Chapter 251

Chapter 251

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 7: Eight Hundred Qin Rivers, Occupying Guanzhong Chapter 251: The Alcohol Ban Decree

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Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 251: The Alcohol Ban Decree

Chang’an, Chang’an…

Although everyone knows that the name carries a hopeful and promising meaning, when the two characters “Chang’an” are so vividly inscribed on the ground, it inexplicably brings a sense of peace to those who see it.

It is the spring of the first year of Jian’an.

Among the bustling crowd, there are those who have just returned from the fields.

Perhaps it is because the atmosphere in Chang’an has improved significantly compared to last year, or perhaps it is because the orderly spring farming indicates a prosperous year ahead, or maybe it is because the granaries of Chang’an gained an additional million dan of grain last month, giving people confidence. In any case, the faces of these people show a relaxed and cheerful expression.

The person who wrote these two characters is none other than the Marquis of Leping of the Han Dynasty.

This makes it hard not to feel that the characters “Chang’an” carry an even greater sense of reassurance.

“However, the calligraphy skills of this Marquis Qiao are unexpectedly high.”

An old man deliberately detoured from the East Gate, where he should have gone, to the South Gate. After the people who had stopped to admire the characters left, he slowly walked forward and stopped in front of the two characters, sighing with admiration.

Thinking that she had specifically asked her elder brother to write the three characters for the Hongwen Hall, he couldn’t help but speculate on the deeper meaning behind it.

The man beside him, about thirty years old, looked at the two characters on the ground and asked, “Both in clerical script, how do these two characters compare to our elder brother’s?”

The three characters of the Hongwen Hall were written by Zhang Zhi, the eldest son of Zhang Huan, one of the Three Bright Stars of Liangzhou. The two men here are Zhang Zhi’s younger brothers.

Second brother Zhang Chang, third brother Zhang Meng.

In terms of cursive script, Zhang Chang is considered a prodigy, slightly inferior to his elder brother, hence known as the “Second Sage” of cursive script. But when it comes to clerical script, there are very few in the world who can match him.

Twenty-seven years ago, in the eighth year of Yanxi, Zhang Chang left a “Huayue Stele” on Mount Hua in the west, which is considered a model of Han clerical script, a recognition of his calligraphy skills.

Hearing Zhang Meng’s question, Zhang Chang shook his head and replied, “Judging a person’s calligraphy cannot be based on just two characters. You must know that there are three forms in Han clerical script, with strokes that are round or square, and the hiding or revealing of the brush tip does not necessarily follow a single form. I say her calligraphy is superb because she used an iron tool to write, yet she did it in one go, with a momentum that is both stirring and…”

He paused before continuing, “And carries the weight of the people’s hopes.”

Zhang Meng listened to this with indifference, “Elder brother, your words make it seem as though the Marquis of Leping, not yet twenty, has the achievements of a hundred years.”

He looked ahead at the cement road extending towards the Gui Palace.

When they arrived, it had already been three days since the road was completed. The surface had changed slightly, and the color had also shifted a bit.

But someone was still spraying water on the cement road to keep it in the necessary moist state.

Zhang Meng, seeing this never-before-seen road material and the seemingly irrational act of wetting it, couldn’t help but mutter, “Just showing off.”

Zhang Chang, being much older than his younger brother and with somewhat impaired hearing, still heard these four words clearly and immediately reprimanded him, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Thinking of their elder brother Zhang Zhi’s poor health and his own age of over fifty, coupled with his younger brother’s inexplicable arrogance, Zhang Chang felt an unbearable headache.

His younger brother was born in the sixth year of Yanxi when their father was the Prefect of Wuwei, and he is not yet thirty.

When their mother was pregnant with him, she dreamed of wearing their father’s prefect seal and singing on the city tower.

Their parents thought this was an omen and sought a dream interpreter to explain it. The interpreter said that the child she was carrying would also become the Prefect of Wuwei, but would die in office.

Their father, however, was not concerned with the latter part of the interpretation, only thinking that this late-born child would inherit his duty to stabilize Liangzhou and guard the border.

