Mythical Three Kingdoms

Liu Bei and Chen Xi were both the typical kind who had nothing better to do; the two of them wandered along, and soon wandered their way to the academy that had been set up in Ye City.

Some time ago, after heavyweights like Zheng Xuan, Wang Lie, and Sima Hui had been poached by Xun Shuang, the academy in Ye City showed not the slightest sign of decline. After all, while there weren’t that many big names under Liu Bei’s rule, there were still quite a few, and if the dean dug one away, they’d just replace him with another.

If they didn’t have Zheng Xuan, they still had Huang Chengyan; if they didn’t have Wang Lie, they still had Guann Ning; if they didn’t have Sima Hui, they still had Lord Pang De. Anyway, it didn’t matter who they were missing.

”I wonder if Old General Huangfu’s military academy has gotten off the ground yet.” Chen Xi rubbed his chin. Seeing the academy in Ye City reminded Chen Xi of the military academy he’d suggested to Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun back then, and he had no idea how the two were getting on with it.

”A while back, Wen Ru told me that Old General Huangfu and Old General Zhu are raising funds. The two of them are preparing to open a military academy in Chang’an; they’ve already found quite a few teachers, and they’ve got textbooks too, but it’s not so easy to pick students. After all, this counts as something very dangerous, so it can’t just be casually passed on to others.” Liu Bei thought for a moment as he spoke; they had a military academy on their side too.

”Teach generals, of course. Same as we do—make it a necessary process for promotion as a commander. That satisfies the loyalty requirement, and also meets Old General Huangfu’s conditions.” Chen Xi said casually. ”But honestly, I really don’t know what exactly a military academy should teach. Most of our soldiers have only just barely learned to read and write by now.”

Liu Bei could only nod silently in resignation when he heard this. It was the truth. They’d been pushing education for years and invested quite a lot, but if you really looked at it, they still had a long way to go.

With even teachers in short supply, Chen Xi didn’t have much to work with. What’s more, because schooling was free, funding was always a problem. True, there were always rich patrons sponsoring things, but rich patrons weren’t printing presses, so in reality, truly free education only lasted three years.

Faced with this situation, Chen Xi couldn’t really say much. The circumstances were what they were. After three years, those who were willing to keep studying could use the knowledge they’d gained in those first three years to support themselves and then continue their studies.

Of course, if the things you learned in the first three years couldn’t even feed you well enough to pursue deeper study, then all Chen Xi could say was that you were just too lousy in this line. Better go learn some farming techniques or craftsman’s skills and find a trade that suited you.

”Anyway, we’ve already done our best. One step at a time. At the very least, compared to before, common people these days can at least recognize the characters they use most often. Sooner or later we’ll simplify these characters to a level that’s easy to learn.” Chen Xi took it rather lightly; being able to get this far already satisfied him.

At this pace, in another two or three generations, the standouts among the commoners would be able to go toe-to-toe with the aristocratic families. As for now, there wasn’t much hope yet. Teaching by word and deed, and being steeped in it day in and day out, is the best way for children to learn. The environment they live in and the attitude their parents take toward things have a huge impact on how their children think.

After all, everyone is born a blank sheet of paper, and what kind of writing ends up on it is, to a large extent, shaped by their parents’ behavior.

Whether it’s the attitude toward trivial matters like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, or the composure in the face of major events, most of that is children imitating their elders.

”Come on, let’s go see how the academy’s doing. Now that I think about it, I haven’t come to the academy in a long time.” Liu Bei looked at the freshly whitewashed side wall in front of him and said with quite some satisfaction.

”Most of the students inside are probably from Jing-Xiang. This academy is overseen by Lord Pang De and Huang Chengyan. They do enroll local students too, but after the aristocratic families migrated north, many of the next generation from Jing-Xiang ended up here. These people are pretty capable.” Chen Xi said with a smile.

Liu Bei nodded. He was well aware of why this had happened. The children of ordinary folk found it hard to keep pace with these people; as time went on, they couldn’t keep up with the curriculum and could only go study elsewhere. But there was no way to avoid this kind of thing.

Although this academy didn’t count as a private school, it still had a bit of that private-school atmosphere. The steward guarding the gate actually recognized Chen Xi and Liu Bei, so he didn’t dare stop them and let the two go in.

”Whether it’s the layout or the teachers, it’s all quite good.” Liu Bei walked around the shadow wall, went through the main hall into the back room, and then peeked inside through the lattice window.

Chen Xi joined him in peeking, and even listened in on a few lines. Huang Chengyan was lecturing on Xunzi. Seeing that, it was clear he’d either dug up the Xun Family foundation from Xun Shuang by some means, or he’d obtained some new theory from the Library Pavilion and then incorporated it into his annotations on Xunzi.

Huang Chengyan didn’t lecture for long before stopping, maybe because he’d noticed the two guys leaning against the window eavesdropping. ”Take a break, we have guests.”

”Lord Xuande, Zichuan, I didn’t expect you two to actually have time to come listen to this old man’s lecture.” Huang Chengyan stroked his beard and said with a smile as he came out.

”I happened to be free, so I came along with Zichuan to hear your teaching, elder sir.” Liu Bei said gently. ”I wonder if there are any promising talents among them?”

”Those few kids should be pretty good, especially that white‑eyebrowed one, and the one next to him who looks like he’s about to start a fight is also quite good.” Chen Xi turned sideways to take a look and then spoke.

