Chapter 411

Chapter 411

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Royal Power, Unification of the World, Chapter 411: Collection of Proclamations

The book it belongs to:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 411: Collection of Proclamations

If one out of ten people in the world could truly read and write, the implementation of government decrees would be much easier than it is today. And among those who can read, those who can compose articles are even fewer.

When narrowing the scope to the Guanzhong region, although the number of literate people has increased due to Qiao Yan’s literacy promotion, it is still far from being able to fill two warehouses with proclamations.

This is no longer an era where bamboo slips are necessary to record books. Improved paper allows these people to submit articles entirely through paper.

So, how many documents need to be sent to the Leping Monthly Report’s editorial office to fill two warehouses?

Yuan Shao initially thought that this was just Qiao Yan trying to pressure them again by exaggerating the situation. But when Yuan Shao dismissed his subordinates and his gaze fell on the March supplement of the Leping Monthly Report, he suddenly realized that when Qiao Yan dared to publish Chen Lin’s proclamation in the newspaper, she didn’t need to hype herself up in this way!

Perhaps… the enthusiastic submissions and overflowing warehouses in Chang’an are real.

Yuan Shao and Wang Yun’s roles at that time are so similar!

Wang Yun’s assassination attempt on Qiao Yan made this figure, who should have been the Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty, gain the support of the people who couldn’t bear to see her in dire straits, even elevating her to the position of the Son of Heaven.

And the proclamation he and Liu Bian issued once again stirred up the support of the Chang’an people for her. So, whether these people truly have the ability to write articles or not, they all wrote a few lines on the already cheap paper to let her see—

Regardless of whether there are still people loyal to the Han Dynasty or whether some still think her ascension to the throne is illegitimate, in their hearts, she is already the undeniable ruler of the world!

In fact, Yuan Shao wasn’t wrong.

When Qiao Yan received these submissions from Cai Zhaoji, she indeed saw many manuscripts with just a few words or even a couple of doggerel verses.

They expressed their protest against the proclamation, their dissatisfaction with Yuan Shao and Liu Bian, and their support for her in an exceptionally simple manner, reminding her of something.

“It’s very similar to that kite,” Qiao Yan murmured.

Cai Zhaoji didn’t interrupt her thoughts at this moment.

She knew which kite Qiao Yan was referring to.

Back then, Qiao Yan hadn’t yet become the Governor of Bingzhou. She had seized power in Bingzhou by holding Zhang Yi hostage to facilitate the issuance of orders to combat the locust plague. When Cui Lie took over as the Governor of Bingzhou, and she was about to face the two-year house arrest penalty in Leping, she “found” a kite on the wall of the Bingzhou government office.

It was covered with the word “thank you,” but not all of it was written by literate people. Many were done by copying. Even so, many were missing strokes.

This simple token of gratitude was later framed like a painting and placed in the Bingzhou government office.

And now, these submitted “proclamations” truly carry the same meaning as that kite.

“Select these and compile them into a separate volume to be sent to me. As for the rest…”

Qiao Yan’s gaze swept over the manuscripts that Cai Zhaoji and her subordinates had already screened through overtime, then replied, “Let Zhongxuan’s piece be the top pick, and have the rest arranged into the April issue. The price of this issue remains the same, but the number of pages will double.”

Cai Zhaoji coughed lightly, trying hard to suppress her urge to laugh.

This special treatment of “doubling the number of pages” was definitely prepared for the Ye court. There’s no other possibility.

If it weren’t for the fact that each printing block still required time, and adding more might delay the release of this monthly issue, she had no doubt that Her Majesty might want to distribute a copy to everyone.

“The Minor Palace is in charge of the imperial treasury and isn’t short of money,” Qiao Yan casually flipped through a couple of pages of the manuscript in front of her, then added, “We have to let Yuan Benchu feel the enthusiasm of the Chang’an people, don’t we?”

Yuan Shao probably wouldn’t feel this kind of enthusiasm.

The simultaneous appearance of military recruitment and proclamation collection in the March supplement clearly displayed Qiao Yan’s intention to take advantage of the situation to annex Ji and Qing provinces right in front of Yuan Shao.

The imminent sense of crisis forced Yuan Shao to rely on Liu Bian’s previous mobilization to widely recruit soldiers from the two provinces and continue to strengthen the defense of various passes.

Just as the public opinion confrontation hadn’t ended, the northern war broke out again.

Last time, Lü Bu’s attack was unexpectedly swift. This time, just half a month after his last campaign, he once again launched a fierce assault into Hejian County.

