Chapter 180

Chapter 180

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 6: The Tigers Roar in Two Provinces, the Silk Road Reopens Chapter 180: Zheng Xuan Recommends Talent

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Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 180: Zheng Xuan Recommends Talent…

Seven years are enough to take him from knowing the mandate of heaven to the age of understanding, and also enough to turn a ten-year-old child into the extraordinary young man he is today.

When Qiao Yan stood before him, Zheng Xuan could vaguely recognize her from her face, but her demeanor far surpassed what it had been before.

Like Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, who had been keeping an eye on Qiao Yan over the years, and had been tempered by the ups and downs of officialdom and warfare, Zheng Xuan had been living in seclusion in his hometown, gathering disciples to teach, writing books, and almost turning himself into a hermit.

Suddenly reunited, he felt the swift passage of time.

After Qiao Yan took her seat, he also mentioned this change of years with emotion.

Qiao Yan replied, “How do you see Madam Ma’s situation?”

Zheng Xuan had been in Leping for a while and had naturally already met Ma Lun.

If we must calculate, Ma Lun is a few years older than him, but when they occasionally met on the roads of Leping, she seemed to have the vigor of someone in their prime.

Zheng Xuan smiled, “The Grand Historian has the sky in her heart, not thinking of old age approaching, I should follow her example.”

This statement had a bit of a double meaning.

Having the sky in her heart meant both having a broad mind and being engaged in astronomical work, but if we must calculate, Zheng Xuan also had some achievements in this field.

After arriving in Leping, he was particularly delighted to find Liu Hong also there.

He and Liu Hong should be considered both teacher and friend, but not that he was the teacher, but that Liu Hong, who was two years younger than him, was his teacher in mathematics.

Seeing Liu Hong’s calendar calculations and mathematical records in this place becoming more and more on track, changing the situation where his talents were not being utilized, Zheng Xuan became more certain that he had made the right decision to come to Leping.

Liu Hong, Ma Lun, and others of similar age did not feel that they were old, and even wanted to build a world of mathematics and astronomy here, so why should he feel old?

Qiao Yan’s advice was also correct.

Just as he thought of this, he saw Qiao Yan offering a cup of tea to him.

“When Zheng Gong came to Leping, I was still in Liangzhou and did not have time to apologize. Today, I offer tea to make up for it, and I hope Zheng Gong will not take offense.”

Zheng Xuan took the tea and said, “What fault does Ye Shu have? On the contrary, I should be grateful for this place of refuge.”

Qiao Yan replied, “This is not right. Zheng Gong was in Gaomi, teaching disciples, and was famous in Qingzhou. Even if bandits passed by, they would avoid him because of his high virtue and teaching in the countryside. This time, I brought Zheng Gong to Leping to avoid Yuan Benchu’s summons, but it actually caused you to be kidnapped, which really damaged your reputation.”

Guo Jia wanted to bring Zheng Xuan from Gaomi, but it was impossible to do so by quietly sneaking him out in a team.

Yuan Shao was now the governor of Qingzhou and had the name of the Son of Heaven, Liu Bian, so his control over the counties of Qingzhou was not low.

As a result, the Yellow Turbans, who should have besieged Beihai in history, had already turned towards Xuzhou a few months earlier because they were intimidated by Yuan Shao’s army.

The bandits were like this, and they were even more vigilant against other forces in the territory.

In this situation, Guo Jia had to use a strategy of using force against force.

He first approached Guan Hai, who was trapped between Xuzhou and Qingzhou, hesitating about where to go.

And the person who accompanied Guo Jia was none other than Liang Zhongning.

Just like convincing the White Wave Bandits to surrender, it was most convincing to send Chu Yan, so to convince Guan Hai, naturally Liang Zhongning was the best choice.

Guo Jia’s timing was also just right.

If he had gone any later, Guan Hai would have already planned to join Zang Ba and Chang Xi.

These two were nominally under Tao Qian for the time being, but in fact, they were closer to bandits, which made it more possible for Guan Hai to find a place.

But Guo Jia and Liang Zhongning’s visit changed Guan Hai’s plan.

Of course, relying solely on Liang Zhongning was useless.

The Yellow Turbans of Qing and Xu, who rose again during the Zhongping and Guangxi years, were not using the name of the Yellow Turbans to inherit Zhang Jiao’s legacy.

They simply couldn’t come up with a reliable slogan, thinking that after some years, Qiao Yan’s debate on Zhang Jiao’s influence had almost disappeared, so they decided to use the name of the Yellow Turbans again, based on their lack of culture and the idea of borrowing existing theories.

Guan Hai was also a smart person. He knew that things like talisman water for healing, which were most remembered for their harm, should never be used again, but slogans like land distribution were still retained.

In this case, the Yellow Turbans were not necessarily the Yellow Turbans, and Guan Hai and Liang Zhongning were not on the same side, so there was no emotional card to play.

But there was one thing that could be used to convince Guan Hai.

