“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 303: Dividing the Land
First, clear the dregs, then share the fruits…
As Qiao Yan confidently declared this, she also handed Cao Cao another spoon.
This time, it wasn’t a slotted spoon but rather a normal spoon for dishing out milk tea from a pot.
At first glance, this action seemed to imply that her previous comment was in context—first, scoop out the floating dregs, and what’s left is the milk tea.
Now that they were meeting here, it was only fitting to follow the etiquette of hospitality, and as Qiao Yan mentioned, it still fell within the limit of the liquor ban, so substituting milk tea for alcohol wasn’t out of the question.
However, when this statement was made within the confines of Yuzhou, especially since the great marshal’s identity had been highlighted in the invitation, there were layers of meaning that were left unspoken.
What exactly did Qiao Yan consider as the “dregs”? Was it the exhausted tea leaves left in front of her, or the fading Yuan Shu left behind in this turmoil of Yuzhou?
Or were there other distractions that could interfere with the power transition in Yuzhou? Perhaps Yuan Shao, currently in Ye City? Or the ongoing locust plague wreaking havoc in Yuzhou?
Qiao Yan didn’t clarify, simply presenting the results of sharing a pot of milk tea after skimming off the dregs before Cao Cao, leaving him to interpret it himself.
Of course, if one were to take this statement literally, it wouldn’t be unreasonable.
In early May, the dry heat hadn’t peaked yet; sipping hot tea was certainly permissible.
The pot of milk tea, which had been stewing even before Cao Cao’s arrival, hadn’t been sweetened much, allowing for a calming aroma to waft through as the scorching heat faded in the cup.
Cao Cao drank half a cup, feeling that this drink was still less fitting for the occasion than wine, but since Qiao Yan felt it was a reasonable substitute, there was really nothing to critique.
Just as he was about to put the cup down, Qiao Yan suddenly asked, “By the way, where’s Yuan Gonglu’s body? Why wasn’t it brought along by Brother Mengde?”
Cao Cao nearly choked on his drink.
Asking this while inviting someone for tea was truly bold of her.
But after witnessing her making Xiahou Dun a lone commander and sending him a death certificate, Cao Cao had already gotten used to her bold moves, so questioning Yuan Shu was somewhat fitting.
Additionally, this topic had been previously mentioned in the invitation.
However, how should he address this? Cao Cao was somewhat rebellious and felt the invitation warranted some face-saving.
Since Qiao Yan claimed she only brought one attendant, Cao Cao decided to follow suit. After rejecting Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong’s offers to tag along, he chose to only take Xu Chu.
Taking just one person and expecting him to carry a corpse would surely seem bizarre.
So it was better to leave that out entirely.
Yet Cao Cao didn’t explain this face issue; he simply replied, “Yuan Gonglu is a member of the Runan Yuan clan. Since he has passed, he ought to be buried in Runan. Even tracing back to his roots would lead to Chengjun. Why force him to reunite with his son? It’s rather unsettling if spoken aloud.”
Qiao Yan shook her head while holding her tea cup, “Brother Mengde is mistaken. Yuan Benchu once intended to move the Runan Yuan clan’s ancestral hall to Ye City to oppose Yuan Gonglu’s non-Yuan family offspring. Who can guarantee that after Yuan Gonglu’s death, the disputes over the legitimate heirs from the Runan Yuan clan won’t be revisited? That would truly be unrest.”
This was a conversation starter.
Cao Cao had received significant support from his own clan but struggled to understand the conflicts between the Yuan brothers. Nonetheless, Qiao Yan’s words did hold a hint of truth.
He pondered and finally continued, “The deceased has left us. Yuan Benchu was a hero of his time; I doubt he would act in such a manner.”
Qiao Yan laughed derisively, “The notion that Yuan Benchu is a hero would only make sense if said by someone like Gongsun Bogui or Tao Gongzu. Hearing it from you, Brother Mengde, is somewhat amusing.”
“Without the reputation of the Runan Yuan clan and their three public positions within four generations, without the scholars and generals from Hebei and Yingchuan clearing the path for him, how could he have achieved his position today? Back in Luoyang, I scolded him for being flashy outside but hollow inside; even now, I can still say that.”
She paused before adding, “Wait, it’s been five rushed years; he might have lost some of his previous appearance advantages. It’s not fair to say he is flashy inside but hollow outside anymore.”
Cao Cao couldn’t help but cough and felt relieved there were only four of them at the meeting, counting those two bodyguards. None of them were likely to spread today’s discussions.
If Yuan Shao were to hear such words, it would certainly raise a ruckus.
He needn’t ask any questions; according to Qiao Yan, who would be worthy of the title “hero”?
With her habit of saying whatever comes to mind, who knows, she might declare—
Gongsun the tyrant, Liu Bei the naïve, Yuan Shao the incompetent, Liu Biao just a name, Liu Yan uninhibited, Sun Ce too reckless; the heroes of the realm are just you and me.
