Chapter 376

Chapter 376

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingly Ambitions, Unification of the World, Chapter 376: Battle Invitation

But Xun Yu had to admit that what Qiao Yan said wasn’t wrong.

Others returning to Luoyang, like Xu Shu, were now in the position of subjects, making their final declarations of loyalty to the soon-to-be ruler who would overthrow the Han Dynasty. What they needed was a deep exchange of carefully chosen words.

To ensure that both sides could support each other on this final stretch of the journey.

Indeed, too many people couldn’t return all at once.

Otherwise, if the order of return was determined by distance, that would be one thing. But if not, wouldn’t the order of reception also imply a distinction of closeness and distance?

Qiao Yan had clearly considered this.

At this moment, all the pressure she faced could only come from the outside, and never from within.

That’s why she didn’t give Xun Yu any more time to think, but instead issued him an ultimatum to make a decision, using him as a beacon to attract the wise within the noble families.

For the same reason, she released the proclamation, not only as a response to the people but also as a watershed to judge friend from foe in these special times.

However, in this life-and-death serious atmosphere, Lü Bu and Lü Lingju seemed completely unaware of the undercurrents and imminent eruption.

They also clearly didn’t realize that their lord was taking a step towards becoming a monarch.

Compared to caring about this, they probably only cared about two things.

One was that they could personally come before Qiao Yan in the first month and directly get the Victory Coin to prevent someone else from snatching it first.

The other was—

When to start the war.

Zhuge Liang, Xun Yu, and Xu Shu were talking outside the door, letting Lü Bu and Lü Lingju, father and daughter, come before Qiao Yan first.

Before they even warmed their seats, Lü Bu had already asked, “When does the lord plan to move against Ji Province?”

Qiao Yan glanced at these two, absolutely certain that expecting any special political awareness from Lü Bu might be a bit too much for him. Lü Lingju was slightly better than Lü Bu in terms of military strategy, but she still needed a competent strategist by her side to correct and supplement her, and she also didn’t notice the political game at play.

But, dealing with such relatively simple and controllable characters was also a good way for Qiao Yan to ease her mind.

For these two generals, they had no objections to switching sides, and their current “ignorance” might be a kind of happiness for them.

Not everyone could be an insider in this chess game. If they were, Qiao Yan’s play wouldn’t need to go on.

Lü Bu, completely unaware of what Qiao Yan was thinking, continued, “My lord, you can’t be so biased. Yizhou and Youzhou were conquered one after the other, but now there are battles to push south and consolidate the Nanman forces in Yizhou, and also to connect with Jiaozhou to attack the former Jiaozhou Governor Zhang Jin, earning more merits. I heard that the lord also intends to have Prefect Zhao and Prefect Shi start exchanges with Funan, introducing their shipbuilding technology and products to the Central Plains, so there’s new business to attend to. But Youzhou here…”

Clearly, there wasn’t as much to do.

The Wuhuan tribes were indeed numerous, but after Wuhuan Tadun allied with Gongsun Zan, he carried out a bloody purge of the forces supporting the old chieftain, even exterminating one of the three Wuhuan kings. So after Tadun was defeated and killed, and Lü Lingju became the Protector of Wuhuan with Yan Rou as her deputy, the internal consolidation of Wuhuan became much easier than they had imagined.

If not for this, Qiao Yan couldn’t have let Yan Rou temporarily take over Lü Lingju’s duties, giving the young general a chance to visit home and then come to Luoyang.

The Wuhuan were considered the most troublesome foreign force in Youzhou, and even they were in such a state, let alone the others.

The Xianbei branch leader Ke Biner had died more than four years ago in the battle between Zhang Liao and Gongsun Zan, and the son of the former Xianbei chieftain, Qianman, had also died last year in internal conflicts within the Xianbei branch.

Qiao Yan ordered that Xieguni, the eldest son of Fuluohan, Budugen’s brother, take over this Xianbei branch, and this power transition didn’t cause any turmoil.

As for the Fuyu and Goguryeo still outside the borders, it wasn’t time to deal with them yet.

Looking at it this way, the only friction left in Youzhou was with Ji Province.

Lü Bu had a great time in the battle against Gongsun Zan and had wanted to press the advantage and move south to Ji Province, but he only got to show his skills once when attacking Gao Lan’s camp, and then things quieted down, which frustrated him greatly.

