Chapter 97 State...
"For a moment, I don't know whether I should envy them for having such cultural projects to relax their spirits, or should sympathize with them for having to have such pressure."
Seeing these soldiers still looking at the curtain with an unsatisfied look on their faces, Qiao Yan said to Guo Jia.
Guo Jia really deserves the title of genius as he can come up with such a clever idea.
But this is undoubtedly the best solution at this time.
These soldiers need spiritual comfort, so it is reasonable to include entertainment activities in the selection.
At the same time, they cannot really relax completely in this comfort. The entire team still needs to maintain sufficient morale.
How to ensure that this morale is maintained?
Previously, we could rely on healthy internal competition, but now we can try rewards.
But unlike material rewards, the rewards for rehearsing a shadow puppet show are more of a folk nature, tending to "leave a name in history."
This is really an amazing attraction for the lower-level soldiers.
Guo Jia replied: "Your Excellency likes to guess people's minds and act accordingly. I am just showing off my skills. If I can provide assistance to the Lord Qiao, it would be the best thing."
When he saw these soldiers walking back to the tent, even their backs showed their high morale, he guessed that he had done nothing wrong and couldn't help but reveal a smile at the corners of his lips.
The joy that came from seeing his own strategy work did not diminish in the slightest when Qiao Yan said the next sentence.
What she said was, "You are no longer fit to stay in the camp."
Guo Jia nodded and replied, "Indeed."
In fact, in the second match against Dong Min and Xu Rong, it was not just the centurion of the Tunqi Battalion whose name Liu Hong asked, but also Dian Wei who was able to shake a horse, and Guo Jia who replaced Qiao Yan in command.
But Qiao Yan told Liu Hong that Dian Wei had followed her for more than three years and only wanted to be her number one bodyguard. Liu Hong thought about it and felt that there was no need to take away someone else's favorite general.
As for Guo Jia, according to Qiao Yan, she selected a soldier from among the soldiers and learned the trick of commanding him, so she achieved such an effect.
What's more, in the subsequent battles against Han Fu and Ji Ling, Guo Jia played almost no role, which made Liu Hong believe this rhetoric.
But no matter what, in order to prevent Liu Hong from suddenly thinking of him again, and in order to avoid being further linked to Qiao Yan because of Guo Jia's contact with He Yong, he should reduce his presence at this time, or simply evacuate Luoyang City first.
"Of course, before you leave..."
"Don't worry, Lord Qiao," Guo Jia replied, "I will definitely complete what you asked me to do before I leave Luoyang."
Qiao Yan naturally had no worries about Guo Jia.
This is just the transmission of a message.
Whether the message can be delivered at the necessary time is not just a matter of Guo Jia's mediation.
And now she also has one thing she needs to ensure is accomplished.
Only under this prerequisite can the push behind it have the desired effect.
That is - defeat Cao Cao first, then defeat Jian Shuo!
The difficulty of the latter is not that great, but the former...
Cao Cao's talents in politics, military affairs and even literature were undoubtedly high. Even at this time, when he was still in the initial stage of the military's development and was facing military mutiny when he went to his hometown to recruit soldiers, and even though his capable subordinates who could be called brave generals had either been poached by Qiao Yan or had not yet gathered around him, Qiao Yan did not dare to underestimate him.
However, no matter how many strategies and calculations one has, if there is a clear gap in strength between the two sides, they will probably be of no use.
When Qiao Yan met Cao Cao before the duel, she knew from the look on Brother Meng De's face when he looked at her soldiers that he was obviously surprised that Qiao Yan's men could maintain such a high spirit.
Cao Cao felt that this was probably not his illusion. The way these soldiers looked at him was like a hungry jackal seeing a piece of fat meat.
Cao Cao, who didn't know the power of the broken chapter, thought that he couldn't show weakness before the battle, so he said to Qiao Yan: "Is it really not necessary to give you one more day to rest? You should know that I had a bye in the last game, so don't say that I took advantage of you in this game."
