Chapter 375

Chapter 375

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Royal Power, Unification of the World, Chapter 375: Xun Yu’s Decision

From the book: Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 375: Xun…

In what capacity are you asking?

If as a court official, then it is a question from a subject of the Son of Heaven.

The question is why Qiao Yan, holding the late emperor’s decree to care for his orphaned child, would overstep her authority at this time.

If as the magistrate of Luoyang, the question is whether Qiao Yan’s actions would make the people of Luoyang pawns in her rebellion, thus fighting for their survival rights.

If as a member of the Xun family from Yingchuan, the question is whether Qiao Yan’s promotion of Changyan means she is openly opposing the noble families.

If the selection of Hongwen Hall and the invention of printing gave the talented Xun family of Yingchuan a chance to grow stronger, the emergence of Changyan showed them signs of Qiao Yan suppressing the noble families.

He had to ask.

If as a subject of the Han, he would ask why the belief in the Han’s rule seems to be breaking under Qiao Yan.

Xun Yu is no fool; he is a “Talent to Assist a King” with sharp political insight.

He once doubted Qiao Yan’s loyalty, which was a mistake.

From her actions, no one could find fault.

But now he sees that in the conflict against celestial rumors, what surfaced was not a desperate counterattack but a premeditated move.

Even if Qiao Yan hasn’t elevated her status in the Chang’an court or sought a princely title, one fact remains unchanged:

She is no longer the Grand Marshal Xun Yu first met in Chang’an.

The Han declines, the Qiao family rises.

The ambition to replace the Han is understandable.

In the chaos, the Grand Marshal’s domain remains peaceful.

The saying “Heroes who follow heaven’s will have never divided the world” is easy to explain.

Understanding is one thing; acceptance is another.

Xun Yu looked at the tea Qiao Yan pushed towards him.

The tea was clear, almost free of leaves.

The Grand Marshal is known to prefer clear tea, strong wine, and milk tea. Today’s tea reception is a gesture of respect.

He asked, “What if I ask as a commoner?”

Qiao Yan replied, “Today, wolves guard the kitchen, tigers herd pigs, leading to chaos and death. Last year’s drought and plague in Luoyang showed that despite our efforts, the nobility and imperial family’s control, along with private armies, make it hard to stop the wolves and tigers. Tell me, Wenruo, how to govern?”

This was a harder question to answer.

The metaphor of wolves and tigers fits the current situation.

Those who control most of society’s wealth greedily seek more land, leaving the people with scraps.

In times of disaster, they become food for the wolves or stepping stones.

How to govern?

Laws like those of Chen Qun strictly define punishments, but without someone to accuse, the powerful remain safe.

Unless…

Before Xun Yu could answer, Qiao Yan continued, “Before the celestial changes, I told you that to break free, we must first break the old, and only then can we have a chance to rebuild. I also said the waters are not calm, and I cannot afford to be reckless. I must wait for stability to change the world.”

“But the recent celestial event showed me that as long as I sit in this position, representing those who do not need family support to be second only to the Son of Heaven, representing the common people who can control their fate, I cannot peacefully take the remaining four provinces.”

“Who would sit and wait for danger to come?”

Qiao Yan sipped her tea, her words still polite, but Xun Yu could see her mockery of those who spread rumors months ago.

“The Xun family of Yingchuan, eight dragons, the Chen family, three generations, but not all noble families have their wisdom and willingness to live in poverty. The emperor is frugal, Liu Bei pleads for the people, but the Han imperial family also has those who harm the commoners and think themselves superior.”

She said firmly, “Wenruo, I have no choice. I cannot trust the lands I reclaimed to these people.”

When Qiao Yan said “I cannot trust,” Xun Yu heard the finality in her words.

She not only distrusts handing the lands to wolves and tigers.

She distrusts Liangzhou, just recovering from a century of Qiang rebellion, falling back into chaos.

She distrusts Guanzhong, once fertile, returning to locust plagues and Liangzhou soldiers’ invasions.

She distrusts Bingzhou and Youzhou, abandoned by the central nobility, constantly threatened by northern tribes.

