Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 3: Galloping Through Bingzhou, Troops Depart Hedong, Chapter 97: The Governor’s Decision

“At this moment, I don’t know whether to envy them for having such cultural activities to relax their spirits or to sympathize with them for having to endure such pressure.”

Qiao Yan watched as the soldiers, still with a look of unfinished business, turned their gaze towards the screen, speaking to Guo Jia.

Guo Jia truly lived up to his reputation as a genius, coming up with such a clever and unconventional solution.

But this was undoubtedly the best solution at the time.

These soldiers needed spiritual comfort, so incorporating entertainment into their options was perfectly reasonable.

At the same time, they couldn’t completely relax during this comfort. The entire team still needed to maintain sufficient morale.

How to ensure this morale is maintained?

Previously, it could rely on internal healthy competition, but now it was time to try rewards.

However, unlike material rewards, this rehearsal of shadow puppet shows leaned more towards the folk concept of “leaving a name in history.”

For the lower-ranking soldiers, this was incredibly attractive.

Guo Jia replied, “My lord enjoys speculating on people’s hearts and actions, and I am merely showing off in front of an expert. If I can provide assistance to Lord Qiao, that would be the best outcome.”

Seeing the soldiers returning to their tents, even their backs exuding a high-spirited state, he guessed that his actions were not wrong, and a smile couldn’t help but appear on his lips.

This joy from seeing his strategy work did not diminish in the slightest when Qiao Yan spoke her next words.

She said, “Next, you are not suitable to stay in the camp.”

Guo Jia nodded in agreement, “Indeed.”

In fact, during the previous second battle against Dong Min and Xu Rong, it wasn’t just the centurion of the Tunqi Battalion who was asked his name by Liu Hong, but also Dian Wei, who could wrestle with horses, and Guo Jia, who commanded on behalf of Qiao Yan.

But Qiao Yan told Liu Hong that Dian Wei had been with her for over three years and only wanted to be her top bodyguard. Liu Hong thought it over and felt there was no need to take away someone else’s beloved general.

As for Guo Jia, according to Qiao Yan, she had selected a soldier from the ranks to memorize the command tricks, hence the effect.

Moreover, in the subsequent battles against Han Fu and Ji Ling, Guo Jia played almost no role, making Liu Hong believe this explanation.

But regardless, to prevent Liu Hong from suddenly remembering him and to avoid further connections between Guo Jia’s contact with He Yong and Qiao Yan, it was better for him to reduce his presence or simply leave Luoyang for now.

“Of course, before you leave…”

“Lord Qiao, rest assured,” Guo Jia replied, “I will definitely accomplish what you entrusted me to do before I leave Luoyang.”

Qiao Yan naturally had no worries about Guo Jia.

This was just a matter of message delivery.

Whether the message could be delivered at the necessary time wasn’t solely dependent on Guo Jia’s mediation.

And now she also had something else to ensure could be achieved.

Under these prerequisites, the behind-the-scenes efforts could have their intended effect.

That is—first defeat Cao Cao, then defeat Jian Shuo!

The latter’s difficulty wasn’t significant, but the former…

Cao Cao’s talent in politics, military, and literature was undeniably high. Even though it was still the early stages of his military career, where recruiting troops in his hometown could lead to mutinies, and even though his capable generals were either poached by Qiao Yan or not yet gathered around him, Qiao Yan dared not underestimate him.

But no matter how much wisdom and strategy one has, if the strength gap between the two sides is obvious, it might not be of much use.

When Qiao Yan met Cao Cao before the battle, she saw the expression on his face as he looked at her soldiers and knew he was surprised that her troops could maintain such high morale.

Cao Cao felt it wasn’t his illusion; the soldiers’ eyes looking at him were like hungry wolves seeing a piece of fat meat.

Unaware of the power of cliffhangers, Cao Cao, adhering to the idea of not showing weakness before battle, said to Qiao Yan, “Do you really not need an extra day of rest? Remember, I had a bye in the last round, so don’t say I’m taking advantage of you this time.”

