“Can strategists not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 64: Acting with Authority
Zhang Yi felt his previously pale face turn red again from the rush of blood.
Wait until the locust plague calms down to plead for forgiveness from the Son of Heaven?
Whether the Son of Heaven will blame Qiao Yan’s reckless actions is one thing, but this Governor will definitely face severe punishment.
Not only did he ignore the insightful opinions from the counties below, but Marquis of Leping also pulled a power grab at the last minute; it was practically a one-way ticket to the shame pillar.
In the Han Dynasty’s martial culture, where “from the Son of Heaven, no one does not wear a sword,” Qiao Yan’s actions should actually be commended, showcasing a righteous zeal.
Zhang Yi couldn’t help but wonder, if she were indeed punished, how severe would it actually be?
Previously, he’d relied on the protection of the Yuan Clan from Runan, almost blindly following Yuan Gong’s lead, but now, his brain finally kicked in.
If she truly managed to suppress the negative effects of the locust plague in Bingzhou during this power grab, she could at least wiggle her way to a result with her merits balancing the demerits.
Then he realized something rather terrifying—
The Dragon Bone Waterwheel she mentioned was to complete the irrigation of dry fields ahead of time, preventing them from becoming breeding grounds for the locusts, which undoubtedly shows she had underestimated the disaster.
And if she dared to leave Leping at this moment, it was likely that she had already completed most of the preparations there.
Otherwise, how would she have the audacity to plead for forgiveness!
If Qiao Yan knew what Zhang Yi was thinking at this moment, she might ask him why, if he could think like this months ago, everything wouldn’t have ended up in this situation now.
For Zhang Yi today, perhaps the only comfort was that after being tied up and “house arrest” in the state capital, he had a new neighbor—the Prefect of Taiyuan.
By Qiao Yan’s logic, since the Prefect was also based in Jinyang, which was too close to Zhang Yi’s location, her behavior of kicking down the door left nothing to conceal. If the Prefect quickly gathered forces to threaten her, it would be better for her to strike first and tie him up too.
After all, tying one person or two doesn’t change much.
With her already having taken down the state governor, going after the next level Prefect was a classic case of “too many debts, no worries.”
“I knew she would act rashly… I knew it!” The Prefect of Taiyuan shook in anger.
Before Gu Taishou of Shangdang collaborated with Qiao Yan, he had the same thought the moment he saw her, recalling her previous extortion tactics; the Prefect of Taiyuan felt the same.
He figured it was best to avoid seeing her unless necessary, only to find himself in a situation not at all organized—a literal kidnapping scenario.
He had been in Bingzhou longer than Zhang Yi or at least had more experience in local affairs. So when Chu Yan and Dian Wei acted, he didn’t notice that Chu Yan came from the Black Mountain Bandits, but he did recognize that most of these people had the characteristics of bandits and wandering knights.
This just made him feel even more discouraged.
It was clear that these people could not possibly be local officials from Leping.
This essentially meant that Leping itself was being excluded in a “like it or not, it is what it is” manner.
But what could these two hapless guys say now?
If they hoped she would make mistakes in combating the locust plague, it would seem they wanted Bingzhou to suffer. If word of that got out, it might add another charge of failing the responsibilities on top of their inability to handle the situation.
Ultimately, they could only call her “outrageous.”
But so what if she was “outrageous?”
At least she was about to follow through on her earlier promise to Gu Taishou—to issue an order allowing the extermination of locusts.
If she stamped that order with the seal taken from Zhang Yi, it would represent the approval of the highest official in the state.
Qiao Yan had Xi Zhicai help draft the letter of apology while she pondered her phrasing on this locust extermination issue.
This release was meant for the eyes of other prefects but also for the citizens of Bingzhou.
So she couldn’t write it too vaguely, lest misunderstandings arise. Moreover, she needed to make her comments clear enough to eliminate any concerns the people had about exterminating the locusts.
After all, the rest of Bingzhou was not Leping.
Thus, her opening line read: “The crops are tied to the people’s lives; if they are destroyed, there will not be a year left to survive.”
Put simply, “no field means no food, so you better figure it out.”
She quickly continued:
“Locusts are indeed the kings of bugs and come darkening the sky; however, numerous shrines to the locust spirits throughout the state have not reduced their rampant devastation or diverted the locusts from Bingzhou.”
Before coming to Bingzhou, she had even seen firsthand the desolation around the locust spirit shrine in the Central Plains. It was evident that locusts had no compassion and would wreak havoc whether divine beings liked it or not. So, naturally—
“Grain crops are the foundation of the people’s livelihood; even with locust gods on high, they cannot be shaken.”
