Chapter 227: The First Year of Jian'an
Since Tian Feng has already arrived in Guanzhong, Yuan Shao will not be able to obtain any information about his movements in the short term. In Qiao Yan's opinion, it would be a waste to not use such a talent.
What does what he does under his current pseudonym Yuan Feng have to do with Tian Feng of Jizhou?
Since he was "treasure hunted" by Zhang Niujiao because of his excellent calculation ability in the Bingzhou agricultural tool production site, he can now of course expose his specialties in certain aspects by participating in the construction of Hongwenguan, and then get promoted and appointed.
"He really even thought of a reason for us," Qiao Yan said as he looked at the records related to Tian Feng. "Since he said he wanted to bring his wife and children to Bingzhou, he should work hard and strive for a higher salary. Coincidentally, whether it's comparing materials or salary, we are not as stingy as the people in Jizhou."
The conclusion Xun Yu reached after entering Guanzhong was not wrong.
Qiao Yan was indeed using Liu Yu's reputation to stabilize grain prices and eliminate the influence of Dong Zhuo's small money.
Before this, she had hired people from Liangzhou with Wuzhu coins and sent Liangzhou's collateral to Bingzhou for sale, thus helping the two states to build trust in Wuzhu coins.
Now that the two states have been connected again through Guanzhong and Liu Yu's name has been put forward, the credibility of the Wuzhu coin is naturally being further restored.
She is not in a hurry to expand her territory rapidly in order to further stabilize the monetary system.
With the territory she owns now, there are dangerous passes in the connection with any other forces, but it is not completely cut off.
The increase in transactions will also further build people's trust in the currency.
But what is interesting is that because the main distribution area of copper mines is not in Guanzhong, Qiao Yan did not move the three coins of Bingzhou to Guanzhong, but kept them independent and under her control.
No one could blame her for this unless it was really necessary.
So in fact, the money printing machine is in her hands.
This meant that although Liu Yu appeared to be the future emperor of the Han Dynasty, she still had the final say in regulating prices.
Simply saying "not as stingy as Jizhou" is indeed a humble statement.
Guo Jia joked, "But in this case, Zhang Niujiao's dream of training a trusted general will probably not be realized in the short term."
After all, Tian Feng had already been targeted by Qiao Yan, so there was no way he could possibly give it back to Zhang Niu Jiao.
"You can't say that," Qiao Yan said innocently, "If he can catch a Tian Feng today, he may catch a Ju Shou tomorrow. I'm encouraging him to look for treasures among his subordinates. Maybe he can catch some big fish."
When she thought of this, she even wondered whether she should turn a blind eye to Zhang Niujiao's "lack of knowledge and skills", but she thought it would be better to let things take their own course, so she didn't plan to interfere in the matter.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let's talk about Hongwenguan."
Before mentioning the founding of Hongwenguan to Xun Yu, Qiao Yan actually did not mention this matter to his subordinates.
But after she returned to Guanzhong, she told her confidants about her intention to seek the position of Grand Marshal, and also told them her strategy of retreating to advance.
This strategy of retreating to advance had already been reflected in the replanning of Chang'an City to form a ceremonial route from Weiyang Palace to Mingtang and Biyong, and in her allowing Tian Chou under Liu Yu to participate in the military farming affairs in Guanzhong. The mention of Hongwenguan at this time did not surprise Guo Jia and Cheng Yu.
Guo Jia also quickly realized that although the existence of the Hongwenguan was nominally to fill the gap between the emperor's ministers, this kind of selection would not necessarily become a hindrance to Qiao Yan.
The immediate benefits are at least obvious.
The Hongwenguan was intended to recruit talented people, and it not only made Liu Yu famous, but also Qiao Yan famous.
It is really difficult to say whether these selected talents are directly under Liu Yu, or whether their connection with Qiao Yan becomes closer as they are commissioned to expand the territory in all directions.
