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“Can strategists really not seize the throne?”
These folks thought so, and most others probably wouldn’t be any different.
The grain shortage in the late Han dynasty pushed people to the desperate path of rebellion. Having grain was definitely more tempting than clutching mountains of gold and silver.
It’s not strange at all to think that whoever had food would take charge.
Liang Zhongning, following Qiao Yan’s advice, poured himself a few drinks to hype up that vengeful narrative. But he realized that after all this, his fear had faded a bit, and whether it was because booze gives people courage or because—
If he were in a different position, he’d also prefer to ignore the already dead Bu Ji and focus on the benefits at hand!
Watching these people leave, he turned around and saw Qiao Yan strolling out from the alley.
Blood from the earlier banquet still stained her collar, a reminder of her rushed command, and the flickering lantern she held made the drops gleam a reddish-brown in the night breeze.
Liang Zhongning was about to say, “You’ve worked hard, sir,” encouraging her to rest and change, when she suddenly spoke up:
“Congratulations, Commander. From what I see, the crisis has passed, and it’s time for me to bow out gracefully.”
Liang Zhongning was startled.
He hurriedly asked, “Why so hasty?”
What does ‘bowing out gracefully’ even mean? She can’t leave!
But Qiao Yan couldn’t reveal the true reason to him.
Her urgency was simply because she needed to execute her retreating-to-advance ploy before Liang Zhongning could fully grasp tonight’s upheaval or realize the loopholes in her preemptive strikes against Bu Ji and Zhang Bo.
This move wasn’t new; as long as it worked, who cares how many times it’s used?
Especially since this tactic seemed particularly effective on Liang Zhongning.
With his abilities, leading a Yellow Turban Commander army shouldn’t really be possible, let alone uniting three armies to become a grand commander.
He was no longer scared of the Yellow Turbans charging in to avenge Bu Ji now, but just the thought of managing so many military supplies, training, and marching made his head spin.
Seeing Qiao Yan not respond to his “why so hasty” question, the remnants of his alcohol buzz quickly faded.
“Please, stay a few more days,” Liang Zhongning said, disregarding any concern that being too dependent on Qiao Yan might dilute his power.
Suddenly raised to such a position, all he could think was—
If before he only needed Qiao Yan to help him navigate relations between commanders, now he needed her planning skills to stabilize the more than twenty thousand troops!
But as Qiao Yan had said, she was only here for that previous deal.
With the Tian Family Fortress dismantled, their supplies were abundant; with Bu Ji and Zhang Bo dead, there was no longer any power struggle among commanders. His earlier ominous signs had also vanished.
What reason could he give to keep her?
Liang Zhongning felt like he’d never thought this fast before.
As he walked over to Qiao Yan, an idea suddenly struck him.
“You really shouldn’t leave so early! You must know your decisions are beyond my ability to handle. If the three factions here break into chaos, I won’t be able to respond in time—wouldn’t that lead to casualties?”
“You took down the fortress, divided the supplies among us, and instructed everyone to unite, sacrificing the few for the survival of the many. But now, can you really bear to see more people die?”
This flurry of persuasive words validated an important truth—
Charisma can be forced out!
But his words left Dian Wei, the bodyguard trailing behind Qiao Yan, momentarily speechless.
However, most of his face was hidden by the night shadow, and no one noticed his expression change.
The soldiers around looked at Qiao Yan with similar hopeful gazes.
It shouldn’t be the case that a strategist at such a young age had to bear the weight of responsibility, but upon hearing his words, she pressed her lips together and stared straight into Liang Zhongning’s eyes, perceiving his anxiety clearly.
She paused for a moment before saying, “I am not a savior, nor do I have the insight to discern if the Way of Great Peace uprising is truly a path to change…”
This sounded like a gentle rejection, causing Liang Zhongning’s spirits to plummet, but then he heard her continue: “Yet, your reasoning does hold merit. I will draft a letter and send someone to Gao Mi to consult Master Zheng about this matter.”
She sighed lightly, “Until I receive a reply, I will assist you, Commander.”
Liang Zhongning breathed a bit easier with her response.
During this chaotic time, communication between Yanzhou and Qingzhou was anything but easy.
Pleased that Qiao Yan wanted to write a letter to consult Zheng Xuan, he thought he could easily arrange for the letter to “get lost” on the way!
However, he was caught off guard when Qiao Yan, seemingly determined to consult her teacher, sent Dian Wei to deliver the letter.
