Chapter 45: Loyalty, Valor, and Devotion to the Country

"A string of copper coins, rolling on the ground, a dark hole in the middle, with neither heart nor lungs..."
Rural children skipped along, singing this nursery rhyme. Xuan Chong had just finished a coordination meeting with those responsible for commercial affairs in his uncle's main camp. Looking up at these laughing and playing children, he fell into deep thought. As a man of culture from the later eras of the internet, how could Xuan Chong not know that these children were passing along memes?

This matter was also recorded in the Book of Later Han. Nursery rhymes such as "A thousand-mile herb, how lush and green; ten days and a tortoise shell, yet it refuses to grow" spread all over Luoyang. And the mischievous kids who sang such nursery rhymes beside Dong Zhuo's carriage were the earliest recorded "meme kids" in history. Dong Zhuo was an elderly man who didn't understand the culture of the younger generation, so he happily entered the palace.

Of course, the problem didn't lie with these children singing nursery rhymes, but rather with some local scholars who would comment on current affairs according to their own preferences. Those phrases with smooth tones and meters were then picked up and spread as tongue twisters by children who didn't understand their meanings.

Right now, Xuan Chong stared at these children, and these children also looked at Wu Fei sitting on his horse.

In a staring contest between large and small eyes, Xuan Chong took out a coin and suddenly spoke to the little imps: "Come on, sing a line with me, and I'll give you a big coin to buy candy."

The imps swarmed around. Xuan Chong chanted, "Love you walking alone in dark alleys," and once the coin was in their hands, the children's young voices joined in.

Xuan Chong continued, "Love your appearance of not kneeling." By this time, the children's singing pitch had been hooked by interest, so Wu Fei pressed on with his advantage, starting the third line's tonal twist: "Love you confronting despair, yet refusing to shed a tear."

A few minutes later, Wu Fei watched as the children skipped away into the distance. By now, these tots were singing: "Love your ragged clothes, yet daring to block the gun of fate; love how you are so much like me, with the exact same flaws..."

The song grew more and more spirited because the adults standing nearby watched them, providing the motivation for this gang of meme kids to keep passing it on.

As a time traveler, Xuan Chong nodded as he watched the imps skip away singing and dancing. Childish secret codes from the streets of his past life ringing out in this otherworldly realm—it was just right. I wonder if there will be other time travelers who can match passwords with me?

Xuan Chong revealed a smile. How should he put it? Right now, he was also just a little imp.

...Then the system pop-up window began...

System: "Please analyze the impact of folk song information dissemination on the economy, politics, and culture during the current historical period. Combine this with your current era to analyze the role of media discourse power in international politics."

"Hiss—" Xuan Chong took a deep breath of unpleasant air and muttered quietly, "I just hate it when someone suddenly gives me homework while I'm trying to relax." This felt as nauseating as having to write a reflection essay after every school spring outing.

However, Xuan Chong quickly shifted into the state of a "test-taker" and began a serious analysis: namely, that the conflicts between the Wu family army as an external force wielding violence and the local powerful clans were intensifying day by day!

Xuan Chong pondered for a moment, drawing upon a modern parallel from a decade or so before his birth in his past life: a local gang in a southern free port encountered people who had trekked overland from the north, leading to severe conflicts at the time. Because the local faction already monopolized the film industry and various other trades, and could not win in the conflict against the northern group striving to make a living, they launched a collective regional smear campaign against the northern cultural group. Well, this was using the public opinion of a single port to smear an entire country—an extremely absurd legacy of toxicity that lingered for decades.

Reaching this point in his mental exercise, Xuan Chong couldn't help but pause. Because following this line of reasoning, the situation facing the Wu family army was indeed a hidden danger, as in the mouths of these scholars, the Wu family army was currently regarded as southerners.

Although the ancestors of the Wu family had migrated from the northern part of Dayao, the animosity of regional factions does not deal in logic, only in emotion.

Seeing Xuan Chong's analysis, the system followed up: "Please discuss how to handle such conflicts and contradictions."

