“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 54: March Arrives
In terms of status, Qiao Yan, being the County Marquis of Leping, naturally ranks above Zhang Yi, the Governor of Bingzhou.
But it’s not that straightforward.
Her absolute control over Leping County comes from her being the Prefect, but once Zhang Yi arrives, her autonomy will be seriously curtailed.
Although the position of the Han Dynasty’s Governor did not have military power until it was renamed as the Provincial Governor, the current Governors have considerably more authority compared to the Western Han period, especially in two core areas: selecting and appointing officials, and impeaching or reporting on them.
These powers are enough for a newcomer Governor to gather a considerable following by recommending officials to the central government and then use impeachment to remove rivals, resulting in a tendency toward centralization as their term progresses.
As central authority weakens over the provinces, the power of Governors grows year by year, and it’s not impossible for a Governor in a distant region to influence the military.
Bingzhou is somewhat remote, bordered by the Taihang Mountains, which makes it tough for the capital to meddle in its affairs.
If they take a “take for yourself” approach and tensions at border defense mount, it’s inevitable that these changes could elevate the Governor’s status to that of a local overlord.
Yet, Zhang Yi isn’t exactly a competent Governor.
His predecessors, like Duan Qiang of the “Three Masters of Liangzhou,” didn’t tone down their bloodthirst at all during their tenure, and with him sandwiched between Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, it’s hard to see him making much of an impact. The only thing he’s remembered for in history is—
When the Xiongnu chief Qiang Qu sent his son Yufuluo to lead troops in support of the Han against local uprisings in the Xihe Commandery, it wasn’t just Qiang Qu who fell at the hands of the nobles but also this Governor.
Of course, with Qiao Yan and the Wang family from Jinyang trying to win over the Xiongnu with wine, whether this internal rebellion in Southern Xiongnu will even break out by the fifth year of Zhongping remains unclear.
However, it’s evident that while Zhang Yi had quite a few capable people at his disposal, he still failed to curb the discontent among the Xiongnu, and now it’s unlikely things will improve.
As for his external capabilities? That’s a mystery.
These new Governor candidates are all quite “young”—in terms of their experience in the officialdom.
For example, Wang Yun has only recently been recommended to the Three Dukes, and he just got promoted due to the pacification efforts against the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Then there’s Huang Wan, who had been unable to serve in the court due to the Prohibition of Factionalists and only got recommended up last year by Yang Ci.
Listing these names reveals Liu Hong’s intention behind this move.
Chen Wen, Zhang Yi, Wang Yun, and Huang Wan, these four Governors represent a compromise between the Emperor and noble families. Huangfu Song and the two imperial clan members taking the Provincial Governorships are a consolidation of local power by the Emperor—
Provided those two imperial members remain loyal to the Han, claiming they only sought these positions to swiftly stabilize the regions and not to carve out their own fiefdoms once they take office.
“The Emperor’s cleverness is beyond doubt, but when the people are in distress, instead of thinking about nurturing their livelihood, he’s focused on power balance…” When Cheng Li came to consult Qiao Yan about how to deal with Zhang Yi, he saw the young County Marquis standing by the window, and the depth of contemplation on her half-visible face was unmistakable.
“This is not the way to save the nation.”
Cheng Li already knew that Qiao Yan was no ordinary figure; had she been, she wouldn’t have come to Leping to take this Prefect position with him. Yet, when he heard her bold assessment, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Qiao Yan hadn’t voiced such an opinion during their earlier meeting when she assigned everyone their tasks; this sensitive topic only arose during their private discussions, making Cheng Li feel the weight of her trust and importance on him.
This recognition undoubtedly solidified his intent to stay and assist her governance of Leping.
Of course, it might also have been sparked by her hints of ambition.
But awareness of such things is mutual and doesn’t need to be explicitly stated in conversations.
He simply said, “Your Highness previously outlined the dangers of the Provincial Governor system to the Emperor, and when you returned from that, you must have had a clear understanding of it. Now it’s just a matter of timing.”
“I know that; it’s just that adding new chaos in these turbulent times is bound to be lamented.”
Qiao Yan quickly changed the topic, “Forget about that; whether it’s Provincial Governors or Governors, it’s not something we can meddle with. Let’s discuss this new Governor; from Master Zhongde’s perspective, will this new appointee affect our actions in Leping?”
Cheng Li had already pondered this matter beforehand and replied without hesitation, “Regardless of what Zhang Yi is like, one thing is certain: he won’t reach out to Leping at least within the first year.”
“The effectiveness of a Governor’s oversight and impeachment powers hinges on the inability of the impeached to have their voices reach the capital. And since Qiao Marquis has just presented offerings to the capital, my role as Prefect is also reliant on you, meaning our interests align here. As for what happens afterward—”
Cheng Li was cautious in his speech, and his demeanor gave a sense of stability. “We have a year’s time to observe this person’s actions. Thanks to the Mulberry Bark Clothing and Hero’s Wine, the two powerful families from Jinyang maintain close relations with Leping, and we still have allies to rely on. Within this year, we can strengthen those ties; you need not worry, Your Highness.”
