I founded a heavy industry group in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 170 There are too many coincidences

Chapter 169 At this moment, in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion of Liangxiang County, a group of ministers each held a newspaper, their faces gloomy and silent. What could make them look so grim was naturally Chen Boying's newspaper. His popular science column was like an incredibly powerful hand, slapping them hard from left to right, the loud slapping sounds audible even through the newspaper.

Actually, being slapped in the face is nothing. Anyone who can get to this position must have skin as thick as a bulletproof vest and be an extraordinary person who can swallow insults.

However, the problem is that Chen Boying is not only slapping them in the face, but also undermining them. This rumor crusher is like hitting the "divine right of kings" theory, which has been passed down for thousands of years, into the dust, clearly telling everyone that their majestic heaven is nothing but a fabrication by a group of people with ulterior motives to deceive people, and it simply does not exist!

The so-called emperor's moral failings and divine calamities are utter bullshit! They think you're all idiots! This is practically skinning the scholar-official class alive; even the most patient person would be furious!

This is no longer just a matter for the Donglin Party; it's Chen Boying declaring war on all civil officials. How can anyone tolerate this? This gathering is no less than a grand court assembly. The officials present almost encompass all the important positions in the Ming Dynasty: the Grand Chamberlain, the Inspectorate, the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of War. Hundreds of people are gathered together. If a bomb were dropped at this moment, the Ming Dynasty would instantly come to a standstill.

"How dare this treacherous villain!"

Liu Zongzhou had long been stripped of his official rank and dismissed from office. Instead of returning to his hometown as history had shown, he lived in Zuixianlou in Liangxiang County, which became a center for retired officials of the Ming Dynasty. Almost all the officials who had been dismissed by Wei Zhongxian gathered here.

"Qidong, calm down. Chen Boying's articles are not just simple ravings."

"Brother Liu, isn't this utterly arrogant talk?"

Wang Yingxiong turned his head, his eyes slightly red, and said excitedly, "The divine right of kings is an immutable principle, yet he dares to say that 'Heaven' is fabricated? Isn't this shaking the very foundation of the nation?"

"It is precisely because it threatens the very foundation of the nation that we must not be angered."

These words shocked everyone present.

"Does Lord Wen mean—there's someone behind this?"

Wen Zhenmeng did not answer directly. Instead, he picked up the newspaper on the table, pointed to the line of large characters that had been repeatedly circled and underlined, and slowly read aloud: "What is called Heaven is neither god nor spirit, but merely qi (vital energy). The movements of the sun, moon, and stars all follow constant laws, and do not change due to the gains or losses of a ruler. Gentlemen, listen to this—could such insight and such writing be produced by a mere military man?"

Zhou Shipu pondered for a moment and said, "Does Lord Wen mean that Chen Boying has a master advisor behind him?"

"More than just a master, this is an attempt to use Chen Boying to overturn our millennia-old tradition!"

A brief silence fell over the room.

Liu Zongzhou frowned and said, "Then what do we do? We can't just let him spout nonsense in the newspapers and mislead the public, can we?"

"Of course not."

Wen Zhenmeng pondered, "But we can't confront them head-on. Chen Boying is a military man. In the emperor's eyes, only military men who are not tolerated by the court officials can gain his favor. These articles in Chen Boying's newspapers seem absurd, but they actually harbor murderous intent. The examples he cites—earthquakes, floods, droughts, solar eclipses, comets—aren't they all used by dynasties to advise emperors? He dismisses these things as natural phenomena, unrelated to the emperor's gains or losses. What is he doing? He's digging up our roots!"

Wang Yingxiong slammed his fist on the table: "That's why we must refute him even more! Refute him fiercely! I, Wang, refuse to believe that a mere brute can cause any trouble!"

"Of course we should refute it."

Wen Zhenmeng looked at everyone and said, "But how to refute it is quite important. The person behind Chen Boying is clearly an expert in the study of things. If you get entangled with him about what 'heaven' is," then you're playing right into his hands.

"Does Lord Meng mean—we shouldn't discuss celestial matters with him?"

"What is Heaven? How many ordinary people can truly understand? But there is one thing everyone understands: reverence for Heaven and ancestors is the foundation of our Chinese nation. Without reverence for Heaven, how can one honor the ruler? Without honoring the ruler, how can one govern the country? Therefore, what we need to refute is not his trivial theories of investigating things," but rather his intentions. Does Chen Boying truly want to reason, or does he want to create chaos in the world?

Zhou Shipu's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Then it's settled."

Wen Zhenmeng stood up, his eyes blazing: "Draft a rebuttal overnight, and tomorrow morning, we'll also start a newspaper—let's call it the *Capital Gazette*. If he wants war, then let's fight!"

When the news reached the headquarters of the military commander, Chen Boying was in the backyard being a stay-at-home dad, holding his son Chen Yonghua in his left arm and his daughter Chen Yongxin in his right.

