Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 9 Allegiance
In April, the grasses flourish; in May, the cicadas sing. The cicadas' first song heralds the approaching summer heat. The winter wheat in the fields either withers or nears maturity, much like the fleeing farmers—some die, some survive. The refugee camp outside Tianqi Temple has finally stabilized at around four thousand people, and some are gradually returning home. Before leaving, many people secretly come to the back mountain to catch a glimpse of the children learning to read and write, then wipe their eyes, and slip away quietly, as if afraid of being discovered.

"Peace and righteousness prevail, may my Yellow Heaven be established... One, two, three... ten!..."

Zhang Chengfu led the children in reciting sentences from the *Taiping Jing* (Scripture of Great Peace) and teaching them simplified characters as much as possible. In just over half a month, he taught them only forty or fifty of the most commonly used characters. Some of his "disciples" learned more, while others learned less, but at least they knew "Taiping Huangtian" (Peaceful Heaven), their own names, and the simplified characters for "one to ten."

"One, two... ten! The corresponding symbols are 1, 2... 10!..."

To lay the foundation for further mathematical calculations, Zhang Chengfu patiently taught the most basic numbers. These "Arabic numerals," originating in ancient India, wouldn't formally become a system in ancient India for another 600 years. However, they were indeed simpler and easier to write than Chinese characters, making addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division much easier. Zhang Chengfu directly adopted them and taught them as "talismans" used in Taoism.

"Master Zhang, how do you write this '2' symbol?"

"I can't write '4' well..."

"Teacher Zhang, Zhang Yuanpu wrote '6' instead of '5'!..."

The children, with pained expressions, watched Zhang Chengfu erect a large wooden board and began learning the most basic introductory skills by matching simplified characters and numbers. This introductory process lasted three days. After three days, although some still couldn't write completely, at least they could recognize and read the characters and had grasped the concept of numbers.

"One to ten, that's ten fingers! Write the corresponding number on each finger, and you'll see it when you eat... Hmm, charcoal pencils are too thick to write with? Then use grass stalks dipped in ink... Never mind, stretch out the backs of your hands! I'll write a number for each of you. Then, find people whose numbers are different, and form groups of ten from 1 to 10! From now on, those in a group will eat together, study together, sing together... and sleep side by side!"

By this time, the children had gained some basic knowledge and were familiar with each other. Zhang Chengfu was finally able to divide the more than 500 children into 52 groups of ten, organized according to military formations. There were 36 groups of boys and 16 groups of girls, and each group had the children elect their own group leader.

According to the "Way of Yellow Heaven," the children in a group were expected to help each other and were considered a "collective." Similarly, with these collective groups, the concept of discipline was gradually introduced, such as "eating together" and "raising your hand before asking a question." Those who violated the discipline first faced pressure from the group to adjust their behavior…

Everything had to be built from scratch. A disorganized group couldn't possibly be effective. Fortunately, the children adapted quickly and were happy to accept all this "new" stuff, thus gaining a clearer sense of belonging.

"Master Zhang, are you using military methods to train these boys?"

After several days of instruction, Liu Gong, who was maintaining order, was quite surprised to see the children forming their ranks. He approached Zhang Chengfu, carefully examined this rather young "disciple of Zhang Jiao," and hesitated before speaking.

"Peace and prosperity! If a talisman master wants to train an army... I actually have some experience with that. Hmm, I've been trained."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu became quite interested. He straightened his hair and Taoist robe, and invited Liu Gong to sit opposite him. Then, he glanced at the calluses on the strong man's hands and knuckles, and asked seriously.

"Liu Gong, you served in the army? Were you a deserter?... "

"Ah! Talisman Master, you saw through it all along?... "

Liu Gong pursed his lips, looking quite uneasy. But when the children chanted the "Yellow Heaven" slogan, he paused, and the unease on his face disappeared. He knelt down, bowed, and smiled bitterly.

"To be honest, Master Fu, Gong was indeed a deserter... a garrison soldier from Liangzhou who was sent to defend the Qiang border..."

