Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 7 New Sprouts
The banners of the Way of Peace were raised outside the Tianqi Temple. Zhang Chengfu and Gao Daonu stood shoulder to shoulder, along with more than twenty disciples of the Way of Peace dressed in yellow turbans, distributing wheat porridge and gathering orphans from the camp.

These orphaned children, some in their early teens, wore short tunics, some rags, some wrapped in leaves, and many more covered in mud. Their faces were dusty and unrecognizable, their genders indistinguishable, only their wide, dark eyes staring blankly at the crowd. Children are at their most lively age, yet right now, they were heartbreakingly docile. As soon as a bowl of wheat porridge was placed in their hands, they seemed to be frozen in place, neither crying nor fussing, obediently allowing the Taoist priests to lead them aside.

After all, the Taoist priests wearing yellow turbans treated their illnesses and gave them porridge. They couldn't possibly be bad people. And it wasn't just the children who thought this way; the disaster victims in the camps also shared this view.

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master! I beg you, please take in my child as well! He's too thin to farm, but he can still recite talismans and chant scriptures..."

"Yes! Immortal Master... please take these two children away! Our family can't survive any longer... we'll be willing to be slaves or servants, just give us a bite to eat!"

"Peace and prosperity! I beg you!..."

Upon hearing that the Taiping Dao was recruiting orphans, the swarming refugees from the camp, carrying children of all ages, rushed over in a frenzy. Some old men placed their children's little hands into Zhang Chengfu's, then disappeared in the blink of an eye. Some women even pushed their children into the crowd of orphans, wiped away their tears, and hunched over as they walked away.

Within moments, almost half the children from the camp had been brought over. In the eyes of these disaster victims, it seemed that entrusting their children to Taipingdao meant a way out, a chance to survive!

"."

Seeing this scene, Zhang Chengfu pursed his lips, speechless for a long time. At this moment, he felt a heavy pressure pressing down on his shoulders. The disaster victims had entrusted their children to him. He wanted to refuse, but seeing the pleading on the faces of the villagers, seeing the expectant eyes of the children, he swallowed his words of refusal. In his eyes, this was a budding hope. And hope, of course, is always welcome.
"Brother Dao Nu...how many children have we taken in?"

"...You're asking me about responsibility? I can only count to a few dozen. Once it exceeds one hundred, I can only say 'a lot'! And right now, this is a lot, a lot, a lot!..."

"."

Zhang Chengfu sighed inwardly, and like a nimble monkey, easily climbed up a tree seven or eight meters high. Then, standing on the tree, he counted the children's total number of jiao (a unit of length) for a while, and got a number of 512. His head suddenly buzzed.

"Five hundred and twelve?... We were originally planning to recruit around two hundred, but now it's over five hundred. The boy corps has turned into a boy camp?... How are we going to feed them all?...

Zhang Chengfu rubbed his eyes and counted twice more carefully. Then, he lowered his head, climbed down the tree, and said to Gao Daonu.

"Senior Brother Dao Nu, could you keep an eye on things for me for now?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find my sixth senior brother!"

"Huh? Oh!..."

Zhang Chengfu turned and ran, only managing to finish his sentence. When faced with something he couldn't handle alone, he had to find someone to share the burden. He first went to find his sixth senior brother, Wu Deng, who was in charge of logistics. Hearing that so many mouths were to be fed, Wu Deng's scalp tingled.

Afterwards, the two avoided their second senior brother, Tang Zhou, who was in the hall, and went to find their eldest senior brother, Ma Yuanyi. Ma Yuanyi came out, looked around, and frowned. Finally, the three of them went together to plead with the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao, kneeling in a row before the hall.

"I owe you all this! ...You all!"

Zhang Jiao, the Great Teacher of Virtue, stepped out of the palace gate and, looking at the densely packed children, couldn't help but shake his head. Although the Way of Great Peace was extremely powerful, with its thirty-six branches spread across various states, its core disciples and followers were actually limited to the nine counties of Ji Province. Under the tutelage of the three great physicians, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang, there were approximately three thousand people.

Among them, Zhang Jiao took in eight personal disciples and nearly a thousand elite followers, the same group Ma Yuanyi brought with him when he went out to buy grain. Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang were similarly numerous, each with around a thousand trusted followers. And this time, in their relief efforts for disaster victims and adoption of orphans, they surprisingly took in over five hundred…

"Master...please!..."

The Great Teacher gazed for a long time at the children, who were as thin as straws. These children reminded him of the first sprouts emerging from the black soil after a rain in the wheat fields, or the embers still glowing in the ashes of a stove. He had already made up his mind to move forward without regret, and perhaps he should also leave some hope for what might come next. After a long while, he sighed softly and nodded.

"Fine! Since you've already accepted them, then accept them all!"

