“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 315: Arrangements in Yizhou…
This isn’t the era of Liu Yan and the older generation anymore.
Maybe there’s another layer to that statement—
This isn’t the era of the Liu clan either.
In these chaotic times, when the people are weary and life is tough, it’s also the perfect moment for someone trustworthy to take the place of the Han dynasty’s royal family.
Qiao Yan had no qualms about revealing the truth to Liu Yan. After all, by the time she left his residence, this early governor of the late Han had already stopped breathing, completely exiting this era.
“Announce the news of Yizhou’s governor’s death in Chengdu. Say that Zhao Wei and Liu Zhang delayed Liu Yizhou’s treatment, and now that he’s finally awake to hear what his young son has done, he succumbed to illness,” she instructed.
To be honest, Qiao Yan thought the price Liu Yan had to pay for his death was pretty minimal. His previous condition diagnosed by doctors had already suggested that his old injuries would inevitably claim his life.
The doctors detained in the state government by Zhao Wei and Liu Zhang also corroborated Qiao Yan’s claims.
But Liu Zhang, upon hearing the news of Liu Yan’s death, was struck as if by lightning, then he went mad, rushing to the prison bars and shouting, “This can’t be! My father was clearly still capable of announcing the succession; I am his rightful heir, how could he just die like this?”
Liu Yan could die from illness but definitely not because of any treachery!
In a Han dynasty that revered filial piety to rule the world, bearing the label of patricide was far worse than scheming to usurp the governor’s power.
This also provided an excellent excuse for Qiao Yan’s sudden military action towards Yizhou.
How could a man who killed his father have the right to govern a province?
Even if he had the reputation of a ruthless hero, he was unworthy!
Liu Zhang, no longer caring about his fear of Qiao Yan, shouted, “Why did my father fall ill only after the Grand Marshal arrived? This is clearly not my fault!”
But what does that matter now? The act of announcing the succession took place publicly, and the doctors who treated Liu Yan previously declared that if he had been in a suitable resting environment, he might have lived for a few more days.
With the medical expertise from the Leping Medical Academy, whether they could save him wasn’t something that could be quickly decided.
There might still be a miracle!
If the Grand Marshal wanted to harm Liu Yan, she wouldn’t have given up her already easily obtainable Grand General position to him back in the day as an attempt to win him over; neither would she merely have sent troops to Hanzhong as a warning when she sensed Liu Yan’s ambition. She could have taught Chengdu a lesson straight up, just as she was about to do with this military campaign.
Common folks wouldn’t care whether the Yinp’ing Road could lead to Chengdu without Zhang Lu’s construction efforts; they wouldn’t bother with what kind of attitude Qiao Yan held towards Liu Yan—
In any case, by exposing Liu Yan’s truth as a dying man, after Liu Yan’s death, she would only be left with one informed witness.
What the people knew was that Liu Zhang’s evil plans failed, and the Grand Marshal would swoop in and capture him.
And then in Bajun, Xu Shu and Chu Yan would come south from Hanzhong, joining Wu Yi from the Chengdu garrison to attack Yan Yan by the banks of the Ba River, capturing this general and bringing him back to Chengdu.
In the testimony provided by Yan Yan, he replaced Pang Xi to become the Prefect of Bajun but received his appointment directly from Liu Yan, without actually seeing the sick Liu Yan. This was more evidence of Liu Zhang and others holding Liu Yan captive to usurp power.
It fully condemned Liu Zhang.
When Jiang Jiao, who helped complete the data for the Yizhou government storehouse, submitted it to Qiao Yan, she immediately sent out letters to the East and North.
The eastern letter was part of the same batch of supplies, shipping a portion of the grain stored in the Yizhou government storehouse down the Yangtze River to Hailing, overseen by Ma Chao and the wronged Yan Yan to ensure safe transport.
Upon reaching Hailing, this batch of grain would be divided into two parts.
One part was to support the war in Xuzhou.
In the realm south of the Huai River, Zhang Yi’s power wasn’t all that significant, so filling the gaps from the drought with grain would bolster the citizens’ resolve in defending the city.
Meanwhile, she would inform Jia Xu and Pang Tong, still in Xuzhou, about the changes in Yizhou, letting them decide when to disclose this news to the north of Xuzhou.
