Chapter 1026: Military Exercise
Zhu Cunji said, “Of course. Not long ago, the Heavenly Lord paid a visit to Yinchuan, Ningxia, and personally gave directives to the governor there. I heard the governor has already set up a wool purchasing station, specifically buying wool from the herders and then reselling it to our merchants. It’s hard for the herders there *not* to get rich now; they can sell their wool anytime. If they want to earn a bit more, they wait for our merchants to arrive and sell directly to them. If they prefer convenience, they sell directly to the government’s wool purchasing station—they can go and sell whenever they like, though the price is slightly lower than what our merchants offer.”
Hearing this, Ma Shouying couldn’t help but sigh. “Such benevolent policies already exist? If only this... back then... my subordinates... they wouldn’t have had to rise in rebellion.”
Just then, the advertisement suddenly stopped.
The audience rejoiced, their spirits lifting. “Gaojia News is finally about to begin!”
The screen image shifted to reveal a dignified and beautiful woman. Someone in the audience exclaimed, “The Saintess!”
Ma Shouying whispered, “Is that the Saintess?”
Zhu Cunji nodded. “The Saintess herself is in Gao Family Village, Chengcheng County. She’s meeting us remotely through the Divine Mirror.”
Ma Shouying was startled once more.
The Saintess smiled at the screen. “Today, we begin with an international news report. A few days ago, the Jin state reorganized its Literary Office into three internal academies: the Academy of National History, the Academy of Secretaries, and the Academy of Grand Culture, each with distinct responsibilities.”
Ma Shouying was also perplexed. “What does that mean?”
The Saintess explained, “Many people in our country still view the Jin state as a land of barbarians, believing them to be savages who consume raw meat and blood. However, the Jin state is diligently striving for good governance, continuously learning from our strengths, and moving towards advanced civilization. We must shed our arrogance and face our enemy squarely. We must not be blindly self-important, or we will surely be surpassed.”
A young scholar leaped up from the crowd and shouted, “Well said!”
“Gu Yanwu, don’t jump up and block the screen, sit down quickly!”
“Ah, my apologies!” The young scholar promptly sat back down.
The Saintess continued, “Next, for domestic news: A major famine has once again struck Henan. The starving people, lacking grain, resorted to eating tree bark and grass leaves. When these were exhausted, they turned to cannibalism. The Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian, reported that the famine in Nanyang, Henan, was so severe that some mothers even cooked their daughters to eat. The Emperor then issued an edict allocating 3,500 *jin* for relief and exempting new and old taxes for the affected prefectures and counties.”
Hearing this, Ma Shouying’s face was filled with horror. “This Gaojia News, does it report on such things every day?”
Zhu Cunji replied, “Yes, indeed!”
Ma Shouying asked, “Then... then the common folk here, without even leaving their homes, know the affairs of the world. How can their perspective and knowledge compare to the common folk in other places?”
Zhu Cunji said, “Indeed, the insight and knowledge of the common people here are truly impressive. Let me tell you, you can grab anyone off the street, and they’ll chat extensively about national affairs; each and every one seems to know everything.”
As the two spoke, the surrounding common folk were already discussing. “This time, the old emperor finally knows how to provide disaster relief. He even gave 3,500 *jin*! Has he turned over a new leaf?”
“Don’t be fooled by 3,500 *jin*! That’s not 3,500 taels of gold, you know, it’s 3,500 copper coins.”
“What? So, that’s only three taels and five *qian* of silver?”
“Yes!” Someone said sarcastically, “The old emperor is truly generous! Nanyang is so starved that mothers are eating their own daughters, and the old emperor actually gave three taels and five *qian* to relieve the disaster.”
“It’s not even as much as the Heavenly Lord’s spare change.”
“The imperial court has never seriously provided disaster relief; they only put on a show, forcing the common folk to rebel.”
“Exactly! That’s how I rebelled back then. Luckily, I was caught by Gao Family Village, and now, after being released from labor reform, I’m finally living a good life.”
“Our militia needs to step up! We must quickly capture all the Henan bandits and put them through labor reform. Only then can there be peace under heaven!”
Ma Shouying: “...”
He turned to look at Zhu Cunji, who chuckled, returning his gaze. “Don’t worry, they’re talking about capturing bandits who have committed evil deeds. Your military discipline is strict, and you haven’t done such things, so there’s no need to worry about being sent for labor reform. Didn’t the Heavenly Lord let you choose your own future path? This is already the greatest affirmation for you.”
At this moment, the Saintess, Gao Yiye, on the screen, began to report the next piece of news. “And now for an interesting anecdote: a week ago, the Yellow Pole Military Academy organized a unique military exercise, with students divided into two teams, Red and Blue, for a mock battle.”
As she spoke, the screen switched to live footage from the exercise battle.
Padi Tu, dressed in red, was seen brandishing his sword and roaring, “Charge! Take Bai Mao’s head!”
A group of students in red uniforms charged behind him, with Zheng Gouzi among them.
Meanwhile, Bai Mao, dressed in blue, stood beside an artillery team, shouting, “Fire! Fire! Blast Padi Tu’s rabbit head to smithereens!”
Of course, the cannons didn’t actually fire, but instead, giant bamboo tubes sprayed out a stream of blue dye...
Then, the camera angle shifted.
Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi were seen sitting dejectedly beside the training ground, both covered in blue dye, looking utterly comical.
Headmaster Sun Chuanting loudly announced, “The Blue Team wins this exercise!”
Gao Yiye’s voice-over narrated, “In this exercise, Bai Mao of the Blue Team utilized the artillery positions to gain a strategic advantage. Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi of the Red Team attempted to organize a charge to capture the artillery positions, but it was clear they failed.”
A female reporter appeared on screen, facing Padi Tu. “Master Rabbit, what do you have to say about this defeat?”
Padi Tu exclaimed, “Confound it! I simply didn’t have cavalry on hand! Our cavalry had gone to support the grasslands. If this rabbit had a cavalry unit, I would surely have broken through Bai Mao’s artillery positions, and victory would undoubtedly have been mine!”
“Bang!” Sun Chuanting gave Padi Tu a sharp rap on the head. “So you know you don’t have cavalry? And you still charge artillery positions without cavalry? What’s the difference between this and a suicide charge?”
Padi Tu declared, “This rabbit is utterly fearless!”
Sun Chuanting retorted, “And that’s why you died, and you got Zheng Gouzi killed too. Go run ten laps around the drill ground.”
The last shot on the television showed Padi Tu’s solitary figure running laps around the drill ground...
Zhu Cunji burst out laughing at this. “Hahahaha! Stupid rabbit! Our militia currently most lacks excellent close-combat cavalry, and he used a tactic least suited for our militia. What an idiot!”
The words were casual, but they struck a chord with the listener.
Ma Shouying’s eyes lit up. *Lacking excellent close-combat cavalry? Hmm!*
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