“Can strategists seriously not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 217: Who else but me?
Jia Xu had a knack for picking up on Qiao Yan’s intentions.
After chatting with Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting about their conversation with Qiao Yan before arriving, he could roughly guess what her mission was.
Honestly, it wasn’t so much about teaching them how to farm, but more like teaching them how to analyze human hearts, dissect intelligence, and adapt to circumstances.
“It’s quite similar to farming,” said Li Ru, peering through the fence, noticing Jia Xu’s utterly lost expression, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Farming needs to follow the rules; if the weather isn’t favorable, you’ve got to create your own opportunities—a classic case of man overcoming nature, right?”
“If you put it that way, calling this a farming lesson isn’t too far off.”
Li Ru missed the talk about intelligence issues from across the yard, only catching the part where Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting agreed to learn from their teacher the next day, hence the farming analogy.
As he spoke, he lifted his water jug and tended to the land before him.
Although he was in a new place, perhaps due to having grown accustomed to this over the past two years, Li Ru even went to fetch a batch of freshly imported spinach seeds in Bingzhou.
Shortly after moving, new sprouts began to emerge from the soil.
Jia Xu looked over at him and asked, “If I may ask, Mr. Wen You, where does your man-overcoming-nature prowess lie?”
Jia Xu couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Ru seemed increasingly aware of being captive.
If he really wanted to talk about overcoming nature, he should have figured out a way to escape back to Chang’an long ago.
Had Dong Zhuo had such a strategist by his side, he wouldn’t have ended up being played like a fool by Jia Xu.
But now that Dong Zhuo was dead, Li Ru could easily abandon his ties to Dong Zhuo and carve a path for himself with Qiao Yan.
Yet, all Jia Xu heard was Li Ru coolly replying, “I’m not the one farming; I’m more like a vegetable planted in the field. For a vegetable to thrive, it must adapt to its environment. That’s another survival tactic.”
Jia Xu nearly rolled his eyes at Li Ru.
Li Ru clearly didn’t want to just blend in as a local vegetable; he was still watching and waiting.
With Dong Zhuo out of the picture, he was contemplating where he could find more room to maneuver and plant his feet firmly elsewhere.
This cautious wait-and-see attitude was far from Jia Xu’s “we’re already in the game” stance.
Jia Xu knew that often, simply wanting a chance isn’t enough to make opportunities appear right in front of you.
Li Ru’s wait-and-see could also be seen as a passive stance.
He might need a push.
Unfortunately, today didn’t seem like a good opportunity.
As Jia Xu headed back towards the house, he teased Li Ru, “Who would’ve thought that in two years you’ve gone from being a person to a vegetable? I wonder if you’ll end up on a dining table or buried six feet under.”
Just as he was about to shut the door, he heard Li Ru leisurely say, “You know, Wen He, aren’t you just falling for the classic baiting tactic yourself? Why use it on others?”
Jia Xu: “……”
He pondered for a moment about what Qiao Yan had said before he left Liangzhou for Chang’an, questioning whether he dared to act, and her grandiose plans of lying flat after pulling off a big score—it really did feel a lot like her baiting tactic.
But the task was already completed, so revisiting these petty grievances seemed pointless.
Rather than fret over Qiao Yan’s sneaky tactics, it might be better to bury another person in a pit!
Thus began a course in the art of thick black strategy for Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting.
As lessons commenced, there were even real-life cases in front of them demonstrating the duel of wits.
This was bound to be more thrilling than classes inside the academy.
Who could say this wasn’t farming?
The day after sending off Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao to Shangjun, Qiao Yan returned to Bingzhou Prefectural Capital Jinyang.
There, she received a rather peculiar message.
River North County Prefect Wang Kuang had issued an official document.
In essence, the document condemned Qiao Yan for her trickery against Yuan Shao during the campaign against Dong Zhuo back in the day, saying it was utterly contrary to justice and went against the spirit of fighting a common enemy.
If one were to put it bluntly, this was nothing but a petty scheme by a small person!
