Taiheiki

Chapter 54 Big Noise
"A warrior can kill bandits, a writer can write poetry! Talent is hard to come by, talent is hard to come by!" Kuai Sheng sighed. He looked at Wei Cong with admiration in his eyes. He bowed to Han Chun and said, "It is truly a joy for the Lord to have such a talent!"

"No, no!" Han Chun laughed dryly twice. Just as he was about to say something, someone hurried in from outside and knelt down to report to Han Chun, "Master, Master, something bad has happened!"

"What's going on, you're so panicked?"

"Prefect Lu had just walked out of here, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped, sighed twice, and then drew his sword and committed suicide!"

"Ah!" Han Chun's expression changed drastically. He instinctively looked towards Wei Cong and sighed, "Never mind. Dying now might not be such a bad thing. Hurry and prepare a good coffin and put Governor Lu in it!"

Now Wei Cong finally understood what it felt like to be on pins and needles. Even with his head bowed, he could still feel the strange looks from all directions. He had no idea that Lu Ju hadn't died earlier or later, but had drawn his sword and committed suicide after hearing his poem. Wouldn't everyone around him think he had killed him? What an injustice!

"I've heard that a sage can prosper a nation with a single word, but I've never seen it happen. But today, Lord Wei killed someone with a single word, and I've seen it happen!" Kuai Sheng sighed. He stood up, walked over to Wei Cong, bowed deeply, and said, "I'm Kuai Anping, a native of Nanjun, and a Gongcao of this county. I deeply admire your talent, Brother Wei, and look forward to your guidance!"

"I don't deserve it!" Wei Cong hurriedly stood up to return the greeting. He knew that although Kuai Sheng's position as Gongcao was merely a subordinate of the prefect, it held a position of immense power, overseeing elections, punishments, and the affairs of the prefect's subordinates. He was the most respected of the prefect's subordinates, and the Kuai family was one of the most prominent families in Nanjun. As the saying goes, prefects come and go, but Gongcao remains. In a sense, Kuai Gongcao was the most powerful man in Nanjun.

As expected, after Kuai Sheng expressed his opinion, the attitudes of the other people also changed subtly. The faces that were originally tense and arrogant also showed kind smiles to Wei Cong. Of course, this did not include Huang Wan. He was still the same as before, but the look he cast towards Wei Cong had a bit more surprise and uncertainty.

"Everyone!" Han Chun had recovered from the shock of Wei Cong's poem. "Let's first discuss how to deal with the situation after the fall of Hanshou and Linyuan!"

"That's right!" Kuai Sheng also realized: "Now that Wuling County has fallen, the barbarians can directly attack our Nan County. The county soldiers are weak. You are all heroes of this county. The tombs of our ancestors are all here. You must do your best to resist!"

"Of course!" The tall-crowned, long-bearded man beside Kuai Sheng said coldly, "I, Huan Yun, will immediately gather my clan members, prepare our weapons, and prepare to resist the barbarians when I return! However, in order to properly conduct myself, I would like to ask the Lord to give me a title first!"

"That's right! The Wuling barbarians have invaded our Nanjun, and we have no choice but to help!" Someone else said in a deep voice, "With just one order, the young men and heroes of the village will naturally gather. Even if there are tens of thousands of people, we will be ready. I just ask the Lord to give us a name, otherwise it will be embarrassing!"

"Exactly. If you, Lord, grant me this document, I will immediately return home to take care of my children and guests. Within a few days, I will have 5,000 men. Not only will I be able to protect myself, I can also send troops to assist in the defense of Jiangling!"

Wei Cong sat at the back, listening to the impassioned speeches from both sides. Initially, he was moved by their enthusiasm and courage in defending their hometown. A Han Chinese was a Han Chinese, unlike the selfish, weakling gentry of the Ming Dynasty. The local heroes were so eager to defend their hometown at the mere mention of the prefect. With such a kind people, the Qiang and the Wuling barbarians were nothing.

But Wei Cong felt more and more uneasy as he listened. "What five thousand, ten thousand? The county troops are weak, yet you're still preparing for the defense of Jiangling. What the hell are you trying to do? Are you showing loyalty or flexing your muscles to intimidate the county governor? And can you really mobilize five thousand or ten thousand troops at the drop of a hat? Is that true?"

