“Can strategists not rise to power?”
Chapter 127: The Decision to Relocate the Capital…
Xu Rong never imagined that Qiao Yan, with her position as the Prefect of Bingzhou and the significance of this confrontation, would actually come here all alone.
The boatman accompanying her was just a kid, nowhere near the strong man he had seen in Luoyang back in the day.
He had prepared for the possibility that Qiao Yan wouldn’t show up, or perhaps she planned to use this as an opportunity to capture the commanding officer guarding the crossing, so he had the boat ready to turn back at any moment.
But as he watched Qiao Yan abandon the boat and stride up to the shore by herself, Xu Rong realized the messenger’s words were true—
She really was a person of her word, using the invitation as a guise for her advance. Qiao Yanshu looked down on this.
Feeling somewhat moved, he watched as Qiao Yan walked through the flower-dusted trees on the island, found a flat spot of bluestone, and sat down. When he got close, she tossed a wine flask towards him.
Xu Rong caught the flask and paused for a moment.
“What? I dare to come here alone with my sword and a couple of flasks of wine, not scared of your knife taking my head for credit with that traitor Dong, and yet you worry that I might slip a little poison into the wine to take you out?”
Qiao Yan shook the flask in her hand, smiling, “General Xu, sit down! Today we won’t talk about military matters. I won’t even say the name ‘Dong’—let’s just talk about the wine.”
What surprised Xu Rong even more than her showing up alone was her insistence on just talking about wine as if that was all there was to it.
The flask she threw contained strong sorghum liquor, but to avoid any suspicion of knocking him down here, Qiao Yan had diluted it with plenty of water.
Still, even so, compared to the “strong liquors” on the market today, this stuff was definitely bold.
Xu Rong, who usually kept away from alcohol while managing troops, ended up drinking half the flask thanks to Qiao Yan’s encouragement and comments about the drink.
But as he watched her return to the boat and leave the island for the northern camp, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.
Had she really just come to admire his prowess and treat him to some fine wine?
This also puzzled Niu Fu. “She really didn’t say anything else to you?”
Before Xu Rong returned, he had let his subordinate Hu Che’er take over the patrol work and had come to Xiaopingjin himself.
Xu Rong shook his head and replied, “She only asked if that sorghum liquor was brought in from outside, and if we had used it to make wine in Liang Province before.”
Niu Fu, hearing this, slammed the cup beside him down in anger, “Are you treating me like a child? When that Qiao Yan sent a messenger to invite you, she mentioned her overseeing the shipbuilding and coordinating with the Central Plains to assemble troops. You mean to say she shows up just for a drink discussion?”
That’s not how communication goes between enemy generals and our side’s main commanders!
So Niu Fu simply wouldn’t believe that Qiao Yan hadn’t said anything significant to Xu Rong!
There was no way it was just about discussing the spread of sorghum.
This led him to suspect that she must have said something to draw Xu Rong in that she couldn’t share with him, the son-in-law of the prime minister.
With that doubt in mind, he began to notice that Xu Rong’s behavior seemed off.
Even when Xu Rong resolutely replied that there was nothing else to say, Niu Fu studied him for a long time and his doubts didn’t dissipate. Instead, he grabbed the other half of the wine and left Xiaopingjin.
They weren’t on the same wavelength; it seemed Xu Rong wouldn’t be telling him the truth anytime soon.
Yet, both he and Xu Rong were Middle Generals under Dong Zhuo, so he couldn’t directly question the other.
But there were still plenty of things he could do.
For example, he could supervise Xu Rong’s actions!
Niu Fu felt like he’d chosen the wrong guy to guard this place, so he took it upon himself to keep a close watch, unaware that his return with a team of subordinates had caught the eye of someone across the river.
Guo Jia strolled along the riverbank with Qiao Yan and said, “Your Lordship is wise to hold your tongue now instead of recounting Dong’s wrongs to Xu Rong and persuading him to switch sides. That’s a brilliant move.”
People often get tunnel vision, especially given that Qiao Yan had previously written a manifesto against Dong Zhuo.
Who would believe she was simply tasting wine?
That begs the question of whether Xu Rong is being truthful.
