“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 171 – Protecting the Qiang in Command
The land reclamation efforts in Wuwei Commandery were in full swing now that the manpower had arrived.
Qiao Yan mentioned waiting until next year to sow millet, but truthfully, there was still time for another round of planting this year, so it was crucial to get the land leveling done quickly.
Of course, this round of sowing wasn’t for wheat but for autumn rapeseed.
In the northwest during the end of the Han dynasty, this autumn rapeseed was known as yuntai or Hu Cai, initially cultivated in the territories of the Qiang and Hu tribes, and hadn’t spread much beyond that. In simpler terms, it’s mostly found around Liangzhou and the Western Regions Protectorate.
This was indeed a suitable crop for the northwest.
Qiao Yan flipped through the agricultural books swapped over from the farming system, aiming to improve the local crop types while utilizing Bingzhou’s fertilizers and tools. She also tweaked the farming methods she had sneakily integrated.
With Liu Yu and Huangfu Song holding Gaoping City, plus Jia Xu, the crafty fox, playing spy, she was completely unconcerned about Dong Zhuo suddenly having some wild idea and launching an attack straight from Chang’an.
Hence, after setting up the garrison, she immediately put more manpower into the reclamation and sowing of land in Jincheng and Wuwei Commandery.
In Liangzhou, only two battalions were left for the peacekeeping efforts.
One was led by Fu Gan, commanding Qiao Yan’s direct soldiers.
The other was commanded by Yao Chang, leading the assimilated Qiang people.
These two groups alternated patrols across Liangzhou, ensuring no rebel forces caused trouble and that there were no Qiang bandits raiding.
The rest of the troops had been reassigned by Qiao Yan to army camps or garrison areas.
When Yao Chang hesitantly questioned why she and Fu Gan were given equal standing, Qiao Yan shot back, “Isn’t your performance in the Ayang battle proof enough? Or have you seen someone else bold enough to come down and offer themselves to me?”
As they walked a few steps further, Qiao Yan added, “Or do you secretly want to go farm too? I wouldn’t mind switching things up.”
Yao Chang shook her head vigorously.
If she blurted that out, it would definitely draw competitors for her position.
Qiao Yan’s assignment of her and Fu Gan to such trusted roles was because Qiao Yan aimed to shift from outright killing the rebellious Qiang to capturing or persuading them, thus needing the help of a Qiang leader like her.
If not for that, she could have easily replaced her with well-known figures among the Qiang, like Ma Chao and Qu Yan, instead of having them waste energy digging irrigation ditches.
Glancing around, Yao Chang saw Ma Chao and Yang Feng, both known faces in the Liangzhou region, now donned in farmer attire, learning cultivation techniques from the agricultural officials sent over from Bingzhou.
This training would allow them, as commanders, to provide compliant guidance during off-duty farming.
According to Qiao Yan, after she had gathered the Black Mountain Bandits at Leping, they were initially planting yams, a crop that required careful tending, but now she merely had them reclaim wasteland and plant rapeseed to build a little patience—quite a reduction in expectations.
How could the soldiers from Liangzhou be okay with being outdone by the Black Mountain Bandits? They dove headfirst into the heavy labor.
Ma Chao even switched tactics after realizing he couldn’t take on Lü Bu directly, choosing instead to compete in the reclamation and sowing efficiency of the Lushui area.
But let’s be clear, no matter how brash Lü Bu might seem, he had spent two years farming in Shuangdao and Suiyuan City—if he were to be beaten by Ma Chao’s new route of competition, it would be quite underestimating him.
As Qiao Yan and Yao Chang strolled by, they overheard Lü Bu boasting that the generals under his command could farm just as well as fight, asserting that Ma Chao was still far away from surpassing him. To catch up, he’d need at least another twenty years.
Qiao Yan couldn’t be bothered to expose Lü Bu’s little show-off act.
This guy seemed to have developed a new hobby of flexing his military prowess while securing spoils, all while showcasing his advantages to these newly subdued generals.
It’s hard to say whether this stemmed from his time at Leping Academy when he hadn’t fared well against those younger than him, resulting in this strange quirk.
As long as he enjoyed himself and simultaneously motivated Ma Chao and the others, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
However, Qiao Yan turned her head to see Yao Chang’s gaze shift from earlier being touched by a sense of duty to a look of growing respect.
“…What’s going on?” Qiao Yan asked.
Yao Chang couldn’t just say that she previously only saw the faint figures of Ma Chao and the others but now, after seeing Yang Feng’s previously masked face and Ma Chao’s handsome features, in this working environment, she wanted to express—
It made sense why Qiao Yan was able to be the marquis.
