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“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 285: The Times Are Changing
That was not just a geographical boundary but also a division of power created by them.
As they observed the flowing waters, an invisible pride swelled in their hearts.
After Qiao Rui fell in battle and they nearly became gifts to others, what they were seeking heading north to Bingzhou was merely a place of refuge.
At that time, they never could have imagined a day like this, where they would utilize information advantageously to change the dynamics in a region.
Now, having successfully pulled it off, they had a much clearer realization—
They could certainly rely on their skills to become their own protectors!
Lord Jun was more than happy to provide them with a platform to shine.
Just thinking about Mi Zhu reallocating the Mi family members to Salt Port, and the troops stationed at Hailing under Zhang Yang, they could see the unique roles they would play in the near future, and their gazes met with an increasing sense of accomplishment.
This was their first test but certainly not the last.
Next time…
“Next time, we’ll be even more careful,” Qiao Lan said.
“But for now, let’s just enjoy this moment,” Qiao Ting smiled at her sister.
They could celebrate their survival amidst the power struggles in Xuzhou and their successful business run claiming “from Yizhou to Guanzhong, then from Guanzhong to Xuzhou.”
When they returned to Chang’an, both of them appeared composed and dignified.
The merchant convoy was stopping in the Guo District of Chang’an, while they each entered the city to complete a secret meeting with Qiao Yan.
Chang’an was like a city constantly updating its weather; upon stepping inside, they realized that just over two months had passed, and quite a bit had changed.
“Food is our strength,” Qiao Lan sighed.
After their journey to Xuzhou, both had subconsciously been collecting various pieces of information, and this habit didn’t change upon entering the city.
From the conversations of passersby, they gleaned insights into what had happened before their return.
Under the current tax system, taxes would collect from every household after this year’s autumn harvest.
Despite sticking to the five-zhū coin system, the grain prices in Chang’an remained relatively stable, yet the Chang’an court decided to treat grains as hard currency for taxes.
This was to facilitate the future distribution of military supplies.
Thus, outside Chang’an, a scene unfolded.
Grains collected from the surroundings converged into the granary of Chang’an.
How much was that?
Taking a household of five as an example, with this year’s yield at five stones per mu, with a thirty percent tax rate, each family had to submit about seventeen stones of grain. If the household tax were converted to grain, it matched the land tax, so counting thirty stones per household, in every 100,000 households across the region, the total contribution climbed to four million five hundred thousand stones.
This was a staggering four times the amount of grain stored at the start of the year!
Originally, people thought the million stones of grain would serve as a safety net against unforeseen circumstances, but that was not the case; in autumn, a much more considerable influx occurred.
And there was more.
The autumn harvest in Jiangnan came even earlier than in Guanzhong.
The three regions of Jiujiang, Danyang, and Wujun in Yangzhou had already completed their autumn harvest and taxation long before Zhang Yang arrived at Xuzhou Hailing.
Even though the tax collection faced some resistance, Zhou Yu still sent the promised grain to Chang’an, arriving almost simultaneously with Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting.
Also arriving was the tax Liu Biao submitted from Jing Province.
No wonder Liu Biao was acting this way.
First, Qiao Yan’s troops arrived from upstream of the Han River, passing through Jing Province, giving him a scare, and then a grand procession of grain from Yangzhou crossed over that made Liu Biao think Sun Ce was coming to “pay tribute” to the Chang’an court, alongside accusing him.
He hadn’t heard a peep about these two matters from his eldest son Liu Qi, who was serving in Chang’an.
So, Liu Biao hastily had his people tally up the taxes from Jing Province, sending off what remained after necessary expenses back to the court.
Consequently, the grains stored in the Chang’an government storehouse nearly hit eight million stones.
Qiao Lan’s statement was spot on.
Food is power!
And those eight million stones of grain were the people’s muscle in Chang’an!
However, as they paused briefly on the streets of Chang’an, they heard another piece of news that wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Not long after they set off for Xuzhou, the Grand Historian’s position was expected to change.
By the suggestion of the previous Grand Historian, Ma Lun, this position could very well transfer to Ren Hong.
Since she arrived in Chang’an last October to oversee the construction of the Lingtai and the Hall of Enlightenment for the Emperor’s ascension, all the way to stepping in for Ma Lun during the first year of Jian’an, she hadn’t made a single mistake; thus, her identity, gender, and age should not restrict her.
