Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 179 Cultural Prosperity Begins in Yanzhou

When Yang Biao saw Cao Yan enter, he looked anxious, grabbed Cao Yan's arm, and asked, "Did you make that new paper?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Yan was slightly taken aback, then nodded and said, "It's me."

Yang Biao pressed further: "Did you also come up with the method for mass-producing books?"

Cao Yan readily agreed, "That's right."

Yang Biao's gaze was intense as he continued, "Was the 'Wanmin Journal' also something you proposed to create?"

Cao Yan remained calm and replied, "That's correct."

Upon receiving a series of affirmative replies, Yang Biao was momentarily speechless.

The young man in front of me is unconventional in his actions and has novel ideas. Many of his actions are both eye-catching and unpredictable.

Just then, the servant brought in a cup of freshly brewed tea, the steaming aroma of which broke the slightly awkward silence.

Yang Biao picked up his teacup, took a small sip to moisten his throat, and spoke again: "I have recently visited many places and discovered that some of the systems here are different from those of the Han Dynasty..."

Halfway through his sentence, Yang Biao looked at Cao Yan.

Cao Yan nodded and readily admitted, "It was my improvement that led to its implementation."

Yang Biao's lips twitched slightly as he continued, "I also noticed that the military-agricultural system here is different from the one promoted by the imperial court in the early days?"

Cao Yan replied, "The division of military and civilian settlements in Yanzhou was also my doing."

Yang Biao was amazed, wondering how much more this young man knew that he didn't know.

Cao Yan spoke casually, but Yang Biao's heart was in turmoil.

Leading troops into battle, inventing and creating, reforming people's livelihoods—it seems there's no field he hasn't been involved in.

Seeing Yang Biao suddenly fall silent, Cao Yan smiled and asked, "Grand Master, do you have any other questions?"

Yang Biao rubbed his face, which was stiff with surprise, and asked with a solemn expression, "I would like to ask, what kind of ideals are hidden in your heart?"

Ideals, and then there's something else about ideals.

Cao Yan had been questioned about his ideals by that third master before, which is why he had no choice but to bring out the "Four Sentences of Hengqu" to show off.

Now that Yang Biao had asked about his ideals again, Cao Yan could only point to the plaque outside the lobby and say, "Isn't it hanging outside?"

The "Four Lines of Hengqu" are just a few words, yet they resonate like a great bell, awakening the deaf and enlightening the mind.

"To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations!" Yang Biao murmured to himself, repeating these four sentences over and over, and gradually fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Yang Biao finally came to his senses, his eyes filled with admiration: "General Hou's poem has given me a feeling of enlightenment!"
It's unbelievable that you have such grand ambitions! I admire you immensely! Please accept my deepest bow!

As he spoke, Yang Biao stood up and was about to bow in greeting.

Seeing this, Cao Yan quickly stood up and stepped aside, reaching out to support Yang Biao: "You're too kind, young man! Isn't this the goal that we scholars should strive for?"

Cao Yan held Yang Biao's hands and could clearly feel Yang Biao's body trembling slightly with excitement.

Yang Biao exclaimed with emotion, "Yes! Isn't this precisely the goal that we scholars have been striving for, one after another, tirelessly pursuing?!"

But Yang Biao still had a question in his mind. He pulled Cao Yan back to the table and sat down, asking, "Zian, you said you wanted to establish a heart for heaven and earth, but heaven and earth have no heart, so how can we establish a heart?"

Cao Yan pondered for a moment and slowly replied, "Heaven and earth have no heart, yet they take all things as their heart. As the Way of Heaven operates, all things are born and grow endlessly. Through human understanding and guidance, the heart of Heaven and Earth in creating all things is revealed."

Yang Biao suddenly realized: "Now I understand why you've been so eager to recruit craftsmen and develop workshops!"

Cao Yan felt a little guilty and scratched his head, saying, "Uh... this is just a tiny part of it."

He knew that while vigorous industrial development could promote social progress, it could also damage the environment.

Yang Biao smiled slightly, quite pleased with Cao Yan's modesty.

At this moment, in his eyes, Cao Yan was simply impeccable.

Yang Biao continued,

"To establish a livelihood for the people—judging from your series of reforms and policies that benefit the people, you are striving to achieve this goal."

"To continue the lost learning of the sages—the emergence of Cao's new paper and printing technology means that you have taken the most important step on this path. So, in the end, all that is left is to bring peace to all generations."

