“`html
“So, a strategist can’t ascend the throne?”
Chapter 311: Changes in Yizhou
The news reached Qiao Yan faster than she imagined.
“The situation in Liaodong hasn’t faced any delays at all.”
She flipped to the second page of the monthly report summarizing the battle situation, reading how the comparatively composed youth detailed how they captured Gongsun Du three times, ultimately persuading him to submit. A relaxed smile crept onto her face.
Zhuge Liang noted in the report that once Gongsun Du recognized his own intentions through their means, he no longer dared to act like the king of Liaodong but instead proactively showed goodwill towards them.
While transferring his military authority to Lu Lingju, Tai Shici, and Gan Ning among others, he actively cooperated with Zhuge Liang’s group to keep the details of the Liaodong surprise attack confidential.
It might not be as challenging as they expected.
Liaodong Commandery, especially Xiangping County, had forever been Gongsun Du’s domain. After lifting the siege and returning to his authoritative position, despite facing some criticisms, the person taking over the area was possibly even more authoritative than him, allowing the region to remain under control.
At this point, Sima Yi’s contribution was evident.
No longer needing to stay back at Zhangzi Island to ensure the fishermen they had temporarily conscripted followed orders, Sima Yi quickly set off from the southern islands to Xiangping.
At Leping Academy, he had taken special classes on communication and casually observed and inquired from the people traveling between Liaodong Commission and its affiliated nations, as well as the southwestern regions, ensuring that they weren’t unwittingly closing off their dealings.
Liaodong’s population was sparse, which undoubtedly helped them carry out their plans.
What gave Qiao Yan even more relief was that, after persuading Gongsun Du, the young folks didn’t let success get to their heads. They proceeded to establish deterrence over the Fuyu and Goguryeo clans, keeping both foreign powers under their thumb.
They wisely maintained the original relations between Gongsun Du and these factions to avoid escalating other tensions.
This decision was evidently very wise.
Goguryeo and Xuantu Commandery were intertwined, and aside from the Tadan branch residing in the Liaodong territories, other tribes also lived within Liaodong and Xuantu Commandery.
Rashly pushing Fuyu and Goguryeo to pledge allegiance to the Chang’an court might not only fail to gather additional forces, but could also expose their plans prematurely.
Thankfully, things were looking orderly for now.
These students from Leping Academy presented her with a report that would satisfy anyone.
Zhuge Liang, while calming Gongsun Du’s mind, pointed out that this war in Liaodong employed nearly every ounce of power from various regions to capture Gongsun Du, which wasn’t inaccurate at all.
The shipbuilding technology came from Yang Province, and the people and materials for construction came from Xuzhou. A considerable portion of the supplies on board came from Hanzhong, while the newly revealed hooks, paiguans, and repeating crossbows represented the highest level of machinery from various states.
With these prerequisites mastered by the youth from different regions and under the command of Tai Shici and Gan Ning, they achieved a scene that made Gongsun Du feel intimidated, even believing he was at the end of his road as a warlord!
If anyone still considered these soon-to-graduate youngsters mere greenhorns, they’d likely find themselves regretting it thoroughly.
Like Gongsun Du, who Qiao Yan still found useful, at least his life could be spared, but Gongsun Zan, well…
“By the way, now that Liaodong has been secured, when does the Duke plan to initiate the battle in Youzhou?” Guo Jia picked up the report Qiao Yan handed him and quickly understood the source of her good spirits.
Having successors was particularly vital for any faction.
Even someone like Qiao Yan, with a vast enterprise and largely youthful subordinates, was no exception.
Simultaneously, Zhuge Liang and Lu Lingju’s performances proved that Qiao Yan’s initiatives in establishing Leping Academy were entirely justified, as those graduating students could provide enough shock upon their debut.
Now, the only thing left for them was making one crucial decision.
When to strike Youzhou.
By relaying information, she aimed to coordinate Zhang Liao at Guyong Pass and Gongsun Du in Liaodong to launch a lethal strike against the caught-in-the-crossfire Gongsun Zan!
