Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Clear Voice of a Young Phoenix, Chapter 16: Delivering a Message to the Han Army

In Qiao Yan’s words, what was surprising was definitely not her name.

She had already revealed her identity in the letter she wrote to Cheng Li, and using an inverted name as a pseudonym was not something incomprehensible.

Moreover, her mutual understanding with Tian Tao had already hinted at her origins.

This was equivalent to a common understanding among “insiders,” and now it was just being openly stated.

What truly made those who heard it feel their blood boil were Qiao Yan’s resounding last four words.

“To leave a name in history!”

Who wouldn’t want to leave a name in history?

The Han Dynasty rewarded military achievements with titles, and by the Eastern Han period, the Marquis titles were divided into five ranks.

In Qiao Yan’s words, the County Marquis and the Pavilion Marquis were the highest and lowest of these five ranks, respectively, with the Township Marquis, the Village Marquis, and the Pavilion Marquis in between, forming the five-rank system.

At this time, Zhu Jun, the Right Middle General in Changshe City, had previously been enfeoffed as the Pavilion Marquis with a fief of 1,500 households for quelling the Liang Long Rebellion while serving as the Governor of Jiaozhou.

When the title was promoted to County Marquis, one could even establish a state.

The meaning in Qiao Yan’s words was clear enough.

Although I am young, I have the ambition to serve the country and achieve great deeds. At this moment, there is no opportunity to confront the Xiqiang and Xianbei, relying on repelling foreign invaders to achieve merit, but another opportunity has already presented itself.

It is the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Currently, the Han army and the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans are confronting each other in Changshe, and the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans, under Qiao Yan’s covert instigation, have been lured here.

If they can break this stalemate by leveraging their strengths and even assist the Han army in quelling the Yellow Turbans in two provinces, they might be rewarded with a Marquis title.

If they could take the head of Bo Cai, a fierce Yellow Turban general, they would undoubtedly be the top功臣!

Even if the people in front of Qiao Yan did not know, taking Zhu Jun, a famous general of the late Han Dynasty, as an example, for his merit in defeating the Yellow Turbans, he was promoted from Pavilion Marquis to Township Marquis, and the following year, in the second year of Zhongping, he was enfeoffed as County Marquis for his merit in defeating the remaining Yellow Turban forces, but it did not prevent them from seeing a sign from the recent rewards from Pavilion Marquis to County Marquis—

The court is reviving the old practice of rewarding merit with Marquis titles as in the Guangwu era.

Whether this is a self-rescue move in the twilight of the dynasty or a balancing act in factional struggles, for those who have the name of local magnates but are far from the real power, there is no need to explore.

The Tian and Xue families both started with trade and money lending, and indeed need a real title.

If their previous cooperation with her was more out of a sense of local community and self-preservation, now, with the temptation of being rewarded with a Marquis title赤裸裸地摆在他们面前, who could remain indifferent?

Especially obvious is undoubtedly a young man like Tian Yan who is not very composed.

If the current local magnates are subdivided, the noble magnates of the Guangwu era’s “Eighteen Generals of Yuntai” and the bureaucratic magnates represented by the Hongnong Yang and Runan Yuan families are undoubtedly at the top of the food chain. Tian Yan might be sought after in Puyang due to the power of his family, but outside Dong Commandery, he is nothing.

The childhood aspirations mentioned in Qiao Yan’s words also struck a chord with him.

Does he want to make a name for himself? Naturally, he does!

So, immediately after Qiao Yan finished speaking, he spoke up: “What do you need us to do?”

System: …

It felt that Qiao Yan’s words were full of煽动意味, but behind the goal of leaving a name in history, what was needed was undoubtedly the support of a suicide squad. Wasn’t the eldest young master Tian jumping into the pit a bit too eagerly?

But even Cheng Li, who understood Qiao Yan’s intentions, did not interrupt her plan, let alone the system.

It was better to continue watching the show.

Qiao Yan did not show any joy at Tian Yan’s quick入套, but instead asked in return: “Do you remember when I had people play dead under the walls during the battle to break the Tian Family Fortress?”

