Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 243 An Impact on the World.

In October of the Tongzheng calendar, Xuan Chong in Xia Prefecture was looking at three messages from outside.

Message 1: Wu Hengyu is launching a fierce attack on a certain location in the Northwest.

News 2: Zhenhao is secretly performing blood sacrifices on living people in several states in northern Heluo; in order to reduce food consumption, several other aristocratic families have also participated.

Message 3: Zhao Cheng of Jizhou has sued for peace, and his sincerity is very high: he will transfer Jizhou and at the same time hand over the key to the "Dui Palace." This is the westernmost palace in the Nine Palaces of the former Emperor Xu, which can be used to cut and process various metal objects using metal energy.

Xuan Chong paused, glanced at the letter Wu Hengyu had sent him, and then set it aside. Now that both their factions had their own interests, how could they cooperate based on brotherhood as before?

Looking at Zhao Cheng's letter of pleas for peace, filled with helplessness, Xuan Chong expressed regret at the departure of his old rival and said leisurely, "If only we weren't enemies!"

Xuan Chong said to Wu Juwang: "Right now we can only swallow three states. For the rest, we still need someone to keep them under control. Also, I want that Dui Palace."

Now, the old capital has lost its "nine palaces"; these palaces drift aimlessly in the clouds above the land of Da Yao. Sometimes they drift back to the capital, but more often they scatter. In the past, when the land was unstable, these palaces were difficult to capture; but now that the wars are over, these celestial palaces can be captured by adjusting the mountains and rivers. The Dui Palace belongs to metal and the west, and Xuan Chong can capture them there. And if one can obtain the key, one can obtain everything in the Dui Palace without loss.

Wu Ju nodded: "After this great defeat, Zhao Cheng will need ten years to reorganize his forces."

Wu Juwang's statement was clearly conservative. Being with Xuan Chong, he had also become accustomed to making lenient assessments of the enemy. In fact, the landmines that Xuan Chong and Wu Zaixing had planted in Zhao Cheng's territory would take at least five years to clear; restoring national strength would take at least seven or eight years, and that was assuming Zhao Cheng's health remained as good as it was in his youth and that there were no internal conflicts hindering his progress.

As for the military officers, including Wu Zaixing, they had no objections and no concern whatsoever about "letting the tiger return to the mountain."

This is because they gained confidence in their own strength during this battle for supremacy! Furthermore, they are younger than Zhao Cheng and are not afraid of future changes at all.

…Xuan Chong and Zhao Cheng were from the same era, an era that was about to end…

Clearly, Zhao Cheng could see through Xuan Chong's strategic plans, so he offered a ceasefire condition that Xuan Chong could not refuse, and even that the two sides would continue to cooperate for decades to come.

Zhao Cheng also looked north at Xuan Chong: "Your strategy of advancing reforms step by step will not be able to conquer the world! The conservative forces in various places are quite large, and you must establish your bases in each place one by one; if you rashly take them all over, the local powerful families will be like water, capable of carrying a boat, but also capable of capsizing it. Therefore, you need a custodian, someone who can help you safeguard the world for decades."

Looking back, Zhao Cheng murmured, "Back then, when I first came into this world, if you had been the one to beat me on the chessboard, things would be different now, wouldn't they?"

Ten days later, Zhao Cheng received a reply from Xuan Chong, and both sides agreed to meet and form an alliance at Wanmaji.

And so, Zhao Cheng's army left Jizhou, and Wu Rui entered Jizhou almost immediately after he left.

At the meeting, Zhao Cheng saw Xuan Chong, which surprised both of them.

Zhao Cheng wondered: Wu Fei has a dignified and refined appearance with the air of a gentleman, so how could he have been rejected by Princess Xia Sheng back then?

As for Xuan Chong, he felt that Zhao Cheng's appearance was more honest and kind than he had imagined.

Before the precious cauldron, the two sides swore an oath by swearing blood on their chests, agreeing to define their current spheres of influence and agreeing not to wage war against each other for ten years, allowing the people of the world to recuperate and thrive.

Xuan Chong and Zhao Cheng: "If we disobey, we will be abandoned by Heaven and Earth."

The battle for supremacy has ended…

This great battle, which lasted from May to September, should have ended easily in the eyes of the world.

Firstly, Zhao Gong (Zhao Cheng) has conquered many states and six kingdoms in recent years, gathering the strongest armies in the world under his command; while the state of Zhen has been obsessed with commerce in recent years and has not made any progress.

The heroes of Jizhou even asserted: "Zhen will suffer ten defeats, while Zhao will win ten victories."

However, just as the people of Jizhou were eagerly awaiting the news, the Chen army marched directly down the river and reached Jizhou.

Just as Xuan Chong and Zhao Cheng reached an alliance, Wu Rui was annexing Jizhou. Grain from Xiangzhou began to be transferred from various county granaries and transported down the river to Jizhou. Simultaneously, Wu Fei mobilized five artillery regiments to enter Jizhou, preparing to thoroughly suppress the remaining rebels and let them know that "the regime has changed."

In late October, in Jizhou, in a fertile river bend area, there was a fortress belonging to the Xu family, the largest household in the area. This fortress was laid out along the river and was actually a fortified village that was 100 zhang long and 30 zhang wide.

The limits cannot be exceeded any further.

Inside the fortress were over five hundred members of the Xu family and their retainers. The head guard peered out from the city wall. They stared blankly at the cannons pointed at their doorstep.

Wen Siting sucked the meat off the freshly roasted bird leg, then picked his teeth with a small bone. Meanwhile, his younger brother happily chewed on the greasy rump of the pigeon-sized poultry.

Wen Siting turned his head and glanced at it, then patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "It's just a wild bird. Don't chew it like you haven't eaten. After we collect the grain, you can eat as much meat as you want."

At this point, Wen Siting looked at his brothers behind him and said, "If we destroy the manor, everyone will get something!" The morale of the men rose with the old rogue's words.

Meanwhile, the accompanying clerk reminded them, "General, we've come to borrow grain."

Wen Siting glanced at this local Jizhou patron.

Wen: "Did I say it was robbery?" Then, brandishing a bone, he declared confidently: "I've already written the IOU!"

Regarding the five corps of the Zhen army that entered Jizhou, the above description of "requisitioning grain" is quite subtle: try to "get along well with the local military and civilians and obtain grain and fodder."

However, Wen Siting, a seasoned rogue who had studied clerkship for a few years, immediately understood the General's Mansion's intention: to eat in enemy territory and prioritize the wealthy.

The grain collection team in Wensiting consisted of only two hundred people, but they were all equipped with cannons. Among the heroes brought from the north, there were many talented individuals who had been known as "treasure hunters" and were capable of drilling holes and planting explosives.

With a loud crash, the brick wall that had been able to withstand the thieves' climb collapsed.

The groundhog that went to plant the explosives rubbed its hands together, saying, "How could we openly dig through the wall like this normally? We'd be chased and bitten by the dogs the owner sets out for us!" And now, the dogs in the manor have already been skinned and roasted over the fire.
After several sections of the city wall collapsed simultaneously, Wen Siting mobilized musketeers in three rows to block the breach.

Those servants, when faced with "heavy muskets that required one person to carry," were all blasted to death by the bullets, even though they were protected by their inner energy and wore protective gear made of wood inlaid with copper and iron.

Wen Siting entered the fortress, looked at the guard in front of him who was propping himself up with his broadsword and refusing to fall, poked him with his spear, and spat: "Playing with swords in front of me?"

After capturing this fortified village, the granary contained a full eight thousand shi of rice.

One shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain can feed a strong man for forty days; of course, military supplies are more expensive, so if we assume it can feed a soldier for twenty days, eight thousand shi of rice would be more than enough to supply the army of five thousand men for a month. Of course, horse fodder is not included.

In a strategic decisive battle, this grain could be a lifesaver. Yet, Zhao Cheng, while he was alive, did not offer it up.

Wen Si stared blankly at the piles of white grain, cloth, and other valuables for a second before spitting out a curse: "The people of Jizhou are really rolling in money."

Yes, how could they not be rich? Back when the Wu family was trading, a large amount of their goods were plundered by the governor of Jizhou, and some of these goods ended up in the hands of the local powerful families.

Of course, what was once a great deal was quickly snapped up a decade or so later.

Wen Siting sorted out the valuables, gathered half of the men and women in the manor, and then prepared to have the army's logistics department take over.

Wen Siting: "These are all military achievements!"

…The spoils seized must be turned over to the public…

Wen Siting's "grain requisition" was a great success, drawing the attention of other frontline corps. Because, "Isn't this just robbery?"

Some generals in the Zhenzhou Army Corps were still reluctant to let go and were very unhappy with this "old rogue's" behavior; however, a commendation was sent directly from above, giving Wen Siting 120 merit points, which was equivalent to killing 120 armored soldiers on the battlefield. This merit could allow a low-ranking officer to jump directly to the middle or high ranks.

Subsequently, the Chen army, upon entering Jizhou, understood exactly what the model of "military-civilian harmony" was.

The vanguard general received an even clearer explanation from Xuan Chong: "Don't worry about reputation. The local gentry robbed my caravans back then, smearing us merchants as barbarians. Now, why bother reasoning with them! Break down their doors, confiscate their property, and distribute the land to the local militia. Let's turn the world upside down."

However, it is crucial to adhere to principles throughout this process, avoid concealing information, and cooperate with the civil affairs department.

Xuan Chong's strategy for dealing with the defeat in Jizhou was crystal clear: take all the aristocratic families with him, use the young women as wives for the soldiers, and use the remaining aristocratic families and their populations to populate the southern border and Xingzhou.

As for the local farmers with calloused hands, they joined the military reclamation area.

Once all the land in Jizhou has been restored and cultivated, these farmers will be assigned to different villages based on their place of origin. —Xuan Chong: We can't let the native farmers of Jizhou stay in their original places; this is to eliminate any remaining local power. After all, no matter how thorough the purge of Jizhou is, clan members still exist at the bottom of society. But we can't let these farmers go too far from home either, because that would make them uneasy and potentially lead to rebellion. They can accept being moved dozens of miles from home to a different field.

Xuan Chong used the case of Jizhou to tell Lingzhou, Kaizhou and other forces: You are now shouting that you are irreconcilable enemies, do you think you can unilaterally bully us with your articles? The only way for the State of Zhen to punish you is to "not allow you to hold office"? No, you are thinking too highly of yourself.

The powerful families in the stable zones of Zhen State are now being "classified" according to their social class; they'll lose 20 to 30 points when trying to enter school. This is the result of their not causing trouble for the Zhen State system. If you guys keep jumping around here, your whole family will be forced into exile!
…The soldiers also began to settle down…

Wen Siting's sweep in Jizhou was, well, quite "scraped" well enough. He was appointed to carry out military-controlled land reclamation in a county of Jizhou.

Based on the captured county and prefecture maps, Wen Siting knew which lands were fertile and which powerful families were the most lucrative.
So he went door-to-door visiting people. In this transformation, he began to interact with the village elders, much like the warlords of the Republic of China.

Wen Siting is currently in the home of a wealthy man, and the head of the household, Lord Jiang, is toasting Wen Siting.

Jiang Gong: "I see that you are a heroic figure, General; I happen to have a young daughter at home who is not yet married. May I ask you, General?"

Wen Siting, completely drunk, said, "A real man has no shortage of wives, but since we've hit it off immediately, I'd like to become sworn brothers! Your daughter is my daughter." However, a few minutes later, upon seeing Miss Jiang's face, Wen Siting quickly turned to Jiang Gong and said, "Uncle-in-law, please accept my bow!"

