“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
To the owner of this voice, it seems Tao Qian really put in a lot of effort to stabilize Xuzhou.
With Guangling, Xia Pi, and Pengcheng able to turn over grain supplies at lightning speed, the people transformed from their chaotic state into “good citizens,” all thanks to his development of Buddhist beliefs in the region.
Ze Rong didn’t think he had done anything wrong by reaping a decent amount of wealth from this.
Tao Qian directed him to keep the people’s hearts under the control of the provincial government in those three commands. So, he treated the monks generously, spread the Buddhist teachings widely, and hosted grand banquets where everyone could eat and drink to their hearts’ content, all while following Tao Qian’s orders.
Figuring out how to let Buddhism take root and flourish here, getting people to align with his slogans and doctrines, wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
If not, these foolish folks would eventually stir up trouble instead of lounging around in a heavenly bliss, remaining the same clueless masses they always were.
They believed in the idea that being a Buddhist exempts them from labor service, yet voluntarily joined the construction team for the Buddhist stupas.
And after Guangling’s Buddhist temple gained prominence, it wasn’t just people from the three commands under his supervision that flocked to him, but also refugees from Langya and Donghai.
This made Ze Rong increasingly think he played a significant role in aiding Tao Qian.
So, accumulating wealth and indulging himself was more than reasonable!
But what irked Ze Rong was that Tao Qian seemed to have no intention of making him a significant official.
Guangling was a major command and bordered Yang Province, directly connected to Jiujiang, Danyang, and Wu Command in Yang Province. Only a formidable character should hold sway here, to guard against the likes of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu coming from the south.
For such a wealthy and strategically vital area, it should’ve been Ze Rong’s seat as the prefect.
However, when he sent someone to sniff around Tao Qian’s camp, he learned that not only did Tao Qian not intend for him to be the prefect of Guangling, but he was also favoring the young Lu Su.
Ze Rong had only worked for Tao Qian for just over a year, yet was already promoted to an administrative position in no time, and now seemed poised for an appointment. This was driving him crazy with envy!
He looked at the Buddhist followers coming and going around him.
These people regarded themselves as the backbone of this earthly paradise, unlike Tao Qian, who only saw him as an ordinary subordinate.
So, Ze Rong couldn’t help but voice his thoughts—if Tao Qian was “harsh” towards him, under the circumstance that he already held a sizable number of citizens as followers, was there a chance he could replace Tao Qian?
If he really wanted to usurp power, now was undoubtedly the best opportunity!
Tao Qian felt secure due to the ongoing disputes between north and south, and so did Ze Rong.
With everyone’s eyes not on Xuzhou, it was exactly the perfect time for him to act!
The confidants who heard him say this were naturally eager to follow Ze Rong in his ambitious plans; after all, those who stuck with him this far should share the same ambition.
However, the fellow wasn’t completely dense; he weighed his words and replied to Ze Rong, “Tao Gongzu isn’t Dong Zhongying.”
Tao Qian was certainly no Dong Zhuo.
His entrusted officers like Chen Deng, Zhao Yu, and Lu Su were governing Xuzhou in a manner that truly adhered to laws and the wellbeing of the people, preventing him from losing the favor of the masses like Dong Zhuo did.
While he planned to stay inactive, observing the world’s situation without making reckless moves, he was still in a different boat than Dong Zhuo, who had somewhat lost his nerve.
Moreover, Tao Qian’s wife came from a prominent family in Danyang and had some assets within Xuzhou, making it much easier for Tao Qian to garner support from the local powerful figures compared to Dong Zhuo in Chang’an.
With all these differences, if Ze Rong rashly provoked Tao Qian, seeking to replace him, it would not only fail to topple Tao Qian but would also cost him everything he currently had.
So if he truly wanted to harbor thoughts of usurping, he needed to secure more support, making sure his strike would hit home!
Only then could he turn what was once the Guangling Paradise into the land of joy known as Xuzhou!
He took a swig of wine, with greed dancing in his eyes, making him look less like a wise monk in his robes and more like a butcher.
Seeing his underlings anxiously awaiting his answer, he waved his hand, “You’re right, there’s no hurry on this. Tao Qian isn’t someone you can deal with easily.”
But now that Ze Rong entertained the thought of usurpation, he found Tao Qian’s recent antics increasingly irksome.
If he were in Tao Qian’s shoes, he would’ve seized the opportunity to take Wu Command while Sun Ce was advancing on Kuaiji Command in Yang Province, as Sun Ce, despite being a fierce tiger, was not invincible.
Just like his father Sun Jian had fallen into Liu Biao’s hands so disgracefully, Sun Ce could likewise be taken down by the people of Xuzhou.
Once that happened, the Xuzhou Governor would no longer be just a governor but also a powerful overlord of the Southeast.
How could he dawdle around like Tao Qian was doing now!
Ze Rong, with his lofty aspirations yet limited abilities, failed to consider how much effort it took for Sun Ce to rise from being nearly expelled by Liu Biao after his father’s d*ath to becoming today’s governor of Yang Province.
