“`html
Chapter 191
Can strategists not ascend the throne? Volume Six: The Two States in a Stronghold, The Silk Road Restarts. Chapter 191: The Situation in Yuyang.
Thinking about how Qian Fan produces copper coins made me consider mass-producing books, which is essentially the concept of woodblock printing.
However, the “mold” for casting copper coins is in negative relief while the coins themselves are in positive relief; woodblock printing uses positive relief to create prints of books.
As Qiao Yan ensured the technology for minting was reliable, whether she harbored such ideas alongside it is something only she would know.
After all, the clearer the “five zhu” characters on the copper coins, the more precise the strokes will be when those characters are eventually replaced by others.
But what Qiao Yan didn’t expect was that by simply agreeing to let Cai Zhaoji visit the minting site to write down her observations for the Leping Monthly Report, indicating her thoughts to stabilize the economy and promote currency circulation, it sparked Zhaoji’s brilliant little brain to directly associate it with the idea of woodblock printing.
This might be what they call a happy trouble, a concern that arises as territories and manpower expand.
First, Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying suddenly jumped into her pool, creating a machine for separating cotton seeds, and now Cai Zhaoji unexpectedly thought of the possibility of woodblock printing.
But…
“Did I say the wrong thing?”
Seeing Qiao Yan make a hand gesture to stop her, Zhaoji noticed she didn’t seem angry, just curtailing her from continuing, so she quietly asked.
Qiao Yan replied, “You didn’t say anything wrong, but it’s not the time.”
It was too early.
Way too early!
Zhaoji’s brain and associative ability were decent, and her political acumen had improved tremendously since working with Qiao Yan, compared to her father. Yet, there were certain issues that were clearly beyond what a child her age could grasp, such as—
Why could we use manuscript copies from the academy to increase the quantity of books, yet not have books produced in bulk through printing?
Qiao Yan pulled a five zhu coin from her pouch.
This five zhu coin, produced from the mint in Bingzhou, had patterns and characters that were completely standard.
She dipped a brush in ink and smeared it across the coin, then pressed it onto a piece of paper in front of her.
Regular ink differs from the oil-based ink used in true woodblock printing, but for now, it was sufficient to illustrate her point.
As she lifted the coin, it left an imprint of the coin’s outline and characters on the paper.
She gazed at the printed characters, her eyes reflecting some depth. “I know what you want to say—this is just the five zhu characters. If this weren’t a five zhu coin, but a wooden board inscribed with the Analects, in the blink of an eye, countless copies of the Analects could exist, and in days, every child and elder in Bingzhou would have a copy.”
This possibility painted a compelling image.
Yet Qiao Yan had already said it wasn’t the time.
“Zhaoji, do you think with Leping’s current grain output per mu, it’s difficult to accomplish having surplus money for the people, making it hard to expand the academy’s enrollment?”
Cai Zhaoji shook her head.
If it had been two years ago, akin to what the coachman told Ma Lun and Ren Hong about providing for their children to attend Leping Academy, it would have been tough even with frugality.
But over these past two years, Bingzhou’s economic stability had outpaced surrounding regions, and the grain output had steadily risen with improved farming methods.
During the state’s campaign against Liang Province, they hadn’t been affected by war calamities; instead, the state’s procurement of grain for the people led to a pile of spare cash in their hands.
If the academy were to expand its scale and lower the entry barriers slightly, some impoverished children might also get the chance to study.
However, the current demographic of the academy showed that while some came from such backgrounds, they comprised a minor fraction overall.
In Zhaoji’s eyes, the troubles Qiao Yan faced while managing Liang Province weren’t as many as outsiders thought; she could handle it.
Yet she chose not to do so.
This couldn’t simply be explained away as a lack of energy.