Qiao Yan pondered for a moment, responding, “After the autumn harvest, we also need to consider the current states of these several regions we control.”
Although everyone knew that presently, Guanzhong, Liangzhou, and Bingzhou demonstrated resilience to the incoming drought and locust plague, showing no sign of chaos, the string of favorable reports sent through Leping Monthly made the populace’s loyalty to the court increasingly evident.
But Yu Province had just “fallen”, and only Yingchuan remained under their control; the Henan governor had only just returned to the Chang’an court, making it an unsuitable time to mobilize troops.
Even if everyone knew that the granary in Chang’an held a staggering fifteen million shi accumulated over two years, mobilizing troops before the autumn harvest would still risk accusations of military extravagance.
If such claims arose, taking a jab at the vulnerable Yuan Shao would probably not be missed, considering how he had tasted the sweetness of public opinion criticism.
The other three states had retaliated against media criticism, but what about the populous Sili, or the recently captured Youzhou?
Could they outwardly maintain insulation from such matters?
Regardless, according to Zhuge Liang’s note, the changes in Liaodong could take a while to register in the eyes of the outsiders, and once they assumed power in the area, maintaining this secrecy could last at least four months.
Qiao Yan trusted Zhuge Liang’s judgment completely.
Thus, they could begin their offensive after the autumn harvest—perfectly timed!
As long as it was within this year, there wouldn’t be any issues.
“Before that, we need to have public health checks for the populace in Luoyang, roll out the emergency plan from Chang’an, and complete the well-digging project here by August. That way, we can divide our efforts accordingly, and once the battle for Youzhou settles, we can properly arrange the defense of the border area between Youzhou and Ji Province.”
In confronting Yuan Shao, it wasn’t quite the time to dump all responsibilities onto these youngsters.
She also needed to give Yuan Shao something else to worry about, to avoid him focusing solely on the north.
When the initial settlement of Youzhou occurred, there was absolutely no way they could swallow the whole territory at once; it required a gradual approach to gain control.
“Autumn harvest…” Guo Jia mumbled that timeline, grasping its implications, “Indeed, as you say, we must push it back to that time.”
Qiao Yan’s advance would be hindranced not just by natural disasters and the consensus of public opinion from Ji Province, but also by murmurs of discontent that wouldn’t let go of the emergency plan which had been circulated in Luoyang.
Though such dissent quickly fell silent under the support from the Son of Heaven, Liu Yu, it didn’t mean she was in a completely secure position.
Moreover, the grain needed to move through Bingzhou en route to Guyong Pass and then further transported to Gongsun Du, further solidifying their alliance.
This transport also required time.
And to ensure military supplies could set sail more seamlessly, they needed to find a more convincing reason to send them into Xuzhou.
So—
“Based on your plan, Xuzhou also needs some changes around this time, right?”
Guo Jia framed it as a question but stated it affirmatively.
At this moment, the state of warfare across the world felt like being tied to a single thread; pulling one strand would affect the entire system.
Qiao Yan clearly understood the effects of this interconnected change and held the knots between various regions firmly within her grasp. Making changes in Xuzhou wouldn’t be difficult after breaking the deadlock in May.
Let’s not forget, while Zhuge Liang and Lu Lingju went to Liaodong, Pang Tong, Jia Xu, and the Qiao sisters were still working in the boundaries of Xuzhou and Yang Province.
They were also capable aides whom Qiao Yan had high hopes for.
Qiao Yan firmly stated, “Exactly, sending grain from Xuzhou under the pretext of the autumn harvest to soothe the people’s hearts, while sending troops to Liaodong… catching Gongsun Zan completely off guard!”
In this chess game constructed for the world, it had truly reached the stage of full-blown chaos!
However, while Qiao Yan and Guo Jia agreed on this timeline for the advance, they hadn’t anticipated that an unexpected event would suddenly arise at this moment…
“`
Unexpectedly, their original plan had to be adjusted.
