Chapter 219: Trading Grain for Books

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At the camp by the Jie River on the fifth day of the eighth month, Liu Chengzong once again opened Wang Zheng's *Illustrated Explanations of Marvelous Machines*, starting from the preface.

His uncle had brought him three volumes of this set last year, but he had never found the time to read them because he had not finished *Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government*.

Even now, he still had not finished the *Comprehensive Mirror* he always carried with him, but he felt the time had come when he absolutely had to take a look at these three volumes.

Although he had long planned to find a place to settle somewhere by Qinghai Lake, before crossing Long Mountain, Liu Chengzong had never seriously considered what preparations he would need to make beforehand.

After all, it was still too far away for him. From Yan'an to Qinghai, two thousand li was not merely two thousand li—it meant the heavy blockade of the imperial Western Army's castles everywhere.

It was only after crossing Long Mountain, at the heart of Shaanxi's Three Frontiers and Five Garrisons, where military forts surrendered at the mere rumor of his army's approach, that he gained a clear understanding of the famished soldiers and starving troops of the northwest.

Qinghai suddenly seemed not so distant.

From Guyuan to Xining, a thousand li—perhaps it was just a thousand li after all.

He was not the only one who thought so; his father and elder brother on the other side of Liupan Mountain thought so too.

And they were also making preparations.

Just yesterday, his elder brother sent word that he had assigned Luo Rucai the task of kidnapping a Daoist priest.

His eldest brother seemed to have gone mad, wanting to wage a religious war against the countless gods and Buddhas of the foreign faith that had spread across the grasslands.

But Liu the Lion rather liked the idea of casting a statue of the True Martial Emperor in his own likeness.

A religious war was hardly necessary, but war—Liu Chengzong was not afraid of war... Ever since the Yellow Sect spread across the grasslands, the Mongols had grown increasingly timid.

The once mighty Altan Khan of the Tumed, who besieged Beijing and came closest to restoring the Yuan dynasty, became a sacred lion of the grasslands who paid homage to Buddha daily, driving his son Sengge Düüreng so mad with fury that he sighed day and night: "The old slave has such an army, yet grows old and dies in the desert—how laughable!"

Liu the Lion felt that if they truly pursued this path of religious war, the perfected ones on Kongtong Mountain probably could not handle such a grand undertaking.

Monk Wang, who had mastered the five secret arts of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, military strategy, and banditry, might be up to the task.

One day, when the two armies faced off and the great generals of each side rode forth, the first question hurled across the field would be: "Is your Buddha even legitimate?"

Since everyone's legitimacy was about the same, they would just fight Buddha-dharma with Buddha-dharma and see who was the true living Buddha among men.

But for Liu Chengzong, this was meaningless. Religion was, at its core, an organization rooted among the common people.

On this point, as a synthesis of the Hundred Schools of Thought and a refuge for failed political factions, Daoism was extremely weak.

It was a school born of political defeat, and in its transformation into a religion, it was further constrained by the secular nature of its scholarly origins—honest to a fault, its doctrine contained a fundamentally enormous flaw.

If you believed in another religion, whether you ascended to heaven to enjoy bliss or descended to be reborn, these were things that could not be verified in the secular world.

But Daoism, of all things, had to play a clever trick and demand immortality.

With such an impossibly high goal set, winning arguments was very difficult.

In terms of sheer offensiveness alone, if someone claimed to be the incarnation of the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, the imperial court probably could not be bothered to deal with him; but if anyone dared claim to be the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha, just see how many days he would live.

Moreover, as early as the Zhou dynasty, the central plains dynasties had erased the personhood of the August Heavenly Emperor, transforming him into a Heaven that encompassed all objective laws.

Gods, too, all came from the world below. Plants and trees, all living things, could become gods.

Xu Da at Juyong Pass, Mu Ying at Guyuan, and the temples to Emperor Guan everywhere—which of them was not once a man, and which of them is not now a god?

No matter how many religious doctrines there are, no matter what exclusive paths of the Six Realms of Rebirth and reincarnation are claimed, Heaven still remains, and ancestors are still spirits above—this simply cannot work on this land.

