I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 381 Heart to Heart
Two consecutive days.

Liu Miao dispatched warships to wander aimlessly around Baidi City, seemingly as a frustrated venting of his frustration after the previous defeat. This stirred up the entire Yangtze River, causing the water to be frequently torn apart, even shattering the reflected sky.

After seeing the Han army ships charging around recklessly, Zhang Ren couldn't help but feel worried.

"Yan Yan is about to send supplies. If Liu Miao doesn't gather his warships, we'll inevitably have to fight him on the water!"

Zhang Ren never underestimated the Han army's fighting strength on the water.

He ordered someone to inspect the ships, while Zhang Ren himself went to Fa Zheng's house.

Fa Zheng had injured his ankle by falling down a hillside while chasing Huang Zhong and could only recuperate on a couch. When Zhang Ren went to see Fa Zheng, Fa Zheng had his hair down and was holding a scroll of "Yang Zhu" in his hands.

Upon seeing Zhang Ren, Fa Zheng put down his book, a hint of guilt on his face: "It's all my fault. If I had been faster, I might have been able to annihilate Liu Miao's army and avoid falling and spraining my ankle."

Zhang Ren pushed Fa Zheng, who was about to rise, to the ground, preventing him from bowing: "Xiaozhi, don't blame yourself. I doubt Liu Miao would have sent a large army to launch a surprise attack. Even if they had intercepted them, they wouldn't have been able to seriously injure Liu Miao and force him to retreat... As for injuries, who doesn't get injured in battle?"

Sitting next to Fa Zheng, Zhang Ren flipped through the books on the table.

"Yang Zhu? That's not a common sight."

"It was only in recent years, after Jingzhou no longer prohibited the various schools of thought, that I was able to see these books by the philosophers one after another."

Fa Zheng and Zhang Ren explained.

"Nowadays, quite a few scholars in the public are re-emphasizing the Hundred Schools of Thought from the pre-Qin period, calling themselves the 'revivalist school.' So I was a little curious and bought some books to take a look."

"Reading is a good thing."

Zhang Ren flipped through the books.

After rapid expansion and iteration, the paper from Jingzhou has become of excellent quality, with the pages rustling and making a pleasant folding sound.

“This is good stuff. Although paper mills are starting to be built in Sichuan, none of them can produce paper like this.”

Zhang Ren was somewhat moved.

"It's because the paper from Jingyang has been improved countless times, and its quality is much better than that from Shu. In addition, its price is low, so the paper mills in Shu simply can't survive..."

As a native of Shu Commandery, Zhang Ren was more sensitive to these changes.

After flipping through a few pages, Zhang Ren seemed to be truly engrossed in the book and began to concentrate on reading.

It wasn't until a waiter brought tea that Zhang Ren's thoughts were interrupted.

Smelling the delicate fragrance of the tea leaves, Zhang Ren sighed again, "This tea was originally from Shu. But somehow, Liu Miao ended up cultivating it and selling it elsewhere. It's truly..."

Just enough.

Zhang Ren suddenly inquired about the contents of Fa Zheng's book—

"I have heard some things about Yang Zhu before."

"Mencius seems to have commented on Yang Zhu: 'Yang Zhu would not have plucked a single hair to benefit the world, even if it meant doing it for himself?' Even Zhuangzi, Xunzi, and Han Fei had some reservations about him. But I wonder, what was Xiaozhi doing reading such books?"

Fa Zheng shook his head: "The *Lüshi Chunqiu* says: 'Laozi valued gentleness. Confucius valued benevolence. Mozi valued integrity. Guan Yin valued purity. Liezi valued humility. Chen Pian valued uniformity. Yang Sheng valued self-interest. Sun Bin valued power. Wang Liao valued precedence. Er Liang valued following.'"

"Yang Zhu's words were words of self-importance; what reason is there for them not to be considered?"

Zhang Ren retorted: "If everyone values ​​themselves, what will become of the country?"

Fa Zheng: "In preparation for this battle, His Highness the King of Shu has decided to levy taxes this year."

"But as you and I both know, this increased tax was not paid by high-ranking officials and nobles, but by the tenant farmers and ordinary people."

"These days, those powerful clans and wealthy families don't care about the country and won't contribute a single penny. Yet they expect ordinary people to make sacrifices. Is this the right thing to do?"

Zhang Ren put down his book and looked at Fa Zheng with interest: "Xiao Zhi never said these things before."

"I've just read some books and this is just what I felt. General, please don't take it to heart."

Zhang Ren smiled and said, "It seems that Xiaozhi has some misunderstandings about me."

"Although I also come from a noble family, my influence has waned. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to start in the army."

"The world is in chaos, and the nation is in peril. This is certainly terrible, but for us, it may also be an opportunity!"

Zhang Ren encouraged Fa Zheng: "As long as we can resist Liu Miao and achieve great merit, our rise to prominence will be just around the corner!"

For a fleeting moment!

For a fleeting moment!

Fa Zheng almost thought that Zhang Ren was one of his own kind!

But when Fazheng heard the words "soaring to great heights," he knew that he and Zhang Ren were destined not to be together.

Zhang Ren's thinking was still based on loyalty to the emperor and love for the country, and the idea that one should reap what one sows.

Ke Fazheng had a very clear understanding of the situation in Shu.

The land of Shu is completely stagnant!
Several powerful families control the central government, and powerful clans occupy every prefecture and county, firmly extending their tentacles to every location, greedily sucking the nutrients of the Shu region.

