frightfiction Chapter 581 The Campaign Against Wei 2
Chapter 581 The Campaign Against Wei 2
Chunyu Yue stroked his beard and smiled: "It's not that my writing is particularly sharp, but that it's the truth. Crown Prince Wei has been in the academy for over two years and must have seen with his own eyes: Is Qin paper and Qin ink convenient? Is the cement road smooth? Is what he learned in the academy practical?"
Prince Ji had no rebuttal. He recalled the chemistry lesson he had attended the previous day, in which the teacher demonstrated "combustion and oxidation."
"...Therefore, the so-called 'golden pills' in the alchemical furnace are mostly made by mixing sulfur, mercury and other substances. Not only do they not grant immortality, but their smoke and dust contain deadly poison. Long-term consumption will inevitably damage the internal organs and harm one's life..." The lecturer was a middle-aged man whose words were sharp and directly pointed to the alchemical art that had once swept across the states and was even firmly believed in by the Qin court.
At that moment, Prince Ji involuntarily recalled the figures of the alchemists in his father's palace, and his father's state of being sometimes excited and sometimes listless after taking the "elixir." He had previously only found it mysterious, but now, at the Great Qin Academy, he had learned these things, which made him realize that they were ignorance and poison.
“But…” Crown Prince Ji struggled, “the Wei Kingdom’s eight hundred years of rule…”
"The land and grain are the foundation of the state," Chunyu Yue said solemnly. "She is the god of the earth, and Ji is the god of grain. What is the foundation of the state and grain? It is not the incense offerings of the ancestral temples, but the sustenance of the people. Crown Prince Wei, please look—"
He pointed to the second page of the newspaper, which contained a series of data: in the Guanzhong region of Qin, the yield of millet per mu had increased by 30% compared to ten years ago due to the promotion of new agricultural tools and composting methods; in the Dujiangyan irrigation area of Shu County, rice harvests had been bountiful year after year due to the unified allocation of water resources; and even in the newly subjugated Chu region, the government was distributing Qin grain seeds and teaching winter crop planting techniques.
"Are these just empty words?" Chunyu Yue asked.
The Crown Prince shook his head. He had learned this knowledge in his agronomy classes and had even personally planted improved wheat varieties from Qin in the academy's experimental fields.
“Therefore,” Chunyu Yue sighed, “the hearts of the people are like water, which flows downhill and seeks safety. When I was in Qi, I saw starving people exchanging children to eat; but after several years in Qin, I have seen no starving corpses on the roads. Your Highness is wise and should know which way to go.”
After saying this, Chunyu Yue bowed and took his leave, leaving Prince Ji alone in the bamboo garden, lost in thought.
A cold wind blew, rustling the bamboo leaves. Prince Ji's gaze fell on the article again, finally settling on the sentence, "To bring all the talents of the six states into the Qin court; to bring all the cultures of the various states into the land of China."
He suddenly recalled his conversation with Zhang Cang the day before. Zhang Cang said, "Brother Ji, do you know why Her Highness the Princess wanted to build the Great Qin Academy? She said that the vastness of China cannot be encompassed by one race or one place; the flourishing of civilization requires the convergence of all rivers into the sea to achieve its full potential. The strictness of the Qin system can quell chaos; the essence of the cultures of the six states can nourish a prosperous era. This is what is meant by 'using the bones of Qin to support the world, and using the blood of all Chinese to nourish the land.'"
At the time, the Crown Prince was puzzled: "Isn't Qin afraid of the revival of the cultures of the six states?"
Zhang Cang laughed loudly: "Restoration? How can culture be restored? When the written language is unified, the roads are open, goods circulate, and ideas are integrated—it's like sprinkling salt into water; can you still separate the salt from the water? The princess said that this is true unity, a unity from bone and blood to soul."
At this moment, Prince Ji finally understood something. He looked at the "Map of Water Conservancy in the Nine Provinces" he had drawn, which had several tributary markings he had added based on his geographical knowledge of the Wei region—this knowledge might really be used to manage the Yellow River in the future.
