Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 7: Eight Hundred Qin Rivers, Occupying Guanzhong Chapter 209: How Much Interest?

The autumn in Ye City was filled with the atmosphere of harvest.

This was, to some extent, thanks to Qiao Yan.

Who would have thought that the battle between Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu in the north, with Qiao Yan’s support from Bingzhou, would significantly reduce Yuan Shao’s difficulty in defending Jizhou.

Judging by his and his subordinates’ insights, it would take at least until the end of the year for Gongsun Zan to recover from this defeat.

But then again, with Liu Yu returning to Youzhou to oversee the war, and his reputation for stabilizing grain prices in Youzhou, it’s uncertain whether Gongsun Zan would get a chance to turn the tables.

Yuan Shao felt it was a good thing that this troublesome neighbor was being dealt with, but he couldn’t help but think that the Bingzhou troops Qiao Yan sent to support Liu Yu were too capable.

Zhang Liao and Qu Yan from Bingzhou, both in their early twenties, were as young as their superiors.

But these two were not to be underestimated in battle.

Zhang Liao, who had been guarding Yanmen County, finally showcased his top-notch command skills in Youzhou, making Yuan Shao envious and wishing he could recruit such a fierce general.

But envy aside, there were still more good news.

Liu Bei, whom Yuan Shao had sent to attack Yuan Shu, delivered a satisfactory result.

Yuan Shu was hit hard by Liu Bei’s attack but wasn’t completely defeated, maintaining a standoff across the river.

Yuan Shu couldn’t cause trouble, and Liu Bei couldn’t win for now.

This situation was undoubtedly the most favorable for Yuan Shao.

Even when news came that Yuan Shu had accepted Dong Zhuo’s offer to become the Governor of Yuzhou, gaining nominal legitimacy, Yuan Shao wasn’t too upset.

Yuan Shu’s earlier remark, “Shao is not a son of the Yuan family,” had deeply offended Yuan Shao, who wished nothing but misfortune for Yuan Shu.

He also knew Yuan Shu’s true capabilities.

So, letting him rise to a higher position only to fall from it would be even more satisfying!

Apart from external military situations, Yuan Shao was also pleased with the state of civilian life.

The good weather this year brought a bountiful harvest to Hebei, making Jizhou and Qingzhou not only avoid the population outflow caused by the Yellow Turban Bandits but also attract people from Henan and Henei counties, as well as war-torn Youzhou.

The advantageous geographical location of these two provinces and the benefits of Yuan Shao’s good relations with the noble families of Hebei were clearly demonstrated in his second year of development here.

Among his civil officials and strategists, many were skilled in governance.

Looking at their neighbors, they could easily come up with a reasonable development process to apply to these two provinces.

For this reason, Yuan Shao had been sleeping soundly for several days.

However, it was at this time that he suddenly received a report from Sili.

He stared at the report for a long time before reluctantly looking away and immediately summoning his strategists.

This news was too shocking.

It wasn’t something he could solve by casually discussing it with one of them.

They had to gather and discuss it!

After everyone arrived, the report was passed around before returning to his hands.

Holding the report, he looked at everyone with a serious tone: “Qiao Yeshu suddenly sent troops from Liangzhou to attack Chang’an. Although there was the influence of Dong Zhuo and Li Jue fighting for power, isn’t her move too fast?”

He knew the strength of his Jizhou and Qingzhou troops and compared them to Qiao Yan’s Bingzhou and Liangzhou.

He also compared the Yellow Turban Bandits in his territory to the Hu people in Qiao Yan’s.

He still had to prevent Gongsun Zan from moving south while dealing with Yuan Shu, leaving him no time for other matters.

But what about Qiao Yan?

She had been heavily involved in the war in Youzhou.

Although Liu Yu’s recovery of several counties provided military supplies, reducing the aid from Bingzhou, the manpower still came from Bingzhou.

But in Liangzhou, she swallowed up 20,000 troops sent by Li Jue and captured Sanguan, Chencang, Maiwu, and Chang’an, showing remarkable efficiency!

Other provinces might not have such a clear understanding, but Yuan Shao knew exactly what this meant.

He didn’t care whether Dong Zhuo was dead or not.

At this moment, he only wanted to know one thing—how did she do it?

Compared to Gongsun Zan, who was at best a warrior, Qiao Yan was the real threat.

