“Can’t strategists ascend the throne?”
Chapter 271: Where to Begin
“The last time I passed through Chang’an, it was still winter,” Qiao Ting said, lifting the curtain of the carriage and peeking outside. What greeted her was no longer the wintry scene, but lush green fields filled with millet ready for harvest.
Of course, she wasn’t the same person as when she traveled with Li Ru to Yizhou; now she was dressed in men’s clothing.
At this moment, she wasn’t “Qiao Ting,” but rather appearing as a merchant as arranged by Qiao Yan.
To prevent the Yanzhou Qiao family from recognizing her and her sister, she needed to ditch the surname “Qiao” and keep “Lan” and “Ting” apart. Hence, they, as sisters, adopted “Huang” from the prominent surname in Shu, calling themselves Huang Yi and Huang Ting.
Even though there were no outsiders around, they had immersed themselves in their new identities, speaking in the official dialect of Yizhou.
Qiao Lan lacked Qiao Ting’s experience from the last journey, but oddly enough, as she watched her sister gazing outside with a look ready to leap into action, she felt surprisingly calm about the upcoming trip.
Especially since their destination, Xuzhou, didn’t appear to be a peaceful place.
Even so…
When they left Shangjun, neither Li Ru nor Jia Xu had given clear directions on what to expect or how to get involved in the developments in Xuzhou.
For them, Qiao Yan’s decision to send the two sisters to Xuzhou was a test, so there was no need to offer a standard demonstration on analyzing intelligence or creating disruptions, like when Li Ru led Qiao Ting to Yizhou.
The performance they showcased in this mission would serve as the basis for their mentors to judge who was better.
This cooperative yet competitive relationship brought a hint of determination to Qiao Lan’s usually gentle face.
However, her complexion had darkened a shade from earlier, thanks to her previous efforts among the cotton fields of Shangjun, and her eyebrows were deliberately painted thicker, making her appear more like a gentle-faced young man.
As the summer breeze blew through the open carriage window that Qiao Ting had opened, she closed her eyes. The wind brushed against her face, and names associated with Xuzhou floated in her mind.
From Tao Qian to Lu Su to Chen Deng, and even that Zhe Rong who had sparked Qiao Yan’s reaction.
Until she had seen these people with her own eyes, she wouldn’t pass a final judgment on any of them.
Maybe it was a good thing that Jia Xu and Li Ru hadn’t attempted to influence her.
In this state of mild tension without quite reaching anxiety, she reopened her eyes to the waves of wheat outside, replying, “This year, Guanzhong is sure to have a bumper harvest.”
For the newly established court in this location, this harvest was particularly significant, undoubtedly ensuring their capacity to make great strides in Xuzhou.
But before that, they needed to get a word from Qiao Yan.
Xuzhou was too far from Chang’an; the armies from Bingzhou and Liangzhou couldn’t just march all the way to Xuzhou, uniting with Yang Province, which theoretically recognized the Chang’an court as its primary authority.
In other words, Qiao Yan couldn’t directly control Xuzhou.
This indirect influence, combined with everyone in Xuzhou having their own agendas, could lead to unpredictable developments at any moment.
In an age where messages between Xuzhou and Chang’an couldn’t be swiftly communicated, they might not receive guidance from their two mentors, but they definitely needed to ascertain their minimum goal from Qiao Yan.
No matter how challenging that goal might prove to be, they would endeavor to accomplish it.
After all, the moment they decided to take charge of Qiao Yan’s intelligence network, they were no longer just her relatives, but also her subordinates.
“I don’t want you to meddle in the situation through lobbying. A merchant is a merchant, not a strategist; that’s my bottom line.”
When Qiao Yan replied, she discreetly assessed the attire and demeanor of her two sisters, as well as their composure when requesting meetings with the officials, silently praising them.
But no need to flatter them now.
Those heading out to accomplish great things ought to be held to high standards.
Of course, Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting couldn’t directly alter the thoughts of the people involved by analyzing the situation; if they did that today, tomorrow they’d risk revealing the entire intelligence network.
That was something Qiao Yan absolutely wanted to avoid.
At least until she had absolute advantage and territory, her methods of covert communications couldn’t be exposed.
Seeing Qiao Yan’s serious demeanor, the two sisters, aware of the gravity of the situation, nodded in agreement.
“Additionally, I expect you to achieve a target on this trip—”
Qiao Yan paused here, her face revealing a hint of contemplation.
Qiao Lan initially thought she’d hear Qiao Yan say something like “make Zhe Rong’s Buddhism disappear from Xuzhou” or “pit Tao Qian against Zhe Rong,” but instead, she heard her say, “I want a port in Xuzhou to completely become our vassal.”
Qiao Lan was taken aback for a moment, thinking she misheard, but then listened as Qiao Yan continued, “You heard me right; that’s exactly what I mean. I’m not looking for the Donghai Mi Clan to control the port and do a bit of trade occasionally; I want a port entirely submissive to the Chang’an court.”
“As for how you’ll achieve this, that depends on your skill.”
For Qiao Yan, the changes in Xuzhou were indeed unexpected.
