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“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
The ranks of generals in the Han dynasty, aside from the Grand General, are mostly deemed temporary and discarded once the battles are over.
But in today’s chaotic world, these ranks are in a state of permanent readiness.
Beyond the title of General of the Captured, there are not just the usual four town generals, but also Grand General He Jin, Cavalry General Dong Zhong, Chariot General He Miao, and the still-vacant Wei General title.
Yet, these four generals in Liu Hong’s appointed ranks are typically filled by relatives of the Imperial family, unless an unusual situation arises like Huangfu Song and Zhang Wen fighting the Liangzhou rebels.
So, for Qiao Yan to get the title of General of the Captured is definitely a delightful surprise!
This means that among the four current governors, with her holding both the title of County Marquis and General at a young age, she stands at the highest status.
Unless Liu Yu or Liu Xie manages to rise through historical means, the other governors can’t surpass her.
If Liu Bian or Liu Xie ascend to power similarly to the historical timeline, one wouldn’t have the time to appoint several generals, while the other’s promotions hold a bit of an illegitimate flavor. Thus, the significance of her General of the Captured title amplifies significantly.
Once the chaos erupts, don’t be fooled by the initial intention of this general title as merely Liu Hong showing her symbolic favor. This position undoubtedly becomes her badge of capturing the rightful stance against rebels.
And there’s another advantage!
Now that the position of governor doesn’t exclusively limit the opening of a government office to only generals, when she attempts to recruit personnel, should the positions below the governor become insufficient, she can appoint officials from the General of the Captured to fill those roles.
This imperial decree isn’t just Liu Hong giving her a blade; rather, it’s her acquiring an additional weapon to wield.
As various ideas raced through Qiao Yan’s mind in an instant, her face maintained a respectful and surprised demeanor as she accepted the decree from Bi Lan.
“Your Majesty’s trust, I dare not hope for, but I shall take it upon myself to eliminate external difficulties and restore order along the borders.”
After saying this and standing up, Qiao Yan turned to Bi Lan and asked, “Would Bi Attendant care to accompany me to see the state of the Dragon Bone Waterwheel?”
The other Palace Attendants only needed to maintain a normal relationship with her, enough for Liu Hong to see her stance, but Bi Lan was special.
Even though encountering Ma Jun due to Ma Lun wasn’t too difficult for her, in this era, mechanical talent was something she could never have too much of.
Bi Lan’s clever skills in Liu Hong’s hand were all about building those bronze waterwheels, but in Qiao Yan’s hands, the possibilities were endless.
Since he was the one summoned, naturally, further strengthening their ties was necessary.
Of course, before she led Bi Lan to tour around, Qiao Yan had already arranged for things to ensure that nothing like curved plows or iron harrows would be present in their traversed farmland.
Fortunately, it was already April, and the fields were plentifully sprouted with young shoots; these plows and harrows had been temporarily removed to avoid exposing anything.
Thus, what Bi Lan saw was a scene even greener than the farms in Sanfu.
The farmers came and went looking serene, not acting merely to impress this messenger of the Son of Heaven.
He couldn’t help but praise, “County Marquis Qiao, not only skilled in archery and horsemanship but also a capable commander, has put forth impressive agricultural accomplishments as well.”
Thinking that this was still Bingzhou, a border area in the eyes of Louyang, Bi Lan’s praise became even more genuine.
He also gazed at the waterway and waterwheel in the fields, momentarily pausing to reflect.
There were unspoken thoughts he didn’t need to express, but Qiao Yan was well aware of them.
These eunuchs, as powerful tools in the hand of the Emperor, likely didn’t just want to enjoy the wealth and power they possessed during their lifetime, nor did they want to meet a grim fate like Wang Fu, having nobody to bury them.
If they could leave behind a record in history that benefited the populace, that would be a splendid thing.
But Liu Hong seemed to use his ingenious inventions mainly as ornaments or for amusement, unlike County Marquis Qiao…
This is a method for all people to remember!
As they left Jinyang, Bi Lan felt a tad reluctant.
He thought about whether, after his return to Luoyang, he should come up with some special inventions to see if he could do something concrete for this County Marquis.
With this thought, he even forgot that reading such a decree was supposed to be a cushy task of collecting rewards from the other party.
Qiao Yan naturally wouldn’t specifically remind him of this.
After all, everyone was in a joyful state right now, so there was no need to add another task for her clerks to increase expenses from the government storehouse.
Qiao Yan had the mindset that if the Emperor hadn’t given her any reward, she didn’t have to give anything in return, though right after sending Bi Lan off, she turned around to meet Xi Zhicai’s teasing gaze.
