Chapter 231

Chapter 231

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 7: Eight Hundred Qin Rivers, Occupying Guanzhong, Chapter 231: The Situation in Yizhou

When Liu Bian first heard that the Marquis of Leping had sent New Year’s gifts, he actually had some psychological trauma.

This gift, which arrived in Ye City in mid-January, bore the title of Grand Marshal and Cavalry General, a seven-character official title declaring her stance.

Back when he had just ascended the throne in Ye City, he had indeed offered her the title of Cavalry General, but Qiao Yan clearly had no intention of standing on his side, outright refusing the appointment.

Now, it seems, the title of Cavalry General has finally been realized.

But what gave him psychological trauma wasn’t Qiao Yan’s refusal of the official title he offered, but the New Year’s gift she sent.

For Liu Bian, in the first month of the Zhaoning era, she sent a gift of her handwritten annotations on classical texts, encouraging study, which was still somewhat normal.

But in the first month of the third year of Zhaoning, the New Year’s gift was a handful of yellow earth from the tomb of Emperor Ling of Han on Mang Mountain!

Liu Bian could never forget that scene in his dreams.

When Qiao Yan’s envoy stood in the court holding a box of yellow earth, claiming it was to pay respects to the late emperor on behalf of the King of Hongnong, to ease homesickness, Liu Bian’s face turned pale, then green, then pale again. He couldn’t understand how the envoy managed to keep a straight face and genuinely thought this was a proper gift.

This year, thankfully, after some consideration, he thought Qiao Yan probably wouldn’t dig up the late emperor’s tomb just because the current ruler was Liu Yu, so he finally decided to receive her envoy.

However, upon seeing that the New Year’s gift was a Victory Coin representing an elder’s gift to a junior, this emperor, who actually held little power in the Ye court, fell into deep silence.

If he remembered correctly, wasn’t he actually a year older than Qiao Yan?

How did this generational gap come about?

But in Liu Bian’s memory, aside from that unforgettable New Year’s gift, he also couldn’t forget the tone Qiao Yan used when she publicly reprimanded Yuan Shu for supporting him as the Son of Heaven.

Thinking about it this way, the sense of a generational gap wasn’t wrong.

Liu Bian set the Victory Coin aside and turned his gaze to the neatly folded Leping Monthly Report in the box. He heard the envoy below say, “Our lord’s intention is that the King of Hongnong is no longer young and should not focus solely on Ye City, Wei County, or just the small area of Ji Province. The Han Dynasty’s thirteen provinces each have their own unique features. If one is blinded by the immediate surroundings, they will eventually become a frog in a well, unworthy of the name of the late emperor’s descendant.”

Yuan Shao clenched his fist beside him.

He felt he probably didn’t mishear, as there was clearly a hint of provocation in those words.

But such an accusation was utterly baseless.

For Liu Bian to reside peacefully in Ye City was the norm for an emperor. Did they expect him to run around everywhere gathering information?

Although Liu Bian’s court had few ministers with real power, Yuan Shao hadn’t turned the Ye court into his own personal fiefdom. Therefore, he didn’t need to react particularly to such divisive words.

Having figured this out, Yuan Shao calmly watched as Liu Bian took out a copy of the Leping Monthly Report and spread it out.

However, upon seeing the contents of the report, Liu Bian’s eyes widened in shock.

Yuan Shao was still pondering how to tell Liu Bian that if this happened again next year, he could simply intercept Qiao Yan’s envoy to avoid discomfort, when suddenly Liu Bian turned to him and asked, “Governor Yuan of Qingzhou, why does the Leping Monthly Report from Bingzhou say that the pig used in the sacrificial ceremony celebrating Liu Yu’s ascension in Youzhou this year weighed five hundred jin?”

The January issue of the Leping Monthly Report, according to Qiao Yan’s request to Zhaoji, needed to cater to “readers” in Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Guanzhong.

Especially in Guanzhong, the increase in readership needed to get the scholars under Liu Yu’s command accustomed to this monthly report starting from the first month of the Jian’an era.

This meant that simply reporting on the coronation ceremony in Guanzhong wasn’t the entirety of this issue.

