Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

With the threat from Northern Yan temporarily lifted, Han Yuan was finally able to catch his breath.

The first thing Xiao Chen did was not to celebrate his victory or reward others, but to go to the "Hanyuan Academy" in the south of the city.

The school was built three months ago. Originally, it only admitted the children of officials and orphans of soldiers. It was a small school with only three tiled houses, one teacher, and more than thirty students. It taught simple literacy and arithmetic.

But Xiao Chen knew that education was fundamental.

For Hanyuan to develop sustainably, it needs talent. And talent can be cultivated.

"Your Highness, what brings you here?"

The school's teacher, surnamed Chen, was an old scholar who had offended his superior and was exiled to the northern border. He was taken in by Xiao Chen and became a teacher there.

"Come and see."

Xiao Chen asked, "How many students are there?"

"Your Highness, there were originally thirty-eight, and twelve more have recently arrived, making a total of fifty."

Mr. Chen said cautiously, "But there aren't enough classrooms. Fifty children are crammed into three rooms, which is too crowded. Moreover, the children are of different ages, some are seven or eight years old, and some are teenagers, which makes teaching them difficult."

Xiao Chen looked around and realized it was indeed crowded.

The three rooms, each no more than twenty square meters, were crammed with more than a dozen children, making it difficult to even turn around.

Moreover, the lighting was dim, the tables and chairs were old and worn, and there wasn't even a decent blackboard.

"That won't do."

Xiao Chen said, "Hanyuan has 30,000 students, and at least 3,000 of them are children. Accepting only 50 is too few. We need to expand enrollment so that all children can go to school."

"All the children?"

Mr. Chen was startled. "Your Highness, this...this will cost a fortune! And where will we find so many doctors?"

"I'll take care of the money."

Xiao Chen said, "The matter of teachers is easy to handle. Hanyuan has many scholars now, whether they are exiled or have fled from war, they can all be teachers. The treatment is excellent, with food and lodging provided, and a monthly salary. As long as they are willing to teach, Hanyuan will dare to employ them."

"Then...what about the classroom?"

"establish."

Xiao Chen said, "Let's allocate a piece of land in the south of the city and build a university."

It needs to be able to accommodate a thousand students, and it needs to have classrooms, dormitories, a canteen, and a playground.

In addition, classes will be divided.

Categorize by age, categorize by severity.

The young learn to read, the older learn arithmetic, and the still older learn classics, history, military strategy, and craftsmanship.

Tailor instruction to individual needs, allowing each student to learn what they require.

Mr. Chen was stunned.

To accommodate a thousand students? To teach in separate classes? To teach military strategy? To teach craftsmanship?

This isn't a school, it's an academy, it's a university!

"Your Highness, how much...how much will this cost?" Mr. Chen asked in a trembling voice.

"It has to be spent no matter how much money it costs."

Xiao Chen said, "It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person. If we spend some money now to train talent, we can earn more money in the future. That's settled then."

"Yes...yes."

Upon returning to the city lord's mansion, Xiao Chen immediately summoned everyone for a meeting.

"Building schools, recruiting students, and cultivating talent are Han Yuan's top priorities."

Xiao Chen cut to the chase, "Old Han, you're in charge of choosing the site and building the school. It needs to be fast, high-quality, and cost-effective. I want the school completed within a month."

"yes!"

"Mr. Chen, you will be in charge of student recruitment. All children in Hanyuan aged six to fifteen, regardless of gender or social status, are welcome to enroll. Tuition is free, books are free, and lunch will be provided. However, there is one condition: they must attend school every day and cannot be absent without a valid reason."

"yes!"

"Zhao Tie, you're in charge of finding teachers. Exiled scholars, refugee officials, retired officials—Han Yuan welcomes anyone willing to teach. Excellent benefits and family accommodation provided. But everyone must pass an assessment; their character and scholarship must both be up to standard."

"yes!"

"Wang Dashan, select a group of literate officers from the army to serve as 'martial arts' instructors, teaching the children military strategy, archery, and martial arts. The children of Hanyuan cannot only be good at studying; they must also know how to fight."

"yes!"

"Zhang Meng, you should select a group of craftsmen from the Bureau of Works to serve as 'engineering teachers' and teach the children carpentry, blacksmithing, and construction. The children of Hanyuan cannot just know classical Chinese; they must also have practical skills."

"yes!"

As orders were issued, the entire Cold Abyss came to a standstill.

A hundred acres of land were set aside in the south of the city to begin building a school. Bricks, tiles, timber, and lime were continuously transported in. The craftsmen worked day and night, and a month later, a brand-new school rose from the ground.

The school features blue bricks and black tiles, neat classrooms, a spacious playground, a bright canteen, and two rows of dormitories for students from far away.

Above the school gate hangs a plaque inscribed by Xiao Chen himself: "Hanyuan School".

On the first day of school, the place was packed with people.

All the children aged six to fifteen from Hanyuan City came. Some wore new clothes, some wore patched ones, but all were clean and tidy. Parents led their children, lining up to register.

