Liang Zhongning really wanted to argue for a few words.

He’d rather people think he was killed by Dian Wei than be brought back to the dock as if he were just a burden.

But then he thought, he had cursed and provoked the enemy, and victory was right in front of him now.

It seemed unnecessary to worry about this image problem anymore.

So what Second Master Tian, on the lookout tower of the dock, saw was the sight of “Dian Wei” returning victorious with a captive.

This pseudo-Dian Wei seemed to understand the difference between host and guest very well.

He had kidnapped the Yellow Turban leader back to himself, obviously meaning to let the Tian family deal with him.

You see, capturing someone alive is more of a skillful activity than simply killing them outright.

Second Master Tian saw the Dian Wei – lookalike carrying Liang Zhongning back as if he were carrying a pig, and that guy who had been so arrogant during the day still had a loud voice, now still yelling and shouting about something.

Second Master Tian couldn’t help but smile and stroke his beard.

As he expected, Liang Zhongning was somewhat clever, but ultimately he was just a rough person, not fit for the upper echelons.

Now that the Yellow Turban bandits had been caught, if they immediately rushed to Puyang under the cover of night, and then defended themselves from a fortified position after capturing the city, they would be safe.

If the Tian family could save Puyang from the bandits in this way, their reputation would naturally be even greater in the future.

That would be wonderful!

Second Master Tian watched as among the returning warriors, some seemed to vent their anger by kicking the bodies of the Yellow Turban outside the dock, and others dragged them towards the dock without any resistance.

In the standoff of the past two days, although their side had the upper hand, the enemy’s arrows shot through the cracks of the dock, causing some casualties.

Considering the composition of the dock’s personnel, it was not surprising to find relatives of the injured and fallen among the pursuing troops leaving the dock.

In the face of the established victory, minor shortcomings could hardly be considered a problem.

However, at the moment when these victorious young men and adults stepped through the dock’s gates, the torches by the door illuminated the face of the leader clearly.

It was a face that Second Master Tian found particularly unfamiliar!

This person was not Dian Wei at all!

Just as the unsettling feeling arose within him, a figure lunged towards him. It was Liang Zhongning, thrown towards him by the fake Dian Wei.

Liang Zhongning, being a skilled member of the Yellow Turban Army, though not as mighty as Dian Wei, had no problem swiftly climbing up the lookout tower.

Before Mr. Tian could utter a word of warning, a short knife was already pressed against his neck.

Almost simultaneously with Liang’s action, the “corpse” dragged in and the “dock guards” returning in victory all acted together, eliminating the guards at the dock’s main entrance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tian Yan saw that the Yellow Turban bodies outside the dock had all risen and were swiftly rushing towards the dock, appearing like fierce wolves and tigers, as if they intended to take over the dock.

Having just received news from his second uncle, Tian Yan realized that he had already completed his task of defending the rear.

Now, unexpectedly, he was faced with such a group of people while coming to see Liang Zhongning’s situation.

Even though these Yellow Turban soldiers didn’t seem to have any intention of massive bloodshed, merely incapacitating those capable of fighting and tying them up, Tian Yan couldn’t help but close his eyes and let out a long sigh.

He had miscalculated.

With this mistake, the dock was breached, and there was no turning back.

The tide had turned…

And compared to the despair of the original owners of the dock, Liang Zhongning, finally setting foot in the dock, was much more triumphant.

When Qiao Yan and others, waiting for the battle to be settled, finally received the notification and stepped inside the dock walls, this Yellow Turban leader immediately came forward to greet her.

“Do you know how much grain is stored in this dock?” Liang Zhongning’s tone was smug, his eyebrows almost reaching the sky.

In the light of the night, his whole face was filled with joy.

No wonder he suddenly changed his way of addressing Qiao Yan.

His next words were, “There are sixty thousand bushels of millet alone, not to mention other grains.”

Liang Zhongning didn’t think at all that he had been arranged by Qiao Yan in such an obvious way, as if there was anything wrong.

Facing danger earlier was nothing to him.

When he captured Puyang, due to last year’s poor harvest, the grain he obtained from the granary in Puyang was not much.

According to a minor official who had defected to the Yellow Turbans, this grain had just been sent to the capital two months ago, which made him curse the foolish emperor even more.

He had coveted the grain stored in the Tian family’s dock for a while now, but he had never expected there to be so much.

When he captured the dock’s owner and learned the amount of grain from the Tian family head himself, Liang Zhongning even felt like the man was lying.