Tian Yan paused for a moment. “…I remember.”

When he led people there, those pretending to be dead had already gotten up and invaded the fortress like wolves and tigers, but this did not prevent him from later hearing the process from his second uncle and imagining the scene at that time.

Although the other party’s actions in breaking the fortress were for the greater good, to gain the trust of the Yellow Turban Commander, he still suffered the bitterness of imprisonment and could not completely put it behind him.

Qiao Yan seemed not to notice Tian Yan’s embarrassment at this moment and continued in a normal tone, “I would like to ask a few of you to do such a thing again when the Yellow Turbans attack Changshe. Then, take advantage of the night to send a message into the city.”

She raised her hand, and Dian Wei distributed the brocade bags prepared by Qiao Yan to everyone.

She continued, “But I must make it clear to you in advance that攻城战 and attacking a fortress are completely different. Playing dead on the battlefield is not a way to save your life. On the contrary, it is even more dangerous than following the army’s attack. Stray arrows on the battlefield and trampling during retreat can easily turn playing dead into real death.”

When mentioning the word “death,” Qiao Yan’s attitude was extremely serious.

But it was precisely this attitude of clearly stating the current crisis and opportunities that made these people less hesitant at this moment.

The truth throughout the ages is that one general’s success is built on the bones of ten thousand.

Under the前景 outlined by Qiao Yan’s few words, this deadly danger could not stop these people from taking a gamble.

If it were not dangerous, how could they break free from their original class and get the opportunity to be enfeoffed as Marquis and拜将?

The few people present looked at each other and saw the meaning in each other’s eyes.

Then, still led by Tian Yan, after taking the brocade bag handed over by Dian Wei, he said, “We will follow the master’s arrangements.”

After completing this mobilization, Qiao Yan watched these people return to the camp, but she was not in a hurry to go back. Instead, accompanied by Cheng Li, she slowly strolled in the wilds of Yanzhou.

From Puyang to Changshe, they passed through Chenliu, which bordered Liang. In “Qiao Yan’s” memory, although she had been ill for many years, she had once been here. Now passing through, she felt inexplicably唏嘘.

After walking a distance, she heard Cheng Li suddenly say, “Today I realized that you are not only good at strategy and decision-making, but also very skilled in controlling people’s hearts.”

He was not someone who would stick to conventions. Judging from his future履历, his actions in急从权 were far more惊人 than Qiao Yan’s, so at this moment, there was no暗讽 in his words, but genuine praise.

Qiao Yan smiled upon hearing this, “At my age, it is still a bit early to窥探人心, but when I was young, I once saw a book called ‘The Remnants of Strategy’ in my grandfather’s study. The author is unknown, but I remember one sentence vividly.”

Cheng Li: “I would like to hear the details.”

“To攻心者,晓之以理,动之以情,示之以义,服之以威.”

Cheng Li chuckled, “But from your words, it seems more like动之以利, rather than动之以情.”

Qiao Yan replied, “Because the previous理情义威 are for gentlemen, but in today’s world, there are not so many gentlemen, so the more feasible is the latter—欲得其心,莫若投其所好. Mr. Zhongde, isn’t that the truth?”

Cheng Li nodded, “The essence remains the same, you have deeply grasped the精髓.”

Cheng Li saw clearly that Qiao Yan was not only insightful and投其所好 in further诱导 these local magnates of Yanzhou, but also in dealing with the Yellow Turban Commander.

Including the lessons she gave to Liang Zhongning on this行军路上.

Holding “heavy troops,” there was naturally a demand for行军方略, and Qiao Yan brought out those套路体系的东西 at this time, which was also a对症下药之举.

But whether this was to make the Yellow Turban Army’s布阵扎营 more organized, reducing the possibility of疫症传播, or for other purposes, Cheng Li, standing as an旁观者, saw clearly.

This association inevitably made him a bit distracted, and suddenly he heard Qiao Yan ask, “Mr. Zhongde, do you have something to say?”

“Not exactly, but I want to ask if your guidance to Liang Zhongning on安营扎寨之法 is as I thought.”

