“Can strategists really not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 113: Record of Achievements at Saiyin Mountain Ridge
For any military officer, the act of carving achievements into stone is considered a supreme honor.
In the past, Grand General Dou Xian pursued the Northern Xiongnu all the way to Yanshan, leaving his name in history. Now, when Qiao Yan mentions this victorious battle, it serves as inspiration for her team, how could it not fill them with joy!
Even if this stone record-making is merely inscribed at the Xianbei camp near Saiyin Mountain Ridge, alongside their only water source, it wouldn’t diminish their spirit one bit.
As for why the record was established at Saiyin Mountain Ridge instead of by the Du Luo River, Qiao Yan certainly has her reasons.
Although she plans to harvest resources like sheep and horses from the barbarian foes, she still needs to consider their feelings.
Since she told Budugen that she would support his rise as the new Xianbei leader, she has to give him a little face, at least not making him see evidence of the Han army’s presence by the Du Luo River every day.
So, Saiyin Mountain Ridge serves as a suitable outpost.
Of course, Qiao Yan’s return to this site isn’t solely about commemorating achievements.
Having been nearly twenty days since she set out from Yanmen County, if she wanted to hurry back to Bingzhou, it would only take her two days.
Especially since this time, she doesn’t have to take the white road to avoid the Xianbei sentries; she can gallop straight back, saving plenty of time.
But getting back too quickly wouldn’t be advantageous for her.
She didn’t plan to let Liu Hong know about her annual tribute deal with Budugen; otherwise, it might raise suspicions.
Once there’s a shift in Luoyang next year, before any signs of “change” are revealed, she’d better have a reason ready to venture out again and stabilize the Hu people’s army so she wouldn’t too late to receive news.
If Liu Hong summoned her to the capital to assist in exterminating Grand General He Jin along with the Eight Academics of Xiyuan and place Liu Xie on the throne, then all her plans would be in vain.
Liu Xie might become a qualified Son of Heaven, but the situation in the Han is just about needing to tear down before building up.
At this point, supporting the nation has little meaning; it might be better to let the first one break the cup of rebellion in Luoyang.
So, Qiao Yan has to stay on the fringes for a little longer.
Upon her return to the Saiyin Mountain Ridge camp, she checked the supplies and defenses around her, ensuring that this delay wouldn’t harm her side and then sighed in relief.
With those assurances in place, she even took two days to select a piece of black stone on this somewhat barren land as the achievement record stone.
It was fairly square-shaped, which made Qiao Yan quite pleased.
As for Qiao Yan’s “non-serious” behavior, the accompanying generals actually—
They didn’t really mind!
They watched as Qiao Yan used the tip of her iron spear to carve their battle achievements into the black stone.
Now that’s some impressive calligraphy!
Maybe it was inspired by personally experiencing the battle, or perhaps carving on stone felt more tactile than writing on paper; anyway, what they saw on this achievement stone could truly be called iron writing on silver hooks.
The only one in the know, the system, witnessing Qiao Yan hit level 7 in calligraphy skills, couldn’t help but fall into a long silence.
It had previously considered that if it had spare points, it could upgrade her skills to make her more convincing as a strategist; but Qiao Yan dismissed that reasoning by saying it was good enough.
With affairs in Leping and Jinyang keeping her busy, she had hardly any time to practice writing.
But at a moment when it thought she shouldn’t have spent points on that skill, she pulled off such a masterpiece.
To Qiao Yan, any skill must come into play right when it matters most; if this could help win over the warriors under her command, it wouldn’t be in vain.
General Dou Xian’s stone carving at Yanshan had been recorded by the military scribe Ban Gu.
Qiao Yan figured she didn’t possess Ban Gu’s talent, so she simply wrote down a few lines.
