“Can strategists really not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 91: Elders and Juniors…
“……”
Qiao Yan exchanged glances with Fu Shou on the wall and realized that Fu Shou’s audacity in participating in the plot against Cao Cao was something that had hinted at her boldness since she was young.
But after Qiao Yan agreed, she climbed down the ladder and entered the main gate of the Qiao residence, reminiscing about the story of planting mustard greens, which strangely made Qiao Yan feel a bit bittersweet.
After all, Fu Shou wasn’t the daughter of Princess Yang’an. No matter how lively her personality, she couldn’t just cause a stir at home. But seeing her uncle next door looking a bit despondent made her think it might be better to entertain him instead.
So, Fu Shou pointed at the vegetable plots and asked, if one day Qiao Gong returned with clear thoughts, wouldn’t he feel stifled to see the once flourishing garden now so desolate?
Why don’t we plant vegetables instead!
She mentioned, “I used your family’s land to grow a batch of mustard greens,” but all the harvest ended up stored in the basement of the Qiao residence.
Aside from leaving a small amount for immediate consumption, the rest were pickled into salted mustard greens.
Having never engaged in such matters before, Fu Shou felt she couldn’t just give up halfway and secretly sought advice from her family servants, ending up dragging back a bunch of empty clay jars.
The old servant left behind by Qiao Xuan, though not talkative, looked at Fu Shou as she chattered on about her pickle-making adventures with a gaze filled with fondness for the younger generation.
Qiao Yan noticed this and turned to Dian Wei, ordering him to fetch some vegetables from the market.
As soon as she made this request, Fu Shou quickly chimed in, “If guests are coming from afar, there should definitely be wine!”
Since she didn’t meet many people, the one who left a deep impression on her in these three years was undoubtedly Qiao Yan.
She tried to compare her current height with the memory she had of Qiao Yan and realized that her stature seemed quite impressive. By the same token, she must have grown quite a bit herself.
Speaking of invitations, how could there be no wine?
This is how my father hosts!
“Now I’m the host and you’re the guest; I get to decide.” Qiao Yan pushed her back down and then had the old servant go relay a message to those in the inner courtyard.
Younger Fu Shou had yet to face the harsh realities of society, and this moment made her experience the feeling of “the arm cannot twist the thigh.”
But then she remembered the question she was most eager to ask Qiao Yan after hearing the commotion. Realizing her plan for tasting wine was thwarted, she instead inquired about the situation in Leping.
Previously, Qiao Yan had sent her a letter, which she had placed on her bookshelf. Among the mountain goods that arrived with the letter, aside from some stuff to brew tea, there were also two wooden carvings, placed on the side.
These had truly piqued her interest in the Taihang Mountains.
However, having been born and raised in the capital, she had never had the chance to roam outside, and could only imagine the Taihang Mountains based on her distant view of the northern mountains.
Now, hearing Qiao Yan talk about fifty thousand acres of farmland and over a hundred thousand acres of mountains in Leping, Fu Shou started counting on her fingers, comparing the size difference with her little vegetable patch, and couldn’t help but frown.
“I don’t know what lies outside the capital; I’m completely ignorant of the vast world!”
Qiao Yan couldn’t help but chuckle.
This sounded rather precocious coming from her.
But her “maturity” was different from Cai Zhaoji’s early development shaped by years of wandering with Cai Yong; it still contained a hint of childlike innocence.
She lamented about not being able to personally witness the harvest from over sixty thousand acres of mountain farms, then shifted the topic to how she earlier asked her father to find some travelogues about places beyond the capital.
Just like three years ago, she seemed quite familiar, but unlike three years ago, she had undoubtedly grown up quite a bit.
Qiao Yan listened as she leaned on her hand, reminiscing, “Last year I finished reading Ban Shu Pi’s ‘North Expedition’ and ‘Coastal Admiration’; the year before that, I completed Ma Dibo’s ‘Sacrifice at Mount Tai,’ and oh, that ‘Eastern Journey Edict’ by Zhang Ping.”
This kind of reading level was quite uncommon even today.
However, Qiao Yan next heard her saying—
“Let’s skip the prose, I’m too young to understand all that ‘zhi’ and ‘xi’ stuff—mostly just putting up a front, seeing the world.”
