In the Three Kingdoms period, the opening scene features the killing of Huang Gai, shocking Zhou Yu!

"Fifteen months' salary?"

As a surrendered general, this treatment was already extremely good.

Zhang Lu quickly bowed deeply:

"Thank you, Prime Minister."

That night.

In the study of the Zhang family mansion in Nanzheng City.

Because Cao Cao's army had taken full control of the city's defenses.

Therefore, the first night after Hanzhong changed hands was relatively peaceful.

Zhang Lu under the solitary lamp

=From the most hidden compartment in the study, a yellowed ancient book was found.

That was the foundation of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, passed down by his grandfather Zhang Ling and father Zhang Heng—the *Laozi Xiang'er Commentary* and the *Five Pecks of Rice Daoist Book*.

This book records the "Way of Heaven" of healing with talismanic water, saving people with almshouses, and achieving universal harmony.

It was a truth that his Zhang family had revered as divine authority for three generations.

Zhang Lu stroked the bamboo slips, but the recruitment notice printed with "meat for lunch and dinner" kept replaying in his mind.

He shook his head with a wry smile.

Then he picked up the brush and opened the first scroll.

After hesitating for a long time in the blank space, I wrote a line:

"A talismanic water can cure all diseases, but it is not as good as welfare to warm people's hearts; a charity house can save the world, but it is not as good as going to work in a factory."

After writing,

He also felt that it was too disrespectful to the ancestral master.

So they gave up.

Use a knife to carve away the words, leaving only a mark.

It has been changed to,

"Braised pork...that's the true path."

……

To be honest, Cao Cao has been in a very good mood ever since his army set off.

To capture this auspicious land without losing a single soldier was something we never dared to dream of before setting out on the campaign.

It really turned into a tourist trip.

It's like casually strolling along the roadside and suddenly finding a max-level game account with top-tier equipment. Not only is the password written all over its face, but the security measures have also been removed, so you can change the password at will and enjoy the thrill of dominating the server.

The next day, early morning, in the council hall of the Nanzheng Prefectural Government.

Cao Cao took the seat that originally belonged to Zhang Lu.

"Cough cough."

Cao Cao suppressed his smile and adopted the dignified demeanor befitting the Duke of Zhou of the Han Dynasty.

There wasn't any military action today, just the routine "asset inventory" and tallying of the spoils.

"Gongqi, now that you have understood the greater good and submitted to the court, it is time for us to hand over all military and political affairs in Hanzhong according to the proper procedures."

Later, Cao Cao asked the three fundamental questions that rulers throughout history had when receiving new territories.

"Tell me the truth. What is the current registered population of Hanzhong? What is the amount of money and grain in the treasury? How many soldiers are ready for battle?"

As soon as he said this, everyone in the hall turned to look at Zhang Lu.

Liu Ye, who was in charge of logistics, and Yang Xiu, the marching clerk, had already taken out cardboard and charcoal pencils, and were listening intently, ready to take notes.

Hanzhong is famous for its wealth.

Zhang Lu's reaction to Cao Cao's question was subtle.

In his eyes,

Clear-cut stupidity.

It's like a college graduate fresh out of university entering the workforce, feeling completely lost and bewildered when their boss suddenly launches a soul-searching critique of their KPIs.

"Uh...Prime Minister."

He stammered as he began to speak:

"As for the household registration... our Five Pecks of Rice sect believes in education for all. Anyone who believes in the religion, has drunk the talisman water, and has paid five pecks of rice is counted in our population. There are probably... a few hundred thousand, right?"

"Approximately? Several hundred thousand?"

"What kind of number is 'hundreds of thousands'? Three hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? Isn't there any specific record in the Yellow Register (household registration book)?"

Cao Cao was puzzled. What did this mean? Did this old fellow want to hide the population?

Since you've already surrendered, shouldn't I be the one to know this?

Zhang Lu was also puzzled as to why Cao Cao was taking it so seriously, but he still responded confidently.

"Your Excellency is wise. How can we, as cultivators of immortality, be bound by mortal registers? Wouldn't that be a step down from the proper path? As long as we all have the Celestial Master in our hearts, why should we care who's on the register?"

Cao Cao suppressed the urge to hit someone.

Fine, fine, your household registration is a mess, I'll accept it. At worst, I'll have someone check it again.

"In that case, let's put aside the household registration for now. What about the treasury's money and grain? Hanzhong has always been prosperous. You must have accumulated quite a fortune over the past twenty years. Take it all out and contribute it to the future development of Hanzhong."

"Vault? Granary? Key?"

Zhang Lu's eyes looked even more confused.

"Prime Minister, this... as you know, ever since Zhang Tianshi, we Taoists have regarded money as dirt and have never been tainted by the stench of money!"

"In the prefect's mansion, there are only scriptures, no gold or silver."

