Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Clear Voice of the Young Phoenix, Chapter 29: The Debate of the Dao

This is a name that must be fought for!

In Qiao Yan’s original plan, since she already had the merit of pacifying the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou and Yuzhou, it wouldn’t hurt to give up some of the credit for the battle in Ji Province to gain the friendship of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi.

Once the war was settled, she would immediately rush to Luoyang to see Qiao Xuan one last time, then return to Yanzhou to observe mourning and build her reputation.

Yanzhou, thanks to her swift actions in driving away the tigers and devouring the wolves, managed to merge the three Yellow Turban factions into one, preventing the war from escalating. This act of mercy allowed some people to survive, which became her foundation in Yanzhou.

Although she couldn’t openly recruit retainers like the powerful families of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, she could entrust this task to the Xue and Tian families, with whom she had already formed alliances.

By the seventh year of Guanghe, when Dong Zhuo’s rebellion broke out, her uncle, who was then the Prefect of Dong Commandery, would issue a false edict calling on the various warlords to attack Dong Zhuo. She would then take the opportunity to join the army and gain another wave of reputation.

After that, whether she retreated to Dong Commandery to watch the conflict between Qiao Zhao and Liu Dai for profit, or abandoned Yanzhou, a land of constant warfare, to find another place to settle, she would still need the right opportunity to push forward.

Even if her plans failed, she could still become a strategist for a warlord, following the main questline of the Strategist System.

With the reputation she had already built, no one would dare to harm her lightly, fearing the consequences of killing a famous scholar.

But now, an unexpected event occurred.

In the edict entrusted to Zhang Rang by the Emperor, there was an intention to grant her a marquis title for her military achievements.

This could make her plans more proactive and free her from being confined to Yanzhou.

In fact, Yanzhou was not the optimal solution!

From the Emperor’s edict, it was clear that age was no longer a restriction for her to be granted a marquis title.

Even if Huangfu Song had obscured her gender in his military reports, his letters to Lu Zhi suggested that he was inclined to highlight the trait of “young but highly talented.”

The same should apply to his letters to Liu Hong.

Thus, the only issue she needed to consider was her gender.

But this was not simply a matter of being male or female.

Qiao Yan, being well-versed in history, guessed Zhang Rang’s concerns when she learned that he had withheld the edict.

Although there was a precedent of female marquises in the early Western Han Dynasty, she would still need to break through layers of constraints and prejudices to successfully obtain the marquis title.

Therefore, she needed to add weight to her case, or find a reference point for herself.

The system watched as she sat back at the table, her fingers unconsciously tracing on the table while she pondered. It tried to decipher what she was writing and realized it was the name “Xu Fu.”

Indeed, the only reference Qiao Yan could use was Xu Fu.

The other four female marquises of the early Western Han Dynasty were granted titles either due to their husbands’ merits or the favor of those in power, which did not fit Qiao Yan’s situation.

Moreover, even during the reign of Empress Dowager Deng, who had the posthumous title of “Xi” (meaning “bringing peace to the people”), she did not dare to follow Empress Lü’s example of granting titles to her sisters. This showed the deep fear and hatred the Han Dynasty had for Empress Lü, fearing any sign of someone following her precedent.

The rulers of the Han Dynasty rarely granted female marquises, likely due to this consideration.

Only Xu Fu’s case was special, as she was granted a title due to her skill in physiognomy.

This title was linked to the legitimacy of Liu Bang’s rule, making it a necessity.

Could Qiao Yan use this reason? Perhaps she could.

At this time, just after the Yellow Turban Rebellion had been pacified, if she could prove that her existence could potentially prolong the Han Dynasty’s reign, like an omen, then the marquis title might not be out of reach.

Liu Hong was a “interesting” emperor, and Qiao Yan realized that perhaps only during his reign could she have this opportunity to be granted a marquis.

His governance methods were flawed, but his ability to balance the power of the imperial relatives, eunuchs, and noble families was undoubtedly at the level expected of an emperor.

