“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 122: The Decision to Dispatch Troops…
This is a special edict.
In a situation where Liu Hong was left with no one available, even though she, the governor of Bingzhou, was still too young, and even if bringing in a strong external ally might invite other troubles, Liu Hong made this decision before her death.
However, if there were any minor slip-ups, this edict to protect the emperor and eliminate the thieves might very well not reach Qiao Yan.
So she had long prepared for the possibility of not having this document in hand.
But with this edict granted by the late emperor, she had a much more legitimate reason to march!
Bao Hong was thrilled to bring this news along with the edict, and he was doubly pleased to have this document in his possession!
She reached out and grasped the document presented before her.
From Bao Hong’s perspective, there was a moment of tentative energy placed on this edict before it was firmly held in her hand.
After a brief hesitation, she accepted what Bao Hong had regarded as a hot potato.
“Get up, Bao Xiaowei. This is a proclamation, not a battle report. You are now an eyewitness to the chaos in the capital and a direct envoy of the late emperor’s army, not just a messenger.”
Bao Hong realized, a bit slow on the uptake, that his posture resembled a soldier delivering news to a general.
He jumped up awkwardly and smiled sheepishly, “Please excuse me, Lady Qiao.”
Qiao Yan obviously paid little mind to this affair, merely gesturing for everyone to take a seat. “Please inform me about the other situations in Luoyang.”
“I already know that Dong Zhuo entered the capital, taking power through the Yuan clan and then turning against them. I know that he supported the emperor’s ascension with military force. Though the official documents haven’t reached me yet, Luoyang isn’t too far from Bingzhou. If I remained ignorant of all this, I would truly be unworthy of the Bingzhou governorship and would be failing the late emperor’s trust. I just want to know some news that won’t appear in external reports, like—”
“What exactly has the emperor left behind in terms of instructions? In this farce where no one knows who is the sovereign and who is the minister, what roles are these people playing?”
As soon as Qiao Yan sat down, she slammed her palm on the table.
Perhaps it was due to her youthful experiences in military campaigns, or perhaps it was because she wore a crimson cloak that made her appear as a blazing fire, particularly accentuated by the unwavering determination in her eyes, which intensified that impression.
Her following question brimmed with a sense of interrogation, “How dare Yuan Shu set fire to the palace and disregard the imperial authority!”
In this performance of who enters when, even Dong Zhuo, waving the banner of “justice,” wasn’t the most blameworthy.
If it weren’t for Yuan Shao’s instigation and He Jin’s permission, even with many capable men assembled in Liang Province, he would still be under the control of Huangfu Song and wouldn’t have had the chance to enter the capital.
And if not for Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao’s burning of the Southern Palace, why would Zhang Rang and others have fled to Beiming Mountain with Liu Xie and Liu Bian, giving Dong Zhuo a chance to maneuver his way to victory?
Qiao Yan was well aware that, amid this power struggle, everyone had their own little schemes, which was perfectly normal; yet, for some of them, those little schemes could be rightly termed as ambitions.
But at this moment, she had to ask this question!
Zheng Tai practically found a confidante as he recounted what had happened at He Jin’s residence that day, adding, “The Grand General thought he could rally the soldiers recruited from the East by the Captain Ding Yuan and the soldiers under the command of Bao Xin from Jibei to counter Dong Zhuo, but before they could return, Dong Zhuo had already advanced eastward, and when I entered the borders of Bingzhou, I saw nothing of that balancing power.”
“What Chen Kongzhang said is very true, there aren’t so many deceptions to rely on regarding state affairs; the current bitter fruits…”
Even Yuan clan members have seen those.
“Be mindful of your words, Sir Gongye,” Qiao Yan interrupted him.
Zheng Tai realized that Qiao Yan wasn’t stopping him from expressing his dissatisfaction with the Yuan clan, but rather that if he deemed this deception improper, then Liu Hong’s pre-death plan to assassinate Dong Zhong to lure He Jin into the palace would be equally condemned.
