Liu Qi's plan for Zhang Lu was not just to simply establish a religion and spread the teachings, but also to educate people and persuade them to be good, and to prepare for the spread of Chinese civilization.
Whether it is a foreign race or a foreign region, cultural penetration and civilization inheritance are the foundation of pioneering. Otherwise, no matter how large the territory is, it will just be a pile of loose sand.
Liu Qi planned to erect a hero monument, set up spirit tablets for all the soldiers who fought for the country, and have special people sweep the memorial tablets, chant scriptures, pray for blessings, and offer permanent sacrifices to them.
This is undoubtedly a great motivation and inspiration for the entire army, and worshipping heroes and sages of all ages is also a Taoist tradition. The two complement each other.
Zhang Lu's blood boiled when he heard this. Although Liu Qi was very young, he had enlightened him, so he treated him as his teacher and wished he could go to Changsha to prepare that day.
When they returned to Nanzheng again, Yan Pu and others found that Zhang Lu seemed like a different person. Not only was he not panicked by the enemy approaching the city, nor was he depressed by the impending defeat. Instead, he looked radiant and energetic, which was truly incredible.
When Zhang Lu announced his intention to surrender, Yang Ren was surprised and said, "Master seems to be out of his mind. Could it be that Liu Qi has the ability to communicate with gods and confuse people?"
Yan Pu was also confused. Although surrendering Kaesong was a helpless move, he had never seen anyone surrender so happily. What did the two of them say
At dusk, Zhang Lu led all the officials to open the city to welcome Liu Qi, issued the imperial edict to all places, and sent someone to tell Zhang Wei to surrender Yangping Pass, and Liu Qi would reward them with an official title.
The entire Hanzhong region surrendered, and a war was avoided, which made Liu Qi very relieved.
After more than ten years of recuperation, the city had a population of over 100,000 and sufficient money and food, becoming richer than the entire Guanzhong area.
That evening a banquet was held to celebrate the victory. The military and civilians celebrated together. The chief priests from all over the country also gathered to discuss with Zhang Lu the matter of spreading the teachings. Those who were willing to follow Zhang Lu would go to Changsha, and those who were willing to stay in Hanzhong would also be rewarded.
Once the religion is established in Hengshan, Zhang Lu will be the founder, and all the chief priests will become sages who spread the religion, found sects, and become famous in later generations. Thousands of years later, they will also enjoy the fireworks of worldly life like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Everyone was talking about the great cause of spreading Taoism when suddenly Kou Feng came hurriedly to report that the defending general Yang Ren had escaped from the south gate with hundreds of followers, and asked for orders to pursue the enemy.
"They are just scoundrels, nothing to worry about!" Liu Qi didn't take it seriously and ordered him to patrol the city carefully and strengthen law and order, and there was no need to chase them.
The banquet ended happily, and the next day Liu Qi issued orders to all places to restore the name of Hanzhong County. County officials remained in the same system, and various charity houses were converted into post stations, leaving only some temples and monasteries for the transition.
Although establishing a religion and spreading the teachings is a preparation for the future, there must be a limit. It is definitely not acceptable for religious laws to be above national laws as in Hanzhong. To govern the people, one must use Confucianism on the outside and law on the inside, and religion must not interfere with political power.
While they were discussing the arrangements for officials in various places, Zhang Lu came hurriedly to see them, but it turned out that his brother Zhang Wei refused to surrender and actually fled to Bazhong with more than 10,000 defenders of Yangping Pass.
Liu Qi comforted Zhang Lu and said, "Everyone has his own aspirations. There is no need to force them. But since your brother is determined to cause chaos, don't blame me for being ruthless in the future."
Zhang Lu sighed, "Everyone has his own destiny. It's already predetermined. Since I'm determined to spread the Dao, I should let go of everything."
Liu Qi said with a smile: "If you can spread the teachings to Nanyue during your trip to the south, it will be like Laozi's attempt to convert the barbarians when he left Hangu Pass."
"How dare I compare myself with Daozu?" Zhang Lu was excited, but he remained humble and said with a dry laugh: "I have come here to ask you a favor, but it is a bit presumptuous and difficult to say."