Qiao Yan calmly replied, “Has Mengde forgotten a famous saying? The first drum raises morale, the second weakens it, and the third exhausts it. My soldiers have won consecutive battles and maintained their momentum from the last battle until now. How could they lose this one? Instead, Mengde should be careful. In battle, arrows show no mercy, so don’t blame me for offending you.”

Cao Cao shook his head and laughed.

Though young, Qiao Yan clearly had no intention of falling behind in this exchange of verbal threats to show her mettle.

As he was about to return to his side, she even added, “I see Cao Zilian’s horse is much better than yours. Why not have him give you the fast horse to dodge arrows and weapons?”

Cao Cao waved his hand, “No need. A white horse is too conspicuous, making it easier for you to find a target.”

Cao Hong’s horse was indeed worth a thousand miles, with outstanding speed, but such a good horse should be ridden by a general, not him.

But for some reason, as both sides lined up, watching Qiao Yan riding her red sandalwood horse, looking so heroic, Cao Cao stroked his chin and felt he was somewhat losing.

It seemed he really should get himself a new mount.

At this moment, he became even more certain that the extraordinary morale on Qiao Yan’s side was not his illusion.

This made him suspect that the other side might not choose a relatively steady approach.

This suspicion was confirmed when he saw the other side split into two teams and charge straight at the flanks at the start of the battle!

This was a strong attack!

Qiao Yan rode out, heading straight for the right flank, while Dian Wei, though unparalleled in foot combat, could also ride a horse, now circling to take the left flank.

She knew well that in the face of her side’s absolute unwillingness to lose this battle, using any steady method to give Cao Cao a chance to adjust his formation would only add uncertainty.

Better to take it by force!

Who wouldn’t want to win against Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms era? But how many could truly say they had a sure win against Cao Cao?

Qiao Yan only heard the wind whistling in her ears, unsure if it was the winter’s cold wind or the strong wind from the horse’s speed.

But perhaps her sharp eyebrows were more aggressive than the cold wind.

She looked up at Cao Cao’s defensive formation ahead, revealing a determined expression.

Cao Hong, accompanying Cao Cao here, was at least a second-rate martial artist, but when Qiao Yan herself could be considered a warrior, even if she might not match Cao Hong, she certainly wouldn’t be easily captured by him.

And with her and Dian Wei charging from left and right, Cao Cao had to make a choice—

Which flank should Cao Hong defend!

If he defended against Dian Wei, she would not hesitate to follow through with her pre-battle words to Cao Cao, shooting arrows straight at his face.

If he defended against Qiao Yan, with Dian Wei’s combat state as a human weapon, how could the Northern Army soldiers stop him from dismounting and breaking through the formation!

Moreover, in these two advancing teams, everyone hoped to establish a more special merit than others, becoming one with independent lyrics in the shadow puppet show.

When this emotion gathered, it became a momentum that could make one tremble with fear.

They indeed followed Qiao Yan’s orders, but shooting arrows more accurately, blocking enemy attacks more steadily, could they gain higher honors in this special “merit-based reward”?

Perhaps!

The advancing Tunqi Battalion, shields in hand, blocked the first wave of stray arrows, followed by the leaders of the two flanking attack teams.

Through the gaps in the shields, Qiao Yan clearly saw Cao Hong, under Cao Cao’s arrangement, coming towards her side, while his troops followed him, retreating to avoid Dian Wei’s sharp edge.

But as he did this, the Huqi Battalion, acting with Dian Wei, turned their horses without hesitation and charged straight at Cao Cao, as if they didn’t need to care about Dian Wei’s safety at all.

That was the signal Qiao Yan sent from the opposite side.

Almost simultaneously with the signal, she swung her long staff, blocking Cao Hong’s attack.

“I said, Cao Zilian, aren’t you considering lending your white crane to Mengde? I think he can’t outrun the Huqi.”

Qiao Yan’s disdain for the Hu people’s habits was one thing, but her understanding of the capabilities of these assimilated Xiongnu was another.

With the Yueqi Battalion and Tunqi Battalion having already won solo performances, they would not slack off in sending Cao Cao off the field!

Cao Hong couldn’t help but reply, “Is this the question you should be asking at this time?”

Qiao Yan thought it was.

After all, this wasn’t a one-on-one fight.

When Qiao Yan won this battle, Cao Hong touched the wound on his face and couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.

“Say her martial arts are strong, but not really. I just didn’t expect that when I broke her weapon with one strike, she thanked me for my cooperation,” Cao Hong complained to Cao Cao. “Who would have thought? When she faced Dong Shuying before, I could tell she wasn’t using a normal spear, but it turned out to be dual weapons.”

Cao Hong, who just thought he could defeat Qiao Yan, was then hit by Qiao Yan with the broken staff in a sneak attack.

And then he was knocked off his horse by the cavalry cooperating with her.

Almost simultaneously, Cao Cao was disrupted by the Huqi Battalion’s surprise attack, leaving him no choice but to withdraw from the field.

Cao Cao didn’t feel frustrated about being surrounded. He patted Cao Hong’s shoulder and laughed, “Now you know, and it’s not too late. Besides, you did put some pressure on her.”

Cao Cao looked towards Qiao Yan and saw her rubbing her palms and wrists, clearly suffering from the recoil when the staff broke.

Cao Hong was complaining to Cao Cao, and Qiao Yan was talking to the system, “Good thing I boosted my constitution. Looks like I need to boost it some more.”

The system struggled with whether to reply [You’re a strategist] or [How did you defeat Cao Cao], but in the end, it only managed to say—

[It’s okay, it’s almost over.]

What’s this? This is the self-cultivation of a qualified alarm clock.

At this moment, it just needs to cheer for the host.

As the system said, according to Qiao Yan’s own thoughts, after defeating Cao Cao, the so-called selection of the Du Liao General could be considered officially over.

After all, her side still had over 460 people, still in high spirits.

No matter how strong and strategic Jian Shuo was compared to other eunuchs in the inner court, he only made it to the top two due to previous byes and didn’t really have a chance to compete with Qiao Yan.

When the two sides finally faced off two days later, even though they were both from the Northern Army Five Divisions, they seemed distinctly different.

This time, Qiao Yan didn’t even need to personally take action; just having Dian Wei lead the team steadily forward was enough.

After all, Liu Hong probably didn’t want to see the leader of his Western Garden Eight Schools looking too狼狈 from being chased around.

So, rather than a final, this was more of a performance match.

Qiao Yan had no objections.

She had already shown enough of her commanding skills.

Now, relaxing a bit was fine.

She even spared some attention to look towards the high platform, seeing the emperor deep in thought under the canopy.

Presumably, Liu Hong had already made up his mind after this long selection process.

Today was the day to announce it!

Let her see if what she had been waiting for since entering the capital in October was the result!

Liu Hong didn’t notice that the leader of one side was distracted at this moment.

He was still making final deliberations on his decision.

This wasn’t an easy decision, even though after the previous two rounds of selection, only nine people remained, it still required careful consideration.

Liu Hong was very cautious about the allocation of the Du Liao General and the Western Garden Eight Schools’ commandants.

Where would the Western Garden Eight Schools’ commandants get their troops?

The already established Northern Army Five Divisions couldn’t allocate troops, so these newly appointed commandants would have to recruit troops locally themselves.





He had to weigh the situation of these people being able to recruit manpower as an auxiliary consideration.

It was precisely for the above reasons that he was increasingly unwilling to let the noble families and relatives extend their hands to this team.

Similarly, although Cao Cao had the qualifications to become the General of Crossing the Liao River, he preferred to place him in the position of a Colonel.

The Cao family was wealthy, and this generation had many wandering knights and talented warriors. For example, Cao Hong and Cao Zilian, who were recruited by Cao Cao this time, were extremely brave and martial. It was heard that there was also a young man named Cao Zixiao in their clan, who was not yet twenty years old and had gathered a group of similarly aged youths to wander between the Huai and Si rivers.

