Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 177 The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise, the two dukes reappear, and the world will be blessed!
Not long after Yu Ji left, Yan Xiang, his hair now completely white with worry, still went to see Yuan Shu.

The palace gates opened, and an old man, carrying a stack of memorials, rushed forward with tears in his eyes.

"My lord! You've finally come to the palace to handle state affairs. This old minister has several important matters to discuss with you."

Yuan Shu: "."

When he saw that Yan Xiang had brought the living person back to life, he knew perfectly well that Yan Xiang wanted to work with him.

Fortunately, he had some experience dealing with Old Man Yan. Yuan Shu's expression was even more delighted than Yan Xiang's, and he stepped forward to shake his hand tightly.

"Has Yama arrived?"
"You've come at the perfect time; I have a few important matters to discuss with you."

Yan Xiang's expression changed drastically, and he stopped in his tracks. He gasped for breath and tried to pull himself back, but Yuan Shu grabbed his hand and he couldn't break free.

Yan Xiang thought to himself, "Oh no! It's been so long since we last met. How could I forget that my lord is someone who acts on a whim?"

This is troublesome. Even if I can get my lord to lighten my workload, he will come up with a bunch of new tasks for me. What should I do?

Sure enough, before he could think much about it, Yuan Shu had already given the order.

"Recently I have noticed that the production of heavy armor and cavalry equipment in Shouchun City is quite low, which is due to the difficulty in producing fine iron."

I intend to build blast furnaces and mass-produce iron, and reward the craftsmen who can innovate and improve iron-smelting techniques.

I also have some design concept drawings here, such as: curved plow, waterwheel, wind-powered waterwheel, etc.

"Take this and order the craftsmen to develop a replica. Anyone who can replicate it and make it available in the present day will be rewarded."

"This lord is truly a celestial being!"

If these agricultural tools can be made and put into use, grain production in the Jianghuai region will surely increase significantly, and we will have nothing to worry about anymore.

Yan Xiang, who was still struggling with his unfinished work and the new task his lord had come up with, was completely relieved when he saw the descriptions of the farm tools on the blueprints. He no longer had any thoughts of complaining or grumbling.

If these agricultural tools are indeed as described in the drawings, they will surely greatly increase grain production. This would be a great thing that benefits the country and the people, and even future generations. How could Yan Xiang dare to be negligent at this moment?

He carefully put away the blueprints that Yuan Shu had given him and solemnly bowed.

"My lord, you have relieved the suffering of the people from famine and saved them from their dire straits. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"When you're making it and promoting it, remember to ask Yu Ji for help with the publicity. I've already talked to him, and he knows what to do."

Yuan Shu chuckled and made the arrangements. Most of these drawings were roughly drawn by him based on his memories from his previous life.

Anyway, it doesn't involve any complicated principles. I think there's a general idea. If contemporary craftsmen try a few more times, they'll be able to replicate it.

Since the topic of craftsmen had come up, Yuan Shu took the opportunity to bring it up.

"I intend to include all inventions by artisans that can innovate new technologies and benefit the people in the system of nobility that rewards agriculture and warfare."

"Furthermore, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—all the people under my rule, those who have rendered meritorious service to the state—are included in this category."

Yuan Shu was certainly aware of the drawbacks of the twenty-rank military merit system during the Qin Dynasty. He was busy with the war, so he first introduced the twenty-rank military merit system to make it easier for people of his time to understand and accept.

What he really wants to do is to promote this server operation model, where accumulating merit (experience) leads to promotion, to all walks of life and all aspects of life.

For the common people, whether you are a soldier, an official, or a farmer, as long as you have contributed to the country and generated social value, even if you are just an unknown brick at the grassroots level of the country, you can be promoted.

The only differences are the magnitude of their social value, the degree of danger in the industry, and the speed of advancement.

Just like how soldiers level up by fighting monsters in games, life professions and trade can also be upgraded. It's just that soldiers gain more experience and level up faster.

As for whether the soldiers will have any complaints about this?

Given the current benefits and treatment of soldiers, when Yan Xiang issued a conscription order last time, the people under his jurisdiction were all scrambling to join the army. If you had any complaints and wanted to go back to farming to get promoted, no one would stop you. Besides, joining the army is still the fastest way to get promoted.

For Yuan Shu, as long as all the people under his rule are leveling up, then once everyone in society reaches level ten or higher, he will have essentially gained ten levels for free.

Everyone else leveled up to level 20, and he got 20 levels for free.

After all, the nobility system he designed was merely an honorary system, and naturally, with this honor, one could easily obtain many hidden benefits in society.

However, the prerequisite for receiving these benefits is that your rank is higher than everyone else's. If everyone is at level ten, then you haven't actually been promoted, have you?
If everyone upgrades, will it cause resentment among the players?
Of course not. As long as there are still levels to advance, it's a dead end where you either move forward or fall behind.