She distrusts Yangzhou and Jiaozhou, returning to internal strife with mountain tribes.

She distrusts the people who survived the disasters, losing their land, driven like cattle, forgetting the knowledge she taught, becoming unrecorded in wars and taxes.

If she distrusts others to hold the highest power, she must do it herself.

Only then can she build a force to balance the noble families, with endless support.

This is an easy truth to understand.

But a cruel truth for the Han.

If Xun Yu had not seen the enlightened people, he might have immediately lectured Qiao Yan on loyalty.

But the contrast between inside and outside Luoyang during last year’s plague is still vivid in his memory.

He felt a lump in his throat, his voice sounding like an excuse, “The Grand Marshal can rule the Han together, no need…”

No need to resort to swords.

But before he could finish, Qiao Yan interrupted, “Xun Wenruo, you are in your thirties, how can you still be so naive?”

“If there were such a thing as co-ruling, why did the Duke of Zhou once flee to Chu? I am not the Duke of Zhou, and Prince Yang is not King Cheng of Zhou!”

Xun Yu: “…”

Qiao Yan’s sudden age attack stunned Xun Yu, but her words were not wrong.

Her next words left him speechless.

Qiao Yan asked, “Wenruo, forgive me for asking, can you accept me ruling with the Han, or… the noble families ruling with the Han?”

“I thought you would force him to give an answer before letting him leave.”

Qiao Yan, watching Xun Yu leave, heard someone say.

She turned to see Xu Shu sitting where Xun Yu had been.

Years in Hanzhong and Shu had made him more independent.

He arrived earlier than Xun Yu but hid behind a screen, hearing their conversation.

He clearly heard Qiao Yan’s question about the noble families ruling with the Han, and Xun Yu’s long silence, only the sound of boiling water from the tea stove between them.

It was a cold and direct question.

Was he loyal to the Han, or to the class relations the noble families were used to, along with an idealized world?

Before serving, he lived in Yingchuan, building his reputation, accumulating knowledge and political experience. After Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia took office in Bingzhou, and the world changed with Emperor Ling’s death, he traveled to observe the people’s lives.

But his class and early recognition as a “Talent to Assist a King” placed him far above ordinary people.

In such a position, he inevitably blocked out some voices, and…

Some overly idealistic things could not take root in this suffering land.

If all noble families had talents like Xun Yu and Chen Qun, and the dregs could be removed, such co-ruling might work, and the Han’s chaos might stabilize.

But human greed makes this possibility infinitely small, turning Xun Yu’s plea into something naive or desperate.

So Qiao Yan said three things to Xun Yu.

“The metaphor of wolves and tigers, Wenruo, you understand well.”

Once the noble families’ appetite grows, they devour not just the people’s wealth but also the emperor’s.

Xun Yu can hold himself to this moral standard but cannot enforce it on everyone.

By then, he would betray his class.

“I am no longer aligned with the noble families, at most mutually beneficial, not intertwined. Please understand this difference.”

Qiao Yan is from a noble family, but since she developed an unexpected path in Bingzhou, she cannot be seen as a representative of noble families but as an independent entity.

Thus, the noble families ruling with the Han might be their wish, but not Qiao Yan’s.

In Zhong Changtong’s Changyan, or his dialogue, this fact was revealed, expressing Qiao Yan’s will:

She wants talent from thousands of households, not a group of scholars from Yingchuan, Nanyang, or Hebei.

If the noble families cannot keep up and try to block her with old rules, they cannot stop her with public opinion in the face of widespread printing.

They failed to stop her expansion before; now it’s impossible.

“Whether I am right, Wenruo, you know. Whether your plan works, you know. So—”

“I give you three days to decide.”

She hopes Xun Yu’s choice won’t disappoint her.

Time is running out.

Whether it’s the secret alliances in Chang’an or the waves caused by the Leping Monthly Report, she must act quickly.

Before this confrontation, she cannot allow those who see the key issues to stand against her.

People like Cheng Yu, Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, and Xu Shu are not a concern, but Xun Yu and Chen Qun are.

