Chapter 287 Xuzhou Appointment
As early as when they were transferred from Leping to Chang'an, they had already discussed the mission they were called here for.
This was obviously not another act of letting them come to watch the ceremony.
After all, there is no plan for the New Year celebration in Chang'an City nowadays.
If there really is one, I think some clues would be revealed in the first draft of Leping Monthly.
But if it wasn't some trivial matter that came to them, it could only be a serious matter.
When they heard Qiao Yan mention the word "mission" to them in a particularly serious tone, it undoubtedly confirmed their judgment.
"Everyone, please sit down."
When Lu Lingju heard this, she immediately sat down with her box of lucky coins, and even secretly opened a crack to take a look inside. When she saw Qiao Yan's eyes looking at her, she immediately straightened her back and looked serious.
The next generation of military generals are also the female generals who are particularly valuable to her. They are now very energetic and eager to try. This makes Qiao Yan feel that there is no need to take the opposing remarks in the court today seriously.
These clowns, who are just as unable to see the situation clearly as the Qiao family of Yanzhou, will one day suffer the consequences if they still hold on to their noble manners and outdated cognition in the face of the tide of the times.
On the contrary, these students of Leping Academy, who are still children today, will replace those people sooner or later as they grow older and accumulate experience, knowledge and knowledge step by step.
Thinking of this, Qiao Yan smiled and said, "A year and a half ago, I assigned you a task. I asked you to imagine how to cross the sea with two fleets and 500 people to intimidate Gongsun Du in Liaodong. A year ago, you gave me this answer sheet as the result of the year-end assessment of the previous year."
Taking their ages into consideration, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and Sima Yi all completed the assignment independently, while Lu Yi, Guo Huai and Lu Lingju worked as a team, but the latter submitted two plans in the end.
In other words, a total of five sets of results were sent to Qiao Yan.
Seeing the surprise in their eyes, Qiao Yan continued, "Just because I didn't comment on the proposal you guys put forward at that time doesn't mean that this plan has to be shelved."
Shortly after they handed in their homework, there happened to be a solar eclipse, so the main task in Chang'an City was half to dispel rumors and half to prepare for last year's spring plowing.
In the view of Sima Yi, the oldest among the group, it was normal for Qiao Yan to temporarily give up the plan to seize Youzhou.
The abnormal weather since May was obviously not a good sign for sending troops.
The only pity for him was that he originally wanted to compete with Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong through the plan he submitted this time, but it was difficult to achieve because Qiao Yan temporarily put the matter on hold.
It seems that there is still a chance now?
Suddenly Pang Tong asked, "Your Excellency, do you mean to restart this matter now? But it's winter now, which doesn't seem to be a suitable time for sea voyages."
Not to mention whether it is suitable for sailing, at this time of year even the northern part of Bingzhou can be said to be as cold as a knife, let alone places like Youzhou and Liaodong.
Even if they had cotton clothes to keep warm, the soldiers who set out from Hailing, the garrison port of Xuzhou, would probably be frozen to death when they arrived there.
Not to mention whether it could have a deterrent effect on Gongsun Du, it would be considered a good thing if he was not surrounded by his soldiers.
By then, the purpose of intimidating Gongsun Du would not be achieved, but he would become a hostage to hold the prince hostage.
Wouldn't that be a huge joke!
"When did I tell you to leave for Liaodong right away?" Qiao Yan looked at Pang Tong and smiled, "I'll give you five months. From now until the end of May, you will all stay in Hailing temporarily. I want you to observe the situation in Xuzhou and Yangzhou this year and look for an opportunity to break the confrontation between Xuzhou and Yangzhou with the Huai River as the boundary, or to provoke a fight between Jingzhou and Yangzhou."
"Then at the end of May, he led Hailing's fleet to Liaodong to intimidate Gongsun Du. However..."
Qiao Yan paused, his eyes swept over these young men who seemed to be ready to set off at the next moment, "I hope you can make some adjustments to the plans you proposed back then based on what you have learned in the past year and a half, plus your on-site investigation in Hailing."
"You can make any changes to the specific number of ships and the number of people on board. This number must be reported back to Chang'an in February, and the strategy for sending troops must be handed over to me before May."
Hearing that another boundary had been opened, their faces showed even more joy.
