Chapter 327

Chapter 327

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 10: The World in Chaos, the Time of the Deer Hunt Chapter 327: Reunion of Old Friends

She not only spoke these words with righteous confidence but also left no room for anyone to mediate.

Cao Ang couldn’t help but ask, “Since Prefect Qiao of Bingzhou intends to sell cotton to us for silver, why add books as a medium? Setting aside the additional costs of book production and transportation, how many people can truly understand the meaning within?”

“You’re mistaken,” Qiao Yan raised her hand, stopping Cao Ang’s attempt to argue about the terms of the trade. “Considering the friendship between your father and me, I’ll explain it to you step by step.”

She mentioned her relationship with Cao Cao, but to Cao Ang, the current Grand Marquis of Leping, who held the title of Grand Marshal, it seemed more like an excuse.

In the face of a true clash of powers, what friendship is there to speak of?

That’s the reality.

“Guanzhong is not short of silver, especially after conquering Yizhou. I wonder if Zixiu knows that the copper mines in Liang and Yizhou are no less abundant than those in Yangzhou and Xuzhou in the Huai region. To say that I intend to sell cotton for silver is truly baseless.”

Qiao Yan’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly spoke words that were harsh to Cao Ang. “Even considering the quality of the coins minted, Bingzhou has never reduced its coin production since the three officials of Shanglin were brought in. Years of disasters and wars have hardly affected the prices within several provinces. If I wanted to manipulate the currency to compete with Yanzhou, it would be as easy as turning my hand. So, why would I need your province’s currency?”

“As for the costs of book production and transportation.”

“Since the rise of block printing in Chang’an and the flourishing paper industry, the real cost of books lies only in the revision of old texts and the addition of illustrations. If I didn’t intend to mutually benefit with the noble families, I could have books spread across the world at any time. What cost is there to speak of?”

“With the recurrence of drought and locust plagues this year, the court has been gathering refugees in Hongnong and Henan, with supplies repeatedly sent from Chang’an’s government storehouse to Luoyang. The transportation costs are already countless, but if it benefits the people, what does such consumption matter? The same goes for the sale of cotton and books. The so-called transportation costs are never in my consideration.”

“As for whether one can understand the true meaning in the books… Zixiu, you’re still a bit arrogant.”

This series of statements left Cao Ang momentarily at a loss for words.

He had some experience in such matters. Before Dong Zhuo’s rebellion, or rather, when Emperor Ling intended to select the Eight Commanders of the Western Garden, Cao Ang had already been accompanying Cao Cao on his travels.

But with Cao Cao making decisions above him, he had never faced such a storm of questioning as he did now.

Before he could speak, Qiao Yan casually flicked her fingers. “Actually, if you don’t want to agree to the terms of this trade, it’s fine. Youzhou has just been stabilized, and the north is full of hardships. The stock of cotton clothes is already tight. Whether to accept my concession or let me use it to win the hearts of the northern people is up to you.”

“Wait, I left something out,” her gaze shifted from her fingertips back to Cao Ang’s face. “Since Gongsun Shengji took the position of Prefect of Liaodong, Fuyu and Goguryeo to the east of Youzhou have shown signs of submission. The area is vast and sparsely populated. We need to station Youzhou’s cavalry at the border of You and Ji Provinces and restore farming order in Youzhou. If this batch of cotton can win their hearts, by next year, we might have the opportunity to march south to Ji Province and overthrow the false court. Why bother showing benevolence in Yanzhou and Yuzhou?”

“Zixiu, I think this winter might not be so harsh. Reducing some expenses might be a good thing for Brother Mengde, who has spread his influence so widely.”

Cao Hong was stunned by Qiao Yan’s mix of sarcasm and targeted attacks.

He began to suspect that Cao Cao had sent him to accompany Cao Ang to learn just how sharp a true general’s words could be.

The conditions Qiao Yan proposed had effectively blocked their path.

If this were just a regular exchange of goods, there would be room for bargaining. But with this semi-sale, semi-gift approach, there was no room for negotiation.

And if they didn’t want to accept these terms, that was fine too. She had made it clear that she didn’t have to proceed with this trade.

If they wanted to leave, the path was there, and she could use the funds to win over foreign states.

This situation was something even Cao Cao might not have anticipated when he sent them out.

The mineral resources of two provinces were less important to her than the promotion of books and winning the hearts of the people!

What seemed like a not-so-high expenditure could potentially bring unbearable losses at a crucial moment.

