Taiheiki

Chapter 55: Military Talk
When Wei Cong arrived at the open space, he saw dozens of thieves' subordinates, dressed neatly, standing on either side. Seeing Wei Cong coming, they all shouted in unison, "Hello, sir!" and knelt down in unison.

"Forget it, get up!" Wei Cong was stunned. Although these officials were his subordinates, he had just taken office and had only had a drink with them once. Even last time, he hadn't seen them so respectful. How could they have changed their faces overnight?

Wei Cong was just thinking about this when the old official, Mr. Liu, came over and said with a smile, "What are the rules for today's military lecture? Please tell me, sir!"

"Oh!" Wei Cong looked around. "I've brought an instructor with me. First, we'll practice with the bow and crossbow, then we'll teach spears and lances. Finally, we'll have a test. We'll have tests every ten days. The top three will be rewarded, and the bottom three will be punished!"

"Yes!" Liu An responded, took two steps forward, turned around, and said loudly to the officers on both sides: "My lord, your orders are that today we will first practice the bow and crossbow, then we will learn about spears and lances, and finally we will have an examination. From now on, there will be an examination every ten days. The top three will be rewarded, and the bottom three will be punished!"

Wei Cong had assumed he'd been causing a lot of trouble for no reason. Even if the thieves' officers didn't dare object directly, there would still be plenty of them hiding in the crowd, making sarcastic comments. He didn't expect everyone to respond with a chorus of "yes," and then silence followed. Wen Sheng stepped forward and demonstrated, then everyone took turns practicing archery. Wen Sheng stood aside, pointing out any mistakes he saw, a scene of pure harmony. Wei Cong was a little stunned. Were these thieves' officers so easy to talk to?

"Get started, get started!"

Hearing the noise behind him, Wei Cong turned around and saw Liu An directing two servants to bring in a Hu bed, which was fully equipped with a spittoon, a table, a wine jug, bowls and plates, a fur coat, and screens on both sides.

"Liu An, what are you doing?"

"It's windy here, please sit down and supervise me and others to discuss martial arts!" Liu An bent down respectfully and made a "please sit down" gesture.

"Take it down immediately!" Wei Cong was left in a state of confusion, "How can you put up a screen during a military lecture? Lord Liu, who told you to mess around with this?"

"Quick, quick, move away! Didn't you hear my orders, sir?" Liu An ordered the servants to remove the screen and said with a smile, "Sir, everyone has heard about your impressive performance yesterday and admires you immensely. We all know that with your talent and ability, it's truly an injustice for you to serve as a thief official in our office. But don't worry, as long as you serve as a thief official, we will serve you well and will not give you any trouble!"

"What do you mean by yesterday's prestige?" Wei Cong was puzzled. "Didn't I just drink a few bowls of wine with you yesterday when the prefect called me away? When I came back, I just asked him to post the recruitment notice for archers. How can that be considered prestige?"

"Hehe!" A sly grin, as if touting the idea of "everything is under control," flashed across Liu An's old face. "My dear, you're the true master who hides his true abilities. Unlike some people who don't have much talent, they hang around all day, afraid that others won't know. Someone like you, who clearly has talent but doesn't show it at all, is the one who truly possesses it!"

"What's the difference between real and fake!" Wei Cong's patience was finally exhausted: "Mr. Liu, if you don't say anything, I won't agree!"

"My dear, since ancient times, the only hardship is death. How can you be sad, my lady? This poem is yours, right?" Liu An laughed. "I heard that you killed a 2,000-stone official with just these two lines. The heads of seven or eight families present, including the Han prefect, the Huang family, the Huan family, and the Kuai family, were all shocked by you and could only give you a thumbs-up!"

"What nonsense! Who said I killed a 2,000-stone official?" Wei Cong was furious at Liu An's words. "How can such nonsense be spread? That prefect Lu clearly committed suicide out of shame over the loss of the prefecture. What does this have to do with me?"

"So, Governor Lu did commit suicide, right?" Liu An asked.

"Yes, he drew his sword and committed suicide in the yard!"

"Then Governor Lu listened to these two lines of your poem before he committed suicide, right?"

"this--"

"Isn't it that Governor Han and all the gentlemen present here are all impressed by your poem?"

Facing the questions from his subordinates, Wei Cong lowered his head in pain. Why was it that others could gain both fame and fortune by reciting poems and pretending to be cool after traveling through time, while he himself could also gain fame by reciting poems and pretending to be cool after traveling through time, but he had the notoriety of driving people to death.