Qiao Yan originally belonged to the noble family faction, but the deaths of Qiao Yu and his wife in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and Qiao Xuan’s impending death, gave her the possibility of becoming an independent fourth party.

But this added weight needed to be carefully measured.

If it was too heavy, making the current emperor wary of her, it would be counterproductive, and he might simply revoke the marquis title due to her gender.

If it was too light, it might lead to other undesirable thoughts, which Qiao Yan absolutely did not want.

With a reputation for filial piety, no powerful imperial relatives, and clever tactics, wouldn’t she be the most suitable candidate for the crown princess of the eleven-year-old Liu Bian?

Qiao Yan had no intention of jumping into that pit.

Her goal was only that, although she didn’t know what kind of marquis title it would be, as long as it was a marquis title, it would suffice.

To handle the issue of the weight of this added value, it seemed she needed to make use of the three people who had come with her, as well as the debate meeting she had originally intended to use to gain fame from Zhang Jiao.

The candle in the tent flickered, catching her eye and pulling her thoughts back from the “marquis title.”

Feeling somewhat reassured, she no longer needed to lose sleep over this news.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

She blew out the candle, plunging the tent into darkness.

The system wanted to ask her what conclusion she had reached, but seeing her tired expression as she lay down to sleep, it couldn’t bring itself to ask.

With the host’s abilities, what did it have to worry about? It should be more concerned about Zhang Rang, who hadn’t properly delivered the edict, and Chunyu Qiong, who had already been used by her to extract information.

It finally whispered, “Goodnight, host.”

The next day, at the military camp outside Quzhou City, Qiao Yan woke up to the system’s alarm.

Chunyu Qiong, on the other hand, woke up from a drunken stupor.

As he woke up, he felt somewhat disoriented.

He vaguely remembered saying quite a bit the previous day, but he wasn’t sure if he had said anything he shouldn’t have.

But he thought about it and didn’t recall knowing any particularly sensitive secrets, so even if he had been a bit loose-lipped while drunk, it probably wouldn’t be a big deal.

Probably… right?

With this in mind, he aimlessly wandered around the camp, trying to recall what he had said during his conversation with Liu Bei.

But the alcohol’s effects prevented him from recalling the key details.

He then learned that Liu Bei had already left the camp early, as he had the day before, to suppress bandits. Even if he wanted to get an answer from Liu Bei, it was clearly impossible.

Chunyu decided not to torment himself and simply treated what he couldn’t remember as if it hadn’t happened.

Having “resolved” this matter, he felt more at ease and continued to enjoy the camp.

Lu Zhi had moved part of the soldiers, along with some brought by Huangfu Song, into Quzhou City, so the camp was a bit less crowded than before.

But in Chunyu’s view, Lu Zhi truly lived up to his reputation as a famous general of the realm.

These soldiers, after winning the battle against the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province, still maintained a high level of vigilance, with no flaws in their patrols, making the camp even more secure than those in Luoyang.

Although the numbers were slightly reduced, the current operations masked this, making it hard to spot any weaknesses.

But Chunyu was used to this and didn’t feel any shame, only feeling safer in such a well-organized camp.

However, amidst this orderly military defense, two people stood out.

Chunyu stopped by one of the tents and, using the cover of the military tents, looked over to see Qiao Yan and Zhang Rang standing together.

Logically, the granddaughter of a high-ranking official and a noble family’s daughter should have no connection with a eunuch, but the two seemed to be chatting happily, making it hard to see any difference in their factions.

He couldn’t help but frown, wishing he had a pair of ears that could hear their conversation from this distance. If he got closer, he feared being noticed by Qiao Yan and Zhang Rang.

He could only see that during their conversation, Qiao Yan suddenly looked somewhat melancholy and even seemed on the verge of tears. Zhang Rang then appeared to be comforting her.

Although the topic of their conversation might not be a happy one, the atmosphere could be described as harmonious in a way.

Chunyu became secretly alert.

He was aligned with the Yuan Clan, naturally opposed to the eunuchs.

Before coming, Minister Yuan Wei had instructed him to carefully observe the actions of Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng. If they offended Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, it would be an opportunity for their side to win over those two.

