Han officials

Chapter 296 Crossing the River by Feeling Cao Cao's Footprints [4K]

"Chen Qun and Xun Yu are willing to surrender, but..."

Xiapi City, Prefectural Governor's Residence.

Zhang Zhao looked troubled and said:
"But Yuan Fanggong continued to curse and swore, uttering many foul words."

As the eldest son of Chen Shi, the magistrate of Taiqiu, Zhang Zhao dared not underestimate Chen Ji, even though he was now a commoner.

After all, when Zhang Zhao was still learning to read, Chen Ji, along with his father Chen Shi and younger brother Chen Chen, were already known as the "Three Gentlemen".

For decades, the party has been manipulating public opinion, and Chen Yuanfang has long since become more than just a personal figure.

In modern terms, Chen Ji was a highly respected "opinion leader".

His remarks, though seemingly his own opinions, were in fact a consensus among a segment of the gentry.

Zhang Zhao realized the trouble behind this precisely because he understood this point.

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu, who was standing nearby, immediately had an idea and spoke up:

"Why not send Chen Changwen to persuade his father?"

"If Chen Qun fails, it means he is incompetent. Yuan Fanggong, considering his son, will not stubbornly stick to his own opinion."

But as soon as he said that, Zhang Zhao shook his head with a wry smile.

Xun Chen, on the other side, kindly explained:
"What the Chen family did was nothing more than the old tricks of the aristocratic families, just to preserve their clan and continue their lineage."

"If we use this to pressure Chen Qun, I'm afraid he would rather resign than persuade his father to change course."

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu immediately understood the trickery involved and couldn't help but look ashamed.

This shows that the Mi family's foundation was still somewhat shallow, and they were not yet familiar with the rules of the game among aristocratic families.

Although Wei Zhe was a peasant, he was not unfamiliar with this kind of trick. He understood it after Zhang Zhao mentioned it earlier, and after a little thought, he came up with an idea.

However, this time he did not ask Xi Zhicai, but looked at Xun You beside him:
"Gongda, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai also looked at Xun You with great interest.

Xun You thought for a moment and then said only eight words:
"Killing people is the lowest form of warfare; winning hearts and minds is the highest."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Wei Zhe's eyes.

He hadn't expected that Xun You would actually think the same way he did this time.

That's right. In chaotic times, those with strong armies and powerful horses prevail. With Wei Zhe's current strength, he can kill anyone he wants.

However, killing is only one solution, and it has significant drawbacks and is short-lived, so it does not truly solve the problem.

For example, right now, Wei Zhe could easily kill Chen Ji and disregard his reputation.

Wei Zhe could also kill Chen Qun, and he despised all these partisans and celebrities.

However, the influence of the aristocratic faction on the world was a real phenomenon.

It can be said that the two purges of the party allowed the party faction to directly dominate public opinion.

This is an objective reality, and it will not change because of Wei Zhe's likes or dislikes.

If he chooses to deal with these aristocratic party members using physical means, he will have to bear the corresponding backlash.

As for what exactly the backlash will manifest itself in, it's difficult to say at this point.

This was something that even Xun You, who came from a prominent family in Yingchuan, could not have fully foreseen.

"How to win hearts and minds?" Wei Zhe continued to test him.

Upon hearing this, Xun You calmly and composedly replied:
"Due to the persecution of the party, Yuan Fang did not hold office until he was sixty years old. He stayed at home and devoted himself to studying the teachings of the sages, writing more than 300,000 words. His words were not flowery and his deeds were not embellished. He was a great Confucian scholar of his generation."

"Now that Lord Yuanfang is so stubborn and opinionated, why don't you give him a taste of his own medicine?"

"I've heard that Wang Lang, the Assistant Magistrate, is a learned man, well-versed in the Five Classics, and has authored commentaries on the Book of Changes, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Classic of Filial Piety. If we were to have him debate the classics, perhaps he could leave Lord Yuanfang speechless!"

Upon hearing this, the person who reacted the most was not Wei Zhe, but Xun Chen.

He stared wide-eyed at his nephew, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"They're all our fellow villagers and elders, is it really necessary to be so harsh?"

Although Xun Chen did not speak, Xun You understood the meaning with just one glance.

But he remained calm and continued:
"If the king's governance is ineffective, then we can let Duke Zheng, Duke Lu, and Duke Cai continue to guide Duke Yuanfang."

Well, now it wasn't just Xun Chen who was looking at him; even Mi Zhu and Zhang Zhao couldn't help but show surprise.

Good grief, as expected, it's always the people on our side who know how to deal with each other.

But isn't it a bit too cruel to use this lineup to deal with an old man who is nearly seventy years old?

However, as it turns out, there is only ruthlessness, and no limit to ruthlessness.

