Chương 149: The Essential Techniques of Peace 1

After Liu Ce finished dealing with the major issues of steelmaking, production lines, and new equipment, he could finally catch his breath.

As night fell, the governor's mansion in Zhuoxian County had quieted down.

But in Liu's study, the candlelight shone brightly.

Liu Ce sat cross-legged on a grand chair—a chair he had specially made by Old Wang the carpenter based on his memory, much more comfortable than kneeling—holding a thick, yellowed book in his hands, with a few ancient characters on the cover: "The Essential Techniques of Peace," also known as "The Classic of Peace."

Liu Ce crossed his legs, laid the thick book out on his lap, and was marveling at the "revolutionary program" from two thousand years ago.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

As Liu Ce flipped through the pages, he muttered to himself, "If this book were published in modern times, wouldn't it win a Nobel Peace Prize, a Nobel Prize in Medicine, and a Best Fantasy Novel award?"

......

"Good heavens, that old Taoist Zhang Jiao..."

......

"This isn't a rebellion manual; it's practically a 'Comprehensive Solution for Social Reform in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Pro Max Edition'!"

He translated it using modern thinking as he read:

"Harmony between Heaven and Man and the Way to Govern the World" – Translation: If the emperor (boss) is incompetent, Heaven will send down disasters. The court (company) is collapsing because powerful officials (management) are too corrupt, and the common people (lower-level employees) can't survive. Advocating that "the world belongs to all people"... that idea would be considered radical egalitarianism even in modern times!

The "Inheritance of Good and Evil" Theory – Translation: Children must repay the sins committed by their parents; descendants can reap the rewards of their ancestors' virtues. Therefore, everyone must work diligently, help each other, and avoid being a bully. Wow, this Frankenstein's monster theory of "cause and effect + collective responsibility" is quite suitable for community building.

"Prophecies and the Five Elements Theory"—When Liu Ce saw the lines "The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; in the year of Jiazi, great fortune will come to the world," he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Isn't this just a plus-sized version of 'Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?' from the Eastern Han Dynasty? They even added the Five Elements theory—Han belongs to Water, Yellow belongs to Earth, Earth overcomes Water, so the Yellow Turbans should replace the Han Dynasty…

Now that's called professional!"

Turning to the section on cultivation techniques, Liu Ce immediately sat up straight.

The "Huangtian Hunyuan Yiqi Gong" is divided into four stages and thirty-six levels.

"Qi cultivation period: immense strength, capable of taking on a hundred opponents" - well, roughly equivalent to a top weightlifter at the gym.

"Acquired stage: immune to all diseases, muscles and bones as strong as iron" - this defensive power is comparable to wearing inner armor.

"Innate stage: light as a swallow, sword energy can cut through gold" - well, that's low-level martial arts film quality.

"Qi Refining Stage: Riding the wind, practicing fasting and embryonic breathing, reaching the realm of 'Human Immortal'" — "Holy crap!!!"

Liu Ce couldn't help but swear, "Isn't this some kind of cultivation practice?! Zhang Jiao, you're not a Taoist priest, you're a cultivator, right?!"

Look further down:

"The Way to Longevity and Oneness"—Can maintaining harmony between mind and body lead to longevity? It sounds like an advanced meditation course.

"Spiritual Medicine Moxibustion and Accelerated Cultivation"—requires thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and ten-thousand-year-old spiritual jade?

"Well, the standard for cultivation novels is 'heavenly treasures,' and this book really has the mindset of a transmigrator? Where do you find these things? Wholesale?"

"Talismanic Prayer"—drawing talismans, burning them to ashes, mixing them with water, and drinking the mixture to cure illness?

"This... is it hygienic? Isn't cinnabar poisonous?" Upon seeing the "Lightning-Attracting Talisman," Liu Ce's lips twitched.

"They've even come up with lightning magic; is the next step summoning a dragon?"

"Medical Skills and Health Preservation"—Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Moxibustion.

"This part is quite practical. Zhang Jiao traveled the world treating and saving lives back then, so he must have really had some skills."

The "idea of governing the country and bringing peace to the world" advocated non-interference, equal distribution of wealth, and opposition to exploitation.

"The ideal is lofty, but in the ruthless world of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it was difficult to implement."

"Military Organization and Tactics" - Thirty-Six Divisions, Yellow Turban Warrior Creation, Celestial Transformation Techniques, Art of Transforming Beasts, Invisibility Techniques...

Upon seeing the description "Yellow Turban Warrior Refinement: Using secret medicines and talismans to refine strong individuals into painless, fearless puppet soldiers," Liu Ce gasped in shock: "Bio-engineered warriors?! Are they going this far?!"

"The Art of Weather Manipulation"—a weather weapon?

"The Art of Puppetizing Beasts" - An Animal Army?

"Invisibility Technique"—Special Infiltration?

"Well, this is definitely an ancient version of a supernatural special operations manual!"

……

"Holy crap!!!"

Liu Ce couldn't help but exclaim in modern dialect, "This isn't some kind of 'cult scripture,' it's practically a 'Complete Guide to Ancient Social Reforms and Practical Techniques' plus a 'budget-friendly cultivation guide'!"

Liu Ce placed the book on the table, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples, and was filled with emotion.

His understanding of the Yellow Turban Rebellion before his time travel was limited to a few sentences in his history textbook: a peasant uprising at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, led by Zhang Jiao, which was later suppressed.

And explanations posted by bloggers on short videos, etc.

But after reading this book, "The Essentials of Peace," he truly understood Zhang Jiao.

This is not a simple "charlatan," but a reformer with ideals, theories, and organization.

His thought contains Confucian ethics, Daoist non-action, Mohist universal love, and even some rudiments of socialism.

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the wooden window.

The cool night breeze of Youzhou in October swept in, dispersing the candle smoke in the study.

A cold, clear moon hung in the sky, like a giant silver plate, coldly looking down upon the world.

Liu Ce leaned against the window frame, his mind replaying what he had just read.

"The Essential Techniques of Peace... The Essential Techniques of Peace..."

He muttered to himself, "This isn't some Taoist scripture. This is clearly..."

He paused, familiar modern concepts flashing through his mind, ultimately coalescing into four words:

"The world belongs to all."

He recalled Zhang Jiao's sickly, withered face, yet his eyes burned with passion.

"Zhang Jiao, oh Zhang Jiao, if you had been born in a prosperous era, you might have become a great physician and thinker. But you were born in a chaotic world. Holding such powerful theories and practical guidelines, you lacked all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support..."

If the right timing, location, and people are all in place, perhaps we can truly create a prosperous era where everyone has food to eat, clothes to wear, a place to live, and money to spend!

He paused, then sighed, "What a pity... it's such a pity."

Ideals are beautiful, but reality is too cruel.

Although the Eastern Han Dynasty was corrupt, its foundation of rule remained.

The powerful clans and wealthy families wielded immense influence. Zhang Jiao, a commoner who rose to power through religion, faced an extremely difficult task in overthrowing the entire system.

He gazed at the moon, its light cold and frosty, spilling across the courtyard like a layer of silver gauze.

For some reason, two seven-character quatrains by modern poets praising Zhang Jiao suddenly popped into his mind—these were works he had seen on a forum in his previous life, and now they seemed so fitting that he blurted them out: