Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 196 “Patriotic Education”

"How did you get into this state, kid?"

Deng Kun took off his military cap and unbuttoned his clothes. Before he could find a stool to sit down and rest his breath, he saw his own child walking in from outside with a cloth bag on his shoulder. His face was covered in dust and his clothes were torn into pieces, looking very disheveled.

When the child entered the door, he seemed to be a little panicked, as if he did not expect his father to come home suddenly. He turned around timidly and was about to go out to seek his mother's protection.

Seeing this, his younger brother who was following behind him also ran out subconsciously.

"Come here!" Deng Kun couldn't help but tighten the belt in his hand.

You little bastard, you’re fighting with someone in school!

"Mom, mom..." Deng Songping was so frightened by his father's stern face that he turned around and ran out of the house. "Dad is going to hit me! ... Mom, come and save me!"

"...What happened?" His wife, Liu, who was cooking outside, peeked in. "Oh, Ping'er, why are there two scratches on your face? ...And your clothes, how come they're so torn? ...Damn it, did you get into a fight?"

"...Mom, I was playing with my classmates and accidentally tore my clothes." Deng Songping saw his father holding a military belt and walking out of the house aggressively. He was so scared that he immediately hid beside his mother.

"Are you playing around with your classmates?" Deng Kun walked over and grabbed one of the child's hands. "Look, your hand got hit by the teacher in school, didn't it? Tsk, tsk, that teacher is really cruel. His palm is even swollen! ... Tell me, why did you fight with someone in school?"

"There was no fight..." Deng Songping retracted his hand, still refusing to admit it. "I was just playing around during recess when a classmate accidentally tore my clothes. The cut on my face wasn't caused by scratching, but by a branch..."

"Hey, you little bastard, you're still talking tough!" Deng Kun was so angry that he tugged at his belt with both hands, making a snapping sound. "Damn it, why don't you just study and learn to read in school instead of fooling around and fighting with others! Are you going to be like your father in the future, with no skills at all, and can only be a soldier, fighting for his life in the battlefield?"

"Dad, in our Xinzhou Huaxia, soldiers have a very high status and must be respected by everyone. They are not like the soldiers in the Ming Dynasty who are not treated well by anyone!" Deng Songping replied weakly.

"Huh?" Deng Kun glared at him and said with a fierce face, "Little bastard, are you going to be a soldier and eat food in the future?"

Deng Songping took one look at his father's imposing military uniform and shiny leather boots, his eyes lighting up as he whispered, "Many of our classmates want to be soldiers when they grow up. They want to defend our Xinzhou Huaxia and kill all the invading Spaniards!"

"..." Deng Kun was stunned when he heard this. "What the hell are the teachers teaching in your school?... Why do they all want to be soldiers?"

"I learned a lot..." Deng Songping answered loudly when his father asked, "In addition to teaching us how to read, the teacher also often told us stories and anecdotes. Well, the teacher told us about Qin Shihuang's unification of China, Emperor Wu of Han's expulsion of the Xiongnu to the north, and Ban Chao's mission to the Western Regions, where he braved the tiger's den alone..."

"...Uh, there's also the flourishing Tang Dynasty, its mighty influence across the world, Yue Fei's resistance to the Jin Dynasty, and Wen Tianxiang's vow to never surrender to the Tartars. Oh, and the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu Emperor's expulsion of the Tartars and restoration of the Central Plains... and Qi Jiguang's decisive victory over the Japanese pirates, securing the southeastern sea borders... and the Wanli Emperor's attempts to defeat the invading Japanese pirates in Korea..."

"Hey..." Deng Kun couldn't help but laugh. "So the stories your teachers tell are all about the glorious deeds of our Chinese ancestors! Didn't they tell you about the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, the Jingkang Incident of the Former Song Dynasty, oh, and the Ming Dynasty's defeat at Tumu Fort, the defeat at Sarhu in Liaodong, and the Jiannu invasion of the capital? These humiliations and defeats?"

