Chapter 293

Chapter 293

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 9: The Plague of Drought and Locusts, Flying to Liaodong, Chapter 293: The Art of Provocation

But Chen Gong said it was a matter of life and death, but to some, it might not seem so urgent.

When he, as the Deputy Governor of Yanzhou, went around persuading various families, the responses he received were almost uniform.

The lack of rain in the third month of spring was common in earlier years, and it might not necessarily lead to a drought, let alone a locust plague that hasn’t even shown its shadow yet.

The Chang’an court has taken a stern stance on this, but is it really preparing for such a disaster, or is it trying to create psychological pressure through public opinion?

Chen Gong suppressed the urge to curse outright and coldly asked, “What if it really happens?”

The other party casually replied, “Not to mention that in the Yanzhou region, where Cao Yanzhou is located in Dong Commandery, the Yellow River flows through, and even the Ji River, Pu River, Si River, and Daye Lake are stable water sources in this land. A few days of less rain, why scare ourselves?”

“Moreover, Cao Mengde’s position as Governor of Yanzhou was granted by the Ye court. Even if we are to be loyal now, it should be to the Son of Heaven in Ye. You want to take our rare books to exchange for grain in Chang’an because they have more stored grain there. Isn’t that unreasonable?”

“Or is it that you, Chen Gongtai, have some great work that needs to be printed in Chang’an to make you famous?”

This is simply absurd!

Chen Gong retorted, “Has the drought at the end of the Guanghe era, which reduced the waters of Daye Lake to what extent, been forgotten in just ten years?”

Although it is only mid-March, experienced farmers would not judge this year’s disaster based solely on a little rainfall. The behavior of various natural creatures before a major disaster is also abnormal. If Chen Gong hadn’t visited various villages, how could he have come to such a conclusion!

But what do these people take him for?

If it really comes to a drought, the rivers and lakes they speak of are not their lifelines, and these water sources are not enough to make their crops grow normally.

They are just unwilling to lose face, unwilling to give before they receive!

Chen Gong coldly looked at the other party’s unmoved expression, knowing that even if he brought up the situation from previous years for comparison, it might not have any persuasive effect on them.

He immediately left in a huff, leaving only the words “Not worth discussing with.”

“Tsk… Not worth discussing with? I think Chen Gongtai has been working with Cao Mengde for so long that he doesn’t even know his own name or where he’s from.” The Shouzhang Wang family member, who had been persuaded by Chen Gong, sneered as he watched Chen Gong’s back disappear.

Among those in Yanzhou who welcomed Cao Cao to take the position of Governor of Yanzhou, some were convinced by Cao Cao’s achievements as the Prefect of Dong Commandery, thinking he was indeed suitable for the position of Governor of Yanzhou, while others simply went along with the crowd’s suggestion.

Some might even be hoping for Cao Cao to have some accident.

The Shouzhang Wang family is one of them.

This family produced a famous figure in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, named Wang Fen.

In the seventh year of Guanghe, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Prohibition of Factionalists was lifted, including Wang Fen.

After Huangfu Song stepped down from the position of Governor of Ji Province, he even served as the Governor of Ji Province for a time.

But in the fourth year of Zhongping, the year Qiao Yan took the position of Governor of Bingzhou, Chen Yi, the son of the late Grand Commandant Chen Fan, and the Qingzhou sorcerer Xiang Kai visited Wang Fen. During the banquet, Xiang Kai claimed that the celestial phenomena would be unfavorable to the eunuchs, and the Huangmen Regular Attendants would be exterminated. So they all thought the time was ripe and plotted to depose Emperor Ling of Han and install the Marquis of Hefei as emperor.

Because of Cao Cao’s performance after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and his state of angrily resigning from office at home, which appealed to Wang Fen, Wang Fen also invited Cao Cao.

But Cao Cao firmly refused in his letter, saying that deposing and installing emperors is inauspicious. Throughout history, only Yi Yin and Huo Guang had done this, and both had great power and faced many difficulties in the process.

Now you are rashly implementing such a plan, how is it different from the Rebellion of the Seven Princes?

In fact, it wasn’t just Cao Cao who refused Wang Fen’s action; the famous scholar Hua Xin also commented that Wang Fen was careless and not good at leading troops. Now he is inviting people everywhere, who knows if it will fail and implicate his wife and children.

These refusals did not deter Wang Fen from taking action. Instead, he felt that the hope of the world was hanging on him and decided to act alone, taking advantage of Liu Hong’s northern tour to Hejian Commandery!

Who knew that the Grand Historian’s observation of the stars said it was not suitable to travel, making Emperor Ling of Han abandon this plan.