If you slack off and don't level up, others will naturally be eager to climb over you. Imagine when everyone in society is a level 20 master, and you're still stuck at the level 10 title from the previous version.

This is worse than dying on the spot, deleting the account, and starting over.

This will be an unsolvable, overt conspiracy that the whole society is working hard to escalate. Every member of society is contributing to the country, which is truly a thriving prospect.

What if you quickly reach level 20 in nobility?
Isn't that simple? Just keep increasing the server limit.

The current level is 20 to Marquis, then 40 to Duke, then 60 to Lord, and finally 80 to Honored One.
Human strength is sometimes limited, but the ranks and titles are limitless.

This is also why Yuan Shu had previously petitioned the emperor to grant Xiahou Dun the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, but the people in Yuan's camp didn't seem to care much about it.

The reason is simple: the two countries' systems of nobility are fundamentally two different systems.

What business is it of theirs that you were granted a marquisate by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty? When Lord Yuan advances to that level in the future, you, a marquis from a previous dynasty, will have to obediently rise from the first rank.

This is also how Yuan Shu now treats guests at the Golden Terrace: those who truly work diligently are included in the promotion system and gradually advance through merit.

Those who simply come here to freeload can be tempted by the Han emperor bestowing upon them a nominal title and providing them with a comfortable life. This would be enough to entice those outside the Jianghuai region who are still living in the afterglow of the Han dynasty.

But when a new dynasty is established, there will always be a time for reckoning.

At that time, aristocratic families may be able to progress faster than ordinary people on this path of national advancement due to their accumulated advantages.

However, the so-called monopoly of powerful clans is no longer possible, because everyone is like a dragon, and no one can cut off the path for people to rise in society.

"In this prosperous and glorious era, all people should be allowed to be like dragons."

Of course, realizing Yuan Shu's vision was not easy; various departments and supervisory bodies needed to be improved accordingly.

He is currently using the twenty-level military merit system as a guise to reward those who engage in farming and warfare, gradually pushing his ideas forward through trial and error.

After a long talk with Yan Xiang, they discussed the planning of the powers and responsibilities of each department, and finally reached a preliminary agreement. The next step was to convene the court officials at the grand court assembly to gather their wisdom and efforts.

But Yan Xiangguang thought that he had clearly come here to reduce his burden, but before he could even tell the boss, he had so many more things to do. It was going to kill his old bones!

Seemingly noticing the bitter look on Yan Xiang's face, Yuan Shu smiled and said to him:

"Don't worry, Lord Yan. I have already taken care of what you are concerned about."

"The Shouchun Academy has been established for quite some time now. I intend to hold an imperial examination at the academy before the New Year this year, selecting the best candidates. I believe these students will be of great help to Lord Yan."

Yan Xiang's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. Although the academy had indeed recruited many students from humble backgrounds according to Yuan Shu's wishes, given his lord's current reputation, many outstanding young men from aristocratic families had been sent there to gain experience. If talents were selected from among them, it would certainly solve their immediate crisis. He quickly asked:

"I wonder how Your Majesty plans to select scholars and assess their character?"

"Character is certainly a factor to consider, but in chaotic times, the capable take precedence."

Let's keep it simple since this is our first time trying it.

I will then set a test question, and the students of the academy will answer it with policy essays, and the top three will be selected.

The top three scholars in the imperial examinations were named Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua.

The second rank, also known as the Jinshi degree, selected the top thirty-six people.

The top three were those who had passed the imperial examinations and were selected from the top 108.

The examiners sealed the papers, their names were passed down on the list of successful candidates, and as for the examiners...?

Logically, given his reputation as a prince, he should be the most suitable candidate. However, as the headmaster of the academy, his understanding of the literary styles of the various schools of thought is inevitably biased, so he had to choose someone completely unfamiliar with everyone at the academy.

In fact, it would be fine for Yuan Shu to personally serve as the chief examiner, but if the imperial examination results are not satisfactory to the public, it is easy to be suspected of favoritism and corruption, and he does not want to ruin his reputation.

Or they'll just randomly select a lucky examiner. If something really goes wrong, whoever cheated, they can just deal with them based on their impartiality.

If we're talking about someone unfamiliar with the students at the academy, then naturally we'd choose one from among the ministers who accompanied him on his campaigns, someone of exceptional talent who could assess the students.
Zhou Yu was naturally the best choice, but he had ulterior motives, and Yuan Shu did not want to give him this opportunity to increase his reputation.

Therefore, when Yuan Shu thought of Zhou Yu, a kind and understanding figure would appear in his mind, and he immediately spoke up!

"Jiang Gan, also known as Jiang Ziyi, is a renowned scholar from Jiangzuo, whose fame is known throughout the Yangtze River region. He is qualified to be the chief examiner."

Yuan Shu was thinking that if Jiang Gan messed things up, he wouldn't feel bad about killing him.

Yan Xiang agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Jiang Ziyi is quite talented, and with him as the chief examiner, there will be no worries."

