Taiheiki

Chapter 164 Distant Guest
Soon, the catch of this fishing boat was counted. The old sailor took the bamboo slip representing the catch from Qin Ke's hand, boarded the boat with satisfaction, and left. Then came the second and the third boat. Qin Ke suddenly realized that the fishing boats that docked seemed to be made from the same mold. Originally from Wuzhou, an inland city, he was not familiar with seagoing vessels, but during his time in Panyu, he had gradually learned to identify local boats. They had square sails, flat bottoms, and relatively sturdy hulls. Recently, more and more of these fishing boats had narrow hulls, pointed bottoms, and triangular sails, mostly soft cloth sails, rather than hard sails like reed or bamboo sails.

Around 11 PM, the dockworkers finally got a short rest. The women stopped working and began to eat breakfast, which, of course, was provided by their employer. By the standards of the time, the food was of decent quality: pickled vegetables, fish porridge, and fried fish fillets. The exhausted workers had no time for anything else and simply ate with their heads down. Only Qin Ke, who was filled with doubt, still had the energy. He raised his questions to his superior who came to inspect the area.

"Because these are all new ships from Zhenhai Shipyard, they are all made from the same mold!" the superior replied.

"Zhenhai Shipyard?"

"Yes, the shipyard built by Lord Wei is constructed according to the standards provided by Lord Wei. How about that? It's different, isn't it?" the superior said proudly, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Then, what's the difference?"

The superior was stunned. Having spent most of his life in the mountains, he was speechless for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "What Lord Wei has created is naturally extraordinary. How could we possibly know the benefits it brings?"

"Looks like you don't know either!" Qin Ke thought to himself, but asked aloud, "These are all big ships, each one must cost a lot of money, right? How can these fishermen afford them?"

"You don't know this, do you!" The superior, who had finally gotten his chance, puffed out his chest and said, "Of course, these poor bastards can't afford such a big ship. But our Lord Wei is a very good man. He allows these fishermen to pay in installments. That is to say, they don't have to pay the whole ship price at once. They only need to pay 30%, and the rest can be paid off in monthly installments over ten years."

"So, the fishermen can use Wei Gong's boat to catch fish in order to pay for Wei Gong's boat, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly right!" The boss looked at Qin Ke in surprise: "Good lad, you're got a sharp mind! I never thought of that!"

"Hehe!" Qin Ke chuckled dryly. "It was just a sudden inspiration, a coincidence!"

"That's still quite impressive!" The boss patted Qin Ke on the shoulder: "Kid, don't go back after a year. It would be a waste for someone with your brains to go back to farming. Panyu is where you're truly useful. You can be a soldier, a craftsman, or even just sell soup from a shoulder pole. That would be enough to support your family and even make you rich!"

"Actually, I've already decided to stay!" Qin Ke said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "I was just thinking about buying a plot of land. I remember a plot of land costs about five thousand coins, right?"

"You've got some skills, kid! You even thought of land for the house!" The boss laughed. "But don't even think about borrowing from me. I just married a widow, and she's pregnant. I really don't have any spare money!"

"No, no!" Qin Ke shook his head repeatedly: "The labor cost in Panyu is high. I have a lot of strength and can earn some money. It will only take me two years to save up five thousand coins. But I just heard you say that Lord Wei allows fishermen to use their own boats to fish and pay back his boat fees. Could I ask Lord Wei to lend me money to buy a house first, and then pay him back after I live in the house? I'll just pay some interest at most!"

"This—" This time, the boss was completely speechless. After a long while, he shook his head and sighed, "You kid, you kid, I really don't know how your brain works. Oh well, I'll report what you said. It's a waste to have you here watching women and dividing fish!"

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Cao Cao arrived in Panyu at sunrise that day, but he didn't see the dawn at all. "It's best if no one sees you arrive!" Yuan Tian whispered, "That would be good for you, and good for Lord Wei!"

"Actually, you don't need to be so cautious. There shouldn't be many people in Panyu who recognize me!" Cao Cao said in a somewhat helpless voice. He had been traveling by boat the whole way, and his legs were already weak. Now that he had switched to a two-wheeled mule cart, he really wished he could walk or ride a horse, so that he could feel his feet touching the ground.

"It's best to be careful!" Yuan Tian said. "If it's really as you say, your friend might already be hanging by his head at Shangdong Gate (because Shangdong Gate is the north gate of Luoyang's outer city wall, close to Mangshan Mountain and near the cemetery, making transportation convenient), and you, as a wanted criminal, will implicate Lord Wei!"