As for the newly favored Qiao family member, they must also handle the relationship carefully.

If Zhang Rang and his group managed to befriend her first, they would need to report it to Luoyang as soon as possible.

Chunyu now felt that this might indeed be a sign that she had chosen the Ten Attendants as her backers.

Whether this was her own choice or she had been deceived didn’t matter much, as aligning oneself was a step that couldn’t easily be changed once taken.

Of course, Chunyu would never admit that his current unease wasn’t entirely due to the regret of a pearl being obscured, but also because he himself hadn’t been granted a marquis title, while this child might soon receive a high position, which made him somewhat resentful.

After a while, he saw Zhang Rang and Qiao Yan part ways, with Qiao Yan not showing any signs of turning hostile after Zhang Rang left. Instead, she watched Zhang Rang’s departing figure for a while before finally looking away, further confirming his judgment.

When he snapped out of his thoughts, he realized that not only had Zhang Rang disappeared, but Qiao Yan was also no longer in sight.

But how could he know that Qiao Yan actually had a reason to chat with Zhang Rang?

No matter how uncomfortable Zhang Rang felt about withholding the edict due to Qiao Yan’s gender, he had to answer her question about Qiao Xuan’s illness in Luoyang.

After all, among the people who came here, only he had accompanied Liu Hong to Qiao Xuan’s residence.

When Qiao Yan heard that the Emperor had personally visited Qiao Xuan, who was critically ill, and that Qiao Xuan had said, “Please bury me at the border, so that my spirit may pray for the Han Dynasty,” she was deeply moved and felt great sorrow for this old man who had lost his son in his later years.

It was a pity that Qiao Xuan, a loyal servant of the Han Dynasty, had encountered the irredeemable late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Seeing Qiao Yan compose herself, Zhang Rang said, “I still have duties here, and even if my grandfather knew, he wouldn’t blame me. My grandfather had the ambition to guard the border, and I too have the desire to serve the country. Thank you, Attendant, for informing me of my grandfather’s words.”

Zhang Rang breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already sent out a letter the previous day, along with the military report of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi’s victory here, and believed that once it reached the capital, everything would be clear.

As long as he wasn’t forced to read out the edict, everything would be fine, which explained why, from Chunyu’s perspective, Qiao Yan and Zhang Rang’s conversation seemed so harmonious.

Zhang Rang didn’t know that Qiao Yan had someone watching Chunyu’s tent and only approached Zhang Rang when Chunyu left the camp. What he knew was—

Someone like Qiao Yan, even if she couldn’t become the Marquis of Leping due to the Han Dynasty’s restrictions, would certainly not be an ordinary person.

Since she didn’t draw a clear line like Huangfu Song, perhaps maintaining a good relationship with her wouldn’t be a bad idea.

With this in mind, he didn’t hesitate to greet this young lady when he saw her later.

From Chunyu’s perspective, it seemed like the two had already reached a secret agreement.

This wasn’t hard to explain.

Zhang Rang, after withholding the edict, didn’t deliberately approach Huangfu Song but instead approached Qiao Yan. It was possible that he had already informed her of the Emperor’s intention to grant her a marquis title.

If this eunuch managed to secure the marquis title for this woman, wouldn’t that mean Qiao Yan owed him a huge favor?

And how to repay that favor would be entirely up to Zhang Rang.

Chunyu couldn’t help but feel that this was a bad omen.

But if Zhang Rang could send a letter back, so could he!

Moreover, as the escort for this trip, he had many soldiers with him, so sending a letter wouldn’t be slow.

Chunyu wasn’t skilled in writing, but as a well-known captain, writing a letter was no problem.

The letter that eventually reached Yuan Wei’s hands was concise:

“Saw Qiao Yan, daughter of the Qiao family, in secret discussions with Zhang Rang.”

He wrote an “objective fact.” How to handle it, whether to help secure the marquis title before Zhang Rang or to suppress her, was for Yuan Gong to decide.

After sending the letter, Chunyu felt more at ease.

After that, whenever he saw the two chatting happily, he no longer felt that sense of impending doom.

