Chapter 357 Is He a Han Minister?
"They came as fast as thunder, and left a trail of power when they left..." Zhang Zhao couldn't help but sigh as he watched Qiao Yan and others boarding the ship with their horses.
Perhaps because of the sense of security emanated from this prince, her decision not to bring any generals with her on her return trip to Sili did not arouse any objection from others.
In short, when she returns to Luoyang, she will be able to join up with Zhao Yun who is stationed there, so it doesn't mean she has no elite soldiers and generals to deploy.
Wen Pin, who had returned to Yangzhou from Jingzhou two days ago to obey Qiao Yan's orders, was placed under Zhang Zhao's command and ordered to garrison in the southern part of Kuaiji County, keeping an eye on the changes brought about by Yu Ji and Zuo Ci's arrival in Jiaozhou.
This is a very straightforward decree.
She wants to plot against Jiaozhou!
If she had suddenly revealed such an intention before Qiao Yan and Zuo Ci's meeting on the river bank, Zhang Zhao and others would have had to persuade her to put the remote place like Jiaozhou aside for consideration.
Not to mention that Jiaozhou's subordination could not possibly influence the war situation in the Central Plains, the still complicated situation in southern Yangzhou and the disaster of clan bandits in southern Jingzhou would inevitably bring her all kinds of troubles.
If we focus our attention on Jiaozhou, the governor of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin, who has already established a deep-rooted influence of the Taoist sect here, and the power of the Shi family, which consists of three prefects, make it impossible for outsiders to easily interfere here.
But with the roar of thunder, Zhang Zhao felt that nothing was impossible.
What made him even more fortunate was that Qiao Yan was now his superior, so the residual influence of this existence that she called dynamite left in Yangzhou would undoubtedly make it easier for him to get his jurisdiction here on the right track.
The Shanyue who surrendered in Fuchun territory would not be the only force affected by this incident.
The people of Yangzhou who once believed that Yu Ji's talisman water had the ability to cure diseases and save lives will believe that the medical team dispatched by Qiao Yan to Yangzhou has better capabilities as a result of Yu Ji's retreat.
Similarly, those who believe that Zuo Ci possesses unfathomable powers would also believe that Qiao Yan possesses abilities far more miraculous than Zuo Ci's, and that he could dig out the Shanyue forces that used to be able to easily hide in the mountains.
After the autumn harvest, when the method of besieging the roads and forcing people out of the mountains came in handy, the Shanyue forces, which had been helpless under Sun Ce's governance, would sooner or later be able to find a solution.
When Yangzhou becomes regularized in this way, can Jiaozhou, which borders it, really remain unaffected?
I’m afraid I can’t!
When Qiao Yan passed through Jingzhou, Liu Biao received another commission from Qiao Yan.
"In the past, because of Sun Wentai, Zhu Gongwei occupied Changsha County in Jingzhou, blocking the connection between the north and south of Jingzhou, causing the clan bandits in the southern part of Jingzhou to be a problem for many years. Now, I have asked Your Majesty to issue a transfer order for him in the near future and transfer him to Chang'an to serve as an official."
Seeing that Liu Biao was still somewhat uneasy, Qiao Yan couldn't help but wonder if she had frightened Liu Biao too much.
She could only continue, "At the end of the Zhongping year, Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling counties were in chaos to the point of the Guanhu Rebellion. But now that you, the governor of Jingzhou, have become powerful, you don't need me to teach you how to quell the clan bandits."
Liu Biao, who was able to come up with the plan of riding alone into Jingzhou after removing the obstacle of Zhu Jun in Jingzhou, was by no means a mediocre person who could not deal with such problems.
However, Liu Biao hesitated for a moment before asking, "You don't need to send anyone to help me quell the rebellion?"
Qiao Yan glanced at him, seeming to be too lazy to reply.
But this was enough for Liu Biao to hear the subtext in her performance.
In the southern part of Jingzhou, there can only be small-scale separatist forces, just like the situation of Shanyue in Yangzhou.
If even in a situation like this she had to send generals alone to help quell the rebellion, then what was the need for Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou?
He might as well go to Chang'an as soon as possible to meet his eldest son Liu Qi!
She only said after Liu Biao had asked and answered the question: "You reminded me. Among your generals, let's not talk about Huang Zu. Although he didn't have much strength, he was forced to the position of Yuzhang Taishou. He deserved to die at the hands of Bofu. But Huang Hansheng and Wen Zhongye under your command are both rare talents in the world. One is currently helping Yuan Yaoqing to defend Yingchuan, and the other is transferred to Yangzhou to take up a post. Your manpower..."
