Chapter 74 Night talk by candlelight The indulgence lasted for half a day before Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi arrived late with their personal guards and stopped the riot in the city. Because Tian Ze changed the trajectory of the battle, the original 30,000 beheadings and more than 50,000 deaths by jumping into the river became 20,000 beheadings and more than 60,000 captures. In addition, there were more than 200,000 women and children in Guangzong City. These women and children are easy to deal with. Except for those who are sent into the army, most of them can be directly dismissed. However, what to do with these more than 60,000 prisoners has become a huge and troublesome problem. Huangfu Song originally planned to kill them directly to prevent future troubles. After all, most of them were Zhang Jue's loyal followers, not the mob that was prone to cause trouble. However, under the persuasion of Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song had to give up this idea, considering that killing them all would completely cut off the retreat of the more than 200,000 Yellow Turban Army under Zhang Bao in Xiaquyang, which would be detrimental to subsequent wars. Afterwards, these Yellow Turban troops were also handed over to the county governors and magistrates from various places to be taken away and settled and disciplined. This is exactly what Tian Ze wants. During this time in the army, he and Liu Bei often communicated with these county governors and county magistrates. Unlike Liu Bei who relied entirely on his personal charm to win people's hearts and minds, Tian Ze relied on his wealth and generosity in giving away money and food, and successfully built closer relationships with many people.
The county governors and magistrates did not want these Yellow Turban captives, women and children, and most of them were reluctant to take them. After all, these are thieves who do not produce anything! If they are brought to the county, where will they be placed? Who will provide the land and food? It was impossible to rely on the imperial court, which was also in a state of panic. Local tyrants were not short of slave tenants, and they did not dare to use these former rebels. These Yellow Turban captives are simply a burden, and if they are not handled properly they may cause trouble, and maybe even spark a rebellion, the consequences of which no one can afford. Therefore, after Tian Ze secretly sent some shrewd and capable businessmen to find these county magistrates and expressed their willingness to help them solve their problems, these county magistrates agreed without hesitation. One thousand coins for each young and strong man, and three hundred coins for each woman and child. The price is so cheap that a human life is not worth even a stone of millet. After gathering forces from all sides and spending a great deal of time and energy, they finally succeeded in capturing so many Yellow Turban captives. Tian Ze had to be thankful that he had had a conversation with Zhang Liang on a whim before, and he was even more thankful that he did not kill Zhang Niu Jiao but accepted him instead. Zhang Niu Jiao, who claimed to be a general and commanded the Black Mountain Army after the death of Zhang Jiao's three brothers, is now the true successor of Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao passed his talent to Zhang Liang, who then passed it to Zhang Niu Jiao. Today, Zhang Niujiao can also make Taiping Dao talismans that are unique to Zhang Jiao. As long as they see this unique Taoist talisman, all the Yellow Turbans who truly believe in the Taiping Sect will be attracted by Tian Ze. …… As night fell, the post-war military camp was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and joy. The officers and soldiers ate and drank to their heart's content, enjoying the hard-earned victory to their heart's content. But Tian Ze, who was heavy-hearted, couldn't be happy at all. Looking at the people toasting each other in the big tent, the complacent Huangfu Song couldn't help feeling a little cold in his heart. Sure enough, I still can't stand the way this world is.
