Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Leping Monthly Report

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 5: The Han Divided, Battles in Hexi, Chapter 147: Leping Monthly Report

Belonging to the book:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 147: Leping Monthly Report

Gai Xun had not yet met Qiao Yan in person, but he was already impressed by her tactic of using the Southern Xiongnu to guard the gates while deceiving the enemy.

Although the Qiang people could also be swayed by kindness and righteousness, achieving what Qiao Yan had done likely required more than just the authority of a local prefect. One would need to oversee the affairs of an entire province.

However, within Liangzhou, there were dozens of different Qiang tribes, and the largest armed force was controlled by Ma Teng and Han Sui, among others.

With a mix of subtle admiration and reverence, Gai Xun followed Fu Gan up the Ziwu Ridge.

As soon as they entered the mountains, he saw the Xiongnu people living in huts, herding and farming on the hillsides. This sight gave him an indescribable sense of disillusionment.

From what Gai Xun could discern from a distance, the Xiongnu traits in these people had not diminished. However, their lifestyle, or rather their method of guarding, was truly astonishing.

Gai Xun rode his horse and asked Fu Gan beside him, “Isn’t Prefect Qiao afraid of nurturing a tiger that will turn on her?”

Fu Gan countered, “Have you ever heard of our lord hesitating when it comes to necessary killings?”

It seemed there was no such instance.

Gai Xun pondered Qiao Yan’s rise to power. Regarding her actions against the Xiongnu, when the Xiutu tribe attacked Guyang County and caused a massacre, Qiao Yan retaliated by annihilating them and displaying their heads.

It was said that outside the Yinshan Mountains, at Shouxiang City, the headless bodies of three thousand Xiutu tribesmen still hung, visible to the Qiang people who ventured beyond the mountains, and the news had spread to Liangzhou.

This was clearly not the act of a ruler who solely relied on benevolence and sought to convert these Hu people.

“According to the information our lord conveyed when she established the merit system in the province, as long as we remain stronger than the Hu people, it’s fine,” Fu Gan added. “If we can turn them into a weapon, it would also protect the province’s vital forces.”

As Fu Gan spoke, he waved to someone in the Southern Xiongnu group who appeared to be their leader.

The man, who had been holding a prey and looking quite imposing, suddenly adopted a respectful demeanor and made a gesture of farewell, which amused Gai Xun.

“He’s an exception,” Fu Gan said, not losing his head over the situation. “The Southern Xiongnu’s chanyu was established by the previous Protector-General of the Southern Xiongnu. Although the Southern Xiongnu have submitted to us, according to the Hu people’s rules of succession, his position is somewhat illegitimate. His brother Yufuluo once fought for the Han court in Youzhou and had gathered some influence. Yufuluo’s son, who took the Han surname Liu, is now six or seven years old, so there’s no chance for him to seize the inheritance. Rather than hoping for the Southern Xiongnu chanyu position to fall to him, it’s better to rely on serving our lord to gain a fief and develop his own power.”

“But Prefect Gai, rest assured. Although our lord is young, she is not easily deceived. Whether to treat them as a weapon or as her people, she has her own considerations.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Gai Xun replied with a relaxed tone, as they had reached the border of Bingzhou. “Prefect Qiao is sharp-tongued and often speaks pearls of wisdom. With the Xiongnu’s level of education, no matter how literate they are, they probably can’t sway her.”

This remark left Fu Gan unsure whether it was a compliment or a slight.

However, Gai Xun had a knack for delivering such remarks, and given his current attitude toward Bingzhou, it was likely positive.

Fu Gan then heard Gai Xun say, “I see I don’t need to worry about you either. Your father gave you the courtesy name Yancai, hoping you would be a pillar of support. Now that you’re serving under the Governor of Bingzhou, it seems you’ve lived up to that name.”

This was indeed Fu Xie’s expectation for Fu Gan.

After saying this, Gai Xun didn’t mention Fu Xie further and instead discussed the situation in Longxi and Jincheng before he left Hanyang County.

Although Dong Zhuo had appointed Ma Teng as Front General and Han Sui as Left General, which were higher ranks than Qiao Yan’s original General Who Pacifies Rebels, these titles were essentially personal honors and did not grant them the authority to establish their own offices.

But who were Ma Teng and Han Sui?

As they had once told Gai Xun, once they became bandits, there was no turning back.

Whether they could turn back or not, they had blatantly ignored certain rules.

