Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Clear Voice of a Young Phoenix Chapter 19: Xu Fu of Yingchuan

Belonging to the book:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 19: Xu Fu of Yingchuan

Qiao Yan’s understanding of Huangfu Song was limited to a few sentences recorded in the Book of the Later Han, and her knowledge of Zhu Jun was also limited to his life story.

Before making this move, she had carefully considered how to ensure that her words would leave a deep enough impression on them.

She might not be able to provide a perfect answer, as any judgment of others’ actions inevitably carries a certain degree of subjectivity.

However, she could provide an answer that would score above ninety in the context of the Han Dynasty.

“Filial piety.”

This was an answer that would never go wrong.

From the Han Dynasty to the present, except for Liu Hong, who is still on the throne, and Liu Xie, who is now called Marquis Dong and will succeed as Emperor Xian of Han in the future, a total of 17 emperors have added the character “filial” to their posthumous titles. The only exceptions were the founding emperors of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang and Liu Guangwu.

Even Emperor Wu of Han’s posthumous title was Emperor Xiaowu.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Han Dynasty engraved the concept of filial piety on the throne.

And this was not just something that was put on the slogan of “ruling the world with filial piety.” In addition to tax exemptions, bestowing silk, and granting titles, the most famous way of selecting talents in the Han Dynasty was called “recommendation for filial piety and integrity.”

Coincidentally, although Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun came from military and humble backgrounds respectively, they were both recommended for filial piety and integrity.

In the Han Dynasty, where the culture of filial piety was deeply rooted in the people and had a profound influence, whether it was genuine filial piety or just a show, it was completely unnecessary to delve into.

What Qiao Yan needed to do was to use the rules to create an excellent early resume for herself.

When she stood up and met the gazes of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, she could be sure that she had completely bet right.

“Loyal and righteous, courageous, and commendable for filial piety,” Zhu Jun sighed.

What appealed to him more in Qiao Yan’s words was undoubtedly the fact that she did not omit the word “parents.”

He lost his father at an early age and was raised by his mother. He was recommended for filial piety and integrity by the prefect of Kuaiji because he diligently supported his mother. Qiao Yan’s words resonated more with him.

If he and his mother were caught up in the Yellow Turban rebels, causing his mother’s death, would he risk his life to eliminate the Yellow Turban bandits?

Perhaps he would.

Zhu Jun’s gaze at Qiao Yan couldn’t help but become more appreciative.

After hearing Huangfu Song’s subsequent words, he confirmed that Huangfu Yizhen’s thoughts were probably similar to his.

But because Huangfu Song’s family background was closer to Qiao Yan’s, his words were more affectionate and teasing: “Didn’t you say yesterday that there was no need to kill these surrendered Yellow Turbans from Yanzhou and Yuzhou?”

“That’s a different matter,” Qiao Yan replied. “Not killing these rebellious Yellow Turbans, firstly because the general still needs to go north to eliminate the bandits in one go, and killing them now to intimidate is meaningless. Secondly, the population of the two provinces is exhausted and declining after the chaos, and most of the Yellow Turbans are blindly following fools. Killing them is of no benefit, and it will make it difficult for the two provinces to recover their livelihood and production.”

Huangfu Song nodded, signaling Qiao Yan to continue.

He had previously heard from Qiao Xuan in the capital Luoyang that his eldest son’s talent in political affairs was not very high. Moreover, Qiao Xuan, who had risen to the position of Grand Commandant, had not accumulated much family wealth and had no intention of buying him a good official position. Sitting in the position of the magistrate of Rencheng was actually a way to protect him.

But now it seems that what Qiao Xuan meant by “not very talented” might not be the same as what he understood.

If it weren’t for the guidance of far-sighted elders, Qiao Yan would not have such abilities at such a young age.

Fortunately, the Yellow Turban disaster did not cause such a young talent to die here.

Qiao Yan continued, “But Bo Cai is different. This person knew that my father’s carriage was not of civilian design but belonged to an official, yet he still allowed his subordinates to attack, causing my father’s death. This person has no respect for the Han court and should be dealt with according to the law. If we are lenient and slow to punish this person, it will truly be as General Zhu said, making the subjects and people fearless in committing rebellious acts.”

