Taiheiki

Chapter 169 Obtaining an Official Position
Clearly, such a powerful enemy cannot be defeated by winning one or two major victories on the battlefield. Even if its main force is destroyed, its remnants will retreat into the mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes, prolonging the war. A slight misstep could lead to a resurgence. More importantly, the religious organization mobilizing the bandits is a branch of the Celestial Masters sect, a deeply entrenched religion in the south with a large following in Sichuan, Jingzhou, the Huai River region, Wuyue, and even Luoyang. How to deal with the Celestial Masters sect—whether to ban it or separate its participants and deal with them individually—requires careful consideration.

Of course, the most important thing right now is victory on the battlefield. Only by quickly defeating and eliminating the main force of the Moth Rebellion on the battlefield and restoring the court's control over large areas of Huainan, Jiangxi, and Jiangdong can the troubles that follow be minimized. To be honest, this Moth Rebellion reminded Yuan Wei of the Qiang Rebellion in the thirty-third year of Jianwu. That was the year Emperor Guangwu died. The Shaodang Qiang, which had grown strong during the Xin Dynasty, invaded Longxi Commandery. The Qiang people who had originally been allied with the Han Dynasty and guarded the border for the Han Dynasty in Longyou all rebelled. They successively defeated the court's expeditionary army, forcing the newly enthroned Emperor Ming of Han to send General Dou Gu and General Ma Wu with an army of 40,000 to defeat them. The following year, the leader of the Shaodang Qiang surrendered to the court, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

But what no one knew was that for over a hundred years afterward, the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou became a chronic problem for the Han Dynasty, erupting every few years, and in its worst cases, the fighting even spread to the Three Auxiliary Regions, Yizhou, and the Western Regions. If this Moth Rebellion were to turn into a Qiang rebellion, it would be disastrous. The Han Dynasty no longer possessed the national strength and wise rulers of the time of Emperor Ming and Emperor Zhang. Thinking of this, Yuan Wei couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Nephew Cao, do you think Wei Cong is capable of marching north to defeat the Moth Rebels?" Yuan Wei asked. "Back then, when the Moth Rebels started their uprising in Yuzhang, he avoided battle and went south from Yuzhang to Jiaozhou. Now that the Moth Rebels are powerful, does he still have the ability to fight them?"

"Grand Tutor!" Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "Wei Cong once led troops under General Feng, and General Feng knows his abilities best. As for why he dared not confront the Moths in Yuzhang, it's because he didn't have many soldiers! When he relieved the siege of Baling, County Commandant Wang Gui watched him fight a bitter battle with the Wuling barbarians without coming out of the city to help, so in a fit of anger, he killed Wang Gui and abandoned his army to flee. He only had three boats and a little over two hundred soldiers with him. With this small number of men, he smelted iron and gathered a crowd in Yuhan County, Yuzhang, and in less than a year, he had over a thousand men. At that time, the Moths were rampant, what could he do with so few men? If he had stayed in Yuzhang, he would have been doomed."

"Incompetent at suppressing bandits in Yuzhang, yet capable of marching south to Jiaozhou!" Yuan Wei sneered. "Yuhan County only has a thousand or so people, how come there are over ten thousand in Jiaozhou? Does Wei Cong know magic?"

“Brother!” Yuan Feng patted Yuan Wei’s arm. “Wei Cong is certainly not a virtuous and upright man, but what the court needs right now is not a virtuous gentleman, but a general who is proficient in military strategy and can lead troops to suppress the rebels. Wei Cong was convicted and fled, yet more than two hundred people followed him without abandoning him, which shows that he has great talent and can win people’s loyalty. He gathered a crowd by smelting iron in Yuhan County, which shows that he is practical and not a pedant. When the rebels rose up and the situation was chaotic, he was able to lead his troops south, avoiding the strong and attacking the weak, and with a few thousand weak soldiers, he took the five counties of Jiaozhou, which shows that he is proficient in military strategy and understands the situation. If such a talent can distinguish between right and wrong and work for the court to attack the rebels from both sides, it would naturally be a good thing!”

Reminded by his elder brother, Yuan Wei suppressed his anger and regained his composure: "Fine, for the sake of the court's grand plan, I can petition the Grand General and the Empress Dowager to grant him the position of Governor of Jiaozhou. However, forget about the Protector of the South China Sea. There is no precedent for this position. Moreover, the most important thing right now is to quell the Moth Rebels, not the South China Sea."

“Those bandits are in Yuzhang, Kuaiji, and Danyang. It’s not appropriate for him, as the governor of Jiaozhou, to lead troops to suppress them!” Yuan Feng asked.

"Let's add a Baiyue General!" Yuan Wei replied after a moment's thought: "Following the precedent of the Protector of the Xiongnu General, he will lead the Baiyue righteous troops to suppress the E'zhai! After the matter is settled, he will relinquish his troops and seal!"

