In this era, wine was usually around 25 to 26 degrees in alcohol content, even the strongest didn’t exceed that.

But the barrel Qiao Yan just tossed him was definitely much stronger.

He looked at Qiao Yan, wondering if he had been too boastful and had now received a punishment from her.

“Heroes deserve strong wine; what’s wrong with that?” Qiao Yan raised an eyebrow.

That was indeed true.

As Lu Bu took another sip, feeling the burn like fire going down his throat, he realized that only such strong wine could match the bold spirit of the people of Bingzhou.

He could only think that Qiao Yan hadn’t warned him in advance, nearly causing him to embarrass himself.

Little did he know, Qiao Yan was considering how to balance promoting him while also keeping his pride in check, preventing him from becoming too arrogant.

But after a battle, it wasn’t the right time for any harsh actions, so she decided to give him a taste of this strong drink instead.

This was truly strong liquor.

Earlier, the method of fermentation with nine rounds of added ingredients had optimized the wine production for the Wang family in Jinyang, and Qiao Yan still retained some brewing skills in Le Ping.

Now that she had established a workshop in the mountains with enough manpower, she could start experimenting with different things.

One of those was alcohol.

Before developing the distillation technology to a certain level, they were still producing distilled spirits.

With the introduction of distilled liquor, sorghum wine was also on the agenda.

This crop, which came through the Silk Road, was only planted in small areas in Bingzhou, but its importance for distillation was undeniable.

This was the strong liquor Lu Bu was holding.

Qiao Yan sat down on the training ground and pointed at the wine in Lu Bu’s hand, saying, “I only left this one barrel here before we set out from Yanmen, as a reward for the most outstanding achievement in this campaign. You should finish it!”

Only this one barrel? He had to drink it all, even if it meant gritting his teeth!

But it made sense that a liquor with 70 to 80 degrees of alcohol was considered the strongest.

Even Lu Bu, who prided himself on being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, was now at risk of being defeated by this one barrel.

Qiao Yan waved her hand to have Lu Bu carried away.

Then she pointed to the scribe in the camp and said, “Make a note for Lu Fengxian: one barrel down at the victory banquet.”

Laughter erupted across the training ground.

If Lu Bu had known this would happen, he probably? should have chosen to share the drink instead.

However, Qiao Yan wasn’t planning to sell the sorghum wine; she was waiting to continue experimenting with alcohol or using the strong liquor for disinfection.

Besides Lu Bu, no one else would receive such treatment for a while.

Qiao Yan raised another jug of wine prepared by Guo Yan and called out, “Everyone, I’ll keep it brief today as well.”

“We won’t return until we’re drunk!”

This phrase was indeed short, but for the celebrating soldiers, it was the perfect rallying cry.

After a month of marching in the northern frontier, the youthful look on Qiao Yan’s face had faded, revealing a sharper demeanor that commanded respect.

However, to the soldiers of Yanmen, this sharpness only deepened their sense of camaraderie, marking their shared journey together.

“We won’t return until we’re drunk!”

As the young governor raised the wine jug, silhouetted against the darkening sky, the flickering campfire made her seem like the brightest light among them.

“Let’s drink together!”

This was the glory of victory!

By the time Lu Bu finally managed to sit up with a pounding headache, it was already noon the next day.

Upon hearing that Qiao Yan had rushed back to the prefecture, he froze in place.

Fortunately, someone had brought a message from Qiao Yan, telling him to remain in his position as the deputy in Yanmen until she reported their achievements to Luoyang and received a response.

Lu Bu immediately sprang up, energized by the news.

Qiao Yan did not deceive him!

Regardless of whether he had fully recovered from his hangover, he grabbed his spear and began patrolling the Great Wall, his enthusiasm unwavering even in the face of overgrown grass and dilapidated walls.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yan was already busy drafting the memorial to be sent to the capital.

However, she needed to carefully consider how to word it.

When she requested permission to send troops, she rounded up the number of soldiers going outside the borders.

Now, to maximize her interests, she needed to adjust and consolidate some information in her battle report.

For example, she had previously thought about the “tribute” issue.

So, in her official document, she wrote:

To avoid being discovered by the Xianbei scouts, she chose to cross the Yin Mountains from Baidao Pass and killed the Xianbei noble Fulohan at Saiyin Mountain, sending his severed head as proof.

However, during her expedition, she didn’t have the luxury to carry lime to preserve the head.

Even though the northern region is cold, by this time, Fulohan’s head was already in a bad condition.

Presenting this trophy was important to show Liu Hong her stance, so she had to send it.

She continued by noting that the time taken for her journey to the Xianbei royal court far exceeded that spent directly attacking Saiyin Mountain.

Of course, that was true in terms of distance, but how Liu Hong would interpret it was another matter.

He might think she got lost for a while and had to embellish her words a bit, which was fine.

This also allowed her to have some leeway for her next expedition.

Next, she mentioned the battle results:

In their “ten-thousand” strong army, they killed 4,000 Xianbei frontline soldiers at Saiyin Mountain and caused chaos at the Duoluo River, resulting in about 2,000 Xianbei casualties.

The previous Xianbei Chanyu’s son escaped to Liaodong, while the current Chanyu, Kuitou, was seriously injured and died.

With this show of strength, the Xianbei would definitely not dare to invade the border this year, ensuring a stable winter.

If necessary, she could undertake this again next year.

[During this raid, they plundered 8,000 Xianbei cattle and sheep, with 5,000 herded in Baidao and 1,000 as rewards for the soldiers.]

In reality, that 1,000 was meant to be used as fertilizer from the remains, but Liu Hong didn’t know this.

