Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 259 Shi

As dawn broke, Jinyang City awoke from its slumber.

In the courtyard of the elementary school in the east of the city, hundreds of children, aged four or five to six or seven, were lined up in a crooked queue, following a young female teacher to do "morning exercises".

These female teachers were mostly family members of disabled or retired soldiers or women from well-off families who had some education. After a short training course at the Prefectural Government's "Instruction Office," they took up their posts. They wore uniform, plain blue dresses and had patient and gentle smiles on their faces.

"One, two, three, four, stretch out your hands! Two, two, three, four, bend over!"

The crisp commands echoed.

The children imitated the movements with laughter and joy; their actions, though comical, were full of life.

Gouwa, the little guy who was struggling to survive with his mother Liu Sansao in the refugee resettlement camp last year, is now wearing a clean and tidy gray school uniform, and his face is much rosier.

He worked extra hard because his mother said that his father's ability to study here was earned through his own hard-won military achievements, and he should cherish it.

After finishing their exercises, the children filed into the bright classroom.

The classroom walls were painted snow-white and hung with colorful literacy posters, depicting simple pictographs such as sun, moon, water, fire, mountain, stone, field, and earth, along with corresponding pictures, as well as large numerical charts.

Instead of traditional low tables and cushions, there are rows of low wooden tables and chairs, each seating four children.

Gouwa and his friends, who came from families of soldiers in Tongan, huddled together, curiously looking at the wooden board on the podium that had been blackened with ink.

The female teacher picked up a piece of white plaster and wrote a large "人" (person) character on the blackboard.

“Children, look here, this character is pronounced ‘ren’! We are all human beings!” The female teacher’s voice was clear and infectious.

"Come on, stretch out your fingers and write with the teacher: a left-falling stroke and a right-falling stroke, that's 'person'!"

Gouwa, along with the other children, stretched out their little fingers and clumsily gestured on the table, their brows furrowed, muttering to themselves, "A left-falling stroke... a right-falling stroke..."

The course was not boring.

In addition to teaching literacy, we also teach counting from one to ten, using small sticks, pebbles and other physical objects to assist in the teaching.

Sometimes they would sing simple, adapted nursery rhymes, incorporating numbers and simple principles.

During breaks, the children play on the slides and seesaws in the yard, or squat on the sand table to practice the words they have just learned with twigs.

We do not teach the Classic of Filial Piety or the Analects here, and we do not require students to memorize difficult and obscure texts.

There are only two core elements.

First, students learn the most commonly used hundreds of Chinese characters and basic numbers through pictures, rhymes, games, and other methods.

Secondly, through collective living and rules, students can initially develop a sense of discipline, hygiene, and mutual assistance.

Gouwa's biggest takeaway was that he not only learned to write his own name "Liu Yong," but also learned to wash his hands before meals and after using the toilet, and not to push or shove while queuing.

On the wall of the elementary school, there was a slogan personally chosen by Zhang Xian: "Learn to read, understand mathematics and physics, and become a useful person."

Many of the parents who came to pick up their children were craftsmen, farmers, or soldiers' families. They might not be literate, but seeing their children able to write a few words and do addition so well, their faces lit up with smiles, and they were even more devoted to the young former general.

They vaguely felt that what the children were learning was quite different from the "books of sages" that the old men used to talk about, but it seemed... more practical and more useful.

A few streets away from the elementary school is "Jinyang Nancheng Elementary School".

Children who are able to enter this school are usually seven years old and have passed a simple examination at the elementary school.

The six-year program has a clear objective, laying a solid foundation in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and introducing students to the most basic principles of "investigating things to acquire knowledge."

Hao Zhao, the younger brother of Hao Tong, the postmaster, along with Huang Xu, Li Zhen, Ma Jun, and other school-age children, were sitting in classrooms of various grades in elementary school, their brows furrowed as they stared at a word problem in front of them.

"Team A reclaims 20 mu of land per day, and Team B reclaims 25 mu per day. If the two teams work together to reclaim 180 mu of land, how many days will it take to complete the task? If Team A reclaims land alone for three days first, and then Team B joins in, how many more days will it take to complete the task?"

Zhang Xian has come up with many modified versions of classic math problems.

Besides the problem of two teams starting work simultaneously, there is also a problem of two pools, one filled and one drained, with two horses running facing left and right respectively, asking when they will meet and when the pools will be filled.

The main point is that everyone has to experience the same suffering as me.

Hao Zhao had a calligraphy brush in his mouth while his hand unconsciously fiddled with a small abacus.

This abacus was also a feature of the Bingzhou Academy. After improvements, it had two beads on top and five beads on the bottom, making its calculation efficiency far higher than that of traditional counting rods.

On the wall at the back of the classroom hang multiplication tables and conversion tables for units of measurement, such as the decimal conversions for zhang, chi, cun, shi, dou, and sheng. This is one of the standardization reforms that Zhang Xianqiang has been vigorously promoting.

The teacher tapped the blackboard: "Hao Zhao, stop daydreaming! What's the key to this question?"

Hao Zhao suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Sir, the key is to find the sum of the efficiency of the two teams working together for one day! Twenty plus twenty-five equals forty-five mu! Then divide the total of one hundred and eighty by forty-five to get four days!"

