Chapter 290: The Choice of the Times
What a brand new era!
Zhong Changtong wondered in his heart, is it true that what Grand Sima wants to cultivate are only those students in Leping Academy who are directly loyal to her?
Maybe not.
They were able to form a countermeasure to the talents selected into the court by the Hongwenguan system, but it was obviously not enough to form a qualitative change to challenge the tradition of judging people by their three generations.
Even more people are still restricted by their original class, and they don’t even know that as long as they can work according to the laws of nature, they can get more output, let alone cross the class they are in.
But before the changes that are now showing signs of happening, they seem to have another possibility of being awakened.
The existence of Leping Monthly provides people with an easier way to obtain "books", and the difficulty of reading these books is reduced by using pictures and text.
All they know today is the number of locusts left after passing through layer by layer of screening, and the four words "man can conquer nature". Tomorrow they may know more words, more sentences, or even a complete article.
With this kind of replica mass production method, these newspapers may become easier to obtain and more widely circulated, forcing some people to accept the fact that they are available to everyone before they have time to do anything to stop them.
In the past, even if there were dedicated people to copy the documents, only a thousand copies of the Leping Monthly Report could be produced in one day.
But even in the Guanzhong area, there are now a population of 600,000 to 700,000, so most people get the news of Leping Monthly from the literate people who buy the newspaper.
Under the trend that Da Sima has been committed to guiding, these people may choose to "generously" tell the people around them the information in the newspaper, but if one day, the news conveyed in the newspaper is not beneficial to them, can they still maintain such generosity?
Zhong Changtong thought it wasn't possible.
Therefore, if Qiao Yan really wants to fight against this situation, all he can do is continue to increase the circulation of Leping Monthly, so that it can formally impact the book market, and at the same time let more people clearly know every word said in Leping Monthly.
What a dangerous attempt this is, but also what an exciting attempt!
Even though he didn't know whether such a reform would eventually enlighten the people and make them no longer blindly believe in praying to gods or make those who participated in the reform choose to give up or be destroyed under the control of the interests of the aristocratic families, he wanted to follow this trend and give it a try!
"I want to go to Chang'an to meet the Grand Marshal." Zhong Changtong suddenly said to his friend.
Chang Lin became good friends with this boy who was more than ten years younger than him, so he never regarded his words as some youthful nonsense. When he heard him say that he wanted to meet the Grand Marshal, he did not think that this was an offensive act of asking to see his superior.
At this moment, he saw very clearly that all the rebellious persistence in not believing in fate that Zhong Changtong wrote on paper appeared clearly in his eyes.
Chang Lin simply asked, "What happens after we meet the Grand Marshal?"
Zhong Changtong replied seriously: "I want to meet more like-minded people, and I also hope to complete this work against the current."
Chang Lin looked at him for a long time, and finally showed a sincere smile, "Okay, I'll write you a letter of recommendation."
Perhaps, it is also a good thing for you that Zhong Changtong is not a member of Leping Academy.
Just like Ni Heng was not a member of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, sometimes it is also a good thing to turn waste into treasure.
In today's Chang'an City, everyone knows that Ni Heng once reprimanded Chunyu Jia in the street for the preparations for the spring drought, but after showing such a stance on Qiao Yan's side, he had no intention of being loyal to Qiao Yan at all.
This man is still the same as he was originally unruly and unrestrained, and he even gave a comment to General Yamen: "He has a big appetite, and he can not only guard the Yamen, but also the kitchen."
At first, some people thought that Ni Heng's behavior was extremely arrogant, so much so that some people in Chang'an who admired the Grand Marshal planned to beat him up again.
Anyway, even if someone was beaten, people would probably think that it was Chunyu Jia who had him do it.
However, the Jinwu Guards have been on duty more and more efficiently recently, and he might have been arrested on the spot as soon as the sack was put on.
Now it was March, and because of the Leping Monthly Report promoting locust control, Ni Heng's carefree behavior suddenly became a far-sighted and casual attitude.
When Ni Heng heard that someone had placed half a bag of wild vegetables in front of his door, his hand holding the newspaper couldn't help but tremble.
This was the first time Ni Heng had seen such a simple expression of gratitude, and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable all over.
"Even if I hadn't done this, Sima would not have let anyone ruin her plan." Ni Heng muttered.
