Qiao Yan’s understanding of Huangfu Song was limited to a few sentences recorded in the Later Han Book, and her understanding of Zhu Jun was also limited to his life.

Before making this move, she had thought about how to ensure that what she said would leave a deep enough impression on them.

She might not be able to give a perfect answer, as everyone’s judgment of others’ actions is inevitably subjective.

But she could give an answer that would score over ninety in the context of the Great Han Dynasty.

“Filial piety.”

This is an answer that cannot go wrong.

Up to now, excluding Liu Hong, who is still on the throne, and Liu Xie, who is still called Donghou and will succeed to the throne as Emperor Xian of Han, there are a total of seventeen emperors in the two Han dynasties who have the word “filial” in their posthumous titles, with the only exceptions being the founding emperors Liu Bang and Liu Xiu.

Even Emperor Wu of Han was posthumously named Xiaowu Emperor.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Han Dynasty engraved the concept of filial piety on the throne.

And this is not just something that is only put on the slogan of “governing the world with filial piety.”

In addition to tax exemption, giving silk, and conferring titles, the most famous way the Great Han Dynasty promoted talents was called the selection of Filial and Incorrupt.

And coincidentally, both Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, one from a noble family and the other from a humble background, were both selected as Filial and Incorrupt.

In the Great Han Dynasty, where the culture of filial piety was deeply rooted in the people and had a profound influence, whether one’s filial piety was sincere or just a show in form was something that did not need to be delved into.

What Qiao Yan had to do was to use the rules to earn herself an excellent early resume.

As she stood up and met the eyes of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, she could be sure that she had completely bet right.

“Both loyal and righteous, bold and courageous, and commendable filial piety,” Zhu Jun sighed.

What undoubtedly caught his appetite in Qiao Yan’s words was the word “parents,” which did not leave out any.

He lost his father at an early age, and it was his mother who raised him.

He was able to be selected as Filial and Incorrupt by the Governor of Kuaiji because of his diligent care for his mother.

One more word in Qiao Yan’s words resonated more with him.

If he and his mother were caught up in the chaos of the Yellow Turbans, causing his mother’s death, would he be willing to risk his life to eradicate the Yellow Turban bandits as much as he could?

Perhaps.

Zhu Jun looked at Qiao Yan with even more appreciation in his eyes.

After hearing what Huangfu Song said, he confirmed that Huangfu Yizhen’s thoughts were probably similar to his own.

But because Huangfu Song, from the background of his family, was closer to Qiao Yan, the words he said should be more inclined to be friendly and teasing: “Didn’t you say yesterday that there was no need to kill these surrendered Yellow Turbans?”

“These are two different matters,” Qiao Yan replied. “Not killing these rebellious Yellow Turbans is because the general still needs to make a final push and go north to eliminate the bandits. Killing people at this time is meaningless in terms of intimidation, and secondly, the population of the two states is exhausted and declining after the chaos, and many of the Yellow Turbans are blind followers of the ignorant people. Killing them is of no benefit and will only make it more difficult for the two states to recover and restore production.”

Huangfu Song nodded, indicating for Qiao Yan to continue.

When he was in the capital city of Luoyang before, he had heard from Qiao Xuan that his eldest son was not particularly talented in political matters.

In addition, Qiao Xuan did not accumulate much wealth when he served as Grand Commandant, nor did he have the idea of buying a good official position for him. I

nstead, he let him sit in the position of magistrate of Rencheng, which was a way to protect him.

But now, it seems that what Qiao Xuan said about not being particularly talented might not be the same as what he understood as not being particularly talented.

If it weren’t for the guidance of far-sighted elders above, Qiao Yan would also find it difficult to have such skills at such a young age.

Fortunately, this disaster of the Yellow Turbans did not cause such a young and talented youth to die prematurely.

Qiao Yan continued, “But Bo Cai is different. He knew that my father’s carriage was not of the common people’s style, but belonged to an official, yet he still let his subordinates attack, leading to my father’s death.

This person has no fear or respect for the Han court at all, and should be dealt with according to the law. If one is overly lenient and lenient toward this person, it will truly be as General Zhu said, allowing the people to commit rebellion with confidence.”

Yes, this person should be executed,” Huangfu Song agreed with her.

“I, Qiao Yan, do not seek the credit of killing BoCai in battle. This time, being able to capture him relies on the strength of the warriors from Chenliu. General, your decisive order to surround and capture him is only to use his head to fulfill filial piety.”

As if sensing the indulgence in Huangfu Song’s words, there was a bit less tension on Qiao Yan’s face.

She paused, then spoke in a slightly softer tone, “This matter does indeed disrupt military order, but I think His Majesty’s wish is simply for peace throughout the country, for the people to be safe at home, to fulfill their filial duties, and to uphold their virtues. Even if it is written in the military report, I think His Majesty will not argue with me or with you, General?”

