Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 3: Galloping Through Bingzhou, Troops Depart Hedong Chapter 91: Elders and Juniors

“…”

Qiao Yan exchanged a glance with Fu Shou on the wall, deeply feeling that the other’s courage to participate in the assassination of Cao Cao was evident from a young age.

But after Qiao Yan gave her permission, Fu Shou climbed down the ladder and entered through the main gate of the Qiao Residence. When she brought up the story of planting mustard greens, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a tinge of bitterness in it.

After all, Fu Shou was not born to Princess Yang’an. No matter how spirited she was, she couldn’t cause trouble at home. Seeing the uncle left in the neighboring courtyard looking utterly despondent, she thought it better to stir things up in front of him.

So Fu Shou pointed to the vegetable patch and asked, if one day Lord Qiao’s spirit were to return with the breeze and see this once thriving plot now so desolate, wouldn’t he feel stifled?

Why don’t we plant some vegetables!

She claimed to have used their land to grow a crop of mustard greens, but the harvested vegetables were stored in the Qiao Residence’s cellar.

Apart from keeping a small amount for immediate consumption, the rest were pickled into salted mustard greens.

Having never done this before, Fu Shou felt she couldn’t give up halfway and secretly went to ask her family’s servants for advice, then came back with a bunch of empty ceramic jars.

The old servant left by Qiao Xuan didn’t say much, but as he listened to Fu Shou chatter about her pickling process, he looked at her with a grandfatherly affection.

Qiao Yan noticed this and turned to have Dian Wei fetch some dishes from the market.

Hearing her order, Fu Shou quickly interjected, “When guests come from afar, there should be wine!”

As she didn’t see many people often, Qiao Yan had left a particularly deep impression on her over the past three years.

She tried to compare Qiao Yan’s current height with her memory, noticing she seemed much taller, and by extension, she must have grown a lot too.

So, how could there be no wine when hosting guests?

That’s how father does it!

“Now I am the host and you are the guest, so I decide,” Qiao Yan pressed her back down and had the old servant inform Fu Shou’s family.

Young Fu Shou, not yet beaten down by society, first experienced the truth that the arm cannot twist the thigh.

But she remembered the question she most wanted to ask Qiao Yan upon hearing the commotion. After confirming her plan to taste wine was foiled, she turned to ask Qiao Yan about Leping.

The letters Qiao Yan had sent her were still on her bookshelf, along with mountain goods and two wooden carvings that came with them.

These made her very interested in the Taihang Mountains.

But born and raised in the capital, she had never had the chance to travel outside, and could only imagine the Taihang Mountains based on her distant views of the northern hills.

Hearing Qiao Yan mention Leping’s 500,000 mu of farmland and over 100,000 mu of mountain fields, Fu Shou first counted on her fingers, then compared it to the area of her vegetable patch, frowning.

“Not knowing outside the capital, one cannot comprehend the vastness of the world.”

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

She sounded quite grown-up.

But her maturity was different from Cai Zhaoji’s, formed by early hardships with Cai Yong, as it still contained some childish innocence.

Before she could lament not seeing the harvest of over 600,000 mu of mountain and farmland, she mentioned asking her father for travelogues to learn about the world outside the capital.

She was as familiar as three years ago, but had grown more than just in height.

Qiao Yan listened as she recalled, “Last year I finished Ban Gu’s ‘Ode to the Northern Expedition’ and ‘Ode to Viewing the Sea,’ the year before that Ma Di’s ‘Records of the Fengshan Sacrifice,’ and oh, Zhang Heng’s ‘Eastern Tour Edict.'”

Her reading level was exceptionally rare even now.

Though Qiao Yan soon heard her say—

“Let’s not talk about the odes, I’m too young to understand all those ‘zhi’ and ‘xi,’ at most I just skim through to see the world.”

