Taiheiki

Chapter 30 Racing

On the banks of the Jiangling River.

"I still don't understand what the dragon boat race has to do with fighting pirates!" Cao Cao looked at the narrow boat being slowly pushed into the water under his feet and asked Wei Cong in confusion.

"Of course it does!" Wei Cong laughed. "What's a dragon boat race about? Who's faster, right? And speed itself means power. No, it should be said that power is directly proportional to the square of speed!"

"What's proportional to the square of speed?" Cao Cao was completely confused by Wei Cong. "Of course I know a faster ship has an advantage in a naval battle, but that only applies to gaining the upper hand or escaping, right? In a real fight, we still have to rely on bows, arrows, spears, and lances!"

"Bows, arrows, spears, and lances!" Wei Cong laughed. "These things can only kill people, and the damage to the ship itself is limited. What if we can instantly punch a big hole in the side of the enemy warship, or even break it in two?"

"You mean the catapult?" Cao Cao asked, then shook his head. "The catapults we can install on a ship probably aren't powerful enough to punch a hole in it, let alone break it in two!"

"Have you ever considered that the ship itself is the best weapon?" Wei Cong pointed to the bow of the ship, which was being submerged by the river water. "There's a ram there. If we're going fast enough, our bow can smash a big hole in the enemy ship's side, or even cut it in two. No matter how skilled those pirates from Zhang Bolu are at naval warfare, they can't fight us while standing barefoot on the water, right?"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up, and he muttered to himself, "That's true, but, but can the ship be that fast? And the pirates aren't fools. They'll use bows and arrows to shoot the oarsmen!"

"So the hull must be long and narrow enough to accommodate more rowers. The rowers must also be good enough, and there are two layers of rowers on it. As for the pirates' archers!" Wei Cong laughed: "I will lay a layer of wooden boards on top of the rowers' heads, so that the enemy's archers will not be able to hurt our rowers!"

"So you took the opportunity of the dragon boat race to recruit rowers?" Cao Cao suddenly realized.

"That's right!" Wei Cong laughed. "The main weapon of this warship isn't the bow, the fire, the sword, or the spear, but the ram. And it's the rowers who drive the ram. Without the rowers' concerted efforts, this warship wouldn't be able to unleash its power."

"That's easy!" Cao Cao laughed. "We have plenty of money. We can spend at most one million. Are you afraid we won't work hard?"

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For most people in Jiangling, winter was a dreary and miserable season. The crops had long been harvested, but this did not mean the arrival of leisure. On the contrary, official corvée labor and the orders of powerful officials rained down on every ordinary person, suffocating them. Life seemed to remain unchanged, unchanging.

For some unwilling to accept the status quo, the newly launched dragon boat race offered a ray of hope to break this dreary and miserable existence. Winning first place would earn a bounty of 120 coins. This was no small sum. An adult man's annual tax was only coins. If they won first place, at least the boat crews wouldn't have to worry about paying their taxes for several years. Upon hearing the news, many villages with strong young men salvaged their sunken dragon boats, dried them, and painted them, ready to compete in the dragon boat race. From the river and the harbor, the rhythmic beat of drums and oars would occasionally echo, startling a flock of waterfowl.

At noon on the appointed day, the shores of the race were already packed with people. Life in ancient times was extremely boring, and even the upper class had limited entertainment. A dragon boat race of this scale was rare. The shore was filled with dragon boats of various colors and shapes. The rowers were relaxing on the shore, some even eating, waiting for the race to begin.

"One, two! One, two!"

With the sound of a neat beat, a long and narrow boat slowly rowed towards the competition venue. It immediately attracted everyone's attention - it was 18 steps long and only about two steps wide (one step in the Han Dynasty was 1.4 meters). It was the largest among all the participating boats. And unlike other boats, this boat was double-decker - two layers, each with a row of oarsmen. A rough calculation showed that this boat had nearly a hundred oarsmen alone, far more than other dragon boats.

"Could this person also be here to participate in the competition?" someone asked in amazement.

"That should be it? Otherwise, why would they come here at this time? But this ship looks so weird, it actually has two floors!"

