“Can a strategist really not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 72: Momentum like Fire
Was that Leping Qiao Yan appearing?
That’s the Marquis of Leping!
Since the house arrest order started in September of the second year of Zhongping, and now it’s already September of the fourth year—well, it’s high time for that to be lifted!
But I bet no one expected that two years ago, the Marquis of Leping, who caused a stir by seizing authority over the Governor, would show up like this, just as she was finally allowed out.
Maybe…
It seems that those who take names for themselves like Qiao Yan are truly expressing their aspirations; there’s no way she could have gotten it wrong!
It was easy to predict she’d have this fiery momentum!
That unique double-headed spear was firmly gripped in her hand, with a red thread wrapping around her right thumb, the only splash of bright red amidst the subdued color of her dark garment and iron spear.
The sunset’s glow kissed this item, making it look like a flame flickering at her fingertips.
As she pulled out the spear, the blood splattering from the bandits couldn’t compete with this vivid hue.
The next moment, that point of blazing red shot off to the side, along with the Bingzhou steed she was riding, charging forward like thunder!
In this relatively spacious valley path, a dozen cavalry were more than enough to deal some serious damage to hundreds of bandits, especially with Qiao Yan’s opening salvo of three arrows and her rush into battle leading the charge.
This was the momentum to break through the enemy!
The bandits had gathered in the Baibo Valley, and this year, the Marquis of Leping’s subordinates had repeatedly thwarted their plans to raid Bingzhou, so they were understandably wary.
Now, seeing Chu Yan and Zhao Yun leading the charge, even if she was just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, it didn’t stop them from feeling the rising dread.
When Qiao Yan proclaimed, “Leping Qiao Yeshou,” it tied her to that remarkable Leping region, clearly indicating they were inextricably linked.
Was this a declaration or a hunting expedition, or perhaps a way to showcase her return after two years of house arrest?
In truth, it didn’t matter that much.
From Guo Jia and Mi Zhu’s perspective, they didn’t just see the martial prowess of this Marquis of Leping, but—
As she turned her horse towards the more densely packed bandits, the other cavalry behind her raised their hands in command, forming a solid phalanx ready to attack.
This wasn’t just one person charging into the masses; it was a well-disciplined cavalry advancing in unison following her lead!
Aside from Qiao Yan’s spear creating impressive flourishes, the long sabers used by the cavalry also displayed their might.
The stark contrast between both sides’ formations left Guo Jia with no doubts about her victory, so much so that he extinguished the small flame he had just ignited and focused on the unfolding battle, which had the feel of a follow-up assault.
He was actually there to assess Qiao Yan’s situation.
So after a close call, rather than feeling grateful, he wanted to see what else this Marquis of Leping could pull off.
And she didn’t disappoint the observer.
At the front of the cavalry, those closest to her were the ones skilled enough with bows and horses.
Thus, as they charged into the fray, they perfectly shared the burden of the clashes she was facing.
This clever clustering gave her more striking power than just one person and one horse.
She certainly didn’t waste that support.
If you looked at her through the eyes of a true cavalry elite, you would see some lack in Qiao Yan’s own strength.
Just having been released from house arrest, she clearly lacked enough battlefield experience working with her subordinates to take down enemies.
Given her age, she could only rely on her training—slightly taller and more muscular than an average girl of thirteen or fourteen.
But what’s this? A surge of energy!
Now was the time!
One side wanted to avoid the Marquis of Leping’s inspecting forces while the other was eager to establish dominance; they clearly had different mindsets.
The side with more spirit dealt enough damage to the oncoming bandits, who were nothing more than a disorganized rabble that could hardly take a stand against such ferocity.
Even those bandits who had initially seized the merchant convoy’s horses weren’t thinking about charging forward to duel; they were just looking to escape at full gallop.
As long as they could outrun the others, that was all that mattered.
But that line of thought wasn’t far from those merchants who had been cut down by their arrows earlier.
As they turned their horses around, they heard Qiao Yan speak again.
This time, it wasn’t a lengthy discourse; she just said one word.
“Bows!”
At her command, not just Qiao Yan but the front-line cavalry raised their bows as well.
The twang of bowstrings echoed, and a flurry of arrows was unleashed.
In the next moment, those arrows pierced through the heads of the fleeing bandits.
Among them, one particular white-feathered arrow stood out.
