“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 306: Preparations in Luoyang
Since Dong Zhuo fled to Chang’an after being attacked in Luoyang during the first year of Guangxi, the area west of Huayin, including the Henan Governor and Hongnong County, has been relatively ungoverned.
Outside the eight passes of Luoyang, some areas are divided off from the surroundings, like Yanzhou where Cao Cao is, which has jurisdiction that extends towards Hulao Pass.
However, for most of the capital region, unless a powerful force directly occupies Luoyang, proper governance is impossible.
The natural barriers of the Yellow River and mountains, combined with the elevated terrain separating Hongnong and Hedong by the Loess Plateau, completely isolate these two counties from others.
Even though Hongnong’s officers are mediocre, just like Sima Fang’s performance after the changes in Yuzhou where he focused on self-preservation, neither have been directly controlled by any power.
It’s not like neighboring powers have been totally oblivious to this situation.
But Luoyang has been the capital of the Han Dynasty for over a hundred years and symbolizes not just the nearly million people of the capital region but also a unique political status.
Holding this place—apparently can curb the trend of population outflow from Luoyang, leveraging its demographic advantage to outpace others, instead of merely seeking development through splitting the migrant population.
But if someone were to make such a move without an absolutely reasonable justification behind it, they’d likely be suspected of usurping power.
Perhaps to avoid being besieged by all sides, or maybe due to actual military shortcomings, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Qiao Yan have all refrained from such risky moves in the preceding years.
Technically, there’s also Wang Kuang of River North County bordering this lawless area.
But this guy couldn’t even manage the outflow of his own populace; when Qiao Yan directed various families in Hedong County to recruit people from River North County, Wang Kuang lost at least one-fifth of his population—how could he talk about occupying Luoyang?
Yuan Shao would probably feel speechless towards this outpost and definitely wouldn’t want to help him resign to preserve safety.
And now, Qiao Yan has an ample reason to move forward and has sufficient strength.
The drought and locust plague in the capital region, even with a relatively dense population here, can’t be resolved solely by Sima Fang; she must be there to assist.
And given how Yuzhou has just had a major upheaval, she needs to oversee the situation in Yingchuan while also keeping an eye on the expansion of Yanzhou’s influence, which means setting up a frontline node between Chang’an and Yuzhou.
What place could possibly be more suitable than Luoyang?
Probably none.
Though nearly five years have passed, quite a few citizens of Luoyang still remember the scene when Qiao Yan led the Bingzhou army first into Luoyang to drive out Dong Zhuo.
They also remember the floating bridge built over the Yellow River between the Henan Governor and Hongnong County.
Now, this Grand Marshal of the Chang’an court has taken quite a roundabout way to end up back here, which oddly feels like a strange cycle.
Even though the thriving gold and horse markets in Luoyang have been abandoned for years, leaving the various markets in the city decaying, some remnants of the past still linger.
When Qiao Yan’s temporary office was set up in the former Imperial Academy, it inevitably reminded one of the time when she was intercepted by Yang Xiu on the streets nearby.
However, the townsfolk of Chang’an won’t see Qiao Yan just yet; the first to arrive here will be Sima Fang, Zhuge Xuan, and that Prefect from Hongnong County.
These three will need to collaborate with Qiao Yan on their work here, so they’d naturally have to meet their superior first.
Thinking of how Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi are currently on a ship to Liaodong, while Zhuge Liang’s uncle and Sima Yi’s father are here assisting Qiao Yan in settling the other half of the Sili region, seeing these two arranging their office and arriving here one after the other, a subtle expression crossed Qiao Yan’s face.
But when she opened her lips to talk to the two, there was no hint of her inner feelings whatsoever.
“It’s already late May, and expanding the well digging and canal works seems a bit rushed now. Even crafting a batch of new fans might not be feasible in time; all we can do is quickly utilize the available water sources in these two counties and exterminate the locusts as soon as possible.”
“I’ll have the water management team from Guanzhong come here for the former matter.”