After hearing Xun You's advice, Xi Zhicai had an idea and turned to look at Wei Zhe, saying:
"My lord, it's time for Dongshan Academy to be incorporated into the Central Plains!"

It has to be said that Xi Zhicai understood Wei Zhe best.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately sighed and remarked:
"Yes, it's time to move!"

The reason Wei Zhe initially located Dongshan Academy east of Lulong Pass was because Liaodong was the rear area.

No matter how successful Wei Zhe was outside, the counties of Liaodong were his absolute base and solid support.

That's why he placed a series of important facilities in Liaodong to ensure the absolute security of logistics.

In some ways, Liaodong today is like Northeast China in later generations.

This place was not only Wei Zhe's original industrial base and warhorse production base, but also an important arms manufacturing base and even a talent training base.

It was precisely because of this meticulously built stronghold that Wei Zhe had the confidence to take all sorts of risks.

Because he knew that even if he lost all the counties and prefectures of Youzhou west of Lulong Pass, as long as he still had Liaodong in his hands, he would have the opportunity to make a comeback and start over.

Just like the Qin state that once lay dormant west of Hangu Pass, they were always ready to venture eastward.

However, as time went by, Wei Zhe now controlled six provinces, and it was no longer appropriate for Dongshan Academy to remain in Liaodong.

This is not good for the development of Dongshan Academy, and it is also a waste of Dongshan Academy.

The academy can play a much greater role!
Thinking of this, Wei Zhe pondered for a moment and then solemnly said:

"Issue an order to Liaodong to escort the entire Dongshan Academy, along with all its books, to Yecheng immediately."

"The relevant copies can be left at the original site, and the Dongshan Academy can be preserved as the official school of Liaozhou, overseeing the schools in various prefectures."

The cultural heritage of Liaodong has not been easy to cultivate, and Wei Zhe did not want to sever it all at once.

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, Xi Zhicai immediately smiled and said:
"What should the academy be called if it moves to Ye City? It can't be renamed Xishan Academy, can it?"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the hall couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After all, Ban Gu once described Yang Xiong as "the sun setting behind the western mountains," which is not a compliment.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe chuckled and shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"As the Zuo Zhuan says: 'It is not difficult to know, but to do...' Let's call it the Zhixing Academy."

After pondering the name for a while, everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that it was excellent. However, just when everyone thought that Chen Ji's question had ended there, Wei Zhe spoke up again:

"Let Wang Lang and Chen Yuanfang debate the classics. Regardless of who wins or loses, record it and submit it to Zhixing Academy."

"Next year, the academy will hold a grand examination, during which all students will be asked to refute Chen's arguments. Those who make valid points will be selected for official positions to observe governance and then be assigned to various parts of the Central Plains to govern the people, thus applying their knowledge to practical use!"

Upon hearing this, the council chamber fell into a deathly silence.

Xun You was secretly amazed; he hadn't expected Wei Zhe's ideas to be even more advanced than his own.

Everyone present was not a fool; they immediately realized the ruthlessness behind Wei Zhe's move.

Regardless of Chen Ji's past reputation, he will likely never have a peaceful day again from now on.

One wrong move and you could be infamous for eternity.

Unless Chen Ji is truly a saint like Confucius, whose words and deeds are impeccable and without any flaws.

Otherwise, if he were to contradict himself in any way, he would likely be thoroughly refuted by the students of the academy.

However, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, and others soon couldn't help but frown slightly.

The two of them immediately thought of the same problem: the Confucian scholars behind Chen Ji would not allow him to be humiliated like this, and would inevitably unite to confront Zhixing Academy under the pretext of Chen Ji.

If this happens, another battle for orthodoxy will likely break out!

Considering the dangers involved, both Xi Zhicai and Xun You wanted to offer some advice to Wei Zhe.

However, seeing that ambiguous smile in his eyes, the two immediately understood that their lord knew the ins and outs very well.

But it seems he deliberately created this situation?
Upon realizing this, Xi Zhicai and Xun You were somewhat confused and remained silent for a moment.

In fact, their guesses were correct; Wei Zhe did it on purpose.

He wanted to make this invisible and intangible ideological struggle concrete, rather than letting the aristocratic class develop it invisibly.

First, the academies directly controlled the training and appointment of officials.

At the same time, the appointment and removal of officials influenced the thoughts of scholars and public opinion.

The Art of Dragon Slaying states:
If you don't occupy the ideological and public opinion front, the enemy will.

If he doesn't act now, wouldn't all his efforts to conquer the world have been in vain?
To some extent, Wei Zhe was "crossing the river by feeling for Cao Cao".

It was precisely because Cao Cao did not pay attention to this point that "learning among the gentry" gradually became the mainstream during the Cao Wei dynasty.