“Indeed, this person should be killed,” Huangfu Song agreed with her statement.

“Yan does not seek the merit of beheading Bo Cai in battle. This time, capturing him relied on the strength of the brave men of Chenliu and the decisiveness of the general’s order to encircle. I only want to borrow his head to fulfill my filial piety.”

As if sensing the indulgence in Huangfu Song’s words, Qiao Yan’s face also showed a bit less tension.

She paused and said in a slightly softer tone, “This matter is indeed not in line with military order, but I think what the current emperor desires is nothing more than peace in the world, with the people each living peacefully at home, fulfilling their filial duties, and maintaining their virtues. Even if it is written in the military report and submitted, the current emperor will not hold it against me and the general, right?”

Her slight step back, revealing a bit of childishness, made Huangfu Song stroke his beard and laugh, “Of course not! In ancient times, there were stories of fanning the pillow and warming the quilt, carving wood to serve parents, and leaping carp from the spring, but none compare to your feat of annihilating the Yellow Turbans of the two provinces with a smile. I will definitely report this to the emperor after the troops march to Ji Province. You can take Bo Cai’s head, but—”

Huangfu Song’s pause was not because of any additional conditions, he just asked, “What do you think about the leader of Yanzhou?”

Qiao Yan did not think that using Liang Zhongning as a tool for so long would make her responsible for his safety.

There was also no sense of guilt.

However, when she was in Yanzhou, she did have some understanding of him. At least when he occupied Puyang, he did not engage in the kind of behavior that Bu Ji did when attacking Juye, so he was still somewhat redeemable.

She replied, “General, you might as well take him with you and let him see the end of the Yellow Turbans with his own eyes. Most of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou still have some trust in him. Turning his views around might still be useful.”

Huangfu Song didn’t really care about Liang Zhongning’s life or death.

What made Qiao Yan’s words more pleasing to his ears was not “might still be useful” but “see the end of the Yellow Turbans.”

This junior, who was indeed far-sighted and adaptable, thought that the Yellow Turbans were doomed to perish sooner or later. Wasn’t this a great confidence in Huangfu Song’s ability to establish merit by quelling the rebels?

He laughed heartily, “I’ll listen to you!”

When Qiao Yan stepped out of the temporary command post in Changshe City, she felt a sense of relief that most of the dust had settled.

Last night, after breaking the Yellow Turban camp, she said she would pay a visit after tidying up, but in fact, she did not continue to stay in the Yellow Turban camp outside the city. Instead, she took Cheng Li and Dian Wei and, with Cao Cao’s help, found a place to stay in Changshe City.

Now that she had the opportunity to boost her reputation again from Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song, she was not in a hurry to go back, but strolled leisurely along the way back.

This was not an era where firearms were used, and the Changshe siege had not lasted long enough to require dismantling houses to fill the city’s defenses or eating tree bark to fill the food shortage—

So in Changshe City, after just one night, it seemed that the traces of war had already disappeared.

Yingchuan ah…

[It’s strange, why did you gain strategist points today when you went to see Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun and talked about your own affairs?] The system muttered.

Qiao Yan was not used to responding in her heart before, mostly replying out loud, but now that she was in Changshe City, with complex personnel around, she still had to be careful.

She replied in her heart, “Because Huangfu Song has decided to launch a surprise attack.”

Last night, when she temporarily settled down and got some private space, she checked the system panel.

She was not surprised that she did not receive the basic strategist layout point reward for the annihilation of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou and Yuzhou.

Although her initial faction was Han, she had previously served the Yellow Turbans, helping Liang Zhongning first break the fortress and then merge the Yellow Turban forces. Having already received system rewards, it was clear that a default “defection” setting had appeared.

It was impossible to exploit bugs, and because of this, while she was still defaulted to the identity of “Yanzhou Yellow Turban strategist,” the defeat of the Yellow Turbans by the Han army could not be considered her merit.