With this slight step back, she revealed a bit of a childish nature, causing Huangfu Song to involuntarily stroke his beard and laugh, “Of course not! In ancient times, there were sayings about using a fan as a pillow, carving wood to serve one’s parents, and springs overflowing with jumping carp, but they pale in comparison to your heroic act of defeating the Yellow Turbans in two provinces with just a few words. I will definitely submit a memorial to the Emperor after the military campaign in Jizhou. You can take Bo Cai’s head, but…”

Huangfu Song’s pause and turn weren’t about any additional conditions; he simply asked, “What do you think about the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou?”

Qiao Yan didn’t feel that using Liang Zhongning as a tool for so long meant she had any responsibility for his safety.

There was no sense of guilt either.

But during her time in Yanzhou, she had some understanding of him.

At least when he occupied Puyang, he didn’t engage in the reckless behavior of attacking Juye.

He could still be saved.

She replied, “General, you might as well bring him along and let him see the end of the Yellow Turbans. Most of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou still have some trust in him. If we can change their minds, it might be useful.”

Huangfu Song wasn’t really concerned about Liang Zhongning’s life or death. What pleased him more about Qiao Yan’s words was not “it might be useful” but “let him see the end of the Yellow Turbans.”

This descendant, who undoubtedly had foresight and adaptability, believed that the Yellow Turbans would be defeated sooner or later.

Wasn’t this a great confidence in Huangfu Song’s ability to rely on to pacify the bandits and establish his achievements?

He laughed heartily, “I’ll follow your advice!”

As Qiao Yan stepped out of the temporary command post in Changshe City, she felt a sense of relief that most of the dust had settled.

Last night, after breaking the Yellow Turban camp, she had said she would visit after things were cleaned up, but she didn’t actually stay in the Yellow Turban camp outside the city.

Instead, with the help of Cao Cao, she found a place to stay in Changshe City.

Now that she had the opportunity to enhance her reputation again from Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song, she was not in a hurry to return.

Instead, she walked leisurely back along the same path.

This was not an era where firearms were used, and the siege of Changshe had been short-lived, so there was no need to dismantle houses to fill in gaps in the city’s defenses or to eat tree bark to fill the food shortage.

As a result, in Changshe City, after just one night, it seemed that there were no traces of war.

Yingchuan, huh…

“Why is it strange that when you went to see Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun today, you talked about your own affairs, yet you still gained strategist points?” the system muttered.

Qiao Yan wasn’t used to responding in her mind before; she mostly replied verbally. But now, being in Changshe City, surrounded by complex people, she had to be more cautious.

She replied in her mind, “Because Huangfu Song has already decided to launch a surprise attack.”

After temporarily staying last night and getting a space for privacy, Qiao Yan checked the system panel.

She wasn’t too surprised that she didn’t receive any strategist points for the defeat of the Yellow Turbans in Yanyu.

Although her initial camp was Han, she had previously joined the Yellow Turbans, helped Liang Zhongning to break the fortress, and later merged with the Yellow Turban forces.

Given that she had already received rewards from the system, there was clearly a default “defection” setting.

A bug couldn’t be stuck, and because of this, while she was still defaulted as a “Yellow Turban military adviser in Yanzhou,” the defeat of the Yellow Turbans by the Han army couldn’t be considered her achievement.

But she didn’t leave the system empty-handed.

The system had previously told her that triggering the strategist achievement could also earn strategist points.

Very luckily, there was a default achievement in the list called “Defeat a Force with a Plan after a Mistake,” which could be achieved by a foolish strategist causing the demise of their own force due to a decision-making mistake or by an outstanding strategist assisting their lord in defeating an additional force through decision-making.

Of course, the former, unless in a situation like Qiao Yan’s, sounded a bit sarcastic.

As for why previously instructing Dian Wei to kill Bu Ji and Zhang Bo and promote Liang Zhongning couldn’t achieve this achievement?

Qiao Yan thought of a reason for this.

The internal merger of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou could only be considered a change in leadership of the team, not a defeat.

But at this moment, when they were defeated by the Han army led by Huangfu Song, there was undoubtedly no longer any mention of “Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou.” The judgment of this achievement was reasonable.

The reward for “Defeat a Force with a Plan after a Mistake” was 30 strategist points, corresponding to 3 skill points, 9 attribute points, and a scroll of basic formation called “Eight Gates Golden Lock.”

This was already a considerable gain!

Today, when Qiao Yan mentioned using Bo Cai’s head to pay respects to her parents, it was equivalent to a “switching sides” move with a clear path.

Coupled with Huangfu Song’s decision to use a surprise attack strategy, which was inseparable from Qiao Yan’s contribution, she received the subsequent settlement.

This action, which had been risky from start to finish, had yielded pleasing results, which couldn’t help but delight Qiao Yan.

With these skill points and attribute points, she could do much more.

For example—

Riding.

This wasn’t a skill that could progress rapidly with short-term training.

Her talent in this area wasn’t enough to catch up with marching speed through short-term contact with horse riding.

Unlike her own strategic planning, Qiao Yan didn’t mind taking a shortcut in this matter.

If she couldn’t master riding without falling behind, Huangfu Song might not agree to let her catch up with the marching team tomorrow.

It was highly likely that he would choose to send her back to Liangguo after she used Bo Cai’s head as a blood sacrifice in Dingtai.