"I think this boat is quite ingeniously built. Dragon boat racing is all about speed. Whoever has more rowers, whoever has the most power, and whoever works together will win! Look at the rowers on this boat. It has seven or eight times more than the other boats. How can the other boats compete with it? I bet the first place prize of ten thousand yuan will definitely be his!"

"Nonsense, you don't need to tell me this, I already know it! But I think this is so unfair. In dragon boat racing, we compete on the rowers' strength and unity. What he did is clearly like throwing money at people! How can this be justified!"

"Yes, dragon boat racing is just a dragon boat racing, it's not about competing for wealth!"

Faced with objections from the audience and other contestants, the organizers immediately responded: This new boat belonged to a friend of the organizers. Although it was participating, its performance would not be counted. In other words, even if it won first place, the 10,000 yuan prize would not go to it. Instead, it would go to second place, and so on. After hearing this answer, the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Amao, your friend made such a big fuss but only brought a strange boat to participate in the competition. Why?" A thin young man with a clear face asked, pointing at the river.

"Uncle Ziyan, who knows who drugged A'man with all this magic? He's become a completely different person since arriving in Jingzhou, getting into all this nonsense!" Cai Mao's face was devoid of the arrogance of a nobleman, and instead he looked respectful. The young man's name was Huang Wan, a descendant of the Jiangxia Huang family. He was the great-grandson of Shangshuling Huang Xiang and the grandson of Taiwei Huang Qiong. He was considered a child prodigy in his youth and later served in the imperial court as the General of the Five Officials. However, because he and then-Minister of the Imperial Household Chen Fan reformed the electoral system to eliminate requests from the powerful, they were impeached. Not only was Huang Wan dismissed from office, but he was also ordered never to be employed again, leading him to retire at home. (Historically, this man conspired with Wang Yun to assassinate Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo's remnants captured Chang'an, he and Wang Yun were both killed. He was a scholar-official deeply loyal to the Han Dynasty.)
"Aman, are you talking about Cao Jixing's grandson?" Huang Wan asked.

"It's him, who else!" Cai Mao carefully observed Huang Wan's expression and said cautiously, "Actually, A'man is quite a good person. He's nothing like the other eunuchs' children who are servile and domineering!"

"Amao, don't explain! I met his grandfather, Cao Jixing, in Luoyang. Although he was a eunuch, he was worthy of being called a loyal elder!" Huang Wan's attention was already drawn to the strange boat below. It was already docked in the waters on the far right of the competition venue, only twenty steps away from the shore. A few curious and xenophobic teenagers even picked up stones to throw at it, but no one succeeded - the oarsman's position was tightly blocked by the drooping baffle, and the stone hull bounced off. Woo woo woo!
As the horn sounded, the participating dragon boats rowed towards the designated position, and the referee began to explain the rules: the rules are very simple, all the boats stop at a rough horizontal line, and set off when they hear the whistle. Whoever reaches the finish line three miles away first wins. Any accidents that occur along the way are borne by the contestants themselves. In short, there is no distinction, no rules, and no rules.

Dudududu——!
With a sharp whistle, Huang Wan saw the strange boat rush out first. A thought flashed through his mind: How fast! The battle for first place was over from the start. The double-row boat rushed out like a wild horse, leaving a narrow trail of white waves in its wake, and soon it was outclassed by the dragon boats behind by more than half a mile.

"Ah Mao!" Huang Wan had lost interest in the unpredictable match. He said to Cai Mao, "Tell me the truth. Is that friend planning something big?"

"What's the big deal?" Cai Mao pursed his lips in disdain: "I just want to kill a few river thieves!"

"Kill the Jiang bandit?" Huang Wan's face changed drastically, and he pressed the issue. Cai Mao had no choice but to reveal the truth he knew, and finally added: "Aman forbad me to tell anyone, Uncle Ziyan, please don't harm me!"

"At such a young age, you dare to plot to kill General Jiangyi!" Huang Wan laughed: "Cao Jixing, Cao Jixing, you have an extraordinary grandson!"

