Chapter 322

Forget about whether there were enough students and teachers, the way to nurture talent should be done early, not late. They’re already behind the curve.

“Why’s even the venerable Kongtai getting involved in this nonsense?” Cao Hong couldn’t help but mumble.

Cao Chun patted him from behind, urging him to keep quiet.

This young man had already caught on to Cao Cao and Chen Gong’s intentions.

It’s not the right time to discuss how scary Qiao Yan’s advances could be or what benefits it brings her, nor how big of a threat it is to Yanzhou or Yuzhou. They just want most people not to spread panic like it’s a viral trend.

Bringing up Cao Pi, who’s still at Leping Academy, turned the current tension into a matter of teasing, which is just how Cao Cao operates. It’s ironic that someone like Cao Hong doesn’t catch on and keeps undermining it.

Is Cao Cao worried about the current situation? Of course he is.

He initially thought taking Runan and Chen County, then dividing territories with Qiao Yan, would buy him some buffer time, maintaining leverage whether he has to switch sides later or not.

But those easy victories in those two states might not actually alter the situation as he hoped.

Anxiety is one thing, losing one’s cool is another.

While pondering Qiao Yan’s performance, it’s likely that in Chang’an, there will be escalating conflicts with her. It’s a chance to peek into her ambitions, so he turned to Cao Hong and said, “If Pi can really be like Lü Bu’s daughter, leading charges like a true warrior, and encircle Gongsun Zan, then if he becomes an enemy, that’s fine by me.”

Unfortunately, achieving that wish might be a bit challenging.

After all, Cao Pi and Lu Ji are under the tutelage of Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan at Leping Academy, and they’re likely to produce a great writer or maybe an astronomer.

Cao Cao wasn’t aware of the preparations Qiao Yan was making and said, “If you’re truly bored, why not accompany Zixiu to Bingzhou tomorrow?”

“Why are we going to Bingzhou?” Cao Hong asked.

“What was the drought like this year?” Cao Cao countered.

“Guanghe… Six years ago, right?” Cao Hong cautiously replied.

Cao Cao nodded, “You know what the situation was in Guanghe six years ago, but do you remember what that winter was like?”

The winter of Guanghe year six was probably one of the coldest in decades.

The ice in places like Beihai and Donglai was several feet thick.

After a summer of drought and a not-so-bountiful autumn harvest, the people were blindsided by another meteorological blow.

Back then, they had no cotton to keep warm, and Qiao Yan’s mulberry bark clothes hadn’t been invented yet. Those who couldn’t exchange their harvest for enough silver had no spare cash to buy warm clothing, and many perished from the cold.

Cao Cao dared to swoop in and take over most of Yuzhou before Yuan Shu could mess up during the drought, not just so they wouldn’t freeze to death in the winter or spark civil unrest again.

He explained, “After several years, Qiao Yashu’s cotton planting in Bingzhou must have greatly increased its yield. Just from internal consumption, and with Youzhou needing cotton, there should definitely be a surplus. You can strike a deal with Zixiu; it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“We’re not looking to profit from this, just treat it as a normal transaction.”

Cao Hong was puzzled and asked, “But why go to Bingzhou for this transaction? Qiao Yashu isn’t even there!”

She just completed her lightning-fast offensive in Yizhou and is still busy wrapping things up in Chang’an. If she has any actions planned, she’d likely head to Luoyang first.

After all, she’d been around there before the Yizhou battle, and Xun Yu and others were helping her manage the surrounding migrants and reestablish order in the eastern region of Sili.

Chen Gong interjected, “If the lord just sends someone to Chang’an, how would others interpret that? They’ll say he’s intimidated by Qiao Yashu’s military accomplishments, sending his eldest son with his best troops to Chang’an to pay homage. That would only harm us and benefit no one.”

Cao Hong nodded, somewhat understanding, but he couldn’t shake the thought that going straight to Bingzhou wouldn’t completely avoid speculation—it probably wouldn’t.

