Chapter 217 Who Else But Me
Jia Xu was quite capable in understanding Qiao Yan's intentions.
After chatting with Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting about the topics they talked about with Qiao Yan before coming here, I could roughly guess his mission.
Rather than teaching them how to farm, it is more about teaching them how to analyze people's hearts, analyze intelligence, and take advantage of the situation.
"This is quite similar to farming." Li Ru looked at Jia Xu's expression of despair across the courtyard fence and couldn't help laughing. "Farming requires discipline. Sometimes the weather is not right, but you have to learn to find opportunities for yourself and conquer nature. Isn't that right?"
"In that case, there's nothing wrong with you saying this is a farming lesson."
Li Ru did not hear the intelligence issues mentioned in the conversation on the other side. He only heard that Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting made an appointment with Jia Xu to come and study with the teacher the next day before leaving, so he made such an analogy.
As he spoke, he picked up the kettle in his hand and started to take care of the fields in front of him.
Although he had changed the place where he farmed, Li Ru was very polite and went to get a batch of spinach seeds that had just been introduced to Bingzhou, probably because he had become accustomed to it over the past two years.
Soon after we moved, new sprouts began to appear in the ground.
Jia Xu looked at him and asked, "Mr. Wenyou, where is your principle of man conquering nature?"
The more Jia Xu looked at it, the more he felt that Li Ru seemed to be becoming more and more aware of himself as a prisoner.
If he really believed in the idea of man conquering nature, he should have found a way to escape back to Chang'an long ago.
If Dong Zhuo had such a counselor by his side, he would never have been deceived by Jia Xu.
Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, Li Ru can give up his original position under Dong Zhuo and find a way out from Qiao Yan.
However, what Jia Xu heard was Li Ru's frank reply: "I am not a farmer. I am a vegetable planted in the field. If vegetables want to grow well, they must learn to adapt to the environment. This is another way of survival."
Jia Xu really wanted to roll his eyes at Li Ru.
Li Ru obviously didn't really want to follow the local customs, but was still waiting and watching.
It remains to be seen where, with the demise of Dong Zhuo, he can still be of some use and gain a foothold in another place.
This state of not taking any action for the time being is definitely not the same as Jia Xu's "not taking any action" after he has already made contributions.
But in Jia Xu's opinion, many times it is not possible to get such an opportunity just because you want it.
To put it another way, Li Ru's wait-and-see attitude is also a negative attitude.
I'm afraid I still have to force him.
Unfortunately, today doesn't look like a good opportunity.
Before walking back to the house, Jia Xu just teased Li Ru, "I never thought that in just two years you have gone from a human to a dish. I don't know whether you will be served on the table or buried in the ground one day."
However, when he was about to close the door, he heard Li Ru say slowly: "Wenhe, aren't you a typical example of someone who has been provoked? Why do you use provocation to deal with others?"
Jia Xu: “…”
He thought carefully about Qiao Yan's words "may you not dare to do it?" and his promise of getting away with it after doing this job before he left Liangzhou for Chang'an. It seemed like a way of provoking him.
But the mission has been completed, there is no point in worrying about it now.
Instead of worrying about Qiao Yan’s trap-digging operation, it would be better to bury another person in the pit!
It was in this situation that Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting started their Thick Black Studies course.
While the course was unfolding, there was actually a group of real-life cases in front of them that demonstrated what a battle of wits and strategy was.
This is much more exciting than the courses in college.
Who can say that this is not farming?
On the other side in Bingzhou, on the second day after sending Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao to Shangjun, Qiao Yan also returned to Jinyang, the capital of Bingzhou.
Here, she received a special message.
Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei County, issued an official document.
The content of the official document was basically condemning Qiao Yan's behavior of setting a trap for Yuan Shao during the war against Dong Zhuo, which was really against the right path and was extremely inconsistent with the atmosphere of the time where everyone should have shared a common hatred of the enemy.
To put it bluntly, this was an act of conspiracy by a villain!
I don’t know if others would be angry when they received this document, but Qiao Yan was not angered by this clownish behavior.
When she handed this document with profound implications of accountability to Xi Zhicai, she even felt that Wang Kuang was so funny that it was a little funny.
Qiao Yan said: "His little thoughts are so obvious."
