Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 318 Domestic and Foreign Politics

Inside the Ministry of War in Yandu, officials reviewed the battle report submitted by the Hanbei Protectorate. After the report was forwarded to the cabinet, the Ministry of War quickly unfolded a map.

Faced with this situation, the court officials, adorned in their elaborate hats and robes, began to draw targets for the arrows they had fired. The Ministry of War officials believed that the victory in the Battle of Hanbei was largely due to the crucial role played by airship bombing support.

So the adults launched a targeted bombing raid on another group of Orks migrating, successfully forcing them to retreat. This strengthened the resolve of certain members of the court to eliminate the Orks entrenched on the Xiongnu Plateau as soon as possible.

...April of the year 2113 in the Han calendar...

The meeting was held before the Emperor, the Six Ministries, and the court officials. On the map of the Western Regions hanging on the screen, Lin Sima personally unfolded the map, while an official from the Ministry of War loudly introduced it: "Four cardinal directions, six intermediate directions, and a ten-sided net."

The cabinet also praised the strategy, giving Lord Lin ample face. This vast network encompassed three lines of troops from the Western Regions, Yan and Zhao, and Liaoyuan. Of course, the troops of the Hanbei Protectorate led by Xuan Chong in the north were also included. At this point, the Ministry of Revenue avoided any disputes and jointly stamped the official documents issued by the Ministry of War to Xuan Chong.

The Hanbei Protectorate, established by the imperial court, was initially just a figurehead; Liu Haoxing was recommended by the Ministry of Rites to go to the north, and the Hanbei Protectorate was an institution that was created out of thin air, but now it has become a bright spot in the mess.

In the tea-scented hall, everyone present was well aware of the reason why Lin Sima was now acting like a "young man in his old age."

He's getting old and will soon have to step down to make way for new talent. Once he retires, those around him will become distant, and some people will be left without a place to go.

However, due to his lack of success in eliminating the Orks over the past two years, he dared not arrange personal matters under the watchful eyes of all parties. He had to hurry up and get his official business done.

This situation is explained quite clearly in the textbook article "Chulong Persuades the Queen Dowager of Zhao". When the Queen Dowager and her ministers discussed how to arrange their children, she said that they must arrange their children to "meritorious positions" in public affairs to enhance their prestige.

Haste makes waste...

In May, in the Zhao Changcheng area, Lin Yang, leading his marines, was advancing with his 5th Marine Division. Sand and dust swirled beneath his wheels.

This is the situation of the current Han Army's first-class marine divisions (similar to the earlier Class A divisions) in the past five years. Their characteristic is that they are equipped with a large number of trucks for transporting supplies, which completely replace packhorses. In contrast, the Han Army's army deployed in other regions such as northern India, although also armed with machine guns and mortars, still mainly uses draft horses as its vehicles.

After all, this wasn't the era of producing 5 billion tons of cement or 1 billion tons of steel; many roads were still gravel or dirt tracks. There was still a large market for draft horses in the military.

Lin Yang was directing his troops to advance inland, but just as he was looking at the map, an explosion occurred at the front.

Before he could react, the legion automatically launched a counterattack from all sides. Lin Yang, the commander in the convoy, crawled into a steel-hulled tank. Through the gaps in the tank, he looked at the chaotic scene with suspicion and uncertainty.

As Lin Yang's armored chariots formed a retro defensive system of "chariot formation," the Han soldiers were firing haphazardly at their surroundings, creating a chaotic scene.

"Where is the enemy?" He watched the soldiers firing at the dusty ground around them, and a surge of anger welled up inside him. Although he had been taking medicinal baths since childhood and possessed top-notch internal energy cultivation skills, which helped him remain calm in the face of danger, the chaos and confusion within the army that had lasted for more than ten minutes had disrupted his breathing.

"It emerged from the ground!" After gathering intelligence from several sergeants, the adjutant reluctantly reported, then offered his own assessment: "They must have dug a tunnel!"

…twenty minutes later…

In the battlefield bombarded by the front lines, half-meter-tall slugs were emerging from the ground, digging through the topsoil with their claws like groundhogs. In groups of two or three, they carried guns much larger than themselves and opened fire on the Han troops. Although they missed, the fire from all directions still trapped the truck regiment.

Lin Yang's troops began to use trucks as a formation to exchange fire with the Pi Jing; however, exchanging fire with the enemy in the tunnels was obviously very inefficient.

The tunnels provided cover, making the spies as difficult to eliminate as gophers.

