Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 304 Hanbei Protectorate

At the Yibohai base, all cloning experiments on Ork failed. The spores in the petri dishes either burned up suddenly like gunpowder or rotted into irritating poisonous gas.

Within the spores of the Orcs, the genetic code seemed to be locked. Spores transplanted into petri dishes did not eventually produce hand-armed beasts, but rather creatures resembling spineless bullies or small green men with sharp teeth like the Minions.

These deformed little creatures also exist among wild beastmen; the former are hunting dogs, while the latter are often stuffed into artillery shells for machine-guided missions.

The attempt to control the Orks in the laboratory failed, and Ork spores also proliferated on the grasslands outside. Various mushrooms spawned large and small fanged monsters (Skugs) that bullied the native wolf, fox and other species.

…waaagh! …

After a year, the orcish groups that had been annihilated by Xuan Chong at the Yuezhi fortress were gone; however, numerous spores rose up across the entire Yuezhi grassland, giving rise to new orcish warbands, which then evolved into the era of firearms in the direction of the Arab world.

Xuan Chong determined that this was because the Orks of the northern grasslands could "hear" from their fellow Orks who were being experimented on in the "laboratory" that humans had formed an organization to deal with them.

As a result, the Han dynasty had to revert to its two-thousand-year-old methods, relocating all the inhabitants of the northern grasslands and using bulldozers to build a 400-kilometer-long concrete fortress complex along the mountain passes. Then, a trade embargo was imposed, preventing even a single piece of iron from flowing into the grasslands.

In the era of cold weapons, this was for defense against nomadic tribes; now, it's an attempt to trap these aliens on barren grasslands, preventing their development. But the modern Han has forgotten the industrial waste it discarded while mining in the north. This waste included some discarded industrial drill bits. Unable to be transported back as waste, these drill bits were buried locally.

In May, Han's attempts to contain the situation failed! The Orks are an organization that grows stronger when faced with a stronger opponent; when the human side demonstrated strong organization, they also displayed the same level of organization within themselves!

On May 5th, this Orc force crossed the barren mountains that humans considered forbidden zones and appeared on the southern side of the Tianshan Mountains. They plundered six oil stations currently occupied by the Han Dynasty. Then, overnight, they transformed from a force armed with cold weapons into a force equipped with "firearms".

Their weapons were all oil-spraying projectiles. It's unclear how they controlled the "explosion speed of oil and gas," but those oil pipes wrapped with steel bars, with holes drilled in the pipes to insert oxygen cylinders and oil and gas, could spray iron bullets filled with oil five or six hundred meters away.

This waaagh! has spread throughout the entire desert region.

Although the Han army immediately mobilized a newly formed mechanized infantry division equipped with armored vehicles and airships to suppress them, they disappeared every night. Later, technical experts analyzed that they must have disappeared into the desert at night.

The Orcs' technology is very strange; they've created a kind of submarine that "drills through the desert," with a threaded drill bit that allows it to advance underground. If humans were to build this thing, without the ability to dissipate heat underground, the drill compartment would eventually turn into an oven within minutes, cooking human flesh to a crisp.

But the technology of the Orks is not bound by the "principles" of human engineering. Since their Waaagh! force fields can knead steel machinery remotely, they can also carry away heat like "efficient heat sinks".

Using those drill bits, the Orks assembled a makeshift underground system and began their underground warfare. Meanwhile, the Xuanwu Group from the Qinling Mountains had been dispatched north to deal with these creatures.

During the six months from February to August of 2109 in the Han calendar, the current Han troops conducted high-intensity patrols in the Tulan area, much like playing whack-a-mole.

All railways along the Silk Road were severely affected, and the cabinet began to face immense pressure. The frontline officers were also helpless, as these orcs were far too cunning.

In response, the emperor had no choice but to personally send an eunuch to inquire about Xuan Chong's situation. In fact, it would have been enough to just ask someone close to Xuan Chong to relay the message, but Xuan Chong was studying too diligently, living a life between the school and his study, and was basically isolated from the outside world.

