Chapter 341

Chapter 341

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 10: The World in Chaos, the Time of Hunting Chapter 341: A Duet

The book it belongs to:


Can a strategist not ascend the throne?

Chapter 341: A Duet

Late at night, the ancestral homes of the four surnames in Wu County were surrounded. Gathering in such a manner, the name of Zu Lang was mentioned, and the ill intentions were almost written on her face.

“Zu Lang?” Among the detained, there were indeed one or two who were unaware and immediately asked, “Why would we know such a mountain bandit?”

Qiao Yan glanced at him, her cold gaze clear even in the dim night. “You say you don’t know him, but Zu Lang says otherwise. He claims that without your promise to support Huang She and the support you provided, he wouldn’t have been able to kill Sun Ce of Yang Province—”

“He’s here to claim the reward for successfully killing Sun Ce!”

Sun Ce is dead?

If they had heard this news in a different setting, the three at the front would have been overjoyed.

But with the weapons on both sides reflecting the firelight as if they were about to strike at any moment, they dared not show any hint of joy on their faces.

Qiao Yan personally arriving in Yang Province might be due to some news or because she was about to oversee the war in Xuzhou. However, the first news she received was of Sun Ce’s death. Given her relationship with Sun Ce and her age-appropriate vengeful nature, their situation was extremely dangerous!

This kind of arrest, leaving no room for resistance, clearly meant they were going to pay the price.

Zhu Rong of the Zhu family in Wu Commandery, being an experienced elder, did not lose his composure upon hearing the accusation of killing Sun Ce. Instead, he calmly replied, “Grand Marshal, have you come all this way just to pin such a crime on the noble families of Wu Commandery?”

“Since you say it’s the mountain bandit Zu Lang who wants to claim a reward from us, why not bring him up to confront us?”

Zhu Rong’s words were indeed frank.

The news of Tongguan inviting doctors had already reached Wu Commandery, along with another piece of news. When Sun Ce’s troops withdrew from Jing County, there was no sign of the mountain bandits being defeated. He speculated that Huang She and the borrowed manpower had succeeded, forcing Sun Ce’s troops to prioritize saving his life and retreat from Jing County.

Qiao Yan seeking justice for Sun Ce at most meant she had discovered Huang She’s involvement and the presence of non-mountain bandits.

But even if she knew those people were former guests of Xu Gong, the former Prefect of Wu Commandery, so what?

There was no concrete evidence to prove these schemes were indeed related to them.

This could simply be malicious slander.

Unless Qiao Yan could capture Zu Lang.

But how was that possible?

Sun Ce had been managing Yang Province for years, even bringing his most elite troops, yet he could only sigh at the complex terrain of Yi Mountain. Relying solely on brute force to confront Zu Lang, he ended up dead.

Qiao Yan, newly arrived with few troops, how could she…

How could she!

Zhu Rong’s eyes suddenly widened.

Because he saw, as Qiao Yan raised her hand, a half-dead man being dragged in from outside, lifting his head to reveal Zu Lang’s face.

The reason he could confirm it was him was not just because he had seen Zu Lang’s wanted poster, but also because the moment he appeared, the subordinate he had once sent to contact Zu Lang muttered, “How could it be him?”

Recognizing someone from a poster might be mistaken, but someone who had met him face-to-face would never misjudge.

When Zu Lang looked up at him, the ferocity and commanding presence in his eyes left no room for error.

As Zu Lang was brought in, several boxes were also presented.

When one of the boxes was opened, Zhu Rong’s face lost its previous calm, for inside was the support they had given Zu Lang.

“Gold, silver, jewels, privately made sea salt, private mineral deposits… You all are quite generous. May I ask when you lost these, do you have records of the shipment, or have you reported to the authorities?”

Qiao Yan’s gaze slowly swept over the three leaders at the front, her calm expression clearly brewing a storm. “I suppose you won’t tell me this is a fresh loss, will you?”

“If so, you should have informed Sun Ce of Yang Province in advance, lest he discover these during his bandit suppression and mistake them for his spoils. Or do you think Sun Ce couldn’t possibly succeed in pacifying the mountains, so you simply swallowed the loss?”

“I think another explanation is more reasonable: this was originally the deposit you and Zu Lang jointly provided.”

Zhu Rong, recovering from the shock of Zu Lang’s capture, heard Qiao Yan’s series of what he considered unreasonable accusations and couldn’t help but sneer, “Losing something and covering it up for the sake of face is nothing. Is there a rule in this world that the loser must report to the officials?”

The authorities in Yang Province aren’t that efficient.