In addition, the existence of Hongwenguan is more like a recruitment of scholars who have already completed their studies, which does not conflict with the cultivation model of Leping Academy.
For those who do not have the confidence to come to Guanzhong to show their talents, Leping will soon add a "retired" Xun Shuang after Cai Yong, Zheng Xuan, Guan Ning, Bing Yuan and others. This configuration still has an irreplaceable attraction for scholars.
When the students of Leping Academy finish their studies, they will inevitably pose a threat to the scholar faction that comes from Hongwenguan.
Moreover, when Qiao Yan's wings gradually grow stronger, that is, when she consolidates the three states and even a larger territory and no longer needs to rely on the name of a Han Dynasty, Hongwenguan may directly become Qiao Yan's channel for acquiring talents without even having to go through a transfer of hands.
After Guo Jia figured this out, he felt that the only problem left was the selection of the director of the Hongwenguan.
Xun Yu cannot be the only one.
But as Qiao Yan and Xun Yu said, the person in charge of the Hongwenguan not only needs to have the ability to identify pragmatic talents, but also needs to have the character of not forming cliques or engaging in personal gain, which is enough to raise the threshold to a certain level.
He asked this question.
"As you said, this person needs to meet these two characteristics, but some people who meet these conditions have many problems in taking this position. For a museum owner who has too much experience and too high a status, even if he does not want to form such a coalition, the people he selected will gather together because of this title."
There are very few people like Xun Yu who have a small resume, great ability and integrity.
Qiao Yan replied: "I have several candidates, but I am a little hesitant about whether to appoint them all at the same time or arrange them in a rotation manner."
Cheng Yu asked, "If I'm not mistaken, Master Wang Zi should be one of the candidates?"
"That's right," Qiao Yan clapped his hands and replied, "Master Wang Zi was born in Bingzhou, but most of the talents in Bingzhou don't need to follow the Hongwenguan route."
The Three Mutuals Law does not involve lower-level officials, which means that the talents in Bingzhou have either been recruited by the governors of various counties, or are still studying in Leping Academy, or -
These people see Bingzhou's true strength much more clearly than people in other states. They would probably be more willing to come directly to Qiao Yan's school to recommend themselves than to Hongwenguan.
This also means that among the people Wang Yun could choose, there were few with whom he could discuss fellow-township friendship.
In addition, don’t forget that Wang Yun was also accused of losing the emperor.
In the eyes of outsiders, it was precisely because of Wang Yun's cooperation that Li Jue was able to create a fake emperor and mobilize a team, so that the emperor was eventually kidnapped by him.
This crime was not made public, but Wang Yun was indeed responsible for it.
This also means that the people he recommends may not dare to have a very close personal relationship with him.
Based on the above points, Wang Yun is indeed a very suitable candidate.
Cheng Yu then asked, "Who is the other candidate that the Lord has in mind?"
Qiao Yan replied: "Chen Yuanfang and Cui Zhouping."
There was no need for Qiao Yan to arrest Chen Ji and Chen Yuanfang because they were right here.
Previously, when Dong Zhuo was causing trouble in Luoyang, Chen Ji was also an unlucky guy who was conscripted like Xun Shuang. Because he had a good personal relationship with Xun Shuang, he also came to Chang'an with him.
Chen Ji did not have much experience as an official, but he had followed his father Chen Shi since he was a child and had a clear understanding of the minds of officials.
And as for his character, there is nothing to criticize.
What is particularly interesting is that he himself has very high moral character, but he is annoyed by hypocritical behavior that is only formal but lacks true feelings.
This specifically refers to the formalism shown in filial piety in order to cope with the selection of filial and honest officials.
Qiao Yan thought that since he was already quite old, he would inevitably be powerless to handle the affairs of state, so it would be a good idea to place him in the Hongwenguan as a moral role model.
In addition, after putting Chen Ji in the right position, it was almost a foregone conclusion that someone would fall into her hands.