No formal regulation existed stating someone like her, who once held the court position of Diao Chan, couldn’t be the Grand Historian, just as no rules suggested only nobles from illustrious families could hold court positions.
Still, many felt Ren Hong was too inexperienced.
The Grand Historian’s salary wasn’t high, but the position held significant weight; it wasn’t yet time to hand it over to her.
Qiao Yan said she wouldn’t give Ren Hong direct assistance but would provide her with a relatively fair competitive environment, and she wasn’t wrong.
She didn’t completely suppress the criticisms through her power.
Therefore, when Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting returned to Chang’an, the topic often buzzing around wasn’t just about the granary, but also this matter.
Discussions were brewing regarding a looming trial for Ren Hong.
Counting themselves, the sisters didn’t have deep ties with Ren Hong, but perhaps out of a sense of mutual support, after reporting their trip to Xuzhou to Qiao Yan, they still inquired about it.
“Honestly, there’s no need to fret too much. The things evolving aren’t just the items in daily life; some factors hard to notice their significance are updating as well,” Qiao Yan replied. “For instance, the eclipse cycle.”
“Thirteen years ago, Mr. Yuan Zhuo tried to forecast a solar eclipse using his unfinished Qianxiang Calendar. Unfortunately, the prediction failed, but that doesn’t mean this calendar is worse than the four-part calendar; on the contrary, it’s essential for a new algorithm. During the years Mrs. Ma and Mr. Yuan Zhuo refined it in Leping, the Qianxiang Calendar has undergone further improvements in calculating the time differences between solar and lunar eclipses.”
Qiao Yan responded encouragingly, “Just wait and see. One piece of data was calculated with the help of our Grand Historian, and she’s bolder than you might think.”
Under Liu Yuan Zhuo’s leadership, the Qianxiang Calendar calculations showed that the near-perigee data and modern data differed only by 000021 days, while solar and lunar eclipse cycles and the angle of the ecliptic were also more precisely defined.
This meant the timing of eclipses could be predicted with greater accuracy.
Upon arriving in Chang’an, Ren Hong hadn’t given up, using Liu Yuan Zhuo’s theory to calculate the next solar eclipse.
She definitely wouldn’t miss this opportunity to prove her abilities.
Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting couldn’t be mistaken; when Qiao Yan mentioned “our Grand Historian,” it was undoubtedly directed at Ren Hong.
In the ninth month of the first year of Jian’an, carrying Qiao Yan’s trust and the name that meant soaring in the sky, Ren Hong stood before everyone.
She stepped forward and declared loudly, “I want to make a bet with you all. If I win, I ask each of you to reassess, with fairness, whether I’m deserving of the Grand Historian’s position.”
When Ren Hong said this, no one focused on her stunning beauty; it was her determined expression and resolute statement that commanded attention.
This strong demeanor vaguely reminded some of Qiao Yan.
At this moment, the Grand Marshal was watching her with calm eyes, hints of approval shining through.
Someone in the crowd spoke up, “You have to tell us what we’re betting on before we decide if it’s reasonable.”
Ren Hong confidently replied, “Let’s bet on whether a solar eclipse can be seen in Central Plains on the first day of the first month next year. If it can’t, I’ll take full responsibility and resign, facing the five punishments. If it can, then, as I said, we’ll reevaluate the Grand Historian’s position!”
A solar eclipse on the first day of the first month next year?
People exchanged glances at her words.
Even if it really happened, those who calculated eclipses often avoided making predictions for such dates to prevent unnecessary trouble.
But Ren Hong appeared unfazed; she stubbornly presented her sound calculations confidently to the crowd.
In an audacious manner, she informed everyone that her courage was sufficient for that position!
On the first day of the first month of Jian’an, a solar eclipse was observable in the central regions of Yanzhou and Yuzhou.
For many, this seemed to imply that the first year of Jian’an wouldn’t be particularly peaceful.
Yet perhaps because Ren Hong had already made this prediction while acting as the Grand Historian last October, coupled with Qiao Yan’s insistence that a general amnesty wouldn’t display the Emperor’s leniency but rather embolden some prisoners, Chang’an decided to continue executing various training programs from before spring sowing while explaining the solar eclipse as a normal occurrence in monthly publications, without further actions.
After all, last year’s harvest left every household in the three provinces with surplus grain; reducing the per capita tax might be a better option than a general amnesty.
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It might just make them feel a bit more at ease.