So much so that the emperor had to personally send someone to inquire, since whoever did so would owe a favor. The emperor couldn't very well have the ruler of the unicorn state inquire directly, could he?
Xuan Chong saw the situation at the Emperor's place and asked Liu Yingshou if there were any research results. After confirming that there were very few "research results", he immediately suggested "cutting off the research on the Orks" because "waaagh!" is interconnected and the Orks can hear any organization that says "deal with them".

The emperor nodded in agreement and then told Xuan Chong to prepare to continue his studies with the Master.

A few days later, Xuan Chong left the Imperial Academy again. This time, the teachers from the Ministry of Rites considered Xuan Chong's diligent study to be exemplary, so they arranged for him to serve as a tutor in the palace.

The scholars in the Ministry of Rites, though nominally without much real power, had countless students. These students were involved in the study of natural philosophy and officialdom in the modern Chinese imperial examinations. Their evaluation of Xuan Chong as "quick-witted and eager to learn, not ashamed to ask questions" was a form of "academic merit certification"—similar to a famous collector stamping their seal on a painting or calligraphy. The antique and epigraphy circles were all aware of this.

The emperor clearly honored Xuan Chong's favor immediately. He handled this situation very skillfully.

A week later, news of the court scholars' comments on him and his reputation for being diligent and studious reached Xuan Chong's ears. Xuan Chong naturally knew that this was the emperor's method of "Bole looking after a horse".

Because among scholars, a group known for their shrewdness and composure, who would casually voice their opinions about others? It's not like middle school students are bickering over a girl. The answer is: these (masters) are risking their reputations, acting as guarantors for themselves in advance.

The Strategies of the Warring States, Yan Strategies: A man was selling a fine horse. He stood in the market for three days, but no one recognized its value. He went to see Bo Le and said, "I have a fine horse that I wish to sell. I have stood in the market for three days, but no one has spoken to me. I wish you would come back and look at it, and then look back at it after you leave. I will offer you a day's price." Bo Le then came back and looked at it, and then looked back at it after you left. In one day, the horse's price increased tenfold.

Xuan Chong was the fine horse, the scholars were the connoisseurs, and the emperor was the horse seller who asked the connoisseurs to promote the horse. The emperor benefited Xuan Chong by having the scholars evaluate him.

Of course, this strategy is based on the premise that Xuan Chong is indeed a "fine horse".

…The clouds have drifted 9,900 li away from Anxi…

In Gaochang City, Liu Yi once again came to the front lines due to the Orc invasion. This time, there were sixty-seven superhumans on the front lines, compared to only seven during the last Xuan Chong operation, making this a much larger operation.

This also made Liu Yi doubt the capabilities of the current military commanders.

The imperial court has currently deployed five divisions here in this whack-a-mole battle, costing nine million silver dollars a day, yet there is still no solution in sight. As a result, the legions are now on edge every time they encounter an orc emerging from the dunes.

In comparison, Xuan Chong had previously led only three divisions. Although one division suffered 30% casualties during the suppression, the matter was resolved in three months.

This matter was quite controversial at the time, but as time went on, its value became increasingly apparent.

Despite spending over 500 million silver dollars to reconstruct the fortresses along the Great Wall, the Orcs were not contained. Furthermore, the war began to drag on. Minister Li and Minister Wang were already criticizing the Ministry of War: how should this war be resolved?
Even Liu Yi, a layman, could see that the current low-intensity war between the Han and Northwest China is now "overdrawing costs without limit."

At this time, military commentators in the Han, Jin, and Yan regions had already begun to have different opinions about the war; they believed that the Han army's attrition against the Ouk in the north was a "long and arduous expedition," and that it was necessary to control the fortresses, lock the gates, and use stillness to control movement.

But can we retreat now? The Loulan Desert is a crucial barrier; if we abandon it, Gaochang will be in danger, and consequently, the entire northwest will be ravaged by alien monsters. But if we don't abandon it, the cost of war will rise daily, and the imperial court cannot afford it.

Liu Yi is now considering submitting a report to have Xuan Chong return, but it's practically impossible.

