“Can strategists really not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 209 – Interest Rates Galore…
In the autumn of Ye City, the atmosphere was buzzing with harvest joy.
We might as well thank Qiao Yan for a bit of this.
What with Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu clashing up north, Qiao Yan’s support to Liu Yu from Bingzhou made Yuan Shao’s job of defending Yanzhou a whole lot easier.
Judging by his and his subordinates’ keen eyes, Gongsun Zan would need at least until the new year to recover from this blow.
But then again, with Liu Yu back in Youzhou supervising the battles, thanks to his various measures to stabilize grain prices, can Gongsun Zan even hope for a comeback?
Yuan Shao was thrilled at the idea that this troublesome neighbor might finally be kept in check, but he couldn’t help but feel that the Bingzhou troops sent by Qiao Yan were a bit too competent.
On the other end, Zhang Liao and Qu Yan, fresh out of Bingzhou at around twenty, were definitely living up to their superior’s legacy.
But let me tell you, when it came to battle, these guys held nothing back.
Zhang Liao, responsible for garrison duties in Yanmen County, finally showcased his top-notch command skills in the vast fields of Youzhou, making Yuan Shao’s heart burn with envy, wishing he could snatch such a fierce general for himself.
Despite the jealousy, good news outnumbered the bad.
Alliance against Yuan Shu had Liu Bei delivering a rather satisfying report to Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shu took a hit from Liu Bei’s surprise attack but thankfully wasn’t wiped out—just stuck across the river staring at his foes.
Yuan Shu couldn’t poke at him, and Liu Bei wasn’t about to win anytime soon.
For Yuan Shao, this situation was undeniably the most advantageous.
Even with news filtering in that Yuan Shu accepted the governorship of Yuzhou offered by Dong Zhuo, granting him some legitimacy, Yuan Shao didn’t feel particularly upset.
Yuan Shu’s earlier remark “Shao is not a Yuan” had certainly ruffled his feathers, and Yuan Shao couldn’t help but wish for more misery to fall on Yuan Shu.
He knew Yuan Shu’s worth all too well.
Better to let him rise to greater heights only to come crashing down again—now, that would be truly satisfying!
Apart from military matters, Yuan Shao was much more pleased with the state of the people.
This year’s favorable weather brought about a bountiful harvest in Hebei, turning the tide from the previous years when the Yellow Turban Bandits caused unrest and drove people away, to now welcoming additional citizens from He Nei and Henan counties, not to mention folks from war-torn Youzhou.
The advantageous geography of these two provinces combined nicely with the benefits of Yuan Shao’s good relations with the powerful families there, finally showing clear results in his second year of development.
He had quite a few capable civil officials, savvy in governance.
They looked at their neighbors and managed to devise a reasonable development plan suitable for the lands here.
Because of this, Yuan Shao had slept soundly for several days.
But just then, a letter arrived from Sili, jolting him out of his restful slumber.
Staring at the report’s text for a long while before reluctantly tearing his gaze away, he quickly summoned his strategists.
This news was staggering.
It was no longer something he could casually discuss with any one of them.
A gathering was needed!
Once everyone gathered and passed the letter around before it found its way back to him, he held it tightly, his tone grave as he spoke: “Qiao Yan’s sudden military movement from Liangzhou towards Chang’an—though influenced by Dong Zhuo and Li Jue’s power struggles, isn’t this a bit too fast?”
He was well aware of his own troops in Ji Province and Qing Province, and compared them with Qiao Yan’s forces from Bingzhou and Liangzhou.
He couldn’t afford to let anyone else deal with the Yuan Shu headache while he was busy preparing for Gongsun Zan’s potential southward advance.
But what about Qiao Yan?
She had been heavily involved in the battles at Youzhou.
Though Liu Yu’s recovery of several prefectures provided some grain support and greatly reduced the assistance from Bingzhou, manpower was still primarily drawn from Bingzhou.
Yet on the Liangzhou front, she had wiped out 20,000 troops sent by Li Jue, capturing Sanguan, Chencang, Maiwu, and Chang’an—talk about decisive action!
While other provinces might not have picked up on this clearly yet, Yuan Shao had no confusion understanding its significance.
Whether Dong Zhuo lived or died was of no concern to him at that moment.
All he wanted to know was one thing—how did she manage that?
