Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

He joined the army simply because he heard that being a soldier was better than farming, and that the army could pay its soldiers on time these days.

Little did he know that his first battle after joining the army would be the brutal Battle of Tiger Ridge.

Fortunately, Wang Wu was lucky and survived until the army surrendered.

However, although he survived, he became a prisoner of war, and like the other prisoners, he was filled with anxiety.

"What should we do? I don't know if the Datong Society will kill prisoners." Wang Wu sighed, his heart filled with worry.

The prisoners were reorganized, and there were other prisoners around Wang Wu.

In the camp, Wang Wu listened to the discussions of the other prisoners.

Opinions were not unified among the prisoners. Some were very pessimistic, believing that the Datong Society would certainly not treat the prisoners well; but others had different ideas.

“I’ve heard in the countryside that the Datong Army has ‘three rules of discipline and eight points of attention.’ One of them is ‘no mistreatment of prisoners,’ so we shouldn’t be mistreated.” One of the prisoners had heard about the Datong Society’s operating principles and wasn’t too worried.

However, most soldiers only train in the army and have few opportunities to come into contact with the Datong Society. They do not know much about the Datong Society, so they are still full of worries.

"What if they're all fake? After a war, how can prisoners not be mistreated!"

"That's right, some officers in the army say that the Datong army are rebels, extremely cruel, and leave no one or no animal alive wherever they go!"

Amidst the murmurs, Wang Wu couldn't get a word in edgewise. He wasn't very knowledgeable and didn't want to speak at the moment, though he still harbored some worries and anxieties.

Suddenly, a group of Datong soldiers arrived at the prisoner-of-war camp. These Datong soldiers were armed with muskets and looked menacing.

Like the other prisoners, Wang Wu immediately became obedient and lined up neatly as required by the other side, performing the "left face" maneuver.

However, even with such a simple "look left" command, some soldiers still went in the wrong direction, drawing some reprimands.

After forming a line, the Tang prisoners finally stood in formation. Then, they saw a short-haired man in the uniform of the Datong army speaking in a strong, clear voice:
"Hello everyone, I am Zhang Shun, the ideological instructor of the 25th Battalion of the Datong Army. You can call me Instructor Zhang. I know that you all faced each other on the battlefield, and now that you have been captured, you are inevitably feeling uneasy. But here, I want to tell you that the Datong Army has discipline and rules. One of them is that it is strictly forbidden to mistreat prisoners. Therefore, as long as you follow our rules and regulations in this battalion, you will not suffer any unfair treatment!"

These words put the Tang prisoners of war, who had been filled with anxiety, at ease.

Then, Instructor Zhang continued, "You will have to stay in this POW camp until the Tang government redeems you during our negotiations with them. Of course, you can't just sit around doing nothing in the POW camp; you must cooperate with our Datong Army in doing certain things."

"Do something?" The prisoners of war, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, were now on edge again. They instinctively thought that what they were about to experience, even if not torture, would probably not be a pleasant one.

But then, Instructor Zhang explained their upcoming arrangements in detail:

"In the prisoner-of-war camp, we will arrange for everyone to do some simple and reasonable physical labor. This time will be controlled between 9 am and 5 pm. In the evenings, there will be 'literacy classes' after labor on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, where everyone will be taught to recognize and read. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, there will be 'ideological education,' 'cultural performances,' and 'group reports,' respectively. Every weekend will be your rest time. Until our Great Harmony Society completes negotiations with the Tang Dynasty, you will all live this kind of life in the camp."

Instructor Zhang's words were both bewildering and unbelievable to the group of Tang army prisoners. Cultural performances and ideological education were things they had never even heard of before.

However, when the word "literacy" reached the ears of the Tang prisoners, they heard it with exceptional clarity.

"Are you really going to make us learn to read and write?"

"How could a boorish person like me, who can't read a single word, have the opportunity to learn to read and write?"

"So what exactly is this kind of labor?"

