A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 939: Zhengzhou Provincial University Political Discussion Students, Xuzhou News is not Wang Lun

October, Year 1 of the Dragon Era
In Zhengzhou Guancheng, the provincial capital, in the east of the city, there is a newly built courtyard complex where Zhengzhou Provincial University is located.

Because the students there are all quasi-officials, the conditions are very favorable, the environment is elegant, and everyone who comes and goes is well-dressed.

Liu Fansheng followed the advice of Bai Zhubu and did not report to the county school. Instead, he went to the provincial capital to apply for the provincial school.

With his previous experience in imperial examinations, he easily became a student.

To this end, he resigned from his position as the patriarch of Wansheng Village, took two or three sons to the provincial school, studied hard, and waited for the first official selection examination under the rule of Xuanwu Army.

"Brother Fan Sheng, let's go together."

As soon as he walked out of the school gate, a scholar in his thirties followed behind him. It was Liu Fansheng's classmate, Yang Lu.

Yang Lu was born in a poor family, but won the title of student by virtue of his talent and knowledge, and since then he has had a bright future.

Although Liu Fansheng had a family, it was not a big one, so there was no discrimination between family backgrounds, and the two of them had a very pleasant conversation.

While walking on the road, the two chatted about the recent situation.

The official selection examination requires a policy essay, that is, one’s views on the current situation.

Therefore, since the opening of county schools and state schools, this place has become a center for political discussion, and students are all proud to discuss state affairs and current situations.

The academic officials of the academy also encouraged students to participate in politics in order to broaden their horizons and enable them to pass the official selection examinations.

After all, if more students pass the exam in the prefecture or county, it means that these academic officials have made outstanding achievements and have the opportunity to be promoted.

"The bandits in Xuzhou were about to be strangled by General Chen in the north of Xuzhou, but they were so cunning that they managed to escape and hide in the borders of Xuzhou, Suzhou and Sizhou, wandering around."

"The military government's army has failed in its encirclement and suppression efforts many times. The longer the war drags on, I'm afraid there will be changes." Yang Lu was the first to raise the topic.

Liu Fansheng also nodded and said, "I think the reason why the Xuzhou thieves escaped so many times is definitely related to the powerful families in the three states of Xu, Su, and Si."

"If they hadn't passed the message to the Xuzhou bandits, the Xuzhou bandits should have been pacified by the military government in Xubei, and the war would not have dragged on until now."

"I heard that the Zhongwu Army sent 50,000 troops to attack Bianzhou, and the main force of the military is in Xuzhou. Is there any danger?"

Compared with Yang Lu who was good at military strategy, Liu Fansheng was good at government affairs. Therefore, although they were classmates, they had different focuses and followed different teachers.

The provincial school was directly managed by the school principal. There was one chief academic officer, three instructors, more than twenty teaching assistants, and a number of other miscellaneous servants in the school.

There are now 123 students. Almost all the young talents in the state are concentrated in the state school, so the competition is very fierce.

In order to better educate students, the provincial school hired teachers, mostly from Bianliang Academy, and a small number of famous scholars.

Moreover, most of these celebrities had no political bias and focused on education.

Therefore, the schools in various prefectures and counties were like branches of the Bianliang Academy, and Neo-Confucianism took root and grew in them.

Also influenced by Neo-Confucianism, these students set their ambitions to make contributions to the people shortly after entering school.

It is no longer the same as the muddle-headed life in the past, and it is completely bursting with the youthful vigor.

"I don't think we need to worry too much about the Zhongwu Army. The cavalry of the military government arrived in Zhengzhou last month, and the Hezhong Army attacked Heyang a few days ago."

"Heyang is under the jurisdiction of the Zhongwu Army. Rather than saying that the 50,000 Zhongwu Army is coming to attack Bianzhou, it would be better if they were actually going to rescue Heyang."

"I guess the 3,000 cavalry from the military government also want to intervene in the Heyang war." After hearing Yang Lu's analysis, Liu Fansheng seemed to realize something and said, "What a coincidence. Just as Xuzhou rebelled, Heyang and Yunzhou started a war right after. It seems like there is a big hand behind this."

Yang Lu looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them. He whispered:
"Who else could it be? It must be the military government. I think it is to prevent the towns from interfering in Xuzhou's affairs."

"To be able to make such an arrangement, it can be said that he is very far-sighted. I just don't know which master in the military office came up with this plan. I really admire him."

Speaking of the military mansion, Liu Fansheng asked, "I heard that you are going to take Master Dongfang as your master. He is from the Bai vein. Is it really a good idea to intervene in the dispute between the two veins so early?"

Yang Lu glanced at Liu Fansheng and said seriously, "Teacher, I am very lucky to be accepted as your disciple."

"Besides, it's just a small dispute over cultural heritage, and they are all under the same military command. The intensity is not high, and the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Compared with the party struggles in the court today, it can be regarded as a small witch compared to a big witch."

"I have my own plan for this matter, Brother Liu, there is no need to say more."

Hearing Yang Lu's words, Liu Fansheng had no objection, as it was just a reminder. Talking about the factional struggles in the court, and thinking of his repeated failures in the early years, he became a little pessimistic:

"According to the classification of the ministers in the court, we belong to the school of rationalism. Today, the school of rationalism in the court is declining, and the classicists are in power. I don't know what our future will be."

Yang Lu was not so pessimistic, but excited:

"The imperial court is too far away from us. We are just little students. To have the opportunity to become an official is already a blessing from our previous life."

"Besides, since we entered the provincial academy, we have been branded as members of the Xuanwu Army, and we will never be able to get rid of it for the rest of our lives."

"Instead of thinking about unrealistic things, it is better to think about how to develop the Xuanwu Army better."

At this point, Yang Lu's eyes lit up, and he said with a little excitement: "If Envoy Bai can reach the top by then, our status will be changed from then on. Even if we are those Jinshi, what does it matter?"

After all, Liu Fansheng was from a well-off family, so he couldn't help but wonder when he heard this:

"The Bai family's ancestral precepts state that the Bai family will not be kings. Today, all the military commanders in the various vassal states rule with the title of county king or even the real king, but the Bais in various places all refuse to accept the title of king and only use the title of duke. Can this be considered as not having any intention of fighting for the world?"

Yang Lu was not surprised at all when he heard this, and said:
"That's true, but a duke with ten thousand households is only a title different from a prince with a few thousand households. What can actually compare to them?"

"Besides, the Bai family is not a king, but it doesn't say that the Bai family is not an emperor."

"I looked up ancient books and learned that the Bai family had a tradition of not being a king. During the Han Dynasty, the Bai family had a tradition of not being a king, but everything depends on the current situation of having a master."

"If there is no ruler now, the princes are fighting each other, and the incompetent and unjust rulers are rampant, I think you, the Bai family, will not cling to your principles and watch the world fall."

"Let me tell you, whether the Bai family will be king or not does not depend on you, the Bai family, but on you and me, and on the people of the world."

"As long as the hearts of the people belong to the Bai family, and we can use the hearts of the people to influence your heart, everything will be fine."

“So, work hard for a better tomorrow for the world and for the aspirations in our hearts.”

When he arrived at his door, Yang Lu patted Liu Fansheng on the shoulder and said goodbye.

However, Liu Fansheng was still immersed in Yang Lu’s theory, and he never thought that “the Bai family was not the king” could be explained in this way.

With this in mind, he no longer has to worry about his previous efforts being transferred to his family by the Bai family in the future and he no longer has to start all over again.

This is another reason why Bai Yi attached great importance to the provincial and county schools. Through the provincial and county schools, he could control the local public opinion and interpretation rights.

(End of this chapter)