Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Clear Voice of a Young Phoenix Chapter 5: Disciple of Lord Zheng

Liang Zhongning stared at this unexpected visitor.

If it weren’t for the previous defeat outside the Tian Family Fortress, he might have thought this was another arrogant person who didn’t know their place upon hearing their introduction.

But even if he had such thoughts, after carefully considering the meaning behind their words, he wouldn’t have truly regarded them as a reckless fool blocking the road.

“Yan Qiao from Gaomi?” Liang Zhongning furrowed his brows.

At that time, people often prefixed their names with their place of origin to indicate their background, such as Zhao Zilong from Changshan or Lu Fengxian from Jiuyuan.

Firstly, this practice stemmed from the “Prohibition of Two-Character Names” implemented after Wang Mang’s usurpation during the late Western Han Dynasty, which continued into the Eastern Han Dynasty. With the prevalence of two-character names, adding a place name, official title, or rank made it easier to distinguish between people.

Secondly, the sense of local community and regional loyalty was incredibly strong at that time.

Regardless of the naming conventions, both Yan Qiao from Gaomi and Dian Wei from Chenliu were names Liang Zhongning had never heard before.

However, there was one difference: Gaomi was not within the borders of Yanzhou.

And when it came to Gaomi, it was hard not to think of one person.

“Indeed, Gaomi, where Master Zheng Kangcheng resides,” Qiao Yan replied, as if she could guess his confusion.

She stood calmly, her tone steady, making it hard to believe she was fabricating anything.

The original “Qiao Yan” had been ill for a long time, rarely leaving home or interacting with neighbors. Due to her mother’s influence, her accent was more akin to the official dialect of Luoyang than the local Liang dialect of Yanzhou, which added another layer of protection to her disguise.

But compared to Qiao Yan’s composure, Liang Zhongning’s reaction upon hearing the name “Master Zheng Kangcheng” was far more dramatic.

Who was Zheng Kangcheng?

He was none other than the great Confucian scholar of the time, Zheng Xuan!

Gaomi was part of the Beihai State at that time, so strictly speaking, she should have referred to herself as Yan Qiao from Beihai, just like Kong Rong from Beihai.

But in the face of Zheng Xuan’s name, her choice of address was perfectly justified.

Zheng Xuan had studied under Diwu Yuanxian, Zhang Gongzu, and Ma Rong, and by the age of forty, he had become a renowned Confucian scholar. During his time farming in Donglai, he had thousands of disciples who came to listen to his lectures.

During the Prohibition of Factionalists in the first year of Jianning, Zheng Xuan, having once served under Du Mi, was implicated and sent back to his ancestral home in Gaomi thirteen years ago.

People of the time highly esteemed famous scholars, especially someone like Zheng Xuan, a renowned scholar of the realm.

Even after being sent back to Gaomi, the prohibition did not hinder Zheng Xuan from teaching and spreading his knowledge.

Over those thirteen years, he wrote millions of words of Confucian classics, founded the Zheng School of Thought, and became famous in his debates with the New Text Confucianism!

Even the Yellow Turban Army, with its vast number of followers, could not compare to Zheng Xuan’s influence in Gaomi and Donglai.

The name “Gaomi,” because of Zheng Xuan, might even surpass that of Beihai.

And if this young boy who had come to him was truly a disciple of Zheng Xuan, Liang Zhongning dared not treat him lightly.

He lowered the half of the spear shaft in his hand, his expression losing some of its aggressiveness.

Then, he slowly guided his horse forward, stopping right in front of the boy.

At such a close distance, the boy’s face, backlit by the sun, became clearly visible.

Despite the intimidating presence of a bandit leader, the boy’s expression remained calm, as if unshaken by the threat. He merely raised his eyes, as if giving Liang Zhongning another signal.

Such composure and demeanor at such a young age did seem plausible.

With this realization, Liang Zhongning could further deduce why the boy had appeared here.

Zheng Xuan, in his youth, had mastered the arts of divination and numerology, reaching a high level of proficiency. After studying under Ma Rong in Guanzhong, he even participated in the calculations of the celestial sphere.

To someone like Liang Zhongning, who had heard much about Zheng Xuan, it wasn’t impossible that this young disciple, having achieved some success in the study of fate and divination, had calculated his movements.

Though Liang Zhongning was wary of such a master, he didn’t want to show any sign of weakness. Instead, he raised his voice and asked, “So, what brings you to me?”

No matter how much the Yellow Turbans occupied the provinces at that time, they were still essentially refugees. In contrast, Zheng Xuan’s disciples were at least connected to the scholarly class, creating a vast gap between the two.

Moreover, Liang Zhongning wasn’t blind. He could see that despite the boy’s pale complexion, he had clearly grown up in a privileged environment.

One doesn’t visit a temple without a reason, and he didn’t think there was any reason for the two of them to cross paths.

But Qiao Yan seemed to completely ignore Liang Zhongning’s reluctance to engage with her. She replied in a steady voice, “I observed the stars last night and saw that the rebel leader is in danger—not just one, but multiple. I wish to offer you two pieces of advice in exchange—”

“Please escort me back to Gaomi.”

Liang Zhongning wasn’t moved by the mention of “the rebel leader’s danger.” Instead, he focused on the condition of the exchange. “But with the world in chaos, I see that you are not skilled in combat. Why the urgency to travel?”

Whether he was in danger or not didn’t seem like something that needed to be divined.

The defeat at the Tian Family Fortress, coupled with the near-death experience at the hands of Dian Wei, had left him in a state of disarray. His armor was in chaos, his troops scattered, and even his escape horse bore an arrow wound.

Returning to Puyang City in such a state, if he encountered Bu Ji and Zhang Bo’s forces coming from the west, who knew what calamity might befall him?

