Taiheiki

Chapter 64: The Wife
"No, he's a local hero!"

"How could a mere local hero ask you, the Master, to intervene?" Jingfu looked at Liu Xin in surprise. He had known this Taoist for years, but he still didn't know much about him. The longer he met him, the more unfathomable he seemed. In his opinion, a mere local tycoon probably didn't need his personal intervention. Could he have some other ulterior motive?
"Haha!" Liu Xin laughed. "A powerful crossbow is fully drawn, and a single shot unleashes a tremendous force. A mere Nie Zheng is of course nothing, but if the entire Yangzhou can be mobilized, then wouldn't the chessboard of Jingzhou be in jeopardy?"

"Oh?" Jingfu was delighted. "So you have other plans. Well, if you can get Yangzhou moving, I will do my best to accomplish something great!"

"That's good!" Liu Xin nodded. "I brought a few people with me this time, and they're all outside. There are envoys from other tribes, as well as the Yuzhang rebels. You can meet them!"

"It's those people!" Jingfu didn't care much. "Then let them wait outside for a while. They must have seen my military appearance when they entered the camp. Letting them wait a little longer will also let them know the seriousness of the matter!"

"Aren't you afraid of angering them and destroying the alliance?" Liu Xin asked.

"Haha! Not afraid!" Jingfu laughed. "I remember reading in history books that when Emperor Gao met Ying Bu, he deliberately had two maids wash his feet and was quite rude in his words. Ying Bu was furious, but when he returned to his residence, he found that the utensils, waiters, and food were no different from Emperor Gao's own. Ying Bu then became overjoyed and served Emperor Gao wholeheartedly, eventually defeating Xiang Yu at Gaixia. These people outside the tent have no great ambitions, but are just mediocre people who are greedy for wealth. I will first intimidate them with military force, then humiliate them with words, and finally reward them with a large sum of money. Naturally, I will be able to use them!"

After hearing Jingfu's words, Liu Xin was speechless for a moment. He was born into a noble family, gifted with intelligence, and had been well-read since childhood, rigorous and prudent, with a measured demeanor. Even important officials in the court and dignitaries in the palace were in awe of him, believing him to be the ideal ruler. He was aware of the principles of managing talent, as often found in historical biographies of emperors. But knowing the principles was one thing; being able to utilize them appropriately according to specific circumstances was another. Like this barbarian before him, he had personally witnessed him grow from an illiterate, uncouth man to a shrewd and powerful leader in just seven or eight years. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask himself—could heroism be gifted by heaven?

"Real person, real person? Was what I said just now wrong?" Jingfu asked hurriedly when he saw that Liu Xin had been silent.

"Not really!" Liu Xin realized his own mistake and quickly said with a smile, "Those who came with me this time aren't all the mediocre people you mentioned, greedy for wealth. One of them is Qian Wen, the representative of the Yuzhang rebels. He's not one of them. You'd better not treat him the same way as the others!"

"Oh? Is that so? Thank you, Master!" Jingfu nodded. He raised his voice and ordered everyone waiting outside to come in one by one. Just as he had said, they waited for a long time. When they entered, they saw Jingfu with a haughty expression, sitting at the head of the table without rising to greet them. Many of the barbarians were filled with indignation. If it weren't for the swordsmen standing on both sides, some would have jumped out and cursed. Jingfu seemed oblivious to the anger. He simply asked Liu Xin to introduce each person. He casually asked a few questions and sent them away, as if he were giving orders to a subordinate. The barbarians were all furious. As soon as they left, they all burst into cursing, but Jingfu pretended not to hear.

But in a moment, Qian Wen was the only one left. He was extremely disappointed with Jingfu and thought he would just say a few perfunctory words and leave, thinking that his trip was in vain. But then he heard Jingfu say, "Come here, take a seat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone from the left wing brought a Hu couch to the front. Jingfu said with a smile, "Brother, you are the leader of the Yuzhang garrison, right? Please forgive my impoliteness just now. Please sit down and talk!"

"This..." Qian Wen was confused by Jingfu's sudden change of heart. He sat down stiffly. Before he could say anything, he heard Jingfu's voice: "You think it's strange that I was so polite at first and so respectful later, don't you? I was just saying what I wanted to say to someone. If you treated those people politely just now, they would think you were afraid of them and cause some unexpected trouble. But you are different, so I naturally treated them politely!"

