Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 4 The Aristocratic Families of Ji Province

"May Heaven protect us! Once we cross the boundary bridge, the most prominent clan in Ganling Kingdom will naturally be the Cui clan of Qinghe in Dongwucheng County, Jizhou!"

"Within a county, there are very few other prominent families, let alone prefectural ones. Throughout Dongwucheng County, along both banks of the Qinghe River, the Cui family's estates and fields are everywhere. I roughly estimate that they cover tens of thousands of acres, mostly high-quality wheat fields! The plague around the Qinghe River is also the most severe. Hundreds of corpses lie on the roads, villages near the river are deserted, and countless people have died or fled!..."

"The Cui family of Qinghe did not provide relief; they merely blocked the roads and forbade plague victims to approach, threatening to kill them if they did... Alas! After this great plague, the once prosperous banks of Qinghe will likely be reduced to graveyards. And the fertile fields along the hundreds of miles of riverbanks will surely fall under the Cui family's control!..."

Speaking of the tragic scene along the Qinghe River, Ma Yuanyi's face showed unbearable sorrow, and he sighed deeply. With countless corpses of plague victims entering the water, the river became the most convenient breeding ground for the disease. The manors of wealthy families, with their own wells, were somewhat spared. But ordinary households relied on the nearby river for their daily water needs, inevitably drawing water contaminated with the disease.

The banks of the Qinghe River were crisscrossed with fields and had long been developed, making it arguably the most fertile land in the world. The surrounding forests suitable for firewood were all owned, and the villagers had neither the habit of boiling water nor the ability to obtain enough firewood. As a result, the plague spread rapidly along the river with the floodwaters. Entire villages and households perished; the tragedy was indescribable…

"The Cui family of Qinghe is a prominent and prestigious family, and they would normally disdain to see me. However, upon hearing that I brought 'talismanic medicine' that could cure the plague, they sent out a young junior. He was probably only twenty years old, named Cui Yan (Cui Jigui), and he was quite arrogant..."

"This Cui Yan not only took the talisman and medicine, but also demanded the prescription from me, insisting on receiving the grain only after I had it. I could only nod in agreement. Fortunately, the Cui family of Qinghe truly lived up to their reputation as a prominent clan; even with years of plague, they still had a large amount of grain stored up. This prescription written by my wise teacher directly yielded 600 bushels of grain from the Cui family. It consisted mainly of dried wheat, with a small portion being millet and sorghum that could be stored for a long time—all old grain, I don't know how many years it had been stored..."

Hearing this, Zhang Chengfu raised his head, a cold glint in his eyes. In the nine prefectures of Ji Province, tens of thousands of people had died of starvation, collapsing along the roads, unable to find a bite to eat. Meanwhile, powerful clans like the Cui family of Qinghe had stored up grain for years, casually handing over 600 bushels—enough to feed four thousand starving people for half a month. If they could raid the Cui family's estate and seize all their stored grain, how many more tens of thousands could be saved?

Of course, such a terrifying thought only existed in Zhang Chengfu's mind. In this powerful and aristocratic world of the Han Dynasty, only he had a burning passion in his heart, showing no respect for these powerful families. Only he dared to think this way, dared to be an enemy of all the powerful families in the world! If he were to voice this thought, even within the Taiping Dao at this time, it would be shocking and unacceptable.

"In Ganling Kingdom, besides the Cui family of Qinghe, another prominent family was the Zhang family of Qinghe, a ancestral clan of the former Han dynasty and a ancestral clan of the current dynasty. The main branch of the Zhang family was in Ganling County in the south. Hearing that they were hiding from the plague and refusing to see anyone, they could not be visited. So, the disciple led his followers northward along the Qinghe River, entering Anping Kingdom from Guangchuan County..."

"Master, you once preached and performed rituals in Guangchuan, healing many wealthy merchants. Hearing that your disciple was raising funds for grain, these same wealthy merchants who had received your kindness generously contributed... Although each household gave a small amount of grain, it totaled over 200 bushels, mainly millet and beans..."

"Preaching in Guangchuan... Hmm, that was about four years ago. Back then, Yuanyi, Tangzhou, and I were traveling north from Guangchuan County into Hejian Kingdom, where we happened to meet Daonu..."

At this point, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao smiled slightly and nodded to his burly seventh disciple, Gao Daonu. The imposing Gao Daonu quickly returned the greeting, like a respectful bear. Zhang Chengfu, meanwhile, seemed lost in thought, pondering the details of Ma Yuanyi's words.

