Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 161 Begins the Persecution of My Virtuous Brother

"The academic atmosphere during the audience with the emperor has become somewhat weak."

Xu Xuan could discuss this issue with him.

First comes a humble statement, then it uses the principles of Confucian sages to endorse its own behavior, and finally it gets to the point.

"First and foremost, you have to be ruthless!"

"The greatest harm in warfare is hesitation; the greatest calamity for an army arises from doubt."

Yu Gong nodded, "That makes a lot of sense."

The students of Chongqi were extremely fierce in debates, showing no mercy in their attacks, as if they had received special training within the academy.

"Secondly, you must be strong!"

"Those who are physically strong can enhance their spirit, making it easy for them to fight ten opponents at once."

Yu Gong nodded again, finding it even more reasonable; he had once guarded the border region. Alas, alas, alas?
Finally, you need money!

"An army without supplies will perish; without food, it will perish; without reserves, it will perish."

Xu Xuan spoke with great enthusiasm. Yu Gong was initially puzzled, then became familiar with the story, and finally clapped his hands and laughed.

"I see. I have now begun to understand the way of education."

That is—the art of war.

Although I am not a top-notch military commander like General Xie, I can still be a first-rate general.

Looking back now, it's clear that Chongqi's students were all skilled in both literature and martial arts, which explains their overwhelming advantage.

Back then, he himself stood out in the border region and won the appreciation of the late emperor because of his excellent martial arts skills in wielding the bronze water clock.

It seems the students who came to pay homage to Heaven need some training.

Thinking this through instantly lifted my spirits; I never imagined I could find such compatible young people in Qiantang.

He clinked glasses with Xu Xuan on the spot, and Magistrate Song, in a daze, also raised a glass.

Of course, Yu Gong knew that the essence of reform would not be limited to this, but he had found a suitable path and was no longer afraid of being ridiculed by his former political enemies.

"Hanwen, I will go to Chongqi to observe after the start of the semester, and I will ask you for some advice then."

He was serious about educating people.

Being quick-witted and eager to learn, and not ashamed to ask questions of those less knowledgeable than oneself, is what makes one cultured.

Any method that can defeat the enemy is a good method.

Xu Xuan nodded seriously. He didn't care if his little secrets were spread, and in fact, the more widely they spread, the better.

After all, there's still much more to discover.

The friendship between the old man and the young man was established very smoothly.

Starting with military strategy and using Confucianism as a channel, they exchanged ideas and explored different approaches.

Yu Gong felt that this young man was very similar to himself. They both had bandit nicknames when they first started out, were both good at some martial arts, and were both old-fashioned Confucian scholars. It was a pity that this young man was not rugged enough and was a bit too delicate.

Xu Xuan also felt that he had gained a lot. In terms of military strategy, his opponent was a practitioner who could give many different directions. Moreover, his character was not as bad as Brother Song Xian said. He had a very good temper.

The two chatted enthusiastically until it got a little dark outside, and they were surprised to find that time had flown by.

It was only at this point that Yu Gong realized that he was still missing a magistrate, Song, to be assigned.

So, just as he had planned, he decided to torture the fat man. Did he really think no one knew how this guy had been scheming in Kyoto?

"Song Youde".

"The subordinate is here."

"Let me ask you, I have heard that officials uphold the law to benefit the people; but I do not know that officials pervert the law to harm the people, and this is the source of resentment. What is the explanation?"

This means that officials must understand the way of being an official, that is, to govern for the people and seek benefits for the people.

What Song Youde needed to answer was what good things he did for the people in Qiantang, and what his governing philosophy was.

Generally speaking, this issue can be viewed as either torture or mentorship.

It all depends on how you answer. Of course, this is clearly torture at this time and place.

Song Qingtian's answer was fragmented. After passing the imperial examination, he had forgotten most of his knowledge and devoted the rest of his energy to studying interpersonal relationships.

He had no choice but to turn to his good brother for help.

In his view, Xu Xuan was someone he had colluded with to take money from, and they had even conspired to kill a magistrate of Fengcheng County, so Xu Xuan was definitely one of his own.

Moreover, just before the banquet, he had asked his younger brother to come to his rescue at a critical moment.

'Brother, it's your turn.'

Xu Xuan was watching the banquet wrap up when he received the distress signal and remembered that he had indeed promised to save people.

But this moment is different from that moment.

An idea suddenly popped into my head.

Carrots, whips, carrots, whips. Upon closer examination, it seems more likely.

He immediately slammed his fist on the table and stood up, interrupting the interrogation, intending to persecute Brother Song into a living hell.

"If you want to ask how to uphold the law for the benefit of the people, you've asked the wrong person."

what?
Ah!
The tone, whether a question or an accusation, stunned Song Youde.

Brother, are you worried that I'm dying too slowly?
He hurriedly gave a meaningful look, his small eyes practically fluttering in the wind.

Mr. Xu pretended not to see it and continued to passionately support his virtuous brother.

"Upholding the law to benefit the people means consulting the people."

“My virtuous brother has been in Qiantang for a year, and his deeds are widely praised in Qiantang.”

"Killing demons, holding literary gatherings, and building water conservancy projects—each and every one of these events is verifiable."

Xu Xuan's words were resounding and even more affirmative of Song Youde's achievements than Song Youde's.

After all, as long as a county magistrate doesn't do anything reckless or make unwarranted advancements, the people's livelihood will be incredibly good.

If he were even a little more virtuous, he could be considered a just and upright official.

Snapped!
Pat your brother on the shoulder and raise the pitch a little higher.

"If you don't believe me, ask around. Has Magistrate Song ever oppressed the people in his life? Has he ever sent someone off to their funeral? Has he ever done anything that violated the Jin Law?"

A long passage of text burst forth, shattering the previously oppressive atmosphere.

Even Yu Gong was a little surprised that this man surnamed Song was so incorruptible.

Magistrate Song, pale-faced, tugged at his brother's sleeve and said, "Don't say any more. Not to mention that there are many things I wanted to do but didn't have time to do, I really did do funeral rites."

Back in Kyoto, the old official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel's official appointments adhered to the principle of "stopping when one is satisfied."

In other words, once he had collected enough money, he would stop. That's how he got his position as the magistrate of Qiantang County.

Of course, that old doctor had already been brought out and killed a few months earlier during an internal self-examination regarding the strange phenomena.

So of course he panicked. If Yu Gong got angry and really investigated, he wouldn't care about losing his head.

But the hand that was tugging at his sleeve under the table was flung away by his younger brother.

"Brother Song! Although we haven't known each other for long, I understand you best. I naturally know your ambitions and aspirations."

Mr. Xu spoke righteously, while Magistrate Song smiled obsequiously, though inwardly he was anxious; something was wrong with the plot.

"No, it's not me."

“I understand. When facing an upright person like Yu Gong, you don’t need to hide your character. A sharp awl in a bag will immediately show its sharpness.”

"Um, brother, have you had too much to drink?"

"Alas~~~ Starting from this small Qiantang River, what difficulty is there in not only gaining a foothold in the torrent of worldly affairs, but also going against the current?"

"I'm not"

Song Youde truly never expected the rescue method to be so shocking, to put on such a show in front of the big boss.
(End of this chapter)