Chapter 71

The carriage arrived at the State Academy, where many parents of the scholars had already gathered at the gate. Many scholars were unwilling to have their parents around, for they were the envied students of the State Academy, but their parents always treated them like children.

Especially the stiff Du Shudai, who was almost being kneaded by his grandmother, looking gloomy. Fang Yun felt like laughing when he saw this.

Fang Yun walked over with a backpack almost as tall as himself, and Nunu comfortably lay on the backpack, looking around curiously, and when she saw the Holy Temple inside the State Academy, she showed a hint of fear and quickly turned her head.

Lu Yu waved to Fang Yun and asked loudly, "Fang Yun, you actually raised a spirit beast? Now we are safe. Come, let me see!"

As Lu Yu was about to hug Nunu, Nunu suddenly stood up, baring her teeth and showing a fierce appearance. Lu Yu was frightened and quickly retreated, bumping into his father, who slapped him on the forehead.

"Useless!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Nunu was also amused, lightly tapping Fang Yun's shoulder with one paw and pointing at Lu Yu with the other, making a sound as if to say, "Look at the fool, look at the fool."

After the laughter, the sixteen students from three classes and the forty-five soldiers from the prefecture army stood in a neat formation.

A fourth-rank official of the State Academy, Gao Yuanzheng, came forward. After everyone paid their respects, he began to write the famous poem "Chang Wu" from the Book of Songs, a poem praising King Xuan of Zhou's campaign. It was also the best "march poem" on the Holy Yuan Continent. If a Great Scholar wrote "Chang Wu" on a Holy Page, it could ensure that 100,000 people would have three times the physical strength, power, and endurance of ordinary people for three months!

The march poem was the fundamental power for ordinary soldiers to fight against the demon barbarians, far more powerful than ordinary poems about killing enemies.

"Clearly and brightly, the king commands his ministers, Nan Zhong the great ancestor, the great master Huangfu.

Organize my six armies, to prepare for war, with respect and caution, to benefit this southern land.

..."

When he wrote "the king commands his ministers," everyone heard a voice as if it had traveled through time.

"Depart!"

A very faint translucent white light appeared on the paper.

"The first realm of calligraphy, the brush makes a sound!" Fang Yun thought, even feeling a bit envious, as this first realm could increase the power of battle poems by 20%.

When he wrote "organize my six armies, to prepare for war," everyone heard the sound of the army organizing and the sharpening of weapons.

During the process of writing the poem, Fang Yun clearly felt that Gao Yuanzheng could not only mobilize his own talent but also borrow the talent of the State Academy.

"It seems the rumors are true. Studying in the State Academy, one is unknowingly baptized by the talent of the Holy Temple, growing faster. It seems that my talent reaching ten inches so quickly is closely related to the State Academy. Sword Brow Gong staying in the State Academy is probably for this reason."

A large amount of elemental energy surged, even forming a whistling wind in the sky. Not only the scholars but even ordinary people could hear it.

Everyone was infected by the power of the march song, listening quietly. Even the parents involuntarily straightened their bodies, imagining themselves as soldiers about to set out. Some parents who had been to the battlefield even recalled their past experiences, tears welling up in their eyes.

Gao Yuanzheng, a Jinshi, started with the brush making a sound. After writing half of it, everyone saw a translucent pink flower bloom at the tip of his brush with each word he wrote.

Everyone showed deep respect. This was the second realm of calligraphy, the brush blooming flowers. Even Li Weng, the first person in Jiangzhou, was only at this realm. However, when Li Weng wrote battle poems, the entire page bloomed, making his realm slightly higher than Gao Yuanzheng's.

The white light on the paper began to spread, eventually covering 40% of the page.

Fang Yun watched quietly. When Gao Yuanzheng finished the last stroke, the white light on the paper quickly expanded, like a light canopy covering it, but it only covered 90%.

Fang Yun looked at the brush in Gao Yuanzheng's hand. The remaining 50% of the light was probably the power of the brush, which was made from the bone of a great demon, a treasure of the State Academy.

The paper carrying the march poem "Chang Wu" flew into the air and quickly burned, turning into pure white light points that rained down on the people setting out.

Suddenly, a series of bone-cracking sounds echoed.

The "Chang Wu" with nearly doubled power had a strong effect. Everyone's body showed visible changes: muscles bulged, height increased, strength grew, and a constant flow of heat ran through their bodies.

Fang Yun, reminded by Li Yuncun, was already wearing loose clothing, but now he felt the clothes were tight and uncomfortable, needing time to adapt.

Fang Yun clenched his fist, feeling that he could kill a cow with one punch.

"Truly a wondrous world. No wonder human soldiers can fight demon barbarians. My fighting spirit seems to be influenced by 'Chang Wu,' making me more combative. I can't wait to go to battle. These march poems and auxiliary battle poems are not only harmless but can continuously strengthen the body. As long as the nutrition keeps up, a veteran scholar can easily kill a demon soldier."

Nunu extended her white front leg, pressing her paw on Fang Yun's upper arm muscle, feeling the elasticity and explosive power, her eyes full of curiosity.