But she did not get nothing from the system.

The system had previously told her that triggering strategist achievements could also earn strategist points, and fortunately, in the default achievement list, there was one called [After planning, annihilate a force].

If you play a word game, it means that a foolish strategist who makes a wrong decision causing the destruction of his own force can achieve this achievement, and an excellent strategist who successfully assists his lord in annihilating an additional force through decision-making can also achieve this achievement.

Of course, the former, if not for Qiao Yan’s loophole situation, sounds a bit sarcastic.

As for why she couldn’t achieve this achievement when she ordered Dian Wei to kill Bu Ji and Zhang Bo and pushed Liang Zhongning to the top?

Qiao Yan came up with an explanation.

The internal merger of the Yanzhou Yellow Turbans could only be said to have changed the leader of the force, not annihilated it.

But when they were defeated by the Han army led by Huangfu Song, there was no doubt that the term [Yanzhou Yellow Turbans] no longer existed.

The judgment of this achievement was reasonable.

[Annihilate a force] corresponds to a reward of 30 strategist points, which corresponds to 3 skill allocation points and 9 attribute allocation points, as well as a fragment of a basic formation method, which records a formation called the Eight Gates Golden Lock.

This was already a considerable harvest!

And today, Qiao Yan mentioned using Bo Cai’s head to sacrifice to her parents, which was equivalent to a publicly acknowledged “abandoning darkness for light.” In addition, Huangfu Song’s decision to adopt a surprise attack strategy was inseparable from Qiao Yan’s push, so she received subsequent settlement.

The result of this risky move from beginning to end was gratifying, and it couldn’t help but make Qiao Yan happy.

With these skill points and attribute points, she could do a lot.

For example—

Horsemanship.

This was not a skill that could be improved rapidly through short-term training.

Her talent in this area was also not enough to allow her to reach the level of keeping up with the marching speed through short-term contact with horseback riding.

This was different from her own planning and strategizing methods. Qiao Yan did not mind using cheats to take a shortcut in this matter.

If she could not master horsemanship that would not fall behind, Huangfu Song would probably not agree to let her follow the marching team tomorrow, and would most likely choose to send her back to Liang after she used Bo Cai’s head to sacrifice in Dingtao.

But since she had joined the struggle of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it would be a pity not to witness the decisive battle of the Yellow Turbans with her own eyes!

Moreover, the Great Virtuous Teacher Zhang Jiao should have died of illness before October this year. It was precisely because of the death of this leader of the Way of Great Peace that the combat effectiveness of the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province was greatly reduced, and their fighting spirit was relaxed, allowing Huangfu Song to take advantage of their unpreparedness and go all out against the Yellow Turbans.

But now that this leader of the Way of Great Peace is still alive, no one can guarantee whether his appeal will cause any variables in this surprise attack.

Qiao Yan did not dare to say that she could calculate everything without omission, but she intuitively felt that in such a big scene, she might still have some room to play.

People are always a bit greedy.

The initial 28 points of constitution, after the initial point allocation, the battle of breaking the fortress, the matter of eliminating Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, the livelihood restoration in Yanzhou, the indirect influence on Huangfu Song’s decision, the fixed points obtained from signing in, and the 9 attribute points from achieving the achievement, were finally stacked to 50.

50 constitution—

This could already be said to be the constitution value of an ordinary adult.

There was a world of difference between this and the original 28.

Even if there were no such opportunities to show off in the short term, and attribute points were not so easy to obtain, with this foundation, it was enough for her to gradually improve her physical fitness through training.

Although she relied on her eloquence to get to where she is today, from being an orphan who lost her father and mother and wandered into the Yellow Turban army in the troubled land of Yanzhou, to becoming a person of loyalty and filial piety in the eyes of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun.

But—

Thinking of Emperor Ling of Han, who did not repent at all because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, still indulging in sensual pleasures, allowing eunuchs and relatives to fight, and the Yellow Turbans rising again in various places, and later the death of He Jin and the chaos of Dong Zhuo after his death, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.