Cheng Li did not hide his intentions and simply said, “The Yanzhou Yellow Turbans and the Yuzhou Yellow Turbans are both乱军,两乱相逢必有乱生, but不如—此为一正,彼为一乱.”

“Exactly, Mr. Zhongde, what you said is exactly what I thought.” Qiao Yan continued, “If this一正 is still不得其法, only knowing纸上谈兵, the effect is even better.”

Cheng Li replied, “Then I think I know how to add this一把火.”

After he finished speaking, the old and young, with an age difference of thirty years, looked at each other and smiled, their expressions of狡诈算计 strikingly similar.

This is the benefit of dealing with smart people.

Soon after the army passed Weishi, they entered Yingchuan.

Yingchuan, one of the eight prefectures of Yuzhou, with its geographical resources and交通枢纽 role, had become a major prefecture in the Central Plains by the late Han Dynasty, and due to its academic atmosphere, it produced a large number of famous scholars and strategists in the future群雄割据 environment.

The Yingchuan Chen, Yingyin Xun, and Changshe Zhong families were all among the best.

Unfortunately, Yingchuan was now the first front line of the confrontation between the Yellow Turbans and the Han army. This former capital of the Xia Dynasty was affected by the war, temporarily preventing Qiao Yan from witnessing the盛景 of “Ru Ying多奇士.”

Under Qiao Yan’s guidance, Liang Zhongning temporarily stationed the army in Yanling, and then sent a letter to Bo Cai, the Commander in Changshe.

To be honest, the significance of sending a letter at this time was not great.

Yanling was already within the territory of Yingchuan Prefecture, and the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans, having traveled here, would obviously not easily withdraw. Even if Bo Cai had any opinions about this inexplicably additional force, which was likely not under his command, he probably could not驱赶 them back.

At most, it was to express that they had no intention of偷袭 from behind.

This was what Bo Cai thought when he received the letter.

This belated notice seemed polite, but it still inevitably made him feel如鲠在喉.

He sent the messenger away and remained silent for a long time before squeezing out two words from between his teeth.

“Yanzhou…”

Before he marched into Yuzhou, he passed through Yanzhou and had a rough idea of the three Commanders there at that time.

Liang Jing, Bu Ji, and Zhang Bo all had some level of skill, but that was all. At least they did not have the ability to统率大方, nor could they face the famous generals of the Han Dynasty on the battlefield.

If it were not so, the Yanzhou and Yuzhou areas would not have been led by Bo Cai.

But in just a short month, the situation of the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans had undergone significant changes.

Qiao Yan had Liang Zhongning send a letter to Bo Cai, only roughly telling him the content of the letter, but the specific wording was written by Liang Zhongning himself, who considered himself a “cultured person.”

The letter sent to Bo Cai spent a few笔墨 writing about the “accidental” reduction of the three Yanzhou Yellow Turban Commanders to one, and in the问候 to Bo Cai, there was clearly a sense of平等坐.

Liang Zhongning, due to recent changes, did not realize the emotions revealed in his tone, but Bo Cai, who suddenly received this letter, saw it clearly.

This was obviously not necessarily a合格的外援, and could even be an恶客!

Especially when he was still占据上风 in his confrontations with Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song, the sudden addition of more than ten thousand people did not make him feel惊喜.

Several consecutive victories made Bo Cai无比确信 that what the Great Virtuous Teacher Zhang Jiao said, “The decline of the Han Dynasty is inevitable, the苍天已死黄天当立,” was a truth.

In this way, he did not need any外援, and could正面攻破长社, capturing the two Middle Generals of the court to祭旗.

Liang Zhongning was clearly here to瓜分功劳 with him!

Bo Cai’s face was沉如水, but he could not think of a way to make these people retreat.

He knew all too well what the战斗力 of his own men was like. People who were not well-fed would撞上去 even if there were甲兵刀刃 in front of them for the reward of food. When gathered to the scale of ten thousand, it was not easy to调配号令.

His side was like this, and Liang Zhongning’s side would probably not be much different.