Compared to a brute like Gongsun Zan, Qiao Yan posed a real threat.
Regardless of conflicts stemming from position or territory, Yuan Shao absolutely refused to play second fiddle, but today’s battle report revealed a gap that felt almost insurmountable.
Liangzhou and Bingzhou had plenty of fine steeds, and its iron mines were no joke—her cavalry far outshining that of other regions, beyond a doubt.
But having steeds doesn’t automatically translate to manpower; the logistics of feeding both horse and rider during campaigns amounted to a hefty sum.
Thus, to sustain cavalry as regular troops, one needed to invest heavily.
With both sides commanding territories, why was she able to afford it?
Upon further reflection, despite the Taihang Mountains acting as buffers, communication from Bingzhou rarely made its way into Ji Province, yet they hadn’t heard of any grain shortages in Bingzhou.
It seemed the Qiang people causing chaos in Liangzhou only pulled back from raiding when their stomachs were satisfied.
Yuan Shao voiced his doubts.
Shen Pei recalled, “When Ziyuan and I traveled to Bingzhou back in the day, we entered Shangdang via Fushou Ling, and then to Taiyuan, and what we saw along the way was reminiscent of the autumn harvest scenes of those days. Thinking back, it does seem a bit peculiar now.”
He glanced at Xu You, asking, “Do you recall, Ziyuan, that when we passed through, the lands we saw were not just the concentrated fields managed by the prefecture, but also the family estates, village lands, and the government reclamation fields—there was a remarkable similarity across the board.”
At that time, the wheat waved like silk, causing this to escape most people’s notice.
Xu You’s memory was sharp as well, and he quickly brought that image back to mind.
This line of thought reinforced Shen Pei’s observation about the oddity.
In Ji Province, to prevent another uprising of the Yellow Turbans, they had visited numerous counties, but it was nothing like this situation.
When labor was scarce, even if there were plenty of fields, the agricultural practices would inevitably be lackluster. farmers’ techniques varied greatly, leading to inconsistent results. Add to that the disparity in wealth and you naturally had variation in harvesting seeds.
Previously, they only thought that Bingzhou was thriving a year and a half or more ahead of others, but now reflected—it seemed more like a top-down agricultural policy was enforced.
Perhaps Qiao Yan’s aggressive style blinded many to her military prowess.
But this apparent focus on her strengths also imparted a skewed understanding.
Shen Pei’s mention of this was laden with meaning.
He addressed Yuan Shao: “We might need to keep a closer eye on the agricultural practices in Bingzhou. Ziyuan and I both visited Bingzhou and are somewhat exposed to its intentions; I suggest you select a few people to go investigate Bingzhou again. If they can discover anything else, that would be even better.”
Having enough food and cash is fundamental to amassing military strength, that much is clear.
They would have to exert more effort in this regard.
As Shen Pei spoke, a thought crossed his mind: if they originally only had a year and a half’s gap to cover with Qiao Yan, after the demise of Emperor Ling, that gap might be even wider now.
Who knew if they could still catch up?
But seeing Tian Feng take on this responsibility brought Shen Pei a little relief.
Tian Feng’s straightforward nature didn’t dull his attention to detail—having him on this would probably ensure nothing slipped through the cracks.
Then Ju Shou chimed in, “I think Lord, you should also keep an eye on the weaponry used by the Bingzhou army.”
Boosting food output and training troops takes time, but weaponry? That can change in a heartbeat.
Ju Shou continued, “According to the report, Qiao’s forces repeatedly use long-range crossbows to attack and kill enemies, significantly reducing her troop casualties—Lord, this aspect deserves more focus than how many troops she can mobilize at once.”
Defeating an enemy within reach is one thing.
But what if the enemy is out of reach?
If they ever faced Qiao Yan one day, this would be an essential consideration.
Were they to let her employ the same tactics against them as against Li Jue’s 20,000 troops?
This wasn’t just Ju Shou’s thought; at that moment in Yanzhou, Chen Gong echoed the same sentiments regarding Cao Cao.
“My lord has dealings with Qiao’s Bingzhou, and young master is attending Leping Academy now, but Yanzhou is a battlefield—one of our neighbors might just borrow Qiao’s strategies to arm their forces, striking us with a sudden blow.”
For instance, Yuan Shao wouldn’t escape potential friction with Cao Cao due to their geographic proximity.