Qiao Yan responded, “Then I’ll have to trouble Master Zhongde more.”
For a strategist, this “trouble” was nothing.
Moreover, given that the incoming Governor Zhang Yi is less pressing compared to the threat of a widespread epidemic outside Bingzhou, ensuring Leping is prepared should be the priority.
An epidemic is no joke.
Fortunately, during this era, there isn’t much travel or tourism; Leping is, after all, just a small mountainous area, providing a relatively isolated environment.
Plus, during December, the cleanup efforts led by Qiao Yan had resulted in the completion of the project for two thousand households, which allowed them to claim two pounds of salt at the county office, encouraging the county folks to jump at the chance to participate. This precautionary measure wasn’t too hard to enforce.
The improved management of the county city’s environment had not gone unnoticed by them.
But Xi Zhicai had some bad luck; despite Qiao Yan fattening him up for a few months, his poor constitution couldn’t take it. By the end of the New Year, after a brief lapse in caution, he fell ill due to a chill, becoming the first case in Qiao Yan’s newly instituted quarantine measures.
His drinking privileges were ruthlessly cut back, with two of his six days of drinking slashed without second thought.
As Xi Zhicai sipped on the yam and pork soup sent in from outside, he penned a letter to his friend about his “tragic” life of going a whole month without alcohol, completely oblivious to how self-righteous that sounded.
Fortunately, it was merely a cold and not the epidemic, and once it was confirmed he was back to his lively self, he was let out.
But before he could even think about diving into a drink, Qiao Yan delivered some particularly shocking news.
On the day of Jiyou in the second year of Zhongping, a massive fire broke out in the Southern Palace of Luoyang, which raged for half a month before it was finally extinguished.
The most severely damaged was the Yutang Hall, where Liu Hong resided.
Yet perhaps due to the years of disasters numbing him, or because of various celestial anomalies observed during the late Han period, even without Qiao Yan mentioning the heavenly omens during that debate, he didn’t seem too concerned about the significance of the disaster. After the fire was contained, he made an undeniable decision.
Tax the fields of the realm.
There had already been oppressive land taxes on the people beforehand, who would’ve imagined that Liu Hong would, as the major epidemic still gripped the time, use the fire at Yutang Hall as an excuse to cash in on tax revenue.
Qiao Yan could guess the reasoning behind his decision.
After using the royal family to govern provinces and scholars as governors, it was time to use his own people next.
Since eunuchs weren’t exactly welcomed in court, he still had his eyes set on that Hongdu Gate academy.
But training scholars costs money, and Liu Hong was clearly short on cash.
However, this kind of behavior, akin to taxing the populace when they were in dire straits, made it hard for Qiao Yan to even call him “intelligent” this time…
The tax on farmland imposed across regions was indeed a heavy burden, with only two areas able to avoid its impact.
One was Qiao Yan’s Leping, which was exempted from land tax the moment she arrived there since they could make their own decisions on taxes, and thus wouldn’t be affected by additional levies from above.
The other was Ji Province, under the control of Huangfu Song, who had petitioned to exempt Ji Province from land rents for a year in order to help the starving before the fire at the Southern Palace, and they were still within that year-long grace period.
But even with the praise from Ji Province’s people saying “Thanks to Huangfu, we can live peacefully again,” Liu Hong still didn’t retract his decision to increase the land tax. In the following March, Liu Hong demoted Huangfu Song from the governor of Ji Province back to his original position as General of the Chariots and Cavalry, assigning him to attack the Northern Palaces under Bo Yu.
Was it because there were no generals available that Huangfu was sent off, or was it that Liu Hong thought it too dangerous to place someone of such high prestige, who wasn’t even part of the royal family, in the governor’s position? No one could definitively say what was going on in Liu Hong’s mind.
Still, the knowledgeable folks in the realm were left heartbroken once again.
Previously, thanks to Qiao Yan reminding Cao Cao to pay attention to epidemics following the great war, Cao Cao sent a thank-you letter in January. Between the second and third months, there had been some correspondence, and in the letter from March, while Cao Cao didn’t mention Huangfu Song, he did casually complain that being a prime minister was surely no easy task.
Was it easy? This land tax hike came out of the blue, and describing its burdens wouldn’t do justice.
But Cao Cao couldn’t openly criticize Liu Hong in his letter, nor could Qiao Yan make any supportive comments.
Perhaps in the face of such a series of bad news, the only upside was that March had arrived, which meant it was time to plant yams.
The yam tubers were taken from the previous storeroom, their fine sand cleaned off, then cut into about a foot-long sections. After the “disinfection” as Qiao Yan called it, the ones with sprouts were set aside, and those of similar shapes were gathered together in different bamboo baskets before being sent to various fields and hill ridges.
