Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 75 Teacher! Should I take action and assassinate Prince Chen? (Thanks to Alliance Leader shizuku!)
As the sun began to set, the Taiping Dao followers stayed one last night in Dianjia Village, but refrained from performing any further prayers or rituals. At the urging of their disciples, the villagers from the surrounding areas began to disperse. After all, the farmers couldn't stay away from agricultural production for too long; having fulfilled their wish to pay respects to their loved ones, they had to hurry back home. Meanwhile, Zhao Jin, the Taiping Dao leader in Jiwu County, took advantage of the ritual to distribute yellow turbans, effectively increasing the size of his followers.

"Peace and prosperity reign! Trust in my Way of Peace, unite to weather the spring famine, and pay less tax to the officials!"

The local leader of the Way of Peace, Zhao Jin, was about forty years old, with a dark face and neck, dressed like an old farmer. His slogans were simple and sincere, yet they resonated deeply with the people. Zhang Chengfu and Gao Daonu patiently preached the Way in the village, and together with Zhao Jin, they helped the villagers put on yellow turbans. Few of the people in the countryside who believed in the Way of Peace were actually there to rebel. They believed in the Way of Peace to survive, for the talismanic water used to ward off plagues, and for disaster relief. The essence of the Way of Peace's initial rise was a community of mutual aid among rural farmers, bound by religion!
For the villagers, without joining the Way of Peace, these scattered common people were virtually defenseless against natural disasters and man-made calamities! They might borrow a few bushels of grain from powerful families during the spring famine, only to have to sell their fields and land in the autumn, and their children the following year. But if the believers helped each other, they could weather more of the hardships and prevent small farmers from going bankrupt so easily.

Natural disasters are like this, and so are man-made calamities. When tax collectors arrive, they can exploit individual farming families to the extreme, driving them to their deaths. For example, four or five years ago, the tax collector who came to collect taxes from Zhang Chengfu's family charged several times the original amount, plus various miscellaneous taxes, aiming to ruin the family. The tax collectors also colluded with powerful families; only the steward of the Ju family, who accompanied them, could borrow a high-interest loan of eight parts and fourteen parts to pay the taxes owed to the government. But once the loan was signed, the Ju family used the contract to seize the land, driving the entire Zhang Chengfu family to their deaths, leaving only a "mentally challenged" child.
The world is unjust, and individual households are powerless to resist. But tax collectors, when faced with entire villages and hamlets of Taiping Dao followers, with hundreds or thousands of households united as one, have to carefully consider their actions. They must keep the taxes and miscellaneous fees within the villagers' acceptable range, so as not to cause too much unrest. For example, in the Taiping Dao's settlements in Julu County, Jizhou, the tax collectors collected taxes in a very proper manner, and only increased the miscellaneous fees by half.

Because the common people, bound together by the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace) belief, possessed the power to resist taxes and negotiate prices. If pushed too far, they could genuinely mobilize the peasantry to fight back fiercely against tax officials; they truly had the capacity for violent resistance!

In the political maneuvering of the late Han Dynasty, fairness in trade and taxation always depended on the balance of power, not on the laws of the Han Dynasty! Ordinary people could only negotiate with the powerful officials, aristocratic families, and magnates—like wolves and tigers—by banding together, transforming themselves from insignificant ants into a swarm capable of killing an elephant, and thus secure acceptable terms for trade and taxation. At that time, fairness always depended on the balance of power. Those without the ability to resist were simply "sheep" to be eaten!
In this era, what truly united the grassroots people? It wasn't the clans confined to a single surname or lineage, nor the established hierarchical laws and regulations, but rather the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace) faith, which spanned multiple prefectures and counties! Before the situation deteriorated to such an extent, Taiping Dao could assist prefects and governors in providing relief on behalf of the government, stabilizing the hearts and minds of the people within the prefectures and kingdoms. Taiping Dao could also represent its believers in negotiating with tax collectors and powerful families, preventing the villagers from rapidly going bankrupt and maintaining the tax base of the prefectures and kingdoms. Therefore, many prefects regarded Taiping Dao as a force for reconciliation and appeasement, generally adopting a tacit and tolerant stance.