"The Cui family of Qinghe produces wheat, millet, and sorghum, while the wealthy households of Guangchuan produce millet and beans. Millet is small grain, sorghum is yellow millet, and beans are soybeans. Of these, wheat naturally has the highest yield, but it is also the most difficult to grow. The water required for one acre of wheat field is probably more than twice that of millet, and the yield is more than one and a half times..."

"The Cui family of Qinghe can grow wheat on a large scale because they control most of the water resources in the Qinghe area. But this year, with the drought and water shortage, the Cui family, wanting to grow high-yield wheat, will inevitably have to compete with the local people for water. The surrounding common people probably don't even have water to grow millet!..."

"Millet fields are the most common in the entire north. They are planted in spring and harvested in autumn, requiring little water and little fertilizer. Poor people either plant millet or beans, that is, various beans, especially soybeans. Commonly, millet is planted twice every three years and beans are planted once every three years, rotating the two to restore the soil fertility."

"As for millet, its yield is lower than that of foxtail millet, but its water and fertilizer requirements are slightly higher, making it unprofitable to grow, and therefore not widely cultivated by ordinary people. Millet's only advantage is its high viscosity, which allows it to be used for brewing wine and making New Year's cakes for ancestral worship. Jizhou has suffered from consecutive years of famine, with countless people starving to death; only aristocratic families would use grain to brew wine!..."

Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the roads, the frozen dead lie scattered. The people's hard-earned wealth comes from farmland, from water and fertile soil. Yet, the powerful families of the prefectures and counties always hold absolute power over the distribution of both land and water, and they continuously expand their share. This is the root cause of the collapse of morality and the suffering of the common people!

Natural disasters and man-made calamities always coexist. If the common people do not rise up in resistance, they will only be left to wait for death. And what can unite the common people besides religious faith, the Way of Peace, and the Five Pecks of Rice sect?

Zhang Chengfu was somewhat dazed; his memories of his past life were blurry and distant, like a faint spark in the mist. When he came to his senses, he heard Ma Yuanyi's voice, who had already moved from Ganling Kingdom to Anping Kingdom.

"The most prominent clan in Anping Kingdom is naturally the ancestral home, the Cui clan of Boling. The relationship between the Boling Cui and the Qinghe Cui... well, during the reign of Emperor Wu, Cui Yiru, a descendant of nobles from the Qi state, had two sons. The eldest son, Cui Ye, settled in Dongwu City, Qinghe, becoming the Qinghe Cui. The second son, Cui Zhongmou, settled in Anping, Boling, becoming the Boling Cui..."

"Anping County was the seat of the Anping Kingdom. The Cui family of Boling was extremely wealthy, comparable to the Cui family of Qinghe, probably owning tens of thousands of acres of land and thousands of servants. The Cui family of Boling also greatly promoted education, attracting many students and former officials, and enjoyed a good reputation throughout the prefecture..."

"Yes! The Cui clan of Boling is a truly upright and aristocratic family. Due to the influence of the Party Prohibitions, none of their direct descendants are currently serving in official positions. When I went to ask for grain, the Cui clan of Boling were very polite, but it seemed that they didn't have much grain left. They only offered 400 bushels of millet in exchange for talismans and medicine to treat the plague. And from the subtle inquiries I made, I heard that Liu Xu, the Prince of Anping, was mistreating the people and extorting them heavily..."

Since Anping was called a "state," it naturally had its own vassal kings, just like Ganling. The vassal king of Ganling was Liu Zhong, and his advisor was Liu Yu, a highly respected and renowned member of the imperial clan and prime minister. However, the vassal king of Anping, Liu Xu, was largely unchecked. Emperor Ling's greedy and avaricious ways had a lasting influence, and few of the local vassal kings were not corrupt. Rumors circulated that Liu Xu "mistreated the people," and he had a poor reputation among the gentry.

Of course, the "common people" being mistreated here probably refers not only to the lower classes but also to the gentry within the vassal state. It's easy to guess that Anping County, where Liu Xu, the Prince of Anping, resided, was located in the same area as the ancestral home of the Cui clan of Boling. Even if it was just a matter of competing for county taxes, land, and tenants, it's impossible that the two were completely without grudges.

