South of Wuyan City
Beyond the memorial archway, lay an immense bluestone plaza capable of holding tens of thousands of people.
At the center of the square stood a towering stone monument, rising proudly like a pillar supporting the heavens.
The sides of the monument were densely engraved with names.
Its polished front surface was as smooth as a mirror, and from top to bottom were carved four powerful characters:
“Heroes Never Perish.”
The strokes were vigorous and forceful, conveying an air of solemn dignity.
Zhang Jing stood silently before the monument.
Feeling the weight and sanctity of the place, he remained silent for a long time.
Behind him, the civil and military officials, as well as the gathered citizens, all wore solemn expressions.
Inside and outside the Hall of Heroes, there was not a sound.
At that moment, a gentle breeze swept through, causing the hem of Zhang Jing’s robe to flutter.
“Everyone!” Zhang Jing slowly turned around, his expression grave.
Looking at the crowd, he raised his voice and said:
“Today, we gather here to honor our heroes, not so that people may dwell endlessly upon the sorrows of the past.”
“Rather, it is so that we may remember.”
“The peace and stability enjoyed by our four commanderies today are not gifts bestowed by the Han court, nor acts of mercy from the Han army.”
“They were won by the soldiers on the front lines.”
“One sword and one spear at a time.”
“They fought without regard for their own lives, shedding blood in desperate battle. They repelled and crushed the armies of the Han court.”
“And this peace was purchased with the blood and lives of countless soldiers.”
“They are heroes!”
“They are also our protectors.”
“They deserve the worship and remembrance of us all, and of every person within the Four Commanderies. Every one of them is worthy of that honor!”
The crowd was deeply moved.
Especially the families of the fallen soldiers.
As pride swelled within their hearts, many quietly wiped away tears.
“Bow!” Zhang Jing turned toward the monument and shouted.
Then, with utmost solemnity, he bowed deeply before it.
Rustle—
The officials and commoners behind him followed suit, bowing deeply toward the monument.
“Second bow!” Straightening up, Zhang Jing shouted once more.
Meticulously and without the slightest carelessness, he bowed deeply again.
Only after the third bow was completed did Zhang Jing turn around once more.
In a deep voice, he declared:
“From this day forward, on this date every year, the government shall organize officials and military officers to come here and pay their respects.”
“Furthermore, the Hall of Heroes is the resting place of our martyrs.”
“Therefore, within these grounds—”
“Anyone who slanders the fallen heroes, shows disrespect toward them, or gathers crowds to cause disturbances shall be executed!”
“My Lord is wise!” Cheng Yu was profoundly moved.
He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
“My Lord is wise!” The others were equally touched.
They respectfully saluted Zhang Jing as cries of praise echoed throughout the Hall of Heroes.
After the commotion subsided, Zhang Jing raised a finely crafted bronze token high into the air.
Two characters were engraved upon it:
“Hero.”
With a serious expression, he said:
“This is a Hero’s Token.”
“Whoever possesses one shall be exempt from taxes for life.”
“Whether entering military service or seeking official appointment, they shall enjoy priority consideration.”
“Every family of a fallen hero shall receive one token.”
Although Zhang Jing had no monetary pensions to distribute, he had never been stingy when it came to providing whatever benefits he could.
This was a treatment the families of martyrs deserved.
“My Lord is wise!”
“Long live my Lord!”
“…”
This time, Cheng Yu did not even need to lead the cheers.
The people in the plaza erupted into joyous celebration on their own.
Most of them were families of fallen soldiers.
To receive such a token—
Setting aside the privileges in military service and official careers, the lifelong tax exemption alone was immensely valuable.
For an ordinary household, it meant saving six shi of grain every year.
That might not seem like much, but to common farmers, those six shi could greatly accelerate their path toward a more prosperous life.
And the recipients were not limited to those present.
From the day the Qihuo Army had been established, the family of every soldier who fell in battle would receive one such token.
Only as noon approached did Zhang Jing finally depart from the Hall of Heroes together with his officials.
When they returned to the government offices, many of the generals—and even the civil officials—noticed something unusual.
A place that had long stood vacant now bore a newly hung plaque.
Upon it were written three large characters:
Taiping Administration (Office of Great Peace).
“Come inside.” Glancing back at the crowd, Zhang Jing smiled and said:
“Zhongde said that now the Four Commanderies are largely at peace. Continuing to issue orders solely in the name of the Qihuo Army is somewhat inappropriate.”
“We need a central administrative institution.”
“Thus, the Taiping Administration was established.”
