Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1310 Like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, it subtly nurtures all things.

As soon as the city gates of Yangping County were smashed open, soldiers of the Xiliang Army carried scrolls of proclamations to reassure the people and posted them along both sides of the street. On those yellowed hemp papers, the words "No offenses shall be committed against the people" and "Restore agriculture and sericulture" were written in vermilion ink. The ink was dripping, yet it exuded a power to calm people's hearts.

At first, the people huddled behind doors and windows, secretly observing the Xiliang soldiers clad in iron armor. In the rumors they'd heard, Ma Chao was a "blue-faced, fanged demon who killed anyone he saw," and they were prepared for their families to be destroyed when the city fell. But after waiting for half a day, they heard no cries, saw no looting; instead, soldiers helped an old man who had fallen to the ground and gave rations to hungry children.

“Uncle Zhang, what does this notice say?” A young woman tugged at her neighbor’s sleeve, her voice trembling. Uncle Zhang, an elderly man who could read and write, squinted and leaned closer to the notice, reading it aloud word by word: “...All those who submit to the people are exempt from this year’s taxes; those who have fled may return to their hometowns, and the government will allocate land for them to grow grain; those who oppress the good and honest, regardless of whether they are officials or gentry, will all be punished…”

A commotion gradually arose in the crowd. Some of the bolder ones tentatively stepped out of their homes, and seeing that the soldiers merely smiled and nodded, they mustered their courage and approached. The Xiliang army was prepared; they had selected several articulate soldiers to stand at street corners and alleyways, reciting the notice's rules in everyday language: "It means that from now on, everyone should farm as usual, weave as usual, and if anyone dares to bully you, go to the government office and complain. Xiliang will stand up for you!"

The people then realized that the rumored "demon" had not only refrained from massacring the city, but was actually more considerate of the people's livelihood than under Yuan Shang's rule. In recent years, Yuan Shang had imposed heavy taxes and forced labor on the war effort, and the people were already overwhelmed. Now, hearing the promises of "tax exemption" and "land redistribution," their eyes gradually lit up.

Unlike the peaceful life of the common people, the powerful families in the city were on high alert. As soon as the Xiliang army gained a foothold, they erected a high platform in front of the government office and posted a notice: anyone who oppresses the people, seizes land, or colludes with corrupt officials must surrender within three days, or their property will be confiscated and they will be punished.

The Li family, from the west of the city, had been officials for generations. They had once forcibly seized twenty acres of fertile land and driven a tenant to his death. Now, the entire family was in a state of unease. The patriarch, Master Li, tried to escape with the gold and silver, but was caught red-handed by patrolling soldiers as soon as he climbed over the back wall. The next day, on a high platform, Master Li's crimes were made public. The people were outraged, and he was ultimately sentenced to return the land and be exiled to the frontier.

The Chen family in the east of the city, though a scholarly family, was also charitable and often opened their granaries to distribute grain. Ma Chao personally visited them and, seeing that the Chen family members were all learned, invited Old Master Chen to come out of retirement and assist the government in pacifying the villagers. Old Master Chen was initially hesitant, but seeing that the Xiliang army had indeed not committed any offenses, he agreed. He led his clansmen to help register households and distribute grain seeds, thus becoming a valuable assistant to the government.

In less than half a month, Yangping County regained its former vitality. The market reopened, oxen returned to the fields, and even children dared to chase after the spears in the soldiers' hands. The people said privately, "This King Liang, Ma Chao, is much better than the Yuan family."

Standing atop the city wall, Ma Chao gazed at the orderly city below and said to Xu Shu, "The hearts of the people are like water; they can carry a boat, but they can also capsize it. The Yuan family lost the hearts of the people, which is why they suffered such a crushing defeat. What we need to do is to hold back this water."

Xu Shu nodded and smiled, "Now that the people of Hebei see that our army does not harm the people in the slightest and can stand up for them, they have long been loyal to our army. If those aristocratic families dare to resist, they will be going against the will of the people and bringing about their own destruction."

The Xiliang army's offensive contained something even sharper than swords and spears.