According to her plan, she wouldn’t initiate any major military actions before natural disasters struck.
But now with this turn of events, if handled well, she might realize another special strategy.
The prerequisite for this new plan was that she could establish a foothold in this vast Xuzhou.
If Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting couldn’t manage that, it wouldn’t be a huge loss for Qiao Yan, but if they succeeded, the possibilities for her development would multiply.
Qiao Lan bowed to Qiao Yan, “Since this is what you desire, we will certainly do our utmost to achieve it.”
Qiao Yan added, “Moreover, I won’t allocate any generals or civil officials to assist you. Even if Bao Hong is already in Xuzhou, you mustn’t have any contact with him.”
Previously, in testing if Bao Hong would be misled due to the presence of the Buddhist kingdom, Qiao Yan had only arranged for him to support the Donghai Mi Clan.
Now that she had a result, Qiao Yan still didn’t plan to let him know the core mechanisms of intelligence transmission, nor did she intend to expose the sisters’ identities to Bao Hong.
So he wouldn’t be an aide for the two sisters’ actions in Xuzhou, just in case something unexpected popped up. At times, he could even serve as a pawn to push their strategy forward.
Qiao Lan said, “That’s alright; when you planned this intelligence organization, you had Guo Daxian as our assistant. Given his background as a Black Mountain Bandit and the training he has undertaken since joining, our safety during this trip to Xuzhou is already ensured.”
“Moreover, with Bei Hai’s Sun Gongyou accompanying us, making up for any gaps in our actions, if we had your strong arm working alongside us, we might even have to worry about getting recognized.”
It’s worth noting that people like Tian Feng, who could safely remain in an undercover position, depended on Qiao Yan’s early concealment of his identity, coupled with the changes in his appearance and demeanor during his half-year in Chang’an.
Even without photos or wanted portraits in those days, it wasn’t uncommon for scholars to travel around; unexpected encounters always could happen.
It was better to minimize risks than to take unnecessary chances.
“I’m glad to hear you’ve thought this through! Do you have any other questions?” Qiao Yan asked.
Qiao Lan fell silent, but Qiao Ting chimed in, “May I ask what your attitude towards Buddhism is?”
Based on her earlier trip to Yizhou, Qiao Ting could somewhat discern Qiao Yan’s thoughts on Taoism.
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Way of Great Peace was in utter chaos, rendering it completely unusable and merely breaking the condition in which it could mislead the people, fracturing its previously fervent following.
On the other hand, the Taishi Path in Yizhou was relatively stable in both its doctrine and its execution, but due to its ambitions, it stood opposed to Qiao Yan.
Therefore, such Taoism could be utilized under Qiao Yan’s control.
But what about Buddhism?
Back in the day in Ji Province during the Yellow Turban chaos, she seemed pretty friendly toward Buddhism, even revealed the stuff Zhang Jiao snagged from foreign lands while forming his religious group.
But the Buddhist scene that Ze Rong developed in Xuzhou was a whole different story compared to the good ol’ days when it was first introduced by Emperor Ming of Han, turning into a cover for his greedy antics.
Qiao Ting wasn’t around to witness the bustling pagodas of Xuzhou and couldn’t wrap her head around how so many people were fooled by Ze Rong’s flashy show, nor could she understand why Tao Qian allowed such a thing to grow unchecked in Xuzhou.
Qiao Yan didn’t answer the question directly, instead replied, “When the world is in need of rebuilding, I’d rather people know that believing in something so elusive is far worse than believing they can create their own future with their own hands.”
She looked at Qiao Ting and asked, “I bet you saw a thing or two on your way to Chang’an, right?”
The changes in Guanzhong were not just about Dong Zhuo biting the dust, some renovations here and there, or a new road popped up.
When Qiao Ting and her sister fled to Bingzhou, the new setup had been in place for quite a while, mostly just a difference between it and Yanzhou.
But Chang’an had a totally different vibe that she could feel during her two visits.
This shift wasn’t due to the Son of Heaven growing up from childhood to adulthood; it was a glimmer of real hope stepping down.
Qiao Ting said, “I get what you mean, my lord.”
If given the chance, those pleasure-seekers who don’t contribute ought to disappear!
However, the thing about this port the lord mentioned—under what circumstances could that really happen?
As Qiao Ting and Qiao Lan were leaving Chang’an to head toward Xuzhou, she couldn’t help but ponder over this.
Just then, as she was lost in thought, their carriage suddenly shook violently, and she instinctively grabbed onto the handle to keep her balance.
The moment she steadied herself, she distinctly heard the sound of horses whinnying from outside.
It seemed like there was another caravan or a group of riders colliding with theirs!
But seriously, the official roads outside the capital of Chang’an were so wide that such incident shouldn’t even be on the cards.
She pushed open the carriage window and saw a horse team completely disregard the chaos as they rushed past.
Wait a minute!
Qiao Ting furrowed her brow.
This wasn’t just a troop of horsemen.
There was one group chasing another, and since they wore similar outfits, it looked like just one, big crew.
