Chapter 238 Military Instructors

Gao Yuan didn't think there was anything wrong with his words, but the people Song Jinglian and Zheng Ji brought with them seemed to have suffered some humiliation.

"Does the Commandery Duke believe that poetry, prose, and the writings of sages are inferior to the way of barbaric slaughter?"

Someone suddenly blurted out this sentence, which caused a stir among the crowd, and Gao Yuan also narrowed his eyes.

"Since you've spoken, why not step out directly? Is it in line with the Way of Sages to hide sneakily in the crowd?"

A young man swallowed hard and finally bit the bullet and stepped forward.

"This humble one, Zheng Xiao of Xingyang, greets the Commandery Duke."

Gao Yuan nodded. The fact that this person dared to step forward showed he had some courage.

"Do you think I'm looking down on you?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Hahaha, 'wouldn't dare' means you think so, right?"

The man fell silent, but Gao Yuan knew very well that he was only silent under his authority, and the dissatisfaction in his heart was probably about to burst through the roof.

"In my opinion, both the Way of Sages and military affairs are very important. Without the soldiers bravely fighting on the front lines and defending their homes and country, where would peace and tranquility come from? And where would you have the opportunity to stand here and debate with me?"

Another young scholar stepped forward and bowed to Gao Yuan.

"Song Wen of Luoyang greets the Commandery Duke. What the Commandery Duke said is not without reason, but I believe we should replace slaughter with enlightenment."

"Oh? If I appointed you Military Governor of Pugan Circuit and asked you to enlighten Bayinnaung of Toungoo, how long would it take for him to voluntarily submit?"

"Uh... I believe five years, at most seven or eight years, would suffice."

"Good, then I shall appoint you as an Envoy of Enlightenment and command you to go on a mission to Toungoo, how about it?"

"This... I am of shallow learning and fear I cannot bear such a heavy responsibility."

"So, what you said about five to eight years was completely off the top of your head, without any basis whatsoever, is that right?"

Song Wen's face flushed red, and he lowered his head, unable to utter a word.

Gao Yuan pursued and attacked, looking at the crowd.

"You are all well-read individuals. You can go back and check the history books to see how many cases of border conflicts have been resolved through enlightenment. As far as I know, there are almost none."

Glancing at the scholars who had stopped speaking, Gao Yuan continued.

"I don't deny the importance of the Way of Sages, because swords can only conquer. To achieve long-term peace and stability, enlightenment is necessary, but the prerequisite for all of that is conquest.

And now, Great Qian is fragmented, with foreign tribes eyeing it covetously. The common people are displaced, and corpses litter the fields. Perhaps in their eyes, no sage's book is as important as a steamed bun or a bowl of rice.

At such a time, is it still useful to talk about enlightenment?"

Seeing that many people had taken his words to heart, Gao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Fearing that these people would be discouraged, he offered a sweet treat.

"However, I do have something I'd like to ask you to do now."

Those scholars raised their heads in surprise, their eyes burning as they looked at Gao Yuan, and then they heard a task that shocked them.

"I hope to hire you as teachers to enter the military camps and teach our soldiers to read and write."

To be honest, these scholars looked down on soldiers, finding them crude and vulgar, and didn't even see the point in them learning to read and write.

"I know you might look down on us soldiers, but have you ever thought that wars will eventually end, and they will eventually return to civilian life, becoming some of the very people you hope to enlighten?

Are you going to wait until they are forty or fifty before you start teaching them to read? Why not start when they are young?

Moreover, the sage said: 'There is education for all, without discrimination.' Shouldn't the enlightenment of all people be regardless of profession or ethnicity, treating everyone equally?

Furthermore, you even want to enlighten foreign tribes, so why are you so resistant to your own compatriots? Or are you afraid? Are you unwilling?"

At this, the young men became indignant, muttering to themselves, "Hey, who are you calling afraid? I'm all hard bones!"

Zheng Xiao and Song Wen led the way, raising their hands one by one to volunteer as cultural instructors for the army.

Seeing this scene, Gao Yuan's smile was harder to suppress than an AK. Song Jinglian and Zheng Ji beside him shook their heads helplessly.

"I originally wanted to cause trouble for this little fellow, but I ended up sending him a batch of laborers."

"Never mind, never mind. He's our son-in-law after all."

For these young scholars, this was their new subject, their new battlefield, and they were full of anticipation, hoping to show off their skills.

But for the soldiers of the Central Corps, there were only three words: "The sky has fallen."

"I never thought that even after escaping to the army, I still couldn't escape studying. Our Lord wants to force me to death!"

"Exactly, what do we need to know how to read for?"

While complaining, a size 45 foot landed on their faces. Xia Luqi glared at them angrily.

"What are you doing? It's for your own good. Do you want to be common soldiers forever? If I give an order later and you can't even read it, how will you get promoted?

Our Lord said that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. If you don't even have this much enthusiasm, then get out of the Central Corps as soon as possible."

For these unruly fighters, all grand principles were nonsense. Gao Yuan's method was the simplest and most direct: those who couldn't read were not allowed to be promoted. This immediately suppressed the complaints of these arrogant soldiers and stirred up their enthusiasm.

They had no interest in reading and found it difficult, but they were interested in promotions and wealth.

In fact, among those who could become elites, who was truly stupid? As long as they were willing to learn and studied diligently, there would still be great results.

Even Zhao Meng, that scoundrel, after studying for a while, could actually write some flowery sentences. That's right, this guy was actually pursuing a woman, a married woman with children, Gao Yang's mother, Madam Hu!

Because of this, Gao Yang not only beat Zhao Meng but also complained to Gao Yuan.

Later, Gao Yang discovered that Zhao Meng genuinely liked his mother and had no other ill intentions, so he no longer objected.

Then, through unremitting efforts, Zhao Meng finally succeeded in winning the beauty's heart and gained a good son. This matter, for a time, became a much-told story.

Far to the north, thousands of miles from the stable south, in the Hedong region, a bloody battle had just concluded.

The Northern Liang Army achieved victory in this great battle due to their absolute superiority in equipment, but the result was a Pyrrhic victory.

Gao Bing, as the main general, just like Gao Yuan, did not rest at all, directly leading his troops north to launch an attack.

In Wei Prefecture, Chang Xingrong was currently fleeing for his life. Before the war, he never would have imagined that he would be defeated so badly by Lu Heng, who hadn't even fully matured.

Lu Heng sat on the high platform, watching the rout of the Lu Army, his expression calm, completely devoid of the joy of a great victory, as if everything was within his expectations.

Zhang Su walked up to Lu Heng, his face filled with ecstasy.

"His Highness the Crown Prince..."

"According to the plan established from the beginning, we will divide our forces into two routes to expand our gains. This time, I want to completely drive Chang Xingrong out of Hebei."

"Understood!"

King Lu Chang Xingrong fled eastwards. Every time he reached a new place, before his rear could even warm the seat, the Yan Army would press forward again, forcing him to continue fleeing.

However, as the Yan Army's forces dispersed and the Lu Army's defenses gradually contracted, they slowly managed to stabilize their position.

Nevertheless, for Chang Xingrong, it was already a rout. The Hebei region, which he had painstakingly managed for several years, was completely lost in less than half a year.