When I was in Qin Dynasty, I really didn't want to make progress

On the second day after Yang Chong entered the Palace of King Qi, imperial edicts were sent out from the four gates of Linzi City to all parts of Qi. The content of the edicts was very simple, merely summoning officials from all parties to go to Linzi to report on their work.

Yang Chong did not have high expectations for whether his edicts could be followed by the officials of Qi. If half of them could honestly follow the edicts of him, the new king, and come to Linzi to pay homage to him, this would have met Yang Chong's expectations. There must be many people who were waiting and watching, and even some so-called "heroes" who thought they were not ordinary people and felt that their chance had come in the troubled times. To deal with these people, the soldiers under Yang Chong's command had gone through several battles and had completely transformed into an elite force.

Those who disobeyed the imperial edict would naturally be surrounded and suppressed by a large army.

Yang Chong even hopes that there can be more people like this. Some things cannot be rebuilt without being destroyed, even a country is like this.

Yang Chong captured Linzi without bloodshed, which certainly saved lives, but the inherent chronic diseases of Qi State were also lost with an opportunity to be completely eliminated.

Therefore, with the overall situation already decided, Yang Chong still needs some people's resistance. Only in this way can he take the opportunity to clean up the people and free up some resources.

However, Yang Chong seemed to have overestimated the determination of the Qi people. When his edicts reached various places one after another, there were very few places where resistance existed, so few that he did not need to send many troops to resolve the problem.

Faced with such a situation, Yang Chong had no choice but to adopt another approach. Since some things can only be accomplished quickly without destruction, Yang Chong could only respect reality and use another more gentle way to integrate Qi's resources. He would first cultivate an army of sufficient size for himself, and then rely on the army to realize his plan.

It was also during this process that Yan Lingji had already rushed from Dong'a City to Linzi with light luggage. This was the freedom that belonged to Yan Lingji. Like Zi Nu, although she wanted to rush to Linzi at this time, she had to stay in Dong'a City to guard the rear for Yang Chong and mobilize all the resources that could be mobilized to send them to Linzi. From now on, Linzi would be Yang Chong's rear base, so naturally it had to be managed well.

"What are you looking for?" In the Palace of Prince Qi, Yang Chong looked at Yan Lingji who was sniffing around like a fox, and was speechless. Perhaps only Yan Lingji could do such a thing.

"It really is the smell that belongs to you, without any of those inappropriate smells." Facing Yang Chong's questioning, Yan Lingji remained unmoved until she checked every last detail, and then she replied to Yang Chong.

"What's that weird smell?" Yang Chong, who had nothing to do, also wanted to amuse Yan Lingji. After all, it would be too boring if no one shared the joy of conquering Qi.

But not everyone can share Yang Chong’s happiness. Of course, Yan Lingji is not one of them. She is the one who can share everything with Yang Chong.

"There are a lot of beauties in the Palace of King Qi, right? Noble ladies, princesses, concubines and so on, aren't you allowed to do whatever you want now?" Yan Lingji looked at Yang Chong. Even though she believed that Yang Chong could do everything, she was shocked that Yang Chong could take over Qi in such a short time and basically maintain its stability.

Yan Lingji believed in Yang Chong unconditionally because of emotion, but she was also rational.

Yan Lingji knew very well how powerful Qi was to Yang Chong. They were not on the same level. It was extremely unfair to let Yang Chong go to war with Qi in such a hurry. If it was not fair, King Zheng of Qin would not have gone to great lengths to give Yang Chong a crown.

"So what?" Yang Chong asked back.

"So did you do whatever you wanted?" Yan Lingji interrogated. She had the qualifications and the confidence to do so.

"I thought about it at first, but then I felt that it was meaningless. It was just building my own happiness on the suffering of others. Besides, doing so might not make me happy." Yang Chong said.

The moment Yang Chong entered the Palace of Prince Qi, he thought of indulging himself, but he quickly came to his senses. In fact, such indulgence was very boring. He was not an unsatisfied young man who wanted to pounce on a beautiful woman when he saw her.

If it was just physical indulgence, even if the object was Tian Jian's concubine, or the so-called princess of Qi, what was the difference between that and prostitution?