When Qiao Yan had just won a great victory in taking Chang'an, even Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, and Yuan Shu, who always had his eyes on the sky, did not dare to challenge her easily. How could Wang Kuang, who only controlled a small county in Henei, have the courage to challenge her?
Isn’t he afraid that Qiao Yan will send troops to liquidate Henei County?
Of course he is afraid!
but--
"This Governor Wang has never considered the situation in Henei County." Xi Zhicai commented.
Qiao Yan sneered: "If he really said directly that he would stand on Yuan Shao's side and chose this position, I might even look up to him."
"Or he could have just said that he wasn't cut out to lead a county, and wanted to go to the Yecheng court to be a civil servant, just like when he was in General He Jin's mansion. That would have made him look like a decent person. But he had to do something like this. What kind of person is that?"
If she was really angry because of Wang Kuang's denunciation in the official document, her attempt to seize Henei County would be a simple task.
Even though Henei County borders Jizhou, Yuan Shao could only save half of the county because Dangyin, Chaoge and other places in Henei were too close to Yecheng.
The western half of Hanoi could not stop her from marching out of the Fen River Valley and invading through Hedong County.
It's not even just a question of the number of troops stationed in Hanoi itself.
Just look at Wang Kuang's performance in the selection of General Du Liao three years ago, and his attempt to establish power in Henei County by forcing Chang Lin and others into Bingzhou, and you will know what kind of person he is.
He couldn't even win the support of the people in the county, so how could he go against Qiao Yan!
Wang Kuang's plan was simply that once Qiao Yan sent troops to hold Henei County accountable, he could immediately pack up and run to Yecheng.
In theory, he was held accountable by Qiao Yan because he was seeking justice for Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao should be embarrassed to just give him a sinecure.
This is much safer than staying in Hanoi County.
If Qiao Yan were to say, he had a clear grasp of the rules, which was worthy of his "level" when he once hung out with Xu You, Chen Lin and others.
Unfortunately...
Xi Zhicai put the document aside and replied, "It's a pity that his wishful thinking will fail. The Lord has no intention of taking over Henei County and then intimidating Yecheng in the short term. He wants to create opportunities for himself, but he is just making a laughing stock. Don't pay attention to him!"
But if this person was allowed to jump around like this, even though Qiao Yan knew he was also anxious after issuing the official document, he couldn't help feeling a little unhappy.
Fortunately, it was at this time that she received the news that Wei Ji was visiting.
Xi Zhicai said with some emotion: "The person who serves as a comparison for Wang Kuang has arrived. This person really knows how to choose the time to visit."
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "After all, there are still more smart people in this world."
Wei Ji...
When she was still clearing out the Baibo bandits, it was not difficult to see that Wei Ji was a man of foresight when he took advantage of the chaos to ask for help.
The same is true today.
The pretext of his visit was to visit his second brother at Leping Academy, but in fact, he came on behalf of the Hedong family.
Long before Qiao Yan set out for the expedition to Liang Province, the Hedong aristocratic families had already expressed their stance towards Qiao Yan.
At that time, the Hedong nobles held the relatively weak Hedong prefect Wang Yi hostage. Except for not robbing all the financial and tax revenues of Hedong County into Qiao Yan's hands, they did almost everything else.
In particular, they handed over the ownership of the salt lake in Hedong to Qiao Yan, which meant as much to her as sending her a sum of military supplies.
It’s no wonder that the Hedong family made this choice.
The Hedong County of Sili and the Bingzhou under her jurisdiction were both located north of the Yellow River, and were connected by the Fenshui River Valley.
People who migrated from Luoyang and Henei County to Bingzhou had to pass through Hedong County. When Qiao Yan sent troops to Luoyang, he also stationed his troops in Hedong County.
Because of this, they have a clear enough understanding of the strength of the Bingzhou Mu.
Even if Luoyang had an owner, it would not be easy for the defenders of the capital to control Hedong due to the boundary of the Yellow River, let alone the current situation where it had no owner.
With the previous goodwill gesture, Qiao Yan's victory in Liang Province and his march into Chang'an to seize Guanzhong were undoubtedly happy events for the Hedong families.