"I think he's courting his own death!" Cai Mao pursed his lips. "I've heard so much about General Jiangyi's reputation that my ears are callused. If he didn't have the ability, he would have been beheaded long ago. How could he be alive today? He's only fifteen or sixteen years old, and he wants to kill Zhang Bolu with just a few ragtag gangs he has assembled? He's truly out of his mind!"

"In my opinion, not necessarily!" Huang Wan said with a smile, "So far, he still deserves the title of brave and resourceful. If this is successful, it will eliminate a threat to Jingzhou and Jiangbei. I will write a letter to Chen Zhongju on his behalf, recommending him as a young hero!"

"Chen Zhongju? Chen Fan, the Grand Marshal?" Cai Mao widened his eyes. As one of the "Three Lords", although Chen Fan had been dismissed from his position as Grand Marshal because of his party members' affairs and returned to the fields, his reputation among the people had only increased. If Cao Cao could get his praise, his reputation would definitely soar and he would become the number one among his peers.

"What's wrong, Ah Mao, are you jealous?" Huang Wan laughed: "If you go too, I can add your name to the letter!"

Cai Mao hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head with a dejected look. Huang Wan said in a deep voice, "You understand now! Some things are useless just thinking about them. A real man's actions speak louder than words!"

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The dragon boat race was over, the last boat crossing the finish line. The people on the shore turned away, some disappointed, some satisfied. Unlike previous May 5th dragon boat races, this one didn't feature a grand ceremony honoring Qu Yuan. Furthermore, the winner wasn't from Jiangling or the surrounding area. Out of simple xenophobia, the locals watching didn't bother cheering for the winners as they usually do.

The scene at the prize money collection area was quite different. The dragon boat racers, who had just crossed the finish line, stood outside the bamboo shed, awaiting their fate with mixed emotions. The strange boat's dominant performance had severely bruised their pride. Although they had been told that the strange boat would not be competing for the prize money, everyone had eyes and knew who the true winner was. Anyone with eyes could tell, and the prize money was a real pain in the ass.

"You are all here to collect your reward money!" A man in a crimson robe smiled at everyone.

Everyone stood up without hesitation. The helmsman Yang Zheng, who won first place (actually second place), bowed and said, "Yes, we are all here to collect the reward money!"

"That's all right. Send one person from each boat. Line up in order of rank, and then follow me!" The man waved his hand, and everyone hurriedly obeyed his orders, bustling about. The man in the crimson robe didn't rush them, but just watched with a smile, occasionally chatting with a few burly and strong young men.
"Your arms are full of strength. You must have earned a lot of rewards this time, right?"

"Not bad. We all worked together and took third place. After all, everyone got a few hundred coins in cash. At least we don't have to worry about the tax this year!"

"That's good, that's good. If we can add a few more, we can have two more piglets at home!"

"I dare not even think about it. I dare not even think about it. Just a few strokes of the oars and I can get a few more piglets. How could such a good thing happen in the world?"

"Don't be so sure. Sometimes when luck comes, you can't stop it!"

"Earning a reward in the middle of winter is already a blessing! In this day and age, who dares to expect more?"

As they were talking, everyone had already lined up. The man in the crimson robe led them into the bamboo shed, first announcing the names of their boats and then, after confirming their accuracy, distributing the reward money. Just as they were about to leave, a man emerged from behind the bamboo shed. It was Zhao Yannian. Wang Shou, standing beside him, shouted, "The steward has arrived!" The young men, confused as to what was going on, quickly bowed down.

"Everyone, please stand!" Zhao Yannian cupped his hands and made a round bow. "It's truly remarkable that you all have come out on top in this dragon boat race. I've prepared some wine, and I hope you'll take the time to drink with us."

Although no one was well-read, they could understand most of what Zhao Yannian meant. Everyone felt a little embarrassed. Everyone knew that the real champion of this dragon boat race was that strange boat, and they could only compete for second place at best. Although the shape of the boat was a bit strange, since ancient times, no one had restricted the shape of the boat or the number of oarsmen in dragon boat racing. Since the rules had no restrictions, it was allowed.

(End of this chapter)