“In the fifth month of the Central平 year, the Han’s Bingzhou Marquis of Leping Qiao Yan, together with Military Officer Zhang Liao, Yanmen County Officer Zhang Yang, and Yanmen County Soldier Cao Yuan Lü Bu, patrolled and harassed, striking at the Xianbei. Ten thousand riders marched in unison, pursuing along the white road, slaying the Xianbei general Fuluohan here, then proceeding northward to chase down the Chanyu in the wild. This can be said:
“In awe of the imperial might, God’s arms do not slay. Like thunder’s crash, none dare to resist. The territories reclaimed, who would dare to encroach.”
The imperial might and divine arms reclaim the land!
This stone of achievement left at Saiyin Mountain Ridge, even if written in the memorial sent to the heavens, couldn’t point out any flaws in Qiao Yan’s actions.
Who could blame her for attributing her reasons for attacking the Xianbei to the preservation of the Han Dynasty’s sacred might?
Qiao Yan inspected this inscription from various angles, feeling quite pleased as she set down her spear.
Even if her calligraphy level up came with additional carving skills, sculpting like this still made her wrist ache.
But the result was undoubtedly quite remarkable.
Zhang Liao was always restrained, so he didn’t show much, but Zhang Yang and Lü Bu were different.
Though they were a bit rough, they weren’t illiterate, so they could clearly read Qiao Yan’s writing.
Even if their names followed Zhang Liao’s in order, seeing the four characters “like thunder’s crash” still couldn’t hide their smiles.
IF their thoughts were translated, it’d be something like: “We’ve got to memorize this for the next time we brag!”
And had it not been for Qiao Yan’s bold decision to move in this direction, they wouldn’t have achieved such military exploits and recordings.
Qiao Yan was indeed right; it was a matter of promoting loyalty.
Moreover, staying here for another five days wasn’t only for resting and raising the stone.
Budugen finally received news of his brother’s death, but he knew he couldn’t blame Qiao Yan for the leader’s death.
For he also received another message—
Qian Man, frightened by the Han army, headed east without looking back and even chose to seek refuge with the Xianbei sub-branch.
So Budugen quickly gathered his people, comforting those scattered and fleeing due to the turmoil, while also putting his succession to Chanyu on the table.
With this maneuver, the Xianbei royal court moved a bit northward, at least past the Du Luo River, making it much easier for them to defend against an external enemy.
Then Budugen wasted no time executing Qiao Yan’s earlier instruction to gather the sheep and cattle remains.
Even though he didn’t know why the Bingzhou Marquis needed those, dead animals reduced to just a skeleton were utterly useless to them.
Exchanging thousands of these carcasses for a temporary stable situation, rather than facing a nasty counterattack from Qiao Yan, was definitely a sweet deal.
Thus, four days after Qiao Yan left the Xianbei royal court, Budugen had loaded up this batch of remains, sending them towards the border, and conveniently not needing to go to Yanmen, directly transferring them to Qiao Yan on the way.
Along with what she “appropriated” were the horses pulling the carts.
Budugen’s envoy found it hard to discern whether Qiao Yan’s actions were deliberate or accidental, and while still in a confused state, he was drawn to admire the stone inscription in the pool.
“After I leave, this place won’t be destroyed, right?” Qiao Yan asked, pointing at the carving.
The envoy quickly shook his head.
If they dared to do so, with Qiao Yan’s temperament, who knows whether she’d carve the words on their faces next time.
Besides, as it was just left here, and not displayed in their royal court, Qiao Yan, being victorious, naturally could do this.
“Alright, let’s move!”
Hearing that this calamity was finally returning south of the Yanshan Mountains, the messenger instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
He watched as the six-thousand-strong army led away the bodies of their comrades who died in battle, along with the sheep and cattle they originally had in this camp, making their tribute toward the south.
Seeing the opposition’s figures fade, he felt though he had lost some horse-drawn vehicles, he somewhat lived up to Budugen’s expectations.
Let’s hope that this autumn’s tribute can indeed bring about genuine peace… maybe?
Qiao Yan was certainly a woman of her word!
With Budugen at the helm, the Xianbei people were currently her key source for sheep and horses; she surely wouldn’t resort to reckless plundering at this moment.
