Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 56 Recommending Talent (Please continue reading)

"Shall we make the bow today?"

Zhang Xian wiped the falcon with a new, dry cloth, then turned to Huang Zhong and asked him a question.

"It is better to do it sooner rather than later. Although the wood is all laid in the shade, making a bow is a time-consuming task. It takes more than ten days to straighten and shape the bow body."

"In addition, corner plastering is also very time-consuming. Today, I also bought some dried fish bladders for corner plastering, which will inevitably be a meticulous and time-consuming task."

Huang Zhong counted them carefully, then suddenly turned his head and saw Huang Xu walking in from outside the door.

"Father, Uncle, have some water." Huang Xu brought over a pot of cool boiled water.

The latter patted his head and smiled, saying, "Xu'er, you're a good boy. I have things to do, so go play by yourself."

Huang Zhong took the kettle, picked up the cup on the table, and poured two bowls.

Zhang Xian smiled, drank a bowl of wine, and said to Huang Zhong, "I reckon my sister-in-law should arrive in about half a month."

"Yes." Huang Zhong put down the water bowl with a sigh of relief. The bottom of the bowl was dry. "It's also thanks to the quick thinking of the patriarch that the Zhou family caravan took my wife with them on their return trip. Otherwise, I would have had to make another trip."

"It was just a sudden thought." Zhang Xian shook his head slightly. "But Hansheng really doesn't plan to go back to Nanyang again?"

Huang Zhong's smile faded slightly, his eyelids drooped, and after several attempts, he seemed to have come to a magnanimous decision and said, "I won't go back. There's nothing of value left in my home, and my elders have all passed away. I won't go back to that place."

"But these past years have been tough on my foolish wife. She works day and night to manage the household finances, barely managing to make ends meet." He sighed heavily.

Zhang Xian comforted her, saying, "Sister-in-law, you must be very kind to Hansheng. Use whatever you have on the estate; there's no need to be polite with me."

“The patriarch is kind and loyal, and I will not stand on ceremony with him.”

"Haha, that's perfect!"

"But Hansheng, there's something I need your help with."

"What is it that the patriarch has to say?" Huang Zhong listened attentively.

Zhang Xian pondered for a moment, then released the falcon, which had been completely dried.

"There are already over a hundred children and teenagers in the village. It's not sustainable to let them play in the fields every day. So I'm thinking, shouldn't we invite a teacher to the village to teach them to read and understand things?"

In fact, he originally planned to open a primary school to teach the children in the village, and he even planned to teach it himself at first.

But unexpectedly, things on the estate became more and more complicated, and he was busy every day. The estate had only been built for three months, but there were already many unexpected events, big and small. First, there were bandits and smallpox, then powerful families sought medical help, and then he encountered Huang Zhong and Zhang Jiao.

Brewing involves business, personal relationships, and so on, all of which he has to handle, so the school's affairs have been put on hold.

"This is a good thing. If there are teachers, then Zhen'er and Xu'er won't just run around and play aimlessly every day."

Huang Zhong's face lit up with joy.

“But there are no scholars in the village. I can barely be considered half a scholar, but as you know, I simply don’t have the time to teach.”

"Moreover, there are no books or teaching aids in the village. If I want to read, I can borrow them from the Guo family, but if I use the Guo family's books to teach, I'm afraid I'll offend people."

“That is indeed the case.” Huang Zhong’s expression darkened slightly. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and hesitated before saying, “I do have a friend in Nanyang who is quite literate, but he has committed some offenses that may cause trouble for the head of the family.”

"Oh, what's your friend's name? Is he truly talented? What trouble does he have?"

"My friend's name is Han Ji, courtesy name Gongzhi. He is indeed talented and loves craftsmanship. I learned my bow-making skills from him." Zhang Xian had never heard of the name Han Ji before, so he assumed he was just an ordinary scholar who was acquainted with Huang Zhong. However, his love for craftsmanship was a good thing. Being both a scholar and a craftsman was a great talent in his eyes.

He also casually asked what kind of trouble it was. Small troubles were no big deal, medium troubles would be politely declined, but big troubles would be accepted.

"..." Huang Zhong hesitated for a moment before replying, "...In earlier years, his family was quite well-off and was a local powerful clan. It was said that he was a descendant of a king of a different surname who founded the country. However, due to the persecution of the Nanyang Prefect Chen Mao by taxation, his entire family was sentenced to prison. Now he lives in Luyang in hiding."

"You knew all this? It seems you two are really good friends."

Zhang Xian was somewhat surprised. If someone who had been persecuted by a local governor and had to live in hiding could still tell Huang Zhong his real address, then their friendship was indeed exceptionally good.

However, being targeted by a local governor is a big problem, but it can be dealt with.

"Hahaha." Huang Zhong chuckled, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

"Zhong has no other skills except for martial arts. For a time, my friend was always thinking about avenging his family elders, so he made many friends among heroes. That's how I got to know him."

"Why didn't you take revenge later?" Zhang Xian asked curiously.

"It failed. After all, he is a prefect of a region, and his personal guards are also capable. I was away on business that time and missed the opportunity, so I helped him with some finishing work."

Huang Zhong recalled the past, and then he continued, "After that failure, many people were lost. My friend was also devastated and felt guilty towards his family and friends, so he went into hiding. But I know him, and I'm sure he will devise another plan."

"Master, should we still invite someone like this?" he asked somewhat embarrassedly. At first, he thought he had a scholar friend, but after thinking it over, he realized that this friend was also a troublesome one.

Zhang Xian laughed and said, "Come on, and tell them that I will definitely help them kill their enemy within three years."

Big trouble has its pros and cons. The downside is that it's really troublesome, but the upside is that it can win people's hearts.

Family feuds are the most effective bond, and such a person is someone he can trust to use in Peach Blossom Spring.

"Does the patriarch really want to invite him?" Huang Zhong asked again, as if he hadn't heard clearly.

Zhang Xian waved his hand and said, "Please! The conditions I mentioned before remain the same: an annual teaching salary of 20,000 coins!"

"Master is so kind!" Huang Zhong's face was filled with gratitude again. He stood up and clasped his hands in a salute, as if he were thanking Zhang Xian for saving the person next to him again.

"Go and give this to Xin. I will come back later to learn the art of bow making from you."

"promise!"

Huang Zhong strode out of the thatched hut.

Zhang Xian got up on his own, whistled, and about four or five seconds later, the sound of flapping wings came from outside. The falcon flew back to his shoulder, its eyes sharp.

Stroking the peregrine falcon's feathers, he stepped out of the thatched hut as the sky outside gradually darkened.

The eagle's head twitched slightly as if it had heard something, then it suddenly flapped its wings, its sharp talons gently pushing off its shoulder, and shot like an arrow toward a certain spot in Peach Blossom Spring.

He gazed at the disappearing black figure and muttered to himself, "Han Ji... quite an unexpected delight."

Not long after, the falcon returned, but this time it had a long, bright red worm on its talons!

"Red-banded snake! You damned bastard, get away from me! Don't get on my shoulder!"

(End of this chapter)