For Liu Hong, these were all talents he intended to recruit into the Western Garden Army. It would be even better if he could grab them all at once.

However, if he were to send them to the distant region of Bingzhou, where the emperor’s reach was far, it would be hard to guarantee that they wouldn’t develop into a local noble family, which would go against his original intention.

So who should he place in the position of General of Crossing the Liao River?

This person couldn’t be a reckless brute like Ji Ling or Bao Hong, nor could it be a civil official like Feng Fang or Xia Mou.

After excluding Jian Shuo, there was only one person left—

Han Fu.

Could Han Fu shoulder this responsibility?

After pondering for a long time, Liu Hong felt it was worth a try.

Han Fu’s stance and principles seemed to be solid.

He appeared to be a bit too gentle and mild, which might make him seem weak in other general positions, but as the General of Crossing the Liao River, he could still manage.

If he truly couldn’t fulfill the duty of attacking the Xiongnu in the north, after all, there was the Marquis of Leping to assist him.

Moreover, Han Fu’s personal charm wasn’t bad. At the very least, he could still command fierce generals like Qu Yi, which could also serve as a check on Qiao Yan.

After calculating all this, he really seemed quite suitable.

After excluding Han Fu, there were still seven people left. Liu Hong carefully selected one more person from the list outside the top nine, forming a team of eight.

And these eight people—

These eight people were the ones he could entrust with his life and even… even the future of the imperial heir!

After finalizing the list, he looked at it for a long time and added a few more strokes before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Although the final “exhibition match” had ended with Qiao Yan’s victory, and Liu Hong walked out from under the twelve-layered, five-colored canopy to the front of the platform with a calm expression, in reality, the turmoil in his heart was no less intense.

Fortunately, it was time for things to settle.

Thinking of the results of this series of actions, his eyes couldn’t help but show a bit of excitement as he scanned the thirty-five people who had re-formed their ranks in front of the platform…

Wait!

Shouldn’t there be thirty-six people?

“Have someone check if anyone is missing below the platform,” Liu Hong ordered Zhang Rang.

Zhang Rang hurriedly went to see who was missing.

Looking from the platform to the ground, it was hard to see clearly, so he ran down the high platform to confirm up close.

After confirming the situation, he ran back to the high platform and reported to Liu Hong, “Your Majesty, Dong Min is not here.”

Dong Min?

Liu Hong thought about it and decided that since this person had nothing to do with what he was about to announce, he didn’t plan to delay the announcement. He just waved his hand at Zhang Rang, signaling him to go find the person.

He couldn’t help but grumble in his heart that this Xiliang brute really didn’t take him seriously, daring to be absent at such a time.

Thinking that Dong Min had been recommended by He Jin, he felt even more resentment towards He Jin, but he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he stood up and walked to the front of the platform, slowly saying, “Although this gathering was originally to select the General of Crossing the Liao River, during the nearly month-long drills and competitions, I have seen that our Great Han is full of talents. I believe that just one General of Crossing the Liao River is not enough to reward all of your talents.”

“I intend to establish the Western Garden Eight Colonels, directly under the Son of Heaven, with the top-ranked individuals being selected. Given the current turmoil in all directions, the Eight Colonels can execute the Son of Heaven’s will and quell rebellions in all directions. This is the best use of talented individuals.”

He Jin, Yuan Shao, and others who had already received the news were not surprised to hear this announcement at this time.

But for Cao Cao, this was truly a pleasant surprise.

He had initially thought that he had lost to Qiao Yan and might return empty-handed, but then Liu Hong suddenly dropped this bombshell.

The idea of the Western Garden Eight Colonels had been around for some years, and now there was finally a proper selection process, as well as an opportunity for them to campaign in all directions.

This was undoubtedly much better than the position of Court Counselor that Cao Cao had previously refused.

And the next moment, he heard Liu Hong say, “Jian Shuo, Cao Cao, Ji Ling, Bao Hong, Zhao Rong, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, Zhao Jin, step forward.”

His name was called!