Seeing that Qiao Yan was about to ask whether Liu Biao's men should be withdrawn so that he could complete the task of unifying Jingzhou as soon as possible, Liu Biao quickly replied: "Don't worry, Grand Marshal, just let them stay in Yuzhou and Yangzhou."
They have all been loaned out, if he takes them back now, wouldn't it seem like he is insincere?
It’s better to continue working under Qiao Yan.
Qiao Yan smiled, "That's good."
She was quite satisfied with the firm answer she received from Liu Biao.
Since Huang Zhong and Wen Pin had been sent out by Liu Biao, there was no need to think that she would send them back.
After all, Liu Biao’s surname is still Liu.
Even though he has wisely chosen the safest way to survive at this moment, if there really comes a day of confrontation, it will be much easier to deal with if he has fewer capable generals under his command.
Liu Biao didn't know what Qiao Yan was thinking. He just felt that being appointed made him feel much more comfortable than having people passing through his territory all the time.
After Qiao Yan went north to Nanyang, turned to Yingchuan, and entered Luoyang from Huanyuan Pass, he immediately discussed with Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others about recovering the southern part of Jingzhou.
However, when Qiao Yan just returned to Luoyang, Guo Jia heard Qiao Yan talk about the arrangements for Liu Biao, and immediately realized that the meaning behind her action was also not simple. "Your Excellency has left Liu Biao with a huge problem..."
Ever since Changsha County took root in Jingzhou, the only part of Jingzhou that Liu Biao could actually control was the northern part.
As a result, the clan bandit forces in southern Jingzhou have long been more than just independent in the past few years. For example, the forces of Cangwu County and Nanhai County in Jiaozhou have frequent contacts with the clan bandit forces in Guiyang and Lingling counties.
The Governor of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin, seemed to be living far away in the borderland, but in recent years Qiao Yan's intelligence personnel had discovered that he was a very ambitious person.
If we look at his resume before he became the governor of Jiaozhou, we will find that he had already held a high position in the General's Mansion as early as when Emperor Ling of Han entrusted General He Jin with an important task.
In the sixth year of Zhongping, when the scholar forces intended to initiate a purge of the eunuchs, Zhang Jin once became Yuan Shao's lobbyist to persuade General He Jin, and then he went to Jiaozhou to serve as the governor of Jiaozhou.
Even though he seemed to be seeking enlightenment and self-cultivation all day long, he still sometimes overstepped his authority and interfered in the territory of Jingnan.
Originally, Liu Biao was intercepted by Zhu Jun and maintained a non-interfering relationship with Zhang Jin in Jiaozhou. But now, he has to be in a state of being neighbors with the other party.
This kind of friction occurred at the same time as Yu Ji and Zuo Ci from Yangzhou entered the territory of Jiaozhou. No one could predict what the result would be.
"Although Liu Biao is wary of me, in terms of commanding ability, the three Zhang governors combined are no match for Liu Jingsheng. There are two reasons for xenophobia in remote areas: one is that the superiors are tyrannical and extortionate, as was the case with the former Yizhou governor and Jiaozhou governor. Another reason is that the ability is not enough to match the position. Zhang Jin is the latter."
Qiao Yan entrusted Zhu Tan to his subordinates to take and feed him, and then walked towards the direction of Luoyang government office. "Anyway, there will probably be something interesting to watch in this area adjacent to Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou."
Guo Jia smiled and said, "I thought you would first pacify Jizhou and Qingzhou in one fell swoop, but I think your plan now seems to be different."
Qiao Yan asked back: "Why, Feng Xiao, do you think we have a chance to send troops this year?"
There was a hint of seriousness in her tone when she asked this question, and Guo Jia couldn't help but straighten his face.
Considering their record of occupying Youzhou last year and taking Xuzhou this year, is it possible for them to take down the Yecheng court in one fell swoop by relying on the situation that they have surrounded Yuan Shao's territory from the north and south?
From the perspective of being Qiao Yan's subordinate, emotionally speaking, Guo Jia hopes so.
But in fact, probably not.
It is not that Yuan Shao cannot be defeated, but it is impossible to let this battle start in February and end in March like the battle of Xuzhou, with almost no delay in farming this year.