"Yes!" Deng Songping paused, his face immediately filled with indignation. "Our teacher said that we must always remember these humiliations and learn from them. He also warned us that to avoid such humiliation in the future, we must study hard, work hard, and contribute all our strength to the rise of our new continent, China."

"So, the teachers in the school encourage you to join the army, eat food, and go to the battlefield?" Deng Kun's mouth twitched involuntarily.

We in Xinzhou Huaxia have at least more than 3,000 young and strong men. If we add the natives, we can make up the number of 5,000.

Even if the Western Barbarians send out more than ten thousand soldiers, we are still capable of fighting. Why would we need these half-grown children to take over?
"Dad, the teacher didn't encourage us to join the army." Deng Songping curled his lips and said, "The teacher always told us to study hard and acquire more knowledge and culture. He said that the burden of the future development and construction of our Xinzhou Huaxia will fall on our shoulders. ... But I think being a soldier is still more impressive!"

"You little bastard, what do you know!" Deng Kun laughed and slapped his son on the head. "You've learned a lot in school, and you've learned a lot of knowledge. That'll be very useful in the future. Even if you don't become an official, you can still get preferential treatment and generous treatment from the government with what you've learned." "Even if you're not good enough, you can still teach in school. How respectable and comfortable that is! ... Hey, when I die and go to the underworld, I can show off to our ancestors that my Deng family also has a scholar."

"Yes, our Ping'er will also be a scholar in the future." His wife Liu said with a smile.

"All the children in Xinzhou have to go to school. In the future, being educated won't be a big deal."

"Hey, you little bastard, you're getting so damn arrogant!" Deng Kun couldn't help but slap his son on the head again. "There are six or seven thousand Chinese people in Xinzhou, and only a few hundred have received a proper education. If it weren't for the kindness of the gentlemen on the committee, how would you brats have the opportunity to go to school?"

"I'm warning you, study hard in school, don't play around, and don't talk back to your teacher. Otherwise, if you make a mistake at school and get a spanking from your teacher, I'll whip you with my belt when you get home! ... By the way, I haven't asked you yet, how did you get into this state? Did you get into a fight with the other kids?"

"..." Deng Songping hid behind his mother in fear, "It was just a play that turned him into this..."

"Second brother, tell me, did he have a fight in school?" Deng Kun looked at his second son Deng Songcheng who was silent on the side.

“…” Deng Songcheng, who was only six years old, glanced at his brother, opened his mouth, but still didn’t dare to say anything.

It was obvious that he had been warned in advance by his strong brother on the way back.

"Damn it, my words are no longer effective." Deng Kun glared at the second brother, pretending to be angry.

"Dad..." Deng Songcheng was finally forced by his father's power. He lowered his head and said in a low voice, "My eldest brother and a group of classmates got into a fight with those foreign students in the school. Someone's nose was bleeding. The principal and teachers in the school were very angry and punished them all..."

"Why fight?"

"They played a game, splitting into two groups and fighting, saying they wanted to kill all the Western barbarians. ... The barbarian students started arguing with them, and then... a fight ensued."

"You little bastard, you take a game so seriously!" Deng Kun slapped him in anger and amusement, then tugged at his ragged clothes. "Then tell me, did you win?"

"..." Deng Songping was stunned for a moment, then said proudly: "We have more people, so of course we won."

"Relying on numbers to win is nothing!" Deng Kun shook his head and said with a smile: "You know, if the Western Barbarians really come to attack us, their army will definitely be larger than ours."

"Ah?" Deng Songping looked anxious. "Dad, can we win?"

"Why are you, a little kid, worrying about this?" Deng Kun squatted down and looked at his two sons, his eyes full of love. "Just remember, as long as I'm alive, no one will harm you. No matter how many troops come from the Western Barbarians, I will definitely drive them away and protect you!"

"father!"

"father……"

"Don't worry, your father has been training with the army day and night for the past six months, just to give the Western Barbarians a head-on blow and wipe them out completely on the territory of my Xinzhou Huaxia."

(End of this chapter)