She heard Qiao Yan ask, “Why do I want the children of noble families from Bingzhou to be the first to attend Leping Academy, and let them be attracted by your father’s name, thus feeling they’ve gained an advantage? And why, after bringing Zheng Xuan to Bingzhou, did I allocate many seats among the external enrollment slots to the noble families of Liang Province?”
Was this really just about having a batch of noble hostages in her possession?
Clearly not!
This was also about forming alliances and sharing benefits.
Without waiting for Cai Zhaoji to answer, Qiao Yan continued, “Noble families take pride in how many books they possess; the knowledge they hold creates a gap between them and the common people.”
“This is their guarantee of continuously cultivating quality talent and maintaining their family’s status. They need these children, who possess knowledge surpassing common folks, to hold official positions and protect their families in turn. What do you think will happen if I make books readily available?”
Cai Zhaoji followed Qiao Yan’s line of thought, realizing she had been in a knowledge-teaching environment like Leping Academy for too long, subconsciously forgetting the significance of this social difference.
If she did that, it would be equivalent to erasing the foundation upon which the noble families flourished.
What a dangerous move!
Among those who had no conditions to learn characters, could it be said there wasn’t anyone who could become talented through reading?
Not necessarily.
XU Shu, serving under the Count, was a typical example.
Thus, expanding educational opportunities to find potential talent was not unfeasible.
However, taking such actions at this moment would position her directly against all the noble families.
Considering she still needed the support of noble influence to control the two states, it was a path fraught with internal chaos!
With the authority of the Bingzhou governor and its mine resources, combined with the production scale of paper from the Marquis of Leping, producing enough books is not a challenge.
But transforming books into talent requires a process.
Before that, the angry noble families would have the power to deliver irreversible harm.
Even if she had a strong enough army in her hands, that wouldn’t change the outcome.
The intricate connections among the noble families didn’t just limit themselves to the counties within one state; once they retaliated, it wouldn’t just be the forces within these two states reacting.
Let’s not forget that some of the subordinates Qiao Yan entrusted with heavy responsibilities also came from noble families.
This decision, where a single thread pulled would unravel the entire tapestry, represented a wonderful future to literati but was a lethal poison at this moment.
Cai Zhaoji left Qiao Yan’s study wearing an expression that was slightly dazed.
This daze wasn’t because her suggestion was turned down, but because, after realizing this, she heard Qiao Yan say, “Meals need to be eaten one bite at a time, and paths should be walked slowly. We must ensure we don’t step on empty air before making decisions.”
“But I can assure you that one day, I will ensure that everyone within the Bingzhou, or rather, those under my jurisdiction, will have the opportunity to engage with literature.”
Just like when she said she’d ensure every subordinate wore cotton clothing, in her sincere and lucid gaze, no one could doubt the truth behind her words.
This solemn promise made Cai Zhaoji believe: even if the class conflict between noble families, impoverished households, and common people might not be resolved shortly, she would surely accomplish this.
Qiao Yan also mentioned that what she’s doing now isn’t following a typical path that people would choose, so she didn’t mind if she strayed from conventions a little more.
What does it mean to stray from convention?
Cai Zhaoji couldn’t help but think of her sister.
After she came to Leping and began teaching at the academy, it was as if she transformed from dullness to vivid life. Was that considered straying from convention?
In the process of educating students, she imparted more of her emotions to these children rather than to her husband and children.
But there are many people like her sister, forced to abandon what belonged to them in the face of chaos, diseases, and poverty.
The sisters could still rely on the knowledge passed down from their father and the favor of the Count to chart a completely different path, but what about everyone else?
She wanted more people to have the opportunity to change their fate; hence, she needed to support the Count’s continued endeavors.
If it isn’t feasible to mass-produce paper books just yet, then let us first use the pen like a knife, allowing the Leping Monthly Report to serve as the count’s voice, gradually expanding its influence.
Until the steps before them are firmly trodden!
Qiao Yan gazed out of the window and saw the young girl, still in her teen years, standing tall and resolute, exuding the spirit of someone ready for battle, obviously having figured out her goals, making Qiao Yan smile at the corner of her lips.
