Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Can’t a strategist ascend the throne? Volume 2: At the Foot of Taihang Mountains, A Small Test of Skill Chapter 50: Mulberry Bark for Cold Protection

Bao Hong felt that he wasn’t returning to the capital to report on his mission, but rather like a tribute envoy sent from the fief of Leping County to the capital, Luoyang.

But then again, although he had managed to become a captain in Luoyang, there were many captains with better backgrounds than him, and compared to others, he didn’t have much advantage. Under normal circumstances, how could he meet someone like the Grand Commandant?

Moreover, he had gone to Leping to deliver Qiao Xuan’s coffin, supervised the completion of the temple, and then returned. At most, he was just a messenger.

With such a grand reason, surely he wouldn’t be charged by Liu Hong just for sending inappropriate things to Qiao Yan… right?

From Leping to Luoyang, even though he walked quickly and had traveled this road before, it was already November when he arrived in the capital.

Shortly after entering the pass, snow began to fall.

When passing by the northern mountains, the once green hills were now shrouded in white mist.

Entering Luoyang, the snow spread across the rooftops.

This was the state of the Little Ice Age during the late Han period.

Even in the Jiangnan region, where snow was rarely recorded, it could snow for a month in winter, let alone in the north.

Last year’s cold was still vivid in Bao Hong’s memory. At that time, the capital had three feet of snow, and many civilian houses within the city walls collapsed. If it weren’t for the consideration of the capital’s image, they wouldn’t have been repaired so quickly.

This year, the power of the weather was no less.

Bao Hong came from the direction with the fewest civilian houses in the northern part of the city and saw a desolate scene, which made him shiver inwardly.

Who knows how many people would freeze to death this winter.

If the frost reduced the harvest, next year would be tough.

When he left Leping, the mountain ditches for planting yams next year were already completed, and winter wheat had been sown on the flat land.

After completing the construction of the temple and yam warehouse, the Black Mountain Bandits, under Qiao Yan’s orders, began building winter houses outside the county city and at the foot of the mountains.

Although there was no land or house distribution for these Black Mountain Bandit captives, and many people had to squeeze into these winter houses, and Leping was far from the grandeur of the Han palaces, for some reason, Bao Hong felt that Leping was more orderly.

But now was not the time to think about this.

The funeral procession with the three dukes’ scale meant that he, as a guard, had to meet the Emperor upon returning to the capital and explain the situation.

He had to gather his thoughts and meet the Emperor first, delivering the box and memorial Qiao Yan had asked him to bring to Liu Hong.

When Bao Hong stepped into the palace hall, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

But perhaps because the charcoal fire in the palace was burning fiercely, making him feel warm after coming in from the cold outside, his unease temporarily subsided.

He cautiously glanced at Liu Hong and handed the box and memorial to Zhang Rang, who then presented them to Liu Hong.

Since this wasn’t a formal audience, the Emperor wasn’t wearing court robes but was wrapped in a fur coat, sitting at the head.

Whether it was Bao Hong’s illusion or not, he felt that Liu Hong’s sickly appearance had worsened with the arrival of winter.

The charcoal fire in the room cast an unhealthy red glow.

But this was not something he dared to say. Although everyone knew that the Han Emperors didn’t live long, he couldn’t say it in front of Liu Hong.

He could only silently lower his head and wait for Liu Hong to speak first: “How is Qiao Gong’s temple, as you see it?”

He replied, “The Marquis of Leping wiped out the Black Mountain Bandits two or three months ago, using them as laborers without delaying the autumn harvest of Leping’s people. After completing Qiao Gong’s temple, Cai Bojie inscribed and erected a stele. In my opinion, the temple is simple and grand, showcasing Your Majesty’s deep affection for Qiao Gong.”

“That’s good,” Liu Hong said indifferently. “These Black Mountain Bandits are quite useful.”

After Qiao Yan defeated the Black Mountain Bandits, she and the three prefects devised a plan to deceive them for grain, which she truthfully reported in her memorial to Liu Hong.

In the general amnesty after the change of era to Zhongping, the reduction of penalties for those involved in the Yellow Turban activities was limited. She continued to restrain them within her territory, which couldn’t be considered an overreach of jurisdiction.

Moreover, the surrounding three commanderies were particularly concerned about the whereabouts of these people. Keeping them in Leping was indeed a suitable solution.

But this way, Leping gained an additional nine thousand people…

It was somewhat coincidental that Qiao Yan was granted ten thousand households, and as the Emperor, Liu Hong might not be pleased to see her territory’s population grow.

But this subtle thought was something he couldn’t share with Bao Hong. He just asked, “I heard that the Grand Commandant’s grandson is still there?”

