observatory should be built in places with good feng shui, but the form should be simple.”

Ren Hong noticed a momentary daze on his face after he spoke, and he softly added, “The era name Jian’an is good too. What the people desire is nothing more than peace and health.”

Seeming to realize someone was still present, Liu Yu withdrew the melancholy on his face and looked at Ren Hong, “Thank you for your efforts. Please inform Lu Gong and the others about the era name decision.”

Since Liu Yu hadn’t yet ascended to the throne, the task of conveying the message fell to Ren Hong, who reported it to the ceremonial procedures led by Lu Zhi and others.

As she stepped out of the official building, she couldn’t help but glance back.

In the past, she had seen Liu Hong, Liu Xie, and Liu Bian in the Han palace.

But this Liu Yu, whom Qiao Yan had ushered to the throne, seemed different from the three, especially compared to the often reckless Liu Hong, he seemed to be at the other extreme.

Ren Hong didn’t have much political experience, but she thought perhaps it was the calmness of age. After all, Qiao Yan had chosen him, so there must be a necessary reason.

Or perhaps—for the current Chang’an and the world, what was needed was such an emperor, paired with a lord who could reclaim territories?

She temporarily buried this unanswered question in her heart and went to inform Lu Zhi about the era name.

Lu Zhi stroked his beard and sighed, “I thought Liu Youzhou would choose an era name like Chuping due to the recent stabilization of Chang’an. I didn’t expect it to be Jian’an.”

Ren Hong asked, “Is Jian’an not good?”

Lu Zhi smiled, “It’s not that Jian’an is bad. Now is the time for rebuilding, and such a pragmatic name is indeed needed. Since Liu Youzhou entered Chang’an, although he has rarely appeared due to illness, the presence of the emperor has calmed the city’s restlessness. With the era name Jian’an, Zilong and Zhongde’s land reclamation efforts should be easier.”

Ren Hong, having been in the palace in her early years and then gone to Leping after the turmoil in Luoyang, didn’t quite understand this sense of belonging to the Han.

But since Lu Zhi, a senior court official and half-teacher to the lord, said so, it must be true.

Thinking that everything from the rescue of Chang’an to welcoming Liu Yu and even deciding the era name was done by Qiao Yan, Ren Hong felt an indescribable pride.

Liu Yu’s ascension wouldn’t happen so quickly; it would wait until the end of the year when all preparations were complete, to be held on the first day of the new year.

The new emperor’s ascension coinciding with the new spring was naturally a good omen.

In less than two months, it would be the first year of Jian’an!

But for people of this era, they probably couldn’t understand Qiao Yan’s sentiment towards the era name Jian’an.

Jian’an was a very famous era name.

Among the several era names used by Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, Jian’an, which lasted over twenty years, was the longest. During the Three Kingdoms period, well-known battles like Guandu and Chibi occurred during the Jian’an era, and the Jian’an literature represented by the Seven Scholars of Jian’an was passed down, leading to the saying “Penglai articles, Jian’an bones.”

This era name could be seen as a tribute to the poetry she once memorized.

However, she didn’t intend for the Jian’an era to last twenty or thirty years.

Thinking about the situation in Chang’an, Qiao Yan asked the system, “By the way, is there an achievement for influencing the lord to use a certain era name?”

This time, the system didn’t glitch due to her sudden question.

It replied without hesitation: [No, don’t even think about it! What kind of proper strategist needs to suggest era names!]

This wasn’t within the scope of a strategist’s responsibilities.

Not feeling too disappointed about failing to exploit the system, Qiao Yan thought it was just a missed opportunity for additional value.

After all, she had already negotiated with the system; when she supported Liu Yu to the throne, she would receive many strategist points, and there would be plenty of achievements to gain during the subsequent campaigns under Liu Yu’s name. Overall, she wasn’t at a loss.

Even though she wasn’t truly aiming to be a strategist, she wouldn’t fall behind in system progress.

She just teased, “A proper strategist might even need to know divination and fortune-telling. Why not support all-around development? You should consider keeping the strategist system up-to-date.”

[…] As long as the host is happy, the system decided to stay silent for now.