Four days after leaving Saiyin Mountain Ridge, she finally arrived at the border between Yanmen County and the frontier.
As these fierce generals accompanied Qiao Yan out to the borders, Yanmen Prefect Guo Yun simply came to guard the spot himself.
But what surprised Qiao Yan was not only his presence; he even brought along his only six-year-old son. What was that about?
The little lad, staring at the disheveled soldiers and the herd of sheep and cattle they brought back, had stars shining in his eyes.
Zhang Yang lifted him up so he could see better; he questioned cheerfully, “Uncle, did you eat those just-bones on the way?”
Qiao Yan overheard his question and replied without a hint of embarrassment, “That’s right, those are our losses while marching. When we take them back and plant them, we’ll have new sheep and cattle.”
“……” Guo Yun wanted to say, even though Marquis Qiao, you’re only about fourteen to fifteen years old, you really didn’t need to play the kiddo.
But thinking of this being the first victory of an active offensive from the Han against the barbarian invaders in years, he as a Bingzhou native couldn’t help but feel stirred and found himself at a loss for words.
He then heard Qiao Yan ask, “Prefect Guo, do you have wine and meat for the soldiers?”
“Yes! Of course!” Guo Yun quickly replied.
They had been on an expedition for a month, and even though they knew Qiao Yan and her accompanying generals were quite capable and likely wouldn’t run into trouble, the absence of news still made one anxious.
The climate outside the fortress, the possibility of getting lost, and the Xianbei’s inherent nature to plunder made it understandable to worry about unexpected incidents.
Fortunately, they returned with successes, obviously not having faced many hardships; it had already turned out to be the best result considering the environment on the frontier left them looking worn out!
Even if Qiao Yan hadn’t yet shared the true accomplishments of their expedition with them, undoubtably, the soldiers who faced death for their missions deserved to be treated to fine wine and meats!
Long before Qiao Yan left Yanmen, he had someone store the wine in the warehouse of the prefecture, and now was the perfect time to put it to use.
Qiao Yan smiled, “Alright, let the soldiers freshen up and gather at the training ground. I’ll write a letter, and you can deliver it to Taiyuan about our victory.”
Not to mention the soldiers, even in the expedition, Qiao Yan, as the commander, naturally enjoyed the best treatment, and at that moment, they all felt like they were encased in a layer of wind and sand.
The Yanshan Mountains certainly were… remarkably effective at blocking the wind and sand.
Once she cleaned up and changed into more practical attire for action, she had earlier instructed them to celebrate freely without waiting for her, so the training grounds were already bustling with grilling racks and wine jars.
Even when they were resting at the Saiyin Mountain Ridge camp, although they already had some victories under their belt, Qiao Yan hadn’t allowed them to celebrate with the Xianbei’s stored wine, just in case they were caught off guard.
But now, they could drink to their hearts’ content.
However, the loudest voice she heard was from Lü Bu, who after downing two jars of wine, shouted out.
He had reported to her before about the circumstances during the pursuit of the leader. Now hearing the news of the leader’s death from Budugen’s envoy only added to his boasting rights.
He apparently had a flair for storytelling, recapping how he hurled his Fangtian Huaji while bellowing, “I am Lü Fengxian of Wuyuan!” Qiao Yan couldn’t help but chuckle.
Just as Lü Bu was illustrating his nocking an arrow after the toss, he suddenly heard a shout for “catch this!” and turned to find Qiao Yan throwing a jar of wine his way, eagerly catching it.
However, when he tilted it back to his mouth, he nearly choked.
This was nothing like the mild wine he had previously drunk!
The surrounding soldiers, just hearing Lü Bu’s story, burst into laughter. “Lü Fengxian, you can’t be serious! A hero of Wuyuan can’t even handle a single drink?”
Lü Bu felt quite the struggle to explain.
Now, the wine of this era is rated mildly by modern standards… strongly.
“It’s only about twenty-five to twenty-six degrees; even the so-called strong liquor falls into this range.”
But what Qiao Yan suddenly brought him was definitely more than that.
He glanced at Qiao Yan, unable to shake the thought that he might have been a bit too smug earlier, which led to her serving him a punishment.
“Heroes deserve strong wine, what’s the problem?” Qiao Yan raised an eyebrow.
Well, she had a point.
Lü Bu, feeling the fiery sensation of the drink as it went down his throat, thought this was the only kind of wine deserving of the pride of the Bingzhou men.
At most, Qiao Yan hadn’t given him a heads-up, almost causing him to make a fool of himself.
How could he know that at this moment, Qiao Yan was actually considering that while it was essential to elevate his loyalty to her, it was also necessary to keep his ego in check to prevent him from getting too cocky?
But right after a battle was not the time for any kind of “kick the mule after the load is lightened” behavior, so she decided to feed him this fiery liquor first.
This was indeed some serious firewater.
The earlier method of Supplementary Fermentation, which had been improved by the Wang family of Jinyang, had served to enhance the brewery’s product, and Qiao Yan still kept some winemaking skills alive in Leping.
Now that she had enough manpower after setting up her workshop in the mountains, some things could be experimented with.
Like alcohol.
But before the distillation technology she had described developed to a certain level, the first output was still distilled liquor.
Once the distilled liquor was ready, the sorghum liquor was put on the agenda.
This crop, introduced from the Silk Road, was only cultivated on a small scale in Bingzhou, but its importance for distilled liquor was indisputable.
This was the fiery liquor that Lü Bu held in his hand now.
Qiao Yan sat down on the platform at the training ground and pointed at the wine in Lü Bu’s hand, saying, “I only left this jar here before heading out from Yanmen to reward the one who performed the best in this battle. Shouldn’t you finish it?”
Only this jar?
Well, even if he had to grit his teeth, he had to finish it!
But being called the first strong liquor at seventy or eighty degrees made sense; even Lü Bu, who prided himself on holding his liquor, was brought down by this one jar.
Qiao Yan waved her hand and had Lü Bu carried off.
Then she casually pointed at the clerk in the camp and said, “Note that Lü Fengxian was taken down by a single jar at the victory feast.”
The training ground erupted into cheerful laughter.
If Lü Bu had known it would turn out like this, he probably should have just shared the liquor instead.
However, Qiao Yan had no intention of selling the sorghum liquor. She was still busy figuring out her alcohol or strong liquor for disinfection, so apart from Lü Bu, no one else was going to get this treatment anytime soon.
Qiao Yan lifted a jug of wine prepared by Guo Yun and addressed everyone below: “Everyone, let’s keep it short today, just like before heading out.”
“We won’t return until we’re drunk!”
This phrase was indeed short, but for these motivated soldiers celebrating their victory, it was a rallying cry.
A month of military campaigns had already faded some of the youthful innocence from Qiao Yan’s face, making her sharp features stand out even more.
But for these soldiers of Yanmen, that sharpness was not off-putting; rather, it signified the bond they shared in battle.
We won’t return until we’re drunk!
The young governor seated on the platform raised the jug of wine against the darkening sky, making her silhouette stand out against the backdrop. But in the glow of the surrounding bonfires, she shone like the brightest star.
“Join me in this toast!”
This was the glory of victory!
When Lü Bu finally managed to peel himself off the ground with a throbbing headache, it was already noon the next day.
Hearing that Qiao Yan had hurried back to the provincial capital, he was instantly frozen in place.
Fortunately, someone delivered the message from Qiao Yan, telling him to continue sitting in his position as the soldiers’ clerk in Yanmen County until she reported her achievements to Luoyang and received a response regarding his position.
Lü Bu quickly sprang into action.
Upon hearing that the cattle and sheep captured from the Xianbei were temporarily being kept in Baidao Chuan, he felt invigorated.
Qiao Yan wasn’t lying to me!
Regardless of whether he had fully recovered from his drunken state, he picked up that Fangtian Huaji and set off to patrol the Great Wall.
