Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 73 Dianjia Village, the Great Sacrifice to Seduce Souls
In the third month of the lunar calendar, after the spring breeze comes Qingming Festival. On Qingming, the paulownia trees begin to bloom, their white flowers bursting forth, a vibrant and beautiful sight. Five days later, the field mice transform into quails; these shade-loving mice disappear, all returning to their underground burrows. Five days after that, rainbows begin to appear; with more rain, rainbows can be seen in the sky.

In wheat-growing agriculture, the rain during the Qingming Festival is extremely precious. "The rain falls in torrents during the Qingming Festival," and every drop of rain at this time is as valuable as oil to the wheat. When the great and wise teacher Zhang Jiao returned from Kaocheng in the east, he saw another round of prayers for rain outside Waihuang City.

Chief Commander Shi Qian once again presided over the ceremony, worshipping the Northern Black Emperor Zhuanxu and the Eastern Green Emperor Taihao, surrounded by a group of clan elders. The former belonged to the Black Water, "born of the Yin, the essence of water," and was a higher-ranking "leader" of rainfall than the Wind God and Rain Master. In the Chu Ci, Zhuanxu fought Gonggong, who was defeated and crashed into Buzhou Mountain, causing the sky to tilt to the northwest and the earth to sink to the southeast, carrying a strong shamanistic and mythological flavor.

The latter belongs to the element of green wood, and the "Wood Emperor" governs life, from which all things flourish, corresponding to the sacrifices commemorating the growth of crops in spring. In the *Book of Rites*, the Green Emperor is also the founder of the Zhou dynasty. Jiang Yuan, the consort of Emperor Ku, conceived after stepping on the giant footprint of the Green Emperor, and gave birth to Hou Ji, who became the ancestor of the Zhou dynasty. This is also a highly valued object of worship in Confucianism.

"May the Black Emperor protect me, may the Green Emperor protect me! May rain and dew fall, nourishing my homeland!"

The rain-praying ritual of the Way of Great Peace, presided over by Chief Shi Qian, was a form combining Confucianism and Taoism, and was quite popular among the local powerful clans. When the ritual was completed, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao, along with Zhang Chengfu and a group of disciples, bid farewell to Shi Qian with smiles.

“Zirang, I have met with Master Shi and prescribed some medicine for him. You did a good job presiding over the sacrificial ceremony in Waihuang County! Next, you will continue to complete the spring sacrifice.”

"Ah! Teacher, won't you stay and join us? The village has prepared some seasonal food and newly brewed wine. Some elders from prominent clans have also come from Chenliu County and Weishi County in the west, and even from the farthest Suanzao County, having heard of your reputation."

Upon hearing this, the great teacher Zhang Jiao shook his head and solemnly addressed the commander Shi Qian.

“Zirang, I have come here to check on the situation of the believers in each county, especially their preparations for the drought. At my age, I can no longer drink alcohol. In years of disaster and plague, if there is any grain, we should try our best to store it and use it to help the people! This year is not the time to brew wine.”

"Yes, teacher! It was Zirang's fault. I was just thinking that, according to the Zhou rites, we should drink clear wine on Qingming Festival."

Hearing the Great Teacher's subtle criticism, Chief Shi Qian looked ashamed and quickly bowed his head in respect. However, for the scions of powerful families, the Qingming Festival, with its simple meals and a couple of cups of wine, rather than elaborate feasts, was already considered extremely "simple." As for the drought outside the manor and the lives of the common people, what did they really have to do with the powerful families?
The great teacher Zhang Jiao understood the mentality of powerful clans. He gently offered a few more words of advice to the Chenliu chieftain who showed signs of shame. When the chieftain inquired about the upcoming itinerary and offered to accompany him, Zhang Jiao smiled and said...

“Zirang, once you’ve done something, finish it. Sacrifices are the most important thing. You stay here and continue the spring sacrifices. I’ll go to Jiwu County in the south first, to check on the border between Liang and Chen. Then, I’ll head directly west from south of Chenliu to Yingchuan Commandery!”

"Teacher! You're going to the border between Liang and Chen? Well, Liang is fine, but it's best not to go to Chen! King Liu Chong of Chen is fierce and has no friendly intentions towards my Taiping Dao. Not to mention my Taiping Dao, he's not friendly to aristocratic families like us either."

Commander Shi Qian was somewhat anxious and repeated the stance of Prince Liu Chong of Chen. Zhang Chengfu listened intently and found that Prince Liu Chong's style of doing things and his ideas on governance had a bit of the flavor of the Former Han Dynasty.

