Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 2: At the Foot of Taihang Mountains, A Small Test of Skills Chapter 65: Yanyan…

The act of kidnapping a provincial governor to quell a locust plague—can this be considered a strategist’s point?

The Strategist System really wants to say that it’s still a newbie, so could you please not engage in such terrifying actions?

But then it hears Qiao Yan confidently explain: “This should still follow the system’s rules. Previously, refuting the Provincial Governor System earned strategist points. So, clearly, before determining who the lord is, maintaining the initial faction stance and making suggestions or actions beneficial to the Son of Heaven should be counted.”

“Now is the same.”

[That’s true, but you acted too early. Even by your logic, the current situation is that Zhang Yi has only proven he lacks the foresight to discover the locust plague and prepare in advance, not that he lacks the ability to solve it.]

“Then let’s put it another way,” Qiao Yan, undeterred by the system’s denial, continues, “Internal power struggles within factions are common. For example, Yuan Shao, who will dominate four provinces in the future, has many factions within his ranks that are constantly at odds. If certain actions by a strategist can steer the internal power struggle in the direction the lord desires, shouldn’t that count?”

After rummaging through the rules, the system hesitantly replies: [It seems to count.]

Not only can points be settled, but there are also corresponding achievements for assisting in internal faction cleanups.

But it’s better not to tell her this too early, lest she comes up with some outrageous scheme.

However, the answer it just gave is enough for Qiao Yan to confirm some things.

Since this is an acknowledged direction, she only needs Liu Hong’s approval for her actions.

Of course, before that, she must completely eradicate the locust plague across Bingzhou to ensure that, apart from forcibly detaining the Governor of Bingzhou and the Prefect of Taiyuan, there’s nothing else others can criticize her for.

With a good start, this isn’t too difficult to achieve.

The “Governor” issues orders and posts notices, with the Wang family of Jinyang leading the noble families in action. The counties in the province open granaries to exchange locusts for grain—

This series of measures ensures the people’s enthusiasm for clearing locusts.

However, Qiao Yan quickly realizes there’s a loophole and immediately issues a supplementary notice.

The notice states that to exchange locusts for grain, one must hold a household registration in the county; otherwise, no exchange will be made.

“This supplementary regulation is especially necessary,” Qiao Yan explains to the system, which is somewhat puzzled. “Clearing locusts, digging up locust eggs, and exchanging them for grain is a way to quickly earn food through labor, and it’s relatively fair.”

[Isn’t that a good thing?]

“It is, but it might not be,” Qiao Yan replies. “For example, based on the locust distribution reports from various counties in Bingzhou, since the locust plague spread from the capital area, it shows a significant trend of more in the south and less in the north. So, is it possible that people from the northern counties might come south to clear locusts and earn food, then return to their original places?”

This is clearly possible.

In the northern counties of Bingzhou, which Qiao Yan cannot fully see, there’s a future top general who actually considered this idea when the first wave of decrees was issued.

When the decree was issued, Wuyuan County only had a few locusts, so he thought of heading south to other counties to try his luck.

He figured that with his agility, earning a large reward wouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, he wasn’t entirely after food; he was also thinking—

If he carried hundreds of pounds of locusts to the exchange point, regardless of how much grain he could exchange, wouldn’t this display of strength and martial prowess be an opportunity to seek a promotion?

However, before he could pack his bags, he saw the supplementary notice.

“…” Lü Bu sends his regards to the Governor of Bingzhou from afar.

With this path seemingly blocked, he can only continue to vent his immense martial prowess on the Xiongnu at the border.

After some explanation from his fellow villagers, Lü Bu reluctantly accepts that the Governor made the decision out of caution.

It makes sense. If everyone from the northern counties thought of heading south to catch locusts for profit, with the northern border defense relying not just on garrison soldiers, there might be gaps in defense, giving the Xiongnu and Xianbei tribes a chance to invade.

From this perspective, the Governor has some foresight.

“Aside from people from the northern counties, the original rules would also attract unorganized bandits from the surrounding mountains,” Qiao Yan continues to explain to the system. “In this special situation, attracting these people might not be a good thing, as I’m only temporarily exercising the Governor’s power and cannot issue continuous decrees.”

“So the question is, when there are no more locusts to dig up, will these people naturally become county residents through assimilation, or will they plunder and return to the mountains?”

“I lean towards the latter.”

Qiao Yan believes that with the locust plague affecting this area, Bingzhou’s relatively orderly handling might not reach the ears of other provincial governors separated by mountains, but it’s likely to reach the bandits hiding along the borders.