The Emperor personally personally sent Xuan Chong to inspect the battle lines. As for Lin Sima, who was in charge of military coordination—how could he, as an elderly senior, personally go to Xuan Chong, a junior?
For a complete stranger to come seeking a solution requires a tremendous amount of face-saving. Moreover, Lin Sima wasn't just unfamiliar with Xuan Chong; they had a grudge. For him to come seeking help, offer face, and prioritize mending that rift—that's a massive compromise! If Lin Sima did that, he'd have to defer to Xuan Chong at his level from now on. He couldn't do that.

It is said that Lin Sima wanted his subordinates to communicate with Xuan Chong. He even opposed the teachers recommending Xuan Chong to serve as a tutor in the palace, because Xuan Chong did not communicate even in the Imperial Academy, and it would be even more impossible for him to have contact with the people in the palace.

Lin Sima's subordinates came up with ideas, including arranging for a lady to bump into Xuan Chong by chance, or finding out Xuan Chong's hobbies to speculate on, and then making contact (basically, it was an arrangement for Gao Xiaoqin to be compatible with Gao Yuliang).

But all attempts failed. The ladies? Xuan Chong, fearing a honey trap, kept his distance. As for "catering to their interests"? Xuan Chong believed that a standard learning state meant one couldn't have any miscellaneous hobbies.

Lin Sima was so troubled by Liu Haoxing's coldness that he had no choice but to endure it. And just then, Wang Situ chimed in with a sarcastic remark, "I've said before that 'the forerunner' should not be belittled," leaving the official speechless.

…Our perspective shifts back to the Western Regions…

After speaking with Ma Feiyan in Gaochang City, Liu Yi went to the relocated underground laboratory. At this time, all Orc experiments had ceased, and a large number of Orc test subjects had been destroyed.

This is the only individual who successfully "budded" the Ork gene, and this individual is female, or perhaps because this individual's original personality was a split personality of Liu Yingshou. Liu Yingshou's "shackle control" superpower is similar to the ability of Nuwa to "create humans" (modern Chinese archaeological research has confirmed that the "creation of humans" myth is actually "slavery replacing the killing of prisoners"). Therefore, this individual who mixed human and Ork genes was named "Nuwa".

Under the Dragon Group's surveillance, this "Nuwa" became increasingly independent and mature.

Regarding "Wa Shi," the modern Han Dynasty defines her as a "demon," specifically a "great demon" recognized by Heaven and Earth. The modern Han Dynasty has always been unclear whether there were "demon gods" favored by Heaven and Earth in the era of ancient shamans, or perhaps the mythical monsters slain by saints. However, the appearance of "Wa Shi" has helped the Dragon Group confirm that demons existed in ancient times.

In the underground hall, Liu Yi looked at the entity in the petri dish: "Can you hear the sounds of the Orks' attack?"

Nuwa nodded.

Liu Yi: "What do you need?"

Nuwa: "I need freedom." Liu Yi: "It's impossible to give you absolute freedom."

Nuwa: "Then I can't do anything for you."

…usually, when setting out to the farthest point, a watchtower is erected…

On August 9, 2109, the autumn imperial examination began. The examination was divided into three sessions, and the scope of the test was far greater than that of the subjects in the previous life, such as language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, and calendar.

Xuan Chong took the exam in session A, which did not include foreign language, while sessions B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and G included foreign language.

Aside from the "Level A" exam, the other exams corresponded to Persian, Gothic, Latin, Sanskrit, Inca, and other languages. These exams were simpler, and since modern Chinese education needs such talent for international relations, the privileged sons of the elite were given a break!
Exams are easy when there are no exam papers. The "proficiency" of foreign languages ​​among the children of the current Han Chinese elites is similar to learning 21st-century Chinglish; that's considered "proficiency."

Note: This refers to Xuan Chong's childhood in his previous life. People in Europe and America don't care about Chinese-style English, and the local culture even mocks those with yellow skin and broken English. However, in modern China, due to its strong national power, when people in modern China speak "Chinese-style foreign language," the higher-ups of those foreign countries will take the initiative to learn and understand it.

This is not merely about "admiring the strong," but rather about the industrial revolution creating a vast number of concepts, which in turn generate a massive vocabulary.

