He thought to himself that he couldn’t just take advantage of his position as an elder.

He asked, “Do you know why His Majesty chose to enfeoff you in Leping?”

Qiao Yan replied, “Huaili County is in Yongzhou, Qiantang County is in Yangzhou, and Leping County is in Bingzhou. I initially thought this was His Majesty’s way of showcasing the vastness of Han territory. But from what you’re saying, Uncle, is there another reason?”

“It’s rare to find something you don’t know.”

Cao Cao found a spot to squat down, using a tree branch as a makeshift brush to sketch the outlines of the Han territories.

He said, “Yongzhou is near the border of Liangzhou, which historically belonged to the old Yongzhou.

The intention behind enfeoffing Huaili in Yongzhou is quite clear.

Recently, there have been signs of disloyalty in Liangzhou, with forces gathering there.

Enfeoffing General Huangfu in this area likely means he will be given the authority to advance into that region next.”

Qiao Yan pointed to Yangzhou, saying, “Then the situation with Elder Lu is probably similar.

He previously suppressed the rebellion in Jiuxiang, Yangzhou.

Now, with the Yellow Turbans still unrest in Yangzhou, it seems Elder Lu might soon be commanded to head south to Yangzhou for a campaign.”

Liu Hong’s calculations were almost transparent to these two generals.

Granting them county marquis titles might seem generous, but they would have to secure or defend these places themselves.

Compared to the officials who had to pay to take up their posts, it was hard to tell which scenario was more bizarre.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “But His Majesty surely doesn’t expect me, who has no troops, to defend Bingzhou for him. Leping isn’t even on the border.”

“Not exactly,” Cao Cao replied. “I inquired a bit from Bi Lan, who said that Zhang Rang mentioned some things to you.

After the last military report arrived in Luoyang, His Majesty visited your grandfather, Qiao Gong.”

Indeed, Zhang Rang had told her this and had even mentioned Qiao Gongzu’s wish to be buried at the border.

The border…

Seeing a flash of understanding on Qiao Yan’s face, Cao Cao said, “Yes, it’s as you think. Because of Qiao Gong’s request, His Majesty decided to fulfill his wish by having him buried in Bingzhou.”

“When Qiao Gong served as the General Who Conquers the West, his headquarters was in Manbai County of Wuyuan, within Bingzhou.

His Majesty, moved by Qiao Gong’s loyalty to the country, agreed to his request. But he moved the burial site slightly inward to avoid the future tomb being affected by border conflicts.

This is the origin of your title, Marquis of Leping.”

“So your situation differs somewhat from Elder Lu and General Huangfu,” Cao Cao observed. “Given your capabilities, forming a local militia in Leping County shouldn’t be difficult. With your… leadership, it’s quite feasible.”

“Yo can rally support in neighboring counties like Changshan and Taiyuan,” Cao Cao continued.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel that when Cao Cao paused before saying “lead,” he might have been thinking of words like “coerce” or “instigate.”

Nevertheless, she found his insinuations inconsequential and let him continue.

“But it seems that His Majesty doesn’t expect you to defend against the Xianbei tribes.”

Qiao Yan, both amused and exasperated, clasped her hands in a salute. “Rest assured, Uncle. My extensive planning during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans was a unique situation.

Bingzhou has its own governors and inspectors, and the garrisons in Yunzhong and Wuyuan Counties are responsible for defending the frontier.

How could a mere county marquis like me be expected to muster forces and march north?”

Cao Cao seemed to have developed some peculiar impression of her, feeling the need to emphasize that unlike Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, she wasn’t required to take on additional military responsibilities.

However, speaking of Leping, aside from its proximity to the border via Taiyuan and Yunzhong, the significance of this place was far from simple.

This region, referred to in later times as a strategic stronghold, has a rich history.

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu first secured Taiyuan before driving north against the Xiongnu, sweeping through Guandong.

During the late Sui dynasty, the Li family rose to power in Taiyuan, leading to its reputation as a place of dragon ascendancy by the Song dynasty.

The basins formed between the Taihang, Taiyue, Lüliang, and Yunzhong mountains created strategic corridors with natural barriers, making it a prime location for both defense and offense.

Fertile lands nourished by rivers, enclosed by mountain passes, made it a region that was both highly productive and easily defensible.

It’s no wonder that sayings like “Shangdang has always been the backbone of the country” and “Overlooking Zhongzhou, controlling Hedong” arose.

Leping, situated between Wutai and Taihang Mountains, though not as elevated as Shangdang, had similar terrain and wasn’t far off.