Whether others would be angry upon receiving this document was up for debate, but Qiao Yan certainly wasn’t miffed by what seemed like the antics of a clown.
Upon delivering the heavily accusatory document to Xi Zhicai, she even found Wang Kuang’s antics somewhat amusing.
Qiao Yan remarked, “His intentions are just a bit too obvious.”
In light of her recent victory in Chang’an, even Jing Province’s Liu Biao, Yizhou’s Liu Yan, and the always pompous Yuan Shu dared not challenge her; yet here was Wang Kuang from some tiny county, boldly trying to throw down the gauntlet against her?
Was he not afraid that Qiao Yan might send troops to settle scores with River North County?
Of course, he was afraid!
But—
“Wang Taishou didn’t even consider the situation in River North County,” commented Xi Zhicai.
Qiao Yan scoffed, “If he were to lay it out candidly and say he’s standing with Yuan Shao, taking that side, I might even hold him in some regard.”
“Or if he outright admitted he wasn’t cut out to govern a county and wanted to go to Ye City and be a civil servant, it would show he had some sense of reality. But instead, he throws this nonsense my way—what is that supposed to be?”
If she were genuinely enraged by Wang Kuang’s document and sought to take down River North County, it would merely be a matter of crushing him without breaking a sweat.
Sure, River North County borders Ji Province, but Yuan Shao could only protect half of it since places like Dangyin and Chaoge were too close to Ye City.
The western half of River North County couldn’t stop her from pushing through the Fen Shui River Valley and invading River East County.
This didn’t just hinge on how many troops were stationed in River North itself.
Just look at Wang Kuang’s conduct three years ago during the selection for the Liaodong General and how he forced people like Chang Lin into Bingzhou to assert his authority—this tells you what kind of person he was.
He couldn’t even win over the hearts of the people in his county, and he’s talking about opposing Qiao Yan?!
Wang Kuang’s scheme, as it appeared, was merely to pack up and flee to Ye City as soon as Qiao Yan sent troops in response.
On paper, he’d be saying he was seeking justice for Yuan Shao against Qiao Yan’s reprimand, which would make it hard for Yuan Shao to just give him a minor position.
This was way safer than sticking around River North County.
If Qiao Yan thought Wang Kuang had mastered the rules of the game nicely, it would be fitting, considering his past with Xu You and Chen Lin.
It’s just a pity…
Xi Zhicai set the document aside and replied, “Too bad his plan is going to fall through; the lord isn’t looking to take River North County anytime soon or intimidate Ye City. He’s just making a fool of himself!”
But allowing this fellow to bounce around, while he was likely panicking after issuing that document, couldn’t help but leave Qiao Yan a bit unsatisfied.
Fortunately, it was at this moment that she received news of Wei Ji’s visit.
Xi Zhicai, somewhat sentimentally, remarked, “Here comes the counterpoint to Wang Kuang. This one knows how to pick the right time for a visit.”
Qiao Yan smiled, “After all, there are more intelligent people in this world.”
Wei Ji…
Even back when she was clearing out the Baipo Bandits, it was clear Wei Ji had the foresight to ask for help in times of chaos—he could truly be seen as someone with vision.
And today was no exception.
He had come under the pretense of visiting his little brother at Leping Academy, but in reality, he came representing the noble family of River East.
Long before Qiao Yan set off to conquer Liangzhou, the noble family of River East had already pledged their support to her.
At that time, they were pressuring the relatively weaker River East Prefect Wang Yi and had effectively managed to seize most of the county’s finances and taxes for her.
Especially so, they conceded the rights over the salt lakes within River East to her, which was tantamount to sending her military supplies.
It’s no wonder the noble family made such a choice.
River East County and Bingzhou, which she governed, were both north of the Yellow River, connected through the Fen Shui River Valley.
All the folks moving from Luoyang and River North County to Bingzhou had to pass through River East County, and at one point, Qiao Yan’s military had been stationed there as she moved to Luoyang.
Because of this, they had a clear understanding of the strength of this Bingzhou Prefect.
Even if Luoyang had its ruler, under the separation of the Yellow River, the capital’s guards would have a tough time managing River East, especially since it currently lacked leadership.