Whether due to ideological differences or territorial conflicts, Yuan Shao was absolutely unwilling to be subordinate to anyone. Yet, today’s battle report showed him a nearly insurmountable gap.

Liangzhou and Bingzhou produced good horses, and Bingzhou had plenty of iron ore, making her cavalry far superior to others, which was undeniable.

But cavalry isn’t just about having horses; the combined military rations for men and horses during marches were not a small amount.

For this reason, maintaining cavalry as a regular army required substantial resources.

Everyone held two provinces, so how could she afford it?

Thinking further, although the Taihang Mountains separated Bingzhou, internal news rarely flowed into Jizhou through the eight passes, but there was indeed no news of food shortages in Bingzhou.

And the Qiang people in Liangzhou, who had given up raiding, seemed to have enough to eat.

Yuan Shao also voiced this doubt.

Shen Pei recalled: “When Ziyuan and I went to Bingzhou, we entered Shangdang through Fukou Pass and then went to Taiyuan. What we saw along the way was the autumn harvest scene. Thinking back now, it was somewhat special.”

He looked at Xu You and asked: “Ziyuan, do you remember that what we passed through wasn’t just the state’s centralized farmland? The scenes of noble families’ fields, villagers’ fields, and state-owned fields were all very similar.”

At that time, the wheat fields were so full of ears that people overlooked this peculiarity.

Xu You’s memory was also good, and he immediately recalled this image.

Thinking about it, it was indeed as Shen Pei said, something was off.

In Jizhou, to prevent the Yellow Turbans from rising again, they had visited many counties, and it was never like this.

When there was a shortage of labor, even if the fields were the same, farming wouldn’t be as meticulous. Farmers’ techniques varied, leading to differences. Plus, wealth disparities naturally led to differences in crop seeds.

Previously, they thought Bingzhou had developed a year and a half or even longer ahead of other regions, but now—

It seemed more like a top-down farming rule.

Perhaps because of Qiao Yan’s aggressive style, people instinctively focused on her military strength.

However, this seemingly focus on her greatest strength actually represented a biased evaluation of her.

Shen Pei’s implication was clear.

He said to Yuan Shao: “We need to pay more attention to farming in Bingzhou. Ziyuan and I have both been to Bingzhou, so it’s easy to expose our intentions. Please, my lord, select a few people to go to Bingzhou. If we can find other discoveries, that would be even better.”

Having food and money is essential for developing military strength, which is undeniable.

They must put more effort into this.

When Shen Pei said this, he couldn’t help but think that if they were only a year and a half behind Qiao Yan, in the two years since Emperor Ling’s death, this gap might have widened further.

He didn’t know if it was still possible to catch up.

But seeing Tian Feng take on this responsibility, Shen Pei felt slightly relieved.

Tian Feng’s straightforward personality didn’t affect his meticulousness. With him going, no detail should be overlooked.

Then Ju Shou reminded: “I think my lord should also pay attention to the weapons used by Bingzhou’s army.”

Increasing grain yield and training army quality weren’t things that could show results quickly, but weapons could.

Ju Shou continued: “According to the report, Qiao Bingzhou repeatedly used long-range crossbows to kill enemies, significantly reducing her own troop losses. My lord, this is more worthy of our attention than how many troops she can mobilize at once.”

Enemies you can reach are easier to deal with.

What about enemies you can’t reach?

If they ever faced Qiao Yan, this was a problem they had to consider.

Would they let her use the same method against them as she did against Li Jue’s 20,000 troops?

This wasn’t just Ju Shou speaking to Yuan Shao; at the same time in Yanzhou, Chen Gong was saying the same to Cao Cao.

“My lord has interactions with Qiao Bingzhou, and the second young master is now studying at Leping Academy, but Yanzhou is a land of four battles. Perhaps one of our neighbors will imitate Qiao Bingzhou’s techniques to arm their troops and give us a hard blow.”

For example, Yuan Shao might inevitably have friction with Cao Cao due to their proximity.

In the shared understanding of Ju Shou and Chen Gong, considering something like heavy crossbows with their current financial conditions was completely wasteful.

But the situation with tension crossbows and divine bows was different.

A shooting range of three to four hundred steps was enough to expand their defensive and offensive capabilities to a certain extent, effectively narrowing the gap in equipment between them and Bingzhou in a short time.