"Thank you for reminding me!" Cao Cao replied irritably, "However, it seems that Duke Wei has committed far more crimes than I have, so he shouldn't mind being implicated by me a little!"

“That’s different!” Yuan Tian said, “If Lord Wei is willing, he can easily obtain a pardon from the court, but your friend has committed a crime that is—”

"A heinous crime!" Having traveled by boat all the way here, Cao Cao was already familiar with the sharp tongue of his companions: "To be honest, I don't remember the Yuan family of Chen State having such a scathing tongue as you. You're not pretending to be a member of the Yuan family of Chen State, are you?"

"At home, I drew my sword more often than I spoke, which is why I fled after committing murder. It was only after joining the ranks of Lord Wei that I changed!"

"I think you'd better not change it!" Cao Cao muttered. "Otherwise, Wei Mengde will cut your tongue out sooner or later!"

Yuan Tian smiled but didn't speak. He closed his eyes, ending the verbal battle. Cao Cao carefully lifted the curtain of the carriage window. Outside, there was a bustling scene: pedestrians everywhere, shop assistants soliciting business in front of shops, and even more construction sites. He noticed that there were many houses under construction in the city, which must have been brought by Wei Cong.

"It seems you don't plan to leave here anytime soon!" Cao Cao muttered to himself. "Do you really want to become Zhao Tuo?"

"Aman, what brings you here! This is truly an unexpected surprise!" Wei Cong looked at the young man before him in astonishment: "Was the journey smooth? There's fighting everywhere!"

"Isn't this just what you wanted?" Cao Cao laughed. "If the world were at peace, would you be able to stay so comfortably in Panyu? The imperial court would have already dispatched troops to attack you!"

"Hehehe!" Wei Cong laughed. "Yes, that's why luck is so important. Someone, quickly bring some fruit and snacks. Ah Man, there are many fruits in Jiaozhou that you can't find in the north. You must try them this time!"

"Good, now that you control five counties in Jiaozhou, I'm going to enjoy myself!" Cao Cao laughed. The two sat down, and as the maids served drinks, fruits, and snacks, Wei Cong, like a courteous host, enthusiastically recommended various unique Lingnan fruits and snacks to Cao Cao, showing no sign of boredom.

"I saw it all after I disembarked. There's digging and building houses everywhere in Panyu!" Cao Cao placed a piece of dried mango aside. "With all this construction, it seems you want to stay in Jiaozhou like Zhao Tuo and never return to the Central Plains?"

"I want to make a name for myself in Jiaozhou, but whether I can become Zhao Tuo is another matter!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Forgive my bluntness, but isn't it a bit too early to become Zhao Tuo?" Cao Cao sneered. "After all, the world is not yet in great chaos. The Moth Rebellion is just a minor matter. Lu Zhi is in the east, and Feng Kun is in the west. They can be pacified within a year or two. What will you do then?"

"Things will work themselves out in the end. We can accomplish a lot in a year or two!" Wei Cong said with a meaningful smile.

"Hmph!" Cao Cao curled his lip. "Fine, I'm too lazy to beat around the bush with you and test my patience! Yuan Shao asked me to pass on a message to you: we can speak on your behalf in the court and help you secure your position in Jiaozhou, but you'll have to pay a price!"

"Oh?" Wei Cong noticed Cao Cao's choice of words and asked, "Then who exactly are you referring to as 'we'?"

"Naturally, it's the Yuan brothers, Zhang Mengzhuo, He Boqiu, Wu Ziqing, and Xu Ziyuan!" Cao Cao rattled off six or seven names in one breath, and finally said, "And me! Do you know? This time we did something big in Luoyang, no less than what you did in Jiaozhou! If we're willing to speak up for you, at least your reputation among scholars won't be bad!"

"Oh! So what? I don't want to be recommended as a filial and incorruptible official, so what use is this reputation among scholars?" Wei Cong laughed.

"So what?" Cao Cao took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over: "This is a letter from Yuan Shao himself. Read it first!"

Wei Cong took the letter, opened it, and began to read. After reading only two lines, he looked up at Cao Cao in surprise: "Did Yuan Shao really do such a thing?"

"Hehe!" Cao Cao chuckled twice: "Of course, if I didn't know you and thus received orders to come to Jiaozhou, I would have been involved in the Luoyang matter as well!"

Wei Cong sighed, put down the letter, and fell into deep thought. Thanks to the efforts of later historians, the actions of the Yuan brothers, especially Yuan Shao, during the late Han Dynasty, particularly from the death of Emperor Ling of Han (May 13, 189 AD) to He Jin's being tricked into the palace by the Ten Attendants and murdered, and the Yuan brothers leading troops to set fire to the palace and kill the eunuchs (September 22, 189 AD), have been analyzed very clearly.

