Chapter 431

Chapter 431

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingly Ambitions, Unification of the World, Chapter 431: The Path Ahead in Sight

Belonging to the book:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 431: The Path Ahead in Sight

When Gan Ning heard Qiao Yan’s words, even though he had been eager to make a big move after the Luoyang merit discussion, he didn’t expect the opportunity to come so quickly.

The phrase “waves across the water, thousands of ships” was enough to make anyone’s blood boil.

When he first left Yizhou to follow Jia Xu and others to Xuzhou, he merely wanted to prove that the Jin Fan Bandits of Yizhou were no slouches on the water.

He even felt a headache thinking about the long sea journey required for Lu Lingju and others to reach Liaodong.

Who would have thought—

Not only did he gain military achievements and become a loyal minister of the Son of Heaven of Da Yong, but he also now held such authority!

This was a huge stroke of luck falling right in front of him.

Faced with such a situation, others might feel nervous, but who was Gan Ning?

When he was still Liu Yan’s follower, he could whistle at Chu Yan’s cavalry heading to Hanzhong, praising their excellent quality. In terms of mental fortitude, he was truly outstanding among Qiao Yan’s generals.

He immediately replied, “Your Majesty need not ask my opinion. If there is a need to form a navy, I will naturally step forward!”

Without that voyage from Xuzhou to Liaodong, someone like Gan Ning, who grew up in Yizhou, might have feared the rough seas. But after seeing the capabilities of the maritime compass produced by Leping Academy and the ships built by Xuzhou’s shipyard, including the later Funan warships, his fear was reduced to mere caution for naval expeditions.

Qiao Yan observed Gan Ning’s confident expression and continued, “What if I want this navy to sail further than Yizhou?”

Hearing this, Gan Ning paused for a moment, “Wait… Your Majesty, are you planning to emulate the First Emperor of Qin?”

This… is not a good idea!

Now that the world has just been unified, if Qiao Yan already harbors thoughts of seeking immortal mountains at sea, even Gan Ning, who hasn’t read many books, feels this is a path to disaster.

Qiao Yan’s face darkened, “Take back those wild thoughts. Why don’t you think about why Funan’s shipbuilding technology is more advanced than that of Xuzhou and Yangzhou?”

Gan Ning quickly coughed lightly, indicating he had no intention of making wild speculations.

Indeed, why does Funan’s shipbuilding technology far exceed its national conditions?

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Roman Empire, known to the Han people as “Da Qin,” had established maritime routes to Funan and Jiaozhou, driving the development of Funan’s warships.

Qiao Yan continued, “Following the maritime route taken by the Romans, we can reach the Western lands. Of course, this can also be reached via the Silk Road, from where fine horses, spices, and foreign goods come. So, if we sail south and east, might there be other unknown territories waiting for us to explore, benefiting our people?”

“The Han people’s understanding of the land has been increasing. Why can’t the people of Da Yong cross the oceans to see a broader world?”

Gan Ning’s expression became serious as he listened to Qiao Yan’s words.

No matter how unruly he was, with a bandit’s spirit, he could not fail to understand that Qiao Yan’s ambitions for maritime exploration were similar to reopening the Silk Road.

But in maritime exploration, she clearly had even greater ambitions.

She looked at Gan Ning and said, “Xingba, compared to reclaiming the Western Regions Protectorate, conquering the Baiyue in the south, advancing into the northern frontiers, and capturing Goguryeo and Buyeo, maritime exploration and establishing relations across the oceans might bring even greater development to Da Yong.”

“Unfortunately, this may not be achieved in three to five years. Maritime expeditions are fraught with dangers, and a single misstep could lead to shipwreck and death, with no one to retrieve your body in the vast ocean. If you truly understand the risks, you can agree to this.”

Gan Ning did not hesitate long before replying to Qiao Yan, “Please allow me to select suitable naval candidates from Yangzhou, Xuzhou, and Qingzhou, and start with nearby maritime drills. Within two years, I will present Your Majesty with a navy capable of dominating the waters between the north and south. Only then can we embark on the long voyage to ensure Your Majesty’s plans succeed!”

“Good!” Qiao Yan clapped her hands with a smile.

With Gan Ning’s words, all was well.

If he had become complacent with this heavy responsibility, thinking only of securing a place in the Xuanyuan Pavilion, Qiao Yan would have immediately sent him away to temper his character.

But his proposal to first train the navy before embarking on the great voyage reassured Qiao Yan.