Thus, the two agreed to establish their own general offices in the commandery, appointing their subordinates as Chief Clerk or Assistant Clerk of the General’s Office.

Fortunately, Dong Zhuo knew better than to appoint them as Prefects of Jincheng and Longxi, or their arrogance would have grown even more.

But even this was enough to cause fear in western Liangzhou.

“Han Sui’s subordinate Cheng Gongying and Ma Teng’s subordinate Pang De are both exceptional commanders, each appointed as Chief Clerk of the General’s Office. Liangzhou has always produced capable warriors. Han Sui has a young officer named Yan Xing, who is also remarkably skilled. Ma Teng himself is a general, and his son Ma Chao, though only fourteen, has already followed his father in campaigns against Xiliang.”

At this point, Gai Xun suddenly realized that, by comparison, Qiao Yan had experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the age of ten, and Fu Gan had fought alongside Fu Xie in Changshe.

In that context, Ma Chao’s age wasn’t that young.

As they officially entered Shang Commandery from Ziwu Ridge, Gai Xun felt his eyes were not enough to take in everything.

Compared to the harsh climate and poor farming conditions of Xiliang, Bingzhou under Qiao Yan’s rule was a sight to behold.

The land of Shang Commandery was completely covered in winter snow, and the wilderness was almost devoid of human traces. Yet, the silence was not lifeless; it was the kind of quiet that hinted at new sprouts beneath the fields, a sign of hope.

As dusk approached, Gai Xun accompanied Fu Gan to Fushi, the administrative center of Shang Commandery, to stay for the night.

It was here that he met Xun You.

The idea of a member of the Yingchuan Xun family serving in Bingzhou would have been unimaginable to Gai Xun before his visit. But when he saw this elegant and outstanding young man bowing to him, he felt that such a thing happening in Bingzhou might not be so strange after all.

Gai Xun was indeed feeling the fatigue from a long period of vigilance. Amid Xun You’s slow-paced greetings and the sound of falling snow outside, this fatigue made him yearn for a place to sleep.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jiao, who had escorted him, was chatting happily with Fu Gan, as they were of similar age and had met a few times before.

When Fu Gan mentioned during their conversation that there was a place called Leping Academy under the Governor of Bingzhou, Jiang Jiao’s eyes lit up.

Although he came from one of the four prominent families of Hanyang—the future Tianshui four families: Jiang, Yan, Ren, and Zhao—they were still local magnates.

The extent of exclusion faced by people from Liangzhou in the central government could be seen from the treatment of their predecessors.

Take the Three Brilliances of Liangzhou as an example: Huangfu Gui from Anding Commandery, despite his military achievements, was only posthumously awarded the title of Grand Minister of Agriculture. Duan Jiong from Wuwei Commandery obtained the position of Grand Commandant by currying favor with eunuchs, and was forced to commit suicide in prison during the purge of eunuch Wang Fu. Zhang Huan from Dunhuang Commandery, in order to gain future promotions, changed his registered residence to Hongnong Huayin, yet still failed to attain a high position and eventually resigned and returned home.

This was the reality of Liangzhou.

Jiang Jiao clearly understood the power local magnates could wield over a region, but he also saw his own limitations.

Being just a general clearly had its limits.

Thus, a place like Leping Academy, which, according to Fu Gan, combined civil and military studies, as well as medicine, agriculture, and engineering, held a natural attraction for him.

Perhaps it held great appeal for all of Liangzhou.

However, he was currently serving as the Registrar of Hanyang Commandery and was responsible for delivering Gai Xun to Qiao Yan. He couldn’t just abandon his duties and run off to study.

He would think about it later.

He thought he would have trouble falling asleep due to his thoughts, but perhaps because the dinner prepared by Xun You was so delicious, or because he, like Gai Xun, had been highly tense and now needed to relax, he quickly fell asleep.

By the time they left Fushi the next day, the snow outside had piled up quite a bit.

Xun You, though seemingly slow, was meticulous in his preparations.

He had arranged for a carriage to be ready before they woke up, and had prepared food and water for the journey.

With Jiang Jiao’s help, Gai Xun boarded the carriage and continued eastward.

Before he could settle in, Jiang Jiao’s sharp eyes noticed something special in the carriage.

A bookshelf was nailed to the side of the carriage, holding a few books to pass the time.

If these were bamboo scrolls, they would have taken up half the carriage, but now only a few books were needed.

