Taiheiki

Chapter 111 Uprising
"Every time I come here, your place looks completely different!" Lu Ping sighed, reluctantly turning her eyes away from the crowded construction site: "Are you the Great Wizard, or am I the Great Wizard?"

"Of course you are the Great Wizard!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "After all, all this is to fulfill your order!"

"My order?" Lu Ping asked in surprise. "Isn't this about repairing the dam? What does this have to do with spearheads and ring-handled swords?"

"Weapons are made of steel!" Wei Cong replied, "and steel requires higher furnace temperatures, larger hydraulic bellows, and more and larger hydraulic hammers! If you're only forging a few dozen or a few hundred weapons, that's fine, but if you're arming tens or even hundreds of thousands of people, you absolutely need these things!"

"Alright!" Lu Ping glanced at Wei Cong dimly. "Did you know? An uprising has already started over there at Nanshan Zhenren in Jingzhou!"

"Jingzhou, Nanshan Zhenren?" Wei Cong was stunned when he heard this: "Are you talking about Liu Xin?"

"That's right!" Lu Ping smiled. "It couldn't be helped. Feng Gun won battle after battle, drove the Jingfu into the mountains, and opened up the road from Jingzhou to Jiaozhou. If Liu Xin hadn't done anything, the Wuling Barbarians would have surrendered! But I have you to thank for this! Without all the ironware you sold me, I wouldn't have been able to create such a big scene all at once!"

"Where did Liu Xin start his rebellion? How many troops does he have now?" Wei Cong became serious.

"According to the information I received before I set out, he calls himself the Great Sage and Good Teacher, the General of Fengtian, and has already captured Zhu County (near Huanggang County, Hubei Province) and Xiazhi County (Fuchikou, Yangxin County, Huangshi City). He is currently besieging Xiakou (Hanyang, Wuhan City), and already has 50,000 men under his command!"

"Fifty thousand people!" Wei Cong gasped. "How could there be so many?"

"The Immortal preached for many years in Jiangxia County, especially in E County and Xiazhi County, where Tonglu Mountain is located. There are over 100,000 miners in the area, and many of the Immortal's disciples are miners themselves. This time, when the Immortal started an uprising, the local miners responded in droves, and his influence was greatly boosted. Let alone 50,000, even 70,000 or 80,000 would not be surprising!"

"It seems Liu Xin has been planning this rebellion for a long time. Otherwise, why would a wealthy prince like him go to the mining area and recruit apprentices?" Wei Cong couldn't help but be silent. During the Han Dynasty, a common punishment for criminals was to be forced to work in the mines. One of the most important copper mining areas in ancient China was located in Daye County, Huangshi City, in southeastern Hubei Province. The area also has rich iron and coal resources. The miners in this area are numerous, all strong and healthy male laborers. They are organized and disciplined, and they have no shortage of materials and skills to make weapons. They are full of hatred for the imperial court. With so many miners participating, this uprising posed a much greater threat to the empire than ordinary peasant uprisings.

"Why, do you regret not accepting my advice?" Lu Ping said with a smile, "It's not too late now! As long as you join forces with me, Master Liu will definitely not hesitate to appoint you as a general!"

"Hahaha!" Wei Cong laughed when he heard this: "He's not the emperor. I can be a general if I want. Why do I need him to confer me a title?"

"You don't understand!" Lu Ping explained. "Liu Xin is of noble status and possesses profound Taoist skills. For over a decade, he has traveled extensively throughout Jing and Yang Provinces, benefiting local leaders and commanding great prestige. If he appoints you a general, others will be left speechless and forced to obey his orders!" Lu Ping paused briefly and whispered, "Lord Wei, I know you possess strategic vision and are a rare talent. You refuse to be reduced to the rank of commoner and associate with bandits. But the current emperor is corrupt. Officials in the court are corrupt, and within the palace, beasts enjoy the spoils. The ruthless are rampant, while loyal and honest men have fallen into depravity. How can such a situation be reversed by one man? Although Master Liu teaches the way of the gods, he also teaches the people the way of a sage. If you were a general, you would have several counties and a hundred thousand men at your fingertips. Unleashing your talents would be far superior to being a mere commander."

Wei Cong's curse, Lu Ping's, sounded familiar. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the same line from Zhuge Liang scolding Doctor Wang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He'd watched a lot of ghost videos on Bilibili before his time travel, so it was just missing a few details, making it a natural familiarity. It seemed like dissatisfaction with the dark and corrupt upper echelons of imperial politics was already a consensus among the scholar-officials of the time. Even a traitor like Lu Ping could use it to persuade him. It was quite amusing to think about it.

"Lu Jijiu! I know everything you said!" Wei Cong smiled. "Since you told me the truth, I won't hide it from you. The reason I don't want to be a general is actually for one reason: I am too weak and you are too strong!"

"Too weak, too strong?" Lu Ping asked doubtfully, "What do you mean?"

"It's simple. Master Liu and you can mobilize tens of thousands of people with just a wave of your hand, sweeping across the prefectures and counties. This certainly wasn't achieved overnight. Even if I were to become a general, I'd be dethroned if you or him just raised a finger. I have no interest in being a general who relies on others for support!" Wei Cong didn't wait for Lu Ping to explain, and continued, "I've always preferred to be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of an ox. Although this family business isn't huge, it was built by me with my own hard work. Everyone respects my orders, so there's no need to worry about waking up as a prisoner."

"Alright!" Lu Ping saw Wei Cong's expression and knew that she couldn't persuade him with words. She sighed and said, "Since Lord Wei has said so, I will not try to persuade him any further. But I still have one favor to ask, and I beg you to grant me your consent!"

"What's the matter?"

Lu Ping gestured, signaling his men to retreat, and lowered his voice, "I heard that Lord Wei's army already has armored vehicles. Is that true?"

Wei Cong wasn't surprised by Lu Ping's question. There must be spies among the thousand men this woman had sent. Even a blacksmith like Yuan Tian could tell from the slightest clues in the forge that he had begun privately manufacturing armor. Now his army had already equipped it with it and launched an expedition against the Shan Liao. If this woman still didn't know, then hell, if she didn't admit it now, she would definitely be in trouble. Now was far from that time.

"That's right!" Wei Cong nodded, "It's true!"

"Did Lord Wei make that armor himself?"

"That's right!" Wei Cong pointed to several rows of tiled houses not far away: "That's where it's produced!" Lu Ping took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in her heart. Although she had already received very confirmed news from her subordinates, being able to get confirmation from Wei Cong's mouth was another matter. This was at least a friendly gesture.

"Then could you please sell some to me?" Lu Ping whispered, "Please tell me the price, Lord Wei. I will never bargain!"

"Master Lu is quite generous!" Wei Cong laughed. "But that's not surprising. After all, although these four counties can't compare to the Central Plains, they still have a population of one million. If each person contributes one hundred coins, that's one hundred million coins. What's the point of asking for a higher price?"

Lu Ping heard a hint of sarcasm in Wei Cong's words—the fact that, ultimately, the money for the weapons and armor was paid for by the people of these four counties. No matter how desolate and remote these counties were, they still had a population of two or three million, and they could easily be supplemented by a little taxation. Her family had been great shamans of the Chu State for generations, and she had grown up watching the internal strife within the Tianshi Dao sect. She was as magnanimous and magnanimous as any man, so how could she be offended by Wei Cong's sarcastic remarks?

"Lord Wei is a smart man! If I try to play tricks in front of you, I will only bring shame upon myself!" Lu Ping said with a smile, "I won't hide it from Lord Wei. With this batch of weapons provided by Lord Wei, Yuzhang County is in my pocket. I have a 60% chance of taking Lujiang and Jiujiang counties, and a 20% chance of taking Danyang. But if Lord Wei can provide me with a thousand sets of armor, then Yuzhang is out of the question. I have a 100% chance of taking Lujiang and Jiujiang counties, and a 50% chance of taking Danyang! So even if Lord Wei offers to take two counties, I will agree!"

"Two counties?" Even though Wei Cong had already made up his mind, Lu Ping's offer made him hesitate. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. This woman was playing the game of making big promises again. She had been so confident just now. Obviously, like Liu Xin, she had a deep popular base in these places. Once the rebellion started, it would be a comprehensive and coordinated effort. Taking over a few counties was actually quite simple. The real trouble lay in the suppression organized by the local governors and even the provincial governors.

