Han officials

Chapter 318 The Traditional Skills of the Party Members

In the morning mist, the ancient cypress trees on both sides of the bluestone path cast dappled shadows, and the sound of a babbling brook could be heard in the distance. However, the early risers were already practicing by the stream, doing the first set of broadcast gymnastics of the Great Wei Dynasty.

"What are they doing?"

Looking at the strange-looking scholars on the grass, Pang Tong couldn't help but frown.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Song couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly: "This... is truly an insult to culture!"

Unfortunately, Wang Can had been completely brainwashed by the "Record of Knowledge and Action," and even though he was equally puzzled by the current situation, he still firmly believed that there must be some other mystery behind it.

Under the ancient pine tree, a handsome young man dressed in a moon-white robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist appeared to have finished his work.

Wang Can immediately walked over with a calm and composed demeanor and began to chat politely.

Upon hearing Wang Can's self-introduction, the young man immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Zhuge Liang of Langya greets Your Majesty!"

"I have long admired your esteemed reputation. It is an honor to meet you today!"
Wang Can was quite surprised to hear this: "Oh? You've heard of me too?"

It was not that Wang Can was being self-deprecating, but rather that with the frequent wars at present, communication was extremely inconvenient.

Unless one is a great figure like Wei Zhe whose every move can influence the whole country, ordinary scholars can only know news from their own prefecture or even their own county.

Although Wang Can was a prominent figure in Jingzhou, few people knew him outside of Jingzhou.

Scholars from Yu and Yan provinces were happy to discuss news from Ye City, but they were not very concerned about what was happening in Jing Province.

Seeing Wang Can say this, Zhuge Liang smiled and explained:
"Wang Jun's 'On Confucian Officials,' 'On Peace,' and 'On Fundamentals' have long been circulated in the academy. I am not blind and deaf, how could I not know them? Several gentlemen have praised you highly, saying that you have grasped the essence of Chinese learning!"

Wang Can smiled faintly, but deep down he still felt a sense of pride.

He didn't think much of it, assuming that someone from the academy had been exchanging letters with someone in Jingzhou and that the news had been unintentionally leaked.

However, Wang Can was unaware that what he perceived as an accident was entirely orchestrated by Xun You.

After accepting Wei Zhe's task, Xun You thought it over and over and decided that he couldn't do it openly.

While caravans within the territory of Wei can be utilized, one cannot rely entirely on merchants.

So he set his sights on Zhixing Academy.

After obtaining Wei Zhe's consent, Xun You created an academy gazette modeled after the old Luoyang gazette.

The content mainly consists of the latest news about the debate between Wang Lang and Chen Ji, without involving anything else.

In other words, Xun You collected the scattered information that people had previously heard from others and put it directly into the official gazette.

For example, how Song Zhong of Jingzhou criticized Wang Lang and slandered traditional Chinese learning, and how the scholars of Xuzhou refuted Chen Ji, making him so angry that he vomited blood on the spot and had to shut himself away from visitors.

It must be said that Xun You has truly mastered the essence of the Luoyang Gazette.

Just as Wei Zhe watched the news about the nobles in Luoyang from Liaodong, the students of the academy are now watching the spectacle with amusement.

What was originally just a trial run of the academy's official gazette turned a profit after only one issue.

Not to mention ordinary students, even renowned scholars from academies like Zheng Xuan, who was in charge of the library, now have a copy.

Despite their advanced age, the three elders of the library are even more enthusiastic about watching the excitement than the younger generation.

After explaining for a few minutes, seeing that Wang Can was becoming increasingly curious, Zhuge Liang simply took out a scroll of official gazette from his sleeve and handed it to him.

Wang Can took it and unfolded it, and saw that the four characters "Zhixing Dibao" were clearly written on it.

As Wang Can continued reading, he saw that the text was mostly about news related to the Shilin (a literary society).

For example, the turmoil among scholars in Jingzhou was a key part of the story, and Wang Can's feat of overwhelming the Xiangyang Academy was the most important aspect, which was described in detail.

Overall, however, this official gazette mainly focused on exploring the meaning of Confucian classics.

Among them are research and discussions on traditional Chinese studies by scholars like Wang Can, but also rebuttals by Song Zhong.

