Chapter 365: The Source of the Gods
In Guanzhong, officials and people everywhere were busy preparing for the winter.

As September approaches, weeds have grown into full growth in the fields and on the ridges of crops.

The military and civilians harvested large tracts of weeds. These weeds were four or five feet high, and could grow to six or seven feet in places with abundant rain.

After harvesting, they are dried in the sun, bundled and carried back to the village or team; or a pasture is set up in the wilderness to store this kind of grass.

Every hay bale is different. The hay bales harvested in autumn are generally withered and yellow...but even this kind of hay is fiber mixed with grass seeds, and can barely feed the herds in winter.

Even though it cannot be digested and absorbed, it can be used as fuel or fertilizer.

Liu Bei and Zhou Yu had the same itinerary and traveled together because a mountain flood blocked the Wugu Pass Road.

When the two men arrived at Ganquan Mountain Road, they saw pastures set up on both sides of the road. These pastures had no walls and were made of bundles of grass.

Many soldiers and civilians were carrying and transporting bundles of dried grass. After the old grass was cut, a new layer of green was growing on the mountains and fields.

Children and teenagers herd cattle and sheep together, while horses graze in the deep mountains where the fodder is better.

Liu Bei sat in the carriage and observed the soldiers and civilians near and far. There were about twenty slaves in each crowd.

The slaves were easy to identify, used in groups, and did the hardest work, with two or three armed knights overseeing them.

Seeing such vigilance, Liu Bei realized that these slaves were new and had not yet become fully accustomed to the new environment.

After two or three years, slaves would generally adapt to their new life. Those who performed well would be assigned light physical work. They might also become leaders, gain a certain status, and even be arranged to have a wife.

Over time, there will be no need to arrange special armed soldiers to supervise.

Almost at a glance, Liu Bei concluded that these slaves were captured from Hexi and Shuofang.

Liu Bei was observing, and Zhou Yu was also observing.

Zhou Yu focused his observations on the sloping lands in the mountains and fields that were suitable for cultivation. He saw that many of the sloping lands looked like mountain fields, but there were no signs of cultivation.

We know that Guanzhong has still not recovered the abandoned mountain fields, and the plains have not been fully developed.

Zhou Yu was well aware of how great the demand for food was in Guanzhong. He even suspected that he had been exposed the last time he sneaked into the caravan to Guanzhong.

However, in order to obtain more food, the Guanzhong side ignored his existence and reached an agreement to exchange food for horses.

Unfortunately, those war horses failed to play any role and became the spoils of the Huainan Kingdom.

In order to obtain food, Guanzhong will definitely launch foreign military operations this winter.

Either force Jingzhou to hand over grain, or lead troops on a long expedition and eat the enemy.

It’s simply too late to grow crops.

Guanzhong is absorbing population from all around it too quickly. By next year, there may be many uninhabited counties in Yan and Yu states.

The more than 10,000 soldiers and warships he brought to Nanyang will make up for the lack of navy in Guanzhong.

This also means that Liu Biao and his son in Jingzhou were very likely to use less than honorable means to attack Taishi Ci.

Since Taishi Ci can resist this round of attacks, he will naturally be recognized by Guanzhong.

If Taishi Ci fails, he can only bow his head and be a good person.

Zhou Yu was thinking and feeling a little worried. The pale and sultry sunlight of the autumn afternoon fell on his face, and he looked completely calm and composed.

After the convoy traveled for another ten miles, they saw a camp that was in its initial stages of establishment.

Liu Bei concluded at a glance that there were more than 10,000 people busy in the camp. Zhou Yu, who was on another car, also saw it. He had better eyesight and could find that most of the working soldiers were slender and thin, more like teenagers.

Bu Zhi, who was riding in the same carriage with Zhou Yu, said: "That is the Qinghua Academy, the first palace built since the Grand Marshal entered the Pass."

"Is this Qinghua Academy that Zishan is talking about the place where the Qinghua guards are stationed and trained?"

"That's right. The Grand Marshal thinks highly of the Qinghua Guards." Bu Zhi glanced at the back of the driver's head and said to Zhou Yu, "Since the Grand Marshal bestowed the title and the former Qingzhou soldiers were changed to Qinghua Guards, the Qinghua Guards have been in charge of all major and minor sacrifices in Guanzhong. Now evil sacrifices are banned in Guanzhong, and only the people are allowed to sacrifice to the spirits of mountains and rivers."

