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“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 56: A Letter
It was clear that Zhang Yang had some political blindness, but just his comment that Leping was a nice place was enough to boost Qiao Yan’s impression of him.
Even though he said it mainly to comfort Zhang Liao, who was turned away due to his young age, it also meant—
Leping could now be included as a choice for those seeking refuge in Bingzhou.
This was quite different from Zhao Yun coming to her, having heard of her role in quelling the Yellow Turbans, looking to leverage her strength against the Black Mountain Bandits.
This mostly expressed not hopes for her personally, but expectations for the whole of Leping.
With more strong warriors emerging from Bingzhou due to the Xiongnu threat and a martial spirit in the north, Qiao Yan was eyeing this unique resource, but due to the current state of consolidation and development, she couldn’t make any recruitment moves.
But what if someone sought her out?
Zhang Yang’s words undeniably reassured her.
Regardless of whether anyone actually came, just being considered as an option by others made her months of effort in Leping worthwhile.
After all, it was only her first year there!
Qiao Yan could hear two people chatting downstairs, and naturally, Xi Zhicai could hear it too. Their seated position allowed him to catch the fleeting brilliance on Qiao Yan’s face.
The next moment, she raised her hand and knocked on the window frame.
Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang hadn’t gone far when they suddenly heard a voice from above, “Gentlemen, could you come upstairs for a chat?”
Zhang Liao looked up and saw through the slightly ajar window that there were indeed two figures gently outlined in the slanted light of dusk, making it hard to recognize them, but he could confirm from the hand resting on the window that the voice wasn’t just a figment of his imagination—it was definitely directed at them.
What struck him as odd was that the voice seemed to belong to someone quite young.
Yet he had nothing for anyone to scheme over and was confident in his own abilities, so he replied, “If a noble person has summoned us, we will certainly oblige.”
As he and Zhang Yang walked into the inner courtyard and stood before the mansion, they exchanged a glance that expressed their thoughts—
This noble person inviting them seemed rather extraordinary.
Judging by the mansion’s location and size in Jinyang, it was not a place for an ordinary rich person to reside, yet there were no servants in sight, only a young lad to open the door for them. Clearly, he was different from the general concept of a noble.
But despite looking youthful, this lad didn’t appear to be a servant at all.
People knew Xu Fu had begun studying under Qiao Yan and Cheng Li’s guidance; that wandering knight spirit he carried hadn’t diminished much, but he had become notably more composed due to what he had seen and learned.
Having spent winter in Leping, Qiao Yan’s nourishing meals had not only benefited Xi Zhicai but also Xu Fu, making him look like a potential gentleman with a bit of muscle.
Yet, this youth who called himself Xu Yuanzhi didn’t seem to be the most unusual person around here.
As Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang climbed the stairs, they found the one who had called them to meet.
It was a girl of only a little over ten years old.
She appeared to be dressed in clothing more suited for a boy for ease of movement, but her hairstyle and features clearly identified her gender.
But that wasn’t her most distinctive feature.
Though she and the young man sitting opposite her were engaged in conversation, it was obvious from a glance that she held a dominant position, radiating an aura that made her seem more like a leader than a mere young lady of a noble family.
This seemed rather irregular.
Perhaps because Zhang Yang had mentioned Leping, Zhang Liao instinctively thought of the County Marquis of Leping.
He was always sharp and observant, and even though he didn’t betray any outward signs of surprise, he noticed that Qiao Yan was reading a rather thin book.
This one looked different from the books made of Cai Hou paper that he had seen before.
Yet if pressed, he couldn’t precisely say how it was different.
He gathered his thoughts and confirmed that this inviter wasn’t ordinary, bowing to Qiao Yan, “I am Zhang Liao from Yanmen, and this is my friend Zhang Yang, also known as Zhang Zhishu. May I ask what you wish to discuss with us?”
Qiao Yan responded, “I overheard you two expressing your desire to serve the Governor of Bingzhou, and that you were turned away at the Prefect’s Office due to your age. Is that correct?”
