Chapter 109 The world is really going to change
As Xun You was appointed as the Minister of the Northern Army, and he was also highly trusted by Wang Jing, the Xun family of Yingchuan now placed a heavy bet on Wang Jing.

Wang Jing still attaches great importance to such a political ally. Now that there are benefits, he is of course willing to share some of them.

Wang Jing smiled and said to Xun You: "According to the agreement, 40% of the printing factory's production capacity will belong to Mohism, and the remaining 60% will be divided equally between the Xun and Ma families. Don't worry, I am not an unkind person. Everyone has selfish desires, but as long as it does not hinder my work, it is fine to seek personal gain for yourself and the family."

Xun You was impressed by Wang Jing's generosity and bowed deeply to him: "On behalf of the Xun family of Yingchuan, I would like to thank you, my lord."

The chips offered by Wang Jing were not insignificant. The Xun family and the Ma family were now the second batch of noble families to obtain the power to print large quantities of books in their collections. Although they were slightly later than the Wang family of Taiyuan, they were faster than the other noble families.

The availability of a large number of printed books will greatly facilitate the dissemination of Xunzi's knowledge, and this move will inevitably expand the voice of the Xunzi school within Confucianism.

The same is true for Ma Riti's Fufeng Ma family. His grandfather Ma Rong was a master of Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Xun You's uncle Xun Shuang was also a great scholar. The books written by Ma Rong and Xun Shuang are still circulating today, and they have formed their own schools of thought.

If the books in their hands could be printed in large quantities and then promoted externally, it would undoubtedly enhance the voice and influence of their own school. The benefits involved would be beyond imagination, even comparable to Confucius recruiting disciples and spreading Confucianism!
Although Wang Jing wanted to break the monopoly of the aristocratic families, he also knew that he could not do it brute forcely. Instead, he had to divide and disintegrate the aristocratic families from within and defeat them one by one.

The enlightened families who are willing to accept change can be won over, while the conservative families who are unwilling to accept new things must be resolutely suppressed. The enemy should be divided from within, the number and strength of opponents should be reduced, and one's own strength should be strengthened and allies with common interests should be increased. This is the truly brilliant means of struggle.

If you just act recklessly, unless you are extremely powerful, you will end up like Dong Zhuo.

Based on this idea, Wang Jing adopted a conciliatory strategy towards the Xun and Ma families, using interests to "bribe" them and make them betray the class camp to which they belonged.

Yuan Wei, Yang Biao and others did not realize that a small secretary supervisor was actually a hoe used by Wang Jing to undermine their foundation. And Ma Riti, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, had already betrayed the "revolution" and secretly joined Wang Jing.

If they knew the truth, they would probably shout angrily: "There are two traitors among us!"

Aristocratic families and gentry are profit-driven creatures, and it is not uncommon for them to sell out their teammates for profit. Wang Jing took advantage of this weakness and easily pried open this seemingly solid class group.

In the printing factory of Xianyun Villa, the machines are running with a clacking sound.

There is a large river with abundant water nearby. The gurgling waves drive the waterwheel day and night, twisting the gears and driving the machinery and equipment in the factory. Without the need for magic or Qi, these mechanical creations can be driven to operate in an orderly manner.

At the same time, hundreds of trained printing workers are operating the machines skillfully, printing the ink-stained printing plates on sheets of snow-white paper. Neat and clear words suddenly appear on the papers.

A large number of book pages carrying knowledge and wisdom are produced continuously on the assembly line.

At the end of the assembly line, female workers wearing head scarves are binding book pages.

This job is boring and very tiring. Many people often have to do it continuously for a whole day, and they all have back pain when they get off work.

But their faces were filled with smiles and joy. They didn't feel tired at all. There seemed to be light in their eyes, which was a beautiful expectation for the future.

But two months ago, there was only numbness and despair in their eyes, simply because they were all miserable people among the refugees. Their fathers, husbands or other family members died on the way to escape the famine. They were helpless and even had to sell their bodies to make a living and struggle to survive.