“I intend to appoint Jian Shuo as the Colonel of the Upper Army, Cao Cao as the Colonel of the Middle Army, Ji Ling as the Colonel of the Lower Army, Bao Hong as the Colonel of the Standard Army, Xia Mou as the Colonel of the Left Army, Zhao Rong as the Colonel of the Right Army, Feng Fang as the Assistant Colonel of the Left Army, and Zhao Jin as the Assistant Colonel of the Right Army. These are the—Western Garden Eight Colonels.”

Except for Jian Shuo being appointed as the Colonel of the Upper Army, which was the head of the Western Garden Eight Colonels and seemed somewhat absurd, the rest of the appointments were quite satisfactory to those who were named.

The position of Colonel of the Middle Army was second only to the Upper Army, and in fact, this was originally Yuan Shao’s position. Cao Cao had no objections to this.

Among the eight, Feng Fang and Zhao Jin, who had been eliminated in the second round, had the least seniority, so being appointed as Assistant Colonels was indeed appropriate.

But this meant that among those who had successfully entered the top nine, apart from the Marquis of Leping, there was still Han Fu left?

At this point, most people could guess the situation. Han Fu, seeing the congratulatory looks from those around him, couldn’t help but straighten his back.

Sure enough, Liu Hong continued, “Appoint Han Fu as the General of Crossing the Liao River, overseeing military affairs against the Xianbei and Xiongnu. Do not disappoint me.”

Han Fu was stunned by this unexpected windfall.

Although he had received hints from the Yuan clan that even if he lost in this selection, there would be additional benefits, after losing to Qiao Yan, he felt that his chances were slim.

He never expected that the position of General of Crossing the Liao River would not be given to Jian Shuo or Cao Cao, but to him.

He quickly bowed and thanked, saying, “I will never fail to live up to Your Majesty’s expectations.”

Seeing his reaction, Liu Hong couldn’t help but feel somewhat satisfied.

Looking at the Western Garden Eight Colonels who could now serve as his support, he felt even more satisfied.

But as he walked back, he saw a eunuch whispering something in Zhang Rang’s ear, causing Zhang Rang’s expression to change drastically.

This didn’t seem like a good sign congratulating him on achieving his long-cherished wish.

Especially since he vaguely heard the name “Dong Min” mentioned.

Zhang Rang quickly leaned over to his ear and reported the situation truthfully.

“Is this true?” Liu Hong’s fingers instinctively clenched, and a flash of coldness passed over his face.

“I have already sent someone to investigate.”

Hearing Zhang Rang’s reply, Liu Hong calmed down a bit.

No, it probably wasn’t that easy to calm down!

Because His Majesty had not yet given the order, the people below who had just received their appointments had not left and were still maintaining their formation.

Banners fluttered, fierce warriors filled the view, and talented generals stood at the front.

Before he heard the drunken words that had been conveyed, he had felt a sense of control and grandeur.

But now, he felt an inexplicable anger at being fooled!

What did it mean that Zhao Rong, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, Ji Ling, and Han Fu had only achieved their positions because they had the backing of noble families?

Dong Min’s drunken tardiness had already greatly displeased Liu Hong, and now the words that came out of his mouth were such earth-shattering news.

Even though his drunken words had not yet been confirmed as true, think about it—drunken words often reveal the truth!

If Dong Min hadn’t truly felt like a “sacrificial lamb,” how could he have forgotten such an important matter as an audience with the emperor in his drunken stupor?

The more Liu Hong thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was very real!

Think about what he had done!

When he discovered that He Jin had interfered with the selection process, he had rigged the drawing order and instructed Qiao Yan, the sharp knife, to eliminate He Jin’s followers one by one. But it seemed like he had only driven away one tiger and invited a pack of wolves.

If it hadn’t been for Dong Min’s unexpected situation, he might have been kept in the dark until he had already entrusted these people with his most important matters!

“Investigate!” he squeezed out the words through his teeth. “We must investigate thoroughly. Find out everything these people have done since entering Luoyang.”

The emperor’s words are not to be taken lightly.

