Tiger Owl

Chapter 332 Cao Cao's Enlightenment
In the past few days, Cao Cao did something big: he officially promoted Gan Ning to the title of King of Wei. The reason was simple: Gan Ning was enfeoffed as Duke of Chu, which was equal to Cao Cao's, which was obviously inappropriate. So Cao Cao used Hua Xin's words to strongly request the emperor to enfeoff him as King of Wei in order to suppress Gan Ning.

Cao Cao only wanted an excuse, or rather, a fig leaf. Gan Ning's enfeoffment as Duke of Chu was the best excuse and fig leaf.

That afternoon, Cao Cao received a personal letter from Mao Jie.

Cao Cao read the rather lengthy letter three times, and then fell silent.

For the entire afternoon, Cao Cao sat silently in his study, like a statue.

In the afternoon, Cheng Yu, Chen Qun, and Jia Xu were all summoned.

“Take a look at this letter!”

Cao Cao handed Mao Jie's letter to the three men, his expression somewhat solemn.

After reading the letter and report, Cheng Yu felt a slight pang in his heart. He then advised Cao Cao, "Investing in education is called a long-term plan. It's not that you won't see any changes in ten years. But will the Prime Minister give him ten years? I believe that all his efforts will ultimately benefit the Prime Minister."

Cheng Yu's insight was indeed sharp; he immediately pointed out Gan Ning's biggest weakness in investing in education: time.

Investing in education during times of chaos is unwise; it takes too long, and often the hard work is taken away before the flowers bloom. Education is something that should only be done after the world is unified.

Cao Cao sighed softly, "I'm not concerned about education, but rather I'm somewhat afraid of Gan Ning's political acumen. He far surpasses that of ordinary local warlords. Most local warlords focus solely on improving their military and don't consider anything else. But Gan Ning is different. He not only strengthens the military but also attracts talent through the imperial examination system, advocates frugality, reduces taxes and corvée labor to allow the people to rest and recuperate, and emphasizes culture and education while vigorously developing agriculture. This is something only a wise ruler would do. With such an opponent, how can I not be afraid?"

The three then realized that the Prime Minister's concern was not about Gan Ning's investment in education, but about Gan Ning himself.

Cao Cao paced back and forth in the room, beginning to feel a pang of regret. He felt he had misjudged people, placing too much importance on Liu Bei while underestimating Gan Ning. He always thought of him as a second Sun Ce, too young, like a newly emerged river, surging powerfully but lacking depth.

But Gan Ning's actions over the past few months made Cao Cao suddenly realize that Gan Ning was not a new river, but rather seemed more like the rebirth of an ancient river.

But now he can no longer return to Jianghuai. Perhaps he can arrange for Jiangdong and Nanjun to strengthen their defenses.

Cao Cao suppressed the bitterness in his heart. His pride and dignity prevented him from facing this newly emerging realization, so he turned his thoughts back to the matter at hand.

Cao Cao sat down again and said to Chen Qun, "Woodblock printing is not only beneficial to education, but also very important in other aspects. I also want to emulate and promote it. I will entrust this matter to the strategist. Use whatever resources you need."

Cao Cao took out a gold medal and handed it to Chen Qun. This medal granted Chen Qun the power to freely access various resources. Like Gan Ning, Cao Cao also placed woodblock printing in a strategic position, giving Chen Qun the greatest support.

Chen Qun accepted the gold medal and nodded, "This subordinate will do his best!"

He used the phrase "to the best of his ability" instead of "definitely," because he had a clear understanding that Gan Ning's willingness to reveal the secret so openly was probably because he had already set his sights on the resources in the north.

After everyone had taken their leave, Cao Cao stood alone by the window. The sun had long since set, and the moonlight had just risen. The night and the western afterglow intertwined, creating a tranquil twilight.

This was Cao Cao's favorite moment, but at this moment he had no heart to appreciate the tranquil twilight; he only felt unease and a trace of inexplicable panic.