This is not enough!

Relying solely on excellent eloquence is far from enough!

Emperor Ling of Han died in May of the sixth year of Zhongping, 189 AD, which is only a little over five years from now.

In the face of a more chaotic situation, the identity of a noble family, the reputation of filial piety, and excellent eloquence might not be of much use, but physical strength would be more secure.

She couldn’t always use Cheng Li as the driver, nor could she expect Dian Wei to always follow her in her subsequent actions.

It really is necessary to add another layer of protection for herself.

And this matter of quelling the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province might be her most important opportunity in the next four or five years.

“Thinking so much at such a young age,” Qiao Yan was interrupted by this sudden voice, and looking in the direction of the sound, she saw Cao Cao standing under the eaves opposite, looking at her.

Qiao Yan had no guilt about digging Dian Wei as a bodyguard to ensure the safety of this “strategist,” and digging Cheng Li to assist her in planning the defeat of the Yellow Turbans, so naturally, she didn’t need to feel embarrassed when facing Cao Cao.

As for the system, it had chosen this identity for her early on to allow her to join Cao Cao’s camp smoothly, and now it also had a good opinion of him.

But probably because Qiao Yan was too opinionated about the Yellow Turbans, it muttered a few words “can establish a good relationship in advance,” and then quieted down.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but complain in her heart that a novice system still has the benefits of a novice system, especially when it clearly knows what not to interfere with.

In a moment of thought, she put away the thoughtful expression on her face and bowed to Cao Cao, “Cao Duwei.”

Cao Cao was now a cavalry commandant, which didn’t sound like a big title. The commander of this Yellow Turban suppression was still Huangfu Song, who was higher in rank than him, but in reality, he was also a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand dan. Qiao Yan addressed him by his official title and performed the etiquette of a junior to a senior, which was completely appropriate.

But Cao Cao was obviously not satisfied with this title.

“I have had many interactions with your grandfather in the capital…”

Qiao Yan almost thought Cao Cao was going to say “why don’t you call me Lord Cao,” but fortunately, Cao Cao, who was not yet thirty and twenty years younger than Qiao Yan’s father, would not do such a shameless thing.

Seeing the strange expression on Qiao Yan’s face, he smiled and continued, “I like to elevate myself, so I’ll consider myself a family friend with Gongzu. You are about the same age as my eldest son Ang, so call me Uncle. No need to be so formal and call me Cao Duwei.”

Qiao Yan agreed and called him “Uncle.”

This future Duke of Wei, who would dominate the north and command the emperor to control the vassals, still retained most of his chivalrous and unrestrained temperament in his youth.

But just like Sun Jian, who was still a military commander, no one would have thought that he would gradually become a hero after showing his talent in the Yellow Turban Rebellion by bravely ascending Wancheng, and his little overlord Sun Ce would establish the foundation of Jiangdong. As for Cao Cao now—

Probably not many people would think that Xu Zijiang’s evaluation of “a villain in peace, a hero in chaos” was not a wrong statement.

But there’s no need to think about so much now.

Qiao Yan also had to admit that although Cao Cao left some anecdotes of suspicion in later records, and later evaluations also included words like “narrow-minded and suspicious,” chatting with him was indeed very interesting.

No wonder he could gather so many strategists and generals under his command. In addition to the emperor he held as a bargaining chip, his personal charm should not be underestimated.

Qiao Yan needed to be very careful with Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, but chatting with Cao Cao could be a bit more relaxed.

After all, the topics of conversation were just Cao Cao mentioning some local customs, such as the name of Changshe County coming from the prosperous growth of trees in the temple, and so on.

What made people feel more relaxed was that Cao Cao’s brain was sharp enough, so he wouldn’t ask questions like





Starting to study, but never had the chance to meet.

Xun Shuang, also known as Xun Ciming, was undoubtedly one of the victims of the Prohibition of Factionalists. However, he secluded himself to cultivate his knowledge and became a great Confucian scholar, which was not a bad path.

