Chapter 302

Chapter 302: The Meeting in the Pavilion

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 9: The Calamity of Drought and Locusts, Flying Troops to Liaodong, Chapter 302: The Meeting in the Pavilion

This is not just a reunion, but also a notification.

With this special method of delivering the message, it is no longer just a reunion of two old acquaintances meeting in a foreign land after many years.

The words “Grand Marshal” in Qiao Yan’s handwriting clearly indicate her stance.

Beyond the identity of an “old friend,” there is also the identity of an “enemy.”

And in the struggle for territory, the latter is more dominant.

But for some reason, Cao Cao, looking at Xiahou Dun’s colorful expression, suddenly shook his head and laughed, even though Qiao Yan’s sudden visit had disrupted all his plans.

“Can you still laugh?” Xiahou Dun asked with a mournful face.

“I’m laughing at her phrase ‘taking without asking is impolite,'” Cao Cao said, picking up the mourning clothes and reading the lines again. “We rushed into Yuzhou, intending to take control of Yuzhou, balance the power between the two regions, and change the situation in Yanzhou. To Yuan Shu of Yuzhou, this is indeed taking without asking.”

And it was a taking that cost lives.

What was Cao Cao thinking when he finally sat in Pingyu City?

Perhaps he was thinking that, regardless of whether his decision to make this change was correct, at least he had the ability to change his situation through such actions.

This place, once controlled by the Yuan clan of Runan, would eventually become his foothold.

How many people in the world could have predicted that he would make such a move?

Perhaps even Qiao Yan would think that, as the Governor of Yanzhou, he should naturally stay within the territory of Yanzhou.

But anyone can make unexpected moves in the face of changing circumstances.

And that, of course, includes Cao Cao.

Just like how Sun Ce, after experiencing the death of his father in Jing Province, chose to go to Yang Province.

“But if we can do this, why can’t Qiao Yanshu do the same?”

She could also suddenly deploy troops to Yingchuan, becoming a roadblock on Xiahou Dun’s path to taking Yingchuan, giving them a head-on blow.

She could also show the world that Yuan Shu’s death was his own fault, not because she, Qiao Yan, did not provide enough support.

She had already rushed to Yuzhou in the shortest possible time to participate in this sudden battle, and she had also made enough sacrifices for Yuan Shu’s aftermath—

One person, one horse, and one attendant, meeting the enemy general attacking Yuzhou outside Pingyu City, demanding Yuan Shu’s body to return it to Yuan Yao.

Whether it was to reunite father and son in Yingchuan and then bury him, or to send his body to Chang’an, for her, the top power holder in Chang’an, this was the utmost she could do to make amends.

She was not afraid that her personal safety would be threatened by coming to Shen Pavilion, so if Cao Cao was still hesitant at this point, wouldn’t that be too cowardly?

Cao Cao immediately made a decision, “Respond to impoliteness with impoliteness, and to politeness with politeness. Let’s see what she has to say in this three-day meeting.”

Xiahou Dun whispered, “Aren’t you afraid there might be a trap?”

Who would meet someone outside the city when the enemy is at the gates?

Xiahou Dun, having been ambushed by Qiao Yan, was now more cautious than usual. Besides, before being discovered by the defenders of Pingyu, he had been tied up and had pondered these lines for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Qiao Yan’s move was full of ill intentions.

He continued, “I heard that when Qiao Yanshu was crossing the river to fight Dong Zhuo, she once met Xu Rong, who was then Dong Zhuo’s general, alone, causing mutual suspicion between Niu Fu and Xu Rong on the other side of the river.”

“Similarly, even if she is not setting up an ambush at Shen Pavilion, our patrols can eliminate the danger here. By inviting you and meeting you like this, wouldn’t it make Yuan Shao suspicious of you, worrying that you might directly defect to the Chang’an court?”

Xiahou Dun thought more and more that this was indeed the case, and he gave Cao Hong a look, signaling him to help persuade Cao Cao.

Unfortunately, the look on his face, after being hit by Dian Wei, looked more like an eye twitch.

Before he or Cao Hong could say more, Cao Cao replied, “When I sent Pi’er to Leping to study, didn’t Yuan Shao suspect me? Even though I got permission from Ye City to send troops this time, our progress has been so smooth that Runan and Chen counties have almost fallen into our hands. Wouldn’t Yuan Shao be even more suspicious?”

Qiao Yan’s move is, at best, a further fanning of the flames, but it is not the most direct cause.

There must be an element of sowing discord in her actions.

However, this cannot have a decisive impact on Cao Cao’s actions.

As he spoke, he also took off the white cloth on Xiahou Dun’s head that matched the mourning clothes.

This was originally meant to make him look more normal, but what Cao Cao didn’t expect was that there were words written inside the white cloth, saying “See you there.”