She handed the recruitment certificate to Gan Ning, “Then I will wait and see.”

However, whether it was Lu Yuan beginning to reclaim the Western Regions Protectorate with the confidence of Da Yong’s unification of the Central Plains, or Gan Ning expanding the fleet and recruiting naval forces for the maritime expedition, these tasks would have to wait.

The immediate priority was stabilizing the newly acquired Ji, Qing, Yan, and Yu provinces, and ensuring the thirteen provinces under Da Yong’s rule safely passed the second year of Yuan Zhao!

Since the winter of the first year of Yuan Zhao, signs of a recurring drought had become increasingly evident.

But neither Qiao Yan nor her subordinates regretted not choosing to attack Yuan Shao and Liu Bian’s Ye court the following year.

Logically, choosing that time would have allowed them to easily reclaim Ji and Qing provinces suffering from the drought, and the disaster’s impact could be blamed on Yuan Shao’s poor governance.

But she did not regret her decision.

Even knowing the impending disaster, she did not regret it!

“Fortunately, Your Majesty had already distinguished natural phenomena from human affairs when dispelling the rumor of the red qi piercing the Purple Palace,” Cheng Yu said. “Since the recapture of Ji and Qing provinces in August, Xu Shu and Jia Xu have been handling local affairs. Preparations, whether reaching every household or not, will surely reduce the people’s losses.”

Qiao Yan flipped through the grain inventory reports from various provinces and added, “Moreover, the situation we face now is much better than during the Yongchu era.”

In the first year of Yongchu, when Empress Dowager Deng Sui held power, eighteen commanderies experienced earthquakes, forty-one suffered floods, frequent landslides, and even storms and hail struck from all directions.

Many attributed these disasters to Empress Dowager Deng’s “usurpation of male authority.”

In comparison, what Qiao Yan faced was nothing!

Though the number of clan members she could mobilize was small, none of them dragged her down.

Her capable ministers and generals had two years of experience dealing with droughts, and in regions like Sili, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou, underground water systems could provide reserves for the coming year’s disaster.

No one would attribute celestial phenomena to her usurpation of the Han Dynasty’s authority and complete control of the world.

Even if some criticized her for the new marriage system reforms, in the tide of more people striving for advancement, those who chose to oppose Qiao Yan before reaching the bottom line would inevitably be pushed aside.

Thus, rather than wasting time opposing Qiao Yan, it was better to see if they could contribute to stabilizing the situation, lest they become victims of the disaster.

After all, Qiao Yan had mentioned earlier that after the unification of the world, the imperial examinations would resume the following year.

She would use this to select a batch of capable individuals, eliminating those from last year’s selections who were unqualified.

Among the noble families, many were in this group.

She said firmly, “If Empress Dowager Deng could stabilize the regime in such perilous times, and if Da Yong cannot overcome the challenges of the second year of Yuan Zhao, then both the ruler and ministers are incompetent.”

Though the people of the provinces might feel numb in the face of disaster, Qiao Yan issued three decrees.

These were plans she had considered since capturing Ye.

First, Ji, Qing, Yan, and Yu provinces, having less accumulated resources than others and facing recurring disasters, would have their taxes reduced by fifty percent for one year. The remaining provinces would have a thirty percent tax reduction for the same period.

This was a temporary measure for the newly unified world.

The moderate but sufficient taxes were almost entirely used for Da Yong’s various constructions. Continuously reducing taxes, like advocating for officials’ integrity, was not a sustainable strategy.

Second, the corvée labor that people of appropriate age were supposed to perform was strictly prohibited from being replaced by others or avoided by paying a fee. However, for these two years, military service and the annual one-month corvée would be redirected to water conservancy projects and farmland reclamation to ensure no water or food shortages during the disaster.

Third, the military farms, originally set up to quickly accumulate military provisions during wartime, should logically be disbanded now that there was no longer a conflict between the Chang’an and Ye courts.

But before the recruitment and adjustment of soldiers were completed, the population movement caused by war ended, and the division of farmland and wasteland was finalized, the unified allocation and efficient production of military farms were still necessary.

Coupled with the impending drought in the second year of Yuan Zhao, the disbandment of military farms would be postponed for two years.

She concluded, “Reduce taxes, enforce corvée labor, maintain military farms, and distribute the Leping Monthly Report’s summaries of drought responses and emergency manuals to the four provinces.”

With Zao Zhi, the Tuntian Commandant, overseeing Yan and Yu provinces, now under the Grand Minister of Agriculture, Qiao Yan was not worried about these regions.

