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“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 58: The Disciples of the Yuan Clan
Anyone who can become a governor shows their ability to attract talented individuals, which reflects their own characteristics.
The atmosphere in the camp of Sun, Liu, and Cao is largely shaped by the vibe of their leaders.
Even Dong Zhuo, despite having fierce generals like Li Ru and Jia Xu under him, wouldn’t just sit around doing nothing while people flocked to him. He still had to engage in some strategic recruitment that reflected the relationship between lord and minister.
That’s why Qiao Yan said we need to observe how Zhang Yi acts in front of Zhang Liao to gauge his temperament.
Xi Zhicai toyed with a chess piece in his hand while studying the board, commenting, “This governor arriving in Bingzhou is like tossing a stone into a pond that’s already bubbling. When Qiao Hou promotes Zhang Liao before Zhang Yi’s eyes, it’s like throwing in another stone while the first ripples are still settling.”
If that Governor Zhang were wise, he could simply let the second ripples be larger, allowing the reputation of his recruitment to overshadow his presence.
Of course, some techniques to stir the waters are unavoidable. Marketing yourself after arriving in these territories isn’t easy. But as a governor, with a little extra effort, there are things that can certainly be accomplished.
“It’s quite a pity. I see Qiao Hou admires Zhang Liao. If he establishes a connection with the governor now, it won’t be easy to attract him later since he’s someone else’s former subordinate. If there’s a generous governor adding wings to him, he’ll be devoted without question.”
Qiao Yan noted that while Xi Zhicai spoke of it being a pity, he didn’t genuinely seem remorseful. She smiled and said, “You can’t mean that from the heart. Leping already has Zilong, and with his temperament, he’ll gradually take over the Black Mountain Bandits for the county’s defense. In a year or two, results will show. Having multiple Zhang Liaos would indeed be a waste of talent.”
“Bingzhou is similar to Youzhou and Liangzhou. The more those with martial talent are put in suitable positions early on, the better they’ll hone their skills. If they can slay a few more enemies in battles against the Hu invaders, that’ll be a blessing for the border. Nothing exemplifies utilizing talent better than this.”
Just then, they heard Xu Fu leading Zhang Yang upstairs, cutting off the discussion.
By the time Zhang Yang arrived, he had already cleaned off the blood from the battle at Yunzhong Mountain. He stood before Qiao Yan, saluted, and expressed his thanks.
Honestly, Qiao Yan hadn’t expected to see Zhang Yang so soon. She thought Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang would need to find a job together at the Bingzhou government.
Especially Zhang Yang.
Given his age and prowess, he was supposed to be assigned a decent position by Zhang Yi.
Now, having just exterminated the bandits of Yunzhong Mountain with Zhang Liao, their record against hundreds of foes made that even more fitting.
But what surprised her more was that Zhang Yang wasn’t just there to report news or make Zhang Liao’s achievements stand out, but to ask—
“Are there any suitable positions for me in Leping?”
Qiao Yan almost thought she misheard.
She had been critical of Zhang Yang’s political acumen, yet his military talent couldn’t be that bad; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been involved in subduing bandits or escorting the Son of Heaven.
He could take on significant responsibilities at the government.
Choosing Leping in this situation was definitely a step down.
But Zhang Yang believed his reasoning was solid: “If both Zhang Liao and I go to the government, having two is not better than having one stand out. I’m not as insightful as Zhang Liao in seizing opportunities; it’s wiser for me to choose a place where I just need to follow orders.”
“Moreover, Qiao Hou has mentioned before that helping us eliminate bandits was not just out of kindness; it’s paving the way for his own recommendations. He surely doesn’t plan to just stay hidden in Leping. Plus, after this mission to Yunzhong Mountain, I admire Qiao Hou’s arrangements. It’s quite logical to have such thoughts.”
Zhang Yang’s reasoning wasn’t entirely about relinquishing ambition; he wanted to create a platform in between.
Qiao Yan appraised Zhang Yang. Although he seemed a bit wild around the edges when speaking, his demeanor was earnest. His straightforward claim that having two go together isn’t as precious as just one was said so casually that it certainly left a good impression on Qiao Yan, prompting her to consider this possibility.
Should she meet his request, was there a position in Leping that he could fill?