His twins, a boy and a girl, were like little devils. Whenever he held his son, his daughter would cry incessantly; whenever he held his daughter, his son would cry incessantly; and if he didn't hold his children, all the girls would cry. Helpless, Chen Ying could only carry one in each arm. Although the children weren't heavy, carrying them all day was quite an ordeal. The only thing that comforted Chen Ying was that his twins were very sensible, as if they hadn't forgotten the things from their past lives. As long as Chen Ying was busy with important matters, they wouldn't cry or make a fuss.

"Sir, there's some activity on their end."

"Oh?"

Holding the child, Chen Ying asked somewhat casually, "They finally couldn't sit still anymore?"

"Liu Zongzhou contacted more than ten people to discuss starting a 'Capital Gazette' to compete with our 'Da Ming Bao'."

It's said that the rebuttal is already being written and will be published tomorrow.

Chen Ying laughed, a hint of smugness in his smile: "They run newspapers too? Civil officials are used to submitting memorials and petitions, which are written for the emperor alone. But newspapers are written for millions of people. Do they understand the ins and outs of this?"

Su Mei thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "What you say is true. Running a newspaper isn't just about being able to write articles."

"certainly."

Chen Ying turned around, his eyes gleaming: "They want to start a newspaper? Let them. I'm not worried they won't come. Our printing press is inside Chongwen Gate, using hand-cranked movable type printing, capable of printing three thousand copies a day. If they start from scratch, they won't be able to print a single sheet of paper in less than half a month."

"Half a month? Then what about this half-month gap period—"

"The window of opportunity is our chance."

"They want to refute it? Let them refute it. We'll refute it back when their newspaper comes out. We'll see who gets more readers in this back-and-forth."

"Does Your Excellency intend to drag this debate on?"

"It's not about dragging things out, it's about attrition. I can afford to attrition, but they can't. Our newspaper sells for five copper coins a copy, with a cost of less than three. We can publish 'GG' in the newspaper, and the cost of 'GG' offsets that, so we not only don't lose money, but we even have a small profit. If their newspaper wants to compete with us, they either have to sell at a loss or sell at a high price. If they sell at a high price, no one will buy it, and if they sell at a loss, they won't last long. Besides, I'm a military man, I can talk nonsense, can they?"

Su Mei was taken aback.

Chen Ying laughed: "Who are they? They are officials appointed by the imperial court, the role models for scholars. Every word they write must be worthy of the classics and the official hats they wear. I can say that Heaven is Qi (vital energy), but do they dare to say that Heaven is a god?"

To say that Heaven is a god is to promote supernatural forces and disorder, which would be subject to impeachment by censors. To say that Heaven is reason inevitably leads to discussions of Zhu Xi and the Cheng brothers, ultimately returning to the official's own theory of "investigating things."

"My lord—have you set a trap for them?"

"A pitfall?" Chen Ying burst into laughter. "This isn't a pitfall, it's an abyss."

The next day.

The inaugural issue of the "Beijing Gazette" was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples throughout the capital.

Wen Zhenmeng's editorial, "Refuting the Theory that 'Heaven is Neither God nor Spirit,'" is a lengthy 3,000-word essay that draws on classical texts, from the Book of Documents' "Heaven sends down the people" to Dong Zhongshu's "interaction between Heaven and man," from Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi's "Heaven is principle" to the founding emperor of this dynasty's "respect for Heaven and emulation of ancestors." Every word is precious and every sentence is powerful.

The editorial concludes particularly brilliantly, stating: "Heaven is neither gas nor matter, but principle. Principle is formless yet governs the formed, without image yet governs all phenomena. The movement of stars is constant, yet the occurrence of calamities also has its causes. In the reigns of Jie and Zhou, earthquakes and landslides occurred; in the reigns of Wen and Wu, phoenixes cried out on Mount Qi. How could these be mere coincidences? Chen Ying disregards the teachings of sages and fools with celestial phenomena, misleading the people; his heart deserves to be punished!"

This rebuttal caused a stir in both the court and the public. Many officials who had previously been observing the situation were now applauding Liu Zongzhou for "defending the orthodox tradition and turning the tide."

However, when Chen Ying received the "Capital Gazette," he only glanced at it before laughing.

"Su Mei, guess what's wrong with Wen Zhenmeng's article?"

Su Mei thought for a moment and said, "I am too stupid to guess."

"He cited the earthquakes and landslides during the reigns of Jie and Zhou, claiming it was divine retribution. But I ask you, where was the capital of the Shang Dynasty located?"

"In... Chaoge?" Su Mei wasn't quite sure.

"Chaoge is in present-day Henan, a place not located on an earthquake belt, with very few recorded earthquakes. The truly fatal flaw lies in his claim that an earthquake and landslide occurred during the reigns of Jie and Zhou." Is there any evidence for this? Which historical record, which page, which line mentions an earthquake and landslide during the reigns of Jie and Zhou? He also said that "during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu, a phoenix sang on Mount Qi." Are there any eyewitnesses? Who saw it? When did they see it? What did the phoenix look like?

