Chapter 271 Where to Start
"The last time I passed through Chang'an was still winter." Qiao Ting lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out. What he saw was no longer a winter scene, but green millet and wheat in the fields, which were extremely prosperous.
Of course, she was not the same as when she traveled to Yizhou with Li Ru, but had changed into men's clothes.
It’s just that at this time she is no longer "Qiao Ting", but appears as a merchant as arranged by Qiao Yan.
In order to prevent the people of Qiao family in Yanzhou from being aware of her and her sister's identities, she could not use Qiao as her surname, and she could not put the words "Lan" and "Ting" together. So the two sisters took the surname "Huang", a big surname in Shu, one was Huang Yi and the other was Huang Ting.
Even if there were no outsiders present at this time, they had already brought themselves into a new identity, so they spoke in the official language of Yizhou.
Qiao Lan did not have the experience of going out like Qiao Ting did last time, but the strange thing was that when she saw her sister looking outside with the look on her face as if she was about to do something big, she did not feel too much panic about the long journey.
Even though Xuzhou, where they were heading, did not seem to be a peaceful place.
Even if...
When she and Qiao Ting left Shangjun, neither Li Ru nor Jia Xu gave them clear instructions on what situation they would face when they went to Xuzhou, and how they should intervene in the situation in Xuzhou.
For them, Qiao Yan's decision to send the two sisters to Xuzhou was a test for them, so there was naturally no need to give a standard demonstration of how to analyze intelligence and how to interfere, as was the case last time when Li Ru led Qiao Ting to Yizhou.
Their performance in this action was the basis for the two teachers to determine who was better.
This kind of relationship of both cooperation and competition made Qiao Lan's usually gentle face reveal a bit of ambition to show off her skills.
However, her face was now darker than before due to her deliberate walking in the cotton fields of Shangjun earlier, and her eyebrows were deliberately drawn thicker, making her look more like a young man with slightly gentler features.
The hot summer wind blew in from the carriage window that Qiao Ting opened. When she closed her eyes, the wind blew on her face, and the names related to Xuzhou appeared in front of her.
From Tao Qian to Lu Su to Chen Deng, and then to Zuo Rong who triggered Qiao Yan's reaction this time.
She would not make a final assessment of these people until she saw them in person.
It may be a good thing that Jia Xu and Li Ru did not guide them in any direction.
In this state of mind that was a bit nervous but not yet anxious, she opened her eyes again and looked at the wheat fields outside, and replied, "Guanzhong will definitely have a good harvest this year."
For the imperial court that had newly established its capital here, this harvest was particularly meaningful, and it was undoubtedly a guarantee for them to be able to make great strides in Xuzhou.
But before that, they still need to get a word from Qiao Yan.
Xuzhou was too far away from Chang'an. It was impossible for the armies of Bingzhou, Liangzhou and Guanzhong to reach Xuzhou through any long journey and connect with Yangzhou, which theoretically respected the Chang'an court as its main body.
In other words, it was impossible for Qiao Yan to control Xuzhou in a direct way.
It is precisely because of this indirect action, coupled with the fact that everyone in Xuzhou has their own plans, that all kinds of unpredictable developments may occur at any time.
Since information between Xuzhou and Chang'an could not be transmitted at any time, they did not have to get guidance from the two teachers, but they had to know the minimum goal they wanted to achieve from Qiao Yan.
No matter how difficult this goal is to achieve, they will try their best to achieve it during this trip.
After all, when they decided to take over Qiao Yan's intelligence network, they were no longer just Qiao Yan's relatives, but also her subordinates.
"I don't want you to interfere with the development of this situation through lobbying. Businessmen are businessmen, not counselors. This is my bottom line."
When Qiao Yan replied, he secretly took a look at the two sisters' dress and mental state, as well as the details of their expressions when they requested to pay a visit to the officials in office, and he couldn't help but praise them in his heart.
But she didn't need to praise this at this time.
If you want to do great things, it is better to set high standards.
Of course, Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting cannot change the minds of the people involved by directly analyzing the situation. If they do so, they can do so today, but they will have to face the risk of having their entire intelligence network exposed to the public tomorrow.