This fact made Zhu Rong’s reply particularly frank.

Qiao Yan bringing Zu Lang before him was indeed an unexpected twist.

In just a few days, she not only prevented Sun Ce’s troops from scattering after his death but also turned around to attack Zu Lang, capturing him and even landing a warship directly at Wu County. Such efficiency in warfare was unheard of.

But his dealings with Zu Lang only had physical evidence, with no letters representing his identity. How could she confirm his guilt?

The caution in this action was his best protection.

“Just lost something?” Qiao Yan looked at him with suspicion.

Zhu Rong thought through his dealings with Zu Lang and felt this explanation was appropriate. His subordinate responsible for the handover also knew that compared to bearing the charge of killing the Governor of Yang Province, standing with him was the safest bet.

As long as they didn’t betray him, Qiao Yan wouldn’t dare push them to the brink. Even if he denied everything, what could she do?

He straightened up and confidently replied, “Naturally. Among the four surnames of Wu Commandery, several serve under Sun Ce of Yang Province. If we really intended to harm him, why would we compromise…”

Before he could finish the word “compromise,” everyone saw Qiao Yan grab a hand halberd from someone beside her, stride over to Zhu Rong in three steps, and without hesitation, swing it at his neck.

Zhu Rong hadn’t even processed Qiao Yan’s sudden attack, and being tied up, he had no chance to escape.

The head of the Zhu family in Wu Commandery, eyes wide with shock, fell to the ground.

He died in disbelief that the one sitting in Sun Ce’s place was someone with such decisive ruthlessness towards noble families, showing no hesitation in acting against him.

Blood flowed from the severed neck, spreading to Qiao Yan’s feet.

At that moment, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Only when the blood splattered on the face of the person behind Zhu Rong dripped down did a scream break the silence.

“Silence!” Qiao Yan’s shout made him swallow his scream, looking at her with fear.

The hand halberd, more suited to the strong man beside her, seemed out of place in her hands. But seeing the blood slide off the halberd, contrasting with her crimson attire, she appeared almost majestic in the firelight.

She slowly said, “I merely saw his nonsense and invited him to accompany Sun Ce in the afterlife. Why are you all so panicked? Since he refused to confront the living, he can only accompany the dead. Quite reasonable, isn’t it?”

Reasonable?

How is this reasonable?

Qiao Yan’s explanation didn’t make the scene understandable but only made the members of the four surnames in Wu Commandery feel that the Grand Marshal from Chang’an was a madwoman! A madwoman no less insane than Sun Ce!

Even more terrifying was that she seemed completely unfazed by killing the head of the Zhu family, one of the four surnames in Wu Commandery, and instead turned her gaze to the Zhang family.

The Zhang family in Wu Commandery had no relation to Zhang Zhao or Zhang Hong under Sun Ce, nor did they have a talent like Gu Yong that Qiao Yan would pay special attention to. Being the second target was only natural.

But Zhang Mi, now in her sights, was unlikely to share such a sentiment.

He had no way of knowing that Qiao Yan was also making judgments about identities.

Zhu Rong’s death made him realize that not answering Qiao Yan properly could indeed be fatal, but if he answered seriously, he couldn’t be sure if he would be punished for contributing to the death of the Governor of Yang Province.

He took a deep breath, deciding to leverage his inherent advantage: “Grand Marshal, are you forcing a confession? Is this your attitude towards the noble families of Yang Province?”

“Noble families of Yang Province?” Qiao Yan could guess what he was thinking just by looking at him. With Sun Ce’s death, Yang Province needed a new leader. As a representative of the Chang’an court, if she froze relations to the extreme from the start, it would undoubtedly be a bad move.

So she should still have a cooperative attitude towards them, considering their noble family status.

But he didn’t think carefully: if she were to consider their face in handling the situation, she wouldn’t have killed Zhu Rong!

She tossed the hand halberd aside, took a handkerchief from her sleeve, and wiped the blood off her hands. Her calm demeanor made it impossible to connect her current appearance with the previous violence.

“What is a noble family?” Qiao Yan replied word by word, “High status, hereditary succession, wealth in the house, a thriving scholarly atmosphere—”

She tilted her head, scrutinizing Zhang Mi for a moment, then spat out four words: “You’re not worthy.”

These words were extremely harsh. Even a brute like Sun Ce had never questioned the status of the four surnames in Wu Commandery, but Qiao Yan showed no respect, instantly making Zhang Mi flush with anger, “You…”

“Me what? Conspiring with mountain bandits to harm the Governor of Yang Province, how are you any different from southern bandits? How dare you call yourselves a noble family?”

