Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 12: Three Discussions on Breaking the Monopoly of Aristocratic Families
"Zi'an, please sit down." Xun Yu said softly.

After sitting down again, Xun Yu began to carefully savor what Cao Yan had said before.

He felt that the mental shock he had suffered in this quarter of an hour was greater than that in the previous thirty years combined.

But this may be a good opportunity to open up new ideas.

So, Xun Yu quickly asked his third question,

"Zi'an's words are truly thought-provoking. However, do you have any countermeasures?"

Cao Yan pondered for a moment and then asked, "Wen Ruo, do you know the Han Dynasty's system for selecting filial and honest officials?"

He suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question.

Xun Yu nodded and said, "Emperor Wu established this system with the intention of breaking up the hereditary nobility and guiding the people to develop a culture of valuing filial piety and honesty."

Cao Yan nodded and said, "When Emperor Wu of Han first established this measure, it indeed opened up a new path for the selection of talents for the Han Dynasty and successfully broke the shackles of the hereditary aristocracy's monopoly on the court.

But as time goes by, the system of imperial examinations has been mostly monopolized by the aristocratic families, who flatter each other and engage in fraud.

There is even a children's rhyme that goes, "If you choose a scholar, he will not know how to read; if you choose a filial and honest official, his father will live separately."

The so-called "selection of filial and honest people" has become a tool for the aristocratic families to monopolize the ruling class.

The Yuan family’s students and former officials are all over the country, and the grand occasion of three officials in four generations is the result of the alienation of recommendation.

Cao Yan picked up the tea bowl and said, "It's like this teacup. The imperial examination system is the cup, and the common people are the water. As long as the cup is not broken, the water will never escape."

Xun Yu stared at the tea bowl, his pupils slightly contracted, and fell into deep thought.

"So if we want to break this situation, we should come up with three strategies." Cao Yan raised three fingers and continued:

"First, establish the imperial examination system to select officials, regardless of family background, only talent will be selected!
Secondly, elementary schools were set up in counties and imperial colleges were set up in prefectures so that the people could also learn to read and understand.

Third, improve papermaking and print a wide range of books so that knowledge is no longer shelved.

Xun Yu's fingertips trembled slightly.

As a descendant of the Xun family of Yingchuan, he knew better than anyone the destructive power of Cao Yan's words.

Boss Cao, who was eavesdropping on the conversation outside the hall,

At this moment, I couldn't help but cover my mouth with my hands.

I was afraid that I would scream out loud because of hearing something shocking again.

After a moment, Xun Yu suddenly asked, "Where do the teachers for elementary schools come from? Even if poor families and common people can enroll, they will ultimately be no match for the centuries-old accumulation of the aristocratic families."

"Good question!" Cao Yan smiled slightly, put down the teacup in his hand, and said, "The elementary education can be divided into three levels.

Young children learn to recognize characters from the Three Character Classic.
Young people learn the Nine Chapters to understand the truth.
The outstanding students entered the Imperial College to specialize in classics, mathematics, and engineering.

As for the teachers,

Graduates of the Imperial College can be required to teach in elementary schools for three years before being granted official positions."

Xun Yu gasped, and Cao Cao covered his mouth even tighter.

This move is not only to reform the recommendation system, but also to dig out the roots of the aristocratic families!
"How can we improve the papermaking technique?" Xun Yu's voice was dry, but he continued to ask.

"The reason Cai Hou's paper is so brittle and hard to preserve is because the materials used are inappropriate," Cao Yan said. "If you use mulberry bark mixed with rags and hemp ends, steam and pound them into a pulp, and then press it into shape with heavy stones, you can get paper as tough as silk."

After saying this, Cao Yan picked up a scroll of bamboo slips on the table and said:
“If new paper is made, the contents of this scroll of bamboo slips can be recorded on a piece of paper the size of a palm.

Moreover, paper can be bound into books; one book can even be worth a cartload of bamboo slips!"