Since it’s still summer, the mountains provide ample cover and food, making it more suitable for bandits than winter.

In the vast Taihang Mountains, it’s impossible that only the Black Mountain Army exists.

And not just within Bingzhou.

For example, near the Hedong region, there’s a group of bandits who haven’t yet risen in the Baibo Valley as they will later. Their leader, Yang Feng, is particularly interested in Bingzhou’s new locust-clearing rules.

Unfortunately, his little scheme is also nipped in the bud.

But he thinks he might still gain some benefits from this.

Given Bingzhou’s efficiency in clearing locusts, by harvest season, it will surely have more grain stored than other regions.

This year’s direction for plundering is easy to determine!

Even bandits sending scouts to peek at Bingzhou’s borders have this feeling, and the locals in Bingzhou have an even clearer understanding—

The locust plague doesn’t seem like an unstoppable natural disaster.

In the face of such a swift and decisive locust-clearing operation, driven by benefits, not only are the locusts not following the main swarm being cleared, but even the locust eggs laid in remote, dry soil are quickly dug up.

The geese and ducks raised by households also play a crucial role in this search.

Subsequently, these locust corpses and eggs are burned to ashes in front of the government offices in various counties.

Perhaps because good rain knows the season, after the swift locust-clearing actions from July to August, Bingzhou experiences several days of heavy rain.

This torrential rain is enough to moisten the soil in most of Bingzhou, curbing locust reproduction.

And with August here, harvest time isn’t far off.

Qiao Yan steps out of the “prison” holding a Prefect and a Governor, looking through the rain at the courtyard.

The two haven’t resorted to hunger strikes, but they’re certainly not giving Qiao Yan any friendly looks.

Especially Governor Zhang Yi.

During Qiao Yan’s visit, he threatens her, saying that once the court discovers the anomaly here, she’ll be in trouble.

Qiao Yan isn’t unprepared for this and brushes off his words.

She just watches the rising rain forming puddles in the Jinyang Governor’s courtyard, suddenly worried about the yams in Leping’s mountain fields that can’t withstand waterlogging. She calls Chu Yan over to quickly return and check.

But before she can finish, she hears someone from afar say, “No need.”

She looks up and sees a familiar figure—Xi Zhicai, accompanied by Prefect Guo.

Naturally, it’s him who spoke.

Xi Zhicai approaches and says, “Leping’s locust prevention progress is faster than elsewhere. Before the rain, there was extra time to tidy up the drainage ditches. My lord, there’s no need to worry.”

Hearing this, Qiao Yan feels relieved.

She then turns to Prefect Guo, who bows to her, clearly showing gratitude.

“Prefect Guo, you really shouldn’t have come,” Qiao Yan says solemnly. “Fortunately, there aren’t many people on the streets today. You should return quickly to avoid being seen as complicit.”

In the current situation, the safest course for Guo Yun is to stay in Shangdang and not concern himself with who issued the decrees, just follow them.

This way, even if Qiao Yan’s temporary assumption of the Governor’s role is exposed, it won’t affect Guo Yun.

But clearly, this upright Prefect doesn’t see it that way.

He solemnly replies, “Lord Qiao’s actions for Bingzhou benefit the people. The earlier pea intercropping and Dragon Bone Waterwheels in Shangdang played a significant role in this disaster. I owe Lord Qiao a great debt and cannot choose to turn a blind eye for the sake of self-preservation.

If the capital reprimands us, though I lack great talent, I can still speak a few words.”

His promise, though not mentioning the Yangqu Guo family, is still significant.

After allowing him to stay temporarily and watching him disappear down the corridor, Qiao Yan still looks somewhat dazed.

But now isn’t the time for her to be distracted. With Xi Zhicai here, it means—

“Sir, is the draft polished?”

Xi Zhicai can’t help but laugh. Only Qiao Yan could make asking someone to ghostwrite a letter of apology sound so grand.

As he follows Qiao Yan into the study, the dim light from the overcast weather outside has already lit the candles in the room, illuminating the documents from various counties.

Clearly, in this past month, Qiao Yan hasn’t just expanded locust-clearing efforts from Leping to other areas; she’s also done a lot to maintain Bingzhou’s administration.

Touched, Xi Zhicai doesn’t say much, just hands the prepared letter to Qiao Yan, “I’ve fulfilled your request.”

Qiao Yan takes it and unfolds it.

Though Xi Zhicai can be mischievous in letters to friends, with his deep thoughts and feeling that he hasn’t misjudged Qiao Yan after her arrow-drawing act, he’s quite stirred and wouldn’t joke about this.