Then they heard Qiao Yan say, "I want to remind you of one thing. For the deterrence plan from Hailing to Liaodong, I will only choose one from among you. In other words, the others will all be losers. If I were you, I might try to find another way to win, which is what I said before, to intervene in the battle between Yangzhou and Xuzhou."
For these young men who have just started out, the desire to win certainly prevails, but after carefully considering the meaning of Qiao Yan's words, Sima Yi's face flashed with deep thought.
By intervening in the war in Liaodong, all that could be achieved was to persuade Gongsun Du to serve as a detachment in the war in Youzhou, and then join forces with Zhang Liao in Shanggu County to achieve the goal of attacking Gongsun Zan together.
So, the commander-in-chief of this operation was Zhang Liao.
But what about Xuzhou and Yangzhou?
Zhang Yi, the governor of Xuzhou who was recognized by the Chang'an court, not only lacked personal ability, but also had an old grudge with Qiao Yan.
Considering the situation in Xuzhou, Qiao Yan could not settle old scores with Zhang Yi. However, since Xuzhou had not been unified and Sun Ce in the south was a powerful tyrant, she had to impose some restrictions on him. She also could not let Zhang Yi become the commander to recover the southern forces.
This event now seems to be a test for these young people. It should be called the external practice of Leping Academy, but in fact, it is also defining their future development direction.
Sima Yi's father and brother were already officials in the capital, but Sima Yi himself was not very interested in promotion in a conventional way.
Would it be a more appropriate choice for him to play a role on the battlefield in Xuzhou without appearing to be overstepping the mark?
However, they have not yet arrived in Hailing to see the situation on the other side in person. Just as Qiao Yan said, even the various plans they proposed need to be revised after arriving on the ground, not to mention the analysis of the war situation in these states.
He lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the brocade box in front of him which contained lucky coins. Although he did not speak at this moment, he had some thoughts in his mind.
Zhuge Liang then asked, "My Lord, do you think that sending so many of us to Xuzhou would be too conspicuous in the team?"
Although the students of Leping Academy have not yet taken up specific positions under Qiao Yan, some like Cai Zhaoji have already been considered graduates, but it does not mean that they have not had a name in other forces.
Especially for young people like Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, everyone knew that Qiao Yan valued them very much and would definitely entrust them with important tasks after they finished their studies.
Such a person suddenly appeared in Xuzhou, a sensitive place for power confrontation. It is hard to guarantee that people would think that Qiao Yan had other ideas about the war situation in Xuzhou.
Zhuge Liang's worries were not without reason.
Qiao Yan replied: "So I will not let you reveal your identity, but arrange a teacher to accompany you. In the way that teachers from Leping Academy lead students to travel and increase their knowledge, you will appear in Xuzhou."
"I plan to let Jia Wenhe be the teacher, but he won't give you any advice. He will only remind you when your actions are indeed biased."
"In order to ensure Jia Wenhe's safety, I will ask Taishi Ziyi to go with him. I think you know how to make good use of these two people."
Zhuge Liang stood up and saluted Qiao Yan: "Thank you, sir."
Jia Xu's identity was quite delicate to the Chang'an court. If he had assisted in handling affairs in Chang'an for a period of time and was then assigned to Leping Academy, where he was only responsible for teaching and educating people, it would have seemed like a natural thing to do.
The small-scale Huaihe River confrontation in Xuzhou is indeed more suitable than any other place for training new students and conducting a series of related teachings.
But Jia Xu's identity to Jiangdong is equally delicate, because he is very likely the culprit behind Sun Jian's death.
It was precisely because he made such suggestions to Dong Zhuo that Sun Jian died in Jingzhou.
It is almost impossible to say that Sun Ce had no resentment towards Jia Xu.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the students in these academies would not suddenly be without a teacher and to prevent Jia Xu from being killed by the little bully in Jiangdong, it was necessary to send someone to protect his safety.
Taishi Ci is now only a clerk in the Grand Marshal's Mansion. Ever since he escorted Bing Yuan from Liaodong to Shanggu, he has never had a chance to take action. Others' impression of him is at best -
He once served as an official in Qingzhou.
But in fact, Taishi Ci knew a lot about this place when he fled to Liaodong, and the Shenbi Bow Camp under his command had completed the modification of weapons and training on new weapons with the assistance of Ma Jun.
Their number may not be that large, but they will definitely have a huge impact on Liaodong!