This is something Qiao Yan absolutely does not want to see.
At least before she gains absolute advantage and territory, her method of sending messages by carrier pigeon cannot be exposed.
Seeing Qiao Yan's serious expression, the two sisters, who knew the key points of the matter, nodded.
"In addition, I hope that the goal you achieve on this trip is—"
Qiao Yan paused here, and a look of weighing and evaluating flashed across his face.
Qiao Lan originally thought she would hear Qiao Yan say something like "Let Zuo Rong's Buddhism disappear from Xuzhou" or "Let Tao Qian and Zuo Rong enter a situation of mutual conflict as soon as possible", but she heard her say: "I want a port in Xuzhou to become our vassal completely."
Qiao Lan was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had misheard, but then he heard Qiao Yan say, "You heard right, this is what I meant. The vassalage I want is not a situation where the Mi family of the East China Sea controls the port and occasionally does business, but a port that is completely under the jurisdiction of the Chang'an court."
"As for how to achieve this goal, it depends on your ability."
The Xuzhou Incident was indeed a surprise to Qiao Yan.
According to her plan, she would not take any major foreign military actions before the natural disaster came.
But if this incident is handled properly, perhaps she can realize another special strategy.
The premise of this new plan is that she can leave a foothold in the huge city of Xuzhou.
If Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting cannot do this, it will not be a big loss for Qiao Yan overall, but if they can do it, she will have more possibilities for development.
Qiao Lan bowed to Qiao Yan and said, "Since this is what you want, we will definitely do our best to achieve it."
Qiao Yan added: "In addition, I will not assign any military officers or civil officials to assist you. Even if Bao Hong is already in Xuzhou, you cannot have any contact with him."
Previously, in order to test whether Bao Hong would be deceived by the existence of the Buddhist kingdom on earth, Qiao Yan's arrangement for him was just to meet the Mi family of the East China Sea.
Although there is a result now, Qiao Yan still does not intend to let him know the core auxiliary means of information transmission, nor does he intend to expose the identities of the two sisters to Bao Hong.
Therefore, he would not help the two sisters in carrying out actions in Xuzhou to prevent any unexpected complications. When necessary, he could even be used as a chess piece for them to push the chessboard.
Qiao Lan said, "That's fine. When the Lord was planning this intelligence organization, he had already made Guo Daxian his assistant to me and Ating. With his background as a Black Mountain bandit and the training he received after he was confirmed to join, it's more than enough to ensure our safety during our stay in Xuzhou."
"Besides, we have Sun Gongyou from Beihai traveling with us to check our methods and fill in the gaps. If we really arrange the Lord's right-hand man to accompany us, we will have to worry about whether our identities will be recognized."
You know, for someone like Tian Feng to be able to remain safely in the undercover position, it was only because of Qiao Yan's concealment of his identity in the early stages, as well as the changes in his appearance and temperament in the six months after he arrived in Chang'an.
Even though there are no photos or portraits to track these days, it is not uncommon for scholars to travel to various places, and there will always be some unexpected encounters.
Rather than taking such a risk, it is better to choose one less hidden danger.
"Hearing that you understand what you think, I won't say much. Do you have any other questions?" Qiao Yan asked.
Qiao Lan did not continue to speak, but Qiao Ting spoke up: "May I ask what your attitude towards Buddhism is?"
Because of the previous trip to Yizhou, Qiao Ting could barely see Qiao Yan's thoughts on Taoism.
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Taiping Dao was in a state of complete disorder, making it completely unusable. The only thing that could be done was to break the conditions that allowed it to confuse the people, causing it to go from being a state with many supporters to one that was divided into pieces.
The Tianshi Dao in Yizhou was a relatively stable organization from its doctrine system to its way of implementing doctrines. It was only because of its ambition to dominate one side that it stood on the opposite side of Qiao Yan.
Therefore, this kind of Taoism can be used by Qiao Yan under her control.
So, what about Buddhism?