But after leading him into the underground storage, he realized that this was indeed the real inventory.

Everything he saw before him was even more dazzling to him than seeing a large quantity of treasures.

Jewelry couldn’t be eaten, but grain could!

Liang Zhongning rubbed his hands together, his tone becoming more excited. “There’s not only millet in this grain storage… Sir, you’ve worked hard today. I’ll have my men prepare a good meal for you in a moment.”

How could Liang Zhongning not have the utmost respect and admiration for Qiao Yan?

After taking down the dock, the weapons confiscated from the dock guards and the information revealed through the disrespectful cursing from the Tian family’s young master, after he was captured, all made him break out in a cold sweat.

If it weren’t for Qiao Yan’s consecutive arrangements, he would never have been able to capture the dock.

If he had let his pride get the better of him and come back looking for trouble again, he might have ended up losing his life.

Thanks to Sir…

Liang, the Yellow Turban leader, politely handed the roasted marrow cakes, wrapped in oil paper, to Qiao Yan.

Apart from millet, the other food stored in the dock was mostly easily storable items.

For example, the marrow cake in front of Qiao Yan was made by mixing animal marrow, fragrant honey, and flour together, then baking it in a clay oven and storing it.

Compared to the plain cakes she had secretly hidden while traveling with the Bu Ji Army before, this food was not just ten times more delicious.

Alongside the marrow cakes, there were also chunks of cured meat and shrimp paste, all taken from the cellar.

These days, there weren’t many strict rules about what could be eaten cold or hot.

Those Yellow Turban soldiers who had come with Liang Zhongning didn’t care about the distinction between hot and cold food.

They had already divided up the food, which was also a form of reward after winning the battle.

But Liang Zhongning couldn’t help but think that Qiao Yan should be treated differently.

So, he specially set up a small stove and had someone in charge of making a hot meal.

The one responsible for cooking was none other than the talkative butcher who had previously disguised himself as Dian Wei.

The butcher was quite a chatterbox.

Liang Zhongning had been considering how to converse with Qiao Yan, this great hero, but now he didn’t care so much.

After asking about Qiao Yan’s preferences, he immediately cut open the chunk of cured meat on the cutting board.

In between the swift cuts, he couldn’t help but chat:

“Sir Yan, don’t think that because this cured meat has been stored for a long time, it’s gone bad.

This cured meat was from a pig slaughtered in December of last year.

After draining the juices and covering it with a layer of white thatch, then sealing it with thick mud, even if it’s kept until July or August, it’s hardly any different from freshly slaughtered meat.

In times of famine like these, with few live pigs around, one has to rely on such provisions to have meat to eat.”

Qiao Yan vaguely remembered reading something similar in agricultural manuals, but in modern times, no one stored meat this way anymore.

The chunks of meat revealed beneath the mud and thatch did indeed look somewhat different from regular cured meat, closer to fresh meat.

After a quick glance, she averted her gaze to avoid appearing ignorant in this matter.

The butcher didn’t notice her subtle thoughts and continued talking.

Even in modern times, he would still deserve recognition for his social skills.

Once he started talking, he went from cooking the cured meat to discussing Taoist practices, then from carrying Liang Zhongning into the dock, likening it to carrying a pig, to talking about the wheat paste and river fish sauce stored in the dock.

..

In the third year of Guanghe, which was about four years ago now, He Jin’s half-sister, Lady He, was proclaimed Empress of the Han Dynasty.

Leveraging his sister’s status, He Jin rose to prominence as a Palace Attendant and then as the Intendant of Henan.

Later, due to his efforts in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was appointed as a general this year, a remarkably rapid promotion.

But before the butcher could continue, he heard Liang Zhongning’s unpleasant tone as he spoke, “Be careful what you say! If you speak again, I’ll make sure you can’t speak anymore!”

The warning on Liang Zhongning’s face was so stern that the butcher immediately shut his mouth.

It’s not surprising that Liang Zhongning issued such a warning.

He Jin’s rise to the position of general was largely due to the advantages he gained from the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

It was He Jin who uncovered the conspiracy of Zhang Jiao’s disciple, Ma Yuan Yi, who was plotting an uprising in Luoyang.

He even received a noble title for this accomplishment.

The news of He Jin’s appointment as General and Marquis of Shen came together with the news of Ma Yuan Yi’s execution by dismemberment.

To Liang Zhongning, if Ma Yuan Yi had not died, He Jin wouldn’t have had to launch his attack prematurely.

