“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”
In Chapter 11 of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the phrase “loyalty and filial piety” seems utterly out of place in the context of the rebel forces.
Yet, when Qiao Yan said this, even the experienced Tian brothers couldn’t detect a hint of deceit from her.
After all, in this situation, there was no need for her to wave any righteous flags.
As a victor, she naturally stood in a position of power.
Conversely, as a loser, Tian Tao had no ground to be stubborn.
As the head of the Tian family, he knew he had to protect the Tian clan’s remaining strength, and he might even consider temporarily collaborating with the Yellow Turban Army.
So if this Mr. Qiao truly wanted to represent Liang Zhongning and make them work for him, she could have definitely used a more efficient approach.
Attacking the weak points would have been most effective against their powerful family.
All she had to do was grasp the lives of the younger generation like Tian Yan, and they would surely submit.
With this in mind, Qiao Yan’s statement left an awkward silence in the prison, with only the sound of the crowd’s breathing ringing in the air.
After a moment, Tian Tao hoarsely asked, “What is loyalty and filial piety?”
The one he asked didn’t even let the lantern in her hand sway for a second.
Maintaining her tone, she replied, “Loyalty to the Han Dynasty, and filial piety to one’s parents.”
If any Yellow Turban soldiers were there, they would probably have deemed her an outsider on the spot.
However, because Bu Ji and Zhang Bo had brought their trusted followers into Puyang City and met with Liang Zhongning there, even if Liang Zhongning somewhat looked down on his colleagues, he had to exercise utmost caution, leaving little manpower to supervise the prisoners.
Moreover, with Qiao Yan’s rising reputation under the command of Liang, arranging for a quiet discussion wasn’t difficult at all.
Long before she set foot in the prison, she had already cleared out anyone who shouldn’t be there, ensuring that no Yellow Turban soldier would overhear the words “loyal to the Han”.
Tian Tao was momentarily stunned and then asked, “What about Yanzhou?”
In fact, the powerful families in Yanzhou were largely pragmatic, and of the three points Qiao Yan mentioned—”for Yanzhou,” “for the Han,” “for loyalty and filial piety”—the only one that struck a chord with him was “for Yanzhou.”
If it weren’t for this mindset, he wouldn’t have betrayed Cao Cao when Chen Gong conspired to welcome Lü Bu to Yanzhou, nor would he have lured Cao Cao into the city for an ambush.
Although the concepts of loyalty and filial piety might not entirely convince this head of the family, there was one key phrase that could.
Qiao Yan replied, “Yanzhou is peaceful again.”
As she spoke, despite the dim lighting in the prison, Tian Tao could see that she maintained her grip on the lantern while her left hand was now placed behind her back.
This pose, usually signifying arrogance, surprisingly made her seem restrained compared to the earlier “Yellow Turban strategist” persona.
Her youthful face lowered slightly, perhaps due to the upward pressure on her chin, and the warm smile that emerged made her look entirely different from when she first entered the prison.
She seemed like a different person…
Or someone he felt he should have seen before!
After Qiao Yan lightly cleared her throat, a flicker of realization passed through Tian Tao’s mind, but the next moment, he noticed she had withdrawn her peculiar behavior and reverted to her former demeanor.
A name lingered on his lips, yet ultimately remained unspoken.
It seemed Qiao Yan hinted at this in a way that wasn’t direct, suggesting an unspoken understanding.
Before Tian Yan could regain his bearings from the brief exchange, he suddenly heard his father asking, “I understand what you mean, so what do you need us Tian family members to do?”
Tian Yan was not as seasoned as his father or uncle, but years of interaction allowed him to instantly assess that his father’s words were not exactly a pledge of allegiance, yet it indicated a retreat from hostility.
Regrettably, he had no chance to interject in their conversation.
In the almost tacit exchange of gazes between the two parties, there was a sense of something he couldn’t quite grasp.
The gloomy shadows in the dungeon were dispelled by the wind lantern in Qiao Yan’s hand, breaking into a rather peculiar blend of light and darkness.
