Chapter 1502: The Imperial Princes

The Crown Prince was filled with emotion and excitement, nodding his head so vigorously he looked almost ready to cry. After he left the study, Her Majesty the Empress, worried about him, even thought the Emperor had severely reprimanded him, and so she complained to the Emperor with some displeasure, saying he shouldn't speak harshly to the child during the New Year festivities; the Emperor simply laughed it off. The first day of the imperial family's joyful reunion soon passed amidst the laughter and conversation of the Emperor and his consorts.

The next morning, as previously instructed, the Emperor summoned several of his older sons to the study in the Western Warm Pavilion of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, intending to examine their academic progress.

Just as the Emperor had predicted the day before, the Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu, had indeed made unsatisfactory progress in his studies. He had only gained a slight familiarity with letters and barely grasped basic arithmetic; when examined on the key subjects of composition, national history, geography, and mathematics, his performance was exceedingly crude. Although Zhao Hu was the second imperial son, and the Emperor and Empress did not hold him to the same high standards as the Crown Prince, such poor results still left the Emperor quite displeased.

"You... with this level of learning, you still want to go out and play with the Crown Prince?" After asking one final question and receiving an unsatisfactory answer, the Emperor tossed his schoolwork book back onto the table and sternly rebuked the prince. "Once the New Year is over, you are forbidden from going anywhere. Stay at home, study properly, and only then speak of going out!"

Such a severe expression made the Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu, shrink back slightly. This lad, just over ten years old, was already very tall, almost able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Crown Prince, and was sturdily built. "Father... these lessons are too difficult. Your son... your son does not wish to learn so many things..."

"Difficult? What is so difficult about it? Others can learn it, can you not?" His words made the Emperor so angry he nearly laughed. "Look at your elder brother, how excellent his studies are, every teacher praises his diligence. You, you simply do not study seriously. Don't give me excuses about it being difficult!"

"Elder Brother is the Crown Prince, destined to be Emperor and govern all under Heaven; it is only right that he is clever and loves learning." The Prince of Qi answered with considerable defiance. "I will just help Elder Brother lead troops into battle. What need is there for me to learn so many things?"

Ever since the Emperor ascended the throne and founded the dynasty, no one had dared to contradict him so confidently except this boy who knew not the immensity of heaven and earth.

"Such twisted logic!" The Emperor furrowed his brow, seeming even angrier. "As a feudal prince of the court, you have no desire to study. Do you intend to become a useless wastrel, of no benefit to the country or the family?"

"If I don't read so many books, am I certain to become a wastrel? I have seen many generals who haven't read many books, yet they are still formidable in battle!" The Prince of Qi still wore a defiant look, pouting. "Father, your son can be just like those generals, leading troops into battle and sharing the burdens of Father and Elder Brother!"

This second prince had indeed disliked studying since childhood, preferring to play with spears and staves. Moreover, influenced by what he constantly saw and heard at his father's side, he deeply admired those generals who led troops into battle, and his heart yearned for their heroic exploits of conquest everywhere. His sole desire was that, once grown, he too could gallop across battlefields like those generals and establish new, undying merits for the Zhao family's empire.

"Lead troops into battle? You think leading troops into battle requires no study?" The Emperor couldn't help but reach out and pinch the Prince of Qi's cheek. "Just as water has no constant shape, warfare has no constant dynamic. Which commander who leads troops does not need to study military texts and strategy? If you do not study, how can you lead troops well?"

"Second Brother, Father is right. Even if you wish to lead troops, you still need to study." Seeing his father growing somewhat angry, the Crown Prince quickly stepped in to salvage the situation for the Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu. "Since ancient times, which renowned general did not understand military strategy? One who goes to war without understanding strategy is merely a reckless brute, fit only to be a vanguard general, not a supreme commander who commands vast armies and pacifies entire regions..."

"I want to be a vanguard general, charging into the enemy lines with my troops! I don't want to hide in the rear as a supreme commander!" Yet the Prince of Qi remained unappreciative, still standing straight and shouting, "Father, when I grow up, just let me enlist as a soldier in the military camp! Don't make me read these incomprehensible things anymore!"

Hearing his younger brother's childish, unfiltered words, the Crown Prince was half-amused and half-embarrassed, glancing at their father but unsure what else to say.

"What a brainless boy!" Faced with such an impervious son, the Emperor was momentarily at a loss. Finally, he helplessly patted the boy's head with his hand. "Fine, since you love being a soldier so much, in a while I will send you to the Military Academy, so you can properly understand what being a soldier is all about! I only fear that when the time comes, you'll be complaining bitterly day in and day out, and no one will pay you any heed. Let's see if you can still play the hero then!"

"Really? Really, Father?" This sudden good news filled the child with a mix of surprise and delight.

"What? Would Father joke with you?" The Emperor countered with a stern face.

"Thank you, Father! Thank you, Father!" Overjoyed, he suddenly rushed before his father and hugged him tightly, expressing his thanks with childish affection.