"Ah! Thank you, Master!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu, Wu Deng, and Ma Yuanyi all kowtowed, their faces beaming with joy. Gao Daonu, seeing this, also hurried over and joined in the greetings. Zhang Jiao thought for a moment, patted Gao Daonu's head, and gave him instructions.

"Dao Nu, there are so many children, Cheng Fu can't manage them all by himself. You should go with him and take some reliable disciples to look after these children! If you encounter anything you're unsure about, ask your junior brother Cheng Fu..."

"Ah? Look! Master!"

Gao Daonu nodded in agreement, but didn't ask his senior brother why he should listen to his junior brother. His path was very pure, just like how he could practice martial arts diligently for a whole day once he picked up a long staff.

Then, Zhang Jiao informed his second disciple, Tang Zhou, who was in charge of coordinating the adoption of these young Daoist disciples, of his decision. Tang Zhou's face instantly turned ashen. He glared at his junior brother, Zhang Chengfu, who quickly bowed and apologized. After a moment, Tang Zhou could only sigh helplessly and say to his master, Zhang Jiao.

"Master, if we feed so many children according to the standards for Daoist novices... then this grain reserve probably won't last long!..."

"Tang Zhou, let's give him the same amount as a Taoist boy for now! After the wheat harvest in May, Jizhou should have more grain. And since Youzhou didn't suffer from the famine this time, once Mao'an returns from collecting grain, we can send him to Youzhou to buy some."

"Go to Youzhou to buy grain? Yes!..."

With the food problem temporarily solved, the pressure once again fell on Zhang Chengfu's shoulders. This was the first time in his life that he had been in charge of so many people, so many children, and so many "disciples."

First, there was the issue of accommodation. Tianqi Temple clearly couldn't accommodate so many people, so Zhang Chengfu first sought help from his senior disciple. He asked the disciples responsible for the oxcarts to build a crude fence in a hollow behind the temple, right next to the cemetery. Then, everyone busied themselves setting up many straw beds, which served as makeshift campsites for the children.

Secondly, there was the issue of keeping them warm. In late April, Jizhou was not cold during the day, but the nights were not warm. Most of the children were wearing only cloth rags, making them very susceptible to catching a chill at night; they needed warmer clothing. Zhang Chengfu then sought help from his second senior brother Tang Zhou, fourth senior brother Pan Jingzhi, and fifth senior brother Xie Chu. He managed to obtain dozens of worn-out clothes, a couple hundred straw garments, and dozens of bundles of firewood, which they used to keep the children warm.

Then came the issue of hygiene. Gao Daonu went to his eldest disciple and borrowed over twenty bristle brushes for brushing cattle, distributing one to each of his twenty-odd able-bodied disciples. He then led the children several miles to the Zhang River, where they cleaned the mud from row upon row. Only then was it confirmed that there were over three hundred boys and over one hundred girls. When the children returned, Zhang Chengfu had already led his men to dig two rows of latrines and build sheds.

"Boys and girls separate! Boys use the left side, girls use the right side! Don't squat anywhere... Do you all understand?"

"Immortal Master!"

"Call me Master Zhang."

"Teacher Zhang! Why do we have to separate?"

"Teacher Zhang! What is left, and what is right?"

"Teacher Zhang! Why can't we just squat anywhere?"

"."

Hearing these chaotic questions, Zhang Chengfu took a deep breath, his forehead throbbing slightly. Gao Daonu stayed far away, leading his men to keep order in the camp. Thus, all the pressure came from behind.

However, when Zhang Chengfu looked around and saw the children who had been rejuvenated, whose faces were more lively, and who dared to ask questions, he gradually felt at ease and had a sense of peaceful joy.

"Peace and tranquility! Quiet... all of you! Listen to what I say and do it. As for the reasons behind it, I am your teacher, and I will explain it to you slowly..."

"Now, one by one, come forward to receive your peace plaques! Tell me your names, and I'll write them on the plaques!..."

The so-called "Peaceful Wooden Plaque" was simply a piece of shaved pine wood with the characters "Peaceful" written on the front, a talisman-like number on the back, and the child's name below. But when Zhang Chengfu took the talisman brush, dipped it in ink, and asked the children their surnames, he paused again. "What's your surname?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know."

"My parents died early, so I never talked about it."

"Alright! Those who don't know the surname, just take Master's surname! Hmm, like me, they all have the surname Zhang."

Zhang Chengfu shook his head and wrote down a row of the character "Zhang". Then, he looked at the nearest bright child and asked.

"May I have your name?…"

"My name is Gou'er!"

"Dog? Hmm, that means 'tough and able to survive.' Survival is the way of the world, and even a broken life cannot be abandoned. Your name will be Shoucun! 'Zhang Shoucun.' Alright! Take this sign and go to the back!"

