Chapter 349 Xu...
Yi...Yizhou Governor?
Although Cai Yong had never been to Yizhou in person, or in other words, for the Han Dynasty, no fleet had ever officially reached Yizhou by sea, but because Gu Yong was his disciple, he would often mention some strange stories in the south in his letters to him.
Danyang County in Yangzhou was often used as a border area for exiles during the Later Han Dynasty after Emperor Guangwu's restoration.
This kind of exile was more or less related to the various unrests faced in the west and the north. After all, because of these troubles, places like Liangzhou, Bingzhou and Youzhou were no longer suitable to be used as places of exile. On the contrary, Yangzhou, Danyang and Jiaozhou, Rinnan in the south, were already remote enough, and the unrest had not yet reached an uncontrollable level, so they could be used as places of punishment.
But Danyang County was at most a place where the Shanyue people were rampant. As the exchanges with the Han people who lived in the counties increased, their eating and living habits, farming methods and use of tools were exactly the same as those of the people in the Central Plains.
But Yizhou is different.
According to the experience of the Wu people who encountered a storm and drifted to the territory of Yizhou during their sea voyage, most of the utensils used on the island were still made of stone, wood or animal bones, not much different from the state of life thousands of years ago.
Sending the young men of the four surnames of Wu County, who had been living a life of luxury in Yangzhou, to an environment like Yizhou, and letting Gu Yong serve as the prefect there, in the hope that they would mend their ways and become good people?
Cai Yong couldn't help but complain in his heart that perhaps the people of the four surnames of Hanyang in Liangzhou who were already in the underground would think that their treatment of being killed quickly was already quite good.
"Does Lord Cai think that this decision is inappropriate?" Qiao Yan asked with a frown.
Cai Yong looked around and realized that these people who didn't know the truth obviously felt that it was a rare thing for him to successfully plead for mercy and save their lives after the Four Families of Wu County had done such stupid things, and he should never make any unrealistic hopes.
He quickly replied: "No, I was just surprised that the Lord was willing to let Yuan Tan be a governor..."
Let him be the Prefect of Yizhou. It sounds like he is the Prefect of Yizhou to outsiders. It is much better than being killed directly. Perhaps if managed properly, there will be a day when we can return to our homeland.
What a pity... as a result, the honor of the four surnames of Wu County was no longer there.
Although these four are the most prominent aristocratic families in Yangzhou, it does not mean that there are only these four.
Qiao Yan did not kill all the four families, so they would not have a real sense of crisis in facing difficulties. They might even feel that the huge rocks above their heads were being removed, and it was time for them to seize the opportunity to profit from it.
By the time the four surnames of Wu County return, no matter how deep their roots are, they will have been dug up completely.
At most, the only ones left are Lu Yuan and Lu Yi, who are already under Qiao Yan's command, plus Lu Ji, who is still studying.
Well then!
What does all this have to do with him, a man studying in Leping Academy? After all, there was a cause that made Qiao Yan angry, and this led to the final result!
Qiao Yan watched his subordinates send Cai Yong away to rest, and a fleeting smile appeared on his face.
This play, which had not been rehearsed in advance, had new actors and response lines added because of the issue of Liu Bei's stay or departure, but it finally ended the way she had hoped.
In the Xuzhou and Yangzhou areas now, only the finishing touches are left to be done.
"Since the Grand Marshal had no intention of killing Envoy Liu, why did he have to do this?"
Seeing that the people who came to plead for Liu Bei were gradually dispersing, Chen Deng could not help but ask.
These people who hurried here only because they heard that Qiao Yan wanted to kill Liu Bei might not be able to see the tricks used by Qiao Yan in this move. They even thought that it was because they showed her the popularity that Liu Bei had accumulated in Xuzhou over the years that Liu Bei was able to escape death.
But anyone with a bit of political knowledge would be able to see that——
From the beginning to the end, Qiao Yan had no intention of killing Liu Bei!
