“Can strategists not ascend to the throne?”
This thought echoed in Qiao Yan’s mind as she gazed ahead.
Before her lay the gruesome sight of Han Sui’s severed head, emerging from the bloodied bundle.
If she hadn’t used a telescope to scrutinize Han Sui’s face yesterday outside the city, she might have been left scratching her head about it.
Who knows what kind of trickery might have ensued—luring her into the city, capturing the thug along with his master as if it were a tragic play?
Such things weren’t uncommon in the chaotic annals of the Three Kingdoms; even Cao Cao fell for a similar ruse.
But it was clear, Han Sui’s situation wasn’t some slapstick con job. He was worried about how to find a breakthrough when Jin Cheng was practically being sandwiched on all sides.
His subordinates had to quickly carve out a way to escape.
Survival is in human nature.
From their perspective, the Bingzhou governor had indeed thrown down the gauntlet at Han Sui twice, but between them, there was no blood feud.
Take Ma Teng, for example. He was now part of Qiao Yan’s forces attacking Liangzhou, drawing closer from the direction of Kuiyuan Gorge.
From the perspective of the folks on the city walls, Ma Teng was poised for some grandstanding after assisting Huangfu Song in capturing Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, Han Sui’s underlings. Even if he wasn’t exactly flaunting it, he certainly held himself with pride.
Then there’s Ma Chao, also under Qiao Yan’s banner, seemingly enjoying a favorable position.
Why couldn’t others also choose to surrender instead of dying in a doomed fight at Han Sui’s side, ultimately branded as “cleared-out traitors”?
The folks in Liangzhou were pragmatic.
They opposed the court because, by the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, the central authority had lost control over the border regions and failed to provide sufficient relief during calamities, leaving them stranded in survival mode.
But Han Sui used to be different.
Now that he was in dire straits, naturally, they had to prioritize their own lives.
Was it better to wait in desperation for Qiao Yan’s blade to fall upon them, or to take Han Sui’s head while he still had some fight left in him, allowing the encroaching forces to seize Jin Cheng without a hair out of place?
That seemed like an easy choice.
They decisively opted for the second option.
Besides, Han Sui’s troops were a mixed bag; there were capable folks besides the esteemed Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing.
Take the one now kneeling before Qiao Yan, for instance.
Even though he had just ventured out to present Han Sui’s head, he managed to slip past the guards without making a fuss, which already suggested he wasn’t some ordinary character.
As he knelt before Qiao Yan, one could tell he was quite the martial talent just by his physique.
Qiao Yan’s gaze shifted from Han Sui’s head to his face.
She recognized a mix of pride and newfound humility, but also something vaguely familiar about this face.
So she refrained from probing into how he came by that head or why he had betrayed Han Sui, merely inquiring, “What’s your name?”
The young cavalryman responded, “I am Qu Yan.”
Qu for Qiao.
Qu Yan.
A lad from the Qu family of Xiping.
Qu Yi’s younger brother.
Not a shocking revelation coming from his lips.
The Qu clan was situated in Jin Cheng, and per what Qu Yi had mentioned before heading to Liangzhou, most of their clan had taken refuge in Huangzhong, cultivating a private militia—part of why Qu Yi had military experience even before aligning with Han Fu.
And as for Qu Yan—
After Han Sui took Jin Cheng, he probably joined Han Sui’s side to ensure his clan’s peace, which was just the way things went in the chaos of Liangzhou.
But before capturing Han Sui, Qiao Yan could afford to ignore the influence of the Qu family. After Han Sui’s demise, that became an immediate concern.
Especially considering Han Sui was killed by Qu Yan himself.
This young man, barely seventeen or eighteen, had a wild, carefree spark in his eyes that reflected the untamed nature bred in Liangzhou.
In Qiao Yan’s preliminary judgment, he didn’t seem to have adapted to the current state of affairs like Qu Yi, who had spent time in Luoyang and Bingzhou, but rather appeared to be…
“Are you evaluating how to handle Qu Yan?”
Sun Jian, invited by Qiao Yan, observed her pondering by the window and asked.
This was not how someone should act after dealing with a major nuisance in Liangzhou, or even someone who might be plotting a takeover there.
Of course, she didn’t let this hesitation show during daylight.
Upon hearing Qu Yan’s name, she quickly maneuvered to relate him back to Qu Yi working under her and pulled Qu Yan closer, as she signaled him to lead the way, gathering her troops before entering the city of Jin Cheng, taking control of the territory that belonged to Han Sui.