Qiao Yan replied calmly: "Meng De, have you forgotten a famous saying, 'The first blow is a great victory, the second is weaker, and the third is exhausted.' My soldiers have won consecutive victories and have maintained their skills from the last battle. How can we lose this battle? On the contrary, Meng De has to be careful. When fighting, don't hold back with your arrows. Don't blame me for offending you then."
Cao Cao shook his head and laughed.
Although Qiao Yan was young, he obviously had no intention of losing to others in this stage of verbal battles where people were exchanging harsh words to show off their strength.
When he was about to return to the other side, she even said, "I think Cao Zilian's horse is much better than Meng De's. Why don't you ask him to give you a fast horse so that you can avoid arrows and weapons."
Cao Cao waved his hand, "That's not necessary. A white horse is very conspicuous and will make it easier for you to find your target."
Cao Hong's horse was indeed worth a thousand miles and had outstanding strength, but such a good horse should be ridden by a general, so why should he ride it?
But for some reason, when the two sides were facing each other in formation, looking at Qiao Yan riding on the red sandalwood horse with such a heroic look, Cao Cao touched his chin and actually felt that he had lost a bit.
It seems like I really should get myself a new mount.
At this moment, he became more and more certain that the momentum of Qiao Yan's side was extremely astonishing, and it was definitely not his illusion.
This made him somewhat suspicious that the opponent might not choose a relatively stable style of play.
This suspicion was confirmed when he saw the opponent split into two teams and rushed straight to the left and right wings at the beginning of the game!
This is a strong attack!
Qiao Yan rode out on his horse and attacked the right wing directly. Although Dian Wei was unparalleled in infantry combat, he was not unable to ride a horse, so he made a detour and attacked the left wing.
She knew very well that in the face of our determination not to lose this battle, any safe approach to give Cao Cao the opportunity to adjust his formation would undoubtedly increase uncertainty for herself.
It’s better to take it by force!
Traveling through the Three Kingdoms era, who wouldn’t want to defeat Cao Cao? But how many people can truly say that they have a sure victory over Cao Cao?
Qiao Yan could only hear the whistling of the wind in his ears, and he couldn't tell whether it was the cold winter wind or the strong wind caused by the horse's excessive speed.
But perhaps her eyes at this moment were as sharp as knives, more aggressive than the cold wind.
She raised her eyes and looked towards Cao Cao's guard formation in front of her with a determined look.
Cao Hong was here with Cao Cao, and was indeed at least a second-rate general. But when Qiao Yan himself could be considered a general, even if he might not be able to defeat Cao Hong, he would definitely not be easily captured by him.
She and Dian Wei came out from the left and right, asking Cao Cao to make a choice -
Which route should Cao Hong defend?
If she could guard against Dian Wei, she would really do as she said to Cao Cao before the battle and shoot an arrow directly at his face.
If they could stop Qiao Yan, with Dian Wei's humanoid weapon in combat mode, how could these Northern Army soldiers stop him from dismounting and breaking through the formation!
What's more, in these two teams advancing side by side, everyone is hoping that he can establish more special merits than others and become a member of the shadow puppet show with independent lyrics.
When these emotions come together, they become a momentum that is enough to scare people.
They did have to act according to Qiao Yan's instructions, but if they could shoot their arrows more accurately and block the opponent's attacks more calmly, would they be able to gain higher honors in that special "reward based on merit"?
Maybe!
The cavalry battalion that advanced in front held shields and blocked the first wave of stray arrows. Leading the group that arrived later were the generals of the two waves of attacking flank teams.
In the gap in the shield in front of him, Qiao Yan clearly saw Cao Hong coming towards him under the arrangement of Cao Cao, while his troops followed him and retreated, intending to avoid Dian Wei's edge.
But when he made this move, the Hu cavalry battalion that was acting with Dian Wei turned their horses around without hesitation and rushed directly towards Cao Cao, as if they did not have to worry about Dian Wei's safety at all.
That was the signal initiated by Qiao Yan from the opposite side.
Almost at the same time as the signal was given, she swung out the long stick in her hand to block Cao Hong's attack.
"Cao Zilian, are you really not going to consider lending your White Swan to Meng De? I don't think he can outrun the Hu cavalry."
