Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 4: The End of Zhongping, Luoyang’s Storm, Chapter 105: Soldiers, Iron, Coal, and Grain

“Since this person has come to serve your prefecture, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to place him under my command?” Guo Yun asked again.

This really didn’t make much sense.

Guo Yun didn’t think Qiao Yan was trying to trick him.

Firstly, he didn’t know that Lü Bu had the effect of suppressing his superiors. Secondly, although Lü Bu had just been defeated by Zhang Liao, it was clear that he was a fierce general whose martial prowess was hard to match. Even if he were placed in Yanmen as a mascot, he could still cause significant damage. Giving him the position of Military Officer wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Over two years ago, when Qiao Yan shot the Governor with an arrow, Guo Yun pleaded for her and was subsequently transferred to Yanmen as the Prefect.

Yanmen was indeed less stable than Shangdang, but it suited his taste better, except for the troublesome Xianbei people.

Fortunately, with the help of the Military Officer assisting the Yanmen Commandant in border defense, much of the pressure had been alleviated. This time, Qiao Yan added a detachment by appointing Zhang Yang as the Yanmen Commandant. If they could also have the martial arts expert Lü Bu, the frontline would have enough fierce generals.

However, wasn’t this a bit of a waste of Lü Bu’s talents?

Qiao Yan replied, “This person’s temperament is still unstable. It would be inconvenient to hastily include him in the prefecture’s promotion system. I can only entrust him to Prefect Guo for now.”

“The position of Military Officer in Yanmen is below Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang. He will need to cooperate with them in battles while also leading his own troops. This way, we can reduce friction between this brave warrior and his superiors while allowing him to learn what true military command is. Of course, I will personally teach him when necessary.”

Hearing Qiao Yan’s analysis, Guo Yun laughed, “In that case, it’s indeed fine. However, Lord Qiao’s actions also show me that you have high hopes for this person.”

“Can Prefect Guo draw a three-stone bow?” Qiao Yan asked a seemingly unrelated question.

“Of course not…” Guo Yun wasn’t stupid and suddenly looked suspiciously towards the distant training ground, asking, “Can Lü Bu do it?”

“A three-stone bow, piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces.”

Even Qiao Yan had to admit he was exceptionally talented.

Lü Bu’s archery skills were far superior to hers, which were enhanced by the system.

On the Bingzhou border, most of the time, it was archery that drove away the Hu people who came to harass. So even if Lü Bu didn’t yet understand military tactics and his temperament was too arrogant, requiring extra caution, he was undoubtedly a heavy weapon.

Thus, the position of Military Officer was indeed a bit of a downgrade for him.

However, Lü Bu didn’t feel it was a downgrade.

His loss to Zhang Liao was clearly achieved under fair conditions, and it was indeed Zhang Liao who had better tactics, causing Lü Bu’s side to lose the match with over a hundred injuries before they could inflict much damage on Zhang Liao’s side.

Zhang Liao was quite straightforward. While Qiao Yan was discussing Lü Bu’s official position with others, he fought another match with Lü Bu, this time with four hundred men on each side.

And Lü Bu lost again.

This time, he was even surrounded and pinned to the ground by a group.

No matter how strong he was, just like Dian Wei couldn’t climb out of the pit back then, he couldn’t break free.

The victorious White Wave Bandits seemed to be celebrating their victory, putting in all their effort this time.

Lü Bu, rubbing his nearly crushed arm, muttered that he had indeed underestimated his opponent’s skills!

Moreover, in the subsequent tests, he had to admit that even ignoring his command abilities, Zhang Liao’s skills in mounted archery, though not as good as his, were still top-notch in Bingzhou.

According to Qiao Yan’s comprehensive evaluation, he indeed couldn’t replace Zhang Liao’s position! Even Zhang Yang, the Yanmen Commandant, had more battle experience and was quite capable.

However, these past few days of exchanging martial arts and archery with such people were much more comfortable than his previous job as a county clerk.

