Chapter 274

Chapter 274

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 8: Chang’an Wine Debate, Autumn Changes Chapter 274: The Theory of Destiny

This is indeed not a very ordinary task.

Gongsun Du’s Liaodong, according to later geographical locations, has already reached the scope of Liaoning Province. For the current “Central Plains,” this is undoubtedly a frontier area.

This place obviously does not border the areas controlled by Qiao Yan.

Starting from the Juyong Pass in Shanggu County, where Zhang Liao is stationed, one needs to cross the territories occupied by Gongsun Zan and Wuhuan Tadun to reach Gongsun Du’s place.

In such a situation where roads are blocked and isolated, persuading Gongsun Du to surrender is definitely not something that can be done with just a few words.

Gongsun Du was not appointed as the Prefect of Liaodong by Liu Hong or his son, but by Dong Zhuo.

In other words, Gongsun Du has limited gratitude towards the Han court, and his foothold in Liaodong relies entirely on his own efforts in Liaodong County.

If it is said that Gongsun Du and Xu Rong are fellow townsmen, and Gongsun Du’s position as Prefect was recommended by Xu Rong, so Xu Rong can go and talk to him, that would also be underestimating Gongsun Du too much.

In the past hundred years, the Qiang rebellions in Liangzhou have been frequent, the Prefects and Governors in Shu have often acted independently, and Jiaozhou has been autonomous with the Shi family as a model. How could places like Liaodong and Xuantu be exceptions!

The so-called fellow townsmen’s friendship is at most just a few more words when talking to each other.

To make the other party give up such readily available benefits is probably not easy.

Thinking of the challenges represented by this name, Pang Tong, Zhuge Liang, and Sima Yi, who was sent to Leping by Sima Fang earlier, all became interested.

Persuading Gongsun Du to surrender is not only a challenge but also represents—

Qiao Yan’s next recovery plan may have already shown a glimpse in front of them.

Once Gongsun Du can be persuaded to cooperate with their actions, then when Zhang Liao’s troops march out of Juyong Pass and rush towards Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Du, the Prefect of Liaodong who shares the same surname but not the same clan as Gongsun Zan, can attack from the east to the west.

This unexpected pincer attack can make up for the geographical advantage difficulties of advancing into Youzhou and quickly pacify Youzhou before Yuan Shao can respond.

“That’s right,” Pang Tong muttered, “If we take Jizhou first, Yuan Shao will definitely benefit Gongsun Zan, only asking him to send troops to help when necessary. With the Taihang Mountains blocking the way, it is not only unfavorable for the enemy but also unfavorable for us. So the first choice for military action between Jizhou and Youzhou must be Youzhou.”

“But the war in Youzhou must not be dragged into a state of confrontation in the east of Youzhou, otherwise Yuan Shao will definitely send a light cavalry from Hebei to directly cut off our retreat. Even if Youzhou enters an advantageous state first, it will be beaten back to its original state.”

Therefore, contacting Gongsun Du and directly placing the battlefield of the Youzhou war in the middle of Youzhou is indeed a must!

This is the general direction set by the Lord!

And the words and actions in this persuasion have become their essay topic, clearly a test set by the Lord.

Even if this test may also be handed to her strategists at the same time, it also means that she does not only see them as children studying here.

Xi Zhicai reminded, “Look at this additional condition.”

To get someone from Youzhou to Liaodong by land, they must pass through a place, which is the coastal road where Gongsun Zan defeated Liu Yu, and this place has become a heavily guarded area by Gongsun Zan.

Even the direction of Xuwu Mountain, which was bypassed by Zhang Liao to provide aid, has been arranged by Gongsun Zan with troops.

This was originally used by him to protect his family in Liaoxi County, but now it has also become a barrier isolating them from contacting Gongsun Du.

Even a single person on horseback would find it difficult to take this road without being noticed by Gongsun Zan, let alone appearing in front of Gongsun Du in such a weak and powerless manner. It would be strange if he agreed to surrender.

Therefore, although Qiao Yan knows that there are many potential talents under her command, she does not intend to let them operate by breaking through geographical barriers.

Who would have thought that if Gongsun Du only verbally agrees, the harm to her would not be small.

Zhuge Liang followed the essay topic paper and saw a sentence written below. They can have two ships for overseas trade, which will be modified by skilled shipbuilders to achieve an effect close to that of warships, and about 500 people can be deployed.

Among these 500 people, at most 100 can meet the selection standards of Bingzhou soldiers, and the other 300 can only be used as merchant escorts.

“According to this standard, with these two ships and 500 people, it is impossible to directly attack Liaodong.”