If he really issued a decision to order them to打道回府, they would probably immediately打秋风 to his face.

He only had one choice left.

To接纳 these people into the Changshe area, but严禁 them from抢功.

Although he had made up his mind, Bo Cai still could not help but press his temples, feeling a headache over this意外.

What made him even more头疼 was the表现 displayed by Liang Zhongning’s troops when they marched from Yanling to Changshe.

He had previously heard that Liang Zhongning had killed Bu Ji and Zhang Bo to夺权, and subconsciously thought that the other party must have some穷凶极恶的潜质.

But when he saw the person himself, he felt that Liang Zhongning, apart from the “confidence” already shown in the letter, inexplicably looked a bit…憨?

But when Bo Cai observed the troops led by Liang Zhongning, he was not so sure about this judgment.

These people’s气色 were much better than his own men.

In the行军中的列队秩序, although far from the正规军 of the Han Dynasty, they could not be described as “乌合之众.”

What made him feel that Liang Zhongning was not simple was that when he指示了这些人可以驻扎的地方, their安营素质 was not bad.

Bo Cai had战功在手, and in fact was not so afraid of being compared with others, but he could not help but feel that he had already been fighting in Changshe for a month, the Han army拒守不出, and he had been击退 several times攻城, the军粮四方掠夺而来早消耗得差不多了.

And the newly arrived troops seemed to have some余粮 in their hands, and the存粮 in the army was not small, immediately putting him at a disadvantage.

偏偏这粮食动不得!

Since he did not want Liang Zhongning to抢功, he could not try to讨要粮食 from him, otherwise it would inevitably give the other party the name of “送粮协战.”

But he摆架子摆得痛快, his部下却显然对此有些怨言.

Shortly after the two sides驻扎毗邻,矛盾 arose.

The Yellow Turban兵卒 were不易管制, to make them like the正规军 of the Han Dynasty, even during备战时间 not随意走动, was obviously not easy.

This松散就出了问题.

On the third day after arriving, a soldier from Liang Zhongning’s side晃到了波才部的地盘.

If the波才部士卒 who discovered his踪迹 had直接将他擒了送回去, it would have been fine, but for some reason, perhaps too confident in his own side, he actually thought of inviting the other party to appreciate the威风 of this side’s大营, and then was criticized from营垒到井灶, from圊溷到藩篱.

The波才部士卒越听越冒火, but the other party’s criticism was言之有物, even拿出己方营寨的布置策略来说事, and said it was their Commander’s指点, leaving him no room for反驳.

The波才部士卒, who was说了个哑口无言, did not notice that this误撞之人 left悄无声息地 after saying these words, and after leaving the other party’s视线, came to a tall scholar and reported his今日的成果.

And this scene did not only happen once.

By the time Bo Cai received the消息, some strange rumors had already spread in the camp.

Such as the痢疾 that had一度出现端倪 in the army half a month ago was because Commander Bo Cai did not have the correct experience in布置圊溷.

For example, they had not been吃饱饭 recently because the井灶位置 in the army was不妥, leading to瓜分不均.

Another example was that they could have攻破长社 long ago, but because the藩篱建设 of the守御营垒 was不妥, the number of巡夜的士卒大幅上升, and during the day, they were inevitably精力不足.

Bo Cai’s temples jumped and jumped, almost提着刀就去找梁仲宁这厮算账.

However, before he could上门, Liang Zhongning had already先找到了他.

Bo Cai and he刚打了照面,便意识到,对方脸上带着的怒容绝非作伪.

“…” It seemed that the situation was a bit不对劲.

But before he could探听清楚到底发生了什么事, Liang Zhongning had already一把揪住了他的衣领,一顿连珠炮的斥责就朝着他喷了过来.

Bo Cai’s部下扯开了这家伙,让他的语气被迫和缓了几分,才让波才勉强从这些话中拼凑出个情况来.

“你是说,你的手下失踪了?”

Bo Cai frowned, feeling that he had遭了无妄之灾,”你的手下失踪与我何干?”