Three days after the news of the victory in Liaodong arrived, an urgent secret report landed on Qiao Yan’s desk.
This secret letter surprisingly came from Yizhou!
As Qiao Yan unfolded the letter and read the first two lines, her expression immediately changed.
All personnel under her intelligence department knew that the first step in actual work was to present received information in a clear and straightforward manner right at the beginning.
So the first sentence of this letter was: Liu Yan is critically ill, and the soldiers of Yizhou are conspiring to seize power.
Liu Yan is critically ill!
Indeed, Liu Yan was no spring chicken, having already fathered four sons. Even his youngest, Liu Zhang, had a son, Liu Xun, who was nearing marriageable age.
Last year, Liu Yan had arranged for his grandson Liu Xun to marry the daughter of the Pang family in order to win over the eastern province nobles.
The over fifty-year-old governor of Yizhou had suffered an arrow wound during the earlier rebellions in Yizhou, making his health deteriorate.
Even though he had the means to maintain his health with rare treasures after gaining control over Yizhou, the looming calamity known as death was not something he could simply change.
Historically, Liu Yan actually passed away this year.
However, Qiao Yan previously thought that Liu Yan hadn’t faced the exhaustion of his two sons being killed by Dong Zhuo, and thus, he should have been able to live a couple more years.
Little did she expect that she’d receive the news of Liu Yan’s critical condition during the summer of the third year of Jian’an.
“Go and fetch Guo Fengxiao and Xun Wenruo for me,” she immediately instructed her subordinates.
When Guo Jia and Xun Yu arrived, they found Qiao Yan staring grimly at the desk, her fingers occasionally tapping lightly on the surface.
This behavior didn’t suggest anything good was in store.
Qiao Yan’s first words were, “I thought that during the last battle in Hanzhong, those we had intimidated were not just the treacherous Liu Yan, but also those Yizhou nobles who believed themselves secure due to the natural defenses of Yizhou.”
“But now it seems these folks want not just to be nobles in Yizhou, they aspire to become the masters.”
“With Liu Yan critically ill, instead of sending this news to the central court for a decision, they’ve chosen to suppress it. What do you think they’re plotting?”
Guo Jia raised an eyebrow, “Are the Yizhou nobles trying to replace the eastern province nobles?”
This move wasn’t unexpected, especially with Liu Yan’s critical condition putting this scenario at a high probability.
Xun Yu’s gaze briefly met Qiao Yan’s, noticing her calm demeanor seemed unbothered by the clarity of her information sources before him.
He couldn’t help but speculate whether it was because he hadn’t informed the court about her timely awareness regarding Yuan Shu’s death, which aligned perfectly with Qiao Yan’s intentions, prompting her to treat him with a bit more trust.
However, upon seeing the contents of the letter, he dismissed these considerations.
The letter stated that since April this year, the governor’s residence in Yizhou had been secretly acquiring numerous medicines for treating arrow wounds and had summoned notable local doctors for consultations.
These doctors had received hush money from the state, ensuring they wouldn’t disclose what they observed, making it impossible to get to the bottom of the situation.
The scarcity of some medicinal materials forced the governor’s office to consult traveling merchants, which exposed Liu Yan’s condition to them.
If this illness was merely his ordinary business for someone who once had a military career, that would be one thing, but if he was later alleged to have detained famous doctors—never to be seen again—well, that certainly sparked some intrigue.
By mid-May, Liu Yan hadn’t appeared in public for half a month.
Although Yizhou’s administrative matters were still being handled normally and communications with the southern tribes showed no irregularities, Liu Yan’s absence posed the biggest issue.
Who was Liu Yan? A man who took pride in his grand appearances.
If it weren’t for the earlier incursions that Qiao Yan led into Hanzhong, he might have even made use of the thousand-carriage entourage he crafted for his inspections of Yizhou.
Now those carriages had been burned, and Liu Yan had been taught a lesson by Qiao Yan under the pretense of hunting in Hanzhong, but that didn’t mean he would give up showcasing his prestige as the governor of Yizhou.
