Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 45 Loyalty and bravery to the country
"A string of copper coins, scattered and rolling, with a dark hole in the middle, heartless and lungless..."

Children in the countryside sang this nursery rhyme as they skipped and hopped past. Xuan Chong had just held a meeting with his uncle's business associates at the camp. Looking up at the laughing children, he seemed lost in thought. As a gentleman on the internet in later generations, Xuan Chong was well aware that these children were spreading a joke.

This event is also recorded in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Nursery rhymes like "A thousand miles of grass, how green! Ten days of divination, and still no life" spread throughout Luoyang. The mischievous children singing such rhymes beside Dong Zhuo's carriage are the earliest recorded examples of "mischievous brats." Dong Zhuo, being an old man, didn't understand the culture of the younger generation, so he happily entered the palace.

Of course, the problem wasn't with the children singing nursery rhymes, but with the local scholars who would comment on current events according to their own preferences. Those catchy and easy-to-recite phrases were then spread by the children, who didn't understand their meaning, as practice for their speech.

Xuan Chong stared at the children, and the children were also looking at Wu Fei, who was sitting on his horse.

After staring at each other for a while, Xuan Chong took out a coin and suddenly said to the kids, "Sing a line with me, and I'll give you a big coin to buy candy."

The little devils swarmed around, and Xuan Chong sang, "I love you, walking alone in the dark alley." After getting a coin, the children joined in the singing.

Xuan Chong continued, "I love you even when you don't kneel down." The children were already interested in singing along, so Wu Fei pressed on and began the third line with a change in tone: "I love you even when you faced despair, but you refused to cry."

A few minutes later, Wu Fei watched the children walk away. At that moment, the children were singing: "I love your tattered clothes, yet I dare to block fate's gun; I love how much we resemble each other, even our welts are the same..."

The children sang the nursery rhyme with increasing enthusiasm, because the adults watching them gave them the motivation to keep singing it.

As a transmigrator, Xuan Chong nodded after watching the kids dance and sing away. The childish secret codes from his past life sounded perfectly natural in this new world. He wondered if any other transmigrators would try to exchange codes with him.
Xuan Chong smiled. Well, he was a kid now, too.

…However, a system pop-up window appeared…

System: "Please analyze the impact of folk song dissemination on the economy, politics, and culture in the current historical period. Also, considering your own era, analyze the role of media discourse power in international politics."

"Hiss—" Xuan Chong took a deep breath of unpleasant air and muttered under his breath, "I hate it when I'm relaxing and suddenly I'm given homework." It felt as nauseating as having to write a report after every spring outing.

However, Xuan Chong quickly switched into the mindset of a "test-taker" and began a serious analysis, namely that the conflict between the Wu family army, as an outside force wielding violence, and the local powerful clans was intensifying!
Xuan Chong pondered for a moment, then brought in a modern example: a decade or so before his birth in his previous life, a local community in a southern free port clashed with people from the north. Because the local group controlled the film industry and various other sectors, they were no match for the northern groups seeking a living, so they resorted to collectively vilifying the northern cultural community. Yes, this was an absurd attempt to use the opinions of one port to vilify an entire country, and the lingering poison of that attack persisted for decades.

Xuan Chong paused mid-sentence as he worked on the problem. Following this line of thought, the Wu family army was indeed facing a hidden danger, because in the eyes of these scholars, the Wu family army was currently considered to be from Lingnan.

Although the Wu family's ancestors migrated from the north of Da Yao, the hatred of regional forces is based on emotion rather than logic.

The system saw Xuan Chong's analysis and then said: "Please discuss how to handle such conflicts and contradictions."

Xuan Chong: "The other side can't use knives, so they can only use public opinion. The Wu family is weak in public opinion, but they have knives! In other words, the ultimate conflict is to cleanse the top echelons, or to create a new top class."

The system remained silent.

Xuan Chong paused for a moment: "My answer is wrong."

System: "This is an open question; there is no right or wrong answer. The correctness of the answer lies in practice."

Xuan Chong crouched down and watched the ants on the ground. The ants moved along their routes, and even if he cut off one of their paths with a knife, they would still follow the instructions from deep within their nest. Xuan Chong spurred his horse and flew twenty zhang high, looking at the fortified village dozens of miles away. It was from there that Tong Yao's instructions came.

In this era, the source of nursery rhymes was obvious: those who recited poems and composed couplets. The words they chanted were overheard by servants, who then recited them, and the children spread them. Like pheromones at the center of an anthill, they controlled the information input to the people.

The powerful clans grasped the essence of the classics. Thus, as information hubs, they acted like the center of a swarm issuing commands to the swarm, unilaterally instilling their preferred concepts into the people, while the people's suffering from cold, hunger, and hardship, as well as their own fundamental interests, remained unspoken.

Xuan Chong reflected: Simply killing cannot reverse this structure. For example, Huang Chao almost wiped out all the aristocratic families at the end of the Tang Dynasty, but Zizhi Tongjian stood on the interests of the new aristocratic class and completely smeared his actions.