In addition, the news that Bingzhou Mu intended to welcome Liu Yu to the throne had already spread to Hedong. After making some judgments on Liu Yu's character, they were more certain that -
If this move goes smoothly, and if Qiao Yan can further advance into Jizhou and eliminate Yuan Shao, she will be able to keep Bingzhou's wealth for decades.
This state of holding power is quite different from the state of being entrusted with military power by the emperor's relatives.
With the examples of He Jin and Dong Zhuo, Qiao Yan would not easily hand over military power unless he was extremely stupid.
This was enough to ensure that Hedong would be equally safe under her protection.
And all they paid from beginning to end was just food to supply the army and a salt lake.
As for whether it would be stupid...
Just like Dong Zhuo was rational and courageous when he was in Liang Province, but was corrupted by power after entering Luoyang City, it is really difficult to make a conclusion about anyone.
But anyway, for the Hedong families who could purchase the Leping Monthly Report, it was not difficult to tell who was better between Qiao Yan and Yuan Shao.
What's more, Qiao Yan is only eighteen years old!
Her age alone, as well as her ability to serve in the imperial court and on the battlefield, is enough to make people add another weight to her.
It was precisely because of this decision that when they heard that Qiao Yan had returned to Bingzhou and thought that she should have taken care of all the trivial matters, Wei Ji, who had the best relationship with Bingzhou, was sent out by them as a representative.
This young man, whose every move was still elegant, bowed to Qiao Yan and said, "I would like to congratulate you first. The thief Dong was eliminated in Chang'an by you, which is a sign that the Han Dynasty is about to be revived. Now that the Sili has taken over the three counties in Guanzhong first, I wonder when you plan to recover the remaining four counties?"
As if he was afraid of being misunderstood as urging the troops to move forward, he added: "When the people of Luoyang crossed the Yellow River, you and I were at the riverside, pointing to the floating bridge and saying that the people hoped for peace and happiness, and the people of Hedong today also hope so."
Hearing Wei Ji suddenly mention this old story, Qiao Yan couldn't help but laugh and said, "The people of Hedong are not enjoying a good life now, and the county is peaceful?"
Wei Ji replied, "My Lord, why are you playing dumb with me at this time?"
Whether it was this Le Ping or that Le Ping, Qiao Yan would definitely understand the meaning behind his words.
Thinking of the news that prompted him to come to Bingzhou without delay, Wei Ji felt more confident.
Xi Zhicai said that Wei Ji was here to form a comparison group with Wang Kuang, which was indeed true.
When the Hedong noble families heard about Wang Kuang's actions, they were overjoyed.
Although they both have the surname Wang, the governor of Hedong has little presence and is controlled by them. However, the governor Wang Kuang of Henei can do much more.
But jumping has its benefits.
Wouldn't it be more obvious that they were very sensible of the current affairs if they spoke up for Yuan Shao in the matter of him borrowing grain and offended Qiao Yan?
There are so few good people like this in the world!
Wei Ji's eyes swept across the bamboo slips on the table.
Nowadays, as Leping Hou paper is increasingly issued, most officials, even if they are not in Bingzhou, no longer use bamboo slips.
But since Wang Kuang wanted to express his dissatisfaction with Qiao Yan, he naturally could not use paper with the name of Leping Hou on it, but instead used bamboo slips.
This special form of letter carrier made it easy for Wei Ji to confirm that this was the document of denunciation issued by the prefect Wang, based on the news that Wang Kuang had spread at the same time when he sent out the official document, even though he had not seen the content on the bamboo slips.
His expression became more calm as he said, "The noble families of Hedong are delighted to see you taking over Guanzhong, and are also willing to welcome the Bingzhou army with food and drink once again."
What this meant was that since they had already chosen their position, they also needed Qiao Yan to give a clear answer on the ownership.
"There's no rush to move into Hedong," Qiao Yan waved his hand. "But I intend to recommend a new governor for Hedong after Liu Youzhou enters Guanzhong. What do you think?"
When Wei Ji heard the first half of the sentence, he couldn't help but feel nervous. But when he heard the second half, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Who is the person that the Lord has in mind?"