Liang Zhongning沉着脸回道:”那么如果一道失踪的还有我此前…”





The distributed grain, and… this grain-filled bag just happened to appear in the hands of your soldiers today? Don’t tell me my men deserted and were caught by your people while fleeing, and then handed over their stored grain as a bribe to turn a blind eye?”

“…Commander Liang, don’t be so hasty.”

Bo Cai knew his own men well, and for a moment, he couldn’t think of a reason why Liang Zhongning would lie or frame him. He felt it was indeed possible that his own men had done this.

“Both of us know how our men were recruited. If we slack off on management, it’s not impossible for some desperate individuals to emerge.”

Liang Zhongning didn’t like hearing this, but Bo Cai’s following words clearly didn’t give him a chance to continue.

Bo Cai patted his shoulder, “Commander Liang, unifying the three factions of Yanzhou is already a feat. What good would it do me to offend you now? We should focus on the task entrusted to us by the General of Heaven, not waste time here arguing over the lives of a few soldiers. Otherwise, we’ll just be giving the Han army in Changshe City a good laugh.”

Liang Zhongning looked at him suspiciously, “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Since Bo Cai hadn’t done it, his expression showed no signs of guilt. Liang Zhongning stared at him for a long time but couldn’t find any clues, so he had to reluctantly believe his explanation.

However, after this commotion, Bo Cai forgot that he had originally intended to cause trouble for Liang Zhongning.

The words he forgot to say were—

He could read military books all he wanted, but why did he have to send his soldiers to his territory to “educate” him, even stepping on his toes in the process.

Both sides held grudges against each other, and with their camps so close, friction was inevitable.

This latest attempt at a siege began under these circumstances.

“If you only looked at the intensity of the siege, you probably wouldn’t think that there were seventeen conflicts between the two sides in the camp yesterday.”

Qiao Yan and Cheng Li, the two “strategists” and the instigators of this conflict, naturally couldn’t appear on the front lines of the siege.

At this moment, the two stood on high ground outside the camp, looking towards Changshe.

Changshe wasn’t a large city. The height of its county walls wasn’t even as tall as Juye City, where Qiao Yan had previously experienced a siege.

But Changshe City was no ordinary place—it was a den of tigers and dragons.

Here, there was the battle-hardened General Huangfu Song, General Zhu Jun who had pacified Jiaozhou, Cao Cao who served as the Cavalry Commandant, and the Zhong family’s support. Even though their numbers were far fewer than the Yellow Turbans, they were a tough nut to crack.

Zhong Yao, the future pillar of the Zhong family, had just resigned from his position as the magistrate of Yangling due to illness. Although he hadn’t yet reached the level of being compared to Xiao He by Cao Cao for guarding Guanzhong, he was by no means a simple figure.

Fu Xie, the Military Supervisor under Huangfu Song, was also no ordinary man.

With these five individuals, there was no way any part of Changshe’s city walls could be left undefended. If not for this, Huangfu Song wouldn’t have been able to find an opportunity to break the enemy in a prolonged defensive battle.

“With these frictions, we can at least ensure that the cooperation between these two sides won’t be seamless. Even with five times the number of Han troops, they won’t be able to breach this small city.”

A siege, in words, is just two characters. But when you actually witness a siege with tens of thousands of troops, Qiao Yan clenched her hands in her sleeves to keep herself from showing any unusual expression. She maintained a calm demeanor, watching today’s battle alongside Cheng Li.

She was also waiting to see if the person she had persuaded that day, for the sake of a noble title and a place in history, would take the risk to deliver the message into the city.

However, in the face of the Yellow Turban Army’s frenzied attack, even though Qiao Yan felt her eyesight was decent, she couldn’t tell if those who fell were hit by arrows from the city walls or if they were pretending to fall as part of her plan.

Of course, those who pretended to fall—who knows if they might be finished off in the chaos, losing their lives.

It wasn’t until dusk that this battle, which had failed to make a breakthrough, finally ended with Bo Cai sounding the gong to retreat.

In Qiao Yan’s line of sight, it was hard to tell if the ground beneath Changshe City was covered in blood or the glow of the setting sun.