The people of Chang'an City don't need to think that it is because of a madman like him that the opposition was frightened and chose to stop, allowing Qiao Yan's policies to be implemented smoothly.
He doesn't have that much ability yet.
"You can't say that," Yang Xiu replied. "You, Ni Zhengping, were very proactive in stopping Chunyu Dafu, who had the chance to become one of the Three Dukes, and scolded him until he vomited blood, and even made him faint from the loss of face. God knows whether those below him can stand up to your words. Rather than being accused of not cherishing your reputation and therefore not loving the monarch, it is better to wait and see how the situation develops."
So Ni Heng did make some contribution.
Ni Heng really wanted to argue that Chunyu Jia fainted from anger not because of his sharp words, but because the Grand Marshal had spoken the most straightforward condemnation of Chunyu Jia in the calmest and most composed tone.
Who can bear this...
I heard that because of the recent weather conditions and the publication of the Leping Monthly News, Doctor Chunyu took sick leave from today's court meeting. This is definitely not his fault.
However, Chunyu Jia may have chosen to retreat because he had learned from the lessons of more than two months ago, but Da Sima was still in trouble.
Ni Heng's eyes were comparing the same handwriting on the two monthly reports in his hand. His eyebrows moved slightly, and he said to Yang Xiu: "I think you have the time to praise me. You might as well go to the Grand Marshal's Mansion and stand up for your lord."
Zhong Changtong could see the changes represented by this newspaper, and Ni Heng, who was an outsider, could also see it clearly.
The signs of this change are not as obvious as drought or locust plagues, but there are always smart people who can see them.
Now it depends on how these people understand Qiao Yan’s action.
At this time, the Grand Marshal's Mansion actually welcomed a visitor after the court meeting.
"It's really a surprise that Situ Wang has come." Qiao Yan looked at the visitor and raised his hand to signal Wang Yun to take a seat.
It wasn't too surprising that Wang Yun was the first to come.
Qiao Yan could not fail to see what Wang Yun's attitude towards her was.
In the middle of the first year of Jian'an, when she directly decided to appoint Zhang Yi as the governor of Xuzhou and sent troops to station in Hailing, Wang Yun had some complaints about her actions.
Perhaps what made Wang Yun feel that her power was too great and would cause trouble was that Zhang Yi's subordinates actually chose to go directly to her, the Grand Marshal.
But at that time, whether it was because of Qiao Yan's life-saving grace when he invaded Guanzhong, or out of consideration for stabilizing the current situation, he did not express his dissatisfaction in public.
Only now has he really come to me.
Although the first sentence he said was not to inquire about the printing of the newspaper, he said: "The Grand Marshal asked the students of Leping Academy to study how many locusts a nest of plover can eat in a month, and what percentage of soil water is more conducive to the hatching of locusts. Isn't it a bit putting the cart before the horse?"
"In the academy, there are great scholars of the time such as Zheng Gong, Xun Gong, Lu Gong, and Cai Gong. It should be a place where learning is prevalent and music is noble. How can these things dominate the mainstream?"
When Wang Yun thought about asking these students of Leping Academy to hold a piece of land ten feet square and carefully calculate how many locust eggs were on it, he felt as if his eyes were darkening.
This is especially true when one considers that among them are the descendants of the Wang family of Qi County.
If the content of the school has become what is shown in the newspapers, it would be better to let those great scholars return to Chang'an to reopen the Imperial College. By then, Guanzhong will surely attract more people to join it because of the gathering of such great scholars.
Anyway, the current Chang'an City is no longer the same as it was before when it was ravaged by Dong Zhuo. Order has long been restored and it is now a peaceful place, under the feet of the emperor.
The nearby Chiyang Medical College can also meet the health care needs of these elderly scholars.
In fact, if the change from Leping Academy to Chang'an Imperial College could be completed, it would undoubtedly have a weakening effect on Qiao Yan's power.
However, Wang Yun did not hold out much hope for this. He also saw Qiao Yan sneer and look at him meaningfully, "Wang Situ, I don't think you came to see me because of what the students of Leping Academy are researching. If you have something to say, why beat around the bush here?"
Wang Yun took a deep breath and asked directly, "May I ask, Grand Marshal, how was this Leping Monthly Report produced?"
Qiao Yan had started the Leping Monthly Newsletter a long time ago, even before she invaded Liangzhou.
