Chapter 37: Splashing dirty water on Cao Ah Duan

  In the county government's inner courtyard, after everyone else had left, only Zhou Wu remained.

  Zhou Jian paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, his eyebrows tightly furrowed together, as if he had a major decision that was difficult to make.

  Zhou Wu's heart was filled with doubts, and he asked: "Young master, is there something important that you want me to take care of?"

  Zhou Jian stopped in his tracks and said with a sigh, "That's right, there is an extremely important task that I originally wanted to assign to Jiang Qin, but I'm afraid Jiang Qin will betray me again and turn against me, so I can only entrust it to you."

  Zhou Wu asked: "What is it that you want?"

  Zhou Jian's eyes gleamed with a fierce light as he said, "Infiltrate the enemy camp and assassinate the Governor of Nanyang, Chu Gong."

  "Sneak into the enemy camp and kill Nan Yang Governor Chu Gong..."

  Zhou Wu was shocked, assassinating the local governor was no small matter, once leaked, it would bring disaster to the whole clan.

  Zhou Jian said sternly, "The Taiping Rebellion is the best opportunity. As long as I can make military achievements during the rebellion, I will find a way to become a governor of a prefecture later on. Among all the prefectures in the country, Nanyang is the most superior one, with over 50 million households and more than 200 million people. Not only is it rich in money and grain, but also produces high-quality iron, making it a land of prosperity. If I want to become the governor of Nanyang, I must kill Chu Gong."

  Zhou Wu nodded and said, "I understand."

  Zhou Jian said, "Bowing to the enemy is not a trivial matter. Take half of your followers and change their names and surnames to disguise themselves before going. After ambushing Chu Gong, you can decide what to do according to the situation, but remember that you must not reveal your identity."

  "Understood, I will follow orders."

  Zhou Jian nodded, just about to have him prepare, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him. Since Zhou Wu was going to pretend to be a bandit, why not take the opportunity to splash some dirty water on Cao Adou's body and achieve two goals at once.

  Even if we can't get rid of Cao Ah'Dou by underhanded means, we must at least make him suffer a bit.

  Zhou Jian immediately said: "I heard that Pei Guo's Qiao County has two big surnames, Cao and Xiahou. You can pretend to be Cao Ren, and the followers you bring with you will be renamed Cao Hong, Cao Chun, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan, all of whom are relatives of these two families. The more crimes they commit, the better."

  Zhou Wu asked in confusion: "I don't know why you want to frame these two families?"

  "This matter you don't need to ask much about for now, you will know later."

  Zhou Wu did not dare ask again and could only say: "Your subordinate obeys orders."

  The corruption of the Eastern Han court was not formed in one or two days.

  For hundreds of years, the comfort has made the officials in the court accustomed to dealing with sudden events in the most stable but least efficient way, without giving enough attention to rapid emergency response.

  Less than two months from March 5th, escorting Taiping Taoist disciples to Luoyang, back and forth, the yellow flower dishes have all gone cold.

  Such a way of dealing with it is naturally the most stable in a peaceful and prosperous world, but when faced with the Yellow Turban uprising that shook the foundation of the Han court's rule, it can only be said that the rulers of the Han court are no longer adapted to the stage of historical development.

  The rebel leader had not yet been escorted to the capital when a few days later, another secret memorial shocked the imperial court once again.

  Zhang Jue's disciples Tang Zhou and others presented a memorial to the emperor, all of whom spoke of the Taiping Dao's plot to rebel.

  As soon as the news was confirmed, the whole country was shocked and the capital city was in an uproar.

  Emperor Ling of Han, in a fit of rage, had Yang Zhong, the Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat, thrown into prison to await trial, and Yuan Wei was dismissed from office.

  After Zhang Miao's secret memorial was presented, Yang Zhong still spoke for the Taiping Sect and was not directly convicted of treason, which was already a great luck.

  Fortunately, Tang Zhou informed on him, if he had waited until Chen Liu's rebellion was suppressed and brought to the capital, it would have been too late.

  This proposal was made by Si Tu Yuan Wei, who was found guilty of dereliction of duty and was dismissed from office.

  The capital, Luoyang, Deyang Hall.

  The Emperor's face was ashen, his anger still unabated.

  The civil and military officials' faces were solemn, and they remained silent with bated breath.

  Zhong Changshi Zhang Rang was constantly wiping away cold sweat, secretly thinking that it was fortunate he hadn't spoken up for the Taiping Dao, or else disaster would have befallen him.

