Chapter 839: Taishi Ci Comes to Submit

The arrival of Cai Yong did not exceed Wang Yan's expectations.

The person arrived in the autumn of the second year of Zhongping (185 AD), and the name spread widely across the Han lands in the spring of the third year of Zhongping. From that time on, people came to Liaodong one after another to seek knowledge.

Among those worth mentioning were the famous scholars Bing Yuan and Guan Ning, who came to study and seek refuge from chaos. These two, together with the famous scholar Hua Xin, were collectively known as "One Dragon"—meaning that these three combined were a dragon, possessing great fame in the literary circles of the Eastern Han. Hua Xin was the dragon's head, Bing Yuan the dragon's belly, and Guan Ning the dragon's tail.

The standing of both Hua Xin and Guan Ning was not low; they were fellow disciples of great contemporary Confucian scholars like Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan. Among them, Guan Ning is associated with the idiom "cutting the mat to sever friendship." It is said that when Guan Ning and Hua Xin were reading together and a high-ranking official passed by, Hua Xin went to watch the excitement, but Guan Ning, disapproving, cut their mat in two and said, "You are no friend of mine."

Bing Yuan was, of course, no less capable; he belonged to Cao Pi's inner circle and was highly relied upon. Had Bing Yuan not died prematurely, once Cao Pi ascended to power, such an old official from his days as a prince would naturally have risen to great heights.

Besides these three, there was the famous scholar Wang Lie. Hearing that Liaodong was a land of happiness and that the great Confucian Cai Yong was there, he also came to study and seek refuge from disaster. He was a student of Chen Shi, who was also an incredibly formidable great Confucian of his generation and hailed from Yingchuan, where famous people were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. The terms "gentleman on the beam" and "foresight" both originated from Chen Shi. Later, the old Cao repeatedly summoned Wang Lie, but because of Gongsun Du, he was never let go and eventually died of illness in Liaodong.

These people were all originally destined for Liaodong, but that was when Gongsun Zan served as the Administrator of Liaodong, and his benevolent governance spread widely overseas, which led many to go to Liaodong to seek refuge and tranquility. Some wanted to realize their ambitions in troubled times, but there were always those who simply wanted to keep their families safe during such chaos.

Anyone with a bit of insight could see that the current Great Han was on the verge of collapse, and the Son of Heaven in Luoyang had long since lost control over the world. The resurgence of war across the land was merely a matter of time.

Now, coinciding with the great Confucian Cai Yong taking refuge in Liaodong, and the Zhen clan having stirred up such a fervor over Wang Yan—a Huang Jin rebel of commoner origin—and with the news of the new books having become widely known after some time, the elegance of the "treasures of the study" had also been brought out by the literati. Many people wanted to come to Liaodong to take a look.

Firstly, to pursue scholarship; secondly, to read the books; and thirdly, to visit in person and understand exactly what level this Huang Jin rebel Wang Yan, who had such a great reputation, was actually at.

Therefore, just as the Great General Wang had thought, the literary atmosphere in Liaodong grew ever more prosperous. For this reason, Wang Yan specifically diverted manpower and spent two years building a library in the east of Tuhe City, naming it "Wenchang."

The Wenchang Pavilion at this time was no longer the one Wang Yan had originally planned. The project was much larger; although it could not be counted as a wonder, the manpower and resources consumed were almost at the limit of what Liaodong could currently bear.

The reason for this was, of course, mainly because the land that could be farmed by the current manpower had already been fully developed, and the current manpower was insufficient to support the cultivation of more land. Moreover, Wang Yan had already opened up the market, allowing people to trade freely, only implementing controls on materials such as grain, oil, salt, and iron. The main body for doing business was the General's Mansion; everything else—clothing, shoes, hats, wine shops, dining, furs, mountain goods, and so on—had been completely opened up.

The main economic center was Tuhe, and other cities also had trade activities, but apart from Fuxin and Xiangping, other places were far behind. This was because Fuxin and Xiangping were the forward-deployed locations; outside were Han people and Wuhuan people who had not yet submitted, and not wanting to travel long distances, they naturally conducted trade in these two places.

However, Wang Yan also had restrictions. Because commercial circulation caused personnel movement, the ancient and effective system of travel permits was naturally applied, and even small children had to have identification cards. Moreover, his papermaking and printing technologies were advanced, so imitating the identification cards was impossible. At the same time, he prohibited merchants from going north, only allowing people from the north to come over for trade, and transactions still used paper currency issued by the General's Mansion to exert economic control over the north.