Compared to the organizational structure of religion among the people, Liu Chengzong believed the organizational structure of a unified great dynasty was far tighter; there was no need to settle for second best.

Even bringing Daoist priests along was nothing more than adding an extra layer of anti-counterfeiting insignia.

He wanted to accomplish the greatest undertaking in the world.

With a lone army that had abandoned their homeland, march into a strife-torn and barren land, and ultimately defeat the most powerful enemy in the world.

The framework of religion could not contain such a dream.

Liu Chengzong felt that besides fierce ambition and hot blood, something was still missing in between.

What was missing was the finest knowledge of this land in this era, and also the greatest tradition this dynasty once possessed—that among the common people, if a child reached the age of eight and did not attend school, his father and elder brothers would be punished.

He needed to prepare some primers for enlightenment, to arm his dream from the ground up.

In the preface of this book, Wang Zheng had written these words: "Learning does not distinguish between refined and crude, so long as it benefits the world; men are not distinguished between Chinese and Western, so long as they do not defy Heaven."

The first volume was called "Explaining Weight," discussing gravity, specific gravity, center of gravity, and buoyancy.

The second volume was called "Explaining Machines," discussing the principles, construction, and application of simple machines, such as levers, inclined planes, balances, pulleys, gears, and screws.

The third volume recorded illustrations and explanations of fifty-four kinds of machines, describing their construction and application, such as machines for lifting, pulling, transferring weight, raising water, turning mills, and sawing wood.

The book introduced mechanisms such as crank linkages, chain wheels, traveling wheels, gear trains, worm gears and worms, ratchets, and flywheels, as well as the application of human power, animal power, wind power, and gravity.

The book was excellent, but it required a certain level of literacy. Children could not easily understand it, and commoners who had only attended a few years of clan school would also find it hard to grasp.

Zhou Riqiang was extremely uneasy about Liu Chengzong's reading and copying of books. Every one or two hours, he would request an audience just to check whether Liu Chengzong was truly reading.

Ever since Lion Camp had suddenly risen from Ningzhou and captured Zhenyuan, Zhou Riqiang no longer dared to let his guard down around Liu Chengzong, always feeling that this rebel leader was trying every trick imaginable to fool him.

Especially when it came to the *Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government*—the more Liu the Lion read it, the more anxious Zhou Riqiang became.

But now, seeing Liu Chengzong truly inside his tent, reading the *Illustrated Explanations of Marvelous Machines* while taking reading notes, Zhou Riqiang felt immensely relieved and said happily, "Commander, it is wonderful that you love reading Western learning texts. The Ningzhou prefectural office has two books; I will send someone to bring them to you right away."

Liu Chengzong keenly noticed the change in how Zhou Riqiang addressed him.

Seeing the rebel leader neglecting his proper duties to delve into books, Zhou Riqiang's relief was probably no less than that of the Ming people back when they saw Altan Khan paying homage to Buddha and ceasing his plundering.

He looked up and smiled. "What books does Mr. Zhou wish to give me?"

"Six volumes of Xu's *Elements of Geometry*, printed in the capital in the thirty-fifth year of Wanli; and there is also a banned book, you know."

Zhou Riqiang was all mystery, but Liu Chengzong was utterly uninterested. "I've read *The Plum in the Golden Vase* seven or eight times. Does Western learning have something like that too? I'm not very interested in Western folk tales."

"Commander, what are you thinking? It is the *Outline of Calendrical Astronomy*, compiled by Wang Yingming, a candidate from Kaizhou, in the fortieth year of Wanli. It discusses Western astronomy."

Liu Chengzong said nothing, just stared fixedly at Zhou Riqiang until Zhou Riqiang's hair stood on end. "C-Commander?"

Suddenly, Liu Chengzong laughed.

He had been standing in a mountain of treasure without realizing it. With a fifth-rank imperial prefect right beside him, how had he not thought to make use of him?

He said, "Mr. Zhou, apart from these two books, could you send someone to Guanzhong to get—no, to buy—some more books for me?"