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Jizhou in the past, her attitude towards Buddhism seemed to be relatively friendly. She even disclosed to the public what Zhang Jue had absorbed from foreign countries in forming his religious organization.
However, the Buddhism developed by Zuo Rong in Xuzhou was completely different from the state when it was introduced to China by Emperor Ming of Han. It had become a fig leaf for him to accumulate wealth and act recklessly.
Qiao Ting had not personally seen the sight of numerous pagodas in Xuzhou, and he could not understand why so many people were deceived by Zuo Rong's flourishing scene as recorded in the news sent back from Xuzhou. He could not understand why Tao Qian would allow such a thing to grow in Xuzhou.
Qiao Yan did not answer the question directly, but replied: "At a time when the world needs to be rebuilt, I hope more people know that instead of believing in such illusory things, it is better to believe that they can create a future with their own hands and feet."
She looked towards Qiao Ting and asked, "I think you saw it on the way to Chang'an, didn't you?"
The changes in Guanzhong were by no means limited to the death of Dong Zhuo, the reconstruction of the palace, and the addition of a new road.
When Qiao Ting and his sister fled to Bingzhou, a new situation had already been formed here for a long time, and at most there was a difference between it and Yanzhou.
But in Chang'an, I felt a new atmosphere after coming here twice.
This change was not because the emperor sitting at the center of the government changed from a child to an adult, but because of a real hope.
Qiao Ting replied, "I know what you mean."
If there is a chance, these unproductive hedonists should naturally disappear!
However, under what circumstances can the port that you mentioned be possible?
When Qiao Ting and Qiao Lan were leaving Chang'an City and preparing to head towards Xuzhou, he couldn't help thinking.
Just as she was immersed in her thoughts, the carriage she and Qiao Ting were riding in suddenly shook violently. She subconsciously grabbed the handrail in the carriage to maintain her balance.
The moment she sat down, she clearly heard the sound of horses neighing coming from outside.
They were probably afraid that there was another convoy or horse-riding team passing by outside, which happened to collide with their team!
However, the official roads outside the imperial capital Chang'an are so spacious that such a situation would never occur with ordinary driving methods.
She pushed open the window of the carriage and saw a group of cavalry riding away without paying any attention to the unexpected incident.
wrong!
Qiao Ting frowned.
This is not a cavalry procession.
Instead, the group behind was chasing the group in front, and because the two groups were wearing similar clothing styles, they looked like one group of people.
The next moment after she made this judgment, she saw someone from the team behind her turn his horse around, hand something to Sun Qian, and say a few words, then he caught up with the team that was continuing to move forward.
Seeing Sun Qian walking towards their carriage, Qiao Ting asked, "Gongyou, what happened?"
Sun Qian weighed the money bag in his hand and shook his head. "The leader of the front group is Prince Yang, and the ones chasing behind are the personal guards that the current emperor brought back from Youzhou."
"Normally, the apology should have been made to the person who was in charge of the caravan, but this person saw me riding a horse and was not of low status, so he directly sent the gift to me. However, he did not mention the identity of the person in front of him, I just happened to have seen him before."
Qiao Lan saw the scene clearly when Qiao Ting lifted the curtain. After hearing what Sun Qian said, he replied, "Perhaps it's to avoid conflict. I think ordinary caravans would not ask too much after seeing such a scene. Distribute the money to the followers on the side that was hit just now, as a way to calm them down."
Sun Qian responded with a "OK", and the matter was resolved.
But when Qiao Ting closed the car window, Qiao Lan couldn't help but say, "When the emperor was the governor of Youzhou, he was known for his simplicity and courtesy. How could he have such a reckless son?"
Since he is Prince Yang, he is of course Liu Yu's son.
After Liu Yu's eldest son Liu He died in Binhai Road, Liu Yang became Liu Yu's only son alive.
Logically speaking, his status should also rise.
But unfortunately, Liu Yu was not the type of person who liked to dote on his son, and the officials in Chang'an City only respected Liu Yu's character at most. So Liu Yang was disappointed when he arrived in Chang'an. As a prince, he did not receive any treatment that attracted many people. Instead, few people took him seriously.
