Confucian and Taoist scholar

Gongyang Ming looked at Pearl with a smile and said leisurely, "Lu Zheng taught you extraordinary skills. If you study diligently, you may become a great person in the future, and perhaps even surpass me."

Pearl's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but say, "Is it that amazing? It seems that Mr. Gongyang's cultivation skills are quite different. Why don't you learn this? I can learn it..."

Gongyang Ming smiled and said, "I'm getting old, and I can't compare to you young people who have so much energy to study other skills. The future world will depend on you... Come on, come back to town with me and settle these people."

So Pearl followed Gongyang Ming to a nearby town and asked the locals to help settle the people who had been forced to come to the snowfield.

The local people were happy to help when they saw the situation.

After all, most of them had suffered similar hardships before, and seeing so many people being rescued now, they felt a deep sense of empathy.

The snowfields of today are vastly different from what they used to be; Lu Zheng has brought tremendous changes to this land.

In just a short period of time, the people of the snowfield no longer have to worry about food and clothing, and their material life has improved significantly.

With basic living needs met, the snowfield has begun to transform its local planning, vigorously developing industry to further improve people's quality of life.

Nowadays, accepting some outsiders doesn't require much in terms of resources from the local area.

The influx of fresh blood into this place also promotes communication, which is beneficial and harmless.

The only major problem remaining in this snowfield is the lack of a sufficiently powerful figure to oversee it.

After settling the people in, Gongyang Ming went back to handle other matters.

Gongyang Ming returned to his room and sat down at his desk, where a scroll was spread out, depicting a region in detail.

Besides temporarily guarding and managing the snowfield, he also came here to survey a map and try to find more than two convenient routes for travel between the Northern Region and the snowfield.

The snowfield is not close to the northern region, and it is not an easy task for even powerful cultivators to open up several convenient roads. It is a huge project.

Lu Zheng had this idea because he understood that this snowfield could not truly be isolated from the world. It would be better to open a road to it and strengthen the connection with the Northern Region.

Lu Zheng also considered opening up a few roads between the snowfield and the Shu Kingdom to facilitate communication between the people of the two places, so that the people of the Shu Kingdom could also experience the life of people in another system.

Given the current complex situation, there is no rush to implement such a plan.

When Gongyang Ming received this mission and came to the snowfield, he felt that Lu Zheng's ambitions were not small. He intended to use the entire world as a chessboard to plan for the benefit of the people, and was not limited to a small area in the Northern Region.

However, Gongyang Ming couldn't see through some of Lu Zheng's schemes and wasn't optimistic that Lu Zheng could stand up against the powerful forces in the world.

But now that he has joined the Taiping Domain, he must do his best and then leave the rest to fate.

Gongyang Ming carefully traced a few lines on the scroll with his brush and ink, then made a copy of the map and put it away.

Lu Zheng had previously told him that Taiping Domain would continue to expand, and that when its territory approached the natural barrier to the north of the snowfield, he would send people to Taiping City in the snowfield.

Gongyang Ming now only needs to wait quietly and, incidentally, defend against foreign invasion.

"I hope everything is alright over there."

Gongyang Ming murmured to himself. He had now come to the snowfield, which meant he was far away from the strife. He didn't know how many troubles Taiping Domain would encounter when expanding its territory, so he really couldn't be of much help.

……

The eastern border region of the Shu Kingdom.

On a green mountain, a group of soldiers in full armor stood atop the hill.

The tall, imposing general at the head of the group gazed intently at the distant, surging river.

"The ambition of a great man should be like a great river rushing to the sea, its momentum unstoppable and unstoppable..."

Wang Meng spoke softly, a sharp glint in his bright eyes.

Upon hearing this, the subordinates standing nearby all spoke up in agreement or praise.

Wang Meng chuckled, then sighed, "These days, the world is becoming increasingly turbulent."

During this period, he received a lot of intelligence from the north.

In the state of Wei, Buddha manifested his power, and the orthodox Buddhist order appeared in the world to regulate Buddhism. The Wei emperor and crown prince implemented some policies, even exempting the entire country from land taxes, in order to reform and strengthen the state...

As for the northernmost regions, the demon realm, which had long been neglected by various dynasties, also began to change.

