“Can’t a strategist ascend the throne?”
Chapter 327: Reuniting with Old Friends
She didn’t just say it with confidence; she didn’t give anyone a chance to negotiate either.
Cao Ang couldn’t help but ask, “Since Qiao Bingzhou wants to sell cotton for silver, why add books to the deal? Ignoring the added costs of printing and shipping, how many can truly grasp the underlying meaning?”
“You’re mistaken,” Qiao Yan raised her hand to stop Cao Ang’s retort about the trading chips. “Out of respect for the friendship between your father and me, I will explain it all to you.”
She was sure to mention her connection with Cao Cao, but to Cao Ang, this Grand Marshal of Leping was merely using it as a pretext.
When it comes to genuine confrontations between their two factions, what’s friendship got to do with it?
That’s the bottom line.
“Guanzhong doesn’t lack silver; after conquering Yizhou, it’s only going to increase. I wonder if you know that the copper mines in Liang and Yizhou are hardly inferior to the wealth found in Yang and Xuzhou’s Huai region. The idea that I intentionally want to sell cotton for silver is utterly ludicrous.”
Qiao Yan’s expression didn’t change as she delivered brutal truths to Cao Ang. “Even the five-coin minted quality shows that when Bingzhou dispatched officials into Xianling, the scale of coinage didn’t reduce. Natural disasters and wars hardly affected prices in those regions. If I wanted to manipulate currency and get a share from your Yanzhou, it would be as easy as pie. So, why would I need your state’s currency?”
“And let’s talk about the costs of producing and shipping books.”
“Since woodblock printing has emerged in Chang’an and the paper industry is thriving, the only real costs affecting book prices are proofreading and adding illustrations. If it weren’t for my intention to mutually benefit with noble families, I could flood the markets with books at any time; let’s not even mention costs!”
“Moreover, with this year’s drought and locust plague, the court has gathered refugees in Hongnong County and Henan, with supplies frequently sent from Chang’an to Luoyang. The shipping costs are countless, but if it benefits the people, what’s the harm in such consumption? The business of selling cotton and books is the same; transportation costs have never been on my agenda.”
“As for understanding the true essence in the books… Zi Xiu, you might be a bit too arrogant.”
This barrage of words left Cao Ang momentarily at a loss for a response.
His experience in handling affairs wasn’t negligible; during the chaos of Dong Zhuo, or rather, when Emperor Ling aimed to select the Eight Masters of Xiyuan, Cao Ang had already been moving alongside Cao Cao.
But even when Cao Cao made decisions, he had never faced such a fierce line of questioning before.
Before he could speak, he saw Qiao Yan absentmindedly flick her fingers. “Actually, if you all don’t want to agree to the trading chips, that’s fine. With Youzhou settling, the northern regions are still tough, and the cotton supply is tight. Whether you want to benefit me or let me win over northern hearts is your decision.”
“Wait, I misspoke,” her gaze shifted back to Cao Ang’s face. “Since Gongsun Sheng has settled as the Prefect of Liaodong, the Fuyu and Goguryeo to the east of Youzhou are also inclined to submit. Right now, we need to gather troops in Youzhou and restore agricultural order. If this batch of cotton can win their hearts, next year could present a chance to march south to Ji Province and take down the false court. Why the need to show kindness in Yanzhou and Yuzhou?”
“Zi Xiu, it seems this winter won’t be too harsh. Spending less might actually be a good thing for someone like Brother Mengde, whose plates are already filled.”
Cao Hong was completely stunned by Qiao Yan’s sharp-tongued barbs and targeted strikes.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Cao Cao sent him to accompany Cao Ang just to learn how high the verbal swordsmanship of a true warrior could reach.
Now faced with the conditions Qiao Yan laid out, they seemed boxed in.
If this was just a regular exchange of goods, there could be some haggling, but with this half-sale, half-gift approach, bargaining was off the table.
And if they didn’t want to accept the deal, it was clear from her words that she could just walk away without making this trade.
Should they choose to leave, the exit was right there, and she could use those resources to woo foreign lands.
Such a scenario might have been beyond Cao Cao’s expectations when he sent them here.
The mineral wealth of both regions didn’t hold a candle to her focus on book promotion and winning the people’s hearts!
It seemed like a mere expense, but its actual impact could lead to unbearable losses during critical times.