This breakthrough was certainly beyond the abilities of someone like him.
In short, faced with the very real possibility of Tao Qian appointing a young prefect to Guangling within the year, Ze Rong had made up his mind to take action.
Speaking of which, even Qiao Yan would have to commend him on being quick and decisive in such rebellious affairs.
Because Ze Rong quickly figured out who he could draw into his plans.
First and foremost, his followers.
These people believed in his Buddhist teachings, and sticking with him was simply about having enough to eat and living comfortably.
That was easy.
As Ze Rong still bore the responsibility of grain transportation, and since Tao Qian had no military plans lately, it meant he could skim off some grain during transport for his own uses without anyone noticing.
That was one loyal bunch!
The second opportunity lay with the people from Wu Command bordering Guangling.
Here, there were both bandit elements like Zu Lang and resentment among Wu Command’s aristocrats towards Sun Ce for killing their kin like Gao Dai Wang Sheng.
If Ze Rong was willing to lend them a helping hand, they’d likely be happy to support him in return.
However, Ze Rong was well aware that Sun Ce had already gained official recognition as the governor of Yang Province and had previously suppressed Wu Command’s elite by force, so this support would undoubtedly be limited, not enough to achieve any significant change.
Otherwise, they might get wiped out by Sun Ce’s counterattack before even receiving any benefits from Ze Rong!
In short, it was better than nothing.
Compared to this southern support, finding allies from the north seemed much more promising.
The northern allies Ze Rong considered weren’t the likes of Yuan Shao from Qingzhou, but rather some commands further north of Xuzhou.
Just like Lu Su, no matter how talented he was without recommendations, remained just a local big shot; there were plenty of other potential talents yet to be elevated to high positions, any of whom may be of use to him.
Moreover, since he was already daring to oppose Tao Qian, was it possible to also think about bringing in another group of forces not holding power under Tao Qian’s orders to rally around him?
“So you want to get friendly with the Mi family?” Bao Hong sized up Ze Rong as if trying to gauge the significance of such a friendship.
Ze Rong initially peppered him with questions about living here, chatted about Buddhism until Bao Hong’s head was spinning.
Thankfully, he understood the last bit—Ze Rong wanted to get to know the Mi family.
“Sure, the new head of the Mi family is quite impressive, and I sincerely admire his ability to manage his entourage. Unfortunately, as per the governor’s request, I can’t leave my post to visit him. Plus, I have several events for preaching doctrine and the Buddha Bath Festival coming up, so I can only invite the Mi family over…”
“I’ll take a trip to Guangling, and when the time comes, I’ll definitely roll out the red carpet and won’t let the Donghai Mi Clan lose out.” Ze Rong replied with an air of calm confidence.
The other ally he had chosen was indeed the Donghai Mi Clan.
Sure, Lu Su, who is currently trusted by Tao Qian, was recommended by Mi Zhu, but Ze Rong himself was just muddling through under Tao Qian. He couldn’t possibly miss that Mi Zhu was also just giving Tao Qian a half-hearted deal.
More than Tao Qian, Mi Zhu would probably prefer to deal with power players like Qiao Yan.
Since last October, Mi Zhu had started doing business with Bingzhou more frequently, claiming it was to make money from cotton clothing.
And that’s why Ze Rong chose him.
Mi Zhu might not think much of Ze Rong, but that didn’t matter.
All he really wanted was to find a sliver of opportunity between these different sides.
The more Mi Zhu thought it was just a friendship he was trying to establish, the less he realized Ze Rong’s ambitions ran much deeper.
But he couldn’t just bluntly approach Mi Zhu to avoid raising Tao Qian’s suspicions about any questionable intentions, so he had to beat around the bush a bit.
Since they didn’t have any particular friendship, he needed a suitable messenger.
He made people rummage through his Buddhist followers and, to his surprise, found a gem—
That gem was Bao Hong.
Over two years ago, following Qiao Yan’s instructions, Bao Hong had escorted Mi Zhu back to Xuzhou and was part of a protective force stationed there.
If anything went down in Xuzhou, the Donghai Mi Clan would need to shift towards Bingzhou, and Bao Hong would have to take on that guarding duty.
He still had some members of the Northern Army Five Divisions under his command, which made the force he led pretty darn formidable.
Sure, he was previously just tasked with delivering that imperial decree to Qiao Yan, but he was no mere delivery boy.
However, after getting to Xuzhou and having nothing to do for a while, Mi Zhu declared that Bao Hong had saved his life, and treated him differently than his usual guests. This led Bao Hong, driven by curiosity, to casually wander to Guangling, where he ended up in Ze Rong’s crew.
There was excitement to be had and plenty of good food and drink; it was too entertaining for words.
He thought everything was just fine until Ze Rong approached him.
To Ze Rong, Bao Hong’s past may be a mystery, but looking at his antics in Guangling, he was definitely someone worth getting to know.
In the realm of fun and games, Bao Hong was pretty decent, perhaps even a little greedy.
Since arriving in Guangling, he had only hung out with monks he clicked with, never thinking to listen to other voices.
He hadn’t a single thought about digging into Ze Rong’s background.