In Jin Cheng’s prefectural office, she came face to face with Han Sui’s body.
His headless corpse lay on the couch, a grim testament to how he was caught off guard and dispatched by desperate subordinates.
A merciful end, one might say, all things considered.
When Qiao Yan saw this scene, her expression remained unflinching. She ordered for Han Sui’s head and body to be sewn back together for display in the hall.
Then she sent for Huangfu Song’s troops to enter the city from the east.
Only killing Han Sui didn’t mean that his influence within Jin Cheng had vanished; thus, she required Qu Yan’s help to continue the cleanup of Han Sui’s remaining forces stationed in the heart of Jin Cheng.
What had happened during the day was a good start. Now, in this subtle moment without witnesses, she could show some of her own stance.
Qiao Yan lightly tapped her fingers on the window sill and asked, “From your perspective, what do you think of the Xiping Qu family? Or more broadly, what’s the nature of those families in Liangzhou known for their military might?”
Before taking Jin Cheng, she had contemplated this question.
She initially thought she could think about it later, but Qu Yan’s appearance forced it to the forefront.
Setting aside other noble families, she still had some recollection of the conflicts between Xiping Qu and Cao Wei, which naturally birthed a sense of vigilance in her.
This was different from wrangling Ma Teng and Ma Chao to her side.
The Qu family’s modus operandi felt more akin to that of the Qiang people than Ma Teng’s folk who were of Qiang descent.
That was the most visceral sensation Qiao Yan had upon meeting Qu Yan today.
Historically speaking, Qu Yan had a tendency for rebellion. He had teamed up with forces from Jiuquan, Zhangye, and Wuwei to stage an uprising, much like Han Sui’s past actions—before long, however, these rebels ended up squabbling among themselves until crushed, leading to Qu Yan’s surrender.
In the same year, he rallied local forces to raid, even joining with Hu tribes in the plunder, only to be trapped and slain by the governor of Jin Cheng, Su Ze.
Years later, Qu Guang, hailing from the same Xiping Qu family, led a coup against the Xiping county magistrate, prompting the then Liangzhou governor Zhang Ji to leverage Qiang and Hu to achieve a divide and conquer strategy, finally facilitating Qu Guang’s demise, sending his head as a token of loyalty—much like Han Sui’s current predicament.
In the year of Taihe, just six years after Qu Guang’s death, Qu Ying of the Xiping Qu family staged a rebellion, ultimately getting killed by the General of the West, Hao Zhao.
No matter the reasons behind their uprisings—defending the Han dynasty’s orthodoxy or coveting local military dominations—none of it bodes well for Qiao Yan’s aim to solidify control over Liangzhou.
This also meant she had to remain continually wary while deploying military assets for defense.
It would be great if they shared a similar lot to Ma Teng and Ma Chao.
Ma Teng, a traitor turned submission, was now in a precarious position after Qiao Yan dealt with Liangzhou’s largest threat—he had to tread carefully, holding onto his officially bestowed military rank courtesy of Dong Zhuo, which not only wasn’t a badge of honor but rather a liability.
He would need to prioritize stability and comfort over chasing lofty goals, lest he find himself on the wrong side of history.
As for Ma Chao, he was just a lone warrior; Qiao Yan felt she could still manage this blade.
Yet, while the Qu family had sided with Han Sui out of self-preservation, having Qu Yi in her camp, Qiao Yan also recognized she couldn’t take any weakening action against the Qu family. Besides, the chaos in Liangzhou still required these local military powers to maintain some semblance of peace.
But how to keep them as manageable nobles, gradually sweeping them into her fold instead of letting them become a liability at the drop of a hat—now that was something she had to ponder carefully.
For this reason, the strategist Jia Xu, having done his fair share of advising during her siege of the city, was summoned for yet another consultation.
Noble families, in essence, were also powerful clans in their own right, so asking Xun You wouldn’t be appropriate.
What’s more, if Qiao Yan merely needed fake fronts to clear out potential threats while preparing for a showdown with Dong Zhuo, contemplating long-term strategies wouldn’t be necessary.
This was a conversation to have with the few strategists who understood her ambitions.
Since Cheng Yu and Xi Zhicai were absent from Jin Cheng, she had to leverage Jia Xu even more.
Jia Xu stroked his beard thoughtfully and asked, “Are you planning to utilize them or not?”
These two contrasting approaches would genuinely determine the stance toward Liangzhou’s noble families.
“Absolutely use them!” Qiao Yan replied firmly.
Worrying about the Qu family flipping sides was one thing; turning their power to her advantage was another.