So Yang Chong would rather wait for a few days until Yan Lingji comes.

"You are very kind to women." Yan Lingji's expression became gentle. In fact, she was just pretending just now. She didn't care whether Yang Chong was indulgent or not.

Even if Yang Chong did whatever he wanted in the Prince of Qi's palace, Yan Lingji would not feel angry. This is not because she did not care about Yang Chong.

On the contrary, she not only cares about Yang Chong, but also cares about him more than anyone else. But it is precisely because of this that Yan Lingji feels that as her man, Yang Chong should not be bound by people or rules, and should only do what he wants to do, because her man is the strongest.

Even when it comes to women, Yan Lingji has enough confidence. She believes that no matter how many women Yang Chong has, he will always love her the most. On the premise of guaranteeing this and believing this, Yan Lingji does not care how many women Yang Chong has. She is even willing to see Yang Chong take those so-called noble ladies and royal princesses into his harem. Her man deserves the best things in the world.

"It's not that I'm gentle with women. After all, I don't know them. I'm just waiting for your arrival. Compared to physical indulgence, I prefer being with you." Yang Chong looked at Yan Lingji. Although he was already very familiar with her, he still had the same passion for everything about Yan Lingji. That familiar body, familiar smell, familiar eyes, each time they gave him a different feeling, both physically and psychologically.

"You've already tricked me into giving you what you want. It's no use for you to keep saying the words I like to hear." Yan Lingji said with disdain, but her eyes were full of smiles.

That undisguised look was telling Yang Chong, "Please say more of these words. I'd like to hear them!"

"Is it really useless?" Yang Chong asked back.

Yan Lingji, who liked to hear this kind of words, became anxious again after hearing this. She was not satisfied yet.

Yan Lingji knew that in order to satisfy herself, she also had to satisfy Yang Chong, so she decided to do all the things that Yang Chong liked most in the past.

Unfortunately, Yan Lingji was still disappointed this time, because at this time, someone came to visit King Chong of Qi.

Yang Chong belongs to Yan Lingji, but King Chong of Qi does not.

In the study that once belonged to Tian Jian, Yang Chong saw an old man who was a little bald and had a shiny forehead.

The old man was quite tall. Although he was not young anymore, his back was still straight and his wide Confucian robe was stretched very tight on him. Although it was completely the attire of a Confucian scholar, no one would believe him if someone said he was so weak that he could not even tie a chicken.

"Confucian Xunzi greets His Majesty." The old man bowed to Yang Chong.

"What king?" Yang Chong did not accept Xun Kuang's salute.

Xunzi's visit to the Qi Palace today naturally had a reason. It was all because of Yang Chong, because Yang Chong dispatched troops to blockade the Jixia Academy.

The Jixia Academy has been run by the Qi King's lineage for many years, and it has almost become a common holy place for all schools of thought. In the Jixia Academy, there are students from seven countries. Here, students can go to any of the hundreds of schools of thought to study and listen to lectures. Here, masters of the hundreds of schools of thought debate with each other and pursue higher knowledge.

The various schools of thought and their contending opinions could be most truly reflected in the Jixia Academy.

Yang Chong, the new master of Qi, sent troops to blockade the Jixia Academy. Not knowing what Yang Chong's attitude towards the Jixia Academy was, they could only send Xunzi, one of the few remaining masters among the Hundred Schools of Thought, to the Qi Palace to find out Yang Chong's attitude towards the Jixia Academy.

Faced with Yang Chong's silly question, other people might find it difficult to react and wonder why Yang Chong asked such a question, but an old man like Xunzi reacted. This was for him to express his attitude towards Yang Chong's entry into Qi State.

"Xunzi meets His Majesty the King of Qi." Xunzi changed the way he addressed Yang Chong to show the attitude of the Jixia Academy towards Yang Chong.

"Mr. Xun, long time no see." Yang Chong smiled.

Looking at Yang Chong's smiling face, Xunzi instinctively felt a chill. This was not because Yang Chong was the new master of Qi, but because of something else. It was because Yang Chong did not play by the rules, and also because of Yang Chong's unfathomable personal strength. All these cast a veil of mystery over Yang Chong.