In Ju Shou and Chen Gong’s mutual understanding, given their current financial capabilities, even contemplating heavy crossbows seemed a waste of resources and manpower.
However, leveraging things like the powerful crossbow or Divine Bow was a different story.
With a shooting range of three to four hundred paces, that would sufficiently expand their offense and defense, effectively bridging the gap in weaponry between them and Bingzhou within a short time.
And these crossbow mechanisms were officially documented in the Han’s arsenal, meaning they didn’t even have to go steal the tech from Qiao Yan.
Relevant records could easily be found in the storehouses of Ji Province and Yanzhou.
Yuan Shao had it even easier when it came to searching for information.
Aside from the books sent by Xun Shuang to Bingzhou, a significant portion of the classic texts from Luoyang had accompanied the Han court when they relocated from Luoyang to Ye City.
Even without a genius in mechanics like Ma Jun, mass-producing powerful crossbows wasn’t rocket science.
Listening to what Ju Shou said, Yuan Shao wholeheartedly agreed.
When everyone’s fortunes were tight, it was easy to resort to close-range brawls sans fancy gear.
But now, Qiao Yan had unveiled a hard truth—it’s not that everyone was broke; it’s that others were broke while she was thriving.
And that posed a problem!
“As for this matter…” Yuan Shao looked around at those gathered.
This was Ju Shou’s proposal, and naturally, he should spearhead it.
However, Ju Shou was capable of commanding troops, and delegating the responsibility of bolstering their crossbow arsenal to him made Yuan Shao feel a twinge of unease.
“Gong Ze, Zhong Zhi, I hand this matter to you both—make sure you handle it well.”
Guo Tu and Xin Pi immediately stood up to respond.
They were both from Yingchuan, which meant they weren’t in the same faction as Tian Feng and Ju Shou.
Scholars from Hebei had control over a portion of his military power, and for the sake of stability among his subordinates, Yuan Shao figured he’d need to create some balance by giving a little something to the Yingchuan faction.
But of course, he wouldn’t state his intentions so plainly; after making this arrangement, he turned back to Ju Shou and said, “I have another pressing matter I wish to consult with you about, please give it a thoughtful consideration.”
With Yuan Shao’s lineage and appearance, folks always perceived him as a thorough gentleman, without any overtly arrogant airs.
“Hurry up and show your respect, my lord!”
Yuan Shao inquired, “Besides the immense power of Qiao Yan, what should we be exceptionally vigilant about regarding the emperor being captured again by Li Jue?”
This was equally crucial to Yuan Shao.
At this moment, he could maintain a relatively stable development because in this “everyone has their own Han” situation, the Han in the west was stuck in the narrow passes of Guanzhong and was under the control of that pesky Dong Zhuo.
So for most people, instead of gambling on whether Liu Xie, the Son of Heaven, could be an enlightened ruler or break free from Dong Zhuo’s chains, it was better to take a more straightforward approach to realize their political ambitions.
Specifically, that meant heading to Ye City.
Ye City’s court was in a rebuilding phase and lacked personnel. Yuan Shao had to handle relations with surrounding forces and internal governance, and he was also short on people.
That’s why Xin Pi and Guo Tu came to Ji Province.
But now that Qiao Yan had taken Chang’an, the situation was drastically different.
Uniting the powers of Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Sili had already claimed half of the North, and with the Son of Heaven’s mandate, if she amassed one or two more years of resources, she could take the imperial edict and march east to deal with those disloyal.
No wonder Yuan Shao was feeling headaches.
Even though he could learn farming techniques from Bingzhou and develop storehouse designs for treachery, some things just lag behind and can’t be caught up in half a year or a year.
What made the situation particularly tricky now was that Li Jue took Liu Xie and vanished, sending Chang’an into a state of chaos.
Ju Shou pondered for a moment before he replied, “This might be the best news for you, my lord.”
Yuan Shao raised his hand for Ju Shou to continue.
Ju Shou elaborated, “If Li Jue is fleeing with his subordinates, in a life-and-death situation, his men might not want to keep running but instead take his head and surrender to Chang’an, allowing Prince Xie to return safely to Qiao and Bingzhou. But right now, he’s all alone on the run.”
“From your perspective, whom do you think is most likely to turn to Li Jue, especially after Qiao’s successful campaign?”
Yuan Shao felt they would likely choose to curry favor with Qiao Yan.