Qiao Yan replied, “Xu Rong is indeed a talent, but unfortunately miscast. Now let him see what kind of people he’s teaming up with.”
If it weren’t for the fact she’d already obtained the means to cross the river and before the various governors and prefects gathered at Suanzao, it wasn’t quite the right time for her to act, but she somewhat wanted to use Xu Rong as bait for a covert attack.
But even as things stood, it was nothing to worry about.
Even if Xu Rong figured out her intentions from Niu Fu’s behavior, he wouldn’t be able to influence others’ thinking.
With the rift already formed, and since he wasn’t from Liang Province, making it hard to penetrate the inner circle, he had to deal with subsequent obstructions.
If Dong Zhuo understood this, trusting Xu Rong enough would negate Qiao Yan’s planning, even if it involved personal risk.
However, if Dong Zhuo chose to trust Niu Fu amidst the internal strife and external threats, that would be her opportunity.
Her crossing the river must ensure a solid strike! After all, she had friends waiting for her in Luoyang, south of Mangshan, and a task involving the Imperial Seal as leverage.
Guo Jia was one to speak freely; he suddenly asked, “By the way, I’m curious, if that old scoundrel Dong asked me for a drink too, not mentioning any ulterior motives, just talking about fine wine and food, how would you react when I came back?”
This was a very relevant question.
If Qiao Yan had pulled such a trick today, what if someone used the same scheme on their own someday?
Qiao Yan, unruffled by Guo Jia’s precautionary query, replied, “If Dong invited you for drinks and wanted to discuss the deeper meaning of the wine, with what you’ve seen in Bingzhou, if you can’t counter him one-on-one, I won’t let you off the hook when you return.”
She paused and looked at Guo Jia, “Fengxiao, having already seen the grandeur of the Tianshan Mountains, why throw yourself into the hills of Bei Mang?”
Guo Jia stared for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh, “Your Lordship, now that’s not about drinking with Dong Zhuo!”
What she was referring to was perspective.
But Guo Jia fell for that line of reasoning!
Just like a fierce general like Lü Bu, one needs a master with the spirit to control them.
A civil servant like him also needed a leader with vast ambition.
If Qiao Yan, as the Prefect of Bingzhou, had that kind of confidence, empowering everyone under her banner, while Bingzhou was like the towering mountains, why worry about such underhanded schemes working against them?
That was the promise she made.
Too bad Dong Zhuo wasn’t that capable.
Having found an Emperor and a decree in the north of Luoyang, he just happened to encounter an opportunity to maneuver and seize power, yet fundamentally, he was still nothing more than a nouveaux riche.
So he killed He Miao, Empress He, and even one of their mothers, frightening the already weak Liu Bian into serious illness.
This way, he not only ensured that the factions of He Jin and He Miao wouldn’t stir up trouble but also guaranteed Liu Xie, whom he supported to the throne, would never be replaced.
He sought to make his commands equivalent to the Emperor’s edicts in Luoyang, dealing brutally with anyone who sighted his authority.
But that new manifesto condemning Dong had stirred enough public sentiment to raise Dong Zhuo’s alarm, even before he got wind of their military advance toward Chenggao.
It was just then he received military reports from Niu Fu.
Niu Fu mentioned he suspected a connection between Xu Rong and Qiao Yan.
Xu Rong also planned to set up a watch on the central island before Xiaopingjin.
Yet, Qiao Yan’s army was stationed on the opposite bank at Mengjin; if anything were amiss, she would certainly notice. Why dilute their forces on an island in the river!
This could likely mean Xu Rong was planning something to assist Qiao Yan.
Dong Zhuo winced at that thought.
Right after he’d put down Cao Cao’s manifesto against the traitor, with lines about “evil men complete with all vices, their guests like dogs and swine, soaring arrogant yet as empty as a grave, corrupting the state and oppressing the people, with a nasty vengeance for the slightest offense, truly a treasonous minister,” he almost got a headache from anger. Now, the situation in the north would be problematic again?
With the Yellow River’s natural defenses and Xu Rong, famed for his stability, stationed there, he had thought at least before the freezing season, nothing would go awry.