No matter how the Qu family’s repeated rebellions came to be, if she let that keep her paralyzed by fear, how could she ever hope to extend her power from Bingzhou into Liangzhou, or leverage Liangzhou’s unique geographical position to amass further resources?
And what about the impending severe drought looming in four years—she needed to kickstart water resource development in both Bing and Liang provinces long before then!
Thus, those clans teeming with private soldiers, bravery, and spark, she needed them.
Her affirmative answer was more than enough for Jia Xu to gauge her stance.
This strategist, well-acquainted with the nuances of the noble families of Liangzhou, replied, “If we’re using them, then we should regard them as sources of manpower and wealth, fitting your interests best.”
This “source of manpower and wealth” assessment carried a hint of playful nuance in his calm tone.
Qiao Yan said, “I’m all ears.”
Jia Xu continued, “Liangzhou’s aristocracy, including Dong Zhuo, has been engaging with the Qiang to secure their support. When facing conflicts with neighboring forces, these merciless Qiang can be of use. But what if you first establish your command over the Qiang? Their private troops would pose less threat. In fact, your policy of ‘kill first, recruit later’ after arriving in Liangzhou has worked quite well. That’s point one.”
Qiao Yan nodded in agreement with this point.
To put it simply, nobles often bring in other forces for skirmishes, but if she could be revered by these mercenary Qiang as a figure of authority, the threats from the noble families would diminish significantly.
Jia Xu pressed on, “Secondly, if you’re going to use them, hierarchy is essential. I’m not talking about creating a pecking order between the Huangzhong and Longxi families, but rather within the same clan. For instance, between Qu Yi and Qu Yan.”
Seeing Qiao Yan’s eyes flicker, indicating she was catching on…
He meant that, and Jia Xu simply said, “On one hand, we let the ambitious noble families gather around the person chosen by the Lord. If chaos erupts, we can catch them all in one net. On the other hand, the people of Liangzhou are naturally combative, and if they establish even greater military achievements while being suppressed, they’ll certainly compete for the top position.”
Who should be promoted and who should be kept in check isn’t really something Jia Xu should meddle in; that’s the kind of thing Qiao Yan needs to consider.
But it might not be his imagination; when he mentioned “naturally combative,” Qiao Yan shot him a meaningful glance that clearly had a mocking tone to it.
The old fox Jia Xu cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject, continuing, “Thirdly, most of the noble families in Liangzhou hold positions elsewhere in the province, which can indeed prevent excessive accumulation of power locally, but it also allows for some reciprocal deals among the noble families in the state. For instance, the Liang family of Anding and the Zhang family of Dunhuang are in marital relations. If we let the Dunhuang people govern Hanyang, and the Hanyang people govern Beidi, such rampant trends won’t cease. I heard from Yan Cai that Qiao Hou is interested in the Xigong Salt Pits in the territory of the Sanlang Qiang; it would be good to enlist the help of the noble families from Huangzhong.”
This remark truly resonated with Qiao Yan’s thoughts.
“Fourth—”
“Today, Han Sui has died. The Lord sent someone to search his study and found several letters.”
When their Bingzhou army arrived at Jincheng, the few unfinished letters from Han Sui were indeed in Qiao Yan’s hands now.
He continued, “The letter addressed to Ma Teng goes without saying; I’m sure the Ma family knows how to arrange things. What I want to talk about are the letters to Cheng Yi, Liang Xing, and others.”
“Given how quickly the Lord dealt with Ma Teng and Han Sui, these people probably haven’t realized it yet. Please allow the Lord to execute them all under the accusation of colluding with Han Sui; that will help open the eyes of some who are itching to move and think the Lord only broke the city because others let it happen.”
Among these people, besides the Qiang, there are also noble families.
For example, one of the letters from Han Sui was sent to Yang Qiu of the Yang family in Hanyang, who had gathered a bunch of skilled men in Long County.
Qiao Yan first heads to Ayang then to Ji County, perfectly avoiding a clash with them. Now it’s time to wrap things up.
And it just so happens it’s a perfectly legitimate move.
Qiao Yan clapped in praise, “Mr. Jia, your four suggestions have been quite enlightening.”
Establishing authority among the Qiang, applying pressure within the noble families, tossing some people out of the region, and executing several clans as a warning—
If these four measures can be implemented, she wouldn’t have to worry so much about the Qu family in Xiping.
Instead, the Qu family should be the one keeping an eye out for her maneuvering and oppressive tactics.
