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This time, when Fei Qian arrived at Zhang Miao's camp, he did not receive the same treatment as he had from Kong Zhou. Only after sending Huang Cheng inside to announce his arrival did Kong Zhou and the other two leisurely come to the camp gate to greet him.
This courtesy was extended solely because of the reputation of Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province. Otherwise, they might not have even bothered to welcome him and simply let him enter to pay his respects.
However, since Fei Qian's carriage still bore the ceremonial staff of the Governor of Jing Province, Kong Zhou and the other two had to at least maintain the formalities of etiquette.
Zhang Miao's camp appeared to have been established for some time. Not only were wooden structures used, but thick layers of mud had also been applied as a fireproofing measure. The trenches dug around the camp had been neatly reinforced, and the equipment within seemed well-organized.
After paying his respects to Kong Zhou and the Zhang brothers (Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao), Fei Qian learned that, at this time, Suanzao only had the Zhang brothers stationed there—even Kong Zhou had only just arrived...
'Was this so-called "Suanzao Alliance" just a scattered gathering of people arriving one by one?'
'Weren't they supposed to gang up on Dong Zhuo together? With such sluggish coordination, when would they ever gather all eighteen warlords to summon the divine dragon—no, I mean, to overthrow Dong Zhuo?'
After following Kong Zhou and the Zhang brothers into the central command tent, they took their respective seats.
The seating arrangement had shifted slightly. The Zhang brothers, who had previously sat separately on the left and right, now both took their places at the table on the left side of the tent. Kong Zhou sat in the center, while Fei Qian and Yi Ji naturally took their seats at the table on the right.
Although Fei Qian currently represented Liu Biao, he was not Liu Biao himself, so sitting in the guest's seat was still acceptable.
Kong Zhou, seated in the center, glanced at Zhang Miao, silently asking whether he or Zhang Miao should take the lead in questioning. After all, this was Zhang Miao's camp. While Kong Zhou held a higher official rank, he still had to respect Zhang Miao's authority.
Zhang Miao gestured slightly toward Kong Zhou, signaling for him to proceed without speaking.
Kong Zhou then asked Fei Qian, "For what purpose have you come as an envoy this time?"
Fei Qian cupped his hands in salute and replied, "By order of Governor Liu of Jing Province, I have come as an envoy to meet with the Grand Administrator of Bohai, Yuan Shao."
'So, he wasn't here for the three of them, but for Yuan Shao?'
Kong Zhou was momentarily taken aback. If Fei Qian was here to see Yuan Shao, why had he come to their camp? Had he taken a wrong turn?
Thus, Kong Zhou said, "The Grand Administrator of Bohai, Yuan Benchu? He is not here..."
Before Kong Zhou could finish, Zhang Miao, sitting beside him, cleared his throat and interjected, "The Marquis of Kangxiang has unfinished business and has not yet arrived... In my opinion, since the two of you have traveled a long way and it is already late, perhaps we should arrange for you to rest first. What do you say?"
'So, Yuan Shao hasn't arrived yet? Then there's nothing to do but wait. It's not like they could just head straight to Bohai, right?'
Moreover, the road north wasn't a single path. They could cross the river at Baima Ford, or though Yan Ford north of Suanzao was more treacherous, it was still passable now that the spring rains had not yet arrived.
If they took the wrong route, not only would they waste effort, but they would also lose valuable time.
Thus, Fei Qian and Yi Ji agreed and followed Zhang Chao to a corner of the camp to rest temporarily.
Since it was already quite late, it was impractical to have their soldiers set up a new camp. Besides, Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao's camp was large enough to accommodate Fei Qian's group.
Back in the central command tent, Kong Zhou looked at Zhang Miao with confusion, unsure why he had insisted on keeping Fei Qian there. 'Had Yuan Shao ever mentioned coming to Suanzao?'
Recognizing Kong Zhou's puzzlement, Zhang Miao said, "Governor of Yu Province, are you wondering why I had this man stay?"
Kong Zhou nodded. "Exactly. The Grand Administrator of Bohai, Yuan Benchu, is currently in Ye County, where he has established an altar to receive imperial authority, correct? Why would he come here? Or is the Marquis of Kangxiang planning to arrive later?"