If Chen Deng had not noticed her attitude before because of his stereotype about Qiao Yan, the enemy commander, then when she accompanied Chen Deng on a car tour around Tan County and interrupted the tour in a hurry before they had completed a full circle, this "perfunctory" compliance with public opinion was clearly displayed to him.
She just wanted to find a way to save face so that Liu Bei could be sent to Chang'an with his life. It was not that she was moved by what Liu Bei did in Xuzhou, which led to her change of mind.
Qiao Yan looked towards Chen Deng. She was not surprised at all that Chen Deng could see through her thoughts. This was exactly the effect she wanted anyway.
She replied frankly: "You can think of me as cherishing a hero."
Liu Bei was indeed a hero, and a hero who demanded much higher moral conduct than most people did. Otherwise, he would not have gained so many supporters in Xuzhou.
"You can think of me as taking the opportunity to win over the people of Xuzhou."
The people's petition allowed Liu Bei, who had done them a favor, to be sent to Chang'an to take up an idle position instead of being sentenced to treason and waiting to die. The sense of participation and accomplishment brought by the reversal of their fate more or less reduced their original resistance to being brought under the rule of the Chang'an court.
"You can think of it as me showing a model to the Yecheng court in advance."
Liu Bei once became a governor of a province and had a head-on confrontation with Qiao Yan, yet he was able to get a chance to survive because of people’s petitions. So what about them?
Obviously, the complete annihilation of Gongsun Zan in Youzhou was still related to the feud between him and Liu Yu.
"Or you could think of it as me hoping to add a few more forces to the Han royal family in Chang'an."
Although she said verbally that there were countless descendants of King Jing of Zhongshan, the fact was that Liu Bei was considered a relative of the Han royal family.
If the governor of Xuzhou in northern Xuzhou completed the transformation from being a subject of the court in Yecheng to being a vassal of the court in Chang'an, it would definitely be a heavy blow to Yuan Shao.
Qiao Yan said, "Look, there are so many benefits to just saying it casually, and all I have to do is let go of this idea of killing everyone and walk down the stairs laid by the people. Why not do it?"
Chen Deng's mood was a little complicated at the moment, and he could only reply: "It is rare to find someone who can think as carefully and control himself as Da Sima."
"That may not be the case." Qiao Yan looked at him seriously. "Can't you, Chen Yuanlong, be considered one? When I took you out of prison, I told them that you are a man of great talent, both literary and military. This is just like my praise for Liu Xuande. It is not a lie."
Chen Deng said: "Grand Marshal, there is no need to beat around the bush. Just speak frankly."
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "The reason why Xuzhou was defeated was due to insufficient accumulation, insufficient manpower, and overall planning, not the moral education of Liu Xuande and you, Chen Yuanlong. I, Qiao Yan, am not a narrow-minded person. I will not have any narrow-minded opinions about you just because you once advocated Liu Xuande to take control of Xuzhou and become the governor of Xuzhou, and served as his right-hand man to defend the city and fight for him."
"The world is in turmoil and the weather is not good. The more capable officials like you are, the better. How dare I keep you in this prison and treat you as a traitor?"
"But - Liu Xuande is a man of many talents in Xuzhou, and you are no exception. I heard from Shi Yuan that when you were captured in Louting, some people from Xiaqiu brought their elderly and children with them and wanted to go to Xuzhou with you, but you persuaded them to go back. If I really let you stay in Xuzhou, I would be a little worried."
Chen Deng couldn't help but find it a little funny when he heard this.
The previous performance made him think that Qiao Yan was a person who was accustomed to never revealing his weaknesses or being criticized. His words at this moment seemed to be a bit too frank in weighing the pros and cons.
He asked, "So what does Da Sima mean?"