Fu Shou and Bi Lan are both locals of Luoyang, so cooperating on this work shouldn’t be too difficult.
They previously completed the water statistical survey of the Wei River in Guanzhong, and now they’re at this area which encompasses the Wei and Luo river basins. Having formed an entire operational system, they should be able to expand their work here swiftly.
“As for the latter matter, leaving it to you two should be fine. Let’s take the opportunity during the locust extermination to re-statistic the household registration in this Sili region back to me.”
As the central area caught between two courts in the east and west, despite Sima Fang’s position as the official, it’s a dream to think that the local populace can be nudged to migrate in an orderly manner.
Before Dong Zhuo’s chaos, even Luoyang’s population was more than five times that of Chang’an; coupled with the capital region, it indeed represents a sizeable number.
At most, the displaced population would only get their new household registrations locally, while the connections in Luoyang become essentially nonexistent.
What can currently be utilized—
One is to attract locusts by setting fire at intervals along fields during the locust plague, allowing for renewed assessment of farmland areas.
The other is implementing a system to exchange locust eggs for grain, registering some relatively impoverished migrant populations.
These two matters were originally lacking manpower for Sima Fang here, but with Qiao Yan’s forces moving in, it has become feasible to execute them.
“What was originally lacking here isn’t just manpower; it’s also the food necessary for the exchange mentioned by the Grand Marshal. Initially, I wanted to request assistance from Chang’an, but considering the situation in Guanzhong, I abandoned that thought. Now that the Grand Marshal has brought it up directly, I feel much more at ease.”
Sima Fang’s words made Qiao Yan glance at him with a smirk, half amused.
Whether he genuinely worried about the consumption in Guanzhong or aimed to keep a neutral stance, answering that isn’t too difficult.
In any case, this guy has always presented himself as cunning and shrewd.
But given the current situation, everyone has their way of surviving, and Sima Fang’s isn’t particularly objectionable.
Moreover, on the surface, he has no issues to point out.
With Sima Yi already serving under Qiao Yan, she wouldn’t make things hard for Sima Fang either.
As long as there’s enough military force to suppress the power he’s built in the Henan Governorate, Qiao Yan and he can continue their cooperation.
“So, once the household registration in Luoyang is sorted, it’s time for her to roll out the ‘Urgent Piece’ and see how things go, huh?”
They say people in Luoyang are probably better at reading than elsewhere. After all, it’s not like this place was under Qiao Yan’s thumb before, so it’s a perfect testing ground to see how new regions adapt to this whole plan.
She’s already found herself an office spot in the south of Luoyang, ready to take notes on everything going down.
Sima Fang piped up, “So, are we not planning to massively recruit in Luoyang, Grand Marshal?”
“Not yet, let’s avoid stirring up any trouble. We don’t want to end up in a messy situation,” she replied.
As for this potential chaos, whether it stems from the locals being upset about the new power setting up camp or from Chang’an feeling the pressure from her big moves, that’s a matter open to interpretation.
Before they could get any clear intel from Luoyang, they were greeted instead by Yuan Yao and his crew coming through from Yuzhou via the Xiaohan road into Chang’an.
Though they had already received news about Yuan Shu biting the dust and Qiao Yan taking action, seeing Yuan Shu’s coffin and his son pop up in Chang’an hit differently—it felt like the end of an era.
Yuan Shu’s demise made sense given his antics, but it still felt like one chapter was closing.
Alongside Yuan Yao to Chang’an, it definitely wasn’t Guo Jia—who was still merrily roaming around with Qiao Yan in Luoyang—or Yuan Huan, left wandering in Yingchuan. Nope, it was Xun Yu.
Finally, they got the scoop about all the happenings in Yuzhou straight from Xun Yu himself.
Aside from the mysterious letter landing when Xun Yu and Qiao Yan were inspecting Hongnong County, he kept some details under wraps. But other than that, Qiao Yan permitted him to share info about her decisions after aiding the Huan Yuan pass and how she pulled off beating Xiahou Dun even when her troops were outnumbered.