But when Cao Cao mentioned Xun Shuang, it wasn’t to talk about this now-reclusive great scholar. The next moment, she heard Cao Cao ask with a bit of mischief, “Speaking of Mr. Ciming, we have to mention another person. Yesterday, I found a couple of Yellow Turban soldiers from Yanzhou to chat with, and I heard you used the identity of a disciple of Zheng Xuan as a cover?”

“Just a temporary measure,” Qiao Yan replied frankly. “If Uncle wants to laugh at me for this, that wouldn’t be very becoming of an elder.”

For some reason, Cao Cao felt that in terms of the thickness of their skin, Qiao Yan and he had quite a bit in common.

Qiao Yan fabricating Zheng Xuan as her teacher and Cao Cao forcibly recognizing Qiao Xuan as an old friend—these two things indeed didn’t need to be compared.

He stroked his beard and laughed first, “Forget it, let’s not talk about this. Let’s go back to the Xun family. Mr. Ciming is not in Yingchuan, but the Xun family has many talents. Xun Zhongyu explained the Spring and Autumn Annals, Xun Wenruo received an evaluation from the famous scholar He Yong of Nanyang last year as a Talent to Assist a King, and I heard there’s also a Xun Gongda, a generation younger than these two, who is also not a simple character. I wanted to meet him before. Unfortunately, I was busy with the task of resisting the bandits and couldn’t spare the time. Now that we have a temporary respite, would my niece be interested in visiting the Xun family with me?”

“…But I wonder what reason Uncle wants to use for the visit?” Qiao Yan sensed something deeper in Cao Cao’s words, fearing he had plans involving her.

The Xun family was greatly affected by the Prohibition of Factionalists and was considered a noble family of integrity.

Although there was the matter of Xun Yu marrying the daughter of the Palace Attendant Tang Heng, it was mostly a result of coercion rather than allegiance.

But what about Cao Cao?

His father was the adopted son of Cao Teng, the Grand Eunuch, and Cao Song was now serving as the Grand Minister of Agriculture in the court. In three years, he would even obtain the position of Grand Commandant through a donation, only to be quickly dismissed, undoubtedly becoming a joke.

At this time, it wasn’t a critical moment of the Han dynasty’s collapse, and Cao Cao hadn’t yet shown his leadership abilities.

If he were to visit…

He would probably be chased out, right?

Cao Cao stroked his beard and replied, “Zhong Yuanchang recently saw the bandits besieging the city and, in his distress, wrote a calligraphy piece with interesting brushwork. I thought to borrow it and ask the elders of the Xun family to critique it. What do you think?”

Zhong Yuanchang, also known as Zhong Yao, besides his political skills to stabilize the situation, was also an excellent calligrapher.

There were even later tales that he would vomit blood and fall ill if he couldn’t obtain a certain calligraphy piece by Cai Bojie, showing that he was not only a first-class administrator but also a great master obsessed with calligraphy.

But Qiao Yan felt this reason was unreliable, “Mr. Yuanchang must have many interactions with the Xun family. If he has any insights in calligraphy, he can go himself. Why trouble Uncle to go?”

This flimsy reason sounded like it was deliberately made up.

Fortunately, he remembered to give himself a reason, but even if he came up with a reason like admiring the Xun family’s reputation and barged in directly, Qiao Yan wouldn’t find it strange.

After all, even in “A New Account of the Tales of the World,” there’s a fabricated story of him and Yuan Shao trying to snatch a bride, showing what people thought of him.

Cao Cao chuckled dryly, feeling that this junior so blatantly exposing him was a bit unlovable, so he simply didn’t hide it, “That’s why I want to ask my niece to accompany me. I’ll just be a follower.”

“Uncle’s grandeur doesn’t resemble a follower,” Qiao Yan’s words made Cao Cao somewhat happy, but her next sentence was, “But I don’t think Uncle has the chance to visit the Xun family in Yingchuan.”

“Why?” Cao Cao asked immediately, hearing her certainty.

“Does Uncle think General Huangfu will sit idly by and let the opportunity slip?”

Cao Cao frowned.