This was clearly someone who’d never let him tamper with the message.
Liang Zhongning was frustrated to no end, watching as Qiao Yan penned the letter, handed it over to Dian Wei, and sent him off with plenty of provisions toward the east, even taking along the horse that originally belonged to Bu Ji.
He inwardly grumbled that the guy might just vanish with the food and horse, but then he suddenly remembered that this fellow had a buddy locked up in Puyang Prison being well-fed!
Given the rampant chivalry of the Han dynasty, he would definitely return.
Even when he later heard that the two factions of Yellow Turbans camped outside had immediately sworn allegiance to him as the only Yellow Turban Commander in the Yanzhou territory after receiving the food rescued from the fire, it didn’t improve Liang Zhongning’s mood much.
However… having more people beneath him did feel delightfully fulfilling.
Outside the city, everyone divided up the grains, stuffing them into their clothes or bags.
With the former commanders dead, this division gave them a sense of security, and they willingly accepted the mixed formations that followed.
Normally, having such many mouths to feed would cause underlying dissatisfaction among Liang Zhongning’s original troops.
But, curiously, due to Liang Zhongning unifying the Yellow Turbans in Puyang, a few notable things happened.
The first was that the Tian family, previously waiting for ransom in jail, completely shifted their attitude from fierce scolding to seeing him as the future ruler of Yanzhou after hearing of his recent actions and “achievements.”
Qiao Yan did not intervene in this matter.
More accurately, this was the bargain she struck earlier with Tian Tao and now came into effect at the right moment.
There were some things that Qiao Yan, having positioned herself as a wise person, couldn’t say, but Tian Shi could!
With Liang Zhongning’s previous social standing, he wouldn’t realize that Tian Shi, a local big shot from Puyang, didn’t necessarily respect an official and was actually quite unusual in their respect towards him, an outsider.
All he knew was that the young master of the Tian family, who had previously yelled at him, was now following his father’s lead and even regarded him as the next prefect of Dong Commandery or a governor of Yanzhou—
This was even more intoxicating than booze.
What made him prouder was that the Tian family’s loyalty wasn’t just about flattering him; with Tian Tao at the forefront, they dug out quite a few locals and food supplies using their connections.
This twist was hard to escape Liang Zhongning’s troops thinking that, despite the process of him overthrowing the other two commanders seeming to harbor some secrets, perhaps his vengeful kill wasn’t entirely without premeditation.
But as long as they could live well, who cares about the details!
With the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou not having to confront the Han army head-on, the surroundings of Puyang felt especially peaceful.
It was spring plowing time, and due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, they had already lost a lot of time; delaying further would be disastrous.
Qiao Yan immediately selected a portion of troops from the Yellow Turbans and planted seeds on the farmland provided by the Tian family, and everything settled down just as April approached.
Then, another stroke of good fortune occurred for Liang Zhongning.
Earlier, the East Commandery’s Dong’e County had resisted the Yellow Turbans, and the subordinate that Zhang Bo cultivated, the Dong’e County official Wang Du, was defeated by a combined effort of the locals and gentry, failing to take Dong’e.
Adding to his misfortune, he was killed on his way back to Puyang due to internal strife.
After completely gaining control over the three factions of the Yellow Turbans, Liang Zhongning intended to use Dong’e as his training ground to show the other areas in Yanzhou that though he often stayed in Puyang, he had the capability to conquer all of Yanzhou.
However, before he could mobilize, Dong’e had already rallied to him.
Leading the charge was Xue Shi, who claimed familial ties to the Tian family. Now that the Tian family had cast their lot with the Yellow Turbans, aligning with Liang Zhongning made perfect sense.
Liang Zhongning was overjoyed.
Wang Du wasn’t one of his subordinates, and he was already dead, so accepting Xue Fang into the Yellow Turban army was a straightforward matter.
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Any psychological burden whatsoever.
Moreover, Xue Fang didn’t come alone; he brought along able-bodied men from the Xue family, along with gold, silver, and rice, which really shows his sincerity.
With these two things in place, Liang Zhongning’s position in Yanzhou is undoubtedly solidified even further.
On the seventh of April, Yanzhou welcomed the first rain of spring this year.
Standing under the eaves, Liang Zhongning listened to the soldiers outside exclaiming in delight at the rainfall, and for a moment, he almost forgot that he actually had to mobilize troops to support one of the front lines as soon as he received the General of Heaven’s orders.
He felt that this spring rain, arriving after last year’s severe drought, was truly a sign of hope.