Clearing his throat, he finally said, “I misspoke, please don’t take offense, Lady Qiao; it’s just that this sudden upheaval in Luoyang has made me quite unhappy.”
Now, within the Yuan clan, Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji in Luoyang have been strictly monitored by Dong Zhuo. Even with Dong Zhuo labeling them as traitors to elevate his own standing, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao fled—one to Nanyang and the other to Jizhou—after pulling a wolf into the house, they ended up being bitten by the wolf themselves.
However, this wasn’t nearly enough to repay the sins they bore for instigating this chaos.
Qiao Yan fiddled with the jade pendant in her fingers, listening as Bi Lan and Bao Hong discussed the late emperor’s arrangements.
Liu Hong’s last wishes…
If Liu Yu and Lu Zhi could seize control under the circumstances of He Jin’s death and before Dong Zhuo had entered the capital, there was indeed a possibility for Liu Xie’s successful ascension.
But alas, there’s no if in this world.
If Liu Hong’s plans were to achieve success, they had to take place in an environment where the Han dynasty’s authority had not yet weakened to such an extent.
Now, in the current situation, it had only turned into a situation filled with uncertainties.
The plan’s proponent, Liu Hong himself, nearly ended up as a corpse lost in the flames of the Southern Palace.
Thankfully, Zhang Rang remembered to retrieve his body, sparing it from disaster, and afterward, Dong Zhuo ensured that their group reached safety and had Liu Hong’s body transported back for burial at Wenling.
The two regents—
Lu Zhi suffered a setback during his confrontation with Dong Zhuo concerning military supplies in Luoyang, which, in Qiao Yan’s view, was wholly normal.
Fortunately, he was fine and now located far away in Jizhou.
As for why it was Jizhou and not Youzhou?
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei was appointed as the military officer of Qinghe County due to his achievements; perhaps because he harmonized well with the local conditions, Liu Hong hadn’t dismissed him despite gradually retracting the positions of the capable men from the rebellion, and he became the Qinghe County lieutenant, serving under this county’s prefect.
Lu Zhi still intended to salvage the situation in Luoyang, so he certainly wouldn’t run too far, thus taking refuge with Liu Bei.
At this time, Cao Cao, who had been assisting Lu Zhi in battle, returned to his homeland and began to gather troops again in Qiao and Pei.
Liu Yu, however, not having crossed paths with Dong Zhuo, was intercepted en route at most.
Dong Zhuo naturally didn’t wish for Liu Yu to come to the capital, but as he had just steadied his foothold in the capital, he didn’t want to offend these royal relatives either.
Thus he made a decision to appoint Liu Yu as Grand Marshal, ranking above the Three Dukes, but not serving in the court; instead, he held this position while simultaneously serving as the governor of Youzhou, residing remotely in Youzhou to receive this title.
Of course, Dong Zhuo wasn’t keen on being subservient to other ministers either, and having Liu Yu as both Grand Marshal and governor of Youzhou clearly placed him at a higher status than Dong Zhuo.
Therefore, on the same day, Dong Zhuo made a determination to maintain his roles as Grand Commandant and former general while raising his status further by adding a ceremonial rank and conferring him a title, thus elevating himself to the Marquis of Mai.
Compared to Liu Hong’s hope for plans to unfold without unexpected incidents, every step Dong Zhuo took since arriving in Luoyang, though audacious, was aimed at stabilizing the situation. Even in Qiao Yan’s position nowadays, given his actions over the past ten-odd days, she couldn’t have done better than he had.
When Bao Hong asked Lady Qiao when she would commence troop movements in accordance with the late emperor’s will, Qiao Yan pondered for a long time and asked, “Isn’t the current emperor a rightful heir to the late emperor? All that’s lacking is his name for political support. If we raise troops now, wouldn’t that be reminiscent of the misdeeds of the Yuan clan?”
This question weighed heavily not just on Bao Hong but also on Zheng Tai, who could be considered…
“Ah, the heroic types of Xingyang, thinking they know better than everyone else!”
