Taiheiki

Chapter 93 Redemption
"Brother Meng De, aren't you afraid that the Lujiang Zhou family will retaliate next?" It was Wang Wen who looked worried.

"What's the point of being afraid?" Wei Cong smiled. "If someone in a high position of power were to infringe upon your family property, what would you do?"

"Of course I'll fight to the death!" Lei Huan rolled his eyes. "My family's farm is a legacy passed down from generation to generation. Even if the Three Dukes or the Great General want it, I won't give it up!"

"That's right. How can we give up the place where our ancestors' tombs are located? Even if I am willing to give it up, my family will never give it up!"

"I may die, but I must never abandon my land!"

"Money and women are easy to negotiate, but land must never be given up!"

Although the words of the people in the hall differed, their meaning was the same: to protect their family's land, they would fight to the death, even against the most powerful enemies. After the relocation of the mausoleum in the early and middle Western Han Dynasty, the power of the powerful local clans grew stronger, even strong enough to resist the will of the central government in some aspects. This was especially true in southern prefectures like Yuzhang, Jiangxia, and Jiujiang, which had large tracts of undeveloped land. The local governments were inherently weak, and the lands of the local tyrants had been won bit by bit from the local barbarians for generations. They not only possessed powerful military power, but also had strong internal cohesion. The determination of these tyrants to resist violence and protect their lands was unmatched by the tyrants in the Central Plains.

"I, Wei, naturally understand your determination! But have you ever considered why the Zhou family of Lujiang was willing to marry their daughter to Nie Zheng as his second wife? Speaking of family background, the Nie family is far inferior to the Zhou family!"

"Brother Meng De, do you mean that the Zhou family has other intentions?" Wang Wen asked.

"Hmm!" Wei Cong nodded. "If my guess is correct, Zhou wants to use this daughter to expand her influence towards Yuzhang and Jiangdong!"

"Is there such a thing?" Wang Wen was surprised. "But compared to Yuzhang, Jiangdong, and Lujiang, it can be said to be a wild and desolate place!"

"In my opinion, nothing is impossible. In recent years, the Huai and Si clans have shown great interest in moving south, and it's not just the Zhou family!"

"Yes, if that's the case, we have to be on guard, otherwise all our hard work will end up making wedding clothes for these guys!"

"That's right. We've worked so hard for generations to level the land and plant crops, and now they want to eat what's already been harvested. How can that be justified?"

Although these invited local gentry were distributed across prefectures such as Jiangxia, Yuzhang, Jiujiang, and Danyang, their sphere of influence was generally confined to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, encompassing the southeastern reaches of Hubei, Jiangxi, southern Anhui, southern Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang provinces. This region was relatively uncivilized at the time. In comparison, Lujiang (present-day Hefei), where the Zhou clan resided, was much more civilized, and the local gentry naturally possessed a much higher level of cultural literacy. This was the primary reason why the Huaishui gentry, represented by the Zhou clan, enjoyed a higher political status in the Eastern Han Dynasty than the gentry in Yuzhang and Jiangdong. Consequently, Lei Huan and Wang Wen were extremely wary of the Zhou clan and other Huaishui gentry moving southward, as they knew that gentry like the Lujiang Zhou clan were far more powerful politically than they were. Once they moved south, leveraging the power of the empire, they could easily encroach on their family interests.

Historically, the Sun family father and son who later established the separatist regime of Eastern Wu, though originally from Fuchun, Wu Commandery (modern-day Hangzhou), were of humble origins; Sun Jian's father was even a melon farmer. Sun Ce's ability to pacify the six prefectures of Jiangdong relied not on the support of the local gentry but on the southward expansion of forces represented by the Huai and Si clans. For Jiangdong, Sun Ce was essentially a conqueror and invader. Consequently, historical records describe him as "slaying prominent nobles and intimidating neighboring states" during his conquest of Jiangdong, ultimately leading to his own death at the hands of his enemies' retainers.

Zhou Yu, a close friend of Sun Ce who later supported Sun Quan's succession to the throne and defeated Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs, was a descendant of the Lujiang Zhou clan. However, the reconciliation and support between the Jiangdong gentry and the Sun Wu regime did not occur until after Sun Quan ascended the throne and won the Battle of Red Cliffs. Even so, Zhou Yu, Lu Su (Linhuai), Zhang Zhao (Pengcheng), and Lü Meng (Runan), key officials in Sun Quan's early years, were all from Huai and Si. The true rise of the Jiangdong gentry in Eastern Wu did not begin until Sun Wu betrayed its alliance, attacked Jingzhou, and killed Guan Yu. Liu Bei led his army eastward in revenge, and Sun Quan appointed Lu Xun as Grand Commander-in-Chief to lead the generals against Liu Bei.

