Chapter 5

Throughout Chinese history, there have been many Han dynasties or Han states, such as the Western Han, Eastern Han, Shu Han, Cheng Han, Later Han, Northern Han, and Southern Han, among others. Apart from the first three, Afei might not be able to accurately recall the surnames of the emperors. As for the era names, there are at least three hundred, possibly up to five hundred. Apart from the Ming and Qing dynasties, where each emperor had a single era name, which is easier to remember, and some specific era names that correspond to certain periods of prosperity or turmoil—such as the Zhenguan era of prosperity or the Jingkang era of humiliation—Afei can barely remember twenty of them. However, fortunately or unfortunately, the era name Zhongping happens to be firmly etched in his memory.

This era name's end coincided with the beginning of a great era. At that time, the old emperor died, and the young emperor was enthroned and changed the era name, but not long after, his uncle was assassinated. A powerful warlord entered the court and took control of the government, ordering another change of the era name. Before the year was over, the warlord deposed the young emperor and enthroned his brother, changing the era name for the third time. Afei couldn't remember the three era names used during these changes, but he knew that in some strategy games, this year was still recorded as the Zhongping era for convenience.

Indeed, the owner of this old era name was Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han, Liu Hong. After his death, the first young emperor to succeed him was Emperor Shao, Liu Bian, and the second was Emperor Xian, Liu Xie. Liu Bian's unfortunate uncle was He Jin, and the powerful warlord was Dong Zhuo...

In other words, the era he had traveled to was about to welcome the super chaotic and warring states period of the late Eastern Han and the Three Kingdoms.

This was truly a hellish situation! From the Yellow Turban Rebellion (at this point, the main force of the Yellow Turbans should have been defeated, and to celebrate, Emperor Ling changed the era name to Zhongping) until the Battle of Red Cliffs, the region north of the Yellow River was in constant turmoil, losing more than half of its population. In his state of having no strength, no courage, no foundation, and no wealth, it would be normal to die in the chaos, and surviving would be a miracle.

But this wasn't the worst part. If he had been born into one of the prominent families, his chances of survival might have been higher. For example, the Sima family of Henan, where the "eight Simas" brothers didn't die in the chaos and lived very comfortably. But why did he have to be born into a tenant farmer's family in the countryside?

Even if he managed to survive, did he have to spend his whole life in this poor and remote area, eating wild vegetables and tree bark? Others who traveled through time could smelt steel, make cannons, and unify the world, but why did he have to be like a flea, jumping no more than half a meter high and being squashed without a sound?

In other eras, even as a commoner, there might have been a chance to rise. For example, at the end of the Qin dynasty, if he couldn't be a亭长 (a low-ranking official), he could still serve with the亭长. At the end of the Yuan dynasty, he could try to find an ugly monk and make him his big brother. Taking a step back, he could at least read, which put him above the illiterate peasants. If he could find some books to read, he might have a chance to take the imperial exams...

But during the Han and Wei periods, forget it. Commoners were only meant to be cannon fodder. Don't believe the lies that Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and their families were commoners. Liu Bei was so poor that he wove mats and sold shoes, but he had the opportunity to study under the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi. If it weren't for his old classmate Gong Sunzan's help, could he have earned his first pot of gold... I mean, his first official position? Guan Yu sold jujubes, and Zhang Fei slaughtered pigs, but these are just legends.

Speaking of pig slaughterers, it's said that the family of the great general He Jin also slaughtered pigs, but He Jin's courtesy name was Sui Gao. Real butchers don't have courtesy names. He Jin being a butcher by origin only means that his family ran a meat shop, not that he personally slaughtered pigs.

As for Sun Jian, his family was of low origin and often looked down upon by the prominent families, but he became a county official at the age of ten or so. Real commoners, with no roof over their heads and no land to stand on, could they have such an opportunity?

To put it another way, even after the Sun family took control of the Jiangdong region, they were still looked down upon. So-called "commoners" were actually small and medium landowners, at the bottom of the ruling class. Below them were urban commoners, rich farmers, and middle farmers. At the very bottom of the ruled class were tenant farmers and slaves—where he happened to be.

Of course, there was still a chance, as the saying goes, "To become an official, one must kill and rob and then be pardoned." For example, Zhang Yan (Chu Feiyan), who controlled Changshan, became a high official after being pardoned. However, the best opportunity had already passed. One had to be involved in the Yellow Turban Rebellion to get such an opportunity. If one joined after the main force of the Yellow Turbans was defeated, they would either be suppressed by the old leaders or be exterminated by the new warlords.

So, if the era Afei had traveled to was only three-tenths terrible, then his identity was a hundred thousand times worse, so bad that he would have to thank all the gods and deities for his survival...

How could he not be utterly disheartened and shed tears?

The young man whom Afei had stopped and questioned looked at him curiously—this child was dressed in rags and looked a bit like a barbarian. Normally, if such a person dared to block his path, he would draw his sword and cut him in two, giving him a lesson he wouldn't forget. But before he could draw his sword, the child bowed politely and asked a series of not-so-simple questions. Strange, this little thug seemed to have read books.