Fu Shou, unaware how her honesty made her adorable, seriously said, “But the ‘Records of the Fengshan Sacrifice’ was written by Ma Di following Emperor Guangwu’s Fengshan sacrifice at Mount Tai, and the ‘Eastern Tour Edict’ was created during the emperor’s hunt at Daiyue. Ah, how few can go to Mount Tai, most only see the hills near their hometown. Why isn’t there a book recording all the mountains and rivers of the world?”

“Take the Luo River outside Luoyang, it has seen countless stories from the Spring and Autumn period to now. If someone could compile them, it would be a truly interesting book.”

Fu Shou had clearly been pondering this for a while. Since Fu Wan found her questions too many and strange, she asked Qiao Yan directly.

Qiao Yan replied, “If recorded as you say, even those who never leave home could tour the landscapes. With illustrations, children in mansions could understand the vastness and richness of the land, right?”

Fu Shou’s eyes lit up, “Exactly! But father says my idea is naive, who has the time to travel and collect such records? Adults are too busy.”

Qiao Yan didn’t think her idea naive.

If she lived in the Tang dynasty, she could read Li Daoyuan’s ‘Commentary on the Water Classic’ from the Northern Wei and ‘Records of the Luoyang Monasteries’ from the Eastern Wei from her home.

If she lived in modern times, she could experience virtual tours and be bombarded with essays like ‘The Pavilion of the Drunken Old Man’ and ‘The Small Stone Pond.’

But indeed, such records were scarce now, as travel literature only began to rise in the Eastern Han and wasn’t mainstream yet.

Such travel records, in this environment, required political power to support.

Like the ‘Commentary on the Water Classic’—

Though it records hydrology, it also includes over 300 battles along these waterways. Its author, Li Daoyuan, once served as the governor of Dongjing Province, hence its pioneering military geography approach.

Of course, this book, still over 300 years away, wasn’t suitable for Qiao Yan’s example, but she knew not to discourage Fu Shou by agreeing with her father.

So she replied, “Perhaps in a few years, when the wars calm down, someone will walk the world and leave such records. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the one to do it? After all, someone is working hard to quell the chaos.”

Hearing Qiao Yan suggest she might be the one to record, Fu Shou wondered if she was being tricked, but seeing Qiao Yan’s confident expression, it seemed she truly believed so.

Thinking of the latter part, she curiously asked, “Someone is working hard to quell the chaos… do you mean you, sister?”

Previously, when borrowing books from her father’s study, Fu Shou heard him say Qiao Yan acted recklessly in Bingzhou and advised her to stay away to avoid trouble.

But her mother, Princess Yang’an, scolded that Qiao Yan was loyal to the Han dynasty, unlike Fu Wan who didn’t lead men to kill the Liangzhou bandits raiding the capital.

These contrasting opinions conveyed the same message to Fu Shou: Qiao Yan was capable in Bingzhou, dealing with bandits.

And what did Qiao Yan do in Luoyang? Under her nose, she planted vegetables.

Fu Shou had already half-idolized Qiao Yan and wanted to emulate her.

But at her age, she couldn’t understand why Qiao Yan chose farming to protect herself and express her resolve, nor why Qiao Yan smiled ambiguously and said, “Perhaps it’s the current Son of Heaven in the Southern Palace who’s working hard.”

As for what kind of effort would bring peace, that’s subjective.

In any case, in the tenth month of the fourth year of Zhongping, Liu Hong announced in court:

Due to the rebellions of the White Wave Bandits and Black Mountain Bandits in Bingzhou, and the Xiongnu’s disloyalty, he intended to re-establish the post of General Who Crosses the Liao.

Most qualified for this role were already occupied with quelling rebellions elsewhere, so the position would be filled through military exercises in the capital’s outskirts.

This news caused a stir.

Military exercises?

During Emperor Zhao of the Former Han, the first General Who Crosses the Liao, Fan Mingyou, was appointed…








The position of Middle General was promoted from, and as for Qiao Gongzu, he was recommended by the Three Excellencies to reach this position.