It was also under these circumstances that Wang Yan mobilized the civilian labor force, paid them wages, and started construction. Not only that, but the current projects of repairing water conservancy and building roads were always ongoing, and they also began to pay money.

The anchor for the currency was grain. Liaodong's grain had been having bumper harvests for several years, and imported grain was also piled up like a mountain, which very well supported the stability of the grain. Therefore, using infrastructure to pull the economy and activate the economic development under his rule became an inevitable move.

Of course, Wang Yan must have thought of this long ago. The reason for changing the architectural plan was still out of consideration for Old Cai's ideas. For this building, Old Cai provided quite a few ideas...

The Wenchang Pavilion occupied a hundred acres, and the materials used were brick, stone, and giant timber. Considering the issue of lighting, it was not built as a single grand building, but rather three high towers of thirty-three feet were built, combining the three talents of heaven, earth, and man. The domes and walls had windows, all of which were bright floor-to-ceiling windows, and the spaces between were carved with beams and painted pillars, which were extremely magnificent.

In the area between the three buildings, pavilions, terraces, and water-side corridors were built, along with many places for debating scriptures and lecturing; the decoration was also extremely high-end, grand, and elegant.

All the bamboo slips under Wang Yan's control were stored in the Wenchang Pavilion for collection and preservation. These were all original books, all handwritten. Many of the bamboo slips had developed a patina from being frequently read by people, making them quite precious. The later printed books were basically like libraries from two thousand years later, placed in rows on individual bookshelves.

The specifications of this Wenchang Pavilion, as well as the decor that violated regulations, were enough to warrant beheading. However, although General Wang was the Marquis of Liaodong, no one regarded him as a marquis; they all saw him as a rebel, so he didn't care about such things.

Of course, the Wenchang Pavilion also had its shortcomings, which was that to provide indoor lighting, many glass panes were installed. Even with ventilation methods, it was extremely hot during summer and autumn. Of course, with the addition of ice-making methods, this was not a problem and didn't cost much money.

Overall, it was still quite good.

The work Wang Yan had to do was to meet with the scholars who came to study every day, chat with them, probe their true intentions, and subtly instill his ideas into them—a proper Great Master Wang the Bluffer.

Scholars coming from the south had to first stay temporarily at the relay station, because the travel permit system was strictly enforced; those who were not the people under the Great General's rule could not move about freely. Only after being received by the Great General would their identity documents be processed, and housing and all other matters arranged for them, so they could live in Liaodong.

This was so Wang Yan could have a count of everyone who came over; otherwise, it wouldn't be so much trouble. He had to know who had come, what their level was, and consider whom to appoint in the future.

And when settling these scholars, they often already owed a sum of money. Those with money naturally didn't care; they bought land and built houses directly. Those without money had to live in houses provided by Wang Yan, which meant paying rent, and all their living expenses consumed a great deal. There were always times when they couldn't hold out, and that was when they had to earn money to pay off their debts.

Preliminary student textbooks had already been prepared, and Tuhe had already opened eight schools. Children between six and fifteen years old all had to go and learn. This belonged to the preliminary training class, with the sole purpose of literacy and the initial teaching of the principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust, filial piety, fraternal duty, respect, and caution, which counted as cultivating merit from a young age.

Only when the textbooks for various subjects were perfected would education begin to be promoted bit by bit.

The textbooks were actually very simple; this mainly depended on the ruler's purpose, which was Wang Yan's purpose. Whatever kind of next generation he wanted, he would formulate that kind of textbook.

But the textbooks were also very difficult, because this involved the lineage of culture and Daoist orthodoxy. Now that Wang Yan was pioneering the great flourishing of literature and education, widely opening the people's wisdom, and also mastering the arts of papermaking and printing, his promotion as Great General, combined with his willingness to spend money and grain, meant this matter would inevitably be implemented. Once implemented, he would inevitably leave his name in history.

This point had nothing to do with whether Wang Yan unified the world, because historians would definitely record it. There were so many scholars in Liaodong; it wasn't as if there were no historians among them. Although they hadn't compiled a diary of activities for Great General Wang, the history of Liaodong accompanying the Great General had already begun to be recorded.

Thus, various great Confucian scholars had to consider this matter; they all wanted their own writings included in the textbooks for young children to study, to promote their own schools. Therefore, it wasn't just Liaodong; the entire literary world of the Great Han was stirred up.

The number of knights carrying letters back and forth by fast horse every day was countless; it was quite lively. And this was also the reason for the slow progress of the textbooks; Old Cai, the editor-in-chief of these textbooks, was in a very difficult position.