Around early August, someone from the Grand Commandant’s residence arrived in Leping.

According to Yang Ci’s letter, after seeing Yang Xiu’s letter, he initially wanted to bring his grandson back immediately. But considering Yang Xiu’s previous behavior at Dingzhong Temple, competing with Qiao Yan, he thought it might be good for him to suffer a bit.

So he had his servant wait a month before going to Leping.

The Yang family servant arrived in Leping just before Qiao Yan eradicated the Black Mountain Bandits. At that time, Yang Xiu was busy brewing wine.

The Grand Commandant’s young master brewing wine instead of doing something proper seemed utterly irresponsible to the envoy!

With the bandit threat outside, he wished he could knock Yang Xiu out and take him away immediately.

Even though it was later proven that Qiao Yan had the ability to eradicate the bandits and Yang Xiu switched from brewing wine to “writing children’s songs,” it didn’t make him feel any better.

But Yang Xiu was determined not to return. To prevent being taken away, he even declared that if they could knock him out all the way to Luoyang, fine, but if not, he would find a way to run back.

Bao Hong couldn’t help but find the chaotic scene amusing, but he couldn’t show it. He replied, “Young Master Yang probably wants to stay outside a bit longer since he’s never left Luoyang before.”

“Then let him stay,” Liu Hong said casually.

For some reason, Bao Hong felt that Liu Hong’s tone was somewhat light, as if he was pleased to see the future heir of the Hongnong Yang family acting so rebelliously.

But before his not-so-quick mind could figure it out, he saw Liu Hong reach for the box Qiao Yan had sent.

His heart tightened again.

He watched as Liu Hong took out a small box from the rather plain box. The small box had a special wax seal around it, seemingly mixed with something else.

When the attendant next to Liu Hong tried to open it, they found it stickier than usual wax seals.

But since it was a gift for the Emperor, it was normal for it to be special.

However, strangely, inside the box were not jewels or precious artifacts, but flower-shaped pastries.

The silk attached to the box explained that these pastries were made from yam, Solomon’s seal, honey, and millet, and needed to be steamed before eating.

While the concept of rice cakes already existed in southern pastries, the popular pastries in Luoyang were more about rice balls with decorations. The yam pastries Qiao Yan sent were finely made, piquing Liu Hong’s interest.

After being steamed and verified by the imperial kitchen, the pastries, placed on a green tray with a goose-yellow color, were even more appealing.

Liu Hong took a bite and found the pastry sweet, fragrant, and glutinous, even better than the Hu cakes he particularly liked.

The yam itself was bland, but the millet, a common northern grain, added sweetness when ground into flour, and the honey blended the flavors, creating the taste Liu Hong was enjoying.

The low temperatures since October…








The semi-vacuum wax-sealed environment made this not-too-long-distance transportation possible.

The texture damage from the second steaming was clearly not as significant as Liu Hong’s novelty towards fresh things.

Perhaps because tasting sweets always puts one in a good mood, and after just witnessing a joke at the Grand Commandant’s residence, Liu Hong felt less displeased when he picked up the memorial written by Qiao Yan.

Upon reading the contents of the memorial, he suppressed his emotions even further.

This memorial…

Hmph, it was more like her food research record than a formal memorial.

In simpler terms, Qiao Yan wrote that since arriving at her fief, she found it vastly different from Yanzhou where she previously resided. For example, the yams she planned to cultivate artificially were longer than those grown in Yanzhou.

Due to the unique growing environment of the Iron Rod Yam, it was more glutinous and solid than other varieties. Using it solely as a soup ingredient would be a waste, hence various pastries were created.

These few lines vividly depicted a rather childish research.

Liu Hong had recently reviewed Qiao Yan’s feudal system proposal for the prefectures, and now felt a sense of disorientation, finding it hard to believe both were written by the same person.

But considering Qiao Yan’s age, it seemed plausible.

However, Qiao Yan’s thoughts were more advanced than those of a typical child her age. She mentioned using yams and Polygonatum in the pastries, both excellent for replenishing vitality. Unfortunately, recent disasters had reduced their yield in the mountains. Otherwise, they should be promoted for health benefits. She also recalled reading that major epidemics often follow great chaos, urging His Majesty to be vigilant.

Of course, before that, the ruler should also take care of his health, hence she presented these pastries.

Major epidemics…

Liu Hong couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

A major epidemic had occurred in the fifth year of Guanghe. If not for this outbreak, the Yellow Turban Way might not have gained its final push in reputation.

But as Qiao Yan said, epidemics often follow wars. The suppression of the Yellow Turbans would inevitably cause casualties, and any mishandling could lead to severe consequences, possibly triggering another epidemic next year.