Xuan Chong: "The opposing side cannot use swords, so they can only use public opinion. While the Wu family is currently weak in public opinion, they have swords! In other words, the ultimate resolution of the conflict is to completely purge the upper echelons, or build a new upper class."

The system said nothing.

Xuan Chong paused: "Is my answer incorrect?"

System: "This is an open question with no right or wrong. The correctness of an answer lies in practice."

Xuan Chong squatted down to look at the ants on the ground. The ants moved along a path following rules; even if he used a knife to cut off one route, the ants would still follow the instructions originating deep within the ant nest. Xuan Chong spurred his horse to fly twenty zhang high, gazing at the fortress dozens of miles away. Instructions like nursery rhymes were transmitted from there.

In this era, the source of nursery rhyme dissemination was very obvious: the people who chanted poems and composed verses. The phrases they muttered were overheard by servants, who repeated them, and the children spread them further. Like the center of an anthill holding pheromones, they controlled the right to input information into the common people.

The powerful clans grasped the essentials of the classics. Thus, acting as the information hub, just like the center of an insect swarm issuing instructions to the collective, they unilaterally instilled their preferred concepts into the common people, while the freezing, hunger, suffering, and fundamental interests of the common people could not be communicated.

Xuan Chong reflected: simple slaughter cannot reverse this structure. For example, Huang Chao at the end of the Tang Dynasty almost exterminated all noble clans and powerful families, but the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance stood on the interests of the new noble class and completely smeared his actions.

And after Huang Chao, another figure similar to Huang Chao used the meme song, "Eat his grain, drink his wine, the roving king comes, no grain tax," to directly overthrow the Great Ming.

When the common people rose up in rebellion due to natural disasters and migration, having heard the same songs, they were no longer mere blades of grass—they were a tide of blood!

...

Wait, Xuan Chong muttered to himself: "It seems I've found a clue. From Huang Chao to Li Zicheng, the source of the 'ballad' changed from the aristocratic families to humble origins; the medium of social dissemination also changed, from the unconscious behavior of ignorant children to farmers and city dwellers amplifying sound selectively according to their own interest inclinations."

This was the thread leading from the eve of ideological imprisonment to modern times.

Xuan Chong wrote the three words "La Marseillaise" on the system's reserved bookmark page—meaning that through military songs, the army seized the dominance of information dissemination from the hands of the kingdom's nobility and the ecclesiastical authorities. The mobility of the army made dissemination efficiency instantly surpass that of the old forces.

Viewed from the perspective of a historical bystander, this was one of the "characteristics" by which traditional serf uprisings suddenly became modernized.

Of course, Xuan Chong thought to himself, for now, he still needed to rein in his ambitions.

The feudal lords of the European Middle Ages lacked historical experience. In modern times, they made their armies sing, and as they sang, they resonated with themselves, and those who resonated ultimately sent the king to the guillotine. But in the East? There was plenty of experience.

...The system had faded into concealment...

In the East, if military generals attempted to seize public opinion, it would be tantamount to condoning the spread of "perverse and rebellious speech."

The Eastern governance system was extremely alert to this matter, uniformly classifying such behavior as "usurpation."

During the pre-Qin period, phrases like "Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king" led subsequent dynasties to strictly forbid chaotic chanting within the ranks. No matter how correct a chant might be, it would still arouse the apprehension of rulers. Yue Fei's "River All Red" was sufficiently loyal in content, yet it still touched the Zhao family's ancestral paranoia regarding military generals, ultimately leading to the Fengbo Pavilion tragedy.

After the Song Dynasty, Chinese military generals were absolutely forbidden to produce lyrical literature that deviated from the "supreme directives of the emperor."

Wu Fei was certain that the moment he dared to release something as advanced as a "military song," the great lords in the Dayao imperial court would immediately think "his heart harbors ulterior motives."

For Wu Fei, having finally discovered a "sharp weapon" in the historical toolbox, he could not use it, causing him to scratch his ears and cheeks in frustration.

What if merchant caravans were allowed to sing? Wu Fei shook his head again. Leaving aside the consequences of future merchants seizing public opinion, the merchants themselves were currently extremely resistant to the activity of "singing." Actors whose profession was "singing" were lower than beggars, belonging to the lowest nine categories of society.