Thinking about how these people were all under Lord Qiao’s command, and with the impression of the golden seal and purple ribbon that Lü Bu couldn’t forget, he figured he might need to raise his evaluation of Qiao Yan even higher.

It was at this moment that he heard from Qiao Yan about his appointment as the Military Officer of Yanmen, to act alongside Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang.

“Although you were defeated this time, your bravery has been sufficiently demonstrated. However, if I were to appoint you to a prefecture position, it would inevitably lead to frequent self-recommendations from others, and if each one demanded to fight my officers, then we wouldn’t need to defend the border anymore. Isn’t that right?” Qiao Yan asked.

Lü Bu thought about it and indeed it seemed so, so he nodded.

Then Qiao Yan said, “Therefore, although you are favored by the prefecture, you will take this position as a special appointment from Yanmen. Prefect Guo of Yanmen admires your archery skills and entrusts you with the position of Military Officer. This way, it can be justified. The Military Officer oversees Yanmen’s military affairs, ranking below the Yanmen Commandant and the Military Officer. Both of them have far more experience in leading troops than you, so I hope you can learn from them. Lü Bu, don’t disappoint me.”

Lü Bu looked at Qiao Yan. Although she had the dignified aura of a prefecture lord, there was also appreciation in her eyes. Looking at the Yanmen Prefect, he seemed much tougher than the Wuyuan Prefect, with a look of expectation in his eyes. As for his future two superiors, since they had already competed, he knew what to expect.

There was actually such a good position in the world for him to showcase his skills!

Lord Qiao was truly a wise lord!

Once he learned the art of commanding troops, he would challenge again and surely become Lord Qiao’s trusted general.

Lü Bu’s eager expression was not only understood by Qiao Yan but also guessed by Zhang Liao.

“Do you feel pressured to manage such a special subordinate, Zhang Liao?” Qiao Yan asked when she called Zhang Liao over for further instructions.

If it were the original Zhang Liao, who was subordinate to Lü Bu, he might have thought it right to let Lü Bu improve and surpass him in combat skills.

But now, Zhang Liao had been the Military Officer for two and a half years, and Qiao Yan had personally stated that he was her preferred Military Officer. When she took on the responsibilities of the Governor, he was the natural choice to oversee border military affairs. He also had a sense of confidence born from his battlefield experience.

Lü Bu had natural strength and exceptional mounted archery, but his personality flaws made him suitable only as a vanguard, not as the supreme commander of an army.

So someone had to surpass him in commanding abilities!

Qiao Yan, as the Governor, needed to focus on the strategic direction and couldn’t always take on this responsibility.

This matter…

Zhang Liao replied solemnly, “Lü Bu is a difficult tiger to tame, but I am not afraid of fighting a lone tiger or wolf. Please rest assured, Lord Qiao, I will not disappoint your trust.”

Qiao Yan watched this young man grow through battles and knew he wouldn’t make promises lightly, so she had no worries about him.

Overall, having Lü Bu under her command wasn’t a bad thing.

Lü Bu’s brother-in-law, Wei Xu, also joined the army along with Lü Bu. If Lü Bu could find the generals like Cao Xing and Hou Cheng who had previously followed him, it would be beneficial for Qiao Yan.

As for whether those who betrayed Lü Bu would also betray her, it was like the question of whether to use Lü Bu. As long as people were placed in the right positions and managed properly, there was nothing to worry about.

The existence of a character like Lü Bu was like a fierce tiger driving competition within the ranks. As long as the balance was maintained, it could have some surprising effects.

Qiao Yan saw that after Lü Bu received his official position, he started getting along well with Zhang Yang, which eased her mind a bit.

Compared to the thoughts of these generals, the scholars were more troublesome.

She had given Lu Yuan two days to collect information about the noble families in Bingzhou and rank them in order. Now it was time for her to present her findings.

Lu Yuan wasn’t just staying in Jinyang.

As the Chief Clerk of Qiao Yan, the Governor of Bingzhou, she already had some subordinates of her own.

So she first selected a few people from the Black Mountain Army in Leping as her entourage, then traveled to many places in Bingzhou, so much so that when Qiao Yan saw her, she still looked a bit travel-worn.

