“Can’t strategists ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 230: Chang’an, January
Liu Yan had ambitions, but he was also somewhat self-aware.
His previous title of Grand Marshal was mostly because Liu Yu from Youzhou wasn’t doing what Dong Zhuo wanted. Dong Zhuo needed to show he cared about the Han dynasty’s royal family, so he gave Liu Yan this title.
But if you dig deeper, Dong Zhuo’s territory was probably smaller than Liu Yan’s own Yizhou.
If it weren’t for those old officials believing Liu Xie was the legitimate emperor and Qiao Yan trying to take back Chang’an from outside, Liu Xie’s title might not have been so firmly recognized, and the weight of Liu Yan’s Grand Marshal title would be halved.
However, after the Chang’an court was reestablished, if they were willing to give Liu Yan a high position, like the Grand General mentioned in the news—
That would be a whole different story!
The Chang’an court had taken control of three provinces, giving it a real sense of power compared to Dong Zhuo.
Ye City still had Ji and Qingzhou, and now it even had Gongsun Zan as an attached ally, also controlling three provinces.
But these three provinces weren’t the same as those three!
Liu Yan hoped for a clash between the two “three provinces” so he could profit from being in the emperor’s favor, while also knowing it wasn’t the time to offend Qiao Yan. If Chang’an were to grant him a title, he should graciously accept it.
The Grand General title would be even better!
This meant either Liu Xie, the new emperor, was wary of Qiao Yan, or Chang’an had reached a clear consensus on valuing Liu Yan as the Governor of Yizhou.
Regardless of which it was, it was good news for Liu Yan.
For selfish reasons, Liu Yan definitely preferred the former.
The relationship between the power brokers and emperors during the Han always danced on a razor’s edge, and few power brokers met a peaceful end, especially now when one was a young power broker and the other an older emperor—this combo was practically unheard of.
Liu Yan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bound to happen.
Compared to being warned of impending disaster by Madam Lu, the odds of chaos on the Chang’an side seemed much higher.
But it wasn’t the time to worry about that. He should focus on welcoming the envoy sent to confer titles.
As Li Ru predicted, Liu Yan wasn’t foolish enough to reveal his ambitions in front of the envoy.
He had already resolved to present a dignified image in front of the envoy.
So, he had sent messages to the governors of Qianwei, Yuexi, and Zangke in southern Yizhou, instructing them to ensure the southern barbarians didn’t stir up any trouble soon, while he made sure to hide any ostentatious displays from his entourage.
He didn’t know that his conversation with Dong Fu about “the emperor’s aura in Yizhou” had reached Qiao Yan through gossip, who then reported it to Li Ru. However, he didn’t let his guard down.
When the envoy from Hanzhong arrived, he put on a proper Governor’s facade.
Li Ru observed Liu Yan’s every move.
This Governor of Yizhou was much cleverer than the all-powerful Dong Zhuo.
When he welcomed the envoy into Chengdu, he displayed his governor’s authority while also showing goodwill toward the Chang’an court.
During the conversation, Liu Yan mentioned that back when Dong Zhuo occupied Chang’an at the end of the last year, the personnel officer Jia Long and the governor Ren Qi had claimed to be generals and gathered thousands to attack him in Qianwei, aiming to seize Yizhou and ally with Dong Zhuo to conquer him.
Now that Chang’an was establishing a sense of order, he figured there wouldn’t be nearly as much chaos on his end.
At his age, all he needed was to guard this border territory for the Han.
As evening had fallen, Qi Zhou and others followed Liu Yan’s arrangements to settle in and rest. In a few days, he would gather everyone summoned for the Grand General conferment.
“This Governor of Yizhou doesn’t seem as arrogant as I thought,” Qi Zhou remarked to “Li Meng” after entering the relay station.
Although he felt that the one Qiao Yan had sent along with him seemed a bit untrustworthy, he still had to make small talk since they might end up as colleagues.
Initially, Qi Zhou thought Liu Yan, who was the first to suggest reviving the Provincial Governor System, would be some kind of ruthless character, perhaps making them feel the heat when receiving the title.
But Liu Yan seemed to fit his impression of the Yizhou land quite well.
It was still winter, with no flowers blooming, but it was a lot warmer than Chang’an, let alone the cold regions of Youzhou.
Liu Yan seemed to be quite kind and approachable.
“Li Meng” replied vaguely, “Can’t argue with that.”
As for whether this judgment was mistaken, it had nothing to do with him, a visitor to Yizhou.
Not to mention the back-and-forth between Li Ru and Liu Yan in front of Qi Zhou, after Xun Yue responded to the call to enter the court and Cui Jun arrived from Bingzhou, Qiao Yan’s proposed adjustments to the laws and the preparatory work for farming, along with recruitment at Hongwen Hall, were all in full swing.
When spring plowing season came around, the people of the three provinces were busy; however, before that, it was the officials who had their hands full.
Most officials in the Chang’an court only knew that Qiao Yan was skilled at military affairs, and very few had collaborated with her on administrative matters.
Now, they were getting a firsthand experience of her capabilities.
How should one describe this Qiao Hou…
As the atmosphere of January in Chang’an lingered, she was already showcasing an attitude of “there are talents to be unearthed, and time can always be squeezed in,” continuously allocating human and time resources into her three-pronged approach.
This mindset towards mobilizing capable individuals for work led Sima Fang, who had previously visited her after greeting the emperor, to send his eldest son Sima Lang to work under the Grand Minister within five days.
However, the current situation might be more accurately described as five lines running parallel.
Ma Jun, stationed in Bingzhou, had already begun researching the Divine Bow according to Qiao Yan’s letter.
Qiao Yan’s idea was that since everyone was aware of the crossbow’s existence, it would severely diminish her advantages with such a hard-to-move weapon.
So she couldn’t remain stagnant.
If a solid platform had been raised, shouldn’t they shift towards agile shooting?
On the other hand, Leping Academy in Bingzhou was reopening after the winter break, continuing Qiao Yan’s decade-long talent cultivation.
They also began cultural outreach through Leping Monthly Report.
This remarkable efficiency left Wang Yun, Huang Wan, and others understanding why the Bingzhou army could swiftly enter Liangzhou and the central plains, ultimately achieving the result of pacifying Chang’an.
Yet, at the same time, the actions of officials hailing from Bingzhou regarding health and wellness were also breathtaking.
Among them…
The typical representative of this is none other than Cheng Yu, who holds the position of Grand Minister of Agriculture.
Qiao Yan also pushed for this to prevent some people from having multiple jobs and working themselves sick before spring even arrives.
Hua Tuo, our renowned physician, for now cannot make the leap from Bingzhou to Chang’an to conduct regular check-ups for these officials.
This clearly conflicts with Hua Tuo’s medical aspirations.
However, since he arrived in Leping over a year ago and started organizing works like the “Emergency Remedies” at Qiao Yan’s suggestion, there’s been some progress.
While it can’t yet be compared to the original “Zhouhou Beiji Fang,” it does provide a solid foundation for managing common ailments in everyday life, preventing diseases, and improving health.
Shortly after, he got it all neatly written up and handed a copy to every official in the Greater Zhong region.
When Xun Yue received his copy, he shot a glance at Xun Yu, who delivered it, looking utterly speechless for a moment.
Xun Yue and Xun You have a similar appearance; he’s not much for talking, which is why he had gone into seclusion before. Now that he’s been invited by Qiao Yan to Chang’an, it wasn’t really due to Qiao’s plans for laws and people’s livelihood; it was more because both Xun Shuang and Xun Yu had vouched for Qiao Yan’s actions.
However, this calm and handsome Xun scion is starting to doubt whether their family’s three generations all have a proper grasp of Qiao Yan.
But with the situation as it is, and the people’s lives in the state they’re in, if Xun Yue had to say something, he’d prefer to do more than sit back and complain, which is a huge improvement over the days when eunuchs ran the show and scholars had no way out.
He couldn’t help but tease Xun Yu, saying, “Now I finally get why you were so eager for me to come.”
Because Qiao Yan has too many ideas and is so proactive, to get them all implemented, she needs to find more people to fill the gaps.
Chen Qun shares the same thought.
The “Three Lords” reputation of the Chen clan belongs to his grandfather, father, and uncle, not him.
Setting laws sounds simple but is quite tedious; since it involves rewards and punishments, it’s best handled by someone close to the emperor. And now, here he is, thrown into the mix.
This makes him wonder if his dad really knows how capable he is—did he just sell him out?
Unfortunately, this line of inquiry wouldn’t be wise to bring up with Chen Ji, and Chen Qun could only mutter to himself a few comments while working.
Besides, looking around at the flourishing scene in Chang’an, even those with real skills feel nothing but joy amid all their busy work.
Moreover, Qiao Yan’s arrangements mostly focus on adults, save for a few exceptions.
For example, among Leping’s promising youngsters watching the Emperor’s ascension ceremony, Zhuge Liang, who had a mentor-mentee relationship with Xun Yu, received permission from Qiao Yan to tour the preparations for agricultural projects in Chang’an and joined in for a few days.
However, despite Qiao Yan noticing his potential in the field, she didn’t plan to have him start with hands-on work. Instead, she tossed him over to Hongwen Hall just to sit in on debates and showcases from various scholars.
Gaining insight is great, but he doesn’t need to jump into work just yet.
In a few days, she’ll have him return to Leping to continue his studies.
After all, most scholars from various factions are only minor players in the grand scheme, and given the current status, Qiao Yan doesn’t find herself really scraping the bottom of the barrel for manpower.
What she truly lacks are technical talents.
In most people’s eyes, those like Ma Jun and Bi Lan are certainly not the most industrious types.
But Qiao Yan believes that to excel in any craft, one must first wield the right tools, and she knows well the transformative power these talents can have.
Sadly, the ones she can record and uncover are few and far between.
She can only hope that with the progress in mathematics in Leping, Ma Jun will cultivate more talented students to temporarily relieve her urgent needs.
But even that isn’t enough.
Calculation doesn’t equate to innovation, so she also needs to keep seeking out potential by incentivizing the creators.
With that thought in mind, she can’t help but glance over at Huang Yueying.
When will that girl finally finish her studies?
Right now, because Qiao Yan intends to expand the number of Leping Monthly Reports sent to the Greater Zhong region, Zhaoji’s hands are tied, so Huang Yueying is still here lending a hand.
Perhaps due to the focused energy she’s putting in, she hasn’t noticed the hopeful glance Qiao Yan cast her way.
Alas, there’s no such thing as a time machine, so Qiao Yan can only wait for them to grow up in their own time.
Just then, Cai Zhaoji suddenly spoke up, breaking Qiao Yan’s reverie.
She asked, “By the way, did the lord send any New Year gifts to the court in Ye City this year?”
Lu Lingju was also present, busy organizing the monthly report with Huang Yueying, and couldn’t resist popping her head in at such juicy gossip.
After all, such questions are typically just about someone else’s mishaps, not the lord’s own business.
So it wasn’t an inappropriate thing to do. In fact… it could even be seen as learning from the lord to replicate her methods of dealing with rivals.
Qiao Yan snapped back to reality and replied, “Of course I sent something, but it can’t really be called a New Year gift.”
Previously, she had to send a New Year gift to Liu Bian, which amounted to a public declaration—
Among Liu Hong’s two sons, she chose Liu Xie. But for Liu Bian, honoring him as the King of Hongnong still left part of her with a sense of respect and regard.
However, this year, due to the changing times, she put Liu Yu on the throne to ensure stability in people’s lives in Liu Xie’s absence.
Because of this decision, she further regarded Ye City as a false court.
In this scenario, she certainly wasn’t suitable to maintain a tenuous connection with the King of Hongnong, in case that respect became a cause for blame among people in Chang’an.
She has always been quite meticulous.
After all, the Son of Heaven she currently reveres, if you had to trace any blood ties back to Liu Xie or Liu Bian, it really stretches the imagination.
The Han dynasty has developed a huge family tree over its 400 years, with many clan members like Liu Yan, who, had he not been powerful and significant, would likely be just another hardly recognizable figure among the Han royal house.
She continued, “If we’re calling it a New Year gift, it would be better to say it’s a declaration of war.”
“The King of Hongnong being a descendant of Emperor Xiaoling, and the Han royal clan being the legitimate line, with your majesty’s kindness, he surely won’t be completely eradicated. So, this New Year gift merely expresses that he will one day become our defeated foe and a part of our ranks.”
“Also, with the former emperor having entrusted me with the task of clearing the emperor’s side, I suppose I consider the King of Hongnong half family…”
As Qiao Yan said this, she fished a bronze coin out from her waist pouch.
This coin didn’t have the usual square shape of the five-cun coin, nor did it boast the “five-cun” inscription; instead, it was adorned with a design featuring Chang’an City and the Qinling Mountains. It was this year’s Victory Coin.
“I sent him one of these and a collection of Leping Monthly Reports.”