And given Qiao Yan’s long-standing hold over Bingzhou, if he could stretch the defense a bit longer, even if they ran into supply issues leading to a withdrawal, it was not out of reach.
But Niu Fu was adamant: as good as Qiao Yan’s wine was, how could an enemy commander only discuss tasting wine with our generals?
Xu Rong wouldn’t spill those beans; there had to be some mischief.
This wasn’t just personal animus against Xu Rong.
Dong Zhuo wouldn’t let any visitors like Zhou Hui merely observe in Luoyang without calculating his next move against Huangfu Song far away in Xiliang, driven by past grudges, not kindness.
He grimly reread Niu Fu’s accusations towards Xu Rong. Although a question mark popped into his mind over how Niu Fu knew the wine tasted good, he had to admit that given this reality, he preferred to trust Niu Fu’s loyalty and judgment at this moment.
Xu Rong…
With the defense lines beyond Luoyang already established to some extent, and Xu Rong not having committed to anything actionable, dealing with him by dismissing or replacing him with another warrior wouldn’t benefit him right now.
But if Dong Zhuo did nothing about Xu Rong, given his petty nature, he would surely feel stifled.
After contemplating for a long while, he made a decision: let Niu Fu take full command of the troops at Mengjin and Xiaopingjin while Xu Rong remained at Xiaopingjin, allowing Niu Fu to restrict Xu Rong’s command.
On the surface, at least from the viewpoint of the north bank where Qiao Yan was, things appeared unchanged, with both camps as they originally were. However, Xu Rong being forced to abandon plans for watchtowers on the islet was good news for her.
As for whether she needed to worry that Xu Rong would…
“I suspect her scheme is to use the center island of the river as a launch pad, so strict defenses are set up around the camp for this place—”
Not necessarily!
Between Mengjin and Xiaopingjin, the landing point she chose hasn’t changed one bit since the beginning.
So no matter how tight the defenses are, there will still be loopholes!
It was early May, and the scent of early summer was already wafting in.
Even on the banks of the Yellow River, the heat was relentless.
The military camp, packed with people, was even more stifling and sweaty.
In Qiao Yan’s camp, the generals and strategists were well-equipped, not limited to just the crossing point, and had already arranged the camp spaciously and efficiently. They even brought Ma Jun and Bi Lan from Bingzhou and set up a water-sprinkling contraption pushed by manpower.
To prevent summer ailments, a dedicated medical personnel from Leping Academy, who learned medicine under Wu Pu, strictly monitored the sanitation and food within this camp.
In contrast, Niu Fu across the river had it a lot rougher.
Most of Xu Rong’s subordinates were members of the Northern Army Five Divisions, who took over after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, while most of Niu Fu’s troops were from Liangzhou.
These guys couldn’t sit still.
Before Qiao Yan put pressure on Luoyang, they could still snag enough wealth from Luoyang’s rich families under Dong Zhuo’s orders without causing too much fuss to avoid messing up his power grab.
If they could raid the outskirts of Luoyang or even farther, they could be even bolder.
But what was happening now?
They were stuck in this military camp by the Yellow River, staring at that bunch of Bingzhou soldiers across the river as they rolled out their newly crafted boats.
Clearly, the prosperous Luoyang was just behind the mountains, yet here they were stuck doing this miserable work! What was the sense in that?!
What made them even more frustrated was when they asked Niu Fu how long they’d have to stay here, Niu Fu couldn’t even come up with a decent answer, only saying it depended on when the Marquis of Leping decided to retreat or advance.
But those responsible for scouting across the river only reported that Bingzhou’s food supply was flowing in non-stop, and the soldiers flooding out from the camp looked lively enough, clearly not hinting at a retreat anytime soon.
So they had to endure!
The increasingly hot weather only fueled their restless moods.
Niu Fu felt the situation was getting worse, wishing that Qiao Yan would just hurry up and send those wooden boats loaded with soldiers across the river, yet all he saw from the other side was no sign of packing up for an offensive, looking just like a post standing by the river.
Qiao Yan had a clear grasp of the situation on both sides and remained steady.
