Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 314 Marriage
In December of the 2111th year of the Han calendar, Xuan Chong returned to Dongtu. As the person in charge of the military affairs of the Northern Han Dynasty, Xuan Chong sat in his study in his spacious mansion and listened to the great discussion among the officials of the Northern and Southern Dynasties under the leadership of the emperor via remote communication.

These past few days, there has been a huge debate within the imperial court regarding next year's budget.

The south wanted to maintain pressure on the eastern Shu and continue its fleet construction plan for battleships; while the north claimed that the pressure was too great and wanted to reduce the budget for naval defense and increase land defense.

Since Dongtu was not at the center of the financial conflict, Xuanchong was only asked about the construction progress before being allowed to proceed.

Xuan Chong's main task upon returning to Dongtu was actually to complete his wedding arrangements with Qin Tianyi.

Four cruise ships from Hangzhou have arrived in Dongtu. A renowned chef from Shandong is handling the wedding banquet, all funded by the in-laws. They are just waiting for Xuan Chong to arrive to complete the formalities.

Qin Tianyi's family, being a prominent noble family residing in the Hangzhou-Zhejiang area, had amassed a fortune in the maritime trade zone. Her dowry was extremely generous, amounting to a full third of Dongtu's total output value in 2111.

It is said that Xuan Chong married Qin Tianyi, just as Emperor Gaozu married Lady Lü when Pei County was still impoverished.

Xuan Chong now holds official rank and is in charge of important responsibilities, managing the legitimate businesses of thousands of households. He acts righteously, yet remains "poor." The Qin family is extremely wealthy and has close ties with major maritime merchants, but lacks official recognition in the present Han dynasty.

On the day of their wedding, Xuan Chong was a little shy. Qin Tianyi, on the other hand, immediately pushed out the maid who was in the way after Xuan Chong finished lifting the veil, locked the door, and after making sure that no one else was around, she pulled off her veil and straddled Xuan Chong.

Xuan Chong felt the girl's fragrance waft towards him, but then he suddenly braked.

Qin Tianyi saw a system notification: Xuan Chong's "sports project" was in progress, prompting her whether she wanted to pay three credits to interrupt the project.

Qin Tianyi asked her system, "Is this a PE class? I remember he said it was a math class."

The music teacher said, "Physical education was extended from the previous class to this one."

Qin Tianyi: "He didn't finish his assignment from the last class?"

Music teacher: "In the last class, 'physical education' was his extracurricular activity."

Qin Tianyi: "What is an 'extracurricular activity'? I've never encountered one before?"

System: "You'll receive it when your course reaches an excellent level."

Meanwhile, Xuan Chong sensed a shift in spacetime around him as he felt the lady seated at his waist. This shift originated from the spacetime crystal sand that Ma Feiyan had inserted beside him, its purpose being to record everything that happened that evening.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Ma Feiyan was waiting to watch the "short video." She was using the "present" situation as a reference to try new things in the "future" and savor the flavors of life in the "past."

…The red curtains fell…

So the two looked at each other, and amidst their heavy breathing, they felt somewhat awkward.

After Qin Tianyi finished speaking, Xuan Chong asked, "Credits?" He then inquired on his end whether credits could be transferred. A pop-up window on Xuan Chong's end displayed red text: "Do you think this is a vegetable market?"

Qin Tianyi chuckled: "It's a school rule that students can't exchange time-space items. If students are caught trading with each other in class, they'll be punished." Then, she lowered her head and explained: She couldn't afford to lose three credits, otherwise she would fail the course.

After saying that, Qin Tianyi blinked at Xuan Chong, as if expecting something. —Note: Qin Tianyi received system information that she couldn't take the initiative, but Xuan Chong could. That way, she wouldn't lose credits.

Just as the friction between their chests grew hotter, Xuan Chong picked Qin Tianyi up and placed her aside, muttering, "How about we try a 40th-century marriage and procreation method?"

Qin Tianyi was stunned for a moment, as if she had misheard something, then checked and suddenly said, "You don't do all your other missions like this, do you?"

Xuan Chong said he didn't understand, and then explained that there was a spacetime reflection power projected here, which he was not used to.

Qin Tianyi immediately became alert: "Someone is eavesdropping? How come I didn't know?"