This King Chen was the absolute ruler of Chen. He suppressed powerful clans, the Way of Peace, and the wandering knights, cracked down on bandits, and provided relief to the people. He also built an extremely elite army, reportedly consisting of two entire regiments of eight hundred men! This was almost the maximum a vassal king of the Eastern Han Dynasty could achieve before the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Not to mention, this King Chen had previously been arrested by Emperor Ling for privately worshipping the Yellow Emperor and ascending to heaven, and nearly imprisoned and executed!
As a vassal king, he privately worshipped the Yellow Emperor to ascend to heaven, controlled the politics of his prefectures and kingdoms, recruited a large number of soldiers from his prefectures, and maintained distant relations with powerful families and eunuch clans. King Chen's actions were truly "fierce," even to the point of being somewhat reckless. Anyone with discerning eyes could see the King Chen's lofty ambitions, or rather, his political aspirations.

"Oh! Zirang, don't worry! I won't go to Chen. I'll just wander around the countryside. Last year's great plague also killed many villagers in Chenliu. As I travel south, it happens to be the time for Qingming Festival, so I intend to hold a few ceremonies for the villagers to summon their souls and bring them peace."

"Uh, to hold a sacrificial ceremony for the literati for the villagers? Hmm, Teacher, you are truly benevolent!"

Commander Shi Qian clearly had little interest in these rural sacrificial rites performed for the common people. Such activities were arduous and yielded little reward. The effort spent appeasing these commoners was far less valuable and effective in spreading his reputation than joining the various gentry families in holding spring and community sacrifices!

Outside the city of Waihuang, the group bid farewell and went their separate ways. After the chieftain Shi Qian respectfully departed, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao made no mention of any plans for an uprising in the "year of Jiazi." He calmly watched Shi Qian's departing carriage and murmured softly.

"What do you think of Chengfu?"

“Teacher, Zirang follows the way of the aristocracy, while we follow the way of the common people. Our paths are different, so we cannot work together. The reason we are able to come together now is only because of your reputation, and the conflicts in the world have not yet escalated to that point. When natural disasters force us to the brink, everyone will have to make choices in order to survive, taking either a superior or inferior position. At that time, we will no longer be able to be so affectionate.”

"Yes. When paths diverge, reconciliation is the most difficult thing!"

The great teacher Zhang Jiao sighed, then looked at his calm young disciple and said with a smile.

"You're so young, yet you have such sharp eyes and see things so clearly. What do you think of this Prince Chen, Liu Chong? I've heard he's a sharpshooter just like you."

"Chen Wang Liu Chong."

Zhang Chengfu pondered for a moment, gradually conjuring up an image in his mind of a man who commanded 100,000 men and possessed thousands of elite soldiers, yet was easily stabbed to death. After a while, he sighed and shook his head.

"If this Prince Chen had lived in the Former Han Dynasty, or a few hundred years ago when the powerful aristocratic families weren't so strong, he might have truly accomplished great things! Even in this dynasty, if his fiefdom were in a border state like Yangzhou, Yizhou, Bingzhou, or Liangzhou, where border troubles were constant and the people had to band together, his martial prowess would have been enough to maintain peace in that region. It's just a pity that he was born in this dynasty, and his fiefdom is in the Chen Kingdom of Yuzhou, in the place where the powerful aristocratic families are strongest!"

"His actions were all under the watchful eyes of the powerful clans. The path he followed wasn't the Confucianism they could accept, but rather the outwardly Confucian but inwardly Legalist hegemonic way of the Former Han Dynasty—the way of imperial power. He couldn't truly abandon his status as a prince and stand with the common people. Therefore, the foundation of his path was hollow, like walking on a floating bridge. It was the authority of the Han imperial family that protected his life. He trusted those aristocratic sons, but lacked the political acumen to control them, which didn't align with the interests of the powerful clans. Once the world descends into chaos and the imperial authority collapses, his conflict with the powerful clans will erupt, and sooner or later, he will be his demise!" Hearing this assessment, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao raised his eyebrows. He quietly examined his disciple for a while, looking at his heartfelt sighs and lamentations, as if he had truly witnessed the fate of Prince Liu Chong of Chen. After a moment, the Great Teacher nodded and smiled.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense. Let's go! Let's go to Jiwu County and hold a few Qingming Festival memorial services for the villagers who died from the epidemic!"

"Yes, sir! As you command, teacher!"

From Waihuang to Jiwu, it was only fifty or sixty li, passing through Xiangyi in between. The Taiping Dao group did not enter the city, but slowly walked through the villages along the way. Every day they traveled, they held a ritual, setting up an earthen platform, hanging talismans, and raising a soul banner to summon the souls. They could only travel ten li a day for the sixty-li journey, taking a full six days. And this Qingming Festival soul-pacifying ritual grew increasingly grand. Villagers from the surrounding area, upon hearing the news, rushed over, hoping for a bowl of talismanic water, a soul-pacifying talisman, and a blessing for their deceased loved ones!
"Immortal Master! Immortal Master! Please accept this bag of grain! I beg you, grant me a talisman to take back to my child's father's grave."

"Immortal Master! I kowtow to you! I beg you, please say my father's name once, and guide his soul to the underworld."