An experienced commander, upon determining that they are at a disadvantage due to unfavorable weather and terrain, will decisively choose to evacuate. An inexperienced commander, however, is sometimes prone to overconfidence, believing they won't be tripped up by a "minor setback."

Such qualities cannot be determined by academic performance in military academy; so-called leadership experience requires cutting away one's unrealistic "confidence".

As the son of the current Sima, Lin Yang had never suffered a loss; and the army he led was also among the top in terms of combat strength. When blocked by the primitive tactics of the Ouk, he chose to fight back.

...After three hours of fighting...

Lin Yang's troops not only failed to repel the attacking goblin forces at the location where they were stationed, but also encountered the clanging, noisy horns of the Ork Group. Large numbers of Orks gathered there as if attending a banquet.

These Orks are generally three meters tall, running with a vigorous stride, and their equipment is varied, such as some wearing helmets made of iron pots.

These rice cooker-like helmets may have been on the heads of these giant orcs for a long time, just like iron rings are put on watermelons before they grow and then embedded in them after the watermelons grow. These rice cookers are also embedded in them.

Theoretically, these rice cooker helmets are not bulletproof, but the power of imagination makes everything uncertain, not to mention that there are sandbags hanging on the helmets.

These Orks were covered in cloth mixed with cement and asbestos.

These makeshift armors were probably not for bulletproof protection, but rather to help Orks stop bleeding after being hit, or rather, to stop the loss of bodily fluids.

Under the barrage of bullets, many Orks only paused for a moment. As for those who were hit in the forehead, they were simply stunned. After shaking their heads, they sniffed the air and began to charge forward following the scent of the main force.

Three hours later, the position fell, and Lin Yang and a small number of officers escaped to safety by motorcycle.
Two days later, the newspaper reported this, but at the end of the article, there was a poem called "Lament for Li Ling".

Xuan Chong of the Hanbei Protectorate saw the newspaper and snorted coldly; of course he knew this Lin Yang. —Back in Yandu School, how did Liu Haoxing earn the nickname "country bumpkin"?
Putting aside these old grudges, the thousand-strong force of the Protectorate General blocked Ouk's northward advance, and the Ministry of War's commendation was merely perfunctory. Yet, just a few days later, so much ink was used to whitewash this major defeat.

Xuan Chong: Is this good? Obviously not. At least, to my narrow-minded self, this is blatant bias. The army failed to conduct proper reconnaissance, was ambushed, and instead of immediately seeking an opportunity to cut their losses and retreat, they stubbornly resisted, ultimately getting completely surrounded. And what's this talk of bravery! Courage is a reward for those who died in battle, not a credit for a fleeing general.

Xuan Chong was furious and said to He Cunzhao, who had run over to plan the railway, "Could you write a short essay to satirize this?"

Given Xuan Chong's current status, he generally cannot speak recklessly in front of his subjects.

This is similar to the initial meeting on a blind date, where the man needs to behave appropriately. However, when the relationship between a man and a woman progresses to the point where they can speak without any inhibitions, that's already a negative distance.

The same applies to the relationship between a monarch and his ministers. At this moment, He Cunzhao, who was standing next to Xuan Chong, was slightly taken aback and smiled, saying, "Your Excellency is a man of deep feelings. You must write articles, but you cannot write them for the people in the court to see. Our good words are nothing more than 'poems of a wronged woman' in the eyes of the officials in the court."

He Cunzhao dusted off the newspaper: "Why don't we borrow from this newspaper, praise General Lin Yang, and then we can add a touch of brilliance by mentioning the great victory of our frontier soldiers? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Xuan Chong's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Even if we lose, we can still brag. So let's go along with the official bragging. Anyway, the cabinet's bragging is very thick-skinned and can't be blown out. If we add our victory to it, wouldn't it make it easier for readers to find the highlights?"

Xuan Chong looked at He Cunzhao and exclaimed: "Sir, you are a man of great talent."

He Cunzhao smiled and returned the bow.

In fact, without He Cunzhao, Xuan Chong would not have shown any intention to oppose the imperial court. A person who is alone must be shrewd and calculating, but because he had a clever confidant, he felt comfortable showing his resentment.

The hot-blooded He Cunzhao naturally knew that Xuan Chong was merely expressing his "temperament" and was actually quite rational. The most important thing for a strategist was to offer equally rational advice.

The greatest fear among the ministers within the Han dynasty is that their ruler will one day lose control and become unable to act rationally due to his temperament. As a monarch, one should appropriately release one's "temperament" so that ministers can take the opportunity to articulate "rational" strategies.