Because his previous long drive caused significant harm, Yuan Shao, on Ju Shou’s advice, promoted Gao Shun and gave him greater authority to mobilize troops.

However, this time, Lü Bu suddenly changed his usual straightforward military style, which was to恨不得直接杀穿敌阵 (desperately wanting to cut through the enemy formation). The moment Gao Shun’s soldiers spotted him, he retreated with his troops back into Youzhou.

And he really didn’t come out again.

This sudden move made Yuan Shao suspect that this might be a precursor to a large-scale southern advance by the northern troops, causing him to lose sleep for two consecutive nights over this abrupt and inconclusive campaign.

But how could Yuan Shao know that this was simply because Lü Bu had drawn the “retreat if discovered” option in this mission’s lottery?

It was amidst this confusion over the war situation that Yuan Shao received the April issue of the Leping Monthly Report, delivered to him post-haste by his subordinates.

In an already suffocating situation, he probably shouldn’t have added to his own discomfort. But the thought that if it contained something significant, he needed to see it to make appropriate countermeasures, Yuan Shao dismissed the idea of ignoring it.

His hand hovered in the air for a moment before he finally seemed to make up his mind and took it.

Upon unfolding it, he saw the bold headline “Selected Proclamations Collection” on the front page.

Yuan Shao: “…”

This is really quite brazen.

Normal essay submissions wouldn’t be written in such a collection manner, but Qiao Yan didn’t care at all about the origins of these articles, eager to showcase the extent of her support in the title.

Out of more than 7,000 submissions, the twenty most relevant, least speculative, sharply critical of current affairs, and powerfully written were selected to be published in the Leping Monthly Report, aiming for lasting impact.

His gaze moved down, and he saw the article that won the top prize under the headline.

The author of this article was named Wang Can.

Wang Can, Wang Zhongxuan!

Yuan Shao remembered this name.

His father, Wang Qian, was once the Chief Clerk of General He, and was an old acquaintance of both Yuan Shao and Xu You.

But what really made Yuan Shao remember Wang Can wasn’t because of his father.

Although there wasn’t yet the title of the “Seven Scholars of the Jian’an Period,” and naturally he wouldn’t be named the leader of the Seven Scholars, since Wang Can became famous in Chang’an with his “Ode to the Goddess Sending Off the Expedition” in the first year of Jian’an, Yuan Shao had remembered this man’s name.

But at that time, in Yuan Shao’s view, he was at most just a “flatterer” who used writing about Chang’an’s new roads to actually hype Qiao Yan. Now…

Now it was this man who wrote the proclamation denouncing Yuan Shao in the Leping Monthly Report, and it was prominently placed on the front page!

Thinking of his ingenious literary style back then, even before Yuan Shao officially read what kind of article this was, he already had a bad feeling in his heart.

When he saw the content of the proclamation, he truly felt his vision darken.

This wasn’t a denouncement written in the formal proclamation format.

This article was titled “Answering the Old Farmer of Ji Province’s Questions About General Yuan.”

At first glance, it had nothing to do with a proclamation, but from the opening lines, it was clear that Wang Can, while making the title very down-to-earth, showed no restraint in his attitude towards attacking Yuan Shao.

Because he wrote—

“Departing from Baima in the morning, arriving at Ye Capital by evening, under the vast and fertile heavens, all plants flourish. Walking with an old farmer, discussing how this spring’s farming differs from last year’s, suddenly a procession of carriages and followers passes by, something only someone of immense power could have, yet as they approach the city gates, they scatter, the luxurious scene of gold and jade disappearing, leaving only a simple entourage entering the city.

Asked the old farmer who this was, he answered, ‘It’s General Yuan Shao of the Later Han.’

Hearing this, I laughed, saying he’s as hypocritical as ever, imitating past deeds.”

Yuan Shao’s expression changed.

What does imitating past deeds mean?

It refers to when he was still the Magistrate of Puyang in his early years. Because Xu Shao was in Runan, Yuan Shao, fearing a bad evaluation from him that would affect his “reputation-building” goal, intentionally dismissed his carriages and servants before returning home, making a seemingly simple entrance into Runan.

And in Wang Can’s description, he had similar actions around Ye City, no different from his past hypocrisy.

Of course, Yuan Shao hadn’t done such a thing in Ye City.








     But whether he did this or not is not important. The hypocrisy Wang Can refers to may not necessarily stem from such an act of reducing extravagance, just as he did not truly come near Ye City and meet such an old farmer.