She immediately searched the surrounding area and learned that the eavesdropping point was on Xuan Chong, and that it was someone summoned by "extracurricular items." Qin Tianyi paused and asked, "Is this person yours?"

Xuan Chong could only say that it was Ma Feiyan, this "tigress," who was recording the present "like recording history" through that triggering point in time and space.

"She's yours!" Qin Tianyi exclaimed excitedly, as if she had heard the most interesting gossip.

She had investigated the spacetime ability users who had emerged in the northwest of this plane; after all, this ability was quite peculiar, and she suspected it might be one of her classmates. But today she understood that it was due to the projection of "recess items." And the fact that Xuan Chong's "recess items" could be projected to this extent made her realize Xuan Chong's academic standing in school.

Xuan Chong: "They're not my people, they just had connections with me in the previous world."

Qin Tianyi looked at Xuan Chong, knowing he was completely oblivious. However, upon realizing someone was watching, a surge of excitement rose within her, so she hugged Xuan Chong and bit his earlobe. Then she whispered, "Hold me as we sleep."

Xuan Chong paused for a moment, then, with a pillow between them as a divider, he embraced the newlywed girl and fell asleep.

The wedding ended hastily, and the task was completed in a new 40th-century way through the system's operation.

Xuan Chong focused all his energy on military matters. Upon returning to Dongtu, Xuan Chong also aimed to finalize a new strategic deployment targeting Hanbei.

…No dividing line for wedding leave…

The next day, at a military conference, Xuan Chong gave a tactical briefing to the 53 regimental-level military personnel of Hanbei. "We can't always stay on the coastline. Starting in 2012, we will continue westward."

On the map, Xuan Chong drew a line at the starting point of the icy sea region, connecting it to the inland Dalie River. This line is like a "chopstick" extending into the northern part of the Han River.

The Dalie River in the northern part of Xingguo Ridge became the key point of the advance. It is the most important river in the North Asian drainage system flowing into the Arctic Ocean, with an annual inflow of 4170 billion cubic meters into the sea, while the Gangjiang River has an annual inflow of 9500 billion cubic meters into the sea. There are three such major rivers north of the North Sea.

In late 11, the Dragon Group and the Xuanwu Group helped Xuan Chong open up the railway line north of Shihu Mountain. Why was the Dragon Group so proactive?
The officials in Yandu now hope that Xuan Chong can cross the border from the coastal area and enter Siberia as soon as possible to restrain the Ouk in the northern desert.

Therefore, even if Xuan Chong says he wants to move mountains, the Dragon Group will seriously consider the possibility.

With the support of advanced super-technology, a 100-kilometer railway has begun operation, emitting steam and smoke. It transports over 30,000 tons per month.

Xuan Chong's troops are now able to project into Siberia, but in addition to the railways, they also need to control the waterways.

Xuan Chong remembered that in his previous life, when the Russians were expanding eastward, they traveled eastward by boat along the waterways. In order to prevent the now-rising Ok from also expanding eastward along the waterways, Xuan Chong began to build a proper river defense force. The Protectorate's arsenal had a type of river defense boat with a draft of 0.7 meters and two armored turrets (converted from tank turrets), which could be transported by rail.

These river patrol boats will safeguard the "waterway bus route" of the Icefield Plain, but now there is a problem: such a waterway requires a large number of boat operators, so where will they come from?

Xuan Cong suddenly understood that the reason why Tsarist Russia expanded eastward in history, rather than the Donghu expanding westward, was precisely this.

The topography of the Mongolian Plateau has resulted in disconnected waterways between the north and south. Many ethnic groups in the Bohai Bay region are skilled horsemen, but boatmen? Not an essential everyday skill. The differences in water-management skills between the northern and southern ethnic groups of China are comparable to the differences between different ethnic groups in other parts of the world. Take dragon boat racing, for example: in the south, the motto is "Push hard, push hard, push together, and overtake the boat in front to win," while in the north, the focus is on "avoiding capsizing."

Most of the immigrants to Dongtu are now landlubbers and not skilled at navigating boats. They are now forced to settle in Dongtu and the coastal settlements of North China Sea. When they encounter rivers that block their way, and lack the ferryman, a common profession in the South, they often have to take detours to find bridges, or wait until it gets colder and the river freezes over to cross on the ice.

