Chapter 144: Mi Zhu Delivers Gifts
In the eighth month of the Guangxi Yuan year, everywhere had briefly paused its conflicts, fully engrossed in the harvest season.
At the start of September, Mi Zhu made another trip to Bingzhou.
Or rather, he actually arrived in Bingzhou in early September, but set out in late August.
This was also the time when Qiao Yan was simultaneously regarded as the General of Gallant Horse by the Eastern Han and Western Han courts.
If one were to say that the various local powers had dared not view her as the sharp blade of Emperor Ling of Han during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, after her successful efforts to prevent Liu Bian from ascending the throne and publicly denounce Dong Zhuo, while gaining benefits from both sides, one must concede that her strength was notable.
Bingzhou was in turmoil due to the internal strife of the Hu. Now, it welcomed a master with the potential to elevate Bingzhou’s fame across the lands.
Rather calling her a governor, she remained unaligned with either Liu Xie or Liu Bian.
This particularly unique independent status was nothing short of alarming.
Fortunately, her previous actions had not strayed beyond that of a Han official, so no one dared to raise accusations against her.
In fact, a few years back, people still referred to her as “Qiao Gong’s granddaughter,” but in the last two years, especially this year, it was mostly just “Marquis of Leping, Qiao Yan, General of Gallant Horse.”
Thus, Mi Zhu found himself grateful for deciding to come to Leping personally, all thanks to his early interest in fishing gear.
The pulley system for fishing gear was merely a development of mechanical applications, and the deal to trade white crystal for soap agency rights had merely maintained relations between the two parties during this time. However, as Qiao Yan advanced further, the Donghai Mi Clan, as a sufficiently successful merchant clan, had to show some sincerity to gain favor.
Even if the Eastern Han and Western Han were geographically divided by the central Bing, Yanzhou, and Jingzhou, the fragmentation in power under the Han led to chaos, and Xuzhou, seen as the ancestral lands of the Mi Clan, was a flat battleground prone to conflict, leaving them to seek a fallback strategy.
Looking at the current state in Xuzhou clarifies why Mi Zhu was so anxious.
With the Yellow Turbans rising again in Qing and Xuzhou, there had been signs before Emperor Ling’s demise. Now that Liu Bian had established his capital in Ye, and Yuan Shao was governing Qingzhou, the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, intimidated by Yuan Shao’s rapid recruitment of forces, began spreading towards Xuzhou.
Xuzhou’s governor, Tao Qian, was indeed a formidable character; he had once participated in military campaigns against Liangzhou, an experience that endowed him with a strong presence.
While Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, dared to ride alone into Jingzhou, Tao Qian wasn’t shy about employing the outlaws Zang Ba and Sun Guan from the Eastern Sea, defeating the Yellow Turbans of Xuzhou and driving their remnants to the borders of Yanzhou.
However, his wildly bold choices left Mi Zhu feeling uneasy.
Similarly, Ze Rong, also employed by Tao Qian, was a Buddhist and, due to the disturbances unsettling the region, was in charge of transporting military grain through Guangling, Xia Pi, and Pengcheng. Yet, most of the grain from Guangling had been pocketed by Ze Rong, which gave him the opportunity to construct a Buddhist temple in Xia Pi and attract Buddhist followers.
This seemed like a separate workforce under Tao Qian, yet it filled one with foreboding.
Yuan Shao, the governor of Qingzhou, appeared to be the optimal choice in proximity, but during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, he failed to demonstrate the prowess to convince Mi Zhu of his leadership capabilities.
It would be better to continue betting on Qiao Yan!
However, to win someone’s favor, one must start from their needs.
Did Bingzhou lack food? Mi Zhu feared that wasn’t the case.
In the Han, where “a thousand gold for a grain of rice” was not uncommon, those with food held wealth.
If they offered money directly, it wouldn’t convey their sincerity.
Places like Bingzhou certainly couldn’t be lacking in horses.
After ruling out money, grain, and horses, their options for gifts became quite limited.
After conferring with his father, Mi Zhu decided to send people.
And of course, this “sending” didn’t mean shipping off someone from the Mi family as Qiao Yan’s possession, but rather special talents.
The Donghai Mi Clan was wealthy, and according to the conventions of the powerful families during the late Han, they had quite a few retainers.
Some of these retainers, endowed with special skills, were willing to seek a more stable place to make a living, acting as a bridge for Mi Clan’s pledge of allegiance to Qiao Yan.
This method of gifting was indeed more appropriate than loading up carts with goods.
The traveling party appeared to be merely a small-scale commercial venture rather than a long-distance goodwill mission directed at Bingzhou amidst Tao Qian’s governorship in Xuzhou.
Moreover, given Qiao Yan’s emphasis on skilled craftsmanship, and her relocation of the Grand Historian of Luoyang to Leping, Mi Zhu leaned towards selecting skilled individuals.
He needed to pick more technical talents.
When Mi Zhu arrived, Qiao Yan was going through another report.
The position of General of Gallant Horse hadn’t yet manifested much legality in the campaign against Xiliang, but the ripple effects were already beyond just the sincerity of the Mi Clan.
To put it more locally, it reached the River East.
After Dong Zhuo fled with Liu Xie to Chang’an, control over River East County weakened directly. The newly appointed governor, Wang Yi, had hardly been in office for six months and was unable to prevent the local noble families from allocating the salt lake within River East to Qiao Yan.