Just looking at the fact that Qiao Yan had placed Qu Yi, the General of the Eastern Expedition, west of the Taihang Mountains, and Lu Bu and others in Zhuo County of Youzhou north of Jizhou, and that there were subordinates such as Ma Chao and Yan Yan in Xuzhou, and that there was another seafaring team in Liaodong, and that the troops and horses in Luoyang could cross the Yellow River and march towards Henei County at any time, it seemed that she had this opportunity.
But warfare can never be weighed in this way.
If you think about it further, you will find that the situation is not as optimistic as it seems.
The number of targets that Qiao Yan can attack is decreasing year by year, which means that it is difficult for her to make a sudden breakthrough and catch people off guard as she did in the previous battles of Yizhou and Youzhou.
This year's weather is still bad and the disaster situation is still bad, which means that a considerable portion of the grain reserves in various places still have to be used for disaster relief and helping the people.
Hebei is not Yizhou. With the relocation of the imperial court in Yecheng, the population density here is not low.
If Qiao Yan fails to achieve his goal in one go, he will most likely face a troublesome counterattack.
Yes, Qiao Yan still has secret weapons like explosives in his hands, which may be able to bring an end to the war as soon as possible.
But when it comes to large-scale combat, where to use it first and which generals will control it is still a matter that needs to be discussed.
Rather than launching a war that would be too costly for them, it would be better for them to slow down and give the stage to others.
Besides, Jiaozhou is a place...
Jiaozhou, which seemed to have no firm stance, had a governor who was an old acquaintance of Yuan Shao. Isn't this also a kind of taking sides?
Promoting changes in the borders of Jiaozhou was a warning and interference to Yuan Shao!
"Let's focus on the governance of Sili for now. Whether to send troops to Jizhou this year will depend on the agricultural situation this year," Qiao Yan stepped into the gate of the government office and saw Xun Yu, who had rushed over after hearing the news, bowing to her. She then said, "In addition, Ling Zilong will go with me to Hulao Pass tomorrow. Whether to send troops or not is not the case, but this meeting with Cao Mengde cannot be postponed any longer."
As she spoke, she had already walked to the study, sat at the head of the table, and said, "Wen Ruo, tell me about Si Li's situation in the past month."
Xun Yu was indeed a very qualified internal affairs official.
When he met Qiao Yan, her conversation with Guo Jia had come to an end. All he heard was that Qiao Yan seemed to have other goals to achieve and decided to temporarily postpone the attack on Yecheng. However, he did not make any additional inquiries on this issue in order to express his own suggestions, but continued to follow Qiao Yan's words.
During the period of the sudden changes in Xuzhou and Yangzhou, there was no war or friction between Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Sili. However, as Luoyang began to further accept disaster victims to settle there last year, and there were signs of a disaster this year, a large number of people still migrated from the surrounding states to Luoyang.
As many as 40,000 people were relocated between January and March this year alone.
Forty thousand people...Whether they moved back because of the reconstruction of Luoyang or fled from the disaster, it is difficult to confirm as the household registration system has been in chaos in recent years. This undoubtedly brought great pressure to Xun Yu.
After March, the speed of migration will slow down significantly as most people devote themselves to farming, but they still have to face the pressure of reclaiming wasteland in the capital area.
With more people, what we face is more than just an extra group of mouths to feed.
When materially poor people gather in one place, there is no guarantee that crimes will not occur. The peak incidence of diseases from winter to spring can easily turn into large-scale epidemics as people become less careful about their lifestyle.
This is really thanks to the fact that the laws in the Sili area had already been implemented by the professional team assembled by Qiao Yan in the first year of Jian'an, and the medical staff of Chiyang Medical College have been working here in shifts since last year. In addition, Xun Yu made comprehensive arrangements, which prevented Luoyang from becoming disordered by this sudden population shock.
But even so, when Qiao Yan heard about the number of new inmates in Luoyang prison, he couldn't help but be stunned.
"More than 700 people?"
Just the month she was away?
But when she thought about it carefully, she found that if this number was applied to the population of hundreds of thousands in Henan Yin, it could indeed be explained.
"Land disputes, theft, and fighting are the three most common causes of crime," Xun Yu explained. "Your Excellency has the heart to educate the people, but judging from the current situation, there is still a long way to go."
Qiao Yan lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "I will petition the emperor to transfer Wei Boyu from Youfufeng to Hongnong. Chen Yuanlong has already succeeded as the governor of Henan. Then, I will order Chen Changwen to form a judicial team and rush to Luoyang to assist you with household registration and legal matters."