"Yes! Everyone says that people who die in the plague have died a violent death, and their souls have no roots, so they wander around!"

The more impoverished and plagued the years, the greater the suffering of ordinary people, and the stronger their spiritual need for religion becomes. The hopeless reality, the parents, children, husbands, and wives dying like straw, and the seemingly ever-worse future—all of this numbed and tormented the villagers, making them yearn for even the slightest spiritual solace. And the guidance of the souls after death was of paramount importance.

However, Taoism does not believe in reincarnation; death is death, and the soul's rest is the final end. Compared to Buddhism, Taoism always focuses more on reality, on cultivation and change, emphasizing "the mystery within mystery, the gateway to all wonders," its essence being "mysterious transformation." It was only when Buddhism's concept of reincarnation encountered the more brutal Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern and Southern Dynasties that Buddhism flourished, with countless people devoutly worshipping Buddha and praying for the afterlife. Millions upon millions of common people, amidst the harshest reality, sought the most beautiful and ethereal afterlife.
"Heaven above, pure spirit within! May this talisman guide the soul home!"

Zhang Chengfu followed the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao, pacifying the people along the way, distributing talismanic water, and holding rituals to appease the souls. When the group arrived at Jiwu County, they were met by disciples in the county who had been contacted beforehand, and settled in a village outside the county. The location for the soul-summoning ritual in Jiwu County had already been arranged.

"Master! This is Dianjia Village! Besides the villagers, people from the surrounding ten miles and wealthy families from the county have all come to participate in the sacrificial ceremony! Many wealthy families have also brought wine, meat, and grain."

"Okay. Return the wine and meat! The grain that was sent will be distributed to the villagers as relief during tomorrow's sacrificial ceremony. Prepare plenty of boiled talisman water and plenty of blank talisman paper so that the names of those who are to be offered sacrifices can be written on them."

"Write down names for the sacrifice? Is this sacrifice going to be of such a high standard? Yes! As the wise teacher commands!"

The disciples in the county hurried away, and Zhang Chengfu personally led Gao Daonu to build an earthen altar for sacrifices outside Dianjia Village. Meanwhile, the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao fasted and ate vegetarian food, meditating in a simple, muddy thatched hut in the village, as if he were sitting peacefully in a grand mansion, without any difference.

May Heaven bless us with peace and tranquility!

The grand ceremony began as scheduled on the second day. The earthen altar for the sacrifice was built voluntarily by thousands of villagers and was completed in almost a day. Outside the village, the large banyan tree was covered with fluttering talismans and ribbons, like mournful spirits. Seven earthenware jars filled with water were arranged in a seven-star pattern, and three braziers resembled the three yangs. A dense crowd gathered under the tree at the village entrance, all looking up with wide, expectant eyes.

"O soul, return! Peace be with my homeland!"

The deafening chanting began the ritual, a solemnity and reverence the villagers had never witnessed before. This solemnity and reverence symbolized that the wandering souls who had perished in the plague had been comforted by the priest, able to recover from the pain of their violent deaths and slowly descend into the depths of the underworld. Zhang Chengfu did not know what the suffering of ghosts was like. But he could clearly see the deep pain hidden in the hearts of these living villagers!

"O soul, return! Farewell to elders, farewell to spouses, farewell to parents!"

"Waaah! Waaah! My baby's father!"

"Father, Mother!"

"My sons! My three sons!!"

As the ritual to summon the souls reached its climax, thousands of villagers could no longer bear it and collapsed onto the muddy ground beneath the altar, weeping bitterly! Every name they cried out was that of a loved one who had not died peacefully, who had perished in the plague! There were so many dead that the villagers' cries caused the hanging talismans to flutter, like the final, reluctant gaze of the departed!
"Alas! This is the plague at the end of the Han Dynasty. And this is only the beginning!"

Zhang Chengfu, wearing a black dog mask, lit the sacrificial brazier. The shifting flames and smoke, like the faces of loved ones, fell into the eyes of the villagers of Dianjia Village, making them weep even more excitedly as they rushed forward. When the long weeping ended, the flames died down to ashes, and the ashes were poured into earthenware pots to become talismanic water, it was time to distribute the talismanic water, talismans, and even food.

The first group of people to receive the talismans were undoubtedly the wealthy families in the village and county. Having donated grain, they were naturally entitled to receive a talisman. Zhang Chengfu picked up a brush and quickly wrote the names provided by the recipients on each talisman. The names of the wealthy families were usually more pleasant to hear, and some were quite complex.

After the wealthy families finished receiving their share, it was the turn of the villagers with simpler names, with the villagers of Dianjia Village going first. The villagers surged forward, mostly strong and able-bodied men, who managed to squeeze to the front. Among the group of strong men, there was a sturdy old woman who also managed to squeeze to the front row, her face full of gratitude as she shouted loudly.

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master! I beg you, please give me a talisman to soothe the soul for my Tiger's father!"

(End of this chapter)