Even with nothing but a wild grass-covered wall in sight, his enthusiasm was undiminished.
Meanwhile, Qiao Yan was already penning a report to be sent to the capital.
But figuring out how to write this report took a bit of consideration.
Just like when she requested permission for her troop deployment, rounding up the number of people involved; now, she needed to consolidate and modify certain messages to maximize her benefits.
For instance, the idea of “tribute” she had thought of earlier.
So, in this report, she wrote down that to avoid being detected by Xianbei scouts, she chose to cross the Yanshan from Baidao Pass, kill the Xianbei noble Fuluohan at Saiyin Mountain Ridge, and attached the head as proof.
However, on her expedition, she had no time to bring lime to preserve the head, so though the northern land was cold, Fuluohan’s head was beginning to look a bit worse for wear.
Giving this as a tribute was meant to show Liu Hong her attitude; sending something was better than nothing.
Next, she noted that the time spent on her journey to the Xianbei royal court exceeded that of directly attacking Saiyin Mountain Ridge.
Of course, from a logistical perspective, that was true, but how Liu Hong would interpret that was another story.
Like thinking she had gotten lost in the northern territory for a while, and then slightly embellishing that in her wording was also acceptable.
This indeed left room for her to plan her next outing.
Then she headed to the results of the battle.
With an army of “ten thousand,” they had killed four thousand front-line Xianbei troops at Saiyin Mountain Ridge and caused chaos at the Xianbei royal court near the Du Luo River, resulting in about two thousand Xianbei dead, with the son of the previous chieftain fleeing to Liaodong while the current chieftain, Quidou, was heavily wounded and perished.
With such a show of force, the Xianbei would definitely think twice about invading the border this year, ensuring a stable winter. If necessary, she could undertake similar actions next year.
They had also plundered around eight thousand Xianbei cattle and sheep, with five thousand grazing in Baidao Chuan, and a thousand as rewards for the accompanying soldiers.
In reality, that thousand was originally carcasses meant for fertilizer, but Liu Hong was none the wiser. Including the thousand cattle and sheep grazing at Saiyin Mountain Ridge made it seem more impressive.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why she only brought back these.
Qiao Yan held the pen, looking at the more striking characters she had scribbled on the silk. It felt more convincing now.
Then she continued writing, “In the battle at Saiyin Mountain Ridge, Lü Fengxian fought bravely, beheading Fuluohan, and should rightfully be rewarded. The Xianbei would lose courage at just hearing his name; I ask Your Majesty to promote him to the position of Chief Commander in Yunzhong County, establishing a guard against the Hu tribes to secure the mountain pass.”
This was her promise to Lü Bu.
Finally, it ended with some customary remarks—
“I could return victorious and am grateful for Your Majesty’s trust. Please grant permission for a stone monument to commemorate this with Your Majesty’s illustrious title, showcasing your authority at the border.”
This report, finalized with the last character, was quickly dispatched by Qiao Yan to the capital, soon to appear on Liu Hong’s desk.
“Baidao Chuan…”
Liu Hong muttered the name that Qiao Yan mentioned.
With his understanding of Bingzhou as a remote area, he couldn’t possibly anticipate what kind of agricultural output could be achieved if it were cultivated.
He also contemplated Qiao Yan’s suggestion: “Since we’re deploying from Baidao Pass, why not establish a stronghold there as a warning to the Xianbei?”
If for this reason—
Liu Hong found no need to decline her proposal for setting up a fort.
Even the title of Chief Commander could be easily approved as a reward; it was really nothing to fuss over.
But it wasn’t just about not declining!
Upon receiving Qiao Yan’s letter, he was undoubtedly more delighted than surprised.
Qiao Yan’s achievements, though not shocking, were certainly commendable.
With General Wei and Cavalry Commander Huo’s decisive victory in the northern desert, and General Dou’s commendable actions at Yanzhan, Qiao Yan merely dealt a heavy blow to the Xianbei, making them wary of further incursions.
Even compared to Taijun Tai, Qiao Yan’s actions seemed to lack a bit of ferocity.