At that time, their father had not yet been affected by court disputes and was later appointed as the General of Crossing Liao due to his outstanding political achievements and military prowess. Zhang Huan had high hopes for his youngest son and named him “Meng” (fierce).

Quite different from the names of his two elder brothers.

If it were just the dream and the name, it would be one thing, but in Zhang Chang’s eyes, Zhang Meng himself had a reckless and aggressive demeanor.

“You didn’t grow up in Liangzhou but in Hongnong. How did you develop such a bandit-like attitude?” Zhang Chang tried to put on an elder brother’s demeanor, speaking in a voice only they could hear, “Don’t blame me for not warning you, this is Chang’an, not the Hongnong Prefecture where you serve. Now that His Majesty rules Guanzhong and Hongnong is under his command, you better tone down your arrogance.”

Zhang Meng was not without talent.

Before Zhang Huan passed away, he taught his disciples in Hongnong and compiled the “Shangshu Jinan,” with Zhang Meng as a listening student.

He also had great physical strength and learned many self-defense techniques from his father.

But in Zhang Chang’s eyes, the so-called dream interpretation had almost influenced his younger brother’s entire upbringing.

Just like before they came to Chang’an, Zhang Meng had boldly claimed that the Wuwei Commandery among the Four Commanderies of Hexi still had no Prefect, and who knows if it was waiting for his destined appearance.

The military achievements of Qiao, the Prefect of Bingzhou, in Liangzhou and Guanzhong still gave Zhang Meng such unrealistic hopes, making Zhang Chang dread to think what his younger brother would become if he and their elder brother passed away.

So he had to, as an elder brother, order Zhang Meng to accompany him to Chang’an.

On the way from Huayin to Chang’an, Zhang Chang had Zhang Meng pay attention to the agricultural scenes along the road, but Zhang Meng didn’t take it seriously. Now in Chang’an, seeing the capital far more prosperous than half a year ago, Zhang Meng instead found fault with the cement road’s pretentiousness.

With such an attitude, Zhang Chang dared not let him directly recommend himself to Qiao Yan or Liu Yu, lest he lose his life in the process.

Zhang Chang pondered, thinking of the resolute character revealed in the two characters “Chang’an” at the beginning of the road, and came up with a plan.

He had experienced many turbulent times and had seen the era when the Three Bright Stars of Liangzhou shone brightly. It was this comparison that made him even more certain of what kind of person Qiao Yan was.

Such a person would never create something useless at this critical stage of various power struggles.

Although Zhang Chang’s experience did not allow him to judge what this new road would become, it did not stop him from turning to Zhang Meng and saying, “Shuwei, I want to make a bet with you.”

Zhang Meng thought he had misheard, but looking at his elder brother, he realized he wasn’t joking.

He withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and casually replied, “What does second brother want to bet on?”

Zhang Chang pointed to the road and said, “Let’s bet on this road. Since you think it’s just showing off, I bet the Grand Marshal will find great use for it.”

Zhang Meng shrugged, indicating he had no objection to the bet.

In his view, it’s just a road, and one that can be written on with a brush at that. Could it really become something of lasting value?

Since his elder brother thinks the road is useful, he’ll bet it’s just an experimental product of the other’s leisure time.

He wondered what considerations led the Marquis Qiao to make “not stepping on the imperial road before removing the guardrails” a明文规定的律令.

Zhang Meng had no intention of testing the law and disgracing their Zhang family, but that didn’t stop him from thinking it just made the road more pretentious.

Zhang Chang saw his indifferent expression clearly and knew exactly what kind of temperament his younger brother had.

Without showing him the facts, it would be impossible to change his mind.

He added, “Before we settle this bet, you are not allowed to seek any opportunities for advancement. Stay by my side and behave. Can you do that?”

Zhang Meng, who had planned to go directly to the Hongwen Hall, now suddenly heard Zhang Chang impose such an additional rule, and his expression turned ugly.

