“Can strategists not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 166: Arrival of Liu Yu…
With the strategy set, Yuan Shao was acting swiftly and decisively.
The suggestion proposed by Xu You to “use public opinion to force Liu Yu to temporarily leave Youzhou and head to Liangzhou to halt Qiao Yan’s offensive” was a perfect supplement to the broader plan laid out by Ju Shou.
Yuan Shao immediately dispatched someone to carry it out.
This was not a difficult task to manage.
In these disaster-ridden times, both the Han people and the Wuhuan in Youzhou genuinely believed that if Liu Yu were in power, their lives could improve—even to the point of supporting him for the throne.
After Yuan Shao skillfully guided the public discourse, even though Liu Yu publicly opposed such advice, he couldn’t stop the private chatter from escalating, until it reached his ears.
In the past, Huangfu Song, having made a name for himself in defeating the Yellow Turbans, faced a similar choice when he was still basking in his early glory.
However, the Emperor at that time removed Huangfu Song from Ji Province within a year, stripping him of his military power, making the support he once had feel like a distant memory—relegated to a few children’s songs still lingering around, providing just a glimpse of those days.
Liu Yu’s situation was a different kettle of fish.
The declining prestige of the Han central authority meant that such voices in Youzhou grew louder, to the point where people might even suspect Liu Yu himself was inadvertently allowing this rhetoric to spread.
Liu Yu was a kind man and lacked the boldness to make firm decisions; the relentless trend weighed heavily on him, causing him great distress, fearing he would go from a mere pacifying governor to a treacherous minister eyeing the throne.
It was in this anxious predicament that he received a request from Liu Bian.
The letter read—
【Now that the world is divided, people do not know who to follow. Thus, those in the western regions face the west, and those in the east face the east. This is common; though I am anxious, I do not blame them.
However, the lands under heaven belong to the king, and what the people worry about, I concern myself with.
Liangzhou is on the borders, where the Qiang people are internal enemies, mingling together for a hundred years as a norm. Thus, Grand Commandant Duan Ji once used the method of exterminating the Eastern Qiang to cleanse Liangzhou, yet it still couldn’t solve the Han-Qiang conflict. Now with Qiao taking Bingzhou, first capturing Gaoping, then sacking Jincheng, the deaths reach the tens of thousands. True, there is a need to march on Chang’an, but the border remains a source of concern.
I have heard Liu Youzhou governs the border’s chaos with benevolence, and within a year, the people’s lives show signs of happiness. The Han and Qiang trade at the Hu market, sharing a family. It seems Liu Youzhou’s journey to Liangzhou is to relieve the people there.
My brother faced robbery at the hands of Dong Zhuo and is now in Chang’an; this also worries me.
If Qiao of Bingzhou could break into Chang’an without hindrance, then so be it. But if hidden dangers abound, I hope Liu Youzhou will take the former emperor’s entrustment to heart, and diligently advise against such actions.】
Liu Yu stared at the letter for a long time, letting out a long sigh.
He wasn’t a fool; he could see that the letter was more a missive from Yuan Shao veiled as a correspondence from Liu Bian.
And whether the voices in Youzhou were genuine public sentiment or someone stoking the flames from behind the scenes, he, being of a certain age, certainly had some feeling about.
But in this situation where he felt like he was being grilled over a fire, his best choice truly was to temporarily leave Youzhou.
Firstly, Youzhou was enjoying a great harvest this year, and the regulations set by Tian Chou wouldn’t cause too many issues.
Secondly, if Liangzhou was indeed as Liu Bian described, then he likely had to take a trip to see what was really going on.
If Qiao Yan was truly using the excuse of rescuing Liu Xie to overstep the boundaries of the Han dynasty within Liangzhou, as a Han minister and a trusted elder of the former emperor, he was obliged to put a stop to it.
What Liu Yu didn’t expect was that the group heading to Liangzhou with him wasn’t just his followers, but also a bunch of scholars.
Heard these folks were there to plead on behalf of Lu Zhi and Xun Shuang, wanting to ensure Qiao Bingzhou didn’t act recklessly. Liu Yu didn’t say anything out loud, but inside he was feeling a bit dubious.