“Seeing through yet keeping quiet—we should do that well as qualified officials, shouldn’t we, sir?” Qiao Yan spoke.
Xi Zhicai clasped his hands, “Mental satisfaction is still satisfaction. County Marquis Qiao, your brilliance has left us waiting, I only wish to congratulate you again.”
“Congratulations for what?”
“The new city around Baidaochuan can now officially become your private property.” Xi Zhicai replied calmly.
Ah!
With this approval coming through, this area just north of Bingzhou that she would manage had officially taken shape.
From Baidaokou, Wugao, Wuyao, Liangcheng along the southern foot of Yanshan, pushing south within three hundred miles, there were almost no residents from Bingzhou’s territory, but this land had irrigated by the Yellow River’s tributaries, had salt marshes lying within, along with coal and iron resources ready for mining—a solid treasure trove.
Along with the establishment of border garrisons at Baidaokou, military settlements in this wasteland could officially be set up.
April sowing—there’s still time!
According to historical developments, this new city’s nearest name should be Dong Shouxiang City, but considering the thoughts of the leeks on the grassland, it shouldn’t rightly be called that.
So either she would name it after Wugao, Wugao, and Wuqu, dubbing it Wuchuan, or, as she decided due to her control over her territory, she concluded to name it—
Suiyuan City.
This was also a name that appeared in later generations to refer to this place.
Considering that this name, like Shouxiang City, also connotes pacification and tranquility, it indeed had to be a bit more restrained.
Lü Bu felt the city name was somewhat modest, but when named by Qiao Yan in the context of the new city being built, he couldn’t hide his eagerness about it moving from Yanmen to this place.
The last time he had come to this Bingzhou capital was clearly just four months ago when he resigned from his county office; he could now count himself once more among the ranks, not only going to kill enemies beyond the Great Wall but also receiving a position as the county commander of Yunzhong.
“While Suiyuan City is under construction, I hope you’ll stay temporarily at Leping.” Qiao Yan said after indicating him to take a seat.
Before Lü Bu could ask why he needed to go to Leping, she already continued, “I hold great expectations for Suiyuan City and have already sent the farmers to measure out the farmland available for tilling; I also plan to construct the walls of Suiyuan City based on the conditions of the Guyang Road walls, using cement…”
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“With the construction of green bricks, if you are in charge but know nothing about it, how can you justify your rapid promotion?”
Lü Bu pondered upon Qiao Yan’s words and thought they made a lot of sense.
If he relied solely on his bravery, he definitely wouldn’t hold a high position. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been defeated by Zhang Liao, nor would he still be under Zhang Liao’s command despite having taken the position of a duwei.
To lead a city, one should have the proper skills!
Qiao Yan continued, “You should stay at Leping Academy for two months. I’ll arrange for specialized lessons for you, so that when you return to oversee the construction of Suiyuan City, you’ll be well-versed in all aspects. How does that sound?”
Since the appointment as duwei of Yunzhong was still in his hands, Lü Bu couldn’t find any reason to oppose it.
However, he then heard Qiao Yan mention, “I heard you have a daughter, who is eight this year. It’s about time for her to start her education. Why not send her to the academy as well? Recently, Governor Guo mentioned he wanted to send Guo Huai there, so it would be perfect for them to enroll together.”
Lü Bu agreed without a second thought.
But who was Guo Yun? He was from the esteemed Guo family of Yangqu!
With such a background, he still chose to send his son to Leping Academy, showing his trust in Qiao Yan’s ability to educate the youth.
If his daughter could receive such education early on, even if she didn’t rise to the legendary statuses of Qiao Yan—receiving titles of nobility and military honors—she could still end up in the court as a female officer like Cai Zhaoji.
However, as he exited the provincial government building, a rather serious thought crossed his mind.
Wait a minute…
Would that mean they would be attending the same school?
He had heard that Leping Academy publicly posted grades, and although he assumed he and his daughter would be in different courses, what if they ended up registered for the same class? What if she was ranked below him? What a disaster that would be!
He recalled hearing about how Qiao Yan had once put Jia Xu and Jia Mu in a position where they had to compete against each other for performance. It was amusing back then, but now the roles would be reversed!
Of course, little did he know that Qiao Yan was secretly considering whether Jia Xu could take a subordinate position in Suiyuan City.
Lü Bu was a tough nut to crack, and Qiao Yan had no plans to put Jia Xu in charge of managing him.
The main reason for appointing him to that position was—
the initial construction of Suiyuan City had many agricultural and military tasks to tackle. It was crucial to have someone independent yet capable of communicating well with Lü Bu, and ideally, someone knowledgeable about the Hu people north of the Yanshan Mountains.