Even though Emperor Ming of Wei later revitalized the Imperial Academy and launched the "Extravagance Case" to severely punish the descendants of meritorious officials such as Xiahou Xuan and Sima Shi in an attempt to weaken the monopoly of the aristocratic families on the bureaucratic system and reverse this trend, the results were minimal.

Under the influence of Cao Pi's "Nine-Rank System," the trend of "learning residing in government officials" had long since irresistibly shifted towards "learning residing in the gentry." It's important to understand that the transformation of scholars' thinking doesn't happen overnight.

Learn from the mistakes of the past, and you will suffer the consequences.

Every pitfall that Cao Wei stumbled upon became a stark warning sign for Wei Zhe.

Of course, Wei Zhe also knew that winning this ideological war would not be easy and would likely be a protracted process.

But Wei Zhe still chose to do so, just to cut off the process of the aristocratic families becoming "clan-like" as much as possible.

As for eliminating all the noble families in the land, he had never thought of that.

After all, the limitations of the times were there; with the current production conditions of the Han Dynasty, it was impossible to promote reading for all.

Let alone reading, universal literacy is a luxury for China today.

It should be understood that the emergence of the aristocratic class was a natural product of the times.

……

Regardless of the decision Wei Zhe made in Xiapi.

After dealing with Xun Yu and Chen Qun, Wei Zhe ordered the two to go to Yanzhou to persuade the remaining counties to surrender.

As for Xuzhou, Wei Zhe, taking advantage of the great victory in this battle, decisively began to survey the fields.

For this reason, he even transferred Taishi Ci from Yanzhou and ordered him to lead 20,000 troops from Youzhou to garrison Langya.

In any case, only three counties in Yanzhou are still holding out, which Zhang Liao and Xu Rong's two armies can easily handle.

In contrast, Wei Zhe was more inclined to take the opportunity to thoroughly investigate Xuzhou.

However, based on his experience in Jizhou, he still ordered Zhong Hu to lead 20,000 Qingzhou troops to garrison Guangling County.

As for Wei Zhe himself, he led an army of 20,000 to Pengcheng, completely extinguishing the ambitions of the Xuzhou gentry to cause trouble.

It is indeed difficult to clear out the entire land in one go, and the success rate is not very high.

However, if this massive project is divided into thirteen parts, then the difficulty and risks become completely acceptable.

Wei Zhe refused to believe that the local powerful families in Xuzhou would dare to court death under the suppression of his 60,000 troops.
……

On the Bingzi day of the sixth month of summer in the first year of Xingping.

On the western outskirts of Pengcheng, on the banks of the Sishui River.

"The land survey in Langya Kingdom has been completed, with King Liu Rong of Langya being the first to respond and providing significant assistance." Zhang Zhao said wearily, "The land survey in Donghai Kingdom has also been completed in five counties, but King Liu Zhi of Donghai is quite resistant, and I don't know..."

It wasn't that Zhang Zhao couldn't do anything about the King of Donghai, but rather that he didn't know Wei Zhe's limits.

It should be noted that Liu Zhi had been the Prince of Donghai for thirty-four years and enjoyed considerable prestige among the imperial clan.

When the emperor moved the capital to Chang'an last time, it was he who first sent his younger brother to Chang'an to offer tribute, which made the young emperor very pleased.

However, Wei Zhe's standard is that there is no standard.

Anyone who dares to stop him from crossing the fields is his mortal enemy, and he will show no mercy to his enemies.

He immediately said in a cold voice, "Go and investigate whether the actions of the Donghai King's Mansion over the years have been in accordance with etiquette. If there are any violations of etiquette, then enforce the law impartially. I will report to the Emperor and have the Donghai Kingdom abolished."

He paused slightly at this point and then added:
"Also, tell Liu Rong, the Prince of Langya, that I have remembered his name. A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings!"

That's right, Wei Zhe didn't even want to pretend this time, and directly and nakedly stated his meaning.

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, Zhang Zhao naturally understood what to do.

Even if the King of Donghai has not overstepped any rules or violated any etiquette, Zhang Zhao can still "find" something about him.

After all, how could "rites and laws" be such inconvenient things? It all depends on how those Confucian scholars interpret them!

After Zhang Zhao left, Xun You immediately reported on the land survey situation in Guangling Commandery and Xiapi State.

Perhaps because this series of major battles took place here, the powerful clans of these two counties were quite sensible.

Having witnessed the fighting prowess of the Wei army, they all became incredibly clear-headed. They no longer clung to these material possessions, but instead tried every possible way to join Wei Zhe's ranks.

After hearing that the Zhixing Academy in Yecheng was about to open, people rushed to send their children to study there.

Just as Wei Zhe smiled at Xun You's report, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, and then Bu Zhi, covered in sweat, dismounted and walked quickly towards them.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, an urgent report from Yanzhou!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately took it, but as soon as he opened it, he couldn't help but frown...

(End of this chapter)