Chen Qun hasn’t come like Xun Yu, not because he’s unaware, but perhaps waiting for someone to take a stand.

Thus, Xun Yu’s choice is crucial.

Facing Xu Shu’s question of why not force Xun Yu…








Qiao Yan smiled at the immediate question, “With Xun Wenruo’s eloquence and knowledge, could he really not refute a single word of what I just said?”

“The facts presented before one’s eyes will always strike closer to the heart than mere verbal promises.”

This was the situation Xun Yu faced.

Two years of life in Guanzhong and two years of governance in Luoyang had given Xun Yu a clearer view of what Qiao Yan had accomplished and the kind of life led under her rule, far more than his earlier travels and even his stay in Xuzhou.

He also clearly understood that Qiao Yan’s claim of not being aligned with the noble families was not a barrier to those with both virtue and knowledge, but rather an aid.

Although the four-hundred-year legacy of the Han Dynasty could not be erased from his heart overnight, after witnessing the people of Luoyang progress from recognizing pictures to reading words, and seeing unprecedented vitality in the policies implemented, as a sufficiently intelligent and far-sighted genius, did he really only think of the path of self-destruction?

Qiao Yan continued, “To be honest, if Xun Wenruo did not have a heart of submission, I would not have let him leave this place alive, nor would I have allowed his choice to become a trend leading more people to oppose me. I could always make another figurehead disappear and promote another, such as Yang Dezhu from the Hongnong Yang family.”

“These three days, rather than giving him time to think, it’s more like I’m telling him in another way that I am not someone who will corner and block without leaving any room. When the day comes to break face, I will also leave enough dignity for the Han Dynasty.”

Whether it was Liu Xie, who now held the imperial seal, or Liu Yu, who was tormented by dilemmas and illness, she would give them a good end.

The decline and fall of the Han Dynasty, though inevitable, would at least not be as tragic as the fall of the Qin Dynasty.

“Your Lordship is a benevolent person,” Xu Shu replied.

Hearing this, Qiao Yan laughed, “I say, Xu Shu, there’s no need to flatter me at such a time. Whether I am an ambitious person or a philanthropist, everyone can see clearly.”

This “everyone,” of course, did not refer to those who still believed she was troubled by celestial omens, but to those who saw the inevitability of the changing times and those in the Chang’an court who wanted to eliminate her.

Xu Shu shook his head, “Judging whether a person is benevolent or not is not about such power struggles. I came from Hanzhong to Luoyang, not going to Chang’an, but first traveling to Nanyang in Jing Province and Yingchuan in Yu Province.”

“Logically, Nanyang and Yingchuan are around Luoyang, not much different from Luoyang, which is no longer the capital, and might even be more livable due to less population pressure and threat of war. But only after coming to Luoyang did I realize the difference. Without a backbone like Your Lordship here, today’s situation would be impossible.”

Xu Shu’s words were not exaggerated or flattering.

Having followed Qiao Yan for over eleven years, he had a clearer view of the contrast from nothing to something than Xun Yu.

In the past, Qiao Yan had to face the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in exile, saying she did not yet have the qualification to sympathize with others. Today, Qiao Yan bore the weight of the nine provinces, and even the future thirteen provinces.

Despite such burdens, she still moved forward steadily, acting as a guiding light for those under her command.

Long before Xun Yu’s visit, Xu Shu had already received a clear “there will be action” response from Qiao Yan. Whether it was because the scenery along the way connected the experiences of the past eleven years, or because he had already understood, upon hearing this news, he felt not the anxiety of changing the world, but a calmness of settled thoughts.

Looking at the still steaming tea stove and Qiao Yan sitting opposite him, he spoke again, “What rebellion is there in something that is the general expectation?”

Xu Shu believed that Qiao Yan would handle these issues.

And what he needed to do was to stand firm in his position at this moment and then complete all the tasks Qiao Yan entrusted to him.

The situation they faced now was many times better than when he first realized Qiao Yan had such ambitions.

At that time, Qiao Yan had just ordered him to go to Wudu County, leading him across the Yellow River, gazing at the stars and moon on the bitterly cold Wushao Ridge at night.