Perhaps there was.
Currently, she had Zhao Yun leading merely county office duties, intending to gradually steer the currently laboring Black Mountain Bandits into a form of military unit. Then select some from the county citizens to build a systematic team in Leping.
However, since Zhao Yun was still young and entirely relied on martial skills, he might not prevail over people. His overly proper style favored leading regular troops, but may not fit with a team mostly composed of Black Mountain Bandits.
Initially, Qiao Yan preferred recruiting Chu Yan or Zhang Niujiao to take on the deputy general responsibilities, yet she worried they might nurture inappropriate ambitions without significant authority in Leping.
If it were Zhang Yang, having someone above him could very well work!
Within this brief time, her judgment seemed complete, but she knew recruitment wasn’t that easy; she simply replied, “Leping is still a small place. While Zhi Shu has made merits concerning the bandits of Yunzhong Mountain, being a fierce general, it’s somewhat regrettable to place him in Leping. Why not come with us first to see what kind of person this governor is? If he can serve directly under the government, it’d be unnecessary to wasted talents in a small county.”
Seeing Zhang Yang seemed to have more to say, she raised her hand to signal him to stop.
“Zhi Shu has high hopes for me, which I am grateful for, but starting at the government is truly a top-notch experience. Making a choice requires more than this. If that governor has the stature of a commander, even if Zhi Shu claims to be oblivious to bureaucratic nuances, it shouldn’t hinder excelling under his leadership as a local general.”
Zhang Yang saw that Qiao Yan spoke firmly and seemed unwilling to let talent go to waste, so he didn’t push further and decided to discuss it again upon meeting Zhang Liao.
After leaving the small building, he waited at the inn where he and Zhang Liao had checked in for a while before finally catching up with him.
Upon seeing Zhang Liao, he noticed he didn’t look too pleased.
He couldn’t help but ask, “How did your meeting with the governor go?”
Zhang Liao replied, “He gave me the position of Military Officer.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Zhang Yang said, puzzled by his demeanor.
The responsibilities of a Military Officer were apparent just from the title.
It was a direct subordinate to the governor, responsible for overseeing military matters, and held substantial power.
Although the governor lacked direct military command, adapting swiftly in border areas was often crucial in such roles…
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The generals in charge don’t have that many restrictions, giving him ample opportunities to learn and get involved.
It’s like he jumped straight from being a nobody to the highest position he could hold at his age and experience.
Logically, upon hearing such news, even if Zhang Yang felt he was completely broke, he should still celebrate with Zhang Liao over drinks.
But it seemed like what he thought was good news didn’t quite land the same way with Zhang Liao.
He shook his head and replied, “This situation is a bit complex; let’s talk after we see Lord Qiao.”
Since Qiao Yan had done Zhang Liao a favor, he didn’t hide what he had seen today and laid it all out before her.
Perhaps in his performance, he felt that the actions of the governor did not meet his expectations, at least not in the way Zhang Liao envisioned a superior acting.
Not everyone is eager to serve in the heartland of the Han Dynasty, scrambling for recognition among the lords and nobles.
For Zhang Liao, wanting a position in the provincial office was fundamentally about dealing with the Xianbei and Xiongnu raiding the borders, not about becoming some soldier of the Northern Army.
He naturally wanted to stay in Bingzhou to work.
But although the governor praised his skills right off the bat, it seemed he didn’t really take Zhang Liao’s desire to “serve and defend Bingzhou” seriously, and after another round of flattery for Zhang Liao’s achievements in eliminating the bandits of Yunzhong Mountain, he outright asked if he was interested in heading to Luoyang.
Qiao Yan didn’t feel a swell of pride over Zhang Yi’s unexpected move, pondering instead, “Logically speaking, no matter how poorly he assesses things, or how keen he is to recommend talent to the capital, he shouldn’t have mentioned it at this time. That’s not a logical conclusion one would come to under normal circumstances.”
Even if Zhang Yi thought Zhang Liao’s style was too brash and wanted to throw this hot potato out, it shouldn’t happen at this juncture.
This wouldn’t bring him any benefits either.
Qiao Yan continued, “May I ask, was there anyone else around him?”
Zhang Liao replied, “You’re right, Lord Qiao. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t need to tell Uncle Zhi that it’s a bit complicated. There was a captain following him; he must have been his escort coming here.”