This was simply the reality.

Qiao Yan smiled and replied unhurriedly, “The stars do not lie, and neither do I.”








Master Zheng calculated months ago that the world would undergo changes and sent me to the capital to investigate the situation. With the rise of the Yellow Turbans, the Emperor of Han had no choice but to lift the ban on political factions, and indeed, this prediction came true. Although the decree has now been circulated to all regions, the attitude within the court still requires me to return to Gaomi to explain in detail.

As she mentioned “lifting the ban on political factions,” Liang Zhongning, who had just put down his spear, raised it again.

For a moment, the spear, still with wooden splinters, was just a step away from her neck. Even the Strategist System in her consciousness began to panic and issue warnings. Yet, Qiao Yan didn’t even blink and continued:

“However, your march is vast, and my return journey is difficult. Passing through Puyang is already my limit. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble the Rebel Leader to lend me some men.”

Liang Zhongning was almost amused by her audacious tone.

He spoke angrily, “The revival of the political factions makes them no different from the court. Since you know of the Yellow Turbans, how can you not know our slogan ‘The Blue Sky is Dead’? How dare you talk about cooperation with me? Aren’t you afraid I might take your life first?”

“Do you intend to kill a patriot?” Qiao Yan asked.

Liang Zhongning retorted, “Can a ten-year-old child be called a patriot?”

But all he received was a calm reply:

“Ambition knows no age.”

A temporary camp was set up between Puyang and the Tian Family Fortress.

While Liang Zhongning went to gather his remaining troops, Qiao Yan finally found some peace.

As a guest of this Yellow Turban Rebel Leader, she naturally enjoyed the privilege of having her own tent within the camp.

The Strategist System finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It had almost thought its host would die before achieving anything!

[You’re really too bold. You’ve seen the behavior of Bu Ji’s and Zhang Bo’s troops. No matter how cultured Liang Zhongning’s name sounds, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t just kill you outright.]

“Fortune favors the bold. Besides, the atmosphere of the late Han Dynasty is such that killing a renowned scholar is not a good thing.”

Cao Cao killed Bian Rang and almost lost Yanzhou because of it. Later, he didn’t let Ni Heng die by his hand but instead sent him to Liu Biao in Jing Province and Huang Zu in Jiangxia, where he eventually met his end.

No matter how unruly the Yellow Turban Army’s discipline may be, with bandit-like behavior, those who truly deserve the title of Rebel Leader would never dare to kill a disciple of Zheng Xuan.

Although she was just a fake, borrowing Master Zheng’s reputation as her shield, Liang Zhongning wouldn’t have the chance to go to Gaomi and verify whether she was truly Zheng Xuan’s disciple in the next few months. Qiao Yan had no psychological burden about being exposed.

Who would have thought she could pull off such a move!

Moreover, her claim of coming from Luoyang explained her official accent.

While answering the system’s doubts, she didn’t stop her hands.

Liang Zhongning’s decision to lead his troops out of Puyang to attack the Tian Family was rushed, but they had brought enough supplies. Qiao Yan borrowed flint and a cooking pot from him and finally boiled water under the corner of the opened tent.

This was the first hot water she had drunk since arriving in this chaotic late Han Dynasty.

For now, Qiao Yan didn’t care what the Yellow Turban soldiers guarding outside the tent thought of her peculiarities. Scholars often have eccentric habits, and adding one more wouldn’t be strange.

She squatted by the makeshift fire stand, warming herself by the boiling water.

The flickering firelight reflected in her eyes, soon shrouded in the rising steam.

Then, she crumbled the last piece of dry biscuit into the pot.

It still wasn’t a delicacy, but it was much more palatable than eating it dry.

The system thought back to the conversation between Qiao Yan and Liang Zhongning before they parted and asked, [But do you really intend to help him break the Tian Family Fortress? Once you take this step, you’ll be inextricably linked with the Yellow Turban Army.]

Qiao Yan took a sip of the soup and shook her head, “Judging something based solely on its beginning isn’t enough. I have my own plans, and it won’t hinder my progress to become the world’s top strategist.”

The system was speechless.

After a moment of silence, it吐槽道, [I’m starting to think your Eloquence skill should be called ‘Hustle’ or ‘Selling Dreams.’]

As a system that should have been highly relied upon due to the existence of its golden finger, its only consolation now was that Liang Zhongning was just as much under Qiao Yan’s control as it was.

When the Yellow Turban Rebel Leader went to gather his troops, he even thought he had gained a significant advantage by forcing Qiao Yan to “reluctantly” plan the attack on the Tian Family Fortress with the excuse, “Puyang is unstable, and we have no idle hands. If you consider yourself a patriot, why not try your hand at this?”

But who was really at an advantage here?

System: I don’t know what to say, but I’ll sympathize with him first.

“No, you should say it’s not my eloquence that worked, but rather my good luck.”

In fact, Qiao Yan hadn’t expected Liang Zhongning to be in such a state when she met him.

But when she saw his defeated troops from the hillside, she realized this situation gave her more room to maneuver than if he had returned victorious.

This could very well be her opportunity!

The Tian Family Fortress mentioned by him and the appearance of Dian Wei here were also good news.

Dian Wei…

This fierce general, who served as Cao Cao’s personal guard and died exhausted in the Battle of Wancheng, was undoubtedly one of the top bodyguards of the era.

Despite Qiao Yan’s confidence that Liang Zhongning wouldn’t dare kill her and her calm demeanor when the broken spear was pointed at her, she couldn’t help but feel—

Having a bodyguard would greatly ensure the safety of this “strategist,” wouldn’t it?

After all, her current constitution was only 31, and her martial prowess was a mere 15.