As the Cavalry Commandant, he didn’t rely entirely on his father’s connections. Although his tactical vision wasn’t as good as in the future, he was a person who often pondered deeply and had his own considerations.

After pondering Huangfu Song’s decision not to kill the Yellow Turbans, he sensed something.

If it was really as he thought, then they couldn’t stay in Changshe for long.

Yingchuan was a commandery. If they really wanted to visit the Xun family, plus the formalities of visiting, it would take a lot of time, which would definitely delay the military process.

“I know Uncle admires the talents of the Xun family, but military affairs are urgent. The important thing is the task at hand,” Qiao Yan continued, “I think that Xun Wenruo, who received the evaluation of Talent to Assist a King from Mr. Boqiu, must be extraordinary. Now that the Prohibition of Factionalists has been lifted, as a member of the Xun family, he will surely have the opportunity to serve in the court. Then, why worry about not being able to see him?”

Cao Cao wouldn’t know that by the time Xun Yu entered official service, the Han dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and Qiao Yan’s so-called serving together was completely impossible.

Although he was somewhat regretful about not being able to visit, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Military affairs are urgent, my niece is right! Talents can be seen anytime, but putting out the bandit fire is the urgent task at hand. Forget it, let’s not talk about these.”

Having figured this out, his temporary frustration about not being able to meet people was suppressed.

Before he could even send Qiao Yan back to her residence, a messenger came to find him. Indeed, Huangfu Song had the intention to mobilize troops.

After sending someone to escort Qiao Yan back, he turned and hurried to the military discussion place, where he heard Huangfu Song’s marching plan.

Huangfu Song officially ordered Zhu Jun to lead Sun Jian to directly attack Wancheng, joining forces with Qin Zhe’s troops to encircle and ensure that Zhang Mancheng couldn’t take the northern route from Jingxiang and seize the Yique Pass.

He himself would lead Fu Xie as the deputy general, along with the reinforcements brought by Cao Cao, the Cavalry Commandant, through Yanzhou to attack Jizhou!

The preparation for the army needed some time, especially since each unit had to allocate some troops to guard the Yellow Turban prisoners in Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Although this task was temporarily handed over to Zhong Yao, the handover of personnel wasn’t something that could be explained in a few words.

As soon as Cao Cao heard this arrangement, he knew his idea of visiting the famous people of Yingchuan was completely ruined.

But was he regretful? No!

If Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Lu Zhi could successfully quell the rebellion this time, they would surely be called great generals of the Han dynasty.

And for him, Fu Xie, Sun Jian, and others, what they lacked before was an opportunity to do practical things and elevate their reputations.

Now that they were about to face the main force of the Yellow Turbans, how could there be regret!

Qiao Yan thought the same.

What she needed now was not to get familiar with someone first, as this wouldn’t bring her any essential improvement, and her status as a junior of the Qiao family wouldn’t make the noble families look up to her.

On the contrary, she needed to let her reputation continue to ferment until others could no longer ignore her.

Whether as a strategist for a powerful lord or…

In any case, there would be no difference in this step.

And for her, there was another more important thing, which was to grasp the existing resources at hand.

Specifically, Dian Wei and Cheng Li.

Cao Cao and Sun Jian, having received Huangfu Song’s orders, were preparing their weapons, handing over and assigning personnel, and incidentally saying to each other, “Once the siege of Wancheng is resolved, the threat of the Yellow Turbans to the eight passes of Luoyang will be minimal, this is the urgent task,” and “Zhang Jiao is the leader of the Yellow Turbans, if we can defeat him, the momentum of the Yellow Turbans in the world can be resolved, this is the method of drawing the firewood from under the cauldron,” each making a good prospect for the other’s future. Qiao Yan, on the other hand, found Cheng Li.

As for why not Dian Wei first?

Dian Wei was actually not that difficult to command.

Her operation not only ensured the safety of his local community but also made him receive many commendations for capturing Bo Cai and Liang Zhongning, the Yellow Turban Commanders.

For a warrior whose bravery far surpassed ordinary people, achieving merit and being enfeoffed was indeed the ultimate ideal of life.

