“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 61: Dragon Bone Waterwheel…
If Qiao Yan had previously been short on manpower, she would definitely have tossed in a few questions before trying to recruit people.
But now, things were different. Even if it wasn’t to dampen Chu Yan’s spirits, with Cheng Li, Xi Zhicai, the Cai Yong duo, Yang Xiu, Qin Yu, Xu Fu and his mother, and Lu Yuan in her circle, plus Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, and Zhang Yang on the martial side, she pretty much had all her bases covered. Whether or not Chu Yan joined her was no big deal.
Having long since escaped the position of a single stick leader, being selective about hiring had become crucial.
With the mulberry bark clothing industry stabilizing and yam cultivation on the rise, whether she needed Chu Yan to bridge the gap between her and the Black Mountain Bandits was also quite unimportant.
Of course, Chu Yan had his indispensable significance, particularly in mobile combat operations.
But she couldn’t publicly shower him with praise while their relationship was still uncertain, or it might embolden this bandit leader’s mischievous side.
So, all her considerations boiled down to a simple “Why you?”
This was probably not too different from modern hiring practices where candidates needed to show off their competitiveness.
Chu Yan had thought about this question as well.
Without hesitation, he replied, “Because I can train a unique army for Qiao Hou.”
“The citizens of Leping can eat their fill and stay warm, and at this time can even be called rich, but Leping’s defenses remain inadequate. Zhao Zilong leads the county officials in patrols and can act as the regular army, but there’s still a lack of supplementary forces.”
Seeing that Qiao Yan showed no signs of stopping him from speaking and had no ill will, he continued, “Qiao Hou might counter me by saying that whether we have this unique army or not doesn’t affect Leping’s defense at all. Just like when I and Zhang Niujiao led our team here, we actually fell into Qiao Hou’s trap.”
“But that was fishing; using calculated moves against an unsuspecting target. If every day was spent in such defensive strategies, it would waste Qiao Hou’s tremendous talents protecting against us bandits.”
Qiao Yan found this amusing.
Chu Yan’s blend of praise and critique was quite artful; this way, it was indeed hard for Qiao Yan to use his past failures against him.
“Additionally, I have some wandering knights friends in Changshan. Previously, due to Qiao Hou’s three rebuttals, they were reluctant to rise under the Yellow Turban banner. However, if a place is found where they can live and work in peace, rather than rebel, they would be more than willing to follow me.”
“In today’s Leping, attracting wandering people is not a challenge; it’s much easier to recruit these strong knights than to select from the masses.”
“If Qiao Hou is willing to give me a horse, a knife, and a written guarantee—and let me show my skills, I promise Leping’s mountains will become a solid fortress.”
This was quite a promise…
Qiao Yan couldn’t deny that someone as capable as Chu Yan definitely possessed a bit of arrogance. Saying “a solid fortress” wasn’t something to be tossed around casually.
But what was even more entertaining was what he said next.
He suddenly lowered his voice and added, “To speak more blasphemously, if Qiao Hou has the appetite to take in all of us Black Mountain bandits—9,000 strong—should the day come when troops march from Leping, a unique army…”
Qiao Yan clapped and laughed, cutting him off, “That’s enough of that.”
Any more and she might have a hard time keeping her Strategist System in check.
She met his gaze and spoke slowly, “You’re right, Leping needs a supplementary force, and we do need someone skilled in mountain combat. You certainly have more guts and capability than Zhang Niujiao and those Wang Dang and Sun Qing types, especially your clarity of purpose, which puts them to shame.”
“I can give you that horse, knife, and written guarantee, but this trip to Changshan, you’re not going solo. Let Zhao Zilong accompany you.”
Qiao Yan raised her hand, signaling Chu Yan to hold his tongue, “I’m not doubting you, but I’ve heard Zilong still has a brother in Changshan. Now that winter has passed and the roads are open, it would be wise to bring him back to Leping. This naturally calls for Zilong’s personal involvement. You recruit your men, he gets his brother, and you two just travel together.”
Chu Yan let out a sigh of relief.
This basically meant he had passed the test in front of Qiao Yan.
Now that this burden was lifted, he couldn’t help but feel that the heavy aura around her earlier might have just been an illusion before he got this answer.
This county marquis, who was effectively raising the living standards in Leping, smiled at the yam fields that hadn’t sprouted yet and seemed quite—
—relatable?
Moreover, what he got wasn’t just the promised horse, weapon, and document but also a hefty pouch of five bronze coins and three pounds of gold!
Upon seeing the pack, he couldn’t help but look at Qiao Yan in surprise.
“Trust before suspicion; I talked about my principles with Lu Yuan, and I treat you the same.”
As she sent off Chu Yan and Zhao Yun, Qiao Yan came with her long sword at her side, although still young, her cutting edge aura hadn’t diminished a bit, but for Chu Yan, gripping the string of his pouch, this moment had a mutual camaraderie that extended beyond words.
He couldn’t quite comprehend whether he would have felt so shaken and inspired by this trust if there hadn’t been that initial buildup.
