“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 104: Yanmen Armory
Back in the day, Qiao Xuan was quite the scholar. He gobbled up all sorts of classics and oddities, and there wasn’t a single piece of fine literature he didn’t recognize.
But wait, could there be another angle to this?
Those exquisite writings, truly remarkable, but what about the man himself?
Qiao Xuan was known for spotting talent everywhere and had a knack for recognizing the best of the best, which made him quite the celebrity in his time.
Now, was what she was doing also a case of “recognizing the refined while ignoring the unrefined”?
From Leping to Bingzhou, her journey was filled with exceptionally talented individuals, shining like stars.
Yet today, seeing Qiao Xuan’s name carved on the stone brought her a reminder to never forget to utilize everyone’s talents.
She had been relying on her knowledge of history, but when Bingzhou managed to stop the Southern Xiongnu and their unfortunate alliance with the Hu people, protecting the vast territories from falling into enemy hands, the lives of the Han people in this region were saved as well.
Who could say how many ambitious folks, both grown and still budding, were granted the chance to survive here because of such circumstances? It was her job to weed them out one by one.
Just because she had secured the governor’s position didn’t mean she could kick back and relax; it was only the beginning.
Upon reflecting, she carefully wiped off the remaining inscriptions on the stone, buried beneath layers of thin snow.
Qiao Xuan…
Though she wasn’t his true granddaughter, she had inherited his political legacy and often sought his ideals as a basis for her actions. She had to achieve what he could, and ideally surpass him.
Snowflakes quickly covered the carved names again, dusting her hair and shoulders. This time, Qiao Yan didn’t bother to brush them away and simply turned to leave.
“Aren’t you going in to pay respects to Qiao Gong?” Dian Wei asked, puzzled by Qiao Yan’s decision to just walk by.
Qiao Yan replied, “Visiting relatives in the snow, my intentions are clear, my footprints have arrived, so why disturb someone’s peace?”
Dian Wei didn’t quite get this scholarly thinking, similar to how he was confused when Qiao Yan visited Cai Yong pretending it was just a casual check-in, yet Cai Yong looked so serious.
But hey, he was just a subordinate; no need to understand everything. Once Qiao Yan sent away her attendants, he stood guard outside with Xu Huang.
Inside, it was just Cai Yong and Qiao Yan.
This snow-laden season made Cai Yong’s place feel cozy with a warm kang and coal pieces to keep the chill at bay.
In front of them was a table with a red clay stove boiling soup, steam wafting up while mingling with the scent of ginger tea.
Seeing Qiao Yan was quiet, Cai Yong decided to break the silence, “Previously, you were Marquis of Leping, casually educating the folks in your county to pass the time. I reckon no one had an issue with that. Leping only has noble families’ branches, and the Wang family of Jinyang has the closest ties to you. But spreading that from county to province? That’s a different story.”
Cai Yong had quite the political insight.
But he was a well-read scholar and knew well enough—
Even someone as talented as Zheng Xuan faced challenges when he joined Ma Rong. Cai Yong might lack a family background, but his ancestors had held office for six generations.
Qiao Yan needed to adopt a teaching-for-all approach and would inevitably step on the toes of Bingzhou’s elite!
If she wanted Cai Yong to work as an official for her, expanding the Leping Academy to cover all of Bingzhou couldn’t be simply stated as “I’m the governor of Bingzhou.”
But after his comments, Qiao Yan calmly poured herself a cup of ginger tea and replied, “What you worry about isn’t unfounded, but this is Bingzhou, not Xuzhou or Yanzhou.”
“When the White Wave Bandits were causing havoc, even the Wei family had to seek my help for their family’s safety. So what about the clans of Bingzhou?”
Qiao Yan took a sip of her ginger tea, then added, “Mr. Bojie, you’ve been in Leping for a while. You might not know that the leader of the Xianbei and Budugen’s influence is on the rise, eyeing Bingzhou. Even the Wang family of Jinyang, with their martial members, wouldn’t dare claim they could safeguard against the Xianbei cavalry. What they need is my protection as governor, not to oppose me and create a situation of ‘using my knife to kill.’”
“I usually don’t come off as so approachable.”
The forceful display from the expulsion of the Hu people wasn’t just directed at the rebellious Southern Xiongnu; it also impacted the clans within Bingzhou.
Now, with power in her hands, she could convey this iron-fisted stance.
As she said, this tough approach wouldn’t work in places like Yanzhou or Xuzhou where noble families are tightly intertwined. If they retaliated, it would be quite a hassle, but Bingzhou was different.
This place… it wasn’t just the clans that needed to be wary of external threats from the Hu invaders, but also the many families looking for refuge.
Would they rise to this challenge or completely disappear into the hands of the Hu?
