Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 94 Taking Office with Fear (Please continue reading 4k words)

The north wind was howling.

Winters in ancient times were exceptionally desolate.

However, Luoyang is clearly not included in this list.

Inside the palace, the effeminate eunuch, with his hands clasped in front of his abdomen and tucked into his sleeves, continued walking towards the inner palace without stopping.

He walked briskly, making the heavily guarded area feel like flat ground.

Before long, he arrived at the inner palace.

"Father, I request an audience."

He kowtowed outside a door, and after a long while, a sound came from inside.

"come in."

The effeminate eunuch rose, pushed open the door, and entered.

“Father, I haven’t visited you in a long time. I hope you won’t be offended. This is some icing sugar that I found while I was away. I hope you like it.”

The effeminate eunuch, with an eager expression, presented Zhang Rang with a wooden box hidden in his sleeve.

"Yes, Lord Yu, you are very thoughtful. You have secured a lot of resources for His Majesty this year, and I remember it all."

Zhang Rang looked listless, casually took the item, and opened it to take a look.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "It's so white."

The effeminate eunuch chuckled, "I know Father loves sweets, so I rushed back to Luoyang as soon as I got my hands on some."

Zhang Rang straightened his body, lying on his side more comfortably, and nodded: "My son is so thoughtful."

"As long as Father is happy, that's all that matters. It's only natural for a son to be filial to his father."

"Alright, anyone could say these things to me. Now, what brings you here to see your father?"

Zhang Rang, having lived in the deep palace for so long, was no fool. He naturally understood that his filial sons and grandsons only wanted his protection.

Seeing this, the effeminate eunuch just chuckled and then said in a humble tone, "I want to stay by my father's side and be filial to him."

"About this matter?"

The eunuch's flattery; "Regarding this matter."

"Hmm, your filial piety is commendable, so I grant your request. However, you must properly hand over the affairs of the auction house. Just inform the eunuch's office later."

The eunuch's eyes lit up with joy, and he quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Father's love is deeply appreciated!"

"Well, let's go down."

Zhang Rang waved lazily, and the effeminate eunuch bowed and took his leave.

At the place where the title was sold, the effeminate eunuch was overjoyed. He summoned several colleagues and presented them with three letters of origin and more than ten gold coins.

"These three men are seeking official positions in Lüchi County, Bingzhou. We will expedite the process."

Several eunuchs took it and looked at it. One of them said, "It just so happens that I also have someone who is acting as the governor of Bingzhou. Let's do it together."

The group discussed it and nodded in agreement.

Documents were passed up and down, stamped, entered into registers, and then transferred out.

The process was executed flawlessly and with exceptional skill.

It's past the end of November.

Dozens of documents bearing different seals and official seals were then sent from Luoyang to various places.

The couriers spurred their horses on, but unfortunately, the thick winter snow slowed them down considerably.
-
Lüqi County.

A house in the suburbs.

Han Ji gathered all the papers, nodded, and let out a long sigh.

"We have gathered intelligence on all seven groups, which took more than forty days. It's time to close the net."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

In a way, we have to thank Chen Mao; he copied some of his own methods from his own experience.

Arrange the stack of gray and white papers into categories.

The paper on the left hand is marked with the words "ironclad evidence".

The records contained evidence of various crimes committed by the powerful and influential, such as the Xu family's private weapon forging and the He family's hoarding of iron ore.

These things aren't that serious; every powerful figure has some involvement.

There are countless such things happening in secret, but if someone really wants to make a fuss about these things, they'll be able to hit them every time.

During the more than forty days he spent in Luchi, he visited the homes of various powerful figures every day, delivering gifts and attending banquets, uncovering various details through clues and observing the habits of these powerful figures.

Then, based on the details he provided, Huang Zhong was able to investigate in detail.

Even if there is only a vague location, Huang Zhong, as the operative, can find out the exact location without anyone noticing.

The combined power of these two elements would leave even Zhang Xian speechless.

After a while, all the important secrets of Luqi County became crystal clear to Han Ji.

The Xu and He families are already like withered bones in a tomb. Even if the lord comes and punishes them in person, it will not cause any gossip.

These two are already the most powerful clans in Lüchi County; as for the others...
Han Ji smiled and said, "Once our lord destroys these two families, we need not worry that they will not fawn over us."

"Bingzhou is still not as good as the Central Plains. I originally thought it would be tough nuts to crack, but I never expected it to be mostly rotten fish and shrimp. All my hopes and dreams have been in vain."

Stretching, Han Ji put all the gray and white papers on the table into a wooden box.

Pushing open the door, the courtyard was a vast expanse of white, with only a few winter plum blossoms adding a touch of color.

He heard the wind whistling in the neighboring courtyard, which was just a wall away, and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"Hansheng has found a good apprentice, but Wenyuan is a boy with extraordinary perseverance."

