Chapter 31

Zhang Hao actually had little interest in discussing the political and economic issues of the Han Dynasty, or the mathematics, classics, literature, and history with Cai Yong and others. However, there was no choice; for the sake of his future development, Zhang Hao could only do his best to accompany them.

It was fortunate that he had the opportunity to personally listen to Cai Yong play the zither, and he even specially recorded it with his phone.

Unfortunately, if it were Cai Yan playing the zither, he would be even more interested.

After becoming familiar with Cai Yong, Zhang Hao tried to indirectly inquire and learned that at this time, Cai Yan was still in the Wei family in Hedong, meaning her short-lived husband might not have passed away yet. This made Zhang Hao somewhat regretful. Well, saying it this way might seem a bit malicious, but there was no help for it; this was his true thought.

Zhang Hao's various affairs in the manor greatly interested these great talents, after all, they saw too many things they had never heard of here. The objections to Zhang Hao's promotion of engineering gradually changed with repeated debates and the results they saw with their own eyes.

In addition, Zhang Hao found a suitable job for these great talents, which was to compile new laws. Zhang Hao mentioned the various shortcomings of the Han laws, which sparked their interest.

Tian Feng, who had been watching Zhang Hao use familiar tactics to win over these talents with a cold eye, with a mix of feelings but always silent, finally broke his silence after Zhang Hao mentioned this matter.

Although he still had some difficulty accepting Zhang Hao's rebellion, Tian Feng knew he could not stop it. His previous silence did not mean he did not understand the situation; it was just that the education he received from a young age made it hard for him to accept it.

But this time, what Zhang Hao mentioned truly touched him. Compiling new laws was such a grand undertaking! Undoubtedly, if successful, it would certainly be recorded in history, which was a huge temptation for any scholar. Especially knowing Zhang Hao's various advantages and that there would be no unexpected setbacks, Zhang Hao would definitely succeed. This law would become the legal foundation of a new dynasty, making the temptation even greater.

Convincing himself that everything was for the people, Tian Feng, after two days of restraint, finally could not hold back under Zhang Hao's personal request.

Compared to Cai Yong and others, Tian Feng came earlier and had seen more modern materials, thus having a better understanding of the various flaws in the Han laws. Especially knowing Zhang Hao's goals, he could grasp the tone of this law well.

Therefore, Zhang Hao was very pleased that Tian Feng was willing to help.

Originally, Cai Yong and others had a poor impression of Tian Feng. After they arrived and met Tian Feng, he always had a stern face and did not like to talk. This attitude made people think he was arrogant and looked down on others. Naturally, others could not be enthusiastic about a cold reception. They were all scholars and had their pride.

This time, Tian Feng personally participated, and after seeing his talent and understanding that he was not arrogant but just had a rigid personality, their relationship improved significantly.

Combining the laws of various dynasties and the loopholes discovered over the years, along with the laws from different dynasties that Zhang Hao downloaded from the modern era, they began to study a law suitable for the current era.

Undoubtedly, this law was what Zhang Hao prepared to use for his rebellion. Having such a law as a foundation, the benefits of the rebellion were self-evident.

Zhang Hao also specially selected a group of young people to follow Cai Yong and others, to receive instruction.

These young people were selected by Zhang Hao from the private school. The so-called private school was just a name; it would be more appropriate to call it a political hall, but such a name would clearly be inappropriate, so he chose the awkward name of a private school.

This was where Zhang Hao prepared the seeds for future officials, all selected from the refugees, including poor scholars and those who could read and write, specifically to teach them the Han laws and the behavior and experiences of famous officials from various dynasties.

As for the effectiveness, Zhang Hao was not sure, but it was certainly better than hastily recruiting officials and scholars in the future. At least these people would understand Zhang Hao's requirements better.

On the literary side, Zhang Hao did not neglect the military side. From the time Huang Zhong and Dian Wei established the guard, Zhang Hao was involved.

With the guidance of experts like Huang Zhong, along with adequate nutrition and top-notch military equipment, the guard grew rapidly, and the number of people increased. Zhang Hao, lacking a sense of security and having great ambitions, did not mind the huge expenses and worked hard to expand.

