Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 51: I am willing to join the Way of Peace! Just now I was merely joking.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

The cavalry charged, a life-or-death struggle, all in a split second. Gao Daonu, whose horse was the fastest, suddenly swung his long iron staff, striking a member of the Cheng family right in the neck!

"die!"

Using the horse's speed, the iron staff struck down heavily! The attendant's eyes widened instantly, his neck twisted, and the fine iron knife in his hand fell to the ground, causing him to fall off his horse at an angle!

"rush!"

Zhang Chengfu roared and hurled his iron staff, aiming for Cheng Li's chest. This middle-aged scholar in his forties displayed unexpected martial prowess! He nimbly slashed out with his eight-sided Han sword, colliding with the iron staff!
"clang!"

A clash of weapons, the piercing sound of metal ringing out, followed by the horses parting to the side. Meanwhile, the Taiping Dao followers on both sides shouted and charged against the Cheng family's cavalry!

Chief Bu Si thrust his long staff forward, knocking a rider off his horse; a scream immediately rose from below. Chief Fan Shuo thrust his staff straight in, felling his opponent but also being forced to release it. Peng Gui and Sang Ping both missed their targets, brushing past Cheng's attendants.

On the other side, the three Jiang brothers, skilled in martial arts, also struck two men, knocking them off their horses. As for the other Taiping Dao followers, lacking sufficient horsemanship and martial arts skills, they could only trade lives with Cheng's personal guards, striking each other and falling from their horses!
"Wow!"

The sword flashed, crimson blood splattered, and the stench of blood filled the air, like plum blossoms blooming on the snow. In this single cavalry charge, eight of the twelve Cheng family followers fell from their horses, some alive, some dead! Three Taiping Dao followers were also struck, bleeding and falling from their horses, their fates unknown.

Without double stirrups, cavalrymen would fall from their horses in large numbers and be quickly separated by life and death in close combat!
"Well!…"

"Master! Ho..."

The two cavalry units clashed, separated by forty paces, before regrouping and exchanging positions. The numbers had shifted from fifteen to twelve to twelve to four. The outcome was obvious; the battle was no longer in doubt!
"Thief! The Duan family, those treacherous dogs!"

Having assessed the situation of the battle, Cheng Li bit his lip and spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. He glanced deeply at his two eldest sons who had fled into the distance, then spurred his horse and, without hesitation, galloped westward from where he had come from.

"Go! Go back!"

"Um?!"

Zhang Chengfu was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

"Jiang Qian, Jiang Kun, Jiang Li!"

"exist!"

"You two split up and go capture those two eldest sons of the Cheng family!"

"only!"

"Peng Gui! Take two men and finish off our men, and heal them!"

"promise!"

"The rest of you, follow me!"

The twelve riders quickly separated. Three rode eastward to pursue the Cheng brothers. The three dismounted, drew their ring-pommel swords, and killed the fallen Cheng brothers' followers. Zhang Chengfu personally led six riders to pursue Cheng Li!
"Da da da!"

"Tap Tap!"

After a long march and a charge, both sides' horses had reached their limits, and their speed had suddenly decreased. Like two eagles colliding, they had become oxen chasing each other. At this speed, Zhang Chengfu was finally able to take down his bow, aim at the middle-aged scholar ahead, and fire three arrows in quick succession!

"Whoosh!...Whoosh!...Whoosh!"

Within forty paces, the first arrow grazed the horse! Within thirty paces, the second arrow grazed the leather hat. Within twenty paces, the swift third arrow finally struck the calf!

"what!"

Cheng Li screamed in agony, unable to hold onto his horse any longer, and tumbled off! The remaining three riders, their eyes red with fury, roared and turned to slash at him with their swords!

"Thief! Die!"

"Bang! Thud! Crack!"

Gao Daonu slammed his long staff down, the force of which cracked a man's skull, sending splattering yellow and blood everywhere. Commander Bu Si and Fan Shuo laughed heartily, coordinating with their disciples to slash and each kill one man!
After everyone finished fighting, they rode up and saw Zhang Chengfu had already jumped off his horse. The young man dropped his bow, picked up a long staff in one hand, and walked towards Cheng Li, who was sitting on the snow, holding an eight-sided Han sword.