The prisoners of war from the Tang Dynasty were all restless, filled with doubt and unease. Many of them were skeptical, finding it hard to believe. Wang Wu was one of them.

However, starting the next day, they truly experienced all of this.

"They actually want us roughnecks to go to some kind of literacy school."

"Is learning to read and write really something we can do?"

After a day's work, Wang Wu didn't feel tired. Because at dinner, he actually ate meat. That simple dinner made Wang Wu feel that all the hard work of the day had vanished.

However, that evening, just as they had heard, literacy classes were set up in the Datong army. The classes had clear regulations: all prisoners of war were required to attend. Even some Tang soldiers who were already literate needed re-education.

Wang Wu and the other prisoners entered the school with trepidation. They sat down awkwardly in rows, and soon a teacher came in.

"Hello everyone, I am your teacher in this literacy class. My name is Liu Duan. You can call me Teacher Liu."

"In the days to come, we will see each other often in class."

“We have two classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening.”

"Today is everyone's first day of class, so please keep quiet."

"Besides, there's no need to be nervous. Whether you were illiterate or literate before, it's a fresh start in the literacy class."

Teacher Liu Duan gently comforted the prisoners of war, telling them not to be nervous. But some of the Tang Dynasty prisoners of war still couldn't help but become nervous.

Moreover, everyone was unusually quiet, and no one dared to make a sound. This was because in the center of the podium stood Teacher Liu Duan, while on either side of the podium stood a soldier dressed in Datong Army uniform, each holding a firearm called a "submachine gun".

According to the Tang Dynasty prisoners of war, once those two submachine guns were fired, accompanied by the "rat-a-tat-tat" sound, the lives of all the Tang Dynasty prisoners in the classroom would be in danger. Under such circumstances, the prisoners of war naturally dared not move or make a sound; their tension was palpable.

Ignoring the tense atmosphere, Liu Duan turned around and wrote something on the blackboard.

"To learn to read, it's best to start with the basics. However, before that, we need to learn an 'alphabet' and master the initials and finals."

"Come on, everyone, follow me and let's memorize them together." "a, o, e, i, u, ü."

With the prisoners of war not daring to let their minds wander, the lesson quickly came to an end. Towards the end, they had all become completely absorbed. This lesson was about "recognizing characters." While called "recognizing characters," it mainly consisted of learning the alphabet. However, many prisoners did memorize the pronunciations of the initials and finals.

"Okay, that's it for this class."

At the end of the class, teacher Liu Duan clapped his hands and then instructed everyone: "If there is anything you don't know how to read or write, you can discuss it with each other when you get home."

"After we get back, everyone has to do their 'homework' and write down each initial and final dozens of times."

"I will be checking the homework tomorrow. If there is any unsatisfactory work, or anyone who tries to cheat, they will be punished."

As he spoke, teacher Liu Duan lowered his head and took out a stack of exercise books from under his desk. Besides the exercise books, there were also several thick books.

"These are the notebooks where everyone will complete their homework. Everyone will receive one later."

"In addition to the workbook, each student can also receive a 'Datong Dictionary'."

“In the Datong Dictionary, every character is marked with its initial consonant in pinyin.”

"In the next lesson, I will teach you how to use a dictionary."

As he spoke, Liu Duan distributed the notebooks and dictionaries one by one. Wang Wu also received a notebook and a "Datong Dictionary". His rough hands gently caressed the notebook and the Datong Dictionary, feeling their unique texture, and a strange emotion welled up inside him.

Both the notebooks and the Datong dictionary were exquisitely crafted. These were luxuries he rarely had access to. But now, as a prisoner of war, the Datong army had actually given them to him. A thought suddenly flashed through Wang Wu's mind.

"I never thought that I, Wang Wu, would have such a day."

Recalling everything he had experienced in the POW camp, he felt it was far, far better than the Tang Dynasty military camp. Here, he was well-fed, respected, and even received free lessons in reading and writing. Clearly, Wang Wu wasn't the only one in the classroom who was moved. Most of the Tang Dynasty POWs were experiencing subtle changes in their hearts at that moment.

