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Chapter 167
Can a strategist not ascend to the throne? Volume Six: The two states’ fierce grip, the Silk Road reactivated.
Jing Province, bordered by the Yangtze River to the east and Shuzhou to the west, is indeed fertile ground in today’s chaotic world.
Jia Xu was acutely aware of Qiao Yan’s current situation.
Even if she planned to discard her image as a lonely Han official to compete, this was not a territory that would be quickly absorbed.
However, most of the commanderies under Jing Province were affluent, with strategic routes leading north to Luoyang and Chang’an. The Yangtze River waterway also offered an opportunity to advance southeast through Shuzhou. The geography and conditions are simply too favorable.
In a place like this, letting it fall into someone else’s hands while not seizing it for yourself was something that needed to be managed.
At the very least, it couldn’t be handed over to someone who was both ambitious and capable.
“Actually, the geographical position of Liangzhou isn’t that bad, right?”
Qiao Yan’s gaze fell onto the map of the Han territory before her, first looking at Jing Province which Jia Xu was about to influence and then glancing at Liangzhou’s lands, sighing in a bit of disbelief.
Cheng Yu couldn’t help but feel that Qiao Yan was trying to comfort herself with her words.
Once a vital part of the Silk Road, Liangzhou used to connect Bingzhou, the Three Auxiliaries, Yizhou, and foreign lands to the northwest, but with the Qiang people causing chaos and local tyrants seizing power, it was hard to say if it still had any of its former glory.
Considering the whole of the Eastern Han, the Silk Road barely benefited them, and the financial expenditure to suppress the Qiang disturbances took an enormous toll, even dragging down the finances of the Han.
Fortunately, the most militarily demanding phase for Liangzhou had passed, and the military deterrence left behind from Sanming could be directly inherited by Qiao Yan, allowing her to quickly open up the situation.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen this place at all.
Let’s just say she was grateful for the legacy left by the two Emperors Huan and Ling.
Within a month after pacifying the disturbances caused by Ma Teng and Han Sui, the fragmented armed response forces had also begun to settle.
Lü Bu and Qu Yi moved north to Wuwei, using the fortified stronghold as a base to spread outwards.
Qu Yan and Fu Gan penetrated into the Huangzhong region to ensure that the area west of Jincheng County, protected by the canyon river, had no remnants of Han Sui’s factions or powerful Qiang clans.
Ma Chao, Yang Feng, and Gai Xun entered Wudu County to restore order.
Since Gai Xun had previously served as the Prefect of Wudu County and enjoyed high prestige in Liangzhou, even without an official position, he could easily reclaim his status, leveraging the troop presence of the Ma brothers in Longxi to move in and consolidate power.
With Yao Chang leading the Qiang factions and Jiang Jiao representing the Han Yang gentry, they assessed Qiao Yan’s military capabilities and chose to submit to her, continuing to use Gaoping City as their center of power.
The situation in the northern regions was no different.
The Southern Xiongnu at Huchuqian, stationed west of the Ziwu Ridge, noticed that Qiao Yan showed no sign of being an outsider despite her swift progress in Liangzhou. Out of respect and a sense of competition, they realized they couldn’t lag behind like their brother who got caught by a Qiang girl while on patrol and needed to make some contributions, pushing northwards to expand their territory.
By the time Liu Yu arrived, while there were still finer details to negotiate, in reality, Qiao Yan’s forces had already occupied seven counties in Liangzhou, with only Dunhuang, Jiuquan, and Zhangye remaining.
But just like how the Yang family of Jiuquan sent Yang Feng to her, as long as she stationed troops in Wuwei County, it was unlikely the other three counties would cause chaos.
While she was currently taking a pause to ensure a stable defeat of Dong Zhuo, extending her influence to Dunhuang was not yet appropriate.
However, the area she controlled was already substantial.
The territory of these seven counties was almost comparable to the Bingzhou she previously held.
This meant that her military presence in Liangzhou had effectively doubled her domain!
Evidently, although she relied on Huangfu Song’s troops, the essence of these anti-rebellion efforts determined who the territory truly belonged to.
It was hers!
Meanwhile, Yuan Shao’s Qingzhou and Jizhou were still dealing with a small emperor in Ye City and a small court that had moved over from Luoyang, while Qiao Yan possessed a vast expanse of land where she could unleash her potential.
Moreover, since she wasn’t planning to replace all the Prefects in Liangzhou with her own people for at least two years, as long as she could efficiently exploit the manpower and resources within Liangzhou, Liu Yu and Huangfu Song beside her were no problem at all.
Her top plan for now was to clarify the farmland available for military and civilian settlement in Liangzhou.