The young man he had met before was actually calling on patriots across the land in the Northern Region to create a peaceful world. He heard that things were going quite well and had caused quite a stir, attracting the attention of many forces across the land.

Wang Meng never expected that Lu Zheng could do something like this, ruling over a region at such a young age.

However, calling it a rule doesn't quite seem right, as Wang Meng also had some understanding of the system there.

As a member of the Shu royal family and a general with great military power, he could not really agree with Lu Zheng's philosophy of governance.

However, Wang Meng had to admit that Lu Zheng was indeed quite capable; otherwise, how could he have established himself in the Northern Region?

The occurrence of various events that could influence the course of history made it difficult for Wang Meng to remain calm.

In particular, Lu Zheng's deeds had a certain impact on him.

He had been silent for several years, neither expanding the territory of Shu nor making any military achievements.

If it weren't for the fact that Shu was too far from the Northern Regions, and that the vast Wei Kingdom was in between, he would have liked to compete with Lu Zheng to see who could occupy more territory in the Northern Regions and manage it better.

Wang Meng couldn't help but shake his head slightly. The Northern Region was ultimately too far away, but...

Wang Meng narrowed his eyes and looked towards the opposite bank of the Yangtze River.

Some places, however, are very close to him.

Wang Meng's expression was serious, and his voice was deep as he said, "Issue the order: immediately mobilize the left and right armies, and... cross the river to attack Chu!"

Wang Meng suddenly issued an order, which startled all the soldiers around him, who were still in shock.

After all, things happened too suddenly; Wang Meng hadn't discussed the campaign against Chu with them at all beforehand.

Wang Meng's direct order caught everyone off guard.

Wang Meng raised his hand, took out a jade talisman, and handed it to a deputy general next to him.

The lieutenant paused, then couldn't help but whisper, "General, this..."

Wang Meng coldly replied, "Military orders are absolute!"

Upon hearing this, no one dared to raise any objections, and they swallowed down any words they wanted to say.

Although they couldn't understand why Wang Meng wanted to attack the State of Chu at this time, they were just a group of subordinates and could only obey orders.

However, in recent years, the Shu Kingdom has deployed a large number of troops to the border in preparation for a major war.

The war came too quickly, and the soldiers were not prepared. Wang Meng said in a deep voice, "Send someone to inform the Han army that they can also prepare to take action."

The Han army was the army of the Han Dynasty.

The Han state was located south of the Chu state. The two states had been engaged in constant warfare, large and small, since their founding, and their enmity had a long history.

Moreover, both countries were founded on Shintoism, and both wanted to annex the other in order to strengthen their religious traditions and prolong their national lifespan.

Years ago, Wang Meng secretly formed an alliance with the Han army to jointly attack Chu and weaken its strength when necessary.

The Han soldiers were naturally pleased with this, as capturing even a province or half a prefecture of Chu would be a great military achievement for them.

The young soldiers were eager to earn merit.

Everyone is waiting for an opportunity, a chance to make a name for themselves.

However, achieving success is not so easy, so no one dared to act rashly and start a war against anyone.

There is merit in war if you win. If you strike first and then lose the war, few people can withstand the accountability from the court.

Being held accountable would be a minor issue compared to the potential repercussions for family, friends, and subordinates…

Therefore, other generals were worried that they could not afford to lose and would not easily start a war.

But Wang Meng was not worried. He never thought he would lose a battle; he only thought about how to win more.

Wang Meng issued a series of orders, and his subordinates obeyed them with excitement in their eyes.

Not long after, tremors were heard from the direction of the Shu army camp.

With their strong morale coalescing into an unstoppable torrent, their target was the city of Chu on the other side of the Yangtze River.

Wang Meng remained calm, knowing that this would be a victory with no suspense whatsoever.

He probably knew better than the soldiers in the Chu army what kind of strength the Chu border troops on the other side of the river were.

Wang Meng launched a war at this time for various reasons.

Especially since he is at the peak of his career, if he doesn't lead the Shu army to expand the territory and compete for the position of the world's strongest ruler, and if some great powers rise to power, there may be no place for the Shu Kingdom in this world.