The authority of the Du Liao General is tasked with maintaining the northern border defense. Although it doesn’t seem like a lucrative position now, it is indeed a substantial official with a silver seal and blue ribbon, commanding a salary of two thousand dan.

According to Liu Hong, officials with a salary of six hundred dan or above, who are not in rebellion or war zones, whether in office or idle, can try for this position!

These people will prove through military training methods that they are indeed capable of leading an army, and thus be selected for the position of Du Liao General.

The Northern Army Five Divisions will serve as the soldiers cooperating in this selection process.

“This selection method is really too strange…”

Not to mention the discussions in today’s court, some are unclear why, after the Marquis of Leping entered the capital and requested the re-establishment of the Du Liao General, Liu Hong would propose such a selection process. Even in the Grand General He Jin’s mansion, many are puzzled.

But upon careful consideration, Liu Hong’s statement that those who can take this position mostly have other important duties is indeed not a baseless claim.

These people are either suppressing rebellions elsewhere in the Han Dynasty, have already been promoted to higher positions unsuitable for the Du Liao General, or are feared by Liu Hong and unlikely to hold military power in the short term.

These various reasons make what sounds like an absurd general selection actually a necessary move.

Moreover, apart from Liu Hong’s reason for Jian Shuo’s robust physique and military strategy to participate in the selection, he at least didn’t propose selecting the Du Liao General through martial arts tests but by having soldiers from the Northern Army Five Divisions under each candidate’s command, determining the winner through military exercises.

If one is to oversee northern military affairs, such combat skills are indeed necessary.

He Yong and Yuan Shao exchanged glances, and Yuan Shao stood up to reply, “I don’t find this move strange.”

He Jin, having been in a high position for years, has shed much of his butcher’s habits, but due to the noble families and renowned scholars surrounding him, he has developed an overt arrogance.

Seeing Yuan Shao stand up, he asked with a bit more seriousness, “What do you mean by that, Benchu?”

Yuan Shao replied with a bow, “Previously, Boqiu and I accidentally received a piece of news that the Son of Heaven intends to select the outstanding ones during the Du Liao General selection to be the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden. We were skeptical about this news, but now seeing His Majesty arrange for the minor eunuch to participate in this selection, the news seems somewhat true.”

He Jin’s smile froze.

Yuan Shao continued without waiting for He Jin to interject, “We all know Jian Shuo’s capabilities. These eunuchs close to the Son of Heaven can only hold positions in the inner court and have never been sent out before. It’s unlikely the Son of Heaven hopes he can surpass all and become a two-thousand-dan regional commander.”

“So, in the Grand General’s view, what is the purpose of this heavily relied-upon Jian Gong?”

He Jin, not foolish enough to miss the implications, asked gravely, “Is it to give him a new position based on his outstanding performance despite losing?”

He was asking, but considering Liu Hong’s attitude towards eunuchs, he realized this was not impossible.

If not for Yuan Shao’s reminder, his focus would have remained solely on the Du Liao General position.

But now, upon careful thought, he felt a surge of anger.

During the Han Dynasty, the Grand General commanded the world’s military forces, quite different from the Grand Commandant, who focused more on military policy decisions without actual military power!

Take He Jin, for example. Since he became Grand General in the seventh year of Guanghe, he has had the power to open a mansion and recruit soldiers, even surpassing renowned generals like Huangfu Song.

But if, as Yuan Shao and He Yong speculate, Liu Hong intends to establish a private army through this opportunity, it clearly aims to dilute his power.

With the deaths of Liang Ji and Dou Wu, and Liu Hong’s occasional dissatisfaction with Liu Bian over the past two years, He Jin, who rose to high position through imperial relatives rather than true capability, can’t help but think in a worse direction.

He glanced at He Yong, who nodded, indicating that Yuan Shao’s words were also their joint inference, making his heart sink further.

