Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

In Anyi County, Hedong Commandery, an elderly scholar with white hair sat in his courtyard, holding a copy of the "Great Han Ten-Day Report," trembling with anger.

He slammed the newspaper on the ground and roared, "Absurd! Absurd! The heavens are round and the earth is square; this is a principle passed down from our ancestors. Now they're saying the earth is round, and that if a person walks from east to west, they can circle back to the east side? What is this if not utter nonsense?"

His disciple picked up the newspaper and said cautiously, "Sir, this was issued by His Majesty. Let's not talk about it."

The old scholar glared at him: "His Majesty has also been deceived by treacherous officials. Who is Liu Hong? He's a remnant of the Liu imperial family! He fabricated this whole thing to wreak havoc on the world so that the Liu family can regain power!"

The disciple turned pale with fright: "Sir, please be careful what you say! If this gets out, you could be beheaded!"

The old scholar snorted, but ultimately kept quiet.

But he didn't stop talking; others did. Memorials from all over the country, addressed to the imperial court, flew to Luoyang like snowflakes.

Some impeached Liu Hong for "spreading heresies and misleading the public," some demanded the abolition of the new calendar and the restoration of the old system, and some said that the new weights and measures "confuse people's minds and harm people's livelihoods."

Several senior officials even jointly submitted a memorial, saying, "The theory of a round earth goes against the way of heaven. We request Your Majesty to execute Liu Hong to appease the people."

Lu Bu read through all the memorials, sneered, and decided to keep them all hidden.

He said only one sentence at the court meeting: "My mind is made up. The new calendar and new weights and measures shall be implemented as usual. Anyone who dares to obstruct it shall be punished for disobeying my imperial decree."

The courtiers fell silent.

In early February, in Luoyang East Market, a cloth merchant was haggling with a customer.

The customer asked, "How much is this bolt of cloth?"

The merchant said, "According to the old standard, a bolt of cloth is 22 feet long and costs 400 coins. According to the new standard, a bolt of cloth is 7.3 meters long and also costs 400 coins."

The customer frowned: "How long is this new ruler anyway? How am I supposed to know what 7.3 meters is?"

The merchant took out an iron ruler from under the counter, with fine markings on it: "This is a meter ruler issued by the government. You see, one meter is this long."

The customer took the measuring tape, examined it from all angles, and still didn't quite understand: "This new measuring tape is too much trouble. I still prefer the old one."

The merchant sighed, "Who can argue with that? But the government has said that all official transactions must use the new ruler from now on. However, the old system can still be used for a few more years."

Similar scenes are playing out in states, counties, and districts.

Farmers used to measure the size of a plot of land by the number of square meters. Merchants used to measure the price per kilogram by the number of grams. Craftsmen used to measure the length of a house by the number of feet by the number of feet by the number of meters by the number of meters.

Although the government posted conversion charts at markets, city gates, and school gates, how could ordinary people remember them in a short time?

Many people complained, "Why keep changing things when we can just enjoy a perfectly good life?"

Some people even took the opportunity to cause trouble.

In early March, a village head named Zhao Fu from Wei County, Ji Province, took advantage of the promotion of the new weights and measures to engage in forced buying and selling at the market. He secretly shortened his ruler, measuring cloth according to the new ruler, but it was actually one inch shorter than the standard ruler.

When some merchants noticed something was amiss and confronted him, Zhao Fu turned the tables, accusing the merchants of disobeying imperial orders and threatening to report them to the authorities.

When this reached the ears of the prefect, he sent men to investigate and indeed found that Zhao Fu's ruler was faulty. He was immediately arrested, given thirty strokes of the cane, fined five taels of silver, and paraded through the streets as a warning to others.

Once the news spread, those who had hoped to make a fortune from the situation finally calmed down.

But the voices of opposition have never stopped.

In early April, an old Confucian scholar named Zhou Xuan from Hongnong County, Sili, publicly stated that the theory of a spherical earth was "heretical and misleading" while lecturing to students in the school.

He said, "Listen, students, the heavens are round and the earth is square; this is a principle passed down from the ancient sages and worthies. If the earth were round, wouldn't the people living on it be upside down? Isn't that utter nonsense?"

A student timidly said, "Sir, the newspaper said there's something called gravity that pulls people to the earth..."

Zhou Xuan roared, "What gravity? Who's ever seen it? You actually believe the nonsense Liu Hong fabricated? His Majesty is wise, but he's been deceived by treacherous officials. Once His Majesty realizes the truth, he will naturally execute this scoundrel!"

