“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 173: The Language of Qiang and Han
Liu Yu wasn’t quite sure if this really counted as a long-term peace strategy for Liangzhou.
But he could see clearly that while Qiao Yan said it was an inconvenient request, she had already made up her mind about it.
He then heard Qiao Yan say, “The Qiang people in Liangzhou reside in various places, but their language is not fully understood by Han people. Even the Shaodang Qiang, who are quite similar to our Han folk, still mostly use their internal language.”
These Qiang people mainly originated from the areas around Huangzhong and the larger and smaller Yugu valleys.
Even today, there still exist large factions like the Canlang Qiang, the Baima Qiang, and the Shaodang Qiang there.
Since this area connects to the Tibetan Plateau, the Qiang language is actually a branch of Tibetan.
Liu Yu followed Qiao Yan as she continued walking along the field ridges, listening to her say, “I wonder if Liu Youzhou has noticed that currently, in the Han lands of Liangzhou and Yizhou, there are Qiang people, but their languages are different.”
As he listened to her say this, Liu Yu couldn’t help but glance around.
Though the scene he saw mostly consisted of deep pits for mulberry tree planting, making the outer circle look like it was riddled with holes, the exchanges of culture between the Han and the Qiang still eased some of his guardedness.
Liu Yu replied, “I’d like to hear more. But tell me, why doesn’t Qiao Bingzhou use local Han people to convey these orders? In the past, there were Hu markets in Gu Zhuang City, so finding someone who understands Qiang or Hu languages shouldn’t be too hard.”
Qiao Yan shook her head, “There aren’t many such people, and even when Han Sui raised his banner in Jincheng, the general’s orders to the Qiang tribes went through the leaders of their clans. This means they still function as a complete force, and trying to convince even one faction of them to not rebel is impossible.”
“That’s one reason.”
“As for why we don’t let Liangzhou Han people learn the Qiang language, opting instead to trouble those accompanying Liu Youzhou to come to Liangzhou, it’s related to the differences between Southern and Northern Qiang languages.”
Qiao Yan stopped near a group of Baima Qiang engaged in labor.
Since Liu Yu came from Youzhou, he had dealt with the Hu people, and instinctively began to listen to the Qiang dialogues.
This was a different language than he had encountered with the Hu people before; he couldn’t grasp what the folks were saying, but he suddenly realized that their speaking style was consistent with the Qiang people near Gaoping City. “Does Northern Qiang language not have tones?”
It seemed this wasn’t just a case specific to the Qiang near Gaoping.
Qiao Yan replied, “Exactly, and the language differences among the Northern Qiang are relatively small; it’s just the expression forms and structures that need memorization.”
This led Liu Yu to roughly understand Qiao Yan’s thoughts.
A language without tones greatly reduces the amount of memory needed. For students who have undergone education under figures like Lu Zhi or Xun Shuang, as long as their memory isn’t terrible, it’s definitely possible to learn quickly.
These individuals had received education, and naturally, they knew how to teach the Qiang people the Han language in return.
Of course, theoretically speaking, there were also some folks under similar conditions in Liangzhou, who had interacted with the Qiang people and had a bit of knowledge.
These were the wealthy clans of the North.
But when Qiao Yan mentioned this choice, she added:
“To be honest with Liu Youzhou, these wealthy clans from the North disregard the trust the Han Dynasty places in them. Whenever there’s trouble, how many of them rise up to respond? And yet, in most instances, to maintain the stability of various counties in Liangzhou, they won’t be held accountable for their actions. Even if there are knowledgeable people among them, I can’t trust giving the teaching of the Qiang people to their hands.”
Liu Yu nodded, “I understand.”
They would easily become leaders among the Qiang, so if Qiao Yan truly wished to facilitate the merger of the Qiang, she couldn’t rely too much on them.
Qiao Yan said, “This is why I choose these student scholars as my support. I trust Lu Gong and Xun Gong’s character, so I naturally trust their disciples.”
This issue of trust is relative.
In circumstances where there aren’t enough people within Bingzhou, she’s just chosen a relatively optimal solution.
These students aren’t even locals of Liangzhou, which gives Qiao Yan a bit more leeway with their reasoning.
But there was no need for Qiao Yan to mention this consideration, as she smoothly transitioned the topic to, “Of course, I’m not having them work for nothing.”
No matter how the Northern Qiang language lacks tones, it still has quite a wealth of… what we might now call “complex consonant endings.” The grammatical structures are relatively complicated.
Why would she expect these people to dive into intensive study to learn the Qiang language, while also enduring the unrefined behavior of the Qiang and teaching Han language back to them?