Such a seamless way of handling things wiped away any of Ze Rong’s initial doubts.
No way this guy was just sent to him strategically by someone else.
Ze Rong didn’t have that kind of significance in someone else’s scheme.
But how could Ze Rong know that Bao Hong’s attitude came straight from his time as a captain back in Luoyang?
Of course, he wasn’t calling himself Bao Hong anymore.
To avoid being recognized, he was now using a fake name—Bao Cheng—while posing as an esteemed guest of the Mi Clan.
When Ze Rong made that statement, Bao Hong instantly asked, “Wasn’t the Buddha Bathing Festival held on the eighth of April already?”
Ze Rong found himself stumped by Bao Hong’s response.
How did this guy manage to zero in on just “Buddha Bathing Festival” out of all that he said?
Is that the key point to focus on right now?
Ze Rong fell silent for a moment before replying, “With new believers on the rise, we need to reinforce their understanding of the doctrine and hold the festival again. The Buddha won’t hold it against us; it’s essential for spreading the faith.”
Bao Hong nodded, “That makes sense, but what does this have to do with the Mi Clan?”
Ze Rong explained, “The incense for the Buddhist festival, the materials for building temples, the printing of scriptures—these are all significant transactions. I wish to collaborate with the Donghai Mi Clan to perfect these preparations, showcasing my sincere response to the Buddha.”
He feared that if Bao Hong passed on this message to Mi Zhu, it would be trivialized into just a business matter, which would be a far cry from what Ze Rong intended.
So he thought better of it and added, “Also, I have a crucial deal to discuss with Mi Zhu, so please ensure he makes the trip personally.”
He emphasized that “crucial” part deliberately.
Initially, Bao Hong thought nothing of it, just passing a message from one food supplier to another.
However, as he walked back toward Donghai County, the more he mulled over Ze Rong’s words, the more strange they seemed.
Wait a second!
Was Ze Rong implying he wanted to poach subordinates from Qiao Yan?
Bao Hong instinctively stopped in his tracks.
What on earth did Ze Rong want with Mi Zhu? With his not-so-bright brain, he couldn’t figure it out, or he wouldn’t have thought of Guangling as a unique paradise for Buddhism.
Thankfully, he was smart enough to realize something.
He knew very well that his comfortable position and easy job were not due to the Buddha’s blessing, but because of Qiao Yan’s backing.
If he had to choose between this apparently omnipotent Buddha and Qiao Yan, he would definitely pick Qiao Yan.
In contrast, he couldn’t help but doubt—
Ze Rong was muddled! He really didn’t seem to be up to any good.
This wouldn’t do; he needed to give Qiao Yan a heads-up.
Bao Hong wasn’t the type to make things difficult for himself, so even though he couldn’t piece together the puzzle, he contemplated the festive vibes of the Buddha Bathing Festival as he smoothly sent information to the intelligence point Qiao Yan had left in Xuzhou, letting those pigeon wings flit off toward the Guanzhong area.
Once that was done, he strolled back to Donghai County and relayed Ze Rong’s message to Mi Zhu.
“There’s an important matter to discuss?” Mi Zhu repeated, puzzled, wondering if Ze Rong was trying to vie for the position of Taishou of Guangling.
But a few days later, upon receiving news, Qiao Yan dared not dismiss this matter as mere competition for the position.
Ze Rong was a clear threat and had ambitions far greater than his abilities.
As he developed his Buddhist community, he had not shied away from using underhanded means to amass wealth, making Xuzhou’s temples flourish like never before.
Moreover, historically, Ze Rong’s acts of betrayal were far more terrifying than Lü Bu’s.
When Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, Ze Rong completely ignored how much grain and supplies his reckless behavior had depleted from Tao Qian. As soon as he caught wind of Xuzhou’s troubles, he bolted, leaving Tao Qian high and dry.
After escaping to Zhao Yu’s side, he envied the wealth and killed Zhao Yu, plundering his goods before heading south to join Xue Li of Maling.
Xue Li ended up meeting a fate similar to Zhao Yu’s, and soon Zhu Hao of Yuzhang County suffered the same fate.
Zhu Hao’s d*ath enraged Liu Yao, the governor of Yang Province, prompting Ze Rong to flee into the mountains, only to be killed by his own men, putting an absurd and dramatic end to his series of murderous takeovers.
Even though all of this hadn’t happened yet, Qiao Yan in Chang’an wasn’t about to underestimate Ze Rong’s ambitions.
He cloaked himself in a guise of righteousness with religion, but he was undoubtedly a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Holding onto the letter, Qiao Yan stared at it for a while and felt she could make a bolder guess regarding Ze Rong’s goals.
Ze Rong was not after Guangling County at all; he was aiming for Xuzhou!
With that realization, she hurriedly penned a letter, sending it off toward Bingzhou.
In her original plan, Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting were supposed to officially start their duties in autumn, focusing on learning from Jia Xu and Li Ru beforehand. But now that Xuzhou seemed to be in flux, they could change things up.
Why not send the sisters over to Xuzhou first!
