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Chapter 283
Can strategists really not ascend to the throne? Volume Eight: Discussing Wine in Chang’an, Autumn Changes, Chapter 283: Ze Rong’s Head.
Of course, after eight long years of getting used to their host, the Strategist System 068 has become quite the mature system.
Even though it only ever gets remembered when rewards are on the line, it’s amusingly aware of its host’s tendencies. It didn’t even ask things like, “Do you still remember I exist?” or “Why is it always those sisters, Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting, doing all the hard work while Qiao Yan wants her achievement rewards?” All it could muster was: [You’re not Liu Bei’s strategist.]
Since she’s not Liu Bei’s strategist, what gives her the right to claim rewards for helping Liu Bei rise to the position of Xuzhou Governor?
But it turns out it severely underestimates her skills in persistence.
She replied with utmost seriousness, “If you say it like that, it makes you sound like a system that lacks adaptability. Can’t we let someone step into a higher position temporarily, and then observe how they perform there?”
[…That’s absurd! You’re spouting nonsense!] the system huffed.
“Of course, we’ve gone over whether I actually want to be a strategist, and this line is just your excuse for automated judgment when something goes wrong, right? Isn’t it?” Qiao Yan showed no signs of backing down and even added a little jab.
The system grumbled softly before finally stating, [Fine, I’ll request a re-evaluation.]
But as it spoke, it thought to itself, if this time she really does manage to snag a reward by skimming the edges like this, might she come up with other similar schemes in the future?
Although historical events like Yuan Shu crowning himself as emperor have a minuscule chance of happening now, what if her presence leads Yuan Shao to officially take the title of Grand General, just like in history, in a bid to narrow the gap between them? Would she still come running to the system for rewards then?
In order to prevent such a situation from causing further irritation, it decided to submit this possibility as well.
Just when it thought that was the end of it, Qiao Yan piped up again, “By the way, it’s been a while since I did any deals with other systems.”
The spear techniques she acquired from trading with the martial arts system have rarely seen proper use as Qiao Yan’s status elevated. They mainly serve to deter anyone contemplating an assassination attempt against her.
The farming techniques from the farming system and the beast-taming manuals from the beast tamer system have been put to good use in the agricultural and pastoral projects of the three provinces.
The jade seal she traded away from the former system won’t return to her hands for another seven years, and she still owes the latter two appearances for troop drills, but it’s nothing too troublesome.
Given her current position and talented team, she should have enough capital for a new trade soon.
With such a handy trading platform like a golden finger, not making full use of it would be a disservice to its very existence.
The system asked, [What system are you looking to connect with?]
Qiao Yan tentatively suggested, “How about a sailing system?”
The system responded without hesitation, [I don’t have access to anything like that.]
Though theoretically a sailing system could exist, it’s of limited practicality for most eras due to the numerous prerequisites needed.
After binding to several hosts without any opportunities to implement it, the system was retooled.
After cursing under her breath, Qiao Yan asked, “What about a tour guide system or a navigation system?”
The system fell silent for a moment before asking, [Do you really think those sound like viable systems? Are we turning hosts into top-notch tour guides now?…]
“Let’s not be so discriminative about careers,” Qiao Yan retorted.
Two rejections of system options didn’t dampen her enthusiasm for brainstorming, and suddenly, with a clap of her hands, she exclaimed, “I’ve got it! Find out about the palace intrigue system for me.”
[Huh?] The system instinctively gasped.
It couldn’t be blamed for its shocked reaction; Qiao Yan’s previous behavior led it to believe she was half-geared towards strategies and infrastructure. Jumping straight to palace intrigue truly took it by surprise.
But Qiao Yan continued explaining her reasoning, “Remember when you first bound to me? I unwrapped a thing from my starter pack called the [Character Locator] that I used to find Liang Zhongning’s location.”
The system surely recalled.
It thought Qiao Yan would use the locator to hunt down people like Cao Cao or Liu Bei, but she ended up tracking down the Yellow Turban Commander instead.
It turned out she made the right choice then, yielding returns far exceeding looking for well-known figures. Still, recalling her aggressive enthusiasm back then made the system feel like its operational core had been tested to the limits.