Jia Xu truly lives up to his reputation as a clever strategist and to Qiao Yan’s impression of him as a cunning man.
Seeing Qiao Yan pleased with his answers, Jia Xu bowed slightly, “Now that the Lord has resolved your confusion, I shall take my leave.”
However, just as he was about to step out the door, Qiao Yan suddenly said, “Mr. Jia, wait a moment. There’s one more thing I’d like you to do for me. This isn’t something you can just pass off.”
Upon hearing “not something you can just pass off,” he sensed trouble.
This wasn’t going to be a simple matter, like being assigned to take out the trash!
It might very well be something more complicated than defending at the Aoweicheng and commanding the offensive from north of the Kuiyuan Gorge.
Noticing the sudden tension in his demeanor, Qiao Yan chuckled, “There’s no need for such a worried face! I was just reminded of a few letters Han Sui wrote earlier, particularly the ones to Ma Teng and the Han Qiang rebel army, and it hit me that there’s another letter that could still serve a purpose.”
Another letter?
The last remaining letter was the one Han Sui had written to Dong Zhuo.
Realizing this, Jia Xu’s expression froze for a moment.
From his perspective, Qiao Yan could not simply be looking to kindly deliver those letters that Han Sui had failed to send out before he was killed. She definitely wasn’t the type to simply “honor the elders” by giving him a handkerchief to wipe away tears.
The delivery method for this letter would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
He met Qiao Yan’s gaze, noticing her calm demeanor had shifted, now filled with a hidden urgency.
Even her tone carried an undeniable command, “I’d like to ask you to accompany me tomorrow to meet with Han Sui’s subordinates.”
The subordinates brought back from the Kuiyuan Gorge had their regular soldiers directly mixed into the Bingzhou army’s squads.
These are the squads where getting credited for beheading was the standard for division.
After all, they were just trying to make a living under Han Sui, and they didn’t really have strong stances. Now that they have a new boss, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Even if some among them remained loyal to Han Sui, supervised by the other soldiers in the shared quarters, they wouldn’t stir up much trouble.
However, those who had been entrusted with heavy responsibilities by Han Sui, including Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, along with several captains who hadn’t died in the battle at Kuiyuan Gorge, were all now held in the huge prison in Jincheng, waiting for Qiao Yan to sort out her affairs before making arrangements for them.
To prevent any rescue attempts for those once under Han Sui’s control in Jincheng, Qiao Yan specifically allocated a team to guard the area.
As she and Jia Xu approached the door, they noticed a couple trying to talk to the guards.
Seeing that their conversation led nowhere, the couple left looking rather dejected.
When Qiao Yan and Jia Xu reached the guards, she casually inquired about it.
One of the guards replied, “Those two claimed to be Yan Xing’s parents and wanted to know how the Lord plans to deal with these captives. Naturally, I told them I had no idea and that we need to wait for the state’s decision.”
Qiao Yan paused, turning to her attendants, “Go find out how Yan Xing’s relationship with his parents is.”
With this little interruption, she didn’t rush down to the prison but first reviewed the case files in Jincheng with Jia Xu, and when her attendant reported back, it turned out that Yan Xing was indeed a filial son. A look of understanding flickered in her eyes, and she then signaled to Jia Xu that they should go meet someone.
However, the first person they met wasn’t Yan Xing but Cheng Gongying.
Unfortunately, Pang De, the chief clerk from Ma Teng’s general’s estate, had tragically become a casualty while testing special crossbows, which prevented Qiao Yan from witnessing his prowess in battle; but it’s a bit of a pity to think about.
On the other hand, Cheng Gongying demonstrated how he earned Han Sui’s trust and prominence before he was captured, fighting fiercely until he could hardly lift his sword.
That said, people like him also shared the same quality.
His lord would surely appreciate this quality, but his lord’s opponents probably wouldn’t.
That quality was loyalty.
Upon hearing Qiao Yan and Jia Xu’s footsteps approach, he turned to face them, and upon recognizing that these were not ordinary jailers but Qiao Yan herself, he immediately got to his feet.
But he didn’t rise to plead for himself or seek freedom; rather, he urgently asked, “May I ask where my lord’s body is now?”
Cheng Gongying had originally thought he would remain outside Jincheng for a few more days.
Never did he expect that within a single night, Han Sui was assassinated and his head presented to Qiao Yan, leading to a change of leadership in Jincheng.
When he was brought into Jincheng, his mind was filled with confusion, completely unaware of why everything had changed so rapidly.
Yet, upon realizing his current situation, he couldn’t help but worry about another matter.