If that statement were to leak out, it would be far more damaging than anything to do with Yuan Shao’s reputation.
Not from the perspective of harming others but directly harmful to Cao Cao himself.
He quickly shifted the topic, “Let’s get back on track. Aside from retrieving Yuan Shu’s body, I believe Ye Shu has other matters to discuss with me.”
“Like—Yuzhou?”
Qiao Yan had come to Yingchuan, and saying she was merely here to return a favor to Cao Cao and fetch justice for Yuan Shu while revisiting old friendships would only be believable to a naive child. To someone as seasoned as Cao Cao, that was clearly absurd.
She already admitted that her motivations were never pure; even though she might have initially sacrificed herself for the Han court’s revival, she surely had more than just a passion driving her today.
If someone like her reached such a high position by just sheer guts, then the three provinces wouldn’t look like what they were described in the Leping Monthly Report.
She also wouldn’t have been able to skillfully negotiate a deal at the wine conference two years ago.
Yet if she expected Cao Cao to leave empty-handed, she was also underestimating his ambitions.
Qiao Yan’s gaze swept over Cao Cao’s determined expression, and she replied, “Since I’ve come in person, I do intend to discuss serious matters. Otherwise, a letter would have sufficed. Why put myself in danger?”
“I won’t go on about unnecessary things—some assumptions under the premise of not having a real confrontation are just empty words. Chang’an is distant, Yanzhou is close. If I claimed to contend with Brother Mengde over Runan, you wouldn’t believe it.”
“I have one question: If I immediately withdraw from Yingchuan, is this place going to be too hot to handle?”
Cao Cao was just about to speak when Qiao Yan interrupted, “I speak the truth, so Brother Mengde should refrain from saying—land is better in abundance, and this isn’t some matter of Han Xin leading troops.”
Cao Cao had indeed planned to reply along those lines, but now he could only keep his mouth shut.
Too hot to handle?
Yingchuan was a tough nut to crack.
Geographically, if Yingchuan fell into his hands, he would gain two more bordering areas with his opponents, significantly increasing troop pressure.
That was an external headache.
Internally… Yingchuan’s scholars formed a significant faction; in Chang’an, there were Xun Yu, Xun You, Chen Qun, Chen Ji, Guo Jia, and Xi Zhicai; while Yuan Shao’s side boasted Guo Tu, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping. Meanwhile, Cao Cao’s own men from this faction currently included only Zhong Yao, who had jumped ship due to the drought in Yuzhou.
This meant if they aimed to create trouble for Cao Cao within Yingchuan, they could easily leave him overwhelmed.
But if Yingchuan fell, aside from the Pei State, nominally still under Liu Bei, all other counties would fall into Cao Cao’s pocket, allowing him to claim the titles of Governor of one province while effectively controlling two provinces, just like Yuan Shao.
Even if it was a hot potato, would he really just toss it aside?
Thinking along these lines, Cao Cao avoided giving a direct answer, instead scooping another spoonful of still hot milk tea from the pot into his almost empty cup, raising it toward Qiao Yan and asking, “Is this hot to handle?”
Qiao Yan teased, “Brother Mengde, your skill of learning on the spot is truly impressive.”
She had previously compared skimming dregs to dividing shares, and now Cao Cao was using the concept of something being hot to imply he didn’t want to let go, it was indeed a learning exchange.
But life doesn’t always cater to one’s whims.
Her gaze sharpened as she lifted her eyes, revealing something more piercing, “This hot is not that hot; I don’t need to explain this to Brother Mengde. Under the circumstances where Chang’an is stronger than Ye City, Yuan Benchu can afford to make concessions to you in Yanzhou, leaving your consolidation of the local powerhouses to you. But he won’t tolerate raising a tiger at his door.”
“If he allows you to dominate both Yanzhou and Yuzhou, people will question why Yuan Shao could support the Son of Heaven in Ye City yet you, Cao Mengde, couldn’t take his place.”
“And in that scenario, instead of fearing you’d push him to Chang’an, he’d be more inclined to pull some strings in your Yanzhou and deal with you directly.”
Cao Cao furrowed his brows.
Qiao Yan’s comments were not mere threats but realities. It was precisely because her words contained a grain of truth that Cao Cao found himself hesitating.
He was well aware that seizing Yuzhou offered both opportunities and risks.
Without some risk tolerance, he wouldn’t even be considering military action.
But what Qiao Yan said didn’t seem like mere persuasion; it felt more like a calculated evaluation of his situation.
“If you want to avoid an impending crisis, Brother Mengde has two choices,” Qiao Yan said coolly.
“First, move to Chang’an. Right now, Bingzhou and Liangzhou, along with most of the Sili and Yizhou Hanzhong, are under my control. Even if Mengde takes over Yuzhou, that still leaves us with a three-state versus two-state scenario, and I have no need to feel jealous about it.”
She continued, “In the past, Mengde mentioned to me that if it were about the Han’s campaign to the west, it would be worth it for his whole life. But with Liangzhou stable now, I see no need for that campaign anymore. Perhaps it would be better to prepare for the eastern generals instead.”
Cao Cao rejected this, saying, “Let’s not go there. Just like how Yeshū won’t tell me what ultimate goal you, a noble minister of the realm, wish to achieve in this.”
Seeing Qiao Yan smile in silence with a hint of unreadable indifference, Cao Cao realized that this was indeed a question that wouldn’t yield an answer anytime soon. He then said, “Let’s discuss the other choice.”
Qiao Yan spoke again, “Brother Mengde controls Runan and Chenjun, while Liu Bei occupies Pei State. Hand over Yingchuan to me.”
“Isn’t the situation in Xuzhou similar, allowing Liu Bei to freely mingle with the gentry there?”
This statement left everyone momentarily speechless, unsure how to counter it.
The division of Xuzhou along the Huai River presented both a disadvantage to the Ye City court and an opportunity for Liu Bei.
Such a favorable situation requires specific conditions to support it.
Zhang Yi, appointed by the Chang’an court as the governor of Xuzhou, and Zhang Yang stationed in Hailing, were both essential for his current development.
If Qiao Yan were to occupy Yingchuan and create a situation similar to Xuzhou, might that also be a necessary prerequisite for Cao Cao to cross Yuzhou and Yanzhou?
Amidst his hesitation, he heard Qiao Yan say, “If Brother Mengde agrees to my condition, I will ensure the Zhong family from Yingchuan are sent to Yanzhou steadily. I won’t make things difficult for you. I’ll also refrain from obstructing the scholars’ stay in Yingchuan. Furthermore… I don’t think I will be a difficult neighbor, especially under the current natural disaster circumstances.”
This last sentence hit Cao Cao harder than the earlier remarks.
Before he conquered Runan Pingyu, he never expected that, geographically speaking, Runan County would be lacking sufficient grain reserves within the government storehouses, in contrast to Yanzhou, which forced him to abandon his plans of using warfare gains to unify the internal factions of Yanzhou.
From this perspective, he genuinely needed a closer neighbor to serve as a model.
The teacup in his hand had grown cooler during this negotiation, losing the earlier scalding warmth.
Regardless of whether this counted as a timely presentation, Cao Cao had to admit that while he still harbored ambitions for complete success, Qiao Yan’s words had indeed swayed him.
After another moment of silence, he replied, “I can halt my attack on Yingchuan, but this prefect must bear the Yuan surname.”
Qiao Yan replied without hesitation, “Then let Yuan Yaoqing take this position.”
Cao Cao’s thought process was straightforward; he just hoped the position wouldn’t go directly to one of Qiao Yan’s people. He could still use Runan and Chenjun as leverage, but whether they were his own or not, none could assess based on today’s stance.
Qiao Yan was confident that with her backing, talents like Yuan Huan were already within her grasp!
Yet, Cao Cao likely had some awareness of this too.
What took him by surprise, though, was what Qiao Yan said just as their meeting was about to conclude.
“By the way, since we’re heading towards a division agreement, I should clarify some truths with Brother Mengde. I can’t keep hiding things, can I?”
As she directed Dian Wei to put away the tea-making tools, she said slowly, “My presence in Yingchuan was purely a coincidence, so there’s no need to treat me as some prophet.”
Cao Cao’s eyelids twitched at her words, immediately recalling his question for Chen Gong.
Qiao Yan continued, “The elite troops I command, combined with those borrowed from the Xun family in Yingchuan, barely sum up to two thousand. There’s no thought of splitting forces to harass the rear. If Brother Mengde had displayed that boldness earlier, directly charging into Lin Ying to employ a strong attack, perhaps Yingchuan would already have been in your hands, making me retreat.”
Revealing her side’s weakness so unusually calmly left Cao Cao abruptly realizing that this had probably been her weak point, as well as the only opportunity he had to attack Yingchuan, which was now no longer viable!
It wasn’t long before she said, “Unfortunately, that best timing slipped away. By the time Brother Mengde rallies his forces and heads to Yingchuan, Liu Jingsheng’s troops from Jing Province should have arrived from Nanyang, and my garrison in Guanzhong has arrived at Hunyuan Pass to guard Lin Ying. In this battleground along the Ruying region, while both of us hail from afar, I imagine I have the upper hand.”
A fleeting shadow of frustration crossed Cao Cao’s face.
To say he wasn’t interested in capturing a Grand Marshal like in Chang’an, that would be pure folly.
But since the opportunity had already slipped away, there was no point in talking about such useless matters.
He chuckled, “At this point, Yeshū, don’t you fear that I would immediately gather my troops and sweep you away with numbers?”
Qiao Yan replied, “In the past, someone mentioned that a man’s anger could splash five steps. I’m not just any common man; I have solid martial skills. Brother Mengde, why not try if you and that warrior Xu can match up against me and General Dian?”
Cao Cao: “……”
Well, maybe not the best idea.
Even if one disregards Qiao Yan’s archery skills, she was still one of a kind among the state governors in terms of martial prowess.
Other battle achievements might rely on the aid of subordinates, but her campaigns against the Xianbei in the north required considerable physical stamina. Cao Cao felt that if he were assigned such a task, he would probably end up sick from the forced march.
Even if Xu Chu somehow managed to defeat Dian Wei, he’d still be taken down by Qiao Yan.
As he fell silent over this comparison, he suddenly heard Qiao Yan let out a cheerful laugh, breaking the silence. “Since Brother Mengde already has a judgment in mind, just kindly send me off for ten li. I trust others, but that Chen Gong’s capability to send troops after me makes me uneasy; I’d better go a bit further.”
Xu Chu, without even thinking, interjected, “Isn’t that just a hostage situation?”
Just as he was about to roll up his sleeves for action, Dian Wei firmly pressed his hand on Xu Chu’s shoulder, saying, “‘Hostage’ is such a harsh term; this is clearly a jovial parting between our esteemed Lord and your state governor, seeing you off for ten li.”
Cao Cao couldn’t help but be both amused and exasperated by Qiao Yan’s audaciously frank behavior.
Dian Wei, who he’d known for quite some time—a man who once single-handedly tackled Bo Cai and Liang Zhongning—had now become a sharp-tongued genius, truly embodying the saying that one tends to absorb the qualities of their surroundings.
He couldn’t resist asking, “What about Yuan Gonglu? You’re not taking him along?”
Qiao Yan replied, “As the host and guest enjoy each other’s company, it would be remiss to leave a gift behind. Brother Mengde, could you kindly send it to Lin Ying later, to complete this delightful tale?”
Cao Cao was momentarily rendered speechless.
If the late Yuan Shu could pop up to clarify things, he’d surely seek Qiao Yan to discuss whether he was a gift or a person!
But then again… as a hostage, and with not much of a bond between him and Yuan Shu, there was no need to feel too sympathetic.
While Cao Cao’s subordinates watched nervously, Qiao Yan and Cao Cao casually discussed Cao Pi’s educational issues at Leping Academy as they gracefully strolled ten li towards Yingchuan, then mounted their horses and gallantly rode away.
What Qiao Yan said about her reinforcements arriving was indeed not just grandstanding at this time.
When Cao Cao ordered Yuan Shu’s body to be sent to Lin Ying, two days had already passed since their meeting at Shen Pavilion outside Pingyu.
The wheeled cart carrying the governor’s remains entered Lin Ying City. Accompanying them, Cao Chun noticed that many well-trained soldiers were stationed there. Apart from the guarded city walls making this place seem like a fortress, military camps had already been set up outside the city to accommodate the troops.
Upon inquiry, Cao Chun learned that none other than Zhao Yun had arrived to take charge of Guanzhong.
His accompanying garrison exceeded six thousand!
However, this figure was still notably less than Cao Cao’s forces in Yuzhou.
Six thousand troops guarding only Yingchuan was a concern, as Cao Cao had to remain vigilant towards Runan and Chenjun. Currently, most of his soldiers were deployed to aid with the disaster situation in Yuzhou.
Why? Because Yuzhou was both a coveted territory and a mess left behind by Yuan Shu.
Should a confrontation arise, the cavalry Qiao Yan initially brought, combined with these six thousand reinforcements, would more than suffice, putting Cao Cao under some pressure from a powerful rival.
And this was not the end of it.
Just as Cao Chun was set to return after the handover, he noticed another force arriving at Lin Ying City.
The leader of that party, upon reaching the city gates, proclaimed, “Huang Zhong from Nanyang, sent by Liu Jingzhou to assist. Four thousand elite troops from Jing Province have arrived in Wuyang County, ready to obey Lord Qiao’s command.”
Both these news were reported back to Cao Cao after Cao Chun returned to Pingyu.
Cao Cao sighed, “When it comes to boldness and carefulness, there are indeed few who can match Qiao Yeshū. She has firmly grasped the capital necessary for her standing here.”
Cao Chun asked, “What should we do now?”
Cao Cao lifted his hand to stop Chen Gong from attempting an apology and replied, “Convey the message to Ye City that Yingchuan is unattainable, just as Qiao Yeshū said—an incomplete Yuzhou is what we may potentially grasp.”
This is what we call, sometimes losing a horse might just lead to unexpected fortune!