In Qiao Yan’s view, Xi Zhicai’s letter of apology, while not as literary as Chen Lin’s proclamations, is more comprehensive and suitable for her current needs.

Having been in Leping for a year, Xi Zhicai may not know all of Qiao Yan’s thoughts, but he understands her intentions well enough to write this letter from her perspective.

At its core, the letter doesn’t deliberately throw shade at Governor Zhang Yi, but the childlike indignation indirectly accuses him of not adopting the Dragon Bone Waterwheel.

Qiao Yan thinks that if she were to write it, she might not be as cutting as Xi Zhicai, nor could she balance apology and accusation as well.

Of course, the ending is somewhat milder, fitting for an apology.

The phrase “Begging to be sent to the capital in a prisoner’s cart to uphold the court’s laws” is just that.

Qiao Yan reads the letter word by word, quite satisfied with Xi Zhicai’s attention to detail.

But after some thought, she asks, “Sir, what if we add a few more lines?”

Xi Zhicai studies Qiao Yan’s expression, sensing it’s not nitpicking but that she has a clever move in mind. “Please elaborate.”

Qiao Yan says, “People are given courtesy names upon reaching adulthood, but Yuan Zhi and Zilong took their names upon assuming positions in Leping before reaching the age, signifying they could take responsibility. But I still don’t have one.”

“This letter of apology mentions that I acted out of concern for the people’s hardship and the Governor’s inaction, so the apology is for violating laws and regulations, not for regretting the action. So, following this line of thought, what if we add a line?”

Qiao Yan looks at Xi Zhicai, her gaze calm but shining brightly, “This is solely Qiao Yan’s decision, not influenced by others. Faced with the locust plague, I take full responsibility. Thus, I now take a courtesy name to show I can shoulder this alone.”

Xi Zhicai replies, “If so, the courtesy name must strike a chord to have the desired effect.”

Among those named Yan that Xi Zhicai knows, there are a few.

For example, the scholar Cui Yan, whose courtesy name is Jigui, meaning Yan as beautiful jade, is quite fitting.