Han Sui wasn’t a Qiang, and hence, he shouldn’t be handled in the same way Qiao Yan had treated the bodies of previous enemies!
In these times when burial is deemed the right path, Cheng Gongying, as Han Sui’s valued subordinate, must ensure he receives proper burial rights!
He was even more afraid that, due to Han Sui’s encirclement of Hanyang resulting in Fu Xie’s death, Qiao Yan would allow her subordinate Fu Gan to desecrate Han Sui’s body.
So the first thing he did upon seeing her was to ask this question.
The Bingzhou governor standing before him wasn’t as arrogant as he imagined a victorious general would be; instead, in this encounter, he clearly sensed the significant difference in demeanor between Han Sui and her.
No wonder one was the “Left General” who had been surrounded and killed, while the other was the cavalry general who led the Bingzhou iron hooves into Liangzhou.
As he pondered this, he suddenly heard Qiao Yan ask, “If I say I have buried Han Sui without dishonoring him, would you be willing to yield to me?”
Yielding?
Upon hearing this good news, Cheng Gongying’s tense nerves finally relaxed after he learned of Han Sui’s death.
But even so, he still didn’t hesitate to reply, “Though Han General wasn’t killed by the Lord’s hand, he still died because of your compulsion, so I cannot yield to you.”
Qiao Yan raised an eyebrow, “Even if Han Wenyue was not a wise ruler, even if I am more suitable to govern Liangzhou temporarily, you still deduce that I am someone you cannot yield to?”
Cheng Gongying pondered for a long time before replying, “People do tend to do foolish things.”
If he had been given more time by Han Sui, allowing him to see that Liangzhou’s issues couldn’t just be resolved by rebelling against Han Sui, and if Qiao Yan wasn’t the direct cause of Han Sui’s death, perhaps he would have given a different answer.
But now, he didn’t plan to change his answer.
Qiao Yan wasn’t too surprised by the answer he gave.
She didn’t need to probe into what kind of grace Han Sui had shown Cheng Gongying to make him follow him so doggedly; after all, she was inclined to show a bit of respect for a loyal minister.
She said, “Alright, I have two options for you—”
“One is you die by my hand, thereby cementing your name for loyalty; the other is I have you escorted to Han Sui’s grave, where you can end your life there. Which one do you choose?”
Option one would ensure Qiao Yan’s fame soared alongside the name of this loyal general. Option two would grant Cheng Gongying the privilege of confirming Han Sui’s burial site.
Cheng Gongying deeply bowed to Qiao Yan and replied, “I choose the latter.”
The shadows of the prison cast over his injured face, but it didn’t hide the gratitude radiating from it.
After the fall of Jincheng, this was the best outcome for him.
As he was shackled and brought out from the prison, he heard Qiao Yan’s gradually fading voice as she spoke to the person beside her, “This world is never short of people willing to give their lives for loyalty and grace. I respect such individuals, yet I do not intend to be one of them.”
The other person asked, “Then what kind of person does Qiao Hou think you are?”
Qiao Yan answered, “Someone trying to carve a new path with my own methods and rules.”
“Let’s go; we have to meet Yan Xing. I want to know, between loyalty and filial piety, which will he choose?”
After that, Cheng Gongying couldn’t hear the voices behind him.
Seven days later, news spread in Jincheng.
Yan Xing, a former subordinate of Han Sui, abruptly gathered his followers and defected while claiming he was yielding to the Bingzhou Governor, taking Jia Xu, who was responsible for guarding him, as a hostage and stealing a batch of mounts and weapons to escape.
Among the former followers of Han Sui who chose to defect to Bingzhou Governor, everyone was on edge, fearing that Qiao Yan might suspect them because of Yan Xing’s actions.
Fortunately, Qiao Yan had no intention of punishing everybody for one person’s mistake; she simply allowed them to continue carrying out their duties without overthinking it.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, after issuing the pursuit order, she climbed atop Jincheng’s city wall, gazing southward, a slight sense of melancholy crossing her face.
Regrettably, the mountains of Longyou were so continuous that all she could see ahead were mountain ridges.
But only Qiao Yan knew she was looking at some other things.
For instance—
At this moment, Yan Xing was riding toward Chang’an, seemingly feeling something as he touched his chest.
For tucked inside his clothes was the letter Han Sui had written to Dong Zhuo, asking for assistance from his troops.
But now, this letter was stained with Han Sui’s blood.
This was the token Yan Xing would bring to Dong Zhuo, according to Qiao Yan’s plan!