Cai Zhaoji pondered and felt it necessary to give the people of Guanzhong and the new court officials a little shock.

But since it was winter, it would be too deliberate to suddenly report last year’s crop yields at the start of the year.

So, they had to use recent events.

Having developed the Leping Monthly Report to this point, Cai Zhaoji had become quite sensitive to “news” material.

She immediately found a usable piece of material: the sacrificial ceremony’s grand offering.

Only those who attended the ceremony at the Hall of Enlightenment and Biyong would notice that the offering was much heavier than usual.

But as long as there were “witnesses,” it was manageable.

This wasn’t just an isolated case but a common result of the development of animal husbandry and pig farming in Bingzhou.

Qiao Yan had only recently led her troops into Chang’an and hadn’t yet had time to transplant the entire farming and animal husbandry framework to Guanzhong. Now was the perfect time to use the sacrificial ceremony for external propaganda.

This news, even to those in Guanzhong who had witnessed it, sounded unbelievable, let alone to Yuan Shao, who hadn’t seen it firsthand.

He immediately replied, “Your Majesty, you cannot believe everything written on paper. This is nonsense.”

As soon as he spoke, the envoy gave him a look as if he were an idiot.

This reaction made it hard for him not to suspect that the news might be true. Otherwise, he could have used this false message from Qiao Yan to counterattack later.

But he obviously couldn’t take back his words now, so he had to maintain a calm expression.

At this moment, he heard Liu Bian say, “It also says here that droughts in the world often follow cyclical patterns. To prevent another locust plague in the near future, Bingzhou and Liangzhou have already completed the construction of water channels, and now they are extending this to Guanzhong.”

In Liu Bian’s memory, he still recalled the locust plague in the Three Auxiliary Regions.

The drought and locust plague at that time caused refugees from the Three Auxiliary Regions to flood into the capital, and even in the palace, one could hear the restless murmurs of the people. Swarms of locusts in the sky obviously didn’t avoid the palace, as there was nowhere they couldn’t go.

Coincidentally, Fu Shou, who wrote this record and introduced the water conservancy projects in Liangzhou and Bingzhou, shared a similar memory of that time.

As she wrote these words to instill confidence in the people of Guanzhong, the sense of immersion for those in the Sili region was unusually high.

This made Liu Bian subconsciously worry about the situation in Ye City.

He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Governor Yuan of Qingzhou often seemed to be following behind Governor Qiao of Bingzhou.

Although, given the current situation, it wasn’t something Qiao Yan and Liu Yu could stabilize in Guanzhong overnight, how long could this standoff last?

Based on Liu Bian’s experience, he couldn’t give a clear answer.

Hearing Yuan Shao reply that the recent years had been favorable and there was no need to worry, Liu Bian remained skeptical and skipped over the parts of the report related to Liu Yu’s ascension, then randomly pulled out another page.

But what he picked up was probably the page Yuan Shao least wanted to see.

When Yuan Shao heard Liu Bian exclaim “Governor Yuan of Qingzhou,” his heart tightened, and a bad premonition arose.

Thankfully, Liu Bian remembered to send the envoy away first before asking, “Governor Yuan of Qingzhou, do you really owe that much grain?”

Hearing this, Yuan Shao’s vision darkened.

Even Yuan Shu had already heard about this and mocked him from afar, but he had originally kept it hidden from Liu Bian.

After all, for Yuan Shao, owing Qiao Yan this amount of grain was no different from owing ten thousand dan.

With their relationship already strained, this was a debt that didn’t need to be repaid.

But Qiao Ye Shu… Qiao Yan, this scoundrel! How dare she publish such things as reading material for the people of Bingzhou?

Yuan Shao hadn’t missed the envoy’s explanation at the beginning about the nature of these monthly reports!

After finally explaining to Liu Bian that this matter was inconsequential, Yuan Shao returned to his residence and overturned the table.

From Qiao Yan’s blatant炫耀 and heart-stabbing behavior, Yuan Shao felt that his mood, which had improved somewhat due to his alliance with Gongsun Zan, was now utterly destroyed.

