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Chapter 48
Strategy for Cultivation
At Yingchuan, Xi Zhicai—
He was a notable figure in the Cao Wei camp, a predecessor to Guo Jia.
Only after his passing did Xun Yu recommend Guo Fengxiao to Cao Cao.
This was someone Qiao Yan had never expected to find in her territory.
Previously, while pacifying the Yellow Turban Bandits in Changshe, Qiao Yan had hardly met any renowned scholars from the Ru-Ying area, let alone expect someone to seek her out after arriving on her land.
She was completely blindsided when the visit happened.
This was totally different from Zhao Yun showing up to discuss taking down the Black Mountain Bandits.
Especially since…
Xi Zhicai hadn’t introduced himself initially; he arrived in Leping pretending to be an “employee” from a wine business. His sudden self-disclosure held deeper implications.
Qiao Yan locked eyes with him and asked, “Why did Mr. Xi use a pseudonym at first, only to come here now under the pretext of offering advice? This hardly reflects the way of a gentleman.”
Xi Zhicai, who had written to He Yong in a similar tone, wasn’t about to see himself as any gentleman. Upon hearing Qiao Yan’s jest about his not-so-noble behavior, he simply chuckled and replied:
“Those who offer advice ought to understand how their benefactor operates; the tactics and strategies can only be effective if they align with the actual pros and cons. Plus, I’ve been living in Leping for a month, without prying into any secrets, stepping on critical grounds, or receiving any salary. While I can’t claim to be a gentleman, I assure you I mean no offense, Lady Qiao; I hope you’ll overlook it.”
That was a fair point. By saying so, even his behavior as a boozehound who could get by without a coin became proof of his seasoned discretion.
This skill at patching things up was precisely what a strategist was capable of—turning black into white.
What he said here was more than enough.
There was no need for him to reveal that he had chosen to be honest about his identity because he saw Qiao Yan’s handling of the Black Mountain Bandits. Despite only governing a single county, dealing with haphazard and unstrategic bandits only highlighted her knack for manipulating people, which Xi Zhicai found truly commendable.
Her ability to gauge people influenced the Wang family of Taiyuan when it came to soothing the Southern Xiongnu’s grievances, as well as understanding the Black Mountain Bandits’ needs regarding provisions and the different approaches of their two leaders, also showing her insight into how the people of Leping were willing to rally behind her as the County Marquis.
Her adeptness at managing her subordinates and the value she placed on uninvited guest Zhao Yun undoubtedly elevated Xi Zhicai’s impression of her by another notch.
When the Black Mountain Bandits attacked that night, though it might seem inappropriate to say, he truly saw traces of a potential leader emerging from this young County Marquis.
As for strategists, some came from noble families with a name for themselves, like Wang Yun and Xun Yu, but what about someone like him? Finding a suitable lord to showcase his talents was no easy task.
With that said, it didn’t sound unreasonable for him to candidly reveal his identity and offer up some strategies.
Qiao Yan’s subsequent reaction reaffirmed his assessment of her as correct without a doubt.
Upon hearing Xi Zhicai’s answer, Qiao Yan immediately rose from her seat and walked over to him, solemnly stating, “If that’s the case, I’d like to know what strategy you are proposing.”
There was no indication that she minded his earlier concealment of identity, and it was clear she never underestimated him due to his previous low profile.
Xi Zhicai replied, “Lady Qiao, you are astute. What’s needed now is merely a transitional strategy, hence my recommendation is an extraordinary one.”
Extraordinary?
Such self-praise was quite rare.
But when Xi Zhicai laid out his suggestion, even Qiao Yan, who loved unconventional tactics, had to concede that his idea was indeed extraordinary—something not just anyone could come up with.
Three days later, the prefects of Shangdang, Changshan, and Taiyuan all received letters from Qiao Yan.
When Qiao Yan first arrived in Leping, she had sent courtesy letters to those three, simply to introduce herself as a way of being polite.
At that time, the three were greatly intrigued by their young “neighbor,” who had been appointed as a County Marquis; it seemed utterly unbelievable, giving Qiao Yan a fair deal of pride.
However, after receiving her letter, they sighed with relief at the humility evident in her words.
Clearly, she wasn’t one of those difficult-to-deal-with geniuses.
So, when they got Qiao Yan’s letter this time, they assumed it was just a normal greeting after her month in Leping.
