“Can strategists really not take the throne?”
Chapter 10: Loyalty and Filial Piety
“I’m not from Yanzhou, so why am I still here?”
Qiao Yan acted as if she hadn’t noticed Liang Zhongning dropping his cake, and continued eating her meal leisurely.
She spun the phrase about not being from Yanzhou so smoothly that nobody could tell she was lying.
With such calmness in her demeanor, Liang Zhongning couldn’t see that she was clearly playing some sort of retreat-as-advance trick.
He quickly responded, “With chaos all around, it would be a tremendous loss if someone as talented as you were to meet with an unfortunate accident on the road!”
The concern in his voice was palpable.
But then he noticed Qiao Yan had darkened her expression.
Earlier, when he pointed his broken spear at her or when facing the defenses of the Tian Family Fortress, she was too calm for her own good. Now she was showing a different side, which made Liang Zhongning a bit thrown off.
It suddenly dawned on him that her daring to come directly before him meant she was quite sharp in temperament.
“What’s this you’re saying, Rebel Leader? Knowing that chaos is rising everywhere, I should hurry back to Gaomi and serve Master Zheng—how can I stay here in safety?”
Qiao Yan’s sharp words left Liang Zhongning momentarily stunned.
Even if the Yellow Turban Army rallied under the slogan of the Heavens being dead, they certainly wouldn’t ruin the respect for teachers and the importance of education, making Qiao Yan’s point particularly valid.
Liang Zhongning, feeling a bit bandit-like, considered forcefully detaining her, but he soon thought—
He had just captured the fortress thanks to her skills, and gained enough grain for his men to eat for nearly two years. Even his troops had started to respect Master Yan, so if he were to treat her like this…
No, it would be better to say tying her up in a chariot would certainly dent his dignity.
Although this so-called dignity had already taken a sizeable hit when his men had carried him like a pig before.
His mind raced, and an idea suddenly popped into his head.
He spoke sweetly, “What you say makes sense, but you helped me capture this fortress and secured grain, which is akin to saving the lives of my soldiers. So if you say there’s danger, you’ve done me another favor—”
“Putting these two together, if I merely send someone to escort you back to Gaomi, it wouldn’t be enough to settle the debt. So why not rest here for a few days before departing?”
Seeing Qiao Yan’s expression slightly lighten, Liang Zhongning didn’t even stop to think how amusing it was that someone so young could display such expressions and continued, “Moreover, among the Yellow Turban Army, not everyone controls their subordinates as well as I do. If you suddenly can’t discern friend from foe on the way, isn’t there a risk of accidentally getting hurt?”
He pushed further, “How about I speak with my comrades from the neighboring regions first, and then send someone to escort you on your way?”
Qiao Yan shot him a glance, her expression noncommittal.
Liang Zhongning felt that look was a bit of a critique about his self-praise regarding controlling his men, but it also seemed she was slightly tempted by his suggestion.
But whatever the case, not getting an insistence from her to leave right away was a good thing.
He calculated for a moment and decided to stoke the flames further.
Before he could think of how to do that, it just so happened that a perfect reason landed right in front of him.
Now that they had taken the fortress, Qiao Yan wouldn’t need to sleep in a tent as before but instead had a separate room to rest.
Avoiding the danger of sleeping under the stars let her sleep a bit more soundly.
She ended up sleeping until the sun was high in the sky, but as soon as she stepped outside, she almost doubted her waking.
Liang Zhongning stood at the door, his face in distress.
That expression felt so exaggerated to Qiao Yan, but when he covered part of his face with his hand, it caused her eyelids to flutter.
“Did you run into a tree?” Qiao Yan, smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes, paused for a moment.
Inside the fortress were children roughly her age, allowing her to change out of the ragged clothes she’d scavenged from a corpse.
Liang Zhongning couldn’t help but mentally applaud her looks upon seeing her, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he winced at the injury on his face and grimaced.
“I didn’t run into a tree,” he muttered, “You know, I said last night that since we captured that Dian Wei from Chenliu, it would be a good thing to take him under our wing.”
“So I had a bit of a muscle contest with him!”
“…?” Are you serious?!
But Qiao Yan couldn’t say it so bluntly; she just subtly asked, “So how did that turn out?”
Speaking of which, Dian Wei really was a straightforward guy.
If only Qiao Yan had his strength, against someone like Liang Zhongning who fancied himself a cultured person yet was incredibly naive—why not just abduct him during some ridiculous muscle contest instead?
Once that was settled, not only would the Tian Family Fortress be saved, but they might even counterattack Puyang.
Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit alarmed at the thought.
But obviously, Liang Zhongning didn’t catch on to her gaze of reproach; he simply continued, “Actually, I’m not that foolish. The last time I brought him into a trap, I had to use so many sandbags and manpower just to pin him down. In a regular setting, I couldn’t manage that. But I started talking to him about our Taishi Path ideology, and he told me he didn’t understand it, and capturing him meant I had to use brute force.”
