Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Clear Voice of the Young Phoenix, Chapter 12: The Dagger Revealed at the End of the Map

Book:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 012

No matter what, this reason was too relatable for Liang Zhongning, and he was immediately convinced.

However, if he had paid attention to Dian Wei’s expression at this moment, he would have noticed a hint of speechless choking on the other’s slightly dark face.

As soon as Liang Zhongning left, Dian Wei blurted out, “When did I ever say I wanted my son to become your disciple?”

Qiao Yan glanced at him, “Do you want to be restricted everywhere when you go out, even have the rebel leader guard against you, and then shackle you?”

Dian Wei thought about this scene and chose to shut up.

As Qiao Yan said, with the reason she provided as a backup, although Dian Wei could be considered a “surrendered general,” he still had considerable freedom of movement in Puyang City.

In the first few days, people would occasionally glance at him.

But in Qiao Yan’s view, this glance was more like looking at an oddity, even with a bit of admiration.

After she called one of them over to inquire, her guess was confirmed.

The Yellow Turban soldier said, “Sir, don’t blame us for being rude. It’s just that when this strongman Dian was captured, it took us a lot of effort, even the combined strength of several people to subdue him. Later, when the rebel leader competed with him in strength, it was even…”

He couldn’t say that Liang Zhongning’s scene was a bit ridiculous, so he just scratched the back of his head and smiled honestly, leaving it unsaid.

“We wanted to see how this strongman Dian has such martial strength, how much food he eats in a day. If we could learn a thing or two from him, it would be useful.”

As if afraid that Qiao Yan would have any objections to them, he added, “But after all, the sir is still the sir, able to recruit such a strongman under his command.”

In these times, capable people are respected, especially since Qiao Yan could help Liang Zhongning keep them fed.

Even though she was a child, the speaker did not look down on her.

Seeing Qiao Yan wave her hand to signal him to continue his patrol, he quickly ran to catch up with the previous team.

Of course, this wasn’t the end. She estimated that Liang Zhongning had left some spies to monitor Dian Wei’s actions.

But with Dian Wei’s fellow villager still comfortably settled in prison, and seeing that he indeed had no unusual movements, Liang Zhongning felt at ease and withdrew the spies.

But just as he withdrew them, trouble arose.

While listening to his soldiers report the situation, he rushed to the scene with a grim expression.

When he arrived, he saw Dian Wei holding his twin halberds, blocking in front of Qiao Yan, with several corpses lying opposite him.

If these were just people in Puyang City dissatisfied with his occupation and wanting to attack the military strategist he recognized, it would be one thing. But the ones lying dead were also Yellow Turbans, and not under his command.

They were Bu Ji’s men.

Not far from the corpses stood a middle-aged man in armor, with a bandit-like aura, most notably a yellow cloth tied around his forehead.

This man stared tightly at Dian Wei’s heavy halberd, which seemed ready to stab him at any moment, gripping his sword tightly.

Seeing Liang Zhongning arrive, his expression relaxed but quickly turned into a storm of anger, “Liang Jing, you must give me an explanation!”

Liang Zhongning ignored his angry shout, first giving Qiao Yan an apologetic look, saying, “Sir, you’ve been frightened,” before turning to Bu Ji.

Having already inquired about the situation on the way, Liang Zhongning naturally knew that although Qiao Yan had been moving around frequently and “coincidentally” ran into Bu Ji, in the end—

This matter was Bu Ji’s fault, not the sir’s.

Ever since he got the 600,000 hu of grain and preserved pork from the Tian Family Fortress, Bu Ji’s eyes hadn’t turned back from red.

The three of them had received orders from the Great Virtuous Teacher to station troops in Dong Commandery. Once Bo Cai’s defense line in Changshe changed, they needed to quickly assemble their troops to resist the imperial army.

But when stationing troops in Dong Commandery, it was only said that the three parties should assist each other, not that all the grain should be shared.

Bu Ji didn’t see it that way.

He thought Liang was hiding something.

Previously, during their toasts, they had barely reached an agreement. Liang Zhongning agreed to give a tenth of his gains to the other two, as support for stationing troops under Puyang City as the “host.”