Seeing Wei Cong's gloomy face, Liu An finally realized that he seemed to have said something wrong. He whispered, "My dear, please forgive me. I didn't know you disliked this matter. I heard it from someone close to the prefect. According to him, even Kuai Gongcao, who is usually the most arrogant, admires you very much. He said that Meng De is a hundred times better than me in poetry and prose! Prefect Han and several other young men are even more full of praise. It won't be long before your poetry will spread throughout Jingzhou!"

"Forget it!" Wei Cong looked at his uneasy subordinates. He was not going to vent his anger on them. Besides, from now on, it might not be a bad thing. At least his reputation among these petty officials had risen a lot.

"Do you think these two lines of poetry are good?" Wei Cong asked.

"How could I possibly know what's good or bad?" Liu An smiled relievedly when he saw Wei Cong wasn't upset. "But if Governor Han and the other gentlemen in this county say it's good, then it must be good. Besides, in today's world, a good reputation is more important than anything else. Recruiting officials, selecting officials, and selecting candidates! Ultimately, isn't it all about reputation? How many people would risk their lives and their families for a good reputation?"

"That's true!" Wei Cong nodded in agreement upon hearing this. During the Han Dynasty, especially in the late Eastern Han, scholars were obsessed with reputation, placing a premium on reputation. A bandit like Zhang Bolu, knowing full well that displaying pomp and circumstance would reveal his whereabouts and create an ambush, persisted for over a decade, using brocade boats by sea and horses by land. Wei Cong seized the opportunity and ambushed him. But Zhang Bolu's actions also reaped rich rewards. As his reputation as the Jiangyi General spread, he could mediate disputes even in counties hundreds of miles away, even in Yangzhou, with a single document, and no one dared to resist. Even the sons of the highest nobility, such as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, were no exception. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Xu Shao of Runan County was a renowned opinion leader. He would regularly review figures of the time on the first day of each month, a practice known as the Yuedanping (Monthly Review). He took great pride in even receiving a single mention of his words. Yuan Shao was a man of chivalrous character, attracting guests from all over the world. His every outing was accompanied by a magnificent array of carriages and horses. However, whenever he returned to his hometown of Runan, he would dismiss his entourage and ride home on a single bicycle, fearing Xu Shao's ridicule. Cao Cao repeatedly offered him lavish gifts and humble words, hoping Xu Shao would mention him in his monthly evaluations, but Xu Shao refused. Consequently, Cao Cao secretly threatened Xu Shao with a knife, forcing him to declare him a "traitor in peaceful times, a hero in troubled times," before he relented.

Cao Cao's trip to Hanshou County was also a risk to his life, a quest for fame. This was not uncommon among scholars of the time. When Gongsun Zan was young, his superior was convicted. According to the laws of the time, officials were forbidden to associate with those who broke the law. Gongsun Zan then changed his clothes, pretending to be a clerk serving his superior, and followed the prison cart to Luoyang. After his superior was convicted and exiled to Rinan, Jiaozhou, Gongsun Zan prepared pork and fine wine and offered a memorial service to his ancestors at Beimang Mountain. He poured the wine onto the ground and prayed, "In the past, I was a son; today, I am a minister. I am about to depart for Rinan County. Rinan County is plagued by malaria, and I fear I will not return alive. I bid farewell to my ancestors' graves." He wept deeply, bowed once more, and departed, leaving onlookers sighing.

During his exile, his superior was pardoned by the imperial court and returned. Gongsun Zan's fame was soaring that he was selected as a filial and honest official and appointed as the Chief Clerk of the Liaodong vassal state. Under the Han Dynasty's system of selecting filial and honest officials, the late Han Dynasty scholars such as Wang Yun, Huang Wan, the Yuan brothers, Liu Biao, Cao Cao, and Gongsun Zan were selected. While their abilities and talents are hard to come by, every one of them was a ruthless individual who dared to take risks and step up to the plate.

That's why Liu An never thought that Wei Cong would be worried about the disaster caused by his fame. In his opinion, for these scholars, if they could exchange their lives for fame, they should of course take it without hesitation. How could he have thought that Wei Cong was still a modern man deep down, and his first reaction when encountering risks was to save his life, rather than rushing forward to gain fame.

"Forget it, things have come to this point, and this is the only way!" Wei Cong sighed and decided to focus on training the soldiers first. After all, if the soldiers are not strong, he probably won't be able to pass the next level, and there is no need to worry about the sequelae of killing a two thousand stone official with two lines of poetry.

