Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 6: The Tiger’s Roar in Two Provinces, The Silk Road Reopens Chapter 171: Protector of the Qiang

The reclamation of the farmland in Wuwei Commandery was in full swing once the manpower was in place.

Qiao Yan mentioned waiting until next year to sow millet and wheat, but in reality, another crop could be planted this year, so the land leveling had to be completed as soon as possible.

Of course, this crop wasn’t wheat, but autumn rapeseed.

In the northwest region during the late Han period, this autumn rapeseed was called “Yuntai” or “Hucai,” originally cultivated in the Qiang and Hu regions, and hadn’t spread further. In other words, it was concentrated in Liangzhou and the Western Regions Protectorate.

This was indeed a crop suitable for the northwest.

Qiao Yan flipped through the agricultural books exchanged with the farming system and, without disrupting local crop varieties for the time being, arranged for the introduction of Bingzhou’s fertilizers, farming tools, and improved farming methods she had sneakily incorporated.

With Liu Yu and Huangfu Song taking over Gaoping City and Jia Xu, the old fox, acting as a spy, she had no worries about Dong Zhuo suddenly getting any ideas and attacking directly from Chang’an.

Therefore, after setting up the留守 (garrison) troops, she directed more manpower to reclaim and sow fields in Jincheng and Wuwei Commandery.

Only two pacification troops remained in Liangzhou.

One was Qiao Yan’s direct troops commanded by Fu Gan.

The other was composed of assimilated Qiang people led by Yao Chang.

These two forces took turns patrolling various parts of Liangzhou to ensure no rebellious forces or Qiang raids occurred.

Other troops were transferred by Qiao Yan to military farms or defensive positions at passes.

Yao Chang hesitated and asked her doubts about Qiao Yan placing her and Fu Gan in equally trusted positions.

Qiao Yan retorted, “Didn’t the battle at Ayang prove your capabilities? Or have you seen someone else brave enough to come under the city walls to recommend themselves to me?”

After walking a few steps, Yao Chang heard Qiao Yan ask, “Or do you actually want to farm? Switching roles wouldn’t be a problem.”

Yao Chang quickly shook her head.

If she said that, someone would surely come to compete for her position.

Qiao Yan assigned her this pacification task because she was shifting from outright killing rebellious Qiang to capturing or persuading them, hence needing a Qiang general and her subordinates.

Otherwise, she could have replaced Yao Chang with Ma Chao or Qu Yan, who also had considerable prestige among the Qiang, instead of having them expend extra effort digging irrigation channels.

Looking around, Yao Chang saw Ma Chao and Yang Feng, known for their looks in Liangzhou, dressed as farmers, learning farming techniques from agricultural officers dispatched from Bingzhou.

This was so they could provide proper guidance during farming intervals between military drills.

According to Qiao Yan, when the Black Mountain Bandits were gathered in Leping, they cultivated yams, which required careful tending. Now, merely reclaiming wasteland and planting rapeseed to cultivate patience was a much lower demand.

The soldiers and generals who came to Liangzhou wouldn’t want to be outdone by the Black Mountain Bandits and immediately threw themselves into the heavy work.

Ma Chao, after clearly losing to Lü Bu in martial prowess, switched to competing with Lü Bu in the efficiency of reclaiming and sowing fields in the Lushui military farm.

However, Lü Bu, despite appearing to rely on bravery and brute force, had two years of farming experience in Suiyuan City of Baitao River. If he were to be outdone by Ma Chao’s change of competition, it would be too much of an insult.

As Qiao Yan and Yao Chang passed by, they overheard Lü Bu boasting that a general under the lord must be capable in both civil and military affairs, as well as farming, and that Ma Chao still had a long way to go. To surpass him, it would take at least twenty more years.

Qiao Yan didn’t bother to expose Lü Bu’s bragging.

It seemed that besides competing for military merits and spoils, Lü Bu had developed a new hobby of showing off his early service advantages to newly surrendered generals.

It was hard to say if this was a lingering effect from failing to outperform younger students during his time at Leping Academy.

As long as he enjoyed it and motivated Ma Chao and others, it wasn’t a bad thing.

However, Qiao Yan noticed Yao Chang’s gaze shifting from being moved by the heavy responsibility to one of admiration.

“…What are you doing?” Qiao Yan asked.

Yao Chang couldn’t say that from a distance, she could only see the figures of Ma Chao and others, but now, seeing Yang Feng’s face, which once needed a ghost mask, and Ma Chao’s handsome face, along with the working environment, she could only think—

There’s a reason Qiao Yan is the lord.

