“According to the latest tally,”
Zhang Jing said after a moment’s thought, “the army has roughly ninety thousand shi of grain remaining. After today, we may have only sixty thousand shi left.”
At first glance, tens of thousands of shi sounded like a great deal.
But Zhang Jing knew better than anyone that their Yellow Turban force was enormous, with a total population approaching one and a half million.
Even if each person consumed only one jin of grain per day, that would still amount to 1.5 million jin daily.
During the Han dynasty, one shi equaled 120 jin, roughly equivalent to sixty modern catties.
One and a half million jin meant about twenty-five thousand shi consumed every day.
And that was already after Zhang Jing had consolidated and streamlined resources since taking command.
Otherwise, daily grain consumption would have been at least twice as high.
“So only two days’ worth of rations remain?”
Cheng Li’s heart tightened at the news.
Before coming here, he had known that the Yellow Turbans lacked food.
But he had not expected the shortage to be this severe.
“That’s correct.”
Zhang Jing nodded solemnly.
“Therefore, capturing Wuyan is imperative.”
“My intention is to mobilize the army tomorrow and fight Cao Cao in a decisive battle.”
“My lord,” Cheng Yu asked, “does the army possess campaign maps?”
“Of course.”
Just as Zhang Jing was about to order someone to fetch the maps, Zhou Cang hurried inside and bowed respectfully.
“My lord, the generals have all assembled in the main hall.”
“I’ll be there shortly.”
Zhang Jing nodded slightly.
Then he drained another bowl of hot porridge.
“Yes, my lord.”
Seeing the simple meal before his lord, Zhou Cang felt both heavy-hearted and full of admiration.
He had never imagined that a man of such high status would eat exactly the same food as ordinary soldiers and commoners.
After Zhou Cang departed, Zhang Jing finished two more bowls of porridge along with the side dishes.
Once he felt full, he noticed that Cheng Li had also finished all of his porridge.
Only then did he ask:
“Zhongde, have you eaten your fill?”
“I have, my lord.”
Cheng Li nodded and rose to bow.
“I await Your Lordship’s commands at any time.”
“Excellent.”
Very pleased with Cheng Li’s attitude, Zhang Jing stood and invited him:
“Then come with me and meet the generals of our Yellow Turbans.”
“If we are to accomplish great things, we cannot do so without the courage and efforts of our commanders.”
“It would be my honor.”
Cheng Li bowed respectfully in response.
At this moment, the main hall of the Governor’s Office was already packed with Yellow Turban officers.
The military organization of the Yellow Turbans had originally been established by the Great Worthy Teacher.
At its inception:
Five men formed a squad (wu), led by a squad leader.
Ten men formed a section (shi), led by a section chief.
Fifty men formed a company (dui), commanded by a company leader.
Two companies formed a battalion (tun), led by a battalion commander.
Five battalions—front, rear, left, center, and right—formed a regiment (qu), commanded by a military marquis.
Five regiments—front, rear, left, center, and right—formed a division (bu), commanded by a military adjutant (sima).
Four divisions—front, rear, left, and right—formed a larger formation.
Any commander with more than ten thousand troops under his command was known as a Regional Commander (qushuai).
After the defeat of the Way of Great Peace, the strong survived while the weak were eliminated.
Some qushuai expanded like rolling snowballs, while many others were destroyed by Han imperial armies or absorbed by rival Yellow Turban commanders.
Zhang Rao’s force belonged to the former category.
After several rounds of mergers and annexations, its strength had surpassed one million people, making it as famous as the Heishan Army.
As for the officers now gathered in the hall, the lowest-ranking among them was a military adjutant commanding over 2,500 troops.
“Commander arriving!”
As Zhang Jing approached the hall, Zhou Cang’s loud announcement rang out from outside.
Rustle—
The generals immediately stepped aside, opening a path down the center.
Clasping their fists, they shouted in unison:
“We pay our respects to the Commander!”
“At ease, gentlemen.”
Zhang Jing waved a hand.
Leading Cheng Li through the passage, he took his place at the head of the hall before introducing him to the assembled officers.
“This is Cheng Li of Dong’e, courtesy name Zhongde.”
“Mr. Zhongde is a man of vast learning, skilled in both civil and military affairs. He enjoys great prestige throughout Yanzhou and is among the foremost talents of the realm today.”
“From this day forward, Mr. Zhongde will oversee our army’s grain supplies, logistics, equipment distribution, civilian resettlement, and all related matters.”