After the guard's training became proficient, they began to take turns guarding the merchant convoys, undergoing some tests. But this was clearly not enough; they needed practical combat training.

Following Xi Zhicai's suggestion, Zhang Hao sent 3,000 people by ship to Youzhou, whether to act as bandits or guards, to undergo practical combat training.

Regarding Xi Zhicai's suggestion to pretend to be bandits or Yellow Turbans, Zhang Hao could not bring himself to do it.

Whether acting as bandits or Yellow Turbans would clearly benefit Zhang Hao, but it would inevitably harm the common people. Zhang Hao did not consider himself a good person, but he could not bear to do such things. He did not even contact the Yellow Turbans.

If practical combat training was needed, there were many opportunities outside. For example, at the border of Youzhou, facing the barbarians, Zhang Hao did not care.

Later, after discussing with Xi Zhicai, Zhang Hao also planned to wait until the guards adapted to the fighting and then attack the Three Han with warships. The Three Han were not considered a country at the time, more like a tribal confederation, but they were sufficient as a whetstone.

This way, not only the army but also the navy could be trained.

The attack on the Three Han had not yet begun, but the border post in Youzhou was going smoothly.

The Wuhuan in Youzhou suffered heavy losses in the previous rebellion and were pacified by Liu Yu. However, there were too many barbarians on the border, and the Goguryeo and Xianbei often took advantage of the chaos. Zhang Hao simply let the guards in Youzhou raid the Goguryeo and other tribes.

Although the casualties were not small, the gains were greater. At least the guard could now be called an army.

Through these series of measures, the strength of Zhang Hao's army improved rapidly, and the number of people increased quickly.

Now, if all armed personnel were counted together, there were already more than 20,000 people. However, a batch was stationed at the border of Youzhou, and some followed the navy to set up bases on overseas islands, practicing with cannons and other heavy weapons in such desolate places.

Only a few thousand people remained in Linshui County, which was not particularly noticeable. In this era, the powerful families all had large numbers of guards. With the increasing prosperity of Zhang Hao's manor, the entire Wu Commandery knew that a wealthy merchant had emerged in Linshui County, so having more guards was normal.

Since Zhang Hao began to use mysticism to increase his prestige, after the guard was formed and before they went to Youzhou for training, Zhang Hao would show them a miracle. He told them the lie that he was the Purple Star descended to restore the world.

Although many people had heard rumors that Zhang Hao was a celestial being, this was the first time Zhang Hao personally announced it to them.

The so-called miracle was Zhang Hao using his storage space to make items appear out of nowhere. Large amounts of white rice, flour, and money and weapons fell from the sky, giving a particularly strong impression.

Most of these guards were selected from refugees, and Zhang Hao gave them a stable life, allowing them to support their parents and families, so their loyalty was already high. After the miracle, combined with Zhang Hao's promises of ascending to heaven after death and becoming a god for those who made contributions, the guards' morale and loyalty were sky-high.

The reason for using such tactics was for Zhang Hao to firmly control the army. An army with firm beliefs was the most terrifying. Moreover, the guards going to Youzhou had a long journey, and without such measures, Zhang Hao could not be at ease.

Although he trusted the loyalty of Taishi Ci and others, Zhang Hao still added this insurance. Perhaps this was a common flaw of those in power?

Despite the various guards being stationed in different places, they would all take turns on leave and return to Wu Commandery to rest. Zhang Hao demonstrated the miracle several times, so most of the guards had seen it firsthand. Even those who had not seen it were influenced by their colleagues and had already chosen to believe.

With these various measures, Zhang Hao's power was thriving, and everything was developing in a positive direction.

Now, it could be said that Zhang Hao had passed the most difficult stage of the start. It was fortunate that he had some luck; although there were oversights and suspicions during his development, he managed to suppress them through bribery, assassination, and even pretending to be bandits.

Finally, he had reached a time when he had a certain foundation.

What made Zhang Hao even happier was that Cai Yan had come to Wu Commandery.

Wei Zhongdao, the short-lived man, had finally passed away. Cai Yan, considered to bring bad luck to her husband, was not treated well in her husband's family and had to return to her parents' home.

Since Cai Yong was in seclusion in Wu Commandery, she chose to come to Wu Commandery to serve her father.