Realizing the significance of this, he exchanged a glance with his younger brother, his face showing a hint of contemplation.

Then he heard the person referred to by Liang Zhongning as “Mr. Yan” continue, “Since the chief now holds Puyang and harbors ambitions for all of Yanzhou, we cannot dispose of these powerful figures arbitrarily. While demonstrating force to them to prevent resistance is one aspect, utilizing their networks and influence for our own benefit is another.”

“Most dock masters have connections, even alliances. This head of the Tian family is likely no exception…”

Through the door, Qiao Yan’s voice was again very low.

Tian Tai didn’t catch all her words clearly, but he vaguely heard her suggesting some sort of demonstration of strength and allowing the dock masters to pay ransom for their people to appease them.

He also heard her mentioning hidden populations within the fortress, then her voice became inaudible.

The only good news for the Tian family was that they could at least live a little longer.

But ultimately, whether the Yellow Turban canal chief would act according to another’s words was entirely uncertain.

They couldn’t pin all their hopes on this.

Especially now that they were allowed to live, partly because the Yellow Turban chief, under the guidance of others, started considering the strategy of fostering relations, and partly because they believed there was still some remaining value in them to exploit.

How helpless!

The government’s anti-chaos forces were still trapped in Yuzhou, and who knew when they would be able to expel the bandits from Yanzhou.

Even they, the dock masters, couldn’t provide a definite answer.

In times of chaos, merely ensuring one’s survival was not an easy feat, let alone supporting others.

The so-called redemption was almost impossible.

At best, this reasoning was just temporary to deceive Liang Zhongning.

No matter how Tian Tai thought about it, this military adviser in the Yellow Turbans was indeed shrewd.

It was strange how he could be so sensible in places where confusion was expected.

As the elderly Tian’s were being escorted to Puyang City like commodities and inquired about news regarding Qiao Yan from the Yellow Turban soldiers, they felt increasingly surreal.

He was too young, and his background too mysterious!

In ancient times, there were the Twelve Geniuses of Gan Luo serving as ministers, so it wasn’t inconceivable for someone with extraordinary talents to be different from ordinary people.

Therefore, it wasn’t too difficult to understand how this military advisor could offer strategies to Liang Zhongning at the age of ten.

But hearing from these people that she was a disciple of Zheng Xuan—

That was perplexing.

The successive tragedies of the Party’s persecution indeed left many disappointed with the court, but it was unlikely that among this group of people, there would be someone like Zheng Xuan, a master scholar in the field of Confucian studies, let alone one who would teach disciples to support the Yellow Turbans’ plundering actions.

Ultimately, it came down to the reputation of the literati.

However, that young child, unseen but heard, not only calculated Tian’s intentions clearly but also restrained Liang Zhongning with a unique approach, which didn’t seem like something an average teacher could impart to their disciples.

Unfortunately, the Tian couldn’t get a reasonable explanation for this at the moment.

The only one who knew the mystery, the strategist system 068, observed Qiao Yan’s personal panel and noticed that her eloquence skill had upgraded from level 5 to level 6, which led it into contemplation.

It felt like this skill was shining brightly before it, indicating an unparalleled presence.

It even renamed the skill from “Eloquence” to “Heavenly Deception No.1”.

Furthermore, her physical stats had also been upgraded.

Now the display on the panel has changed to 35.

As for why it’s 35 instead of 34?

It’s because the rewards from the sign-in system on the first day were quite substantial, offering a permanent attribute point instead of a temporary one.

So, it granted a permanent attribute point of +1, which has now increased the constitution by +1.

This time, Qiao Yan doesn’t need to explain anything.

The system has conscientiously used Sima Yi as a standard and explained its host’s actions.

The system considered Cao Cao, who was still in Changshe, then glanced at its host, who looked radiant and refreshed because of being well-fed and rested.

It thought it best to keep quiet when unnecessary.

The host obviously had a strong mind and had not made any wrong choices so far.

The system even felt that her way of doing things was far from simply seeking wealth and danger.

Qiao Yan didn’t care what the system was thinking at the moment.

She sat in the ox cart specially prepared by Liang Zhongning, enjoying unique treatment among the returning convoy to Puyang City.

This greatly facilitated her actions.

The dossier materials she had scavenged from the Tian family’s study were also piled up in this cart and transported back.

She could peruse them on the way, finding some information not found in historical records but very useful to her now.

Although she could now be considered to have gained Liang Zhongning’s trust, and he seemed more inclined to win her over, Qiao Yan didn’t tell the system that when she initially said “dog-head strategist,” she wasn’t lying.

She had her reasons for choosing Liang Zhongning as her first choice.

This was not just about improving her personal environment.

Just as the battle at the dock fortress was just a trial, this delicate operation was only the beginning.

As the walls of Puyang City became faintly visible in the distance, Qiao Yan finally put down the bamboo scrolls and felt more confident.

But compared to Qiao Yan’s calm demeanor at the moment, Liang Zhongning was feeling much more frustrated.

Since he left, the defense of Puyang City had not slackened, nor had there been any local strongmen reclaiming control as in Dong’e County.

But now, at the outskirts of Puyang City, two new forces had emerged—those of Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, each with their own troops.