These were not just liberal arts textbooks for literacy and reasoning; the remaining subjects like I Ching studies, medicine, astrology, and so on, all had textbooks. This was naturally Wang Yan's instruction. He indicated that knowledge should be summarized and developed; those engaged in classical studies couldn't see medical principles within classical studies—they were different branches of knowledge, so naturally, they required different development and research.

Adding to this his instruction that the textbooks should be "simple and easy to understand, interesting to learn, progressing from shallow to deep, and from easy to difficult," there was no other way to put it.

This prompted many scholars to actively summarize and organize what they had learned, and then, with trepidation, find the Great General to express that they had insights and wanted to publish books. The Great General always gladly agreed, and would even give them a certain share of the money earned from bookstore sales.

Even though he could establish an organization similar to a publishing house, he chose not to, constantly currying favor with scholars and great Confucian scholars. Otherwise, where would the teachers for the eight schools have come from...

As the saying goes, if you have a phoenix tree at home, the phoenix will come of its own accord.

On this day, the Great General was receiving people who had come to Liaodong inside the Book Garden, which had already been renamed the General's Mansion. After smilingly sending off a group of several scholars, the personal guards outside naturally greeted the people in line to go in.

At this moment, a person wearing plain white linen clothes walked in from outside the door. His appearance was heroic, he stood seven feet seven inches tall, had a beautiful beard, and was imposing and extraordinary. He entered, cupped his hands, bowed, and said, "Taishi Ci of Donglai, pays respects to the Great General of Heavenly Might."

Logically speaking, among Wang Yan's many titles, the rank of Marquis of Liaodong was the most noble, followed by the title of Great General of Heavenly Might, which was classified as a miscellaneous general title, and finally the position of Administrator of Liaodong.

But in the current Great Han, everyone who knew Wang Yan knew that his title of Great General of Heavenly Might was self-proclaimed and recognized by himself, while the Marquis of Liaodong and Administrator of Liaodong belonged to positions usurped by force. Except for the places he controlled, the rest of Liaodong did not listen to him. However, because Wang Yan had blockaded the Liaoxi Corridor, the Han court had to take a very long detour to communicate with others, taking a very long time, so they were basically in a state of self-reliance.

This was also the reason why Old Cai had started by calling him the Marquis of Liaodong earlier; that was to mock Wang Yan, scolding him in a roundabout way.

Now Taishi Ci came up and bowed to the Great General of Heavenly Might; this was the respect due when arriving at Great General Wang's territory.

Wang Yan waved his hand with a smile and said, "Ziyi, there is no need for such formalities; sit down and speak."

As he spoke, he pointed to the chair opposite the wide desk, signaling him to sit down.

"Thank you, General, for the seat." Taishi Ci sat on the chair very straightforwardly, wiggled his bottom, and felt this novelty.

The Hu chair was not strange; it had already spread from the Western Regions by this time, but people still did not accept it. Liaodong was the only place where it was applied on such a large scale. Because of the exchanges of wealthy clans and merchants, they gradually began to use tables and chairs; the upper tiers influenced the lower tiers, and currently, the Great Han was in the midst of a revolution regarding "sitting."

"Ziyi, you said at the relay station that you are a Zoucashi of Donglai; why have you come?"

"General, to tell you the truth, coming to Liaodong this time is truly just to avoid disaster. Donglai and Qingzhou had a grudge, and right and wrong could not be distinguished, so I went to the authorities in Luoyang to seek justice. I was chosen by the Administrator of Donglai as an envoy to report to the authorities in Luoyang. However, the memorial from Qingzhou arrived first. I rode fast to the authorities' office, deceived the state officials who did not know who I was, used words to trick them into giving me the memorial to read. Once the memorial was in hand, I tore it up and that was that. Fearing the crime of destroying an official document, I fled on horseback."

"I had long heard of the General's great name. Back then, under the walls of Lingzhi City, you fought three generals alone, broke the Wuhuan in two battles, established the foundation of Liaodong, and treated the people very generously. Recently, a large number of scholars have come here, and the literary atmosphere in Liaodong is growing daily, so I rode fast to Liaodong to defect to the General. I have been staying at the relay station recently and heard many scholars say that the General intends to greatly flourish literature and education and widely open the people's wisdom; this is truly a pioneering event. I deeply admire the General's great ambition and am willing to be the General's lackey to plan great things together."

Wang Yan was not at all surprised by Taishi Ci's appearance here; he was even waiting for it. Because originally, Taishi Ci had run to Liaodong to avoid disaster for this very reason.

