Chapter 96: The Storyteller

Meng Yifan sat in the county government office, listening to the shouts coming from outside, and then looked at the Game Panel, watching the loyalty of his subjects continuously rise, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That gray-haired old gentleman was named Liu Dengke, a storyteller in Luolong County; his father had given him this name in the hope that he would follow the path of the imperial examinations, achieve high honors, become a great official, and bring glory to his ancestors.

Liu Dengke also loved to study, having diligently read the books of the sages since childhood by hanging his hair from the beam and pricking his thigh with an awl, but unfortunately, he was now fifty-eight years old, gray-haired, aged and frail, and even had a grandson, yet he remained a pitiful child student who had not even passed the exam to become a scholar.

Without a degree, there was no way to receive the grain rations issued by the imperial court, but a whole family had to eat and dress, and money was needed everywhere; having no other choice, Liu Dengke went to a restaurant to work as a storyteller.

Liu Dengke was not good at studying, but he had a silver tongue, and coupled with his many years of reading, he had accumulated some noble spirit in his chest, which allowed the stories he told to make people feel as if they were there, possessing great infectious power.

The audience could follow the stories he told, laughing heartily one moment and weeping with sorrow the next; every time a story finished, he would receive thunderous applause, collecting half a basin of copper coins, and some wealthy guests would even tip him in silver directly; although these earnings could not make Liu Dengke rich, they were enough to maintain the living expenses of his whole family.

After Meng Yifan took control of the county government office, the myriad of complex tasks left him overwhelmed, so he wanted to find some capable helpers; originally, besides the County Magistrate who was a Seventh-Rank Official, the office included the County Assistant, Registrar, Archivist, Police Chief, Patrol Inspector, Postmaster, and other officials.

However, ever since Lv Dazhi died, most of the officials in Luolong County had fled, and the few who hadn't were unwilling to serve the rebels; even if they stayed to work under the threat of the Ghost Head Blade, they were physically in Cao's camp but mentally with the Han, merely going through the motions, thinking in their hearts that Meng Yifan and his band of rebels wouldn't last long and would eventually meet their end, so these officials of the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty naturally didn't want to work diligently.

Seeing these old bureaucratic foxes being so uncooperative, Meng Yifan was also very angry; these officials looked down on him, and he didn't think much of them either, so he decided to recruit some capable helpers himself.

Meng Dayong loved listening to storytelling and felt that since Liu Dengke was literate and told stories well, he might be a talent, so he recommended him to Meng Yifan, and Meng Yifan sent men to invite Liu Dengke to the county government office.

Liu Dengke also felt that Meng Yifan and his band of rebels could not achieve great things and did not want to come, but his whole family had to make a living in Luolong County, and these rebels were ruthless, having turned the place into a river of blood, with a pyramid of heads displayed outside the county office; for the sake of his descendants, even though he was unwilling in his heart, he had no choice but to come.

After the two sides met, Meng Yifan asked, "May I ask, sir, do you have any good strategies to teach me on how to govern Luolong County well?"

Liu Dengke did not want to be associated with Meng Yifan's band of rebels and wished he could leave immediately, so he evasively said, "My lord, this old man is merely a down-and-out scholar who has read the books of the sages for over fifty years without even passing the scholar exam, and I have never been an official; for you to ask me how to govern a county is like climbing a tree to catch a fish or asking a blind man for directions."

Meng Yifan frowned, knowing that this old gentleman was just another poor, pedantic Confucian scholar; he didn't want to use such a person and really wanted to drive him away, but since he truly had no one else to use, he continued, "Sir, you are too modest; I would like to hire you as the Head of Propaganda in my army, responsible for propaganda and education work; I ask that you do not decline."

"Head of Propaganda?" Liu Dengke was stunned, as the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty didn't seem to have such an official position, so he asked with some curiosity, "May I ask, my lord, what work is this Head of Propaganda responsible for?"

"The Head of Propaganda is to propagate to the soldiers who is good to them and who is bad to them, why their lives have been so bitter, why they have come to be soldiers, and why they are going to fight in the next battle?"

"In short, it is to make these soldiers realize from their thoughts that only by following us, training diligently, and fighting bravely to kill the enemy can they live a happy and fulfilling life."

Meng Yifan explained some of his ideas, and Liu Dengke stood there dumbfounded; he had originally thought Meng Yifan was just a warrior who only knew how to kill, but after hearing about the work of the Head of Propaganda, he suddenly realized that this rebel leader was no ordinary person.

"We must brainwash the soldiers, propagating these things to them every day—talk about it before training, talk about it before meals, and talk about it before dismissal; repeat it over and over again so that they truly accept us from the bottom of their hearts through subtle influence." Meng Yifan explained the knowledge of brainwashing from pyramid schemes on Earth, which left Liu Dengke in awe.

These things had long been ubiquitous on Earth, and everyone had heard at least a little bit, but in the Great Wu Heavenly Dynasty, these things were far too advanced; after listening, Liu Dengke looked at Meng Yifan in surprise for a long time, his long-dormant heart receiving an unprecedented shock.

"The golden scale is no creature of the pond; once it meets the wind and clouds, it turns into a dragon; this kid is not simple." Liu Dengke had taken exams for most of his life but couldn't even pass as a scholar; he felt very desperate in his heart, thinking his life would just be like this, but Meng Yifan gave him a different feeling—could this kid really achieve great things?

"This is an opportunity for me; if I grasp this chance, perhaps I can become a minister who follows the dragon; in my early years, a fortune teller said I could become a Grand Secretary and reach the pinnacle of officialdom—could it be that it will be fulfilled through this band of rebels?"

Thinking of this, Liu Dengke was incredibly excited, but after all, he had lived for more than half a life and was still half-believing and half-doubting about the fortune teller's words.

Opportunity knocks but once; Liu Dengke gritted his teeth and decided to accept Meng Yifan's offer, intending to follow him for a while first.

"Mr. Liu, propaganda and education work is very important; time is tight, and I hope you will throw yourself into the work as soon as possible and do a good job with the soldiers' ideological education," Meng Yifan said earnestly.

Liu Dengke cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This old man will certainly do his utmost to handle this task well."

Seeing Liu Dengke accept the task so solemnly, Meng Yifan finally breathed a sigh of relief; propaganda work was of course very important, and Meng Yifan wished he could do the talking himself, but to praise himself in public would be too shameless; besides, as the leader, there were many other things he needed to do, so how could he possibly do the propaganda work?

Liu Dengke took up his post and brought his skills as a storyteller into play, starting to brainwash the soldiers, and it must be said, for now, the results looked quite good.

Time was urgent, and battles could happen at any moment; Meng Yifan had to make the soldiers form combat effectiveness quickly.

If he were to train the soldiers to ride horses, shoot arrows, and wield blades, spears, swords, and halberds, such cold-weapon warfare would require a massive amount of time, and Meng Yifan did not have that much time to waste, so he decided to train all one thousand of these soldiers into a firearm unit.