If the children of respectable families said they wanted to sing opera, their parents and elders would break their legs.

Wu Fei looked up at the sky. The Eastern dynasty he faced possessed a complete and stable set of control systems. To break this system required a long historical evolution, which could never be punctured by one or two smart people.

The cultural inertia of a large country was too meticulous. Only during a dynastic change, seizing the gaps of chaos, could certain things be done.

Wu Fei left the main camp of the Wu family army. Inside the camp, Master Xiandao watched Wu Fei's retreating figure and sniffed: "I smell the breath of wonderful changes, but it seems to have been smothered again. Of course, it will eventually appear after all, because you cannot cast away the doubts in your heart."

...Shifting perspective to the North...

In the Dayao imperial court, fifteen palace attendants unfolded a dozen-zhang-long silk scroll map.

The upper section of the map bore ancient characters reading "Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the Altars of Soil and Grain." The entire area covered by Dayao's royal aura was displayed. This mountain and river map had been passed down from the previous dynasty, and in truth, it could expand or contract.

When the state power of the map-holder was at its peak, this map could expand to a hundred zhang, showing the Northern Rong to the north, the hundred thousand great mountains to the south, the ten thousand islands of the Eastern Sea to the east, and mountains and deserts to the west. But when the royal aura waned, it would shrink to an area of just nine zhang square.

It was said that before Dayao, in the final years of the Cheng Dynasty, four people could unfold the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and Altars of Soil and Grain, and it would display only a single prefecture.

Emperor Shu wore cloud-climbing boots, looking at his boundless rivers and mountains. At this moment, the northeastern corner of the map was missing; the patterns of mountains, rivers, and city walls had become extremely dim, usurped by the evil dragon clan. In addition, the islands in the Eastern Sea were now hidden within the clouds and mist on the map.

Whether the world fell within the scope of the royal aura could be seen from the Altars map. —Whether the royal aura covered a place depended on whether the local people tacitly acknowledged the Son of Heaven as the master of the world. To a certain extent, Wu Fei also tacitly acknowledged Dayao as orthodox at this moment, thus also forming part of the manifestation of the royal way at that time.

Within the realm of the world as seen by Emperor Shu's gaze, at Yunmeng Marsh, although there was a very glaring ship covered in dragon scales, the mountains and rivers of that single prefecture still appeared clearly distinguishable on the map. The imperial army (the Wu family army) stationed across the river from Changcheng continuously melted away the rebellion like a blazing fire.

Within the Yunmeng Marsh region, the Wu family army advanced steadily, uprooting the aquatic clan strongholds one by one across the five-hundred-li waters of Yunmeng Marsh, already forcing the local dragon clan to stay off the land. Trap them for another year, and the marsh would be pacified.

Emperor Shu: "The Marquis of Qiansu commands his troops effectively."

An eunuch at his side said, "The Marquis of Qiansu's family has enjoyed imperial grace for generations; naturally, they will not allow rebellious bandits to run amok."

Hearing this, Emperor Shu seemed to be stirred by an unpleasant matter: "Humph, enjoying imperial grace for generations does not mean one can demonstrate ultimate loyalty and patriotism in times of national crisis!"

Emperor Shu glanced at Changcheng and said, "Right now, the Marquis of Qiansu is constrained by military supplies and provisions, which is why he cannot quickly pacify the wicked bandits."

The eunuch at his side remained silent, as this involved the struggle for power between the imperial authority and the powerful clans. —In fact, Emperor Shu's impression that the Wu family army was currently "destitute and straitened" originated from the accusations of the local powerful clans.

The powerful clans of Changcheng were now more vocal than powerful clans elsewhere in crying out that their interests were being harmed! Meanwhile, many villages in northern Dayao suddenly vanished during grain requisition, yet the local powerful clans remained indifferent. To the powerful clans, those villages that did not seek shelter under their protection were often "defiant villages" that harbored their runaway slaves! Now that these "defiant villages" had met with misfortune, it was simply a matter of inherent poor fortune.