She sat in the commander’s tent and glanced at Cao Ang, who was sent as a messenger by Cao Cao. He wore light armor and looked much darker than the last time she saw him in Luoyang, and she smiled, saying, “Brother Mengde seems to be quite focused on Di Xiu’s military skills lately?”
Recalling how her father had joked about sending him to fetch gifts when he arrived, and then Qiao Yan casually addressing him as “Brother Mengde,” Cao Ang felt there was some truth to how these two could really converse well.
While thinking this, he straightened up and replied, “My father nearly lost his life at the hands of Dong’s minions. This time, alongside my uncles, I’m here to gather troops again, fully aware that Dong isn’t easy to deal with. To avoid trouble while we’re in combat, I’ve tightened our focus a bit.”
This wasn’t exactly a bad thing.
Even if Cao Cao didn’t possess foresight about wiping out Dong in one fell swoop, he could guess that this situation would not be resolved in one or two years. It wouldn’t hurt Cao Ang to learn a few self-defense maneuvers as a soldier.
Since a while back, he had been arranged to eat and live with regular soldiers, so he naturally paid more attention to the camp’s situation. Seeing Qiao Yan bring up military matters, he casually asked, “When I entered the camp earlier, I noticed the Bingzhou soldiers appeared strong and full of morale. However, if I recall correctly, Qiao Hou has been stationed here for almost ten days now. I hope it’s not too forward to ask how you maintain such morale…”
“How is it maintained?” Qiao Yan completed his sentence.
Cao Ang was a bit shy; in a situation where the forces were divided into pro-Dong Zhuo and anti-Dong Zhuo factions, and he could see no clear lines between friendly forces within, if Cao Cao were here, he would ask directly. But Cao Ang hesitated.
Seeing Cao Ang nod, Qiao Yan replied, “It’s because I told them that at the latest, within a month, we must cross the river and strike!”
Within a month at the latest?
Her firm decision about the military action time frame startled Cao Ang.
Before he could raise a question, she continued, “As I know, this time Yuan Benchu, Lu Gong, and Liu Xuande were supposed to rendezvous at the river. They could have come via the Mengjin crossing, but since I’m here, they’re meeting Brother Mengde and the others at Suanzao, consolidating troops from Xuzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou here. Yuan Gonglu is meeting with Sun Wentai, raiding Taigu Pass, currently camped near Luyang. Luoyang is practically encircled.”
Cao Ang replied, “Exactly.”
“Five years ago, I met Sun Wentai at Changshe, and he was hot-headed then, certainly hasn’t changed today.” Qiao Yan didn’t mention the conflicts between Sun Jian and Zhang Zi, continuing, “If he quickly attacks Taigu Pass, based on his earlier actions to take Nanyang and slay the Yellow Turbans, it will just be a matter of momentum.”
That’s the first route.
“At Suanzao, there are numerous armies; Dong Zhuo will think we need to spend a lot of time discussing supply and balancing troops, all of which consume time. If we send troops to Chenggao, they’ll inevitably slack off. Better instead to break through quickly while they’re unprepared.”
That’s the first route.
“I stay in position here, firmly holding our camp, seeming to wait for the right moment, while the enemy commander across has no idea that I can cross the great river and attack Luoyang at any time, determining that they can’t get out.”
That’s the third route.
“Should I give Dong Zhuo a chance to react, not to mention how many troops he can mobilize, this villain holds the Emperor and key ministers hostage, so if he uses them as leverage, we might have to tread carefully and miss our chances. Take the Yuan clan for instance; while Yuan Benchu and Yuan Gonglu are leading forces outside, Yuan Ciyang and Yuan Shiji are stuck in Luoyang. If we can’t win quickly, Dong will have solid bargaining chips.”
That was a fair point.
The Yuan clan’s situation was different from the Yang clan of Hongnong.
Though both were from prestigious families across four generations, the Yuan clan’s fortunes were far more prosperous than those of the Yang clan. While their roots were in Runan, they had quite a number of direct descendants in the capital.
It was precisely because of this concern, and since Lu Zhi was in this alliance appointed by the late emperor, when Cao Ang left Suanzao for Mengjin, it had been preliminarily decided that Lu Zhi would be the leader of this alliance instead of Yuan Shao.