Perhaps because she had an air of nobility, they didn’t find her failure to introduce herself rude.
After she spoke, Zhang Yang replied, “As you said, the Prefect’s Office is following procedure, but my brother here is already fifteen. If we consider the rules during the Han Dynasty, he could be accepted into the army. It would be a shame for someone of his ability to wait a few more years.”
The initial recruitment age during the Han was fifteen, following the Qin system, but this age had a necessary historical context due to concerns over the population at the time. However, the policies maturely adjusted this age to twenty, then to twenty-three due to various calamities and border issues, meaning that most times, age could be lowered to twenty for conscription, but fifteen was indeed a tad young.
“Are you not afraid I would take you both for bandits plotting against the Prefect’s Office?” Qiao Yan raised her gaze and asked.
Zhang Yang looked around the room, wanting to respond that with her delicate frame and that young attendant, there was no way she could take him and Zhang Liao down—but her tone was firmly assured, making him hold back that remark.
Maybe the one sitting opposite Qiao Yan, Xi Zhicai, looked feeble but was actually a powerhouse. You never know!
Zhang Liao was unaware of his companion’s ridiculous conclusions about the few people in front of them, simply replying, “Regardless of whether my friend here provides another explanation, you have already heard our conversation downstairs. If you intended to capture us, you could have done so earlier; why wait until now?”
This posed a clear danger to Qiao Yan. A person’s anger can lead to bloodshed, which isn’t entirely impossible.
Qiao Yan examined Zhang Liao’s expression, appreciating his candor a bit, “Just this sentence confirms that the Prefect’s Office turning you away was indeed a wrong choice.”
It wasn’t difficult for her to guess…
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It was precisely due to such narrow-minded views at a young age that Zhang Liao only got to prove his worth after taking up the position of Governor of Bingzhou under Ding Yuan.
This was a bit unfortunate for someone with great military talent.
After pondering for a moment, she asked, “If I have a way to help you two successfully join the governor’s office, how would you feel about that?”
Zhang Liao wanted to join the governor’s office to show that even a young man could achieve great things, but he wasn’t just after any outcome.
He asked seriously, “If what you say is true, it would indeed be beneficial for me and my young uncle, but what’s in it for you?”
He wasn’t too convinced that he had anything unique to offer that would make the other party eager to help him out.
Qiao Yan could easily read his youthful thoughts on his face and replied, “Saying I don’t want to see fine jade covered in dust might sound like a load of nonsense. With the looming danger from the Xiongnu in Bingzhou, allowing heroes to waste their talents would sound hard to believe. So let’s cut to the chase.”
“I want to support you to see if this new governor is worth my assistance.”
This sounded a tad arrogant.
She was even younger than the person she claimed she would “support.”
But her next line left both Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang with no further doubts: “I am the County Marquis of Leping.”
This answer was illuminating regarding her motives.
Being the County Marquis of Leping meant she had to care about the future of Bingzhou since her fief was located there.
However, Zhang Yang couldn’t shake off the awkward feeling. Just moments ago, he had suggested to Zhang Liao to seek out Leping, treating her as a backup option. Now, he was standing right before Qiao Yan herself.
Fortunately, she was still more focused on Zhang Liao and continued, “I want to give you a token of merit, something for you to present to the new governor. I want to see if he values young talent enough.”
Seeing that Zhang Liao had something to say, Qiao Yan raised her hand and added, “You needn’t think I’m just handing you something for nothing. I can only offer you an idea and a little help, but whether you achieve this depends on your performance.”
Having said all that, Zhang Liao understood that it seemed unnecessary to refuse.
If what she said was true, even if he didn’t have what it took, meeting someone important wouldn’t guarantee success. She was merely offering him a chance to make it.
Moreover, this clearly wasn’t just for Zhang Liao’s benefit; this was also Qiao Yan paving her own way for the future.
Since county marquises were rare, both Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang had some knowledge of Qiao Yan, even though Yunzhong and Yanmen were the northernmost commanderies in Bingzhou.