Qiao Yan replied, "I originally wanted to recommend you as the deputy governor of Yangzhou, and asked you to use your ability in governing Xuzhou to govern the newly pacified Yangzhou. Unfortunately, there is a problem. The governor of Yangzhou that I am interested in is also from Xuzhou. In order to prevent you two from reminiscing about the past and causing me some unnecessary trouble, I can only trouble Yuanlong to change his position."
"I wonder if you are willing to take the position of Henan Yin?"
Chen Deng frowned: "This is not..."
Qiao Yan interrupted Chen Deng and said, "Of course I know this is Sima Jiangong's position, and he has not done anything inappropriate while in office. But under the current situation, lack of ability is the biggest problem!"
"Henan Yin is adjacent to Henei County controlled by Yuan Shao and Yanzhou controlled by Cao Cao. It also carries refugees who were brought into Luoyang last year. If the population continues to increase this year, Xun Wenruo alone will not be able to control Henan Yin and the surrounding areas."
"I intend to recommend Sima Jiangong's eldest son Sima Boda as a bookkeeper under the governor of Yangzhou. After one year in office, he will take over the position of Yangzhou Beijia. His second son Sima Zhongda has also been serving in Youzhou and is on the way to rise. It has been a long time since the elders of the family gave up their positions and kept themselves afloat. This is the way to seek perfection. Isn't it appropriate?"
Chen Deng thought about Qiao Yan's arrangement and replied, "If it is as the Grand Marshal said, it is very appropriate. Deng is willing to follow the Grand Marshal's arrangement."
Whether from the perspective of interest exchange or balance of power, Qiao Yan's arrangement of personnel can be described as ingenious.
A series of events within January and February led to the annexation of Xuzhou and Yangzhou into her hands.
Just like the situation in Yizhou, the positions of provincial governors in these two states were abolished, and only provincial governors and county governors were established, together with garrison generals to form the ruling force in the state.
The situation in Xuzhou has become clear.
Zhou Yu was appointed as the governor of Xuzhou as a reward for attracting all the firepower and successfully holding out until the encirclement trap was completed. Lu Su was appointed as the deputy governor of Xuzhou in recognition of his decision to turn to the light before the overall situation was decided, and his successful persuasion of Zang Ba of Langya to surrender.
Zhang Yi, who was originally appointed by the Chang'an court, did not do anything to hinder the confrontation between the North and the South. In fact, the division of the boundary along the Huai River was possible in the beginning. It was thanks to his existence that the confrontation was established. However, as Qiao Yan and Chen Deng said, in the current situation, incompetence is also another sin.
Xuzhou is adjacent to Qingzhou and Yuzhou, and may become a battlefield again at any time. Compared with Zhang Yi, it is of course more in line with Qiao Yan's wishes if Zhou Yu is stationed here.
In addition, the generals who stayed behind here were Ma Chao, Zhang Yang, Yan Yan, Zhang Ren and others who were temporarily here.
With Zhou Yu and Lu Su already being the brains behind the offensive plan, it doesn't really matter whether the generals can act on their own.
The situation in Yangzhou has basically been finalized.
Zhang Zhao was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, and Sima Lang was appointed as the official in charge of the imperial court, and would later serve as the deputy governor of Yangzhou.
Because the defense pressure in Xuzhou was obviously greater than that in Yangzhou, Qiao Yan intended to order Cheng Pu and Han Dang to stay in Yangzhou. After transferring Zang Ba to Danyang County to quell the Shanyue Rebellion, he dispatched Huang Gai and Jiang Qin to Langya County to guard Qingzhou in the north.
Many of Sun Ce's old subordinates, such as Zhou Tai, were promoted and settled.
The reasons for the above arrangements were clearly stated in the report she sent to Chang'an. Considering that Liu Yu always trusted her, her arrangements should not be rejected.
Even if someone really wanted to cause trouble, Cheng Yu and others in the court in Chang'an would not turn a blind eye to it.
That leaves only the last three important things to do.
One of them is the arrangement of Sun Ce and Sun Jian’s families.