As for the extreme point of natural disasters and man-made calamities, when the contradictions become irreconcilable and the people can no longer survive, the power of the Taiping Dao religious association will be such that, for the first time in history, it will shout out a slogan that will shake the world!

"Zhao Jin, how many new believers have you gained in Jiwu County during your journey south to spread the gospel?"

"Reporting to the Great Master! We have about two hundred reliable able-bodied disciples, and more than a thousand ordinary people have joined the Way of Peace! Especially in Dian Village, during the few days the Master held the rituals, two to three hundred villagers joined the Way. Even that old woman from the Dian family has put on a yellow turban."

"Yes, Not Bad!"

The Great Teacher Zhang Jiao sat cross-legged in the thatched hut, nodding gently to the kneeling leader Zhao Jin. After a moment's contemplation, he reached out and drew a peace talisman on Zhao Jin's forehead. Then, he took out a talisman from his robes and, amidst the other's surprised and excited gaze, solemnly bestowed it upon the leader of his disciples.

"Heaven bears witness! Zhao Jin, from this day forward, you will be my Xiao Fang in Jiwu County, Chenliu Prefecture, responsible for spreading the word in the counties and villages south of Chenliu Prefecture!"

"Ah! Thank you, virtuous teacher! Thank you, great and wise teacher!"

Upon hearing this, Chief Zhao Jin kowtowed vigorously, his face filled with genuine joy and excitement. He was a local farmer, and had never imagined he would one day become the chieftain of Xiaofang! However, in Neihuang County of Chenliu Prefecture, there already existed a more senior chieftain, Shi Qian, who was also from a highly prestigious family.
“Wise teacher! When I preach the gospel, will I still be required to obey Commander Shi of Neihuang County, just as before?”

"No need. Shi Zi has him in charge of dealing with powerful families, local officials, and government officials. You, on the other hand, are responsible for spreading the teachings in the countryside, especially in the poor villages on the border of Yanzhou and Yuzhou. The two of you do not cross borders and are both responsible to the great physician of Dongpinglu in Yanzhou!"

The Great Teacher Zhang Jiao, with a gentle expression, bestowed upon the newly appointed leader Zhao Jin a position equal to that of leader Shi Qian. Upon seeing this, Zhang Chengfu suddenly understood. His teacher's journey south, filled with sacrificial rites and efforts to appease the villagers, was not merely to recruit Dian Wei. More importantly, his teacher intended to re-establish the Taiping Dao (Way of Peace) organization among the common people of Chenliu County!

The original Taiping Dao (Way of Peace) in Chenliu County had been transformed into a gentry-dominated entity by the chieftain Shi Qian. This development contradicted the new Taiping Dao's principles and goals. The Great Teacher of Goodness remained calm, appeasing Shi Qian and keeping him in Neihuang, while personally preaching and promoting a new chieftain of peasant origin. In this way, the gentry and commoners' Taiping Dao in Chenliu County were separated, preparing for the uprising a year later!
Such personnel management was second nature to the Great Teacher. But why go to all this trouble to promote Zhao Jin, the chieftain of Jiwu County?
"Zhao Jin, Jiwu County is located southeast of Chenliu, bordering Chenliu Commandery and the Liang and Chen kingdoms. There are also disciples of my Taiping Dao in Liang, so we don't need to pay too much attention to them. But Chen is different! The current King of Chen, Liu Chong, is quite unusual. He is known for his bravery and martial prowess, commands elite crossbowmen, and maintains strict control over the kingdom."

The Great Teacher's expression turned solemn, and he gave instructions to Commander Zhao Jin.

"While you are preaching in the south of Chenliu, pay close attention to the state of Chen! Especially observe the movements of the Chen's central forces and the actions of the King of Chen. If you discover anything, immediately send someone to inform the fishermen in the Daye Marsh of Jiyin County!" "Pay attention to the King of Chen's movements and inform the fishermen in the Daye Marsh? Yes! Understood!"