Regrettably, they couldn’t get in the Yizhou governor’s office, making it difficult for the intelligence personnel to accurately assess Liu Yan’s status.
But can they not still pursue covert operations despite not seeing Liu Yan?
The spies embedded in Yizhou had received guidance from Li Ru and proved to be quite adept at gathering intelligence.
They had noticed two particularly interesting situations.
First, the heirs of the Fei family from Jiangxia had been brought to Shu.
While this wouldn’t have raised eyebrows at other times, it was quite unusual at this moment.
Liu Yan’s wife, and the biological mother of Liu Zhang, hailed from the Fei family of Jiangxia.
The Fei family had quite a reputation, as historical figures like General Fei Guan and Minister Fei Yi were from this lineage.
The second situation was that Zhao Wei from Yizhou had secretly visited Liu Zhang several times.
If the visit from the Fei family could be seen as Liu Yan aiming to elevate his wife’s family after stabilizing Yizhou, then Zhao Wei’s clandestine visits to Liu Zhang felt like a brewing storm.
Afterward, these intelligence personnel had managed to orchestrate an accidental encounter with the Fei family heirs, learning from them that the invitations from Yizhou didn’t come from Liu Yan but were sent out by Liu Zhang himself.
These subtle signs in Yizhou, which shouldn’t have exploded with changes this year, were enough to raise alarms!
Qiao Yan couldn’t help but comment, “Liu Yan is no First Emperor, yet it seems those Yizhou nobles are trying to play Zhao Gao.”
She wasn’t sure whether to say that Liu Yan’s oppression of Yizhou’s nobles had gotten a bit out of hand, leading to today’s backlash—a kind of poetic justice—or that despite Yizhou being dubbed a land of plenty, it hadn’t truly become an independent mini-court, yet it was generating plots of secretive mourning and fostering a young heir.
It was both tragic and amusing.
But regardless of how this situation felt, one issue lay before everyone.
They could not allow Yizhou to spiral out of control because of this predicament.
The situations in Yizhou and Yu Province were somewhat similar.
Yizhou under Liu Yan’s grip and Yu Province under Yuan Shu’s control both didn’t wholly comply with the central court’s directives.
The current stability in Hanzhong, maintained by Qiao Yan’s people, was somewhat akin to the situation in Yu Province, where their own people held onto the critical area of Yingchuan.
However, the circumstances in both places weren’t entirely identical.
In Yu Province, Qiao Yan could afford to let Cao Cao manage Runan, but Yizhou couldn’t be allowed to become a launching pad for the eastern province nobles to elevate Liu Zhang!
Setting aside the numbers of grain tributes Yizhou had provided in the past couple of years or the bamboo deliveries to Hanzhong that benefited the local paper production—
On the surface, having Yizhou was crucial for the central court to show a connected territory from north to south. If it were to break away with the support of Yizhou’s nobles, it would be a far greater blow to the court than Yu Province aligns with Cao Cao.
If they allowed this situation to develop, it would undermine the potential of their campaign against Youzhou.
That wouldn’t just be a dagger hanging over the court but would also mean losing one territory while having to reclaim another.
This was not acceptable!
Yet, perhaps this was also their opportunity.
If the power transition in Yizhou fell into their hands, it would mean they could fully take over a land largely untouched by droughts and locust plagues, avoiding the need to use Liu Yan as a temporarily appointed middleman.
This grain could supply affected areas in the coming years or serve as military provisions for the attack on Youzhou.
As long as they could act quickly!
Quick enough… just like that surprise attack on Hanzhong back in the day!
Qiao Yan asked, “In your opinion, Wenruo and Fengxiao, if I were to head to Yizhou now, would it throw the situation in Luoyang into chaos?”
Xun Yu didn’t directly answer, instead asking, “How long does the Grand Marshal plan to be away?”
Qiao Yan replied with certainty, “At most a month.”
In a month, she aimed to swiftly resolve the situation in Yizhou!