Given that Yizhou was consistently aiding Xuzhou and Yang Province with supplies, the northern region of Xuzhou could not afford to be drawn into a protracted war. But if they planned on taking an unconventional route, they’d have to consider if they were up to facing the cunning Jia Xu and the resourceful Pang Tong.
The other part of the supplies would be sent with a positioning device from Xuzhou northward to Liaodong by sea.
The former grain’s purpose was to provide cover for the latter, but the latter’s existence signified that—
Once this batch of grain made it safely to Youzhou Liaodong, the hunt for Gongsun Zan would officially commence!
And it wasn’t even harvest time yet!
“Why am I only in charge of grain transport and not participating in the wars of Xuzhou?” Ma Chao grumbled.
When he first heard that Qiao Yan wanted him to go to Xuzhou, he thought he might have impressed her with his previous contributions of helping to intimidate Zhang Lu and seize Chengdu, then capture Yan Yan as well, proving he was no longer the reckless guy he used to be, and hence he’d get a more significant role.
But the following words shattered his assumptions; he realized he didn’t have the freedom he thought he did.
He muttered, “I can be straightforward, and I’ve said a few things about Jia Wen and the guy who defected back. I find he’s dishonoring us from Liang Province, but when it comes time to cooperate, I won’t mess it up.”
How could he only get to be a transport officer and not fight?
He heard the northern Xuzhou, appointed by the Ye City court, had some capable generals under its command; otherwise, they wouldn’t have managed to escape from Zhuge Liang’s traps previously. Wasn’t this just the chance he needed to show off?
The Liang Province folks should also have some glorious triumphs under the leadership of their lord.
Qiao Yan noticed Ma Chao’s eager stance and replied, “I’m not denying you the chance to show off, but does only Mengqi wish to prove himself? General Yan and General Zhang, who went with Wen He to Xuzhou before, are also Yizhou people caught up in Yizhou’s power struggles or suspected of rebellion. They need to carve out their own achievements; how could I deny them this opportunity?”
Ma Chao thought about how he and his father, Ma Teng, had indeed borne the name of rebels, but they’d relied on tangible achievements to wipe away those criticisms and took back what he thought to say about battle.
Then Qiao Yan continued, “Moreover, I’m not assigning you just the grain transport. Why be saddened so soon?”
“I need you to do two things. First, after arriving in Xuzhou, rally the cavalry units there to create a fake impression that Yizhou’s changes may allow Xuzhou to be the breakthrough point.”
This military strategy sounded perfectly sensible.
Since Yizhou, a somewhat disobedient region, was now back under the control of the Chang’an court while the southern regions of Jingzhou and Yang Province adhered to this authority as well, if the Huai River frontline in Xuzhou had potential as a breakthrough, why not seize the moment?
“Second, when passing through Jingzhou, greet Liu Biao and warn him not to let news of the boats passing through reach outside of Jingzhou.”
Liu Biao wouldn’t possibly be unaware of ships passing through. Even though this route differed from his previous journey with Zhang Yang to Xuzhou, it still traversed through Jingzhou.
How would Liu Biao interpret the warning to keep quiet about it outside Jingzhou?
That was probably something only Liu Biao himself understood.
The reason for sending Ma Chao on this warning mission was likely that, amongst her available candidates, only Ma Chao could exude that kind of intimidating presence.
Sometimes that arrogance wasn’t ideal, but in this instance, it clearly was.
Ma Chao hadn’t fully grasped Qiao Yan’s intention, but her two tasks didn’t seem to make him just a grain transport officer; he immediately accepted the order and went to work.
The other report headed north was handed to Fu Gan by Qiao Yan, who sent it off to Chang’an.
This letter, arriving via Hanzhong, found its way to Liu Yu.
“Capture Chengdu?!” Liu Yu instinctively stood up as soon as he read the letter’s opening line.
How was this even possible?
Back in the day, why was Yizhou set up with a governor in the first place? It was because the place was so isolated that the court had long lost its control over it.
Even if Qiao Yan’s last journey through the Lu Valley to hit Hanzhong had intimidated Liu Yan, it was merely due to Liu Yan’s fear of the Han court, not because she could just waltz into the heart of Yizhou and achieve such results on a long expedition.
But now she had succeeded!
No matter how she accomplished this, at least in the letter sent to Chang’an, it was laid out clearly.