It is one thing for Qiao Yan to dislike the habits of the Hu people, but it is another thing to be aware of the abilities of these naturalized Huns.
Since the Yueqi Camp and the Tunqi Camp had already won the one-man show, they would never be lax in the slightest when it came to getting Cao Cao eliminated!
Cao Hong couldn't help but reply: "Is this the question you should ask at this time?"
Qiao Yan thought so.
Anyway, this is not a one-man show.
When Qiao Yan won the battle, Cao Hong touched the wound on his face and couldn't help but gasp.
"It's not that she's good at martial arts, but I never expected that after I smashed her weapon in two with one blow, she actually thanked me for my cooperation." Cao Hong complained to Cao Cao, "Who could have thought of that? When she faced Dong Shuying before, I could tell that she would not be using a normal spear, but a double weapon."
Cao Hong, who just thought he could defeat Qiao Yan, was suddenly hit by Qiao Yan with a stick that was broken into two pieces.
She was pulled off her horse by the cavalry who was cooperating with her.
It was almost the difference of one step ahead. Cao Cao's team was disrupted by the surprise attack of the Hu cavalry in Changshui Camp, and there was no other possibility for him except to be eliminated.
Cao Cao didn't feel depressed about being made a fool of himself. He patted Cao Hong on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's not too late for you to know now. Besides, you have put pressure on her."
Cao Cao looked in the direction of Qiao Yan and saw that she was still rubbing her palms and wrists. It was obvious that she was suffering from the recoil force from forcibly holding the wooden stick at the moment it broke.
Cao Hong was complaining to Cao Cao, and Qiao Yan was also telling the system: "Thank goodness I raised my physique level, but it looks like I need to raise it a little more."
The system was struggling over whether it should reply [You are a counselor] or [How did you defeat Cao Cao], but in the end it could only utter one sentence -
[It’s okay, the fight is almost over.] 】
What is this called? This is called self-cultivation of a qualified alarm clock.
At this time, all it needs to do is cheer for the host.
Just as the system said, according to Qiao Yan's own thoughts, after defeating Cao Cao, this so-called competition to select the General Du Liao can be considered officially over.
Who knew that besides the injured, there were more than 460 people on her side, and she was still in a very angry state.
No matter how strong and capable Jian Shuo was, he was only compared with other eunuchs in the inner court. He only made it to the top two positions because of his previous recommendation and byes, which did not mean that he really had the opportunity to compete with Qiao Yan.
When the two sides finally faced off two days later, although they were all men from the five schools of the Northern Army, there seemed to be clear differences between them.
This time, Qiao Yan didn't even need to take action himself. It was enough for Dian Wei to lead the team to advance steadily.
After all, Liu Hong probably didn't want to see the leaders of his eight Xiyuan schools looking too embarrassed because of being chased and beaten.
So, rather than saying this is a final, it would be more like an exhibition match.
Qiao Yan had no objection to this anyway.
She has demonstrated most of her ability to command troops.
It doesn't hurt to relax now.
She even paid some attention to look towards the high platform, and saw the emperor under the canopy, with his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
I think that after going through this long selection process, Liu Hong has already made up his mind about everything that needs to be decided.
Then today is the time to declare!
Let her see whether that is the result she has been waiting for since she came to Beijing in October!
Liu Hong did not notice that the leader of one of the two teams in the duel was distracted at this moment.
He was still struggling with his decision.
This is certainly not an easy thing to determine. Even though there were only nine people left after two rounds of screening a few days ago, it still requires some consideration.
Liu Hong was still very cautious in the assignment of the candidates for the General Du Liao and the Eight Captains of Xiyuan.
Where do the personnel under the command of the eight commanders of Xiyuan come from?
It is impossible for the five already established Northern Army schools to allocate manpower here, so the only option is for the captains and lieutenants who will take office later to go to the local areas to recruit soldiers themselves. 1
He must weigh the possibility of recruiting these people as auxiliary considerations.
It was precisely because of the above reasons that he was increasingly reluctant to allow the aristocratic relatives to extend their hands to this team.
For the same reason, although Cao Cao had the potential to become the General of Du Liao, he preferred to put him in the position of colonel.
The Cao family was wealthy, and this generation had many knights who were good at fighting. For example, Cao Hong and Cao Zilian, who were recruited by Cao Cao this time, were extremely brave. It was said that there was also Cao Zixiao, who was only twenty years old in his family, who gathered a group of young people of similar age and traveled between Huai and Si.
For Liu Hong, these were all talents that he intended to recruit into the Xiyuan Army's bag, so it would be better if he could get them all.
On the contrary, if he were allowed to go to Bingzhou, where the emperor is far away, there is no guarantee that a local family would not develop, which would go against his original intention.
So who should he put in the position of General Du Liao?
This person cannot be a reckless man like Ji Ling or Bao Hong, nor can he be a civil official who advises the emperor like Feng Fang or Xia Mou.
After excluding Jian Shuo, there was only one person left—
Han Fu.
Can Han Fu take on this responsibility?
Liu Hong thought about it for a long time and felt that it might be worth a try.
I think there is nothing wrong with Han Fu's bottom line.
He looks a little docile and gentle, which might make him too weak if he were placed in the position of other generals, but he is still okay as General Du Liao.
If he really couldn't fulfill his duty of attacking the Huns in the north, he still had Leping Hou to help him.
In addition, Han Fu was a man of great personal charm, and at least he could command a brave general like Qu Yi by his side, which could be considered as a way of restraining Qiao Yan.
By this calculation, he is quite suitable.
After removing Han Fu, there were seven people left. Liu Hong carefully selected one more person from the list outside the top nine, forming a team of eight people.
And these eight people——
These eight people are the ones he can entrust his life and property to in the future, and even...even the people he can entrust with the matters of becoming the future crown prince!
After he finished the list, he looked at it for a long time, added a few more items to it, and then he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though this last "exhibition match" was over and Qiao Yan won the final victory, Liu Hong walked out from under the twelve-layer five-colored canopy to the front of the stage with a calm expression on his face, but in fact, he was still very upset.
Fortunately, now is the time for the dust to settle.
Thinking of the result of this action, he couldn't help but be a little more excited, looking at the thirty-five people who lined up in front of the stage again...
etc!
Shouldn't there be thirty-six people?
"Let someone check to see if there is anyone missing from the stage?" Liu Hong ordered Zhang Rang.
Zhang Rang hurried to see who was missing.
It was difficult to see clearly from the stage, so he ran down the stage to get a closer look.
After confirming the situation, he ran back to the podium and reported to Liu Hong: "Your Majesty, Dong Min is not here."
Dong Min?
Liu Hong thought about it and decided that this person had nothing to do with what he was going to announce next, so he did not plan to postpone the announcement. He just waved to Zhang Rang, signaling him to go find the person.
He couldn't help but complain in his heart that this Xiliang guy really didn't take him seriously enough to dare to be absent at this time.
When he thought that Dong Min was recommended by He Jin, he felt more and more resentful towards He Jin, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he stood up and walked to the front of the stage, and slowly said, "Although I have gathered you here to select the Du Liao General, during the nearly one month of training and competition, I have seen that our Han Dynasty is full of talented people, and I think that only the Du Liao General is not enough to reward your talents."
"I intend to establish eight schools in Xiyuan, which will be directly under the emperor, and those with the highest ranking will be selected. Because there is unrest in all directions now, the eight schools can follow the emperor's will and quell the rebellion in all directions. This is the use of good talents."
He Jin, Yuan Shao and others who had received the news before were not surprised to hear the news at this time.
But for Cao Cao, this was indeed a pleasant surprise.
At first he thought that he had lost to Qiao Yan after all and would most likely return empty-handed, but who knew that Liu Hong would suddenly drop such a bombshell.
The idea of the Eight Schools of Xiyuan was conceived in the early years. Now there is indeed a formal selection process, and they have the opportunity to conquer all directions.
This is definitely much better than the position of counselor that Cao Cao had previously rejected.
