Chapter 13

“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”

Chapter 13: The Union of Three Forces

Two heads rolled onto the map, their expressions still holding a trace of shock from the sudden turn of events.

But before they could react, Dian Wei’s twin halberds had already come crashing down.

Right after that, two headless corpses thudded to the ground.

In an instant, blood soaked the spread-out map, turning it crimson.

Meanwhile, underneath the blood-stained hide parchment, the two fallen lamps had lit up the corners, only for flames to suddenly spark from one spot.

A whiff of burnt hair quickly filled the air.

Liang Zhongning opened his mouth to say something, only to realize that when one is shocked to a certain degree, they truly can’t find the words.

Or maybe—

He just didn’t know what to say.

It had all happened in a flash.

Just a moment before, Bu Ji and Zhang Bo were peering at the map, and now, they were as dead as they could be…

Dead!

He had once thought that if he were the only Yellow Turban Commander in Yanzhou, many troubles could be avoided. But now, seeing Bu Ji and Zhang Bo lying lifeless, he could hardly believe he wasn’t dreaming.

Before the banquet had started in the former Dong Commandery Prefect’s Office, he actually thought Qiao Yan was trying to broker peace between him and those two, but now—

Now, the military adviser he referred to as “sir” stood calmly, even too indifferent to wipe the blood splatters from his face.

Her complexion, already paler than these rough types, was highlighted by the winding blood stains, appearing even redder and whiter.

But this serene face before the brutal scene only highlighted a terrifying sense of disconnection.

Though he had long ceased to consider her age a factor, the height difference between her and the standing Dian Wei now felt absurd.

But before he could pull his thoughts back from the deaths of those two, Qiao Yan was already making her move.

She drew the side sword hanging at her side.

This was the sword she had chosen from the government storehouse before heading to Gao Family Fortress.

It was long and light, easy for Qiao Yan, despite her below-average physique and combat skill, to toss it.

The sword flew from her hand, piercing into the table where Bu Ji had sat just moments earlier, making a piercing sound.

“Don’t just stand there!” Qiao Yan shouted.

Liang Zhongning snapped back to reality.

No matter what reason Qiao Yan had for letting Dian Wei kill Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, their men couldn’t possibly leave here alive!

But someone reacted faster than him.

With blood still fresh on his twin halberds, Dian Wei leapt forward as soon as the sword left Qiao Yan’s hand.

The short halberd, while lighter and somewhat limiting, gave him a bit more agility in the tight quarters of the room.

From Qiao Yan’s shout to Dian Wei’s next move was just a heartbeat, and within close distance to that narrow sword, two of Bu Ji’s men had already crumpled to the ground.

Liang Zhongning hurried to help Dian Wei finish off the witnesses, not even noticing that Qiao Yan’s expression showed a brief moment of distraction as she looked at the first fallen man.

She recognized him.

He was one of the guards who had protected Qiao Yan and her mother during their retreat to the East.

But unlike those who returned to search for Qiao Yu or fell in the battle of Juyi, he had thrown in his lot with the enemy without hesitation after getting tangled in Bu Ji’s ranks.

Perhaps, for him, following two women who might have lost their support wasn’t as worthwhile as trying his luck with the Yellow Turban Army; that was understandable given human instinct to seek gain over danger.

But the moment their gazes met, she saw a flicker of confusion cross his face.

Wearing men’s clothing certainly made her look different from women’s attire, and there were indeed people who looked similar, but Qiao Yan could be sure that she and the original “Qiao Yan” were indeed quite different at first sight.

But now, acting swiftly meant no risks, and she couldn’t let Liang Zhongning suspect her identity too soon.

After all, he was Bu Ji’s subordinate and had witnessed Bu Ji die here. He was also destined to die!

Only, whether it was her illusion or not, with Bu Ji’s death ahead of her and this man’s head being taken now, Qiao Yan felt a lightness wash over her, as if—

Her actions avenged her original mother.

But at this moment, she had no extra energy to ponder this.

The deaths of Bu Ji and Zhang Bo erupted at the very moment when the map reached its corner, yet they couldn’t treat it as “since people are dead, it’s all finally settled.”

After Dian Wei and Liang Zhongning’s men eliminated all the useless folks here, ensuring no one would whistleblow, it would then be time for her to take charge of the situation.

She stood with her hands clasped behind her, quietly observing the clash.

With one side clearly overpowering the other, the sounds of steel clashing in the hall didn’t last long.

But when the fighting stopped, the silence among the dead bodies felt more ominous than the earlier sounds of slaughter.

In the extreme quiet, even the sound of a single drop of blood hitting the ground seemed loud enough to hear clearly.

After a long pause, Liang Zhongning finally broke the silence, “Why are you like this, sir?”

Why like this, indeed!

Suddenly turning from one of the three commanders of Yanzhou to the head of the Yellow Turban Commanders, the initial shock from realizing the two men were dead gradually shifted into an indescribable fear.

He fixed his gaze on Qiao Yan, whose blood-stained face radiated a chilling sense of slaughter, and was stunned to notice she was actually revealing a smile.