But Bu Ji, who could first plunder villages, turn people into refugees, and force them to join his ranks to plunder cities, could be seen—

He wasn’t a man with a small appetite.

Moreover, he felt that the three of them were originally just small rebel leaders of the Yellow Turbans, but now there was a difference in the number of troops they commanded, and he was getting a bit carried away.

In his view, Liang Zhongning’s capture of Puyang, the capital of Dong Commandery, was ultimately due to his advantageous marching route.

But in terms of ability, there was nothing about Liang that Bu Ji found admirable!

Especially after hearing that he relied on the guidance of a child, Bu Ji felt that letting this man occupy two years’ worth of stored grain was a waste.

Two days ago, after failing to get more grain, he received Liang Zhongning’s reply, “There are countless fortresses around, why don’t you help yourself?”

Bu Ji, being reckless, couldn’t stand such provocation and immediately led his men to besiege one of the fortresses.

But you must know, the amount of grain stored in a fortress is closely related to the wealth of the fortress owner and the amount of land they own.

The Tian Family—not to mention in Puyang, even in Dong Commandery, could be considered one of the top wealthy families.

Thus, after Bu Ji forcefully broke into the fortress, his gains were much less compared to Liang Zhongning’s 600,000 hu.

People fear comparison the most.

Especially when there was no imperial army pressing on Yanzhou, there was naturally less external force to bind the three together.

While checking his gains, Bu Ji couldn’t help but feel more resentment towards Liang Zhongning.

This resentment grew stronger when he tried to attack another larger fortress and, like Liang Zhongning, suffered a defeat.

So when he saw Qiao Yan and Dian Wei swaggering through the streets, and even saw the child giving him a provocative smile, he immediately exploded.

But who is Dian Wei?

One of the prerequisites for a general is strength, and in him, it was extreme.

He could even lift the Yamen Banner with one hand.

In the original historical trajectory, during the battle between Cao Cao and Lü Bu in Puyang during the Xingping era, Dian Wei responded to the call to break the formation. Wearing heavy armor and holding more than ten small halberds, he remained calm even when the enemy was within five steps, throwing halberds at the enemy, breaking their formation, and allowing Cao Cao to retreat.

And in the battle of Wancheng against Zhang Xiu, even though he died in battle, he fought a path for Cao Cao to escape.

He was a top-tier fierce general!

Bu Ji had intended to teach Qiao Yan a lesson, to kill a chicken to scare the monkey, and to warn Liang Zhongning, but he never expected to bite such a hard nut.

Dian Wei had already been informed by Qiao Yan not to worry about anything, and if anyone came to attack, just kill them.

So only Bu Ji’s soldiers lay dead on the street.

If Qiao Yan hadn’t shouted to stop, Bu Ji would have been the next to lose his head.

After the fear, his anger grew even stronger.

This was why, as soon as he saw Liang Zhongning arrive, estimating that the other wouldn’t dare to delay the Great Virtuous Teacher’s affairs and wouldn’t really let him die here, he immediately shouted angrily to seize the upper hand in momentum.

But Liang Zhongning was in no mood to give him face at this moment.

Listen to the excuse this guy used when causing trouble for the sir!

He actually said that Yan Qiao had been provocative in his demeanor!

How could that be possible?

In Liang Zhongning’s understanding, Qiao Yan had only come to help him solve his problems due to astrological signs, as part of a deal to get his men to escort her back to Gaomi.

He had never seen her mention her contributions in the battle to capture the Tian Family Fortress when moving around Puyang City.

Moreover, just yesterday, Qiao Yan had come to ask if he had any extra manpower available, as she had almost finished discussing with Dian Wei and could escort her on her journey.

A person about to leave this place, whose teacher was a great talent of the time, had been confined to the small place of Gaomi for over a decade due to the Prohibition of Factionalists. It was hard to say that he couldn’t be won over after the Yellow Turbans’ victory, becoming a banner for their public appeal.

How could such a person possibly provoke Bu Ji, this reckless man, for no reason!

Furthermore, since meeting Liang Zhongning, Qiao Yan’s demeanor as a famous scholar had left an overly deep impression on him.

