Chapter 320

Chapter 320

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 10: The World in Chaos, The Time of Hunting Chapter 320: Astonishing Results

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Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 320: Astonishing Results…

You… Youzhou is settled?

Wang Yun almost bit his tongue because of this sudden news.

Under the impact of this news, he almost forgot what he originally wanted to say to Qiao Yan.

Whether it was about Qiao Yan’s actions in Yizhou being against regulations, her military strategy being too risky, or how her plan’s failure would plunge the Chang’an court into chaos, or that she should spread the Son of Heaven’s name to the remote areas of Yizhou, not just let the conquered lands remember only her, Qiao Yeshu.

The moment the news that “Gongsun Zan and Tadun were executed, not only Liaodong but even Youzhou has returned to our hands” came out, Wang Yun was left with only one thought—

Was he… was he hallucinating?

But he quickly realized he wasn’t hallucinating.

Because when he looked around, his colleagues were equally stunned and confused, all in a dream-like state.

Even Liu Yu at the top wasn’t much better.

No matter how composed they were, the news of Gongsun Zan’s death shattered their calm.

Youzhou, that’s the farthest-reaching Youzhou!

If in Qiao Yan’s previous statement, she had people rely on maritime methods to reach Liaodong from Xuzhou’s Hailing, persuading Gongsun Du to surrender, which was already shocking, and it was even hard to tell if her proposal to establish a Hailing garrison during the Xuzhou incident was for this moment, the latter part was even more unimaginable.

At the beginning of this year, Chunyu Jia had sarcastically commented on Qiao Yan’s preparations for natural disasters, implying she hadn’t sent troops in the previous two years.

But by mid-year, the drought in the Guanzhong region forced everyone to focus on it, and Qiao Yan’s preparations not only protected the people but also accommodated refugees in the eastern part of Sili—

Whether it was to avoid another tongue-lashing from Ni Heng, Chunyu Jia had temporarily backed down.

With these controversial voices suppressed, even if she focused on internal affairs rather than external expansion this year, no one would criticize her.

But she didn’t.

After Yuan Shu’s death led to the fall of Yuzhou, she preemptively launched an attack on Yuzhou, seizing the bridge from Sili to Yuzhou, which was Yingchuan.

Liu Yan’s son Liu Zhang and the Yizhou native Zhao Wei attempted to seize the position of Yizhou’s governor, even seeking independence from the court, but she completed a surprise attack on Chengdu via the Yinping Road in Guanghan, thus controlling Yizhou.

If these two military actions only showed her crisis response, using offense as defense to achieve her goals, and even appropriately gaining enough benefits and territory.

Then this latter event…

There was no cross-border attack or heir battle within Youzhou; it was clearly a planned plunder by Qiao Yan!

How difficult was it to take Youzhou in one fell swoop?

Liu Yu, the Son of Heaven, who had been the governor of Youzhou and was expelled by Gongsun Zan, knew this better than anyone.

The surrender of Liaodong’s Gongsun Du, mentioned casually by Qiao Yan, seemed almost impossible to Liu Yu.

Liaodong, even more remote than Bingzhou, where Gongsun Du might seek independence as his power grew, seemed entirely plausible to Liu Yu.

Even if ships reached Liaodong, as long as the numbers didn’t match Liaodong’s populace, he could easily sink them.

Not to mention persuading Gongsun Du to join forces and defeat Tadun of the Wuhuan!

And Zhang Liao at Juyong Pass and Lü Bu, who had been tending horses and transporting salt, if not for Qiao Yan mentioning them again, everyone would have almost forgotten they participated in her expedition beyond the frontier.

How could they forget their past glory?

They were fierce generals, like tigers unleashed upon deployment!

Yet, hearing that even Gongsun Zan had fallen to them, Liu Yu felt a bit dazed.

It had been almost three years.

Almost three years since his eldest son Liu He died in the chaos of battle against Gongsun Zan.

Perhaps because in the Binhai Road battle, if not for Zhang Liao’s rescue, he would have perished, this near-death experience haunted his dreams, making Gongsun Zan seem increasingly formidable.

Now, suddenly hearing of his death, Liu Yu’s first reaction wasn’t relief but a sense of confusion.

Gongsun Zan wasn’t a mediocrity, yet in Qiao Yan’s brief report, he seemed like one.

Then what about him? What should he, who once lost to Gongsun Zan, be considered?

