The fiercest soldier of the border army

The scholars present, who had previously been arrogant and domineering, were now all silent and cautious.

Military Governor Li Qing'an stepped forward, stood in the hall, looked around, and introduced himself to the Crown Prince:

"Your Highness, this is Shi Hanshan, the commander of the Left Army's Right Dushan Battalion. He led five hundred heavy cavalry in a surprise attack on the Xiongnu formation, cutting off the enemy's head and tail, which was the key to the Xiongnu's defeat and demise."

Shi Hanshan stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and made no further comment.

The crown prince nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

The scholars in the hall exchanged glances, and some nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement.

They had thought the two men had come through connections to volunteer for Lingzhou, but it turned out they were meritorious soldiers!

Charging into battle and defeating the enemy are real, tangible results, far more valuable than empty talk.

Li Qing paused for a moment, then continued, "This is Tang Shun, the squad leader of the Mountain Battalion."

His tone was slightly heavy, as if he was deliberately emphasizing the weight of the name.

"He was originally a lowly soldier in the Beiting Army, and now he is a squad leader."

"Half a month ago, he was ordered to garrison Xiushui Town. He mobilized the laborers to build the city walls themselves, and within half a day, a city wall six zhang high was erected!"

"He led a dozen or so new recruits to defend the isolated city, resisting five thousand Xiongnu cavalry, killing and wounding a thousand enemy soldiers, and protecting three thousand people in Xiushui Town."

As he spoke, perhaps feeling proud, Li Qing'an unconsciously straightened his back and added, "Furthermore, at the last moment, he personally beheaded the Right Chief Commander, took his head, and intimidated the remaining troops."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

One of the scholars gasped, staring intently at Tang Shun as if seeing his face for the first time.

This boorish savage, jumping around like this, is only around twenty years old, yet he has accomplished such a great feat.

Twenty-odd new recruits withstood the attack of five thousand cavalry, and even turned the tables, killing or wounding a thousand of them?!

They even killed the Xiongnu chieftain in battle?!

One person muttered to himself, "No wonder he dared to speak so boldly... he really does have some skill."

The Crown Prince smiled gently, "This must be the hero of this battle? A truly formidable young man."

"I was wondering what kind of genius could achieve such a great victory when the forces were so disparate."

"I understand now after hearing what you just said."

Seeing the Crown Prince's high praise, the scholar in blue stood up, cupped his hands, and said to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness is of noble birth and should not sit under a dangerous roof."

"Such filthy places are mostly inhabited by uncouth warriors, and the stench is mixed, which may harm Your Majesty's health. Why should you condescend to come here in person?"

His tone was gentle and seemingly concerned, but every word he spoke was barbed.

The term "filthy place" clearly refers to the filthy and disgusting place where martial artists reside.

The saying "one should not sit under a low-lying roof" is a veiled criticism that the crown prince should not share a room with people of low status.

Tang Shun's eyes turned cold.

The crown prince stared at the scholar in blue, a cold smile playing on his lips: "You say this place is filthy?"

"Indeed." The scholar in blue bowed, oblivious to the Crown Prince's expression, and continued confidently:

"Martial artists spend their days surrounded by swords and blood, and their bodies are filled with a murderous aura. The guest room is devoid of any refined items, so it is certainly not a place for Your Highness to come."

"So," the crown prince slowly stepped forward, "it's because there are martial artists present that this place has become a filthy place?"

The scholar in blue was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the crown prince to ask such a direct question.

"Who will guard the vast borders of our Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Do we rely on you, who recite poetry and fann yourselves with folding fans, or on these soldiers who fight the enemy every day to protect the peace of our people?"

His voice grew louder, causing the copper bells under the eaves to ring softly.

"You call them uncivilized, but do you know how many people died in this battle? Do you know how the people on the border survived?"

"Do you know how Tang Shun managed to hold off five thousand iron cavalry with only twenty soldiers?"

The crown prince pressed forward step by step, relentlessly demanding answers.

The scholar in blue retreated step by step, his face gradually turning pale.

The prince shouted:

"You don't know! All you know is hiding behind high walls, drinking tea, grinding ink, and spouting high-sounding platitudes!"

The hall was completely silent.

The scholar in blue blushed and opened his mouth to argue, but the crown prince stared at him, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he finally lowered his head.

The crown prince ignored him, turned to Tang Shun, and gave him a warm smile. "Tang Shun, you just said that classical texts cannot be used to govern a country?"

"What? What are your thoughts? Why don't you share them with me, so that these scholars can learn from them as well?"