That very night, Lord Jiang held a grand wedding for his daughter and Wen Siting. The banner of the Zhen Army was then displayed at the Jiang family's gate. Although a large amount of property was still used to purchase military bonds for this banner, the Jiang family believed the marriage was worthwhile.

Wen Siting reported his situation, and Xuan Chong reviewed it and gave his instructions: "The Jiang family cannot stay in their original county; they must choose to settle in other counties of Jizhou."

Compared to other prominent families being exiled across states, this was already a rather dignified outcome.

Xuan Chong silently thought to himself, "I'll give you a chance to support my army."

He casually ticked off a name on the official roster—at the same time, he transferred Wen Si's position to another location in Jizhou, ensuring that he was the furthest away from his in-laws.

…Building on the past and forging ahead into the future…

At the end of the year, after stabilizing the morale of the people in Zhenzhou, Xuan Chong began to tour the factories in Lingnan. He started to guide the development of the region's economic benefits, while also giving the merchants a warning: "Their contributions were already recognized during the pre-war bond issuance phase. Don't cause trouble now. The book of merits has been turned. Anyone who wants to regain their position will have to deal with the old scores."

A cautionary tale: After Zhao Cheng's return, Zhen Hao, while urging Zhao Cheng to assume the throne, secretly formed a faction with the talented generals who had failed in the battle. Zhen Hao didn't want Zhao Cheng to train a new batch of generals to replace them; now he wanted to claim credit for his past achievements.

This war for supremacy ensured that merchants of all sizes throughout the country were well-fed.

However, due to the division of commercial areas in Xuanchong, the merchants felt insecure after having funds; they also did not want to continue their industrial and commercial activities and instead took over the low-profit "workshops" designated by Xuanchong.

This is just like the situation of Xuan Chong in his previous life. Although they had money, they dared not spend it. Commercial capital is the same. Only when it is absolutely safe will they spend money in large amounts, leading to financial overheating!
But in Zhengzhou! Do these businesses feel secure? No, all production and sales channels have been fragmented by Xuan Chong. There's no monopoly, no one is too big to fail.

Therefore, the merchants in the south were all afraid of being suddenly kicked out of the game, and began to resume production according to the plan!

In contrast, the merchants under Wu Hengyu's command had become spoiled. Relying on their monopoly over key commercial channels and the fact that they could not be eliminated, they began to invest their surplus funds in the game of power.

The scene shifts to a newly built steel factory in Zhenzhou, constructed by non-Buddhist monks from the "Liangtian Pavilion" hired by merchants. Molten iron is poured from a five-meter-high large furnace into a smaller furnace for further smelting; wrought iron and various "refined powders" are added during the smelting process.

Xuan Chong knew that these powders were actually rare earth elements.

The heretical cultivators of Liangtian Pavilion were students of Jiamude, and the metal-elemental mages of Jiamude's lineage, combining the long-standing mechanical manufacturing techniques within the Da Yao system, completed a summary of all "metallic" substances. This summary is then integrated into the current "Yao Suan" system.

In short, based on the mnemonic of "fire overcomes metal" and "fire generates earth", the metal was classified as "rust soil" generated on the surface of the metal by fire, and "pure oxygen" was defined as "primary fire".

After calculation, the "rust soil" was divided into "one-element soil", "two-element soil" and "three-element two-part soil"; and according to the weight of the gold and the difficulty of "quenching and resharpening" (reduction), all the gold was further subdivided.

In this theory, the metal element is omnipresent, but it is transformed into earth by the fire element.

Xuan Chong's theory is not perfect, but it almost encompasses half of the periodic table, including common metallic elements such as gold, silver, copper, and iron. Titanium, manganese, nickel, tungsten, and platinum have also been separated from rudimentary categories such as "refined iron," "mithril," and "tungsten gold." The rare earth elements are not yet clearly distinguished, but the actinides and lanthanides have been identified.