The two then discussed and finalized the details of holding the imperial examinations at the academy before the New Year.

Since the academy was mentioned, Yan Xiang seemed to remember something and quickly took out some light and frivolous items from the stack of documents he had brought earlier and handed them to Yuan Shu.

"The task that the lord had previously instructed to have the craftsmen make paper has already been successful."

New paper is ready; it can be dyed in five colors. Writing on it will proceed as usual. Please, my lord, bestow a name upon it.

Yuan Shu was overjoyed upon hearing this. He took the paper from Yan Xiang and saw that it was rich in color, displaying five colors: blue, yellow, vermilion, white, and black.

He then took the pen and ink handed to him by Yan Xiang and tried writing. He noticed that writing different content on different colored paper made the content clear and easy to distinguish and organize.

Moreover, it is soft in texture and has a unique ink effect; this is the five-colored stationery from the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Although it cannot compare to the Xuan paper of later generations, it is definitely a new paper that far surpasses Cai Hou's paper.

"Good! This paper has five colors, so it shall be called Five-Colored Paper. We shall use this paper to answer questions during this imperial examination and to promote our work."

Who is the paper maker? He should be richly rewarded according to the previously agreed-upon incentive system.

"I'm glad that my lord is satisfied."

The paper maker was known as Zuo Bo, a native of Yexian County, Donglai.

Previously, when I was recruiting skilled papermakers for my lord, Lady Taishi, grateful for my lord's kindness, recommended this talented man from her hometown to me.

After I sent men to find him, they discovered that he indeed possessed unique skills in papermaking. He worked with other craftsmen for several months to develop the new paper.

Yuan Shu had previously remarked that Yan Xiang's new paper looked remarkably similar to the five-colored stationery from the Wei and Jin dynasties in history books, but it turns out it was invented by Zuo Bo. So, it's alright now.

Five-colored stationery was an improvement on Zuo Bo's paper. Yan Xiang had found Zuo Bo himself and heard about his previous descriptions of five-colored stationery, so it was normal that he could make it.

Seeing how reliable and capable Old Man Yan was, Yuan Shu couldn't help but look at him with a thoughtful expression.

Yan Xiang sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "The matters you previously instructed me on are numerous and complicated. I will go and attend to them immediately, and I will certainly complete what you wish for as soon as possible. That's all."

However, before he could run away, Yuan Shu had already spoken.

"Lord Yama!"

The capable are often burdened with more work, so please proceed slowly. I have important matters to rely on you for.

Now that paper has been made, I also have a matching set of woodblock printing. Lord Yan, please allow me to explain in detail.

At this moment, Yan Xiang finally understood what it meant to experience pain and pleasure at the same time, even though he had so much to do that he couldn't finish it all.

But every idea proposed by our lord seems to be a great undertaking that benefits the present and future generations.

He couldn't ignore it, he couldn't not do it, and he even had to find ways to get things done properly. It was so difficult for him.

As time passed, while Shouchun was bustling with inventions and creations, a fleet of ships bearing the banner "The Yellow Heaven Shall Stand" had already reached the coast of Donghai County in Xuzhou.

On the ship, Zhao Yun looked helplessly at Jiang Qin beside him, "Commander Jiang, all the food on the ship has been eaten. Now, let alone returning to Youzhou, we have run out of food as soon as we arrived in Xuzhou. What are we going to do?"

However, Jiang Qin waved his hand dismissively and even casually handed a yellow turban to Zhao Yun's face.

"Young Master Yun, please remember to be careful with your words and actions, and follow my signals."

Lu Bu of Xuzhou is even thinking of forming a marriage alliance with our lord; we absolutely mustn't let him know that we were the ones who did this.”

Zhao Yun: “???”

"Remember, from now on call me General Zhang Hai, the fourth brother of Zhang Jiao!"
As for you, Young Master Yun, since your courtesy name is Zilong, if you wish to state your name, then please introduce yourself as General Zhang Long, the posthumous son of Zhang Jiao!

Zhao Yun: "!!!"

Before Zhao Yun could react, a certain "General of the Sea" had already ordered the ships to stop and dock. Immediately, a massive force of 10,000 naval troops began unloading one-third of the large siege equipment from the ships.

Then, under the leadership of General Hai Gong and General Long Gong, a massive navy of 10,000 men descended like divine soldiers and marched towards Qu County, Ganyu County, and Zhuqi County along the coast of Donghai Commandery.

"When the Sea God appeared, he led the Great Way and stood in the Yellow Heaven."

"The Dragon Lord is here, bearing great virtue to drive away evil spirits!"

"Unite the people of the nine provinces and shake the royal court of one family."

"The sky is dead, Huang Tian must stand!"

At that time, upon hearing the shocking news that a group of people with yellow turbans on their faces were coming to kill, the three coastal counties of Donghai Prefecture were all terrified!
(End of this chapter)