It was Chen Ji’s son Chen Qun.
Historically, he was the main founder of the Cao Wei law "Wei Law", and he also proposed the Nine-Rank System.
Forget about the latter, the former is still extremely useful to Qiao Yan.
He had indeed reached the age to enter officialdom.
As for Cui Zhouping, he can also be arranged here.
As early as August last year, when Qiao Yan was still in Liangzhou dealing with those Wuwei warlords, Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia were already discussing summoning Cui Jun to Bingzhou to do some work.
After all, Cui Lie is not young anymore. Instead of staying idle in Anping and watching the current situation, Cui Jun might as well come to Bingzhou to help his old father handle official affairs.
So in October last year, Cui Lie sent him a letter at Xi Zhicai's suggestion, and the letter talked about this matter.
Although Cui Jun had some "conflicts" with his father over the issue of buying an official position, overall he had a good relationship with his father and rushed over immediately.
During this year, most of the general affairs in Xihe County were handled by him, which was enough to prove his ability.
Qiao Yan said: "Appointing Cui Zhouping as one of the directors of the Hongwen Academy can, on the one hand, show the intention of winning over the scholars in Hebei."
Cui Zhouping was from Jizhou, and his father Cui Lie was a famous scholar in Hebei. This meant he was competing with Yuan Shao for his job.
Whether Tian Feng will meet another person who might discover his identity is another question.
"On the other hand, if I don't even have one of my own people in the establishment of Hongwenguan, people will suspect that I have ulterior motives."
There was a hint of cunning in her eyes when she raised them, and Guo Jia and Cheng Yu couldn't help but praise her as a good choice in their hearts.
This little bit of selfishness was expressed just right.
In this way, according to her arrangement, the four directors of Hongwenguan would be Xun Yu, Wang Yun, Chen Ji and Cui Jun.
In terms of age, there are three generations, old, middle-aged and young, and in terms of geography, it also covers Hebei, Bingzhou and Yuzhou.
The only problem is that Xun Yu and Chen Ji are both from Yingchuan.
But one of these two is a "talented person who can assist the king" and the other is one of the "Three Lords". It is difficult for anyone to come up with more suitable candidates than them.
Guo Jia thought about the question that Qiao Yan had mentioned before, whether the four people should go together or take turns, and said, "I wonder if you have heard of a story. In the past, Chen Taiqiu paid a visit to Xun Lang's tomb. Because he advocated simplicity and did not have servants, he asked Chen Yuanfang to pull the cart and Chen Jifang to hold a stick behind. At that time, Chen Changwen was still a child and was carried in the cart. People at that time called this scene the Immortal's Journey to the East and praised it as a good story. Although we are not three generations of Chen's descendants now, we are still four sages with a common goal. Why not let these four people go together to promote literature?"
What Guo Jia was talking about was that Chen Ji's father went to visit Xun Shu, the father of Xun's Eight Dragons.
Because Chen Shi was frugal and had no servants, he asked his eldest son Chen Ji to pull the cart, and his second son Chen Chen followed behind. Chen Qun was still young at the time, so he was carried in the cart. Chen Shi and his two sons were all well-known for their good reputations, and were collectively known as the Three Gentlemen, so they were also called "The True Man's Journey to the East."
In other words, when wise men gather together, it is easy for them to gain a good reputation nowadays.
So the same can be said for the four directors of Hongwenguan.
It's okay to let them go together. If they have things to do, they can leave earlier.
In short, they wanted to rely on their good reputation to spread the news of these four people taking charge as quickly as possible.
But just as he finished speaking, he heard Qiao Yan teasing, "Who is the young one in the car?"
Guo Jia didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He was just making an analogy! There is no intention to really recreate the famous scene between the Chen family’s grandparents and grandchildren!
But he also subconsciously thought... If we really have to follow this scene strictly, then the youngest of the four people seems to be Xun Yu, right?
