“Can strategists not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 63: Arrows Strike the Governor
In the three prefectures, if there are pests, Bingzhou will surely be affected.
Jingzhao, Fengyi, and Fufeng had barely recovered from previous poor harvests when the rampant locusts came, and they would soon spread to the nearby provinces of Sizhou.
During Liu Hong’s reign, one of the worst locust plagues spread across seven provinces.
The long and formidable Taihang Mountains might block an invading army, but they can’t stop these invaders—locusts.
After all, the mountains are full of edible plants, sustaining these pesky locusts, and once they cross the mountains, the wheat fields waiting on the other side become their buffet.
And it’s still summer.
While Bingzhou is in a good spot north of Sizhou, it’s not cold enough yet to freeze those flying pests.
Even in the northern regions of Yunzhong and Yanmen, the climate remains rather pleasant.
Oh, flying locusts…
Locusts that can fly three hundred miles in one day!
By the time this news reaches the high-ranking officials in Bingzhou, the first wave of locusts from the three prefectures may have already invaded.
When Governor Zhang Yi got this news, he was alarmed, and so was Qiao Yan.
Even though she had sensed the inevitability of a locust plague from various signs, the official confirmation filled her with a sense of urgency, not just a resigned sigh.
Bingzhou’s preparations for locusts far outstripped those in any other place, even the ducks raised in the mountainous fields were part of the contingency plan.
But Leping was Qiao Yan’s established base for population settlement and development, and her substantial investment in both industry and agriculture this year meant she couldn’t afford any losses.
Besides, it was also her first time facing a locust plague.
It’s only natural for her to feel anxious when confronting the unknown.
Clutching the letter in her hand, she stepped out of the room.
There was something particularly ridiculous in this report.
Historically, whenever disasters struck, someone had to be blamed—usually those in the high posts like the three dukes—just to showcase that misfortune is a result of people not being in their proper positions.
But perhaps because these three positions had swapped around so many times, there was no one left to punish, and Liu Hong wasn’t keen on tying the disaster to court politics. Thus, his decision was to…
Transfer Huangfu Song back from the role of Ji Province shepherd to General of the Chariots and Cavalry for failing to overtake North Palace’s Boyu. The new General Zhang Wen set off from the capital to suppress the rebellion, also bringing along a familiar acquaintance of Qiao Yan’s.
That acquaintance was Bao Hong.
Bao Hong had just escorted Qiao Xuan’s body to Leping and then delivered a petition for Qiao Yan to the capital. He got a bit of luck from that, and thanks to that delivery of gifts, he ended up with this sub-command position in the expedition to Liangzhou.
Though he was still a minor officer, a minor officer accompanying the army would certainly wield much more power than an ordinary Northern military officer.
Feeling he owed Qiao Yan a favor, Bao Hong sent a quick-footed messenger to Leping as soon as he heard about the locust plague from the capital.
The messenger was swift, so Qiao Yan and Zhang Yi received the news about the locusts almost simultaneously.
If it had been left to Zhang Yi to notify the counties…
It might have been too late!
Just after Qiao Yan had someone thank the messenger, she received word from Chu Yan patrolling the mountains that locust traces had been found in the southern ridge.
There’s no denying the flight capability of adult locusts; if they’ve already reached the mountains, it would take at most another day or two for them to land in Leping.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yan immediately called over her subordinates.
The topographical model of Leping was put to use once more, as she had it carried in.
However, what marked the model now were not the zones of cultivated land or edible items in the mountains, but the terrain of the county’s farmlands and the locations of the Dragon Bone Waterwheels.
This contraption had been recorded in the “Extermination of Locusts” as a “dumb method,” but thanks to the existence of Dragon Bone Waterwheels, it had become a relatively feasible option.
“I need Mr. Zhongde to retrieve grain from the county granaries and spread it into the trenches we’ve dug previously, placing it at intervals. Since we haven’t reached harvesting season, ripe millet will be more enticing to locusts than crops. The long channels will sit beneath the waterwheel. Once we gather enough locusts, we can quickly open the water trough to drown them.”
At these words, the room went silent.
After all, people today know very little about locusts; at least prior to the Tang Dynasty, when faced with a locust plague, the first thought usually went to divine wrath rather than pestilence.
“A major locust disaster in Shandong, people pray and offer sacrifices, helplessly watching their seedlings get eaten.”
That’s the current norm.
In some areas with a reverence for locusts, they might even have deities for them. Until Tang Taizong Li Shimin bravely ate locusts, dismissing his ministers’ concerns about potential diseases, people wouldn’t even consider capturing locusts.