"Oh! You actually served in the Liangzhou border army?... "

This time, Zhang Chengfu's face showed surprise. He knew very well that the Han Dynasty's truly capable armies at present were the border troops of Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou. Due to the repeated rebellions of the Qiang people and the Han Dynasty's almost endless campaigns, the Liangzhou border troops were the most numerous and the most elite, and were also the real main force in suppressing the Yellow Turbans, making them the most dangerous government army.

"Liu Gong, you're from Ji Province, how did you end up joining the Liang Province border army?"

"Ah! It's the imperial court's conscription. The border defense in Liangzhou is extremely harsh, and many soldiers desert. Those conscripted from Guanzhong are closer to their hometowns, so they are especially prone to desertion; three or four out of every ten li can desert. The imperial court then transferred soldiers from Jizhou to fill the gaps... But that's a long story."

"I'd like to hear the details!..."

Zhang Cheng listened intently, while Liu Gong thought for a moment and then began to speak from the beginning.

"I was originally from Mo County in Hejian State. I was a hunter in my hometown, and my skills were quite good. I had an elderly mother, wife, and children, as well as fields and houses, and we lived a decent life. In the fifth year of the Xiping era (176), the imperial court conscripted soldiers to guard the border, and Mo County was required to send 20 men... I don't know how, but this quota fell to me..."

“I still remember when the village head came to my door, brought two bushels of millet, and sneered: ‘The Qiang bandits in Liangzhou are causing trouble, and the court is conscripting those who dare to die. If you can live for three years, you’ll be lucky.’... Now that I think about it, I’m afraid it was because I was confident in my archery skills when I was young and didn’t bribe him, that I offended him. That’s why he made me do the labor that ruined my family… Sigh!”

Liu Gong shook his head, his expression somewhat wistful. He sighed deeply and continued.

"Our group of twenty men from Mo County first went to Hejian County, where we gathered a hundred men before heading to Handan in the Zhao state. In Handan, we received leather armor and a ring-pommel sword, and together with five hundred men from various counties in Ji Province, we continued westward across the Taihang Mountains. The Taihang Mountains were treacherous, and it took us three months to pass Bingzhou, cross the Yellow River, and reach Liangzhou. Along the way, more than twenty men perished. Some died of illness, and others fled..."

"Upon arriving at Hanyang County in Liangzhou, the commanding officer handed us over, placing us under the command of the Protectorate of the Qiang. Because of my archery skills, I was assigned to the bow and arrow corps as a rear guard archer..."

Upon hearing the words "Protector of the Qiang," Zhang Chengfu's eyes flickered, and he asked thoughtfully.

"Liu Gong, who was the Protector-General of the Qiang at that time? Was his surname Duan, or Huangfu?..."

"neither!"

Liu Gong continued to shake his head and sighed.

"In the fifth year of the Xiping era, the renowned Lord Duan Jiong had already left Liangzhou for many years. The former Protector of the Qiang, Huangfu Gui, had also died of illness in Liangzhou. When I arrived, the Protector of the Qiang was first Tian Yan, a greedy but capable warrior who had previously fought alongside Lord Duan in major battles. However, less than two months after our arrival, Tian Yan was imprisoned, apparently having offended a court eunuch. The new Protector of the Qiang was Ling Zheng. He was greedy but incompetent in battle, and immediately began embezzling funds upon taking office..."