Fu Shou wholly failed to notice how adorably earnest her bluntness was as she continued: “But that ‘Sacrifice at Mount Tai’ was penned by Ma Dibo during the time he followed Emperor Guangwu to offer sacrifices at Mount Tai, and the ‘Eastern Journey Edict’ was created because the emperor hunted at Mount Da…”
“Ah, how few are those who get to visit Mount Tai in this world! More often than not, it’s just hills near home. So why is there not a single book that captures all the mountains, rivers, and lakes of the world?”
“Take the Luo River outside Luoyang, for instance; through spring and autumn, who knows how many stories it bears! If someone could compile and record them, it would indeed be a fascinating book.”
Clearly, Fu Shou had been pondering this issue for quite some time. Now, as usual, Fu Wan found her questions too numerous and peculiar, and here she voiced them in front of Qiao Yan.
Qiao Yan replied, “If records were as you say, those who never leave home could appreciate the landscapes of the world in full. With illustrations, even children in their homes could understand the vastness of the world. But is that realistic?”
Fu Shou’s eyes lit up, “Exactly! It’s a pity my father says my ideas are a bit naive and that there’s hardly any time for the grown-ups to collect such records in their busy lives.”
Qiao Yan didn’t find her ideas naïve.
If she lived in the Tang dynasty, she could witness the ‘Waterways Classic’ written by Li Dao Yuan during the Northern Wei period and the ‘Buddhist Temples of Luoyang’ from the Eastern Wei period right from her home.
If she lived in modern times, she might even experience the joy of enjoying beautiful sights without leaving her home, and perhaps feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of literary pieces like ‘Ode to the Drunken Old Man’s Pavilion’ and ‘Notes on the Little Stone Pond.’
But indeed, there’s a shortage of such works nowadays. Travel literature began emerging only in the Eastern Han and had yet to become mainstream.
And such documentaries in this environment needed political strength to back them up.
Just like the ‘Waterways Classic’—
Don’t be deceived by its documentation of various local waters; it also contains records of over three hundred battles that took place within those waterways, because its author, Li Dao Yuan, once served as the governor of eastern Jing Province, thus leading to his “geography must precede military actions” style of writing.
Of course, this book, which would not appear for another three hundred years, was not appropriate for Qiao Yan to use as an example for Fu Shou, but she was also keenly aware that she shouldn’t say anything dismissive to discourage Fu Shou’s enthusiasm.
So she responded, “Perhaps a few years down the line, when the war quiets a bit, there will be people traveling around to record the wonders of the world. Who knows, you might even be that person doing the documenting? After all, there are those striving to restore order amidst the chaos right now.”
When Fu Shou heard Qiao Yan suggest she could one day document this, she wondered if she was being teased. But seeing the earnestness in her eyes, she almost believed it.
Curious now about the latter part of what Qiao Yan mentioned, she asked, “So you’re saying you’re one of those helping to restore order…?”
When Fu Shou had borrowed books from her father’s study earlier, she heard him talk about how Qiao Yan had been acting quite boldly in Bingzhou, warning her to keep her distance from her to avoid trouble.
But she also overheard her mother, Princess Yang’an, rebuke that Qiao Yan was indeed serving the Han cause well, and why didn’t Fu Wan gather a few folks to take care of the bandits in Liangzhou?
These two starkly different evaluations reaching Fu Shou’s ears conveyed the same message—that Qiao Yan was involved in the effort to eliminate bandits and was quite capable.
Then she thought about what Qiao Yan had been doing in Luoyang? Just gardening, apparently.
Fu Shou had clearly viewed Qiao Yan as a sort of idol now and felt the urge to emulate her.
Yet at her young age, she clearly didn’t understand why Qiao Yan had chosen farming at that time to preserve herself and articulate her intentions. She also wouldn’t grasp why, after she posed that question, Qiao Yan revealed an inscrutable smile, then said, “Who knows? It could be the Son of Heaven in the Southern Palace striving for peace.”
As for the direction from which stabilizing efforts arose, that was open for interpretation.
In any case, on the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the fourth year of Zhongping, Liu Hong announced a piece of news in the court.
Due to the chaotic scenarios involving the White Wave bandits and the Black Mountain bandits running amok in Bingzhou, as well as the Hu tribes stirring up rebellious thoughts, there was a plan to re-establish the position of General of Duyang.