Even with Lü Bu, the unparalleled fierce general of the time, it is impossible to achieve this.

Moreover, doing so would be too noisy.

So they must use other methods.

However, sea navigation…

Sima Yi looked at the paper and saw a decisive confidence in Qiao Yan’s handwriting, and a flash of brilliance appeared in his eyes.

Since he came to Leping until now, it has been more than half a year, after all, he came here to study shortly after Qiao Yan captured Guanzhong.

Originally, he thought that his background in Sili and the accumulation of the Henei Sima family would allow him to master more knowledge than others before entering school, giving him an advantage over others.

But after coming to Leping, he found that these things he was proud of could not maintain his full sense of superiority under the new knowledge system. Instead, he had to let go of some perceptions to integrate faster.

For example, the direction indication in Leping has shifted from the original south-pointing chariot to the compass needle. In the Leping Academy, smaller and more portable pointing tools have appeared, corresponding to the fun experiment on magnetic needles in the Leping Monthly Report last October.

Sima Yi has no doubt that this optimization in pointing tools has shifted from ordinary land handheld use to being applicable at sea.

This is undoubtedly the guarantee for Qiao Yan to propose crossing the sea to Liaodong.

Because of the appearance of this additional condition, everyone present subconsciously turned their eyes to the map in the library.

Liaodong County, at the tip opposite the Bohai Sea.

These two warships, according to Qiao Yan, are composed of 100 soldiers and 300 merchant escorts. Where will they set sail from to Liaodong, and where will they land in Liaodong?

The method of landing is also something they need to consider.

There is no territory directly controlled by Qiao Yan along the coast. These two warships are likely hard to come by and are extremely limited resources they can use.

They only have one chance to intimidate Gongsun Du and achieve the goal of persuading him to surrender!

In the exchange of glances between several people, it is not difficult to see the emotions in each other’s eyes.

Currently, Qiao Yan does not have the conditions to provide these ships. The ports from which these two ships set sail either come from Xuzhou, which has trade relations with her, or from Yangzhou, which recognizes Chang’an as the imperial capital. But neither is available now.

The construction of sea navigation warships and the transportation of personnel also require time.

So it is no wonder that Qiao Yan set the time for this essay topic to half a year.

She wants a plan that is perfect in all aspects of preparation, even considering the overall situation of the future attack on Youzhou.

This has become their year-end assessment!

Whether they can leave a deep impression on the Lord and become her trusted subordinates in the near future depends entirely on this!

Sima Yi, who has not yet had a formal meeting with Qiao Yan, may cherish this test more than anyone present.

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong received the evaluation of “Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix” from Qiao Yan after a debate in Chang’an City, which means they have already been noted by Qiao Yan. Sima Yi believes that he is not inferior to these two and is unwilling to fall behind!

Not to mention Sima Yi, those who are selected by Qiao Yan alone are basically not just thinking about idling away their time. Each of them has shown a posture of rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to work.








“So… Sister Lingju, aren’t you supposed to be a military general?” Guo Huai glanced at Lu Lingju sitting beside him, noticing her enthusiastically pulling out her notebook, which made a cold sweat trickle down his temple.

For comprehensive military considerations, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Sima Yi could independently complete their tasks and were permitted to conduct relevant inquiries with the generals stationed in Bingzhou.

Those younger than Zhuge Liang had to form teams to participate in this activity.

Guo Huai and Lu Yi, being the same age this year, naturally formed a team, though it seemed they were now a trio instead of a duo.

“I’m laying the groundwork for future battles,” Lu Lingju confidently replied. “I can’t be like my father, a brave but reckless general.”

After saying this, she spread her notebook on the table. “The three of us together can definitely surpass the Sleeping Dragon and the Young Phoenix. The lord said this is called the wisdom of the masses.”

Xi Zhicai, watching from the side, found it increasingly amusing.

If he remembered correctly, when Qiao Yan mentioned the wisdom of the masses, she was referring to improvements in paper-making and farming techniques, not Lu Lingju’s situation.

But who knows? Some might have hidden depths and accidentally stumble upon something brilliant.

Seeing these youngsters motivated by this special challenge, he smiled, shook his head, and left the space to them, allowing them to continue their enthusiastic discussions.

He didn’t need to stay here.

Besides Li Ru and Jia Xu, who were idle in Shang Commandery, he was the most available under Qiao Yan’s command now.

After all, Bingzhou was Qiao Yan’s stronghold.

Although some were transferred to other positions, like Cheng Yu being moved from Bingzhou to become the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and Lu Yuan being sent to Liangzhou to manage its affairs, this didn’t disrupt Bingzhou’s order.

Many remained in their original positions, keeping things running smoothly.