This seemed less like a coincidence and more like someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
But both reasons were valid, making it hard for him to ignore the underlying influences, so he just reminded his son, who was temporarily acting as the governor of Youzhou, to keep a wary eye on Yuan Shao, before he set off for Liangzhou.
But what Liu Yu also didn’t foresee was that as he passed through Bingzhou, hearing his intentions, Xi Zhicai, who was guarding Bingzhou on behalf of Qiao Yan, not only didn’t stop his actions but even provided Liu Yu with new horses and a few extra guards, citing Liu Yu’s status as a royal expectation to be cautious.
And that wasn’t all.
When he reached Liangzhou, rumors circulated that the governor of Bingzhou was preparing his troops, intending to march on Chang’an after quelling the chaos, and he personally came to welcome Liu Yu, the “esteemed peer.”
This kind of attitude momentarily made Liu Yu feel like he was not there to stir trouble, but to conduct a friendly visit.
In this somewhat surreal atmosphere, Liu Yu instinctively glanced at the ghost mask hanging at Qiao Yan’s waist and casually brought it up.
“This is a ghost mask used for Qiang deity worship,” Qiao Yan chuckled, “I hope you won’t find it too amusing, Liu Youzhou. I’m eager to suppress the rebel factions. During my preparations against Dong Zhuo, I aimed to neutralize any threats while dealing with the Yang family, who have a branch in Jiuquan. They think the troubles with the Han Yang family present an opportunity, yet they also fear the consequences.”
“I don’t even know where the rumor came from that I let Ma Shoucheng go because General Ma has a son named Ma Mengqi, so they sent me a wandering knight from their side.”
“His name is Yang Feng, also known as Yang A-Ruo. There’s a saying in Jiuquan: ‘East market brawls with Yang A-Ruo, West market brawls with Yang A-Ruo,’ whichever street you walk, he’s bound to be in the fights. With a pretty face, he’s often coveted, so he covered his face with a ghost mask and called himself Ghost Feng.”
Liu Yu inquired, “Knights are usually fiery, probably not fond of mingling with influential folks.”
As soon as he said it, he regretted it a bit.
On the way to Liangzhou, he told himself that if Qiao Yan’s behavior proved problematic, he would directly challenge her to avoid being led astray.
Now hearing her share such bizarre gossip, he lost the will to maintain his formal stance.
Qiao Yan seemed oblivious to the gloom in Liu Yu’s expression and replied, “Naturally, he’s not happy about it. I heard Dong Zhuo once tried to win him over, but he rejected with disdain for Dong Zhuo’s character. But I don’t need such gifts, so I just called Mengqi to fight him.”
Yang Feng was quite the fighter, even gaining some fame among the Qiang people as a top wandering knight with military leadership skills.
However, how could Ma Chao lose to Lü Bu, let alone to Yang Feng?
Seeing Liu Yu now show a sliver of curiosity, Qiao Yan paused for effect before saying, “Right now, both he and Mengqi are off in Wudu County, helping Governor Gai reclaim the territory, which isn’t a waste of his talents.”
“Before leaving, that kid handed me his ghost mask, claiming he mistook me before. This mask is used by Qiang for blessings; if we’re to pacify Jiuquan, it might still hold some power.”
Qiao Yan fiddled with the mask, playfully holding it up to her face, but not securing it tightly. Suddenly, she peeked out from behind the menacing mask, revealing a charmingly youthful face, “Liangzhou really is an interesting place. What’s your take, Liu Youzhou?”
“…” Liu Yu was unsure if Qiao Yan was talking about Yang Feng or if she was metaphorically wearing a ghost mask herself—only when unmasked could the truth be revealed.
After pondering for a bit, he asked, “Is it true that Yezhu’s actions in Liangzhou are hasty and overlook critical issues?”
Qiao Yan straightened her expression, replying, “So what kind of instruction do you have for me, Liu Youzhou?”