At most, like Qiao Yan wrote to Zhang Yi beforehand, they would merely hope to mitigate the impact of the locust plague instead of capturing them while they ravaged the towns.
However, Qiao Yan’s year of management in Leping had been substantial, and she had built enough of a rapport, especially with those who had followed her long enough, that nobody doubted her decisive nature.
As for Cheng Li, the first person she had assigned tasks to, he wasn’t particularly one to hesitate.
Or maybe, no one could possibly see locusts as godly—definitely not Cheng Li.
He nodded in response, “I’ll take people to do it right away. Since there aren’t many locusts around yet, capturing them may be limited, but if we waste water, I’ll just have people drown them directly.”
With him taking the lead, everything else fell into place.
Qiao Yan turned to the others, “Yuan Zhi, have people spread the duck flock I instructed to distribute under the Yam fields across the county. Just ensure they don’t disturb the crops.”
Xu Fu bowed his acknowledgement.
Ducks eating locusts wasn’t a secret. If you think about it, frogs also ate locusts, but raising them isn’t as easy as ducks.
This isn’t like going directly to capture locusts, and Qiao Yan wasn’t too sure how people at this time would interpret this scenario; perhaps they would claim the locust god sacrificed the ducks. Not that it sounded quite right.
As long as the ducks were good at eating locusts, it was fine if the humans would then eat the ducks.
Over the last few months, duck eggs had also become a source of income for the Black Mountain Army.
Yet it wasn’t until now that Xu Fu realized that Qiao Yan kept these ducks not just for their droppings as fertilizer for the Yam fields, but was actually waiting for this moment.
Seeing Xu Fu leave with his order, she called out the next name: “Chu Yan, I need you to gather the fish nets the families in Black Mountain Army have been making. Hand them over to Zhang Niujiao and the others for Yam field protection. Any extras can be sold at a low price to the county folks.”
These fish nets, as recorded in the ancient text “Capture Techniques for Locusts,” were typically used to ensnare the swarming locusts above. However, curved nets weren’t as easy to deploy in hilly areas, so she had opted for fish nets instead.
If they were used for protection rather than capturing, the fish nets would definitely serve their purpose.
Furthermore, if locusts didn’t come, old fish nets could still be used to make mulberry bark paper. Even if Qiao Yan’s predictions were off, there was no worry about waste.
Chu Yan instantly agreed.
“Additionally—”
Qiao Yan paused before continuing, “I plan to exchange the county’s stored grain for locust eggs. There’s still over a month before the autumn harvest, and we absolutely can’t run out of food in the county office. But if the locusts pass through and lay eggs among the county farmlands, there could be a problem next year when the stragglers return.”
This was a strategy of enticing them.
With each command given, Qiao Yan’s anxiety began to ease. At least she had prepared resources, and this expected yet unexpected turn of events didn’t catch her off guard.
Moreover, after organizing everything, aside from the crops already sprouted, she held one last trump card.
Previously, she purchased several small plots of land from farmers in the county, allowing locals to reclaim the corresponding land in the mountains.
These scattered farmland plots outside the county city were left non-cultivated, built instead with straw huts months prior.
And because it hadn’t rained lately, they stayed quite dry still.
Before nightfall, she made a special trip to patrol these more than ten straw huts, ensuring all surrounding weeds were cleared away to prevent any fire from spreading to the nearby farmlands.
Once assured everything was in order, she felt satisfied pulling back a bit.
As night fell, Qiao Yan sat on a ridge holding a rock, propping her chin up and watching the distant straw huts.
News of the locusts approaching inevitably caused panic among the locals, but given the prices of candles and lamp oil, it wouldn’t lead to a sleepless night.
From the county town to nearby villages, it was all engulfed in darkness. Plus, tonight was moonless, making everything appear even dimmer.
The most distinct lights were the scattered flames outdoors.
The bonfires were ignited in those straw huts.
“Lord Qiao knows a lot about the people’s livelihood and can effectively put it to use. Truly a blessing for Leping,” Xi Zhicai casually remarked as he sat directly on the ground.
Qiao Yan glanced at him as he made this noise; in the dark, it was hard not to notice this guy was leisurely pouring himself a jug of wine.
If he still had the luxury to drink, it suggested he felt the situation was under control.
If it weren’t for the common belief that consuming locusts would anger the deities and bring illness upon yourself, she would have suggested pairing wine with roasted locusts. It would probably taste surprisingly good.