“He shall also serve as the sole chief strategist of our army.”
“I expect all of you to treat Mr. Zhongde as you would treat me.”
“Should anyone show him disrespect, I shall punish that person severely according to military law.”
“We obey!”
The generals’ expressions tightened.
They immediately bowed and responded in unison.
At the same time, some secretly sized up Cheng Li, curious whether he truly possessed the abilities their commander claimed.
“I accept the appointment.”
Seeing the reaction of the generals, Cheng Li felt both moved and invigorated.
Stepping forward, he bowed deeply to Zhang Jing and declared in a firm voice:
“I am willing to brave fire and water for my lord.”
During his journey through the Yellow Turban territories, he had originally expected internal divisions and factional disputes.
Now, however, it seemed that Zhang Jing had indeed unified his followers.
At the very least, on the surface, they stood united.
For Cheng Li, that alone was enough.
“Zhongde, please rise at once.”
Zhang Jing helped Cheng Li to his feet, his eyes filled with trust.
To Zhang Jing, the authority and importance he was granting Cheng Li were not entirely matters of choice.
At least for now, among all those under his command, the only person truly capable of handling affairs independently was Cheng Li.
If he could not establish a firm foothold in these turbulent times, then all these titles and powers would be nothing more than fleeting clouds.
“Thank you, my lord.”
Cheng Li quickly responded.
Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, a gleam flashed in his eyes.
“My lord, I have a request. I hope you will grant it.”
“Speak freely, Zhongde.”
Zhang Jing was slightly surprised and somewhat puzzled as to what Cheng Li wanted.
“My lord,” Cheng Li said respectfully,
“On the night I arrived with Your Lordship, I dreamed that I was walking alone upon Mount Tai.”
“At the summit, I lifted up the radiant sun in my hands.”
“In an instant, heaven and earth were bathed in golden light.”
“I have studied the ancient classics extensively.”
“This vision signifies the Radiant Sun of the Yellow Heaven—an omen of supreme good fortune.”
“Therefore, I wish to change my name from Li (立) to Yu (昱).”
“With this body, I shall uphold the Radiant Sun.”
“May the Yellow Heaven be blessed with great fortune.”
“I humbly ask for Your Lordship’s approval.”
Having spoken, he bowed deeply.
“Radiant Sun of the Yellow Heaven!”
“Is that true? Could it mean our Yellow Heaven is destined to flourish?”
“It must be true!”
At that moment, one of the generals spoke up with complete conviction.
“I’ve heard of Mr. Zhongde’s reputation before. Back in Dong’e, he devised a scheme that defeated Commander Wang Du.”
“Hm?”
A general standing beside him looked at him curiously, his face full of confusion.
“Old Wang… the Commander Wang Du you’re talking about isn’t you, is it?”
“Old Xu, must you expose a man’s embarrassing past…”
Wang Du’s face reddened slightly.
“At the time, I was careless. I never imagined those people would have such courage.”
“It was only later that I realized I had fallen into Mr. Zhongde’s trap.”
“…”
“The Radiant Sun of the Yellow Heaven—an auspicious sign for all under Heaven.”
While the generals continued discussing the matter, Zhang Jing helped Cheng Li up and said:
“This is clearly a favorable omen.”
“How could I possibly refuse?”
“Yu thanks my lord!”
Hearing this, Cheng Yu was overjoyed.
It felt as though some invisible restraint had fallen away from him, leaving him refreshed and invigorated.
Zhang Jing waved his hand.
Then he swept his gaze across the generals and spoke in a deep voice:
“Bian Xi, Geng Ling?”
“Present!”
As soon as Zhang Jing finished speaking, two generals stepped forward and saluted respectfully.
“From this day onward, the two of you and your troops will be placed under the command of Mr. Zhongde. His words are not to be questioned.”
“We obey!”
The two men immediately clasped their fists and accepted the order.
Both had been among Zhang Rao’s most trusted followers.
Now each held the rank of commander in his own right, with over ten thousand able-bodied troops under his command.
“Bian Xi greets the Strategist.”
“Geng Ling greets the Strategist.”
The two men then turned and saluted Cheng Yu respectfully.
“Greetings, Generals.”
Cheng Yu returned the salute.
“From this day forward, I shall have the honor of serving alongside the two of you.”
“I hope we may support one another and devote our strength together to our lord’s great cause.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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