Chapter 906: The So-Called “Since Ancient Times”

"Then let it remain unrepaired. The people of the world are the unbreakable walls of the city. If the hearts of the people are lost, even the sturdiest walls are meaningless," Liu Bei said with a sigh, filled with emotion. To him, Ye City wasn’t of much importance; if a section of the wall was shattered, then so be it. It could serve as a monument to his second brother’s great deeds.

Chen Xi and Li You exchanged glances, both noticing the strange look in each other’s eyes. They then cast a glance at Lu Su, who was standing there with an innocent expression, and both secretly gave him a thumbs-up. Ye City was their top choice for relocating the capital, so it would be odd if Lu Su hadn’t figured that out.

After all, the major battles to come would mostly be in the north, whether they were dealing with Yuan Tan or fighting Cao Cao to rescue the emperor. Even the plan to reclaim the northeastern plains was in the north.

Their strategy had long been to first conquer the north and then the south. Taking Huai Bei was just to prevent Sun Ce from causing trouble. Securing the north first and then cleaning up the south was the typical path for all dynasties that sought to unify the country, and naturally, Chen Xi and the others would follow the same course. This approach would make many things much easier to handle.

It took just one hour to capture Ye City. Guan Yu’s god-like strike had shattered the confidence of all. As for Zhang He and Gao Lan, they fled faster than rabbits. Chen Xi didn’t bother to chase them down. After all, it was a miracle that they had even managed to make it to Ye City in the first place.

As for Cui Jun, after witnessing Guan Yu’s single strike that broke through the walls of Ye City, he became even more resolute in his decision to follow Liu Bei. He quickly fled with the defeated soldiers toward Zhao Commandery, unimpeded. The Liu Bei army needed a high-level spy, and given Cui Jun’s performance in this battle, he was certain to enter Yuan Tan’s inner circle.

After proving their military strength, Chen Xi planned the rest of the war to be as simple and efficient as possible. Cui Jun’s presence alone could solve many problems.

"We've entered the city," Liu Bei sighed as he spoke, looking at Chen Xi with some emotion. "As you said, conquering the land isn’t difficult. Ye City, which Yuan Shao spent so much manpower to build, has now been taken by us. But I wonder how many people within the city are still willing to die for Yuan Shao."

"Yan and Zhao are filled with righteous men, known for their heroic songs. We must remain cautious. However, Yuan Shao's rule was still heavily reliant on the aristocratic families, and though life under him was better than when Han Fu governed the province, it’s still far from reaching the level of our governance," Chen Xi nodded, acknowledging that there would definitely be those willing to die for Yuan Shao.

"There will probably be quite a few scholars standing on the moral high ground to criticize us. These scholars, who only learn rhetoric and avoid the Six Arts, are always a nuisance," Li You scoffed.

Li You had always despised such "talking scholars" the most, especially those whom they couldn’t simply remove. These people would point out problems without offering solutions. If he could, Li You would love to eliminate every one of them.

"Don’t worry. In at most two months, we will stand at the pinnacle of those same scholars, and they won’t dare to oppose us," Jian Yong said with a grin. He had already successfully created the dictionary and lexicon. Only the final steps remained.

"Remember, if we start calling you 'Master of Culture,' you have to acknowledge us," Chen Xi laughed, clearly pleased that Jian Yong had succeeded.

Jian Yong had unearthed oracle bones and connected them to the legend of Cang Jie creating Chinese characters, completing the origin of the written word. Whether Cang Jie truly invented the characters or not, Jian Yong denied it while others affirmed it. This demonstrated how powerful reputation could be among intellectuals. In the end, Jian Yong had to leave the matter unresolved.

"When the time comes, I won’t accept the title of 'Master of Culture.' Half the credit is yours. Without your guidance, I wouldn’t have even thought about the matter of written language," Jian Yong shook his head and spoke with calm dignity.

"I don’t deserve the credit. All I did was offer a suggestion. The rest was your doing," Chen Xi said, shaking his head in return.

"But that suggestion pointed me in the right direction and made me realize the importance of this issue. That was far more significant than the work I did afterward. Others could have done what I did, but without your hint, it might have taken hundreds of years for someone to consider this," Jian Yong said calmly, now exuding a noble demeanor.

"I don’t need it. I already have enough accolades over my head. Let me take a breather," Chen Xi waved his hand, politely declining Jian Yong’s offer.

"When the time comes, I won’t accept the title of 'Master of Culture.' Let it remain vacant. When I feel worthy of it, I will reconsider," Jian Yong said with a smile.

The title of "Master of Culture" was an honor so grand that even emperors would defer to the holder. It was akin to being recognized as a living saint of the Confucian path, standing above all scholars and able to veto the words of any other scholar.

It was similar to figures like Zhu Xi, whose authority in his era was so immense that even if legendary sages like Confucius or Mencius were to reappear, they might not have been able to surpass him. Chen Xi’s aim in shaping Jian Yong into such a figure was to place him at the highest point of public opinion and moral authority. With such a colossal figure backing certain policies, it would be much easier to fend off criticism.

This was also why Chen Xi refused the position himself. He didn’t have the time to engage in endless debates with scholars. He just needed someone like Jian Yong to crush those critics with his authority. The rest wasn’t important.

As for whether Jian Yong could truly attain the title of "Master of Culture," considering the dictionary, lexicon, punctuation marks, and the restoration of cultural roots he was compiling, if that wasn’t enough to earn the title, then probably no one ever could. These contributions touched on so many areas that even a coalition of countless Confucian scholars wouldn’t be able to produce such results over decades.

The so-called restoration of cultural roots was also a way to restore history. Chen Xi’s vision for unification was not just about unifying a dynasty but creating a unified cultural and historical foundation that stretched from ancient times to the present.

Chen Xi wasn’t interested in trivial ideas; he was aiming for something grand. If you wanted a flourishing intellectual landscape with a hundred schools of thought contending, it would be impossible to achieve ideological unity. If you wanted national peace and stability through unification, then there could be no chaotic clashing of ideas. In resolving this inherent contradiction, Chen Xi had finally come up with a solution.

That solution was to trace all ideas back to a single source, a mythic historical era. He would set a time when all philosophical seeds were planted. As for the rise of the various schools of thought later on? Simple. They were all just flowers blooming from that one seed.

It didn’t matter what kind of flower it was—whether it was vibrant, modest, or luxurious. The important thing was that they all grew from the same seed. They were all part of the same family!

In short, all these different schools were like branches on the same tree. No matter how much they argued, the tree that provided them nourishment remained the unified empire!

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