Chapter 857: Go See the Story You Wrote
The envoys dispatched by Zhu Youjian immediately set off for Daizhou to find Sun Chuanting.
The Ministry of Personnel had already prepared an official post for him, intending to first appoint Sun Chuanting as the Vice Prefect of Shuntian. This position was typically used as a transitional role for gubernatorial 'candidates'; as long as they served here for a period without any issues, they could be promoted to Governor or Governor-General.
However, the imperial envoy rushed to Daizhou, searched everywhere, but couldn't find Sun Chuanting. When asked where Sun Chuanting had gone, no one could provide an answer.
He could only return to the capital, utterly crestfallen, to report to Zhu Youjian: "The man who enjoyed writing those border dispatches has vanished without a trace."
By then, Zhu Youjian had already forgotten why he wanted to promote Sun Chuanting. If he was gone, he was gone, so be it—
Gao Family Village's military academy had long been completed.
It was located in Puzhou!
Because in the future, Gao Family Village's focus of development would undoubtedly be eastward, and the original Gao Family Village was a little too out of the way. Puzhou was just right for the location, and its transportation and other amenities were also more convenient than the original Gao Family Village.
Of course, most importantly, the population was also larger.
At this time, Puzhou had once again become a veritable "center of the world," its bustling prosperity subtly showing signs of catching up to the original Gao Family Village.
As soon as Sun Chuanting arrived in Puzhou, he saw a man standing at the city gate, fully clad in mountain-patterned armor, leading a large group of people to welcome him.
He fixed his gaze on the man and couldn't help but be slightly stunned: "Eh? You are... one of the militia's generals, Lao Nanfeng?"
Lao Nanfeng chuckled, leaned closer, and whispered, "Actually, my true identity is a Brigade General."
Sun Chuanting: "Eh?"
An imperial military official, a Brigade General, had actually shed his armor and pretended to be a militia soldier to fight against the Manchu at the northern frontier. This truly... filled Sun Chuanting with admiration. He couldn't help but cup his hands in a salute: "General, what noble conduct! However, if word of this got out, you might very well be stripped of your position and arrested."
Lao Nanfeng laughed: "So be it if I'm stripped! What the hell is there to be afraid of?"
Sun Chuanting shook his head. "General, please don't say that. A general as outstanding as you, if truly stripped of his position, would surely be a loss to our Great Ming."
Lao Nanfeng: "Haha, it's a small matter, don't dwell on it. Come, come, let me take you to see the military academy."
Sun Chuanting: "Eh? The military academy is already prepared? I thought we'd have to start building it from scratch."
Lao Nanfeng laughed: "It was prepared several years ago, but without a suitable person to manage it, it remained vacant."
Sun Chuanting: "Master Li is truly so far-sighted."
Lao Nanfeng chuckled: "His foresight extends to many more areas; you'll slowly come to realize them in time."
He led Sun Chuanting to the banks of the Sushui River north of the city. Here, there was a stretch of yellow riverbed, and a massive school was built right on its edge.
Lao Nanfeng chuckled: "This is Puzhou's Huangshuitan, therefore, the school is called Yellow Pole Military Academy."
Sun Chuanting: "Although I don't quite understand it, I still feel this military academy's name sounds very formidable. Why is that? What's the reason?"
Lao Nanfeng: "Once Mister Sun arrives, this school will begin its operations. I will provide Mister Sun with abundant textbooks and teaching aids, including ancient military treatises, contemporary military treatises, and... celestial military treatises."
"Celestial military treatises?" Sun Chuanting was taken aback.
Lao Nanfeng didn't explain. He would understand eventually.
He continued: "By the way, the weapons our militia uses are vastly different from previous weapons. Therefore, the instruction manuals, user guides, and operational essentials for these weapons will also be compiled into volumes and sent to Mister Sun."
"Mister Sun, you don't need to worry about any issues concerning supplies," Lao Nanfeng said. "I'll take care of everything on my end."
Sun Chuanting was delighted: "Many thanks, General."
Lao Nanfeng: "As for the students, for our first batch, we will arrange for all militia members holding the rank of centurion or higher to study. At this stage, the number of people will be relatively small, so Mister Sun won't be too burdened. Once the first batch of students completes their studies and can serve as substitute teachers, we will expand our enrollment. We will open up learning opportunities to ordinary soldiers, and even recruit from society at large."
Sun Chuanting was slightly astonished: "Eh? You'll even teach ordinary soldiers? Most of them are illiterate, aren't they? How can they be taught?"
Lao Nanfeng grinned: "Many of our soldiers are literate, especially the younger generation. If these individuals learn some military strategy, they can be promoted to non-commissioned officers."
Sun Chuanting was utterly dumbfounded.
Lao Nanfeng: "In short, the Yellow Pole Military Academy has just been established, and everything is a process of trial and error. Mister Sun, just go ahead and do as you see fit. Heavenly... ahem... Master Li also said that it might be a little chaotic at first, but in a few days, things will definitely fall into place."
Sun Chuanting nodded. "This is an undertaking no one has attempted before. We're starting from scratch, so let's work hard! Let's strive to eliminate the Manchu threat as soon as possible."
As he spoke, Lao Nanfeng suddenly remembered something. He reached into his robe, pulled out a movie ticket, and tucked it into Sun Chuanting's hand. "Mister Sun, tonight there's a movie showing at the Puzhou Grand Theater: *The Young Soldier of Daling River Border Army*. You actually wrote the script for this movie, so if you have time, why not go watch it?"
Sun Chuanting let out an "Eh?" He held the movie ticket, looking left and right, somewhat bewildered. "What the hell is a movie? The story I wrote for Tie Niaofei, wasn't that for a comic book?"
That evening, after dinner.
Sun Chuanting held the movie ticket, asking for directions and searching as he went, finally arriving at the entrance of the Puzhou Grand Theater.
At this time, the Puzhou Grand Theater had become the most bustling and lively spot in Puzhou City at night. Every evening, there were song and dance performances, stage plays, opera performances, or movie screenings... Various programs rotated through.
It was a world of dazzling entertainment, meant to be experienced to the fullest.
Seeing so many people, all bustling about, Sun Chuanting felt a bit nervous. "It's my first time seeing a movie, are there any precautions?" he wondered. "When entering the theater, should I step in with my left foot or my right foot? So nervous! How can I make it look like this isn't my first time seeing this thing?"
Just then, he saw a young scholar nearby, whose demeanor was refined and elegant, the kind of person one would immediately wish to befriend.
He thought to himself: "This person seems like he could guide me through this, so I won't look so foolish."
Sun Chuanting walked over and cupped his hands in a salute to the scholar. "Greetings, my friend. I am Sun Chuanting, and I hail from Daizhou in the north. My friend, have you seen this movie before?"
The scholar quickly returned the salute. "I am Gu Yanwu, and I hail from Jiangsu. I've only just heard of this 'movie' thing myself... It's my first time, oh dear..."
They looked at each other, wide-eyed. "Well, then, we're both country bumpkins in the big city," they implicitly agreed.
However, with people, as long as one has a companion, their timidity greatly diminishes.
They instantly formed a "First-Time Moviegoer Alliance," implicitly agreeing, "As long as we're embarrassed together, it won't feel embarrassing anymore."
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