     This could be a metaphor for his previous reluctance to seek the position of Grand General for himself, or an alternative expression of him dragging Emperor Liu Bian as a cover for his own shame. In short—

     Yuan Shao is not a gentleman, but a hypocritical villain.

     With such an attitude as the foundation, the old farmer of Ye City, being a Han citizen, naturally should ask: Yuan Shao, the Grand General, was one of the most important contributors to the ascension of the Han Emperor, always working tirelessly for the revival of the Han dynasty, mobilizing troops and strategizing. His family background, status, and achievements are unparalleled among the nobles of Ye City. Why then does Wang Can evaluate him in such a manner?

     Wang Can replied, “A hypocrite must have his evils, and Yuan Shao’s evils are particularly severe.”

     [Kong Rong of Beihai rushed to Yuan Shao’s invitation, making it known to the world that the Han dynasty still exists, and the respect for Confucian classics remains.]

     [Yet, of the five Confucian virtues, Yuan Shao does not embody a single one!]

     [Looking at the Yuan family’s control over Ji Province, it can be said that they respected the cruel and trusted the treacherous, enriching themselves while the common people suffered, leading to disasters in the provinces and uprisings of refugees reaching Ye City. This is inhumanity!]

     Why has there never been a resurgence of the Yellow Turban remnants under Qiao Yan’s governance? Only figures like Zhang Niujiao and Liang Zhongning, who once had bandit backgrounds, could find positions to advance. This is certainly inhumanity.

     As for whether the “cruel and treacherous” are Yuan Shao’s relatives or Xu You and Guo Tu, let them ponder that themselves.

     After all, such matters are always judged by results, not processes.

     [At the Suanzao alliance, Yuan Shao failed to resist the bandits, leading to the death of the Prefect of Dong Commandery; during the Yanzhou upheaval, Yuan Shao sought only his own survival, resulting in many subordinates being killed or captured. This is injustice!]

     During the Suanzao alliance, Yuan Shao intended to delay entering Luoyang, making improper arrangements against Hua Xiong and Hu Zhen, leading to Qiao Zhao’s death.

     Xu You had already stated in the previous monthly report that if Yuan Shao had not only thought of his own survival, he would not have been captured after losing his mount.

     Thus, to allies and subordinates, Yuan Shao is indeed an unjust villain!

     [The elder brother was ill and mistreated, the younger brother was reckless and died in Yuzhou. Yuan Shao’s three sons, with their disordered hierarchy, seem to be repeating past disasters. This is impoliteness!]

     Yuan Ji’s death was once accused by Yuan Shu as being poisoned by Yuan Shao. This statement, coming from the Yuan family of Runan, Wang Can can use again. The mutual attacks between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao after their falling out are well-known. Although Yuan Shu died at the hands of Cao Cao’s subordinates, it was actually related to Yuan Shao.

     The three brothers of the previous generation ended with only one remaining, and in the next generation, due to Yuan Shao’s favoritism towards his youngest son, a situation of three sons competing for succession has emerged. Is this in line with clan etiquette?

     It doesn’t matter that Yuan Shao had Chen Lin write that denunciation, but how dare he accuse Qiao Yan of mistreating the Qiao family of Yanzhou?

     He hasn’t even sorted out his own mess!

     [Gongsun Zan was disloyal, yet Yuan Shao befriended him; Cao Cao was of the Han, yet Yuan Shao attacked him; Dong Zhuo was evil, yet Yuan Shao recommended him; Hongnong was talentless, yet Yuan Shao supported him. This is foolishness!]

     In the years since Emperor Ling of Han’s death, Yuan Shao seemed never to let Ji Province and Qingzhou slip from his control, even making Youzhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou, along with the insignificant Jiaozhou, follow the orders of the Ye City court. But when the territory he truly controlled never changed, in a sense, he had already failed.

     What kind of person Gongsun Zan is, what kind of person Dong Zhuo is, those with foresight should see clearly. Yet Yuan Shao allied with the former and recommended the latter to He Jin, clearly branding himself as “misjudging people.”

     Not to mention his more minor misjudgments, isn’t the most obvious display of his lack of wisdom his support for the King of Hongnong to ascend as Emperor?

     [In the sixth year of Zhongping, Yuan Shao borrowed grain and never repaid. It has been seven years, and the interest is incalculable, possibly reaching billions. This is dishonesty!]

     Whether Yuan Shao has other dishonest acts, Wang Can may not know.

