Chapter 291

Chapter 291

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 9: The Plague of Drought and Locusts, Flying Troops to Liaodong Chapter 291: The Art of Printing

This kind of timid person is indeed only fit to be eliminated.

Someone like Wang Yun, who can realize the abnormality of Qiao Yan’s actions at this time, probably cannot be classified into this category.

After all, even if Qiao Yan were in Wang Yun’s position, faced with such a subversive thing, she might not be able to maintain her composure.

Those who truly fear this wave are those who haven’t even noticed the signs of this new generation of things.

However, in the current situation, whether they see it or not, Qiao Yan must lay it out on the table.

Perhaps after her power transitions from minister to monarch, her voice will be further enhanced, but those who oppose this suggestion will not shut up just because she changes from Grand Marshal to Son of Heaven.

On the contrary, with external survival factors and enemy threats eliminated, they will only feel that they can negotiate with her more easily.

And now?

Under the indiscriminate attack of disaster, if they want to maintain their current peaceful life, they will have to grit their teeth and accept the rules she proposes, relying on her military capabilities to pacify Gongsun Zan in Youzhou and Yuan Shao in Ji Province.

Moreover, what she is currently promoting with this new technology is merely a method to prevent drought and locust plagues.

“Dezu,” Qiao Yan suddenly spoke, “Let Xun Wenruo and Chen Changwen come to see me. Tell them that at the court meeting in a few days, I have an important matter to announce. Give them a heads-up first.”

Whether this is a slow knife cutting flesh or not, she still needs to fulfill the necessary etiquette.

Wang Yun has already set an example with his performance. In the current primary and secondary contradictions, the disputes arising from the emergence of printing technology will definitely not be at the forefront, so why not be bolder?

The accumulation of two years of silence is not just about trying to accept more people in others’ disaster relief efforts and widening the gap between enemies and allies. This natural disaster crisis is also the best springboard for her to completely stand out among the heroes of the world.

At the same time, it is also the beginning of her leaving a truly deep impression on the people.

From being invincible in battle to…

Pleading for the people!

Spring has arrived, and the sky brightens much earlier than in winter.

But before the Chang’an court meeting began, the sky was still dim.

Today’s situation seemed a bit special.

When the ministers attending the court meeting arrived, they noticed a few lamps lit outside the Zichen Hall, with several desks under the lamps.

In the Gui Palace, where only the Son of Heaven, courtiers, and guards were allowed to enter, there were actually a few craftsmen, who were now concentrating on completing some work under the light of the lamps and the sky.

Whether it was intuition or not, Wang Yun, who had just visited the Grand Marshal’s residence a few days ago, couldn’t help but feel a twitch in his eyelids.

Seeing his strange expression, Yang Zan, who was familiar with him, whispered, “Do you know what’s going on?”

Wang Yun didn’t speak but walked towards the craftsmen.

Seeing that they were each carving something on a pear wood board, Wang Yun’s guess was immediately confirmed.

At this moment, his mind flashed back to what Qiao Yan had said to him that day.

She said that producing those identical newspapers was like minting coins, and now she was demonstrating this “sameness” in front of all the officials of the Chang’an court!

But how dare she?

Wang Yun’s mind was in chaos.

He originally thought that Qiao Yan would at most inform those who came to inquire, like him, about the situation, cutting off the voices of opposition before they could spread outside, right within the Grand Marshal’s residence.

He never expected that Qiao Yan intended to make it public directly!

But listening to the chatter of the crowd and the sound of the craftsmen’s carving knives and wood boards, Wang Yun suddenly realized that this internal disclosure was not a bad thing for Qiao Yan.

His visit that day might have just been the beginning after the March issue of the Leping Monthly Report was released.

Qiao Yan couldn’t be sure if someone in Chang’an, like Wang Yun, had noticed the peculiarity of her actions but, due to her title as Grand Marshal, dared not come to her for verification, leaving their dissatisfaction hidden in their hearts.

This kind of dissatisfaction is too dangerous.

Because no one can guarantee that this emotion might erupt at an inappropriate time, causing her efforts to fail.

With such a risk, it’s better to lay the crisis out on the table, at least to die with clarity.

No, not quite!

From Wang Yun’s perspective, when she made this move, whether it was her or them who would die with clarity, she must have already made a judgment in her heart.