The rare deployment of Sun Ce's old subordinates was to allow the situation in Yangzhou to transition to a stable state as soon as possible, but it did not mean that she would keep all of Sun's descendants in Yangzhou.
Mrs. Wu gave birth to three sons and one daughter for Sun Jian. Except for Sun Ce who had already died, the oldest of the remaining children, Sun Quan, was only thirteen years old.
It would not be difficult for Qiao Yan to persuade her to take them to Leping to study and temporarily settle in Bingzhou.
Cai Yong, who had come to plead for Gu Yong, had also completed his part and was about to be sent back to Leping Academy by Qiao Yan, so that he could find someone to travel with him.
In order to show that this arrangement of schooling was not just for the Sun family, Sun Quan and others were taken hostage. The children under the age of eight from the four surnames in Wujun who were not suitable for experiencing the storms at sea, Sun Quan's study partner Zhu Ran, Ling Cao's son Ling Tong and others were all packed up and sent over by Qiao Yan.
The second is to make arrangements for some people who are not suitable for high-ranking officials in Xu and Yang states but have made military achievements in this war.
For example, Jia Xu.
Without Jia Xu's coordination and information transmission, the three-front war would not have gone so smoothly. But if we look at why Jia Xu is here, we can see that there are some problems...
"Originally, Mr. Ling Wenhe's visit as the head teacher of Leping Academy was a cover, but now it seems to be an inconvenient situation." Qiao Yan said while looking at Jia Xu in front of him.
Now that Sun Ce is dead, no matter whether Jia Xu has an overly close connection with Sun Jian's death, his life is no longer threatened.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with being promoted by making meritorious service to wash away his past record of treason.
What's more, Xuzhou and Yangzhou were newly established. Neither Zhang Zhao, the governor of Yangzhou, nor Zhou Yu, the governor of Xuzhou, were actually people whom Qiao Yan could fully trust. Someone needed to stay here to act as a supervisor, and Jia Xu was undoubtedly the best candidate.
If his position is too low, he will not be able to control Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao. If his position is too high, he will easily attract criticism.
Jia Xu shook his head, "It may not be that difficult."
Qiao Yan said, "Since Mr. Wenhe already has an idea, why not tell me about it?"
"..." Jia Xu hesitated for a moment, but thought that if he really wanted to be an idler, he should not have accepted the mission of taking Zhuge Liang and others to Xuzhou from the beginning. Your actions have made him feel at ease, so he decisively replied: "Please report to the court and recommend me as--"
"Qingzhou Governor."
Qiao Yan was surprised by this answer for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands, "Mr. Wenhe, when it comes to experience, it really depends on you."
Governor of Qingzhou!
Qingzhou is not in their hands yet, so how can they get the position of Qingzhou Governor?
So theoretically speaking, Jia Xu has no real power in his hands, which is in line with the interests of not giving Jia Xu a high position for the time being.
But once there is a strategic goal of capturing Qingzhou, Jia Xu can launch a joint battle with Xuzhou, Yangzhou or even Youzhou at any time, and he has certain power in his hands.
With Jia Xu's vision and ability, Qiao Yan had no doubt that he could use this official position in other ways.
This was a position tailor-made for him.
"I will do my best to make this happen and will not let anyone affect the completion of this office." Even a nobody like Jia Xu was motivated by their increasingly high momentum. How could Qiao Yan, as the leader, let him down?
No matter what Jia Xu had done in the past or his identity as a native of Liangzhou, neither would be an obstacle in his path to this official position!
"There is also a personal position that I would like to ask Mr. Wenhe for advice on." Qiao Yan paused and said, "Pang Shiyuan."
Pang Tong's role in this battle is unquestionable. From persuading the State of Pei to surrender and convincing Lu Su to capture Chen Deng and complete the encirclement and suppression of the last group of troops in Xuzhou, his performance was extremely brilliant.
