Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 4: The End of Zhongping, The Turmoil of Luoyang, Chapter 108: The Minister Entrusted with the Orphan

Belonging to the book:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 108: The Minister Entrusted with the Orphan

Although it was already February with signs of spring, the warmth from the stoves in the Jiade Hall was still intense, making people feel somewhat dizzy.

Perhaps it wasn’t just the heat that was causing the dizziness, but also the scent of spices that spread with the excessive warmth.

However, from Zhang Rang’s perspective, Liu Hong seemed to be more accustomed to such an environment.

He reclined among thick furs, his face showing a sickly pallor, and reached for a memorial beside him.

Last December, he officially announced the title of Marquis of the Interior, which could be bought and sold for five million coins.

Five million coins might sound like a lot, but it was only half the price of the Three Excellencies, so the price wasn’t exactly wrong.

There were indeed some differences between the Marquis of the Interior and the Marquisates. For example, Qiao Yan enjoyed a fief of ten thousand households in Leping, while the Marquis of the Interior usually had around a thousand households. Liu Hong, being stingy, set this number at eight hundred.

Moreover, apart from the salary and fief, they did not have the same authority over the farmers within their fief as Qiao Yan did.

But for those who couldn’t earn a title through great achievements, this was a shortcut!

Not to mention, Liu Hong also stated in the edict selling the title of Marquis of the Interior that the Marquis of the Interior had the right to wear a gold seal and purple ribbon, and the title could be hereditary.

It could be passed down to descendants! This was much more cost-effective than the Three Excellencies, who could be dismissed at any time due to circumstances.

Despite frequent memorials advising against it after the announcement of this edict, there were still many who bought the title of Marquis of the Interior.

Liu Hong naturally welcomed all comers.

He needed to support the students of the Hongdu Gate School, maintain the private army of the Eight Commanders of the Western Garden, and secure a fortune that would give him peace of mind.

Only in this way could he ensure the stability of his throne and that the successor to the throne was the one he desired.

He didn’t care if this move undermined the dignity of the royal family.

But if Qiao Yan were to comment, Liu Hong’s actions had little impact on her, who had already secured an additional layer of protection as the Prefect of Bingzhou and Marquis of Leping. In fact, compared to levying various taxes on the people, selling the title of Marquis of the Interior was a better option.

At least the money didn’t come from the people!

Leping was still in its five-year tax exemption period, but other parts of Bingzhou did not enjoy such treatment.

Selling the title of Marquis of the Interior merely allowed those in Luoyang with spare wealth and no concern for being labeled as buying a title to flaunt their purple and gold belts, calling each other Marquis Zhang and Marquis Li in social settings—

What did that have to do with Qiao Yan!

As long as Liu Hong didn’t find the situation ridiculous, it was fine.

The Emperor indeed only saw the money in hand. He flipped through the memorials, finding no new radical opposition, and then picked up the report from Qiao Yan, the Prefect of Bingzhou.

He frowned at the first line.

“In the fourth year of Guanghe, Tanshihuai died, and his son Helian, greedy and ignorant, perished while plundering the northern lands. Helian’s son Qianman is young, and Quidou has become the Xianbei Chanyu. Having been in Leping for several years, I am well aware of this situation and intend to support Qianman to counter Quidou, inciting internal strife to restore peace to Bingzhou.”

“However, Quidou and his two brothers each possess heroic abilities. Quidou, as the Chanyu, has his second brother Fuluohan leading ten thousand soldiers, titled as a leader, and his third brother Budugen also commands ten thousand, eyeing Yanmen. If we cannot first crush this formidable force, once the three unite, they will have a hundred thousand troops, and Bingzhou will be hard to defend, with the three capitals suffering.”

Quidou, Fuluohan, Budugen—these were the current Xianbei Chanyu and his two equally outstanding brothers, especially the latter two.

Of course, when mentioning their tens of thousands of troops, combining to reach a hundred thousand, Xi Zhicai, under Qiao Yan’s reminder of “truthfulness,” had slightly exaggerated.

While Quidou was still the Chanyu, Fuluohan’s treatment could never surpass his elder brother, and the title of leader was merely nominal. As for the tens of thousands under his command, it was at most around ten thousand.

But in these times, slightly exaggerating numbers, including those within their ruled territories who were not combatants, was not unique to Qiao Yan.

And turning ten thousand into a hundred thousand was just a basic maneuver.

Having always heard the truth from Qiao Yan, how could Liu Hong have expected her to play with words now?

He only saw the urgency of the military situation in the message.

Once Bingzhou was breached by the united Xianbei, the Xiongnu within Bingzhou would also rebel. Independently, they might remain north of the Taihang Mountains, but united, the ambitious among them would inevitably try to reach the richer three capitals for plunder.

