I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 924: The Capital Has Changed

In the second year of Kaiyuan, in the middle of November, Luoyang.

The road to Shu is difficult, harder than climbing to heaven, and even more so during times of war.

Finally, after nearly a month of travel, the envoys from Chengdu finally arrived at the outskirts of Luoyang.

On the official road west of Luoyang City, a team of carriages and horses drove slowly. In the leading blue cloth carriage, a tall and handsome man lifted the curtain and squinted at the approaching Luoyang City Wall.

"Mr. Zhang, Luoyang City is ahead." The attendant reported respectfully outside the car.

Looking at the long queue of people outside the city gate and the guards in distinctive armor, Zhang Su took a deep breath: "The center of the world is indeed extraordinary."

Zhang Su, whose courtesy name was Junjiao, was a native of Chengdu, Shu County. He was the elder brother of Zhang Song, the protagonist of the "Zhang Song Presents a Map" incident in later generations.

At this time, Zhang Su, as the deputy governor of Yizhou, was highly regarded by Liu Yan and was sent as an envoy to Su Yao.

On the surface, he came to pay tribute to the court to express Yizhou's submission. Secretly, he wanted to probe the court's strengths and weaknesses, contact the princes, resolve Liu Yan's worries, and provide a basis for Yizhou's next plan.

Zhang Su muttered to himself, "I heard that Su Yao has returned from pacifying Huainan. I wonder what kind of person this great general is."

The carriage slowly drove towards the city gate and waited in line.

As the distance got closer, Zhang Su soon noticed that many strange devices had been added to the city wall - they were complex machines made of wood and iron, with one every ten feet, emitting a cold light in the sunlight.

"What is that?" Zhang Su's pupils shrank slightly.

"My dear, that is the 'divine arm crossbow' invented by the general. It is said to be able to shoot from 300 steps away, and can penetrate even a person wearing heavy armor with one shot." The accompanying local guide proudly explained, "Since the general implemented the new policy, the capital Luoyang has changed a lot."

Zhang Su was secretly surprised, but he didn't show it on his face: "Interesting, interesting."

After waiting for a while, the convoy finally arrived at the city gate. The soldiers guarding the city came forward to check. Zhang Su's servant immediately handed over the document from Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, and stated his purpose.

"An envoy from Chengdu is paying tribute?"

A tall officer checked the documents and nodded:
"We did receive the report before, but there are a lot of things going on in the court recently. You should go to the official post station in the west of the city and wait. There will be someone to receive you there. Don't cause trouble."

Zhang Su was slightly annoyed by the man's arrogant attitude and was about to scold him when he suddenly noticed a special epaulette on his shoulders, with two crossed swords as if guarding a star. He also saw that his uniform was obviously different from that of the surrounding soldiers, and he seemed to be an extraordinary person. He quickly responded while asking about his background.

While speaking, he also praised his military uniform highly, saying it was very majestic.

The officer was originally looking unhappy, but after hearing his praise, his expression eased a little. He raised his hand to adjust his epaulettes, and his tone was also somewhat proud:
"I am Wen Chou, the Right General of the Cavalry Guards. I am currently on duty to defend Luoyang. Under the rule of the great general, the capital is prosperous, merchants are everywhere, goods are flowing like rain, and officials and scholars are traveling back and forth from the south and the north. You envoys from other places, it is best to behave yourself and not cause any trouble."

"?!"

When Zhang Su heard that the person in front of him was Wen Chou, he was shocked.

Compared to the suddenly rising Su Yao, Yuan Benchu's name is obviously more well-known to people all over the world.

Zhang Su had long heard that Yan Liang and Wen Chou, two of Yuan Shao's generals, were the bravest of the three armies, but he did not expect that Wen Chou was now serving in Luoyang.

It seems that the rumor that Yuan Shao was recruited by Su Yao is true. His power even asked Yuan Shao's trusted old subordinates to come to Luoyang to guard the gate.

Swallowing his saliva, Zhang Su hurriedly cupped his hands and spoke more respectfully: "I have long heard of General Wen's great name. It is a great honor to meet him today!"

Wen Chou waved his hand and said, "Okay, hurry into the city and don't block the people behind you."

Zhang Su did not dare to delay and immediately ordered the convoy to enter the city. After walking a distance, he breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to his followers:
"I didn't expect to meet such a person right after entering Luoyang. This great general has many brave generals under his command. Even Yuan Benchu's generals are in his service."