But she kept those thoughts to herself, worried about getting hit, and merely replied, “The Marquise has surpassed expectations in military maneuvers, and her knowledge in agriculture is truly a blessing for Liangzhou. If we can stockpile abundant grains and support thousands of lives, surely the Qiang will be further impressed by the Marquise.”
And judging by the local Lushui Qiang’s recent activities, that was evident.
While the effectiveness of the new farming tools from Wuwei Commandery was still uncertain, their efficiency in land reclamation had certainly caught the attention of the roaming Lushui Qiang.
The agricultural officials from Bingzhou weren’t shy about showcasing the tools they used.
However, there was a hitch.
Whether it was the curved plow or the harrow, they all needed ironwork for crafting. Even if they tried to steal, they wouldn’t find ready-made products in Liangzhou, and pillaging Bingzhou’s army was out of the question.
With visions of a lucrative harvest from these farming efficiencies dancing in their heads—only to be further intimidated by the Xianbei gifting cattle and sheep to Qiao Yan—the Lushui Qiang began discussing plans to defect to her side.
Compared to being tamed and housed by nearby aristocrats, they figured it was better to align with a stronger force.
Moreover, no one could guarantee that once Qiao Yan had a stronghold in the Lushui area, she wouldn’t declare war on them first.
Of course, they didn’t know that, rather than demonstrating against them, Qiao Yan was more inclined to target the local aristocrats in Wuwei and the other three regions of the Hexi commandery as her “chicken” to fry, not to mention she still needed to unearth the value of the Silk Road from them, presenting a friendly, approachable facade to “woo” them.
All in all, while Yao Chang and Qiao Yan were having this conversation, the leaders among the Lushui Qiang had already started to approach the stationed troops.
It was clearly necessary for Qiao Yan to send Zhao Yun here as the commander to oversee everything.
Zhao Yun carried a sense of righteousness different from the Liangzhou generals, aligning perfectly with the Liangzhou people’s standards that a leader should also have a formidable fighting prowess, causing the previously hesitant Lushui Qiang to finally feel a little more reassured interacting with him.
“When I touched it, I instinctively relaxed my guard a bit.”
But Zhao Yun’s sincerity when dealing with others far surpassed his exterior, giving him a colossal advantage in facilitating the migration of the Qiang people from Lushui.
This was a decision made only after careful consideration by Qiao Yan.
Regarding Yao Chang’s flattering remark, Qiao Yan knew well that her role was simply to place the right people in the right positions, standing at a height far above the current era’s characters.
However, she didn’t argue back.
The greater the esteem she built among the Qiang, the more beneficial it would be for her to formally take over Liangzhou in the future.
Thus, she said to Yao Chang, “In the path of agriculture, many sages have emerged, yet unfortunately, most have not received their due accolades. People just don’t realize that the principle behind their rebellion is that simple.”
“Liangzhou is not a territory of uncivilized barbarians; they are merely people wanting to survive.”
She waved her hand, signaling Yao Chang to follow her to their lodging in Guzang City.
In Qiao Yan’s study, Yao Chang saw three agricultural books, each recorded according to Leping Academy’s newly compiled method.
She watched as Qiao Yan picked up the first book and said to her, “This is the Book on Agricultural Practices from the Former Han, but even the version that made its way to me has been mistakenly referred to as the Book on Agricultural Practices, leading to some serious misinformation. The author, having served from a lowly official to a censor, couldn’t even make it to the Three Dukes, but can’t his achievements warrant that?”
Definitely not.
The Book on Agricultural Practices would later be known as one of the four great agricultural books.
Too bad its significance in contemporary times isn’t that large.
But for Qiao Yan, the methods for land division and seed sowing did not encompass the guiding value of this book. In Liangzhou, where mulberry and hemp were grown as cash crops, the cuttings method for mulberry seedlings mentioned in the Book on Agricultural Practices was highly relevant.
Yao Chang was just about to respond that someone like that should be memorialized with a temple when Qiao Yan had already lifted the second book, saying, “This author’s been dead for twenty years. Despite being from the illustrious Cui family, he died in poverty and lacked enough funds for burial, so officials from the government, including Yang Gong, Yuang Gong, and the serving Minor Palace official Duan Ji Ming, prepared his coffin and burial materials. Even the Four People’s Monthly Regulations he wrote were only compiled in the last two years.”
“This man’s surname is Cui, name is Shi, with the courtesy name Zizhen, and he’s the cousin of my subordinate, Cui Wei, the Prefect of Xihe Commandery.”
If he hadn’t passed away, Qiao Yan would have definitely snatched up this talent; alas, he died before Cui Lie could accumulate enough wealth to buy a title of Three Dukes.
