Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 79 Becoming a servant in the Chen family is truly an incredible feat!
"Da da da!"

The fields of Henan were lush and green. The cavalry of the Chen Kingdom came and went like a herd of deer on the plains. Zhang Chengfu, on horseback, accompanied the Chen King and his entourage for several miles with dozens of infantry and cavalrymen from the Taiping Road. Only when Yangxia City was faintly visible on the southern horizon, with vast wheat fields surrounding the river to the north of the city, did he stop and watch the Chen King depart.

"Young man, since you are skilled in archery and can hit a galloping horse, you are a good match for me. Why don't you come back to Yangxia with me and compete with me for two days? I will treat you to wine!"

The river flowed swiftly. Prince Liu Chong of Chen cracked his whip, mounted the new white horse offered by his guards, and raised his head to address Zhang Chengfu.

"Rest assured! I will not hold your mistake of shooting my warhorse accountable!"

"."

Faced with the invitation from Prince Chen, Zhang Cheng remained silent. He stared at the generous Prince Chen for a long while before finally bowing and replying.

"Your Highness, I am a disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue, and I am obliged to protect him. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. We shall meet again in the future!"

"Ugh, how boring."

Prince Liu Chong of Chen shook his head, ignored Zhang Chengfu, looked at Gao Daonu, and raised his voice.

"Your skills as a cavalry commander are truly remarkable! It's a pity you're following the Great Teacher of Virtue; why not follow me? I can appoint you as the cavalry captain, with a salary of two hundred bushels of grain. How about that?"

"."

Gao Daonu opened his mouth, stared wide-eyed at Prince Chen. He was speechless for a moment, and only answered after a few breaths.

“Your Highness Prince Chen, I am also a disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue, and I cannot leave my teacher’s side.”

"You're a disciple too? How could a mere Taoist master like the Great Virtuous Teacher have produced two valiant disciples? How strange!"

King Chen was somewhat disappointed, then looked at Yu Jin, who was carrying a spear, and Dian Wei, who was carrying a halberd, and said loudly.

"And you? With your Taishan spear technique, you can't be a disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue, can you? Why not serve me? I'm in need of an infantry captain with a salary of two hundred bushels of grain! And you, this valiant warrior carrying a halberd! If you follow me, I guarantee you'll have wine and meat every meal!"

"."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin raised his head, gave King Chen a deep look, and remained silent. Dian Wei, on the other hand, squinted at King Chen. The State of Chen bordered Chenliu, and Yangxia and Jiwu counties were practically next door. Yet this King Chen had never come to recruit him before, but now he was acting so generous and magnanimous. Thinking of this, he tilted his head and said coldly.

"I follow the Great Teacher, not you! Say no more!"

"You bastard!"

Seeing that these chosen "warriors" were ignored, King Liu Chong of Chen frowned noticeably. He was about to say something more when Chancellor Luo Jun of Chen quickly interrupted his ruler.

"Your Highness, let's head back soon! Your Highness must be tired after a long day. It would be good for you to rest and for these Taiping Dao disciples to return to the Great Master's side as soon as possible. The Great Master is indeed famous throughout the land, but Your Highness's association with him and even recruitment of Taiping Dao disciples... if word gets out, it might not be a good thing!"

Hearing the Prime Minister's tactful advice, Prince Liu Chong of Chen stroked his beard and stopped recruiting the Taiping Dao members. Just as he was about to ride away, Zhang Chengfu spoke again, calling out in a deep voice.

"Your Highness, the Way of Peace operates solely to save the people from suffering. We harbor goodwill towards the State of Chen and harbor no hostility whatsoever."

"In this world, Your Highness is a good vassal king with a capable prime minister who can protect the people of this region. Therefore, Your Highness must be very careful, do not act rashly, and lest you be assassinated!"

"Ok!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Liu Chong of Chen was startled and looked over with his prime minister Luo Jun. They saw Zhang Chengfu calmly and slowly reciting in a clear voice.

“When we entered the State of Chen, we heard a child singing a nursery rhyme. ‘Chen Cang rice, Chen Cang rice, rats gnaw at its roots and the king falls and dies. Golden Terrace, Golden Terrace, who comes with a knife and dagger in the moon?’ Afterwards, my master performed divination overnight and obtained a line from the oracle: ‘The Yin blade is hidden in the guest, the Yang ruler dies in Yin, misfortune is in the south.’”

"Your Highness, please be careful in the future, especially when meeting with the envoys of the Yuan family of Runan!"

"?! Young man, what do you mean by that? The Yuan family of Runan has been a distinguished family for generations, renowned throughout the land for its integrity. How could they possibly harm me?!"

Prince Liu Chong of Chen frowned and asked, while Chancellor Luo Jun looked displeased. Zhang Chengfu did not answer, but simply bowed to Chancellor Luo Jun and then spoke to those around him.

"Let's go! It's time to go back!"