But she kept this thought to herself, fearing a beating.

So she merely replied, “The lord’s distinction in military movements is already beyond reach, and with such expertise in agriculture, it is truly a blessing for Liangzhou. If we can accumulate abundant grain and save thousands of lives, the Qiang tribes will surely be even more impressed by the lord.”

Just look at the nearby Lushui Qiang’s behavior.

The new farming tools in Wuwei Commandery’s efficiency in reclaiming fields made the roaming Lushui Qiang envious.

The agricultural officers from Bingzhou openly displayed the farming tools used.

But here’s the problem.

Both the curved plow and the harrow required ironwork, which couldn’t be obtained by raiding in Liangzhou, and raiding Bingzhou’s troops was impossible.

Hit by the prospect of a bountiful harvest next year and intimidated by the Xianbei’s gesture of presenting cattle and sheep to Qiao Yan, the Lushui Qiang began discussing the idea of submitting to Qiao Yan.

Rather than being tamed and absorbed by nearby powerful families to become their enforcers, it seemed better to submit to a stronger power.

Moreover, no one could guarantee that once Qiao Yan firmly established herself in the Lushui region, she wouldn’t make an example of them.

Of course, they didn’t know that after the震慑 (deterrence) at Gaoping, Qiao Yan preferred to use the local powerful families in Wuwei and the other three commanderies of Hexi as the “chicken” to scare the “monkeys.” However, she still needed to extract the value of the Silk Road from them, hence presenting herself as approachable, easy to win over, and youthful.

By the time Yao Chang and Qiao Yan discussed this, the leaders of the Lushui Qiang tribe had already started contacting the local garrison.

Qiao Yan’s decision to send Zhao Yun as the commanding general here was clearly necessary.

Zhao Yun’s正气 (righteousness), distinct from Liangzhou generals, and his符合 (conformity) to Liangzhou’s aesthetic standards for generals with martial prowess, made the hesitant Lushui Qiang more willing to engage with him.