…only eulogies and praises can be written…

The newspapers of the Hanbei Protectorate began to report on the victory and defeat of the war against the barbarians.

Without violating the spirit of the imperial court, the Beiyang Daily introduced the "Four Directions, Six Corners, and Ten-Sided Network" strategy currently in effect.

He: Although we haven't completely eliminated the Ork scourge, we've at least strategically encircled them from all directions. The overall situation is improving. Let's not dwell on the success or failure of one or two battles; we must focus on the big picture.

The article was quickly reprinted by Jianye authorities. The editors of the Jujiang Times were less polite, offering a very "fair and objective" list of the Ministry of War's overly ambitious strategies and inefficient execution.

Finally, the key question is: In the recent battle, during the annihilation of the Han army's elite reorganized division, was there a problem with the selection of generals? Why, in the early stages of the encirclement, when the entire army was still able to break out, did they suddenly become as if they were frozen in place, passively defending and taking hits?

He then began a debate with his readers from the south. As the debate progressed, when the Jujiang Daily questioned him, the Hanbei Protectorate presented its own battle situation regarding the control of Ork as evidence.

Is this some kind of double act? They seem like rivals, but in reality, they are close friends. Hanbei elaborated on his own military achievements and role; the Jujiang Daily gained a huge amount of traffic, and its subscriptions skyrocketed. The only one who felt bad was Lin Sima in the imperial court.

After reading the newspaper, this Lord Sima felt a tightness in his chest! This wasn't a debate at all; it was more like repeatedly pulling down his pants and pointing at his buttocks, asking whether it was a "monkey's butt" or a "peach."

At this moment, Lord Lin was well aware of the debt his rebellious son had incurred ten years ago when he was so arrogant. —That debt was easy to repay back then; all it took was a formal apology and a statement of remorse.

Now that Liu Haoxing holds such a high position in the north, this is a messy situation that's giving him a headache.

Actually, when Xuan Chong entered Yandu for the second time, Lin Sima wanted to alleviate the situation through some people. However, at that time, Xuan Chong was completely immune to the virus.

Thinking back now, Lin Sima felt a chill run down his spine. In his eyes, Xuan Chong was such a thoughtful, patient, and capable young man when he took the imperial examination a few years ago. What would become of the Lin family? Even with his daughter in the harem, as new people replaced the old in the court, his family, as relatives of the emperor, would not escape being sidelined and suppressed.

…At this time, the northern planetary aspect is “the handle of the spoon points to the wolf”…

In the autumn sacrifice of 2113, Xuan Chong earnestly presided over the ceremony. During the ritual music, the erhu's melody simulated the howling north wind and rustling dust. However, the variations in the erhu's strings made it seem as if the wind wasn't blowing from north to south, but rather from the Hebei-Shanxi region towards the northern frontier!
That's right, the natural wind blows from north to south, but the wind of human culture blows from south to north.

Through this sacrificial ceremony, Xuan Chong proclaimed to all directions, establishing the cultural lineage of Hanbei.

Xuan Chong finalized the terms: Hanbei and Dongtu would adopt the Han system in terms of etiquette and law (meaning that their origins were in the Han Dynasty), and in terms of culture and customs, they would be branches of the Ji-Jin region, developing according to the local climate of the north.

This proclamation serves as a general outline for future generations, indicating that when Hanbei and Dongtu encounter obstacles and need reform decades later, conservatives can trace their cultural origins back to the Hebei-Shanxi lineage and define their place. Radicals, seeking change, can adapt to their own geographical, climatic, and cultural position within the world.

The experience of Xuan Chong's reforms: The core of reform lies in the redistribution of the pie of interests. One hand must hold the pie in place so that the other can tear it apart. These two hands are conservatism and change. If conservatives don't uphold traditional bottom lines, the entire pie will be snatched away by outsiders, as seen in the doomsday of the British. So-called change, without clearly defining what absolutely cannot be changed, allows opponents to use "change" as a pretext to rip the entire pie away.

After the sacrificial ceremony, the words that Xuan Chong read aloud on the northern land became the "Imperial Edict".

This is the "constitution" in "having the constitution in one's mouth." Xuan Chong is now undertaking an "entrepreneurial" endeavor in the north, so he naturally has the right to leave regulations for future generations. —Of course, Xuan Chong himself jokingly says that he has left behind a "subjective theory."

