Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 43 Praising the powerful and belittling the weak, the ways of the world

……

That night, a bonfire was lit again in Dongpingli.

It hadn't been long since the celebration held when Li Sheng led a group of local militia to transport more than 3,000 shi of grain back from the northern villages.

The villagers were spontaneously happy for Li Sheng, even though he emphasized that the celebration had only lasted a few days.

Some of the wealthier villagers brought out their homemade liquor, while others served cured meat and vegetable soup. Children chased and played around the fire, and the whole village became lively again.

This year has been the happiest year for the children.

Li Sheng was pushed to the head seat by the crowd. He couldn't refuse, so he sat down without hesitation and picked up the pottery bowl.

The bowl contains homemade fermented rice wine.

"Come, gentlemen, drink this bowl to the brim!"

"Drink to your heart's content!"

Everyone raised their bowls in unison, and their laughter shook the campfire.

After a few rounds of drinks, Liu Wu came over with his wine bowl.

He sat down next to Li Sheng and lowered his voice.

"Brother Sheng, I have something I want to tell you."

Li Sheng put down his bowl.

"you say."

Liu Wu first raised his bowl and offered a bowl to Li Sheng.

"Brother Sheng, I'd like to congratulate you on becoming the head of the pavilion..."

Li Sheng raised his wine bowl as a gesture, then spoke directly.

"Just say what you want to say between us."

Liu Wu carefully considered his words before speaking slowly.

"Brother Sheng, it's like this. As far as I know, a local official usually has at least a dozen or so guards under his command. What are your plans for arranging these people?"

Because of his father's connections, Liu Wu had some influence in the village and knew more about the affairs of the village head than Li Sheng.

Li Sheng glanced at him, somewhat surprised.

"Oh, is there any particular explanation for this?"

Liu Wu explained.

"Brother Sheng, what I mean is, we definitely can't use the people under the former village chief. After all, it's better to choose from among our own brothers than to use outsiders whose backgrounds we don't know. The brothers have followed you through thick and thin, Brother Sheng, and we can trust them."

More importantly, although the village soldiers were not as good as the county soldiers, their supplies were still shared by the village. If our brothers could become village soldiers, the pressure of food supplies would be much less.”

He spoke sincerely, and every word he uttered was for Li Sheng's benefit.

Li Sheng was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

"The provisions for the village guards are actually borne by the local community?"

"Brother Sheng, it's like this..."

Liu Wu then explained the ins and outs to Li Sheng in detail.

Li Sheng listened and nodded from time to time.

He had never paid attention to these details before. After Liu Wu explained them to him, he thought about it and realized that the so-called "pavilion soldiers" and "county soldiers" were nominally part of the rural corvée labor, but in reality, these jobs were not available to ordinary people.

The real lucrative positions in the village had long been divided up by the local powerful landlords.

They installed their own people as garrison soldiers, which exempted them from taxes and corvée labor, and they could also receive a monthly ration, making a profit both ways.

With this in mind, Li Sheng gradually understood.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded.

You're right.

He looked up and glanced around the campfire.

Li Feng was sitting not far away, quietly eating his meal. Zhao Hu and Liu Lu were playing a drinking game with someone. The other dozen or so villagers were sitting in twos and threes, all with smiles on their faces.

"How about this?"

Li Sheng withdrew his gaze.

"You and Li Feng should discuss and handle this matter together. Pick the most capable people from the local militia and form a team. The number of people doesn't need to be large, but they must be of high quality."

Liu Wu was taken aback.

"I should discuss it with Li Feng? Brother Sheng, aren't you going to ask about it?"

"right."

Li Sheng picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

"You two, one steady and the other quick-witted, are both brothers I trust. The results you come up with are always better than me making decisions on my own."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wu felt a surge of sincerity in his heart. He was reassured by Li Sheng's unconditional trust and immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute, speaking with certainty.

"Okay, Sheng-ge, I'll go find Li Feng right now."

He got up and left.

Liu Gong kept glancing at this side out of the corner of his eye from the bonfire not far away.

Although he was old, he was still hard of hearing and managed to catch the gist of Li Sheng and Liu Wu's conversation, albeit in fragments.

He squinted as he watched Liu Wu walk toward Li Feng. The two spoke in hushed tones, and Li Feng also looked toward Li Sheng.

Liu Gong withdrew his gaze, looked at Li Sheng in the main seat, gently stroked his beard, and his resolve became even stronger.