"What's your name? How old are you? Where do you live?" the man asked each person at the registration desk.

"Wang Xiaohu, eight years old, lives in the south of the city."

"Li Erniu, ten years old, lives in the north of the city."

"Zhao Tiedan, twelve years old, lives in the west of the city."

……

In one morning, 1,300 children were registered.

Mr. Chen was both happy and worried. He was happy that so many children were coming to school, which gave hope for Hanyuan's future. He was worried because there weren't enough classrooms or teachers; how could they teach?

Xiao Chen was prepared.

"We'll divide students into classes," he said. "From six to eight years old, it's the 'Elementary Education Class,' where they learn to read, do arithmetic, and follow etiquette. From nine to twelve, it's the 'Primary Education Class,' where they study classics, history, poetry, and geography. From thirteen to fifteen, it's the 'Secondary Education Class,' where they learn military strategy, martial arts, and trades. Each class will have one teacher and two teaching assistants. Classes will be held in the morning, and practical activities will be held in the afternoon. Elementary Education Class students will practice calligraphy in the afternoon, Primary Education Class students will write compositions in the afternoon, and Secondary Education Class students will practice martial arts or do manual labor in the afternoon."

"practice?"

"That's right," Xiao Chen said. "Reading alone isn't enough; you also need to put it into practice. Children in the elementary school class practice calligraphy and abacus in the afternoon. Children in the primary school class write articles and keep diaries in the afternoon. Children in the middle school class go to the military camp to practice martial arts or go to the workshop to learn a trade in the afternoon. In this way, by combining theory and practice, we can apply what we've learned."

Mr. Chen suddenly realized: "Your Highness is wise."

"Furthermore," Xiao Chen said, "there will be a test every ten days. Those with excellent grades will be rewarded. Those with poor grades will receive extra lessons. Those who fail three times in a row will be expelled. Han Yuan's academy does not support lazy people or useless people."

"yes!"

On the first day of school, Xiao Chen personally gave the children their first lesson.

"Children, do you know why we need to go to school?"

The children shook their heads.

"Going to school is for learning to read, for understanding principles, and for having a bright future," Xiao Chen said. "Cold Abyss currently has 30,000 people, and in the future it will have 300,000, then 3 million. But having people isn't enough; we also need talent. You are the future of Cold Abyss. If you study well, Cold Abyss will prosper. If you become strong, Cold Abyss will become strong."

The children seemed to understand, but they all listened intently with wide eyes.

"From today onwards, you are students of Hanyuan Academy. You must respect your teachers, be friendly to your classmates, and study diligently. I don't expect every one of you to become a top scholar, but I do expect you to be literate, able to do math, understand principles, and be good people. In the future, whether you become officials, soldiers, craftsmen, or farmers, you must be useful people, people who contribute to Hanyuan. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" the children answered in unison, their voices young but firm.

"Okay, class begins."

Xiao Chen stepped down from the podium, and Mr. Chen began teaching literacy.

The first lesson is about "human beings".

"The character for 'person' is composed of two strokes, one left and one right, supporting each other. As people, we should also help and support each other," Mr. Chen explained as he wrote.

The children read aloud and wrote along.

"people……"

The sound of students reciting their lessons echoed from the school and spread throughout Hanyuan City.

The people smiled as they listened to the sound of reading aloud.

There are schools and teachers, so children can go to school.

I never dared to dream of such a life before.

"The prince is truly a living bodhisattva!" an old man said, wiping away tears. "I've lived for sixty years and have never seen a prince like him. He doesn't levy taxes or grain levies, and he even provides land, houses, and education for children. Where can you find a prince like that?"

"Yes, our Hanyuan is blessed."

"You must make sure your child studies hard so that he can repay the prince in the future."

That's how public support is gradually built up.

Xiao Chen stood outside the school, watching the children studying diligently inside, his heart filled with hope.

These children are the future of Hanyuan.

What kind of people will they become in ten or twenty years?

Perhaps they will become officials and govern a region.

Perhaps they will become generals and defend the frontier.

Perhaps they will become craftsmen and create miracles.

Perhaps they will become farmers and cultivate the land.

But no matter what they become, they will remember that it was Han Yuan who gave them the opportunity, and it was the prince who gave them hope.

This is enough.

"Your Highness," Zhao Tie hurried over, "Night Owl sent word from Xuzhou that Yu Qian and Cao Bin have started fighting."

"What was the result?"

"Yu Qian has been defeated." Zhao Tie's face was grave. "Cao Bin used a stratagem to lure the enemy deep into his territory, and Yu Qian fell into the ambush, losing 20,000 men. Now he has retreated to Huai'an and is holding firm. The Prince of Yong has sent troops to reinforce Cao Bin, preparing to annihilate Yu Qian in one fell swoop."

Yu Qian lost.

This is not good news for Xiao Chen.

If Yu Qian is defeated, Prince Yong will be able to deal with Han Yuan.

"Have Night Owl keep an eye on things," Xiao Chen said.

"yes!"