     But that Yuan Shao owes the Son of Heaven of Da Yong a debt of astronomical proportions is something anyone who has read the Leping Monthly Report cannot possibly be unaware of.

     Thus, of the five Confucian virtues—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness—he embodies none!

     Yet he now loudly proclaims Kong Rong’s arrival in Ye as a sign of the Han dynasty’s continuation. Isn’t this the height of hypocrisy?

     If Confucius knew his name was being used like this, he would surely come to settle accounts with Yuan Shao.

     Such a person, lacking benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness, dares to sit at the head of noble families?

     Reading this, Yuan Shao’s chest was already boiling with anger.

     The accusations Wang Can pinned on him were far more venomous than ordinary words.

     They were a direct attack on Yuan Shao’s recently regained confidence.

     And this was far from all Wang Can had to say.

     In his story, the old farmer accompanying him warned him not to speak such words within Ye City to avoid trouble, planning to send him back across the river.

     First, they rode south on mules, then found a boat to cross the river. When they parted, Wang Can said to the old farmer:

     Yuan Shao seeks change without understanding, trying to use mules to carry heavy loads without considering their age, only to use them for farming. He tries to extract strong liquor through soaking without knowing new methods, wasting much liquor.

     Others wouldn’t know these were traps Qiao Yan secretly set for Yuan Shao, only seeing, as Wang Can said, a great waste of resources, worsening the already dire situation of having only two provinces.

     [This can be said to empty the loom, daily losing thousands in expenses. Head taxes and basket levies, reversing ten years of rent. If this continues, parents may not protect their children, and couples may abandon their beds. This is a great disaster.]

     [Look at today’s Guanzhong, granaries full, people living in peace, warhorses gathered, culture flourishing. When has it ever added calamity due to strong liquor and mules?]

     [Trusting fate over human effort, heaven does not grant it; trusting human effort while following heavenly principles, humans can overcome.]

     [Thus, the fall of the Han dynasty is not the fault of the Son of Heaven of Da Yong, but truly Yuan Shao’s.]

     After this critique, Wang Can asked the old farmer why not join Da Yong with him to secure his later years.

     However, the old farmer did not accept Wang Can’s invitation, instead returning north of the river, only giving a bitter smile before parting.

     Wang Can had already reached Hulao Pass but, worried about the old farmer’s situation, turned back.

     But when he followed the place the old farmer had mentioned, the old farmer was nowhere to be found.

     A young couple there informed him that Yuan Shao wanted to conscript soldiers to fill vacancies, requiring one person from each household. The old farmer, still in good spirits and considered strong, filled this vacancy.

     By now, the conscription team had long since departed to an unknown destination.

     Wang Can, not being part of the Ye City court, could not save him from this fate and had to leave.

     But how could he leave with a calm heart?

     [The chaos in Ye City, beasts causing trouble, hungry women on the road, hearing cries.]

     [A song says: Not knowing where one will die, how can two be complete?]

     [I drove my horse away, unable to bear listening.]

     [Returning to Da Yong, I asked the Son of Heaven, who said, “We must attack.”]

     Reading this, Yuan Shao’s expression could no longer be described as merely ugly.

     In this calm yet powerful conclusion, no one would care whether Wang Can truly came to Ye City to complete this piece.

     All attention was focused on the last four words.

     The understated “we must attack” was more chilling than any declaration of vast territories and armies, more commanding than any call to attack Ye City!

     Almost escaping, Yuan Shao flipped to the next page of the Leping Monthly Report and saw the articles on the facing pages.

     Compared to Wang Can’s storytelling style of denunciation, these were much more direct.

     On the left, Huang Yueying scolded him for not removing his cotton clothes, pretending to be a beast in human clothing. On the right, Mi Heng said he could barely rely on his good looks to welcome guests, no wonder he made such unfounded accusations against the Son of Heaven of Da Yong.

     Every word carried a sharp, piercing edge, erasing his last foothold.

     At this moment, these once familiar words seemed like a jumble of chaotic symbols attacking him.

     [Why wear cotton clothes, pretending to be a beast in human clothing…]

     [Yuan Shao has good looks, suitable for welcoming guests…]

     [Mountains and rivers in his heart, yet Yuan Shao’s belly cannot hold a boat…]

     [The rest are mediocre, nothing more.]

     This was indeed a very successful collection of denunciations!

     Yuan Shao’s body, not fully recovered from the Yanzhou battle, could no longer stand.

     He suddenly spat blood and collapsed under the horrified gaze of his subordinates.

     “Grand General!”