Anyhow, in his mind, such an action seemed a bit too conspicuous.

But Cao Cao and Chen Gong didn’t plan to explain it further.

This transaction definitely needed to be reported to Yuan Shao, and a part of it would also be sent to Ye City after the deal.

Who knew that with the positions of Jizhou and Qingzhou being further north than Yanzhou and Yuzhou, there would be a greater demand for those cotton clothes.

But if Yuan Shao, who just lost Gongsun Zan as his northern defender, would agree to the deal with Qiao Yan, he surely wouldn’t be too keen on it.

That’s a face-saving issue he couldn’t resolve.

Having Cao Cao as a middleman to secure the trading deal between Yanzhou and Bingzhou was clearly the best way to go.

Also, that conveniently provided Qiao Yan with a legitimate excuse to temporarily step back from the political scene in Chang’an and take a trip to Bingzhou.

She’d definitely accept this opportunity.

After sending Cao Ang and Cao Hong off, Cao Cao’s conversation with Commander Chen Gong shifted from the earlier carefree tone to show a bit more concern on his face. “What do you think, Kongtai? Will Qiao Yashu launch any attacks this year?”

“Probably not any offensive ones,” Chen Gong replied, clearly understanding Cao Cao’s worries.

“With Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Guanzhong stabilized from the efforts of the last two years, Qiao Yan has good footing to stretch her reach into the eastern Sili region. During the natural disasters, she got a chance to absorb a lot of population resources, but at the same time, it’s a heavy burden.”

“Before those people can secure a year’s harvest by cultivating the land around Luoyang, they’ll need to rely on the supplies from these three regions accumulated over the past two years. Meanwhile, this excess also needs to stabilize the grain prices in these regions and supply the military actions in Yizhou and Yingchuan.”

Cao Cao calculated, “That’s pretty much at a breaking point.”

It’s already articulated in Leping Monthly Report about how much grain can be stored in Qiao Yan’s territory, so a rough estimate is possible.

Given that Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Yangzhou have provided limited supplies in recent years, even though she distinguished herself during this year’s drought and locust disasters, the inevitable yield reduction due to weather isn’t something she can fully counter with manpower alone.

The expenditure to stabilize the grain prices across the three areas is definitely necessary.

It’s certainly a balancing act financially.

“What about the yields from this heaven-blessed land of Yizhou?”

Chen Gong shook his head. “In the past, the Prefect of Yizhou, Xie Jian, extorted heavily there, and most of the wealth he amassed was for his own indulgence. So, to assess Yizhou’s grain reserves, we should start counting from when Liu Junlang took over as Yizhou’s governor.”

“Years of internal opposition in Yizhou have led to a lot of military expenses, making grain hard to accumulate. I’ve also heard that Liu Junlang exhibited some royal family quirks early on in Luoyang, and it likely worsened once he got to Yizhou. By the looks of it, after using up reserves for Xuzhou and Youzhou, they’ll only have enough left for disaster preparedness.”

“Given Qiao Yashu’s long-term preparations for the drought, you can bet she’s not going to abandon her plan to have a stash for emergencies available for any situation, hence the order of attacks being Yizhou then Youzhou.”

Cao Cao clapped and chuckled: “Kongtai is spot on, so she won’t… or at least won’t make any major moves this year.”

However… just like Chen Gong said, this could only mean she won’t “actively” move her troops. As the current state of affairs seems to be a stalemate with regions claiming independence, in reality, it can all change with a single move.

Qiao Yan’s foresight cannot be underestimated. Just look at her daring choice to set sail for Liaodong from Xuzhou. It’s hard to guarantee she’ll just sit tight when it seems like everything has calmed.

Even Cao Cao, who’s known her for a decade, finds it challenging to guess where Qiao Yan will choose to make her next move.

So, he joked, “I’m more at ease with your insights, Kongtai. Must say, the necessity of mastering calculations is becoming ever clearer.”