Only by defining these areas could she ensure that Liangzhou’s military deployments wouldn’t solely rely on the grain supply from Bingzhou, allowing her to eventually achieve self-sufficiency.
When Cheng Yu heard Qiao Yan once again talk about Liangzhou’s positive geographical assessment, he chimed in, “Jincheng and Wuwei are great options.”
Among the seven counties of Liangzhou, although Heping City in Anding County had established a military settlement at Huo Shizhai, geographically, that area was vital for building connections but not notably fertile.
The two places Qiao Yan mentioned were far more promising.
In Liangzhou, cultivable lands were mostly distributed in the valleys of the Jing River, riverbanks, Qingshui River basin, Weishui River basin, and the Yellow River basin flowing through Jincheng, along with areas receiving meltwater from the snow-capped mountains.
Restricted by the mountainous canyons, the cultivation areas only appeared as dot-like distributions rather than extensive bands.
Large valley basins like Jincheng and Yuzhong were almost impossible to come by.
Moreover, the farmland originally owned by the locals couldn’t be transferred to her hands, and areas reserved for military routes were unsuitable for extensive tilling, leaving her with very limited options.
First and foremost, she had to thank Han Sui, who began the power grab but now relinquished Jincheng.
This area had exceptional natural irrigation conditions, protective terrain against outsiders, and retained a uniqueness post-cleanup by Han Sui, making it almost like another Leping.
This was also Qiao Yan’s first choice for garrisoning troops.
But even Jincheng couldn’t compare to Wuwei.
If one thought of Wuwei with a modern mindset, they would likely envision the Tengger Desert.
However, the Wuwei of the late Han, while still having some windblown sand, had not yet reached the state it would in later times.
The snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains formed the Lu River and flowed northwest, bypassing the Xiu Tuo Marsh, creating a strip of oasis flowing through the counties of Luoni, Guozang, Xuanwei, and Wuwei, forming a green divide between Wuwei and Zhangye.
If she could convert this area into her military settlement, it would mean seizing the second crucial territorial chokepoint for Liangzhou after Gaoping.
Later historical transitions of dynasties also proved the importance of this location, allowing Wuwei and Guozang to serve as capitals for six dynasties.
Cheng Yu watched as Qiao Yan took notes, clearly marking this territory along with the area around Jincheng as their focus for the coming year.
“Zhongde, this will be our main area of development over the next year.”
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“The former is mostly about military garrisons, a private training ground under the shelter of Kuiyuan Gorge, echoing the military garrisons within Bingzhou to the east and west. Moreover, the salt brine from outside west of Huangzhong is periodically transported back by soldiers and local warlords together, and stored here. To ensure this place is tightly controlled, Mr. Lao will need to put in a lot of effort.”
If it weren’t for Cheng Yu’s management of internal affairs in Bingzhou over the past few years, he probably wouldn’t dare to agree so readily.
Noticing Qiao Yan’s gaze upon him, even though she said nothing, Cheng Yu was acutely aware of the importance of this entrusted task, realizing the potential consequences if this place were to be seized by outsiders or fall into internal chaos.
With significant political experience now, Cheng Yu decisively replied, “Rest assured, my lord.”
Qiao Yan knew that Cheng Yu wouldn’t casually make a promise he couldn’t keep, so she continued, “The latter mainly concerns the civilian garrisons, used for recruiting people from Lushui Qiang and the other three commanderies in Hexi, as well as relocating the locals who are mixed and causing chaos in Liangzhou.”
While she wasn’t in a hurry to push her armed forces to the borders of Liangzhou, in reality, due to the limitation of distance, she couldn’t do so at this moment. However, relying on the structured agricultural techniques from Bingzhou to manage the farming in Wuwei, creating a gathering, diverting, and assimilating effect among the populace was clearly within her operational scope.
This was also a territory she intended to use to display her stable governance of Liangzhou to Liu Yu and Huangfu Song.
Only by managing this line properly could she have the opportunity to extend further northwest.
Therefore, in the letter to Xi Zhicai, she mentioned that Bingzhou needed to send some technical personnel to Liangzhou after the autumn harvest to support her “One City, Two Belts, Several Points” land reclamation plan.
One City: Gaoping City.
Two Belts: Jincheng River Valley Basin and Wuwei Lushui Green Belt.
Several Points –
The local warlords in Liangzhou who were intimidated by Qiao Yan’s military actions had provided her with some usable talent, except for the farthest, Jiuquan, while places like An Ding and Hanyang had given up a portion of their farmland.
This was her scattered territory ownership within Liangzhou.