But when she started answering, her voice was firm and showed no signs of fatigue.

“The first person Lord Qiao must meet is undoubtedly the Wang family of Jinyang, the Guo family of Yangqu, and the Tang family of Jinyang. As for noble families, Lord Qiao doesn’t need to get too close to them, but she can’t shut them out either, especially since they need to convey a signal. These three families either had previous cooperation with Lord Qiao or supported her through their clan members, so they can be considered acquaintances. This move is to show that Lord Qiao hasn’t forgotten her roots.”

Qiao Yan nodded, “That’s natural.”

Although she told Cai Yong that these noble families should fear her using the Hu people to eliminate them once she gained power, she didn’t really plan to do so. At least at this stage, maintaining necessary relationships was essential.

She wanted to hear the other conclusions Lu Yuan had drawn from her travels.

Lu Yuan said, “The second round of people Lord Qiao should meet, I suggest the Jia family of Jiexiu in Taiyuan.”

Qiao Yan asked, “Why is that?”

Lu Yuan replied, “In Taiyuan, there was once a famous scholar named Guo Linzong. I won’t say much about him since Lord Qiao should know. As for the Jia family of Jiexiu, there’s an interesting story—”

“Long ago, Jia Zihou of the Jia family of Jiexiu avenged his uncle’s death and got into trouble, being arrested by the authorities. Jia Zihou pleaded with Guo Linzong, who interceded with the officials to save his life. Therefore, when Guo Linzong’s mother passed away, Jia Zihou also came to pay his respects.”

“The Jia family has been prominent for generations, but this Jia Zihou had a bad temper and committed many misdeeds. Coincidentally, Sun Weizhi of Julu also came to pay his respects and found it strange that Guo Linzong, being so virtuous, would allow a villain to mourn his mother. He turned around and left without even entering.”

“Seeing this, Guo Linzong chased after him and said, although Jia Zihou has a fierce temper, he also has the potential to reform. Even Confucius didn’t refuse children from Huxiang, so why should I shut him out? Of course, if others did this, it might seem like condoning evil, but Guo Linzong was no ordinary person. Those he evaluated never had their character wronged, and Jia Zihou was no exception. Hearing this, Jia Zihou reformed and for the past twenty years, whenever someone in the village was in trouble, he would do his best to help, becoming a beautiful story in Bingzhou.”

“If Lord Qiao meets him, the meaning is clear. It shows both the intention to guide towards goodness and a remembrance of Guo Linzong, as well as an attempt to win over the Jia family of Jiexiu.”

This was moral influence!

This choice was excellent!

Jia Shu, Jia Zihou, was a special figure who connected noble families, was linked to famous scholars in idle gossip, and had a good reputation in the village. Bringing him forward was very appropriate.

Qiao Yan asked, “Then who should I meet in the third round?”

From Qiao Yan’s expression, Lu Yuan could tell she was very satisfied with the analysis and selection results.

Among the countless noble families and powerful clans in the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty, she naturally didn’t dare to speak carelessly, lest Governor Qiao be criticized.

She replied, “For the third round, I suggest Lord Qiao meet the Linghu family of Taiyuan.”

“The Linghu family of Taiyuan are descendants of a Jin official, tracing their roots back to the Ji surname, with a separate fief in Linghu, residing in Taiyuan. After Zhang Ju of Yuyang killed the Protector of the Wuhuan, the person who took over the position was from the Linghu family. Now, the young prodigy of the Linghu family, Linghu Shao, also has a commanding presence.”

“The Linghu family has little of the pedantic scholar’s air but is brave and skilled in battle. Meeting them shows Lord Qiao’s determination to resist the Xianbei and Xiongnu. If Linghu Shao is capable, why not give him the position of Commandant of Shuofang?”

This was the image Bingzhou needed to project in the short term.

Having accompanied Qiao Yan for so long, Lu Yuan naturally knew her style and wouldn’t make a wrong judgment at this time.