It is said that the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick are both famous. Since Zhuge Liang is currently the Governor of Youzhou, Pang Tong should also be the Governor of Xuzhou.
But the governor of Xuzhou is Zhou Yu...
In history, Pang Tong was once Zhou Yu's subordinate. Now putting Zhou Yu, Lu Su and Pang Tong together, Qiao Yan felt that something was not right.
To Jia Xu, her conflicted expression did not seem like hesitation in the face of a truly difficult problem, but rather a childish struggle.
Perhaps only when the war between Xu and Yang states was settled would she have time to think about such strange things.
Jia Xu said: "I don't know what your concerns are at the moment. Pang Shiyuan knows that he should do his job well. No matter what position you assign to him, he will do his best to do it well."
In this competitive environment, Pang Tong's unyielding character will drive him to strive for the best.
Qiao Yan continued, "It seems that Mr. Wenhe is still very optimistic about him, so I will still recommend him as I considered before."
"Your Excellency, what you said is not quite right," Jia Xu replied, "It should be said that you think highly of Shi Yuan, so you let him come to Yangzhou with the students of Leping Academy, not that I treat him differently. If I must say, I would like to ask you, what positions do you plan to assign to the two people who I treat differently?"
This is exactly what Qiao Yan was thinking about, that is, the official positions of Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting.
Although Zhang Fei's death was not an inevitable outcome of this battle, since it was achieved, it undoubtedly allowed the two sisters to be known as filial and righteous people for avenging their father as soon as they appeared in front of the world under their own names.
This was just like Qiao Yan's move to build momentum for himself during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, a perfect opportunity.
Qiao Lan kept Guan Ping out of Huaiyin City and burned Liu Bei's river ferry boats at the right time. Qiao Ting was also calm and composed in Zhou Yu's army. He successfully stopped Guan Ping and reminded Chen Wu to return. In addition, the two of them persuaded Zhou Yu to withdraw his troops, which was a great achievement no matter how you look at it!
Qiao Yan has always been willing to fight for benefits for his own people, so it is natural that he cannot just let them write their names in the family tree of the Qiao family in Leping.
However, what they have learned is more inclined towards quick-learning intelligence business technology. If they are asked to take up positions such as county governors now, it will do them more harm than good.
Qiao Yan thought for a while and said, "I have an idea and would like to ask Mr. Wenhe for advice."
Seeing Qiao Yan speak so seriously, Jia Xu couldn't help but become interested, "Your Excellency, please go on."
"I want them to find a position as a judge or a judge in the Ministry of Justice after they return to Chang'an. Laws, criminal justice, etiquette, and measurement all come from the Ministry of Justice, and there is a lot of information exchange between them, which is a good opportunity for them to learn and improve themselves."
"One of them is good at the overall situation, and the other is good at planning. Under the guidance of Mr. Wenhe and Mr. Wenyou, they have a unique way of analyzing details. They can also benefit a lot from the litigation and judgment cases in the Court of Justice. What do you think?"
"My Lord," Jia Xu smiled meaningfully, "you should not only choose a suitable environment for them to study in."
This was to take control of the Supreme Court, which was mostly controlled by cruel officials during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, into his own hands!
The power of legislation has been given to those who formulated the Five Punishments, but the power of law enforcement still needs our own people.
The combination of intelligence and criminal law will not be a simple reform!
But at the moment, perhaps only a few people who knew Qiao Yan's plan would realize this silent change.
For most people, the fact that Qiao Yan did not take the opportunity to ask for higher positions for Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting actually showed that he was not greedy for power.
But what the truth is will have to wait and see.
How could Jia Xu object to this?
Being able to reveal such inside information to him is already an absolute treatment for a confidant, and he will definitely do his best in the position of Qingzhou Governor.
After this conversation, Qiao Yan set off back to Yangzhou, accompanied by Zhou Yu.
