Chapter 014
These people think so, and most others will be no exception.
The famine at the end of the Han Dynasty forced people to revolt. Having food in hand was more tempting than holding mountains of gold and silver.
It is not a strange idea that whoever has food should be the boss.
Although Liang Zhongning followed Qiao Yan's instructions, he actually drank a lot of wine in order to justify the story of killing in a fit of rage. But he could tell that after he had done all these things, his fear had suddenly subsided. Was it because the alcohol gave him courage, or was it because -
If he were to change positions, he would also choose to ignore Bu Ji, the dead leader, and consider his own vested interests first!
After watching these people leave, he turned around and saw Qiao Yan walking slowly out of the street behind.
There was still some blood on her collar from the previous banquet. Because the command was rushed and there was no time to change the clothes, the blood was reflected by the lantern in her hand that was swaying in the night wind, turning it into a reddish brown.
Liang Zhongning was just about to step forward and say "Thank you for your hard work, sir" and ask her to go back and rest and change clothes as soon as possible, but he suddenly heard her say:
"It's time to congratulate Marshal Qu. From the look of his face, I can tell that the danger of death has been resolved. It's time for me to retire after my success."
Liang Zhongning was immediately shocked.
He asked hurriedly: "Why so urgent?"
What does it mean to retire after achieving success? She can't retreat!
But Qiao Yan naturally couldn't tell him the real reason.
The reason why she was so anxious was simply because she had to retreat once again before Liang Zhongning had completely recovered from the shock of tonight and had no time to think about the loopholes in her behavior of taking preemptive action against Bu Ji and Zhang Bo.
This trick has been used more than once, but as long as it works, who cares how many times it is used.
This trick in particular was obviously very effective against Liang Zhongning.
With his ability, it could be said that it was a bit of a stretch for him to be the leader of a team of the size of the Yellow Turbans, let alone the three parties coming together to become a large group leader.
He was no longer afraid that the Yellow Turbans outside the city would rush in with the intention of avenging Bu Ji, but the thought of having to manage the rations, training and marching of so many people made him feel overwhelmed.
Seeing that Qiao Yan did not respond with the word "why", the remaining alcohol in him was almost gone.
"Sir, please stay here for a few more days." Liang Zhongning didn't care that he had his subordinates by his side. He showed too much reliance on Qiao Yan, which might dilute his power.
He was suddenly elevated to such a position, and all he could think about was—
If before he just needed Qiao Yan to help him deal with the other leaders, then now, what he needs is Qiao Yan's planning and scheming skills to help him maintain the stability of these 20,000 people.
But as Qiao Yan said, she stayed there just for that deal.
Tian's fort had been breached earlier, and his army had ample food supplies; Bu Ji and Zhang Bo both died tonight, and there was no longer any question of power struggles between the generals. Indeed, the previous signs of his disaster and death have disappeared.
What reason should he use to keep people?
Liang Zhongning felt that he had never been able to think so quickly before.
As soon as he walked from his original position to in front of Qiao Yan, he suddenly came up with this reason.
"Sir, you really shouldn't have left so early! You know, your decision is beyond my reach. If the three armies here get into chaos and I can't react in time, casualties will inevitably occur."
"Sir, you broke into the fort, distributed food to us, eliminated the two marshals, and united the three parties, all for the sake of sacrificing a few and saving the many. But now, sir, can you bear to see more people die here?"
Liang Zhongning's string of words of persuasion fully verified a truth -
Eloquence is something that can be forced out.
But his words really made Dian Wei, who was following behind Qiao Yan as a bodyguard, look stunned for a moment.
However, most of his face was hidden in the night, and no one noticed the changes in his expression at this moment.
The soldiers around him cast expectant glances at Qiao Yan, similar to Liang Zhongning's.
The military advisor, who shouldn't have become the pillar of the family at such an age, pursed his lips and looked directly into Liang Zhongning's eyes after hearing this, and could clearly see the anxiety in the other's eyes.
She was silent for a while before she spoke: "I am not a savior, and I don't have the ability to see clearly whether the Taiping Dao uprising is really a way of reform..."
This was simply a tactful refusal. Liang Zhongning was about to fall to the bottom of his heart, but suddenly he heard Qiao Yan say, "But what the commander said is not without reason. I will write a letter soon and ask someone to send it to Gaomi for me to ask Master Zheng about this matter."
She sighed slightly, "I will assist Qu Shuai until I get a reply."
Liang Zhongning felt relieved after receiving this reply.
During this time of war, it was not easy to travel between Yanzhou and Qingzhou.