The Four People’s Monthly Regulations he left behind, while presented as a political treatise, was essentially a manual on seasonal farming.
The most valuable part for Qiao Yan was that Cui Shi had once been a Prefect in Wuyuan Commandery before being transferred to Liaodong. He was dismissed in the second year of Yanxi and returned home to confinement in Hebei.
These experiences influenced the manual significantly toward northern farming practices, applicable to Liang and Bing provinces.
Even Cui Lie, that little charm, wasn’t entirely idle while lounging in Bingzhou.
He often shuttled between Leping and Jinyang, becoming friends with Cai Yong. So while Cai Yong continued compiling the “Records of the Eastern Observations on Han,” Cui Lie revised both Cui Shi’s “Political Treatise” and “Four People’s Monthly Regulations,” passing the latter to Qiao Yan.
Pity that Cui Shi himself would never see such progress, just as the Former Han’s Book on Agricultural Practices wouldn’t foresee a version with illustrations binding together over a century later.
At this point, Qiao Yan had already picked up the third book.
“This is an unfinished agricultural book, documenting the improvements in cultivation methods and agricultural tools in Bingzhou over the past few years. It’s still unfinished because it should contain more diverse crops and further terrain and climate characteristics; all that needs more elaboration as we expand the farming technique from Bingzhou to Liangzhou.”
“I wish for even the most humble laborers to be remembered, completing this agricultural book for Liang and Bing, to serve future generations. Not let this book vanish like the previous two.”
“But the prerequisite for achieving this is having enough hands to practice these farming methods, to refine the content of the book as much as possible, and enough people to spread it out. If it has to wait for future generations to tidy it up, many lives could be lost waiting. With this thought, I even feel the current influx of Qiang is insufficient. Do you understand what I mean?”
What Yao Chang meant was—Qiao Yan has abundant grain, obviously attracting the Qiang.
But what Qiao Yan referred to was, she wanted to complete the third guiding agricultural book and turn Liangzhou into fertile soil through practice, requiring more hands.
And among those hands, more Qiang would be best.
Only then would they feel that the accumulation of things and the documentation in the agricultural book had a part of their contribution, rather than falling for any interests that might lure them elsewhere.
So, first, they needed some people!
Yao Chang understood.
She roughly knew the way she should persuade people to join!
Then she heard Qiao Yan continue, “I will submit a memorial to the court to re-establish the Protector of the Qiang. Six years ago, during the turmoil caused by Bian Zhang and Han Sui in Longyou, the court appointed Xia Yu as the Protector of the Qiang; Gai Xun couldn’t get there in time to save him, and Xia Yu died for the state. This position has since remained unestablished.”
“This memorial will be the most unique since the establishment of the Protector of the Qiang, because we’re treating the Qiang with Qiang.”
Qiao Yan fixed her gaze on Yao Chang and said, “Shangdang Qiang hasn’t rebelled against Han in many years, and knowing my ambition to stabilize Liangzhou and grant the people peace, I wish to recommend you for this position. What do you think?”
Whether the court approves is another story; if they don’t, just say it’s Dong Zhuo blocking Liu Xie’s judgment as a “wise ruler.” Once she’s stabilized the situation in Liangzhou as Liu Yu suggested, she can talk to Dong Zhuo about it.
Now, this Protector of the Qiang must be her own person and provide a comforting signal to the Qiang tribes that she has subdued in Liangzhou.
This position can only belong to Yao Chang.
Yao Chang agreed without hesitation.
Qiao Yan’s audacity to make such an appointment naturally encouraged her to take it on!
However, on the side of Wuwei Commandery, everything was going smoothly. Military and civilian settlements, after the practical experience in Bingzhou, began to unfold in an orderly manner. Upon receiving Qiao Yan’s “I’m doing this whether you agree or not” memorial, Dong Zhuo slammed the table in frustration.
He had all but relished the glory of having Qiao Yan halt the war for more than half a month, only to see her in a state of preparation for something else.
To make Qiao Yan uncomfortable, he even leaked the tidbit that Jia Xu had now become his military strategist to Qiao Yan.
Who knew that in this time of memorial submission, aside from Yao Chang’s Protector of the Qiang and Bi Lan’s Water Commissioner, she also arranged for Jia Mu from Wuwei to take up the role of Protector of the Dike, clearly indicating she didn’t plan to follow Dong Zhuo’s playbook at all.
Dong Zhuo was furious and looked at Jia Xu, quickly hiding his schemes and asking, “Do you have something to discuss, my lord?”
Jia Xu replied, “Your Excellency should execute the third thing I mentioned earlier.”
That was—that Dong Zhuo should assist Liu Biao with the conflicts in Jing Province.
