(The Three Kingdoms storyline is accelerating.)
After Wang Han issued his order to build a large number of schools, popularize knowledge among the people, and reform compulsory education, the clans and powerful families reacted the most. This was because Wang Han's reforms meant that they would no longer monopolize the output of talent, and the competition for their official careers would be ten or a hundred times more difficult. In the future, countless talents would emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Cao Cao recognized this point, which is why he insisted on reforming alongside Wang Han. As for reforming on his own, he currently lacked the ability, and those powerful clans might even bring him down. However, since Wang Han had already started reforming, the people would undoubtedly support him enthusiastically, given Wang Han's prestige. As long as the powerful clans couldn't incite the people, and Cao Cao had won their hearts, he could follow Wang Han's methods. What was there to fear about these powerful clans causing chaos? Even if the reforms did encounter problems, the tall Marquis of Dingshan would be the first to bear the consequences, giving Cao Cao a chance to salvage the situation.
On the very day the reform decree was issued, powerful clansmen came to see Wang Han, while others approached Huang Chengyan and Huang Yueying, hoping they could persuade Wang Han to stop the reform.
Some even tried to sabotage the reforms in secret, or had members of the clan who held positions engage in underhanded tactics. However, they failed to sway the common people, and even many of the servants opposed the reforms and tipped them off. After all, the common people trusted Marquis Dingshan more than they trusted him. They believed that Marquis Dingshan could bring them a better life, that he was acting in their best interests, and that some even said that Marquis Dingshan was sent by heaven to save the people. Even though some people did not understand the significance of such reforms, and the powerful clans were trying to discredit him, they were still willing to blindly believe in Wang Han.
When the militia were mobilized, the powerful clans did not hesitate to arrest those who caused damage or those who held positions but engaged in petty mischief and send them to repair roads. After those vacant positions were immediately filled, many powerful clans became cautious. They finally understood that Dingshan Hou was now in charge of Bingzhou, and the people's hearts were with Dingshan Hou. They lived in Bingzhou, and they had no way to resist Dingshan Hou.
In addition, after Wang Han's rifle regiment was deployed, some clan leaders had already submitted and pledged allegiance to Marquis Dingshan. After all, they were not all of one mind; some even harbored hatred. Some clan leaders had already pledged allegiance to Marquis Dingshan since the reform began. Others knew that they could not change the outcome of the reform or that their clans would decline, so they seized the opportunity in advance to try to strengthen themselves by taking advantage of Marquis Dingshan's reform. Most of those who took over the positions were people from these clan leaders.
As for the clan leaders who were conscripted to build roads, after facing heavy physical labor and Wang Han secretly instigating them to split up their families or to support people loyal to Marquis Dingshan, there was almost no voice in Bingzhou to resist Marquis Dingshan's reforms.
In Yizhou, Cao Cao followed Wang Han's example and began to implement his policies decisively, as he did not want to fall too far behind.
……………………………………………………
Time flies, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.
Over the course of a year, Wang Han's plan to establish schools, popularize knowledge, and provide compulsory education progressed smoothly, even better than expected. This was because Wang Han had a great reputation among the people for his past achievements, and they trusted him and believed that he would bring them a better life. Therefore, when Wang Han issued the call to establish schools, encourage literacy, and provide compulsory education, most people, except for a few and some powerful clans, supported it with great enthusiasm. Many people spontaneously went to the construction sites to build schools. With everyone working together, the progress of the project was astonishing. Within a year, schools capable of accommodating hundreds of students were built in many places.
Those who remained did not dare to object; at least in Bingzhou, no one dared.
The selection of teachers for the newly established schools was hampered by Wang Han's imposition of a requirement for powerful clans to become teachers before they could pursue official careers. Unable to resist Wang Han and with the people of Bingzhou largely united, they faced only three paths. One was to flee to other places and seek refuge with other warlords, but this path was fraught with danger. After the Xiongnu incident and this reform, everyone knew how capable the Marquis of Dingshan was, and how popular he was. The other warlords were no match for him, and dared not easily defy him, while also waging war among themselves. Another path was to abandon their official careers, either becoming merchants or waiting for their clans to gradually decline. Otherwise, they had no choice but to obediently become teachers.
However, because the reforms touched upon the very foundations of many powerful clans, Wang Han became the target of their attacks. The reforms of the Marquis of Dingshan caused widespread anxiety, but the warlords dared not attack him until they were certain of victory, especially after the introduction of the rifle regiments; the new weapons were like razor-sharp blades for slaughter. Most importantly, the hearts of the people, and even many soldiers, were with the Marquis of Dingshan. Many soldiers had even fled to Bingzhou with their families to join him. They dared not attack him, as this would be against the will of the people and inevitably lead to their downfall. Therefore, they could only resort to writing letters of persuasion, engaging in negative propaganda, smearing the reforms, and trying to damage the Marquis of Dingshan's reputation—methods that had little effect on Wang Han. Once the results of the reforms in Bingzhou were revealed, the contrast would be stark, and they would likely find it too late to back out.
………………………………………………
During that year, aside from managing the reforms and monitoring the conquests of the nomadic tribes, Wang Han spent his time reading, practicing martial arts, and directing his men in prisoner trade and road construction, without leaving Bingzhou. Since the artificial meteor shower had attracted the attention of the world's will, or rather, the planet's will, Wang Han had refrained from using cheat codes to kill enemies, only using them to acquire resources, money, and food. He feared that the world's will would discover his plan before it was completed, expelling him from the Three Kingdoms world or sealing him away, thus truly ruining his mission.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
