Chapter 1194: Strategy

"Meng Ling, this kid is Zhang Liao, and he is of the same clan as you."

Su Fan listened to Zhang Jiao recount the development of the Taiping Dao over the past few years, and a satisfied look appeared on his face.

The explosive development of the Taiping Dao over these years had led to more and more disciples. Although many were just making up the numbers, after two or three years of teaching,

literacy was no problem, and after learning simple medical knowledge and agricultural knowledge, when they went to various villages, they were "big figures" to those villages.

After all, in ordinary villages, whether it was the village elders or the village heads, these people at most knew a few words.

As for medical and agricultural knowledge, they didn't understand it.

Therefore, these disciples were very popular as soon as they arrived in the countryside, and in this way, the Taiping Dao quickly took root in the rural areas.

The policy of surrounding cities with rural areas that Su Fan had suggested to Zhang Jiao was also truly implemented.

Cities were more prosperous and had more talent, but cities were mostly controlled by aristocratic families. If the Taiping Dao preached there, it would only attract the attention of these aristocratic families.

The Taiping Dao had developed to the present, and naturally, it was not afraid of any aristocratic families. Even top-tier aristocratic families were just children in front of the Taiping Dao.

After all, the current Taiping Dao, with Old Man Zhang Jiao as the leader, was a top expert at the high stage of the Earth Immortal realm. In the entire Liu Han Dynasty, there were likely no more than three people who could exceed Zhang Jiao.

Besides Old Man Zhang Jiao in the Earth Immortal realm, the Taiping Dao also had five experts in the Spirit Refining realm.

Experts in the Spirit Refining realm, placed in a province, were also the top experts.

In a major province like Jizhou, there would be no more than five experts in the Spirit Refining realm.

In terms of top experts, the Taiping Dao was quite powerful. For forces like the Yuan Prince's Mansion, there would be no more than three experts in the Spirit Refining realm.

Of course, the Yuan Prince's Mansion, which possessed a million-strong army, could have more than three experts in the Spirit Refining realm.

After all, a Golden Core martial general of the Military School, leading 100,000 elites and forming a military formation, was also enough to be comparable to a fierce general in the Spirit Refining realm.

However, the Taiping Dao also had quite a few inheritances of the Military School, and there were at least a dozen martial arts disciples who had cultivated to the Golden Core realm. This was also an explosive increase in these few years.

Because of the cultivation resources provided by Su Fan, these people were lucky and improved rapidly.

The power of the Taiping Dao, once displayed, was absolutely astonishing.

However, because Zhang Jiao listened to Su Fan's suggestion and chose the rural areas, and the headquarters was built in a valley, the power of the Taiping Dao was hidden.

Although the Taiping Dao also had preaching strongholds in major cities, they usually only showed Golden Core or below-Golden Core Qi Refiners.

Those aristocratic families had no malice towards the Taiping Dao. After all, the Daoist Sect itself had always been attractive to many aristocratic families.

The Daoist Sect produced high-level people, and many aristocratic family disciples were willing to send disciples into the mountains.

Although Liu Han honored Confucianism, the status of Daoism had never changed. The Taiping Dao was also a branch of the Daoist Sect.

As long as the Taiping Dao did not touch the interests of these aristocratic families, they naturally would not offend the Taiping Dao.

Therefore, in the cities, those Taiping Dao disciples lived better and could collect more information for the Taiping Dao.

At the same time, they were slowly corrupting and winning over officials of the Imperial Court.

The Taiping Dao followed the policy of surrounding cities with rural areas, but it did not mean they gave up on cities. In the future, when the chaotic times arrived and the feudal lords began to stand on their own, the Taiping Dao could also take advantage of the situation.

Surrounding cities with rural areas was a policy, but cities were also a symbol of wealth. For the Taiping Dao to rise, they naturally needed a lot of wealth.

And rural areas could only provide manpower; financial resources were relatively poor. And the talent needed for the future rise, rural areas were also much worse.

Although they could be cultivated, they were still much worse.

In the cities, there were also many talents who were not appreciated. Over these years, the Taiping Dao had indeed encountered quite a few.

The Liu Han Imperial Court, like in history, did not have the imperial examination system. Talent selection was also the "recommendation system."

Everything relied on recommendation. The imperial examination system that faintly appeared in the Great Qin did not even show its head in Liu Han.

Clearly, it had been eliminated by those aristocratic families and powerful clans.

After all, aristocratic families and powerful clans wanted to increase their strength and influence, so they naturally wanted to expand the number of officials from their families in the Imperial Court.

And if it were the imperial examination system, for them, they would still have to give up a part, while the officials of the Imperial Court under the recommendation system were completely controlled by them.

As such, many small families or cold-door disciples almost had no channels for promotion, unless they became retainers of other families and then slowly waited for the recommendations of those aristocratic families.

Seeing more and more talents who were not appreciated, the Taiping Dao also saw the timing.

Since the establishment of the Taiping Dao, they had also won over quite a few officials of the Imperial Court. In Jizhou, quite a few Prefectural Offices had Taiping Dao guests of honor.

For quite a few Prefectural Offices, they had a certain influence.

In this way, the Taiping Dao actually had a certain ability to recommend.

After all, some Prefects were good friends with Zhang Jiao and Zhang Jiao's disciples. In this era, metaphysics was still very popular.

Moreover, Daoist people were also something many officials craved to discuss the Dao with. Most officials came from aristocratic families and powerful clans, and they were not just studying literature. Confucianism also had cultivation inheritance, but compared to the Daoist Sect, it was still much worse.

The Daoist Sect produced many high-level people; this was acknowledged. Therefore, making friends with these Daoist people was something many aristocratic family disciples were very willing to do.

It was precisely because the Taiping Dao possessed such upward channels that not only did some disciples enter officialdom, but they also recruited some cold-door disciples who were depressed and not appreciated, recommending them to enter officialdom.

These cold-door disciples, although their inheritance was not said to be very good, their own abilities were indeed not too bad. Perhaps they could not reach high positions.

But in a county or commandery, they occupied some official positions. Once the Taiping Dao truly rose in the future, these people could also provide great help to the Taiping Dao.

Historically, the Taiping Dao's rise was hasty, not to mention that their influence on the local commanderies and counties was too low. If a part of them were people in officialdom, then perhaps it would be different.

Now, after Su Fan's guidance, the Taiping Dao endured and did not show their heads. As long as they were not the first to raise the banner of rebellion, waiting for others, then the Taiping Dao's future development would inevitably be much smoother.

At least now, the Taiping Dao had developed greatly in the countryside, and it could even be said that the countryside was almost completely controlled by the Taiping Dao.

In many villages, those Taiping Dao disciples were more effective than the village elders and village heads.

Those village heads all listened to the Taiping Dao disciples. It is conceivable that once the Taiping Dao rises in the future, these villages—not to say everyone is a Taiping Dao person, but wanting to win them over would not be too difficult. ===== CHAPTER 1195 =====