After teasing her silly system, Qiao Yan turned her gaze beyond the strategic pass.

Theoretically, the area east of Juyong Pass and south of the Yan Mountains, Guangyang Commandery, should be called Guannei.

That was also the place that would be called Beijing in the future.

But now, it was still part of the cold, harsh lands of Youzhou.

And because of the territory Qiao Yan controlled in Bingzhou, it was called “Guanwai” to her.

With the arrival of November, the rivers had frozen, and heavy snow had fallen, covering the high Jun Mountain and the nearby Juyong Pass in a layer of white.

Fortunately, this year they had cotton clothes for warmth, and coal transported from Yanmen provided heating in Juyong Pass, creating a lively scene of patrols.

Tai Shici and Bing Yuan, invited by Qiao Yan, would return to Bingzhou with her tomorrow and had also been given cotton clothes.

Compared to what they had seen while taking refuge in Liaodong, this place didn’t seem like a winter defense post at all.

Perhaps because…








Because Zheng Xuan chose to reside in Bingzhou for a long time, Tai Shici and Bing Yuan, who are also from Qingzhou, naturally had a better impression of Qiao Yan. After seeing the situation of the garrison inside the pass, they felt even more favorable.

When Qiao Yan herself arrived, the respectful attitude shown to her by everyone from Zhang Liao down to the common soldiers couldn’t help but arouse some curiosity.

The snow inside the camp had already been cleared once by the soldiers stationed there, and the newly fallen snow only accumulated a very thin layer on the ground.

Tai Shici stepped over this shallow snow and saw that the earliest group of soldiers had already carefully placed their cotton clothes under the cover of an oilcloth canopy. They lined up and ran inside the pass, completing their morning training. Those who finished gathered around to warm themselves by the fire, then put their cotton clothes back on, and finally covered them with a layer of leather armor.

A pot of ginger soup was boiling on the charcoal fire. Those who had dressed properly took a bowl of ginger soup and then went to have breakfast.

Seeing these people feeling content amidst their busyness, Tai Shici couldn’t help but smile.

As for Liaodong Commandery, well, the prefect there is named Gongsun Du, who was appointed during Dong Zhuo’s usurpation.

Although he shares the surname Gongsun, this Gongsun has little to do with Gongsun Zan. He had already held positions in the court during the Jianning era, even serving as the Governor of Ji Province at one point, and eventually became the Prefect of Liaodong.

Although Gongsun Du is known for his strict laws and effective governance, with a forward-looking attitude, compared to Tadun, who was about to be enfeoffed as the Marquis of Liaodong by Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan, who had just seized Guangyang and Yuyang, he seemed to have a more sustainable development. However, the morale of his soldiers was still far from that of Qiao Yan’s troops.

But this really can’t be blamed on Gongsun Du.

He was able to take over as the Prefect of Liaodong because of the recommendation of his old acquaintance Xu Rong. However, not long after Dong Zhuo arrived in Chang’an, he was driven out by Qiao Yan, and Xu Rong also defected to Qiao Yan’s side.

If it weren’t for the difficulty of sending orders from Chang’an to Liaodong Commandery, Dong Zhuo would have already removed Gongsun Du from his position.

Gongsun Du managed to hold onto his position as Prefect of Liaodong solely due to his accumulated connections in the region.

But earlier, when Liu Yu took control of Youzhou, Gongsun Zan retreated to the Liaodong and Liaoxi areas, causing some friction with Gongsun Du, forcing him to concentrate his forces in central Liaodong.

With Gongsun Zan’s westward advance, Gongsun Du’s situation has become more comfortable.

However, with two commanderies in Youzhou already taken by Qiao Yan, and the entanglement of the three forces of the Wuhuan, Gongsun Zan, and Gongsun Du, the future still seems somewhat bleak.

Tai Shici shook his head, temporarily stopping his reverie.

Since he and Bing Yuan had already arrived here, there was no need to think too much about the situation in Liaodong.

He originally only intended to escort Bing Yuan here and had no intention of joining the Governor of Bingzhou.