Zhang Miao chuckled. "To be honest, I don't know whether the Marquis of Kangxiang will come here at all."
"Then why did you insist on keeping him here?"
Zhang Miao smiled. "Governor, do not forget—this man was sent by Liu Biao!"
"Liu Biao..." Kong Zhou pondered for a moment before realization dawned. "Mengzhuo, are you saying that Liu Biao is also a member of the imperial clan?"
Zhang Miao clapped his hands in delight. "Exactly! Just now, we were still worrying about this very issue, and now this young man arrives—isn't this perfect? Haha..."
Kong Zhou suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly. "Mengzhuo, your insight is truly remarkable! People often speak of your chivalry, but in my opinion, you should also be praised for your keen perception!"
Kong Zhou had sought out Zhang Miao for two reasons: first, his own military strength was insufficient, and second, though he had been dismissed as Governor of Yu Province by the court, he had yet to surrender his official seal. This put him at a disadvantage when dealing with Liu Dai, the Governor of Yan Province. While Kong Zhou knew he couldn't become the alliance's leader, he absolutely refused to let some upstart like Liu Dai boss him around.
As for Zhang Miao, he had a decent relationship with Qiao Mao, the former Governor of Yan Province and current Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery. However, he had heard that ever since Liu Dai took office, he had been clashing with Qiao Mao, overturning all his policies and creating severe tension between them.
Though Qiao Mao had served as Governor of Yan Province for some time and had deep-rooted influence, Liu Dai couldn't easily remove him. But if Liu Dai learned that Zhang Miao was close to Qiao Mao, he might target Zhang Miao as a warning to others. As Liu Dai was Zhang Miao's superior, finding fault wouldn't be difficult—such as assigning him a suicide mission when fighting Dong Zhuo.
This was why Zhang Miao had been so deferential when Kong Zhou arrived. However, Kong Zhou alone wasn't enough. Now, with the addition of Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province—though not present in person—Fei Qian, as his representative bearing his ceremonial staff, could still serve as a symbolic counterbalance.
Thus, before Kong Zhou could reveal that Yuan Shao might not come to Suanzao at all, Zhang Miao had deliberately misled Fei Qian, implying that Yuan Shao would arrive once his business was settled. In truth, Zhang Miao had no idea whether Yuan Shao would come or not.
But that didn't matter. Zhang Miao simply wanted Fei Qian, carrying Liu Biao's banner, to remain in Suanzao temporarily. Once Liu Dai and his faction arrived, their side would have Kong Zhou (Governor of Yu Province), Zhang Chao (Grand Administrator of Guangling), Qiao Mao (Grand Administrator of Dong Commandery, who was at odds with Liu Dai), and Fei Qian (representing Liu Biao).
With this lineup, their faction would be able to rival Liu Dai in terms of status, legitimacy, and even military strength—perhaps even overpowering him.
Kong Zhou, now fully grasping Zhang Miao's plan, couldn't help but praise his cleverness.
Both men suddenly felt the weight on their shoulders lighten considerably, and their moods improved greatly...
Meanwhile, after Zhang Chao had settled Fei Qian's group and they had set up their tents, Fei Qian soon realized a problem. Back when he had visited Yuan Shu's camp, Yang Hong had mentioned that Sun Jian, the General Who Conquers the Caitiffs, had already set out, hadn't he?
'So why hadn't he arrived in Suanzao yet? This camp only had Kong Zhou and the Zhang brothers—where was Sun Jian? Had he gotten lost?'
When Fei Qian asked Yi Ji about it, he discovered that he had made a huge mistake—Sun Jian hadn't come to Suanzao at all but had instead headed toward Liangdong.
'What?' Fei Qian was stunned.
'Had the eighteen warlords now become seventeen?'
It wasn't that Yi Ji had some special insider information—Fei Qian had simply assumed things back in Yuan Shu's camp without verifying them.
But now the problem was clear. Based on Fei Qian's memories, Sun Jian was supposed to be the vanguard of the eighteen warlords. Yet now that Sun Jian wasn't coming to Suanzao, who would take his place?
Not only was Sun Jian absent, but Gongsun Zan was also missing—another reason for the later tensions between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan...