Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Can’t a strategist ascend the throne? Volume 1: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Clear Voice of a Young Phoenix Chapter 09: Retreating to Advance

Liang Zhongning really wanted to argue a bit. He would rather be thought of as killed by Dian Wei than be brought back to the fortress carrying a bundle.

But he thought about it, he had already cursed and lured the enemy, and now victory was within sight, so naturally, he didn’t need to worry about his image anymore.

So what Second Master Tian saw from the watchtower of the fortress was the scene of “Dian Wei” returning triumphantly with his men.

This Dian warrior clearly understood the distinction between host and guest. He had captured the Yellow Turban Commander and brought him back, obviously intending to leave the Tian family to deal with him.

Capturing someone alive is more of a skill than killing them outright.

Second Master Tian watched as the Dian warrior carried Liang Zhongning like a pig. The guy who had been cursing and swaggering during the day still had a good voice, now shouting and cursing about something. Tian couldn’t help but smile and stroke his beard.

As he expected, Liang Zhongning was a bit clever but ultimately a rough and unrefined fellow, not fit for the big stage.

With the Yellow Turban Bandits caught in their net, if they could rush to Puyang under the cover of night, seize the city, and hold it, they would be safe.

If the Tian family could save Puyang from the bandits through this event, their reputation would surely grow.

Very good!

Second Master Tian watched as some of the returning warriors, seemingly venting their anger, kicked the Yellow Turban corpses outside the fortress, and others dragged them towards the fortress, without making any move to stop them.

In the previous two days of confrontation, they had the upper hand, but the enemy’s arrows had still caused some losses. Given the composition of the fortress, it was not surprising that the relatives of the casualties were among the pursuing party.

In the face of a certain victory, minor breaches of etiquette were not a problem.

However, as the victorious young men stepped through the fortress gates, the torchlight illuminated the face of the leader clearly.

It was a face completely unfamiliar to Second Master Tian!

This person was not Dian Wei!

Just as this shocking realization hit him, a black shadow flew towards him—it was Liang Zhongning, thrown at him by “Dian Wei.”

Liang Zhongning, a skilled fighter in the Yellow Turban Army, though not as brave as Dian Wei, had no trouble quickly climbing the watchtower.

Before Second Master Tian could shout “Enemy attack!”, a short knife was already at his throat.

Almost simultaneously with Liang Zhongning’s move, the “corpses” being dragged in and the “fortress guards” returning victorious also acted, taking care of the guards at the main gate.

Out of the corner of his eye, Second Master Tian saw the Yellow Turban corpses outside the fortress also rising and rushing towards the fortress, looking like wolves and tigers ready to take over.

Eldest Young Master Tian, having just received news from his uncle and feeling he had completed his task of guarding the rear, was now ready to see Liang Zhongning’s miserable state, but instead, he encountered this group.

Even though the Yellow Turban Army didn’t seem intent on a massacre, merely injuring those who could still fight and tying up others, Second Master Tian couldn’t help but close his eyes and let out a long sigh.

He had miscalculated.

With this miscalculation, the fortress was opened, and there was no turning back.

The tide had turned…

While the original owner of the fortress was despondent, Liang Zhongning, finally stepping into the fortress, was much more pleased.

As Qiao Yan waited for the battle to settle and was informed before stepping into the fortress, the Yellow Turban Commander immediately approached her.

“Do you know how much grain is stored in this fortress?” Liang Zhongning asked proudly, his eyebrows almost reaching his hairline, his face full of joy in the firelight.

No wonder he suddenly changed his address to Qiao Yan; his next words were: “There are 600,000 hu of millet, and it’s all refined millet.”

Liang Zhongning no longer felt that the life-threatening situations he faced during the siege, and being so clearly arranged by Qiao Yan, were problematic.

When he captured Puyang, due to poor harvests the previous year, the grain from Puyang’s granary was not much.

A minor official who had defected to the Yellow Turbans said that a batch of grain had been sent to the capital just two months ago, which made him curse the foolish emperor again.

He had coveted the grain stored in the Tian family fortress but never expected there to be so much.

When he captured the fortress lord and learned the amount of grain from the Tian family head, Liang Zhongning even thought the man was lying.

But when he was led to the underground grain storage, he found it was indeed true.

What he saw was even more dazzling than a large amount of treasure.

