Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

Three days later, the soldiers reported that Chao Yang was willing to communicate.

Li You then went to the thatched hut to see him.

But this fellow looked dejected, and seemed somewhat downcast.

But his mouth did become much cleaner, and he stopped swearing.

This man was older than Li You, probably around forty years old.

"Are you the King of Qi?"

"Indeed, I am Prince Li You of Qi."

"Is it because of that article that Your Majesty has captured me?"

"That's right. I saw that you praised the land redistribution in your article, so I wanted to talk to you about it."

Chao Yang sighed, "Alas, what bad luck... If I hadn't drunk too much that day and been bragging to those bastards, I wouldn't have written this kind of article..."

"What? Is what's written in the article not what you intended, sir?"

"My original intention... was indeed my own. But they actually spread this article, which brought me tremendous trouble. I couldn't even stay at the Xuzhou Prefectural School and was forced to leave."

Originally, Chao Yang wrote this article simply to express his indignation over the rebellion of the King of Qi, and he only intended to circulate it within their small circle.

As it turned out, one of his friends had a big mouth and couldn't hold back any longer, so he leaked the article.

In an environment where powerful families hold the dominant voice, one can imagine the pressure Chao Yang would face.

Many friends severed ties with him because of this article.

Fortunately, the guys who were drinking and bragging together that day still had some conscience and didn't break off their friendship with Chao Yang.

However, he simply couldn't continue teaching at the Xuzhou Prefectural School.

"Your friends are quite good, though."

"Sigh, we're all like me, frustrated and unsuccessful. All we can do is get together and complain."

At this point, Chao Yang, who was feeling down, suddenly burst into tears.

"My destined marriage, my perfect marriage..."

"Marriage, what marriage?"

"I was deeply in love with the widow of the Liu family, and we were about to consummate our relationship when your men kidnapped me..."

"A widow? There are so many women in the world, why are you fixated on widows?"

"What's wrong with being a widow? That Liu is only twenty-five, the prime of a woman's life, and she's incredibly wealthy. So many people are eyeing her... I even consulted a fortune teller, and he said my perfect marriage is in Huangzhou, and it's destined for Liu!"

Li You chuckled inwardly upon hearing this, wondering whether Chao Yang was after the widow's person or her money.

However, a beautiful and wealthy 25-year-old widow is indeed someone to be coveted.

"In that case, it is indeed my fault."

"But it doesn't matter. I'll have my soldiers go down the mountain and lure the young widow from the Liu family up here to pair you up with her. That way, I won't have to arrange any other marriages for you."

Chao Yang frowned: "What do you mean by 'earning money up the mountain'? Why are you so unruly?"

Li You laughed and said, "Rebellion, of course, involves disregarding all rules."

Upon hearing the words "treason," Chao Yang's heart skipped a beat.

"Your Majesty, I am but a scholar with no talent. There is no use in you binding me. You might as well release me."

There are no useless people in the world.

"The fact that you can write such an article shows that you also resent the powerful families. Based on that alone, my Huang Chao army can use you. Where are your friends now? If they're not doing well, they can come and serve in my Huang Chao army!"

"Well... their whereabouts are unpredictable, I don't know where they are..."

"Don't worry, my Huang Chao army isn't some monster. You'll see in a few days. As for that young widow, do you really think I need to lure her up the mountain with you?"

Chao Yang thought for a moment, then said, "I would like to write her a letter and ask Your Majesty to send it to Huangzhou. If she is willing, I will ask her to come and marry me; if she is not willing... then forget it."

Li You asked suspiciously, "Didn't you two fall in love? Why are you asking about whether you're willing or not?"

Chao Yang blushed: "Well... it wasn't just me who had my eye on her..."

Okay, this guy also has competitors, namely, love rivals.

The social atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty was indeed much more open than that of the Song and Ming Dynasties, and the people's emotional lives were more unrestrained.

Li You shook his head and ordered his soldiers to bring paper and pen for Chao Yang to write love letters.

As for whether this love letter will lead to a "good marriage," Li You doesn't know.

……

Life and production continue in the mountain village.

Chao Yang was released and wandered around the mountain stronghold. He saw everyone busy and orderly, a scene of bustling activity.

In the center of the mountain stronghold, there was also a "university" where teachers taught writing.

