Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 2: At the Foot of Taihang Mountains, A Small Test of Skill Chapter 54 March Arrives

Belonging to the book:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 54 March Arrives

If we consider status, Qiao Yan, as the Marquis of Leping, holds a higher position than Zhang Yi, the Governor of Bingzhou.

But this matter cannot be calculated solely in this way.

Her absolute control over Leping County stems from having her own people in the position of Leping Magistrate, but once Zhang Yi arrives, her autonomy will be greatly restricted.

Although the Governors of the Han Dynasty did not have the power to command troops until they were renamed Provincial Governors, compared to the Western Han period, the power of the Governors has expanded significantly, with two core powers: the appointment of officials and the impeachment of others.

These two powers are enough for a Governor to gain a considerable number of allies by recommending officials to the central government and to eliminate dissidents through impeachment, leading to a tendency towards centralization of power in the later stages of a Governor’s tenure.

As the central government’s control over the provinces weakened, the power of the Governors grew year by year, and in provinces far from the capital Luoyang, the Governors could even extend their power into the military.

Bingzhou, with the Taihang Mountains dividing its borders, though not as far from the capital as Youzhou or Qingzhou, is undoubtedly a territory where the capital’s influence is hard to exert.

If “partiality is observed and self-interest is taken,” coupled with frequent frictions in border areas, it is inevitable that the Governors will gradually become local emperors.

However, Zhang Yi cannot be considered a particularly capable Governor.

Previously, Duan Jiong, one of the “Three Bright Stars of Liangzhou,” did not lose his killer demeanor while serving as the Governor of Bingzhou, and later, Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo succeeded him. Zhang Yi, sandwiched between them, does not seem to have a high profile, and the only record of him in historical materials is that—

When the Southern Xiongnu leader Qiang Qu sent his son Yufuluo to lead troops to support the Han Dynasty in quelling local rebellions, the Southern Xiongnu’s left-wing nobles, in alliance with the Xiongnu, killed not only Qiang Qu but also this Governor.

Of course, now that Qiao Yan, in alliance with the Wang family of Jinyang, is buying the hearts of the Xiongnu with wine, it remains to be seen whether this internal rebellion of the Southern Xiongnu will occur by the fifth year of Zhongping.

But obviously, Zhang Yi, with many people under his command at that time, could not curb the disloyalty of the Xiongnu, and it is unlikely to change now.

This is the Governor’s external capability; what about internally?

Qiao Yan has no way of knowing.

This batch of Governors is quite “young”—in terms of their experience in the officialdom.

For example, Wang Yun was recently recommended as a Palace Attendant Censor and was promoted during the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Huang Wan, previously unable to serve in the court due to the Prohibition of Factionalists, was recommended by Yang Ci last year.

Listing these names together, it is not difficult to see Liu Hong’s intention in this move.

Chen Wen, Zhang Yi, Wang Yun, and Huang Wan, these four Governors, are the Emperor’s compromise with the noble families and scholars. Huangfu Song and two members of the imperial family serving as Provincial Governors are the Emperor’s attempt to consolidate local power—

Provided that the two members of the imperial family can maintain their loyalty to the Han Dynasty, as they stated when vying for these positions, truly holding the power of Provincial Governors for the rapid pacification of the regions, not to establish their own rule upon arrival.

“The Emperor’s intelligence is beyond doubt, but in times of hardship for the people, instead of thinking of resting and nurturing the people, he thinks of power balance…” Cheng Li, specially invited by Qiao Yan to discuss the attitude towards Zhang Yi, saw the young Marquis standing by the window, her deep contemplation evident on the half of her face he could see.

“This is not the way to save the country.”

Cheng Li had long known that Qiao Yan was no ordinary person, which is why he followed her to Leping to serve as the Leping Magistrate. But when he heard her judgment, he was still startled by her bold commentary.

However, Qiao Yan did not say such things in the previous meeting where she instructed everyone to perform their duties, only bringing up such dangerous and sensitive topics in private discussions with him, which made Cheng Li feel her trust and reliance on him.

This reliance undoubtedly made him more certain that he would not change his decision to stay and assist her in governing Leping.

Of course, what also made him firm in this decision might be the slight ambition she showed in her words.

But such things are better left unsaid in conversation.

He just said, “My Lord, you previously submitted a memorial to the capital about the harm of the Provincial Governor system and personally explained it to the Emperor. At that time, you already had a clear idea about the necessity of Provincial Governors, and now it’s just a matter of timing.”

“I know, but it’s just that adding new chaos in such turbulent times is inevitably lamentable.”

Qiao Yan then changed the subject, “Forget it, let’s not talk about this. Whether it’s Provincial Governors or Governors, it’s not something we can comment on. Let’s talk about the new Governor. What does Zhongde think, will the newly arrived Governor affect our actions in Leping?”

Cheng Li had already thought about this matter in the hall and replied without hesitation, “No matter what kind of person Zhang Yi is, one thing is certain: at least for a year, he won’t extend his hand to Leping.”