After each city fell, the first places to set up camp weren't the soldiers' tents, but two special tents. One was marked "Medical Tent," and inside, doctors in coarse cloth jackets were always busy, the medicine pots on the stoves bubbling and releasing a bittersweet aroma. These doctors were mostly disciples trained by the Chang'an Medical College. They treated the wounded while with the army, and after entering the city, they set up stalls to diagnose and dispense medicine to the people. If a child had smallpox, the doctors would brew medicine overnight; if an elderly person had leg ailments and could not walk, they would carry their medicine kits and go door-to-door to treat them. Wang, an old woman from Yangping County, had had swollen legs for half a year. Under Yuan Shi's rule, she didn't even dare to enter a pharmacy. Now, she received free medicine and massage from the doctors, and within a few days she was able to get out of bed. She held the doctor's hand and wiped away tears, saying, "The soldiers of Xiliang are more caring than my own sons."

Children always gathered around another tent, where students were writing characters on the ground with twigs, teaching the most basic characters like "person," "mouth," and "hand." These students came from the Chang'an Academy, some having just graduated from the Military Academy, exuding a scholarly air without any arrogance. They brought not only knowledge but also bundles of rough paper—newly made paper in Chang'an, so cheap that ordinary people could afford it. The students taught literacy and also told stories of Chang'an's latest happenings: "The schools over there don't charge tuition, and all the children can study," and "The newly made curved-shaft plows can yield two more bushels of grain per acre."

What terrified the aristocratic families even more was that after the Xiliang army entered the city, they would always take the students to their family's library. "It's not robbery, it's copying." The leading student held up the registration book, polite yet firm, "These books are gathering dust in the library, so why not copy them down so more people can see them?" The aristocratic families dared not speak out, and could only watch helplessly as those classics, once regarded as "family heirlooms," were copied page by page by the students using cheap, rough paper. Soon, simple bookshelves were set up in the open space in the center of the city, piled high with copies, which the common people could freely browse.

Besides medical tents and schools, the Xiliang army brought even more practical things. The artisans accompanying the army set up blacksmith forges on street corners, and the new farm tools they made were lighter and less strenuous than the old ones. When they were distributed to the people, they only charged them the cost price. The notices posted in front of government offices, in addition to the provisions for pacifying the people, always included news of "trial planting of new grain varieties." These were drought-resistant grain varieties cultivated by agricultural officials in Chang'an, promising a double harvest.

These were things that the Yuan family wouldn't have dared to even dream of under their rule. Powerful families monopolized medical skills, knowledge, and resources; literacy was a luxury for ordinary people, medical care was a distant dream, and farming tools remained unchanged for generations. But then the Xiliang army arrived, bringing with them the accumulated wealth of Chang'an over the years, the medical skills of medical schools, the knowledge of academies, and the craftsmanship of workshops, seeping into the land of Hebei like spring rain.

An old man touched the rough paper copybook and sighed, saying to the villagers, "The Yuan family guarded the city, but the Liang King won the hearts of the people. Look at the fragrance of medicine from the medical tent and the sound of reading from the school; they are more powerful than a thousand troops."

In the distance, Ma Chao was watching the students teaching children to write, while Xu Shu said with a smile, "The seeds that our lord has planted in Chang'an over the years have finally sprouted in Hebei."

Ma Chao gazed calmly at the gradually returning life in the city: "Swords and spears can seize a city, but they cannot defend it. Ensuring that the people have food to eat, education to receive, and medical care to treat the sick is what truly establishes a solid foundation."

The followers of the Celestial Masters sect, carrying medicine chests and scriptures, followed the Xiliang army throughout the towns and villages of Hebei. Unlike the Taoist priests of old who were pretentious, they would first inquire about the hardships of the people they met, offering loquat syrup to coughing elderly people and distributing grain to the people. Only after the people were at ease would they open their scriptures and say in the simplest terms, "A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings." They were not talking about vague and ethereal blessings, but rather, "Helping neighbors repair farm tools and handing a bowl of hot water to passersby, this is goodness."

The "King Liang" mentioned by the Taoist followers was never an idol sitting on a pedestal. They would point to the agricultural officials guiding spring plowing on the field ridges and say, "Those are people sent by the King Liang to teach us how to plant new grain seeds, saying that it will yield more grain." They would lead the people to see the newly built drainage ditches on the city wall: "This was dug by the King Liang's men, so we won't have to worry about flooding this summer." The people didn't understand what "benevolent governance" meant, but they could see that the grain seeds were plump, the irrigation ditches were clear, and someone would bring them medicine when they were sick. These tangible benefits were more memorable than any scriptures.

