Taiheiki

Chapter 19 Recruitment
Zhang Daoling, the Heavenly Master, was said to be the eighth-generation grandson of Liu Hou. Born during the Jianwu reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, he served as an official in Jiangzhou in his youth, but soon resigned to cultivate Taoism on Mount Mang near Luoyang. Both Emperor Zhang and Emperor He summoned him to the imperial court, but he declined each time. He subsequently traveled extensively, seeking the path and immortality. At the age of sixty, he settled in Sichuan and lived in seclusion on Heming Mountain, where he wrote and practiced Taoism, using talismans, elixirs, and other spiritual aids. Followers were required to pay a five-pence rice (5 dou) gift, hence the name "Five Pecks of Rice Sect."

It is said that during the reign of Emperor Shun, the Supreme Lord Laojun descended into Shu and taught Zhang Daoling the "Way of the Righteous Oneness and the Might of All," instructing him to eliminate demons and save the people. Zhang Daoling thus founded Taoism, revering Laozi as its founder and taking "Tao" as the highest faith. He divided his followers into 156 regions, each with a trusted disciple serving as a chief priest to manage them. It is said that Zhang Daoling died in the second year of Yongshou (123) at the age of . After his death, his son Zhang Heng succeeded him as the Heavenly Master, becoming the Successor Heavenly Master.

"The eighth-generation grandson of Zhang Liang? Lived to 123? Another charlatan, albeit a driven and idealistic one!" Wei Cong thought to himself. He certainly didn't believe this Tianshi Zhang was truly so disinterested in fame and fortune. Otherwise, with so many famous mountains and rivers, why would he choose to cultivate his Dao on Mount Mang? Wasn't it because it was close to the power center of Luoyang? As for the claim that he lived to 123 years, that was even more absurd. With the medical technology of the Han Dynasty, how could someone who spent most of his life trekking through mountains and rivers live to 123? After all, the Han Dynasty didn't have the meticulous record-keeping of modern society, so it was all based on a bunch of empty talk.

However, Zhao Yannian's description of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect's simplified governance, light burdens on the people, and a comfortable life was certainly true. After all, the people weren't fools. Who would convert if the food they ate was worse than what the government provided? However, Zhao Yannian's description of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect seemed somewhat different from his image of Taoism as aloof and inaction, rather resembling the tightly organized nature of medieval Christianity. Could it be that the Taiping Dao, which sparked a frenzy at the end of the Han Dynasty, was actually the Five Pecks of Rice Sect? But the two names were different? Furthermore, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect was based in Shu, and while the Yellow Turban Rebellion was also widespread, it didn't seem to have a presence in Shu. Could he have misremembered it?

After a moment's thought, Wei Cong decided to put the Five Pecks of Rice Sect matter aside for the time being and deal with the current issues first.

"The journey to Shu is long, and there are rebellions in the south with the Wuling barbarians. You can't go to the Shanyue for the time being. If you don't have a place to go for the time being, why don't you stay with me and be my companion for now?" Wei Cong pretended to be unconcerned: "If you find a place to go in the future, it won't be too late to leave!"

"Sir, are you willing to take me in?" Zhao Yannian's eyes lit up and he looked happy.

"How can you say that!" Wei Cong said with a smile: "You are a human being, and so am I. We are just colleagues, so how can we accept each other——"

Before Wei Cong could finish, Zhao Yannian bowed down and said, "I am honored to be accepted by you, sir. I will follow you till death. If I ever betray you, heaven will hate me, heaven will hate me!"

"No need for that, no need for that!" Wei Cong hurriedly reached out to help him up. He was pleasantly surprised to have been able to recruit Zhao Yannian so easily. As the saying goes, you can't judge a person's heart by his appearance. Zhao Yannian values friendship, fears no violence, and is not greedy for money. Even without considering his martial arts, this is truly rare. Alone and well-funded, he wouldn't dare leave Cai Buyi's place without a few trustworthy guards.

Wei Cong returned to the inner room and after a moment, he took out a leather bag and handed it to Zhao Yannian. "I'm going to Wancheng in two days. Please recruit five guards for me. They need to be well-informed, honest, and have seen bloodshed. Ideally, they were your former comrades. Here's three thousand coins. Take it for the recruitment expenses!"

"Wancheng is very close to Xinye, and the road is flat. It only takes three to five days to go back and forth. Why would we need to spend so much!" Zhao Yannian hurriedly declined, but Wei Cong smiled and said, "Take the money first. If there is more, you can return it later!"