“In a casual chat once, I asked you why this tool never showed up in the system itself, and you explained it was a basic item other systems fed into the main system, randomly included in the starter pack. I didn’t press further, but is there a possibility it’s from the palace intrigue system? If it can’t locate target characters, it wouldn’t enable those perfect encounters, right?”
[Wait, what are you trying to do?]
Qiao Yan replied, “I want to locate Gongsun Du across the sea. I need a navigation that will never veer off course.”
If Gongsun Du knew he was getting such treatment, he’d probably cry.
And certainly, not out of gratitude.
How Qiao Yan would pass this locator to her fleet wasn’t something the system needed to concern itself with.
It simply asked a very practical question, [If the palace intrigue system really has such a thing, what’s your bargaining chip?]
“A professional costume design team and enough funds to handle things properly; or if she happens to want to turn the palace intrigue system into a rebellion, I could provide a bit of technical support…”
“System?”
That immediate loss of connection made Qiao Yan realize the system, having developed a psychological shadow, decided to bolt for a trade discussion.
Before it left, its mind was racing, wondering why she, being someone into archaeology… was so adept at this kind of plot.
But no matter how weary the system was of Qiao Yan’s whimsical methods, it couldn’t deny a fact: it had become quite the success.
Meanwhile, those in Xuzhou were all feeling quite confused.
Chen Deng in the north thought bringing Liu Bei back to Xuzhou was the turning point after Tao Qian’s death.
As Liu Bei sent Jian Yong to Ye City to notify Yuan Shao for an official title while meticulously rounding up soldiers within Pei State to prevent any chaos after his retreat, Chen Deng was increasingly convinced Liu Bei’s temperament could indeed inherit Tao Qian’s legacy in Xuzhou, making him the most suitable candidate for the governor.
However, upon returning to Xuzhou alongside Liu Bei, he received shocking news that hit him like a bolt from the blue—
Former Guangling Prefect Zhang Yi had secured the governorship of Xuzhou from the Chang’an court, entering from Shuyang into Gaoyou County, seizing Ze Rong’s granary, and then blocking the counterattack of Ze Rong’s soldiers with reinforcements from the Jiujiang direction.
This meant that the individual previously ousted from the governor’s seat had reestablished himself in Guangling.
If it weren’t for Liu Bei, the scholars of Xuzhou might have genuinely opted for him as the new governor.
But with an agreement formed with Liu Bei, Zhang Yi’s existence became utterly redundant.
Moreover, due to their divergent stances, Zhang Yi and the others were bound to be enemies!
What on earth is happening!
No one expected this mediocre Prefect Zhang Yi to reach a reconciliation with Qiao Yan behind the scenes, secured a decree from the Chang’an court, and showed just as much efficiency as they did.
With Zhou Yu’s backing, he also had an army at his disposal.
He boldly proclaimed that he would personally remove Ze Rong, that shameless scoundrel.
“This doesn’t seem like something Zhang Zitai could pull off,” Chen Deng remarked with a serious face. “We underestimated Zhou Gongjin.”
Zhou Yu was capable of helping Sun Ce drive Yuan Shu out of Yang Province and assist Sun Ce in stabilizing his position amidst local nobility’s dissatisfaction, which was no trivial matter.
This series of maneuvers was more of Zhou Yu’s plan than Zhang Yi’s own idea.
Liu Bei did not interrupt Chen Deng’s train of thought nor suggest that since Zhang Yi was already in place, he could withdraw triumphantly.
From the moment Liu Bei accepted his mandate from the Ye City court, he had to regard himself as the governor of Xuzhou and could not display hesitation because of these unforeseen events.
Chen Deng observed Liu Bei’s demeanor, feeling that the initial turmoil caused by that surprising news eased slightly.
At the very least, he hadn’t welcomed a bumbling governor into Xuzhou.
Seeing Chen Deng’s expression clear up a bit, Liu Bei asked, “What do you think we should do next?”
Chen Deng replied, “Please lend me General Guan for a while. Since Xuzhou has a new master, we naturally need to establish some authority!”
With Zhang Yi still in Guangling, divided from them geographically, even knowing that the other’s existence was the largest obstacle for Liu Bei, they didn’t have a chance to eliminate him immediately.
Right now, their only combat option was—
Only Ze Rong!
Ze Rong was practically spitting blood.
Over twenty days ago, he had basked in the glory of the Buddhafest in Guangling, gaining a crowd.