At this point, Yang Biao gave Cao Yan a meaningful look.

In this chaotic world, how can peace be achieved? The answer has already begun to emerge in Cao Yan's series of victories.

"A great sage? A saint?" Yang Biao was at a loss for words to describe the young man before him.

If it were in the past, and someone told him that he could achieve such a great feat, he would have scoffed at it.

But now, Cao Yan is actually making progress toward these goals, and has already achieved initial results.

"What should I do?" Yang Biao was conflicted. "I've suddenly felt a long-dormant surge of passion... But how am I supposed to explain this to His Majesty?"

At this moment, Yang Biao felt both admiration for Cao Yan's grand ambitions and restlessness due to his rekindled passion. What troubled him even more was how to report what he had seen and heard today to His Majesty.

If we tell the truth, will His Majesty be wary of Cao Yan's talent and ambition? If we suspend or even sabotage Cao Yan's actions, it would be a huge loss to the Han Dynasty and even to the progress of the entire nation.

But if I were to hide anything, I would feel guilty.

This dilemma, where one is caught between two difficult choices, was a challenge even for this seasoned official who had seen many ups and downs in the court.

Although Cao Yan did not know what Yang Biao was really thinking, he sensed a change in Yang Biao's attitude towards him from the change in how Yang Biao addressed him.

As expected, Yang Biao looked slightly reserved and said, "I have a favor to ask."

Cao Yan smiled appropriately and said sincerely, "Please feel free to come."

Yang Biao's gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Cao Yan. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "I wonder if the 'Wanmin Journal' still needs an editor-in-chief?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he subconsciously glanced at Chen Ji, Sima Hui, Bian Rang, and the others who had been sitting quietly to the side.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became subtle. Chen Ji, Sima Hui, and Bian Rang remained silent, their expressions indifferent, but their occasional flashes of light revealed their interest in Yang Biao's proposal.

Cao Yan inwardly groaned. Now, all forces were eyeing the resources in his hands. The "Wanmin Journal" was like a tempting cake, and everyone wanted a slice.

If this continues, not only will resource allocation become a problem, but with more people offering different opinions and having different ideas, the conflicts of interest will become increasingly complex, and the presentation of academic journal content will likely no longer be pure.

How to deal with it?
Cao Yan frowned slightly, his mind racing.

A moment later, a brilliant idea struck him, and he suggested, "How about we open a new newspaper office and publish a new paper?"

"Newspapers? What are those?" Yang Biao was already curious about Cao Yan's endless stream of new ideas, and now he became even more interested and asked.

Cao Yan organized his thoughts and explained methodically: "Wanmin Journal mainly focuses on academic content, explores the way of learning, and provides a platform for scholars to exchange ideas."

Because academic research requires time to develop, it is generally published every seven days.

The newspaper published by the newspaper company mainly collects recent news and events, ranging from major events such as war developments and policy changes to minor anecdotes and everyday life stories, and is updated daily.

We can call it the "Yanzhou Morning Post," published in the early morning so that people can know what's happening in the world at the start of their day.

At this point, Cao Yan paused, observing the reactions of the crowd. Seeing that everyone was listening intently, he continued, "In this way, we can meet the needs of different groups of people, provide more opportunities for ambitious people to display their talents, and avoid conflicts caused by excessive concentration of resources."

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!!" Yang Biao's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

Then, with a quick glance, he exclaimed, "Since there's a morning paper, why not also have an evening paper? I, though unworthy, would be willing to be the editor-in-chief of the evening paper!"

Wow, I have to say Bian Rang's mind is really sharp!

Chen Ji and Sima Hui also became somewhat restless.

"Gentlemen, please don't be impatient," Cao Yan said, glancing at everyone's expressions and raising his hand to signal them to calm down. "The way to run a newspaper is like digging a canal to draw water; it should naturally draw in a wide range of sources, and everyone has a share!"

"For example?" Chen Ji asked.

"For example, the 'Great Han Reform Daily' specializes in institutional reform and policy research. The people who publish in it can be included in the results of professional title evaluation."

For example, the Guangming Daily publishes academic reviews and research findings in disciplines such as philosophy, literature, and education. People who publish articles in this newspaper can be included in a certain professional title evaluation process.

Furthermore, special issues could be established in fields such as art, military affairs, and entertainment, forming a newspaper group.

Yang Biao, Chen Ji, Sima Hui, Bian Rang, and others were feeling dizzy from listening.

So this is how words and literature can be used!
(End of this chapter)