But he knew two things.
Firstly, choosing to serve the Marquis of Leping was his own decision and had nothing to do with anyone else.
Secondly, wasn’t what he desired just a loyal figure who could relax their narrow views of bandits and trust him fully?
So what if this fairness came when he was achieving a feat or if he got it right now? Why bother about the details!
After all, he wasn’t running off with Qiao Yan’s money.
Having enough to settle now made finding old comrades from back home significantly easier!
This undoubtedly placed him in a much better position than he’d previously imagined.
Qiao Yan watched the two leave, thinking how Chu Yan radiated a vibe of joy and excitement.
She couldn’t help but shake her head and chuckle, heading back toward the county office.
If Chu Yan hadn’t spoken out, his growing attachment to the place today could be seen as good news. But when she arrived at the county office and saw the messenger from Luoyang, it was undeniably another piece of good news.
This messenger was sent by Bi Lan!
As April approached, Bi Lan had not let Qiao Yan down and had indeed completed the waterwheel she’d inquired about last year!
Of course, Bi Lan wouldn’t literally send a full waterwheel to the Taihang Mountains.
But this middle palace attendant, who garnered Liu Hong’s trust through clever inventions, had crafted a model small enough for Qiao Yan to see the inner workings clearly.
Qiao Yan recalled that the waterwheel had been the first application of chain transmission in ancient times, and indeed the model displayed this feature perfectly.
She had someone bring in a basin of water and placed this small waterwheel at the edge.
As she spun the driving wheel, the Dragon Bone Paddle began scraping the water upward along the constructed canal.
Using such external devices was exceedingly efficient; though it still needed manpower, getting water uphill was now much less laborious.
With the model came a letter from Bi Lan.
In it, he mentioned that Qiao Yan had contacted him to craft the item last year, when Bao Hong sent him a letter. This year, however, the fire in the Southern Palace happened; he took the opportunity to present a semi-finished product to Liu Hong, transforming it into a prototype for watering roads and palace gardens, gaining Liu Hong’s commendation, which made him feel a bit indebted to Qiao Yan.
He thought he should refine this waterwheel further, so he sought out Ma Lun.
The Fufeng Ma clan was known for producing great artisans, but while Ma Lun inherited her father’s talent for astronomical observations, she didn’t inherit her grandfather Ma Yan’s crafting skills. Therefore, she sought out a skilled artisan from her clan…
“The young master invited someone from Luoyang.”
马氏子钧, a clever young lad from the Ma family, was exceptionally talented in craftsmanship, though not so great at talking…
“……” Qiao Yan instantly changed her expression upon reading this.
Ma Shi Zi Jun, Ma Jun!
He’s one of the most famous inventors of the Three Kingdoms period! Improvements to the repeating crossbow, the invention of the south-pointing chariot, enhancements to the stone-throwing vehicle— all came from his hands!
Qiao Yan hadn’t expected to hear this name at all; after all, Ma Jun was active during the reign of Emperor Ming of Wei, which was after AD 237.
But thinking it over, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Most members of the Ma family lived long lives; for instance, Ma Rong reached eighty-eight, Ma Yan seventy-two, and Ma Lun could also be counted among the long-lived. What about Ma Jun?
Continuing to read the letter, she saw Bi Lan note that although Ma Jun was only fourteen this year, he played a significant role in assisting with the construction of the waterwheel. Since he was from a collateral branch and couldn’t afford schooling, Ma Lun planned to financially support his studies, and during his time in Luoyang, Bi Lan would teach him skills in craftsmanship.
Now that she knew where he was, Qiao Yan felt a bit more at ease.
She tucked the letter away, returned a polite nod to the messenger, and prepared a package of Leping’s local produce to be passed on to Bi Lan.
After sending the messenger off, she immediately summoned the carpenters from the county and the Black Mountain army.
Since Bi Lan had already sent over the waterwheel model, they needed to complete the irrigation system connecting the hillside as soon as possible.
People in Leping County had started to adapt to Qiao Yan’s decisive actions. Moreover, since cutting down trees and building the wooden waterwheel ultimately benefited the county, they were quite motivated to get moving.
According to Lord Qiao, moist land wasn’t favorable for locust breeding. If they could properly irrigate the hills, they’d be less vulnerable to locust invasions, creating a safer agricultural environment.
Unfortunately, this year’s spring rains had been sparse, causing some worry.
Hence, the construction pace of the dragon bone waterwheel exceeded Qiao Yan’s expectations.
In just fifteen days, they had already laid out the long channel on the hillside for the waterwheel’s long chain.
Of course, the chain was far less manageable than the previous hand-cranked model. Thankfully, Bi Lan and Ma Jun had already considered this issue and devised a way to pull it using livestock.
So, when the dragon bone waterwheel started operating, it was powered by plowing oxen.
Qiao Yan looked up from the base of the hill.
The yam seedlings, which had shown signs of life fifteen days ago, had fully sprouted and developed some leaves. While they weren’t lush yet, they definitely had the beginnings of a rich harvest.