"clang!"

With a swift thrust and a flick, Zhang Chengfu knocked the precious Han sword away. Cheng Li, his hair disheveled, drew a short dagger, only to be sent flying again by a blow from a staff!
"... "

The middle-aged scholar paused, then stopped resisting. He gathered his disheveled hair, revealing a handsome face. He looked at the young man before him with his hooked gaze, scrutinized him carefully for a few moments, and then a smile appeared on his face.

"Young sir! How much is the Duan family willing to pay for our lives?"

"Give me the amount, and I'll give you three times that! Just spare my life..."

Zhang Chengfu remained silent, carefully observing the middle-aged scholar, noticing his composure and the restrained tension beneath it. After a while, he nodded and asked.

"Cheng Jun, Cheng Zhongde?"

"It is indeed I, Cheng. And who is this young master?"

Zhang Chengfu looked around, gazing at the pristine white snow, listening to the short, drawn-out screams in the distance, and watching the blood gradually spreading. He smiled gently at Cheng Lidao.

"I am a disciple of the Way of Peace, surnamed Zhang, named Chengfu!"

"Taiping Daoists?!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li's pupils contracted. The smile on his face froze for a moment, then became even more amiable.

"Those who inherit come first, those who bear the burden come last. Those who inherit act in accordance with Heaven; those who bear the burden are born from the earth..."

"So, young master, you are a esteemed disciple of the Way of Great Peace! May I ask which great physician you are a disciple of? My Cheng family is on friendly terms with the Way of Great Peace. When the Great Master of Virtue was preaching in Yanzhou, he also donated several bushels of rice..."

"I, Cheng, have read the circulated chapters of the *Taiping Jing* and believe in the Yellow Heaven. I deeply agree with the Great Teacher's words. The Heaven of the Han Dynasty is indeed dead!..."

Zhang Cheng listened calmly, a smile gradually spreading across his face. He smiled gently, looking at this most outstanding strategist of the time, and asked.

"So, Mr. Cheng also knows about my Taiping Dao and has read the Taiping Jing?" "The Taiping Dao spans across prefectures and counties, with millions of believers! In this Yanzhou region, who doesn't know it, who isn't familiar with it?"

"Then what does Mr. Cheng think of my Taiping Dao?"

"Of course, that would be wonderful! Whenever I think about it, I wish I could become a disciple of the Great Master and listen to his profound teachings every day!"

"Haha! In that case, why don't I take the liberty of inviting Mr. Cheng to join the Way of Peace on behalf of our master?"

"Ah! Joining the Way of Peace?"

"What? Mr. Cheng is unwilling?"

"Not at all! It is my wish, but I dare not ask you!"

Upon hearing this, a sincere and kind smile appeared on Cheng Li's face. He bowed respectfully while seated, seemingly oblivious to the deceased members of the Cheng family around him, and said with a smile.

"I, Cheng, am willing to join the Way of Peace, to become a great teacher of virtue, and to serve the three great physicians!"

"Excellent! Excellent! It is truly a blessing for our Taiping Dao to have Mr. Cheng!"

Zhang Chengfu nodded in satisfaction, bowed in return, and smiled. The two smiled sincerely at each other, not mentioning the battle that had just taken place. Then, Zhang Chengfu suddenly looked troubled and asked...

“Master Cheng is a man of great talent, and I have long admired him! My Taiping Dao has been troubled by a problem for a long time and I do not know how to solve it... If Master Cheng can solve this problem, I will definitely help you cover it up and escape the Duan family’s pursuit!”

"Hmm? Please speak!"

"It is so! Our Taiping Dao has many followers in Jizhou. But this year, Jizhou was first hit by a major epidemic, and then by a severe drought, resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees! We want to save the people, but we don't have enough food. What should we do?"

Upon hearing this question, Cheng Li's eyes flickered, and he asked with a smile.

"The Way of Peace has many believers, so we can raise grain from wealthy households! The Great Teacher of Virtue is renowned, and even the Duan family respects him greatly, giving him hundreds of thousands of coins as a gift... Saving these hundreds of thousands of refugees should not be a problem?"