  Emperor Ling angrily said: "Since I ascended the throne, although I have not made any achievements for the country, I have also been kind to the people. Why have there been continuous disasters and rebellions in recent years? Now Zhang Jiao has gathered 36 routes of troops to plot against me, what do you, my dear officials, advise me to do?"

  Taishi Yang Zuoban said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Jiao has led the people of Qing, Xu, You, Ji, Jing, Yang, Yan and Yu eight states and thirty-six roads to rebel, and there are also internal traitors responding to him. It is not possible not to prevent this. It can be ordered that each state quickly capture and kill the followers of the Taiping Dao, and behead and expose in the market the eunuchs Feng Xu and Xu Fu. If the bandit leaders are executed, then there will be no need to worry about the rebellion."

  All officials hastily agreed and dared not speak rashly again, lest they invite disaster by their own words.

  Ling Emperor said: "This proposal is very good, Yang Qing can make arrangements as soon as possible."

  Yang Xizhong said in a loud voice: "I obey your orders."

  Eunuch Zhang Rang hastily said: "Your Majesty, the Magistrate of Sheyang County, Chen Xi, has achieved great merit in pacifying and comforting the people. He can be appointed as the Minister of Liang State."

  "Your Majesty, no!"

  As soon as Zhang Rang's voice fell, Taifu Yuan Feng hastily stepped out of the ranks and said loudly: "The magistrate of Sheyang County, Chen Xi, is an unscrupulous official. Many people in Sheyang have been displaced due to his misrule and have been misled by the Taiping Dao. I request that Your Majesty make a clear judgment."

  "What's this? Such a thing?"

  Emperor Ling hastily looked at Zhang Rang and disbelievingly asked: "Zhang Rang, is this true?"

  Zhang Rang was furious with Yuan Feng for causing trouble and hastily said: "There is absolutely no such thing, I beg Your Majesty to investigate clearly."

  "Your Majesty, every word I have spoken is true, I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Please make a clear decision!"

  All the officials also hastily agreed, the struggle between the eunuchs and the party people has been going on for a long time. Zhang Rang wanted to take the opportunity to promote his relatives and children, so the officials naturally couldn't let him have his way, and they strongly advised against it.

  The Emperor obviously trusted Zhang Rang more, and upon hearing this, he frowned and said: "Zhang is loyal to me with all his heart, how dare he deceive me? Elder Yuan need not speak further. Pass on my imperial decree, appoint Chen Xi as the Chancellor of Liang State."

  Zhang let out a loud whoop of joy and thanked him profusely, "Your humble servant will obey your orders."

  All officials let out a long sigh, looking at each other in silence.

  The news of the Taiping Tao uprising was leaked, and the imperial court arrested and killed many Taiping Tao followers. Ma Yuan Yi was torn apart by carts, and within a few days, more than 1,000 people in the capital city of Luoyang were implicated. The imperial court also ordered Jizhou to pursue Zhang Jiao.

  Zhang Jue heard the news and immediately issued a proclamation to the eight provinces and thirty-six roads, hastily starting the uprising.

  The whole of China was in a state of uproar, the flames of war bursting out everywhere. The Taiping rebels wore yellow turbans on their heads and called themselves the Yellow Turbans. They shouted slogans like "Heaven is dead, Earth is alive, the first year of the new era has arrived, good fortune for all" as they attacked cities and ravaged the countryside, their advance as unstoppable as a broken dam.

  When the news reached Luoyang, the capital was shaken and the whole country was in an uproar.

  Emperor Ling of Han hastily appointed He Jin, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, as the Grand General, to lead the five regiments of the Imperial Guard to prepare their weapons and guard the capital; he also set up garrison commanders at the passes of Huanyuan, Dagu, Guangcheng, Yiguan, Zhenluan, Xuandemen, Mengjin, Xiaopingjin and other strategic points around the capital.

  At the same time, he issued a decree to strictly guard against it in all places, ordering each state and county to train soldiers, prepare weapons, and eliminate the rebel army.

  Bei Di Taishou Huangfu Song presented a memorial requesting the lifting of the Party Prohibition, taking out palace funds and fine horses from the Western Garden to establish cavalry, and also had court minister Lü Yang speak out: The Party Prohibition has been accumulating for a long time, if it is allowed to collude with the Yellow Turbans, there will be no remedy.

  Emperor Ling of Han accepted the proposal, and on a day with a water element ( 壬子), he issued a general amnesty for all those involved in the eunuchs' factional struggle, allowing them to return home. He also ordered all officials to donate horses and crossbows, and to recommend sons and grandsons of famous generals as well as civilians who were known for their strategic thinking to come to the public carriage office for an interview.