Following the earlier gestures of goodwill, Qiao Yan’s victory in Liangzhou and her troops marching into Chang’an was certainly good news for the noble family of River East.
Moreover, word had spread to River East about Qiao Yan’s intent to woo Liu Yu into power, and after judging Liu Yu’s character, they became even more certain—
If everything went smoothly and Qiao Yan managed to resolve Yuan Shao, she could hold onto her wealth and power in Bingzhou for several decades.
This power dynamic was a different game compared to being a royal relative granted military authority by the Son of Heaven.
With examples like He Jin and Dong Zhuo, as long as Qiao Yan didn’t turn to foolishness, she wouldn’t easily relinquish her military power.
This was enough to ensure River East remained safe under her protection.
And what they offered her was merely some food supplies for the army and a salt lake.
As for whether anyone would mess it up…
It was like how Dong Zhuo was rational and decisive while in Liangzhou, but got corrupted by power once in Luoyang. There’s really no telling how anyone might react.
But then again, for the noble family of River East, buying any benefits from Qiao Yan and Yuan Shao was hardly a challenge.
Especially given that Qiao Yan was just eighteen!
Just her age, combined with her military and political skills that allowed her to navigate the court and battlefield, was enough to give her another edge.
Because of this decision, upon hearing that Qiao Yan returned to Bingzhou and supposedly had tidied up all her loose ends, the noble family of River East chose Wei Ji, the one with the best relations with Bingzhou, to act as their representative.
This striking young man, still managing to impress all with his aura, bowed slightly to Qiao Yan and said
“First, let me congratulate you, my lord. You’ve eradicated that scoundrel Dong at Chang’an, which is a promising sign for the revival of the Han Dynasty.”
Now that we’ve secured the three counties in Guanzhong, when do you intend to reclaim the remaining four?”
Seemingly afraid of being misunderstood as pushing for a swift military advance, he added, “Remember the day the people of Luoyang crossed the Yellow River? You and I stood by the riverbank, and you pointed at the floating bridge, saying it was a matter of public sentiment in Leping. Today, the same goes for the people of Hedong.”
Hearing Wei Ji suddenly bring up this old episode, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but chuckle, “The people of Hedong can hardly enjoy a peaceful life now, is the county really calm?”
Wei Ji replied, “My lord, why play coy with me at such a time?”
It’s clear what he was hinting at regarding which Leping he was referring to.
Thinking of the news that prompted him to rush to Bingzhou, Wei Ji felt increasingly confident.
Xi Zhicai had mentioned that Wei Ji was acting as a comparison group to Wang Kuang, and he wasn’t wrong.
The noble families in Hedong were practically jumping for joy hearing about Wang Kuang’s actions.
While they share the surname Wang, their Hedong governor had little presence and was easily dominated compared to that more flamboyant Wang Kuang from Henei.
But being flashy had its perks.
In defending Yuan Shao over the grain borrowing incident, offending Qiao Yan only made them look sensible in contrast!
Truly, such good-natured people are rare in this world!
Wei Ji’s gaze swept over the bamboo slips on the table.
With the increasing issuance of Leping Marquis’ paper, most officials, even outside of Bingzhou, have already shifted from bamboo slips.
But since Wang Kuang was expressing dissatisfaction with Qiao Yan, he couldn’t use Leping Marquis’ paper and opted for bamboo slips instead.
This unique form of correspondence allowed Wei Ji, even without seeing the contents of the slips, to confirm that this was definitely a denunciation document from Governor Wang.
With an increasingly composed demeanor, he stated, “The noble families in Hedong are delighted about your taking of Guanzhong and are willing to extend food and drink to the Bingzhou army.”
The implied message was clear: they had made their stance known and needed a definitive response from Qiao Yan.
“As for entering Hedong, there’s no hurry,” Qiao Yan waved her hand. “But I intend to recommend a new Hedong governor once Liu Youzhou enters Guanzhong. What do you think?”
When Wei Ji heard the first part, he tensed, but eased at the latter, “Who might you have in mind, my lord?”