And because he happened to issue an edict summoning Wang Fen to the capital at this time, Wang Fen thought the plan was exposed and committed suicide.

This matter was not considered a failure, and even Xu You, who participated in the plot, hid for a while and then returned to serve in He Jin’s Grand General’s Mansion. Perhaps even Emperor Ling of Han himself did not take this matter to heart, and the Shouzhang Wang family was also not held accountable.

But this does not affect their resentment towards Cao Cao.

In their view, if it weren’t for Cao Cao, Tao Qiu Hong, and Hua Xin successively expressing their refusal to Wang Fen, and coinciding with Emperor Ling of Han refusing this trip to Hejian, perhaps Wang Fen’s plan to depose and install an emperor would have succeeded, and he would not have ended up committing suicide out of fear.

The other two are not in Yanzhou, and Tao Qiu Hong has already passed away, so the object of their anger is naturally Cao Cao.

They can’t explicitly oppose Cao Cao, let alone cooperate with this book-for-grain exchange.

“The descendant of eunuchs, the son of a bought Grand Commandant, is indeed scared at the slightest disturbance.” The person who drove Chen Gong away was still not satisfied and spat after closing the door. “I think it’s better to let Zhang Mengzhuo be the Governor of Yanzhou.”

Zhang Mengzhuo is Zhang Miao, also the Prefect of Chenliu Commandery, a fellow Shouzhang native, and has some friendship with the Shouzhang Wang family. Unfortunately, he also has a friendship with Cao Cao and quickly sided with him when Cao Cao launched the war to occupy Yanzhou. At most, there have been some ideological磨合 issues in the past two years. If he were to oppose Cao Cao, it would probably be impossible.

Looking at it this way, only the Qiao family of Yanzhou can have some common language with them.

I wonder if it’s possible to join forces with them and other noble families who dislike Cao Cao as the Governor of Yanzhou to go to Ye and accuse him!

“I think they are just too full!” When Chen Gong reported the results of this trip to Cao Cao, Cao Hong happened to be by his side and immediately slammed the table.

Seeing Cao Cao look at him, signaling him to pay a little attention to his image, Cao Hong muttered, “I’m not wrong. In the past few years, under the arrangement of Zao Xiaowei’s屯田, plus the farming methods流传 from Bingzhou, the lives of these Yanzhou noble families have been too good. I see that each of them now has abundant storage in their fortresses. Even if there is a natural or man-made disaster, closing the fortress would be enough for them to eat for two or three years. Why would they worry about the pressure a drought would bring to Yanzhou?”

Chen Gong couldn’t help but show a worried expression.

Cao Hong speaks bluntly, but he understands the problem clearly. This might indeed be the reason Chen Gong has been吃闭门羹 these days.

But saying this, they can’t just攻破 these uncooperative noble families’ fortresses.

If the effect of杀鸡儆猴 is not achieved, it would only cause internal chaos before the drought arrives.

Cao Hong also knows this, so he only said to Cao Cao after Chen Gong said he would think of another way and告退了, “In my opinion, what Qiao Yeshu did in Liangzhou is truly remarkable. The four surnames of Hanyang不听 her arrangements and caused her trouble, so she直接有罪的论罪, 没罪的释放. After this round of清洗, those who should be安分的也都安分了.”

“It’s been almost three years since they were清算, and I’ve only heard of talented people from the four surnames of Hanyang becoming the凉州别驾’s左膀右臂. When have I heard of them重新掀起反叛 in Liangzhou?”

Cao Cao glanced at him again.

Cao Hong, who is both a cousin and a subordinate, quickly shrugged, “I know this is nonsense. Liangzhou has long不服长安管制, and the威风 that should be killed still needs to be killed. You also told me that the situation there is different from Yanzhou. I’m just看不惯 these Yanzhou scholars’ actions and want to vent for you, big brother.”

Cao Cao笑骂道, “If you really want to vent for me, first take good care of the soldiers under you. A few days ago, I heard you and Zixiao赌马约斗. How can you整顿军事 like this?”

Cao Hong was not convinced, “How can this be blamed on Zixiao and me for acting improperly? It’s clearly because there are no external enemies to fight. Big brother, you tell me, in the early years, there was still the campaign against Dong Zhuo where we could kill enemies. After coming to Yanzhou, even when taking Jiyin, Dongping, and other places, you said we should收敛着打 to facilitate后续治理. We can understand this.”