Although young, she always appeared calm and composed, making the claim of provocation even more baseless.

With this understanding, Liang Zhongning found Bu Ji even more displeasing.

Upon further consideration of how Bu Ji addressed him, he couldn’t help but think that Dian Wei might as well have just chopped Bu Ji before he arrived.

Then he could just come and clean up the mess.

No… he couldn’t think that way.

Bu Ji’s manpower was almost the same as his, and if you counted the new additions, it was almost twice his.

Even if Bu Ji wasn’t so popular with his subordinates, once some of them started a riot to avenge him, it wouldn’t be easy to handle.

If the Great Virtuous Teacher found out, he would definitely be in trouble.

Thinking of this, Liang Zhongning suppressed his displeasure at Bu Ji’s provocation and said, “Commander Bu, why are you so angry? The General of Heaven has ordered that once we take control of a city, apart from capturing the corrupt officials, we must not recklessly use weapons in the city and disturb the people’s livelihood. Are you planning to violate this order first?”

After saying this, he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

This was something Qiao Yan had taught him yesterday when he was trying to keep her by complaining about his difficult situation and lack of trustworthy people to spare, as a way to deal with Bu Ji.

She said that as long as he occupied this moral high ground, he would have the upper hand.

The latter part was his own elaboration: “Or is it that Commander Bu is using weapons against the sir because you failed in your assault and want to snatch my men to assist you?”

Qiao Yan didn’t know if Liang Zhongning had unlocked some talent for drawing hatred during his previous scolding outside the Tian Family Fortress.

But perhaps it was indeed a bit of genuine disdain for Bu Ji in his heart, which would inevitably reveal itself in his tone no matter how he tried to hide it.

So as soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Yan saw Bu Ji’s face turn red, then white, then green, indescribably ugly.

Failing to attack the fortress was undoubtedly a disgrace for him, and snatching people to assist him was out of the question!

This was just too heart-wrenching!

Bu Ji immediately shouted angrily, “Scholars are useless, let alone such a child. It’s just luck, and only someone of your ability would treat them as an honored guest, what a joke! Why would I kidnap her!”








“On the contrary, you, sheltering this person and this strong man who attacked my soldiers, are you planning to seize the city for yourself, disregarding the orders of the General of Heaven…”

“Rebel Leader, it would be wise to choose your words carefully,” Qiao Yan firmly interrupted him.

Being described as “useless” by Bu Ji did not provoke any anger on her face.

Even though Bu Ji harbored resentment towards her due to Liang Zhongning, he couldn’t help but admire her composure.

He couldn’t help but doubt whether the provocative expression he had seen earlier was just a misjudgment or a misunderstanding born from his own narrow-mindedness.

Qiao Yan continued, “Rebel Leader Liang’s attack on Puyang, successfully capturing the city, and defeating the Tian Family, causing the local tyrants to fear for their safety, all these should align with General Zhang’s plan. To unjustly accuse him of disregarding orders is nothing but a baseless charge!”

Bu Ji, who had intended to demand food, was left speechless by Qiao Yan’s retort, “A baseless charge is easy to make!”

Before he could speak further, he noticed a fleeting anger in Qiao Yan’s eyes, which she didn’t completely conceal. Her tone became more urgent, “As for the Rebel Leader calling it useless and luck, I cannot agree.”

“If the Rebel Leader thinks it’s a fluke, why not set a three-day deadline to see if it’s really just luck!”

Bu Ji sneered, “So, you’re planning to lead people to dig holes again?”

He was quite interested in how Liang Zhongning had breached the fortress, but those who had benefited from it naturally ignored Bu Ji’s inquiries.

All that was left for him to observe was the empty shell of the Tian Family Fortress.

The most obvious signs Bu Ji saw when he led his troops were the holes.

Ignoring the tricks of taunts, fire arrows, and feigned deaths that misled the defenders of the Tian Family Fortress, it was hard not to think their victory was just luck.

But Qiao Yan had no intention of enlightening him.

From hinting at Liang Zhongning her intention to leave, to wandering the streets of Puyang with Dian Wei, to the subtle provocation upon meeting Bu Ji, it was all for this moment.