Even if it was just achieving some results against the Yellow Turbans now, it was still much better than just being a chivalrous swordsman seeking revenge in the market.

Moreover, not only did Qiao Yan have the idea of bringing this bodyguard, but Huangfu Song would certainly not miss such a strong warrior.

Who knows if having such a combatant could lead to some miraculous victory.

But Cheng Li, Qiao Yan was somewhat uncertain.

Previously, she could persuade Cheng Li to cooperate with her, ultimately because Cheng Li, as a native of Yanzhou, had a protective mentality towards his homeland.

He could try to persuade the powerful Xue family to guard Dong’e to ensure the safety of his hometown amidst the Yellow Turban chaos, which was also an extension of local community thinking.

But to get him more deeply involved in the fight against the Yellow Turbans, changing his previous idle state, was probably not that easy.

Before he responded to Cao Cao’s call to serve, he had repeatedly refused the recruitment of Liu Dai, the Governor of Yanzhou. It was clear that he had his own ideas about the current situation and was quite picky about who he assisted.

His dream of Mount Tai holding the sun might also be a symbol.

So Qiao Yan was now kneeling opposite Cheng Li.

She had to talk to him personally.

Located in Changshe city of Yingchuan, temporarily staying in the Zhong family’s house, it wasn’t too difficult to find a set of tea utensils. Qiao Yan also managed to create a scene with a bit of elegance, with a cup of hot tea placed in front of both of them.

Amidst the rising steam, her gaze seemed more profound and mysterious. After a long silence, she finally asked, “What are Mr. Zhongde’s plans after this?”

Cheng Li wasn’t surprised that Qiao Yan would ask such a question.

During the time he had contact with Qiao Yan, it wasn’t hard to see that her abilities far exceeded her age, and her thoughts and considerations were definitely not as simple as what she mentioned in the letters.

In her excellent operation of avenging as an orphan girl, if her goal was only revenge, then she could now retire successfully, at most adding a process of setting up a cenotaph and sacrificing Bo Cai’s life.

But obviously, in her still not relaxed performance, Cheng Li judged that this hadn’t yet reached her full expectations.

But perhaps, just like when watching the siege of Changshe, Cheng Li couldn’t see her thoughts due to experience, it was the same now.

But to Qiao Yan’s question, he could give a safe answer, “Now that the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou have been pacified, naturally, I will return to Dong’e and seclude myself to study.”

Qiao Yan slightly twitched the corner of her mouth.

This statement didn’t sound credible at all.

Secluding oneself to study could be understood for someone young, but for Cheng Li, who was already over forty and didn’t really treat studying as a career, it was purely a waste.

But a conversation isn’t about immediately exposing the other’s reserved words; it has to be approached indirectly.

She leisurely took a sip of tea and asked again, “But does Mr. Zhongde really think Yanzhou is pacified?”

Yanzhou, to say it’s plagued by disasters is an understatement.

Now they have lured the Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou into Yuzhou, where the Han army has them surrounded, but what about after that?

In 191 AD, part of the Black Mountain Army led by Yu Du and others, combined with the Xiongnu of Hedong under Yufuluo, attacked Ye city in Jizhou and also sent a part of their forces to attack Dong commandery in Yanzhou.

Also in this year, Li Jue led troops to defeat Zhu Jun in Zhongmu, advancing to Chenliu and Yingchuan, recorded in the Book of Later Han as “killing and plundering men and women, leaving nothing behind wherever they passed.”

Still in this year, the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou were defeated by Ying Shao, the Prefect of Taishan, and withdrew from Taishan commandery, descending to Yanzhou this year, causing chaos in Rencheng and Dongping.

These three lines of plunder and invasion occupied seven of the eight commanderies.

These were also the two most chaotic years in Yanzhou.

Of course, before or after this time point, Yanzhou was almost never peaceful, and the reputation of being a battlefield came from this.

Cheng Li couldn’t fail to see that Yanzhou’s location and its accumulated resources over the years would inevitably lead to such a situation.