Simply saying this move would help maintain peace in Liangzhou and align with their considerations for Lu Zhi and Xun Shuang’s safety probably wouldn’t cut it.
Getting them to be officers after success in Liangzhou is one thing.
For military generals, positions in Liangzhou are known to be quite dangerous, and it’s been established over the years. If it weren’t so, Fu Xie wouldn’t have received the “demotion” to the position of Tai Shou of Hanyang after offending eunuchs.
Let alone these scholars.
At least Liangzhou, compared to the Central Plains, is still a place left in tatters.
To get them to bring the same motivation as during their studies to work, a suitable bait must be dangled in front for the donkey to run faster.
She said, “Liu Youzhou should know that earlier during the Luoyang upheaval, I discussed a strategy of Inside-Outside Coordination with Xun Gong. At the time, Xun Gong was in charge of the capital’s Lantai, protecting many classics, and alongside assisting the strategist Xun in battle, he also sent some of the collection to me.”
“The great Confucian Cai Bojie resides in Bingzhou, and in the early years, much of his collection was also with me. Moreover, he and his daughter Cai Zhaoji are both skilled at recalling and reciting, and they’ve memorized many texts. These collections are recorded on Leping Marquis paper and stored in Leping Academy.”
“Having these scholars work without compensation, I feel guilty, so I’ve already had someone send some books from Bingzhou to the Wuwei County Government. Along with the books, there’s also a batch of Leping Marquis paper for copying. If they can accomplish the task of instruction, they can come to the government office to copy books and learn. What do you think?”
As Qiao Yan said this, a look of surprise flashed across Liu Yu’s face.
He could see that Qiao Yan wasn’t joking.
But this condition—
Not to mention those students who came with him would find it appealing; scholars from the Central Plains would probably also flock over!
And not just them, even Liu Yu had a moment where he thought that perhaps he could take on such a task.
Only he still cared about the situation in Youzhou, knowing he wouldn’t linger here for long.
Liu Yu honestly evaluated, “This is a great benevolent act.”
This move would undoubtedly change the situation in Liangzhou, which lacked appeal, drastically.
What would happen when more Qiang learned to speak Han language? Liu Yu couldn’t even dare to make a definitive judgment.
“Well, Qiao Yan hasn’t really overstepped her boundaries.”
Everything she did was just to secure the outer fringe of the Han Dynasty, ensuring that Liangzhou wouldn’t break away during the chaos going on in the central region.
So, Liu Yu couldn’t really throw any accusations her way.
Just as he had suspected, the moment word spread that “if you learn Qiang dialect and teach the Qiang people Mandarin in return, you’d get the chance to read and copy books,” a flood of students made a beeline for the district government in Liangzhou.
Who could blame them for being so eager?
Yet, not everyone among them was there purely out of gratitude for teaching.
The Han’s recommendation system for filial piety meant that many, lacking connections to rise in rank, opted instead to build their reputations.
So, is stopping a rogue army on behalf of your beloved teacher worth a round of applause?
Definitely! That’s risking your life for your teacher’s honor.
But people weigh their own interests, and that’s fair enough. Even Qiao Yan herself, upon realizing she had slipped into the end of the Han Dynasty, decided to leverage the Yellow Turban Rebellion for a reputation that could benefit her down the road.
So she wouldn’t blame those folks for their choices; instead, she promptly assigned them tasks.
Amidst their subtle whispering, she caught wind of a particularly juicy piece of news.
“Yuan Qingzhou intends to invite Zheng Xuan to Ye City to re-establish the Imperial Academy, but with all the Luoyang nobles and Hebei gentry in Ye City, there’s no chance for us to shine. However, our generous Qiao from Bingzhou has given us the opportunity to transcribe books and study, which is nothing like the terrifying tales we heard before coming to Liangzhou.”
Qiao Yan was quite curious about what sort of image she had in those rumors. She couldn’t help but compare that misunderstanding with Ma Chao’s and wonder who had the better reputation. Unfortunately, her companion only replied with a “that’s right” and didn’t expand further.
However, what caught her attention more was Yuan Shao’s invitation for Zheng Xuan to go to Ye City and set up the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Academy…
It wouldn’t be good news for Qiao Yan if he successfully pulled that off.
Between Ye City and Leping, it was merely the Taihang Mountains standing in the way. For those genuinely wishing to pursue education, it was hardly an insurmountable barrier.
If there were no interfering factors, in a few years, centered around Leping Academy and with the Imperial Academy in existence, she could easily turn that area into a cultural hub.