On the line separating light from dark, a child who was barely his age, upon understanding his father’s stance, confidently stated, “There are two matters in which I require the head of the Tian family to assist.”
When Qiao Yan exited the Puyang prison, the system still found the whole experience somewhat dreamlike.
“This talk of loyalty and filial piety… why does it feel so bizarre?” the system muttered.
Previously, it had tried to thwart Qiao Yan’s decision to help the Yellow Turbans by saying, “But you are a descendant of loyal and righteous people,” yet hearing her use such lofty terms during negotiations with the Tian family’s power brokers felt strangely off.
She was no longer the local Qiao Yan she once was.
Given that the Han Dynasty was nearing its end due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion and was deprived of vitality, how much belonging did she truly feel toward it? Even without mind-reading capabilities, the system could get a sense of the situation.
It was likely none at all.
Of course, she had indeed inherited the original host’s memories.
But the system had seen a clear explanation during its training before commencing its job. This memory transfer merely allowed the host to observe past events from the perspective of an observer, completely distancing emotional elements from the original experiences.
So there wouldn’t exist a Qiao Yan today bound by the familial ties of her original self.
Thus, loyalty was out of the question, and filial piety was absolutely unfounded.
As Qiao Yan strolled through the streets of Puyang,
with the Yellow Turbans surrounding the city and almost no one in sight, she took the opportunity to explain in a low voice to the system, “Whether or not there’s loyalty and filial piety isn’t important. In the late Han period, whether as a strategist or in any other profession, having a reputation for righteousness is always more reliable than an ordinary background.”
“But… what do you want with that righteousness?” the system was a bit confused.
Qiao Yan smiled and responded, “You must know Kong Rong?”
“Of course I know Beihai’s Kong Wenju.”
“Kong Rong hid Zhang Jian to avoid disaster, and he famously offered his brother a pear in his youth. This incident made him renowned, and later he was summoned by Minister Yang Ci to serve as his assistant.”
“Even Zhuge Liang had to first acquire his title of ‘卧龙’ before serving Liu Bei.”
“In the late Han Dynasty, there were many talented individuals, but those deserving of being regarded as scholars or heroes had to first stand out. If one couldn’t emerge from that crowd, how could they expect to be valued?”
“I suppose…?” the system contemplated this logic.
So, to be valued, one first needed to have a value.
“Then, is there a better reputation than entering a bandit camp alone for the sake of serving your country and avenging your parents?”
“You really picked the right identity for me.”
As Qiao Yan walked slowly, if one didn’t come close to hear what she was saying, they’d probably think she looked unusually relaxed for a casual stroll.
Yet the system felt that the few words she spoke carried the weight of thunder.
It remembered how it had once felt pleased thinking that Qiao Yan had promise as a top strategist when guiding Liang Zhongning in their siege of Tian Family Fortress, but now it realized in light of her true intentions, it had underestimated her!
The cold glint in her gaze revealed her true edge.
And yet…
“You feel sorry for him?”
“No, not at all!” the system quickly replied. “I’m a strategist system, not some nearby saintly system.”
Before coming to this world, it had at least received some education.
In the context of strategic warfare during the Three Kingdoms period, clinging to notions of truthful reasoning and benevolence was not the way; it was better to withdraw from the conflict early. Ultimately, any battle would inevitably incur losses.
Even apart from being ruthless like Cheng Yu, who, to supply grain to Cao Cao, “plundered his own county, providing food for three days, rather mixed with human flesh,” there was no need to carry any psychological burden over necessary sacrifices.
If it were truly like this, the system would actually want toね…
“At crucial times, Qiao Yan can’t help but get tangled up in something.”
But now, this mindset is just perfect.
Besides, if her plan truly works and Yanzhou settles down soon, the Tian family will have nothing to say.
