“It was probably the work of the Falcon Guard.”
Dian Wei took a gulp of hot porridge and said in his deep, booming voice:
“My lord established a unit called the Falcon Guard around the middle of the month. Their job is to search the mountains and rivers for sources of meat. Whatever game they hunt is distributed by the government offices among the various villages and townships.”
“Of course, that includes the military camps as well.”
“Ever since the Falcon Guard was formed, this porridge has tasted a lot better than before.”
As he spoke, Dian Wei took another large mouthful, his face full of satisfaction.
“Before?” Taishi Ci asked in confusion.
“What do you mean, ‘before’? General Dian, have you been eating porridge all this time?”
“What do you mean by that?” Dian Wei glanced at Taishi Ci and replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world:
“Ever since I joined the Qihuo Army, I’ve eaten two meals a day, and every meal has been porridge. My lord eats exactly the same as I do.”
“This…” Taishi Ci’s eyes widened in shock.
Looking at Zhang Jing not far away, calmly drinking his porridge, he found it difficult to believe.
He had assumed that a meal like today’s lunch was something Zhang Jing only ate occasionally.
Normally, even if he did not feast on delicacies every day, surely there would be meat on his table.
Yet Dian Wei’s words completely overturned his worldview.
“Is this why their army is so strong?”
Thinking back to what he had previously said to Zhang Jing, Taishi Ci looked again at the hot porridge in his own bowl.
Suddenly, he felt as though he understood the meaning of Qihuo—”Seeking Survival.”
Once that realization struck him, he wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
It could be said that the Qihuo Army’s rations were among the worst of the era—arguably the very worst.
As the afternoon approached, Zhang Jing gave Zhang Niu a few instructions.
The main matter was arranging a marriage for the disabled veteran at the academy.
Naturally, he also explained the incentives.
He believed that with such conditions, there would certainly be villagers willing to marry their daughters to the man.
“If nobody in the village is willing,” Zhang Jing said solemnly while looking at Zhang Niu, “then go to the pavilion chief. If the pavilion chief can’t solve it, go to the salaried official. If the salaried official can’t solve it, I’ll remove him from office. Understood?”
“My lord, rest assured. I understand.” Zhang Niu nodded heavily.
“And another thing.” Zhang Jing continued:
“If there are people in the village with useful skills—any kind of skill—pay attention to them. The central administration will soon establish merchant caravans. By then, every pavilion and township will have resident trade associations…”
“I can tell,” Dian Wei said while looking at Taishi Ci. “Your martial skills seem pretty good. How about sparring with me? If you lose, you can become my deputy general.”
“And what if you lose, General Dian?” Taishi Ci asked, suddenly interested.
Since ancient times, scholars might dispute who was best, but among warriors there could only be one strongest.
Any martial artist with genuine ability tended to believe himself invincible.
That was certainly true for Taishi Ci, who had never truly encountered an opponent he could not defeat.
Even though he had met Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, he still believed that if they fought one-on-one to the death, he would not be the one defeated.
“I won’t lose.” Dian Wei replied with complete confidence.
“…” Taishi Ci was momentarily speechless.
Then he said: “Neither will I.”
“No, that’s not the point. Are you taking the bet or not?”
Dian Wei simply did not believe him.
Coincidentally, his own deputy had been assigned by Zhang Jing to train the Xiandeng Battalion, leaving the position vacant.
“I won’t bet.” Taishi Ci restrained himself.
The main reason was that he had not yet decided whether to enter Zhang Jing’s service.
Whether he won or lost, the situation would be awkward.
“Time to go.” At that moment, Zhang Jing walked over and swung himself onto his horse.
Looking across the fertile fields in the distance, he said:
“This trip wasn’t wasted. At the very least, I’ve learned how the people of Taishan Commandery are living. Their lives will only continue to improve from here.”
“General Zhang!” Taishi Ci suddenly spoke.
“Forgive my presumption, but have you ever considered submitting to the Imperial Court?”
“What’s so great about submitting to the court?”
Before Zhang Jing could answer, Dian Wei interjected:
“I was once a Military Sima myself, but that dog-official Zhang Miao sold me out. Back then I actually thought they had recognized my talent!”
“Ziyi,” Zhang Jing said, “if I submitted to the court, I’d only be pushing my brothers into a pit of fire.”
“Besides, with warlords rising all across the realm, none of them are submitting to the court. Wouldn’t it be absurd for me alone to do so?”
“Ziyi, let me ask you something.”
“What sort of background do you come from?”
After a moment of thought, Taishi Ci replied:
“I suppose I would be considered a member of the lower gentry.”
“Since you come from such a background,” Zhang Jing continued, “I’ve also heard about your abilities.”
“Now that the world is in chaos, answer me honestly.”
“Do you really think you could rise to prominence?”