She blinked, finally feeling the soreness in her eyes.

“Please accompany me back, Zhongde,” Qiao Yan said.

If she stayed here, she might have seen if any of the survivors who had taken on her task would crawl out of the pile of corpses in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Liang Zhongning had returned from the battle, and given his reliance on the “military advisor,” he would definitely seek Qiao Yan’s advice on some matters.

If this drew others’ attention, it would be troublesome.

Cheng Li understood her concern and immediately followed her.

However, while he understood this point, he couldn’t quite grasp the emotions mixed in Qiao Yan’s glance back at the battlefield before leaving.

It didn’t seem like sorrow for the Han dynasty’s once-great reputation falling to this state, nor pity for the casualties on both sides, nor hatred for the Yellow Turban Bandits who sought to seize the Han’s power. It was more like…

Cheng Li couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He felt that she didn’t lean towards either side, but her actions clearly showed her loyalty to the Han.

He didn’t have much time to ponder this, as he soon saw this emotion fade from her eyes when they entered the camp and encountered Liang Zhongning.

This guy, feeling that the failed siege counted as a defeat, started venting his frustrations to Qiao Yan as soon as he saw her. He especially complained about how Bo Cai’s soldiers had repeatedly clashed with his own during today’s siege, severely hindering his chance to shine. He felt utterly depressed.

“The side I attacked today, the person defending the wall wasn’t tall, had a round face and narrow eyes—clearly not a heroic figure. If it weren’t for Bo Cai’s men causing trouble, I would have taken the wall today,” Liang Zhongning said indignantly, raising his voice since Bo Cai couldn’t hear him.

“…” Although Qiao Yan hadn’t personally seen who Liang Zhongning was facing, his description reminded her of the phrase “seven feet tall, narrow eyes, long beard.” This description didn’t match Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, or Fu Xie, but it was highly likely to be Cao Cao.

Given this guess, his comment about “not a heroic figure” had a certain irony to it.

But Qiao Yan didn’t have time to consider this humorous evaluation. Her eyes briefly met Cheng Li’s before she turned back to Liang Zhongning and said seriously, “Big things often start small. Commander, you should pay more attention to Commander Bo Cai’s movements.”

Liang Zhongning rarely heard Qiao Yan speak in such a tone, and he couldn’t help but feel more wary.

Amidst the groans of the wounded at night, his already heightened vigilance seemed to spawn even more extended emotions.

But what he didn’t know was that while he was tossing and turning, a man crawled out from the pile of corpses beneath Changshe City.

The nearly dried blood on his face made it hard to see his features, but one could see him pulling out an arrow wrapped in cloth from beneath the bodies.

He limped a few steps, softly calling out a few names, but no one responded. He pursed his lips, showing a hint of disappointment.

But now wasn’t the time for him to dwell on his sorrows.

He picked up a short bow left on the battlefield, carefully watching the movements of the guards on the city walls, and pulled out two flints from the pouch at his waist.

He took a deep breath.

Six people had come to carry out this fake death mission, but only he had survived. But even now, it wasn’t safe.

He couldn’t be sure if he would be killed by the guards on the walls before they could distinguish friend from foe when he shot the arrow.

Moreover, to ensure that this arrow wouldn’t be ignored, it was an arrow he was all too familiar with.

Tonight, there was no moon, only a brief spark from the flints illuminating the survivor’s face. If you ignored the blood covering his face, it was clear that this was Tian Yan, the eldest son of the Tian family.

His enthusiastic response to Qiao Yan’s motivational speech was also reflected in his actions.

He had joined this dangerous, potentially fatal mission without hesitation.

The lit fire arrow was quickly nocked, drawn, and shot, streaking through the night sky like a meteor towards the watchtower of Changshe’s city walls.

This fire arrow had once been a tool for deception during the attack on the Tian family fortress, but now, in his hands, it became a means to turn the tide of battle. Tian Yan couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity as he shot the arrow, but this strange thought was quickly overshadowed by a belated surge of panic.