Su Mei was stunned.

"They are accustomed to quoting classical texts, but never ask where those texts came from."

Chen Ying stood up, hands behind his back, and said, "The 'Phoenix Cries on Mount Qi' comes from the *Guoyu* (Discourses of the States), but the *Guoyu* is a book from the Warring States period, hundreds of years after the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. How could people hundreds of years later know that a phoenix cried out on Mount Qi hundreds of years ago? Isn't that like seeing a ghost? When Liu Zongzhou wrote this article, he probably thought that quoting a few lines from ancient books would shut everyone up. But he didn't understand that times have changed. Today's common people, small merchants, and artisans don't recognize ancient books; they recognize reason. If you use the phrase 'Phoenix Cries on Mount Qi' from thousands of years ago to prove the will of Heaven, people will only ask you, 'Where is that phoenix?'"

That afternoon, the supplement to the Da Ming Pao was printed.

Chen Ying did not directly refute Wen Zhenmeng, but instead took a different approach. He wrote an article titled "Phoenix, Qilin, and Dragon: Things the Ancients Had Never Seen."

The article is written in a simple and easy-to-understand style, full of humor. He first introduced the origin of the phoenix. The Classic of Mountains and Seas says that the phoenix "is shaped like a chicken, with five colors and patterns". However, the Classic of Mountains and Seas itself is a book of mythology, and no one has ever seen the things in it.

Then he asked an interesting question: If phoenixes really exist, why hasn't anyone captured a live one?

Why are there no remains of the phoenix's bones, feathers, or droppings? Consider this: tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses—which of these real animals wasn't recorded by the ancients? Which of them didn't leave behind bones? Only the phoenix, the qilin, and the dragon—there are only written records, no physical evidence.

Why is that? Because they are made up.

At the end of the article, Chen Ying wrote: "It's not that I don't believe in Heaven; I simply don't believe those who use 'Heaven' to deceive people. If Heaven were aware, would it be moved by a few kind words or a few sticks of incense from mortals? If Heaven were biased, how could it be subject to 'Heaven'? The true Heaven is selfless and without desire; it neither bestows calamities based on the good or evil of its ruler, nor bestows blessings based on the ruler's wisdom. The movements of the sun and moon, the cycles of the stars, all have their constants. These constants cannot be changed by human power, nor can they be predicted by human will. Reverence for Heaven is not about burning incense and kowtowing, nor is it about offering sacrifices and prayers. True reverence for Heaven is about recognizing Heaven, understanding Heaven, and then following its laws. Farming requires observing the seasons, sailing requires observing the wind direction, and building houses requires observing the terrain. These are the true ways to revere Heaven."

The publication of this supplement caused an uproar in Beijing.

Some applauded Chen Boying's arguments, finding them logical, well-founded, and convincing; others were furious, denouncing him as "spreading heresy"; while many more were engrossed in discussing: "Does the phoenix really exist?"

Teahouses, restaurants, and markets—the air was filled with discussions. Some said the phoenix was just a legend, others said the dragon might just be a crocodile, and still others asked, "If dragons don't exist, then what is the point of the emperor's dragon robe?"

In just a few days, the sales of the *Da Ming Bao* newspaper more than tripled, from over 5,000 copies to nearly 20,000. It was not only circulating in the capital, but also being sold in Tianjin, Baoding, Tongzhou, and other places; even people in Jiangnan were sending people specifically to buy it.

As for Wen Zhenmeng's "Capital Gazette", apart from the first issue which barely sold out of its 3,000 copies, it began to stagnate from the second issue onwards.

The reason is simple: it's too expensive.

Wen Zhenmeng and his associates didn't understand economics. Since their wealthy patrons paid for the printing, they used woodblock printing, the best paper, and the best ink. The print run was small, naturally increasing costs. A single copy of the *Capital Gazette* sold for eighteen copper coins, resulting in a net loss of thirty-five coins—nearly four times more expensive than the *Da Ning Gazette*. And its content wasn't as interesting as the *Da Ming Bao*. Who would buy it?

What drove the civil officials even more crazy was that Chen Boying could not only write articles, but also "package" newspapers.

The Da Ming Pao not only had a "Current Affairs Commentary" section, but also a "Beijing News" section, which was dedicated to publishing all sorts of strange and unusual stories, such as a strange stone being dug up in a certain place, a large fish being caught in a certain river, a family having twins, a father-in-law having an affair with his daughter-in-law, and a woman having an affair with her cousin. These contents seemed boring, but they were extremely popular among ordinary people.

People buy newspapers to read these "new things," but many of these "new things" are fabricated. The people, events, and locations are all fictional. The problem is that even though it says that any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental, there are just too many coincidental events. The "so-and-so cheating on his wife" incident was just a fabrication by Chen Boying to grab attention.

The problem is that in just half a month, seventeen people committed suicide within the Shuntian Prefecture alone, and some even tried to kill Chen Boying with knives.