Taiheiki

Chapter 201 Painter
"As the General knows, I served as the Prefect of Yunzhong in Bingzhou a few years ago. I am somewhat familiar with the situation of the border prefectures and vassal states of You and Bing. To be honest, since the Yonghe Qiang Rebellion, the court has focused its main resources on the Northwest, leaving less power for Bingzhou and Youzhou, which wouldn't have been a problem in itself. However, in recent years, the border areas of You and Bing have suffered from severe droughts, leaving the Southern Xiongnu and Wuhuan tribes weak and vulnerable. They have been forced to migrate south for food. If we were to conscript their troops to attack the Xianbei, it would easily incite rebellion and backfire. Therefore, I think it would be better to send an assassin to kill Tan Shihuai!"

"Assassinate Tan Shihuai?" Dou Wu frowned. "Bo Shen, are you sure this will work?"

“Hmm!” Zhang Wen nodded. “Although the Xianbei are powerful, their rise to power is relatively recent, almost entirely due to the efforts of Tan Shihuai in uniting various tribes. Unlike the Xiongnu, whose lineage is long and whose hierarchy is well-established, the Xianbei have a long history. If we can assassinate them, their power will inevitably disintegrate. Once their strength is divided, they will weaken and cease to be a threat to China!” He paused slightly at this point. “Of course, if we want peace in the north, we must quell the internal strife as soon as possible and ensure a stable political situation. As long as the rebellion of the E'er rebels is not quelled, the Han Dynasty will never have a peaceful day. Suppressing the rebellion as soon as possible is of utmost importance!”

"Bo Shen's words are truly insightful and correct!" Dou Wu nodded in sincere admiration: "Bo Shen, could you teach me something about quelling the rebellion of the E'er bandits?"

“I have served in Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Yongzhou for many years and have never been to the south. I know little about the Moth Bandits and dare not speak rashly!” Zhang Wen said in a deep voice, “However, one thing I am certain of is that this matter cannot be delayed. The Moth Bandits spread false doctrines, poison people's hearts, and cause endless harm. If they are not quelled as soon as possible, I fear they will spread, and then there will be bandits in Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, and Yizhou. At that time, it will be uncontrollable!”

"Yes!" Dou Wu sighed. "I've also heard that the bandit leader calls himself the Great Teacher of Virtue, a grandmaster of the Celestial Masters sect. Many of the bandits are also members of the Celestial Masters sect, making them far from ordinary bandits. Bo Shen, are you suggesting we also send someone to assassinate that Great Teacher of Virtue?"

“No!” Zhang Wen shook his head: “Judging from the scale of the Moth Bandits’ uprising, they had been preparing for many years before it started. Their momentum was already established. Even if the assassination succeeds, there will be successors.”

"What does Bo Shen mean?"

"We must use a surprise attack!" Zhang Wen said in a low voice. "The way of military strategy is to adhere to the orthodox while using the unorthodox. Feng Chariot Cavalry and Lu Zigan are good at adhering to the orthodox but not good at using the unorthodox. To quell the Moth Rebels as soon as possible, we cannot use them alone!"

Dou Wu frowned and fell silent. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "A few days ago, Lord Yuan strongly advocated appointing Wei Cong to replace Zhang Pan as the governor of Jiaozhou, ordering him to lead the Jiaozhou troops north to attack the Ezhou rebels from both sides. He also asked Yuan Shao to go south by sea to monitor Wei Cong. But there has been no response so far. Alas, the north and south are now cut off, and there is also unrest in Jiaozhou. I'm afraid we can't spare many troops to attack the Ezhou rebels from both sides!"

"General!" Zhang Wen laughed, "Right now, the government troops and the Moth Rebels are locked in a fierce struggle in Jingzhou. General Feng is requesting reinforcements, and messengers carrying provisions are constantly arriving. The situation is extremely critical. But if the government troops are in such a precarious situation, aren't the Moth Rebels in the same situation? The important thing is not how many troops Wei Cong can send north, but that he can divide the Moth Rebels' forces!"

"That's right!" Zhang Wen's reminder made Dou Wu realize that the total force attacking the Moth Bandits under the command of Feng Kun and Lu Zhi had now exceeded 100,000. The two sides had fought repeatedly in Jingzhou, Yangzhou and other places, with each side winning and losing, and they had been fighting with fortified positions, resulting in a stalemate. At this time, any change in strength would cause a huge change in the battle situation.