Just as Wei Cong was in a state of uncertainty, Han Chun coughed, interrupting the crowd's declarations of loyalty (or coercion). "I know all of your loyalty, but I've already sent an urgent letter to Feng Cheqi. He's already arrived in Xiangyang, and his vanguard should reach Jiangling in five days at most, or two or three at least. So, you don't have to worry too much about Jiangling. Just defend your own counties. How about this? I can temporarily appoint a commander in each county, commanding a thousand soldiers. Choose a son from your family who is familiar with military strategy and submit the letter!"

"A prefect is a prefect. This tactic of attacking and defending at the same time is truly impressive!" Wei Cong thought to himself. Han Taishou's implication was clear: the imperial army is approaching, so be careful. As for your request, I can partially agree to it. Each county can have a thousand men, and the commanders can use your men.

Everyone exchanged glances, and someone laughed and said, "Since Feng's carriage and horse are about to arrive, the Wuling barbarians will be destroyed soon! We must strictly guard this county and not give the barbarians any opportunity to take advantage!"

"Yes, with a thousand soldiers, it's enough to defend a county!"

"In that case, then we shall follow the orders of the Lord!"

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Half a cup of tea later, Han Chun and Wei Cong were the only ones left in the back hall. The setting sun cast long shadows of the columns on the ground in the back hall, reminding Wei Cong of the prison fence. Soon, the lights in the back hall must be turned on! Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to see anything clearly. A thought suddenly flashed through Wei Cong's mind.

"Meng De, if you have nothing to do tonight, please stay and have a drink with me!" Han Chun's voice came from the top. Wei Cong was slightly startled and quickly responded, "Yes!"

What surprised Wei Cong was that Han Chun really invited him to "have a drink". He asked someone to bring a jar of wine, a plate of salted beans, a plate of pickled leeks, two lacquer bowls, and two pairs of chopsticks, and placed them on the table. Then he dismissed all the maids and servants, sat opposite Wei Cong, took a sip of wine, a few beans, and a few pickled leeks, and started drinking.

"Didn't Deng Zhong say you were the most particular about food? Why are you drinking so dry today?" Wei Cong groaned inwardly. The beans were so salty and bitter, and the pickled leeks were incredibly fishy. He had no idea where they came from, and he couldn't even stomach them. But Han Chun was enjoying them with gusto. Could he be doing this on purpose? Wei Cong had no choice but to leave the beans and pickled leeks alone and drink his wine in silence.

"Meng De, this is hard to swallow, right?" Han Chun suddenly asked.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Wei Congqiang said with a smile.

"Nonsense!" Han Chun slammed the table, knocking the dishes off. "I'm about to throw up from what I've eaten, how can I be okay? You saw what those bastards have done to me!"

"These people finally followed the Lord's example, didn't they?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Hmph!" Han Chun snorted coldly. "I only managed to subdue these guys by borrowing Feng Cheqi's power, but Feng Cheqi won't stay here forever. After pacifying the barbarians, they will leave. What will I do then?"

"You'll probably be leaving your post soon, right? What are you worried about?" Wei Cong thought to himself, but he said, "I'm sure the Lord has already made up his mind. If there's anything I can do for you, I'll be happy to help you!"

Han Chun glanced at Wei Cong and nodded: "Yes, I kept Meng De here because I can rely on him. After all, these guys want to take advantage of the Wuling barbarians' invasion to train their subordinates and guests into an army, gain military merit, and then rely on their power to coerce the county governor. Only power can overcome power, so--" "My lord, are you planning to reorganize the county soldiers?" Wei Cong asked.

"Reorganize the county troops?" Han Chun laughed. "Meng De, are you kidding me? If I reorganize the county troops, that would be exactly what they want! This Southern County has long been their world. Do you think the county troops can be an exception?"

Wei Cong was stunned for a moment, then he understood. If he wanted to recruit county soldiers, he would definitely need officials from the counties in the county. Nanjun was like other counties in the Eastern Han Dynasty at that time. Except for a few officials such as the county magistrate and the county head, the rest of the officials such as Gongcao and Zhubo were almost all the sons of local powerful people. The low-level officers in the army that could be recruited must be local powerful people. This kind of army could be used to deal with foreign enemies, but if it was used to suppress the powerful people in the county, the effect would be worrying.

"What is the county magistrate's plan?" Wei Cong asked.

"Since you, Meng De, are a thief official, ordered to hunt down bandits in this county, then use this as an excuse to recruit a group of archers, around a thousand men. However, try to select them from refugees from all over the place, and don't let the county's powerful families get involved!" Han Chun sneered, "As for the expenses, I'll return the money you confiscated from Zhang Jiawu Fort. That should be enough, right?"