But when Zhang Huan passed away, he was only in his teens, and it was his two elder brothers who raised him as a father. He had no…








This confidence to challenge and argue with his elder brother, he slowly replied with a “can” and followed Zhang Chang to find a place to stay in Chang’an.

It’s quite a coincidence. If the dispute between these two brothers hadn’t happened in Chang’an, not on the cement road that Qiao Yan had been strictly guarding for the past two months, Qiao Yan probably wouldn’t have known that this seemingly inexplicable road in Chang’an could actually trigger a bet.

“Zhang Wenshu and Zhang Shuwe?” Qiao Yan paused her action of lifting the teacup upon hearing the report from her subordinate.

At the moment she learned about this, instead of disliking Zhang Meng’s arrogant temperament or being upset by another round of questioning, Qiao Yan was definitely more pleased than worried.

Just moments ago, she was discussing whether merely having people walk on the cement road to compare it with ordinary brick and mud roads would be enough to create a sensational effect when officially opening it.

Now, a useful “talent” has come knocking on her door.

Sitting across from her, Guo Jia could easily see her thoughts from Qiao Yan’s expression and felt a bit of pity for the rebellious Zhang San.

But then he thought, he really had no reason to sympathize with others.

Although he successfully got the story of the inspirational figure from Ji Province, Yuan Mou, into the April issue of the Leping Monthly Report for the first year of Jian’an, making a fool of Tian Feng; and heard that Jia Xu, after receiving the iron-biting beast doll, would come to Chang’an after this autumn harvest, which could be considered as making a fool of Jia Wenhe; now he’s about to watch the good show of Lord Qiao using the cement road to broaden Zhang Meng’s horizons—

He still couldn’t persuade Qiao Yan to revoke the three-month alcohol ban!

And this isn’t just a three-month alcohol ban.

After the cement road was completed and entered the curing maintenance phase, Qiao Yan immediately turned to the next target.

She proposed a decision to Liu Yu to implement a two-year alcohol ban in the three provinces.

Two years!

For Guo Jia, this is no different from torture.

But from Qiao Yan’s serious submission of the memorial to Liu Yu, it’s clear that this is a decision she doesn’t intend to change.

What makes it even more clear that there’s no room for negotiation is that she presented this alcohol ban with impeccable reasoning.

If she had said something like “drinking alcohol leads to moral decay, to correct social customs,” as Cao Cao did historically when proposing an alcohol ban, someone like Kong Rong would surely have rebutted with “many ancient sages enjoyed drinking.”

Or if she had said that due to the current military and food shortages, it’s necessary to stockpile enough provisions for future military use, hence the alcohol ban, someone might have said that Chang’an isn’t actually that short on food, with millions of dan of military provisions just delivered to Chang’an’s granary under everyone’s eyes.

But she didn’t choose either of these arguments.

Just like when Qiao Yan made her first bucket of gold in Leping by teaching the Taiyuan Wang family the supplementary fermentation method for Hero’s Wine, which gave her the capital to lure the Black Mountain Bandits down the mountain, in the current times, drinking alcohol is the epitome of high society.

This is also a trend that can’t be curbed in a short time, especially since the subsequent years of drought and locust plagues haven’t occurred yet, making people feel less sense of crisis in these recovering years.

So she can’t rashly touch the interests of the noble class in this precautionary move.

From Guo Jia’s perspective, Qiao Yan’s mastery of the art of language is fully displayed in this alcohol ban proposal.

When she proposed this suggestion to Liu Yu, she said—

The strong liquor distillation technology in Bingzhou allowed her to carry alcohol with the army as early as the campaign against Liangzhou, but this alcohol can be further improved and a certain amount needs to be stockpiled.

This isn’t just a military necessity, but also has a more universal value.

The disinfecting effect of alcohol isn’t just for military use.

If war breaks out, it’s not guaranteed that everyone will remain safe in the Hall of Enlightenment, and injuries are possible.

Alcohol disinfection and wound suturing have been widely used in Qiao Yan’s army, giving her the most authority to speak on this matter.