Now, with the divination instrument in the workshop, various refining techniques have been deciphered.

Note: In addition to the atomic foundation, there is another set of rules in this world that seems to directly interfere with the "four fundamental forces," and the divination is based on this rule.

Xuan Chong watched as the steel was forged and smelted, and said, "In science and technology, there are no clearly defined theories from the beginning; but once the door is opened, the relevant fields will inevitably become clear." — For example, the early atomic model was a planetary model of an atomic nucleus with electrons orbiting it. This was half right and half wrong, but it had already opened the door to atomic energy.

Currently, the steel mill has developed many corresponding formulas based on the half-baked theory of the Dayao Factory.

On the floating spacecraft, a certain latest engine design has a cylinder block that can withstand "intense explosions," and it can be deployed to the entire army within the next few decades.

Xuan Chong walked through the smelting plant, carrying the furnace, and took a railcar to the adjacent armory.

Here, weaponry is being manufactured; specifically in the armor forging area. Freshly forged steel is cut into small sections, and the armor forgers press each section firmly, hammering out neat grooves.

Then, highly spiritual substances such as "jade powder" were sprinkled in and applied to the indentations, followed by folding and forging. The spiritual patterns were then embedded in the armor.

This allows the user's inner energy to penetrate the skin and control the nail plates. The process of producing these nail plates resembles an assembly line in a pastry factory, rather than the meticulous work of a craftsman.

Elsewhere, there was a gun barrel forging workshop. A long gun barrel, like a cannon barrel, was forged using a nested self-tightening technique, and finally embedded in an iron felt and repeatedly pressed by a steam engine. Molten white jade threads were embedded in it, using spiritual materials to enhance heat conduction and control the high-temperature gases inside the gun barrel.

The process is still very slow, taking a month to process one steel pipe; however, hundreds have already been stockpiled, enough to equip elite troops.

Wu Lu picked up a heavy musket, searched for a long time but couldn't find the percussion cap, and discovered that the bullets were already fixed in copper cases; then he went to the shooting range, picked it up and aimed it at the target to test the gun, but after firing, there was no shock when raising the gun; although the huge recoil made his shoulder blades numb, the gun had a spring mechanism and a muzzle brake to dissipate the impact.

As Wu Lu stared in surprise at the musket, a factory worker said, "This is an armor-piercing bullet. Even someone at the eighth level of martial arts, wearing spirit-grade armor, couldn't stop it within three hundred paces."

Wu Lu: "Then what about the ninth level?"

Xuan Chong said from the side, "Martial artists at the ninth level are extremely sensitive to 'momentum'; when you fire, the enormous kinetic energy of the bullet allows them to sense the bullet's momentum from a hundred meters away, and then dodge at the last second. As for within a hundred meters? They will be detected the moment you raise your gun. As for innate masters above the ninth level, they have intuition; that is, they can sense your killing intent before you prepare to fire—intuition is a wondrous connection between consciousnesses. Innate and Foundation Establishment masters can sense the other party's malice in advance."

Wu Lu nodded: "Then we just need to send enough people to keep them occupied."

Xuan Chong turned around and looked at Wu Lu, asking, "What makes you think someone would be willing to cling to you to the death?"

Wu Lu opened his mouth and whispered, "Oh."

Xuan Chong: "If you want people to do things, you must always consider the rewards they expect."

…Ninghe…

After visiting the factory, we came to vast farmlands. As the sun was shining brightly, every household had turned over their sweet potatoes and were drying them in the sun.

This practice of drying sweet potatoes was common among both large and small households; and the aroma of food rising from the chimneys was identical for everyone. It was understandable that small households would eat sweet potatoes, but why did the large households also forgo their luxurious lifestyles? Because strategic resources like millet were loaned to the public treasury for the construction of infrastructure such as irrigation systems and roads. When the public treasury repaid the loan, the principal was still millet, but the "interest" was calculated based on merit points.

Just as the middle class in Xuan Chong's era feared falling out of social class, these wealthy families today are also afraid of falling out of social class.

With the war over and the exchange of money for titles ceasing, the wealthy throughout the kingdom of Zhen were disoriented. They even began to anticipate the next war, wondering what the price of a title would be in that war. They were all saving money for the future, and saving money meant they dared not indulge in extravagance.

Xuan Chong looked at everything he had created in silence. At that moment, the system gave him a final three-year countdown; class was over. And he had one last thing to do.

After observations were conducted in both factories and farmlands.

Xuan Chong had a detailed discussion with his successor, Wu Lu: "If the position of general were to be passed to you now, what would you do?"

Wu Lu: "Put the nation first and the people first."

Xuan Chong scoffed: "You've understood all the articles your teacher taught you? And you're able to apply them to dealing with people with ease?"

Wu Lu remained silent.

Xuan Chong said to Wu Lu: "Are you trying to deceive me by answering my question with grand words that you don't understand?"

Wu Lu said in a low voice, "I don't understand, but I want to put this path into practice."

Xuan Chong shook his head: "All paths can go astray, and all righteousness can be misinterpreted. Let me teach you a maxim: if in the future someone answers your questions with 'sacred words' that they themselves cannot fully explain, they are most likely empty talkers. But now, you and I, father and son, are having a heart-to-heart talk, and we don't need empty words."

Wu Lu paused for a moment, then nodded.

Xuan Chong stopped his flowery language: "Don't just nod, make a sound."

Wu Lu: "Yes, Father."

Xuan Chong: "Let me briefly explain governing the country to you. Don't think you bear the weight of the world on your shoulders. Under my rule, those who truly bear everything are the blacksmiths in the factories, the peasants in the fields, and the oxen and horses performing their labor. Your hands have no calluses, your skin is nourished daily by spiritual medicine, and you travel by carriage. If I hadn't brought you out here, when you return home, those elders who flatter you would still be stuffing maids into your room! So, you say you are the first in the world! What exactly are you carrying? This immense wealth?"

As Xuan Chong berated him relentlessly, Wu Lu could only pick at his fingers, wanting to explain, but Xuan Chong silenced him. Wu Lu realized that his father was truly ruthless when it came to settling scores; a "good son" during wartime, but a "spendthrift" afterward.

Xuan Chong pointed to the farmland and the factories with smoke billowing outside and said, "This world can be divided into two categories of people: those who provide for others and those who are provided for. When the world is well-governed, those who provide for others will have a sense of responsibility that 'everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world'; while those who are provided for should retain a sense of shame that 'do not waste other people's livelihoods and wealth with their own idle business'."

"I, your father, once traveled to the capital, where many famous scholars, Confucian masters, and Daoist immortals, when discussing national policies, emphasized that they were putting the people first. But were they truly putting the people first? They were merely emphasizing to their superiors that the rain and dew should first nourish them before it could truly nourish the common people. They were the ones being supported, yet they had lost all shame."

"The mulberry branches are leafless, and smoke rises from the earth; flutes and pipes welcome the dragon before the water temple. Several red gates watch the singing and dancing, yet they still fear the spring gloom will stifle the music."

The people in these farms and workshops are now all diligent and responsible! This is not because some people are using Confucius's writings to educate them.

Rather, over the past ten years, every effort has been rewarded and every achievement has been recognized. If those who have worked hard do not receive their due, I feel guilty and uneasy; if those who have made contributions do not receive their due, I cannot sleep at night.

And you are destined to spend your life without farming, as someone who is provided for. If you have no shame, then those who provide for you will inevitably abandon their responsibilities. And then these "oxen and horses"—"

Xuan Chong pointed to the people working in the fields and said, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

(End of this chapter)