Wang Meng stood with his hands behind his back, watching the advancing Shu army, and said softly, "The world, after a long period of unity, will inevitably divide; after a long period of division, it will inevitably unite..."

"I wonder who will rule the world in the future, and who will be the ultimate winner."

Even though Wang Meng was confident enough to believe he had strong military capabilities, he was not very certain that Shu would be the final victor.

In the Shu Kingdom's court, whether it was the emperor or the officials, they all lacked the qualities of a ruler of the world.

I heard that the capital is going to make a big fuss about compiling some Taoist classics. Some people in power aren't even paying attention to their duties. I really don't know how to criticize them...

It would be perfect if he started a war now, so that some people would be distracted and focus more on national affairs.

……

"The world should be based on the people. Without the vast majority of the people as the foundation, how can this society function? Can it rely on those who do not work for it?"

"Each of us should contribute our share to building this world, so that it can become more prosperous and beautiful... instead of being greedy for short-term gains, doing nothing, not only thinking about reaping the benefits but also taking away the fruits of others' labor... how can the world develop if that's the case?"

"Society has been repeating the same cycle for thousands of years, but there has been no substantial change. Is this what you want to see?"

“We are all capable young people, and we should use our abilities to create a new world for ourselves, instead of exploiting and oppressing others… Doesn’t such behavior make people feel ashamed? What’s the point of a life like that of a bloodsucker? It’s completely worthless…”

Lu Zheng stood on the podium and spoke eloquently.

Below the stage was a group of young people who had come from all over the country to gain experience, including nobles from dynasties and disciples from cultivation sects...

They all came to Lu Zheng's ideological class with curiosity.

But hearing Lu Zheng's words made them lose their composure.

The language was too sharp, making it unbearable for some people.

After all, some of the things Lu Zheng said were blatant criticisms of them, making them seem worthless.

Moreover, they couldn't find any words to refute it at the moment.

They weren't there to listen to any lectures; they were there to get scolded...

It's said that honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial, but this is just too harsh.

An Dingyuan sat there, listening with an excited and thrilled expression. Sure enough, it was still Mr. Lu; his speaking style hadn't changed at all.

Back then, Lu Zheng was able to suppress local powerful clans in Hongzhou by reasoning with them; now he's even more formidable.

If Lu Zheng were to go to the Anguo court to debate with the officials, some of the old men would probably get so angry they'd lose their temper.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I feel that my words have touched your souls. Let's stop here for today. Everyone go back and write a reflection essay of no less than a thousand words, and hand it in to me before noon tomorrow."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "I will post the excellent and the very poor articles for everyone to see, as examples to learn from. Everyone here, young and old, is literate, so they can tell the difference between good and bad articles... If anyone is unwilling to write, then everyone is very lucky to witness my other methods."

Everyone:...

How can someone say such frightening things in such a calm tone?

They had never felt this way about Lu Zheng, even when facing their elders who had taught them before. It was a feeling that made them feel intimidated from the bottom of their hearts.

Despite being roughly the same age as them, their unseen aura was enough to overwhelm them all.

Lu Zheng ignored the various gazes directed at him and leisurely left the classroom.

Since these people are here to train, they must abide by the rules and be treated equally. There will be no favoritism based on who has a higher status or background.

Many young people who were new to the area and had just started their training were arrogant and overconfident, so only Lu Zheng could suppress them with his strong attitude.

We need to educate these people more and help them change their old ways of thinking, otherwise they'll just become a bunch of troublemakers.

As soon as Lu Zhenggang left the classroom, Zhang Wencheng returned from outside and handed him a thick report.

Lu Zheng took a close look at the report. He had asked Zhang Wencheng to go out and investigate the progress of the advocacy letter, which forces had received the letter, and which forces had implemented it. He recorded everything in detail.

The results of the investigation were not ideal, but they were within Lu Zheng's expectations.

Zhang Wencheng said in a low voice, "Should I go again and talk to those forces?"

Zhang Wencheng felt that as long as he displayed the cultivation of a great Confucian scholar, he would not be afraid that those forces would not bow down.

Since Lu Zheng had only instructed him to investigate, he kept a low profile and did not expose himself. (End of Chapter)