Zhou Yu raised his eyebrows and could see the guardhouses and wooden walls built on the hillsides on both sides of the road more than ten miles away. That should be the hub of the current Grand Marshal's Mansion.

He also knew that time was running out and Bu Zhi would not talk about these things casually, so he asked curiously: "The spirits of the mountains and rivers are a bit vague, aren't there gods in the countryside and streams?"

"No, in Guanzhong, only the Jing River and the Wei River are allowed to be sacrificed. The remaining branches are not allowed to be sacrificed. And only the gods of the Nanshan Mountain are allowed to be sacrificed."

Bu Zhi paused and said, "When offering sacrifices to the gods of mountains and rivers, the main focus is on repairing dams and clearing silt. It is said that repairing dams can shape the river gods, and clearing silt can make the river gods smooth and happy. The same is true for mountain gods. Planting trees and building roads are the main focuses. Those who have led evil sacrifices before, as well as soldiers and civilians who have refused to change after repeated admonitions, will be exiled nearby, or they will be ordered to build and clear river channels, or plant trees and build roads."

Seeing Zhou Yu's expression of understanding and trying not to laugh, Bu Zhi restrained his expression and said seriously: "Officials and people are allowed to offer sacrifices to the spirits of mountains and rivers at will. In addition, there are human gods and heavenly gods. Only the Grand Marshal is allowed to send envoys to preside over the sacrifices to the heavenly gods; as for the human gods..."

Looking at Zhou Yu, Bu Zhi lowered his voice and said, "The human gods are worshipped by the counties in four seasons, and are called the City Gods. Now the City Gods of the counties in Guanzhong are vacant. I heard that the seats are quite magical, and they may be filled by people with great achievements."

"Zishan means that this place wants to reorganize the sacrifices and confer the gods?"

Zhou Yu was instinctively skeptical of supernatural things, but he was also aware of the appeal of deification to the soldiers in the army.

It is very difficult to be granted the title of nobility, and one has to be granted the title while still alive; but it is easy to be deified. As long as one fights fiercely enough, even after death, one can be deified.

After a pause, Zhou Yu asked, "Don't Kong Wenju, Wang Zhongxuan and others have any objections?"

Kong Rong was well-known for his love of arguing with people, and Wang Can was a leader of young scholars. How could he possibly watch such a thing happen?

Bu Zhi just shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Kong Wenju saw that this strategy could eliminate the evil worship, and he had no objection. As for Wang Zhongxuan, his influence is not as strong as before, and the Grand Marshal has been in Hexi for a long time, so Wang Zhongxuan is powerless."

Seeing Zhou Yu in deep thought, Bu Zhi said, "Now the Grand Marshal has returned to Ganquan Mountain, but Wang Zhongxuan claims to be noble and upright, so why would he come in person? If he comes, and the Grand Marshal refuses to let him in, wouldn't that make people laugh at him?"

Zhou Yu only felt layers of pressure and oppression.

This decree is not very important, and even the implementation procedure is not very formal, but its impact is bound to be far-reaching.

This is the Conferred God event, and the candidates are almost limited, only those with great merits are allowed to be selected... How many people are going crazy with envy?
But no matter how crazy these people are, they can never defeat an army composed mainly of poor people, civilians, refugees, and slaves.

The army in Guanzhong had an obvious shortcoming, which was the serious lack of middle and senior military officers.

This shortcoming is very dangerous. If attacked, the forces will be dispersed in a hurry and it will be difficult to gather and launch a counterattack.

Now, when we mobilize troops, we mobilize them just before war and then form high-level organizational units.

This also means that there are usually too few people in control of the army, just a few people.

How could these people possibly jump out and resist?
Conferring the title of deity is a major event, and its impact is comparable to Black Bear’s own enthronement.

Do you support or oppose the deification of gods?
This is the information revealed by the Qinghua Guards, but behind it is the instruction of the Grand Marshal.

Many people who are unwilling to support and cannot gain benefits from the Conferred God event will certainly oppose it, but how many people dare to jump out and oppose it?

If no one objects, it means you have more control.

But the danger inside still exists.

This was the reason why Zhou Yu rejected Jiang Ji’s invitation.

The channels and methods of entering officialdom are directly related to the degree of closeness to the Grand Marshal.

If you join Guanzhong as a part of the Huainan Kingdom, you will most likely be implicated in the future.

If you enter the government on your own, you will receive a different kind of treatment.

For example, at this moment, he naturally supports the deification!

The fact that Bu Zhi took the risk to talk to him about this matter almost made clear the risks involved.

(End of this chapter)