Moreover, the great plague a few years ago proved that a very useful method to slow the spread of the epidemic is to properly handle hygiene in homes.

And coincidentally, alcohol’s disinfecting effect is unmatched by other substances.

So she needs to stockpile a batch of alcohol and even needs to compress the living space for others to drink, all to enhance the Chang’an court’s ability to withstand disasters in the face of epidemics and wars.

Can these noble ministers ensure they won’t be affected by disasters and diseases?

Faced with the threat to life, choosing between an alcohol ban and maintaining so-called high society manners isn’t a difficult decision.

If the alcohol ban can be successfully implemented for two years, regulating alcohol production from her side, it seems like a lot of alcohol is still being produced, but these are used for medical treatment and epidemic prevention, reducing the part brewed for pleasure by the people, making the intermediate difference quite considerable.

However, for some, this ban might be an unbearable weight of life.

Seeing Guo Jia’s thoughts return from Zhang Meng, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh, “You think that just because I proposed this, everyone will really abstain from alcohol? I understand the principle of going too far. Under the heavy pressure of war, it’s even more impossible to deny people a way to relieve stress. At least give them a sip of alcohol.”

Guo Jia’s eyes lit up, and then Qiao Yan said, “First set the rule to the strictest level and then relax it, it’s easier than gradually seizing dominance from others. We also need to have solutions for those originally engaged in the alcohol industry, otherwise aren’t we pushing them to a dead end?”

“But there’s one step I won’t yield,” she said firmly, “Even the Taiyuan Wang family, who learned the supplementary fermentation method, is far less efficient in turning grain into alcohol than us. This channel for a little drinking can only be in our hands.”

Seeing Guo Jia’s expression show some interest, Qiao Yan mercilessly replied, “Don’t think about this matter. Back in Leping, it was Dezhu who assisted with this, and now he’ll handle it too.”

“Some words—”

“Are more suitable for him to say than for you.”

Yang Xiu, from the Hongnong Yang family, can do more than just maintain relations with the court in Ye City; he’s also useful in situations like this.

Not letting Guo Jia handle this matter, besides preventing him from harming his health by drinking, is more about protecting him.

Guo Jia obviously understood this and felt relieved.

He raised his cup to Qiao Yan, using tea instead of wine, “Then I wish Lord Qiao smooth sailing in all endeavors.”

Qiao Yan’s side is of course smooth sailing, with even the performance tool for two months later in place.

Others aren’t so fortunate.

For example, Yuan Shu.

Earlier, he only had to face Liu Bei and his followers. With his closer ties to the noble families in Yu Province, it wasn’t too difficult to handle.

But when Yuan Shao, angered by the accusation of plotting against Yuan Ji, sent Wen Chou south with troops, Yuan Shu’s situation became precarious.

This was no longer a force he could easily block on the other side of the river, but a combined army of tigers and wolves.

If Qiao Yan had already moved east from Tong Pass and returned to Luoyang, with Yingchuan and Runan under the emperor’s feet and strong support like Qiao Yeshu, dealing with the allied forces of Wen Chou and Liu Bei would be a piece of cake.

But now the situation is—

The Chang’an court seemingly gave him the title of Governor of Yu Province and even the additional title of Front General, but still hid its main forces within strategic passes and fortresses, as if waiting to see the outcome of the conflict between the northern and southern Yuan family members in Runan.

They clearly have no intention of intervening.

Yuan Shu gritted his teeth, cursing Qiao Yan in his heart, but also knowing he doesn’t have much time to hesitate.

Even during the busy spring farming season, Wen Chou showed no signs of slowing down his military movements.

The time it took for him to enter Runan from Pei State was also insufficient for Yuan Shu to send another request for aid to Chang’an.

So he immediately made a decision, ordering Ji Ling to lead one army with Yuan Huan as the strategist, and Zhang Xun to lead another army with Yan Xiang as the strategist, to confront Wen Chou and Liu Bei first!

No time to think, fight first!