Jewelry can’t be eaten! But grain can!

Liang Zhongning rubbed his hands together, his tone growing more excited: “The stored grain isn’t just refined millet… You must be tired today, I’ll have my men prepare a good meal for you later.”

How could Liang Zhongning not respect and admire Qiao Yan?

After capturing the fortress, the weapons confiscated by his men and the information revealed by Eldest Young Master Tian’s undignified cursing after being captured made him break out in a cold sweat.

If it weren’t for Qiao Yan’s series of arrangements, he would never have been able to capture the fortress.

If he had let his competitive spirit get the better of him and come back to cause trouble again, he might have even lost his life.

Thanks to Qiao Yan…

Commander Liang eagerly handed Qiao Yan a roasted marrow cake wrapped in oil paper.

Besides millet, the fortress stored other easily preserved foods, such as the marrow cake in front of Qiao Yan, made from animal marrow, honey, and flour, baked in a Hu-style oven and stored.

This was at least ten times more delicious than the dried cakes she had hidden while traveling with Bu Ji’s army.

Along with the marrow cake, preserved pork and shrimp paste taken from the cellar were also served.

In these times, there weren’t so many fussy rules. The Yellow Turban soldiers following Liang Zhongning didn’t care about the difference between cold and hot food and had already started sharing the food, a form of reward after the battle.

But Liang Zhongning felt that Qiao Yan deserved special treatment and had a small stove set up to prepare a hot meal.

The one in charge of cooking was none other than Butcher He, who had previously disguised himself as Dian Wei.

Butcher He was a chatterbox.

While Liang Zhongning was still pondering how to talk to Qiao Yan, the great功臣, Butcher He was less concerned with formalities.

After asking about Qiao Yan’s taste preferences…








He immediately sliced open the preserved pork on the chopping board with a knife, and while doing so, he didn’t forget to chat:

“Mr. Yan, don’t think that this preserved pork has gone bad just because it’s been stored for a long time. This pork was slaughtered last December. After draining the juices, it was covered with white grass and sealed with thick mud. Even if it’s kept until July or August, it’s no different from freshly slaughtered meat. In these times of famine, live pigs are rare, and if you want to eat meat, you have to rely on this.”

Qiao Yan vaguely remembered that there were related records in the “Essential Techniques for the Common People,” but by modern times, no one stored meat this way anymore.

The meat revealed under the peeled-off mud and white grass was indeed somewhat different from cured meat, closer to fresh meat.

She glanced at it a couple of times, got the gist of it, and then averted her gaze to avoid appearing inexperienced in such matters.

Butcher He didn’t notice her subtle thoughts and continued talking.

Even in modern times, he’d be considered a social butterfly.

Once he started talking, he went from discussing the cooking of preserved pork to the Taishi Path, then to carrying Liang Zhongning into the fortress, which was no different from carrying a pig, and finally to the wheat paste and river delicacies stored in the fortress.

Under Liang Zhongning’s murderous gaze, he obliviously went on about how long it had been since he last ate meat, and then mentioned another Butcher He.

“They say people with the same surname often share the same origins, but even though we’re both Butcher He, our futures are vastly different. That guy became a Grand General because his sister was made Empress, bringing honor to all butchers.”

The Butcher He he was referring to was none other than Grand General He Jin.

In the third year of Guanghe, four years ago, He Jin’s half-sister, Lady He, was enfeoffed as the Empress of the Han Dynasty. He Jin, rising through his sister’s status, became a Palace Attendant and the Governor of Henan, and then, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was promoted to Grand General. This absurdly rapid promotion had already spread far and wide.

But before Butcher He could continue, Liang Zhongning spoke up with a threatening tone, “Watch your words! If you keep talking, I’ll make sure you can’t speak anymore!”

The warning on Liang Zhongning’s face was so severe that Butcher He immediately shut his mouth.

It was no wonder Liang Zhongning issued such a warning.

He Jin’s rise to Grand General was partly due to the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Ma Yuanyi, a disciple of Zhang Jiao, was plotting an uprising in Luoyang, which was thwarted by He Jin, who was even enfeoffed as a Marquis for this achievement.

The news of He Jin’s promotion to Grand General and Marquis of Shen came alongside the news of Ma Yuanyi being torn apart by chariots.