If they had succeeded in the Luoyang Uprising at the time, they would have achieved even more glorious results.

General He Jin, despite being born into a butcher’s family, was truly their mortal enemy.

Moreover, if any of them envied the other’s aristocratic status, wouldn’t it be equivalent to denying the saying “The sky is already dead”?

After reprimanding the butcher, Liang Zhongning thought for a moment before turning to Qiao Yan and saying, “Sir, please don’t be angry with me. This is something that should not be spoken of in my camp.”

“I naturally understand this principle since I came from Luoyang. Leader, there’s no need for further explanation,” Qiao Yan replied with a smile, showing no sign of any unusual emotions.

Being in the company of rebels required not only careful attention to taboo topics in conversation but also wasn’t a choice that most knowledgeable individuals would make.

However, Qiao Yan didn’t think that her initial decision was a mistake at all.

Given her age and status, her current situation was undoubtedly the best.

Moreover, apart from her other hidden purpose, even at this moment, she hadn’t come away empty-handed.

For instance, although she couldn’t check her light screen at the moment, the system had already informed her excitedly that her assistance in helping the Yellow Turbans capture Tian’s Dock could indeed be considered a legitimate way to gain Strategist Points.

As a result, what had originally been 0 Strategist Points had now become 10.

With 10 Strategist Points, it not only meant that she had earned 3 freely assignable attribute points and 1 skill point through her efforts but also indicated that a new function had been added to the seemingly too simple function list of the Strategist System.

Daily Check-in.

It was a pity that she had to wait until she had filled her stomach and dealt with the matters within the dock before she could have a look at the specific functions.

She wondered what benefits this new function would bring her.

Qiao Yan pondered silently, already making some plans for her future actions.

However, at this moment, it was probably very difficult for her to divert her attention away from the scent that wafted through the air with each breath.

The butcher, who had now fallen silent, sped up the process of preparing the cured meat and pickled vegetables.

Finally, this delayed evening meal was placed in front of Qiao Yan.

Compared to the various delicacies of later generations, the cured meat, wheat paste, and marrow cakes of today, no matter how elaborately prepared, couldn’t change their humble nature.

Today, Qiao Yan had been busy assigning tasks to various parties and dealing with the Yellow Turban soldiers, allowing them to make the best use of their abilities.

It had been quite taxing on her mind, and now she was starving.

At this point, there was no difference between the hot meal and exotic delicacies.

Of course, she was well aware that after several days without proper meals, she couldn’t afford to indulge herself all at once.

Liang Zhongning, on the other hand, didn’t have so many reservations.

All the arguing and baiting was physically demanding work.

He grabbed a piece of meat and swallowed it whole.

After taking a quick bite, he glanced at Qiao Yan, only to see his eating slowly and gracefully.

In comparison, he felt somewhat lacking in refinement.

He couldn’t help but mutter to himself that he truly had the demeanor of a scholar.

However, just then, he heard Qiao Yan speak up, interrupting his silent criticism. “They say important matters are best discussed over a meal. Though I don’t drink, it’s appropriate to exchange a few words with the leader at this time.”

He quickly straightened up, “Please, sir, go ahead.”

Qiao Yan continued, “As I mentioned earlier, I came to assist the leader with two difficult tasks.

The first one has been resolved, and it seems the second one won’t require much effort on my part either.

With just a little guidance, it can be easily resolved. I dare ask the leader, when will someone be sent to escort me back to Gaomi?”

Liang Zhongning was so surprised that he dropped his marrow cake.

“Don’t you want to stay a few more days, sir?”

Today’s victory and the sixty thousand bushels of grain had left Liang Zhongning with a sweet taste of success.

While counting the grain just now, he couldn’t help but think, “Yan Qiao” truly lived up to being Zheng Xuan’s disciple.

Although Zheng Kangcheng himself didn’t take office and even suffered the misfortune of being implicated in the party’s suppression, being confined to Gaomi in Beihai, he still managed to cultivate his disciples into such capable individuals.

Indeed, he lived up to his reputation.

As he pondered, he couldn’t help but think that with “Yan Qiao’s” assistance, he might be able to conquer more than just the Tian family’s fortress.

He even completely forgot about their tense conversation when they first met.

All the talk about her young age and her need to return to Gaomi to deliver a message was thrown out of his mind.

Instead, he focused on how he could benefit from her wisdom.

But just as he began to harbor some ambition, why did “Yan Qiao,” whom he had just started to address respectfully, have to leave?