Under the control of the East Sea Mi Clan, supplies were transported along the Fen River Valley into the Bingzhou territory.
With Wei Ji at the helm, these folks prided themselves on making military rations and preserved meat, all in preparation for the upcoming assault on Liangzhou.
At least they had a half-decent excuse on the surface.
Considering both courts were still vying for Qiao Yan’s support, they clearly wouldn’t criticize this move.
This tactic of neither stating support nor rejection had its limits, but for now, she still stood to gain from it.
It was akin to slightly expanding the boundaries of Bingzhou with this maneuver.
When Mi Zhu stepped into the governor’s reception hall, he noticed that Qiao Yan seemed to be in quite a good mood, which made him think he had picked a great time to drop by.
A savvy merchant wouldn’t just waltz in and blurt out their intentions to seek shelter, so he simply said, “The Donghai Mi Clan offers their congratulations, my lord.”
“With the Han Dynasty still unstable and the Hu marauders constantly causing havoc, what is there to celebrate?” Qiao Yan asked, looking up at him.
Once Mi Zhu was seated, he replied, “Your Excellency has the fierce might of the likes of Duan Ji Ming and the legacy of the Ho brothers. After hoarding provisions for two years, when your troops march out of Longxi to Jincheng, you will surely sweep away the rebel forces. Thus, I congratulate you on your esteemed reputation and also on the fruitful autumn harvest in Bingzhou, and let me preemptively wish you victory.”
Seeing Qiao Yan’s expression remain unchanged and still composed, Mi Zhu couldn’t help but understand a bit more about the governor’s ability to mask his emotions and felt more assured about the Mi Clan’s fallback plans in Bingzhou.
“Though a merchant, Mi Zhu also has a patriotic heart. This time, I’ve selected a few hands from my retinue, hoping they might be of use to you, my lord.”
Mi Zhu handed over a stack of names to a nearby servant to present to Qiao Yan.
As Qiao Yan casually flipped through them, Mi Zhu added, “The first several are skilled in crafting chain mail. Their ancestors were involved in making armor for the Guangwu Imperial Guard, and the products they create are sturdier and more secure than the usual chain mail.”
“Finally, the last batch are Dingling people brought back during our trading days in Zhangye. After several generations of intermarriage with the Han, they don’t really show much of that Dingling vibe anymore, but they do retain a few skills, one of which is horseshoe crafting. Since you have cavalry, my lord, the importance of horseshoes can’t be overstated. These Zhangye Dingling folks have some real ability in maintaining and oiling horseshoes.”
Each of the three groups Mi Zhu had brought was more useful than the last.
He had truly mastered the art of pleasing others!
Chain mail speaks for itself.
In a border area like Bingzhou, the armor-making craft was generally up to snuff, and nobody would argue that enhancing safety was unnecessary, especially for a general.
The genuine craft of chain mail was incredibly complex and required custom fitting, so the stuff Qiao Yan had previously referred to as chain mail was merely a byproduct of the technique having made its way to the Central Plains.
But now, they were up against the fierce troops of Liangzhou.
Liangzhou soldiers, especially the Qiang, fought tooth and nail. She hoped that Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang wouldn’t waste their strength on border skirmishes before they even got to the main battles in the Central Plains.
The armor makers Mi Zhu sent were just in time to craft better-fitting, more maneuverable chain mail for the winter.
The significance of the mountain carts goes without saying.
Even a master like Duan Jiang, known for wiping out the Qiang in Liangzhou, often found himself in little skirmishes with the Qiang in the mountains.
Since their introduction during the late Western Han, deer carts were indeed brilliant for mountain transport.
As for the idea of adding sails to propel them, it might sound ridiculous now—like someone whimsically slapping a sail from coastal boats onto a cart—but, lo and behold, two hundred years later in the 5th century, such sail carts actually came into existence and were even recorded in European epic poetry a millennium later.
This idea might just be worth testing before the battle in Liangzhou.
As for the Dingling who specialized in horseshoe maintenance, they could be seen as ancestors to later groups like the Tie Le or Uighurs.
They were doing more than just fixing horseshoes.
If Qiao Yan remembered correctly, horseshoes had been invented in the West over two hundred years ago and with the movement of nomadic tribes, had made their way to Dunhuang and Zhangye. According to the later story that came to be known as the place of Ganzhou, the vast Gobi desert, filled with rocks, wreaked havoc on horseshoes, and thus they used wooden covers nailing on to protect them.
Is it possible these folks had seen such ancient versions of horseshoes and could serve as her professionals in horseshoe making?
Earlier, Qiao Yan hadn’t fully brought Bingzhou under her control, nor had she put together a sufficiently fearsome cavalry, so if she suggested horseshoes back then, it would only lead to supplying the enemy. But now, if she had a more complete roster of skilled personnel and a more feasible method of iron crafting, it was completely doable!
Even if they had never done this work before, pivoting from horseshoe maintenance would still be easier.
Qiao Yan’s eyes lit up.
If it weren’t for Mi Zhu sitting in front of her, she would have nearly leaped up in surprise at the gifts he’d presented.
Heaven knows she had been contemplating having Hua Tuo’s disciple, Wu Pu, switch from studying people to studying horses!
