Taiheiki

Chapter 43 The Book of Songs
"Yes, yes!" Yang Zheng nodded twice, lowering his head to concentrate on grilling the fish. Wei Cong felt that Wang Shou's words were a bit too much, so he coughed and said, "Yang Zheng, I have never liked raw food since I was a child. I don't mean to look down on raw fish sashimi. In fact, there are people in Luoyang who like to eat raw fish sashimi!"

"Really?" Yang Zheng raised his head and looked at Wei Cong curiously. It was the first time he heard an official speak to him so kindly.

"Yes! Isn't there a line in the Book of Songs? If I eat fish, I must eat bream from the river. If I marry, I must marry a woman surnamed Jiang from Qi! It means that if you want to eat fish, you must eat bream. If you want to marry, you must marry a woman surnamed Jiang from Qi. The bream mentioned here is sashimi! The Book of Songs originally talked about the customs of the ancient Central Plains, including the Wei Feng, Chen Feng, and Qi Feng. This shows that people in the ancient Central Plains already ate sashimi."

"Mr. Gongshi, you are really knowledgeable. Do you have the "Chu Feng"?" someone asked by the fire.

"Chu Feng?" Wei Cong was stunned when he heard this, then laughed and said, "That's not the case!"

"Why?"

"Because the Book of Songs was compiled by the ancient Zhou Emperor by having his subordinates collect songs from the people. However, the Chu State was a barbarian land at the time and did not obey the Zhou Emperor's jurisdiction, so naturally there was no "Chu Feng". However, the Chu people did have their own poetry, and that is "Chu Ci"!"

Upon hearing Wei Cong's explanation, the people around the fire were filled with reverence. In Han Dynasty Confucianism, the so-called "classics" referred to the works of sages, namely the Six Classics: The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, The Book of Music, and The Spring and Autumn Annals. Confucius once said, "If you don't read the Book of Songs, you can't speak!" This doesn't mean that if you don't read the Book of Songs, you can't speak. Rather, it means that the Book of Songs held a crucial place in the communication of aristocratic society at the time. Nobles had to quote specific verses from the Book of Songs to express their ideas. If you didn't understand the content of the Book of Songs, you would not be able to correctly understand the other person's meaning, leading to misunderstandings. By the Han Dynasty, the Book of Songs no longer held the dominant position in upper-class communication that it had in the pre-Qin period. However, in the eyes of people from lower classes like Wang Shou and Yang Zheng, it still served as irrefutable evidence of Wei Cong's noble background.

"Finally, it worked! Damn, I only remember a few sentences. Showing off my knowledge is so fucking tiring!" Wei Cong sighed as he watched the admiring glances from those around him. He had long since discovered that at the time, those from the upper echelons of society, like Deng Zhong and Cao Cao, didn't place much importance on a person's status (of course, they would also consider your background, but it alone meant little to them, after all, they'd met so many masters), and instead valued talent. Conversely, those from the lower classes, like Wang Shou, Diwu Deng, and Yang Zheng, while certainly impressed Wei Cong's abilities, the best way to get them to obey him instinctively was to have a distinguished background.

Therefore, after giving out the reward money, Wei Cong immediately tried his best to show off his "noble origin" in front of everyone. Otherwise, if he only gave money, he would be despised by these soldiers and rowers, and regarded as a "sucker" who was easily paid. Wouldn't that be counterproductive?

"The fish is ready!" Yang Zheng carefully placed the grilled fish sashimi in front of Wei Cong. Wei Cong casually picked up a bamboo skewer, put it to his mouth and took a bite. It was hot, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Apart from the lack of seasoning, the taste was indeed good. He nodded and said, "It's grilled well. Come on, Wang Shou, take a piece too. Don't watch me eat it alone!"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Wang Shou was the first to reach out and take a piece, followed by the others. Finally, Wei Cong smiled at Yang Zheng and said, "Come on, take a piece too, and let's eat together!"

"Thank you, my dear!" Yang Zheng bowed to Wei Cong before picking up the fish sashimi and eating it. Wei Cong swallowed the last piece of fish and put the bamboo stick aside. He clapped his hands and said, "At dawn tomorrow, we will begin preparing to attack Wubao!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Cong felt the atmosphere around him become tense. Hesitation and fear were revealed on everyone's face. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I don't intend to let you fill the Zhang family's trench with human lives. I have a better way! Yang Zheng, you are a local, so you should be familiar with the surrounding situation, right?"

