Han officials

Chapter 19 Across the Sea【4K】

November 18th, Zhuxu County, Donglai County.

Wei Zhe was seen wearing a black brocade robe and a red cloak, riding on a horse and parading through the city.

As for the 500 volunteer riders who had traveled with him, they were now in a brand new state and looked extremely heroic.

Inside a roadside tavern, a middle-aged scholar wearing a Confucian cap and tattered clothes saw this and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What a grand commotion! Whose family is this young man from? Why does he look so unfamiliar?"

Hearing this, the old man selling wine at the counter laughed out loud:
"Mr. Guan, how come you don't even recognize your own son-in-law? Are you a fake son of the Guan family?"

After saying this, he pointed at the wild goose in Wei Zhe's hand and said, "See? Today is the wedding."

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged scholar seemed to have been stepped on. He immediately slammed the table and shouted angrily: "You are the real descendant of Guan Yiwu. Who is spreading rumors about you?"

However, the old man sneered when he heard this and said, "Then why don't you settle your debt first?"

The middle-aged scholar was speechless when these words came out, and could only say awkwardly, "I'll go get the money right away."

After saying this, the man walked away dejectedly, and a burst of joyful laughter suddenly rang out in the tavern.

After he left, as the father-in-law talked, everyone knew that Guan was going to marry her daughter off.

There were even those with great powers who found out that their son-in-law Wei Zhe was the new leader.

For a moment, everyone in the tavern couldn't help but talk about it.

Some people lamented that Guan was lucky this time and finally found a good man, while others were curious about Wei Zhe's family background.

After all, looking at the posture of the bride just now, ordinary wealthy families do not have such elite family soldiers.

As time went by, Guan's daughter's marriage soon caused heated discussion in Zhuxu County.

At the same time, the middle-aged scholar who had left earlier had almost figured out the whole story.

This man was called Guan Xiu, and he was indeed a descendant of the Guan family, just from a side branch.

In his early years, he relied on his family's wealth to learn some classics, but unfortunately his talent was average and he had no master to help him.

So for many years he could only make a living by wandering around the market, just like a street wanderer.

Even though Guan Yue and Guan Weng were very wealthy, they couldn't get a single cent from such poor relatives with little blood relationship.

So at this moment, Guan Xiu could only squeeze in the crowd on the street and watch Wei Zhe hand a wild goose to Guan Yue.

Afterwards, no one knew what Wei Zhe said, but Guan Yue immediately stroked his beard and laughed happily.

Seeing this, even passers-by knew that Guan Yue must be extremely satisfied with his son-in-law.

For a time, it added some topics of conversation to the discussions among the people in the market.

But the excitement was only theirs. When Guan Xiu returned home, he only felt a biting cold.

There's nothing he can do about it. His family is really broke and he's still unmarried in his thirties.

It was all his fault for insisting on studying scriptures. As a result, all the valuable things in the house were sold, and even the shop left by his ancestors was sold to his clansmen.

Guan Xiu originally thought he was a Zhu Maichen, but he didn't expect that he was not even as good as Dongfang Shuo.

Not to mention the emperor, he had never even been to Luoyang in his life, and spent all his time wandering around Donglai County.

At night, touching the cold quilt, Guan Xiu finally couldn't help but grit his teeth and swear secretly.

"Let's fight! It's just a life. I'm taking a gamble!"

……

Let’s not talk about how Guan Xiu made the decision secretly.

After completing the "Nacai" process, Wei Zhe finally learned the name of the girl in blue.

"Guan Yan? She's quite an intelligent woman!"

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe had more expectations for this political marriage.

But that's all we can do for now.

After the "Nacai" and "Wenming" processes, the engagement of both parties was made public.

Unless Wei Zhe died unexpectedly, it would be impossible for Wei and Guan to cancel the engagement, unless they had no face left at all.

In fact, this is exactly what Guan Yue wanted.

He knew that Wei Zhe was in a hurry to take office, so he kept everything simple and did not pay attention to those red tape.

Otherwise, the two processes of "accepting the bride's proposal" and "asking for the bride's name" alone would have kept Wei Zhe busy for more than half a month.

For wealthy families, it is common for a wedding to take a year or two to complete the entire process.

Therefore, after letting Zhong Hu go to Xuantu County to report the news first, Wei Zhe finally set off.

The next morning, Sanshan Island Port.

Although Guan Yue's hair and beard were all white, his face was rosy, and he was obviously in high spirits because of the good news.

"My dear nephew, you can use these four ships first." Guan Weng, who was standing by, also smiled and waved his hand, saying, "If you don't have enough, just let me know. Although my family is not rich, we can still provide you with a few ships!"

The several sea vessels that Guan Weng mentioned were not small boats, but the large sea vessel that Wei Zhe had previously taken a fancy to, which could carry 6,000 hu of wheat and millet and more than 500 people.