"Well, let's get down!"

"Yes, my wise teacher!"

Chief Zhao Jin bowed respectfully to the Great Teacher and then left the thatched hut. Zhang Chengfu knelt beside him and waited until Zhao Jin left before asking in a low voice.

"Teacher, are you still worried about Prince Liu Chong of Chen during your trip south?"

"Yes. I visited the Shi family manor in Kaocheng before, and Shi Gongqian and I talked a lot. Around Chenliu County, besides mentioning the Duan family of Jiyin, he also talked about this Prince Chen, Liu Chong! It is said that this Prince Chen's treasury contains thousands of powerful crossbows, which can be kept secret from the imperial court, but not from the surrounding aristocratic families! And the aristocratic families in Chenliu County are all very wary of this ambitious and powerful Prince Chen. Shi Gongqian intentionally let me know, saying some things about Prince Chen's hostile attitude towards the Taiping Dao."

At this point, the great teacher Zhang Jiao raised the corners of his mouth, looked at his young disciple Zhang Chengfu, and asked with a smile.

“Chengfu, have you forgotten the ‘Dayeze-Taishan’ strategy for Yanzhou that you strongly advocated? The State of Chen is right next to Yanzhou, and it is the vassal state with the most troops and the strongest military force of the Han Dynasty! The King of Chen has eight hundred elite troops and a large amount of military equipment. He can expand to several thousand troops at any time. It is the closest strong army of the imperial court to Dayeze!”

"How come you're calculating about this and that, yet you treat King Chen as if he doesn't exist? My eyes have been fixed on the State of Chen the whole time I've been in Chenliu County, but you're much more carefree than me!"

"."

Upon hearing his teacher's rhetorical question, Zhang Chengfu was speechless. Influenced by later historical accounts, he had indeed intentionally or unintentionally overlooked Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, whose presence was not particularly prominent. But with his teacher's reminder, he realized that, looking at the entire area surrounding Yanzhou, Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, was the most powerful figure on the surface! If the Taiping Dao of Yanzhou held out in the Dayeze-Taishan region and engaged in a prolonged stalemate with the imperial army, who knew if the court might mobilize Liu Chong's vassal troops to fight the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou?
"Teacher, Prince Chen is the great-grandson of Emperor Ming and the current emperor's uncle. Given the emperor's suspicious and distrustful nature, he probably wouldn't allow the vassal kings, especially this uncle, to lead their armies out of their fiefdoms unless absolutely necessary. And if Prince Chen were to achieve military merit or recruit more troops, wouldn't that be a great threat to the emperor?"

Zhang Chengfu frowned, realizing the troublesome nature of Prince Chen. This Prince Chen truly possessed military power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to suppress the powerful clans of his fiefdom, nor would he have inspired the fear of the powerful families of Chenliu Commandery, or prompted the "partisan friends" of the Taiping Dao to deliberately leak information. This prominent prince was simultaneously feared by the Han Emperor, powerful clans, and the Yellow Turbans of the Taiping Dao—truly a bird that sticks out gets shot down by everyone!

"Yes, this Prince Chen poses a great threat to the Emperor's throne. I also believe that the Emperor will not easily transfer him, giving Prince Chen a chance to escape the confines of his fiefdom. However, what I am unsure about is whether Prince Chen will abandon his previous actions and compromise with the powerful clans to gain their support in order to take action against the Taiping Dao in Yanzhou."

At this point, Zhang Jiao, the Great Teacher of Virtue, frowned and remained silent, showing a rare hesitation. Zhang Chengfu, standing beside him, paused for a moment, then pressed his hand on the fine iron dagger at his waist, suppressing his murderous intent as he spoke softly.

"Teacher! Should I take action and assassinate this Prince Chen?"

"Heaven bears witness! This Prince Chen sounds brave, but he is not a cautious person. If I lead the men to attack, we will not hesitate, but when we do, we will surely succeed!"

(End of this chapter)