"That's right!" Yang Zheng nodded. "My village is only about ten miles away from here, so I'm very familiar with the surrounding area!"

"Well, pick twenty articulate oarsmen and divide them into five teams. Each team will take some of the bandits' robes and weapons and go to the surrounding villages and towns to announce that the government intends to punish the Zhang family and that they were defeated by us yesterday! I will also write some notices, and you will post them in every village or town you visit. Do you understand?"

"Should we announce yesterday's events and post a notice? I'll remember that!" Yang Zheng hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Sir, can someone else do this?"

"Change someone?" Wei Cong frowned. "What's wrong? Are you inconvenienced?"

"That's what's going on!" Yang Zheng explained, "I also want to be like Brother Wang and serve you!"

"But this is also working for me!" Wei Cong laughed.

Wang Shou, familiar with Yang Zheng, guessed his intention and said with a smile, "My dear, Yang Zheng must be saying that he wants to follow you and kill bandits like us! Yang Zheng, is that what you mean?"

"Yes, yes! That's what I meant!" Yang Zheng nodded repeatedly.

"Like Wang Shou, Diwudeng, and the others?" Wei Cong was stunned when he heard this, then laughed and said, "This is no joke. Swords and guns have no eyes, and military law is ruthless. You'd better think carefully!"

"Actually, we rowers also participated in the battle today, even though we only shot arrows and threw stones from the back! And we also contributed to the killing of Zhang Bolu!" Yang Zheng said carefully, and then he hurriedly explained: "My dear, I am not saying that you are unfair. On the contrary, we have also received your rewards, so it is natural that we get less than those who fought hand-to-hand with the bandits. However, I think that in terms of strength and martial arts, I am no worse than others-"

"So you also want to fight with the bandits during the next attack on Wu Fort, just like Wang Shou, Diwu Deng and others?" Wei Cong asked.

"That's right!" Yang Zheng nodded repeatedly: "That's what I meant!"

Wei Cong did not say anything. When he distributed the rewards, he deliberately gave the rewards to the rowers and soldiers together. The rowers received fifty coins each, and the soldiers started with a hundred coins. If there were those who made the greatest contribution, they would get even more. There were also many soldiers who received three hundred or five hundred coins. The purpose was to stimulate these rowers. After all, if one only looked at their physical condition, these rowers selected from the dragon boat race would definitely be much stronger than the soldiers recruited from the refugees.

Seeing Wei Cong remained silent, Yang Zheng felt a little uneasy. He gritted his teeth and said loudly, "Sir, when it comes to martial arts and strength, I, Yang Zheng, am no worse than anyone else. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to come and compete with me!"

"Yang Zheng!" Wei Cong smiled and asked, "How many of the oarsmen share the same idea as you?"

"I don't know how many there are!" Yang Zheng answered carefully, "At least forty or fifty people!"

"Hmm!" Wei Cong nodded. "That's a good idea, but forget it this time! Being a soldier under me, strength and martial arts are certainly important, but more important are cooperation and being able to follow commands and flags to advance and retreat. Those soldiers have been training for two or three months before going into battle. Letting you rush into battle like this will only harm you!"

"Yes!" Yang Zheng was somewhat disheartened by Wei Cong's rejection, but he had also seen the Yuanyang team on the battlefield and knew Wei Cong wasn't just making excuses. "Don't be discouraged!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Actually, what I'm asking you to do is very important. The Zhang family's Wubao has been running for a long time. If they just hold on, I'm sure they won't be able to take it down with my limited numbers. I'm asking you to post notices in all four townships to let the surrounding villagers know that the Zhang family is about to fall. Zhang Bolu has been arbitrarily ruling the countryside for years, and he must have offended countless people. If the situation changes, there will be countless people who will take advantage of the opportunity to seek revenge. Only by leveraging the power of everyone can we eradicate this nest of the Zhang family!"

"My lord, this is a really good plan!" Zhao Yannian's voice came from the side. It turned out that he had just gone out for patrol. When he came back, he heard Wei Cong's words and couldn't help but cheer up: "I was just thinking about how to capture Wu Fort if the Zhang family persisted in their evil deeds, but I didn't expect that my lord would come up with such a brilliant plan.