”Zichuan’s eye is as sharp as ever; those are indeed the standouts of this courtyard.” Following Chen Xi’s gaze, Huang Chengyan looked over—it was precisely those few whom Lord Pang De had told him to keep a close watch on so they wouldn’t grow crooked, almost the elite of the next generation of Jing‑Xiang.

”That white‑eyebrowed one looks mild in temperament, but his eyes are a bit cold. Even though he hasn’t struck back, he’s been shielding that little kid behind him the whole time. You don’t intervene when they fight?” Liu Bei asked curiously, feeling a bit of appreciation for Ma Liang. ”What’s his name?”

”A man of Xiangyang, Ma Liang, style name Jichang. When the clan migrated north, his father left him and his younger brother here with Chief Shang to be disciplined. After Chief Shang and I rebuilt the academy, I’ve been teaching these students together with him. If this boy doesn’t die young, he can be a governor of a whole province in the future.” Huang Chengyan’s appraisal of Ma Liang was very high.

”As for fighting, children can’t avoid it. Besides, things like archery mastery need professional instruction. We do have professional instructors, but in the end this sort of skill requires a strong body. Letting kids scrap a bit more or less counts as promoting circulation and invigorating the blood.” Huang Chengyan explained rather willfully, leaving Chen Xi utterly speechless.

Liu Bei merely nodded noncommittally and said nothing.

Chen Xi looked on with interest and instantly understood: the child currently being shielded behind Ma Liang was ten to one his youngest brother, Ma Su. Back in the Three Kingdoms Era Chen Xi had been very curious about Yang Xiu and Ma Su. When these two said ”stupid” things, they were definitely not stupid; their intelligence was far above the ordinary, yet they were textbook cases of killing themselves by their own hands.

Yang Xiu’s side doesn’t even need to be mentioned—classic self‑destruction, to the point that not dying was no longer an option. Though there were causes behind it, forcing Yuan Shu to act at the Grand Assembly, blood spraying three steps, that degree of courting death was simply beyond Chen Xi’s imagination.

Thus Chen Xi was very curious: just what level of self‑destruction was Ma Su capable of?

”And that little one? I see him jumping around quite happily.” Chen Xi asked with a faint smile.

”That is the youngest son of the Ma Clan—very clever, able to infer three corners from one. That’s basically his level. If you ask who among these students is the smartest, it’s certainly Ma Su, style name Youchang.” Huang Chengyan thought for a moment and then said slowly, ”He’s even more intelligent than Fei Yi, Fei Wenwei, whom Chief Shang is also disciplining on behalf of his family.”

Back when Xu Shu left Jing‑Xiang, he wanted to scoop up everyone under Lord Pang De’s banner—Shi Tao, Cui Jun, Meng Jian—all taken in one sweep by Xu Shu. Xu Shu even wanted to take Lord Pang De himself along, but Lord Pang De refused.

Those who used to be friends with Xu Shu now, relying on their own abilities, are all solid county‑level talents under Liu Bei’s command. Cui Jun, that spy—Cui of Qinghe and the Cui Family of Boling both placed bets on two sides and in the end cleaned out even the house together.

Cui Yan and Cui Jun: one ended up in the Central Government’s Procuratorate, the other under Chen Xi as Minister of the Imperial Clan, in charge of the empire’s finances and grain. Chen Xi frequently shirks work, so Cui Jun labors away every day in painful joy. The Cui Family can be considered a role that profits from both ends.

Of course, among this group connected to Lord Pang De, the one who’s done the best should be Jiangh Wan. After Zhuge Liang departed, Lub Su began treating Jiangh Wan as one of his own, especially after Jiangh Wan awakened his Spiritual Talent. Lub Su once again posted him out, recommending him as Governor of Bingzhou, entrusting him with handling northern affairs.

Anyone with clear eyes knows that, barring accidents, once Jiangh Wan steps down from Governor of Bingzhou, there will be half a seat of Lub Su’s position reserved for him. This is a solid, deliberate grooming of Jiangh Wan for Lub Su’s own role.

Many under Liu Bei’s rule clearly understand: Chen Xi plans, Lub Su executes. These two roles haven’t shifted since Mount Tai was first established. The powers held by others have all been adjusted over time, but only Chen Xi and Lub Su’s authority has never changed.

Lub Su rarely shows off in public or deliberately flaunts his power, but all those familiar with the system under Liu Bei know that this fellow Lub Su is unquestionably second in line within Liu Bei’s civil official system.

It’s obvious Lub Su intends to cultivate Jiangh Wan into his own position—in other words, as long as Jiangh Wan himself doesn’t have issues, getting into the core circle is only a matter of time.

As for Fei Yi, he originally studied Mengxue under Lord Pang De. Then, during the chaos in Jing‑Xiang, he followed his paternal uncle to seek refuge with Liu Zhang—after all, Fei Yi’s own paternal aunt is Liu Zhang’s mother.

In terms of kinship in antiquity, that’s actually quite close. When Fei Yi met Liu Zhang, if he formally stated their relationship, it would be within three generations and Liu Zhang would be his uncle. In ancient times, with this sort of kinship, if Fei Yi had no one to look after him, Liu Zhang would be obliged to act as guardian.

Thus, after Jing‑Xiang became untenable, Fei Yi’s uncle decisively took Fei Yi to rely on Liu Zhang. However, a few years later, when the aristocratic families migrated north, the Fei Family migrated as well. As they passed through Ye City, the Fei Family tossed Fei Yi back to Lord Pang De, since the two also had a teacher‑student bond.