The purpose of this trip back was, firstly, to put a perfect end to Sun Ce's funeral, and secondly, to pack up the four surnames of Wujun and send them to Yizhou.
In Qiao Yan's opinion, the ships from Jingzhou were still not able to withstand the wind and waves. In order to ensure that there would be no shipwreck or loss of life during this sea voyage, she specially ordered the ships that had once gone to Liaodong to return, which could be regarded as sufficient preparation for their return to their homeland.
But for the descendants of the four surnames in Wujun, who were about to be exiled to Yizhou, a place no different from the land of barbarians, this so-called security measure did not make them feel any emotion at all. They only felt that they were the biggest joke in Yangzhou.
Even if there was a high chance that he would get the post of governor of Yizhou, Gu Yong, as the leader, would not think that this was a favor from Qiao Yan.
But they will understand that the situation is stronger than people.
What qualifications do they have to confront Qiao Yan?
If the battle between the North and the South in Xuzhou was holding Qiao Yan back, perhaps they could put pressure on her in Yangzhou and force her to release them.
But since she triggered an all-out war in Xuzhou at an incredibly fast speed and defeated and captured Liu Bei with a dragnet, they had no chance!
As long as she could get people to stop Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's offensive to retake Xuzhou, she could use Xuzhou as a barrier to operate freely in Yangzhou, just as Sun Ce had done before.
In fact, because it has already gained sufficient experience in Liangzhou and other places, it is more adept at unraveling the situation and dealing with the constraints of various forces.
The news of the exile, along with the great victory in Xuzhou, reached the prison in Wu County before Qiao Yan did. For a moment, there was only deathly silence in the place.
But Qiao Yan probably wouldn't care about their feelings, as she was currently boarding a boat across the Yangtze River with Zhou Yu.
Maybe it was because he was exhausted from being trapped as bait, or maybe it was because Zhou Yu had to suffer the torment of having to make the decision between accepting Sun Ce's death and accepting certain positions, but he looked much more haggard than when Qiao Yan met him in Chang'an City.
Zhou Yu did not ignore Qiao Yan's scrutiny of him. He gathered his sleeves that were blown by the cold wind of early spring and replied, "Don't worry, Grand Marshal. The governor of Xuzhou will never be a sickly person. After I finish handling Bo Fu's funeral, I will get back to Xuzhou's government affairs as soon as possible."
In fact, if Qiao Yan had not wanted to win Zhou Yu's heart, he would not have even returned to Yangzhou.
At this moment, the news of the Xuzhou incident must have reached Yecheng. As Xuzhou was a place that was difficult to defend, it was bound to face an attack from Yuan Shao.
However, at the moment, there are still counselors such as Jia Xu, Pang Tong and Lu Su, plus a group of generals in Xuzhou, so they can't cause any trouble for the time being. It is better to let Zhou Yu go back to Yangzhou in person.
Zhou Yu was aware of Qiao Yan's special permission.
But when he looked at the river surface blown by the wind, he still felt a sense of loss.
The fact that Qiao Yan dared to let him return to Yangzhou so confidently to meet the rest of Sun Ce's generals and Madam Wu who arranged his funeral was enough to show that she might have played a role in pushing Sun Ce's death, but she was by no means the murderer who determined this outcome.
Sun Ce's decision to entrust Yangzhou to her was also a well-considered one.
Whether out of consideration for the future of the Zhou family in Lujiang, the inheritance of the late lord's last wish, or the assessment of the current situation, he should follow the path of the governor of Xuzhou assigned to him without any hesitation.
Perhaps the only regret is that Sun Ce did not have a good end.
But just like Liu Bei lost his right-hand man Zhang Fei in the battle of Xuzhou, there are not so many things in this world that can be achieved at the same time.
When the boat set sail southward to cross the river, he saw Qiao Yan leaning on the railing and looking out, saying with a hint of meaning: "Gongjin, look—"
"All rivers will eventually flow into the sea."
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