"The border defense of Liangzhou is truly arduous! Every month, soldiers desert, and some deserters are caught and beheaded. The military supply officers are corrupt, embezzling half the rations. The soldiers eat only a liter of bran porridge a day, never quite full. Winters in Liangzhou are extremely cold; water poured on them freezes instantly. But the winter clothing issued by the court is extremely thin; a platoon of brothers has to huddle together to stay warm… Every winter, men freeze to death, and entire platoons desert. And in spring, the court conscripts new soldiers to replenish the ranks…"

"Besides lacking food and clothing, the Xianbei harassed the border year after year, coming and going like the wind, looting and leaving. The Qiang people plotted rebellion daily, launching surprise attacks at every turn, making them impossible to kill completely. As soon as we left the garrison camp, the surrounding Qiang people looked at us as if we were mortal enemies. We couldn't go into the mountains to gather firewood without carrying bows and swords, or without traveling in groups of two... And we, one group, followed the chieftain to quell rebellions everywhere. In three years, we beheaded dozens of Qiang people, men and women, old and young. But Qiang tribes always kept popping up from further west, like cabbages in a field, no matter how much you cut them, you can't get rid of them all..."

Upon hearing about the situation in Liangzhou, Zhang Chengfu seemed thoughtful. After a moment's thought, he asked another question.

Why did the Qiang people rebel?

"Who knows... Maybe it's because of hatred? Because of the greed of the Protector-General of Qiang? Or maybe it's because it's too cold and the crops won't grow? Anyway, all the Qiang people I've met look miserable and impoverished. Besides a life of fearlessness, they don't even have a decent weapon, and they look like they can't survive..."

"You killed so many Qiang people, you must have made great contributions. The rewards from the court should be much better, right?..." "Rewards? Ha! The court doesn't give any rewards whatsoever. We even have to pay for the treatment of the wounded ourselves!"

At this point, Liu Gong became visibly agitated. He gritted his teeth, recalling some unforgettable past event. After a long while, his eyes reddened, and he sighed.

"Peace and prosperity! In the three years we've been stationed on the border, of the twenty men from Mo County who died, only eight remain... Some froze to death, some died of illness, some were shot by the Xianbei, some were ambushed by the Qiang... Anyway, for the imperial court, the conscripted soldiers don't cost any money. If they all die, we just conscript a new batch..."

"In the second year of Guanghe (179 AD), the Qiang people of Hanyang Commandery rebelled again, and the remaining brothers could not endure it any longer. A few months later, we heard of an earthquake in Jingzhao, and we witnessed a solar eclipse in Liangzhou. From the chieftain to the squad leader, everyone was filled with fear, saying, 'Heaven is dead…'"

"So, the eight of us brothers made up our minds to flee! Several other squads also fled with us, probably dozens or even a hundred people? Anyway, a lot of people fled; one squad probably lost about a third of its men. Because of the solar eclipse, other squads probably did too, except for those from Liangzhou itself, the number of those who fled must have been considerable… In the end, they probably couldn't catch them all, and they didn't bother to catch them anymore; we didn't see any pursuers within Liangzhou. We hid and fled all the way, crossed the Yellow River, and entered Bingzhou, where we encountered the Bingzhou government troops searching for deserters, and lost several brothers. When they caught deserters, they would cut off their heads and hang them on the city gate of the county town as a warning…"

"In the mountains of Bingzhou, we sold our conspicuous armor, ring-pommel swords, spears, crossbows, and shields, exchanging them for some grain and copper coins. Several deserters from Bingzhou went directly into the Taihang Mountains and became outlaws... As for me, I led my last two brothers through countless hardships to escape back to Jizhou, back to our hometown in Mo County... only to find that my mother had died of plague, my youngest son had starved to death, my wife had remarried, and the fields and houses had long since been given to the village head..."

At this point, Liu Gong's eyes reddened and tears streamed down his face. He sat there blankly, his gaze unfocused. After a long while, he wiped his face vigorously and said self-deprecatingly.

"I am but a humble person... I have made a fool of myself in front of you, Master Talisman!"

Zhang Chengfu shook his head and grasped Liu Gong's arm. He looked into the other's sorrowful eyes and said, word by word.

"Heaven bears witness! We, the people of this village, have never despised them. What we despise are those corrupt and embezzling officials, and that court that treats human life like dirt! The suffering of the people is all brought about by them! Only by overthrowing them and establishing a new Heaven can such things never happen again! Only then will our descendants not suffer the same, or even more, misery!"

"To establish a new heaven..."