“The Governor’s power of impeachment and supervision can only be maximized if the impeached cannot reach the Emperor. However, Marquis Qiao has just presented gifts to the capital, and my position as Leping Magistrate was obtained through her recommendation. We are in the same boat. As for what happens later—”

Cheng Li, with his steady demeanor, reassured, “We have a year to observe this person’s actions. Due to the mulberry bark clothing and Hero’s Wine, the two major noble families in Jinyang maintain a cooperative and supportive relationship with Leping, and we still have allies to rely on. Within a year, we can consolidate this relationship. My Lord need not worry.”

Qiao Yan replied, “Then I must trouble Zhongde to take care of this.”

For a strategist, such trouble is nothing.

Moreover, compared to the incoming Governor Zhang Yi, the prevention of epidemics in Leping County due to the major epidemics in five provinces outside Bingzhou is the more pressing matter.

Epidemics are no joke.

Fortunately, in this era, there are not so many visits and travels, and Leping, being a small mountainous area, is in a relatively isolated environment.

In addition, the cleaning and rectification tasks assigned by Qiao Yan to the county residents in December, with the first 2,000 households to complete the tasks receiving two pounds of salt from the county office, became a competitive activity among the residents, making further prevention not too difficult to achieve.

The effect of the environmental cleanup in the county city was not unnoticed.

But Xi Zhicai was somewhat unlucky. Although he had been forced to eat healthily by Qiao Yan for several months, his physical condition remained poor. At the end of January, he caught a cold and became the first subject of Qiao Yan’s isolation regulations for the month.

Originally, he could drink for two out of six days, but she unhesitatingly deducted it.

Xi Zhicai, while drinking yam and pork rib soup delivered through the window, wrote to his friend about his “bleak” life without the taste of wine for about a month, not caring that his behavior was quite boastful.

But after all, it was just a cold, not an epidemic, and after confirming that he was lively again, he was released.

But before he could enjoy drinking, Qiao Yan told him some particularly shocking news.

On the day of Jiyou in the second month of Zhongping, a fire broke out in the Southern Palace of Luoyang, and it took half a month to completely extinguish.

The most severely damaged in the fire was the Yutang Hall where Liu Hong resided.

But perhaps because the continuous disasters had already numbed this Emperor, or because of the various astronomical discoveries in the late Han period, even without Qiao Yan’s debate, he no longer cared much about the theory of heavenly signs. In any case, this fire did not awaken any vigilance in him, but instead, after the fire was put out, he made a decision.

To increase taxes on all fields.

Previously, there were already extremely harsh land taxes on the people. Who would have thought that at the time when the major epidemic in January had not yet completely subsided, Liu Hong would use the burning of the Yutang Hall as a pretext to tax fields and amass wealth.








Qiao Yan could guess the intention behind his decision.


After using the imperial clan as prefects and scholars as governors, the next step was to use his own people.


Eunuchs were not enough to stand firm in the court, so his focus was still on the Hongdu Gate Academy.


But cultivating students required money, and Liu Hong was clearly short of funds.


However, this act of heavy taxation during the people’s most difficult times made it hard for Qiao Yan to even praise his “intelligence”…


The land tax imposed on various regions was indeed a heavy burden, with only two places able to avoid its impact.


One was Qiao Yan’s Leping, where the land tax was exempted after her arrival due to her authority to decide on taxes, naturally unaffected by the increased levies from above.


The other was Ji Province, controlled by Huangfu Song, the then Governor of Ji Province. As he had taken office without difficulty, he had already petitioned to exempt Ji Province from land rent for a year to support the starving people before the Southern Palace fire, and this was still within the one-year period.


But even with the praise from the people of Ji Province, “Thanks to Huangfu, we can live in peace again,” it did not make Liu Hong revoke the decision to increase the land tax. In the following March, Liu Hong changed Huangfu Song’s position from Governor of Ji Province back to the original General of the Chariots and Cavalry, ordering him to suppress the rebellion of Beigong Bozhu in the Sanfu region.


Whether it was because there were no other generals available, or because he still felt that placing Huangfu Song, a non-imperial clan member with high prestige, in the position of Governor of Ji Province was dangerous, leading to his transfer—no one could say for sure, as no one could read Liu Hong’s mind.


But the knowledgeable people of the world were once again disheartened.


Previously, due to Qiao Yan’s reminder to Cao Cao to be wary of epidemics after major wars, he had written a letter of thanks in January. In the following February and March, there were some correspondences between the two regions. In the March letter, although Cao Cao did not mention Huangfu Song’s situation, he casually mentioned that being a prime minister of a country was indeed not easy.


How could it be easy? The sudden imposition of the land tax brought a heavy burden that needed no words to describe.


But Cao Cao could not express any criticism of Liu Hong in the letter, and Qiao Yan could not agree with him either.


Perhaps the only good news in this series of bad news was that March had arrived, and it was time to plant yams.


The yam tubers were taken out from the previous storage, cleaned of the fine sand, and cut into sections of about a foot long. After the “disinfection” operation Qiao Yan mentioned, those with small buds were separated, and those of similar shapes were grouped together and placed in different baskets, then sent to various mountain ridges.