You can’t think you’re tough enough to square off against her after she’s demonstrated her strength.
Everyone has a scale to measure the situation.
Ju Shou continued, “Li Jue might have thought one side would be undeterred by Qiao, still capable of forming an alliance, but the current dynamics are clearer to others than him.”
“In his desperate situation, he can either hide with Prince Xie until a change in the world happens, hoping to negotiate later, or he’ll be found by those searching for him.”
“Given the typical impulsiveness of Liangzhou men, it’s unlikely they’d trust Qiao to let him off the hook due to his reckless decisions. They might just kill Prince Xie and commit suicide, hoping to leave some ink in history.”
“Of course, there’s also the possibility he directly escorts Prince Xie through the provinces and hands him over to us.”
This was also Huang Wan’s speculation after Qiao Yan invaded Chang’an.
Upon hearing this potential outcome, Yuan Shao’s earlier concerns about Qiao Yan’s military successes lifted.
If that’s the case, not only would Li Jue be looking for protection, but he could even build a temple for Li Jue!
Ju Shou analyzed, “In fact, these situations share a commonality: Prince Xie couldn’t possibly return to Qiao and Bingzhou in the short term.”
“Of course, this doesn’t mean you can rest easy.”
“Do you believe Qiao can’t hold the newly conquered Guanzhong without Prince Xie as the rightful heir?”
Yuan Shao shook his head.
This wasn’t something that could stump Qiao Yan.
With an enemy in Guanzhong, it would indeed be challenging for Liangzhou and Bingzhou to invade.
But once Guanzhong fell under her control, there would be multiple routes from Liangzhou and Bingzhou into Guanzhong, including the most obvious Qin Zhi Dao from Bingzhou, Longshan Dao from Liangzhou, and Wei Shui Riverways.
These paths would string the three provinces together.
While territorial expansion didn’t necessitate a longer defense line, it primarily reinforced the external critical passes.
What she could possess might not just be Guanzhong.
The River East County of Sili had tilted toward her since the year Emperor Ling passed, even offering its salt pools to Bingzhou. Before Qiao Yan secured the Liangzhou salt pools, this was Bingzhou’s primary source of salt brine.
The River North County of Sili had long experienced an exodus of its citizens due to the incompetent governance of Prefect Wang Kuang, moving towards Bingzhou.
The other regions of Henan and Hongnong had already fallen into a state of unmanaged chaos with the political center having shifted away from Luoyang.
This meant she might have control over the entire Sili military district.
In the weakened state of the Han royal family, Qiao Yan stabilizing the chaos meant she could certainly grasp the lands of three provinces.
Whether Liu Xie was there wasn’t a decisive factor.
Ju Shou asked, “Do you think another possibility exists where, failing to find Prince Xie, she might establish a new emperor?”
This nearly blew Yuan Shao’s top off.
But with subordinates present, Yuan Shao composed himself and replied, “If that’s the case, how should we respond?”
Ju Shou responded, “My suggestion is that you write a letter to Qiao and express the necessity for both sides to collaborate to support an emperor.”
In other words, persuade Qiao Yan not to look for anyone if it wasn’t absolutely necessary!
Considering the people’s livelihoods, why bother with such a thankless task when it would be better to give up on finding Liu Xie?
After all, just how much legitimacy remains after all these kidnappings?
With Qiao Yan sitting over Liang and half of Sili, and Yuan Shao holding Qingzhou and Ji Province, uniting would mean they control one-third of the thirteen provinces of the Han, a strong one-third at that. Why quibble over legitimacy?
This partnership could flatten the world!
A look of contemplation crossed Yuan Shao’s face.
Then Ju Shou advised, “Please, my lord, make sure to concede a bit in your wording. Regardless, achieving this cooperation is paramount.”
Though somewhat unwilling, Yuan Shao thought that if the cooperation went through, he might not need Tian Feng to sneak into Bingzhou to learn farming techniques. This could very well be a viable approach.
But considering he had already offered the position of the General of Cavalry and still couldn’t win Qiao Yan over… Although that had to do with the edict from Emperor Ling at the time, it was hard to say if this offer would suffice.
Was he really going to give up the Grand General title?
Shen Pei suddenly spoke up, “Speaking of which, when I last visited Bingzhou, I remember Qiao avoiding us when issuing orders, claiming—since the Battle of Luoyang required five thousand stones of military provisions, does that mean we can discuss terms while returning provisions?”
