Taiheiki

Chapter 31 Training
Everyone had seen the scene of the strange ship leaving the crowd far behind on the river just now. Even the fastest boat could not catch up with the wake of the strange ship. Given the huge gap, the wine was really hard to swallow.

"My dear!" Yang Zheng coughed. "Everyone saw the dragon boat race today, but we didn't actually take first place. We really don't deserve this drink!"

"You mean we lost to the Yuhuang (the name of a ship from the Wu Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period, later a synonym for ships), right?" Zhao Yannian laughed. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. You'll see when you see the ship. Losing to him isn't your fault. Come on, I've already had plenty of food and wine prepared. If not enough people come, won't it all be wasted?"

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Wei Cong hadn't lied. The food and wine were plentiful, including pickled leeks, garlic, and lotus roots. Meat dishes included large platters of roasted pork slices, a stew of radish and pig offal, and overflowing fish soup. The wine was the spring wine harvested that year. As for the corn and rice, there were several wooden barrels piled high behind the bamboo shed, ready to eat as much as they wanted. This was a truly rare meal for the participating oarsmen. The aroma of food and the allure of alcohol quickly dispelled the frustration of being defeated. People sat on the ground, toasting, drinking, and laughing loudly, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

"That's great!" Yang Zheng wiped his eyes and said, "I haven't enjoyed eating and drinking so much in a long time!"

"Don't even think about it!" The man next to him bit a pig's front leg, his teeth scraping against the pig's bones, making a crunching sound. "If you only rely on farming, you won't be able to enjoy such a feast all year round. A hundred acres of land, a family of five, twenty mulberry trees, eighty millet trees, a few chickens, and a pig. In a year, after paying taxes, rent, labor service, floods, droughts, and insect pests, it's a good year if we can just break even! And you still want to eat meat and drink like this?"

"Yes!" another man, his eyes red from drinking, chimed in. "I heard there are people in Shu who believe in the Five Pecks of Rice Sect. All they have to do is pay the Taoist five pecks of rice every year, and everything else is gone. No land rent, no head tax, no military service, no labor service. They live a life of pure bliss!"

"How far is Shuzhong? Who knows if it's true? And I heard those Taoists all worship ghosts. Who knows if they'll offer their people as sacrifices to the ghosts they worship!" Others scoffed, "As for eating meat and drinking wine, there's a way right here. Go and join General Jiangyi. As long as you're good at fighting, you'll have meat and wine to eat, silk to wear, and no military service, labor service, rent, taxes, or levies will bother you!"

"General Jiang Yi? Are you trying to kill yourself? He's a thief!"

"What's wrong with being a thief? Will you die if you become a thief? Zhang Bolu has been a thief for more than ten years, right? How come he's still alive and well?"

"Can you compare with him? If he can survive as a thief, can you survive as a thief too?"

"Even if I die, I've lived a happy life with wine and meat for a few years. It wasn't lived in vain!"

All those present were hot-blooded young men, a bit tipsy from their drinking. At the slightest disagreement, they rolled up their sleeves and launched into a brawl. Just as the bystanders were about to intervene, someone shouted, "The master is here!" The brawlers froze, dropping their hands and looking bewildered.

Wei Cong walked into the bamboo shed. His sharp eyes immediately noticed what had happened, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he picked up a wine glass and asked Wang Shou to fill it for him. He said to the crowd, "I was busy with some trivial matters just now and came late. Are you all satisfied with the wine and food?"

"satisfy!"

"Thank you for the hospitality, Master!"

"thanks for treatment!"

The rowers saluted Wei Cong in twos and threes. From his appearance, Wei Cong was undoubtedly a superior man - tall and well-proportioned figure, fair and smooth skin, and a straight back, which made the rowers look at this man with awe.

"As long as you're satisfied!" Wei Cong nodded with satisfaction. He picked up his wine glass and made his way through the crowd, pausing occasionally. At Wang Shou's prompting, he would raise his glass to a helmsman or rower and offer a few words of praise. Those called upon would all stand up, flattered, and raise their glasses in response. In this manner, Wei Cong spent only about five minutes strolling around the bamboo shed before leaving.

"Are you sure this is enough?" Wei Cong asked Wang Shou.