While the three parties did cooperate to some extent, there was also a lot of rivalry among them.

What particularly irked Liang Zhongning was that while the Han Dynasty typically addressed people by their courtesy names, Bu Ji often addressed him by his given name, only using “Liang” when others were present, showing a lack of respect.

What frustrated him even more was that despite escorting a batch of grain into the city to demonstrate his influence in deterring Puyang, Bu Ji attempted to directly take away thirty percent of it, citing the possibility of unrest among his men due to inadequate rations.

“Thirty percent? I’ll give him at most ten percent!” muttered Liang Zhongning.

This tug-of-war involved his reputation, which was different from using Qiao Yan for his own purposes.

So, he didn’t consult her on this matter.

This suited Qiao Yan just fine.

She had other things to attend to.

On the third day of their return to the city, while Liang Zhongning, Bu Ji, and Zhang Bo, the three canal chiefs, were gathered for a night banquet at the yamen, an unexpected guest arrived at the Puyang prison.

Liang Zhongning, persuaded by Qiao Yan, refrained from harming the Tian family members.

Instead, he temporarily detained them, citing the reason of demanding ransom from their kin in the future.

Of course, under such circumstances, it was obvious he wouldn’t provide them with good living conditions or food.

Although there were plenty of inns in Puyang City, Liang Zhongning didn’t want these people to cause trouble for him. So, he decided to lock them up in the prison.

The Tian family had never experienced such treatment before.

As a prominent local family in Yanzhou, even before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, they were often relied upon by the East County Governor for support.

From the county magistrate and the main scribes below the governor to even the Puyang County magistrate, all showed great respect towards the head of the Tian family.

But when faced with the unreasonable brutality of the Yellow Turban bandits, the situation was completely different.

Initially, they voiced some protest, but after the Tian family fortress was breached and the grain reserves fell into enemy hands, they lost even the last condition for negotiation.

After being locked up for three days and enduring hunger, they lost even more of their dignity.

The patriarch of the Tian family looked at his younger brother, who had been unusually silent since that night of strategic miscalculation, and at his son, who had initially been grumbling but now seemed much more mature after experiencing setbacks, and couldn’t help but sigh.

In this overly quiet atmosphere, his sigh sounded particularly clear.

At the same time, another sound became particularly pronounced.

It was the sound of footsteps approaching this place.

Tian Tai’s expression tensed as he looked towards the direction of the sound.

It’s not surprising that he was so nervous.

Since losing the barrier of the fortress, he couldn’t help but prepare himself for life and death situations.

Just as Liang Zhongning had previously mentioned “uprooting weeds,” Tian Tai also knew that no matter how much he cursed the decision in his heart, he had absolutely no power to resist.

He stared intently at the dimly lit corridor outside the Puyang prison.

As the footsteps approached along the narrow corridor outside the cell, a elongated figure was illuminated by the candlelight.

He initially thought it was a guard, but as the figure appeared before the Tian family, he realized it was rather short.

He immediately recognized that it was none other than the strategist who advised Liang Zhongning!

Only he would have such features!

His speculation was indeed correct.

As the figure came to a stop, the identity of the person behind the footsteps was revealed before him.

This was the first time he came face-to-face with this “hero” who had conquered the fortress.

Although he knew he was just a child of around ten years old, seeing him in person made him realize the shock that his age brought.

The lantern he held illuminated the darkness in front of him, as well as half of his face.

Despite the dignity evident even in his young age, it didn’t change the fact that he looked too small, nothing like someone who could compete with the leaders of various factions in Yanzhou.

Moreover, what was he doing here?

Everyone could see Liang Zhongning’s esteem for him, so it was natural for him to appear at the banquet where Liang Zhongning was showcasing himself to the other two canal chiefs, rather than in this prison.

He pondered this in his heart but didn’t speak it out loud.

The unexpected visit from the other party was most likely not to take his life, but rather to have a conversation with him.

In this case, how to start this conversation became the top priority.

However, as he deliberated, he preferred to wait for the other party to speak first. Yet, someone in this prison couldn’t sit still.

Tian Da, unlike his father and uncle, didn’t consider Qiao Yan any less important than Liang Zhongning.

He felt that this child seemed to be here to witness their plight!

Although he knew he wasn’t as prosperous as before, his inherent strong demeanor made him intolerant of being laughed at by a child.

He immediately stood up, grabbed the railing of the cell, and locked eyes with Qiao Yan, not too far away.

In that gaze, he met with a chilling look that made his spine tingle.

Fueled by his boiling resentment, he suppressed any signs of fear and asked loudly, “Since you have learned from a good teacher, why did you turn to banditry?”

The head of the Tian family felt a sense of impending doom upon hearing these words.

The phrase “turning to banditry” was a heavy accusation for anyone with abilities.

But Qiao Yan showed no signs of embarrassment or shame in response to Tian Yan’s questioning.

Instead, she revealed a smile, though not clear, enough for everyone present to see.

She calmly replied, “Why turn to banditry? For Yanzhou, for the Han Dynasty, and also for—”

She paused, then uttered four words that none of the people present had expected to hear.

“Loyalty and filial piety.”