“Can strategists not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 65: Yan Yan…
Could this act of taking the provincial governor hostage to quell the locust crisis count as earning strategist points?
The Strategist System wanted to say it’s still a newbie, and could we please not do such terrifying things?
But then it overheard Qiao Yan confidently explaining, “This should still be compliant with the system rules; since the rejection of the Provincial Governor System can earn strategist points, then clearly, before it’s determined who the main ruler is, maintaining the initial camp’s stance and making suggestions or actions beneficial to the Son of Heaven should count.”
“And now it’s the same.”
【That’s technically true, but you acted too early. According to your logic, the current situation is that Zhang Yi has simply proven he lacks the foresight for discovering and preparing for the locust disaster; it doesn’t prove he lacks the capability to solve it.】
“Let’s rephrase,” Qiao Yan said, unfazed by the system’s denial, “Internal power struggles within a camp are normal. For instance, the various factions under Yuan Shao, who will dominate four provinces in the future, can be said to be in constant conflict. If some actions by a strategist can tilt the internal struggle in a direction desired by the ruler, shouldn’t that count?”
The system pondered the rules and replied awkwardly: 【That seems to count.】
In fact, it’s not just about counting points.
There are achievements corresponding to helping clear out internal forces.
But it decided not to tell her too early, lest she concoct some outrageous operation.
But the answer given was enough for Qiao Yan to confirm certain things.
As long as this direction is acknowledged, all she needed was Liu Hong’s approval for her actions.
Of course, before that, she had to completely eliminate the locust disasters across Bingzhou to ensure there were no other points to be criticized aside from forcibly detaining the Governor of Bingzhou and Taiyuan’s Prefect.
With a good start already, this was not a difficult task.
“The Governor” issued a directive and put up notices, with the Wang family of Jinyang leading the charge, allowing districts to trade locusts for grain—
With this combination punch, the enthusiasm of the peasants to eradicate the locusts clearly got a boost.
But Qiao Yan quickly realized there was a loophole in this, and immediately issued a supplementary notice.
The notice stated that to trade locusts for food, one must hold a household registration from the respective district; otherwise, no exchange would be permitted.
“This supplementary clause is especially necessary,” she explained to the confused system. “Eradicating locusts, digging for locust eggs, and trading them for food is a quick way to earn food through labor, and relative fairness is maintained.”
【Isn’t that a good thing?】
“It’s both a good thing and not,” Qiao Yan replied. “For instance, based on the reports from various districts of Bingzhou regarding locust distribution, since the locust plague spread from the areas around the capital, it’s clearly shown a pattern of more in the south and fewer in the north. So, could there be a situation—”
“Where people from the northern districts rush to the south, cleaning up locusts to earn their food, then return to their original location?”
That’s obviously possible.
In the northern districts of Bingzhou, there’s a future number one warrior who, right when the first decree came out, actually considered this plan.
After all, when the order was given, Wuyuan County only had a few locusts, so he wanted to head south to try his luck.
He thought with his agile skills, earning a hefty reward wouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, it wasn’t just about getting a meal; he was thinking—
If he carries hundreds of pounds of locusts to the exchange point, regardless of how much grain he gets, wouldn’t this show of strength and might be the perfect opportunity to elevate his status?
However, before he could pack up, he saw the issued supplementary clause.
“…” Lü Bu sent greetings to this provincial governor from afar.
With this route now seemingly blocked, he could only continue unleashing his exceptional strength against the Xiongnu at the borders.
After some explanations from fellow villagers, Lü Bu grudgingly accepted that the Governor’s decision was, indeed, made with caution.
It made sense; if all the northern districts were vying to race south for locusts, it would be reckless at the border if there weren’t enough garrison troops, making it inevitable for defensive lapses to occur, allowing those Xiongnu and Xianbei outsiders to find opportunities to breach.
This way, the governor had some vision.
