[Zhang Xiu, Zhang Ling, Zhang Lu and Wudou Mijiao]

Historically, there is a lot of controversy about whether the founder of the Wudou Rice Sect was Zhang Xiu or Zhang Ling, and it has not been decided to this day.

And on the basis of the available historical materials, it is already difficult to come up with an answer.

Zhang Ling and Zhang Xiu are not people of the same era, I personally speculate that the Five Dou Mi Sect originated from Zhang Ling, but it is further developed than Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu. It is likely that Zhang Ling only laid the foundation for the Wudou Rice Sect, but the real formation of the Five Dou Rice Sect was still in the Zhang Xiu period.

The origin of the Five Bucket Rice Road is because at the beginning of learning the Tao must pay five buckets of rice, so it is also called the "rice thief".

In the first year of Emperor Ling's reign (184), Zhang Xiu, the leader of the Wudou Mi Sect, led an uprising in Ba County and captured part of Hanzhong to cooperate with the Yellow Turban Uprising instigated by the Eastern Taiping Dao.

It is very likely that Hanzhong Taishou Su Gu defeated Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Xiu was resentful of Su Gu because of this, so he later took refuge in Liu Yan, the Yizhou Mu who wanted to deal with Su Gu.

After Liu Yan entered Shu, he incorporated the forces of the Wudou Mijiao, appointed Zhang Xiu as the Sima of other departments, and Zhang Lu as the Governor of the Yi Sima, let Zhang Lu assist Zhang Xiu, and used the two to eradicate the Hanzhong Taishou Sugu, and then Zhang Lu killed Zhang Xiu and seized his army and the Wudou Mijiao.

In history, when Zhang Lu seized Zhang Xiu's forces, including Wudou Midao, it was almost smooth sailing, and it was not recorded that he encountered any setbacks.

Pei Songzhi thinks that Zhang Xiu may be Zhang Lu's father Zhang Heng, I think this possibility is not very likely, and it is unlikely to be reasonable, but I agree that Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu are very likely to be related, that is, Zhang Xiu may also be a descendant of Zhang Ling, if this is true, it can explain a lot of problems.

For example, why most of the later generations believed that Zhang Ling founded the Wudou Rice Sect, but the historical materials were more supportive of the later Zhang Xiu, and why Zhang Lu was able to take away the forces controlled by Zhang Xiu so easily, and why Zhang Lu's attainments in the Wudou Rice Dao were so high, the most important thing is why they are all surnamed Zhang.

Because Zhang Ling, Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Lu are most likely in the same vein.

As for why there is no clear record, it may be because Zhang Xiu's role was not recognized by the decent old Zhang family at that time, but then again, before Liu Bei entered Shu, Yizhou itself was not the focus of the world, and there are not many historical records about the situation at that time, and what has been handed down by later generations is even more incomplete.

【Politics ~ Religion ~ Harmony ~ Hanzhong Regime】

After Zhang Lu killed Zhang Xiu and successfully took control of Hanzhong County and Wudou Midao, he followed Zhang Xiu's teachings and modified them.

Zhang Lu called himself "Shijun" in the Five Buckets of Rice Dao, and the believers who first believed in religion were called "ghost pawns", among which those who received the Tao to the degree of belief were renamed "sacrificial wine". Similar to the Yellow Turban Army, those religious people in Wudou Midao also have armies, among which they have more soldiers and horses, and they are used as a big sacrifice wine.

Zhang Lu taught people to be honest and trustworthy, not to cheat, and to self-reflect and review when there are shortcomings and mistakes, and this doctrine is also roughly the same as Zhang Jiao's Taiping Dao.

All the sacrificial wines have built a righteous house, just like the post station on the side of the road today, and buy righteous rice and meat to hang in the righteous house, and pedestrians can eat until they are full; But he also claimed that if he ate too much, the demons would make him sick. If a parishioner breaks the law, he or she will be forgiven for the first three times, but if he commits a minor offense, he will be punished with a hundred steps of the road, and if he commits a second offense, he will be punished with death.