Just like in times of war, Jingxiang could become a haven for scholars due to its relatively peaceful surroundings; Leping could reach that status thanks to her military power and the mountains.
But all of that hinged on one crucial condition: there could absolutely be no Imperial Academy under the authority of the royal family nearby!
She turned to her attendant and said, “Go fetch a loyal follow for me.”
With her schemes regarding the four commanderies of Hexi temporarily wrapped up, Ma Teng and Xu Rong had already set off towards the Western Regions, so time to find Guo Jia something to do!
Meanwhile, in Jing Province’s Changsha Commandery, troops were boarding warships.
The shipbuilding capabilities in the south hadn’t yet undergone the dramatic reforms prompted by the later naval combat demands.
But the opening of the Maritime Silk Road had allowed ships from Jiaozhou to reach even further south of the Yangtze River, including Changsha Commandery.
The battleboats, both sturdy and attractive, presented a grand sight.
Sun Jian looked at the fleet before him and the soldiers all geared up, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
These were the troops he had trained in Changsha over the past year!
Strong soldiers make good generals.
Joining him in the anti-Dong Zhanshu battle were chums like Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang — all fierce warriors who had shared life and death together!
Amidst the boarding crowd, the one who stood out most was none other than his eldest son, Sun Ce.
When Zhu Jun came over to send him off, Sun Jian hurriedly greeted him. “General Zhu, you caught a chill the other day, no need to be out and about. I’ve already told you earlier; just participating in the campaign against Chang’an is more than enough. I’ll take care of Liu Biao myself. Apart from my brother-in-arms, I’ve left my wife and children in Changsha and need you to keep an eye on them.”
“I’m not really a general at the moment.” Zhu Jun waved his hand, “It’s been seven years since I met you, and you still look the same as back then.”
“Same as back then” was hardly a compliment, as he quickly added, “I often worry about that; while you can face enemies by sheer strength, it’s not a small matter. Still, being cautious is always a good idea.”
Sun Jian chuckled, “Don’t worry about it, General Zhu. Remember when we charged into Nanyang against the Yellow Turbans? I was the first one to climb the walls of Wancheng. I’ve walked this route from Changsha to Nanyang during the anti-Dong campaign; I know the way like the back of my hand.”
Sun Jian had a point there.
Jing Province was no stranger to him.
The troops under his command were all loyal ones devoted to him, and after more than a year of preparation, they were ready for victory.
Who could defeat such a fierce bunch?
At least Liu Biao didn’t seem to have that capability!
Zhu Jun replied, “Great! I’ll be waiting for your triumphant return!”
Sun Jian strode toward the lead ship, his determined step and fierce hand on his sword unmistakably declared his resolve to succeed.
Once on board, he drew his sword, pointing north, and shouted, “Warriors, follow me into battle! Let’s see what that scoundrel Liu Biao can do to stop us!”
As his voice echoed, although the fleet didn’t stretch miles across, it split into two battalions like boats rushing across the river with full force.
One headed north, directly crossing the Yangtze towards the Yunmeng Marsh.
The other turned east, switching paths at the intersection of the Han and Yangtze rivers, keeping the momentum of their naval advance.
Summer and autumn were the high-water seasons for the Han River, and this fleet was transporting military provisions, so they were shallow enough to keep sailing, significantly reducing Sun Jian’s land supply burden.
Thus, he just needed to lead the troops through Yunmeng Marsh and regroup with the ships at Jingling.
Afterward, they would sail along the waterways, while troops would go overland, heading north up the Han River, and then Xiangyang wouldn’t be far off!
Liu Biao wasn’t any fool; he was fully aware of Sun Jian’s plans.
Based at Jiangxia, Huang Zu initially dispatched small cavalry units to harass Sun Jian troops in the Yunmeng Marsh, aiming to tire them out. Then he set up ambushes on the Huashan Road, and subsequently laid out his forces for battle at Jingling.
From Sun Jian’s reports, this guy even strung chains across the river to obstruct his naval advance.
But just as he had told Zhu Jun, Sun Jian knew that terrain like the back of his hand, so how could he be easily stopped by Huang Zu’s little tricks?
Outside Jingling City, Huang Zu’s assembled forces scattered like pigeons in a storm as they were smashed apart by Sun Jian’s vanguard.
Before they even had a chance to engage in a proper battle!
Among the fleeing enemy ranks, Sun Jian quickly spotted Huang Zu.
Without a second thought, he rallied his forces and pursued.
If this guy managed to escape across the Han River after provoking Sun Jian time and again, he would not be worthy of the name Sun Jian!