However, evaluating against the lingering rebellions in Liangzhou and Youzhou from the spring of the fifth year of Zhongping, Qiao Yan effectively dispersed the Xianbei’s influence while managing to handle Bingzhou’s internal affairs. This made her the youngest governor with remarkable achievements.
This undoubtedly validated the decision he made last year; there were no issues whatsoever.
Qiao Yan was indeed the most suitable candidate to take over as governor of Bingzhou!
As spring flourished, Liu Hong’s ailing health slightly improved, which might have allowed him to entertain the illusion that he had a few more years to live.
Consequently, he dismissed the idea of determining a regent for Liu Xie any time soon and felt that Qiao Yan wielding that sharp knife of Bingzhou against the Xiongnu was a good sign of his continued ambition.
She simply wanted to build a new city at Baidao Chuan; what was the harm in that?
He pondered over the decree for quite some time since he had a fondness for calligraphy and appreciated Qiao Yan’s progress.
Amid the stress of battle, the weariness of the frontier was portrayed sharply in her writing.
Good! This was indeed his trusted aide.
He didn’t think for a second that the warmth of the sun in spring was merely superficial while the real deadly illness lingered beneath.
At that moment, he instructed a nearby aide to prepare ink for him and picked up his brush to write a decree of approval.
This decree reached Jinyang a few days later.
In the month after Qiao Yan left Bingzhou, everything had already been planned during the winter, and many capable officials were handling the affairs, ensuring that everything proceeded as usual.
Perhaps the only unusual thing was that she was the core around which this team operated, and during her absence, even Jia Xu, who usually wanted to laze around in his current position, sensed the unusual atmosphere in the provincial government.
Even he felt a bit out of sorts for not having received any assignments from Qiao Yan during that month.
Fortunately, the governor who had personally led the expedition returned safely, and though no one in the government openly expressed excessive sentiment, their many concerns for her were evident in every little action.
The most touching thing for Qiao Yan was how Cheng Yu consistently handled logistical matters like a champ. Aside from the provincial officials’ reports that required her approval, he had already neatly cleared everything else away.
The day before the imperial envoy arrived in Bingzhou to deliver the decree, Qiao Yan even found some time to run into the fields to ensure that the improvements in fertilizer and farming tools were bringing real changes to Bingzhou’s agriculture.
This time, Bi Lan was the one who received the imperial command.
When Qiao Yan returned to the provincial capital, her hair still had bits of grass in it, which reminded him of the Dragon Bone Waterwheel that she had previously asked him to devise, drawing a slight smile from him.
That Qiao Yan… she truly was a bit different.
But having earned the title of Marquis of Leping last time he issued a command, and with this latest imperial decree, it was clearly not a coincidence.
Realizing that Qiao Yan had become Liu Hong’s trusted confidant, Bi Lan also presented a friendly gesture toward her before he began reading.
“Qiao Yan, Governor of Bingzhou, heed the decree —”
This unexpected command caught Qiao Yan completely off guard.
Originally, she thought it was sufficient to get an affirmative response from Liu Hong, but she never expected that the achievements she considered minor would turn out to be Liu Hong’s only good news this year.
Because of this, he had to deliver a commendation publicly.
Not an excessive one, but still weighty enough.
“In accordance with Heaven’s will, you are hereby appointed.”
“On the seventh day of the fourth month of the fifth year of Zhongping… decree for Qiao Yan, Governor of Bingzhou.”
“Recognizing your contributions against external threats and internal disruptions, leading troops to combat the Hu Realm, with Heaven’s command and supreme authority enhancing the frontiers. Although young, you possess military aspirations, and although the troops are limited, I hope you will diligently govern, effectively eliminate the external threats, and I hereby appoint you as General Against the Invaders, honorably!”
Qiao Yan looked up, her expression filled with astonishment.
The title of General!
Even if it was a minor generalship, there were still various title-holding generals; but considering that the title of General hadn’t proliferated yet, this was indeed a rare honor!