Mystery is the most annoying thing for smart people. Coincidentally, Xunzi is the smartest among smart people.

"I can not only allow the Jixia Academy to continue to exist, but also increase investment in it." Yang Chong said.

"What is the king's purpose?" Xun Kuang asked tentatively. At this time, he had already reacted. He was afraid that his visit to the Qi Palace this time was a trap. All of this was planned by Yang Chong.

The Jixia Academy will certainly be of great use to Yang Chong's future plans, but his proactive visit now has put the Jixia Academy in a passive position. It is unlikely that the Jixia Academy will be able to bargain with Yang Chong in the future.

"The world is discussing martial arts." Yang Chong said.

"The whole world is discussing military affairs?" Xunzi was stunned. In the previous moment, he thought of various conditions that Yang Chong might propose, but he had never thought of this possibility.

The world is discussing martial arts? What martial arts are they discussing?

"The thing I am most proud of in my life is my victory in the war, which only ranks third. The second is my martial arts skills," Yang Chong said proudly.

Hearing Yang Chong say this, Xun Kuang couldn't help but think of some rumors he had heard about the farmers' family before. Those six old guys were completely wiped out. Considering the martial arts that Yang Chong possessed at his current age, it was indeed terrifying.

"My lifelong hobby is martial arts, which ranks second to all others. So this time I plan to invite the leaders of various schools of thought to discuss the martial arts of the world in order to seek the highest martial arts." Yang Chong said.

The special nature of the sword world allows Yang Chong to fully utilize the martial arts of this world for his own benefit. Taking advantage of this opportunity at the Jixia Academy, he can invite the top masters from various schools of thought and use the sword world to absorb the essence of martial arts from various schools of thought. This is very important for Yang Chong.

As for the talented scholars in the Jixia Academy, as long as the Jixia Academy was still in Linzi, Yang Chong had enough means to recruit them under his command and there was no need to rush.

Chapter 251: Law and Confucianism

The world is discussing military affairs? When Xun Kuang heard this term, his thoughts were not as simple as Yang Chong's.

Although Yang Chong, the new King of Qi, has occupied Linzi City and cities across Qi have surrendered, Yang Chong still has a lot to do if he wants to straighten out the complicated relationships within Qi and completely control Qi.

Under such circumstances, Yang Chong went to so much trouble to hold a martial arts forum. Is Yang Chong really so idle?

Although Yang Chong was indeed known for his martial arts, and had become one of the most powerful men in the world at a young age, which showed Yang Chong's talent in martial arts and the huge energy he invested in it, but if it was said that Yang Chong was a person who would do anything for martial arts, Xun Kuang would never believe it.

If Yang Chong was just a martial arts fanatic, he would not have entered the Qi Palace and become the master of most of Qi.

Therefore, he must have some conspiracy. Xun Kuang's eyes lingered on Yang Chong for a long time. He was analyzing Yang Chong's motives and trying to find out what conspiracy Yang Chong might have.

Did he want to gather all the masters of the various schools of thought in one place and capture them all in one fell swoop? However, that shouldn't be the case. The war between the seven countries is the mainstream now. Even if the monarchs of the seven countries don't like a certain school, they won't attack it. After all, for the king, the six are the real enemies. The struggles among the various schools of thought are really not taken seriously by the monarchs of the seven countries.

The same is true for Yang Chong. From now on, Yang Chong’s friends or enemies are only the six countries. At this time, he will never distract his attention to take action against the various schools of thought.

"Mr. Xun, you don't think I'm calculating against the various schools of thought, right?" Seeing that Xun Kuang was hesitant, Yang Chong simply revealed Xun Kuang's thoughts.

It is very interesting to guess each other's thoughts with Yan Lingji, but Yang Chong does not think it is a wonderful thing to guess the thoughts of an old man.

"It's not impossible." Faced with Yang Chong's inquiry, Xunzi was a little caught off guard, but he quickly reacted and replied with words that were half joking and half tentative.