This was a proper fierce general. Originally, when Kong Rong was besieged by Guan Hai, it was Taishi Ci, who had just left Liaodong to return home, who happened to pass by, took on the mission of Kong Rong's messenger, killed his way out of the enemy formation, and went to Liu Bei to seek reinforcements. Moreover, he later fought Sun Ce for over a hundred rounds, with no clear winner. Sun Ce's title of "Little Conqueror of Jiangdong" was not blown out of proportion; it was earned through killing. From this, one can see Taishi Ci's strength; among the crowd of martial generals, he also stood in the front row.

As for Taishi Ci's flattery of Wang Yan, that was meaningless. After all, Wang Yan came into contact with many scholars every day, and everyone was basically the same, all using such rhetoric. After all, he had indeed done so many things; hearing it too much, he naturally felt nothing.

However, truth be told, the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang were now famous throughout the world because of him, but they were somewhat looked down upon, after all, they had never fought. According to the principle of bragging that everyone currently followed, people thought the three of them were just so-so. After all, who couldn't brag? Han Fu also had the top general Pan Feng, who could kill Hua Xiong...

One could only wait until the three of them began to kill fierce generals later; then people would know just how fierce Great General Wang really was.

Wang Yan smiled and asked, "Ziyi, what are your abilities? No need to be humble; posturing is not what a real man should do; just speak directly."

Taishi Ci was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't expected Wang Yan to be so straightforward, but then he realized that Wang Yan came from the common people, and he suddenly understood. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I am good at archery; the string never misses. I have courage and strength and can serve as a top general."

He spoke very simply and with great power, showing his confidence in himself.

People were all like this; humility could be deadly, but if they weren't humble, none of them felt they were inferior. However, Taishi Ci was indeed right; he could truly serve as a top general.

Wang Yan nodded and smiled, "Observing Ziyi's demeanor, you indeed have the qualities of a top general. However, the rules under my rule are different from the Central Plains, and the laws in the army are also not entirely the same. I intend to send Ziyi as a small soldier to familiarize yourself with my army's laws, and then appoint you in the future. If you truly have the ability, you will certainly be promoted from the ranks. Is Ziyi willing?"

Earlier, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao had been arranged this way, but there was a significant gap between the two. Zhou Cang had already been promoted to Commandant of the Xuanwu Guard, leading two thousand men, while Pei Yuanshao was a Military Officer of the Yingwu Guard, two grades lower.

Of course, in the past two years, except for the Cavalry Battalion always heading north in winter, the other armies had no major battles, so it wasn't promotion by military merit. It was Wang Yan's decision based on his comprehensive assessment of their performance. Moreover, Zhou Cang could be promoted further in the future, leading a guard alone; being a titled Captain would be no problem. This was the peak achievement of the martial generals under his command, and he could be called a big shot in one region.

"I will obey the General's orders." Taishi Ci stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed.

Wang Yan could feel Taishi Ci's reluctance; this was normal. The strong often had immense confidence in themselves, and there was no doubt that Taishi Ci was a strong man.

He shook his head and smiled, "Your mouth does not match your heart; Ziyi is not being sincere. I know you have great ambitions and are unwilling to be a small soldier. I will ask you, what is the way of a general?"

"Strict military discipline, clear military law, and sufficient food and pay—these three are the essentials of a strong army and also the way of a general. If I lead the army, I will be invincible and victorious in every battle."

Strict military discipline, clear rewards and punishments, not withholding food and pay, and letting soldiers eat their fill—such an army could be trained well, and a general who could do these things could win battles. This was bragging; there was no such thing as a truly undefeated general; there were always insurmountable difficulties and obstacles that couldn't be overcome.

"The army under my command has military discipline, military law, and food and pay determined by me, not by the general. What you said is indeed the way of a fierce general, but when a general succeeds, ten thousand bones wither. You enjoy the joy of charging into battle, but who pities the withered bones? What I seek is a general for the army and the people. Therefore, I believe the way of a general lies in stillness."

"One should be as calm as still water, as immovable as a mountain, and wait for the right time to act. Relying solely on bravery to break formations and kill enemies is hard to sustain for long. It is best to have our army be numerous while the enemy is few, and for our army to suffer few losses while the enemy suffers many injuries. Unless absolutely necessary, do not send soldiers to their deaths in vain; this is the primary rule of my army."

"Now, your military discipline and military system are unclear. If I make you a general, what can you do? If there is a battle and you recklessly attack, can you bear the deaths of my soldiers? A real man draws a three-foot sword and establishes immortal achievements; hearing this is truly magnificent, but has anyone cared about the people who died because of it? Whose family does not have parents, wives, and children?"