Guo Jia felt no guilt that his good friend seemed to be in a somewhat strange arrangement.
He had already planned to invite Wen Ruo to dinner tomorrow and to host a welcome party for him.
If Qiao Yan really wants to make such an arrangement, then he should just apologize in advance.
Fortunately, he heard Qiao Yan say, "It was just a joke. In this way, the selection of civil servants in Chang'an City is settled. But——"
When she said this, her face suddenly became solemn. "We can make concessions on matters concerning civil officials, but not on matters concerning military officials."
"No matter what the considerations are, the most practical thing, military power, can only be controlled by ourselves!"
Even if we have to use Liu Yu as a cover to the outside world, this bottom line will never change.
This is why she wanted to fight for the position of Grand Marshal or General.
"Actually, you don't have to worry too much about this matter," said Cheng Yu.
His tone was calm as he spoke, and perhaps it was okay to describe his behavior as pride in witnessing her growth.
"Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, your Excellency has never been defeated. The military power of Liang and Bing states will never be handed over to others. With Zilong in charge of Guanzhong, even if someone wants to surrender, they will definitely choose to directly serve under your Excellency instead of seeking a position in the Jinwu Guards."
Cheng Yu did not say much, but those present could also hear his other meaning.
The person who contrasts with Qiao Yan is Liu Yu.
Although Liu Yu was outstanding in handling government affairs, the truth that a kind person is not suitable for commanding an army was fully demonstrated by Liu Yu as a counterexample.
Even if he was given enough troops, without proper training and choices, there was only one possibility: defeat.
Most of the people who came to Chang'an came because of Liu Yu's reputation, but probably no one came because of Liu Yu's fighting ability.
Liu Yu's character also made him feel deeply ashamed of his defeat a month ago, and he would never easily interfere in military affairs.
In a sense, this is a good thing for Qiao Yan.
At most, she just needed to be wary of people gathering around Liu Yu, hoping to seek advancement and thinking that with the emperor's support, they could take military power for themselves.
But before such a person shows up, Cheng Yu will discover the hidden danger for Qiao Yan in advance.
A smile flashed across his usually serious face: "I should have congratulated you, Lord. Didn't you bring back another military commander during your inspection tour to Youzhou?"
The person Cheng Yu was talking about was Taishi Ci of Donglai.
He saw the state of the generals under Qiao Yan, and witnessed Qiao Yan declaring war on Gongsun Zan with an arrow that could hit a stone or a feather. Because he was a man of temperament, he immediately decided to join Qiao Yan.
After hearing that she was asking about her family, Taishi Ci sent people without hesitation, intending to bring his mother to live in Bingzhou. This made Taishi Ci respect Qiao Yan even more.
After receiving Qiao Yan's instructions, he immediately took over a team of soldiers to train the Shenbi Bow Camp.
The thoughts of military generals are much simpler than those of civil officials.
Whoever can lead them to victory will gain their support.
Qiao Yan not only has the courage to command, but also the personal strength to convince these generals.
As long as he has an additional legitimate title to command all military affairs of the world, he will not have to worry about losing military power.
When the war of conquest breaks out again, the military power will only be more firmly in her hands with her next victory.
As for whether we can win the next victory?
Isn't this exactly what the counselors and generals under her command should try their best to consider?
Before this war begins, their strength will certainly be greater than before.
In addition to the accumulation of Guanzhong and Liangbing states themselves, there are also gains from trade with other states.
There is no need to say much about Liu Biao of Jingzhou.
Wuguan, where Liu Xie disappeared, was too close to Jingzhou, so Liu Biao had to cut flesh and blood at this time in order to clear himself of suspicion.
While allowing his eldest son Liu Qi to come to Chang'an to assist in the ancestral temple sacrifices, he also relaxed Jingzhou's control over Nanyang, making Wuguan a place where people could pass freely.