“My lord, in Youzhou, we have Wen Yuan, Xun the strategist, and Tian Yuanhao, whom you poached from Yuan Shao. With both generals and strategists, and both land and naval forces ready at your command, we can surely make Yuan Shao unable to cope.”

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s ‘left and right’, Lü Fengxian, how come you haven’t improved at all over the years?”

Lü Bu scratched his head, “It’s pretty much the same meaning. My lord, when can we fight?”

Lü Bu felt that they were fully prepared for war.

Although there was a drought in the Central Plains this year, there was no shortage of beef and lamb sent from the northern borders.

If the soldiers were well-fed and sent to attack, the conditions would surely be better than Yuan Shao’s. If the enemy were allowed to recover from their current predicament, who knows if such a good opportunity would come again.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao’s alliance had been loudly proclaimed by Yuan Shao in the middle of last year, before the great epidemic, to make Qiao Yan hesitate to face the combined forces of two enemies.

But with Lü Bu’s personality, where the lord was first and he was second, such hesitations never concerned him.

If Qiao Yan dared to give the order, he dared to attack.

But Qiao Yan, sitting before him, didn’t seem to give immediate permission to attack because of his eager readiness. Instead, she asked, “Yuan Benchu made some troop movements at the end of the year on the border between You and Ji. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to fight now compared to before?”

Lü Bu wasn’t one to lie to Qiao Yan, so he replied, “If you ask me, it’s harder.”

After the changes in Xuzhou and Yangzhou, Xin Pi went to Qingzhou to become Yuan Tan’s strategist, looking for an opportunity to attack Xuzhou from Qingzhou. Unfortunately, Zhou Yu, Pang Tong, Lu Su, and even Jia Xu, who had already been given the empty title of Qingzhou Governor, were all formidable, cutting off any such possibility.

Guo Tu’s attempt to go to Yangzhou was also forced to be abandoned, and he brought back news that Qiao Yan had other plans.








A piece of news about a divine weapon.

This made Yuan Shao no longer dare to delay on the northern defense line, and he finally completed a move he had been planning earlier.

Replacing Xin Pi with Shen Pei, and Gao Lan with Gao Shun.

The purpose was to prevent Xin Pi and Gao Lan, who had previously been captured by Qiao Yan’s subordinates, from being defeated by the same person again.

Changing generals on the battlefield is indeed a big taboo, but Lü Bu had to admit that while Shen Pei’s abilities were questionable, Gao Shun was truly a rare talent.

Compared to Gao Lan, Gao Shun’s defense made it much harder for Lü Bu to cross the border.

But Lü Bu was still Lü Bu. After giving the evaluation of “difficult to fight,” he immediately added, as if afraid that Qiao Yan would take away his chance to attack, “But Youzhou has more than just me as a general. If we unite our efforts, even ten Gao Shuns couldn’t stop our iron cavalry from heading south. My lord, you need not worry about this.”

“Alright, alright, I know how eager you are to fight,” Qiao Yan raised her hand, signaling Lü Bu to stop. “But not now.”

Just as Lü Bu felt a bit disheartened, Qiao Yan continued, “By the end of the year at the latest, I will give you this opportunity to attack. But before that, I have a few things for you to do.”

Hearing “by the end of the year,” which, given Qiao Yan’s reputation for keeping her word, was a clear signal that they would definitely attack within the year, Lü Bu immediately perked up.

Learning in January that there would be a chance to mobilize troops this year was the perfect New Year’s gift.

He patted his chest and replied, “My lord, if you have any orders, just say them.”

As long as he could lead the troops, even if it were a dozen tasks, it wouldn’t matter.

It wasn’t entirely Lü Bu’s reckless nature that led to this anxious mindset.

After all, he would be turning forty in two years.

For civil officials, this age could still be considered the prime of their careers, and starting a career at this age wasn’t too late. But for military generals, this age meant their physical strength was already on the decline.

Lü Bu had a particularly clear understanding of this.

If he were using the same commanding methods as Zhang Liao or Zhou Yu, being forty would only make him more seasoned in strategy. But his forte was relying on his own bravery and rallying his subordinates to follow him into battle, which meant his time to charge recklessly on the battlefield might not last much longer.