The fundamental reason for this was that Sun Quan's betrayal of Guan Yu and the subsequent breakup of his alliance with Liu Bei shifted his strategic goal from advancing northward into the Central Plains to completely conquering the Yangtze River and establishing a separate, independent territory. This undoubtedly served the interests of the local gentry in Jiangdong. As outsiders, the Huai and Si gentry, without the righteous cause of advancing northward, would naturally be no match for the local gentry in the long run. Therefore, while Sun Quan's strategic shift deprived the Eastern Wu regime of its chance to dominate the world, it also enabled it to successfully localize and become the longest-lived of the Three Kingdoms.

For Wei Cong, his future strategy in Yuzhang, and indeed the entire middle and lower Yangtze River region, depended on the support of these local magnates. This posed a question: What banner would he use to unite these people? In other words, who was "we"? What was "we"'s" goal? This was crucial to the success of his future endeavors.

Even forty years later, after the Factional Persecution, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and more than a decade of warring wars among the late Han warlords, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Zhao, and others, assessing the situation at the time, still stated, "Cao Cao holds the emperor hostage to control the other princes; we must not challenge him!" This statement emphasized the undisputed legitimacy of the Han Empire. This was especially true in the spring of the tenth year of the Yanxi reign (167 AD). Therefore, any political plans Wei Cong made during his lifetime had to be implemented within the framework of the Han Empire, a relatively straightforward proposition. According to available intelligence, the current emperor's days were numbered, and with no sons, a successor would be chosen by a branch of the family. Past experience suggests that such succession attempts would inevitably trigger one or more bloody battles, with imperial relatives, eunuchs, court officials, and the literati all engaged in a desperate struggle to control the new emperor. The victor would seize power, while the loser would be exterminated along with his entire family, or at the very least, forced to withdraw from the court, relinquish most of his power, and lick his wounds, awaiting the next opportunity.

If Wei Cong could expand his influence in the south, amass wealth, and establish a powerful force, he would be well-positioned to bet on all three. After all, according to later history, the newly ascended emperor was a man of great wit and a great need for money. To raise funds and recruit talent, he resorted to various maneuvers, such as selling official positions in the Western Garden, publishing the Xiping Stone Classics, and founding the Hongdumen Academy, attempting to reform politics and reverse the empire's decline. If Wei Cong could shell out a few hundred million yuan and become the prefect of Yuzhang or the commander of the Southern Barbarians, it wouldn't be a big deal. At that point, he could become both the emperor's personal representative in the south and the spokesperson for the interests of these local powerful families, serving as the sole liaison between the two sides. He could cultivate the land while observing the success or failure of the north—wouldn't that be a delight?

"You all spent a lot this time. If Zhou is willing to pay to redeem the victim, I will split the money with you!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "In total, each of you can get 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. Although it's not enough to compensate for your hard work, it's still a good help!"

Zhang Shuo and the others didn't seem to mind Wei Cong's words, finding them perfectly normal. They were supposed to receive a "show fee" for mediating disputes and handling incidents. In their view, this matter was primarily about reclaiming the family fortune for Wei Cong's adopted son. With the lion's share of the fruits of victory going to you, Wei Cong, it was only natural for us to take a small commission. Friendship was friendship, money was money, and the two were irrelevant.

Zhou Jin proved his lies. Thirteen days later, he returned, accompanied by a young man named Zhou Chong. Although his face was grim, he readily paid the ransom, and Wei Cong accepted the payment and released him. He was surprised to notice that the previously unruly Zhou Ping, upon seeing Zhou Chong, became like a castrated chicken, instantly losing his energy and spirit.

"Okay, the money and goods are settled!" Seeing the last person board the boat, Wei Cong said to Zhou Chong with a smile: "I wish you a safe journey and a long and happy life!"

"No, there's still one person missing!" Zhou Chong said coldly, "Why didn't my younger sister come?"

"Are you asking about Madam?" Wei Cong said with a smile, "She is the mistress of the Nie family, so she is naturally not among them!"

"After what happened, what kind of mistress is she?" Zhou Chong sneered. "Do you think that holding her in your hands will make us, the Zhou family of Lujiang, feel uneasy?" "How could that be!" Wei Cong laughed. "It's up to Madam to decide whether to leave or stay. I can invite her over, and you can ask her in person. But there's one thing I have to make clear first. Madam's two children are members of the Nie family, so they must stay!"