"Aren't you afraid those people might get mad at you and mess things up?" Qian Wen asked. "They started cursing as soon as they left the house just now. I don't believe you didn't hear it!"

"Don't be afraid!" Jingfu laughed. "All they want is wealth, so I'll give it to them. They saw my army when they first entered the camp, and they must have been intimidated. By satisfying their greed and providing me with powerful military force, no matter how much they curse, they'll still obey my orders!"

Qian Wen was speechless after hearing what Jingfu said. Although he did not like the other party's straightforward words, he knew in his heart that it was true. The people who came with him were just that kind of people. Although Jingfu's approach was crude, it was indeed very suitable for them.

"What about me? What are you going to do to me?" Qian Wen asked.

"That depends on what you want. Money, women, land, anything is fine!" Jingfu said with a smile, "Just ask. As long as your people are willing to work for me, I'll agree to anything!"

"You are truly generous!" Qian Wen sneered, a look of sarcasm on his face. "In fact, you have nothing. The money, women, and land were all stolen by you. Once the imperial army arrives, you will be dead!"

"You're right, I looted all of this!" Jingfu laughed. "But isn't the imperial court you're talking about the same? You worked for the court, beheaded thousands of people, and then the court rewarded you with a thousand pieces of silk and made you a marquis. Aren't these silks, fiefs, and salaries all looted from peasants by your court? What's the difference between them and me? As for whether I live or die when your imperial army arrives, you don't need to worry about it. The Wuling barbarians have been dealing with you, the Han people, for at least a hundred years, and if nothing unexpected happens, they'll have to deal with you for hundreds more. You should be careful, though. Your court may accept the surrender of barbarians like us, but it may not accept rebels like you!"

"You—" Jingfu's retort was like a dagger, piercing Qian Wen's chest and leaving him speechless. The truth hurt the most. As Jingfu had said, the Wuling barbarians and the Han had been fighting for at least a hundred years, and seven or eight Jingzhou governors had died at the hands of the Wuling barbarians. Even if the imperial army successfully quelled the rebellion this time, at most they would be able to cut off the heads of ten thousand barbarian men, drive Jingfu back to his lair in the mountains of southern Hunan, and force him to hand over hostages and surrender once again. However, these barbarian tribes still lost thousands of people every year in their own wars. If these chiefs collected less tribute, encouraged their women to bear more children, and launched more slave-hunting operations against the barbarian tribes further southwest, they would be able to achieve this.

In six or seven years at most, or four or five at least, the shortfall of ten thousand men could be filled. Ultimately, the Han Dynasty was no longer the Han Dynasty of the Ming and Zhang Emperors. The relentless Qiang rebellion in the northwest was like a wound that would never heal, constantly draining the Han national strength. The Han Dynasty no longer had the strength to resolve this stubborn problem all at once.

But Qian Wen and his men were different. As conscripted soldiers from Yuzhang Commandery, their rebellion directly led to the fall of Yiyang County and the subsequent death of Liu Du, the governor of Jingzhou. Such a serious matter would be forfeit by the imperial court. Their families were undoubtedly implicated, forced into pounding rice (a Qin and Han dynasty punishment where men typically built fortifications and women pounded rice, though other forced labor also occurred, making them state serfs). If they were defeated and captured, they would be tortured and then die miserably. Their only hope was to defeat the imperial punitive forces, or at least cause them enough trouble to negotiate with the court and redeem their families. "Qian Lang!" Liu Xin finally spoke. "I've made arrangements for your families during my trip to Yuzhang. As long as you serve Jingfu diligently and repel the imperial army, reuniting them won't be difficult! Furthermore, if Jingfu succeeds in establishing a new nation, you will all be founding heroes, like Deng Yu and Wu Han!"

"Oh!" A glimmer of hope flashed in Qian Wen's eyes, but it quickly faded. He sneered, "You're the only ones who can repel the imperial army? Haha! The imperial court appointed Feng Gun as General of Chariots and Cavalry this time, dispatched the Three Rivers and Five Schools, and recruited soldiers from the Bantun Barbarians and Danyang. These aren't soldiers from the prefectures and counties!"