Zhang Chengfu wrote down the name and personally gave it to the first "disciple," Zhang Shoucun. Then, he looked at the second simple-minded child and patiently asked him a question.

And you? What's your name?

"My name is Niuwa! When my mom gave birth to me, my dad was farming..."

"A prodigy? 'Strong and hardworking.' Diligent as an ox, actions speak louder than words. Let's call him Xuanli! 'Zhang Xuanli,' put on the wooden plaque... Next!"

"Black lumps!"

"A black lump? It is indeed quite black. Hmm, black is mysterious, there is light in the darkness, it is a potential body. Then let's call it 'Zhang Yuanpo'. The rest!"

"You idiot!"

"Two fools? Outwardly simple-minded but inwardly calm, insightful when still. Hmm, let's call him 'Zhang Zhiming'!"

"Three eggs!"

"From the three elements come all things, and even an egg is a form of birth. Let's call him 'Zhang Sheng Tong'!"

"Brother Shun!"

"Harmony leads to enlightenment, compliance leads to truth, gentleness and righteousness. That is 'Zhang Daoshun'!"

"Han Dou'er".

"Those who are foolish yet faithful are valued by the Way. 'Zhang Yuanpu'!"

Zhang Chengfu held the talisman brush, writing and pausing as he gave each of the children their names and placed peace plaques on their heads.

"Ah! My name is Zhang Shoucun... My name sounds nice!"

"My name is Zhang Daoshun... mine sounds better!"

"By the way! What is 'Taiping'?"

"I don't know... Teacher Zhang said he'll talk about it later..."

The children held the wooden plaques, first looking at the two characters "Peace" on the front, then turning them to look at their new names. Their little faces were filled with curiosity and joy, and they couldn't help but read them aloud again and again. At that moment, they were like beans washed clean of mud, slowly revealing the vibrant green of life, sprouting new buds in the spring water.

"Phew! Peace be with you! It's finally finished..."

This careful consideration of naming, even with Gao Daonu's help, took place from the time they finished eating wheat porridge at dusk until well past midnight. After receiving the Taiping wooden plaque and their new names, the children's eyes seemed to brighten again, like the rising moon in the sky.

"Five hundred and twenty children, five hundred and twenty disciples...wait? Five hundred and twenty?..."

Zhang Chengfu was taken aback, wondering when and where eight more children had appeared. He thought silently for a moment and roughly guessed the reason. Oh well, more debts don't matter, more children can be raised and taught just the same way. But at the end of this first day, what else should he say, what else should he teach?

Zhang Chengfu thought for a long time, looking at his "disciples" who were sitting obediently in a large circle. He looked into the eyes of these children, then looked up at the moon in the sky. He suddenly thought of a song, and then smiled and said...

"Peace and prosperity reign! The moon is so round tonight... Well then, I... cough! Well then, your teacher will teach you a song about the moon!..."

"Huh? Teacher, the song about the moon?"

"Excellent! Let's call this song 'Jade Plate'..."

Zhang Chengfu raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky. He then lowered his head and looked at the lush burial mounds on the ground. Then, when he looked straight ahead, he saw pairs of children's eyes, reflecting the clear moonlight, accompanying their buried relatives, and containing the hope of new sprouts.

At this moment, profound emotions surged within Zhang Chengfu's chest. He straightened his back, opened his mouth in a clear voice, and sang a new song in the style of the Hongwu Emperor, from the distant late Eastern Han Dynasty.

"Jade plate, jade plate, why do you hang on the roof?"

Jade plate, jade plate, why do you shine on my hungry stomach every night?
Jade plate, jade plate, why do you sometimes flaunt yourself and sometimes hide, sometimes appear thin and sometimes plump?

"Jade plate, jade plate, have you ever held grain during a bountiful season?"

Jade plate, jade plate, have you ever seen tears flow endlessly at parting?
Jade plate, jade plate, have you ever heard the song of a hundred years of blood and tears, a thousand years of lamentation? The sound of hoes echoing ten thousand times…

"Jade plate, jade plate, light in my heart"
Moonlight, moonlight, so bright and clear.

"Jade plate, jade plate, the boy bows his head, busy with the night's work."

May we till the land and sing as we go, until the dawn breaks~~

Soon, the children's singing rose in the cool moonlight, innocent, clear, and joyful. Their songs carried laughter, and also a temporary forgetting of sorrow. As these innocent songs drifted from the valley behind the temple, the Great Teacher of Goodness emerged from the main hall. He listened silently under the moonlight for a long time, his hair standing on end.

After a long while, the Great Teacher took a deep breath and sighed softly.

"The heavens sing without speaking, the earth changes without moving... New buds sprout, what a heavy killing intent!"

(End of this chapter)