jdhmnovel Chapter 381 The 4th Generation Celestial Master
Chapter 381 The 4th Generation Celestial Master
After appeasing Zhuge Jin, Guan Xing immediately ordered Liu Zan to transport all the grain and fodder hidden outside the city back.
That was enough rations for tens of thousands of troops for more than ten days. What if they got damp while stored in the cave? So they had to be transported back to the city to dry before being stored in warehouses to ensure that the rations could be used normally.
Subsequently, Guan Xing, in the name of Zhuge Jin and Liu Zan, ordered the recall of all Wu troops stationed at outposts and garrisons outside the city. He still needed these outposts and garrisons and could not simply abandon them, but he would not allow Wu troops to hold them anymore; he would definitely replace them with his own men.
Furthermore, with the fall of Yuhan City and the capture of Zhuge Jin, the balance of victory had completely tilted in favor of the Han army. Therefore, Guan Xing did not rush to send troops to Damu, but instead made the following deployments for Yuzhang.
First, Ning Huan was appointed as the Prefect of Yuzhang, leading an army of 10,000 to garrison Yuhan and prevent Yu Fan of Nanchang, Zhou Tai of Chaisang, and even Cao Ren of Wanling from invading.
Geng Shang was appointed as the Prefect of Yuzhang County, in charge of land reform within the county. A group of soldiers who had participated in land reform were transferred from the army to assist him. He was instructed to carry out land reform while simultaneously harvesting the autumn grain. The rice in Poyang Lake was about to ripen, and Guan Xing had already considered it his for the taking. He could not allow Yu Fan to take it away.
Yu Fan probably thought the same way, so in the near future, Ning Huan and Yu Fan will definitely have a big fight over the grain collection, and even Cao Ren will come to get involved.
Finally, Li Tong was appointed as the Sima of Yuzhang and tasked with finding a site near Yuhan to rebuild the military market. Business still needed to be done, and Li Tong had many years of experience in managing military markets, making him a perfect fit for rebuilding the market. Who else could they ask?
In addition, Guan Xing specifically instructed Ning Huan to take Wei Hu to Linru to build another steel plant after arranging the defense of Yu Han. Wei Hu, the sixth leader of the bandit army, is a blacksmith from a family with a long tradition of craftsmanship. Such good skills should not be wasted.
Moreover, the autumn harvest is just around the corner, and harvesting requires a large number of sickles as tools. Without enough harvesting tools, how are you going to compete with Yu Fan for grain?
Even if it's not for collecting grain, we still need to make money. The Han Dynasty's various markets are basically blank, and iron farm tools are essential for people's farming and daily life. There is also a huge group of merchants acting as distributors. As long as the farm tools are produced, there is no worry about selling them. With technology, market, and a large number of distributors, what reason is there not to build a steel plant?
As for why the steel plant was not built in Yuhan but in the remote Linru County, which was at risk of being robbed by Yu Fan, the reason is simple: Linru has abundant coal and iron mines.
Linru is the later Ruzhou, known as the "coal sea of a hundred miles". Building the steel plant there would at least eliminate worries about raw materials and transportation, which would save costs.
After making the above arrangements, Guan Xing mustered 20,000 troops and set off again, leading his army eastward straight to Damo, preparing to annihilate Lu Xun and completely resolve the war within the territory of Kuaiji.
To put it bluntly, at the beginning of the war he was genuinely afraid of Lu Xun. After all, Lu Xun's historical reputation was there for him, and he was really apprehensive about facing him rashly.
Therefore, Guan Xing did not dare to confront Lu Xun head-on. Instead, he frantically maneuvered and infiltrated, constantly chipping away at Wu's forces from the outside and cutting off Lu Xun's wings. With the deaths of Han Dang, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and others, and the capture of Ma Zhong, Zhuge Jin, and Liu Zan's surrender, Lu Xun was finally cut down from a soaring eagle into a bald chicken and trapped in the Zhejiang-Jiangxi corridor.
In this situation, even if Lu Xun were to resurrect Han Xin, he would probably be powerless to turn the tide. Therefore, he naturally had nothing to fear and could simply crush the enemy.
That morning, after breakfast, Guan Xing mustered his 20,000 troops, completed the pre-battle mobilization, and was about to give the order to set off when Ning Huan hurriedly ran over and bowed, saying, "General, there is a Taoist priest named Zhang Sheng outside the city who requests an audience. He says he is the great-grandson of Zhang Daoling, the fourth son of Zhang Lu, and the fourth-generation Celestial Master of the Five Pecks of Rice sect. He has a small matter he would like to ask the general for help with."
"Uh..." Guan Xing stared in astonishment, his mouth agape.
Zhang Daoling's name is widely known. He is the patriarch of the Celestial Masters sect, the founder of Taoism, and is said to be a descendant of the strategist Zhang Liang. Who in later generations doesn't know him?