The fire arrow hit the watchtower and extinguished, but it was enough to catch the attention of the city’s defenders.

Tian Yan frantically pulled out a white cloth from his sleeve, waving it to signal to the people on the walls that he meant no harm and was only there to deliver a message.

He was lucky—the people on the walls saw his actions clearly, successfully avoiding any accidental killings.

Tonight, the guards on the walls were Fu Xie and his son.

Fu Gan picked up the arrow, which still had a few sparks left, and saw the words “Urgent Matter, Request an Audience” written sharply on the cloth tied to the arrow’s end.

Seeing his father’s gaze, he handed the arrow to Fu Xie.

Fu Xie’s expression remained unchanged, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit of surprise.

He came from the Fu family of the north, studied under Grand Commandant Liu Kuan, and though he was now the Military Supervisor under the Left General, his cultural level was not low.

Moreover, in Changshe City, when it came to calligraphy, Zhong Yao was the best. Fu Xie had seen his work before, which gave him some appreciation for the art.

The torches on the walls illuminated the cloth clearly, and the handwriting on it was not something you’d expect from a Yellow Turban bandit.

“Father, should we bring him up?” Fu Gan asked as Fu Xie examined the cloth.

This young man wasn’t much older than Qiao Yan, but because he had been training in the army with his father, he looked quite tall.

Having read some military books, he thought about the strange actions of the man below and added, “In critical times, Father, shouldn’t we be more cautious? What if this is a trick…”

“Bring him up,” Fu Xie interrupted his son. “It’s just one person. Even if he has ulterior motives, we can keep an eye on him.”

With that, Fu Xie ordered the guards on the walls to lower a basket and bring Tian Yan up.

Fu Gan thought the person who had risked his life to deliver a message would be braver, but the young man, whose face was still unclear, collapsed onto the ground as soon as he reached the top of the wall, prompting a chuckle from Fu Gan.

Tian Yan didn’t bother to care that he had first followed a child’s orders to carry out such a dangerous task and was now being laughed at by another child.

Now that he was finally safe, the fear he had felt lying among the corpses during the day, the anxiety when he shot the arrow, and the sadness thinking about his companions who had stayed behind—

All these emotions surged up at once.

He had been holding his breath to complete this mission, and now, seeing Fu Xie and recognizing this general in his thirties whom he had seen from afar earlier in the day, he knew his task was half done. He finally let out a sigh of relief.

“What brings you here?” Fu Xie asked, holding the sword at his waist.

Tian Yan took another deep breath, as if to gather some strength, and replied, “I’m here to deliver a letter to General Huangfu on behalf of someone.”

“I know General Huangfu isn’t easy to meet,” Tian Yan continued before Fu Xie could ask, “but the person who sent me said this matter concerns defeating the Yellow Turbans, and he insists on meeting General Huangfu.”

Tian Yan’s voice lacked strength after the day’s ordeal, but this didn’t affect his confidence in Qiao Yan, which showed in his tone when he said, “This matter concerns defeating the Yellow Turbans.”

This made his words sound somewhat credible.

Fu Xie stared at him for a while, then finally nodded and signaled Fu Gan to take him along while he went to inform General Huangfu.

Huangfu Song didn’t take this lightly.

At this critical moment in the battle, someone who could make it to Changshe City’s walls was unlikely to be joking.

He decided to call Zhu Jun and Cao Cao as well.

But what he didn’t expect was that this matter was much bigger than he had imagined.

The brocade pouch Tian Yan carried with him had been stained with blood while he hid among the corpses, and some of the blood had seeped into the cloth inside. Fortunately, this didn’t affect the clarity of the writing.

The more Huangfu Song read, the tighter his expression became. But when he reached the last line, he couldn’t help but slap his thigh and laugh.

He wasn’t like Lu Zhi, a scholarly general. Coming from a military family, he had a commanding presence and a fierce aura. When Tian Yan first saw him, he felt that Huangfu Song truly lived up to his reputation as the Han army’s commander. Seeing him frown earlier had made Tian Yan nervous, but now that he laughed with the boldness of a frontier soldier, Tian Yan finally relaxed.