"This boy, his strength has grown quite a bit! Perhaps he really is good material for a soldier." The Emperor forcibly pushed his cheering, jubilant second son away, then said with a wry smile, "But don't celebrate too soon. The Military Academy doesn't accept just anyone; you at least need to know some basic letters. If you don't study and understand nothing, do you expect to get in by my pulling strings? Besides, even if you do enter the Military Academy, you'll still have to learn mathematics and general culture. Don't think you can escape studying! It's just that the literary subjects will be somewhat fewer..."

"Ah? I still have to study?" The Prince of Qi froze, then his face fell completely, as if displeased that he couldn't escape the calamity of book-learning.

"Of course you have to study. Do you think the Great Han army is some vegetable patch for brutes, where you can come and go as you please?" The Emperor patted his head again. "After the New Year, apply yourself to your books. This day next year, I will examine you again. As long as you pass, I will send you to the Military Academy. How about that?"

"Your son understands..." The Prince of Qi reluctantly shook his head, but finally nodded in agreement.

The Military Academy that father and son were discussing was the Military Academy located on the outskirts of the capital.

The reason for establishing such a school was that, during prolonged external military campaigns, both the Great Han Emperor and the army had keenly felt a severe shortage of qualified junior officers. Existing low-ranking officers either lacked the education to properly execute orders from above, or lacked the technical skill to lead specialized units like artillery and engineers—units that held extremely important positions within the Great Han army.

Therefore, to specifically train such officers, the new dynasty, immediately upon its founding, expanded upon the existing talent cultivation system and established this Military Academy, specifically admitting young students to study military techniques. These young students were taught relevant military courses at the school by specialized officers.

The plan at the time was to strive, within a few years, to develop these children into young non-commissioned officers who had mastered basic combat knowledge, who would then be sent into the army to serve as squad leaders and other junior officers, leading troops in battle. A portion of the top-performing elite students could also continue their studies at the Military Academy for advanced training and be directly recruited into the artillery and engineer units as officer cadets.

The Great Han army esteemed firepower, and artillerymen, when operating cannons, most needed to calculate trajectories and maintain machinery like cannons, thus requiring excellent mathematical and technical skills. Engineers, needing to build bridges, pave roads, and construct fortifications and bastions, also required extremely high quality. These two branches were the ones where the Great Han army most craved talent, and they offered the highest pay and promotion opportunities. Officers in these branches were promoted somewhat faster than in other branches, and they were the branches most meticulously cultivated by every level of the Great Han army.

Yet neither of these two branches was the kind of soldier the Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu, yearned to become in his heart. He felt that artillerymen and engineers always hid behind the battle lines, unable to directly enter the fray and fight, and even less able to display a man's heroic spirit. In comparison, he much preferred to become a cavalry officer, just like the legendary young general Huo Qubing of antiquity, leading his cavalry braves in charges against the enemy, adding another layer of luster to the illustrious prestige of the Great Han.

Now that the Emperor had agreed to let him enter the Military Academy as a young student, this was a giant step forward towards his dream. How could it not make him cheer and leap for joy?

He ran off to one side, overjoyed, and the Emperor then continued examining the other princes' studies.

Compared to the naturally lively and active Prince of Qi, Zhao Hu, the younger princes—the Prince of Liang, Zhao Qi; the Prince of Zheng, Zhao Rui; and the Prince of Yue, Zhao Sheng—were generally much quieter in temperament. They were relatively more able to sit still and more willing to study. Among them, the Prince of Zheng, Zhao Rui, lived up to his name, possessing a very clever mind and excelling in his studies. Though very young, he had already earned the praise of his teachers. However, he did not much enjoy reading the great doctrines of the sages, nor did he like the studies of natural history and textual criticism. In comparison, he preferred studying mathematics and the investigation of things, and he also liked to personally conduct strange experiments with his teachers. To satisfy the Prince of Zheng's interests, the Emperor had even hired two Western missionaries proficient in mechanics and mathematics to teach him.

The Prince of Zheng, Zhao Rui's mother, the Noble Consort Mu, greatly disapproved of this child's "devotion to unorthodox pursuits," and as the leader of the New Incense Sect, she was even more unwilling for her son to be surrounded by Western missionaries, so she often scolded him. The Emperor, however, seemed very satisfied with this child and frequently encouraged him to conduct his own experiments. Consequently, over the past year or two, Zhao Rui's academic progress had been very rapid.

"Good, well done!" After finishing reviewing an entire workbook filled with numbers, the Emperor was extremely pleased. The frustration and helplessness brought on earlier by the Prince of Qi were swept away entirely, and he repeatedly clapped this son on the shoulder, laughing. "Written truly beautifully, good lad!"

Being praised like this by his father made the Prince of Zheng very happy. However, being naturally introverted and quiet, he merely blushed, his joy evident on his face, but he did not cheer and leap about like his elder brother Zhao Hu.