Originally, Wei Zhe only wanted to rent them, but Guan Weng unexpectedly offered him four ships, including the crew and maintenance workers.

For a moment, even though Wei Zhe was a veteran, his mouth twitched slightly.

Is this not considered wealthy? Wei Zhe felt that he seemed to have underestimated his father-in-law's family background.

Sure enough, the highest-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.

For example, soft rice is suitable for eating hard.

So Wei Zhe, who felt that he had a bad stomach, said a few polite words and then accepted the gift without hesitation.

But before setting off, Wei Zhe thought of a question and immediately asked, "Master Guan, is it possible for you to contact the pirates on the Bohai Sea?"

After thinking about it along the way, Wei Zhe became more and more aware of the importance of the sea route to Daifang County.

Once he wanted to do something, he naturally could not avoid dealing with the pirates on the Bohai Sea.

When Guan Yue heard Wei Zhe say this, he smiled without saying anything.

It was Guan Weng who explained with a faint smile: "Guan Cheng, my real name is Guan Yan!"

Although Guan Weng only mentioned it briefly, Wei Zhe suddenly realized it.

Because when Wei Zhe joined the army at the beginning of the year, he had inquired about the situation of the Yellow Turbans in Donglai County.

According to the information he had obtained at that time, Guan Cheng was a small general of the Yellow Turban faction, but he only operated at sea.

The most interesting thing is that he was very restrained in his plundering, only operating within this area and never crossing the border, like a bandit.

Now it seems that Guan Cheng is probably just waving the banner of the Yellow Turbans, but in fact he is the black glove of the Guan family.

After all, on the sea, merchants and pirates are often two sides of the same coin.

Of course, Guan’s trick is not new.

As early as the third year of Yongchu during the reign of Emperor An of the Han Dynasty [AD 109], a sea merchant named Zhang Bolu in Donglai County started an uprising. At that time, he called himself "General" and often sailed on the sea to plunder the nine coastal counties. Once the Han army pursued him, he would either flee to Liaodong or hide on the islands. Once the Han army retreated, he would plunder Donglai again.

Therefore, almost all those who can do maritime trade on the Bohai Sea have close ties with pirates.

To a certain extent, this can also be regarded as one of the family heritages of the Guan family.

Wei Zhe was naturally very satisfied with this. He exchanged greetings several times before boarding the ship and leaving.

The main route for crossing the sea from Donglai County to Liaodong is actually from Sanshan Island to Yaojin.

"Yaojin" at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula is the Laotieshan area of Lushun, Liaoning in later generations.

Although Lushun Port has not been systematically developed today, the naturally excellent hydrological environment still makes this ice-free port the first choice for landing in the north.

As for why Laotie Mountain was called "Yaojin", it was because the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula was under the jurisdiction of Yaoshi County. Therefore, after Wei Zhe landed, he could go directly to Xi'anping County by land from Yaoshi County.

Only after crossing the Yalu River from Xi'anping County did Wei Zhe enter the territory of Lelang County.

……

The next day, after a day of sailing, Wei Zhe became familiar with the captain, Cangtou and others.

The captain, Cangtou and others also knew that Wei Zhe was Guan's new son-in-law, so they were very flattering to him.

He was not at all unhappy about his group being given away as gifts by the host, but was rather happy.

After all, the Guan family values Wei Zhe so much, doesn’t that mean they have followed the right person?
Therefore, when chatting, these people told Wei Zhe everything they knew.

The captain said with regret, "My dear, you came at an unfortunate time. If it were summer or autumn, it would have been much easier."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately became curious and asked, "Oh? How do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, the captain proudly drew a diagram on the boat plank with water, saying, "My dear, you have landed at Yaojin, but you still need to travel hundreds of miles overland to reach Lelang County."

"But if we take a boat across the sea in summer or autumn, we can reach the city of North Korea. How easy it would be!"

By the way, the "Korean City" mentioned on the bow is the current seat of Lelang County.

The present-day Chosun County is Pyongyang in later generations.

Because the Taedong River flows past the Korean city, the claim made by the bow that it would reach the city directly was not an exaggeration.

Although the last leg of the journey upstream along the Taedong River was a bit hard, the laborers earned their wages through hard work.

Hearing him say this, Wei Zhe was really surprised.

"Crossing the East China Sea, aren't you afraid of the wind and waves? What if you get lost?"

Upon hearing this, the bronze face at the bow suddenly revealed a hint of pride:

"Although the waves are a bit stronger than those in Bohai, I've never gotten lost before. I can swim back even with my eyes closed."

Of course, swimming back is just bragging, but the skills of this bow are indeed true.

After all, he had been hanging out on the sea with Guan Cheng before, and he had been chased by the Han navy before.

In fact, the core crew members of Guan’s fleet were trained in this way.