“Apart from people from the northern districts, the original rules will also attract disorganized bandits from the surrounding mountains.” Qiao Yan continued explaining to the system, “Bringing them in under these special circumstances may not be a good thing since I’m only temporarily exercising the authority of the governor and cannot continuously issue decrees.”
“So the question arises, when there are no locusts left to be dug up, will these people naturally integrate into the county as citizens, or will they plunder and retreat back to the mountains?”
“I’m more inclined towards the latter.”
Qiao Yan thought, given the current situation where locusts attacked this area, even if Bingzhou handled it relatively orderly, it may not reach the ears of other provincial governors across mountains but would likely spread to bandits hiding along the borders.
As summer is still here, the brush and trees in the mountains conceal food, making it more suitable for bandits than in winter.
In the vast Taihang Mountains, there surely isn’t just the Heishan Army.
It’s not confined to just Bingzhou’s territory either.
For instance, in the mountains near Hedong, there’s a group that, unbeknownst to them, would later rise as bandits in the Baibo Valley. Their leader, Yang Feng, was particularly interested in Bingzhou’s new locust-clearing rules.
Unfortunately, his little scheme was snuffed out in the cradle too.
But after careful consideration, he thought he could also carve out some benefits from this.
With Bingzhou’s rapid locust eradication, by the autumn harvest, it would undoubtedly hoard more grain than other places.
This year’s autumn wind direction would thus be easily determined!
Even the bandits who sent scouts toward Bingzhou’s outskirts felt this way; those locals had an even clearer understanding—
This locust plague doesn’t seem to be an unstoppable natural disaster.
In front of this decisive and sweeping locust eradication initiative, driven by profit, not to mention the locusts that didn’t join the plague crew, even the locust eggs born in dry, barren soil were quickly dug up.
Each household’s geese and ducks played a crucial role in this foraging process.
Subsequently, these locust corpses and eggs were burned to ash in front of the county offices across various districts.
It’s unclear whether it was due to the timely rains, but after the vigorous locust-eradication campaign in July and August, Bingzhou had several days of downpour.
This torrential rain sufficiently moistened large areas of land within Bingzhou, curbing locust proliferation.
As August came round, the harvest time was not too far off.
Qiao Yan stepped out of the “jail” where a Prefect and a Governor were held, looking through the rain curtain in the courtyard.
Neither of the two caused any fuss like starving themselves, but it was certain they didn’t give Qiao Yan a pleasant face.
Especially Governor Zhang Yi.
During her visit, he threatened her, saying once the court discovered the unusual situation here, she’d definitely regret it.
Qiao Yan was well-prepared for that too and took his words as nothing worth worrying about.
She merely observed the rising rainfall collecting in a puddle in the courtyard of Jinyang Provincial Office, suddenly worried about the yam crops on Leping Mountain that couldn’t tolerate waterlogging, so she called for Chu Yan to go back and check as soon as possible.
But before she could finish giving instructions, she heard someone from afar say, “No need.”
Looking toward the voice, she saw a familiar figure—Xi Zhicai leading Governor Guo toward her.
And that was indeed his line.
As Xi Zhicai approached, he said, “Leping’s locust prevention is progressing faster than other places. Before the rain fell, there was already ample time to tidy up drainage channels, so you needn’t worry.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yan felt reassured.
She immediately turned to Governor Guo, who greeted her with a bow, clearly expressing gratitude.
“Governor Guo shouldn’t actually be here,” Qiao Yan said sternly. “Luckily, there aren’t many people on the streets today, so returning early shouldn’t raise suspicion about you coming here to collude.”
In the current situation, the safest move for Guo Yun was to stay in Shangdang and ignore who issued the decree; just obeying was sufficient.
This way, even if Qiao Yan’s acting as the governor got exposed later, it wouldn’t implicate Guo Yun.
But evidently, this upright governor didn’t see it that way.
He replied earnestly, “What Qiao Hou has done for Bingzhou benefits the common folk. The intercropping of peas and the Dragon Bone Waterwheel in Shangdang contributed significantly during this disaster. As I have greatly benefited from your kindness, how could I choose to be silent in such circumstances simply to avoid trouble?”