"No, Lord Cheng. You haven't been to Jizhou. This year, grain prices in Jizhou have increased tenfold. Even two hundred thousand coins wouldn't be enough for ten thousand people for several months!..."

Zhang Chengfu shook his head and said seriously.

"Our great and virtuous teacher is kind-hearted and troubled by the lack of food. As his disciple, I cannot help him solve the problem... I was hired by the Duan family to attack the Cheng family this time, precisely because of the food that the Duan family promised."

"I had absolutely no clue how to raise grain. But today, after listening to the Nuo opera, the lyrics of the twelve beasts eating the plague demons suddenly gave me an idea!"

"Cheng Jun, what do you think? Would it be feasible to use able-bodied men as the twelve beasts and the old and weak as plague demons?"

"Huh?! Treating the able-bodied as beasts and the old and weak as ghosts, doesn't that mean... cannibalism?..."

The middle-aged scholar Cheng Li frowned, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Zhang Chengfu's sincere expression of seeking advice. He remained silent for a long time, his face showing hesitation. It wasn't until he saw the eldest son being brought back in the distance that he suddenly lowered his voice and spoke earnestly in a soft voice.

"My lord! If the Way of Peace truly has no food, then we will have no other choice but to do this. However, this matter is against the will of Heaven and cannot be done openly; it must be handled with utmost care!"

"Oh! Meticulous work?"

Zhang Chengfu blinked, a look of confusion on his face. He also lowered his voice to make sure that only the two of them could hear the following conversation.

"Please instruct me on how to proceed!"

"Um…"

Cheng Li gritted his teeth, thought for a few breaths, and his voice became even lower, as if it came from the winds of the deepest hell.

"First, it must be done secretly, without anyone knowing. Second, it must be mixed with other dried meat to avoid arousing suspicion. Third, under no circumstances should anyone eat meat from someone infected with the disease. Fourth, all those involved in this operation must be thoroughly disposed of afterwards!..."

"Ah! Mr. Cheng is indeed meticulous!"

Zhang Chengfu's eyes widened, his face filled with admiration, and he patted Cheng Li's shoulder heavily. Then, he bowed respectfully and said with a smile.

"A man as meticulous as Mr. Cheng is truly a rare talent! I wonder if Mr. Cheng would be willing to join my Taiping Dao and personally handle this matter?"

"This, I'll take care of it? Hmm, of course! Haha! Serving the Way of Peace is my greatest wish!"

Cheng Li forced a smile, then burst into enthusiastic laughter. Zhang Chengfu also smiled and praised him.

"Excellent! Excellent! To have Cheng Jun alone is worth more than a thousand troops! Haha!..."

The old man and the young man looked at each other and laughed heartily, their laughter growing louder and more synchronized. Just as the Taiping Dao members around them exchanged bewildered glances, a sudden, piercing scream rang out!

"Ah!! You!! You!..."

"Cheng Jun, may you rest in peace!"

Zhang Chengfu smiled, took a step back, released his grip, and bowed to Cheng Li in farewell. But a gleaming, cold-smelling iron dagger had already pierced the middle-aged scholar's heart, swiftly taking his life and blood!

At this moment, this world's most outstanding strategist felt a heart-wrenching pain that cut to the bone! Shocked, terrified, and desperate, he looked at the young man with whom he had just been chatting happily, and with his last breath, he asked with difficulty.

"You!...Why...?"

"... "

Zhang Chengfu did not answer, but coldly stared at the middle-aged scholar, at his face contorted in pain, at the bleeding in his heart, at his collapse to the ground, at his limbs convulsing until all movement ceased, leaving him a lifeless corpse.

"Mount Tai holds up the sun, which falls upon this place!"

Zhang Chengfu spoke softly, letting out a long breath. Then, he reached out and closed Cheng Li's unseeing eyes. His expression was calm as he smiled and answered the question to the corpse of this Mr. Cheng.

"Why? Naturally, it's for the sake of the people, to get rid of you, you villain!"

"That was just a joke!"

(End of this chapter)