"I understand what Bo Shen means. I will go to see Lord Yuan later to discuss urging Wei Cong to lead the Jiaozhou troops north to jointly attack the E'zhai!"

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Panyu.

Are you from out of town?

"Yes, yes, I just arrived in Panyu!" Xie Bing replied cautiously.

"You haven't decided on dinner yet, have you?"

Xie Bing was stumped. He rubbed his empty stomach, thinking to himself that he had only intended to ask someone for directions, so why was this stranger asking if he had eaten? Did the stranger intend to treat him to a meal? Were city people really that generous? With a hopeful thought, he shook his head: "Not yet—"

"That's settled then! See that shop over there, the one with lots of people at the door? They have soup there, drink as much as you want, it's free! You'll save money on dinner!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Xie Bing bowed deeply to the passerby who had given him directions, bewildered. The passerby waved impatiently and hurried away. Xie Bing turned back, approached the shop, and began to observe it cautiously.

Xie Bing was a painter, or more precisely, a painter who painted murals for the dead. During the Han Dynasty, people believed in "serving the dead as if they were alive," meaning that the dead continued to live a similar life in the underworld, and should be treated as if they were still alive. Therefore, the above-ground and underground structures of tombs, as well as burial goods, should all imitate those in the world. Thus, murals were painted on the walls of the tomb, just like the deceased's living quarters. Of course, only wealthy families could afford this; the poor couldn't even afford a coffin, let alone such elaborate decorations in their tombs.

Xie Bing was a skilled cook, and his family's ancestral craft was enough to make a living. However, a few months ago, he got into trouble: a wealthy family in the area had lost a young son and needed to have him buried. Xie Bing took the job and went to work as usual, only to discover that the wealthy family had bought two fifteen-year-old girls, intending to bury them with his deceased son in the grave to serve him. Xie Bing's heart softened upon learning this, and he secretly let the two girls escape. He could no longer stay in his hometown and had to flee with his cooking utensils. Hearing that it was easy to find food in Panyu City, he fled there.

Xie Bing walked to the shop and saw a large wooden bucket placed at the entrance. Next to it stood a burly man holding a long-handled wooden spoon. Whenever someone approached, the man would scoop a large spoonful from the bucket and pour it into the person's bowl. The person would then take the bowl and eat it. He didn't know what the spoonful was, but it smelled very good, which made Xie Bing's stomach rumble.

"Hey kid, if you want some brown soup, you have to wait in line! Hurry up and get to the back of the line, or you'll get beaten up!" someone shouted at Xie Bing.

"Hey!" Xie Bing snapped out of his daze and hurriedly ran to the end of the line. After waiting for about half a meal's time, it was finally his turn. He quickly took out the large ceramic bowl, and the burly man scooped a full spoonful for him, saying, "Drink slowly over there. Come back and get more if you're still hungry!"

"Thank you so much, sir!" Xie Bing hurriedly expressed his gratitude, stepped aside to find a clean place to sit down, took a sip, and found that the soup tasted unexpectedly delicious and was quite thick. It even seemed to contain meat. Xie Bing looked doubtful, thinking that there must be something wrong with his taste buds. How could there be meat in such free soup? What kind of official would be so generous?
Xie Bing drank three large bowls of brown soup, feeling warm all over and regaining his strength. He went to the river to wash the bowls, wondering where he could find a place to sleep for the night and a way to make a living. But looking at the hurried pedestrians on the road, Xie Bing didn't know where to go for a moment.

"Hey, hey! I'm talking to you, yes, you!"

Xie Bing turned around somewhat blankly, looking at a thin man walking towards him. He subconsciously pointed to his nose: "Are you asking me?"

"Of course, who else could it be?" the skinny man chuckled. "Just arrived from out of town?"

"Yes!" Xie Bing nodded. "Have you found a place to eat and sleep?"

Xie Bing shook his head.

"Come with me!" The skinny man beckoned to Xie Bing. Seeing that Xie Bing didn't move, he laughed and said, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come with me, I'm here to introduce you to some work!"

"Introduce me to a job?" Xie Bing was stunned: "But we're complete strangers!"

"You don't understand. This is Panyu. There's always work to be done. All you need are hands and feet. How about it? Come work with me. Food and lodging included. Twenty coins a day, but you have to pay me the middleman's fee for the first month's wages!"

"Twenty coins a day, including food and lodging?" Unlike most outsiders visiting Panyu for the first time, Xie Bing was not fooled by the thin man's words—he was a skilled painter who earned much more back in his hometown. He shook his head: "No need, I'm a painter, I have a skill!"