“If the capital places the blame on us, although I’m not particularly talented, I can still say a few words.”
This promise, while not involving the Yangqu Guo clan, was certainly significant.
After allowing him to temporarily stay here, watching Guo Yun’s figure disappear into the corridor, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.
But now wasn’t the time for her to be lost in thought; with Xi Zhicai’s arrival, it meant—
“Have you finished polishing Mr. Zhicai’s manuscript?”
Xi Zhicai couldn’t hold back his laughter; being able to make a request for a ghostwritten apology sound so dignified was something only Qiao Yan could pull off.
As they entered the study together, the dim light from the candles was lit due to the overcast rain outside, clearly illuminating the documents shuffled between various districts.
It’s evident that in just this month, Qiao Yan had achieved much more than simply extending locust disaster arrangements from Leping to various places; she had taken significant actions in maintaining Bingzhou’s governance.
Moved, Xi Zhicai didn’t say much more but pulled out the prepared writing materials from his sleeve, passing them to Qiao Yan, “As you requested, I will uphold my trust.”
Qiao Yan reached out to accept them and opened the sheet in front of her.
Though Xi Zhicai occasionally had a playful side in his letters to friends, knowing he had not misjudged Qiao Yan allowed him to feel passionate, thus he wouldn’t fool around with this matter.
To Qiao Yan, although Xi Zhicai’s apology letter didn’t have the literary genius of Chen Lin’s proclamations, it clearly met the detailed needs she required at this moment.
Because he had been in Leping for a year, while he couldn’t claim to know Qiao Yan wholly, he had enough insight into her intentions to understand how to express this letter from her perspective.
Furthermore, the core purpose was that this letter did not deliberately put Zhang Yi under much scrutiny, yet the childish outrage expressed indirectly held Zhang Yi accountable for not adopting and promoting the Dragon Bone Waterwheel.
Qiao Yan felt that if she were to write it, she couldn’t have possibly poked as deeply into Zhang Yi’s vulnerabilities and simultaneously balanced an apology and a complaint as Xi Zhicai did.
Of course, the conclusion was still softened a bit, making it indeed feel like an apology.
The phrase “Requesting the cart be brought to the capital to rectify the court’s laws” was just that.
Qiao Yan thoroughly read through the entire apology letter and felt pleased with Xi Zhicai’s attention to detail in understanding her thoughts.
But after some consideration, she asked, “Do you think it would be better to add a few more lines?”
Xi Zhicai studied Qiao Yan’s expression, sensing it was likely not nitpicking but instead looking for a clever twist, “I’d love to hear more.”
Qiao Yan said, “Those of age should have their courtesy names added; however, Yuan Zhi and Zi Long were not old enough when they took office in Leping, so they were given their courtesy names early to highlight their readiness for responsibility, but I currently lack one.”
“In this letter, I mentioned that my actions against Zhang Yi were due to the hardships faced by the people and the inaction of the governor; hence my apology is only regarding the violation of laws and regulations, not for regretting my actions. So what if we follow that line of thought and add a note?”
Qiao Yan’s gaze towards Xi Zhicai was calm yet shone with a bright light, “This action is solely my decision, not instigated by others; facing a locust disaster, I hold the responsibility. Therefore, at this moment, I take a courtesy name to show I can bear the weight of this matter alone.”
Xi Zhicai replied, “If so, this courtesy name must strike the heart to have a unique effect.”
There were several people known to Xi Zhicai named Yan.
For example, the scholar Cui Yan, whose courtesy name was Ji Gui, took “Yan” to mean beautiful jade, more…
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“So you mean this is really that Cai Yan from Leping, known as Zhaoji? Seems like it’s all about the brilliance of her jade-like essence.”
If Qiao Yan had ditched the name given by her elders and, instead, decided to name herself based on this special event and choice, hoping to add a sense of all-or-nothing to her apology letter, then—
That name absolutely could not be mediocre!