Qiao Yan replied, “During the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, there was a system supervisor known for his strict and incorruptible enforcement of the law, named Zhuge Feng. His descendant resides in Langya and has two brothers: the elder Zhuge Gui, who was the county magistrate of Taishan in Yanzhou but unfortunately passed away early, and the younger Zhuge Xuan, who was a former official of Liu Biao. He, along with his late brother’s descendants, have come to Bingzhou.”
“I believe Zhuge Xuan has the legacy of his ancestors and is quite deserving of the Hedong governor position.”
Zhuge Xuan?
Wei Ji had initially hoped Qiao Yan would send one of her trusted aides to strengthen ties between them and Bingzhou.
Shooting a blank at hearing the relatively unfamiliar name, he froze for a moment.
But once he pondered her meaning, Wei Ji had to concede that Zhuge Xuan was indeed a fitting choice.
Wei Ji had no idea about Qiao Yan’s goals and true intentions.
Yet, even if just to avoid overshadowing her master with a brilliant subordinate, recommending someone with minimal connections to her in Hedong made sense.
Moreover, Zhuge Xuan’s ancestor had been a system supervisor, whose dismissal for being too righteous served to add a good tale to this venture.
Considering who Zhuge Xuan’s relatives were only made it clearer.
Wei Ji’s younger brother was also at Leping Academy.
In previous correspondence between Bingzhou and Hedong, Zhuge Liang’s name had come up, noting that he was favored for his invention of a cotton seed separation machine, indicating he was being groomed as a key talent among the second generation of subordinates.
So it was easy to see where Zhuge Xuan’s loyalties might lie, being Zhuge Liang’s uncle.
Regarding his appointment as a response to the noble families in Hedong, that would suffice!
Feeling assured, Wei Ji listened as Qiao Yan then said, “Besides, I have two more tasks I’d like to entrust to you.”
Wei Ji replied, “Please, speak freely, my lord.”
Qiao Yan took her time and said, “First, I need you to gradually take in the people from Henei County into Hedong.”
Many folks in Henei wanted nothing more than peaceful lives, but due to the Taihang Mountains blocking the way, few managed to make the long trek across the Fen River Valley to Taiyuan; many gave up for various reasons.
If we can directly draw people into Hedong, it should work.
Meanwhile, Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei, was scheming to lure her into battle with the intention of finding a way to directly take up a post in Ye City. But Qiao Yan was not going to grant him that wish!
The fewer households in Henei, the more dangerous Wang Kuang’s position became. Let him savor that feeling.
Since the noble families in Hedong wanted to show their loyalty to her, they should be willing to provide some farmland and financial resources to settle these households.
This is an expense they can tolerate.
Wei Ji quickly agreed.
“Secondly, I would like to trouble you to visit Hongnong and pay a visit to Zhang Boying and Zhang Wenshi on my behalf.”
Zhang Boying and Zhang Wenshi were the two sons of Zhang Huan of Liangzhou, Zhang Zhi and Zhang Chang, both talents previously recommended to Qiao Yan by Jia Xu due to a shortage of personnel.
These two were masters of cursive script, with the former earning the title ‘Sage of Cursive.’
It’s no wonder Qiao Yan wanted Wei Ji to make the trip.
Wei Ji was not just handsome, and with a high emotional intelligence, but his calligraphy was a true legacy of the Wei family in Hedong, so praise such as “excels in ancient writing, bird seal, clerical, and cursive” suited him perfectly.
By this, his cursive was solid, and he even uniquely created a style known as “slender cursive with emphasis on sinew and bone,” so visiting Zhang Zhi was quite the fitting endeavor.
To lure scholarly figures to Leping, it was essential to utilize the names of Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan, so naturally, bringing a calligraphy master along was necessary.
Originally, Cai Yong would have been a good choice, but given how eager the noble families in Hedong were to find their footing, they should be given an opportunity to shine.
Wei Ji also happily took on this second commission.
As he hurried back to Hedong from Bingzhou, he nearly ran into Mi Zhu’s caravan arriving in Bingzhou.