For the emperor sitting in court, the voices of the powerful clans largely represented the public opinion of "local common people." However, what they shouted so loudly differed from the results of the mountain-and-river divination calculated by the Son of Heaven.

In times of peace, rulers cared greatly about the reputation of a "prosperous age," but now it was a turbulent time of military campaigns.

With the powerful clans of Donghua Commandery shouting so fiercely at this moment, it was no longer a case of "the crying child getting milk," but rather made the monarch feel that they were grumbling against his imperial decrees.

The Wu family army had been transferred to Donghua Commandery by Emperor Shu's decree, and they were now on the verge of successful subjugation. Southern grain would soon be able to travel northward along the river from Jizhou. (The reason grain was currently stuck in Jizhou was far from just the war.)

In the end, Emperor Shu still played with nuance in his decree, demanding that the people of Donghua Commandery encourage one another amidst this national crisis.

...

In February of the 28th year of the Shutian Era, Wu Hanluan's main camp received an imperial decree once again. This time, the grand banners in the army fluttered completely, swaying in the wind, while the command axe did not twist as it had a few months prior. Yet, whether it was an illusion or not, the command axe swayed in unison with the main camp.

Following a major plague in southern Donghua Jiangnan a month ago, which caused two southern armies to disband and flee due to soaring maintenance difficulties, the Wu family army suddenly remained Dayao's sole military pillar in Donghua Commandery.

Therefore, Wu Hanluan, his son, and even his nephew who "should" have been in the south, suddenly found favor in the emperor's heart.

Hearing the intent of Emperor Shu's decree, Wu Hanluan immediately memorialized in response that he would offer twenty fire-oxen from the southern border as tribute.

These fire-oxen had sturdy scales along their ribs and a pair of three-chi-long sharp horns atop their heads, traits said to be the manifestation of the bloodline of the fire kylin.

After being tamed with spiritual talismans, these fire-oxen ran in formation around the camp with great vigor, their massive bovine eyes glowing like burning charcoal in a furnace.

These monstrous mounts had been escorted here by Wu Fei, with the purpose of supplementing Wu Hengyu's forces with a ground cavalry unit of sufficient impact force. Yet at this moment, Wu Hanluan took it upon himself to present them directly as tribute, while the imperial envoy simply smiled and accepted them.

Wu Fei was deeply perplexed, and Wu Hengyu was greatly annoyed.

The emotional Wu Hengyu was temporarily unreachable by reason, so Wu Hanluan dropped a hint to Wu Fei: "Emperor Shu already knows you ran over to my side, and he also knows you worked hard in the southern border. But you kept it from him, and he is very displeased!"

(Presenting these divine oxen as tribute served as a form of justification as a subject: namely, although Wu Fei arrived unannounced, he came to present tribute. Emperor Shu didn't actually care about these twenty fire-oxen, but by accepting them, it meant past wrongdoings were forgiven.)

Wu Fei was suddenly enlightened. Thus, he proactively asked Wu Hanluan for leave to depart.

Wu Fei: "The business that needed to be handled has been settled over the past ten days or so, and the camp's grain supply is basically secured for now."

Wu Fei personally inspected the soldiers in the army who came from commercial backgrounds, clearing up the trade route order all the way to Donghua Commandery. Rare goods from the southern border would be transported over, while people who lost their land due to the war in Donghua Commandery would be relocated thither.

Wu Hanluan nodded, telling Wu Fei to return quickly—of course, not returning alone, but escorting five hundred soldiers back home so the local villagers could rest assured that everything was fine with this external expedition.

...

As Wu Fei left the main camp, he suddenly heard the camp's war drums beating. Wu Fei turned his head to look; the main camp was seething with a murderous aura, and this baleful energy was pressing southward.

Wu Fei understood: "My eldest uncle has taken the field in compliance with the imperial decree."

Behind Wu Fei, the two Jiuche birds suddenly raised their heads, letting out a piercing cry as if startled by firecrackers, before the animal tamers following Wu Fei shook their bells and the Jiuche grew calm again inside their cages.