"Of course I know how powerful Feng Gun is!" Jingfu smiled. "As for the Three Rivers and Five Schools, the Bandun Barbarians, and the Danyang Soldiers, I'll be honest. I've served in the Han army before, so I'm naturally aware of their capabilities. But in Jingnan, I'm confident I can defeat them. And do you have any other options?"

"You've served in the Han army?" Qian Wen looked at Jingfu in surprise. "How is that possible? Isn't leadership of the Wuling Barbarians passed down from father to son?"

"Isn't that strange?" Jingfu laughed. "When I was young, I traveled to Han territory and joined the Han army. I earned an unchangeable title through military merit. I returned home when I was almost thirty to inherit my father's power! Otherwise, why would the camp outside be in such a state? Tell me, how many soldiers and weapons do you have now? I can give you official positions and titles!"

Qian Wen recalled the Wuling Barbarian camp he had seen upon his arrival. It indeed bore a striking resemblance to the Han army camp. He had initially assumed it was a suggestion from a Han deserter, but he hadn't expected the Wuling Barbarian leader to have served in the Han army for many years. This was hardly surprising. However, this might be a good thing for him. He gritted his teeth and said, "We now have 875 infantry, 30 cavalry, 45 horses, and a full complement of armor and weapons. We also have over 340 crossbows!"

"So you have 760 soldiers? But I heard that you only had 600 people when you started the rebellion! How come there are a lot more now?" Jingfu asked.

"When we captured Yiyang County and defeated Jingzhou Governor Liu Du, we captured many Han soldiers. Many of them defected and joined us!" Qian Wen said, "So, excluding the casualties, our numbers are even greater!"

"That's great!" Jingfu laughed. "I also have over a thousand Han prisoners. You can go and take a look later. If you can convince any of them to defect, I'll hand them over to you and form your own battalion. By the way, how many leaders do you have?"

"Including me, there are four of us!"

"Alright, I'll appoint all four of you as battalion captains!" Jingfu said with a smile. "In addition, each soldier will be rewarded with a piece of silk and a dan of grain, and each of you four will be rewarded with four utensils. Consider this my welcome gift to you! In addition, I'll give you a hundred slaves to care for your wounded. How do you do that?"

Seeing that Jingfu not only did not try to devour his power but also increased his military strength and gave him grain and cloth, Qian Wen felt the hard lump in his heart melt away. He stood up and bowed to Jingfu, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift. We are dying and we must serve you till death!"

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Chaisang, Nie Mansion.

"Madam, the eldest young master has gone out again, and he has more than 20 people with him, all armed with bows and crossbows!" The butler's voice came from behind the curtain.

Zhou looked up, her bare face full of fatigue. "Where is he going? Is he going to have another visitor, or—?"

"He should be going to the dock, but I don't know whether he is going to pick up guests!" The housekeeper pondered for a moment and said, "Madam, the eldest son's whereabouts have been quite secretive these days. Last night, he wanted to take out 100,000 yuan from the treasury, but was stopped by me. The eldest son even drew his sword and said that if I didn't let him take the money, he would kill me. Originally, when the late master passed away, I should have gone to serve in the underworld, but seeing that the Nie family had worked so hard to build this family business for several generations, and it was about to be overturned, my heart, my heart-" At this point, the housekeeper sobbed like a woman.

"Forget it!" Zhou's fine eyebrows furrowed, her attention drawn to the content of the housekeeper's words: "One hundred thousand coins? Why did he need so much money? Did he take it in the end?"

"I tried my best to stop him, but the young master didn't take it away!"

"That's good!" Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and said in a deep voice, "You've done a good job on this matter. Although my late husband didn't leave any will before he passed away, the legitimate heir is the heir, and if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son is the heir. Since I am my late husband's legal wife, the legitimate son in the family is naturally Ce'er. Although Ah Sheng is older, it's not his turn to make decisions about family affairs. These days are my late husband's memorial service, and there will be a lot of people coming and going from outside. You are the elder of the family, so you must work hard and take good care of the family business. Don't let anything go wrong!"

"With your words, Madam, I feel at ease!" The butler kowtowed. "Then could you please double the number of soldiers and guests patrolling the mansion every night, and provide bows, crossbows, spears, and lances, just in case?"

(End of this chapter)