"That's enough!" Wei Cong hadn't expected the money he'd paid to be returned so quickly, and he was secretly delighted. "But if we need a thousand men, we still need a lot of armor and weapons. The armor and weapons we have right now can only arm three or four hundred men at most!"

"All the existing equipment in the armory has been registered and submitted to Feng Cheqi. I can't give it to you! You have to find a way yourself!" Han Chun said.

"Then we'll recruit 500 men first, and the rest will come later. If there's a shortage of weapons and armor, I can make them myself!" Wei Cong gritted his teeth, "But we don't have enough craftsmen or raw materials!"

"Don't tell me about these things!" Han Chun yawned, looking nonchalant. "You figure it out on your own anyway. Deng Shimao values you so much, you can't even handle this little thing, right?"

"You bastard, you're playing PUA on me again!" Wei Cong cursed inwardly, but said, "Then I'll do my best!"

"Well! Things need to be done as soon as possible, otherwise things will change!" Han Chun nodded, looking sleepy. Wei Cong understood the situation and stood up to say goodbye.

Back at the Bandit Cao's office, Wei Cong ordered someone to bring him paper and pen, and quickly wrote a notice recruiting archers. He then instructed his clerk to post it at the city gate. The clerk was startled: "Sir, you didn't write it wrong, did you? Recruiting 500 archers? How could that be so many?"

"Wuling County has fallen!" Wei Cong decided to give his men a tip: "Jiangling will be in great danger. This is the order of the county governor!"

"Ah!" The clerk shuddered when he heard this. He didn't dare to ask more questions. He bowed to Wei Cong and retreated to the door.

"Wait a minute!" Wei Cong stopped him. "Let me ask you, what weapons do you usually use to catch thieves? Do you have bows, crossbows, spears, or anything like that?"

"Sir, you're joking! How could we have those?" The clerk said with a wry smile, "We do have weapons, but they're mostly ring-handled swords, short halberds, hooks, short shields, and the like. We do have five or six bows, but absolutely no crossbows!"

"They're just some short weapons for self-defense. No wonder Zhang Bolu has been a river bandit for nearly twenty years, yet no one can stop him!" Wei Cong snorted coldly, "Never mind. Tell everyone to come to Caozhong tomorrow morning for a martial arts lecture in the shooting range in the back!"

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When Wei Cong returned to his residence, it was almost midnight. Ah Jing brought up some hot soup noodles and pickled garlic. As Wei Cong ate, he asked, "Where's Wen Sheng? Let him come over!"

"My dear, you are looking for me!" Wen Sheng stood in the hall, his upper body slightly bent. The light cast his shadow in the yard, stretching out a long line.

"Come up to the classroom and talk!" Wei Cong waved to Wen Sheng while eating his soup noodles. Wen Sheng responded, came up to the classroom, and stood with his hands hanging down.

"I remember that among you few, you are the best archer, right?" Wei Cong asked.

Wen Sheng was delighted when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "It's better not to say it, but I spend more time on the bow and crossbow every day, so practice makes perfect!"

"Yes!" Wei Cong nodded. "Okay, then. Come with me to the Bandits' Office tomorrow morning. I'm going to gather the officials under my command to give a military lecture. You can be my role model. Don't embarrass me!"

"My dear, are you talking about the thieves under the governor's command?" Wen Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "My dear, don't worry. If it were just them, I wouldn't lose to them in archery!"

"Oh, you are quite confident!" Wei Cong laughed. "How do you know there aren't one or two more skilled fighters among the thieves?"

"Reporting to you, my lord!" Wen Sheng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile. "The archery skills used in the army are different from those used by the common people. The army requires long-range and armor-piercing bows, so the bows they use are much stronger than those used by the common people. Even if there are one or two good archers among the bandits, they don't usually need to shoot down armored bandits, so the bows they use are only forty or fifty pounds at most. Since my lord wants to discuss martial arts with the bandits, it must be to help them reach a long distance, so naturally I want to take advantage of them!"

"That's right!" Wei Cong nodded. "The prefect has asked me to recruit a thousand new soldiers from the refugees to defend against the barbarians from the south. Training them into an army is a complex undertaking. You've all been with me for a long time, so as long as you work diligently, I will definitely treat you well!"

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Early the next morning, Wei Cong and Wen Sheng, accompanied by seven or eight guards, went to the Bandits' Camp. During the Han Dynasty, government offices typically had an open space in the side courtyard to the right of the main hall, surrounded by low walls and used for drying sundries. Wei Cong had it cleaned up beforehand and set up straw targets, using it as a place for archery practice and martial arts training.

(End of this chapter)