When Wudu County Governor Gai Xun brought Jiang Jiong to Bingzhou for help, what they saw was the first issue of Leping Monthly.
It has been more than four years now.
During the first two years of operation, even when Wang Yun saw the Leping Monthly Report in Chang'an, he only thought that it was a prop used by those in power to convey their political orders to those below them.
In addition, she launched a call for calligraphy and painting at the same time as the call for poetry and prose due to the construction of Chang'an Road, and initiated the preparation of the painting academy under the construction application of the medical school. All the reasons she gave did not make Wang Yun feel that there was any problem, especially the point about optimizing the expression of the content in the monthly report.
But when these seemingly normal things are put together, they seem to become a terrifying existence that makes people uneasy.
Was this a sudden invention or improvement, or was it something Qiao Yan had planned long in advance?
Wang Yun was unable to come to a conclusion on his own, and he did not dare to delay at all, so he decisively chose to come to Qiao Yan to ask for clarification.
Qiao Yan studied his expression and replied, "Wang Situ should know how money was created. This new issue of the newspaper pretty much says the same thing."
She had no need to hide it from him, otherwise a Wang Yun would come to inquire about the matter today, and there would be another one tomorrow.
But this answer made Wang Yun's face change.
Although he had already had such a guess before visiting Qiao Yan, Wang Yun still held on to some unrealistic hope until this fact was admitted by Qiao Yan himself.
However, now, she gave a clear enough answer, an answer that Wang Yun didn't really want to hear -
How coins are created is similar to the situation in Leping Monthly News!
What this means is that coins can be reproduced and produced continuously due to the existence of coin molds, and newspapers can obviously do the same.
What a terrible thing this is!
And if newspapers are allowed, then what about other books?
Before the existence of bamboo paper, which Qiao Yan named as low-cost paper, this method of copying might have been subject to a restriction, but now it only makes people see an extremely terrifying future.
Bamboo paper, painting academy, minting agency, Leping Monthly News…
In Qiao Yan's hands, these things were linked together in an incredible way, leaving no chance for people to think.
Wang Yun immediately asked calmly, "Does the Grand Marshal know what his action means?"
This is just the first Leping Monthly Report, what comes next?
The impact on the aristocratic class was almost devastating.
In the confrontation between the Eastern and Western courts, she suddenly took out such a thing, which would only make the unification of the world more difficult! This is because the officials in Yecheng will definitely express opposition to this, and for this reason they will definitely unite more closely around Yuan Shao.
But in the face of Wang Yun's blunt and sharp condemnation, Qiao Yan's eyes did not waver at all.
She just replied: "I want to ask Wang Situ to see a few things with his own eyes."
Wang Yun followed her from the reception hall to the study, and saw a transparent box there.
In this box, which is made of several pieces of white crystal that have been polished and pieced together, is a slice model of a piece of soil.
After being cut thin and polished, the white crystal was thin enough for people to see clearly what was inside the box. What was particularly clear was the slanted passage on the side facing them, which was left by a locust laying eggs after being cut vertically.
Even though he knew that the box was covered and sealed with glue, Wang Yun still couldn't help but shudder at Qiao Yan's act of placing such a thing in the study.
Qiao Yan tapped the roof with his fingertips, and without looking back at Wang Yun, he continued, "Situ Wang should not be the kind of ignorant person who would ask the people why they don't eat meat after they have no food due to the locust plague. Then you should know how many tunnels like this one that are filled with locust eggs are in the field gates during the drought year!"
"Yes, they do not have such an opportunity to break out of the ground one after another, but among the locust plagues of the past year, even if only the locust plague in Sili was recorded because of the presence of the emperor, it would certainly be a disaster that would bring disaster to the world."
The heaviness in her tone was so overwhelming that it was hard to breathe.
Wang Yun suddenly heard her sigh at this moment.
"Wang Situ... I also went through this in the seventh year of Guanghe. If I hadn't shown signs of being infected with the disease, then I would have been the food that was eaten during the famine."
"If we can do our best to reduce the impact of drought and locust plagues, then what's the harm in doing something that people will criticize or even oppose?"
She walked two steps into the room with her hands behind her back, pulled out a book from the neatly arranged documents on the bookshelf, and handed it to Wang Yun. "In fact, the idea of mass-producing monthly reports or even other books in this way did not come up when this issue of the monthly report was produced."