"The five bushels of rice, money, and goods that the followers usually contribute."

We simply replaced the grain with a uniform one and poured it into the large granary of the charity shrine.

"Passing refugees and disaster-stricken people, if they get hungry, can simply go in and get meat and rice to cook for themselves. How convenient!"

Zhang Lu became even more proud as he spoke.

"We advocate 'governing by doing nothing'. We never assign anyone to oversee things, nor do we keep accounts or inventory."

"As long as everyone is sincere and only takes enough for themselves, the Heavenly Venerable will naturally bless the granaries so that they are never empty, and that they are inexhaustible!"

"Crack!"

It was the sound of Yang Xiu's charcoal pencil being snapped in half and falling to the ground.

Liu Ye fared even worse; he clutched his chest, his vision went black, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

"Quick! Help Ziyang up!"

The civil official next to him quickly pinched his philtrum.

The entire civil service was on the verge of chaos at this moment.

"You...you say that again?"

Yang Xiu pointed a trembling finger at Zhang Lu, his expression filled with disbelief.

"Twenty-five years? You've ruled Hanzhong for twenty-five years! Such a vast territory!"

"There aren't even the most basic inbound and outbound records? Not even a gatekeeper?"

"What are warehouse entry/exit records?"

Zhang Lu humbly sought advice, his face full of sincerity.

"Cough cough cough!"

Liu Ye was in an even worse state, feeling as if a surge of blood was rising in his throat. Pointing at Zhang Lu, he said:

"It's just an account book! Isn't there any depreciation? It's one thing to not keep track of food consumption, but at least you should record who ate how much meat and took how much cloth!"

"And even if we take a step back and assume you manage things well, if those corrupt officials in Hanzhong didn't steal anything, who's responsible if the rats eat the food? Who's responsible if it gets damp and moldy? Are you going to blame it all on Laozi?"

Is this what you call governing a country?

This is worse than playing house; it's not even as good as the makeshift troupe at the village entrance.

The key point is that Hanzhong has not been in chaos during these 25 years of fighting. Hanzhong has not been eaten away, and there has been no large-scale famine or riot. This is really a miracle!

Could it be that the Five Pecks of Rice sect's theories are actually correct? And that the laws of the Han Dynasty are all rubbish?

Zhang Lu disagreed, thinking they were truly two "common people":

"My lords, your hearts are too filthy, and you think too badly of people."

Those grains were offered to the Heavenly Venerable; who would dare to steal them?

Who would dare to embezzle funds? That would be a divine punishment, condemning them to the deepest hell!

"As far as I know, the people of Hanzhong have been honest and simple for over twenty years; they would never do such a thing!"

"Ha ha ha ha--!"

A burst of laughter came from a corner of the hall.

In this situation, only Zhao Yu could laugh.

"Zhao Yu, what are you laughing at? My head is throbbing, how can you still laugh?"

Cao Cao was rubbing his throbbing temples; his blood pressure had soared to a dangerously high level.

Zhao Yu wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, walked to the center of the hall, and circled around Zhang Lu.

"Lord Zhang, I used to think you were just a charlatan, but today I realized I was wrong. I never imagined that you would be ahead of us in terms of 'business model' and even ahead of the Han Dynasty."

"Prime Minister, please don't force him to hand over the account books. He's just a figurehead; he can't produce them."

"Lord Zhang is not governing the country; he has built a huge factory in the entire Hanzhong region, and everyone in Hanzhong, whether believers or ordinary people, is an employee of it."

"factory?"

"No, what I mean is that once employees pay a fee—five pecks of rice—they can go in and eat as much as they want, until they're stuffed!"

"The reason it hasn't gone bankrupt in the past twenty-odd years, without any management, is neither due to divine protection nor the honesty of the people."

The words are blunt, but absolutely correct.

"It's all thanks to Hanzhong, this blessed land with favorable weather and abundant harvests, where output far exceeds consumption."

"Furthermore, Lord Zhang used that 'divine retribution' theory to conduct a deep-seated fear-based marketing campaign among the people!"

"The wealth of Hanzhong is a mess. Just because he doesn't keep accounts doesn't mean that those below him don't keep accounts. It should all be scattered in the hands of those high-ranking officials."

"Once the news of Lord Zhang's surrender spreads, those local leaders who usually line their own pockets by taking advantage of 'free buffets' and act like local tyrants will probably not be so obedient."

Sure enough, Zhao Yu had barely finished speaking when...

A messenger came out from outside the door. (From Zhang Wei bringing back the message that they had decided to surrender, to the formal surrender, yes, the timing matches up.)

"Report! Prime Minister! Something terrible has happened!"

"The three chief priests of Chenggu and other places, under the banner of 'Defending the Righteous Shrine,' refused to accept the surrender order from Nanzheng and declared a rebellion!"