If Wei Ji, Chen Deng, Chen Qun and Xun Yu are unable to properly govern the right half of Sili, then that is the problem of her as the commander.
"In addition..." Qiao Yan said, "Luoyang can no longer accept people without restraint."
The decision she made on the spur of the moment made Xun Yu swallow back the words of advice he was about to say.
Seeing that Qiao Yan did not show any reluctance when he said this, and was obviously maintaining a sufficiently calm attitude between gains and losses, Xun Yu could not help but soften his tone.
"Yes, if this were an ordinary festival, the income from farming in Luoyang and the sideline business brought by the trade routes would be enough to support such a large population, with each doing their own job and having their own land. However, during this disaster year, although the princes have made some plans for the digging of Sili canals and deep wells, and the land and farmland have greatly increased due to farming methods, the population that can be accommodated in a short period of time is still limited."
This is not even a problem of insufficient talent under Qiao Yan's command, but a problem of the carrying capacity of the land itself.
But this also creates a problem.
Xun Yu asked with some concern: "But if these people are turned away, it will hurt the popularity of the court in Chang'an and the reputation of the princes. I think..."
How to turn this lack of restraint into something regulated? It seems that it is not a situation that can be closed by relying solely on Qiao Yan's regulations.
But facing this rather thorny problem, Qiao Yan was obviously not that worried. She raised her eyes and revealed a meaningful smile, "Wen Ruo, look, isn't this why I want to meet Cao Mengde?"
Everyone thought that the reason she went to meet Cao Cao this time was to use her friendship with Cao Cao to win him over to her side.
But to be honest, Qiao Yan had already reached a conclusion based on his intuitive judgment as to whether Cao Cao would change his position after the meeting at Hulao Pass.
cannot!
Absolutely not!
If he could really change his position in this way, he should have taken advantage of the incident in Xuzhou and directly chosen to send troops from Yanzhou Dongjun to Jizhou Weijun and attack Yecheng directly.
There was no way Yuan Shao could have made effective defense against this ally's attack in such a hurry.
As long as Cao Cao can kidnap the emperor of Yecheng and hand him over to Qiao Yan, unless Yuan Shao immediately supports another member of the Liu clan who can stand on his own feet, the situation of the world being divided into two will change immediately.
Unfortunately, Cao Cao did not.
Regardless of whether he had any hesitation in choosing his position at this moment, all he did was to do as Guo Jia told Yu Qiaoyan. After entering the Sili territory for the meeting, he asked Chen Gong to go to Yecheng to meet Yuan Shao on his behalf.
This is already a straightforward subtext.
This means that he will never switch sides in a short period of time, and it is obvious that he will not successfully stand on her side just because Qiao Yan informed Cao Cao about the first appearance of the explosives in Yangzhou, or because she used all kinds of threats and inducements during the talks.
So, instead of doing this futile thing, why not make use of this agreement at Hulao Pass to make it more practical?
For example, taking advantage of this meeting to reach a special deal so that we can get through the fourth year of Jian'an smoothly.
Xun Yu bowed to her and said, "Your Excellency, I appreciate your opinion."
If she really did as Qiao Yan said, what she had to do was to appear to have suffered a loss, but in fact let Cao Cao take action to restrict the flow of people to Luoyang.
It's true, even brothers have to settle accounts clearly, let alone they are just friends!
When Qiao Yan arrived at Chenggao, Cao Cao and his entourage Xu Chu, Cao Chun and others had already been waiting outside Hulao Pass.
When Cao Cao received the news that Qiao Yan had arrived and would meet him tomorrow, even though he was sure that she would never break her promise, he couldn't help but feel complicated after receiving this news that almost hit the agreed timeline.
The horrifying scene on the banks of the Fuchun River in Yangzhou had not yet been spread to the north by those who had witnessed it and reached Cao Cao's ears. All he knew was that Qiao Yan, in his personal trip to Yangzhou and Xuzhou, had once again put a result that ordinary people could hardly achieve in front of everyone.
As early as when he and Chen Gong agreed to postpone the alliance with Yuan Shao, he had been deeply alarmed by the battle situation. However, when he truly realized that the person who achieved this result was only a pass away from him, it was difficult for Cao Cao to have the relaxation of meeting a friend.
Moreover, this meeting was definitely not like the one Shen Ting would meet with only two people and two guards.
This was not a private meeting.