Qiao Yan’s following words gave Zhang Mi no chance to refute.








In the midst of the tense atmosphere, “If Sun Bofu’s governance as the governor is as absurd as that of the Jiaozhou Governor in the south, who spends his days only having people tie red headbands and accompany him in discussing scriptures, then your devious actions might be excusable!”

“However, since Sun Bofu arrived in Yang Province, he first lifted the siege of Lujiang, then quelled the rebellion of Yan Baihu, restored the livelihood of several counties, and reclaimed the southern lands of Yang Province. Even if there were suspicions of acting without authorization in the matter of the Yuzhang Prefect and conflicts with the officials of Wu Commandery, it is not a reason for you to overstep and plot rebellion. These are matters for the court to negotiate with him, not for you.”

“Noble families have their limits, and this is beyond them!”

“Now, answer my question again, is there any connection between you and the death of Sun Bofu?”

This sharp questioning, mixed with praise for Sun Ce’s achievements, made Zhou Tai, who was guarding Qiao Yan, recall his past interactions with Sun Ce, his eyes moistening. Seeing Zhang Mi, who had never shown Sun Ce much respect, now dumbfounded, Zhou Tai felt a bit of his pent-up frustration released.

What made him even more satisfied was that right after Qiao Yan asked that question, another hand halberd was handed to him.

He looked up and caught Qiao Yan’s gaze, signaling him to approach Zu Lang.

Zu Lang, one of the leaders of the Shanyue, had already accepted his fate when Qiao Yan knocked him off his horse with a spear. Whether he died sooner or later made no difference to him.

What he cared about was that since he had promised to reveal the involvement of the four families of Wu Commandery to Qiao Yan, he hoped she would also keep her promise to the Shanyue people.

As Zhou Tai approached him, their eyes met briefly. When he clearly saw Qiao Yan nod, he suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Mi.

At that very moment, Zhou Tai, driven by the desire to avenge Sun Ce, swung the hand halberd and beheaded Zu Lang.

The head rolled forward by inertia, stopping right in front of Zhang Mi.

Zhang Mi tried to maintain his composure, but the unblinking eyes of the head, seemingly still staring at him, made him almost scream.

At the same time, a voice cried out before he could.

Zhu Rong’s confidant, having witnessed his master’s death and now Zu Lang’s, felt as if the Shanyue leader’s gaze was a prophecy that he was next, his psychological defenses crumbling.

Zhang Mi still struggled to maintain his dignity, thinking his noble family status could save him, but it couldn’t!

Not only him, but also those who helped deliver the “deposit” to Jing County!

“Related, of course related!” he suddenly screamed hysterically. “Not only related to Sun Bofu’s death, but also to the instigation between Sun Bofu and Gao Kongwen, leading Sun Bofu to mistakenly kill the famous scholar, it was our people!”

This statement completely shattered any remaining dignity Zhang Mi had.

Not only did it reveal the “mastermind” behind Sun Ce’s death, but it also angered Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and others from another perspective.

Cheng Pu’s reaction was particularly extreme.

He stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and demanded, “Explain what you just said!”

Once the truth was out, the rest wasn’t hard to say.

Zhu Rong’s confidant replied, “Back then, Sun Bofu admired Gao Kongwen and sent someone to invite him. The person who told Sun Bofu that Gao Kongwen looked down on him and refused to discuss ‘Zuo Zhuan’ with him, and informed Gao Kongwen that Sun Bofu disliked anyone surpassing him, were our people.”

It was this misinformation that led to Sun Ce killing Gao Dai.

Cheng Pu and the others had noticed these subtleties but never knew who was behind it. Now the truth was out.

It was them again!

But what good was it to know now?

Gao Dai’s life couldn’t be saved, and the infamy Sun Ce bore for Gao Dai’s death couldn’t be completely cleared.

Meanwhile, the four families of Wu Commandery still held their high status, even secretly colluding with Zu Lang.

When they heard that one reason for their decision was Sun Ce appointing Zhu Zhi as the Prefect of Yuzhang, and Zhu Zhi being beheaded by Huang She and sent to them, Cheng Pu was beyond furious.

At this moment, any restraint about not touching noble families was gone.

He could kill the Zhang family head himself, no need for Qiao Yan to do it. He could just return the head.

After all, he was from Youzhou, and his temper was understandable.

It was only when Qiao Yan spoke that Cheng Pu held back his impulse. “I need General Cheng to do something. Please retrieve the ancestral records of the four families of Wu Commandery and arrest those not present as soon as possible.”