But now, he has already mastered the ability to hide his emotions, and on the surface, there is no sign of anything unusual, and he is still chatting enthusiastically with the generals. After the banquet, Liu Bei came over and sat opposite Tian Ze in the tent. An oil lamp flickered a dim light between them. Both of them could clearly feel that the other was worried. Liu Bei was the first to break the silence, his tone full of emotion: "Brother Chengshou, although we won this battle, the tragic scene we saw is really heartbreaking." His words were sincere and his concern for the country and the people was evident. Tian Ze nodded slightly and said calmly: "The people will suffer from the disaster of war after all." Liu Bei stared at the flickering lights with deep eyes: "I see the situation today, the officers and soldiers are unbridled. If they are not restrained, they may lose the support of the people." Tian Ze sighed, "Xuan De's concerns are not without reason. But the world is like this, what can we do?" "The court does not have enough food and money to reward the army. The soldiers under General Huangfu have made meritorious services before, so it is fine that they have been rewarded. But the soldiers under General Lu have fought hard for several months but gained nothing. How can they be content?" "The five schools of the Northern Army and the Sanhe Iron Cavalry have sound regulations, sufficient food and wages, and most of them are from good families, so they may not be lacking in these things." "Most of those county soldiers were recruited temporarily or even forcibly. We can't let them go back empty-handed." After visiting the grassroots more often, Tian Ze deeply understood the difficulties faced by these common people and ordinary soldiers. When fighting for the court, they did not expect to achieve any meritorious service. They were grateful if they could return alive and receive enough money and food to support a family for a year. You know, they left home to fight, and without young and strong labor at home, the grain harvest next year would be greatly reduced. The family was already living a hard life with no food to eat and barely making ends meet. If he returned empty-handed, everyone in the family would starve and freeze. Those local officials don’t care whether you have made any contributions to the court. In their eyes, a group of soldiers are as insignificant as ants. Now, because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all counties and prefectures have suffered severe damage and people's livelihood is in decline. In order to achieve their own political achievements, these local officials will most likely intensify their extortion and levy of taxes and plunder the people in the coming year. Otherwise, he would have the same fate as Liu Bei in history, being reprimanded by the Inspector or even imprisoned. Tian Ze understood these soldiers very well; they just wanted to survive. They, like the Yellow Turban people, had done nothing wrong but were struggling in this chaotic world. Upon hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh as well. He also came from the lower class and was well aware of the sufferings of the people, so he naturally understood what Tian Ze said. "Why has the world come to this point?" Liu Bei lamented. "The imperial court does not issue money and grain, and local officials are not governing properly. It is not surprising that such a situation has occurred," said Tian Ze. Liu Bei clenched his fists, his expression filled with grief and indignation: "Thinking of the glory of the Han Dynasty in the past, it has now come to this." "Those eunuchs fought for power and wealth, doing evil to the people, without caring about the lives of the people. The emperor was deceived by these villains, and put the country and the people in dire straits. Alas!" "Does Xuande really think so?" Tian Ze asked with a hint of sarcasm on his face. "Is not it?"
"The late Zhong Chang Shi Hou Lan was almost as powerful as the Ten Chang Shi. He was tyrannical, greedy and self-indulgent. He plundered the property of officials and civilians and seized 118 hectares of farmland from the people. He was a typical eunuch. Do you agree with me, Xuande?" Liu Bei nodded heavily and said through gritted teeth: "Such evil thieves should be cut into pieces to appease the public anger." "But, Xuande, do you know how many hectares of land the local tyrants own?" Tian Ze continued to ask. Liu Bei was silent. How could he not know? Although he was born in a grassroots family, he also had a clan behind him. Otherwise, how could he be qualified to worship Lu Zhi as his teacher? "Let's not talk about other things. There are many powerful people in the area around Guangzong who own hundreds or even thousands of hectares of land. Are these really the ones they accumulated and reclaimed bit by bit?" Tian Ze snorted coldly. "Brother Chengshou, what do you mean?" Liu Bei's eyes were extremely complicated. "I don't mean anything, I just want to chat with you, Xuande." Tian Ze smiled slightly, but that smile was full of deep meaning. "It's late, Xuande, you should go back and rest early. Some things need to be thought about slowly, no need to rush." Liu Bei, with his mind full of thoughts, walked out of the tent in a daze. When he opened the tent door, he suddenly paused, turned to look at Tian Ze, and said solemnly: "Thank you for your guidance, brother." Looking at Liu Bei's leaving back, Tian Ze had a calm expression, but there was a hint of expectation in his eyes. "Xuan De, I don't know how much you can understand and to what extent you can achieve. But with you here, the Central Plains should be more lively. It's not good to let Cao Mengde take the lead alone." Tian Ze murmured. (End of this chapter)