But the very beginning of the letter dropped a bombshell!
Qiao Yan wasted no time saying that in this tiny Leping, having hoarded a significant amount of grain, she had attracted the Black Mountain Bandits’ attention. In the face of their invasion, she managed to capture the entire gang to secure Leping’s stability.
This meant they had no need to worry about the Black Mountain Bandits anymore.
Sure, some rogue bandits remained holed up somewhere in the mountains, but the bandit leader Zhang Niujiao and Chu Yan were already captured by her, shackled and all, while the most elite among them had been caught. The others simply posed no threat.
The three were immediately taken aback.
This County Marquis had only been in the area for such a short time!
In a period too brief for her to rally the locals and form a local militia, she had managed to pull off what could only be termed a heroic feat—it was downright astonishing.
Outside the direct influence of the Wang army, in places still feeling the impact of the Yellow Turbans, if she reported this to the capital, although there were no higher titles to reward her with beyond County Marquis, she would certainly receive rewards from Luoyang and some commendation from the Son of Heaven himself.
But just as the three prefects were beginning to rethink their opinions on their new neighbor because of this news, they spotted her mention in the following lines—
Based on the current strategy for dealing with the Yellow Turbans, while these bandits hadn’t responded immediately to Zhang Jiao’s call, they had indeed formed a considerable force that should be treated similarly to the Yellow Turban remnants from Quzhou and Guangzong.
One could either pay them off to spare their lives or send them off to Wuyuan to do hard labor based on proximity.
However, after much thought, Qiao Yan believed she had a better plan.
She specifically mentioned that during the attack, the bandit leader Zhang Niujiao had a perfect opportunity to kill the warehouse keeper but merely knocked him out, showing some level of kindness.
Of course, in reality, it was simply because Zhang Niujiao figured that would stabilize the situation—hardly a sign of compassion.
Additionally, when she had the bandits completely under control, before deciding how to deal with them, Qiao Yan arranged for them to help in constructing the shrine for Qiao Xuan. They knew they had seriously messed up, so they didn’t even think of fleeing.
After all, they revolted to feed themselves; now that they could eat, why run?
Embellished by Qiao Yan’s description, the Black Mountain Bandits suddenly transformed into people who were not inherently evil, merely forced into banditry by circumstance, completely salvageable.
The three prefects looked at those lines in the letter and could practically envision the idealistic notions currently filling Qiao Yan’s head.
As they pondered how to correct the unnecessary thoughts of this promising younger colleague, they continued reading.
【Qiao thought it too lenient to lightly punish serious crimes; otherwise, everyone would take the risk, leading to greater calamity.】
Thank goodness, still salvageable.
【While they have a heart to repent, they are also not Zhang Jiao’s direct followers, sending them to distant fronts might be ill-advised.】
With that logic, people could probably be swayed…
【In my humble opinion, it would be better to let them work off their punishments; within a year, it might become a delightful tale.】
【Since Qiao has been in Leping for a month now, she feels surrounded by mountains; while there are bountiful resources, movement is inconvenient. So, let the Black Mountain Bandits clear the mountain paths to connect with your area, facilitating trade between Leping and your regions—there will certainly be a win-win situation!】
“……”
If one could sum up the expressions of the three prefects at that moment, it would most likely be—
“Please, no!”
Qiao Yan’s thoughts, at first glance, seemed pretty good.
Leping was surrounded by hills and mountains; on the right, the Taihang Mountains were accessed only through the mountain paths between the hills and the Jingxing within the Taihang Eighth Ridge. This made it challenging for the Wang family from Jinyang to deliver supplies to her. If she could leverage the manpower she had now to widen those paths, allowing carts and horses to pass freely, wouldn’t it be a mutually beneficial plan?
And sending the Black Mountain bandits to do labor wouldn’t be leniency; it was a stern warning.
But that was just the surface understanding.
In reality?
In their perception, bandits were bandits. Right now, they were caught because Qiao Yan outsmarted them. However, what if they were granted the opportunity to repair paths in the mountains? What if they seized that chance and escaped?
Then these people might take flight back into the mountains, and after getting defeated by Leping, they could instinctively aim for survival by bypassing Leping and causing trouble in Changshan, Shangdang, or even Taiyuan!