The commercial travel caused by the latter can be regarded as a major outlet for maintaining the Guanzhong trade in recent years.
Liu Yan of Yizhou was not so active, but he did not block the exchanges between Yizhou and Chang'an.
This meant that the team sent by Qiao Yan to purchase Shu brocade had already arrived in Guanzhong with their first batch of harvest.
In order to prevent anyone from discovering the connection between her and the team, Qiao Yan only let them know to follow the scheduled itinerary.
There is another transaction from Yangzhou.
Zhou Yu, who happened to meet Xun Yu at Wuguan, also had a meeting with her.
However, this is not a transaction where materials can be exchanged immediately.
The batch of Jiangdong goods and the unique copy of the treasury book that he sent through the caravan channel were not the content of the transaction, but just gifts to congratulate Qiao Yan on his advancement into Guanzhong.
The real deal is farming techniques.
Zhou Yu must be aware of the truth that “Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while oranges grown in the north of the Huai River are sour oranges.”
Cao Cao, who was in Yanzhou, could use the farming techniques summarized by Qiao Yan, but the situation in Jiangdong was different.
However, the aristocratic families in the counties of Jiangdong were not entirely convinced of Sun Ce's support, and there were also rebellions by the Shanyue people in many places. If Sun Ce could first ensure that the recruited soldiers were well fed and watered, the pressure on him would be greatly reduced.
The flexible operating characteristics of the curved plow make it particularly suitable for fields in the south, and Sun Ce and his generals have already tasted the sweetness from it.
No matter how Zhou Yu thought about it, he felt that Qiao Yan must have other tools that could be used in the same way.
Of course, he also knew clearly that Qiao Yan could use the words of supporting the son of an old friend as an excuse to send out the Quyuan Plow, but Sun Ce could not take advantage of this favor to get close to him.
After he was about to become the governor of Yangzhou, no matter whether he was an adult or had a father named Sun Jian, he was a completely independent individual, and some human relationships were no longer applicable to communication at this level.
So Zhou Yu came with sincerity.
He said that if the experience provided by Qiao Yan could be effective in increasing grain production, the counties in Jiangdong would send one-third of the increased production to Guanzhong.
Liu Biao would never dare to snatch this grain that was being sent to Guanzhong in the name of tribute to the emperor.
As for any additional conditions, they can be proposed by Qiao Yan.
"So what did the Lord finally ask for?" Guo Jia asked when they talked about this.
He had a hunch that the additional conditions proposed by Qiao Yan were by no means simple.
Qiao Yan replied, "I told him that I needed Jiangdong to select experts in marine shipbuilding from the coastal counties and towns and send me a team of 200 people. This is my deal."
Guo Jia said: "This condition is not difficult for Yangzhou, but Liangzhou, Bingzhou and Guanzhong do not have any demand for sea transportation. Doesn't he find it strange?"
Qiao Yan: "Of course he found it strange, but I hinted to him that it was used to fight Yuan Shao."
As soon as Guo Jia understood the meaning of her words, he knew how she had deceived Zhou Yu.
It is possible that we will need to use ships to fight Yuan Shao.
According to most people's speculation about Qiao Yan, after stabilizing the situation in Guanzhong, she would definitely choose to recapture Youzhou first, and then lead her troops south to fight against Yuan Shao.
Gongsun Zan was a vicious wolf, and Yuan Shao was not really a loser. These two battles could never have ended with a crushing force like the Battle of Liangzhou and the Battle of Guanzhong.
So how to break through the defense line formed by Yuan Shao on the border of Jizhou and Qingzhou seemed to be the most important problem that Qiao Yan needed to solve.
From her ambiguous words, Zhou Yu must have thought that after occupying Youzhou, Qiao Yan could develop a large-scale shipbuilding team, use Liaoxi County or Liaodong Peninsula as a shipbuilding base, quickly build ships within three months, cross the Bohai Sea and reach Qingzhou, forming a two-pronged attack, thus saving consumption on this confrontation front.