“……”
Thinking about how he had been treated over the years, as well as Kong Rong’s impractical idealism, Taishi Ci did not really want to answer the question.
Because he truly could not see any hope of rising to prominence.
“Ever since Emperor Guangwu brought an end to Wang Mang’s usurpation,” Zhang Jing said in a deep voice, “the system of the Emperor governing the realm together with the scholar-officials began to take shape. And from that point onward, the Xiaolian recommendation system gradually lost its original purpose.”
“The great clans annexed fertile farmland.”
“Official positions became hereditary, passed down through generations, to the point where a father’s office was practically inherited by his son.”
“On the surface, they appear to be acting according to established rules.”
“But in reality, they have continuously squeezed the living space of the common people.”
“The Great Virtuous Teacher transformed the people’s suffering into a roar of anger. Thus the Way of the Great Peace rose in rebellion against the Han, and the Great Virtuous Teacher became the forerunner of kings.”
“If the Han system is not changed, then the survival problems of the people can never truly be solved.”
“Ziyi, do you believe the Imperial Court is capable of solving such a problem?”
What was wrong with the great clans?
In Zhang Jing’s view, there was nothing inherently wrong with them.
They were merely acting according to the rules that benefited them.
Were there cases of forcible land seizures?
Certainly.
But they were probably not the majority.
Ordinary peasants had no ability to withstand risk.
A single disaster could drive them to voluntarily sell both their land and themselves to a powerful clan.
The clans acquired their farmland and took in the peasants.
The peasants, in turn, often felt grateful to the clans for providing shelter and survival.
It was a cycle.
A problem that could not truly be solved within the framework of that era.
Zhang Jing himself did not harbor any deep hatred toward the great clans.
After all, one’s position shapes one’s perspective.
The reason he intended to curb the power of the clans and implement reforms such as equalized land taxation was primarily because he wanted to become Emperor.
Secondly, he wanted to prevent the tragedy of China descending into ruin and chaos from repeating itself.
As for the problems that could not be solved within the limits of the age, Zhang Jing had his own solutions.
“…” Taishi Ci remained silent.
He realized he still could not find a convincing rebuttal.
“The Han Dynasty deserves to fall.” Zhang Jing continued:
“Liu Yan of Yi Province, a member of the imperial Liu clan, controls nearly one-fifth of the realm’s territory and population. Yet he deliberately allowed Zhang Lu to cut off Hanzhong, severing communications with the court and ruling independently with his own army.”
“Yuan Shao in Ji Province…”
“Liu Biao in Jing Province…”
“As for Kong Beihai, though he is a descendant of the Sage and sincerely wishes to uphold the Han, he understands neither military strategy nor the larger currents of the age. If a warlord were to invade Qing Province, Beihai could be subdued with a single proclamation.”
At the mention of Kong Rong, a complicated expression appeared on Taishi Ci’s face.
“Do you disagree, Ziyi?” Zhang Jing looked at him, a meaningful smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Originally, after the situation in Beihai had stabilized, Taishi Ci had intended to join Liu Yao of Yang Province, who came from the same commandery.
However, Liu Yao would not officially obtain the position of Inspector of Yang Province until the following year.
In reality, Taishi Ci currently had nowhere to go.
“General Zhang, do you aspire to rule the realm?”
At this point, even Taishi Ci could finally see where the conversation was heading.
“Hahaha!” Zhang Jing laughed heartily.
“My Qihuo Army now fields two hundred thousand armored troops, boasts a thousand capable generals, governs three million people, and enjoys a populace whose loyalty is as firm as iron.”
“Back then, Liu Bang rebelled while drawing a salary from Qin Emperor’s government, and from that rebellion came four hundred years of Han rule.”
“I, Zhang Yuheng, began as nothing more than a commoner from Beihai.”
“I built my reputation through the struggle for survival.”
“So why should I not take part in this great contest for the world?”
“General Zhang is from Beihai?” Taishi Ci was momentarily stunned.
The moment he spoke, however, he immediately realized his mistake.
He had known that fact already.
After spending time with Zhang Jing, he had somehow forgotten it.
“You didn’t know?” A trace of surprise flashed through Zhang Jing’s eyes.
Could it be that his reputation as the “Commoner of Beihai” was not famous enough?
“I simply forgot for a moment.” Taishi Ci replied awkwardly.
At the same time, a hint of hesitation arose in his heart.
Since Zhang Jing was also from Beihai, perhaps serving him would not be such a bad choice.
Given Zhang Jing’s current prestige and strength, as long as he did not become a foolish tyrant, he was certainly qualified to contend for power in this turbulent age.
As for loyalty to the Han court— the moment Taishi Ci heard Zhang Jing point out that Liu Bang himself had rebelled against the Qin, his desire to devote himself wholeheartedly to preserving the Han largely disappeared.
— The end of the Chapter–
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