……

After distributing the supplies, teacher Liu Duan temporarily left the classroom. According to him, this was to allow for some "break time." The Datong soldiers carrying guns also left. Suddenly, only the Tang Dynasty prisoners of war remained in the classroom.

After a brief silence, they couldn't contain themselves and began discussing amongst themselves. Their discussion revolved around their disbelief at everything they had encountered in the prisoner-of-war camp, and their speculations about the deeper meaning behind the Datong army's actions. But regardless of their guesses, they all shared one feeling: anticipation for the next lesson.

Before long, the break time ended, and the second class began.

This lesson covered various combinations of pinyin and techniques for learning characters using these pinyin. Liu Duan had the prisoners of war pick up their respective "Datong Dictionaries" and explained in detail how to use them. Then, Liu Duan gave them an on-the-spot task.

"Alright, now everyone needs to complete the class assignment. That is to use pinyin correctly to find your own name in the dictionary, as well as the names of your relatives, friends, and even comrades-in-arms, and memorize them."

Liu Duan smiled slightly: "If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask. If you remember any pinyin, or if you still don't understand how to use the 'Datong Dictionary,' you can also ask."

With that, Liu Duan let the prisoners of war operate on their own. Soon, the prisoners of war began to experiment. Wang Wu couldn't wait any longer, so he opened the "Datong Dictionary" and started searching through it using the method he had just learned.

Because the name was simple enough, it didn't take long for Wang Wu to find the two characters of his name.

"Found it, found it! I found it!"

Wang Wu was thrilled to see his own name. He didn't stop there, continuing his search. This time, he was looking for the name of "Xiao Cui," the village beauty. As he used the dictionary to find and memorize the names of familiar people, Wang Wu felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

A single literacy lesson changed the mindset of many Tang Dynasty prisoners of war. Most of their previous suspicions about the Datong Army were put aside. Instead, most of the prisoners felt a surge of gratitude towards the Datong Army.

Take Wang Wu, for example. By learning pinyin and using the "Datong Dictionary," he successfully found his own name, and even the names of people he knew. All of this gave him a sense that he could read.

After school, Wang Wu returned to the prisoner-of-war camp and lay on his bunk, but he still couldn't calm down and couldn't fall asleep.

Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped up, picked up the "Datong Dictionary" as if it were a precious treasure, and went to the chair in the middle of the cell.

As Wang Wu moved, he discovered that there were other people in the cell, just like him, carefully flipping through the "Datong Dictionary" on the table.

"The Datong Dictionary..." Wang Wu flipped through it like a precious treasure, a surge of unprecedented satisfaction welling up within him. This satisfaction was called spiritual fulfillment. The next day...

As the last rays of the setting sun gradually disappear below the horizon, a day's hard work comes to an end.

Night once again gently enveloped this land.

However, unlike usual, there were no classes scheduled for tonight; instead, there was a unique "cultural and entertainment activity."

In a wide-open outdoor space, a temporary stage quietly stood up.

In the center of the stage, a huge curtain slowly rose, like the brightest star in the night sky, attracting everyone's attention.

Around this curtain, some oddly shaped "machines" are arranged in a staggered manner, shimmering with a mysterious light under the dim yellow light.

Wang Wu, this prisoner of the Tang Dynasty, mingled in the crowd, clutching his small stool tightly, and found an empty seat to sit down. Beside him were soldiers of the Datong Army, holding submachine guns, vigilantly scanning their surroundings to prevent any unforeseen events.

Despite the slightly tense atmosphere, most of the Tang prisoners of war were quite cooperative, and none of them dared to harbor any disloyal thoughts.

After all, those "037" prisoners of war with ulterior motives have recently disappeared without a trace, and it is unknown where they have been transferred.

At least in Wang Wu's cell, everyone came from similar backgrounds, and there was an unspoken understanding between them. (End of Chapter)