Like Cai Yan, who is now in Leping, her courtesy name is Zhaoji, meaning the brilliance of jade. If Qiao Yan had given up asking her elders for a courtesy name and instead, faced with this particularly special event and decision, chose to give herself a courtesy name to add a sense of all-or-nothing to this letter of apology, then—this courtesy name must not be mediocre! Or rather, it must not be something that could be thought up in a hasty and perfunctory manner, just as a name to fill the scene. “What do you think of these two characters, sir?” Seeing Qiao Yan pick up her brush and write with a sense of certainty on the silk before her, Xi Zhicai also walked to her side and clearly saw the two characters. A flash of brilliance appeared in his eyes, “These two characters are wonderful!” The letter sent to the capital was thus complete! Luoyang. In August, Luoyang was already unbearable due to the heat, and to make matters worse, a locust plague struck, adding insult to injury. Perhaps because the Taihang Mountains blocked the moisture, the sudden rain in Bingzhou did not extend to the Sili region. Thus, the area remained dry, with vegetation destroyed. Zhang Rang carefully observed the expression of Liu Hong above. After the Southern Palace fire, Liu Hong agreed to his proposal to increase the land tax, seemingly restoring their importance, but in Zhang Rang’s view, Liu Hong had become more unpredictable. The inherent harshness and ingratitude of the Han emperors, or the instinct of political creatures, was fully embodied in Liu Hong. For example, at this moment, as he listened to reports of the locust plague, his face showed an indescribable calm, making it seem as if these disasters were not happening on his land. He casually placed his hand above the ice basin on the table to dispel the heat. Just as Zhang Rang thought he was about to fall asleep in the afternoon drowsiness, Liu Hong suddenly asked, “What do you think of replacing Huangfu Song with Zhang Wen?” This kind of question… This was not a question that could be answered casually! But Zhang Rang couldn’t say that bringing up the Liangzhou war at this critical moment of locust plague control seemed somewhat inappropriate, nor could he say that Liu Hong had given him a life-threatening question. Kneeling on the cooled floor of the Jiade Hall, he cautiously replied, “General Zhang has just arrived in Liangzhou and subsequently appointed Dong Zhuo as the General Who Breaks the Caitiffs. It will take some time to familiarize himself with the situation in Meiyang. Advancing in the heat is difficult. If Your Majesty wants to determine whether the change of generals is appropriate, it may not be apparent now.” Liu Hong responded noncommittally. His desire to conquer the Liangzhou rebels was strong; otherwise, he wouldn’t have replaced Huangfu Song during the locust plague. As Zhang Rang said, he first approved Dong Zhuo’s promotion to General Who Breaks the Caitiffs as deputy, then sent Sun Jian, who had left an impression during the Yellow Turban suppression, and also gave Yuan Pang from the Yuan clan of Chen the position of Commandant of the Capital Guards, arranging for him to go there as well, along with Bao Hong, whom Qiao Yan knew was going to Liangzhou. This was the best hand Liu Hong could play in the current situation. He wasn’t unaware that in the Liangzhou war, Zhang Wen’s caution would prevent any rash actions; at least, he would first need to understand the movements of Bian Zhang, Han Sui, and Beigong Boyu. Moreover, with the current unfavorable weather, dragging it out until November was quite normal. But the locust plague was troublesome, and there were already murmurs of discontent among the people in Luoyang. If progress wasn’t made in the border war, other disturbances might arise. What troubled him most was that during today’s court meeting, Cui Lie actually proposed abandoning Liangzhou due to the prolonged stalemate! Listen to what he’s saying! Who is Cui Lie? Just this March, he removed Yuan Wei from the position of Minister over the Masses and replaced him with Cui Lie to issue a warning to the Yuan clan. However, the younger generation of the Yuan clan, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, had already made names for themselves. The former, though not in court, relied on Grand General He Jin, seemingly biding his time, while the latter was accumulating experience as the Governor of Henan. Yuan Ji, the eldest son of the Yuan clan, was already in the position of Grand Coachman. Losing an early Minister over the Masses who had been reprimanded by the Emperor in court couldn’t be considered a warning. And Cui Lie had completely failed to live up to Liu Hong’s expectations. Just the decision to abandon Liangzhou was enough to make Liu Hong angry. Fortunately, although Huangfu Song’s high achievements made him deeply wary, he hadn’t succeeded in quickly defeating Beigong Boyu. His deputy, Fu Xie, was as blunt and ruthless as him, and in court, he requested Cui Lie’s execution. It was a blade Liu Hong hadn’t expected but found quite useful. Fu Xie bluntly stated in court that Liangzhou was a crucial strategic point and a national barrier. Did the founding emperor’s pacification of Longyou and Emperor Wu’s expansion of the four Liangzhou prefectures mean that today’s ministers could propose abandoning it? If so, the Xiongnu would surely take advantage and invade, making this the “ultimate concern of the world.” Anyone with eyes could see this situation. If Cui Lie couldn’t see this, he was unwise; if he saw it and still dared to say this, he was disloyal. Anyway, he could choose one of the two charges. This scolding of Cui Lie to his face was quite satisfying for Liu Hong. But didn’t this also imply that his choice of Cui Lie as Minister over the Masses, replacing Yuan Wei, was a mistake? At this moment, Liu Hong was ostensibly asking about replacing Huangfu Song with Zhang Wen, but he was also questioning the replacement of Yuan Wei with Cui Lie. Zhang Rang’s answer wasn’t wrong; let’s wait and see. Hopefully, the locust plague would pass by then. Just as he thought this, a eunuch suddenly reported an urgent message from Bingzhou. “Present it!” Hearing “Bingzhou,” Liu Hong suddenly realized that in the past month, distracted by many troubles, he had forgotten that he hadn’t received any reports from Bingzhou. He suddenly realized that this situation was quite unusual. The locust plague spreading in the Sangu area couldn’t have missed Bingzhou, and the border areas of Bingzhou often had military friction, no