It was Wang Jing who gave them a decent job, allowing them to support themselves and make a living without having to sell their bodies. They could hold their heads high, face the rising sun, and have dignity.

This small printing factory has begun to carry their great hopes.

Lu Fang also holds out hope.

At this moment, he was standing in the warehouse, picking up a printed copy of "Mojing" at random, carefully turning the pages, proofreading the contents, and happily putting it down after finding that it was correct.

In a huge warehouse, thousands of copies of Mohism were being neatly stacked and prepared for packaging. These books, which exuded the fragrance of ink, made Lu Fang's heart surge, and his eyes were full of energy: "The revival of Mohism is just around the corner."

Zhai Jie stood aside, also feeling excited: "Yes, isn't the lifelong pursuit of us Mohists to revive and promote Mohism? I'm sure that even if Mozi were still alive, he would be pleased."

When the two were looking forward to the future, Sima Lang suddenly appeared. He came to find Lu Fang: "Zhengliang, you are here."

"Boda, what questions do you want to ask today?"

When Lu Fang saw Sima Lang, he smiled knowingly. He was now very familiar with this curious baby who had so many strange questions.

During the process of repairing the school, Sima Lang unexpectedly developed an interest in Mohism, especially the mechanics part of it, which studied, analyzed and explained the world. He was so fascinated that he has been studying it day and night recently, trying to pry into the mysteries of the world.

In fact, the ancients also had awe and curiosity about the universe, but they were often limited by their means of observation, so their knowledge was limited.

Sima Lang is only nineteen years old and has not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony. He is full of a strong desire to learn about the world. He is also more receptive to new things, so he always likes to come and chat with the equally young Lu Fang and ask questions.

But before Sima Lang could ask any questions, he saw the Mohist Classics filled with large wooden boxes. His eyes widened and he was stunned: "How can there be so many books?!"

When this matter was mentioned, Lu Fang was also quite proud. He straightened his chest and explained to Sima Lang: "Marquis Qi has ordered the printing factory to start the machines at full capacity to print a new version of the Mohist Canon. It is ready to be promoted in Sili and Bingzhou, especially in Hedong and other counties to establish schools to train apprentices."

Wang Jing's plan was to establish a large number of schools in the territories directly controlled by the Northern Army, such as Hedong, to train and supply talents for himself.

After all, no matter how good he is at fighting, it will be meaningless if the territory he conquered is left ungoverned, and he will only follow the same path as the former overlord Xiang Yu.

During the Chu-Han contention, Xiang Yu, as a leading military strategist, was not only invincible in martial power, but his attainments in military tactics were unmatched by many in the world. He led his troops to fight, looked down on all directions, and swept across the Qin army like a whirlwind.

It was a pity that he killed too much and left only scorched earth wherever he went. As a result, although he had the mission of heaven, he was not popular with the people. In the end, he was defeated by Emperor Gaozu and died at the Wujiang River.

With such a previous experience as a lesson, Wang Jing would certainly not fall into the same trap again. Therefore, knowing that he would inevitably fall out with the aristocratic families in the future, how could he not cultivate his own talents in advance?

In today's world, Confucianism and aristocratic families are closely linked. If you offend the aristocratic families, it will inevitably lead to collective resistance from Confucian scholars. If Wang Jing does not make preparations early, it will be difficult for him to recruit officials. Even if he conquers a large territory, he will not be able to govern it, just like Dong Zhuo.

When Dong Zhuo was still alive, the combat effectiveness of the Western Liang Army was the best in the world. Any general under his command was a brave and experienced warrior, such as Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Xiu and others, who all became local warlords after Dong Zhuo's death. This shows how powerful the Western Liang Army was.

But such power is actually meaningless.

Because a truly strong army must have sufficient logistical support and high morale, but the Xiliang Army lacks both.

In Wang Jing's view, the Xiliang Army was more like a highly organized bandit gang.

Therefore, Wang Jing would never let the Northern Army follow the old path of the Western Liang Army. He prefers to plan ahead and train talents from now on, which is better than being in a panic when things happen.