These lands were merely a drop in the bucket compared to what the warlords possessed, but Qiao Yan understood where the key conflicts lay at this moment. To manage Liangzhou still required engagement with them, and the most appropriate action right now was to take advantage of the situation.
A portion of this scattered land was handed over to the Qiang tribes who allied with her for cultivation, with part of the harvest paid as taxes, while part was given to Xu Shu, who had come from Bingzhou.
During the winter, he caused a psychological threat to Han Fu by stationing Xianbei near him, which made that military general flee his position.
After Han Fu was officially stripped of his powers by Qiao Yan, Xu Shu took over the supervision of the Duliu General’s military camp.
But with the border defenses of Bingzhou set up, once the complete defense line through Shuo Fang Commandery, Guyang Road, Bai Dao River, and Yanmen was in place, the Duliu General’s camp became unnecessary. Those troops were better allocated to Liangzhou, turning into her scattered force that could gather on command across various commanderies.
“I entrust this task to you; you should know what it means.” After Xu Shu and his men arrived in Liangzhou, Qiao Yan specifically sought him out for a conversation.
The two, along with their attendants, traveled north along Yinma River, reaching the bank of the Yellow River.
With her attendants retreating at Qiao Yan’s signal and the roaring sound of the Yellow River blocking out their words, this was a conversation known only to the heavens, the earth, and them.
Xu Shu suddenly found the scene before him eerily familiar.
Six years ago, outside Quzhou in Ji Province, a conversation that seemed similar yet different from this.
At that time, Qiao Yan had asked him a question –
Is the “living” merely for a person to still draw breath?
He said he would tell her once he found the answer, providing him a reason to continue following her.
After six years in Bingzhou, he might have finally found that answer.
Qiao Yan was gradually grounding her previous, carefree sympathy for the weak with every step she took.
Yet, he still didn’t intend to give an answer.
Because in the evolution of both Bingzhou and, even today, Liangzhou, the answer could change with the moves of the higher-ups, showing a different response than before.
Amidst the rushing river’s roar, Qiao Yan’s voice reached his ears clearly: “Like Mr. Zhongde, your position among those under my command is irreplaceable, so I hope you can follow in his footsteps until I need both hands, do you understand?”
Xu Shu was a clever man, not one to miss the underlying message.
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Qiao Yan started to educate him, a self-proclaimed horse caretaker, and entrusted him to Cheng Yu for nurturing. Even while managing in Leping, she maintained their teaching relationship. Now in Liangzhou, Cheng Yu still handled major affairs while Xu Shu managed minor ones –
But that didn’t mean Qiao Yan wanted them to remain locked in this mentor-student relationship, forever constrained by their roles, only able to follow in each other’s footsteps!
This actually implied she wished for someone like Cheng Yu and Xu Shu, who had no family ties, to form a complete channel of growth, so when she needed a full-on offensive, they could operate independently.
Xu Shu had experience as a wandering knight and skills for self-defense, so her expectations of him were the same as for Cheng Yu.
Both as generals and strategists.
Just as he was about to get off his horse to express thanks, Qiao Yan halted his movement with a wave of her whip, saying, “Just understand, and I hope you can do one thing well. When Meng Qi and Bo Yang assisted Gai Yuan to take Wudu, the Li, Wang, and Jiang families of Wudu sent over a portion of land. I need you to manage this properly. Whether you can be my other hand depends on this. Do you understand?”
The brightness in her eyes made Xu Shu tentatively suspect something.
Since the Xihan and Mian rivers of Wudu connect to Hanzhong, the purpose of managing Wudu was rather self-evident.
Upon hearing those instructions, he felt the sound of the rushing river echoed with the blood surging in his veins.
He remained silent for a long time, calming himself down before he cupped his hands towards Qiao Yan and replied, “To manage the entire commandery from the small aspects while also being under the watchful eye of Governor Gai is a tough challenge you’ve set for me, but I’m willing to accept it.”
Even though he hailed from Yingchuan, still a favored son of the Son of Heaven, so what?
From sixteen, he followed Qiao Yan until now, at twenty-two, with a rich collection of experiences suggesting that the decline of the Han Dynasty was already upon them, without any room for maneuvering.
Looking across the world, the only one capable of caring for the people’s needs and able to act on them was none other than the governor of Bingzhou!
So what if it involved a rebellion!
“Let’s go.” Qiao Yan gestured towards the distant ferry on the river, interrupting Xu Shu’s thoughts. “Before heading there, let’s first make a trip to Wuwei Commandery.”
“They say one only gains something after traveling a thousand miles, so let’s take in the scenery of the Northwest Silk Road!”