This was another form of support Qiao Yan provided them.
She also used Jia Xu to divert the attention that might have been focused on them.
Whether they can make good use of these conditions depends on their abilities!
As a member of the new generation who is highly valued by Qiao Yan, if he is given such resources and still cannot fight a good enough battle, it would be a shame to the prince's expectations!
Seeing that Qiao Yan had finished speaking, several people stood up and left one after another. However, just as they reached the door, they heard Qiao Yan say, "Bo Yan, please stay for a moment."
Lu Yi stopped and walked back to Qiao Yan.
"You should know why I called you," Qiao Yan looked at the mature face of the young man in front of him and said, "Just now when I said I wanted to provoke a fight between Yangzhou and Jingzhou, your expression was a bit subtle. What were you thinking about?"
Lu Yi held his breath for a while before saying, "I'm thinking about the safety of the Wujun Lu family."
Compared with other noble families in Yangzhou, the Wujun Lu family was relatively friendly to Sun Ce because they saved his life. Otherwise, Lu Kang would not have helped Sun Ce guard Jiujiang.
Once Yangzhou and Jingzhou were involved in a war, Lu Kang would inevitably be affected.
Lu Yi went to live with his great-grandfather Lu Kang when he was young. To him, Lu Kang was not much different from his biological grandfather. Now, if he was assigned by Qiao Yan to go to Xuzhou and had some adverse influence on his grandfather, he would never forgive himself.
He knew that if Sun Ce was allowed to gain a foothold in Yangzhou for a long time, it would not only be detrimental to Qiao Yan, but would not necessarily be beneficial to the Wujun family. However, since it involved his relatives, he could not help but have some concerns at his age.
Qiao Yan saw Lu Yi's worries, shook his head and smiled, "You think too much. Ruqing is my right-hand man, and she is even keeping an eye on the various movements in Liangzhou for me. Would I do anything bad to her father?"
Lu Yi blinked.
In the past few years, Aunt Lu Yuan has been assisting Qiao Yan as the Liangzhou Beijia. Managing the Silk Road, handling the relationships with the Liangzhou families, and continuing to maintain cooperation with the Qiang people are all Lu Yuan's responsibilities.
This identity further proves her status as Qiao Yan's confidant.
How could Qiao Yan do anything bad to Lu Kang and turn against his confidant?
Thinking about it this way, Lu Yi felt that he seemed to be thinking too much.
Qiao Yan added, "Since you are worried that changes in Yangzhou will affect your grandfather, instead of thinking that it is inappropriate to go to Hailing to plot against Yangzhou, you might as well use your brain to think about how to minimize the impact of this trouble. Don't you agree?"
Lu Yi vaguely felt that he was being controlled by someone, but when he saw Qiao Yan's gaze, which did not seem like she was coaxing a child, he retracted his speculation and just nodded solemnly at her: "Thank you for your comfort, my lord. I know what to do."
Before he left, Qiao Yan said to him, "Ask Mr. Wenhe for advice. Although he won't tell you directly what to do, you will have many opportunities to communicate with him on the way to Xuzhou."
Lu Yi took this question seriously and regarded it as an assignment he needed to complete during this extracurricular practice.
Then, before they met up with Jia Xu and set off, they received another order from Qiao Yan.
Since the purpose is to increase the knowledge of those who have never been out and about before, it would be better for them to follow Zhang Yang's route to Hailing, entering Hanzhong first and then going down the river.
If possible, convince someone in Yizhou to go with them.
This man's name is Gan Ning.
Lu Lingju was full of curiosity about this special traveling route.
When leaving Chang'an, she and Lu Yi said excitedly: "Speaking of which, my father has never walked this road to Sichuan. I can show off to him after I return to Bingzhou. He always said that I still need two years to make achievements. Now it's all right——"
She rubbed her hands and said, "Should I choose Xuzhou, Yangzhou or Liaodong? This is really a difficult decision."
Lu Yi rolled his eyes slightly, thinking that in a sense, General Xiao Lu might be of the same kind as General Da Lu.
Anyone who can describe this three-pronged operation as like buying groceries is considered a talent.
Fortunately, he heard Lu Lingju say, "Don't worry, I won't do anything rash. You can command me to do my work. I am good at this kind of thing."