Shi Hanshan stood in the corner, constantly giving him meaningful glances.

Li Qingan smiled and nodded slightly in encouragement.

Tang Shun took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

He knew his chance had come!

"Your Highness, I have lived on the frontier for a long time and am unfamiliar with etiquette. I hope you will forgive my humble opinions."

"The classics can teach one a sense of shame and etiquette, and can also help one understand filial piety and brotherly love, and uphold the fundamental principles of morality," Tang Shun said. "But they cannot distinguish between the various seasonal customs."

Someone in the hall frowned, seemingly puzzled.

Tang Shun continued, "Spring plowing, summer weeding, autumn harvesting, winter storage—when to sow, when to irrigate, when to prevent pests, and when to store grain."

"These things are not written in the Analects, nor are they mentioned in the Mencius."

"The classics teach people the proper relationship between ruler and subject, and the proper relationship between father and son, but they don't teach people how to feed the people."

His gaze swept over the scholars, and he said, word by word, "If scholars and intellectuals like to sit in the main hall, engaging in lofty discussions, but have never walked on muddy country roads or seen people starving, how can they be considered to understand how to govern a country?"

An old man stroked his beard as if to speak, but Tang Shun did not give him the chance.

"I have lived in the North for many years and have seen winter snow that is knee-deep, and people dismantling their houses to use the beams for firewood."

"I have seen how, during the spring famine, a mother would give the last bowl of porridge to her child and drink only water to stave off hunger herself."

"I have also seen battlefields littered with corpses after the war, with no one to collect them, and they could only be burned to ashes, leaving no trace of their remains."

He paused, his voice lower but deeper: "I deeply understand the suffering of the people, because I am one of them. In my eyes, a true sage is one who can ensure the people have enough to eat!"

The hall was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

Those intellectuals who looked down on him opened their mouths, but didn't know how to refute him.

They prided themselves on being learned scholars, knowledgeable about the past and present, but in the face of life and death, hunger, and war, their knowledge seemed so pale and powerless.

The Crown Prince looked at Tang Shun quietly, his face devoid of smiles or approval, only displaying a deep scrutiny.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice calm yet as powerful as a hammer blow:

"You know the suffering of the people, but do you know how to relieve their suffering?"

Tang Shun stood still, not answering immediately.

He looked at the Crown Prince, and also at the scholars filling the hall.

This question wasn't just about his experience, but also about his aspirations.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a long shadow on the floor tiles in front of him.

The shadow was straight and unbiased, like a knife stuck in the ground.

Tang Shun spoke slowly, his voice deep and firm:

"If the people are provided for infancy, employed adulthood, fed when hungry, treated when sick, and cared for when old, then their suffering can be relieved!"

After he finished speaking, he said nothing more and just stood there quietly.

The crown prince did not respond, and it felt as if an invisible weight was pressing down on the air.

Shi Hanshan stood in the corner, his gaze shifting back and forth between Tang Shun and the Crown Prince.

He sensed that something was changing.

It is no longer a simple act of reward, but a deeper recognition, a harbinger of an impending change of the old order.

Among the group of scholars, some quietly put away their folding fans, while others lowered their heads to flip through the pages, pretending to be focused, but in reality, they were very nervous.

They began to realize that this warrior would probably not be so easily dismissed.

The crown prince finally looked away and slowly walked toward the long table on the side of the hall.

"That concludes today's audience," the Crown Prince waved his hand. "The rest will be discussed tomorrow."

Everyone was startled, realizing that the Crown Prince had no intention of listening to their arguments.

"Shi Hanshan and Tang Shun, stay behind."

Once the order is given, there is no room for doubt.

In the blink of an eye, only four people remained in the guest room: the Crown Prince, the military governor, Shi Hanshan, and Tang Shun.

The staff member stood in the corner with his hands at his sides, expressionless.

With his back to the crowd, the prince gazed out the window at the crisscrossing streets and alleys of Tingzhou City, where wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys.

This city is much more stable than Datong. The streets are clean, the markets are orderly, and the people walk with ease.

But the Crown Prince knew even better how many hidden problems lurked beneath this peaceful facade.

After a long silence, the Crown Prince turned around, sat upright behind his desk, and asked seriously:

"If the people are provided for when they are young, employed when they are strong, fed when they are hungry, treated when they are sick, and cared for when they are old, then the people's suffering can be relieved."

"Then tell me, how can we ensure that the people have something to live on, something to use, something to eat, and something to govern?"