This was a sight Jiang Jiao had never seen before.

The topmost book was particularly thin, so he picked it up.

But when he held it, he realized it wasn’t a book, but a large sheet of paper folded and placed there.

The title at the top read:








The Leping Monthly Report.

The monthly report sounds like something a subordinate would submit to a superior every month, but after reading a few lines, Jiang Jiong realized it wasn’t what he had imagined.

It was more like a mixed bag of practical information and news from various disciplines.

Coincidentally, this monthly report was born this very month.

Earlier, Cai Zhaoji’s efforts in promoting Bingzhou’s “homework” had given Qiao Yan some inspiration.

At a time when her territory and military strength couldn’t yet support the invention of printing, the Leping Monthly Report was still being manually copied by students at the Leping Academy, which was indeed feasible.

If the report could include literature, medicine, agriculture, astronomy, miscellaneous talks, and geography as Qiao Yan hoped, it would also serve to further broaden the horizons of Leping’s students through this handwritten newsletter.

Externally, it would gradually become a customary item within Bingzhou.

Even if, at the beginning, it could only serve as reading material for the powerful families and literate individuals within the state, it was still fine.

Whether literate individuals tried to glean the thoughts of the ruler from it or they spread the knowledge within to the villagers to demonstrate their ability to understand the report, it was all beneficial to Qiao Yan.

The person in charge of this monthly report was none other than—

“Cai Zhaoji…” Jiang Jiong noted the name under the “Editor” section of the report.

Zhaoji did not disappoint Qiao Yan by maintaining the honor of authorship for the report. In this first issue of the Leping Monthly Report, the November issue of the Guangxi era, she filled all six sections well.

As Jiang Jiong read the report, he first saw the content on the first page.

A new astronomical observatory was built in Leping, and representatives from the Leping Academy interviewed Liu Yuanzhuo, the proposer of the Qianxiang calendar.

In addition to introducing the theory and observational progress of the Qianxiang calendar, the “author” also mentioned the late Emperor Ling’s support for Ma Lun and others in improving the calendar, expressing nostalgia for the late emperor and fully demonstrating political correctness and proper roots.

Jiang Jiong, being from Liangzhou, couldn’t quite grasp the implications in these lines, but he was fascinated by the accompanying illustration of the armillary sphere. If Qiao Yan were to comment, Zhaoji’s political awareness had truly developed over the years by her side.

Placing this on the first page was just perfect!

On the first page’s literature section, Cai Zhaoji didn’t hesitate to exploit her father’s talents again.

Is life in Leping comfortable? Tired from writing “Dongguan Hanji”? Then write another piece, “Cai Yong’s Occasional Thoughts in Bingzhou”!

With Cai Yong’s literary prowess, capable of writing thousands of words for an inscription, writing an article to showcase Leping’s friendliness to scholars was no pressure at all, and it also showed an attitude to those within Bingzhou.

If Xi Zhicai were to say, he could have written it too, as he had tricked his friends into writing for him more than once, but with the impending Liangzhou campaign, only Cai Yong had the leisure, while Xi Zhicai had no extra time.

On the third and fourth pages, Cai Zhaoji didn’t strictly adhere to the six-section boundary but chose to combine medicine and geography.

Earlier, after Qiao Yan returned from visiting the muddy waters of Beidi Commandery, she mentioned that the water quality upstream was harmful due to the soil environment.

Thinking of this timely issue, Zhaoji directly involved Fu Shou and Wu Pu to complete this feature.

How many similar situations existed within Bingzhou, what kind of water was more suitable for drinking, and how to treat several diseases caused by drinking untreated water were all explained in these two pages as clearly as possible.

Some of this information was already recorded in the teaching materials compiled by Wu Pu during his medical courses in Leping, but some needed to be supplemented with the actual conditions and diseases in Bingzhou, such as “stones in the abdomen.”

The agriculture section on the fifth page wasn’t about unique farming methods in Bingzhou.

If it were written that way, especially if it included the fertilizer formula she was currently selling in doses, the advantage she gained from exchanging agricultural books would be lost.

So in this part, Cai Zhaoji, similar to the earlier interview with Liu Yuanzhuo, interviewed several farmers with particularly high yields this year, including their origins and names, along with some wild tips for caring for farmland, and wrote them down.

In recording origins and names, Guo Jia offered some relevant advice.

After all, he had come up with the idea of using shadow plays to boost team morale during the selection of the Du Liao General a couple of years ago, so he had some say in creating a sense of honor.

