Two days later, in western Yan Province.
Liao Hua led a hundred men into a branch of the Taihang Mountains.
To make it easier to raid the surrounding regions, the Heishan Army had not built their wooden stockade deep in the mountains.
Instead, it was located in a mountain ravine only five li from the entrance.
“The Azure Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise!”
Looking at the banners scattered throughout the forest, Liao Hua was momentarily lost in thought.
It had been quite some time since they had shouted that slogan.
Now, seeing those banners again, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
“Brother Liao Hua!”
A young Heishan Army officer noticed him stop and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing. Just feeling a bit sentimental.”
Liao Hua shook his head and continued forward.
He had originally come from a prominent family in Nanyang.
Because his family head believed in the Way of Great Peace, they had been swept into the chaos of the age.
Left with little choice, he had followed the Taiping movement simply to survive.
Ever since his lord had raised the banner of ‘Seeking Survival Through Self-Reliance,’ he had almost forgotten that he himself had once been a follower of the Way of Great Peace.
“Then let’s hurry on!” The young officer laughed.
“The three chiefs heard that Brother Liao Hua was coming. They’ve already prepared food and wine and are waiting for your arrival.”
“Then we certainly mustn’t keep the three chiefs waiting.”
Liao Hua immediately perked up.
He swore to himself that it had absolutely nothing to do with the food and wine.
……………
Half an hour later, the group arrived outside the stockade’s main hall.
“Hahaha!”
Before Liao Hua could enter, three burly men stepped forward to greet him.
The leader laughed heartily and said,
“An envoy sent by Commander Zhang—what a rare guest indeed! I am Yu Du, the one in charge of this stronghold. Come in, little brother, come in.”
“Military Sima Liao Hua. My thanks, First Chief.”
Recognizing the man’s identity, Liao Hua immediately cupped his fists in greeting.
“You’re too polite, Brother Liao Hua.”
Taking Liao Hua by the arm and leading him toward the hall, Yu Du introduced the others.
“These two are the other chiefs of the stronghold. This is Sui Gu, and this is Bai Rao.”
“Greetings, Chiefs.”
Liao Hua hurriedly saluted them.
The Heishan Army differed from the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans.
Compared to the Qingzhou forces, the Heishan Army was composed of a much more diverse mix of people.
Though their roots lay in the Way of Great Peace, they did not address each other as qushuai (channel commanders).
Their supreme leader, Zhang Yan, was more like a chief chosen and supported by the various factions.
The three men before Liao Hua were each leaders of major Heishan Army forces.
“You’re too courteous, little brother.”
Sui Gu and Bai Rao returned the greeting with smiles.
After a while, the four men took their seats.
Faced with the warm hospitality of his hosts, Liao Hua showed no intention of helping them conserve grain.
While trying to maintain some restraint, he stuffed as much food into his mouth as possible.
His movements were subtle, but they did not escape the notice of the other three.
“Brother Liao Hua…”
Sui Gu hesitated before asking,
“Has grain become so scarce among the brothers in Qingzhou?”
He knew that Liao Hua was a Military Sima.
Under the Yellow Turban military structure, that meant he should command at least a thousand men.
His status was by no means low.
So why was he eating meat as though he had not tasted any for ages?
After all, Liao Hua was no ordinary foot soldier.
“Scarce?”
Liao Hua admitted openly.
“Scarce doesn’t even begin to describe it!”
“The brothers in the Central Plains can’t live as comfortably as the three chiefs here. Every one of us has wives, children, and families to feed.”
“After our defeat by Gongsun Zan, we lost who knows how much grain and supplies. Our old lord, being so benevolent, distributed the remaining grain—”
As the three listened to Liao Hua’s complaints, they became increasingly bewildered.
Unable to figure out the purpose of his visit, they exchanged glances and gradually reached the same conclusion:
He was here to borrow grain.
After silently signaling each other, Bai Rao put on a troubled expression and interrupted.
“Brother Liao Hua, that’s not entirely fair. The brothers in the mountains aren’t living easy lives either. Who among us can truly stop worrying about our families?”
“At the beginning of the year, we merely intended to raid Dong Commandery.”
“But that dog Cao Cao actually tried to raid our homes instead!”
“That battle left us badly weakened as well…”
“…”
The more Liao Hua listened, the more something felt off.
Why were they the ones complaining now?
He had not even reached the climax of his sob story yet!
Realizing that the conversation had drifted a little off course,
Liao Hua decided to change tactics.
“Actually, today I came—”
“Brother Liao Hua!”
Before he could finish, Sui Gu interrupted with a look of helplessness.
“Please, don’t say any more. We don’t have any grain either.”
“Right, right, absolutely none!”
“……”
Hearing this, Liao Hua was completely dumbfounded.
“What grain? Don’t tell me you actually thought I came here to borrow grain?”
“What else was I supposed to think?”
Bai Rao replied matter-of-factly, clearly convinced that he had already seen through everything.
“It seems the three chiefs have misunderstood.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Of course.”
“So you’re not short of grain?”
“Not for the time being.”
Liao Hua said proudly, “Surely you’ve all heard by now. My lord has taken control of all of Yan Province. We have more grain than we can eat. Why would we come to borrow grain from you?”
“The reason my lord sent me here is to invite the three chiefs to leave the mountains and join him in accomplishing a great cause.”
“What do the three chiefs think?”
The three exchanged glances and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he wasn’t here to borrow grain, everything was fine.
“Wait a minute.” Bai Rao frowned.
“If your lord isn’t lacking grain, then all that complaining just now—”
“Chief Bai, don’t get hung up on such minor details!” Liao Hua cut him off.
“The realm is in chaos. This is precisely the time for men like us to rise up! My lord intends to secure Yan Province and contend with the various warlords for the Mandate of Heaven. Could it be that the three chiefs are content to hide in these mountains for the rest of your lives?”
“Commander Zhang wants to compete for the Mandate of Heaven?”
Yu Du and the others widened their eyes in surprise.
With a grave expression, Yu Du said, “The Yellow Turbans have never been tolerated by the world. For Commander Zhang to act this way is extremely dangerous.”
“My lord commands three hundred thousand troops!” Liao Hua declared firmly.
“Behind him stand several million common people, several million shi of grain, and trebuchets capable of smashing cities and destroying fortifications. Why should my lord be unable to contend for the Mandate of Heaven?”
“Brother Liao Hua, don’t get so worked up.”
Seeing Liao Hua becoming increasingly aggressive, Sui Gu hurriedly tried to calm him down.
“Worked up?” Liao Hua glared at him.
“Those so-called warlords rely on nothing more than the legitimacy granted by the imperial court. They command no more than a hundred thousand troops and rule over no more than a million people, yet they dare dominate entire regions, with no commandery or county able to resist them.”
“My lord possesses such overwhelming strength.”
“Why, then, can he not vie for supremacy in the Central Plains?”
Turning toward Yu Du, Liao Hua cupped his fists.
“Chief Yu, before coming here I had long heard of your reputation. I was told that you are not only a fierce warrior but also a man who robs the rich to help the poor—a role model to countless heroes of the greenwood. I once greatly admired you.”
“But now, it seems somewhat…”
“Liao Hua, you’ve gone too far.” Bai Rao interrupted coldly.
“To compete for the Mandate of Heaven, one needs more than common people and military strength.”
“One also needs civil officials to govern the people, administer the realm, and coordinate the various factions.”
“Speaking of power and prestige—”
“How did the Great Worthy Teacher compare?”
“Back then, he commanded overwhelming momentum, leading the people of eight provinces and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.”
“Did he succeed?”
— The end of the Chapter–
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