Chapter 280

Chapter 280: Salt and Sea in Yandu

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 8: Discussing Wine in Chang’an, Autumn Brings Change Chapter 280: Salt and Sea in Yandu

The suggestion to visit Mi Zhu, proposed by Zhou Yu, left Zhang Yi both surprised and yet feeling it made sense.

Zhang Yi was tempted by Zhou Yu’s suggestion to seize the position of Governor of Xuzhou, not just because it was a profitable decision for him, but also because it was a venture that offered significant benefits for Yang Province.

Pushing the front line north to the Huai River aligns with the defensive principle of “to defend the Yangtze, one must defend the Huai.”

Of course, such a saying didn’t exist at the time.

Currently, Xuzhou’s strategic importance stems from Emperor Xiaoming’s era, when Wang Jing was tasked with repairing the Yellow River, limiting its southern encroachment, and building embankments along the Bian River, allowing the Bian and Si Rivers to converge peacefully within Xuzhou’s borders, establishing its status as the “Key to the North” and “Stronghold of the South.”

Simply put, if Sun Ce and his allies could help Zhang Yi secure a foothold south of the Huai River in Xuzhou, it would be of unparalleled value for Yang Province’s forces to advance northward into the Central Plains.

Since Yang Province wasn’t acting out of pure generosity to give an idle old minister like Zhang Yi a chance to return to power, but rather for their own interests, this cooperation seemed much more genuine and reliable.

Having him approach Mi Zhu followed the same logic.

As Xuzhou’s foremost tycoon, Mi Zhu had trade connections across the realm, especially friendly relations with the Chang’an court. As a local power in Xuzhou, he also harbored a group of talented retainers.

If he could be persuaded to support Zhang Yi, it would greatly benefit Zhang Yi’s development in the region.

Moreover, this would also be advantageous for Yang Province.

Sun Ce’s foundation in Yang Province was still too shallow. His military expansion efforts were often hindered by the noble families of Yang Province, particularly those in Wu Commandery, who frequently pulled him back due to his youth.

In such a situation, using financial power to open the door for recruitment became a way for Yang Province to break the deadlock.

Mi Zhu’s friendly relations with the Chang’an court didn’t prevent him, as a Xuzhou native, from seeking local support to ensure his foothold in the region.

If he wasn’t fond of Tao Qian, could he possibly become an ally of Sun Ce?

Even if he didn’t fully support Sun Ce, simply allowing Mi Zhu to gain greater benefits from the turmoil in Xuzhou and reciprocate would be a profitable exchange for Yang Province.

Zhou Yu hadn’t anticipated that Mi Zhu, as a Xuzhou native, had already transcended regional boundaries and placed his bets on Qiao Yan.

Similarly, he hadn’t expected that Mi Zhu’s presence in Sheyang, where Zhang Yi was located, wasn’t to avoid Ze Rong and observe the ongoing conflict, but rather due to arrangements made by Qiao Lan.

Zhou Yu was still somewhat young and faced with such a tempting bait for Yang Province. After rationally choosing to cooperate with Zhang Yi, he couldn’t help but feel that Tao Qian’s sudden death at the hands of Ze Rong and Mi Zhu’s appearance as a significant force in the area were strokes of good fortune from his daring venture into Xuzhou.

He had to successfully persuade Zhang Yi to achieve this!

Zhang Yi also clearly saw the mutual benefits, so after some thought, he agreed to Zhou Yu’s suggestion.

However, convincing Mi Zhu to support them was undoubtedly a major challenge.

The Mi Clan’s core business was in Donghai Commandery, with significant holdings from fishing ports to mineral resources.

Although the Xuzhou government was also in Donghai, forcing Mi Zhu to operate under Tao Qian’s watchful eye, the restrictions were minimal.

Why would he switch to support Zhang Yi, a former official who had been ousted?

This didn’t make much sense.

As a merchant and the current leader of the Mi Clan, Mi Zhu was far more adept at weighing interests than most.

This question was also raised by Zhang Yi to Zhou Yu before they approached Mi Zhu.

Zhou Yu replied, “Give him partial control over Yandu.”