Cao Ang opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. Qiao Yan continued, “Zixiu, I think you don’t have the authority to make a decision on this matter. It’s still early before winter. Why don’t you return to Yanzhou and consult Brother Mengde? What do you think?”

But… can it be like this?

Cao Ang had thought that Qiao Yan, to finalize this trade between two provinces with different allegiances, had returned to Bingzhou and used her inspection tours to pressure them, which was the limit of her stay.

Her sharp words had broken their psychological defenses to quickly settle this arrangement.

After all, this matter obviously wouldn’t be delayed until she went to Sili, or it would change the meaning and, due to the proximity of Yanzhou and Sili, suggest a possible alliance between the two sides, which would be of no benefit to either Qiao Yan or Cao Cao.

But according to her words, it seemed she wasn’t in a hurry?

In Cao Ang’s confusion, Qiao Yan changed her tone from the previous aggressive and verbally attacking state to a more casual one, asking him, “Zixiu, you’ve already met your second brother. What do you think of Leping Academy?”

“So, how did big brother respond?” Cao Pi looked suspiciously at Cao Ang’s expression, which seemed to indicate he had said something wrong, and asked curiously.

He couldn’t help but feel that Cao Ang’s response seemed off.

“I… I instinctively replied that father’s hope of facing you on the battlefield might not come true.”

Cao Pi: “…?”

He was silent for a long time before looking up at his elder brother and saying, “I think, big brother, you might be more suited to be Bo Jie’s disciple than I am.”

It seemed that Qiao Yan’s previous roundabout talk had left Cao Ang in a state of mental tension, so when he suddenly heard such a casual topic, he responded in such a way.

The emotional intelligence in this reply was indeed a bit low.

But Cao Pi then thought, as Cao Cao’s eldest son, Cao Ang’s performance in this mission to Bingzhou was somewhat lowering the threat level of Yanzhou and Yuzhou in Qiao Yan’s eyes?

But when Cao Pi looked at Cao Ang’s face again, he couldn’t help but feel that while his elder brother was admirable, there was no need to make excuses for him.

He then asked, “What else did Prefect Qiao say to you?”

“She said she could tell father misses his son, so she could let you return to Yanzhou for a while. Once she receives father’s response to the trade terms, she can send you back.”

Seeing Cao Pi frown, Cao Ang replied, “But I didn’t agree to this. I just said you should focus on your studies here. It seems you’re doing well here, and father and I are relieved.”

Cao Pi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

His elder brother might be a bit single-minded, but under their father’s influence, he wouldn’t become a fool who couldn’t tell what was important.

If he returned to Yanzhou before this trade was settled, it would be seen as Qiao Yan doing Cao Cao a favor, showing that apart from extorting benefits, she didn’t intend to hold anyone hostage. Moreover, the court in Ye City would certainly inquire about his whereabouts, leading to many troubles. It was better to maintain the status quo for now.

But this precocious child couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh as he watched his elder brother’s retreating figure.

Compared to the young men from Leping Academy who had already been sent to Xuzhou and Youzhou for trials, his elder brother, who had been in the military for years, seemed even more inexperienced.

But what did that have to do with him, who was still studying under Cai Yong?

By the time he grew up and could take on responsibilities, his father’s stance might have already undergone some realignment.

He would think about it then.

Watching Cao Pi leave with such a relaxed expression, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh after he was gone.

“For a moment, I couldn’t tell who was the elder brother and who was the younger.”

“But fortunately, the one with more schemes is still in the Marquis’s hands,” Xi Zhicai replied.

In the ten years since Qiao Yan rose to prominence, while focusing on the current situation in the provinces, they also had to pay attention to the younger generation.

There were indeed some interesting characters among them.

But in fact, by age, Qiao Yan could still be considered part of the younger generation.

Twenty years old!

This age, with more potential for development than other competitors, and her decisiveness in making decisions, were sources of deep security for her subordinates.

“Let’s not talk about them,” Xi Zhicai pondered. Regardless of whether Cao Pi had schemes, in the face of absolute advantage, he had no chance to use them or stir up the world. Rather than worrying about whether he would grow into a competent politician under Cai Yong’s negative influence, it was better to think about other things, such as: “Marquis, when do you think Wen Yuan will reveal Tian Yuanhao’s identity?”

“With Wen Yuan’s personality, it won’t take too long,” Qiao Yan thought and replied.

She had assigned this task to Zhang Liao because she valued his decisiveness and his ability to win people’s hearts.