Currently, most eligible candidates for this position had other important roles to play in quelling uprisings. Thus, the selection for this generalship would be made through military exercises in the outskirts of the capital.
Once this news broke, it immediately sparked a commotion.
Military drills?
During Emperor Xian’s time, the first person appointed to the position of General of Duyang was Fan Mingyou, who came from…
“So this promotion to Middle General really comes from the ranks, huh? Just look at Qiao Gongzi, who got this position recommended by the Three Dukes.”
Being the General of the Northern Defenses sounds important enough, but honestly, it doesn’t look like a cushy job these days. Still, it’s good enough for a serious official with a nice title and two thousand stones of authority!
But according to Liu Hong, any official with a salary of over six hundred stones—unless they’re busy putting down rebellions or fighting in war zones—could throw their hat in the ring for this gig!
These folks will have to prove their worth via military drills to show they can actually lead an army, and then they’ll be promoted to the position of General of the Northern Defenses.
And you can bet the Northern Army’s Five Divisions will be on hand to support this selection of soldiers.
“This selection method is a bit bizarre, don’t you think?”
There’s plenty of chatter in the court right now, especially some folks scratching their heads over why, after Marquis of Leping comes to the capital, and they propose to re-establish the General of the Northern Defenses, Liu Hong pulls out a selection process like this. Even in He Jin’s Grand General’s Mansion, many are confused.
But if you think about it, Liu Hong isn’t just talking nonsense; most of the people capable of this position have other responsibilities!
Some are out there squashing rebellions in the Han Dynasty, others have climbed the ranks too high to step down to this General of the Northern Defenses position, while some are simply too much of a threat to Liu Hong and won’t gain military power anytime soon.
With all sorts of excuses piling up, what sounded like a ridiculous selection method for a general is starting to seem like a necessity.
Moreover, Liu Hong isn’t just picking Jian Shuo for his strength and strategy; he isn’t even suggesting that they test martial skills to pick the General of the Northern Defenses. Instead, soldiers from the Northern Army’s Five Divisions will join the ranks of these candidates, and the success of their military drills will determine who leads.
If you’re gonna oversee northern military matters, you really need to have the chops for it.
He Yong and Yuan Shao exchanged glances, and Yuan Shao stood up to say, “I actually don’t think this is so strange.”
After rising to a high position over these past few years, He Jin has lost some of the rough edges from his earlier days, but still, with all those noble clan members and famous scholars around him, he’s developed quite the air of arrogance.
Seeing Yuan Shao step up, he asked with a bit more gravity, “What do you mean by that, Benchu?”
Yuan Shao replied, “Not long ago, Bai Qiu and I stumbled upon a piece of news that said the Son of Heaven is looking to select the General of the Northern Defenses, and that they might use this as a chance to pick some of the best candidates for the Eight Schools of the Western Garden. We were skeptical of the news, but now that we’ve seen His Majesty throwing that little yellow gatekeeper into the mix, it seems there might be some truth to it.”
He Jin’s smile faltered.
Yuan Shao didn’t wait for He Jin to interrupt; he continued, “We all know how capable Jian Shuo is. Those eunuchs around the emperor can only serve in court positions—there’s never been a case of them being sent to serve outside. I doubt the emperor expects him to stand out and become a powerful leader holding two thousand stones.”
“So from the Grand General’s perspective, what’s the deal with this Jian Gong, who the emperor seems to favor?”
He Jin wasn’t foolish enough to miss the situation; he asked in a low voice, “Are they really planning to give him a new official position due to his outstanding performance despite losing?”
He realized Liu Hong’s views on those court eunuchs made this far from impossible.
If it weren’t for Yuan Shao’s hint, his focus would have remained solely on the General of the Northern Defenses position.
But now he was boiling with anger.
The Grand Generals of the Han Dynasty commanded the armies, quite different from the Grand Commandants who mainly dealt with military policies without actual military power!
Take He Jin for instance: since becoming Grand General in the seventh year of Guanghe, he’s had the authority to recruit soldiers. Even a renowned general like Huangfu Song has to bow to him.
But if Yuan Shao and He Yong are right, and Liu Hong is trying to use this chance to form a private army, it’s clear he intends to chip away at He Jin’s power.
With the deaths of Liang Ji and Dou Wu behind him, and Liu Hong’s frequent expressions of discontent towards Liu Bian over these past two years, He Jin, someone who got to his position through family connections rather than his true capabilities, can’t help but think the worst.