Given that this county marquis worried about state affairs and people’s livelihoods, it wasn’t hard to understand that she would want to assist the governor of Bingzhou.
But was Qiao Yan not young too, just like Zhang Liao?
To Zhang Liao, county marquises were the highest-ranking titles among nobles. She won’t recklessly go around offering her allegiance to anyone; instead, she seems to be looking to use their unexpected meeting to gauge potential, which is perfectly understandable.
Feeling that he grasped Qiao Yan’s intentions, he replied, “If what you say holds true, Zhang Liao is willing to accept this test and secure a meeting with the governor.”
Zhang Yang chimed in, “I also wish to accompany my brother on this venture. I hope the county marquis will show us a clear path.”
Qiao Yan’s gaze drifted westward, toward the window, and suddenly she asked Xi Zhicai, “In your opinion, would it be feasible for them to go to Yunzhong Mountain?”
Having stayed in Jinyang City earlier, Xi Zhicai had been to Yunzhong Mountain before. Although it was known as an ethereal mountain, there was a den of bandits there. After revealing his identity in Leping, he had even conversed casually about this with Qiao Yan.
This gang of bandits was somewhat different from the usual Yellow Turbans, who rebelled out of hardship. They were more akin to your everyday robbers.
This was because the Xiongnu living in the western Xihe Commandery were stronger militarily, and this gang of bandits targeted the common folk in the east, mainly wreaking havoc on the citizens below the mountain.
Given the complicated terrain of Yunzhong Mountain, these bandits seldom strayed far from home, robbing what they could and retreating back; time and again, the prefect of Taiyuan had failed to wipe them out.
Xi Zhicai, having traveled through the mountains without a dime to his name, had encountered them.
But when he met them, he’d claimed he was searching for a feng shui spot to end his life, and even this rowdy crew did nothing to him.
Now, hearing Qiao Yan’s question and glancing at Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang, he replied, “I think it’s doable.”
Of course, Qiao Yan had no intention of leading anyone to their doom and needed to first assess Zhang Liao’s combat abilities. If he were to perish amidst a den of robbers, it would truly be a regret knowing he would become the legendary general who swept through the bandits at Xiaoyao Crossing.
Since she hadn’t brought along Zhao Yun or Dian Wei for skilled reference, she simply sought out Wang Yang.
Since they had already lent out their residence, letting some young folks spar wouldn’t be too much trouble.
Wang Yang thought this way.
But when his own guards ended up being taken down by Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang, he couldn’t help but chuckle and say to Qiao Yan, “If I didn’t know the county marquis and my Wang family had a friendly relationship, I might have thought you were here to cause trouble.”
Zhang Liao’s performance had been a bit too impressive.
But perhaps it was understandable. In the year of Xiping Six, troops and civilians in Yanmen tried to fight back against Tan Shihua’s forces but returned defeated with heavy losses, prompting the rising Tan Shihua to feel that Bingzhou could easily fall under his control.
Under such immense pressure, all Zhang Liao could do was grow stronger.
He had even calculated in his mind that if he couldn’t gain the governor’s favor this time, he might as well start from a minor official in Yanmen County; he had to do something.
Unexpectedly meeting Qiao Yan might just be a turning point for him.
After defeating Wang Yang’s skilled fighters in Jinyang City, he wasted no time and headed directly to Yunzhong Mountain with the “token” Qiao Yan had given him.
Just before climbing the mountain, he took a moment to examine the “token,” recalling Qiao Yan’s instructions to ensure he didn’t miss anything.
“Are you sure this method is effective? Isn’t this token a bit too shabby?” Zhang Yang asked as he leaned in closer.
He made the same face he had when he first saw the item.
Zhang Liao frowned and sighed.
What in the world is this…
The “token” in Zhang Liao’s hand could actually be considered a letter, but it was a piece of paper torn from a booklet made of mulberry bark paper that Qiao Yan had written on.
On this page, someone had circled the character “He” with charcoal, and the signature was—
A drawing of a cow horn.
