Late January, Yan Province.
Administrator’s Residence, Wuyan City.
“My lord.” With a pleased expression, Cheng Yu said, “According to my subordinates’ calculations, forty thousand shi of grain have been transported into our territory this month. They have now been stored in the various key strongholds.”
“Still not enough.” Zhang Jing’s expression was grave as he replied, “Spring plowing will end in April. We only have three months left. Within those three months, we must gather five million shi of grain. Before June arrives, we must accumulate ten million shi.”
Historically, Cao Cao massacred the people of Xu Province several times.
Many claimed it was to avenge his father.
In reality, that explanation was wrong.
Using it to whitewash Cao Cao was the view of someone ignorant of history.
Because during Cao Cao’s first massacre in Xu Province, Cao Song was still very much alive.
The reason Cao Cao became enemies with Tao Qian was that while Cao Cao was pursuing Yuan Shu, Tao Qian joined forces with Qu Xuan and attacked Cao Cao’s Yan Province.
So after Cao Cao returned with his army, he led the Qingzhou troops and carried out the first massacre in Xu Province.
To say that food shortages had nothing to do with it— Zhang Jing simply did not believe that.
A million shi of grain sounded like a lot, but in reality it was only enough to feed one million people for a month, or two months if they survived on porridge.
The key issue was that, according to Cheng Yu’s statistics, the four commanderies under their control had a combined population of more than 3.4 million people.
When Zhang Jing received that report, he had been devastated.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
The population was over four hundred thousand higher than he had anticipated.
Calculating the grain required to support four hundred thousand people for half a year, including seed grain, was actually quite simple.
One person consumed half a shi per month, roughly equivalent to 15 kg in modern measurements.
One shi every two months.
Over six months, that amounted to three shi.
Planting ten mu of farmland required two shi of seed grain.
In other words, each person would consume a total of five shi.
For four hundred thousand people, that came to two million shi of grain.
Expanding that figure to 3.4 million people, the requirement exceeded sixteen million shi.
Yet a month ago, Zhang Jing possessed only a little over eight million shi.
The shortfall was still more than eight million shi.
As for the forty thousand shi of grain that had just arrived, it could only be described as a drop in the bucket.
Moreover, these calculations represented Zhang Jing’s ideal scenario.
Demanding that ten million shi be gathered before June was not an outrageous request.
It was something that absolutely had to be achieved.
Otherwise, they would run out of food.
“My lord, rest assured.” A ruthless glint flashed through Cheng Yu’s eyes as he said, “Once the grain routes are opened, grain will flow into Yan Province at a much faster rate. The current crisis will certainly be resolved.”
At this moment, Cheng Yu was already thinking to himself:
Even if dried meat had to be used as a supplement, he would still gather the amount of food his lord required.
“I trust you, Zhongde.” Zhang Jing nodded slightly.
Then he walked to the window and looked outside.
“Tomorrow I will begin inspecting the various strongholds. It may take quite some time. Wuyan City will be entrusted to you, sir.”
“Please be at ease, my lord.” Cheng Yu bowed respectfully.
……………
Ji Province, Changshan Commandery.
Taihang Mountains, Headquarters of the Heishan Army.
The Heishan Army’s supreme leader, Zhang Yan, was a powerfully built man clad in thick animal-hide robes.
He stared at the visitor with astonishment.
The visitor was none other than the envoy sent by Zhang Jing.
For the sake of safety, the man had detoured hundreds of li through the Taihang Mountains.
Battling heavy snow, he had nearly gotten lost several times.
After wandering around for what felt like forever, he had finally found the person he was looking for.
“You say you’re an envoy of Commander Zhang?”
Looking at the man before him—someone who looked even more like a wild mountain savage than his own men—Zhang Yan said, “I find that hard to believe.”
“Chief, please…” After the envoy offered a lengthy explanation, Zhang Yan’s mouth twitched.
“Very well. Tell me, what matter has Commander Zhang sent you here for?”
“…”
The envoy opened his mouth, only to find himself at a loss for words.
After all, Liao Hua had simply assigned him the task.
The rough idea was that the Heishan Army’s leader had already pledged allegiance to their lord.
He was just supposed to come and explain things.
At the time, he hadn’t thought much about it.
But the moment he left the city with his orders, he was dumbfounded.
How the hell was he supposed to explain this?