Zhang Yi was nearly startled by Zhou Yu’s response.

What was Yandu?

As a county under Guangling Commandery, Yandu was rich in sea salt. Due to the demand for iron officials in salt production, Emperor Wu established iron officials across the Han Dynasty in the fourth year of Yuanshou, and Yandu was one of them.

Among the fewer than fifty iron officials nationwide, Yandu was one.

Thus, it was also the center of salt and iron in Guangling!

Giving this place to Mi Zhu would mean handing over part of the government’s authority to a merchant.

But after calming down, Zhang Yi saw the logic in Zhou Yu’s words.

For a merchant who had already amassed such wealth, only the rights previously out of reach would hold direct appeal.

Zhang Yi sighed, “They say you have to give to gain, but people still hesitate when they hear ‘give.’ But if you’re not willing to give, how can you expect to gain?”

Zhou Yu responded, “Prefect Zhang sees clearly.”

Zhang Yi’s willingness to agree saved Zhou Yu a lot of effort.

For Zhou Yu, letting Mi Zhu take a share of Yandu’s salt and iron was just a matter of words, but for Zhang Yi, it was a real sacrifice. Even if he succeeded in becoming Governor, this concession would weaken his authority.

This was exactly what Zhou Yu wanted to see.

As for whether Mi Zhu’s control over Yandu and the gradual transfer of his family’s business there would affect Yang Province’s interests, it wasn’t immediately apparent.

There was also an interesting point.

In the first year of Emperor Ling’s Xiping era, Sun Ce’s father, Sun Jian, was appointed as the Magistrate of Yandu for quelling a rebellion in Kuaiji’s Xuchang. During his over four years of governance, he left a deep influence, and Sun Ce was also born there.

If this place could be connected to Yang Province’s territory, it would be a fine tale.

Zhang Yi didn’t know Zhou Yu had considered this, simply replying, “This isn’t about seeing clearly. I used to think highly of myself, but now I’m just looking at things from a normal perspective.”

He stood up and added, “I’ll visit Mi Zizhong. This matter should be done sooner rather than later.”

Ze Rong, aiming to seize the advantage in the northern offensive, would push his advance as quickly as possible, despite being slowed by the southern water networks.

If he truly controlled public opinion and won an early victory, recruiting too many followers, even if they could use Zhang Yi’s residual influence in Guangling to recruit troops and launch an attack from the rear with Yang Province’s support, the threat to Ze Rong would be limited.

There was a risk Ze Rong might turn around and swallow them first.

Zhang Yi’s efficiency pleased Zhou Yu, who said, “Good, I’ll accompany you.”

Although this exposed his presence in Xuzhou, for the sake of connecting with the Donghai Mi Clan, the exposure wasn’t a big issue.

Dealing with someone as shrewd as Mi Zhu didn’t require secrecy.

It was better to lay everything out to show their sincerity.

At the same time, Zhou Yu’s involvement signaled to Mi Zhu that even if Zhang Yi became the nominal Governor of Xuzhou, the real power lay with Jiangdong, and he shouldn’t mistake that.

Perhaps due to this honesty, or because granting merchants partial control over salt and iron was attractive to the Donghai Mi Clan, Mi Zhu, during Zhang Yi’s visit, didn’t give a direct affirmative but showed some interest.

Before leaving, Zhou Yu said, “Master Zizhong, the time for hesitation may not be long.”

This was no exaggeration.

Ze Rong’s speed in moving north far exceeded what the Xuzhou gentry could imagine.

Tao Qian’s death hadn’t been promptly explained, and even his two sons hadn’t stepped up to stabilize the situation, leaving the blame he cast on Chen Gui and Chen Deng to be accepted by some in Xuzhou.

Many in Xuzhou who owed Tao Qian turned to Ze Rong, and with Zu Lang and Yan Baihu’s former followers among them, Ze Rong’s vanguard crossing the Huai River and engaging Donghai Commandery’s defenders actually gained the upper hand.

Zhao Yu hurried north to Langya Commandery in Xuzhou to seek troops from Zang Ba and others.

Wang Lang led troops south, aiming to remove Ze Rong’s foothold across the river.