It maintained its earlier precision, piercing right through the bandit’s brow, as if that previous spearing act hadn’t shaken Qiao Yan’s steady hands at all.
This coordination between the command of “bow” and the release of arrows was a chillingly effective display of decisiveness!
Without even needing Qiao Yan to keep issuing orders, as she aimed her bow at the fleeing bandits scaling the hillside, the cavalry acted in perfect unison with her movements.
With such a focus created by the arrows, the bandits, whose only instinct was to flee, found themselves with no hope of escape.
Guo Jia shook his head, profoundly aware of the chasm between the two sides.
But considering these bandits were once able to act with impunity in the Hedong region, it might not just be that they were completely incompetent; it was more likely the astounding performance of this Qiao Hou…
She was just too impressive.
When it came to discussions or diplomatic measures, like pacifying grasshoppers—that was the work of bureaucrats.
But in the river valley ambush, she had shown the prowess of a mounted warrior.
Even if her opponents landed a few hits, it should be described as her skill rather than potential.
When Guo Jia looked back at her, the spear in her hand had temporarily lost its targets, and the flicker of fire on her thumb seemed to settle down a bit.
She kicked her horse’s belly, steering towards the remaining survivors of the attacked merchant convoy.
From a distance, the distinct sharpness of the Marquis of Leping was evident, but as she drew closer and calmed her battle intent, she appeared more like a graceful figure with a hint of regal presence, mingling with the bloodstained end of her spear.
She first addressed Mi Zhu, “Could you please check the losses?”
One could see she stood out like a crane among chickens, instantly noticeable.
In the cavalry, Mi Zhu and Guo Jia stood out, their positions clearly marking who was more aligned with merchant identity.
Mi Zhu replied with a bow, “I am Mi Zhu from Donghai, thank you, my lord, for saving us. I’d heard of Qiao Hou’s fame in Xuzhou, and to see it today…”
“Well, that’s living up to the hype.”
Forget about the crowd around being dumbstruck by Qiao Yan’s display; even Mi Zhu, who considered himself calm in such situations, couldn’t help but let out a sigh inwardly.
Qiao Yan’s literary skills and political acumen were hard to assess at a glance—but her martial prowess was right there, glaring at Mi Zhu.
In the current chaos across the land, this was definitely a plus.
Mi Zhu wasn’t just a merchant.
When you’re a trader who’s climbed a certain height, the Donghai Mi Clan naturally becomes a target for the prefects in Xuzhou to woo.
He used to wonder why the prefect of Guangling turned pale when discussing Qiao Yan, but witnessing her performance now, Mi Zhu thought she truly deserved the titles of “Singing Phoenix” and “Talent to Assist a King.”
Although it seemed like this Talent to Assist a King had a rather high martial power level, suggesting she could back up her talk with a fight if need be.
Yet, even with this thought, he didn’t show it on his face; instead, he agreed to check on the merchant caravan’s losses as Qiao Yan asked.
However, as he performed another bow and turned to walk toward the caravan leader’s surviving deputy, he didn’t notice the hint of surprise in the look Qiao Yan shot his way.
Mi Zhu, as in ‘Mi Zi Zhong’?
This was the secondary officer appointed by Tao Qian when the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in the fifth year of Zhongping, and later, he became Liu Bei’s aide when Tao Qian handed over Xuzhou to him.
The Donghai Mi Clan’s immense wealth provided Liu Bei with significant support during his lean times.
Even when Liu Bei’s wife was captured by Lü Bu, they married Mi Zhu’s sister to him, known as Lady Mi.
This was no ordinary character; he could easily be deemed Liu Bei’s crucial source of funds.
If a typical merchant happened to trade in Bingzhou, there might still be some potential, but—
What on earth was Mi Zhu doing here?
Even if it was quite early before Liu Bei stationed in Xuzhou, his reasons for being here surely weren’t simple.
But this wasn’t the time to ponder that.
She split her two-section Three-Section Spear back apart and hung the pieces on her back, just as the system stammered, asking, “Are you a strategist or a warrior right now?”
In these past two years, following Liu Hong’s decree, she could manage just fine while reflecting during her hermitage in Leping.
Practicing her physical abilities and mastering archery and spear techniques could easily pass for maintaining her mental health and physical fitness; working on fishing, pig farming, and cooking for similar excuses was feasible too.