This writing diluted the tense atmosphere between the two leaders.

It also made Cao Cao think of the casual conversation and drinking in Yanxi.

He sighed in his heart.

Qiao Yan did not take Xiahou Dun’s life but sent him back with this mischievous message, leaving a way out to avoid enmity between the two sides. But this way out cannot guarantee that they will not move towards a further confrontation, especially since Qiao Yan is likely to push towards Luoyang, making it an unavoidable direct confrontation.

What will it ultimately lead to?

Her bold entry and defeat of Xiahou Dun made Cao Cao more certain than ever that if a life-and-death battle were to occur one day, Qiao Yan would be a formidable enemy, like a nightmare.

After sending Xiahou Dun to rest and apply medicine, Cao Cao finally asked a question that Cao Hong thought he should have asked as soon as he received the news, “How did she get here so fast?”

Then he asked Chen Gong, “Do you think it’s possible that the three-day meeting she proposed is actually a delaying tactic because her follow-up troops are not yet fully in place?”

Qiao Yan could be sure that Cao Cao would not set up an ambush at Shen Pavilion to take her out, so she should also know that Cao Cao is not indecisive and does not need much time to decide to attend the meeting.

On such seemingly critical issues, Cao Cao does not need to consult everyone but can make a decision directly.

In that case, this three-day waiting period is quite unnecessary.

If this is indeed her delaying tactic, Cao Cao could choose to lead his troops directly to the foot of Linying City and have a meeting there, thus regaining the initiative.

But he heard Chen Gong ask him three questions.

Xiahou Yuanrang’s defeat, when the numbers on both sides were still uneven, was it just because Qiao Yan ambushed him at Hei Lüjian?

From Pingyu to Linying, it takes more than a day to march. With Qiao Yan prepared, the remaining time is not enough for him to attack the city. Just deploying troops outside the city for a confrontation, is it really meaningful?

If the time Qiao Yan wants to delay is not for mobilizing troops from Guanzhong to this place, but for advancing troops to Yanzhou to threaten the rear, with some orders already given, would directly threatening Qiao Yan’s personal safety improve Cao Cao’s situation?

Chen Gong, though sometimes seen as slow-witted by outsiders, is relatively comprehensive in his thinking. If not, he could not have gone from being a representative of Yanzhou scholars to becoming Cao Cao’s most trusted strategist.

After pondering these three questions, Cao Cao felt that it was indeed better to remain still.

Of course, during these three days, the hidden dangers in Runan still need to be investigated. After all, he can’t let people see him unprepared when they come to visit.

“There are two more things you need to do at this time, my lord,” Chen Gong continued.

“I have them in mind,” Cao Cao replied. “The first is to inform Yuan Shao about the situation in Yanzhou and apologize to him. The second is to have Yuan Chang and the others who are staying in Yanzhou keep an eye on Dong Commandery and Chenliu, which border the capital region.”

Chen Gong smiled. “Since my lord hasn’t been thrown off by the visit of an old acquaintance, what harm is there in meeting them? Perhaps we can even gain some information from them.”

The advantage of having a clever lord is evident here. Most of the subtly revealed information in conversations can be accurately captured by him.

Who knows whether this meeting at Shenting is Qiao Yan showing the world a beautiful tale after defeating Xiahou Dun, or if Cao Cao is also trying to profit from it?

Three days before the meeting, the weather in Yuzhou remained as usual.

With the worsening drought, the two rivers in front of Linying City had become even shallower.

Following Qiao Yan’s instructions, Yuan Huan left a small number of soldiers to guard the area and deployed the rest of the forces to disaster relief in Yingchuan.

He had already set up a framework based on the information provided in the Leping Monthly Report. Now, with Xun Yu, who was more familiar with these strategies and had a higher reputation in Yingchuan, the operation became even smoother.

This efficient disaster relief system made it easy for Yuan Huan to infer the situation in Guanzhong.

Thanks to Qiao Yan, after the news of her defeating Xiahou Dun reached the Henan Yin region, they sent many soldiers to assist in defense before the Guanzhong reinforcements arrived.

Sima Fang, the kind of person who would raise someone like Sima Yi, was not surprising at all.

If his quick stance when Qiao Yan took Guanzhong showed his foresight, his timely troop deployment now made it hard not to temporarily forget his previous self-preservation.

These troops, arriving after Qiao Yan had already gone to Pingyu, were sent by Xun Yu to Wuyang County, at the junction of Yingchuan, Runan, and Jing Province.

If Cao Cao’s scouts noticed this, would they see reinforcements from Yingchuan or Henan Yin?

This probably couldn’t be determined quickly.

For Jing Province, as they were about to receive orders from Guanzhong to deploy troops to Nanyang, the reinforcements in Wuyang served as a warning.