Including the cattle and sheep grazing at Saiyin Mountain, the total came to 8,000, which sounded more impressive.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why she only brought back this much.

Holding her pen, Qiao Yan looked at the more powerful and persuasive characters on the parchment in front of her.

She then wrote:

“In the battle at Saiyin Mountain, the Officer Lu Fengxian of Yanmeng County fought bravely and killed Fulohan.

He deserves a great reward.

Upon hearing his name, the Xianbei are filled with fear.

Please allow him to become the Duwei of Yunzhong County, and establish defenses at the military route to guard against Hu enemies, appointing him as the commander of the gates to secure the mountain pass.”

This was her promise to Lu Bu.

Finally, she added some formal words:

“I am honored to return victorious and grateful for the heavy responsibilities entrusted by Your Majesty.

I wish to inscribe the words ‘Imperial Majesty’ on a stone tablet to showcase Your Majesty’s authority in the borderlands.

I respectfully submit this report.”

After finishing the report, Qiao Yan sent it quickly to the capital, and it soon landed on Liu Hong’s desk.

…….

“Baidao River…”

Liu Hong murmured the name mentioned by Qiao Yan.

Given his perception of Bingzhou as a wild area, he couldn’t imagine how much grain could be produced if the land were cultivated.

He also followed Qiao Yan’s idea that since they were launching troops from Baidao Pass, it would be wise to establish a stronghold there as a warning to the Xianbei.

If it was for this reason, Liu Hong had no reason to reject her proposal for a fortified post.

The Duwei title was just a simple reward he could approve without much thought.

In fact, he was more than pleased!

After receiving Qiao Yan’s letter, his joy outweighed any surprise.

The achievements she reported weren’t earth-shattering, especially compared to General Wei and General Huo’s northern campaigns or General Dou’s actions in Yanran.

Qiao Yan had only delivered a strong blow to the Xianbei, preventing them from recklessly invading.

Even compared to Taiwei Duan, Qiao Yan’s actions seemed less ferocious.

However, when compared to the ongoing rebellions in Liangzhou and Youzhou in April of the fifth year of Zhongping, Qiao Yan managed to disrupt Xianbei forces while also handling internal affairs in Bingzhou, proving herself as a remarkable governor.

This undoubtedly confirmed that Liu Hong’s decision from last year was completely justified.

Qiao Yan was indeed the most suitable candidate to take over the position of Governor of Bingzhou!

As spring progressed and Liu Hong’s health slightly improved, he couldn’t help but feel the illusion that he might live a few more years.

Thus, he decided to delay the selection of a trusted regent for Liu Xie, thinking that Qiao Yan, with her sharp skills in Bingzhou, was now striking at the Xiongnu, which was a good sign for his own ambitions.

What was wrong with her wanting to build a new city at Baidao River?

He examined the report for a long time, pleased with Qiao Yan’s calligraphy skills and her progress.

In the harsh environment of war, her bold strokes reflected her strong spirit.

Great!

She was truly one of his trusted officials.

He didn’t believe that the warming weather was just a surface phenomenon, while deeper, dangerous ailments lay hidden within him, hard to treat.

Instead, he ordered his attendant to prepare ink and began drafting an official decree.

This decree would reach Jinyang in a few days.

Within a month of Qiao Yan’s departure from Bingzhou, many matters had already been arranged during the winter, and capable officials were managing the affairs smoothly.

The only unusual thing was that she had become the core of this team.

Even Jia Xu, who usually preferred to be lazy in his position, noticed the unusual atmosphere in the governor’s office during her absence.

He even felt a bit out of place without her guidance.

Fortunately, the governor returned safely from the expedition, and although no one in the governor’s office expressed overly emotional words, their concern for her was evident in their actions.

What touched Qiao Yan the most was that Cheng Yu had been exemplary in handling logistics.

Except for the reports that required her approval, he had cleaned up everything else.

Before the imperial envoy arrived in Bingzhou to announce the decree, Qiao Yan even found time to visit the fields to ensure that the improvements in fertilizers and farming tools were truly making a difference in agricultural production in Bingzhou.

This time, the decree was issued by Bi Lan.

When he saw Qiao Yan being invited back to the governor’s office with some straw in her hair, he couldn’t help but think of the dragon-bone cart she had asked him to develop, smiling a little.

This Marquis Qiao truly was exceptional.

Her earlier promotion to the position of Marquis of Le Ping wasn’t a coincidence, and now with the emperor’s new decree, it was clear her standing was solidified.

Knowing that Qiao Yan was now viewed as a trusted official by Liu Hong, Bi Lan displayed a friendly demeanor and began to read the decree.

“Governor of Bingzhou, Qiao Yan, listen to the command—”

This sudden decree caught Qiao Yan completely off guard.

She had thought all she needed was a simple approval from Liu Hong, never expecting that even her modest battle achievements would turn out to be the only good news Liu Hong received this year.

Because of this, Liu Hong had to publicly show his appreciation.

It was a recognition that was significant but not overreaching.

“In accordance with heaven’s will, you are hereby appointed—”

“On the seventh day of April, fifth year of Zhongping… decree for Governor of Bingzhou, Qiao Yan.”

“Considering your defense against external threats and internal strife, you wield your weapons against the Hu and Rong tribes, demonstrating great courage and strength.

Though young, you possess military ambition.

Despite insufficient troops and challenges ahead, I expect you to wholeheartedly govern and eliminate external difficulties.

Therefore, you are hereby promoted to General Suppressing the Rebels. Respect it!”

Qiao Yan looked up, her expression a mix of astonishment.

A general title!

Even if it was a minor title, with many others above her, in this time when such titles were still rare, it was undoubtedly a significant honor!