Or, it must not sound like something thrown together just to fill space!
“What do you think of these two characters?”
Seeing Qiao Yan confidently writing on the silk before her, Xi Zhicai stepped closer to get a better look at the two characters.
A glimmer of excitement flashed in his eyes, “These characters are marvelous!”
And that letter heading to the capital was finally complete!
Luoyang.
In the sweltering heat of August, Luoyang was already tough to bear, and to top it all off, it was being ravaged by a locust plague—truly adding salt to the wound.
Who knows if it was the Taihang Mountains blocking the moisture, but a sudden downpour in Bingzhou didn’t help the Sili region at all.
So the area was still in drought, with crushed grass and trees everywhere.
Zhang Rang cautiously observed Liu Hong’s expression from his seat above.
After that fire at the Southern Palace, Liu Hong agreed to Zhang Rang’s proposal to increase land taxes. It seemed he was restoring their favor, but in Zhang Rang’s eyes, Liu Hong had become increasingly unpredictable.
The stinginess usually found in past Han emperors seemed deeply rooted in Liu Hong’s character, revealing the political animal instinct within him.
For example, as he listened to reports of locust problems, his face wore an expression of unsettling calm, making it feel like these disasters weren’t happening on his land at all.
He absentmindedly placed his hand above the ice basin on the table, trying to cool off from the heat.
Just when Zhang Rang thought Liu Hong was about to doze off in that lazy afternoon light, he suddenly asked, “Do you think using Zhang Wen to replace Huangfu Song is a good idea?”
This kind of question…
That’s not an easy one to answer!
But Zhang Rang couldn’t just say, “Hey, it’s a bit off-topic to bring up the war in Liangzhou now, especially since we’re dealing with a locust crisis,” nor could he admit that Liu Hong was putting him on the spot.
He knelt on the recently cooled floor of the Jiade Hall and carefully replied, “General Zhang has just arrived in Liangzhou, and he appointed Dong Zhongying as the general to defeat the enemy. It will take some time for him to understand the situation in Meiyang. It’s tough to march in this heat, and if Your Majesty wants to know if it’s a good time to swap commanders, it’s hard to tell right now.”
Liu Hong quietly acknowledged with a sound.
His ambition to crush the chaos in Liangzhou was intense; otherwise, he wouldn’t have swapped Huangfu Song out during a locust disaster.
As Zhang Rang said, he first approved Dong Zhuo being promoted to a deputy general, then casually tossed away Sun Jian, who had made a good impression during the Yellow Turban suppression, and finally appointed Yuan Pang from the Yuan clan to a key position. He even sent Qiao Yan, who was aware of Bao Hong heading to Liangzhou.
This was the best hand Liu Hong could play in the current situation.
He wasn’t clueless; with Zhang Wen’s caution, there was no way he’d jump in recklessly without first understanding the movements of Bian Zhang, Han Sui, and Bei Gong Boyu.
Especially with the current bad weather, it wasn’t unusual to delay until November.
But the locust issue was a huge hassle. The people of Luoyang were crying for help, and if there was no progress in the border wars, who knows what other chaos might arise?
What frustrated him most was that at the court meeting today, Cui Lie actually suggested abandoning Liangzhou due to the prolonged struggles!
Seriously, what’s going on here!
Who is Cui Lie anyway? Just back in March, he replaced Yuan Wei as Minister over the Masses to serve as a warning to the Yuan clan.
However, the new rising stars of the Yuan family, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, were starting to make a name for themselves—one seems absent from the court but is secretly backed by Grand General He Jin, and the other is gathering experience in the Henan prefecture.
Yuan Ji, the eldest son of the Yuan clan, is already holding a position as the Master of the Horse, so this warning hardly holds weight.
And Cui Lie has utterly failed to meet Liu Hong’s expectations. Just this suggestion to abandon Liangzhou was enough to tick Liu Hong off.