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the Ye City court announced a decree of amnesty.
The scope of execution includes Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Yu Province, Pei State, and everything north of the Huai River in Xuzhou.
And this is just the beginning of the year.
In late May of the same year, the Si Li district experienced thunder without clouds, and in June, a fierce wind blew, even bringing hail. Meanwhile, the western peak of Huashan in Huayin crumbled a bit.
On October 11th, there was an earthquake in Chang’an.
On November 13th, Chang’an shook again.
Even with the spread of the Leping Monthly Report explaining natural phenomena like cloudless thunder and summer hail based on recurring climatic causes, there was no accurate explanation for earthquakes when tectonic movements were still beyond human observation.
Since October, a rumor has circulated that—
This year’s early Chang’an court didn’t proclaim an amnesty to appease the heavens, hence the frequent disasters from above to terrify this false court.
Or perhaps, in a place like Chang’an where royal power gathers, one shouldn’t have unworthy people in high office, hence Huashan, a sacred mountain, is giving warnings.
“Unworthy in virtue? Who’s he talking about?” Qiao Yan flipped through the various reports in her hand and chuckled coldly. “At least Yuan Shao has made some progress.”
Oh, he has indeed progressed.
It’s been over three years since Liu Bian was established on the throne in Ye City, and Yuan Shao can’t be the guy always getting pushed around forever.
Now he’s even learned to use public opinion to attack.
Yuan Shao may not have the resources to start a Ye City Monthly Report like Qiao Yan, but he’s at least figured out the importance of controlling public dialogue.
So, at the suggestion of his strategists, he jumped on the various natural disasters in Si Li this year to make a big deal out of it.
Yuan Shao really savored the benefits of this move.
Since last year when Bingzhou pretended to attack Jizhou, Qiao Yan had not made any military moves at all.
According to Yuan Shao’s understanding, this meant she was constantly aiding Liu Yu by fine-tuning policies in the three states to ensure no civil unrest arose from the gossip spreading among the people.
So she had no time to think about military action.
She was already overwhelmed with various internal troubles.
Meanwhile, in the autumn of the first year of Jian’an, Lu Zhi, who was getting on in years, after confirming poor health from Chiyang Medical Academy, temporarily stepped down from his position as Grand Commandant.
For Yuan Shao, this meant Qiao Yan had lost yet another firm ally in court.
Even though the position was taken over by Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi’s son Lu Yu had transferred to Leping Academy after studying under Chen Qun for a year, it still didn’t change Qiao Yan’s weakening power in court.
Upon hearing the news, Yuan Shao couldn’t help but sleep soundly for several nights.
But in reality?
Qiao Yan didn’t find these circumstances fatal.
While the masses might be easily swayed, not many maintained their judgment amidst knowledge and experience, they did have a straightforward standard—
Their quality of life under governance.
The farming in the first year of Jian’an had become more streamlined compared to the first year, and last year’s five stones per mu was clearly just the beginning.
What Yuan Shao was afraid to disrupt in farming regulations was no big deal for Qiao Yan.
In light of last year’s success, the residents of Guanzhong voluntarily complied with various edicts issued by the Chang’an court, resulting in an impressive seven stones per mu by the time of the autumn harvest.
And it increased!
Even though Qiao Yan didn’t consciously publicize this improvement in yield through the Leping Monthly Report, this figure delivered a solid blow to Yuan Shao in the autumn.
No matter how much talk there was about “unworthy in virtue” or “false Chang’an court,” none of that really mattered to the folks in Chang’an.
As long as they could fill their bellies, it was a good court.
Moreover, even though Chang’an experienced earthquakes in October, the government’s various relief measures were highly effective.
They quickly repaired the collapsed huts in the capital and compensated for some losses to households.
At the same time, to prevent further damage from potential earthquakes, during November, the government assembled workers to optimize the structures of buildings both planned and already built during the agricultural downtime of winter.
Liu Yuanzhuo’s invention of the abacus finally showed its broader application value during these extensive calculations.
Furthermore, the cotton that had been planted for the third year and expanded in area had finished harvesting in October, and by November, it turned into a large-scale supply of cotton clothing for the capital.
So when the earthquake struck again in November, people huddled in the streets with their cotton clothes, chatting about how their houses had quite impressively held up.
They were fortunate that the earthquakes in October and November weren’t particularly severe; compared to their impact on buildings, the infrastructure projects in Guanzhong took a heavier hit, but it just happened to be during the dry winter period, allowing for repairs without affecting the coming year.