Cao Ang opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words, only to hear Qiao Yan add, “Zi Xiu, I don’t think you have the authority to make this decision. After all, winter is still a while away. Why not wait until you return to Yanzhou and ask Brother Mengde how he feels about it? What do you think?”
But… could it be done this way?
Cao Ang initially thought Qiao Yan came all the way back to Bingzhou just to finalize this complex trade between distinct factions, using a tour to raise alarms among them was her ultimate plan for staying longer.
She had broken their defenses with sharp words to speed up the arrangement.
After all, delaying this matter until she headed to Silicon Valley wasn’t wise, as it might change the context. Given Yanzhou’s proximity to Silicon Valley, it might suggest a potential collaboration, which wouldn’t bode well for either Qiao Yan or Cao Cao.
But based on what she said, it seemed like she wasn’t in too much of a hurry?
In his confusion, Cao Ang heard Qiao Yan casual as she turned the conversation to him, asking, “Zi Xiu, have you seen your younger brother? What did he think of Leping Academy?”
“So what did my elder brother reply?” Cao Pi looked at Cao Ang’s expression, suspecting he’d said something wrong, curiously inquiring.
Maybe it was his imagination, but he felt Cao Ang’s response was a bit off.
“I instinctively replied that Father’s hopes of battling it out on the battlefield with you might not come to fruition.”
Cao Pi: “…?”
He stared at his elder brother for a long while before raising his chin to him and saying, “I think, Brother, you might be more suited to be Master Bojie’s disciple than I am.”
Clearly, Qiao Yan’s earlier discourse had Cao Ang so tense that when the topic shifted to casual family chit-chat, he gave a response that lacked emotional intelligence.
But then Cao Pi thought about it: Cao Ang, as Cao Cao’s eldest son, showed this kind of demeanor while representing Yanzhou in Bingzhou. Was he lowering the perceived threat of Yanzhou and Yuzhou in Qiao Yan’s eyes?
Yet when Cao Pi turned to look at Cao Ang’s face, he couldn’t help but see his older brother as admirable without needing to make excuses for him.
He then asked, “What else did Qiao Bingzhou say to you?”
“She mentioned that it’s clear Father misses his son, therefore she could take you back to Yanzhou for a while. When we receive Father’s response regarding this deal, I can bring you back.”
Seeing Cao Pi’s brow furrowed, Cao Ang replied, “However, I didn’t agree to this, only saying you should focus on your studies here. It’s clear you’re doing well, and Father is reassured.”
Cao Pi breathed a sigh of relief.
This elder brother might be a bit one-track minded, but under Father’s influence, he wouldn’t turn into a clueless fool.
If he returned to Yanzhou before finalizing the deal, it would mean Qiao Yan had played Cao Cao well, making it clear she wasn’t treating them as hostages while showing she could achieve gains without taking people for ransom. Besides, the court in Ye City would surely ask about his whereabouts, causing countless troubles; it was better to maintain the status quo.
Yet watching his brother leave, this bright boy couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh.
Compared to those young people sent to trial in Xuzhou and Youzhou from Leping Academy, his elder brother, having served in the military for years, seemed even greener.
But what did that matter to him, still learning under Cai Yong?
Perhaps by the time he grew up enough to take on tasks, Father’s stance would have shifted entirely.
Let’s talk about it then.
As Cao Pi left with a relaxed demeanor and bid farewell to her, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but chuckle after he walked away.
“For a moment, I couldn’t tell which one was the real elder brother.”
“But fortunately, the one with sharp wits is still in your hands,” Xi Zhicai responded.
As Qiao Yan shone in the past decade, while paying attention to the current regional situation, they couldn’t help but focus on the young people.
Some interesting characters showed up among them.
But in reality, by age, Qiao Yan could still be counted as part of the younger generation.
Twenty years old!
This age, with greater potential than her competitors, combined with her determination, gave her subordinates a strong sense of security.
“Enough about them,” Xi Zhicai pondered. Regardless of how sharp Cao Pi might be, he couldn’t utilize it under absolute superiority. It’s better to think of something else, like: “When do you think Wen Yuan will expose Tian Yuanhao’s identity?”
“Given Wen Yuan’s character, it won’t take long,” Qiao Yan replied thoughtfully.
She handed this task to Zhang Liao, confident in his decisiveness and charm that could win people’s hearts.
With these two traits, plus a sudden revelation about identity, if executed properly, it would surely leave Tian Feng hesitant.
In this regard, Qiao Yan’s judgment did not falter.
Tian Feng woke up in the middle of the night, staring at the roof above for quite a while.