In this decision-making dilemma, what Qiao Yan was doing seemed rather ordinary.
Moreover, it was something she had to do.
Just as she painted herself as the unapproachable figure, she suddenly sighed while holding the tea, “Mr. Bojie, if I don’t do this, I have no one I can rely on.”
Cai Yong couldn’t help but feel she didn’t sound as pitiful as she claimed.
Yet being so young and without a family supporting her, “no one to rely on” made sense from a certain perspective.
Before he could respond, Qiao Yan continued, “Additionally, besides the Black Mountain Bandits, I now also have the White Wave Bandits to deal with. The environment in Bingzhou has led the locals to be perceived as fierce bandits by people from the Central Plains. If there were a place of education here, the Bingzhou people could say they had a proper teacher rather than coming from a den of thieves.”
“From your viewpoint, Mr. Bojie, isn’t this a good deed to eliminate prejudice and contradictions?”
Cai Yong poured himself a cup of tea, his expression echoing a bit of frustration, “You’ve said everything, what else can I say?”
He sighed, “Qiao Gong, how did you end up with such a silver-tongued successor?”
“I can’t compare to Mr. Bojie’s eloquence; I’m just good at talking.”
As she uttered this, Qiao Yan wore an endearingly innocent expression.
Cai Yong felt there was more to her words, but he simply said, “Bring me the recruitment documents for the teaching official.”
If what she claimed was true, in Bingzhou’s special context of leveraging strength, this move didn’t seem as dangerous as he had initially thought. Plus, his experience living in Leping for three years had been far more comfortable than being a guest under the Yi family of Taishan.
With mulberry bark paper at hand, delicious food, stunning scenery, and watching Zhaoji grow up under Qiao Yan’s guidance…
All these factors meant he was bound to repay this kindness.
Taking up this position as a teaching official wasn’t a bad idea.
But—
“How do you plan to recruit students in the province?”
If she announced an open calling for students under the banner of the Leping Academy, there wouldn’t be enough space to accommodate that many.
Imagining the terrifying scene of being surrounded by layers of people…
Cai Yong felt a sudden urge to bolt.
But he had just come to the same realization as a certain fake assistant summoned by Qiao Yan: running away probably wouldn’t work.
Luckily, he still had one more escape route compared to Jia Xu; he could go to Qiao Xuan’s temple to shed some tears!
Qiao Yan had no idea that at this moment, Cai Yong’s brain was occupied with thoughts of this backup plan. He only replied, “Let’s wait until I meet the elders of the noble families in Bingzhou to discuss it. We need to come up with some proper regulations; we can’t just dump all the responsibility on Mr. Bojie.”
That sounded somewhat reasonable.
Cai Yong nodded and shifted the topic, “I intend to invite Zhen Ji and her husband to Leping for a short stay; what do you think, Marquis Qiao?”
Qiao Yan replied, “There’s no problem with that.”
Cai Yong omitted the details, but Qiao Yan had already guessed his reasons.
Don’t be fooled by Cai Yong relying on the Yang family; Cao Zhen Ji’s spouse, Yang Xian, was from a branch of that family, and his father was currently the Prefect of Nanyang.
But this Prefect had taken over Qin Jie’s position last year and was managing the area with integrity after quelling the Zhao Ci rebellion, even hanging a fish donated by an official in the hall to show his refusal of bribes, earning himself the nickname “Fish-Hanging Prefect.”
Even though Nanyang was a wealthy district, when his eldest son and wife visited him earlier this year, he refused to let his wife in, claiming he only had a cloth blanket, a short coat, and some food. It’s clear he had nothing of value to leave to future generations.
Yang Xian had yet to take office and had little financial support.
Though they were from the gentry, they weren’t exactly rolling in riches.
Now, with Cai Yong in a scholarly official position, along with the stipend from teaching disciples at Leping Academy, he could easily bring Zhen Ji over and support her for a while.
If Qiao Yan needed people, she could assign some tasks to Yang Xian as well.
Yang Xian’s eldest son, the one Zhen Ji had spared by giving up her own child, was Yang Fa, born to Kong Rong’s daughter from Beihai and was a few years old now; in a couple of years, he could serve as a laborer.
The reason Cai Yong hadn’t mentioned it earlier was that he was still staying here himself. Just having Zhao Ji get a position in Qiao Yan’s Marquis of Leping’s household wasn’t enough to persuade his eldest daughter to come.
But now, if he were the Academic Officer of Bingzhou, his son-in-law… no, even his daughter herself could find a stable job under Qiao Yan, making their coming to stay with him a mere formality.
Seeing that Qiao Yan agreed eagerly and was clearly aware of the implications, Cai Yong let out a sigh of relief.