These two traits, combined with the sudden revelation of identity, would surely make Tian Feng hesitate if handled correctly.

Qiao Yan’s judgment on this matter was not wrong.

Tian Feng woke up in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling for a long time.

In his dream, Zhang Liao’s words, “Mr. Tian Yuanhao, the Marquis has ordered me to show you around the border of You and Ji Provinces,” had reappeared.

But even more bizarrely, he had also dreamed again of Qiao Yan promoting him after the debate at Hongwen Hall, and this time, Qiao Yan had said, “Tian Feng, you are a rare talent.”








Ah, why should I still stay by Yuan Benchu’s side and serve him?

He quickly shook his head.

No, no, who would be so careless with spies, allowing them to freely investigate secrets in their own territory?

It shouldn’t be that early.

Could it be because he was too enthusiastic about coming to Youzhou for the conferment, which made him a target?

Or perhaps… during the previous well-digging incident, Qiao Yan rewarded him by sending a “hometown” gift of a fan file, and something in the process tipped someone off?

Tian Feng couldn’t figure it out for a moment.

But what puzzled him even more was—

Why, after his identity was exposed, did Zhang Liao still have the confidence to send him away, and after he chose to stay, treat him like an envoy from the capital and a distinguished guest in the military camp!

This sleepless confusion, accompanied by the faint sounds of patrol drills outside, completely drove away the little sleepiness left in Tian Feng’s mind.

Whether Zhang Liao had any careless habits, he didn’t know, but he was about to be driven mad by this strange atmosphere!

What made his heart even more mixed was that when he got up and walked towards the stables, he wasn’t stopped at all.

By the faint candlelight near the stables, Tian Feng carefully inspected the horse given to him for transportation.

The horse was indeed a good one, with no issues with its hooves, at least it wouldn’t throw him off halfway.

After confirming there were no tricks, Tian Feng felt a moment of guilt for doubting Zhang Liao’s sincerity.

This made him even more unsure how to handle the current situation.

As he pondered this, he suddenly saw a flicker of firelight in the distance. Since he couldn’t sleep, he walked over and saw a young man squatting in the grass halfway between the stables and the camp gate.

Tian Feng only realized upon closer inspection that the young man was carefully shielding the flame with a wooden board to prevent the light from leaking out, but while the light was blocked, the smell was harder to conceal.

The young man poked the fire with a stick and flipped out a few cut yams.

While they were still hot, he quickly rolled them in his hands and peeled them.

His movements were so熟练, it didn’t seem like his first time doing this.

Even when he heard footsteps behind him, he quickly handed another piece of yam to Tian Feng, as if bribing him to keep quiet.

This was Tian Feng’s first time experiencing something like this. He set aside his previous worries and asked, “Where did you get this?”

The young man glanced at him, noticing he wasn’t wearing soldier’s armor, and replied, “You’re from the capital’s decree team, right? The Marquis said we need to temper the Wuhuan people’s nature, so they brought a lot of yam tubers and had General Lv supervise the surrendered soldiers to cultivate the land first. Some of the lower-quality ones became our rations. A couple of days ago, I helped carry some boxes and got a few as a midnight snack.”

He held up his yam and said, “Try it, it’s a variety cultivated in Leping for seven or eight years, tastes great.”

Tian Feng didn’t know whether to refuse or accept, so he simply sat down cross-legged like the young man, peeled the still-warm yam, and quietly asked, “But since you’re on night watch duty, why aren’t you focusing on your task and instead sneaking around being lazy here?”

The young man shook his head, “You’re just inexperienced, this isn’t being lazy. Soldiers don’t usually come this way, and if anyone tries to leave through this gate, they’ll be killed on the spot. There are several guards outside, so no one can escape. I can afford to be a little distracted.”

“I heard this is to prevent spies from Yuan Shao’s side who might have infiltrated our recruitment in Zhuo County from reporting our situation to Ye City, so they left this usually unused gate.”

As he spoke, he noticed Tian Feng’s expression and asked, “Hey, what’s wrong? Why that face?”

Tian Feng, holding the yam, was silent for a while before replying, “I think this tastes a bit bitter…”

The young man, unaware of the shock Tian Feng was experiencing, snatched the yam back, “Bitter? How can it be bitter? You must be… not used to coarse food. Forget it, I’ll finish it myself.”

“By the way, walk around here a bit, so you don’t get mistaken for a spy.”

Don’t, get, mistaken, for, a, spy!