What Wang Yan was saying was no longer the way of a general, but his fundamental purpose. Hard-hitting confrontation was certainly very satisfying and refreshing, and he, Wang Mou, was particularly good at fighting like that, because it was impossible for anyone to kill him on the battlefield. But overall, he was unwilling to fight wars like that.

Zeng Guofan said to build hard camps and fight dull battles; although this was because the Xiang Army's combat effectiveness was poor at the time, Wang Yan appreciated this steady, step-by-step, inch-by-inch fighting style.

Because he was not just a simple main general; he also had to consider the overall situation. Charging thousands of miles ahead, the army was invincible, but the corresponding result was the collapse of his own finances. Everything required money, and everything consumed grain. Moreover, the fruits of victory also required his continued expenditure. Thus, a major battle could collapse the good situation he had managed.

Therefore, he was more inclined to develop while expanding, which was what he said: fighting wars to serve the people, rather than serving his own will to unify the world. The former developed and grew slowly without hidden dangers; the latter exhausted the people and wasted money. For this, there was even a special term called "everything waiting to be done." To a certain extent, this was not a good word; after all, didn't one know how it became ruined...

Taishi Ci was very surprised after hearing Great General Wang's words, because this kind of rhetoric about using troops and fighting wars had never been heard before, and it was also something people didn't care about. Or if one had to say they cared, it was just pitying the reduction in military strength.

"The General is of high righteousness."

Wang Yan smiled and shook his head: "It is all because I came from the common people. Everyone says the Yellow Turbans were rebels, but why did millions of people follow the rebels? It was nothing more than being unable to live, so they fought for their lives. When I followed the Huang Jin army in Zhuo Commandery and was defeated, I gathered three hundred scattered Huang Jin soldiers. What I said that day was to let them eat their fill, dress warmly, and live a stable life. What I seek is also just this. Ziyi, you have come here and do not yet understand the situation under my rule. When you have leisure, you can go and observe, chat with the people, and you will certainly gain something."

"Yes, I will be a small soldier in the army as the General says." Taishi Ci cupped his hands.

"Does Ziyi have any relatives at home?"

"Only an old mother; I have sent a laborer to deliver a letter explaining the situation."

"I will give you a group of soldiers to drive a carriage south to pick up your mother and bring her to Liaodong to settle down. Ziyi, do not overthink it; it is not that I am using your mother as a hostage, but that the Central Plains are about to fall into chaos, and my Liaodong is a paradise."

"Is the General not afraid that I will not return?"

"I know you are righteous and trustworthy, and you will certainly not do such a thing."

Taishi Ci bowed again and said: "Thank you, General, for your trust. My old mother cannot walk well; I will certainly return in three months."

"Very good." Wang Yan nodded with a smile, stood up, and said, "You said you have courage and strength. I have not been on the battlefield for two years. Today, my hands are itching; let us spar."

"I will certainly not hold back."

Great General Wang threw his head back and laughed...

A bruised and swollen Taishi Ci was assigned a house, processed his travel permit, led twelve of the Great General's personal guards, disguised himself, and drove a carriage south...

People with hearts higher than the sky still need to be taught a lesson to remember.

Time passed like this. Just as Taishi Ci said, the literary atmosphere in Liaodong grew daily. Centered on the matter of textbooks, various great Confucian scholars once again launched a struggle of knowledge. As a derivative of the struggle, these people also published many books in the place where papermaking and printing originated. To cooperate with them, even though not many people in Liaodong were literate, a newspaper was produced in advance, named "Wenchang News."

Considering the information transmission situation, a small newspaper was published weekly and a large one monthly, sold at a price to Liaodong scholars and traveling merchants, so there was no such thing as unsalable stock. Every time it came out, it was sold out. It wasn't just people who had experienced Liaodong who bought it; people from outside bought it too.

There were many great Confucian scholars who found it inconvenient to come to Liaodong; their battle cycle took a month or even several months to fight a round. With that time, people in Liaodong had already scolded them back and forth several times.

Now with the newspaper, although it was still calculated by the month, compared to reports from their friends and disciples, it was more comprehensive, and one could more clearly see various articles, the progress of matters, and the proposals, propositions, and thoughts of various people.

In addition, officials from various places were also loyal fans of the newspaper, because many officials were first and foremost cultured people, and they also had their own factions. It was also because of this that various merchant caravans made a lot of money selling newspapers along the way.

Great General Wang watched the dragon-and-tiger fight with a smile. This was what cultural development was; it required exchange, it required mutual spraying, and only then could it radiate vitality and constantly derive new things...