In the year 2110 of the Han calendar, more than forty incidents of people falling into the river occurred in the coastal settlement of Hanbei. Many of these incidents involved people who were pulling carts with small items such as needles and thread on them, and then the carts fell into the river together.

Upon further questioning of these people who had fallen into the water, it became clear that none of them could swim, yet they still walked along the riverbank. — Because, well, it was for survival.

Allocating the ocean to "herdsmen" now is essentially forcing them into a corner. Making them earn a living on merchant ships is one thing, but expecting them to fight on board? At least this generation lacks the motivation for such a transformation.

Xuan Chong made a decision: to solve this problem, it is necessary to find people from the water system area to immigrate here.

Note: Xuan Chong initially planned to recruit people from the waterways of the Jingxiang region to fill the waterway transportation bureau of the Protectorate General. However, these people from the south refused to go to the harsh and cold north, no matter what.

Good heavens, Beihai used to be the place where Su Wu herded sheep. North of Beihai, there was a place where serious criminals were exiled.
After He Cunzhao arrived, he came up with a feasible policy: if Jiangnan didn't work, then go to Japan—of course, Xuan Chong was a little uncomfortable with this. But he didn't give the real reason, instead saying rather awkwardly, "Aren't the people there a bit too short?"

He Cunzhao saw through Xuan Chong's true nature of having a "distinction between Han and barbarians" in his heart, so he said: "Duke Xuan, the territory in your heart has long included this place. The policy of changing the native chieftains to the central government and transforming the barbarians into Chinese should be appropriately relaxed."

…Hanbei's relationship with Japan…

In Nagasaki, a young man named Kusaku looks at the rice balls in the box, puts his hands together, and eats them devoutly. This is his daily routine as he comes to the city to make a living.

Every time a huge ship passes by the dock in the port, it scatters some tin cans. If you can grab them quickly, you can supplement your family income. Of course, it's best to find an employer. As the second son in the family, you cannot inherit the family business and must leave home when you reach a certain age.

Recently, there have been more ships coming from the north. It is said that the superior country in the west is going to develop the northern coastal islands, which are quite prosperous recently and need a lot of laborers. Many people are going there to make a living.

Cao Cao didn't do well in school when he was young, and he only knew about seventy Chinese characters. He missed several job recruitment opportunities. He could only find a shed and wait patiently.

However, this morning, as he was enjoying the half rice ball left over from yesterday, a commotion broke out outside the wooden shed, apparently a fight, which was common in the city streets.

Sometimes, when samurai were fighting in the streets, if you arrived early, your master would need someone to bolster his forces, and you would be hired by one side. If your master's samurai were to win, you would also receive some rice balls.

Oh, this is similar to the background billboards behind the characters in the King of Fighters game that Xuan Chong plays. When a character makes a move on the field, "Kouyou-kun," the cheerers in the audience are supposed to cheer accordingly. But in reality, the cheerers are all hired temporarily, just like on some island where a gangster's funeral is held, and although there seems to be a row of henchmen standing along the street to see him off, their motivation is not loyalty or filial piety, but 300 New Taiwan Dollars a day, plus a boxed lunch.

The rice ball in Cao Cao's hand was what he received a few days ago when he was hired to clear the way during the courtesan's parade. Now he pricked up his ears to listen, trying to get some valuable information.

Soon, a "messenger" wearing wooden clogs rushed over and shouted to everyone, "Those horse manure have gone on a rampage! Everyone must unite!" As a person from a fishing village by the sea, Cao Cao was naturally classified as a member of the fishermen's faction. This group would distribute discounted rice balls once a month, provided that the person was present when something happened.

…Recruitment Perspective…

In Nagasaki Port, Nobuaki, who was preparing to recruit sailors, was speechless at the "violent conflict" on the port.

Xuan Chong never expected that his act of using "free rice balls" to recruit local fishermen would arouse the envy of another labor group, which then erupted into a bloody fight.

In the street clashes, in addition to bamboo spears and homemade guns, there were three motorcycles and two tall horses, all of which were the mounts of the "generals" of the two violent gangs.

Xuan Chong asked the recruiter, "I'm recruiting crew members from the cold northern regions who are familiar with the waterways. Didn't you make that clear? Why are other local powers envious?"