She then asked the system, “Speaking of which, if woodblock printing—a revolutionary product—appeared in my hands and was promoted widespread, it should smooth out its negative influence. Wouldn’t that be beneficial for any lord and count as credit for a strategist?”
“And if the emergency medicine can be widely adopted, the populace saved could support my faction’s development. Shouldn’t I also be credited with fulfilling my duty as a strategist as the one proposing this?”
The system couldn’t help but retort, “…Considering your efforts to milk system rewards, you haven’t forgotten your origins.”
Nonetheless, it said that since its host wasn’t planning to simply play the strategist role, the system could only go along with her line of reasoning.
“That could be the case, provided you can accomplish both.”
Importing cotton through the Silk Road for people to stay warm in winter doesn’t meet the strategists’ criteria.
However, drafting the emergency medicine manual and reconciling the emergence of printing techniques with the noble families’ counterattack was definitely in line with a strategists’ responsibilities.
After receiving the system’s positive confirmation, while Qiao Yan didn’t necessarily hope to gain from it, a lightness appeared in her expression.
However, Zhaoji’s performance served as a reminder for her.
From now on, apart from needing to pay more attention to the Leping Academy’s enrollees, she also had to monitor her subordinates’ quirky ideas closely.
If someone like Ma Jun, focused on people’s livelihoods and weapon enhancements appeared, that would be fine, but if anyone coincided with Zhaoji’s ideas or even inadvertently tinkered with explosives, they’d have to first run it by her.
After all, she had an abundance of talented folks under her wing, except for simpletons like Zhang Yang, Lü Bu, and Zhang Niujiao…
What a headache.
But if other lords knew what she was troubled about, they’d likely feel compelled to send their concerns and greetings her way.
In June, Qiao Yan’s various rounds of inspections and appointments occurred in an orderly manner.
To coordinate the manpower between Liangzhou and Bingzhou effectively, and to prepare for the upcoming campaign against Dong in Chang’an, she initiated a series of strategic transfers, relocating Chu Yan from Liangzhou back to the upper counties and placing Lü Bu in Hanyang County of Liangzhou.
After verifying all tax data from Bingzhou, she began finalizing the upcoming tax amounts with her subordinates to meet the demands of the military operations.
Even while conducting military actions in both Liangzhou and Youzhou, fueled by the increase in grain output per mu and supplemented by the additional supplies from the Baidaochuan military garrison, Bingzhou’s granaries remained abundant.
In two or three months, the military in Liangzhou and the region could expect another bumper harvest.
Yet not everyone was having such a smooth time—like Sun Ce.
He furrowed his brows as he looked at the ledger before him.
The initial military gains from pushing Yuan Shu out of Jiujiang County didn’t offset the trouble he now faced—
Lack of grain.
When Sun Jian was still alive, Sun Ce never needed to consider such problems, but now this massive issue was squarely before him.
He had several sources for his grain.
One was from Changsha County, where Sun Jian had once served as Prefect.
This area remained under their own control, allowing for grain transport from Changsha County to Lujiang County via the Yangtze River downstream. Liu Biao didn’t yet have the capability to intercept across the river.
But knowing…
“`
Well, they sent out their troops after the autumn harvest last year, and practically all the grain stored in Changsha Commandery had already been used as military provisions for this operation, which was also utilized by Sun Ce when he later detoured to Yang Province.
Now, the remaining supplies were needed to cover Zhu Jun’s expenses as he prepared against Liu Biao, who aimed to seize Jing Province after defeating Sun Jian.
If they were to divert more grain from Changsha, it would essentially be handing over the land to Liu Biao.
To Sun Ce, this place felt somewhat like a waste.
But thinking of the fact that the Prefect of Changsha used to be his father’s position, he stubbornly held on to the idea of not giving it up.