In the recent dream, Zhang Liao’s words “Mr. Tian Yuanhao, the Lord has asked me to show you the borders of You and Ji” appeared once more.
But what was crazier was revisiting the moment Qiao Yan promoted him following the Hongwen Hall debate, where she distinctly said, “Tian Feng, you’re a rarity…”
“Why bother staying by Yuan Benchu’s side?”
He quickly shook his head.
No, no, who lets spies roam around their territory snooping on secrets like that?
It shouldn’t be this early, right?
Could it be because he was too eager about this trip to Youzhou that got him into trouble?
Or maybe… during that whole well-digging business, Qiao Yan rewarded him with a fancy fan for his “hometown,” and something must have raised suspicions during the process?
Tian Feng couldn’t wrap his head around it for the moment.
But what puzzled him even more was—
Why, even after his identity was exposed, did Zhang Liao still have the guts to send him off, treating him like an honored guest from the capital once he chose to stay?
This sleepless confusion, accompanied by the faint sounds of military drills outside, completely chased away what little sleep Tian Feng had left.
He didn’t know if Zhang Liao had some weird tendency for generosity, but he was about to lose his mind in this strange atmosphere!
What really made him feel mixed emotions was that as he put on his clothes and headed towards the stable, he wasn’t stopped at all.
Using the dim candlelight near the stable, Tian Feng carefully checked the horse they had given him for transportation.
It was indeed a good horse, with no issues with its hooves, at least it wouldn’t throw him off halfway there.
After confirming there were no tricks involved, he felt a moment of guilt for doubting Zhang Liao’s sincerity at all.
This left him even more clueless about how to deal with the current situation.
Just as he was pondering, he suddenly noticed a flicker of light off in the distance. Unable to sleep, he walked over and found a young man crouching in the grass near the stable, heading towards the camp gate.
As Tian Feng approached, he found that the little flame was carefully covered by a circle of wood, likely to prevent the light from escaping, though the delicious smell was hard to mask.
The young man poked at the fire with a stick and pulled out some cut pieces of yam.
While they were still warm, he rolled them around in his hands before hastily peeling them.
He was so skilled at it that it didn’t look like his first time doing this.
When he heard footsteps behind him, he quickly handed Tian Feng a piece of yam, clearly trying to bribe him to keep quiet.
This was Tian Feng’s first experience like this, so he chose to set aside his earlier concerns and asked, “Where did you get this?”
The young man glanced at him, noticing he wasn’t in soldier armor, and replied, “From the group sent down to announce orders from the capital. The lord wanted to toughen up the Xianbei tribes, so they brought back a bunch of yam tubers for General Lv to supervise the demobilized soldiers in farming the land. Some of it was subpar, so it became our meals. A few were given to me when I helped carry the boxes.”
He held up the yam in his hand and said, “Try it! This variety was cultivated in Leping for seven or eight years, it tastes great.”
Tian Feng didn’t know whether to refuse or accept, so he copied the young man’s actions and sat down cross-legged, peeling the hot yam in his hands while quietly asking, “If you’re supposed to be on watch, why are you slacking off here?”
The young man shook his head. “I told you, you’re not well-informed. This door isn’t used much by the soldiers. If someone did try to sneak out, they’d be dealt with on the spot. There are plenty of guards outside, so I can afford to space out for a moment.”
“I heard this was to prevent spies from Yuan Shao’s side from mixing in during our recruitment in Zhuo County, so they specially left this door that no one uses.”
Upon realizing Tian Feng’s expression, he asked, “Hey, what’s with that face?”
Tian Feng cradled the yam and after a long silence replied, “I think this tastes a bit bitter…”
The young man, unaware of the internal turmoil Tian Feng faced at that moment, snatched the piece of yam from his hands. “Bitter? How could it be bitter? I bet you’re just a picky eater who can’t handle rough food. Fine, I’ll handle it myself.”
“By the way, you should walk a little further around to avoid being mistaken for a spy.”
Avoid being mistaken for a spy—those words echoed in Tian Feng’s head even after he returned to his quarters, hitting him like a ton of bricks.
So, if he left on horseback tonight, would he really be killed by the guards outside, even if he’d missed the guy cooking yam?
What did that mean for him going back to Ji Province?
The next day, when he looked at Zhang Liao with still-drowsy eyes, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are all of the Grand Marshal’s subordinates this cunning?”