And these crossbow mechanisms were actually recorded in the official arsenal of the Han Dynasty, so they didn’t need to steal from Qiao Yan.

The arsenals of Jizhou and Yanzhou could find relevant records.

Yuan Shao had even more convenient access to such information.

Apart from the books Xun Shuang sent to Bingzhou for preservation, a significant portion of Luoyang’s典籍卷宗 had been transported to Ye City during the Han court’s move from Luoyang.

Even without a mechanical genius like Ma Jun, mass-producing tension crossbows wasn’t difficult.

Yuan Shao agreed with Ju Shou’s words.

When everyone was poor, they could engage in close combat without worrying about such equipment.

But now, Qiao Yan’s achievements revealed a fact—it wasn’t that everyone was poor, but that others were poor while she was rich.

That was a problem!

“This matter…” Yuan Shao looked around the room.

Since Ju Shou brought it up, it should logically be his responsibility.

But knowing that Ju Shou could command troops, giving him the additional responsibility of expanding heavy crossbow equipment made Yuan Shao uneasy, despite knowing Ju Shou’s character.

“Gongze, Zhongzhi, I entrust this matter to you two. Make sure to handle it properly.”

Guo Tu and Xin Pi immediately stood up and agreed.

These two were from Yingchuan, part of Yuan Shao’s faction, meaning they weren’t from the same group as Tian Feng and Ju Shou.

With Hebei scholars holding part of his military power, to maintain balance, Yuan Shao thought it necessary to give some weight to those from Yingchuan.

But of course, he wouldn’t state his balancing act so bluntly. After making this arrangement, he turned back to Ju Shou and said: “I have another important matter to consult with you, Gongyu. Please give it careful consideration.”

Yuan Shao’s family background and appearance made him appear as a true lord when he wasn’t overly arrogant.

Ju Shou…








He quickly returned the salute and said, “Please speak freely, my lord.”

Yuan Shao asked, “Apart from the strength of Qiao Yanshu’s forces, which requires us to be extra cautious, how do you view the matter of the Son of Heaven being kidnapped and disappearing again by Li Jue?”

This was equally important to Yuan Shao.

At this moment, he could maintain a relatively stable development state because in the situation of “one Han in the east and one in the west,” the Han in the west was in a place like Guanzhong, blocked by passes, and under the control of Dong Zhuo, a bandit from Xiliang.

For most people, rather than gambling on whether Liu Xie, the Son of Heaven, could be a wise ruler and break free from Dong Zhuo’s control, it was better to choose a more direct way to achieve their political ambitions.

Specifically, going to Ye City.

The reconstruction of the court in Ye City was short of people, and Yuan Shao needed to handle relations with surrounding powers and internal governance, which also required more people.

This was precisely why Xin Pi, Xin Ping, and Guo Tu came to Ji Province.

But now that Qiao Yan had captured Chang’an, the situation was vastly different.

By combining the forces of Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Sili, she already controlled half of the north. With the righteousness of the Son of Heaven, after a year or two of accumulation, she could march east under the emperor’s edict to subdue the disloyal.

No wonder Yuan Shao felt a headache.

Although he had the conditions to learn farming techniques from Bingzhou and study the designs of the government storehouse to develop crossbows, some things, once behind, couldn’t be caught up in just half a year or a year.

What was special now was that Li Jue had fled with Liu Xie and was still missing, leaving Chang’an leaderless.

Ju Shou thought for a moment and replied, “This might be the best news for you, my lord.”

Yuan Shao raised his hand, signaling Ju Shou to continue.

Ju Shou explained, “If Li Jue had fled with his subordinates, in the face of life and death, his subordinates might not want to flee anymore, take his head, and surrender to Chang’an, which would allow Prince Xie to smoothly return to Qiao Bingzhou’s hands. But now he is fleeing alone.”

“What do you think, my lord, would be the reaction of those most likely to be sought by Li Jue, given Qiao Bingzhou’s successful campaign?”

Putting himself in their shoes, Yuan Shao felt they would likely choose to show goodwill to Qiao Yan.

It couldn’t be that after Qiao Yan had demonstrated her military prowess, they would still stubbornly oppose her.

Everyone has a scale to weigh things.