"A painter?" The thin man was stunned. He hadn't expected this country bumpkin to not be intimidated by the price of "twenty coins a day, including food and lodging." Xie Bing, assuming the other man didn't know his craft, laughed and said, "I paint murals. When wealthy people in my hometown build tombs, they always hire me to paint murals for their ancestors. I've taken fifty or sixty coins a day before, let alone twenty!"

"Oh, oh, oh!" The skinny man realized he seemed to have come to the wrong person. He was thinking about how to fool this country bumpkin when someone next to him shouted, "Hu San, you're trying to fool outsiders again! Get lost, or I'll take you to the authorities and whip you!"

Before Xie Bing could react, the gaunt man had already turned and run, disappearing into the crowd in a few strides. He instinctively turned back and saw a burly man emerge from the hot spring stall—the same man who had just ladled soup for him. The man said to Xie Bing, "Did he tell you there was work, with food and lodging included, for twenty or thirty coins a day? Don't believe his lies! That's all just to fool you outsiders. Once you get there, he'll rob you of your belongings, and you might even be sold into hard labor!"

"Ah!" Xie Bing exclaimed in surprise, then smiled wryly, "Is that so? Luckily, I didn't listen to him!"

"Didn't you listen to that guy?" The burly man laughed, looking Xie Bing up and down. "Didn't see that coming. Twenty yuan for room and board and board and you weren't tempted?"

"No, no!" Xie Bing shook his head: "I'm a painter, I have skills, you can't hire me for this price back home!"

"A painter? Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Xie Bing took off the bamboo box from his back, opened it, and showed it to the burly man: "Brushes, ink, and all sorts of paints are inside, along with our eating utensils!"

"You really are a painter!" The burly man looked curiously at the various brushes and ceramic bottles filled with paint neatly arranged in Xie Bing's bamboo box. "What do you paint? Is this a good business?"

"I mainly paint murals in tombs; it's a family tradition! I used to eat the food of the wealthy!" Xie Bing said with a wry smile, "But now that I've come to Panyu, I don't know if I'll still be able to earn a living like this!"

The burly man, upon hearing about Xie Bing's business, didn't find it unlucky at all. He laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. If you're going to eat the food of the rich, you'll only eat better in Panyu. Think about it, are there as many rich people in your hometown as there are in Panyu? The rich people in Panyu also die, and they'll be buried in graves after they die, so what are you worried about?"

"That's true!" Xie Bing laughed upon hearing the burly man's words. "Then I'll accept your kind words, brother!"

"And even if you can't find work for a while, don't worry!" The burly man pointed to the large wooden tub behind him: "The brown soup here is free anyway, and the weather in Panyu is warm, so you don't have to worry about freezing to death even if you sleep on the streets at night!"

"Is it really true that I can come and drink for free all the time?" Xie Bing asked. "I thought I could only drink a few times, and they would kick me out if I came too often!"

"Of course!" the burly man laughed. "Are you worried about the cost? Don't worry, Governor Wei will cover it all. Would he be short of money? Besides, the main ingredient in this soup is fish, and fish is the cheapest thing in Panyu. Every morning, thousands of bushels of sea fish are unloaded from the docks. Do you think we're short of a few more mouths to feed? So don't worry, people die all sorts of deaths in Panyu, but no one starves to death!"

Xie Bing nodded with some skepticism, but as it turned out, the burly man wasn't lying. Over the next few days, he searched for work, coming here for soup whenever he was hungry, and sleeping under the eaves of the shop at night. One noon, after running around all morning, Xie Bing returned to the soup shop to fill his stomach. The burly man saw him, handed his wooden spoon to someone else, and came up to him: "Xie Bing, have you found work yet?"

"I only found two people to paint signs!" Xie Bing said with a wry smile. "Although I won't make much money, I have no choice but to do it. I guess I'll have to rely on you for a while longer!"

"What's the big deal!" the burly man laughed. "Anyway, I won't miss your few bowls. I do have a job for you, I wonder if you can do it? Can you draw portraits of living people?"

What is meant by "painting of a living person"?

"I have a friend who owns a cockfighting arena. He wants to paint a mural on the wall about cockfighting. Can you paint that?"

"This—" Xie Bing was taken aback upon hearing this: "It's not difficult, but let me be clear from the start, if you want the mural to last, the paint won't be cheap!"

"Money is no problem, as long as you draw well!" the burly man laughed. "You know, in this kind of business, money couldn't be easier to come by!"

(End of this chapter)