The “suffering of the three capitals” mentioned in the report was not impossible.

The rebellion of Zhang Ju in Yuyang had yet to be quelled, and the Hu tribes conspiring with him were the Wuhuan, undoubtedly giving Liu Hong some misconceptions about the northern Hu people.

Thus, Qiao Yan’s previous northern campaign against the Xiongnu was indeed necessary.

Given the current morale of the Xianbei troops, had the Han not crossed the Yinshan Mountains and slain the Xiongnu, the three brothers would have united without hesitation to raid Bingzhou for winter supplies, as they did in previous winters.

It was only because Liu Hong coincidentally appointed Qiao Yan as the Prefect of Bingzhou before the winter raids, causing the three brothers to hesitate, and with Youzhou and Jizhou offering little to plunder, that they held back.

Feeling stifled, Liu Hong coughed before continuing to read.

Fortunately, the subsequent content of the letter eased his frown.

Qiao Yan’s proposal to attack the Xianbei was not a rash decision.

Apart from the earlier exaggeration of the Xianbei forces, the preparations for the campaign were truthfully recorded.

For example, she mentioned that in December after taking office, the appointed assistants, along with the clerical officers and the officials allowed by His Majesty to be taken from the Grand Commandant’s office, completed the registration and inspection of the government storehouses in various counties.

The specific data were sent along with this memorial for His Majesty’s review.

This was an honest move from any angle.

Liu Hong flipped through the data, a smile appearing on his face.

Having previously dealt with the straightforward Cui Lie, who had reported similar data, he could tell if Qiao Yan was falsifying the information.

Thus, it seemed his Prefect of Bingzhou had not failed his trust.

With this in mind, Liu Hong read on as Qiao Yan stated that part of the storehouse’s weapons and grain had to be reserved for immediate support to the capital, part was used to hire laborers to repair river channels during the dry season, part was allocated for border defense expenditures in the northwest, especially for the supply of troops in the Duliang General’s camp, part was reserved for disaster relief in case of unforeseen circumstances, and the final part was for the current military campaign.

With the most direct data before her, Qiao Yan concluded that in ensuring border stability and sufficient supplies, they could still deploy nearly ten thousand troops, with enough grain.

As for where these ten thousand troops came from—

Some were former Black Mountain Bandits and White Wave Bandits who had surrendered.

Some were from the Duliang General’s camp, with Qu Yi under Han Fu’s command as the main general.








Part of it was a reasonable transfer from the border defense forces.

The rest were newly recruited soldiers. These soldiers had already been trained during the winter under the Military Officer left by the former Governor of Bingzhou, the newly appointed Officer of Yanmen, and the Military Officer under the Prefect of Yanmen. Given the overall combat quality of Bingzhou, these men would undoubtedly become a considerable fighting force by spring.

Moreover, during her confinement in Leping, she studied agriculture with the help of the “Book on Agricultural Practices” and discovered that treating animal bones and adding them to farmland could enhance soil fertility. During this recruitment, she also publicly stated that the cattle, sheep, and horses obtained from raids on the Xianbei would not be kept by the state. The oxen would be used for farming, the sheep for fertilizer, and the horses to strengthen border defense.

Because of this, every soldier was motivated to fight, and they would surely bring glory to the Han Dynasty.

Out of a certain mischievous whim, Qiao Yan added a line at the end of the document written by Xi Zhicai:

“May Your Majesty entrust me with the task of quelling rebels and securing the borders. If I fail, then punish me for my crimes…”

Liu Hong, unaware that the later Shu Han Chancellor who attempted to restore the Han Dynasty had written a similar “Memorial on the Expedition” before his northern campaigns, had only one thought after reading Qiao Yan’s report:

This battle is indeed worth fighting!

In previous years, to be precise, every December before the death of Tan Shihuai, news would come of the Xianbei invading Bingzhou, raiding Jiuquan, or attacking Liaodong. So why not strike them hard in the spring after they gained nothing in the winter?

He had personally witnessed Qiao Yan’s commanding prowess at the Western Suburb Camp and knew of her previous achievements beyond the borders.

The Military Officer under the Governor of Bingzhou had indeed fortified the defenses around Yanmen since taking office. If not for his lack of noble background and no major victories, he would have deserved a promotion.

Now, with these two working together, even if the Xianbei had 100,000 troops, considering their dispersion and the element of surprise from our proactive strike, it might not be impossible to achieve the feats of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing!

Liu Hong knew his illness was worsening, and because of this, he held even higher expectations for the weapons he possessed.

Like the Eight Divisions of the Western Garden led by Jian Shuo…

After a winter, Qiao Yan’s preparations had been carried out in an orderly manner, and the recruitment for the Eight Divisions of the Western Garden was nearing its end.