“Very well!” Yuan Feng nodded. Like all bureaucratic institutions, the most important thing in getting things done was to invoke precedents, so that things would be legitimate. Old bureaucrats like the Yuan brothers, who had spent their entire lives in the Han Dynasty's bureaucracy, were naturally well aware of the precedents of the current dynasty.

In the 26th year of Jianwu (50 AD) during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Southern Xiongnu submitted to the Eastern Han, and the Eastern Han established the position of Xiongnu General. In the 4th year of Yongyuan (92 AD) during the reign of Emperor He of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Eastern Han repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on the Northern Xiongnu, who retreated to Yiwu. The Chanyu of Chujian went to Lake Pulei to request surrender to the Eastern Han. Therefore, the Eastern Han established the position of Protector of the Xiongnu General in the Yiwu region (present-day northeastern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) to protect the Northern Xiongnu, "following the precedent set by the Southern Chanyu." From then on, both the Southern and Northern Xiongnu were under the protection of the Eastern Han, a period known as "the combined protection of the two Xiongnu." The main duties of the Xiongnu General and the Protector of the Xiongnu General were to monitor the Xiongnu Chanyu and his nobles. Since the Southern and Northern Xiongnu had submitted to the Eastern Han, they also served as border defenses. In wartime, these two generals also had the task of commanding Xiongnu cavalry and cooperating with the Han army in battle.

Within Jiaozhou, there was a large inhabitant population of natives, many of whom were tenacious and valiant, making them excellent infantry and archers. There were even some skilled horsemen; for example, the name of the Yue cavalry unit among the Five Schools of the Northern Army originated from the Yue cavalry formed during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. Yuan Feng changed the title of Protector of the South Sea Commandant to Protector of the Hundred Yue Generals, and ordered him to lead the Hundred Yue militia to suppress the E'zhai (Mohe) bandits. Even as he was bestowing the title, he told Wei Cong to quickly gather the minority warriors of Jiaozhou and launch a pincer attack on the E'zhai from the north!
"Excellent!" Yuan Shao laughed. "It's a win-win situation!"

"What do you mean by killing two birds with one stone? It's clearly making the best of a bad situation!" Yuan Wei snorted coldly, clearly unwilling to make this decision. He glanced at Yuan Shao: "Since you think it's good, then go to Jiaozhou and serve as a military supervisor in Wei Cong's army to oversee his campaign against the E'zhai!"

"Yes!" Yuan Shao was taken aback upon hearing this, but being extremely shrewd, he immediately stood up, bowed, and accepted the order.

After leaving Yuan Shao's villa, Yuan Wei had regained his composure. Yuan Feng followed him and said in a low voice, "Why did you do this? Although Shao'er went a bit too far in this matter, why did you send him to such a barbaric place as Jiaozhou? What if something bad happens to him? A hundred years from now, how will we have the face to meet Wen Kai (Yuan Cheng's courtesy name) in the afterlife?"

"What do you think of the General and the Empress Dowager's opinion of Ashao?" Yuan Wei stopped in his tracks.

“This—” Yuan Feng said with a wry smile, “I’m afraid it’s not a good thing! After all, when it comes down to it, Shao was the one who started the siege of the palace!”

"That's it!" Yuan Wei said, "After causing such a huge incident, the General and the Empress Dowager not only didn't punish him, but also restored Yuan Shao's position as Imperial Censor. Firstly, it's because of the support from scholars across the land, and secondly, it's because of our old faces. The resentment in their hearts runs deep. Such resentment either doesn't come out, or if it does, it will take lives, and not just one person's life!"

"I understand!" Yuan Feng said in a low voice, "You're doing this for the Empress Dowager and the General. Even if they have a lot of resentment, Ah Shao has already vented a lot of it after being banished to Jiaozhou, right?"

“Yes!” Yuan Wei sighed, “If it were up to me, they would all be my own children, how could I send him to Jiaozhou? But now, if we don’t temper him, it won’t be good for him, or for the Yuan family!”

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"Brother Yuan!" Cao Cao looked at Yuan Shao apologetically in the hall: "It's all my fault. I used your family's connections to help Wei Cong get the governorship of Jiaozhou, but it ended up causing you to go—" "Forget it!" Yuan Shao waved his hand: "Aman, you don't need to apologize. Jiaozhou isn't such a bad place. Didn't you just go there and come back? Besides, it might not be a bad thing for me to go and be the supervising envoy?"

"Not a bad thing?"

“Yes, you said Wei Cong can mine, smelt iron, and even produce salt. I’m also curious and want to go see for myself!” Yuan Shao smiled, his handsome face radiant. “Besides, I’m almost twenty, but I know very little about military affairs. This time, being in Wei Cong’s army will be a good opportunity to learn some military matters, which will benefit me in the future!”