Taishi Ci, who was the bodyguard on this trip, particularly liked her outspoken nature, so he turned his horse's head, looked in her direction, and asked, "Do you want me to teach you two more archery techniques so that you can be more skilled in this fight?"
Lu Lingju's gaze first fell on the sword on Taishi Ci's arm, then looked at the heavy bow behind him, and finally fell on the magic arm crossbow hanging next to his horse, his eyes becoming brighter and brighter.
She felt more and more that she would definitely gain a lot from this trip, and quickly replied loudly: "Of course! Are you not afraid that I will learn all your skills and even take away your position as the leader of the Divine Arm Archery Camp? Then I must give it a try!"
Taishi Ci couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Good, you have ambition! You really want to be a general."
He threw the divine arm bow handed to him by his subordinate towards Lu Lingju, "Don't fire the crossbow yet. Observe the structure carefully. I will test you later."
Jia Xu watched this particularly harmonious scene, not knowing whether he should say that it was indeed quite comfortable to get along with someone who was a bit naive, but as for him...
He glanced at Sima Yi, who had been silent for a long time and rode up to him, and said, "Just say what you want to ask."
My Lord, you said I would take a long vacation to relieve the fatigue of working in Chang'an for the past year and a half, but this vacation is much more tiring than working on the job.
Don't believe her lies next time.
[Come to think of it, don’t you need to hand the character locator to them right now? 】Seeing Qiao Yan watching this group of people leave, the system couldn't help but ask.
At this moment, what Qiao Yan was holding in her hand hidden in her sleeve was the character locator that she had exchanged with the palace fighting system.
Qiao Yan's guess was indeed correct. The locator might be owned by other systems, but those had nothing to do with her. Anyway, the Palace Fighting System that she asked the system to find also had it. After hearing the bargaining chips she proposed, the other party decisively agreed to her transaction, but she did not choose the first two transaction conditions proposed by Qiao Yan.
Clothes and money may make her life smoother, but they are obviously not as reassuring as having a longer-term partner, especially when this partner has proven through her own experience that she is excellent in both intelligence and practical ability.
Therefore, the character locator is just one of the bargaining chips used by the other party in exchange for "career planning".
Subsequent transactions can be carried out after she unlocks more functions of the palace fighting system.
When the system asked her about her plans for the locator, Qiao Yan replied, "I still want to see what they think about where to go next. There's no need to rush to give it out. I also need to think about how to make people believe that this thing is not a miracle, but just a tool to help them complete their mission."
Is it feasible to say that this is Ma Jun’s new research product?
Just as Qiao Yan was thinking of this, she suddenly saw someone rushing towards her. From a distance she recognized that the person was from her Grand Marshal's Mansion.
When people got closer, they saw a hint of anxiety on his face.
Qiao Yan quickly asked, "What happened?"
The man replied, "Guo Changshi asked me to come and inform the Lord as soon as possible that there is a quarrel in the city."
Logically speaking, there was no need for Guo Jia to tell Yu Qiaoyan about this behavior which sounded like a quarrel, unless... the identities of the two people quarreling were not ordinary, and the content of the quarrel became particularly special because it was related to her.
"Who quarreled with whom?"
"Doctor Chunyu and...Ni Zhengping."
There is probably no need to say who this Doctor Chunyu is. Apart from Chunyu Jia, who thought that she should not delay the use of troops this year because of a natural disaster that had not yet occurred and questioned her in the court, there could be no one else who could be the one.
But why did he start a quarrel with Ni Heng?
Qiao Yan held his forehead and asked, "Nothing serious happened, right?"
The visitor was silent for a moment, then replied carefully, "Ni Zhengping scolded Doctor Chunyu so much that he vomited blood. Fortunately, the rescuers from Chiyang Medical College arrived quickly, and now the people are fine. Ni Zhengping is still standing there confronting each other... It shouldn't be a big deal. It's just that Guo Changshi said that the prince should go and say hello."
Qiao Yan: “…”
The first half of the sentence is already informative enough, and the second half is even more interesting.
The more she listened, the more she felt that the word "greetings" that Guo Jia had someone convey had a deeper meaning.
Is Fengxiao really not afraid that she will send Chunyu Jia to the hospital?
But despite thinking this, Qiao Yan still decisively replied: "Let's go and take a look."
She wanted to see what this madman Ni Heng could say!
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