Seemingly angered by Bu Ji’s remark about digging holes, her clenched fist trembled slightly before slowly relaxing.

Her face still showed a hint of anger, but her tone had calmed down.

“Rebel Leader, you underestimate me too much. Even without digging holes, we can still win. I just hope that when I return, you won’t feel too embarrassed to attend the victory banquet!”

Seeing the child’s calm demeanor barely concealing her frustration, Bu Ji laughed heartily, “If there’s really a victory to celebrate, why not attend the banquet? I’ll surely bring Leader Zhang along to celebrate with you!”

“But if we don’t win…” He left these words hanging as he turned to leave.

After his figure disappeared from sight, Liang Zhongning cautiously approached Qiao Yan and asked, “Sir, are you really going to act out of momentary anger again?”

Qiao Yan’s temporary stay was naturally good news for him.

But hearing that scholars often have high pride, if Sir were to miscalculate due to Bu Ji’s provocation, wouldn’t that be bad?

But all he heard was Qiao Yan, after withdrawing her gaze, reply, “Please lend me five hundred men. Before sunset tomorrow, I’ll bring back the results of the battle.”

“…Are you really going?”

Qiao Yan’s gaze sharpened, “Go! Why not? This person insulted me, belittling my master from Gaomi, Master Zheng. If I don’t achieve something, wouldn’t I bring shame to Master Zheng?”

Seemingly realizing her emotional outburst, she softened her tone, “The Rebel Leader need not go, just lend me some men.”

She calculated that after this matter, she would have to go to Beihai to properly apologize to Zheng Xuan, the puppet she had used. But it didn’t hinder her from using this reason to push forward without any guilt of lying.

Liang Zhongning naturally couldn’t detect the falsehood in her words.

Since she had said so, apart from accommodating her, he really had nothing more to say.

But Qiao Yan’s actions didn’t seem like a forced attack at all.

Leading her men out of Puyang City, she headed straight for the Gao Family Fortress without any hesitation.

It was the Gao Family Fortress she had learned about from Tian Tao, even holding a part of its map.

This was a battle that could not possibly be lost.

Bu Ji had tried to replicate Liang Zhongning’s success by attacking such a large fortress, only to fail. The spies of the Gao Family had already spread the news.

This undoubtedly made them think that the Yellow Turban Army’s combat power was nothing special.

As for why the Tian Family Fortress had fallen, it was ultimately their lack of capability.

And just as their defenses slackened slightly, they encountered Qiao Yan as their opponent.

She not only had the advantage of knowing herself and her enemy but also had Dian Wei, an assistant with astonishing strength.

Before they left Puyang City, she specifically made sure Dian Wei and the five hundred soldiers she brought had a full meal and enough dry rations.

This undoubtedly improved their morale.

So when Bu Ji prepared to leave the camp at dusk the next day, he saw Qiao Yan leading a group dragging dozens of carts loaded with grain towards Puyang City.

This was clearly not grain smuggled out of the city for show.

The people tied up and forced to walk behind the grain carts bore fresh marks of recent battle, clearly having just been defeated.

They were also unfamiliar faces.

Qiao Yan sat on the cart, still with Dian Wei guarding in front, making Bu Ji dare not act rashly.

Her greater leverage, preventing anyone from directly seizing the grain, was Liang Zhongning, who had come out of the city to welcome her, along with his following soldiers.

Under the protection of these two sides, Bu Ji found the smile on her face particularly irritating.

The muscles on his face twitched for a moment, and when he spoke, he couldn’t hide his reluctance, “Sir, you have great skills. May I ask how much you gained this time?”

Qiao Yan politely replied, “Naturally, not as much as last time, just a mere four hundred thousand hu, and not even refined millet, just ordinary millet.”

“…”

If Bu Ji knew the term “humblebrag,” he would have slapped it on Qiao Yan’s forehead.

He struggled to restrain his urge to curse, took a deep breath, and said, “Then I’ll quietly await this victory banquet.”

Qiao Yan subtly glanced around.

The mention of “four hundred thousand hu” not only caught Bu Ji’s attention but also that of his soldiers who were tightening their belts.