The three rounds of meetings she proposed were precisely to establish the Governor’s image in front of everyone—

Remembering old ties, not rejecting cooperation with noble families, acknowledging the possibility of reform, and崇尚武德崇尚武德 (advocating martial virtue).

For the common people, noble families, powerful clans, and even the Black Mountain and White Wave bandits now under her command in Bingzhou, this was a fitting image.

Lu Yuan continued, “The fourth round…”

Qiao Yan watched her speak eloquently and suddenly felt that not refusing her company back then was indeed a wise decision.








A most fitting decision!

Indeed, she followed the order suggested by Lu Yuan to meet those who submitted their visiting cards.

The first to be granted permission to enter was Wang Yang of the Jinyang Wang family.

Thinking back to three years ago when Qiao Yan brought the Hero’s Wine to discuss business, and now he had to take the initiative to visit her, Wang Yang couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed as he looked up at the gate of the prefecture.

But upon careful consideration, today’s step wasn’t entirely without signs.

The last time he came to see Qiao Yan because she had taken control of the governor, he had also walked this path.

Back then, she was still a criminal who had usurped the power of the prefecture to quell the locust plague, but today she was the rightful master of this gate.

Wang Rou’s evaluation of her was indeed not wrong, and even the title of Marquis of Leping was not her limit but her starting point.

Now she was the ruler of this entire prefecture.

Fortunately, the Jinyang Wang family had not turned her away from the start and had even given her extra rewards. Their previous cooperation had always maintained the relationship between the two sides, and now they were receiving the governor’s reciprocation.

Wang Yang was well aware of the significance behind the change from Governor of Bingzhou to Prefect, and it was clearly not a position that would be quickly replaced like the governor.

So, after the title of Prefect was settled, there would be no shortage of people submitting their visiting cards to her.

And yet, Qiao Yan chose him first!

This was enough for him to stride proudly into this gate, despite his dazed state.

This was their trust in the Jinyang Wang family!

However, upon meeting Qiao Yan, he restrained his pride and instead said, “I haven’t had the chance to congratulate Marquis Qiao on her promotion to Prefect of Bingzhou. With Marquis Qiao’s achievements, I’m afraid no one else can match the phrase ‘young and promising.'”

“Elder, you are being too polite,” Qiao Yan raised her hand, signaling him to sit down. “If we must be so formal, I also haven’t thanked Shuyou for informing Left Guli Wang in advance about my promotion to Prefect of Bingzhou, which suppressed his nearly rebellious intentions.”

This was the report that came from Xihe Commandery yesterday.

Yufuluo, the son of Qiang Qu, was still assisting the Han Dynasty in Ji Province, and the Southern Xiongnu’s right wing couldn’t restrain the ambitions of the left wing. Even with Qiao Yan’s intimidation, they were still restless. Fortunately, the timely arrival and quick delivery of this news saved the trouble of a military suppression.

Wang Yang: “This is Shuyou’s duty, Marquis Qiao need not praise him.”

Qiao Yan smiled: “Alright, let’s not talk about Shuyou or the Southern Xiongnu. Let’s talk about why I sought you out this time.”

Her straightforwardness in stating her purpose truly surprised Wang Yang, but considering her usual directness in their previous exchanges, it wasn’t strange for her to open the conversation this way.

She slowly began: “I want to do some business with you regarding mineral resources.”

In Qiao Yan’s view, the mineral deposits in Shanxi were astonishingly rich.

Although she planned to wait until sufficient barriers were established before mining, this didn’t stop her from preparing for it now.

Even with sufficient armed forces, it would be difficult for her to monopolize the resources at this stage.

However, if the other party could provide a sufficient number of experienced laborers, this loss could be temporarily ignored.

With the authority of the Prefect, the salt and iron monopolies in Bingzhou fell into her hands, along with the development of unclaimed mineral lands, which was undoubtedly her greatest advantage.

However, Qiao Yan felt it was a pity that the Yuncheng Salt Lake in Shanxi was not in Bingzhou but belonged to the Sili region, and the rock salt and mirabilite produced there were controlled by the Sili Salt Supervisor, so the salt production wasn’t as advantageous.