But getting involved with the harvesting was already borderline scandalous; proposing eating locusts might face strong opposition—not very rewarding, so she shelved that idea.
“Before my grandfather passed, he asked me how to be a good county marquis,” Qiao Yan said, gazing at the flickering light in the distance. “This is my answer to him.”
It’s an extremely effective method for handling locusts too.
Xi Zhicai also approved of this strategy because anyone who understood locust behavior would not ignore the fact that locusts are strongly attracted to light.
This was somewhat similar to moths.
Thus, those straw huts aglow in the night served as “insect lamps.”
Even if the locusts landing in Leping weren’t many yet, it didn’t matter; part of them would still fly towards the light at night.
Some of the straw huts that attracted fewer locusts saw guards using fish nets to block the doors and windows, capturing them easily.
But the ones attracting more, like the nearby hilly one—
In just an hour, it had nearly amassed a good portion of the first wave of locusts reaching Leping, attracted by a small pile of stored millet, keeping them resting within the hut.
By the time Qiao Yan arrived, the person responsible for watching this place hadn’t quite counted right.
Regardless, Qiao Yan didn’t press him for precise counts.
She gazed towards the flickering light from the window and raised her hand to command, “Light it up.”
The instant her command was given, someone hurled a burning torch towards that straw hut.
The flames on the torch instantly exploded into a fierce blaze as they caught dry straw.
The straw hut burned quickly, collapsing and leaving no chance for the assembled locusts to escape. Thus, they too were caught in the flames.
Five hundred years later, it’s hard to imagine how much resistance Tang Prime Minister Yao Chong faced when advocating for incineration to annihilate locusts.
But she knew that here in Leping County, due to winter preparations and her title as Duke of Leping bestowed by the Han court, she wouldn’t even need to go through the part of rallying everyone against her. It was just that…
Much easier than the mess that Yao Chong is facing.
You can’t really blame the fools who see locusts as the “kings of insects.” In such dire straits, no one tells them that they can actually resist natural disasters.
Qiao Yan’s eyes reflected the glow from the burning thatched cottages, turning a fierce red, and it only started to calm down after the flames had devoured the straw and wood completely.
She pointed at Zhang Yang, who was watching nearby, and said, “I’ll leave this to you. Rebuild the thatched huts here as soon as possible, and light bonfires at night. If you see this many gathering, burn them immediately without waiting for my orders.”
As long as it doesn’t affect the nearby farmlands, that’s all that matters.
“You can count on me, Marquis Qiao. I won’t let you down!” Zhang Yang assured with a loud voice, feeling the weight of responsibility.
Even though he had dealt with enemies from the Hu people beyond the pass before, Zhang Yang thought, how hard could locusts be?
After all, it was just about finding a nest, gathering them all at once, and then capturing those that strayed on their own.
In terms of damage to the crops, both didn’t seem much different.
With the sky starting to brighten slightly, when Qiao Yan looked at Zhang Yang, it was clear he was full of energy, but somehow she felt he might be thinking about something weird.
But right now, the priority was to contain the locust plague within manageable limits, not to ponder on her subordinates’ peculiar thought processes.
Even with light sources to attract locusts, when morning completely replaced the night, as Qiao Yan carefully inspected the yam field, she noticed some sporadic signs of locust damage.
It really showed how much locusts loved thick-leaved plants.
Even though it wasn’t her field, since it was growing within her territory, it was hard not to feel heartache.
But then she thought, Leping was well-prepared, and since there were soybean seedlings interplanted with the yam sprouts, it’s easy to imagine what the situation would be like in the Sanfu area, which bore the first brunt of the locust disaster, and other places outside Leping in Bingzhou.
Just as Qiao Yan was reflecting, she saw Lu Yuan leading a few county officials, with horses in tow, marching towards her.
After bowing to her, Lu Yuan spoke, “Marquis Qiao, given that the locust plague is looming, I’m afraid Shangdang won’t be spared. Since you value the relationship with the Yangqu Guo clan, and wish to establish yourself in Shangdang, as the envoy of Leping, I should visit Changzhi at this time. May I have your permission?”
“Even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have sent you,” Qiao Yan relaxed a bit, though she still hadn’t smiled, she couldn’t help but look approvingly at her.
This instinct in handling diplomatic matters undoubtedly matched Qiao Yan’s expectations for her.
“Last night, Leping proved that using fire to lure locusts and then burning them works, and let him know. If…”
“If Governor Guo hesitates on whether to exterminate the locusts, tell him that no later than the day after tomorrow, the order to exterminate will surely reach Shangdang.”
Hearing Qiao Yan speak so confidently, Lu Yuan didn’t ask any more questions; he bowed once more and led his people to Changzhi.
After watching her leave, Qiao Yan returned to the yam field near the hillside, confirming that the damage was still under control before heading back to the county office.
By this time, it was fully bright outside.
But after a busy night, Qiao Yan couldn’t rest.
Having proposed the plan of exchanging food for locust eggs, she had Qin Yu consult a few elderly locals who had faced locust disasters in Leping before, getting an estimate of the number of locust eggs, and that night she drafted the exchange rules—
One dou of locusts for one dou of millet, and one dou of locust seeds for three dous of millet.
After she personally wrote the announcement and stamped it with the seals of Leping and Marquis Qiao, and handed it to Qin Yu to post, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing her this busy, even the system, which often had a bunch of questions, dared not interrupt her work.
Though it did find it strange why Qiao Yan was so sure that the order would reach Shangdang by the day after tomorrow.
But before it could think to ask, it saw Qiao Yan lying down on the couch and quickly falling into a deep sleep.
It started to wonder if it could skip setting the alarm for today.
As a qualified atmosphere maker, it decided to keep silent.
Qiao Yan didn’t awaken until the afternoon, slowly shaking off the drowsiness from a night of planning.
However, what surprised her was that the first thing she did after getting up was asking Xi Zhicai, “Could you please draft a letter of apology for me?”
Apology?
What was there to apologize for?
The squishy little hint of locust disaster in Leping had been almost completely suppressed thanks to her efforts from yesterday and last night.
And with the possible ongoing locust storm—
The mountain yam fields had soybean interplanting for protection, plus the Dragon Bone Waterwheel irrigation channel. Now all other methods to block locust proliferation and rampage had been put in place, what could possibly be wrong with Leping?
Besides, Qiao Yan was the Marquis of Leping, not the envoy. If anyone should apologize for the locust disaster, it should be Cheng Li, not her.
In fact, she had a case for credit.
After all, if she hadn’t decided to buy peas and urged other areas in Shangdang to plant them between the furrows, the initial damage these crops faced would surely have been worse.
Her transparency regarding the effectiveness of the Dragon Bone Waterwheel irrigation could have also alleviated the severity of the situation under Governor Guo Yun’s jurisdiction and the Wang family in Jinyang.
Yet Xi Zhicai, following her out briskly, saw her grabbing the short bow and quiver hanging on the wall of the courtyard, calling Dian Wei and Chu Yan, along with a group of wandering knights, as she headed straight for the stables to mount her horse.
And in one smooth motion, she cantered off outside the county.
Such decisiveness, with no hesitation whatsoever.
Before the news of the true head of the county’s sudden departure reached the ears of all the officials inside the county, she had already left the city.
Only a simple instruction was left, having Chu Yan hand over the fishing net work she was originally responsible for to Zhang Niujiao.
That was it.
“Mr. Xi, why…” Zhao Yun didn’t quite understand why Qiao Yan hadn’t brought him along.
He could see clearly that as Qiao Yan rode off, others might not understand her intentions, but Xi Zhicai must have figured it out.
Otherwise, his expression wouldn’t have shown such surprise.
And if Zhao Yun wasn’t mistaken, behind that surprise was definitely not worry, but a certain appreciation and excitement.
“Stop asking; just pretend like we’re chasing her but didn’t catch up, then head back to assist Zhongde in exterminating the locusts,” instructed Xi Zhicai, closing his eyes in contemplation for a moment, before opening them with his usual nonchalance, “I’ll draft a letter of apology for Marquis Qiao.”
The moment she took down that bow, Xi Zhicai had figured out the seemingly nonsensical request of hers.
What was she apologizing for? The charge of attempting to assassinate the governor!
Or perhaps this shouldn’t be termed as assassination.
It should be labeled as—
Due to the governor’s incompetence and failure to heed sound advice, leading to greater disasters across Bingzhou than there should have been, the young marquis, acting out of righteous anger, went off the rails.
With Qiao Yan’s measured approach, this wouldn’t be an assassination that bred bloodshed. Still, the letter of apology had to be penned.
And the goal was not truly to apologize.
Just like Qiao Yan was not interested in the disappearance of the Yuan clan’s offspring in the Runan area within her domain.