Qiao Yan, who declared “Congratulations, Your Majesty, Youzhou is settled” with conviction, seemed oblivious to his sense of defeat. She looked around and said, “Why such expressions? Gongsun Zan in Youzhou only knew to exploit the people to feed his troops, engaging in reckless militarism. For years, he held the title of Youzhou’s governor but never truly governed, merely a local army at best.”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s past benevolence in Youzhou, Wen Yuan, under the banner of the Chang’an court, broke through from Juyong Pass. Few cities held out for Gongsun Zan; many opened their gates to welcome the royal army. Achieving total victory wasn’t difficult.”

It sounded so simple.

But if Gongsun Zan couldn’t even hold the border, how could he lead his White Horse Cavalry?

There might be truth in Qiao Yan’s words.

For instance, her claim that Gongsun Zan only used Youzhou’s resources to feed his troops, disregarding the people’s welfare, was likely true.

After all, Liu Yu’s past conflict with Gongsun Zan in Youzhou stemmed from this.

But the claim of cities opening their gates was likely only after Gongsun Zan’s death.

Yet, why bother exposing her wordplay now?

Though Youzhou and Yizhou are remote, Qiao Yan had no reason to falsify her achievements.

Thus, the Chang’an court, after two years of accumulation, doubled its territory in less than half a year. Who could criticize this capable Grand Marshal?

Even if… her tone today seemed less humble than usual.

She then said to Liu Yu, “With Youzhou settled, only two matters remain.”

“First, the defense of the border between Youzhou and Jizhou. Wen Yuan’s temporary deployment lacks experience in military strategy, and this front involves several commanderies. I propose sending Gongda to assist in Zhuo County, but this requires a military supervisor position.”

Xun You’s position as a staff officer in the Grand Marshal’s office wasn’t enough.

If Qiao Yan personally led the troops, a military advisor would suffice, but with troublemakers like Lü Bu and Gan Ning below, it wouldn’t work.

Liu Yu asked, “What position does Yeshu seek for Gongda?”

“Cavalry Commandant. Yuan Shao’s Ju Shou held this position for years. With Youzhou’s changes and troops at the border, Jizhou is likely to send him. We can’t let Gongda be at a disadvantage.”

“Additionally—” Qiao Yan paused, then added, “Those who contributed to quelling Yizhou’s rebellion have been rewarded. The same applies to Youzhou’s campaign. I request Your Majesty to reward the generals.”

Liu Yu saw no issue with rewarding merits, and even Wang Yun felt that as long as Qiao Yan wasn’t seeking undue privileges, his suspicions could be temporarily suppressed.

But when Gongsun Zan’s body was delivered to Chang’an, everyone was stunned.

Qiao Yan pointed at Gongsun Zan’s body and said, “Due to the White Horse Cavalry’s resistance during the siege, the besiegers had to use arrows, leaving these wounds. Unfortunately, by the time Gongsun Zan was extracted from the chaos, he was already dead, and we couldn’t determine which arrow killed him.”

Wang Yun and Chunyu Jia immediately became alert.

Qiao Yan continued, “Perhaps Your Majesty should reward all four of them, acknowledging their merit in killing the rebel leader.”

Wang Yun: “…”

Chunyu Jia: “…”

This seems staged!

How can one person have four fatal wounds and expect each attacker to be rewarded as the primary contributor!

If Qiao Yan were to explain, she was entirely factual, not exaggerating Zhang Liao and others’ achievements; the four competing for credit was purely accidental.

But to Wang Yun and others biased against her, she was blatantly manipulating to secure merits for her subordinates!

Indeed!

As Grand Marshal, she couldn’t rise further without breaching her promise to Emperor Ling, but promoting her subordinates was acceptable.

But if some were mere clerks or even commoners, wasn’t this akin to forming a deeply entrenched faction?

Even the Yuan family of Runan, with four generations of high officials, didn’t promote their disciples to this extent…

Wang Yun, after a long silence, finally said, “Grand Marshal, this seems unreasonable.”

Qiao Yan sneered and retorted, “Unreasonable? You, Minister Wang, haven’t seized a single province or commandery, yet you rely on your past reputation to—”








“With the merit of protecting the emperor and his official experience, how did he rise to the position of one of the Three Excellencies?”

“If I let you command troops in Youzhou, I wonder where your skill of losing His Majesty… I mean, the former emperor, will take you!”

“You!” Wang Yun’s face turned red with anger.