"And what about the second question?"

"Team A works for three days, completing 20 multiplied by three, which equals 60 mu. The remaining 120 mu are produced. The combined daily yield of the two teams is 45 mu. 120 divided by 45 equals... two and two-thirds of a day! That is, two days and eight hours!"

Hao Zhao answered fluently, his eyes sparkling with excitement at solving the problem.

"Very good!" The man nodded in satisfaction.

"Sit down, students. Mathematics is the foundation of all skills. As the general often says, everything in the world is inseparable from the application of mathematics. This is a subject that one can learn throughout one's life, so pay attention!"

In elementary school, the Chinese curriculum focuses on practical writing, reading comprehension, and basic grammar, while mathematics focuses on arithmetic, basic geometry, and simple word problems, taking up most of the time.

In addition, there is a "physical investigation" class that both intrigues and troubles the children.

There are no fixed textbooks for the "Gewu" class; it relies more on the teacher's demonstrations and the students' observations.

For example, in today's physics lesson, the teacher brought a basin of water, several pieces of wood and stones of different shapes and sizes.

"Why do wooden blocks float on the water while stones sink to the bottom?" the man asked.

The children chimed in, "Wood is light!" "Stone is heavy!"

The gentleman shook his head and took out a delicate little balance scale and a set of standard weights: "This small stone is lighter than that large piece of wood, so why does the stone sink while the wood floats?"

The children were speechless.

Instead of giving the answer directly, the teacher guided them to weigh equal volumes of wood and stone, thus introducing the concept of "density".

Although it was only the most superficial contact, it seemed to plant a seed in their hearts to question common sense and explore principles.

Hao Zhao was particularly fascinated by it.

After school each day, he would run to the outskirts of the workshop area, gazing at the towering chimneys and listening to the roaring sounds coming from within, and would linger there for a long time.

In the northwest corner of Jinyang City stands the "Bingzhou Prefectural School," which is now considered the highest-level school in Bingzhou.

To enter this place, one must be at least a fourteen-year-old boy and must pass a rather rigorous primary school graduation exam.

It's no longer free, but the tuition is not expensive. Poor families can complete some labor in lieu of tuition. In addition, generous scholarships have been established to attract the most intelligent and studious young people from Bingzhou and even the surrounding prefectures and counties.

The program lasts four years and aims to train urgently needed mid-level technical officials, workshop managers, ordnance researchers, and grassroots officials for Bingzhou.

The atmosphere of the county school was completely different from that of the elementary and primary schools; it was filled with seriousness and focus.

The courses here are more in-depth and specialized.

Chinese language classes have begun to cover official document writing and logic and rhetoric, while math classes have progressed to algebraic equations, trigonometric functions, and solid geometry, and have started to integrate with practical problems, such as calculating the volume of a granary, measuring the height of a terrain, and analyzing the transmission ratio of machinery.

What truly distinguishes county schools and primary schools from elementary schools is the in-depth study of the subjects of "physics" and "chemistry".

In the class on the study of things, it is no longer a simple observation of phenomena.

Most of the instructors at the Gewu (格物) training center are master craftsmen from the crafts camp, and Zhang Xian occasionally comes to give lectures in person. The blackboard is decorated with diagrams of levers, explaining concepts like moment, fulcrum, and the principles of saving and consuming effort.

Below the stage, the students were engrossed in their writing, and occasionally someone would raise their hand to ask a question: "Sir, if we follow this logic, can the piston of a steam engine driving a flywheel be considered as a continuously rotating lever combination?"

"Good question! That's exactly the crank-connecting rod mechanism we'll be analyzing in the next class!"

The other classroom was filled with a slightly sour and peculiar smell.

This is the laboratory for the "Chemistry" class.

The laboratory table was made of stone, on which were placed glass beakers, tubing, ceramic jars, a balance, and an alcohol lamp fueled by high-proof distilled spirits. Although the equipment was simple, it was still usable.

As one small experiment after another, which could be considered magic by ordinary people, was carried out.

The students gasped softly, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and excitement.

However, they did not learn magic, but rather the "principles of material change".

They needed to record reaction phenomena, try to balance simple reaction equations, understand the basic concepts of acids, bases, and salts, and even learn how to purify crude salt, produce alkali solutions, and identify minerals. This knowledge was directly related to the progress of many industries in Bingzhou, such as military, medicine, textiles, and metallurgy.

On the streets of Jinyang, the carriage slowly made its way toward Xihe County.

As they passed the county school, the carriage curtain was lifted slightly, and Zhang Xian's gaze fell upon a stone sculpture standing in front of the school gate.

The horizontal 8 symbol represents infinite possibilities.

Education is the foundation of everything, and its infinite possibilities are hidden in every school, large or small, scattered throughout Bingzhou.

The literacy night school program continues, but compared to adults with relatively fixed mindsets, these children are the future!
"Zhang Hou always paid special attention to students."

A melodious voice rang out from inside the carriage.