Even Liang Zhongning, who was forced to rebel, admitted that the livelihood and happiness of Bingzhou were good, and even he, who had once been tricked by Qiao Yan and lost his power, ending up guarding the border, admitted that Qiao Yan was a hero of the time and sincerely served her—

Why couldn’t he choose to cross the province and go to Bingzhou to seek a future for himself?

The path Guo Jia later pointed out to him was indeed feasible.

When Yuan Shao’s Qingzhou army launched a suppression against him, Guan Hai, under Guo Jia’s command, divided his forces into two routes. One continued to play hide-and-seek with Yuan Shao’s troops, while the other went straight to Gaomi and kidnapped Zheng Xuan and several of his disciples, such as Cui Yan and Guo Yuan.

People at the time dared not harm a great scholar, so when Guan Hai sent a message to Yuan Shao, saying that he just wanted to find a safe way to escape to Xuzhou and seek Zang Ba’s protection, and thus asked Zheng Xuan to accompany him, Yuan Shao did not doubt him.

Earlier, when trying to hinder Qiao Yan’s advance, Yuan Shao had already invited Zheng Xuan to Ye City to establish the Imperial Academy under Ju Shou’s suggestion, but unfortunately, Zheng Xuan refused.

The sudden kidnapping of Zheng Xuan even made him feel that this might be a good opportunity to persuade Zheng Xuan.

Beihai and Donglai, after all, were remote and prone to chaos, and Zheng Xuan was already old, so it would be better for him to go to Ye City for stability.

However, once they entered Xuzhou, this group of Yellow Turbans and the dozens of hostages disappeared without a trace.

Yuan Shao intended to pursue into Xuzhou to investigate, but Zang Ba claimed that he had not only not seen Zheng Xuan and the others, but also had not seen Guan Hai, who had claimed to join him.

After all, Xuzhou was not Yuan Shao’s territory, so he had to stop there.

When he next received news of Zheng Xuan, the latter had quietly arrived in Bingzhou.

How did he get there?

In the news spread by Bingzhou, it was only said that Guan Hai felt that entering Xuzhou would inevitably lead to being driven by others, which would be less free, so he might as well see that the prefect of Taishan County, Ying Shao, was not very capable, and become a king in this place.

So he only passed through Xuzhou without stopping and turned to Taishan.

However, Zheng Xuan spoke earnestly on the way, appealing to reason and emotion, making him give up the idea of causing chaos among the people.

But Guan Hai was worried that returning to Qingzhou would inevitably lead to suppression by Yuan Shao, so he used the excuse that the refugees around him also wanted to live, and begged Zheng Xuan to point out a way for him, eventually passing through Yanzhou and heading to Bingzhou.

When they arrived in Bingzhou, he should have returned Zheng Xuan, but because Zheng Xuan’s old friends Cai Yong and Liu Hong were here, with their studies of the classics…








When it came to inquiries about astronomy and calculations, Zheng Xuan decided to stay temporarily, with no fixed return date.

This kind of statement—

Well, it was just something that sounded good on the surface.

Yuan Shao wouldn’t believe a single word of it.

The forces led by Guan Hai, even after being defeated by Yuan Shao, still numbered around a thousand. How did they manage to cross provinces and territories without starving or freezing to death? Where did they get their support?

There must be something fishy going on.

If Qiao Yan were willing to answer, she would surely tell him that it was the Donghai Mi Clan who provided support through their merchant caravans.

Under Qiao Yan’s instructions, Guo Jia informed Mi Zhu in a letter that the gifts he had sent to Bingzhou the previous year allowed Qiao Yan to reopen the Silk Road after capturing Wuwei. Once profits were made from this trade route, the distribution rights in the Central Plains would belong solely to Mi Zhu.

Qiao Yan’s successful campaigns in Liangzhou also convinced Mi Zhu that his investment choice back then was absolutely correct.

Now, all he needed to do was provide another batch of food and winter clothing, which was hardly a hassle for him.

With this support, the group that entered Lu State from Taishan County disguised themselves as a merchant caravan, making it hard to tell they were once bandits from Qingzhou. They eventually successfully reached Bingzhou.

Yuan Shao was so furious he could barely breathe, but he couldn’t blame Qiao Yan for “kidnapping” Zheng Xuan and bringing him to Bingzhou.

Even Zheng Xuan himself had no objections, so Yuan Shao had no grounds to criticize.

He also couldn’t blame Cao Cao for not stopping someone passing through his Dong Commandery in Yanzhou.

Everyone knew that Dong Commandery was a narrow strip of land. Guan Hai and his men passed through Jiyin and Chenliu, only skirting the western border of Dong Commandery before entering River North County.

So instead of blaming Cao Cao, he might as well blame Wang Kuang, the prefect of River North County, for all the stupid things he did to establish his authority.

After all, Chang Lin, the officer in Shangdang County, was forced into Bingzhou by Wang Kuang.

If Zheng Xuan wanted to pass through River North County to reach Shangdang County, the locals would only cover for him.

At this time, Zheng Xuan’s disciples still in Gaomi wrote to him, expressing their desire to pass through Qingzhou and Ji Province to go to Bingzhou and follow their teacher.