However, just as he was about to take a walk into the army, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure braving the rain, heading towards the courtyard where Qiao Yan resided.
The misty rain blurred his figure a bit, but it didn’t lessen the overwhelming martial presence he exhibited with every step.
Who else could this person be but Dian Wei!
Calculating the days, if he didn’t dawdle on the way back, he was indeed due for a return!
Trailing behind him was a man over eight feet tall, sporting a fine beard; a face Liang Zhongning had never seen before.
Not that he didn’t recognize the guy; the demeanor of this stranger radiated the elegance of a cultured individual, truly exceptional.
Thinking about why Dian Wei was on this trip—
Liang Zhongning felt he could guess the identity of the newcomer as long as he wasn’t a total fool.
This was most likely a disciple of Zheng Xuan, coming to whisk the General Master away!
Feeling anxious, Liang Zhongning clenched his fists, but after pacing back and forth under the eaves for a long incense stick’s time, he couldn’t come up with a reason that could persuade Qiao Yan to stay given the current situation.
Over the past half month, Qiao Yan had helped him solve problems and commanded the soldiers. No matter how he viewed it, it had to be said that she had put in great effort. Liang Zhongning felt that if she were a few years older, she should be in a position to showcase her talents and skills grandly.
If the General of Heaven could replace the sky with Yellow Heaven and fulfill the will of heaven, he absolutely had to introduce Mr. Yan (Zheng Xuan) respectfully to the General.
But if Qiao Yan were to return to Beihai now, wouldn’t that spoil the relationship?
He now had the support of the Tian and Xue families, which was great, but his current position was largely thanks to her assistance since their battle with the Tian family.
But what excuse could he come up with this time?
Feeling frustrated, he no longer found the precious spring rain quite so delightful.
Yet little did he know, the individual following Dian Wei to Puyang wasn’t a disciple of Zheng Xuan from Gaomi; in fact, Dian Wei himself hadn’t even made that trip.
The person being brought by Dian Wei was named Cheng Li, with the courtesy name Zhongde.
Beyond Cheng Li, he had an even more well-known name—
Cheng Yu.
According to the Book of Wei, Cheng Yu dreamt of ascending Mount Tai to hold the sun while still a youth. After being summoned by Cao Cao, he mentioned this dream to Xun Yu.
After Lü Bu clashed with Cao Cao over Yanzhou, it was Cheng Yu’s efforts that enabled Cao Cao to protect Yanzhou’s three counties and seize the opportunity to counterattack across the territory. At that time, Cao Cao heard of this dream from Xun Yu and decided to change Cheng Li’s name to Cheng Yu, aligning with the dream’s intent.
Thus, at this moment, Cheng Yu should still be referred to as Cheng Li.
Over forty years old, Cheng Li still looked rather youthful, appearing just over thirty, thanks to his impressive stature and good physical condition.
Qiao Yan thought for a moment—all in all, this was a strategist who survived in chaotic times and had nearly reached eighty. Given the turbulent period of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he surely wouldn’t have made it to the establishment of Cao Wei if he were in decline; it didn’t seem strange at all.
But while Qiao Yan found this not strange, Cheng Li was indeed quite shocked when he finally saw Qiao Yan’s true face.
Previously, Qiao Yan said she needed to send a letter with Dian Wei to Gaomi to ask Zheng Xuan for advice, which was the excuse she used to send Dian Wei off.
But this eastward journey could lead to Qingzhou or the still Yanzhou, specifically to Dong’e County, which lay east of Puyang.
Given Dian Wei’s strength, getting into the city unscathed was definitely something he could manage.
Receiving Qiao Yan’s letters from Dian Wei, Cheng Li already sensed that she was no ordinary person.
Whether it was her declaring herself as a scion of the Qiao family from Liang Kingdom, the son of the late Ren Cheng Xiang, now located within the rebel camp, intending to leverage strength against strength to drive the Yellow Turbans out of Yanzhou, or her mentioning in sparse lines that she had gained Liang Zhongning’s trust, killing the small rebel leaders Bu Ji and Zhang Bo to temporarily concentrate the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans within Puyang—this all left Cheng Li astonished.
And the invitation that Qiao Yan attached to the letter further plunged Cheng Li into contemplation.
At the letter’s end, she asked, “Do you wish to defend a single city? Or secure an entire province? I look forward to discussing further in Puyang.”
Cheng Li was certain that this was not the sort of reasoning someone would use who sought to coax open the gates of Dong’e through deceit.