As he calmed down from the fury that had surged to his head, Yuan Shao couldn’t help but think of another problem.

If the Leping Monthly Report was as easily obtainable as the New Year’s gift envoy had said, and given that Tian Feng had left for Bingzhou some time ago, he should have seen it by now.

Such a report, filled with significant news, even if Tian Feng wanted to verify its authenticity first, should have had some news by now, rather than disappearing as if evaporated from the world.

Yuan Shao hadn’t considered the possibility that Tian Feng might switch sides.

Even if he did, he would have legitimately become Qiao Yan’s subordinate and then had Qiao Yan discuss bringing his family over, rather than vanishing without a trace.

He might have to prepare for the possibility that Tian Feng had met with misfortune.

At this moment, a subordinate asked if they should send someone to Chang’an to investigate the recruitment at Hongwen Hall and see how far the recruitment banner had developed.

Fearing another situation where his dispatched men wouldn’t return, Yuan Shao immediately rejected the suggestion.

Little did he know, Tian Feng, because his handwriting was quite good, was forced to stay at Hongwen Hall, assisting in recording the words and deeds of the visiting scholars, eagerly awaiting his rescue.

The more Tian Feng thought about it, the more he felt something was off. Having good handwriting didn’t mean he could write everything; these were two different things.

He should have said he couldn’t handle all the recordings.

But after the previous streak of bad luck, Tian Feng didn’t dare guarantee that he wouldn’t be sent to some other strange place for saying something wrong.

Although he was now at Hongwen Hall, where he had to worry about Xun Yu and Cui Jun suddenly remembering his identity, at least he could see the behavior of the visiting scholars and know who was joining Chang’an’s construction.

If his lord in Ye City had even a slight political acumen and thought to send someone here to gather information, perhaps he could send all the collected intelligence back in one go.

Then, even he would have a chance to escape.

After all, Hongwen Hall was a place with many visitors!

Tian Feng, holding onto this hopeful thought, began his new day’s work.

In Yizhou, Li Ru also started his day’s work.

But unlike Tian Feng’s work style, he was taking Qiao Ting on a tour.

As he had told Qi Zhou, since the edict announcement had to wait for the various county prefects to arrive, allowing Liu Yan to showcase his friendly relations with Chang’an, he might as well make the most of his time in Yizhou, as it was his first visit.

The lord had sent him along to avoid overshadowing Qi Zhou’s role as the Son of Heaven’s envoy, so he couldn’t even miss this obvious point.








Qi Zhou felt that “Li Meng” made some sense, but also felt like he was being tricked.

But these past few days, there really hasn’t been anything important, so letting him wander around wouldn’t hurt.

With Qi Zhou’s permission, Li Ru became a complete idler.

What should one do when traveling to a new place? Probably one thing that’s the same in both modern and ancient times is buying local specialties.

Li Ru did just that.

The most famous thing in Shu is Shu brocade. Although it’s not the season for silkworms, there are still some new products available.

Li Ru led Qiao Ting to pick a few relatively cheap pieces from two shops.

When moving the goods back to the inn, Qi Zhou glanced at Li Ru several times, thinking the quantity and quality of his purchases matched his financial status.

Li Ru even suggested, “If you want better value, choose the shops I went to.”

He mysteriously added, “Did you know? Liu Yizhou is quite ruthless. In his third year in Yizhou, he executed the Wang and Li families of Ba Commandery who were disloyal to him. The Shu brocade industry of the Wang and Li families naturally fell into Liu Yizhou’s hands and was gifted to his second son.”

“This is hard-earned information. Think about it, it’s a no-cost business, so the prices are naturally lower. This grudge has nothing to do with us who are here to deliver the edict. It’s perfect for those of us with limited funds, and it’s a good way to explain things back home, right?”

Li Ru had no family to explain to; he was a carefree bachelor.

But Qi Zhou did.

Hearing this, Qi Zhou immediately thanked him, feeling that in a way, this seemingly unproductive companion was slightly useful.

But when he heard that Li Ru went to buy Shu wine the next day, Qi Zhou almost choked.