"Haha!" Wei Cong laughed. "Sun Tzu said, 'To conquer the enemy without fighting is the best of all!' I don't have Sun Tzu's ability to conquer the enemy without fighting. But after winning a decisive battle in the field, we must make good use of the victory, just like a victorious fighting cock, puffing up its crest, spreading its wings, crowing loudly, summoning allies, increasing our own power, and making the enemy fearful before the battle even begins. This is the essence of the art of war!"

"Yes, sir, that's a good analogy!" Zhao Yannian said with a smile, "I've heard captains and generals talk about the art of war several times in the army, but this is the first time I've heard someone explain it so clearly and in such a simple way as you do!" He paused briefly and said to Wei Cong, "I also learned something while patrolling the camp just now. I hope you will understand!"

"Oh, Yannian, tell me about it!" Wei Cong asked with interest.

"This is what I think!" Zhao Yannian sat down by the fire, picked up a bamboo stick, and drew on the ashes as he spoke. The more Wei Cong listened, the more excited he became. Finally, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Not bad, not bad, it's really a good plan. Don't bother two people with one thing. Let Yannian handle this matter!"

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Zhangjia Wubao, watchtower.

Bonfires blazed in the night on the distant riverbank like fallen stars, but they were brighter than the stars in the sky, yet they never flickered, sometimes expanding and stretching, sometimes falling and gloomy, like distant fireworks, faint and dim.

The enemy camp was about three miles away from him, Zhang He estimated secretly. He was high above and could see everything.

"Why not a night attack?" a childish voice came from the watchtower. The speaker was a sixteen-year-old boy. Because he was born with an extra finger on his left hand, everyone called him "Six Fingers". "We are very familiar with the enemy camp. It's behind the cemetery. Even without lights, I can find it at night!"

"Kid, because we just lost the battle during the day. People who have just lost don't have the courage to attack at night!" The answer came from a short, fat, bald man with broad shoulders and muscles like a rock. "Besides, the enemy has built a wall and there are bamboo sticks in the trenches. Are you going to fly over?"

"Stop imagining it!" someone whispered, "It's all over. From the day General Zhang died in the river, everything was over. A snake cannot survive without a head. No one in the Zhang family can issue orders on General Zhang's behalf!"

Zhang He shook his head. Unlike these desperate guests from far and wide, since he was surnamed Zhang and a member of the clan, there was absolutely no reason for him to jump ship and flee. He would rather die here with his parents than abandon his ancestral tombs and become a wanderer in a foreign land. A gust of night wind blew, lifting the roof of the watchtower above him and letting out a sharp wail. He instinctively shrank his neck, trying to find shelter, but suddenly he froze.

"On the river, on the river, come up and take a look!" Zhang He shouted anxiously to the people below the watchtower.

People rushed to the watchtower and saw more than ten spots of light on the river in the distance moving towards the enemy camp. Obviously, they were boats.

"Reinforcements, reinforcements!" someone murmured to himself.

"Didn't they win the battle today? Why are they sending reinforcements?" someone asked.

"They want to completely surround the fort!" Someone suddenly realized: "That's why they sent reinforcements!"

Words were like knives, cutting open the truth and exposing it to everyone. If I'd been frustrated before, now I was in despair. No matter how strong the Zhang family's Wu Fortress was, without external reinforcements, it would eventually be breached, not to mention the fact that they didn't even have a decent leader.

"Staying here means dying!" the short, bald man shouted, "Who's coming with me now?"

"Are you crazy? Or it's night time, you can't see a thing!"

"That's better than staying here and waiting to die. It will be too late when daybreak comes!" The bald, short and stocky man said coldly, "I'll wait a quarter of an hour. No more!"

Everyone fell silent. Then one person walked up to the bald, stocky man, and then another, like a stream of people. After a while, only three people were willing to stay. They were all members of the Zhang clan. The bald, stocky man nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, you're all sensible people. Go find a rope. It's too troublesome to open the door at night. Let's use the rope to lower ourselves down."

Things like this continued to happen throughout the night, and when the sun shone on Zhang's Wubao again the next day, there were less than a hundred guests and followers left.

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"Yannian, your trick of bluffing and using fire as a weapon is really useful!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

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(End of this chapter)