“But now? Now it’s even more uncomfortable. If we talk about the elite soldiers in Yanzhou, can’t we fight Yu Province? But first, Yuan Shao那厮封了刘备 as the General Who Pacifies Bandits to征讨袁术, and even then, Wen Chou was lost. But what did that kid Liu Bei do? He turned around and became the Governor of Xuzhou. What kind of thing is this?”

“If big brother is because of your friendship with Qiao Yeshu and not optimistic about Yuan Shao, that’s why you didn’t send troops to Hedong or进取洛阳, I can understand. But having to endure the鸟气 of these Yanzhou noble families here is really憋屈!”

Cao Hong here noticed Cao Cao’s expression and saw that he obviously had no dissatisfaction with his own family’s牢骚 in private, so he小声说, “Big brother, in the early years, you said you wanted to be the General Who Conquers the West, but now where is the征西的样子?”

Cao Cao很清楚, Cao Hong suddenly saying this to him at this time is not expressing dissatisfaction with him, but saying that as the Governor of Yanzhou, he is still受到诸般掣肘, and these constraints have not decreased even as his立足 time in Yanzhou lengthens and his人脉 deepens, which is really uncomfortable.

A复杂之色 flashed in his eyes, and he waved his hand at Cao Hong, “You go down first, let me think for a while.”

The non-cooperation of the Yanzhou noble families before the arrival of the natural disaster is indeed the阻力 he faces, but it might also be the动力 to push him to make changes.

To be honest, between the Chang’an court and the Ye court, if it weren’t for his origin as the Governor of Yanzhou and the stance of the Yanzhou noble families, he would be more inclined towards Chang’an.

Thinking back to the days when he drank and畅谈 with Qiao Yan, it feels like it was just yesterday.

If it weren’t for this thought, he wouldn’t have sent his second son Cao Pi to study at Leping Academy, nor would he have达成 the cotton-for-grain trade with Qiao Yan.

But if he were to lead his clan to投往司隶 without any顾忌, he still couldn’t do it.

I don’t know if it’s because Qiao Yan is increasingly位高权重, 挥斥方遒 in Chang’an, or if it’s because her recent actions all carry the迹象 of夺去 the主导权 of the Han court,以至于曹操在看着那些字迹相同的报纸之时时常在想, if she really can defeat Yuan Shao and unite the Han court, will the world still be the Han court’s world?

Is the Han court’s world really the most suitable world?

It is said that the one who knows you best is your opponent. Although he and Qiao Yan cannot strictly be considered opponents, they have also glimpsed some unusual things from these details.

This hesitation makes Cao Cao somewhat犹豫.

But he also realizes from the words of Chen Gong and Cao Hong that no matter how much he hesitates, he must make some改变性的举措 to ensure that no matter what changes occur in the future, he still has room for maneuver.








Especially in the face of this natural disaster, it is crucial to preserve the strength within one’s jurisdiction as much as possible.

Fortunately, the news he received today wasn’t all bad.

Earlier, Chen Gong recommended Man Chong from Shanyang to him, and Cao Cao took this recommendation very seriously. Instead of merely sending an invitation for Man Chong to come to the provincial office, Cao Cao directly sent Cao Chun to fetch him.

Cao Chun is quite young, only four years older than Qiao Yan. However, before the Dong Zhuo rebellion, he had already served as a Huangmen Lang in Luoyang and followed Cao Cao in recruiting troops and fighting battles. Due to his refined demeanor and ability to respect and attract talents, Cao Cao holds this cousin in particularly high regard.

Sending Cao Chun to invite Man Chong was a gesture of utmost humility.

Man Chong did not disappoint Cao Cao’s expectations. After a brief conversation with Cao Chun, he immediately set out from Shanyang to Dong Commandery and, in his first meeting with Cao Cao, spoke eloquently.

What particularly surprised Cao Cao was that when Chen Gong recommended Man Chong, he only mentioned that Man Chong was strict in law enforcement, suitable for establishing new regulations in Yanzhou to adapt to the changing times. However, judging from Cao Cao’s experience, Man Chong also had a keen military insight.

This is a typical talent who excels in both military and administrative affairs!

While Cao Cao was delighted to have gained such a capable general, he also became more resolute in a decision he had made in his heart.

Thus, five or six days later, Yuan Shao in Ye City received two pieces of news almost simultaneously.

One was a secret report from several clan forces in Yanzhou, stating that Cao Cao intended to submit to the Chang’an court and hoped they would offer their rare books to show goodwill to the Chang’an court, urging Yuan Shao to be cautious.

The other report came from Cao Cao himself, who wrote in his memorial that due to the increasing stability of Yanzhou over the past two years, it would be appropriate to display the court’s authority by expanding outward.