Upon hearing the order, the Taiping Dao infantry and cavalry turned back to the northern plains. Only Prince Chen remained by the river, gazing into the distance. After a long pause, he shook his head and said...

"The Way of Peace has many brave men, but they believe in ghosts and gods, and cannot be used by me or by the Han people. What a pity!"

The horses' hooves clattered, but instead of entering the summer sun, they turned north. The banners fluttered, and an arrow struck the character for "Heaven," as if a hole had been torn in the sky. When Zhang Chengfu returned to the banner of "Yellow Heaven," the Great Teacher stroked his short beard and calmly asked...

"Well? As for the responsibility, have you said it?"
"Yes! I will follow your instructions, Master. I told him to warn him to be careful of assassins and not to be harmed by powerful families!" The Great Master nodded, a smile appearing on his face. Zhang Chengfu looked at his teacher's smile, then at the tattered flag, and frowned.

“Teacher, you were not only not angry at Prince Chen’s offense, but you also showed leniency and even asked me to see you off. In my opinion, Prince Chen should have bowed his head and apologized to you!”

"It's alright! I know and am happy that you care about your teacher. However, King Chen only shot an arrow and cursed a few times, and there were no casualties. We cultivators don't need to get angry or care about such superficialities. We just need to follow the righteous path."

The great teacher soothed him gently, showing no sign of annoyance. Zhang Chengfu thought for a moment and then asked.

"Teacher, why did you say 'King Chen has the aura of an emperor' in front of everyone? Was it a foreshadowing of something?"

Upon hearing this, the great teacher Zhang Jiao smiled even more and nodded.

"Chengfu, after meeting and chatting with Prince Chen, I have a general understanding of what kind of person he is. He is not meticulous in his actions, making it difficult for him to gain the trust of the court and more likely to be disliked by the emperor. After we start our uprising next year, we only need to report a few words about our meeting with Prince Chen today to Luoyang. Then the emperor will probably not dare to use the troops of Chen. He might even have to send people to be on guard!"

"Although this King of Chen is brave, he lacks the ability and courage to lead troops out of Chen! We should not only refrain from offending him, but also openly befriend him and make sure the gentry of Yuzhou hear about it! Once the uprising begins, we can maintain peace between the two sides!"

Hearing this, Zhang Chengfu seemed to be deep in thought. His gaze was intense as he spoke in a low voice.

"Teacher, perhaps after the uprising begins, we can send people to spread prophetic rumors. Then we can raise a banner and say that we want to 'revere King Chen as emperor,' forcing King Chen to raise an army in rebellion?"

"No! Chengfu, although this King of Chen is ambitious, he is not a shrewd and ruthless man capable of rebelling. If we force him to openly declare his allegiance, even a cavalry unit from Luoyang could seize Chen's military power. It would be better to hold back and observe the situation. As long as Chen's troops remain within Chen, that is enough for us!"

The Great Teacher smiled and gazed at the southern horizon for a while. The Prince of Chen was long gone, but the prince's character and style, and even how he manipulated the other's fate, had already taken root in the Great Teacher's mind. Finally, he simply looked at the spring fields and calmly said...

"We've met the people here. Let's go! Have some horse meat, then continue west to Yingchuan!"

"is teacher!"

Traveling west from Yangxia County for a day, you will reach Fule. During the Qin Dynasty, Fule was also known as "Da Fucheng". During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, Liu Long, one of the "Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai" and a General of the Cavalry, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Fule, a title that has been passed down to this day. Therefore, the State of Chen not only had the Liu clan, the vassal kings, but also the powerful and influential Liu clan of Fule.

To the west of Fule City lies the Wo River, formerly known as the "Guoshui" (Passing Water). The *Shui Jing Zhu* (Commentary on the Waterways Classic) states, "The Wo River originates from Yin Gou (near present-day Kaifeng), flows southeast to the north of Fule City, and then east past the west of Yangxia (Taikang)." This Wo River flows north, connecting to the Yellow River via Yin Gou, and then south into the Huai River. Therefore, it is a crucial connecting river between the Yellow and Huai River systems!
“Going north from the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, the Wo River is a vital waterway and the most suitable route for the army to march! The State of Chen is located between the Yellow and Huai Rivers, and its capital, Chen County, and the city of Fule here are both important towns guarding the river.”

On the banks of the Wo River, Zhang Chengfu gazed north and south, looking at the great river that runs through the Yellow and Huai Rivers, and gradually understood.

"If the Yuan family of Runan has ambitions for the north and for Yanzhou, then the State of Chen is a place they must take! Therefore, once the Yuan family of Runan raises an army, they will surely send someone to assassinate the King of Chen and seize the State of Chen. And whoever occupies Yanzhou, if they want to move south to the Jianghuai region, they will definitely have to take this place!"

"Between the north and south, besides the Wo River here, there is only the Honggou Canal in Yingchuan to the west. However, the Yellow River is full of sand, and the Honggou Canal is currently silted up. It will only become a passable channel again after Cao Cao dredges the waterway. The great battle between the Yellow River and the Huai River will inevitably revolve around these major rivers!"