Of course, these soldiers weren’t just looking at her but also at the heavily loaded carts, their eyes filled with greed.

She had intentionally come here for this effect!

Noticing these reactions, Qiao Yan thought to herself, “As expected,” before replying, “Rebel Leader, talking about a victory banquet underestimates my generosity. The gains from the Tian Family Fortress by Rebel Leader Liang are enough for his troops for two years. If I were to hoard the extra, wouldn’t that make me a selfish person?”

Liang Zhongning, who had just arrived, was stunned by such a high hat but then noticed the friendly looks from Bu Ji’s men towards him.

Receiving such looks and feeling he wasn’t as clever as Qiao Yan, he simply remained silent, letting Sir continue.

Hearing Qiao Yan’s words, even Bu Ji was taken aback, “This…”

He had thought she came to show off, but the reality left him confused.

She followed up with an unexpected statement, “However, the fortress was breached by Rebel Leader Liang’s men. These soldiers nearly lost their lives breaching the fortress walls. We can’t just give the spoils to you for free. Now, I have a way that benefits both sides. Would the Rebel Leader like to hear it?”

“Speak, let’s hear it.”

Bu Ji didn’t know what Qiao Yan was up to and felt uneasy.

But when he shifted his gaze, he happened to see Liang Zhongning’s face showing a bit of conflict, immediately realizing—

This might indeed be good news for him.

But how could he know that Liang Zhongning’s expression wasn’t about fearing a loss of benefits.

He was actually worried that if Qiao Yan intended to broker peace between the two sides, he wouldn’t even have the excuse of “not having enough hands because of confronting Bu Ji.”

His strategist was about to fly away, how could he not feel bitter?

In his distracted state, he almost missed Qiao Yan’s next words, but fortunately, he realized he shouldn’t be daydreaming and perked up.

He heard Qiao Yan say, “If the Rebel Leader is willing, let me mediate, have your men cooperate, and attack as we did with the Tian and Gao Family Fortresses. The spoils will go to your side, but you need to give Rebel Leader Liang a ten percent share. How about it?”

How about it?

Her unhurried tone, combined with the grain carts behind her, created an incredibly persuasive force.

She was indeed in a position of absolute advantage in this matter.

Almost instantly, the previously covetous looks from Bu Ji’s men turned towards their Rebel Leader.

This deal is feasible!

Look at Qiao Yan’s soldiers, five hundred went out, and almost all returned.

If it weren’t for Bu Ji’s status in the Yellow Turban Army, they would have forced him to agree the moment Qiao Yan finished speaking!

Bu Ji felt a chill down his spine from the stares.

Torn between “there might be a trick” and “this deal is indeed profitable,” he heard Qiao Yan conclude, “So tonight’s meeting in Puyang is not for celebration but for an alliance. If the Rebel Leader is willing, come with Leader Zhang.”

After saying this, she gave a gentle smile to Bu Ji’s soldiers before urging Dian Wei to drive the cart back into the city.

This act of disregarding past grievances and instead offering benefits undoubtedly won the full favor of the watching Yellow Turban soldiers.

Liang Zhongning wanted to ask if she would leave after this deal or if there was a risk of making a pact with the devil, but every time he tried to speak, she cut him off with “we’ll see tonight,” so he eventually just shut up.

But for some reason, he had a premonition that something big would happen tonight.

This premonition peaked when Qiao Yan, holding a map, unfolded it in the hall, signaling Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, who had come to the banquet, to come closer.

The map marking the distribution of fortresses around Puyang City, which Liang Zhongning had seen before, was hand-drawn by Qiao Yan a few days ago, with many tiny notes.

Seeing Qiao Yan’s serious demeanor, Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, holding candles, instinctively leaned in.

In the face of absolute interest, people tend to overlook some things.

Neither of them noticed that in this action, they had unconsciously stepped out of the protective range of their own guards.

After all, the slowly unfolding map was not just a map but their hope for a full stomach.

But the moment the map fully unfolded, two splashes of blood stained the parchment.

And then—

As Dian Wei’s short halberd fell, two heads rolled onto the map.

The heads of Bu Ji and Zhang Bo.