He suddenly remembered the young man who came to him with the imperial seal many years ago. At that time, he was humble and weak, and his demands were very low. He only wanted a small position as the county magistrate of Chaisang. He didn't take him seriously at all.

But it was precisely because of his disregard and indulgence that Gan Ning developed rapidly, from a small stream into a small river, and then from a small river into a great river, and now he seems to have become a boundless sea.

Did he still have a chance to suppress and eliminate him? At this moment, Cao Cao's heart was filled with bitterness.

"Father, should we light a lamp?" Cao Pi, the second son, asked from behind. He placed a cup of hot tea on his father's desk and carefully reminded him that the room was already dark.

"No need to turn on the lights!"

Cao Cao's voice sounded somewhat tired. He glanced at his son and after a long pause said, "You have good judgment!"

Cao Pi was taken aback, not understanding what his father was talking about, but Cao Cao did not want to explain, and simply waved his hand, "Go! Let your father have some peace and quiet."

Cao Pi dared not say anything more, quietly closed the door and retreated. Watching his son's figure disappear into the distance, Cao Cao sighed. Back then, his son was determined to keep Gan Ning, but he didn't think much of it. As it turns out, in the matter of Gan Ning, his judgment was indeed inferior to his son's. But what's the use of saying these things now?

At this moment, Cao Cao suddenly realized that marrying Gan Ning might be one of the best decisions he had ever made.

The next morning, Chen Qun selected more than a dozen capable officials to set up a printing bureau and began to work on woodblock printing. According to Mao Jie's description, they needed four steps: plate making, wood carving, printing, and binding, as well as two major projects: ink and papermaking.

Just like Ma Liang and Li Zhuan before them, their first task was to find a woodcarver and a papermaker to conduct preliminary investigations.

Two days later, the preliminary results came out, which made Chen Qun feel like he had fallen into an ice cave. There were no wood carvers in Yecheng who could carve characters. Although he found more than a hundred wood carvers, their skills were very rough and they were obviously craftsmen who had been rejected.

According to these woodcarvers, a little over a month ago, a wealthy merchant from the south had gathered all the best woodcarvers in Yecheng.

Needless to say, this wealthy merchant from the south was from Xichu. Not only were there no woodcarvers, but the best papermaking craftsmen had also been poached.

For a moment, Chen Qun was filled with anxiety and helplessness.

Chen Qun's deputy was Wang Lang. Compared to Chen Qun's anxiety, Wang Lang was more calm and smiled at Chen Qun, saying, "Actually, papermaking is easy to solve. Isn't Jiangdong famous for papermaking? Just forcibly relocate the major papermaking workshops in Jiangdong to the north."

A single sentence reminded Chen Qun, who patted his forehead and laughed, "I was so flustered that I forgot about Jiangdong."

Suddenly, a thought struck him: "Jiangdong is a hub for skilled craftsmen; could we perhaps find a woodcarver there as well?"

Wang Lang, who had once been the governor of Kuaiji, knew Jiangdong quite well. He shook his head and said, "The craftsmen in Jiangdong are relatively concentrated, and the woodcarvers are mainly concentrated in Wu County. I estimate that the Western Chu side has already started digging these kinds of things."

Chen Qun sighed, "You're right, but I still want to give it a try."

Wang Lang thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there are ways to find a woodcarver. I have two strategies."

Chen Qun perked up, "Tell me more details!"

Wang Lang slowly said, "The northern region is vast, and the Western Chu can only focus on places like Ye City and Xuchang when they try to recruit people. They can't reach other places. We should notify each county to find excellent woodcarvers and send them to Ye City. I believe we will be successful. This is the best strategy."

"Continue with the worst option?"

"The worst-case scenario is to use a substitute, such as a stone carver."

Before Wang Lang could finish speaking, Chen Qun shook his head. "The inferior strategy is not advisable. I think the superior strategy is more promising. Let's use the superior strategy first, and only consider the inferior strategy if it really doesn't work."

(End of this chapter)