Upon hearing this name, Qiao Yan instinctively touched the jade scabbard on her thumb twice.

Earlier, when Guo Jia saw her leading the army to break through the enemy’s lines, this item had the most vibrant color.

It was a tool used to hold the bowstring.

Since she began learning archery two years ago, she had become accustomed to wearing it, not only for long-distance archery in immediate combat, but also for spear training.

Over time, she developed a habit—whenever she was deep in thought, she would fiddle with it.

Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao…

To link the young man before her, who had not yet reached adulthood, with the future genius strategist of Cao Wei’s camp, was somewhat difficult due to the lack of a fixed impression.

However, having seen many prominent figures in their youth, she had grown accustomed to it.

Thus, after a slight start upon hearing his name, she simply nodded and replied, “I have heard this name from Master Xi. Are you here visiting a friend?”

As she spoke, she jumped down from her horse.

From Guo Jia’s perspective, this county lord who had previously arrived like a whirlwind now appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old, with a casual tone that added a sense of familiarity.

What made her appear unique was the clear bloodstains still visible on her dark armor, indicating that Guo Jia’s previous observation of combat was not an illusion.

However, just as her subordinate approached to report on the battle, her slightly solemn expression made her seem like the same resolute and decisive person.

Only when she heard that all the bandits had been wiped out and that only four or five of their own had been accidentally injured, did a smile appear on her face once more.

Visiting a friend?

Guo Jia pondered that this reason wasn’t entirely wrong.

Because of this unexpected encounter, Qiao Yan had indeed made a strong impression on him.

But being skilled in both literary and military arts, and commanding cavalry troops like this, didn’t necessarily mean she could live up to Xi Zhicai’s praise of her.

In addition to the records of his leisurely life, he also wrote in his letters—

When the court reopens the provincial governorships, it won’t be limited to just Liu Yan and Liu Yu.

If Bingzhou is to be added, then Qiao Ye Shu( Marquis Qiao Yan ) is the most suitable candidate.

Xi Zhicai didn’t have the ability to step into high positions or take official roles in the court.

However, as a guest under the provincial governor, vying for the position of a lord was not an unreasonable attempt.

That statement carried some weight.

Of course, Guo Jia wouldn’t publicly proclaim such words about Xi Zhicai, but when evaluating Qiao Yan,

he somewhat had to raise his standards as well.

Therefore, when Qiao Yan looked back at him, besides thanking her again for saving his life like Mi Zhu did, he immediately continued her conversation,

“Indeed, I have come here to visit a friend. Zhicai has mentioned several times in his letters about the fine wine in Leping. Lord Qiao, would you refuse an uninvited guest like me to visit Leping?”

Qiao Yan smiled, “Why ask me about visiting friends? Previously, there was indeed a barrier in Leping that prevented me from going out, but it didn’t stop people from coming in. Now that even that barrier is gone, and it’s leisure time after the autumn harvest, why not visit friends now instead of waiting for the snow to block the mountains?”

“However…” Qiao Yan pointed to the White Wave bandits in Hedong on the other side and added, “If you plan to come next time, it’s better to pick a time when the bandits there have been eradicated.”

Guo Jia heard her confident tone, somewhat like she had already won, as if she were about to eradicate the troublesome White Wave bandits in Hedong’s territory, which Mi Zhu had mentioned wasn’t simple.

This made him curious.

But there was no need to ask such questions, after all, he was here to visit a friend, not to offer advice or strategies.

He then heard Qiao Yan jest, “Speaking of which, it’s interesting. When Master Xi visited Bingzhou for leisure, he encountered the bandits of Yunchuanshan. Now, you come here and encounter the bandits of Hedong. If you think about it, you both have a new topic for casual talks with wine on both hands.”

However, the bandits of Yunchuanshan that Xi Zhicai encountered were not dangerous since he was alone and penniless, and he gave them an absurd reason, so they didn’t do anything to him.

But the group Guo Jia encountered…

Qiao Yan furrowed her brow.

According to the original trajectory, these Hedong bandits would only gain significant momentum around February next year.

However, perhaps due to Bingzhou’s relative prosperity and peace after escaping the locust disaster, while regions like Hedong and Pingyang suffered greatly from the locusts, causing further expansion of bandits led by Guo Tai, Yang Feng, and others, it was prematurely fasten the invasion of this bandits.