Countries that spearheaded the Industrial Revolution are the source of new words. Those countries that did not experience an Industrial Revolution, lacking corresponding production activities, often had no choice but to passively accept the etymological sources. After having a large number of etymological sources inserted into their languages, they were forced to passively accept the other country's language family.

In Xuan Chong's previous life, during a century of humiliation, as a nation passively accepting the progress of global industry, translators racked their brains to create new words using native characters that were similar in tone and meaning to imported words. Among these were some excellent words, such as "tank," meaning "to overcome with strength." In terms of imagery, "tan" depicts the dust kicked up by the tracks as they advance, while "overcome" shows the turret rotating from the front. This is the advantage of pictographic writing.

However, with modern Chinese leading global manufacturing and generating a large number of new words, transliterated languages ​​worldwide are facing strong challenges as they expand outwards. Many transliterations with unclear meanings have become new words in these foreign regions. These words originating from Chinese have even disrupted the phonetic word combination rules of Europe, leading to conceptual difficulties for Europeans in understanding certain words. (For example, the English words "grape" and "raisin" lack conceptual meaning, yet European industrial products are now filled with similar terms.)
Looking back, Xuan Chong discovered that the difficulty of these examinations in categories B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, R, and G was basically the same as the unified examinations in his previous life. Once he understood subject-verb-object words like that, this, and is, he could succeed. Therefore, this could be mastered quickly!

The students from the families of those foreign affairs officials (embassies) and managers of large trading companies with businesses overseas are the main participants in the "non-first-class examinations".

These students went overseas for language training before the exam, so they not only scored high in "foreign languages", but also found the difficulty of other subjects much lower.

This kind of overseas study has always been criticized by children from poor families in modern China. They have a deep disdain for the "non-first-class imperial examinations".

…In modern Chinese, "returning overseas student" is not a compliment…

After the three exams, Xuan Chong had a general idea of ​​his scores. Except for the essay section, where he would lose points, he knew the rest. The essay section required writing answers and arguments on paper with a brush, and the neatness of the paper was extremely important. Such calligraphy style could not be mastered overnight.

As the day the results were announced arrived, just as Xuan Chong had predicted, he was indeed only a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar).

Before and after the results were announced, the emperor inquired about Liu Haoxing's exam performance. After learning the score, he paused and said, "Didn't pass?"

The scholar said, "He is still ten points away from becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, and the difference lies in the strength of his writing."

After receiving Xuan Chong's essay, the emperor read it. The essay was about "the advantages and disadvantages of the diversified distribution of industrial zones." It explained that the distribution of industrial zones would cause losses in the early stages, but with the progress of infrastructure, the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages after a certain period of time.

The article's overall argument is fairly coherent, but the amount of evidence provided is insufficient. There are only a few calculation examples.

The lack of examples here is also because, throughout the century-long Industrial Revolution, all businesses' optimal cost calculations focused on seizing coastal and riverine shipping routes. This didn't provide Xuan Chong's argument with a chance to be verified, and Xuan Chong was simply copying economic thinking from his previous life. In that previous life, maritime power declined from the Ming and Qing dynasties onwards, and with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the country was largely confined inland, leading to arduous inland development. This is completely unnecessary in the modern Han Dynasty.

That's how it is with policy essays; the fewer examples you have, the fewer points you'll get.

If there are neither examples nor calculations and logical theories, then it's zero points. This isn't like the Chinese language exam of my previous life, where you could write a beginning and an end, then ramble on for 800 words and guarantee a minimum score of 35.

Yes, those kinds of Chinese language exams led to a large number of "confidante sisters" becoming masters of emotionally charged essays after graduating as adults. Purely formulaic sentences like "Even if I xxxx, would you really xxxxx?" are standard zero-score essays without examples, logic, or calculation of interests.

The emperor read the article twice. On the second reading, he realized that Xuan Chong's article contained another layer of meaning: that there was an "unpredictable war" in the future, and if industrial planning was not done in advance, the costs would be quite high.