But what could he do? He had already sent eunuchs and officials to distribute medicine.

This reminder in the memorial was ultimately just empty talk.

He didn’t realize that this mention of epidemics temporarily pushed aside his concerns about Qiao Yan harboring Black Mountain Bandits.

He only thought that during his reign, four major epidemics had already occurred. If a fifth were to happen, it would be troublesome.

Cai Yong had previously submitted memorials stating that disasters and epidemics were due to the ruler’s failure in selecting capable officials and over-reliance on eunuchs. But if that were true, whom should he appoint?

In this mix of frustration and relief, his gaze shifted from Qiao Yan’s memorial to a wooden box beside him.

The wax-sealed method, combined with the box’s design that made it hard to open even after removing the wax, kept the food inside almost fresh when presented to him, which was quite interesting.

He pointed at it and asked Bao Hong, “Could this be used for transporting military rations and vegetables?”

At this, Bao Hong almost couldn’t hide his shocked expression.

Liu Hong might have been thinking of improving the soldiers’ diet, finding dry rations and baked cakes too monotonous, but—

“Your Majesty, the wax seal is too expensive to be widely used!”

Scholars are rare because studying at night requires lighting lamps and candles, which is a significant expense.

Qiao Yan could afford to melt wax for sealing, and Liu Hong naturally could too, but applying this to something that requires frugality seemed impractical.

Unaware of Liu Hong’s somewhat “let them eat cake” question, Qiao Yan, with the help of Cheng Li and Xi Zhicai, felt she had minimized the impact of harboring Black Mountain Bandits in her memorial.

She had been busy with the next phase since the autumn harvest and was now at a critical point, with no extra energy to worry about Liu Hong’s reaction.

Snow fell in the capital, and Leping County had also shown signs of cooling recently.

Even though the surrounding mountains provided some wind protection, it couldn’t counteract the indiscriminate attack of the Little Ice Age.

And cold is a killer no less significant than epidemics.

Despite ample grain stored in Leping’s warehouses and the useful Black Mountain labor team preparing firewood, the lack of warm clothing was an undeniable fact.

Apart from the small amount of cotton recorded in imperial robes, cotton cultivation and weaving were far from widespread in the Central Plains. Even knowing its excellent insulation, she couldn’t just conjure it up.

Suggesting a trip south to find materials, given the inconvenient transportation and the common view of the south as barbaric, wasn’t a suitable decision.

Cotton was clearly out of the question.

Next, Qiao Yan thought of chicken and duck down.

But it was obvious that in times of famine, there was no extra grain to raise poultry, and even if there were, it wouldn’t be enough to make warm clothing.

Qiao Yan was at her wit’s end.

Now was not the time for extensive charcoal heating; physical insulation was the primary method.

It was then that she heard an interesting piece of news from Lu Yuan.

She said that since Cai Lun improved papermaking, paper was still mostly used for bamboo slips due to its poor preservation. However, servants in households that could afford paper, if they couldn’t afford winter fur coats, often used discarded paper as insulation in cloth.

Paper is light, and using it for warmth sounds absurd, but for those with limited means, it was a viable option.

The improved papermaking used inexpensive materials, making it feasible for those in desperate need of an extra layer of warmth.

Following their lead, some commoners also tried similar methods for insulation.

Perhaps it couldn’t be called paper, but more like layered tree bark fibers.

Realizing this option, Qiao Yan immediately ordered people to search the mountains for a tree called the mulberry tree.

This tree also grew in Shanxi, and the vast Taihang Mountains surely had at least one mulberry forest.

Why the mulberry tree?

Because its bark is high in fiber, sufficient to meet the insulation needs, which is why mulberry bark paper robes appeared in later generations.

Given her current conditions, Qiao Yan couldn’t produce mulberry bark paper, but pressing the bark fibers into a layer for clothing to survive the winter was feasible.

Fortunately, the Black Mountain Bandits, active in the Taihang Mountains, not only informed her of the nearest mulberry trees but also brought back two additional items while harvesting the bark.

One was the Polygonatum added to the yam pastries.

The other was the tree’s glue-like sap, which Qiao Yan added to the wax seal of the wooden box.

When Bao Hong arrived in the capital, it was also when the first rough version of the mulberry bark clothing was completed in Leping.

Being young and speaking without restraint, Cai Zhaoji quietly asked a soul-stirring question while watching Qiao Yan’s delighted expression holding the mulberry bark clothing: “So, what Marquis Qiao gifted to His Majesty… isn’t it just—”

“Isn’t it just scraps?”