Zhou Riqiang grew even more delighted. He spread his hands and said, "What's so hard about that? Whatever books the Grand Marshal wants, just name them. I'll send a letter — Governor Yang is right in Ningzhou. So long as the Grand Marshal stops sending troops to harass the region, we can certainly ask the Shaanxi Grand Coordinator to requisition books for you!"

Zhou Riqiang probably thought that if Liu Chengzong poured all his energy into academic study, or even into clever machinery, he would stop plundering the countryside or raising troops in revolt — and those grand ambitions would mostly fade away.

Once a man falls into the ocean of knowledge, can he ever climb back out?

"Requisitioning books is good, requisitioning books is excellent. I want every kind of book, especially newly printed Western works — agriculture, metallurgy, astronomy, geography, water conservancy, medicine, military affairs, all of it!"

Liu Chengzong raised a hand and tapped the air a few times in front of him. "Best if you can keep me reading for a lifetime."

Zhou Riqiang had been quite pleased earlier, but now his expression stiffened. He paused a moment before saying, "The Grand Marshal wields troops like a god — surely books on military affairs are unnecessary?"

What flattery — have you ever even seen me command troops?

Liu Chengzong waved a hand. "No, I'm especially interested in military matters. Send word to Governor Yang right now — I'll finish this book in a few more days, and once I'm done, I'll take my troops elsewhere."

Having said this, he now acted displeased, furrowing his brow at Zhou Riqiang. "The court has fallen to its present state precisely because you officials drag your feet on everything. Failing to collect taxes is one thing — but requisitioning one or two thousand scrolls of books, can that really not be done within ten days?"

"One... one or two thousand scrolls?"

Zhou Riqiang thought to himself, I figured getting you a hundred or so scrolls would be about right — isn't asking for one or two thousand a bit excessive?

"Then let's set three thousand scrolls as the agreement. I want at least five hundred titles making up three thousand scrolls. I reckon Xi'an Prefecture alone can find that many books. It's only six hundred li — relay riders changing horses along the way, the letter gets there in a day. I'll pay."

Liu Chengzong said, "At one tael of silver per scroll, that's three thousand taels. Converted at the high price of three taels per dan of grain — you get this done, and I'll provide Ningzhou with a thousand dan of famine-relief grain. How about that?"

In Zhou Riqiang's eyes, this young rebel leader was no longer so terrifying.

A man with a passion — so long as he has a passion, he is not terrifying.

Zhou Riqiang began pondering how to broach this with Yang He. He needed Yang He to get Lian Guoshi to issue the order, while also keeping as much of the relief grain as possible for his own people.

The Department Magistrate's eyes widened. He stretched out a hand. "Army grain — the Grand Marshal allocates a thousand dan of army grain, and this official will go write to the Governor-General's headquarters at once."

In the encampment on the hill ridges near Longde County, the fragrance of roasting army rations now filled the air all day long. Beans, rice, and flour were mixed with salt and sugar, then pressed into compact roasted meal to reduce bulk.

Liu Chengzong did a quick calculation. Ningzhou currently had a few thousand registered commoners, and roughly two or three thousand fugitive households still remaining in the area. A thousand dan of roasted meal would ensure these people survived until spring next year.

Trading such a price for a large quantity of books was extremely worthwhile.

Moreover, on another front, this would also demonstrate to Yang He that his provisions were ample and that he did not fear war.

"Fine by me. I have just one condition — Yang He must guarantee that when this grain reaches Ningzhou city, it is distributed entirely to the fugitive commoners."

Liu Chengzong said to Zhou Riqiang with a cheerful grin, "If anyone pockets even a single catty to take home, Guyuan City will be lost."

Zhou Riqiang nodded like a pestle pounding garlic and hastily replied, "On this, the Grand Marshal can rest assured. So long as there is relief grain to be had, I guarantee I will personally oversee it. If anyone embezzles, the Grand Marshal can take my head."

"Your guarantee is useless — you can't go back anyway. Not until the appointments for Qinghai Pacification Commissioner and Xining Guard Commander come through." Liu Chengzong smiled genially. "You, Magistrate Zhou, cannot go back. Now hurry up and write that letter."