Sima Lang was not a core member of the Northern Army, so he naturally did not know Wang Jing's overall plan. However, he was born into the Sima family, a famous family, and a man of talent and wisdom. Therefore, he could see that Wang Jing had a far-reaching plan. He was even more shocked by Wang Jing's generous investment in building libraries in many counties and prefectures: "Does Qi Hou plan to build a library in every county in the future?"

How much will this cost?

Sima Lang couldn't imagine how staggering the cost would be, but the Sima family definitely couldn't afford it.

However, Sima Lang was very curious and asked Lu Fang in a low voice: "How do you train so many talents?"

This is a very realistic issue. After all, once people read books, they will not be content with being ordinary and will have the ambition to stand out.

Once the ambitions in one's heart are germinated and cannot be satisfied, troubles will inevitably arise. People are always greedy. It's okay if one is illiterate, but if one is literate and sensible, who doesn't want better treatment, higher status, and greater power?

If they cannot get it, they will inevitably be filled with resentment and feel that the world is unfair. In the end, they may even want to overturn the table and dare to change the world.

Huang Chao in the Tang Dynasty was such a person. He trampled the bones of nobles on the streets and burned the treasury to ashes. What about the aristocratic families? In the end, no bones were left.

The big traitor Fan Wencheng in the late Ming Dynasty was also such a person. After betraying the country and surrendering to the enemy, Fan Wencheng constantly encouraged the Jiannu to move south and take control of the Central Plains.

It can be seen from this that if the talents we train cannot provide enough jobs and a relatively fair competition mechanism, the harm they bring will be much more terrible than an uprising of uneducated peasants.

When illiterate farmers and vagrants rebel, they can only become bandits at best. Although their momentum may seem huge, they actually lack organization and long-term plans, and the harm they can cause is very limited.

But if there were scholars who were planning and offering suggestions, the problem would be much more serious and might even directly overthrow an entire dynasty.

Lu Fang naturally understood Sima Lang's hidden meaning. After thinking for a while, he said in a relaxed tone: "Boda, you worry too much. My master already knows what you are worried about and has proposed a solution."

Sima Lang then exclaimed: "Marquis Qi actually has a way to solve it?"

Lu Fang smiled and said, "Of course, my master is a learned man, so how difficult is it to do such a small thing?"

Then Lu Fang began to explain Wang Jing's layout to Sima Lang: "The master has already made a plan. The schools in each county are set up at the county level, and only the most basic knowledge and theories are cultivated. The course lasts for three years. After three years, a unified examination will be held. The best students will be selected according to their scores and enter the county-level academy to learn more advanced knowledge and theories."

"As for those apprentices who cannot be promoted, they will be transferred to the guild, learn a skill to make a living, and be employed by various businesses. They can be considered to have a place to go. The master calls this the talent diversion. After layers of screening, the weak are eliminated and the strong are retained, and only the talented are promoted."

In fact, Wang Jing set up the school dormitories according to the standards of junior high school, and the academy was equivalent to high school. He divided talents into different levels and established a relatively fair promotion mechanism.

If you think you have the ability, then there is a path to the mountain of knowledge through diligence, and you just need to climb up slowly along the system.

As long as you can pass the exam, Wang Jing will dare to use you. After all, the Northern Army now has a huge talent gap, and with Wang Jing personally in charge, who would dare to abuse his power for personal gain?

Even students with poor academic performance can transfer from the school to a vocational guild similar to a technical school, learn a skill while working and studying, and after becoming skilled workers, they can be employed by the Chamber of Commerce and have no worries about not finding a suitable job.

But if he performs outstandingly and shows his talent in the academy, he can continue to study in a higher-level institution, start to participate in various basic research, gain Wang Jing's appreciation, and perhaps even become an official in the court in the future, with a bright future ahead of him.

As for the academic institutions, Wang Jing also plans to establish a university modeled after the Imperial College, specifically recruiting outstanding talents from all over the country, bringing them together to carry out more difficult scientific research.