Yizhou’s governor Liu Yan had his old injury flare up again. His youngest son, not yielding to the local powers backing Liu Yan, seized control instead, imprisoning Liu Yan and not offering him proper medical care, intending to take over the entire Yizhou before hiding the truth in reports to the court, only stating he was in charge of Yizhou.
If there indeed was a change in Yizhou, the court would have no means to react!
Fortunately, there was Zhang Lu, who, after losing to Wang Shi back in the day, was still observant of matters in Shuchuan while rehabilitating roads in Guanghan. Once he caught wind of the irregularities, he passed the news on to Qiao Yan.
Liu Yan might have once entertained thoughts of usurping the throne, but his position as the Yizhou governor had already been recognized by the court, making him the legitimate highest official of Yizhou. If the position could change through such a father’s usurpation, then the court’s grip over Yizhou could be considered essentially non-existent; therefore, a countermeasure had to be made.
To prevent any leaks and allow Yizhou to prepare, Qiao Yan instructed Xun Yu to stay in Luoyang while she personally set out from Wudu County to attack Yizhou, launching an assault directly from the Guanghan territories Zhang Lu occupied towards Shuchuan.
Who could have imagined such a route would emerge?
Even if someone guessed she might head to Yizhou to quell unrest, no one would have expected she would willingly abandon the advantages she had built in Hanzhong to risk the path less traveled.
If it weren’t for her notable past actions against Zhang Lu by driving him out from Wudu and nearly cornering him in Hanzhong, nobody would have believed she had scripted some performance with Zhang Lu.
“Is Ye Shu putting too much trust in Zhang Lu?” When Liu Yu read this letter in court, even Huangfu Song, who knew her temperament well, couldn’t help but sigh.
But as soon as he voiced his concern, he realized expressing worry at this point was unnecessary; without Qiao Yan’s trust in a former enemy, they wouldn’t have achieved such remarkable conquest outcomes.
This letter being delivered to Chang’an stated that upon her arrival in Chengdu, Liu Yan passed away from his ill health, and Liu Zhang and his accomplices Zhao Wei and others had all been captured.
The troops heading north teamed up with the Hanzhong garrison and swiftly crushed the rebellion in Ba County.
With that, aside from the several counties controlled by the Southern Barbarians, the vast majority of Yizhou’s counties can now be easily grasped within their hands.
Compared to the previous situation where Liu Yan acted independently in Shu, things have definitely taken a groundbreaking turn!
What’s even more exciting is that Qiao Yan mentioned she had been busy with household matters for Liu Yan, as well as dealing with the unrest of the local soldiers, and she even managed to take inventory of the government storehouses in various places across Yizhou, especially in Shu County.
Ignoring the gold and silver coins for now, the grain stored in Shu County alone has reached over ten million stones, nearly rivaling the taxes and land collected in Guanzhong over the past two years!
This was after Qiao Yan had Jiang Jiao take stock of the unreasonable taxes and land encroachments, returning a considerable portion to the government storehouses!
This was Liu Yan’s accumulated stockpile during his ten years in Yizhou, aside from various civil wars and high expenses.
Just this number alone makes one marvel; Yizhou truly lives up to its title as the Land of Abundance.
No wonder… Liu Yan, who held sway over this place, could even entertain ideas that shouldn’t belong to a Han official.
While others might be fretting over natural disasters, Yizhou has the Dujiangyan irrigation project as support, along with its naturally fertile land for farming and geographic barriers that provide security. Who wouldn’t look at the ever-increasing wealth in the storehouses and let their lust for power grow unchecked?
Wait a minute!
Wang Yun, who was already somewhat wary of Qiao Yan, suddenly recalled something and asked, “What are the Grand Marshal’s subsequent arrangements for this place in Yizhou?”
In Liu Yan’s hands, this location is very hard for the court to manage deeply, and in the hands of someone like Qiao Yan, who wields immense military prowess, it’s an unbreakable stronghold!
This place is even riskier than Bingzhou and Liangzhou under her command!
So dangerous that it makes one wonder if she could establish a small court there again.
Wang Yun couldn’t help but think he wasn’t being overly paranoid about this matter.
This Yizhou war was launched and prepared without the Chang’an court having any sense of involvement, and the shocking outcome had just dropped on their heads.
If it seems that Yizhou’s internal maneuverings didn’t regard the Chang’an court as significant, and even showed signs of balancing dealings between Chang’an and Ye City, then it appears that Qiao Yan, who seems to have taken upon herself the task of reviving the Han dynasty with Liu Yu, revealed some respect for Liu Yu through this swift military campaign, right?