At that time, they had the ambition to swallow mountains and rivers, but far from the ability to gallop across the world.

But now, both timing and hard conditions were in place.

All they needed to wait for was the right moment to strike later.

Qiao Yan did not affirm or deny his statement of “general expectation,” as such words could not come from her mouth, but instead turned to discuss the situation in Shu that she had not yet finished discussing with Xu Shu.

Fa Zheng, shortly after the chaos caused by Zhang Jin in Jiaozhou this year, followed her orders to persuade Shi Xie to submit, then returned to the Yizhou region.

Poor Meng Huo, who acted as Fa Zheng’s guard when meeting Shi Xie, only realized then that when Fa Zheng released him, Wang Yi and Yao Chang in Zangke County had not yet settled the score with his Yi tribe.

If he had not been deceived by Fa Zheng’s calm demeanor and returned to his tribe as quickly as possible, he might have had a chance to turn the tables due to his presence as the leader.

But now, it was too late.

What Fa Zheng brought back from Jiaozhou was not just the success of persuading Shi Xie, but also the soldiers from Jiaozhi County sent by Shi Xie to show alliance sincerity.

These soldiers, long dealing with the uncivilized barbarians of Jiuzhen and Rinan counties, were quite adept against the southern barbarians of Yizhou.

Not to mention, long before Meng Huo followed Fa Zheng back to Zangke County, Yao Chang, under Wang Yi’s guidance, had already captured Meng Huo’s wife.

With Yao Chang, a Qiang who could be appointed as a Middle General, and Wang Yi, a military strategist adept at observing psychology, it didn’t take long to persuade this Yi woman named A Cuo, also known as Lady Zhurong.

Her response was that once they confirmed that Meng Huo, their leader, was indeed taken to Jiaozhou to broaden his horizons as they said, and not secretly executed, they could switch sides.

Before Meng Huo could understand the situation, he had already become a catalyst for the alliance between the Yi tribe and the Zangke County garrison.

At this point, saying he was tricked by Fa Zheng was useless, with Jiaozhou soldiers watching closely.

The only thing he could do was to capture Ban Shuman and Yong Kai to save some face.

But whether he could seize this merit first depended on the strength of his local husband-wife team versus Yao Chang and Wang Yi.

Fa Zheng would probably also exercise some reasonable restraint on their military achievements to prevent the Yi tribe’s power from growing too strong.

“Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Nanman, Shanyue, Wuhuan… the number of foreign tribes under our command is increasing. To prevent chaos, it’s best to clearly define a set of rules and regulations, as well as the way Han people and foreigners interact. The exchanges between the Western Regions west of the Hexi Corridor and the Four Commanderies of Hexi are also increasing, and there will be times for deeper connections, which also need more attention.”

“When conditions allow, let’s also publish a separate book, though the author list might be a bit long.”

This “when conditions allow” made Xu Shu smile knowingly, and he顺势问道, “So, which book will be printed after the ‘Changyan’?”

Qiao Yan had already considered this question and replied without much thought, “Previously, there was no room for compromise, but now it’s about balance and moderation, though the compromise is quite limited.”

“I plan to print ‘Political Discourse’ by Cui Zizhen of the Qinghe Cui family and ‘Han Language’ by Master Ciming.”

Xu Shu pondered the two books mentioned by Qiao Yan and immediately understood what she meant by “some compromise but not much.”

Cui Shi of the Qinghe Cui family and Xun Shuang of the Yingchuan Xun family were both from noble families. Printing their works widely seemed like a sweet date after slapping the noble families, but upon closer inspection, the sweetness was diluted.

Both Cui Shi and Xun Shuang had passed away, and spreading the fame of the deceased brought limited benefits to their families.

Moreover, the contents of these two books were quite微妙.

Cui Shi was indeed from a noble family, but he died in extreme poverty, almost without enough money for a proper burial. Apart from agricultural classics like ‘Four People’s Monthly Ordinances,’ an important idea conveyed in his ‘Political Discourse’ was agriculture as the foundation and adjusting the ratio of population to arable land. Some of his views on the official system were similar to Zhong Changtong’s.