She concluded, “The state government does not wish to see Bingzhou suffering from famine under the watch of wolves, thus orders all counties to immediately exterminate the locusts without fail.”
“If the locust spirit is offended, the fault lies with one from the state government, not the common people below.”
Dian Wei, who had been with Qiao Yan for over a year, might not match Xu Fu’s exceptional literacy skills, but he could certainly tell that Qiao Yan’s decree had its merit.
He couldn’t resist asking, “That line about ‘the fault lies with one from the state government’ is really aimed at Zhang Yi, isn’t it?”
It was as if despite not directly committing the errors, he was still the top official of Bingzhou, and any wrath of the locust spirit would be visited upon him!
He looked at Qiao Yan with newfound respect, deeply moved by her skill in shifting blame.
“Why are you elaborating so much? Hurry up and deliver the orders,” Qiao Yan said, lifting her eyelids, swiftly sending Dian Wei off.
As far as her subordinates went, they all seemed fine, though they did have a knack for blabbing the blunt truth.
Cai Zhaoji was one of them, and Dian Wei was another.
But could she really lay an accountability label on Zhang Yi? The most she could say was that he needed to bear the responsibilities for not preparing for the locust disaster in advance.
However, just moments after Dian Wei left, he returned holding the notice and said to Qiao Yan, “Wang Yang requests an audience with you.”
Qiao Yan didn’t bring Dian Wei the second time she came to Jinyang, but she had the first time when selling wine, so Dian Wei had some recollection of Wang Yang.
However, to Dian Wei, it seemed like this old guy came with worry written all over his face, and when he met him, he looked as if he might pass out, showing a lack of noble dignity.
Wang Yang, noticing Dian Wei’s expression, could guess his current thoughts to some extent. He straightened up and, upon receiving permission from Qiao Yan, entered the room.
It was hard for him not to have such a reaction.
Earlier, when he heard that Qiao Yan stormed into the state government, he felt like questioning his own ears.
Then, with no news from the state government, he started wondering who had the upper hand.
If the state government had the upper hand, Qiao Yan’s identity would only allow her to be temporarily invited out, not directly subdued.
When he saw Dian Wei, who was still lively and carried a decree, it confirmed his suspicions.
But guessing beforehand was one thing; being faced with the reality nearly made him black out.
This was usurpation!
Even if the state government wasn’t royal, it could still be called treason!
“This elder seems a bit nervous.”
As he pondered whether coming here was a misstep, dragging himself into a pit, he found himself standing in front of Qiao Yan, the usurper currently in power. Strangely, his emotions calmed a bit upon seeing her.
Qiao Yan’s composure was contagious.
Earlier, she had sent Dian Wei to post orders aimed solely at Jinyang City. The other regions would need fresh writing. Thus, Wang Yang witnessed Qiao Yan rewriting a notice she had already memorized.
She sat confidently in what should belong to Zhang Yi, her brush flying across the paper until the last character was set. She then calmly pressed her seal onto the scroll.
Her actions displayed absolutely no sign of a usurper’s panic, which somehow led Wang Yang to feel it was right for her to be in this government position.
So much so that when he saw her set down the seal and glance his way, he instinctively straightened up, feeling an odd nervousness as if facing an inspection from a superior.
But then he recalled he shouldn’t behave this way.
As a member of the Jinyang noble family, he should be opposing her overstepping her authority.
But before he could voice his concerns, Qiao Yan asked casually, “Elder, don’t you want to drive the Yuan Clan out of Bingzhou?”
“…” Wang Yang found his words stuck in his throat.
That was rather blunt!
As a native lord of Bingzhou, he definitely didn’t want to see Zhang Yi acting as the Yuan Clan’s vanguard extending their power into Bingzhou.
Unfortunately, months had passed since Qiao Yan revealed Zhang Yi’s identity, and most of his actions had been external arrangements, leaving him no room to intervene.
Even though he knew Zhang Yi would gain credit if successful, Wang Yang also understood he couldn’t let internal strife interfere with their response to northern tribes.
Of course, this was the common understanding among most within the Han Dynasty.
What he didn’t expect was that before Zhang Yi could achieve anything, the locust plague threw a wrench into his plans and made Wang Yang’s earlier thoughts about winning Qiao Yan over to push Zhang Yi aside moot.
He hesitated for quite some time before asking, “Lady Qiao, are you aware this is a precarious endeavor that may not yield favorable results?”
His concern was genuine; after all, people with the daring of Qiao Yan were rare, and even Wang Yang couldn’t help but admire her.
He now understood more than ever why Qiao Yan could rise through the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and carve out a future from the turmoil.