Thinking of this, Wang Yun’s gaze subconsciously followed the flying wood chips and embers to the wood boards.

On these boards, the craftsmen were engraving several lines of text in raised characters.

It’s unclear how long these craftsmen arranged by Qiao Yan had been engaged in this work, but their skill in carving the reversed text was quite exquisite. The carved eight-part clerical script followed the reversed text pasted on top, showing a certain beauty in the strokes.

With the surrounding light, Wang Yun could easily recognize the text on the boards.

“Oh, the Lu Poetry, no wonder it looks so familiar.” Wang Yun turned to see Zhao Qi, the head of the painting academy, peering over.

What made Wang Yun feel somewhat relieved was that Zhao Qi’s expression clearly showed curiosity about the new thing, indicating that he had no prior knowledge of it.

Although due to the nature of the painting academy, its students had some connection with the Leping Monthly Report over the past two years, it seemed that Zhao Qi and Qiao Yan were not “birds of a feather.”

Zhao Qi squinted and examined the wood board more carefully.

Unlike Wang Yun’s complex emotions, Zhao Qi, being older, didn’t like to trouble himself. The eight-part clerical script and the Lu Poetry quickly reminded him of something: the Xiping Stone Classics, which Emperor Ling of Han had Cai Yong inscribe on stone tablets.

Back then, the Xiping Stone Classics were carved on forty-six stone tablets, taking eight years to complete. These craftsmen obviously couldn’t carve all the Lu Poetry content in an instant; the board in front of him only had one poem, “Gantang.”

Compared to writing, carving inevitably has its disadvantages, but with only thirty-six characters in the poem plus the explanations in the Lu Poetry, the time from start to finish wasn’t too long.

From the moment Zhao Qi started observing the board to the craftsman’s knife stopping on the last character “shuo,” not much time had passed.

Almost simultaneously, the other craftsmen also stopped their work.

They quickly took brushes handed to them, cleaned their boards, and passed them to the next stage.

These boards weren’t large, only forming the size of a hand scroll after being fixed in a frame.

Then someone brushed ink onto the raised characters until the ink was evenly distributed, and another person laid a white sheet of paper over it. After pressing it down properly, they carefully and quickly brushed the ink from the board onto the paper.

The reversed text on the carved board became normal on the paper.

In just the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the bamboo poles hung outside the Zichen Hall were already filled with the Lu Poetry text printed from the boards.

Blown by the spring wind passing through Chang’an, the white paper and black ink swayed proudly.

Just as the sunlight broke through the clouds from the east, illuminating each sheet of paper, the identical brush strokes on each sheet became clear.

After the reversed raised characters were turned into normal text, it became even clearer that this indeed resembled the Xiping Stone Classics of old.

Cai Yong’s handwriting.

Once inscribed on the Xiping Stone Classics, as a classic of Han Confucianism.

But what people cared about most at this moment was obviously not who wrote these characters or what they wrote.

What was more concerning was that this process of brushing ink, covering paper, and printing text was completed at an astonishing speed, with the ink on the paper not smudging at all, and the hanging process was smooth and effortless.

Until a voice interrupted their gaze immersed in watching this process.

“Thick and lush is the Gantang, do not cut it down, do not chop it, where Duke Zhao rested… Yueshu, you didn’t choose this ‘Gantang’ randomly, did you?”

Everyone turned to see Liu Yu and Qiao Yan, who had somehow appeared here.

Liu Yu’s gaze fell on the bamboo paper, showing a hint of amazement.

This peculiar method of printing text, even for someone as well-read as him, was something he had never seen before.

To be honest, when he got the new issue of the Leping Monthly Report, not only Wang Yun had doubts, but Liu Yu did too.

But after all, he was now the Son of Heaven, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to pursue such personal…








People’s curiosity led them to summon Qiao Yan for questioning, especially since she was diligently preparing for the locust plague and drought.

However, what he didn’t expect was that a few days ago, Qiao Yan would approach him first, asking for permission to use this court meeting as a showcase.

Thus, what appeared before their eyes was a “writing” method that seemed easy to conceive but had never been considered before.

Even though Qiao Yan had previously explained the logic behind it to Liu Yu, seeing it in action still dazzled everyone, especially when ink marks were left on a blank sheet of paper, sparking countless ideas for practical applications.

If Liu Yu were to speak, the first thing that came to his mind was the “Emergency Medical Book.”