"I also requested an audience with Prince Liu Xu of Anping. Prince Liu Xu brought out 200 bushels of grain, most of which was wheat, but the remaining small portion was actually top-quality rice, a gift from the imperial court reserved exclusively for the sacrifices of vassal kings! This rice was a precious and delicious grain, far superior to wheat porridge… However, Liu Xu had one condition: he was very interested in my teacher's divination and astrological observation skills. He wanted my teacher to come to Anping to see him and perform a divination for him…"

At this point, Ma Yuanyi gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"This Prince Anping... I dared not explicitly refuse, nor dare I presume to agree. I merely gave a vague response and left Anping County... I privately pondered that what this Prince Anping wanted to divine was probably... was..."

“Yuanyi, there are no outsiders here, so please speak freely.”

"Yes, teacher! What Prince Anping wants to divine is probably the 'aura of an emperor'..."

"Divining the aura of an emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu paused, then looked up at Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao was also somewhat surprised, then shook his head and chuckled, sighing.

"The emperor's moral failings were followed by earthquakes and solar eclipses, then a great plague and disaster... Under the influence of divine intervention, the Liu family's vassal kings couldn't sit still any longer. Previously, the partisan Wang Fen had asked me to examine several of the vassal kings to see who possessed the aura of an emperor. I couldn't refuse, so I had to... As for this Prince of Anping, he couldn't even appease the local gentry of Anping, causing widespread resentment. How could he possibly be considered an 'emperor'?..." "Partisan Wang Fen? Examining the aura of an emperor?..."

Zhang Chengfu seemed lost in thought. During the Han Dynasty, apocryphal texts and celestial phenomena were highly valued. The activities of sorcerers and magicians were not limited to the lower classes; they also wielded considerable influence among the upper classes. Renowned "immortal masters" like Zhang Jiao, the Great Teacher of Virtue, were frequent guests of princes, eunuchs, and powerful families!

If Zhang Jiao, the Great Teacher of Virtue, had not risen in rebellion for the sake of the people, his final status would undoubtedly have been equal to that of the Celestial Masters of the Five Pecks of Rice sect. He would not only have enjoyed wealth and honor in life, but he would have also founded a sect, built shrines and temples, and been worshipped for centuries after his death, becoming one of the founders of Taoism…

"Very well! For the sake of 200 bushels of wheat and rice... After the disaster is over, I will personally go to Anping Kingdom to perform divination for King Anping. I will leave behind a couple of divination inscriptions and collect some more grain so that you can all taste more rice."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Jiao smiled and agreed to the divination request. He looked at Ma Yuanyi, who nodded and finished recounting his experience of raising grain.

"Traveling south from Anping County, it takes two days to reach Nangong County. Nangong has no powerful clans, but there is a wealthy and powerful family, the Gao clan, who owns thousands of acres of land and employs hundreds of armed servants. The Gao clan holds the teacher's shamanistic and medical skills in great awe and reverence. They offered 300 bushels of millet, requested talismanic medicine, talismanic water, and exorcising talismans, set up an altar for the Yellow Heaven deity, and even gifted their disciple 30 oxcarts for transporting grain… They are truly devoted disciples of peace, extremely devout!…"

"The local powerful clan, the Gao family of Nangong, believed in the Yellow Heaven..."

Zhang Chengfu noted down another name. Compared to the aristocratic families that had stood for generations and were arrogant and distant, the friendly attitude of these emerging local powerful families towards the Taiping Dao was somewhat puzzling.

Some of them were devout believers in ghosts and gods, while others hoped to use the Way of Great Peace to expand. But many more had received the blessings of healing from the Way of Great Peace, or were unable to be recommended for official positions under the old system and were ambitious enough to climb the ranks.

Beyond Jizhou, the heartland of the Way of Peace, the leaders and chieftains of the thirty-six regions were largely local powerful clans who had joined these alliances. Undoubtedly, they were a force to be reckoned with, but were they truly a reliable force?
"The world has lost its virtue; what do these powerful figures truly desire? Is it really a path to peace? The year 60 will bring peace, relieving the suffering of the people. But those who truly yearn for peace are only the most impoverished commoners!..."

Zhang Chengfu closed his eyes, and the fog of the world dissipated, revealing the true path clearly. Meanwhile, his senior brother, Ma Yuanyi, had finished recounting his experience of raising grain and said with a smile.