Liu Yu glanced at Gaoping City, even though months had passed, the traces of blood from the battle were still faintly visible on the city walls due to the dry weather in Liangzhou. He shook his head. “Take it slow.”
“Rushing to attack Chang’an could lead to a stalemate. Dong Zhuo is likely to retaliate against Lu Zhi and Xun Shuang. Once Liangzhou recovers from the initial shock, chaos could easily ensue. It would be better to wait for reinforcements from Jingzhou to arrive, allow Liangzhou to stabilize before mobilizing the troops.”
“Yezhu’s a brilliant tactician, far beyond me, but I understand how the situation is.”
He mulled over a few arguments to persuade her further, adding, “To be honest Yezhu, many of those accompanying me this time are former disciples of Lu and Xun. They’d rather give up their chance to study at the Imperial Academy in Ye City, to come and advise you—what they convey is also the voice of another group. I hope Yezhu will take this seriously.”
Qiao Yan clutched the fallen ghost mask, her peripheral vision catching the paint on it, smiling, “Since Liu Youzhou has said so, if I don’t comply, wouldn’t that be too rebellious?”
She resumed eye contact with Liu Yu, replying, “Since the disciples of Lu have come, and considering Lu’s generous teachings on the Book of Documents, it’s only right that I—treat them to a welcoming feast.”
“May I ask if Liu Youzhou is satisfied with this decision?”
Liu Yu found himself at a loss for words.
This bizarre conversational atmosphere contrasted starkly with his expectations upon arriving in Liangzhou, leaving him feeling somewhat guilty for considering himself the villain.
But he… seemed to lack a comprehensive understanding of Liangzhou’s situation, and the way forward could still be negotiated.
As a typical good guy among the Han royal family, Liu Yu opted to make an excuse of needing to settle in first and discreetly backed off.
Unbeknownst to him, behind his back, Qiao Yan tossed the ghost mask to Cheng Yu, her face breaking into a lighthearted smile.
“I’m a little regretful,” she said.
She couldn’t speak the truth to everyone, but she could to Cheng Yu.
Thus she was not at all regretful that after Liu Yu’s arrival in Liangzhou, her plans to attack Chang’an had to slow down.
She gazed towards the Huo Shizhai military outpost in the distance, realizing that in about a month, it would harvest bountifully…
“You say Liu Bo’an can come, but why didn’t he bring his guy Tian Zitai along?”
“…Your Highness, tread carefully,” Cheng Yu lightly coughed as a warning.
Qiao Yan waved her hand in response, “I know, I won’t say such things outside.”
Logically, Qiao Yan understood that Youzhou had just taken in a bunch of refugees fleeing from Wei County, and they would obviously need some time to settle in.
Liu Yu’s suggestion to come to Liangzhou and persuade her, along with having his son Liu He take over as the governor of Youzhou while leaving Tian Chou to assist with local affairs, was indeed the best choice.
But emotionally, that recovering Youzhou, which needed figures like Tian Chou to stabilize after Zhang Ju’s rebellion, and the recently cleared Liangzhou still required plenty of talent to govern.
Who could argue that people like Tian Chou weren’t necessary?
Fortunately, though Yuan Shao’s Xun Shuang and Lu Zhi were no great talents, they were still useful for sorting out the details in Liangzhou, which was exactly what she needed.
Once she stabilized the regions of An Ding, Hanyang, Longxi, and Jincheng, she could expand her influence northward toward Jiuquan, Wuwei, Zhangye, and Dunhuang.
If it weren’t for the distance from Jizhou, she’d really want to thank Yuan Shao right to his face!
Qiao Yan’s gathering of troops and putting preparations on hold seemed to wasteful to her generals, especially to eager achievers like Lü Bu and Ma Chao.
They shot daggers at Liu Yu as a result.
But for Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo, this was a welcome situation that granted them more room to grow.
Especially for Dong Zhuo!
If it weren’t for the awkwardness, he would have wanted to give Qiao Yan another title of Governor of Liangzhou so she could debate local governance issues with Liu Yu.
