Taiheiki

Chapter 195 Paradise
“Just call me by my Han name, young master!” Qu An felt that lowering his stance would be more advantageous for him: “I’ve heard that Xiangpu City has been captured, and there is no longer any Lin-yi Kingdom in this world, so naturally there is no longer any Lin-yi Prince!”

Yu Wen looked at Qu An lying on the bed in surprise. The haggard young man's attitude made him unable to utter the ridicule and sarcasm he was about to say. He snorted coldly: "It's good that you know! You say you know Zhu Da's lair and can lead the soldiers. Then I ask you, why should I believe you? After all, the Han Dynasty has a blood feud with you! Who knows if you're deliberately setting a trap to lure us into the mountains?"

“It is true that I have a grudge against Da Han, but I also have a grudge against Zhu Da!” Qu An replied.

"Because Zhu Da wants to kill you?" Yu Wen laughed.

“Yes, but not entirely!” Qu An shook his head: “He killed my brother!”

“Brother? The King of Linyi sent two sons to Zhuda? Who is the other one besides you?” Yu Wen asked.

“No, he was my wet nurse, not my father’s son!” Qu An replied. “I was heavier than usual when I was born, so my mother had a difficult time giving birth to me and died shortly afterward. My wet nurse raised me. Her son was a few months older than me. We shared the wet nurse’s breast, the same bed, and the same bowl of porridge from a young age. He was like my shadow, my right hand. Zhu Da killed him, and I must avenge him!”

"I see!" Yu Wen nodded. Coming from a wealthy family, he naturally knew that in such affluent households, full brothers often became estranged due to the struggle for inheritance, unlike the close-knit relationship between foster brothers. Qu An, who had lost his family and country, was willing to join the Han Dynasty, which had a blood feud with him, to avenge his foster brother. Although it sounded absurd, it had its own logic.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Qu An asked.

"Let's first tell you about Zhu An's lair, its terrain, how many people there are, and what their armor and weapons are like!"

"Could you please bring some silk paper and a pen? Otherwise, things won't go smoothly here!" Qu An said in a deep voice.

Yu Wen glanced at Qu An and shouted, "Someone, bring me silk, paper, and a brush!"

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Walking along the winding seaside road, distant mountain peaks are reflected on the calm sea. The vast mangrove forests echo with birdsong; as the group approaches, countless birds take flight, their flight so intense it blots out the sky, feathers and droppings landing on the travelers' heads, eliciting shouts and curses. On the other side, the mountains are clearly layered. The lower and middle layers are covered with endless acacia, pine, rosewood, and other trees of various colors, stretching as far as the eye can see. The upper layers gradually transition to shrubs and meadows, revealing the greyish-white rocks, giving a somber and austere feel.

"The further south we go from here, the more expansive and flat the terrain becomes!" Wei Cong's body rose and fell with the elephant's advance. He pointed to the Changshan Mountains on his right and said, "The mountains here will gradually become gentler, eventually turning into a vast plain. A great river comes from the north, and near its mouth to the sea, it branches into several smaller tributaries. Over millions of years, the silt it has carried has accumulated here, forming an extremely vast plain. The land is fertile, the climate is warm, and there are crisscrossing canals. With just a little development, it will be a thousand miles of fertile land, enough to support tens of millions of people!"

Yuan Shao, who was sitting on the same elephant, was still a little unaccustomed to the up-and-down motion beneath him. He looked at the towering mountains to his right with some skepticism and asked, "Mengde, how do you know so much? Have you ever been to this wild land before?"

"It's all from what the merchants who travel by sea told me, and it's also recorded in the books and documents kept in the Kingdom of Linyi!" Wei Cong quickly explained.

"Really? It seems you've long harbored the ambition to expand southward!" Yuan Shao laughed. "Among the men of our great Han, there are those who aspire to be General Who Conquers the West, Protector of the Qiang, Protector of the Wuhuan, Protector of the Xiongnu, and General Who Crosses the Liao River. But someone like you, single-mindedly focused on becoming Protector of the Baiyue, is probably the first of its kind!"

"There's always a first for everything!" Wei Cong laughed. "They haven't seen it with their own eyes yet. Once they do, there will naturally be a next one!"

"That's not necessarily true!" Yuan Shao laughed. "According to you, it rains for more than half the year. Who would like to come to such a place?"

