“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 272: Arrival at Xia Pi
In the second year of the Zhongping era, which was also the second year since Qiao Yan arrived in Bingzhou, Zhang Yi lost his position as the Governor of Bingzhou to Qiao Yan due to his performance during the locust plague. She took charge of disaster relief efforts in the region.
Logically, this should have seemed like an audacious power grab on Qiao Yan’s part, but at that time, she wrote in her petition to Emperor Ling of Han that her actions were solely for the people’s welfare, not for personal gain. Not only did she care little about the offense she was committing, but she also managed to win the emperor’s favor with that little act of self-justification.
This impressed Emperor Ling, who, instead of punishing Qiao Yan, actually confined her to Leping for protection while he kicked Cui Lie, who proposed abandoning Liangzhou, out of his high position and “assigned” him as Governor of Bingzhou instead.
So, the former Governor Zhang Yi was sent off to Guangling to take a demoted position as Prefect.
Sadly, Zhang Yi thought he had the backing of the Yuan clan from Runan and was a genuine victim in this power struggle, deserving of compensation. After gathering enough energy to meet Cui Lie, he believed he would get help to confront Qiao Yan.
Little did he know, Cui Lie wasn’t there to help; he was there to take his job.
By now, the Provincial Governor System was already in effect, elevating the status of governors across the provinces, so Zhang Yi moving from Bingzhou to Guangling was definitely a downgrade, serving as a reprimand for failing to hold on to his own authority.
Not only that, the Runan Yuan clan’s support for his position as Governor was all to put into practice a plan devised by Yuan Shao and Xu You, to secure their family’s future by controlling the north. His demotion crushed that plan completely.
In the fourth year of Zhongping, Qiao Yan successfully took up the title of Provincial Governor of Bingzhou, thanks to her achievements in the Border Warfare and promotion from General of the Liaodong region. At the time of Emperor Ling’s death, when she deployed an iron cavalry against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao didn’t think Qiao Yan’s capabilities made her successful in that barren land; rather, he blamed Zhang Yi’s incompetence for screwing up his plans.
And with Yuan Wei dead and Yuan Ji weak, the Yuan clan’s influence in the political arena was split between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, leaving Zhang Yi with no chance of support.
All these factors led to one outcome: even though Zhang Yi had years of governance experience in Guangling and was doing okay, once Tao Qian became the Governor of Xuzhou, Zhang Yi’s power gradually fizzled out, resulting in Ze Rong taking over his ground.
When Tao Qian transitioned from Governor to Provincial Governor, Zhang Yi received a formal notice stripping him of his Prefect position, and Yuan Shao didn’t seem to care at all.
Then, as Ze Rong’s actions grew bolder, Zhang Yi became nearly invisible in Xuzhou or Guangling’s territory.
Out of nowhere, a name popped up in the letters written by Qiao Lan, and it took Qiao Ting a moment to recall who he was.
It was clear that Zhang Yi had a slim chance of regaining his former position.
Over at Ye City, Yuan Shao held resentment against him and figured he was somewhat incompetent, making him useless to keep around.
Meanwhile, if he really went begging for a job from the Chang’an court, it wouldn’t have been impossible given his previous experience. But he was too embarrassed to do so, knowing Qiao Yan was the grand marshal of Bingzhou.
He should have just taken it easy after losing his position, but no, he lingered in Guangling, almost defiantly wanting to see who would take his spot.
This bit of gossip got lost in the thousands of reports that had reached Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting over the past few months, trivial enough to be like just another visitor dining at Tao Qian’s house, yet it was still uncovered by Qiao Lan.
She said, “By focusing on the Xu Province situation through individuals like Chen Deng and Lu Su, the goal is to see if these talented people can uncover Tao Qian’s shortcomings, especially as he grows older and frailer, thus stirring up conflict with him for their local interests. It’s about using the righteous to undermine the wrong.”
Qiao Ting chuckled and said, “Got it! By your choice, it’s actually about using the wrong to counter the wrong.”
Now that’s a tactic straight from Jia Xu’s playbook!
You can tell from this choice that Qiao Lan took Jia Xu’s lessons to heart and was beginning to form her own way of thinking.
But if Zhang Yi knew that he was considered part of the “wrong” by these sisters in the Xu Province situation, he might have cried foul.