Despite their impressive numbers, these charlatans were generally weaklings in warfare. The Yellow Turban Rebellion is a prime example. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, they were not only unable to defeat the Eastern Han border and central armies, but often even the clan-based armed forces of powerful landlords (the so-called righteous armies). The reason for this was simply poor equipment (often consisting of only farm tools, armor, and bows and crossbows), a lack of outstanding generals and experienced mid- and low-level officers. This manifested in a lack of resilience on the battlefield, resulting in a surge of victory and a disintegration of defeat. Commanders lacked a keen sense of battlefield conditions, making it difficult to seize even favorable opportunities. Military operations requiring significant technical expertise, such as marching, camping, sieges, and river crossings, were prone to failure, leading to disastrous defeats in the face of surprise attacks.

This was why Lu Ping repeatedly invited Wei Cong, even offering himself as bait, to join her. Wei Cong could not only provide high-quality weapons and armor, but he had also proven himself to be an outstanding general, commanding a group of battle-tested officers and veterans. If he were willing to join, Lu Ping's forces would be greatly enhanced. However, Wei Cong refused outright, unwilling to play the role of a scapegoat.

"I'm afraid selling the armor won't work!" Wei Cong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "First, I don't even have a thousand sets of armor myself. Second, it's too conspicuous. Honestly, even among the county soldiers, this kind of armor is usually only available to those at the level of a hundred-man commander. If I give you so many at once, the court will find out quickly, and then we'll be in big trouble!"

"How about less? Five hundred! You don't have to give it to me all at once, you can give it to me in batches like these weapons!" Lu Ping insisted.

"Five hundred is impossible!" Wei Cong said with a wry smile, "Be content! Aren't all these ring-handled swords and spears enough? You're better than many county soldiers. Be content! How about this, I have some discarded old armor. It's not iron armor, nor leather armor, but it can still be used. I have about four hundred pieces. Do you want to take them?"

"Alright!" Lu Ping knew Wei Cong wouldn't budge on the armor issue, so she could only sigh and say, "Thank you, Mr. Wei!"

Wei Cong saw the woman's gloomy expression and recalled the kindness she had shown him in the past. He couldn't help but feel soft-hearted. "How about this! I'll give you four pieces of iron armor as samples. You can give them to your personal guards. You're the leader of a faction now, so your status is different. You still need to be careful about your own safety!"

Hearing Wei Cong's words, Lu Ping's eyes lit up, and she bowed to Wei Cong and said with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness, my lord. I would be honored to refuse it!"

At this time, Wei Cong also felt that the atmosphere between the two was a little ambiguous, so he forced a smile and said, "Since you are a guest from afar, I must naturally do my best to be a good host. Please!"

"Thank you for your help!" Lu Ping said with a smile.

Wei Cong invited Lu Ping to mount his horse, and they set off along the riverside road toward their elevated residence. To avoid the annual summer floods, the village's original founders chose a high hill by the river. This provided easy access to water and irrigation, while also protecting against the miasma common in southern China at the time. After Wei Cong occupied the area, he laid the first foundation of his camp on this hill, gradually expanding further down the hill. To facilitate transportation and prevent flooding, after completing the pond that would power the hydraulic machinery, Wei Cong began planning a dam along the river. The top of the dam served as a natural road, and the workshops were spread out along the road, facilitating the deployment of hydraulic machinery and the transport of supplies by water. Beyond the dam, a large expanse of flat land could be used for vegetable gardens and residential plots. From his horseback, Wei Cong gestured around with his whip and outlined his future plans.

"It seems like there's something missing from Mr. Wei's plan!" Lu Ping said with a smile.

"Something's missing? What's missing?"

"The city wall!" Lu Ping laughed. "Didn't you notice?"

"We're too short on manpower right now!" Wei Cong said with a wry smile. "Even building the dike has to wait until autumn. Let's see if we can get some help from the surrounding allied villages. Otherwise, with this little manpower, it'll take forever!"

"Actually, Lord Wei doesn't need to spend too much energy here!" Lu Ping said with a smile, "After I take Yuzhang, I will grant you Yuhan County and make you a county marquis. The city walls and dams there are ready-made and you can use them as you like. How about it?"

"If this woman were reincarnated into the modern world, she'd definitely be involved in a stock market IPO. Every word she says is just empty promises!" Wei Cong muttered inwardly, but said, "I haven't done anything, so how dare I accept such a generous award!"

(End of this chapter)