In Liang Zhongning’s view, if not for Ma Yuanyi’s death, the Great Virtuous Teacher wouldn’t have had to launch the attack prematurely. If the Luoyang uprising had succeeded at that time, they would have achieved even more remarkable results.

Grand General He Jin, though born into a butcher’s family, was indeed their mortal enemy.

Moreover, if anyone among them envied He Jin’s rise through his sister’s status, wouldn’t that be equivalent to denying the statement “The Blue Sky is Dead”?

After scolding Butcher He, Liang Zhongning thought for a moment and then said to Qiao Yan, “Sir, don’t mind my anger. Such words truly cannot be spoken in my camp.”

“Since I came from Luoyang, I naturally understand this. There’s no need for the Rebel Leader to explain further to me,” Qiao Yan smiled, showing no signs of discomfort.

Being among rebels, one must be cautious not only in speech but also in action. It’s certainly not a choice most wise men would make.

But Qiao Yan didn’t feel that her initial decision was a mistake.

Given her age and status, her current situation was undoubtedly the best possible.

Besides, apart from her hidden agenda, she had already gained something from this experience.

For instance, although she couldn’t open the system interface to check right now, the system had already informed her in an excited tone that her assistance in helping the Yellow Turban Army capture the Tian Family Fortress was indeed a legitimate way to earn Strategist Points.

Thus, her previously zero Strategist Points had now increased to 10.

10 Strategist Points not only meant she had earned 3 freely distributable attribute points and 1 skill point through her efforts but also that a new function had been added to the previously simplistic Strategist System interface.

Check-in.

Unfortunately, she would have to wait until she had eaten, dealt with the matters in the fortress, and found a quiet place to check the specifics of this new function.

She wondered what rewards this new function would bring.

Qiao Yan pondered silently, already making plans for her next moves.

However, at this moment, it was hard for her not to be distracted by the aroma wafting through the air.

Butcher He, having shut his mouth, worked even faster to prepare the preserved pork and pickles. The delayed dinner was finally served to Qiao Yan.

Compared to the various delicacies of later generations, the preserved pork, wheat paste, and marrow cake, no matter how elaborately prepared, couldn’t hide their humble nature.

But Qiao Yan had been directing actions and dealing with the Yellow Turban soldiers all day, exhausting her mental energy. By now, she was starving, and this simple hot meal was no different from a feast.

Of course, she knew that after days of irregular eating, she couldn’t indulge herself all at once.

Liang Zhongning had no such reservations.

Arguing and luring enemies were physically demanding tasks. He grabbed half a slab of meat and devoured it in large bites.

After getting a base, he glanced at Qiao Yan and noticed her eating with meticulous care, making him seem rather uncouth in comparison.

He couldn’t help but mutter to himself about her scholarly demeanor.

But just then, he heard Qiao Yan speak, interrupting his thoughts, “They say it’s easier to talk business over drinks. Although I don’t drink, now is a good time to discuss a few things with the Rebel Leader.”

He quickly straightened his expression, “Sir, feel free to speak.”

Qiao Yan said, “I mentioned earlier that I came to help the Rebel Leader through two crises. The first has been resolved, and the second likely won’t require much effort from me. A few pointers should suffice. May I ask when the Rebel Leader will send someone to escort me back to Gaomi?”

Liang Zhongning was so shocked that the marrow cake in his hand fell.

“Sir, won’t you stay a few more days?”

Today’s victory and the sixty thousand bushels of grain had given Liang Zhongning a taste of success. While counting the grain earlier, he thought, “Yan Qiao” truly lived up to being a disciple of Zheng Xuan.

Zheng Kangcheng himself didn’t serve in office and was even unlucky enough to be implicated in the Prohibition of Factionalists, confined in Beihai Gaomi. Yet, he managed to train his disciples to such a level, truly deserving of his reputation.

He couldn’t help but think that with “Yan Qiao’s” assistance, he might be able to capture more than just the Tian Family Fortress.

He even forgot the tense conversation they had when they first met.

Her young age, her need to return to Gaomi to report—all were pushed to the back of his mind. All he could think about was how to use her wisdom to gain more benefits for himself.

But just as he began to harbor such ambitions, the “Yan Qiao” he had started calling “Sir” was already planning to leave?

No! Absolutely not!