How do I climb up?
The spots in the radish pit are all full! Even if there are empty spots, with so many masters, disciples, and children, why should an outsider like you take them?
This is especially true in the military.

The existence of the Eastern Continent Army constantly challenges the status of the powerful clans of Shu within the military. That place is entirely taboo for the powerful clans of Shu!

Zhang Ren might be accepted because of his local status, but what about himself?
There was always a deep chasm between him and Zhang Ren!
Suppressing his initial excitement, Fa Zheng nodded obediently: "That's true!"

"There are very few ambitious people like Xiaozhi in Shu!"

Zhang Ren felt completely relaxed and also informed Fa Zheng that Liu Miao's warships were currently crisscrossing the Yangtze River, and asked Fa Zheng if he had any strategies to defeat the enemy.

Fa Zheng, however, told Zhang Ren not to worry.

"Liu Miao's actions are merely an act of venting his anger." "If he were to act impulsively and order his army to besiege Baidi City, while he himself sends his army deep into Shu, wouldn't that play right into our trap of luring the enemy in? Why not do it?"

As Fa Zheng was speaking, he suddenly started coughing again.

Zhang Ren quickly brought Fa Zheng a cup of hot tea: "What's wrong, Xiaozhi?"

"It must have been too cold in the mountains that day. After I fell, I lay on the ground for a while and probably caught a slight cold."

Fa Zheng coughed a few more times.

"General, remember this: Baidi City is of paramount importance! It must not be lost!"

"It's just a little bit of grain; at worst, we can have Yan Jiangzhou send it a few days later. I don't believe Liu Miao will keep wandering around outside."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ren nodded with even greater relief: "Don't worry, Xiaozhi! I will definitely act with caution!"

Meanwhile, Zhang Ren once again arranged for him to recuperate.

"The land of Sichuan needs you and me now!"

"I hope Xiaozhi will recover from his injuries as soon as possible and join me in achieving great merit!"

Fa Zheng looked at Zhang Ren, who was radiant, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Zhang Ren also left.

Before leaving, Zhang Ren borrowed the book "Yang Zhu" from Fa Zheng.

"The teachings of the various schools of thought in ancient China also have their merits! I will take them back and study them carefully!"

After waving goodbye to Fa Zheng, Zhang Ren walked out of the house with a sense of relief.

"Jun Jiao is truly suspicious! After all, Xiao Zhi was recommended by his own younger brother. How could he doubt his own brother?"

Thinking back to his probing of Fazheng a few days ago, Zhang Ren also began to feel guilty.

Just as he was setting off from Chengdu, Zhang Song's elder brother, Zhang Su, approached Zhang Ren and advised him to keep a close eye on Fa Zheng, saying that Fa Zheng was, after all, a refugee from Guanzhong, and his loyalty to Shu was questionable.

But after several tests, Zhang Ren realized that Fa Zheng was actually the same kind of person as himself.

People who hope that things will get better in Sichuan.

Fa Zheng's strategies, in particular, often left Zhang Ren in awe!
"After we return from this battle, we must find a way to recommend Xiaozhi and have him serve as an advisor to the King of Shu!"

Zhang Ren made up his mind. After confirming that there were no problems with the warships in Baidi City, he took the book "Yang Zhu" to his tent to read.

But once Zhang Ren got into the book, he suddenly became so engrossed in it that he couldn't put it down and ended up reading it all night long!

“Great book!”

After reading Yang Zhu, Zhang Ren found that many of the viewpoints in it were actually quite refreshing and made a lot of sense without much thought.
For example, life and death.

Where there is birth, there is death; this applies to everyone. The living differ in wisdom and folly, poverty and lowliness, but in death, all return to decaying bones; there is no difference between Yao and Shun and Jie and Zhou.

For example, valuing oneself.

Nothing is more precious than life itself. Birth is rare and death is easy. This short life should be cherished. We should enjoy life and value our survival above all else. We should not allow it to be harmed, for once it is gone, it will never come back.

Another example is full-fidelity preservation.

The so-called "fullness of nature" means conforming to the nature of things. Since life already exists, one should live it to the fullest; since things nourish life, one should enjoy them.

The so-called preservation of authenticity means not envying longevity, fame, position, or wealth. Only then can one be fearless of ghosts, people, power, or profit, maintain harmony with one's natural disposition, and take control of one's own destiny.

Zhang Ren was so engrossed in reading that he only managed to take a short nap at his desk around noon.

But their eyelids had barely touched for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when a rapid, broken gong sounded.

"General! Enemy warships have passed Baidi City and entered Shu!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ren immediately forced himself to stay awake, staring intently with wide eyes: "How many ships are there?"

"It seems to be all of them!"

"all?"

Even Zhang Ren couldn't help but get excited at this moment!

Having stayed up all night, Zhang Ren's mind had no room left to savor this "entire" information. He simply processed the information in the most basic way possible—

"If we can annihilate Liu Miao's fleet, Liu Miao will surely retreat!"

Without hesitation, Zhang Ren grabbed a basin of cold water and splashed it on his face. He then ordered his personal guards to find Fa Zheng.

"Tell Xiaozhi! I'm personally leading the navy out to battle! The safety of Baidi City depends entirely on him!"

"Here!"

The guards rushed to inform Fa Zheng of the news, but Fa Zheng remained calm and composed.

"Please tell the general to be extremely careful."

"Thank you for your guidance, strategist!"

As soon as Zhang Ren's personal guards left, Fa Zheng immediately got up from the bed, his steps light and agile, showing no sign of spraining his ankle.

"Send the signal to prepare to receive His Majesty into the city!"

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)