Even though Qiao Yan made it clear in this letter, or rather a memorial, that there were too many uncertainties in this military operation, which forced her to keep all the plans secret from Chang’an.
Yet, the court in Chang’an has been established for almost three years now, and surely at least a few familiar faces should have heard the news. But in reality—
No one did.
Not even Huangfu Song.
Curiously enough, only he seemed worried in the face of such a tremendous victory, causing him to doubt whether Qiao Yan had managed her image too well, or if he’d simply chosen to sing out of tune while everyone else rejoiced at the benefits of the changes in Yizhou.
Liu Yu, as the Son of Heaven, didn’t seem to pick up on the underlying tone in Wang Yun’s words and replied, “Ye Shu has already held a funeral for Liu Yizhou in Shu. Although we found some things in his wives’ and children’s expenses and the storehouse inventory that didn’t comply with the rituals, the man has passed. Delving into the mistakes would just make us seem overly meticulous; thus, we will still give him a grand burial as per the governor’s honor.”
“Furthermore, Liu Zhang and Zhao Wei are now joining forces to replace him and are willing to go to the extent of harming his brother just to keep him firmly under control. While they managed to save the person, his mental state is far from what it used to be, making him evidently unfit for such heavy responsibilities.”
“It might be better to abolish the position of governor of Yizhou and assign one of the Eastern Province officers who came with Liu Yizhou to serve as the governor of Yizhou, granting two counties to local people for the position of prefect to assist in local governance.”
Qiao Yan’s arrangements in this letter clearly showed that she had thought it through.
She clearly explained Liu Yu’s words to the ministers present in court.
The Eastern Province officer stepping into the position of Yizhou governor must not get too stiff in dealings with other local gentry in Yizhou; it’s best if he maintains intricate connections with the former governor Liu Yan and can show merit to the Chang’an court, enabling a reasonable reward for his contributions.
By sheer coincidence, such a person indeed exists.
It’s none other than Wu Yi, whom Qiao Yan has handpicked.
He’s a representative from Liu Yan’s command of the Eastern Province and definitely good, but since he’s more aligned with military affairs than civil administration, he doesn’t often voice his opinions on various disputes over interests in Yizhou. At least he’s more favored by the local gentry than Pang Xi.
His sister married Liu Yan’s third son, Liu Mao, making them relatives, so he has some connections to leverage Liu Yan’s remaining influence in Yizhou.
Most importantly, prior to Qiao Yan attacking Chengdu, Wu Yi had been “persuaded” by the court’s righteous stand to quell the unrest in Yizhou and participated in this offensive action against Chengdu, later assisting Xu Shu in pacifying Ba County.
If someone like him isn’t qualified for the position of prefect or governor, how could the court hope to manage Yizhou’s affairs and gain the public’s trust?
Wang Yun: “……”
Honestly, this statement sounded a bit too grandiloquent.
Yet, the moment he thought about how Wu Yi hailed from Yanzhou and Chenliu, and was a fellow townsman of Qiao Yan’s loyal general Dian Wei, clearly a deal must have been struck for him to come out and assist, leaving Wang Yun with a feeling like a thorn in his throat.
So rather than saying this was about the stable transition of power in Yizhou with the continued employment of Liu Yan’s officers, it would be more accurate to say Qiao Yan used a roundabout method to bring Yizhou’s authority under her control.
This fundamental tone was unmistakable, leading Wang Yun to become somewhat distracted while listening to subsequent arrangements.
However, even with his attention only half in it, he couldn’t help but admire Qiao Yan’s extraordinary methods in manipulating these peripheral powers.
She pointed out that for Yizhou to be reconsolidated, there must be accommodations made for local powers, and the two prefect positions should indeed be given out. But before that, it would be better to make some regional divisions within Yizhou.
The southern part of Yizhou, which was originally not under control, such as Zhangqi County and Yizhou County, needn’t worry about divisions. However, Ba County could be split into Ba East and Ba West, giving half to local Yizhou individuals for governance.
Many Ba people had grievances against Liu Yan; especially after he used iron-fisted suppression to establish his authority, the Chang’an court’s concession here would undoubtedly contribute to the stability of Bashu.