"Send my cousin here quickly!" Zhou Chong flicked his sleeves. His father was Zhou Jing, who had just replaced Chen Fan as the Grand Marshal. He was at home mourning for his mother's death. Given his status, he naturally disdained to waste time talking to people like Wei Cong.

Wei Cong nodded to Diwudeng who was standing by, and Diwudeng understood and withdrew. Not long after, he returned with a sedan chair. Zhou got out of the sedan chair and bowed to Zhou Chong, "Brother!"

"Get on board first, we're waiting for you!" Zhou Chong's eyes softened a little when he saw his cousin.

"No!" Zhou shook her head: "I'm here to see my brother off!"

"Farewell?" Zhou Chong frowned. "What do you mean? You're not going back to Lujiang?"

"Yes!" Zhou nodded. "I already asked when I came here. I can't take Ayun and Aji with me when I go back. They are still young and can't live without their mother!"

"What do you mean?" Zhou Chong suppressed the anger in his chest. "If you don't go back to Lujiang, where can you go? Can you still stay in Chaisang?"

"I've thought about it!" Zhou said, "If I just go back with you, brother, I'll just be a widow at home. What's the use? In two years at most, a few months at least, I'll have to remarry. Instead of that, it's better for me to stay in Chaisang and raise these two children!"

"Nonsense!" Zhou Chong said angrily, "How can this be possible for you to stay in Chaisang all alone, without anyone to rely on?"

"Who says I have no one to rely on? A woman obeys her husband after marriage and her son after her husband's death. Isn't my child someone to rely on? After all, he is Nie Zheng's flesh and blood. How can he not get a share of the family business?" Zhou laughed and said, "If I return to my hometown and marry again, who knows what kind of person I will marry? Will I be able to get along with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law? Instead of taking chances like that, it's better to be with my own child!"

Hearing Zhou's words, Zhou Chong's expression changed slightly. In ancient times, marriage was determined by the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words; a woman's happiness after marriage depended entirely on luck. Although the Lujiang Zhou family was a prestigious family with a wealth of two thousand stones, for a widow like Zhou, remarrying would be difficult unless there was a large dowry. Even if Zhou was beautiful and virtuous, it would be difficult for her to marry into a family where her husband loved her and her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law got along well. Instead of this, it would be better to be with her own children; perhaps they would be happier. Zhou Chong was eight or nine years older than Zhou, and had watched her grow up. Hearing his sister say this, his heart softened and his eyes turned to Wei Cong.

"If my sister stays in Chaisang, can you promise to treat her as promised?"

In an instant, Wei Cong weighed the pros and cons in his mind. If Zhou stayed, although she would take away part of the family property, she would also become a hostage in his hands. If Zhou wanted to retaliate in the future, she would be hesitant. Overall, it was a win-win.

"Of course! The two children can get one-third of the estate. If Madam is willing to stay, the estate will be managed by her!"

Hearing Wei Cong's promise, Zhou Chong's expression softened slightly: "If that's the case, then please swear an oath first. If my sister stays in Chaisang, you will never harm her!"

"Okay!" Wei Cong walked to the shore and pointed at the river. "I'm not here for selfish reasons, but for justice. As long as Zhou doesn't collude with outsiders to harm my father and me, she will be the mother of the Nie family's children. My father and I will never harm her! The river is my witness. I will never break my promise!"

"Okay!" Zhou Chong smiled when he saw Wei Cong swearing on the river. "In that case, my sister will stay in Chaisang. I hope you all won't forget the oath we just made. Otherwise, the river will have spirits, and those who break their oaths will not have a good end!" Having said that, he called Zhou Jin and said to him, "You stay. If anything happens in Chaisang, return home and let us know!"

Although Zhou Jin was afraid, he didn't dare to refuse and could only nod his head and agree.

Nie Mansion.

"Finally, this matter is over!" Wei Cong kicked off his clogs, sat down on the couch, and sighed: "I can free my hands to do serious work!"

"My dear, are you really planning to give that woman a third of your fortune?" Diwu Deng picked up Wei Cong's clogs and set them aside. "That's a huge sum!"

"Since I've agreed, I have to fulfill my promise, otherwise the Zhou family won't give up!" Wei Cong let out a long sigh: "Besides, compared to what I'm about to get, this is nothing. I have to look further ahead!"

"Hey!" Diwu Deng sat down cross-legged: "What about the young master?"

(End of this chapter)