The governor’s status far surpassed that of a captain, but when I refused to serve in the capital and preferred to start as a border county official, he first glanced at the captain’s expression.
Zhang Liao was evidently puzzled by this situation; had he not been observant, he might not have noticed the exchange between the two.
Clearly, after getting that person’s approval, Zhang Yi had pulled back his intent to send Zhang Liao to Luoyang, opting instead to assign him a significant military position in the province to justify his appointment, showing that he valued people by their merits.
For the crowd outside waiting for good news, this might seem like a perfect wrap-up to the governor’s arrival, but after this ordeal of choices, Zhang Liao found it hard to develop any loyalty toward Zhang Yi for this belatedly secured official post.
This indicated that he showed no real concern for the capable people he encountered, and secondly, as a governor, he still had to read the room with a captain from the capital. It just stripped him of a bit of dignity.
How could someone like this hold the power of a province?
Though it’s not right to form a conclusion based on a moment’s behavior, Zhang Liao felt he was still a bit young, lacking the experience to judge properly; he was mostly relying on his instincts at this point, but he couldn’t help but form a preliminary bias against Zhang Yi.
Fortunately, with this newly offered position of Military Officer, he could start with overseeing military affairs. If one set aside Zhang Yi’s actions, it wasn’t necessarily a bad start.
After laying this all out, Zhang Liao had mostly unraveled his thoughts and planned to settle down for his new role.
But recalling what Qiao Yan had said earlier about assessing her own role based on Zhang Liao’s treatment, and now seeing Zhang Yi act this way, he couldn’t help but worry about the situation with the Marquis of Leping.
But from what he saw, Qiao Yan didn’t seem to reveal any uncertainty about this unexpected news; she simply asked, “Could you describe what that captain looked like?”
Zhang Liao reflected on his earlier impressions of the man and said, “He appears to be around thirty, quite striking, and certainly not an ordinary person. If I had to say…”
He recalled how Qiao Yan had made him and Zhang Yang fight against someone at the Wang residence and pulled up a reference, “This guy resembles a noble scion.”
A noble scion?
That wasn’t just an everyday observation, but Zhang Liao’s confidence in this assessment made it seem really likely.
And recall that Qiao Yan had previously suggested that the appointments of these governors might have something to do with Liu Hong balancing the noble families after restarting the Provincial Governor System, Zhang Yi inquiring about a captain from a noble background made this all the more understandable.
And at thirty, with exceptional looks and demeanor, qualified for a captain’s role…
Qiao Yan realized she had a candidate in mind!
She quickly contacted the head of the Wang family.
In Jinyang, keeping tabs on that uniquely positioned captain wasn’t something Qiao Yan could do alone; she had to rely on the local snakes.
Regardless of whether that specially positioned captain wandered outside the province or stayed cloistered until leaving Jinyang back to Luoyang, there would be opportunities to spot him, and she would have the Wang family keep watch.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long.
The escort team that brought Zhang Yi into Bingzhou didn’t have the same wait as Bao Hong and others did in Leping, needing to wait until Qiao Xuan’s temple was completed before they could leave.
As soon as Zhang Yi arrived, he quickly gathered brave men to him, probably because everything that needed to be explained had been, and this group of Luoyang soldiers departed just two days later.
The team passed through the southern city gate of Jinyang, and Qiao Yan’s eyes were immediately drawn to it.
When this team entered the city, Qiao Yan had focused almost entirely on Zhang Yi, inadvertently paying little attention to the soldiers behind him.
Now, as she scanned the faces of these soldiers, she indeed spotted one dressed as a captain, not leading the pack but rather mixed in among the soldiers, and due to the visor of his armor covering part of his face, his presence felt slightly diminished.
This explained why Qiao Yan hadn’t noticed him earlier.
But having seen him before, how could she not recognize his face just because of a bit of cover?
Zhang Liao’s judgment that he was a noble scion hadn’t been off.
That was Yuan Shao!
So if Zhang Yi valued his opinions highly, this governor of Bingzhou is actually a disciple of the Runan Yuan clan?
Qiao Yan’s brows furrowed for a brief moment before relaxing again.
This seemed like bad news but also good news at the same time!