This rapidly escalating conflict clearly revealed the flaw in Xuzhou’s civil-military divide.

If the camp north of the Huai River couldn’t…





Quickly get enough military support, or else we’ll definitely lose face in front of unreasonable religious groups like Ze Rong. Mi Zhu might say he can choose to return to Donghai County now and use the influence of the Donghai Mi Clan to support the Huaibei faction. This is a real act of providing help in desperate times, and it might even bring him many benefits. But according to Zhou Yu, even if Mi Zhu does this, who will ultimately become the Governor of Xuzhou? Can Mi Zhu surpass Chen Deng and Lu Su in status under his command? If not, why not choose Zhang Yi, who is in greater need of people? After all, this is also an act of providing help in desperate times. However, what Zhou Yu probably didn’t expect is that the situation in Huaibei is even more complicated than he thought. While Zhao Yu heads north, Wang Lang heads south, Lu Su holds Tan County, and Chen Gui returns to Xia Pi to defend, since Tao Shang and Tao Ying are still unwilling to take the position of Governor of Xuzhou, Chen Deng persuaded others and headed west with a group of followers. His hurried journey through the night is precisely to go to Pei State and invite Liu Bei to lead troops into Xuzhou and take the position of Governor! They have no room for hesitation. Even if they bring in a Governor from outside, it’s still much better than having Ze Rong occupy the entire territory of Xuzhou and bring disaster to the local gentry! “Liu Bei sure has good luck,” Qiao Yan remarked, as she received numerous letters from Xuzhou due to the changing situation caused by the local conflicts. Even though Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting are in Xuzhou, their intelligence is still being sent separately to save time crossing the Huai River. If it weren’t for the extra carrier pigeons Qiao Yan sent to Xuzhou last time, they would probably be running out of pigeons now. The message she’s holding now is about Chen Deng heading to Yu Province. Thinking about how historically Chen Deng also strongly supported Liu Bei becoming the Governor of Xuzhou, it’s clear what he’s doing now. There’s no doubt about whether Liu Bei will agree to enter Xuzhou. He might refuse to enter Xuzhou due to reasons like seniority or etiquette, not wanting to take advantage of the situation to become Governor, but he won’t refuse Chen Deng’s suggestion—letting someone like Ze Rong dominate Xuzhou would be a fatal disaster for most of the people in Xuzhou. Whether you call it moral blackmail by Chen Deng or Liu Bei’s good fortune, Liu Bei has no choice but to go to Xuzhou. Yuan Shao might be unhappy about Liu Bei withdrawing from the battle in Yu Province, but he’s even more afraid of Xuzhou no longer being under the name of the Ye City court, so he will definitely have Liu Bian issue an edict appointing Liu Bei as the Governor or Inspector of Xuzhou. But how can Qiao Yan let him off so easily? Morally, she has no issues with Liu Bei and even admires him, but since they are enemies, she can’t be blamed for causing some trouble. Rather than letting Liu Bei occupy Xuzhou and balance out Yang Province, wearing each other down, Qiao Yan prefers to see the southern forces in a fragmented state. Sun Ce hasn’t fully occupied Yang Province yet, and the Governor of Yuzhang County, Huang Zu, still has a vendetta against him for killing his father. Xuzhou shouldn’t be too unified either. The situation of dividing the Huai River, facilitated by Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting, is the most advantageous for Qiao Yan. This way, there will be at least four forces within Yang and Xuzhou Provinces. Qiao Yan picked up another message from Mi Zhu, in which he mentioned the overtures from Zhou Yu and Zhang Yi, asking if he should agree. “Yandu…” Qiao Yan looked at the map of Xuzhou counties, her eyes sweeping over the coastal county names in Guangling County. “Even if they didn’t mention Yandu, I planned to have Mi Zhu hold onto it. Now, it’s good to save some words.” But in fact, Yandu isn’t the port Qiao Yan needs for her maritime military operations. Having it in Mi Zhu’s hands isn’t the same as having it directly under her control. Considering the importance of the salt and iron industries to Xuzhou, Qiao Yan thinks that even if she has to give up some power or benefits to Mi Zhu, she will still station