One must keep a close eye on the balance of income and expenses to deal with rivals.

“`

“In the midst of the skirmish, everything seems clear in my heart.”

“So you say, even if we can’t set up an academy like the Dong Commandery in Yanzhou, wouldn’t it be feasible to establish a crash course on calculations?”

Chen Gong chuckled, “If you think during the upcoming cotton trade, there might be traps like Yuan Benchu borrowing grain, then sure, go for the math class!”

“But I say, let’s get people working hard on canals and wells first.”

It wasn’t that hard to figure out what the priority should be.

Only after resolving the issue of basic sustenance could they start thinking about more elaborate matters.

As it stood, under Cao Cao’s swift response to the disaster and supported by Zao Zhi’s agricultural policies, they were just scraping by without massive outflows of people. But that was only the case for this year.

What if… next year’s disasters hit harder?

They needed to consider if their territory had any underground reservoirs or something.

The underground reservoirs before the Qinling Mountains in Guanzhong didn’t seem to exist just to boost the people’s confidence.

Cao Cao couldn’t help but sigh at this thought.

In this unstable Han Dynasty situation, they were up against an environment that didn’t seem inclined to lend a helping hand, and where things would lead before next year was something even he couldn’t foresee.

He could only focus on the task at hand.

As the Governor of Yanzhou, with extra control over Chenjun and Runan, he had to keep it together!

“Cotton trade?” Qiao Yan was somewhat taken aback by Cao Cao’s reaction to the news from Bingzhou.

But recalling the other party’s poetic sentiments—“Singing a tune while drinking, what is life?”—she thought it wasn’t surprising at all that such a transaction would come from him.

Her eyes flickered as she remembered the ripple her recent actions had created in Chang’an, promptly deciding to visit Bingzhou.

Other prefectures, even those that weren’t loyal to the Chang’an court, were proposing such deals now. If she didn’t go check it out in person, how could she properly assess whether Yanzhou and Yu Province had potentially fallen into their grasp?

According to her and Liu Yu, Cao Mengde’s intention to engage in this trade was indeed justifiable on the surface.

But knowing whether something is justifiable and whether one should act on it at this juncture are two separate matters.

If she showed enough importance toward Cao Cao’s envoy, with Yuan Shao’s petty mindset, it’d be odd if no tensions surfaced toward Yanzhou.

While they might not show such tensions right after the upheaval in Youzhou, for fear of losing even their southern ally, it would certainly come into play sooner or later.

Liu Yu found it a bit odd, yet he agreed to her decision to return to Bingzhou.

It was already August, near the harvest season.

The busiest time for various regions, the impacts of territories changing hands in Yizhou and Youzhou were temporarily overshadowed by the more immediate survival issues.

In Guanzhong, internal processes had become established over the past two years, with the only change being the grain harvest not as bountiful as last year. Overall, things could still carry on without Qiao Yan.

The convoy moved north, and as they passed through the northern outskirts of Chang’an, Qiao Yan lifted the curtain to glance outside, spotting farmers carrying hoes, sickles, and baskets heading toward their fields.

For years, during locust plagues, the people in the Sanfu region had been immobilized by their worship of the Locust God. But this year, even with reduced yields, they were managing to get by.

When Qiao Yan looked at the farmers, their faces still lit up with the joy of harvest.

Noticing her convoy, the farmers paused and bowed to the procession. Just as she was about to lower the curtain and stop looking, they suddenly bowed again, seemingly conveying silent gratitude to her.

Her movements faltered slightly, and she heard Li Ru, who was traveling with her, say, “I didn’t expect the Lady to be such a sentimental person.”

She chuckled. “If we don’t let our feelings get in the way, we lose a key guideline for balancing ourselves. As long as personal emotions don’t overshadow our judgment of the situation, it’s not a problem.”

How could she possibly be indifferent to these people?