"Master, I have not failed you! This time, I have collected a total of 1700 bushels of grain, which should be enough to provide relief to the disaster victims! When Junior Brother Xin returns with more grain, we should be able to save some surplus to use as seeds for our disciples in this prefecture to plant this summer... Hmm, given the water shortage this year, planting wheat is out of the question, and even planting millet is unlikely. I think we should save the beans so that the believers can plant a season of beans to restore the fertility of the fields!..."

"Great job! Yuanyi, you've worked hard!..."

Zhang Jiao reached out and touched Ma Yuanyi's forehead, a rare smile appearing on his usually serious face. Then, he asked...

"Yuanyi, there are a large number of newly arrived disaster victims, and the epidemic is severe. How much of the medicinal herbs I asked you to purchase for treating the epidemic have you collected?"

"Oh! Teacher, medicinal herbs..."

Upon hearing this question, Ma Yuanyi's face fell, and his voice lowered.

"Years of plague have driven up the price of medicinal herbs, making them extremely scarce. Most of the herbs on the market are controlled by powerful families, leaving our disciples to painstakingly gather them. And the talismanic medicines we concoct are mostly traded with these families for food..."

"Thank Heaven! I've collected enough ephedra, cinnamon twig, and bupleurum for a thousand people to relieve exterior symptoms. I also have enough gypsum, scutellaria, and coptis for eight hundred people to clear heat. I can probably gather enough dried ginger and aconite for two hundred people to warm the interior. As for ginseng and licorice, those are the most commonly used remedies by ordinary doctors. I can't find any of them; the powerful families have already bought them all!..."

"Yuan Yi, all diseases arise from wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. I observe that this epidemic is similar to the last one, a 'typhoid fever' caused by external febrile diseases. When the external pathogen is on the skin, sweating is used to expel it. When the pathogen enters the interior and transforms into heat, it is necessary to clear the heat. Therefore, in this epidemic, relieving the exterior and clearing the heat are of paramount importance! As long as the patients can endure the most ferocious heat, they can gradually recover... As for warming the interior and tonifying, that is a matter for later after enduring the ferocious pathogen."

At this point, Zhang Jiao frowned, his forehead furrowed deeply, and his shoulders slumped.

"However, this herbal medicine for relieving exterior symptoms and clearing heat... is only enough for less than a thousand people?"

The term "one thousand doses" means that it can only treat one thousand people. Whenever a major epidemic occurs, the biggest problem is that medical resources are extremely limited, enough to treat only a small number of people.

In this era, when a major epidemic broke out, there was often not enough food, let alone medicine. Even with so many refugees gathered outside the Tianqi Temple, it was difficult to gather enough firewood to boil water; they had to go miles to collect it. Therefore, distributing boiled talismanic water to the people became the only option under these circumstances. This was the best the Taiping Dao could do…

So, how should these limited quantities of herbs for only one thousand people be allocated and distributed? How much should be stored and how much should be distributed? How much should be given to wealthy families and how much should be given to ordinary people?
The disciples present almost simultaneously thought of this crucial question. Sixth Senior Brother Wu Deng immediately crawled forward on his knees and kowtowed deeply. He wasn't good with words, but he kowtowed forcefully, pleading.

"Master! Please distribute all the herbs that Senior Brother Yuanyi brought back to my logistics camp! So many of the disaster victims outside Tianqi Temple are clinging to their last breath, waiting for talismans and medicine to save their lives! Just distributing talismans and talisman water is enough to kill seven out of ten people!..."

"No! Master, please put the herbs into storage first, and I will count them before preparing them into talismanic medicine. As is customary, give a portion to Junior Brother Wu!..."

Seeing this, the second senior brother, Tang Zhou, quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed.

"As Huang Tian sees it! We must first reserve a portion of these herbal concoctions for our disciples and followers. Then, we should prioritize giving the majority to wealthy and powerful families who believe in Huang Tian! ... Many prominent families in these nine prefectures are living in fear and anxiety due to the plague. If we send disciples to deliver my Taiping Dao's talismans and medicines to them, even if it's hundreds of miles away, these wealthy families will surely be grateful and become my Taiping Dao's allies!..."

“One aristocratic family is better than thousands of disaster victims. And one wealthy family is better than at least a hundred poor families! These poor people believe in the Yellow Heaven, and they can’t even afford to give up their surplus grain, so they need the help of my Way of Great Peace. But those wealthy families, after believing in the Way of Great Peace, can donate enough grain to feed dozens of people!”

"What is more important and what is less important must be considered! I humbly request Master's wise judgment!..."

(End of this chapter)