Xuan Chong has also discovered that this guy has reduced his daily rice ball requirement to a discounted rice ball per month. He is seething with hatred, thinking, "My money!" If he doesn't give him a clear reason, he'll make him spit it all out.

After careful questioning, it was discovered that this was an internal problem in Japan. The northern Choshu and the southern Satsuma were at odds with each other, and after modernization, a conflict arose between the sea and the land.

Xuan Chong: "Wait a minute, this is an alternate dimension, why are they still doing this?"

Xuan Chong consulted history and discovered that in the current Han Dynasty's trade system, Japan, besides producing hard currencies like gold and silver, mainly produced rice and labor. It was practically a larger Vietnam, no. It should be described as a larger Ireland. —Xuan Chong's comment: See? Who says island nations with advantageous sea routes are destined for prosperity? Lacking capital investment and initial capital accumulation, they can only sell their most basic labor.

Of course, contemporary Chinese economists explain it this way: isolated overseas, far from the economic center of Asia, it is therefore feared by investors.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Chong thought about it again and realized that his Dongtu was geographically well-positioned, facing the mouth of the Heiqiu River, receiving the "wealth" of the inland, and connected by waterways to the Hanbei region north of the Outer Khingan Mountains, which has a temperate monsoon climate.

Although Dongtu is called an island, it is actually more closely connected to the mainland than the peninsula to the south. The peninsula is separated from the mainland to the north by mountains, while Dongtu is only ten kilometers away from the Heiqiu River. A black bear could simply follow the river and carry a piece of wood to the island. This is truly a case of being separated only by a narrow strip of water.

At this time, Japan was like Luzon at the end of the 20th century. Luzon earned foreign exchange by exporting as a "servant," while Japan was now exporting as a "mercenary."

The employers recruiting mercenaries in Japan come from both the northern and southern regions of present-day China.

Because of the different cultures of the worshippers, the Japanese side developed into "Naval Mammoth" and "Army Mammoth," resulting in a division.

After careful investigation, Xuan Chong suddenly realized: "This division is not accidental, but inevitable! The underlying principle is just like how this island nation is located on a geological fault line and is prone to earthquakes, it is itself located on a cultural fault line."

…The root of the regional conflicts between Japan and China ultimately lies with China…

China spans a vast area from east to west and north to south, with numerous cultures that have long merged through collisions. Today, after a long history, everyone has become accustomed to their differences. However, every time Asian cultures experience friction and collision, it's as if the sun is unaware that its trembling will cause drastic changes to the surface climate of other planets in the solar system.

As the "source" of cultural influence, China has seen different cultures spread to different regions at different historical stages.

The diversity of Chinese culture, due to the inherent conflict between humanity and nature, periodically leads to a cycle of unity followed by division. Furthermore, the different "cultures" that radiate outwards exhibit vastly different developmental paths.

Along the historical timeline of the peninsula, part of Japan's ambition was to access the western mainland via the peninsula. This development strategy aimed to connect its region with northern East Asia.

Another branch of Japan was closely linked with the Jiangnan and Fujian regions, represented by figures such as Wang Zhi and Zheng Zhilong, who established very close economic ties with Japan.

It is evident that part of the island nation sought to participate in the civilization sphere of the Yellow River basin and the Bohai Sea region of Asia starting from the Tang Dynasty. Another part maintained an inseparable connection with the Jiangnan region during the Age of Exploration.

However, due to the archipelago's long and narrow shape, it lacks the vast north-south transitional zone of the "Jianghuai ethnic group" on the mainland.

As a result, an island nation has been irrigated by the economic and cultural spheres of North and South China for hundreds of years. When the island's intellectuals "verify" their understanding of these cultures, a distinction will emerge between the Qi School and the Sword School.

Japan is like a small asteroid approaching a large celestial body, being torn apart in multiple stages by the powerful gravitational tides of the celestial body.

The same thing is happening in Europe, where the religious culture of the Balkans and the diversity of the Mediterranean region, along with Bavaria's dual Germanic and Slavic heritage, create multiple hotspots.

Xuan Chong looked at Hanbei, not wanting it to be torn apart, nor wanting to leave a flashpoint. He needed to determine the main lineage sequence.

(End of this chapter)