Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 592: Institute of Gewu
The next day, many people stayed up all night.

Even Fa Zheng could not control his surging emotions. A brand new world was about to open up under their governance.

So much so that when Black Bear was having breakfast, Fa Zheng, with bloodshot eyes, handed over several rolls of drafts that the secretary had been busy working on all night.

Black Bear flipped through the sketches of these modified Kongming lanterns, and most of them were giant cylindrical Kongming lanterns, but with supporting structures inside.

After he finished looking at the blueprint, Fa Zheng said, "Your Majesty, we have discussed all night and decided that the three most important materials are: first, the cloth that Qin Mi is responsible for, which must be wide, thick, and airtight; second, the beam of the lamp, which cannot be made of heavy metal or iron, but tough rattan or bamboo."

After a pause, he continued, "I have heard that the vines in the deep forests of the south are very different from those in other places. Some vines can hang down from the cliffs to the bottom of the valley, and the barbarians use them to climb. If you take this kind of vine, soak it in tung oil, and soak it repeatedly, you can get a tough vine. In addition, you should take bamboo that grows slowly in the shade of the mountain. This kind of bamboo has a dense texture."

"The last thing is lacquer. I'm afraid the lacquer in Yizhou is insufficient. We can issue a reward and ask the Ba people and other barbarians to present new lacquer."

Fa Zheng waited quietly after he finished speaking, while Black Bear stared at a relatively reasonable sketch and said after a moment, "Sir, who do you think is more suitable?"

"It can be handed over to the heroes of South China to handle."

Fa Zheng has few friends, and Meng Da is now close to the point of promotion due to his seniority, so there is no need to create any more trouble.

He said without hesitation: "The heroes of the South are well aware of the local situation and can coordinate with the upper and lower levels to prevent chaos. If we send outsiders, they will be eager for quick success and rely on the strength of the shogunate, and will inevitably not care about the livelihoods of the barbarians. If chaos occurs, it will not be difficult for the shogunate to quell it, but delaying the plan of flying to the sky is a capital crime."

Under the stimulation of flying and searching for immortals, the main grand narrative of Guanzhong was no longer to follow the orthodox Jian'an system to fight against treacherous ministers, but to seek knowledge, explore the heaven and earth, and obtain the method of immortality.

Even if some people want to watch the fun, they will not pour cold water on it. Instead, they will actively participate in this matter and want to make the fire burn fiercely.

Only some honest people, worried about disrupting the recovery and development of productivity everywhere, would stand up to oppose and suppress the enthusiasm.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that even if a god is really found, it has nothing to do with ordinary officials and civilians.

"Sir, your concerns are justified. We will go to Chang'an University tomorrow to look for suitable candidates. We will also take the Kongming lantern to the university. Once it is in Nanzhong, the local Han tyrants in Nanzhong will naturally understand that the shogunate is following a map, not just making up stories."

Black Bear closed the blueprint and continued, "This time, Shuzhong has contributed a lot of manpower and resources, and Nanzhong has also contributed a lot. I also told them that if the Feitian plan can be carried out, the shogunate will select three people with outstanding contributions from Shuzhong and Nanzhong. The first one will be granted a county marquis with a fief of 1,000 households, and the next two will each be a pavilion marquis with 500 households."

Since Yizhou has already erupted in a craze for seeking immortality, adding another fire wouldn't be a big deal.

We have to find something for these people to do. Only with something to do can they make contributions, join the shogunate, and become the core.

Otherwise, just by compiling the Compendium of Materia Medica and rebuilding the Shu Road, the number of people that can be won over will be limited.

If you have something to do, there is hope for advancement, and you will naturally not rebel out of fear.

Fa Zheng agreed immediately and without waiting until the next day, he resigned and rode to Chang'an on horseback.

Only after he left did the black bear have a peaceful breakfast.

Only then will he meet Zhou Yu, in the pavilion on the bank of the Wangchuan River.

After greeting each other, Lu Bu sat in the pavilion and played the piano.

Amid the sound of the zither, Black Bear said to Zhou Yu, who was drinking tea, "I have heard people say that the best way to listen to zither music is to sit across a pond between pavilions and waterside buildings. It seems that the pond water can moisten the sound. I am not good at music, so I wonder what this saying means. What do you think, Governor?"

Zhou Yu didn't know who made these remarks, but he could sense the disdain in Black Bear's words and expression, and guessed that the author of these remarks should also be a down-and-out prince's son.

He smiled modestly: "The sound of the zither comes over the water, its sound is warm and gentle, but it has lost its original color."

"Yeah, it's very secretive and not neat."

Black Bear turned his head to look at the surface of the Wangchuan River, and saw many guards washing their horses by the river about 200 to 300 meters downstream. "It has been four months since the governor left Nanyang, and Nanyang is as stable as before. This shows that whether the governor is in Nanyang or not will not affect the situation in Nanyang."