But after arriving here, he felt that a true man should establish some achievements in times of chaos.

He had previously fled to Liaodong due to the situation in Qingzhou, but now it was time to choose a place to serve.

Although he hadn’t yet decided whether to serve under Qiao Yan or to seek a position in Chang’an with his martial prowess and archery skills, he had already made up his mind not to return to Liaodong.

Thinking this, he instinctively looked towards the eastern city wall and pass.

Even though there was still some distance, with Tai Shici’s eyesight, it wasn’t hard to see that the two people climbing the city wall were Qiao Yan and Zhang Liao. He then walked in that direction.

At the base of the city wall, he overheard Qiao Yan instructing her subordinate, “Bring me my bow.”

By the time he ascended the city wall, the bow was already in Qiao Yan’s hands.

Tai Shici had considerable arm strength and a long arm span, typical prerequisites for a skilled archer, but Qiao Yan was different.

Although she was tall, compared to the average general, she still appeared too slender and upright.

However, when she effortlessly drew the three-stone longbow in her hand, Tai Shici suddenly realized that he shouldn’t judge the Marquis of Leping by her appearance.

Her sharp gaze, as she drew the bowstring and nocked the arrow, carried a deeper chill than the snow in sight.

A snowflake happened to land on the arrowhead at that moment, but it didn’t make her blink.

Even though the arrow hadn’t been released, Tai Shici had no doubt that her archery skills would not be inferior to her reputed abilities in commanding and governance.

The next moment, the arrow shot out, piercing a rock one hundred and fifty paces away.

The powerful impact drove the white-feathered arrowhead into the stone, and as the stone vibrated, the snow on its surface slid off, making the white feather fletching look like a new patch of snow on the rock.

This was clearly the power to pierce stone and drink feathers!

Qiao Yan calmly put away her bow and said to Zhang Liao, “Wen Yuan, tell Gongsun Zan that the area east of Juyong Pass within bowshot is also under the defense of our Bingzhou army. If his men set foot in this area—”

“Kill without mercy!”

This ultimatum to Gongsun Zan was precisely the purpose of Qiao Yan’s inspection of Juyong Pass.

After leaving such a mark and boosting the morale of the stationed soldiers, she could confidently head to Chang’an to attend Liu Yu’s coronation ceremony.

This adult emperor, with actual achievements, although he had previously lost a confrontation with Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, when he declared himself emperor in Chang’an, he was clearly more attractive to those who aspired to serve the country than Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

So Qiao Yan was not just attending a ceremony.

Among the scholars and generals coming, which ones she could use and which she couldn’t, and how she should present herself to attract their attention, turning their support from Liu Yu to her as the situation developed, were all part of a tough battle she needed to fight.

Even though she held three provinces, placing her far above other warlords, it was still far from the time for her to relax.

Far from enough!

She also couldn’t assume that everyone in the world would support her just because her trusted advisors and confidants, who knew her ambitions, had shown full support.

And although she was to strive for the position of Grand Marshal as promised to Xi Zhicai, she must always maintain a humble and respectful demeanor.

Fortunately, there were still more joyous occasions at the moment.

For example—

On Qiao Yan’s way to Chang’an, a young scholar was already standing in front of Wu Pass.

After earlier persuading Zhuge Xuan to take Zhuge Liang to Bingzhou, he himself had wandered through Jing and Yang Provinces due to his confusion about the current situation.

But as Qiao Yan had commented, Sun Ce of Jiangdong couldn’t handle the conflicts with the gentry, and although he could seize Yang Province with his bravery, it wouldn’t last long. Liu Biao of Jing Province, though a hero, was still far from what he hoped for.

Xun Yu originally planned to head north to see Liu Bei in Yu Province and Cao Cao in Yanzhou, but in Jing Province, he heard the news that Liu Yu was entering Chang’an to declare himself emperor.

So he immediately rushed to Wu Pass, taking a detour to Guanzhong.

This young man, with a clear and composed demeanor, looked at the snow on the pass, a glimmer of light in his eyes.

Before entering the pass, his mind was filled with countless thoughts.

Is the future of the Han Dynasty here?

Is his future here?