Fortunately, even though Huangfu Song’s high achievements made Liu Hong wary, he couldn’t score a quick victory over Bei Gong Boyu. But his deputy, Fu Xie, was straightforward too; he openly asked for Cui Lie’s head!
What a surprise! Liu Hong didn’t see that coming, but it’s quite a handy tool.
In court, Fu Xie declared, “Liangzhou is a key area, a shield for the nation. Was it not Emperor Gaozu who pacified Longyou and Emperor Wudi who expanded Liangzhou? Are we really going to let the ministers propose its abandonment? If we do, the Xiongnu will surely invade—this is the greatest fear for our realm!”
Anyone with eyes can see that if Cui Lie fails to grasp this, he’s a fool; if he sees it and still speaks like that, he’s disloyal.
So, take your pick of accusations.
Listening to Fu Xie tear into Cui Lie was quite satisfying for Liu Hong.
But wait a minute, isn’t that also implying he made a mistake by choosing Cui Lie to replace Yuan Wei?
In this moment, Liu Hong, on the surface, was asking about Zhang Wen replacing Huangfu Song but was really questioning his choice of Cui Lie over Yuan Wei.
Zhang Rang’s answer wasn’t wrong; they’d wait a while and see.
Who knows if this locust crisis will clear up in the meantime.
Just as he contemplated that, a little yellow gatekeeper came in reporting urgent news from Bingzhou.
“Present it!”
Hearing “Bingzhou,” Liu Hong suddenly remembered that, over the past month, he had been so caught up in various worries that he had completely forgotten he hadn’t received any reports from Bingzhou.
Suddenly, he realized things were seriously wrong.
The locust crisis spreading through Sanfu couldn’t have missed Bingzhou, nor could there have been frequent military skirmishes along its borders; really, it shouldn’t be any quieter than Liangzhou.
Receiving an urgent report now made Liu Hong instinctively feel it was bad news.
If Cui Lie suggested abandoning Liangzhou, and now Bingzhou quietly fell to disaster, that’d signal the collapse of the Han!
Thinking this, as soon as the two reports held by the little gatekeeper reached Liu Hong’s hands, he hastily grabbed them.
Opening the first one, he saw the prefect’s seal; this should be a situation report from Zhang Yi regarding Bingzhou.
But as he opened it, he noticed the handwriting on the cloth was somewhat familiar.
His memory was sharp; he quickly pulled out the “Discourse on Feudalism” he had kept for reference. Indeed, the writing had no differences, clearly from the same hand.
Liu Hong couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows.
But thinking he hadn’t heard from Bingzhou in so long, even if he had doubts, he needed to read on.
What he didn’t expect was that this report, sealed by Zhang Yi but written by Qiao Yan, actually contained good news.
It stated that while Bingzhou had indeed been hit by the locusts, the situation was completely under control now.
The locusts, while formidable, would have to concede in light of this year’s harvest, so Bingzhou initiated a locust capture operation.
With fishing nets up top, grass huts burning at night, and trenches filled below, all three methods were deployed; moreover, the provincial government used grain to exchange for locusts and locust eggs. Though they incurred some losses in food supplies, thousands of miles would now lack a hiding spot for the locust eggs to develop into new pests.
“……”
This approach was quintessential Qiao Yan.
She had previously challenged the authority of the Way of Great Peace and refuted many proposals for the Provincial Governor System in the capital, yet she was now daring enough to capture locusts that even the current people perform rituals for!
Yet this report stating such a bold decision that others wouldn’t even dare to make has had remarkably good results.
Bingzhou’s aggressive locust captures had made the migrating locusts hesitant to settle. Since the arrival of the first wave of locusts over twenty days, no significant larval outbreaks had emerged, all thanks to the soil-burying and planting efforts.
Liu Hong instinctively compared the situation in the capital to the report, feeling that Bingzhou had certainly handled this beautifully.