There was a certain eloquence in Qiao Yan’s writing, revealing an enthusiasm that was apparent even without formal acquaintance.
Yet even so, Cheng Li wasn’t prepared and didn’t arrive until the next day when he sought out Xue Fang to discuss things.
The head of the Xue family, Xue Fang, was no fool, at least he wasn’t in the ‘foolish commoners’ category who had been previously called that during the defense of Dong’e.
Among those who agreed to accompany Cheng Li back to Dong’e from Qiuqiu Mountain to help protect Liang Zhongning’s lofty ambitions, Xue Fang was one of the first.
Now hearing that Cheng Li intended to follow through with Qiao Yan’s letter, and entrust him to take the lead, rousing Liang Zhongning’s spirits, Xue Fang hesitated at first, but after listening to Cheng Li analyze the pros and cons, he immediately made up his mind and set off.
This is why Liang Zhongning gained this support.
As for Cheng Li, he waited until the estimated time according to the travel pace from Gaomi, before he came to this place together with Dian Wei.
Throughout the journey from Dong’e to Puyang, the remnants left by the Yellow Turban Army still felt astonishingly vivid.
But outside Puyang City, aside from the overall atmosphere being a bit wild, lacking some order before the chaos, farmers still worked the fields in the outskirts of the city, which undoubtably shocked Cheng Li.
Upon seeing Qiao Yan in person, and realizing how remarkably young she was, Cheng Li, despite having crossed into middle age, found it difficult to hold back his curiosity, asking, “Are you the one who wrote that letter?”
Just after he asked, he realized he had made a rather foolish inquiry.
If Qiao Yan wasn’t indeed the orchestrator, the soldiers from the Yellow Turbans wouldn’t have cast such envious looks at him on his way here. Dian Wei, with his exceptional martial prowess, wouldn’t have shown a hint of admiration upon seeing her.
He also wouldn’t have noticed the undeniable aura of superiority radiating from her as she had to look up at him due to their height difference.
Cheng Li continued, “I misspoke; if you aren’t the author, who else could be?”
He shouldn’t underestimate the youth.
With an apologetic smile, he said, “I believe I shouldn’t have arrived late, right?”
“Mr. Zhongde is certainly not late.” Qiao Yan nodded in response.
Cheng Li neither arrived late nor early.
He executed Qiao Yan’s plan perfectly and truly timed his arrival just right.
This was indeed the perfect moment to cover up Qiao Yan’s lie and distract Liang Zhongning.
Qiao Yan couldn’t help but think that working with smart people was indeed a pleasure, especially someone like Cheng Li.
In fact, Cheng Li was the very first strategist she had encountered here who could leave a substantial mark in future historical accounts.
Given his current age, he should indeed possess considerable knowledge; he simply lacked practical experience.
Unfortunately, Qiao Yan couldn’t gauge Cheng Li’s deeper personality from just a single glance.
However, she could ascertain that perhaps she wasn’t far from achieving her goal.
She withdrew some of her speculative gaze towards him and continued, “I sincerely invited Mr. Zhongde to Puyang for a discussion in my letter, so why don’t you take a guess at what my next step should be?”
This was essentially a test for her companion.
Cheng Li naturally picked up on the challenge in her words.
Generally, such inquiries should be posed by elders to juniors, but when Qiao Yan asked this way, Cheng Li felt it was quite reasonable.
After all, her prior actions had already justified treating her as an equal.
Glancing around the room, he noticed a map spread out on the table.
It was just a plain map of the Han Dynasty, commonplace, without any markings that could hint at her strategic intentions.
However, Cheng Yu wasn’t intimidated by this question.
While Xue Fang was setting off, and he and Dian Wei remained behind in Dong’e for this while, Cheng Yu had connected the dots on Qiao Yan’s actions, and in line with the goal of pacifying the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou, he had no trouble deducing her next steps.
Despite that, he had to admit, if he hadn’t known of Qiao Yan’s dealings with Liang Zhongning, he probably wouldn’t have guessed her intentions.
Having tricked the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans into this position, they were definitely worthy of their loss.
He strode forward confidently, approached the map, decisively pointed to a spot on it, and unhesitatingly said, “I see you’re aiming for Changshe!”
Yingchuan, the battleground where the Yellow Turbans clashed with Han troops—Changshe.
This was also where the Yellow Turban leader Bo Cai laid siege to the Han’s Lieutenant General Huangfu Song!