Zhao Yannian had no choice but to accept the leather bag and leave. Wei Cong returned to his desk, opened the book, and while trying to search his memory, he wrote three words on it: "Yuanyang Formation".

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Cai's house in Xinye.

When Cao Cao found Cai Mao in the side hall of the rear courtyard, he discovered that he was playing a dice game with a plump maid. The stakes were their clothes. So far, Cai Mao had lost his hair crown, belt, left boot, and top, while the maid was forced to expose most of her upper body. Cai Mao caressed the maid's skin and dropped the dice.

Cao Cao stood at the door and knocked twice gently: "Amao, I have finished my business and can go to Xiangyang now!"

"So soon!" Cai Mao turned around and looked at his friend: "I thought you would stay for another four or five days!"

"No matter how troublesome the problem is, it will be simple as long as you find the right method!" Cao Cao poured himself a glass of water and looked at the maid who was trying to cover her breasts with interest while drinking. "It seems that you are reluctant to leave here!"

"No way!" Cai Mao pushed the maid aside and said, "I'm just sitting around doing nothing, so I have to find something to do!" He poured himself a glass of wine and said with a smile, "How's the matter with my cousin?"

"Cai Buyi? Him?" Cao Cao smiled. "It's unlikely he's a filial and honest official, but recommending him to Feng Cheqi as a military official with a salary of 400 dan shouldn't be a problem. The rest depends on him!"

"Four hundred dan is about right!" Cai Mao nodded with satisfaction. "After all, he hasn't been of much help these days, so I'm giving him this out of consideration for his hospitality!"

"Well, you can ask him. If he's willing!" Cao Cao said with a smile, "I'll ask his family to write a letter for him! Otherwise, there's nothing I can do!"

"Okay!" Cai Mao walked towards the door, but suddenly stopped at the door: "Where's that Wei Cong? I see you've been hanging out with him a lot these days!"

"Wei Cong?" Cao Cao smiled and said, "I gave him one million yuan!"

"One million coins?" Cai Mao was shocked by the figure. He hurried back to Cao Cao's side and said in a low voice, "One million coins? That's not a small amount. You just gave it to him like that? Are you crazy?"

"Actually, this isn't really a gift! After all, without him, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to accomplish this. Besides, isn't this just me being generous and giving away money?"

"I know you're imitating the Yuan Shao brothers, but this is one million coins! Even Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu wouldn't give so much money to anyone. Besides, Yuan Shao and his brothers spend a lot of money to get people to work for them. Can you let Wei Cong work for you? This guy is very precious about his life!"

Hearing his friend's words, Cao Cao laughed. "You do have a point. This fellow certainly isn't someone who would risk his life for money. But he has other uses. If I'm right, we should run into him again soon, in Luoyang!"

"In my opinion, this guy is just an empty shell with pretentiousness!" Cai Mao said coldly: "Aman, you are smarter than me, but you also have some problems that only smart people have!"

"What's wrong?"

"You are deceiving yourself! You always believe what you want to believe!" Cai Mao angrily waved his arms and rushed out the door.

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Cai's villa, backyard. "Well, just follow this pattern. Yes, it should be like this!" Wei Cong handed a pattern to the blacksmith. "How many? First make a sample for me to see. If it's suitable, make two more!"

"Langjun, Langjun!"

Wei Cong turned around and saw Wang Shou standing at the door, waving at him. Wei Cong said to the blacksmith, "It should be fine before dark, right? Okay, I'll check before dinner!" Then he walked to the door and said to Wang Shou, "What's going on?"

"You asked Zhao Yannian to go out and recruit guards? Why didn't you ask me?" Wang Shou asked bluntly.

"Looking for you?" Wei Cong laughed. "I'm going to Wancheng. You have a family, so it's not very convenient, right?"

"How far is Wancheng from Xinye? Besides, I have three boys at home. The oldest is already eighteen, and the youngest is thirteen. Even if I die, there's no shortage of people to take over my family!" Wang Shou puffed out his chest. "Three hundred coins! I can earn back two years' tax with just one trip. Give me a chance!"

"Okay, if you want to go, how can I refuse!" Wei Cong said with a smile. Although he wanted to use this trip to Wancheng to get money to select followers for his next step, Wang Shou, who had a family and was unlikely to go with him, was an old acquaintance of his, and it was not worth it for him to reject him for such a small amount of money.

"That's good. I'll go back and pack up and wait for your news!" Wang Shou walked to the door and turned back: "Lord Wei, why don't you take Wang Ge with you? Although this guy is not good at talking, he is very good with his hands and feet!"