These words echoed in Tian Feng’s head even after he returned to his quarters, causing significant mental damage.

So, if he had really ridden back to Ji Province tonight, even if he missed the yam-roasting snack, he would have been killed outside the camp gate?

Then what was the point of letting him return to Ji Province!

The next day, with tired eyes, he looked at Zhang Liao and couldn’t help but ask, “Are all the Grand Marshal’s subordinates this cunning?”

Zhang Liao, fully aware of what happened last night, showed no panic at having his cards revealed and calmly replied, “But in fact, Yuanhao先生 had already made up his mind. My preparations wouldn’t have been necessary, they were just for real spies.”

“…” Is that so?

Tian Feng couldn’t help but feel that his current confusion was due to not having rested well last night.

But what really threw him off was Zhang Liao’s next question, “Don’t worry about traps not meant for you. Yuanhao先生 heard about the Wuhuan处理方法 last night. I’d like to ask your opinion on how to deal with Fuyu and Goguryeo to ensure Youzhou’s long-term stability.”

Tian Feng’s mouth twitched as he asked, “Is it really appropriate for you to ask me this?”

Zhang Liao clearly saw no issue, replying, “Yuanhao先生 has been to Bingzhou, Chang’an, and now Youzhou, meeting all sorts of people along the way. It’s impossible that everyone is conspiring to trap you in a grand play.”

“So let me ask you, is it really the camp gate that’s keeping you from returning to Ji Province?”

Tian Feng’s expression was complex.

Was it the gate, or the trap Zhang Liao might have hidden in letting him go?

Probably not.

In the nearly three years he’d been here, he’d absorbed too much about the Chang’an court.

So much so that when he stood at this crossroads, flashes of Chang’an’s new roads, drought relief measures on the Central Plains, the sauce noodles in a small Chang’an restaurant, and the many opportunities he had to escape but dismissed for fear of being caught, all crossed his mind.

Even the journey through Bingzhou before coming to Youzhou felt worth savoring.

These recurring images made him realize—

He might not be as loyal to Yuan Shao as he thought, and this trip to Youzhou for the conferment was more about giving closure to his first two years of service, not an unwavering rush back to Ye City.

At the peak of his internal conflict, he heard Zhang Liao say, “The Marquis asked me to ask you at the right time, if she could bring the Tian family子弟 from Julu to Bingzhou, would you seriously consider the question of whom to serve?”

Tian Feng, holding his forehead, asked, “General Zhang, was it necessary to say ‘at the right time’?”

It made him feel like he was jumping into a pit without looking back!

But even as he asked, it didn’t mean he would hesitate now.

He wasn’t one to remain indecisive for long.

Even though Qiao Yan’s condition gave him more time to think, he decided not to escape and return to Chang’an first.

His only request was not to appear publicly as a参谋 here, to prevent his family in Ji Province from being targeted by Yuan Shao.

Although the Hebei世家 weren’t people Yuan Shao could kill at will, with the potential outbreak of war between Youzhou and Ji Province, Yuan Shao could justify his actions as a warning to others not to defect.

But… being in the military camp, he would occasionally show up.

When Xun You, the chief strategist, arrived, he, Xun You, and Sima懿 often came and went together.

“Stop daydreaming, those are important figures in the camp, not people you new recruits can approach!” Xin Pi, rubbing his eyes and looking at Tian Feng and the other two walking away, wondering if he was seeing things, was scolded by his centurion, making him quickly look away.

To better understand how to stir up trouble in Youzhou, after arriving in Zhuo County, Xin Pi and Qian Zhao agreed that the latter would recommend him into the camp for close observation and to spy on the enemy’s movements.

Several of Ji Province’s agents in Youzhou also infiltrated with him.

Of course, his accent was hard to hide, so going through a recommendation was best.

The reason for the recommendation was simple: Qian Zhao had broken his leg during the previous recruitment training in Zhuo County but still wanted to serve under the Grand Marshal, so he painfully recommended his friend, hoping he could make a name for himself and re-recruit Qian Zhao after his recovery.

Learning from Tian Feng’s lesson of never returning, Xin Pi decided to be even more low-key, aiming to go unnoticed and keeping his training performance average.

This was a huge sacrifice for a scholar from Yingchuan, even if he had once charged into battle under Yuan Shao!

But what he never expected was to see an old acquaintance who shouldn’t be here!

When he cautiously glanced over again, he was sure it wasn’t a mistake.

What good did shaving his beard do, he was still recognizable—

That was definitely Tian Feng!