[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse":3,"chapter-from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-138":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","From Special Forces to the Multiverse",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315188,4527,"Chapter 138: Labor Reform","from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-138",138,"\u003Cp>There’s an old saying: among ten households, there must be someone loyal and righteous—meaning that out of ten people, at least one is good; if that’s an exception, raise the base to a hundred, and if a hundred still has exceptions, raise it to a thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many slave owners and gentry in Western Xia, surely some must be good—especially women and children, who generally have no chance to commit evil, at most punishing servants; of course, noblewomen and children who kill must be executed—this rule of life for life cannot be broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the remaining gentry who have no blood on their hands and are relatively enlightened, Guo Jing decided to give them a chance at labor reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let these feudal remnants cultivate a work ethic, correct their own vices, acquire basic labor skills, and support themselves through honest toil, becoming laborers who contribute to socialist modernization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who perform well and actively complete labor tasks will have their sentences reduced or waived according to their conduct, allowing early release; the most suitable labor for them is naturally teaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Future industrialization requires vast numbers of people who can read and calculate; the current state of Western Xia, where everyone is illiterate, is utterly unacceptable—having these people teach the masses to read and count is a win-win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those unwilling, no force is applied—if they refuse to teach, they can still operate sewing machines, repair roads, or maintain water conservancy projects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hei Zi had been enlightened by a detained labor reformee; he disliked the man’s gaze—the way he looked down his nose at him made him deeply uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the People’s Government enforces ethnic equality, it permits and even encourages labor reformees to recount their own ethnic cultures and histories, and the reformees are eager to do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spoke endlessly of Western Xia’s history and culture, repeatedly recounting the founding monarch, Li Yuanhao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his youth, “his face was round, his nose high, his stature over five feet,” “he favored long-sleeved crimson robes, wore a black cap, and carried bow and arrows.” When the Song border commander Cao Wei saw his portrait, he exclaimed: “Truly a hero! If Deming dies, this boy will surely become a threat to China!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he matured, his ambition for dominance and martial prowess emerged; at twenty-four, Li Yuanhao rose to prominence. Following his father Li Deming’s orders, he attacked Ganzhou, employing a surprise tactic—the Uyghur Khan had not yet consulted his nine ministers on troop deployment when Ganzhou fell. After capturing Ganzhou, on his return march, he used a feint-and-ambush strategy, launching a surprise attack on Xiliang. The successful raids on Gan and Liang extended the Tangut forces into the Hexi Corridor and earned the young Li Yuanhao great renown. For his achievements, he was appointed crown prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ascending the throne, he reclaimed the Uyghurs in the north and expanded westward against the Tibetans; in July, Li Yuanhao seized “Guazhou, Hezhou, and Suzhou.” In October, “he utterly defeated all the Qiang tribes of Lanzhou.” Though his campaign against the Tibetans was less than satisfactory, he secured control over the entire Hexi region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within a year, he changed the era name and declared himself emperor, renaming his state Great Xia, referring to Great Song as “Eastern Court,” and positioning himself as “Western Court,” no longer submitting to Great Song.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over two years, Western Xia launched three major campaigns against Great Song: the Battle of San Chuan Kou, the Battle of Hao Shui Chuan, and the Battle of Ding Chuan Zhai. Each battle, occurring once a year, ended in decisive defeat for the Song army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The triumphant Li Yuanhao roared: “I shall personally march to the Wei River and seize Chang’an!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After peace talks between Song and Xia, the Liao emperor Xingzong personally led three armies—ten thousand elite troops—to punish Western Xia. Li Yuanhao avoided their strength, lured them deep into his territory, and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Liao forces at the Battle of Ordos River Bend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After recounting Li Yuanhao’s civil and military achievements, the labor reformee beamed at his students below, certain they would be moved and humbled by his teachings—though crude, they must surely feel awe for the legendary Martial Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um, Master, may I ask—this Martial Emperor was so powerful, almost divine—back then, did everyone in Western Xia get to eat their fill of flatbread?” The student raised his hand, scratching his head sheepishly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labor reformee’s chest heaved with rage—he had just recounted these glorious deeds, and all these people could think about was whether they’d eaten enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could answer, someone below sneered: “Mo Keduo, you’re wasting your breath—do you think Li Yuanhao is Comrade Guo? He couldn’t even guarantee we poor folk wouldn’t starve to death. Li Yuanhao is nowhere near Comrade Guo. Comrade Guo keeps us fed, and our meals keep getting better; Li Yuanhao can’t even come close.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labor reformee stared wide-eyed at the speaker, his mouth open to denounce the heresy, when someone else spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ban Ruomao, you insult us—how dare you compare this feudal monarch to Comrade Guo, the proletarian leader? He only thought of how to exploit us poor folk, never of feeding us—how can you even compare? The difference is obvious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labor reformee felt his heart trampled underfoot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Morality can’t be compared, ability can’t be compared either—Comrade Guo rose from nothing and unified Mongolia in just a few years, conquering the entire Western Xia. Luckily Li Yuanhao wasn’t born in this era, or he’d be standing on the trial platform facing our judgment.” The students had barely finished their tirade when they noticed their own enlightenment teacher had collapsed on the podium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the three who disrupted class were sentenced to write a thousand-character self-criticism, to be overseen by their enlightenment teacher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The labor reformee woke up and learned he must give private lessons to the three students who had fainted him—he felt his heart break. In the old days, if anyone dared speak like that, he’d have had the constables throw them in jail—he’d never endure such humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All his devotion was wasted on dogs—were Li Yuanhao’s civil and military glories less important to them than a full belly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hei Zi often smiled at the thought; afterward, he researched Li Yuanhao’s deeds. After reading, he felt Li Yuanhao’s morality wasn’t just inferior to Comrade Guo’s—it insulted even Hei Zi himself. He could never have the face to seize his own son’s wife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Li Yuanhao was shameless—how he treated his own son, let alone common folk like him. No wonder they suffered so much back then; Li Yuanhao was no good man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The past six months of life were more beautiful than he ever dared dream—but they had truly happened to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From destitute, with nothing to his name, to owning cattle and land; from an illiterate fool to a cultured person—all within half a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most proudly of all, he had become a glorious soldier in the Revolutionary Army. To achieve this goal, after working all day, he studied late into the night to pass the Revolutionary Army’s literacy exam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered the day he passed the test and enlisted—people from miles around came to see them off; at that moment, his heart swelled with joy—something even the officers of his old army had never experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>",1227,"2026-06-20T13:48:22.834Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4df8f325f4dcfa65060debed770a363972b1bfb2aa6a9ca87d4abcd5111467ab","from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-139","from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-137",205,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffrom-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-cover.jpg"]