“What confidence do you have in your strength, Rebel Leader?” Qiao Yan asked.
Liang Zhongning smiled awkwardly, “There’s no real confidence—just a little trick. It’s like using a catapult and a lever…”
He mentioned the catapult, a kind of ancient machine, relying on leverage principles, similar to using a scale.
Of course, in the Han Dynasty, nobody had ever talked about leverage, but that was the gist of it.
If he tried to use such tricks during a strength contest, it could actually work!
But evidently, if his trick had worked, he wouldn’t be in such a state.
Sure enough, the next moment, Qiao Yan heard Liang Zhongning say, “But there was a little hiccup—that horizontal beam got snapped by that strong guy and smacked my face!”
He gestured at the bruise and scraped mark on his face, indicating that was the result of the mishap.
Just imagining the scene was comedic enough.
Qiao Yan struggled between laughing and giving this Yellow Turban Rebel Leader some respect, and just when she thought he was about to transition into some kind of grand tale, he began to ramble, “You say I’m in trouble—there seems to be the omen of bloodshed lately, and if I can bicker with a defeated general like him, such misfortune could happen. If you leave, perhaps tomorrow I’ll hear about my demise.”
“You can’t leave, sir!”
“…?” Is that a valid reason?
Qiao Yan fell silent.
Clearly, it was the result she desired, yet she felt like she had been hoodwinked.
Liang Zhongning’s face might have been bruised by some wood, but his cheek was still as thick as ever.
He couldn’t care less about how Qiao Yan thought; anyone who got him sixty thousand bushels of grain was, regardless of age, a talent he couldn’t let go.
Not keeping such a talent was something he couldn’t be at ease with!
Facing Qiao Yan, who was almost blatantly expressing her silence, he continued without any mental burden, “Since you’ve taught me how to take the fortress, why not rescue the person all the way? Let’s stay here a few more days!”
Qiao Yan hesitated for a moment before finally responding with a simple “Okay.”
But how much of that hesitation was real? Only she knew.
Once she gave that reply, Yellow Turban Leader Liang and “strategist” Qiao exchanged glances, both silently appreciating their shared understanding.
In a sense, it could be said to be a win-win situation.
The only one who might not be so happy was Dian Wei, since he could have easily counted as a victor, yet ended up being tied up again thanks to Liang Zhongning’s pre-prepared ropes and ambush.
For now, Qiao Yan couldn’t do much about him.
Given her current circumstances, reaching a temporary agreement with someone intelligent was far easier than gaining recognition from someone who relied solely on brute force.
Liang Zhongning was different from Dian Wei.
The soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army could easily be “bribed” with food, for they saw her through the lens of being a classic scholar’s disciple.
However, Dian Wei clearly couldn’t comprehend why this frail child was deserving of his submission.
Just like Qiao Yan had no clue what sort of fortune the Tian Family had that made this “ancient menace” temporarily compliant.
Even though she had activated the Strategist System’s sign-in feature and saw things like temporary attribute cards in the rewards, able to temporarily compensate for her lack of strength,
it was still a long way from matching Dian Wei’s power.
But no need to dwell on the unsolvable right now; after all, even with that bruise on Liang Zhongning’s face, he still had his eyes set on Dian Wei, so he wouldn’t be missing out on food.
As long as he didn’t die, there would always be an opportunity for her to take action.
Compared to Dian Wei, it mattered more how to deal with the people within the Tian Family Fortress.
Since she had already achieved her goal of temporarily staying on this pirate ship, it was time to proceed to the next step.
To Liang Zhongning, it seemed those people had gotten used to a wealthy lifestyle and special treatment that they probably wouldn’t be willing to join the Yellow Turban and serve him as a Rebel Leader.
In the standoff between the Yellow Turban and the official Han forces, since such local powers had already lost their ability to protect themselves, the most fitting course of action was undoubtedly extermination.
That was the game rule in times of chaos.
Liang Zhongning remembered his earlier promise to Qiao Yan and thought he ought to speak with Master Yan first.
So, the imprisoned head of the Tian Family heard a familiar voice outside his room.
This time, however, it was not the loud verbal attacks from before at the fortress, but rather softly mentioning that he wanted to consider eradicating the Tian Family.
The head of the Tian Family, Tian Tao clenched his fists.
This was indeed the most fitting course of action, but it was undoubtedly the end of the Tian Family!
Strangely enough, he soon heard another voice.
This voice said, “Earlier, I observed that the Rebel Leader’s fate shouldn’t involve the Tian Family; I believe these people can be utilized.”
Tian Tao heard the Yellow Turban Leader ask, “Might I ask, Master Yan, what do you mean by utilizing them?”