"None of the hundreds of schools of thought are qualified to be my opponents, so there is no need to test me, Mr. Xun. I am here purely for martial arts. I have already glimpsed the ways of heaven and man, and I need to make progress bravely. I have to learn from everyone's strengths and take that step." Yang Chong said.

"That step!" Xun Kuang showed a look of disappointment when he heard this. It was most likely that others would not understand what Yang Chong said, but Xun Kuang was not one of them, because in terms of cultivation alone, he and Yang Chong were actually equal.

However, compared to a master like Yang Chong who is good at fighting, Xun Kuang is relatively not so good at fighting. But even a master who is not good at fighting is still a master, and he can still crush the so-called first-class masters.

Looking at Yang Chong's confident look about the future, Xunzi felt that the world was unforgiving. He felt a strong breath of life in Yang Chong, but he was already very old. Although these people had made great progress in their realm, they could not see the way to go further.

He is a scholar. If what he has learned cannot be put into effective practice, it will only be a castle in the air. It may look beautiful, but it is ultimately missing a ray of hope and a chance to break through to the final step.

"Mr. Xun's art of kingship and hegemony is very interesting. However, for any doctrine, the so-called perfection cannot be just written on paper. Only when it is implemented in reality can its value be proven." Yang Chong said.

Xunzi has a bad reputation in later history, largely because his disciple Li Si failed in practicing Xunzi's theories. Although this was not entirely Xunzi's fault, Xunzi was more or less affected by these problems, so much so that he was regarded as a heretic by traditional Confucianism in later generations.

But from the perspective of later generations like Yang Chong, Xunzi's theory is actually more suitable as a country's governing philosophy, it was just that Qin Shi Huang and his people went astray.

Therefore, Yang Chong was very interested in recruiting Xun Kuang under his command. Even if it meant offering him the position of prime minister, Yang Chong would be willing. However, Xun Kuang's disciples, such as Li Si and Zhang Cang, were pursuing fame, wealth and power. They might not be willing to let him be on the same level as his disciples in person, so Yang Chong had to resort to some means.

"Your Majesty, are you trying to recruit me?" Xun Kuang's heart was moved, but he suddenly became alert.

"Am I not qualified to recruit Mr. Xun?" Yang Chong asked back.

"With your talent in both civil and military affairs, I am afraid no one can be proud in front of you. But I am too old and cannot serve you." Xun Kuang said.

If Xunzi said that he was not moved by Yang Chong's advances, he would be completely deceiving himself. But he was not alone after all. His identity involved the entire Confucianism. Once he chose a side, it almost represented the Confucianism. The way of survival for the various schools of thought was to travel among the seven countries.

The struggle between the seven countries provided space for the survival and development of various schools of thought, but if any one of them completely sided with another country, it might be severely cracked down by other countries.

From this point of view, this is the case with the Mohist school that has been around for decades.

Therefore, unless it is absolutely necessary, Xunzi will never clearly stand on the side of any country.

"An old horse in the stable still has a thousand miles to go; a martyr in his old age still has great ambitions." Yang Chong said to himself. He was talking to himself, but he knew that Xunzi would definitely listen to him.

"Your Majesty is quite gifted in writing." Xun Kuang said jokingly. He could only use this kind of joke to hide his excitement.

"There is a long way to go for these things. I believe Mr. Xun will give me a satisfactory answer soon. Let's continue with the previous topic. I want you to invite masters from all schools of thought to discuss martial arts in the world." Yang Chong returned to the previous topic.

"Okay, but Your Majesty must guarantee that you will never lay a hand on the masters of the various schools of thought." Xun Kuang said helplessly. Now he was under someone's roof and had to bow his head.

"A gentleman's word is as good as gold." Yang Chong said.

"Okay, I will invite all the masters of various schools of thought to come to Linzi on behalf of the king." Xun Kuang responded.

"In this way, you and I can share this great event together." Yang Chong said with a smile. If this were accomplished, the sword world would surely evolve a martial art that could reach the limits of this world, and even allow Yang Chong to become invincible at the Grandmaster level.

After seeing off Xunzi, Yang Chong became busy again. Soon, officials from all over Qi State, regardless of their intentions, came to Linzi, waiting for the decision of fate.