"The General of Liaodong and the Protector of the Qiang also experience snow for half the year! I'm afraid it's even harder for them!" Wei Cong laughed. "Besides, rain has its advantages. These places can have three harvests a year. Once the seeds are sown, they can grow without much care. And as you've seen in Jiaozhou, the abundance of various fruits, flowers, and spices, as well as the abundance of fish and shrimp, is unmatched even in the Central Plains, let alone in the Western Qiang, the Northern Lands, and the areas east of the Liao River!"

"That's true!" Yuan Shao nodded. He had been in Jiaozhou for some time and had already personally experienced the abundance of local produce, especially the variety of fruits, vegetables, and spices, as well as the plentiful seafood, which was so plentiful that prices were practically nonexistent. In Panyu, he even saw "brown soup" being distributed for free in the market. The soup was made with fish, vegetables, and millet, and it was very thick. People could eat as much as they wanted without any limit.

When Yuan Shao inquired about the cost, Wei Cong replied that it was minimal. The fish were leftovers and scraps from the fish processing plant, the vegetables were unsold produce from the daily market closing, and the millet was old rice from the granary. The main expenses were labor, firewood, and site costs. The first two items, in particular, were usually used for composting if not for making brown soup. Furthermore, Panyu's warm climate year-round meant low clothing costs, leading to rapid population growth, which left a deep impression on Yuan Shao.

"However, you must have heard that miasma in Lingnan kills people, Brother Wei, right?" Yuan Shao asked the last question, which was also the one that concerned him the most.

"Brother Yuan, what do you think miasma is?" Wei Cong asked.

"This—" Yuan Shao was immediately stumped by the question. He didn't know how to answer for a moment, but then he heard Wei Cong's second question: "In my opinion, this miasma is similar to the plague. They are both just diseases, but a plague unique to Lingnan! Deal with the miasma the same way you deal with the plague!" "This plague can be dealt with?" Yuan Shao was surprised.

"Of course!" Wei Cong laughed, "As long as we know the reason, we can naturally deal with it!"

"Brother Wei, would you like to hear what I have to say?"

"It's very simple. To deal with the plague, you only need to take care of four things, and you'll be fine!"

"Four things? What four?"

"Rats, fleas, drinking water, food, and waste disposal!" Wei Cong held up four fingers: "There's a saying that disease enters through the mouth, but that's not entirely true. It can also enter through the nose!" Wei Cong pointed to his nostrils: "To combat the plague, we must address these two things. First, drinking water must come from running water or deep wells, and it must be boiled before drinking. Food must be cooked thoroughly, and we must eat fresh, clean food. Waste disposal must be done properly. Take feces, for example; it cannot be urinated or defecated anywhere, but in latrines and outhouses. Feces must be collected and fermented, becoming excellent fertilizer. Otherwise, it will pollute water sources and cause more people to get sick!"

"So troublesome?" Yuan Shao felt a little dizzy listening to this, and said with a wry smile, "What about the rats and fleas?"

"The reason why plagues are so terrible is that once they break out, it's not just a few or a few dozen people who get sick; many people fall ill at the same time, and the onslaught is fierce. Even with a cure, it's difficult to treat so many people at once. Rats and fleas are good at spreading plagues. The best way to prevent plagues is to take precautions against these two things. For example, keep cats at home and don't harm birds like owls that feed on rats. When building a house, make sure the walls and floors are sturdy, and block and clean up rat holes. As for fleas, bathe regularly, soak clothes in hot water, ventilate houses and beds, and sun them regularly! If a patient dies, their clothes and belongings should be burned, their excrement should be buried, and their body should be cremated as soon as possible to prevent others from getting sick!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Wei!" Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's expression turned serious, and he bowed deeply to Wei Cong. Since the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the climate in the northern regions had become dry, cold, and unpredictable. Besides damaging agricultural production, epidemics had become more frequent. Historical records alone document: In the first month of the first year of Emperor Huan's Yuanjia reign (151 AD), a major epidemic struck the capital; in the second month, epidemics broke out in Jiujiang and Lujiang. In the first month of the fourth year of Yanxi (161 AD), a major epidemic occurred. In the third month of the fourth year of Emperor Ling's Jianning reign (171 AD), a major epidemic occurred. In the first month of the second year of Xiping (173 AD), a major epidemic occurred. In the spring of the second year of Guanghe (179 AD), a major epidemic occurred. In the second month of the fifth year (182 AD), a major epidemic occurred. In the first month of the second year of Zhongping (185 AD), a major epidemic occurred. In the twenty-second year of Emperor Xian's Jian'an reign (217 AD), a major epidemic occurred.