Qiao Yan responded, “What is a favorable result? To observe the suffering of the common folk and alleviate the locust disaster, even if it risks great sin, the merits balance out. Moreover, I do not seek to replace a governor outright; the central authority would never allow it. I only wish for peace by the year’s end, so why fret over potential outcomes?”
Her words seemed merely grandstanding, but Wang Yang caught some subtle undertones.
As she stated, securing the title of Marquis of Leping would be her peak, and moving further would be challenging. Even her governance over Leping would need to follow established procedures, initiating the position of Leping’s governor to issue commands.
True, Liu Hong did assign the Grand Historian role to Ma Lun in Luoyang, but ultimately, the Grand Historian wasn’t a real power position; there was no way Qiao Yan could attain a title like Governor of Bingzhou.
Thus, it might be wise to leave that position to the noble families of Bingzhou to deliberate.
Even if due to the Three Mutual Laws, a member of the noble families couldn’t hold the position directly, they could always choose someone from their circle to create a favorable situation.
And would she gain anything from this? Absolutely!
Firstly, the commendation and gratitude of the Bingzhou citizens.
This would transform her from a county marquis awarded arbitrarily by the court into one recognized by many as the Marquis of Leping, allowing her to navigate Bingzhou smoothly, especially since she had yet to reveal her connection to the mulberry bark clothing. Just this reputation alone would be enough for her.
Secondly, she would gain the support and friendship of the noble families of Bingzhou, which was crucial given their deep entanglements.
Moreover, she did have a bit of a feud with the Yuan Clan.
This had been confirmed in Wang Yang’s prior investigations.
Which meant that driving Zhang Yi out of Bingzhou aligned with Qiao Yan’s interests as well.
His breath quickened; if what Qiao Yan said was true, this was like Hero’s Wine, a perfect win-win deal.
And this time, the dynamic shifted; it was Qiao Yan leading the charge while Wang’s family provided support.
After realizing this, a light smile emerged on his face, perhaps even a hint of ambition.
He promptly clasped his hands and replied, “Lady Qiao’s noble intentions! If this can indeed quell the locust plague, it would be a great blessing for Bingzhou. Wang’s family is willing to follow your lead and contribute our humble efforts.”
Qiao Yan shared a knowing smile with him and said, “Then I will need your assistance.”
With the Wang family’s support, Qiao Yan’s quest to exterminate the locusts and prevent their reproduction moved along smoothly.
It was evident that her leadership made a difference.
Once the locust extermination notices were posted, Qiao Yan declared that with crops gone, dying was not an option; they should come to kill the locusts instead.
However, convincing villagers, who had regarded locusts as divine for decades, to believe this change was achievable faced some resistance.
But with numerous noble families from Taiyuan, under the leadership of Wang’s family, responding to the “fault lies within” message from the governor, those who had been hesitant soon followed suit.
The second directive issued by the government spurred them into action.
Qiao Yan unequivocally implemented a command to exchange locusts and their eggs for grain throughout Bingzhou.
Locusts from the three regions had laid eggs in arid fields, and it only took a few weeks to hatch.
If these newly hatched locusts spread the plague further, it would spell disaster for Bingzhou.
Ambitious looters and the northern leaders, Budugen and Quidou, wouldn’t pass up this chance for invasion.
At this point, it was too late to build Dragon Bone Waterwheels to irrigate; exterminating the eggs and locusts in transit was the priority.
Fortunately, the granaries in Jinyang were well-stocked.
The fifty thousand stone of grain previously sent to Leping only constituted less than ten percent of the total.
This was ample for trading with locust eggs.
Counties with insufficient grain could easily pool resources now to ensure a robust supply.
The subsequent actions of burying and burning further ignited a fervent atmosphere across Bingzhou.
With the government’s zeal for locust extermination reaching the people, those who initially panicked upon spotting locusts in their fields had only one thought left—
They needed to catch more locusts to exchange for enough grain to make up for their losses.
Qiao Yan looked up into the sky.
As the locusts migrate en masse at heights of up to a kilometer, black specks still occasionally passed overhead. If they landed, they would likely end up in fish nets or the ground.
These Bingzhou warriors, famous for their battle prowess, surprised Qiao Yan by focusing their energy on the extermination effort.
Recalling the scene she witnessed outside Jinyang yesterday, a smile spread across her face.
The system had been taken aback by her boldness earlier and was now quite pleased with her progress.
But before it could relish the moment, it heard Qiao Yan inquire, “If I eliminate local pests for the Son of Heaven, shouldn’t that count as a strategist’s achievement?”