With the end of the Prohibition of Factionalists, the court was surely about to reinstate the partisans.

With the Minister backed by the Yuan Clan of Runan, his influence would surely increase, making it easy to take action.

In any case, they couldn’t let the eunuch faction gain any more support.

But no matter how fast the messenger rode, it would still take some time to get the message from Ji Province to Luoyang. Before Chunyu received any news from the capital, he saw a heavyweight figure arrive at the military camp.

Someone he never expected to see here at this time.

Zheng Xuan of Gaomi.

The Prohibition of Factionalists had affected Zheng Xuan for thirteen years, confining him to Gaomi and preventing him from leaving. Having been in Luoyang all these years, Chunyu had never had the chance to meet this great scholar.

But with such a grand arrival, accompanied by several carts of scriptures, and receiving a warm welcome from Lu Zhi, there was no one else it could be but Zheng Xuan.

As soon as Zheng Xuan arrived, he saw Qiao Yan approach him, saying, “Qiao Yan of Yanzhou apologizes to Lord Zheng.”

This undoubtedly confirmed Zheng Xuan’s identity.

Zheng Xuan was indeed the person she had discussed with Huangfu Song and sent someone to invite.

However, his personal arrival was beyond her expectations, as in her letter to Zheng Xuan, she had actually written—

“If Lord Zheng cannot come in person, please send a capable disciple.”








This was already enough for her to start her own actions.

However, Zheng Xuan personally arriving in Ji Province undoubtedly gave her more confidence.

Upon hearing her words of apology, the elder with a tall hat and wide belt showed no displeasure on his face. “In the letter you sent, you already explained the whole story of borrowing my name. How could I blame you for this?”

Seeing Qiao Yan stand up, he looked her up and down, this girl who claimed to be his disciple. Observing her clear and elegant demeanor and upright gaze, he couldn’t help but feel a bit more appreciation. He then added, “Avenging one’s parents is a natural duty of filial piety for children. Your actions did not lump the Yellow Turbans together as traitors and rebels, but instead saved the lives of the ignorant masses in Changshe under the hands of two generals. Now, for the sake of more lives, you wrote to seek help. Even though I haven’t traveled outside for many years, how could I not come in person?”

Qiao Yan hurriedly replied, “Lord Zheng is truly righteous.” But the elder waved his hand, “Don’t flatter me just yet. I still have a few questions for you. If your answers don’t satisfy me, even though I’ve come, I might not truly fulfill your wishes.”

Although he said this, even Chunyu Qiong, who least understood why Qiao Yan had invited Zheng Xuan, could tell that his words carried more of a casual tone than a threatening one, clearly showing some indulgence towards the younger generation.

“Lord Zheng, feel free to ask.”

As Zheng Xuan walked towards the camp, he asked, “Why do you think I have the ability to damage Zhang Jiao’s Way of Great Peace doctrine?”

The Way of Great Peace specializes in Huang-Lao teachings, while Zheng Xuan is deeply rooted in Confucianism. The two have little overlap, at most touching on some aspects of divination and prophecy.

This is quite different from the debates Zheng Xuan had experienced between the New Text and Old Text schools of Confucian classics.

If Qiao Yan said she placed her hopes on him because of his reputation, he would turn around and leave immediately without hesitation.

But obviously, Qiao Yan had considered this question. She replied unhurriedly, “In Yanzhou, I once studied the Scripture of Great Peace. However, I hope those present won’t send me to prison for reading it.”

Huangfu Song immediately laughed, “Then Zigan will have to keep a tight rein on his subordinates. In emergencies, flexibility is always right.”

Qiao Yan cupped her hands towards Lu Zhi and continued to explain, “The Scripture of Great Peace is inseparable from Zhang Jiao’s Way of Great Peace. It often falsely attributes celestial phenomena and borrows from divine spirits.”