Having come from Liangzhou himself, Dong Zhuo understood that a temporary win there didn’t guarantee loyalty; truly getting a grip on the region was like holding a hot potato.
Liangzhou had seen five governors in just three or four years; being a prefect was a hazardous job, and turning it into an asset could just as easily drain her strength instead of making her march on Chang’an more viable.
No matter if this plan could realistically drag her down, as long as she drained her years of accumulation in Bingzhou into the bottomless pit of Liangzhou, while Dong Zhuo enjoyed peace in Chang’an, recruiting soldiers and preparing for war would certainly improve his standing.
“The strategy of keeping our troops idle while letting Yuan Shao trip Qiao Yan up is indeed the most suitable approach,” Dong Zhuo nearly jumped forward to shake Jia Xu’s hand, wishing to express his heartfelt gratitude, but noticed Jia Xu looking off to the north, appearing somewhat melancholic.
He mused that Jia Xu was likely worried about his family back in Bingzhou, and retraced his hand to avoid seeming overly emotional.
Fortunately, if Jia Xu truly aimed to earn a reputation for his clan, he had clearly prepared himself mentally to offer advice to Dong Zhuo.
When he turned back to Dong Zhuo, his expression had regained its composure.
“Your Excellency shouldn’t celebrate too soon. Qiao Yan is not lacking in governance skills; for Liangzhou, it can only hold her back for a year or two. If there’s insufficient manpower put into its construction, she won’t hesitate to make tough decisions.”
Dong Zhuo was shocked, realizing that his earlier notion of dragging her down with Liangzhou was too idealistic.
But it made sense; Qiao Yan so far had shown no obvious weaknesses. Even if her youthful energy sometimes led her to rush into battles, she had never ventured into enemy territory and gotten her escape route cut off.
She was not greedy and would not risk all that she had.
“Don’t underestimate her!”
“What do you mean?”
Jia Xu replied, “First, ensure the defensive positions at various passes are maintained. To prevent generals from becoming complacent and vulnerable, we might use a rotation system every four months.”
Dong Zhuo considered that, realizing it was indeed necessary to guard against potential internal betrayal.
But whether Duan Wei could hold Liangzhou’s crucial access points was still a question mark.
Like Yan Xing, who just recently joined, it was unwise to station him there.
So how to execute this suggestion would need further deliberation.
However, since Jia Xu’s proposal considered his interests, Dong Zhuo nodded in agreement, “What you say makes sense.”
Jia Xu continued, “Secondly, let’s procure rice from Yizhou under the pretext of the Emperor’s grain shortage to quickly balance the grain prices in Chang’an. If we establish a routine for grain transportation, it provides a good pretext if Your Excellency ever has to take a military route through Yizhou.”
Just as a smile of pleasure flickered on Dong Zhuo’s face, he heard Jia Xu say in a rather stern tone, “In such dealings, there’s no need to skimp on money.”
“…Of course!” Dong Zhuo chuckled awkwardly.
After Dong Zhuo retreated to Chang’an, Liu Yan took over the title of Grand Marshal, bestowed by Dong Zhuo to woo him. He also expressed thanks for Dong Zhuo’s gesture of letting his son Liu Fan return. However, it is impossible to think Liu Yan liked Dong Zhuo — he was just managing to keep things cordial.
The underlying message was clear—he aimed to keep within bounds in Yizhou, and Dong Zhuo better not try to boss him around.
But as for a deal, in the balance between Liu Xie and Liu Bian, Liu Yan would lean toward Liu Xie.
So if Dong Zhuo wanted to buy some grain from Yizhou for his expenditures in Chang’an, fine.
But if he wanted to gain some advantage in Yizhou through it, no way!
Yet Dong Zhuo pondered on how Jia Xu’s words depicted a safety net for him, and thought that even if he couldn’t cut costs, this trade, different from his usual zero-investment ventures, would require some loss, and that didn’t seem to be a problem.
Especially in Hanzhong County, if he could lay down a few anchors under the pretense of grain transport, it might come in handy someday in case his situation got desperate.
No need to skimp then!