And the supporting structures above the seedlings were gradually being built, forming an unfamiliar and peculiar sight never seen before in Bingzhou.
Qin Yu reported to Qiao Yan, “Leping County has fertile land of five hundred thousand acres, and this hillside has been newly cultivated with an extra sixty thousand acres. The survival rate of the yams being planted here is about eighty percent. Following Lord Qiao’s orders, we’ve removed any yam sprouts that didn’t germinate and replaced them with soybeans.”
These were crops that locusts despised.
Qiao Yan calculated in her mind, if that’s the case, disregarding the soybean yield, even with the living yams producing at a low estimate of a thousand pounds per acre, they could yield nearly 900,000 shi!
What an astonishing figure!
As Qin Yu’s voice echoed, the sound of rushing water from the stream flowing between the dragon bone wooden frame signified the successful operation of the waterwheel!
She murmured, “This thing can be used on hills, but it can actually work on flat ground too. Let’s ask the county folks if they’d be willing to build a few more dragon bones.”
If they’re going to do this, let’s do it right!
If this works, Leping’s measures against locusts would be comprehensively armed from start to finish.
Even if this preparation seems a bit excessive, in times of frequent disasters, lacking experience in governing a county, she felt it was better to follow her prior promise to Qiao Xuan—
Being thorough isn’t a bad strategy.
Originally, Qiao Yan thought of sending Qin Yu, who had been handling agricultural matters, along with the better-spoken Lu Yuan, to convince the people, but to her surprise, when Lu Yuan came back to report, she wore a slightly enigmatic smile. “Yesterday, when the dragon bone waterwheel ran, besides the carpenters in the county who were working on it, a lot of other county folks came to watch.”
“They thought it was a rare gift to have water flow from high to low, as if defying nature itself. Upon hearing Lord Qiao wanted to set up two more dragon bone pathways for irrigation, there was hardly any dissatisfaction. Their only request was for the irrigation paths to avoid crops that don’t need much water.”
Qiao Yan replied, “That’s only natural.”
Now that a consensus had been reached, and they already had experience successfully building the first dragon bone waterwheel, the entire Leping County immediately got to work.
Although the county carpenters lacked the inventiveness of Bi Lan and Ma Jun, they had their tricks to ensure the efficiency of the dragon bone waterwheel.
For instance—
The protective lacquer needed for the waterwheel was sourced from the Taihang Mountains, where lacquer trees grew. They specifically selected a few types of lacquer, and similarly for key bearings, in the improved version of the waterwheel, they opted for green sandalwood found in the Taihang Mountains, which is one of the most suitable hardwoods for making axles.
And this green sandalwood also became the material for Qiao Yan’s practice spear.
After informing Prefect Guo about the dragon bone waterwheel, she penned a letter to the governor’s office urging Zhang Yi to give this matter proper attention, and sent out several letters afterward. The five hilly dragon bones and the four intersecting flat ground ones in Leping County were officially completed.
On that same day, Qiao Yan received two sections of a three-section spear from the carpenter who had been tasked with making her wooden spears.
The trunk of the green sandalwood was originally yellow-brown, but on the spear brought to Qiao Yan, it appeared more black-brown.
She pulled apart the joint between the two sections; when combined, the long spear formed two short spears, and upon closure, there were no signs of it breaking apart.
This was exactly what she wanted!
Seeing her unmistakable fondness for the wooden spear, Lu Yuan asked, “Lord Qiao, are you planning to formally practice martial arts?”
Qiao Yan’s ancestors had held military positions. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, she nearly lost her life among the refugees. Now that the irrigation in Leping was fully in place, her desire to acquire the ability for self-protection through martial arts was completely understandable.
Besides, she’s still young, which is the perfect age for practicing martial arts.
As far as Lu Yuan could see, Qiao Yan’s cultural skills and political knowledge already surpassed what was typical for her age, so dedicating some energy to martial arts seemed quite normal.
However, she then heard Qiao Yan respond, “Not just me, but all of you too.”
“In times of natural disasters and epidemics, only the strong survive. It’s the law of nature.” Qiao Yan slowly rotated the spear in her hand, making a clumsy arc, but she clearly seemed quite pleased with herself.
It was the first time Lu Yuan heard such a phrase but could somewhat grasp the meaning.
This reasoning was quite interesting.
Then Qiao Yan went on, “Even if we’re not aiming to kill in battle, it’s good to build strength and fitness, don’t you think?”
“Don’t you want to see a brighter future for Leping in the years to come?”
Maybe it wasn’t just about Leping.
This reason… Let alone Lu Yuan having no way to refuse, even Xi Zhicai, who was indifferent to exercise, couldn’t turn it down.
But he couldn’t help but write a few more letters, all containing the same line—
【In a single day, I made ten trips up and down the mountain. The peach blossoms are beautiful, but I am utterly exhausted and hardly smell their fragrance.】
The recipients of the letters fell into silence.
Was Xi Zhicai bragging about his stamina or asking for help?