Zhang Ning, the Pacification Commissioner of Bingzhou, is one of the key figures in the pacification of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Last winter, he sent more than 300 men to escort her to the Taihang Mountains to negotiate with a group of Yellow Turban rebels who had joined the Black Mountain bandits.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hu, the leader of the guards, was also sent to talk to Zhang Niujiao.

The Black Mountain Bandits were not a strictly unified army, but rather a coalition of multiple armed forces, mainly active in the valleys of Changshan, Zhaojun, Zhongshan, Shangdang, and Hanoi counties in the Taihang Mountains.

The name "Black Mountain Bandits" comes from Black Mountain, located at the southern end of the Taihang Mountains.

After absorbing a portion of the Yellow Turbans, they claimed to have a million troops, but Zhang Xian estimated that their actual strength was at most between 50,000 and 100,000.

Of course, this refers to soldiers; if women, children, and their families are included, the number could easily reach a million.

Zhang Xian's gaze was naturally not on those soldiers. No matter how strong the mountain bandits were, they were just like that. They were only hiding among the mountains, taking advantage of the terrain.

What Zhang Xian wanted were the women and children.

You can never have too many people.

Bingzhou was a vast and sparsely populated province. Even though Zhang Xian repeatedly planned to increase the population register to 1.4 to 1.5 million (Yanmen New Register), it still could not fill the gap in Bingzhou's population.

Today, the population of Bingzhou is mainly concentrated in Taiyuan and Xihe counties.

A small number of migrants fled to Wuyuan.

The current number is a result of natural population growth.

If we could bring down the women, children, and families of bandits from the Taihang Mountains, Bingzhou would experience another surge in population.

Now, Jinyang has already resolved the population arrangements and resettlement issues; they're just waiting for people to arrive.

Zhang Xian lowered the carriage curtain and looked at the lovely woman beside him.

"Ning'er, what are you saying? Which of the people of Bingzhou do I not care about?"

"Your mission to Montenegro was very successful. Tell me what you want, and I will grant you anything that I can satisfy."

After arriving in Bingzhou, Zhang Ning made a series of meritorious achievements. Under her pacification, hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban people survived the most dangerous period when they were most prone to uprisings. Later, she went on a mission to Black Mountain, which also yielded remarkable results. She persuaded many former Yellow Turban leaders to lead their people to join her.

Zhao Hu was sent by Zhang Xian to persuade and intimidate Zhang Niujiao. The Bingzhou army was at its peak and had occupied the roads and strongholds in the Taihang Mountains. As long as Zhang Niujiao had not lost his mind, he would not take any action against Zhang Ning's behavior.

Zhang Ning shook her head: "I only want to see my father right now."

Zhang Xian paused for a moment, then silently nodded.
-
Luoyang, Nangong.

Compared to the vibrant and intellectually stimulating land of Bingzhou, the empire's central government was permeated with an inescapable sense of stagnation.

The palace still stands majestically, its glazed tiles gleaming coldly in the sunlight, but the eunuchs and officials who walk among them mostly wear a cautious weariness and numbness on their faces.

Inside the rear palace, the fragrance of medicine was so strong it was almost overwhelming.

Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty leaned against a soft couch, covered with a thick brocade quilt.

He was even thinner than he had been a year or two ago, his face was an unhealthy pale, and his eyes were sunken. Only his occasionally moving eyes still retained a trace of the shrewdness and suspicion that belonged to an emperor.

But most of the time, his eyes were unfocused, filled with an emptiness that had been drained by illness and the endless power struggles.

A physician with white hair and beard was kneeling before the bed, carefully taking the emperor's pulse.

His fingers rested on the emperor's thin wrist, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The hall was eerily quiet, with only the monotonous ticking of the water clock and Liu Hong's breathing, which was sometimes rapid and sometimes faint.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and several other eunuchs stood quietly to the side, their eyes lowered, exchanging glances that only they could understand.

After a long while, the physician withdrew his hand, prostrated himself on the ground, and kowtowed, his voice dry and fearful: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty has been overworked and worried, and your health is slightly off... You only need... you only need to rest and recuperate, and take the prescription I have just given you, and you will... you will..."

"Cough...cough cough..." Liu Hong suddenly coughed violently, and a sickly flush rose on his pale face.

Zhang Rang quickly stepped forward and gently patted his back.

As his coughing subsided, Liu Hong, panting, his voice hoarse and weak, interrupted the imperial physician: "More rest... the same old nonsense, I've heard it for years... Alright, get out of here..."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I take my leave..." The old imperial physician felt as if he had been granted a pardon and practically fled the bedchamber.

The smell of medicine inside the hall seemed to have grown even stronger.

Liu Hong closed his eyes and waved wearily.

How many years do I have left?

What should be done about the prince?
He preferred the five-year-old Liu Xie to the teenage Liu Bian.

Should we abolish the eldest son's position and establish the youngest son in his place?

What should He Jin do?
A myriad of thoughts flood my mind, causing endless annoyance.

The Han Dynasty is also going through a turbulent time.

Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, rebellions continued to break out in various places.

There were also high-ranking officials in the court, powerful families, and Zhang Xian from Bingzhou.

Difficult, too difficult.

Forget it.

Let's just continue enjoying ourselves.

(End of this chapter)