There weren’t many people under Qiao Yan with such capabilities, but the most free and suitable was Jia Xu.
With Lü Bu, a ferocious warrior, stationed there, and the Xianbei still nursing their wounds from Qiao Yan’s recent victories, they weren’t likely to cause trouble anytime soon. The safety of Suiyuan City seemed assured. More fortifications on the city walls would turn it into the perfect fortress!
Perfect! The reasoning was solid.
After arranging for Lü Bu to go to Leping Academy, Qiao Yan thought about her plans for Jia Xu and wrote another appointment letter.
This one was for Cai Zhenji.
Earlier, Cai Yong had requested Cai Zhenji and her husband Yang Xuan to come stay at Leping due to his position in Bingzhou’s academy. But because of the inconvenient travel in winter and the need to care for his sick mother-in-law, they only set off in early spring.
When they arrived in Bingzhou, it was already March, right when Qiao Yan was off to war beyond the borders.
After Qiao Yan’s return, she hadn’t found time to meet them officially. Nevertheless, if she wanted updates on Bingzhou, reports were sure to make their way to her.
For example, Cai Zhaoji mentioned that the Yang family of Taishan had become more of a name than substance over the years, and she compared her sister’s current state to how she had looked when she went to Luoyang with their father to mourn for Qiao Xuan, noting she looked even more haggard now.
The locust plague and epidemics in the Central Plains had brought even more suffering to the impoverished.
Qiao Yan seized the opportunity to inquire about Cai Zhenji and Yang Xuan’s educational qualifications through Zhaoji.
Zhaoji was truthful in her assessment, saying, “Yang Xuan excels in governance, while my sister excels in managing people.”
With that, Qiao Yan felt reassured.
Since both had come to Leping for the sake of Cai Yong’s beloved eldest daughter, Qiao Yan was in no rush to assign them duties.
However, now she had a chance to arrange a position for Cai Zhenji.
Lü Bu’s daughter and Guo Huai’s son would be enrolling, and since Lu Yuan was busy liaising with the noble families in Bingzhou, she figured it would be better to have Cai Zhenji in a teaching role.
Guo Huai had the makings of a great general, and she thought Cai Zhenji could teach him, just as she could potentially teach Lü Bu’s daughter—
Qiao Yan didn’t know much about her, but she’d heard from Lü Bu that she had a warrior’s spirit and a potential for martial prowess.
“How about sending your son along to enroll?” Qiao Yan suggested, looking towards Dian Wei.
Dian Wei had a wife in Chenliu when he was repaying his debt of gratitude to the Tian family, so it wasn’t an issue for him according to contemporary views. However, Qiao Yan’s suggestion seemed a bit irresponsible, especially since she later learned his wife was pregnant but hadn’t yet shown it, and even Dian Wei only found out later.
Fortunately, after Dian Wei followed her to Leping, he had brought his wife with him, so safety concerns were eliminated, and she had safely given birth to Dian Man.
Now that they wanted to lower the age barrier for enrollment, five-year-old Dian Man could certainly be included.
This would fulfill her promise to Dian Wei. Since Leping Academy was her enterprise, Dian Man’s enrollment was kind of like making her his teacher.
Furthermore, with such a class of children, it might be beneficial to cultivate them with a focus on martial prowess.
To this end, she had also set her sights on the eldest son of Linghu Shao, the current officer in Shuofang.
Dian Wei had no objections, readily agreeing.
But…
Seeing the neatly lined up ages of five, six, seven, and eight, Qiao Yan found it somewhat amusing.
Thank goodness they were just considered students of the academy and not her subordinates; otherwise, the average age of officials in Bingzhou would drop dramatically!
Turning her brush around, she decided to go all in and wrote “Leping Kindergarten” in bold, sending it along with “Suiyuan City” to the craftsmen in town to make corresponding plaques.
Preparing for the future would take at least ten years. By the time these children graduated, they would surely be of use to her, and she had the patience to wait for them to grow.
It was just like how she could steadily develop now, with enough patience for Bingzhou’s situation to improve year by year.
As she poised to write orders to send craftsmen from Leping to Baidaochuan, the gentle April breeze arrived, along with a light rain that fell on this vibrant green land.
Qiao Yan turned her gaze toward the window and saw streams of raindrops cascading from the eaves, complementing the verdant bamboo outside, creating a pale green curtain.
At that moment, a chirping sparrow landed on the windowsill, not too shy, and looked her way.
During the previous years of disaster, birds were rarely seen, but now they added splashes of color to the lush scenes.
Qiao Yan noticed this sight, halting her brush, a smile spreading across her lips.
Truly, this was a joyful rain…
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