Continuing westward from Fule, after two or three days, they crossed the border of the Chen state and arrived at Yingchuan Commandery, a place teeming with aristocratic families. The first place they visited was Xinji County. It was named Xinji because there was already a Ji County in Henan Commandery, "because there was a Ji in Henan, hence the addition of Xin."

Zhang Chengfu traveled westward, passing through Xinji County before reaching Xu County. Xu County was located in the central Henan Plain, in the eastern part of Yingchuan Commandery, bordered by the Wei River (now the Shuangji River) to the north and a tributary of the Ying River to the south, making it easily accessible by land and water. Not far north of Xu County was Changshe, a relatively concentrated area of ​​Yellow Turban followers. To the west of Xu County was Yingyin, the destination of this journey to Yingchuan Commandery, where his third uncle, the great physician Zhang Liang, was waiting.

"Yingchuan has numerous gentry families with sprawling estates, surpassing even Chenliu County in number! Judging from the situation along the way, the number of small, self-sufficient farmers has dwindled to almost nothing. It seems that most of the land in the county belongs to the gentry and wealthy families, while the common people have become tenant farmers!"

Along the way, the entire Central Henan Plain was one of the most densely populated and arbitrarily developed regions during the Han Dynasty. The riverside fields here were abundant with wheat, creating a high demand for water, but their resilience to drought was far inferior to that of impoverished counties that cultivated millet and beans. In other words, if a severe drought lasted three years, resulting in a large-scale reduction in wheat yields, the common people of Yingchuan County would almost certainly perish! Furthermore, due to numerous past disasters, land in Yingchuan County had become extremely concentrated in the hands of powerful and wealthy families, making it one of the few counties in the Han Dynasty with such acute land-population conflict.

“If all the land in Yingchuan County were like this, then perhaps six or seven tenths of the land would belong to officials, powerful families, and wealthy landowners! Of the remaining thirty or forty tenths, one tenth would be rich peasants and landlords, and only two or three tenths would be small self-cultivating farmers. And in Yingchuan County, there are probably as many as half of the landless population who have to depend on powerful families and wealthy landowners, becoming tenant farmers or slaves!”

Zhang Chengfu observed the land distribution ratios in the counties along the way and also inquired with the local Yellow Turban followers. From Ji Province to Yan Province and then to Yu Province, the land annexation problem in Yingchuan County was the most serious one he had seen.

Yingchuan was a region renowned for its literary culture, producing many officials. Whether eunuchs or civil servants, they all enjoyed the privilege of exemption from corvée labor, allowing them to expand their landholdings and turn self-cultivating farmers into tenants. Yingchuan also boasted numerous powerful families, especially those with a centuries-old tradition of scholarship and farming, who continuously expanded their landholdings day after day, year after year. Below the officials and powerful families, there were also local strongmen and minor officials who formed cliques and engaged in illicit activities, maximizing their encroachment on others' land.

"The mansions of the wealthy are hundreds of connected buildings, with fertile fields covering the land and thousands of servants. The rich own vast tracts of land, while the poor have no place to stand. Among the aristocratic families, the Xun family is the most prosperous, with thousands of clansmen, thousands of servants, and tens of thousands of followers. Other aristocratic families, such as the Chen family of Xu County and the Zhong family of Changshe, are also prosperous families with thousands of acres of land and thousands of clansmen!"

Zhang Chengfu, sword at his waist, gazed intently at the manor scenery along the way, his eyes deeply recording everything. Then, he looked at the local disciple who had come to guide him, a robust young man of about thirty, Ah Chen, and solemnly asked.

"Ah Chen, during last year's famine and epidemic, did any of the prominent families in the county come to offer assistance?"

"Ah! Master Fu, last year's drought caused many villagers to die of starvation and disease. Fortunately, the wealthy Chen family in the county is kind-hearted and has taken in many able-bodied tenants! As long as you enter the Chen family's estate and work hard, you can get a bowl of wheat and a way to survive!"

"Hmm? Taking in able-bodied tenants? What about women, children, and the elderly?"

“Master Fu, who will want women, children, and the elderly? There’s no other way! They can only starve to death! In our village, half the women and children have starved to death. And even so, the government tax collectors still come to collect taxes!”

Ah Chen sighed, but his face was already numb with age, showing no trace of sadness. He sniffed, thought for a moment, and then forced a smile.

"Fortunately, at the beginning of this year, Master Chen sent a steward. The steward said that from now on, our village will belong to the Chen family, and we will all be servants of the Chen family! As long as the able-bodied men are obedient and work hard, they will no longer have to worry about the tax collectors collecting taxes. They only need to hand over 60% of the grain they grow each year! If there are any good farmers or strong men, they can be selected by the steward to become servants of the Chen family's main estate. That would be like ascending to heaven!"

(End of this chapter)