Thinking that way, he had even less reason to leave.
Persuading Cai Yong to take the job felt more like a two-for-one deal, it might even be three for one or five for one, which pleased Qiao Yan.
She could practically feel the benefits of having secured the position of Governor.
Just the phrase “Governor’s summons” was already an honor for those yet to be appointed.
Not to mention the power of recommending for filial piety and integrity; in a sense, that was a way to build herself a cadre of old officials.
But Qiao Yan’s situation was a bit more special; she couldn’t just send those summoned talents out to others’ hands. She needed to keep this resource firmly in her grasp to ensure the machinery of Bingzhou would run smoothly.
Every piece in this machine was crucial.
After bidding farewell to Cai Yong, she stayed a day in Leping County and then took Xu Huang to that fortress in the mountains.
To be precise, it was a mountain settlement structured like a fortress.
It was here that Xu Huang learned about the people Qiao Yan intended to arrange for him.
These refugees, gathered under her command years ago, had transformed from their previous emaciated state into proper folk after two years of regular meals and routines, and even in the dead of winter, they were bustling with energy in their various businesses.
Qiao Yan had no intention of explaining everything to Xu Huang, instead leading him through the pathways of the courtyard to the fortifications at the back.
Compared to the covered walls of Leping Academy, the material used here for the walls clearly showed its differences from ordinary mud walls.
Seeing Qiao Yan gesture, Xu Huang reached out and knocked, feeling the solidity of the structure.
“What is this?”
“I call this cement,” Qiao Yan explained.
This name had previously been shown to Guo Jia by Xi Zhicai, but the information written in the book containing the word ‘cement’ had been completely blank.
She asked, “In your opinion, how about using cement to reinforce a section of Guyang Road along the outer Great Wall?”
What Qiao Yan wanted to secure was the gap in the mountains that allowed the Hu people to gallop in unchecked.
XU Huang didn’t know how much cement would cost or how labor-intensive it would be to make, but if it was just for Guanglu Pass, it seemed feasible without overly exhausting manpower. “It’s doable.”
Qiao Yan said, “Good, the important task ahead depends on how you perform.”
She said this, but since she presented the cement to Xu Huang, it was clear where her inclinations lay.
Food must be eaten bite by bite; if she didn’t reinforce this outer defense to be impenetrable, how could she feel secure in planting the fields and utilizing the abundant coal and iron resources within Bingzhou?
Before that, she had to solidify her personnel.
Based on Xu Huang’s performance, it was expected he could assist with the defense on the northwestern side, but the northeastern side…
Two days later, when she returned to Jinyang and saw Lü Bu at the military training grounds, she couldn’t help but rub her temples.
Lü Bu, nearing thirty, not only possessed unparalleled brute strength but also an unapologetic youthful bravado.
So much so that when Qiao Yan glanced at Lü Bu on her left and Zhang Liao on her right, she felt Zhang Liao’s mental age seemed to be a bit older than Lü Bu’s.
Lü Bu had to be kept in check; otherwise, on the Yanmen frontline, he would be a wild dog!
While he could indeed be a menace, letting him off the leash might disrupt their strategic layout.
Qiao Yan observed him leading those five hundred men with an air of confidence and could guess what was going on in his head.
He had his own charisma as a leader, so getting those five hundred to follow orders wouldn’t be difficult, and he had strong confidence in defeating Zhang Liao, strongly believing he was destined for the Military Officer position.
But he didn’t grasp the principle that arrogance leads to defeat.
“The Marquis need not worry so much,” Guo Jia, anticipating future dealings with the border, was now standing beside Qiao Yan, “Lü Fengxian naively thinks personal bravery will win battles. He is a bit too naive. Zhang Liao has fought the Hu people for years; though young, he is not to be dismissed easily.”
“I’m not worried about this battle,” Qiao Yan shook her head, “Lü Bu underestimates Wen Yuan’s abilities, which is not beneficial at all. What I’m concerned about is—”
What position to assign Lü Bu?
He could lose, but she couldn’t just leave him hanging.
This position couldn’t simply be one beneath Zhang Liao; otherwise, there would surely be frictions in the military camp.
Especially if Lü Bu challenged him under the guise of normal exchanges; it surely wouldn’t help Zhang Liao’s standing in the military.
Also, Zhang Liao had to be able to restrain Lü Bu’s movements…
“Are you suggesting that Lü Fengxian become my assistant to the prefect at Yanmen, under the jurisdiction of the Military Officer?”
Guo Yun, the current Prefect of Yanmen brought to Jinyang by Qiao Yan, wasn’t sure what to think; this didn’t sound like a regular suggestion at all.
He suspiciously glanced at Qiao Yan, only to see her maintaining her calm demeanor as usual.