However, since Mi Zhu was making a secret visit, there were no markings indicating he was part of the Donghai Mi Clan, so Wei Ji didn’t recognize the merchant group.
He could only admire the bustling trade in Bingzhou, thinking how different it was from the past.
Unbeknownst to Mi Zhu, he had arrived in Bingzhou just after Wei Ji’s visit, once again benefiting from a fortunate coincidence when he encountered Qiao Yan in a good mood.
But whether Qiao Yan was in a good mood was of little importance; when he reached Jinyang, all his attention was captured by the cotton fabric in front of him.
Lu Yuan had sent him samples of cotton fabric along with news of Princess Yang’an’s visit to Ye City for a cotton demonstration, but one couldn’t truly grasp its uniqueness without trying on such clothing firsthand.
For modern people, cotton fabric is quite common, but for the natives of Han, it is thoroughly astonishing.
“Plant material reduces hives compared to animal hides, and cotton offers better warmth than linen, especially in this cotton-padded jacket…” Mi Zhu murmured.
When Qiao Yan met Mi Zhu, this future head of Donghai Mi Clan had always been exceptionally composed; today, however, he was unusually distracted.
Mi Zhu stroked the cotton-padded jacket in his hands before turning his attention back to the cotton fabric.
The warm effect of the cotton-filled jacket hardly needed Qiao Yan to elaborate, but to truly elevate its value and create a rarity, it was the cotton fabric that mattered more.
He struggled to pull his gaze away from the fabric and looked at Qiao Yan, asking, “My lord, do you truly wish to entrust this item to the Donghai Mi Clan?”
In this day and age, while merchants had wealth, money meant little when scoundrels like Dong Zhuo could mint their own coins; true value lay in military might.
That’s why Mi Zhu preferred to offer more funds after choosing to invest in Qiao Yan’s potential venture, rather than merely settling for the returns offered by her.
In retrospect, he had a sharp eye for talent.
In the past, Qiao Yan hadn’t yet become the governor of Bingzhou and had been under house arrest in Leping for two years due to the incident involving the arrows and the governor. She had just been released.
But today, she was a force able to stir up the winds and clouds across Liang and Bing provinces, even in Guanzhong.
There was now a palpable presence of authority in her tone, yet there was also a touch of nostalgia as she said, “Once I give my word, I shall follow through; why must you ask so insistently?”
Having said that, she gestured for him to follow.
Mi Zhu followed in her footsteps and soon found several boxes of cotton fabric in the Bingzhou treasury.
Qiao Yan patted the fabric, saying, “After this year’s harvest, this is all that remains for making cotton clothing. How to market it, how to properly utilize Princess Yang’an’s name, and how to explain your connection with me in Bingzhou, depends on your skills.”
From Mi Zhu’s perspective, there was certainly a considerable amount!
He confidently replied, “If I can’t manage those matters, then the Donghai Mi Clan truly doesn’t deserve to be called a prominent trading family.”
“Alright, then do as you see fit.”
Qiao Yan closed the box cover and continued, “From the sales of the cotton clothing, Bingzhou will only take sixty percent, and I won’t take any extra gains from the rarity, but I need you to pledge a promise, Mi Zhu.”
The box cover snapped shut, producing a metallic sound.
Mi Zhu jumped slightly, meeting Qiao Yan’s more piercing gaze as she turned back to him.
Although the Donghai Mi Clan had chosen Bingzhou as a fallback route, for merchants, forming numerous alliances was key to survival.
As long as he didn’t alter his way of addressing her, it meant he could still navigate the situation.
If he had to speak, it would only mean that Qiao Yan offered him the highest stakes and the gifts were weighed with utmost consideration.
At that moment, however, he heard Qiao Yan’s serious voice, “I have the confidence to say, if one wishes to restore order to the world and regain the might of the Han dynasty, among all the heroes across the realm, who could rival me, Qiao Yan, then—”
“Do you dare to act as my subordinate?”
Having taken nearly three provinces, what she needed was no longer a trading ally, but a precise subordinate.
This was a position she couldn’t afford to back down from!