Only the best captains and the most skilled sailors can go ashore and live a peaceful life.

When Wei Zhe learned about Guan's crew training mechanism, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

This father-in-law of his is really a hidden talent!
A few days later, outside the Korean city of Lelang County.

When Wei Zhe and his group arrived, they saw Zhong Hu waiting on the official road on horseback from a distance.

"Boyan, you're really fast!"

Seeing the tiredness in Zhong Hu's eyes, Wei Zhe guessed that he must have been running back and forth all the way without any rest.

You have to know that Houcheng County in Xuantu Commandery and Lelang Commandery are located in the north and east respectively. Zhong Hu was like someone who had to make a big right-angle turn from Donglai Commandery to reach Lelang Commandery.

Only a warrior like Zhong Hu can endure such hardship and fatigue.

However, Zhong Hu did not complain of being tired. The first time he saw Wei Zhe, he handed him a letter from home.

"The master is very happy. He asked me to give it to you!"

Zhong Hu grew up under Wei Xuan's care, but it was the first time he saw his old family cry.

Hearing Zhong Hu say this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

Although he didn't see it with his own eyes, he could probably guess that the old man was probably going to worship his ancestors again.

He didn't know whether there was smoke coming out of the ancestral grave, but he was afraid that offerings would be made to it all year round in the next few years.

Of course, now is not the time to reminisce.

After all, Korean City was not the focus of their trip, but Daifang County was.

So after a brief rest in the Korean city, Wei Zhe and his party headed towards Daifang County.

In addition to Taishi Ci, Xi Zhicai and others, there was another county official on this trip.

It is said that the current Lelang prefect Zhang Qi is from Qinghe, Jizhou.

The Guangzong City where Zhang Jiao was originally entrenched was at the junction of Qinghe State and Julu County.

It can be said that apart from Julu County, Qinghe State was the most severely affected by the Yellow Turbans.

Therefore, Zhang Qi still had some good feelings towards Wei Zhe, the hero who quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Even though he didn't think much of Wei Zhe's family background, he still had feelings for his hometown.

Therefore, when Wei Zhe was performing his duties, Lelang Prefect Zhang Qi still gave him a lot of convenience.

For example, the county official Wang Cen who led him on the way was from Daifang County.

This trip was to lead the way for Wei Zhe and also to introduce the situation to him.

Otherwise, even if Wei Zhe was from Liaodong, it would take him a long time to understand the local situation in Daifang as soon as he took office.

……

"Is Changjun feeling unwell?"

The next day, Wei Zhe looked at the county official Wang Cen who coughed from time to time along the way and said with some concern.

However, Wang Cen misunderstood and quickly explained, "Don't worry, Duke Wei. This is an old illness that occurs every winter. It's not a cold."

After hearing what he said, Wei Zhe immediately realized that this county official might have some problems with his trachea.

"I do have a recipe." Wei Zhe thought for a moment and suggested, "If Changjun believes me, after winter comes, you can make more radish soup with honey and drink it. It might help a little."

Radish is also known as white radish. It was introduced to China as early as the Qin Dynasty and is not a rare thing nowadays.

When Wang Cen heard Wei Zhe say this, he immediately expressed his gratitude.

After all, this wasn't some precious medicinal herb, it was just right for his condition. As for the honey water, forget it; he couldn't afford it.

This county official was quite pitiful. Although he was a Gongcao Shuzuo, he had no money to treat his illness.

His poor family background was secondary; the main reason was that he had a stubborn character and never accepted bribes.

It should be noted that although Gongcao was not of high rank, his power was extraordinary. In addition to controlling the election of officials in the county, he also managed major powers including the budget, military preparations, finances, and taxes. His position was very important and he was regarded as the "highest position in the county", commanding all the Caos. He could be said to be the right-hand man of the prefect.

But even in such a position, Wang Cen still lived a miserable life.

Last year, his illness worsened and he coughed so badly that he borrowed 80,000 yuan from his colleague Shi Xia to pay for his treatment.

The agreement was to pay it back by the end of May next year, so Wang Cen went on a business trip despite being sick, wanting to pay the money back as soon as possible.

After all, the salary from the prefectural government was basically his only source of income, so he dared not miss it.

After finding out Wang Cen's background, Wei Zhe immediately felt a sense of appreciation for his talent.

"Integrity scholars" and "capable officials" are not uncommon, but it is very rare to find both nowadays.

Moreover, if he did not take action, Wang Cen's condition would probably continue to worsen and he would eventually die of exhaustion.

"Don't worry, my lord. Leave it to me!"

After understanding Wei Zhe's idea, Xi Zhicai only pondered for a moment before coming up with an idea...
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references:
Diary of the Second Year of Yuanyan

Book of Gifts and Loans

My Brother's Clothing Letter

(End of this chapter)