The deep furrows formed in the fields before last winter made it easy to plant yams by simply uncovering the soil filled before the snowfall.


When Zhang Niujiao arrived at the mountain fields with a basket on his back, he looked around and noticed that the familiar faces seemed to have gained a bit of weight after the harsh winter.


He subconsciously touched his own face and realized he had also gained some weight.


But this… this was not due to any laziness on his part.


It was just that the food conditions in Qiao Hou’s territory were too good.


He had never eaten so well even when he was raiding towns in the Taihang Mountains.


This morning, while organizing his wages, he found that he had nearly two hundred Wu Zhu coins. Although he had not received any extra rewards like the two who improved the mulberry bark clothing or those who worked diligently and produced excellent results, it was still a considerable amount of accumulated wealth.


Moreover, according to Qiao Hou, she temporarily detained them to warn others not to harbor any illusions about hiding in the mountains as bandits. Seeing that their behavior had become more like law-abiding citizens, she planned to let them stay or leave freely by August.


And if they met the standards to become residents of Leping County, they could not only stay in Leping but also receive wages at market rates.


However, there were only three thousand spots available.


Zhang Niujiao thought that he only stayed to learn the yam planting method, and by August, he would have learned enough, so he didn’t need to compete for this spot.


But his instinctive reaction was faster than his thoughts.


Seeing the people around him start planting the yam tubers after the explanation, he was afraid of falling behind the three thousand, so he quickly got to work.


This was when his martial arts skills and strong physique came in handy.


He thought to himself, feeling even more satisfied when he tasted two slices of meat in today’s meal.


Although Qin Yu said that this was a special treat for the start of planting, she also said that after today, the five people in each hundred-person team with the most orderly yam spacing and the highest efficiency would continue to receive meat rewards.


This thin slice of meat wasn’t very fatty, but after having eaten tree bark, it was truly a delicacy.


Zhang Niujiao had noticed his “competitors” in his hundred-person team today, and few could match his strength and efficiency.


With this comparison, he became even more motivated. After finishing his meal, he let out a comfortable burp and then met Chu Yan’s somewhat indescribable expression.


“…Why are you here, brother?” Zhang Niujiao asked, feeling a bit guilty.


“The bamboo baskets are ready, and the yam seedling supports Qiao Hou mentioned are also completed, so naturally, I should be here,” Chu Yan replied.


Before Zhang Niujiao could find an excuse, he heard Chu Yan ask, “General, are you just going to settle for this?”


Zhang Niujiao almost jumped in shock and quickly made a silencing gesture to Chu Yan, “We can’t call me that now, I’m hoping to become a Tunzhang.”


As soon as he said it, he realized he had spoken his mind.


But since he had already said it, there was no need to hide it anymore, and he felt a bit relieved, “Brother, when we rose up in rebellion, we didn’t aim for titles or becoming emperors, all we wanted was a life like in Leping, right? I’m not betraying the brothers, and I think…”


He looked around.


To be honest, everyone had switched sides faster than him.


He was just the one being stubborn.


No, there was also Chu Yan.


Previously, when they attacked Leping, Chu Yan felt it was inappropriate, and he was always the most decisive. The earlier question, “General, are you just going to settle for this?” made Zhang Niujiao feel like Chu Yan had been quietly planning to lead a team against Qiao Yan.


Sure enough, the next moment he heard Chu Yan say, “I don’t plan to settle for this.”


“…” Would reporting this guy get him any rewards?


“I want to try for a position in the county office,” Chu Yan’s next words made Zhang Niujiao retract his eager thoughts.


“The day before yesterday, when I passed by, I heard them teaching the newly promoted managers to read, reciting ‘Du Kang made wine, Cang Jie created characters. Chu Li was wise, Bian Shao was knowledgeable.'” He continued as if he didn’t notice the other’s expression, “I think I can do it too, why not give it a try.”


Zhao Yun, who had captured him, was not yet the official County Captain at that time, but due to the lack of personnel under Qiao Hou and his actions benefiting the people, Zhao Yun chose to stay in Leping after reporting his safety to the elders of Changshan County, and officially took up the position of County Captain in Leping County.


He was not yet of age, but since he had started working, he was given a courtesy name, and after returning from Changshan, the county knew that his elders had given him the name Zilong.


Chu Yan, wanting to compete with him, naturally didn’t want to settle for just being a Tunzhang like Zhang Niujiao.


Of course, before that, he had to wait for Qiao Yan to return to have the chance to recommend himself.


In March, during the yam planting season, Qiao Yan saw that Qin Yu handled the agricultural affairs properly, and the planting of the yam tubers was proceeding in an orderly manner, so she felt relieved about the transition from wild to cultivated yams.


Also, due to Zhang Yi’s official handover, he received the imperial decree in January but only officially took office in March, arriving at this time. Qiao Yan planned to personally meet this Governor to assess him.


So at this time, Qiao Yan was not in Leping County but in Jinyang.