Fortunately, the amount of iron and coal was enough to compensate for this loss.

In the stage of accumulating strength, these were the two most important resources.

There were many iron mines in Yanmen and Dingxiang north of Wutai Mountain, and there were also many at the border of Xihe and Shangjun.

As for coal mines, there were even more. In Taiyuan Commandery, the coal mines in Xishan and Yangquan were already in operation.

However, iron was a strategic resource, and to prevent noble families from raising too many private soldiers, Qiao Yan couldn’t use it as a bargaining chip with the Wang family.

So she added, “To be precise, coal mines. But what I’m talking about is not the same as the previous honeycomb coal business, but the mining of coal.”

“Marquis Qiao means?” Wang Yang felt that Qiao Yan’s proposal was likely not just about ordinary coal mining.

Sure enough, he soon heard Qiao Yan say, “Bingzhou is not the only place that can produce coal. Besides, don’t you think that if there were coal mines that could be open-pit mined, it would be much safer than underground operations?”

The coal mines in Bingzhou, probably due to the peace in the area, were currently concentrated in Taiyuan Commandery, roughly from Jinyang to Yangquan. Unfortunately, these coal mines were all underground operations.

She had once walked into the coal mines in Yangquan and seen the coal industry there, which was not much different from what she had seen in museums.

The mining tunnels were narrow, dark, and without ventilation facilities, let alone protective gear. The method used in the mines was the high-fall coal mining, breaking the coal into large and small pieces and sending them out of the shaft. Due to these limitations, most of the fire heating and daily use still relied on charcoal rather than coal.

But in fact, the coal mines in Bingzhou were not limited to this possibility.

In the early years when Zhang Yang was active outside under the pretext of assisting the Military Officer, Qiao Yan had already asked him to pay more attention to the areas she pointed out. In Yanmen’s Mayi, which was later Shuozhou, there was an astonishingly rich open-pit coal mine.

That was the Pingshuo Open-pit Coal Mine.

And near the Southern Xiongnu’s Meiji City, there was also an open-pit coal mine distributed in the future Jungar Banner.

These two coal mines were not convenient to mine under the conditions of the late Han Dynasty, as Yanmen was often in turmoil, and the area of Xihe Commandery was also allocated to the Southern Xiongnu for grazing.

But in the face of the urgency of time, why continue with such inefficient underground mining instead of choosing open-pit operations?

These two places must be secured!

At the current level of productivity, the damage caused by open-pit coal mining was still within controllable limits. As for the difference in coal quality, it was not so important when the iron smelting temperature could only reach this limit.

And with the quality of miners owned by the Jinyang Wang family, and even most noble families in Bingzhou, changing the mining mode didn’t seem too difficult.

This was her current optimal solution.

Wang Yang watched as Qiao Yan placed the map under the table on the table, with the red-marked locations particularly eye-catching.

She pointed to these two places and said to Wang Yang, “Since I chose to see you first, let’s speak frankly. The coal mines in these two places on the map only need to dig through the soil to be open-pit mined, but in Bingzhou, no one else but me can ensure the smooth mining of these two places.”

This was the truth.

And it was precisely because of this confidence that Qiao Yan’s words carried a bit more pressure. “If within a year, I can firmly suppress the Xianbei outside Yanmen, no, I should say outside Yunzhong, and also completely subdue the Southern Xiongnu into quails that dare not have any rebellious thoughts, would you dare to make a deal with me?”

Wang Yang: “What kind of deal?”

Qiao Yan replied: “Hand over all the miners you have trained to me, and I will control the open-pit mining, giving you more than you could mine yourself.”

After hearing Qiao Yan’s words, Wang Yang couldn’t help but pinch his fingertips, his mind racing.

In this proposal, they seemed to only need to provide miners and then receive more coal resources than before.

But this statement was not as simple as she made it sound.

These people, who often faced the risk of being buried and could die at any time in underground mining, were mostly hidden households of noble families.

Qiao Yan’s move, though not brutal, was undoubtedly making an attempt that could easily be seen as crossing the line.