Back during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, perhaps she viewed them merely as tools for gaining fame. But when she arrived at the land of Leping, hearing complaints about the inedibility of mulberry bark clothing, and witnessing people rushing to welcome her after she ordered the execution of the prefect to quell the locust crisis, she realized she was tied to this era.

Now, she was even more tightly connected to the land of these territories.

“It seems like your words regarding not allowing emotions to cloud your judgment has a deeper meaning,” Li Ru said slowly as he picked up the teacup from the table.

Qiao Yan responded, “There’s no need to be so explicit about it.”

She was obviously referring to Wang Yun.

Since invading Yizhou without notifying the Chang’an court, coupled with her recent demands for titles from her commanders due to the war in Youzhou, even if she had publicly rebuked Wang Yun for his ineffective contributions, it hadn’t changed his underhanded attitude.

If he claimed to act for the Han people and didn’t want a power-hungry minister stepping out of line—leading to further chaos like Dong Zhuo—well, that was questionable!

He was simply clinging tightly to his title of a loyal minister of the Han and the respect belonging to the literati class, not wanting to become a useless figure amidst Qiao Yan’s unfolding actions.

Perhaps even if she revealed her strategy for attacking Yizhou to everyone, he could still find a way to exploit it.

After all, his ideals differed from Xun Yu’s.

But who said Wang Yun’s behavior was necessarily bad?

At the very least, his actions might make Liu Yang, who already held animosity toward her, feel like he found a kindred spirit. Similarly, officials who shared dissatisfaction toward the Grand Marshal could see Wang Yun as their leader.

That was perfect; she wouldn’t need to fish for allies with bait!

With Li Ru deliberately pulling in Qi Zhou, and then Qi Zhou seeking Wang Yun’s counsel, followed by Wang Yun stepping in as the figurehead, that was an utterly relieving arrangement for Qiao Yan.

Meanwhile, leaving Chang’an and heading to Bingzhou for the cotton trade discussions provided a safe space for them to communicate.

She was curious to see what they could come up with, given that they had little military power and were surrounded by her territory.

It couldn’t possibly be as disastrous as Liu Zhang’s failed coup, right?

Wang Yun wasn’t as foolish as Zhao Wei.

This uncertainty put a smile on Qiao Yan’s face.

She turned to Li Ru and remarked, “Speaking of which, after working with Mr. Wenhe for so long, his performance skills have certainly improved.”

When he reappeared before Qi Zhou, his change was amusingly noted by Qiao Yan.

But Li Ru wasn’t too keen on attributing that credit to Jia Xu.

He had ended up in Chang’an partly due to Jia Xu dragging him into it; otherwise, he could have been enjoying retirement, thanks to his student’s performance.

Now, he had to slog through two years of paperwork in Chang’an!

Because Qiao Yan wanted to signal Wang Yun that Li Ru’s identity might become exposed, he had temporarily been granted permission to return to Bingzhou.

He replied, “I’d merely call it authentic performance; it can’t compare to Jia Wenhe’s finesse.”

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

She watched the rivalry among these strategists without interference, as it was essential for these somewhat passive fellows to show their usefulness.

To earn the same cozy treatment as Jia Xu, Li Ru truly wasn’t slacking off over these two years.

Qiao Yan felt no guilt about this healthy competition.

Anyway, compared to them working hard for their benefits, the truly unfortunate one was undoubtedly the guy still kept in the dark.

Behind their carriage, there was a separate one carrying Tian Feng, who was heading to Youzhou to deliver the Emperor’s decree.

He had been striving to balance his newly received title, ultimately leading to this commission to announce the orders in Youzhou.

Unfortunately, he was unaware that this might not be an opportunity for him to report back to Jizhou, but rather the moment when he would officially split from Yuan Shao’s camp.

Long before the convoy set off, Qiao Yan had already sent a letter to Zhang Liao.

She had enough faith in this capable general, so Zhang Liao should know—

When the time was right, how to reshape Tian Feng’s perception!

Three years of undercover promotions were finally coming to a close.