Xun Shuang’s ‘Han Language’ was about the successes and failures in Han history, not a standard academic work.

Theoretically, Qiao Yan’s two choices had already taken a step back from the earth-shattering state of the previous ‘Changyan,’ but in terms of the actual significance of these two books, she was clearly taking a step forward.

But in the face of her tightening control over discourse, this choice could only be defined as a “compromise.”

With this reply, Xu Shu could confirm that the various responses from Chang’an had not caused any missteps in Qiao Yan’s actions.

In major decisions, she remained consistently calm.

Even though Wang Yun and others’ “repaying kindness with enmity” still evoked a sense of impending collapse.

But no matter how sad, the New Year still had to be celebrated.

After bidding farewell to Qiao Yan, Xu Shu went to see his mother, using Cai Zhaoji’s saying, “The world is not yet settled, how can I think of home?” to deflect his mother’s question about whether he had met anyone special in Hanzhong.

The result was—

He originally came to report and also got a half-month vacation, but because Qin Yu thought that since he was single and had plenty of time, he might as well help her with administrative tasks. After obtaining Qiao Yan’s permission, she directly conscripted Xu Shu.

Xu Shu was almost in tears, but fortunately, taking advantage of the opportunity of Xun Yu’s three-day consideration period to give a reply, he managed to escape under the pretext of adding a few more words of persuasion for the lord.

Xun Yu did not know about this exchange between Xu Shu and Qin Yu. Qiao Yan had given him three days to think, and he truly secluded himself for three days, reviewing his thirty-three years of experiences, readings, and exchanges with elders and juniors in his mind. Now, with his heart settled, seeing Xu Shu come to him, he spoke first, “Governor Xu, there’s no need to say more. Xun Yu is not an inflexible person, otherwise, when I was forced to marry the daughter of a eunuch and faced criticism, I should have committed suicide to prove my innocence.”

“Since the Grand Marshal has the heart of a wise ruler, why can’t Xun Yu have the duty of a loyal minister?”

This statement of wise ruler and loyal minister was a clear enough reply.

Xu Shu clapped his hands and smiled, “That’s good. With this, Fengxiao and Master Xi Zhicai can also breathe a sigh of relief.”

Since Qiao Yan’s guess about Xun Yu’s stance was correct, then her statement that if Xun Yu could not be used by her, he would be made to disappear, was clearly not just a casual remark.

But Xun Yu was after all a friend of Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, the uncle of Xun You, and had such extraordinary talent. If he really lost his life over this stance, it would be a great pity.

Fortunately, the current result was reassuring.

As they talked, they arrived outside Qiao Yan’s residence, but before they reached the door, Xun Yu first saw three familiar figures at the other end of the long street.

Two generals walked side by side, though there was still some difference in stature, they already had an equally imposing presence.

It’s just that this father and daughter pair still had a bit of a competitive edge in their walk, as if they were still arguing about something.

The young man accompanying them looked somewhat helplessly at the sky, and when he turned his gaze forward, he met Xun Yu’s eyes. Recognizing the figure in the distance, a look of joy appeared on his face, and he quickened his pace, unusually less composed.

Seeing this, Xun Yu’s expression softened.

The young man in his sight was none other than Zhuge Liang.

As for the two generals, big and small, they were Lü Bu and Lü Lingju, who had also returned from Youzhou.

“Speaking of which,” Xun Yu asked as they walked, “I remember the Grand Marshal said that this time, reporting to Luoyang was in groups of three, but now, adding you, four have returned at once?”

This seems a bit inconsistent with the rules Qiao Yan set?

Xu Shu was silent for a moment, and while the three were not yet in sight, he whispered in reply, “The Grand Marshal said that those who applied to return for reporting this time, what they were thinking was clear to all. Only the two Lü generals, together they couldn’t make up one wit, so…”

“Counting them as one person is fine.”

Xun Yu: “…”

This reason is really…

Really very much in line with Qiao Yan’s style!