She spoke so candidly, as if she had never told Liang Zhongning about “the brightness of the Di and Fang stars, corresponding to Yanzhou and Yuzhou.” Seeing that Zheng Xuan seemed to understand her intentions, she continued, “So I’m not asking you to refute Zhang Jiao with Confucian classics. You, who have long been engaged in education, naturally know that for the common people in various provinces, the Rites of Zhou and the Zuo Commentary are not things they can understand. But there is one thing that might be explainable.”

“I’ve heard that your mathematical talent is unparalleled. In your early years, you studied under a great Confucian scholar from Fufeng and once worked with him to deduce celestial phenomena. Ma Jichang has already passed away. The only one who can use celestial astronomy to debunk the falsehoods in the Scripture of Great Peace is you, Lord Zheng.”

Zheng Xuan pointed at Lu Zhi and laughed, “Lu Zigan and I are fellow disciples. Why not seek him instead?”

Qiao Yan, not minding to use her age advantage, showed a somewhat cute expression, “When it comes to military strategy, you are not as good as Lord Lu. When it comes to celestial calculations, Lord Lu is not as good as you. To break through this rare and thick shield, naturally, we need the sharpest spear. Don’t you think so?”

This comparison didn’t offend either of them. After all, she was still young, and even if she spoke too directly, she wouldn’t be blamed.

Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan looked at each other and almost simultaneously laughed.

The two hadn’t seen each other for many years, and now hearing their names mentioned together by a junior, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

“Good,” Zheng Xuan was clearly quite satisfied with Qiao Yan’s answer and continued to ask, “The reason you’ve given is indeed good. But you must know that the foundation of the Way of Great Peace lies in the governance of Great Peace, considering Great Peace as the Heavenly Way, and speaking of the distribution of wealth, which is not meant for one person alone. How do you plan to refute this?”

Qiao Yan didn’t answer directly but instead asked Zheng Xuan, “Before Zhang Jiao, wealth was not evenly distributed. But has there ever been someone like him who could command hundreds of thousands across several provinces in a single day?”

Zheng Xuan replied, “No.”

“The saying ‘it’s not the lack but the inequality that causes trouble’ has long been mentioned. But pure fairness inevitably allows lazy people to profit. I think this is not the fundamental issue.”

Seeing Zheng Xuan’s thoughtful expression, Qiao Yan paused for a moment before continuing, “Zhang Jiao was able to spread this doctrine of Great Peace far and wide. After careful consideration, I found that it was not because of the fair distribution of wealth and land, but because the Heavenly Way of Great Peace promised longevity.”

“The four major plagues in the fourth year of Jianning, the second year of Xiping, the second year of Guanghe, and the fifth year of Guanghe gave Zhang Jiao the opportunity to spread his teachings and gain favor.”

If not for the timing of these plagues, Zhang Jiao would never have been able to develop the Way of Great Peace to this extent.

The idea of talisman water healing, in modern terms, is probably a combination of mild medication and psychological therapy, expressed through religious means, which became Zhang Jiao’s most effective tool in rallying the masses.

Given that the plagues at the time included cholera, pneumonia, hemorrhagic fever, and other infectious diseases, the claim that many were healed is highly questionable.

“But I am not an expert in this field, and I cannot assert that this is the case based on my own assumptions,” Qiao Yan said. “So I invited another person. This is the second debate I will have with Zhang Jiao.”

“From what you say, this person is a physician?” Zheng Xuan asked.

Qiao Yan nodded, “Yes, and a renowned physician of our time. But I didn’t invite him to refute the talisman water doctrine.”

She showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, “I heard that this person has been traveling around saving lives. If I had only said I wanted him to debate Zhang Jiao, he might have thought it better to stay in his hometown to develop new medicines. So I told him that after the great battle in Ji Province, there would surely be a major plague, and I begged him to come here out of compassion for the people.”

If it weren’t for the memories of the original Qiao Yan, who had recently tracked this person’s whereabouts, Qiao Yan wouldn’t have thought of him.

Fortunately, after Zheng Xuan was satisfied with Qiao Yan’s answer and decided to stay and help her, the second team sent to find someone also brought good news.

They had brought Hua Tuo here.

