Chapter 250

Chapter 250: The Road Named Chang’an

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 7: Eight Hundred Qin Rivers, Occupying Guanzhong Chapter 250: The Road Named Chang’an

Before returning to Chang’an, she still had a few things to do.

First was the cotton planting scheduled for April.

Due to the recent pacification of Guanzhong, Qin Yu was transferred to Chang’an. The personnel she had cultivated over the years in Bingzhou could fill her position, but cotton was a critical secret of Bingzhou, so a responsible person had to be left in charge.

This task required meticulous attention, something Zhang Niujiao couldn’t handle.

And obviously, Jia Xu, who was idling here under the guise of farming, couldn’t be fully entrusted with this responsibility.

After all, his real job wasn’t farming.

Plus, he was about to join Li Ru in overseeing the graduation exams of Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting, leaving him with little extra energy for this task.

Qiao Yan looked at her available personnel and decided to transfer Jia Shu here, given that cotton required careful handling.

Jia Shu was the reformed Bingzhou role model, previously responsible for fertilizer production.

With fertilizer production now streamlined, he didn’t need much supervision, making him a suitable choice.

Having worked with Qin Yu on agricultural matters, he was also professionally aligned.

Moreover, Qin Yu had prepared this year’s cotton seeds and outlined the planting areas before heading to Chang’an, making the transition smooth.

Second was the use of the remaining cotton.

From last October’s harvest to now, most cotton and cloth had been used appropriately.

Princess Yang’an started a cotton trend in Ye City, gifting cotton clothes to Yuan Shu, Tao Qian, and Sun Ce for further promotion. Mi Zhu also sold the first batch at a high price.

With spring arriving, the urgent demand for cotton had passed, so Qiao Yan decided to use the remaining stock.

Most of it was made into masks as per her request.

As Jia Xu mentioned, finer sieved particles made harder cement.

To achieve this, sieving required higher standards, inevitably causing dust.

For the craftsmen’s safety, cotton masks were a better alternative to no protection.

The remaining cotton was made into three adorable panda dolls.

One was hung on Zhu Tan, one given to Jia Xu, and the last sent to Leping Academy as a reward for the top student in last month’s exam.

Jia Xu was both amused and bewildered by the panda doll.

He didn’t mind Qiao Yan taking his things, as he had other tablecloths.

But receiving a cotton panda model was unexpected.

The accompanying letter stated that she couldn’t let him idle for too long, comparing him to a panda with its biting strength, and promised to transfer him back to Chang’an after the harvest.

Jia Xu was puzzled, feeling he didn’t need such a promise.

However, the letter also mentioned improved treatment, allowing him two days off every four days in Chang’an, a better deal than others.

Feeling both conflicted and somewhat satisfied, Jia Xu decided to assign Qiao Lan more tasks.

Meanwhile, the third panda doll was given to Pang Tong, the top scorer in Leping Academy’s recent exam.

Despite his reserved appearance, Pang Tong’s extensive reading and sharp mind made him stand out.

Receiving the panda doll, he wondered about its meaning, speculating if it was a reminder to avoid black-and-white thinking.

Zhuge Liang advised him not to overthink, suggesting Qiao Yan simply liked pandas.

Qiao Yan, riding on the Qin Straight Road, looked east towards Shangjun.

Though the cotton fields were still small and inconspicuous, she envisioned a future where cotton fields would be a prominent feature, and cotton toys a common sight.

With a tug on the reins, she headed south.

In the convoy returning to Chang’an with her, there were limestone, clay, gypsum mined from Bingzhou, and slag produced from iron smelting.

These materials would be sent to Chang’an for further processing.

After returning to Chang’an, she quickly selected the location for this cement road.

For most people in Chang’an today, they still come from the south.

People from Yanzhou and Yu Province would need to pass through a long journey before entering Tong Pass, so most people, even those with the idea of migration, would only stop at the boundary of Henan Yin.

More people coming to join are from Yizhou and Jing Province.

Therefore, this “wonder” with the symbolic significance of Chang’an should naturally be placed in the southern part of Chang’an city.

Considering that it is spring and not summer, the maintenance period for the cement road would be nearly two months, during which no people or horses should tread on it…

After much thought, she set her sights on the imperial road that Liu Yu walked on the day of his enthronement.

This could undoubtedly utilize the inherent perception of Chang’an’s citizens without affecting the normal movement of other roads, ensuring it would not be artificially damaged before solidification.

Such a transformation, different from previous adjustments to Chang’an’s layout, still needed to be reported to Liu Yu.

Later, when this road was included in Chang’an’s symbolic promotion and needed to be opened to the public, it also needed to be reported to Liu Yu, the Son of Heaven.

So, on the second day of arriving in Chang’an, she submitted a request for an audience to the palace.

Whether it was her illusion or not, when she entered the hall for the audience, Liu Yu’s scrutinizing gaze from above seemed to be evaluating—

Whether she, having separated the Qiao clan of Yanzhou, was still emotionally unsettled, thus diverting her attention to another matter early on to prevent herself from dwelling on those troublesome thoughts.

But after listening to Qiao Yan’s explanation, his thoughts were brought back.

Liu Yu asked, “Can this cement road really have such a miraculous effect in promoting Chang’an?”

Qiao Yan’s reply was particularly firm, perhaps because Liu Yu had seen her turn the impossible into possible several times, making it hard for him not to be convinced.

She said, “Your Majesty can rest assured, this material has been used in practice many times. Once the road is formed, just give it a try. Even if it doesn’t work out, it can just be considered a decorative road.”