Sheng-ge'er... he truly possesses a talent bestowed by heaven.

Li Sheng asked Liu Wu and Li Feng to discuss the matter of selecting new soldiers.

One of them was in charge of the daily operations of the local militia, while the other was in charge of devising strategies. The two were not originally on the same side, but now that they were gathered together to discuss matters, they were mutually restraining each other, and neither of them could deceive him.

It wouldn't be surprising if the sons of officials knew these methods, but Li Sheng was young and had never been taught these things, yet he had mastered these checks and balances techniques on his own.

What a genius!

Liu Gong sighed inwardly.

Just as they were marveling at this, a commotion suddenly erupted at the village entrance.

Then, the sentry on duty outside the village led a group of people over.

Several torches lit up from the other end of the village road, and seven or eight people walked in indistinctly. The one in the lead was wearing a brocade robe, followed by several servants carrying gift boxes.

Li Sheng looked up and recognized the person who had come.

They were several wealthy households and small landlords in Siyang Township.

These people are usually arrogant and wouldn't even give the poor villagers of Dongping a second glance, but tonight they've all come in full force.

The leader, surnamed Zhang, was a well-known wealthy man in the village. He owned two shops and employed more than a dozen tenants.

He entered the threshing ground with a big smile on his face and walked over with his hands clasped in front of him.

"Oh my, Chief Li! Congratulations! I am Zhang Yu, and I came to offer my congratulations upon hearing of your promotion!"

Several small landlords behind him also gathered around, each of them smiling like flowers.

"Young Master Li is a hero with a bright future ahead of him!"

"This is but a small gift, nothing more, but I hope the village head will accept it with a smile!"

The servants lined up the gift boxes, which contained money, cloth, silk, and dried fruit.

The most eye-catching item was a pair of soft, soap-colored silk-linen blend shoes.

During the late Han Dynasty, village chiefs patrolled the countryside, apprehended thieves, and traveled between post stations, relying entirely on their own two feet. Ordinary villagers mostly wore straw or hemp shoes, which would wear out their soles after a few days. These shoes, however, were made of sturdy materials, with fine stitching, and the upper was flexible and durable, so they wouldn't hurt the feet even after long walks. They were the most practical and suitable item for Li Sheng at that time.

This wealthy man surnamed Zhang certainly put a lot of thought into it.

When Li Sheng saw the shoes, he naturally realized the intention behind them.

The villagers around them looked at each other in surprise, their eyes falling on the heavy pile of gifts. Then they saw the usually arrogant rich man now looking down and down. They were first surprised, and then a sense of pride welled up inside them.

Li Sheng stood up.

He didn't decline or show any modesty, but strode forward, glanced at the gifts, and laughed heartily.

"You're all too kind!"

He clasped his hands in a salute, his tone hearty and forthright.

"We're all from the same village, so we'll have to help each other out in the future. I, Li Sheng, appreciate Brother Zhang's kindness!"

After saying that, he waved his hand.

"Liu Lu, accept the gifts from our distinguished guests and move them to the back!"

Liu Lu responded and led a few of his men to carry the gift boxes.

Zhang Yu was taken aback at first, then his smile deepened.

He had thought Li Sheng would be affected by past events, but he was surprised to find that the man was so decisive.

However, accepting a gift shows appreciation, and that's how the connection is established.

"Chief Li is indeed straightforward!"

Zhang Yu gave a thumbs up.

"If you ever need anything from me in the future, just let me know!"

Li Sheng patted his shoulder with such force that Zhang Yu stumbled.

"Brother Zhang is so kind! Since you're here, please sit down and have a bowl!"

Zhang Yu grimaced at the slap, but dared not show the slightest displeasure. He quickly took the wine bowl and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, the other small landlords also came over to offer toasts, and Li Sheng accepted them all, drinking bowl after bowl with great enthusiasm.

The villagers around them saw this and were filled with pride and glory.

In the past, these wealthy households were arrogant and disdainful of the dust that would get on them when passing through Dongping Village. Now, however, they are groveling to offer gifts and curry favor, all because Li Sheng has become the village head and has given Dongping Village a strong backing!

"Look at Fatty Zhang, with that fawning look on his face. Before, when he came to our Dongping Village, he wouldn't even give us a second glance!"

"Of course! Now that Sheng-ge'er is the village head, he's come running over here like a puppy!"

"Haha, that's great!"

The effects of the alcohol intensified, and the night grew deep.