It was uncertain whether it would ever be this easy to bait them back in with a hook again.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable for them to send a letter to the court, requesting that the emperor pressure Qiao Yan to impose severe punishment on the Black Mountain Bandits. But…
“`
But then again…
To start, Qiao Yan is still quite young, and she’s got her grandpa Qiao Xuan, a loyal servant of the Han Dynasty. Her somewhat idealistic actions aren’t bad at heart, but if she files a petition, it might seem like she’s making a fool of a lone girl.
Secondly, guided by Xi Zhicai’s strategies, Qiao Yan added a line in her letter.
Essentially, it meant that if the recipient thinks that these Black Mountain Bandits were just bandits squashed under the burden of labor, with a hint of leniency in mind and not strictly following the law, then they could still go through the legal motions.
During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, a method for dealing with bandits was proposed: “If five men jointly execute one man, they are freed from blame.”
This decree was later compared to the anti-bandit strategies of Emperor Wu of Han.
Under this rule, if within the gang of thieves, five capture one more among them, and after executing them come to the authorities to confess, it doesn’t count as their crime. This approach has been continued till now.
So, Qiao Yan’s idea was roughly this: if you think I’m just letting them work as laborers and feel I’m being too lenient with their punishment, that’s not a big deal; we’ll just follow the procedures.
I’ll pick the ones with the heaviest charges from them and deal with them using a “choose one out of six” method; thus, the remaining ones are deemed cleared of their thieving reputation. This way, I’ll provide them with food and encourage them towards reformation during the road construction, which isn’t seen as too lenient either.
“…” I don’t know why, but even though she’s operating within the law, there’s this annoying feeling caught in my throat.
If this were the Warring States period, then connecting Taiyuan and expanding Jingxing might involve some state affairs disputes.
But now, this is the Han Dynasty, and the capital is Luoyang!
While Taiyuan continues to hold that defendable status with mountains for protection, it can’t be openly discussed. Qiao Yan’s desire to connect different regions is completely reasonable.
But still—
Just thinking about the bandits who previously ran rampant in the Taihang Mountains possibly invading her territory next second made the three of them feel uneasy.
With Qiao Yan holding onto the ideals and the benevolent teachings of the saints, they can’t just write her a letter calling her methods too childish.
After deliberation, these three came up with a bright idea.
Since it’s only about “labor reform,” expanding the mountain paths counts as work, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t putting effort into building up Leping count too?
How about this: as a show of acknowledgment and praise for Qiao Yan’s capture of the bandit chief, they would provide a food subsidy.
But since manpower and food are already available, they shouldn’t rush to connect trade routes; the current paths are still usable, so why not develop local construction in Leping first?
Qiao Yan previously reduced their tax burdens due to her noble presence, and this would have reached their ears to some extent.
With the reduction of per-mu taxes, agricultural production in Leping should certainly see growth.
But—
Don’t just focus on the existing good fields; look at the mountainous lands within her domain!
As long as she figures out a way to keep people from leaving Leping, she can teach them however she likes.
Among the letters sent from the three parties with the food subsidies, the general theme was just this.
Although the fact that these three parties are sending grain will likely be known to one another, it doesn’t change that Qiao Yan’s letter contained no deceit. After all, forming friendships with neighbors naturally requires multiple considerations.
No one said she couldn’t divide the captured Black Mountain Bandits into three groups and send them to different locations for clearing paths.
Moreover, being prefects, they should know what it means to keep consistency in administration. Since the food has already reached Qiao Yan, there’s absolutely no chance she’d spit it out.
As for the locals in Leping, Qiao Yan declared this batch of food as a reward for eradicating bandits.
Since Qiao Yan left the capital at the end of June, it’s now nearing mid-August, and though she’ll later encounter the Mid-Autumn Festival which began in the early Tang Dynasty and doesn’t exist yet, the nearing date allows her to justify distributing some of the grain as rewards for the county folks under the guise of good fortune.
This portion of grain isn’t much, more like a gift, but it communicates the message of “what’s gained up top, what’s also gained down below.”
Since Qiao Yan arrived in Leping, although the County Marquis is the “master” of the territory rather than an official, it hasn’t stopped the simpler county folk from sending their homemade goods or coarse cloth as gifts to the county office for her.
These offerings can’t compare to what she has given, but they are enough to show her a glimpse of the locals’ allegiance towards her.
In the face of years of natural disasters, winning the people’s hearts is now easier than before.
Implementing benevolent governance can shelter the region and help the people fill their bellies, and… well, just showing that their basic survival needs might get satisfied is enough to sway the Han people of the late Han towards her side.
While holding a small basket of violets, Qiao Yan expressed her gratitude to Xi Zhicai once more: “Sir, you truly are a talent.”
If it weren’t for Xi Zhicai’s insight and the magic-like decree of banishing bandits, the three prefects might have found a loophole that could have diverted the intended direction of development.
He’s right in saying his method is a brilliant strategy.
Xi Zhicai isn’t much for formalities, and now he casually rummaged through the items gifted by the Leping folk.
He didn’t think he needed to take credit here since the locals’ willingness to send wild vegetables and mountain goods as thanks isn’t solely because of the food Qiao Yan has on hand.
It’s more of a contributing factor; ultimately, from her arrival in Leping till now, every single action she’s taken has been spot-on.
His curiosity seemed more about what the Jinzhong region’s gifts could offer compared to his home in Yingchuan.
However, since he had earlier visited Yunzhong Mountain and spent a few days in Jinyang City, it was clear there wasn’t anything particularly novel to find.
He turned back to Qiao Yan and asked, “From your perspective, now that we have manpower and food at hand, what do you intend to plant in the mountains?”
“Oh? Looks like you’ve got another brilliant idea to share with me?” Qiao Yan countered.
“Well, planting matters should adapt to local conditions; there’s no need for some elaborate scheme,” Xi Zhicai chortled, “It’s just… huh!”
Suddenly, Xi Zhicai jolted upright.
While responding to Qiao Yan, his hand had absentmindedly rested on a pile of mountain goods. As he reached for what he thought was a stick for support, it turned out to be yam!
Upon retracting his hand, he found it all red and irritated.
This yam isn’t exceptionally rare; it grows wild in Yingchuan. But here in the Taihang Mountains, due to the different varieties, it takes on a longer form, akin to the Huai mountain yam once presented to the Zhou emperor by Duke Huan of the State of Wei.
And the Huai yam is just one type of yam.
This yam, which is now called Dioscorea, stands in stark contrast to Xi Zhicai; when he encountered it in Yingchuan, he discovered he had a mild allergy to it. Most just feel a bit itchy after touching it, while he breaks out in rashes and swelling.
“Go grab some vinegar,” Qiao Yan ordered quickly, and soon a nimble county officer brought some over.
Xi Zhicai took it, and hearing Qiao Yan, he skeptically applied the vinegar to his hand, instantly feeling much better.
“Please forgive me, Qiao Marquis; this yam truly is…” his absolute nemesis.
But before he could finish, Qiao Yan interrupted, “This stuff is truly a lifesaver!”
Turning around, Xi Zhicai saw Qiao Yan extracting that yam from the pile of mountain goods.
In the way she looked at the yam, her expression radiated satisfaction.
Or rather, it might be more fitting to describe her reaction as pure delight.
She then asked, “In your opinion, how about planting yam in the hilly areas?”
Currently, yam hasn’t transitioned from wild to cultivated status; the method of segment planting hasn’t yet been extended to such an apparently unsightly produce.
But the “Shennong Bencao Jing” has already recorded its benefits in boosting energy, replenishing nutrients, and building muscles. Zhang Zhongjing later wrote in “Jin Kui Yao Lue,” “For those weakened by various deficiencies, or suffering from wind and illness, yam pills are the answer.” Given how rampant the epidemics were during the late Han, this is undoubtedly an effective medicine to subtly enhance resistance.
The Taihang Mountains serve as a significant native production area for yam, and naturally, they have the perfect geographic conditions for its cultivation.
But that wasn’t Qiao Yan’s main reason for deciding this.
If she hadn’t seen it earlier, she might not have thought of it, but upon sight, she suddenly realized that regarding starchy foods, both yam and sweet potatoes average similar yields of about three thousand pounds per mu!
Though due to considerations for water and fertilizer efficiency and the risks of overconsumption, it’s indeed not suitable for mass production as a staple; under the current circumstances, it could be planted for a couple of years.
This represents a reasonable use of the mountainous environment.
Moreover, cultivating yam does require a lot of manpower at different stages, but now that Qiao Yan has captured these Black Mountain Bandits, isn’t this a great opportunity to temper their character through this process?
If it weren’t for this, she really wouldn’t dare to hastily recruit them.
Decided then, they shall plant yams!