He glanced again in He Yong’s direction and saw him nodding, signaling that Yuan Shao’s reasoning was in line with their joint assumptions, making him feel even more uneasy.
At that moment, Yuan Shao said, “Grand General, why show such worry as if facing a formidable enemy?”
He Jin straightened his face, saying, “Benchu, just say what you mean.”
Yuan Shao replied, “If we were ignorant before, then the emperor was in the dark while we were in the light. But now we’re the ones in the dark, and the emperor knows everything. So we have two paths: one, we do nothing and just wait for the Eight Schools of the Western Garden to pick their candidates and then try to cozy up to them afterwards.”
“That method won’t work,” He Jin shook his head, unwilling to take a passive stance.
“Then the second option,” Yuan Shao noted without being surprised He Jin didn’t choose the first, continuing, “is we should support those our side who are ambiguous to climb to higher positions. If the emperor thinks they aren’t aligned with us, what’s stopping him from keeping them around?”
“And who exactly do you have in mind?”
“Someone like Han Fu, the Martial Hero.” Yuan Shao had no hesitation in his answer.
This was agreed upon after consultations with Yuan Wei.
This fellow got into the bureaucracy thanks to the Yuan clan’s goodwill, but his rise to the position of Deputy Attendant mostly had to do with his own merit.
What’s special is he tends to lean towards martial positions and has recruited a promising talent named Qu Yi from Liangzhou, who has been by his side.
Whether it’s for the General of the Northern Defenses position or becoming one of the Eight Schools of the Western Garden, it’s clearly a lucrative deal for the Yuan clan.
He Jin mulled it over and nodded, “If that’s the case, it’s certainly a way to respond.”
But in his view, just suggesting someone from the Yuan clan isn’t enough. That little yellow gatekeeper Jian Shuo better not cause any issues during these military drills, or that leaves—
Seven positions open.
He needs to slip a few of his own in there.
Sensing Yuan Shao still had something on his mind, He Jin waved his hand, signaling the meeting was over for today.
Yuan Shao noticed He Jin’s stubbornness to close the discussion after understanding the situation and exchanged glances with He Yong, both sensing an ominous premonition.
But thinking about the process for recruiting, approving, and making it to the capital, they figured there would still be time to dissuade them.
And luckily, another candidate for the Eight Schools of the Western Garden selection happened to arrive in Luoyang.
Indeed, it was Cao Cao, who was mentioned in discussions between Qiao Yan and Liu Hong.
By all counts, his reputation in Jinan was quite mixed.
To the common folk, he was a fantastic official, especially in dealing with major plagues and the locust plague, where he took effective and practical measures.
But to the officials of Jinan, he was practically a living nightmare.
Just his order to dismiss eighty percent of the officials in charge during an inspection was shockingly efficient, leading to corrupt officials packing their bags and fleeing.
However, he grew tired of the pointless transactions with the powerful and, even holding a title of Assistant Minister, went back home for a break, yet hearing about the General of the Northern Defenses selection seemed to pique his interest, hence he rushed to the capital.
But the first person to see him wasn’t Yuan Shao; it was Qiao Yan.
She was on her way to visit Lady Ma after completing an assignment for the Minister of Education when she encountered Cao Cao stepping ashore from the floating bridge.
It was quite the coincidence.
Although he was still unassigned and couldn’t wear official robes, his commanding stride marked him out from the crowd in Luoyang.
What made this encounter even more special was the presence of a striking young man beside him.
Remembering Cao Cao had mentioned that she and Cao Ang were about the same age, the young man’s identity became clear.
Sure enough, after expressing his surprise at bumping into her, Cao Cao grabbed the young man and said, “This is my eldest son Ang. I brought him along to Luoyang!”
Cao Cao had exchanged many letters with Qiao Yan, and even after three years apart, their interaction felt as natural as ever.
He even brought up an issue Qiao Yan hadn’t previously considered.
“By the way… now that you’re the Marquis of Leping, representing the Qiao family, it makes sense we’ve been corresponding, but it would be inappropriate to refer to each other as uncle and niece in public; it wouldn’t suit your status.”
Cao Cao casually patted Cao Ang on the back, saying, “So let’s treat each other as peers, and let my Ang call you elder!”