Apart from instructions on killing locusts and preventing locust plagues, the most suitable for widespread dissemination was that medical book.

But just as he thought of this, he realized that although the latest version of the Emergency Medical Book, produced in collaboration with Chiyang Medical Academy and the Art Academy, had become more accessible, it still wasn’t comprehensible to the general public. It was better to maintain the current state of distributing it to local leaders.

Unless, they first used it to print a batch of literacy books.

Wait… literacy?

Liu Yu’s thoughts paused for a moment, suddenly understanding why Qiao Yan insisted on making these points clear here.

After this demonstration of printing technology, even though everyone knew there was no complex technology involved, it didn’t stop them from being too distracted to focus on today’s court meeting.

Fortunately, today’s court meeting didn’t have many urgent matters, so a delay was acceptable.

Everyone present then heard Qiao Yan reply, “In the past, Duke Shao of the Zhou Dynasty, a relative of King Wu, was granted the land of Yan, but he did not go to his fief and instead stayed in Haojing to assist King Wu, who then granted him the land of Fufeng.”

“When Duke Shao governed Fufeng, he toured the villages, adjudicated cases under a pear tree, handled administrative affairs, and ensured the people lived in peace. Thus, the people loved him so much that they took care of the pear tree where he once resided, neither pruning nor cutting it, composing songs to forever remember Duke Shao’s kindness.”

This is the origin of the poem, “The lush pear tree, do not prune or cut, where Duke Shao once stayed.”

Liu Yu, having studied the Book of Songs, knew the story behind it.

But Qiao Yan wasn’t bringing up this story for no reason.

The land of Yan, originally granted to Duke Shao, is now Youzhou, and Haojing, where he later assisted King Wu in governance, is near today’s Chang’an. This undoubtedly bears some resemblance to Liu Yu’s own history.

Although Liu Yu is a ruler and Duke Shao a subject, making direct comparisons inappropriate, there is a commonality.

Qiao Yan continued, “Bestowing kindness upon the people, allowing them to live and work in peace, though the songs do not mention Duke Shao’s deeds, every word is filled with genuine emotion, making later generations feel moved. Like the fair adjudication of lawsuits and the smooth implementation of policies, Your Majesty has already achieved these in the past two years, so why not take another step forward?”

“If we can let everyone know how to combat locust plagues, so that even commoners can avoid disaster in times of natural changes, then the relationship between the court and the people in Chang’an can be as harmonious as fish and water. Today, we recite the deeds of Duke Shao at the beginning of our enlightenment, and tomorrow, it will be praises for all of you, especially Your Majesty.”

Liu Yu shook his head and smiled, “Can one live in the world just for fame?”

Qiao Yan replied, “The causality is not like that. Just like when people today interpret the Book of Songs, whether it’s the Lu version or Xunzi’s ‘Commentary on the Songs,’ would anyone think Duke Shao was a fame-seeker? Probably not. They simply read from the words of the pear tree poem the scene of superiors influencing inferiors and the harmony of the people’s livelihood.”

“If the Guanzhong of the Western Zhou was like this, what about the Guanzhong of the Han Dynasty?”

They probably would hope to see such a scene.

By then, no matter how much the eastern court has Liu Bian, the eldest son of Emperor Ling of Han, in their hands, in the hearts of the people, it could never be a place of allegiance, and they would be more inclined to choose the court in Chang’an.

All they need to do is to do a little more for the people in the face of drought and locust plagues.

She continued without pause, “Using this poem as an example, there’s another reason.”

“In the past, Emperor Ling of Han inscribed the Xiping Stone Classics in Luoyang, using the seven Confucian classics as the orthodox learning of the Han Dynasty, engraving them on stone to stabilize the Imperial Academy. Unfortunately, since the chaos of Dong Zhuo, the Imperial Academy has been abandoned, and the Xiping Stone Classics have been mostly destroyed. The remaining ones are in Luoyang, difficult to move to Chang’an, yet correcting the various classical works remains a crucial task for the dynasty.”

“But in my view, there’s no need to represent them with stone classics. In times of chaos, there’s no extra eight years to carve stone classics.”