Thanks to Hong Yuzhou's brilliant performance in the 94 CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," many viewers viewed Yuan Shao as a heroic, noble, and fearless young man. However, historical facts differed. Cao Cao was already thirty-four years old at the time, while Yuan Shao was even older, likely around forty.

Moreover, during the twenty years from the second partisan purge in history until Emperor Ling of Han was forced to lift the purge due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he refused to accept the court's invitation to serve, lived in seclusion, privately sheltered, contacted and helped many fugitives who were being pursued, and had close ties with many wanted criminals. He had implicitly become a new generation of scholar-official leader.

His actions were obvious to everyone, even the eunuchs, who loathed him. Zhao Zhong, one of the Ten Attendants, angrily warned, "Yuan Shao is building his reputation and raising loyal followers; I wonder what this boy intends to do." Yuan Wei, who had always maintained good relations with the eunuchs, specifically warned Yuan Shao upon learning of this, but Yuan Shao remained unchanged. It should be said that Yuan Shao during this period was quite similar to the image of Yuan Shao portrayed by Hong Yuzhou in the 94 TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

The Yellow Turban Rebellion, which broke out in the first year of the Zhongping era, brought a turning point to Yuan Shao's political life. Emperor Ling of Han was forced to grant amnesty to the partisans, and Yuan Shao was recruited by General-in-Chief He Jin, thus entering officialdom. He started as He Jin's aide, then as Imperial Censor, and finally as General of the Tiger Guard. At that time, He Jin's staff was known as a "gathering of talents," all of whom were renowned scholars. Clearly, He Jin hoped to gain the support of these scholars to solidify his sister's position as Empress and ensure his sister's son's victory in the struggle for the Crown Prince.

In the fifth year of the Zhongping era, in order to reduce the military power held by General He Jin (after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Emperor Ling of Han appointed He Jin, the Governor of Henan, as General-in-Chief, enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Shen, and led the Left and Right Feathered Forest Guards and the Five Camps to garrison Duting, repair weapons, and guard the capital), Emperor Ling ordered the formation of a new army in the Western Garden of Luoyang. This new army was distinct from the existing Five Schools of the Northern Army and was therefore called the Western Garden New Army.

The Western Garden Army was commanded by eight colonels, but real power rested with Jian Shuo, a trusted eunuch of Emperor Ling of Han, who even controlled He Jin. Emperor Ling wanted to enthrone his young son Liu Xie and entrusted him to Jian Shuo. Jian Shuo, wary of He Jin, suggested sending He Jin out of the capital to suppress the rebellion of Han Sui in the northwest. However, He Jin saw through Jian Shuo's scheme and used the pretext of a Yellow Turban rebellion in Qing and Xu provinces to request that Yuan Shao be sent east to Xu and Yan provinces. Yuan Shao seized the opportunity to send his trusted confidants, including Cao Cao, to his hometown to recruit soldiers. A few days later, Emperor Ling died of illness.

After Emperor Ling of Han died, He Jin immediately led his troops to form ranks outside the palace, ready for battle. He forced Jian Shuo to agree to Liu Bian's ascension to the throne, with Empress He ruling as Empress Dowager. Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and General-in-Chief He Jin assisted in governing, jointly managing the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat. At this point, the situation was clear. Eunuchs were servants dependent on the emperor; since Liu Bian had ascended the throne, Jian Shuo's defeat was inevitable. Although Jian Shuo was also a eunuch, the other eunuchs were only thinking about how to gain favor with the new emperor, at least to protect their own families and wealth. Therefore, when Jian Shuo tried to win over the eunuchs Zhao Zhong and Song Dian to kill He Jin and install Liu Xie as emperor, Zhao Zhong and others betrayed Jian Shuo, sending his letter to He Jin. Soon after, Jian Shuo was executed, and his army fell into He Jin's hands.

On the surface, Yuan Shao's future seemed bright. Power in the court was already in the hands of his uncle and He Jin, who was completely obedient to Yuan Shao. Even the palace eunuchs were currying favor with He Jin. However, Yuan Shao was simultaneously urging He Jin to execute all the eunuchs and recommending Yuan Shu, Feng Ji, He Yong, Xun You, and others to join He Jin's staff. At this point, He Jin hesitated. Historical records state that this was due to the Empress Dowager's opposition and the eunuchs' attempts to obstruct He Jin's efforts by bribing his brother and mother. It is also believed that He Jin's later death was because he was easily swayed and did not heed Yuan Shao's advice.

(End of this chapter)