Then, through some risky yet clever moves, she bought enough time for Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong to save the day from the north and south, keeping Yingchuan safe.
“Making tough choices in crunch time? The Grand Marshal doesn’t disappoint!” Chen Ji chimed in. “But after the upheaval in Yuzhou, Cao Mengde’s gonna be a bigger threat, and being in Ye City could spell trouble for us?”
Yingchuan not falling to enemy hands was definitely good news for Chen Ji, a local lad.
Sure, the unclear border between Yingchuan and Runan raised alarms about Cao’s army potentially barging in, but hey, Qiao Yan seemed bold enough, especially after her win against Cao Cao’s right-hand man.
Beside, Qiao Yan’s still camped out in Luoyang, ready to back up Yingchuan at a moment’s notice.
Even better, what if she’s planning to use Yingchuan as bait to keep Cao’s main force occupied while she sneaks into Yanzhou’s Dong Commandery?
Yanzhou and Ji Province have some connected parts, meaning it’s not too far from Ye City—an ambush could be in the cards.
Although that’s a long shot, considering how stretched out they’d be, it still beats being a grumpy old man. A little hope can’t hurt!
In May, Zhao Qi, the Minister of Rites and head honcho of the Chang’an Art Institute, decided to retire, considering his age. He chilled out in the art institute as a tutor, since everything was running smoothly without him breaking a sweat.
Ah, the circle of life!
However, as Chen Ji bid farewell to Zhao Qi, he couldn’t help but want to witness the world unified again.
And that hope rested solely on Qiao Yan’s shoulders!
The standoff in Yuzhou showed Chen Ji just how adaptable Qiao Yan was in a crisis.
Only someone like her could ensure a reliable future for Chang’an.
Yet, not everyone shared this sentiment.
Just like Qiao Yan suspected, a long-established court eventually shows cracks when interests clash, despite their forced solidarity.
For Chen Ji, it was a precarious meeting in Pingyu, but for others, it was merely a performance between Qiao Yan and Cao Cao. After all, these two had a history, and even Cao Cao’s second son, Cao Pi, was a student at Leping Academy!
To Chen Ji, the garrison in Luoyang seemed vital, while others viewed it as Qiao Yan and Cao Cao cozying up to establish her little court in Luoyang. Who knows what bold moves she’d make next—like trying to play both Ye City and Luoyang courts against each other?
Chen Ji thought his arrangements for Yingchuan were perfectly reasonable and that his gestures towards Yuan Shu were honorable, while others saw it as mere lip service.
If only they knew!
At this moment, one of those harsh critics sought out Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao raised an eyebrow at Liu Yang who appeared before him.
He had heard of Liu Yang.
After Liu and his dad kicked the bucket, Liu Yang went from being some nobody from Youzhou to a top contender in Chang’an’s court, practically making him worth his weight in gold.
But this guy hadn’t really stepped into the court yet, so most folks knew his name but didn’t see him as anything impressive.
But when Liu Yang opened his mouth, Yuan Yao was taken aback.
Liu Yang said, “The Grand Marshal’s handling of this situation is downright unjust. Your father, as a direct descendant of the Yuan Clan in Runan, was brought here in such a haphazard way and you had to trek down too? If my father had commanded, we would’ve taken back Runan for you to step into the governor position.”
“Actually! If he knew about the tension between Yuzhou and Yanzhou, he should’ve had someone set up defenses for Yuzhou to hinder any chances for Yanzhou.”
He sighed, “Sigh, I’ve known about the Grand Marshal’s ties with that Cao Cao for ages, and not warning your father about this… oh well, let’s drop that for now. You just got to Chang’an; if you need anything, come to me! I’ll lend a hand if I can.”
“Not sure what position my father intends for you, but it’ll definitely match your station.”
Yuan Yao forced a smile: “…”
Wait a minute! Isn’t this royal brat bordering on badmouthing the Grand Marshal to me?
What the heck! Just a day in Chang’an and I’m already hit with this spicy tea!