Looking back at Zhou Yu's expression, he continued, "I'm not saying that the governor is dispensable to Nanyang, but I think the governor should go to a new place."

"I am willing to obey your Majesty's orders."

"That's just my thought, but no one knows how the war in Jingzhou will develop. Moreover, the old Jiangdong troops that surrendered in Nanyang were organized into military settlements. If they were entrusted to others, chaos would inevitably occur. Now you also know that Guanzhong is busy developing a flying device. If this thing is successful, it can be worth a hundred thousand troops."

"After you return to Nanyang, you will be responsible for the military settlement of the old army in Jiangdong. The post of Nanyang governor will be changed and transferred to Jiangxia governor. I will let Taishi Ci continue to cooperate with you. The two of you will be tasked with Jiangxia Huangzu. How to fight is your business. Don't expect me to dispatch reinforcements." "I obey your orders."

Zhou Yu bowed solemnly. As long as he was still in charge of the military affairs of Jingzhou, he had the confidence to come forward.

Zhou Yu did not deny the talents of Pei Qian, Duan Wei, Huang Zhong, and Wen Pin, but none of them had the ability to command a large army.

Maybe he can grow into an important person in the future, but not now, he is the only one.

He had the confidence in this regard, but he was unlucky and was tricked by the scholars of Jingxiang, which led to the ambush in Suicheng.

If he continued to be given power and allowed to choose his own battle opportunities, he would be confident of defeating Huang Zu and catching Pang Tong, the one who gave the advice.

Seeing Zhou Yu's serious expression, Black Bear smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. You are in your prime, and I am still a young man. I will give you three years. If you can't succeed in three years, I will give you another two years. I still respect Liu Fu more. If he knows what's good for him, he will give up Huang Zu and let you attack him."

If Liu Fu didn't want his entire family to die, he should have organized forces to attack the Shanyue and expand his territory.

It is possible that by capturing the Shanyue and forming a strong army, there would still be a chance for a counterattack.

If you continue to lead a life of drunkenness and dreams and insist on fighting for the Jianghan area, I will never show you any mercy in the future.

Black Bear has only a few goals. There is actually no essential difference whether he lets his subordinates, partners, or enemies do it.

Sometimes, it is easier and more efficient for the enemy to do it.

Zhou Yu naturally understood. Even if Huang Zu died of illness within three years, he would not be able to take over Jiangxia completely.

His actual period of action was only between three and five years, that is, before the winter of the 16th year of Jian'an.

And in the three years from now, the Southeast has things to do and cannot be disturbed by him.

As for Liu Qi, based on Zhou Yu's understanding of Liu Qi, Liu Qi is definitely not the type of person who would take the initiative to attack.

In other words, in the next few years, Nanyang and Jianghan areas will usher in a precious period of peace; unless Lu Su and Pang Tong launch another Northern Expedition during this period.

After discussing the key issues, Zhou Yu asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, is this Kongming lantern really made by Zhuge Kongming's wife, Huang?"

"It's her. Why should I fake it?"

Black Bear took a sip of tea and said, "I am also planning to build a school to study the properties of matter, so as to gain knowledge through studying things. Only by understanding the properties of all things can we use their power to assist the flying plan. If Zhuge Kongming has no objection, I will ask his wife to be the director of the school. I have known about her intelligence before. But I didn't expect that even with tens of thousands of scholars in Guanzhong, they are not as clever as her."

Zhou Yu was slightly surprised, but when he thought about the Cai School supported by Cai Zhaoji, it was not so strange to have another woman in charge of the Academy of Gewu.

What's more, the shogunate has already requested a title for Huang, a female feudal lord with a fief of 500 households, with a political status similar to that of a marquis. She will be in charge of an academy that does not involve political affairs or military affairs, so it will not affect anything.

Looking at Zhou Yu's expression, Black Bear patiently explained: "Since ancient times, it has been said that there are both male and female gods. The great cause of flying to the sky has begun. As a woman, she has shown talents far superior to men. This may not be a coincidence."

Zhou Yu also nodded slightly. It was useless for him to object anyway, and there was no need for him to object.

How many people can a school or academy support? And how many resources can it consume?

Even without the shogunate's allocation of money, Jingzhou could raise money to keep the school running.

Based on Zhuge Jin's current silent influence and good popularity, no one would jump out to make things difficult for his sister-in-law.

Besides, the Jiangxia Huang family and the Nanjun Cai family are just keeping a low profile at the moment; they are not dead.

Pushing Huang Yueying forward is better than having nothing at all.

As long as she is promoted, she will be a heroine on par with Cai Zhaoji, which will bring countless benefits to the two families and the scholars in Jingzhou.

(End of this chapter)