Getting cheated by Qiao Yan once was a fact, but now he had to deal with her two scheming nieces?
What kind of world is this?!
Thanks to Qiao Yan’s stringent rules, Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting could only operate as merchants instead of “strategists,” meaning he wouldn’t hear any direct guidance or advice from them, leaving him in a blissfully ignorant state.
But hey…
With the upheaval in Xu Province, he very likely might get a second shot at being employed again. For him, isn’t that a silver lining?
After Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting encountered Liu Yang galloping away outside Chang’an, they faced no further troubles.
The carriage traveled past Tong Pass, through the Xiaohan Road, entering the jurisdiction of the Henan province.
Here, the sisters made a brief stop.
Though their destination was Xu Province, they were well aware that Qiao Yan’s set goal for them was never merely to prove their capabilities once.
Xu Province was just the starting point of their ambitions.
This stop along the journey served not only to align their intelligence with reality but also allowed them to refine their merchant personas to prevent their true identities from being discovered.
“The goods we’re selling in Xu Province are mainly the Shu brocade previously procured from Shu, supplemented by some paper and ink we acquired during our meeting with the noble. All of this is meant for the high-end market in Xu Province,”
Qiao Ting analyzed. “From a merchant’s perspective, as we start to venture towards Xu Province, we need to fill the middle and lower-tier demand with products to ensure we cover the costs of this trip.”
“So—” Qiao Ting pondered for a moment and concluded, “We ought to select some items that can be produced cheaply using labor, which also count as local specialties.”
According to the principle of “no long-distance trade for cheap goods,” these handcrafted items shouldn’t be priced too low; otherwise, they would violate the profit principle of long-distance commerce.
Thus, after discussing with her sister, they settled on selling painted cloth and green pottery.
Luoyang was no longer the imperial capital of old; the once million-strong population had scattered over recent years. Yet, being positioned between the two imperial courts in a tug-of-war didn’t make it front-line material, and the remaining half of the population were unwilling to abandon their hometowns.
“The earth has left.”
The market was quieter than before, but you could still catch a hint of last year’s prosperity.
The items sold here still carried a touch of the bygone glory.
After all, this was once under the Emperor’s feet. The batik-dyed fabrics, the green-glazed pots unlike the gray pottery of the Han era, and even the palace lanterns that had emerged since the Guangwu period were all present at this market, now sent to the capital after the reconstruction of Chang’an.
For Qiao Ting, these items—or at least all except the last one—were not only impractical to transport but also stood out here, unlike what they’d find in Xuzhou or Yang Province, making them a solid backup beneath the brocade of Shu.
With this trip for supplies, they were growing more accustomed to their new identities, and they demonstrated increasing confidence in their disguise and voices.
This expanded trading convoy soon entered the territory of Yu Province.
If Yuan Shu had still been clashing with Liu Bei back in the day, they might have had some worries about trouble, but not anymore.
Yuan Shu had recently been attacked unexpectedly by Ju Shou and Gao Shun, and was currently flying a white flag.
Not long before the Qiao sisters set out from Chang’an, Hua Tuo’s disciple Fan A-cai had gone to Runan with Yuan Shu’s son, Yuan Yao, to check on their father’s health.
Because of Yuan Shu’s recent defeat, Liu Bei had returned from being pushed to the northern part of Pei State to once again sharing control of Yu Province with Yuan Shu.
In other words, after Yuan Shu’s aggressive attack on Yuan Shao had failed, Ju Shou’s counterattacks seemed wasted, and unless something drastic happened, this balance would likely continue for a while.
“Liu Bei’s territory isn’t large, and his fame was low when he was battling Dong Zhuo, but it seems he’s got some skills,”
Once they crossed the Guo River, Qiao Ting hopped off the carriage and rode alongside Qiao Lan, eager to see the sights.
When she praised Liu Bei’s capabilities, it stemmed from the fact that during the previous Yu Province skirmishes, the counties south of Pei, like Guyang and Longkang, had returned briefly to Yuan Shu’s grasp before being reclaimed, showing that the damage done by the back-and-forth presence of these two powers had rapidly diminished.
The farmland lining the road now looked peaceful.
From this, one could see how Liu Bei and his men made significant strides over the past year, even after killing Qiao Rui in Pei.
Even if Liu Bei had a vendetta against the Qiao sisters for killing their father, they had to acknowledge this fact.