“My Lord is wise!”
“Taiping Administration—what an excellent name!”
“Indeed. It gives one a sense of warmth and familiarity.”
“……”
The civil and military officials suddenly understood.
Looking at the three characters on the plaque, they all felt it was indeed a fitting name.
Especially those generals who had once belonged to the Yellow Turbans.
Before long, everyone entered the main hall and took their assigned seats.
The civil officials sat on the left, while the military officers sat on the right.
Cheng Yu’s seat was placed at the head of the right side, between Zhang Jing and the other military officers—a position that Zhang Jing himself had strongly insisted upon.
“Everyone.” Taking a sip of tea, Zhang Jing began:
“Today marks the establishment of the Taiping Administration. From this point forward, all military and governmental orders shall be issued in the name of the Taiping Administration.”
“This signifies that our military and civil affairs will become increasingly standardized and orderly.”
“It also demonstrates that our strength continues to grow.”
At that moment, a group of attendants entered the hall, each carrying bowls of hot porridge.
“However—” The interruption caused Zhang Jing’s train of thought to falter slightly.
After a brief pause, he continued:
“We must not become arrogant or complacent. After all, even now, we’re still drinking porridge.”
“Well then, since things have already come to this, let’s eat our porridge first.”
Pfft—
Hahaha—
The officials had all been watching Zhang Jing closely and listening attentively to his speech.
Precisely because of that, they had clearly noticed the abrupt shift in his mood.
Many of them nearly lost their composure on the spot.
None had expected their usually dignified and steady lord to reveal such a side of himself.
…
The moment Zhang Jing’s gaze swept over them, those who were about to laugh immediately replaced their expressions with solemn seriousness.
“We obey, my Lord!”
The officials quickly settled down and began eating their hot porridge.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Zhang Jing turned toward the civil officials.
“Now that the spring planting has been completed,” he said, “the military administration of the Taiping Administration has reached a point where the number of soldiers stationed in each county is somewhat excessive.”
“For a long period to come, the primary responsibilities of county magistrates will be to organize spring planting and autumn harvests, collect and record taxes, and educate the people.”
“What do you all think?”
“How many officials should each county retain?”
Back when Cheng Yu had first organized the local administration, each county had been assigned three hundred soldiers.
At that time, no military reductions had taken place, and those soldiers had never been included in the regular army’s official strength.
Now, however, bandit suppression and law enforcement were handled by constables and patrol officers.
Moreover, after the central army and Man Chong’s cleanup campaigns, public security throughout their territory had visibly improved.
Under military administration, even those stubborn enough to cause trouble were extremely rare.
Within the four commanderies of Yan Province:
The Kingdom of Rencheng contained three counties.
The Kingdom of Dongping contained seven counties.
The Kingdom of Jibei contained five counties.
Taishan Commandery contained twelve counties.
The Taiping Administration itself, located in Dong Commandery, controlled only a single county.
After excluding the twelve frontier passes, the Taiping Administration truly governed only about twenty counties that supported the population and economy.
“My Lord.” Wang Can rose and bowed.
“At present, the Four Commanderies are densely populated. Your subordinate humbly believes that each county should retain fifty assistant officials.”
In this era, a county government typically employed very few officials.
Some smaller counties had only six or seven actual officers, supplemented by clerks and assistants.
Those clerks were roughly comparable to civil-service staff in later generations.
A small county might have only a few dozen personnel.
Larger administrations could have over a thousand, though such cases were often the result of corruption and bureaucratic excess rather than legitimate need.
In other words, a county with over a hundred thousand residents could generally be governed with only a few hundred officials.
Since the Taiping Administration operated under military rule, there were relatively few matters requiring a magistrate’s direct attention.
Wang Can’s proposal of fifty officials per county was already fairly generous.
After all, organizing harvests, collecting taxes, and transporting grain meant mobilizing and coordinating the people to carry out those tasks.
It did not mean sending fifty officials into the fields to perform the labor themselves.
“What do the rest of you think?” Zhang Jing did not immediately state his opinion.
Instead, he turned to the others.
“I concur.” Yan Jiao rose and bowed respectfully to Zhang Jing.
“We concur as well.” The other county magistrates considered the proposal briefly and found no objections.
“Very well.” Zhang Jing nodded.
“Once you return to your respective counties, begin implementing this policy.”
“Going forward, each county shall maintain between fifty and one hundred officials as the standard.”
“I hope that while serving in office, each of you will fulfill your duties diligently and work to benefit the people under your care.”
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 50 chapters of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