The students listening to the lecture included both children and adults.

Chao Yang attended a few classes and discovered that the script being taught there was a simplified script.

The salt-making, weaving, charcoal-making, and coin-minting activities in the mountain village also broadened Chao Yang's horizons.

Who would have thought that the King of Qi, who raised an army in rebellion in Shandong, would turn around and do such a thing in the mountains of the south?

Chao Yang heard that the King of Qi sometimes came to give lessons.

Last time we talked about "world maps".

Chao Yang also took a look at the world map that marked the major countries at the time.

Chao Yang had seen some of the place names and ethnic groups in ancient books.

Some I have no recollection of at all.

After studying the matter, Chao Yang still had many questions in his mind, so he went to Li You for answers.

"In this map, west of Europe and east of the Americas, there is only a vast ocean. Are there any lands within these oceans?"

Li You was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

Being a scholar, he easily discovered the deeper issues.

"This ocean is called the Atlantic Ocean. The reason you have doubts is because I have only described a two-dimensional map, not something three-dimensional."

"The entire world we live in is actually a giant sphere."

Li You found a piece of paper and drew a circle on it.

"This is Europe, and this is America. If drawn on a flat surface, they would appear to be surrounded by ocean. But on a sphere, these two places are separated by the sea. If a ship were to set sail from America, it could reach Europe."

Upon hearing Li You's theory, Chao Yang suddenly understood.

But then more questions arose.

"Just as Your Majesty says, the oceans of these parts of the world can actually communicate and connect with each other?"

"That's right. Moreover, if we sail on the sea and look into the distance when the sea is calm, we can observe that the sea surface has a slight curve, which is also one of the examples of the spherical theory. Not only our world, but also the sun, moon, and stars hanging in the sky are mostly spherical in shape."

Are the sun and moon also spheres?

"That's right. The sun is a huge sphere that radiates heat outwards and is called a star. The moon is much smaller; it's a lifeless world that revolves around the earth and is called a satellite. The world we live in is called Earth."

After digesting the knowledge for a moment, Chao Yang sighed, "Your Majesty's theory is truly unbelievable. The ancient sages' saying that the heavens are round and the earth is square is actually wrong."

Li You smiled and said, "In ancient times, technology was underdeveloped, and it was impossible to reach very far places. In order to explain the origin of heaven and earth, the ancients could only imagine based on existing things. Now it's different. Overseas countries have established contact with the Central Plains, and the imperial court can also build large ships to try to cross the sea to attack Goguryeo. As mankind continues to explore, our understanding of the world will become more profound."

"Alas, it's a pity that the warships built by the imperial court in Jiangzhou were burned by villains. It's truly a shame."

"The villains you speak of are none other than Huang Chao's army."

Chao Yang was greatly surprised upon hearing this.

"What? You burned the ship?"

"good."

"Your Majesty, as a prince, should share the burdens of your sovereign and father, and alleviate the suffering of the common people. Why then do such a rebellious act?"

Li You was taken aback; this man was actually a defender of the imperial court.

"Things have changed since I raised my army. I now have tens of thousands of followers, and Huang Chao's army is united in purpose, transforming this barren mountain into such a beautiful place. If you were in my position, would you abandon everything you have?"

"this……"

Chao Yang put himself in the role of the King of Qi and suddenly realized that what Li You said made some sense.

However, Chao Yang's deep-seated obsession with "orthodoxy" made him instinctively believe that rebellion was wrong and did not conform to the "way of loyalty and forgiveness".

Observing Chao Yang's reaction, Li You gained a deeper understanding of the man.

The process of rebellion is also the process of recognizing and employing talent.

To this day, among the talents appointed and promoted by Li You, most are loyal followers, poor farmers, slaves, soldiers, and merchants.

This was the first time I had ever met a scholar like Chao Yang.

Although Chao Yang harbored many grievances against the aristocratic families, it was not necessarily true that he would unconditionally join the rebel forces, pledge allegiance to Li You, and fight against the Tang Empire.

Li You couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if he had superpowers like Song Jiang, the timely rain.

He would bow down and worship any hero who came, calling him "brother," and from then on, he would follow him wholeheartedly, killing whoever he was told to kill.

This makes recruiting talent much smoother.