You have to know that in Chang'an City, most of the older people are busy with the construction of various departments, and the younger ones are also looking for opportunities to come forward. Even if they go to Qiao Yan to recommend themselves, it is obviously much better than hanging out with Liu Yang.
Liu Yang also heard a statement today, which said -
I don’t know what confidence Prince Yang has in thinking that he is such a big shot.
Not to mention that the emperor himself is still in his prime and will not pass the throne to the next generation in a short period of time. Even if the time comes to pass the throne, one possibility is that the long-lost former emperor Liu Xie is found, and Liu Yu passes the throne again. Another possibility is to choose a person from the Han royal family who is worthy of the title of emperor in terms of both strength and character to succeed Liu Yu.
If this statement was just nonsense, perhaps Liu Yang, as the beneficiary of Liu He's death, would not be so angry.
But he knew his father's temper very well, and he knew clearly that this was indeed something that was very likely to happen.
It was because of this rage that he rode his horse recklessly today, with others following behind to clean up the mess.
This might be a piece of news that will be suppressed quickly, but the people who were disturbed by him probably won't forget this first impression in a short time.
Qiao Ting also felt that this person's performance was indeed not like something that Liu Yu could teach, but think about it, wasn't Xuzhou, where they were about to go, the same?
Although Tao Qian acts conservatively now, he had a strong hand in his early years. However, his sons Tao Shang and Tao Ying are both weak-tempered and are not as good as their father.
The brothers Tao Shang and Tao Ying are now forty years old, but neither of them has entered officialdom. It is obviously not because their father wants to temper their children's character, but because Tao Qian has realized that his two sons are indeed not suitable for officialdom.
Every family has its own difficulties, that's how it is.
She replied: "Perhaps this is a good thing for you, my Lord?"
The position of Da Sima is very special.
Now that Liu Yu is in power and the world is still in turmoil, her existence as the Grand Marshal is inevitable and will not be criticized for the time being. However, once a capable and young person comes to power, the Grand Marshal will become a thorn in the side.
Liu Yang's unstable mentality and weak strength effectively avoided the possibility of the Grand Marshal being purged and having his power seized when the throne was passed on.
After all... he doesn't have that ability.
"It's too far to think about these things now." Qiao Lan said, "Rather than worrying about this person, it's better to think about where to start when we get to Xuzhou."
According to what the Lord said in his reply to Mi Zhu, Mi Zhu agreed to go to Guangling after Zuo Rong offered inducements to Bao Hong and invited him a second time, but he only agreed to participate in the Buddha Bathing Ceremony and was not in a hurry to commit to the rest.
If Zuo Rong only wanted Guangling County, then whether Mi Zhu entered the scene would not affect Zuo Rong's actions. When the Qiao sisters arrived, there would probably be some action in Guangling or in the officialdom of Xuzhou.
If Zuo Rong had big ambitions, Mi Zhu's brief tug-of-war performance would have been a way to win his trust, and it would have provided him with a short preparation period.
This is also the best opportunity for the Qiao sisters to take action and seek benefits for Chang'an.
However, this period is not unlimited, so they must choose an entry point early.
Whether this entry point can be developed will indeed have to wait until they arrive in Xuzhou and conduct a second round of evaluation, but it is better than being confused by several counties after arriving in Xuzhou.
Qiao Ting replied, "Sister, what you said is right, but... our trip to Xuzhou is both for cooperation and competition. Why don't you and I each write down what we want to do on paper and then compare notes with each other?"
Faced with her sister's provocation, which was just to entertain herself along the way, Qiao Lan said nothing and took out a pen and paper from the small cabinet in the car.
The two sisters wrote down their answers on the paper without hesitation and then raised them towards each other.
The words "Chen Deng" were written on the piece of paper given to my sister Qiao Ting.
Chen Deng, the commander of the agricultural department of Xuzhou, was from the Chen family of Xia Pi.
On the paper of elder sister Qiao Lan was an unexpected name——
Zhang Yi.
The former governor of Bingzhou was Zhang Yi.
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