Qiao Yan didn’t spare him any face and retorted, “What, isn’t what I said the truth? In these special times, if we can’t give enough rewards to the generals, let’s see if they will wholeheartedly march south for you or go ask Yuan Benchu what treatment they can get if they defect to Ye City.”

“I think Yuan Benchu wouldn’t mind picking up the pieces from us.”

This might not even be called picking up the pieces!

Even the youngest among them have shown the potential to become great generals and top strategists, turning the graduation exam of Leping Academy, once mocked by Liu Yang towards Yuan Yao, into a grand showcase of talent.

If Yuan Shao isn’t blind, he would know how terrifying these opponents could become if they grow.

Not to mention just a few more holes in Gongsun Zan, even if Gongsun Zan were turned into a porcupine, Qiao Yan wouldn’t mind solidifying their merits through such means.

“If there’s no reward for merit, who would continue to risk their lives? Not everyone can sit high in the Hall of Enlightenment like you, Minister Wang.”

Qiao Yan didn’t even glance at Wang Yun’s expression and directly turned to Liu Yu, “Your Majesty, please make a clear decision on this matter.”

Liu Yu: “…”

Now the problem is thrown in front of him.

What’s more troublesome is that Qiao Yan, while scolding Wang Yun, didn’t provide a standard answer on what positions to seek for her subordinates.

The only suggestion she gave was for Xun You, who is about to go to Zhuo County, to be appointed as a Cavalry Commandant to compete with Ju Shou.

But who should those who truly participated in the conquest of Youzhou be compared to?

This is really a headache-inducing problem.

He first used the excuse of needing careful consideration to stop the argument between Qiao Yan and Wang Yun, then summoned the officials of the Imperial Secretariat to assist him in deliberation.

Unfortunately, Xun Yu, who could have provided some advice, is still in Luoyang, handling civil governance for Qiao Yan, and the position of Imperial Secretariat Director is still vacant, leaving him with few people to consult.

He didn’t notice that among those consulted by Liu Yu as members of the Imperial Secretariat, one person’s expression was already one of existential confusion.

It was Tian Feng, who had been sent by Yuan Shao to spy.

Who could tell him why, in addition to his promotion, he had to face such a dilemma?

Deciding the official positions for those about to attack his former employer, what kind of situation is this?

If he were to tell people in Ji Province about this, no one would believe such a coincidence.

But it really happened.

When Liu Yu, with eager eyes, threw this question at them, he was determined to get an answer and clearly didn’t give him a chance to avoid it.

But wait!

Tian Feng, who was initially frustrated about being involved in such matters, became even more anxious thinking that the change of power in Youzhou might soon make Ji Province a battlefield. But then he suddenly realized something.

The emperor wants to reward the heroes of the Youzhou campaign. Since the official appointments are made by the Imperial Secretariat, it often requires inner court officials to announce the edicts and reward the troops.

For Emperor Ling, who was close to eunuchs, this position was often given to the Yellow Gate and Regular Attendants, even becoming an effective means for them to take bribes. But for Liu Yu, this task would either be given to his subordinates from Youzhou or to the members of the Imperial Secretariat assisting in governance.

Zhuo County—just a step away from Ji Province.

If he could go to announce the edict, he would be close to returning!

This is not a chore but the best chance for him to return to Ji Province.

All he needs to do now is come up with a reward plan that satisfies both Liu Yu and Qiao Yan, so that this task of announcing the edict naturally falls into his hands!

The undercurrents in Chang’an cast a shadow over the rapid conquest of two provinces, but at least it’s a victory, much better than the situation in Ye City.

When Yuan Shao saw the messenger rushing in almost tumbling in panic, his frown was so deep it could crush a fly, “What kind of behavior is this!”

Haven’t there been enough shocking news this year?

Yuan Shao felt his mental resilience had been thoroughly trained.

First, the drought predicted by Qiao Yan in Chang’an actually happened, and the accompanying locust plague gave Yuan Shao a headache.

He had to guard against the public resentment caused by these disasters while feeling uneasy about the printing technology appearing in Chang’an.

In such a situation, the news of Tian Feng’s promotion came with Qiao Yan sending a fan-shaped chisel for well-digging to Ji Province, making him ponder her intentions for a long time.

Then the war in Yu Province made him uneasy about Cao Cao’s expanding power, confused about Qiao Yan’s quick response possibly indicating a good information network, and at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel that Yuan Shu’s death might have been the best outcome for him.

And it still didn’t stop!

Ten days ago, news came from Chang’an that Liu Yan, the Governor of Yizhou, had passed away, and Yizhou ended its governor-led state, returning to the supervision of a Prefect, effectively under Chang’an’s control, with Yizhou’s grain being transported by water to Xuzhou, caught in the north-south confrontation.

This news completely wiped out Yuan Shao’s previous advantage in the amount of arable land.

He could only confirm, with his subordinates’ persuasion, that due to the inconvenient transportation between Yizhou and Guanzhong, and not bordering Yuan Shao’s territory, the danger he faced wasn’t as great as imagined.

Even so, Yuan Shao still flipped the table over this.

With such “gems” beforehand, why haven’t his subordinates developed enough resilience?

Such panic, if spread, would make people laugh at his inability to discipline his subordinates!

The messenger felt extremely wronged.

Who wouldn’t panic upon hearing such sudden news?

Yuan Shao once handed over the campaign against Yuan Shu to Liu Bei to strengthen the northern defense against Gongsun Zan’s southward advance.

Back then, it was Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, but now…

“My lord! A disaster has occurred!”

The messenger’s tone was still panicked, “Gongsun Bogui, the Governor of Youzhou, died under the joint attack of Gongsun Du and Zhang Liao, and Youzhou has fallen into the hands of the false court in Chang’an. They have now stationed troops in Zhuo County, and General Gao, who is closest, has already rushed there. The enemy hasn’t crossed the Juma River yet, but if they launch a full-scale attack, General Gao says he might not be able to stop them and requests reinforcements as soon as possible.”

The General Gao mentioned by the messenger isn’t Gao Shun, who is guarding the Taihang Mountain pass against Qu Yi, but Gao Lan, one of the famous generals of Hebei.

Originally sent by Yuan Shao to monitor any unusual movements from Gongsun Zan in the north, he never expected to receive such terrifying news from the war-affected civilians and the subsequent changes in Zhuo County’s garrison.

On the other side of the Juma River, it’s no longer Gongsun Zan’s troops but Lü Bu’s!

They even have a navy prepared at Baiyangdian.

Gao Lan hasn’t heard of the famous Jin Fan Thieves in Yizhou, and Gan Ning’s contributions in the Youzhou campaign haven’t reached his ears yet. He can only infer from the troops prepared there that the enemy commander is no landlubber.

Lü Bu alone is enough to give Gao Lan a hard time, and now there’s an unknown navy commander, how can this be?

Gao Lan sent people to secretly investigate the situation in Youzhou while urgently sending this news to Yuan Shao.

This is not the time for Ji Province to go to war!

Food is insufficient.

Weapons are lacking, with much of the mined iron used for well-digging tools.

Even the terrain is unfavorable.

After Youzhou’s change of power, Bingzhou’s troops no longer need to cross the Taihang Mountains to march into Ji Province; they can directly head south. How terrifying is that!

Yuan Shao’s cup fell to the ground.

Upon hearing the news, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, no different from Gao Lan’s upon learning of it.

Rather than standing up immediately upon hearing the news, perhaps this momentary loss of composure, not knowing whether to stand or sit, better shows his current state of mind.

But now is not the time for him to be stunned!

Yuan Shao immediately regained his thoughts and asked the messenger, “What about Tadun, who allied with Gongsun Bogui?”

He had followed his subordinates’ advice to divide the Wuhuan people, including Tadun, but this was only to prevent them from allying with Gongsun Zan and causing trouble for Yuan Shao, not to directly weaken Tadun.

Why did Gongsun Zan, who once thought of allying with Kebineng of the Xianbei and Tadun of the Wuhuan to attack Liu Yu, forget to ask Tadun for help this time?

The messenger, having left northern Ji Province, hadn’t received any related news and naturally didn’t know.

But another message soon arrived from the north, perhaps because the horses ran faster, and just as Yuan Shao gathered his subordinates, the new messenger appeared before him.

“General Gao asked me to inform you, my lord, that not only the western part of Youzhou is in trouble, Gongsun Du of Liaodong has surrendered to Chang’an, several Wuhuan tribes have been annihilated, and Tadun is also dead! There’s no sign of internal strife there, so they might march into Ji Province at any time.”

“My lord, please send reinforcements to General Gao immediately!”

If we don’t send troops to assist in defense, Ji Province will truly face a catastrophic disaster!