He had already issued the appointment edicts, and at least for the time being, he couldn’t retract them. Otherwise, in front of the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Northern Army Five Divisions, he, the Son of Heaven, would lose his majesty.

So even if the truth was really as Dong Min’s drunken words had suggested, he could only swallow his anger and bear this humiliation.

Especially Han Fu, the General of Crossing the Liao River, could not be easily replaced.

After all, he had used the selection of the General of Crossing the Liao River as the pretext for this gathering!

The people below the platform had no idea what the emperor on the high platform was thinking.

From the gathering of people in mid-November to now, it was already mid-December, and this was not a suitable time for people to stand outside for long.

But for Liu Hong, the suffocating feeling of being fooled had made him disregard all that.

He wouldn’t care that these soldiers, who were supposed to guard the capital, had not only played a game of selecting loyalists with him but now also had to wait here for a result.

Because of the emperor’s silence, the entire area was filled with an extremely oppressive atmosphere. But because of this silence, no one knew what had caused this strange change.

He Jin looked towards Liu Hong and saw only his tense, murderous expression.

He couldn’t help but frown.

In this state, it was clearly not suitable for him to provoke Liu Hong’s anger.

If he thought so, others probably did too.

Thus, this unbearable silence continued until dusk, when a eunuch brought a few pieces of silk to Liu Hong, and only then did some movement come from the high platform.

Liu Hong reached out and took them, unfolding them to read the words before him. A flash of ferocity appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden as he closed his eyes in thought.

He pondered for a long time, finally suppressing the anger that might have burst out the moment he spoke, and then stood up and walked back to the front of the platform.

The setting sun of dusk cast a dim light over the platform and the ground below.

Liu Hong’s shadow was stretched long by the setting sun.

He could feel the tangible gazes of those below falling on him, but he could also feel the intangible gazes that had been watching his every move lingering around him.

Suppressing the nausea rising in his stomach from being manipulated, he finally spoke, “I have a few more appointment decisions to announce, and I would like you all to witness them together.”

If the people below had the chance to speak, they would surely ask why he had delayed until now to announce any decisions.

There was no need to make them stand here like this.

Even Liu Hong himself was sitting on his knees, while they, the unlucky ones, were standing.

But in this era where imperial authority was supreme, they clearly couldn’t voice such objections and could only listen as Liu Hong continued.

This emperor, whose thoughts had already taken several turns in a single moment, continued, “Appoint Dong Zhong, the nephew of Empress Dowager Dong, as—General of Agile Cavalry.”

He Jin jumped in shock.

What did this order mean?

After Empress He poisoned the mother of Prince Xie, Lady Wang, although Liu Hong had gone easy on Empress He at the eunuchs’ plea and did not punish her, he had sent Prince Xie to be raised by Empress Dowager Dong, making Prince Xie rely on the Dong family as his maternal relatives. Thus, Prince Xie was also known as Marquis Dong.

The position of General of Agile Cavalry was indeed not as prestigious as Grand General, but it was still a position of real power, and it was a subtle challenge to He Jin.

This method of promoting relatives inevitably made He Jin feel that the rumors of Liu Hong intending to make Prince Xie his heir were becoming more credible.

After all, the name “Xie” was given because Prince Xie resembled him!

Before He Jin’s shock and doubt could subside, he heard Liu Hong say, “Marquis of Leping.”

Qiao Yan stepped forward in response.

Liu Hong looked at her.

He knew that the words he was about to say would inevitably cause quite a stir, but whether it was a desperate move or a forced decision, this was the best choice he could make at the moment.

At the very least, Qiao Yan had the record of defeating all the heroes here, as well as her previous achievements in Bingzhou and during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It wasn’t impossible to make an extremely unconventional appointment.

After all, at this point, he had few people he could trust, and he could only entrust this position to someone who was most likely to remain isolated and loyal only to him, as a precaution.

Marquis of Leping…

He hoped he wasn’t making a wrong decision.

“Appoint Marquis of Leping Qiao Yan as—”

“Governor of Bingzhou!”