Chapter 267

Chapter 267

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 8: Chang’an Wine Debate, Autumn Changes Chapter 267: Useless Harvest

The book it belongs to:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 267: Useless Harvest

Yuan Xi’s appearance is truly too unique!

Even Zhang He, who had a few exchanges with him, almost failed to recognize him.

You should know, although this second son of the Yuan family is not as noticed as his elder and younger brothers, being stuck in the middle in an awkward state, at least when he left Ye City with Ju Shou and Gao Gan, even though his attire was simple to disguise his identity, his demeanor still resembled that of a noble young master.

But now… even without the dust from traveling, he somewhat looks like a country bumpkin coming to Ye City for the market.

The contrast is indeed striking.

But if Yuan Xi himself were to explain, this change in demeanor was a necessary move.

To prevent being defined by so-called great talent, he had no choice but to appear in such a manner; otherwise, “Yuan Xi” would be recognized as Yuan Xi and detained in Chang’an.

As for the mule and the cotton bag…

Well, no matter how ugly they look, practicality is what matters.

Yuan Xi, on his trip to Chang’an, had already learned this truth on his own.

“Junyi, why look at me like that? I haven’t changed my face, have I?”

Yuan Xi spoke while touching his face, feeling that there hadn’t been any earth-shattering changes.

From others’ perspectives, his face hadn’t changed, but at first glance, it was quite bewildering, as if he had taken the wrong medicine.

Fortunately, Zhang He found a reasonable explanation for what he saw, thinking it was a sign of the hardships Yuan Xi faced on his trip to Chang’an, and quickly dismissed the clueless guards looking their way, leading Yuan Xi to see Yuan Shao.

But for Zhang He, a general, this image compared to Yuan Xi’s earlier appearance was just slightly shocking; for Yuan Shao, the father, it was a fright.

He looked at the mule that had appeared before him thanks to Zhang He’s guidance, then slowly shifted his gaze to Yuan Xi’s face and attire, his lips twitching slightly, “You… did you escape from a disaster?”

Is the capital really such a dangerous place?

Yuan Shao couldn’t help but ponder, considering whether sending this son to the capital was the worst decision he had ever made.

Such a short trip had made him lose his mind!

Only seeing Yuan Xi’s joyful expression, as if he had truly gained something there, did Yuan Shao temporarily dismiss the idea of calling a doctor to check on Yuan Xi.

He first waved his hand to dismiss Zhang He, instructing him to ensure no one gossiped about Yuan Xi’s peculiar behavior, then sent someone to summon his strategists.

Between comforting his son and consulting on the situation, Yuan Shao decisively chose the latter.

And since the situation of this Chang’an trip was to be reported, everyone might as well listen.

Ju Shou, who arrived first, also instinctively looked at Yuan Xi and the mule beside him before turning to Yuan Shao.

What surprised him, as if the sun rose from the west, was that Yuan Shao, who always valued appearances, was actually smiling.

Ju Shou had a guess in his heart.

He cupped his hands towards Yuan Shao and said, “It seems I can congratulate you first, my lord?”

Yuan Shao replied, “It’s a bit early for congratulations, but your and Ziyuan’s earlier judgments were not wrong. Xianyi has informed me that Yuanhao indeed did not betray me, but was forced to serve the enemy due to unavoidable circumstances, even cutting off contact with subordinates in Bingzhou, making us almost think he was dead.”

“This time, Xianyi was able to return safely from Chang’an and bring back many things, all thanks to Yuanhao’s help.”

Yuan Shao’s joy made him less disdainful of Yuan Xi’s market-going appearance.

Tian Feng’s lack of betrayal, coupled with Ju Shou’s victory in Runan, made him quite proud of his subordinates’ loyalty and capabilities.

No matter how strong the Chang’an court was, wasn’t it first disrupted by Ju Shou’s miraculous descent in Runan, thwarting Qiao Yan’s plan to use Yuan Shu against him, and then infiltrated by Tian Feng, leaking Chang’an’s secrets?

How could he not be happy!

In this elated mood, Yuan Shao even thought, since this son risked his life to bring back intelligence, he didn’t let his other two sons come to hear about the gains of this trip, showing a rare act of impartiality.

When everyone had gathered, Yuan Shao raised his hand, signaling Yuan Xi to report the gains one by one.

“Other things are troublesome to explain, let’s just talk about what I brought back.” Yuan Xi thought about the speech he had prepared on his way back to Ye City and began to explain.

Seeing Yuan Shao nod, Yuan Xi continued, “First, paper.”

Yuan Xi took out old clothes from the box he carried back, used a short knife to cut open the seams between two layers of clothes, and pulled out dozens of sheets of paper.

These papers were clearly divided into three categories on the ground: bamboo paper, green sandalwood bark paper, and mulberry bark paper.

Due to the toughness of these papers, apart from the creases caused by the way they were carried, there was no damage from folding.

Most of those present were scholars, and almost without Yuan Xi’s explanation, they sensed the special qualities of these papers as they were unfolded one by one.