However, Ji and Qing provinces, previously under Yuan Shao, had not seen much prosperity under direct imperial rule but had many instances of noble families carving out territories.

Fortunately, Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang, Jia Xu, and Lu Yi, who was later recalled from Liaodong, were all capable. If they encountered difficulties, they would report to Chang’an.

“I think Your Majesty should also consider…”








Cheng Yu thought for a moment and then spoke, “Although Ji Province and Qingzhou have lost cities and lands quickly under our unstoppable attacks, the casualties are still severe. There must be many elders who have lost their children and have no one to care for them, as well as wives and children who have lost their husbands and fathers…”

These people will undoubtedly become vulnerable groups in the coming years of disaster.

“I understand Zhongde’s meaning,” Qiao Yan tapped the table thoughtfully, “However, it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Moreover, there are always personal grievances in warfare, and simply giving alms won’t do any good.”

“In Donglai of Qingzhou and Bohai County of Ji Province, we will add salt officials and shipyards, prioritizing the recruitment of those whose family members have died in the militia. The wages will be slightly higher than what they would earn from farming. Elders over sixty can receive a stone of rice from the county government storehouse, and those who are sick, disabled, or too poor to support themselves can receive five hu of rice from the county.”

“Additionally…” Qiao Yan frowned and interrupted herself, “Never mind, we’ll talk about it later.”

She originally wanted to say that the labor shortage in Ji Province and Qingzhou should be compensated by the development of handicrafts, but the textile and iron industries in Guanzhong, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou are still in a state of overcapacity. Either the people in the thirteen provinces need to have enough surplus wealth, or we need to dump high-end products through the Silk Road.

But neither of these can be achieved next year.

We must take things one step at a time.

Just as she did not make rash moves in the marriage laws, she must not act impulsively in the construction of the provinces.

After all, as she said at the Luoyang victory celebration, her future is still very long.

First, let’s pass this test and show the world that Da Yong is not a fleeting dynasty!

The spring of the second year of Yuanzhao arrived amidst a drought without a drop of rain.

But with the preparations that started last autumn and winter, the people did not wait for the county officials to issue orders and quickly started storing and diverting water based on past experience.

The granaries in Guanzhong, which supported the military campaign last July and August, along with the reserves in the Yizhou government storehouse, were quickly sent to Luoyang for emergency use.

For a time, whether it was adjusting crop types in the fields, implementing meticulous measures to prevent locust plagues, or protecting river tributaries, everything was carried out in an orderly manner.

Only Ji Province and Qingzhou, which seemed a bit out of step, also followed the commands of their governors due to the people’s will to survive.

Even the noble families from Hebei who were serving military labor as prisoners could see a clear signal—

No matter how harsh the environment is this year, the land and population controlled by the Da Yong dynasty are like a well-equipped chariot, rushing forward with the momentum to crush all thorns in its path!

The rolling wheels also dragged them along, giving them no chance to look back.

Perhaps there will still be fields that yield no harvest due to the drought.

But with measures to stabilize grain prices, create new jobs, aid the poor, reduce taxes, and control locust plagues, the most objective and fair historians will not record “a great famine this year, with people eating each other,” but rather “though life is hard, there is still a way to survive.”

Of course, no one would think back to what the situation would be like if it were still the Han dynasty.

They are all Da Yong people now.

By the time they realized this fact, it had already turned from spring to summer, and then from summer to autumn.

The seemingly long and torturous second year of Yuanzhao had passed in the blink of an eye.

When a carriage left the Hanyang Prefecture in Liangzhou and headed north, the coldest of the thirteen provinces had already seen its first snowfall.

In the howling north wind, the wheels left two tracks in the thin layer of snow on the ground.

Inside the carriage, it was still warm. Lu Yuan sat holding a hand warmer, looking at the reports sent by Xu Rong and Zhang He, her calm expression showing a hint of sharpness.

Her companion, Jiang Tang, who had learned Central Plains Chinese as a Qiang and assisted in the Qiang’s submission in Liangzhou, was chosen by Lu Yuan as her deputy due to her excellent language skills.

She couldn’t help but ask Lu Yuan, “Winter is coming, why are you in such a hurry to go to the Four Commanderies of Hexi at this time?”

Even in Hanyang County, the weather outside was already terrible. It would only get worse when they crossed the Wushaoling Pass to the north.

This was really not a good time to travel.