He had spent an entire month on the road thinking about that question and still hadn’t figured it out.
“My brother…” One of the Heishan Army leaders nearby looked at him with an incredulous expression.
“Don’t tell me you forgot?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA—!”
Another leader immediately laughed and teased, “I don’t think so. How could anyone forget something like that?”
“Wang Dang, Sun Qing!”
Seeing the two men making fun of the envoy, Zhang Yan frowned and stopped them.
He could tell that the man had not forgotten his mission.
Gulp—
The envoy swallowed nervously.
Recalling words his lord had once spoken, he immediately embellished them a little as he said:
“My lord once said that whether one belongs to the Heishan Army or to the followers of the Way of Great Peace, we are all, in truth, comrades walking the same path. We all come from the common people.”
“To survive, to fill our stomachs, we hung our heads upon our belts and rose in rebellion.”
“Those who walk the same path should support and help one another, so that everyone may live better lives.”
“Commander Zhang speaks well.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yan nodded in agreement.
Though he led the Heishan Army, and had once submitted to the Han court, he understood clearly that at his core, he was still a follower of the Way of Great Peace.
“A month ago, when my lord swept through Yan Province, he invited Chiefs Yu Du, Sui Gu, and Bai Rao to come out of the mountains.”
“The three chiefs agreed and immediately led their fellow brethren to migrate to Yan Province. They are now in Dongping State, assisting my lord in various affairs…”
The envoy’s voice grew softer and softer.
The more he spoke, the less confidence he felt.
In truth, he was simply too timid.
Had another envoy been sent instead, relying on Zhang Jing’s current prestige and power, even if the reasoning wasn’t entirely sound, they would still have spoken boldly.
There would have been virtually no danger.
Nor was Zhang Yan likely to become enemies with Zhang Jing over this matter.
After all, they were still connected by the bond of being fellow followers of the same cause.
“…”
As Zhang Yan listened, the smile gradually disappeared from his face.
It was replaced by visible anger.
The generals under his command clenched their fists and ground their teeth.
They wanted to explode in rage.
Yet when they thought of the envoy’s repeated use of the words fellow brethren and same path, they found themselves suppressing their anger with great difficulty.
“Hahaha!”
Zhang Yan laughed in extreme anger.
“Commander Zhang is certainly something.”
“I only want to know one thing.”
“Were those three brothers of mine willing to leave the mountains of their own accord, or were they forced to do so?”
The assembled generals immediately understood the real issue.
Whether they were fellow believers or not was secondary.
The chief’s question was the crucial one.
If their brothers had willingly left the mountains, then everything could still be settled peacefully.
With the convenient banner of being fellow followers of the same cause, everyone could at least maintain outward harmony.
But if not, then the two sides were enemies.
Even fellow believers would make no difference.
“Chief, you worry too much.” The envoy instantly realized that his life was no longer in danger.
Straightening his back, he said confidently:
“General Yu Du and the others lived deep within the mountains. Moreover, they were fellow followers of the Way of Great Peace. How could my lord possibly raise a hand against his own brothers?”
“Instead, General Liao Hua personally sent escorts into the mountains and invited the three chiefs out.”
“If you do not believe me, Chief, you may send men to investigate at any time. This matter cannot be concealed.”
“Besides, my lord now controls four commanderies of Yan Province. He commands hundreds of thousands of troops and is assisted by renowned scholars and officials.”
“As early as a month ago, the four commanderies began distributing fertile farmland to ordinary people. Every commoner receives ten mu of land.”
“Compared to struggling for food in the deep mountains, the three generals bringing more than one hundred thousand people into Yan Province was the truly righteous choice.”
Now that he no longer feared for his life, the envoy’s nervousness vanished.
Whenever he spoke of his lord, his face was filled with pride.
After all, he came from the central army.
Even if he had only been an ordinary soldier, he had spent more time listening to his lord speak than most other men.
“…”
Zhang Yan was completely stunned.
For a moment, he did not know what to say.
The leaders under his command had suddenly become generals.
And the most astonishing part was that he was only learning about it now.
Thinking about how this fellow had crossed snowy mountains all the way here, he could not help but feel both exasperated and impressed.
As if remembering something, he finally asked:
“Then tell me this.”
“What exactly is the situation in Yan Province these days?”
— The end of the Chapter–
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