Ju Shou continued, “Li Jue might have originally thought that one of the powers would not fear the Governor of Bingzhou and could still ally with him, but in the current situation, others see more clearly than he does.”

“In his desperate situation, he either hides with Prince Xie and waits for the world to change before seeking cooperation, making the hostage effective, or he is found by the search parties first.”

“Given the radical nature of the Liangzhou people, rather than hoping Qiao Yan would spare him due to his absurd decisions that inadvertently helped her, it would be better to kill Prince Xie first and then commit suicide, perhaps leaving a mark in history.”

“Of course, there is another possibility: he directly takes Prince Xie across provinces and reaches Ji Province, presenting him to us.”

This was also a speculation made by Huang Wan after Qiao Yan captured Chang’an.

Hearing this possibility, Yuan Shao’s previous gloom over Qiao Yan’s achievements was swept away.

If this were true, not only would Li Jue be seeking refuge, but Yuan Shao would even build a shrine for him!

Ju Shou analyzed, “Actually, these situations have a commonality: Prince Xie cannot return to Qiao Bingzhou’s hands in the short term.”

“Of course, this doesn’t mean you are sure to win, my lord.”

“Do you think, my lord, that without Prince Xie, the legitimate heir, Qiao Bingzhou cannot control the newly conquered Guanzhong?”

Yuan Shao shook his head.

This wouldn’t be a problem for Qiao Yan.

With the enemy in Guanzhong, it was indeed not easy to invade from Liangzhou and Bingzhou.

But with Guanzhong under her control, the routes from Liangzhou and Bingzhou into Guanzhong included the Qin Straight Road from Bingzhou, the Longshan Road from Liangzhou, and the Wei River waterway.

These paths directly connected the three provinces into a whole.

The expansion of territory didn’t require her to add much to the defense line, as they were mostly external strategic points.

What she could possess might not just be Guanzhong.

The Hedong County in Sili had already sided with her the year Emperor Ling died, even providing the salt ponds in Hedong County for Bingzhou’s use. Before Qiao Yan obtained the Xigong Salt Pond in Liangzhou, this was the largest source of salt for Bingzhou.

The Henei County in Sili, due to Prefect Wang Kuang’s poor governance, had seen many residents migrate to Bingzhou in recent years.

The Henan Yin and Hongnong County, with the political center shifting from Luoyang, had long been in a state of neglect.

Thus, what she could control might very well be the entire Sili Commandery.

In the declining situation of the Han imperial power, Qiao Yan, who could pacify the chaos, was not incapable of holding three provinces.

Having Liu Xie was not a decisive factor.

Ju Shou asked again, “Do you think there is another possibility, my lord, that in the case of failing to find Prince Xie, she might choose to establish another emperor?”

This question almost made Yuan Shao explode.

But with subordinates present, Yuan Shao thought he should maintain some dignity, so he calmed down and replied, “If so, how should we respond?”

Ju Shou replied, “I suggest you immediately write a letter to Qiao Bingzhou, emphasizing the necessity of both sides jointly supporting the emperor.”

In other words, persuading Qiao Yan not to bother looking if it’s not necessary!

For the sake of the people, why bother with such a thankless task? It would be better to give up searching for Liu Xie.

After all, how much legitimacy remained after these kidnappings?

Qiao Yan held Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and half of Sili, while Yuan Shao controlled Qingzhou and Ji Province. If the two could join forces, they would already hold a third of the Han’s thirteen provinces, and a strong third at that. Why bother with legitimacy?

This cooperation could directly sweep the world.

A thoughtful expression flashed across Yuan Shao’s face.

Ju Shou advised, “Please, my lord, make some concessions in your words to ensure this cooperation is achieved.”

Though somewhat reluctant, thinking that if the cooperation was achieved, he might not need to send Tian Feng to Bingzhou to learn secretly, Yuan Shao felt this might be a feasible strategy.

But previously, he had offered the title of General of Agile Cavalry and still failed to win Qiao Yan over… Although Emperor Ling’s edict had some influence, it was hard to say if the offer was not tempting enough.

Could he really give up the position of Grand General?

Shen Pei suddenly spoke up, “Speaking of which, when we went to Bingzhou last time, I remember Qiao Bingzhou avoided our edict, citing the reason that the Battle of Luoyang cost an extra 50,000 dan of military provisions. So, could we use the opportunity of repaying the provisions to discuss this?”