a significant number of troops there. This makes it unsuitable for conducting some relatively secret activities. So, she needs to choose another place. Coincidentally, she does have this opportunity. “If Liu Bei enters Xuzhou with an edict from the Ye City court, or even without it, Zhou Yu will persuade Zhang Zitai to send an envoy to Chang’an to request official recognition for taking over Xuzhou and suppressing Ze Rong. What do you think, Guo Jia, if I propose stationing troops in Hailing in exchange for the Chang’an court granting this position?” Stationing troops in Hailing! Hailing is located north of the Yangtze River, in the southern part of Guangling County, at the mouth of the Yangtze River. This troop stationing request… Guo Jia replied, “If I were Zhou Yu, my first reaction would be that you’re using this request to warn Yang Province.” “Doesn’t he need a warning?” Qiao Yan retorted. Don’t say that Zhou Yu came to Xuzhou to investigate Zu Lang’s movements; he’s already meddling in the position of Governor of Xuzhou. Just because he’s had dealings with Chang’an doesn’t mean he can be allowed to overstep like this. It’s reasonable for Qiao Yan to warn him. Guo Jia said, “Of course, but Yuan Shao will probably interpret this differently. It means you’re giving Zhang Yi the most direct support, even if you’re not directly involved in the battle for the Huai River line, it’s still a show of support.” Qiao Yan smiled, “But these two things aren’t our main objectives right now.” Her real intention for needing a port has already been hinted at in the essay topics she assigned to the students of Leping Academy. To further downplay this second objective, she will also have Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting reinforce the first two objectives in Xuzhou through public opinion. In short, she’s not only behind the scenes but also in the most advantageous position. Guo Jia cupped his hands in respect to Qiao Yan, deeply impressed by her use of Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting to achieve her goals with minimal effort. “You just need to inform Mi Zhu to agree to Zhang Yi, then wait for Zhang Yi’s envoy to come to Chang’an, and that’s enough.” “Perhaps…” Guo Jia thought about the old grievances between Qiao Yan and Zhang Yi and added, “Perhaps you can also show a selfless attitude in court.” “Guo Jia, too much is as bad as too little,” Qiao Yan teased. This is purely an additional outcome of the current situation. Whether to use this to deepen others’ impression of her is entirely optional. Rather than considering this, Qiao Yan is more interested in doing two other things. “Now, send two messages to Bingzhou.” “First, order the Middle General of the East to make a show of mobilizing troops at the Taihang Mountain pass.” She knows she has no plans to send troops yet, but Yuan Shao doesn’t! Last year, they sent troops to Guanzhong before the autumn harvest; this year, with ample troops and supplies, it’s not impossible to directly attack Ji Province. In any case, Qu Yi’s show of mobilizing troops will force Yuan Shao to focus more on defending the Taihang Mountain line, leaving him no chance to personally intervene in the Xuzhou situation. This not only helps Liu Bei enter Xuzhou but also reduces some pressure on Zhang Yi. Perhaps it’s also a way to mess with the mental state of the Ye City court? She continued, “Second, inform those two in Shang County about all the actions of my two nieces in Xuzhou.” Qiao Lan dug Zhang Yi out of the chaos in Xuzhou and brought Mi Zhu to Zhang Yi and Zhou Yu at the right time. Qiao Ting came up with the idea of using Kongming lanterns to create momentum for Ze Rong and personally promoted the Buddhist rhetoric in Guangling County, contributing to Tao Qian’s death. In Qiao Yan’s view, these are all commendable actions, and it’s hard to say who performed better. But if she remembers correctly, Li Ru and Jia Xu have a disciple competition, right? “Let them decide the winner, and the loser comes to Chang’an. If they can’t convince each other and reach a result, then they both come.” Qiao Yan paused, “Wait, I forgot… I previously told Jia Xu that he should come to Chang’an after the autumn harvest. So regardless of the outcome, he has to come.” The autumn harvest is approaching, and various affairs in Chang’an need to be carefully divided and advanced—these two have hands, feet, and brains, why should they continue to rest in Shang County?