“Gongwei, take a look at this,” Huangfu Song said without expressing his opinion, handing the cloth to Zhu Jun.

Zhu Jun’s reaction was somewhat different from Huangfu Song’s. At first, he showed some surprise, but by the end, his expression turned to admiration.

Even Cao Cao, who had served as the Cavalry Commandant and had previously executed Jian Shuo’s uncle with a five-colored staff and petitioned for Dou Wu’s vindication as a court advisor, considered himself a man of wide experience and calm demeanor. But now, he couldn’t help but feel curious about what was written on the cloth that elicited such reactions from Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun.

Zhu Jun had already folded the cloth in his hands, “Yizhen, what do you think of this?”

“Old Qiao has a fine grandson,” Huangfu Song replied.

Seeing Cao Cao and Fu Xie looking at him, he explained, “Old Qiao’s grandson is currently in the Yellow Turban Army, working with a strategist from Dong’e to coordinate with us from within to break the current stalemate.”

The two were stunned, and then they heard him continue with admiration, “To infiltrate the enemy camp… even a grown man might not dare to do such a thing, let alone a ten-year-old child. This is truly a pillar of talent—”

“Wait a moment!”

Tian Yan, the one who had entered the city, had been brought to Huangfu Song by Fu Xie, so Fu Xie was naturally more cautious than the others. As soon as Huangfu Song finished speaking, he asked, “General, how can you be sure that this person is truly delivering a message from Old Qiao’s grandson?”

Huangfu Song wasn’t surprised by Fu Xie’s cautious nature and pointed at Zhu Jun, saying, “Please read the last paragraph for them, Gongwei.”

Zhu Jun complied.

He unfolded the cloth again and read, “The letter says—Years ago, my uncle was robbed by bandits at the gate. Yang Fang was hesitant to act, fearing collateral damage, but my grandfather said, ‘How can we spare a bandit for the sake of one child’s life?’ My uncle was killed by the bandits, but the capital was cleared of bandits, and my grandfather had no regrets.”

“Now that I am in the enemy camp, I am not afraid that General Huangfu will fail to recognize talent or seize the opportunity. I only fear that the general might worry about putting me in danger and hesitate to act. Therefore, I leave my grandfather’s words on this cloth—’How can we spare a bandit for the sake of one child’s life?'”

“As it was then, so it is now. I hope the general will understand.”

At the end of the cloth were the words “Respectfully, Qiao Yan.”

When Zhu Jun read these two paragraphs, he was deeply moved. Now, reading them aloud, he felt that the person who wrote these words was truly a remarkable individual.

The incident she referred to was the kidnapping case in the capital handled by Yang Qiu years ago.

Qiao Xuan, Old Qiao, had sacrificed his youngest son with the words “How can we spare a bandit for the sake of one child’s life?” This act had ensured that no bandit in the capital dared to kidnap the children of high officials and escape unscathed after committing crimes. This story had long been a celebrated tale in the capital.

This Qiao Yan, Old Qiao’s granddaughter, had compared her current situation to that incident, urging Huangfu Song not to worry about “her” safety and to focus on eliminating the Yellow Turban bandits.

Such words were not something a Yellow Turban bandit trying to deceive them into leaving the city would say.

And when they thought about how Qiao Xuan had been gravely ill when they left the capital, likely not surviving past the first half of the year, their admiration for his successor was tinged with a sense of helplessness.

Before Zhu Jun’s expression could calm down, Huangfu Song stood up and drew his sword, “If a child dares to do such a thing for the sake of the country, how can we hesitate and miss the opportunity? Mengde, please write a letter for me to deliver to this person, setting the time for our attack.”

Cao Cao responded with “Understood,” but as the brush and ink were brought to him, he suddenly realized something was off.

Qiao Xuan was his close friend, and he knew the members of his family well.

Qiao Xuan’s son, Qiao Yu, had no sons.

The name Qiao Yan was clearly the name he had given to his daughter!

This wasn’t Old Qiao’s grandson—it was his granddaughter!