That left him considering the grain supplies from Lujiang, Danyang, and Jiujiang Commanderies.
However, the responses he received were that the grain stocks in those three areas weren’t much better.
Not surprising, since last year Lujiang had been stuck under Yuan Shu’s assault and couldn’t even farm normally.
Jiujiang was in a state of depletion due to Yuan Shu’s poor management.
As for Danyang…
Danyang had mountains occupied by bandits, the most notorious of which was Zu Lang.
Even though Zhou Yu’s uncle, Zhou Shang, was the Prefect of Danyang, he really had little control over this Zu Lang guy.
Zu Lang was holed up in Jing County of Danyang Commandery and, technically, he wasn’t even called a bandit, but he proudly dubbed himself “Grand Marshal of Jing County.”
So even if Sun Ce were to take over Danyang, those local tyrants wouldn’t just roll over; they were merely biding their time, waiting to see if he would make any moves against Wu Commandery, remaining relatively independent.
If there were any semblance of submission, it was likely nonexistent.
In such a situation, it was inevitable for Sun Ce to face food shortages.
After all, Qiao Yan was only funding him with farming tools, not actual grains.
“As long as we can hold out until the autumn harvest…” Sun Ce thought, feeling helpless.
Among the various commanderies in Yang Province, Wu Commandery was the smallest in terms of area, but it was a tough bone to chew!
Under Yan Baihu, there were over ten thousand men, and they knew Wu Commandery’s terrain like the back of their hands. They were highly mobile, and even though Sun Ce had his troops laid siege as far as Zhenze, they were still causing him endless trouble.
If his grain supplies couldn’t keep up, the only option left would be to retreat!
But how could he accept that?
As long as he could conquer Wu Commandery, he would gather all four commanderies north of Kuaiji and then start to clean up the internal mess. By next year, he could confidently use his position as Prefect of Kuaiji to take it, and afterwards taking Yuzhang wouldn’t be hard.
At that point, even if he didn’t hold the title of Governor of Yang Province, he would essentially be on the same level.
Yet now he was stumbling at the first hurdle.
Since taking command, he had imposed restrictions on his soldiers to prevent them from offending the common folk, but it hadn’t seemed to bring him much fortune. In fact, it had led him to the toughest battle he’d faced in Wu Commandery so far.
And it wasn’t just Yan Baihu causing him problems.
Since he attacked Wu Commandery from Danyang, first defeating Xu Gong and Yan Baihu at Wucheng, he was now on the way from Wucheng to Wu County, the seat of Wu Commandery.
However, the latest battle report he received indicated that Zou Ta, Qian Tong, and Wang Sheng had rallied under Xu Gong’s call and regrouped their troops at Wucheng, each commanding thousands of men, thus cutting off Sun Ce’s supply route and forcing him to retreat to the mountains.
Sun Ce fumed.
Wang Sheng had once served as the Prefect of Hepu, and after retiring, he had gained significant local prestige, creating quite the headache for Sun Ce.
But that wasn’t what really irked Sun Ce.
“What infuriates me is that he was once an acquaintance of my father’s; we were on good terms! Now that I’m trying to take Yang Province for myself, why is he blocking me?”
Zhang Zhao looked at the young, spirited face of Sun Ce and replied solemnly, “To him, General, it seems like you’re breaking the rules. If you were to conquer Kuaiji first, he wouldn’t have any objections, but you lack the title of Governor of Yang Province, and therefore have no right to station troops in Wu Commandery.”
Sun Ce scoffed.
Even if he conquered Kuaiji first, the people in Wu Commandery wouldn’t believe he would relinquish his grasp on the territory.
With the troop strength stationed in Wu Commandery, turning the tables on him from behind would be even worse than now.
Still, their resistance against his military mobilization wasn’t necessarily a bad thing either.
“Zibu, do you think if we turnaround and swiftly attack Wucheng, seizing the supplies in Zou, Qian, and Wang’s storage, we could last until the autumn harvest?”