However, he then heard Yuan Shao say, “Grand General, why show such a defensive expression?”

He Jin couldn’t help but stiffen his face, “Benchu, speak directly.”

Yuan Shao replied, “If we were previously unaware of this matter, then His Majesty was in the dark while we were in the light, but now it’s the opposite. Therefore, there are two ways to deal with it. The first is to do nothing and wait to try to win over the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden after their selection.”

“This method is not feasible,” He Jin shook his head, unwilling to act so passively.

“Then there’s the second method,” Yuan Shao continued without surprise at He Jin’s rejection of the first, “We help our own people with unclear affiliations to rise to high positions. As long as His Majesty thinks they are not our people, what reason does he have to discard them?”

“Who are you referring to…?”

“For example, Han Fu, Han Wenjie,” Yuan Shao gave the answer without hesitation.

This was the answer given by Yuan Wei after discussion.

This man, who owed his career to the Yuan family’s favor, mostly reached the position of Imperial Secretary through his own capabilities.

Most notably, he prefers military positions and recruited a talented general named Qu Yi from Liangzhou early on.

Whether he aims for the Du Liao General position or becomes one of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, it’s a win-win for the Yuan family.

He Jin pondered and nodded, “If so, it’s indeed a way to cope.”

But in his view, just the Yuan family’s nominee isn’t enough. If the minor eunuch Jian Shuo encounters any issues during the military exercises, there are still—

Seven positions left.

He needs to place some of his own people in them.

Seeing Yuan Shao had more to say, he waved his hand to indicate the end of the discussion for today.

Yuan Shao, seeing He Jin’s unyielding attitude after learning the situation, exchanged another glance with He Yong, both sensing a bad premonition.

But considering the time needed for registrations, approvals, and arrivals in the capital, there should still be a chance to dissuade.

Fortunately, there’s another figure who can participate in the Western Garden Colonel selection arriving in Luoyang.

It’s Cao Cao, mentioned in the suggestions of Qiao Yan and Liu Hong.

Speaking of which, his reputation as the Chancellor of Jinan is quite polarized.

To the people, he’s an undeniably good official, especially in epidemic prevention and locust plague control, where he implemented effective measures.

But to the officials within Jinan State, he’s practically a living Yama.

His swift action of dismissing eighty percent of the county’s senior officials was shockingly decisive, even causing corrupt officials to flee.

But finding the power transactions among the nobility uninteresting, despite holding an appointment as a Court Counselor, he went home to idle. Now, hearing about the Bingzhou Du Liao General selection, he felt the position suited him and immediately headed to the capital.

However, the first to see him wasn’t Yuan Shao, but Qiao Yan.

She had just submitted her Shangshu studies assignment and was heading to the Lingtai to visit Lady Ma when she saw Cao Cao disembarking from a boat, coming from the opposite side of the Luoyang floating bridge.

It was quite a coincidence.

He’s still a commoner and can’t wear official attire, but his bold and chivalrous stride made him stand out in the Luoyang crowd.

The only special thing this time is the graceful young man accompanying him.

Recalling Cao Cao’s previous mention that she and Cao Ang are of similar age, the young man’s identity is clear.

Indeed, after Cao Cao expressed surprise at meeting her here, he immediately grabbed the young man beside him and said, “This is my eldest son, Ang. I brought him along to Luoyang this time.”

Cao Cao and Qiao Yan have exchanged many letters, and even after three years apart, their relationship hasn’t grown distant, continuing the conversation naturally.

He also brought up an issue Qiao Yan hadn’t realized before.

“Speaking of which, now that you, the Marquis of Leping, represent the Qiao family, it’s fine for us to correspond as such, but it’s inappropriate to address each other as uncle and niece in public. Doing so would be beneath your status.”

Cao Cao patted Cao Ang’s back and said frankly, “So let’s consider ourselves peers, and let my Ang address you as an elder!”