But did she really want to put these people to this use?
And... does she really have to take Youzhou first?
Not to mention Zhou Yu, who was deceived into agreeing to this condition, even Guo Jia might not be able to guess the exact thoughts in Qiao Yan's mind.
He only knew that the top priority now was to help Liu Yu ascend the throne and get the promotion that the prince deserved.
November and December seem to go by especially fast.
Mingtang, Biyong and Lingtai in the southern suburbs of Chang'an were completely completed before the end of December. From that day on, the southern gate of Chang'an seen from the direction of Wuguan looked dignified and majestic.
Completed simultaneously with this place was the Hongwenguan, located north of Gui Palace in Chang'an city.
Just as Xun You had introduced to Xun Yu before, Gui Palace is where the current emperor holds court. Therefore, by looking up to the south from where Hongwenguan is located, one can see the palaces with flying eaves within the palace walls, and one will have the illusion of entering Hongwenguan in the morning and becoming a servant of the emperor in the evening.
On the day when Hongwenguan was completed, Qiao Yan went there to inspect it.
What others had not expected was that the three words "Hongwenguan" on the plaque of the main gate were not written by Liu Yu or Qiao Yan, but by Zhang Zhi, the saint of cursive script.
After Qiao Yan asked Wei Ji to go and invite her, Zhang Zhi did not choose to become an official, but went to teach at Leping Academy.
Because he can be considered a native of Guanzhong and Liangzhou, this completed plaque undoubtedly suppressed some doubts.
Some people think that the fact that there are no people from Liangzhou or Guanzhong among the directors of Hongwenguan can be considered discrimination.
"The checks and balances during territorial expansion are really troublesome." Qiao Yan said to Lu Yuan as he adjusted his court robes.
In order to confirm whether the homing pigeons should be raised in Gaoping or Jincheng County, Lu Yuan had previously traveled to Liangzhou, and ultimately decided to raise them in Jincheng.
After inspecting the situation in Liangzhou for Qiao Yan, she returned.
However, he did not return to Bingzhou, but to Guanzhong.
According to Qiao Yan's opinion, Lu Yuan, as her confidant, should also accompany her to attend Liu Yu's enthronement ceremony.
That's why she appeared here at this time.
Hearing Qiao Yan's quiet complaint, Lu Yuan replied: "If you say so, I should also ask, why is there no person in charge of Yangzhou in Hongwenguan?"
Seeing Qiao Yan glance at her with amusement, Lu Yuan said seriously: "Your Excellency has seen clearly the difference between close and distant, and the difference between high and low interests, and has handled it properly. We are all willing to die for you, not because you are always right."
That's well said.
A leader can make mistakes, just like the misunderstanding that Guo Jia corrected for her when the first merit system was established. This is inevitable in decision-making.
But when she was in the city of Chang'an, planning for the next ten or even a hundred years, she had no chance to make mistakes like anyone else.
However, hearing her subordinates allow her to make mistakes still brought a recognizable smile to Qiao Yan's face.
It is these interpersonal connections that connect her more closely to this era and support her to keep going.
Until this life-or-death war is won!
Just at this moment, the sound of drums announcing the time was heard from the direction of the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City.
This drumbeat, which represents the hour of Chen, is also intended to remind officials in the city that the ceremony of the emperor's enthronement is approaching and they should make preparations.
Qiao Yan looked outside. The sky was still dark at this time, but noises could be heard in the city, making the entire Chang'an city suddenly come alive.
"Ruqing, it's time for us to go too."
Before taking a step, Qiao Yan took one last look at the mirror by the door.
What was reflected in the mirror was a face that was younger than any other among the officials.
Even though the road ahead is long, she still has plenty of time to take every step.
This was the first day of the first lunar month in the year 192 AD.
By today's calculations, she is nineteen years old.
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