“General Sun Ce was not the only target of the four families. First, imprison them all and interrogate them one by one!”

Having dealt with the four families of Hanyang in Liangzhou before, using their genealogies as arrest lists, they could do the same to these self-important families of Wu Commandery!

Following the list, no one would escape!

Including those still in office, none should be missed!

While Sun Ce’s generals were still caught up in the heat of the moment, Qiao Yan was sure they wouldn’t disappoint her.

Some might still have ties with the four families, but most would do their utmost to capture everyone on the list.

Thus, the team that entered the city overnight quickly dispersed in all directions with the list, disappearing into the vast night.

However, what no one expected was that after occupying the Wu County government office as her temporary headquarters, Qiao Yan’s first move wasn’t to inventory the government storehouse as she did in Yizhou, but to—

Slap paper and brush in front of Dian Wei.

“Write a letter.”

Dian Wei was stunned for a while before realizing Qiao Yan meant for him to write a letter.

But what letter?

Surely not a letter home reporting his safe return from the Shanyue campaign.

Seeing his confusion, Qiao Yan shook her head. “What are you waiting for? Didn’t I often have you accompany your son at Leping Academy? Can’t you write a few words?”

Dian Wei jumped at this.

He couldn’t bear the accusation of not being able to write.

He was a general now, how could he not know how to write!

He quickly took the paper and brush, but as soon as he dipped the brush in ink, he froze.

“Wait! My lord, what do you want me to write?”

Qiao Yan replied, “Write to Cai Yong, saying I intend to kill his disciple Gu Yong and that he should come to Yang Province as soon as possible, crying as pitifully as possible, even disheveled if necessary, to stop this.”

“As for why you should write this letter, it’s because you think my extreme actions might follow in Sun Ce’s footsteps, but you can’t dissuade me, so you seek a senior to intervene, hence writing to Cai Yong, whom you know.”

“After writing, send the letter by fast horse.”

“…” Dian Wei awkwardly scratched his head. “Wouldn’t Bojie laugh at this letter? Maybe you should write it? Besides, I don’t think your actions are that extreme. I’ve already beheaded two people with my hand halberd, gaining some glory!”

Qiao Yan almost rolled her eyes.

If he still didn’t understand what she was doing after all this, in a way, he and Cai Yong were equally lacking in emotional intelligence.

This wasn’t just about writing to Cai Yong.

In the current situation in Yang Province, she couldn’t let the four families of Wu Commandery off lightly.

Otherwise, Sun Ce’s death would be in vain!

If she truly intended to go easy on them, she wouldn’t have come here under the pretext of avenging Sun Ce and swiftly captured them all.

Their existence, or rather their non-violent non-cooperation with the rulers, was of no benefit to Chang’an’s remote control over Yang Province.

If she didn’t punish them sufficiently, Sun Ce’s subordinates wouldn’t obey her commands.

But she couldn’t just kill them all for causing Sun Ce’s death. If she did, how would she be any different from Sun Ce, who annihilated the Wang family?

Today it’s the four families of Wu Commandery, tomorrow it could be other Yang Province families opposing her.

Any mishandling could provoke backlash from noble families elsewhere.

So she needed to pull back a bit.

But…

This place was different from Liangzhou.

The stepping stone couldn’t be set by herself; it had to be someone else, an “old friend,” “trusted person,” preferably a respected elder.

And there was a perfect candidate for this role—Cai Yong!

Gu Yong of the Wu Commandery Gu family not only received a name from Cai Yong but also a deeply appreciative courtesy name, Yuan Tan. Cai Yong’s arrival would be perfectly logical!

“But why use a fast horse instead of a carrier pigeon?” Dian Wei, after hearing Qiao Yan’s explanation, felt he somewhat understood but still had questions, asking the final one.

“Since you’ve already informed Zhu Gongwei and Zhang Zibu about carrier pigeons, couldn’t you explain why Bojie would come quickly?”

Before he finished, Qiao Yan sighed, “Acting must be realistic! If you used a carrier pigeon, wouldn’t I have it intercepted?”

Using a horse to deliver the letter was more authentic.

Besides, these ungrateful Yang Province families should stay in prison a bit longer!

For the impatient Black Mountain Bandits and Wuhuan, planting yams was a way to temper them. For the haughty Yang Province families, their edges needed to be worn down.

Sending the letter by land suited her just fine!

Even if it took eight to ten days by fast horse, plus another eight to ten days to bring Cai Yong, let them stay in prison.

In the twenty days it would take, she could accomplish a lot!