Qiao Yan sighed slightly here, seemingly lamenting the loss of the stone classics, but then turned resolute: “Why not, under the official name of the court, select the best from the collections and works of various schools, record them, and pass them down through printing, ensuring that the names of the scholars who contributed to the classics are forever engraved on the printing plates. One plate can produce thousands of paper copies, with no possibility of being discarded. What do Your Majesty and everyone think?”

Recording and printing the collections and works of various schools!

This statement caused a greater stir among the crowd than Qiao Yan’s previous proposal to publicly announce methods for killing locusts and combating drought.

This seemingly still aims to let the scholar-officials yield benefits to the commoners who originally had no chance to read, but upon closer inspection, it’s not the same thing at all!

When the Xiping Stone Classics were erected in front of the Imperial Academy, the number of people who came daily to view and copy them was so great that it clogged the surrounding roads.

Was this giving everyone in Luoyang the opportunity to read and write?

Obviously not.

Even though the Imperial Academy in Luoyang was located in the southern district, accessible to the public, it still wasn’t!

Just like how Song Lian of later generations had to “seek out the local scholars to ask about the classics” after copying books, in order to read and understand.

Having texts alone is far from enough.

As an officially erected stone classic, its greater significance lies in maintaining the unity of writing and politics, and in correcting misinterpretations of the classics.

Thus, scholars who learned different characters from various schools had to change their understanding to align with the Xiping Stone Classics.

So they had to come!

If it was like that back then, why can’t it be the same now?

The Book of Songs, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, and Book of Changes all have various annotated versions. The court officials and their families are constantly thinking about how to further promote them, to be recognized as orthodox by more people, and have derived various interpretations and other creative works.

Printing one copy or a thousand copies won’t cause a breakthrough in class transformation, it will only…

Let them culturally overshadow the scholars from Hebei.

At the moment they realized the vision Qiao Yan was painting, everyone vaguely understood that if handled with negotiation, this might not be a bad thing?

Even Wang Yun, who had been persuaded by Qiao Yan’s two reasons earlier, felt that he really shouldn’t have gone to question her. If things were as Qiao Yan said, no wonder Yang Xiu stood in support of her.

However, the premise of all this is that the classics produced through printing remain under control, not being distributed in batches to thousands of households, let alone accompanied by explanations, becoming tools for enlightening the people.

Given Qiao Yan’s position and identity, she wouldn’t do such a thing, right?

Wang Yun suppressed his worries and saw Qiao Yan bow to Liu Yu: “Please, Your Majesty, allow me to use this method to print additional copies of the Leping Monthly Report, making it a regular practice until the disaster is over, and to collect classical texts from various schools, listing them in the academy to correct public opinion.”

Liu Yu’s gaze swept over the faces of those present. Seeing that although there was hesitation, no one explicitly opposed, he replied, “First, approve the matter of the monthly report. We’ll discuss the additional matters later; we need to come up with a clearer plan.”

Otherwise, before dealing with Ye City, the different schools of thought among them would fight over whose version should be the official orthodox one.

That would be a worry, not a joy.

Qiao Yan’s expression remained unchanged, but upon hearing Liu Yu’s words, a sense of joy welled up in her heart.

As long as she could openly obtain the authority to print additional copies, her goal was achieved!

Enough!

The additional March issue of the Leping Monthly Report seemed to have been in preparation as soon as Qiao Yan applied for this permission from Liu Yu, so shortly after the court’s decision was made, people saw large quantities of the March issue newly arrived in Chang’an’s bookstores.

And not just that…

“You’re saying that for every bottle of soy sauce bought in Guanzhong, they give away a newspaper like this?”

Yuan Shao looked at the item brought back by the spy, his expression extremely vivid.

Qiao Yan’s move had perfectly grasped some people’s temperaments.

If they were to buy newspapers separately, even though the price of newspapers had become much cheaper than last year due to the existence of printing technology, most people still didn’t want such an expense when they couldn’t read.

But what if newspapers were given away with the purchase of condiments?

To seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand, Qiao Yan could afford such an expense.

But the account can’t be calculated just like this; the buyers got a freebie, the sellers got reputation, and one of the ingredients of soy sauce, salt, still had to be purchased from Qiao Yan, so actually, no one lost!

Only Yuan Shao, unaware of the inside story, looked at this detailed newspaper and fell into deep thought.

This time, he wasn’t in a hurry to speak.

He just wanted to know—

What kind of medicine is that scoundrel Qiao Yan selling in her gourd?