It really wasn’t unreasonable for Sun Ce to stay aggressive under such circumstances instead of pulling back to Danyang Commandery.
Wu Commandery was his hometown; even his mother Madam Wu hailed from Wu County. So, facing such fierce resistance in what felt almost like going home, Sun Ce’s anger surged.
He couldn’t back down!
If he did, all his hard work would unravel, and trying to reclaim it would be a struggle.
A month ago, he had even planned on rallying the notable figures of Wu Commandery to shift the public’s favor.
By coincidence, he had found a suitable candidate.
The well-regarded scholar Gao Dai had fallen out of favor with Xu Gong and couldn’t get his footing in Wu County, so he fled south to the border of Wu Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery, not far from where Sun Ce was stationed.
This guy had decent standing in Wu Commandery and a personal vendetta against Xu Gong, making him the perfect target for Sun Ce to draw in.
Since he wanted to curry favor with him, Sun Ce made it clear he was willing to show his stance.
Having heard that Gao Dai had a particular fondness for the Zuo Zhuan, before sending someone to invite him, Sun Ce even made himself read a few pages with a pinched nose.
But when Gao Dai arrived and Sun Ce started chatting about the Zuo Zhuan, Gao Dai repeatedly claimed he didn’t understand it at all.
Sun Ce thought Gao Dai was looking down on him for lacking literary flair and promptly tossed him into the local prison.
This led to a rather inconvenient situation, with Gao Dai’s friends and family staging a sit-in demonstration outside the courthouse.
As Sun Ce sought Zhang Zhao’s advice on his next move, the cries for Gao Dai’s release were still drilling into his head.
Before Zhang Zhao could even suggest a more cautious approach, Sun Ce, clutching his throbbing temples, declared, “Forget it! Regardless of whether we secure enough grain or not, I’ve made my decision—let’s attack that old bastard Wang Sheng first!”
What caught Zhang Zhao off-guard even more was that before mobilizing, Sun Ce resolutely executed Gao Dai and then proceeded to charge straight at Wang Sheng’s forces.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yu, who was guarding the defenses of Jiujiang Commandery, didn’t expect Sun Ce to make such a rash decision.
Admittedly, their current circumstances weren’t too dire.
Those prominent families from Yang Province, especially the four great clans of Jiangdong, Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang, really didn’t like having a young general trying to sweep through Yang Province and take control for himself.
Sun Ce had already lifted the siege of Shuxian and rescued Lu Kang, establishing a very good beginning with these four families.
So here they were, just sitting on the sidelines—both elevating their status while keeping an eye on Sun Ce’s attitude.
They were actually quite pleased with Sun Ce’s ability to repel Yuan Shu and keep his troops in check.
Zhou Yu was also planning to have a chat with them after the autumn harvest to see if he could win their support for good.
But while he was busy plotting, Sun Ce had first executed Gao Dai and then, thanks to his impressive leadership skills, swiftly defeated the several factions stationed at Wucheng—then he raised his sword against Wang Sheng’s faction.
If Liu Bei were to catch wind of what was happening on Sun Ce’s end, he might even feel like his challenges were no big deal in comparison.
After dealing with Dong Zhuo, he had gone from being the Assistant of Qinghe Commandery to becoming the Chancellor of Jinan State.
This wasn’t a bad position, really.
The Prefect of neighboring Taishan Commandery, Ying Shao, had formed some camaraderie with him during the fight against Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao, to the west in Dong Commandery, was also an old acquaintance.
Internally, Jinan State was still governed by the previous ruler Liu Kang, who had been in charge since the third year of Xiping, appointed by Emperor Ling of Han.
He had re-established Jinan State after a full twenty years of being ungoverned and had always maintained a cautious approach.
When his son Liu Sai took over, the same demeanor continued.
Seven years back, when Cao Cao served as Chancellor in Jinan, he undertook some significant reforms.