Qiao Yan said that he needed to write a letter to ask Zheng Xuan's opinion. This was an easy matter. He would just find a way to make the letter get lost on the road!
However, what he didn't expect was that Qiao Yan seemed determined to ask the teacher for advice and actually sent Dian Wei to deliver the letter.
This was obviously a courier with whom he could not possibly tamper.
Liang Zhongning was depressed to death. He could only watch as Qiao Yan wrote a letter and handed it to Dian Wei, asking him to take enough dry food, leave the city and head east, and even took away the mount that originally belonged to Bu Ji.
He complained in his heart that the guy might disappear without a trace with his mount and dry food, but he suddenly remembered that this guy had a friend who was imprisoned in Puyang Prison and was well fed and well provided for!
Given the prevailing chivalrous spirit of the Han Dynasty, he was bound to return.
Even though he later heard that the two Yellow Turbans stationed outside the city changed their tune after receiving the food rescued from the fire and respected him as the only Yellow Turban leader in Yanzhou, it did not make Liang Zhongning feel much better.
However...having more people under my command does seem to be a very fulfilling thing.
Everyone outside the city received a share of the food, and some put the corn in their clothes or in the cloth bags they already carried with them.
With the original leader having died, this method of division undoubtedly gave them a sense of security, and they accepted the decision to be disbanded and reorganized without resistance.
With so many more mouths to feed, Liang Zhongning's original subordinates should have felt potentially dissatisfied.
However, several things happened in Puyang City as Liang Zhongning unified the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou.
The first thing was that Tian, who was imprisoned and originally waiting to be used for ransom, changed his previous attitude of harshly rebuking Liang Zhongning. Instead, after hearing about his recent actions and "results", he regarded him as the future lord of Yanzhou.
Qiao Yan did not intervene in this matter.
Of course, to be more precise, this was a tacit deal reached between her and Tian Tao before, and at this moment, at the right time, the other party began to play its role.
There are some things that Qiao Yan, who has already elevated himself to the position of a wise and capable person, is not comfortable saying, but Tian Shi can say them!
With Liang Zhongning's previous class experience, he would not realize that the Tian family, as a local powerful family in Puyang, may not have much respect for their superiors, and it was actually extremely abnormal for them to be respectful to an outsider like him.
He only knew that the eldest son of the Tian family, who had pointed at his nose and scolded him before, had to follow his father's footsteps and even worship him as the next high-ranking official like the governor of Dongjun or the governor of Yanzhou.
This made him feel more high than drinking.
What made him even more proud was undoubtedly that the Tian family's display of loyalty was by no means just flattery towards him. The Tian family members headed by Tian Tao also used local connections to dig out a lot of available people and food reserves in this area.
These changes made it difficult for Liang Zhongning's followers not to feel that there seemed to be some hidden agenda in the process of their leader replacing the other two leaders, and perhaps his killing out of righteous indignation was also intended to take advantage of the other party's unpreparedness.
But as long as we can live a good life, who cares about these things!
As the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou were resting and did not have to confront the Han army head-on, the area around Puyang seemed more peaceful and stable.
It was already the spring ploughing season, and the work had already been delayed for quite some time because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It would be too late if it was delayed any further.
Qiao Yan immediately selected a group of people from the Yellow Turban Army and planted seeds on the land handed over by the Tian family. By the time everything was ready, it was already close to April.
Then the second good thing happened to Liang Zhongning.
Previously, when Dong'a County in Dongjun fought against the Yellow Turbans, Zhang Bo's subordinate, Wang Du, the Dong'a County Magistrate, was defeated by the local people and wealthy families and failed to take Dong'a.
Even more unfortunate was that he was killed due to conflicts within the army while leading his troops back to Puyang.
After completely controlling the three Yellow Turbans, Liang Zhongning originally planned to use Dong'a as a place to train his troops, so as to let other places in Yanzhou know that although he often stayed in Puyang, he had the ability to capture the entire Yanzhou.
However, before he could send out his troops, Dong'a had already raised its army to surrender.
The leader of the team, Xue Fang of the Xue family, claimed that he was related to the Tian family by marriage. Now that the Tian family had joined the Yellow Turbans and were following Liang Zhongning's orders, there was no need for them to resist stubbornly.
Liang Zhongning was overjoyed.
Wang Du was not originally his subordinate and had died long ago, so he had no psychological burden in accepting Xue Fang into the Yellow Turban Army.
What's more, Xue Fang did not come alone. He also brought able-bodied men from the Xue family as well as gold, silver, rice and grain. It can be said that he was full of sincerity.
With these two things, Liang Zhongning's position in Yanzhou was undoubtedly further consolidated.