Lu Yuan shook her head, “I originally thought that due to this year’s drought, we could postpone our entry into the Western Regions Protectorate for another year. But General Zhang He has obtained some information from deep within.”

“Two years ago, the Kushan noble Bo Diao seized power and regained control of Khwarezm, which had broken away from Kushan. If we let him further consolidate his power, it won’t be easy for us to regain control of the Western Regions.”

“This Kushan noble, only twenty-eight years old this year, is no ordinary man. He has even set his sights on the Central Plains, observing the disputes in China. If His Majesty hadn’t already secured the Four Commanderies of Hexi and unified the world last year, who knows what moves he might have made to affect our plans.”

“Rather than waiting for him to act first after understanding the situation, it’s better to keep the initiative in our hands, so as not to disappoint His Majesty’s enterprising spirit!”

Her decision to set out on this snowy day was a necessity of the times.

Jiang Tang blinked.

Lu Yuan’s words were still a bit difficult for her to understand, but she knew that the Liangzhou Governor, who was highly regarded by the current Son of Heaven, would not make any wrong choices at this critical moment.

Then, she must also live up to the piece of ginger candy His Majesty once gave her and strive to play a role in this foreign conflict.

But even so, thinking that she was once a barbarian on the Cangyuan Plateau who almost didn’t survive the winter, and considering their purpose for heading north, Jiang Tang still felt a bit uneasy.

But when she met Lu Yuan’s calm gaze, her restless heart settled again.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid of failure in this unfamiliar land?”

Lu Yuan didn’t answer directly but suddenly pushed open the carriage’s rear window.

In the cold wind that instantly filled the carriage, she pointed to the wheel tracks behind the carriage and asked, “Do you see? We are leaving marks, and that’s enough.”

“Besides, I have His Majesty’s instructions with me.”

Jiang Tang nodded, though not fully understanding.

But come to think of it, His Majesty’s instructions seemed a bit off.

If she remembered correctly, Lu Yuan had laughed for a long time after receiving this letter.

But perhaps this was just mutual encouragement between the emperor and his ministers?

Unfortunately, such confidential matters were not for her to inquire about.

And this snow, which left footprints, was not limited to Liangzhou.

Half a month later, it was brought into the Guanzhong region by the wind from the Wei River Valley.

When the winter wind, slightly mixed with snowflakes, blew into the Chang’an palace through the open windows, Qiao Yan paused her writing and turned her gaze outside.

It’s snowing?

After a moment of distraction, she realized, yes, it really was snowing!

This was no ordinary snow.

After the rare rainfall this year, the sudden snowfall was enough to draw everyone’s attention.

They say auspicious snow promises a good harvest, but compared to a good harvest, as long as next year’s weather is normal and not a drought, it would be the best outcome for this land that has suffered for over a decade.

This was truly a timely snowfall.

She walked to the window and looked outside, seeing the slightly gloomy sky due to the impending snowstorm, with a ray of sunlight casting a colorful glow, indicating a good omen.

Seeing this, she murmured, “Next year will probably be a good season.”

Just as she finished speaking, a draft from the window blew a piece of scrap paper off the table, catching her attention.

Qiao Yan glanced back, closed the window to keep out the increasingly cold wind, and went to pick up the paper.

The folded scrap paper had been spread open by the wind, revealing the words clearly.

If anyone had been there with her, they would have seen that at the end of the paper, it clearly read—

“Everyone says there’s no first in literature and no second in martial arts, but I don’t agree. In my leisure, I ask, if we were to judge the best strategist, who would be worthy of being called the best in the world?”

This wasn’t a difficult question to answer, as everyone has their own standards.

But there was a small line following it, “Answer seriously, or you won’t get next year’s Victory Coin.”

And this was the sentence she included in every letter to her civil officials in October.

“This is a threat! A threat, you know!” The system, seeing this again, couldn’t help but comment, still unable to get over it.

Who would use such a method to prove they are the best strategist in the world!

Would any of her subordinates dare to write a name other than hers?

But facing the system’s outburst, Qiao Yan just tossed the paper into the wastebasket and replied, “Plotting to seize the world and rule the land, isn’t that the best strategy in the world? This is plotting for the happiness of the people, for peace across the land, for…”

“By the way,” she paused and asked, “Tell me, according to this method, have we completed our task?”

That task—

The one where you can’t live past twenty if you’re not the best strategist in the world.

The system’s吐槽 stopped abruptly, and after a moment of silence, it quietly replied:

“You will live a long life.”