When he brought Zhang and her son from Yanmen County to Lüchi, he originally intended to send them to Taoyuan. However, considering Zhang's health and Zhang Liao's desire to learn from Han Sheng, he decided to let them stay.

In the two months, he only exchanged letters with his lord twice. Apart from expressing concern for his, Huang Zhong's, and the soldiers' health, he did not ask for much else.

My lord
As Han Ji stepped into the snow, his smile grew even brighter.

People always come first and things come later. Even a lowly soldier, who may seem insignificant to others, is highly valued by his lord.

A woman's kindness? Or a lack of effective management skills?
No, that is precisely what makes my lord so beloved.

That's why I'm so attached to this paradise.

Facing southeast, Han Ji bowed deeply.

"To have such a lord is my greatest fortune!"

The winds of longing blow back to the southeast.

Zhang Xian, a student at Taoyuan Academy, sneezed three or four times in a row, startling all the students.

"It's nothing! Keep an eye on your textbook. My nose is just a little itchy."

Seeing the concerned looks in their eyes, Zhang Xian waved his hand and continued lecturing.

There wasn't much to do in winter, but he couldn't stay idle, so he took advantage of the quality of existing paper to develop woodblock printing and produce books.

Printing wasn't too difficult; he just thought about it for a while and then started doing it himself.

The only troublesome part was that the characters on the woodblock had to be reversed. Fortunately, I was clever enough to print the characters correctly first, and then use the reversed characters printed from the correct characters to save a lot of time.

Now, even the school children and soldiers who were involved in literacy campaigns in Taoyuan have their own textbooks.

His only requirement was that he read it often and find new insights in it, and cherish it.

With Han Ji gone, Zhang Xian found the teaching materials he left behind unsuitable for his own teaching, so he simply stopped teaching literature and started teaching mathematics instead.

Now, under his tutelage, almost all the children in the school have mastered the "Nine-Nine Song" (the multiplication table of the Eastern Han Dynasty).
They memorized and wrote from memory, and all 123 students in the hall mastered it.

He was about to start teaching mathematical symbols today, but before the class could officially begin, he was interrupted by a series of sneezes.

Just as they were about to resume, several reports rang out outside the thatched cottage.

Zhang Xian frowned. "I just wanted to teach the application of mathematical symbols, why is there so much trouble!"

He put down his book and instructed, "Take out Mr. Han's textbook and read it aloud on your own. Huang Xu and Li Zhen, manage the class well."

"Yes, sir."

As I stepped out of the thatched cottage, I was greeted by Xiahou Lan himself.

"What's wrong?" He asked after pulling Lan Di a little further away.

Xiahou Lan cupped his hands in greeting: "A servant from the Guo family came by and said that something from Brother Xian has arrived."

"thing?"

"Official document!"

Zhang Xian's eyes lit up. After waiting for a month and a half, the official position that had cost him millions of coins had finally arrived!
"Where are you? Please come to the main hall!"

"promise!"

Xiahou Lan turned and left. Zhang Xian returned to the thatched cottage once more to give instructions, and then hurriedly went to the main hall.

Main hall.

Zhang Xian sat at the head of the table, and a servant from the Guo household, brought in by Xiahou Lan, respectfully presented him with a wooden box.

"You must be tired from your journey, Brother Lan. Please treat this brother to a meal and help him warm up."

Upon receiving the wooden box, Zhang Xian did not open it immediately, but instead inquired about the health of the servant who had delivered it.

Xiahou Lan nodded in agreement, and then led his servants out.

No wonder there's so much trouble. Servants must personally deliver things to their masters; otherwise, they can't afford any mishaps. This is the rule for delivering things.

With no one in the main hall, Zhang Xian opened the wooden box, inside which was neatly arranged a stack of cloth and three metal seals about the size of a thumb.

He picked up the seal and saw that there was no red ink underneath, indicating it was newly printed. He had seen too many reversed characters lately, so he recognized the characters on it without even needing to print them out.

Lü Si, Han Ji, Cheng.

Lu Si, Huang Zhong, Wei.

Lü Si Zhang Xian Ling.

These three seals are the identity seals that can verify one's identity. As for the county magistrate's seal, that thing usually lies in the county government office.

Having learned about the seal, he then picked up the cloth.

They confirmed their official positions from the long string of vague and rambling text above.

Everything was as agreed when the official position was purchased.

What a fine eunuch! He actually does his job after taking the money, which is much better than a bunch of scholars who only take the money and do nothing.

With his official position in place, Zhang Xian's expression became slightly unrestrained, but he quickly regained his composure.

"They have been waiting for more than forty days, and their letters also mention that things are going smoothly."

He got up, walked to the window, pushed open the closed window, and took a breath of cold air.

"Then it's time to set off."

That day, the group from Taoyuan began to prepare. With the title of county magistrate, it was perfectly normal for him to command five hundred soldiers. Moreover, he only planned to take four hundred soldiers with him, leaving three hundred behind to guard Taoyuan.