Qiao Yan deployed an army of thirty thousand to invade Chang’an. Compared to that number, fifty thousand stones of provisions was just a drop in the bucket, but at least it would lessen her military expenses.
And if they started from repaying debts and building connections, that would definitely mean Yuan Shao was lowering his stance.
Yuan Shao finally recalled the failure of his uncle’s advice back in the day and wisely refrained from suggesting he marry off one of his sons to Qiao Yan.
After weighing the situation, he decisively replied, “Let’s go with Zhengrong’s plan! Ziyuan, please take a trip to Chang’an.”
Last time Xu You went to Bingzhou regarding the General of Cavalry’s appointment, there were no conflicts with Qiao Yan—at least, no bad impressions left—and he was sending a familiar face to negotiate.
Yuan Shao pondered over the interest.
That one or two stones he had to count personally wouldn’t be necessary now with their current status!
Ji Province’s harvest this year was quite good, so even doubling to pay back wasn’t an issue!
To prevent any changes, Yuan Shao ordered Xu You to rush to Chang’an alongside some helpers, putting a hold on the delivery of one hundred thousand stones of military provisions until Xu You settled terms with Qiao Yan, deciding whether to send the supplies to Ye City, Shangdang, or back to Luoyang or Chang’an.
If they could gather support for their objectives, this small expense wouldn’t even matter.
Xu You noticed Yuan Shao’s seriousness about this task and dared not rest even for a moment.
By the time he arrived in Chang’an, he had pushed himself hard, traveling only five days.
Dismounting, he patted his weary legs, sighing inwardly about the hardships of this journey.
Fortunately, upon announcing his arrival, he learned that Qiao Yan had just returned from Wuguan today and happened to still be in Chang’an, or he would have had to run even more.
Xu You exhaled in relief.
After meeting Qiao Yan, he respectfully saluted her.
Although they hadn’t seen each other for two years, she remained calm; however, when she looked up at him, Xu You felt a commanding aura of blood and battle rush towards him.
Seeing her casually place her pen aside, she asked, “What brings you here, Mr. Ziyuan? Is Yuan Benchu wanting to say he also wishes to attack Dong Zhuo, but he’s just running late?”
Xu You was momentarily taken aback.
Qiao Yan continued, “Last time he was late for more than two days, this time it’s been over half a month.”
Xu You responded, “Lady Qiao jokes too much; Yuan Qingzhou sent me to repay provisions. Two years ago, you lent us fifty thousand stones, and now we’re returning it double as interest, rewarding you for the Han army’s labors.”
This opening line genuinely surprised Qiao Yan.
There was definitely a lot of behind-the-scenes maneuvering in his tone.
However…
“Hold on!” She raised her hand to stop Xu You from continuing, asking, “Did you say… returning double as interest?”
Xu You was puzzled by her amused expression, “Correct. The previous year saw numerous refugees in Ji Province, making repayment inconvenient; indeed, we regrettably delayed a year. Thus, Yuan Qingzhou offers double as a sign of apology.”
Double as a sign of apology?
At those words, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
How did Xu You not grasp that this was a debt amounting to something terrifying?
Yuan Shao had gone too far!
How could such matters—be kept from his capable subordinates?
She turned to Guo Jia beside her and asked, “Fengxiao, I recall you sought out Yuan Benchu to sign that loan document; what’s the interest on it by now?”
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia hurriedly got up, adopting a pleading gesture, “I’m afraid you should let me off, my skills in calculations have always been weak.”
As he spoke, he turned to Xu You, “But I heard Mr. Ziyuan is a clever strategist; surely the calculations of this and that shouldn’t be too hard; could you assist in figuring it out?”
“…?” Xu You looked bewildered at the two playing off each other.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were implying the five thousand stones he mentioned as interest might not even suffice.
But that shouldn’t be the case…
If so, how had his master agreed to it in the first place?
Yuan Shao has always preferred not to engage in any lose-lose deals.
Carrying this doubt, Xu You examined the loan document signed by Yuan Shao and read through it word for word.
Initially dismissive, it turned into palpable tension as he mentally crunched through the numbers.
His expression tense, he stood frozen in place.
Under Qiao Yan’s amused gaze, a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