After Huang Chao, another figure similar to Huang Chao used the catchphrase "Eat his grain, drink his mother's water, when the rebel king comes, no more taxes will be paid" to directly overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

When ordinary people rise up in rebellion due to natural disasters, or because they've heard the same songs, they are no longer mere weeds, but a tide of blood!
Wait a minute, Xuan Chong muttered to himself, “I think I’ve found a clue. From Huang Chao to Li Zicheng, the source of the ‘rumors’ has changed, from aristocratic families to poor families; the social media has also changed, from the unconscious behavior of ignorant children to farmers and city dwellers selectively amplifying the rumors according to their own interests.”

This is the starting point from the eve of thought control to modern times.

Xuan Chong wrote the words "La Marseillaise" on the bookmark page reserved in the system, meaning that the army, through its military song, had wrested control of information dissemination from the kingdom's nobles and the Papacy. The army's mobility made its dissemination efficiency instantly surpass that of the old forces.

From the perspective of a historical observer, this is one of the "characteristics" of the sudden modernization of traditional serf uprisings.

Of course, Xuan Chong thought about it and realized that he still needed to rein in his ambitions.

The feudal lords of medieval Europe lacked historical experience. In modern times, they had their armies sing, and as they sang, they themselves resonated with the songs, which in turn led to the king being sent to the guillotine. But in the East? They had plenty of experience with that.

…The system has been hidden…

In the East, if military leaders attempt to gain control of public opinion, they are condoning the spread of "rebellious and absurd words."

Eastern governance systems are quite wary of this matter. Such behavior is categorized as "usurpation."

The phrase "Great Chu will rise, Chen Sheng will be king" from the pre-Qin period led to strict prohibitions against military personnel singing it indiscriminately. Even if the singing was correct, it would arouse the rulers' suspicion. Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong" was faithful enough, but it still touched on the Zhao family's ancestral fear of military generals, ultimately leading to his downfall at Fengbo Pavilion.

After the Song Dynasty, Chinese military generals were absolutely forbidden from creating literary works that deviated from the "spirit of the emperor's supreme instructions."

Wu Fei was certain that if he dared to release something as advanced as "military songs," the high-ranking officials in the imperial court would immediately assume that he harbored ulterior motives.

For Wu Fei, he had finally found a "powerful tool" in the toolbox of history, but he couldn't use it, so he started scratching his head in frustration.

What if the caravans performed? Wu Fei shook his head again. Putting aside the consequences of merchants gaining power in the future, even now, merchants are very resistant to activities like singing. Actors who make a living by singing are considered even lower than beggars, belonging to the lowest of the low.

If a child from a respectable family says he wants to sing opera, his parents or elders will break his legs.

Wu Fei looked up at the sky. The Eastern Dynasty he faced possessed a complete and stable control system. Breaking this system would require a long and gradual historical evolution, something that could not be broken by one or two clever individuals. The cultural inertia of large countries was too meticulous; only through dynastic change and taking advantage of the chaos could anything be done.

Wu Fei left the Wu Family Army's camp. Inside the camp, Xian Daoren watched Wu Fei's figure and sniffed: "I smelled the scent of wonderful changes, but it seems to have been covered up again. Of course, it will eventually appear, because you can't completely let go of the doubts in your heart."

…The perspective shifts to the north…

In the main hall of the imperial court, fifteen palace maids unfurled a silk map several tens of feet long.

The upper part of the map is written in ancient script as "Map of Mountains and Rivers". It shows the entire area covered by the royal aura of the Great Yao. This map was passed down from the previous dynasty, and the map can actually be made larger or smaller.

When the nation that possessed the map was at the height of its power, the map could be unfolded to a size of 100 zhang (approximately 33 meters), showing the Northern Rong tribes to the north, the Hundred Thousand Mountains to the south, the myriad islands of the Eastern Sea to the east, and the desolate mountains and deserts to the west. However, when the nation's power waned, the map could only be unfolded to a size of 9 zhang (approximately 43 meters) square.

It is said that before the Great Yao, at the end of the Cheng Dynasty, the Mountain and River Map could be unfolded by four people, and only one state was revealed.

Emperor Xu, wearing Cloud-Ascending Boots, looked at his vast land. At this moment, the northeast corner of the Map of Mountains and Rivers was missing. The patterns of mountains, rivers, and cities had become extremely dim, indicating that it had been usurped by the Evil Dragon Clan. In addition, the islands in the East China Sea were now hidden in the clouds and mist in the map.

Whether the land falls within the realm of royal aura can be seen from the map of the land and grain. Whether royal aura covers the land depends on whether the people of this region tacitly accept that the ruler of the land is the Son of Heaven. To some extent, Wu Fei at this time also tacitly accepts that Da Yao is the legitimate ruler, thus this is also part of the manifestation of the kingly way at this time.

In the realm seen by the Emperor, at the Yunmeng Marsh, although there was a dazzling ship covered in dragon scales, the mountains and rivers of this region were still clearly discernible on the map. The imperial army (Wu Family Army) stationed across the river from Changcheng was like a raging fire, continuously melting away the rebellion.