Jia Xu, glancing at Dong Zhuo’s expression, could tell his thoughts of hoarding military assets weren’t entirely dispelled, but it was clear that the pressing situation had him holding back.
If he were truly Dong Zhuo’s strategist, he might find this rather petty of Dong Zhuo, vexingly ridiculous, but for now, he pretended to ignore it, saying in a calm tone, “Thirdly, regarding the tensions in Jingzhou, please lend Liu Jingsheng a hand.”
Sun Jian had been given the title of General of Breaking the Bandits by the eastern court, allowing him to recruit soldiers in Jingzhou under the guise of quelling banditry.
Qiao Yan politely declined the title of General of Mounted Troops sent from Ye City, but Sun Jian currently needed the title to enhance his reputation.
Liu Biao, on the other hand, had received the title of Governor of Jingzhou sent from Dong Zhuo.
Essentially, one from the east and one from the west had been appointed each.
Of course, as it stood, those two were not yet in open hostility.
But who was to blame that Sun Jian was not the type to let himself suffer losses?
Earlier, during the anti-Dong coalition, he had killed the then-prefect of Nanyang, Zhang Zi, just for refusing to supply him with grain.
It was precisely because of this incident that when Sun Jian mentioned needing a route for his campaign against Dong Zhuo, Cai Mao, serving Liu Biao, questioned, “Do you really intend to repeat the old story of Prefect Zhang?”
Cai Mao’s concern was not unfounded.
Who could tell if Sun Jian’s proposal to borrow a route to attack Dong Zhuo was yet another ruse?
And how could it be guaranteed that, due to the hardships of the route from Jingzhou to Chang’an, he wouldn’t take advantage of the situation and stab Liu Biao in the back if the need arose for support from Jingzhou?
With the world in turmoil and two emperors in conflict, Liu Biao had already gained the authority of Governor of Jingzhou, and there was no need to cling to a neutral stance to avoid offending either side; it was wiser to lean toward Liu Xie for greater gain.
Of course, this was not just a consideration of Sun Jian’s personality; for the noble families of Jingzhou, choosing to ally with the eastern court would undoubtedly place them lower in status than with the families of Hebei and Ruying. That was a deal they could not accept.
Better to pick Dong Zhuo.
At least they had a cover — they weren’t siding with Dong Zhuo but with Liu Xie.
Liu Biao had leveraged the support from the Jingzhou nobility to solidify his foothold; so it was entirely logical for him to accept this choice.
That’s why, among the reports that Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao received, friction had already sparked between Jingzhou’s Governor Liu Biao and Sun Jian’s General of Breaking Bandits, with the potential to escalate the situation at any moment.
Looking around, the somewhat dimwitted Yuan Shu couldn’t even conquer a small district like Lujiang in Yangzhou, making it clear he couldn’t team up with Sun Jian against Liu Biao.
But that didn’t mean Liu Biao was in a favorable position.
If the ongoing skirmish in Jingzhou shattered the balance and escalated into an outright war, given his military skills, he would inevitably suffer losses against the likes of Sun Jian and Zhu Jun.
Given all of this, he certainly needed external support to help him out!
After Dong Zhuo acknowledged his suggestions and left, Jia Xu turned his gaze from the big fool Dong Zhuo back to the chessboard before him.
To show appreciation to his only newly acquired strategist, Dong Zhuo had specially taken out a beautiful jade chess set brought from Luoyang and gifted it to Jia Xu as a pastime.
On the board, the black and white stones shimmered with a warm glow under the dim light.
But Jia Xu cared little for the stones’ value; he carelessly grabbed a handful of black pieces and, with a flick of his wrist, scattered them onto the board.
With the sound of crisp clashes following, it was hard to tell what the original setup of the game had been.
Jia Xu’s hand remained poised in the air like a still silhouette in the flickering light, his face revealing an inscrutable expression as a barely noticeable smile crept onto him.
Ah, Jingzhou…
Letting Sun Jian and Liu Biao continue to clash, the uncertainty was simply too vast; it may not even unwittingly favor His Highness. It might be better to—
Be a little heartless.