Liu Gong was lost in thought for a long time. He subconsciously reached out and gripped Zhang Chengfu's arm tightly. The experiences he had had in Taiping Dao these past few days seemed to have shattered something deep-rooted in his heart, layer by layer.

The principles Zhang Chengfu spoke to the children were also meant for the able-bodied men present. Because of his tragic experience as a deserter, he was the first to awaken, yearning to resist and to change things. This is why he volunteered to help…

"Liu Gong, you are the Jizhou you fled back in the third year of the Guanghe era?"

"Ah! It seems to be the end of the second year of Guanghe? I don't remember. I wandered around in the mountains, stopping and starting, and lost track of time. If it weren't for my hunter's skills and the bow and arrows I had, I probably wouldn't have made it out of the old forests of Taihang Mountain."

"Hmm... what happens next?...?"

"later…"

At this point, Liu Gong paused, seemingly finding it difficult to speak. But after a few breaths, he revealed everything and laid everything bare.

"We fugitives are on the government's wanted list, so we can't go home. My home is gone too. The only ones who can protect us are the powerful families in the county and township. So, the last three of us brothers went to the largest powerful family in Mo County, the Zhang family of Hejian, and became their bodyguards..."

"I stayed there for two years until the beginning of this year when the plague spread to Hejian Kingdom. I don't know how I contracted it, and was expelled from the manor by the Zhang family... With nowhere else to turn, I dragged my ailing body to Julu County alone to seek treatment from the Taiping Dao... Heaven bears witness! Since the immortal master of the Taiping Dao saved me and accepted me as a disciple, then from this day forward, my life, Liu Gong's life, belongs to the Taiping Dao!..."

With that, Liu Gong prostrated himself before Zhang Chengfu. This act of kneeling was tantamount to entrusting his life, a true pledge of loyalty. Zhang Chengfu was stunned for a few moments before understanding Liu Gong's meaning. He quickly lifted him up and said in a deep voice.

"Now that we have joined the Way of Peace, we are all on the same path! There is no distinction between master and servant among us; we are all striving forward for the same vision, even at the cost of our lives!"

"Yes! Master Zhang, I entrust my life to you! You say we're brothers, then we're brothers!..."

"."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu remained silent for a moment, but still accepted Liu Gong's grand gesture of loyalty. Then, he sighed softly and said...

"Liu Gong, from now on, please call me Chengfu! It sounds more intimate that way."

"Alright! Fu...Chengfu!"

Liu Gong nodded repeatedly, a smile appearing on his face. Joining the Yellow Turban Rebellion in this era might seem a bit late, but it wasn't too late either.
Looking across the entire Ji Province, the only places that could accommodate a fugitive like him, besides the local gentry and powerful clans, were the influential Taiping Dao. Having spent the past few months in Taiping Dao, he no longer wanted to seek refuge with these powerful figures and become their henchmen and lackeys. He longed to live a life of integrity, standing tall and with a clear conscience!

"Liu Gong...Mo County...Zhang Family of Hejian..."

After exchanging greetings and exchanging pleasantries, the two sat closer together, their relationship becoming much more intimate. Zhang Chengfu was momentarily at a loss for words, and thinking of Liu Gong's hometown, he vaguely recalled someone else.

"Peace and prosperity reign! By the way, are there any outstanding figures among the Zhang family of Hejian?..."

"An outstanding person?... "

"Yes! Someone with exceptional martial arts skills..."

"Exceptional martial arts skills... Oh! Yes! You mean the young master of the Zhang family? Actually, we guards usually accompany him on hunting trips..."

"Young Patriarch?"

“Yes! He’s probably in his early twenties, not much older than you, Chengfu… oh! Maybe seven or eight years older? The young master is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and his martial arts are famous throughout Mo County, and even the entire Hejian Kingdom!”

Liu Gong thought for a moment and then affirmed.

"If we're talking about someone with exceptional martial arts skills, it's definitely him!"

"what is his name?"

"Zhang He!..."

(End of this chapter)