The farmland had already been tilled before winter, forming deep ditches to plant yams this year, and they just had to turn over the soil on top of the snow to get planting done.
When Zhang Niujiao arrived at the mountains with a basket on his back, he looked around and noticed those familiar faces seemed a tad plumper after such a harsh winter.
He instinctively touched his face, realizing he was feeling a bit meatier too.
But this wasn’t due to any laziness on his part.
It was just that Qiao Yan was providing them with pretty good meals.
He hadn’t eaten this well even when he had stormed towns in the Taihang Mountains.
This morning, as he counted his wages, he found he had nearly two hundred five-zhu coins. Although he didn’t receive any extra reward like those who had improved their Mulberry Bark Clothing and the hard workers with superior products, it was still a decent stash of wealth.
Moreover, according to Qiao Yan, she was temporarily holding the people under her watch to remind them not to harbor any delusions of hiding in the mountains as bandits, but seeing their results reflected good citizenry, she planned to let them decide by August.
And those who met the criteria to become Leping County residents could not only stay but also receive wages at market rates.
Too bad, though—only three thousand spots were available.
Zhang Niujiao thought about how he was just staying here to learn the yam planting methods, and by August he would probably have learned enough, so he didn’t need to fight for a spot.
But his instincts reacted quicker than his thoughts.
Seeing others starting to plant the yam tubers after the explanation, he feared he’d fall behind the three thousand, and immediately got busy planting.
This was when his martial arts background and strong physique came in handy.
He thought to himself, feeling extra satisfied when he discovered meat slices in his meal today.
Even when Qin Yu remarked during the meal distribution that this was a special treat because of the planting today, she also specified that starting from today, the five people with the most orderly yam planting and highest efficiency among every hundred would continue to earn meaty rewards.
This thin slice of meat wasn’t very greasy, but after eating tree bark before, it was truly a delicacy.
Zhang Niujiao had noticed his “competition” among his group of a hundred, and few could match his physical strength and efficiency.
With this comparison, he found even more motivation, finishing off his bowl of rice, letting out a satisfied belch, and then locking eyes with Chu Yan, who looked rather speechless.
“…Why are you here too, Younger Brother?” Zhang Niujiao asked, feeling a bit guilty.
“The bamboo baskets are sufficient, and the yam seedling supports that Qiao Yan mentioned are finished. Naturally, I should come here,” Chu Yan replied.
Before Zhang Niujiao could come up with an excuse, he heard Chu Yan ask, “Is the general planning to just leave it at this?”
Zhang Niujiao nearly jumped from shock. He quickly gestured for silence at Chu Yan, saying, “We can’t be using that title now. I’m still hoping to be a commander!”
As soon as he said it, he realized he had let his thoughts slip.
But since it was out there, hiding it would do no good, and he felt a little more relaxed in his mind. “Younger Brother, don’t you think if we rise up and don’t aim for a noble title or even have the ability to be an emperor, what we want is precisely this kind of life in Leping? This doesn’t count as betraying the brothers, right? Moreover, I feel…”
He glanced around.
To be honest, everyone seemed to switch sides faster than him.
He was just stubborn.
Well, not entirely—there was also that Chu Yan guy.
When they had initially attacked Leping, Chu Yan had felt something was off. He was always the most opinionated, and that line “Is the general planning to just leave it at this?” made Zhang Niujiao think it sounded like he was secretly plotting against Qiao Yan.
Sure enough, the next moment he heard Chu Yan say, “I don’t plan to just leave it at this.”
“…” What kind of reward could be gained from reporting this guy?
“I want to secure a position at the county office,” Chu Yan continued, making Zhang Niujiao withdraw his restless thoughts.
“The other day I passed by and heard they were teaching new appointees to read and write, discussing how to brew wine and the creation of characters. I think I can do it too, so why not give it a shot?” he went on, seemingly unaffected by Zhang Niujiao’s surprised expression.
The Zhao Yun who had captured him wasn’t even the official county captain at that time, but due to Qiao Yan lacking personnel to perform various duties for the people, after checking in with the elders of Changshan County, he chose to stay in Leping and officially take up the county captain position.
He hadn’t reached adulthood yet but was already able to have a literary name after returning from Changshan, known as Zilong.
With his ambition to compete with him, of course, Chu Yan didn’t just want to settle for being a commander like Zhang Niujiao.
But before that, he needed to wait for Qiao Yan to return to have the chance to recommend himself.
During the yam planting season in March, Qiao Yan saw that Qin Yu had managed agricultural affairs quite well, and the planting of tubers was proceeding smoothly, allowing her some relief regarding the worries of transitioning yams from wild to cultivated.
Moreover, due to Zhang Yi’s previous official business transfer, when she received the edict in January, her official start hadn’t arrived until March, and at this moment, Qiao Yan planned to personally meet this new governor to evaluate him.
So right now, Qiao Yan was not in Leping County but in Jinyang.