This also influenced the sixth page’s miscellaneous talks.

Miscellaneous talks are called such because they are indeed light topics.

They are all about local anecdotes and interesting stories, like the time Guo Linzong commented on Jia Zihou, leading Jia to reform and become good.

However, while the place names in the stories were familiar to people in Bingzhou, the stories themselves had a couple that made people think, “If this can be recorded in the monthly report, then so can I.”

But it was precisely this “I can do it too” attitude that, while making people scratch their heads over the selection criteria to prevent self-promotion, also made them more willing to do things that might leave their names in the records.

The implications of this, Jiang Jiong also couldn’t understand, but he vaguely saw why Fu Gan had grown into the person he saw now.

It was precisely because he was in such a progressive and positive environment.

Jiang Jiong couldn’t help but zone out for a moment, only to find the Leping Monthly Report being taken from his hands by Gai Xun.

“I still wanted to…” wanted to read it again.

Gai Xun showed no embarrassment in snatching something from a junior, calmly replying, “You can read something else first.”

Jiang Jiong’s reaction was enough to prove it was an excellent read, so naturally, it should also serve to pass the time on the road.

But before he could read a couple of lines, he suddenly felt the ground trembling.

Gai Xun’s expression changed, and he immediately put down the Leping Monthly Report, pushing open the carriage window to look outside.

The sound, though somewhat different from what he usually heard, could only be the movement of a large cavalry unit.

Because the natural migration of large numbers of cattle, sheep, and horses couldn’t possibly create such a uniform movement.

The carriage they were in had already entered Xihe Commandery from Shang Commandery, and even though they knew that part of the Southern Xiongnu had been assigned to farming by Qiao Yan, the Prefect of Bingzhou, it was hard not to have some ominous premonitions due to stereotypes.

But when Gai Xun looked out the window, he saw a scene he might never forget.

On the flat plains of Xihe Commandery, a wave of snow was rolling in from afar. Mixed with the earth-shaking sound, it seemed to carry a sense of real wave-like movement.

It was the snow kicked up by a large cavalry unit galloping past!

The snow exploded into clusters of dust in the air, falling and rising again, interweaving like clouds on the ground, waves on the plateau, filled with a dynamic that made one’s vision flip and tumble.

In Gai Xun’s view, what made this troop especially unique was that the horses ridden by the armored cavalry were also heavily armored.

Thus, perhaps because of the weight of the armor, as they galloped across the snowy plains, the sound of their hooves also had a startling, metallic clang.

Under the sunlight, the thousands of armors shimmered with alternating silver and black, the horses’ natural colors covered by the armor, reflecting a dazzling array of colors, and the snow where the horses passed seemed to have turned into a sea under the sunlight.

All these bright and dark colors on the snowy plain were unified under the word “white.”

Only one color stood out—red.

It was the leader!

This striking red figure quickly reached Gai Xun, making it clear without any introduction—

This was none other than the Marquis of Leping, Qiao Yan!

Gai Xun was startled.

When he stepped out of the carriage, he felt a wave of murderous aura.

He saw the young Prefect of Bingzhou, not wearing armor, exchange a glance with Fu Gan before turning her gaze to his face and saying, “I was just bringing the cavalry to test the horseshoes, never expecting to meet Prefect Gai on the way. What a fortunate day for travel!”

When she mentioned horseshoes, Gai Xun noticed the clinking sound from the hooves of her horse.

This sound made him suddenly realize that what made these cavalry movements different from the usual wasn’t the snow on the ground or the heavier load on the horses, but something else on the horses’ hooves.

These things… if they could increase the cavalry’s load capacity and mobility, they would surely be of great benefit in the Liangzhou campaign!

So even though Gai Xun didn’t yet know the secrets of the horseshoe and hadn’t spoken much with Qiao Yan, when he saw her spirited face, he blurted out without thinking, “When does Prefect Qiao plan to campaign against Liangzhou?”

Everything he had seen since entering Bingzhou had made him no longer doubt that Qiao Yan indeed had the capability to quell the chaos in Liangzhou.

Even the capability to thrust into Liangzhou like a sharp arrow!

It was out of this hope that his tone carried a hint of urgency when he asked.

But if Qiao Yan minded his question, she wouldn’t have specially invited him from Liangzhou.

She pointed her whip westward, giving Gai Xun a resolute answer—

“Next April!”