"That's true!" Cao Cao nodded. "Wei Cong is a brilliant strategist; he hasn't lost a battle in years! You'll definitely learn a lot from him."

"Alright then!" Yuan Shao smiled. "While I'm away from the capital, you should get along well with A-Shu and the others!"

"A-Shu?" Cao Cao's face turned ugly. "Zhang Miao and the others are alright, but A-Shu is a different story. He's arrogant and domineering with everyone he's with. Only those wandering knights can get along with him! My family wants me to go back to my hometown and study hard! I'll come back to the capital after I've been recommended for the civil service examination!"

“That’s good!” Yuan Shao nodded, his expression becoming serious. “Aman, the situation in the world is constantly changing. We must work together in the court, and we must not let our families, clans and neighbors become estranged. Being an official is only temporary, but our clans are for generations to come!”

"I'll remember that!" Cao Cao nodded. "When I get back, I'll get along well with my fellow graduates from the Xiahou and Cao families!"

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Panyu.

"Did you see that? You have to do it this way. The line has to be straight, otherwise the wall will be crooked and the house will collapse!" Qin Ke pushed aside the craftsman who was laying the line and demonstrated it himself. Seeing that he was really an expert, the craftsman did not dare to argue and could only lower his head and do it as Qin Ke asked.

"What are you two doing? You've taken our wages, yet you're slacking off here! Get back to mixing mud and building the wall!" Qin Ke turned around and saw two laborers chatting under the shade of a tree. Enraged, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and ran over. The two laborers, seeing this, quickly got up and went back to work. Qin Ke walked around the construction site, making sure everyone was busy at their posts, before he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then walked to the shade of a nearby tree and poured himself a bowl of cold soup.

"I never thought I'd be able to build myself a house so quickly! Those few random things I said actually came true!" Qin Ke shook his head, still feeling like he was dreaming. A few months ago, while chatting with his boss, he heard about borrowing money to buy a boat and then paying it back in installments with the fish caught on the boat. He casually blurted out, "What if I could borrow money to build a house and then live in it to pay it back slowly?" Although it startled his boss, he didn't think much of it. A few casual remarks during a work break—who would take them seriously? Keeping an eye on those women and getting a few more buckets of fish was more important.

To Qin Ke's surprise, his fabrication actually came true. Five days after that casual conversation, his superior took him to a large courtyard and presented him with a powerful figure. That figure asked Qin Ke a question: "If I lent you money, what kind of house would you plan to build, how much would you borrow, and how would you repay it?"

Thanks to the gods, Qin Ke was not stumped by the important man's question. His experience from childhood, during the off-season when he followed his father around helping with ramming earth, building walls and beams, making window frames, and laying roofs, helped him. He held up his fingers and calculated in front of the important man the land, labor, materials needed to build a two-courtyard house, as well as the taboos, order, and timing of construction. He planned to build two stories in the outer courtyard after the house was completed. The first floor could be used as a tavern, and the remaining second floor could be divided into several small rooms to be rented out as inns and hostels. His family would live in the inner courtyard. He would bring his parents, two younger sisters, and younger brother from his hometown to live with him. He would also get married and have a wife to help manage the tavern and the rental rooms. He calculated that the income would not only be enough to pay off the debts but also support his family.

"Not bad, well planned! I didn't realize you were so capable. It's a waste to have you sorting fish at the dock!" The big shot's laughter interrupted Qin Ke's calculations. Startled, he quickly knelt down to apologize. The big shot waved his hand dismissively: "Get up! Since you're going to do it, go big. I'll give you two plots of land, a total of one acre, about a hundred steps east of the dock. It's a good spot; merchants and travelers can see it as soon as they disembark. You can set up a decent tavern or inn there, a good example. As for the expenses, go back and calculate them, then report the figures. But you must find the manpower yourself, and you'll be the one supervising the construction. So, good luck!" A meaningful smile appeared on the big shot's face.

Qin Ke was led out of the courtyard by his boss in a daze. His boss looked at him with a mixture of envy and admiration: "Kid, you've really had a stroke of good luck this time!"

"But...but I'm still a prisoner!" Qin Ke asked blankly, "Didn't they say I had to serve a full year before I could be released?"

"Prisoner my ass!" The superior spat on the ground. "Do you know who just spoke to you? It was Wang Shou, the old man, who just arrived from Jiangling. He was one of the earliest followers of Duke Wei. The Fifth Commandant and Liu Jiu, for example, are not as senior as him. Duke Wei is extremely respectful of elders and virtuous men, and upon his arrival, he entrusted him with all the affairs of Panyu City. With his approval, how can you still be considered a prisoner?"

(End of this chapter)