"Is that the guy who stabbed Zhao Yannian on the mountain? Okay, if he's willing to go, then come!"

It didn't matter whether he was herding one sheep or a flock of sheep. Wei Cong had served as a county soldier and would soon get one million coins. Why would he be short of these three hundred coins?
In the evening, Zhao Yannian returned with five men. Judging from their appearance, they were no longer young. The wind, frost, and hard work had made their hair disheveled and dry, and their faces were covered with wrinkles. The tattered clothes were no longer enough to completely cover their bodies, and the cold autumn wind had made their faces pale. The only thing that could distinguish them from beggars was the weapons at their waists. However, judging from the worn-out scabbards, they were not far from falling apart.

"Cook, bring some porridge first!" Zhao Yannian shouted, "If you have wine, bring some too!"

"Where did you find these guys from?" The cook was a kind fat woman. She covered her nose and said, "This smell is terrible. I bet they are full of fleas!"

"Hurry up and bring some porridge and rice! They're starving. Don't worry about the fleas. They'll sleep in the woodshed tonight. Just get a few bundles of wheat straw and spread them on the floor!"

"Okay, wait a moment. I'll clean the pond today. I fished out a lot of clams. I chopped up the clam meat and put it in the porridge with radishes. It's very nourishing! But let me be frank, you are not allowed to enter the kitchen. After eating, put the bowls on the ground so that I can collect them. Seeing them like that makes me itchy all over!" The cook looked at the men squatting in the corner of the yard with disgust, and walked towards the kitchen while muttering.

"It's so cold, how can they sleep in the woodshed? Arrange them in the side room in the backyard. First, boil two large buckets of water and give them a bath!" Wei Cong's voice came from behind: "Also, change clothes. Boil old clothes in hot water. If possible, clean their hair and beards, otherwise the fleas won't be completely removed!"

"My dear!" Zhao Yannian whispered awkwardly, "There's no need to go to so much trouble. These guys are veterans. It's good enough to have a woodshed to sleep in during the march. Besides, each of them only got 300 coins. If you deduct the money for clothing, wouldn't they be left with nothing?"

Wei Cong was stunned when he heard this, then he understood what Zhao Yannian meant. He smiled and said, "I said let them change clothes, and naturally the expenses will be paid by me. They also have to go to Wancheng with me. This is not very convenient, right?"

"That's right!" Zhao Yannian suddenly realized, "Indeed, they are my husband's guards. If they leave like this, it would be really disgraceful!"

"Respectable?" Wei Cong originally thought that if he got covered in fleas, wouldn't it be terrible? However, Zhao Yannian misunderstood that he was worried that these people's ragged clothes would embarrass him. However, there was no good explanation for this, so he could only say vaguely: "That's it! Bring them to see me tomorrow morning!"

The rising sun in the early morning dyed the eastern sky rose and gold. Wei Cong, who had been exercising in the yard for a while, wiped the sweat off his face while looking at the morning glow in the sky. The light of dawn crept across the distant fields and woods, and the world turned from dim to bright before his eyes. No matter how many times he saw this gorgeous scenery, he was shocked.

"The biggest benefit of traveling through time is that I don't have to stay up late or sleep in. My life is more regular now! Cell phones are the root of all evil!"

Wei Cong waved his arms twice and could feel that they were much stronger. He was about to do the exercise he had just finished again when a familiar voice came from outside the yard.

"Lang Jun!"

"Is that Yannian? Come in!" Wei Cong put down his wooden sword and grabbed the jacket beside him and put it on. The courtyard door opened, and Zhao Yannian entered with the five men from yesterday. After a night's rest and a change of clothes, the five men looked much better, having been upgraded from unemployed vagrants to ordinary farmers. Zhao Yannian gave a wink, and the five men stepped forward one by one to greet Wei Cong.

"I am the fifth one to ascend the mountain, and I am here to meet you, my lord!"

"My name is Chen Qi, and I'm here to meet you, my lord!"

"My name is Liu Jiu, and I'm here to meet you, my dear Sir!"

"My name is Li He, and I'm here to meet you, my lord!"

"My name is Wensheng, and I'm here to meet you, my dear Sir!"

"No need to be polite!" Wei Cong glanced at the five men's faces. It was easy to tell that these people had suffered a lot. Their arms were exposed with blue veins, and their cheeks were shriveled. Could these guys really protect themselves? Wei Cong looked at Zhao Yannian with suspicion.

(End of this chapter)