Although she knew these people were not as broad-minded as Chu Yan, who controlled the Black Mountain bandits, the harm they caused was undeniable.

Mi Zhu later mentioned the losses of the caravan she referred to were even more evidence of this.

They only cared about quick plundering and were not concerned about causing direct casualties.

The caravan was caught off guard and suffered a great loss—over twenty people died at the hands of the mountain bandits, and thirty were injured.

For a caravan of less than two hundred people, this was a huge loss.

During the bandit pursuit, many goods were used as shields to block knife cuts, and many of them were fabrics such as silk and cloth.

“Obviously, it’s difficult to preserve amidst this disaster.

If even small merchant caravans are attacked on this road, it’s imaginable that business in Bingzou will decrease, affecting the trade she considers viable here.

Undoubtedly, this would be a loss for her.

Now is not the chaotic era of princes rising up together.

Leping shouldn’t stick out too much.

The majority of trade depends on Jinyang as a transit station.

That’s why she pays special attention to the Zhi Pass route.

Upon hearing that the Baibo bandits were attacking, she sent Chu Yan and Zhao Yun out.

From the current situation, it’s clear the opponents are entirely heedless of consequences.

Internal factions are tangled, minimizing the harm from their actions.

Even if this faction is eradicated today, another may send bandits tomorrow.

Even if they suffer losses, in the current environment where it’s more profitable to be a thief than a law-abiding citizen, they can easily replenish their forces.

This is truly troublesome!

Originally, news about the Han court mobilizing Southern Xiongnu forces to suppress Zhang Ju’s rebellion in Jizhou and Youzhou has been frequently mentioned in Wang Rou’s messages to Wang Yang.

Recent wine trade negotiations have been involved, and many nobles from the Southern Xiongnu’s left wing still harbor grievances.

Qiao Yan intends to eliminate this hidden danger first.

“Today’s journey through the river valley was merely a test of her progress over these past two years.

Afterwards, she planned to let Chu Yan and Zhao Yun continue to hone their skills by dealing with these small groups of Baibo bandits.

However, it’s clear that given the current situation, this sequence may need to be reconsidered.

Qiao Yan thanked Mi Zhu for his assistance.

She instructed some of her men to handle the bodies of the bandits to prevent them from piling up by the Fen River and causing pollution.

At the same time, she had another group assist in preparing the bodies of the merchants and traders from the caravan for burial.

Then she turned to Mi Zhu and said, “Could I trouble you, Zizhong, to bring me the leaders of this caravan? There are a few things I’d like to discuss with them.”

Mi Zhu had already intended to negotiate a special deal with Qiao Yan.

Even without the incident of the bandit attack, he would have sought to establish relations with her.

How could he refuse such a request?

Moreover, out of curiosity and to assess Qiao Yan further, he also wanted to see what she would say to these merchants and traders who had unexpectedly suffered this calamity.

Among the caravan, there were quite a few who, like him, depended on the convoy for mutual assistance.

Approximately five merchants perished in this disaster, including the leader of the caravan.

The rest survived, including the newly elected head of the caravan who now stood before Qiao Yan.

Considering the caravan’s plight, being rescued by Qiao Yan was already considered fortunate.

Even if they had been completely wiped out, in the current environment, they could only count themselves unlucky.

Qiao Yan turned towards the caravan

As they looked at her, they saw no expectation of compensation from the provincial government.

and because of that many harbored a lingering fear of returning to this place in the future.

Qiao Yan understood their sentiments to some extent.

She spoke up, saying, ‘According to the Han penal code, bandits are to be executed by crucifixion. However, since these bandits are already dead and it’s not feasible to transport their bodies to the provincial capital, we need not enforce such harsh measures. I only ask that you accompany me to the provincial capital to bear witness. Would that be agreeable?’

Crucifixion, known for its severity, involves skinning and dismembering the criminal from their bones.

During times of rampant banditry, severe punishments were common.

While there were methods of redeeming death penalties, strictly following the law meant executing captured bandits by this method.

However, such severe punishments served as deterrents, which were now irrelevant since the bandits were deceased.

Moreover, transporting their bodies to the provincial capital would serve little purpose.