Yuan Xi explained, “When I arrived in Chang’an, it was just after the new road was completed. The road from the south gate of Chang’an to Guigong Palace was unbreakable by foot and untearable by knife. I don’t know what material it was made of, but it was on this road that these new types of paper were displayed.”

When Yuan Xi said the first half, everyone around showed a bit of confusion.

What does it mean for a road to be “unbreakable by foot and untearable by knife”?

Dirt is dirt, stone is stone, even if bricks and stones are mixed, they have their names. How could the material be unknown?

But they thought, given Yuan Xi’s situation, he had no need to start with an unreal gimmick to attract their attention; he only needed to truthfully report his gains.

So, was he telling the truth?

With this confusion, and unable to see the scene in Chang’an for themselves, everyone, including Yuan Shao, could only listen as Yuan Xi continued, “The raw materials of these three types of paper, like the previous Leping Marquis paper, have not been disclosed. Their uses are also different. The first type of paper is the coarsest and cheapest, the latter two have better ink retention, especially the last one, which, when written on, shows a faint glow on the surface, used by Qiao Bingzhou to befriend upper-class scholars.”

At this point, Yuan Xi handed the mulberry bark paper to Yuan Shao.

Although they were indoors, the thin layer of mulberry bark on the paper became increasingly visible as it approached Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao felt that unless he was blind, he couldn’t miss this special feature.

The beauty of this paper’s base color had an irreplaceable uniqueness for the face-conscious scholar class.

If Yuan Shao had to choose between this paper and so-called precious silk for writing, he would probably choose this paper.

But how was this paper produced?

What materials were used?

Yuan Xi seemed to notice the confusion on Yuan Shao’s face and replied, “In fact, many in Chang’an have tried to decipher the raw materials of this paper, but perhaps Qiao Bingzhou had anticipated this, specifically having other plant scents fumigated onto the already produced papers to interfere with others’ judgments. The true main materials of these three types of paper might have had their scents completely masked.”

“According to Yuanhao’s idea, rather than continuing to explore this in Chang’an, it’s better to return to a more fundamental situation. Many of those who produced the Leping Marquis paper in Bingzhou may no longer be in their original positions, and there should be quite a few who have recently gone to contact them. Father might as well gain something from this.”








“However… Mr. Yuan Hao hopes that father does not put the cart before the horse. Paper is merely a medium for recording information and cannot fundamentally alter the war situation at this time. If there is a genuine need for large quantities of paper, we can purchase the cheapest new paper from Bingzhou. Rather than focusing on paper, Mr. Yuan Hao hopes that father pays more attention to the information recorded on these papers.”

Yuan Xi then retrieved a few more items from the hidden layers of his clothing.

Seeing that his strategists had stepped forward due to the three new types of paper, Yuan Shao signaled Yuan Xi to hand the books over to Ju Shou and the others.

Yuan Xi pointed to the book in Ju Shou’s hand and said, “This is the method for increasing grain production in Bingzhou that Mr. Yuan Hao observed while infiltrating the agricultural tool production sites in Bingzhou. It only lacks the method for making fertilizer.”

Upon hearing the words “increase production,” not only Yuan Shao but even the usually composed Ju Shou couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise.

He quickly flipped through the book in his hands.

If they had previously thought that Bingzhou’s repeated improvements in paper were bad news for them, at this moment, it was undoubtedly a good thing.

Without such a medium for conveying information, Yuan Xi would have needed either dozens of bamboo scrolls or dozens of silk cloths to bring such information back to Ji Province. Neither method would have been as convenient or inconspicuous as the one he used now.

However, Yuan Shao noticed that after flipping through a few pages, Ju Shou’s expression gradually shifted from surprise to seriousness, eventually becoming a silent heaviness.

When Ju Shou roughly flipped to the last page of the book, he suddenly sighed deeply and gave a reply that Yuan Shao had never expected. “My lord, the contents of this book… we cannot use.”

Yuan Shao quickly asked, “Why is that? Is there some trickery involved?”

“No, on the contrary, the farming methods recorded in this book are very logical and can ensure the maximum efficiency of every piece of farmland. I believe that Yuan Hao entrusted this to Xian Yi to deliver to us because he has seen the practical application and theoretical basis align.”

As Ju Shou spoke, he glanced at Yuan Xi, who instinctively replied, “Not only Mr. Yuan Hao, but I have also seen it.”

Guo Jia’s walks with Yuan Xi around Chang’an had given him the confidence to corroborate Ju Shou and Tian Feng’s claims at this moment.

However, this response did not make the agricultural text he provided seem more valuable; instead, it further confirmed Ju Shou’s judgment.

Ju Shou said with a bitter smile, “My lord, Bingzhou has been able to achieve such astonishing yields with this farming method because they have gone through a process of reshaping rules and developing order for over five years from Bingzhou to Liangzhou and then to Sili. Tell me, if you were to implement this method, how would you do it?”

Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment before replying, “Have the Son of Heaven issue an order to standardize farming?”

As soon as he said this, he regretted it, realizing that Liu Bian, as the Son of Heaven, primarily served to unite a group of court officials under the legitimacy represented by imperial edicts, making Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and Youzhou obey Ye City’s commands. However, this did not mean that when the Son of Heaven proposed something from a political decree to a farming method, the common people under his rule would also comply.

Yuan Shao had not, like Qiao Yan, accumulated prestige in civil affairs through years of expansion, nor had he established a pattern of alternating military and civilian farmland. This led to—

Even if he suddenly obtained such a proven agricultural “holy book,” it would still be a piece of meat delivered to his mouth that he couldn’t directly bite into.

He couldn’t, or rather, didn’t have the conditions to do so!

If he rashly promoted it to all regions within Ji Province and Qingzhou, how would he explain that his proposed measures could indeed increase production?

Tell them that under the rule of the so-called false court in Chang’an, they are strictly enforcing such decrees, and with the help of these measures and special fertilizers, their yields have already reached three times ours, so we should learn from them?

If Yuan Shao really said that, wouldn’t it be the same as promoting Qiao Yan’s reputation!

Moreover, it would further damage his own prestige.

The people would inevitably ask, if that’s the case, why didn’t Yuan Shao come up with these beneficial methods for the people as early as Qiao Yan did?

Considering that he is more than twice Qiao Yan’s age, it would be quite embarrassing to be so far behind in long-term planning.

Ju Shou could see from Yuan Shao’s expression that he had made a decision, so he didn’t offer any words of dissuasion, only saying, “We have underestimated Qiao Bingzhou too much. Her early military achievements in Bingzhou overshadowed these foundational methods, leaving us to selectively catch up now. This book is not entirely useless; some of the farming tools and pest control medicines mentioned can still be quickly produced.”

Yuan Shao nodded.

What should have been a joyous occasion of obtaining a treasure turned into a heavy-hearted moment due to this analysis.

Despite Ju Shou’s final words of comfort, he couldn’t feel happy.

Perhaps the only thing he felt fortunate about was that the book was first handed to Ju Shou. If it had come to him first, and he had made a definitive judgment before Ju Shou offered a rebuttal, his face would have been even more embarrassed.

Qiao Yan… it’s all Qiao Yan’s fault!

Yuan Shao fumed inwardly, and when he turned around, he saw Yuan Xi carefully observing his expression. He scolded, “Why are you looking at me? Move on to the next item.”

Yuan Xi pointed to the “Emergency Medical Book” in Shen Pei’s hands and said, “This is a medical treasure compiled by Qiao Bingzhou, Hua Tuo, and Wu Pu. It is the latest revised edition, providing explanations for common diseases and treatments that ordinary people can perform, aiming to reduce casualties caused by diseases in rural areas.”

At first glance, this seemed like a good thing.

However, after flipping through a few pages, Shen Pei gave a judgment similar to Tian Feng’s on the agricultural book. “This item, while useful to my lord, is of limited value.”

“Copying this book and distributing it to various counties and villages, allowing people to hold it, could indeed help with medical consultations. However, the content is extensive, and producing at least a hundred copies would require significant manpower. If the copies are identical to those in Bingzhou, whose credit should it be attributed to?”

His words were harsh but true.

The copying itself would be a considerable task, and once handed over to village leaders, it would become another burden.

If they were still tied up with tax calculations and other miscellaneous tasks, this emergency medical book might not serve as a village clinic and could even lead to disputes among neighbors.

Rather than spreading it to the public, this book, in their current situation, seemed better suited to remain in the central government as a reference for medical officials.

Yuan Shao: “…”

Three new types of paper, two extraordinary books, and none of them could bring him any significant advantage. Instead, they seemed to repeatedly emphasize the growing gap between him and Qiao Yan.

He was so frustrated he could explode.

Yet, he couldn’t blame Tian Feng for having Yuan Xi bring these items back.

Tian Feng had risked his life to obtain these items, and criticizing him in Ye City would only demoralize his subordinates.

Yuan Shao couldn’t help but wonder if Tian Feng’s judgment was influenced by his half-year journey from Bingzhou to Chang’an, where he might have come to see some things common in Bingzhou and Sili as ordinary.

The thought of this possibility made Yuan Shao feel even more choked up.

He took a deep breath and barked at Yuan Xi, “Next item! Do I have to keep prompting you?”

Yuan Xi, clearly seeing Yuan Shao’s anger, knew he couldn’t present another seemingly useful but ultimately ineffective piece of information.

So, with a quick thought, he brought a mule before everyone.

“This… this could be useful for Ji Province! I tested its load-bearing capacity and endurance on the way back to Ji Province, and it’s truly impressive! Father, Bingzhou has crossbred donkeys and horses to create mules for military transport. Why don’t we try it too?”

This was entirely different from spreading agricultural and medical knowledge.

All it would take was a single order from father!