According to the "Moon Order", Zhang Lu forbade slaughter in spring and summer when all things were growing, and he also forbade alcoholism.

Zhang Lu did not set up a governor in Hanzhong at the beginning, and most things were managed by sacrificial wine, so unlike other princes, the Hanzhong and Bashu areas controlled by Zhang Lu were very religious.

However, under the protection of Zhang Lu, peace and stability were basically maintained here, and many refugees from other places also poured into Hanzhong, both when Dong Zhuo was in trouble and Li Guo was unscrupulous.

Zhang Lu adopted a relaxed policy in the Hanzhong area, which was supported by both the Han people and the ethnic minorities, and the leaders of the Bayi ethnic minorities, Du Hao, Pu Hu, Yuan Yue, and others, later turned to Zhang Lu.

In the confrontation with Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu also changed from weak to strong, first repelled Pang Xi's attack many times, and after Pang Xi became the Brazilian Taishou, he began to turn to counterattack, and successfully suppressed Pang Xi, in the later period of Liu Zhang's management of Yizhou, Brazil County has basically fallen into the hands of Zhang Lu and others.

Due to Zhang Lu's strong power in the Hanzhong area, the imperial court adopted a policy of appeasement towards him, and the Xuchang court led by Cao Cao appointed Zhang Lu as the general of Zhenmin Zhonglang (or Zhenyi Zhonglang General), leading Hanning Taishou, and Hanzhong County became Hanning County.

Zhang Lu also got rid of the bad name of the thief army and was officially recognized as a member of the princes.

But Cao Cao and the Xuchang he controlled did not really give up on Hanzhong, and after Cao Cao became strong in the later period, there were many rumors that he was ready to crusade against Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, but because he was hindered by the warlords of Guanxi, most of them were thunderous and rainy.

【External Environment of Zhanglu Group】

Zhanglu's Hanzhong County is the northeastern and northernmost county of Yizhou.

To the north is the two counties of Youfufeng and Jingzhao of Sili, to the west is the Wudu County of Liangzhou, to the east is the Nanyang and Nanjun of Jingzhou, and to the south is the Ba County of Yizhou.

Geographically, Hanzhong County is the gateway to Yizhou.

In the north and west Zhang Lu was mainly in contact with the princes of Guanxi, in the period of Dong Zhuo and Li Guo, Zhang Lu was not the main target of the Western Liang Army Group, the two were basically at peace, and after the Western Liang Army was destroyed, the Liangzhou Group headed by Han Sui and Ma Teng came to power, Guanxi was too numerous, too scattered, and there was no big threat to Zhang Lu, and there was no obvious contradiction between the two sides, and Zhang Lu sent troops to support Ma Chao many times in the later period.

To the east, Zhang Lu and Liu Biao's Jingzhou forces were adjacent to each other, but neither had much contact with each other.

Therefore, Zhang Lu's most direct threat is Liu Zhang in the south, and the Yizhou group led by Liu Zhang regards Zhang Lu as a thorn in the flesh, and it is even more desirable for Hanzhong County, the gateway to Yizhou, but after Zhang Lu defeated Pang Xi many times, the two sides have already switched offense and defense, and Liu Zhang can only establish Brazil County to resist Zhang Lu.

In terms of the central court, Dong Zhuo, Li Dao and others of the Western Liang Army understood the relationship between Zhang Lu and Liu Yan very well, so although they had a conflict with Liu Yan after controlling the imperial court, they did not deal with Zhang Lu without being sure, but as Liu Yan's subordinates, Zhang Lu was unlikely to get an official position from the Western Liang Army.

After the imperial court was controlled by Cao Cao, Zhang Lu had broken with Liu Zhang and became a completely independent local power, and at first Cao Cao was unable to manage the west, so he temporarily wooed Zhang Lu with an official position and brought him under the imperial court system.