Cao Chun looked at the tea table within their sight from afar and felt a toothache.
The tea table was two hundred steps away from the city wall of Chenggao Hulao Pass. Several crossbow carts were mounted on the city gate and were facing the direction of the tea table. The garrison soldiers holding strong bows and crossbows were also keeping a close eye on it, as if they could shoot countless arrows in that direction if the situation changed.
Isn't it the same on their side?
They were also only 200 steps away from the tea table, and had bows and crossbows ready to fire, which made the meeting 100% fair.
In such a tense situation, perhaps the only two people who could remain relaxed were the two people attending the party.
Almost at the moment when the Hulao Pass gate was opened, Cao Cao borrowed Cao Chun's mount on the pretext that "your horse runs faster" and rode towards the tea table.
Opposite to them was the woman in black riding a horse towards them.
Who else could it be but Qiao Yan, the Grand Marshal!
If anyone looked towards both ends of the meeting place, they would only see the military formations facing each other in opposition. But if anyone looks at this central meeting place, they will feel that it is just like a gathering of old friends on a spring outing.
Because when Cao Cao got off his horse and walked to the table, the first thing he said was "Why isn't it strong liquor?"
If he remembered correctly, the alcohol ban had already passed.
But on this table prepared by Qiao Yan's side at Hulao Pass, the aroma of wine wafting from the jar when the jar was opened was obviously not some kind of strong liquor produced in Bingzhou.
But... "Pea wine?"
Cao Cao didn't know whether he should say it or not. In a sense, Qiao Yan was being kind by not taking out milk tea to deal with him again, so as to avoid another joke of having only milk tea instead of wine during the meeting.
Qiao Yan slowly poured the wine from the jar into the wine bowl and replied, "The lifting of the alcohol restriction order does not mean that strong liquor can be used at any time. The means of brewing wine have at most improved due to the medical use in the past two years, which has reduced consumption. Compared with ordinary alcohol, it is still a luxury. I am willing to use it to treat diseases and save lives, but I am reluctant to use it to entertain enemies."
When the word "enemy" came out, Qiao Yan said it frankly, and Cao Cao should also be frank. He smiled and said, "Yes, enemies, it's okay to treat them with plain water, let alone bean wine."
Just looking at the environment of this meeting is enough to make people judge whether this is a reunion of friends or a battle of the enemy.
In the current situation, it is obviously the latter.
In other words, one can still hear a hint of reminiscing in the tone of these opening remarks.
Cao Cao then heard Qiao Yan say, "I first arrived in Leping eleven years ago, and made my first fortune by trading wine with the Wang family in Taiyuan. There were also some special wine recipes that were figured out by Mr. Zhicai, who pretended to be a drinker at the time. One of them was this pea sweet wine."
"There is still some market for wine fermented from peas this year. It is normal to protect against drought and locust plagues at the same time, so it is customary to plant beans among other crops. I think Cao Yanzhou can also give it a try."
"Qiao Bingzhou is here to discuss with me about this year's market situation?" Cao Cao asked.
The names Cao Yanzhou and Qiao Bingzhou replaced the original names Meng Dexiong and Ye Shu, which were not necessary in this situation where no third person could hear their conversation.
I don’t know if it was to maintain the seriousness of the conversation, but both of them agreed to this mode of address.
Qiao Yan shook his head, "Of course not, it was just to explain that I had no intention of treating our enemies with contempt."
"If I must, I'm here to talk to you about Han Xin's leadership of the army."
Seeing a trace of doubt on Cao Cao's face, Qiao Yan explained, "I mean, how is the drought this year? I have already shown my attitude in the types of wine and drinks used to entertain guests. In this disaster year, Luoyang is open to the outside world and welcomes refugees from all over the world in order to save more people, just like Han Xin recruiting soldiers. The more the better. I hope Cao Yanzhou will not stop me. This is why I came to see you today."
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "So it was Han Xin who led the troops. You are still playing by your own rules as always."
Who would express their covetousness towards the people around them in this way!
At least before Qiao Yan, Cao Cao had never heard of anyone doing this.
But this obviously did not seem strange to Qiao Yan, and she continued to ask, "So, what does Cao Yanzhou have to say about this?"
Cao Cao lowered his eyes and looked at the pea wine in the cup in front of him. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Does Qiao Bingzhou want to emulate Han Xin?"
Seeing Qiao Yan was slightly stunned, Cao Cao asked the second question: "Han Xin - is he a Han minister?"
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