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“The common folk really think he’s the spokesperson for the Buddha, huh?”
After he decisively took the opportunity to eliminate Tao Qian, he cleverly shifted the blame onto others, recruiting a bunch of folks eager to fight for him and storm the Xu Province.
It seemed like even the heavens were on his side. When he stationed troops at Huaiyin and crossed the Huai River, he encountered Wang Lang, a guy good at bureaucratic management but not so hot at military tactics.
With Zang Ba and Sun Guan in the north just twiddling their thumbs, apparently eager to see a clash between him and the Xu Province gentry where both sides would end up bruised, Ze Rong quickly sent people over to charge the river, successfully breaking through Wang Lang’s defenses three times north of Huaiyin.
If Chen Gui hadn’t returned to Xia Pi to rally the soldiers from Xia Xiang, Xia Pi, and Huaipu counties to resist, he’d probably have already crossed the Huai River with his gang.
But even though he’d been temporarily pushed back, his morale was as high as ever!
Those small-scale victories had made Ze Rong clearly see the pitfalls of the Xu Province’s division between civil and military authority.
The grain he controlled in the three counties, aside from the expenses for building a giant Buddha and a temple, was more than enough to support his troops’ rations.
At this rate, winning was just a matter of time!
What made Ze Rong feel even luckier was that this favorable trend had led Zu Lang to firmly believe that he could help defeat Sun Ce, and he was all pumped up to join the fight.
Now that was a particularly handy knife in his arsenal!
But Ze Rong’s luck was about to run out.
When Chen Deng and Liu Bei entered Xu Province, with a leader finally present and Liu Bei persuading him, Tao Shang finally stepped up and stated solemnly to everyone that no matter who caused Tao Qian’s demise, it wouldn’t be Chen Gui or Chen Deng.
With Liu Bei brought back by Chen Deng, now managing agricultural work and settling disputes in Pei State, appointed by the court to take up the position left by Tao Qian, he was way more suited to be the governor of Xu Province compared to Ze Rong, who only had one side of the story.
The position of governor isn’t just passed down; it must be filled by the capable, not proven through warfare but by bringing stability and development to the people of Xu Province.
This was a direct and targeted persuasion to the last batch of people Ze Rong had managed to rally!
Even though he told these folks that Tao Shang only spoke up now because he must’ve been coerced and not out of genuine concern, they naturally looked at him with a skeptical attitude.
Ze Rong was certain that getting those people to fight for him was a nearly impossible task now.
For the time being, all he had left to rely on was his followers of Buddhism.
But in a very short span, more bad news came crashing down on him—
Gaoyou changed hands!
This piece of news hit Ze Rong harder than Tao Shang finally speaking up.
Anyone who’s led troops knows you’ve gotta keep your soldiers well-fed to make them fight for you.
Especially with Ze Rong’s followers, the saying “like master, like servant” was fully embodied in them.
As soon as the news of food shortages hit the camp, those who’d indulged in luxury lifestyles under Ze Rong could hardly keep calm.
After learning that it was Zhou Yu from Yang Province supporting Zhang Yi’s takeover and that Zhou had managed to repel Ze Rong’s troops, even Zu Lang couldn’t sit still.
In just a matter of two days…
Ze Rong listened sullenly to the various whispers in the camp, cursing Chen Deng, Liu Bei, Tao Shang, Zhang Yi, and Zhou Yu countless times in his mind.
Why did they need to respond so quickly? It made all of his followers feel like they had a reason to lose confidence.
Never mind their own northern and southern governors being uncomfortable; Ze Rong found himself the most in distress.
Then he received another bit of news—Zhang Yi declared he would expose Ze Rong’s deceit in Xu Province one by one.
The first thing was that spectacle of lanterns rising into the sky.
Ze Rong’s eyelids flickered.
For him, that scene was significant, but the truth was he had no idea how such a display was created.
Even if he desperately wished it was genuine divine protection from the Buddha, he still leaned towards believing it was engineered.
But he had no clue who the mastermind behind it was.
This situation provided him the chance to murder Tao Qian, and he once instinctively hoped that this person was somehow supporting him.
Now… now it had become a sharp knife aimed straight at him.
Zhang Yi arranged for the location where the truth would be revealed to be set between Gaoyou and the north bank of Baima Lake in Huaiyin.