Now it wasn't just Xun Yu's fingers that began to tremble, his entire body began to tremble.

Cao Yan continued to increase his bets.
“In order to facilitate mass production, the text can be carved into individual clay characters and then typeset into plates when needed.

One edition can produce hundreds or even thousands of copies, with the handwriting as neat as a manuscript.

I call it, 'movable type'!"

“Once the new paper and movable type are made, we will be able to fill the streets with all kinds of books.

Regardless of origin, regardless of wealth,
Everyone can read, and everyone can be taught by a saint! "

The teacup suddenly fell over, and it turned out that Xun Yu accidentally spilled the tea.

The greasy tea soup spread on the table, looking like the empire of an aristocratic family that was about to collapse.

At this moment, there was a slight sound of clothes rubbing against each other outside the door.

Xun Yu glanced at the door and knew that it might be Cao Cao eavesdropping there.

Because at this time every day, Cao Cao would come to him to chat.

Xun Yu pretended not to notice and continued to ask, "How could the noble families just sit back and do nothing?"

"So, we need a leader who dares to confront them head-on, break the mold, and create a new world!"

Cao Yan paused and continued, “Then there is the Tai student organization I just mentioned.

The friendship among classmates and the bond among the same year will naturally form a new force.

Twenty years later, the imperial examination faction and the recommendation faction will be fighting each other in the court."

"In another twenty years, the monopoly of the aristocratic families will be permanently breached, and the poor and the common people will have a stable path to advancement."

Cao Cao outside the window suddenly realized why Cao Yan always asked Cao Ang to inspect the fields and construction sites. This was an opportunity to win over the hearts of the poor and the common people, and lay the groundwork for recruiting talents in the future!

Cao Cao's eyes slowly widened, and then he said with a guilty look on his face, "I was wrong to blame you."

Xun Yu's jade hairpin had become crooked at some point, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead.

This famous scholar who always looks neat and tidy now looks a bit like a madman.

"Open the imperial examination system to educate all people. Everyone can study and become an official!
The aristocratic families knew it was poison, but they had no choice but to drink it, because if they stayed in their old ways, they would gradually decline and move away from the center of power..."

He suddenly burst into laughter and said, "What a brilliant scheme! What a great Cao Zi'an!"

When the laughter died down, Xun Yu said solemnly, "Zi'an, please grant me two requests!"

Cao Yan nodded and said, "Please speak."

"Papermaking and movable type printing must be completed by the Lord!"

"The first batch of new paper will be used to print Xunzi!"

Cao Yan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

This is Xun Wenruo, who wants to overturn the overall situation while leaving enough room for himself.

After Cao Yan finished laughing, Xun Yu suddenly whispered, "Zi'an, do you know what kind of a stir our words would cause if they were spread?"

"That's why we need Mr. Wen Ruo." Cao Yan spread his hands and said, "For some things, the Xun family will become heroes who eliminate the malpractices.

If our Cao family steps in, the noble families will unite to resist and attack us together.

You can declare to the outside world that you followed the words of the saints and educated the people, and therefore invented papermaking and movable type printing..."

But before Cao Yan could finish, Xun Yu's expression suddenly changed, and he interrupted, "Who do you think I, Xun Wenruo? How can I take credit for your work?"

If it were someone else, they would probably want to monopolize this opportunity to leave their name in history.

But a true gentleman like Xun Yu would never do such a thing.

Asking Cao Yan to print "Xunzi" when the first batch of new paper was promoted made him feel extremely guilty.

If he were to claim the credit for Cao Yan's papermaking and movable type printing, he would probably suffer from lifelong guilt.

Outside the hall, Cao Cao's clenched fists slowly loosened, and he sighed inwardly:

"A capable minister in a peaceful era, or a treacherous hero in a chaotic era?

Compared with the achievements of my disciples in educating and enlightening the people,
It's simply laughable!"

(End of this chapter)