Especially during this last great plague, historical records alone show that among the famous scholars who died from it were Wang Can (one of the Seven Scholars of Jian'an), Xu Gan, Chen Lin, Ying Yang (the grandson of Ying Feng in this book), Liu Zhen, and Sima Lang, the elder brother of Sima Yi. If so many of these pampered scholars perished, one can only imagine the suffering of ordinary people. Thus, Cao Zhi wrote his famous poem "On the Plague" at the end of that year: "In the twenty-second year of Jian'an, a plague swept through the land, every household suffered the pain of death, every room echoed with weeping. Some died with their doors closed, some were wiped out as entire families. Some believed the plague was caused by ghosts and gods. Those who afflicted were all poor people, living in simple clothes and eating coarse food. As for those living in palaces, feasting on delicacies, or wearing heavy furs and wearing thick bedding, such people were few and far between."

Although Yuan Shao was unaware of the future great plague, he had witnessed firsthand the devastating power of the plagues that had repeatedly broken out at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. At this time, he was still an ambitious young nobleman with aspirations to bring peace to the world. If what Wei Cong said was helpful, it would undoubtedly be extremely beneficial to him and to the Han Dynasty.

“No problem, Benchu, if you become a prefect in the future, these will come in handy!” Wei Cong laughed. “After this alliance meeting, I will choose a strategic location to build a city as a long-term plan. If you are interested in the planning, you can come and see for yourself!”

“Alright!” Yuan Shao nodded.

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As Wei Cong described, as they traveled south, the terrain gradually opened up, and the mountains to the west became gentler. Along the road, one could often see fields and villages. The best buildings in the villages were temples, which housed clay or wooden statues of gods, some with three heads and six arms, others with elephant heads and human bodies, looking ferocious and terrifying.

Upon seeing Wei Cong's army pass by, the local people either fled into the mountains or knelt by the roadside, offering wine, food, and tribute. To those who fled, Wei Cong ordered his soldiers to strictly forbid any damage to their temples, villages, fields, or houses; if they cut down their gardens for firewood, they were to be compensated with money and silk. Those who came to offer wine, food, and tribute were all appeased, and he claimed to be acting on the orders of the Emperor of the Great Han, coming to join the alliance with other states to punish the wicked and appease the good. He declared that he had no shortage of provisions and would return the offerings, which the local people accepted with great joy.

After traveling for seven or eight days, a large river appeared ahead. Looking across, the opposite bank was completely flat; as far as the eye could see, it was all plain, as if deliberately created by heaven. The sky was a deep, jewel-like blue, with clouds as white as cotton candy. Sunlight bathed everything, making it appear as if cast in gold. The fresh air, carrying the scent of the sea and the fragrance of the forest, carried away the fatigue of the journey. This vast plain connected to the sea to the south, with large mangrove forests covering the transition between ocean and land. Slightly inland, countless canals, forests, and meadows could be seen, with small boats gliding through them and flocks of waterbirds soaring above—it was like paradise.

"Truly a paradise on earth, a land of abundance!" Yuan Shao took a deep breath: "Brother Wei, you were right after all!"

"Pass down the order to set up camp!" Wei Cong ordered. "Send a messenger to tell that the Vice-King of Funan that I, the governor, have arrived!"

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That evening, Wei Cong spent the night with his officers and generals. The pot was laden with shellfish, shrimp, and fish slices, while the grill was piled high with spiced waterfowl. The brackish water under the mangroves along the shore was teeming with fish, and there were plenty of waterfowl to be caught effortlessly. Although according to the Han dynasty calendar it was winter, and Luoyang was bitterly cold with no greenery to be seen in the countryside, the waterside plants were still full of edible shoots. Lotus roots and water chestnuts grew in the water, and various fruits were plentiful in the bushes and woods along the roadside. Wei Cong even made an exception and allowed everyone present to have a glass of fruit wine. Everyone laughed happily, filled with hope for the future.

"My lord!" Chen Qi laughed, "I thought Lin Yi Kingdom was the farthest place in the world, but I never expected there to be such a paradise here!"

"How could that be!" Wei Cong laughed. "The world is so vast, this is just a small corner of it! How about this, since we have nothing to do tonight and can't drink freely in the army, I'll give you a question to test you!"

(End of this chapter)