In assessing Dong Zhuo’s actions, the opinions of these highborn folk were certainly more impactful than those of Qiao Yan’s subordinates, at least in her eyes.
“Hey, Xu Fu, why don’t you pass on today’s news to Zheng Tai,” Qiao Yan gestured with her hand.
Dong Zhuo was still somewhat sharp-witted, or maybe he just had a clever advisor whispering good advice in his ear.
Since he had burned all bridges with the Yuan clan, it was only natural he would seek help from other noble families.
His earlier actions to defend Chen Fan and Dou Wu were just the start—now he was really stepping up his game.
He brought in Zhou Bi, the son of Zhou Shen, Ru Nan’s very own Wu Qiong, and the former Grand Historian He Yong, not to mention pulling Xun Shuang, Han Rong, and Chen Ji into official roles. If Cai Yong hadn’t been stuck in Leping, you better believe he’d be in on it too!
That’s how he was playing on the inside.
And outside, he appointed Liu Dai as Yanzhou’s governor, Kong Jun for Yu Province, Zhang Zi for Nanyang, Ying Shao for Taishan, and Zhang Miao for Chenliu. Now that’s quite a move to rally the scholars around him!
Qiao Yan turned to Zheng Tai and asked, “If Gongye were in Luoyang right now, do you think he’d have the guts to oppose Dong Zhuo’s unearned power?”
This was a tricky question to answer.
Being a guest, Zheng Tai wasn’t really the right person for the job.
But surprisingly, his journey to Bingzhou opened his eyes to the stark contrast between the agricultural richness he saw and what lay on the southern side of the Taihang Mountains, so when this question came up, he didn’t feel offended at all—rather, he genuinely pondered the issue.
Dong Zhuo’s rise was no case of suffering insults in silence; anyone with half a brain could see that!
But if what Qiao Yan showed him was true, then Dong Tawei was only targeting the Yuan clan as the culprits behind the chaos in Luoyang. That brute seemed to have some respect for the scholars, especially since even Xun Shuang from the Eight Dragons had gotten a shout-out for recruitment. If he hadn’t been so curious about the situation in Bingzhou, he might’ve just left the Grand General’s mansion.
Would he even consider accepting an invitation from Dong Zhuo if it came?
Maybe he would.
“Anyone Dong Zhongying drives away is a military opponent. Yet he seems to give the scholars a pretty good shake. If Qiao Hou were to raise an army now, even with the late emperor’s royal decree backing him up to return the former advisors like Lu Gong to their positions, he’d still have some unsavory consequences,” Zheng Tai mused. “So for now, Qiao Hou can’t mobilize, which must be giving our dear Dong Tawei a serious headache trying to strategize around you.”
Indeed, Dong Zhuo was completely stressed about how to deal with Qiao Yan.
When Zhang Rang handed over that decree to stabilize the court to Bao Hong, he only did so in front of Bao Hong and Cao Cao. As Bao Hong took off with his troops, the clueless little eunuchs thought he was just off begging for help like Cao Cao, leaving Dong Zhuo unaware that Qiao Yan had such a powerful weapon up her sleeve.
But now, with Liu Dai, Kong Jun, Zhang Zi, Ying Shao, and Zhang Miao placed in charge, not to mention that he neglected to keep his eyes off the ever-scheming Bingzhou while shoving Kong Rong, as if it was all out of sight out of mind, his focus shifted involuntarily.
Bingzhou’s governor, Qiao Yan…
If not for her prior exploits against the Xianbei out west, his troops wouldn’t be camped so comfortably inside Hedong County.
And now she was back!
Fire her from her position? No way! With Dong Zhuo juggling a host of internal and external problems, he couldn’t afford to offend her. Even the scholars were treated with kid gloves these days.
But if he were to grant her a title, she had already climbed up to County Marquis on her own merit and was ruling a whole province. Liu Hong even gave her a military title; she was practically maxed out!
Unless Dong Zhuo was willing to toss her the title of General of the Northern Campaign.
But that was a whole different kettle of fish than the likes of Liu Yu, who’d take a year and a half just to settle down a fisherman’s row.
Once she took on more power, it would only fuel the enemy!
Li Ru suggested to Dong Zhuo to let her stew for now. As long as the Grand Commandant could consolidate his hold on power in the capital, particularly maintaining the scholars’ goodwill as his shield, he wouldn’t have to sweat about Qiao Bingzhou.
This seemed like solid advice, but simultaneously, after settling in Zheng Tai, Bi Lan, and Bao Hong, Qiao Yan gathered with Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu, and their strategy was one word.
Wait.
Qiao Yan wasn’t one of those loyalists ready to die for Liu Hong. When she received news of his death and the need to protect the throne, she wasn’t fired up to jump into battle against Dong Zhuo.
April was harvest season in Bingzhou. It had been nearly a month since she’d left the borders. While she was confident her people would handle things, some matters simply needed her personal touch.
Her mindset was unnaturally calm.
But what about Dong Zhuo?
He had leaped from second-in-command general in Xiliang to become the most powerful figure under the heavens. His violent temper and reckless nature had become alarmingly visible in just a short span of twenty days.
With Liu Xie taking the throne and Liu Bian back at her side, as for Empress He, whether it was He Jin or He Miao both biting the dust or Liu Bian missing his shot at succession, it was a major blow for her. Time and again, she attempted to use the power of the empress to denounce Dong Zhuo’s actions.
This kind of unfounded tantrum only served to infuriate Dong Zhuo, who was already holding the reins of power.
Dong Zhuo ordered that, due to Empress He’s previous disrespect towards Empress Yongle, Liu Hong’s mother, he would have her relocated to Yong’an Palace and then executed.
In accordance with the law, Empress He should’ve been buried alongside Liu Hong. Yet on the very day the Wenzong tomb was reopened, Dong Zhuo was itching to plunder the burial goods as soon as he moved into Luoyang. Nearly a month had passed since he arrived, and he was laying waste to the treasures without a care for Liu Hong’s dignity.
The wealthy clans in Luoyang had become the backyard gardens for Dong Zhuo’s troops, allowing him to treat the palace as his personal playground.
If not for Fu Shou advising Princess Yang’an on the day Liu Hong passed to secretly whisk away the young princesses still in the palace, they would have by now become innocent victims of Dong Zhuo’s tyranny.
Now that Luoyang’s military power had completely slipped into his hands, Dong Zhuo’s growing ambitions led him to make one decision no one could talk him out of.
With the emperor still a child, and sharing the same surname as the “external family”, he was naturally fit to rule as Prime Minister, entering the court without so much as a bow, striding into the hall with his sword!
Just when this news reached Bingzhou, Zheng Tai had just arrived with Bao Hong in an attempt to persuade Qiao Yan to take action, only to find that she was already drawing her sword, her face set with determination.
“No need to say more! Dong Zhuo has revealed his true colors in just one month in Luoyang. The Xiliang bandit’s greedy and cunning nature is plain to see; he is unfit to serve the state!”
“I have decided: we’ll march out of Hedong and directly seize Luoyang to clear the court!”
Those last words, clear the court, came out with such emphasis that they were genuinely invigorating.
She immediately appointed Zhang Yang and Guo Yun to guard the Yanmen line, reinforced with Hu Shao to watch over Liangzhou, while Xu Huang and Chu Yan stayed back in Bingzhou, and Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai took charge of provincial affairs.
The remaining folks were to gather up and follow her into battle!
Qiao Yan stood in front of the hall, hands clasped behind her back, with a detailed map of Bingzhou and Sili laid out behind her, filled with a wealth of information collected over the years, far more intricate than any ordinary map.
In front of her were strategist allies like Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and Lu Yuan, while formidable warriors like Zhang Liao, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei stood ready, exuding a fierce and united spirit.
But marching out of Hedong required some finesse.
She slowly began, “Who is willing to take a trip to the Wei family in Hedong? When we march out, let’s ensure those western Liang ruffians see the grandeur of the scholars greeting us as guests, making it clear we mean business!”