However, after Zhao Yun returned from Leping to report back, Qiao Yan temporarily took his place under the guise of “keeping watch,” and after making a significant impact today, she seemed less like a strategist.
On her current attributes panel, her intelligence hadn’t received any self-assigned boosts, while her physical stats improved through training, and martial power had risen alongside her progress in spear and archery techniques, making it quite apparent that she didn’t fit the role of a typical strategist—
[Name: Qiao Yan]
[Faction: Han (initial faction)]
[Occupation: Strategist (system assigned)]
[Age: 13]
[Physical: 74 (100), Martial: 61 (100), Intelligence: 80 (100), Luck: 65 (?)]
[Remaining Assignable Points: 0]
[Skills: History lv7, Eloquence lv7, Artifact Recognition lv4, Archery lv7, Horsemanship lv6, Painting lv3, Writing lv4, Field Archaeology lv5, Ancient Currency Studies lv3…]
[Remaining Skill Points: 3]
[Strategist Points: 140] (For every 10 strategist points earned, automatically gain 3 assignable attribute points and 1 skill assignable point)
Counting back over the two years in Leping, or rather three, her strategist point acquisition had paled in comparison to the Yellow Turban Rebellion phase.
If not for solving the locust plague issue, which helped Liu Hong, the Han ruler, and provided him an opportunity to meddle in court politics, triggering the achievement of “Assisting the Sovereign in Completing an Internal Power Balance,” she wouldn’t have gotten that extra 40 points.
In her isolation, although she had suggested many stabilization strategies for Bingzhou to Cui Lie, the system assessed she was still in a state of solitary confinement; aside from decisions recognized by Liu Hong, she couldn’t earn any strategist points.
Fortunately, with her being released just in time as the Hu people and the He Dong Baibo bandits were stirring up trouble, it was a prime opportunity for a big haul.
It worked in her favor that her physical value had hit such heights with the system’s aid, greatly benefiting her command over the “Broken Mountains and Remaining Waters” Lethal Spear and mounted archery; her martial prowess had reached its current level without consuming additional points.
In coordinated combat with subordinates, her weaknesses in strength weren’t nearly as dramatic as everyone could see.
One might even say she was a budget version of a versatile warrior!
But feeling good about that improvement was one thing; now she had to keep the system convinced.
She feigned a look towards her cavalry cleaning up the battlefield, internally justifying to the system, “This was a necessary move.”
“The Hu invasion of Bingzhou that started in the fifth year of Zhongping caused the region’s territory to shrink to half of its original size during the Cao Wei period. If Liang Xi hadn’t implemented a divide-and-conquer strategy upon his arrival, Bingzhou would have been in even worse dire straits. Even so, at this point, some territories were unsustainable.”
Following that, with Liu Yuan’s invasion and Sima Teng’s defeat, Bingzhou completely fell into the hands of foreign invaders.
“For future contenders of sovereignty, reclaiming lost territory in Bingzhou will inevitably require advisors like Liang Xi to strategize. Instead, it’s better for me to accomplish this now.”
“The so-called top strategists must see the long game and anticipate future troubles—wouldn’t you agree?”
[Seems like that’s the case.] The system calculated and decided that her reasoning wasn’t wrong.
Maintaining territorial integrity and planning a line of defense against the Hu was indeed something a qualified strategist should do.
Thinking about how its host strived to achieve this goal, even went through so much trouble practicing martial arts, breaking her two short spears into countless pieces, was rather… inspirational!
Having figured that out, the system didn’t plan to question her next steps; most likely, they’d lean towards what looked like a warrior’s ideas.
With a year and nine months until Liu Hong’s passing, there was certainly no need to rush into choosing a lord.
Just as it settled these thoughts, it noticed someone walking towards Qiao Yan and quickly alerted her.
Qiao Yan turned around to see none other than that young man seeking a plan to tackle the bandits earlier.
Maybe it was his age, straddling the line between youth and young adult, giving him a somewhat harmless look, yet the calmness and ease in his demeanor spoke of something special.
To remain so composed amidst such upheaval and seek a way out—Qiao Yan was going to ask his identity even if he hadn’t approached her first.
But when he spoke up, the name he mentioned genuinely surprised Qiao Yan.
This was someone she hadn’t expected to cross paths with in Bingzhou, just like Mi Zhu.
He said, “Yingchuan Guo Fengxiao, at your service, esteemed sir.”