On the seventh day of April, the first rain of this spring fell in Yanzhou.
Liang Zhongning stood under the eaves, listening to the soldiers outside cheering in surprise because of the rain. For a moment, he almost forgot that he actually had to send troops to support one of the fronts at any time after receiving the order from General Tiangong.
He just felt that the spring rain that came after the severe drought last year was really like a sign of hope.
However, just as he was about to walk towards the army, he suddenly saw a familiar figure in the rain, walking towards the courtyard where Qiao Yan lived.
The hazy rain lines blurred his figure a little, but it did not affect the heroic aura of a military commander he displayed as he walked.
Who else could this person be if not Dian Wei!
Calculating the time, if he had not been delayed on the road during his round trip on horseback, he would indeed be back by then!
Behind him was a man who was over eight feet tall and had a beautiful beard. It was a stranger Liang Zhongning had never seen before.
Even though I didn't know him, I could tell from his demeanor and bearing that he was a cultured man, and he could truly be considered outstanding.
Then I thought about what Dian Wei was going to do.
Liang Zhongning felt that as long as he was not a fool, he could guess the other party's identity.
I'm afraid this is one of Zheng Xuan's disciples who is here to take the military advisor away!
Liang Zhongning clenched his fists nervously, but he walked back and forth under the eaves for an incense stick and could not find a reason in his mind to convince Qiao Yan to stay under such circumstances.
During this more than half a month, Qiao Yan helped him solve problems and commanded his soldiers. No matter how forced it was, it could be said that he did his best. It also made Liang Zhongning feel that if the other party was older, he would be able to hold a high position and make great achievements with his talents and abilities.
If General Tiangong could act on behalf of Heaven and do things in accordance with Heaven's will, he would definitely introduce Mr. Yan to the general solemnly.
But if Qiao Yan returns to Beihai, won’t this personal relationship become distant?
It is true that he now has the help of people from the Tian and Xue families, but he can have the current situation thanks to the assistance from the master since the battle with the Tian family.
But what reason should he use this time?
He felt depressed and was not so happy to see this precious spring rain.
But how could he know that those who followed Dian Wei to Puyang were not disciples of Zheng Xuan from Gaomi, and even Dian Wei himself had never been to Gaomi.
The man brought by Dian Wei was named Cheng, with a single given name, Li, and courtesy name, Zhongde.
Compared to Cheng Li, he has another more familiar name——
His name is Cheng Yu.
According to the "Book of Wei", when Cheng Yu was a teenager, he dreamed of himself climbing Mount Tai and holding the sun. After Cao Cao recruited him to serve him, he mentioned this to Xun Yu.
After the battle between Lu Bu and Cao Cao for Yanzhou, Lu Bu relied on Cheng Yu's efforts to preserve the three counties of Yanzhou for Cao Cao, and got the opportunity to counterattack the entire territory. At this time, Cao Cao heard about this dream from Xun Yu, and according to the meaning of the dream, he changed Cheng Li's name to Cheng Yu.
So at this moment Cheng Yu should still call him Cheng Li.
Cheng Linian is over 40, but because of his tall stature and good physical fitness, he looks only in his early 30s.
Qiao Yan thought about it. After all, this was a strategist who lived to be nearly eighty years old in troubled times. Now he was even in the period of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. If he had aged prematurely, he probably would not have lived to see the establishment of Cao Wei. So it was not surprising.
But Qiao Yan did not find it strange. However, Cheng Li, who came with Dian Wei, was really shocked when he saw Qiao Yan's true face.
Previously, Qiao Yan sent Dian Wei out on the grounds that she needed Dian Wei to take her handwritten letter to Gaomi to consult Zheng Xuan's opinion.
But if you go east, you can go to Qingzhou, or you can go to Dong'a County, which is still in Yanzhou and located east of Puyang.
With Dian Wei's military strength, it was not impossible for him to enter the city unscathed.
When Cheng Li received the letter from Qiao Yan from Dian Wei, he realized that the other party was not an ordinary person.
Whether it was her statement in the letter that she was born in the Qiao family of Liang State, was the son of the late Ren Chengxiang, and was now in the bandit camp with the intention of using the enemy's force to drive out the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou, or her mentioning in just a few words that she had gained the trust of Liang Zhongning, killed the two Yellow Turban Xiaofangqu leaders Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, and temporarily gathered all the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou in Puyang, all of which made Cheng Li marvel.
The invitation that Qiao Yan included in the letter made Cheng Li fall into deep thought.
At the end of the letter, she asked: "Do you want to defend a city? Do you want to secure a state? I hope to discuss this in detail in Puyang."