less frequent than in Liangzhou. The urgent report arriving now made Liu Hong instinctively feel it was bad news. If Cui Lie claimed to abandon Liangzhou and Bingzhou was lost without a sound, it would truly be a sign of the Han dynasty’s collapse. With this thought, as soon as the eunuch presented the two reports, Liu Hong hurriedly took them. He first opened the one with the Governor’s seal, assuming it was Zhang Yi’s report on Bingzhou’s situation. But upon opening it, he found the handwriting somewhat familiar. His memory wasn’t bad, so he immediately pulled out the reserved “Discourse on Feudalism” from under the table and saw that the handwriting in the two documents was the same, clearly written by the same person. Liu Hong couldn’t help but frown. But considering he hadn’t received news from Bingzhou for a long time, even if he had some doubts, he had to read on. What he didn’t expect was that this report, bearing Zhang Yi’s seal but written by Qiao Yan, actually contained good news. It stated that Bingzhou was indeed affected by the locust plague, but the situation was now under control. Although the locusts were indeed extraordinary, they had to yield to this year’s harvest. Thus, a locust-catching campaign was launched in Bingzhou. With nets above, grass huts burning at night, and trenches filled below, three methods of catching and exterminating the locusts were employed. Additionally, the prefecture exchanged grain for locusts and locust eggs. Although some government storehouse grain was lost, it ensured that within a thousand miles, no locust eggs could hide in the soil to cause new harm. “…” This style was something Qiao Yan would do in Liu Hong’s view. She had previously challenged the authority of the Way of Great Peace with her debating skills and refuted the proposed Provincial Governor System in the capital. Now, she even dared to catch locusts, which many people worshipped in ancestral temples! But as the report stated, this unprecedented decision undoubtedly had excellent results. Due to the intense locust-catching campaign in Bingzhou, the migrating locusts dared not land. More than twenty days after the first locusts entered Bingzhou, no large-scale locust larvae had emerged from the soil, thanks to the digging and egg removal. Liu Hong couldn’t help but compare the situation in the capital with the report, feeling that Bingzhou had handled this beautifully. But the more he read, the more Zhang Rang noticed a storm brewing on Liu Hong’s face, clearly dissatisfied with someone. Zhang Rang hadn’t seen what was written in the report and could only guess that something had gone wrong in Bingzhou, causing Liu Hong’s anger. But he didn’t know that Liu Hong wasn’t angry because someone had made a mistake; on the contrary, it was because someone had done too well. But such a person, like Huangfu Song, was hard not to feel wary of. Moreover, the person who wrote this report was only eleven years old. Eleven years old… Liu Hong sighed inwardly. In comparison, his eldest son, Liu Bian, was about the same age but far inferior to her. Under what circumstances would this report, which should have been written by the Governor, end up being written by Qiao Yan? It certainly wasn’t because of Qiao Yan’s literary talent. At least in Liu Hong’s view, the report maintained Qiao Yan’s usual plain style, simply reporting the situation in Bingzhou truthfully, something Zhang Yi’s literary skills could handle. With this thought, he opened the second report. Three striking characters caught his eye: Letter of Apology. Also in Qiao Yan’s handwriting. This overly straightforward expression made Liu Hong pause, but clearly, his questions would be answered in this letter. It must be said that Xi Zhicai’s draft for Qiao Yan’s motivation was quite ingenious. Liu Hong not only didn’t realize it wasn’t Qiao Yan’s own words but also seemed to vividly see the young orphaned County Marquis making Leping her home and immediately reporting to the Governor upon noticing signs of the locust plague. Finally, when the locust plague truly arrived, due to the Governor’s shortsightedness, to avoid missing the opportunity, she chose to storm in, detain him first, and deal with the locust plague later. Liu Hong almost blurted out “How audacious!” when he saw Qiao Yan’s next sentence. Roughly meaning, although she knew she was wrong, she would do it again, but after much thought, she felt too sorry for His Majesty’s trust, so she wrote this letter to apologize. Attached were the previous suggestions to the Governor and a special letter found in Zhang Yi’s place, proving her forced action was necessary. Liu Hong pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling that this County Marquis he had enfeoffed was indeed a formidable troublemaker. But seeing Qiao Yan’s outburst actually made him less wary of this precocious child. At least she still had some childishness… She was just too good at offending people. Such a person was destined to be a lone minister, not a competent power minister. Liu Hong pondered that this might not be a bad thing for him and continued reading. Qiao Yan wrote—Of course, wrong is wrong, and not following the rules must be punished. If His Majesty wanted to send her to Luoyang in a prisoner’s cart for trial, she would not resist and would accept His Majesty’s judgment to uphold the law. However, Cheng Li, the Chancellor of Leping, did not support her actions and even sent the County Captain to stop her when she left Leping. It was only because her sudden action was too unexpected that they couldn’t catch up. This couldn’t be blamed on him for not stopping her earlier. Afterward, the Governor’s various orders were all stamped with official seals, so under such circumstances, whether it was the Chancellor of Leping or the regions of Shangdang and Yanmen, they could only follow her instructions. Therefore, she could take full responsibility for all the consequences. To show she was now an “adult,” while writing this letter of apology, she thought long and hard and decided to give herself a courtesy name. [The locust plague, filling the trenches, can be burned away.] [The incompetent officials of Bingzhou can also be burned away.] [Yan, the jade with fiery brilliance, fits this path, so I take the character Ye; Shu has an elegant meaning, dividing and giving, so my courtesy name is…] “Ye Shu…” Ye Shu! Liu Hong examined the two bold characters on the letter of apology, his previously furrowed brow relaxing, and suddenly laughed heartily, “Good, what a Qiao Ye Shu! And what a fire of giving!”