As soon as Li Ru returned, Qi Zhou grabbed him and asked, “Have you forgotten how we got to Chengdu? We passed through Xiegu Valley, Hanzhong Commandery, Ba Commandery, Guanghan Commandery, and finally reached Chengdu in Shu Commandery. The journey was bumpy. Bringing back some Shu brocade is one thing, but how can you bring back wine?”

Don’t just increase my workload like that!

Li Ru smiled, “Who said I was bringing the wine back? Think about it, after buying the Shu brocade, I need something for myself. If it spills on the way, it would be a waste. Better to drink it here.”

“Shu is in the south, where besides millet and wheat, most of the land is planted with rice. Hence, the local wine is also made from rice. Its biggest characteristic is its throat-burning spiciness, different from the strong wines of the north.”

“But this time, there’s no bargain. I went to both local Shu wine shops and those run by people from the east, and the prices were similar. After all, Shu’s farmland is abundant, truly a scene of scattered canals and crisscrossed fields.”

Li Ru pushed Qi Zhou’s hand away, “I won’t say more. I’m off to get drunk.”

Seeing his lazy demeanor, Qi Zhou even felt this wasn’t a big deal, perhaps because he had been repeatedly reinforced with this impression.

Even when he heard that Li Ru wasn’t buying anything on the first day but instead took the girl with him to explore, Qi Zhou didn’t find it strange.

Li Ru said he wasn’t buying physical specialties today but wanted to experience Shu’s culture and customs.

For example, the ghost worship and divination practices in Shu.

But after two days of wandering, Qi Zhou heard that Li Ru returned empty-handed.

According to him, the two most skilled diviners were either dead or had disappeared after predicting that Wu Yi’s sister, who entered Shu with Liu Yan, had a noble appearance. The rest, based on his experience with charlatans, were probably fake.

“When in Rome,” Li Ru shrugged, looking helpless, “Even though I saw they were frauds, I didn’t expose them. I gave face to the people of Yizhou, didn’t I? Luckily, I spent my money on Shu brocade and wine earlier, just to haggle with them.”

“…” Qi Zhou remained silent for a long time, even more relieved that Li Ru wasn’t the main envoy.

He thought for a moment and reminded, “We have two days left before the agreed time with Liu Yizhou. You should avoid going out from now on.”

Li Ru waved his hand, “Of course, my legs aren’t in great shape. These past few days were just for fun. Now it’s time to rest.”

As he walked back, Li Ru added, “I haven’t finished my wine yet,” almost making Qi Zhou spit blood.

But Qi Zhou thought Li Ru’s last two days were fruitless, but in fact, Li Ru gained a lot.

The next day, without going out, he and Qiao Ting organized the information they had gathered.

He was completing his mission while also guiding Qiao Ting.

He said, “The information we gathered these past few days is mixed, but we can categorize it based on Liu Yan’s relationships.”

“One category is Liu Yan’s relatives and descendants, the other is his subordinates.”

“Liu Yan has four sons: eldest Liu Fan, second Liu Dan, third Liu Mao, and fourth Liu Zhang.”

“Liu Yan’s subordinates can be divided into two categories: locals of Yizhou, like Dong Fu who supported his entry into Ba-Shu, Zhang Lu who was assigned to Wudu Commandery, and Zhao Wei who remained under Liu Yan. The other category is people from outside Yizhou, known as Dongzhou scholars, like Wu Yi and Pang Xi who followed him into Ba-Shu.”

As he spoke, Li Ru wrote Liu Yan’s name in the center of the paper.

Above it, he wrote the names of his four sons, and below, he wrote “Yizhou scholars” and “Dongzhou scholars.”

“Now let’s summarize the information we’ve heard these past few days.”

“From the Shu brocade situation, we can see that Liu Yan favors Dongzhou scholars over Yizhou scholars. In fact, the Wang and Li families of Ba Commandery weren’t executed by Liu Yan for suppressing a rebellion but were killed to establish his authority in Yizhou.”

“Later, as Liu Yan told us, he quelled the rebellion led by Ren Qi of Yizhou the year before last.”