"That's enough!" Wang Shou said with a smile, "Given your current status, it's already quite respectful of you to personally walk into that bamboo shed. Leave the rest of the matter of recruiting oarsmen and helmsmen to me!"

"Zhao Yannian, what do you think?" Wei Cong was still a little worried and turned his gaze to Zhao Yannian: "The oarsmen and helmsman are crucial for our upcoming campaign against Zhang Bolu. I can't just let you all row the oars, right?"

"Don't worry, my dear!" Zhao Yannian agreed with Wang Shou this time. "You've done enough. Besides, if you have to personally recruit a group of rowers, what will the others think? It will make them look down on you!"

"Alright!" Wei Cong nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you, Wang Shou. Remember, the Emperor Yu needs ninety oarsmen on two oars, one helmsman, and one drummer. You must recruit no fewer than this number, or you'll be rowing!"

"Don't worry, my dear. I will take care of everything!" Wang Shou patted his chest and answered confidently.

After sending Wei Cong away, Wang Shou heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to Zhao Yannian somewhat reluctantly: "Yannian, thank you so much for speaking up for me just now!"

"Are you telling me not to recruit oarsmen in the bamboo shed?" Zhao Yannian smiled. "You don't have to thank me. This is what I originally thought. A minister is humiliated when his master is in distress, and he dies when his master is humiliated. If even such a small matter has to be done by your husband himself, then what are we doing here? If you can't even do this little thing well, there's no need for you to stay by his side!"

"You—" Wang Shou was choked to death by Zhao Yannian's words. After a while, he said angrily: "What are you so proud of? When it comes to recognizing my husband, I, Wang Shou, knew him much earlier than you!"

"That's true, but among the Three Great Men of the Early Han Dynasty, Han Xin and Zhang Liang knew Emperor Gaozu much later than the others from Fengpei. Yet, when it came to rewarding meritorious service, the others from Fengpei, with the exception of Prime Minister Xiao, were all considered "dogs," while Zhang Liang and Han Xin were both "humans!" Zhao Yannian laughed heartily and walked away. Wang Shou was left standing there alone. After a moment, he stamped his foot and cursed, "Alright, I want to see who's the dog and who's the human, me or you!"

Wang Shou rushed into the bamboo shed angrily. He forced a smile on his face, walked straight to a group of people nearby, and shouted, "Move aside, move aside, make room for me!"

The oarsmen looked back and recognized the man in the crimson robe who had led them to collect their reward. They quickly made way for Wang Shou, who sat down carelessly, grabbed half a pig's trotter, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to chew it. The oarsmen on both sides laughed at his eating. One of them was brave enough to say, "Why are you here in a place like this to compete with us for meat?"

"What are you talking about!" Wang Shou said while chewing, "You are all full of food and wine, but I am still hungry! Besides, this banquet was prepared by my family at the order of my husband. Can't I have a bite myself? Quickly fill my glass with wine!" Seeing Wang Shou's pleasant words, everyone sat down with them and ate side by side. They all felt close to him. The man hurriedly filled his bowl with wine and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "Don't be disgusted, please enjoy!"

"I'm not a woman, why should I be so particular?" Wang Shou took the bowl, drank the wine in one gulp, and shouted happily: "Pour me another bowl, I'm dying of thirst!"

Someone else had already reached out to take the empty bowl, refilled it with wine, and handed it back. Wang Shou took a big swig, then gnawed away the half pork knuckle in two or three bites. He then ate two large bowls of corn rice. Only then did he loosen his belt, rip open his front, revealing his hairy chest, and sighed, "How refreshing! Have you all eaten and drunk enough?"

"Eat and drink!" the crowd around them responded in unison. A mischievous man shrieked, "What a shame we can't enjoy ourselves so much every day!" This caused a wave of jeers, most likely mocking his greed for daily feasts and wine.

Wang Shou was secretly delighted when he heard this. He coughed and said, "That person just now wanted to slaughter pigs and sheep every day and eat and drink lavishly. Even my husband can't live like that. But if he can have two meals a day, a small meat every three days, and a large meat every five days, then it's not that difficult!"