The next moment he heard Liu Hong say: "Jian Shuo, Cao Cao, Ji Ling, Bao Hong, Zhao Rong, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, and Zhao Jin step out."
There's his name!
"I intend to appoint Jian Shuo as the lieutenant of the upper army, Cao Cao as the lieutenant of the middle army, Ji Ling as the lieutenant of the lower army, Bao Hong as the lieutenant of the commanding army, Xia Mou as the lieutenant of the left army, Zhao Rong as the lieutenant of the right army, Feng Fang as the lieutenant of the left army of the auxiliary army, and Zhao Jin as the lieutenant of the right army of the auxiliary army. These are the Eight Schools of Xiyuan."
Except for the fact that Jian Shuo was appointed as the captain of the upper army and the leader of the eight captains of Xiyuan, which made people feel it was a bit absurd, the others who were named were very satisfied with their respective arrangements.
The position of the Captain of the Central Army is second only to the Captain of the Upper Army. In fact, this was also the position originally held by Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao had no objection to this.
Among these eight people, Feng Fang and Zhao Jin, who were eliminated in the second round, have the least experience and are indeed suitable to be assistant military captains.
But in this case, among those who successfully entered the top nine, besides Marquis Leping, there is only Han Fu left?
At this point, everyone could guess what was going on. Han Fu straightened his back unconsciously when he saw that the eyes looking at him were full of congratulations.
As expected, Liu Hong continued, "Appoint Han Fu as the General Du Liao to supervise the military affairs of the Xianbei and Xiongnu. Don't let me down."
Han Fu was stunned by this pie that fell from the sky.
Although he had received a hint from Yuan that there would be extra benefits for him to participate in this selection even if he failed, after being defeated by Qiao Yan, he felt that his hope was slim.
However, he never expected that the position of General Du Liao was not given to Jian Shuo or Cao Cao, but to him instead.
He quickly bowed and thanked him, and replied, "I will never let your Majesty down."
Seeing his reaction, Liu Hong couldn't help but feel satisfied.
When he looked at the eight schools in Xiyuan that seemed to be able to provide him with support, he felt even more satisfied.
But when he walked back, he saw a eunuch whispering something in Zhang Rang's ear, which made Zhang Rang's face change suddenly.
This didn't seem like a good sign to congratulate him on achieving his long-cherished wish.
In particular, he vaguely heard the name "Dong Min".
Zhang Rang quickly leaned over to his ear and reported the situation to him truthfully.
"Is it true?" Liu Hong subconsciously clenched his ten fingers together, and a cold look flashed across his face.
"I've asked someone to check it out."
After hearing Zhang Rang's reply, Liu Hong calmed down a little.
No, it’s probably not that easy to calm down!
Because his majesty had not issued any orders, the newly appointed people in the audience had not left yet and were still lined up.
The flags are waving, and brave warriors are everywhere, with talented generals at the forefront.
Before he heard the drunken words that came up, he still felt quite proud and confident that he had the situation in his hands.
But at this moment, he was inexplicably filled with anger for being fooled!
What does it mean that Zhao Rong, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, Ji Ling, Han Fu and others are where they are today because they have the support of noble families behind them?
Liu Hong was already very unhappy with Dong Min's late arrival due to drunkenness, but what came out of his mouth was such earth-shattering news.
Even though the truth of his drunken talk has not yet been confirmed, just imagine what people say when they are drunk!
If Dong Min didn't really think of himself as a "victim", how could he, in his drunkenness and madness, even forget such an important matter as meeting the emperor today.
The more Liu Hong thought about it, the more he felt that this was very likely!
Think about what he did?
When he noticed that He Jin was interfering with the selection, he tampered with the order of the draw and instructed Qiao Yan, the quick knife, to eliminate He Jin's men one by one. However, it seemed that he was just leading a tiger to attract a pack of wolves.
If it weren't for the unexpected situation like Dong Min's, he would have been kept in the dark until he regarded these people as his trusted assistants!
"Investigate!" He squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, "We must conduct a thorough investigation. Find out everything these people did after entering Luoyang."