At the same time, real power in Hanzhong and Ba East remained in the hands of the Chang’an court, and with Wu Yi stationed in Shu, they could create a surrounding threat to the central Ba West County. Wasn’t this also a division?
Meanwhile, in Shu, while eradicating treacherous officials like Zhao Wei to uphold Chang’an’s legitimacy, sending Yan Yan and Zhang Ren to the Xu Province front to provide them opportunities for merit would help establish the state capital’s central status and manage relationships with Yizhou’s territories—it’s practically a strategy to win hearts.
All these measures laid out make it seem that, when it comes to power balancing, Qiao Yan’s practical operations across the three provinces have reached a level that no one else can match.
Interestingly, the last point she proposed was even more controversial.
She considered that the southern part of Yizhou, which Liu Yan hadn’t bothered to address, might not have been entirely off-limits.
But making this attempt hinged on appointing someone to an official position—
Yao Chang.
The original Protector-General of the Qiang People, Yao Chang.
“Why can’t we make some adjustments to this Protector-General position?”
Yao Chang never imagined that after accepting an official appointment, she might encounter changes in her position. Yet, when Qiao Yan brought it up, she felt there could be some practicality to it.
Qiao Yan said, “The Qiang people are similar to the Southern Barbarians; within one province, there are dozens of ethnic groups. Some may be allied as friends, while others have long been enemies due to rivers and mountains. Just as we can carry out suppression and extermination alongside conquest and alliance, you know my attitude towards Liangzhou, which means you should understand how to handle the Southern Barbarians too.”
Yao Chang responded, “If what you say is true, then the Qiang people in northern Yizhou could also aid me when I go south.”
“Exactly, so this position should change from the original Protector-General of the Qiang to…” Qiao Yan paused, grinned, and said, “Look, since there’s a position for Protector-General of the Northern Xiongnu, why can’t you become a Middle General from a school officer? You’ve certainly accumulated more war achievements than Wang Shuyou. So let’s call it Protector-General of the Qiang and Barbarian Middle General!”
“But will Chang’an approve of this appointment?” Yao Chang couldn’t help but ask.
She wasn’t just a Qiang but a woman too. Even with someone like Qiao Yan being the Grand Marshal, having a female Middle General in the army and a female Yizhou deputy or Grand Historian is a whole different level of difficulty.
However, all she saw was Qiao Yan’s firm gaze. “Well, before they have a chance to recover southern Yizhou, how will they use the Qiang to govern the barbarians? The road I am walking has never been trodden before, so what’s wrong with creating a new kind of authority?”
“Moreover, I will have someone assist you. I intend to have Zhao Ang of the Han family in Han Yang take over as the prefect of Zhangqi County to help you stabilize the Southern Barbarians.”
Qiao Yan looked southward, a hint of hope flashed in her eyes.
Let’s hope Zhao Ang’s wife, Wang Yi, can also support Yao Chang.
As long as there’s a possibility to open a breakthrough in southern Yizhou, Fa Zheng, who was selected through the Hongwen Hall exams, would also be sent as an assistant.
Although Yao Chang didn’t know Qiao Yan’s deep schemes, she firmly replied, “If that’s the case, I will certainly do my utmost to achieve this for you!”
While everything was smooth sailing in Chengdu, things weren’t looking quite as pleasant back in Chang’an.
Wang Yun walked out of the Purple Hall with concerns, reflecting on the situation in Yizhou.
In Yizhou, seeing the eastern parts of the Central Command, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Yizhou encircle the Chang’an court securely, he couldn’t help but feel even heavier burdens pressing down on him.
At this point, if Qiao Yan wished to silence the words of the Chang’an court and have her governance represent Liu Yu’s commands proclaimed to the world, it wouldn’t be a hard task at all.
Did she truly… have no other thoughts?
Just as he pondered this, he suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind, interrupting his thoughts.
To keep his worries from being seen, Wang Yun quickly composed himself and turned to see Qi Zhou from the Grand Master of Ceremonies approaching him briskly.
Wang Yun couldn’t help but feel curious.
This person had generally had little interaction with him; why would he suddenly come looking for him?
As Qi Zhou reached him, he mysteriously pulled him aside and quietly said, “Minister Wang, I’d like to consult you on something; may I ask for your guidance?”
Qi Zhou glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention before continuing, “It’s about my trip to Yizhou many years ago—”
“I suspect there’s something hidden behind that incident.”