After they waited for three days, Yang Chong, the new King of Qi, appeared before them.

"I don't know about your talents, but I also know that Qi cannot do without you." In the main hall of the Qi Palace, Yang Chong looked around at the more than 200 officials in the hall. He had never seen any of them before, but even though he had never seen them before, Yang Chong already had enough understanding of these people. Now he just made a real comparison and verification of the information in the intelligence and archives with the current people.

Yang Chong's voice echoed in the hall. More than 200 officials held their breath and concentrated. While Yang Chong was verifying the information he had on them, they were also guessing what Yang Chong was thinking.

"So, I want to test you today to see if you can continue to be promoted to your previous official positions." Yang Chong stated his purpose.

The imperial examination system is a very interesting system, and it is also a powerful weapon for this era. As for whether the imperial examination system will not be able to adapt to the local conditions in this era, Yang Chong is not too worried. After all, the various schools of thought have been operating for more than two hundred years, and in this era, a huge group of scholars has been cultivated. Some of them can certainly enter the court through conditions such as birth or wealth, but more people still find it difficult to set foot in the court.

The imperial examination system was prepared for these people.

The Mohist school's approach to engineering, the Confucian school's approach to education, the military school's approach to war, the Legalist school's approach to Sima, the Yin-Yang school's astronomy and calendar, the agricultural school's agronomy, medicine, and various trades, are all necessary for Yang Chong.

As for how to coordinate the various schools of thought and make them work towards a common goal despite their different concepts and doctrines, Yang Chong has already made a preliminary plan. No matter how cruel the war among the seven countries was, they still had a common value recognition, and the same was true among the various schools of thought.

As long as a common value recognition is established among the various schools of thought, it will not be difficult to make them work under one's command. As for what is the common value recognition?

Everything is for the advancement of civilization in this world. Yang Chong had already thought about this.

"A test?" Many officials in the hall were a little surprised, but soon calmed down. Such a thing was not that special in Qi State. King Wei of Qi had done this before.

At that time, King Wei of Qi evaluated the chief officials of each city across the country. Those who performed well were promoted, while those who failed were cooked and killed. The people of Qi had heard this story since childhood.

Soon, a group of eunuchs carried small tables and desks into the hall, and brought in pens, ink, paper and inkstone.

Just when everyone thought that Yang Chong would give the questions, Yang Chong had someone give each person a bamboo tube. The questions inside were the test questions. The questions were different for each person, and what was tested was not everyone's knowledge, but their abilities.

The examination lasted for three days, and it was not until dusk on the third day that the more than 200 officials left the King of Qi's palace.

The test papers they left behind were sent by Yang Chong and his men to Xun Kuang's residence in the Jixia Academy.

"Your Majesty, I am old and frail, and I am really not fit for such an assignment." Xunzi looked at the test papers piled up like a hill in front of him, his face full of bitterness.

Even though the test papers in front of him don't look like much and are just a small hill, they are actually test papers made of paper. If they were replaced with bamboo slips, they would probably fill up the entire room.

Moreover, these test papers are not only about the amount of work done, but also about human relations and social skills. Yang Chong intends to use these test papers as the standard to consider the appointment and retention of officials from all over Qi. This means that if Xunzi takes this job, the fate of the entire Qi officials will be determined by his pen.

Officials who passed the assessment might not necessarily be grateful to him, but officials who failed the assessment would definitely hate him to the core. Xunzi was well aware of this, so he could not take on this job.

Of course, Yang Chong also knew Xun Kuang's concerns, but since he had already delivered the things to Xun Kuang, he was naturally confident that Xun Kuang would accept them.

"Mr. Xun, why don't you listen to what I say first, and then make a decision." Yang Chong leisurely pulled out the chair belonging to Xun Kuang and sat down directly, not treating himself as an outsider at all.

"Even if Your Majesty can talk a flower, even if Your Majesty invites Guiguzi or Gongsun Long, the two old guys who are best at talking, I will never be convinced." Xunzi wanted to use his toughness to show his attitude.

What a joke! He has lived to such an old age, and his study of the ways of the world must have made great contributions.