He requested Yuan Shao to seek permission from the Emperor to allow him to lead troops into Yu Province to eliminate Yuan Shu and bring the region under the control of the Ye City court.

In return for his military action, he hoped the Emperor would order that those among the Yanzhou clans who took the lead in donating military provisions would receive imperial honors.

“Ziyuan, what do you think of Cao Mengde’s move?”

Involving Cao Cao, and also related to Ju Shou’s previous military action in Yu Province, Yuan Shao instinctively sought Xu You’s opinion first, posing this question.

Xu You, seeing the signatures of the Shouzhang Wang Clan and the Liang Kingdom Qiao Clan on the first letter, immediately understood, “My lord, isn’t this just the convergence of old grievances from various parties?”

The Wang Clan was dissatisfied with Cao Cao, and the Qiao Clan was unhappy with Qiao Yan. Coincidentally, these two could be considered old friends, and with Cao Cao’s intention to levy military provisions due to his military plans, internal conflicts were inevitable.

This time, the conflict escalated to the point of directly becoming a complaint presented to Yuan Shao.

But who doesn’t have a few old friends?

In the current situation where Qiao Yan clearly holds the advantage, Cao Cao at most maintains trade relations with her and hasn’t made any aggressive moves towards Ye City, which is quite normal.

If Yuan Shao were to question Cao Cao based on such petty complaints, it might truly push him to the opposite side.

On the other hand, Cao Cao’s military request seemed particularly interesting to Xu You.

He analyzed, “If this year truly brings the drought and locust disaster as Qiao Yan predicted, compared to Ji Province, Qingzhou, and Yanzhou, Yu Province is actually the most likely to spiral out of control.”

Just think about it, what kind of “talent” is Yuan Shu, the Governor of Yu Province!

Even with Yuan Huan and Yan Xiang assisting him, it doesn’t change the fact that while he has made a mess of his household affairs, he has also been quite negligent in governing Yu Province.

If it weren’t for the local connections and the status of the Yuan Clan in Runan, Yuan Shu would have already been ousted, not just suffering a broken leg and some physical setbacks.

Now, with an additional external factor, he will inevitably face a situation where he can’t attend to everything.

In such circumstances, it truly is a good opportunity to seize Yu Province.

However, Yuan Shao still couldn’t let his guard down against neighboring Bingzhou. The previous military action crossing Yanzhou to reach Yu Province, which ended with Wen Chou’s death, serves as a negative example. Using Cao Cao’s forces to achieve the goal seems to be the most suitable option!

Yuan Shao’s eyes flickered with contemplation, “You mean to grant him the authority to lead troops?”

Xu You nodded, “Yes, grant it to him! My lord, you needn’t worry that in such a situation, Cao Cao would cross Yanzhou and Yu Province, thereby becoming a threat to you.”

He raised the first secret report in his hand and said, “Isn’t this something to use to balance him?”

Yuan Shao suddenly understood.

Indeed, if Cao Cao chooses the right moment to mobilize troops this year, it might allow external gains to fill internal gaps, but it would also accelerate the emergence of conflicts within Yanzhou. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.

One thing is certain—

This will undoubtedly be a disaster for Yuan Shu!

Ju Shou, leading Gao Shun, only caused Yuan Shu to suffer a minor loss, which didn’t fully satisfy Yuan Shao. It would be better to completely strip him of the power he shouldn’t have in the face of these changing times!

While Yuan Shao in Ye City was making this decision, Qiao Yan also received two letters.

These weren’t from Yanzhou but from Yizhou.

Both of them.

One was from her spy placed near Liu Xie, regularly updating her on Liu Xie’s situation through intelligence personnel in Yizhou, which doesn’t need further elaboration.

In the relatively isolated and secure environment of Yizhou, the likelihood of Liu Xie encountering any life-threatening danger is quite low.

The other letter was from Jia Xu.

“This old fox, while claiming to be on vacation, hasn’t stopped working,” Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh after reading the beginning.

Jia Xu, troubled by the numerous young minds around him, decided to take them on a practical teaching mission.

It must be said, Qiao Yan chose a good path for them.

Heading to Yizhou, they first checked and supplemented the defenses Xu Shu had set up in Hanzhong, while also intimidating Zhang Lu in Guanghan and Liu Yan in Shu Commandery, to prevent any misunderstandings arising from Qiao Yan’s internal management over the years without external military actions.

After completing this inspection, they then traveled down the river to Hailing.

Among those accompanying them were two individuals recruited from Liu Yan.