Even if such a "official gazette" were placed in front of Liu Biao, he would probably only read it with pleasure.

After all, before the Zhixing Dibao (a government-issued gazetteer for official documents), debates on classics were commonplace; now they're simply being compiled and summarized.
Upon seeing this, Wang Can was overjoyed.

But he was not happy that he was among them; rather, he was happy about the emergence of the "Zhixing Dibao" (a local gazetteer).

After reading it, Wang Can couldn't help but sincerely exclaim:

"If this item can be widely used throughout the world, scholars will be blessed in the future!"

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly upon hearing this, deeply agreeing.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that it broadened their horizons alone was a great help to scholars from humble backgrounds.

It's important to know that information barriers can sometimes be more terrifying than knowledge barriers.

If Xun You hadn't created this "Zhixing Dibao" to spread the word, ordinary scholars from humble backgrounds would have had absolutely no way of knowing what was happening in Jingzhou, Xuzhou, and other places thousands of miles away, let alone analyzing the situation and seizing opportunities.

Of course, the shortcomings of the "Zhixing Dibao" are also obvious, namely its long cycle.

The fact that Wei Zhe saw the Luoyang Gazette once every ten days when he was in Liaodong was a convenience that only came about when the country was at peace.

Therefore, Yuan Jun was able to continuously transmit information outwards by virtue of his status as a censor.

But now the Han Dynasty is in ruins, with countless mountain bandits and river pirates, and countless large and small rebel armies.

Under these circumstances, even with the convenience provided by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Xun You could only manage to do it once every three months.

Moreover, once outside the territory of Wei, the transmission of news from the outside world would be even slower.

Therefore, Xun You is currently preparing to find someone in Jingzhou to be in charge of receiving and sending the "Zhixing Dibao" (a type of official gazette).

Whether it was Sima Hui or Pang Degong, Xun You felt that it would be best to establish a branch in Jingzhou.

If there were such a branch point, it would be much more convenient in the future, whether it was collecting news from Jingzhou and summarizing it in Ye City, or distributing the "Zhixing Dibao" (a local gazetteer) to various counties in Jingzhou.
Most importantly, Xun You believed this was a good way to unite the scholars of Jingzhou and spread traditional Chinese learning.

Actually, this isn't anything new.

When the party was making its fuss, Yingchuan was its stronghold.

Before Yuan Shao acted as a sanctuary for the partisans and stirred up trouble in Luoyang, many of them were accustomed to operating in Yingchuan.

Xun You had witnessed countless instances of how partisans organized factions to oppose the eunuchs since childhood; this was merely a slightly more sophisticated version.

Seeing Wang Can's interest in the official gazette, Zhuge Liang chuckled and said:

"If you, Wang Junru, are itching to write another masterpiece, you may submit it to the academy's library."

"With your literary talent and accomplishments, you will surely be featured in the official gazette once again!"

It turned out that after Wei Zhe gave his lecture that day, Lu Zhi, Zheng Xuan, and Cai Yong accepted Wei Zhe's invitation to serve as the Three Dukes of Wei, using their lifelong reputation to support the newly established Wei state.

After Xun You devised his plan, he placed the official gazette's base in the academy's library, naturally intending to leverage the reputation of the three elders to ensure the gazette's credibility.

Therefore, the chief editors of the official gazette were all named Cai Yong and two others, while Xun You only received the title of proofreader.

Nowadays, the students of the academy usually have their essays reviewed by Xun You first, and only after the essays are compiled and finalized will they be handed over to the three elders.

After Zhuge Liang explained in detail, Wang Can expressed his gratitude.

He made up his mind; he would stay at the academy just for this convenience!

While Wang Can was having a great time chatting with Zhuge Liang, Zhang Song and Pang Tong behind him couldn't wait any longer.

Sure enough, when the two arrived, they saw Wang Can talking at length about the pedantry of the Xiangyang Academy, completely forgetting about them.

Zhang Song and Pang Tong's faces darkened instantly, and they suddenly felt an urge to draw their swords.

It was only at this moment that Wang Can belatedly realized what was going on. After awkwardly introducing the two men to Zhuge Liang, he hurriedly asked about the strange behavior of the group of scholars earlier.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang immediately burst into laughter, unable to suppress his chuckles, and said:

"This is the Five Animal Frolics!"