<pthe moment she made that deduction, she saw someone from the trailing group turn their horse around and hand something to Sun Gan while saying a couple of words before rejoining the front team.Sun Gan walked over to their carriage, and Qiao Ting asked, “Gongyou, what’s going on?”Sun Gan hefted the money bag in his hand and shook his head, “The leader of the first group is Prince Yang, and the ones chasing after him are the Emperor’s personal guards he brought back from Youzhou.”
Qiao Lan caught a clear glimpse of what Qiao Ting saw and replied, “Maybe he wants to avoid a conflict, I mean, any regular merchant team seeing such a parade wouldn’t ask too many questions. Giving out some cash to the folks who got roughed up is basically just a peace offering.”
Sun Gan agreed, and thus this little bump in the road seemed to be brushed off.
But once Qiao Ting closed the window, Qiao Lan couldn’t help but say, “Back when the current Emperor was governing Youzhou, he was known for simplicity and decorum. How could he have such a reckless son?”
Yes, Prince Yang was obviously Liu Yu’s son.
After Liu Yu’s eldest son Liu He kicked the bucket at the Northern Sea, Liu Yang was the only one left standing.
You’d think his position would rise up considerably, right?
But unfortunately, Liu Yu wasn’t the doting type, and the officials in Chang’an merely respected Liu Yu for his character, so Liu Yang was pretty disappointed when he arrived, not exactly getting the royal treatment as a prince.
You had to understand, in Chang’an, the older folks were busy building up their departments while the younger ones were all trying to make their name, so even looking to buddy up with Qiao Yan seemed like a way better deal than hanging with Liu Yang.
Today, Liu Yang even caught wind of a rumor that—
Who knows what gave Prince Yang the confidence that he was someone important?
Let’s not forget the Emperor is still in his prime and won’t be passing the throne on anytime soon, and even if that time comes, there’s a chance the long-lost former Emperor Liu Xie could reappear or someone from the Han royal family who actually has what it takes to rule might just take Liu Yu’s place.
If this gossip is nothing but a pipe dream, Liu Yang, as the one benefiting from Liu He’s demise, wouldn’t be this riled up.
But he knows his father well enough to realize this could actually happen.
With all that pent-up anger, he charged forward recklessly today, leaving others to pick up the pieces.
This news might get squashed soon, but those caught in the mess won’t forget this first impression anytime soon.
Qiao Ting thought this guy’s behavior was really uncharacteristic of what Liu Yu would teach, but hey, look at Xuzhou they were headed to, right?
Tao Qian, while going a bit conservative these days, had his share of iron-fisted ways back in the day, but his sons Tao Shang and Tao Ying were both pushovers, proving that like father, like son wasn’t always the case.
Now those Tao brothers were nearing forty and still hadn’t found their groove in official duties, so it wasn’t like their father was trying to toughen them up or anything, but rather had come to terms that his sons just weren’t cut out for the political scene.
Every family has its issues, it seems.
She replied, “Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing for you, my lord?”
The Grand Marshal role was quite special.
With Liu Yu at the helm and the world still kind of chaotic, her presence as Grand Marshal was justified and wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows for now, but once a capable young person took over, it could become a thorn in her side.
Liu Yang’s unstable mindset and lack of real power effectively dodged the possibility of the Grand Marshal being ousted during the throne transition.
After all… he really didn’t have the chops, right?
“Thinking about this now feels a bit too far ahead,” Qiao Lan said, “Instead of worrying about this guy, we should figure out what to tackle first when we arrive in Xuzhou.”
According to what the lord mentioned in the letter to Mi Zhu, Mi Zhu could join the Buddha Bathing Festival after Ze Rong tempting Bao Hong and extending a second invite, but he was only up for that and wasn’t rushing to commit to anything else.
If Ze Rong was only after Guangling County, Mi Zhu’s participation wouldn’t alter Ze Rong’s plans, and once the Qiao sisters arrived, there’d probably be some movement in Guangling or the Xuzhou political scene.
If Ze Rong had greater ambitions, Mi Zhu’s brief hesitation could actually build trust with Ze Rong, giving them a short preparation window.
This was precisely the best opportunity for the Qiao sisters to operate and seek benefits from Chang’an.
But this window of time wasn’t endless, so they had to choose a starting point quickly.
Whether they could execute this point really needed another round of evaluation once they reached Xuzhou, though it was better than arriving there completely clueless.
Qiao Ting responded, “You’re right, sister, but… our visit to Xuzhou is both a collaboration and a competition, why don’t we each jot down our ideas on a piece of paper and see how we match up?”
Qiao Lan didn’t say much in response to her sister’s playful challenge, already pulling out paper and pen from the little cabinet in the carriage.
Both sisters quickly wrote down their answers on the paper and held them up to each other.
Qiao Ting’s paper read “Chen Deng.”
The Xia Pi-born steward of Xuzhou’s granaries, Chen Deng.
Meanwhile, Qiao Lan’s paper boldly displayed an unexpected name—
Zhang Yi.
The former Governor of Bingzhou, Zhang Yi.