When touching, subconsciously, the guard was let down a bit. Zhao Yun’s sincerity in dealing with people far surpassed his appearance, giving him a greater advantage than anyone else in facilitating the assimilation of the Lu Shui Qiang as allies. This was a decision Qiao Yan made after careful consideration. She was well aware of the praise Yao Chang lavished on her; her role was merely placing the right person in the right position, standing a step higher than others of this era. But she didn’t argue against it. The grander the image she built among the Qiang people, the more beneficial it would be for her to officially take over Liangzhou later. Thus, she simply told Yao Chang, “There are many sages in the ways of agriculture, but unfortunately, most did not receive the recognition they deserved. The principle of the people’s rebellion is just that simple. Liangzhou is not a land of uncivilized barbarians; they are just people who want to survive.” She raised her hand, signaling Yao Chang to follow her to their lodgings in Guzang City. In Qiao Yan’s study, Yao Chang saw three agricultural books, all recompiled in the manner of the Leping Academy. Qiao Yan picked up the first book and said, “This is the Fan Shengzhi’s Book from the former Han dynasty, but even the copy I have has an added stroke, turning it into the Si Shengzhi’s Book, leading to a misattribution. Fan Shengzhi rose from a court advisor to a censor, but shouldn’t his achievements have earned him a position among the Three Excellencies?” Of course, they should have. Fan Shengzhi’s Book is considered one of the four great agricultural books in later generations. Unfortunately, its importance in this era is not as recognized. But to Qiao Yan, the methods of field division and seed soaking in the book do not fully encompass its guiding value. In Liangzhou, where mulberry and hemp are additionally grown as cash crops, the method of mulberry seedling pruning mentioned in Fan Shengzhi’s Book is extremely significant. Just as Yao Chang was about to respond that such a person should be commemorated with a shrine, Qiao Yan had already picked up the second book, “The author of this book died twenty years ago. Despite being from the Boling Cui clan, he died in such poverty that there were not enough funds for his funeral. It was Yang Gong, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Yuan Gong, the Grand Coachman, and Duan Jiming, then the Minor Palace, who prepared his coffin and burial items. Even the book he wrote, ‘Monthly Ordinances for the Four Classes of People,’ was only compiled in the last two years. This man was named Cui Shi, styled Zizhen, a cousin of Cui Weikao, the Prefect of Xihe Commandery under my command.” If he hadn’t passed away, Qiao Yan would never have let such a talent slip away. Unfortunately, he died before Cui Lie could accumulate enough wealth to buy a position among the Three Excellencies. The ‘Monthly Ordinances for the Four Classes of People’ he left behind appears to be a political treatise but is actually a guide to planting according to the seasons. What is particularly valuable to Qiao Yan is that Cui Shi once served as the Prefect of Wuyuan Commandery, later changed to Liaodong Commandery, until he was dismissed in the second year of Yanxi and returned to his home in Hebei under house arrest. These experiences resulted in the book containing much about northern planting, suitable for both Liangzhou and Bingzhou. Cui Lie, that mascot, wasn’t idle while in Bingzhou. He frequently traveled between Leping and Jinyang, befriending Cai Yong. While Cai Yong continued compiling the ‘Dongguan Hanji,’ Cui Lie revised Cui Shi’s ‘Political Treatise’ and ‘Monthly Ordinances for the Four Classes of People,’ sending the latter to Qiao Yan. Unfortunately, Cui Shi himself couldn’t see this, just as Fan Shengzhi of the Western Han couldn’t see that his ‘Fan Shengzhi’s Book’ would appear in a illustrated and bound version over a hundred years later. By now, Qiao Yan had picked up the third book. “This is an unfinished agricultural book, recording the improvements in farming methods and agricultural tools in Bingzhou over the past few years. It’s unfinished because it should include more crop varieties and more detailed descriptions of terrain and climate characteristics, which need to be expanded upon as the tuntian system extends from Bingzhou to Liangzhou. I wish for even the humblest farmers to have their names recorded in this book, contributing to the agricultural knowledge of Liangzhou and Bingzhou for future generations. Not like the first two books, which once fell into obscurity. But the prerequisite for achieving this is having enough people to practice the farming methods, to perfect the contents of the book as much as possible, and enough people to spread it. If this book has to wait for future generations to compile, it would delay the fate of countless people. With this in mind, I even feel that the Qiang people who have come to serve are not enough. Do you understand what I mean?” Yao Chang said—Qiao Yan has accumulated vast stores of grain, naturally attracting the Qiang to join. But Qiao Yan said she wants to complete the third guiding agricultural book, turning Liangzhou into fertile land through practice, which requires more manpower. Among these, more Qiang people would be best. Only then would they feel that their contributions and the records in the agricultural books include their efforts, preventing them from defecting to other places for reasons of interest. So, people must come first! Yao Chang understood. She also roughly knew how to persuade people to join! Then Qiao Yan continued, “I will petition the court to re-establish the Protector of the Qiang. Six years ago, Bian Zhang and Han Sui raided Longyou, and the court appointed Xia Yu as the Protector of the Qiang. Gai Xun couldn’t rescue him in time, and Xia Yu died for his country. Since then, the position has not been filled. This petition will be the most special since the establishment of the Protector of the Qiang, as it will be ‘using the Qiang to govern the Qiang.'” Qiao Yan looked steadily at Yao Chang and said, “The Shaodang Qiang have a long history of not rebelling against the Han. Now that you know my ambition to pacify Liangzhou and settle its people, and have actively joined me, I want to recommend you for this position. What do you think?” Whether the court approves is another matter. If they don’t, just say it was Dong Zhuo obstructing the judgment of Liu Xie, the ‘wise emperor.’ After stabilizing Liangzhou as Liu Yu suggested, she would talk to Dong Zhuo. For now, this Protector of the Qiang must be her own person, and it needs to send a signal of appeasement to the Qiang tribes in Liangzhou that she has subdued. This position can only belong to Yao Chang. Yao Chang agreed without hesitation. Qiao Yan had the audacity to appoint her to such a position, and she naturally had the courage to take it on! However, while things were going smoothly in Wuwei Commandery, with military and civilian tuntian being carried out in an orderly manner after practices in Bingzhou, Dong Zhuo slammed the table upon receiving Qiao Yan’s petition, which essentially said, “Whether you agree or not, I’m doing it.” He had been smug for over half a month about Qiao Yan having to cease military actions, only to see her making other arrangements. To make Qiao Yan uncomfortable, he even had someone discreetly spread the word to her that Jia Xu had become his military advisor. Who knew that in this petition for official positions, besides Yao Chang’s Protector of the Qiang and Bi Lan’s Director of Waterways, she also appointed Jia Mu, who had been transferred to Wuwei, as the Protector of Dikes, clearly not following Dong Zhuo’s script. Dong Zhuo was furious, but when Jia Xu gave him a look, he quickly hid his thoughts and asked, “Do you have something to say, sir?” Jia Xu replied, “The Chancellor should proceed with the third matter I mentioned earlier.” What he had said was— “Regarding the friction in Jing Province, please lend Liu Biao a hand.”