The others, hearing this, began to ask what constituted minor and major meats. Wang Shou patiently explained, "Minor meats are chicken, duck, and fish, and major meats are pig, dog, and goat!" Everyone was filled with envy. Wang Shou, realizing the opportunity had arrived, raised his voice and said, "Actually, there's an opportunity right now. If you're willing, I won't say much. Two meals a day, a minor meat every three days, and a major meat every five days. At the end of the month, there'll be a hundred or so coins to buy two feet of cloth for your wife's head wrap!"

Everyone looked at each other, unable to believe such a good thing could happen. Someone asked cautiously, "We are all good citizens. We don't intend to sell ourselves into slavery!"

"Who wants you to sell your bodies?" Wang Shou said with a smile, "Do you think I'm a slave?"

"What should we do? But leave our hometown?"

"We'll just paddle and won't leave the borders of Nanjun!"

When everyone heard this, they all became interested and came forward to inquire. It was winter now, and the farm work had long been completed. Staying at home would be boring. Even if they came here for a short-term job for half a month or a month just for the food, the wages would be enough, and the food they would eat would be saved.

"Don't push, don't push!" Wang Shou stood up. "How can I remember if you all crowd over here like this? How about this? Tomorrow morning, at daybreak, we'll still be in this bamboo shed. Anyone who wants this job should come here and we'll discuss everything, including wages, face to face!"

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Ten days later.

The big river made Cao Cao nauseous. He was not only afraid of drowning, but also hated the swaying of the boat and the ups and downs of the deck under his feet.

"I didn't eat something right for breakfast, and my stomach feels a little uncomfortable!" Cao Cao explained to Wei Cong.

"Really?" Wei Cong gave Cao Cao a sympathetic look. "Then why don't you go ashore and rest for a while?"

Cao Cao hesitated, but ultimately decided to persevere. After all, he still needed to rely on the things at his feet to get Zhang Bolu's head. He gripped the ropes involuntarily, his eyes fixed on the oars—at least there was a beauty in their uniform movement, better than staring at the surface of the water, which only made him think of drowning. There were rivers in the north, but none this long, this wide, or this deep. If he fell in, he would probably sink to the bottom like a lead weight. Just then, a wave hit, and his stomach churned. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand to prevent his breakfast from spurting out.

"Aman, are you okay?" Wei Cong looked at Cao Cao with some concern. The young man's face turned a little green, and it looked like he was about to burst out of bile.

"It's okay!" Cao Cao struggled to straighten himself up and adjusted his leather crown with his hand. "The waves didn't look that strong from the shore, but I didn't expect the boat to be so bumpy!"

"It's actually not that bad. It's mainly because you were too new. No wonder we lost so badly at Red Cliff!" Wei Cong thought to himself, but he said, "We're all experienced. Over the past few days, the helmsman and rowers have become very proficient in coordinating, whether it's moving forward, retreating, or turning. Now it's time to simulate actual combat!"

"Simulate combat?" Cao Cao's enthusiasm suddenly perked up: "How do we simulate?"

"Did you see those two rafts ahead?" Wei Cong pointed to the right front. "We'll just have to ram the rafts with the bow!"

"Is this all right?" Cao Cao asked in surprise, looking at the raft in the distance.

"Of course it's not enough. The speed must be fast enough and the direction must be correct. By the time we see how many pieces of wood are cut, we will know whether we can sink the enemy ship!" Wei Cong explained proudly.

Cao Cao opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he decided it would be better to watch the result first. A few minutes later, the bow of the Yuhuang hit the first target, and the raft was pressed into the water by the bow. When it floated again a moment later, a large piece was missing. At least three or four wooden stakes as thick as calves were broken.

"Well done! That's it!" Wei Cong excitedly waved his arms and shouted to Zhao Yannian standing at the bow, "Next, tell the rowers to work harder and increase the speed!"

Cao Cao watched the Yuhuang adjust its course and rush towards the second target. A strange feeling arose in his heart. This was far different from the thieves he had imagined. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Meng De, do you think this will work?"

"Why not?" Wei Cong asked in reply, "I've already sent people to monitor Zhang Bolu's estate. If he attempts to travel by water, they'll report to me. My boat is much faster than his. If we intercept it on the river and sink it, even if he has great abilities, he'll be doomed!"

(End of this chapter)