"Five Animal Frolics?" The three looked blank.

Before Zhuge Liang could continue explaining, a clear voice came from behind.

"This was presented by Mr. Yuanhua, and it is a secret technique for health preservation used by Qi cultivators in the pre-Qin period."

The group turned to look and saw that the newcomer was dressed in a wide black robe, with only a plain sash around his waist, and possessed a serene demeanor. "Sima Yi of Hanoi greets you all!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "So you are the Phoenix Chick?"

Sima Yi smiled nonchalantly upon seeing this: "These are just private conversations, nothing to be taken seriously."

Pang Tong's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, but he said nothing more.

Zhuge Liang was relieved to see Sima Yi arrive, and immediately gestured for him to explain, while he went to pack up his books.

Sima Yi then smiled and looked at the three of them, continuing to explain:
"It is said that Zhuangzi once realized that the universe created the art of 'bear stretching and bird extending', which is called 'Two Animals Play'."

"Therefore, Zhuangzi was able to live to be ninety years old and died at nearly a hundred."

"Later, this technique was obtained by Qi practitioners in the pre-Qin period, who supplemented it into the Five Animal Frolics by following the principles of heaven and earth and nature."

"The so-called five animals are the tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and bird!"

"Imitate these Five Animal Frolics exercises and do them to the best of your ability, until you sweat. This can help with digestion, boost energy, cure all kinds of diseases, and even prolong life!"

Zhuge Liang, having finished packing his belongings, added with a sigh:
"Mr. Yuanhua obtained this pre-Qin guiding technique largely thanks to this skill, and thus presented it to Duke Wei."

"When Wei Gong obtained it, he sighed in public: 'Immortality is a wrong path, while nourishing life is the right path!'"

"However, instead of keeping it hidden away, Lord Wei ordered Mr. Yuanhua to make this technique public and pass it on to the academy."

"With such a broad mind, it's no wonder that Duke Wei established such a magnificent foundation at the young age of thirty!"

Upon hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Pang Tong and the other two couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Indeed, it should be noted that pre-Qin guiding techniques are treasured by various schools of thought today.

This technique, like the art of the bedroom, can even become the foundation of immense wealth and can be passed down to one's descendants.

Wei Zhe's fame spread far and wide, which only shows that he truly cared about the world!
However, not every student at the academy wants to study this.

After all, they are all young and full of vigor, and they don't care much about health preservation.

However, Zheng Xuan, Lu Zhi, and Cai Yong knew how important a strong physique was.

For example, when they were young, they encountered scholars who were more talented and from better families than themselves, but these people did not achieve much and died young.

Some were typhoid fever, some were plague, and some were simply due to physical weakness, which was cured by a minor illness.

Over time, Zheng Xuan and the others realized a truth: living a long life is very important.

You might outlive all the great Confucian scholars of your time and become that authority!

It was under the prestige of the three elders that the scholars of the academy began to value the Five Animal Frolics and practice it every day.

And you know what? After their blood and energy flowed smoothly, these students all seemed much more energetic.

Zhuge Liang, in particular, trains every day without ever slacking off.

Pang Tong and his two companions were already curious about the Five Animal Frolics, and after hearing Zhuge Liang describe its effects, they became even more eager to try it.

The group chatted idly along the way and soon arrived outside the Chengxin Academy.

Wang Can looked up and saw that the vermilion gate was wide open, and there was a line of words written on the peach wood charms on both sides.

On the left is the phrase "Seek truth from facts and investigate things to acquire knowledge!"
On the right is the phrase "Unity of knowledge and action, and balancing righteousness and profit!"
"What kind of custom is this?" Wang Can asked in surprise.

Seeing this, Sima Yi explained gently:

"On that day, we sought guidance from Lord Wei right here. To remember this event, the gentlemen inscribed the essence of Chinese learning on the pillars, to show that they would never dare to let it be lost for even a moment!"

Despite saying this, Pang Tong and the others sensed a strong air of arrogance in Sima Yi's words.

But upon further reflection, they had to admit that they had indeed given up.

The thought that the conversation in "The Record of Knowledge and Action" took place right here filled Wang Can with envy that almost made his eyes red.