“Didn’t the commander say that Zhang Bo is foolish and Bu Ji is greedy, and neither can be trusted for the long haul?”

“……”

Sure, he did say that, but he never said to just kill them outright!

No matter how he thought, he felt this wasn’t due to his recent attempts to get the adviser to stick around, lamenting too much.

With emotions churning inside him, Liang Zhongning’s expression grew complex, only to catch sight of Qiao Yan retracting her smile, her face turning serious, her voice now a warning:

“Now that it’s done, it’s best if the commander doesn’t dwell on why they were killed. To me, figuring out how to use this mess to seize control of all three armies is the way to go.”

“The three factions are all Yellow Turbans; coming together isn’t just a larger number of people. Does the commander not believe he has the ability to handle a large force?”

“Of course not!” Liang Zhongning trembled.

With his subordinates still present, how could he possibly show weakness in front of them?

Faced with Qiao Yan’s question, he could only force himself to look composed and answer affirmatively.

This question also distracted him a bit, shifting his thoughts away from the deaths to managing the aftermath.

Exactly, they were dead; regrets were pointless now.

The Great Peace Rebellion was a path where if you didn’t succeed, you’d meet your end. Now, there was just an added restriction on this road, with no turning back.

In Liang Zhongning’s eyes, seeking recognition and support, he clearly saw “Sir Qiao” was satisfied with his reply.

Afterward, they saw her taking out a piece of fabric from her sleeve, slowly wiping the blood from her face, once again assuming the familiar, graceful demeanor that made Liang Zhongning feel a bit safer.

But that sense of security still felt somewhat unreal.

So, when Qiao Yan made another move, Liang Zhongning’s eyes instinctively followed her finger as she pointed outside.

He didn’t realize that she had stirred his emotions, leading him down a path of thinking about some dangerous omen.

Seeing Bu Ji and Zhang Bo fall before him had completely disarrayed his thoughts.

Even when Qiao Yan said, “Since that’s the case, please give the order,” he instinctively nodded but quickly wore a confused expression.

Give an order? How should he give an order?

Qiao Yan paused for just a moment, her tone leaving no room for misinterpretation: “Please have the commander order—”

“Burn the Granary.”

Liang Zhongning shuddered.

Those four words crashed down like thunder, shocking him tremendously.

The granaries in Puyang City stored grain from Tian Family Fortress and Gao Family Fortress, drastically improving upon the initial emptiness Liang Zhongning faced when he first took charge in Puyang. It was not an exaggeration to say this grain was the lifeline of his soldiers.

Because of this, the guards he placed there were even stronger than those around him.

But what did he just hear?

Burn the granary?

Hesitantly, he spoke up: “I know the atmosphere is tense right now, but please don’t joke about such things…”

“I’m not joking!” Qiao Yan interrupted him, “Burning the granary is exactly how to solve the changes here. The commander can start by relocating the grain and just set a fire within manageable limits. As for how much grain gets burned, that’s entirely up to the commander to claim.”

“Today, I meant to ease relations with Commander Bu Ji and invited him here to discuss cooperation. Everyone witnessed it in his army. But Bu Ji’s behavior is well known too.”

“If he is dissatisfied with the disparity between the two sides, he might deliberately set fire to the grain, or even send people to loot in secret. Is that not a possibility?”

Liang Zhongning: Seems like there really is.

“What if the Rebel Leader finds out about this? What would he do?”

Before Liang Zhongning could reply, he heard Qiao Yan’s unwavering voice: “I bet the Rebel Leader would hesitate to kill him just like before, keeping in mind that we’re still allies, so he’d just blame him without executing.”

Qiao Yan pointed, and Dian Wei noticed her glance. He paused for a moment before handing her the wine jar that had toppled during their earlier scuffle but hadn’t shattered yet.

In her hands, the jar didn’t last more than a heartbeat before she smashed it to the ground with a thud.

The shattering jar released a mix of wine and fresh blood that filled the room with a rather pungent aroma.

Oddly enough, it made Liang Zhongning’s face flush as if he’d been hit with a dose of that same bloodlust.

He seemed to have an inkling of Qiao Yan’s plan already.

It diverged somewhat from her identity as Zheng Xuan’s disciple, but when he was basking in the benefits, some things were bound to slip through the cracks.

For a fleeting moment, he felt that what broke on the floor wasn’t just the wine jar, but his already precarious notion of maintaining balance among the three Yellow Turban leaders.

At that moment, Qiao Yan drilled down with one clear question: “But if we’re at the feast, drunk on wine, and suddenly learn that the granary has caught fire because of Bu Ji, what should the Rebel Leader do?”

This time, Liang Zhongning responded with confidence and conviction, “Kill him!”

As for the other guy’s fate? Just bad luck, I guess.

It wasn’t until she stepped out of the banquet hall that the night wind finally dispersed the lingering scent of blood from her nostrils.

She glanced up at the unfathomable stars in the night sky, her previous fervor lessening just a bit, revealing a hint of regret that was distinctly different from how she had planned Liang Zhongning’s next moves, but after swallowing it back, she smirked at herself and pushed it aside.