And being in such an environment, he couldn’t remain aloof.

Rather than dealing with one thing after another, it was better to take advantage of the Yellow Turban chaos to see more clearly what the current situation of the Han dynasty was.

Qiao Yan added, “Mr. Zhongde doesn’t need to rush to answer my question. I have a few more words to say. Please listen, and you can reply after hearing them.”

“I am still young and have shallow knowledge. If you ask me why these Yellow Turbans reached the point of uprising, any answer would only scratch the surface. After all, it’s not just because the Great Virtuous Teacher really had the power of charms and was favored by the Yellow Heaven.”

“Some words may sound rebellious, but fundamentally, it’s probably just one word.”

Qiao Yan had just put the tea cup back on the table and now used her little finger to dip into the tea and drew on the table.

Cheng Li looked down and saw she had written the character “田” (field).

“I have the heart to save the Han dynasty and want to invite Mr. Zhongde to go north with me to listen to the words of the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou.”

The next day, when the Han army set out, Qiao Yan came with Cheng Li and Dian Wei.

Cheng Li finally agreed not to return to Dong’e to further his studies but to practice the true meaning of “reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles,” going with her to Jizhou to see these Yellow Turban soldiers who were truly close to the core figures.

The system always felt that this method of persuasion was a bit strange. In any case, for the goal of becoming the top strategist, this didn’t have much significance, but the reason Qiao Yan gave left it without the ability to refute.

She said, “From the implementation of the Two-Year Law by Empress Lü in the early Han dynasty, proposing the policy of granting land to those who cultivate it, to the rise of powerful families and land annexation in the late Han dynasty, becoming an important reason for the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there are many changes recorded in history books. But to truly push a feudal lord to the position of quelling chaos and stabilizing the country, one cannot have only a superficial understanding.”

“I study history, not this down-to-earth topic of land property. It’s best to collect more information with the assistance of a local strategist.”

“Moreover, even if this action actually enhances Cheng Li’s strength, so what? The so-called top strategist, since there is a top, naturally there is a comparison. I just need to ensure that Cheng Li’s strength doesn’t surpass mine, right?”

The system: […Right?]

The system’s function is to record the host’s words exactly as they are. It read Qiao Yan’s words again and only saw the eight characters [investigation and learning] and [benign competition], and suddenly felt there was no problem!

As for the host upgrading her horsemanship skills three levels just to achieve this goal.

Very reasonable! Completely makes sense!

It watched the host refuse to arrange a special carriage for her to follow but asked Cao Cao to find her a gentler war horse, which she mounted, feeling that this posture was quite heroic and dashing.

Although this didn’t quite match the conventional image of a strategist, comparing it with Cheng Li next to her, the system felt that to be stronger than another strategist, one must surpass the other in all aspects.

Cheng Li wasn’t bad at horsemanship, so Qiao Yan naturally couldn’t be too bad.

The system also noticed the expressions of Huangfu Song and others, finding that their appreciative looks towards Qiao Yan remained unchanged, and guessed that this performance might earn her another wave of good impressions.

It was about to praise the host again when suddenly a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy jumped out from the team and stood in front of Qiao Yan’s horse, interrupting its intended words.

Qiao Yan looked him up and down and realized that this boy wasn’t a regular soldier from Huangfu Song and Cao Cao’s team but a wandering knight from Yingchuan recruited to fill the ranks during the siege of Changshe.

From the non-standard military sword at his waist, his identity wasn’t hard to recognize.

After the battle of Changshe, Huangfu Song gave them two choices to prevent the leakage of the marching plan.

One was to temporarily stay in Changshe city and leave on their own after a month, during which the city wouldn’t reduce their food supply, and the Zhong family of Changshe would also reward them with money and food for their maintenance of the place.

The other choice was to follow them to Jizhou and participate in this surprise attack plan.

This boy chose the latter.

What Qiao Yan found interesting was that while others were paying attention to Huangfu Song, the main general, during the march, trying to make an impression in front of him to get a chance to be reused in the upcoming battles, this boy—

He didn’t