Despite his illness, Liu Hong personally reviewed this force directly under his command.

Although these men came from all over the thirteen provinces, and many were recruited just to fill the numbers, making them far less organized than the elite Northern Army Five Divisions, they were still a force within his reach.

Jian Shuo knew exactly what Liu Hong wanted to see and placed Xu Chu, whom Cao Cao had recruited from Qiao Commandery, along with 300 members of the Xu clan, at the forefront.

The group had a rustic air but also an undeniable heroic spirit.

If the Eight Divisions of the Western Garden were like this, then Qiao Yan, who surpassed their commanders, should not disappoint his expectations.

He hesitated no longer and wrote “Approved” at the end of the memorial.

As the red ink dried, he suddenly felt a bit more strength.

Perhaps by spring, his condition would improve, and he could have the Imperial Hospital conduct a thorough examination. Maybe he could live another five years, instead of the two years that some bold scoundrel had predicted if he didn’t take care of himself.

If he had five years…

“Your Majesty, Prince Xie has come to pay his respects.”

Hearing this, Liu Hong snapped out of his thoughts and handed the memorial he had approved to a nearby eunuch, instructing him to send the message swiftly to Bingzhou. Only then did he allow Liu Xie to be brought in.

Everyone in the hall could see the undisguised joy on Liu Hong’s face as Prince Xie arrived.

The Emperor’s favor for Liu Xie was not just because he had lost his mother shortly after birth and was a visible weakling, nor because he was younger than Liu Bian.

As Liu Xie entered the Jiade Hall, the nine-year-old prince already exuded a calm and dignified demeanor. This temperament made Liu Hong see more of himself in Liu Xie, far more pleasing than the timid Liu Bian.

Liu Hong would never admit that raising Liu Bian in the home of the Daoist Shi Zimiao early on had caused this difference in temperament.

He beckoned Liu Xie to sit beside him.

At such close range, Liu Xie could easily detect the lingering scent of medicine in the air. But precocious as he was, he wouldn’t mention it to upset Liu Hong. Instead, he spoke of having paid respects to Empress Dowager Dong earlier, who was in good health thanks to the Emperor’s care. He then mentioned the books he had read that day and added:

“I have been practicing swordsmanship with Master Wang, but I regret that I am still too young to have the strength of a tiger warrior to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”

The Master Wang he referred to was the renowned swordsman Wang Yue.

Since Wang Yue had ambitions for an official position, Liu Hong had made him the sword instructor for both princes. But clearly, Liu Xie was more interested in this than Liu Bian.

As a devoted enthusiast of power balance, Liu Hong knew that an emperor without sufficient courage could never maintain his realm amidst the maneuvering of various factions. Though both sons were still young, Liu Xie’s boldness pleased him more.

Perhaps it was also because his own health was deteriorating, making him wish to see his son display vigor and vitality.

He replied, “Swordsmanship should be learned step by step. How can one achieve in a day what others take a year? Even Shi A from Henan, who studied under General Wang, though exceptionally talented, could not master swordsmanship overnight but only grasped the basics.”

“Your Majesty is absolutely right.”

“You may go now. There is no need for you to share my burdens. Your Majesty has his own Grand General and loyal ministers.” Liu Hong patted Liu Xie’s shoulder, signaling him to leave.

Young Liu Xie, though sensing a slight oddness in his father’s tone when mentioning the Grand General, did not catch the underlying meaning and obediently withdrew.

Little did he know that a few days prior, Bao Hong, the Commandant of the Palace Guards whom Liu Hong had sent to quell the Ge Slope rebels, had suddenly been accused of embezzling military provisions.

If there hadn’t been so many complications during the recruitment of the Eight Divisions of the Western Garden, Liu Hong, with his notoriously stingy nature, would have executed Bao Hong on the spot. But now, feeling constrained at every turn, he had someone investigate and traced it back to He Miao’s subordinates.

He did not confront He Miao directly but silently added another mark against He Jin.

After all, such a foolish scheme could only have been concocted by the He brothers!

This incident further convinced him that he could no longer allow He Jin to continue unchecked. Otherwise, once Liu Bian ascended the throne, this arrogant relative would surely become a threat to imperial authority.

In comparison, Dong Zhong, whom he had promoted to the position of General of Agile Cavalry, appeared much more compliant and aligned with his expectations for a relative.

But to place Liu Xie on the throne, aside from prolonging his own life, he needed to ensure Liu Xie had sufficient support, or remove all obstacles before his death.

Thinking of the memorial Qiao Yan had sent earlier, Liu Hong pondered for a long time before slowly saying, “Eunuch Zhang…”

Zhang Rang quickly responded, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think? Aside from Jian Shuo, could Qiao Yanshu be a regent for me?”