A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

His father did not insist that Wei Xue must inherit the medical skills, but rather supported his child in a very open-minded way.

So Wei Xue abandoned his studies to join the army and began to study his family's military strategies.

At the same time, he visited the lineage of Marquis Wu'an and the lineage of Duke Yan to ask them for advice on military strategy and tactics.

He also studied at the famous Yingchuan College for a period of time, where he made many like-minded friends.

In the third year of Emperor Ling of Han, Wei Xue returned home after completing his studies, bringing with him many military books he had brought back from the capital.

It was also in this year that he met Cao Cao. The two got along well and had a pleasant conversation.

In the sixth year of Emperor Ling of Han, after Cao Cao's headache was cured, he was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official and entered the capital to serve as a court gentleman.

On the occasion of their parting, Cao Cao persuaded Wei Xue to accompany him to the capital and serve the court.

"Bo Jing, are you really not considering coming to Chang'an with me?"

"With your status, you will surely be highly valued by His Majesty."

Wei Xue shook his head. "Our lineage heals the sick and saves lives, travels the world, and never enters the imperial court. This is an ancestral precept passed down from our ancestors."

"Once he enters the imperial court, he will be busy with paperwork and will no longer be able to treat patients from all over the country."

"But you didn't study medicine, did you?"

Cao Cao offered his advice.

Wei Xue stared into Cao Cao's eyes and said, "Mengde, I also studied medicine, but I don't treat the diseases of individuals, but rather the diseases of the nation."

"The world is about to descend into chaos, and Chang'an is not a good place to go. Once you arrive in Chang'an, you must be careful in everything you do."

"Take this jade pendant. If you encounter any emergency, you can take this jade pendant to the Prince Zhongwu's residence for protection."

Cao Cao stared blankly at Wei Xue with his small eyes and accepted the jade pendant.

"Take care of yourself."

"Take care of yourself."

Wei Xue watched Cao Cao leave, recalling what his father had told him not long ago.

The heads of the various branches of the Wei family gathered in Yan for a meeting.

The Wei family's influence extends throughout the land, and they have sensed the undercurrents swirling within the Han Dynasty, foreshadowing imminent chaos.

After discussions among the various factions, the Wei family ultimately decided to sit idly by and watch the change of dynasties, rather than continue supporting the Han Dynasty.

A thorough examination of historical records shows that dynastic changes often promote the development of civilization.

Each generation is stronger than the last.

At that meeting, the heads of each lineage agreed that their descendants could travel around, searching for the wise ruler in their hearts, and assisting them in their struggle for supremacy.

Even those who fail in the struggle for supremacy can gain the protection of the Wei family and lead their own forces to expand their territory, provided they perform well enough in this competition.

Their target was the Parthian Empire.

The territory of the Parthian Empire was prepared for these heroes who failed in their struggle for supremacy.

Wei Xue chose Cao Cao.

But now is not the time.

……

Not long after Cao Cao entered the capital, he was appointed as the Northern Commandant of Chang'an due to the influence of his family.

As the capital of the Han Dynasty for nearly 400 years, Chang'an was filled with high-ranking officials and nobles.

If you throw a brick at anyone, nine out of ten people you hit will be powerful and wealthy.

These powerful and influential people, relying on their connections in the court, often acted recklessly, and ordinary soldiers dared not discipline them at all.

This resulted in poor public security in Chang'an, even worse than some ordinary counties.

After assuming office, Cao Cao issued decrees and strictly enforced the law.

He ordered the manufacture of more than ten large, five-colored clubs, which were hung on either side of the government office, with the public announcement: "Anyone who violates the law will be beaten to death."

But no one cared that although Cao Cao's grandfather held a high position and great power, he was ultimately just a eunuch.

Even if this eunuch was close to the literati and had helped many partisans, it could not erase Cao Cao's identity as a descendant of eunuchs, and the literati in Chang'an often looked down on him.

The uncle of Jian Shuo, a eunuch favored by Emperor Ling of Han, violated the prohibition and went out at night.

After being captured by Cao Cao, he was executed without mercy with five-colored rods.

When the people of Chang'an saw that Cao Cao was serious and even dared to kill Jian Shuo's uncle, they all became more restrained.