In fact, the vacancies above motivated some to work even harder.

After Liu Yu ascended the throne, Qiao Yan had Zhang Liao appointed as the Prefect of Shanggu Commandery, Lü Bu as the Middle General of the North, and Qu Yi as the Middle General of the East, effectively organizing Bingzhou’s troops and saving Xi Zhicai a lot of trouble.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the leisure to visit Leping now.

He knew that Qiao Yan entrusting him with this position showed her absolute trust and concern for his health.

However, this leisurely wandering wouldn’t last much longer.

He pondered that upon returning to Bingzhou’s capital, he would need to select successors from those he had observed over the past six months, submit the final list to Qiao Yan for approval, and then start planning for the autumn harvest.

The autumn harvest in Bingzhou included cotton, crucial for winter clothing, bedding, cotton fabric, and medical cotton balls. It also required planning for crop rotation and expanding cotton fields.

These tasks weren’t easy and required his careful planning on behalf of Qiao Yan.

Thinking about the expansion of cotton fields this year, he inadvertently neglected his surroundings and bumped into a boy around thirteen at a corner.

Fortunately, neither was walking fast, so no one fell.

Only the boy’s papers scattered on the ground.

While helping him pick them up, Xi Zhicai noticed the boy wasn’t wearing the Leping Academy uniform.

“Who are you?”

The boy softly replied, “I came here on Mr. Bohuai’s suggestion, not as a student here. My apologies if I’ve offended.”

Xi Zhicai, having spent much time with Cheng Yu, recognized the boy’s Yanzhou accent.

He responded, “Not a student now, but who knows about the future?”

The boy shook his head. “Family matters prevent long travels. I heard Leping has open books and lectures by renowned scholars, so I came to stay for a month.”

He gathered his papers, bowed to Xi Zhicai, and walked away.

Xi Zhicai thoughtfully watched his retreating figure.

Bohuai… that referred to Chang Lin, an officer in Shangdang Commandery.

Chang Lin often read newspapers while inspecting local affairs, so it made sense he’d mention Leping Academy to someone from Yanzhou passing through Shangdang.

Regional barriers made it understandable that the boy couldn’t study here.

Given this, Xi Zhicai didn’t need to pay special attention to the boy.

But while picking up the scattered papers, he couldn’t help but glance at a few lines.

On the cheap bamboo paper recently sold in Leping, there were words that didn’t seem like a teenager’s:

“Simplifying ancestral rites, neglecting the seasons, and seeking blessings from ominous things, trusting the deluded—isn’t that a mistake?”

The gist was that violating natural timing in social activities and then praying to gods, even evil ones, for a good harvest was entirely wrong.

More interestingly, before the boy’s writings was a blank cover titled “Changyan” (Discourses).

Naming a casual essay so boldly suggested some pride.

Yet, in his brief exchange with Xi Zhicai, the boy seemed quite shy.

This contradiction was intriguing.

But since the boy had no intention of studying in Leping, likely due to family constraints, Xi Zhicai didn’t plan to delve deeper.

However, while visiting Zheng Xuan and Xun Shuang, he mentioned the boy’s appearance and learned his name was Zhong Changtong, from Shanyang Commandery in Yanzhou, a fellow townsman of Wang Can.

Whether they knew each other was another matter, but he had left a strong impression on both Zheng Xuan and Xun Shuang.

Xun Shuang noted his quick wit and sharp reasoning, though some ideas were radical.

Xi Zhicai asked, “What’s radical?”

After a pause, Xun Shuang replied, “He doesn’t believe in the Mandate of Heaven.”

Whether Zhong Changtong believed in the Mandate of Heaven or divine will, Ze Rong in Xuzhou certainly thought he had it.

As a Buddhist missionary, as he gained more followers in Guangling and grew increasingly self-important, he might have started believing his own lies.

He believed he was truly entrusted by Buddha to save ignorant followers, so their money in his hands was a form of redemption.

With several pieces of news, his sense of superiority grew, even thinking he could replace Tao Qian.

First, remnants of Yan Baihu’s forces, fleeing Sun Ce’s pursuit, entered Xuzhou directly into Guangling Commandery, effectively joining him.

These desperadoes’ combat prowess was undeniable, boosting his direct power.

Second, Zu Lang from Danyang Commandery responded to his call. With people coming, cooperation was easy.

Third, Mi Zhu, after previous refusals, finally agreed to come to Guangling to observe the Buddha Bathing Festival.

Ze Rong was exhilarated.

He was determined to seize this opportunity to grasp the power of this Eastern Sea merchant and deliver a fatal blow to that old fool Tao Qian!