“Can a strategist not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 62: July Locust Plague
Everyone else had gotten used to Xi Zhicai’s cheeky behavior; they’d laugh and move on. But the twelve-year-old Guo Jia couldn’t take it anymore and immediately penned a letter back to Xi Zhicai.
“You’re quite happy, huh? It’s not that you’re too tired from training to smell the peach blossoms in the mountains; you’re just so full of yourself that you can’t see what’s right in front of you.”
Upon receiving the letter, Xi Zhicai thought, “This kid is utterly unlovable.”
Of course, Qiao Yan hadn’t gone so far as to train Xi Zhicai into a general, nor did she plan to let Leping’s physical training take over the county officials’ work time to preemptively prepare for the major plague that was coming in the next few years.
The “mountain” that she mentioned as “going up and down ten times in a single day” was really just a long slope. Running up and down ten times would tire one out just enough to break a sweat, and it wouldn’t even take half an hour.
This kind of moving around was more than enough for a scholar like Xi Zhicai, and it was a decent starting exercise for Lu Yuan, Qin Yu, Xu Fu, and the others.
But of course, Qiao Yan was aiming to be able to use the Two-Section Three-Section Spear, to put the techniques from “Broken Mountains and Remaining Waters” into practice. Just jogging up and down the slope clearly wasn’t enough.
Fortunately, she had already improved her physicality to 62. With a physique comparable to a typical adult male, although she had to take it gradually due to her age, she was certainly better off than most.
Plus, while she was somewhat shy about establishing a formal teacher-student relationship with her generals, it was perfectly fine to casually ask questions. Before Zhao Yun left Leping for Changshan, Qiao Yan had already confirmed many details about martial training with him and then checked in with Zhang Yang to devise a specialized training program that included strength, endurance, core strength, vision, arm strength, and balance.
As to why she didn’t ask Dian Wei?
Well, there was a good reason why that guy was called the ancient version of an evil deity.
His advice to Qiao Yan was—eat enough, get strong, and since he was used to wielding twin halberds, he would naturally have enough killing power.
Does that make sense?
Although, in some way, he wasn’t wrong.
For proper generals—not like Qiao Yan who had game-breaking skills—subcutaneous fat was indeed crucial for enduring battles. Just like a general’s belly isn’t formed just from lounging about; it’s the well-developed muscles wrapping around the fat needed to sustain a full day of combat. As long as it doesn’t hinder agility with weapons, this state is unquestionably beneficial for a warrior.
But Dian Wei saying that came off like he was just eating, sleeping, and killing monsters, leveling up without a care.
Qiao Yan chose to ally with Zhang Yang to strongly condemn such “superhuman” warriors like Dian Wei.
Before arriving at Leping, Zhang Yang had thought that Qiao Yan, the County Marquis, going to Jinyang with Xu Fu suggested that Leping didn’t have any capable warriors.
He followed Qiao Yan not just because he felt he was lacking in brainpower compared to her and better off following her orders, but also because he thought he was a better fit as a warrior than wandering knight Xu Fu.
But after falling into the trap, he realized that Xu Fu was turning from a wandering knight into a scholar, and Qiao Yan had a Zhao Yun, who was even better than Zhang Liao and about the same age, plus Dian Wei, a beast in close combat.
However, Zhang Yang convinced himself that this was just a misunderstanding on his part, not any kind of false advertising from Qiao Yan.
Regardless, in Leping, Qiao Yan treated the officials at the county office very well; they had plenty of grain and meat, and even after filling their bellies, they could spar with Dian Wei, which, although painful, was still a form of progress.
Though, hearing too much about Dian Wei’s training methods was a bit of a downer.
But he would argue that Qiao Yan didn’t really need to feel any camaraderie with him in this regard.
Border warriors mostly needed to practice mounted archery, with shooting being the key focus.
Take Yunzhong County; before Tan Shihuai passed away, they resisted Ding Ling to the north, struck Fuyu to the east, attacked Wusun to the west, and… well, invaded the Han in the south. Guarding the border towns effectively meant shooting to take down incoming Hu people before they reached the walls. Thus, most of his growth was spent on practicing external archery in addition to martial arts.
But Zhang Yang couldn’t help but feel that Qiao Yan’s talent for improving her aim and arm strength through bow training seemed to surpass even his, burdened as he was.
And she didn’t even stick to the recognized protocols of strategists making decisions, local officials carrying out plans, and generals leading charges.
It seemed that Qiao Yan, the County Marquis of Leping, could juggle multiple roles effortlessly!
Like right now, this not-yet-grown adolescent girl in her sleek dark outfit, holding a lightweight short bow, focused intently as she nocked an arrow.