As she led this group of people, unrelated to positions in Leping County, bursting through the doors of the provincial government, the governor Zhang Yi was just about to utter “outrageous” when he noticed that the eleven-year-old marquis had raised her hand.
Crowded by her entourage, Zhang Yi barely noticed that she was holding a short bow.
Neither did the guards inside the provincial government expect that this young marquis would storm in with such a weapon after her already bizarre entrance.
All the archery practice she had done to build her strength over the past few months was now being put to the test.
Furrowing her brow, she took two quick steps forward, smoothly drawing the bowstring and firing an arrow in one swift motion.
Within a range of twenty steps, with her current skills, missing the target was impossible; and at such close range, there was no chance of deviation either!
This arrow soared straight through Zhang Yi’s official hat, even knocking the originally loosely secured crown off his head!
Zhang Yi’s face turned pale in an instant.
But as the sound of the crown hitting the ground registered, he suddenly realized that after the arrow, he was still alive, merely brushing past death.
But before he could recover from the rapid heartbeat triggered by fear, he saw Qiao Yan lifting her bow again, the cold glint of the second arrow catching his eye.
If it were just Qiao Yan overstepping boundaries by herself—
No, wait, as a county marquis, it’s not clear who is above or below; at the very least, it would mean she had the gall to lay hands on a court official, contravening the law.
But she brought people with her.
None of them were dressed in Leping County’s official attire; they appeared more like private soldiers gathered by Qiao Yan, exuding a fierce and predatory aura.
With Dian Wei and Chu Yan at the forefront, this group, by sheer presence alone, overshadowed the officials on Zhang Yi’s side entirely.
Zhang Yi especially hated himself for agreeing with Zhang Liao’s request half a month ago, allowing him to head to Yanmen to secretly support Qian Man while also confronting the Xianbei leader. If he still had the rebellious youth by his side, they wouldn’t have such a stark contrast now.
Especially with Dian Wei, who clearly looked like he could fight—
Looking across the officials in the provincial government, it was evident that none could compare to him in sheer physical size!
Yet amidst the crowd, the most striking presence was undoubtedly Qiao Yan.
With the bow in her hand and the arrow nocked, her steely gaze alone created an astounding deterrent.
So much so that even Zhang Yi, who was in the right, couldn’t help but shrink back slightly at that moment.
But he soon realized, what was there to hide!
Since Qiao Yan dared to only aim for his hat and not at him personally, it meant that no matter how audacious she acted, she only dared to perform such seemingly coercive actions.
He stood tall, boldly asking, “Does Leping Marquis intend to murder court officials?”
However, in his attempt to regain the initiative, Zhang Yi found no hint of guilt on Qiao Yan’s face at all; he only saw her slowly lowering the arrow from aimed at his head to pointing at his heart.
In this change, her momentum did not wane; in fact, it only grew clearer in her expression, revealing a storm-like intensity flickering in her eyes.
Even with her calm demeanor, no matter how serene she tried to speak, it did nothing to mask the tension in her words.
“I previously submitted a memorial to the provincial government, stating that in times of severe drought, locust plagues can easily arise. It’s better to focus on irrigating the dry fields to prepare in advance than to be caught off guard.”
“The provincial government did not consent.”
The words “the provincial government did not consent” threw Zhang Yi’s guards into confusion and exchanged looks.
They initially thought the Leping Marquis was acting without reason, but upon seeing Zhang Yi fail to refute Qiao Yan’s statement, it appeared that in this standoff, Qiao Yan was the one holding the more reasonable stance.
Before Zhang Yi could come up with a rebuttal, he heard Qiao Yan continue, “In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Now that the locust plague is upon us and the provincial government is ineffective, only Qiao Yan stands in for the vital duties—first to restore the people’s livelihoods, and then I will ask for your forgiveness, Governor.”
If it weren’t for the arrow pointed at him, Zhang Yi would have burst into a furious tirade, thinking, what use was it to have Qiao Yan plead for forgiveness for her reckless actions?
But he then saw that as Qiao Yan commanded, these similarly audacious individuals charged forward to subdue his guards and even brought him down to the ground.
The arrow she hadn’t shot was pointing directly at the top of his head.
At that moment, the arrow was not nocked on the bowstring; it was drawn back, yet the fierce spirit within it remained unchanged.
What further humiliated Zhang Yi was that his official seal was yanked off his waist and handed to Qiao Yan’s right hand.
Clutching the seal tightly, she said emphatically, “You may rest easy, Governor. Once the locust plague is subdued, I will surely ask for forgiveness from the Son of Heaven.”