Hua Tuo’s ancestral home was in Qiao County, Pei State, Yanzhou, making him a fellow townsman of Cao Cao. Cao Cao had previously guessed that Qiao Yan’s trip there was not to find someone in his family. After being recalled from Guangzong by Huangfu Song, he witnessed this explanation.

“So you were looking for Master Yuanhua,” Cao Cao stroked his beard. “Using his medical skills against Zhang Jiao’s talisman water is indeed feasible.”

At this time, there was no saying that Hua Tuo, Dong Feng, and Zhang Zhongjing were collectively known as the Three Divine Physicians of the Jian’an era. But since Cao Cao was from the same hometown as Hua Tuo, he couldn’t have not heard of his reputation.

Although medicine was considered a lowly profession in ancient times, with medical skills like Hua Tuo’s, countless people would entrust their lives to him, and it was indeed necessary to treat him with respect.

Fortunately, Qiao Yan’s luck was good. Hua Tuo had not traveled in the past two years, instead compiling his experiences from practicing medicine in Yang Province and Xuzhou into books. Now, hearing that there might be a large number of patients, he rushed over.

Even more fortunately, although Hua Tuo greatly disliked being ordered around—even later daring to refuse when Cao Cao summoned him to treat his headaches—he still conformed to the mindset of the people of that time. Seeing Zheng Xuan here, his tone changed.

After Qiao Yan had someone bring the talisman water stored in Quzhou and Guangzong to Hua Tuo, he threw himself into research.

Clearly, this divine physician had already indicated his choice through his actions.

Qiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

“When I was dealing with the Yellow Turban prisoners in Guangzong, I heard you were going to debate Zhang Jiao three times. I really thought you were going to have a lofty debate with him and was quite worried.”

Cao Cao noticed Qiao Yan’s expression and couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that I think about it, although you are young, you act with thunderous force. You are truly a practical person. How could you really engage in a back-and-forth debate on stage?”

“Uncle, don’t tease me,” Qiao Yan cupped her hands in a plea for mercy. “In the end, I’m still young and my knowledge is limited. I can only use the method of borrowing strength to strike from three sides. It’s a bit of a shortcut, taking an unconventional path.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Cao Cao’s expression was serious, not feigned. “I think this is not an unconventional path but a truly feasible method.”

“To have such insight, such decisiveness in finding people, especially the courage to invite Lord Zheng—if these are the actions of a child with limited knowledge, then I, Cao Mengde, would be ashamed to the core.”

Seeing that his frank words seemed to have startled her, Cao Cao switched back to his previous slightly teasing expression. “But speaking of which, I’m still curious about one thing. In your three debates, I know who you sought for the third one. But how can this be used to strike at Zhang Jiao?”

On the way from Xiaquyang to Guangzong, Cao Cao had already asked why Qiao Yan had sent Xu Fu to find Buddhist temples in Ji Province.

Now that the first two debates had their participants decided, she shouldn’t need to hide anything about the third one.

“The third one might be a bit more unorthodox than the first two,” Qiao Yan replied.

“…?” Cao Cao didn’t quite understand.

He then heard a term from Qiao Yan that he truly didn’t comprehend. “Uncle, you can think of the third one as a plagiarism accusation. It’s essentially a moral attack.”

“What does that mean?”

“Zhang Jiao’s Way of Great Peace system was borrowed from Buddhism. Having an existing religious system to use is naturally easier than researching everything from scratch. But if the Way of Great Peace believes its doctrine is flawless and the highest Heavenly Way, then why would they resort to borrowing from others?”

“So I say, it’s a bit unorthodox,” Qiao Yan was quite self-aware of her methods.

But celestial astronomy and mathematical calculations are science, and medical skills in the face of a plague are medicine. Using some unconventional methods within the framework of refutation obviously wouldn’t be seen as a problem.

Besides, she’s still a child.

Sometimes, she can play the age card.

Moreover, how to bring up these three debate topics would depend on her direct confrontation with Zhang Jiao.

Considering that, even though the arrival of Zheng Xuan and Hua Tuo had significantly reduced her pressure, it was still a tough battle.

Before the time limit for her three-debate agreement with Zhang Jiao arrived, the third helper also reached Quzhou.