It was indeed an ideal resting place for the deceased, rarely disturbed.

And if it were to serve other purposes…

“What are you thinking about, niece?” Cao Cao’s voice interrupted Qiao Yan’s thoughts.

She snapped back to reality, realizing she had been staring at the map for a bit too long. “I was just thinking how magnanimous His Majesty is in choosing Leping as such a serene resting place.”

Cao Cao pondered Liu Hong’s usual behavior and Qiao Yan’s description of him as “magnanimous.”

He wasn’t sure whether to correct her perception.

However, considering the special treatment she received compared to Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, perhaps it wasn’t an exaggeration.

Moreover, her upcoming journey to the capital…

Moreover, it is unlikely that she would stay for long, and it is even more unlikely that she would have a chance to meet the emperor.

Keeping her in this state of mind is not a problem.

Furthermore, wise rulers can have moments of confusion, and foolish rulers can have moments of wisdom.

There might even be a surprising opportunity for a turnaround.

Who can predict the future?

The most important thing right now is to quickly execute Zhang Jiao and then let Qiao Yan join the team returning to the capital to report on duty, to see Qiao Xuan one last time before he passes away.

Zhang Jiao…

This great virtuous teacher, who founded the Way of Peace and initiated the Yellow Turban Rebellion, ended up meeting the same fate as his disciple in Luoyang who was exposed, as decreed by Liu Hong through Bi Lan’s announcement.

The punishment of being drawn and quartered.

As for his brother Zhang Liang, although he had the merit of defecting and surrendering the city, this “merit” was built on the basis of first leading the people to seize the city and killing the officials in Quzhou.

Not only could he not be rewarded, but he also had to be punished for his undiminished crimes.

Fortunately for him, since the time of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, corporal punishment had been abolished, and many harsh punishments had been revised and replaced.

These penal systems continued to this day.

Additionally, Liu Hong approved his exemption from the death penalty to allow the Yellow Turban leaders in unrestful areas to have a direct possibility of surrendering their weapons.

Ultimately, Zhang Liang was sentenced to:

Two hundred lashes and relocation to the Wuhuan camp to guard the frontier.

Next was Liang Jing, who was “forced” to surrender.

Liang Zhongning witnessed the debate between Qiao Yan and Zhang Jiao that day.

Given his limited thinking abilities, he truly felt as if he had been deceived by Zhang Jiao before.

But when he saw Qiao Yan again, he had a beast-like intuition—

If Zhang Jiao was considered a high-level deceiver, then wouldn’t Qiao Yan be an even more skilled fraudster?

But it no longer made any sense to dwell on the outcome of the three debates between Qiao Yan and Zhang Jiao, and whether the transmitted understanding was true or false.

Liang Zhongning and Qiao Yan looked at each other across the prison bars for a moment, then he heard someone announce his punishment.

One hundred lashes and relocation to the Wuyuan Duliang camp to guard the frontier.

The punishment was similar to Zhang Liang’s, only slightly lighter.

Frontier defense is a high-risk job, but compared to losing one’s life for the crime of rebellion, it could be considered a preservation of one’s life.

However, for those forced to rebel, how different is avoiding the death penalty from the original “if we don’t rebel, we will die” situation?

Clearly, the opportunity to eat government provisions does not mean they can just muddle through.

But with Liang Zhongning’s insight and intellect, he couldn’t come to a conclusion for the time being.

Since Emperor Xiaojing of the Western Han Dynasty issued the decree, which resulted in whips being five feet long and bamboo joints being removed for administering corporal punishment,

It was obvious that it wasn’t lethal, especially with the order that the executioner couldn’t be changed during a whipping of over one hundred lashes.

With his and Zhang Liang’s relatively robust physical condition, such punishment wouldn’t cause any irreversible damage.

Numbly enduring his punishment, he, along with other Yellow Turban criminals exiled to Wuyuan, proceeded to Bingzhou under the escort of Fu Xie’s army.

When they were about ten miles away from Quzhou City in Jizhou, it suddenly started raining.

Summer showers were not uncommon, and this year didn’t seem to be as terrifyingly dry as the previous one.

But as the fine raindrops fell on his head, he suddenly remembered that today was not only the day they were being sent to Youzhou or Bingzhou, but also the day the great virtuous teacher Zhang Jiao was executed.

However, among this silent crowd, there used to be someone who would say that this was a fortunate event brought about by the heavens, a successful prayer for rain.

But now, no one said a word.