Of course, there were still some controversies as Lu Zhi’s forces were lacking compared to the average troops recruited by Yuan Shao.
But with Cao Ang’s naïve thoughts, he believed that this wasn’t an unsolvable issue.
He snapped back to reality when he saw Qiao Yan pointing at the map behind her. “Look here, Zixiu!”
The eight passes leading to Luoyang were marked in red on the map. Even if some of the small text was hard to read, identifying the locations was sufficient.
She stated, “If Taigu, Xuanmen, and Mengjin can all break through at the same time, dividing our forces into two routes: one directly charging towards Hangu Pass to block Dong Zhuo’s escape route, while the other holds the Mang Mountain to prevent him from fleeing east across the river, and the Suanzao coalition pushes westward; Dong Zhuo will have nowhere to retreat and will only end up captured.”
“This plan must be quick, not slow.”
“If we can do this, then within a month is the perfect time, right?”
Cao Ang looked intently and confidently replied, “Indeed, that’s exactly right!”
If what Qiao Yan said was accurate, the southern route would create momentum, the eastern route would take advantage of surprise, and the northern route was designed to deceive the enemy with weakness, making it the best time to strike together.
Qiao Yan said, “Then please relay this idea to Mengde. If you’re not coming, I intended to send someone to Suanzao.”
Cao Ang cupped his hands in respect and immediately took his leave.
Of course, with Qiao Yan having her own sources of information and Cao Ang coming personally to deliver news, a few days later, Dong Zhuo, tucked away in Luoyang, received word about the coalition’s attack from Suanzao and Luyang.
Among the officials who took the lead in this uprising from the eastern states, there were even Liu Dai, Kong Rong, Ying Shao, Zhang Miao, and others whom he had previously appointed. They had already tipped the table once, and now hearing news of them forming an alliance with Lu Zhi at the Suanzao meeting with Lu Zhi as the alliance leader made him furious.
The position of General of the Chariots and Cavalry could only be conferred by the court, by the Emperor himself. Even if Lu Zhi was a trusted minister of the late emperor and rightly held the position, the fact that Dong Zhuo had branded himself as the ultimate authority in Luoyang made their actions a direct challenge to him!
But he also had to temporarily put aside this burning rage and focus on how to resolve the immediate troubles.
Qiao Yan might remember that Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji were still in Luoyang, caught under tight surveillance by Dong Zhuo’s minions after being deemed traitors. Dong Zhuo would naturally consider this too.
If he thought further from the perspective of hostages, he couldn’t help but think about the little Emperor on the throne.
If he could use the condition of holding hostages to persuade some of the factions to retreat, it would undoubtedly relieve quite a bit of pressure on him.
Though his recent violent and rampant nature had been fully exposed in Luoyang, he didn’t believe he could simply dominate all allied forces and ensure victory.
Sticking to the mentality of a man aiming to get rich overnight, his resolutions boiled down to two options.
The first was to secure the hostages in a safer place to ensure they wouldn’t be easily rescued.
The second was to break the unified forces one by one.
Thinking about the troops that were still stationed north of the river, pressuring Mengjin under Qiao Yan, who hadn’t shown any signs of a failing encampment as of yet, made Dong Zhuo feel a headache coming on!
Perhaps if he had some way to deal with that Qiao Yan, others would not have been so decisive in their uprisings!
With this thought, he decided to set this highly perplexing issue aside for now and leave it to Li Ru to resolve, while he focused on the prior issue.
With the army marching in, the only retreat left for him was westward, making that the most suitable place to send hostages.
The west! That’s Chang’an!
Dong Zhuo didn’t hesitate to make this decision.
For him, Chang’an was closer to Liangzhou and had another layer of security.
With such thoughts, on May fifteenth of the first year of Guangxi, the burly and sword-clad Dong the Chancellor stood at the forefront of the court, completely unfazed by little Emperor Liu Xie’s expression, addressing the gathered ministers.
In an almost declarative tone, he asked, “I intend to relocate the court to Chang’an, what do you all think?”