Although Cao Cao had only held the title for a year before resigning and returning home, the various impacts from his clashes with local powers lingered until Liu Bei took over.
This allowed Liu Bei to transition from being the second-in-command of a commandery to its head, easing some of his adaptation troubles.
For him, this was a great place to learn how to eliminate corruption and improve the people’s lives.
But what he didn’t expect was that by the third year of Zhao Ning (or the third year of Guangxi), his neighbor Cao Cao would make the first move and attack the two bordering commanderies, forcing the surrender of another one, and end up taking the position of Governor of Yanzhou, thereby becoming his legitimate superior.
Yet soon after, he was appointed as General Danguo, responsible for leading troops to deal with the rebellious Yuan Shu.
Liu Bei felt a bit lost.
But that didn’t prevent him from making a quick decision.
Deploying troops was a done deal!
No matter the considerations for which court to support, Yuan Shu’s actions certainly warranted the title of “rebellious traitor.” Moving against him was imperative.
Furthermore, according to the edict sent to him, this expedition to Yuzhou wouldn’t require him to drain resources from Jinan State’s military provisions, as those would be supplied by Cao Cao.
In a way, this also provided him an opportunity to figure out the dynamics with his superior.
Even though he felt like someone else was arranging everything for him without semblances of autonomy, the title of General along with the still-held position of Chancellor of Jinan meant he was far from being down on his luck at the age of thirty something.
Except for…
Cao Cao’s grain supply seemed a tad on the low side.
But upon reflection, Liu Bei realized that after the Luoyang incident, Dong Commandery had taken in many displaced households, meaning grain reserves were limited, and the commanderies like Chenliu, Jiyin, and Dongping didn’t have high-caliber prefects and thus hadn’t stockpiled much grain last year.
This all made sense.
Cao Cao even sent word saying his father had returned from the Grand Commandant position to his hometown in Qiao County and had fled to Xuzhou during the Dong Zhuo uprising out of fear of chaos in Yanzhou.
Yet part of the family assets remained there, and once Liu Bei’s army passed through, they could draw some supplies from Cao’s fortress.
That was pretty generous of him.
So now, for this opportunity that could boost his reputation in the campaign against Yuan Shu, Liu Bei was filled with nothing but resolve to lead his troops to victory.
And it wasn’t just Liu Bei—Zhang Fei was equally thrilled about finally getting a chance to fight, especially against Yuan Shu, a man with a reputation so high yet completely shameless.
He gripped his newly sharpened spear, all ready for action.
With the troops mobilized in Jinan, by the end of June, they barreled through the various commanderies of Yanzhou and headed straight into Yuzhou’s Pei State.
After a half-day rest in Pei County, they pushed south until they encountered Yuan Shu’s troops attempting to block their path while crossing the Ban River.
This was their first encounter with Yuan Shu’s forces.
Liu Bei had been commanding since the Yellow Turban Rebellion and had battled during the resistance against Dong Zhuo, so he had already anticipated the need for Zhang Fei to guard against such ambushes.
Zhang Fei, determined to score a decisive victory in taking Yuzhou, charged straight at the enemy officer.
Though they had come from afar, Zhang Fei’s troops had been with Liu Bei for two years, and they were certainly elite soldiers by now.
Zhang Fei galloped forward, spear in hand, in a display of unmatched ferocity.
After a fierce clash, Zhang Fei took down the opposing commander, sending the rest of the troops fleeing in panic or surrendering on the spot.
However, when Liu Bei brought up the rear, eager to inquire about the identity of the defeated enemy commander, he found Zhang Fei looking quite guilty.
“What’s wrong? Is there something off about this guy’s identity?”
Under Liu Bei’s probing gaze, Zhang Fei stammered, “His name is Qiao Rui, and he’s… related to Prefect Qiao Yan of Bingzhou.”
“A direct relative, at that.”