Stranger still, as soon as he answered the questions, the child froze, tears streaming down his face. How interesting, why such a strong reaction to the era name Zhongping? Did he have a grudge against these two characters? The young man, curious, was about to ask why the child was crying when suddenly, a loud voice shouted, "Seize them!"

Afei was there, wallowing in self-pity, wishing he could die on the spot—anything was better than a lifetime of eating wild vegetables and dying in the chaos. Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm and pressed him to the ground. He was young and weak, and immediately knelt down. He turned his head slightly and saw that Old Wang next door was also being pressed to the ground by two men dressed similarly to the old soldiers at the gate.

Before he could react, the young man he had questioned shouted, "Who are you, and why are you seizing these two?"

The man who had shouted, "Seize them," replied, "This young master, you may not know, but we just received news that the Eastern barbarians have invaded in large numbers, breaking through the county of Hunmi and heading this way. These two entered the city last night and don't look like Han people. They must be spies for the barbarians."

"I am not an Eastern barbarian, I am a Han person!" Old Wang screamed.

Afei didn't scream. His mind was racing, thinking and calculating— "Eastern Han, Eastern barbarians... What Eastern barbarians in the Eastern Han, it's not the Shang or Zhou dynasties..."

Suddenly, the title of the last chapter of the "Records of the Three Kingdoms: Wei Annals" flashed in his mind— "The Biography of the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Eastern Barbarians"... Oh no, did he travel back to become a Korean?

The Eastern barbarians during the Han and Wei periods referred to the northeastern region and the Korean Peninsula, where the Fuyu, Huimo, Goguryeo, and Samhan tribes lived. The Samhan were the direct ancestors of the Korean people, while the Huimo and Goguryeo could be considered the collateral ancestors of the Koreans and the northeastern Chinese.

Of course, this wasn't the time to think about such things. If he thought for even a fraction of a second longer, his head would be on the chopping block. So Afei quickly shouted, "We are not spies for the Eastern barbarians, we are tenant farmers of Mr. Zhang in the county. Ask Mr. Zhang, and he will know."

"Which Mr. Zhang? What is his full name?" the young man asked.

"He is a clan brother of the county magistrate, his name is Zhang, Zhang..." Afei hoped that what Old Wang had told him was true, not just hearsay or boasting.

"Good," the young man said to the soldiers holding Afei and Old Wang, "I am also going to visit the county magistrate. Let's take them to the county office."

The county of Handan was very small, with only one main street, so it didn't take long to reach the county office. The young man first handed over a name card, and soon an official with a tilted hat and a disheveled robe rushed out, grabbing the young man's arm, "Young Master Shi, why are you still in our county? Hurry, hurry!"

The young man, Shi, freed himself from the official's grip, took a step back, and bowed deeply, "Why is the county magistrate so flustered? Is it because of the invasion by the Eastern barbarians?"

The official, who must have been the county magistrate, looked panic-stricken and stammered, "Yes, yes, the news just came, and the fast horse sent to the commandery for help has just left... I fear it will be too late. Before the commandery troops can gather, our county will be destroyed!"

"Do not worry, my family has a warehouse in the county with twenty able-bodied men willing to help defend the city," the young man, Shi, reassured the county magistrate, "But I wonder where the county captain is? How many troops are left in the county?"

"The county captain... the county captain..." the county magistrate clenched his teeth, "As soon as the news of the invasion came, he rode a fast horse to the commandery for help. What a scoundrel... There are fewer than a hundred soldiers in the county, but the barbarians who broke through Hunmi are said to number over a hundred thousand!"

Shi pursed his lips, "Even if all the men and women in the barbarian lands were mobilized, there wouldn't be a hundred thousand. This is surely an exaggeration. Since the county captain is not here, please entrust the defense of the city to me. I will defend the city for the county magistrate."

"You, you..." the county magistrate looked at Shi with suspicion.

"The barbarians are here to plunder and may not penetrate deep into our territory. Even if they do, the commandery troops will come to our rescue and won't dare to focus on attacking the city. We just need to blunt their momentum, and they will retreat," Shi said, drawing his long sword from his waist, "Though I am not yet of age, I have been practicing martial arts since I was seven. A few barbarian soldiers can't even get close to me. If the county magistrate does not allow me to defend the city, then I will abandon the city. But I fear I will be accused of fleeing before the enemy..."

"This, this, I certainly won't flee..."

"If you neither defend nor flee, do you intend to die for the country?"

"Die, die, die, die, die for the country!" The county magistrate's face turned as white as Cao Cao's on the stage.

To calm the county magistrate, Shi suddenly sheathed his sword and changed the subject, "Just now, the soldiers captured these two men in the city. They claim to be tenant farmers of your brother. Where is your brother, and can he come to identify them?"