“As for how to make it a symbol of Chang’an like the Hongwen Hall, please wait and see.”

Hearing Qiao Yan say this, Liu Yu felt reassured to let her proceed.

Thus, a few days later, the citizens of Chang’an saw that the imperial road originally paved with green bricks, from Gui Palace to the southern city gate, had its original foundation gradually chipped away, forming a dirt road about half a foot lower than the roads on either side.

“Wenruo, what do you think they’re doing?” Chen Qun and Xun Yu couldn’t help but stop and ask curiously as they passed by.

As fellow noble family members from Yingchuan, Chen Qun and Xun Yu had known each other since childhood.

Back then, the scene of “real people traveling east” was when the Chen grandfather and grandson went to visit the Xun family. Xun Yu, still young, was held in his grandfather’s arms, and Chen Qun, pushed along in a carriage, were probably the young “onlookers” in such gatherings of famous scholars.

Now, they have successively stepped onto the political stage.

But the current situation is such that even people with foresight like them find it hard to give a definite judgment.

What’s even more puzzling to them is probably Qiao Yan.

This Grand Marshal first resolutely severed ties with her own family, making Xun Yu, who had already been somewhat fooled by her previous actions, feel even more guilty for having doubted her before.

Now, during the busiest season of spring plowing, she has left the farming affairs of Guanzhong to the Grand Minister of Agriculture and his subordinates, handed over the military training to Zhao Yun, and after finishing the matter of dividing the family and establishing households, she returned and started tinkering with this imperial road.

Xun Yu saw from afar Qiao Yan wearing a special mask, only revealing her eyes, directing her subordinates to mix the sifted raw materials of the cement with water, and spreading it along with gravel and sand into the half-foot-thick concave surface.

This action really doesn’t seem like something the current Grand Marshal should be doing.

Not only Xun Yu and Chen Qun had such doubts, but the citizens of Chang’an were also greatly puzzled.

Earlier, when Qiao Yan led troops away from Chang’an and returned triumphantly under Liu Yu’s personal reception, these people witnessed it firsthand.

Now, she has changed from her previous spiritedness in commanding troops to tinkering with roads, making anyone who sees it feel that she is lowering her own status.

Yet, Qiao Yan, at the center of it all, remains unmoved by these scrutinizing gazes, instead focusing on the craftsmen compacting the 20-centimeter-thick cement road surface bit by bit, and setting up drainage ditches between this originally imperial cement road and the adjacent roads.

As this cement road was laid, guardrails were installed on both sides of the imperial road for further protection.

For the people in Chang’an, the fact that these paste-like substances, which look like they would leave marks at the slightest touch, were being laid on the road was something unheard of.

However, the road-laying craftsmen obviously operated this novel thing very skillfully, and in the actions of digging, smearing, and leveling, it looked not just smooth, but probably not their first time dealing with this thing.

Chen Qun was so engrossed in watching that he didn’t notice Qiao Yan walking up to him.

Only when Qiao Yan called out “Changwen” did Chen Qun snap out of it.

She took off her mask and said, “I remember in the new criminal law, it’s said that temporary additions can be made during actual application?”

Chen Qun replied, “That’s correct.”

“Then please, after discussing with the others, add a clause: anyone who steps on this road within two months will be punished with forced labor.”

Chen Qun keenly caught the limitation of “within two months” in her words and asked, “Is this a law that only takes effect within a limited time?”

Qiao Yan didn’t answer this question directly, only saying, “We’ll naturally see after two months.”

Finding Chen Qun, who happened to be watching here, was just to add the final insurance to this cement road.

Of course, to prevent any accidental falls into it, or those who knowingly violate the law and come to try it out, ruining her plan, Qiao Yan still specially left personnel stationed here.

Fortunately, the roads on both sides of the imperial road were wide enough to still allow pedestrian traffic after being occupied by guardrails and guards.

These passing citizens, while seeing the gray mud filling the凹陷的位置 and extending into the distance, still didn’t understand what it all meant.

The road surface was shoveled and leveled, seemingly easily leaving marks, not like what a real road should be.

Proving this point, unlike the characteristics of a road, was precisely Qiao Yan’s own actions.

At the position closest to Chang’an’s city gate on this road, she had someone fetch her an iron rod, which she directly plunged into the road surface.

Seeing her action, someone in the围观的人群 immediately asked, “How can something like this serve as a road?”

Since the iron rod could so easily be plunged into it, the ruts of a carriage could also easily leave marks, and might even get stuck deeply, unable to extricate itself.

Thus, if the Son of Heaven wanted to go from Gui Palace to Lingtai outside the city next time, wouldn’t it be impossible to take this imperial road?

But what responded to them was not Qiao Yan’s explanation, but her holding the iron rod and continuing to write and draw on the freshly poured cement road surface, completely disregarding these doubts.

This was indeed not a normal way of writing.

But remember, when Qiao Yan led Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, and others north to attack the Xianbei, she could even carve inscriptions on stones, leaving words like “In the awe of the emperor, divine martial prowess does not kill.” Now, writing on not-yet-dry cement was certainly not difficult.

At this moment, what the围观的人群 saw because of her unusual action was her writing two flamboyant characters here.

“Chang——An?”

Someone subconsciously read out loud as she finished writing.

These were two characters that even illiterate people knew the meaning of.

Because on the southern city gate of Chang’an, these two characters were also present.

Qiao Yan handed the iron rod to a nearby attendant, stepped back a few steps, and looked at her work with a satisfied smile.

Yes, at the beginning of this cement road, she left the two characters “Chang’an”!