“In this battle, Liu Yan personally supervised the fight and was hit by a stray arrow in the back, as occasionally mentioned in Yizhou-run wine shops.”

“Then, part of the confiscated Shu brocade business was handed over to his second son, Liu Dan, implying he should have a means to support himself, and the rest need not be considered. This second son indeed had no great ambitions and lived a leisurely life of wealth.”

At this point, Li Ru crossed out Liu Dan’s name from the paper.

He made this judgment not just based on the Shu brocade business but also on what he saw as an envoy.

Now, on the paper before him were four Liu names, and Dongzhou and Yizhou scholars, with the former highlighted, indicating they were more valued by Liu Yan.

“Now let’s look at the forces each supports.”

Li Ru wrote on the paper, “These people undoubtedly belong to Liu Yan, but because Liu Yan values Dongzhou scholars more, intending to use them to balance local Yizhou forces, Yizhou people also seek their own way out.”

“Specifically—Zhang Lu and his mother continuously sought power from Liu Yan, developing towards Hanzhong and even Wudu.”

“Zhao Wei favors Liu Yan’s youngest son among the remaining sons, thinking his weak temperament makes him easy to control, potentially reversing Yizhou people’s disadvantage.”

“Liu Yan’s Dongzhou scholars, after earning merit by following him into Shu, sought to further their power by marrying into his family.”

“Wu Yi’s sister was said to have a noble appearance, but Liu Yan’s first two sons were already married, so she was married to his third son, Liu Mao. Unfortunately, Liu Mao had a mental illness and was unfit for inheritance, so Wu Yi remained a staunch follower of Liu Yan.”

“This might be Liu Yan’s way of keeping Wu Yi from taking sides among his heirs.”

“But this way, we can tentatively cross out Liu Yan’s third son.”

Finally, three names and their supported forces remained—

Liu Yan himself: represented by Zhang Luo of Yizhou and Wu Yi of Dongzhou.

Liu Yan’s eldest son, Liu Fan: the legal first heir.

Liu Yan’s youngest son, Liu Zhang: Zhao Wei and other Yizhou people dissatisfied with Liu Yan’s decisions.

Li Ru said, “Yizhou is isolated, and changes in the situation take time to reach Chang’an, already disguised in words. No wonder the Marquis wanted us to analyze the local situation before making decisions.”

“But it’s precisely this geographical isolation that makes some people act recklessly, making it easier for us to obtain corresponding information, perfect for your first lesson.”

“The situation is clear, and who is most useful to us is also clear.”

Li Ru handed the pen to Qiao Ting.

Without hesitation, Qiao Ting drew a circle on the list.

The name circled was Zhao Wei of Yizhou.

“Who did you say?”

Qiao Yan paused her brush and suddenly looked up at the messenger.

The messenger didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Qiao Yan to the news he brought.

What he reported was simple.

Recently, as more scholars visited Hongwen Hall, some, not in a hurry to gain recognition from the four hall masters, used the hall as a platform for debates.

This was why Qiao Yan sent Zhuge Liang to listen.

Though not yet fully educated, under the guidance of Xun Yu and later studying at Leping Academy, he had developed his own judgment on most arguments, so Qiao Yan wasn’t worried about him being misled.

This listening was more about broadening his horizons, hearing other voices of the time.

But today was different.

According to the messenger, among the listeners today was a boy of similar age to Zhuge Liang.

This boy was quiet and focused, occasionally exchanging a few words with Zhuge Liang.

Anyone would think he was the son or nephew of a visiting scholar.

But for some reason, the two boys started a quiet argument.

It escalated until, during a pause in others’ discussions, the unfamiliar boy suddenly challenged Zhuge Liang to a debate to resolve their unresolved topic.

Thinking of Qiao Yan’s regard for Zhuge Liang and that the challenging boy seemed extraordinary, Cui Jun quickly sent someone to inform Qiao Yan.

Hearing Qiao Yan’s question, the messenger thought he might have spoken too quickly with a heavy accent.

He repeated, “The boy said his name is Pang Tong.”