Qiao Yan replied, "During the reign of Emperor Xiaoyuan of the Former Han Dynasty, there was a lieutenant of the Sili Army who was famous for his strict law enforcement and uprightness. His name was Zhuge Feng. His descendants lived in Langya. Today, there are two brothers. The elder brother, Zhuge Gui, was the prefect of Taishan County in Yanzhou. Unfortunately, he died young. The younger brother, Zhuge Xuan, was an official of Liu Biao. He and his deceased brother's descendants have come to Bingzhou."
"I think Zhuge Xuan has the spirit of his ancestors and is worthy of the position of governor of Hedong County."
Zhuge Xuan?
Wei Ji originally hoped that Qiao Yan would send one of his trusted men to strengthen their relationship with Bingzhou.
When he suddenly heard the relatively unfamiliar name Zhuge Xuan, he was stunned for a moment.
But after pondering the meaning of Qiao Yan's words, Wei Ji had to admit that Zhuge Xuan was the most suitable candidate.
Wei Ji didn't know Qiao Yan's goals and true ambitions.
But even if it was just out of the idea of not overshadowing her master and taking a step back, it was necessary to recommend a character who had less connection with her in the territory of Hedong County.
The fact that Zhuge Xuan's ancestor was once the Inspector of the Imperial Capital but was dismissed for being too upright can add another beautiful story to this matter.
This becomes easier to understand if we consider who Zhuge Xuan's sons and nephews were.
Wei Ji's second brother was also in Leping Academy.
Zhuge Liang's name was mentioned in the letters between Bingzhou and Hedong. It was mentioned that he was valued by Qiao Yan for his invention of the cotton seed separation machine, and at this time he was being trained as a key target among the second generation of subordinates.
As Zhuge Liang's uncle, Zhuge Xuan's position is self-evident.
It is enough to appoint this candidate as a response to the Hedong family!
Wei Ji felt relieved.
Qiao Yan then said, "Besides, I have two other things I want to entrust you with."
Wei Ji: "Your Excellency, please feel free to speak."
Qiao Yan said slowly, "First, I want you to gradually take in the people from Hedong County."
There were many people in Hanoi County who wanted to live a peaceful life, but due to the barrier of Taihang Mountains and the long distance from the Fen River Valley to Taiyuan, many people gave up for various reasons.
If we could directly bring people into Hedong County, it would be a feasible strategy.
Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei County, was planning to let her lead the troops to attack so that he would have a reason to go directly to Jizhou and take up his post in Yecheng, but Qiao Yan just didn't want to follow his wish!
The fewer households there were in Henei County, the more dangerous Wang Kuang's situation became.
Let him experience this feeling slowly.
Since the Hedong family wants to show their sincerity in loyalty to her, they should not hesitate to provide some land and money to settle the people.
This is also an acceptable expense for them.
Wei Ji agreed immediately.
"Secondly, I would like you to go to Hongnong and pay a visit to Zhang Boying and Zhang Wenshu on my behalf."
Zhang Boying and Zhang Wenshu are Zhang Zhi and Zhang Chang, the two sons of Zhang Huan of Liangzhou. They are also the talents recommended by Jia Xu in response to Qiao Yan's shortage of people.
Both of them are masters of cursive script, especially the former, who is also known as the "Cursive Saint".
It is not difficult to understand why she asked Wei Ji to go on her behalf.
Wei Ji was not only handsome and had high emotional intelligence, but his calligraphy was also the true legacy of the Hedong Wei family. The saying "he is proficient in ancient texts, bird-shaped seals, official scripts and cursive scripts" was a compliment to him.
According to this statement, his cursive script is indeed not bad, and he also created a unique school of thought that "the cursive style is slightly thin, and the strength and bones are the most important". It can be said that paying a visit to Zhang Zhi was the right choice.
To "trick" a great scholar of Confucian classics to Leping, one must use the names of Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan. So, to trick a great calligrapher to come, one naturally needs to find someone of the same trade.
Originally, Cai Yong was also a good candidate, but the Hedong families are now eager to have a chance to use their talents, so it is better to give them some opportunities to display their talents.
Wei Ji also gladly accepted this second commission.
When he hurriedly left Bingzhou and returned to Hedong, he happened to pass by Mi Zhu's caravan coming to Bingzhou.