Qiao Yan sharply realized what the system meant by “next door,” but clearly, this wasn’t a good time to inquire about it. Plus, the system just posed another question: “But how can you be sure the Tian family will help you? After all, if you hadn’t made a move, they would still be comfortably enjoying life in their fortress.”
“If you ask that, you underestimate the role of the local community,” Qiao Yan replied.
This isn’t hard to understand; the system had been quite human-like but still showed a lack of understanding about human affairs in its words.
“Do you know who I mimicked earlier in the prison?” Without waiting for the system to ask, she answered herself, “It was the impression of my father in my mind.”
Rencheng’s Qiao Yu.
“Coincidentally, I saw in the records from the Tian family that they were invited to a banquet held by the Dong Commandery’s Prefect, and he was among the attendees.”
She took back the documents she had searched out from the fortress to Puyang, which proved to be useful. In the record of the “Prefect’s banquet, Wang Guoqiao’s son was present, resembling his father, and they had a great conversation,” Qiao Yan saw hope for uniting with the Tian family.
If Tian Tao and Qiao Yu only had a casual acquaintance, she wouldn’t dare to pull the flag of their old friendship in Rencheng outright; she might have to negotiate carefully, maybe even add more leverage to her bargaining. But now, it wouldn’t be that complicated.
“Strictly speaking, the definition of the local community stems from the system of the Zhou Dynasty, where five hundred households form one community and twelve thousand five hundred households form a township. Whether it’s the Qiao family in Liang or Qiao Yu in Rencheng, they don’t quite qualify as local communities, but being from Yanzhou inherently creates a relationship where one’s glory and losses are shared. That’s the capital to start the conversation.”
Qiao Yan grasped this connection perfectly.
The two matters she discussed with Tian Tao earlier exemplified this point.
If she directly asked Tian Tao to hand over any hidden influences the Tian family might still have in Puyang or to assist her in any other way, Tian Tao might hesitate, pondering whether her appeal to their past ties would lead to another round of betrayal.
But the two matters she brought up were things Tian Tao could achieve using just his words without further harming his own interests.
That was no problem.
The first thing was to find out from the head of the Tian family which fortress around Puyang had a poor relationship with them and was easy to conquer.
She quickly got the answer from Tian Tao: Gao family.
It was even a delightful surprise that, possibly due to the prevalence of the chivalrous spirit during the Han era, Tian Tao had considered hiring wandering knights to resolve the past grievances between the Tian and Gao families. He even had people scout the layout of Gao Family Fortress.
The drawn maps were among those documents Qiao Yan brought back.
Having a map would make it easier to hit the target; she probably wouldn’t need to use any bait tactics.
Of course, there were bits of doubt, but Qiao Yan had her own calculations in mind.
The second matter involved Dian Wei.
Qiao Yan asked if Dian Wei had any connections with the Tian family.
If she could learn more, it would aid her earlier plan of recruiting a bodyguard.
According to Tian Tao, Dian Wei was employed by the Tian family because one of his local companions had committed murder out of loyalty in Chenliu and, after fleeing to Dong Commandery, was sheltered by the Tian family.
It wasn’t unusual, as many strongmen during the late Han had hidden people.
Ultimately, the search parties couldn’t find him, so that matter just ended there.
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion rose, this individual immediately mentioned Dian Wei’s bravery to Tian Tao. As for why he could invite Dian Wei smoothly, it was due to an old favor from Dian Wei’s companion.
And this person—
This person didn’t die in the earlier assault on the fortress!
Now that was really good news.
According to Tian Tao, this debt of gratitude from years ago clearly wasn’t something simple. At the very least, Dian Wei’s unfortunate skirmish wouldn’t suffice to settle it.
But what surprised Qiao Yan was that when she approached Dian Wei, this mighty warrior with a high combat rating straightforwardly rejected her offer of releasing his local companion in exchange for him temporarily serving her within three months.
“This deal can work, but it has to be done differently,” Dian Wei rumbled after listening to Qiao Yan.
The restraints on him were a bit looser than when Liang Zhongning had captured him, yet it was still a state he couldn’t escape from even with all his strength.