Xu Fu clearly did not disappoint her expectations and brought the person here.

The young man wiped the sweat from his forehead, which hadn’t completely subsided, and calmed his breathing after the hurried journey before saying, “I have not failed your expectations, my lady. I have brought the abbot of the Buddhist temple here.”

Although Qiao Yan had said that it would be fine to just tie him up and bring him, using some forceful methods if necessary, Xu Fu’s mind was sharp. He thought that Qiao Yan must have a significant use for this person.

If this person harbored resentment for being forcibly brought here and acted against her at a critical moment, wouldn’t that ruin her plans?

So, although Xu Fu should have been the first to arrive, he ended up being the last.

He stayed at the Buddhist temple, learning many things and, relying on his excellent learning ability, thoroughly read and understood a scripture from the temple. He even promised to translate two volumes of scriptures for the abbot before finally bringing him here.

However, after bringing the abbot, he felt that he had missed quite a bit by delaying so long…

For example, the battles in Guangzong and Quzhou had already ended. He had originally wanted to serve Qiao Yan by holding her horse’s reins, but he didn’t even see the commander’s banner being raised.

Another example was that he only managed to speak a few words with Qiao Yan after returning before she was called away by Zheng Xuan. He heard that the great Confucian scholar was quite pleased with the young lady’s calculating abilities and had directly taken her as an assistant.

And yet another example—

Dian Wei slapped Xu Fu on the shoulder, almost knocking him to the ground. The big man had no awareness of his own strength and said, “Good thing you remembered to come back. If you had been any later, you wouldn’t even have had the chance to help build the debate platform.”

In the battle of Quzhou, Zhang Liang, due to Zhang Jiao’s capture and a letter that only he could fully read, directly opened the city gates to the enemy. This left the soldiers, who had originally wanted to make a name for themselves by killing enemies, with no opportunity to do so.

These soldiers instead used their strength to build the platform.

As for why it wasn’t built inside Quzhou city but outside, it was naturally to accommodate enough spectators.

On the day of the debate, the Yellow Turban soldiers from Guangzong and Quzhou, deeply influenced by Zhang Jiao’s Way of Great Peace, were brought here. Surrounding them were the troops of Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song.

Seeing this scene, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Kindness in this world is not just empty words. If she couldn’t successfully dethrone Zhang Jiao today, she had no doubt that Huangfu Song would immediately order the execution of these prisoners to prevent future troubles.

The Yellow Turbans in Ji Province were not limited to these two cities, but these people would undoubtedly become victims under the Han army’s swords.

This was also a necessary move to maintain the rule of the Han Dynasty.

And this place might replace the platform with a pyramid of skulls made from the heads of the Yellow Turbans.

So she could only succeed, not fail!

When she woke up this morning, she had told the system that this was the additional chip she was adding to her plan to become a marquis. But standing on the platform now, looking into the eyes of the common people of Ji Province, she couldn’t help but forget that goal for a moment.

It was at this moment that Zhang Jiao, still in chains, was brought up.

The debate agreement between Qiao Yan and Zhang Jiao was made under the witness of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, so naturally, there had been no mistreatment in terms of food during these past half months.

Perhaps because of his desire to defend the Way of Great Peace, Zhang Jiao had a fire in his heart, making him look only slightly thinner than when he was captured, but his mental state was still quite good.

He walked step by step towards the center of the platform, stopping in front of Qiao Yan.

The traits bestowed upon him by years of preaching as the Great Virtuous Teacher were still very prominent at this moment.

Qiao Yan could also hear the cheers of support from the crowd when Zhang Jiao appeared. Despite the Han army standing behind them, his status as a spiritual leader still elicited strong support.

Among these people were even Liang Zhongning, the Yellow Turban commander from Yanzhou whom she had first encountered upon arriving here, and Zhang Liang, who had surrendered the city but still believed his brother would not lose.

But these voices did not make her overly relaxed or nervous.

She simply fixed her gaze on Zhang Jiao and said, “The half-month wait has been long. Thank you for your patience.”