With his worries out of his mind, Wei Cong returned his attention to the archery field. Although the Eastern Han abolished the prefectural and state commanderies, the quality of the soldiers was no longer comparable to that of the Western Han, those serving in the bandit department generally had military experience. As the saying goes, an expert knows a man's skill by the first move he makes: in ancient times, martial arts tests were primarily tested on infantry in archery, and on cavalry in charging. Someone like Wen Sheng, who could wield a full-length laminated bamboo longbow, draw it like a moon, and shoot at a four-foot-square straw target from seventy-five paces, with every arrow hitting the mark, truly demonstrated his skill in killing bandits on the battlefield. Wen Sheng fired over ten arrows, and the petty officials watched from either side, breathless.

"Everyone, my name is Wen Sheng. In my youth, I was once a sniper in the Liangzhou army! Today, I've been ordered by my lord to come to Caozhong to demonstrate my skills!" Wen Sheng held his longbow in his hand and said to everyone, "You've all been in Caozhong for some time now. You must know that times are different now. We're not dealing with petty thieves, but rather big bandits and barbarians who are invading states and counties. If you don't have good martial arts skills, not only will you fail to kill the thieves, but you'll be harmed by them instead. Isn't that unfair?"

"What the coach said is absolutely right!" the clerks responded in unison.

"Among the weapons used in the army, the most important are bows and crossbows, followed by spears and lances!" Wen Sheng said, "There is nothing much to say about the bow and crossbow. When you were practicing shooting just now, I have demonstrated and practiced them one by one. Just practice according to the instructions every day, and you will naturally improve. As for spears and lances," Wen Sheng paused for a moment and said, "The long spears used in the army are 17 feet long. They are sharp and light. The spears are slightly lighter, the spear shafts are hard, and the spear handles are thick. The long spear can kill the enemy first. The slightly lighter spear tip allows for proper advance and retreat. The thick handle and hard spear shaft can penetrate armor and kill the enemy!" Having said this, he waved his hand, and the guards who were traveling with him brought up a long spear. Wen Sheng let everyone look at it and said, "Starting tomorrow, you can let go of all other weapons and martial arts and only practice the bows and crossbows and spears!"

The petty officials, who didn't normally handle spears like these, were unable to hold them properly, and began to whisper among themselves. Wen Sheng ignored them and said, "The young master has already given you all to me for training. If you don't want to practice, just leave!"

The eyes of all the clerks suddenly turned to Wei Cong. Wei Cong stood up and said in a deep voice, "Yes, I have handed over the training to Wen Sheng. You just need to obey his orders!"

The clerks were intimidated by Wei Cong's authority and said in unison, "Since it is the order of the Lord, we will obey!"

Wei Cong sat on a Hu bed and watched the others train. Around noon, a minor official arrived to report that the prefect had summoned him. Wei Cong followed the official to Han Chun's residence. Han Chun said directly, "Feng's chariot will arrive this afternoon. Go back and change into some decent clothes. After lunch, come with me to meet him outside the city!"

"Yes!" Wei Cong's heart skipped a beat. He had heard about this Feng Cheqi's arrival for at least a month or two, and the real person had only arrived today. He had also heard some related rumors from Han Chun and Deng Zhong. This Feng Cheqi seemed to have some intricate connection with Zhang Bolu. He had thought that this hurdle was not going to be easy.

————————————————————————

Chaisang (now Jiujiang).

"It's getting late!" Seeing the surrounding woods gradually darken, Guo Kui couldn't help but urge: "Let's turn back!"

"Are you scared?" Nie Zheng laughed. He was only in his early thirties, at the prime age for a man. There were twelve feather arrows over one meter long in Hu Luli next to the saddle, almost as big as short spears. His smile was as sharp as the arrows in Hu Luli.

Guo Kui wasn't enraged. He was already in his early fifties, an old man who had seen life and death for a long time. "It's getting dark soon. In the woods, it's hard to tell who's the prey and who's the hunter! It's just a deer. There's no need to take any risks!"

"That may not be the case!" Nie Zheng laughed, his white teeth reflecting a sharp light. He pointed to his eyes and said, "You know, I can see clearly even at night!"

"A gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall!" Guo Kui said, "Besides, after dark, there will be all kinds of things in the forest!"

Nie Zheng looked at the sky with a dull look. "Guo Kui, you're not getting old, are you? How can you even believe what these women say in private?"

Guo Kui's lips pursed, a sign of anger. But it wasn't just anger; beneath his wounded pride lay a lingering unease, a nervousness bordering on fear. He remembered his first time entering this forest. All the legends suddenly flooded back, leaving him paralyzed with fear. He couldn't help but smile at the memory. Now, with thirty years of experience, he no longer feared the wilderness the locals called the Sea of Trees.

　Deng Hanyi, author of "Inscription on Lady Xi's Temple"
　　The Chu palace is too lazy to brush its new black brows, and is speechless facing the late spring. The only hardship in the history is death, and Madam Xi is not the only one who is sad.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)