After entering Luoyang City, Zhang Su was even more shocked by the scene before him.

The wide streets are crowded with people, shops are lined up on both sides, and various hawking sounds can be heard one after another.

Such a scene shocked him greatly.

The Zhang family is a famous family in Shu, and Zhang Su is no ordinary person who has never seen the world. The reason why he went on a diplomatic mission to Luoyang this time was precisely because he had the experience of studying in Luoyang with his father in his early years.

In his memory and common sense, the two capitals of the Han Dynasty both implemented the market system, with the East Market and the West Market arranged neatly like a chessboard, and the towering walls of the market tightly framed the hustle and bustle of the market. The market was closed and curfewed at dusk, which was a solemn and dignified scene. But what he saw before him was completely different.

There were shops lining both sides of the street, pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder, and there were even vendors pushing wheelbarrows and selling their wares along the street.

What is even more surprising is that most of the walls of the neighborhood have been demolished, and all the houses along the street have opened shops. The shops are filled with a wide variety of goods such as cloth, raw silk, ready-made clothes, brocade, porcelain, lacquerware, jewelry, jade, tea, and medicinal herbs.

"How can this be outrageous?" Zhang Su couldn't help but blurt out.

The accompanying guide smiled and said, "You may not know, but since the general took office, the curfew system has been abolished, allowing the people to do business freely. Now Luoyang City is bustling day and night, more than ten times more prosperous than before."

As they were talking, a team of police officers in uniform passed by in a line, with the words "Municipal Supervisor" embroidered on their arms.

Before Zhang Su could ask, the guide took the initiative to explain: "These are the people from the newly established Market Supervision Office under the Ministry of Revenue. They are responsible for matters such as short weight and selling inferior goods as good ones. If there is any dispute, you can immediately ask them to make a decision."

Zhang Su was secretly shocked. How could this city look like the solemnity of an imperial capital? It looked more like a commercial capital like Linzi during the Warring States Period.

Compared with the prosperous Chengdu that the Shu people were proud of, the current capital is simply a world of difference.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Su couldn't believe that Luoyang City had just experienced several wars and disasters.

Just as I was wondering, I suddenly heard the sound of reading aloud coming from the front. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw dozens of young people reading in unison in an open courtyard.

A plaque with the words "Luoyang Elementary School" was hung above the gate of the courtyard, and the signature was actually from the then Taifu Lu Zhi.

"This is elementary education"

"It is one of the new policies of the general." The guide listed them clearly, "All children of Luoyang citizens can go to school when they are six years old. Not only do they not need to pay tuition to become teachers, but the textbooks and teaching materials are all provided free of charge by the school. There are more than ten such elementary schools in the city now. The general calls them primary schools. Those who excel in their studies can continue to study in middle schools or even enter the Imperial College."

Zhang Su just felt dizzy.

Educate the people for free? Is Su Yao trying to imitate Wang Mang and win over the people's hearts?

The convoy continued to move forward, and when passing by the former site of Imperial College, it saw a scene of bustling construction.

There, hundreds of craftsmen are expanding the school, and the outline of the new library can be seen.

"Is the Imperial College also going to be expanded?"

"That's right." The guide nodded. "The general has started the imperial examination, saying that he wants to recruit all the talents in the world. The existing school buildings are obviously not enough. Look over there--"

The guide pointed to a row of newly built courtyards in the distance and said, "That's the newly established Institute of Gewu, which specializes in studying various crafts. There's also a new medical school next to it. I heard that Mr. Hua Tuo taught here."

hiss--

Zhang Su took a deep breath and unconsciously gripped the handrail of the carriage.

Zhang Su suddenly understood why this great general could sweep the country so quickly and save the country from danger.

General Su Yao, now it seems, is not the barbarian or brave warrior as rumored by the outside world, but a far-sighted and talented state official!

It would probably be very difficult for Envoy Liu to fight against such people with the power of an entire state.

With his heart growing heavier, Zhang Su's carriage turned the corner and suddenly a newly built three-story pavilion came into view.

Zhang Su raised his head and his gaze suddenly paused. The four large gold-plated characters on the door plaque made him feel stunned and dazed for a moment.

"China Money Bank?"

“What a big name!”

"What is this place?"

(End of this chapter)