Within the Yunmengze region, the Wu family army has steadily advanced, dismantling numerous aquatic strongholds along the five-hundred-mile stretch of Yunmengze waters, forcing the local dragon race to remain on land. Another year of siege should pacify the waters.

Emperor Shu: "Marquis Qiansu Pavilion is a capable commander."

The eunuch standing to the side said, "The Marquis of Qiansu Pavilion's family has enjoyed the emperor's favor for generations, so naturally they will not allow the rebels to act recklessly."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xu seemed to be provoked: "Hmph, enjoying the emperor's favor for generations does not guarantee loyalty and service in times of national crisis!"

Emperor Shu glanced at Changcheng and said, "The Marquis of Qiansu Pavilion is currently constrained by military funds and expenses, so he cannot quickly quell the rebellion."

The eunuchs standing nearby remained silent, for this involved a power struggle between the imperial court and the aristocratic families. —It is said that Emperor Xu's impression of the Wu family army's current "difficulties" stemmed from accusations made by local powerful families.

The powerful families of Changcheng now have more energy than other local magnates to complain about their interests being harmed! Meanwhile, many villages in northern Dayao suddenly disappeared during the grain requisition, but the local powerful families remained indifferent. To these magnates, those villages that did not seek their protection were often "troublesome villages" that sheltered their runaway slaves! These "troublesome villages" have now met with misfortune, which is due to their inherent bad luck.

For the emperor sitting in the court, the voices of powerful families were largely the voices of the "local people." However, what they loudly proclaimed was different from the divination results of the empire that the emperor saw.

In times of peace, the monarch still cares about the reputation of a "prosperous age," but now it is a chaotic time of war.

The clamor of the powerful families in Donghua County at this time was not a case of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," but rather made the emperor feel that they were complaining about his decrees.

The Wu family army was transferred to Donghua County by imperial decree, and they are about to be successfully wiped out. The southern grain will soon be able to travel north along the river from Jizhou. (The reason the grain is currently stuck in Jizhou is not solely due to the war.)

Ultimately, the emperor also subtly hinted at the matter in his decree, urging the people of Donghua County to encourage each other during this time of national crisis.

……

February of the 28th year of the Tianli reign. Wu Hanluan's camp received another imperial decree. This time, the army banners were still in full flight, swaying in the wind, but the imperial halberds did not twist as they had a few months prior. However, perhaps it was just an illusion, but the halberds seemed to be swaying along with the main camp.

A month ago, a major epidemic broke out south of Donghua, causing the two armies in the south to collapse and flee due to the increased difficulty in maintaining their positions. Suddenly, Da Yao's only military support in Donghua County was the Wu family army.

Therefore, Wu Hanluan and his son, and even his nephew who "should" be in the south, all gained favor with the emperor.

Upon hearing the Emperor's decree, Wu Hanluan immediately replied that he would offer twenty fire oxen from the southern border as tribute.

These fire oxen have sturdy scales on their ribs and a pair of three-foot-long sharp horns on their heads; these features are said to be manifestations of the bloodline of the fire qilin.

After being tamed by the spirit talisman, these fire oxen ran in formation in the camp with great vigor, their huge eyes like red-hot coals in a furnace.

These monster mounts were escorted by Wu Fei, with the purpose of supplementing Wu Hengyu's forces with a sufficiently powerful ground monster cavalry unit. However, Wu Hanluan decided to offer them as tribute, while the imperial envoy simply smiled and accepted them.

Wu Fei was puzzled, and Wu Hengyu was annoyed.

The emotional Wu Hengyu was not being reasoned with for the time being, so Wu Hanluan pointed at Wu Fei: "The Emperor already knows that you came here. He also knows that you have been working hard in the Southern Frontier, but he is very unhappy that you kept it from him!"

(Offering these sacred oxen was a way for the subject to justify his actions, suggesting that although Wu Fei had come without prior notice, he was there to offer tribute, and that the Emperor didn't actually care about the twenty fire oxen, but accepting them meant that he would forgive and forget.)
Wu Fei suddenly understood. So he took the initiative to resign from Wu Hanluan's position.

Wu Fei: "The necessary tasks have all been completed in the past ten days or so, and the food supply in the main camp is currently basically guaranteed."

Wu Fei personally reviewed the situation of the soldiers who were engaged in commerce, and sorted out the trade routes to Donghua County. Rare goods from the southern border would be transported here, and people from Donghua County who had lost their land due to the war would also be relocated there.

Wu Hanluan nodded and told Wu Fei to go back quickly. Of course, he couldn't go back alone, but with five hundred soldiers to reassure the villagers that the expedition had gone well.

……

After Wu Fei left the camp, he suddenly heard the camp drums beating. Wu Fei turned his head and looked around. The camp was filled with murderous intent, and this murderous aura was pressing down towards the south.

Wu Fei understood: "My uncle has been ordered to send troops."

Behind Wu Fei, the two ghost cars suddenly raised their heads and made a piercing sound, just like chickens startled by firecrackers. Meanwhile, the animal trainer accompanying Wu Fei rang a bell, and the ghost cars settled down in their cages.

(End of this chapter)