That was really not too far from Huaiyin.
With such a close display location, even if Ze Rong tried to use military orders to restrict the actions of the soldiers, they wouldn’t buy it. They’d likely see it as a sign of his guilt.
Even he himself was curious and, after arranging for the guarding soldiers, trudged over to Baima Lake with heavy steps.
Zhang Yi definitely wouldn’t show up personally, giving Ze Rong an opportunity, since he knew Tao Qian had provided everyone with a negative example.
But his subordinates, following his instructions, each carried a lantern made of paper and appeared there.
Getting this batch of lanterns made quickly was no easy feat, but thankfully, their difficulty garnered enough reward.
As hundreds of lanterns were set along the bank of Baima Lake and began to float up with the rising hot air, Ze Rong’s face had gone pale.
These rising lanterns, while still a bit different from those that appeared after the Buddha ceremony, were definitely flying into the sky.
They were really in the air!
Ze Rong gazed up at the ascending lanterns, unable to appreciate the wondrous and beautiful scene.
The hundreds of lanterns lit up in the sky, along with their reflections on the lake, were like miracles in the night, hitting him like a sledgehammer.
For a moment, he pondered if that spectacle at the Buddha ceremony was also conjured up by Zhang Yi’s group, but he couldn’t say it out loud.
After having tasted the benefits of being the Buddha’s spokesperson, such words would only make him sound defensive and exposed.
Since he had long since tacitly accepted the notion, even inciting people to believe in the Buddha’s power, then today’s actions by Zhang Yi indeed unveiled his true self.
Ze Rong had never felt his hearing had been this good.
He heard people around him saying that this so-called miracle was fake, and everything he had preached about Buddhism was just a scam.
He even heard murmurs suggesting, “Makes sense, if he truly had the Buddha’s protection, he wouldn’t be in such a tight spot—either way, that position of governor of Xu Province won’t belong to him.”
Then more voices chimed in…
These mixed voices made the lights before him feel like a fire burning him from within, making it impossible for him to stay any longer. He turned tail and bolted, leaping onto his horse to escape.
Ze Rong could run, and that was fine; after all, his followers who believed in the Buddha had already invested too much to deny the batch they just experienced as a scam and might still hold onto some trust.
But once he took off, he exposed his shaky reality in front of everyone.
If it weren’t for Ze Rong’s exceptional horse, those who had been rudely awakened would have happily pinned him down right there for an explanation.
But even when he made it back to the Huaiyin military camp, he couldn’t drag the soldiers back with him.
Before he reached the camp—just two miles away—he spotted another blaze on the horizon.
Unlike the flickering lights by Baima Lake, this was a raging fire igniting within his camp, swiftly turning into a massive inferno thanks to the wind!
Amidst the flames, enemies were attacking the camp!
Ze Rong had no time to think about whether it was the Xu Province gentry across the river or Zhang Yi’s forces who had just dealt him a sucker punch; he could only flee.
He needed to escape with his life!
Since relations between Xu Province and Jing Province had always been rocky, and Yang Province held a deep grudge against Jing Province, Ze Rong quickly chose his escape route—
He was heading to Jing Province.
Very few had seen the spectacle at Baima Lake, and if Liu Biao was willing to support him, he’d still have a chance to make a comeback!
Yet, before Ze Rong could get far, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck.
As he reached to feel his neck, he heard the sound of hooves growing closer.
The kind of numbness people described sprang up on his tongue; even before he saw who was approaching in the night, he had already guessed their identity.
This arrow came from Zu Lang!
It was the same arrow Zu Lang had used to kill Tao Qian!
But now, that arrow was aimed at Ze Rong, destined to be the weapon that ended his life.
Ze Rong tumbled off his horse, crashing heavily to the ground, and by the time Zu Lang and his crew reached him, he could barely utter a word, only hearing the other say, “Don’t worry, I won’t use you as a trophy.”
He just really disliked being used by others.
So he wouldn’t hand over Ze Rong’s head to Zhou Yu in exchange for any mercy against Mountain Yue.
That was simply not his style.
Zu Lang looked up at the sky; there was no moon tonight, just the start of August.
Speaking of which, it was the harvest season.
When Qiao Yan in Chang’an opened her window in the morning, she was greeted by the fragrance of ripe millet in the wind.