However, because Mi Zhu came here in secret this time and did not mark the caravan with the seal of the Mi family of East China Sea, Wei Ji was unable to recognize to whom the caravan belonged.
He just saw such a large caravan arriving in Bingzhou, and he sighed in his heart that the prosperity of Bingzhou's business and travel today is no longer what it used to be.
Mi Zhu didn't know that he had arrived in Bingzhou twice after Wei Ji's visit, so he once again took advantage of the other party and met Qiao Yan when he was in a good mood.
But it didn’t really matter whether Qiao Yan was in a good mood or not. When he arrived in Jinyang, all his attention was attracted by the cotton cloth in front of him.
In the letter Lu Yuan sent him, he sent him a sample of cotton cloth and also mentioned Princess Yang'an's visit to Yecheng to demonstrate cotton cloth. However, this was a fabric that had never appeared in the Central Plains before, and it was difficult to truly feel its specialness unless one tried to wear it oneself.
Cotton cloth, which is very common to modern people, is extremely shocking to the native Han people.
"Plant materials are more likely to reduce the occurrence of rashes than animal fur, and cotton is warmer than linen, especially this cotton-padded jacket..." Mi Zhu murmured.
Every time Qiao Yan met Mi Zhu, the future head of the Mi family in Donghai always behaved very calmly. But today he behaved a little out of control, which was unusual.
Mi Zhu stroked the cotton-padded jacket in his hand twice, then turned his attention back to the cotton cloth.
There is no need for Qiao Yan to explain the cold-proof effect of cotton-filled padded jackets. However, cotton cloth is still what can increase its value and make it more valuable due to its scarcity.
He tried his best to withdraw his gaze from the cotton cloth, looked at Qiao Yan, and asked, "Are you really willing to entrust this item to the Mi family of Donghai?"
At this time, although merchants have money, when people like Dong Zhuo can privately mint small coins, money is useless. Instead, military force for conquering cities is more valuable.
This is why after Mi Zhu bought into Qiao Yan's potential stock, he would rather pay more money, even if it was more than what Qiao Yan gave in return.
Now it seems that his eyesight is really not bad.
In the past, Qiao Yan had not yet become the governor of Bingzhou. He was even confined to Leping for two years for shooting the governor with an arrow, and had just been released.
Today, Qiao Yan is a man who can single-handedly change the situation in Liang and Bing states, and even in Guanzhong area.
Her tone had already added a sense of superiority, but her words were also filled with some tenderness of reminiscing about the past, "I made a promise to you, and I will keep it. Why do you have to ask me this, Zi Zhong?"
When she finished speaking, she gestured for him to follow.
Mi Zhu followed her and soon saw several boxes of cotton cloth in the warehouse of Bingzhou provincial capital.
Qiao Yan patted the cloth and said, "This is all that's left after making cotton-padded clothes from this year's harvest. How to sell it, how to make good use of the title of Princess Yang'an, and how to explain the relationship between you and Bingzhou, it all depends on your ability."
From Mi Zhu's perspective, this number is already quite a lot!
He decisively replied: "If we can't even do these things, then our Donghai Mi family is unworthy of being called a great merchant family."
"Well, just do it your way."
Qiao Yan closed the lid of the box in front of him and continued, "Bingzhou only wants 60% of the proceeds from the sale of your cotton-padded clothes. I will not take any additional income from rare items, but I want you to give me a definite answer, Mi Zizhong."
When the lid of the box was closed, there was a sound of vibrating iron sheet.
Mi Zhu was suddenly startled, and met Qiao Yan's gaze which looked even more stern when he looked back at him.
Although the Mi family of Donghai had previously chosen Bingzhou as their retreat, for merchants, making alliances widely is the way to survive.
As long as he doesn't change his name, there is room for maneuver.
If I had to say, he just made the highest investment in Qiao Yan and the gift was also carefully considered.
However, at this moment, he heard Qiao Yan ask in a deep voice: "I have the confidence to say that if you want to pacify the world and restore the power of the Han Dynasty, who else can be the hero other than me, Qiao Yeshu? Then -"
"Zi Zhong, do you dare to serve me as your master?"
After she captured nearly three states, what she needed was no longer a merchant ally, but a precisely positioned subordinate.
This is a position that cannot be compromised!
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