The individuals exchanged glances and replied to Qiao Yan, “Your Excellency has saved our lives, so naturally, we will comply.”

Truthfully, some among them had considered returning home immediately, but having come this far, they realized they needed to sell the goods from the Central Plains in Jinyang to mitigate their losses.

Furthermore, Qiao Yan’s statement implied that she wouldn’t withdraw at this critical moment but would escort them to Jinyang instead.

With two days’ travel ahead, having this protection provided a significant sense of security to everyone.

Mi Zhu was somewhat surprised that Qiao Yan had spoken just these few sentences.

Yet, as they completed the battlefield clean-up and set off for Jinyang, he realized that Qiao Yan’s actions were indeed perfectly timed.

Her actions not only ensured the safe return of everyone as witnesses but also subtly hinted at the provincial government’s recent interest in selling goods to the Southern Xiongnu.

Considering the variety of goods they brought, this was undoubtedly a way to further recover their losses by negotiating terms with the provincial government.

During the reorganization of her cavalry command, snippets of conversation hinted that after two years of restriction, she intended to hone her skills against the Hedong bandits.

Her demonstrated archery skills and the cavalry’s effectiveness against bandits gave credence to the possibility of reopening this trade route.

Through her progressive actions, although she only spoke of official matters, she managed to evoke goodwill and hope towards herself and possibly towards Benzhou.

What’s most remarkable is that despite her measured words and actions, she never made any commitments or compromised her status as County Marquis.

Including Mi Zhu, those invited to the provincial capital to register the bandit incidents noticed that Qiao Yan had just arrived in Jinyang.

Soon after, the head of the Wang clan from Jinyang hurriedly sought her out, showing a demeanor that suggested he had a request for her.

Though unable to hear their conversation clearly, the fact that the head of the Wang clan showed such solicitation indicated that Marquis Qiao’s influence was indeed considerable!

For merchants, profit is paramount, as Mi Zhu had discussed with Guo Jia earlier.

Since Marquis Leping had returned to travel through the territory of Bingzhou, seemingly capable of bringing significant benefits to the region, perhaps the losses in the river valley could be temporarily set aside.

They might even leverage this opportunity to forge a relationship with Marquis Leping.

Even though Mi Zhu understood that Qiao Yan’s actions were purposefully ambiguous, he suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

However, Wang Yang was unaware that his timely visit inadvertently greatly assisted Qiao Yan.

He genuinely had urgent business with Qiao Yan.

“This morning… the shipment of coke that was delivered to me. How did you manage to procure it?” Wang Yang asked in a lowered voice.

He couldn’t help but be concerned, especially upon hearing the news of Qiao Yan’s arrival.

Since the Western Han dynasty, the wealthy and influential families, including those connected by marriage, have controlled coal mines, particularly in the regions now divided into Shanxi and Henan provinces.

The Wang clan of Jinyang was no exception.

“After Qiao Yan’s living conditions in Leping County improved significantly two years ago, she had frequently purchased coal briquettes from the Wang clan for winter heating needs.

Due to their frequent exchanges and Qiao Yan’s demonstrated potential as a top-tier talent, Wang Yang didn’t mind lowering the price of the coal briquettes by another ten percent.

Of course, nowadays the coal briquettes were no longer called coal briquettes but graphite blocks instead.

Wang Yang was somewhat surprised when he suddenly received the “coke” from Qiao Yan.

However, upon burning it, he noticed differences from the original coal briquettes.

While he immediately recognized that the effect might be due to the holes in the coal briquettes, grinding one of the “coke” samples revealed charcoal powder, yellow clay, lime, and other materials mixed in.

Trying to remix these into the original coal in the manner Qiao Yan had sent, and burning it with holes punched as in the “coke,” Wang Yang found that the results were still somewhat different from what Qiao Yan had provided.

There must have been something else in it, something he couldn’t discern with the naked eye!

While this version of “coke” made in this manner could achieve more efficient results than before, having seen something better, Wang Yang couldn’t bring himself to settle for this crude version of “coke.”

The thought of the inevitable substantial profits this substance would bring caused Wang Yang considerable discomfort.

He was less concerned about appearing desperate by coming to her, unwittingly aiding several of Qiao Yan’s objectives.

However, Qiao Yan responded nonchalantly, “Just added a few special things.”