Don't joke.
His decree of appointment had already been issued, and it could not be withdrawn at least in a short period of time. Otherwise, he would lose his dignity as the emperor in front of tens of thousands of soldiers from the five schools of the Northern Army.
So even if the truth was really as Dong Min said in his drunken words, he could only swallow his anger and suffer this loss in silence.
Especially Han Fu, the General Du Liao, cannot be easily replaced.
Who made him fight under the banner of selecting General Du Liao this time!
The people below the stage had no idea what the king on the high platform was thinking.
From the gathering of people in mid-November to now, we have officially entered the middle of December, which is really not a suitable time for people to stand outdoors for a long time.
But for Liu Hong, the suffocating feeling of being fooled was no longer enough for him to care about so much.
He would not care about these soldiers who were supposed to guard the capital city. Not only did they play a game with him to select loyalists, but now they had to wait for the result here.
Due to the silence of this person in power, the entire venue was filled with an extremely depressing atmosphere. But because of this silence, people have no idea what caused this change.
He Jin looked in the direction of Liu Hong, but all he saw was the other person's tense and murderous face.
He couldn't help but frown.
In this state, it was obviously not suitable for him to offend Liu Hong.
He thought so, and probably everyone else thought so too.
The unbearable silence lasted until dusk, when a eunuch brought some silk to Liu Hong, and then there was a little movement from the platform.
Liu Hong reached out and took it. After unfolding it and looking at the words in front of him, there was a flash of anger in his eyes, but it was concealed because he immediately closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
He lowered his eyes and pondered for a long time before he suppressed the anger that was likely to be revealed as soon as he opened his mouth, and then stood up and walked back to the stage.
The setting sun cast a dim hue over the stage and the audience.
Liu Hong's shadow was stretched extremely long in the reflection of the setting sun.
Of course, he could feel the visible eyes of the audience falling on him, but he could also feel that there were some invisible eyes that were always watching his actions and were also lingering around him.
He suppressed the nausea that rose in his stomach from being held hostage by someone, and finally said, "I have a few more appointments to make this time, and I would like you to witness them."
If the people in the audience were given a chance to speak, they would definitely ask why he had to delay speaking until now if he really had any decision.
There is no one to stand here with him.
Even Liu Hong himself was kneeling there, and only these unlucky guys were standing.
But at this time when imperial power was supreme, they obviously could not have such objections and could only listen to Liu Hong continue speaking.
The emperor, who had no idea how many turns his mind had turned, continued, "Appoint Empress Dowager Dong's nephew Dong Chongwei as General of the Cavalry."
He Jin jumped up in surprise.
What does this instruction mean?
After Empress He poisoned Prince Xie's mother, Concubine Wang, Liu Hong went easy on Empress He at the request of the eunuchs and did not punish her. However, he sent Liu Xie to be raised by Empress Dowager Dong, making Liu Xie rely on the Dong family as his in-laws. Therefore, Liu Xie was also called Marquis Dong.
The rank of General of Cavalry was indeed not as honorable as that of the General, but it was also a position of real power, and was an invisible challenge to him.
This method of promoting relatives by marriage inevitably made He Jin feel that the rumor that Liu Hong intended to let the prince cooperate as his successor became more and more credible.
The name "Xie" was given to Liu Xie because he looked like him!
Before He Jin could calm down from his uncertainty, he heard Liu Hong say, "Marquis of Leping."
Qiao Yan followed the voice and stepped out.
Liu Hong looked towards her.
Of course he knew that what he was about to say would inevitably cause quite a stir, but whether he was desperate or forced by the situation, this was the best option he could make now.
At least Qiao Yan has this record of defeating all the heroes here, and he has also made many outstanding achievements in Bingzhou and during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It is not impossible for him to be given an extremely exceptional appointment.
Since there were not many people he could trust at this time, he could only let the one who was most likely to be isolated and loyal only to him take over the position in case of emergency.
Leping Hou...
Hopefully he didn't make a wrong decision.
"Order Leping Marquis Qiao Yan to be——"
"Pingzhou Mu!"
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