One was Zhang Ren, a native of Shu Commandery in Yizhou, who had just taken up a position under Liu Yan.

Zhang Ren had shown ambition and courage from a young age, but unfortunately, the current Governor of Yizhou, Liu Yan, preferred to employ officials from the eastern regions, not his son who was supported by the local gentry.

Thus, although Zhang Ren held the nominal title of Personnel Officer, his status couldn’t compare to those under Qiao Yan when she was the Governor of Bingzhou.

During Jia Xu and Xu Shu’s coordinated efforts to pressure Liu Yan, Zhang Ren was even assigned as their escort.

Whether Zhang Ren was pleased with this is probably unimportant; what mattered most was that Jia Xu had acquired another military officer for his “students.”

The other person taken from Yizhou was Gan Ning.

However, as Jia Xu wrote in his letter, it was somewhat amusing that Gan Ning wasn’t persuaded to join them, nor did he jump on board due to his good relations with Chu Yan and Ma Chao. Instead, it was because of a provocation from Lu Lingju.

Realizing that the person she coincidentally met was Gan Ning, whom Qiao Yan had mentioned they should bring along, she immediately devised a plan.

Based on the information she gathered after arriving in Yizhou, Gan Ning was particularly fond of grandeur and had a strong competitive spirit.

She and Lu Yi agreed to argue about whether the southern navy was superior to the northern navy.

The evidence for the northern side included Qiao Yan’s use of sheepskin rafts to cross the river and deceive Dong Zhuo’s forces, establishing a foundation for conquest, and the skilled boatmen navigating the Yellow River route from Wuwei Commandery in Liangzhou to Yunzhong Commandery in Bingzhou, which was far more impressive than the so-called brocade sails.

After “accidentally” letting Gan Ning overhear their conversation, she even shouted at him, “What are you looking at? I’m not wrong. The Marquis’s abilities are well-known, and the Yellow River route is now under my father Lu Bu’s control. If you’re not convinced, go to Bingzhou and challenge him.”

Gan Ning was almost amused by the provocation.

Since making a name for himself in Yizhou, he hadn’t encountered such a challenge.

Especially since it came from two kids, he couldn’t just beat them up.

But going north to challenge Lu Bu or Qiao Yan directly… Gan Ning felt it was inappropriate.

As the saying goes, a strong dragon doesn’t suppress a local snake.

Being unfamiliar with Bingzhou and possibly unable to bring his trusted subordinates, losing would only make him look more disgraceful.

Recalling Lu Yi’s mention that they were heading to Xuzhou to test their academic achievements at Leping Academy, aiming to compete with the rebel forces across the Huai River, he became interested.

Comparing crossing the Yellow River, where Qiao Yan had deceived Dong Zhuo’s forces led by Niu Fu, to crossing the Huai River, facing Liu Bei, Chen Deng, and Lu Su, the latter seemed more challenging.

If he could succeed, wouldn’t it prove that southerners’ naval skills were no less than northerners’?

Gan Ning, who lived by the principle of acting on impulse and doing as he pleased, immediately requested a transfer from Liu Yan to join the group heading to Xuzhou.

Liu Yan… Liu Yan probably never forgot the whistle Gan Ning had blown during their last meeting in Hanzhong with Qiao Yan, which had nearly blinded him. Getting rid of this troublemaker from Yizhou might actually be a good thing.

Thus, when Jia Xu and the others were about to depart, Gan Ning was also in the group.

These two individuals from Yizhou, one coerced and the other volunteering to prove himself, formed a stark contrast in demeanor within the group.

But overall, whether coerced or tricked, neither joined in a conventional manner, which gave Jia Xu an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, evident in the joyful tone of his letter to Qiao Yan.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh again.

She wrote two letters.

One was to Lu Bu, stating that his daughter was quite capable and more strategic than him, so he shouldn’t slack off in Bingzhou. There might be an opportunity for him to lead troops this year, and he must ensure his army is well-prepared.

The other letter was to Jia Mu, saying that his old father had regained confidence and performed exceptionally well in Yizhou, a transit point. He would surely make a significant impact in Hailing, and as his son, Jia Mu shouldn’t fall behind. With the impending drought, water conservancy projects were crucial, and if there were any indecisions, he should consult Lu Yuan.

Qiao Yan set down her brush and called for someone to deliver these two letters.

After completing this, she instructed, “Go to Hongwen Hall and ask Tian… ask Yuanfeng to come see me.”

Since we’re using two generations to motivate each other, how can we miss this one!

Speaking of which, it’s been nearly two years since Yuan Xi last came to Chang’an…

This child really is quite unfilial.