Liu Qi said: "It's okay to talk."
Zhang Lu sighed, "Although Hengyang is a blessed place, it is located in a remote area. I am afraid that my family will not be able to adapt to the climate there. I plan to take only my two sons with me. I have a young daughter who is waiting to be married. I would like to entrust her to you, General. I am being presumptuous and want to marry you. What do you think?"
Liu Qi thought for a moment and said, "It's not that I don't want to marry, but I already have two wives and two concubines at home, both of whom have just been married. If I marry again, I'm afraid I'll be a waste of your daughter's wealth. If you don't mind, I can be a matchmaker for your daughter and guarantee that she will be rich and prosperous in the future, and will have no worries about food and clothing."
Zhang Lu also knew that Liu Qi had married two wives in one year. If his daughter married him, she would only be a concubine, and her status would not be as high as Madam Sun. She would inevitably be ignored if she went there. He asked, "Who is the man?"
Liu Qi said, "My trusted general Wei Yan is brave and capable of leading troops. He will surely achieve success in the future. I want to keep him to guard Hanzhong, which is a good opportunity to bring the two of us together. What do you think?"
Zhang Lu nodded and said, "I have seen General Wei's bravery before. He is indeed very brave. It is my honor to have you as my matchmaker. As long as she and her daughter are safe, I will be satisfied!"
This really killed two birds with one stone. Zhang Lu originally wanted to keep Wei Yan to guard Hanzhong, and let him settle down here and become Zhang Lu's son-in-law. It would be easier for him to integrate into the army, politics, and people's hearts.
After some discussion, the two decided that Zhang Lu respected the teachings of Huang-Lao and did not need the Confucian rituals. As he was in a hurry to go out, he decided to keep everything simple and got married three days later.
After Zhang Lu left, Liu Qi asked Xu Shu, "Hanzhong has been secured. While Guanzhong is in chaos, we should quickly seize Yizhou. Who do you think can defend Hanzhong?"
Xu Shu smiled and said, "I thought the general wanted to keep Liu Pan here to guard the place, but since he is proposing marriage for Wei Yan, he must be keeping Wen Chang."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "What do you think, Military Advisor?"
Xu Shu said, "General Wei started out as a soldier. He is extremely brave and can charge into battle. I don't know how capable he is at maintaining order within the country. Since the general has appointed him, there must be a reason for it."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "I'll ask Wen Chang to come over and we'll know once we give it a try."
Xu Shu knew that Liu Qi was best at using people, and Wei Yan was a military general promoted by Liu Qi, so his loyalty was beyond doubt.
Soon Wei Yan arrived, and Liu Qi said, "Hanzhong has been conquered. This place is the throat of Longshu. It is the place where Emperor Gaozu founded the Han Dynasty. It must be guarded by a man who is both civil and military. I want to appoint you as the governor of Hanzhong. What do you think? Do you dare to take the position?"
Wei Yan was shocked and said, "Hanzhong is so important, how dare I take on such a great responsibility?"
Liu Qi stared at Wei Yan: "Wen Chang doesn't dare?"
"This..." Wei Yan was surprised and excited. He thought seriously for a moment, then bowed and clasped his fists and said, "I started out as a soldier. Fortunately, you have trusted me and promoted me. I will repay you with my life. If you trust me, I will serve you wholeheartedly, even if I die!"
Xu Shu said, "There is a great war going on in Guanzhong now. Although the Xiliang army is strong, it is easy to break. I think Ma Chao is no match for Cao Cao. When we take Yizhou in the future, Cao Cao will take advantage of the situation to attack Hanzhong. How will Wen Chang resist?"
Wei Yan said in a loud voice: "If Cao Cao comes with the whole country, please resist him for me; if a general with 100,000 troops comes, please swallow them for me."
"What a magnificent statement!" Xu Shu laughed and clapped his hands, praising: "Wen Chang is as heroic as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei."
Liu Qi was waiting for Wei Yan to say this. He was so awe-inspiring, confident and heroic. It was a pity that such a great general died in internal strife.
If Wei Yan had stayed in Hanzhong all the time, Cao Cao would not have been able to break in, let alone his juniors like Deng Ai and Zhong Hui