It was said at the time that "the capital city was shunned, and no one dared to offend them."

This led to Jian Shuo harboring resentment towards Cao Cao, and other powerful figures in the court were also dissatisfied with it.

Because Cao Cao's grandfather, Cao Teng, couldn't directly deal with Cao Cao, they had to resort to a demotion in disguise, recommending him as the magistrate of Dunqiu County and sending him out of the capital.

Cao Cao was incredibly intelligent, so he could easily see the meaning behind this transfer.

Outraged, Cao Cao went to see his grandfather, Cao Teng, who told him that this was the nature of officialdom.

The political arena is never black and white; compromise is what politics is all about.

Cao Teng's words dealt a heavy blow to the young Cao Cao, so Cao Cao wrote a letter to Wei Xue, confiding his bitterness to him.

Wei Xue's reply did not reach Cao Cao until after Cao Cao arrived in Dunqiu.

"Is the way things are just because it is?"

"If it's wrong, why not put all your effort into changing it?"

"The First Ancestor, King Zhongwu, once left behind a saying, which I present to you today, Mengde, for mutual encouragement."

"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."

Upon seeing this sentence, Cao Cao's confusion vanished.

He was Cao Cao; when the world was in turmoil, he changed the world.

If the world is unjust, then change the world.

Let's start from Dunqiu.

Dunqiu was just a county town, and the families there couldn't even be considered powerful clans. Compared to Cao Cao's background, they were nothing.

Therefore, Cao Cao carried out sweeping reforms in Dunqiu, introducing numerous policies to help the people's livelihood.

During his administration, the atmosphere in Dunqiu changed dramatically; people no longer locked their doors at night and no one picked up lost items on the road.

In the tenth year of Emperor Ling of Han, Cao Cao was implicated by his cousin-in-law and dismissed from his official post, returning to his hometown of Qiao County to live in seclusion.

……

In the fourth year of Emperor Ling of Han's reign, a famous philosopher and thinker emerged in the Daoist school of the Han Dynasty. He was well-versed in both Confucianism and Daoism and was named Zhang Jiao.

Zhang Jiao traveled the world, healing the sick and saving lives. He read countless books and traveled thousands of miles. Combining Mencius's idea that the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important, he created his own Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace).

In the fifth year of Emperor Ling of Han, Zhang Jiao met a hermit during his travels throughout the country. This hermit was well-versed in the doctrines of various schools of thought and even had extraordinary insights into the three social stages of the Wei dynasty.

The two had a pleasant conversation, but the hermit discovered that Zhang Jiao was a very idealistic person.

But this world is so murky that it cannot tolerate such idealistic people.

He felt a little sorry for Zhang Jiao, so he advised Zhang Jiao to live in seclusion with him and write books.

Who knows, a thousand years from now, he might become the founder of a school of thought and be posthumously honored as a sage.

"This is not what I desire."

After a conversation, Zhang Jiao understood what he truly wanted.

What he wanted was to give voice to the people of the world, to create a court that belonged to the people of the world, and to achieve universal harmony.

"Sir, you are a man of profound learning, a scholar of both heaven and man. Why do you choose to live in seclusion in these deep mountains?"

"Why not join me in advocating for the people and building a world of great harmony?"

Zhang Jiao's eyes seemed to be shining, so bright that even Wei Fu found them dazzling.

Indeed, this hermit was Wei Fu, the eldest grandson of Wei Ping, and the proposer of the Three Generations Theory.

He had finally cultivated to the point where he was allowed to leave the gourd world, and he couldn't wait to return to the Han Dynasty and tour its beautiful landscapes.

Seeing how beautiful the scenery was, I decided to stay here for a while.

They happened to run into Zhang Jiao, who was also traveling the world.

"A flower in a mirror, the moon in the water."

"The time is not yet ripe."

Wei Fu sighed.

"No, if you don't do it, and I don't do it, when will the ideal of Great Harmony be achieved?"

"Are we just waiting for the right opportunity?"

"The ideal of a harmonious world cannot be waited for; it can only be realized by generations of pioneers who have followed one another."

"I am willing to be the first person to ignite a spark, because one day, a single spark can start a prairie fire."

Zhang Jiao's voice was resolute, filled with unwavering determination.