Such orderly measures conveyed to the outside world undoubtedly made Yuan Shao seethe with anger.
Ju Shou advised him to take advantage of the opponent’s disaster instead of ruminating on how to use public opinion against Qiao Yan, suggesting he should focus on accumulating military supplies and expanding his army during this stable period.
In theory, he was already doing that, but hearing the commotion from Chang’an, even knowing the other side was in trouble, he felt the pressure coming from these responses.
Thinking about how cotton and soy sauce had become the new craze spreading from Guanzhong to other states, Yuan Shao found the items he had obtained from Tian Feng suddenly less appealing.
The horseshoe was indeed a good thing, but in a state of ceasefire, he had very few chances to use it.
As for the others, forget it.
While there were plenty of mules, they were still too young to be of any use, though based on their shown load-bearing capacity, they’d make for fine workers in a couple of years for farming and transporting military supplies.
The garlic essence situation still had no clear direction, and as for the liquor, let’s not even get into that.
Nothing compared to sellable soy sauce or wearable cotton for keeping warm!
If Yuan Shao hesitated in this comparison, it would just be disrespect to the cotton clothes he wore himself.
He was keen to get someone to reconnect with Tian Feng and see if there was any new intel to help narrow the gap, but instead, he received another piece of news that hit him like a disaster.
As Chang’an developed, the number of vacant official positions in court had become increasingly scarce, so naturally, the situation arose—
The recruitment methods for Hongwen Hall needed to change.
Considering the students in Leping Academy underwent regular monthly and semi-annual exams to ensure they grasped the knowledge being taught, it seemed only fitting to trial this in Chang’an.
However, the selection process for Hongwen Hall was quite different from the examinations at Leping Academy; one had to be particularly cautious about missing out on specialized talents or appointing a bunch of empty talkers, hence care was needed in crafting the exam topics.
For this reason, a dedicated exam design team was formed in the middle of the year, which included Chen Ji, one of the four principals of Hongwen Hall.
Even though the imperial examination system hadn’t been set up yet, Qiao Yan, viewing it from the perspective of future generations, put forth the notion of subsequent selection through examination as well as methods to prevent cheating.
Since the exam topics were still in the process of being refined, locking the exam writers up in a room for months or even years was quite over the top, so they finally switched to having them strictly monitored by Jin Wu Wei.
As Chen Ji’s disciple and assistant, Tian Feng naturally faced such treatment.
This temporarily cut off Yuan Shao’s chances of getting further news from him.
Yuan Shao had tried sending more spies, but no one could match Tian Feng’s level of talent and luck.
So what could he do?
He could only continue to attack through public opinion.
Yuan Shao didn’t realize that, to a certain extent, he had a brotherly connection with Yuan Shu.
He turned to Ju Shou and saw his gaze not on the pile of letters before him but out the window, displaying a hint of concern upon returning his focus.
“What are you thinking about, my lord?”
Ju Shou replied, “Don’t you think the weather this winter is a bit unusual?”
At that time, another person in Chang’an was voicing similar thoughts.
The Lingtai’s watch recorded every day’s weather since the onset of winter, reported by Ren Hong to Qiao Yan.
Her prediction from January 1st about an eclipse felt like a gamble, but fortunately, she hit the jackpot and seamlessly took over as Grand Historian.
From this year onward, matters involving astronomy and weather patterns needed to be recorded by her and her subordinates and reported up.
Considering the capital’s relocation to Chang’an had eliminated Lantai, Qiao Yan also suggested that historical documentation work revert to Lingtai.
However, with Ren Hong’s qualifications, she was still far from taking on the responsibilities of the Grand Historian from the Former Han Dynasty in terms of chronicling history; this work was still led by Cai Yong in name to assist him in further compiling the Dongguan Han records.
So for now, Ren Hong was still seeking Qiao Yan to report on the weather.
She said, “The weather this year is truly strange; we’ve had a lot of rain in June that needs special recording for historical purposes, yet since winter began, we haven’t seen a single flake of snow.”
“Not just the absence of snow; the wind intensity and temperatures also resemble records from the Fifth Year of Guanghe.”
And the Fifth Year of Guanghe was marked by a severe drought.
Ren Hong furrowed her brow, and under Qiao Yan’s watchful eyes, expressed her judgment, “My lord, I fear there will be changes in the weather next year.”