Zhou Riqiang was overjoyed by this, utterly delighted — so much so that upon leaving Liu Chengzong's command tent, he ran straight back to his own tent.

He had never imagined that famine-relief grain the Shaanxi provincial government could not procure, he could actually obtain from a rebel chieftain.

Liu Chengzong was even happier than he was.

Even if the court granted his demand for the Pacification Commissioner post, once he reached Qinghai, he would still have to contend with the sea bandits for every resource — grain, land, everything. Xining could offer him very little help, and that place could hardly be called culturally flourishing either.

Once this batch of books was in hand, his reliance on the court would shrink a little further.

He could compile teaching materials, distilling the finest knowledge obtainable from the Central Plains while discarding customs and attitudes incompatible with the progress of the age, and establish schools.

As early as last year, Hong Taiji of the Later Jin had already set the rule of the Four Beile taking monthly turns in administration, established a literary bureau to translate Chinese books, and begun holding civil examinations to select scholars.

If he moved fast enough, in a few years' time, he might still lag slightly behind the Later Jin in the spread of knowledge — but the teaching materials he personally recompiled ought to be somewhat stronger by comparison.

Thinking these thoughts, Liu Chengzong buried his head and continued his great undertaking of copying books.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhou Riqiang dispatched two personal attendants to race his letter to Ningzhou. In barely two days, they returned with Yang He's reply.

But what they brought back was not merely a reply.

When Zhou Riqiang burst frantically into Liu Chengzong's command tent, Liu Chengzong was using a wrist knife to pick shreds of meat off a chicken carcass to feed Little Zuanfeng.

During these days camped at Longde County, the soldiers in the encampment could not stay idle. Every day men went into the mountains to hunt. Though what they caught was not even enough for each squad to have some meat broth, once the household retainers took the meat, they could always get Little Zuanfeng some bones to gnaw on.

There was still a bit of meat clinging to the bones.

Zhou Riqiang entering the tent gave Liu Chengzong such a start that he nearly flung the wrist knife at him before he saw who it was. He heard a great shout: "Grand Marshal! Grand Marshal, terrible news!"

The moment Liu Chengzong saw it was him, he had a rough idea what this was about. He lowered his head and continued picking meat and sinew off a Mongolian gazelle leg bone, tossing a strip to Little Zuanfeng. Without looking up, he asked, "Has the Emperor passed away?"

"Grand Marshal, do you know someone called the Golden Cicada?"

"I do."

Zhou Riqiang's face lit up with joy. He said urgently, "Then you must rein him in, quickly!"

Liu Chengzong frowned and pursed his lips. "Later he reincarnated — called Tang Sanzang. He took a monkey and a pig and headed west. How am I supposed to rein him in?"

"No, not that Golden Cicada!"

Zhou Riqiang was frantic. He flung his arm out, pointing east. "It's a bandit, a bandit outside Pingliang City. His bandit name is Golden Cicada. Governor-General Yang says he's led troops to besiege Pingliang City, looting and burning outside the walls. He's breached the eastern city and strung up over a dozen generals and commandants from the trees outside the city. He's attacking the Prince of Han's estate!"

Liu Chengzong was stunned — genuinely stunned. Luo Rucai was that formidable?

After a moment, suppressing his shock, he sighed and said, "This... Sir Zhou, sit down. I promised Governor-General Yang, right? I know you have your eye on the Prince of Han's treasury, but I truly cannot go plunder it. No use getting worked up."

"I'm not telling you to plunder! That's a prince's estate — think of something, quickly, save the Prince of Han!"

"Me?"

Liu Chengzong raised a hand and pointed at his own nose. "Save the Prince of Han? Have you lost your mind? Here's an idea — send word to Guyuan Subprefecture city, tell them to go save Pingliang. I won't stop them."

"You know what state Guyuan is in. Where would they find troops? It has to be you, Grand Marshal. If the Prince of Han's estate falls, the Emperor's fury will end any talk of amnesty. Governor-General Yang says your matter is already halfway done — dispatch troops at once and save the Prince of Han!"