But since she had joined the struggle of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it would be a pity not to witness the decisive battle of the Yellow Turbans with her own eyes!

Moreover, the great and wise teacher Zhang Jiao was supposed to have passed away before October of this year.

It was precisely because the leader of the Taiping Tao had died that the combat effectiveness of the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou had greatly decreased, and their fighting spirit had weakened, allowing Huangfu Song to take advantage of their unpreparedness.

But now that the leader of the Taiping Tao was still alive, no one could guarantee whether there would be any changes in this surprise attack due to his influence.

Qiao Yan didn’t dare to say that she could calculate everything without any mistake, but she had an intuition that in such a grand scene, perhaps she still had some room to play.

People are always a bit greedy.

Starting with 28 points in Constitution, after the initial point distribution, the battle to capture the fortress, the removal of Bu Ji and Zhang Bo, the restructuring of livelihoods in Yanzhou, indirectly influencing Huangfu Song’s decisions, the fixed points obtained from signing in, and the 9 attribute points from achieving the achievement, she had reached 50.

50 Constitution—

This could already be considered the physical value of an ordinary adult.

The difference between the original 28 and this was like heaven and earth.

Even if there were no opportunities for her to excel in the short term, and attribute points weren’t so easy to obtain, with this foundation, she was already able to gradually improve her physical fitness through training.

Although she had relied on her eloquence to step by step to reach today, from being a lonely girl in the Yellow Turban army who had lost her parents and wandered in the troubled land of Yanzhou, to becoming a person of loyalty and filial piety in the eyes of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun.

But—

Thinking that Emperor Ling of Han showed no remorse at all for the Yellow Turban Rebellion, continuing to indulge in debauchery, allowing eunuchs and relatives to fight, and the Yellow Turbans rising again in various places, and later, the deaths of He Jin and the chaos caused by Dong Zhuo after his death, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency rise in her heart.

This is not enough!

Relying solely on excellent eloquence is far from enough!

Emperor Han Ling died in May of the sixth year of Zhongping, which was in the year 189 AD, just over five years ago from now.

In the face of a more chaotic situation, the status of a noble family, the reputation for filial piety, and clever debating skills may not be of much use.

Instead, martial strength is more reassuring.

She couldn’t always rely on Cheng Li to be her coachman, nor could she expect Dian Wei to always follow her in her subsequent actions.

It seems she still needs to add another layer of protection for herself.

And the matter of pacifying the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou may be the most important opportunity for her in the next four or five years.

“Why think so much at such a young age.” Qiao Yan’s thoughts were interrupted by this sudden voice.

Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw Cao Cao standing under the eaves opposite, looking at her.

Qiao Yan didn’t feel embarrassed when facing Cao Cao, as she had already dug up Dian Wei as her bodyguard and ensured her safety as a “strategist,” and had also recruited Cheng Li to help her plan to defeat the Yellow Turbans.

There was no guilt in facing Cao Cao.

It seemed that the system had chosen this identity for her earlier to allow her to join Cao Cao’s camp smoothly, and now it seemed quite optimistic about him.

However, perhaps because Qiao Yan was too opinionated about dealing with the Yellow Turbans, it murmured a few words about “building relationships in advance” and then quieted down on its own.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but think in her heart that the newbie system still had its advantages, especially when it was very clear that you shouldn’t get involved in things you shouldn’t.

In a flash, she had put away the pensive look on her face and bowed to Cao Cao, “Captain Cao.”

Cao Cao was now a captain of cavalry, which didn’t sound very high-ranking.

The commander-in-chief of this campaign against the Yellow Turbans was still Huangfu Song, who outranked him.

However, when it came down to it, he was still a senior official with a rank of over 2,000 stones.

Addressing him by his official title, showing respect for elders as a junior, was completely appropriate.

But Cao Cao was obviously not satisfied with this title.

“I had a lot of dealings with your grandfather in the capital…”

Qiao Yan almost thought Cao Cao was going to say, “Why don’t you just call me Cao Gong?” Fortunately, he was still under thirty, compared to Qiao Yan’s father who was twenty years older than Cao Cao, so he wasn’t so presumptuous.

Seeing a strange look on Qiao Yan’s face, he smiled and continued, “I like to elevate my status. Let’s just consider ourselves old acquaintances. You’re about the same age as my eldest son, so just call me Shishu (Uncle).” No need to be so formal with “Captain Cao.”

Qiao Yan agreed and called him “Shishu.”

This future figure in history, who would dominate the north and issue orders to the emperor as the Duke of Wei, still preserved much of his youthful and unrestrained temperament.

But just like Sun Jian, who was still serving as a guard commander, no one would have thought that he would rise to prominence from the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and become a prominent figure, nurturing the young overlord Sun Ce who would later establish the foundation of Jiangdong. As for Cao Cao now…

There probably wouldn’t be too many people who would think that the evaluation by Xu Zi, “A villain of the peaceful times, a hero of the chaotic times,” would actually be an incorrect statement.

But there was no need to consider all of this now.