Gao Yuanzheng said, "This 'Chang Wu' will last for a month. All students must remember the kindness of the sages and the protection of the saints, and fight the demons and barbarians for our human race! March, depart!"

Everyone bowed in the direction of the Holy Temple and said, "Thank the sages, thank the saints!"

The students and the prefecture soldiers turned and walked to the ox carts.

Fang Yun curiously looked at the oxen. These oxen had no hair on their bodies, and their skin seemed to be covered with black, shiny armor plates.

The oxen were originally a cross between demon oxen and ordinary oxen. After many years of improvement, they could be raised by eating grass, were incredibly strong, and had a gentle temperament, making them excellent for long-distance travel. They were the most commonly raised animals in various countries, even more so than dragon horses.

The famous fire oxen array used by General Tian Dan of the State of Qi in ancient times was made of these oxen.

The ox carts were much larger than ordinary horse carriages, seating twenty people, and only requiring two oxen to pull.

On the battlefield, there were also ox war chariots. The "charioteering" in the Six Arts of the Junzi—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, writing, and mathematics—referred to driving war chariots, which now also included riding horses.

The three classes of scholars and the three groups of prefecture soldiers rode in six ox carts, while the seventh ox cart carried cooking utensils, dry rations, salted meat, cured meat, and military equipment.

Amid the waving and loud instructions of the parents, the group set off towards the outskirts of Dayuan City.

The ox carts moved slowly within the city, but once outside, they gradually accelerated, soon moving faster than a person could run. The wheels of the ox carts were made from a special wood from the demon mountains, and the people inside only felt a slight jolt.

Fang Yun estimated that the speed of the ox carts could exceed fifty miles per hour.

On the cart, the teachers of the three classes repeatedly explained how to kill demons and various precautions, even though the students already knew, they listened attentively.

After two hours, Mr. Wang had finished all the instructions, and the students of the first class began to chat.

As they chatted, they mentioned the court. Mr. Wang glanced at Fang Yun and said, "Confucianism is the main path, the only great way. Those who aspire to become saints all follow it. However, the path of sainthood is difficult, and many only seek to become Great Scholars. Some only seek to rise in the bureaucracy, so they study the mixed schools; some focus on protecting the human race, so they study the military arts; some govern by law, so they study the legalists; some save the country from peril, so they follow the纵横家 (纵横家 means 'the school of diplomacy' or 'the school of纵横家'). For hundreds of years, the mixed schools in various countries have focused on political skills, so even if there are Great Scholars of Confucianism in the countries, it is difficult to shake this large group, as they are backed by the Lu family."

Then, Mr. Wang analyzed the various schools in Jingguo, essentially describing the factions of Jingguo officials.

Fang Yun gradually understood. The State Academy was mostly focused on Confucianism, while the military focused on the military arts. The civil officials were very complex, with the mixed schools, which studied political skills, often gaining power and controlling the most critical Ministry of Personnel, which was responsible for evaluating and appointing officials. Therefore, the power of the mixed schools was extremely strong.

The Left Chancellor Liu Shan was extremely shrewd, infiltrating various factions but not crossing the line, while also forming alliances with the agricultural, legal, and diplomatic schools, using powerful political skills to control the government.

The Right Chancellor, although a Great Scholar, was in charge of the education of Jingguo, but because he was a true Junzi, he always acted with integrity and could not abandon the path of Confucianism to study political skills and compete with the Left Chancellor. Therefore, the court of Jingguo was still dominated by the Left Chancellor.

Mr. Wang also specifically mentioned to Fang Yun that the oaths of the Confucian and legal schools could be trusted, but some people's oaths could not be trusted. The military arts had "deception in war," the diplomatic school had "changing allegiances," the mixed schools had "inclusive and comprehensive," and the nominalist school had "a white horse is not a horse," all of which could, to some extent, avoid oaths or promises, but still carried certain risks and hidden dangers.

Mr. Wang also mentioned that Confucianism had a phrase to avoid oaths. Confucius once said, "An oath made under duress, the gods do not hear." This means that a person can break an oath made under duress, but only if they are acting justly and righteously. If they are not, they cannot avoid the oath.

Fang Yun understood that Mr. Wang was teaching him and felt very grateful. Without such guidance, he might have had to learn the hard way.

The journey went smoothly. At noon, the seven ox carts arrived at the county town of Mi County, where the county magistrate, along with officials and prominent families, had already received them.

Killing demons was a way to temper the will of the students, and according to the rules, they could not enter large cities to enjoy themselves. Therefore, the county magistrate of Mi County set up a meal at a station outside the city to invite everyone.

At the table, the county magistrate detailed the events.

Mi County had a network of waterways, and demons often came from the Yangtze River. However, these demons were only equivalent to scholars, with just a bit more strength and low intelligence, and could be easily killed by three or four armed men.

However, because Qu Shui County was adjacent to Mi County, a few demon soldiers and demons from the Qu Shui River had escaped here. The prefecture army sent people to clear them out and found no demon generals, so they reported to the prefecture. The State Academy then changed the location for the scholars to kill demons to here, while Qu Shui County, where a demon general appeared, remained under strict control.

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