When this reached the ears of the governor of Hongnong, he dared not delay and immediately reported it to the imperial court.

Upon seeing the report, Lü Bu picked up his brush and wrote four characters: "Order an admonition."

Upon receiving the order, the Prefect of Hongnong sent someone to summon Zhou Xuan to the yamen, gave him a lecture, and told him that if he continued to spread rumors and mislead the public, he would be punished.

Zhou Xuan verbally agreed, but he was even more unconvinced after returning home.

He privately told his disciples, "His Majesty is being misled by treacherous officials, and he's forbidding us from speaking out. This is silencing the people of the world!"

The disciples were too frightened to speak.

Early May, Luoyang, Imperial Study.

Guo Jia requested an audience, his expression somewhat grave.

Lü Bu asked, "What is it?"

Guo Jia said, "Your Majesty, I have received news that more and more people across the country are submitting memorials opposing the new calendar and the theory of a spherical earth. This month alone, there have been more than thirty memorials. Some senior officials are even secretly colluding to submit a joint memorial requesting Your Majesty to abolish the new policies."

Lu Bu sneered, "Who are they?"

Guo Jia said, "Formerly, Zhao Wen, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, was the leader, along with Zhang happy, the former Grand Master of the Palace, several retired officials, and some renowned Confucian scholars from various regions."

Lu Bu was silent for a moment, then said, "Zhao Wen? I remember he was an old minister from the previous dynasty who retired to his hometown long ago. What, bored at home, has he come out to cause trouble again?"

Guo Jia said, "Although Zhao Wen has retired, he still enjoys considerable prestige among scholars. With him taking the lead, many people have followed suit."

Lü Bu stood up, paced around the hall with his hands behind his back, and said, "Issue an edict to summon Zhao Wen to the capital. I want to ask him personally what he is dissatisfied with regarding the new policies."

Guo Jia hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Wen is getting old, what if..."

Lü Bu waved his hand: "Don't worry, I won't kill him. But I want him to understand that I'm the one who calls the shots in this world."

In mid-May, Zhao Wen was taken to Luoyang.

He was seventy-three years old, with white hair, but still very vigorous. Upon seeing Lü Bu, he did not kneel, but simply cupped his hands and said, "This old minister greets Your Majesty."

Lü Bu wasn't angry. He had a eunuch bring him a chair and said, "Minister Zhao, I heard you're dissatisfied with the new policies?"

Zhao Wen sat down, straightened his back, and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister speaks frankly, the new policies are harming the people. The new calendar has disrupted the agricultural seasons; the new weights and measures have left the people bewildered; and the theory of a round earth is even more contrary to the laws of nature. This old minister has studied all his life and has never seen anything so absurd."

Lü Bu said, "Agricultural seasons? My new calendar is based on the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun, with 365 days in a year, more accurate than the old calendar. As for the theory that the Earth is round, I ask you, have you ever seen the Earth?"

Zhao Wen was taken aback: "Of course this old minister has seen him before."

Lü Bu asked, "How vast is the land you've ever seen? From Luoyang to Chang'an, do you think it's flat or curved?"

Zhao Wen said, "Of course it's flat."

Lü Bu shook his head: "Then can you see the high mountains at the source of the Yellow River?"

Zhao Wen replied, "It's so far away, of course you can't see it."

Lü Bu chuckled: "If the land were flat, the source of the Yellow River would certainly be higher than Luoyang. At most, you wouldn't be able to see it clearly, but you certainly wouldn't be unable to see it, would you?"

Zhao Wen, unsure how to answer, asked, "Then how can you prove the earth is round?"

Lü Bu said, "That's because you haven't gone far enough. If you keep going east, circling the earth and coming back from the west, you'll know that the earth is round."

Zhao Wen sneered, "Your Majesty is joking. Heading east all the way and returning from the west? How is that possible?"

Lü Bu said, "Why is it impossible? In the 400th year of the Han calendar, I sent a fleet out to sea from Qingzhou, sailing eastward. Judging by the days, they should be back soon. When they return, you can see for yourself whether what I said is true or not."

Zhao Wen's expression changed slightly, but he still refused to admit defeat: "Your Majesty, even if a fleet does set sail, it may not be able to return. The sea is rough, and they might have already..."

Lü Bu interrupted him: "Minister Zhao, I respect you as a veteran minister and will not hold it against you. But let me make this clear: the new policies will not be abolished, and the theory of a spherical earth will not be changed. If you do not believe me, just wait and see. When the fleet returns, everything will be clear."

Zhao Wen opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.