On one hand, he felt proud and gratified by his daughter’s abilities, but on the other, he truly felt the pressure of younger talents catching up.

Two years ago, when he received the title of Tiger Tooth General from the envoy and heard the auspicious wishes from his daughter, he had already told himself: rather than following the fate of the previous Tiger Tooth General and ending up among the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, he would rather use every ounce of his strength on the battlefield before he could no longer wield the Fangtian Huaji, to repay his lord’s trust.

If he missed this attack on Ji Province, no matter how peacefully he ended up, no matter how stable his situation, he would never be content!

Qiao Yan replied, “First, starting from March this year, I want you to launch an attack on the border of Ji Province every half month. Before each mission, draw lots to decide whether to just draw the enemy’s attention and retreat, or to engage in combat. But even if you engage, do not go too deep; retreat immediately before any casualties occur. At the same time, Gan Xingba will look for weaknesses along the waterways to infiltrate Ji Province’s borders, reaching the nearest county’s farmland to disrupt their farming before returning.”

“Second, after August, Lieutenant Lü’s troops will return from Liaodong to join you, making both the frequently harassed General Gao and old foxes like Ju Shou and Shen Pei believe that you, with the help of your father-daughter duo, might replace Zhang Liao’s command over the troops in Youzhou.”

“Third, in Jiaozhou to the west, the Funan Kingdom has a shipbuilding technique that produces a type of vessel called the Funan Great Ship, used for maritime trade between the East and West. According to Shi Weiyan’s promise to me, we will receive the first batch of ships in September. I will send some supplies and personnel to Youzhou, but we must not let the enemy notice, so…”

After the Liaodong campaign, Yuan Shao had become far more sensitive to maritime activities than ever before.

Yuan Tan and Jiang Qi stationed in Qingzhou were also keeping a close eye on the seas.

Only by escalating the stalemate in Youzhou to a point where it could explode at any moment could we redirect their attention from the sea back to the mainland.

This was the final instruction.

Lü Bu clapped his hands together, “So I need to stand out as much as possible.”

Although Qiao Yan’s three instructions left Lü Bu a bit confused, not fully understanding what arrangements she was making in Youzhou before launching a full-scale attack on Ji Province, he just needed to follow her method.

If executed this way, Lü Bu would have plenty to do throughout the year.

That said, he only had one question left, “Why is Lingju joining me in August? On the way to Luoyang, I heard her talk about her progress with Boyan in Liaodong. The more we pressure Yuan Shao, the smoother the division and control of the Wuhuan, and the less likely Gongsun Shengji in Liaodong would dare to make any moves.”

“It’s been almost two years since you took over Youzhou. Logically, joining forces in April or May would be timely.”

Qiao Yan looked at Lü Lingju and asked, “What do you think, Lingju?”

Lü Lingju met Qiao Yan’s gaze and replied, “I suspect, my lord, you have another arrangement for me.”

She was indeed a very clever child.

Although she didn’t fully understand the friction between Qiao Yan and the pro-Han forces due to her lack of exposure to it, she had a clear grasp of the situation in Liaodong after two years of involvement.

August was a somewhat peculiar time.

If she were to join forces with Lü Bu, this timing could have been earlier or delayed until after the autumn harvest.

With Ju Shou and Shen Pei’s insight, without an external push, they might not believe that Lü Bu could replace Zhang Liao. Lü Lingju’s joining would be a significant boost to Lü Bu.

Therefore, Qiao Yan must have another arrangement.

Qiao Yan smiled, “Correct, you will return to Liaodong in six months. During this half year, Boyan and Boji will temporarily take over your duties. Nothing will go wrong, but I have something here that requires your assistance.”

In Liaodong, Yan Rou was handling the Wuhuan, Lu Yi and Guo Huai were managing Liaodong Commandery, and Gongsun Du had already been subdued. Lü Lingju’s temporary absence wouldn’t affect her position as Protector of the Wuhuan or the stability of Liaodong Commandery, nor would it hinder the ongoing recovery of Lelang and Xuantu Commanderies.

But as for Qiao Yan here…

She extended her hand to the young female general and asked, “Lingju, would you like to fight alongside me once?”