But the more he read on, from Zhang Rang’s perspective, the more Liu Hong’s expression carried a looming storm, evidently dissatisfied with something.
Zhang Rang didn’t see what exactly was written in that report; he could only guess something had gone awry in Bingzhou, leading Liu Hong to be incensed.
But little did he know, Liu Hong’s anger was not because someone had made a mistake, but rather because some had exceeded expectations.
Yet, much like Huangfu Song, it was hard for him to shake a little feeling of jealousy.
Especially considering that the person writing that report was merely eleven years old.
Eleven!
Liu Hong sighed, thinking that his own eldest son, Liu Bian, was around the same age but fell short in comparison.
And under what circumstances did this report, which should have been penned by the provincial governor, end up being written by Qiao Yan?
Surely it wasn’t just because of her good writing skills.
At least in Liu Hong’s opinion, this report shared Qiao Yan’s usual clear-cut style, merely stating the circumstances in Bingzhou as they were; a penmanship skill like that of Zhang Yi, a civil servant, would have sufficed.
He held that thought as he opened the second report.
The glaring three characters jumped out at him.
Apology Letter.
Once more, the handwriting was Qiao Yan’s.
This overly straightforward expression left Liu Hong momentarily stunned, but clearly, all his earlier doubts could be answered in this apology letter.
Much to say, the draft Xi Zhicai prepared for Qiao Yan was quite splendid in describing this firecracker of a girl.
Not only did Liu Hong not recognize that it wasn’t written in Qiao Yan’s usual tone, but he also felt like he was witnessing the young County Marquis navigating through Leping after losing her father, how she took that place as her home, and how, upon discovering signs of an imminent locust disaster, she chose to directly report to the provincial government.
When the locusts finally arrived, due to the short-sightedness of the provincial government, she opted to take matters into her own hands, seizing the people involved until the locust situation was resolved.
Liu Hong nearly exclaimed, “What a bold move!” but then caught himself as he read the next line Qiao Yan had written.
In general, it suggested that while she knew she had acted wrongly, she would dare to do it again, but after reflecting, she felt deeply unworthy of the trust bestowed upon her by Your Majesty. Hence, she wrote this letter to express her apologies.
Enclosed with the letter were her previous suggestions to the provincial government and a particular letter sourced from Zhang Yi, to validate that her hasty action was truly unavoidable.
Liu Hong pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling like he had indeed appointed quite a handful for a County Marquis.
However, witnessing Qiao Yan’s outburst somewhat lessened his wariness towards this particularly precocious child.
She still had her childish ways, after all…
Though she sure knows how to step on people’s toes!
Someone like her was destined to be a lone official, not quite cut out to be a qualified power figure.
Liu Hong contemplated this seemed not too bad for him, and continued reading, finding Qiao Yan had written—
“Of course, wrong is wrong; rules must be followed, and if Your Majesty sends me in cuffs to Luoyang for questioning, I will not resist. I will obey Your Majesty’s disposition to uphold the laws.”
However, Leping’s county magistrate Cheng Li did not support her actions; he even sent the County Captain to stop her when she departed from Leping. Only because her sudden move took everyone by surprise could she slip away unnoticed. It’s not fair to blame him for not stopping her sooner.
Moreover, all the subsequent directives from the provincial government were stamped with an official seal, so under these circumstances, both the magistrate of Leping and those in Shangdang and Yanmen could only follow her orders.
Thus, she could take full responsibility for all that followed.
To signal that she was now an “adult,” she pondered long and hard while writing this apology letter and decided to give herself a name.
[The calamity of locusts can be buried, burned away.]
[The useless fools in Bingzhou can be burned too.]
[Yan represents the light and brilliance of jade, which fits this notion perfectly. Hence, I named myself…]
“Ye Shu…”
Ye Shu!
Liu Hong examined those striking characters on the apology letter. His previously furrowed brow began to relax, and he suddenly burst out laughing, “Well done, Qiao Ye Shu!”
“And what a fiery spirit of selflessness!”
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