After the group passed through the gate, they saw a screen wall coming towards them.

What is engraved on it is none other than the “Four Sentences of Chinese Classical Learning” that have shocked scholars all over the world!
Clearly, after Wei Zhe left, the academy, in order to preserve his handwriting for a long time, had the stonemasons leave a permanent mark on it.

Wang Can was completely captivated and stared at the scene for a long while before reluctantly leaving with the crowd.

When the group entered the hall, they saw incense smoke curling up inside, and newly added sandalwood was slowly burning in the bronze incense burner in front of the portrait of Confucius.

Seeing this, Zhang Song and the other two dared not be negligent and respectfully burned incense and bowed in worship.

After the ceremony, Zhang Song couldn't help but sigh:
"Even the Imperial Academy in Luoyang of yesteryear was no better than this."

However, before he could finish speaking, a harsh voice suddenly rang out from outside the door:

"Your words are utterly wrong; how could the Imperial Academy possibly be of such a level!"

Zhang Song looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in a plain robe with a sword at his waist walking towards them with a straight posture.

"Greetings, Master Fufeng!"

However, despite this, Fazheng's attitude was far from lenient.

Having been refuted by him, Zhang Song, who already disliked him, spoke without any politeness:
“The Imperial Academy has been renovated over the centuries and has more than 240 buildings and 1,850 study rooms. At its peak, the number of students in the Imperial Academy was as high as 30,000. Why can’t I compare it to Zhixing Academy?”

Upon hearing his words, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi couldn't help but nod slightly.

Indeed, Zhang Song's evaluation is by no means a denigration of the academy.

However, upon hearing this, Fa Zheng showed no respect for Zhang Song and immediately sneered:
“In the past, the Imperial Academy could still be called a place for learning, but since Emperor An, it has been corrupt and decadent inside and out.”

"What good are thousands of mansions in such a place? Can they compare to this place?"

Although Zhang Song was petty, Fa Zheng's magnanimity was not much greater.

He treated even members of the academy the same way, let alone an outsider like Zhang Song.

Those who would earn his respect are nothing more than outstanding figures like Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang.

He originally came here to discuss the profound meaning of "The Record of Knowledge and Action" with Zhuge Liang, but seeing that Zhang Song's words were not rigorous, he casually made a rebuttal, but unexpectedly it displeased Zhang Song.

So the two immediately began to accuse each other and debate scriptures in the hall.

Seeing this, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and others not only did not try to stop the fight, but instead sat by and watched with smiles on their faces.

After all, for these people, debating scriptures was simply the best pastime.

If one could hear even a few insightful words, it would be like drinking fine wine, more wonderful than any song or dance.

However, watching the battle was not without its risks; before long, several people were drawn into the fray one after another.

Thus, in the vast hall, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Wang Can, Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and Sima Yi each occupied a corner and began to discuss their strategies.

Zhuge Liang had just said, "Governing a country is like treating an illness; one must address both the symptoms and the root cause. Water overflows when it is full, and strict laws breed resentment among the people. Therefore, one must use virtue to alleviate suffering."

On the other hand, Fa Zheng said, "Jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel, and a scholar who is not inspired will not be motivated."

Pang Tong stated, "Forced acupuncture and moxibustion will only damage one's vital energy. Just as one should regulate blood and qi with grains, one should prioritize strengthening the foundation."

Sima Yi shook his head and said, "In chaotic times, severe punishments are necessary; using killing to stop killing is the best policy!"

Whoever speaks will be subject to criticism from others, which suddenly makes the process much more difficult.

If the intense debate quickly attracts other students to watch, they may even gradually lose their ability to keep up with the group's thinking.

However, Fazheng and others, who were people of that time, enjoyed it and even felt great pleasure.

Since there are only a handful of top students in the academy, there are not many who can rival them.

In the past, they could only fight against two or three opponents at most, but now, their verbal battles have brought out their potential.

After a long while, seeing that it was getting late, Wang Can finally laughed and said:

"The phoenix perches on the parasol tree, while the dragon hides in the abyss; each holds its own principles, making it difficult for them to be completely compatible."

"Gentlemen, let's stop here!"

(End of this chapter)