Zhang Lu was the grandson of Zhang Daoling. He dominated Hanzhong for many years until Liu Bei took control of Bashu and Cao Cao attacked Hanzhong, at which point he was forced to surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao then appointed him as General Who Guards the South and Marquis of Langzhong.
It is worth mentioning that the sect initially founded by Zhang Daoling was not called the Way of the Celestial Masters but the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. Moreover, it did not have a fixed place of practice and always fought as a guerrilla force. It was only after the third Celestial Master, Zhang Lu, took it to Hanzhong that it flourished.
Historically, after Zhang Lu surrendered to Cao Cao, his fourth son Zhang Sheng resigned from his official post and returned to Poyang. He established a Taoist temple on Longhu Mountain and passed it down to later generations. Therefore, later generations all say that the Taoist Celestial Masters began to spread their teachings on Longhu Mountain with Zhang Sheng. In other words, Zhang Sheng is the true founder of Longhu Mountain, while the previous three generations of Celestial Masters, such as Zhang Daoling, Zhang Heng, and Zhang Lu, were just the founders.
Considering the timing, it seems that this is the historical juncture when Zhang Sheng returns to Longhu Mountain. With this in mind, Zhang Sheng's purpose in seeking an audience becomes self-evident.
Guan Xing said, "Then what are we waiting for? Please come in quickly."
Then he turned to Deng Hongdao and instructed him, "You lead the troops ahead, and I will follow shortly."
Deng Hong clasped his hands in a bow and led his 20,000-strong army to set off first, while Guan Xing continued to wait at the drill ground.
Soon, Ning Huan brought a Taoist priest in his thirties. Guan Xing took the initiative to greet him, cupped his fists and smiled, "I have long admired your name, Taoist Zhang."
This is the Celestial Master of the Celestial Masters sect, the founder of Longhu Mountain. If one could take a photo with him and bring it back to posterity, wouldn't all the disciples and grand-disciples of the Taoist sect immediately kneel down and call him their ancestor?
Zhang Sheng, in a Taoist manner, said, "This humble Taoist, Zhang Sheng, greets General Guan. I have heard that General Guan has just defeated Zhuge Jin and recovered Yu Han. This humble Taoist would like to offer my congratulations to the General."
While bowing, he secretly glanced at Guan Xing and was shocked to see how young Guan Xing was.
He had traveled far and wide and had naturally heard about Guan Xing's recent achievements, but he didn't pay much attention to them. What did it have to do with me, an outsider, no matter how fiercely you fought? Who won or lost was none of my business.
Zhang Sheng now only wants to find a place to continue spreading his teachings. He can't let the Five Pecks of Rice sect's lineage be cut off just because his father, Zhang Lu, surrendered to Cao Cao.
Therefore, he didn't care at all about who would win among the three families of Cao, Sun, and Liu, and thus didn't pay attention to the battle of Yuzhang. He came to Yuhan simply to ask Zhuge Jin for help in establishing a Taoist temple. Who would have thought that when he arrived at the city, he would be devastated to find that the Han flag was flying on the city wall. The famous Zhuge Jin had actually been defeated by Guan Xing. What a world...
Fortunately, Zhang Sheng was also a very flexible person, and immediately changed his target to see Guan Xing.
He just wanted to find a sucker to be his investor, to help him allocate a piece of land and fund the establishment of a Taoist temple. It didn't matter whether this sucker was Zhuge Jin or Guan Xing, as long as the land was allocated and the money was paid.
Guan Xing rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "You flatter me, Daoist Master. What brings you here?"
He was in a hurry to go to war and didn't have time to waste with this old fogey; it was better to get straight to the point.
Zhang Sheng: "Uh..."
Are young people always so direct in their speech and actions?
Having built up the atmosphere to this point, Zhang Sheng felt embarrassed to keep quiet and stroked his beard with an awkward smile, saying, "General, you should know that the King of Hanzhong has dealt with my father before. My father is also the Celestial Master of the Five Pecks of Rice sect. Now that he has been forced to surrender to Cao Cao, he is unable to handle the affairs of the sect, but my Five Pecks of Rice sect cannot have its lineage broken, so... this..."
Guan Xing smiled understandingly and said, "You want money and land to build a temple, right? No problem, Longhu Mountain is yours. As for the money and food you need, just ask Ning Huan."
"I forgot to introduce him. General Ning Huan is the new Prefect of Yuzhang whom I recommended to the King of Hanzhong. Because Yuzhang is far from Bashu, and the situation is urgent, he is temporarily serving as the Prefect until the King of Hanzhong's appointment arrives. If you need anything, just contact him."
Zhang Sheng: "..."
What do you mean by recommending someone to the King of Hanzhong? Why don't you just say you appointed him yourself? Why beat around the bush?
Guan Xing then said to Ning Huan, "Prefect Zhang Lu is a friend of the King of Hanzhong, and Daoist Zhang is one of our own. You must fully cooperate with all our requests and not be negligent, understand? I have other matters to attend to and will be leaving now."