After the autumn sacrifice, He Cunzhao and other scholars from the Hebei school praised it highly. On this newly developed land, everyone was a newcomer, so who was the host and who was the guest? This wasn't as simple as eating at someone else's table or deciding whether tofu pudding was sweet or savory.

There is a saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." When Xuan Chong determined that the folk culture was a "branch of the Ji-Jin region," the scholars of the "Ji" and "Jin" factions became the hosts.

Although most of the immigrants who migrated to the Protectorate from the north bank did not come from Hebei or Shanxi, and many even came from Japan and Korea, the memorial text stipulated that their ancestral home was not the "main lineage".

If these non-mainstream immigrants were to gather together now to form clans and communities, it would be somewhat "outsider-like." They can only atomize first, and then reproduce generation after generation to become locals.

This is similar to how the main cultural lineage of the United States originates from the west coast of Europe. When Asians, Blacks, and even a large number of Hispanics arrive, their first impression is that of "outsiders." But when a white South African arrives, his first impression is that of an "insider," capable of starting an electric vehicle company, developing rockets, and announcing his intention to represent America in landing on Mars.

Xuan Chong identified the cultural origins of Hanbei as the regions of "Ji" and "Jin," a move driven by shrewd political calculations. He bypassed his trusted subordinates, such as Su Ming and He Cunzhao, and made this decision after having his father, Liu Dangzhen, send the clan's children to various places for schooling and to understand the local employment trends.

Xuan Chong: In making friends, one should be pragmatic. Don't associate with useless friends to avoid wasting your energy. Similarly, now only scholars from Hebei and Shanxi might go north to Hanbei. As for other places like Qilu, no matter how you look at it, the "rebel kings" from those places would rather go to Jiangnan than come here, so there's no need to consider their feelings.

Virtue encompassing the world? That's what the most benevolent person should do! As a corner of the world, maintaining good communication with neighboring regions and ensuring that we remain connected even when we're separated by blood is enough to fulfill our obligations!
…Xuan Chong: It's my turn to ask for a higher price again! …

In the Jiangnan region, the autumn sacrifice of the 13th year of the Hanbei Protectorate did not generate much of a response, merely appearing briefly in the newspapers.

However, inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Emperor looked at the northern map measured by the latest space remote sensing equipment and slowly said, "Haoxing is overcoming all obstacles in the north. As his father, are you worried?"

On the projection beside him, Liu Dangzhen said calmly, "There's nothing to worry about."

Lin Zhu frowned: "You've always been so calm."

Liu Dangzhen and Liu Wang have known each other since childhood. Liu Wang's (Lin Zhu's) strongest impression of Liu Dangzhen is that he is always calm and collected.

Thirty years ago, when Liu Wang and Liu Dangzhen were still children, they were among a large group of people with the surname Liu who were summoned to the ancestral temple to kowtow before the tablets of Heaven and Earth.

Back then, most of the Liu family's children were anxiously wondering if they had any chance of awakening their "dragon seed." Even Liu Wang was anxious, but Liu Dangzhen, who was in this circle, was never flustered. In the end, he was caught at the last deadline and became one of the awakened individuals trained by the Imperial Ancestral Temple in that year's Han Dynasty.

Similarly, twenty years ago, industry was booming throughout the Han Dynasty, with various vassal states enthusiastically introducing machinery to develop their industries. Only Dongtu remained stagnant, yet Liu Dangzhen remained calm. It seemed as if Dongtu was destined to soar to great heights one day.

Even when it came to raising his son, he remained calm. Back then, Liu Haoxing, as the heir apparent, was bullied and might have become depressed and despondent. But Liu Dangzhen was still unperturbed, as if he had long realized that his son could succeed.

Liu Wang (Lin Zhu): The court intends to force Ouke to the north, which will put a lot of pressure on him (Xuan Chong).

Liu Dangzhen: Then you need to give him more support.

Liu Wang: Aren't you afraid your son will die?

Liu Dangzhen: I'm about to have my grandson.

The futuristic methods of childbirth are commonplace in Xuan Chong's area. In Qin Tianyi's time, in-vitro fertilization was just as common as cesarean sections were in Xuan Chong's era.

However, the young couple's use of future equipment greatly shocked Liu Wang, who was in the know.

What shocked Liu Wang the most was that his father, Liu Dangzhen, had no objection to this—he could see the future, but he couldn't be indifferent to every "future".

Liu Wang stared at Liu Dangzhen: I'm utterly speechless.

(End of this chapter)