Neither the Cao Cao group nor the Xiliang Army Group treated Zhang Lu as an ally, but the Xiliang Army believed that Zhang Lu was Liu Yan's subordinate and an enemy, while the Cao Cao Group believed that Zhang Lu was a thief and needed to be eliminated. However, Zhang Lu and Ma Han and other warlords in Liangzhou had relatively small contradictions, and later Zhang Lu also sent troops to support Ma Chao many times and helped him capture Liangzhou.

Attachment: Discussion on the relationship between Zhang Lu and Liu Yan

Regarding the relationship between Liu Yan and Zhang Lu, I personally have other speculations, and I think Zhang Lu may be Liu Yan's illegitimate son.

Why! The relationship between Zhang Lu's mother and Liu Yan is unclear. According to historical records, Zhang Lu's mother is very beautiful, very beautiful, and often runs to Liu Yan's house, so why did she go to Liu Yan's house so diligently? Although the folk customs were not so conservative during the Three Kingdoms period, they were definitely not so open, beautiful women, noble royal families, there are no insiders, do you believe it?

I don't believe it anyway.

Later, when planning Hanzhong, Liu Yan appointed Zhang Xiu as the Sima of the other department, and the Sima of the other department was an official position recognized by the imperial court and an official of the Han system, and Zhang Lu was sent to Zhang Xiu's side as the Governor Sima, what kind of official position was the Governor Sima ?

The Eastern Han Dynasty did not have this official position, which means that this position was specially prepared by Liu Yan for Zhang Lu.

Moreover, after Zhang Lu assisted Zhang Xiu in killing Su Gu and seizing Hanzhong, he killed Zhang Xiu, took away Zhang Xiu's troops, and took sole control of Hanzhong, but did Liu Yan say anything at that time? There was no indication, just like when Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu killed Su Gu.

We know that although Su Gu was nominally Liu Yan's subordinate, Liu Yan still got rid of him, so Zhang Lu's killing of Zhang Xiu may have been in Liu Yan's plan from the beginning.

After all, what Liu Yan needs is to completely control Hanzhong County in his own hands, so he can only entrust it to his trusted henchmen, Su Gu is not, so Su Gu is dead, Zhang Xiu is not, so Zhang Xiu is also dead.

So Zhang Lu is it? Judging from the relationship between Liu Yan and Zhang Lu's mother, this must be!

After Zhang Lu went to Hanzhong, was Zhang Lu's mother by Zhang Lu's side later?

No, then who is she around?

And does she have Zhang Lu's wife and children by her side?

Among the three core ministers left by Liu Yan to Liu Zhang, before Zhao Wei did not rebel, Liu Zhang reused and delegated power, and Pang Xi was ready to rebel, and Liu Zhang finally let him go.

Only Zhang Lu.

Liu Zhang's attitude towards Zhang Lu is the worst, Liu Zhang found an excuse to give Zhang Lu's mother the result after becoming the pastor of Yizhou, Liu Zhang said that Zhang Lu did not obey him, but where did he not obey?

It was Liu Zhang who first killed Zhang Lu's mother and younger brother, and then sent Pang Xi to crusade against Hanzhong many times, and after Liu Zhang became the pastor of Yizhou, did Zhang Lu do anything to be sorry for Liu Zhang? There are no documents.

And how did Liu Zhang treat his brother in history, Cao Cao had just crowned Liu Zhang's brother Liu Mao as the general of Pingkou, and Liu Mao happened to die of illness.

But to get back to the point, Liu Yan and Zhang Lu's mother had an affair, and the fact that Zhang Lu was Liu Yan's illegitimate son is speculation after all, and the historical materials we have now cannot confirm this view.

But I also believe that Chen Shou will not have nothing to do to write that Zhang Lu's mother is a beauty and always runs to Liu Yan's house, which must imply something.