Regarding the war in the Western Frontier, those currently grading the policy essays in the Han Dynasty have limited information. The buildings on both sides of the Yangtze River are still brightly lit, and pleasure boats are cutting through the waves. Meanwhile, five divisions have been dispatched to the Northwest Desert to fight fiercely. What exactly is the situation? The scholars sitting in their grand mansions throughout the Nine Provinces have no idea.

The scholars were unaware, but the Emperor and the cabinet knew. Although Xuan Chong had retreated from the Western Desert a year ago, he was also aware of the difficulties of waging war in the Northwest after the battle two years prior. —Some of his arguments involved military secrets and could not be stated explicitly; they were left unsaid.

To take this into account, the arguments presented in Xuan Chong's articles are actually quite clear.

…a stroke of the golden pen…

The Emperor slowly said: "Let's review the score again and add ten points." —The Emperor wasn't just currying favor with Xuan Chong; he had also found an opportunity for the current government to do the same, as the court and Xuan Chong had always been disconnected.

Let's not even mention the Sima department, but the Emperor is preparing to have the Situ and Sikong departments coordinate with Xuanchong.

Because Xuan Chong was of "high moral character," it meant that he could not be persuaded to engage in matters of wine, women, wealth, or power. Furthermore, Xuan Chong did not possess any refined talents in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting.

Therefore, the emperor had no choice but to use the extremely high cost of investing through the royal ticket office to win over Xuan Chong.

For example, Royal Holding's financial institutions are willing to invest in East Asia's current industrial plans.

Regarding the development of his hometown, Xuan Chong was willing to be "subjected" to the benevolent rule of the imperial court.

The three officials all knew that Xuan Chong, who had returned to Yandu, was now defending the city flawlessly, and Badao could not take it down.

"Domineering" is a system, and systems need weaknesses. Because Xuan Chong was cautious and "socially awkward," he finally got the best deal for himself in this year-long "negotiation standoff" in Beijing.

The old scholar objected, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! The standards of the imperial examinations must not be arbitrarily altered; that would be barbaric!"—Although Xuan Chong was his student, and he was naturally more pleased with the results of his students' examinations, he was unwilling to violate morality by changing the scores. This old scholar believed that Xuan Chong would surely pass the exam again in the future. After all, he was only nineteen years old and had plenty of opportunities. If he were to be supported like this and then become complacent, he might not be able to pass the imperial examinations.

The imperial examination system was the foundation of the modern Han dynasty, and this examination method naturally spread to other parts of the world. However, as it was passed down, it lost its original flavor.

The European nations also have their own civil service examinations, but the universities they establish are still mostly populated by aristocratic students. In recent years, these universities have seen a surge in incidents of incompetence and immorality, such as promiscuity at parties and the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs.

In the seven states of India, exam papers are sold in advance every year without any preamble.

These events deeply saddened the great Confucian scholars of the modern era. How could the imperial examination system, which should have been so well-ordered, have been ruined like this? The scholars, however, simply declared: "These people are barbarians!"
The emperor was clearly aware of the scholar's objection, so he said, "I am afraid of burying talent. This article was written for the cabinet, and some parts of it involve military secrets. It is not impossible for you to see these military secrets, but you must be confined for a year."

The old scholar said, "I'm tired. A year's rest would be good. If I've truly buried a good article, I'm willing to punish myself."

The Emperor said, "The Protectorate of Hanbei shall be established."

…Outside the palace walls, the students' lodgings…

The next day, as Xuan Chong was calming down and preparing to accept the results of the exam, a voice suddenly came from the doorway: "Master Liu, you passed."

Xuan Chong: "Yes, I passed the first-class Xiucai exam. I saw it yesterday."

However, the visitor said, "You have passed the imperial examination."

Xuan Chong: "Don't try to fool me, I'm still ten points short."

Visitor: "Oh dear, the policy essays were reviewed again yesterday. The Ministry of Rites re-examined the content of the essays based on the candidates' regions, and your score increased by ten points."

Xuan Chong was slightly taken aback, then quickly darted out. With the power of two Jiazi (a unit of time) he had gained, Xuan Chong was almost like a bolt of lightning. But when he reached the door, he stopped and walked steadily toward the academy where the results were posted.

(End of this chapter)