Zhang Liao, fully aware of what had transpired the night before, seemed completely unfazed, calmly responding, “Yet, in truth, Lord Yuan has already made his decision. My preparations won’t be of much use, they’re merely to guard against real spies.”
“……Is that so?”
Tian Feng found himself feeling disoriented, perhaps because he truly hadn’t slept well the night before.
But what left him even more frazzled was Zhang Liao’s next statement, “Don’t worry about these traps that weren’t meant for you. Lord Yuan heard about the strategy for dealing with the Xianbei last night, and I’d like to ask your opinion on how to handle Fuyu and Goguryeo to ensure Youzhou’s long-term stability?”
Tian Feng’s mouth twitched as he responded, “Is it really appropriate for you to ask me about this?”
Zhang Liao clearly saw nothing inappropriate; he replied, “Ever since Lord Yuan came to Bingzhou, then to Chang’an, and now here to Youzhou, he’s met all kinds of people and couldn’t possibly have conjured up a grand play to trap you.”
“So tell me, was it really the camp gate, which could mean death if crossed, that has you trapped here?”
Tian Feng’s expression was complex.
What blocked him? The gate, or the hidden trap masked by Zhang Liao’s seemingly benevolent offer to let him go?
It was likely neither.
In nearly three years, he’d been inundated with so much about the Chang’an court.
Now, standing at this crossroads, images of the new roads in Chang’an flashed in his mind, memories of drought relief efforts across the Guanzhong plains, of the saucy noodles from a small restaurant there, thoughts of how he had plenty of chances to escape this year, but all those ideas were smudged out by fears he would be caught, and then…
More and more thoughts flooded in.
Even the road he took to Youzhou via Bingzhou gave him a sense of richness worth savoring.
These vivid images flickering before him at midnight made him realize—
He might not be as faithful to Yuan Shao as he believed, and this visit to Youzhou for an imperial seal was more like an encore of his first two years in office, not a hasty dash to Ye City.
Just then, in the heat of his inner conflict, he heard Zhang Liao say, “The lord asked me to ask you at the right moment—if she could bring the Tian family’s youths from Julu to Bingzhou, would you seriously consider whose side to pledge your loyalty to?”
Tian Feng rubbed his forehead and asked, “Zhang General, did you really have to say ‘at the right moment’?”
It sounded like he was jumping into a pit without looking back!
But he may ask, it didn’t mean he was going to hesitate.
He had never been someone who liked to keep things up in the air for too long.
Even if Qiao Yan’s prerequisite meant he had more time for consideration, he didn’t intend to continue avoiding it and going back to Chang’an.
His only request was simply to avoid appearing in public as an advisor here, to keep his family in Ji Province safe from Yuan Shao’s retribution because of him.
Though the noble families of Hebei weren’t something Yuan Shao could just kill at will, with the military situation between Youzhou and Jizhou poised to ignite, if Yuan Shao claimed he was making an example to alarm others, no one would bat an eye.
However… being in the military camp, he would inevitably make occasional appearances.
When Xun You, the true strategist here, arrived, he often came and went with Xun You and Sima Yi.
“Don’t get distracted; those are big shots in the barracks, not people like you rookies can rub elbows with!” Xin Pi had just rubbed his eyes and looked toward Tian Feng and the other two leaving, questioning if he was seeing things, until his centurion barked to grab his attention.
To better understand how to stir up troubles in Youzhou, after arriving in Zhuo County, Xin Pi and Qian Zhao introduced him to the military, offering a close-up observation while also letting him peep at the enemy’s movements.
A lot of familiar faces from Jizhou had infiltrated along with him.
Of course, his accent was the hardest to hide; sticking to the recommendation path was the best way.
The reason for the recommendation was straightforward; Qian Zhao broke his leg in the recent recruitment training in Zhuo County, but still wanted to serve under the Grand Marshal, so he painfully recommended his friend first, hoping he could achieve something in there and get him back when he healed.
Learning from Tian Feng’s experience of not returning, Xin Pi decided to act lower-key than him, just wanting to slip under the radar, keeping all his training in the mid-range.
After this ordeal, he, a scholar from Yingchuan, despite once having battlefield experience under Yuan Shao, still felt a huge sacrifice!
But what he never expected was to run into someone who shouldn’t be here at all!
As he cautiously threw another glance that way, he confirmed it was definitely not a trick of his eyes.
The guy had shaved his beard, but that didn’t stop anyone from recognizing him—
It was Tian Feng!