But a fierce warrior, no matter how restrained, still radiated authority, and Dian Wei displayed this very well.
Qiao Yan intriguingly asked, “How do you want to do it differently?”
Dian Wei’s sudden objection made her realize that although he had been tricked and captured, he wasn’t completely lacking in common sense. Otherwise, Cao Cao wouldn’t have later appointed him as a commander tasked with patrolling for his safety.
At the very least, that position would require leading a couple of hundred loyal troops, which definitely needed some cunning.
Dian Wei’s answer was indeed interesting; he said, “Just keep him locked up and provide him food.”
Qiao Yan thought for a moment and understood Dian Wei’s meaning.
This local companion was special—he had been hidden by the Tian family for committing murder. If he were released directly, he would still be considered a fugitive.
Now, Yanzhou was in a dire state, and if he wanted to survive, he could only seek shelter in populated towns and counties.
But those places either faced threats from the Yellow Turbans or could capture him. In such circumstances, he seemed to have no choice but to join the Yellow Turbans.
But joining the Yellow Turbans wasn’t safe either, and casualties in warfare were inevitable.
Even if he escaped with Dian Wei, having such a formidable warrior by his side wouldn’t guarantee he’d stay unscathed during a battle.
But being locked in a prison made all the difference.
Getting captured by the Yellow Turbans meant he had taken a stance against them.
If the Yellow Turbans won, given Qiao Yan’s status within Liang Zhongning’s force, she could release him later.
But if the Yellow Turbans lost, he’d become a righteous warrior; even if his resistance against the Yellow Turbans wasn’t enough to absolve him of all sins, it would at least lessen his culpability.
If luck favored him, he might even encounter a chance where the court wants to change the reign title for good fortune due to the Yellow Turban upheaval.
After all, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there have been over 130 occasions for various amnesties, ranging from reasons such as the late emperor’s great achievements to the current emperor’s ascension, major birthdays, appointing heirs, and even changing reign titles.
Reduced penalties through amnesty for serious crimes.
So, keeping him in prison might be the safest bet.
This way, either side could withdraw in peace once the battles calmed down.
Dian Wei wasn’t foolish…
Qiao Yan internally scoffed but didn’t show any signs on her face, merely giving an affirmative reply.
Keeping him in prison wasn’t a loss for her; rather, it was a safety net, and this way, Dian Wei also handed a handle to her.
But no need to share this with Dian Wei; he seemed quite pleased with his own cleverness.
With this deal, everyone was happy.
Qiao Yan secured a mighty bodyguard, Dian Wei got a chance to flex his free arms, and Dian Wei’s companion found a safe place to rest.
No, there was still someone suffering.
None other than Liang Zhongning.
Because the meals in prison were split from what the fortress collected, he had been itching to ration just a bowl of porridge a day to keep him alive. Now, he had not only lost the rations but also the warrior he was looking to recruit!
Just the thought that this muscle could easily return Mr. Yan to Gaomi made all his previous excuses useless. Perhaps he would receive news of Qiao Yan’s move before long, and he felt both his teeth and heart ached.
But curiosity still got the better of him.
“I wonder how you convinced him to serve you?” Liang Zhongning decided to steal some tips; it might come in handy in the future.
“He said he’s long admired Master Zheng’s reputation, so…”
“So he wants to learn from you?” Liang Zhongning looked full of disbelief.
With Dian Wei’s build, he surely didn’t seem like a scholarly type! This reasoning had no persuasive power!
If he really said that, Liang Qushai would start to suspect Dian Wei’s true intentions.
“No,” Qiao Yan shook her head, “He said he can’t learn it himself, but he wants to encourage his son to learn. For now, he’ll just get to know me better, making it easier for his son to be my apprentice later.”
“…”
Liang Zhongning fell silent for a long while before finally responding, “To be honest, my father thinks the same.”
As for the outcome…
It probably just made this name look a bit more cultured.