Yuan Shao was seething with anger, but he knew that if he didn’t want scholars dying on the roads of Ji Province, he had to send them safely to Bingzhou.

Although Qiao Yan had the upper hand in this game of snatching talent from Yuan Shao, Zheng Xuan’s experiences after arriving in Bingzhou made him feel that the trip was worth it. Qiao Yan still owed him an apology.

Seeing the sincerity in Qiao Yan’s eyes, Zheng Xuan waved his hand: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.”

If it weren’t for Qiao Yan’s further improvements to papermaking, books would still be preserved on bamboo slips instead of paper.

But in Leping, Zheng Xuan saw various books converted to paper, neatly bound, and stored in strict conditions. He felt that in the current environment, she could confidently say that this place was where one could truly focus on scholarly pursuits. It wasn’t just empty talk.

She viewed Liu Bian, whom Yuan Shao supported, as a false emperor and didn’t want him to establish an academic center that would attract scholars and students, thereby confusing the orthodox. So, from her perspective, bringing him here made sense.

As for the process, with the results being good, there was no need to say more.

“With Zheng Gong’s words, all is well,” Qiao Yan’s expression relaxed a bit, and she added, “With Zheng Gong here, the flourishing academic scene in Leping is right before our eyes.”

Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi were different.

Lu Zhi taught in Zhuo County during a period of idleness in his official career, and when selecting disciples, he tended to favor enlightening his fellow townsfolk.

But Zheng Xuan had been gathering disciples and teaching for over a decade or two, nurturing them into future great scholars.

Through this long-term mentorship, most of his disciples inherited his temperament and character.

In his subsequent conversation with Qiao Yan, Zheng Xuan mentioned two people.

One was Cui Yan, who had been mentioned in the conversation between Jiang Jiao and the Hanyang magnates.

“Cui Jigui is young and simple, not good with words, but after joining my school, I realized that his early self-study of the Analects and Han Poetry had yielded significant results. He is truly a wise man,” Zheng Xuan spoke with a hint of pride when talking about his disciple. “He is upright and has the ability to offer remonstrance. If the court’s order is restored, he will surely be a talent for the position of Secretary.”

“Guo Zini is the same. Speaking of which, this young man has some connection with Ye Shu. The farmland reclamation in Bingzhou is well-organized, and Zini has also spoken about related matters. I see his talent as a national treasure, not limited to deep scholarly studies. If Ye Shu finds him useful, why not appoint him to a position dealing with civil affairs?”

Guo Yuan, in history, also worked on farmland reclamation.

Under Zheng Xuan’s guidance, he had outstanding character and broad vision. His proficiency in calculations allowed him to clearly understand the various aspects of land allocation to the people, especially how many officials and inspectors should be set up in a given area.

Even if Qiao Yan wasn’t in urgent need of governance talent, she would have to keep him.

Especially in the current situation.

Bingzhou, after years of accumulation, was still on track, but Liangzhou was in a state of disrepair.

Since Qiao Yan couldn’t abandon Bingzhou and transfer too many farmland officials to Liangzhou, with Guo Yuan arriving alongside Zheng Xuan, she absolutely couldn’t miss this opportunity.

In fact, it wasn’t just Guo Yuan.

Zheng Xuan’s disciples always numbered quite a few, and some might not have even spoken much with him, but those he selected were almost never simple individuals.

Some hadn’t shown political talent, but perhaps they just hadn’t had the opportunity before.

Now, with Bingzhou and Liangzhou offering a platform, someone would surely step forward.

With Bingzhou holding figures like Cai Yong, Zheng Xuan, and Guan Ning, it further enhanced its appeal as a cultural center. She could also move to the next stage by holding scions of noble families as hostages, using enrollment in Leping as an incentive.

She couldn’t rely forever on scions of noble families to serve as her civil officials, so she needed a system to cultivate talent from commoner families.

With enough manpower and reputation, it was time to plan this.

Her mind raced, but she only replied to Zheng Xuan, “I wonder if Guo Zini would prefer to serve in Bingzhou or take a bold step to assist troubled Liangzhou?”

Zheng Xuan replied, “There’s no need to ask me. I only recommend talent and act as a bridge. I’m not responsible for figuring out the corresponding positions.”

In other words, Qiao Yan should discuss it with Guo Yuan herself while he continued his academic pursuits here.

But that was enough!

With talent at her doorstep, it was time for her to add the final spark.

Qiao Yan bowed to Zheng Xuan again and left, planning to talk to Guo Yuan and Cui Yan the next day.

It was already late, so she decided to return to her residence in Leping to rest.

However, shortly after leaving, she saw a group of children in Leping Academy uniforms gathered ahead.

Before Qiao Yan could approach, a girl who seemed to be the leader suddenly grabbed the sleeve of a boy beside her and declared loudly, “From now on, Lu Yi is under my protection. You’re not allowed to bully him just because he’s from Lujiang.”

“Lu Yi, recite the books you’ve read to them, so they don’t think they’re superior.”

Qiao Yan facepalmed and stopped in her tracks.

Had her Leping Academy really reached this stage?