Qiao Yan’s attack on Chang’an involved 30,000 troops. Compared to the number of people, 50,000 dan of provisions was a drop in the bucket, but it was still a way to reduce her military expenditure.

And starting from repaying the debt to build relations, it would at least show Yuan Shao’s side taking a lower stance.

Yuan Shao, well aware of his uncle’s past failed advice, didn’t propose marrying one of his sons to Qiao Yan as a foolish measure.

After some thought, he decisively replied, “Let’s do as Zhengrong suggested! Ziyuan, please make a trip to Chang’an.”

Last time Xu You went to Bingzhou to discuss the title of General of Agile Cavalry, there was no friction with Qiao Yan, at least no bad impressions were left, so it was good to use a familiar face for the talks.

Yuan Shao also pondered the interest.

Counting grain by grain was something he wouldn’t do at their current status.

Ji Province had a good harvest this year, so even doubling the repayment would be fine!

To prevent any changes, Yuan Shao immediately ordered Xu You and his entourage to rush to Chang’an on fast horses. The manpower for transporting 100,000 dan of provisions would remain on standby, waiting for Xu You to negotiate with Qiao Yan and decide whether to send the provisions from Ye City to Shangdang, Luoyang, or Chang’an.

If the goal of winning her over could be achieved, this little expense would be nothing.

Xu You could see how much Yuan Shao valued this matter and dared not stop on the way.

When he arrived in Chang’an, the journey by carriage and horse, covered in dust, took only five days.

He dismounted, patted his slightly weak legs, and sighed inwardly about the difficulty of this trip.

Fortunately, after reporting his arrival and requesting an audience, he learned that Qiao Yan had just returned from the direction of Wuguan and was in Chang’an City, or else he would have had to travel further.

Xu You let out a long breath.

Upon meeting Qiao Yan, he respectfully bowed to her.

Though only two years had passed, she appeared calm, but when she looked up, Xu You was struck by a commanding presence of military prowess.

She casually placed the brush she was holding on a nearby stand and asked, “What brings you here, Ziyuan? Could it be that Yuan Benchu wants to say he also wants to crusade against Dong Zhuo, but is late again?”

Xu You was taken aback.

Qiao Yan didn’t spare him any face and continued, “Last time he was over two days late, this time it’s more than half a month.”

Xu You replied, “You jest, Marquis Qiao. Governor Yuan sent me to repay the provisions. The 50,000 dan of military provisions you lent us two years ago, we are now repaying double the amount with interest, to reward your efforts for the Han’s military campaigns.”

This opening really surprised Qiao Yan.

The tone was full of attempts to win her over.

But…

“Wait a minute!” She raised her hand to stop Xu You from continuing and asked, “You said… double the amount with interest?”

Xu You didn’t understand why she was smiling subtly, “Yes, previously there were many refugees in Ji Province, making it inconvenient to make the payment. Delaying for a year was indeed our fault, so Governor Yuan is repaying double to express our apologies.”

Double repayment to express apologies?

Hearing this, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

The way Xu You spoke made her feel that this strategist, who had known Yuan Shao the longest, didn’t know how terrifying the debt Yuan Shao owed was.

Yuan Shao was too much!

How could he hide such a thing from his trusted subordinate!

She turned to Guo Jia beside her and asked, “Fengxiao, I remember you were the one who got Yuan Benchu to sign that IOU. How much is the interest now?”

Hearing this, Guo Jia quickly stood up, making a gesture of begging for mercy, and said, “I think you should spare me, my lord. My arithmetic has never been good.”

As he spoke, he turned to Xu You, “But I’ve heard that Ziyuan is a man of great wisdom. Perhaps this calculation is no different from strategizing. Why not let Ziyuan do the math?”

“……?” Xu You looked at the two of them, baffled.

He felt that they were implying that the 50,000 dan of grain he mentioned as interest was not enough.

But that couldn’t be…

If that were the case, how did his lord agree to it back then?

Yuan Shao never liked to make a bad deal.

With this doubt in mind, when the IOU signed by Yuan Shao was placed before him, he read it word by word.

His initial indifference turned into visible tension after he muttered a few numbers to himself.

He stiffened, frozen in place.

Under Qiao Yan’s amused gaze, a drop of cold sweat suddenly rolled down his temple.