If they could be admitted to university, they would all be the chosen ones of this era. With outstanding talent and good luck, and with Wang Jing's full support, they would surely shine in scientific research and development, and even have the opportunity to leave their names in history.

In this way, going up level by level, everyone has channels and ladders for promotion.

A large number of talents are absorbed internally. The only fear is that there are not enough people, not too many people.

Lu Fang only simply narrated it orally, but Sima Lang was distracted by it. He couldn't calm down for a long time, and he sighed subconsciously: "Marquis Qi is so bold, does he want to capture all the talents in the world?"

Sima Lang was not stupid. After a simple thought, he knew that if Wang Jing did this, the probability of talented people emerging would definitely far exceed that of the current Confucian schools and aristocratic families.

After all, the so-called Confucianism is actually controlled and manipulated by the aristocratic families.

And what is a noble family?
A family with a long history and a prominent family is called an aristocratic family.

It sounds grand, but in fact they are the descendants of the nobles of the six kingdoms during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The so-called aristocratic family, of course, is qualified to be called an aristocratic family only if it has been passed down for generations.

In Wang Jing's view, these are just the remnants of the previous dynasty.

The reason why aristocratic families advocated Confucianism was that the social system described by Confucianism was most beneficial to them.

But therein lies the problem. Confucianism is limited by its own way of dissemination, and in order to monopolize social resources, it often only recruits talents from within the family.

If they were to face ordinary princes, the aristocratic families would still maintain an absolute advantage. After all, almost all scholars came from aristocratic families. If you offended an aristocratic family, you probably wouldn't even be able to recruit officials to govern the territory and manage the people.

So what if I can fight again?

Lacking logistics and supplies, and with lost troops difficult to replenish, how long can you hold out?

In history, even a strong man like Lu Bu failed to gain the recognition of the aristocratic families and eventually fell. Even with the assistance of a wise man like Chen Gong, he only lasted less than six years, which was short-lived.

Wang Jing came from later generations and had witnessed with his own eyes a great regime rising in the East like a red sun. He knew the book "Quotations" by heart and possessed the world's most advanced dragon-slaying technique. Naturally, he knew that true rebellion did not mean killing people, but establishing a new order to replace the corrupt old order.

At present, Wang Jing has quietly begun to dig up the ancestral graves of aristocratic families, bypassing the scholars from aristocratic families and discovering and cultivating talents among ordinary people.

As a result, the aristocratic families immediately lost the ability to control Wang Jing.

Although Sima Lang did not think so deeply, he was still frightened and broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that the world was really going to change!

…………

"Bo Ji, the world is really going to change."

In Cai Yong's mansion, Ma Riti was holding a copy of "Differences and Similarities among the Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals" annotated by his grandfather Ma Rong, and could not help but express his feelings.

The expression on his face was a little gloomy and resentful in relief. Although he chose to bow to reality, he was still very uncomfortable in his heart. It was really uncomfortable to feel like a cow that didn't want to drink water but was forced to drink it.

Cai Yong smiled at him and said, "This shouldn't be a bad thing for the Fufeng Ma family, right? If Mr. Ji Chang's theory can be promoted to the world, won't the Ma family also benefit from it?"

In the Yanhan Dynasty, the influence of a school not only involved officialdom and power, but was also directly related to the growth of spiritual cultivation and the development and growth of the school.

In the imperial dynasty, those who wanted to become officials were basically scholars from Confucian schools.

Reading books from a certain school of thought means that you belong to that school, or at least they are close to each other, and it is easy to form a "party" because of this.

Different schools of thought have different sacred words, and their power is closely related to the "reputation" of the school.

Therefore, in Cai Yong's view, the Fufeng Ma family had clearly gained a great advantage, and Ma Riti's move was to take advantage of the situation.

But Ma Riti glanced at Cai Yong, shook his head and sighed, "Bo Ji, the twists and turns here are very complicated and cannot be explained in a few words. People like you should not get involved."

In Ma Riti's view, his close friend Cai Yong was a person suitable for academic study but not for being an official.

(End of this chapter)