Wang Yun opened the document and saw that it was a suggestion from two or three years ago.
Neither the paper nor the ink marks on it looked recent.
That was Zhaoji's official report to Qiao Yan on his suggestion to expand the newspaper's circulation in this way.
This memorial also mentioned that if possible, the teaching books in Leping Academy could be printed in this way, which would not only reduce the manpower expenditure on manufacturing textbooks, but also create the conditions for expanding enrollment.
"Since you asked me this, I might as well tell you that when paper was first produced nine years ago, its cost was not as high as you think. So when this invention was first developed, if I wanted to produce tens of thousands of Leping Monthly Reports like today, I could do it."
Wang Yun didn't have the energy to worry about whether Qiao Yan had deceived Emperor Ling of Han. Instead, he focused on what Qiao Yan said next. "In Wang Situ's opinion, in the current situation, is there any other method that can help people know how to deal with locust plagues and droughts better than this?"
Wang Yun shook his head subconsciously.
If he could really come up with such a solution, he should have said it in the first sentence when he came to question Qiao Yan. Why would he wait until she asked him this question?
Qiao Yan asked again, without giving anyone a chance to breathe: "If we can preserve our strength to the maximum extent from such a natural disaster, perhaps we can take over Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou without bloodshed in two or three years. Isn't the significance of this enough for people to take the risk and give it a try?"
Wang Yun remained silent.
Judging from Chunyu Jia's performance at the beginning of this year, Qiao Yan's failure to mobilize troops last year can be said to have caused her criticism. On the surface, it seemed that Doctor Chunyu vomited blood and fainted, so he had to retreat, but in fact, the pressure Qiao Yan faced might not be small at all.
The longer the confrontation between the two courts of the Han Dynasty lasts, the more necessary it becomes to break the balance and make changes.
This decision to protect the survival of the people during the locust plague is inevitable.
only……
He always felt that there were still some unstable factors involved.
Who made the conclusion that Qiao Yan was "forced to do it" not so consistent with her usual behavior...
She didn't seem like the type to be forced into this situation.
However, when Wang Yun was being escorted out of the Grand Marshal's Mansion in a daze, he met Yang Xiu in front of the mansion gate.
Logically speaking, this descendant of the Hongnong Yang family should be on the same side as him, because his father and grandfather were also three officials in four generations, and he should be more concerned about the impact on the foundation of his family.
But he did not see any sign of doubt about Yu Qiaoyan's behavior on Yang Xiu's face. After greeting him, he calmly entered the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
This made Wang Yun wonder if he was really overthinking it.
But what he didn't know was that when Yang Xiu stepped into the study, he asked Qiao Yan, "Did the prince deceive Master Wang?"
Qiao Yan fiddled with the water bowl and paper boat in front of him, and replied nonchalantly: "There must be others as perceptive as him, but the situation is in my favor right now. Before I could take out the third thing, Wang Yun left on his own."
The lives of the people, the opportunity to unify the world and the interests of the aristocratic families were put on the table for competition. When Wang Yun misunderstood Qiao Yan's position, he was indeed prone to draw a wrong conclusion.
But who says that since she was born in the Qiao family of Yanzhou and separated from the family with the support of Liu Yu to establish the Qiao family of Leping, she must stand on the side of the aristocratic family?
This reform was launched brazenly amid her ten years of planning, and she will never give the wheel of history any chance to turn back!
but……
Qiao Yan raised his eyes and looked towards Yang Xiu, and asked, "Aren't you afraid?"
Doesn’t he have the same worries as Wang Yun?
Yang Xiu was not the only one under Qiao Yan who came from an aristocratic family. In the current context, most people who could access knowledge and become talents were from aristocratic families or humble families.
The real people at the bottom of society are all constrained by the difficulties of life, so how can they dare to hope to make a big leap forward?
Facing Qiao Yan's question, Yang Xiu smiled and said, "Your Excellency, you underestimate the Hongnong Yang family's confidence."
You underestimate Yang Xiu's self-confidence.
There will always be people who are not worried about losing the capital on which they depend for survival because of the existence of printing, but are grateful for having this thing that allows their writing to be spread to thousands of households.
If they cannot take advantage of this favorable wind to soar after decades or even hundreds of years of leading foundation, or even stand still with these hidden worries and become a stumbling block to the prince, then -
There is no need for them to exist anymore.
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