An idea popped into my head uncontrollably: if Wei surrendered, wouldn't this knowledge benefit the people of Wei more quickly? If we persisted in resistance, would this knowledge still be of any use when the Qin army was at the city gates and Daliang fell?
After leaving the bamboo garden, Prince Ji walked aimlessly. "Brother Ji, wait a moment." A clear voice called out to him.
Prince Ji turned around and saw that it was Zhang Cang, a student from the Zhang family who was originally from the Han region, who was also his roommate. Zhang Cang was a little older and had a great talent for mathematics and law. He usually took good care of Prince Ji.
"What advice do you have for me, Brother Zhang?" Crown Prince Ji asked with a gentle smile after adjusting his mindset.
"I dare not presume to teach you," Zhang Cang said with a smile, waving the counting rods and a volume of "New Commentary on Nine Chapters" in his hand. "I have some insights into the 'geometry' problem left over from today's math class, and I would like to discuss it with Brother Ji. In addition, I heard that the Museum has recently acquired a 'human meridian and acupoint model,' painted with colored lacquer, which is quite exquisite. Why don't we go and take a look?"
The Crown Prince was slightly moved. He had initially found the intricacies of mathematics tedious, but under Zhang Cang's guidance, he gradually realized the rigorous logic within and its great benefit to governing the country and managing finances.
And that human body model… He recalled the organ functions and blood circulation he had learned in his previous biology class, which completely overturned his previous understanding of the body. Those “meridians and acupoints” that he had once regarded as mysterious had become a diagnostic and treatment system with its own material basis and empirical evidence under Qin Yizheng’s explanation.
"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask." Crown Prince Ji suppressed his complicated emotions and walked side by side with Zhang Cang.
Walking on the bluestone path of the academy, Zhang Cang said seemingly casually, "I heard that Han Xin, the military advisor under General Meng Tian, is going to conduct military exercises. It seems there might be some big moves after spring." He paused, lowering his voice slightly, "But I wonder, will their swords be aimed east or north?"
Crown Prince Ji's heart sank. Han Xin? He'd never heard of that name. But Meng Tian—that name was a nightmare in Wei. His father, Meng Wu, had participated in the conquest of Zhao, and Meng Tian himself had fought year after year, his fame resounding throughout the land. Where was the Qin army headed? He instinctively clenched his fist hidden in his sleeve, his nails almost digging into his flesh. Could it be Wei? His motherland, now reduced to only six cities, teetering on the brink of collapse…
He forced himself to remain calm and said with a forced smile, "The Qin army will surely sweep away the rebellious and bring peace to the world. We students should focus on our studies."
Zhang Cang glanced at him, smiled meaningfully, and said no more, instead starting to talk about math problems.
Upon arriving at the museum, I indeed saw a life-sized wooden model, meticulously depicting the pathways of meridians and acupoints in different colors, accompanied by an explanatory plaque. A large group of students gathered around, marveling at its magnificence.
"I heard that this model was proposed by Princess Jiayang and jointly created by the Imperial Medical Bureau and Mohist artisans. The princess once said, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' The same principle applies to medicine. Only by understanding one's own body structure can one cure diseases, strengthen the body, and even improve the physical condition of soldiers and reduce casualties," an assistant instructor explained to the group.
“Princess Jiayang…” Crown Prince Ji murmured. That Qin princess who was younger than him, yet seemed to know everything and be omnipotent.
An indescribable sense of powerlessness and... a vague sense of identification began to grow in his heart.
In the evening, Prince Ji sat alone under the lamp in his bedroom, his course notes from the Great Qin Academy spread out before him. In addition to traditional subjects such as classics, history, philosophy, and literature, he also needed to study mathematics, law, physics, geography, agriculture, moral education, chemistry, biology, and basic medicine.
The deeper he studied, the more he felt a cognitive shock. What the State of Wei seemed to be clinging to was an old dream about to be abandoned by the tide of the times. Meanwhile, the State of Qin, under the influence of the new winds brought by Princess Jiayang, was rushing toward a brand new and powerful future at a speed that he could not understand but could feel.