Although he couldn’t see the expressions of these two at that moment, he could easily hear the respect in Liang Zhongning’s tone.
Realizing the importance of this moment, he exchanged glances with his brother, and a hint of deep thought appeared on his face.
Then he heard the person Liang Zhongning addressed as “Master Yan” say, “Since the Rebel Leader has taken Puyang and harbors ambitions for Yanzhou, then he cannot treat these local powers lightly…”
“Showing them who’s boss through brute force is one thing, but digging into their connections to use for our own ends is another.”
“Most of the fortress lords are probably linked up and even allied; this Tian family head likely isn’t an exception…”
Through the door, Qiao Yan’s voice was low, and Tian Tao couldn’t catch everything she said. He only vaguely picked up that she seemed to suggest launching a sudden attack as a show of force, while allowing the allied fortress lords to pay a ransom to smooth things over. He also caught hints about some hidden people in the fortress before her voice faded to silence.
The only good news for the Tian family was that they could still hold on a little longer.
But the real question was whether this Yellow Turban Commander would actually follow someone else’s orders; it was completely uncertain. They couldn’t pin all their hopes on that.
Especially since their survival now was partly due to this Yellow Turban Commander being guided by others, playing the waiting game, and also because the commander thought there was still some leftover value in them to exploit.
However, knowing if the royal court’s pacification forces could actually win or when they could drive the bandits out of Yanzhou was an entirely different question.
In chaotic times, keeping oneself safe is no easy feat, let alone supporting others.
所谓的赎身，几乎是不可能出现的情况。
这种理由充其量也不过是临时用来骗骗梁仲宁而已。
Tian Tao thought about it and felt this strategist from the Yellow Turban Army, while clearly wise, was acting strangely in a situation that shouldn’t call for such foolishness.
As the Tian family elders were being shipped like goods to Puyang City and trying to gather news about Qiao Yan from the Yellow Turban soldiers, it all felt quite unreal.
She was far too young and her background too mysterious!
There was once a genius at twelve who became a high official, so it could be understood that this strategist could provide advice to Liang Zhongning at the tender age of ten.
But the claims about her being a disciple of Zheng Xuan—
That was puzzling.
The repeated Prohibition of Factionalists had indeed left the factionists disillusioned with the court, but it would be odd if this particular individual were among them, especially one who would teach a student to support the Yellow Turbans’ raiding.
It ultimately boiled down to the reputation of scholars.
And yet, this little girl had made it clear she had it all figured out, and was skillfully controlling Liang Zhongning through her supposed knowledge of fate—definitely not the kind of student a typical teacher could mold.
Unfortunately, these two couldn’t find any reasonable explanation for it at the moment.
The only one in on the secret, Strategist System 068, looked at Qiao Yan’s personal panel, noticing her Eloquence skill had already upgraded from lv5 to lv6 and fell into contemplation.
It felt like this was shining with golden light right in front of it, signaling an unparalleled presence.
In fact, her Eloquence had even been renamed to “Number One Smooth Talker.”
Besides that, her physical attribute had been enhanced as well.
The panel now displayed a value of 35.
Why 35 and not 34? Well, the first-day sign-in reward had been a tangible upgrade, so instead of temporary attributes, it was a permanent attribute point—so her physique went up by one.
This time there was no need for Qiao Yan to explain; the system had already figured out its host’s actions by comparing them to Sima Yi’s enduring game of survival.
It thought about Cao Cao still in Changshe and gazed at its host, who looked revitalized after a good meal and rest, feeling it was better to say less when it wasn’t necessary.
Clearly, she had her own opinions and so far hadn’t made any wrong choices.
The system even felt her approach wasn’t just about gambling for wealth and danger.
Qiao Yan didn’t pay attention to what the system was mulling over at the moment.
She sat in the ox cart that Liang Zhongning had specially prepared, relishing the unique treatment within the caravan returning to Puyang City.
The biggest advantage of riding in a cart was that all the scrolls and资料 she’d raided from the Tian family’s study could be piled up and transported back, allowing her to peruse them along the way and find things not recorded in the historical texts that could be useful to her now.
Although she had already gained Liang Zhongning’s trust and he had a strong interest in recruiting her, it was important to note—
Qiao Yan had never mentioned her intention to be a “strategist” instead of a “dog-head strategist” was not a mere saying.
Choosing Liang Zhongning was also a calculated move on her part.
This wasn’t just about improving her personal circumstances—like the fortress battle was just a practice run; today was merely the beginning of a precarious maneuver.
As the walls of Puyang City came into view, she finally put down the bamboo scrolls, feeling a little more confidence inside.
However, compared to Qiao Yan’s calm demeanor, Liang Zhongning was far more frustrated.
The garrison in Puyang City hadn’t slacked off at all since his departure, nor was there any sign of local tyrants taking back control like in Dong’e County.