To prevent any hint of their hidden enmity towards Liu Bei from slipping out, Qiao Lan pointed to the east and said, “Let’s not linger here; just beyond Pei is Xia Pi in Xuzhou. The sooner we reach Xuzhou, the sooner we can fulfill Lord’s orders.”
With Xuzhou being so open, if war were to break out, it would often become a battleground. But in the current situation where everyone was fighting except Xuzhou, it turned into a favored spot for merchants looking to make a fortune.
Located at the mouth of the Huai River and facing the sea at Donghai County, this area had become an important trading hub, a key economic resource for Xuzhou.
While most folks were still sticking to farming, the interconnected water networks formed by Hongze Lake, Gaoyou Lake, and the Huai River alongside the irrigated farmlands contributed significantly to the local prosperity.
So when they entered Xia Pi, the recent lack of warfare in Xuzhou and its favorable conditions unfolded in front of them.
Compared to the previously praised Pei, this place offered a strikingly bountiful scene.
No wonder some regions were still having trouble getting food while Guangling was busy celebrating the Bathing Buddha Festival.
They directed their convoy to temporarily settle in Xia Pi, not rushing into the troubled Guangling area, nor intending to visit the Xuzhou provincial government first to check in with Tao Qian regarding this sizable trading group.
Even though Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting had different plans after entering Xuzhou, their first step once they arrived was aligned.
A successful merchant must establish good relations with the local big shots.
Now that they had arrived in Xuzhou, starting off with Chen’s family in Xia Pi was a natural choice.
Since Chen Deng, serving as the Jian Nong Xiao Wei, was either at the provincial city or moving around Xuzhou, when Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting submitted their greetings to the Chen family, they found the contact person here was Chen Gui, Chen Deng’s father.
Although the Xia Pi Chen family had seen better days, they were still an undeniably prestigious clan.
Chen Gui’s uncle was the one who was recommended by Qiao Yan’s grandfather Qiao Xuan and eventually rose to the Grand Commandant post, while Chen Gui’s cousins were making waves in Ye City’s court as an advisor and another serving as the prefect of Ruyin County. Chen Gui, on the other hand, was known for being appointed a county magistrate under the recommendation for filial piety and integrity but had soon resigned and gone back home, making him quite the recluse.
When he suddenly heard someone at the door, he looked surprised.
Upon learning that big merchants had come from Shu to ask for advice on surviving in Xuzhou, and after the visitors introduced themselves as members of the Huang clan, he didn’t find it strange anymore.
Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting had cleverly chosen an appropriate surname, as this “Huang” most likely pointed to the Huang clan from Bazhong.
In these times, the scions of powerful families weren’t rushing to carve out careers for themselves; instead, they were busy gathering resources and manpower, which is also a viable path for development.
And such people often understood the ways of survival and rules better than anyone else.
Chen Gui replied, “Please let them in.”
At almost the same time the Qiao sisters arrived in Xuzhou, the Zulang family in Yang Province welcomed a guest from the north.
After initially getting rejected by Mi Zhu, Ze Rong didn’t feel too discouraged; knowing he had grand ambitions, he patiently continued to converse with Bao Hong, who was heading back to Guangling.
Meanwhile, he started wheeling and dealing with another potential group he could woo—
the Shanyue community that was being heavily suppressed by Sun Ce in Wu and Danyang.
Ze Rong knew very well that if he waited any longer, letting Sun Ce’s control in the area grow stronger, the Shanyue would either be wiped out by Sun Ce’s forces or surrender to him.
Right now, however, since Sun Ce was still busy expanding his territory, there was a chance to bring them on board.
Of course, he wouldn’t say something like, “I intend to plot against Xuzhou. Let’s team up and take on Tao Qian.”
That kind of talk would be a hard sell.
A monk sent by him approached Zulang and bowed, saying, “The master has sent me to inquire whether you would be willing to visit Guangling and hear the teachings of Buddha.”
Zulang was taken aback by this invitation, coldly replying, “What, do you think I need you to absolve me?”
“That is not the case,” the monk replied calmly. “The master believes that Sun Bofu’s acts of slaughter in Yang Province go against the heavens, and seeks your assistance in conveying the Buddha’s teachings.”
Zulang suspiciously asked, “What does that mean?”
The monk recited a line, “The one who has no divine support will certainly suffer heavenly retribution.”