Xun Yu knew that Qiao Yan’s swift responses since hearing of Yuan Shu’s death were impressive, but they couldn’t ensure her complete safety.

Especially this solo meeting at Shenting, relying on old friendships was the least reliable. A more secure approach was to make others hesitate due to her strength.

So, they had to send another warning to Runan.

By the time these preparations were done, Liu Biao in Jing Province and Yuan Shao in Ye City received the news.

Yuan Shu was dead, Cao Cao occupied Runan, and Qiao Yan’s troops advanced into Yingchuan.

Liu Biao didn’t know that Qiao Yan had already fought her first battle in Yingchuan. After sending the envoy from Chang’an to rest, he looked at Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, who were summoned for discussion, with a dazed expression.

“I didn’t sleep for half a year, did I?”

Obviously not.

Then why did such changes happen in such a short time?

Every move Qiao Yan made made Liu Biao feel like a knife was hanging over his head, ready to take his life at any moment, in a way he couldn’t predict.

Previously, it was her and Liu Yan hunting in Hanzhong. It seemed like Zhang Lu was the victim, but in reality, Liu Biao was also a victim.

The Han River in Hanzhong could directly reach his Xiangyang. The Hanzhong Prefect Xu Shu, following Qiao Yan’s orders, built a shipyard there, almost spelling out ulterior motives.

It was because of this shipyard’s deterrence that Liu Biao eagerly sent a gift to Zhang Yang when Qiao Yan had him take this route to Xuzhou’s Hailing, to show his harmlessness.

Then Jia Xu and Gan Ning’s passage made Liu Biao nervous again.

But at that time, Cai Mao told him that Qiao Yan’s act of sending juniors to Xuzhou for experience might actually be good news, meaning her next target should be Xuzhou, to quickly end the north-south confrontation and bring it under the Chang’an court’s control.

If only that were true!

The news that just arrived said otherwise.

Regardless of how Cao Cao attacked Yuzhou, how did Qiao Yan manage to deploy troops so quickly?

Liu Biao could only think of one explanation: Qiao Yan also thought that Yuan Shu couldn’t govern Yuzhou during this drought and locust plague, so she decided to take back his authority as Yuzhou’s governor.

Rather than letting Yuan Shu rebel after receiving the dismissal edict, it was better to strike first.

As it turned out, Cao Cao acted faster, making Qiao Yan the swift rescuer.

If that were the case, this wasn’t just a military action against the dead Yuan Shu, but also a threat to Liu Biao.

Once Qiao Yan held both Hanzhong and Yingchuan, she could enter Nanyang from both sides, then move south to Xiangyang, directly to his doorstep.

Liu Biao’s mind raced through countless twists and turns, feeling his situation was dangerous. But he only asked those around him, “What should we do about deploying troops to Nanyang?”

His next words made Cai Mao lose his composure, “How about letting the Chang’an army directly station in Nanyang?”

If Qiao Yan knew Liu Biao could be so paranoid, she might have laughed.

Asking Liu Biao to deploy troops was only because there were no natural barriers between Yingchuan and Runan, so neighboring forces needed to provide enough deterrence.

She currently had no extra energy to trouble Liu Biao.

The most important thing was Yuzhou.

And this meeting with Cao Cao.

When Cao Cao arrived at Shenting with Xu Chu, he saw Qiao Yan sitting in the pavilion, with Dian Wei standing like a door god outside.

Inside the pavilion was a small stove with a clay pot on it. In front of Qiao Yan and the seat opposite her were cups.

Cao Cao initially thought this was a wine reception, just with slightly unusual utensils.

But as he got closer, he realized the air didn’t carry the scent of wine, but… tea and milk.

Entering the pavilion, he saw the clay pot contained milk and tea.

Qiao Yan looked up at him, showing no surprise at this unique reception method, and said with confidence, “It’s just May, the alcohol restriction period isn’t over yet. Since Yuzhou hasn’t officially changed hands, we’ll follow the rules of Chang’an. Brother Mengde, you don’t mind, do you?”

If she had done this two years ago, it would have seemed playful. Now, it felt more like a show of power.

But Cao Cao couldn’t tell if this intuition was due to their changed statuses.

He just replied after sitting down, “I thought after introducing strong liquor and soy sauce, Yueshu was going to introduce new tea and surplus dairy products.”

Qiao Yan smiled, “Brother Mengde understands me. I don’t act without benefit, so that’s possible.”

She handed Cao Cao a ladle and added, “However, the profit from goods is limited. Land and talent are the priorities now.”

Cao Cao took the ladle, scooped some tea leaves, and poured them aside, asking, “So? I scoop the leaves, and you drink the finished product?”

Qiao Yan laughed heartily, “Of course, remove the residue first, then share the result.”