At this moment, Zhang Lu was in Chang'an, sighing as he looked at the densely packed red dots on the map. Those red dots were the preaching sites sent back by the Daoist followers, half of them nestled at the foot of the snow-capped mountains on the plateau, and the other half scattered in the villages and towns of the Central Plains. A messenger had just brought back news from the plateau that the herders there had begun to learn to build houses and settle down, and that the Daoist followers were not only spreading their scriptures but also teaching them to identify herbs and store grain. "Brother, we are really short-handed here in the Central Plains. Should we transfer some back from the plateau?" Zhang Wei asked from the side.

Zhang Lu shook his head, his fingertips tracing the preaching points in the Central Plains: "The highlands are bitterly cold and need people even more. Here in the Central Plains, with the new policies of the King of Liang as a safety net, we only need to explain the principle of 'harmonious coexistence' thoroughly." He recalled Ma Chao's instructions before his departure: "What the people want is not incense burning and kneeling in worship, but the ability to make a living. If you dare to pretend to be gods and ghosts to cheat people out of food and drink, I will demolish your temples first."

These words served as a wake-up call, constantly striking the hearts of the Taoist followers. They no longer drew talismans and chanted incantations to amass wealth, but instead helped the government register households, mediate neighborhood disputes, and even learned to build bridges and roads from craftsmen. There was an old Taoist priest who preached in Yangping County. In his youth, he always loved to spout empty words about "impending calamities," but now he spent his days squatting in the fields, teaching the people to distinguish between barley and weeds. He was tanned dark by the sun, and when he smiled, he revealed two rows of white teeth: "What calamities? Just farm well, and have grain in your granary; that's the best protection."

The people gradually came to believe that the scriptures of the Celestial Masters sect and the new policies of the Western Liang army were essentially the same thing. When the Taoists said to "treat others kindly," the soldiers helped orphans and widows fetch water and chop wood; when the Taoists spoke of "living diligently," the government posted notices saying that diligent farming would be rewarded. These things, when put together, were like spring rain falling on dry soil, silent and unnoticed, yet they slowly made the weeds in people's hearts sprout tender shoots.

There was a man who had once been forced to sell his sons and daughters by powerful families. Now, guarding his three acres of land, he listened to the Taoist priest reciting "Heaven rewards diligence" and couldn't help but interject, "I think the King of Liang is a living Bodhisattva." The Taoist priest smiled, closed his book, and said, "The Bodhisattva is not in heaven, but in the hands of those who live their lives well."

In the distant wheat fields, newly sown seeds are sprouting, their tender green tips pushing through the soil, swaying gently in the wind. Just like the changes taking place on this land, silent yet full of vitality.

The wind in Hebei seems to carry the scent of rumors.

At the market, elderly farmers carrying vegetable baskets huddled together, whispering among themselves: "Have you heard? The people in those western counties who followed King Liang have had their taxes halved!"

"More than that! My nephew in Yangping County said that the officials there have stopped beating people and are even helping to repair irrigation canals. The harvest in the fields is 20% higher than in previous years!"

"The land that was previously occupied by powerful families has been returned to the people..."

These words, like dandelion seeds, were scattered by the wind to every corner of Hebei. Some believed them, some doubted them, but as more and more people who had fled from the Xiliang army's controlled areas returned, recounting their experiences with full grains of rice and peaceful smiles, the voices of doubt gradually subsided.

Yuan Shang sat in the imperial palace in Ye City, his teacup white from being gripped so tightly. Wang Yun had just returned from outside, his face pale, and reported, "Your Majesty, rumors are circulating outside... that the King of Liang is going to implement a new system in Hebei, so that everyone will have land to cultivate and food to eat... People in many places are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Western Liang army..."

"Enough!" Yuan Shang slammed the teacup to the ground, shards flying everywhere. "A bunch of fools! They've been bought off with nothing but small favors!"

But he knew in his heart that things were far from simple. Rumors were like a tide, impossible to stop or contain. Today a teahouse spreading rumors was shut down, tomorrow new rumors would emerge on the streets; a few people who spread rumors were punished, and in the blink of an eye someone would say, "The Yuan family is at their wits' end, beating people randomly to shut them up."

What made him even more anxious was that his soldiers were also beginning to waver. Some soldiers whispered among themselves: "I heard that the wounded in the Xiliang army can get medical treatment and even get food..." Some generals complained in private: "The food supplies are getting dwindling. If we keep dragging this out, the brothers will go hungry before the enemy even arrives."

Yuan Shang attempted to suppress the rumors with harsh laws and punishments, but found it backfired. The more he suppressed them, the more the people believed that "the rumors were true," otherwise why would the government be so nervous? Panic, like a vine, quietly crept into everyone's heart.