  For a time, people from all over the country rushed about and wailed, congratulating each other with clasped hands.

  Crowds surged at the Public Vehicle Office, the Northern Army's camp was filled with cries of killing.

  Late at night, Zhang let go home.

  Chen Fang stepped forward and bowed deeply, saying: "Junior official Chen Fang pays his respects to Lord Zhang."

  Zhang's eyes didn't blink as he asked in a sharp voice, "County Magistrate Zhou sent you to see me, what is the reason?"

  Chen Fang replied, "Sir Zhang is wise and insightful. Since we parted ways in the capital last year, my family's elder has never forgotten Sir Zhang's kindness and favor. He specially ordered a servant to come to your mansion to pay his respects and bring some humble gifts, which I hope you will accept with a smile."

  Zhang Rang swept his eyes over a trunk on the ground, seemingly intentionally moving it.

  Chen Fang examined his words and facial expressions, and immediately ordered two attendants to open the box. Suddenly, golden light filled the room, dazzling everyone's eyes.

  However, what attracted Zhang's attention was not a whole box of gold and silver treasures, but another small box.

  Chen Fang glanced at Zhang Rang and smiled, saying: "Last year in early spring, my family's elder was on an inspection tour of the countryside, and when passing through a mountain forest, he encountered a fierce tiger. He personally killed it and took its skin to present to you, Lord Zhang, to keep out the cold. Please accept it with a smile."

  "All right, Magistrate Zhou has taken pains."

  Zhang Rang exclaimed "good", his pale face broke into a smile, and even the wrinkles on his face came alive.

  Chen Fang finally breathed a sigh of relief, as long as this old eunuch made up his mind, the rest would be easy.

  Zhang Rang stepped forward, took the tiger skin and held it in his hands to examine it carefully. The more he looked at it, the happier he became. He then asked: "I don't know what task County Magistrate Zhou has entrusted you with that you have come to our humble abode?"

  Chen Fang smiled and said: "General Zhang, you are wise and discerning. Now that the Taiping rebels have gathered a crowd and risen up, the imperial court wants to send troops to quell them. My family's elder has long had the heart to report to the country and bring peace to the people, and wants to make contributions to the imperial court. However, his position is low and he cannot leave his post without permission. I hope General Zhang will give him more support."

  Zhang Rang's mind was entirely on the tiger skin, and upon hearing this, he nodded and said: "This matter is easy, Zhou Xian has the bravery of a tiger slayer, he must be a fierce general. Now that the imperial court is in need of capable people, our family will petition to the Emperor tomorrow and ask for his pardon."

  Chen Fang was overjoyed and bowed deeply to the ground, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for your support."

  Zhang Rang glanced at Chen Fang and said with a sarcastic smile: "If the County Magistrate of Zhou has the heart to kill enemies and report to the country, if he achieves military merit in this expedition, it is natural that he will be promoted to official rank. At that time, don't forget about our family!"

  Chen Fang hastily said, "My family's elders often say that the kindness of Zhang Gong in promoting me is not to be forgotten. If this time we are lucky enough to achieve merit in suppressing the Yellow Turbans, it will all be thanks to Zhang Gong's promotion, and I dare not forget it."

  Zhang Ran nodded in satisfaction, "It's good this way, it's good this way!"

  Chen Fang cursed silently, seeing that his goal had been achieved, he hastily bid farewell and retreated.

  As they left Zhang's residence, a follower asked: "Old Chen, what kind of official position do you think the Emperor will grant to the young master?"

  Chen Fangdao said, "The governor captured and exposed the Taiping Taoist rebels with merit, and also had the eunuch Zhang Rang recommend him to the emperor. As a county magistrate of the same rank as a military commander, it's not unexpected that he should be promoted to a position like a regional commander."

  The attendant exclaimed: "The school lieutenant has the power to command troops and can lead a battalion of two thousand soldiers, which is much stronger than the county magistrate."

  Chen Fang smiled and said: "Whether it can be done or not will be known tomorrow."

  Zhang's mansion.

  Chen Fang had just left when another guest arrived at Zhang's residence.

  "Please let Lord Cao Song, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, pass through and pay a visit."

  The attendants rushed in and reported respectfully.

  "What? Cao Song?"

  Zhang Rang grunted, Cao Shuang was the Grand Minister of Agriculture of the current dynasty, in charge of money, grain and taxation, and was also the adopted son of the late Central Regular Attendant Cao Teng. He had always been closely related to the eunuch party. It must be an important matter for him to come to the mansion at midnight. He said: "Quickly, please come in."

  The subordinate obeyed and left.