But the special wine fermentation method, the deliberate reminder before the locust plague, along with the honeycomb coal she had hinted at, and now receiving the Jinyang Wang family first, had almost formed a fixed cognition in Wang Yang’s mind—

She would not treat them poorly in terms of profit.

So, perhaps… perhaps it’s worth a try?

“I don’t mean for you to make a decision right now,” Qiao Yan lightly tapped the table, pulling Wang Yang’s attention back. “Today’s meeting is just to express my gratitude for the Wang family’s previous support. As for the open-pit coal mine matter, let’s talk about it in a few days.”

Wang Yang walked out of the prefecture in the same dazed state as when he arrived.

But after walking a few steps, he came to his senses.

The newly appointed Prefect of Bingzhou said she could talk about the coal mine business in a few days, but in these few days, the visitors she received were definitely not just him!

Even before he reached the corner, he saw the old man from the Tang family walking towards the prefecture with a joyful expression, clearly having received an invitation.

In the previous mulberry bark clothing business, Marquis Qiao still needed to rely on their existence to keep Leping in a safer environment, but now she no longer had such concerns.

With the power of the Prefect, she could directly pull the Tang family to her side.

The Wang family could still hesitate, but what about others?

Declining noble families had residual resources and ambitions to rise, making them the easiest to defect to Qiao Yan, especially the Tang family, which had previous dealings!

If he hesitated too long, the previous friendship would be greatly discounted.

“Not good!” Wang Yang’s mind raced, secretly hating himself for not being as decisive as Wang Rou.

But fortunately, it wasn’t too late to come to his senses now.

He ran back to the prefecture gate, just a step ahead of the old man from the Tang family, and said first, “I was a bit confused earlier, I still have something to discuss with Marquis Qiao, please announce me.”

Hearing his voice from afar, Qiao Yan smiled.

By the time she sent the heads of the Wang, Tang, and later Guo families away from the prefecture, she had roughly outlined the framework of the cooperation agreement.

Perhaps it was the principle of good things coming in pairs, as she heard the system’s voice, which hadn’t appeared for many days, just as she put the document into the cabinet.

It seemed that communication between systems was as troublesome as the one she had, as it sounded quite tired, as if it had just gone through a long journey.

[I’ve contacted Farming System 043, but… but its request is a bit strange.]

Qiao Yan asked, “How strange?”

Hearing the number before her system, Qiao Yan guessed that the other system was likely an old hand, but what the system said next didn’t reveal whether the other system was an old hand, only that the host of this farming system was a bit unusual.

[It discussed the transaction terms with its current host, and the girl said, farming and accumulating grain to the end is rebellion, but in her environment, rebellion still needs some auspicious signs, so after asking about our timeline, she said she could exchange the part of her agricultural books about farming in the north as a bargaining chip—]

[Within three years, you need to give her the Imperial Seal of the Han Dynasty, and she will borrow it for ten years before returning it to you. This transaction will be executed by signing a guarantee. She can deliver the agricultural books first, but if you can’t provide the Imperial Seal after three years, you will be deducted 100 strategist points and corresponding data bonuses, converted into her points as compensation.]

This sounded more economically minded than the previous martial arts system.

Qiao Yan pondered and felt that the relationship between the host and the system might also be host-dominated, and the phrase “farming and accumulating grain to the end is rebellion” was… quite interesting.

[But there is also danger. If she can’t succeed in rebellion, the Imperial Seal will be lost.] The system calculated the duration of the Three Kingdoms and asked, [What if the lord you serve needs this Imperial Seal ten years later? What if others think the Imperial Seal is in your hands, that might also not be…]

“Exchange with her!” Qiao Yan said decisively, interrupting the system.

“The authority of the Han Dynasty is declining, and the existence of the Imperial Seal no longer signifies the Mandate of Heaven. Even if it is lost, it is not a great regret. On the other hand, if the agricultural books can be obtained, and feasible strategies are tried in Bingzhou next year, who knows how many lives can be saved.”

“This deal is not a loss!”