But now, two more forces had popped up under Puyang City.
Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, each with their own power!
These three factions were indeed collaborating, but there was quite a bit of friction as well, and what bothered Liang Zhongning most was that while most people in the Han Dynasty tended to address each other by courtesy name, Bu Ji still called him by his full name, only occasionally calling him Commander Liang when others were present.
What really annoyed him was that he was delivering a batch of grains into the city to show off his prowess in intimidating Puyang, but Bu Ji tried to split off thirty percent with the excuse that there wasn’t enough food for his men and fear of a rebellion.
“Thirty percent? I’ll give him at most ten!” Liang Zhongning grumbled.
This kind of tug-of-war involved saving face, which was very different from making a bold move and using Qiao Yan for his own ends, so he didn’t consult her on this.
This turned out to be to Qiao Yan’s advantage.
She had some things to take care of.
On the third day of their return, during a night banquet at the government office with Liang Zhongning, Bu Ji, and Zhang Bo, a surprise guest arrived at the Puyang prison.
Liang Zhongning listened to Qiao Yan’s advice and didn’t lay a hand on the Tian family members, instead temporarily locking them up under the pretense of needing to negotiate a ransom later.
Of course, under these circumstances, it was clear he wouldn’t provide them with great living conditions or meals.
Despite being many inns in Puyang City, Liang Zhongning preferred not to let them cause him trouble and instead threw them in jail.
The Tian family had never experienced anything like this.
Being a local power in Yanzhou, even when the Dong Commandery Prefect was in office, they often had to rely on people like them.
Even positions below the prefect, like a county magistrate or even the Puyang County chief, would treat the Tian family head with respect.
But dealing with the unreasonable Yellow Turban bandits changed everything.
At first, they had some protests, but with the Tian family fortress breached and the remaining supplies in enemy hands, they had lost their last bargaining chips to negotiate with, and being locked up for a few more days while starving really took the wind out of their sails.
The Tian family head looked at his unusually silent brother since that night’s plan had backfired and at his son, who had gone from ranting just two days ago to maturing a bit after the setback, and couldn’t help but sigh.
In that overly quiet atmosphere, his sigh stood out, and at the same time, another sound became more noticeable.
It was the sound of footsteps nearing their location.
Tian Tao tensed up, glancing toward the source of the noise.
He couldn’t really blame himself for being so uptight.
After losing the fortress’ protection, he was prepared for anything, just like when Liang Zhongning had mentioned eradicating the roots; he knew all too well he had absolutely no power to resist, no matter how much he cursed the other’s decision inside.
He stared hard at the dimly lit prison corridor.
As the sound drew closer, a shadow elongated by candlelight appeared.
He assumed it was a guard, but when the figure finally came into view before the Tian family, he realized it was far too short.
He soon recognized this was the strategist who helped Liang Zhongning—”Master Qiao!”
Only she would have such a distinctive characteristic!
He was indeed spot on.
As the figure came to a stop, the true identity of the person revealed itself before him.
This was his first face-to-face encounter with the “great benefactor” who had breached the fortress.
Though aware she was no older than ten, the actual sight of her was still quite shocking given her age.
Her lantern lit up the dark corner in front of him while illuminating half her face.
Even with such youth, she displayed a demeanor unlike anyone else, but it didn’t change the fact that she looked far too young to compete with the leaders of Yanzhou.
Besides, what was she doing here?
It was clear Liang Zhongning valued her, and she should rightly be showcasing her talents at the banquet with him and the other two commanders, not wandering around this prison.
Although he thought this, he kept his mouth shut.
The unexpected visit clearly wasn’t likely aimed at taking his life, but rather, she had something to discuss with him.
So how to broach the subject became of utmost importance.
Yet while he weighed his words, someone else in the cell just couldn’t sit still.
The Eldest Young Master Tian was just like his father and uncle, recognizing Qiao Yan’s importance equaled that of the Yellow Turban commander Liang Zhongning. He merely felt this little kid was here to gawk at their miserable state!
He knew he was no longer the glory days but was still unable to tolerate being mocked by a child.
Immediately, he sprang up, grabbing the bars of the cell and locking eyes with Qiao Yan from a not-so-far distance.
Those eyes met with hers, deep and cold enough to send chills down his spine.
He strained to maintain his composure despite boiling resentment and shouted, “If you follow a good teacher, why side with bandits?”
The Tian family head felt a wave of dread at hearing this!
The term “side with bandits” was a severe accusation to anyone with any power.
Yet Qiao Yan didn’t flinch in the slightest at Tian Yan’s challenged query, and instead, a subtle yet clear smile graced her face.
She replied slowly, “Why side with bandits? For Yanzhou, for the Han Dynasty, and also for—”
She paused, throwing out four words no one expected to hear.
“Loyalty and Filial Piety.”