Cheng Li was certain that this was definitely not a reason that would be used by someone who wanted to trick the Dong'a city gate into opening.
There is a sense of excitement and spirit that can be seen in the strokes of Qiao Yan's pen between the lines, even though they have never met formally.
But even so, Cheng Li still stayed there all night. It was not until the next day that he found Xue Fang and talked to him.
Xue Fang, the head of the powerful Xue family in Dong'a, is not a stupid man. At least he is not among the "fools" who were described by Cheng Li as "fools who cannot participate in major events" in the previous defense of Dong'a.
Xue Fang was one of those who agreed to accompany Cheng Li back to Dong'a from Quqiu Mountain and defend the city.
Now, hearing that Cheng Li intended to follow what Qiao Yan said in the letter and entrusted him to go ahead to boost Liang Zhongning's elated mood, Xue Fang was a little hesitant at first, but after hearing Cheng Li's analysis of the pros and cons, he immediately made a decision and set off.
This is why Liang Zhongning received this help.
As for Cheng Li himself, he waited until the time estimated by the travel time to and from Gaomi, and then came here with Dian Wei.
Along the way from Dong'a to Puyang, the traces left by the Yellow Turban Army's passage are still shocking at first glance.
But outside Puyang City, apart from the overall atmosphere being a bit barbaric and lacking some of the order before the turmoil, farmers could still be seen in the farmlands on the outskirts of the city. It was hard not to shock Cheng Li.
When he actually met Qiao Yan in person, and saw that he was surprisingly young, Cheng Liben felt that since he was over 40, he would not lose his composure when faced with things, so he couldn't help but ask, "Are you the one who wrote that letter?"
But as soon as he said this, he realized that he had asked a very stupid question.
If Qiao Yan had not been the mastermind behind the plot, the Yellow Turban soldiers he met on the way here would not have looked at him with such envy, and Dian Wei, who was extremely powerful, would not have revealed a hint of admiration and submission when he saw her.
He would not even notice that the other person, who could only look up because of his height, had an aura far superior to that of an ordinary adult.
Cheng Li continued, "I was wrong. You are not the one who wrote the letter. Who else could be the one who wrote it?"
He shouldn't look down on young people.
He smiled apologetically, "I guess I'm not late?"
"Mr. Zhongde is naturally not late." Qiao Yan nodded in response.
Cheng Li was neither late nor early.
He executed Qiao Yan's plan very appropriately and timed it perfectly.
This is the perfect time for Qiao Yan to cover up his lie and confuse Liang Zhongning.
Qiao Yan couldn't help but think to himself that it was indeed comfortable to work with smart people, especially someone like Cheng Li.
Actually, Cheng Li was the first strategist she had met since she came here, and he was the first strategist who would leave a significant mark in the history books of later generations.
At his current age, he is well-educated, but the only thing he lacks is practical experience.
It’s a pity that based on just this one glance, Qiao Yan couldn’t tell the depth of his character.
The only thing that is certain is that she may not be too far away from achieving her goal.
She withdrew her speculative gaze and continued, "In my letter, I sincerely invited Mr. Zhongde to come to Puyang for a chat. So why don't you guess what I should do next?"
This is equivalent to a test for those in the same industry.
Cheng Li naturally heard the testing meaning in her words.
Normally speaking, this kind of test should be asked by the elders to the younger ones, but when Qiao Yan asked this question, Cheng Li felt that it seemed to be a matter of course.
After all, the other party's previous actions were enough to make people treat her as a peer.
He looked around the room and saw a map on the table.
This is just a map that can be seen everywhere in the Han territory. There are no markings on it that can enable him to see the opponent's action tendencies.
But Cheng Yu was not afraid of this problem.
Before leaving Xue Fang, during the time when he and Dian Wei were still staying in Dong'a, Cheng Yu connected all of Qiao Yan's actions together, and combined with the goal of quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yanzhou, it was not difficult for him to deduce Qiao Yan's next move with his intelligence.
But even he had to admit that if he didn't know that there was actually a hidden story behind Qiao Yan's move to side with Liang Zhongning, the leader of the Yellow Turbans, he would probably not be able to guess what the other party was thinking.
The Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou were deceived by her chain of schemes to this extent, and their defeat was not unfair at all.
He took a big step forward, walked to the map, decisively stretched out his finger, pointed at a place on the map, and said without hesitation: "I see that you are interested in Changsha!"
Yingchuan, where the Yellow Turbans and the Han army fought - Changsha.
It was also the Yingchuan Yellow Turban leader Bo Cai who besieged the Han Dynasty's Left General Huangfu Song!
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