It was the time of year transitioning from May to June, with the sun already showing signs of early summer’s vigor, leaving no trace of the lingering cold from months ago, and the golden rays of the sun lit up the arrow tip held by this youthful County Marquis.
The bowstring snapped, and the arrow shot out like a rainbow, hitting the center of the target straight on.
Zhang Yang couldn’t help but shout, “Brilliant!”
Although Qiao Yan was still only hitting targets from twenty paces away and certainly couldn’t yet compare to those who could shoot from fifty or one hundred paces, this was truly remarkable progress for someone who had only taken up archery for two months.
At least in Zhang Yang’s memory, this short bow in Qiao Yan’s hands had been crafted not long after he arrived in Leping.
If she continued at this pace, who knows, Leping might soon produce an expert shooter!
Of course, Qiao Yan didn’t share his optimism.
Shooting was part of the Six Arts of a Gentleman, so it was natural that it had corresponding skills in the system. She had previously saved extra skill points for it, just as she had to level up her horse riding enough for travel, and now she had also pushed her archery level up two levels.
This ensured that while she hadn’t yet mastered spear techniques, she could at least defend herself with archery when needed.
However, further enhancements would have to come from her own efforts.
This wasn’t a goal one could just talk into existence; any mastery of a skill required hard work.
But luckily, Qiao Yan had not wasted the foundational archery skills gained through the system, so continuing to build upon a solid base would undoubtedly be better than seeking advice from various sources.
This bow training had also increased her arm strength, which reflected in her ability to wield a spear.
It was truly a virtuous cycle of mutual improvement.
And when she turned her gaze away from the target twenty paces away to the lush green scene of the far-off hills, it was also a relaxation of the eyes.
Leping’s summer was not just abundant in plants but also teeming with life.
The dragon bone waterwheel turned with a rumble, its paddles moving under the power of livestock, lifting the low-lying water to higher ground, saving considerable labor at this time when yams needed just the right balance of wet and dry.
Previously, the fragile seedlings barely breaking through the soil had now climbed up the support with their slender vines. The summer breeze rustled through them, causing the leaves—now entering their vigorous growing period—to flutter, yet the sunlight still filtered through the stakes, providing ample light for the leaves below.
In the fields, the silhouettes of those working were faintly visible.
“The trouble with high-yield yam production can’t be solved just by building a dragon bone waterwheel.”
Take tilling, for example.
Since the yam’s underground root system spreads laterally and isn’t very deep, tilling, which is a breeze for regular crops, requires careful attention with yams. Just scratching the surface and cautiously pulling out weeds will do.
At this moment, Zhang Niujiao has finally managed to work his way up to the top of this hundred-people team, barely scraping by as a little unit leader. These past few days, he’s been working his back off, diligently pulling out the pesky weeds that have sprouted up in the fields, just in time for the summer farming hustle.
As he straightened up, he spotted Chu Yan leading a group recruited from Changshan County patrolling along the hill path.
He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy, almost like a toothache.
But then again, while he admired others’ energy and luck, he remembered that the county officials had to be literate and pass regular assessments. Those who didn’t pass got sent back to handle fertilizer duties, so he decided it was best to stick with what he knew.
Last year’s stock of cake fertilizer, made from fermented beans turned into cake form, had been nearly used up. Now, he’d have to rely on the duck droppings collected by Qiao Yan’s people down the hill.
It seems farming is still a simpler task.
Moreover, just a few days ago, when Chu Yan invited him for a little drink, he laid out some numbers for him, estimating how many yam plants had survived in their plot. Based on the weights they previously gathered from Iron Rod Yam, this plot could yield a certain harvest.
Zhang Niujiao wasn’t exactly a math whiz, but he trusted his buddy and figured Chu Yan wouldn’t lie to him about this.
If this were true, wouldn’t that mean they were growing the same amount of yield from land that was less than one-eighth the size of the county’s original fields?
That would be downright shocking!
If that’s the case, forget about working hard during this tilling phase; even treating this plot like a cherished ancestor would be no problem at all!
According to Chu Yan, if he could diligently support this yam until it matured, there’d definitely be a share of the harvest that had his name on it. When the time came for merit rewards, he wouldn’t be left out. As a unit leader now, he wouldn’t have any trouble being registered as a resident of Leping by August.
By the time autumn harvest rolled around, as a Leping resident, he could selectively take part in winter work. With all that extra time, he could gradually join literacy classes, and once he was familiar with a few more characters, becoming a county official wouldn’t be a stretch.
It all sounded pretty clear-cut.
Zhang Niujiao was left dumbfounded by what Chu Yan had laid out.
He fully understood why Chu Yan had quickly climbed the ranks to become a sharp tool under Qiao Yan. If it weren’t for Qiao Yan bringing back that Zhang Yang after her trip to Jinyang, Chu Yan might have gone even further.
But no matter how he looked at it, he felt Zhang Yang was likely cut from the same cloth as him…
All he could do was hope that this younger brother keeps his head down.
However, the fruitful farming and martial training in late May didn’t mean Qiao Yan was only receiving good news.
She wiped the sweat off her face after archery practice, and just as she returned to the county office, she received a letter from Lu Yuan.
Two days ago, she had sent Lu Yuan back to Jinyang City.
If Qiao Yan had been selfish, she should have kept quiet once they got the dragon bone waterwheel installed between the yam plots in Leping. After all, in Luoyang, this thing was only used to water roads and suppress dust!
But considering how tough life had been for the commoners in these days of the late Han, why hide something that would benefit the people’s livelihoods and population maintenance?
She was indeed planning to exacerbate the tension between the local noble families in Bingzhou and the newly appointed governor, but she also mentioned in a report to Zhang Yi that since spring, there had been insufficient rainfall, and given that Bingzhou’s terrain had abundant water sources flanked by two mountains, they might as well install a dragon bone waterwheel to ensure all the dry fields received irrigation.
This was twofold: first, to guarantee the yields during autumn harvest, and second, to prevent dry fields from being overly disturbed by locust plagues.
This proposal was drafted in April.
Yet Qiao Yan hadn’t received an immediate reply; instead, Wang Yang, due to Zhang Yi’s association with the Runan Yuan clan, paid special attention to her and quickly sent a response.
In his letter, Wang Yang stated that they took her advice as an ally very seriously and had naturally put the dragon bone waterwheel to use on their own land. He also mentioned that Zhang Yi had sent a letter back to Luoyang.
This obviously meant he was inquiring about the Yuan clan’s opinion on the matter.
Qiao Yan frowned at that.
The Yuan clan…
They probably wouldn’t take her idea seriously.
Recent locust plagues in the past few years had mostly struck the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and in the nobility’s view, the dragon bone waterwheel was merely a supplementary tool, so why bother conserving manpower for it?
In fact, Qiao Yan’s guesses were quite right.
In Yuan Shao’s reply to Zhang Yi, his message seemed straightforward: since you’re in the position of Bingzhou governor now, your priority should be establishing yourself. Issues like drought? Let the people fetch water a few more times instead of wasting energy on the dragon bone waterwheel.
Although Zhang Yi didn’t hold direct military power, as governor, he could supervise the work of district leaders and naturally offer some strategic guidance.
In the fourth year of Glorious Harmony, when Tan Shihua passed away, his heir was also shot during a campaign in the northern regions, which led to the once unified northern Hu people splintering back into factions.
This didn’t mean the disturbances at the borders got any better, but it undoubtedly presented an opportunity for the Han court.
According to Yuan Shao’s analysis, rather than squandering efforts on the waterwheel, Zhang Yi should focus on supporting Huan Lian’s son, Qian Man, who, due to his young age, had his power seized by Quidou. Supporting a weaker faction would cause their power to split, and the net benefit would surely prove advantageous for Zhang Yi, securing himself a stronger position as governor when he reported back to court and established military achievements.
If it were a different time, if Qiao Yan had known what was said in Yuan Shao’s letter, she might’ve had to commend him for his foresight.
After Tan Shihua’s era ended, the power struggle between Huan Lian’s son and Budugen did indeed lead to further divisions among the northern tribes, followed by the ongoing rivalry between the northern two titans, Budugen and Ke Biner, which continued until the era of Wei Mingdi, ultimately concluding with Budugen’s death and Ke Biner’s retreat to the northern desert.
But while this was a politically correct suggestion, it didn’t mean it was suitable for the present time!
A little over a month later, after Zhang Yi received Yuan clan’s advice, he finally sent out a delayed reply to Qiao Yan. Though the letter didn’t criticize her proposals, he addressed her in a rather condescending tone, mentioning that Qiao Hou hadn’t even completed a full year managing Leping County, and the potential benefits of her suggestions were still unclear, therefore the state government would consider this cautiously.
Cautiously consider?
Although she understood this stemmed from different perspectives on future knowledge, Qiao Yan still wanted to curse this insolent upstart. However, as a county marquis, she had to act thoughtfully and simply remarked, “You’re taking too big a step.”
Zhang Yi didn’t view this as an excessive step, nor an oversight related to Bingzhou’s internal affairs. He was more inclined to support Yuan Shao’s plan he was presented with, clearly marking the beginning of his plans to expand externally.
Just a mere month and a half later, an urgent report galloped over the Taihang Mountains, arriving in Jinyang.
The letter stated—
In the second year of Zhongping, a locust plague struck the Three Aides.
What are the Three Aides? The capital’s Three Aides area has been hit first by a locust disaster!