So there's no need to hide anything; you can use whatever good stuff you have!
After two days, the four hundred Peach Blossom Clan members were fully prepared and ready to go. Each of them carried a special backpack containing their armor.

Everyone was wearing lamellar armor with 800 plates, weighing 18 kilograms, and their helmets were also iron-plated leather helmets, but they were not put in their backpacks and were worn directly.

Four hundred soldiers from Taoyuan were equipped with swordsmen, shields, and ring-pommel swords; spearmen were equipped with three-meter spears and ring-pommel swords; archers were equipped with two-stone longbows and ring-pommel swords; and cavalrymen were equipped with long spears, short bows, and ring-pommel swords.

The four hundred men stood in neat formation, exuding an imposing presence, with the warhorses Zhang Xian had assigned to them beside them.

Looking at the soldiers who had been training hard for ten months, he was also filled with emotion. Changshan was indeed a peaceful place, but it was not a good place for the soldiers of Taoyuan.

There were no thieves to kill; the only time they had any real bloodshed was when Zhang Xian led a few dozen of his soldiers to the Li family.

But things changed from there.

Bingzhou, a border region, is home to bandits and foreign tribes, all of whom must be suppressed by force. From now on, the soldiers of Taoyuan will truly experience blood and fire.

"Headquarters!"

On the high platform of the martial arts training ground.

Zhang Xian shouted.

"exist!"

A chorus of "Stand at attention!" rang out from below.

"Xiahou Lan!"

"I hereby order you to command three hundred soldiers to garrison Taoyuan! Without my order, you shall not send troops without cause!"

"promise!"

"Zhao Yun!"

"I hereby order you to lead three hundred soldiers to escort provisions and relatives to Lüchi!"

"Order!"

"Zhao Shi, Zhao Hu!"

"Get the troops in order, and follow [the leader]—"

"Take up your post immediately!"

"promise!"

Zhang Xian, his bear-like cloak swaying slightly, descended the platform and mounted his warhorse, which was entirely black except for a white patch between its brows.

In two days, he arranged everything that needed to be arranged, and the fortified village in the Peach Blossom Spring was built to maintain the status quo for the time being.

All the special craftsmen from Taoyuan went to Lüchi with the team, which means that Taoyuan will only be able to farm, make armor, bows and weapons from now on.

The blacksmith kept He the blacksmith on the job. He had learned a lot from the Tong brothers over the past few months and was now capable of working independently.

The workers from other sugar-making, wine-making, and paper-making industries were all taken away.

They were worried that if these three skills remained in Taoyuan, others would covet them, so they simply kept them with them.

Their families naturally went along as well.

Before leaving the manor, Zhang Xian and Zhao Yun paid a final visit to Tong Yuan and Zhao Yun's family, who had moved to Taoyuan.

"Your disciple is about to embark on a long journey and will not be able to stay by your side to fulfill your filial duties."

"A man's ambition lies in all corners of the world; just take good care of yourself."

Tong Yuan rarely showed a hint of kindness, and patted Zhao Yun's head: "You have no talent for command, so listen to your brother Xian in everything."

Tong Yuan released his hand: "Go and say goodbye to your mother and brother."

"Yes," he nodded obediently, his eyes slightly reddening, and walked toward his family.

After glancing at Zhao Yun's back, Tong Yuan turned his gaze to Zhang Xian and became stern.

"When you are out in the world, you are not just yourself. You have the lives of many on your shoulders. Think things through carefully and don't be rash."

"This disciple understands." Zhang Xian also appeared exceptionally obedient.

"That's good then." Tong Yuan nodded slightly and then waved his hand: "Then go. I have nothing to worry about here, so don't worry about anything."

".only."

After bidding farewell, four hundred members of the Peach Blossom Spring community were already waiting outside the manor.

The first hundred cavalrymen were half swordsmen and half bowmen, while the last three hundred cavalrymen were mostly spearmen and lancemen.

In addition, there was a long procession of carriages and horses, with a lot of grain and fodder tied to them. The relatives accompanying the army helped drive the carriages, and after Zhang Xian and his companion returned and gave an order, they arrived.

The line began to move slowly.

"Brother Yun, I'm entrusting the supplies to you! I'll be going now!"

"Don't worry, Brother Xian! As long as I'm here, the supplies will be here!"

"A chance encounter amidst worry!"

"A chance encounter amidst worry!"

"My unit! I'm here to take up my post! Bye!"

He took the lead and went out first.

"promise!"

Subsequently, more than a hundred followers joined him.

The north wind whipped up snowflakes, making the bear-man's cloak flutter in the wind. A hundred iron cavalrymen, like a black line, slowly cut through the vast snowfield. Their hooves pounded the frozen earth with a dull thud, and snow dust flew out between their hooves, only to be quickly torn apart by the wind.

(End of this chapter)