[… You really are taking the unconventional route here.] The system’s tone had taken on a hint of wistfulness.

Even though it had been shocked once before, when Qiao Yan had convinced Dian Wei to follow her orders to kill those two, seeing it happen right before its eyes was another level of realization about its host.

It originally thought as a competent system, it had some psychological counseling programs loaded up, and maybe it should comfort its host at this moment.

After all, back when she first arrived in this world, she’d seen places piled with corpses; people were indeed dead; during the battle between the Tian family and Gao Family Fortress, she had mostly stayed back, prioritizing her own safety and avoiding the front lines.

But now, she was witnessing all of this up close.

However, after waiting a while, the system only received a lowly question from Qiao Yan as she watched Liang Zhongning’s trusted aide leave to execute the plan: “Are there any strategist points to settle?”

[…] The system was left speechless.

Could this be a bit too dedicated?

But since Qiao Yan couldn’t perform any strange gestures like opening a light screen in public, it had to step in.

[Yes.]

Well, of course, there were.

With Bu Ji and Zhang Bo both dead, Liang Zhongning was undoubtedly in a position to “get a promotion and a raise,” becoming the top dog of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou.

Judging by Liang Zhongning’s path as an odd sort of “Lord,” he definitely deserved those strategist points.

And considering the Yellow Turban Army was no longer under the control of the three factions, but was likely to consolidate power under one individual, those strategist points should go to her as well.

But the way this strategist point was acquired truly tormented the system.

If it praised her, wouldn’t that just encourage her reckless behavior?

The system was plunged into silence for the first time since binding to a host for practical tasks.

But regardless of the system’s musings, tonight, Puyang City would not remain peaceful.

Outside the city, the soldiers on night patrol from Bu Ji’s faction saw the flames rising in the city, lighting up half the sky, followed by the distant echo of the expression “Fire.”

The longer it went on, the louder the sound became, and the more vibrant the fire blazed.

Sadly, separated by the city wall, they couldn’t see where the fire had started.

And what mattered more to them than the fire inside the city was the confusion among the soldiers awakened in their camp.

No matter how much the Yellow Turbans professed to follow the Way of Great Peace, appearing to be spiritually committed, it couldn’t change one fact—

Most of the troops were in dire physical condition after long labor, and the unknown outcome of resisting the court weighed heavily on their spirits.

A few with military experience in the ranks would know that they were in a murky situation, easily prone to disorder.

Fortunately, there were no soldiers shouting for blood, and the chaos inside the city quickly died down and returned to its original calm.

Once awakened and unable to sleep, some soldiers gathered in a corner, voicing their thoughts on the possible fire in the city.

However, they quickly received three shocking pieces of news that shook the whole camp.

That fire had started in the granary.

The fire was set by the unstable Rebel Leader Bu Ji.

Bu Ji had been slain on the spot by Liang Zhongning, his sword fueled by the excess wine, along with the earlier adviser Zhang.

Each news item struck harder than the last!

If it weren’t for the messenger’s earnest tone, it would have sounded like a joke!

Sudden news of a superior being dead was not something anyone could take lightly.

But just as they picked someone to go demand a clarity from Liang Zhongning, they received permission to enter Puyang City, and what they witnessed confirmed the messenger’s words.

The fire erupted right in the granary.

Burned grains still lay scattered on the ground of the granary, while outside, bags of salvaged grains were piled up.

Some bags had been burned, spilling grains everywhere.

This grain was the very produce from the fortress.

Such things were rare in common households, making them particularly striking.

And outside the granary stood Liang Zhongning.

This Yellow Turban Commander, with a face flushed from drink, gripped a bloodied blade that set him apart from ordinary drunkards.

Faced with the need to report losses from the fire, he put on an exhausted facade.

The soldiers from Bu Ji’s faction had hardly approached when he suddenly appeared as if he had heard something too unbelievable. His face contorted with rage as he drew his sword, shouting:

“I wanted to cooperate with him to procure grain so we could all eat well; why has he done this to me?”

“A loss of two hundred thousand measure? I’ve merely killed him and even that was too lenient; even hanging him at the gate of Puyang City wouldn’t quell my anger!”

As soon as he spoke these words, it wasn’t just the nearest messenger who took a step back; even those in the Bu Ji faction further away instinctively retreated.

But they soon noticed that Liang Zhongning’s slightly diminished alcohol buzz had cleared his head, and he sheathed his sword.

Seeing those soldiers approach, he turned and asked, “Alright, let’s not talk about that guy. Bu Ji is dead; is there any chaos in the army…?”

The soldier he pointed to shrank back and replied, “Not at the moment, just this news came suddenly; we were sent to investigate.”

Liang Zhongning sighed.

Instead of replying right away, he followed Qiao Yan’s advice and let his gaze slowly fall on the blood-stained blade in his hand, seeming to show hints of regret as he touched the blood.

But as they say, once a person is dead, they can’t come back; no matter how he regretted, due to reasons behind it and the buzz, he’d have to deal with what was next.

When he raised his head again, it was evident he had forcefully put on a composed demeanor.